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Affleck, Timberlake: Big Stars, Very Low Score with “Runner Runner”

Roger Friedman
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Affleck, Timberlake: Big Stars, Very Low Score with “Runner Runner”

It’s not a happy morning for Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake or Fox. “Runner Runner” opens today with an astonishingly low score on Rottentomatoes.com The film has an 11% rating with 54 negative reviews and 7 positive ones. That low a number might be surmounted if the weekend weren’t packed with good films. “Gravity” has a 98%– just about perfect– and could score a $40 million opening. It may do even better than that and deservedly so.

Both “Parkland” and “ACOD” have decent 47, 48s. I really liked “Parkland” but it has nothing behind it– no marketing or publicity, no effort. It’s too bad became James Badge Dale and a number of others are quite good in it. “ACOD” — which I haven’t seen– is actually based on real people. I know some of them. It sounds entertaining.

“Runner Runner” is written by two smart, talented guys– Brian Koppleman and David Levien. They wrote “Rounders” and “Oceans Thirteen,” among other things. They will rise again, certainly. But it sounds like “Runner Runner” is heading to the dustbin.

UPDATE “Glee” Cory Monteith Farewell: Leah Michele Singing Bob Dylan (See Clip)

Roger Friedman
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UPDATE “Glee” Cory Monteith Farewell: Leah Michele Singing Bob Dylan (See Clip)

UPDATE: An astute reader points out this is Leah Michele singing “Make You Feel My Love” Adele-style. That’s even more of a tear jerker. Good for ratings.

Earlier: “Glee” will say good bye to Cory Monteith and his character Finn next week. By the looks of the clip, it will be a maudlin affair. The music is Adele singing Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” from her 19 album (the one with “Chasing Pavements”). “Glee” is starting to fade in the ratings but this episode is sure to be its big last stand at the top of the charts.

More Wild Miley Cyrus: Hannah Montana is Really Dead Now

Roger Friedman
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More Wild Miley Cyrus: Hannah Montana is Really Dead Now

Miley Cyrus’s pictures, taken by artist Terry Richardson, are a hit. I don’t know what the purpose of them is. Miley’s album has already gotten publicity. It will live or die based on the music. We’ve — trust me– forgotten all about Hannah Montana by now. She is dead and buried. I think this may be over the top but maybe there’s more. It’s hard to imagine Billy Ray Cyrus thinking any of this is a good idea. But we give the people what they want. Every artist can’t be classy.

miley 5

america's sweetheart

Miley Cyrus: Raunchy and Topless for Controversial Photog Terry Richardson

Roger Friedman
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61
Miley Cyrus: Raunchy and Topless for Controversial Photog Terry Richardson

Miley Cyrus continues to trash and burn poor little Hannah Montana. Now she’s topless and fully out there on Terry Richardson’s website. You see the pix at http://terrysdiary.com/.

This is great because with Amanda Bynes locked up and Lindsay Lohan sober, life was getting dull. At first I thought Miley was just “taking the piss” to sell albums and get attention. But now, you know, I think “crack up” is coming. No record or CD is worth this.

Adele, Pink, Emeli Sande, even Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga are smart enough not to do down this road. What’s next? You can only imagine.

 

 

 

 

Exclusive: Madonna Malawi Charity Almost Half a Mil in the Red for 2012

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Madonna Malawi Charity Almost Half a Mil in the Red for 2012

Madonna’s Raising Malawi, her questionable charity that was an off shoot of the Kabbalah Centre cult, is still around. Their 2012 federal tax filing has just surfaced. It turns out that Madonna paid consultants around $500,000 in fees to give away $1 million to the people of Malawi.

Raising Malawi paid Global Philanthropy Partners $355,706 in fees for 2012. On top of that Raising Malawai paid nearly $100,000 for accounting and $25,000 for legal help. They also list $22,061 for travel.

What did they give to Malawi? The total comes to $1,064,287 in grants. These grants are not broken down specifically so there’s no way of knowing where they went except to “Sub Saharan Africa.”

Altogether, Raising Malawi claims it finished 2012 in the red, with revenue less expenses equaling $469,565. Contrast that to 2011, when they finished the year up by $169,976. Net assets fell from $2 million to $1.6 mil by the end of 2012.

Raising Malawi went through a big scandal in 2011 when it was discovered that millions of dollars were missing. Investigations proved very little except that no one knew what had happened and that Malawi — from which Madonna had adopted two children– hadn’t received money and projects that were promised.

Malawi is still waiting for the leadership academy Madonna promised them. She cleared people out of their homes to build the school, then abandoned the project.

Forbes magazine recently listed Madonna as the top earning celebrity of 2013 with $125 million made in the last year. Her recent tour grossed over $300 million. Even though her album was a dud, the Material Mom made money than ever in 2012-13.

Donations to Raising Malawi have fallen precipitously in the last three years. In 2010 it was $5.9 million. In 2011, $1.9 mil, and in 2012 just over $1 million. There’s no breakdown offered of who donated money.

Cyndi Lauper’s “Kinky Boots” Musical Recoups Investment in Record 30 Weeks

Roger Friedman
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0
Cyndi Lauper’s “Kinky Boots” Musical Recoups Investment in Record 30 Weeks

Cyndi Lauper’s Tony winning Broadway musical “Kinky Boots” has recouped its investment in a record 30 weeks. The show was capitalized at $13.5 million. In June, “Kinky Boots”– written with Harvey Fierstein–won six Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Actor for Billy Porter. It co-stars Stark Sands, who’s also in this winter’s Coen Bros. movie “Inside Llewyn Davis.” Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig are the proud producers. By the way, not only is “Kinky Boots” in the top 3 of the Broadway box office every week, the CD recording of the show is a monster hit. I think now Cyndi, the hardest working woman in pop music, can come off the road and enjoy her success!

