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Rob Reiner’s amazing collection of hit movie has hit the iTunes best seller list.
“When Harry Met Sally” is number 10, followed by “Stand by Me,” “The Princess Bride,” “The American President,” “A Few Good Men,” “Ghosts of Mississippi,” and “This is Spinal Tap.”
Also now on the list is “Being Charlie,” the movie Rob valiantly made with son, Nick, about the now-accused double murderer’s drug addiction.
Plus “Sleepless in Seattle,” a movie that features Rob but was directed by his pal, Nora Ephron.
You know that Dick van Dyke’s character, Rob Petrie, was named by Carl Reiner for his son, Rob, back in 1960.
I’m so glad people are falling in love with these movies again, especially “The American President.” It’s the definition of romcom.
On the 4th night of Chanukah, the Kennedy Center gave us all a gift:
A video of their Christmas tree lighting ceremony that pushes the Chanukah menorah off to the side.
If that isn’t enough, Tricky Dick Grenell, right wing Christian gay Republican Trump lackey, is on hand to make sure Jesus’s name is invoked a few times.
Why would any non-Christian set foot in the Kennedy Center while the Grenell-Trump team is in place?
Grenell: “We are celebrating the birth of Christ unapologetically!
Hey, Dick, apologize. The Kennedy Center is ecumenical. I didn’t see the celebration of the Festival of Lights, buddy.
PS The Ken Cen papered the house for tonight’s “Noel: Jesus is Born!” show. As of Monday there were plenty of seats available. All of a sudden tonight, the Opera House is filled — at least on the ticket buying page.
No one expected big ratings from “Saturday Night Live” this past weekend. And that’s what came to pass.
It was an all Brit night, with Josh O’Connor and Lily Allen. He’s the star of “Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man” and several movies. She’s a singer with a new album all about her divorce from “Stranger Things” star David Harbour.
All together, not a blockbuster coupling for audience draw. Total viewers fell below 4 million, from 4.3 mil to 3.9. Even a cameo from Dakota Johnson didn’t give the show a lift in later time zones.
Still, it was a solidly entertaining episode, so that’s something.
This weekend will make up for it, with “Wicked” star Ariana Grande hosting, and the GOAT Cher making her first appearance on “SNL” since 1847. If they sing together, the top will blow off of 30 Rock.
As for O’Connor, here’s a little bit of trivia I did not know: his aunt, Madeleine Bunting, a highly regarded British journalist, was once married to someone with a last name you might recognize. It’s Wintour, first name Patrick, as in brother of Vogue empress Anna Wintour.
Madeleine and Patrick divorced after 11 years, when Josh was 11. But for that decade, he could have been calling Patrick “uncle,” and Anna “auntie” by extension. And still, he’s a success today, which Anna no doubt appreciates retroactively. He does get a lot of good press — deservedly so — in Vogue!
When Josh stars this coming summer in Steven Spielberg’s new alien movie, watch for the film — called “Disclosure Day” to get a lot of features in Conde Nast magazines!
MGM is sending its documentary about Melania Trump — an infomercial, really — into theaters next month.
Coming soon is “Melania,” directed by Brett Ratner. Amazon MGM is putting this possibly hilarious film into theaters so it will qualify for the 2027 Oscars.
Will “Melania” be a total whitewash? Will we finally hear Barron Trump speak? Or learns anything about him?
Will the film explain how Melania Knauss got into the United States, how she met Donald Trump, and what her relationship was with Jeffrey Epstein?
Also: will Amazon Prime subscribers pay to see this charade in theaters, or wait til it hits the platform?
After decades of being broadcast on ABC, the Academy Awards have chosen what is surely a monumental amount of money over a legacy of broadcasting.
It says a lot that ABC-Disney wouldn’t top the bid from a streamer to keep the Oscars.
The YouTube deal says it will include free streamcasts of things like the Governors Ball after the Oscars, and the Lifetime Achievement Awards.
It’s a new world, kids.
