Friday, December 19, 2025
Donate
Home Blog Page 1769

Catching Up with Adele Dazeem, aka Idina Menzel, via Eric Stonestreet

Roger Friedman
-
0
Catching Up with Adele Dazeem, aka Idina Menzel, via Eric Stonestreet

You know, I saw John Travolta and Kelly Preston after the Governor’s Ball. They were downstairs where you go to valet service for limo pick up. As we were walking out, they were kind of walking back in, and John was saying to someone from the Dolby Theater, “We really need your help.” Maybe he’d forgotten his driver’s name and was asking for Adele Dazeem.
Anyway, Eric Stonestreet posted this Vine of Johnny boy forgetting Idina Menzel. He’s also wearing one of Mary Tyler Moore’s wigs from her famous show, which was a tribute I think to the great actress and comedienne.

I’ve made the main picture here what he actually looks like, we think, sans hair piece. Why does he keep wearing that thing? What was he really saying? Was he speaking Xenu? And how in heck did he get a job presenting an Oscar? He doesn’t have one, hasn’t been nominated in 20 years, and releases bomb after bomb. Go figure.

Liza Minnelli Post-Oscars: Look How Gracious She is in this TMZ Video

Roger Friedman
-
3
Liza Minnelli Post-Oscars: Look How Gracious She is in this TMZ Video

Liza Minnelli and musician/club owner Michael Feinstein went to dinner at Craig’s in West Hollywood last night. TMZ videogs stand out there all night hoping someone will talk to them. A lot of people don’t. And some celebs use the back entrance to avoid the paps. Look how gracious Liza was when she was stopped last night. This is the Liza we know in New York– a great friend, supportive and enthusiastic. I wish she were treated better on the snarky blogs:

Elton John’s All Star Oscar Party Raises $5.1 Million for AIDS Foundation

Roger Friedman
-
2
Elton John’s All Star Oscar Party Raises $5.1 Million for AIDS Foundation

And now the good news from Oscar night: the viewing party for Elton John’s AIDS Foundation raised a whopping $5.1 million for education and research. Not bad!

It was a rockin’ dinner too with guests like Elton’s great songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart, Josh Groban, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Kenny Babyface Edmonds, Steven Tyler, Taylor Swift, plus record producer Richard Perry and Jane Fonda. Whoopi Goldberg dropped in after presenting at the Oscars, Jared Harris stopped by, as did Lady Gaga and dozens upon dozens more. I also heard there were Kardashians roaming around, as is their wont.

British sensation Ed Sheeran entertained the crowd with a set that included a duet with Sir Elton. My nieces introduced me to Ed, he’s their 1971 Elton of 2014– they just don’t know it. Later in the night I caught up with Sheeran, who’s 23 and a lovely chap. He literally looks like the son Van Morrison never had! His new album comes out in June. I asked him what it’s like to be a rock star with all the sex and drugs. He quipped: “Is it all right if I’m the rock star who doesn’t do drugs?”

It is, I replied!

Justin Bieber, take note.

As for the whole big Elton party, set up next to the Pacific Design Center: it’s like a trip to heaven, with massive spaces all draped in what looks like white sheets. A lot of the girls, including Petra Nemcova, walked around barefoot on the thick white carpet. And you always get the best chocolates at the Elton John party! A great night!

 

Oscars Etc: Harrison Ford, Johnny Knoxville, Tupac, Stars’ Moms and Dads

Roger Friedman
-
2
Oscars Etc: Harrison Ford, Johnny Knoxville, Tupac, Stars’ Moms and Dads

Harrison Ford, just as he arrived at the red carpet on Sunday afternoon, with beautiful and gracious wife Calista Flockhart. Red faced and a little confused. Was he stoned? Medicinal marijuana, likely. Nothing illegal. I asked if he were presenting on the Oscars? Harrison replied: “Yes.” Which category, I wondered? “Best Picture,” he replied in a whisper. Now, that’s a big deal. He is Hollywood royalty now. Makes sense. So imagine my surprise when shortly into the show, Ford appears on the stage He introduces clips from three of the Best Picture nominees. This is what he meant, I guess. He was showing clips from the Best Pictures, not giving the Best Picture award…

Spotted in the audience but not otherwise detected: Johnny Knoxville. Keith Carradine. Eli Roth. Colleen Camp.  John Stamos. There are plenty of actors who don’t walk the red carpet, but are invited by the Academy. They just come and enjoy the show like everyone else. In the blur of dealing with nominees, these people are like happy non sequiturs. In the parterre section, which just above the orchestra, I ran into Dr Mathilde Krim, founder of amFAR, widow of Orion Pictures’ Arthur Krim, who was Woody Allen’s guiding light for years and years. Another lovely surprise.She clapped hard when Woody’s name was called out in the Original Screenplay category.

