Tuesday, December 16, 2025
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Tributes Pour in for Paul Bloch, Courtly Publicist Beloved by All, Dead at 78

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Just type his name in on Twitter and you will see endless tributes today to Paul Bloch. The courtly publicist of Rogers & Cowan on the West Coast was 78 years old. He was beloved by everyone.

Paul represented Sylvester Stallone, John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eddie Murphy– the Planet Hollywood guys. He had loads of other clients, too, was acknowledged as the leader at R&C, particularly when Warren Cowan left.

He was no pushover, but Paul treated the whole enterprise with respect. For a long time, he and the late Lois Smith were my tent poles (she was at PMK), wise beyond their years, with long histories in show business and a real love for it.

So many people will say Paul mentored them– and it was true. And you learned a lot from listening to him and paying attention. Back at Fame magazine in the late 80s, I did great covers with him Willis, Stallone, and Cybill Shepherd. That’s pretty much how we met. And whenever I needed to pick his brain over the years, get some insight, etc. he was there. He was also one of the few people you really looked forward to seeing at awards shows, events, whatever.

So many of the publicists now will try to throw a body block when they see you even talking to a client (very rude– just happened in Cannes). Paul was the opposite. Just in the last few years we were at something with Eddie Murphy. Paul said  to me, “Did you see Eddie? Did you talk to Eddie? Let me get you over there.” This is all but gone now. But Paul worked on relationships. He forged them, nurtured them.

I will miss his laugh, his New Balance sneakers (I wear the same ones), and his guidance. At a time when Hollywood seems to the outside world like a hot bed of scandal, here was one of the really great guys.

Rest in peace, Paul.

“Solo: A Star Wars Story” Breaks Memorial Day Weekend Preview Record with $14 Million

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A lot of people are rooting for “Solo: A Star Wars Story” to fail this weekend at the box office. Sorry, not going to happen.

Last night “Solo” broke a Memorial Day weekend preview record with $14.1 million. It picked up another $11 million internationally. It’s off to an excellent start.

Boxofficemojo points out that “Solo” beat “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” for the preview title. That movie went on to have a $139 million Memorial Day weekend opening.

Everyone wants something different from “Solo.” And the nitpicking against it is hilarious. Ron Howard is a terrific director. He kept the parts of Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s movie that worked, and re-filmed the rest of it. The big set piece where Han meets Chewie Howard kept. He wasn’t going to chuck it just because it wasn’t his.

“Solo” is very entertaining and ends with a cliff hanger that brings back an old “Star Wars” villain. There will be two more “Solo” movies. Get used to it.

Internet trolls won’t be satisfied until they’ve snuffed out everything in every genre from movies to TV to music. Try making a movie– on your iPhone, maybe– and see how far you get.

Exclusive: Harvey Weinstein Lawyers Will Move for Dismissal, House Arrest in Arizona

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Sources tell me Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers will make two motions this morning.

One will be to dismiss the charges against him on constitutional grounds. There may be an issue of statute of limitations.

Weinstein will also ask to remain at his treatment center in Arizona. Right now his house arrest confines him to New York and Connecticut.

This morning Weinstein surrendered in New York and was arrested and arraigned on one count of sexual abuse and one count of rape. The abuse charge was filed by Lucia Evans, who claims that in 2004 Weinstein forced her to into oral sex. The rape charge victim is unidentified.

Weinstein arrived at the courthouse at 100 Centre St. with three books including a biography of Rodgers and Hammerstein, and one of Elia Kazan. He attempted a faint smile on the way in, but later on TV his face was ashen.

He will wear an anchor monitor wherever he stays until his trial, which is monitored 24/7. He posted $1 million bond on $10 million bail, and turned over his passport.

 

 

 

Recording Academy Scandal Grows: Grammy Org Denies Charges Money Was “Steered Away” from Charity

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The Recording Academy, aka NARAS, is disputing accusations from former MusiCares chief Dana Tomarken that the larger group’s Neil Portnow “steered away” funds from the Fleetwood Mac Person of the Year dinner to the money losing 2018 Grammys in New York. This is just a huge mess, and a PR disaster for the Recording Academy following Portnow’s flap this winter over women and their lack of representation at the Grammys and NARAS.

Here’s the Academy’s statement:

While we will not address point by point the letter from Ms. Tomarken, who was recently terminated following a thorough investigation, we respond as follows:

 (1) The decision as to the venue for this year’s Person of the Year event was made after careful consideration of all options, and input from all appropriate individuals. MusiCares’ interests were not sacrificed in favor of the interests of the Recording Academy.

