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Tony Bennett Documentary: Legalize Drugs, Learn Something New Always

Roger Friedman
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Tony Bennett Documentary: Legalize Drugs, Learn Something New Always

Amy Winehouse’s dad, Mitch, was in New York last night for the premiere screening of “The Zen of Bennett,” the moving new documentary about Tony Bennett made by his manager son, Danny. Some parts of “The Zen of Bennett” had already appeared in a promotional film about Tony Bennett’s latest duets album. But Mitch Winehouse told me he’d been too upset to watch the earlier video of his late daughter and Tony sing “Body and Soul.”

Watching it tonight was upsetting, and he wanted to make sure fans understood that Amy had been off drugs for three weeks before she died. “She was nervous about singing with Tony and went back to drinking a bit,” Mitch said. “And that’s what started her toward the end. But people have to realize it’s an illness. If Amy’s grandmother had come down from heaven in a flaming chariot and ordered her to stop drinking, it wouldn’t have worked.”

I liked Mitch Winehouse. He’s a straight shooter. He’s written a book being published by HarperCollins on July 5th. He’s also  started a serious foundation in Amy’s memory, registered here in the US as a 501 c3. It’s going to raise money for kids, schools, and housing in New Orleans. It’s not a fly by night operation. He’s got a phalanx of reputable people helping him. As for more Amy Winehouse releases, he’s unsure what the future holds. “We’re not going to do anything else unless it’s right,” he told me. He’s still very much in touch with Amy’s producer, Mark Ronson.

“The Zen of Bennett” was already bought by Netflix, where it will be available soon. Tony, who had not seen the film before tonight, was overwhelmed. He introduced his long time friend, Harry Belafonte, from the audience. He introduced Mitch Winehouse and Lady Gaga’s parents. (Lady Gaga is amazing in this film.)  Most of the Bennett family was present, and very proud. The film shows Tony recording his ‘”Duets II” album but also talking about his land his philosophies. He’s very adamant about the legalization of drugs.

Someone asked him if he’d ever record a duet with Britney Spears. “I don’t know what she does,” he replied honestly. He has a good point.  He said his favorite artist was Pablo Casals, who told him to live every day to the fullest. He said he took notes from Oprah’s final show about learning from your mistakes. He said the only artist he wished he’d recorded with was Louis Armstrong. He praised Amy Winehouse–you could see he was very impressed with her when they recorded, and she was sober. He really said she was his favorite new artist from “Elvis Presley to the Beatles to whatever else happened after that.”

This is a DVD to buy, not just rent. “The Zen of Bennett” is a gem, as is Tony–who sings better than ever at 85, and is a positive life force. Do not miss his discussion of Dinah Washington with Amy. Or Aretha Franklin’s or John Mayer’s duets with him in this film.

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Will Smith Invested $1.2 Mil Into School with Scientology Ties in 2010

Roger Friedman
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0
Will Smith Invested $1.2 Mil Into School with Scientology Ties in 2010

I’ve reported before about Will Smith’s donations to Scientology organizations in the past. But in none of the filings for the Will Smith Foundation was there ever listed a donation to the school he started with wife Jada Pinkett Smith in Calabasas, California.

That school, New Village Leadership Academy, has been criticized in the past for teaching Scientology courses to its grade school students. For three years, NVLA never filed a Form 990 as a school, so it was hard to track their finances. But now a Form 990 Federal Tax filing has suddenly emerged on Guidestar.org just for the year 2010. It shows a few things of interest. For one, Smith donated $1,235,00 to the school in 2010 from his WSJ Trust, not from his publicly scrutinized foundation. That’s why it never showed up before.

Basically, Smith’s donation almost covered the $1.4 million non specific salaries listed for the school. Under salaries, NVLA lists just two educators, both with Scientology backgrounds. The head of school is named Franca Campopiano, but the school confirmed that she is also known as Piano Foster. She was paid $200.000 in 2010. As Piano Foster, Campopiano has been listed as a past student of Scientology. She’s married to a Darryl Foster, also a past student of Scientology.Foster/Campopiano succeeded the school’s original head, Jacqueline Oliver, who left in a dispute with the Smiths over the Scientology teaching at the school.

The other educator listed is Carol McGuire, listed not as a teacher but “Technology Specialist.” She was paid $120,000 in 2010. McGuire also goes by Carol Ann McGuire. On the NVLA website she’s listed as a “employee/teacher” but on the form 990 it’s quite specific. And that’s important because Scientology’s basic curriculum is something called Study Tech. On its website, NVLA stresses “technology” as one of the most important parts of its lessons.

Meantime, the Will Smith Foundation gave away $758,997 to other charities, schools, and foundations in 2010 including $20,000 to the ILM Foundation, a Muslim education organization that has since ceased functioning.

