So sorry to hear that Buddy Buie has died at age 74. He wrote all those classic hits for Dennis Yost and the Classics IV— “Spooky,” “Stormy,” “Traces,” as well as the Atlanta Rhythm Section’s “So Into You” and other hits. I interviewed Buddy a few years ago when John Legend turned “Spooky” into his “Save Room.” I thought Buddy would be upset, but he was thrilled to get the money. Rest in peace, Buddy!
Paul Newman Foundation President Nearly Doubled Salary in Four Years
Robert Forrester, CEO of Newman’s Own, Paul Newman’s charitable foundation, has nearly doubled his salary in the last four years. In 2010, the Foundation reported that Forrester earned $185,000. In 2013, Forrester took in $295,000. He’s gotten substantial raises ever since the 2010 filing– the first year he started reporting his salary as an individual line item on the Foundation’s Form 990. Up til then, for five years, he was lumping it in with entire Newmans Own staff, which was a little weird, to say the least.
This is all of interest because Vanity Fair’s Mark Seal has an excellent story this month about Newmans Own and complaints from Paul Newman’s daughter Susan about Forrester. Seal does a great job but for some reason he didn’t look into the actual numbers filed by Newmans Own in his story. I did.
Susan Newman may have a very solid complaint after all. Since her father’s death in 2008, Forrester has increased his own take, brought in other highly paid staffers, and even transitioned his accountant into a top paying salaried position at the Foundation. Total salaries of the top Newmans Own staff were listed at $1.4 million for 2013-almost three times what they were in 2009. Paul Newman, who wanted all the money from salad dressing and other products, to go to charity– would be shocked. And I can see why Susan Newman might be wondering what’s going on.
The continually increasing compensation for Newmans Own top staff also doesn’t look good in light of Forrester– according to Seal– closing the California rehab center named for Newman’s son Scott. That was the project closest to Paul Newman’s heart. Forrester, according to Seal, “defunded” the Center and it closed in 2013 after almost 30 years.
There’s certainly a lot of wonky looking accounting in the Newmans Own reports. In 2013, there’s an add on at the end that Forrester has been leasing office space to Newmans Own worth $30,000. The note says Newmans Own isn’t paying rent on it. That space may be in Farmington, Connecticut, far from Westport, where Newmans is headquartered. But Farmington is the address Forrester uses, as well as the accountant who went on staff, Robert Haggett. Haggett was paid $185,000 for what’s listed as 20 hours a week work. Forrester, for his $300,000, only lists a 30 hour work week.
Newmans Own nevertheless gives away millions of dollars to charity every year. But the Newman family certainly isn’t getting any of it, so don’t worry. And Seal carefully sidesteps the reason Joanne Woodward, Newman’s widow and famed, beloved actress doesn’t comment on the situation. Due to illness, she is unable to. She has no idea what’s going on.
I don’t know what will happen because of Seal’s story or my information that I’ve added here. But it does seem like it’s worth an internal investigation.
Box Office: Trainwreck Hits Sweet Spot, Outdoes Itself; “Ant” Falls Short
The real story this weekend wasn’t that “Ant Man” fell short of $60 million– it did $58 million and probably a little less.
The story is that “Trainwreck” made $30 million and maybe a little more. Judd Apatow and Amy Schumer hit the sweet spot for comedies, and raked it in. The movie built on word of mouth and continues to. Plus, Schumer and Apatow keep doing publicity well after the movie opens. They are persistent. And it’s paid off handsomely. “Trainwreck” is turning into a big hit, a la “Bridesmaids.” I have no idea what Schumer would do as a follow up– “Trainwreck” is basically her story– but it almost doesn’t matter.
Kudos to Bill Hader, who’s getting lost in the PR mix. He’s made a nice transition from “SNL” to comedy leading man.
“Ant Man” did fine– who doesn’t want to make $58 million? So it’s a little less than big Marvel movies. Maybe it’s also a little smarter, or funnier. The second “Ant Man” will be much bigger, and everyone will Marvel at that. And now at least Paul Rudd can eat something.
