This is sad. We gave Kevin Spacey two Oscars and a Tony Award some other other stuff. He was always creepy. And then he became accused of sexual harassment and pedophilia. He won’t go away. He persists. Now here’s his Christmas message to us: if someone accuses you of something bad, don’t retaliate. Kill them with kindness. And yes, his father was a neo-Nazi. We can’t un-remember that.
— Kevin Spacey (@KevinSpacey) December 24, 2019
Overlooked in this awards season but a must see film of astonishing beauty and integrity: Francois Girard‘s “The Song of Names.” The stars are Clive Owen and Tim Roth in sensational appearances, with a gorgeous score by Oscar winner Howard Shore.
“The Song of Names” is an epic post-Holocaust drama of two men who grow up as brothers. The film defies clichés about the Jewish dead, in simply naming names: in this case, the murdered at Treblinka; miraculously, the Canadian filmmakers, producer Robert Lantos (Sunshine, Barney’s Version) and director Girard (The Red Violin, Thirty-two Short Films about Glenn Gould) were permitted to film there, a memorial site with an unforgettable field of boulders, each representing a town evacuated to this death camp.
Opening on Christmas Day, the movie, based on the novel by Norman Lebrecht, was a standout at the recent Hamptons International Film Festival, where I sat down with the filmmakers to talk about music, the Holocaust, and the stars Clive Owen and Tim Roth.
RW: The cantor intoning “Song of Names” alters the lives of the two central characters, Dovidl (Clive Owen) and Martin (Tim Roth). How did you create that powerful moment from a mere line in the book and script?
FG: The title scene is the center of gravity, the DNA of the whole story. In the film, Clive Owen as grownup Dovidl performs a song on violin after he hears a song in a synagogue. Until Howard Shore came on board there was no idea of how to do this. Howard Shore worked more on that two minutes of singing than anything else in the film. Musically, it is very simple; the work was digging out the truth of that singing. Howard’s wife, Elizabeth Cotnoir, is an expert in choral Jewish music. She and Howard brought the cantor from Central Synagogue to Budapest. The man never saw a camera before, just walked in and sang. We did nine takes and you hear four and seven. Dovidl then plays the song in Treblinka.
RW: Most unusual is that you had permission to film in Treblinka. You were the first film given permission to film there. How?
FG: I wrote them a long letter why they should say yes. The atrocity and engineering of murder! It was hard for me to go there; I went almost against my will. I found that memorial is a masterpiece: a kind of a celebration of the spirit. The first thing I see is hundreds of kids on a pilgrimage. 300 young Jews celebrating life. Our Polish actress’ boyfriend took us around but then we walked for two hours ourselves. This became our only real Holocaust contact. We are the first to shoot there. We spent half a day. Now I could cut a half hour documentary about Treblinka.
RL: I was struck by a ribbon that runs around the trees has the names of the killed. It’s an endless ribbon.
RW: How close to your own history does this film come?
RL: My history is not at Treblinka, but Auschwitz. The Hungarians came late to Auschwitz. My parents avoided it, but my aunt was there. My mother had Christian papers, fake ID. She never reported to the roundup. She was a swimming champion. Her coach and his wife had a daughter who had died years earlier. They made up fake papers during the German occupation, with their daughter’s name and my mother’s picture. They were not Jewish. They were evacuating the ghetto and she walked over and saw Jews being marched out in columns. My mother watched her sister being taken away to Auschwitz from the other side of the street. They saw each other but they didn’t wave. Both my mother and her sister survived; they had learned German in school and were fluent. My aunt had secretarial skills so the camp commander at Mauthausen made her his secretary so she could type in German. She went from there to Auschwitz where she got a job in the office, and was liberated by the Americans. My mother lived till 100, and left me 20 hours of audio tapes. I started to write about her.
RW: Did Francois’ background in opera make you want to work with him?
FG: Actually, I came to opera from film not the other way around.
RL: I wanted to work with Francois Girard. I did not want this film to be made by a Jew. He could discover this story from a more distant perspective from the outset.
FG: I never heard you say that.
RL: It’s the truth. Your first time in synagogue was when we went on Yom Kippur.
FG: That was my first time and we went to all the service together. I have many Jewish friends so I am not a stranger to those stories. In the book, Martin is Jewish but in the course of making the film we changed him to non-Jewish. Martin became me. It made my work more comfortable. It made my life easier. We were the outsiders looking into Jewish culture. Most of the audience for the film is with us. We opened the door wider for the film, with the same truth to the subject.
