Monday, October 7, 2024
Donate
Home Blog Page 2074

Golden Globes: Julia Roberts Is This Year’s Brangelina

Roger Friedman
-
0

The Golden Globes got one thing right this year: they chose the daughter of Alfre Woodard and Roderick Spencer to be Miss Golden Globes. That’s very nice.

roberts julia duplicity 250x300 Golden Globes: Julia Roberts Is This Years BrangelinaOne thing they got very wrong: choosing Julia Roberts as a comedic Best Actress nominee for “Duplicity.” Huh? This is where the Globes go wrong. They want their celebrities to appear on the show for which NBC pays them $6 million. Lacking Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie, the Hollywood Foreign Press turned to Julia for its glamour content. Good luck with that! Up against two nominations for Meryl Streep, as well as Sandra Bullock and Marion Cotillard, Julia will not be making any speeches. That may be just as well since at Lincoln Center last spring Julia used the f-word several times to honor Tom Hanks.

A nice surprise in the Best Actor category: Tobey Maguire for “Brothers.” He got the slot vacated by Daniel Day Lewis, because his “Nine” nomination falls into Comedy/Musical with the Globes. At the Oscars, DDL will edge out Tobey and join Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Colin Firth, and Morgan Freeman. Still, it’s nice to see Maguire score outside his “Spider-Man” world. And it’s nice to see Michael Stuhlbarg rewarded for his comic performance as “A Serious Man.” Otherwise, though, the Coen Brothers movie was lost on the HFPA. (I’m sure they had no idea what is was about.)

The same thing happened in the Best Actress category, where Emily Blunt got a slot for “Young Victoria.” At Oscar time, Meryl Streep will take that position with Helen Mirren, Carey Mulligan, and Gabourey Sidibe.

And oh yes: Sidibe was one of three noms for “Precious,” which is more than I thought the HFPA would give it. “Precious” is very American, and very much for the Oscars. The HFPA is mostly European, and probably didn’t get it. The screenplay nomination Geoffrey Fletcher should have received instead went to sci-fi movie “District 9.” Hello!

And maybe Sandra Bullock. Big boxoffice and admiration may equal a first ever Oscar nomination for Bullock for “The Blind Side.” It’s not a great dramatic role. But Bullock is wildly popular, and she was in two big hits this year, “The Blind Side” and “The Proposal.” She’s the HFPA’s Renee Zellweger for 2009. She won’t win anything, but everyone will be happy to see her.

One odd omission: Clint Eastwood’s “Invictus.” This is what it looks like. The HFPA nominated Clint for Best Director, and his actors Freeman and Matt Damon in their respective categories. But “Invictus” got cut out of Best Picture for “Avatar.” The James Cameron spectacle was thrown the bone of Best Picture even though it has nothing else in acting or writing. Cameron was nominated for Best Director and the vile end credit song was tossed in. But these are sops. “Avatar” is a presentation more than a movie. By the time Oscar voters get to it, the 3D blockbuster will have already earned its rewards in millions at the boxoffice.

For the Golden Globes, it’s not a bad mix. Maybe the tide is turning…

Procter & Gamble: A Disgraceful End for “As the World Turns”

Roger Friedman
-
0

Procter &’ Gamble’s exit from soap operas will be disgraceful and cheap if executive producer Chris Goutman’s comments are correct.

In a new interview with TV Guide, Goutman ‘ who ten years ago was the hatchet man for P&G when they ended “Another World” ‘ describes what’s to come between now and the 55-year-old show’s end in September. He indicates that with the end in sight, current (and enervating) plot lines will continue, no plans in particular will be made to write a grand ending or include return cameos by popular actors from the show’s history.

This is exactly what P&G did to “Guiding Light” when it went off the air this past September. The final week included not one clip from the show’s 60-year history on television. The end was handled in a cheap and disrespectful way.

