Support independent journalism, free from the trades and other publications that are part of the tinsel town machine.
For 12 years, Showbiz411.com has been covering Hollywood, Broadway, the music business and the business of celebrity. Ads are our main source of funding, but contributions (not tax exempt) from readers who enjoy the scoops, exclusives, and fact based reports are always welcome and very appreciated. To inquire about ads, email us at showbiz411@gmail.com.
If you do you can read his novel, called “Ingram,” which is about neither Luther Ingram, Dan Ingram, or Ingram book distributors.
“Ingram” is a serious first novel by someone who’s read Faulkner and Steinbeck. I don’t say that negatively because only I read the first free chapter on amazon. Who knows? “Ingram” may win a book award.
I’m just telling you it exists. The publisher says it’s “picaresque.” Louis says in a promo email this morning: “Ingram is a novel. It’s fiction. It’s about a boy who runs into a lot of trouble. And about who he is and how he gets through it. It’s about the people that he meets and the world the way he sees it. I wrote it. And now it’s yours.”
Louis CK — canceled several years ago after graphic reports of misbehavior — made one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen, not released, called “I Love You Daddy.” The good news, “Ingram” doesn’t seem so terrible. That’s my quote.
Attention BenBella books: send me a pdf at showbiz411@gmail.com and I’ll read it.
Aimee Mann started her career 40 years ago a little New Wave with “Voices Carry.” Her band, til Tuesday, had three excellent albums culminating in the delicious “Everything’s Different Now.”
Then Mann pursued a non-major label indie path, producing more than a dozen indie albums of carefully crafted, beautifully produced songs each of which really feels like a box of sumptuous chocolates. They’re hard on the outside, gooey inside, and unforgettable.
You might know her from the soundtrack of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia.” Aimee got an Oscar nomination for a song about resignation and anger called “Save Me.” It’s one of the few perfect soundtracks to an equal achievement of a film.
She’s also had a range of side things, often reviving material from the 70s. I cherish her cover of Badfinger’s “Baby Blue,” for example. But anything she does, with her buttery, melodic voice, is welcome.
This week she covers Paul Williams’ song made a hit by the Carpenters. “Rainy Day and Mondays” is Aimee’s second bite of this apple. Her first was “Yesterday Once More.” She could really just sing the whole catalog and I’d be all for it. Karen Carpenter — one of the great voices of all time — made the song seem wistful. Mann gives it a little bitterness, which is about right these days.
PS On Aimee’s social media you can find her precisely winsome cartoons. Another side gig that’s worked out.
This track is from an HBO show called “The Chair Company.” I have no idea what that is, but sit and listen:
I ended up liking “Bugonia,” but getting there wasn’t easy.
Yorgos Lanthimos’s horror film is full of torture porn and so much unpleasantness, I might have walked out of a theater if I’d been in one last night.
Alas, I was lucky enough to be at home but that meant there was no exit.
Emma or Emily Stone and Lanthimos have already proven they can make a strange, wonderful movie with “Poor Things.” They pulled off weirdness with aplomb. The chemistry was just right.
Then they didn’t with “Kinds of Kindness” last year.
I was thinking after the first 40 minutes of “Bugonia,” maybe stop while you’re ahead.
“Bugonia” is based on the Korean film “Save the Green Planet,” which has a cult following. Jang Joon-hwan was supposed to direct the American version, but became ill and Lanthimos took over. Something was lost in the translation.
Stone is an executive in an isolated corporation that has the stark modern feel of the house in “Paranoia.” Her house is the same. She seems like an uptight corporate type handling many employees, but if you think about it later, all is not as it appears.
Very quickly, two employees kidnap her. They are Jesse Plemons — almost emaciated — and Aidan Delbis, whose real life autism is played for bizarre-ness. They’re odd, greasy and dirty, poor, but — at least in Plemons’ case — extremely articulate. They’re also psychotic and violent. All of those ingredients make a recipe for disaster.
“Bugonia” is not a Coen brothers movie. There’s no fun in the kidnapping. Or rather, it’s more of the woodchipper from “Fargo” than “Raising Arizona.” For about 40 minutes there’s promise of a turn in which the kidnapping will be overcome and something strangely beautiful will occur. But the second act, so to speak, is difficult enough that the surprises of the third may not be worth it to most people.
