Yes, Scientology is a crazy thing, and it just gets crazier by the minute. Even Leah Remini won’t be able to figure this one out.

Jenna Elfman’s husband, actor Bodhi Elfman, is going to star in a Scientology feature called “Hipsters, Gangsters, Aliens and Geeks.” It’s written and directed by Bodhi’s father, Rick Elfman. Yes, they are all followers of late nut case L. Ron Hubbard. (Jenna Elfman was the star of a sitcom called “Dharma and Greg” years ago.)

What’s the movie about? Here’s the description I was read:

“A horror/sci-fi/comedy of the century & Eddy Pine is our Hero. A struggling actor on the verge of breaking out when he discovers the true meaning of his birth in which his anus holds the key to opening a portal to the next dimension.”

Did you read that? Carefully? This sounds like the possible description of a fictional movie by Kilgore Trout, Kurt Vonnegut’s invented and loony antagonist who more and more sounds like he was based on Hubbard. Kurt must be laughing in heaven. Kilgore Trout was a nut but at least he didn’t really exist.

Back to the movie: Danny Elfman is contributing the music. He’s a well known Hollywood composer married to Bridget Fonda, eleven years his junior.

Bodhi Elfman is more a name you read in association with Jenna. He’s been a minor TV actor for a long time. But now thanks to his, er, portal, he’s destined for something or other.

The film is said to be casting for a bunch of Little Persons to play alien “clowns” and cadets.

You know, Scientology is big into aliens and sci-fi. And they believe it. This is what Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, and Jenna Elfman call their “religion.” One day their space ship will come in. No word yet on whether the Elfmans’ movie will include any of the star Scientologists.

PS Previous Scientology sci fi films, like Travolta’s “Battleship Earth,” were humongous failures.

We shlepped out to Brooklyn last night on the B train and it was worth it. The 2nd annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards turned out to be a hot night, with Brett Morgen’s excellent “Jane,” about Jane Goodall, winning Best Doc and “Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives” picking up Best Music Doc.

Legendary music man Davis also presented an award and noted that he’s actually from Brooklyn as is his one of his all time artists, Barry Manilow. Later he and director Chris Perkel were happy and a tad surprised to win their category– but they deserved it.

Overall “lifetime” awards went to Joe Berlinger and Errol Morris. They each said– Berlinger especially– they hoped it was a “mid”-lifetime award.

Two old songwriting rivals also appeared at the dinner– Diane Warren, who was nominated for a song she did with Cher, and Linda Perry. for one with Pat Benatar. But neither of them won Best Song. That distinction went to “Jump,” a song performed by Cynthia Erivo from the documentary “Step.”

Critics Choice doesn’t have a musical score award, but trust me, Philip Glass is going to be nominated for his “Jane” work and may even win the Oscar. The CD is available and everyone should hear it. It’s a masterpiece. He doesn’t monkey around.

A funny side note: Morgen directed Robert Evans’ “The Kid Stays in the Picture.” Even he says that Jane Goodall was not his kind of subject and he thought there were many movies made about her already. But he learned how wrong he was. In the process, he’s made what a film that could go all the way.

Most interesting person we all met last night: Gilbert Gottfried. He’s tiny, like a bird, his size was accentuated by his wearing what seemed like a David Byrne “big suit.” He’s also very reserved, quite the opposite of his comic character. Today, a new documentary about him is being released which I can’t wait to see.

Best Documentary
Jane

Best Director
(TIE)
Evgeny Afineevsky (Cries from Syria)
Frederick Wiseman (Ex Libris: The New York Public Library)

Best First Documentary
Kedi

Best Political Documentary
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail

Best Sports Documentary
Icarus

Best Music Documentary
Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives

Best Song in a Documentary
“Jump” (Step) – written by Raphael Saadiq, Taura Stinson and Laura Karpman, performed by Cynthia Erivo

Best Documentary Series
The Vietnam War

Best Ongoing Documentary Series
American Masters

Most Innovative Documentary
(TIE)
Dawson City: Frozen Time
Last Men in Aleppo

Think sexual harassment in Hollywood is a new thing? In an extraordinary new documentary that should absolutely be nominated for an Oscar, legendary comedienne  and singer Rose Marie tells how she was cut out of a 1954 movie because she wouldn’t accept a proposition from the producer.

You know Rosie Marie from “The Dick van Dyke Show” and “Hollywood Squares.” But the feisty 95 year old has been a star since she was FIVE years old. In “Wait for Your Laugh”– which opens around New York this weekend and is marvelously narrated by “Squares” host  89 year old Peter Marshall — we get the whole story and it’s a doozy. Beautiful, talented Rose Marie — Sally Rogers on “The Dick van Dyke Show”– was mobbed up like crazy. She came to us thanks to mobster Busgy Siegel!

But that’s another story. “Wait for Your Laugh” is very detailed about how Las Vegas started and who was behind it. Great stuff.