The idea ‘ and this has to have come from some kind of management consultant ‘ is to drive away viewers and make sure they’re not nostaglic for the show when it ends. In other words, just kill it, and move on.

Ironically, this spring marks the 50th anniversary on the show of two of its actors, Don Hastings and Eileen Fulton. A third, Helen Wagner, is still on the show at age 92. She spoke its first words in 1956. Wagner appeared on air just last week and looked great. The worry now is that nothing will be done to observe these anniversaries on the air.

“As the World Turns” is taping scenes now for January and February. Here’s what I would do, like today: put on the brakes. Make a plan for the show’s final 90 days. Golden Globe nominee Julianne Moore, who got her start on the show in the 80s, expressed a fondness for it on “The View” recently. Ask her and other famous alumni like Marisa Tomei and Meg Ryan back to reprise their former roles during a big send off. Bring back Larry Bryggman, the great theater actor who was on the show for 30 years. Give Fulton, Hastings and other long time actors a chance to wrap up their stories with dignity. Otherwise, Procter & Gamble risks the enmity of its fans well after the last episode of “As the world Turns” has been aired.

Rock Hall to Induct Geffen: We Told You 4 Months Ago

Roger Friedman
-
0

I told you on August 14th that David Geffen would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

It was announced officially today.

Also: the Hollies, Genesis, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Jimmy Cliff and ABBA.

Because the prospect of this show on March 15th is so dreadful, and because the Hall of Fame has embarrassingly passed over the Brill Building era until now, the Foundation is also inducting a gang of songwriters the same night: the recently deceased Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry; Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil; Jesse Stone, Mort Shuman and Otis Blackwell.

Jann Wenner waited 25 years to induct these writers ‘ all of whom are already in the much more respected Songwriters Hall of Fame. He can do it now because Phil Spector’s in jail for life and can’t complain that he actually wrote “You Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.” He didn’t.

By putting in the writers, and Geffen, there’s at least the hope of a decent show at the Waldorf. Otherwise, the night would have consisted of “Waterloo,” “Follow You Follow Me,” “Bus Stop,” and “The Harder They Come.” Oh yes, the latter is reggae, but what the heck: the Hall of Fame has nothing to do with rock and roll.

Meantime, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum is shutting down its New York annex on January 6th after a year of operation. What happened? The Foundation has $14 million in the bank. They just threw an extravagant week of parties and concerts at Madison Square Garden, took in millions at the Garden boxoffice, got paid more by HBO, and laid out even more so that all the performers had their expenses paid at the posh London Hotel on West 54th St.

Yet, their one mission ‘ to operate museums ‘ can’t be fulfilled properly in New York.

Mamma mia!

Whitney, Mariah, Kate, Cameron — PMK Has Plenty of Clients, Thanks

Roger Friedman
-
0

It’s not as bad as previously thought.

Last week’s splintering of the PMK-HBH PR brand in Hollywood was a surprise. The HBH left, and took with it some of the PMK. Then PMK announced it was merging with Bragman Nyman Cafarelli — aka BNC — and all hell broke loose.

But PMK — which stands for long-gone partnership Pickwick Maslansky Koenigsberg — is regrouping with BNC. They’ll be fine, led by Cindi Berger, Michael Nyman and a lot of talented people. Change is hard — and 2009 has been wild, hasn’t it?

The new PMK-BNC has plenty of star clients in case you were worried: Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Eva Mendes, Glenn Close, Emma Thompson, Amy Poehler, Brooke Shields, Barbara Walters, Billy Crystal, Sarah Silverman, Goldie Hawn, Miley Cyrus, Kristin Chenoweth, Tracy Morgan, Jimmy Kimmel, Neil Patrick Harris, Will Arnett, Zach Braff, Colin Farrell, Jay Baruchel, Rainn Wilson and, of course, Rosie O’Donnell.

They also boast a big music department with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, Shakira, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Seal, Dixie Chicks, Harry Connick Jr., John Legend, Shakira, Eric Clapton, Jessica Simpson and Tom Petty.

