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Rob Marshall’s “Nine” Love Fest Begins

Roger Friedman
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Rob Marshall’s “Nine” is finally making the rounds of early screenings, really early, and getting lots of love.

Over the weekend it was apparently shown to visiting press junketeers, members of the Directors Guild, the Hollywood Foreign Press, and the British Academy. At the DGA, Nora Ephron hosted the screening, then interviewed director Rob Marshall afterward.

It’s too early for reviews ‘ opening day isn’t until mid December and there’s still not a final print. But there’s a lot of buzz for the actors, starting with’ Daniel Day Lewis, Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard. Here’s a clip

Not to say the many other famous women don’t score; they do. Each of them ”Fergie, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren ‘ have smaller roles (as well as a show-stopping number). Here’s the trailer

Kidman, however, is getting a lot of kudos for her performance of the show’s hit, “Unusual Way.” Geffen Records may wind up putting it out as a single. You may recall that Nicole had a hit record a few years back on a duet with Robbie Williams of “Something Stupid.”

A couple of the numbers are already floating around on YouTube as fans seem to be making their own videos in anticipation of the real thing:’ Fergie’s “Be Italian” is sensational as one of the songs designed to make people leave the theater humming. And Kate Hudson’s “Cinema Italiano,” written for the movie, looks like a knockout in this new trailer

I did a hear a funny story from the international press junket. Sophia Loren, who is so magnificent and legendary, had to get used to Daniel Day Lewis staying in character all the time. Someone asked her about it, though, after the American actresses all sort of nodded and said it had been fine for them. Loren, though, laughed when she was asked: “It was very strange!” she exclaimed, shaking her head.

As for Oscars and all that jazz: it does seem as though Marion C will wind up in the lead actress category, alongside Meryl Streep, Gabby Sidibe, Carey Mulligan, and Helen Mirren, maybe. Penelope goes into Supporting, with Patricia Clarkson, Mo’Nique, Julianne Moore, and maybe Diane Kruger or Mariah Carey. The various races have begun! It’s a good thing January is such a long month.

Warner Music’s Mysterious Stock Price Rise

Roger Friedman
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The new top 10 CDs this week: albums from Sony/Columbia/Epic, Arista, Capitol, Decca, etc.

The only one from the Warner Music Group family, at number 10. It’s the Zac Brown Band, a jolly six man southern fried country blues bar band that is mostly unknown above the Mason Dixon line. That’s all right. They’ve got an authentic Georgia sound. And they’re keeping Edgar Bronfman, Jr and Lyor Cohen in Bentleys and Hamptons homes. Let’s hope Zac and co are living that well!

WMG also has numbers 11 and 12, too, but that point the sales numbers are cool.

In fact, WMG has had trouble turning the soundtrack to the new “Twilight” movie into a hit.

While the other labels do their best to make new artists work, WMG is kind of a mess. And yet yesterday, once again, they had a little run up in their stock price. Why? Who knows? Someone, no doubt. Make sense? Not a bit. Indeed, not a single album on the charts bears the actual Warner name.

This happens, though. Every quarter, right before an analyst conference call, WMG has a blip. Then comes the bad news. And the usual fall off. The next call is November 24th the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. That’s when Edgar Bronfman Jr will bring out the turkey. Or maybe a goose, and we’ll see if it’s cooked.

“Once” Again: Couple Split, But Music Lives

Roger Friedman
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swell season 300x250 Once Again: Couple Split, But Music LivesRemember Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from the movie “Once“? They starred in the hit film together, won an Oscar for Best Song, had a bestselling soundtrack. They even got together in real life. It seems so long ago now, 2007. Time flies!

Well, they’re back, only they split as a couple. Glen tells me they’re “just friends.” They’re now called The Swell Season. They’re sort of like Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. And they’ve got a new, terrific album called “Strict Joy.” The first single should be a hit if, you know, radio stations still played music by people over 12. It’s called “Low Rising.” Here’s the video.

“Strict Joy” is almost all original material. But come on, they’re Irish ‘ they had to cover Van Morrison. And so “Into the Mystic” gets treated reverentially at first, and then it soars. Hansard is a stirring Irish vocalist, as Irish vocalists can be. Marketa makes a perfect counterpoiut.

No, they don’t have the hook of a new film. I joked with Glen they should have called the new album “Once Again.” But they’re trying to move on. Let’s move on with them!

