Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Woody Allen Turns 89 Tomorrow, Spends Thanksgiving in Barcelona Readying New Film

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Woody Allen turns 89 tomorrow and hasn’t lost a step!

According to the media in Spain, Woody and wife Soon Yi turned up in Barcelona yesterday. Woody is getting ready to make a new film there.

Woody told me last spring he was ready with a new screenplay as soon as he found the financing. It seems like he did with previous producer Ed Walson, who’s backed many of Alleb’s films and his Broadway musical of “Bullets over Broadway.”

One of Woody’s biggest hits was made in Spain. “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” was a Best Picture nominee. Penelope Cruz won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

This would be Woody’s third film he’s shot in Spain — the other was “Rifkin’s Festival.” It’s also his 53rd feature (I think). He’s made an average of one movie a year since the early 80s.

Woody Allen has directed more actresses to Oscars than any other director. They include Cruz, Dianne Wiest, Diane Keaton, and Cate Blanchett. He won the Oscar in 1978 for Best Picture and Director (and Keaton’s Best Actress) for “Annie Hall.”

Woody’s influence is still felt in the movie world. One of his more recent films, “A Rainy Day in New York,” starred Timothee Chalamet, Elle Fanning, and Selena Gomez. Gomez was such a hit with her droll delivery that she wound up basically playing that role in “Only Murders in the Building.” Chalamet and Fanning had such good chemistry that they now co-star in “A Complete Unknown,” about Bob Dylan.

Viva Woody!

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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