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Fake News: Oscar Accountant Held Grudge Against La La Land: She Was Stuck in Traffic on Highway During Filming of Opening Scene

Roger Friedman
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Fake News: Oscar Accountant Held Grudge Against La La Land: She Was Stuck in Traffic on Highway During Filming of Opening Scene

BREAKING FAKE NEWS: Sources say that Martha Ruiz, one of the PriceWaterhouseCoopers accountants who screwed up the Oscars– had it in for “La La Land.”

I’m told that Ruiz was stuck on the highway that Damien Chazelle used to film the opening sequence of the movie– for hours. “Martha was on that highway when people started jumping out of their cars and dancing on the hoods,” my source says. “She was furious. She had no idea. She was going to see Brian Cullinan”– the other Oscar accountant–“to discuss how screw up the 2016 Grammy awards. It was a Saturday and she didn’t see the road closure sign.”

Ruiz was made to dance repeatedly to the “La La Land” opening song and wasn’t allowed to leave the highway for hours. “She vowed revenge against the movie,” I’m told.

By coincidence, Cullinan may have also had a grudge against the winner “Moonlight.” Sources at rival Ernst & Young are claiming that Cullinan had auditioned for the part that went to Oscar winner Mahershala Ali in the movie. “But he couldn’t swim,” says a source, “and they were afraid to let him do those scenes. He offered to do them in a bathtub, but the Barry Jenkins was against it.”

Cullinan had to settle for seeking his own revenge against the movie. “He had no idea ‘Moonlight” would be nominated let alone be in contention against La La Land. Brian was plotting to make Sully the winner. But it wasn’t even nominated.”

Both Cullinan and Ruiz have been held by authorities all week since the Oscars in an undisclosed location below Academy headquarters. There’s been talk of deportation, or sending both of them to pick up all of the unwatched DVDs of “Toni Erdmann.”

UPDATE Watch Jennifer Hudson Shred UK “The Voice” Last Night with New Single “Remember Me”

Roger Friedman
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UPDATE Watch Jennifer Hudson Shred UK “The Voice” Last Night with New Single “Remember Me”

UPDATE MONDAY MORNING
JHud performed Remember Me on Sunday night’s British edition of “The Voice”.

And wow.

Jennifer Hudson told me a couple of weeks ago she had a new single coming called “Remember Me.” Last night it dropped as a surprise release. “Remember Me” was written with Jennifer and Jamie Hartman, who co-wrote the big hit “Human” for the Rag n Bone Man. This could be Jennifer’s “Hello,” full of drama and gospel. (I just wish it had a big fade out ending.) Jennifer has the BEST voice of any singer in her generation. It’s time for a huge hit. Can’t wait to hear this on the radio. Come on Z100. We need some soul!

Nearly A Year to the Day Don Henley Said the Eagles were Done, Report They Fly Again

Roger Friedman
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Nearly A Year to the Day Don Henley Said the Eagles were Done, Report They Fly Again

The Eagles are back.

A year ago almost to the day, Don Henley confirmed that the super group were done following the death of co-founder Glenn Frey. “I don’t think you’ll see us performing again…I think that was probably it,” Henley said to BBC2 Radio. The group re-formed last December for their Kennedy Center induction, and that was supposed to be it.

But now their superstar manager Irving Azoff is reportedly putting together two mega shows, in LA and NY, for the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac. Yes, Fleetwood Mac, another group that was supposedly done.

Azoff has no doubt had his eye on creating his own “Desert Trip,” the mega concert last fall in Indio, California aka OldChella. Azoff is the only one who could mount such a thing, and I’m sure he’s got some other ideas for these July shows as reported by the L.A. Times. The shows would be at Dodger Stadium one weekend, and CitiField in NY the next. Azoff could add Sting and Earth, Wind & Fire, maybe Steely Dan, and knock out Desert Trip’s October plans. Very clever.

I don’t begrudge the Eagles anything, plenty of groups like The Who and The Rolling Stones have gone on playing after deaths of founding members. But this didn’t take long, did it? We’ll just have to take it easy.

