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Clive Owen’s Boys Include RZA (but not GZA)

Roger Friedman
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rza 225x500 Clive Owens Boys Include RZA (but not GZA)Clive Owen celebrated the opening of his heart-warming new film for families, called “The Boys are Back” with a good pal last night: RZA (pronounced “Rizza”).

RZA, who’s with the Wu Tang Clan, cut quite an appearance at the “Boys Are Back” dinner at the Bon Appetit Supper Club. He came dressed in head-to-toe camouflage gear. He was the only one. If he was hoping to blend in and really be camouflaged, a suit might have been a better choice. He did not bring GZA (prononced “Gizza”) with him. But he seemed to have a good time.

“He and Clive and I were all in ‘Derailed,’ ” explained beloved New York actor Giancarlo Esposito, who was on his way to Africa to promote his new movie, “Gospel Hill.” Giancarlo is probably best known for his five episodes as a lawyer who battles Sam Waterston on “Law & Order.” But he’s literally like everywhere. He’s just signed to become a regular on “Breaking Bad.” Next year, he’s in the movie “Rabbit Hole,” based on the Broadway play.

Some of the other names at the “Boys are Back” dinner were actor Bob Balaban, who’s getting a cold and carrying Purell to disinfect anyone with whom he shakes hands; directors Robert Benton and Fred Schepisi, and, of course, Scott Hicks, the “Shine” director who made “Boys Are Back” such a treat. As for Clive Owen: put him on the short list for Best Actor considerations. He’s going to be there. And he didn’t have to blow anything up this time!

Mariah Dedicates New Album to Michael Jackson

Roger Friedman
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carey mariah 250x350 Mariah Dedicates New Album to Michael JacksonMariah Carey dedicates her new album, “Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel” to Michael Jackson. The album hits the world on September 29th.

“Angel” is a little different than most releases. This is the first time I can remember a major magazine — Elle, in this case — sponsoring the liner notes. “Angel” comes with a mini magazine tucked into the CD jacket, produced by Elle and featuring ads for Carey’s new fragrance and movie (”Precious”) as well as Mariah’s lists of favorite things and interviews with her and husband Nick Cannon. It’s a first, but what else do you expect from Mariah Carey?

Island Def Jam is not taking any chances with “Angel,” by the way. They’re starting with the release of Mariah covering Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is,” followed by a slew of potential singles — “Angels Cry,” “Ribbon,” and at least two others. So get ready for a Mariah onslaught — post-the Whitney Houston avalanche. And just before an Alicia Keys tsunami. It’s the autumn of the divas!

"Law & Order: CI" Ditching D’Onofrio, Erbe, Bogosian

Roger Friedman
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d onofrio 250x350 "Law & Order: CI" Ditching DOnofrio, Erbe, Bogosian It’s shake-up time for “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”

Sources from the “L&O” galaxy say that stars Vincent D’Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, and Eric Bogosian are all expected to be phased out at various points during the series’ upcoming ninth season. Julianne Nicholson left the show a few months ago. Executive producer Dick Wolf is turning to’Jeff Goldblum, who joined the cast last season, to remain as lead detective in the series along with’Saffron Burrows, who was recently cast to replace Nicholson as Goldblum’s partner.

It’s a big change for a show that has weathered a lot of casting changes since it began in 2001. D’Onofrio and Erbe have been there since the beginning, while Bogosian joined in 2006. Since then, the original pair have had to make room for Nicholson and Chris Noth, who left last year. Goldblum arrived in 2008.

Details about D’Onofrio, Erbe and Bogosian’s exit are still unclear as the actors’ deals are being worked out. The network only recently renewed the Wolf Films/Universal Cable Prods. series for a ninth season, slated to premiere in late spring with a two-parter.

How interesting that Wolf has decided to go this way since D’Onofrio, while erratic, has been very popular. But “L&O:CI” is a USA Network show now after running on sister channel NBC. And USA, insiders point out, likes lighter fare when it comes to its shows. Goldblum is more in the tradition of Tony Shalhoub’s “Monk” than D’Onofrio.

