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Exclusive: James Franco Planning to Direct Faulkner, Cormac McCarthy Classics

Roger Friedman
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36
Exclusive: James Franco Planning to Direct Faulkner, Cormac McCarthy Classics

Actor James Franco–headed to an Oscar nomination for “127 Hours” and getting ready to co-host the Academy Awards in February–is planning two big directing efforts.

Franco is in talks to direct William Faulkner‘s literary classic, “As I Lay Dying,” from his own screenplay.

Franco and manager Miles Levy have been in discussion for time with the Faulkner estate. They’ve also got a commitment from Fox Searchlight to bring the project to fruition.

Unlike at least a half dozen other films that have been “announced” for Franco in the last few weeks, the actor tells me this is the one he’s most attached to. He’s hopeful of getting it off the ground next spring.

“As I Lay Dying” isn’t the only writer-director project Franco’s involved in. He tells me he’s also in the process of making a deal with Scott Rudin to write and direct Cormac McCarthy‘s “Blood Meridian” in 2012. Franco and Rudin are also partnered in next fall’s Broadway production of “Sweet Bird of Youth” with Nicole Kidman.

Cormac McCarthy is a little like the modern day Faulkner, although he’s had much more luck in Hollywood. So far his “All the Pretty Horses,” “The Road,” and “No Country for Old Men” have all made it to the big screen.

And yes, this is all while Franco attends classes at Yale University and the Rhode Island School of Design.

He also just completed directing a small, indie film about the famed poet Hart Crane called “The Broken Tower.” But “As I Lay Dying”–which others, including Sean Penn, have wanted to make for a long time–will be his big studio debut.

If all that isn’t enough, Franco is bringing his art project film connected to the ’80s sitcom, “Three’s Company,” to the Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontiers section later this month.

He’s also moving talent agencies, following his longtime agent, Kami Putnam-Heist, to CAA. “I’m being loyal to my agent,” Franco says, which is a rare thing in Hollywood.

RIP: Anne Francis, Pete Postlethwaite

Roger Friedman
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5
RIP: Anne Francis, Pete Postlethwaite

Two great stars have passed away.

Pete Postlethwaite was an Oscar nominee in 1993 for “In the Name of the Father.” He was 64, and well known to American audiences for being in two Steven Spielberg movies, “Amistad” and “Jurassic Park.”

Postlethwaite was so popular with directors he was in three hits this season: “Inception,” “The Town,” and “Clash of the Titans.” He was one of those rare character actors who “made” a good movie with memorable performances.

Anne Francis–if you are of a certain age, you will remember Anne Francis as “Honey West” on TV circa 1965. She guest starred on every major show of the time, from “The Man from UNCLE” to “Mission: Impossible,” appeared in the movie “Funny Girl,” and literally worked every year right up through 2004. Francis, who was 80, was a cool, bright, blonde who was smart and sexy. She was, also, incidentally, a star of the great B movie “Forbidden Planet.”

Derek Jeter Always “In”. New York Post: “Out”

Roger Friedman
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3
Derek Jeter Always “In”. New York Post: “Out”

Don’t prove The New York Post wrong. Last year the city’s most under-edited tabloid proclaimed that New York Yankee Derek Jeter and actress Minka Kelly would definitely marry on December 5, 2010. It was front page news.

It was also wrong. Completely, dead, absolutely wrong.

The Post got Jeter and Kelly for not getting married according to their plan by putting the couple at Number 1 on their “Out” list for 2011.

Hysterical. Whether or not he gets married, Derek Jeter is always, totally on the “In” list every year. The Yankee captain constantly proves his worth, be it on the field or speaking for the Yankees. When he’s taken the mic to talk about the closing of the old stadium or the passing of George Steinbrenner, Jeter has shown himself to be articulate in addition to a team player.

Boo hoo, Post!

The Post also has a bunch of ins and outs that don’t really make sense. The Bowery is “out”? The whole avenue? Indeed, the Bowery is very much “in”. The old Bowery bums would never recognize it. Except for losing CBGB to the hateful BRC, the area is booming.

I’ll tell you what else is ‘in’ for Showbiz411 for 2011:

Jimmy Fallon is in. His show is rocking, and Jimmy is commanding late night. Rosie O’Donnell is in, for graciously commanding a huge charity for kids and giving them a place to learn theater. Elaine’s will always be in. The East Side Social Club is in. The new Lincoln Center construction is in. Well done! So is The Lambs Club Restaurant, councilwoman Christine Quinn, producer Scott Rudin, and the Weinstein Company. Downtown Records is in, for putting out terrific music like Cyndi Lauper‘s blues CD, “Memphis Blues.” Billie Jo Armstrong of Green Day is in for constantly supporting “American Idiot” on Broadway.