Tribeca Film Fest Reveals Heavy Slate Including Hot Prospects “The Dinner” and Burt Reynolds Comeback “Dog Years”

Roger Friedman
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Tribeca Film Fest Reveals Heavy Slate Including Hot Prospects “The Dinner” and Burt Reynolds Comeback “Dog Years”

Here’s the Tribeca Film Fest list and it’s hot: I’m really interested in Oren Moverman’s all star “The Dinner,” from the Herman Koch novel, and Adam Rifkin’s “Dog Years” starring Burt Reynolds. The latter is said to be very, very good and a total surprise comeback for Reynolds. I sure hope so. Kathleen Nolan is in the cast. I had a crush on her from “The Real McCoys.” Go look it up.

U.S. NARRATIVE COMPETITION
Aardvark, directed and written by Brian Shoaf. (USA)
Abundant Acreage Available, directed and written by Angus MacLachlan. (USA)
Blame, directed and written by Quinn Shephard. (USA)
The Endless, directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, written by Justin Benson. (USA)
Flower, directed by Max Winkler, written by Alex McAulay, Max Winkler, Matt Spicer. (USA)
Keep the Change, directed and written by Rachel Israel. (USA)
Love After Love, directed by Russell Harbaugh, written by Russell Harbaugh, Eric Mendelsohn. (USA)
One Percent More Humid, directed and written by Liz W. Garcia. (USA)
Saturday Church, directed and written by Damon Cardasis. (USA)
Thirst Street, directed by Nathan Silver, written by Nathan Silver, C. Mason Wells. (USA, France)

INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE COMPETITION
The Divine Order (Die göttliche Ordnung), directed and written by Petra Volpe. (Switzerland)
Holy Air (Hawa Moqaddas), directed and written by Shady Srour. (Israel)
Ice Mother (Bába z ledu), directed and written by Bohdan Sláma. (Czech Republic, Slovakia, France)
King of Peking, directed and written by Sam Voutas. (China, USA, Australia)
Newton, directed by Amit V Masurkar, written by Mayank Tewari, Amit V Masurka. (India)
Nobody’s Watching (Nadie Nos Mira), directed by Julia Solomonoff, written by Julia Solomonoff, Christina Lazaridi. (Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, USA, Spain)
November, directed and written by Rainer Sarnet. (Estonia)
Sambá, directed by Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas, written by Ettore D’Alessandro, Carolina Encarnacion. (Dominican Republic)
Son of Sofia (O Gios tis Sofias), directed and written by Elina Psykou. (Bulgaria, France, Greece)
Tom of Finland, directed by Dome Karukoski, written by Aleksi Bardy. (Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany)

WORLD DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Bobbi Jene, directed by Elvira Lind, written by Elvira Lind, Adam Nielsen. (Denmark, Israel, USA)
Copwatch, directed by Camilla Hall. (USA)
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, directed by David France, written by David France, Mark Blane. (USA)
The Departure, directed by Lana Wilson. (USA)
No Man’s Land, directed by David Byars. (USA)
The Reagan Show, directed by Pacho Velez and Sierra Pettengill, written by Josh Alexander, Pacho Velez. (USA)
A River Below, directed by Mark Grieco. (Colombia, USA)
The Sensitives, directed by Drew Xanthopoulos. (USA)
Shadowman, directed and written by Oren Jacoby. (USA)
A Suitable Girl, directed by Smriti Mundhra and Sarita Khurana. (USA, India)
True Conviction, directed by Jamie Meltzer, written by Jamie Meltzer, Jeff Gilbert. (USA)
When God Sleeps, directed and written by Till Schauder. (USA, Germany)

