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“Captain Phillips” Real Life Crew Member Says Movie Is Accurate (Exclusive)

Roger Friedman
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“Captain Phillips” Real Life Crew Member Says Movie Is Accurate (Exclusive)

Shane Murphy is a real life crew member from the Maersk Alabama who was taken hostage in 2009 along with 20 others and Captain Richard Phillips. When I met Murphy, Chief Mate under Phillips, a captain with the Merchant Marine, he told me that the movie “Captain Phillips” was accurate, albeit compressed from five days to two hours.

That was when we shared a cab from Lincoln Center over to the Harvard Club on opening night of the New York Film Festival. He and his wife were a lot of fun, also quite serious. Murphy told me that night that he was glad the Somali pirates came off as sympathetic.

Flash forward to news that Maersk is being sued by nine former crew members from the incident. We didn’t know that at the premiere. The lawsuit was filed in April 2012, and it’s coming to trial soon in Florida. Who’s not suing? The officers on the Maersk Alabama, all of whom are characters in “Captain Phillips” and have been accorded a higher status than the crew that was in the hold.

I spoke to Shane Murphy earlier this week, wondering about the lawsuit to which is not a party. “I can’t talk about it because of testimony and depositions,” he said. “But I can talk about the movie, and I liked what they did. I told you that then. The movie is accurate.”

By the way, all nine of the men who are suing are from the Seafarers Union, and they are listed as ‘unlicensed crew.’ Phillips didn’t mention any of them in his 2011 book upon which the movie was based except for a passing reference to Andy Brzezinski, 62, as an “old salt.” Phillips may have been a great captain but he wasn’t very diplomatic.

Trailer: Wes Anderson’s All-Star “Budapest Hotel” Film Set for March 7, 2014

Roger Friedman
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Trailer: Wes Anderson’s All-Star “Budapest Hotel” Film Set for March 7, 2014

Wes Anderson is releasing his “Grand Budapest Hotel” at just the right time: March 7, 2014. That’s five days after the Oscars, about which some websites already know the winners. We will by then be overdosed with the Oscar movies and ready for something clever. Enter Wes Anderson, whose “Moonrise Kingdom” was nominated for Best Picture.

And look at this cast: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, and Owen Wilson. I don’t know who Tony Revolori is, or why he’s out of alphabetical order in the press release, but I included him anyway.

Justin Bieber International Incident Number 2: First the Anne Frank House, Now The Great Wall of China

Roger Friedman
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Justin Bieber International Incident Number 2: First the Anne Frank House, Now The Great Wall of China

We’re sorry, World. We have nothing to do with this. Please don’t forget, he’s Canadian. When the Beatles went to India, it was a cultural turning point.

Rock Hall Finally Puts Up Linda Ronstadt, Hall & Oates, But No Chicago for Possible Induction

Roger Friedman
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Rock Hall Finally Puts Up Linda Ronstadt, Hall & Oates, But No Chicago for Possible Induction

Faced with ever dwindling prospects, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has finally been forced to acknowledge the 1970s. Their list of possible inductees includes Linda Ronstadt and Hall & Oates, each if not for the first time, for the first time in a long time.

As I wrote several weeks ago, the group immediately put Nirvana up for induction. We knew that would happen. They will get in on the first ballot, case closed. But they also put up NWA, a rap group that has no business being in this Hall of Fame certainly. That’s some kind of joke.

Other nominees include The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Yes, Link Wray, The Zombies, The Replacements, Cat Stevens, KISS, LL Cool J, The Meters, Chic, Deep Purple, and Peter Gabriel.

Snubbed again: Sting, Bon Jovi, Chicago, The Moody Blues, Carly Simon, the late Billy Preston, Chubby Checker, Cyndi Lauper, Todd Rundgren, Sonny & Cher, and so on. The J Geils Band and Peter Wolf have also finally vanished, sadly, after many years of hoping they’d get in.

They’ve waited so long now to induct Ronstadt, by the way, that she can’t sing because of her Parkinson’s Disease. Just FYI.

This year the public can vote along with the 600 members of the Rock Hall. I’m not sure it would count, but you’ll feel like you said your piece.

http://www.rockhall.com/

Bebe Buell Haunts Nashville with New Halloween Release, “Ghost of Truth”

Roger Friedman
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Bebe Buell Haunts Nashville with New Halloween Release, “Ghost of Truth”

Bebe Buell and musician husband have left NYC for Nashville, where everyone seems to have gone lately. Jack White, Johnny Depp, Keith Urban, the list goes on. Since Bebe’s been down south both daughter Liv Tyler and Liv’s dad Steven Tyler have dropped in. Now Bebe and Jim have finished a great new rock album with hints of country and blues, and it’s brilliant. This is a rough cut of a new song, free for download on Soundcloud. It’s just right for Halloween. Dig it:

