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Disney Buys Fox Movies & TV, Gets Potential Oscar Winners, Nominees and Films For Adults At Last

Roger Friedman
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Disney Buys Fox Movies & TV, Gets Potential Oscar Winners, Nominees and Films For Adults At Last

Disney is buying 20th Century Fox today for $52 billion. They get the movie and TV studio but not Fox News or Sports, or the 20th lot at Pico and Motor in Century City.

Rupert Murdoch unloads the part of his business that he never had any feel for, and begins downsizing his empire. He holds on to the press control he so relishes. But he’s off the red carpet.

What Disney gets is a lot for that $52 billion. Already a powerhouse with their own animation, Marvel, Pixar, and LucasFilm, now Disney obtains something out of its reach for a long time: serious movies for adults.

In “big” Fox it gets Stacey Snider, who’s a great studio head, along with Steven Spielberg’s movie “The Post” with Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. Disney could wind up with this year’s Oscar winner.

But they could also have the Oscar winner with one of the films from Fox Searchlight, the part of Fox that makes and distributes consistently good movies. Nancy Utley and Steve Gilula have done a masterful job. This year they have “The Shape of Water” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” in the Oscar race, each heading for Best Picture nominations.

Disney has long coveted some way of making those kinds of quality movies with live people in them and no comic book characters, etc. They had Miramax years ago but let it leave in 2004. Now they will be players in a nice new arena.

And of course, Wolverine and the X Men will be reunited with Marvel.

There’s a lot more synergy, and certainly the whole streaming issue will now be to their advantage with the Fox libraries of movie and TV shows.

As far as the Fox lot goes, who knows what the Murdochs will do with it? They’re sitting on a ton of movie sets and memorabilia. It’s not clear whether all of that will move to Burbank. Maybe Rupert will convert the lot back into a residential neighborhood. It’s the end of an era, to be sure.

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” Opens at 7pm Tonight With Great Reviews and A Couple of Huge Spoilers That Will Shock Audience

Roger Friedman
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“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” Opens at 7pm Tonight With Great Reviews and A Couple of Huge Spoilers That Will Shock Audience

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” will open tonight (Thursday) at 7pm in hundreds of locations. It contains a couple of spoilers that fans will have to restrain themselves from revealing. One of them is HUGE. and may disturb old fans. Another is pretty big, but it’s the nice kind.

The Rian Johnson directed episode 8 of the 40 year old series has a 94 on Rotten Tomatoes. There are only 11 negative reviews, and those people have been sent to Alabama to work for Dou Jones as unpaid interns.

Will “The Last Jedi” clear $200 million this weekend? I do think it’s possible as it is an ending as much as it is a continuation. Lots of fans will see it twice, including yours truly. And here’s a mini spoiler: Justin Theroux is in the movie. You find him, pay close attention.

Wrap Up: Salma Hayek Says Harvey Weinstein Said He’d Kill Her, Tavis Smiley Booted from PBS, Morgan Spurlock Confesses to…Stuff

Roger Friedman
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Wrap Up: Salma Hayek Says Harvey Weinstein Said He’d Kill Her, Tavis Smiley Booted from PBS, Morgan Spurlock Confesses to…Stuff

Just so we’re all caught up when we wake up Thursday…

TAVIS SMILEY is gone from PBS. Whatever he did, it was bad, and now, like Charlie Rose, he is over at PBS. What did he do? Variety says Smiley was investigated and “The investigation found credible allegations that Smiley had engaged in sexual relationships with multiple subordinates, sources said. Some witnesses interviewed expressed concern that their employment status was linked to the status of a sexual relationship with Smiley. In general, witnesses described Smiley as creating a verbally abusive and threatening environment that went beyond what could be expected in a typical high-pressure work environment. Several expressed concerns about retaliation.”

So his next gig will be interviewing Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer.

SALMA HAYEK, an actress who is one of those really great people you meet in showbiz, wrote an Op Ed piece for the New York Times recalling Harvey Weinstein’s sexual, social and business misdeeds against her. This was all around the making of Julie Taymor’s movie “Frida,” which Hayek says Weinstein didn’t want to make with her. She says he took advantage of her, made her film a love scene naked with another woman, and so on. Hayek recalls an absolutely true story about a physical scuffle with Weinstein, Taymor, composer Elliot Goldenthal. She also says Weinstein threatened that he’d “kill her.” Weinstein issued a statement denying it all, as follows:

Mr. Weinstein regards Salma Hayek as a first-class actress and cast her in several of his movies, among them “Once Upon a Time in Mexico,” “Dogma,” and “Studio 54.” He was very proud of her Best Actress Academy Award nomination for “Frida” and continues to support her work.

