Monday, December 22, 2025
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Bruce Springsteen’s New Memoir Says He Wrote the Song “Fire” for Elvis Presley, But He Died Before It Could Happen

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Bruce Springsteen’s memoir, “Born to Run,” is chock full of interesting stories. If there had been galleys and time to read it before publication, I’d have been able to give you a more comprehensive review.

Springsteen includes memories and anecdotes about a lot of people.He says he wrote the song “Fire” for Elvis Presley, but he died before it could happen. The Pointer Sisters had the hit, produced by Richard Perry.

But it may be the people he left out who are more interesting. That group includes three well known girlfriends he had before marrying Julianne Phillips. They were Karen Darvin (who went to marry Todd Rundgren), Joyce Hyser, and the famed photographer Lynn Goldsmith.

Darvin was mentioned in the Time cover story in 1975. Goldsmith’s absence from “Born to Run” is the most curious. She took hundreds of photographs of him that became classics. She’s also written about the relationship and published books of the photos.

Somehow, Bruce has managed to publish a book about himself using not one of Goldsmith’s photos. That’s pretty hard to do since anyone else who would publish a book about Bruce Springsteen would definitely use pics taken by Lynn Goldsmith.

Ah well. I’m sure other forums like Page Six will address this issue. Me, I’m wondering why there’s no mention of the song “Fever” and no anecdote about the cover artists who made money for Bruce —  how Patti Smith made “Because the Night” a big hit, ditto the Pointer Sisters with “Fire,” or Manfred Mann with “Blinded by the Light.” Five hundred pages– and not a peep about those peeps, either.

Bruce notes at the end of the book:

“Writing about yourself is a funny business. At the end of the day it’s just another story, the story you’ve chosen from the events of your life. I haven’t told you “all” about myself. Discretion and the feelings of others don’t allow it. But in a project like this, the writer has made one promise: to show the reader his mind. In these pages I’ve tried to do that.”

 

 

Bruce Springsteen Comes Clean About Divorce from Julianne Phillips: “My poor handling of this is something I regret to this day”

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click here for today’s headlines on Showbiz411

 

In his memoir “Born to Run,” out today, Bruce Springsteen comes clean about his affair with Patti Scialfa and his divorce from first wife Julianne Phillips with his usual grace and aplomb. Bruce, you know, is a gentleman. But he brings it all up, and we want to know…

First of all Bruce says his marriage to Phillips, eleven years his junior, was marked by his anxieties and distrust.

“One evening, while I sat across from my beautiful wife in an upscale Los Angeles eatery, a conversation formed silently inside my head. There, as we politely chatted by candlelight, hand in hand, a part of me tried to convince myself that she was simply using me to further her career or to get . . . something,” he writes. “Nothing could’ve been farther from the truth. Julianne loved me and didn’t have an exploitive [sic] or malicious bone in her body. Inside, I knew that, but I was out where the buses don’t run and couldn’t center myself around the truth.”

The relationship deteriorated, and Bruce drifted toward Scialfa, who was in his band and closer to his age. They spoke the same language.

He writes: “Patti was a musician, was close to my age, had seen me on the road in all of my many guises and viewed me with a knowing eye. She knew I was no white knight (perhaps a dark gray knight at best), and I never felt the need to pretend around her…

“…I came clean to Julie as soon as I knew how serious Patti and I were, but there was no decent or graceful way out of it. I was going to hurt someone I loved . . . period…I dealt with Julie’s and my separation abysmally, insisting it remain a private affair, so we released no press statement, causing furor, pain and “scandal” when the news leaked out. It made a tough thing more heartbreaking than necessary. I deeply cared for Julianne and her family and my poor handling of this is something I regret to this day.”

He continues:

“Julianne was young, just getting her career started, while at thirty-five, I could seem accomplished, reasonably mature and in control, but, inside, I was still emotionally stunted and secretly unavailable. She’s a woman of great discretion and decency and always dealt with me and our problems honestly and in good faith, but in the end, we didn’t really know. I placed her in a terribly difficult position for a young girl and I failed her as a husband and partner. We handled the details as civilly and as graciously as possible, divorced and went on about our lives.”

read today’s other Showbiz411 headlines here

 

Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts Follow Brangelina– Which Couples Are Left In Hollywood?

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Add Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts to the Hollywood couples heap. They’re finito, joining Brad and Angelina in the exes column. They have two kids, and a new movie — “The Bleeder.” Fame and fortune wasn’t enough. It never is. Weird thing is, they’re both in New York for a change– he’s on Broadway, she’s got a new Amazon series. They can’t blame it on being apart. And he pushed for “Ray Donovan” to be shot in New York next year.

So who’s left?