Bebe Buell “Ghost of Truth”

Miley Cyrus Raunchy PR Campaign Pays Off: In at Number 1 with 273K “Bangerz”

Roger Friedman
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1
Miley Cyrus Raunchy PR Campaign Pays Off: In at Number 1 with 273K “Bangerz”

Miley Cyrus’s raunch campaign has paid off. Her “Bangerz” album debuts this week at number 1 with over 273,000 copies sold. Is this what it takes to sell a CD? She had the VMA’s scandal with Robin Thicke, lots of photos with Terry Richardson, and countless smaller opportunities to shock and disgust. Her videos were considered “scandalous,” too. Plus she had the cover of Rolling Stone. And here we are. Is “Bangerz” the “Tapestry” of her generation? Haha. Hardly.

Miley knocked Justin Timberlake off number 1, where he was perched with “20/20 Part 2.” Timberlake took quite a tumble, to number 2. The “Glee” cast has an album out to cash in on Cory Monteith’s death (that was fast, I give them credit) which sold 47K. It’s just six songs that you can download on iTunes from the episode in which Finn has died. “Glee” fans– who do you think the money is going to? Not charity. Strangely, Bob Dylan really benefits from Lea Michele singing “Make Me Feel Your Love.” I wonder if Dylan knows “Glee” exists.

Elsewhere, I am happy to see Elton John’s “Diving Board” still doing well. And Cher should be commended. Her “Closer to the Truth” hangs in there.

Otherwise, sales for physical and digital are way down. Is everyone using Spotify and Pandora? Is the music so disposable that fans no longer need to own it, just rent it? I’m just getting rid of over 1,000 45 rpm records from the 60s and 70s, and I am heartbroken. Holding those records in your hands was so important. I guess not anymore.

UPDATE Woody Allen’s Colin Firth Movie Gets a Title and Release Date (Sorta)

Roger Friedman
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0
UPDATE Woody Allen’s Colin Firth Movie Gets a Title and Release Date (Sorta)

First Ronan Farrow. Now Woody Allen. It’s father and son day. Woody’s new movie has a title. It’s called “Magic in the Moonlight.” The film was shot this summer in the south of France. Cast includes Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Marcia Gay Harden, Hamish Linklater. and Simon McBurney. There’s no distributor yet but we think it will go to Sony Pictures Classics. (No word yet.)  There are some reports that “Magic” will open July 26, 2014, but that’s because that was the release of “Blue Jasmine.” Maybe we’ll see it in Cannes, however. By then Woody will be working on a new film altogether. This is the follow up to “Blue Jasmine,” which has made $50 million worldwide, is still in release, and ready for some Oscar attention (Best Actress, Director, Picture, Supporting Actress and Actor, etc).

Woody and Mia’s Son, Ronan Farrow, Gets Book Deal with Penguin

Roger Friedman
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0
Woody and Mia’s Son, Ronan Farrow, Gets Book Deal with Penguin

Frank Sinatra never wrote a book, that’s for sure. Woody Allen has published several and Mia Farrow, of course, has her memoir. Now Woody and Mia’s son, not Frank’s, Ronan Farrow, has signed a deal for a book. Unlike Woody’s writings, Ronan’s “Pandora’s Box” will not be humorous. Rather– the subtitle is How American Military Aid Creates America’s Enemies. Although Ronan cracks wise on Twitter, mixing pop references with global policy, this sounds like a straightforward treatise. There will be no discussion, I presume, of his parentage.

Lynn Nesbit handled the sale. The book will be published in 2015. Maybe by then Farrow will have his own show on MSNBC. It does seem like the PR blitz in Vanity Fair worked to move him to a higher profile after all.

Here’s a bit from the press release:

“Pandora’s Box is a hard-hitting investigation of a surprising dark side of America’s role in the world, drawing on Ronan Farrow’s experiences as a young diplomat working with powerful decision-makers and in volatile trouble spots.  It provides a missing puzzle piece in people’s understanding of some of the biggest international crises in recent memory.  And it tells readers how to mobilize to make a difference in those crises,” [editor Ann] Godoff said.  “But it’s also a personal exploration of a generation’s struggle with how to stand with its government without losing its principles.”

Tom Hanks: Movie Based on Dave Eggers Novel Doesn’t Sound Promising

Roger Friedman
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0
Tom Hanks: Movie Based on Dave Eggers Novel Doesn’t Sound Promising

Tom Hanks is on a roll right now. He’s got “Captain Phillips” in theaters, well reviewed, good box office, Oscar buzz. Coming in a few weeks: “Saving Mr. Banks,” much anticipated, with Emma Thompson, on how Walt Disney made “Mary Poppins” into a movie musical.

