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Horror: Madonna Is Being Allowed to Direct Yet Another Movie

Roger Friedman
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Horror: Madonna Is Being Allowed to Direct Yet Another Movie

This is insane: Madonna is going to direct another movie. Why? Cronyism. There’s no other explanation. Her “W.E.” was one of the great embarrassments in movie history. If you saw that piece of whatever, you remember the Duchess of Windsor dancing to punk music in front of the Duke’s death bed.

Now Madonna will direct a movie based on a novel by Rebecca Walker, the daughter of “Color Purple” author Alice Walker. Madonna will bring all her subtlety to the story of “Ade,” described on amazon thusly:

“When Farida, a sophisticated college student, falls in love with Adé, a young Swahili man living on an idyllic island off the coast of Kenya, the two plan to marry and envision a simple life together—free of worldly possessions and concerns. But when Farida contracts malaria and finds herself caught in the middle of a civil war, reality crashes in around them. The lovers’ solitude is interrupted by a world in the throes of massive upheaval that threatens to tear them apart, along with all they cherish.”

I mean, under Madonna’s eye, hilarity will ensue. What’s the deal here? First Anna Wintour puts Kanye and the wife on the cover of Vogue, now this. The general public must hear these things and wonder if everyone’s gone mad.

And it’s not just that Madonna can’t act and can’t direct. Financially, why would anyone get involved in this? Her last movie cost over $15 million. It made only $582,075 in the US and $285,000 abroad. Even the Brits didn’t want to see it. And this new movie is set in Africa, setting for Madonna’s hilariously stupid documentary “I Am Because We Are.”

Blame it on the Polar Vortex, I guess!

Broadway: An Old Fashioned Sardi’s Night for Tyne Daly in “Mothers and Sons”

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: An Old Fashioned Sardi’s Night for Tyne Daly in “Mothers and Sons”

“Cagney and Lacey” was long in the past last night as Tyne Daly took hold of the stage at the Golden Theater. She stars in Terrence McNally’s sort of new 90 minute one act play, “Mothers and Sons,” with Frederick Weller and Bobby Steggert. The audience that showed up was the kind you don’t always see in one place– Bernadette Peters, opera legend Marilyn Horne, Marilu Henner, Tim Daly (Tyne’s brother), Doris Roberts (of “Everyone Loves Raymond” fame), Amy Brennerman, Elaine May and Stanley Donen, Nathan Lane, Elizabeth Ashley, and the immortal Liz Smith and Iris Love among others.

At Sardi’s after Tyne’s magnificent performance, it was like an old fashioned night on the Rialto, a flashback to a showbiz New York that is just flickering in memory. When Doris Roberts came over to Liz’s table, producer Lorraine Boyle– widow of actor Peter Boyle– jumped up and cried, “Peter’s other wife!” They embraced.

Nathan Lane whispered some secrets in Liz’s ear. Oscar winning actor F. Murray Abraham came over and said, “Liz is a Texas girl!” Abraham– who everyone thinks is from Brooklyn– told Liz he was raised in El Paso, Texas. “The place for divorces!” Liz –who’s from Fort Worth– declared. “What else?” shrugged Murray.  Elaine May and I changed seats so she could talk to Liz, and I could talk to Stanley, who’s 90, and you know, directed “Singing in the Rain” among many classic movie musicals.

All the while, most of these people were represented by their famed caricatures on the Sardi’s walls, and everyone was pointing to this one and that one who were also in the room. Meanwhile. Ben Brantley’s review in the Times was good, so a nice relief spread through the crowd. Tyne Daly will get a Tony nomination, and so will Frederick Weller. And while the play isn’t perfect, it’s very affecting thanks to Ms. Daly, who carves unexpected sympathy out of her character and leaves the audience surprised that she did.

Now that’s entertainment!