SPOTLIGHT NARRATIVE
The Boy Downstairs, directed and written by Sophie Brooks. (USA)
Buster’s Mal Heart, directed and written by Sarah Adina Smith. (USA)
Chuck, directed by Philippe Falardeau, written by Jeff Feuerzeig, Jerry Stahl. (USA)
The Clapper, directed and written by Dito Montiel. (USA)
Dabka, directed and written by Bryan Buckley. (USA)
The Dinner, directed and written by Oren Moverman. (USA)
Literally, Right Before Aaron, directed and written by Ryan Eggold. (USA)
The Lovers, directed and written by Azazel Jacobs. (USA)
Manifesto, directed and written by Julian Rosefeldt. (Germany)
Permission, directed and written by Brian Crano. (USA)
Rock’n Roll, directed by Guillaume Canet, written by Guillaume Canet, Rodolphe Lauga, Philippe Lefebvre. (France)
Sweet Virginia, directed by Jamie Dagg, written by The China Brothers. (USA)
Take Me, directed by Pat Healy, written by Mike Makowsky. (USA)
Thumper, directed and written by Jordan Ross. (USA)
The Trip to Spain, directed by Michael Winterbottom. (U.K.)

SPOTLIGHT DOCUMENTARY
ACORN and the Firestorm, directed and written by Reuben Atlas and Sam Pollard. (USA)
AlphaGo, directed by Greg Kohs. (USA)
Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World, directed and written by Barry Avrich. (Canada)
ELIÁN, directed by Tim Golden, Ross McDonnell. (USA)
Frank Serpico, directed and written by Antonino D’Ambrosio. (USA)
Get Me Roger Stone, directed and written by Dylan Bank, Daniel DiMauro, Morgan Pehme. (USA)
Gilbert, directed by Neil Berkeley, written by Neil Berkeley, James Leche. (USA)
A Gray State, directed by Erik Nelson. (USA)
Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS, directed by Sebastian Junger and Nick Quested, written by Mark Monroe. (USA)
Hondros, directed by Greg Campbell, written by Greg Campbell, Jenny Golden. (USA)
I Am Evidence, directed by Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir. (USA)
LA 92, directed by Daniel Lindsay, TJ Martin. (USA)
No Stone Unturned, directed by Alex Gibney. (USA, Northern Ireland)
WASTED! The Story of Food Waste, directed by Anna Chai and Nari Kye. (USA)
Whitney. “can I be me,” directed by Nick Broomfield and Rudi Dolezal, written by Nick Broomfield. (U.K)
Year of the Scab, directed by John Dorsey. (USA)

VIEWPOINTS
City of Ghosts, directed by Matthew Heineman. (USA)
Dog Years, directed and written by Adam Rifkin. (USA)
The Family I Had, directed by Katie Green and Carlye Rubin, written by Tina Grapenthin, Katie Green, Carlye Rubin. (USA)
The Farthest, directed and written by Emer Reynolds. (Ireland)
Flames, directed and written by Zefrey Throwell and Josephine Decker. (USA)
For Ahkeem, directed by Jeremy S. Levine and Landon Van Soest. (USA)
The Last Animals, directed by Kate Brooks, written by Kate Brooks and Mark Monroe. (USA)
Mr Long, directed and written by SABU. (Japan, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan R.O.C., Germany)
My Art, directed and written by Laurie Simmons. (USA)
My Friend Dahmer, directed and written by Marc Meyers. (USA)
Pilgrimage, directed by Brendan Muldowney, written by Jamie Hannigan. (USA, Ireland)
A Thousand Junkies, directed and written by Tommy Swerdlow. (USA)
The Wedding Plan (Laavor et HaKir), directed and written by Rama Burshtein. (Israel)

MIDNIGHT
Devil’s Gate, directed by Clay Staub, written by Peter Aperlo, Clay Staub. (Canada, USA)
Dumb: The Story of Big Brother Magazine, directed by Patrick O’Dell. (USA)
Hounds of Love, directed and written by Ben Young. (Australia)
Psychopaths, directed and written by Mickey Keating. (USA)
Super Dark Times, directed by Kevin Phillips, written by Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski. (USA)
Tilt, directed by Kasra Farahani, written by Jason O’Leary, Kasra Farahani. (USA)

Watch “Green Light” Lorde’s First New Single in 2 Years Since Her “Royals” Success

Roger Friedman
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Watch “Green Light” Lorde’s First New Single in 2 Years Since Her “Royals” Success

Lorde is back. The 20 year old New Zealand pop star has just dropped her first new single since her “Royals” success. Sounds good. Her album is on its way. Lorde promotes her new phase on “SNL” March 10th. Congrats to Charlie Walk and Republic Records.

