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Rolling Stone Cover Contest Includes “Unknown” Band of Famous Names

Roger Friedman
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I was kind of shocked the bite sized nature of Rolling Stone. The magazine has turned into a loss leader for the website. But the funniest thing in there is this contest for readers to pick an unknown group for the cover. One of the groups, The Americans,  is so “unknown” that it’s produced by Sean Lennon and Mark Ronson. Do we really think they’re not going to win the contest? Remember Rolling Stone is owned by Jann Wenner, who’s so far up Yoko Ono’s Flux he can’t see straight. I feel bad for the other acts.

The Americans are fronted by Charlie Klarsfeld, 21. who’s described as the son of fashion photographer Pamela Hanson. That’s an understatement. He’s also the son of Georges Klarsfeld, the late head of L’Oreal in Paris who mysteriously committed suicide in 1996. Georges Klarsfeld’s uncle and and aunt are the famous Nazi Hunters, Serge and Beate Klarsfeld– still very much alive.  (Google them if you’ve never heard their amazing life stories–made into a TV movie years ago.) The elder Klarsfelds accused L’Oreal owner Andre Bettencourt of Nazi ties the year before their nephew –the rising star of the company — killed himself.

Will the music of The Americans reflect this incredible history? Sadly now. Songs like “Requiem” and “Antidote”–slickly produced by Ronson–and featuring Sean Lennon–are upbeat pop, Beatle-esque, and happily derivative of 60s pop. You know with the biographies of these guys there could be so much more — if they’d just get out of their own way.

Justin Bieber: 1969 Moon Trip Was “A Conspiracy” — One Small Step for Idiocy

Roger Friedman
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There’s more from the Rolling Stone interview with Justin Bieber, now on the stands. In the alarming thin magazine, the superstar teen role model tells writer  Vanessa Grigoriadis that he thinks the 1969 Apollo trip to the moon was “a conspiracy” because he saw something about it on the internet. Frankly, the whole interview is just one more small step for idiocy as we see how this kid was invented from nothing. He should really rent the NASA conspiracy movie “Capricorn One” with OJ Simpson and James Brolin.

He’s an illiterate backwoods kid from Canada whose two year trip into the “real world” has done nothing for him: instead of allowing it to open his mind, little Bieber has buried his nose in video games. He doesn’t read newspapers, knows nothing of current events, and doesn’t care. He’s the product of parents who had him at ages — maybe– 20 and 19. It’s actually unclear whether the parents ever did marry. The father, who calls himself Lord Bieber on websites and plays online fantasy games, is now married with two more children. The parents are living off the kid.

You just know this going to end in tears too since Bieber,who turns 17 in a few days, is tiny and doesn’t seem to be growing. He says he’s doing everything to emulate Michael Jackson, but remember: Michael was very tall. Also, in the article, Bieber has wrapped each of his fingertips in tape for no apparent reason. Of course, Jackson did this a long time ago. There isn’t an original thought in Bieber’s mind.

Spider Man Musical Not Getting New Director or Writer, Says Julie Taymor

Roger Friedman
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The continued sniping at “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” by the New York Post has turned into a festival of untruths. The Post reported that “Spider Man” creator Julie Taymor was getting either a co-director and script doctor or both. It’s just not true. But it’s part of the Post’s campaign to kill “Spider Man,” something they can’t seem to do. Box office is booming, with “Spider Man” the number 2 show on Broadway, right behind “Wicked.” Everyone wants to see it. People come out humming songs like “Say Now,” “Rise Above,” and “Boy Falls from the Sky.”

I spoke to Julie Taymor this morning. She was working on some changes with her own co-writer, Glenn Berger. She told me she’s had lots of input about changes from friends and colleagues. “No one has been hired or is being hired,” Taymor said. “The director they mentioned is a friend of Michael Cohl’s. I’m sure he asked his opinion. When a show’s in previews, everyone gives their opinion. Try this, that. And the other guy, I’ve never even heard of him.”

Indeed, the Post chose two very obscure names as possible helpers for Taymor. As one observer put it, “If they’d said Mike Nichols or Jerry Zaks or someone big it would have made sense. But who are those people? No one’s heard of them.”

There’s no doubt that Taymor is under terrific pressure. Three weeks away from her official opening, she’s already had two dozen or so mixed to negative early reviews. The theater critics felt snubbed by the show and were clearly out to get her. The public clearly does not care. As I watched Cirque du Soleil’s “Love” show over the weekend, I kept thinking how amazing it was that Taymor was trying to pull off something similar in a Broadway house. If “Turn off the Dark” had opened in Montreal with Cirque du Soleil, it would hailed over and over.

Interestingly, the “Love” show operates on the same kind of pulleys for flying as “Spider Man.” In Saturday’s show, there were more than a few times when you could hear the aerialists landing hard, wires crunching, etc. In one sequence, acrobats bounce off trampolines and nets onto an English telephone booth. Sometimes they miss. They’re human.  So are the people from “Spider Man.”

