The Rolling Stones hit New York tonight– well, Brooklyn, at the Barclays Center. The place wass jammed with celebs like Martin Scorsese, Katie Couric, Brian Williams, Jimmy Fallon, Mica Ertegun (widow of Ahmet, who signed the Stones in 1971 away from London Records), Her Highness Anna Wintour, and Larry King on the A list. Bette Midler and her husband wandered in just before the show began. It’s unclear whether expected guests like Colin Powell and Matt Lauer ever made it.

Mary J Blige and Gary Clark Jr. did guest spots. Mick Jagger joked about the high price of tickets. He also seemed confused about the set list. But the band is tight. Jagger is a 69 year old wonder of the world. Songs so far include Get off My Cloud, Miss You, Gimme Shelter. The show started with dozens of drummers marching through the crowd on the floor, which is very far away.

It was not a perfect show. The acoustics were shrill for those who paid 500 clams and sat high and to the side. It was almost a blessing when shrill became fuzzy and the sound was more like an old 45 than a digital rendering.

But the band plays on with chunky rhythms only old time blues students would know how to handle. This gang can make a song stand at attention in their sleep. From “Start Me Up” to “Midnight Rambler” to “Gimme Shelter” with Mary J, the Stones never give up. You can joke about their total ages, or whatever, but I dare you to find a band of a quarter their age who can reach so effortlessly to the top rows of a stadium.

Granted, it was almost cruel watching people my age or older struggle to the upper reaches of the Barclay Center clutching those $500 tickets. It was perhaps even crueler to learn that just one row behind us people paid only $285 a seat. (Only: hah!)

The Stones always liked to present themselves as the ‘band of the people.’ But Jagger joked about taking the subway to Brooklyn. He said the first show he could remember playing in New York was Carnegie Hall in 1964, when the subway was a quarter, a hamburger was 50 cents and “the price of a Rolling Stones ticket was—” He cut himself off.

Still, if you can pare away the insult of the ticket prices, they are indeed not only the Greatest Rock and Roll Band, but maybe the last. “Tumbling Dice,” “Brown Sugar,” “Wild Horses,” were all gems. Keith got to do “Happy” and “Before They Make Me Run,” proving that his licks are still tasty and that time is on his side.

There were pretty much no ballads– no “Angie” or “Ruby Tuesday.” And aside from the two new songs, “Doom and Gloom” and “One More Shot,” there was nothing from the Stones post-1981 souvenir recordings. Jagger knows that the stuff pales beside the classics, so why bother when you’ve got so much more to do? Some oldies but goodies included the Beatles’  “I Wanna Be Your Man” and “The Last Time.” I hope there are even more “Hot Rocks” in Newark next week.

And PS you can look at a set list and say, oh yes, this one, then that one, and so on. But hearing them in full, one after another, remains a kick. From “Sympathy for the Devil” to “Street Fighting Man,” these are the cornerstones of rock history. And they remain as alive as ever.

All photos c2012 Showbiz411

Kathryn Bigelow’s very fine thriller “Zero Dark Thirty” picked up yet another award this morning– from a group really no one’s going to care about too much, the Boston Online Critics. Okay, every city has a critics group and some have several. So far “Zero Dark Thirty” was chosen by both by the New York Film Critics Circle and the New York-oriented (except for their board member who’s a sex therapist in Los Angeles) National Board of Review. The way the critics’ groups roll is sort of a domino effect. If New York thinks “ZD30” is the best, then other cities will likely follow suit. But isn’t this what happened to “The Social Network” two years ago? And did “The Social Network” win the Oscar? Uh, no.

The biggest mistake Oscar prognosticators make is to follow the path of these awards. They’re terrific and no one is saying they’re undeserving. But the Academy is a different animal. They are mostly actors, and then creative people who work in the business. They vote with their hearts. That’s why “The King’s Speech” won. It also beat “The Social Network” at the Screen Actor’s Guild for Best Ensemble. And when that happened, the game was over.

So which film will beat “Zero Dark Thirty”? There’s no consensus yet. But the best ensembles are “Les Miserables, “Lincoln,” “Argo,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” and “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.” Runners up would be “The Master” and “Quartet.” “ZD30” runs on two levels– Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, and Jennifer Ehle; then the guys, with Joel Edgerton, who kill bin Laden from Seal Team Six.