The Swell Season tour kicks off tonight in Mesa, Arizona.

By the way, despite the “Once” soundtrack being on Sony/Epic, Glen decided to leave the big label world. The Swell Season is signed to hot indie label, Anti. What are they Anti? You can guess.

Rosie Gets Ready for Broadway

Roger Friedman
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Rosie O’Donnell’s coming to Broadway for one night only ‘ next Monday, November 23rd.

She’s raising money for her Broadway Kids and Maravel Arts Center at the famed Palace Theater on West 47th St. And she’s putting on a tribute to Queen Latifah, who’d better sing ‘ I think she will. She’s sensational.

Among the guests is Gavin Creel of “Hair,” Nikki Blonsky of the “Hairspray”movie, Melinda Doolitte, and Montego Glover, star of “Memphis.” Also, Rosie’s kids from the Maravel Center will put on their own number ‘ and I am telling you, these kids are all Broadway bound. It’s a remarkable group over there on the West Side. Plus I am told that there will be surprise guests. Very cool.

There are still a few tickets available. ‘Donating to Rosie’s charities is like a “best bet.” She runs a tight ship, and the results are always on view over at Maravel.

Paul Allen’s Cancer: A Year or More of Illness, Really

Roger Friedman
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Microsoft co-founder and major philanthropist Paul Allen announced last night he has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma — certainly upsetting news. Everyone is rooting for him.

But when did Allen really become ill again? It’s anyone’s guess what exactly is going on with the 56-year-old owner of the Portland Trailblazers, Seattle Seahawks and recently bankrupt Charter Communications.

Last May, Allen abruptly left the Cannes Film Festival and his famed 414 foot yacht, the Octopus, and returned to Seattle. Allen — reportedly worth $10.5 billion — loves to party, and had tons of celebs partying hard. But his closest friends insisted to me that the cancer was back, and that he needed immediate treatment. Here’s the column I filed.

In fact, Allen’s people were obsessed with keeping press off the boat during the one party he did attend. The reports that came back were that the normally fleshy multi-billionaire was alarmingly thin.

Here’s what Allen looked like on June 9, when he turned up at a Blazers game.

Allen’s spokesman denied everything, and even denied he’d been sick through the prior year. But now it turns out that Allen had heart valve replacement surgery, at least, in that time. At the end of this past September he told a writer from the Portland Oregonian that he was “feeling much better” after hitting “a few bumps in the road.”

So who knows what’s really going on? Allen’s PR people are not going to tell us the truth. For example, this new release of info claims that he was diagnosed early last month — meaning October. But check out this picture from September 15; Allen’s change in appearance was being questioned then.

Of course, the irony can’t be lost on Allen: We wouldn’t be able to go back and have all these links and easy access to his history if he and Bill Gates hadn’t invented all this stuff. Same goes for Apple’s Steve Jobs and his illness.

We can only hope he’s on the mend now, and that he’s back in his beloved South of France — where he also has a massive estate — by next year’s Cannes Film Festival — and playing his guitar with Jon Bon Jovi and friends.

Evan Chandler, Father of Michael Jackson’s Original Accuser, Jordie Chandler, Commits Suicide in New Jersey

Roger Friedman
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Evan Chandler, Father of Michael Jackson’s Original Accuser, Jordie Chandler, Commits Suicide in New Jersey

Evan Chandler, the dentist father of the boy who accused Michael Jackson of child molestation in the early ’90s, is dead.

Reports from various sources say that Chandler, 65, committed suicide at his luxury condo in Jersey City, New Jersey. The 800 square foot rental apartment in Liberty Towers was a far cry from Chandler’s pre-Jackson scandal world in Beverly Hills where he was a dentist to the stars and an aspiring screenwriter.

Sources also say that Chandler, whose real last name was Charmatz, had been on the outs with his son, Jordan, since an incident involving the police in 2006. According to public records, Evan Chandler still owed his public defender in that case $95.00.

Jordy Chandler accused Michael Jackson of molestation in 1993. The result was a settlement in which Jackson paid the Chandlers more than $20 million. The case never went to trial, but it forever tarnished Jackson. It did cause a rift between Jordy and his mother, June, from whom he was estranged until recently.

As part of the deal with Jackson, Chandler, his ex wife, and her then husband each received $1.5 million of their own.

