There was a long hold up last night at the big premiere for Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained.” First it was hell getting all the guests into the Ziegfeld Theater–sort of mass chaos as lines of guests bunched up. Even Sony Chairman Sir Howard Stringer waited patiently to get his tickets–and he financed the movie. There were lots and lots of A listers besides the big star cast — including legendary singer Patti Smith, Liv Tyler, Jeremy Piven, and Uma Thurman.

Smith had just gotten off a plane from Dublin and came straight to the premiere. “I love Quentin’s movies,” she told me. And she loved this one.

Once inside, things still did not get underway. When Tarantino was introduced by Harvey Weinstein, he conceded that there had been a problem with the blub in the projector in the projectionist’s booth. “Yes, we’re using real 35 millimeter film,” Tarantino said. “In the old days I might have really gone crazy and had a hit. But in the days of DVD projection, it’s kind of romantic having this problem.”

The audience loved “Django.” By the time everyone got downtown for the party at the Standard’s enclosed Beer Garden, both Variety and the Hollywood Reporter had issued raves. Stars Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz came to the snappy get-to-together but Leonardo DiCaprio had to get back to the set of Martin Scorsese’s “Wolf of Wall Street.” Foxx told me: “I spent a year of my life on this film. I think Quentin Tarantino is actually a genius. He may be the best director working today.”

The “Django” party also attracted billionaires Ron Burkle and Paul Allen, the latter who looks great after a huge battle he’s won against cancer. Also there were a too long not seen Cameron Diaz, plus Ahmad Rashad, writer-director Peter Hedges, Richard Belzer, Sharon Osbourne, and “Gone Baby Gone” star Amy Ryan.

Around 1am, Foxx took over the deejay stand and started making toasts– his 45th birthday is the day after tomorrow–to himself, to Tarantino, and to everyone else. Waltz, who saw “Django” for the first time, told me: “I have to see it again. I was too nervous.” For the record, he’s just terrific. He and Foxx make an excellent team.

Most of the cast of the movie “Les Miserables” made it to the famed Four Seasons pool room today for a celebratory lunch. They’d been been to bed around 3 am, they explained, partying after the premiere of the magnificent film musical last night at the Museum of Modern Art, and then at an after party.

“The last time I saw Samantha Barks,” Jackman said, “was at 3am in her pajamas in the lobby of our hotel!”

There was supposed to be a Q&A after lunch, and four chairs were set up for that purpose.

But director Tom Hooper didn’t like that idea. “Can’t we do something else?” And so, they did: Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Samantha Barks, Eddie Redmayne and the kids from the cast serenaded the lunchers with an impromptu take on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

This was after,  mind you, Barks, Hathaway, and Jackman each sang for the group that included Universal execs as well as “Lion King” creator Julie Taymor, actresses Kim Cattrall and Dana Ivey, Universal Pics execs, plus New Yorker writer-editor Rick Hertzberg and a variety of media and showbiz types. With four floor to ceiling Christmas trees lit up around the pool, it was quite an event for Redmayne. He’d never been to the Four Seasons even though it figured largely in the Broadway play for which he’d won a Tony called “Red,” about artist Mark Rothko.

Hathaway was excited because, she said, she’d been trying out different spots under the Brooklyn Bridge acoustics-wise for singing. “I may just try Christmas caroling and see if anyone joins in,” she said.

Before the “Les Miz” gang leaped into the fray, singer-songwriter Peter Cincotti took advantage of the piano and performed “Master of the House” for everyone assembled, to rave reviews. That may have been the impetus for Jackman, who admitted he’d never seen a mic he could pass up. Jackman dedicated a song to his wife Deborra-Lee, who was beaming.

The lunch turned out to be a celebration, as well, for the 11 nominations “Les Miz” received today from the Critics Choice Awards.

Somewhere pigs are flying and hell has frozen over. Jann Wenner has let legendary producer Quincy Jones be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non performer. It’s hard to imagine what went on behind closed doors to allow this momentous occasion to come to pass. Q, as he is known, should have been in the Rock Hall at least 20 years ago. It always seemed like it would never happen.