NFL Says No To Charity Poker Game for Players

Roger Friedman
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The National Football League must have something against charity. On Saturday afternoon about 25 players turned up for the Starkey Hearing Foundation’s big poker for charity blitz at the Golden Nuggest Casino in Las Vegas. Big name celebrities like Steve Martin–who flew himself in and paid all his expenses– as well as Starkey stalwards like the original “Incredible Hulk” Lou Ferrigno and “Soul Man” Sam Moore–pitched in as well.

The NFL players were supposed to be scattered around the room at their own tables. All the money raised went to Starkey, the fantastic Minneapolis based foundation that brings hearing aids for free to childen and adults around the world. But then NFL got wind of what was happening, they issued an edict right away that the players were not allowed to participate. They could just watch. And they did–cheering on the event.

The Starkey event– called Raise Your Hand for Africa— brought a little buzz to Vegas this past weekend, and much needed. The once sizzling Sin City has really been hit by the recession. Even with new hotels like behemoth (and sort of soulless) Aria and Cosmpolitan, the town felt lacking for a focus. It didn’t help that there were no big entertainers showcased anywhere for Presidents Day weekend–Wayne Newtown, Siegfried and Roy, Celine Dion, where are you?

I went back to see the Beatles “Love” show at the Mirage for the fourth time. It is still magnificent. What a triumph for Cirque du Soleil, George and Giles Martin, and George Harrison (it was his idea).  And this show was totally sold out Why not? For “Within You, Without You” from “Sgt. Pepper,” a gigantic white sheet unfurls over the audience to make an enormous cloud. Extreme skateboarders make “Help!” a spine tingling celebration. When “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” dances, the room dazzles. I still think this is the main reason to do a Vegas weekend.

But the Chamber of Commerce has to do something about this once great town. All the stores in all the hotels are the same–it’s just like a big repetitive mall. Everywhere you go it’s Chanel, Gucci, Prada. Las Vegas has lost its identity to corporate cold. And these stores are empty. The whole place is like a museum of shopping, Look, but you can’t possibly afford anything. That’s got to change if the town wants to come back.

Tina Fey Writes “30 Rock” Spot for “Raymond” Creator

Roger Friedman
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“Everyone Loves Raymond” creator Phil Rosenthal is on his way to New York today. He’s been going to do a guest spot on “30 Rock” which will air in April, I am told. The word is that Tina Fey wrote him a special role that is still top secret.

Luckily, Rosenthal’s appearance will coincide- by chance — with the April 29th opening of his very funny documentary, “Exporting Raymond,” about the remaking of his famous TV series in Russia. Samuel Goldwyn Company is releasing the film, which chronciles Rosenthal’s experiences advising a Russian TV company as they adapt “Raymond” for Russian audiences. The film is as dryly humorous as “Raymond” itself, as Russian TV execs prove to be as humorless as their American counterparts.

Meantime, Rosenthal is plotting his comeback to American TV  but not at CBS where “Raymond” made millions. The talented writer is producing a one hour drama at HBO based on a novel called “Random Family.” The pilot was written by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, the author of the much praised novel. Apparently, there was a pitch for “Random Family” as a feature film. but Rosenthal saw its potential as a “Soprano’s” like series about a New York family.

As for the hilarious “Exporting Raymond,” I do think it has the potential to be a hit in theatres this spring. I’m still laughing when Rosenthal’s Moscow driver, a nice man, insists on taking him to his “favorite place”– it turns out to be a weapons exhibition. The guy is totally earnest and serious, but these Russians have to lighten up a little.

“King’s Speech” Smooth Talks Past $100 Mil

Roger Friedman
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Tipped to win the Oscar this Sunday for Best Picture, Tom Hooper’s “The King’s Speech” passed the $100 million mark this weekend. While other Oscar nominees are also there or more–“Black Swan,” “Social Network,” “True Grit,” “Inception,” etc–for “The King’s Speech” and The Weinstein Company this is truly an accomplishment.

The latter film company had struggled at the box office for four years. Quentin Tarantino’s wild, violent, and fun “Inglourious Basterds” was its only other big hit. Now “King’s” is set to pass it– a British film about a man cured of his stuttering through friendship. There are no explosions. This is no sex. The climax of the film, set 75 years ago, is the delivery of a speech set not to a pop song but Beethoven’s 7th Symphony.

So far “The King’s Speech” has earned an equal amount abroad, bringing in just over $209 million worldwide. That’s pretty astounding for a $15 million movie, although that number has certainly changed by now as total costs for the Oscar promotion, etc surely have been around $50 million. Even so, The Weinstein Company will have spent far less than, say, Columbia Pictures for “The Social Network” or Fox Searchlight for “Black Swan.”

And what a twist for those nattering Oscar nabobs who long ago called the Oscar race for “The Social Network” when it won all the critics prizes. They did not anticipate “The King’s Speech” sweeping the all important guild awards–Directors, Producers, Screen Actors.  The professional prognosticators will now spend this week explaining how all this happened, their past pronouncements lost in the wind.

Now the Weinstein Company can get positioned for next fall, particularly with Michelle Williams in “Marilyn and Me.” They’ve also bought “The Details” at Sundance, with Tobey Maguire and Laura Linney heading a phemonmenal cast in a hoot of a dark comedy. But shhhh…You won’t be hearing any more buzz on these films until much later in the year. Timing, as everyone learned this season, is everything.

