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Filmed Version of Powerhouse Broadway Musical “Hamilton” Sells to Disney for Record Price of $75 Million

Roger Friedman
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Filmed Version of Powerhouse Broadway Musical “Hamilton” Sells to Disney for Record Price of $75 Million

“Hamilton” is coming to movie theaters.

The Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning powerhouse of a musical was evidently worth $75 million, according to reports. And dig this: this is not the movie, “Hamilton.” This version was filmed two weeks before the original cast departed the show. It’s a filmed version of a stage presentation.

A movie of “Hamilton” could appear one day, who knows? Maybe a decade from now.

But this show is different than most others in that it is still selling out five years after it opened at the Public Theater. Its soundtrack has sold millions of copies and continues to be in the top 100. Lin Manuel Miranda’s musical about Alexander Hamilton has so penetrated the culture that John Bolton has named his forthcoming book after a song in the show called “In the Room Where it Happened.”

With this release, we’ll be able to feel like we’re watching the play and be in the middle of it. But the biggest reason to see it will be not having to pay $500 a ticket, which is the price– if you can get it. Still, nothing will be like the live show.

The “Hamilton” film will debut in theaters in October 2021.

Indie Spirit Awards Are This Saturday: They’re a Non Profit with Over $5 Mil in Salaries, and Just Under $400K in Grants to Filmmakers

Roger Friedman
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Indie Spirit Awards Are This Saturday: They’re a Non Profit with Over $5 Mil in Salaries, and Just Under $400K in Grants to Filmmakers

The 2020 Indie Spirit Awards will be handed out on Saturday in Santa Monica. They’re given by the non profit called Film Independent, which has a host of other programs. A boatload of actors, producers, distributors, and indie film people will head down to a big circus tent on the beach for the afternoon program. Last year, about 100,000 people watched the live broadcast on the IFC Channel. Most people will not know the ceremony took place.

Film Independent sounds like a classy name. But a look at the finances for this 501 c3 shows a lot of mysteries.

In 2018, according to their Form 990, Film Independent — which you’d think operated on a shoestring budget– listed around $5 million for salaries. They said their top people earned a total of $578,287. But according to the breakdown included, 7 people share over $900,000 alone.

Meantime, Film Independent’s net balances shrank in 2018 by $1.5 million from 2017, down to $3.2 million. Total revenue was $10.8 million in 2018. But grants to filmmakers, etc came to just $366,000. Revenue less expenses was MINUS $1.5 million. Total functional expenses for 2018 were $12.3 million.

Of course, Film Independent is a valuable resource for indie filmmakers in Southern California. The organization also runs the LA Film Festival, and associated film programs. They also have a prestigious board of directors. This year, one of their own, Kasi Lemmons, can boas that her film, “Clemency,” is nominated for Best Feature, Screenplay, and Lead Actress (Alfre Woodard).

This year might bring a little extra pizzazz to the tent: Jennifer Lopez is nominated for Best Supporting Actress in “Hustlers.” If she wins, she’ll have defeated the likes of Octavia Spencer (“Luce”), Taylor Russell (“Waves”), and Zhao Shuzhen (“The Farewell”). But, you never know these days. The other celebrity from outside the indie world will be Adam Sandler, for “Uncut Gems.” Sandler actually has a shot at winning, as the other nominees are solid but not particularly exciting.

Hedging their bets, the Spirit Awards do give out one big honor, their Robert Altman Ensemble Award, guaranteeing stars on the red carpet. This year the winner is Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story,” which means the director, Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Laura Dern will be in attendance whether they like it or not.

 

 

Demi Lovato Bookends Her Week with Stunning Grammys Performance and Super Bowl National Anthem Triumph

Roger Friedman
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Demi Lovato Bookends Her Week with Stunning Grammys Performance and Super Bowl National Anthem Triumph

Demi Lovato’s having a terrific comeback. She bookended her week with the Grammys and the Super Bowl. She has a great voice. If she can just stay on the right track now, her career will flourish.

