What can anyone say? Korean pop sensation Psy has the #1 video on YouTube. “Gentleman” is over 191 million views now and should reach 200 million today or tomorrow. Why? Beats me. The sound of makes me want to swat it like a fly buzzing in the ear. But Psy has psy-ched out the worldwide audience. Imagine if Plastic Bertrand had started on You Tube. Such would have been the case for “Ca Plane Pour Moi” some 40 years ago. Plastic Bertrand, it’s time for your comeback! (I’ve moved the Gentleman video to our player at the bottom of the home page.) “Gentleman” has a long way to go. Psy’s earlier hit, the ubiqutious “Gangnam Style,” has 1.5 BILLION views.
Tom Hanks Extends Run in “Lucky Guy”– 4th Biggest Broadway Box Office
Tom Hanks probably needs to get back to making movies. But his run in “Lucky Guy” on Broadway is such a hit, Hanks has been persuaded to extend his stay. Now he’ll remain with the Nora Ephron play until July 3rd. The producers are no doubt thrilled. “Lucky Guy” was in 4th place last week among all Broadway shows, right behind “Wicked,” “The Lion King,” and “Book of Mormon.” This is unheard of among plays, although “Lucky Guy” has very high high high ticket prices. Still, it’s a clamor because the play and the actors are top notch. Expect Tony noms for Hanks, director George C. Wolfe, Ephron and a couple of the supporting actors– I’d say Peter Gerety and Courtney B. Vance, maybe Christopher MacDonald. I keep hearing rumblings that the show is “too Hollywood” to win Tonys. But I think that’s just ridiculous. “Lucky Guy” is really solid and terrific and deserves all accolades.
Katie Holmes Trades One Cult for Another in Ray Dalio-Backed Spike Lee Film
Has Katie Holmes traded one cult for another? A year away from Scientology and she’s making a movie — filming but officially unannounced– directed by and financed by people who are devoted donors to Transcendental Meditation. And not only that, there’s a connection to sometime Scientologist Jennifer Lopez.
Everyone’s going to yell at me for calling Transcendental Meditation a cult. But it’s masses of people chanting, backed by millions and millions of dollars. And now Katie Holmes is starring in a film financed by the most ardent financier of TM, Ray Dalio, of Bridgewater Associates. His son Paul is directing the film. I’ve written about “Mania Days” before–Spike Lee is executive producer, for unknown reasons. And now Katie is in the film although no announcement that I know of has ever been made. She’s playing a depressed poet who hooks up with a depressed rapper.
“Mania Days” is an indie film, I guess, if you don’t count the director’s father running a hedge fund that invests hundreds of billions of dollars. Ray Dalio is also a big supporter of Jennifer Lopez’s 501 c 3 formerly called the Maribel Foundation but now known as the Lopez Family Foundation. Dalio’s given them $775,000 in the last three years. He’s been her major donor. Lopez is connected to Scientology through her father and through Tom Cruise. Katie was married to Tom Cruise. Is there a connection? Hmmmm….
http://www.showbiz411.com/2012/03/20/spike-lee-producing-movie-by-hedge-fund-manager-ray-dalios-son
Sacre Bleu! Jerry Lewis is Coming to Cannes in An Acting Comeback
Yes, it’s true. Jerry Lewis, a cinema god in France, is coming to the Cannes Film Festival. But this time the 85 year old legend is returning in his acting comeback. In “Max Rose,” directed by Daniel Noah, Lewis plays a man who must investigate his whole life after discovering secrets about his 65 year old marriage. No matter how the movie works out, Jerry Lewis on the red carpet at the Palais des Festivals is sort of beyond nirvana. And dig this: Michel Legrand, another French icon, wrote the score. Plus Claire Bloom, who plays Lewis’s wife, will be coming with the film as well as Kerry Bishe. Famed comedic presence Mort Sahl co-stars, but no one knows if he’ll make the trip. Lewis was so badly treated by the Muscular Dystrophy Association that this is a vindication and a triumph.