Madonna’s Numbers Speak for Themselves

Roger Friedman
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6
Madonna’s Numbers Speak for Themselves

The Madonna fanatic are going crazy online. They’re not getting it about Madonna’s ticket or CD sales. Let’s address ourselves to the CD sales. As of this morning, hitsdailydouble has counted 54% of the total CD sales in the US. Lionel Richie and Madonna put out albums on the same day– March 26th. This morning, Lionel is at number 1 with 65,000 copies sold last week. Madonna is at number 28, with 2,575 copies sold. That’s including her ticket promotion. Don’t kill the messenger. “MDNA” is dead sales wise. Why does no one get this? Her tour ticket sales are better. She has sold 600,000 tickets in the US to about 35 shows. The total comes approximately to $14 million. Except for Yankee Stadium, most of the venues seat between 15,000 and 19,000 people.

The tour will be a hit, but not a mega hit. There are plenty of tickets for sale, but they will sell closer to the dates– particularly if there are good reviews from Europe and early in the US. Madonna fanatics can believe what they want, but this is the state of affairs for artists of a certain age. Madonna is doing better than most. But let’s get real. She is old enough to be Adele or Lady Gaga’s mother. And the core fans–the ones who are bombarding my emails–simply have not bought “MDNA” in any substantial volume. The numbers are real and do not lie. If “MDNA” falls out of the top 50 next, where will it be in the summer and fall when Madonna’s actually on tour?

Check this captured page for Madison Square Garden in November. I could still buy 10 good tickets in Section 101 at 12:22 am. Case closed. Madonna fans, put your money where your anonymous posts are.

 

Google Europe Zeitgest Schedule for May: Clinton, Annie Lennox, No Murdochs

Roger Friedman
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1
Google Europe Zeitgest Schedule for May: Clinton, Annie Lennox, No Murdochs

EXCLUSIVE: There are so many confabs with important people that I’ve lost track of them. There’s Davos, Clinton Global Initiative, TED, the United Nations, the big meeting in Sun Valley–these are the conventions where the top top people who are making our lives better (or worse, depending on your view) get together, share ideas, and get a nice dinner.  

Next month outside of London, at the Grove Hotel, Google has their annual Zeitgest meetings. It’s two days of talks, music, golf, dinner and, apparently Annie Lennox. She’s the featured performer this year, and I wish I could be there to see world leaders and techie innovators wipe away tears during “Why.” The 2012 Zeitgeist is Brit oriented, so speaking on one panel are English musician Imogene Heap and red haired actress/model and very tall beauty Lily Cole.

The end of the two-day conference is supposed to be a conversation between Eric Schmidt and Bill Clinton (they have a lot in common, apparently). In between, there will be tons of VIPS. But in the press section, no Murdochs. James Murdoch spoke at Zeitgeist 2007, but things have, uh, changed. The press area will include reps from the Guardian, the Independent, and Al Jazeera. But no one from News Corp or its affiliates is scheduled. Shame about that. I’ve attached the schedule below.

A Google spokesman had this to say: “This is a leaked, early stage document that’s subject to change between now and the event itself. As such we can’t comment on the content, but we look forward to welcoming lots of great speakers to Zeitgeist in May.”

If you want to attend, the Grove Hotel is in Hertfordshire, set on 300 acres. Here’s the schedule:

“Neighborhood Watch” Still on Fox Schedule As Trayvon Martin Case Moves Ahead

Roger Friedman
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1
“Neighborhood Watch” Still on Fox Schedule As Trayvon Martin Case Moves Ahead

The trailers are still running on YouTube. They’re also on the imdb.com. And they’re playing in theaters somewhere. Ninety days before the release of “Neighborhood Watch,” there’s no new marketing campaign. And that may be a problem. Since I first wrote about “Neighborhood Watch” and its close association with the George Zimmerman-Trayon Martin case, Zimmerman has been arrested and charged with second degree murder. A trial will happen. Today’s New York Times notes that Florida is a state with lax rules about cameras in the courtroom. In Orlando, the Sentinel newspaper is gearing up for the next Trial of the Century. There are predictions of blanket coverage. Meantime, even though aliens have something to do with it, “Neighborhood Watch” is coming on July 27th from 20th Century Fox. And so far, the aliens are not being advertised. What is being flacked are four white guys who seem to be terrorizing a suburban neighborhood as they guard it from unruly teens. Somewhere beyond the current campaign, the foursome discovers space aliens. But right now, that’s still lost on the audience. And on the imdb.com message board for the movie, film fans are already writing in, asking if the film will really come out this summer, and suggesting that it shouldn’t. Fox doesn’t have much time left to change the movie’s title, pull the trailers, and re-position it so there’s no hint of the Martin case. The clock is running out.

