Thursday, December 18, 2025
Home Blog Page 1616

Justin Bieber Says He’s Even Deeper in with Cult-Like Australian Church

0

Justin Bieber just spent 5 days in Australia with Hillsong church. He took Stephen Baldwin’s daughter Hailey with him, and sang the church’s praises. Bieber is short several cards of a full deck and not exactly a member of Mensa. Maybe he’ll join this cult in the making and be their Tom Cruise or John Travolta. It just goes on and on.

I wrote about all this last fall. Scooter Braun should pay attention. These people want Bieb’s money.

From November 11, 2014
You cannot make this up. Justin Bieber, not exactly the brightest bulb in any lamp, is a follower of a sketchy Virginia man who calls himself a pastor and runs a church every Sunday at the Manhattan Center on West 34th St. Carl Lentz portrays himself as the Punk Pastor, and says he’s Pentacostal. His latest iteration is called Hillsong NYC church. But what his American, Canadian followers– and Bieber– may not know is Hillsong NYC is a branch of Hillsong Australia. That organization is considered by many in that country to be a cult.

Hillsong’s founder, Frank Houston, had to resign in 2000 after confessing to having molesting a 7 year old boy in 1969. He was never prosecuted, and the case haunts Hillsong and the Houstons, and now Lentz to this day. Even though Frank Houston is now dead. the story isn’t over. A recent hearing in Australia revealed that Frank’s son Brian, who now runs Hillsong. trivialized the incident and let his father continue to preach as part of their church, albeit surreptitiously. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11339319 He is also accused of trying to bribe the victim.

Bieber’s pastor, Carl Lentz, only became involved with Hillsong four years ago. In the video above, he explains how he hooked up with the Houstons– that’s Frank Houston’s grandson Joel with Lentz in the video, looking like Jay from “Silent Bob and Jay.” These two are supposed to be religious leaders; they are Justin Bieber’s spiritual guides. Joel has been running Hillsong NYC with Lentz since 2010.

Before he hooked up with the Houstons, Lentz operated Cal Lentz Ministries out of Washington state. The IRS recently revoked the 501 c 3 status of that outfit after Carl Lentz Ministries failed to file tax returns for three years. Lentz runs Hillsong in New York as a straight ahead business with no tax free standing. He’s registered Hillsong out of his father’s law office in Virginia, but hasn’t filed any paperwork. There is no transparency at all.

The connection between Lentz and the Houstons, and the history of Houston’s father, finally came to a boiling point in October in New York at a Madison Square Garden conference of Hillsong followers. Not only was Frank Houston’s molestation case examined, but also multiple scandals about finances at Hillsong and the cult’s attitude toward homosexuality. Brian Houston’s sidestepping has caused a lot of controversy among the followers.

I spoke to Carl Lentz’s father, Stephen Lentz, an attorney in Virginia Beach. He couldn’t have been nicer. Mr. Lentz explained that churches don’t have to file Form 990s, so nothing is amiss. He said he knew nothing about Hillsong Australia, and very graciously invited me to the Manhattan Center. Entrance to the services, which run all day long every Sunday, he says, is free. You donate what you want. But the Manhattan Center isn’t free. They charge $17,000 a day for the Grand Ballroom where the Hillsong services take place. Someone is paying for that, most likely Hillsong Australia.

Watch this video about Hillsong Australia:

Exclusive: Amy Winehouse Foundation in the United States Needs a Trip to Rehab

0

A documentary opens this Friday in the US about late singer Amy Winehouse. It’s getting great reviews from everyone except Amy’s father Mitch, who objects to his depiction. Amy died tragically on July 27, 2011 at age 27 from alcohol poisoning.

But Mitch has more problems than filmgoers not liking him. After Amy’s death he started a not for profit foundation in his daughter’s memory in the UK, then began one here. The UK version seems to be in good shape. But the US side is not so good. (The two organizations are separate, with Amy’s divorced parents Mitch and Janis involved in each one.)

According to the US group’s federal tax filing for 2013, they paid their director $10,000 more than they gave away. Consultant Julie Muraco– whose Upper West Side apartment is listed as the foundation’s address– was paid $80,000 in 2013-14. The Amy Winehouse Foundation donated $70,000 to two charities last year– $50,000 to the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, and $20,000 to the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra.

There is a record of a donation the Brooklyn Conservatory– a donation of $25,000 on January 13, 2013. But it doesn’t jibe with what’s listed in the tax filing.