What’s out? Mayor Bloomberg and his sidekick, Janette Sadik-Khan are out, out, out. The Post, obviously, is out. Greedy landlords are out: there are empty spaces all along Madison Avenue. Wal Mart is out. “Holiday” by Vampire Weekend is Out with a capital O. So is the elongated video announcement in the cabs: the only decent cab is that Toyota crossover. Out are the small Toyotas and the Nissan Sentras. You have to ride sideways in them. Out are concrete turning lanes and no parking spaces on the avenues. Goodbye! Already out is Madonna’s movie about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Completely out is Mel Gibson and maybe Jodie Foster if she’s not careful.

Very in: Jeremy Renner. Very out: Tom Cruise.

Always in: The Four Seasons restaurant. Always out: The Lion.

Good signal in: Scott Greenstein’s Sirius XM; Bad signal out: the waste of 102.7, what used to be WNEW FM

In, in, in: Joan Rivers. Out, out, out: Bristol Palin.

In: Regis and Kelly. Out: The Talk.

In: One Life to Live. Out: Desperate Housewives.

Forever in: Liz Smith, Cindy Adams, Frank DiGiacomo, Keith Kelly, Emily Smith and her crew

Out: columnists with axes to grind and no facts to find.

In: Listening. Out: in ear headphones or anything else that blocks connecting with the world.


Still Wrapping Up 2010: Peter Asher Recalled A World With A Lot of Love

Roger Friedman
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1
Still Wrapping Up 2010: Peter Asher Recalled A World With A Lot of Love

I am remiss. Before we start 2011 officially tomorrow, so to speak, let’s flash back a month to December 3rd. I was so in shock about losing Elaine Kaufman, I never did publish notes on seeing Peter Asher that night at the Iridium Jazz Club in Times Square.

So–wait a sec. I’ve been lucky enough to know Peter for about 20 years. I once wrote a story about him living in the Sutton Place Hotel while working at Sony Music and commuting back and forth from Los Angeles. How jarring, since he’s a Brit!

After a lifetime of producing and managing James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, of signing the major acts to the Beatles’ Apple Records, after a wildly successful career as one half of the British pop duo Peter & Gordon, Peter has finally put his storied career into a one man show. On that crazy night, December 3rd, he presented the show at the Iridium to a very sold out audience.

Peter, of course, was also the brother of Paul McCartney’s girlfriend during the real heyday of Beatlemania, Jane Asher. Paul lived in the Ashers’ home, in fact, while screaming girls roamed London looking for him. He wrote “A World Without Love” for Peter & Gordon, and it went to number one. Same for “Woman,” “Nobody I Know,” and “I Don’t Want to See You Again.” If Paul were looking for a kick, he should put out his own versions of these songs.

Anyway, Peter’s show at the Iridium featured a tight little band including one of the later members of Badfinger. They played some of P&G’s hits, which Asher sang, and Badfinger’s “Day After Day”–Peter signed Badfinger to Apple, but two of the original members died so there were never any big concert tours in the 70s. It was really a thrill to hear “Day After Day” live after all these years.

The show is still in its infancy, but Peter would be wise to turn it into a book and a documentary. He has terrific clips, and all the inside stories of so many important events of rock history. He also has a charming delivery. Gordon Waller, who died tragically from cardiac arrest in July 2009, must be smiling to know Peter is carrying on their legacy. http://www.peterandgordon.net/

PS Right now, James Taylor and Carole King‘s CD/DVD  of their reunion shows at the Troubadour in November 2007 is a big hit. Peter Asher produced those shows–there were six of them over three nights–and they were just remarkable, intimate successes. The behind the scenes story of Peter actually getting those shows onto discs and out in the world should be part of his next show–three years! His life has been a different kind of tapestry, indeed.

You can also see and hear Peter narrate a documentary about the Beatles and Apple Records on their website.

ScarJo, Don Draper, Harry Smith: Celebrity New Years NYC Style

Roger Friedman
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3
ScarJo, Don Draper, Harry Smith: Celebrity New Years NYC Style

Didn’t New York seem a little subdued other than Times Square this New Year’s?

