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Friars Club Turmoil Continues as Famed Club “Terminates” Beloved Howard Stern Pal, Comic Jackie Martling

Roger Friedman
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Friars Club Turmoil Continues as Famed Club “Terminates” Beloved Howard Stern Pal, Comic Jackie Martling

I told you last week that the Friars Club was in turmoil. The new people running the club have taken a hard line against veteran members. They inexplicably “suspended” Stewie Stone, one of the great stalwarts of the private club. I’m getting calls about all kinds of infighting.

But now comes word that the Board of Governors has “terminated” veteran comic Jackie Martling, a beloved member who is best known to the public as a legacy member of Howard Stern’s crew. Everyone loves Jackie, but in the past few months he’s been part of a group trying to keep the club from being overtaken.

It hasn’t worked. Martling’s letter was sent to me last night by a source. Martling, who’s got gigs all weekend according to his website, has returned calls. But the letter from Treasurer Ralph Campagnone contains a not so subtle threat that the Friars may go after Martling for arrears.

I have to think that late Friars like comedian Alan King are rolling in their graves over what’s going on. The current celebrity wrangler and instigator at the Friars, Bruce Charet, is being sued– along with the club– by a former employee for sexual harassment. The woman complained to the board that she was being harassed, and they fired her. The case is in the discovery phase right now.

Campagnone is not from show business. He was in the printing business for 17 years according to his Linked In bio. He currently owns the license from Paramount Pictures for the Don Corleone brand of organic vodka, made in Italy. (Almost no vodka is made in Italy.)

There’s more– and I’ll get it into perhaps on Monday.

(Video) Lily Collins Sings in New, Soaring Clip from Warren Beatty’s “Rules Don’t Apply”

Roger Friedman
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(Video) Lily Collins Sings in New, Soaring Clip from Warren Beatty’s “Rules Don’t Apply”

Lily Collins sings and the score is lush and memorable in a new clip for Warren Beatty’s “Rules Don’t Apply.” The much anticipated film opens the AFI Film Festival November 9th, and opens in theaters November 23rd. Beatty’s first movie since 2000 stars Lily Collins, Alden Ehrenreich, Beatty himself as Howard Hughes, Annette Bening, Matthew Broderick, Candice Bergen, Alec Baldwin, and more. It was screened this week for Beatty’s pals in L.A. and soon we may actually see it! Can’t wait!

PS The song Lily sings is written by Lorraine Feather, the songwriter daughter of famed jazz and music writer Leonard Feather.

Judith Light Shows Who’s the Boss off Broadway in Stunning Performane of a One Woman Play by Neil Labute

Roger Friedman
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Judith Light Shows Who’s the Boss off Broadway in Stunning Performane of a One Woman Play by Neil Labute

Today, Agnes Nixon died at age 88. She created the soap opera “One Life to Live” and in the mid 70s a desperately flawed character named Karen Wolek. Judith Light played Karen, won a Daytime Emmy, and never looked back. She’s won two Tony Awards recently, and she’s been nominated for an Emmy for “Transparent.” Her career just gets better and better.

So the good news is that Light is making a stunning turn off Broadway in Neil Labute’s “All the Ways to Say I Love You.” It’s a one woman show, a 55 minute monologue, during which Light runs a gamut of emotions that would kill a normal person. But she has become a Great Actress. Her character, Mrs. Johnson, no first name, is a high school teacher married to a “mixed race” man named Eric. They could not have children. They’ve drifted apart. And now Mrs. Johnson has a Secret that so devours her she rakes it over and over in her head.

LaBute’s play is vivid, and helped by the direction of Leigh Silverman, who brings Mrs. Johnson’ story to life memorably. The Secret is that she’s had an affair with a student, had a baby, and passed it off as her husband’s. I asked Judith after the show if she thought that this could be what happened to Karen Wolek–who admitted soap opera style on the witness stand during a murder trial that she was a housewife prostitute.