Mad Men: Dark Shadows Soon to Be Cast Over Sterling Cooper

Roger Friedman
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0
Mad Men: Dark Shadows Soon to Be Cast Over Sterling Cooper

Here’s a “Mad Men” head scratcher: two days after Johnny Depp opens in the movie version of “Dark Shadows” comes the 9th episode of season 5 of “Mad Men.” And it’s called, according to a fresh posting on the imdb, “Dark Shadows.” Are vampires coming to Sterling Cooper? Episode 9 seems to fall chronologically around November 1966. So I’ve found a summary of the “Dark Shadows” episodes that ran on ABC that month at http://www.nicholasmooneyhan.com/darkshadows/111966.html. Will Pete Campbell suddenly reveal himself as Barnabas Collins? Will the “Mad Men” characters have a Halloween party dressed as their favorite “Dark Shadows” characters? (Jon Hamm does sort of resemble David Selby.) Or is Betty just home watching her soaps? Anyway, other episodes now have names, too: After “Signal 30″, the next batch are called, in order: “Far Away Places,” “At the Codfish Ball,” “Lady Lazarus,” “Dark Shadows,” “Christmas Waltz,” and “The Other Woman.” No other info yet. although that last one doesn’t sound good. Two more episodes follow, still untitled, with the season ending on June 10th, the same night as the Tony Awards. Just as someone is receiving Best Musical, something big will be happening in the last few minutes of “Mad Men.”

Flashback: Michael Douglas in “Last Vegas”

Roger Friedman
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0
Flashback: Michael Douglas in “Last Vegas”

Our very own Leah Sydney reported on March 14th that Michael Douglas was going to make “Last Vegas” his next movie. Other publications either have short memories or don’t know how to search the web to see if a story’s already been written. Anyway:

http://www.showbiz411.com/2012/03/14/michael-douglas-may-be-heading-to-last-vegas

Rock Hall Show a Bust As Group Recycles Itself

Roger Friedman
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4
Rock Hall Show a Bust As Group Recycles Itself

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame annual induction show used to be a big deal. Remember the Waldorf Hotel big jam sessions with names like Springsteen, McCartney, Jagger, Richards, etc? Am I showing my age? Yes. because that’s when it was a Hall of Fame. Now reduced to rubble, the Hall of Fame show–held in Cleveland this year–was a shadow of its former self. No-shows due to illness were Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys and Rod Stewart of the Faces/Small Faces, although Rod’s already in as a solo act. Axl Rose protested the event, so Guns n Roses played without him.

Bette Midler, who last year inducted Darlene Love, this year inducted Laura Nyro. This is awfully nice of Bette since the RRHOF will never induct her. (She should talk to Peter Wolf of J Geils, who used to hang around and do Jann Wenner favors thinking he was going to get in.) Thanks to this column, Nyro’s son was allowed to accept her award, so that’s a plus. Smokey Robinson, whom I love, came to get the award for the Miracles, even though it was for the other singers, not him. He was inducted solo in 1988, even though all his biggest hits were with the Miracles. Steve van Zandt, of the E Street Band, also not inducted even though Bruce Springsteen has been in for eons, should take note of all that.

Carole King was scheduled to induct music publishing great Donnie Kirshner two years after his death and 25 years after he was eligible. Basically, the Cleveland fans got a Red Hot Chili Peppers show with a couple of songs by Donovan, who was also made to wait 25 years. John Mellencamp brought girlfriend Meg Ryan. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Slash gave the press the finger when asked to take questions about Axl Rose. Sounds like a fun night in Cleveland, Ohio.

Jann Wenner must be looking around, thinking, What happened to all the cool people? Now that he’s skipped over or snubbed more than two dozen actual stars for induction he can look forward in 2013 to newly eligible acts like Debbie Gibson, George Michael, Jane’s Addiction, Sinead O’Connor, Milli Vanilli, and the Pixies.

Still not in: Bon Jovi, Sting, Chicago, Linda Ronstadt, Hall and Oates, Carly Simon, Billy Preston, Chubby Checker, Carole King (as a solo artist–but she’s really volunteering a lot, like Bette–read Peter Wolf note), Peter Wolf with or without J Geils, The Moody Blues, Todd Rundgren, Nile Rodgers and Chic, producers like Phil Ramone, Richard Perry, and Richard Gottehrer, Ringo Starr (the only Beatle not in solo), Three Dog Night or the Fifth Dimension or Blood Sweat and Tears, Joe Tex, Mary Wells, Cyndi Lauper, and so on.

