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“Fatal Attraction” Actress, Leading Scientologist Hosting Pow-Wow Next Week

Roger Friedman
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Leading Scientology proponents Anne Archer and her husband Terry Jastrow are hsoting a cocktail party next week for a documentary about Sierra Leone. But does the filmmaker know the score here.

Archer, who played the put upon wife in “Fatal Attraction,” is a hot and heavy cult member, as is her husband. Her son, Tommy Davis, is the chief celebrity wrangler for Scientology.

The couple is hosting a party under the name “Artists for Human Rights”–which is major front for Scientology. “Artists for Human Rights” also has not filed a Form 990 federal tax form since 2009 despite having many gatherings as a 501 c 3 tax exempt organization. Among the Scientology board members for AHR is Thomas Lovejoy, who also works with Kristie Alley’s diet company.

Everyone involved in this event for doc maker Rebecca Richman Cohen is from Scientology including composer Mark Isham, a co-host of the event with his wife, the Jastrows and Vanessa Stoller, who runs the Scientology missions in Beverly Hills and Sherman Oaks.

The invite for the evening lists the University of Southern California Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic. Professor Hannah Garry, who’s on the invite, tells me she’s been to other events the Jastrows and Ishams have sponsored. “There’s never been any discussion of Scientology,” she told me today.

 

“American Idol” Walloped Again by CBS Comedies “Big Bang” and “Men”

Roger Friedman
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“American Idol” Walloped Again by CBS Comedies “Big Bang” and “Men”

Last night’s “American Idol” was down two tenths of a percent from Wednesday, but was up slightly compared to last Thursday. Still the once ferociously popular contestant show was skunked by CBS’s comedy block of “Big Bang Theory” and “Two and a Half Men” for the second Thursday in a row. “AI” scored a 3.9 on Thursday. “Theory”  had a 5.4 during the show’s first half hour.

“Men” tied “AI” during its second half, had a higher rating but slightly lower viewer numbers. The total number of estimated viewers for “Idol” dropped from 14.37 million on Wednesday to 13.5 million on Thursday. All of this suggests a few things: the Wednesday show doesn’t end with a great cliffhanger. The audience wanders around on Thursday and only comes back to the end of the show. They’re not on the edges of their seats to see what’s next.

When I was a kid, “Batman” ran twice during the week. You always came back for the second show because Batman and the Boy Wonder were in trouble. Maybe they should tie Mariah up or send Nicki toward a spinning blade, hang Randy over boiling oil, or put Keith in a pool of piranhas. Oh wait–he’s already there.

Just kidding.

 

Aerosmith, Foreigner Among this Year’s Songwriter Hall of Fame Inductees

Roger Friedman
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Aerosmith, Foreigner Among this Year’s Songwriter Hall of Fame Inductees

Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Mick Jones and Lou Gramm of Foreigner are among this year’s crop of inductees for the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The amazing annual dinner and show is scheduled for June 13th in New York–always the best night of the year for rock and roll hall of fame shows. Also being inducted are JD Souther, Holly Knight and Tony Hatch.

Tyler and Perry, of course, have tons of hits from “Dream On” to “Crazy.” Jones and Gramm’s hits include “I Want to Know What Love Is” to “Urgent.”

Hatch is famous for writing most of Petula Clark’s classics like “Downtown” and “Don’t Sleep in the Subway.”

Holly Knight has a huge resume that includes Tina Turner songs like “SImply the Best” and “Better Be Good to Me” to many hits for Pat Benatar and even Aerosmith’s “Rag Doll.”

I’m particularly happy about J.D. Souther. He’s co-written or written dozens of hits for the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, and Warren Zevon from “Her Town Too” to “Best of My Love.” He had his own big hit “You’re Only Lonely” and fronted one of my favorite one off groups–The Souther Hillman Furay Band. J.D. is also well known to “thirtysomething” fans as the guy who pregnant Hope had a semi-affair with. And he has great taste. One of his best friends is actress Mary Kay Place.

SHOF has more announcements coming including one that may make everyone very very excited. Stay tuned…

 

 

Pamela Anderson: A Work of (Kitsch) Art Makes Gallery Appearance

Roger Friedman
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Pamela Anderson: A Work of (Kitsch) Art Makes Gallery Appearance

Last night’s annual open gallery premiere at Gagosian in Beverly Hills brought a very crowded room full of the high and low. “We represent the low,” joked Sir Elton John, who arrived with partner David Furnish and their good pals Ingrid Sischy and Sandy Brandt.

But as big a star as Elton is, the momentary star of the night had to be “Baywatch” legend–yes, she’s a legend–Pamela Anderson. All I can say is, thanks for the mammaries. Pamela arrived alone, did a turn through the big room, had her picture taken in front of the Richard Prince paintings imagining the old West, and departed alone on her stilettos.

