New Oscar winner Meryl Streep does have a successful husband, you know. Don Gummer is a big deal artist, painter, sculptor. At this week’s big Art for Water charity event for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Waterkeeper Alliance, a framed Gummer print was literally peeled off the wall for upwards of $10,000. Famed art collector and museum leader Agnes Gund even had her picture taken next to the piece of art. Most of Gummer’s work consists of big metal sculptures that sit on the manciured lawns of estates or in fancy office plazas. So whoever got this piece was lucky, lucky, lucky. The event, at Matthew Marks Gallery, also brought out John McEnroe, famed artist Chuck Close, Kennedy and his galpal actress Cheryl Hines, Nicole Miller, and actors Jane Seymour, Giancarlo Esposito and Gloria Reuben. Close rode around in his very modern wheel chair that looks like it’s built on a Segway. As a bonus, Debbie Harry of Blondie sang. The other artists featured included Marina Abramovic, Dan Colen, Gregory Crewdson, Willem de Kooning, Olafur Eliass
on, Donald Judd, Alex Katz, Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Longo, Sarah Morris, Catherine Opie, Raymond Pettibon, Laurie Simmons, and Josh Smith. PS Agnes Gund also drove up the bidding on a Donald Baechler print. Like she needs it!
Meryl Streep’s Husband Don Gummer Fetches High Price
The Whole Story About Whitney Houston’s Last Will and Testament
Whitney Houston updated her will in 2004. All reports otherwise today are wrong. The will names daughter Bobbi Kristina as her sole heir and mother Cissy Houston as executor. Today in Atlanta probate court, I am told by insiders, the family agreed to let Pat Houston, Whitney’s sister in law, become executor. Cissy Houston was appointed co-trustee. The 2000 codicil from “Inside Edition” picked up by the New York Post “is not her latest will.” Neither will — the 2000 or the 2004 update– left anything to Bobby Brown, that is true. But no longer serving as trustees are Whitney’s other brother Michael or his wife, Donna. I am told the court action in Atlanta went smoothly, with everyone agreeing that Whitney would have wanted Pat Houston to take over as executor.
This is a big shift in power in the Houston family. In the 80s and 90s, it was Donna Houston who was close to Whitney. But Whitney’s half brother Gary married Pat in 1994, and things shifted. Now Pat Houston has convinced Whitney’s mother Cissy to be the executor. Families are a tricky business.
Here’s the official statement that was exclusive to us at Forbes.com and Showbiz411.com:
Kenny Meiselas of Grubman Indursky Shire and Meiselas P.C., long term media and
entertainment attorneys for Whitney Houston, confirms that today in Fulton
County Probate Court in Georgia, Marion P. Houston (Pat Houston) was appointed
as Administrator of the Estate of Whitney E. Houston. Bobbi Christina Brown is
the sole beneficiary. (see copy of order attached)
Tribeca Film Festival Releases Best Schedule in Its History
At last! The Tribeca Film Festival main films finally, after 11 years, look like a roster of real winners. With the help of former Sundance chief Geoff Gilmore, and some luck and chemistry, the TFF has picked a group of films that should keep everyone talking. Terry George’s “Whole Lotta Sole,” rejected by Sundance, is here. (He just won an Oscar for his short film.) The Tony Bennett documentary by his son, Danny. And tons of good stuff. Congrats! Very exciting: “Stuck by Lightning” with Chris Colfer, and a New York showing of “Polisse.”
2 Days in New York, directed and written by Julie Delpy. (France) – New York Premiere, Narrative. This deliriously witty follow-up to 2 Days in Paris finds Marion (writer/director Julie Delpy) living a comfortable life in New York with her latest hipster boyfriend, Mingus (Chris Rock, brilliantly playing it straight), and their two young kids from prior relationships. A riotous comedy of cultural errors ensues when Marion’s totally unhinged, gleefully unfiltered family arrives from Paris to meet Mingus for the first time. In English, French with subtitles. A Magnolia Pictures release.
· Any Day Now, directed by Travis Fine, written by Travis Fine and George Arthur Bloom. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. In the late 1970s, when a mentally handicapped teenager is abandoned, a gay couple takes him in and becomes the family he’s never had. But once the unconventional living arrangement is discovered by authorities, the men must fight a biased legal system to adopt the child they have come to love as their own. Alan Cumming and Garret Dillahunt star in TFF alum Travis Fine’s (The Space Between) touching and occasionally incendiary drama.