Not at Ye Olde Waverly Inn. Proprietor Graydon Carter was AWOL but the place was nicely buzzing. Interesting thing about the Waverly recently: it’s become even more seriously A list oriented and cream of the crop.

Jon Hamm and actress-director girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt stopped in for an early dinner. That’s right: Don Draper himself. He got a good laugh when one patron told him she’d received “Mad Men” Barbie dolls for Christmas. So far Mattel has dolls for Don, January Jones’ Betty, and Christina Hendricks‘ Joan. We’re waiting for the John Slattery/Roger Sterling edition! Next stop for the “Mad Men”: Golden Globes, where they should sweep.

Next booth: CAA superagent Bryan Lourd entertained a hot hot hot group that included the recently single Scarlett Johansson, Ellen Barkin, and director Sam Levinson, 25 year old son of Oscar winner Barry (“Rain Man”), and author Carole Radizwill. Levinson junior unveils his first film at Sundance in a couple of weeks, starring Barkin, as well as Demi Moore, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Bosworth, Martin Landau and Thomas Haden Church. The film, a wedding comedy, is tentatively called “The Reasonable Bunch.”

A little gossip: ScarJo complimented one of the waiters on his athletic build. Luckily, his wife, who was in the bar area, missed that. It was all in good New Year’s fun!

Meantime, up at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, famed singer Judy Collins, opera great Lauren Flanigan and erudite CBS News star Harry Smith led the annual Concert for Peace. Smith joked about “being fired” from his job as anchor of CBS’s Early Show. But he’s staying at CBS News, where he should be the most valuable player of his generation. The network has made a mistake by replacing him with New York Channel 2’s Chris Wragge.

True Grit Will Set New Box Office High for Coen Brothers

Roger Friedman
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True Grit Will Set New Box Office High for Coen Brothers

Joel and Ethan Coen are about to set a new box office high with their remake of “True Grit.”

The Coens will shatter their previous high–$74 million for “No Country for Old Men–when “True Grit” crosses that line this weekend.

And the season for “True Grit” is still fresh. By the time the Oscars have come and gone in late February, “True Grit” will be way past $100 million. Not too bad.

It’s funny to look back at the Coens’ “classic” movies to see how little they made. The early ones–my favorites– from “Blood Simple” through “The Big Lebowski”–were not exactly money makes. Only “Raising Arizona” did well, with $22 million. Ha ha. “Barton Fink” and “Miller’s Crossing”? Forget it. And the beloved “Fargo”? Just under $25 million.

Starting in the 2000s, “O Brother Where Art Thou?” did very well. With George Clooney as its star, and a terrific soundtrack, “Brother” raked in $45 million.

But then the Coens had three missteps in a row. “The Man Who Wasn’t There” — shot in gorgeous black and white, but really an enigma of a movie–took in $7 million.

Using George Clooney in “Intolerable Cruelty” and Tom Hanks in “The Ladykillers” brought in $35 and $39 million apiece, but like “The Man Who Wasn’t There,” the films had a pedestrian feeling. “Burn After Reading” with Brad Pitt did well, but it was incomplete because Pitt had to leave the shoot early. It didn’t make sense.

“No Country” brought the Coens back, winning them a Best Picture Oscar and lots of new fans. “A Serious Man” was meant to be a side project, without stars. A great film that keeps getting better, “Serious Man” returned the brothers to their original perspective even if it earned only $10 million. It’s lovely.

Now produced Scott Rudin can be very pleased. He’s already got the $100 million hit, “The Social Network.” With “True Grit,” he’s got number 2. And the Coens have finally gotten success with a movie star, Jeff Bridges. They’ve also introduced a new young actress with lots of potential–Hailee Steinfeld. It’s a nice way to start the new year!

The Best of 2010: A Look Back

Roger Friedman
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3
The Best of 2010: A Look Back

2010? It wasn’t so bad.

The worst thing was losing friends and people we admired. I am not through saying goodbye to our dear Elaine Kaufman. None of her friends will ever get over that.

On the other hand, Elaine was with us for most of 2010, and we had a ball with her. That was a gift.

Stupidest media decision of the year: replacing the beloved “As the World Turns” with more idiot-chat on “The Talk.” It’s intolerable.

Craziest story that had to happen: the big reveal about Ponzi schemer Ken Starr, celebrity business manager.

Some other good things: Last winter, during awards season, a famed talent Hollywood talent manager was nice enough to invite us for dinner. I promised not to give any of the details. But it was the best night of the year, with dozens of A list stars. My place at the dinner table was between Joan and Jackie Collins. Elton John popped in. That’s all I can say, it was terrific.