But now, as Quincy turns 80 in March, his vast accomplishments will at last be celebrated. The other non performer who will be inducted at the same time is producer/impresario Lou Adler, who gave the world Dunhill Records (Mamas and the Papas, Grass Roots, etc) and Carole King’s Tapestry, as well as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and the Monterey Pop Festival. Each of them is long overdue.

And the artists who got in: Randy Newman, also long in the coming; Heart, Rush, Donna Summer, Public Enemy, Albert King. I’m not going to debate the various merits of who got in, but basically, the whole thing is over with a capital O. I know the Rush fans are very excited. Donna Summer, if she were going to be inducted, should have been while she was alive. The voters are too young now to care that the Marvelettes, the first Motown group, are not in. And so on. Public Enemy is rap. Rush is bombastic rock. Heart had two or three hits, even though we love ’em. Only Randy Newman has had a profound effect on popular music.

This edition of the installation dinner will take place in Los Angeles, where the whole thing should end with a whimper.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will make a musical sandwich with Paul McCartney tomorrow night at the 12-12-12 Concert at Madison Square Garden. The scrumptious filling will be composed of the Rolling Stones, The Who, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi and several more star acts. The show begins at 7:30 pm, streamed on dozens of websites and broadcast everywhere on TV. It’s also being shown in movie theaters. Check www.121212.concert.org for all the details. Organizers say that between ticket sales at the Garden (very expensive) and sponsorships they’ve got $30 million in hand. Devastated areas in New York and New Jersey really need it as people are suffering without their homes or possessions. PS I’d bet good money now that the closing song is “Hey Jude.” The opener? I’m still waiting for Bruce to do “Sandy (Fourth of July).” Tickets are still available, in short supply and high prices, at StubHub.

The Broadcast Critics–who choose the Critics Choice Awards–are just announcing their nominations for 2012. The group gave its most nods to “Lincoln,” “Les Miz,” and “Silver Linings Playbook.” They received, respectively, 13, 11, and 10 nominations each.

Two really great choices were in Best Supporting Actor and Actress– for Javier Bardem and Judi Dench in the James Bond movie “Skyfall.” How wonderful is that?

One notable omission: Leonardo DiCaprio for “Django Unchained.” Even though “Django” got a Best Picture nod, none of its actors nor director Quentin Tarantino was cited. Tarantino did get a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. “Django” was screened late, which may have been a problem. Also, voters only get three choices per category, and “Django” being so late may not have had time to sink in.

Also missing is a supporting actor for “Les Miz.” I think voters are confused about Russell Crowe and Eddie Redmayne, so chose neither. They’re both good, but I’d go for Redmayne in this case.

Some terrific movies are now going to start falling away from the awards season but should really be seen when they come out. They include “Promised Land” with Matt Damon and John Krasinski, and “Quartet,” directed by Dustin Hoffman. Even without awards, they are well worth seeing. Also “Hitchcock” with Helen Mirren and Anthony Hopkins.

The Critics Choice Awards air on the CW Network on January 10th.

 

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 18^th ANNUAL CRITICS’ CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS

 

BEST PICTURE

Argo

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Django Unchained

Les Misérables

Life of Pi

Lincoln

The Master

Moonrise Kingdom

Silver Linings Playbook

Zero Dark Thirty

 

BEST ACTOR

Bradley Cooper – “Silver Linings Playbook”

Daniel Day-Lewis – “Lincoln”

John Hawkes – “The Sessions”

Hugh Jackman – “Les Misérables”

Joaquin Phoenix – “The Master”

Denzel Washington – “Flight”

 

BEST ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain – “Zero Dark Thirty”

Marion Cotillard – “Rust and Bone”

Jennifer Lawrence – “Silver Linings Playbook”

Emmanuelle Riva – “Amour”

Quvenzhané Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

Naomi Watts – “The Impossible”

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin – “Argo”

Javier Bardem – “Skyfall”

Robert De Niro – “Silver Linings Playbook”

Philip Seymour Hoffman – “The Master”

Tommy Lee Jones – “Lincoln”

Matthew McConaughey – “Magic Mike”

