Thursday, December 18, 2025
Donate
Home Blog Page 1213

Robin Williams’ Daughter Zelda Williams TV Pilot About Dominatrixes Accepted By Tribeca TV Festival

Roger Friedman
-
0
Robin Williams’ Daughter Zelda Williams TV Pilot About Dominatrixes Accepted By Tribeca TV Festival

Zelda Williams, daughter of the late comic genius Robin Williams and his popular ex-wife Marcia Garces Williams, is over the moon. A TV pilot she made on her own called “Shrimp” has been accepted into the Tribeca TV Festival set for late September here in New York. Zelda is doing the hardest thing of all– making her way in Hollywood on her own, with the spirit of her dad helping but maybe sometimes hindering, too. This news is a big deal.

The festival describes “Shrimp” as  a “comedy/drama about the equal parts strange and mundane daily lives of the women of professional dominance. Contrary to popular belief, professional dominatrices don’t sleep with their clients, but that doesn’t mean that their job is any easier to explain to the ‘vanilla’ world. While they’re hired to make the wealthy and powerful feel anything but, out of latex and away from work they’re stuck navigating the same shit as the rest of us as they struggle to figure out just what the hell a normal life even is, let alone how to live one.”

Hey it sounds a little raunchy, but cool. Zelda is cool! Many congrats!

Here’s Zelda’s post from Instagram:

Well, folks, the news is finally out! My little latex covered baby got accepted into the second ever @tribeca TV Festival! For those who don’t know, SHRIMP is a pitch pilot I created, wrote, directed and acted in about the daily lives of professional dominatrices, and can I just add, STOP TELLING PEOPLE THEY CAN’T/SHOULDN’T DO IT ALL, because I had a hand in absolutely every aspect of this and it was INCREDIBLE. This whole thing was such a labor of love from so many people, originally stemming from an idea I pursued and researched years ago, to a script that was a short, then a pilot, then somewhere in between. It’s been so many things to me, but as yet it’s not been seen by many of you, so I cant wait to finally show it to the world at long last!
🦐
I’m honestly still kinda in shock, but I’m so thrilled for SHRIMP to be a part of the #TribecaTVFestival, and hope anyone on that side of this pale blue dot come hang with us opening night! Tickets are on sale now, link in bio (I think… though my call time was 4:30 this morning, so if Im wrong, I blame my sleeplessness).
Thank you, from the bottom of my bitch goddess heart to all the wonderful, powerful women who trusted in me to take care of their stories and them on this set, and all the incredible humans who helped me do so in making this seemingly wacky idea an actual independent reality.
The last photo in this set is me crying like a baby after the last shot of SHRIMP, so overwhelmed by the gratitude I felt to be surrounded by so many great people that I think I got snot all over @conorleslie. It was one if the great joys of my life thus far to make this, and I can’t wait to continue creating for, and about, the people who inspire me.
ONWARDS!

Nicki Minaj’s New Album is a Sales Flop, Did She Jinx Herself By Titling it “Queen” The Same Week Aretha Franklin Died?

Roger Friedman
-
0
Nicki Minaj’s New Album is a Sales Flop, Did She Jinx Herself By Titling it “Queen” The Same Week Aretha Franklin Died?

Nicki Minaj has a turkey on her hands and it’s not even Thanksgiving.

Nicki’s new album, “Queen” is a sales dud. It’s so bad that she’s cancelled the tour that was supposed to accompany the album’s release, postponing it until next May. By then she’ll have to have new music or a new marketing plan because “Queen” will be long gone.

There’s some thought that Nicki jinxed herself by calling her album “Queen.” There was only Queen, and that was Aretha Franklin. In a very damning coincidence, Franklin passed away as the “Queen” album was being released. Talk about cosmic interference!

The “Queen” album debuted at number 2 last Friday. This week it will be lucky to make number 3 as Ariana Grande swoops in for the kill. With 24 hours left to this week, Grande’s “Sweetener” has already sold 133K copies including downloads, CDs, and streaming. Minaj has a total of 50,000. Travis Scott is running just ahead of Nicki at number 2.

