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Mel Gibson’s Divorce Makes For Strange Bedfellows

Roger Friedman
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Mel Gibson’s billion dollar divorce has instigated a fire sale of sorts. And to an ironic buyer. You thought only politics made for strange bedfellows. Divorce does, too!

Over the weekend, it was announced that Gibson ‘ whose career has nosedived since his 2006 DUI arrest and spewing of anti-Semitic comments ‘ sold the U.K.-based distribution arm of his Icon production company. The buyer is Access Industries, owned by billionaire Len Blavatnik, a Russian Jew who is a U.S. citizen.

Talk about ironies. On Friday, a day before the deal was finalized, Gibson’s Russian (but not Jewish) girlfriend gave birth to his eighth child. Gibson is still in the middle of divorcing his wife of 27 years, Robyn, mother of his seven older kids.

Icon, run by Gibson’s pal Bruce Davey, has been a player in the field of international film distribution for years. But the divorce has a hefty price tag since Gibson’s wife is entitled to half of everything he owns. Something had to give, and it was Icon U.K. He still retains his Icon Production company in America, which produced the controversial films “The Passion of the Christ” and “Apocalypto.”

Blavatnik’s front man is Stewart Till, former head of the U.K. Film Commission. Till has big plans for a new Icon U.K. But the substantial sum he paid comes from Blavatnik, a Harvard Business School graduate whom Forbes listed at Number 44 this year on its roster of 400 richest Americans ‘ right between Steve Jobs and David Geffen.

Gibson’s first starring role in many years comes at the end of January 2010 ‘ a traditional dumping ground for so-so films ‘ when he plays a police detective avenging his daughter’s death in “Edge of Darkness.”

Liv Tyler Gets “Super,” Leaves “Romantics” to Holmes

Roger Friedman
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58450905Liv Tyler couldn’t wait anymore.

That’s the word from insiders on “The Romantics,” the indie film that Tyler officially left some time ago. Yesterday it was announced that Katie Holmes was replacing her in the project. But that’s not exactly the case.

Apparently, sources say, “The Romantics” was supposed to have shot last summer. That would have given Tyler time to wrap it up and get ready for “Super,” the James Gunn feature starring Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page.

But “The Romantics” got off schedule, and doesn’t start shooting until next week. Tyler, sources say, was committed to starting “Super.” The result was that she had to drop out. Holmes subsquently dropped in.

Tyler, meantime, is on a roll. She’s in the mix, sources say, for a sequel to her hit “The Strangers.” And there’s also a project brewing called “Fellini Black and White” with Antonio Banderas as the famed Italian director.

For Holmes, I’m told, the deal is no different than what was offered Tyler: executive producer and decision making. What will be interesting is whether or not this time Holmes will be able to make a movie without having a permanent chaperone. For her last two shoots ‘ “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” and “The Estra Man” ‘ husband Tom Cruise has been Velcro’d to her side.

Our Idea to Return Miramax’s Name Gains Support

Roger Friedman
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More outlets are joining our call from October 5th: Disney should give back the Miramax name to the Weinstein brothers.

Over the weekend came news that Disney followed through with its decision from a month ago. Miramax is no longer a thriving New York indie. It’s a catalog company with a few releases left to distribute. Daniel Battsek, who ran the company ably enough to garner a Best Picture win with “No Country for Old Men,” has stepped down.

I raised this issue in a column here on October 5th: that a family-oriented company like Disney should return a family name like Miramax to its originators. Miramax was named for Miriam and Max Weinstein, parents of Bob and Harvey.

Today a blog that shall not be named or linked to restated my original thesis (of course, without credit). And even though they sampled from us, much like Jay-Z does from old R&B records, it’s still a sound idea.

Disney loses nothing by returning the Miramax name. The movies released by a post-Weinstein Miramax can simply be relabeled as Disney Home Video releases. No one will care, and there aren’t that many of them. For the Weinsteins, it’s a matter of family.

As I wrote in this column a month ago, Disney chief Robert Iger is just the sort of magnanimous fellow to make this happen. As for those who take up our causes, a little credit would go a long way toward peace in the Internet valley.