While Jennifer Lopez was interested in playing Frida and at the time was a bigger star, Mr. Weinstein overruled other investors to back Salma as the lead. Miramax put up half of the money and all of the P&A; the budget was over 12 million.  As in most collaborative projects, there was creative friction on “Frida,” but it served to drive the project to perfection. The movie opened in multiple theaters and was supported by a huge advertising campaign and an enormous Academy Awards budget.

Mr. Weinstein does not recall pressuring Salma to do a gratuitous sex scene with a female costar and he was not there for the filming. However, that was part of the story, as Frida Kahlo was bisexual and the more significant sex scene in the movie was choreographed by Ms. Hayek with Geoffrey Rush. The original uni-brow used was an issue because it diverted attention from the performances. All of the sexual allegations as portrayed by Salma are not accurate and others who witnessed the events have a different account of what transpired.

Ed Norton, who was Ms. Hayek’s boyfriend at the time, [worked with Mr. Weinstein on the rewrite of the script in Mexico] did a brilliant job of rewriting the script and Mr. Weinstein battled the WGA to get him a credit on the film. His effort was unsuccessful to everyone’s disappointment.

By Mr. Weinstein’s own admission, his boorish behavior following a screening of “Frida” was prompted by his disappointment in the cut of the movie—and a reason he took a firm hand in the final edit, alongside the very skilled director Julie Taymor.

MORGAN SPURLOCK, director “Super Size Me” and lots of other documentaries, decided to come clean rather than wait for NY Times reporters with Tiki torches to come after him. He says he was once accused of rape, that he settled a sexual harassment case in his office with a woman he allegedly verbally abused, that he’s cheated on both of his wives and every woman he ever knew. I’ve known Morgan professionally for a long time but I didn’t know, as he writes in the blog post, that he’s “consistently been drinking since the age of 13? I haven’t been sober for more than a week in 30 years.” That is really awful, and I hope he can resolve that before things get worse. But it does explain why he was throwing up all those Big Macs in “Super Size Me.” I can’t imagine mixing alcohol with that crap.

The New York Times also has three women accusing Russell Simmons of rape, they’ve coined the term “the rape room” in their story about the Spotted Pig Restaurant, toppled the careers of chef Mario Batali and restaurant owner Ken Friedman (absolutely no relation). I’ve probably missed a few. And it’s only Thursday morning.

Also, Rose McGowan says Harvey Levin of TMZ is essentially blackmailing her. She wrote on Twitter last night: Help! I’m being harassed by @HarveyLevinTMZ He is hanging something over my head. He is on HW’s payroll. -Levin, you motherfucker, I’m trying to stop an international rapist. WTF have you done with your scumbag life? Back the fuck up.”

Indeed.

Shock Snubs from Screen Actors Guild Award Noms: Streep, Hanks, Spielberg, Daniel Day Lewis OUT, New Generation IN

Roger Friedman
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Shock Snubs from Screen Actors Guild Award Noms: Streep, Hanks, Spielberg, Daniel Day Lewis OUT, New Generation IN

The SAG Awards have snubbed Steven Spielberg’s “The Post” and the stars in it– Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. It’s a shock. They also smacked down Daniel Day Lewis in “Phantom Thread.” This really says a lot about the new make up of SAG. Wow. This totally changes the Oscar prognostications. Best Ensemble winners at SAG usually win the Best Picture at the Oscars. But now Lady Bird, Mudbound, The Big Sick, Three Billboard Outside Ebbing Missouri, and Get Out are the top 5. Holy moly.

 

Motion Pictures:

Best Actor: Daniel Kaluuya, Gary Oldman, Timothee Chalamet, James Franco, Denzel Washington

Best Actress: Judi Dench, Saoirse Ronan, Sally Hawkins, Margot Robbie, Frances McDormand

Best Supporting Actor: Steve Carell, Woody Harrelson, Richard Jenkins, Sam Rockwell, Willem Dafoe

Best Supporting Actress: Allison Janney, Laurie Metcalf, Mary J. Blige, Hong Chau

Best Ensemble:

Get Out

Lady Bird

Mudbound

Three Billboards

Big Sick

 

Television

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

The Crown
Game of Thrones
The Handmaid’s Tale
Stranger Things
This is Us

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

black-ish
Curb 
GLOW
Orange is the New Black
Veep

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This is Us
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
David Harbour, Stranger Things
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things
Claire Foy, The Crown
Laura Linney, Ozark
Elizabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Robin Wright, House of Cards

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson, black-ish
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Sean Hayes, Will and Grace
William H. Macy, Shameless
Marc Maron, GLOW

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black
Alison Brie, GLOW
Jane Fonda, Grace and Frankie
Julia Louise Dreyfuss, Veep
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock
Jeff Daniels, Godless
Robert De Niro, The Wizard of Lies
Geoffrey Rush, Genius
Alexander Skarsgaard, Big Little Lies

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies
Jessica Lange, Feud: Betty and Joan
Susan Sarandon, Feud: Betty and Joan
Reese Witherspoon, Big Little Lies

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series

Game of Thrones
GLOW
Homeland
Stranger Things
The Walking Dead

Bon Jovi, Moody Blues Finally Make Rock Hall, with The Cars, Nina Simone, and Dire Straits

Roger Friedman
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Bon Jovi, Moody Blues Finally Make Rock Hall, with The Cars, Nina Simone, and Dire Straits

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finally got with the program and is inducting the Moody Blues to their hallowed institution. It only took 30 years.

The Moody Blues are joined by Bon Jovi, The Cars, Nina Simone, and Dire Straits. Sister Rosetta Tharpe was named as an Early Influencer.

Bon Jovi is significant because they’ve been eligible for some time but overlooked. Jon Bon Jovi was so angry at Jann Wenner he pulled all the group’s memorabilia from the Hall in Cleveland.

Dire  Straits and The Cars represent the late 70s and New Wave music, which Wenner has no interest in. But he’s also stuck because acts who deserve induction are dwindling to a few now. In what is a tragic irony, Wenner still hasn’t managed to get the J Geils Band in. It’s a mark of his warped personal cruelty.

The two women who are inducted were legends of different value. They are also deceased. Nina Simone was wonderful but really had nothing to do with rock and roll. Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s special mention as an Early Influencer was no doubt thanks to Seymour Stein, the last real authentic member of the nominating committee. Sister Rosetta must be smiling since probably no one who attends the show next April will have heard of her.

Still not in and bypassed yet again: a long list of people.

The ceremony will take place in Cleveland.

 

Politics is Showbiz: Trump Suffers HUGE Loss as Doug Jones Beats Roy Moore in Alabama Senate Race

Roger Friedman
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Politics is Showbiz: Trump Suffers HUGE Loss as Doug Jones Beats Roy Moore in Alabama Senate Race

Democrat Doug Jones has beaten Republican– and accused pedophile–Roy Moore in the US Senate race in Alabama.

For Donald Trump, it’s a huge loss. For Alabama, it’s a miracle that they survived Trump, Steve Bannon, racism, all of it.

Now Trump and Bannon are tremendously hurt as Republicans, and leaders.

Moore’s loss will haunt Trump next year in the mid term elections, and in 2020 when he runs for re-election.

Now the Democrats need a candidate for the presidency. And soon.

Let Sam Moore sing us home:

Lady Gaga Says She’ll Be Billed Under Stage Name for “A Star is Born” with Bradley Cooper

Roger Friedman
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Lady Gaga Says She’ll Be Billed Under Stage Name for “A Star is Born” with Bradley Cooper

Lady Gaga has news for us. When she appears next spring in Bradley Cooper’s version of “A Star is Born” she’ll be billed not as Stefani Germanotta– her real name– but as the one and only Lady Gaga.

“I’ve seen a lot of rumors on the internet that for “A Star Is Born” I’ll be billed as Stefani, but that’s not the case. It’s Lady Gaga, baby!” she posted to Twitter.

 

“A Star is Born” is set for a mid May release, and may even open the Cannes Film Festival. It’s not Lady Gaga’s acting debut. She’s been knocking them dead and winning awards for appearing on TV in Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story.”