James Rebhorn Left His Own Obituary: Here it Is

Roger Friedman
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James Rebhorn Left His Own Obituary: Here it Is

James Rebhorn wrote his own obituary. It was posted to his church’s website. Everyone’s run it, but it was so moving I wanted to put it here, too. On Sunday morning, when I first wrote about Rebhorn passing, there were few mentions on the web. Since then, there’s been an outpouring of obits and notices. How wonderful. I doubt he had any idea so many people were aware of him. Even crazier is that he lived with melanoma for 22 years until recently. He did his best work, and no one knew he was ill. Notice that the obit says nothing really about acting. It’s all about his family.

Here’s the obit, and a salute:

James Robert Rebhorn was born on Sept. 1, 1948, in Philadelphia, PA. His mother, Ardell Frances Rebhorn, nee Hoch, loved him very much and supported all his dreams. She taught him the value of good manners and courtesy, and that hospitality is no small thing. His father, James Harry Rebhorn, was no less devoted to him. From him, Jim learned that there is no excuse for poor craftsmanship. A job well done rarely takes more or less time than a job poorly done. They gave him his faith and wisely encouraged him to stay in touch with God.

He is survived by his sister, Janice Barbara Galbraith, of Myrtle Beach, SC. She was his friend, his confidant, and, more often than either of them would like to admit, his bridge over troubled waters.

He is also survived by his wife, Rebecca Fulton Linn, and his two daughters, Emma Rebecca Rebhorn and Hannah Linn Rebhorn. They anchored his life and gave him the freedom to live it. Without them, always at the center of his being, his life would have been little more than a vapor. Rebecca loved him with all his flaws, and in her the concept of ceaseless love could find no better example.

His children made him immensely proud. Their dedication to improving our species and making the world a better place gave him hope for the future. They deal with grief differently, and they should each manage it as they see fit. He hopes, however, that they will grieve his passing only as long as necessary. They have much good work to do, and they should get busy doing it. Time is flying by. His son-in-law, Ben, also survives him. Jim loved Ben, who was as a son to Jim, especially through these last months.

His aunts Jean, Dorothy and Florence, numerous cousins and their families, and many devoted friends also survive Jim. He loved them all, and he knows they loved him.

Jim received his BA at Wittenberg University and his MFA at Columbia. He was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Nu Zeta 624, a life-long Lutheran, and a longtime member of both the AMC and ACLU.

Jim was fortunate enough to earn his living doing what he loved. He was a professional actor. His unions were always there for him, and he will remain forever grateful for the benefits he gained as a result of the union struggle. Without his exceptional teachers and the representation of the best agents in the business, he wouldn’t have had much of a career. He was a lucky man in every way.

–Jim Rebhorn, March 2014

Broadway: “Bridges” May Be Burning, “Rocky” Getting Sucker Punched

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: “Bridges” May Be Burning, “Rocky” Getting Sucker Punched

The Tony Awards are on June 8th– which looks like a date far away in the future to some people on Broadway.

Two original musicals– “The Bridges of Madison County” and “Rocky”– are not having an easy time of it.

Of the two, “Bridges” looks like it’s in danger of collapsing well before the theater season is over. Last week, the musical, based on the book and movie of the same name, was down 13% from the prior week. The show is playing at 65% of its audience capacity, and took in just $385.5 K for the week.

I can’t say I’m surprised. Despite wonderful performances by Kelli O’Hara and Stephen Pasquale, “Bridges” is a hard go. The songs are tuneless, and there is no covered bridge on the stage. Plus, I’ll bet a lot of men in the audience didn’t care for the set up of the story. I was with the husband, played by Hunter Foster. He’s a nice attentive guy  and still his wife cheats on him. Basta!

“Rocky” is doing better than “Bridges,” but still it’s getting sucker punched. The musical based on the Oscar winning movie from Sylvester Stallone certainly has the physical production– like a boxing ring that moves. But last week “Rocky” was rocky after it’s big opening, down 3% and selling only 79.5% of its capacity, Like “Bridges,” the show is heavily discounted at TKTS and on websites.

This situation was not what brought last year’s “Kinky Boots,” “Matilda,” and “Pippin” in as hits.

Meantime, “Beautiful” and “After Midnight” are doing great, as is “Gentleman’s Guide,” as are “Aladdin,” “Bullets over Broadway,” and — this is an understatement–“If/Then,” when Adele Dazeem aka Idina Menzel, is printing money.