Muraco tells me the foundation would have given away more in 2013, but their own donations from their Gala came in late. She says her $80,000 salary as a consultant was really for two jobs. In the preceding year, 2012, the first year of the U.S. foundation. Muraco was only paid $52,000. But the Foundation only gave away $10,000 — again to the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra.

Total revenue for 2012 and 2013 was over $530,000.

On the social network side, the F0undation has just 243 followers. They’ve tweeted once in 2015, on April 9th, with the most recent Tweet before that in December of last year. There’s a little bit more activity on their Facebook page, but not very much. In the UK, that group has 27,700 followers and seems to conduct activities more suited to a Foundation.

Muraco says she’s working now on filing the 2014 tax forms, and that the mission statement for the Foundation is being changed.

The Amy Winehouse Foundation mission statement in the US reads: “The Amy Winehouse Foundation’s mission is supporting and empowering children and young adults in need through music therapy and music education and works to prevent the effects of drug and alcohol misuse on young people. We aim to support, inform and inspire vulnerable and disadvantaged young people to help them reach their full potential.”



 

 

NBC to Donald Trump: “You’re Fired” Over Racist Comments About Immigrants

0

When Donald Trump is done with his presidential run he’ll have to find a new TV network. NBC has fired him over racist comments he’s made about immigrants. Here’s their statement:

At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values.
 
Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump.
 
To that end, the annual Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants, which are part of a joint venture between NBC and Trump, will no longer air on NBC .
                                                                                                                                                                        
In addition, as Mr. Trump has already indicated, he will not be participating in “The Apprentice” on NBC.

“Celebrity Apprentice” will continue at NBC without Trump in any capacity. A new host has to be chosen by Mark Burnett Productions.

Trump had said in a speech last week: “The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems. When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

With the NBC decision, that pretty much finishes Trump as a network host of anything. If no one will carry his beauty pageants on TV, he’ll be forced to sell them too. What a mess.

Thriller: Quincy Jones Debuts $1500 Headphones: “We’re Not Playin'” Says Michael Jackson’s Famed Producer

0

Quincy Jones is one of my heroes. At 82, he’s done everything and worked with everyone. He produced Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and “Off the Wall” albums. He produced Frank Sinatra, and Ray Charles (whom he met when they were 14 and 16 respectively). He gave us “Strawberry Letter 23.” And “We Are the World.” And the theme music for “Austin Powers.” He was also married to both Nastassja Kinski and Peggy Lipton. I think he has 27 Grammy Awards– the record–  including Album of the Year (1990) “Back on the Block.” Wait– he also has the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award Special Oscar.

Isn’t that enough?

No. On Friday, “Q” introduced a limited edition line of headphones at the AKG Harman Store on Madison Avenue and 54th St. They are called “N90Q.” They come in black and gold, with a “Q” emblazoned on the outside of each ear cup. They are made of high grade soft leather and memory foam, not to mention some highly technical electronics. The ‘phones are packaged in a gold and black box of some distinct weight, which also functions as a power charger.

The headphones will retail for $1,499.99 when they go on sale in September. Pre-sales start next week.

And yes, they are amazing.

I own a couple of pairs of headphones– Grado, a Brooklyn company, makes light and airy , well reviewed ones under $100. Sennheiser has a nice pair of what they call Urbanites for $200. Sony has solid MDR-1s. Higher end? Sure, over at the Harman store they actually had a pair of Sennheisers and a pair made by Beyer Dynamic in that $1400 price range. That’s how cocky they are about the Quincy’s. They were right there for the side by side testing.

Quincy and Harman/AKG have been working on the N90Qs for five years. Quincy has his name on other AKG headphones but that’s mostly a licensing deal. This, they say, is the real thing. There’s a special calibration button, an EQ system that’s adjustable, bass and treble controls. Put them on. It’s like wearing the best sound system you’ve ever heard, on your head.

Beats, shmeats. When the N90Qs hit the market come Labor Day, no self respecting studio producer or home music expert will want to be seen without these guys. AKG is so proud of these damn things they brought the three people who made them from Germany just for the event. Quincy brought savant star jazz pianist Alfredo Rodriguez, who put on a brilliant one man show in the AKG store with his Yamaha baby grand.

And he spoke. Basically, Q said, “We’re not playin’.” He reminisced about Ray Charles, and a little about Michael Jackson. He shook everyone’s hand. He introduced another beautiful and gorgeous just college graduated daughter, Kenya, whose mother is Nastassja Kinski. (Another of his six daughters is star actress-director-writer Rashida Jones.)