Woody Allen’s “Irrational Man” averaged over $37K in five theaters. He’s off to a good start. If Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix do some publicity this week and next, they might be rewarded with decent box office and some awards buzz later in the year. Parker Posey needs a Supporting Actress campaign. She is excellent in this film.
Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch Still for Sale, No Mention of Pop Star’s Name in Listing
Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch went on sale at the end of May for $100 million. That was widely reported. But now that it’s called Sycamore Valley Ranch, Sotheby’s makes no mention of the property’s history. Jackson’s name and all references to Neverland have been scrubbed. It’s now just a big property with lots of extras, but of course no zoo or carnival rides or movie theater. You’d think the Neverland mystique would help sell the property. But Sotheby’s obviously thinks it’s better not to mention it.
http://www.sothebyshomes.com/Santa-Ynez-Real-Estate/sales/0113927
Cee Lo Green Is Back with New Single “Robin Williams” and Unusual Video That Will Mess You Up
Cee Lo is back! I love him, actually. His new single is called “Robin Williams,” which is a little daring. It’s all about heroes we’ve lost to unknown pain. (It’s accompanied by a video that’s called interactive. But be careful of it. I had problems with it.) But the song is very interesting. A nice tribute to Robin and shout outs to others who we loved but couldn’t make it.
these videos are safe
Mission Impossible? Tom Cruise Film Isn’t Finished Yet, Won’t Be Til Next Week
The folks who saw “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation” last night in LA and NY didn’t see a finished film. I’m told that Christopher McQuarrie allowed a version to be shown missing a finished scene. The scene shows Tom Cruise underwater holding his breath.
“The special effects aren’t finished yet,” says a source. “They’ll be done right before the movie premieres next Thursday in Vienna.”
It’s not surprising, considering that “Rogue Nation” is opening five months early. It was originally on Paramount’s schedule for Christmas Day. But the studio wanted to get it out of the way of the new Star Wars and James Bond movies.
Meanwhile, Variety reports that advance tracking for “Rogue Nation” is “soft.” They’re now saying it could have a $40 million opening weekend on July 31st. That would be a huge disappointment for Paramount. But Cruise has never been a big opener, and his movies — with the exception of the “Mission Impossible” franchise– usually struggle to hit $100 million total.
Compounding his problems is that as time goes by, Cruise is better known as a nut who belongs to Scientology than as a movie star. The average 20 year old was around 10 when Cruise was jumping on Oprah’s couch and fighting with Matt Lauer. Plus, HBO’s “Going Clear” documentary paints him as sort of crazy.
But Cruise works his magic at premieres, especially in Europe. He still sells like crazy in foreign countries, particularly South Korea and Russia, where Scientology isn’t a big deal. They just want movie stars. And once people hear the “Mission Impossible” theme music, that’s usually a positive trigger.
“Ant Man” Can’t Man: Marvel’s New Release May Be a Trainwreck at Box Office
SAT MORNING UPDATE: Ant Man had the second lowest Friday opening for a Marvel movie– $22.6 million. Trainwreck came in at $10.7 million.
EARLIER Marvel may have its first box stumble in a long time this weekend. “Ant Man” took in $6.4 million on Thursday night. That’s not a good omen. Consider that “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” did $27.6 million on its Thursday recently. Or that the average for Marvel has been more around $10 million. Disney is already starting to revise its weekend estimates down from the original $60-$65 million to $50-$55 million.
Of course, “Ant Man” is original, and not a sequel, so that accounts for ambivalence among fans. Plus, the reviews have been in the B, B plus area, so so and not that enthusiastic. That doesn’t help. And Paul Rudd isn’t exactly an action hero, even though he says he spent a year not eating to get into shape.
Meanwhile, Judd Apatow’s “Trainwreck” — or Amy Schumer’s– did better than expected last night with $1.8 million. A totally winning comedy, “Trainwreck” may surprise everyone and give the Ant Man a nibble or two.