“The Good Wife” Creators Write Letter to Fans: The “Gut Punch” of Actor’s Decision

Roger Friedman
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“The Good Wife” Creators Write Letter to Fans: The “Gut Punch” of Actor’s Decision

Robert and Michelle King, creators of “The Good Wife,” posted this letter on cbs.com last night. It was to explain the shocking twist at the end of last night’s episode. They made up a word (“irredeemability”) but otherwise were straightforward about their actions. Hey: they do this on soap operas all the time. Maybe Josh Charles can come back as his lookalike cousin.

A Letter From Robert & Michelle King: Episode 515

Dear Loyal Good Wife Fans,

We, like you, mourn the loss of Will Gardner. And while Will is gone, our beloved Josh Charles is very much alive and remains an integral part of our family.

The Good Wife, at its heart, is the “Education of Alicia Florrick.” To us, there always was a tragedy at the center of Will and Alicia’s relationship: the tragedy of bad timing. And when faced with the gut punch of Josh’s decision, made over a year ago, to move on to other creative endeavors, we had a major choice to make.

We could “send him off to Seattle,” he could be disbarred, or get married, or go off to Borneo to do good works. But there was something in the passion that Will and Alicia shared that made distance a meager hurdle. The brutal honesty and reality of death speaks to the truth and tragedy of bad timing for these two characters. Will’s death propels Alicia into her newest incarnation.

Death also created a new dramatic “hub” for the show. We’re always looking for these turning points—some event midway through the season that will spin everybody’s lives in new directions. These turning points keep the show from slipping into a numbing sameness, and keep the characters fresh: because you see how they react to a completely new status quo. Will’s death in many ways becomes a hub for the whole series, violently spinning everybody in new directions.

Finally, we chose the tragic route for Will’s send-off for personal reasons. We’ve all experienced the sudden death of a loved one in our lives. It’s terrifying how a perfectly normal and sunny day can suddenly explode with tragedy. Television, in our opinion, doesn’t deal with this enough: the irredeemability [sic] of death. Your last time with the loved one will always remain your last time. The Good Wife is a show about human behavior and emotion, and death, as sad and unfair as it can be, is a part of the human experience that we want to share.

Thank you for listening…and watching and caring and inspiring us to rise to the level of your passion and intelligence. There are seven wonderful episodes to follow this season and Josh will be directing one of them. We think you will enjoy them. It’s not all tears — there is comedy too. Michael J. Fox is back for four episodes. Dylan Baker. Dallas Roberts. Stockard Channing, as well as amazing new guest actors. And of course, Julianna does some of the best work of her life. Archie, Christine, Alan, Chris and Matt as well. Life does go on.

We’ve always taken as a guiding principle of this show that drama isn’t in the event; it’s in the aftermath of the event. We think you’ll find that true of this episode

Thank you for your devotion to the show – we are continually grateful.

With all our thanks,

Robert & Michelle King

SPOILER ALERT: “The Good Wife” Joins “Homeland,” “Game of Thrones” with Shocking Plot Twist– Plus Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner Liked It

Roger Friedman
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SPOILER ALERT: “The Good Wife” Joins “Homeland,” “Game of Thrones” with Shocking Plot Twist– Plus Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner Liked It

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

Remember when you could count on most of the characters in a TV series making to at least the final season if not final episode? Well, those days are over. “Homeland” killed off Brody. “Game of Thrones” had the red wedding. “Man Men” hung Jared Harris on a coat hook. And now “The Good Wife” has shot Will Gardner in the back.

That’s right. Josh Charles is out after four seasons and 15 episodes. His character Will’s murderous client, played by Hunter Parrish, did the deed. So long, Will. Now he won’t be able to testify about the stuffed ballot box, and Chris Noth’s Governor Florrick is off his own hook.

No one knew. I started getting text messages during the premiere of “Les Miserables” that Will Gardner was dead. I didn’t even know who he was. Well, actually I did– Josh Charles’s character. Josh is such a good actor. But apparently he says he was ready to go. So the show’s creators, Robert and Michelle King, killed him.

