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Exclusive: Donald Trump Foundation– Funded by Ticket Scalper’s Donation–Slashed Charitable Giving by a Third in 2014

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EXCLUSIVE
Donald Trump got much less charitable in 2014 than he had been in 2013. His own donations to his self named Foundation in 2014: 0. As in, zero. Nothing.

But the self proclaimed billionaire managed to use other people’s money so he could donate to a selection of charities in 2014.

Still, using their money, Trump slashed his charitable donations in 2014 to only $591,450 — according to the Form 990 for the Donald J Trump Foundation.

That was down from $913,075 in 2013.

The 2014 number included few donations to anything to do with veterans, by the way. Those included $5,000 for K9s for Warriors and $5000 for Special Operations for Warriors.

Most of the money came not from Trump himself, but from his major donor to the Donald Trump Foundation for the last several years: Richie Ebers, of Inside Sports & Entertainment Group. Beers donated $477,400 to the Trump Foundation in 2014. That’s in addition to the almost $2 million he’s given Trump since 2012.

Ebers is a very successful New York ticket scalper. He sold his huge secondary ticket seller business to CAA Sports, the largest part of Creative Artists Agency, in 2014. Can’t get tickets to Springsteen or “Hamilton”? Call Richie Ebers. He’s the Ticket Man. If Trump gets into the White House, it will be Richie Ebers selling tickets to the Inaugural Balls.

Ironically, Ebers has been a die hard donor to Democratic candidates for years. His candidates have included Hillary Clinton, Charles Schumer, Richard Gephardt, Chris Dodd and Evan Bayh, according to the website opensecrets.org.

Ebers’ operation, Inside SEG, is one of the reasons why “regular people”– the people who Trump is counting on for his vote– can’t buy face value tickets to sporting events. Inside SEG caters to corporate titans, execs, and celebrities who will pay top dollar for the best seats in sports arenas and stadiums.

The Trump Foundation’s other donor in 2014 was Prestige Mills, a carpet wholesaler from Long Island City, NY. (If you don’t live here, that’s just over the 59th St. Bridge, in Queens.) They donated $20,000.

 

 

 

Exclusive: “NCIS” Is Getting A New Series Regular, New Member of Team

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EXCLUSIVE: Michael Weatherly is leaving after 13 seasons. Change is in the air on CBS’s most popular show, “NCIS.”

My sources say Mark Harmon and whoever’s left are getting a new teammate story almost right away. His name is supposed to be Clayton, and he will be the first second black regular on “NCIS.” Rocky Carroll has been playing Leon since 2008, although I think Clayton is going to be a bigger character on the canvas.

Clayton– good name– is in his late 20s to early 30s. He’s described as physically fit and the guy you want to have on your side. He’s also single. But he does have a young son. Sounds like he’s a bit of a player.

“NCIS” is casting now, but I’d suggest they check out Derek Luke. They could do a lot worse. He’s a top notch actor and looks early 30s. But hey, no one from “NCIS” asked my opinion. I’m told Clayton is British, of African descent. But how about American? (Also I don’t think David Oyelowo is available.)

Will Clayton replace DiNozzo (Weatherly)? Time will tell. But something tells me “NCIS” will just chug along now like “Law & Order SVU,” occasionally replacing actors as Mark Harmon heads for 15 or more seasons.

Donald Trump Slashed His Charitable Contributions in 2014

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Madonna’s Latest PR Stunt: A Mid Life Crisis in Public Including Acting Drunk Gets a Lot of Attention

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Madonna is very very clever. Her new see me-feel me attention grabber: A public meltdown, a mid life crisis, an effort to convey that she’s drunk and lonely on stage, while a custody battle rages in London and Los Angeles over her 15 year old son Rocco.

Will it work? Is it a good idea? Doesn’t seem like it, but she didn’t ask me. Madonna does not perform drunk on stage, that’s ridiculous. Whatever she’s doing, it’s planned. She is the most calculating performer in history. But why is she putting up photos of Rocco on stage when he clearly doesn’t want the attention? Why is she wearing the clown outfit? Why doesn’t she stop it?

I still don’t understand what she hopes to achieve with these new headlines. She’s on a world tour. The kid wants to be at home. Finish the tour properly, then go home and deal with it.

this is the latest:

“Greek Wedding 2” Star John Corbett Still Dating Bo Derek After 12 Years, Says No Plans for Marriage or Kids

EXCLUSIVE It’s taken 14 years but Nia Vardalos has finally made the follow up to her hit rom-com. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2,” opens March 25, the same date as another small movie (the behemoth “Batman v. Superman”).

