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Robert Redford, Sean Penn Lead Memorial for Lois Smith in Hollywood: “She Was a Part of My Family”

Roger Friedman
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Robert Redford, Sean Penn Lead Memorial for Lois Smith in Hollywood: “She Was a Part of My Family”

LEAH SYDNEY reports on the West Coast memorial this afternoon for our great friend and mentor Lois Smith, the beloved publicist and leader of PMK for years. The New York memorial is set for December 4th.

A memorial for Lois Smith was held today at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood CA.

Speakers (in order): Robert Redford, Mara Buxbaum, Sean Penn, Brianna Smith (grandaughter), Norman Jewison, Brooke Smith (Actress and Daughter)

With a screen-sized picture of Lois in red, the VIP’s of Hollywood came out to pay tribute to her.

Other attendees:  Michelle Pfeiffer, Bryan Lourd, Daniel Kellison, Sid Ganis, Peter Bart, Paul Bloch, Marvin Levy, AFI’s Jean Picker Firstenberg, Lois’s former partner Pat Kingsley, and many agents and publicists who have worked with her throughout the years.

Robert Redford first spoke. He described how they first met in 1963 when he was doing his first play on Broadway.  “I didn’t really understand the value of publicity then.  I wasn’t the easiest client.  But Lois knew how to deal with me.  She would say yes, I would say no, she would say yes, Iwould say no, she would say yes, I would say no.  Then she would say yes, then I said yes.  Lois was humble and down to earth. She was a part of my family.”

Publicist Mara Buxbaum then spoke lovingly of her mentor, saying, “I learned what I know from her.  It was like learning painting from Rembrandt.”  Mara went on to say that even when she went out on her own, Lois was always supportive.  Mara continued, “She was a bright, shiny beam of light to anyone she came in contact with. I treasured my relationship with her. ”

Sean Penn then came on to say, “She had a dignity which is rare in this business.  She was plainspoken and sophisticated at the same time.  Lois would always tell me, “You have to think how the unwashed masses would think,  I would say to her, “that’s difficult for me, because I am one of the unwashed masses.”  Sean then went on to read a quote from William Saroyan.

Her lovely granddaughter, Warner publicist Brianna Smith then spoke about how fun her grandmother was to hang out with.

Norman Jewison then said of his friend and publicist for many years, “The warmth and strength of her character was astounding. I met her before she was married.  She was New York based. New York was her town, she knew everybody and she knew the business.  She had uncanny insight and she had the common sense of every situation.”

Referring to her trademark red jackets, Norman quipped to the laughter of the crowd, “Just today, I looked in the paper and I saw that that red coats were in. She wore them at these premieres and events for her clients.  She wanted them to see the beacon that was her.  Amidst all the tumult, she was tall and imposing, you couldn’t miss her.  It made you feel safe somehow. ”

Norman then went on to tell the funny story of how when he was filming “Fiddler On The Roof,” in Pinewood Studios in London, Lois literally made him go into town to Sotheby’s and by an original Marc Chagall drawing of 1905 of the original Fiddler.  “I told her I couldn’t afford it, she made me go and buy it anyway.  I bought it because she made me and now I think of her every time I look at it.  It’s one of my most treasured possessions.  My relationship with her was one of my most treasured as well.  I can’t think of anyone I had more respect for.”

Her talented actress daughter Brooke Smith said that, “My Mom was everybody’s biggest fan.  She really meant it.  She would see the best in all of us.  My Mom loved talent. She loved her job.  Meryl Streep wrote me a note and said that my Mom was one of the last gentlest women in the business.  She loved this business.  The best way to honor her is to treat everyone with kindness and respect.”

The memorial ended with a glorious photo montage of Lois and her family, along with her clients and the famous along the way, Marilyn Monroe,  JFK, Robert Redford, Michelle Pfieffer, Winona Ryder, Meryl Streep and more.  What a lady. What a class act.