(2) As Ms. Tomarken well knows, neither MusiCares nor the Recording Academy ever intended to reduce, nor will they reduce, the amount of financial support made available to MusiCares clients in need. MusiCares continues to provide the highest level of service to people in need across our music community, as evidenced by the four-star rating it earned, once again, in February from Charity Navigator—the highest rating the independent charity watchdog organization awards. Simply, our commitment and support will not be diminished.

 (3) Ms. Tomarken did not raise the issues relating to alleged “workplace abuse and harassment” until after her employment was terminated. An independent investigation of these allegations was immediately commenced. Based on the outcome of that investigation, appropriate action (if any) will be taken. Both the Recording Academy and MusiCares take all allegations of this kind seriously.

Some of what Tomarken says rings true, particularly the part about Grammy events not going to the Barclays Center. I said last winter that this explained the lavish awards attention to Barclays Center investor and public face Jay Z. In exchange for not getting the Grammy business, it seemed like Jay Z was otherwise feted constantly– by receiving the industry Icon award at Clive Davis’s dinner, and garnering a huge number of nominations that surprised everyone.

More to come….The Academy chiefs are currently at a board meeting in Hawaii (because, you know, NY or LA would have been too dull), debating all these issues…

Moses Farrow Defense of Woody Allen, Accusations of Abuse Against Mia Farrow Sparks #MiaToo Twitter Campaign

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Moses Farrow’s remarkably brave statement proclaiming and clearly demonstrating the innocence of his father Woody Allen of trumped-up allegations from 25 years ago seems to have sparked a new movement to shine a spotlight on the child abuse that WAS allegedly  committed —  not by Woody – but by Woody’s accuser – the mother of Moses Farrow, Dylan Farrow and Ronan Farrow (plus 11 others) – Mia Farrow.

The hashtag #MiaToo has been created.  There’s also a new website about Mia Farrow’s abuse of her children www.MiaToo.org
Mia Farrow has been a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund) since 2000.  Her acolytes often tout it as evidence of her saintly nature.
But now there are calls being made for UNICEF to conduct an investigations of the credible allegations of child abuse by Mia Farrow and determine if she should be allowed to retain her prestigious, image-enhancing title.
No less than three of the ten children she adopted between 1970-1995  suffered “emergencies.”  Two of them apparently couldn’t take life with Mia anymore and committed suicide – age 19 and 27.  A third child was so tormented that she was driven into poverty and drug addiction and died of AIDS.
There is certainly precedent for UNICEF revoking one of its goodwill ambassadorships.  For example in 2010 UNICEF stripped Goodwill Ambassador status from Mexican music superstar Marco Antonio Solís after reports confirmed his longtime ill-treatment of one of his daughters.
Moses’s claims of abuse about adopted sister Tam, one of three children who’ve died under Mia Farrow’s control:

Most media sources claim my sister Tam died of “heart failure” at the age of 21. In fact, Tam struggled with depression for much of her life, a situation exacerbated by my mother refusing to get her help, insisting that Tam was just “moody.” One afternoon in 2000, after one final fight with Mia, which ended with my mother leaving the house, Tam committed suicide by overdosing on pills. My mother would tell others that the drug overdose was accidental, saying that Tam, who was blind, didn’t know which pills she was taking. But Tam had both an ironclad memory and sense of spatial recognition. And, of course, blindness didn’t impair her ability to count.

The details of Tam’s overdose and the fight with Mia that precipitated it were relayed directly to me by my brother Thaddeus, a first-hand witness. Tragically, he is no longer able to confirm this account. Just two years ago, Thaddeus also committed suicide by shooting himself in his car, less than 10 minutes from my mother’s house.

Grammy Scandal: NARAS President Neil Portnow Under Fire as MusiCares Longtime Dedicated Chief Removed

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Variety just broke a part of this story, but it’s a whopper: MusiCares, the very important philanthropic part of the Grammy Awards, is suddenly thrown into a massive scandal involving money lost during the 2018 Grammys in New York.

First of all, in April MusiCares fired its director of 25 years, Dana Tomarken, who’s devoted her life to the charity and is clean as a whistle. Dana is the widow of famed late game show host Peter Tomarken. She’s run MusiCares beautifully, so news that she was fired over a trumped up charge is sending shockwaves through the music industry right now.

But this all has to do with Neil Portnow, head of NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) who apparently clashed with Tomarken booking the MusiCares Person of the Year dinner (honoring Fleetwood Mac) at Radio City Music Hall instead of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Barclays gave a better price, but according to the Variety story (based on a long memo sent by Tomarken) she was forced to take Radio City, which is owned by Madison Square Garden.

And that’s what this boils down to, because a lot of deals and sponsorships for the 2018 Grammys in New York, giving NARAS a six to eight million dollar shortfall. The Grammys are usually– and more wisely–produced by AEG Live in Los Angeles. But the music business is a lot like the Mafia. There are warring factions spread among different cities. Push came to shove and the show was forced to New York.

This is just the beginning of what will be a bigger scandal unfolding. A lot of questions are going to be asked now, and the answers won’t be pretty. Tomarken (whom I’ve known a long time but it’s not like we’re friends) is above reproach. Yet she was accused of mishandling a $2,500 auction item. How utterly ridiculous when millions are at stake.

MusiCares does a great job with indigent or sick musicians, needing insurance and health care, etc. But they’ve always been a target of scandal. When Portnow’s predecessor was there, it was like the Wild Wild West.

to be continued…

Mario Batali Sex Scandal Makes ABC Spit Out “The Chew” for More “GMA”– “General Hospital” in Trouble

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ABC has cancelled “The Chew” after seven years. Don’t think this isn’t related to the scandals surrounding famed chef Mario Battali, who was just accused again in The New York Times of rape and sexual misconduct. Battali was one of the co-hosts of “The Chew” until news of his troubles popped up last winter. A “60 Minutes” piece this past Sunday caused Battali’s company to cut ties with him.

The whole thing has a left bad taste in the mouth of ABC.

So the network will yank “The Chew” and replace it with “Good Afternoon America,” an hour of news and entertainment cut off from “GMA” by four hours. (They can’t take the intervening time– it’s local or syndicated. Plus powerhouse “Live with Kelly and Ryan” at 9am is owned by ABC cousin Disney.)

But this is a warning to “General Hospital” fans. The show is in ratings decline. If ABC can make “GMA” work at 1pm, it will come for the soap’s time in many markets at 2pm. The news this past week that “GH” had fallen to fourth place out of four soaps on the air doesn’t help. It’s time to get “GH” into the emergency room or face the Grim Reaper. ABC would like nothing to better than to get rid of a high priced dramatic program and replace it with cheap, recycled stories from the morning “GMA.”

Woody Allen Exonerated by Adopted Son Moses: “I was there – in the house, in the room”

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Moses Farrow’s posting this afternoon is so extraordinary, I wanted to write a second piece about it.

For 25 years, Mia Farrow has carried out a vendetta against Woody Allen that had no fact behind it. But she was clever. She cast Woody as a child molester, and brainwashed her children into believing it.

But Moses Farrow, several years older than Ronan or Dylan, was a witness. He writes in his piece: I was there – in the house, in the room.”

Moses knows Woody did nothing wrong.

But Mia Farrow, he says, was abusive:

When I didn’t give the answer she wanted, she slapped my face, knocking off my glasses. She told me I was lying and directed me to tell my brothers and sisters that I had taken the tape measure. Through my tears I listened to her as she explained that we would rehearse what should have happened. She would walk into the room and I would tell her I was sorry for taking the tape measure, that I had taken it to play with and that I would never do it again. She made me rehearse it at least a half-dozen times.

Moses writes about his mother’s family:

But the fatal dysfunction within my childhood home had nothing to do with Woody. It began long before he entered the picture and came straight from a deep and persistent darkness within the Farrow family.

It was common knowledge in Hollywood that my grandfather, the director John Farrow, was a notorious drinker and serial philanderer. There were numerous alcohol-fueled arguments between her parents, and Mia told me that she was the victim of attempted molestation within her own family. Her brother, my uncle John, who visited us many times when we were young, is currently in prison on a conviction of multiple child molestation charges. (My mother has never publicly commented on this or expressed concern about his victims.) My uncle Patrick and his family would often come by, but those visits could end abruptly as Mia and Patrick would often wind up arguing. Patrick would commit suicide in 2009.