Demi on the Grammys:

Demi Sings the Star Spangled Banner:

BAFTA British Academy Awards Follow, Point to, Oscars: “1917” Best Film, Best Director Sam Mendes, Joaquin Phoenix, Renee Zellweger, Brad Pitt, Laura Dern Win for Acting

Roger Friedman
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BAFTA British Academy Awards Follow, Point to, Oscars: “1917” Best Film, Best Director Sam Mendes, Joaquin Phoenix, Renee Zellweger, Brad Pitt, Laura Dern Win for Acting

It’s an all white BAFTA. And it’s all -white with them. All the supposed and anticipated Oscar winners swept the British Academy. I am surprised, however, that “Jojo Rabbit,” won Best Adapted Screenplay. I’d choose any of the other nominees. The Oscars are one week from tonight, and these are the likely winners.

keep refreshing…

Sam Mendes has won Best Director for “1917.” The film wins Best Picture. Has already won cinematography.

The BAFTA Awards are being given out in London. So far they’re hewing to the American awards circuit. Laura Dern and Brad Pitt have each won Supporting Actor awards. “Parasite” has won Best Foreign Language Film. “Parasite” has also won Best Original Screenplay. “Jojo Rabbit” picked up adapted screenplay. “1917” is Best British Film. Roger Deakins won Best Cinematography for “1917.” “For Sama” is Best Documentary.

BEST FILM

1917

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

1917
Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Krysty Wilson-Cairns

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

BAIT
Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director), Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers)

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

PARASITE
Bong Joon Ho

DOCUMENTARY

FOR SAMA
Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts

ANIMATED FILM

KLAUS
Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh

DIRECTOR

Sam Mendes, 1917

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

PARASITE
Han Jin Won, Bong Joon Ho

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

JOJO RABBIT
Taika Waititi

LEADING ACTRESS

JUDY Renee Zellweger

LEADING ACTOR

JOKER Joaquin Phoenix

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

LAURA DERN
Marriage Story

SUPPORTING ACTOR

BRAD PITT
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

ORIGINAL SCORE

JOKER
Hildur Guðnadóttir

CASTING

Joker

CINEMATOGRAPHY

1917
Roger Deakins

EDITING

FORD V FERRARI (LE MANS ’66)
Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker

PRODUCTION DESIGN

1917
Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales

COSTUME DESIGN

LITTLE WOMEN
Jacqueline Durran

MAKE UP & HAIR

BOMBSHELL
Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan

SOUND

1917
Scott Millan, Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate, Mark Taylor, Stuart Wilson

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

1917
Greg Butler, Guillaume Rocheron, Dominic Tuohy

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

GRANDAD WAS A ROMANTIC
Maryam Mohajer

BRITISH SHORT FILM

LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL)
Carol Dysinger, Elena Andreicheva

EE RISING STAR AWARD

Micheal Ward

OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA

Andy Serkis

 

Rae Dawn Chong Now Says She Slept with Mick Jagger At Age 15, But in 1985 She Denied Any “Sexual or Romantic” Relationship

Roger Friedman
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Rae Dawn Chong Now Says She Slept with Mick Jagger At Age 15, But in 1985 She Denied Any “Sexual or Romantic” Relationship

Today’s Daily Mail is blaring a headline they obviously paid for: “Rae Dawn Chong says she slept with Mick Jagger when she was 15!”

But is it true? Because in 1985, she told People Magazine: “Sex is the nature of both Mick’s and my personalities,” says Chong, “but we were never romantically or sexually involved.”

So who is Rae Dawn Chong? She’s the daughter of Cheech and Chong’s Tommy Chong and  a great beauty named Maxine Sneed. In the Daily Mail article, however, the writers her mother was someone named Abigail with whom Tommy had a one night stand. What? Chong and Sneed were married from 1960 to 1970. Rae Dawn is Sneed’s spitting image.

