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Global Citizen: Salaries Up by a Million Bucks, Concert Costs Upwards of $7 Million, Less Than $100K to Charity

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It’s time for the annual Global Citizen rock festival, which wastes millions on a concert in Central Park but sends no money to people who are poor or hungry. The annual Ego-fest this year features Rihanna, Demi Lovato, Kendrick Lamar, and Metallica. Usher, who was announced is out, as well as Selena Gomez. But Cat Stevens has somehow been roped into this thing, along with Paul Simon and Kesha.  They should read the following and ask a few questions today.

 

global citizen top page According to Global Poverty’s Form 990 (that’s what they call their foundation) for 2014, the most recent filing, their Net Assets at the end of 2014 were MINUS $205,889. That’s red ink, in the negative. They had total liabilities of ONE MILLION dollars. Apparently, global poverty starts here.

Their salaries went up by one million dollars from 2013 to 2014. In 2013, salaries were listed as $759,311. For 2014, the number increased to a whopping $1.79 million. (And actually there’s some discrepancy about the 2013 number because two different totals have been given.)

Hugh Evans, the Aussie who runs the show and loves to pose with celebrities, got a nice bump up from $94,673 to $109,861.

But who knows what’s really going on? The Global Poverty Form 990 has a lot of miscellaneous charges.

The main thing to know: 2014 total revenue was $10.5 million. Total contributions (donations from sponsors presumably since there’s no other donor breakdown) in 2014 were $8.8 million. (The difference came in investments, etc.)

All that money came in and this is where it went: they say $782,358 went to “increase awareness of Global Poverty.” This isn’t listed under Grants to poor people. The only money Global Poverty gave to any specific charitable organization was $96,896 to Rotary Clubs of America to promote polio awareness.

Some other expenses: $332,373 for Office Expenses. $376,641 for Travel Expenses.

And an astounding $7.1 million to put on the Central Park Concert in 2014 with Beyonce, Jay Z, and No Doubt. Included in that number is over $2 million paid to outside vendors.

Meanwhile, one officer and two directors of the charity loaned Global Poverty to help put on the 2014 concert. They have not been paid back.

So what is it? Is it just an ego boost to put on a mega concert and talk about the existence of poverty? At best yes. At worst, it’s something else all together. If you could raise $10 million from sponsors, wouldn’t be more worthwhile to give it to poor people instead of paying for a rock concert and all its trimmings?

PS Global Citizen always makes sure to file their Form 990 late, so the most recent year of expenses can’t be discussed until after their annual concert.

 

 

 

 

 

“The Magnificent Seven” Director Says If it’s a Hit (It Will Be) He’d Be Up for Magnificent 8 and 9

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Sony, still grilling sausages, is going to have a big hit this weekend. “The Magnificent Seven” rode into town last night for sneaks with $1.75 million. Boxofficemojo points out that’s a little better even than “Sully,” which has now turned into a solid hit and possible Oscar nominee.

“M7” is a remake, of course, but the good kind, not “Ben Hur.” Antoine Fuqua reunites with Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, adds Chris Pratt, Peter Sarsgard and Vincent D’Onofrio. All them are dead on in this serious rebooting of the straight ahead western. This isn’t Quentin Tarantino or even Mel Brooks. It’s the real thing. And while there isn’t much dialogue, there’s plenty of action. Great bar fights, bows and arrows, and horse action with no horsing around. You’ll also enjoy Chris Pratt’s magic tricks.

I can’t give away the story, but the new “M7” follows the plot of the original pretty closely. Not everyone gets out alive, so watch closely. Enough of the cast makes it that I asked Fuqua in Toronto if he’d be open to sequels– a “Magnificent 8” or “Magnificent 9.” He said, “If this is a hit, I’d be open to it, sure. Take Denzel and whoever’s left, and regroup.”

I think it will happen.

Pay special attention to Ethan Hawke’s character. Goodnight Robicheaux (played in the 1960 original by Brad Dexter). He’s doing something a little different than the others. His character has one of the best story arcs. And we joked in Toronto, this movie didn’t take 12 years to make!

Brangelina Wedding Photos: What Happened to the $5 Million Earmarked for Charity?

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Flashback to September 1st, 2014: Exclusive photos of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s wedding appeared in People and Hello! magazines. The two mags reportedly split a $5 million fee for the rights, and the money was supposed to go to charity.

Two years later, Jolie and Pitt have split. According to the 2014 filing for their Jolie Pitt Foundation, the money from the wedding photos is listed. Very clearly. “Wedding photos– Ending Book Value, $20,000; Fair Market Value $50,000.” That’s the only mention of them. So what happened to the $5 million?

There is no other mention of it in the charity’s 2014 filing, nor is their any notation of it in Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation.

Back on September 2, 2014, I interviewed the photographer, who said he had done the job for free.

The 2014 does list income– under Royalties– at $3,961,140 million. If that money comes from the wedding photos, it’s more than a million bucks less than previously rhough.

