Tonight’s Tony Awards on CBS may turn out to be a big ratings winner. For once, the Tonys have clear sailing all night with very little real competition on the regular broadcast networks. Almost everything else on the tube tonight is a repeat–from “American’s Got Talent” to “The Simpsons.” Everything on Fox is a repeat. ABC has two first run reality shows–“Secret Millionaire” and “Exteme Makeover.” NBC has just “Dateline” that’s new and then the “Talent” repeat. The only real competition, off network, on cable, will be “True Blood” on HBO and “Mad Men” on AMC. So it’s up to Neil Patrick Harris and the Tony producers–the ball is in their court. They’ll have a slew of stars presenting and performing, and hopefully enough to keep viewers who dip in to see “Once” go up against “Newsies” for Best Musical among the many unknowns of the night. Some of the stars expected include Jessica Chastain, Hugh Jackman, Nick Jonas, Amanda Seyfried, Jim Parsons, Paul Rudd, Ellen Barkin, Angela Lansbury, Candice Bergen, Christopher Plummer, James Marsden, Mandy Patinkin and Sheryl Crow. Bernadette Peters should be there, too, although last night she failed to show up for her Lifetime Achievement Award at the pre-Tony cocktail party.
“Prometheus” and “Madagascar 3” in A Dead Heat for Number 1
It’s sci-fi vs. cartoons this weekend. Last night, Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” finished in the number 1 spot with $21.4 million. That’s exactly $1 million more than “Madagascar 3,” the latest animated episode in the series from Dreamworks Animation. The rest of the pack–from “Show White” to a fading “Men in Black 3”–were far behind.
The question now is, can “Prometheus” hold on today and tomorrow, or will Saturday and Sunday matinees push “Mad 3” past them. Either way, “Prometheus” is a nice sized hit, and a boost to the box office for something that isn’t a sequel. Good for Ridley Scott and co.!
The other big story is that “Exotic Marigold Hotel” is just the little engine that could. It racked up almost $1 million last night, bringing its US total to over $28 mil. Abroad it’s already made $82 million. The British indie film didn’t have a lot of promotion here, but the names– Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy–meant something to the intelligent adult audience. Well played! And let’s not forget John Madden directed it–he directed “Shakespeare in Love” among other top films.
James Franco: Getting out the Long Knives for Art
Saturday–June 9th -James Franco is flying up to New York from New Orleans, where he’s shooting at least one movie. He and performance artist Laurel Nakadate are going to give a talk at the New Museum on the Bowery beginning at 5:30pm. There will not be a psychic involved, even though there had been rumors. The last time these two did something, there was a seance. Franco is going to show a short film about his late friend, Brad Renfro, called “Brad Renfro Forever.” There will be the opportunity to buy a limited edition switchblade emblazoned with the words Renfro Forever. There are 100 knives, made by a famous knife maker. It seems like they may sell for $850. You can read more about it at http://www.thethingquarterly.com/projects/james-franco.html.
Tony Awards Going Up Against “Mad Men” Finale, “True Blood” Return
Sunday night is going to be a fight for the remote control and the DVR in certain demographic households. At 8pm the Tony Awards will begin on CBS. At 9pm “True Blood” will return for a new season on HBO. At 10pm, “Mad Men” will play its season finale on AMC. Are there enough viewers to go around?
What’s the best solution? Watch the Tonys, and “tape” the other two shows. My guess is a lot of people will try that. Of the three, “True Blood” is the one you can put off watching until Monday. But it’s also on in the middle hour of the Tonys, which may not be so exciting awards wise at that time. The big Tony moments are sure to come while “Mad Men” is wrapping up, from 10-11. The back and forth may be excruciating.
The Tony Awards, knowing this, are stacked with familiar faces and big names. As the end draws near, and Best Musical, Play, and actors are announced, god only know what will be happening at Sterling Cooper Draper– and will be it Harris or Holloway, Joan’s name, since she’s now a partner. And what happened to Peggy after she left the firm? And what other secrets did Lane leave behind?
Make sure the batteries in the remote are new, and the DVR memory is freed up. It’s going to be a long night!
John Travolta Braves Scandals, Appears at AFI Tribute
Despite the fact that he’s under supermarket tabloid siege, John Travolta made a public appearance last night. He turned up at the AFI tribute to Shirley MacLaine. According to various reports, he skipped the red carpet and didn’t even sit in the audience. But when it was his turn he got up and spoke about MacLaine. He even reminisced about a talk he once had with MacLaine’s brother, Warren Beatty, about his sister. Travolta was pretty brave to fulfill his promise to toast MacLaine. A couple of different masseuses are suing Travolta, and more are coming out of the woodwork to make accusations against Travolta over his behavior. Travolta’s lawyer Martin Singer is vigorously denying all of it. But one thing’s for sure: the rumors are the last nails in the “Gotti” movie, which will not likely never be made.
