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Key and Peele now Key and Obama– Comedian: “We practiced in the West Wing”

Roger Friedman
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Key and Peele now Key and Obama– Comedian: “We practiced in the West Wing”

President Barack Obama has a job waiting for him when he leaves the White House: comedy partner Keegan-Michael Key. The pair stole the White House Correspondents dinner last night as Key did his Luthor the Anger Translator character, interpreting Obama’s speech to cheers and applause. Key usually plays Luthor with his partner, Jordan Peele. And that was going to be the way they did it.

Key told me last night right after the show: “We were going to do it together. But then Jordan said, it will be better if you do it just with the president. So we practiced twice in the West Wing and got it right.” Where  was Peele? “Watching at home,” Key told me in the Washington Hilton lobby as guests piled into cars after the show that also featured “Saturday Night Live” comedian Cecily Strong.

Even with a light rain falling, and the lateness of the hour– well past 11pm– it was well worth the short trip from the Washington Hilton to the French ambassador’s house last night for the Vanity Fair-Bloomberg WHCD after party.

After a few dreary hours in the Hilton, and the long sweep through the night that seemed to feature just B list TV stars, Vanity Fair’s Graydon Carter and former mayor Mike Bloomberg hosted the kind of swellish party Carter is known for in Hollywood. Movie star and maybe Tony nominee Bradley Cooper chatted up miscellaneous politicians, while Jane Fonda was overwhelmed with admirers. Katie Couric held court in the living room, with actor Timothy Hutton sitting on an opposite couch and all kinds of familar faces listening in. Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Stern (publisher of the New York Observer) got a good listen.

And in every corner you could see interesting chats going on: Lawrence O’Donnell, from MSNBC, sneaked out of that network’s party and was leaned up against the party talking with “Selma” director Ava Duvernay. Musician John Legend and his beautiful model wife Chrissy Teigen danced and smooched, then took photos with Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul. A gaggle of actresses– Connie Britton, Carla Gugino, Constance Zimmer– flocked by to join the Couric party where Lucy Lui was already ensconced. Ashley Judd was nearby.

In the front hall, I chatted with Lorne Michaels about the “Saturday Night Live” 40th anniversary when finally Cecily Strong arrived. She laughed about President Obama calling her “Sicily” asked her boss if she’d done alright. “You were wonderful,” Michaels told her. Ronan Farrow, son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen and not Frank Sinatra, who is now dying his hair Clairol blonde, embraced her jovially before Strong moved on to get some food and drink. Farrow posed for pics with Laverne Cox of “Orange is the New Black.”

Around the rooms: Tesla inventor Elon Musk told us about his announcement about home batteries coming this Thursday; former NY police commish Ray Kelly and wife Veronica represented New York beautifully. (I’ll support him if he wants to run for mayor, and so will you!)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson told me he really wants to play baseball this season with the Texas Rangers. Well, he’s only 26! “I can’t believe how young he looks,” Ava Duvernay exclaimed.

Strangest sighting: actress Sophia Bush, from television, all dressed up and looking great despite news that her former boyfriend, Google exec Dan Fredinburg, had died in the Nepal earthquake while climbing Mt. Everest. Before the party she’d written on Instagram: “Please remember that our time on this Earth is not guaranteed. Please tell those you love that you do. Right now. This very minute.”

 

photo c2015 Showbiz411

 

 

 

Journos, Stars Descend on DC for WHCD Garden Brunch, Meet Jane the Virgin and House of Cards Stars

Roger Friedman
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Journos, Stars Descend on DC for WHCD Garden Brunch, Meet Jane the Virgin and House of Cards Stars

It’s been a couple of years, but I’m back in Washington DC for the White House Correspondents dinner and the inevitable parties. After reports from Friday night’s disappointing efforts by Time & People, and The New Yorker, all eyes were on Tammy Haddad and friends’ annual garden brunch in Georgetown. It didn’t disappoint.

Despite unusually cold and blustery weather, the Beall Washington House was outfitted for stars and their cars. Haddad, Larry King’s former producer, is the doyenne of WHCD, partnering up with other influencers for this impossible to get ticket. You can’t report on the party directly but there’s plenty of color to go around. And it was one of those elegant moments where the chit chat was better than news.

Right off the bat we spotted Katie Couric and her husband John Molner. Gayle King, check. But then there was Bill Plante, the CBS eminence grise journalist, White House correspondent, the real thing.

And then came the stars: Tim Daly, Alfre Woodard, Carla Gugino, Norman Reedus from “The Walking Dead,” among them. “House of Cards” stars Constance Zimmer and Michael Kelly were treated like royalty. So was Timothy Simons from “Veep.”After all they’re playing people in the room! Brit star Jason Isaacs also commanded attention, as did Jesse Tyler Ferguson, from “Modern Family,” wearing blue pin striped seersucker.

Crossing paths like ships in the dusk: “War Horse” star Jeremy Irvine, and NSync star J.C. Chasez. The latter told me he’s just finished a movie I’ve written about called  “One Shot,” a musical produced by and starring Topher Grace with a high powered cast. “Taye Diggs is doing something he’s never done before,” J.C. says. “He’s going to blow you away.”

Will there be an NSync reunion? Unlikely, says J.C. Chasez for the foreseeable future. Has he seen the Justin Timberlake-Jessica Biel baby? “Justin sent pictures and we’ve been texting back and forth,” says Chasez.

And who’s the star everyone wants to meet? Katie Couric tells me she can’t wait to shake hands with Gina Rodriguez, Golden Globe winning star of “Jane the Virgin.” Couric, who’s been doing great reports for Yahoo News and ABC, says, “She’s hot right now. Everyone is interested in her.”

And the countdown begins to the WHCD.

 

Bruce Jenner: Second Wife Linda Thompson Knew All Along, Possibly Reveals Female Name

Roger Friedman
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Bruce Jenner: Second Wife Linda Thompson Knew All Along, Possibly Reveals Female Name

Linda Thompson Foster, Bruce Jenner’s second wife, knew from during their marriage that her husband “identified as a woman.” Thompson writes in The Huffington Post today that Jenner told her the whole story while they were married. They went to counseling and ultimately divorced because of it.

I’ve known Linda for many years and she’s always kept Jenner’s secret. Back in February I ran into her during Oscar week. When I asked if she knew what was going on, she said she had no idea. I don’t blame her for answering that way. She was being loyal to the father of her two sons.

As it turns out, she says that after her divorce, she told her sons, Brody and Brandon, the truth so they would understand their father. Linda writes that Bruce, who’d gone on to marry Kris Kardashian and have two daughters, was not an attentive father.

No birthday cards or phone calls, no “Merry Christmas,” no “Everything OK?” after the big Northridge earthquake. Brandon and Brody will never have those “Hallmark memories” of father-and-son moments. They were saddened by his lack of participation in their lives, and my heart ached for them. When Brandon asked me, “Mom, what kind of a father doesn’t come to his son’s graduation?” I meekly replied, “Honey, your dad may have been the world’s greatest athlete physically, but emotionally, you have to view him in a wheelchair. If he had emotional legs, he’d get up and walk to you, but he just doesn’t right now. Just try to understand him, love and forgive him.”

Thompson also possibly reveals the name Jenner has chosen for his life as a woman. It’s Heather. Around that time Bruce considered traveling out of the country, possibly to Denmark, to have the gender-confirmation surgery and then come back to the U.S. identifying as female. I asked Bruce, “What about the children?” He thought maybe he could reenter their lives as “Aunt Heather.”

Linda writes in her piece today exactly what just about everyone is thinking: even if you don’t understand all this at first, you do get the pain Jenner has lived with all his life. We finally understand why he had all that plastic surgery to make himself look different in the mirror. It wasn’t for the public, it was for him.

Linda doesn’t say who helped her write the essay (she obviously had a ghost writer), how much she was paid or how long she’d been working on it. But it’s an honest piece of writing, and to be commended.