Hot Shot NYC Kids’ Band Does “The Monster Mash” on “Silver Linings” Soundtrack

Roger Friedman
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Hot Shot NYC Kids’ Band Does “The Monster Mash” on “Silver Linings” Soundtrack

OK, so one of our favorite people, Nancy Jarecki, introduced me to her 20 year son Maxson last night at the “Silver Linings Playbook” premiere. A jolly looking kid, I seem to remember him before he was born. Oh well, time flies, and he’s got a bunch of buddies with him, some of whom are seniors at Dalton. Maxson is at Princeton, and they all look like a cross between the early Beatles and the group in Tom Hanks’s “That Thing You Do.” They have a band, called Crab Corps, and placed a song on the “Silver Linings” soundtrack.

What’s the song I asked? Says 20 year old Max, “Oh it’s an old song you might not know called The Monster Mash.”

Yup, heard of it, I said. Feeling old now. Do you see where this is going?

They are sweet kids. They have four songs on iTunes, and also on cdbaby.com. “One of them is a piece of classical music,” they say, “called Pacelbel’s Canon. Do you know it?” http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/crabcorps

Yeah, I know it.

Don’t you hate families where everyone is talented? Nancy has her own business, husband Andrew (who plays drums on these tracks) made “Capturing the Friedmans,” his brother Nick just directed “Arbitrage,” and their father, Henry, invented Moviefone before he sold it to AOL for zillions. According to Wikipedia, he also owns an island.

Bobby “Boris” Pickett did “The Monster Mash” originally, and so did beloved NY radio personality Zacherle. Now it’s Crab Corps’s turn. They’re pretty good, too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTffIUrgU7Q

Martin Scorsese 70th Birthday on Saturday: Tell us Favorite Movies, Best Scenes

Roger Friedman
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Martin Scorsese 70th Birthday on Saturday: Tell us Favorite Movies, Best Scenes

Director Martin Scorsese turns 70 on Saturday, which seems impossible to us and must feel the same way to him. What a career–and he’s busy filming “The Wolf of Wall Street” right now with Leonardo DiCaprio. Scorsese means lots of things to lots of cinephiles, from “Taxi Driver” and “Are you talkin’ to me?” to  Juliette Lewis sucking Robert DeNiro’s thumb in “Cape Fear” to Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn bringing Howard Hughes home to meet the folks in “The Aviator.” And let’s not forget the lost masterpiece of “New York, New York,” with its 11 minute musical number, “Happy Endings.” Or Sandra Bernhard coming on to Jerry Lewis’s Rupert Pupkin in “King of Comedy.”

One of my personal favorite scenes: Marty’s mom Catherine playing Joe Pesci’s mom in “GoodFellas,” and the meal that’s served at 3 am in her kitchen while a body is stuffed in the trunk of a car. And then of course there’s “After Hours,” a movie that perfectly summed up what life in Soho was like back in 1979 before big money turned it into a shopping mall.

What are your personal faves? Send ’em in, and we’ll forward them to Scorsese. Happy Birthday, Marty, and thanks for so many great films. Looking forward to many, many more!

 

Liza Minnelli Coming to NBC’s “Smash” as Herself

Roger Friedman
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Liza Minnelli Coming to NBC’s “Smash” as Herself

Liza Minnelli is coming to NBC’s Broadway show TV series, “Smash” as herself. I don’t know when they’re filming it, but the stories from that week will make TV history.

Here’s the press release:

OSCAR, GOLDEN GLOBE, TONY AND EMMY-WINNING SUPERSTAR LIZA MINNELLI WILL APPEAR AS HERSELF ON NBC’S RETURNING ‘SMASH’
Minnelli Also Will Sing an Original Song with Series Star Christian Borle Written by Celebrated Composer and Lyricists Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman
Entertainment superstar Liza Minnelli – winner of an Oscar, two Golden Globes, a Grammy, an Emmy and multiple Tony Awards – will guest-star as herself in NBC’s musical drama “Smash” in the upcoming season, and will sing an original song with series star Christian Borle that was written by the show’s celebrated composer and lyricists Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

The announcement was made today by Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment.
“Liza Minnelli is the essence of a multi-talented, singular show business sensation, particularly for her extraordinary contributions to Broadway,” said Greenblatt.  “So what could be more fitting than to have her legendary talent on a show that celebrates a world Liza has dazzled for decades?  I had the pleasure of working with Liza when we restored her landmark television special ‘Liza With a Z’ at Showtime, and to see her artistry up close and personal is a thing to behold.”