The kidnappers believe Stone is an alien, and have their own proof. It seems ridiculous until you start putting the pieces together. Maybe they’re not so wrong. They’re crazy but maybe like foxes. Stone’s corporate leader is a skilled negotiator, so she’ll say anything to get out of this predicament. Do we believe her?
If you can make it through the violent desert of that middle section, the climax and denouement are unexpected prizes. But by that time, like me, you may have wondered how you possibly stayed put. Unlike “Poor Things” — in which Stone helped create a world of wide eyed wonder in the middle of madness — “Bugonia” is just weird. Yes, it’s social satire to a point, and then it’s not.
That third part — well, let’s say that’s where the money was spent, so that part is a pay off. For the first two thirds of “Bugonia,” it’s basically a stage play with two or three characters in a standoff. At least visually, the ending is something to behold in what becomes a sci fi horror show. “Bugonia” has all the makings of a cult movie to be, if there were still college cinemas that could bring in crowds.
I was torn. Did I hate it? Yeah, some of it. But the brilliance at the end — it’s worth waiting — was a gift wrapped in shiny paper. I was happy to open it.
Are audiences enjoying this movie? “Bugonia” has an 83% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which seems about right. Critics liked it only a little more, at 87%. It’s a B plus at least for now. In ten years, we may feel differently.
from Monday: I was a Gordon Lightfoot fan, mainly because of “If I Could Read Your Mind” and “Sundown.”
But then came “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
By that time I was 19, and listening pretty much only to R&B and to the burgeoning world of punk and new wave, and great pop.
“The Wreck” went on for hours, a droning story about the actual wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald a year earlier. That was a tragedy. Twenty nine crew members went down with the boat on Lake Superior in November 1975. Terrible stuff.
But did you have to hear it every minute on AM radio? The great Lenny Waronker produced it at Warner Bros, and the single was number 1 for weeks. Weeks! On Cashbox (which I followed), Billboard, and the goddam radio! You couldn’t get away from it. Just droning on and on.
Well, it’s the 50th anniversary of the actual wreck. Next year will be the 50th for the song. And it’s back! Number 2 on iTunes. The record will put you into a fitful sleep, trust me. It was six minutes long! And look, it wasn’t “Isn’t She Lovely” or “Hey Jude.” Or “Inagaddadavida.” It marked the end of the 1970s. A year later, the Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, Sex Pistols, Elvis Costello were all in swing. They were a reaction to the Edmund Fitzgerald, a purging.
Pop star Sombr aka Shane Boose — who was the musical guest on “SNL” this weekend — had a famous grandfather.
The obit for R. Andrew (Andy) Boose is in today’s New York Times. He died at 87 on October 30th and was a famous New York lawyer specializing in arts and culture.
Boose was the attorney for esteemed celebrities like the writer JD Salinger, playwright John Guare, and violinist Itzhak Perlman.
According to the obit, Boose “led a team of attorneys in successfully opposing the unauthorized publication of the author’s unpublished letters – that 1987 case, Salinger v. Random House, spurred legislative amendments to the U.S. Copyright Act and remains an important precedent in determining the appropriate scope of “fair use” of an author’s copyrighted work.”
This case was a big deal, I remember it well. Biographer Ian Hamilton had gotten hold of some of Salinger’s letters and published them in a biography without permission. Boose sued on behalf of the famed writer, who was still alive at the time. He won, the book was withdrawn and published without the letters. The case set a precedent in book publishing. I hope the notoriously private Salinger puts out a welcome mat for Mr. Boose in heaven.
Presumably Mr. Boose (his son, Andy Jr, has a big events company that does shows for Elton John’s AIDs charity and amFAR) got to hear Sombr’s hit singles before he passed.
Brace yourselves for a big non event in book publishing.
Curb your enthusiasm for Cheryl Hines’s book, “Unscripted,” when it hits bookstores and online seller tomorrow.
Amazon.com currently has it at around number 12,000.
This is after a month of pushing the book in interviews that defended crazy husband Robert Kennedy Jr. and his boss, Donald Trump.
No one really wants the book, although it’s likely it will move up a bit on the best seller list — maybe to 11,000.
Over the weekend, Hines promised to donate some of the book’s proceeds to the right wing Children’s Health Defense Fund. But she may not have much to give them if the best seller list in any indication.
She said at the CHD’s dinner, according to MSNBC, “CHD has been such supporters of families of parents with children that have been injured with vaccines or any sort of health issues. Thank you for supporting CHD and Bobby for all these years.”