Anderson is something to meet in person. She’s probabloy 5’2″, but adds about four inches in her rockin’ shoes. She wore a clingy peach colored dress that emphasized her magnificent bosom. She’s a beautiful woman and a blow up doll who looks like a million bucks.

She is suntan orange. I don’t know if it’s sprayed on, or applied by drooling servants. But yowza. In a room full of women who were dressed in drab art gallery black, Anderson was like a bolt from the heavens. She is her own work of art. It’s kitsch art. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. She was incredibly pleasant, and gracious. Why was she there? Is she an art collector? We may never know.

Anderson was not the only celebrity in a room that was a curious combination of the famous, the infamous, the notorious, Hollywood hangers on, has-beens, will-be’s, won’t-be’s, and who knows what.

But the group that deserves mention includes Oscar winner Adrien Brody with his statuesque Russian girlfriend clad in a dress that may have been designed by Rubbermaid and just covered her curvaceous bum (she was actually very nice) and poised atop silver stilettos; as well as Fran Drescher, Jared Leto, John Sykes, Very Wang, fine actor Ronald Guttman and his bw Amy, Robbie Robertson, “Les Miz” director Tom Hooper (who seemed a little horrified), John Waters, and Gagosian collector Peter Brandt. There were plenty of artists, too, including father and son Ed Moses and Andy Moses. The group decamped to Mr. Chow for their annual dinner– too much to contemplate given the eclectic nature of the room.

Exclusive: Anne Hathaway’s Next Film A Rock Music Indie (But She Won’t Sing)

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Anne Hathaway’s Next Film A Rock Music Indie (But She Won’t Sing)

Exclusive– Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway has a great project in development that looks like it will be filmed this year. She’s going to star in “Song One,” an indie film about a young woman who’s involved with a rocker. And that will be rising British musician Johnny Flynn. Never heard of him? You will once this movie is released.

The songs–all original– are being written by two of our greatest “unknown” singer songwriters–Jenny Lewis from the group Rilo Kiley, and her boyfriend Johnathan Rice. The duo is well known in music circles and among those in the know. Lewis has been held hostage by Warner Bros. Records for years, but she’s one of Elvis Costello’s absolute favorities. Mine, too.

“SongOne” has a pair of hot producers, too: Oscar winner Jonathan Demme, and Hathaway’s husband, Adam Schulman. The director/writer is Kate Barker-Froyland, daughter of Sony Pictures Classics chief Michael Barker.

And by the way, so far Anne–who, as we know–loves to sing–has no vocals scheduled. At least so far!

Oscars Big Guns: Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman Will Present Awards

Roger Friedman
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Oscars Big Guns: Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman Will Present Awards

The big guns have just been announced for Sunday’s Oscar show: Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman. Not to say other big guns haven’t already been announced– Jane Fonda, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand (singing).

Few are missing from what you might call Hollywood’s reigning top tier. Clint Eastwood told us he’s staying home, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening may have had a scheduling issue. Sean Connery is a curmudgeon. But wow–the Oscars are pulling out every stop to make Sunday’s show memorable.

Then there are the “newer” reigning stars: Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson, John Travolta, Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Robert Downey Jr. Christoper Plummer will present Best Supporting Actress because he won Supporting Actor last year.

“James Bond” will be saluted in music–Shirley Bassey and Adele. Movie musicals “Chicago” and “Les Miserables” will bring their entire casts. Those two casts will do medleys from their shows– so yes, Anne Hathaway will sing at least part of “I Dreamed a Dream.”

Newer stars like Jeremy Renner, Kristen Stewart, Reese Witherspoon, and Jamie Foxx will each get their moments.

And lovely music superstar Norah Jones is going to sing the “Lullaby” from “Life of Pi.” So the Best Songs will be represented by Adele singing “Skyfall,” Hugh Jackson “Suddenly,” the show’s host Seth MacFarlane — “Everybody Needs a Friend” from “Ted.”

The last big musical surprise will no doubt be Scarlett Johansson singing and Joshua Bell playing violin on the song from “Chasing Ice.”

Plus of course Barbra, Jennifer Hudson, and Shirley Bassey. And tons more names that have already been announced.

My advice: have lots of snacks, caffeine, pillows, blankets, and no plans until Monday at noon!

 

 

 

 

 

Ben Foster Replaces Shia LaBeouf in Broadway “Orphans”

Roger Friedman
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Ben Foster Replaces Shia LaBeouf in Broadway “Orphans”

Ben Foster, a very talented actor, has replaced Shia LaBeouf in the Broadway production of “Orphans.” La Beouf dropped out of the produciton after locking horns with co-star Alec Baldwin and director Daniel Sullivan. Tom Sturridge is third actor in the revival of Lyle Kessler’s play about two brothers (Baldwin, Sturridge) who run afoul of Foster.