Rob Marshall’s “Nine” didn’t win any Oscars, but there were plenty of cool events to launch it. My fave: a lunch at Per Se restaurant, with Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Daniel Day Lewis and all the stars. We were high above Columbus Circle, and all was well with the world. Frankly, “Nine” deserved better awards-wise. But there’s no going back.

Some other highlights of the year:

Announcing Rosie O’Donnell’s return to daytime TV.

Announcing Quincy Jones’s 25th anniversary recording of “We Are the World” –and subsequently hanging out with Q and the artists on the big day.

Announcing that George Clooney would host the Haiti telethon. And he did. He also donated $1 million to Haiti relief.

And those were just a few of the exclusives. Also: we broke the news on Michael Jackson‘s album, his Cirque du Soleil show, and everything about his mother’s book, and her deal with the man who bought the Jackson memorabilia.

We also told you–and Sony–about the existence of the “Cascio” tracks.

Broke scoops on Keith Richards. His book, “Life,” is off the charts great.

Favorite shows: Sting at the Metropolitan Opera, Sam Moore at the Grammy after party, Aretha Franklin getting her award at the Apollo, Songwriters Hall of Fame dinner, the Clive Davis Grammy party, the English Beat at Stephen Talkhouse.

Music that got us through the year: Sharon Jones (see below), Julia Fordham, Kings of Leon, Ryan Shaw, the Beatles remasters, U2, celebrating Teddy Pendergrass, remembering Willie Mitchell, anything by Tony Bennett, Stones re-releases of “Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out” and “Exile on Main Street,” and Sting’s “Live in Berlin” CD.

Marc Anthony, JLO Have Billionaire Pal: Call Him for Your Tax Problems, Kids!

Roger Friedman
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3
Marc Anthony, JLO Have Billionaire Pal: Call Him for Your Tax Problems, Kids!

I wrote this story back on October 25th. Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez have a lovely billionaire friend who donated $250,000 to JLO’s Maribel charity.

The charity doesn’t do much, but Ray Dalio, who runs an $80 billion hedge fund, obviously likes the couple. Maybe he can help Marc get out of tax trouble.

Here’s the story from October:

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony‘s twins Max and Emme are going to work! They’re modeling for Gucci.

Gucci is so thrilled that they say they’re donating $50,000 to Lopez’s Maribel Foundation in lieu of a straight payment to the kids. They also say they’re giving $1 million to a UNICEF program for schools in Africa.

That $50,000 may not go so far. In 2008, according to its tax filing, Maribel paid a staggering and unbelievable $90,000 alone to a charity consultant called Legacy Strategies of Los Angeles. The charity only had approximately $350,000 in its bank account.

Of that total, JLo had put only $104,500 into the account– just enough to cover the Legacy bill. The rest of Maribel’s balance — $250,000– came from philanthropist Raymond Dalio. Dalio– who is married to a descendant of the Vanderbilt-Whitney family–runs Bridgewater, an $80 billion hedge fund, out of Greenwich, Connecticut.

Dalio likes celebrities and their causes: he donated $1.23 milliion to quirky film director David Lynch‘s Transcendental Meditation group through his own Raymond Dalio Foundation. He’s a heavy hitting philanthropist who gave away $12.3 million in 2008 including three million dollar bequests.

What’s Dalio’s connection to JLO? He and JLO’s sister, Lynda Lopez, an officer of the Maribel Foundation, are each graduates of Long Island University. Dalio did get his MBA at Harvard, however.

As for Gucci: In 2007, the Gucci Foundation was created so it could receive money donated to Madonna’s all star event for the Kabbalah Center for their Malawi charity. They split the funds between the Madonna cause and UNICEF.

Last year the Gucci Foundation gave UNICEF an underwhelming $11,498. So getting the Lopez-Anthony twins must have really inspired them.

But what exactly Maribel is in business for remains a mystery. On its website, Maribel lists goals of “opening telemedicine centers” and “raising healthy children.” In addition to the Legacy free, last year Maribel also spent $36,820 on legal fees, and $21,000 more on its website and a fundraising video.

So who knows what Gucci’s $50K is going for?

So far Maribel hasn’t listed any accomplishments beyond paying a lot of big fees. Of course, now that JLo is getting $12 million from “American Idol,” she’ll have lots of money to donate to her own charity.

Greenwich Village in the Bloomberg Era: “For Rent” Signs, and No More Bagel Buffet

Roger Friedman
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Greenwich Village in the Bloomberg Era: “For Rent” Signs, and No More Bagel Buffet

What’s Greenwich Village like in the era of Mike Bloomberg? Vacant.

After at least 35 years, probably more, Bagel Buffet on Sixth Avenue and 8th St. has closed. It’s empty, and so is the store next to it.

Two blocks north, the Ansonia Pharmacy was forced by another greedy landlord to move further up the block. Now the corner of Sixth Avenue and 10th St. is vacant, has been for months.

So is the corner of 12th Street and Sixth Avenue, where Joe Jr’s vacated on July 4, 2009. Empty, empty, empty.

All over Greenwich Village, there are empty stores. I’ve lived here for more than thirty years. This is the first time such things have happened.

Greedy landlords (you can’t say it enough) have squeezed out whatever they can of the area’s personality. Over in the West Village, fashion designer Marc Jacobs has booted out a bunch of businesses so he can fill a bunch of spaces with his homogenized, suburban mall goods. Yippee!

This is the New York of Mike Bloomberg. Oh yes, no one can get to those fabulous Marc Jacobs stores this week because there is snow piled up everywhere. The blizzard was five days ago.

Bagel Buffet’s demise stings a little bit more than usual. It was one of those great places, open 24 hours a day, everything was fresh. Kids and building supers slept there sitting up. Strangers chatted. Coffee cost a buck and was sold in regular cups.

The legacy of Mike Bloomberg’s mayoralty besides no snow clean up, no parking spaces, a suburbanized Times Square and concrete turning lanes: how much real New York he allowed to be supplanted by anonymous stuff. Of course this was a mayor who was born and bred in the Boston suburbs and spends his weekends in Bermuda, not walking around his city. I was taken aback the other day at 57th and Third, realizing that what had once been a block of unusual stores is now a block long Duane Reade drug store. Disgusting!

PS Thanks, also, to the mayor: for not doing a thing to stop the closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital. Greenwich Village and the West Village have no hospital or ER, just a huge, hulking set of vacated buildings right in the middle of our neighborhood. Maybe before Bloomberg is gone he can license the space to Wal Mart.

Sharon Jones Rocks New Years Eve: Inspired by Aretha Franklin

Roger Friedman
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4
Sharon Jones Rocks New Years Eve: Inspired by Aretha Franklin

Sharon Jones is the biggest star you don’t know about.

On Thursday night she rocked the Best Buy Theater in Times Square. She’ll do it again tonight, for New Year’s Eve. If you’re in the area, and you love great music, don’t miss her.

Jones is no spring chicken, but she shimmies like Tina Turner and sings like Gladys Knight. She also channels James Brown. Maybe that’s because she’s also from Augusta, Georgia.

For years, Jones was a wedding singer. But about 10 years she and her group, the Dap Kings, took off. They are legends in Brooklyn, and sell around 200,000 per CD. They have four of them out so far on the tiny Daptone label. They’re all great. My favorite is “100 Days, 100 Nights.”

Last night at the Best Buy, I couldn’t believe how the place was jammed. They were standing like sardines. Jones’s crowd is youngish– mid 20s to mid 30s–and mostly white, although there were some faces of all kinds waving their arms and dancing around.

Jones herself is tiny, but is a ball of energy. She swoops across the stage, never losing a breath or missing a beat. Her voice is unassailably classic soul. But she’s a woman out of time–too young by a dozen years to have served in the legacy era of R&B. But that’s her sound, it comes naturally, it is all organic. She’s Millie Jackson. Tina Turner, and Gladys Knight when she sings, James Brown when she moves. Her voice can go from rough to sweet, with so many textures and colors. You have to think the soul gods–where Betty Everett, Mary Wells, Florence Ballard, and Barbara Acklin all reside-have sent Sharon Jones to us.

But she told me backstage that Aretha Franklin is her idol. They met earlier this year when Franklin was honored at the Apollo Theater. One day they’ll get a real chance to talk.

You’ll be interested to know that it’s Dan Aykroyd, who also loves soul music, who got her on Jay Leno last spring. She recently returned to his show. And Jones has just come back from a world tour.

But she says she’s still living with her mother in Queens, in the projects. Hello! Something is wrong with this story! Maybe in 2011 Sharon Jones will break out and make the money she deserves. Clive, LA Reid, Sylvia Rhone–do something! (Photo of Sharon and singers, c2010 Ann Lawlor/Showbiz411)

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