Woody Allen: Bette Midler’s Daughter Sophie Is Such a Good Actress He Expanded Her Role in “Irrational Man”
Woody Allen’s new and– I think excellent– movie, “Irrational Man,” opens Friday in New York and Los Angeles. Yesterday, I moderated a press panel in the afternoon with Woody, actress Parker Posey, and actor Jamie Blackley. (Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix star, but they’re in LA.) Last night, Sony Pictures Classics held a swell premiere at the Palace Hotel on Madison Avenue, where Robert Klein, Caroline Rhea, Mischa Barton, Bob Balaban, Richard Kind and a slew of New York luminaries celebrated being “Irrational.”
At the press panel, I asked Woody about Bette Midler’s actress daughter, Sophie von Haselberg, who makes her debut in the film. I’m so glad our Paula Schwartz was there to take notes:
Emmys: “Mad Men” Looks Good For Best Drama, Hamm for Best Actor; Mel Brooks Gets Nomination
Some more Emmy talk: “Mad Men” looks good to win Best Drama for its final season. There’s a good chance Jon Hamm will finally win Best Actor in a Drama. He’s also nominated for Guest Actor in “Kimmy Schmidt.” Two “Mad Men” episodes are nominated for best writing. Christina Hendricks is nominated for Supporting Actress as well.
Mel Brooks was nominated for Guest Actor in “The Comedians.” Mel! We love you! “The Comedians” should have been nominated for the show, Billy Crystal and Josh Gad. Next time.
Snubs: Jane Fonda for “Grace and Frankie.” She was excellent. So was the show. Next time. Lily Tomlin, at least, made the cut. “The Good Wife” got creamed, but Christine Baranski and Alan Cumming are there. Nothing for “Walking Dead.” AMC has just posted a notice for a new VP of publicity. No kidding. They sure need it, although “Breaking Bad 2.0” aka “Better Call Saul” did ok.
The most popular shows on TV get nothing– NCIS, NCIS: Akron, CSI, CSI: Madrid, Law & Order SVU, etc. You just watch these shows. Elementary, etc. I am impressed however that American Crime Story did so well. I came to love this show. Felicity Huffman was amazing, so were Tim Hutton and Regina Hall.
The photo is Mel and best friend, our other hero, Carl Reiner.
Emmy Award Nominations: Full List of 2015 Emmy Nominees
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
“Better Call Saul”
“Downton Abbey”
“Game of Thrones”
“Homeland”
“House of Cards”
“Mad Men”
“Orange is the New Black”
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
“Louie”
“Modern Family”
“Parks and Recreation”
“Silicon Valley”
“Transparent”
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
“Veep”
LEAD ACTOR, DRAMA
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”
Kyle Chandler, “Bloodline”
Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards”
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
Jeff Daniels, “The Newsroom”
Liev Schreiber, “Ray Donovan”
LEAD ACTRESS, DRAMA
Taraji P. Henson, “Empire”
Claire Danes, “Homeland”
Viola Davis, “How to Get Away with Murder”
Tatiana Maslany, “Orphan Black”
Elisabeth Moss, “Mad Men”
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”
LEAD ACTOR, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Timothy Hutton, “American Crime”
Ricky Gervais, “Derek Special”
Adrien Brody, “Houdini”
David Oyelowo, “Nightingale”
Richard Jenkins, “Olive Kitteridge”
Mark Rylance, “Wolf Hall”
LEAD ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Felicity Huffman, “American Crime”
Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story”
Queen Latifah, “Bessie”
Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Honorable Woman”
Frances McDormand, “Olive Kitteridge”
Emma Thompson, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street”
LEAD ACTOR, COMEDY
Anthony Anderson, “black-ish”
Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes”
Don Cheadle, “House of Lies”
Will Forte, “The Last Man On Earth”
Louis C.K., “Louie”
William H. Macy, “Shameless”
Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent”
LEAD ACTRESS, COMEDY
Lisa Kudrow, “The Comeback”
Lily Tomlin, “Grace And Frankie”
Amy Schumer, “Inside Amy Schumer”
Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”
Amy Poehler, “Parks And Recreation”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”