Cannes 2013: Very American Choices for Spielberg’s Jury Include Soderbergh, Franco, Payne, Coens
The Cannes line up for 2013 is out. It’s unusually American, which may reflect Steven Spielberg’s appointment as head of the jury. It’s a very good list. I told you already that James Toback, the Coen Bros. Steven Soderbergh, Sofia Coppola, and Roman Polanski were all in the mix. The most interesting choice is James Franco’s adaptation of William Faulkner’s “As I Lay Dying.” This is a passion project that Franco worked very hard on. The Faulkner estate took great care setting it up with Franco, too. This year’s Cannes will bring a crowd of Hollywood stars to the Croissette too including Ryan Gosling, Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, etc. Plus Jerry Lewis, beloved in France, will make his acting comeback in “Max Rose.” And there’s a big celebration of India. Plus the opening night movie “The Great Gatsby.”
CANNES COMPETITION LINEUP
Nicolas Winding Refn Only God Forgives
Alexander Payne Nebraska
Steven Soderbergh Beyond the Candelabra
Asghar Farhadi The Past
Francois Ozon Jeune et Jolie
James Gray The Immigrant
Roman Polanski Venus in Fur
Arnaud Desplechin Jimmy P. (Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian)
Joel and Ethan Coen Inside Llewyn Davis
Arnaud Despallieres Michael Kohlhaas
Amat Escalante Heli
Mahamat-Saleh Haroun Grisgris
Jia Zhangke A Touch of Sin (Tian Zhu Ding)
Takashi Miike Shield of Straw (Wara No Tate)
Kore-Eda Hirokazu Like Father, Like Son (Soshite Chichi Ni Naru)
Abdellatif Kechiche La Vie d’Adele
Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi Un Chateau en Italie
Alex Van Warmerdam Borgman
Paolo Sorrentino The Great Beauty
UN CERTAIN REGARD SIDEBAR LINEUP
Alain Guiraudie L’Inconnu do Lac
Valeria Golino Miele
Flora Lau BendsÂ
James Franco As I Lay Dying
Rithy Panh L’Image Manquante
Diego Quemada-Diez La Jaula de Oro
Mohammad Rasolouf Anonymous
Claire Denis Les SalaudsÂ
Ryan Coogler Fruitvale StationÂ
Hany Abu-Assad Omar
Adolfo Alix Jr. Death March
Sofia Coppola The Bling RingÂ
Rebecca Zlotowski Grand Central
Chloe Robichaud Sarah Prefere La Course
Lav Diaz Norte, Hangganan Ng Kasaysayan
OUT OF COMPETITION
Guillaume Canet Blood Ties
J.C. Chandor All is Lost Â
MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
Johnnie To Blind Detective
Amit Kumar Monsoon Shootout Â
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Taisia Igumentseva Otdat Konci
James Toback Seduced and Abandoned
Roman Polanski Weekend of a Champion
Roberto Minervini Stop the Pounding Heart
Stephen Frears Muhammad Ali’s Greatest FightÂ
JERRY LEWIS TRIBUTE
Daniel Noah Max Rose Â
GALA SCREENING, TRIBUTE TO INDIA
Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee Bombay Talkies
New Broadway Play Makes Last Minute Changes Because of Boston– Deletes Bomb Reference
Playwright Richard Greenberg had an unenviable problem yesterday. Just as his excellent new play “The Assembled Parties” was about to debut, he had to change a bit of it because of the tragedies in Boston. Sources tell me that originally, one character unseen but talked about is said to have the ability to “build a bomb from scratch.” That had to be changed to “make fire with her own hands.” And a reference to Boston was changed to Cambridge at the same time, so no one would be offended.
These are minor changes to a play that got raves last night as it opened under the direction of Lynne Meadow at Manhattan Theatre Club. I dare say that the play, the director and the cast– starting Judith Light, Jessica Hecht and Jeremy Shamos–are in line for lots of awards. “The Assembled Parties” is disarming, moving, funny and sad. But mostly, it’s so stunning its way that it may throw the Best Play contest at the Tonys into its own race– with Nora Ephron’s “Lucky Guy” and Christopher Durang’s “Vanya Sonia Masha and Spike” getting an expected nudge.