Michael Jackson: ‘This Is It’ at No. 1; Beatles Under Siege

Roger Friedman
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Michael Jackson must be smiling in heaven. Not only does he have the No. 1 movie, but he’s got the No. 1 album. And the No. 14 album, number whatever.

The companion album to Jackson’s “This Is It” sold about 385,000 copies this week, landing it at the top spot. What’s funny about this is that with the exception of two tracks, all of the music is already available. In fact, Jackson sold around 65,000 copies of his other CDs this week, including a greatest hits package.

Meantime, the other big chart news is that Sting’s “If on s Winter’s Night” — a classical album, certainly — landed in the top 10 with about 80,000 copies. And Rod Stewart’s “Soul Songbook,” the best covers package he’s put out in several tries, did just a smidge better than Sting. It’s full of Rod singing classic R&B songs. Go figure!

Is real music back? For the moment, at least.

Meantime, the Beatles have a huge headache. Their entire catalog has been put on a downloading site illegally. The owners of the site are selling the group’s albums for $3.99. This is absolutely unauthorized, and totally against the law. The problem is that the owners of the site have masked their Web address. I’m told lawyers are working feverishly on this.

The bigger question is how this particular site, Blue Beat, has been functioning so long. They have tons of music on there, all presumably without permission. You’d think that the RIAA’s dogs of war, the ones who sue grandmothers and schoolchildren, would be all over this.

At the same time, the Beatles announced, in a weird way albeit, that they’re going to be selling a USB stick next month with their whole catalog on it. How weird! After refusing to sell downloads through iTunes or Amazon, Apple Records is going to sell this stick — with a green apple — in limited editions in the U.S. and U.K. A great souvenir — but what’s the point? This should lead to massive file sharing, I would think. The 10,000-piece edition will likely sell for several hundred dollars per apple. (And boy — isn’t this a great way to get back at Apple Computers? Yes!)

Grammy Crisis: Is Jay Z Eligible This Year? (No)

Roger Friedman
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Here’s an interesting problem:

Jay Z’s “The Blueprint, Pt. 3″ is the hot album of the fall. The duet with Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind,” is the single of the season. Neither of them is eligible for the Grammy Awards.

Let’s backtrack: this year’s Grammy deadline was August 31st, a month early. The Jay Z album was not released until September 8th.

But we knew going in that the early Grammy deadline was crazy. Whitney Houston just made it under the wire. But Mariah Carey missed it, leaving her in the mix just for her “Obsessed” single.

At this rate, whatever gets nominated for Best Album, Record, and Song is a toss up, and not a popular one.

The odds on favorite would be The Black Eyed Peas album, “The E.N.D.” The single, “I Gotta Feeling,” is the odds on favorite for Best Record and Song.

There are scant others. Lady GaGa is headed into the Amy Winehouse section as novelty hit of the year. You can’t begrudge her anything, but she has the feel of a one-hit wonder.

There’s a lot of support for rock band Kings of Leon, too. But they may wind up in the rock categories.

Other possibilities: Kanye West’s “808s and Heartbreak,” U2’s “No Line on the Horizon,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Working on a Dream,” Rob Thomas’s excellent “CradleSong” (with the song “Someday”), and, of course, Whitney Houston’s “I Look to You.” Houston is likely to score well in the Grammys simply because it’s a slow year.

But the absence of Jay Z and Alicia? Immeasurable impact. Especially since the bogus American Music Awards ‘ in which everything is eligible including Michael Jackson’s greatest hits ‘ lets anything go as long as there are ratings and sponsors.

Meantime, I do hope the Grammy committees are aware that Stevie Wonder had a great single out in January, called “All About the Love Again.” It was included on the inauguration soundtrack. What a shame if it’s overlooked.