RL: I am surrounded by Jews: the writer is Jewish, screenwriter Jewish, Howard Shore Jewish, I am Jewish. It was essential that the central creative person not be Jewish. People don’t want to know about the horrors. The way to not repeat them is never to forget. Clive says to Tim, what is the greatest fear? That there is no one left to remember. Using music to tell this story gave me the chance to attract non-Jews.
FG: It has to move you whether you are Jewish or not. we are on the outskirts of the main theme, taking a walk with two characters on a volcano of six million dead.
RW: Speaking about your characters, tell me about casting Clive Owen and Tim Roth. I see Dovidl as catalyst, Martin as Everyman.
FG: Adult Dovidl shows up ¾ of the way into the film; if you are teasing an audience for an hour and half, you have to show someone, and Clive is the champion of charisma. I saw his play in NY. It was easy to get him. He saw the challenge and embraced the role. If you want Everyman, you need Tim Roth. His nervous energy. We discussed details with him. It’s all about Clive, but we are following Tim.
RL: Tim’s Martin is only liberated by the end of the film. After the betrayal when they were 20, finally at the end he is free when he, a non-Jew says the prayer for the dead for his brother. Otherwise he would still be searching.
Justin Bieber is lookin’ tuff. He’s all inked up for Christmas on Instagram. He’s got leather and chains, and he’s pouting in front of a piano he’s wrecked with graffiti. He’s so cool. He’s Mad Max After Thunderdome.
Still campaigning for Most Irrelevant Person in the Universe, Bieber is now threatening us with not one but three new singles, spaced a week apart, starting tomorrow, Christmas eve. That’s right, he refuses to let the year end a new one begin in peace.
Will these songs have bird calls again? Or will they reflect his shopping mall Christianity? Bieber has also posted audio clips on his Instagram account from Chelsea Smith, a Hillsong church pastor from Seattle and Los Angeles. It’s more homilies with home fries. So no more songs about getting laid or spitting on fans– it’s all spiritual now?
Spiritual guide, psychedelic pioneer, and massively influential author Ram Dass has died at age 88 in Malibu.
Born as Richard Alpert, Ram Dass‘s seminal book. Be Here Now, turned on generations of people in the Timothy Leary era who looked for ways to expand their minds. The Beatles’ George Harrison was so influenced by him that he wrote and recorded a song called “Be Here Now” for his 1971 album “Living in the Material World.” It’s been covered by dozens of artists. Ram Dass’s influence extended to popular culture right up til his death. The TV series “Lost” even named a character for him. The character was extremely popular, a time traveler who existed in many instances. He never aged.
His foundation issued this statement:
“The Love Serve Remember Foundation is planning a worldwide BE HERE NOW moment in celebration of Ram Dass’s extraordinary life. Additional details on this event forthcoming. In the meantime, if anyone would like to share their reflections on Ram Dass, please email remember@ramdass.org, or post on social media using #lovingramdass. For more information on Ram Dass’s life and teachings, please visit www.ramdass.org.”
Here is his official obit:
For more than 50 years, Ram Dass was a key influence on American spiritual culture. His monumentally influential and seminal work BE HERE NOW – part graphic novel, part introduction to yoga and inner transformation – is an enduring classic that has sold over two million copies. BE HERE NOW still stands as a centerpiece of western articulation of eastern philosophy. In the 1970s it was the hippies’ bible; today it continues to be the instruction manual of choice for generations of spiritual seekers.
As a psychologist, Richard Alpert – along with his cohort, Timothy Leary – played a pivotal role in the psychedelic movement of the 1960s, lecturing on the healing effects of psychedelics at college campuses across the country. At the time, Alp
ert and Leary influenced a generation to “turn on, tune in, and drop out” with psychedelics, providing the inner fuel during a turbulent era of social change, sexual liberation, and political unrest.
In 1967-68, Alpert journeyed to India, where he met the famed Indian saint, Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji), whose central teaching is to love everyone, serve everyone, and remember God.
After learning yoga and meditating in the Himalayas for six months, he returned to the West as Ram Dass, meaning “Servant of God.” For decades, Ram Dass crisscrossed America, lecturing on an eclectic spiritual path. He was a guide for thousands seeking to discover or reclaim their spiritual identity beyond or within institutional religion.
