Showbiz411 » Roger Friedman

Tom Cruise: “Oblivion” Is Latest to Fall Short of $100 Mil

Roger Friedman — Sat, 25 May 2013 05:42:24 +0000

Tom Cruise is out of “The Man from UNCLE,” which is good news since he was entirely miscast as Napoleon Solo. But more pressing news for Cruise is that his latest, “Oblivion,” shows a trend for the man who rules “Mission Impossible.’ “Oblivion” will not make $100 million in the United States, even though it had a strong start when it opened. Right now “Oblivion” is at $86.5 million. This past week it fell into a decline from which it will not recover. The action thriller from Joseph Kosinski will tail off before $90 mil is reached. Cruise is pretty much confined now to Mission Impossible as safety franchise. His non branded movies– “Reacher,” “Valkyrie,” “Knight and Day” — have averaged around $75-$80 million. That’s a lot of money for some movies. But let’s not forget– Cruise films cost a fortune starting with his salary and perks. Where Cruise is a hit still is abroad. “Oblivion” had made all its real money in South Korea, Russia, Australia and elsewhere. This is why Cruise’s movies open first around the world before [...]

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Spielberg Skips amFAR, DiCaprio Refuses to Allow Pictures

Roger Friedman — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:55:40 +0000

The annual amFAR rat-circus at the Eden Roc was notable for many things, none of which were conveyed by the press who attended. To wit: jury chief Steven Spielberg skipped the event as did most of the jury. Only Nicole Kidman and Christoph Waltz attended, and briefly. In past years, the jury leader–like Robert DeNiro–at least put in an appearance. Leonardo DiCaprio, who’s been holed up at the Hotel du Cap since last Tuesday a week courtesy of Warner Bros., refused to allow anyone to photograph him. My sources say he was an Invisible Man. Later he took most of the celebrities and hosted an after party at a private villa–eschewing the official after party. During the auction, DiCaprio let some sucker pledge $1.5 million to ride with him in outer space. I don’t know how the winner would ever collect on this prize. First of all, commercial space travel is like human cloning and the metric system. Second, DiCaprio if he were to go in space, would require several bodyguards, a velvet rope and a VIP room. At all [...]

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Cannes Jewelry Heist: “We Have Insurance and it’s Great Publicity”

Roger Friedman — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:27:43 +0000

This year’s Cannes Film Festival–from which I have now escaped–has been full of jewelry heists. And they are much publicized. First Chopard announced they’d lost a million dollars worth of baubles from a safe in a off the path hotel. Then De Grisogono, not to be left out, said they’d had a $2.6 million necklace stolen from them. Are these people serious? First of all, twice I asked Chopard’s much loved chief, Caroline Scheufle, if there had been any news of the jewels since the theft — in which a safe was allegedly cut of out of a hotel room and removed in whole–had occurred earlier in the week. She said, each time: “We have plenty of insurance. It’s great publicity. It’s no big deal.” And that’s true. A million dollars to Chopard is walking around money. And Caroline did say, “Everyone knows Chopard now.” But then: De Griosogno, run by Caroline’s ex husband Fawaz Gruosi, had their theft on Wednesday night during their big soiree at the Eden Roc in the Hotel du Cap. Both Sharon Stone and Leonardo [...]

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Coming Home: Bruce Dern Film Gets 10 Minute-Plus Standing O in Cannes

Roger Friedman — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:13:55 +0000

Bruce Dern’s long and complicated career in Hollywood got new wind and a major boost Thursday night in Cannes. Dern’s starring role in Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska” received a 10 minute or more standing ovation at its black tie premiere, with hoots, hollers, stomping and clapping. Unlike The Great Gatsby, “Nebraska” had a rare Cannes premiere– where they stop the credits and turn up the lights because the audience is going crazy. Payne–director of “The Descendants,” “Sideways,” and “About Schmidt: among others–has made a unique drama of genuine Americana, a gem of a film in black and white that explores many serious themes but has just enough off beat laughs to lighten the mood. Like all of Payne’s films, this is a road trip movie. Dern’s Woody Grant maybe has onset dementia. He is a lifelong fucntioning alcoholic, still married to the same woman and father to two adult sons (Will Forte and Bob Odenkirk). He receives a scam letter from a contest company congratulating him on winning a million dollars. The result is a trip from Billings Montana to Omaha [...]

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Who Will Play Stephen Hawking? Movie of Life Underway

Roger Friedman — Thu, 23 May 2013 06:46:45 +0000

Exclusive: Genius physicist and Albert Einstein of our day, Stephen Hawking is best known for publishing “A Brief History of Time.” Now his life and theories are going to be put on the big screen for everyone a la “A Beautiful Mind.” I am told that James Marsh, who made “Man on Wire” and many other fine films, is scheduled to direct a film called “The Theory of Everything.” It will comprise Hawking’s life and teachings. The title is from his 2007 book of the same name that comprised four lectures. The word is that casting has begun and the producers– Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan– are looking for the 2013 version of Daniel Day Lewis. Hawking is only wheelchair free for the first ten pages of the script. After that, his physical life will be portrayed as he is today. There’s an Oscar in there for whoever plays him. Of course, as always, Robert Downey Jr. comes to mind.

