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Ryan Seacrest Problems Grow: Personal Foundation Paid More Last Year in Salaries to Family Members than Grants to Charities

Roger Friedman
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Ryan Seacrest Problems Grow: Personal Foundation Paid More Last Year in Salaries to Family Members than Grants to Charities

Ryan Seacrest is in hot water today with sexual harassment charges from a former stylist. There are reports that NBC and the E! Channel may yank from him the red carpet Oscar show on Sunday. This may prove to be the start of something bigger if ABC gets cold feet about Seacrest on “American Idol” or “Live with Kelly and Ryan.”

A couple of times in the last two years I’ve reported on Seacrest’s personal foundation, a 501 c3 that’s supposed to help children in pediatric hospitals by teaching them about media. (That’s their mission statement.)

But as I’ve reported before, the Ryan Seacrest Foundation just seems to be a way for the radio deejay and TV host to pay salaries to family members. His sister, Meredith, and dad, Gary, are the only two staff members of the foundation who receive payment.

The foundation’s Form 990 for 2016 is now available. Together Meredith and Gary made $310,603. Meredith got $208,784 plus extra compensation of $5,819– a bump up from last year of $10,000. Gary, the father, a personal injury lawyer, $96,000.

But that money for family members is MORE than the Ryan Seacrest Foundation donated to anyone with a charity. Grants from the organization only totaled $303,148.  And THAT amount was paid in equipment, not money. So the Ryan Seacrest Foundation only exists to give cash to his relatives.

It’s all in black and white. As I’ve written before, I don’t understand why Seacrest just doesn’t put his family members on his payroll. Is this just to beat taxes? Some time soon, someone is going to take a look at this.

Motion Picture Home CEO Makes $750K a Year As Revenue, Assets Decline, Residents File Elder Abuse Lawsuits

Roger Friedman
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Motion Picture Home CEO Makes $750K a Year As Revenue, Assets Decline, Residents File Elder Abuse Lawsuits

The Motion Picture and Television Home in Woodland Hills, California– it’s a nursing home kind of place, assisted living, long term care facility. You know the drill. You have them in your town, maybe your grandma is living there.

The only difference is that with the Home, a couple of times a year they have big star studded fundraisers. Movie stars come and get gift bags with iPhones or custom sneakers or discounts on airlines. This Saturday they’ll have the The Night Before Party on the 20th Century Fox lot, as usual.

A really good job to have is CEO of the Motion Picture Home. Back in 2010, when the home was under siege because it was cutting services and celebrities were picketing their events, Bob Beicher was making $440,000.

So what’s happened since then? In 2011-2012, Beicher was bumped up to $800,000 a year and he’s remained at that level for every year since then–$750,000 a year for each of those years plus another roughly $50,000 n health benefits. That’s pretty good since in every one of those years revenue has fallen drastically.

On their Form 990, the MPTF lists total revenue going back to 2013 as:

2013–$108,820,000

2014 — $89 million

2015–$51.7 million

Total net assets for those years are also in decline: $124,4 mil (2013), $116 mil (2014), $108 mil (2015).

So that’s pretty good for Bob Beicher. I’d like that job, please.

It’s also pretty good since in 2012 there was a devastating report on the Home.

When the celebs are trooping around filling their candy bags on Saturday night, they might be thinking about the declining funds at the Home and asking themselves, hey, wassup here?

Wassup is a good question. In December, Deadline.com reported that a resident of the facility sued the Home for elder abuse among other things.

That was the second such suit last year.

The Motion Picture Television Fund denied the allegations in the lawsuit, promised to investigate them and defend themselves.

Searing Big Screen “Chappaquiddick” Thriller: Mary Jo Kopechne as First #MeToo Victim of Kennedy Family Money, Power and Corruption

Roger Friedman
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Searing Big Screen “Chappaquiddick” Thriller: Mary Jo Kopechne as First #MeToo Victim of Kennedy Family Money, Power and Corruption

I think John Curran’s masterful “Chappaquiddick” was shown once in Toronto for a handful of critics and distributors. Byron Allen was very smart to pick it up for his new Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures company–it’s going to be a big hit. What he could never have predicted back in September that by now the movie would have a whole new layer of meaning: Mary Jo Kopechne, left to drown in the waters of Martha’s Vineyard in July 1969, was the first #MeToo victim. Her death, suggested here as caused by the late Senator Edward Kennedy, is the paradigm for everything being discussed today.

Curran has made a couple of movies I really liked– “Tracks” with Mia Wasikowska and Adam Driver, and “We Don’t Live Here Anymore” with Mark Ruffalo and Marisa Tomei. He’s Australian and almost 60, so his sensibility is outsider and his interests would be the Kennedys and how power corrupts. The Australian part is lucky because he’s brought Jason Clarke along as Ted Kennedy, and it’s a powerful performance that should put him on early awards lists. Clarke was borbn to play Teddy as it turns out.

“Chappaquiddick” refers to a scandal that in hindsight is stunning that it didn’t end Kennedy’s political career– or put him in jail. Let’s say you’re a fan of Kennedy for everything but this episode. Still, on a boozy summer night — the same weekend that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon–a married but philandering Teddy drove his car off the Chappaquiddick bridge with Mary Jo Kopechne (astute performance by Kate Mara, she’s excellent), a young secretary who’d worked for his late brother Bobby, at his side.

Were they screwing, or just driving around, drinking, having a grand time? No one knows. But the car went into the water and turned upside down. Teddy escaped and did not try to save Mary Jo. He return to the party house where he and friends had been whooping it up, found two of his sycophants (Ed Helms and Jim Gaffigan), brought them back to the scene of the accident. By then, Mary Jo had certainly died.

They never reported the accident. Instead, they created massive cover up that presaged Watergate. The car and Mary Jo were discovered the next morning by passersby. Curran peels the cover up like an orange, and it’s beautiful to watch. Clarke portrays Teddy so ambiguously you almost can’t tell if he’s calculating, stupid, just a lost man child. The result is you can’t take your eyes off of him. Teddy’s scenes with his father– Joe Kennedy after a stroke, wheelchair bound, wordless perfection from Bruce Dern–are riveting.

The Kennedys will not be happy. They may try to kill this film. (In 40 years no one has even tried to tell this story accurately.) Allen will have to present quite a PR front and solid distribution. This isn’t a tabloid story. Curran is damn serious.  If Mary Jo as #MeToo victim takes off, the movie will click. This really happened. Ted Kennedy–using his brothers’ assassinations for sympathy–convinced the world that he just didn’t know what happened to this beautiful, smart young woman. “Chappaquiddick” is quite stunning.

Release date is April 6th. More to come, oh yes, when we get closer…

Netflix Goes Brazilian with G Eazy Hip Hop Doc “Rapture”: “Hip Hop Is Being Truthful”

Leah Sydney
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Netflix Goes Brazilian with G Eazy Hip Hop Doc “Rapture”: “Hip Hop Is Being Truthful”

There is no denying that Hip-hop has has is having a huge impact on global culture.  Netflix knows this and their new hip-hop eight episode documentary series “Rapture” debuts on March 30th.  One of the episodes features Rapper G-Eazy, who just sold out his last 3 shows at the Shrine in LA. São Paulo, Brazil is the where the rapper is featured at the recent Lollapalooza there.  Filming in Brazil is quickly becoming a go to destination for Hollywood.  

Leading the charge on that is Brazil Production Services, founded by producer Thiago Da Costa.  BPS recently shot the Brazilian part of Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War,” the Latin American docuseries “72 Most Dangerous Animals,” the recently wrapped Netflix’s “Fight World,” hosted by Frank Grillo, and the US film units of two Brazilian studio films, “Lucicireide” and  “Instructions Not Included.”

With “Rapture,”  why in São Paulo?  Da Costa explains, “Hip hop is huge in São Paulo.  The city is a huge urban center with many underprivileged neighborhoods where hip-hop and some of its local derivatives like funk are the soundtrack of choice. To many of the city’s residents, hip-hop’s hard driving nature and themes resonate very deeply.  There’s already a rich tradition of local rappers in São Paulo that already span something like 2 or 3 generations. It was only natural that G-Eazy play a show there.”

 “Rapture” also features Nas & Dave East, Just Blaze, Rapsody, Logic, T.I, 2 Chainz, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.  “Raptures credo is, “Hip Hop is about being truthful.  The definition of power is freedom. If you have power, you’re free.”

Watch the trailer here

Hollywood’s Race to Erase MS Ball Set to Roll with Scott Rogowsky, the HQ Trivia Guy, and Siedah Garrett

Roger Friedman
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Hollywood’s Race to Erase MS Ball Set to Roll with Scott Rogowsky, the HQ Trivia Guy, and Siedah Garrett

Marvin Davis, now 13 years gone, at one time owned the Beverly Hills Hotel and 20th Century Fox. But his greatest legacies are his beloved widow, Barbara, who chairs the Carousel of Hope Ball every year, and their daughter, Nancy, who is now celebrating 25 years of creating the Race to Erase MS gala. What would Los Angeles (and the world) do without these ladies?

Nancy– passionate, determined, fiery, and funny– came to New York to talk about the 25th anniversary gala set for April 20th at the Beverly Hilton. Every star is coming, not just from Hollywood but from all over the world. When all the Oscars hoopla is over, “Race to Erase” is the hottest ticket in town. Nancy revealed to me that Siedah Garrett, who wrote Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” will perform– and more performers will be revealed son. Guests every year include Quincy Jones, Clive Davis, Randy Jackson, the whole Osbourne family, Jamie Lyn Sigler— it’s like the best pages of US Weekly come to life.

She’s also got the hottest guy anywhere– Scott Rogowsky, host of HQ Trivia— to host the evening.

“I called him up,” Nancy said over breakfast last week at the Rockefeller Center Cafe, “and said everyone’s obsessed with you. You have to come. We’re going to figure out a game everyone can play at the dinner.”

Listen, Nancy Davis– who has five kids and is happily married– found out at age 33 she had MS. Her doctor told her to go home and go to bed. “He said, At least I’d be able to use the TV remote,” Nancy recalled. “I said, Wait a minute. I’m only 33.”

At the time there were no drugs on the market for multiple sclerosis. None “Zero,” she says, plainly. So she started making calls. Today, thanks to seed money from Race, there are 15 drugs to choose from. A newer one, called Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), approved one year ago, has revolutionized many sufferers’ lives. What used to be a death sentence has now has treatments that work.

“MS is a really popular disease right now because the idea of finding a cure is out there,” Davis says. There’s a light, at least, at the end of the tunnel.

The 25th anniversary ball will not only be star studded, but look for a lot of the attendees to be wearing the Race’s official Invictus Peace and Love watch — a massive hit on Evine and Nancy’s own brainstorm– a great way to contribute to the charity.

But look, this is what we want to know–Didn’t  Aaron Spelling model the “Dynasty” TV show with the Carrington family on the Davises? That’s what we always heard back in the 80s. In fact, when the Davises –who lived in Denver– got wind of this, they moved to Hollywood and took over. Right?

Well, not exactly. “Maybe there was an influence because of my dad’s oil company, but the characters are completely different,” Nancy says. She’s right. Marvin Davis had one wife, the amazing Barbara. There was no Alexis or Krystal. And the family– even with their own legal problems– turned out to be filmmakers (brother John), and incredible philanthropists. The Carringtons would have been lucky to be the Davises!

 

 

Cuba Gooding Jr. Unveils His Tasty “Louisiana Caviar” with Famke Janssen and Greg Bello for Chris Cuomo, Ari Melber, Media Elite

Roger Friedman
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Cuba Gooding Jr. Unveils His Tasty “Louisiana Caviar” with Famke Janssen and Greg Bello for Chris Cuomo, Ari Melber, Media Elite

You really have to like someone to trek all the way to the South Street Seaport to see their movie. I actually forgot the Seaport was still there– what happened to it, it was such a rocking spot in the early 1990s?

Anyway, lots of people put on their GPS and found the iPic Theater on Fulton Street next to what used to be the Fulton Fish Market before Rudy Giuliani kicked out the mob and the Gap came in. The mob is now very missed. But the iPic has comfortable seats and tasty popcorn, so that’s something.

We came for Cuba Gooding Jr.’s directorial debut, “Louisiana Caviar,” in which he plays a former boxer who gets caught up in a very shady deal involving Richard Dreyfus. The glorious Famke Janssen has a knockout performance as a kind of punk lesbian photographer. She sports a short black wig and very convincing tattoos that are, thank god, all fakes. (“American Idol” star and David Foster squeeze Katherine McPhee is her lover and looks swell.)

New York’s favorite local actor, Greg Bello, acquits himself beautifully as an Orthodox Jew who gets scammed by everyone including hot newcomer Lia Marie Johnson, who is Capitol Records’ next Big Thing.

The whole thing was shot for $3.5 million in 18 days with a gorgeous palette from DP Wedigo von Schultzendorff, who gives New Orleans a golden washed out look for this cast of misfits struggling to rise above a caper gone bad. Some of the shots of the lesser characters (who I think are locals) could be taken out and used as photographs they’re so stunning.

Among those who shlepped: CNN’s Chris Cuomo and wife Cristina, MSNBC’s Ari Melber, Famke herself looking stunning, Michael and Laurie Gelman and so on. This was not a premiere, just a look-see until distributors come in with bids. But expect to see “Louisiana Caviar” in theaters before the end of the year. Cuba has the bug, now– “I love directing,” he told me , and it shows. Plus he used a song from his famous late dad, singer Cuba Gooding Jr of the Main Ingredient that showcased his old man’s lovely R&B tenor. What more could you want?

Broadway Boffo: Disney’s “Frozen” Musical Plays Just 4 Previews, Makes Nearly $1 Million

Roger Friedman
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Broadway Boffo: Disney’s “Frozen” Musical Plays Just 4 Previews, Makes Nearly $1 Million

Bruce Springsteen is still on leave from his Broadway show, so the weekly box office had to rely on a newcomer to make noise.