The company still handles the Tonys, the Emmys, Academy of Country Music Awards and various other awards shows. Their corporate clients include Mark Burnett’s reality empire, Shonda Rimes (creator of “Grey’s Anatomy”), Bill Lawrence of “Scrubs,” Sony Television, USA Network, plus these brands: T-Mobile, Nintendo, Samsung, American Express, Beiersdorf, Audi, Amazon.com, Target, Hasbro, Netflix, MAC Cosmetics.

So here comes the new PMK — post Pat Kingsley and Lois Smith and all ready for a new decade. And really — if Cindi Berger got Shakira on the cover of the Economist — and she did! — anything is possible.

Catherine Zeta-Jones Wows Broadway

Roger Friedman
-
0

59145066A few seasons ago Catherine Zeta-Jones won an Oscar for singing and dancing in “Chicago,” the movie. Some people thought it was a trick of editing.

Now, starring in Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” on Broadway, Mrs. Michael Douglas cements her place as a stage star. It was no trick. She’s the real thing.

Last night, the culmination of Trevor Nunn’s extraordinary two-and-a-half hour revival was CZ-J’s stunning rendition of “Send in the Clowns.” It’s perhaps Sondheim’s best known and maybe best ever song, and Zeta-Jones performance was spot on. From the first line of the song ‘ “Isn’t it rich/Aren’t we a pair?” ‘ it was clear she had “it.” The audience in the tiny Walter Kerr Theater ‘ which included Lauren Bacall, Hugh Jackman, Kathleen Turner, Nik Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Harvey Weinstein, and, of course, Michael Douglas ‘went wild.

(I like Hugh Jackman ‘‘he came upstairs to the mezzanine bar to get sodas for himself and wife Debra Lee at intermission ‘ and waited in line in a narrow space to do it.)

And the numerous charms of “A Little Night Music” don’t all belong to Zeta-Jones. Angela Lansbury has been doing a victory lap on Broadway this year, winning a Tony last spring for “Blithe Spirit.” She returns to Sondheim (remember, she was the original, award-winning Mrs. Lovett from “Sweeney Todd”) triumphantly in “Night Music” as the curmudgeonly grandmother and, of course, steals the show. (It’s not so easy; her character is in wheelchair.) The show also features two tremendous male leads: Alexander Hanson, from the London production, and Aaron Lazar, plus the strongest cast of singers on Broadway in featured roles.

Over at Tavern on the Green later ‘ at what may be the final theatre premiere party at the real Tavern thanks to the city and general greed ‘ Zeta-Jones made an entrance suitable for her new station as Queen of Broadway. As befitting a Queen, her rude publicist just about knocked my kidney stone out of place elbowing me out of the way. But CZ-J was charming as ever, accepting kudos and flowers from husband Michael Douglas. Sondheim ‘ without whom none of this is possible ‘ made a brief appearance before scooting out of the spotlight.

As for Oscar-winning actor/producer Douglas, he did tell me some good news: his very good movie, “Solitary Man,” has been picked up by Overture Films and will be released on May 2nd, two weeks after “Wall Street 2.” It’s going to be a Michael Douglas spring. In the meantime, it’s a CZ-J winter as Douglas’s wife is signed to “Night Music” through July. This means no family Christmas outing to Bermuda ‘ where Douglas’s mom is from and where he often vacations. “We’ll just stay here, and do a little skiing,” Michael told me. It doesn’t sound so bad!

“Avatar” Snubbed by AFI, Los Angeles and Boston Film Critics

Roger Friedman
-
0

James Cameron’s “Avatar” is going to make a lot of money when it opens on Friday. (So will the makers of those 3D glasses, too!)

But awards don’t look forthcoming for the sci-fi spectacle about blue people on planet Pandora.

Yesterday, the American Film Institute didn’t include “Avatar” on its 10 best list for 2009. It did mention “The Hangover,” however.