While D’Onofrio is departing as a regular, it is possible for him to reprise his character in guest stints.

“Law & Order” just keeps chugging along in its various guises. The names change but the music remains the same.

Exclusive: Michelle Phillips Says Mackenzie is Lying About Papa John

Roger Friedman
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phillips mackenzie 235x350 201x300 Exclusive: Michelle Phillips Says Mackenzie is Lying About Papa JohnMichelle Phillips, the ex-wife of the late John Phillips, says her stepdaughter Mackenzie Phillips is lying about having an incestuous affair with her father.

I spoke to Michelle this morning by phone; she has not read Mackenzie’s book, published today, called “High on Arrival.” Michelle Phillips says that in 1997, Mackenzie told everyone in their extended family that she and her father, Michelle’s famous former husband, had had a sexual relationship.

“She told me, then she called me back and said, ‘You know I’m joking,’ ” Michelle told me. “I said it wasn’t funny. Mackenzie said, ‘I guess we have different senses of humor.’ ”

Michelle and John Phillips were the foundation of the great ’60s singing group the Mamas and the Papas, along with Cass Elliott and Denny Doherty. Their repertoire of sunny hits included “Calfornia Dreamin’,” “Monday Monday,” and “I Saw Her Again Last Night.” Mackenzie and her brother were born before the group formed, and before Michelle and John were married. Their brief marriage ended in 1968, with Michelle — a beauty — going on to several well-publicized romances and a successful acting career. John’s career, however, had no traction after the Mamas and the Papas, and his life devolved into a drug-fueled catastrophe.

Mackenzie alleges in her book that she and John had sex for the first time when she was 19, on the eve of her own first marriage. Four years later, she writes, they had a full-blown affair.

Mackenzie writes: “My father abused me but he wasn’t a monster. He was a tortured man who led a tortured existence.” She adds that she waited until now to admit this because she didn’t want to wreck his legacy.

Michelle Phillips responded, when I read her that: “She’s really protecting his legacy now, isn’t she?”

It’s not like Michelle Phillips hasn’t been critical of John in the past. She told me: “John was a bad parent, and a drug addict. But [expletive deleted] his daughter? If she thinks it’s true, why isn’t she with a good psychiatrist on a couch? I think it’s unconscionable that Oprah would let her do her show. I have every reason to believe it’s untrue. Oprah should be more judicious about who she has on her show.”

Michelle added: “Mackenzie has a lot of mental illness. She’s had a needle stuck up her arm for 35 years. She was arrested for heroin and coke just recently. She did ‘Celebrity Rehab’ and now she writes a book. The whole thing is timed.” Michelle said it’s particularly ironic since her own daughter, Chynna, of Wilson Phillips fame, Mackenzie’s half sister, is releasing a new album this week.

“Mackenzie is jealous of her siblings, who have accomplished a lot and did not become drug addicts.”

“Tosca” Opens Metropolitan Opera Season, Gets Booed

Roger Friedman
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Didn’t you think opera fans were all polite and nice in their tuxedos and gowns? Hey, they booed last night at the end of Luc Bondy’s premiere production of Puccini’s “Tosca.” The stuffed shirts didn’t boo the actors, but the production team — Bondy, et al. So rude!

The old guard opera types didn’t like the new, modern production ordered by Met chief Peter Gelb. They wanted their old Franco Zefferelli sets. Instead, they got a second act that looked like it was staged in the waiting area of a modern art museum. But they still got Puccini, and James Levine and the Metropolitan Opera orchestra, and sublime performances from Karita Mattila, Marcelo Alvarez, and George Gagnidze.

