Doris Day made a surprise appearance at her 90th birthday party this week. She looks great! And that’s saying a lot because there have been few photos of the legendary singer and actress in the last decade. “Hollywood Squares” host Peter Marshall emceed the party in Carmel, California. There were a lot of guests, and a nice cake. The party was a fundraiser for 
the Doris Day Animal Foundation. The group sang “Happy Birthday” and then broke into “Que Sera Sera.” Fans came from all over the place. Bravo, Doris! She’s handled aging with grace and wit. God bless her.
Doris Day Makes Rare Appearance at 90th Birthday Party (Photo Inside)
Best Buddy Amy Poehler to Join Tina Fey as Co-Star of Film Comedy “The Nest”
EXCLUSIVE: It does seem like best friends Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are going to star in a new movie together. Tina was already announced as acting in and producing “The Nest,” a comedy from Universal directed by Jason Moore. Now I’m hearing that Amy will be her co-star and co-producer. Jay Roach, award winning director of many hit comedies and HBO’s “Game Change,” is said to be on board as a producer, too.
The two funny ladies would play sisters who get kicked out of “The Nest” when their parents sell the family home and move into a condo. (This just happened to my family, so I can relate to it.) Kate and Maura decide to throw one last blow out party, as they were once famous for just that when they did live at home. Hilarity ensues.
Amy and Tina, who could be the female Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, have not been in a movie together since “Mean Girls” in 2004. If they make this comedy and get it done in time, Amy and Tina can promote it on the Golden Globes next January when they co-host the show.
Shooting begins the second week of June in New York.
UPDATE: Got a lot of emails (some nasty ones, Alisia) about “Babymama,” a movie I forgot about and actually still don’t remember. It must have won the Golden Globe for comedy. It did make $60 million. I must have been out of town. Here now:
Lady Gaga Gives the Roseland Ballroom a Rockin’ Send Off with Bravura Final Show
Lady Gaga’s seventh and last show at the Roseland Ballroom was also the venue’s farewell after 80 years. She gave it all she had too, with a 90 minute set that favored substance over style. She played for the audience of several thousand who were jammed onto the Roseland floor and on the mezzanine like happy kippers. The show was a greatest hits package, devoid of Jeff Koons and other ARTPOP artifice. If this is the show she’s bringing to your neighborhood, it’s 100% entertainment, a very accessible bit of public theater that you can sing along to.
The Roseland stage was covered in roses and vines, extending out to a New York City subway car built for the show and jutting out into the excited audience. I haven’t heard that much shrieking at Roseland since Madonna did a promo show there a few years ago. The difference, though,is marked: while Madonna is the better dancer/choreographer, Gaga is the musician. She sings live, full force, no fooling around. She plays that piano very much in the style of Elton John, serious but so organic that she can move around freely at the same time.
The Elton John analogy is important because Gaga synthesizes Sir Elton and Madonna and comes up with her own recipe. She lets the hits turn the crowd into a frenzy, like “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” and “Bad Romance.” Then she adds the ARTPOP songs juiced up, friendlier than on the CD– “Applause,” “Dope,” and “You and I” never sounded better. She should do an ARTPOP Live album to replace the studio CD. She ended the 11 song set with her single, “G.U.Y.”, as an encore. That’s a real top 40 hit!
A few celebs dotted the VIP Area: Gayle King, Rita Wilson. Andy Cohen, plus Gaga’s parents, friends and family. But mainly it was a show for the people. “Will I still be here next year? ” Gaga called out from the piano. “”Enjoy me while you can!”
Don’t worry, she’ll be back. You can already tell she’s learned from the mistakes of her excessive winter. She’s getting back to basics. Best idea she ever took and used properly. Go Gaga!
PS I’m not sure Gaga’s dad, Joe, was so happy to see me on the mezzanine. I did write a piece a few weeks ago about the money being spent from their Born this Way Foundation. That charity must get someone in there who knows what they’re doing. Otherwise their expenses are going to consultants and professionals, not to the projects they envisioned.
But none of that affects Lady Gaga the artist. It’s just accounting and can be rectified. This is why it’s always best for celebs not to start foundations. Gaga the performer is a superstar. And a rare one at a time when pop music doesn’t connect on a personal level with the audience. That’s the great act of kindness she can give them.
Rock Hall Disaster: Cat Stevens Waiting for Visa, Rolling Stones Manager Won’t Come
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dinner and show on Thursday (at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center) is a disaster in the making. Cat Stevens finally said he’d come from the UK, but now his visa is up in the air. He’s waiting to hear if he’ll be approved. According to sources, no one has been consulted who would induct the singer now known as Yusuf Islam.
This year the original managers of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, respectively Brian Epstein and Andrew Loog Oldham, are finally being inducted. I’m told no one from Epstein’s family has been invited or is attending.
