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Woody Allen Alum Gets Restless; “Knots Landing” Star Tackles Ephron

Roger Friedman
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…Michele Lee spent 14 years on “Knots Landing,” but now she’ll spend four weeks with sisters Nora and Delia Ephron. Lee opened last night in Ephron’s off Broadway hit, “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” with the play’s newest cast including Debra Monk, Tracey Ellis Ross, Casey Wilson, and Tony winner Katie Finneran. Michele plays the lead role of Gingie, the main character and sort of narrator in the Ephrons’ hilarious femlit recitation of shopping and living. This little staged reading at the WestSide Theater has become a mini hit, with famous actresses traipsing through it every month. This new group is pitch perfect, of course. Lee has just the right authority as Gingie, and keeps the four other ladies on track. Now, someone find Michele Lee ‘ former Tony nominee ‘ a musical already. But in the meantime, we can enjoy her here. P.S. Ross, a vet of sitcoms and the eldest daughter of Diana Ross, is a surprise hit here too.

…This is right out of believe it or not: Caroline Aaron, the great character actress who was featured in four Woody Allen classics, is toiling on a soap right now. (So is James Franco. Is this a trend, just as soaps are being cancelled?) Aaron was featured in Woody’s “Husbands and Wives,” “Alice,” “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” and “Deconstructing Henry.” She’s also one of the hardest working SAG members in town, appearing sort of everywhere all the time. Nevertheless, I just about did a spit take when I noticed she’s now playing a “Dog the Bounty Hunter” character on CBS’s “The Young and the Restless.” It’s totally out of character for her, but shows Aaron’s range. She’s great, and everyone in her scenes looks amused. Talk about inspired casting!…

X Factor in Conan/Jay Soap Opera: Lorne Michaels

Roger Friedman
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There are reports all over the place since yesterday about Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno. Their situation is a mess. One of them will have to go, or both of them will have to share the time slot from 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. on weeknights.

lorne conan X Factor in Conan/Jay Soap Opera: Lorne Michaels But here’s what everyone’s missing: Lorne Michaels is the guy behind Conan. Lorne, the executive producer of “Saturday Night Live,” has been a fixture at NBC longer than almost anyone ‘ since 1975. He handpicked Conan to replace David Letterman years ago, and was executive producer of “Late Night With Conan O’Brien.”

On top of that, Lorne is also the guy behind “30 Rock,” NBC’s biggest hit and award-winning comedy. How ironic: the hottest show on NBC is in the hands of a guy who lampoons the network on the show. And that same guy’s protege is in the middle of a network power struggle.

If NBC screws Conan in this battle, Michaels will not be a happy man. This is no small thing. His own contract with “SNL” runs through 2012. No one else can run that show. And it’s unlikely that “30 Rock” can run without him. Plus, Lorne is the exec producer of Jimmy Fallon’s “Late Night,” a show that would be severely affected if it had to be moved back to 1:05 a.m. from its current 12:35 a.m. start time.

It’s a quandary.

Some TV veterans made the argument to me last night that as much as everyone loves Jay Leno, he is now “damaged goods.” Putting him back at 11:35 is not the answer, they say. Conan was the choice for the future. Stick with it, they say. Leno, scorned and unhappy, will move on to ABC or Fox or syndication. His monologue last night ‘ that NBC stood for “Never Believe (your) Contract” ‘ shows that he gets what’s going on, and isn’t taking it lightly, either.

The good betting at NBC, though, never goes against Lorne Michaels. And if Conan and Jimmy are somehow hurt in this deal, it will be a surprise. Tina Fey is probably already writing an episode of “30 Rock” about it right now. Whatever happens, it won’t be pretty.

Exclusive: Actress Nicole Beharie Gives Back Award

Roger Friedman
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Nicole Beharie, the gifted actress from “American Violet,” has decided to return her award from the African American Film Critics.

She’s sent me this email via her publicist: “I’ve been informed that there was a disagreement over the AAFCA Best Actress Award.’ Because of the discrepancy, I am returning the award. Gabourey Sidibe is an extraordinary actress in a film that I absolutely loved.’ I wish her all the best.”

You may recall that on December 22, 2009 I wrote about the controversy within the AAFCA. Members of the group were furious because Gabourey Sidibe, of “Precious,” actually finished first on the majority of the ballots. For reasons that are unclear, the group’s chief, Gil Robertson, instead announced Beharie as the winner.

Apparently Beharie, who was just as much a victim in this as Sidibe, wrestled with this information for the last couple of weeks. I am told she simply felt it wasn’t right, and that after asking more questions, decided to return the award.

It’s a weird and sad story. But this is what often happens when these small awards groups go unchecked through their voting processes. I am also told that members of the AAFCA are so angry they are considering ditching Robertson and starting their own group. I wish them well.

Meanwhile, Nicole Beharie, who has many awards in her future, has just gone off to shoot a new movie.

Amy Adams Keeping Her Due Date Secret

Roger Friedman
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59230063One thing we know: Amy Adams is not having her baby on Leap Day because 2010 is not a leap year.

But the star of “Leap Year” is otherwise keeping secret the exact due date for the baby she’s having with fiancee actor Darren Le Gallo. “It’s in the spring.” she told me coyly, and said the same when Universal Pictures prez Ron Meyer asked too.

This is the new thing among the cool Hollywood stars. For example, I heard last night that Paul Rudd and his wife Julie had a second baby about two months ago. They never announced it, no one knows the name or the sex. “They’re not into publicizing it,” says a friend.

But Amy is otherwise looking about four and a half months gone, and she is radiant. The two time Oscar nominee was meeting and greeting last night at the premiere of “Leap Year.” But she, like many of the stars last night, was a little taken aback when a young reporter for a weekly mag asked them about “celebrity death” in regards to heiress Casey Johnson. Amy answered the questions politely, but some of the other celebs weren’t so pleased. The reporter, I’m told, was given the pitch out the door.

“Leap Year” was shot, panoramically, in Ireland by director Anand Tucker, the man who gave us the great film, “Hilary and Jackie.” And Ireland ‘ you can only imagine what fun it would be to shoot a movie there. Plenty of booze, right? “But I don’t drink,” Tucker told me. He didn’t have a sip. He’s half Indian, half German and a tee totaller, he explained. All the wrong people are sent to have fun!

Matthew Goode is Adams’s co-star, and most people weren’t sure who he was at first ‘ until they were reminded of “Match Point” and Matthew’s current turn in “A Single Man.” He’s won a whole new slew of admirers, including matchbox twenty rocker Rob Thomas and wife Marisol, who were both knocked out by him. “We each have a crush on him now,” said Marisol, Rob in the bromance way (no rumors please). Also on hand from the movie: actor Adam Scott, who’s also a favorite of the Thomases for his Starz TV series, “Party Down.” And of course, John Lithgow, who makes a memorable cameo in “Leap Year” as Amy’s down-at-heel dad. Lithgow can do anything!

There were plenty of other luminaries at the DGA Theater and later Rouge Tomate including Regis and Joy Philbin ‘‘Regis just back on the air after his hip surgery. You can scotch those rumors that he’s thinking of retiring. Not Regis. He’s more into his TV show than ever. Over the break, he and Joy told me, they watched a lot of films on screeners. What did they like? “Up in the Air” was their first choice. Also: “It’s Complicated.” But randomly taken from a pile of discs, “Humpday,” an indie film, was not popular in the Philbin home. No kidding!

P.S. Here’s a little gossip from the after party: coming soon to Broadway is a musical version of “Honeymoon in Vegas” written by Andrew Bergman with music and lyrics from Jason Robert Brown (”Parade”). Imagine a whole musical number of Elvis impersonators. This could be good. A workshop was performed recently and went well enough to proceed forward to a reality stage. As with all new shows, let’s hope it’s original, witty and a success!

Leona Lewis Music Better for “Precious” than “Avatar”

Roger Friedman
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I knew “Titanic.” “Avatar” is no “Titanic.”

Even though “Avatar” has made its much vaunted billion dollars around the world, fans of the 3D sci-fi spectacle are not wanting to take its music home.

Remember when James Cameron’s “Titanic” launched Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” up the charts to number 1? You couldn’t get away from the song or Celine pounding her heart with her fist.

Alas, Leona Lewis’s theme song from “Avatar” is atrocious, and, luckily, not getting any traction. So far the soundtrack album to “Avatar,” featuring the milquetoast new age music of James Horner, isn’t selling any copies. Only amazon.com has it listed, at number 20. Otherwise, the “Avatar” CD is not a factor in the music sales since its release on December 15th.

As well, the Lewis single, “I See You,” has failed to attract much attention from anyone. And that’s just as well. Lewis is a great singer, and has her own hit album and single out right now. “I See You” is a bland example of her soulful work. For a better example of Leona Lewis, try “Happy.”’

And here’s an irony: even though “I See You” hasn’t done much for “Avatar,” Lewis has helped out another, more Oscar prone movie. “Happy” is used in the TV ads and trailers for “Precious.” So there.

Warren Beatty: Girl Crazy, Like A Fox

Roger Friedman
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58091091Warren Beatty, a person whom I’ve known and admired for years, is in a jam. It’s not hard to figure out what happened. He’s famous for hemming and hawing. Twenty years ago when he was finishing “Dick Tracy,” I tried like crazy to get him for a cover story for the new defunct Fame magazine. He wouldn’t say yes, he wouldn’t say no. He once actually called me at my grandmother’s house to discuss why he hadn’t given an answer. It just went on forever until he’d worn us both out.

I can imagine that in pursuit of writing a biography of Beatty, Peter Biskind ‘‘a journalist I do not trust ‘ had the same back and forth. Yes, no, yes, no, maybe, uh, well, sometime. All that time, Biskind took notes. And now we have “Star: How Warren Beatty Seduced America,” the unauthorized biography of Beatty in which the subject unwittingly collaborated. Oy vey.

Warren once said to me, in front of another star, these words: “You make the mistake of thinking we’re [we ‘ being stars] not reading what you write. We do.” Biskind maybe made that mistake now, since the book is about to be published. He’s riled up attorney Bert Fields, who loves to issue proclamations and back away. Fields says the book isn’t authorized. I’ve no doubt he’s right. Too late, Bert!

The biggest bone of contention? The number of women Beatty’s been with. Biskind says 12,775. Warren, pre-Annette Bening and four children, certainly got around. He’s no doubt not eager for his kids to see the whole thing in one place. Can we name these ladies? Let’s see: Julie Christie, Natalie Wood, Joan Collins, Carly Simon, Michelle Phillips, Isabelle Adjani, Britt Ekland, Madonna, Diane Keaton, Faye Dunaway ‘‘and those are just for starters. Maybe a thousand. Maybe two thousand. You’d have to examine very closely Julia Phillips’ seminal work, “You’ll Never Eat Lunch in this Town Again,” the book from which much of Biskind’s work flows. It’s his bible.

So, what’s the point? Is this biography? Does anyone care? Is it film criticism? What is Biskind’s point anyway? Worst of all, is the way he treats the women whom allegedly Beatty bedded. Whether it’s one or one million, it doesn’t matter. He misses the charm, and the joke, how Beatty would even have gotten away with it all. As Jane Fonda told me a couple of years ago, and she repeated at Beatty’s AFI dinner: when she met him on a screen test, she thought he was gay. “He was too good looking, and all his friends were gay.” (Biskind’s other descriptions of Fonda and Beatty make the writer sound like a prurient 12-year-old.)

Of course, this dust up is just for publicity. Biskind needs a hook to sell his book. He’s not exactly Mr. Bestseller. And Beatty hasn’t made a movie in a long time, making him not a subject that immediate for younger readers. In the end, though, you can skip “Star.” A better unauthorized biography by a much more astute writer (I’ve been sworn to secrecy) may be in the works. As for Biskind, he named his book not after Beatty but after a supermarket tabloid. That should tell us everything.

Mariah Carey Is People’s Choice � And Ours

Roger Friedman
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Mariah Carey is all set to pick up her People’s Choice Award tonight on CBS. She’s a winner, I’m told, for Best R&B singer.

What? Yes, everyone seems to know who’s won those People’s Choice Awards before they arrive at the studio. Who votes in this thing? “The voting public,” a Hollywood publicist replied with a smirk. Well, whatever.

Mariah’s had a big year, especially because of her surprisingly understated performance in “Precious.” She’s picking up Breakthrough Performance awards everywhere, and now, suddenly, directors want Mariah Carey. It’s a far cry from her debut acting debacle years ago in “Glitter.”

It’s too bad Mariah didn’t get pushed more for an Oscar or Globe in “Precious,” since she’s also supported the movie like crazy. She’s shown up anywhere they’ve asked her to go. And she didn’t require a fee to be there, either!