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams – “The Master”

Judi Dench – “Skyfall”

Ann Dowd – “Compliance”

Sally Field – “Lincoln”

Anne Hathaway – “Les Misérables”

Helen Hunt – “The Sessions”

 

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS

Elle Fanning – “Ginger & Rosa”

Kara Hayward – “Moonrise Kingdom”

Tom Holland – “The Impossible”

Logan Lerman – “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”

Suraj Sharma – “Life of Pi”

Quvenzhané Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

 

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

Argo

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Les Misérables

Lincoln

Moonrise Kingdom

Silver Linings Playbook

 

BEST DIRECTOR

Ben Affleck – “Argo”

Kathryn Bigelow – “Zero Dark Thirty”

Tom Hooper – “Les Misérables”

Ang Lee – “Life of Pi”

David O. Russell – “Silver Linings Playbook”

Steven Spielberg – “Lincoln”

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Quentin Tarantino – “Django Unchained”

John Gatins – “Flight”

Rian Johnson – “Looper”

Paul Thomas Anderson – “The Master”

Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola – “Moonrise Kingdom”

Mark Boal – “Zero Dark Thirty”

 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Chris Terrio – “Argo”

David Magee – “Life of Pi”

Tony Kushner – “Lincoln”

Stephen Chbosky – “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”

David O. Russell – “Silver Linings Playbook”

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

“Les Misérables” – Danny Cohen

“Life of Pi” – Claudio Miranda

“Lincoln” – Janusz Kaminski

“The Master” – Mihai Malaimare Jr.

“Skyfall” – Roger Deakins

 

BEST ART DIRECTION

“Anna Karenina” – Sarah Greenwood/Production Designer; Katie Spencer/Set Decorator

“The Hobbit” – Dan Hennah/Production Designer; Ra Vincent & Simon Bright/Set Decorators

“Les Misérables” – Eve Stewart/Production Designer; Anna Lynch-Robinson/Set Decorator

“Life of Pi” – David Gropman/Production Designer; Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator

“Lincoln” – Rick Carter/Production Designer; Jim Erickson/Set Decorator

 

BEST EDITING

“Argo” – William Goldenberg

“Les Misérables” – Melanie Ann Oliver and Chris Dickens

“Life of Pi” – Tim Squyres

“Lincoln” – Michael Kahn

“Zero Dark Thirty” – William Goldenberg and Dylan Tichenor

 

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

“Anna Karenina” – Jacqueline Durran

“Cloud Atlas” – Kym Barrett and Pierre-Yves Gayraud

“The Hobbit” – Bob Buck, Ann Maskrey and Richard Taylor

“Les Misérables” – Paco Delgado

“Lincoln” – Joanna Johnston

 

BEST MAKEUP

Cloud Atlas

The Hobbit

Les Misérables

Lincoln

 

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

The Avengers

Cloud Atlas

The Dark Knight Rises

The Hobbit

Life of Pi

 

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Brave

Frankenweenie

Madagascar 3

ParaNorman

Rise of the Guardians

Wreck-It Ralph

 

BEST ACTION MOVIE

The Avengers

The Dark Knight Rises

Looper

Skyfall

 

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE

Christian Bale – “The Dark Knight Rises”

Daniel Craig – “Skyfall”

Robert Downey Jr. – “The Avengers”

Joseph Gordon-Levitt – “Looper”

Jake Gyllenhaal – “End of Watch”

 

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE

Emily Blunt – “Looper”

Gina Carano – “Haywire”

Judi Dench – “Skyfall”

Anne Hathaway – “The Dark Knight Rises”

Jennifer Lawrence – “The Hunger Games”

 

BEST COMEDY

Bernie

Silver Linings Playbook

Ted

This Is 40

21 Jump Street

 

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Jack Black – “Bernie”

Bradley Cooper – “Silver Linings Playbook”

Paul Rudd – “This Is 40”

Channing Tatum – “21 Jump Street”

Mark Wahlberg – “Ted”

 

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Mila Kunis – “Ted”

Jennifer Lawrence – “Silver Linings Playbook”

Shirley MacLaine – “Bernie”