Worse, Oldham is not coming, and is starting to speak out about his unhappiness. Sources say he was told that if he came, he’d have to have his speech approved in advance. He was also offered only two tickets. Today the LA Times’s Randy Lewis summarized Oldham’s situation, citing comments he’s made during a talk in Berlin and on Cleveland.com
Today Oldham Tweeted:
@futurerocklgnds like brian epstein i was not consulted as regards this matter & like dear brian i will not be going.
— Andrew Loog Oldham (@loogoldham) April 4, 2014
On top of all that, Linda Ronstadt isn’t coming. Nirvana won’t perform. And KISS is already not performing. But now Paul Stanley is accusing various members of the group of anti-Semitism, among other things.
No trip to Brooklyn is worth all this. Watch the show on HBO later this month.
Kirstie Alley Gives Up Diet Company, Returns to Jenny Craig to Lose “Circus Fat”
Remember the whole flap over Kirstie Alley‘s diet company? I told you it was connected to Scientology. Kirstie freaked out on the Today show. Then a woman in Hollywood sued her, saying Organic Liaisons was lying about its promises and promotions.
According to the National Enquirer, Alley had to pay $130,000 to Marina Abramyan for false claims. She also had to stop using a claim of “Proven Products” on her labels. It turned out that most of Kirstie’s brief weight loss came from working out on “Dancing with the Stars.”
Now Kirstie has sold whatever was left of Organic Liaisons to her old employer, Jenny Craig. And Alley, overweight again despite Organic Liaisons, has signed on again as a Jenny Craig spokeswoman. She’s already in trouble for saying the 20 to 30 pounds she has to lose “isn’t circus fat.” Circus performers are crying foul.
The Organic Liaisons website no longer sells anything. Jenny Craig says they’re going to offer one of Kirstie’s products, a juice drink with vitamins. But basically, the party is over. Goodbye Organic Liaisons. Even Scientology couldn’t save you.
Now everyone, get dancing!
I always loved this crazy video:
Broadway: “Joneses” is a Bust, “Bridges” Burning, “Mother” Failing, “If/Then” Iffy
Broadway was not hot last week. It was cold, as a nasty breeze whipped through Shubert Alley. “The Realistic Joneses” finally opened last night to pretty bad reviews. Only the Times sort of liked it, but didn’t recommend it. Let’s be realistic: it’s 90 minutes and every review says it has moments but no one likes it.
I don’t know, because I didn’t see it. Unable to receive a press ticket, instead I went backstage after the Saturday matinee and said hello to Marisa Tomei. She’s a star, and a delight. The rest of the cast, as well as Marisa, is said to be very engaging. Why not? Toni Colette, Michael C. Hall and Tracey Letts are all terrific actors. But their box office was down 6% from last week.
Another Jeffrey Richards production, “The Bridges of Madison County,” is teetering. They were down 2.6% from the week before, playing at 57.7% capacity. Audiences are still trying to find the bridge on stage. (Squint.) “Bridges” may be looking for an exit soon.
“Mothers and Sons” with Tyne Daly, a play that doesn’t make a lot of sense, is playing at 50% capacity. Also a 90 minute one acter, it should be playing off Broadway with the “Joneses.”
And even “If/Then” took a tumble last week. They were down 7.2% after their opening, which means people read the reviews. The big Idina Menzel tsunami may be subsiding as reality sets in. They still did over $900K last week, so producers may sing along to “What the F—?” Stay tuned…
The best play of the year is at St. Ann’s Warehouse. “Red Velvet” is a knockout. It only plays until April 20th, so hurry. If only it were on Broadway.
Bob Geldof’s Daughter, Peaches, 25, Is Dead: “We Will Cherish Her Forever”
Peaches Geldof, the troubled 25 year old daughter of rocker and humanitarian Bob Geldof and the late Paula Yates, has died. Geldof has issued this heartbreaking statement:
“Peaches has died. We are beyond pain. She was the wildest, funniest, cleverest, wittiest and the most bonkers of all of us.
“Writing ‘was’ destroys me afresh. What a beautiful child. How is this possible that we will not see her again? How is that bearable?
“We loved her and will cherish her forever. How sad that sentence is.
“Tom and her sons Astala and Phaedra will always belong in our family, fractured so often, but never broken. Bob, Jeanne, Fifi, Pixie and Tiger Geldof.”
This is how we got here: when Peaches was 11 in 2000, her mother, model Paula Yates, died of a drug overdose. She had recently given birth to a child with INXS rocker Michael Hutchence. Hutchence had hanged himself in November 1997. Geldof, of the rock group Boomtown Rats, and the man who organized Live Aid, took in the baby, named Tiger, and adopted her.