Disney’s “Frozen” musical based on the hit animated movie played just 4 previews last week and made just over $926,000– it sold out right to the rafters. So imagine if they’d done the 8 regular shows that will be the schedule– $1.8 million would have been the box office. “Frozen” opens in April and by then the weekly box office should give Bruce– who takes in $2.4 million a week from 5 performances — a run for his money.

It was a good week all the way around for Broadway shows. Buoyed by rave reviews, Bernadette Peters in “Hello, Dolly!” cleared $1 million for the second week in a row. Yes, it’s half of the Bette Midler take per week, but the budget is probably half, too. Peters’ consolation is that her reviews were through the roof. The show has benefited from her arrival, and that of Victor Garber.

The big news is that Martin McDonagh’s “The Hangmen” which was supposed to transfer uptown to Broadway before Tony eligibility cut off of April 26th may not make it after all. There’s said to be a glitch in the business end of things. This would clear the way for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” to win the Tony for Best New Play. Interesting. “The Hangmen” has been extended to March 25th downtown at the Atlantic Theater Company, which will still likely win Best Musical for “The Band’s Visit.”

Maybe someone on the Great White Way didn’t want the Atlantic to pick up Best Musical and Best Play in the same season. If ya know what I mean…

TV’s “The Bachelor” Headed for a Disaster: if You Follow “Reality Steve” The Worst Is Yet to Come

Roger Friedman
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TV’s “The Bachelor” Headed for a Disaster: if You Follow “Reality Steve” The Worst Is Yet to Come

Do I watch “The Bachelor”? Not really. Not until a couple of years ago, and then I’ve just caught the first and last episodes to see what’s going on.

But if you follow the reliable website Reality Steve, the poo is about to hit the fan on this, the 22nd ‘season’ (seasons used to be years) of a show about basically clueless morons.

The current bachelor is named Arie Luyendyk Jr., a 36 year old part time amateur race car driver and real estate salesman who was exhumed from a previous iteration of “The Bachelorette.”  Arie is the perfect antidote to sleeplessness, so his “journey” to the final rose ceremony hasn’t been too thought provoking until now.

Turns out Reality Steve — who gets the scoop on this stuff— has known the outcome since the show began airing– in other words, when they finish taping, and the participants go silent waiting for the final, live broadcast– that’s when the fun begins.

So what does Reality Steve know? He knows that Arie proposed to one woman, who said yes on the air. Everyone shook hands and parted company until the live show ending. But in the interim, Arie broke off his engagement and started dating a girl he’d rejected on the last show. It’s unclear if they became engaged, or broke up, or if he got back together with the first girl.

And you see, it won’t matter anyway. Because whoever Arie is with now, in six months it will be over. “The Bachelor” is a hallucination. None of it is real. The people don’t really know each other. And they’re almost always geographically at odds; neither of them wants to move to the other’s locale. The on who lives in Maine doesn’t want to up-end their life and move to Arizona, or whatever.

Let’s put it this way– if Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux couldn’t figure it out, these losers certainly aren’t going to pull it off.

So it’s all going to end in a snarl, with a lot of snarling. I won’t see it in real time, because tonight there are two movie premieres and next Monday is the night after the Oscars and I will be at Craig’s in West Hollywood commiserating about who was “snubbed.”

But god bless to all of these clowns. Their lives are “on the line.” The real hero anyway is Reality Steve.

“Black Panther” Did Better Than Predicted on Sunday, Finished Weekend with $403 Million US

Roger Friedman
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“Black Panther” Did Better Than Predicted on Sunday, Finished Weekend with $403 Million US

Never bet again T’Challa.

Turns out “Black Panther” did better than predicted for Sunday, coming in closer to $35 million than the prognosticated $31.6 million. So instead of $400 mil plus change, the domestic total is probably $403 million.

At this rate, “Black Panther” will be number 1 all week and weekend, beating all new releases including “Red Sparrow,” which will do well, and “Death Wish,” which will not. “Black Panther” will be number 1 on Oscar night, so look for as many of its cast as the Oscars can persuade to be at the show.

 

 

Rolling Stones Plan European Tour Despite Retirements of Other Rock Stars: “We’re Not Finished Yet”

Roger Friedman
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Rolling Stones Plan European Tour Despite Retirements of Other Rock Stars: “We’re Not Finished Yet”

The Rolling Stones gather no moss and will not retire from performing. They’ve just announced European dates for their No Filter tour this summer. Their combined age is 2,700. Other rock stars like Elton John, Neil Diamond, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, Aretha Franklin are ending their tour days. Not the Stones! Keith Richards said in an earlier post: “We aren’t finished yet!”

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