The A List Shows Up for “Phantom Thread,” And Even Daniel Day Lewis Even Pops By

Roger Friedman
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The A List Shows Up for “Phantom Thread,” And Even Daniel Day Lewis Even Pops By
- New York, NY - 12/11/17 - New York Premiere of Focus Features "Phantom Thread" -Pictured: Daniel Day Lewis -Photo by: Marion Curtis / StarPix -Location: Harold Pratt House
-Photo by: Marion Curtis / StarPix

Focus Features, god bless ’em. They put on a black tie party for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Phantom Thread” Monday night at a swanky upper East Side townhouse befitting the director’s fictional creation, British designer Reynolds Woodcock.

An A list crowd of swells came including Michael Shannon, Ben Foster, Dana Delany, Sienna Miller, Zosia Mamet, Paul Haggis, David Schwimmer,director JC Chandor,  even Little Steven van Zandt and his beautiful wife Maureen showed up. Gossip legend Cindy Adams got a special chair in the vestibule where she could depose all the famous people. Radio Man (still homeless, George Clooney) sat outside with his bicycle.

But where was the movie’s star, Daniel Day Lewis? He did take pictures outside in the enclosed heated tent where there was a red carpet and photographers. He took five, to be sure, one solo, one group, and three with members of the cast. And then? He left. Poof. Into the dark night.

Too bad. Upstairs at the Harold Pratt House things were convivial and cramped, a swell time in a well appointed richly paneled room. The women of “Phantom Thread” — Lesley Manville, Vicky Krieps, and Harriet Harris— more than made up for DDL’s absence. I asked each of them if they’d met Daniel Day Lewis while shooting– he stays in character, famously– and got varying answers. Manville, at least, knew DDL before hand. Harris, a surprise gem of the movie after a long theater and TV career, felt she’d actually met DDL and was delighted.

Oh well, I think the Focus people were a little disappointed DDL didn’t spend more time with us. But he’s retiring, I wanted to say! Never fear, the movie is top notch, our only real auteur-ific entry in the 2017 awards race, a piece of art. And what, I asked the astounding Manville, did she think had happened to the characters after the movie ended? She thought about it a second and answered, with aplomb: “They lived happily ever after, I suppose.”

 

Surprise: Frances McDormand Wins 2017 African American Films Critics Award for Best Actress in “Three Billboards”

Roger Friedman
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Surprise: Frances McDormand Wins 2017 African American Films Critics Award for Best Actress in “Three Billboards”

Surprise: Frances McDormand, who is white, has won Best Actress from the African American Film Critics in their 2017 awards. The group named “Get Out” for Best Picture, Director, and Actor. All the main winners were black, which is appropriate since they’re the African American film critics.

Choosing McDormand is cool and definitely different. They obviously saw something in her character’s defiant journey to get justice for her dead daughter in Martin McDonagh’s original and searing screenplay. It’s a performance full of soul.

McDormand is, of course, an Oscar, Tony, and Emmy winner and is one of our finest actresses. Her work in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” has earned her a Golden Globe nomination will also get her an Oscar nomination next month. If she could sing, she’d have a Grammy.

The critics’ choice is also indicative that this year there were no African American actresses in lead roles. The only black actresses from movies were in the supporting category. That’s certainly a problem that needs to be addressed.

BEST PICTURE
GET OUT

BEST DIRECTOR
JORDAN PEELE – GET OUT

BEST ACTOR
DANIEL KALUUYA – GET OUT

BEST ACTRESS
FRANCES McDORMAND – THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
LAURENCE FISHBURNE – LAST FLAG FLYING

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
TIFFANY HADDISH – GIRLS TRIP

BEST COMEDY
GIRLS TRIP

BEST ENSEMBLE
DETROIT

BEST INDEPENDENT
CROWN HEIGHTS

BEST ANIMATED
COCO

BEST DOCUMENTARY
STEP

BEST FOREIGN
THE WOUND

BEST SCREENPLAY
GET OUT

BEST SONG
“IT AINT FAIR” — DETROIT – THE ROOTS featuring BILAL

BEST NEW MEDIA
MUDBOUND

BEST TV SERIES (COMEDY)
BLACKISH

BEST TV SERIES (DRAMA)
QUEEN SUGAR

BREAKOUT
LAKEITH STANFIELD – CROWN HEIGHTS

AAFCA TOP 10 FILM – 2017

  1. GET OUT
  2. THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI
  3. COCO
  4. GIRLS TRIP
  5. DETROIT
  6. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
  7. THE SHAPE OF WATER
  8. GOOK
  9. CROWN HEIGHTS
  10.  MARSHALL

