Saturday, December 20, 2025
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Spike Lee, Brooke Shields, Kiera Chaplin Revisit Classic Films at Star Studded UES Theater Opening

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It was quite an opening night for the new plush CMX CineBistro on East 62nd St. between First and York.

There are actually several state of the art movie theaters on three levels in CMX, where you sit in luxe leather chairs and eat designer food. (We had lamb chops and Cracker Jacks. Mmmm.)

For the opening, the owners got Spike Lee, Brooke Shields, and Charlie Chaplin’s beautiful granddaughter, Kiera, to present three films associated with them. Spike brought his Oscar-bound “Blackkklansman.” Brooke showed Louis Malle’s “Pretty Baby,” in which she was 12 years old and caused a scandale. Kiera Chaplin introduced “City Lights,” which was so popular that all the seats were taken, including one by Cuba Gooding Jr. on an off night from “Chicago” on Broadway. “City Lights” was released in 1931 and was smarter, by the way, than almost anything current. And more artful.

 

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With the legendary @officialspikelee

A post shared by Kiera Chaplin (@kierachaplin) on


Other celebs milled in the lobbies, nibbling on shrimp, steak, and fried cauliflower. In the basement lobby, there was a jazz band with a female lead singer dressed to look like it was the Copa in the 1950s. Beautiful young ladies, dressed scantily (but within parameters) fan-danced and gyrated in a five foot high martini glass. A Charlie Chaplin imitator toodled around in full Trump with a swing cane and a mustache.

Suddenly, the UES has a movie destination. CMX is perfect for private parties, screenings, regular showings, mini film festivals. Now if only we had one downtown!

Friars Club Plans “Analyze This” Themed Billy Crystal Gala On Monday as Night’s Second Honoree “Icon” Has 2 Prior Convictions on Weapons Charges, Assault Arrest

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UPDATE SUNDAY 11/11 AM: Jimmy Fallon will not be attending. He’s in LA for the People’s Choice Awards. Alec Baldwin has dropped out because of his current legal problems.

 

EARLIER  On Monday, the Friars Club will throw a blow out gala at the former Ziegfeld Theater to honor Billy Crystal. It’s highly unlikely they’ve told him what’s really going on at the club.

Club insiders say they will also honor, on the same program, a man named Rinaldo Nistico, who goes by the name “Ronnie Shoes” or “Ronnie Copa.” Nistico was indicted and settled a case in 2004 for assault. The NY Post  reported then that Nistico had two prior arrests and convictions on weapons charges in 1990 and 1996.

Nistico is only a recent addition the Friars with less than a year at the club. No one I spoke to has any idea why he’s being honored as a Friars Icon. At the beginning of this year he was also named “Friar of the Year.” By coincidence, sources tell me that since Nistico’s appearance on the scene, so called open “town hall” type meetings at the Club now include “beefy looking security guards. Why? “In case something happens.”

One member joked that with an ongoing federal investigation (see further down), the Crystal gala could be like the wedding in “The Godfather.” “Remember all those agents taking down license plate numbers?” he joked.

Insiders are calling the event an “Analyze This/Analyze That” reunion as Billy played a shrink in the two comedies to Robert DeNiro’s gangster. DeNiro may attend the event to toast Crystal. If he does, it would be the height of irony.

The Friars Club, meanwhile, is said to be drowning in red ink while it awaits word on an ongoing investigation by the US Postal Inspection Service– aka the Feds– instigated by former US Attorney Preet Bharara. I’m told the Club recently secured a $2 million loan as membership fees keep rising and members keep leaving.

While all this is going on, Bruce Charet, who caused a sexual harassment suit at the club recently settled for at least a million dollars, is still on the scene. Charet, a close friend of ex CBS chief Les Moonves, was seen in the club last week. He may be organizing celebrities for Monday’s gala. The red carpet on Monday should be interesting. I’ve heard names like Jimmy Fallon, Tony Bennett, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, and so on.