Post- McDreamy: Is that the End for “Grey’s Anatomy” After 11 Seasons?

Roger Friedman
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Post- McDreamy: Is that the End for “Grey’s Anatomy” After 11 Seasons?

McDreamy is dead. The story of Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd is over. Almost all the original characters are gone after 11 seasons. Over the next four weeks, ABC will show five hours of “Greys,” in two double episodes and one single.

Next week’s double is called “She’s Leaving Home,” which indicates that Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) will pick up, leave Seattle, and find a warm home where it doesn’t rain all the time.

Two weeks later, in another double episode, called “You Are My Home,” she will likely return, realizing, like Dorothy, that there’s no place like home and she’ll stick around.

And really, who cares at this point? “Greys” according to tvbythenumbers.com, was likely for renewal. But that was before this firestorm. Without the main story, Shonda Rhimes would have to re-invent the show since she’s killed or dismissed most of the characters.

“Greys” pulls in average of 6 to 6.5 million viewers on a good week. It’s an old show, so the demo is down to around 1.7 to 1.9 for viewers 18-49. Plus, those 6 million are way down from last year’s season finale of over 8 million.

What happens now will determine whether the show can go on without Dempsey. Last night’s ratings will be over the moon, no doubt. But will fans watch those last five hours? You can bet ABC will be using next week’s big double show to determine its fate.

As for Dempsey, Rhimes must really hate him. His final show was with not one member of the cast except, briefly, Pompeo. It was all with guest actors. Meredith didn’t even kiss her husband goodbye– not a peck on the cheek. It was just, here’s your halo, what’s your hurry? I loved it when she said, “We’ll be alright without you.” There was none of that “We need you, stay…” Nothing. It was all, “Where are the papers? Let me sign them. He dissed the executive producer. Buh bye.”

EW.com, which got the scoop that Derek was dead and released it too soon, didn’t write much of anything beyond that. They know which side of the breathing tube they’re on. But in the interview with Dempsey he said he took nothing from the set. The episode was shot April 9 in Seattle, far from the cast and Hollywood.

Dempsey says he has a couple of projects cooking. But all that’s listed on the imdb is a dreadful looking movie with North Korean enthusiast Dennis Rodman. It does seem like the decision to kill him happened not that long ago. Negotiations to stay clearly fell through.

And now, will fans accept a new life for their heroine, Meredith Grey? Doubtful. If the show is renewed, one last season would seem in the cards.

Scientology Doesn’t Help: John Travolta’s “The Forger” Has a ZERO, 22 Negative Reviews

Roger Friedman
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Scientology Doesn’t Help: John Travolta’s “The Forger” Has a ZERO, 22 Negative Reviews

John Travolta’s been all over the place this week singing the praises of his cult, Scientology.

But the cult doesn’t help when your movie career is sinking for good. “The Forger” opens today with a ZERO on Rotten Tomatoes, all 22 reviews negativo. Not one positive post, not even from The Xenu Times.

Ouch!

LionsGate/Saban Films is the distributor.

“The Forger” just nosed out “Little Boy,” which got a 7% rating, 25 negative reviews and two positive. Can you imagine a movie with Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson and...Kevin James???? Open Road is releasing, and usually know better.

Oscar season is so, so far away.

Shock: Grey’s Anatomy Kills Derek Shepherd, Patrick Dempsey Leaves the Show, McDreamy Is Dead

Roger Friedman
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Shock: Grey’s Anatomy Kills Derek Shepherd, Patrick Dempsey Leaves the Show, McDreamy Is Dead

Wanna see the internet blow up? Shonda Rhimes has killed Derek Shepherd off of “Grey’s Anatomy.” Patrick Dempsey has left the show after 10 years. Boom! Do not cross Shonda. She’s killed before and she’ll kill again if you cross her.