He was dressed in kind cobalt blue Japanese silk and comfy looking slippers. He says, “Man,” when he starts to remember a story, the coolest cat way. Purring. “Man…We came from a jazz thing, a bebop thing. We don’t want to be number 2. These people [AKG] do not play. It’s just been one incredible journey. We were at the CES, and we were number one on their poll. It’s the best sound out there. I can’t even drive a car, but I know this sound. Music is the strangest thing. You can’t see it, feel it, or taste it. I wanted to be a gangster until I was 11. I’d have been in prison or dead if I’d gone the other way. But the west coast turned me around, when I found music.” He added, beaming: “When we found this sound, we yelled I got it! I got it!”

He got it. Let’s hope Amazon does a little discounting in the fall. Also, the beautiful package could use slightly better explained and printed materials. (I had to use a magnifying glass to read them.) The good news (it’s all good news) is that the N90Q’s charge fast either from your computer or an included battery. The charge lasts 12 hours. The ‘phones are reasonably light and feel good on the head. The memory foam on the ears is very comfortable.

But it’s the sound. Man. The main engineer who ran the project for AKG immediately made some changes to my iPod so that volume was unimpeded and Apple’s EQ was off. From now on, it was EQ from the headphones. Press down on a tiny calibration button for 5 seconds and microphones in each ear calculate the most pleasing sound. (You can manually adjust from there.) That’s it.

I listened to Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond’s “Take Five,” “Aja” by Steely Dan, and Smetana’s “My Country” with the Prague National Symphony. There are three choices: standard, studio, and surround sound. Each one is a revelation. Wayne Shorter’s horn on “Aja” was three dimensional. With Smetana it felt like I was back in the Prague Symphony Hall. Dreamy. “Take Five” took flight and danced around the room.

More to come, in the fall. PS The engineers don’t bother with Tidal or anything else. They get their hi-def tracks from www.hdtracks.com. The N90Q’s love “lossless” music at high bit rates. I’m spending next weekend on that site building a little library.

 

Joni Mitchell’s Conservator Confirms Our Story: Singer Had a Brain Aneurysm

0

Joni Mitchell’s conservator, Leslie Morris, confirms today my story from May 29th: Joni Mitchell suffered a brain aneurysm.

Morris writes on Mitchell’s website: “Joni did in fact suffer an aneurysm. However, details that have emerged in the past few days are mostly speculative. The truth is that Joni is speaking, and she’s speaking well. She is not walking yet, but she will be in the near future as she is undergoing daily therapies. She is resting comfortably in her own home and she’s getting better each day. A full recovery is expected.”

There was a little outbreak of sub-headlines about this after musician David Crosby mentioned it in an interview. The Hollywood Reporter than reported it and called him “Bill Crosby.” So at least there’s a laugh there.

Here’s the link to my original story: http://www.showbiz411.com/2015/05/29/update-joni-mitchell-moved-to-rehab-improving-after-brain-aneurysm

Always send prayers and good wishes to Joni to get well soon. Thanks to Leslie Morris for getting back to me in a timely fashion.

Harry Potter: New Chapter of Extreme Money Making Begins as Live Play Readied for Broadway and London’s West End

0

J.K. Rowling cannot stop thinking of ways to make money from “Harry Potter.” Seven best selling books and eight movies that made billions weren’t enough for her. After swearing that was “it” for Harry and co., Rowling has cooked up a gift that will reap royalties around the world forever. And I do mean forever, if there is one.

My colleague Baz Bamigboye broke the story in the UK Daily Mail– and it’s been lifted by everyone since yesterday: Rowling has written a play that will have music (but won’t be a musical) called “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” She insists it’s not a prequel, but it sounds like one: it’s what happened to Harry’s parents and everything leading up to Rowling’s gold mine.

Is it a musical? Not exactly. But John Tiffany, who directs musicals, is going to helm it. Among his hits is “Once,” which won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Stephen Hoggett, the famed choreographer from “Once” and many other hits, is involved. Doesn’t that sound like a musical? Baz insists, “It’s not a musical.”

But Imogen Heap, a brilliant female pop composer, is writing some kind of music for it. She’s very popular in the UK and well known here.

My old friend Colin Callender, and Sonia Friedman, are the producers. But the big big spare no expense money comes from Warner Theatricals, aka Warner Bros. which made the films. And down the line, I am sure, there will be a movie — or two– based on the play.

“Cursed Child” will the trace the story of Harry’s parents as well as what we think of as the older (but back then younger) Hogwarts population. My guess is it includes with the birth of the Golden Child. And we’ll see Lord Voldemort kill the parents, the way all super hero parents (Spider Man, Batman, et al) are usually offed. I can guarantee you that with Tiffany and Hoggett, you will see a Quidditch match in the air that will echo Julie Taymor.