Favorite bar mate of the evening: director John Singleton and his beautiful wife. He’s working on the Tupac Shakur movie. Crossing my fingers. Should be amazing. Also: shout out to Cate Blanchett and her posse including husband Andrew Upton, agent Hylda Queally, and publicist Lisa Kasteller. They rock! Also, Sally Hawkins. If we could bottle her we’d make millions. When Cate met Julia Roberts in the bar, they showed each other pics of their kids on cellphones, of course.

So many mothers, and fathers: Jennifer Lawrence’s parents are the nicest, classiest couple. Everyone loves Leonardo DiCaprio’s mom. His dad, George, is a character. They were all there. Matthew McConaughey’s mom is hot stuff, she was even in “Dallas Buyer’s Club.” Jared Leto’s mother has to write a book. You can tell she is amazing, and really toughed it out for her sons. Lupita Nyongo’s mother is gorgeous, naturally, and very articulate. David O. Russell’s dad worked at Simon & Schuster before he retired; he and his wife are tireless supporters of “American Hustle.” And don’t let me forget Will Forte’s mom, whom we met last year on the set of Peter Bogdanovich’s “Squirrel to the Nuts.” At 2am she was raring to go to Madonna’s party with Will. I hope that worked out!

Oh one more thing: who did Sandra Bullock take as her date to the Oscars? Why, her publicist, the wonderful Cheryl Maisel. Many stars relegate the publicists to ‘help’ status. You know we love S Bullock and this is why. Maisel worked like crazy on “Gravity.” Sandy said, ‘You should be there.’ And she was, in the front row. Mensch!

PS Loving Cindy Adams writing about the Oscars and LA in the NY Post. No one else like her!

 

Vanity Fair Builds a Big Tent, And Two by Two The A-List Came

Roger Friedman
-
1
Vanity Fair Builds a Big Tent, And Two by Two The A-List Came

Vanity Fair upped its Oscar game last night. They build a huge multi level tented building in the parking behind Sunset Plaza. Traffic snaked back and forth on Sunset Boulevard in both directions. There was a big security plan, with metal detectors at the check in. And then you arrived to find an avalanche of stars. Stars and stars. Two by two, or three by three, they came.

Inside the main room, just to the right, if you could find them through the fog of formally attired people, Jane Fonda and Anjelica Huston set up a beach head. Many stars, old and young, were crowded into this area including Jane’s beau, Richard Perry, and Sarah Paulson, plus Quincy Jones, who was busy looking for Petra Nemcova, and Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks. Rosaria Dawson and Gabrielle Union weren’t far away. Sitting on a couch in a section nearby, the fabulous oldies group– Mickey Rooney and Martin Landau. And they were hosting this year’s nominee June Squibb.

Praise god– Don Rickles and his wife were entertaining Don’s many fans. “Do you have any Oscar jokes? I asked Rickles. “If you’re paying me!” he said. I did get a photo.

Just at the entrance to this room I tripped over Bill Hader, who was reconnecting with Will Forte and Paul Rudd, with a big group of comics around them. Hader made a beeline to see Larry David. In time that group was joined by hit pop star Ed Sheeran, who’d just come over from playing at Elton John’s AIDS Foundation fundraiser. Only 23, Sheeran– who’d been hanging with Taylor Swift–is about to break out in a big way. His new single comes this week, with a new album in June.

From there I headed to the upper level party, where Bill Murray and a big group had come to occupy a huge round room with Art Deco-ish banquettes– a hold over from past VF parties. They store their sets! This is where a lot of guests were dining on In and Out Burgers. Here were lots of people carrying Oscars, from “Gravity” and “12 Years a Slave” crew to winner Lupita Nyong’o. Super model Karolina Kurklova and her husband Archie Drury were getting burgers. Amazing since it looks she only eats celery stalks!

And yes, chowing down, was our old pal Kerry Washington, a month away from giving birth, radiant and round.

The thing about Vanity Fair’s parties is that when they’re at their peak, you really think you’ve seen the magazine come alive. The rooms just seem to turn and churn with celebrities: Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan obviously didn’t sleep last night since they were still up at almost 2am and did their show live at 6am!

Spike Lee was busy being asked to take pictures with everyone. Michael B. Jordan scooted around. Seth Rogen was in deep conversations. I did get to meet Clint Eastwood’s squared jawed son Scott, and the great actor DB Sweeney hanging out with Sony Pictures Classics’ Tom Bernard and media mogul Jay Penske.

Sometimes the party seemed like a parade in a dream. Kate Hudson, more beautiful than ever, waved at me and mouthed Hello as she swept through the room.Who had time to stop? Maybe she was on her way to Lady Gaga, who was easily the hit of the night after also coming over from Sir Elton’s soiree.