Rap and hip hop is extremely dependent right now streaming numbers. Nicki’s album has not been enthusiastically embraced track by track. One single is number 2 on Spotify. Grande, however, has several in the top 50.

One radio insider told me, “Nicki’s album release was rushed. She didn’t work the stations until the last minute. We were surprised. That’s as opposed to Janet Jackson, who worked radio very carefully for her new hit, Made for Now, and she really scored.”

Oscar Isaac Goes from “Star Wars” to Serious Business in the Fine World War II Thriller, “Operation Finale”

Paula Schwartz
-
0
Oscar Isaac Goes from “Star Wars” to Serious Business in the Fine World War II Thriller, “Operation Finale”

Oscar Isaac– we’ve known him for what seems like a long time, he’s one of the best and the brightest of this generation’s movie stars.

You know him from “Star Wars” where he’s Poe Dameron, ace pilot and hot head. Next month he’ll open in “Life Itself” from “This is Us” creator Dan Fogelman. But next week he stars in a serious World War II thriller called “Operation Finale” which Isaac produced with his manager, Jason Spire. It was a labor of love that turns out to be a searing, engrossing film about the hunting of real life international criminal and Hitler henchman Adolph Eichmann in Argentina some 15 years after the war ended. It’s a must-see film that has awards buzz written all over it.

There could be an Oscar for Oscar. That alone is a tantalizing idea.

Last week, Isaac, co-stars Joe Alwyn and Sir Ben Kingsley attended the New York premiere of their new film at the Walter Reade Theater. Isaac stars as Mossad secret agent Peter Malkin in Chris Weitz’s meaty suspense thriller about the  covert operation to abduct Adolf Eichmann (Sir Ben Kingsley), the logistical ringleader of the Final solution, off the back streets of Argentina in the 60’s. (Malkin’s real-life son, Omer Malkin, attended the premiere and afterparty.)

Although many people remember Eichmann’s trial, which was broadcast on television, few people remember the details of “extracting” Eichman from his Argentinian home, where he’d been hiding since WWII. Argentina was a haven for Nazi war criminals, where they were protected and hidden.

It’s a credit to the film that even though most viewers will know from the beginning that Eichmann will stand trial in Israel — at least most people of a certain age — the moviei unspools like an old-fashioned thriller and never lets up the suspense in its nearly 2 1/2 hours running time. The pace is helped immeasurably by the fantastic soundtrack by legendary composer Alexandre Desplat.

In the intro to the screening Weitz quipped, “American Pie…. Operation Finale.”
 “It was a labor of love and unfortunately fairly timely,” said the director, adding,  but there’s some laughs as well.”
“At the risk of offending various actors and crew members,” Weitz said he wouldn’t thank them individually. “Except for one actor who I must mention, which is my mother who appears in this film in a clip from ‘Imitation of Life.’ Thank you Mom for agreeing to be in this film.” Weitz’s famous mother is Susan Kohner, who starred in “Imitation of Life” as a biracial woman trying to pass for white. (His famous father was the legendary mens fashion designer John Weitz. His famous brother is director Paul Weitz.)

At the after party at the luxurious, glass enclosed Lincoln Restaurant, I congratulated Isaac and reminded him that the last time I saw him was at the junket for “The Promise,” about the Armenia genocide, a tragedy he wasn’t aware of before making the film. He knew about the Holocaust of course but was happy to be involved this film at a time  when Holocaust denial is on the rise in Europe, along with anti-Semitism, racism and anti-immigrant sentiment. “A lot of young people don’t know about this period of history,” he told me.

Other guests from the film included Melanie Laurent, Haley Lu Richardson, Nick Kroll, Lior Raz, Michael Aronov and Torben Liebrecht. Liebrecht plays a Mossad agent, is German and not Jewish. He told me the main draw in making “Operational Finale” was the large international cast and the attention to historical authenticity and fact.
 