“ZD30” is less about teams than about individuals– specifically the woman who Bigelow and Mark Boal discovered in their reporting and then turned into Jessica Chastain. Unlike “The Hurt Locker,” “ZD30” is not so much an ensemble but a star piece.

Think of the family in “Silver Linings” who have each other’s backs; the group of legislators in “Lincoln”; the team in “Argo” who make the fake film; the rebels of “Les Miz” who march to victory. Which one gives you a lump in the throat at the end of the movie? That’s the one that will win.

Meantime, I just voted my ballot for the Critics Choice Awards. They’re due tomorrow night, December 9th. I’ve listened to 20 score samples. Jonny Greenwood’s for “The Master” was one that really stood out. Also, I really loved Jennifer Ehle in “Zd30.” There are tons of great entries for every section. If you in BFCA email me at roger@showbiz411.com. I can hum the “Argo” music to you!

I almost thought that there was no Oscar campaign for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master.” But today arrived a parody of a Scientology mailing promoting the film, which should be a Best Picture nominee and have three actor nominations as well. The Weinstein Company sent out a folded magazine on newsprint called “The Cause Footpath.” The Cause, of course, is the cult religion started by Lancaster Dodd, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in a performance as good as Daniel Day Lewis’s Lincoln or Denzel Washington’s addicted pilot.

The Footpath is a fictional publication from Dodd– “The Weekly Newspaper for the Enlightened.” It mimics the annoying periodicals published by Scientology or Jehovah’s Witnesses “The Watchtower.” Very clever. Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams are shown on the cover. I’ve reproduced it twice here.

Inside TWC includes mostly the sterling reviews for the movie. The backpage is a long quote from Dodd, from Anderson’s original screenplay. There’s also a very witty fake 1949 article about Dodd and his wife Peggy (Amy Adams, Best Supporting Actress nominee without a doubt).

“The Master,” one of my favorite movies of 2012, is eligible for Best Picture, Best Director (Best Actor (Phoenix and/or Hoffman), Supporting Actress (Adams), Original Screenplay (Anderson) plus cinematography, editing, set design, costumes, art design.

I’m very torn about putting Hoffman into Supporting Actor. He is as much the lead as Phoenix. Lancaster Dodd is one of the greatest character inventions in modern movie history. I do think PSH is an absolute genius, in the league of Daniel Day Lewis and maybe just a couple other actors of this generation. (Don Cheadle and Ralph Fiennes are close.)

If you’re voting with any groups this month, don’t forget “The Master.” And I do believe “The Cause Footpath” will become a collector’s item overnight!

Harvey Weinstein and Jim Dolan just announced that the Rolling Stones are indeed joining the A List all star Hurricane Sandy concert called 12-12-12. The show at Madison Square Garden on December 12th will also feature a bunch of celebrities including Jimmy Fallon, Billy Crystal, Adam Sandler, Jon Stewart, Brian Williams, Steve Buscemi, Chris Rock, Chelsea Clinton and Jake Gyllenhaal.

The Stones, of course, kick off their three nights in New York of anniversary shows tomorrow night with original members Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor featured on the program. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards participated in the Concert for New York in September 2001 when Weinstein wrangled most of the same artists to raise money then for World Trade Center victims.

The 12-12-12- show already features Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Billy Joel, The Who, Paul McCartney,Roger Waters, plus Kanye West, Alicia Keys, and a slew of A list performers.

PS The Stones will almost certainly be performing on the Grammys come February. They just hired Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich to produce their Pay Per View special on December 15th. Very good chess move!

UPDATE: Friday evening December 7th–Psy wants to apologize for wanting to kill all of us, especially our daughters, mothers, daughters-in law and fathers. (Not our brothers however). Here’s the link: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2012/12/07/psy-gangnam-anti-american/1755079/

This guy has made at least $8 million on this one time novelty record, most of it in the US. He’s got to backtrack quickly. He’s managed by Scooter Braun, who also manages Justin Bieber. Braun no doubt wrote the apology. Whatever.