“No, I don’t think so,” Light said, smiling. (She knows she’s done a very good job here. “We worked very hard,” she told me.) “I think once Karen admitted what she’d done on the stand, she was free.” Mrs. Johnson, however, will never be free. We all went to Sushi Samba after the show, including Light’s “Transparent” co-star Jeffrey Tambor, who brought his daughter. He was blown away. But really, once you’ve seen Judith Light in this play, you need a stiff drink, not a California roll.

Bravo! The play has been extended through October, when Light must return to more lucrative work. Don’t miss her.

PS Agnes Nixon created “One Life to Live” and “All My Children,” wrote for “As the World Turns” and saved NBC’s “Another World” in 1968 when it was almost cancelled. She created very distressed, willful female characters like Karen, like Erica Kane and so on. Her legacy is huge. Judith Light is one of many stars now who can trace their starts to Agnes Nixon. When I interviewed Agnes she was living in the Lombardy Hotel for eons. Someone should make a movie about her life. Rest in peace.

Exclusive UPDATE Lady Gaga Will Write a Whole New Album of Songs for the New “A Star is Born” — If It Happens

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive UPDATE Lady Gaga Will Write a Whole New Album of Songs for the New “A Star is Born” — If It Happens

Bradley Cooper’s “A Star is Born” with Lady Gaga is a go go– that’s what a Hollywood insider insists. I am still hearing, however, rumors that the project is in trouble. We’ll have to wait and see how it materializes.

What I did hear today was that Lady Gaga will write a whole new album of songs for the “A Star is Born” soundtrack — if the movie happens. That’s pretty extraordinary because she has a whole new album of songs coming in three weeks called “Joanne.”

Fans are speculating that Gaga is soft-pedaling “Joanne” because it’s the last album she’s under contract for with Interscope. But Gaga isn’t leaving Universal Music– I can’t see that happening. And I do think despite “Perfect Illusion” being met with ambivalence, the album itself will come in as a hit on October 21st.

As for “A Star is Born,” time will tell. Plenty of movies have had rougher starts.

Grammy Deadline is Friday: Here are the likely nominees for Album, Song, Record of the Year

Roger Friedman
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Grammy Deadline is Friday: Here are the likely nominees for Album, Song, Record of the Year

The deadline for Grammy eligibility is Friday. The year in the music industry is over. Another ignominious year. And we’re still waiting for a MusiCares Person of the Year to be announced. In the meantime, here are the potential nominees in the main three categories:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR— Adele’s “25” and Beyonce’s “Lemonade” seem like odds on favorites. Drake’s “Views,” as well. I’d add albums by two mega-vets– Paul Simon’s “Stranger to Stranger” and David Bowie’s “Blackstar.” The latter is completely extraordinary. The whole Grammys should be a celebration of Bowie. Simon’s album is unique and gorgeous. The other three are the best contemporary artists can offer right now.

RECORD OF THE YEAR– Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and DNCE’s “Cake by the Ocean” were the best singles. Hands down. Adele’s “Hello” will be in there. Twentyone Pilots “Stressed Out” would be third. I’d add Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” and Drake’s “One Dance.”

SONG OF THE YEAR– Adele’s “Hello” is the song of the year, sorry, so whatever. Greg Kurstin, who wrote “Hello,” also worked with Sia on “Cheap Thrills” and “Piece by Piece” with Kelly Clarkson. He could get three nominations. “Love Yourself” is an Ed Sheeran song covered by Justin Bieber, but the little guy got credit. It’s clever. Charlie Puth’s “We Don’t Talk Anymore” comes from his Nine Track Mind, which was released in January. This guy is good and should only be encouraged. I do not advocate Song of the Year nominations to things that were constructed or sampled. Puth is the real deal.

Will any of this happen? Who knows? The Grammy noms are mysteries unto themselves, hatched in smoke filled rooms. Something will be omitted that will cause outrage, like two years ago when Justin Timberlake’s best selling album of the year, “20/20 Experience” was totally snubbed. Why? Who knows? Maybe someone didn’t like him. That’s how it works. Read “Hit Men.” It’s a wild world.

CBS Soap “Young and the Restless” Hires Daytime Chief’s Ex-TMZ Reporter Husband for Role on Show

Roger Friedman
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CBS Soap “Young and the Restless” Hires Daytime Chief’s Ex-TMZ Reporter Husband for Role on Show

CBS has a real soap on its hands.