Oprah Still “in” with Obama: Quietly Gave Maximum Amount to 2012 Campaign
Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama? Still very close. And Oprah is still supporting Obama, at least financially. While her boosterism isn’t what it was four years ago–she hasn’t had the President or First Lady on her OWN show yet– Oprah is still hanging in there. According to Federal Election records, she donated $10,000 to the Obama campaign on April 2, 2012. There are four entries for $2,500 apiece. She also gave the Democratic National Committee a donation of $30,800.
In lock step with Oprah is her best friend, Gayle King. Last summer, before she became an anchor on the CBS Morning News, King donated $5,000 directly to Obama and the same $30,800 to the DNC. She might not have been able to do that now as a CBS employee.
And what of Stedman Graham, Oprah’s significant other? So far, he hasn’t given the Obama campaign or DNC anything as far as I can tell from FEC records.
Scandal-seeking writer Ed Klein spends a lot of time in his terrible book about Obama, “The Amateur,” trying to kick up various feuds between Winfrey and the Obamas. They cover everything from Michelle Obama not liking Oprah because she’s overweight, to peculiar snubs about Oprah not getting VIP treatment at the White House. This week, Rush Limbaugh suggested that Oprah lost her TV career because of her support of Obama. All of that is ridiculous.
You may recall, however, the one strange thing about Oprah and past elections. Oprah is very close to her wealthy Montecito neighbor, Harold Simmons, of Texas. From 2009 to the present, Simmons has given about $14 million to Republican candidates and causes.
I wrote in 2008:
Winfrey is very close friends with Dallas billionaire named Harold Simmons, a leading Republican donor and supporter of John McCain.
This past August it was revealed that Simmons was the single donor to a 527 committee called American Issues Project. Its only issue: to run ads linking Obama to William Ayers, the political activist who was once part of the Weather Underground. Simmons paid $2.9 million to try and make Ayers the Obama campaign’s “Swift Boat,” an issue that might have sidelined permanently the Illinois senator’s chances and advance John McCain — Simmons’s candidate — to the White House.
Nevertheless, Winfrey has cultivated her friendship with Simmons on many social fronts since 2001, resulting in his being second only to her in donating funds to her Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa.
According to the 2006 federal tax filing for the Oprah Winfrey Operating Fund, Winfrey accepted a $1 million donation to the school from Simmons. That amount, The Dallas Morning News reported in 2007, was only part of a $5 million pledge to the Academy. Simmons is considered Dallas’s leading philanthropist to worthy causes. In this case, though, it might have been unnecessary, since Winfrey herself has donated over $60 million to the school.
It’s not like Simmons is a new Republican donor. He gave over $100,000 in the 2007-2008 election cycle to Republican candidates, separate from his Ayers campaign. He has always been an active Republican. In 2004 he was a major donor to the Swift Boat Veterans, the group credited with destroying the campaign of John Kerry for president.
Winfrey has long been close friends with Simmons and his wife Annette. She’s their neighbor in Montecito, California, having bought the estate next to them in 2001. As recently as two weeks ago, Oprah mentioned the couple on her show during a telephone discussion of the Montecito fires with another neighbor, actor Rob Lowe.
(Winfrey was not available for comment, according to her representative. Simmons, who doesn’t have a press representative, did not return our call.)
The Dallas Morning News—thanks to the dogged byline of Alan Peppard — is full of stories over the years documenting Oprah’s friendship with the Simmonses. They are often at each others’ homes and parties. When Oprah’s significant other, Stedman Graham, spoke to a group in Dallas, it was noted that he dined with the Simmonses. In April, 2006 — two years after the Swift Boat scandal was revealed — Oprah sent a camera crew to a Dallas luncheon hosted by Annette Simmons showcasing the thousands of tulip bulbs surrounding the lake on her property.
Bob Welch, of early Fleetwood Mac Fame, Dies at 66
What a shame: Bob Welch, who played with the original Fleetwood Mac, died yesterday at age 66. Reports say he committed suicide. Welch was part of the original band, before Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined the group, and before the career changing “Fleetwood Mac” and “Rumours” albums. He managed to circle around and get two hits off the later Mac’s success, re-recording “Sentimental Lady” and adding a new hit, “Ebony Eyes.” Welch also wrote “Hypnotized,” from the 1973 album “Mystery to Me” that was real Fleetwood Mac for the band’s original fans. He also played lead guitar and sang lead vocals during their “Heroes are Hard to Find” and “Bare Trees” periods. But because he wasn’t an “original” member of the group, he was denied induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Shame. Reports say he had health issues. He will be sorely missed.