Another great VF bash– maybe the biggest ever and the best. When we left at 2:30am, guests were still in force. Wow!

 

Oscars: 40 Mil People Watched the Show, And Not Much Else

Roger Friedman
-
1
Oscars: 40 Mil People Watched the Show, And Not Much Else

Oscar ratings: 40 million viewers watched the show, and a huge number of them (a 12 rating) were between 18-49. But Hollywood should remember that a lot of those people were over 49, and went to see “Philomena” and “12 Years a Slave” and “Captain Phillips.”

The real winner is the Red Carpet Live show that preceded the Oscars. Those ratings increased every half hour leading up to the real show. Robin Roberts had been on my flight out to L.A. with a big crew of assistants and stylists. I guess it paid off!

The broadcast of the Oscars seemed good if a little flat inside the Kodak theater. All the musical numbers worked, and Ellen DeGeneres played it safe throughout. The weird things were John Travolta mispronouncing Idina Menzel’s name– and looking like a vampire. Why doesn’t he take that crazy wig off his head? Zac Efron had trouble reading the TelePrompter.

And then the whole issue of Will Smith getting to present Best Picture, not even wearing a tie. He had the biggest flop of the year with “After Earth.” Will and Jada in person are very very nice. But maybe Oprah or Sidney Poitier should have given Best Picture.

Oscars Bring Rewards for “12 Years,” “Gravity,” Darlene Love

Roger Friedman
-
1
Oscars Bring Rewards for “12 Years,” “Gravity,” Darlene Love

There were some sweet victories at last night’s Academy Awards. “12 Years A Slave” picked up Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actress. The movie made history too as first one ever directed by a black man to win Best Picture. Thank god, because it was the best. When the ceremony was over Harvey Weinstein told me: “The best movie did win.” And he meant it.

At the same time “Gravity” won Best Director for Alfonso Cuaron, plus Oscars for cinematography, editing, musical score, and so on. At the Governor’s Ball following the show, one table had about six Oscars mixed in with empty bottles of Champagne and designer water. David Heyman, who brought Cuaron to “Gravity” from directing the best Harry Potter movie, couldn’t believe his eyes.

Meantime Darlene Love got sweet revenge on Phil Spector. The Morgan Neville directed documentary “20 Feet from Stardom,” won Best Doc. Darlene took the stage and sang a cappella. It was a glorious moment in Oscar history. I can only hope convicted murderer Spector, who screwed Darlene and all his artists out of money they were owed, was watching from prison. If “12 Years a Slave” was about liberation, then so was “20 Feet from Stardom.” Hallelujah!

 

Meantime, the show was so oddly set up by category that the main floor bars were constantly crowded. Cate Blanchett and Sally Hawkins hung out there for a bit, as did director John Singleton, Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney and Anne Hathaway.

I ran into Lady Gaga at one point, who couldn’t have been sweeter or more low profile. When Lupita Nyong’o won her award, there was a huge cheer from all the bars. You could hear a pin drop as she gave her beautiful acceptance speech. Bette Midler also got a thunderous ovation after she finished singing “Wind Beneath My Wings.”

Later at the Governors Ball, Bette told me, “I’m glad I did it, but I’m glad it’s over. I hadn’t sung live in quite a while. I was very nervous.”

More from the Oscars shortly…

Oscars Predictions: No One Knows Anything as Gravity Goes Against 12 Years a Slave

Roger Friedman
-
0
Oscars Predictions: No One Knows Anything as Gravity Goes Against 12 Years a Slave

Oscar predictions: no one knows anything. The whole weekend has been spent listening to people wonder whether anyone saw “12 Years a Slave” and voted for it. We’re about to find out. Did the Academy go for the big studio, “easy” choice in “Gravity”? Or did they finally cave in, see Steve McQueen’s movie, and realize how important it is?

Best Picture is not about a movie being “entertaining.” It’s about leaving a legacy from the film community.

The big problem tonight is that “12 Years” could lose several categories before we get to the end of the evening. “Gravity” looks like a lock for Editing, Cinematography and other tech awards. It could be that we go from a Best Supporting Actress win for Lupita Nyong’o early on, and then not much until the very last award. That means we’ve got a real nail biter.

Meantime, the Oscar prognosticating sites have pretty much gone the safe route. None of them have made any kind of left or right of center choice. My only weird thought is this: Matthew McConaughey and Leonardo DiCaprio cross each other out, and Chiwetel Ejiofor wins. It’s not that I don’t want MM to get a statue. But if the four actors who won the Spirit Awards win the Oscars, it’s going to be a fizz.