The Grammys have historically always been screwy anyway. Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall” and Billy Joel’s “The Stranger” were never even nominated. How do you like that? The Beatles always got short shrift too. For example: In 1969-70, “Abbey Road” ‘ now considered one of the great classics of all time ‘ was beaten by Blood Sweat, and Tears’ self titled album. Other nominees were the Fifth Dimension, Johnny Cash, and Crosby, Stills & Nash’s debut LP. Even worse: in 1963, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, and Stan Getz all lost to Vaughn Meader’s comedy album, “The First Family.”

Billy Crystal Should Host the Oscars

Roger Friedman
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58104857Now we know that Hugh Jackman isn’t going to repeat his hosting duties from last year.

Neil Patrick Harris, good as he was, has been overused by the Tonys and the Emmys.

Ricky Gervais is going to the Golden Globes, which will only be funny if he asks who all those people are in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

So who’s going to run the Academy Awards? Please, no multiple host set up, producers. The idea of Ellen DeGeneres, Steve Martin, etc weaving in and out ‘ it’s not palatable. Chris Rock? Not again. David Letterman? Don’t think so. Conan? Jay, Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon? All good, but not Hollywood really. At that point you might as well get Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman.

In truth, there’s only one man for the job: Billy Crystal.

This time around, the host will have 10 Best Picture nominees to deal with, plus Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” and who knows what else.

Indeed, only Billy Crystal can really pull this off. At least the Academy will be assured of a funny show, hilarious film parodies, and a knowing nod to the industry.

The question is: will he do it? Crystal is the most popular of all Oscar hosts. After Hugh Jackman’s stint last spring, I was told Crystal could be cajoled back. When I wrote that on February 25th in my old column, the international press went wild.

Crystal would certainly be a ratings hit. And you can already kind of see him dressed as Guido from “Nine,” or bringing Nelson Mandela his prison dinner in “Invictus,” or fighting back against the mother in “Precious.”

Sttrangely, one Oscar blog (always wrong about nominees and winners, but they don’t seem to care) is running a poll of possible candidates but excludes Crystal completely. They’ve got Tina Fey as their top vote getter. Fey is a great writer, but Oscar host? The only other real contender besides Crystal, I would think, would be Steve Carell. But he’s the flipside of Gervais, and the Oscars may not want to go in that direction.

Billy hosted the Oscars in 1990’1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2004. Each time out was a success. My prediction: he’ll be back. But I do hope producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shenkman keep the innovation from last year of having past winners introduce the main nominees. It was a nice tie to the past.

Sting Gets the Picture; Stones Get Out Their Ya Ya’s

Roger Friedman
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Last week, around the time Sting told the AP’s Nekesa Moody how much he loved Barack Obama, he also did something unusual: launched a book of photos by pal Bobby Sager, the Boston mover and shaker who inspired NBC’s summer series, “The Philanthropist.” He even played a couple of songs for guests at a party thrown at Donna Karan’s Urban Zen studio on Greenwich Street.

Sager’s pics of children in Africa were used by Sting for the live video presentation during “Invisible Sun” on the Police reunion tour. It only makes sense that Sager would publish the photos now as “The Power of the Invisible Sun.” The book — in two different gift versions– is on sale at amazon.com and www.poweroftheinvisiblesun.com.

Proceeds from the sale go to a new charity called Hope Is A Game Changer Project. When you buy a book, an indestructible yellow soccer ball is automatically sent to a kid in Africa. The idea for the balls came from a picture Sager took in the Congo of a makeshift ball’ composed of garbage bags and string. The idea, of course, is to replace guns with soccer balls. It’s simple, and fairly inexpensive. And brilliant.

As for Sting, I loved what he said about Obama: “In many ways, he’s sent from God,” Sting joked, “because the world’s a mess.” He added: “I can’t think of anyone better qualified because of his background, his education, particularly in regard to Islam.”

Right on: now where are all the other Obama supporters speaking out? Now is the time. It’s only patriotic to support the president of the United States…

…Meantime: The box set of the Rolling Stones‘ “Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out” has been released, and it’s a winner. The 40th anniversary edition includes unreleased Stones tracks from the famous 1969 concert, as well as the Maysles brothers’ breathtaking 28 minute film, unreleased music from B.B. King and Ike and Tina Turner, and the best version of “Satisfaction” ever recorded…Plus you get souvenir guitar pick…

“This Is It” Revised Box Office: U.S. $34.5 Million

Roger Friedman
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this is it v 250x300 This Is It Revised Box Office: U.S. $34.5 MillionMichael Jackson’s “This Is It” did better than anyone knew.