Around 1950, Rosie Marie co-starred with Phil Silvers on Broadway in a musical called “Top Banana.”The show was a hit, Silvers won a Tony Award, but Rosie Marie was disappointed the critics didn’t mention her.  She says one fan was Marlon Brando, who reassured her she was great. “Eff ’em,” he told the actress.

When the show closed, Silvers invited her to be in the movie of the musical. Rose Marie accepted. “It wasn’t very good, period.”

More importantly, during her interview with Wise on camera she says  that one of the producers of the film told her during production: “I could show you a few positions if you’re interested.”

A married woman with a young daughter, Rosie Marie replied: “Oh that’s funny, you’re really funny.”

The producer responded: “I’m not kidding, this could be your picture.”

“And in front of everybody I go, You couldn’t get it up if the flag went by,” Rose Marie shot back. She continues: “Which didn’t set too well with him. All my numbers were cut. There isn’t a single number with me in it.”

Rose Marie’s daughter observes: “I think after my mother’s experience with Top Banana, it pushed her away from doing movies.”

No kidding.  Kudos to filmmaker Jason Wise. Hollywood has always been the same.

More later on this terrific doc…

With a dearth of award winning films so far this year, A24’s “Lady Bird” —  written and directed by actress Greta Gerwig —  has deservedly garnered raves so far on the festival circuit.  The film just had its first LA screening for Academy members including Dustin Hoffman, to a rapt reception.  This movie hits every heartwarming, funny, sentimental and uncomfortable note.  Set in Sacramento (Gerwig’s hometown) the movie tells the story of high school senior Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, who turns 18 during the telling of the story.

Is it a coincidence that Saorise Ronan’s first name includes the word soar? Ronan, 23, is transcendent as Lady Bird. Her love-hate relationships with her town, the Catholic school she attends, her friends and her family, mostly with her mother, wonderfully are played with pathos but never pity. Bad cop Mom Laurie Metcalf, and her struggling Dad, the good cop (Tracy Letts) and her older sullen adopted brother Miguel, (Jordan Rodriques) all weave into a narrative that you want to go on and on.

The film completely captures the fraught nature of the mother-daughter relationship, including the choices Lady Bird makes to go to school back east and her mother not wanting to let her child go.  The casting is just a wonder.  Besides the main cast, a stand out is Beanie Feldstein (Jonah Hill’s younger sister) playing the best friend, her heartbreak and honesty just leap out at you.  Lucas Hedges also delivers a lovely performance as her trying to be conflicted boyfriend.  Timothee Chalamet (star of this season’s “Call Me By Your Name”) is a droll hoot as a too-cool-for-school faux hipster.

“Lady Bird,” is in its own movie making lane, and does it all without missing anything.  Congrats to Greta Gerwig. She and her actors deserve all the kudos this quirky, deeply felt terrific film is getting.

PS Without a doubt, Oscar nominations for the film, Gerwig as director and writer, Ronan and Metcalf in lead and supporting actress, maybe Letts in supporting actor. Ronan and Metcalf may have already won. What a gem of a film– Roger Friedman

The New York Times has added several new names to the list of women allegedly harassed or raped or otherwise allegedly preyed upon by Harvey Weinstein.

But they didn’t realize something when they reported that Ashley Matthau was one of the victims. Ms. Matthau is married to Charlie Matthau, son of the late Walter Matthau, Oscar, Tony, and Emmy winner and beloved member of Hollywood royalty, star of “The Odd Couple” and “The Fortune Cookie.” Charlie was named for his godfather, Charlie Chaplin.

At the time, in 2004, according to the New York Times, Ms. Matthau was engaged to Charlie Matthau and went by her maiden name, Anderson.

The reports says that Ms. Matthau retained John S. West, a  partner of Gloria Allred. This means that Allred and likely her daughter, Lisa Bloom, knew something of Weinstein’s history when these new stories launched months ago.

Weinstein hired Daniel Petrocelli, who’d represented the Goldmans in the OJ Simpson civil case. Ms. Matthau says Petrocelli told her he could prove she was promiscuous and that “We’ll drag you through the mud by your hair.” Petrocelli declined to comment to the Times. I don’t know why. I only know him through the Simpson case, but I’m incredibly disappointed. She accepted a settlement in the end.

Among the other Weinstein accusers is my old friend Annabella Sciorra. When I read this over the weekend, my heart sank. Not that all the women aren’t great people with true stories. But Annabella was/is someone I know, a popular New York presence, a talented actress. I remember exactly when she was in a Miramax movie, a charming comedy called “The Night We Never Met.”

This was long before “Shakespeare in Love” and a couple of years before “Pulp Fiction.” I have a distinct memory of the party following the screening, at which Harvey Weinstein walked around with his baby daughter on his shoulders. Everyone was all smiles. And now, it’s hard to describe the revulsion that has taken the place of that picture. I am sending Annabella all the good wishes I can.