The whole cast returns, including John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Joey Fatone, Andrea Martin and Michael Constantine. New to the production is Elena Kampouris, who plays the teenage daughter of Toulu (Vardalos) and Ian (Corbett) and British director Kirk Jones (“Nanny McPhee”).

The film’s stars, with the exception of Kazan and Constantine sadly, promoted “MBFGW2” Saturday afternoon at the luxe Mandarin Oriental hotel against the backdrop of a jaw-dropping view of Columbus Circle.

Vardalos and Corbett don’t look like they’ve aged a day since the first film. Self-deprecating and warm, Vardalos is slender and petite and looked great in a short, greenish cocktail dress.

Entering the room, she told journalists, “I decided to go with the color of moldy feta,” she said of her dress. She completed the ensemble with a pair of comfy house slippers.

I asked Vardalos if she ever considered making a trilogy?

“I’m never going to say no again because I said no for so long, so I’m going instead to say this, ‘I’m open!”

Do you think it will take 14 more years?

“No, because I want to use that cast,” she said.

I asked her about the lack of good scripts and parts for women older than Jennifer Lawrence. “I think there’s a value to Jennifer Lawrence because she speaks to a generation and there’s a value to every age of woman on screen and I just can’t whine about it that there aren’t roles for women,” Vardalos told me.

As for the frustrating lack of good roles and stories of older women, she told me, “It’s maddening. It’s maddening. If Sandra Bullock is trying to find a job imagine how hard it is for me? And Lainie Kazan and Andrea Martin, so I say I’m pro-woman without being anti-man. The men are well taken care of in this script as are the women. It’s easy to do isn’t it?”

Up next she said was the Epix series, “Graves,” co-starring Nick Nolte and Sela Ward and written by Josh Stern.

She’s also got a writing project in the works. She told me exclusively:

“I’m developing a play Off Broadway,” she said. “I adapted a book. I’m sorry I can’t tell you the title yet.”

When reminded her 11 year-old daughter would soon be a teenager, Vardalos whine, “God I know!”

Vardalos graciously posed for the inevitable endless selfies – the New York junket corps are as bad as the Hollywood Foreign Press when it comes to fawning over celebrities – and finally announced, “I’m going to shuffle off now in my slippers.”

As for Corbett, before exiting he said he was returning for the second season of the F/X comedy, “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.” “We’re shooting right now.”

Corbett, who’s dated Bo Derek for more than a decade, was asked if there was any chance he’d change his mind about marriage and fatherhood. After all, he was told, Hugh Grant, once a confirmed bachelor, became until a father at age 49 and now he has three kids.

“No,” Corbett said, “But I have stronger will power than Hugh Grant.”

Ariana Grande Can Sing! Watch Her Imitate Whitney, Rihanna, Britney on “SNL”

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Ariana Grande can sing, and she’s funny. Imagine if she actually sang real songs instead of the stuff she’s got on the charts.

Here she is from “SNL” last night. First: imitating Whitney Houston, Shakira, Rihanna, etc. And she does say “Shit.” Oooh…

And here’s her monologue bit. If she made albums that sounded like this, she’d have a long career.

Box Office: “Brothers Grimsby” DOA on One of Grimmest Weekends at the Movies

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There is no audience for Sacha Baron Cohen’s “The Brothers Grimsby,” a vulgar overcalculation by Sacha Baron Cohen and Sony/Columbia Pictures.

Indeed, the way, way, way over the top coarse production made just $1.2 million on Friday night, and will be lucky to eke out $3 million for the weekend. It’s a loss of some unknown amount– at least $50 million– for Sony and the filmmakers.

They knew it upfront and dumped the unfunny comedy. There was an L.A. premiere so to speak, and NY media screenings at the odd hour of 4pm the other day.

The clips from the film were so unwatchable that when Cohen appeared on Jimmy Kimmel, they could only show audience reaction. Then, as if it might help, the Kardashians were enlisted — don’t ask. I hope they weren’t paid because it was a waste of money.

“Grimsby” is just one of many grim box office players this weekend, too. Only “Zootopia” and “10 Cloverfield Lane” are proving to be entertaining. “London Has Fallen” made $3.3 million last night attracting pedestrians. “Gods of Egypt” took in $654,000 but that could have been LionsGate stockholders buy tickets in group sales.

So much about “Grimsby” was just a mess, starting with the AIDS jokes about Daniel Radcliffe (why?) and Donald Trump (no laughs now as his presence in our lives isn’t funny anymore). “Borat” had its moment, and it was spectacular. But when “Bruno” and “The Dictator” failed miserably that should have been a sign to Cohen, who is capable of so much more, that an era was over.