Here’s the press release:
THE ACADEMY PARTNERS WITH YOUTUBE FOR EXCLUSIVE GLOBAL RIGHTS TO THE OSCARS® AND OTHER ACADEMY CONTENT STARTING IN 2029
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and YouTube signed a multi-year deal that will give YouTube the exclusive global rights to the Oscars®, beginning in 2029 with the 101st Oscars ceremony and running through 2033.
The Oscars, including red carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes content, Governors Ball access, and more, will be available live and for free to over 2 billion viewers around the world on YouTube, and to YouTube TV subscribers in the United States. YouTube will help make the Oscars accessible to the Academy’s growing global audience through features such as closed captioning and audio tracks available in multiple languages.
The partnership also will include worldwide access for film fans to other Academy events and programs exclusively on the Oscars YouTube channel. This will include the Governors Awards, the Oscars Nominations Announcement, the Oscars Nominees Luncheon, the Student Academy Awards, the Scientific and Technical Awards, Academy member and filmmaker interviews, film education programs, podcasts, and more.
In addition, through this holistic partnership, the Google Arts & Culture initiative will help provide digital access to select Academy Museum exhibitions and programs and help to digitize components of the Academy Collection—the largest film-related collection in the world, with more than 52 million items. It will be a true hub for film fans and will be accessible from around the world.
“We are thrilled to enter into a multifaceted global partnership with YouTube to be the future home of the Oscars and our year-round Academy programming,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor. “The Academy is an international organization, and this partnership will allow us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible — which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the film community. This collaboration will leverage YouTube’s vast reach and infuse the Oscars and other Academy programming with innovative opportunities for engagement while honoring our legacy. We will be able to celebrate cinema, inspire new generations of filmmakers and provide access to our film history on an unprecedented global scale.”
“The Oscars are one of our essential cultural institutions, honoring excellence in storytelling and artistry,” said Neal Mohan, CEO, YouTube. “Partnering with the Academy to bring this celebration of art and entertainment to viewers all over the world will inspire a new generation of creativity and film lovers while staying true to the Oscars’ storied legacy.”
The Academy’s domestic partnership for the Oscars will continue with Disney ABC through the 100th Oscars in 2028, as will the international partnership for the Oscars with Disney’s Buena Vista International. # # #
Is Timothee Chalamet Marty Supreme, or Casper the Ghost?
He skipped last night’s intimate, elegant after party for the NY p premiere of his highly praised new movie, “Marty Supreme.”
Last week, he did the same thing in Los Angeles. In each case, Chalamet took pictures on the red carpet but did no interviews with the waiting press line.
Last night, studio A24 gave Chalamet a massive, five theater premiere at the Regal Theater on West 42nd St. They used five screens in the complex, with one for VIPS and the rest for fans.
Chalamet — wearing his signature orange suit — participated in the introduction of the cast, which took less than five minutes, then disappeared. He was seen for a nanosecond stepping onto an elevator at the end of the film, then backed out when he saw people on the lift.
The rest of the VIP audience headed downtown to the very classy National Arts Club on Gramercy Park. They included some of the cast (like Penn Jillette, Odessa A’zion, Larry “Ratso” Sloman, Fran Drescher, Sandra Bernhard), director Josh Safdie, and stars like Oscar winner Sissy Spacek, her husband Jack Fisk (the film’s three time Oscar nominee for production design), their daughter actress Schuyler Fisk, plus the great wire walker Phillippe Petit, Richard Kind, director Jake Paltrow (but no sister Gwyneth), actors Dylan O’Brien and Cooper Hoffman, director Benny Safdie, and MS NOW’s Ari Melber.
The Sharks from “Shark Tank” including Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, and Robert Herjavec came to support their colleague, Kevin O’Leary, who plays a convincing villain in Safdie’s brilliant film.
I’m not kidding about ‘brilliant.’ “Marty Supreme” is the “Rocky” of ping pong movies. But it’s also a fresh take on great movies of the 1950s from Elia Kazan with hints of “Bonnie & Clyde,” and the New York grittiness of Sidney Lumet. Safdie has pulled off a miracle here that, regardless of Chalamet’s orange merchandise and son, will be a film for the ages.