Review: Watching Brilliant Brit Version of “Sweeney Todd” with Stephen Sondheim Blew My Mind

Roger Friedman
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Review: Watching Brilliant Brit Version of “Sweeney Todd” with Stephen Sondheim Blew My Mind

“Sweeney Todd,” my favorite musical, has arrived from the UK in its most stripped down version ever at the Barrow Theater in the West Village. And I mean stripped down– there are 8 actors, 3 musicians, and 130 people in the audience all sitting at communal tables as if they were in Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop.

The Barrow is very, very small. And the communal tables, as it were, are set in long rows. Before the show, pies are served or sold, I’m not sure how that worked. They are meat or vegetarian. There are none stuffed with priests or friars, which is just as well.

In my little section last night, Stephen Sondheim sat directly in front of me. Bernadette Peters was a couple of seats away Everyone is very close. There is no stage, really. The show was originally staged in Harrington’s pie shop in a village outside of London called Tooting. There were 32 seats. The producers have recreated Harringtons in the Barrow Theater, using clever lighting and some special effects to create Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop, Sweeney’s barber shop, and the ovens below.

The result is quite extraordinary and shocking. “Sweeney Todd” is a big musical, with a chorale and a booming orchestra. Somehow, director Bill Buckhurst has drastically reduced the size while keeping the show large. His version of Sondheim’s masterpiece lives up to all the great productions that have preceded it over 38 years.

Sondheim loves the show. He’s seen it at least five times, I was told. Last night, he leaned forward in his seat, smiling widely, when Siobhan McCarthy made her entrance as Mrs. Lovett. She is a gem of an actress, a comic genius who gives Mrs. Lovett a whole new lease on life. She and Jeremy Secomb, our Sweeney, have come all the way from Tooting and the pie shop to this incarnation. Secomb, who will go back to playing Javert in “Les Miz” in London after April 9th, is a sensation singer with matinee idol looks. It’s impossible to believe he’s never been on Broadway.

These two are matched evenly with Matt Doyle and Alex Finke, respectively young lovers Anthony and Johanna. The latter brings sharp comic timing and winsomeness to Johanna. Doyle– well, he gets to sing “Johanna,” one of Sondheim’s incredible classics, and is sensational himself.

The rest of the cast is all top notch. Except for Brad Oscar, who’s playing the Beadle, they will all leave on April 9 and be replaced by Americans. Broadway starts Norm Lewis and Carolee Carmello will take over the leads. Carmello was there last night, observing. I can’t wait to see them– Lewis is maybe Broadway’s best and least known musical star. But for the time being the Tooting Players are overnight stars.

I could rattle on and on about “Sweeney Todd”– very hard to ruin, but a very complex show musically and structurally. How all the pieces fit together still amazes me. Watching with Sondheim was like sitting with God and asking him How’d ya do it? You can’t ask him that. You just have to appreciate its genius. A nice way to come home from the Oscars and the end of awards season!

Pop Charts: The Future Is Now as Rapper Has Top Two Albums of the Week

Roger Friedman
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Pop Charts: The Future Is Now as Rapper Has Top Two Albums of the Week

The future is now, kids.

The rapper Nayvadius Wilburn calls himself “Future.” He’s on L.A. Reid’s Epic Records via SonyMusic. And this week he has the top 2 albums on the charts.

Two Fridays ago Future released an eponymous album that went right to number 1. Then last Friday he released “Hndrxx,” a follow up with special appearances by Rihanna and The Weeknd. The latter album is supposed to be more radio friendly. It sounds that way from my quick listen. “Hndrxx” sounds like the latest album I;ve heard inspired by Marvin Gaye’s work from the early 70s. That’s not a bad thing.

Both albums exist in the air only, as digital downloads or for streaming. So far there is no physical product.

The streaming is so far beating the digital download side.