I haven’t seen “The Good Wife” in a while, but I watched it when I got home. Wow, what a cast! Vince Curatola played a judge, Matthew Goode was the prosecutor. Alan Cumming is on there. And Christine Baranski, who’s amazing in whatever she does. Who knew? Of course, there’s also Julianna Margulies. She’s not exactly chopped liver.

The show will go on. Hopefully Josh Charles will get his own show. He should have one. And “The Good Wife”? You got our attention, that’s for sure.
Also Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner liked it

Broadway: New Jean Valjean of “Les Miz” Says TSA Searches His Luggage “All the Time”

Roger Friedman
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1
Broadway: New Jean Valjean of “Les Miz” Says TSA Searches His Luggage “All the Time”

“Les Miz” is back on Broadway, better than ever. Last night the overstuffed Imperial Theater was rocking as Ramin Karimloo–  a big star in London and Toronto– made his Broadway debut as Jean Valjean, Victor Hugo’s tortured hero on the French revolutions.

The cast is bursting with talents–Will Swenson as Javert, Nikki James as Eponine, Keala Settle as Madame Thenardier, and Kyle Scatliffe making his debut– a memorable one– as Enjolas, one of the student fighters. Standing ovations? But of course. For real, though. Producer Cameron Mackintosh, Emperor of “Les Miz” for 27 years plus, told me, “It’s the best ensemble we’ve ever had.”

Karimloo is hot stuff. By the time he finishes “Bring Him Home,” Jean Valjean’s lullaby of a ballad, the audience is eating out of his hand. In London he’s been there before, earning high praise in “Les Miz” and “Phantom” and “Sunset Boulevard’ and so on. He’s had offers to come to Broadway before, but nothing was ever right. And then there’s the matter of travel: Karimloo travels on a Canadian passport. But because his name is Iranian, he says there’s never been a time when his luggage hasn’t been searched.

“Every time I’ve opened my bags, I found the note saying it’s been gone through,” he says. “Every single time.”

Can you imagine Jean Valjean standing for that?

Maybe now that Ramin will be in New York for a long time, he won’t have to worry about that. Karimloo will be in competition for Best Actor in a Musical with, at least, Jefferson Mays from “Gentleman’s Guide,” Andy Karl from “Rocky” and Adam Jacobs from “Aladdin.” He has a good shot at winning, too.

This “Les Miz” is going to find a lot of action in awards season for all those I named above. In the audience last night before the swell party at the Metropolitan Club: Audra McDonald cheering on husband Will Swenson, who brings a very emotional Javert to the stage; original Jean Valjean Colm Wilkinson; the great Norm Lewis, who’s played both Javert and Jean Valjean, and needs to be back on Broadway soon; Neil Patrick Harris, looking skinny from previewing “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” and Meredith Vieira, who was just having fun.

Keala, nominated last year for “Hands on a Hardbody,” told me she’s already lost over 15 pounds playing the hilarious Madame Thenardier. “It’s the Les Miz diet,” she laughed. “All I do is run around on stage in that heavy costume.”

As for Ramin Karimloo: “After this no more musicals. And nothing dark. I want to try comedy!”

 

 

Michael Jackson’s Son Prince, Snake Charmer, On School Trip to Cuba

Roger Friedman
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Michael Jackson’s Son Prince, Snake Charmer, On School Trip to Cuba

This is not Snakes on a Plane 2: Michael Jackson traveled all over the planet but he never visited Cuba. So now his son, Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., aka Prince, gets the chance. Prince sent out an Instagram selfie holding plane tickets to Cuba. He left on Friday with his school group from the Buckley School in Los Angeles. Yes, that is correct. I think when I was 17 our school trips were to the Statue of Liberty and the PT Barnum Museum.  We have stopped at McDonald’s. But times change!

Prince also has become something of a snake charmer. According to his Twitter account, the son of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe is raising snakes at his family home in Calabasas, California. The snakes are named Sparta and Athens, and they live in a cage Prince built for them himself. According to my source: “Basically Prince was raised in a zoo– prince jackson snakesNeverland– so now he’s got all kinds of animals. Katherine [Jackson, his grandmother], isn’t crazy about the idea.”