Hines has gone to the dark side, endorsing her husband’s anti vaccine and conspiracy theories. Larry David not only doesn’t talk to her anymore, she’s the only cast member from “Curb” not invited to join him on his HBO sketch comedy show.
Watch for “Unscripted” on 99 cent remainder tables, and on Sixth Avenue sidewalk sales.
Mariska Hargitay broke down in tears twice last night during her speech at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards.
Her beautiful and surprising film about her late mother Jayne Mansfield, called “My Mom Jayne,” won Best First Documentary. The film as a labor of love, and anyone who’s seen it knows its impact.
Mariska, tough as nails on “Law Order SVU,” was verklempt, to say the least.
As usual the CCA Doc Awards, held at the Edison Ballroom, were so good it streamed on YouTube (see at the bottom). It’s an intimate, fun night because the films are literally hand-made, their creators are authentic and genuine. Kudos to Joey Berlin, Christopher Campbell, and co.
The big winner of the night was Netflix’s “The Perfect Neighbor,” which is streaming now and should be an Oscar contender. “Being Led Zeppelin” won Best Music Doc, tying with “Sly Stone.”
The other winners are below.
Host for the night was a very funny Asif Mandvi. Presenters included Christine Baranski, Michael Chernus, Maria Cuomo Cole, Mariska Hargitay, Peter Hermann, Reginald Hudlin, Brian d’Arcy James, Hilarie Burton Morgan, the legendary Sheila Nevins, Soledad O’Brien, Raoul Peck, Dawn Porter, Questlove, Ben Stiller, and Rebecca Wisocky.
Legendary documentarian Ken Burns received the Critics Choice Impact Award, presented by acclaimed actor Christine Baranski. The prestigious award recognizes documentarians whose work has illuminated our shared story, made complex issues accessible to broad audiences, and sparked meaningful dialogue that inspires reflection and action. Ken Burns exemplifies this impact through a career that has brought the American experience vividly to life and deepened the nation’s understanding of itself.
Visionary filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady were the recipients of the CCA’s Pennebaker Award (formerly the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award) presented by Pennebaker’s widow and collaborator, Chris Hegedus. Named in tribute to trailblazing documentarian D A Pennebaker, the award celebrates filmmakers whose careers have made a profound and lasting contribution to the art of documentary storytelling.
It was a big night for legendary late playwright Arthur Miller. His talented director daughter, Rebecca Miller, won two prizes for “Mr. Scorsese,” airing on Apple Plus TV. Then Arthur himself was seen on screen being interviewed about writing “A View from the Bridge.” The Miller family rocks!
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
BEST DIRECTOR
Geeta Gandbhir – The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
BEST FIRST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay (HBO Max)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Toby Strong, Doug Anderson (Underwater Photography) – Ocean with David Attenborough (National Geographic)
BEST EDITING
Viridiana Lieberman – The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
BEST SCORE
Alexei Aigui – Orwell: 2+2=5 (Neon)
BEST NARRATION
Orwell: 2+2=5 (Neon)
Written by George Orwell, Adapted by Raoul Peck
Performed by Damian Lewis
BEST ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY
The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
BEST HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY (TIE)
The American Revolution (PBS)
Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time (National Geographic)
BEST BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY
Mr. Scorsese (Apple TV)
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY (TIE)
Becoming Led Zeppelin (Sony Pictures Classics)
Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) (Hulu, Onyx Collective)
BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
The Alabama Solution (HBO Max)
BEST SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY
Ocean with David Attenborough (National Geographic)
BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (Netflix)
BEST TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY
The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
Saving Superman (Switchboard)
BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Mr. Scorsese (Apple TV)
BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES
30 for 30 (ESPN Films)
But two in Florida — tomorrow and Tuesday — had to be rescheduled because he says he’s under the weather.
The shows in Tampa and Jacksonville are sold out — and I mean sold out — like every Sting show. They’ve been moved to next May.
Meantime, Sting is making a brief appearance later this week in New York. He’s announced the return of his Broadway musical, “The Last Ship,” for performances in Paris, the Netherlands, and Australia starting in January.
Sting stars in the show, which received a Tony nomination for Best Score. The songs are some of his very best (I find myself humming the title track all the time). He’s also got an expanded edition of his own “Last Ship” album coming December 5th with new songs including “Island of Souls (2025)”, “Shipyard (featuring Joe Caffrey, Brian Johnson, and Jo Lawry)”, “Ship of State (featuring Renée Fleming)”, “If You Ever See Me Talking to a Sailor (featuring Frances McNamee)”, and “O’Brien’s Hymn.”
Also PS I love this song, not from “The Last Ship”:
Last night in Times Square, at literally the strangest venue ever (called Circo), the very important Creative Coalition threw a star studded, very hilarious and heartfelt tribute to the great actor Richard Kind.
You had to be there. I’m glad I was!
The very funny Jeff Ross, hot off his six week run on Broadway, hosted the evening — w roast and a toast — produced by TCC’s Robin Bronk and actor Tim Daly.
Richard — who has a resume longer than a CVS receipt, as Ross quipped — sat on stage on a hard leather sofa while an A list one by one took the mic.
They included MS-Now’s erudite Lawrence O’Donnell, Jeff Garlin from “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Robert Wuhl, Steven Webber, Sharon Lawrence, Yolanda Ross, and even the actor who played Lester, the dead doorman from “Only Murders.” The much missed Chris Noth was in the audience with our old pal, Charlie Kipps. So was Caroline Hirsch, the former owner of Caroline’s Comedy Club, who included the night in New York Comedy Week.
Some of the jokes worked, some didn’t. It was like a night at the old Friars Club as it were on “Fernwood Tonight.” Kind was the star of his own roast, injecting his unique brand of humor into each tribute. At the end of the night Richard spoke passionately about the Creative Coalition (see below) which has been a huge help to the National Endowment for the Arts retaining some budget during this insane administration.
I did not tell the best story about Richard, which I will try now: Almost three years ago — April 1, 2023 — I arrived at Madison Square Garden to see Bruce Springsteen launch his tour. The place was pandemonium, of course, all sold out. There’s a big scaffolding over the entrance, and construction everywhere.
I’d given a kidney to get into this show. As I walk up Seventh Avenue, just under the scaffolding, there’s a familiar face. It’s Richard Kind, just standing there as Bruce fans in huge crowds walk around and over him. I narrowed my eyes, “Richard?” He looks at me in his Richard Kind way, as if we’ve been chatting for an hour, and says, “Do you have an extra ticket?”
Do I have an extra ticket? There are seas of people rushing past us. A lot of them are shouting, “Yo! Richard Kind!” as they make their way inside. “You don’t have a ticket? Look at this,” I respond. He says, in his trademark blinking deadpan way. “I figured I’d run into someone I know with an extra ticket.”
“That’s a big bet,” I replied, considering everyone around us was in a blind hurry to see Bruce. Meantime, fans are coming up, shaking his hand and taking selfies — and escaping into the Garden.
It was a surreal moment. But what could I do? I couldn’t leave him out there. So we whooshed him into the huge security area, through the metal detectors, and over to Will Call, where I was picking up my tickets. We got the window, where I give my name, and then present Richard to the fellow behind the glass.
Suddenly, there’s a crowd of lovely MSG workers gathering around us and in the box office. They love him. He’s working it, answering everyone’s questions about every show or movie he’s been in. I say to my box office guy, “These are my tickets” — which are on the floor, but quite a ways back –“there must be something near there, no,?” Richard interjects, “I’ll pay!”
As it happens, there is one seat to the right of mine because no one wants it. “I’ll take it!” he says, the transaction is performed, and in we went. Turns out, we are seated below a huge VIP section that includes people like Paul McCartney. They have a much better view. But when they see Richard — including Michael J. Fox — they start waving and clapping. He’s doing bows and salutes as if this was always meant to be, and I’m sitting there like a fire hydrant. Other celebrities are passing us on the aisle, guided to their much better floor seats, and they’re all stopping to shake hands with Richard Kind.
PS Robert Wuhl is doing his first ever Comic Con in Chicago soon for his famous HBO show, “Arliss.” Go there and give him some love. Here’s the link.
Jeff Ross’s Broadway show, Take a Banana for the Ride, is coming to Netflix soon. It deserves an Emmy, Golden Globe, Critics Choice — everything.
Also, a young comic named Adam Freedland took the stage and bombed with jokes about Jeffrey Epstein, Mamdani, and Israel. He’s very popular among young people, he says. I’ll bet. As he noted, this crowd was like a nursing home.