There’s one irony here: Mark Strong debased himself to be in this movie but hey, it’s a paycheck. The irony is that he may win the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for “A View From the Bridge” this June. I hope this movie doesn’t harm his chances.

“American Pie” Singer Don McLean’s Reaction to Wife’s Divorce Announcement Lacks Sense or Sensitivity

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“American Pie” singer Don McLean has just posted this to Twitter as a response to his wife filing for divorce:

“My wife has chosen divorce. She has chosen to characterize our 30 year relationship in a completely distorted and untrue manner. We raised two gentle highly educated children in an environment of laughter, music and literature. I suggest anyone interested view the movie “Don McLean: American Troubadour” to get an idea of our life.”

Not much of a response after McLean promised some grand answer to this terrible situation. His wife Patrisha obviously has had a tough journey to get to this point.

It’s very hard to separate our celebrity heroes from the reality of our lives. I always tell people, if we’d been alive when Picasso was making everyone in his life miserable, and there was social media, we would have hated him. And still he’s the greatest artist of the 20th century.

It’s also quite strange that McLean has chosen Twitter as his place to deal with what has become a public subject. Don, get your act together, man. You need an image brush up ASAP.

RIP: Keith Emerson, Keyboardist Extraordinaire of Emerson Lake & Palmer, 71

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Emerson, Lake & Palmer are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They weren’t a singles act. But they were an amazingly influential rock group and a staple of FM radio through the 70s. Now news today that keyboardist Keith Emerson has died at age 71.

Emerson didn’t sing on the albums but he wrote, and one of his pieces– “Karn Evil 9,” stands in rock history for its opening lines “Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends.” It’s a 30 minute marvel that bled from side one to side two of Brain Salad Surgery.

ELP was famous for its grand orchestrations and bombast. They were in the mode of Yes, I guess, and are refreshingly original listened to now. Like Yes, and Traffic, and some other groups circa 1970 their albums sound better than ever today especially on a real high end stereo system. ELP’s other great hits included “Still You Turn Me,” “Lucky Man,” and “From the Beginning.” They knew more about music than any ten acts combined from today.

RIP Keith Emerson.

Cannes Talk: Not Just Warren, But “Snowden,” Woody, George & Julia, Ryan Gosling, Big Studio Hits

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We’re getting into the mood for Cannes 2016. And apparently the red carpet may be filled with American stars and movies.

I told you a couple of weeks ago that Warren Beatty’s Howard Hughes movie is top of the of desired entries. Co-starring Annette Bening, Lily Collins, Alden Ehrenreich, and with Beatty himself as director and star, everyone is crossing baguettes for this to come true.

Next: Woody Allen’s Amazon movie with Steve Carell, Parker Posey et al. said to be also hoped for, which makes sense: Cannes loves Woody Allen. “Midnight in Paris” went from there to highest grossing Woody Allen film of all time.

Also hearing George Clooney and Julia Roberts in “Money Monster.” This is directed by Jodie Foster. Can you imagine the pandemonium of this gang on the red carpet, at press conference, etc? And with Amal in tow?

The word is strong on Oliver Stone’s “Snowden” as well, and Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in “The Nice Guys.” The “Snowden” film, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, will undoubtedly be accompanied by rumors that the real Edward Snowden is in Cannes, or on a yacht off the coast with Roman Polanski!

Just to recap: a Cannes with possible attendees Beatty, Woody, Oliver Stone, Clooney and Roberts, Gosling and Crowe. And you know Harvey Weinstein will bring a surprise. Sacre bleu!

Pop Charts: Adele Knocked off by Kendrick, The 1975 Drops 85% From Number 1 to 14 and Beyond

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Kendrick Lamar surprise dropped his “Untitled. Umnastered” album out of nowhere and drop kicked Adele to number 2 this week on the album charts. Kenny sold 135K with another 40K in streaming. He’s the man of the moment, clearly. Adele sold 48K.

Rihanna is the big story among established artists. Almost all of her chart ranking comes from streaming. She sold only 65,576 total, and 19,437 of that was solid. The bulk came from Tidal. Her music is disposable.

But the other headline is that The 1975 rock group dropped a whopping 85% from number 1 to 14, and to 22 on streaming. Their “Saturday Night Live” performance obviously drove them to number 1, but there was no follow up. Whoops! That 85% drop may be the biggest ever. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

I’ve fallen in love with that 21 Pilots song “Stressed Out.” It may be their only hit ever, but it’s a classic number 1 song. Good for them. It’s their “My Sharona” or “Call My Maybe.” Everyone should have one.