REALITY-COMPETITION SERIES
“The Amazing Race”
“Dancing With The Stars”
“Project Runway”
“So You Think You Can Dance”
“Top Chef”
“The Voice”
VARIETY SERIES
“The Colbert Report”
“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live”
“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
“Late Show With David Letterman”
“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”
LIMITED SERIES
“American Crime”
“American Horror Story: Freak Show”
“The Honorable Woman”
“Olive Kitteridge”
“Wolf Hall”
VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
“Drunk History”
“Inside Amy Schumer”
“Key & Peele”
“Portlandia”
“Saturday Night Live”
TELEVISION MOVIE
“Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Curtain, Poirot’s Last Case”
“Bessie”
“Grace of Monaco”
“Hello Ladies: The Movie”
“Killing Jesus”
“Nightingale”
SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA
Jonathan Banks, “Better Call Saul”
Ben Mendelsohn, “Bloodline”
Jim Carter, “Downton Abbey”
Peter Dinklage, “Game Of Thrones”
Alan Cumming, “The Good Wife”
Michael Kelly, “House Of Cards”
SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA
Joanne Froggatt, “Downton Abbey”
Lena Headey, “Game Of Thrones”
Emilia Clarke, “Game Of Thrones”
Christine Baranski, “The Good Wife”
Christina Hendricks, “Man Men”
Uzo Aduba, “Orange Is The New Black”
GUEST ACTOR, DRAMA
Alan Alda, “The Blacklist”
Michael J. Fox, “The Good Wife”
F. Murray Abraham, “Homeland”
Reg E. Cathey, “House of Cards”
Beau Bridges, “Masters Of Sex”
Pablo Schreiber, “Orange Is The New Black”
GUEST ACTRESS, DRAMA
Margo Martindale, “The Americans”
Diana Rigg, “Game of Thrones”
Rachel Brosnahan, “House Of Cards”
Cicely Tyson, “How To Get Away With Murder”
Allison Janney, “Masters Of Sex”
Khandi Alexander, “Scandal”
SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY
Andre Braugher, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”
Adam Driver, “Girls”
Keegan-Michael Key, “Key & Peele”
Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”
Tituss Burgess, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
Tony Hale, “Veep”
SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY
Mayim Bialik, “The Big Bang Theory”
Niecy Nash, “Getting On”
Julie Bowen, “Modern Family”
Allison Janney, “Mom”
Kate McKinnon “Saturday Night Live”
Gaby Hoffmann, “Transparent”
Jane Krakowski, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
Anna Chlumsky, “Veep”
GUEST ACTOR, COMEDY
Mel Brooks, “The Comedians”
Paul Giamatti, “Inside Amy Schumer”
Bill Hader, “Saturday Night Live”
Louis C.K., “Saturday Night Live”
Bradley Whitford, “Transparent”
Jon Hamm, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
GUEST ACTRESS, COMEDY
Christine Baranski, “The Big Bang Theory”
Gaby Hoffmann, “Girls”
Pamela Adlon, “Louie”
Elizabeth Banks, “Modern Family”
Joan Cusack, “Shameless”
Tina Fey, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
SUPPORTING ACTOR, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Richard Cabral, “American Crime”
Denis O’Hare, “American Horror Story: Freak Show”
Finn Wittrock, “American Horror Story: Freak Show”
Michael Kenneth Williams, “Bessie”
Bill Murray, “Olive Kitteridge”
Damian Lewis, “Wolf Hall”
SUPPORTING ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Regina King, “American Crime”
Sarah Paulson, “American Horror Story: Freak Show”
Angela Bassett, “American Horror Story: Freak Show”
Kathy Bates, “American Horror Story: Freak Show”
Mo’Nique, “Bessie”
Zoe Kazan, “Olive Kitteridge”
WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
“The Americans” • Do Mail Robots Dream Of Electric Sheep? • FX Networks • Fox 21 Television
Studios and FX Productions
Joshua Brand, Written by
“Better Call Saul” • Five-O • AMC • Sony Pictures Television / Gran Via Productions
Gordon Smith, Written by
“Game Of Thrones” • Mother’s Mercy • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Bighead,
Littlehead; Television 360; Startling Television and Generator Productions
David Benioff, Written by
D.B. Weiss, Written by
“Mad Men” • Lost Horizon • AMC • Lionsgate Television / UROK Productions
Semi Chellas, Written by
Matthew Weiner, Written by
“Mad Men” • Person To Person • AMC • Lionsgate Television / UROK Productions