The reason for the Daily Mail article is that Rae Dawn, a minor actress in the 1980s but a major beauty, “blurted out” during a Hollywood Reporter podcast that she’d slept with Jagger when she was a minor– and loved it. Jagger was 33, the year was 1977, and he was ending his marriage to wife Bianca Jagger. The Mail makes it seem like Jagger was cheating, although by 1977 Bianca was done after seven years of sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

Eight years later, at age 23, Rae Dawn appeared in Mick’s “Just Another Night” video.

How fast did she call the Daily Mail after “accidentally blurting out” this information to the Hollywood Reporter? Ten seconds? Thirty?

Now Rae Dawn is 58, and a grandmother, she says. From her photo in the Daily Mail she looks ten years older. In the Daily Mail article, she also implies some kind of relationships from 1977 with comedian Steve Martin (then 32) and Ryan O’Neal (also mid 30s). She says she didn’t tell Jagger how old she was, and he didn’t ask.

She says she woke up with Jagger only to find Keith Richards staring down at them. (We can deduce that this was in New York during the making of “Some Girls” at Electric Lady Studios.) But Richards never mentions her in his very detailed happily salacious memoir, “Life.” This episode wasn’t important enough for him to report, apparently.

Rae Dawn’s big movie career lasted a very short time. She starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1985’s “Commando.”The next year she and C. Thomas Howell appeared in an egregious, stupid movie called “Soul Man” in which he played a college kid who pretended to be black to get into Harvard. She was his girlfriend. By 1990, Rae Dawn had drifted into D movies and TV shows no one remembers. Her last of those series was in 2003. In 1985 she’d been married once and had a child. She told People she’d never marry again. But in 1989 she married Howell for a year. She had one more husband, Nathan Ulrich, whom she divorced after three years in 2014.

So it’s time to cash in. No doubt a book deal is coming following this episode. But really, let’s take it all with a shaker of salt.

“Parasite,” “Jojo Rabbit” Win Writers Guild Award Among Movies That Were Eligible, “Young and Restless” Wins for Soaps

Roger Friedman
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“Parasite,” “Jojo Rabbit” Win Writers Guild Award Among Movies That Were Eligible, “Young and Restless” Wins for Soaps

The 2020 Writers Guild West has just made its two biggest awards of the season. This follows “1917” winning Best Director for Sam Mendes.

Original screenplay went to “Parasite,” which beat “Booksmart,” “1917,” “Marriage Story,” and “Knives Out.”

Adapted screenplay went to “Jojo Rabbit,” which was considered better than “Joker,” “Irishman,” “Little Women,” and “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” This despite Taika Waititi adding several Nazi characters and completely changing the novel the movie was based on.

Not eligible: Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” which should win Original Screenplay at the Oscars. QT is not a member of WGAW.

On the TV side, “The Young and the Restless” won for soap operas. More TV winners coming…keep refreshing…

HBO cleans up in drama and comedy.

Episodic Drama: “Succession” HBO
Episodic Comedy: “Barry” HBO
Best Long Form Drama, Adapted: “Fosse/Verdon” F/X
Best Long Form Drama, Original: “Chernobyl” HBO

Meantime, Pamela Anderson’s Registered Tax Free Foundation Spends More on Itself than on Donations to Causes

Roger Friedman
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Meantime, Pamela Anderson’s Registered Tax Free Foundation Spends More on Itself than on Donations to Causes

So Pam Anderson’s 12 day marriage to Jon Peters is over. Maybe his accountants wondered about her registered 501 c3 charity, the Pamela Anderson Foundation.

On the charity’s 2018 Form 990 Federal Tax Form, listed officers of PFA are Pamela Anderson, President; Pamela Anderson, Secretary, and Pamela Anderson, Director. The only job she doesn’t have is Treasurer.

PFA currently has $10,000 in assets. In 2018, she donated $30,000 to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. That’s it. One donation. However, PFA received $50,000 — I can’t imagine why– from the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund, which is supposed to be for survivors of 9/11.