As for Paris Jackson, although she makes trips home on breaks, it does look like she’s going to stay at her boarding school in Utah until she graduates from high school. Last June she tried to commit suicide, and eventually was sent to the school. My source says she doesn’t like it, but Mrs. Jackson “is afraid to bring her home.” In any case, Paris appeared in a couple of photos on Prince’s account recently and looked very happy.

Meantime, two books are coming in June around the time of the 5th anniversary of Michael’s death. One of them purports to deal with Michael’s finances after his 2005 and then really touts the executors of his estate as miracle workers. (The Jackson fans will probably boycott that one.) The other is by two bodyguards who were with Michael post-trial for a couple of years, but not with him when he died.

One last piece of Jacksonian trivia: Majestik the Magnificent, the Jackson family friend and personal magician, has been quite ill. He just posted– or someone posted for him on Facebook– an update. But I’m told he’s been hospitalized for some time, possibly thanks to a brain tumor that immobilized him. Majestik had been staying at the original Jackson home, Hayvenhurst, thanks to the largesse of Katherine Jackson. Everyone wishes him a speedy recovery.

James Rebhorn, Prolific and Spectacular Character Actor, Dead at 65

Roger Friedman
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James Rebhorn, Prolific and Spectacular Character Actor, Dead at 65

I’m very sorry to report the death of prolific and spectacular character James Rebhorn. He was 65, and well known to movie, TV, and theater fans as a dynamic performer who could literally do anything and always get it right. Soap opera fans will know his name and face from “Guiding Light” and “As the World Turns,” where he played unrepentant and scary villains. Rebhorn also appeared in seven Broadway productions including “I’m Not Rappaport”  and “Prelude to a Kiss.”

But it was in movies and nighttime that Rebhorn not only shined, but appeared constantly. He’d been a regular recently on HBO’s “Enlightened,” “Homeland” and “White Collar.” He was the D.A. who prosecuted the “Seinfeld” gang on their finale. Rebhorn’s movie roles were memorable, including “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (he was Jude Law’s father trying to find his son). He appeared in “Scent of a Woman,” “Real Steel,” and “Cold Mountain,” always playing pivotal character roles.

At six foot five, with what they used to call a noble bearing, Rebhorn managed to play both honorable and sleazy at the same time. He was soft spoken and never did publicity. He was what I think of as the kind of actor who should be honored by SAG at their ceremony every year– not a star, but the guy who makes the entire play, movie, or show plausible.

I met him once, we talked about how he played, for a few years in the 1980s, Bradley Raines, the worst bad guy ever on “Guiding Light.” He seemed shocked that I recognized him. What a loss! Condolences to his family.

Aretha Franklin Celebrates Her Birthday in NYC with Denzel and Friends

Roger Friedman
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Aretha Franklin Celebrates Her Birthday in NYC with Denzel and Friends

Aretha Franklin– wearing a cream color St. John knit suit and looking like billion bucks– celebrated her birthday in style last night in New York. First the Queen of Soul took friends to dinner at La Grenoiulle. Then the group limo’d across town to see Denzel Washington and LaTanya Richardson in “A Raisin in the Sun.”

But by 10:30 the fun really began over at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Central Park South. There Ms. Franklin welcomed the one and only Clive Davis with pals including Nikki Haskell, Rep. Charles Rangel, congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and a ton of well wishers to an elegant soiree in the big lobby tea court. Coming over from Broadway were Denzel, as well as Clifton Davis from “Aladdin.”

Meantime, music was provided by Denise Thimes, St. Louis’s hottest jazz vocalist (she plays on Tuesday at Minton’s on West 118th St.) and the Dizzy Gillespie All Stars– an eight piece jazz ensemble with horns. And they were still rockin’ at 1 am!

And yes, everyone keeps asking me so I will tell you: Aretha looks great, trim and svelte, with a short haircut and a lot of energy. In two weeks she goes into the studio to start recording a great new record for Clive. They are each forever young!

 

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