Minnelli’s episode is titled “The Surprise Party” and will air later in Spring 2013.

“Smash” returns to the NBC lineup for a second season on Tuesday, February 5 (9-10 p.m. ET) and will continue in its regular time slot on Tuesday, February 12 (10-11 p.m. ET).  Minnelli joins other notable guest stars that have been announced for the show’s next season, including Jennifer Hudson, Jesse L. Martin and Sean Hayes.

James Bond “Skyfall” Now at $101 Mil After Four Days

Roger Friedman
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James Bond “Skyfall” Now at $101 Mil After Four Days

Yesterday’s school-off holiday did it for “Skyfall.” The 23rd James Bond film crossed the magic line and ended the day with $101.8 million in the till. “Skyfall” is not at $529,674,538– holy cow– and the US part is only since Thursday night. Somewhere in heaven, Cubby Broccoli is smiling that his daughter and step son have done such a great job keeping his dream alive. And I said before, none of the participants will be leaving this latest episode willingly. Suddenly, James Bond is hip again. And Adele’s “Skyfall” single is holding tight at number 3 on both iTunes and amazon this afternoon. “Skyfall” is a windfall!

John Fogerty Next Rocker to Tell His Story in a Book, But Can He?

Roger Friedman
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John Fogerty Next Rocker to Tell His Story in a Book, But Can He?

John Fogerty, the great genius behind Creedence Clearwater Revival, is ready to tell his story. But can he? Little Brown’s Michael Pietsch, the man behind all the good music books in publishing, has signed Fogerty to publish a memoir in 2014. But Fogerty’s best story is maybe one he’s precluded from telling: how the rights to his music were sold to film producer Saul Zaentz (“The English Patient”) when Zaentz bought Fantasy Records in 1967 (corrected from earlier version). Fogerty and CCR continued to record for Fantasy through around 1973. But then Fogerty, unwilling to work for Zaentz, simply stopped recording and disappeared for years.

It was only with the album “Centerfield” that Fogerty re-emerged in 1985. But then Fantasy sued– and lost– claiming that the hit from “Centerfield,” the single “The Old Man Down the Road,” was just a rewrite of a CCR song, “Run through the Jungle.” A judge said it wasn’t. There have been lots of lawsuits and settlements, but Fogerty may be precluded from writing about any of this. We’ll see.

Meantime, Fogerty can write about his early days with CCR, his amazing catalog of songs, the influence of some like “Proud Mary” and “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” his anti-war stance during Vietnam, and campaigning for Democratic candidates.

Fogerty is just the latest rocker to cash in and tell his story. Rod Stewart has a book out now as does Cyndi Lauper. Keith Richards, of course, wrote the book of all books. Carly Simon is working on her own memoir. And there are plenty more to come, I am sure.

Robert DeNiro, Who Never Left, Makes a Comeback in “Silver Linings Playbook”

Roger Friedman
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Robert DeNiro, Who Never Left, Makes a Comeback in “Silver Linings Playbook”

Robert DeNiro has never stopped making movies and being in the spotlight. But his role in the incredibly entertaining “Silver Linings Playbook” will be judged as a “comeback.” Let’s call it a return to form instead. DeNiro has often been accused of making films not up to his standards. Whether it the “Meet the Parents” comedies, or any number of formulaic thrillers. His last great dramatic role, I thought, was in the underappreciated “Ronin” (1998).