There was an unexpected guest in the audience, too: Valerie Harper came from Los Angeles with husband Tony Cacciotti. Rarely has there been a more welcome sighting of a celebrity. Valerie looks incredibly well despite her health situation; to be honest, Tony looked tired. Valerie said, “We haven’t been getting back to people because everyone is offering a cure.” Her resilience and determination are amazing.
“Assembled Parties” is a story of survival too. It spans 20 years in the life of a Jewish family in New York. The people on stage are not unlike those in the audience. But Greenberg peels back layers to find new stories, emotions, and relationships. Light and Hecht are sisters-in-law whose lives seem very set and positive, and full of hope in 1981. By 2001, things have changed considerably, and we see an entire arc played out. Sham0s–who in real life is the grandson of the late game show TV king Mark Goodson–plays a loyal family friend with incredible empathy.
So– a nice surprise, on all accounts. Light and Hecht are really superb, and they make “Assembled Parties” much more than it seems at the outset. We’ll see them all in June at the Tonys.
Exclusive: Paris Jackson Signed by Leonardo DiCaprio’s Hollywood Manager
Exclusive: I’m told that Paris Jackson the precocious teenage daughter of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe, is going Hollywood. Sources say she’s signed with Rick Yorn, the very respected manager of Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, and Martin Scorese, among others. Paris did tell a British newspaper that she wants to be a doctor one day. But it’s also obvious she has thoughts about an entertainment career.
With over 1 million Twitter followers, and a basically sunny disposition, Paris has a lot of potential. Her brother, Prince, has already booked a few gigs via aunt LaToya Jackson. But Paris was persuaded to go a more professional route. There’s a lot going on with Paris anyway. She and Prince are in depositions for their wrongful death civil suit against AEG Live.
Last year, it was basically Paris who sounded the alarm that something up was with her grandmother and legal guardian, Katherine Jackson. It was because of Paris that Mrs. Jackson was returned home, and the Jackson siblings backed off trying to get her money.
And I told you a couple of weeks ago that she and Debbie Rowe are getting closer. I’m told that Paris has even had an overnight at Debbie’s horse ranch in the California desert. So this an all good news report.
Calls to Rick Yorn weren’t returned. But if there’s a further statement I’ll add it. Keep refreshing…
Bobby Cannavale, Richard Kind Score in Revived Broadway Play Maybe about Clark Gable
Hollywood buffs and old time gossips should take notice: Clifford Odets’ “The Big Knife,” which opened on Broadway last night after 65 years of dormancy, is a veiled look at a salacious moment in the life of Clark Gable. The play was produced once, in 1948, and never revived. Now Bobby Cannavale is a movie star with a load of secrets, and Richard Kind is the studio head who has enough nasty information to ruin him. In real life, Cannavale is playing a closely imagined version of Clark Gable, and Kind is Louis B. Mayer. Maybe.
What we do know: in 1945, Gable had a car accident in Brentwood, just past Beverly Hills. He crashed his car into a tree. That was the official story. But Hollywood press agents were (and still are) notorious for covering up scandals. And in this case, many people believed– and so did the tabloids of the time–that Gable had been involved in a hit and run that killed a girl.
Odets obviously knew the story, and the rumors. In “The Big Knife,” produced three years later, Mayer — Kind’s character– has helped cover up the crime. He’s sent a studio flack to jail who takes the rap for the girl’s death. Now he’s using this information to blackmail Gable–here, Cannavale as Charlie Castle– to sign a 14 year contract with the studio. Castle’s wife doesn’t want it. And then a witness to the accident turns up. And things turn ugly.
Did Gable do it? Who knows? But his life was full of secrets– including his illegitimate daughter with fellow star Loretta Young. Odets, a playwright, worked in Hollywood in the 40s as a successful screenwriter. But he was bitter. And then in the early 50s his life was destroyed by the Hollywood blacklist and HUAC. He died in 1963 at the age of 57.
“The Big Knife” slices through Hollywood’s studio system, and it’s rough. Cannavale is superb as Castle, a golden boy who’s made a lot of bad choices. Richard Kind unexpectedly–because he’s known for comedy– steals his scenes as he menaces these people to keep the studio moving forward. Kind will get a Tony nomination and maybe even win. He should. The whole cast is excellent.