Korean performer Psy, the guy who’s made a mint on “Gangnam Style,” has quite an interesting past. CNN reported on a blog in October — and it’s now spreading to blogs and websites–that Psy was once a very outspoken anti-American. On an iReport from October: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-853509 came this reveal: around 2004, Psy performed a song in Korea with other singers that went like this:

Kill those f–ing Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives
Kill those f—ing Yankees who ordered them to torture
Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law, and fathers
Kill them all slowly and painfully

This posting ran on November 28th: http://busanhaps.com/article/exclusive-psys-once-passionate-protesting-past

You can see the video posted by the iReport poster here from October 31st: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt9O_TjSwxY

Needless to say, Psy is a singing different tune now that he’s made millions here in the US this fall with his crazy novelty single and dance moves. America is the land of opportunity for everyone! It’s also the land of Free Speech. So maybe Psy is just as American as everyone else. But you might think twice the next time you’re dancing Gangnam style….

The Writers Guild announced its television nominees on Thursday. Mad Men, Homeland, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and Boardwalk Empire are all up for Writers Guild Awards. Movie nominations are coming soon, but weren’t included in this batch.

TELEVISION NOMINEES

DRAMA SERIES

Boardwalk Empire, Written by Dave Flebotte, Diane Frolov, Chris Haddock, Rolin Jones, Howard Korder, Steve Kornacki, Andrew Schneider, David Stenn, Terence Winter; HBO

Breaking Bad, Written by Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, George Mastras, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett; AMC

Game of Thrones, Written by David Benioff, Bryan Cogman, George R. R. Martin, Vanessa Taylor, D.B. Weiss; HBO

Homeland, Written by Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Meredith Stiehm; Showtime

Mad Men, Written by Lisa Albert, Semi Chellas, Jason Grote, Jonathan Igla, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Brett Johnson, Janet Leahy, Victor Levin, Erin Levy, Frank Pierson, Michael Saltzman, Tom Smuts, Matthew Weiner; AMC

COMEDY SERIES

30 Rock, Written by Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tom Ceraulo, Vali Chandrasekaran, Luke Del Tredici, Tina Fey, Lauren Gurganous, Matt Hubbard, Colleen McGuinness, Sam Means, Dylan Morgan, Nina Pedrad, John Riggi, Josh Siegel, Ron Weiner, Tracey Wigfield; NBC

Girls, Written by Judd Apatow, Lesley Arfin, Lena Dunham, Sarah Heyward, Bruce Eric Kaplan, Jenni Konner, Deborah Schoeneman, Dan Sterling; HBO

Louie, Written by Pamela Adlon, Vernon Chatman, Louis C.K.; FX

Modern Family, Written by Cindy Chupack, Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Ben Karlin, Elaine Ko, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Dan O’Shannon, Jeffrey Richman, Audra Sielaff, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker; ABC

Parks and Recreation, Written by Megan Amram, Greg Daniels, Nate Dimeo, Katie Dippold, Daniel J. Goor, Norm Hiscock, Dave King, Greg Levine, Joe Mande, Aisha Muharrar, Nick Offerman, Chelsea Peretti, Amy Poehler, Alexandra Rushfield, Michael Schur, Mike Scully, Harris Wittels, Alan Yang; NBC

NEW SERIES

Girls, Written by Judd Apatow, Lesley Arfin, Lena Dunham, Sarah Heyward, Bruce Eric Kaplan, Jenni Konner, Deborah Schoeneman, Dan Sterling; HBO

The Mindy Project, Written by Ike Barinholtz, Jeremy Bronson, Linwood Boomer, Adam Countee, Harper Dill, Mindy Kaling, Chris McKenna, B.J. Novak, David Stassen, Matt Warburton; Fox

Nashville, Written by Wendy Calhoun, Jason George, David Gould, David Marshall Grant, Dee Johnson, Todd Ellis Kessler, Callie Khouri, Meredith Lavender, Nancy Miller, James Parriott, Liz Tigelaar, Marcie Ulin; ABC

The Newsroom, Written by Brendan Fehily, David Handelman, Cinque Henderson, Paul Redford, Ian Reichbach, Amy Rice, Aaron Sorkin, Gideon Yago; HBO

Veep, Written by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Roger Drew, Sean Gray, Armando Iannucci, Ian Martin, Tony Roche, Will Smith; HBO

EPISODIC DRAMA

“Buyout” (Breaking Bad), Written by Gennifer Hutchison; AMC
“Dead Freight” (Breaking Bad), Written by George Mastras; AMC