I wrote a couple of years ago about CBS Daytime chief Angelica McDaniel possibly leaking a story about a cast member of “The Young and the Restless” to her husband, Brian McDaniel, who appeared regularly on TMZ’s syndicated gossip show. The story, about actor Michael Muhney, wrecked his career and he left the show. TMZ was the only outlet to have the story and its gory details.

Now sharp eyed viewers of the soap have alerted me to this bit of news: Brian McDaniel has turned up as an actor over the last month on “The Young and the Restless.” Apparently, he’s left TMZ but is now playing a TMZ type sleaze tabloid reporter with a camera. Type casting? Maybe. Nepotism? Definitely. McDaniel’s only other credited acting job is for a Saturday morning TV show called “The Inspectors.” Coincidentally, it’s on CBS.

PS “The Young and the Restless” has a new Executive Producer named Mal Young. I noticed in his bio he’s married to British pop legend Mari Wilson. Cool. Wilson sort of fell in the line between Dusty Springfield and Alison Moyet, predating Adele as a torch singer. Check her out on Spotify. With all this nepotism, maybe she’ll turn up on the soap. Now that would be clever!

THIS IS COOL– I just found a video of my favorite singer Julia Fordham, with Mari Wilson:

Michael Moore — Banned by One Ohio Theater — Finds Another to Film One Man Show About Election

Roger Friedman
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Michael Moore — Banned by One Ohio Theater — Finds Another to Film One Man Show About Election

Michael Moore is un-banned. He says on Facebook that he will perform a one man show at the Murphy Theater in Wilmington, Ohio on October 6th. He’s filming it and will “have it out” before the election.

The theater has been publicly supported financially in the past by one of his arch enemies, Glenn Beck. Wilmington is in a heavily Republican county.

Moore had said previously that he’d been banned by the nearby Midland Theater in Licking County. He took a licking, that’s for sure. He posted:

“We got a call from the theater management telling us, “We’re sorry but the community board that oversees the theater has voted to not allow Michael Moore to perform his show here. We are declining the rental.” When asked why, it was explained to us that, “Michael Moore’s appearance here could reflect negatively upon the Midland Theatre. He is too controversial and the risk is too great. The board is afraid that renting the theater to him may cause the theater to lose long-standing patrons. Our board here is fairly conservative and it was felt that Mr. Moore would try to sway people’s minds to vote his way.”

But now he’s all set. The shows are October 6 and 7 at 8pm, and they are free!  Moore writes:

“So why am I coming to Trump Country in Clinton County? Because I think I know why a lot of people in Ohio and Michigan, some of them my neighbors, are voting for Donald Trump — good Midwestern people whose lives have been upended by “the system that’s been rigged against them.” They used to be part of something that was called “the middle class.” Now they have a chance to hit back, to pick up a virtual baseball bat and smash that old system by voting for the outsider known as Trump. I want to talk to these voters. I want to see if I can meet them half-way. And I want to give them an hour or so of some good laughs over the craziest election year we’ve ever seen”

Moore says he may swing by the Midland Theater anyway and perform his show on the street.

Beyonce’s Sister Solange Dropping New Digital Album “Everywhere” Not Just on Jay Z’s Tidal

Roger Friedman
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Beyonce’s Sister Solange Dropping New Digital Album “Everywhere” Not Just on Jay Z’s Tidal

Solange Knowles is not stupid. When Beyonce’s sister drops her new digital album on Friday, it will be “everywhere” according to a press release. In other words– Solange will not be exclusive to her brother in law Jay Z’s losing proposition, Tidal. Solange, you see, wants to sell some ‘records.’

Solange’s new album is called “A Seat at the Table,” which is what I guess she’s trying to get considering all the gigantic ego’s around her. Beyonce does not appear on the album but there are some guest stars including former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland and Kelela.