In early 1997, Ram Dass had a hemorrhagic stroke that left him with paralysis and expressive aphasia. He recovered his speech and went on to continue his teachings online, at retreats in Maui, and through film and music, inspiring the next generation of seekers.
The Love Serve Remember Foundation is planning a worldwide BE HERE NOW moment in celebration of Ram Dass’s extraordinary life. Additional details on this event forthcoming.
In the meantime, if anyone would like to share their reflections on Ram Dass, please email remember@ramdass.org, or post on social media using #lovingramdass. For more information on Ram Dass’s life and teachings, please visit www.ramdass.org.
Kanye West’s “opera” at David Geffen Hall, aka Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center was supposed to start at 8pm last night. “Mary,” named for the virgin mother, began instead at 9:15pm. But okay, we know it’s Kanye.
“Mary” is not an opera. It’s maybe an oratorio, or just a piece of eccentric entertainment. It does not meet the minimum requirement for an opera. The characters aren’t delineated and it has no songs. It has no actual dialogue, either.
Last night, “Mary” played to a full house nonetheless. People paid $300 to sit in the orchestra, $200 to sit upstairs. It lasted exactly one hour. When it over, I have never seen a theater clear out so quickly in all my life. Poof! they were gone. Gone.That was a lot of money for one hour.
“Mary” retells the story of Jesus’s virgin conception and birth. Kanye narrated, reading the libretto aloud. It sounded like he’d never seen the words before at all. He stumbled over them, mispronouncing several including the word “Israel.” He called “Is-rah-eel.” Yikes.
At one point, Kanye shouted over the music: “No trumpet here.” The audience broke into laughter.
Most of the music– none of which Kanye wrote– was provided by a very large, enthusiastic choir. They actually provided a lovely harmonic background to the proceedings. But that is not an opera. In an opera, characters emerge to tell a story. They have songs, there are musical themes. “Mary” lacked all of that. So we were basically left with Kanye’s awkward reading of the libretto, and the choir’s repetitive harmonic underpinning.
The orchestra, I was told later, combined three local bands, none of whom had played together before last night. That said, they meshed together for a kind of interesting interweaving of jazz, gospel, and Broadway. The horn section plays with Celine Dion, I was told.
You must take this seriously. Even though Kanye didn’t write or direct the show, or write the music, he is its impresario. He gave away 300 tickets to a children’s charity to fill the room. He may have given away more than that to other groups. Let’s say he sold 2,000 seats at $300 a pop. That’s not enough to pay for this extravaganza. Did he underwrite it? Unclear.
Some notes: It was the first time I’ve ever smelled pot in Avery Fisher Hall. I asked an usher who agreed, it was a first. The smell was pungent. Even though the show was scheduled for 8pm officially, people were wandering in after 9:15. Did they just guess? Good for them. There were at least 4 long, long lines for beverages, mostly alcoholic, in the orchestra lobby. They were still serving guests when the show started. The only celebrity I saw was Michael Che from “Saturday Night Live.” Maybe there were others.
When the lights went down, West’s small children — North and Saint– were apparently seated in the front row. They began shouting at the darkened stage, prompting people near them in the audience to shout back. This went on for some time.
Will Kanye offer an album of his various operas? Or videos? He should. The cumulative effect can only be dealt with that way. But again, if his fans want to pay for the tickets, why not try this and a lot of other stage presentations? They take a leap of faith and a lot of chutzpah. He has the capacity for mountains of each.
Good read: “The Song of Names” Review, Movie Opens Wednesday
“Saturday Night Live” has been drifting ratings wise this season. It’s been averaging 4 million viewers per show, even dipping to 3.9 million at one point. Not good.
But this past Saturday’s show was a ratings blow out. The combination of Eddie Murphy as host and Lizzo as musical guest brought in 9.921 million viewers. In the key demo, the number was 2.5 million of those nearly 10 million people were between 18 and 49.
These are the best numbers since 2017 when an episode of Melissa McCarthy imitating Sean Spicer earned over 10 million viewers and a 2.7 in the key demo.
Eddie’s appearance just went through the roof. All day I only heard everyone talking about it. For older fans of the show, he was the magic to bring them back or make them stay up late. Lizzo brought the young viewers. I thought she was might impressive.
