Led Zeppelin reunited in London in November 2007 for a memorial tribute to Ahmet Ertegun. Now they’re releasing the concert on CD and DVD and all formats. It only took five years. But they’re getting a Kennedy Center honor, so why not? The concert, called “Celebration Day,” will also have a short theatrical run beginning October 17th via Ominiverse Vision and get red carpet premieres in New York, London, and Los Angeles. The CD and DVD will be released on November 19th.

I was lucky enough to be at London’s O2 Arena for this show, and it was historic. I’m glad this is finally being done.

Here’s the track listing:

Exclusive: Remember Dana Giacchetto? He went to jail after stealing $14 million from his celebrity clients-and a bunch of civilians–back in 2001. He was besties with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mike Ovitz, Cameron Diaz, and a bunch of people in the art world who didn’t realize his whole business as a money manager was a total fake. Giacchetto had a bodyguard then who was a Chippendale’s dancer, stripper and former NYC housing cop named Steve Stanulis. When I interviewed Stanulis back then he was a working at a gym on Staten Island and trying to become a star. Apparently, it worked.

Now Stanulis is casting a feature film about his life. “Long Shot Louie” — written and directed by former NYPD cop and “Sopranos” actor John Bianco– is casting for Stanulis and his then fiancee. Stanulis is playing himself. No word on Giacchetto’s involvement, but the ex-player is likely to be in the background.

Back in 2001, this is what I wrote about Stanulis:

Giacchetto met Staten Island housing cop he met at a bar in 1999. Soap opera handsome, “Steve the cop” says he subsequently moonlighted for Giacchetto as a bodyguard “doing security.” Friends of Giacchetto say that suddenly “Steve the cop” was with Dana all the time, constantly. Stan, who was also a Chippendale’s type dancer/stripper, has already sold his story  to Hollywood screenwriter Allan Swyer.

“Dana didn’t like me dancing,” “Steve the cop” told me. “He wanted me to concentrate on my acting.” And so he claims Giacchetto compensated him
financially for dropping the dancing. Giacchetto’s ledgers and SEC records indicate that Dana wrote thousands of dollars worth of checks
to “Steve the cop” throughout 1999 for “security.”  According to Swyer, Giacchetto was paying him up to $2000 under the table in cash per night
for his work and gifting him with expensive clothes from Prada among other places.

“Steve the cop” told me that Giacchetto took him on many trips. “Steve the cop” says, “When we were alone together, that’s when Dana said he felt like he was himself, that he could be real.” On one trip his wife accompanied them. “She was suspicious that Dana was interested in me  for other things,” Steve the cop” says.

Here’s the casting call:
STORY LINE: Raised under the shadow of a viciously abusive father, LOUIE finds escape in
working as a male stripper and doing drugs. But ALEENA, his loyal girlfriend of 20 years, is
getting tired of the evasions and excuses and finally breaks up with Louie. That jolts Louie into
getting clean — but before he can truly reform his life and reconcile with Aleena, he has to confess
a shocking old secret that has burdened his conscience for decades. Yet even as he looks
towards the future with renewed hope, Louie may find his past catching up to him, with tragic
consequences..
[ALEENA] A lovely woman in her 30s, she’s been Louie’s faithful and loving girlfriend ever since
high school — going on 20 years now and counting. The fact that Louie has never committed to
their relationship and proposed marriage is a source of great pain for Aleena, but she stands by
her man, whatever his circumstances. Once a drug user herself, Aleena got clean years ago, and
stll holds out hope that Louie will follow suit. However, Louie’s lies, evasions and disrespect finally
cause Aleena to break up with him. Now, whether the newly reformed Louie can convince her
that he has changed remains to be seen — but ultimately, their joyous reconciliation may segue
into unforeseen tragedy…LEAD
[LOUIE LAZZARO] Louie at age 17, he’s a tall, well-built, extremely handsome youth whose
homelife is a constant nightmare of terror and abuse, thanks to his vicious father. Louie’s inability
to shield his mother and little sister from his father’s rages is a source of agony and humiliation for
him. Louie finds a lucrative new source of income as a male stripper, and seems relieved when
his father finally departs their household. However, Louie’s early descent into drugs and excess
arises from a grim secret that he has on his conscience — a secret that he will not divulge for 20
years…LEAD