This was not the night to show off bad behavior to guests in the house — namely a raft of stars and boldfaced names who came to celebrate the opening of the opera season. This group ranged from Christine Baranski, Harvey Fierstein, Patricia Clarkson (Oscar buzzed for Woody Allen’s “Whatever Works”) and Edward Norton to Mischa Barton, Zac Posen, Joy Bryant, Kate Mulgrew, a very pregnant Karolina Kurkova, a somewhat pregnant Leelee Sobieski, Sam Waterston, Billy Joel (with a new date), Ben Foster and Zoe Kravitz, to Tom Brokaw, Martha Stewart, Sir Howard Stringer, Sony Pictures Classics’ Michael Barker, Henry and Nancy Kissinger, Renee Fleming, Howard Rubenstein, Diane von Furstenberg and Barry Diller, Julie Taymor and Elliot Goldenthal.

The big disappointments: at the last minute both Aretha Franklin and Meryl Streep canceled. Maybe they went to dinner together.

Everyone wanted to know about the booing. “The people next to us were really going at it, too,” observed a wide-eyed Joy Bryant. This hot young actress has just signed to join the TV version of “Parenthood.”

Gelb smartly addressed the issue head-on when he made remarks at the dinner party held later under a tent in Damrosch Park. Basically, old opera lovers don’t like change. I say, get over it, people. The production was excellent.

Meantime, Peggy Siegal planted all these celebs along a long table in the center of the dining room, creating quite the operatic buzz. There was a lot of chit chat all night. Mischa Barton, who seemed lovely and normal, said she loved “Tosca” but was a little tired. “We’re shooting all this week,” said Barton of her new TV series, “The Beautiful Life.”

Edward Norton told me he hadn’t been to the opera in about 25 years. Patty Clarkson brought two pals, a female lawyer and the wife of the conductor of the New Orleans Symphony. They had a ball. Clarkson also told me that Oscar nominee Amy Ryan (”Gone Baby Gone”) who was screwed out of an Emmy nomination for “The Office,” is also about to give birth. Kate Mulgrew reminisced about her breakthrough role on “Ryan’s Hope” and told me about her new series, “Mercy.” Let’s hope her character is on a lot.

I wish I could say the evening wasn’t over until the fat lady sang — but this was New York society, kids. There were no fat ladies. There were quite a few $50,000 dresses, a variety of face lifts, and plenty of good jewelry. But everyone was thin, and hardly anyone had the pasta shells main course. This gang isn’t stupid. The fall season has begun! It’s a sprint to Thanksgiving from here, gotta stay in shape!

Michael Jackson’s “Secret Kid” Keeps Fake Story Going

Roger Friedman
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Are people daft? Sometimes I think so. Witness the story of Omer Bhatti, the faker who wants to be Michael Jackson’s son.

When Omer was 12, his biological parents Riz and Piz Bhatti took him from Oslo to Tunis, dressed him up like Michael Jackson, and had him moonwalk in the lobby of a hotel. This was in 1996. There are plenty of witnesses.

Jackson’s tour crew saw this spectacle and thought Jackson, who no longer traveled with 13-year-old Jordan Chandler, would get a kick out of it. He did. He literally kept Omer, and retained his parents. They spent the rest of Jackson’s tour with him. When they returned to Neverland, Riz became a chauffeur. Pia was the original nanny for Prince Michael I. Omer became Michael’s ward.

In 2005, when Jackson was on trial for child molestation, at least two people who’d known him a short time, told me that Jackson told them Omer was his son. It was a lie. But Jackson needed a reason to explain why this boy was living in his house.

During Jackson’s arrest on November 18, 2003, the police found 20-year-old Omer at Neverland. Even Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon, who was obsessed with Jackson, didn’t bother to ask who he was or what he was doing there.They didn’t even know that earlier in the summer of 2003, Omer had been arrested in Oslo for possession of marijuana.

Clearly, Riz and Pia Bhatti had had a plan way back in 1996, and it worked. Now they don’t seem to care that Omer is claiming to be Michael’s biological son. It’s good for business. In Oslo, for years, Omer has done his Jackson-imitation act.