Anyway, as Baz points out, demand for tickets when they go on sale in London will be historic. Tickets go on sale this fall, and performances will start next summer when children are out of school. I can imagine a spring 2017 opening on Broadway in time for Tony Awards.

And then? “Cursed Child” will run all over the world, in every city and country, as a stage show with tickets costing well over $100. Just think of rooms overflowing with silver and gold coins, money, money, money, in perpetuity, like “The Lion King.”

Oscars: Academy Invites 322 New Members Including Redmayne. Cumberbatch, Radcliffe, and Heather Graham

0

This is quite a list– 322 new members invited to the join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, including Mellody Hobson (Mrs. George Lucas) and my old pal Mike Binder. All good!

Actors
Elizabeth Banks – “Love & Mercy,” “The Hunger Games”
Choi Min-sik– “Lucy,” “Oldboy”
Benedict Cumberbatch – “The Imitation Game,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”
Martin Freeman – “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “Hot Fuzz”
Heather Graham – “The Hangover,” “Boogie Nights”
Tom Hardy – “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Inception”
Kevin Hart – “The Wedding Ringer,” “Ride Along”
Felicity Jones – “The Theory of Everything,” “Like Crazy”
Stephen Lang – “Avatar,” “The Men Who Stare at Goats”
Jodi Long – “A Picture of You,” “Beginners”
John Carroll Lynch – “Shutter Island,” “Zodiac”
Gugu Mbatha-Raw – “Beyond the Lights,” “Belle”
Denis O’Hare – “Milk,” “Michael Clayton”
Michael O’Neill – “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Transformers”
David Oyelowo – “Selma,” “A Most Violent Year”
Dev Patel – “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Slumdog Millionaire”
Rosamund Pike – “Gone Girl,” “Pride & Prejudice”
Chris Pine – “Into the Woods,” “Star Trek”
Daniel Radcliffe – “Kill Your Darlings,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
Eddie Redmayne – “The Theory of Everything,” “Les Misérables”
Jason Segel – “The Five-Year Engagement,” “The Muppets”
J.K. Simmons – “Whiplash,” “Juno”
Sonny Skyhawk – “Geronimo: An American Legend,” “Young Guns II”
Song Kang-ho – “Snowpiercer,” “The Host”
Emma Stone – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “The Help”

Casting Directors
Lucy Bevan – “Cinderella,” “The Hundred-Foot Journey”
Victoria Burrows – “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” “King Kong”
Aisha Coley – “Selma,” “Beyond the Lights”
Patricia DiCerto – “Blue Jasmine,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Mary Hidalgo – “The Lego Movie,” “The Incredibles”
Roger Mussenden – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Get Smart”
Lucie Robitaille – “Incendies,” “The Barbarian Invasions”
Luis San Narciso – “The Skin I Live In,” “The Sea Inside”
April Webster – “Tomorrowland,” “Star Trek”
Tricia Wood – “Woman in Gold,” “The Lincoln Lawyer”

Cinematographers
Christopher Blauvelt – “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” “The Bling Ring”
Adriano Goldman – “August: Osage County,” “Jane Eyre”
Ben Kasulke – “Laggies,” “Safety Not Guaranteed”
Ryszard Lenczewski – “Ida,” “Margaret”
Jody Lee Lipes – “Ballet 422,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Sharone Meir – “Whiplash,” “Mean Creek”
Rachel Morrison – “Cake,” “Fruitvale Station”
Tristan Oliver – “ParaNorman,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox”
Hoyte Van Hoytema – “Interstellar,” “Her”
Roman Vasyanov – “Fury,” “End of Watch”
Łukasz Żal – “Ida,” “Joanna”

Costume Designers
Kasia Walicka Maimone – “Foxcatcher,” “Moonrise Kingdom”
Francesca Livia Sartori – “Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy,” “When the Night”
Jany Temime – “Gravity,” “Skyfall”

Designers
Ramsey Avery – “Tomorrowland,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”
Gae Buckley – “The Book of Eli,” “He’s Just Not That into You”
Keith Brian Burns – “The Best Man Holiday,” “2 Fast 2 Furious”
Lester W. Cohen – “Fading Gigolo,” “Cop Land”
Suzie Davies – “Mr. Turner,” “The Children”
John F. Fenner – “The Phantom of the Opera,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley”
Darren Gilford – “Oblivion,” “Tron: Legacy”
Derek R. Hill – “Southpaw,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”
Bryn Imagire – “Cars 2,” “Up”
Dina Lipton – “Baggage Claim,” “Love Hurts”
Tatiana Macdonald – “The Imitation Game,” “The Invisible Woman”
Dominic Masters – “Woman in Gold,” “Casino Royale”
Doug Meerdink – “Jurassic World,” “Ocean’s Thirteen”
Chris Spellman – “Paper Towns,” “This Is the End”
Patrick Tatopoulos – “300: Rise of an Empire,” “Total Recall”
Charlotte Watts – “Mr. Holmes,” “Mr. Turner”