In 1996, Mary Fischer, a journalist for GQ magazine, published a story refuting many of the child molestation claims. Fisher gathered evidence that Evan Chandler and Jordy’s stepfather conspired to shake Jackson down by drugging the boy and suggesting answers to him.

In 2005, Ray Chandler (nee Charmatz) self published a book detailing his account of witnessing his brother Evan finding out about Jordy’s relationship with Michael Jackson, and how he proceeded from there. The book, “All That Glitters,” caused a stir, but its veracity could never be proved.

Still another book, also published in 2005, by Jackson’s long time press aide Bob Jones — since deceased — questioned the closeness of Jackson in 1993 to the 12-year-old boy. Jones — who was angry with Jackson for firing him without notice or a word after almost three decades — said he observed inappropriate behavior between Jackson and Jordy.

Right after Michael Jackson died, the Internet was overwhelmed with rumors that Jordy Chandler had recanted his story. Alas, it was just an urban myth. To this day, Jordy Chandler has never commented on the case. His mother, June Chandler, testified at the 2005 trial — in which Jackson was accused of molesting Gavin Arvizo– that she believed Jackson was guilty of harming her son. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,153158,00.html

Evan Chandler always had a basic problem in his story about Michael Jackson. His first instinct upon hearing that his son had been allegedly in a sexual affair with Jackson was not to beat the tar out of the singer. His basic reaction was to try and get money and a movie deal out of Jackson. The money proved to be his undoing. For many years, Chandler oversaw Jordy’s finances. They even bought a house in the Hamptons. But in later years he lost that control. By 2005 it was said that father and son weren’t speaking, and that Evan was ill. Now he’s dead, just five months after Michael Jackson. And the only person who really knows the truth of what happened in 1993 is Jordy Chandler.

Weekend Wild: “Nine” Gang to the Rescue, McEnroe Serves

Roger Friedman
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The gang from “Nine” ”Daniel Day Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard ‘‘turned out to support the new film directed by DDL’s talented wife, Rebecca Miller, “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee,” last night. Robin Wright (no longer Penn) stars in this indie release. The “Nine” folks are in town starting to promote their Oscar-buzzed film directed by Rob Marshall…Meantime, Zoe Deschanel and Joseph Gordon Levitt are touting the DVD edition of “500 Days of Summer,” which could get a Golden Globe nomination in Comedy/Musical…

…Tennis vet star John McEnroe landed on stage Friday night with Rob Thomas’s band, trading racquet for guitar. Not sure how that turned out. But on Saturday night, young blues great Robert Randolph returned to Thomas’s stage to help out on a sizzling “All Along the Watchtower.” All Rob Thomas shows can be purchased at his website ‘ each show is recorded on a USB wristband that sells for $40 and contains a micro SD card. Why isn’t every act doing this?’

…R&B/jazz crooner Greg Generet tonight at Feinstein’s at he Regency.’Not only is Greg a great singer, he’s got good taste in women. He’s married to actress Tamara Tunie...

Rolling Stone: Rock Hall Now ‘Bonosteen’ Hall of Fame

Roger Friedman
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Rolling Stone is owned by Jann Wenner and so is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So it should come as no surprise that the new issue of Rolling Stone ‘ now shrunk to the proportionate size of its owner ‘ is a sad reflection of the Hall’s shortcomings on the occasion of its 25th anniversary

Let’s start on the cover: Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Mick Jagger. Jagger wasn’t even one of the hosts of the anniversary shows last month. Stevie Wonder was; there’s only one feature sized photo of him in the issue, and that’s with Smokey Robinson.

But there are roughly eleven ‘ 11 ‘ photos of Springsteen including the cover, nine ‘ 9 ‘ of Bono, and eight ‘ 8 ‘ of Jagger in the special issue.

Sting played on two nights as a favor to the Hall and to Jeff Beck, and got one small black and white picture. Similarly, Ray Davies of the Kinks, Annie Lennox, BB King, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Dion DiMucci, Darlene Love ‘‘each got next to nothing. ‘, who has nothing to do with the Rock Hall except that she’s pals with Jann Wenner, got herself a bigger picture than anyone. I do not recall seeing her on stage.

There’s a tiny picture of guess what ‘ the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland ‘ buried in the back of the magazine.

The magazine should now be called “Bonography.” Or “Bruuuce.”’ Both it and the Hall of Fame are over, frankly. Rolling Stone long ago ‘ like at least 1990 ‘ ceased to be of interest to anyone, or important to the world of rock music. It’s now small and poorly thought out it’s a shadow of its former self ‘ the RS of Chet Flippo, Ben Fong Torres, Jon Landau, Cameron Crowe, etc. (What ever happened to Parke Puterbaugh?)

As for the Hall of Fame, it’s a joke. It’s time to stop inducting people, close shop, seal off the voting process, and just raise money to keep the facility going. The shows on October 29 and 30th should have been the farewell. I went to the first show, and it was mostly a dull affair. To see Stevie Wonder excluded from the cover of Rolling Stone after the yeoman service he gave is an utter embarrassment. Publisher Wenner’s pandering to friends and associates is just a direct violation of whatever pact he made with his reading public back in 1967.

As for the abundance of redundant photos: they’re not Bono, Bruce, or Mick’s fault. But it’s just pathetic. Those three are the first to give credit to the real creators of rock, R&B, rockabilly, whatever. They know that Jerry Lee Lewis only opened the shows each night was because his benefactor, Steve Bing, underwrote him. (Thanks, Steve.) Little Richard and Chuck Berry weren’t so lucky. Neither was Chubby Checker. They know Wenner’s total disingenuousness. I am sure Bono, Bruce, and Mick are laughing as they page through this slip of a publication. Rolling Stone is now nothing but the historic record of Jann Wenner, nothing more.

P.S. I am told that writers of pieces that were “rerun” in this issue weren’t even paid. Rolling Stone considers itself the lifelong owner of its old stories. I wonder if Wenner would have tried to pull that stuff with Hunter S. Thompson or Ralph J. Gleason.

After this, I can’t wait to see the TV special edited down to four hours for HBO. If Rolling Stone is any indication, you can guess what we’re going to see.

Scratch “Spider-Man” For Tonys 2010; Add “Ragtime”

Roger Friedman
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Broadway news:

The revival of “Ragtime” on Broadway last night was one of those monumental events that no one will ever forget. It’s a hit, a total success, and a beautiful, entertaining important piece of art. See it, buy tickets for it; this “Ragtime” is headed to next June’s Tony Awards.

However: “Spider Man: Turn of the Dark” is not. I am told by insiders that it won’t open before August. It will miss the Tony deadline and the Tony Awards and the Jewish holiday of’ Tisha B’av, which starts on July 19, 2010. I use that as an example because no one ever knows when Tisha B’av comes, and we always say, “That will happen Next Tisha B’av.” But “Spider-Man” will not happen by then.

The word from a source who knows about the $45 million budget: “The money is there, but we haven’t seen it. We’ve heard about it.” The feeling they say is that U2 and Bono will have more of a role in the show since it’s their music. Producers Jim Stern and Norton Herrick’s names are still in the mix; so is Michael Cohl’s.

This has to be a real blow to stars Alan Cumming and Evan Rachel Wood. They are now in limbo for months when they could be taking film roles. Each is always in demand.

More Broadway news: it should be announced today that Will Smith and Jay Z are putting some big bucks into “Fela!’ opening a week from tonight. “Fela” was a huge hit off Broadway. Now it can have a real life uptown. Hooray!

As for “Ragtime”: it has no stars, but a cast of mostly Broadway newcomers who last night wowed Senate Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Barney Frank, Senator Frank Lautenberg, and Montego Glover of “Memphis” fame (why hasn’t this powerhouse potential R&B diva been signed to a record label already?), Jason Alexander, Richard Kind, Doris Roberts, Tovah Feldshuh and Kathie Lee Gifford among others.

“Ragtime” was not a hit when it opened on Broadway in January 1998. It played two years, had a lackluster reaction, and faded out.

But the new “Ragtime” is supercharged, passionate, and timely. I don’t think anyone’s seen such a turnaround in fortunes for a musical since “Chicago” was revived. Certainly, the great writer E.L. Doctorow ‘ upon whose classic novel the musical is based ‘ was the most enthused about this new version.

The funny thing is, the original version had real Broadway stars ”Brian Stokes Mitchell, Marin Mazzie, Judy Kaye, and Audra McDonald. But it had no soul for some reason. These things are all about chemistry, aren’t they?

The new “Ragtime” may be more resonant because, set in 1902, the story is about the end of an era, or many eras. You can feel the uncertainty in the air. And that change ‘ or those changes ‘ feel a lot like the traumas of 2009. Things are happening, no one’s sure what, or if it will work out. Certainly, Senator Pelosi, who was sitting across the aisle, could relate to that. She’s the shepherd of changes that some people are resisting out of fear ‘ just like Father, the “Ragtime” character who is watching his patrician America give way to immigrants from Europe and “negroes.” Nothing will ever be the same. As such, the story of “Ragtime” ends with a glimpse of World War I, the biggest change ever.

Names to remember for the Tonys: Quentin Earl Darrington as Coalhouse Walker; Christiane Noll as Mother; Robert Petkoff as Tateh; Bobby Steggert as Mother’s Younger Brother; Stephanie Umoh as Sarah; Ron Bohmer as Father. Last night no one had ever heard of them. Today, they’re stars. So too is director/choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge, who also makes her wildly successful Broadway debut running a show. And just to give you an idea of how much peace and love was spread by “Ragtime,” I caught the Nederlanders and the Shubert all eating together at the Tavern on the Green after party!

P.S. Montego Glover and Queen Latifah join a bunch of stars next Monday for Rosie O’Donnell’s annual don’t-miss fundraiser for her Broadway Kids.

“Seinfeld”: Jerry and Elaine Have a Child Together!

Roger Friedman
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Wait! What was that? On last night’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” fans of “Seinfeld” learn something rather unexpected: eleven years after the show went off the show, Jerry and Elaine have a child together. It’s a daughter, named Isabelle.

Jerry reveals during the fake “Seinfeld” reunion that he “donated the sperm” to create this child. Now she calls him “Uncle Jerry” and he doesn’t like it.

Not only that: in the nearly dozen years since we last saw them, not much has happened to the “Seinfeld” gang. Jerry and Kramer still live across the hall from each other. Newman is still in the building. Elaine has the child. And George, of course, has remarried, and divorced again.

In fact, George has lost about two million dollars to Bernie Madoff after creating an “app” for the IPhone called IToilet, which finds the closest public bathroom. His ex, Cheryl, played by Cheryl Hines, who is Larry David’s fictional ex in the “Curb” series, then reveals she got her all money back from Madoff and lost nothing. She ran into him in the street and thought he looked “creepy.” Now George is trying to woo her back to get his money.

The fake “Seinfeld” reunion is the closest we’re going to get to a real “Seinfeld” reunion, and it’s brilliant. Conducted on “Curb,” it’s fictional Larry’s way of getting Cheryl to come back to him ‘ by letting her play George’s ex. As Julia Louis Dreyfus and Jason Alexander both say to Larry, “I didn’t know she was an actress.” Larry can’t even come up with a credit for Cheryl, although old “Curb” fans may recall she had a part in “The Vagina Monologues” years ago.

Last night’s episode poked fun, too, at Michael Richards‘ (Kramer’s) famous racist outburst. Michael Richards also fears that he may have Groat’s Disease ‘ which isn’t real, but was described in the second season of “Curb” as something to do with hyperactivity. Featured in the show were the characters of Newman and unsuccessful comic Kenny Banya. George’s mom was seen at the read-through for the reunion script, but there was no sign of his dad (Jerry Stiller).

Next week is the season finale for “Curb,” which will feature the “Seinfeld” reunion and maybe Larry and Cheryl’s as well. In the meantime, last night’s episode was really brilliant, combining elements from both shows. Of course, “Seinfeld” was squeaky clean and “Curb,” because it’s on cable, can be filthy. And so it was, with a joke that scandalized Jerry, and a running motif that could never be used in broadcast repeats about Larry and a nine year-old female pen pal. I think that’s why the show ran long last night, so those bits can be edited out later. The syndicated version of this episode will have to be stitched back together. But oh ‘ if you have HBO, the original is laugh out loud hilarious.

By the way, regarding the casting of Cheryl as George’s ex: Jason Alexander told me last night at the premiere of “Ragtime” he would have preferred Kristin Chenoweth. Or rather, George would have preferred her. And Meg Ryan? “Definitely not.” said Jason. Who they missed entirely: Marisa Tomei, with whom George was once obsessed.

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