First Look: Brad Pitt in His Netflix Film “War Machine” Based on Story About Disgraced General Stanley McChrystal

Roger Friedman
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First Look: Brad Pitt in His Netflix Film “War Machine” Based on Story About Disgraced General Stanley McChrystal

Circle May 26th for Netflix’s original movie “War Machine,” starring Brad Pitt as disgraced General Stanley McChrystal. David Michod, of “Animal Kingdom” fame, directs what looks like a bit of a send up of late journalist Michael Hastings’ now famous book. Hastings’ original piece about McChrystal in Rolling Stone forced the general to resign. The movie co-stars Tilda Swinton, Ben Kingsley, Topher Grace and Meg Tilly– the latter MIA for some time. It will be nice to see her again. This is Pitt’s first non-theatrical release. But I wonder if we won’t see it in Cannes? Netflix paid $30 million for “War Machine.” They’re going to make a big, big deal of it!

Met Museum Director Out as Finances Spiral: Will Anna Wintour’s Super Expensive Met Ball Be Next?

Roger Friedman
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Met Museum Director Out as Finances Spiral: Will Anna Wintour’s Super Expensive Met Ball Be Next?

Thomas P. Campbell is out as director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The New York Times has reported this month about spiraling finances at the museum and huge deficits. Russell was making $1.4 million and was suing a swanky apartment across the street on Fifth Avenue courtesy of the museum.

With Campbell gone, what happens to Anna Wintour’s Met Ball? The garish Costume Institute spectacular had direct expenses of $3.6 million in 2014, according to the Met’s 2015 Form 990 tax filing. It’s a very costly enterprise. But that’s the money needed to feed and entertain models and movie stars wearing crazy over the top costumes. And it’s not all top notch peeps like Meryl Streep. Lately, the guest list has devolved into the world of Kardashians.

This year, I am told, Melania Trump will likely get the spotlight. Wintour’s former aide de camp Stephanie Winston Wolkoff now works for Melania. Wintour recently indicated she would cover the new First Lady the same way she has the prior ones. There’s little doubt that while the Met bleeds money, a festooned Melania will head up the red carpet into Wintour’s waiting arms.

And how will Melania be received at a museum as her husband tries to cut the NEA, PBS, and NPR, as well as other arts funding?

But will a new Met CEO want to splash all that money around for the Met Ball? This question looms large, especially as the museum faces layoffs. Stay tuned…

Oscar Nominee Lucas Hedges Skating Toward Jonah Hill’s Directing Debut Co-starring Oscar Nominee Michelle Williams

Roger Friedman
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Oscar Nominee Lucas Hedges Skating Toward Jonah Hill’s Directing Debut Co-starring Oscar Nominee Michelle Williams

Exclusive
What I’m hearing: Oscar nominee Lucas Hedges is going to star in Jonah Hill’s directing debut “Mid 90s.” The deal is as good as done.

The project was announced almost a year, with a script written by Jonah. Michelle Williams was already announced.

But now we get a clearer picture. Williams and Hedges were each Oscar nominees from “Manchester by the Sea.” And even though Lucas is 20 and Michelle is 36, they will likely play mother and son.

The story is based on Jonah Hill’s brother, Jordan Feldstein, who now manages Maroon 5 and is a big success in the music management field. “Mid 90s” is about his beginnings as a skateboarder and a hustler (business type), a Sammy Glick.

Of course, tall, blonde, lanky Hedges bears no resemblance to the more zaftig Feldstein in real life, but that won’t matter. A New Yorker, Hedges pulled off being from the north shore of Boston (or ‘nawth shaw’). And he’s been around show business enough to know the type. And this is back when Feldstein was a skateboarder.

Feldstein is a larger than life character. I saw him get into a huge fight with Sharon Osbourne a couple of years ago at Clive Davis’s pre-Grammy dinner. He scared the heck out of Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift. Osbourne wound up throwing a full wine glass at him after she thought he insulted one of her kids. But that’s rock and roll, kids! Hopefully Jonah has made the teen Jordan more sympathetic!

(And yes, Feldstein was also married for a week in November 2013 to Clint Eastwood and Frances Fisher’s daughter, Francesca. The marriage was instantly annulled. These days Francesca is dating actor Clifton Collins Jr.)

So let’s see what happens here. I’m already intrigued that “Mid 90s” will be Jonah Hill’s “Almost Famous.” I hope it all happens.

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