“Fifty-One” (Breaking Bad), Written by Sam Catlin; AMC
“New Car Smell” (Homeland), Written by Meredith Stiehm; Showtime

“The Other Woman” (Mad Men), Written by Semi Chellas and Matthew Weiner; AMC

“Say My Name” (Breaking Bad), Written by Thomas Schnauz; AMC

EPISODIC COMEDY

“The Debate” (Parks and Recreation), Written by Amy Poehler; NBC
“Episode 9” (Episodes), Written by David Crane & Jeffrey Klarik; Showtime
“Leap Day” (30 Rock), Written by Luke Del Tredici; NBC
“Little Bo Bleep” (Modern Family), Written by Cindy Chupack; ABC
“Mistery Date” (Modern Family), Written by Jeffrey Richman; ABC
“Virgin Territory” (Modern Family), Written by Elaine Ko; ABC

LONG FORM – ORIGINAL
Hatfields and McCoys, Nights Two and Three, Teleplay by Ted Mann and Ronald Parker, Story by Bill Kerby and Ted Mann; History Channel
Hemingway & Gelhorn, Written by Jerry Stahl and Barbara Turner; HBO
“Pilot” (Political Animals), Written by Greg Berlanti; USA

LONG FORM – ADAPTED
Coma, Nights 1 and 2, Teleplay by John McLaughlin, Based on the book by Robin Cook; A&E
Game Change, Written by Danny Strong, Based on the book by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann; HBO

ANIMATION

“A Farewell to Arms” (Futurama), Written by Josh Weinstein; Comedy Central
“Forget-Me-Not” (Family Guy), Written by David A. Goodman; Fox
“Holidays of Future Passed” (The Simpsons), Written by J. Stewart Burns; Fox
“Ned and Edna’s Blend Agenda” (The Simpsons), Written by Jeff Westbrook; Fox
“Treehouse of Horror XXIII” (The Simpsons), Written by David Mandel & Brian Kelley; Fox

COMEDY / VARIETY (INCLUDING TALK) – SERIES

The Colbert Report, Writers: Michael Brumm, Stephen Colbert, Rich Dahm, Paul Dinello, Eric Drysdale, Rob Dubbin, Glenn Eichler, Dan Guterman, Peter Gwinn, Barry Julien, Jay Katsir, Frank Lesser, Opus Moreschi, Tom Purcell, Meredith Scardino, Scott Sherman, Max Werner; Comedy Central

Conan, Writers: Jose Arroyo, Andres du Bouchet, Deon Cole, Josh Comers, Dan Cronin, Michael Gordon, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Rob Kutner, Todd Levin, Brian McCann, Conan O’Brien, Matt O’Brien, Jesse Popp, Andy Richter, Brian Stack, Mike Sweeney; TBS

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Writers: Rory Albanese, Kevin Bleyer, Richard Blomquist, Steve Bodow, Tim Carvell, Hallie Haglund, J.R. Havlan, Elliott Kalan, Dan McCoy, Jo Miller, John Oliver, Zhubin Parang, Daniel Radosh, Jason Ross, Jon Stewart; Comedy Central

Jimmy Kimmel Live, Writers: Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Gary Greenberg, Josh Halloway, Bess Kalb, Jimmy Kimmel, Jeff Loveness, Molly McNearney, Bryan Paulk, Danny Ricker, Rick Rosner; ABC

Key & Peele, Writers: Jay Martel, Ian Roberts, Keegan Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Sean Conroy, Colton Dunn, Charlie Sanders, Alex Rubens, Rebecca Drysdale; Comedy Central

Portlandia, Writers: Fred R. Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, Karey Dornetto, Jonathan Krisel, Bill Oakley; IFC

Real Time with Bill Maher, Writers: Scott Carter, Adam Felber, Matt Gunn, Brian Jacobsmeyer, Jay Jaroch, Chris Kelly, Mike Larsen, Bill Maher, Billy Martin; HBO

Saturday Night Live, Head Writer: Seth Meyers, Writers: James Anderson, Alex Baze, Neil Casey, Jessica Conrad, James Downey, Shelly Gossman, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Zach Kanin, Chris Kelly, Joe Kelly, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Christine Nangle, Mike O’Brien, Josh Patten, Paula Pell, Marika Sawyer, Sarah Schneider, Pete Schultz, John Solomon, Kent Sublette, Bryan Tucker, Additional Sketch By Emily Spivey, Jorma Taccone, Additional Material By Frank Sebastiano; NBC Universal