So what is this movie about? It’s the real story, embroidered, of Marty Reisman, a fast talking table tennis champion circa 1959, who pulled himself out of NY’s lower east side to become an international sensation. He runs a marathon for two and a half hours bursting with self confidence to overcome one obstacle after another. Marty is exhausting and enthralling, heightening the chaos of everyone around him.
Several things this film to watch for besides the actors: Darius Khondji’s spare cinematography, exquisite casting by Jennifer Venditti (there’s a picture below of Ralph Colucci and Luke Manley who steal their scenes), the score from Daniel Lopatin, ans Safdie’s Olympic editing.
This was a second viewing on big, big movie screen for me last night. “Marty” is a heart pounding race to a finish line, but you can’t really imagine what it will be. Then you get to the end and Chalamet, with a quivering lips — regardless of his real life cockiness — brings the whole thing home as he celebrates new life and a perfect top 40 song of hope seals the deal.
The days of touring for the Rolling Stones may be over.
Reports are coming today that the Stones have shelved their 2026 UK and European tour because Keith Richards just can’t do it.
Hey — we need Keith kept in the best condition. If touring is too grueling, don’t do it!
We can go to the Stones anywhere they set down. They should take over Wembley or the O2 Arena make everyone come to them!
Kief is 81, Mick is 82, and frankly, their show is incredibly grueling and athletic. They don’t need to go from city to city. I’m exhausted just thinking about it!
But the great rock stars have built their reputations on being on the road, hitting exotic places, and taking the world by storm.
At this point, Keith is an international treasure. If it’s arthritis, or any number of normal ailments, he’s wise to just do selective shows, make appearances, and release records. He could just sit in a chair and play that guitar!
Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has thrown him under the bus and backed up over him.
Now she’s groveling for forgiveness.
In Vanity Fair, Wiles admits to everything that’s gone wrong in this presidency. She says Trump has the personality of an alcoholic — not that he drinks, but he’s addicted to power. She says he promised her only 90 days of retaliation against his enemies, but has been at it all year.
What fun!
In Part 1 of what will turn out to be her exit interview, Wiles says JD Vance has been “a conspiracy theorist for a decade.” Russell Vought, architect of the notorious Project 2025 and head of the Office of Management and Budget, is “a right-wing absolute zealot.” When I asked her what she thought of Musk reposting a tweet about public sector workers killing millions under Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, she replied: “I think that’s when he’s microdosing.” (VF adds she has no proof of that.)
Susie will have to use her Wiles to get out of this one. She says of Elon Musk: “He’s an avowed ketamine [user]. And he sleeps in a sleeping bag in the EOB [Executive Office Building] in the daytime. And he’s an odd, odd duck, as I think geniuses are. You know, it’s not helpful, but he is his own person.”
She writes on Twitter:
“The article published early this morning is a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history. Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story. I assume, after reading it, that this was done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team. The truth is the Trump White House has already accomplished more in eleven months than any other President has accomplished in eight years and that is due to the unmatched leadership and vision of President Trump, for whom I have been honored to work for the better part of a decade. None of this will stop our relentless pursuit of Making America Great Again!”
Susie, by the way, is the daughter of late great football player announcer Pat Summerall. She’s going to be sacked, no doubt, unless Trump is so scared of losing her he posts a typical social media calling Vanity Fair “over,” “finished,” etc.
“Beaches” was a hit movie in the 1980s, starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey. It was based on a paperback bestseller by Iris Rainier Dart. It was a weeper about female friendship and rivalry.
Now “Beaches” is coming to Broadway this spring. The leads are not box office stars. They are Jessica Vosk and Kelli Barrett. Will people come? Can it be any good? Broadway is desperate for new musicals this spring.
I’m excited because the music is by Mike Stoller, the legendary composer of thousands of hits with the late Jerry Leiber like “Stand By Me” and “On Broadway” and “Under the Boardwalk. They wrote the most successful jukebox musical of all time, “Smokey Joe’s Cafe.”
Mike who will turn 93 when “Beaches” opens. Even if nothing else works, the music will be sensational. But Lonny Price is director, so that’s promising. I’m rooting for “Beaches” just to see Mike Stoller win a Tony Award!