I’ve been listening to Solange’s past records on Spotify. If Beyonce weren’t such a huge hovering cloud, Solange would be a big hit singer. I really love songs like “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Losing You.” She’s a more straightforward singer, and her songs are better. No kidding. Give this girl a chance.

solange table

 

Here’s the tracklist:

  1. “Rise”
  2. “Weary” (Additional Vocals blessed by Tweet)
  3. “Interlude: The Glory Is In You”
  4. “Cranes In The Sky”
  5. “Interlude: Dad Was Mad”
  6. “Mad” Ft. Lil Wayne (Additional Vocals blessed by Moses Sumney and Tweet)
  7. “Don’t You Wait”
  8. “Interlude: Tina Taught Me”
  9. “Don’t Touch My Hair” Ft. Sampha
  10. “Interlude:  This Moment” (Additional vocals Devonte Hynes of Houston Texas and Lu of Carolina)
  11. “Where Do We Go” (Additional vocals blessed by Sean Nicholas Savage)
  12. “Interlude:  For Us By Us”
  13. “F.U.B.U.” Ft. The Dream & BJ The Chicago Kid (Additional Vocals blessed by Tweet)
  14. “Borderline (An Ode To Self Care)” Ft. Q-Tip
  15. “Interlude:  I Got So Much Magic, You Can Have It” Ft. Kelly Rowland & Nia Andrews
  16. “Junie”
  17. “Interlude: No Limits”
  18. “Don’t Wish Me Well”

Flash! Warren Beatty Agrees to a Reddit AMA Set for Thursday Afternoon EST

Roger Friedman
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Flash! Warren Beatty Agrees to a Reddit AMA Set for Thursday Afternoon EST

Flash! Kids, a rarity– Oscar winner Warren Beatty, a real Hollywood icon, has agreed to a little publicity for “Rules Don’t Apply.” Beatty will participate in a Reddit AMA on Thursday at 11:30am Pacific, 2:30pm Eastern. He will answer all questions, nothing is off limits. Nothing gross or coarse, though. But he will laugh off the urban legend that he slept with 12,775 women. (Maybe it’s more!) Maybe someone will ask him what the best inexpensive gift is for the third date. Anyway, we’ll have all the results here. This is the man who made “Reds,” “Bonnie & Clyde,” “Heaven Can Wait,” and “Shampoo” so I hope there are some questions about movie making. That’s far more interesting.

Rudy Giuliani Cheated on His Wife While Mayor, Used His Kids as Props, Calls Hillary Clinton “A Phony”

Roger Friedman
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Rudy Giuliani Cheated on His Wife While Mayor, Used His Kids as Props, Calls Hillary Clinton “A Phony”

During Rudy Giuliani’s 12 years as mayor, he cheated on his wife, Donna Hanover, at least once. A second, rumored affair, was denied but the relationship was too close for comfort. The first time was with Cristyne Lategano, an aide who Giuliani was with 24/7, and for whom he bought dresses. The second time was with Judith Nathan, whom he eventually married. I was the reporter who found Giuliani and Nathan together on a date, on Friday, April 28, 2000.

Fox News wouldn’t let me report it because I was told that Roger Ailes. our boss, had an arrangement not to report anything negative about Giuliani. So I had to give the story to the NY Daily News, which broke it. Then I was allowed to write it. Later, the New York Times gave me credit.

I bring this up today because of the repulsive statement Giuliani made in the video below to Alexandra Svokos, which she posted on Twitter. Giuliani accuses Hillary Clinton of doing terrible things to Monica Lewinsky. Then he says that Hillary “is too stupid to be president.”

This vile person, who carried on while in office without any thought to his children, should watch it, already. (I also reported in NY Magazine how Giuliani and Lategano used his kids to present bad news to Wall Street at an all day press conference.) New Yorkers can’t stand him. He calls himself “America’s Mayor” because he grandstanded during 9-11. For years his children didn’t speak to him. It’s unclear if they do now. His role as henchman and chief assistant villain to Donald Trump as the Joker has become more and more cartoon like. And frankly, he’s too stupid if he doesn’t think all of his private life will come tumbling out again.

Guiliani says Hillary Clinton is a “total phony.” He should know. Let’s ask Donna Hanover, shall we? Because that’s a saga that awaits being dredged up.

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