But this morning I saw a casting call for a new Hanks movie. It’s based on Dave Eggers’ novel “A Hologram for the King.” Considering that Hanks has two big movies in awards contention, right away it doesn’t sound good: he’s supposed to be shooting from January through April in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, and Germany.

As far as I know, Peggy Siegal does not do Oscar screenings in any of those places. Sony (Phillips) and Disney (Banks) must be sweating this one. You can’t do an effective Oscar campaign that far away from New York or L.A.

And then there’s the description of this movie. (I know, it’s based on a novel, but things change): Alan Clay has been invited to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on business, eager for his company to make an IT presentation to the King. At his disposal is the cheerfully opinionated and
often unnerving YOUSEF. In the process of waiting for the King, he meets and falls in love with a Saudi surgeon whose beauty and calming influence he finds intoxicating…

And here are the descriptions of those characters:

YOUSEF Late 20s – early 30s, a chubby (not too tall) Saudi wearing a cream-white thobe (robe) and
smoking a thin cigarette, he is the driver/guide for American businessman, Alan Clay who has come to
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to make an IT presentation to the King. Breezy, forthright, with a sense
of humor and a playful side, Yousef is a Muslim, with a casual approach to potentially alarming
situations that has Alan a bit unnerved. Nonetheless, the two get along famously, and Yousef is more
than willing to have Alan join him at his family home in the desert when he must flee for life…

DR. ZAHRA HAKEM Female, Saudi, around mid-late 40s to early 50s, with a peculiar beauty and
warmly charismatic persona, she is an intriguingly complex woman, in the throes of a difficult divorce.
A surgeon, she treats Alan when he comes to the hospital regarding a bleeding cyst on his back.
Reassuring, grounded and genuinely concerned for Alan’s peace of mind, she makes him understand
that the cyst is benign. Later, when he suffers a panic attack and it is learned that the cyst must be
excised, Zahra performs the operation. A strong bond forms between the two that soon blossoms into
romance. The chemistry between the two is palpable and Alan is soon making plans to stay in Saudi
Arabia indefinitely…

The “bleeding cyst” is considered a new “meet cute” in Hollywood. “A Hologram for the King” is written and directed by Tom Twyker. He gave us the incomprehensibly interesting “Cloud Atlas” a couple of years ago for the Wachowskis, starring Tom Hanks. No one understood it, but everyone admired it.

Stay tuned…

Why Paul McCartney’s “New” Album Is Very Good

Roger Friedman
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1
Why Paul McCartney’s “New” Album Is Very Good

Paul McCartney’s “New” is his first new album since “Memory Almost Full” seven years ago. That album was the second in a row– after “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard”–that brought McCartney back to a real, authentic voice. He was over 60 by then, and coming out of a terrible divorce. He was already the most popular and successful singer, player in rock history. Why bother doing anything else?

But McCartney is an interesting guy. He never stops, and doesn’t really look back. He plays his hits in concert, but he keeps making new music. Since “Memory” he made an Electric Fireman album, an experimental side project featuring a legitimately great song, “Sing the Changes.” He’s made a couple of singles with cutting edge groups. He played with the Foo Fighters as a faux Nirvana. It wasn’t all good, but at least he tried it. He could really stay home and sheer sheep, collect Beatles royalties, etc.

So I give him a lot of credit. “New” is a 9 out of 10. It’s got too many good songs and interesting production to not listen to it. It’s better than almost anything by anyone fifty years his junior. Almost no one has McCartney’s sense of melody and hook, his purely original compositional skill. He’s not always the greatest lyricist but he’s good enough. And he can be very witty. I’ve been enjoying one track, called “Looking at Her,” which he probably thinks is a throwaway. It’s not. It’s a little gem.

I’d love to give you some examples of these songs, but I’ve got nothing. No clips on Soundcloud. Nothing on YouTube. I only got the review copy on Friday. So I don’t know, listen to the 90 second samples on iTunes or Amazon.com.

The title song, “New” also seems like puff. But it’s also like a little gift, a Beatle-esque uptempo number that you can’t forget after one play. And the jauntiness of the music is juxtaposed with a kind of bittersweet lyric. It’s no silly love song. And the production throughout is stellar. Mark Ronson, Ethan Johns, and Giles Martin divided up the work.

All of their tracks are reminiscent of McCartney’s best solo albums, like “Band on the Run” or the very underrated “Flaming Pie.” But they’re also modern enough to give Paul a contemporary sound. If radio existed, and were open, they’d play some of these songs. Instead, pop radio is filled with the junk of fabricated music.

With Elton, Sting, Bowie and Rod Stewart, two songs from the Stones, McCartney helps make 2013 a very good year for classic pop rock.

 

 

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