“Operation Finale” opens next Wednesday, August 29.

Oscar Winner Danny Boyle No Longer Directing New James Bond Movie: Sam Mendes Coming Back?

Roger Friedman
-
0
Oscar Winner Danny Boyle No Longer Directing New James Bond Movie: Sam Mendes Coming Back?

Oscar winner Danny Boyle is out as the director of James Bond 25.

Producers Barbara Broccoli, Michael Wilson, and star Daniel Craig announced Boyle’s departure “due to creative differences” on Twitter early this afternoon.

The film is in pre-production, which means there won’t be too much leeway getting a replacement. The obvious choice is Sam Mendes, director of the last two Bond movies, “Skyfall” and “Spectre.”

Boyle won the Oscar for “Slumdog Millionaire” and is highly regarded for many other films including “127 Hours” and “Trainspotting.”

Boyle is also involved in a Richard Curtis project that includes the Beatles’ music.

When I saw him a few months ago, Boyle said he was ready to direct Bond but was waiting for a script. Not long after, he was announced as the director.

So stay tuned. Will Mendes return? Will the Bond team find someone else? And why has there been such a flurry of activity around Idris Elba when Craig was already announced? Is the whole film in jeopardy again?

It’s a case for James Bond! The producers sound shaken, if not stirred.

 

Madonna Strikes Out at VMA’s, Barely Mentions Aretha Franklin During Self-Absorbed Tribute

Roger Friedman
-
0
Madonna Strikes Out at VMA’s, Barely Mentions Aretha Franklin During Self-Absorbed Tribute

Madonna’s self absorbed tribute to Aretha Franklin is the laughing stock of the internet. As now widely documented, Madonna made it all about her — her struggles, her trials and tribulations, her idiotic semi-African Halloween costume.

Are we surprised? Not a bit. It reminded me of Madonna’s documentary about Africa, called “I Am Because We Are.” The film showed no appreciation of the continent, just Madonna’s limited worldview. We dubbed it “We Are Because I Am.”

Madonna and Aretha Franklin have nothing to do with each other. What was the point? Why did MTV, so irrelevant at this point, choose a suburban white girl with a processed voice to honor the Queen of Soul? I’m sure Janet Jackson, out with a big hit– something Madonna hasn’t had in 20 years– was available.

What a shame. I’m sure we can expect better from the American Music Awards on October 9th, and the Grammys, in February. At least we know Madonna will not be invited to Clive Davis’s Madison Square Garden tribute to Aretha on November 14th. Those performers and speakers will be of a higher quality, and real substance.

For a real tribute to Aretha, read Sam Moore in today’s Variety.

Asia Argento’s Forgotten October 2017 Kurt Cobain Tweet Bizarre Now In Light of New Accusations

Roger Friedman
-
0
Asia Argento’s Forgotten October 2017 Kurt Cobain Tweet Bizarre Now In Light of New Accusations

Shortly after the Harvey Weinstein story broke — around October 5, 2017 — Asia Argento posted a strange Tweet. It quoted Kurt Cobain’s Nirvana song, “Rape Me,” from the album “In Utero.” The US press didn’t mention it but the Italian papers were outraged. Argento said then that this was because Cobain was warning about rape. But in light of the new accusations in the New York Times, this seems particularly odd.

Argento would have us think this was about her interaction with Weinstein. But according to the Times, she was alleged to have raped a 17 year old actor in 2013. A month or so after this post, she began negotiating a payment to the actor, now 21, of $380,000 to keep his mouth shut about what happened. Very twisted stuff here.

Revelation: Anthony Bourdain Was Defending Asia Argento, Attacking Harvey Weinstein, At the Same He Was Helping “Navigate” Settlement with Underage Actor

Roger Friedman
-
0
Revelation: Anthony Bourdain Was Defending Asia Argento, Attacking Harvey Weinstein, At the Same He Was Helping “Navigate” Settlement with Underage Actor

Anthony Bourdain committed suicide on June 8th. His death was a shock until some associated his abrupt decision with tabloid photographs of girlfriend Asia Argento cavorting with a young Italian journalist.