In addition to Cantor Fitzgerald’s $50,000, PFA received another $39,000 in 2018. The other substantial contributors listen include late “Simpsons” creator Sam Simon, Pam’s ex husband Rick Salomon, and a Ukranian named Grzegorzak Arkaduisz, producer of a movie called “Evil Bong 3: The Wrath of Bong.”

PFA’s expenses other than the donation to hotline total $51,118 include Accounting fees– $10,000; Travel and conferences — 16,480; Publicity and promotion- $24,603; and Taxes– $35.

Pamela Anderson’s charitable foundation has no actual fundraising events, as far as I can tell, although the wedding to Peters may be considered as one if she gets a good settlement for 12 days of marriage.

Impetuous Kids Pamela Anderson (52), Producer Jon Peters (74) Fail to Get FTC Approval, Call off Marriage After 12 Days

Roger Friedman
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0
Impetuous Kids Pamela Anderson (52), Producer Jon Peters (74) Fail to Get FTC Approval, Call off Marriage After 12 Days

And they said it wouldn’t last!

Model, celebrity, PETA spokesperson, Julian Assange groupie Pamela Anderson and movie producer/former hairdresser Jon Peters have called off their marriage after 12 days. Their union was not approved by the FTC, FDA, PETA, or The Sleep Foundation.

These impetuous kids — he’s 74, she’s 52 — “would be very grateful for your support as we take some time apart to re-evaluate what we want from life and from one another.”

The full Anderson statement: “I have been moved by the warm reception to Jon and my union,” Anderson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “We would be very grateful for your support as we take some time apart to re-evaluate what we want from life and from one another. Life is a journey and love is a process. With that universal truth in mind, we have mutually decided to put off the formalization of our marriage certificate and put our faith in the process. Thank you for respecting our privacy.”

On her Instagram page, philosopher Anderson quotes Federico Fellini: “Don’t tell me what I’m doing; I don’t want to know.”

Is it the pre-nup? I would say Yes. Peters has a fortune thanks to his movie rights to franchises like “Superman” and “Batman.” Also, Pamela probably wanted to star in the sequel to “Flashdance.”

That, and a negotiation over where Julian Assange will live after he’s released from prison. Pam said he could stay in the main house, Jon recommended a walk up in Fresno.

Meantime, the government is crumbling, the UK isn’t OK, the climate is all screwed up, and we still don’t have a CEO for the Grammys or MusiCares.

Paramount Pictures, Lacking a $100 Mil Movie in 2019, Waits for Another “Mission Impossible” Movie as 1st Two Releases of 2020 Fail

Roger Friedman
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Paramount Pictures, Lacking a $100 Mil Movie in 2019, Waits for Another “Mission Impossible” Movie as 1st Two Releases of 2020 Fail

It’s not an easy time for Paramount Pictures.

This weekend, “The Rhythm Section,” a thriller starring Blake Lively and Jude Law, is DOA at the box office. Without keeping any beat, it made just $1.1 million last night. That’s a $3 million weekend if they’re lucky.

“The Rhythm Section” is Paramount’s second bomb this year. The other is “Like a Boss,” which has dropped like a rock. The latter film has made just $21 million. It was supposed to hit like “Girls Trip,” with Tiffany Haddish whooping it up again. This didn’t work. (And I don’t understand why Salma Hayek isn’t trying to do serious movies like “Frida.”)

Paramount was the only major studio to lack a $100 million movie last year. They came achingly close with “Rocketman” at $96 million. But otherwise, it was a bleak showing.

Now they wait. First comes “A Quiet Place, Part 2,” the sequel to John Krasinski’s surprise hit horror film from a couple of years ago. Will lightning strike twice? Hard to say, particularly because Krasinski– who wrote and directed– isn’t in this one unless he’s a ghost. His wife, the wonderful Emily Blunt, takes over, along with Cillian Murphy. That one’s not coming until March 20th.