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Cannes: Best Actor Narrows but Redford Won’t Be Part of It

Roger Friedman — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:11:23 +0000

With the Cannes Film Festival winding down over the next couple of days, the field for Best Actor is narrowing own. There’s relative newcomer Oscar Isaac, who stars in the Coens’ “Inside Llewyn Davis.” And French favorite Matthieu Amalric has two movies here– “Jimmy P’ and “Venus in Fur.” But Best Actor looks like it’s coming down to two Hollywood stars who are now veterans and Oscar winners from the past: Michael Douglas, and Bruce Dern. Douglas is the favorite for Behind the Candelabra, all about Liberace. Dern stars in Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska.” Robert Redford says almost no words in “All Is Lost,” where he’s adrift at sea. And he’s not eligible for any prizes because the movie is not in competition. Of course another Hollywood old timer rolls into town today, too. Jerry Lewis stars in “Max Rose.” Lewis hasn’t starred in a movie since– well, a long time ago. But the French love him. Lewis’s trip to Cannes is marred however by a letter from his long time French publicist, Yanou Collart. The famed flack severed ties with [...]

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Robert Redford Silent Movie Surprise Hit of Cannes

Roger Friedman — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:04:22 +0000

The surprise hit of Cannes? Robert Redford is so terrific in a “silent” film here that he could easily win the Best Actor award. “All Is Lost” is directed by JC Chandor. There is no dialogue. Redford plays a man who’s been sailing a modest sailboat through what we learn is the Indian Ocean. When the film begins he awakens to find he’s drifted into no man’s land, and his boat has a gaping hole. Water is pouring in. What takes place next may sound not so interesting. But the film is eloquent, poetic and full of action. The action– plus the stunts, all done by Redford, 76– makes “All Is Lost’ far from boring. It might be the most exciting action film of the year. I fell in love with this movie this morning as did most reviewers. From the start you know it’s good– and that serious, tragic things are happening to the man played by Redford. He has no name. You just know that he’s a proficient sailor in very good shape, athletic, and quick to come [...]

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“The View”: Hasselbeck Will Make Exit Announcement in June

Roger Friedman — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:25:03 +0000

Exclusive: in case you were wondering changes at “The View” are not over. Joy Behar is leaving, Barbara Walters will retire in a year. But more is afoot. As I told you months ago, Elisabeth Hasselbeck is still leaving. “She will make her announcement in June,” says a source. The show will be reruns in August, and return after Labor Day with two new cohosts. As I also reported Brooke Shields is still desired by the show. Brooke told me recently that she had not been offered a contract yet. But sources say it’s likely. Also, “they’re looking at Jenny McCarthy,” says a source. Each would be excellent choices to join Whoopi and Sherri and Barbara in her final year. So stay tuned…

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Cannes: No Retirement for Soderbergh, Who Will Make Cable Series

Roger Friedman — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:13:44 +0000

Exclusive: Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh is not retiring from filmmaking. He had said he would a while back. But really he’s going into TV. Soderbergh has done so well for HBO with “Behind the Candelabra” that I am told there is an announcement forthcoming about a new TV series. Soderbergh will likely get a deal similar to Aaron Sorkin and Martin Scorsese, who make “The Newsroom” and “Boardwalk Empire” for HBO. That will keep Soderbergh busy until he wants to return to feature films. Before I knew all this, I ran into him after the “Candelabra” premiere. I asked about the retirement. He said, “When Matt Damon saw the [huge] reaction tonight, he said to me, You’re done, aren’t you? And really, I thought yes, because that’s the best you can do.” But earlier in the day, Soderbergh– whose credits include “Erin Brockovich,” “Sex Lies and Video Tape,” “The Informant,” “Contagion,” “Traffic” and so on–had not been able to confirm a retirement. His wife, Jules Asner, just said “Nyah,” when I mentioned it. Said the lovely Jules: “Everyone needs a [...]

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Cannes: My Dinner with Roman Polanski

Roger Friedman — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:00:59 +0000

Serendipity strikes: while the black tie audience was cheering and clapping for Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in Steven Soderbergh’s “Behind the Candelabra,” I accepted a last minute dinner invite from the legendary Peggy Siegal: come to the St. Nicolas yacht, floating a mile and a half out in the Mediterranean, and meet Roman Polanski at an intimate dinner. What would you do? Despite Polanski’s infamous personal scandal that has plagued him, I have admired him as a filmmaker for as long as I can remember. From “Rosemary’s Baby” to “Chinatown” to “Tess” to “The Pianist” to “The Ghost Writer,” he has been one of the towering directors of modern film. As a journalist, I have very few people left whom I’d like to meet and talk to- Polanski is it. So I accepted, and off we went on a tender–a small boat that seats ten people–for the half hour ride into the dark blue water. Jeff Berg, Polanski’s long time agent and great friend, hosted the party for his new and already very successful Resolution Agency. There would be [...]

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