Dempsey was an original character on the show, nicknamed McDreamy. Before “Grey’s” he was kind of nowhere career wise, except for a very good performance as young JFK in a TV movie. Otherwise, his run as a teen actor was over. “Grey’s” rescued him.

But like a lot of actors who make a ton of money on a series, he wasn’t happy. He told people– the press, and the show’s creator Shonda Rhimes. Last fall, Rhimes warned that we wouldn’t be seeing Derek much this season.  And now, like many who came before him on the show, he is history.

“Greys” fans are already howling on Twitter. Keep refreshing as the news hits…

PS I hope Patrick Dempsey knows what he’s doing. On the imdb he’s listed for a D-looking movie coming out next winter with Dennis Rodman. Not exactly Eddie Redmayne. Everyone from Victoria Principal to Pamela Sue Martin to Dan Stevens and Jessica Brown Findlay from “Downton Abbey” can tell him, it’s cold out there when you leave a series. I guess Dempsey is well invested. God bless.

Kanye West Addresses the Illuminati, Jay Z’s Tidal, Celebrity: “We gave you our lives!”

Roger Friedman
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Kanye West Addresses the Illuminati, Jay Z’s Tidal, Celebrity: “We gave you our lives!”

Kanye West doesn’t shrink from controversy. He’s like a walking ad for no self restraint, then complains about restraining himself. In Paper magazine, he did an as told to editorial. You can read the whole thing. But this part was kind of interesting. He says “We have to compromise what we say in lyrics so we don’t lose money on a contract.” Really? The guy will not shut up. Sometimes what he says he has merit. But compromise? Someone get the Ritalin.

from Paper:

“I heard a comment — a joke — about the Tidal press conference being an Illuminati moment. If there was actually an Illuminati, it would be more like the energy companies. Not celebrities that gave their life to music and who are pinpointed as decoys for people who really run the world. I’m tired of people pinpointing musicians as the Illuminati. That’s ridiculous. We don’t run anything; we’re celebrities. We’re the face of brands. We have to compromise what we say in lyrics so we don’t lose money on a contract. Madonna is in her 50s and gave everything she had to go up on an award show and get choked by her cape. She’s judged for who she adopts. Fuck all of this sensationalism. We gave you our lives. We gave you our hearts. We gave you our opinions!”

U2 Video “Song for Someone” Will Be Mini-Film Starring Woody Harrelson

Roger Friedman
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U2 Video “Song for Someone” Will Be Mini-Film Starring Woody Harrelson

EXCLUSIVE Woody Harrelson will star in a mini movie video U2 is making as they gear up for their big world tour. The group has chosen “Song for Someone” from their iTunes album “Songs of Innocence” which caused such a stir last year. Vincent Haycock will direct Woody as a character named Aaron Brown, presumably not the former CNN anchor. Aaron is being sent to prison in the video. There’s also an 18 year old going to jail named Jonathan. We will also see Aaron’s dad, described as a “shell of a man.” There will also be prison guards, and other prisoners. It’s sort of “Shawshank Redemption” with music! I don’t get it. I thought “Sleep Like a Baby Tonight” was the great song from that album. But hey, no one asked me. PS I hope they don’t keep using that artwork they used for the physical album. Please.

Broadway Review: Sensational, Hilarious “Something Rotten” Gets Standing Ovations During the Show!

Roger Friedman
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Broadway Review: Sensational, Hilarious “Something Rotten” Gets Standing Ovations During the Show!

I haven’t had such a good, silly time at the theater since “Spamalot” or maybe “The Producers” as I did last night at “Something Rotten.” The new musical is possibly the Best Musical Tony winner and definitely a strong nominee after its opening last night at the St. James Theater.

The show had a massive spontaneous standing ovation in the middle of the first act, and another almost as good one in the second. This is not usual at all. “Something Rotten” is an absolutely hilarious parody of Shakespeare, not to mention a send up of Broadway in the manner of “Forbidden Broadway” if performed by Monty Python and written by Mel Brooks. What more do you want?