Directors
Michael Binder – “Black or White,” “Reign over Me”
Bong Joon-ho – “Snowpiercer,” “Mother”
Niki Caro – “North Country,” “Whale Rider”
Damien Chazelle* – “Whiplash,” “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench”
Simon Curtis – “Woman in Gold,” “My Week with Marilyn”
François Girard – “Silk,” “The Red Violin”
F. Gary Gray – “The Italian Job,” “Friday”
James Gunn – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Super”
Im Kwon-taek – “Chi-Hwa-Seon (Painted Fire),” “Chunhyang”
Stan Lathan – “Beat Street,” “Amazing Grace”
Malcolm D. Lee* – “The Best Man Holiday,” “The Best Man”
Justin Lin – “Fast & Furious 6,” “Better Luck Tomorrow”
François Ozon – “Young & Beautiful,” “Swimming Pool”
Paweł Pawlikowski* – “Ida,” “My Summer of Love”
Kelly Reichardt – “Meek’s Cutoff,” “Wendy and Lucy”
Ira Sachs – “Love Is Strange,” “Keep the Lights On”
Lynn Shelton – “Laggies,” “Your Sister’s Sister”
Abderrahmane Sissako* – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako”
Damián Szifron* – “Wild Tales,” “On Probation”
Fernando Trueba – “Chico & Rita,” “Belle Epoque”
Morten Tyldum – “The Imitation Game,” “Headhunters”
Zaza Urushadze – “Tangerines,” “The Guardian”
Wayne Wang – “Anywhere but Here,” “The Joy Luck Club”
Edgar Wright – “The World’s End,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”
Joe Wright – “Anna Karenina,” “Atonement”
Andrey Zvyagintsev* – “Leviathan,” “Elena”

Documentary
Richard Berge – “The Island President,” “The Rape of Europa”
Mathilde Bonnefoy* – “CitizenFour,” “The Invisibles”
Emad Burnat – “5 Broken Cameras”
Guy Davidi – “5 Broken Cameras,” “Interrupted Streams”
Geralyn Dreyfous – “The Square,” “The Invisible War”
Lewis Erskine – “Free Angela: And All Political Prisoners,” “Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple”
Shana Hagan – “Misconception,” “This Film Is Not Yet Rated”
Tony Hardmon – “Detropia,” “Semper Fi: Always Faithful”
Leonard Retel Helmrich – “Position among the Stars,” “Shape of the Moon”
Pirjo Honkasalo – “The 3 Rooms of Melancholia,” “Atman”
Judy Irving – “Pelican Dreams,” “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill”
Robert Kenner – “Merchants of Doubt,” “Food, Inc.”
Marc Levin – “Mr. Untouchable,” “The Last Party”
Jesse Moss – “The Overnighters,” “Full Battle Rattle”
Pratibha Parmar – “Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth,” “A Place of Rage”
Paula DuPre’ Pesmen – “Keep On Keepin’ On,” “The Cove”
Gordon Quinn – “Life Itself,” “Hoop Dreams”
Kim Roberts – “Waiting for ‘Superman’,” “Lost Boys of Sudan”
Richard Rowley – “Dirty Wars,” “The Fourth World War”
João Moreira Salles – “Santiago,” “Entreatos (Intermissions)”
Ondi Timoner – “We Live in Public,” “Dig!”

Executives
Carolyn Blackwood
Robbie Brenner
Lia Buman
Steve Burke
David Fenkel
Mellody Hobson
Brian Keane
Steven Paul O’Dell
Jim Orr
Mark Rachesky
Ted Sarandos
Jeff Shell