Matthew Weiner, Written by
DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
“Boardwalk Empire” • Eldorado • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Leverage, Closest to the Hole Productions, Sikelia Productions and Cold Front Productions
Tim Van Patten, Directed by
“Game Of Thrones” • Mother’s Mercy • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Bighead,
Littlehead; Television 360; Startling Television and Generator Productions
David Nutter, Directed by
“Game Of Thrones” • Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with
Bighead, Littlehead; Television 360; Startling Television and Generator Productions
Jeremy Podeswa, Directed by
“Homeland” • From A To B And Back Again • Showtime • SHOWTIME Presents, Fox 21, Teakwood
Lane Productions, Cherry Pie Productions, Keshet
Lesli Linka Glatter, Directed by
“The Knick” • Method And Madness • Cinemax • Cinemax Entertainment in association with Ambeg
Screen Products, Anonymous Content and Extension 765
Steven Soderbergh, Directed by
WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
“Episodes” • Episode 409 • Showtime • SHOWTIME Presents, Hat Trick Productions, Crane Klarik
Productions
David Crane, Written by
Jeffrey Klarik, Written by
“The Last Man On Earth” • Alive In Tucson (Pilot) • FOX • 20th Century Fox Television
Will Forte, Written by
“Louie” • Bobby’s House • FX Networks • Pig Newton, Inc. and FX Productions
Louis C.K., Written by
“Silicon Valley” • Two Days Of The Condor • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with
Judgemental Films, Alec Berg, Altschuler Krinsky Works and 3 Arts Entertainment
Alec Berg, Written by
“Transparent” • Pilot • Amazon Instant Video • Amazon Studios
Jill Soloway, Written by
“Veep” • Election Night • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Dundee Productions
Simon Blackwell, Teleplay and Story by
Armando Iannucci, Story by
Tony Roche, Teleplay and Story by
DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
“The Last Man On Earth” • Alive In Tucson (Pilot) • FOX • 20th Century Fox Television
Phil Lord, Directed by
Christopher Miller, Directed by
“Louie” • Sleepover • FX Networks • Pig Newton, Inc. and FX Productions
Louis C.K., Directed by
“Silicon Valley” • Sand Hill Shuffle • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Judgemental
Films, Alec Berg, Altschuler Krinsky Works and 3 Arts Entertainment
Mike Judge, Directed by
“Transparent” • Best New Girl • Amazon Instant Video • Amazon Studios
Jill Soloway, Directed by
“Veep” • Testimony • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Dundee Productions
Armando Iannucci, Directed by
Emmy Nominations: The Surprises, the Snubs, the Lack of Network Nods
Snubs: The Good Wife completely shut out. Jane Fonda and “Grace and Frankie” out, but Lily Tomlin in. No lead actors for “Downton Abbey.” Big snub: no Kerry Washington for “Scandal.” Not nice.
More to come…
Best Drama
Better Call Saul, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Homeland, House of Cards, Mad Men, Orange is the New Black
Best Comedy
Louie, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, Silicon Valley, Transparent, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Veep
Best Actor in A Drama
Kyle Chandler
Jeff Daniels
Jon Hamm
Bob Odenkirk
Liev Schreiber
Kevin Spacey
Best Actress in a Drama
Claire Danes
Viola Davis
Taraji P. Henson
Tatiana Maslany
Elizabeth Moss
Robin Wright
Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Adrien Brody
Ricky Gervais
Timothy Hutton
Richard Jenkins
David Oyelowo
Mark Rylance
Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Felicity Huffman
Jessica Lange
Queen Latifah
Frances McDormand
Emma Thompson
Lead actor in a comedy
Anthony Anderson
Louis C.K.
Don Cheadle
Will Forte
Matt LeBlanc
William H. Macy
Jeffrey Tambor
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Edie Falco
Lisa Kudrow,
Julia Louis Dreyfuss
Amy Poehler
Amy Schumer
Lily Tomlin
Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race
Dancing With the Stars
Project Runway
So You Think You Can Dance
Top Chef
The Voice
Variety Talk Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight
The Late Show
The Tonight Show