But now this comes to light: Bourdain and his attorney were helping Argento navigate a settlement and $380,000 pay off to an underage actor she allegedly raped. It’s mind boggling.

Bourdain had been Argento’s steadfast supporter, speaking out against her alleged rapist, Harvey Weinstein. He was fully committed to her cause, to #MeToo, and loyal to his girlfriend.

According to the New York Times story this evening, the actor Jimmy Bennett, now 22, sent a letter of intent to Bourdain’s lawyer last November. That lawyer, Richard Hofstetter, was also representing Argento at the time. The intent to sue was also sent to Argento’s lawyer, Carrie Goldberg.

The amount of hypocrisy here is overwhelming. Goldberg, for one, has carried on and on via social media about Weinstein, all the while defending Argento but knowing this case was pressing against Argento. And think of it– the Bennett claim came in November, just a few weeks after the Weinstein case broke.

Bourdain told several interviewers he imagined “Weinstein beaten to death.” He called out Hillary Clinton for not coming down harder on Weinstein when the stories came out. But at the very same time, he was helping Argento gag Jimmy Bennett, who accused her of raping him at 17? What was going on here?

Imagine that Bourdain was helping Argento get out of a jam involving sexual misconduct while he was defending her and denouncing Weinstein. And then at the same time, photos turn up in Italian and UK tabloids of Argento cavorting with a young Italian journalist. Something is not right here. Was Bourdain so caught up in Argento’s cause and then so Svengali’d by here?

Shocking Turn of Events in Harvey Weinstein Case: NY Times Reveals Asia Argento Paid Off Her Own Sex Misconduct Victim

Roger Friedman
-
0
Shocking Turn of Events in Harvey Weinstein Case: NY Times Reveals Asia Argento Paid Off Her Own Sex Misconduct Victim

In what is certainly a shocking turn of events, the Harvey Weinstein story has been turned upside down.

The New York Times reports that actress Asia Argento, who claims Weinstein raped her, actually paid off a young actor named Jimmy Bennett after attacking him sexually. The attack took place in 2013. The pay off — $380,000- – came since the #Metoo revelations started last year– and were concluded this spring right before Argento– who has been militant in her crusade against Weinstein– made a wild impromptu speech at Cannes saying Weinstein had used the festival as hunting ground.

Argento’s stunning hypocrisy comes on the heels of a catastrophic spring and summer for her. Not long after the Cannes Film Festival, her boyfriend– Anthony Bourdain– committed suicide. The suicide followed a week of photographs in Italian and UK newspapers of Argento “canoodling” with a young Italian journalist. Many on line have cited the photos as a catalyst for Bourdain’s suicide.

According to the Times report, Argento had played the mother of actor Jimmy Bennett when he was six years old in 2004 film called “The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things.” Bennett claimed that Argento assaulted him in 2013, when he was 17. The complaint was public because California doesn’t have NDAs to cover civil matters.

According to the Times, Bennett said in a filing against Argento that this is what happened: “Ms. Argento … gave him alcohol to drink and showed him a series of notes she had written to him on hotel stationery. Then she kissed him, pushed him back on the bed, removed his pants and performed oral sex. She climbed on top of him and the two had intercourse, the document says. She then asked him to take a number of photos.”

This revelation should rock the Harvey Weinstein case, especially in New York where Argento was considered a key witness. Weinstein has maintained right along that he and Argento had a four year consensual relationship and that he never raped her. Much of the prosecution’s case has been based on Argento’s forthrightness to testify and to support other alleged victims. But this report would seem to shatter her position of being any assistance in any case against Weinstein.

to be continued…

Janet Jackson Is Back! Has Her First Top 10 Hit Since 2001 With Infectious, Joyous “Made for Now”

Roger Friedman
-
0
Janet Jackson Is Back! Has Her First Top 10 Hit Since 2001 With Infectious, Joyous “Made for Now”

Never say never.