He also writes about the children whom Mia adopted: For all of us, life under my mother’s roof was impossible if you didn’t do exactly what you were told, no matter how questionable the demand…

Most media sources claim my sister Tam died of “heart failure” at the age of 21. In fact, Tam struggled with depression for much of her life, a situation exacerbated by my mother refusing to get her help, insisting that Tam was just “moody.” One afternoon in 2000, after one final fight with Mia, which ended with my mother leaving the house, Tam committed suicide by overdosing on pills. My mother would tell others that the drug overdose was accidental, saying that Tam, who was blind, didn’t know which pills she was taking. But Tam had both an ironclad memory and sense of spatial recognition. And, of course, blindness didn’t impair her ability to count.

The details of Tam’s overdose and the fight with Mia that precipitated it were relayed directly to me by my brother Thaddeus, a first-hand witness. Tragically, he is no longer able to confirm this account. Just two years ago, Thaddeus also committed suicide by shooting himself in his car, less than 10 minutes from my mother’s house.

My sister Lark was another fatality. She wound up on a path of self-destruction, struggled with addiction, and eventually died in poverty from AIDS-related causes in 2008 at age 35.

Woody Allen’s Adopted Son Moses Farrow Defends His Father in New Post: “It’s time for this retribution to end”

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Moses Farrow has defended his adoptive father, Woody Allen, in a new post to his own blog.

Moses writes:

“I’m a very private person and not at all interested in public attention. But, given the incredibly inaccurate and misleading attacks on my father, Woody Allen, I feel that I can no longer stay silent as he continues to be condemned for a crime he did not commit.

I was present for everything that transpired in our house before, during, and after the alleged event. Now that the public hysteria of earlier this year has died down a little and I have some hope that the truth can get a fair hearing, I want to share my story.”

He concludes after detailing the events in 1992 that led Mia Farrow to accuse Woody Allen of a vareity of crimes:

To the actors who have worked with my father and have voiced regret for doing so: You have rushed to join the chorus of condemnation based on a discredited accusation for fear of not being on the “right” side of a major social movement. But rather than accept the hysteria of Twitter mobs, mindlessly repeating a story examined and discredited 25 years ago, please consider what I have to say. After all, I was there – in the house, in the room – and I know both my father and mother and what each is capable of a whole lot better than you.

To my sister Dylan:  Like you, I believe in the power of speaking out. I have broken my silence about the abuse inflicted by our mother. My healing began only after getting away from her. And what she has done to you is unbearable. I wish you peace, and the wisdom to understand that devoting your life to helping our mother destroy our father’s reputation is unlikely to bring you closure in any kind of lasting way.

Finally, to my mother: One thing you always said you appreciated about me was my ability to listen. I listened to you for years and held your truth above all others. You once said to me, “It’s not healthy to hold onto anger.” Yet here we are, 26 years later. I’m guessing your next step will be to launch a campaign to discredit me for speaking out. I know it comes with the territory. And it’s a burden I am willing to bear.

But, after all this time, enough is enough. You and I both know the truth. And it’s time for this retribution to end.

Broadway Upset: For “Pretty Woman” Musical Tony Winner Steve Kazee Out, Andy Karl (“Groundhog Day”) In

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It’s a big surprise this afternoon: for the upcoming musical version of “Pretty Woman,” the role of Edward– the millionaire playboy businessman lead– one Tony winner is out, and a popular Broadway actor is in.

Steve Kazee, who won a Tony for “Once,” and played Edward in the Chicago tryout, is out.

In, replacing him, is Andy Karl, star of the “Groundhog Day” and “Rocky” musicals of seasons past. Karl’s wife, the singer Orfeh, is already in the show.

Samantha Barks stars as Vivian, the hooker with a heart to whom Edward offers $3,000 to be his arm candy for a weekend in New York.

Rock star Brian Adams wrote the songs with Jim Vallance, Jerry Mitchell directs.  The late great Garry Marshall directed the original movie which had a screenplay by J.F. Lawton.

No word has been given for Kazee’s departure, although he recently suffered a loss when his family home in Kentucky burned to the ground. He has since started a GoFundMe page to help pay for the mounting expenses.

“I always figured I’d be playing the part of ‘audience member’ for Pretty Woman,” said Karl in a statement.  “When Paula Wagner and my longtime friend, Jerry Mitchell, asked if I would take over the role of ‘Edward’ it was a total surprise.  I was already a fan of the show after watching my wife (Orfeh) in the pre-Broadway workshops and then during the run in Chicago. She’s part of a tremendously talented cast.  Also, I was lucky enough to be friends with the great Garry Marshall, having worked with him before, and he created one of the most romantic stories of the 20th Century, so it didn’t take much arm twisting to get me to agree.”