And PS, because of just that, don’t be surprised if Julian Schnabel’s “Miral” doesn’t take on new meaning because of events in the Mid East. It’s set for release next month.

How Janet Jackson Paid for Michael’s Funeral

Roger Friedman
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Janet Jackson indeed paid for her brother Michael’s “second” funeral in August 2009. According to papers just filed in the Los Angeles probate court by Michael Jackson’s executors, Janet wrote a check for just under $50,000 so that the Jacksons could stage Michael’s internment after the infamous Staples Center show earlier in the summer.

The funeral did indeed cost just over $1 million in the end, for which the estate wrote checks to Forest Lawn Cemetery. The funeral incurred a lot of other expenses, too, including $35,000 for Michael’s “funeral costume” and $21,455 for catering.

The estate’s records also show specific payments to Katherine Jackson, listed under different headings for “allowance.” For example, Mrs. Jackson receives $50,000 a month for her own allowance, plus all expenses reimbursed without question. This is all separate from mortgage payments on her home, payroll for her staff, and a brand new 2010 Escalade that cost approximately $83,000.

Line by line, the report–part of a petition to the court–shows that the execugors and lawyers–who themselves have made millions in fees–have carefully attempted to clean up an estate that was in total disarray when Michael Jackson died.

Michael Jackson Estate: Spent $159 Mil So Far on Kids, Mom

Roger Friedman
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The Michael Jackson estate has spent $159 million so far cleaning up his finances and taking care of his mother and three children. Let’s recall Katherine Jackson’s assertion — particularly through new business partners– that she’d been left high and dry by the executors. In fact, the estate paid off the mortgage on her Encino home, called Hayvenhurst, and is currently renovating. The estate is paying for temporary digs for Mrs. Jackson, her employees, and the children in beautiful Calabasas, California.

It also turns out that Michael –no surprise here–filed no tax returns for 2006, 2007, or 2008. So the estate and its accountants, according to a petition filed with the court, has rectified all that. According to the petition, the estate has also loaned Mrs. Jackson large sums of money so that she and the children can live properly. The funds will be repaid when her trust account, left to her by Michael, is funded.

The estate has also fended off 65 different lawsuits, including one by a man who said Michael stole his formula for healing herpes. Most of the suits were frivolous, but all had to be dealt with. According to the petition, the estate has also restructured Michael’s famous gigantic loans, reducing the debts considerably.

One thing that Michael Jackson’s super fans might take note of –the executors came in and revised the agreements Michael had signed with AEG Live. Of course, those agreements were not made with Michael’s current lawyers, but through his former manager Tohme Tohme. When Michael died, he was already in debt to AEG for $40 million. That number came from expenses Jackson had incurred before even starting to perform in London.

Michael Jackson Estate Report: Debt Slowly Being Erased

Roger Friedman
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Michael Jackson’s estate is in great shape considering how broke he was at his death. TMZ is all excited today because a filing on the estate shows that Michael was more $400 million in debt at the time of his death. This is not a headline. Readers of this column and my old column know the story quite well: Michael had borrowed more than $300 million against his ownership of Sony/ATV Music Publishing and tens of millions against his MiJac Publishing. He’d been sued by everyone and had lost ownership of his Neverland Ranch.

For years prior to making a deal with AEG Live for the “This Is It” concerts in London, Michael had refused to work. He simply kept refinancing and borrowing. My older readers may recall Michael’s banker from Bank of America, Jane Heller, telling me tne years ago: “I’ve kept Michael alive.” It was Jackson’s own financial irresponsibility that caused his problems.

Frankly, if he hadn’t agreed to do “This Is It,” Jackson would have been out of business. He had nowhere to live, and would not return to Neverland. All of this was becausde he refused to sell his stake in Sony/ATV, relieve himself of the staggering loans, and start fresh. When he died, it became easier for his executors to make decisions that would improve his finances considerably. If only Jackson had listened to his advisors when he was alive–but he refused, and frequently went behind their backs to make deals– all failures that had to fixed later.

More to come on the estate report….

On the Town: A Rod, Cameron, Elton, Bill Clinton

Roger Friedman
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Soho House in West Hollywood has become the go to spot for the A list at lunchtime, as well as late night. Yesterday, Cameron Diaz and Alex Rodriguez had lunch with two guys who were either lawyers or accountants. Prenup? Moving in? Who knows? Let the guessing begin.

Near them, past Oscar nominee Djimon Honsou chatted with “Star Shape” guru Nikki Haskell, whose new appetite suppressant is a hit in Hollywood with all the gals. Toward the end of lunch, none other than Sir Elton John arrived from his nearby palatial digs. Elton’s trying to get some sleep these days since he and David Furnish welcomed a son, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John. The famed rocker is getting ready to host his annual Oscar gala for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, on Sunday night, February 27th.

Meanwhile the one and only former president Bill Clinton dined at Phillippe Chow in Miami last week. Phillippe Chow in New York has also hosted Barack Obama and Al Gore. It’s the executive branch of Chinese food, apparently.

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