The cast is absolutely a knockout. Brian d’Arcy James, John Cariani, the insanely talented Christian Borle, and Brad Oscar, Kate Reinders, Heidi Blickenstaff, Peter Bartlett– all of them so good that there aren’t enough Tony slots for them. Brooks Ashmanskas nearly steals the show as a puritanical minister with nothing pure on his mind.

The show is written by Broadway novices, grown men who must never stop laughing– brothers Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick, who are American and live in L.A. and Nashville, and British humorist and writer John O’Farrell. Wayne, based in Nashville, is a hit songwriter whose credits include one of my favorite songs, “Change the World,” by Eric Clapton.

In the audience last night, cheering: Monty Python’s Eric Idle, because director Casey Nicholaw also directed “Spamalot”; Tina Fey and her husband, David Hyde Pierce, as well as director/actor Tom McCarthy, Debra Messing, Brooke Shields, Ana Gasteyer, and Charles Shaughnessy of “Days of Our Lives” and “The Nanny” fame.

Think of this– Christian Borle, who’s a Broadway star, is third billed in this show. That’s how good it all is. John Cariani is a long over due overnight sensation here. But it’s Brian d’Arcy James who holds the whole madness together– and it is madness– leading this insane group. Bravo to him. And Best Actor in a Musical nods everywhere.

Set in 1595, this is more or less the story– d’Arcy James and Cariani are Shakespeare’s (Borle) rivals as playwrighting brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom. Shakespeare is far more successful, a rock star in South London. Nick Bottom consults a soothsayer named Nostradamus (Brad Oscar) to figure out what Shakespeare’s biggest hit will be, so he, Nick, can write it first. Nostradamus kind of gets it right and wrong, resulting in Nick writing “Omelette: The Musical” instead of “Hamlet.” Nostradamus, you see, gets the breakfast part right– something about Danish.

Midway through Act 1, Nick has to explain to Nigel that they’re also writing the first musical ever. The resulting number, sort of their “Springtime for Hitler,” takes the house at the St. James down.

“Something Rotten” leads the list of my choices for Best Musical nominees, followed by “An American in Paris,” “The Last Ship,” “Finding Neverland,” and “Fun Home.” Of all the shows, my favorite score was from “The Last Ship.” But all the shows, including “Doctor Zhivago,” had excellent songs. “Fun Home” was the most intricate instrumentally, if not so hummable. “Something Rotten” is just hilarious. “An American in Paris”? A sublime production of a never before staged musical, but the Gershwin songs are too familiar to be considered ‘new’– it’s a little unfair.

One last thing: I see that Ben Brantley of the Times thinks “Something Rotten” is sophomoric. He’s right. It’s not as leadenly serious as the incredibly sad “Fun Home,” which I guess is the critics’ choice this season. But he’s missed the point. “Something Rotten” is just a pure delight.

Fred Morton, 90, Literary Hero and Our Friend from Elaine’s

Roger Friedman
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Fred Morton, 90, Literary Hero and Our Friend from Elaine’s

I’m very saddened to write this notice that Fred Morton has passed away. I knew him from Elaine’s going back almost thirty years. Even up til the end of Elaine’s, Fred, a literary giant who was quite humble and self effacing, would bounce in for dinner wearing tennis shoes. He never looked his age, ever. He was a little older than Elaine Kaufman, our bounteous godmother. She’d always say, “Can you believe it? You’d never guess how old he is!”

Fred’s high status at Elaine’s was because he’d written the book on “The Rothschilds” that became  the basis for the Broadway musical with Hal Linden. He was a highly entertaining conversationalist, and knew things that were going on — just a little good gossip. I’d say he was one of the most welcome diners in the eatery’s history, and a dear dear man.

Here is his New York Times obit today by Bruce Weber. It’s ironic of course that Fred escaped Austria as a child, only to die there in a hotel room while on a visit. He’s one of those people that will be sorely missed, and always remembered fondly.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/22/books/frederic-morton-author-and-essayist-dies-at-90.html?ref=obituaries&_r=0

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