COMEDY / VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS

66th Annual Tony Awards, Written by Dave Boone; Special Material by Paul Greenberg; Opening and Closing Songs by David Javerbaum, Adam Schlesinger; CBS

2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Written by Billy Kimball, Wayne Federman; IFC

After the Academy Awards, Head Writers Gary Greenberg, Molly McNearney; Writers Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Jimmy Kimmel, Jeffrey Loveness, Bryan Paulk, Danny Ricker, Richard G. Rosner; ABC

National Memorial Day Concert, Written by Joan Meyerson; PBS

DAYTIME DRAMA

Days of Our Lives, Written by Lorraine Broderick, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Rick Draughon, Christopher Dunn, Lacey Dyer, Janet Iacobuzio, David A. Levinson, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Melissa Salmons, Roger Schroeder, Elizabeth Snyder, Christopher J. Whitesell, Nancy Williams Watt; NBC

One Life to Live, Written by Lorraine Broderick, Ron Carlivati, Anna Theresa Cascio, Daniel J. O’Connor, Elizabeth Page, Jean Passanante, Melissa Salmons, Katherine Schock, Scott Sickles, Courtney Simon, Chris Van Etten; ABC

The Young & The Restless, Written by Amanda Beall, Jeff Beldner, Brent Boyd, Susan Dansby, Janice Ferri Esser, Jay Gibson, Scott Hamner, Maria Kanelos, Natalie Minardi Slater, Beth Milstein, Michael Montgomery, Anne Schoettle, Linda Schreiber, Lisa Seidman, Sarah K. Smith, Christopher J. Whitesell, Teresa Zimmerman; CBS

CHILDREN’S – EPISODIC & SPECIALS

“The Good Sport” (Sesame Street); Written by Christine Ferraro; PBS

CHILDREN’S – LONG FORM OR SPECIAL

“Girl vs. Monster,” Story by Annie De Young; Teleplay by Annie De Young and Ron McGee; Disney Channel

DOCUMENTARY – CURRENT EVENTS

“The Anthrax Files” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk; PBS

“A Perfect Terrorist” (Frontline); Written by Thomas Jennings; PBS

“Lost in Detention” (Frontline), Written by Rick Young; PBS

“Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode One” (Frontline), Written by Martin Smith and Marcela Gaviria; PBS

“Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode Three” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS

“Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode Four” (Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria and Martin Smith; PBS

DOCUMENTARY – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS

“The Amish” (American Experience), Written by David Belton; PBS

“Clinton” (American Experience), Written by Barak Goodman; PBS

“Death and the Civil War” (American Experience), Written by Ric Burns; PBS

“The Fabric of the Cosmos: The Illusion of Time” (Nova), Written by Randall MacLowry; PBS

“The Fabric of the Cosmos: Quantum Leap” (Nova), Telescript by Josh Rosen and Julia Cort, Story by Joseph McMaster and Josh Rosen; PBS

“Johnny Carson: King of Late Night” (American Masters), Written by Peter T. Jones; PBS

NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT

“Tragedy In Colorado: The Movie Theatre Massacre,” Written by Lisa Ferri, Joel Siegel; ABC News

NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY

“The Ghost of Joe McCarthy” (Moyers & Company), Written by Bill Moyers, Michael Winship; Thirteen/ WNET

“Making History at Ole Miss,” Written by Polly Leider; CBS News

“The Regime Responds” (Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria; PBS

“Stem Cell Fraud” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Michael Rey and Oriana Zill de Granados, CBS News

RADIO NOMINEES

NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED OR BREAKING REPORT

“CBS Radio News,” Written by Duane Tollison; CBS Radio News

“Local and National News,” Written by Mark Hugh Miller; CBS Radio News

“Remembering Andy Williams,” Written by Arlene Lebe; CBS Radio News

“World News This Year 2011,” Written by Darren Reynolds; ABC News Radio

NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE OR COMMENTARY

“Dishin Digital,” Written by Robert Hawley; WCBS-AM

“Pre-existing Conditions and the Affordable Care Act,” Written by Scott J. Saloway; CBS Radio News

