Saturday, June 20, 2026

Hollywood Swinging: X Men, Paltrow’s Secret, Liza and Bruce

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I told you some time ago — exclusively–that Michael Fassbender, hot as a pistol, had to choose between roles in the new “X Men” and “Spider Man.” I am told he has made his choice, and will appear in “X Men: First Class.” James McAvoy and Benjamin Walker are also cast in Matthew Vaughn‘s upcoming blockbuster. All this news makes me want to see this movie before it’s even made!…

….Jake Paltrow, blue eyed younger brother of Gwyneth, has a secret. Shhhh. Paltrow, an accomplished director, is making a hush hush secret documentary with “Fantastic Mr. Fox” writer-director Noah Baumbach. They’re shooting in Los Angeles this week, after having shot in New York. Paltrow was spotted by yours truly this week at LAX touting a camera tripod off the baggage carousel. He won’t say what the film is about, or even if it’s got a script or a narrator. And what about big Sis, since I know you wanted me to ask? Sad for the tabloids, lovely Gwyneth is still married, living in London, raising her kids. She is not working this summer. That’s all I got! I tried!…Hey–rent Noah’s film, “Mr. Jealousy.” It’s a little gem…

Bruce Springsteen is a closet Liza Minnelli fan. Well, he knows good showmanship and a set of pipes. So and the family stopped in backstage at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park last week to wish Liza well on her forthcoming album, “Confessions.” and her national tour…

“As the World Turns” wraps 54 golden years this week as the Cadillac of soaps. This means after over five decades, Procter & Gamble has at last exited the world of daytime dramas. What a pity: P&G never respected its shows, and in the 1990s determined to get out of the business altogether. Many generations grew up on “As the World Turns,” “Edge of Night,” “Search for Tomorrow,” “Another World,” “Guiding Light,” and “The Secret Storm.” The shows ranged from the ridiculous to the sublime, and often represented the best acting, directing, and writing in New York. The word is that “World Turns” will air its last week of shows in September with a whimper. I hope this is not true. Everyone deserves better.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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