Saturday, September 21, 2024
Donate
Home Blog Page 2096

Diane Sawyer, Almost 64, to Replace Charles Gibson, 66

Roger Friedman
-
0

Diane Sawyer is kicking Charles Gibson out of the anchor seat on ABC’s evening news broadcast.

diane sawyer Diane Sawyer, Almost 64, to Replace Charles Gibson, 66Gibson, who’s 66, is being made to retire. Sawyer, a relative youngster, will be 64 when she takes the reins in December.

Don’t be fooled by this announcement. Gibson is not ready to leave. Sawyer, however, is. She and Gibson became co-anchors of “Good Morning America” in 1999, when the show was on the ropes. She said then that she would do it for a few months. It’s been almost 11 years. In that time, she saw Gibson leave and take the national news anchor job in 2006. You can only imagine the relative seething that has occurred since then.

Don’t get me wrong: I love Diane Sawyer. I love Charlie Gibson. ABC News was in a tough position. Sawyer has been finished with “Good Morning America” for years, but held on. This news arrangement is definitely part of her contract renegotiation.

The big winner here, by the way? Katie Couric. More than a decade younger, and with a solid, running start, Couric could wind up in the No. 1 spot among the three network news anchors. After the fierce drubbing she took in the press when she started at CBS Evening News, that would be the sweetest irony of all.

Hamptons A-list: Robert Klein, Candice Bergen, and Taquitos

Roger Friedman
-
0

The Hamptons are racing to its/their Labor Day season finale, with plenty of Bentleys and Maseratis rolling up and down Rte 27 Montauk Highway, and just enough names to keep things interesting.

On Monday night, the brilliant comedian Robert Klein sold out the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor with his one-man show. Klein’s timing is laser sharp, his political jokes were tailored to the local liberal crowd, and he did not disappoint. He now starts his show with a hilarious song for Barack Obama, warning him to keep his you-know-what in his pants lest he become a Bill Clinton and let a whole generation topple. Later, he goes through his recent screen credits, listing roles playing dad to a bunch of sexy actresses. “I’m human, you know,” he laughs, recounting Jennifer Tilly pounding on his chest, her ample bosom heaving has he lay on the ground. Klein returns to Bay Street for a fundraiser on Sept. 12 with his “They’re Playing Our Song” collaborators Lucie Arnaz and Marvin Hamlisch.

Last night, Candice Bergen introduced her late husband Louis Malle’s masterpiece, “Au Revoir Les Enfants,” at East Hampton’s Guild Hall. She brought their now grown daughter Chloe. Alan Alda and Bob Balaban were among the heavies in the audience. If you’ve never seen this film, rent it immediately. How we all miss Louis Malle. He was a genius, and a wonderful fellow.

And the taquitos are still flowing at the tiny Blue Parrot in East Hampton, where owners Jon Bon Jovi and Ronald Perelman put in appearances. It only seats 54 and is jammed every single night. Luckily the prices are still relatively normal for Mexican food, and not in keeping with the insanity on Main Street where the local shops now include Tiffany, Pucci and J Crew. This weekend there’s a Ferrari rally down near Georgica Beach.

Michael Jackson’s 2nd Funeral, Tomorrow: $1 Million

Roger Friedman
-
0

Tomorrow, Michael Jackson’s second funeral will cost $1 million dollars.

This morning, his mother had to petition the court so that Michael’s estate would pay for this burial at Forest Lawn’s Glendale cemetery.

As I told you last week, the Jackson family didn’t have the money to bury Michael. They didn’t have it in July, when they put on a big show before and after the Staples Center memorial. The estate wound up paying for that, I’m told, and it cost north of a half a million dollars including all the limos, flowers, and the big party at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

Today, the court ruled that the estate should pay for the funeral including the extravagant mausoleum picked out by the Jacksons. It’s a mausoleum no one will ever see, except maybe in pictures to be hawked later. Anyway, the estate retains ownership of the burial structure just in case Joe Jackson gets any other weird money making ideas.

It is hoped that this will be the last burial for Michael, who died — or was murdered, depending on semantics — on June 25. Tomorrow is Sept. 3.

Whitney Houston Breaks 7-Year Curse

Roger Friedman
-
0

Whitney Houston’s first new album in seven years hits stores today. And get this: “I Look to You” is already number 1 on amazon.com in CD sales, and number 8 in downloads.