But now he’s back as Pat Solatano Sr., Philadelphia Eagles fanatic, part-time bookie, and father of Pat Jr., who’s bipolar, played by Bradley Cooper. He’s married (to Jacki Weaver, from “Animal Kingdom). DeNiro is sort of gobsmacked by the whole thing. In Toronto, at the end of the screening of “Silver Linings” he actually teared up. As Pat, he’s one quarter of a magical ensemble (Jennifer Lawrence filling out the other corner in the square). Toward the end of the film, DeNiro nearly steals the whole thing in a scene with Cooper when he utters with poignant urgency what will become the movie’s key line: “When life reaches out to you like this, it’s a sin if you don’t reach back.”

That’s it: DeNiro will be nominated for Best Supporting Actor and may indeed win. He was still startled by this compliment last night at the Ziegfeld premiere of “Silver Linings,” walking the red carpet with wife Grace Hightower, coming back to take pictures with Cooper and director David O. Russell. Still, DeNiro was smiling. How would he feel if all this unfurled? “We’ll see, we’ll see,” he said, which is a lot for DeNiro. Later, he actually spoke to the audience before the film started and welcomed them.

DeNiro isn’t the only one who’s happy. Bradley Cooper was thrilled, too. James Lipton, of the Actors Studio, arrived at the party at the Royalton Hotel with his wife to congratulate him. Cooper is a graduate of the Actors Studio, and this is really the first film where he’s been able to show off his skills. Lipton, his former dean, is thrilled.

Cooper gave the Liptons his seats at the Royalton as he welcomed his friend, actress Patricia Clarkson. They were in “The Elephant Man” last summer at the Williamstown Theatre in Massachusetts. They’ll come to Broadway in the spring of 2014, they told me. Some other guests included Oliver Platt, plus Howard Stern and wife Beth Ostrosky.

It was a reunion of sorts since Beth, when she was starting out, had a small role in David O. Russell’s “Flirting with Disaster.” The director waited on the red carpet for the couple, there was a nice acknowledgement, and Russell offered to shake hands with the radio personality.But germaphobe Howard wouldn’t do it, and gave Russell a fist bump instead.

Also at the premiere: costars Weaver, Chris Tucker, Shea Wigham, Julia Stiles, John Ortiz, Anupam Kher (who came all the way from Mumbai and told Lipton he shows his acting students “Inside the Actor’s Studio”), Brea Bee, Matthew Russell (the director’s terrific 18 year old son) and our old pal Paulie Herman, who is DeNiro’s longtime friend and business associate. I’ve known Paulie for more than 25 years. He used to run the fabled Columbus Restaurant on the Upper West Side. Now he and DeNiro own Ago in West Hollywood. Paulie was in “GoodFellas” and has been in a bunch of movies. He’s got his biggest role ever in “Silver Linings” and he is memorable. Bravo!

 

Ann Curry Firing Costs “Today” Show Producer His Job

Roger Friedman
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Ann Curry Firing Costs “Today” Show Producer His Job

The New York Times is reporting that “Today” show producer Jim Bell is out. He’ll be replaced by NBC News vice president Alexandra Wallace, who will oversee all four hours of “Today.” She will also pick a day to day producer to handle the minutiae of running the jewel in NBC’s crown for the last 60 years. Wallace is the first woman ever to run “Today.” and she was put in charge by another woman, long time TV exec Pat Fili-Krushel, who came to NBC this past summer as Comcast took over the network from GE.

The reason Bell is out: ratings. The “Today” show has fallen behind “Good Morning America,” as everyone knows, for the first time in years and years. Many blame the firing of Ann Curry (or reassignment, as NBC might put it). The announcement of her departure was maybe the single worst moment in “Today”s long and illustrious history, beating even the ousting of beloved Jane Pauley years ago for its coldness.

In the scuffle, Matt Lauer took the brunt of criticism until Bell finally stepped up and put his head on the chopping block. In an interview he took responsibility for moving Curry off the show. That sealed his doom.

What will happen next is anyone’s guess. First Wallace has to pick that producer. Then the “Today” show, which has always been a class act, has to be tightened up. It’s doubtful Curry will come back. And NBC has put a lot into Savannah Guthrie, her replacement, even featuring her on election night. But the “Today” show is a forever institution, so it will recover. Meanwhile, hundreds of young teens are sleeping outside Rockefeller Center overnight to see the British boy group One Direction perform on the Plaza Tuesday morning.