But Contributors to the Foundation are listed as Briarcliff Trust (Pitt’s trust’s name)- $387,500; Brad Pitt–$38,000; Angelina Jolie Family Trust $575,500; Australian Center for AG Research–$63,407; the UK’s National Health Service– $8,293.

In 2013, Jolie’s lawyer, Robert Offer, contributed $5,000 to the charity.

It’s not like the Jolie-Pitt Foundation isn’t generous. They distributed $1.4 million to charities in 2014, mostly in Namibia. The couple– not the Foundation– doesn’t stint on itself, however. They’re said to be worth over $400 million.

Jolie-Pitt Foundation is unfortunately not that transparent. A call to Foundation Source, which administers the foundation, proved to be a dead end. They refused to give the number of anyone associated with Jolie Pitt. The foundation seems to be run by Jolie’s business manager in Hollywood. We’ll see if anyone responds.

 

This Morning, North Carolina Congressman Robert Pittenger Is Public Enemy Number 1

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He must be recalled or fired or whatever can be done in North Carolina, where stupidity still reigns. What a waste of a human being. The people who elected him should be embarrassed right down to their souls, if they have any.

Watch this:

UPDATE Mia Farrow’s Adopted Son’s Death Ruled a Suicide

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The Connecticut medical examiner have ruled the death of Thaddeus Wilk Farrow, 27, a suicide. Mia Farrow’s adopted son was found dead two days ago in his car.

Farrow said in a statement: “We’re devastated by the loss of Thaddeus, our beloved son and brother. He was a wonderful, courageous person who overcame so much hardship in his short life. We miss him. Thank you for the outpouring of condolences and words of kindness.”

The actress adopted Thaddeus, originally named Gabriel, in 1995. He was from Kolkata, India, and suffered from polio. She changed his name to Thaddeus and added “Wilk” as a tribute to Judge Eliot Wilk who presided over her nasty custody battle with Woody Allen over three other children.

 

Alicia Keys’ Appearance on “The Voice” Sends Four of Her Old Hits Up the iTunes Charts

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Was it a good idea for Alicia Keys to join “The Voice”on NBC? By the looks of the iTunes charts, I’d say the answer is Yes.

Since “The Voice” aired on Tuesday night, Keys has sent four old songs of hers up the charts. Currently “If I Ain’t Got You,” “No One,” “Fallin,” and “Girl on Fire” are lodged in the top 100 among current hits. The latter song is Number 15.

Keys isn’t the only artist with a classic hit comeback on the iTunes Top 100. Is it just that music today is so bad? But Creedence Clearwater Revival and John Denver also have old hits in top 100. There are also cover versions of “The Sound of Silence” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.”

What’s causing all this? Weird algorithm? Deep discounts? Payola? I don’t know. But with new music coming from Sting, the Pretenders, Van Morrison and the Weeknd, and others, it would be nice to see those artists up there with new hits.

Mia Farrow’s Adopted Son Thaddeus Dies in Car Accident, Named for Judge in Woody Allen Case

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Tragedy has struck Mia Farrow’s extended family once again. Reports are that Thaddeus Wilk Farrow, 27, has died. Thaddeus is the third of Farrow’s adopted children who’ve died young.

The Hartford Courant reported that Thaddeus, who was paralyzed from polio, was found in his car suffering from a life threatening injury along Route 67 in Roxbury, Connecticut– not far from his own apartment and Mia’s Bridgewater farm.

Farrow adopted Thaddeus in 1995 during her legal wranglings with ex boyfriend Woody Allen over custody of the children they shared. I reported at the time in New York magazine that she’d given the baby the middle name “Wilk” after Judge Eliot Wilk, who was presiding over the trial. Originally Thaddeus’s first name was Gabriel, but many of Farrow’s adopted children and even her biological son Ronan went through many name changes over the years.

Condolences to Farrow and the extended family. The one consolation is that she gave these kids lives they never would have had, but it’s probably small consolation at that.

Watch Ariana Grande’s Performance of Her Best Song Ever on “The Tonight Show”

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Ariana Grande did something really smart a couple of nights ago on Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show.” Instead of singing one of pre-fabbed songs from her album, she pulled out an “extra” track that few have heard before. “Give it Away (Jason’s Song) is written by Broadway composer Jason Robert Brown. He played piano with the band. This is without a doubt the best thing this young woman has done so far. She also sang jazz on “SNL” this year, and killed it. After the Tonight show. she Tweeted that this is what her voice is for. She’s damn right. She could be an actual artist if she goes in this direction. Exciting.

Reviews: Family Films Mira Nair’s “Queen of Katwe” and Nicholas Stoller’s “Storks” Deliver

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Two family movies open this weekend, but both are quite different, worthy and for adults as well.   