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban– two kids, seem very devoted to each other, would be a shock if they split but the tabs hound them

Barbra Streisand and James Brolin– divorce rumors in the tabs every so often but at this point it looks like they’re in til the end. He’s got a hit series, she’s got hit records. What’s not to be happy about?

John Krasinski and Emily Blunt– just saw them, they seem happy, let’s hope they stay that way.

Alessandro Nivola and Emily Mortimer– wrote about them this summer, also seem happy, counting on it.

Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell– married three years next month, have two kids, they joke around a lot.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson– if they broke up, the world would come to an end. Literally.

Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw– ditto.

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood– country’s number 1 couple. They caused a lot of upheaval to be together. He even semi-retired for a while.

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw– country’s number 2 couple. Again, their split would be big news.

Kanye West and whatsername–there would just be cackling, no one has much of an emotional investment in them.

William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman– I would sue them if they split up, frankly.

Warren Beatty and Annette Bening– four kids, long marriage, and if they each have hits this winter (Warren with “Rules Don’t Apply” and Annette with ’20th Century Women”) then it’s all good, forever.

Beyonce and Jay Z– they seem to have weathered a lot already and they’re still together. They’ve made Lemonade out of lemons.

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick– would be a total shocker. They’ve been together for decades, and even survived financial disaster.

Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker– too nice for any of the rumors to be true, plus they’re loaded, they have nice kids, and keep it low key.

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgard– considered “normal,” work together a lot, very sweet with each other. Very successful, too.

Courtney B. Vance and Angela Bassett– after Courtney’s Emmy speech, they should be together a while.

 

 

 

Oscars: Martin Scorsese “Silence” Will Make Noise December 23, Just As I Told You in August

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Paramount has set December 23rd for Martin Scorsese’s “Silence.” Just as I told you Scorsese told me in August.

Starring Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield, Ciaran Hinds, and Adam Driver, “Silence” should be a big player in this year’s Academy Awards. How could it not be? This is Scorsese’s real passion project. So get ready.

“Silence” has 25 producer credits, is edited by the legendary Thelma Schoonmaker, and boasts cinematography by Rodridgo Prieto and production design by Dante Ferretti. It’s based on the novel by Shûsaku Endô.

Conde Nast Owner Si Newhouse, 89, Has Dementia: Wheelchair Bound, Can’t Speak, “Is Doing Very Badly”

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You might have wondered whatever happened to Si Newhouse, the owner of Conde Nast, and the man who gave us Anna Wintour.

It turns out the 89 year old is very ill with dementia, according to his brother Donald Newhouse. He let that slip on the Today show this morning, promoting a charity event for dementia research this week. Donald’s late wife succumbed to dementia.

Si Newhouse is the brother who turned Conde Mast into a magazine powerhouse in the 1980s. When Tina Brown’s “Vanity Fair” hit big in the late 80s, Newhouse capitalized on that success and revved up the PR machine. He tossed out Vogue editor Grace Mirabella and brought in Wintour. He brought in Details magazine, ousted Architectural Digest’s Paige Rense, and became the Napoleon of magazine publishers. He has as many huge failures as he did successes.

But in recent years, Si Newhouse has simply vanished from the public conversation about media. His illness was a well kept open secret in New York circles, just as another media mogul who everyone in town is protecting (not Rupert Murdoch, although he just seems demented).

Thanks to Donald Newhouse for letting the world know his brother’s status. Don says Si is wheelchair bound, can’t speak, and is in bad shape. “He’s lost most ability to speak, and he also has motion problems, uses a walker or a wheelchair.”

Well, that’s the worst way to live out your life for many who once towered over New York.

Bruce Springsteen’s Book “Born to Run” Is Number 1 on Amazon Day Before Release

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Bruce Springsteen’s memoir is Born to Sell. The book, “Born to Run,” is number 1 on Amazon.com the day before its official release.

And also on Amazon, Springsteen’s companion album “Chapter and Verse” is number 1 on the CD chart. Fans want the physical album badly even though it only has five new songs on it. On the Amazon digital chart, “Chapter and Verse” is number 38.

That’s not unusual, as older artists do not have big streaming or downloading audiences. For most fans, “Chapter and Verse” will be an addition to a collection. Some wealthy fans will go for the expensive box set combo.

There are few reviews yet for “Born to Run” because the publisher didn’t issue many advance copies. Plus, the publisher–Simon & Schuster– is handling publicity. That’s always a bad sign. Book publicists don’t know how to handle celebrity or entertainment books as a rule.

