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Charles Keating, 72, Star of “Another World” and “Brideshead”

Roger Friedman
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Charles Keating, 72, Star of “Another World” and “Brideshead”

The great Charles Keating has passed away age 72. The fine British actor gained international acclaim when he was part of the cast of “Brideshead Revisited” on PBS. He played Rex Mottram, the man who tried to woo Julia (Diana Quick) away from Charles (Jeremy Irons).

In the US, Keating is better known as evil Carl Hutchins, who terrorized the people of Bay City on “Another World” through the 80s and 90s. He won an Emmy Award in 1996 for playing Carl after three prior nominations. He was also nominated for a Tony Award on Broadway in 1986 in a revival of “Loot.”

I had the pleasure of meeting Charles several times over the years for a funny reason: he was best friends with actor James Cromwell. They’d started out at age 20 at the Cleveland Playhouse. Often when Cromwell came to town for a premiere of one of his films, he invited Charles Keating and his wife. He was just like he’d been on those TV shows, erudite and urbane. He will be sorely missed. Condolences to his lovely wife Mary.

Coincidence: Beyonce-Jay Z Tour is Over and So Are the Divorce Rumors

Roger Friedman
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Coincidence: Beyonce-Jay Z Tour is Over and So Are the Divorce Rumors

Beyonce and Jay Z are no longer On the Run. Their short summer tour is over, and, coincidentally so are the rumors of divorce. Why? Because the stories were staged to sell tickets. Every media outlet went for it, though, even Time.com but especially the New York Post. Hilarious.

Billboard says the tour grossed $100 million, and sold through at a magnificent 90%. But they also concede that the tour didn’t sell so great up front. Both Beyonce and Jay Z had already toured individually just a few months earlier. Last minute sales were crucial to On the Run. And they were certainly affected by the rampant divorce and cheating stories.

The ball started rolling on July 19th– the mid point of the tour when the press starts paying less attention to them. This was when the Post asked “Could This Be the End of Beyonce and Jay Z?” Stories followed on the 25th, 26th, and 28th and then again on August 2nd. It didn’t matter that within each story sources were quoted saying the couple was happy. The headlines were about Beyonce allegedly looking for her own apartment (ridiculous), inside their crumbling marriage, and finally, on August 7th, news that the breaking up couple was “hiding” together, no less, at Gwyneth Paltrow’s LA home.

The fever pitch definitely came on August 2nd-3rd, the days the couple played the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. That was when eery tabloid jumped on the idea that they were in separate hotel rooms, contemplating an exit interview for TV and possibly cancelling the tour before it hit San Francisco. In other words: run, get your tickets now, because this may be the end. The couple had back to back dates in SF at the AT&T arena. Guess what? They soldiered on to nearly sold out shows!

Also, I’d like sell you a condo in Gaza.

There was never a question of a $100 million tour being cancelled. Are people this stupid? (Evidently tabloid writers and publicists stoking this nonsense thought so.) My favorite quote was this one, from the usual unidentified source (aka fictional person): “I’m definitely not sure that they’ll make it to Paris.”

Again, are you that gullible? HBO is filming the Paris shows for a special. Believe me, Beyonce and Jay Z will do those shows even if they’re bleeding from the head, so to speak. And watch the press– the rumors will go crazy again around that time, maybe the same time they announce a European tour. And this time they will be in different languages.

You may wonder: why would celebrities agree to use their personal lives like this? And the answer is always the same– money. Beyonce and Jay Z will get the last laugh over a bottle of Dom Perignon while we’re reading about it in the Post and having a Snapple.

Daniel Radcliffe: What If Makes Three Strikes After 8 Blockbusters

Roger Friedman
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Daniel Radcliffe: What If Makes Three Strikes After 8 Blockbusters

If Daniel Radcliffe were in sports, we’d be worried. Imagine if he had eight Super Bowl or World Series rings in a row, and then couldn’t get a hit or throw for a touchdown at all.

That’s what’s happened since he starred in eight Harry Potter movies that broke all records. He’s been in three clinkers in a row– Woman in Black, Kill Your Darlings, and now What If?, formerly known as The F Word.

The F Word was so bad that last year in Toronto I did something I’ve almost never done in my life: I left. But not before yelling out loud at the screen in a movie theater. There were Daniel and Zoe Kazan, two fine theater actors– yes, Radcliffe has also proved himself a real actor on Broadway three times in a row– discussing blow jobs and the sizes of penises. And using the real F word. “Flee.”

Daniel Radcliffe is lucky. First, thanks to Harry Potter, he’s financially independent. He can afford to take chances. Plus, he’s been very clever by throwing himself into Broadway and getting excellent reviews. He was just lovely in this season’s “Cripple of Inishmaan.” He was brave and winning in “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.” He was really brave and naked in “Equus.”

Also, in person, he’s about as nice as a person could be who’s young, talented, rich, and wildly popular. He was really raised right at Hogwart’s.

Radcliffe’s next release is “Horns,” a funny indie that could catch on. It’s the G Word. Good. Then comes “Frankenstein,” and Judd Apatow’s highly anticipated “Trainwreck.” By the time he’s 28, Radcliffe may also have what could be a winner in Doug McGrath’s pic about the man who built the Brooklyn Bridge, John Roebling.

So the future looks bright with possibilities. But today, with “What If” sort of DOA, there are passing clouds.

PS If you’re in New York, you can still see Zoe Kazan off Broadway in “While We Were Young and Unafraid” with Cherry Jones. She’s very good. Just erase “What If” from her CV.

Cate Blanchett’s Hot NY Theater Ticket Draws Nicole Kidman, Oscar Isaac, And Lots of Luminaries

Roger Friedman
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Cate Blanchett’s Hot NY Theater Ticket Draws Nicole Kidman, Oscar Isaac, And Lots of Luminaries

City Center Theater, West 55th St.: why is this block between Sixth and Seventh Avenues so crowded all of a sudden? I’ll tell you why: Cate Blanchett is starring in just 13 performances of Jean Genet’s The Maids, with French superstar Isabelle Huppert and “Great Gatsby” actress Elizabeth Debicki. This is the hot ticket in town if you can get it.

At Saturday’s matinee, Nicole Kidman was front and center with “Hedwig” creator John Cameron Mitchell. “Inside Llewyn Davis” star Oscar Isaac was sitting behind me. I saw composer Philip Glass in the foyer. Broadway producer Jean Doumanian (August: Osage County), was there, as well as famed casting director Amanda Mackey and “Get on Up” producer Victoria Pearman.

Meryl Streep has already seen “The Maids.” Every performance has been and will be like this. Crazy.

It’s not enough anyone more to say Cate Blanchett is “great.” She is, naturally, superb. “The Maids” is an existential comedy from the 1940s. Director Benedict Andrews, working from a new translation he and Andrew Upton (Blanchett’s husband, head of the Sydney Theater Company) created, has made Genet oh so modern and funny and accessible.

In the original play, two maids mercilessly mock their older mistress, a wealthy and silly woman who tortures her servants with all kinds of cruelty. Andrews and Upton turned this on its ear, making the maids a bit older than their young, petulant, beautiful mistress. The latter is now Paris Hilton writ large, a child woman. The maids, being older, have more to lose as they see their futures ebb away working for this monster.

If like me you’ve never seen Isabelle Huppert on stage– she is a treat. You wonder why she’s never been on stage in New York before this production. When I asked her after the show, she said she’d love to come back. Please, someone stage “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” for her immediately. Huppert’s French accent actually works to her advantage. But she is deft at comedy, a revelation.

Debicki, an up and comer, is perfect as this demented post-ingénue in a disco ball dress.

Of course, everyone is here to see our Best Actress, 2014, from “Blue Jasmine.” Blanchett doesn’t disappoint. Even Kidman, backstage, was awed and said so– simply the amount of text, long monologues, the actresses interacting with Andrews’ nine video cam operators, all of it. Blanchett is on fire all the time, for the whole no -intermission two hours. It’s hard to imagine how she can do two shows on a matinee day. Afterwards, all three actresses look like they need deep hydration!

If you can get in there, see “The Maids” before they clean up! There are only 8 more chances!

Cannibal Film “Green Inferno” Pulled at Last Minute from Release Schedule

Roger Friedman
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Cannibal Film “Green Inferno” Pulled at Last Minute from Release Schedule

Eli Roth’s The Green Inferno” has suddenly been pulled from the release schedule by Open Road Films. The controversial horror film was due in early September. Early reviews cited its cannibal theme and “gory violence.” Roth is the very amiable director actor who appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds.” He directs B movies, horror films, and so on.

“Green Inferno” was already getting poor reviews. But the cannibal theme may have been too much, especially since warm hearted cooking films are all the rage now. Jason Cassidy is over there, just promoted to head of marketing. He’s very smart, a Miramax grad. He may have just told everyone what was eating him, so to speak.

“Green Inferno” was financed by Worldview Entertainment, which has lately been in financial turmoil. Their CEO Christopher Woodrow was forced to step down recently under a cloud. Sources tell me the company is a mess. and that all their deals should be scrutinized. “They just don’t have the money to pay for the release,” a source tells me, even though the company is run by respected CEO Molly Connors.

One problem with Worldview is that they’re struggling to find a hit. After a few clunkers they may be on the brink with “Birdman” starring Michael Keaton. So hold on.

Keep refreshing…

Henry Stone, 93, Dead: Infamous Record Biz Chief Who Birthed KC & Sunshine Band

Roger Friedman
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Henry Stone, 93, Dead: Infamous Record Biz Chief Who Birthed KC & Sunshine Band

Henry Stone, the legendary and infamous founder of TK Records, is dead at 93.  Stone, a Miami regular, is as well known for doing good as doing bad–really bad– in the music business. At TK he created KC and the Sunshine Band, George McCrae and his wife Gwen, and many others. But Stone had a long history even before that which included hits and the mob end of the record biz.