Film Editors
Craig Alpert – “Pitch Perfect 2,” “Pineapple Express”
Mick Audsley – “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” “Dirty Pretty Things”
Pablo Barbieri – “Wild Tales,” “La Antena (The Aerial)”
Nadia Ben Rachid – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako”
Kristina Boden – “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” “Cake”
Mathilde Bonnefoy* – “CitizenFour,” “Run Lola Run”
Julian Clarke – “Chappie,” “District 9”
Douglas Crise – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Babel”
Tom Cross – “Whiplash,” “Any Day Now”
Jinx Godfrey – “The Theory of Everything,” “Man on Wire”
Robert Grahamjones – “Brave,” “Ratatouille”
Masahiro Hirakubo – “Virunga,” “The Duchess”
Jarosław Kamiński – “Ida,” “Aftermath (Pokłosie)”
William Kerr – “Bridesmaids,” “I Love You, Man”
Nico Leunen – “Lost River,” “The Broken Circle Breakdown”
Mike McCusker – “Get On Up,” “3:10 to Yuma”
Tim Mertens – “Big Hero 6,” “Wreck-It Ralph”
Barney Pilling – “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “An Education”
David Rennie – “22 Jump Street,” “Office Space”
Gary D. Roach – “American Sniper,” “Prisoners”
Michael L. Sale – “We’re the Millers,” “Bridesmaids”
Stephen Schaffer – “Cars 2,” “WALL-E”
Job ter Burg – “Borgman,” “Winter in Wartime”
Peter Teschner – “St. Vincent,” “Horrible Bosses”
Tara Timpone – “Friends with Kids,” “Bad Teacher”

Makeup Artists and Hairstylists
Frida S. Aradottir – “August: Osage County,” “A Serious Man”
Victoria Down – “Big Eyes,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
Frances Hannon – “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The King’s Speech”
Todd Kleitsch – “Run All Night,” “Black Swan”
Dennis Liddiard – “Foxcatcher,” “Jobs”
Jerry Popolis – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Noah”
Janine Rath-Thompson – “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Bridesmaids”
Johnny Villanueva – “The Gambler,” “The Fighter”
David White – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “La Vie en Rose”
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “An Education”

Members-at-Large
Andy Armstrong
Wayne Billheimer
Kevin Brownlow
Simon Crane
Debbie Denise
Jeff Habberstad
Andy Hendrickson
Elissa M. Rashkin Loparco
Guido Quaroni
Nicole Scalise
Steven J. Scott
Leon D. Silverman
Gregg Smrz
Lynda Ellenshaw Thompson
Steve Venezia

Music
Tyler Bates – “John Wick,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Alex Gibson – “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight”
Jonny Greenwood – “Inherent Vice,” “The Master”
Dave Grusin – “Skating to New York,” “The Firm”
Alex Heffes – “Love and Honor,” “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Lisa Jaime – “Annie,” “Rock of Ages”
Jóhann Jóhannsson – “The Theory of Everything,” “Prisoners”
Laura Karpman – “States of Grace,” “Black Nativity”
Christopher Lennertz – “The Wedding Ringer,” “Horrible Bosses”
Lonnie Lynn – “Selma,” “Freedom Writers”
Chris McGeary – “Jersey Boys,” “RoboCop”
Sergio Mendes – “Rio 2,” “Rio”
Daniel Pinder – “Big Hero 6,” “Captain Phillips”
Trent Reznor – “Gone Girl,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Atticus Ross – “Love & Mercy,” “The Social Network”
John Stephens – “Selma,” “Django Unchained”
Marc Streitenfeld – “Poltergeist,” “Prometheus”
Erica Weis – “Spy,” “The Heat”
Gary Yershon – “Mr. Turner,” “Another Year”

Producers
Caroline Baron – “Capote,” “Monsoon Wedding”
Effie T. Brown – “Dear White People,” “Real Women Have Curves”
Terence Chang – “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale,” “Face/Off”
Wyck Godfrey – “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Twilight”
Jeremy Kleiner – “Selma,” “12 Years a Slave”
Pamela Koffler – “Still Alice,” “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Gina Kwon – “Camp X-Ray,” “Me and You and Everyone We Know”
Dan Lin – “The Lego Movie,” “Sherlock Holmes”
Eric Newman – “RoboCop,” “Children of Men”
Bruna Papandrea – “Wild,” “All Good Things”
Lydia Dean Pilcher – “Cutie and the Boxer,” “The Darjeeling Limited”
Rebecca Yeldham – “On the Road,” “The Kite Runner”

Public Relations
Jennifer Allen
Asad Ayaz
Dawn Baillie
Andrew Bernstein
Liz Biber
Mara Buxbaum
Lee Ginsberg
R. Jeff Hill
Michelle Hooper
Chris Libby
Susan Norget
Lewis Oberlander
Gordon Paddison
Elias Plishner
David Pollick
Weiman Seid
LeeAnne Stables
Ryan Stankevich
Bonnie Voland