Leslie Mann – “This Is 40”

Rebel Wilson – “Pitch Perfect”

 

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE

The Cabin in the Woods

Looper

Prometheus

 

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Amour

The Intouchables

A Royal Affair

Rust and Bone

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Bully

The Central Park Five

The Imposter

The Queen of Versailles

Searching for Sugar Man

West of Memphis

 

BEST SONG

“For You” – performed by Keith Urban/written by Monty Powell & Keith Urban – Act of Valor

“Learn Me Right” – performed by Birdy with Mumford & Sons/written by Mumford & Sons – Brave

“Skyfall” – performed by Adele/written by Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth – Skyfall

“Still Alive” – performed by Paul Williams/written by Paul Williams – Paul Williams Still Alive

“Suddenly” – performed by Hugh Jackman/written by Claude-Michel Schonberg & Alain Boublil & Herbert Kretzmer – Les Misérables

 

BEST SCORE

“Argo” – Alexandre Desplat

“Life of Pi” – Mychael Danna

“Lincoln” – John Williams

“The Master” – Jonny Greenwood

“Moonrise Kingdom” – Alexandre Desplat

 

 

 

NOMINEES BY PICTURE FOR

THE 18^th ANNUAL CRITICS’ CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS

 

21 JUMP STREET – 2 Nominations

Best Comedy

Best Actor in a Comedy/Channing Tatum

 

A ROYAL AFFAIR – 1 Nomination

Best Foreign Language Film

 

ACT OF VALOR – 1 Nomination

Best Song/“For You”

 

AMOUR – 2 Nominations

Best Actress/Emmanuelle Riva

Best Foreign Language Film

 

ANNA KARENINA – 2 Nominations

Best Art Direction

Best Costume Design

 

ARGO – 7 Nominations

Best Picture

Best Supporting Actor/Alan Arkin

Best Acting Ensemble

Best Director/Ben Affleck

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Editing

Best Score

 

THE AVENGERS – 3 Nominations

Best Visual Effects

Best Action Movie

Best Actor in an Action Movie/Robert Downey Jr.

 

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD – 3 Nominations

Best Picture

Best Actress/Quvenzhane Wallis

Best Young Actress/Quvenzhane Wallis

 

BERNIE – 3 Nominations

Best Comedy

Best Actor in a Comedy/Jack Black

Best Actress in a Comedy/Shirley MacLaine

 

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL – 1 Nomination

Best Acting Ensemble

 

BRAVE – 2 Nominations

Best Animated Feature

Best Song/ “Learn Me Right”

 

BULLY – 1 Nomination

Best Documentary Feature

 

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS – 1 Nomination

Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie

 

THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE – 1 Nomination

Best Documentary Feature

 

CLOUD ATLAS – 3 Nominations

Best Costume Design

Best Makeup

Best Visual Effects

 

COMPLIANCE – 1 Nomination

Best Supporting Actress/Ann Dowd

 

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES – 4 Nominations

Best Visual Effects

Best Action Movie

Best Actor in an Action Movie/Christian Bale

Best Actress in an Action Movie/Anne Hathaway

 

DJANGO UNCHAINED – 2 Nominations

Best Picture

Best Original Screenplay

 

END OF WATCH – 1 Nomination

Best Actor in an Action Movie/Jake Gyllenhaal

 

FLIGHT – 2 Nominations

Best Actor/Denzel Washington

Best Original Screenplay

 

FRANKENWEENIE – 1 Nomination

Best Animated Feature

 

GINGER & ROSA – 1 Nomination

Best Young Actress/Elle Fanning

 

HAYWIRE – 1 Nomination

Best Actress in an Action Movie/Gina Carano

 

THE HOBBIT – 4 Nominations

Best Art Direction

Best Costume Design

Best Makeup

Best Visual Effects

 

THE HUNGER GAMES – 1 Nomination

Best Actress in an Action Movie/Jennifer Lawrence

 

THE IMPOSSIBLE – 2 Nominations

Best Actress/Naomi Watts

Best Young Actor/Tom Holland

 