“Avatar” did win Best Picture from the New York Online Film Critics, a group of home bloggers with interesting website names.

The big winners so far: “The Hurt Locker,” director Kathryn Bigelow, Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, Jeremy Renner, M’Onique, and “Precious.”

The next awards announcement will be nominees for the Broadcast Film Critics Association later today (airing January 15th on VH-1), followed by the Golden Globes tomorrow (January 17th) and the New York Film Critics Circle.

Broadcast Critics Go for “Nine,” “Basterds,” “Locker”

Roger Friedman
-
0

NOMINEES FOR THE 15TH ANNUAL CRITICS’ CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS

BEST PICTURE
Avatar
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Nine
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up In The Air

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges – “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney – “Up In The Air”
Colin Firth – “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman – “Invictus”
Viggo Mortensen – “The Road”
Jeremy Renner – “The Hurt Locker”

BEST ACTRESS
Emily Blunt – “The Young Victoria”
Sandra Bullock – “The Blind Side”
Carey Mulligan – “An Education”
Saoirse Ronan – “The Lovely Bones”
Gabourey Sidibe – “Precious”
Meryl Streep – “Julie & Julia”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Matt Damon – “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson – “The Messenger”
Christian McKay – “Me And Orson Welles”
Alfred Molina – “An Education”
Stanley Tucci – “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz – “Inglourious Basterds”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard – “Nine”
Vera Farmiga – “Up In The Air”
Anna Kendrick – “Up In The Air”
Mo’Nique – “Precious”
Julianne Moore – “A Single Man”
Samantha Morton – “The Messenger”

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Jae Head – “The Blind Side”
Bailee Madison – “Brothers”
Max Records – “Where The Wild Things Are”
Saoirse Ronan – “The Lovely Bones”
Kodi Smit-McPhee – “The Road”

BEST A CTING ENSEMBLE
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
Precious
Star Trek
Up In The Air

BEST DIRECTING
Kathryn Bigelow – “The Hurt Locker”
James Cameron – “Avatar”
Lee Daniels – “Precious”
Clint Eastwood – “Invictus”
Jason Reitman – “Up In The Air”
Quentin Tarantino – “Inglourious Basterds”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mark Boal – “The Hurt Locker”
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen – “A Serious Man”
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber – “(500) Days Of Summer”
Bob Peterson, Peter Docter – “Up”
Quentin Tarantino – “Inglourious Basterds”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach – “Fantastic Mr. Fox”
Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell – “District 9″
Geoffrey Fletcher – “Precious”
Tom F ord, David Scearce – “A Single Man”
Nick Hornby – “An Education”
Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner – “Up In The Air”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Barry Ackroyd – “The Hurt Locker”
Dion Beebe – “Nine”
Mauro Fiore – “Avatar”
Andrew Lesnie – “The Lovely Bones”
Robert Richardson – “Inglourious Basterds”

BEST ART DIRECTION
Dan Bishop – “A Single Man”
Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg – “Avatar”
John Myhre, Gordon Sim – “Nine”
Naomi Shohan, George De Titta, Jr. – “The Lovely Bones”
David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds Wasco – “Inglourious Basterds”

BEST EDITING
Dana E. Glauberman – “Up In The Air”
Sally Menke – “Inglourious Basterds”
Bob Murawski, Chris Innis – “The Hurt Locker”
Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua, James Cameron – “Avatar”
Claire Simpson, Wyatt Smith – “Nine”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Colleen Atwood – “Nine”
Janet Patterson – “Bright Star”
Sandy Powell – “The Young Victoria”
Anna Sheppard – “Inglourious Basterds”
Casey Storm – “Where The Wild Things Are”

BEST MAKEUP
Avatar
District 9
Nine
The Road
Star Trek

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar
District 9
The Lovely Bones
Star Trek
2012