Frank Sinatra’s Widow Calls Mia Farrow’s Claim “A Phony Deal”

Roger Friedman
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0
Frank Sinatra’s Widow Calls Mia Farrow’s Claim “A Phony Deal”

Here’s another voice in the mess Mia Farrow and Maureen Orth caused this week. Barbara Sinatra, widow of Frank, was reached by The Desert Sun in Palm Springs yesterday. Barbara, who published a memoir last year, called the “possibility” that Mia’s son Ronan was fathered by Frank and not Woody Allen: “A phony deal.”

Barbara told the Sun:  “It’s just a bunch of junk. There’s always junk written — lies that aren’t true.”

Sinatra also told the paper that Ronan was left nothing in Frank’s will. Sinatra died in 1998 when Ronan was 11 years old.

As I wrote yesterday, when Ronan– originally named Satchel– was conceived in March-April 1987, Farrow was shooting “September” with Woody in Connecticut. She wrote in her memoir “What Falls Away,” that she was Allen’s “constant companion.” The movie “September” was shot and then re-shot with a different cast. Mia was in both casts. Sinatra was performing in Las Vegas. He was 71 years old. Randy as Sinatra was, he wasn’t a time traveler.

Orth is the worst kind of journalist. She’s colluded with Farrow to “get” Woody Allen. She questions nothing that Farrow tells her for the Vanity Fair article. She simply accepts and presents it. Why didn’t she call Barbara Sinatra? Or look into the timeline of where both people were physically in that time period?

I’ll tell you why: because she didn’t care if it was true. Nice work.

Sting Celebrates 62nd Birthday with AfterShow Bash, Stars in the Audience

Roger Friedman
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Sting Celebrates 62nd Birthday with AfterShow Bash, Stars in the Audience

Sting — everyone should look as good and sound so swell at age 62. The bard of Newcastle, father of six, husband of Trudie Styler, grandfather (yes!) celebrated his birthday last night with a super energized show for fans at the Public Theatre. Sting has been performing songs from his upcoming Broadway show “The Last Ship” at the Public for the last week to raise money for Shakespeare in the Park. Last night, PBS taped “The Last Ship” for a future showing.

After the show, Sting, Trudie, actress daughter Mickey Sumner and filmmaker son Jake Sumner partied with pals at the new Bar Nana on Gansevoort Street. Even though the Public Theater crowd serenaded him with “Happy Birthday” so did these friends as well. They also surprised him a “Last Ship” cake.

Spotted in the crowd were Broadway biggies Jimmy Nederlander Jr. and Manny Azenberg, as well as theater producer Jeffrey Seller, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Brian Yorkey and Oscar winning director Paul Haggis, as well as actress Mamie Gummer, Peggy Siegal, actor Ronald Guttman, Donna Karan and Jane Rose, longtime manager of Keith Richards.

“The Last Ship” only sails to October 9th. Tickets are scarce. On Tuesday night, Hugh Jackman and wife Debora-Lee were just a seat away from Stephen Sondheim.

Meanwhile, Trudie Styler starts previews tonight at the Culture Project on Bleecker Street for “The Seagull.” Opening night is October 13th.

Michael Jackson’s Life Was Trashed for No Reason Thanks to Family

Roger Friedman
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Michael Jackson’s Life Was Trashed for No Reason Thanks to Family

Well, that’s it. If there are any more skeletons in Michael Jackson’s closet even I would be surprised. Thanks to his family’s single minded effort to get his money, Michael’s whole life was trashed in public for no reason. His finances, personal life, peccadilloes, love life, marriages, parenting skills, and drug abuse have all been laid open to inspection.

And what was accomplished? Nothing. We know now what we knew before: Michael was the architect of his own demise. He hired a bad doctor who needed money and was vulnerable. He did what Michael asked. And he wound up killing him. The doctor went to jail for a short time. Soon he’ll be out. He’ll write a book, get publicity, and move on.

What won’t be changed is Michael Jackson’s musical legacy. Tonight in some club a deejay will put on “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” and everyone will dance. The music will never end.

But that’s it for Michael’s siblings’ quest for his money. There will be no Rolls Royces or big houses or fancy clothes. The Jacksons will have to keep touring and playing casinos and state farms. Randy Jackson will have to get a job. There will be no more kidnappings of grandma. Joseph Jackson has finally been stopped. Katherine will have to say no when relatives come to her for money.

What a crazy, long trip this has been. Four years, three months, and a few days since Michael Jackson died, he can finally be put to rest.

What’s next? Who’s going to pay that legal bill for Brian Panish, et al? This will not be pretty.

Michael Jackson Wrongful Death Verdict: AEG Owes Nothing to Jackson Family

Roger Friedman
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0
Michael Jackson Wrongful Death Verdict: AEG Owes Nothing to Jackson Family

The jury in the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial has decided that AEGLive did hire Dr. Conrad Murray. And the jury did not think Dr. Murray was unfit or incompetent to take care of Jackson.

Jackson, of course, died on June 25, 2009. Ever since that moment his estate has been the subject of a tug of war between his executors and the Jackson family. This means that AEG Live does not owe Katherine Jackson and her family anything. The avaricious Jacksons will not be able to collect a thing from them.

The jury did not believe that Dr. Murray was unfit to perform his duties. That’s it, it’s all over. This. Is. It.

Interesting that the jury thought Dr. Murray was competent to perform the duties for which he was hired. In the end, the jury confirmed that Michael Jackson really brought about his own demise. It’s something the Jacksons will have to live with.

I do think that the Jackson family’s cause, and the belief that people “conspired” against Michael to kill him, or wear him down on purpose, was what did the whole thing in. It was ridiculous to believe this. I’ll get into it more later this evening.

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