Woody Allen has scored big time this morning with “Midnight in Paris.” His new film is clever, beautiful, and profound. It’s a simple idea, too: the struggle to deal with the present while romanticizing the past. The film is cast perfectly as Owen Wilson plays the yearning screenwriter who — while visiting Paris with his horrible fiancee and her parents –does a little time traveling to the 1920s. There he meets Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein and a wildly amusing cast of real life characters. Marion Cotillard is luminous as Wilson’s fantasy lover. A lovely, splendid film with great cameos from Adrien Brody, Kathy Bates, and yes, Carla Bruni. Michael Sheen and Rachel McAdams are fun as Allen stock characters transposed into this situation. Owen Wilson is genial, amusing and most sympathetic ever. More to come.
Cannes 2011 Weds May 11: Lady Gaga, Mamo NYC, Sarah Jessica Parker
It’s Wednesday morning, the 2011 Festival de Cannes is upon us. The big rumor today: Lady Gaga, as I noted on Twitter last night, is coming down here today for an outdoor show. C’est vrai? Seems so. Tonight’s festivities will also include the big opening night with a presentation of the jury–Robert DeNiro, Jude Law, Uma Thurman and of course Woody Allen and his cast from “Midnight in Paris.” Cannes is already overstuffed with stars and it hasn’t even begun.
Now we’re told Sarah Jessica Parker is coming on Friday to help Harvey Weinstein launch her September film, “I Don’t Know How She Does It.” Dreamworks Animation is happily promoting “Puss N Boots” with a big floating ad in the water facing the Carlton Hotel. Atop the hotel, the gem of the Croisette, are already huge ads for forthcoming movies including “Super 8.” Every0ne is talking about Terrence Malick, of course, and his film “Tree of Life.” Is it a masterpiece or a disaster? We won’t know until Monday. We pray for the former. Will Malick even be here or participate in his press conference? Again, prayers!
Meanwhile EXCLUSIVE news: the very famous Michelangelo Italian restaurant from Antibes is opening a branch in New York this fall. It will be called Mamo Michelangelo for its owner. A space is being created in the Meatpacking District near Pastis. Mamo’s son, Michael, will be the manager. Why is this a big deal? The food is amazing, the recipes will travel beautifully, and the stars will come. Three nights ago, Karl Lagerfeld took over Michelangelo for a huge gala. This week, everyone from Jolie, Pitt, Depp and Harvey will stop in. An American branch? Sacre bleu!
Always click on www.parade.com for Showbiz411.com updates and exclusives.
“Terminator” Terminates Marriage: Arnold and Maria Split
Kind of a shock this morning, but maybe not: Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger are kaput after 25 years. Their announcement comes as Arnold moves back into the movie business and out of the governator’s office. This odd coupling always was the subject of gossip and speculation, especially several years ago when reports started to come out about Arnold’s roving eye. There were reported accusations of groping, etc. by different women. Shriver always looked the other way. But this separation may not necessarily be about that. Their life was much different as Governor and First Lady of California than as Maria and a movie star. It may be that Shriver, at 55, has no desire to revisit that scene again. Schwarzenegger clearly does, as he’s ramped up CAA to get him into movies pronto. Does he have a career left? Time and the kinds of movies he chooses will tell. For Shriver, though, this must be tough. Of all the Kennedy marriages, her parents’ was the longest and happiest. No worries: Maria will be a hot commodity on the singles market.
Charlie Sheen Releases a Single Tomorrow, Won’t Go Away
Charlie Sheen–jeez, that tour ended a week ago. And yet, he will not go away. With CBS about to announce a fall season without him, Sheen must do something. So tomorrow he’s releasing a single, yes, a recorded piece of music, called, natch, “Winning.” His pals Rob Patterson, late of Korn, and Snoop Dogg, are the authors and performers. It’s unclear what Sheen does on the track, maybe play some bad guitar or, oy, sing. Anyway, they say some proceeds will go to victims of the Alabama tornadoes–this is Sheen’s new obsession. What will he do about flood victims in Memphis? Anyway, the single will be released by Rob Christie, whose Robo Records is small yet feisty. Christie has a long association with EMI/Capitol so you never know. “Winning” might turn into a novelty hit.