Murphy did the right thing– he revived a bunch of beloved characters from Mister Robinson to Buckwheat to Gumby. He gave the public what they want, just like the new “Star Wars” movie. And they ate it up. Plus, bringing on Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, et al during the opening monologue was really smart. I’m just sorry Tim Meadows was missing. And if Joe Piscopo had been on, instead of just referenced, that would sent the ratings even higher.
Still in all, a great episode that will be talked about for a long time. It should also get Emmy attention this summer. Eddie can only be pleased.
MONDAY The final numbers were higher: $177.4 million.
SUNDAY: “The Rise of Skywalker” had a huge opening weekend. But it was only the 12th biggest weekend in movie history.
JJ Abrams’s final chapter in the Star Wars saga is predicted to reap $175.4 million through tonight. It’s very good but not spectacular.
There was some hope it would hit $190 million, but that dream looks like it died. As with “Cats,” snark did some damage. Luckily, it wasn’t as much damage!
Of course, this could change if more people wind up going today to see the final flight of the Millenium Falcon and say farewell to the Skywalker family.
“The Force Awakens” opened with $247 million. “The Last Jedi” took $220. So that’s significant fall off. But it’s better than a kick in the bustle, as my grandmother used to say!
“Cats” was a bigger disaster over the weekend than predicted. The total is $6.5 million, less than even the lowest $7.5 million anyone thought possible.
No one went? Snarkiness killed. Where were all the fans who went to see it on stage? They just stayed home and enjoyed the puns.
I have a theory that hatred of “Cats” was the result of people not being able to effect political change. They’re so angry and disappointed, they found a mutual scapegoat and went for it.
Well, that and it wasn’t so great. But still, Universal — I don’t know why– is sending out a new digital version to theaters today. Should we go back and see it again? Is there really a difference?
And who could have guessed this? Universal has done far better over all with small indie movies like “Harriet” and “Queen and Slim.” That’s the shock of the season!
Everyone thought the movie about “Richard Jewell” was dead. On its first weekend, the Clint Eastwood film took a drubbing. Either audiences disapproved of a scandal that had been concocted around it, or they were apathetic to the subject matter. This, despite very good early reviews and general excitement that Eastwood at 89 had made another lean, mean movie.
Well, “Richard Jewell” isn’t dead. On Friday it made 755,000. Then on Saturday it zoomed up to $1 million. The estimate for today is higher than Friday: $805,000.
If “Richard Jewell” were a person (and he was), medics would have already zapped him with paddles a couple of times, called in specialists, and did everything they could to not only revive him and but encourage his speedy recovery. So, where’s the love now for this film?
It seems like people who are going to see “Richard Jewell” are enjoying it and telling their friends. The friends are going. The box office will cross $10 million on Monday or Tuesday at the latest. Then we go into a ten day vacation period (at least a 7 day one for a lot of people). It’s possible that “Richard Jewell” will hit a sweet spot in that time. It would really happen if there were ads on TV encouraging everyone to see it.
This movie is important. It’s a cautionary tale about how fear drove the media in Atlanta, the justice system there, and local and federal law enforcement to stir public sentiment against an innocent man. Richard Jewell did not plant a bomb that blew up in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. But he swiftly became the wrongly accused terrorist. His reputation and life were destroyed. Once the damage was done, it took years to exonerate him.
Eastwood has made a taut, exciting film with great performances from Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, and Kathy Bates, each of whom deserves an Oscar nomination. A campaign to discredit this film caused critics groups to overlook it, and there was little help from the studio. But it’s possible the audience will save it, which would be ironic.
Lana del Rey’s “Norman F—ing Rockwell” is probably the Album of the Year should get the Grammy Award. Now Lana has released a 14 minute video set to a medley of songs from that album. It’s extraordinary, please watch it. These songs are so wonderful, their melodies are like little holiday gifts. She’s very Joni Mitchell at times, and then again not– it’s almost like the whole thing is a tribute to Joni. The director is Caroline “Chuck” Grant, Lana’s sister. Lana (Elizabeth Grant) edited the film herself. (The Grant sisters have a brother named Charlie.) What a brilliant effort. If MTV were smart, they’d play it once an hour.
The three songs are “Norman Fucking Rockwell,” “Bartender” and “Happiness Is a Butterfly.” Just gorgeous and so well composed. Lana del Rey is the most gifted of all the ladies out there right now writing and recording music. She’s just on another level. Brav-oh!