Peaches never recovered from the traumas. She did manage to have two children, one of whom is just turning 1 year old this month. There’s nothing worse than losing a child. Condolences to Bob Geldof and his family.
Barbara Walters Will Leave TV During May Sweeps, Six Weeks Before End of Season
ABC will retire Barbara Walters on May 16th, in the middle of sweeps. They won’t let her finish out the season for ‘The View,” which usually wraps up around June 30. “The View” has new episodes during July sweeps, as well. But ABC is anxious to finish up Walters’ retirement. They’re not even letting her stay until the end of May!
You may remember the whole scenario last year. ABC leaked that Walters would retire before she had a chance to say anything. Then she said on The View that she’d make her own announcement at her own time, and had nothing to say at the moment.
Subsequently, I spoke to Barbara, who said she had no intention of retiring from anything. Those were her words verbatim.
But ABC had other ideas. Now they’ve also announced they’re named the New York Broadcast Center after Walters. I wonder if the announcer on Diane Sawyer’s evening news will say, “From the Barbara Walters news center in New York” at the start of every show. Seems unlikely.
Today’s ABC News press release says Walters may return to the air occasionally “as the news warrants.” I think that means when Henry Kissinger finally checks out.
Will Barbara really disappear from our screens? She’s addicted to celebrity and broadcasting. Look at Larry King, now doing infomercials and a talk show on a UHF station. Of course, she does turn 85 soon. But age will not stop Barbara Walters.
New Coldplay Album Cover Depicts Paltrow-Martin Conscious Uncoupling and Marketing
The cover of “Ghost Stories,” the new album from Coldplay, is supposed to tell us something about Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s “conscious uncoupling.” It’s also an interesting marketing tool. The image is of a heart broken into two pieces- and each piece, I think, is an angel’s wing. Illustrated on each wing is something like the story of the Gwynnie and Chris. In one scene, I think Gwyneth is wearing a headband and work out clothes. This has to be a direct reference to frescoes I’ve seen in Italian churches. Or to Olivia Newton John’s “Let’s Get Physical” video. The cover can also function as a logo for branding the divorce. How long before you can buy this on a $500 chain on goop.com?
Here’s Coldplay’s cool and expensive new video for “Magic”:
Mickey Rooney Is Dead at 93, Hollywood’s Beloved Rogue
Mickey Rooney is dead, and I am very sorry. Just four weeks ago at the Vanity Fair Oscar party, Mickey’s son and daughter in law brought him by wheelchair and propped him up on a couch. Mickey didn’t look well. He looked terrible in fact. We spoke for a few minutes, or rather, he listened. I’d known Mickey and his wife Jan for years. I was surprised to learn on Oscar night, from Mickey’s daughter-in-law, that after 30 years Jan was gone. Somehow, they’d become divorced and Mickey was now living with his son and the daughter in law. I have no doubt this contributed to Mickey’s rapid decline. He loved Jan, and they had had a ball together.
I have no idea where Jan is now.
Mickey was a bon vivant, a raconteur, and a lover of the ladies. He was married 8 times, and that was just for show. He always a gleam in his eye, a sparkle. He’d been the biggest movie star in the world. Imagine that he’d fought Frank Sinatra for Ava Gardner. He was adored by Judy Garland. As Andy Hardy in his early movies– what were really forerunners of a sitcom series–Mickey charmed every girl, charmed his fictional elderly father, Judge Hardy, and everyone around him. He had what they used to call a “winning way.” No one could say ‘no’ to him.
For years I’d see Mickey and Jan on the red carpet at the Oscars. Then one year I didn’t. I was concerned, and called his manager. A few minutes later, Mickey called. We caught up, Jan got on the phone, they told me all about performing at the one year Michael Jackson anniversary event at the Beverly Hilton.
While we chatted, my mother called in on call waiting. I told Mickey and Jan it was her birthday. They said, almost in unison, “Put her on! We’ll sing to her!” Both of my parents got on the line, and Mickey and Jan– who had a little song and dance act, just blew them away. It was surreal, and so much fun. And they really meant it with all their hearts.
I don’t know what’s become of Jan. If anyone does, they should send a message through this column. I will really miss Mickey. He was a last link to real Hollywood. He really ‘got’ it, too. He’d been up, and he’d been down. And he’d been up again. He knew that it was all fleeting. But once, he was king.
By the way, two things saved Mickey and prolonged, or resuscitated his career. First he starred in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Black Stallion” in the late 70s. Then he became a Broadway star with Ann Miller in “Sugar Babies.” He was a master of reinvention. He knew that if you wanted to stick around, you had to keep coming up with new stuff. It’s a good lesson for everyone.
Here’s all of “Love Laughs at Andy Hardy: