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Geraldo Rivera Wins Case: “A Body Blow to Sleazy Hollywood Talent Agencies”

Roger Friedman
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Geraldo Rivera Wins Case: “A Body Blow to Sleazy Hollywood Talent Agencies”

Geraldo Rivera has won his case in Hollywood. Or rather, Rivera has triumphed because a lawsuit filed against him by the William Morris Endeavor Agency– WME– was dismissed by a New York judge this afternoon. On Twitter, Geraldo called the decision “a  body blow to sleazy Hollywood talent agencies.”

WME claimed that Rivera owed them commissions starting from 2010 because they are his talent agency. But Rivera argued that he had a key man clause with agent Jim Griffin starting in 1994. Griffin had been his agent starting in 1985. When Griffin left WME for Paradigm in 2010, Rivera said he had no agreement with WME and stopping paying them commissions.

WME said they had an oral agreement that they were Rivera’s agent. But Judge Charles Ramos disagreed. He pointed to the last signed contract Rivera had with WME– from 1994 to 1997– which specified Griffin as his key man. After 1997, there was so signed contract but Rivera kept paying Griffin until left in 2010.

Rivera sent out a couple of Tweets this afternoon including one that said: “I feel like the Curt Flood of the news business”– a reference to the baseball player who challenged Major League Baseball’s reserve clause in 1969 and invented free agency. Rivera is right in a sense, but I hope he remembers that the lawsuit — no matter how historic– ended Flood’s career. That shouldn’t be a problem for Geraldo.

 

Joan Rivers Is On The Tonight Show– Tonight– First Sit Down in 28 Years

Roger Friedman
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Joan Rivers Is On The Tonight Show– Tonight– First Sit Down in 28 Years

Joan Rivers will be on “The Tonight Show” tonight as guest. It’s her first real appearance since 1986, when she left Johnny Carson to have her own show on what was then the new Fox network. Carson never spoke to her again, and she was banned from “Tonight” for the rest of his run and all the way through Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, and Leno again.

Last month she was one of a parade of stars who helped Jimmy Fallon inaugurate his run on “Tonight.” But this appearance will constitute her real return.

Since 28 years is a long time ago, let me fill you in: Joan was Johnny’s permanent guest host on Monday nights for years. She was a huge hit, hysterically funny always, and on top of her game. But Joan’s mistake was not asking Carson’s permission to leave, or even telling him about it at all. When Carson heard Joan was going to Fox, he never spoke to her again. He refused to take her phone calls even.

But everything about Jimmy Fallon’s run has been astute, clever, and fresh. Tonight’s installment should be historic– and a riot. The ratings will be great, too. But then again, as Fallon has settled down from his debut, he maintains a healthy lead over David Letterman, and a big lead over Jimmy Kimmel.

UPDATED TV Ratings: “American Idol” Finds New Lows in Overall Viewers and Share

Roger Friedman
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UPDATED TV Ratings: “American Idol” Finds New Lows in Overall Viewers and Share

UPDATE: “Idol” was adjusted up slightly, to 9.33 and 2.2. That’s better, whew! Still, down a half million viewers. Waiting for Thursday results…

EARLIER: “American Idol” hit a new low last night in the ratings: 9.15 million viewers and  a 2.0 rating in the key demo. This is down from last Wednesday’s 9.83 and 2.1. But it is higher than a recent Thursday total 8.41 million and a similar 2.0. Thursday is now a throwaway night for “Idol,” so we can expect that tonight will be pretty much of a blowout. But even last night was kind of sad, as about 650,000 people didn’t return from last week, and the ones that did were my age. (Ouch!) “Idol” is cratering, and I have a feeling Fox is getting ready for the end. Why is there no all-star “Idol,” I wonder? Bring back past contestants who didn’t win but everyone liked, and have them all give it a go. Maybe some have improved. Anyway, it’s no fun writing these reports every week. It’s time for a ratings resurgence for “Idol.” We’ll see what happens tonight.

Emma Watson, Done with “Noah,” Preparing for Brown University Graduation

Roger Friedman
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Emma Watson, Done with “Noah,” Preparing for Brown University Graduation

Emma Watson is some success story. Richer than she could dream from the “Harry Potter” movies, she opens Friday in “Noah” with Russell Crowe. In May she’ll graduate from Brown University and it’s for real. “After five years, you know I will be at that ceremony,” she told me last night at the ritzy premiere of “Noah” at New York’s Central Park Boathouse. Her next movie, “Regression,” will be directed by Alejandro Amenábar. “I’m very excited about that,” Emma told me, because that could be her breakthrough leading a cast.

The “Noah” premiere was remarkable for being one of the coldest on record– March is not going out like a lamb but more like an icepick. Or something. It was also packed with locals who worked on the film, a lot of which was shot in Brooklyn and Long Island.

Director Darren Aronofsky’s 7th grade English teacher, Vera Freed, was a special guest. She even read a poem Darren wrote for her about Noah in front of the whole theater. Mrs. Freed, who makes a cameo in the movie, only learned a couple of years ago that she inspired Darren to become a writer. Whatever you think of “Noah,” send it to Mrs. Freed in Del Ray Beach, Florida.

Some guests at the “Noah” premiere besides the cast included Stephen Baldwin, who brought his two beautiful model daughters with him. He told me that he liked “Noah” and that it wasn’t blasphemous or controversial. He said, “Some of the right wing Christians may think there’s a problem, but there isn’t. They should see it.”

Well put.

Jennifer Connelly came with husband Paul Bettany. Some brave souls like Michael Stuhlbarg, Deborah Norville, Tyson Beckford, Celia Weston, Billy Magnussen with his rock band Reserved for Rondee, and Ian Somerhalder braved the cold to get a pop lesson about the Bible.

Star Russell Crowe, who does yeoman service as Noah, was in a good mood. Did he get to keep the ark when the shooting was over? “It wouldn’t fit in my garage,” he joked.

“Noah” is solid entertainment, a bit over the top, and not always true to its source material. But then again, the source material is always in question. It’s a big budget telling of a famous Biblical story. Is it accurate? Sure. I wasn’t there, so I don’t know. The movie requires complete suspension of disbelief. But you’ll never be bored. And the special effects are worth the price of admission.

I don’t think I once heard the word “God” in the two hours or so. He/she is referred to as “The Creator.” Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. I was impressed to learn, however, that Noah and his family were extremely well dressed for their time– and considering there was limited shopping available to them. Also, Anthony Hopkins plays Methusaleh very very well. He wasn’t at the party, but one of the h’ors d’oeuvres was chopped up Fava beans with truffle sauce. Goes down with a nice Chianti.

Mick Jagger is L’Wren Scott’s Sole Heir, She Left Nothing to Family

Roger Friedman
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Mick Jagger is L’Wren Scott’s Sole Heir, She Left Nothing to Family

L’Wren Scott left nothing of her $9 million estate to either her brother or sister. All of it, most of it being her 11th avenue condo, to Mick Jagger.

Probate papers show that Scott intentionally cut out her brother, who was working with her, and her sister, from whom she was estranged.

In her will she underscored that she’d never been married, and then crossed out the word ‘never.’

And that’s it for the L’Wren Scott story, at least for now. The next chapter is how Jagger will deal with this, and how soon the Stones get back on tour. Remember a rolling stone gathers no moss!

 

Aretha Franklin Celebrates Actual Birthday at Broadway “After Midnight”

Roger Friedman
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Aretha Franklin Celebrates Actual Birthday at Broadway “After Midnight”

It was a packed night for Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin last night.

For her 72nd birthday– the actual day– Aretha and a group of seven friends had an early supper in the Pool Room of the legendary Four Seasons restaurant on Park Avenue. The restaurant made a special raspberry birthday cake with ribbons for the occasion.

Then the gang headed over to Broadway for a performance of “After Midnight” starring Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds and Toni Braxton. Babyface is helping produce Aretha’s new album, along with Andre 3000, for Clive Davis. The album, which will cover the signature songs of other divas, starts recording next month in Detroit.

Backstage, Babyface told me: “I’m so honored she came to see us.” Aretha loved the show. And no one could tell that Babyface and Toni Braxton had only five days of rehearsal of the complicated songs and dance numbers. They looked like they’d been in the show from the start!

PS Franklin makes up two winter dates at Radio City Music Hall on June 14th and 15th!

Neil Young Kickstarter Campaign at $4.9 Mil, with 19 Days Left

Roger Friedman
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Neil Young Kickstarter Campaign at $4.9 Mil, with 19 Days Left

Neil Young must have a heart of gold! The Kickstarter campaign for his Pono music player has raised $4.9 million– and still has 19 days left.

Pono, according to Young, will revolutionize digital music because the sound will be eons better than iTunes or any of the other available compressed music systems.

The Pono Kickstarter campaign offers plenty of different incentives to early investors. Inadvertently it’s also become something of a popularity contest. Young has different batches of Limited Edition players– 500 in each collection assigned to different artists. But some of the artists have done better than others in fetching $300 or $400 for the players.

For example, all 500 of the personalized Crosby Stills & Nash players are sold out. So are the editions from Tom Petty, Pearl Jam, and Young himself. They’re all gone.

But there are plenty from other artists. Only 1 person has bought a Kenny Rogers Pono player. Just 30 have purchased players signed by Tegan & Sara. And there are still over 100 (at least) available personalized by Jackson Browne, Patti Smith, Metallica, Lenny Kravitz, James Taylor, Lyle Lovett, and others. They can still be picked up, as they say, for a song, until April 15th when the Kickstarter campaign closes.

 

L’Wren Scott Buried in Tacky Hollywood Cemetery with Gift Shop

Roger Friedman
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L’Wren Scott Buried in Tacky Hollywood Cemetery with Gift Shop

L’Wren Scott was a Mormon and she was from Utah. She was, however, buried in a Hollywood cemetery that has a gift shop, no religious affiliation, and no family meaning for her. It’s the end of a very strange story.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery is the home to miscellaneous stars, big and small, known and forgotten. It’s the kind of place that sells maps to stars’ graves. On their web page there are instructions for booking events.

Classy? No. Kitschy? Yes.

Two of the Ramones from the punk rock group are there. Johnny Ramone’s has a headstone of him playing guitar. Viva Las Vegas. Both Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Jr. are in Hollywood Forever. So is Fay Wray of “King Kong” fame, Mel Blanc, voice of Bugs Bunny. His epitaph on his tombstone: “That’s all, folks!”

It’s a cemetery with a Hall of Fame. Director Cecil B. DeMille, actors Peter Finch and Janet Gaynor, movie mogul Harry Cohn, gangster Bugsy Siegel, and silent film star Rudolph Valentino all live on in memory in the opulent mausoleums and crypts.

Hollywood Forever seems like a place that might have been a good idea in the early part of the movie industry’s history when no one had a past and everything was sort of imagined as a celluloid fantasy.

What is L’Wren Scott doing there? She had nothing to do with old Hollywood or the actual movie business other than dressing some stars.  She’s far from home, not near anyone from the fashion business or her family. It’s not like Mick Jagger will ever go back for a visit, as he lives in London, New York, and Mustique. It’s unlikely any of her movie star clients will use this as a final resting place. None of them would be caught dead there, frankly.

Weird, weird, weird.

PS They host concerts there regularly, and have a regular Movie Night.

L’Wren, try and rest in peace.

Mick Jagger, Nicole Kidman, Family, Friends Say Goodbye to L’Wren Scott at Private Funeral

Roger Friedman
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Mick Jagger, Nicole Kidman, Family, Friends Say Goodbye to L’Wren Scott at Private Funeral

L’Wren Scott was laid to rest today in Los Angeles, eight days after her tragic suicide. Everyone continues to wonder what happened. Look at the picture of Mick Jagger that went out around the world Tuesday. This man looks shattered, to use a word. What a terrible ending for everyone involved.

Besides Jagger, there were members of his family and Scott’s, as well as actress Ellen Barkin, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. There was a reception following at the very chic Sunset Tower Hotel.

None of the Rolling Stones went to the service– no Keith, Ronnie, Charlie Watts. The Stones’ quotes last week about the “situation” never mentioned L’Wren or her passing, just their support for Mick and willingness to get back on tour.

But Mick’s kids and grandkids did turn out in full force. Scott was buried in a cemetery with the tackiest name possible– “Hollywood Forever.” Only in L.A., kids, only in L.A.

Here’s the note from Jagger’s publicist which every outlet used as if they’d done the actual reporting. The note didn’t include Kidman or Urban’s names or any other friends.

A small private gathering of family and close friends attended a funeral service for L’Wren Scott today at Hollywood Forever Funeral Home in Los Angeles.

The service with blessings and prayers led by Reverend Ed Bacon (All Saints Church in Pasadena, California) included memories and words of tribute from Mick Jagger, her brother Randy Bambrough, Justinian Kfoury, Ira M. Hammons-Glass and Adam Glassman.

Poems were shared by Jagger’s daughter Karis, as well as Ellen Barkin. Mick’s daughter, Jade, read Psalm 139, and his grandchildren, Mazie and Zak, read Psalm 23.

Randy’s daughter Hannah read Shakespeare Sonnet 18.

 

 “Will the Circle be Unbroken” was sung by Bernard Fowler with Dave Stewart on guitar.

Gwyneth Paltrow Announces Separation on Her Website, and Crashes It

Roger Friedman
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Gwyneth Paltrow Announces Separation on Her Website, and Crashes It

Goop! Oscar winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow announced her separation — er, “uncoupling”– from Coldplay rocker Chris Martin tonight while I was at the theater. Isn’t it always the way? Anyway, GP posted her news on her website. www.goop.com. And the site crashed. You still can’t get into it at 10:45pm. Always check your bandwidth before making a life announcement.

Surprised? No, no one is surprised. Rockers aren’t made for marriage. Actors aren’t far behind. No one’s in the same place at the same time. And when they’re not, they’re where they shouldn’t be. Plus, it must have been hard to get a cheeseburger, fries, or Oreo’s in that house. That adds to the tension considerably.

Uncoupling means divorce in the real world, which is always sad. Chris recently signed on to do “The Voice.” Gwyneth has more “Iron Man” movies to do. Since winning the Oscar for “Shakespeare in Love” in 1999, she hasn’t done a single serious film. Maybe this news will refocus her attentions. She’s quite capable of winning more Oscars.

PS I hate to say it, but now it does seem that Vanity Fair had been on the trail of something after all.

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