One place where Mariah did not have a big hit last year: music. Her most recent album just didn’t take off despite the witty lead single, “Obsessed.”

But this is what Mariah has to do next, I think, to get back on the charts: a straight ahead album of real singing, no fluttering, no hip hop. She has to get a really musical producer ‘ like her buddy Randy Jackson ‘‘and record some actual, structured songs. She might even cover some classics. But the days of ethereal scatting over this and that, I think, are over. Let the voice be heard!

As for the People’s Choice: if you watch this show, you’ll know who’s won right away by who’s in the audience waiting to get their award. Since Hugh Jackman, Sandra Bullock, Carrie Underwood, and Taylor Swift are already being promoted by CBS, you can guess they won their categories. Surprise! They’re not hanging around that studio for their health!

P.S. The People’s Choice has weird categories, like “Best On Screen Team.” For me, that would be the New York Yankees. Just sayin’…

National Board of Review Loses Sponsor Bulgari

Roger Friedman
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The National Board of Review ‘ which snubbed “Precious” and gave Clint Eastwood and George Clooney their annual awards ‘ has lost its sponsor. After three years, Bulgari has pulled out of the awards dinner. This isn’t cause and effect, says a Bulgari rep. They decided to put their money into a more charitable cause: ‘Save the Children.

Annie Schulhof, president of the NBR said in a statement:” The NBR has treasured its partnership with Bulgari for the past several years. Following the celebration of their 125th anniversary and their important work with Save The Children, we hope to work with them again in the future.”

The NBR has no new sponsor to replace Bulgari.

For some reason, though, Bulgari’s money doesn’t show up in the NBR’s annual tax return. They list themselves as a foundation, and thus file a Form 990. No sign of Bulgari in their last three filings. Schulhof’s rep said that the explanation is that the group doesn’t itemize its contributions.

But it is interesting that a membership fee group assigned with the task of watching movies and picking its favorites claimed in 2008 $779,784 in net assets. (I’m putting that in bold because I can’t believe it.) They gave away $75,000 in student grants and had $126,000 in salaries. They claim another $100,000 in “other expenses” including $2,885 for screenings. Maybe this is for popcorn since the studios give them all their screenings.

Meanwhile, members of the NBR are definitely questioning how Eastwood and Clooney racked up all those nominations. Insiders who’ve taken their own polls say most everyone voted for “The Hurt Locker” for Best Picture, Kathryn Bigelow for Best Director, and acting awards for Christoph Waltz (”Inglourious Basterds“) and Mo’Nique (”Precious”). In past years, there have been reports of a smaller committee making the final decisions. But an NBR rep says the vote was counted per-member, and that “there were no unanimous votes.”

Next week, the NBR holds it annual gala after the far more important New York Film Critics dinner on January 11th, and just before the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles (VH-1, January 15th) and the Golden Globes.

Zac Efron’s “Orson Welles”: The 2009 Movie That Got Away

Roger Friedman
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58950399Each year, amid the hoopla and millions spent, one movie completely falls between the cracks. Originally I thought that was Oren Moverman’s “The Messenger,” but then Woody Harrelson got some award attention and the film got a little uplift.

So the winner this year: Richard Linklater’s charming “Me and Orson Welles.” It’s been in theaters for about a month and made less than a million dollars. The distributor is non-existent, which is a shame. This is such a fine film, and one of the real indie companies should have released it. “Me and Orson Welles” deserved a shot.

Luckily, the San Francisco critics reached out and awarded Christian McKay, who plays Welles so brilliantly, their Best Supporting Actor award. I guess that’s something. (McKay also goes up against Harrelson at this year’s Indie Spirit Awards.)

But otherwise, Linklater’s period piece, set in 1937 New York, will go to DVD and cable. Someone will say to me six months from now, “I saw the best movie last night on TV. Why didn’t it do more?” Uh-huh.

Part of my own reluctance about the film was star Zac Efron, who plays 18-year-old Richard, an acolyte actor who winds up getting a bit part in Orson Welles’s landmark production of “Julius Caesar” at the famed Mercury Theater. Efron has been so maligned as a teen heartthrob that you don’t want to take him seriously. Yet, he’s just perfect as Richard, and carries his role with charm and dignity. He was good in “Hairspray,” too. It’s time to cut him some slack and forget the endless, meaningless “blobbing” about him from gossip sites.