THE IMPOSTER – 1 Nomination

Best Documentary Feature

 

THE INTOUCHABLES – 1 Nomination

Best Foreign Language Film

 

LES MISÉRABLES – 11 Nominations

Best Picture

Best Actor/Hugh Jackman

Best Supporting Actress/Anne Hathaway

Best Acting Ensemble

Best Director/Tom Hooper

Best Cinematography

Best Art Direction

Best Editing

Best Costume Design

Best Makeup

Best Song/ “Suddenly”

 

LIFE OF PI – 9 Nominations

Best Picture

Best Young Actor/Suraj Sharma

Best Director/Ang Lee

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Cinematography

Best Art Direction

Best Editing

Best Visual Effects

Best Score

 

LINCOLN – 13 Nominations

Best Picture

Best Actor/Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Supporting Actor/Tommy Lee Jones

Best Supporting Actress/Sally Field

Best Acting Ensemble

Best Director/Steven Spielberg

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Cinematography

Best Art Direction

Best Editing

Best Costume Design

Best Makeup

Best Score

 

LOOPER – 5 Nominations

Best Original Screenplay

Best Action Movie

Best Actor in an Action Movie/Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Best Actress in an Action Movie/Emily Blunt

Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie

 

MADAGASCAR 3 – 1 Nomination

Best Animated Feature

 

MAGIC MIKE – 1 Nomination

Best Supporting Actor/Matthew McConaughey

 

THE MASTER – 7 Nominations

Best Picture

Best Actor/Joaquin Phoenix

Best Supporting Actor/Philip Seymour Hoffman

Best Supporting Actress/Amy Adams

Best Original Screenplay

Best Cinematography

Best Score

 

MOONRISE KINGDOM – 5 Nominations

Best Picture

Best Young Actress/Kara Hayward

Best Acting Ensemble

Best Original Screenplay

Best Score

 

PARANORMAN – 1 Nomination

Best Animated Feature

 

PAUL WILLIAMS STILL ALIVE – 1 Nomination

Best Song/“Still Alive”

 

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER – 2 Nominations

Best Young Actor/Logan Lerman

Best Adapted Screenplay

 

PITCH PERFECT – 1 Nomination

Best Actress in a Comedy/Rebel Wilson

 

PROMETHEUS – 1 Nomination

Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie

 

THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES – 1 Nomination

Best Documentary Feature

 

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS – 1 Nomination

Best Animated Feature

 

RUST AND BONE- 2 Nominations

Best Actress/Marion Cotillard

Best Foreign Language Film

 

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN – 1 Nomination

Best Documentary Feature

 

THE SESSIONS – 2 Nominations

Best Actor/John Hawkes

Best Supporting Actress/Helen Hunt

 

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK – 10 Nominations

Best Picture

Best Actor/Bradley Cooper

Best Actress/Jennifer Lawrence

Best Supporting Actor/Robert De Niro

Best Acting Ensemble

Best Director/David O. Russell

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Comedy

Best Actor in a Comedy/Bradley Cooper

Best Actress in a Comedy/Jennifer Lawrence

 

SKYFALL – 7 Nominations

Best Supporting Actor/Javier Bardem

Best Supporting Actress/Judi Dench

Best Cinematography

Best Action Movie

Best Actor in an Action Movie/Daniel Craig

Best Actress in an Action Movie/Judi Dench

Best Song/“Skyfall”

 

TED – 3 Nominations

Best Comedy

Best Actor in a Comedy/Mark Wahlberg

Best Actress in a Comedy/Mila Kunis

 

THIS IS 40 – 3 Nominations

Best Comedy

Best Actor in a Comedy/Paul Rudd

Best Actress in a Comedy/Leslie Mann

 

WEST OF MEMPHIS – 1 Nomination

Best Documentary Feature

 

WRECK IT RALPH – 1 Nomination

Best Animated Feature

 

ZERO DARK THIRTY – 5 Nominations

Best Picture

Best Actress/Jessica Chastain

Best Director/Kathryn Bigelow

Best Original Screenplay

Best Editing

Exclusive: Tonya Pinkins, the former star of “All My Children” and Tony award winner for Broadway’s “Jelly’s Last Jam” knows all about the mother of murdered 31 year old Brandon Woodard. “We’ve been waiting for something like this,” Pinkins told me this morning about Woodard. Pinkins has been in court and legal battles with Woodard’s mother Sandra McBeth Reynolds for years over what Pinkins calls McBeth Reynolds’  “family’s crimes.”