Janet Jackson has her first top 10 hit since 2001 with “Made for Now,” a collaboration with Daddy Yankee.

The record is great, but the response comes straight from an over the top knock out performance on the “Tonight” show on Friday. That, plus the video for the song, has made it number 4 on iTunes, competing with the new Ariana Grande single and the avalanche of sales for Aretha Franklin’s singles.

Janet’s last actual hit was in 2001. That was “Someone to Call My Lover” with Jermaine Dupri. I know, you’re thinking, it can’t be so long ago. But after that Janet’s recording career became a mess. Her last two singles didn’t even chart. And before that, “No Sleeep,” with too many e’s, made it just to number 63.

So what happened? I’ll tell you: “Made for Now” is an actual song, with a chorus that’s conventional, understandable, and singable. Also, the video is ebullient, euphoric, and triumphant. It’s reminiscent of “Smooth.” It’s joyous. Director Dasve Meyer captured some magic, and it’s infectious.

Janet isn’t even on a conventional record label anymore. She released “Made for Now” on her own Rhythm Nation records, distributed by indie group Cinq Records. She’s had 8 million views on YouTube for the video proper. I’ve added the Tonight show clip after that. Janet is back, kids. I’d say this would be the year for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to do the right thing.

One PS: In all those years, Janet never stopped trying. She lived through Michael’s death, her own waning popularity, poor ticket sales, a bad marriage, her crazy family. Persistence– and talent– have paid off.

 

Paul McCartney’s New Single, “Fuh You,” Inspired by Apple Records Banned 1968 Cult Release

Roger Friedman
-
0
Paul McCartney’s New Single, “Fuh You,” Inspired by Apple Records Banned 1968 Cult Release

We all know about the Beatles’ Apple Records. It was started in 1968 by the Fab Four. And those early releases must be on Paul McCartney’s mind these days.

McCartney’s new single from his forthcoming “Egypt Station” album is called, cheekily, “Fuh You.” There are gigantic billboards up in certain locations, sponsored by Spotify, promoting the title.

But the whole “Fuh You” promotion harkens back to 1969, when you couldn’t say such things on the radio. (I’m not sure you can now, except on Spotify.)

The first singles on Apple were the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” (number 1 for seven weeks 50 years ago) and Mary Hopkins’ “Those Were the Days.” Badfinger would follow with “Come and Get It,” as asll as James Taylor with his first album.

But it turns out the record numbered 8 in the Apple Records box set (also available as a track on the Apple greatest hits CD, on amazon.com) was called “The King of Fuh.” The record was credited to an artist named Brute Force. In actuality this was just a nice Jewish kid from Jersey City called Stephen Friedland, who in the 1960s was a member of The Tokens, the group that sang “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” In 1968 he confected a novelty pop song called “King of Fuh” (lyrics includes: “There was a beautiful land called Fuh. And in this land there was a king. And everybody called him the Fuh King”!!!)

Our friend and Beatles scholar Martin Lewis says:

“George Harrison heard the song courtesy of Nat Weiss – the US attorney for the then recently-deceased Beatles manager Brian Epstein. George immediately loved it and licensed the song for release on Apple. By Beatles protocol, this of course required the agreement of all four Beatles. John and George were both enthused fans of the song and Paul and Ringo also gave the release their blessing.

Alas Apple’s UK & US distributors (EMI and Capitol respectively) both point-blank refused to circulate the record because of the references to “Fuh-King”. A couple of thousand copies were covertly pressed by the Beatles and given away to pals of the band and their legendary publicist Derek Taylor. And then the record was done. The King of Fuh was no more…”
And, as noted, it’s now easily available via amazon and the Apple Records’ compilations.

1...1,2121,2131,214...2,323Page 1,213 of 2,323

Hollywood to the Hudson

Company

Trending

Categories

© Showbiz411.com