Exclusive: Ellen Burstyn Joins Sigourney Weaver TV Series, “Political Animals”

Roger Friedman
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0
Exclusive: Ellen Burstyn Joins Sigourney Weaver TV Series, “Political Animals”

Exclusive: Ellen Burstyn, Oscar winner for Martin Scorsese’s classic, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” and a favorite of everyone’s, is coming to TV. She’s just signed to play Sigourney Weaver’s mother in the USA Network’s new series, “Political Animals.” Sigourney is playing a character very similar to Hillary Clinton–former first lady now secretary of state. Ellen is playing her mom. The series has a guaranteed order, so USA seems to be pretty high on it. Political shows with female leads are in vogue right now. Julia Louis Dreyfus’s HBO show, “Veep,” is getting great advance reviews. “Political Animals” also features Carla Gugino, Sebastian Stan, and Ciaran Hinds as Sigourney’s husband, the former president. The show is from Greg Berlanti, who’s best known for “Brothers & Sisters.” Burstyn had a great run recently on “Big  Love” for HBO. She goes back and forth between the big and small screen with ease. Her last Oscar nomination (she’s had five all together, plus the win) was for “Requiem for a Dream.” She won an Emmy Award in 2009 for “Law & Order SVU” as a guest star. USA continues to be an unexpected powerhouse and source of pretty good series.

Now–here’s a little background. Last week I ran into Ellen. She told me that she was about to sign the deal for “Political Animals.” She asked if I’d hold off writing about it until the deal was done, and she would call me. Good for her word, a real mensch, she called when the papers were ready. I ran the item on Forbes.com immediately. A few hours later, the story, without my credit, started running on The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, and a few other places. They didn’t care that their time stamp was well after mine. They hadn’t talk to Ellen Burstyn. They didn’t care that the whole thing had run on Forbes.com. They just took it, and pretended like it was new. This is what we deal with now. It’s just a circus. Deadline is suing THR for taking their material. They each “appropriate” re-position material from other places all day long. THR reads a story somewhere else, then calls the principals in the story, and writes: “We’ve confirmed– that such and such has happened.” This not journalism. It’s just petty theft. In the new journalism, you don’t have to have sources or contacts. You just have to know where to read to get your stories. It’s wild. I don’t know some of these people can pretend to be proud of their work.

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Gawker’s Fox “Mole” Found, and Flushed Out

Roger Friedman
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0
Gawker’s Fox “Mole” Found, and Flushed Out

I do have to laugh at this story. After a year of phone hacking, pie throwing in Parliament, more hacking, dozens of arrests, the resignation of James Murdoch, you wouldn’t think there’d be much left to embarrass News Corp. And then Gawker.com, that sly purveyor of gossip and snark, announced they’d hired a current Fox employee to be their mole in the conservative network. The “Mole” has already started reports on Gawker.com. They’re not so earth-shaking yet, but they’re brazen. Now Fox News has released a statement saying they knew who he is and they’re considering their legal options. The Mole says they’re wrong, he’s still at work, and still undercover. If Fox had him, believe me, the Mole would be gone. They don’t know who this guy is, no one does, and it’s hilarious. Believe me, they will turn over the building looking for him. Years ago, when Judith Regan was having an affair with then police commish Bernie Kerik, Fox let the NYPD rip up the green room when Judy lost her wallet. They thought everyone including the make up ladies was a suspect. Everyone was questioned. Paranoia rules at Fox News. This should be quite an adventure. Good luck, Mole!

UPDATE: Hi. My name is Joe Muto. I was the Fox Mole. FROM WWW.GAWKER.COM

Two hours ago I was called into a meeting with Dianne Brandi, the Fox News Executive Vice President of Legal and Business Affairs and suspended indefinitely… with pay, oddly enough.

They nailed me.

In the end, it was the digital trail that gave me away. They knew that someone, using my computer login, had accessed the sources for two videos that ended up on Gawker over the past few weeks. They couldn’t prove it entirely, but I was pretty much the only suspect.

I denied it, which is why they didn’t fire me outright. But two nice gentlemen from security escorted me to my desk to pack up my stuff, and it was pretty obvious at that point that I would not be setting foot back into 1211 Avenue of the Americas again.

So here I am. That’s me in the photo, sitting in the Gawker offices, with a portrait of a rather mischievous looking Roger Ailes behind me. He was my ultimate boss for the past 8 years.

I joined Fox News Channel in July 2004 as a production assistant. I bounced around for a few years working for some now defunct shows. (Remember “The Lineup with Kimberly Guilfoyle”? No?)

In January 2007, I joined the O’Reilly Factor as an associate producer, and there I have remained ever since. That’s me in this YouTube video pitching O’Reilly a story at the 4:00 mark.

I am a weasel, a traitor, a sell-out and every bad word you can throw at me… but as of today, I am free, and I am ready to tell my story, which I wasn’t able to fully do for the previous 36 hours.

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