When I called Pinkins this morning she was unaware of the headline making story: that Woodard had been shot dead yesterday in midtown Manhattan in what looks to be an execution style murder.  But she wasn’t surprised.

Pinkins told me: “I’ve been trying to get the FBI, the US attorney to do something about this family for five years.” She says McBeth, now McBeth Reynolds– currently married to Pinkins’s ex and the father of her 16 year old daughter– has been a “big Black Collar criminal. She’s connected to judges, in my experience with her.” Pinkins says that in the past Woodard has allegedly forged all kinds of documents, and that “she’s been caught at it in court, and nothing’s happened to her.”

Pinkins says that McBeth and her prior husband, James Reynolds, have had a years long feud since 2006 that involves $30 million that is now “gone.” Pinkins says McBeth’s current husband– who is Pinkins’ ex-boyfriend and father of her daughter, is an attorney with legal and substance abuse problems. “Sandra cashed my child support checks that he supposedly sent to me. I have copies of all the receipts and her signature,” Pinkins says.

Pinkins’ ex lover, Rodney David Wellington, was a lawyer who was disbarred in 2006. He also suffered from substance abuse. But he and McBeth Reynolds now have custody of his and Pinkins’ 16 year old daughter. http://www.iardc.org/05RT3001HB.HTML

It was Pinkins who put up the website, www.sandramcbeth.info. She says McBeth sued her over the website. “We went to trial for two days.” Ultimately the case was thrown out because the information on the website was all derived from public records, Pinkins said. (Pinkins herself has had a tortured past with ex husbands, children and custody issues: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/02/theater/theater-the-trials-of-tonya-pinkins.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm)

McBeth has countered with her own website: http://sandrakaymcbeth.wordpress.com/

Pinkins says murdered Brandon Woodard’s name is on documents created by his mother on various loans and mortgages. “She would sell properties to Brandon and then he would default on them.” Pinkins says she has a mound of paperwork with McBeth and Woodard’s names, a complicated paper trail. “The number of people they burned, and people who lost their homes, is huge. Their enemies list is huge.”

READ THIS

http://www.showbiz411.com/2012/12/11/exclusive-manhattan-killing-executed-mans-mother-had-enemies-in-los-angeles

 

Brandon Lincoln Woodard was killed on West 58th St. yesterday afternoon in what looks like an execution. Police released information that Woodard’s mother, Sandra McBeth Reynolds, owns a company in Los Angeles called United Mortgage. Only one problem: on the internet, and with the government, Sandra McBeth Reynolds has enemies a mile long.

Not everyone’s mother has a website set up by her enemies. But Brandon Woodard’s did. It’s at www.sandramcbeth.info. There are sections devoted to her alleged criminal activities and lawsuits, questions about her college degree, etc. It’s not a pretty picture.

The California Department of Corporations suspended United Mortgage from doing business for 60 days from December 1, 2009 to February 1, 2010: http://www.corp.ca.gov/ENF/pdf/u/unitedcasystems_OS.pdf.

In her bio, available on that website, Sandra McBeth is described as an entrepreneur who skyrocketed from a small office on South La Brea Avenue in a poor part of Los Angeles to selling loans to a skyscraper success in Century City, just outside of posh Beverly Hills, California.

The Better Business Bureau — which does not give accreditation to United Mortgage– details on its website actions taken against the company:

Government Actions

Agency: Department of Corporations
Description: On December 2, 2009 this company entered into a settlement agreement with the California Department of Corporations (DOC) to resolve charges filed as a result of a scheduled regulatory examination which took place in April 2008. The company was required to electronically file application/loan and servicing reports with the DOC by March 7, 2008. The company failed to file the reports in violation of State Financial Codes.