Meanwhile, the Friars– a registered tax free foundation– still hasn’t filed a new tax return Form 990 since 2015. Their last return covered July 2014 through July 2015. Since then, crickets. I queried Friars chief exec Michael Gyure by email for a copy of newer returns– required by law– but again, silence.

 

 

 

Watch Jane Fonda Toast Michael Douglas at His Walk of Fame Ceremony: “What took so long? He was always ahead of his time”–and Kirk Douglas, 102, Was There!

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In Hollywood today Jane Fonda toasted Michael Douglas as he got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (She looked pretty cute, too.) Jane asked, “What took so long?” I was wondering the same thing. They co-starred in a great movie, “The China Syndrome,” in 1979. Michael is joining Jane in the world of smart TV series now. She’s got “Grace and Frankie” and now he’s co-starring with Alan Arkin in “The Kominsky Method.”

Douglas’s invited guests included wife Catherine Zeta Jones, their teenage daughter Carys, plus Michael’s 102 year old dad Kirk Douglas, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jerry Garcia, Chuck Lorre, Eric McCormack, and Ron Meyer. Wow!

PS I’m sure Michael’s steadfast publicist Allen Burry was there, too!

Watch this:

Cable Ratings: “Walking Dead” Rises Just a Fraction With Rick’s Departure, Lena Dunham’s “Camping” Soon to Fold Tent, Kardashians Find Old Friends

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It’s not a great time for Sunday cable ratings.

“The Walking Dead” sent Rick off to do solo movies. The result was an uptick of just around 300,000 viewers to 5.4 million. We’ll see next Sunday how his absence plays out. Would they have gotten more viewers if they’d just killed him? Probably.

Lena Dunham’s “Camping” will fold its tent soon. They’re off from the first episode by 67%. Sunday they had around 265,000 viewers. Test patterns do better. HBO’s “The Deuce” has around 384,000 people watching. The end can’t come soon enough for either show.

Good news, if you care: The Kardashians found some old friends this week, and were up to 1.1 million after several weeks sitting at around 800,000. Maybe one of them got killed? Or ate a baby? Why the sudden return of 350,000 viewers? Maybe it was like on “Mary Hartman” where the Nielsen box was on in a mental hospital.

 

New York, New York: Sarah Dash Singing Tonight, Bryan Cranston on Broadway, Dawes in Town, Common’s Shoes Have a Good Rap

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK– If we survive Election Day here’s what’s been going on…

The great Sarah Dash from the group Labelle is performing tonight at City Winery in Soho. Sarah’s doing an all-Aretha tribute not to be missed. Also, what a way to get through Election Night.

Harry’s of London shoes has finally arrived in New York! Traveler to London know this shop well from the Burlington Arcade. Celebs like Joseph Fiennes and Common are said to be regular customers. Now Harry’s has set up shop at 57th and Park. If Bill Cunningham were alive he’d be snapping famous people going in and out of there all the time!

Bryan Cranston and his wife Robin sneaked into a performance of “The Waverly Gallery” to see Elaine May last week. They got to meet her after the show. Cranston will open shortly in “Network” down the street….

Famed restaurateur Drew Nieporent brought his whole family to Stand up for Heroes last night. The owner of the Tribeca Grill– among others– has dropped 60 pounds and is in fighting shape. Everyone loves Drew, even though there’s less of him to love now!

The 4th Annual Global Lyme Alliance Gala produced by celebrity event planner Larry Scott of Lawrence Scott Events was hosted by Fox 5 Good Day New York co-anchor Lori Stokes, and honored RHONY’s TV personality Ramona Singer and Erin Walker at Cipriani 42nd Street with a musical performance by Tony Award-winning Broadway and television star Sutton Foster. Guests included Tinsley Mortimer, Sonja Morgan, Dorinda Medley, Luann de Lesseps and Barbara Kavovit.