Thankfully, there’s a lot of entertainment on tonight’s show: U2, Bette Midler, Pink, Idina Menzel are among the performers. Neil Meron and Craig Zadan will not disappoint.

Sadly no appearance tonight from Judi Dench. She’s in India. And why should she make such a long trip with Cate Blanchett set to win? She and Woody Allen will be the most noticeable absentees. Woody never comes to the show. And everyone will be looking for Christian Bale. Let’s hope he makes it.

 

Super Model Petra Nemcova Is Living In Haiti on a Full Time Basis

Roger Friedman
-
1
Super Model Petra Nemcova Is Living In Haiti on a Full Time Basis

EXCLUSIVE Czech super model Petra Nemcova takes her charities seriously. She told me last night at Charles Finch’s annual Chanel dinner at the great Italian restaurant Madeo in Beverly Hills that she’s living in Haiti full time. And she does mean full time. The great beauty does have places to stay around the world when she goes on shoots. But she said she’s got a decent house in Haiti.

“Don’t worry, I’m not living in a tent,” she assured me. She is however building schools and getting money to Haiti businesses who are still in a massive rebuilding effort after the 2010 earthquake. Her charity is called the Happy Hearts Fund. Nemcova was propelled into this work after nearly being killed in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that took the life of her fiancee, Simon Atlee.

Finch’s dinner, like Harvey Weinstein’s, was a direct rebuke to the celebrity rat-fest going on up at the Beverly Hills Hotel for the Motion Picture Fund. Almost no bold faced names pay for those tickets, and everyone gets a photo op as they scoot away with swag under their arms.

At Finch’s, I ran into past Oscar winner Anne Hathaway and husband Adam Shulman, director Paul Haggis, actor Danny Huston, Clear Channel’s John Sykes, and a boatload of beauties.

Earlier in the evening, up at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel — the MPTF is curtained off from the rest of the hotel– I bumped into “Wolf of Wall Street” director Martin Scorsese, ebullieny as usual, with his wife Helen, his three daughters, son inlaw, and new baby granddaughter Sarafina. And on a collision course: Meryl Streep, husband Don Gummer and their actress daughter Mamie Gummer.

Exclusive: Piers Morgan Says He’s Staying at CNN to Do “Big Name” Interviews

Roger Friedman
-
31
Exclusive: Piers Morgan Says He’s Staying at CNN to Do “Big Name” Interviews

CNN’s Piers Morgan, who is ending his nightly show on the network, isn’t going anywhere. He told me last night that he’s staying at the network. “I’ll make a deal to do 20 ro 25 shows a year, all interviews with big names. That’s what I wanted to do in the first place, not reports on snow storms and that kind of thing.”

Morgan said his producer, Jonathan Wald, has already made a deal to stick around. What does he think will replace his current show? “A news program of some kind,” he said. He also acknowledged that his campaign for gun control was like “beating my head against a wall.”

Morgan was one of dozens of big names who attended a swanky dinner at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills last night thrown by Harvey Weinstein to show off numbers from a possible new Broadway musical called “Finding Neverland.”

Oprah Winfrey, Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, U2’s Bono and Adam Clayton, Harry Styles from One Direction, Josh Groban, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Gayle King, Sharon Osbourne, Tyler Perry, Irving Azoff, Universal Music chief Lucian Grange, Bob Balaban, Dermot Mulroney, plus Steve Coogan with Philomena Lee, Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde, hit songwriter Diane Warren, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and Nicole Avant, all went wild from performances by the show’s composers Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy and Laura Michelle Kelly.

Jason Alexander turned up as a surprise performer and narrator of the show. Weinstein said he’s been trying to get Alexander to join the permanent cast that already includes Matthew Morrison from “Glee.” But Alexander told me last night, just like recent “Seinfeld” reunion during the Super Bowl, was a one off experience.

Alexander– this is an exclusive— is preparing his own show for Broadway, not a musical– possibly for next year.

The reception to the “Finding Neverland” songs must have been gratifying for Weinstein, who tried unsuccessfully to mount a version of the show in the UK last year. It fizzled. This new edition sounds like the right thing. Harvey told his guests that getting this show up “is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

While Weinstein has invested in a lot of hit stage shows, this is the first one he’s created from scratch. It’s based on his Oscar nominated Best Picture starring Johnny Depp and directed by Marc Forster.

For the final number, the Neverlanders were joined by Darlene Love, Tata Vega and Judith Hill from the documentary “20 Feet from Stardom.” That film won a prize earlier in the day at the Independent Spirit Awards.

 

1...1,7681,7691,770...2,323Page 1,769 of 2,323

Hollywood to the Hudson

Company

Trending

Categories

© Showbiz411.com