Janet Jackson and Joe Jackson: Will They Meet in Cannes?
We’re about to see how much of a foundation exists in the Jackson Family Foundation. I told you earlier today that Joseph Jackson, the estranged father of the Jackson family, is coming to Cannes next week. He’s planning a ticketed VIP party to raise money–ostensibly for himself. He’s also going to announce projects that won’t ever be discussed again. Jackson’s dates for Cannes are May 15, 16, 17. At the same time, and he may not know this, Janet Jackson is coming to Cannes. She’s performing at AmFAR’s “Cinema Against AIDS” on May 20th at the Hotel du Cap. May 16th also happens to be Janet’s birthday. Will father and daughter, who generally don’t speak, wind up in a reunion in the South of France? It’s unlikely. And it does make us wonder: did Joe Jackson set this appearance up just to dog Janet, who’s trying to do something that’s actually charitable and worthwhile? That’s not exactly a birthday present anyone would want.
Whitney Houston May Be Back with “The Cleaner”
At last, Whitney Houston is in an out patient rehab. The fact is, she’s needed this for some time. Last year, her Europe and Asia concert tour was a disaster. Her voice was shot, although to her credit she missed almost no dates. She was like Mark Wahlberg in “The Fighter.” She refused to give up.
But the trouble has been there for a while. Whitney arrived and performed seemingly stoned at Clive Davis’s pre Grammy party in February with her cousin, Dionne Warwick. On stage, it was obvious. Whitney wandered about and had little idea of what she was doing. Dionne was very upset. At the end of the aborted performance, Whitney just sort of fell into Clive Davis’s arms. It was terrible.
More recently I asked someone close to Whitney, who’d not been seen since Davis’s party, what was going on. The word was that Whitney’s family and friends were trying to bring her back to Warren Boyd, the drug counselor who’d worked with her before. Boyd is known as “The Cleaner,” the name of the TV show in which Benjamin Bratt played him. Boyd is famous for cleaning up Courtney Love. When he worked with Whitney a few years ago, he’d literally lived with her in Southern California. It saved her life.
But this is now a long time ago. Back then, we all blamed Bobby Brown for Houston’s problems. But Bobby is long gone, married to someone else. I am told that Whitney and her mother, the great singer Cissy Houston, have been on the outs for months because of Whitney’s drug addiction. Whitney’s story is tragic, because she had the greatest voice of her generation, and a future full of promise. All of it has been squandered by drugs.
If you catch her appearance with Chaka Khan at a recent Prince show,(on YouTube) Â you can see Whitney barely singing, handing the microphone to Chaka. She looks terrible. Maybe if Warren Boyd is back with her, there will be improvement. I’m not kidding when I say that everyone roots for Whitney Houston.
Woody Allen Heads for Midnight Madness in Cannes
Woody Allen, long a favorite of the French, is heading to a big success this week. His “Cannes-opener” so to speak, “Midnight in Paris,” opens the Festival on Wednesday with a bang. This highly anticipated film has great buzz, with my sources telling me from advance screenings that “Midnight” is Woody back in form a la “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and his classics from “Match Point” reaching back to “”Hannah and her Sisters,” “Annie Hall,” “Alice,” “Zelig,” and so on. “Midnight” has an all star cast featuring a cameo by Carla Bruni, first lady of France, as well as star turns by French sensation Marion Cottillard, Michael Sheen, Rachel McAdams, and two current Broadway stars–Nina Arianda and Allison Pill. I’m also looking forward to seeing Mimi Kennedy, who should have been in a Woody Allen movie years ago. Adrien Brody and Owen Wilson also co-star. PS There’s talk that Woody will be on screen again in his next film, to be shot in Rome, along with Roberto Benigni. Woody also turns up in a French film going to Cannes, called “Paris Manhattan,” in which he plays himself.
Brad Pitt, Sean Penn vs. Kanye West, Quincy Jones
The Cannes Film Festival remains a olly schedule nightmare. Why for example are there three films — “We Must Talk About Kevin,” “Restless,” and “Sleeping Beauty,” all on for the first Thursday? And virtually nothing on Friday and Saturday? There are other crazy conflicts. The premiere of Pedro Almodovar’s “The Skin I Live In” spills up the red carpet at the Palais just as AmFAR lures celebrities to the Hotel duCap for “Cinema Against AIDS.” Now comes word that Terrence Malick’s highly anticipated “Tree of Life” will be scheduled against Quincy Jones and Kanye West’s mega show for the Maybach Foundation. This is a good charity, matching young people with mentors in their fields. But really: Brad Pitt and Sean Penn vs Kanye and Q? Sacre bleu! The Maybachs, by the way, are very nice people who happen to make those super luxury cars with drapes along the back windows. Charlie Sheen has one. He bought it with Tiger Blood.
Showbiz411 Scoops: Kabbalah, Madonna, Paula Abdul
It’s Sunday night, and time to take stock of the week.
First: I told you last August that Paula Abdul would be a judge on Simon Cowell’s “X Factor.” It was known then, but this latest contract stuff was contrived for publicity. A lot is going into “X Factor.” Sony Music is counting on lots of hits from as yet undiscovered talent. That helped Paula when it came to her contract with CBS for her failed dance show. The reunion of Simon and Paula is the only real publicity hook for “X Factor.” When the show starts airing, get ready for lots of stories about Simon and Paula fighting, and no one getting along with host Steve Jones. It’s all a PT Barnum like machine, designed to stoke tabloid headlines. And the public falls for it more often than Charlie Brown reaches in vain for Lucy’s football.
Second: So nice that the L.A. Times acknowledges a grand jury investigation of the Kabbalah Center. I told you this three weeks ago. I’ve been writing about malfesance at Kabbalah for years, about the Raising Malawi fundraising and Madonna’s role as the group’s patsy. The IRS and grand jury will do well to look into the vast real estate holdings of the Centre, and into an explanation for how the Berg family lives if they don’t have earned income.
One explanation will be that as leaders of Kabbalah, they’re entitled to parish houses. That argument has been tested in the past, mostly with failure as a result. Soon Hollywood will be owned by Kabbalah and Scientology–sort of wall to wall cults in a real estate monopoly. Only in Hollywood kids, only in Hollywood.
Mel Gibson Film Makes Scant $104K in Limited Release
“The Beaver” is dead. No matter of life saving technique will revive cinema’s first and last hand puppet psychiatrist. Jodie Foster’s movie about a suicidal man, played by a man who’s already committed career suicide and a kind of personal Hari Kari, earned just $104,000 over three days at 22 theatres.
They were the kinds of theaters where depressed people might go. But they didn’t. They didn’t want to see an anti Semitic, Holocaust denying son of a neo Nazi, anti Pope essayist who threatened to harm his girlfriend and their baby–in a movie about a man who has no responsibility for his family, continually plots to off himself, has violent outbursts, and looks like he’s been sleeping on a park bench. Imagine that.
The movie got middling reviews but not enough, I hear, to bring Gibson to Cannes for an out of competition screening. Jodie Foster continues her tour as Joan of Arc, defending Gibson, the title of the movie, and the sullen tone of of the film she created. But if she comes to Cannes, she’ll be welcomed, even though she told our Q&A audience last week after the Lincoln Center screening, “I don’t care if the movie doesn’t make any money.”
Luckily, Summit Entertainment has made so much money on vampires that a mere beaver won’t get in their way.