A swell premiere party followed the opening last night at the Red Eye Grill, one that Odets would have loved (or actually hated). I ran into a lot of New York actors including Tovah Feldshuh, Tony Lo Bianco and Richard Schiff. David Schwimmer and Trudie Styler added some Hollywood type glamor to the evening. And there was a lot of blood-red steak, and a lot of big knives. Only Walter Winchell was missing, to finish us all off.
Katie Holmes May Be Going to Cannes, Too
As we await word on Thursday for the Cannes Film Festival selections, there is a film that may make the cut. It still has no title, but Christian Camargo has directed a modern day version of “The Seagull” starring Katie Holmes, William Hurt, Jean Reno. Both Mark Rylance and his daughter Juliet are in it–she’s married to Camargo, whose mother, Victoria Wyndham, played Rachel Cory on “Another World” for most of its 35 years on NBC. Got that? (And Juliet was born when Mark Rylance was only 19, got that? Talk about a soap opera!) Christian Camargo, who’s 42, is justontheverge of being a big deal, is considered an accomplished theater actor and up and coming director. If this untitled film is ready for Cannes, it will be quite a feather in his cap. If it’s not ready yet, look for it to emerge in Venice or Toronto. Either way, this will be a big deal for Katie Holmes, who’s looking to re-start the film career she more or less abandoned to marry Tom Cruise.
On the Town: Springsteen Applauds the Rascals; DeNiro, Sienna Miller Launch Tribeca Film Fest
It was a busy night in New York. Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa came out to support Steve and Maureen van Zandt, who produced the Rascals show on Broadway. “Sopranos” creator David Chase and his wife Denise were also there, as was Vincent Pastore and long ago Springsteen manager Mike Appel, as well as Bruce’s current managers Jon Landau and Barbara Carr (current like since 1977). The Rascals’ “Once Upon a Dream” plays until May 5th at the Richard Rodgers Theater. After the show, everyone went over to Sardi’s, where Bruce hailed Little Steven as an “entrepreneur.” Rascal Eddie Brigati praised van Zandt for his passion. “Anyone could have tried this but only Steven could have pulled it off. Back in the day we had no one. We didn’t even have a bass player. We did everything on our own. That’s how we got into trouble.” Indeed. Music producer Joe Mardin, son of the late Arif, who produced the Rascals great hits, stopped by to say hi, too…
…Earlier in the night, Vanity Fair kicked off the Tribeca Film Festival with their annual cocktail party at the State Superior Court in Foley Square. Graydon and Anna Carter hosted along with Ronald Perelman and Robert DeNiro, and Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff. Peggy Siegal brought “Great Gatsby” director Baz Luhrmann– his first outing since “locking” the film ten days ago. “I’ve been working on the soundtrack,” he told me. “Wait til you hear Fergie, Beyoncé and Jay Z.” Plus, it turns out that Bryan Ferry sings jazz all the way through the movie.
Some other guests–whom I was knocked out to meet– were Charles Sturridge and his wife, Phoebe Nicholls. He wrote and directed the all time great mini-series, “Brideshead Revisited” in 1981. Nicholls played Cordelia. They are married, and their 28 year old son, Tom Sturridge, is a famous young British actor now on Broadway with Alec Baldwin in “Orphans.” He is also engaged to Sienna Miller, and they have a nine month old daughter. So they are all here for “Orphans.” Sienna is glowing, and now she’s part of two amazing families.
Also at Vanity Fair: lots of movers and shakers in the media biz, from New York Times editor in chief Jill Abramson to Norm Pearlstine who runs Bloomberg News to Sir Howard Stringer, Gayle King, Charlie Rose, Wendi Deng Murdoch, Perri Peltz, Drew Nieporent, Tory Burch, Whoopi Goldberg. Sir Howard is upbeat about his impending retirement from running Sony, especially since I told him I bought a new Vaio laptop over the weekend. He told me: “For my retirement, the Sony owners sent me a big James Bond box filled with bobble-heads of all the Sony executives. When you touch each one, they have a recording saying nice things about me.” Of course they do! We’re going to miss Sir Howard. A lot.