“Tributes,” Written by Gail Lee, CBS Radio News

PROMOTIONAL WRITING AND GRAPHIC ANIMATION NOMINEES

ON-AIR PROMOTION (RADIO OR TELEVISION)

“Partners”, Written by Dan A. Greenberger; CBS

TELEVISION GRAPHIC ANIMATION

“CBS News Animations,” Animation by David Rosen; CBS News

“The Oscars” (Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood), Animation by Bob Pook; CBS

Peter Jackson‘s take on “The Hobbit,” his fourth Tolkien movie, got an A list premiere last night at the Ziegfeld with all the trimming, plus a swanky no holds barred party at Gustavino’s. The guests included Ben Affleck, whose own Warner Bros. movie “Argo” is about to get full on Oscar treatment (and maybe Golden Globes, too) plus Liv Tyler, who’s still in the Tolkien circle after three Jackson “Lord of the Rings” movies.

The star of “The Hobbit” is Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins. But let’s face it: the audience wants to see Andy Serkis, who lights up the screen once again as Gollum, sort of your best old evil friend. “The Hobbit” is long and filmed in a kind of wonky 3D that I wouldn’t recommend necessarily for parts 2 and 3 of “The Hobbit’ unless someone can figure out the lighting problems. The movie often looks too bright and a little cheesy. It’s missing the grand richness of the “LOTR” movies.

But “The Hobbit” is a showcase for special effects and CGI, like the big finale featuring flocks of gigantic broadwinged eagle-types who save the day in Middle Earth. A lot of “The Hobbit” is breathtaking, and some if it is just exhausting. I think you go through at least 90 minutes before Gollum appears. Freeman has been a capable guide until then. Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf and appears in most of the movie–ironic since it took so long for the producers to make a deal with him. And plenty of familiar faces from “LOTR” appear– Elijah Wood, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee.

Next time, Mr. Jackson, bring back Liv Tyler and Viggo Mortensen. Why not at this point?

http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/11/02/ian-mckellen-still-has-no-contract-for-the-hobbit

(I know Tolkien purists are freaking out that a lot of this “Hobbit” includes bits of other things, but that’s a an acceptable license in order to make a movie for the audience. If you want genuine “Hobbit, read the book.)

Still it’s Serkis who nails the movie down. When Gollum and Bilbo finally interact in their “riddle” scene, “The Hobbit” is at last alive. They’re still fighting over that damn gold ring. And while the trade reviewers suggested that “The Hobbit” is overlong, and padded to make three movies, no one will care. Trust me. People have been flocking to Wagner’s 20 hour “Ring” cycle for 100 years over and over, all over the world. They’re coming to “The Hobbit” 1, 2, and 3. Just try and stop them.

But please, producers– no more fancy 48 frames per second. You don’t need it, and it’s distracting. It also shows off flaws in the filming because it’s just too accurate. Peter Jackson is so good at telling these stories–just tell ’em.

I’m not one to defend “Les Miserables.” I’m not a particular fan of the musical, and the producers have made so much money over the last two and a half decades that they can insulate themselves from bad reviews. But overall I quite liked Tom Hooper’s movie. And I’m a little surprised that the Hollywood trades came down so hard today on the film. “Les Miserables” is going to be a big, big hit all over the world. And deservedly so.

What I said after that first screening on November 26th stands today: Hooper has done an exceptional job of bringing history to life. “Les Miz” is by its nature a big bombastic spectacle– it tells the story of a freakin’ revolution. Hooper’s job was to humanize what’s become an institution on stage. He succeeds completely.

Believe me, if “Les Miz” were a huge waste of time, I’d be the first to say so. But Hooper is too smart to let that happen. each character is delineated in such a way that you know their back story and predicament very quickly. Of course, Fantine’s story is the most compelling, and Anne Hathaway goes a long way to demonstrate the bleak nature of her fate. You have to mourn Fantine for “Les Miz” to work, and Hathaway leaves an indelible impression.

The entire main cast breathes life into the musical. Even Russell Crowe, whom we’ve criticized for his singing, is a capable Javert. Hugh Jackman and  Eddie Redmayne are real standouts. I loved Samantha Barks and Aaron Tveit, as does everyone who sees the movie.