BEST SOUND
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Nine
Star Trek

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Princess And The Frog
Up

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek

BEST COMEDY
(500) Days Of Summer
The Hangover
It’s Complicated
The Proposal
Zombieland

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Gifted Hands
Grey Gardens
Into The Storm
Taking Chance

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Broken Embraces
Coco Before Chanel
Red Cliff
Sin Nombre
The White Ribbon

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Anvil
Capitalism: A Love Story
The Cove
Food, Inc.
Michael Jackson’s This Is It

BEST SONG
“All Is Love” – Karen O, Nick Zinner – “Where The Wild Things Are”
“Almost There” – Randy Newman – “The Princess And The Frog”
“Cinema Italiano” – Maury Yeston – “Nine”
“(I Want To) Come Home” – Paul McCartney – “Everybody’s Fine”
“The Weary Kind” – T Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham – “Crazy Heart”

BEST SCORE
Michael Giacchino – “Up”
Marvin Hamlisch – “The Informant!”
Randy Newman – “The Princess and the Frog”
Karen O, Carter Burwell – “Where The Wild Things Are”
Hans Zimmer – “Sherlock Holmes”

Facebook Chief Turns Party Animal in Village

Roger Friedman
-
0

Sean Parker, the co-founder of Napster and now the guy who helped launch Plaxo and’ Facebook, is now my party-throwing neighbor here in the quietest part of Greenwich Village. He’s renting a gutted, modern carriage house that was once populated by drug dealers (a long time ago). The house, owned by the Cinzano family and known as Bacchus House, even has an atrium.

The good news is that Parker, celebrating his 30th birthday Saturday night, raised about $30,000 from his guests for the charity Malaria No More. Parker plans to match the donation. And he’s serious about curing malaria, among other diseases.

Among Parker’s guests: a wide-brim black-hatted Val Kilmer, dressed as either a Hasidic Jew, Amish minister or, as one guest observed, Gertrude Stein. It’s not clear what Oliver Stone, who directed the old Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison in “The Doors,” thought of Kilmer’s current incarnation. And I didn’t ask. Anyway, other well-known faces (still in their recognizable condition) included Gina Gershon, fresh from her Broadway performance in “Bye Bye Birdie,” plus Warner Music’s Lyor Cohen and actors Matthew Modine, Fisher Stevens and Griffin Dunne, a late-arriving Stephen Baldwin and magazine publisher Jason Binn. There was, alas, no sign of Justin Timberlake, who’s set to play Parker in the David Fincher/Aaron Sorkin movie “The Social Network.” For real, yes, I’m not kidding.

There were also scads and scads of beautiful babes, presumably Parker’s friends from Facebook. There was food in the form of passed h’ors d’oeuvres, but maybe not enough. At one point, Ray’s Pizza, down the street, the actual real and original Ray’s Pizza, sent over six large pies. The deliveryman wasn’t allowed inside, however. One of Parker’s minions met him out front in the cold and tenderly accepted the steaming pizzas by wrapping them in a bed sheet. In three decades, I have not seen Ray’s pizzas so lovingly embraced.

I didn’t actually meet Sean Parker, but I think that’s the sign of a successful party. I was depressed, anyway, since I moved to this block exactly one year before he was born. (I was in college; don’t get excited. I’m not 100 years old. There weren’t horse-drawn carriages, but you could drive straight down Broadway through Times Square without yielding to tourists sitting on aluminum chairs.)

So anyway, as long as our parking spaces aren’t always taken and the noise stays down (it did last night), Parker is welcome to toss as many charity fundraisers as he likes. We’ve also recently had an invasion of the wealthy: the Soros family, Black Eyed Peas manager David Sonnenberg, and a few others who are ignoring the recession by gutting, renovating and planting terrariums. Welcome to the block!

Movie Award First? Ex-spouses Bigelow and Cameron in Race

Roger Friedman
-
0

Looking for an Oscar first? Here’s one: Kathryn Bigelow, director of the much-praised and serious “The Hurt Locker,” could be in the running for best director against her ex-husband.