First off is Disney’s “Queen Of Katwe,”  which just came in as the second runner up for the coveted Grolsch People’s Choice Award at the recent Toronto Film Festival and for good reason.  “Katwe” is directed by Mira Nair, (Monsoon Wedding) who has an artistic skillful touch in capturing the location’s feel of her subject, doing it with joy, and enchanting as well as heart wrenching honesty. This vibrant story is about a young Ugandan slum girl named Phiona, who after she is introduced to the game of chess pursues her dreams to become an international chess champion. 

Lupita Nyong’o plays her headstrong, scrappy mother with ferocity, pathos and pure love. David Oyelowo is the always encouraging local sports coach who is her stout and loyal champion throughout. Both of these gifted actors give beautifully layered exquisite performances. Otherwise, Nair uses mainly unknown native African actors, all charming and sweetly sincere. Kudos to Composer Alex Heffes for his gorgeous engrossing score.  Yes it’s inspirational and yes we know where it’s going. Didn’t stop me and many of the other jaded journalists at a recent screening from dabbing their eyes.  Go see it, it’s a gem. 

Next is Warner’s “Storks,” a film about finding-your-family, in whatever form that is. A  truly funny animated bundle of joy, (pardon the pun) treat co-written and directed by Nicholas Stoller. Basically the story is that of two storks, Junior and Hunter, voiced by an always funny Andy Samberg and Kelsey Grammer, who reveal the truth about their job delivering babies to parents.  It’s a quirky movie, because it bounces from being really clever, quippy and amusing, to at times being quite sentimental and surprising. Kind of manic too, which makes the whole movie going experience even more interesting.  Kudos to newcomer Katie Crown for creating a redhead for the ages the protagonist Tulip, and a hilarious Keegan-Michael Key as Alpha Wolf.  I’m sure we’ll see many more entertaining sequel flights from “Storks.”  

 

No Joke: Famed Friars Club Roiling in Controversy as Legendary Member “Suspended,” President Sued for Sexual Harassment

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EXCLUSIVE The Famed Friars Club on East 55th St. is in hot, hot water.

Their controversial president, Bruce Charet, has been sued for sexual harassment in a lawsuit that’s rocked the staid club, home to famed comedians, singers and actors for decades.

Charet has become such a lightning rod that several veteran members of the club have left. And to make matters worse, comic Stewie Stone, one of the Friars stalwarts, was “suspended” recently without a hearing. Stone has served in various capacities and offices for years and, with Freddie Roman, is one of the very popular senior members.

“There is no Friars Club without Stewie Stone,” says Susie Essman, the hilarious comedian who co-stars in Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Essman has also left the Friars– but for a different reason. She is furious that 90 year old star Jerry Lewis has become the head, the Abbott, and that the “Monastery”– the main room in the gothic East 55th St. townhouse club– has been named for him. She calls Lewis a “misogynist.” She’s “utterly disgusted” with Lewis’s comments that “no woman” can be a comedian. “He said Joan Rivers should drop dead two months before she actually did,” Essman says. “I’m through with the Friars Club.”

I’m told other members have resigned or are in tense negotiations with the club right now. Tonight’s salute to director Martin Scorsese at Cipriani Wall Street is going to be light on celebrities, I’m told. “At the last event, for Tony Bennett, at the Sheraton, they closed off the dividing wall in the ballroom because they didn’t want to show how few people were there,” says a source.

Charet has scant credentials available on the internet. He lists himself as president of Bruce Charet Productions, but there are no credits for him in the Internet Broadway Data Base. On the Internet Movie Data Base, Charet is listed as co-executive producer in 2006 of “Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks.” He’s referred to in a few articles from 2004 as Reverend Al Sharpton’s LA-based entertainment manager. His own postings suggest a tie to Frank Sinatra “in his later years.”

Additionally, there are significant questions about the Friars’ philanthropic efforts. They are registered as a 501 c 3 charity, and for years have raised money and donated it to various causes. But their 2014 federal tax filing should set off alarms. Contributions to the foundation went from $676,216 in 2013 to just $47,198 in 2014. Hence, the Friars’ donations to outside groups went from $351,896 to a startling $8,685. Their net assets or fund balances dropped from $1.2 million to $985,125. My call to Martin J. Gross of Sandalwood Partners, who signed the Foundation’s tax filing, has not been returned. (UPDATE: Mr. Gross declined to answer any questions and referred me to another Friars exec.)

Charet seems to be the central issue. Rehanna Almestica, who worked for the Friars Club since 2007, alleged in a lawsuit this past spring that Charet “subjected her to sexual harassment – by, e.g., soliciting sex from her, forcing her to look at a picture of a penis, asking her personal sexual questions, asking her to touch his groin, and telling her by phone that he was having an orgasm – and that defendants fired her in retaliation after she submitted a complaint to the NYS Division of Human Rights complaining of the harassment.”

The Friars Club was founded in 1904. Its modern associations have been with Frank Sinatra, George Burns, Jack Benny and all the classic comedians. It was featured in a famous episode of “Seinfeld.” But the membership has been aging. “Younger”comedians– like David Letterman and Jon Stewart– have eschewed the Club.