From the beginning Hooper knew he’d have live singing, and the actors would just sing right through the film. There’s no dubbing or lip-synching. This naturalistic approach is very different from the usual musical, where everything is recorded to perfection and then mouthed on screen. That’s a welcome relief in 2012. So some audiences may be put off by this but you get used to it fast. You don’t want people just breaking out, ridiculously, in song on film. I think Hooper’s been very ingenious the way he’s woven it in.

“Les Miz” is an exciting shot in the arm for an Oscar season. Nothing is perfect, but Hooper has done what seemed like the impossible. And the time flies by because he keeps the action moving. Maybe he’s getting a little backlash for all the success of “The King’s Speech.” But massive audiences are awaiting “Les Miz”–and ready to heap praise on Hooper and company.

by PAULA SCHWARTZ, Special to Showbiz411— Dustin Hoffman has made his directing debut with “Quartet,” a beautiful and funny movie about formerly famous and distinguished musicians – Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, Billy Connolly, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon head the cast  – who live out their old age in a British nursing home for old stage-folk.

The movie’s adapted by Ronald Harwood from his 1999 play. It would be a crime if it’s overlooked in the crowded awards season. Extremely well made, witty, beautifully filmed, “Quartet” features awards worthy performances from Maggie Smith and Billy Connolly, at least. It’s a little like “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” but with classical music and set on a sumptuous English estate.

The revelation is that a film about old age can be so funny.  “I guess it’s the only real defense you have against mortality,” Hoffman explained.

Getting older has been very good to the 75 year-old actor, who looks great and  has a full head of foxy grey hair.  He introduced me to his wife of 32 years, Lisa, who stood next to him.

The obvious question was why did he wait so long to direct a movie? “That’s the obvious question!” he agreed, adding, “And I don’t know the answer.”
Maybe it was the subject that inspired him I suggested.

“It was a combination. It’s like people that wait a long time to get married and they say, ‘Why’d you wait so long?’ You say, ‘Well, there were other people’ but somehow I met this one person that I liked at the same time and I felt maybe it’s time to settle down. So I did respond to material but also I felt, now or never, cause I’ve been wanting to direct for so long.”

Surprisingly Hoffman told me his first love was directing. “I used to take acting class. I would coach and direct my fellow class mates, who were doing scenes and they said, ‘You should be a director.’ You’ll be a Kazan.”

“The Graduate” actor told me he had some reservations. “I thought if I go into directing that means I’ve given up on acting. I admitted that I’m a failure, cause I waited tables for about 10, 12 years to get acting jobs.”

Then Hoffman went back my original question. “Why did I wait so long?”

“You were busy,” his wife suggested.

“Busy. That’s a good answer,” Hoffman replied.

I repeated a line from the film. “Great performers need great directors.” Is it true?

“Sometimes,” Hoffman laughed.

I asked if the actors improvised, especially Connolly, a stand-up comic (he’s at the Beacon Theater Thursday and Friday) who’s got some very funny stuff in the film about lessening of inhibitions, senility, sex.  “I let all the actors have free range in the sense that I do in the films that I’m in,” “The Tootsie” actor said. “You have a framework and if the actor feels like moving within that framework then go. You don’t hold them down.”

Is the idea of the movie to also make people feel better about aging? “The idea is we kind of have it upside down as a culture,” he said. “God knows it’s transatlantic and that is at a certain point people are afraid to look at what they’re going to become, for whatever reasons, and people who are wonderfully gifted, no one’s ringing their phone. Ronnie Hughes, who plays the jazz trumpet, is 82 years old. He hasn’t lost any ounce of his chops but no one called him for years before I did. And that’s a kind of interesting question of why?”

So what’s his next movie? “I don’t have one,” the legendary actor said. “I finished this movie in March and then I went into the cutting room, and I said to my agent,” that “I need a fall movie. I’ve been doing this for three years and he said, ‘This is your fall movie,’ meaning I have to go around and try to expose it to the people, because Maggie’s busy and there wasn’t anybody else. This is harder than anything I’ve ever done. You go from one film festival to another, all over the world,” he sighed.

Connolly, whose own mane of grey hair is nearly to his shoulders, told me Hoffman originally had Albert Finney in mind for his role but Finney got sick, so when Hoffman asked him to be in the film he “was more than delighted,” adding he thought Hoffman “was a great director.” As for whether Hoffman wanted him to improvise, the comic said, “he encouraged it. I’m a free bird. I just do whatever comes into my mind.”