When Sony releases weekend box office figures today, sources say the Kenny Ortega directed concert film/doc will have done $34.5 million for the period of Tuesday night through Sunday.

That makes the total worldwide boxoffice closer to $105 million. “This Is It” is the most successful concert film ever.

So much for all the negative spin over the weekend. Indeed, the amount of it was truly puzzling. Most regular feature films would be considered “monster hits” if they’d done this well in five days.

Poor Michael Jackson. This was all he ever wanted.

On Sunday, I’m told, the movie was screened for Academy voters. They loved it, apparently, giving “This Is It” a standing ovation. But I wouldn’t get too excited. The film missed the documentary deadline for the Oscars. And it’s unlikely it will get a Best Picture nomination, despite the fervor of the Oscar blogs. A Golden Globe nomination for Comedy/Musical is more likely. And maybe a Best Song nomination for Jackson’s Paul Anka title track.

“This Is It” Extended Through Thanksgiving

Roger Friedman
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Just as this column predicted — Michael Jackson’s “This Is It’s” two-week run has been extended through Thanksgiving. I told you back on October 23 that it could get a one or two-week extension.

So far, worldwide, Sony puts the boxoffice take at $101 million. The non-U.S. take is $68.5 million. The domestic take is $32. 5 million. As I reported last night, “This Is It” has knocked off every competitor in the documentary and concert categories for all-time boxoffice.

The hilarious part reading elsewhere is that it’s either a hit or a flop or both. Some people can’t make up their minds. It’s easy to see by these numbers that “This Is It” is a hit. Sony and AEG Live got this exactly right.

Now, of course, the next step is for AEG to open the show in Las Vegas, with Kenny Ortega and the cast. There’s been some talk of a Cirque du Soleil rendering. But I think this is a mistake. Fans will want to see the live version of the movie. And Cirque du Soleil is way over saturated right now. Plus, they have’ the Beatles’ “Love” show. I think if Paul McCartney catches wind of it, he’ll convince the Cirque folks to stay away from Michael Jackson. There’s still a lot of soreness on that subject. Whether Michael is dead or alive, the Beatles songs are not owned by McCartney because of him.

Michael Jackson Film Beats Al Gore, Madonna, Michael Moore

Roger Friedman
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Saturday night: Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” –’ is it a hit or a flop?

Let’s put it this way. As a documentary, it’s on track to be the third-largest-grossing doc in history. It will finish this weekend in the $30 million-plus category. That puts it behind Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 911″ and “Earth.” At No. 3, it will be ahead of Moore’s other films, as well as Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” and Madonna’s “Truth or Dare.”

Forget about highest-grossing weekends, or Wednesdays in October. In the end, only the total number will matter.

As a music concert film, “This Is It” slides into second place, all time, right behind “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour.” No. 3 would be a film about the Jonas Brothers, which made just less than $20 million total.

I’d say “This Is It” is a hit, based on those numbers. It could finish this weekend with between $30 million and $32 million domestically. Internationally, the number could turn out to be equal.

I will say that one of Sony’s biggest mistakes was not showing the film to the press in advance. The only word-of-mouth they built was on supposition. Instead of trusting that they had something good, the studio acted out of fear. The result was that this reviewer, like so many, had to write the review while watching the film. The reviews came out as the film arrived, without any quotes or anything to prime the part of the public that was skeptical or didn’t care.

Meantime, Sony Music predicts that the “This Is It” CD sold around 300,000 copies in its first week. The numbers come in on Monday. Not bad considering it only has two new tracks on it and consists otherwise of greatest hits that have already been sold and resold twice in the last four months.

The “This Is It” DVD will hit stores Jan. 20, just in case anyone’s interested in the actual date instead of guessing.

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