LaBeouf, a volatile character on a good day, was a bad mix with the equally volatile Baldwin. There’s been a lot of Tweeting and posting among all these guys. But basically Sullivan acknowledged that he’d made a mistake putting Alec and Shia together.

This isn’t the first time Alec has not played well with others backstage. A few years ago, Baldwin forced the lovely Broadway star Jan Maxwell out of the 2006y production of “Entertaining Mr. Sloane.” Maxwell, a Broadway favorite, couldn’t put up with Baldwin’s backstage histrionics. The New York Times reported that Baldwin punched a hole in a wall when an airconditioner malfunctioned.

LaBeouf has had his own anger and misbehavior problems. But Baldwin is notable for having public fights with photographers and reporters, and his own daughter.

Foster is a pretty level headed guy with a great resume. Most recently he’s starred in films like “The Messenger” and “X Men.” He’s also done a lot of producing and works with director Oren Moverman. Ben got his start years ago in Barry Levinson’s “Liberty Heights.” I can’t wait to see him on stage. Let’s hope this pairing works out.

 

 

 

 

 

Oscar Party Nights: Vanity Fair Beats The Wrap With Most Celebs

Roger Friedman
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Oscar party night: and the winner is Vanity Fair over The Wrap.com. By a mile. The popular glossy bible of pop culture had not one but two events last night, and brought in the A list crowd by miles. Most of the Les Miserables cast– director Tom Hooper, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, and Amanda Seyfried included– were celebrated at Eveleigh Restaurant to support The Los Angeles Fund for Public Education. Chrysler sponsored the night, and VF publisher Ed Menischechi hosted the cool party.

And it was jammed. We had a long talk with Hathaway and her nw husband Adam Shulman– more on that tonight…Eddie Redmayne had us laughing about his unfortunate attack of food poisoning at the recent BAFTA Awards in London. Just as he was about to go on stage with Sally Field to present an award, Eddie became violently ill. “I thought no one would know, but of course Sally announced it from the stage. I had three hundred text messages the next morning.”

Over at the Chateau Marmont, VF hosted a dinner for “Silver Linings Playbook” director David O. Russell and the cast. I ran into producer Jon Gordon and Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver later in the evening, still hanging at the Chateau’s heated tented outdoor garden. Jacki’s actor husband is stuck in Australia performing Shakespeare and is missing the Oscars this year.

Also hanging at the Chateau: our favorite neighbor from New York, Patty Clarkson, who’s in town for meetings and production details on a new movie. She’s going to the big Vanity Fair dinner and party on Sunday. Now we know everything will be all right if Patty’s in town. The Chateau is hopping of course. It’s the number 1 hangout other than Soho House. Wild!

And The Wrap? They put on a big party at the Four Seasons, and yielded exactly one acting nominee: Jessica Chastain. David O. Russell and Kathryn Bigelow stopped by. But really. Ir was a pedestrian event at best.

Martin Scorsese Will Honor First Time Filmmakers

Roger Friedman
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Oscar winning director, legend, and great guy Martin Scorsese is coming to the First Time Festival in New York next month. Scorsese will present the first ever John Huston Award to “Black Swan” director Darren Aronofsky at the Players Club on March 4th. The First Time Fest honors new filmmakers. This year’s impressive jury includes Barbara Kopple, Christine Vachon, Melvin van Peebles, Sofia Coppola, Todd Solondz, and the B52s’s Fred Schneider. Details for tickets– the festival runs from March 1st-4th in NYC– at www.firstimefest.com

COMPETITION FILMS – (please visit web site for film descriptions)

 

BLUMENTHAL – New York Premiere. USA, 86 minutes. Written and directed by Seth Fisher. With Fisher, Brian Cox, Mark Blum, Laila Robins, Mei Melançon.

 

HEADFIRST (LA TETE LA PREMIERE) – U.S. Premiere.  Belgium/France, 89 minutes. Written and directed by Amélie van Elmbt. With Alice de Lencquesaing, David Murgia, Jacques Doillon.

 

HORIZON SKY – World Premiere. Belarus, 133 mins. Written and directed by Dmitry Marinin, Andrey Kureychik. With Leonid Pashkovsky, Tatyana Bovkalova, Viktor Rybchinsky, Anna Sirotina.

I LOVE YOU ALL (LOS QUIERO A TODOS) – U.S. Premiere.  Argentina, 75 mins. Written, directed, and produced by Luciano Quillici. With Ramiro Aguero, Santiago Gobemori, Diego Jalfen, Valeria Louis, Leticia Mazur, Margarita Molfino, Alan Sabbagh.