But Paramount really waits and waits for Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible,” but that’s not until summer 2021. Until then, fingers are crossed for Cruise in “Top Gun: Maverick,” coming June 26th. They will pull out all the stops for this one, a sequel more than 30 years in the making. Val Kilmer also returns from the original film, even though he has vocal problems. (We’ll see how they deal with that.) Plus the film is stacked with young talent like Miles Teller and Glen Powell. They’ve even thrown in an Oscar winner– Jennifer Connelly– and Ed Harris and Jon Hamm. How can it lose?

The clock is ticking, though. The only sure thing is Eddie Murphy in “Coming to America 2.” Another long awaited sequel, but the wait is even longer– Christmas.

 

P Diddy’s Past Rapper Star Mase Says Sean Puffy Combs Paid Him Just $20K for His Publishing Rights 24 Years Ago, And He Wants Them Back

Roger Friedman
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P Diddy’s Past Rapper Star Mase Says Sean Puffy Combs Paid Him Just $20K for His Publishing Rights 24 Years Ago, And He Wants Them Back

Sean Combs’s big speech last Saturday night at Clive Davis’s dinner has really backfired. I told you in a previous story how the speech– which Disneyfied Combs’s career and portrayed him as a gladiator for musicians’ rights– was filled with errors and omissions.

Now rapper Mase, who huge hits with Puff Daddy/P Diddy/Sean Combs in the 90s, has spoken up about their relationship. Mase says Puffy paid him just $20,000 for his publishing rights 24 years ago. Now Mase wants them back. He says he recently offered Combs $2 million to get them back. It doesn’t sound like Combs has been responsive.

Mase– real name Mason Durell Betha — says when he turns 50 the rights will revert to him. But he’s only 44, and six years is a long time. (This also means he signed his deal when he was 20.) Ironically, Mase sang in the tribute to Combs last Saturday to a cheering crowd. But Puffy hadn’t made his now infamous speech yet canonizing himself. I don’t know who Mase’s record biz lawyer is, but I hope this Instagram post helps him get his rights. Ditto Faith Evans and rapper called The Lox.

I heard your #Grammy speech about how u are now for the artist and about how the artist must take back control. So I will be the first to take that initiative. Also, before we ask of other ethnicities to do us right we should do us as black people better. Especially the creators. I heard u loud and clear when u said that u are now for the artist and to that my response is if u want to see change you can make a change today by starting with yourself.

Your past business practices knowingly has continued purposely starved your artist and been extremely unfair to the very same artist that helped u obtain that Icon Award on the iconic Badboy label. For example, u still got my publishing from 24 years ago in which u gave me $20k. Which makes me never want to work w/ u as any artist wouldn’t after u know someone is robbing you & tarnishing your name when u don’t want to comply w/ his horrendous business model.

However, people would always ask what’s up w/ Mase? So I would be forced to still perform to not look crazy when I was getting peanuts and the robbery would continue. So many great moments and people lives in music were lost. But again, I rode with u in the face of death without flinching & u still wouldn’t do right. I never said anything because I wanted to wait until I was financially great so I can ensured that I was addressing this from a pure place and not out of spite. To add insult, u keep screaming black excellence and love but I know love isn’t free.

So I offered u 2m in cash just a few days ago to sell me back my publishing(as his biggest artist alive) that always show u respect for u giving me an opportunity at 19 yrs old. Your response was if I can match what the EUROPEAN GUY OFFER him that would be the only way I can get it back. Or else I can wait until I’m 50 years old and it will revert back to me from when I was 19 years old. You bought it for about 20k & I offered you 2m in cash. This is not black excellence at all. When our own race is enslaving us. If it’s about us owning, it can’t be about us owning each other. No More Hiding Behind “Love”. U CHANGED? GIVE THE ARTIST BACK THEIR $$$. So they can take care of their families

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