Short Films and Feature Animation
Alan Barillaro – “Brave,” “WALL-E”
Kristine Belson – “The Croods,” “How to Train Your Dragon”
Darlie Brewster – “Curious George,” “The Prince of Egypt”
Roy Conli – “Big Hero 6,” “Tangled”
Ronnie Del Carmen – “Up,” “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”
Paul A. Felix – “Big Hero 6,” “Lilo & Stitch”
Michael Fukushima – “Me and My Moulton,” “Dimanche/Sunday”
Don Hall – “Big Hero 6,” “Winnie the Pooh”
Talkhon Hamzavi – “Parvaneh,” “Taub”
Hu Wei – “Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak),” “Le Propriétaire”
Jin Kim – “Big Hero 6,” “Bolt”
Mat Kirkby – “The Phone Call,” “Hard to Swallow”
David Kneupper – “Alex and Sylvia,” “The Civil War in 4 Minutes”
Michael Lennox – “Boogaloo and Graham,” “The Back of Beyond”
Fabio Lignini – “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Puss in Boots”
James Lucas – “The Phone Call”
Patrick Osborne – “Feast,” “Paperman”
Jerome Ranft – “Toy Story 3,” “Ratatouille”
Jim Reardon – “Wreck-It Ralph,” “WALL-E”
Kristina Reed – “Feast,” “Paperman”
Jason Reisig – “Home,” “Shrek Forever After”
Nicolas Schmerkin – “Habana,” “Logorama”
Anthony Stacchi – “The Boxtrolls,” “Open Season”
Isao Takahata – “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya,” “Grave of the Fireflies”
Michael Thurmeier – “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” “No Time for Nuts”
Marlon West – “Frozen,” “The Princess and the Frog”

Sound
Ray Beckett – “Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Hurt Locker”
Odin Benitez – “Frozen,” “Silver Linings Playbook”
Ron Bochar – “Mortdecai,” “Moneyball”
Jason Canovas – “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” “World War Z”
Thomas Curley – “Whiplash,” “The Spectacular Now”
Michael Dressel – “American Sniper,” “Interstellar”
Mary H. Ellis – “Vacation,” “Prisoners”
Stephanie Flack – “Jupiter Ascending,” “Ender’s Game”
Martín Hernández – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful”
Dean Humphreys – “Taken 3,” “The Pianist”
William Johnston – Vice President of Engineering, Formosa Group
Shawn Jones – “Iron Man 3,” “Drive”
Daniel Laurie – “Inside Out,” “Big Hero 6”
David Lee – “Unbroken,” “The Matrix”
Craig Mann – “Dope,” “Whiplash”
Kyrsten Mate – “Tomorrowland,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Shannon J. Mills – “Inside Out,” “Big Hero 6”
Bryan K. Pennington – “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” “Promised Land”
Juan P. Peralta – “Tomorrowland,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”
John Ross – “Danny Collins,” “American Hustle”
Peter Staubli – “San Andreas,” “Skyfall”
Mark Taylor – “Edge of Tomorrow,” “Captain Phillips”
Addison Teague – “Big Hero 6,” “The Amazing Spider-Man”
Jon Title – “San Andreas,” “The Divergent Series: Insurgent”
Thomas Varga – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “The Immigrant”
Ben Wilkins – “Whiplash,” “Star Trek”

Visual Effects
Nicolas Aithadi – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “X-Men: First Class”
Daniel Barrett – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”
Stephane Ceretti – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Cloud Atlas”
Paul Corbould – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Tim Crosbie – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “The Wolverine”
Dan DeLeeuw – “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Iron Man 3”
Sean Faden – “Fast & Furious 6,” “Let Me In”
Joe Farrell – “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Hereafter”
Scott R. Fisher – “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight Rises”
Chris Harvey – “Chappie,” “Fast & Furious 6”
Alex Jaeger – “Tomorrowland,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Matt Kutcher – “Focus,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
Andrew Lockley – “Interstellar,” “Inception”
Gray Marshall – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Carl Miller – “Jurassic World,” “Elysium”
David Nakabayashi – “Tomorrowland,” “Avatar”
Rocco Passionino – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Spider-Man 2”
Lou Pecora – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
Cary Phillips – “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
Ellen Poon – “Frozen,” “Inception”
Edwin Rivera – “22 Jump Street,” “Moneyball”
Cameron Waldbauer – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Elysium”
Erik Winquist – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “Avatar”