JUNCTION – USA, 90 mins.  Written and directed by Tony Glazer. With Tom Pelphrey, Neal Bledsoe, Harris Doran, Summer Crockett Moore, Anthony Rapp, David Zayas, Michael O’Keefe

 

MONGOLIAN BLING – U.S. Premiere. Australia/Mongolia, 90 mins. Documentary, directed by Benj Binks.

 

SAL – New York Premiere.  Chile/Argentina, 112 mins. Written and directed by Diego Rougier. With Fele Martínez, Patricio Contreras, Sergio Hernández, Javiera Contador.

 

SUBMERGE – World Premiere.  Australia, 90 mins. Directed by Sophie O’Connor. With Lily Hall, Christina Hallett, Kevin Dee, Georgia Bolton.

SUMMERTIME – New York Premiere.USA, 90 mins. Written and directed by Max Weissberg. With Lethia Nall, Eric Garcia, Rob Hollander, H.R. Britton, James Eason, Jenny Grace, Olivia Horton, Michele Cesari.

 

UPRISING – USA/Egypt, 85 mins. Documentary directed by Fredrik Stanton.

 

URBAN TALE – U.S. Premiere. Israel, 90 mins. Written and directed by Eliav Lilti. With Barak Friedman, Noa Friedman, Esti Yerushalmi, Zohar Shtrauss, Ohad Knoller, Michal Shtamler.

 

ZIPPER – USA, 77 mins. Documentary directed by Amy Nicholson.

 

 

FIRST EXPOSURE FILMS – (please visit web site for film descriptions)

 

BOTTLE ROCKET – USA, 1996, 91 mins. Speaker TBA. Directed by Wes Anderson. Written by Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson. Cast: Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Robert Musgrave, Andrew Wilson, Lumi Cavazos, James Caan.

 

HARLAN COUNTY, U.S.A. – USA, 1976, 103 mins. Barbara Kopple in person. Documentary directed by Barbara Kopple.

 

JACK GOES BOATING – USA, 2010, 91 mins. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Ryan in person. Directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Written by Robert Glaudini. Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Ryan, John Ortiz, Daphne Rubin-Vega.

 

THE MALTESE FALCON – USA, 1941, 101 mins. Speaker TBA. Written and directed by John Huston. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Elisha Cook, Jr.

 

PI – USA, 1998, 83 mins. Speaker TBA. Written and directed by Darren Aronofsky. Cast: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Pamela Hart, Stephen Pearlman.

 

POISON  – USA, 1991, 85 mins. Producer Christine Vachon in person. Written and directed by Todd Haynes. Cast: Edith Meeks, Millie White, Buck Smith, Anne Giotta, Lydia Lafleur, Ian Nemser

 

THE STORY OF A THREE-DAY PASS – USA, 1968, 87 mins. Melvin van Peebles in person. Written and directed by Melvin Van Peebles. Cast: Harry Baird, Pierre Doris, Christian Marin, Nicole Berger

 

TRUE LOVE – USA, 1989, 84 mins. Nancy Savoca in person. Directed by Nancy Savoca. Written by Nancy Savoca and Richard Guay. Cast: Annabella Sciorra, Ron Eldard, Aida Turturro, Roger Rignack

 

THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH – USA, 1989, 90 mins. Hal Hartley in person. Written and directed by Hal Hartley. Cast: Adrienne Shelley, Robert John Burke, Edie Falco, Gary Sauer.

 

THE VIRGIN SUICIDES – USA, 1999, 97 mins. Sofia Coppola and cinematographer Ed Lachman in person. Written and directed by Sofia Coppola. Cast: Kirsten Dunst, James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Josh Hartnett, Michael Paré, Danny DeVito

 

WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE – USA, 1996, 88 mins. Todd Solondz in person. Written and directed by Todd Solondz. Cast: Heather Matarazzo, Brendan Sexton III, Matthew Faber, Daria Kalinina, Eric Mabius

 

“American Idol” Hits A Wednesday Ratings Low, Down 5% from Last Week

Roger Friedman
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“American Idol” Hits A Wednesday Ratings Low, Down 5% from Last Week

This pains me because I really enjoy Randy, Mariah and Keith (and to some extent Nicki Minaj) but “American Idol” is really showing signs of age. Last night’s ratings were 5 % lower than last Wednesday’s, making it the lowest rated Wednesday show since 2002.

With a 4.1 in the key demo, Idol is losing its viewers week by week. Last week, the Thursday show was a 3.7, which means that tonight could be dismal. Something has to be done fast. I do think “Idol” needs performances by current or legacy stars, and some mentors to boost the show.

UPDATE: http://www.showbiz411.com/2013/02/22/american-idol-walloped-again-by-cbs-comedies-big-bang-and-men

Granted, “Idol” still won the night and has a huge following. But “Modern Family” was close behind with a 3.9. I hope tonight Mariah just stands up, belts out a song, and tosses Nicki Minaj over her shoulder. Action!

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