Stone, like a lot of others in the business, had good taste. He could make hits and stars, then rip the stars off. But he had many hits like “Funky Nassau,” “Why Can’t We Live Together” and “Clean Up Woman.” Most of the artists never got paid and are still complaining.

In a famous incident that Stone conceded could be true, he once paid George McCrae with a Cadillac. He handed him the keys. McCrae asked how much the car had cost. Stone replied, “What cost? It’s rented.” The story appeared in Fred Dannen’s great book, “Hit Men.”

A couple of years ago Stone published a memoir called “The Stone Cold Truth on Payola In The Music Biz: Cash Cocaine, Cars and the Music Biz.” The title says it all. Henry Stone was a cowboy who did a lot of bad things. But without him, we’d be missing a lot of great music. RIP Henry.

LOL re Beyonce-Jay Z “Divorce”: The Tabloid Non Story of Summer 2014

Roger Friedman
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LOL re Beyonce-Jay Z “Divorce”: The Tabloid Non Story of Summer 2014

Well, the Beyonce- Jay Z tour called On the Run is done. It was a big success. Now the New York Post says the couple, which they’ve insisted has a crumbling marriage and imminent divorce, are hiding out “together” at Gywneth Paltrow’s house in Los Angeles.

The Post wants it both ways: Bey and Jay are together and apart. They’re divorcing but are staying together. Which is it? Because except in fantasies, couples who don’t like each other and are done usually just split. With the tour over, there’s nothing to keep Beyonce Knowles and Shawn Carter in the same house.

Their Paris dates– September 12 and 13– are pretty well sold, too. They could just meet there, do the shows, and call it a day. Sonny and Cher worked together on national TV after their divorce. It’s been done.

Except for one thing– that, as I said weeks ago, there is no story. There’s no divorce. The whole thing was made up by tabloid writers desperate for copy. Beyonce and Jay Z are the non story of the summer of 2014.

Yeah, Beyonce’s sister Solange was upset about something in that elevator back in May. Was that staged, too? Maybe. You see, Beyonce and Jay Z are like a happily married couple on a soap opera. They are boring. So they needed a storyline to shake things up, get fans to buy tickets and gossip about them. And it worked like a charm.

But now? Now what? Sources say they will take trips, together and apart, they’ll be photographed, together and apart. Just like other people. But Jay won’t run off with Rihanna. Life will go on. But it was fun while it lasted.

An Oscar for Eddie Redmayne? Maybe. Watch Him Play Stephen Hawking

Roger Friedman
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An Oscar for Eddie Redmayne? Maybe. Watch Him Play Stephen Hawking

James Marsh directed “The theory of Everything,” with Eddie Redmayne as scientist Stephen Hawking. Watch this trailer. Unless something is very wrong, this is an Oscar nomination and maybe a win. The movie is certainly going to cause a sensation. Bravo, Eddie! Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy!

My original story: http://www.showbiz411.com/2013/05/23/who-will-play-stephen-hawking-movie-of-life-underway

Late Night News: James Corden Hire Makes Broadway Producers Scramble for New “Forum” Star

Roger Friedman
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Late Night News: James Corden Hire Makes Broadway Producers Scramble for New “Forum” Star

Tony winner James Corden has thrown a major monkey wrench into the planned spring Broadway revival of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” Corden was set to play Pseudolus in the musical comedy that last saw Nathan Lane in the main role. Nothing had been signed, but that was the understanding. Corden himself told me so in July at the “Begin Again” premiere in New York.

But now it looks certain that Corden is abandoning his theater career to host “Late Night” aka the Craig Ferguson show on CBS following what will be “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” What a shame. Corden is just brilliant on stage. But it’s money and security, isn’t it? The CBS gig will set him up for life.

So now what? “Forum” producers are set to announce a new star, a theater and an opening night. The news., I am told, will be imparted in the next two weeks. Corden’s news leak (a scoop for indefatigable Jeff Sneider over at The Wrap) definitely threw them off kilter. But I am assured many people have been met and looked at, and a new star is minutes away.

Who could follow Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers, and Nathan Lane? Frankly, I’d poach James Iglehart Monroe, the Tony winning genie from “Aladdin.” Or how about Bobby Moynihan from “Saturday Night Live”?

If you want to find out more about Corden, go see him “Begin Again,” currently in theaters. He steals every scene he’s in.

Taylor Swift Ramping Up for New Single August 18th, October Album

Roger Friedman
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Taylor Swift Ramping Up for New Single August 18th, October Album

Tell the truth: you kind of missed Taylor Swift a little, didn’t you? Well, she’s back. Dear Taylor has sent out a “clue” about the release date of her new single– August 18th. Sources say a new album will follow on October 13th. She’ll miss the Grammy deadline of September 30th, which is too bad since she could probably win at this point given this year’s poor field. Will Taylor be singing about another breakup? Or a whole new subject? Maybe land ownership. More clues suggest the single reveal on the 18th will take place on Yahoo! and at 5pm.

Keep checking back, we’ll see if there are any updates…

 

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