On June 5, 2008, one of the Commissioner’s examiners went to the company’s licensed location of record. The examiner discovered that the company had relocated its business operations without providing prior notification to the Department in violation of State Financial Codes. When the Commissioner’s examiner subsequently attempted to visit the licensee’s new location, the company denied the examiner access and failed to provide the requested reports and examination documentation in violation of State law.

In addition, the Department received information that on September 17, 2007, the company’s President, Sandra Kay McBeth, plead nolo contendere to a charge of unlawful taking/retaining of a vehicle in violation of Vehicle Code section 10851. At the time of entry of the plea, McBeth was the president and primary stockholder of United International. . On June 9, 2008, the Department sent a letter to United International informing them that due to Ms. McBeth’s violation, she was prohibited from serving as an officer, director, partner, shareholder controlling 10% or more of ownership interest.. The letter also informed the company that it was in violation of State law for any period during which McBeth held a prohibited position with the licensee. The Department further requested confirmation that McBeth had been removed from all positions and relinquished control of ownership interest of 10% or more. On June 24, 2008, the licensee provided the Department copies of minutes from a June 18, 2008 special meeting of the board of directors of United International. The minutes reflected that McBeth resigned as president and relinquished control of ownership interest of 10% or more in United International. The minutes further stated that Dori Sanford (“Sanford”) had been appointed vice president in charge of United International’s daily affairs. The minutes were signed by Bill Shack and Timothy Woods both of whom were identified as directors of the company.

On or about June 10, 2008, a meeting took place between the licensee and the DOC. An individual attending the meeting provided the Department with a business card identifying himself as “Rod Wellington, Esq.” (“Wellington). Wellington’s business card represented that he was the “Chief Operating Officer” of “United International Mortgage Bank.” On or about February 24, 2009, the Department received information that Wellington had been denied reinstatement to the practice of law by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission on January 4, 2006. Wellington’s suspension was due to neglect, misrepresentation, failure to communicate with clients, failure to refund fees, and practicing law without being registered with the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. The Illinois Supreme Court’s judgment denying reinstatement was issued within seven years of Wellington’s ostensible service as of an officer of United International. Accordingly, the company was in violation of State law for any period during which Wellington held a prohibited position or controlled ownership interest of 10% or more of the licensee. On or about February 1, 2008, an Activity Report form was sent to all CRMLA licensees with a notice that the 2007 Activity Report was due on or before March 1, 2008. The company failed to timely submit its 2007 Activity Report to the Commissioner.

On May 15, 2008, the Commissioner assessed a penalty of $1000 pursuant to State Financial Codes against the company for failing to file the 2007 Activity Report. The company also failed to file its 2008 Activity Report to the Commissioner and was subject to assessment of penalties pursuant to State law. The company also failed to pay its annual assessment to the Department for the 2008-2009 in violation of State Financial Codes.

On October 21, 2008, the Commissioner issued the company a Notice of Intention to Issue Order Revoking Residential Mortgage Lender and Servicer Licenses; Accusation and accompanying documents (collectively, the “Notice”). The Notice was amended on April 23, 2009 and August 18, 2009. The company requested an administrative hearing request, and a hearing was commenced at the Los Angeles Office of Administrative Hearings. On the second day of hearing, the Administrative Law Judge issued an order continuing the matter to December 2, 2009.

On December 2, 2009 the parties entered into a settlement agreement without the admission of guilt or wrongdoing by the company. The company agreed to the immediate issuance by the Commissioner of an order suspending their residential mortgage lender and residential mortgage servicer license for a period of 60 calendar days (“Suspension Order”). The 60-day suspension was in effect from December 2, 2009 through February 1, 2010, during which period the company was prohibited from accepting any new business, but was permitted to continue to service any outstanding loan. As full and final resolution of the Notice, the company agreed to pay the Commissioner the sum of $13,000.00 in penalties. The company also agreed to an automatic revocation of its residential mortgage lender and residential mortgage servicer license if fine amounts were not paid, or the company failed to comply with the terms of the agreement. Upon entry, the Order was finalized.