For Whitney, a seven-year curse is over. Her last album, “Just Whitney,” was a spectacular failure back in 2002.

But Houston is a beautiful case of rehabilitation and people caring, gone right. Last week she filmed not one but two videos in the same day ‘ the title track, “I Look to You,” and her Alicia Keys-penned hit, “Million Dollar Bill.”

Those are great, but Whitney has a secret’hit on the new album. It’s a’ dance version of Leon Russell’s “A Song for You.” I predict that when Larry Jackson of Arista/J Records gets the extended dance mixes out of this track, it could be a smash unlike anything Houston has had before. The track is on a par with Donna Summer’s “Last Dance,” and made for success.

So congrats to Larry, and mostly, to Clive Davis. If Whitney looks to anyone, it’s to him. It was clearly Clive’s determination that he resurrect Whitney the artist, but also the human being. The complete story hasn’t yet been told how Davis got a fragile Houston into rehab and set her on the road to recovery. It’s a rare story of humanity in a business that is usually unforgiving.

No Beatles Download News Coming From Apple

Roger Friedman
-
0

Everybody in the Apple/Ipod/Beatles world, please cool down.

The big Apple announcement next week on Sept. 9 has nothing to do with the Beatles. I am assured by my Fab Four insiders that there will be no news on that concerning downloads of Beatles songs on iTunes.

The Apple press conference set for that day is supposedly all about Cocktail, the new add-on service that’s supposed to help increase album sales.

I don’t know why anyone thought a Beatles announcement was forthcoming. There are so many clues that it’s not happening. For one, the tagline for the day, on the invites, is “It’s only rock and roll but I like it.” This a line from a Rolling Stones song. Did you really think Apple would use that for a Beatles promotion?

And really, 09-09-09 has already been cleared as Beatles day around the world for selling physical CDs, not downloading music. On that day the entire Beatles catalog is relaunched for the first time in 22 years in stereo and mono remastered discs. The mega promotion has been so heavily marketed, and clearly designed to move physical units, a downloading announcement would be totally counter productive.

At this rate, my guess is it will be a long, long time before the Beatles’ music is offered for legal downloading anywhere. And why would they? One great aspect of the Beatles’ unwillingness to remain available only on CD is so that the albums are not broken up into singles. In the cases of Revolver, Rubber Soul, Sgt. Pepper. The White Album, and Abbey Road, it only makes sense to force consumers to encounter them as whole concepts, and not all mixed up in a random shuffle.

Mad Men: Fourth Season, and Contracts for All

Roger Friedman
-
0

102456 mad men s3 341 Mad Men: Fourth Season, and Contracts for AllBack on October 20, 2008, I wrote a column about the actors from “Mad Men,” as well as series creator Matthew Weiner not having contracts for a third season.

It made me laugh last night to see another columnist claim to have some corner on this story. The hype is getting out of control in some areas!

Anyway, it turned out that Jon Hamm had a contract, but the second-tier players did not. The situation was eventually remedied, and even Weiner got his deal. Now AMC has renewed “Mad Men” for a fourth season, and everyone will be back.

They’d better hurry getting back on the air with the new season once this one is over. And Weiner had better be extra careful how his timeline proceeds. It does seem that 1964 is just around the corner on “Mad Men,” which will be the beginning of a new world to the characters — one jarringly different from the beautiful early ’60s scenarios everyone’s in love with.

By 1964-65, “Mad Men” runs the risk of becoming “Bewitched,” the original TV show about the advertising world. “Bewitched” was silly on many fronts, but its depiction of Larry Tate, Darren and the ad firm they worked for — the clients, the pitches, the constant firing and threatening of employees — was incredibly accurate. Can we expect Sterling Cooper competing with McMahon Tate? I hope so.

Whitney Houston Gets Second Day on Oprah

Roger Friedman
-
0

Whitney Houston was so good on Tuesday’s taping of Oprah that she’s doing a second one tomorrow.

This means that Whitney will get not only the Oprah premiere on Sept. 14, but a full second hour on Sept. 15 to finish up.

What this also means is that Houston’s “I Look to You” album should skyrocket in sales.

The CD, which was released yesterday, looks like it’s tracking toward a 300,000 copy debut. Frankly, it’s surprising everyone, even the people at Arista Records. Reports are that “I Look to You” is exceeding expectations and is No. 1 in most foreign markets after making its worldwide debut on Monday.