The British press loves the story, even though they know it’s not true. Today they’re “reporting” that Omer will star in a Jackson biopic. They say Michael’s family — meaning Joe Jackson– has approved it. Michael’s executors have not. This should be good when the estate has a trial in November, since the Jackson family cannot think of enough ways to exploit Michael. Joe Jackson tells reporters that he thinks Omer is Michael’s son. Again: are people daft or what?

Exclusive: John Edwards’ Aide Finds Publisher for Scandal Book

Roger Friedman
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Former Senator John Edwards’ ex-aide, Andrew Young, has found a book publisher for his tell-all memoir.

Sources confirm that St. Martin’s Press’s Thomas Dunne Books will publish the tell-all by Young (not to be confused with the former mayor of Atlanta). Neither the book’s editor, Pete Overton, nor Young’s agent, David McCormick, returned calls or answered emails.

However, the word from inside this project is that Young’s book proposal finally found a home after this past Sunday’s tabloid-y front page story in the New York Times. The story gave no new information about Edwards or Young, but promoted Young’s book. It was a masterstroke of publicity.

If you’re not up to speed on this, here’s a recap: Edwards had an affair with videographer Rielle Hunter that culminated in her pregnancy. When the news got out, Young–who was Edwards’ lackey–said he was the father of the baby. No one name, however, went on the birth certificate. Young let Hunter live with him, his wife, and children in North Carolina, and went around taking the heat for Edwards. The Youngs and Hunter eventually moved to Santa Barbara, Calif., where campaign donor Fred Baron paid their expenses.

But when Baron died suddenly in October 2008, Young and Hunter were left adrift at sea. Hunter and her baby daughter went to live with a friend. Young, on the other hand, decided he had no recourse but to sell his story to the highest bidder.

Now, as Hunter prepares to move closer to Edwards in North Carolina, Young will tell everything about what happened in their odd saga. Some sources warn, though, that Young had better be careful in what he offers St. Martins for publication. “He has a lot of pictures that don’t belong to him,” warns a source.

What Young will presumably describe is the whole cover-up of the affair and the baby’s paternity, how Edwards may have funneled money to Hunter, how Young’s family dealt with the deception, and a pretty interesting inside look at a man who might very well have been elected president of the United States.

Two Days on Oprah? Whitney Sells 165,000 CDs

Roger Friedman
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How many CDs can you sell after two days on the “Oprah” show? The answer: 165,000 copies.

That’s what Whitney Houston sold of her “I Look to You” CD after spending last Monday and Tuesday spilling her guys and singing like crazy on Oprah’s show.

That puts “I Look to You” at just about 500,000 copies sold since its release three weeks ago. This means Whitney should be on her way to 1 million sold in the U.S., and a platinum record.

Michael Jackson Movie Clip Shows Him in Good Form

Roger Friedman
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A clip of the song “Human Nature,” sung by Michael Jackson during concert rehearsal, has turned up on YouTube.

The song, I am told, is not even being used in the movie “This is It,” set for release on October 28th. But someone somehow got hold of it, and here it is.

The weird part is that Sony’s security surrounding “This is It” is said to be overzealous and out of control. One insider told me recently: “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

I guess it didn’t work so well, unless the “Human Nature” clip was intentionally leaked.

But it does show Michael singing very well, moving well, coherent, with it, and right on the money. This should shoo off the naysayers who claimed that Jackson was being “worked” into the ground and couldn’t handle rehearsal. He’s clearly ok here.

Exclusive: Jacko Movie, Soundtrack Have New Song

Roger Friedman
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Here’s something new I can tell you now exclusively: Michael Jackson’s “This is It” film will’ include a brand new song, which Michael wrote for the tour.

The song is called “This is It.” After Jackson died, it was finished by producer John McClain, who is also one of Michael’s executors.

The new song will be included in the film and on the two-CD soundtrack scheduled for release right after the movie has its two-week run. I told you months ago when the movie was being shopped that it would be accompanied by a soundtrack. As I pointed out, Jackson has never had a “live” album.

Even the Jackson family should be surprised by the new song, but they’ll hear it when they see the first draft of the movie, sources say, in the next week.

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