Bradley Cooper Recalls His “Distinguished Work” Before “Silver Linings Playbook”: “I burned all the copies”

Roger Friedman
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Bradley Cooper Recalls His “Distinguished Work” Before “Silver Linings Playbook”: “I burned all the copies”

Editors’ Note: This article was published in November 2012. But because Google Adsense’s bots keep seeing the word ‘meat’ in the headline, they regard it as Shocking Content. So today, July 11, 2019, almost 7 years later, I’ve retitled it and recoded it. The AdSense bot must be a vegan.

 

by Paula Schwartz, Special for Showbiz411.com — “Silver Linings Playbook,” like David O. Russell’s last film, “The Fighter,” which was nominated for seven Academy Awards (with wins for Melissa Leo and Christian Bale), should do at least as well this Oscar season, with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence shoo-ins in the best acting category. De Niro should also get a supporting actor nod; Cooper, who plays Pat Solatano Jr., a man who is bipolar, and De Niro, who plays his father, Pat Sr., who has gambling problems, have a poignant scene where tears spring unexpectedly from De Niro’s eyes, the kind of scene the Academy loves.

The romantic drama about two people with mental health issues already won the People’s Choice Award at Toronto.

At the Regency Hotel in Manhattan today, director and stars of the film Jacki Weaver, Robert De Niro (who was more talkative than we’ve ever seen him), Cooper, and Chris Tucker participated in a press conference. (Lawrence, who was in New York last night for a special screening, was unavailable since she had to fly back to the film set for the next installment of “The Hunger Games.”)

Eagle-eyed audience members are sure to notice one scene between Lawrence and Cooper where there is a movie marquee that says “Midnight Train.” When asked about it, before Cooper could reply, Russell said it referred to one of Cooper’s films, “one of his most distinguished works.”

Before shooting Russell asked Cooper what he wanted on the marquee. As a joke Cooper said it should have the title of his 2008 horror film, “The Midnight Meat Train,” adaped from a book by Clive Barker. “I’m very proud of that movie,” Cooper said.

“When I show up on the set, ‘Midnight Train'” was on the marquee, and “the poster was in the entrance way,” Cooper said.

Asked whether fellow castmembers knew what it was and if they had seen the film, Cooper laughed that might be difficult, since, he said, “I own all the copies.”

There are also some nifty dance scenes in “Silver Linings Playbook” between Lawrence and Cooper. When asked if dancing came natural to him or he had to work at it, Cooper replied, “Are you making fun of me? I can’t tell.” Russell interjected that Cooper and Lawrence found “a natural groove.”

Lawrence did the “lion’s share” of the dancing, Cooper said, since he had to be on set every day and didn’t have as much time to rehearse the dance moves, choreographed by two-time Emmy nominee Mandy Moore.

“I actually do dance,” Cooper said, “I do, but I can’t tell if I’m one of those delusional dancers,” who just think they can dance, “but then Pat is not a great dancer so it’s a good thing.”

Michael Jackson: Correcting the New, and Not Very Good, Book About the Pop Star

Roger Friedman
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Michael Jackson: Correcting the New, and Not Very Good, Book About the Pop Star

Part 2: Randall Sullivan is just overwhelmed by his material, but gets lots of stuff wrong in his new book about Michael Jackson, called “Untouchable.” The book is panned by Michiko Kakutani in today’s New York Times.

For example, Jackson hosted a Christmas in Bahrain for friends from the U.S. (which I reported exclusively at the time). Sullivan says Michael was thrilled when “Frank Cascio and his family” arrived. Wrong. Frank Cascio never went to Bahrain. He even said so in his book this year. Michael didn’t see Frank Cascio from some time before he was arrested in November 2003 until Jackson arrived at the Cascios’ home in New Jersey (which I also reported exclusively) in August 2007.