Barbra Streisand and Aretha Franklin are among the stars set for Marvin Hamlisch’s Sept 18th memorial service. Also set are Liza Minnelli, who was Hamlisch’s lifelong pal and attended all of his memorials and funeral, as well as Itzhak Perlman, Lang Lang, Michael Feinstein, Chris Botti, Maria Friedman, Brian d’Arcy James, Carter Brey, Essential Voices USA, former cast members of A Chorus Line and cast members of The Nutty Professor. The memorial will take place at the Peter Sharp Theater in the Julliard School at Lincoln Center. And it’s by invitation only. Hamlisch was truly beloved: people are still coming up to me with stories of his random acts of kindness and generosity. 

Exclusive: “Mystery White Boy” directed by Jake Scott was supposed to shoot this summer with “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” star Reeve Carney as late singer songwriter Jeff Buckley. It never happened. Now it seems that Amy Berg, director of “West Memphis Three,” has replaced Scott. Carney could be out, which is a mistake. Berg is “obsessed” with Jeff Buckley, a source tells me. So she’s Bogarted his movie, much the way she pushed herself into making yet another documentary about the West Memphis Three after Joe Berlinger made three prize winning films for HBO on the same subject. This woman has brass. “Mystery White Boy” is based at least in part on David Browne’s excellent biography, “Dream Brother.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CckFYoYq8GI

But another movie with Jeff Buckley– who died in 1997 at age 30 from an accidental drowning– as a central character is ready for release: “Greeting from Tim Buckley” stars “Gossip Girl” actor Penn Badgley as Jeff Buckley.  Badgley will leave “Gossip Girl” when it ends this season to have a movie career thanks to his surprising works as the late, lamented singer. He turns out to be a charming musical presence in “Greetings,” a would be John Mayer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=lpx7Wgx0bvg

Full disclosure: I have never watched an episode of “Gossip Girl.” I met Badgley outside Shake Shack years ago and didn’t really know what he did. But I can tell you that as Jeff Buckley he is a most pleasant surprise. Dan Algrant has made a semi-biographical concert movie about Jeff’s famous dad, Tim, the singer songwriter who died in 1975 at age 28. Tim Buckley had already been releasing albums for about 8 years, and was a cult hero. He preceded James Taylor, who was his age. If he’d lived, Tim would have been a star on the level of Taylor or Jackson Browne. But his drug problems overwhelmed him.

As Tim Buckley, the other revelation in “Greetings” is Ben Rosenfield. He’s been described to me as “the next Jesse Eisenberg.” Rosenfield is a total charmer as Tim, who really never knew his son, was not a very faithful husband, but was a musical genius. Hopefully his music will get a new life now. Download it, buy it, whatever. He puts contemporary composers to shame.

Director Algrant reproduces a 1991 tribute concert dedicated to Tim held at St.Ann’s Church in Brooklyn. Jeff Buckley, on the verge of releasing his only album, which would make him famous, participated in the show.  Much of the movie is a dramatized version of the concert, with Badgley stepping out. Algrant had to do it this way: he doesn’t have the rights to Jeff’s music because of “Mystery White Boy.”

Up in heaven, it must be extremely curious to the Buckleys that there’s such a fuss being made over them. After all, where’s the Jim Croce movie? Tim Buckley was an underground star during his career. He never had a hit single. He was known entirely to the world of FM progressive rock. Jeff Buckley only released one album, and is best known for his cover of a Leonard Cohen song, “Hallelujah.” And yet, their stories remain fascinating enough to inspire two movies.