Kanye West is very angry with Jimmy Kimmel. Poor Kanye has no sense of humor. He also may be a candidate for Asperger’s testing. He’s definitely on some spectrum of something. He lunges at photographers in airports and carries on like crazy. No one will ever forget his famous telethon rant against George Bush. The funny thing is, if you meet him in a social setting, he’s very subdued.
Anyway, here’s the clip from Jimmy Kimmel last night:
Here’s the offending video:
Leah Sydney‘s party notebook still brims with interesting observations from two of the best parties of Emmy Weekend:
WRAPPING UP EMMY WEEK IN L.A.: BAFTA Los Angeles held their TV Tea on Saturday afternoon at the SLS Hotel and the Brits do what they do best, had tea, chatted and held court. Talented Brits in front and behind the camera predictably flock to the classy BAFTA events.
Of course the Downton Abbey crew Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Julian Fellowes stopped in as well as Kerry Washington, Mad Men’s Kiernan Shipka, Joan Collins, Jon Voight, who’s poised to take home Emmy gold when his “Ray Donovan” becomes eligible, Sarah Hyland, Cat Deeley, Alfre Woodard, Camilla Luddington, Jacqueline Bisset, Scott Bakula, Crystal Reed, Victoria Smurfit, Kevin Spacey and more. Kevin’s Brit cred is earned, he was the Artistic Director of the Old Vic for years and his House Of Cards is a Brit original. He, told us that, “I’m hopelessly British deep inside.”
We asked him if he was nervous about his nomination, Kevin quipped, “Nah, I’ve been thru this before.” He worked the room and literally made sure to say hello to everyone there. Downton’s creator Julian Fellowes told us that, “You Americans always do the Award thing right. Way better than we do. It’s like some sort of wedding really, I rather enjoy it. ” Julian’s “Romeo and Juliet” premieres here on Tuesday…
And HBO’s annual bash at the Pacific Design Center: The HBO after party was, as always, the place to be. Everywhere you looked, the celebs and VIPs were shmoozing and huddled together. Judd Apatow laughing with Will Arnett while waiting their turn on the food line, Stephen Merchant at the bar telling a writer for Stephen Colbert to, “please tell Stephen it’s one of my favorite shows, I never miss it.” Emmy winner Michael Douglas, Matt Damon and Steven Soderbergh chatting in the center of it all with HBO Execs Michael Lombardo and Richard Plepler.
Mick Jagger and Laura Dern to their right seated at a table together together while Mick’s pal Boardwalk creator Terence Winter then joined in. Seth MacFarlane laughing it up with Bill Maher. Stunning Jane Fonda and Richard Perry doubling up with David Mamet and Rebecca Pidgeon. Aaron Sorkin then joined that esteemed group. Jeff Daniels, as on cue, then came in with Emmy in hand, prompting them all to stand up and clap. Jeff said so all could here, “Aw, come on, ok stop, ok louder!”
To their right, the Game of Thrones hunk Kit Harrington congratulating Veep’s Tony Hale on his win, as Peter Dinklage looked on and agreed. True Blood’s Stephen Moyer and wife Anna Paquin and their co-star Sam Trammell all hobnobbing with winner Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy.
In the back the Girls crew were having their good time, Allison Williams and Lena Dunham with Modern Family’s Julie Bowen. Boardwalk Empire winner Bobby Cannavale and Rose Byrne chatting with Judy Greer and Real Time’s Producer Dean Johnson. Julia Louis Dreyfus accepting her kudos from Cheryl Hines. Vera Farmiga and Newsroom’s Kelen Coleman chatting next to Julia.
The list goes on and on. HBO always gets it right on screen and with their events.
A third major film has been moved out of Oscar competition this fall. Bennett Miller’s “Foxcatcher” starring Steve Carell has been yanked from the schedule by Sony Pictures Classics. The reason? Like “Grace of Monaco” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” it just could not be ready in time. Now all eyes are on George Clooney and his “Monuments Men,” a film that also shot late into the spring and early summer. Believe me, everyone is crossing fingers that it too won’t suffer the same fate.
The elimination of “Foxcatcher” may also be a key signal in the Sony universe. The company had a lot of failures this year, with “After Earth,” “White House Down,” and “Elysium.” They simply can’t afford for “Foxcatcher” not to be right. Their only Oscar entry will be David O. Russell’s “American Hustle,” set in the 1970s and concerning the ABSCAM scandal. Sony is going through personnel changes in their marketing department, so they may have decided to put the brakes on until everything is just right.
All these films moving to 2014 will make scheduling very interesting. January is usually a month when movies get “dumped.” February 2014 will be light because of the Olympics. This means that April-May-June is suddenly going to be bursting with releases. And Cannes will be eyed as a big launching pad.
Mariano Rivera, the most successful closer in baseball history, made a classy exit tonight from a magnificent career. After 1,173 strike outs and 19 seasons with the New York Yankees, Rivera came in to pitch in the 8th inning and for a little of the 9th this evening. It was one of those historic moments at Yankee Stadium, made even more emotional because the great pitcher Andy Pettite also made his final appearance in Yankee Stadium tonight and got a long ovation.
Rivera’s final moments really showed what a real leader and inspiration he has been. The first great moment was just before the game ended, when Derek Jeter and Pettite came out to the mound to walk him back to the dugout. Rivera, 43, fell apart, and for a few minutes it was tears and hugs all around as the entire crowd of more than 50,000 fans clapped, cheered, and sang Rivera’s name. Imagine that this man has saved the Yankees time and time again from everything short of a dinosaur attack or a tsunami. They relied on him when they had no business to, and he always unfailingly came though for them. You’d be crying, too.
The second great moment was after the game, when Rivera went out to the mound by himself. It was almost slow motion. He sort of kicked around the mound for the last time. Then he picked up some dirt, scooped it up in his hands, his souvenir from the place where he had spent so much of his adult life. It was absolutely poetic in the way only baseball can be more than any other sport. Was he thinking of the rain, the heat, the cold, the tight score, his batters who weren’t helping him? He waved once more and the crowd just went wild. And an era ends. It’s the last time we’ll ever hear “Enter Sandman” played at Yankee Stadium.
Thank you, Mariano. Thank you so much.
Smart, smart, smart: Oprah Winfrey has snapped up TV rights to Lee Daniels’ “The Butler.” The movie will play on OWN after it’s had its cable and pay TV showings and DVD sales. Oprah, of course, will be nominated for Best supporting Actress from “The Butler.” I dare say she will win, as well. Winfrey has made an investment in herself and the movie. “The Butler” has made over $106 million. Look for Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Actor (Forest Whitaker), Supporting Actress (Winfrey), Supporting Actor (David Oyelowo), Director (Daniels), Screenplay (Danny Strong), and Best Song (Gladys Knight song written by Lenny Kravitz).
If you weren’t sure whether Sting was a serious composer and artist, “The Last Ship” sort of seals the deal. Yes, there was the Police, and a long solo career with lots of hits. There was an album of lute music, and traditional Christmas songs. But now Sting tackles Broadway. “The Last Ship” was presented last May in a one time only workshop for potential Broadway backers. And now Sting himself, with his own village of musicians and some unusual guest stars, is performing the songs at the Public Theater to raise money for Shakespeare in the Park.
The ten shows run through October 9th in a 260 seat theater within the Public, up on the third floor. Last night’s premiere included in the audience Sting’s wife Trudie Styler, their actress daughter Mickey Sumner, Oscar winning filmmaker Paul Haggis, and an audience that was pretty overwhelmed by the enormity of what Sting has done here.
With playwrights John Logan and Brian Yorkey, Sting has fashioned a sturdy musical about his childhood in Newcastle, Northern England, where the shipbuilding business is running aground. For the show at the Public, Sting guides the audience through some of the show, giving away enough to explain the context of the songs.