Houston’s success can be attributed to a lot of things, but mostly the idea that she’s overcome her difficulties and survived. Everyone loves a survival story, and Whitney is certainly one of the most rooted-for celebrities ever.

On “Oprah,” apparently Houston talks frankly with Winfrey about her drug addiction, her life with Bobby Brown, and just about everything else people are curious about. If this proves true, and Whitney really comes clean, the catharsis should re-establish her. The worst thing Houston ever did was her Diane Sawyer interview in 2002 — her infamous “I can afford better drugs than crack” speech. For Houston to open up, be honest, and take responsibility for that whole mess, well, then, she’s back.

Also on “Oprah,” set-siders (I love that expression) say Houston’s gut-wrenching performance of the Diane Warren song “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” should ensure an outpouring of emotion– and a guaranteed hit single.

Jackson Update: Blanket Was Never Home Alone

Roger Friedman
-
0

Best laugh of the weekend: a Brit tabloid’s assertion that Macaulay Culkin is the biological father of Blanket, Michael Jackson’s youngest child.

Are they kidding? This is as preposterous as Mark Lester being Paris’s father.

In each case, there isn’t even a slight hint of physical similarity. Forget that Culkin is blond and blue eyed, and that Blanket is dark and possibly Latino.

It makes no difference to the British press!

We can only imagine the laugh Culkin, who lives in New York’s West Village with his girlfriend, must have gotten.

Who’s next to be revealed as a bio parent of a Jackson child? Eggs from Tatum O’Neal? Sperm from Bubbles the Chimp?

As I’ve reported since 2005, Blanket is the product of Michael Jackson’s biological matter and a surrogate mother. The surrogate was chosen from a catalogue of names presented to Jackson by none other than Dr. Arnold Klein. Neither Dr. Klein, Mark Lester, Macaulay Culkin, nor Topo Gigio is the father.

Worried About ‘Mad Men’

Roger Friedman
-
0

Last night, little Sally Draper read “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” aloud to her grandfather on “Mad Men.” It’s roughly May 1963 in the world of the Drapers and their friends. The book could not have been more appropriate.

Perhaps Matthew Weiner was worried about his characters: the end is coming. Last week, Roger Sterling’s daughter chose November 22, 1963 for her wedding. It’s not going to be pretty. All I could think last week was, these poor people do not know what’s coming.

I wish for them that they could live in this oblivious bliss forever, smoking, cheating, drinking and living like John Cheever will never be supplanted by Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter S. Thompson, and Tom Wolfe. If only.

Last night, Sterling (the amazing John Slattery) actually performed in black face at his own party. Peggy tried marijuana. A young couple did the Charleston — this is many years after Elvis, but just one before the Beatles — and an ad man recalled his Princeton singing group days with a barbershop quartet number. This is a delicious moment in time, when no one is the wiser ab0ut anything.

But there are hints: Peggy, who last week slept with a stranger, is pushing into the real Sixties. She may leave the others behind.

Let’s hope 1963 is plotted out slowly. In November we get the assassination. Three months later the Beatles land in America. And then it’s all over. Off will come the gloves. Literally. I hope Weiner is savoring the moment while he can.

P.S. In case you don’t realize it, Bobby Morse is playing Cooper, the owner of the original ad agency. He was on Broadway in 1962, starring the antecedent to “Mad Men,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” It’s intentional, and very clever. Michelle Lee should be brought in as Joan’s mother. That would close the circle.

Basterds Beat the Odds with $20M Weekend

Roger Friedman
-
1

Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” is a phenom. The wild Brad Pitt starrer ‘took in $20 million over the weekend, bringing its total to $73 million. Ka-ching! “Basterds” will be the first $100 million movie for The Weinstein Company, easily earning money and restoring faith in investors.

At the same time, TWC’s “Halloween II” followed “Basterds” on the box office chart at No. 2, with $17 million. By the time “HII” has a DVD release for actual Halloween, this movie will also be a huge money maker for TWC.

And they still have “Nine” and “The Road.” Which goes to show us all: he business is cyclical. No one is ever “finished.” Except maybe for Kevin Smith, who must regret his comments to The New York Times now.

1...2,0952,0962,097...2,127Page 2,096 of 2,127

Hollywood to the Hudson

Company

Trending

Categories

© Showbiz411.com