AAFCA TOP 10 TV – 2017

  1. QUEEN SUGAR: Season 2
  2. UNDERGROUND: Season 2
  3. INSECURE: Season 2
  4. MASTER OF NONE: Season 2
  5. BLACK-ISH: Season 4
  6. THE HANDMAID’S TALE: Season 1
  7. DEAR WHITE PEOPLE: Season 1
  8. SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT: Season 1
  9.  THE DEFIANT ONES
  10. TIE: GUERILLA/SNOWFALL: Season 1

 

Review: Carrie Fisher’s Last Postcard from the Edge: Late Star Commands “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”

Roger Friedman
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Review: Carrie Fisher’s Last Postcard from the Edge: Late Star Commands “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”

Carrie Fisher’s death one year ago is made even more tragic by the fact that she’s the actual star of the new “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Her General Leia Organa is all over this Rian Johnson movie, which soars and aims for operatic drama that is (luckily) punctuated by a number of Fisher’s one liners and wise cracks.

What a surprise! Fisher wise cracked her way through the original three “Star Wars” movies, then “Shampoo” and movies like “Soap Dish.” She had a whole hugely successful second career as a humorist and novelist, took herself to Broadway with the hilariously self-effacing “Wishful Drinking,” and became a much sought after script doctor.

And now, in what would be her last grand gesture, she is the noble leader of the Resistance, wise and wonderful, taking her band of rebels into battle of in act one of “The Last Jedi” and then commanding them with reason and good humor in act three. For this alone, Johnson should be commended. General Leia rules. Best Supporting Actress? You bet.

So do a lot of other characters in the 8th installment of a 40 year old franchise. Fisher is joined by her original “Star Wars” buddy Mark Hamill, who used to be the cute kid, the poster boy Luke Skywalker who learned from his elders. Now Luke is the elder, and Hamill– whose credits beyond “Star Wars” didn’t give his resume much gravity (the surfing movie “Big Wednesday” was about it)–rises to the occasion as an Obi-Wan for the ages. Luke Skywalker has become a sage and shows that pop stars can age with dignity.

There are some surprises in “The Last Jedi.” Newcomers Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro prove to smart additions to the cast. Dern, in particular, is kind of magnificent. del Toro echoes Han Solo from the original “Star Wars,” the rogue you shouldn’t trust.

And then there are the returnees from “The Force Awakens,” the future of “Star Wars” to come after this: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver. Clocking in at a massive two and a half hours or more, “The Last Jedi” gives all of them ample room to stake their claims in the franchise’s future as the older generation waves goodbye.

Ridley’s Rey is the yin to Driver’s Ben Solo/Kylo Ren’s yang, but Boyega’s Finn is every bit their equal. Less defined is Isaac’s Poe Dameron, who wanders into a muddled part of this movie: Poe’s brashness gets in his own way when he makes a serious misjudgement about Dern’s Resistance leader. There’s an abruot edit where it seems like a plot change was made, but we’re so far in that it doesn’t matter.

(Maybe it’s me, but my major problem with the new “Star Wars” plot is understanding why Ben Solo went bad and became Kylo Ren. (He’s that angry with his parents?) His act of violence in “The Force Awakens” still doesn’t make sense, makes him irredeemable. That’s my take. A similar act in this movie doesn’t help his cause. I suppose in Episode 9, Rey will have to choose between him and Finn, the good guy. May the force be with her.)

“Star Wars” debuted forty years ago in 1977. I was 20 years old. I didn’t know I was signing up for four decades. What an amazing contribution George Lucas has made to the culture of my lifetime. With “The Last Jedi,” you feel like closure has been reached for fans of my generation. There will be more “Star Wars” adventures, I’m sure, but for me, I’m happy to end here with a kind of Gotterdammerung. When the film ends, and the memorial card to Carrie Fisher appears, I felt a sufficiency. Our work here is done.

 

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