They’ve just been released as an album called “The Last Ship,” his first collection of new songs since “Sacred Love” in 2003. Yes, that was ten years ago. The new songs are meant to fit the musical’s storyline, but it turns out they played pretty well on their own. The title song, “The Last Ship,” and a stomping pub number called “What Have You Got” are still the standouts, but not the only memorable melodies. The show (and the album) is full of them.
Some of them sound “Sting”-ish, and some sound classically like blue collar singalongs from Newcastle. But there’s a whole other group that sport a very Richard Rodgers like texture. They are true Broadway songs, still hatching but nearly born, with gorgeous melodies that should have no trouble being enlarged in a theater setting. I dare say we’re hearing the Best Score and Musical of the 2015 Tony Awards taking shape at the Public. My favorites include a stunner called “The Night the Pugilist Learned How to Dance” and “Dead Man’s Boots.” Another pub number, “Show Some Respect,” is going to be a curtain call reprise favorite.
And just to allay fears of die hard fans, you will hear a few songs from Sting’s remarkable catalog woven into the story: “All this Time,” “When You Dance,” and “Ghost Story” fit seamlessly into the presentation.
Kudos to musical director Rob Mathes, to the whole band of players including singer Jimmy Nail and regular band vocalist Jo Lawry, guitarist Dominic Miller, bass player Ira Coleman, violinists (and siblings) Kathryn and Peter Tickell, and to the enormously gifted Wilson family of extraordinary singers– five brothers– imported just for the Public shows from the north of England. I hope they come back soon.
Sting is annoying, isn’t he? Like Paul Simon, Elton John, and David Byrne he just keeps stretching, finding new idioms, and conquering new genres.
EXCLUSIVE Big Broadway news: Gwyneth Paltrow, Oscar winner, website owner, cookbook author, is launching a new career. Paltrow has agreed to co-produce a Broadway musical. The show is based on the music of the GoGo’s, the California New Wave girl group of the early 1980s. Paltrow’s partner in the endeavor is Donovan Leitch, son of the 60s rock and folk icon Donovan, of “Mellow Yellow” and ‘Sunshine Superman” fame.
The pair have enlisted Jeff Whitty of “Avenue Q” fame to write the book, and I’m told it’s almost done. The GoGos’ iconic hits included “We Got the Beat” and “Our Lips Are Sealed.” I’m told the idea is for a jukebox show with a twist– it will be set in the 1600s and based on surprising source material that can’t be revealed yet. “It’s all still in the early stages,” says Leitch, who wisely secured the GoGos’ rights a while ago.
The project sounds like such a winner that last night at Sting’s Gucci-hosted after party at Indochine, The Public Theater’s Oskar Eustis had his interest piqued when it was being discussed. Several other Broadway biggies have expressed enthusiasm as well. I’ve always been a fan of Donovan’s. My money is on him. And Gwyneth, as we know, is no slouch.
Madonna wants to start a revolution. No one will take her seriously. So she’s made this video with photographer Steven Klein. This is what she wants to know: “If I was a black man and had an Afro would you take me seriously? If I was an Arab waving a hand grenade would you take me seriously?”
This sophomoric nonsense is the product of a 55 year old woman whose view of the world really comes from her own isolation from reality. Without having Malawi to concentrate on, this is apparently what Madonna is doing in her spare time. If you couldn’t fast forward through it, it would be completely unworkable. I am impressed, however, with how many double jointed dancers she found. I also kept thinking of Susan Hayward behind bars.
It’s called “secretprojectrevolution.” It’s dedicated to anyone who’s suffered persecution. Beginning with the viewers of this video. Did anyone ask Madonna to make an annoying 17 minute art film? No. But Lady Gaga’s just getting ready to release a new album. I have to think there’s some connection.
Justin Timberlake, music man of 2013, is streaming his new album on iTunes. There’s a “secret” track buried at the end of the album called “If I Had a Pair of Wings.” Close your eyes: this is a Michael Jackson impersonation. Let’s call it a tribute to Jackson. The song is a ballad sung with minimal acoustic guitar and strings, and sounds very much like the King of Pop. It’s actually uncanny.