Date of Action: 12/2/2009

Monday night brought the very lavish, wild premiere for “Les Miserables” to New York’s Ziegfeld Theater. By the time we got a very crowded corner of the lobby of the Museum of Modern Art for the swanky after party, Hugh Jackman’s wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, surveyed the room. We saw Hugh about 20 feet away, swarmed by adoring fans. “Hugh doesn’t even realize how big this is going to be,” Furness said in her lilting Australian accent. “It’s only just dawned on me.”

Indeed, Universal Pictures is pulling out all the stops for “Les Miz,” directed by Oscar winner Tom Hooper. There was a London premiere, and there will be one in Hollywood. Today, there’s a massive, elegant lunch for the cast and crew. Tonight, Jackman is honored by the Museum of the Moving Image. Anyone vaguely connected to the film will be there, too.

Last night, I sat with the audience through my second screening. Jon Bon Jovi and wife Dorothea were there–she’s a huge fan of the musical. “Raging Bull” star Cathy Moriarty couldn’t get enough of it. Richard Kind was over the top, as were Zach Brafman and a dozen or more celebs who braved the annoying rain. By the time the night was over I’d had long talks with ecstatic execs like Ron Meyer, Donna Langley, Adam Fogelson, and Eric Fellner. Plus, there was Hugh and Debora, Anne Hathaway, her family and husband Adam Schulman; Sacha Baron Cohen, who nearly steals the movie with Helena Bonham Carter; and the amazing Samantha Barks who’s only 22 and is poised to become a huge Broadway star. Next year, Cameron McKintosh told me, he’d like to bring Barks here in “Oliver!” She’s about to open it under his banner in Dublin.

About three quarters of the way through the movie, I ran out to take a bathroom break. Coming from the opposite end of the theater was Barks, who was wearing a long gown. I’d never met her before. “I’m barefoot,” she cried and pulled up her satin dress. “What a way to meet someone!” She is absolutely a star in waiting. I told her she should play Linda Ronstadt in the famed singer’s story. “Who’s that?” she asked. She’s a Brit, remember, and she’s 22. By now she’s memorizing “Heart Like a Wheel.”

“Les Miz” is the kind of Hollywood production audiences are hungry for–it’s massive, it’s romantic, it’s deep, and it’s never boring. You leave the theatre singing all the songs. Anne Hathaway takes your breath away when she sings “I Dreamed a Dream.” The audience started cheering almost before it was over. For Hugh Jackman, forget Wolverine or the Boy from Oz. This is performance of a lifetime. I asked him how he got the hollow cheeks in the beginning of the film. “It’s a horrible diet,” he admitted. “Don’t try it.” Deborra-Lee added: “It’s a lot of liquids.”

And just in case you wondered: Jackman plays Jean Valjean, who sounds like he already got an Oscar this year. That was Jean Dujardin. Very similar, but not the same. Hugh Jackman is heading to the Oscar finalist list, with Daniel Day Lewis, Bradley Cooper, Denzel Washington and, I think, either Christoph Waltz or Joaquin Phoenix.

 

 

It’s not fair to call “Dead Accounts,” the ‘Katie Holmes play’ but that’s how people know it. The Theresa Rebeck play with Katie Holmes in the cast dropped the most of any show last week from the week before– a whopping 25%. Audience capacity was down to 59% average from December 2nd to the 9th which means the Music Box Theater must have been positively with so many empty seats. “Dead Accounts” always had a finite run, with February 24, 2013 set as its last performance. But if things keep going like this, Holmes may be able to book Oscar tickets and maybe even Grammy tickets too if she wants them.

January is a cruel month for Broadway shows, so watch to see who’s going to try tough it out. Shows will try all kinds of marketing ploys to get through the winter. We can only guess that “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” will have to start pulling some stunts. The show is way off its high of $1.5 mil a week, earning now between $1 mil and $1.2 mil a week. That’s just break even for this $75 mil musical. It’s also playing at around 68% capacity, which means there’s a lot more room for Spidey and the Green Goblin to land in emergencies. A casting call went out this week for two new male “flyers. The call was marked “immediate replacements” so who knows what happened to the flyers who are exiting.