Writers
Armando Bo – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful”
Damien Chazelle* – “Whiplash,” “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench”
Álex de la Iglesia – “El Crimen Perfecto,” “The Day of the Beast”
Rick Famuyiwa – “Dope,” “The Wood”
Maya Forbes – “Infinitely Polar Bear,” “Monsters vs Aliens”
E. Max Frye – “Foxcatcher,” “Something Wild”
Nicolás Giacobone – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful”
Dan Gilroy – “Nightcrawler,” “The Bourne Legacy”
Jorge Guerricaechevarría – “Cell 211,” “The Day of the Beast”
Rita Hsiao – “Toy Story 2,” “Mulan”
Simon Kinberg – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Sherlock Holmes”
Malcolm D. Lee* – “The Best Man Holiday,” “The Best Man”
Christopher Markus – “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Stephen McFeely – “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Graham Moore – “The Imitation Game”
Paweł Pawlikowski* – “Ida,” “My Summer of Love”
Abderrahmane Sissako* – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako”
Damián Szifron* – “Wild Tales,” “On Probation”
Kessen Tall – “Timbuktu”
Tyger Williams – “The Perfect Guy,” “Menace II Society”
Andrey Zvyagintsev* – “Leviathan,” “Elena”

Associates
Victoria Belfrage
Josh Braun
Wayne Fitterman
Sharon Jackson
Patricia Keighley
Cliff Roberts
Elyse Scherz
James Toth
Bart Walker

Exclusive: Bobby Brown’s Last Ditch Effort to Save Bobbi Kristina: Flew Her to Chicago Experts

0

The imminent tragic death of Bobbi Kristina Brown has not arrived without every measure being taken to save her.

I am told that before he agreed to let Bobbi Kristina go to hospice, her father took extraordinary measures. Sources say Bobby Brown arranged for Bobbi Kristina to be brought to Chicago to see specialists for one last examination.

In the last couple of weeks, Bobbi Kristina was Med- Evac’d on a private plane to Chicago’s Northwestern University. Experts in brain trauma examined Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown’s only child to see if there was anything that could be done.

It was only after the verdict came in that Bobbi Kristina could not be saved that Brown brought his daughter home to Atlanta and placed in hospice care.

Meanwhile, Bobbi Kristina’s court appointed conservator has filed suit against Nick Gordon. The intent is to find out what happened to Bobbi Kristina, and how she wound up floating face down in a bathtub.

“Ted 2” Opens $7 Mil Short of Original on Opening Night; Wahlberg Found it “Unbear-able”

0

“Ted 2” is not a hit. Last night the sequel to the original Seth MacFarlane movie opened $7 million short of the original at $13.2 mil. The first movie did over $20 mil on its opening night. This spells disaster for the opening weekend.

The thrill is gone. “Ted 2” was universally panned. Its first twenty minutes are funny enough, but the middle of the movie is a muddle. And it’s racist, misogynistic, and deeply dark. Not an easy sell to women.

Mark Wahlberg must have found it “un-bearable” on opening night. He didn’t stay at the Ziegfeld and he never showed at the fancy after party at the Central Park Boathouse. A source said Wahlberg had his own private party. Everyone else showed up, however, including Liam Neeson, but of course he lives basically across the street. He has one cameo in the film.

Sequels to quirky hit comedies are tough deals. It’s really best not to make them. But the lure of the money is too much for the participants to pass up. “Sex and the City” is a case in point. “American Graffiti” even had one. All not to be mentioned again. The second “Legally Blonde.” Or “Miss Congeniality.” You’re basically remaking the first movie, and the novelty is gone. No one remembers “Airplane 2” fondly. We are currently facing down “Magic Mike XXL.” And so on.

Meantime, Disney and Universal are having big summers. Warners has the best action movie in ages with “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Fox has done very well with “Home” and “Kingsman.” There are always little bumps in the road. “Ted 2” shall pass. But if you see it– look for the “Beetlejuice” joke. I loved it. (And PS this is why you don’t remake ”

Paris Jackson’s Touching Twitter Tribute to Her Dad, Michael Jackson

0

Paris Jackson keeps impressing and being a mensch even with crazy tabloid stories of her impending “wedding” or “pregnancy.” How she stays sane is a miracle.

Yesterday the 17 year posted two Tweets on the 6th anniversary of the death of her dad, Michael Jackson. The Tweets were read to me by one of her followers. One read: “this is the day I lost you. I know you’re in a better place now but I miss you so much. I just want you to know I love you so much”

the other read: “I still remember that goodbye hug he gave me before he left for rehearsal”

Michael Jackson did something right with his three kids. Everyone made fun of him for putting them in masks, etc. But the kids are all right. Prince is going to college in the fall, Blanket has changed his name to “Biji.” This is Paris’s last year of high school– she’s a musician and an artist and very stylish. She’s going to do fine.