Timberlake has buried the track inside what’s marked as an 11 minute track that starts with the 5 minute long “Not Such a Bad Thing.” At first you think, oh no, an 11 minute song. But halfway through. “Not Such a Bad Thing” fades out and “Wings” launches. I wonder what Jackson fans will say.
Meantime, “20/20 Experience Part 2” is a mixed bag. On first hearing I really like the opening track, “Gimme What I Don’t Know (I Want)” plus “Take Back the Night,” “TKO,” and “Not Such a Bad Thing.” That first track opens sounding like a Queen record, and then picks up the bass line and beat from Herb Alpert’s “Rise.” Still, it’s very, very catchy.
It’s not possible that Timberlake won’t win the Grammy for Album of the Year for the whole “20/20” enterprise. Sampled, reinvented, twisted, turned on its head, “20/20” was the most ambitious and cleverest release of 2013.
EXCLUSIVE Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, Kings of Leon and Elvis Costello are playing a free concert in Central Park this Saturday for an organization called Global Citizen. The concert is free, so going to hear these terrific artists is no skin off your nose. But knowing about Global Citizen is important. There are a lot of questions about them.
I first wrote about Global Citizen back in July. It’s part of something called the Global Poverty Project run by an Australian named Hugh Evans.
Global Citizen– as I wrote in July– is part of an Australian clothing company called Cotton One. (You can read about them here.) What’s the interest of Cotton One, which seems to be somewhere at the root of all this? Says Hugh Evans: “They have 153 stores in the US now, and they’re planning a thousand more in the next year.”
There’s a strange connection to Viacom chief Sumner Redstone. The Sumner Redstone Charitable Foundation is listed as a sponsor of the concert. But there’ s more: The sole donor to GPP is one Elizabeth Malia Andelin of Beverly Hills, a former flight attendant on Redstone’s private plane and a purported gal pal of the 90 year old mogul. According to federal tax returns, Andelin donated $1.5 million to GPP in 2010-11. Pictures of the couple are pretty much all over the internet, and they look about as couple-y as Redstone will allow given his checkered romantic history.
More importantly: the Form 990 for Global Poverty states that it made no– zero– donations to anyone in 2011. None. Zip. (Their 2012 form hasn’t been filed.) But of the $3 million they had on hand in 2011, more than half– $1.6 million–went to salaries, advertising, travel, and legal fees. They spent $899,000 on advertising.
Hugh Evans is the extremely well spoken founder of the group. I spoke to him this morning. He has the Australian gift of gab, which isn’t a bad thing when you’re raising lots of money and chatting up celebrities. Evans is passionate about ending global poverty. He insisted during our talk on a couple of things:
One– that Redstone and Andelin “are not a couple. She isn’t his girlfriend.”
Two– that all the money raised by Global Citizen goes to the cause of ending extreme poverty. He seemed unaware of the Form 990 expense listings. Evans was featured last year in the New York Times and he’s a celebrity in Australia. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/arts/music/hugh-evans-29-force-behind-global-festival-on-great-lawn.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Evans said Global Citizen doesn’t make charitable donations. “We’re an advocacy group. We got $1.3 billion last year in commitments from other groups and corporations,” he said. “You can see them on our website.”
Indeed, Global Citizen is very invested in ending polio around the world. Last year, according to the CDC, there were only 223 cases of polio on Earth. Most were in three countries– Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Dr. Jonas Salk invented the Polio vaccine in 1952. It has been available since 1955. Global Citizen doesn’t bring the vaccine to the countries where outbreaks are reported. It just tells them that it exists.
Evans also told me hat a committee of people in the music industry and with big agencies like CAA, WME, Live Nation and AEG Live met to organize the concert. He told me that all of the musicians in this year’s show are performing for free. At 30, he expressed shock that I had attended the famous concert on the Great Lawn in Central Park, back in 1981, with Simon & Garfunkel. “You don’t sound old,” he said. I assured him I had aged naturally.