Sarah Jessica Parker had a SAG crowd in the palm of her hand last night at a screening for “Here and Now.” I am really looking forward to her interview with Alec Baldwin this Sunday night on ABC at 10pm…Meanwhile husband Matthew Broderick was doing imitations of Harvey Fierstein at intermission during the opening of “Torch Song.” It’s ok, Matthew starred in the original production back in 1983 with Harvey. Matthew’s Harvey-quack is spot on and hilarious….

Russian Samovar Restaurant & Piano Bar celebrated supermodel Carol Alt on the cover of Art Bodega Magazine. Guests included Carol Alt, Vlada Von Shats, John Mahdessian, Teresa Giudice, Ramona Singer, Dorinda Medley and Sonja Morgan.

The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF) will celebrate the 21st Annual Collaborating for a Cure Benefit on Thursday, November 15, 2018 at Cipriani Wall Street with an exclusive headline performance by Dawes – only New York City show as part of the tour.

Exclusive: Eiza González Circling Rita Moreno Role in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” Remake

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How did EGOT and Kennedy Center Honors winner Rita Moreno start her career? Why, with the original “West Side Story” movie. Now I’m told that Eiza Gonzalez, whose movie credits are two including the great “Baby Driver,” is likely going to play Anita in Steven Spielberg’s remake of the famed and beloved movie. Can she sing? Oh yes. Is she beautiful? Dios mio!

Anita is a sure fire Best Supporting Actress role. Moreno for the movie. Other actresses have won awards on stage. Anita gets to sing “America” plus “A Boy Like That” and “I Have a Love” with the Maria character, who is still not cast– but I’m betting on Camilla Cabello.

Well, I said months ago that Ansel Elgort would and should play Tony, and I was right. So let’s see how this plays out. This would mean a “Baby Driver” reunion, and that alone is worth the price of the ticket!

Watch Eiza sing in her Instagram clip below. She’s got it.

Meantime, PS, Rita Moreno, who’s in her 80s, is taking a role in the film version of Lin Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights.” When I saw “In the Heights” years ago on West 37th St. I thought it was a “West Side Story Jr.” Frankly I thought she’d turn up in the Spielberg movie as a nod to the original.

Broadway: Go-Go’s Musical “Head Over Heels” is A Financial Bust But Keeps Playing Performances

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There is no worse show on Broadway than “Head over Heels.” The bafflingly awful musical features the music of the 80s girls group the Go Gos. But the show is just plain wretched, with no redeeming qualities.

And yet, after several months since a mid summer opening, “Head Over Heels” plays on. It is not a hit, in a big way. Last week it played to just 38% capacity and took in just $185,775.50 in ticket sales. The show’s potential sold out week would be $883,552. They were down from the prior week by almost $20,000.

“Head Over Heels” has a cast, and an orchestra. They have stage hands. Everyone must be paid. But at this point, I have to ask– who is paying them? And from what?

When the musical opened, that very night, at intermission, we were all doing satires of “The Producers.” The show was so bad, it had to close. No one could imagine it dragging on for weeks like a stuffed corpse.

“Head Over Heels” is playing at the Hudson Theater on West 44th st. owned and operated by the Ambassador Theater Group. There’s been speculation that ATG is just keeping the show running out of pride. Or hubris. But why pour good money after bad?

The individual producers are many but the first ones listed are Christine Russell, whose only other investment is in “Beautiful: the Carole King Musical.” The second investor is the very wealthy museum and arts patron Louise Gund, a dabbler at best. Donovan Leitch, the model and entrepreneur, and son of 60s folk singer Donovan, is next along with his pal Gwyneth Paltrow. They likely invested very little but are there for the name value.

There are more, plenty more names. Do any of these people know how to read a spread sheet? Is there a scandal brewing? If anyone knows what is going on, and who got the beat, email me at showbiz411@gmail.com.

Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa Take A Night Off from Broadway to Stand Up for Heroes

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Last year, Bruce Springsteen and wife Patti Scialfa had to miss their traditional appearance for Bob and Lee Woodruff’s Stand Up for Heroes. The charity show was on a Thursday night, and the Springsteens were tied up on Broadway.