So there are just a few hours left– then we can see what the fuss is all about. In the meantime, check out Vanity Fair, which discusses Springsteen’s chronic depression

Box Office Diva Bust: Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Lange, Demi Moore Film Had 43 Producers, Made 40K, Gone in a Week

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UPDATE: Here’s a weird postscript. Turns out “Wild Oats” aired once, on Lifetime, on August 22nd, at 10pm– far past the bedtime of anyone who’d want to see it. WTH?

EARLIER: I’ve asked around but no one seems to know what happened here.

You may not be aware of it, but last week Oscar winners Shirley MacLaine and (recent Tony winner) Jessica Lange opened in a new movie called “Wild Oats.” Demi Moore, who once commanded $20 million a picture, co-stars, along with Alan Arkin, Judd Hirsch, and Billy Connolly.

“Wild Oats” played one week in theatres and made $40,598. It is gone, as far as I can tell. Gone with the wind.

The movie was directed by Andy Tennant, who has a terrible track record. His only real hit was “Sweet Home Alabama” in 2002 and “Hitch” in 2005. He hasn’t made a movie since “Bounty Hunter”  in 2010, which did a very meager $67 million.

“Wild Oats” has two reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, both negative. One is from a blogger in the US, the other is from Singapore.

Forty three producers may be a record. Two of them were Bob and Harvey Weinstein, who picked this up for peanuts and released under their genre label, Dimension. Presumably, “Wild Oats” will go to VOD and video, and we’ll see it on a plane soon and wonder what it is.

 

Denzel Washington Scores 13th $20 Mil Opening in a Row with “Magnificent Seven”

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Denzel Washington set his own record today. “The Magnificent Seven” scored a $35 million opening weekend. It’s Denzel’s 13th opening in a row over $20 million.

It’s a win-win for Washington and for Sony Pictures, which has needed a live action hit desperately. “Mag 7” should spur sequels– as I wrote yesterday, director Antoine Fuqua is open to a Mag 8 and Mag 9.

Washington’s next movie is “Fences,” which he directed and stars in, coming from Paramount later this fall.

 

 

Charles Osgood Closes Long Run at CBS News, Turns Over Show to Jane Pauley

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Jane Pauley is the story of the day  as Charles Osgood retires from “CBS Sunday Morning.” Pauley was ousted unceremoniously from the Today show years ago, but never stopped working and always held her head high. Now she gets the plum of TV news, and she deserves it.

Osgood, 83, retired today after hosting “Sunday Morning” since 1994 and joining CBS News in 1971. He’s a class act, and his final show was just like all the others– a reverie. The entire 90 minutes was devoted to him, and we learned a lot including that Osgood is his middle name!

Osgood took over the show from the beloved Charles Kuralt, who retired in 1994 at age 60 and died three years later from lupus. Kuralt had left a strong imprint, but Osgood made the show his own. He complemented it with his daily radio spots, which he says will continue.

Pauley should have a good, long run on “Sunday Morning,” continuing the tradition and making the show slightly in her own image without tampering too much.

Thanks to Jerry Brown, 78, Signing New California Law, Betty White Can Now Play Justin Bieber’s GF

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Thanks to California governor Jerry Brown, we may never know how old Charo really is. Oh, that’s a bad example. How about Ashton Kutcher?

Brown has signed a new law today–ABV1687– that means online sites that routinely give birth dates of actors will have to expunge them. Looking up someone’s age on the Internet Movie Data Base will now be verboten. I guess same thing for Wikipedia.

The actors’ union is thrilled about this. Their statement: “SAG-AFTRA has been working hard for years to stop the career damage caused by the publication of performers’ dates of birth on online subscription websites used for casting like IMDb and StudioSystem. Currently, many websites used for casting proactively present birthdates and ages to casting decision makers who often can’t avoid seeing this information even if they try. This law will help improve the working lives of all SAG-AFTRA members and aspiring performers.”

So now Betty White could possibly be cast as Justin Bieber’s love interest in his next video. And Dakota Fanning can play a grandma. This is thrilling.

Ageism is a big problem in Hollywood but I’m not sure this addresses it. It’s more that roles aren’t being written for women between 40 and 70, so ingenues have to wait a lifetime literally to play grandmothers. (They should take the cue from soap operas, where ten years or less usually separates children from their parents. LOL.)

Believe me, if you want to find out how old someone is, it takes three minutes. Banning it from show business sites won’t help.

This past season on “Veep” Martin Mull’s character reminisces with the president’s secretary, Sue, about the 80s. Others in the office are confused since they thought Sue was around 35. It was one of the funniest moments on the show.

AB 1687 will help combat age discrimination by preventing the publication of a performer’s age by “a business that owns, licenses, or maintains personal information about a California resident,” the law states. Good luck with that. There’s always that high school yearbook.

By the way, Jerry Brown is 78!