Bigelow was married from 1989-91 to “Avatar” director James Cameron.

Their movies could not be more different. “The Hurt Locker” is indeed a serious piece of work about soldiers in the war in Iraq. It’s got a terrific original screenplay by Mark Boal, whom Bigelow is said to be dating. It’s also got at least two Oscar-worthy lead performances by Anthony Mackie and Jeremy Renner.

“Avatar” is, on the other hand, a masterpiece of computer generation. It has a shopworn plot with extremely bad dialogue. (My favorite line comes from Sigourney Weaver, announcing about planet Pandora: “There’s something going on with the biology there.” Hilarious.) “Avatar” has no acting, as such, but gorgeous art, and the most realistic 3D ever. And blue people.

“The Hurt Locker” has made only $13 million and is about to be released on DVD. “Avatar” cost around $500 million, according to the New York Times, and should make about $100 million on its opening weekend just from curiosity.

One similarity: Many people in each movie get blown up. The difference is that “The Hurt Locker” characters are real, and their fates are dramatic. The explosions in “Avatar” are fake, fun and created by aliens.

Bigelow could very likely be nominated for all the important awards, from the Oscar to the DGA and the Golden Globe. Cameron could as well. The difference would be that Bigelow has a shot at winning. The Academy, while appreciative of the “Avatar” technology, may view Cameron’s achievements this time around as more technical than real. A viewer feels more about the characters in “Fantastic Mr. Fox” — an animated movie — than “Avatar,” simply because the writing is so much better.

And here’s some interesting personal info on the two directors. Cameron has been married five times. Bigelow was married only once, to Cameron. Stunningly beautiful at age 58, she’s three years older than Cameron. Who knew?

So this should be interesting. Bigelow is generally thought to be in a top group of directors this year that includes Quentin Tarantino (”Inglourious Basterds”), Lee Daniels (”Precious”), Jason Reitman (”Up in the Air”), Clint Eastwood (”Invictus”), Rob Marshall (”Nine”) and my personal favorite, Wes Anderson, for “Mr. Fox.”

Where exactly that leaves Cameron is still to be determined. (Although the spectacle of seeing him hoist an Oscar over his head to declare “I’m the king of the world!” again is tantalizing.) The joke is that Academy Awards could turn into “Divorce Court,” except for one thing: The exes have remained good friends over the years.

Steven Tyler Walks Away From Managers

Roger Friedman
-
0

Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler is starting to ease on down the Michael Jackson road: He’s changed managers again.

Tyler, AWOL from Aerosmith and clearly in health trouble, has left pal Jason Flom and John Greenberg of UEG. I’ve confirmed that he’s signed with Allen Kovac of 10th Street Entertainment.

Among Kovac’s clients is Motley Crue, which is a little ironic. Tyler, it’s always been said, wrote “Dude Looks Like a Lady” about Crue’s Vince Neil some 20 years ago. Maybe they could all tour together now!

Kovac’s other big clients are Papa Roach, Debbie Harry and Buckcherry.

If Tyler were an active solo star, he’d be the biggest act on the roster. As it is, Tyler is more like a hot potato crossed with a question mark. At 61, he’s no spring chicken. He also has enormous health problems that range, I am told, from the physical to’ the mental. A recovering drug addict, Tyler has been accused by road manager, Henry Smith, of never having been clean in 18 years. In addition to that, the rocker also has issues with his shoulder and foot, sources say, leaving him in tremendous pain.

Flom, the creator of Lava Records, was not only Tyler’s manager but friend and super fan. Sources say he was unable to take a strong stand on Tyler’s various issues. Some of those are legal. Tyler is part of Aerosmith; no one’s sure who owns the name, or if the remaining Aerosmith members can use it without him.

1...2,0732,0742,075...2,131Page 2,074 of 2,131

Hollywood to the Hudson

Company

Trending

Categories

© Showbiz411.com