So this year, organizers Caroline Hirsch and Andrew Fox, with the Woodruffs, moved the event to a Monday, when “Springsteen on Broadway” is dark. The result was the return of the rockers, who sang a beautiful duet together on “If I Should Fall Behind.” Bruce also sang “Dancing in the Dark” and “The Hard Land” by himself, and performed a duet of “Working on the Highway” with country star Eric Church.

Church was less impressive, I thought. He sang some song that really rips off the Stones classic “Sympathy for the Devil.” The crowd didn’t care. He got a big ovation. His charms eluded me.

A clutch of five star comedians preceded the singers, starting with Seth Meyers, Jim Gaffigan, and Jon Stewart. They were all fine and appropriate, and very funny. Brit comic Jimmy Carr thought it was 1960 at the Stardust in Vegas and told a lot of off color, un PC sex jokes. It was a relief, if Rodney Dangerfield or Don Rickles are your heroes (I love them).

Springsteen told his own “dirty” jokes, a tradition, but they’re really quite tame.

The evening was brisk and short, but it remains a perfect way to honor soldiers who’ve lost body parts while defending this country. They are truly heroes,and they love this organization. I do remember the old days at Town Hall, or The Beacon Theater, when the event had a more intimate feeling. The corporate Theater at Madison Square Garden– now called The Hulu Theater– can put a chill on any event.

PS I’ve always loved Patti Scialfa’s voice and she was in rare form tonight. Just lovely.

 

 

 

The Documentary Aretha Franklin Never Wanted to Be Released Will Be After Deal with Estate

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Aretha Franklin never wanted the 1972 filming of her singing at a Los Angeles church to be released. “Amazing Grace,” shot by Sidney Pollack, has been in the can all these years. When Allan Elliott, son Atlantic A&R man Jack Elliott, bought it in 2008, Aretha hired lawyer after lawyer to stop him. She would never explain herself other than she didn’t want it.

Aretha died on August 16th. So “Amazing Grace” is coming out.

Allan Elliott says he’s reached a deal with Aretha’s estate, represented by her niece Sabrina Owens, to go forward. He’ll show the film at DOC NYC on Monday in New York, and other venues, to qualify for the Oscars. Of course, he’s late, it’s too late for the 2019 Oscars, there’s already a ton of good docs that have been campaigning. But why make sense now?

Aretha got injunctions against Elliott twice three years ago to stop the film from being shown at the Toronto and Telluride Film Festivals. Elliott wrote to me asking if I could intervene. But when I brought up the subject, Aretha was unmoved. She did not want the movie out in public.

Why? Who knows? Elliott sent me a link to watch it, and I did. Aretha sings and plays the piano with a gospel choir. She’s sublime. Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones are in the audience. They are never introduced and say nothing. Aretha’s father, Reverend C.L. Franklin, appears and makes a speech– he was a speechifier–about Aretha. There’s nothing salacious going on.

The release of “Amazing Grace” is a good thing, I suppose, in the long run. It takes the mystery out of the film. Whatever reasons Aretha had for not releasing it are certainly moot now. Her legacy is already safe as the premiere singer of our time. This will only enhance it.

Harvey Weinstein Files to Dismiss All Criminal Criminal Charges in New York, Has New Emails from Alleged Victim

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more to come…

from a press release from attorney Benjamin Brafman…

 

 

The attorneys for Harvey Weinstein today filed legal Motions seeking a dismissal of the remaining counts of the Indictment, citing a Grand Jury presentation that was deeply flawed by the admitted police misconduct and the Perjury of at least one of the complainants which already led to the dismissal of Count Six. According to Weinstein’s attorneys, the remaining five Counts should also be dismissed because the Perjury and police misconduct irreparably prejudiced the Grand Jury and emails and texts from the alleged rape victim and Mimi Haleyi to Harvey Weinstein after the dates of the alleged assaults, clearly demonstrate that any sexual contact between Weinstein and both of these women was purely consensual.

In addition, the motions also seek the dismissal of both Sexual Predator charges as based on constitutionally flawed legal theories and not supported by credible evidence.