Sullivan’s main problem is that he wasn’t there for any of it, but tried to cash in on Michael Jackson once he died. Imagine someone writing a biography of Batman and only interviewing the Penguin, the Riddler, Catwoman, and the Joker. The writer fails to speak to Robin, Alfred or Commissioner Gordon.

Sullivan’s sources are a rogues’ gallery of adversaries: Tohme, Raymone Bain, Brian Oxman, Ray Chandler (brother of Evan, uncle of Jordie), Raymone Bain, etc. Former lawyer Oxman was disbarred on July 6, 2012, which Sullivan only mentions as an aside late in his book. He needed him as a legit source.

Tohme wormed his way into Jackson’s life, and had to be excised in the final months by people who actually cared about Jackson. Apparently, Sullivan and Tohme became quite close. According to his alarming notes in the book:

“At the time, I was trying to help Tohme settle his differences with both the Jackson family and the Michael Jackson estate (and, of course, collect whatever useful information might surface in the process).”

Conflicts of interest abound:  buried deep in the book is this revelation: Sullivan introduced Katherine Jackson to her new lawyer, Perry Sanders, who was also Sullivan’s friend. Then Sullivan turned around and used Sanders and his associate Sandy Ribera as sources. Sullivan even admits he gave Ribera a first draft of the book to comment on. What is going on here?

As for Tohme: I’ve never met him, but for a time I listened to his prevarications on the phone. These included that he was a doctor of some kind, and a special ambassador to Senegal. He conceded to me that he was actually not a licensed physician finally. He held on to the ambassador story.

I received this email on March 23, 2009 from the Senegal embassy in Washington DC:

Mansour,

Senegal has no Ambassador at large in that name. the Ambassadors at large
are senegalese citizen. It is possible to have alien as ambassador for a
specific reason, fight for women freedom, goodwill ambassador etc..
But I don’t know this Mr. Tohme.

Fatoumata B. NDAO
Counselor
Health, Environment & Education
Embassy of Senegal

Sullivan doesn’t like this piece of information. He says in his notes that I “found someone” with the Embassy who didn’t know Tohme. He says he’s seen Tohme’s Senegalese passport, with the words ‘special ambassador’ written in by the country’s dictator, er, president for life. Well, I have the email chain from the embassy. And unless Sullivan can i.d. the handwriting of the president, I think there’s a problem.

“Untouchable” is full of assumptions. And to get away with it, Sullivan admits to them in the back of his book. He writes: “I acknowledge that the long plastic surgery section in this chapter could be described as interpretive, perhaps even as opinionated. It was the result of nearly three years of research and dozens of conversations with people who knew MJ. The point of view is my own, but it’s an informed point of view.” Huh? He wrote a 700 page book but doesn’t have the facts. His informed point of view, plus 3 bucks, will get you a copy of the National Enquirer.

I do take particular exception with Sullivan’s intent to throw Michael’s long time friend and manager, the late Frank DiLeo, under the bus so to speak. DiLeo was a complex man, certainly. But he loved Michael and vice versa. Early on Frank was cheated out of millions that he could have made from Thriller and Bad.

After he and Michael split, Frank’s life was full of financial difficulties. As others grew rich from his projects, he struggled. Now Sullivan, taking Tohme’s side, thinks he can paint DiLeo as a villain to Tohme’s hero. I won’t allow it. Frank knew a charlatan when he saw one, and he disliked Tohme from the start. Now Tohme gets to exact his revenge against a dead man– and Sullivan is only too happy to help in exchange for his “exclusive” interview.

Also wrong, wrong, wrong: Frank DiLeo had open heart surgery at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles on March 21, 2011. He did not “check into a hospital in Pittsburgh.” Frank languished in coma at Cedars Sinai for three months until he was moved to a facility in Pittsburgh.

And there’s more that Sullivan gets wrong, like how the story broke that Jackson and his kids stayed in New Jersey in the summer and fall of 2007–there’s the story: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312120,00.html. What Sullivan has done is  chop up a lot of pieces he’s found in research, mash them together and put them in a blender on high speed.  The result is something that tastes and smells bad.

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