“Prometheus” Looks Like a Hit for 20th Century Fox
It looks like “Prometheus,” directed by Ridley Scott, is going to be a big hit. It opens tomorrow with a high Rottentomatoes.com rating and amazing 3D. Our LEAH SYDNEY saw the film this week and she reports: “Visually stunning with seamless and dazzling CGI, Scott’s film expertly blends crisp 3-D effects and suspense along with the nerve-wracking tense drama and intense paranoia of the characters. So well paced was the film that I was gripping my seat handle in a packed screening room practically the entire 123 minutes of the film.
“While over the top avid geek fans might not feel the same gut wrenching affect that they had with his previous films, (think John Hurt’s chest exploding scene from “Alien,”) “Prometheus,”set in 2093 roughly thirty years earlier than “Alien,” bedazzles with visual fireworks that will impress even the most jaded moviegoers.
“A crew of space explorers are traveling on a trillion dollar mission to a remote moon hoping to find answers to mankind’s beginnings. The actors all deliver with strong performances, especially Idris Elba as the ship’s sexy albeit no-nonsense captain, Noomi Rapace and Logan Marshall-Green as a pair of in love scientists, Michael Fassbender as an eerily precise android and the icy corporate supervisor Charlize Theron.
“Scott, who teamed with writers Damon Lindelof (“Lost,”) and Jon Spaihts, create a story that questions mankind’s origins, touching on science vs. belief and Darwinism vs. creation. Though these ideas are not quite fully developed, they are fascinating and worthy of continuation, where it indeed seems like “Prometheus” is headed”
Jane Fonda– Two Time Oscar Winner–Wants to Take Acting Classes Again
Jane Fonda–winner of two Academy Awards for Best Actress–wants to go back to acting classes. She told the audience at the Film Society of Lincoln Center last night–in an interview with Hilton Als of the New Yorker–that she wants to “update her instrument.” Later she told me, “I don’t know who I’ll go to. But I want a class with other people, not private lessons.”
Fonda was at the Film Society after a long day of promoting her new film, “Peace, Love and Misunderstanding.” It opens tomorrow from IFC Films. Today she’s on “The View.” Tomorrow she takes her grandkids to Chicago to see son Troy Garity on set –where he’s doing a knockout jon on the Starz show “Boss.”
Fonda was pretty candid with Als and the audience about her recent choices of movies. Talking about “Monster in Law” with Jennifer Lopez, she said she did it because she was nervous a new generation wouldn’t know who she was, but they’d know Lopez. “And then they’d get to see me.” She said when she’s walking in the street, she gets more shoutouts for that movie than any other. Her Oscars, by the way, were for “Klute” (1970) and “Coming Home” (1977). Before Fonda stopped acting in the late 1980s, she was the number 1 American actress. Meryl Streep, who succeeded her in that title, got her start in a Fonda film–“Julia.”
Alana Stewart vs. Rod Stewart: Dueling Memoirs Set for Fall
Who remembers what, and when? Still producing progeny rocker Rod Stewart is releasing a memoir this fall, in keeping with recent books by Keith Richards and Steven Tyler. Richards had an excellent memory, but Tyler’s was so-so and Mick Jagger — who claims to remember nothing–was not so happy with Kief’s precise recollections.
Now comes Rod, who will tell it like he kind of remembers it. But now his ex-wife (and still good pal) Alana Hamilton Stewart is also publishing a book, called “Rearview Mirror.” And it’s coming right at the same time. Alana, once married to George Hamilton, has total recall. She’s not so sure Rod does. (And this is the problem with a lot of rockers.) Alana, you see, has kept extremely annotated journals.
She told me last night at People magazine’s book party at the Top of the Standard her book is not a tell -all. But it chronicles her life from poverty in Texas to life in Hollywood, and her steadfast friendship with Farrah Fawcett through her death. It’s going to be a fascinating read. Alana also recently became a grandmother–her daughter Kimberly (with Rod) recently had a baby with actor Benicio del Toro. The two were not a couple, as it were. But Alana reports that Benicio has been “an excellent father” and “very devoted.”
Alana also continues to run the Farrah Fawcett Foundation, despite false accusations last year of malfeasance. In fact, she’s done a great job keeping Farrah’s memory alive.
Also at the People party full of writers and publishers: People editor in chief Larry Hackett, plus “Endless Love” novelist Scott Spencer (a horror novel coming out under a pseudonym), Chris Colfer (see elsewhere in today’s items), Tony Danza (who has a book coming out this fall), Lee Woodruff (a novel), publishers Jamie Raab of Grand Central Books, David Rosenthal from Viking, Lori Glazer from Houghton Mifflin, and Roger Cooper of Vanguard/Perseus. I also spotted Damien Echols of the West Memphis Three with wife Laurie. You’ll recall I announced last year– as he was getting out of jail– that he was writing a book for Viking.
Just a note: how odd it was to be in the Top of the Standard aka the Boom Boom Room, in daylight. It’s very nice up there and the view actually is stunning.