The rest of the cast is spot on, too, especially Claire Danes as Welles’s ambitious Girl Friday and James Tupper as Welles’s leading man Joseph Cotten, Eddie Marsan (always great) as John Houseman, Leo Bill as Norman Lloyd (who would play Dr. Auschlander on “St. Elsewhere” 50 years later) and Zoe Kazan as a wannabe short-story writer. They’re all great.

Linklater, I’m sure, had no money for this film, but the production looks lush thanks to some really gifted cinematography, production and art design. New York of 1937 is very beautifully recreated, especially a scene in the real Bryant Park. It’s nice work.

So what happened? Well, there’s no real sex or anything of that nature. There’s no vulgarity, no explosions, or leaps of logic. Linklater recreates the “Caesar” production masterfully. It’s an intelligent, articulate, well-crafted film that’s completely satisfying. And so, in this economy, has no place to go. Who would want to see such a thing? Fifteen years ago, the old Miramax would have released “Me and Orson Welles” and gotten many Oscar nominations. But in this environment, unless Orson were blue, or to get naked with his leading lady, distributors feel there’s no audience.

Too bad: if you can find Linklater’s little gem in a theater, go see it. Without fail, get the DVD. And pray that, when the recession passes, intelligence will be rewarded again.

Maggie Gyllehhaal Gets ‘Bad’ in Crazy Heart

Roger Friedman
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If you haven’t noticed, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard are like the Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman of this generation.

They are each in Oscar contender films ‘ Maggie in ‘Crazy Heart‘ with Jeff Bridges, Peter in ‘An Education‘ with Carey Mulligan. And they each give sensational, understated performances. A year ago they performed Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” together directed by Austin Pendleton at CSC. They’re the real thing.

I had lunch with Maggie at Cookshop on 10th Avenue a couple of weeks ago, to talk about how much everyone loves Jeff Bridges and how ‘Crazy Heart’ turns out to be Fox Searchlight’s surprise movie of the season.

Back in September at the Toronto Film Festival, when I saw Jeff Bridges at the premiere of ‘The Men Who Stare at Goats,’ I’d asked him what else he had coming out, he didn’t even mention ‘Crazy Heart.’ Then ‘Amelia‘ tanked, and F/S scrambled for a live action Oscar film. (The fantastic ‘Mr. Fox‘ notwithstanding.) They looked in all their cupboards and drawers, and found this little film with a country heart of gold.

The Sarsgaards have a three-year-old daughter Ramona who Maggie says has changed her acting career completely. ‘I got a feeling when she was 14 months that I had to do something for myself. It was just during the writers’ strike. And then ‘Crazy Heart’ came to me, and I thought there’s no way this movie will be made. When I read it I said no way.’

Her character Jean is a local journalist/single mom who comes to interview Bridges’ Bad Blake, a washed up country star. They fall into a relationship quickly — which is almost hard to believe because Bad Blake is such a disaster. ‘But he’s also very charming,’ Maggie says, protesting. It’s a much softer part for Maggie, whose career highlights (‘Batman’ aside) include playing S&M in ‘Secretary’ and a drug addict in ‘Sherrybaby.’ Maggie says of Jean, ‘There’s a fierceness about them that Jean doesn’t have.’ She says she got her inspiration from characters played in the 70s by the likes of Sissy Spacek, Ellen Burstyn and Jane Fonda.
Maggie and her famous brother Jake are the children of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, a (now divorced) couple who worked a lot when the kids were growing up. Among their credits are ‘A Dangerous Woman’ and ‘Running on Empty.’ How did they manage to work so much?, I asked Maggie. ‘They cobbled it together,’ she says.

When Gyllenhaal was making “Crazy Heart,” she says, her mom came to the set for two weeks to watch Ramona. ‘She said I wanted to give you the freedom to lose yourself in your work.’

And Ramona kept busy while her mom worked. Bridges included many pictures of her in a book he gave the cast when the movie wrapped.

‘I sort of thought, do I want to approve these pictures? But then I thought she was a major, major part of that experience.’ Does Ramona see her on screen ever?’ ‘I did a voice over for a children’s movie. I asked her, it that nice for you or funny? And she said, It’s nice. And it’s funny.’

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