· As Luck Would Have It (La Chispa de la Vida), directed by Alex de la Iglesia, written by Randy Feldman. (Spain) – North American Premiere, Narrative. The economy has kept Roberto (José Mota) out of work for a long time. When a freak accident puts him at the center of a media frenzy, the enterprising ad exec hires a snaky agent to help him cash in on his life-or-death situation. It’s up to Roberto’s adoring wife (the vivacious Salma Hayek) to convince him he’s worth more alive than dead. Cult director Alex de la Iglesia takes a fresh new step, combining a darkly comic satire with an emotional drama of a family’s love. In Spanish with subtitles.
· BAM150, directed by Michael Sládek (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Go behind the scenes like never before at BAM, the nation’s oldest performing arts center. Featuring footage of recent BAM performances, interviews with groundbreaking artists like Laurie Anderson and Robert Wilson, and the fascinating history of the creative home to such greats as Pina Bausch, Peter Brook, and Merce Cunningham, TFF alum Michael Sládek’s (Con Artist) doc shows that BAM’s 150 years were not always easy, but are a testament to the power and stamina of the institution that launched Brooklyn as a cultural mecca.
· A Better Life (Une Vie Meilleure), directed by Cédric Kahn, written by Cédric Kahn and Catherine Paillé. (France, Canada) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Passionately in love from the moment they meet, idealistic chef Yann and single mother Nadia share big dreams for their future. Life gets complicated when they impulsively buy a secluded restaurant in the woods and take on risky loans, testing the strength of their relationship. Fiercely gritty in its romanticism, this is a story of the lengths one will go for the chance at a better life. In French, English with subtitles.
Booker’s Place: A Mississippi Story, directed by Raymond De Felitta. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. While filming a documentary on racism in Mississippi in 1965, Frank De Felitta forever changed the life of an African-American waiter and his family. More than 40 years later, Frank’s son Raymond (director of City Island) returns to the site of his father’s film to examine the repercussions of their fateful encounter. This intensely personal film about the struggle to understand one’s parents is also a heartbreaking portrait of the legacy of intolerance.
· Broke, directed by Billy Corben. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. More money, more problems. Sucked into bad investments, stalked by freeloaders, saddled with medical issues, and naturally prone to showing off, most pro athletes end up broke within a few years of retirement. Drawing surprisingly vulnerable confessions from retired stars like Marvin Miller, Jamal Mashburn, Bernie Kosar, and Andre Rison, this fascinating documentary digs into the psychology of men whose competitive nature carries them to victory on the field and ruin off it.
· Cheerful Weather for the Wedding, directed by Donald Rice, written by Donald Rice and Mary Henely Magill. (UK) – World Premiere, Narrative. On the morning of her wedding, Dolly (Felicity Jones) is hiding out and dreaming of the idyllic summer before, helped along by a jug of rum. Her scatterbrained mother (Elizabeth McGovern) has perfected all the arrangements, but even she can’t prepare everyone for the arrival of Dolly’s unpredictable best friend, Joseph (Luke Treadaway). Lighthearted humor and a steamy romance add the perfect touch to a dysfunctional wedding whose key players seem anything but cheerful.
· Chicken With Plums (Poulet Aux Prunes), directed and written by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud. (France, Germany, Belgium) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Nasser Ali Khan (Mathieu Amalric) is the most celebrated violin player in 1950s Tehran, but his heart is broken. His true love is long lost, his marriage is passionless, and now his most precious instrument has met its demise. Convinced life without music is intolerable, he resigns to bed and loses himself in reveries from his youth. The Oscar®-nominated directors of Persepolis make magic again with a stylish fairy tale full of humor, whimsy, and melancholy. In French with subtitles. A Sony Pictures Classics release.
· Deadfall, directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky, written by Zach Dean. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. In the wintry countryside near Canada, a smooth-talking heist man and his femme fatale sister are on the run with a bag full of cash. With a deadly blizzard swirling around them, they split up to make a desperate dash for the border, but a twist of fate puts them on a collision course with a troubled ex-con and his family. Eric Bana, Olivia Wilde, Sissy Spacek, and Kris Kristofferson highlight the ace cast in this icy thriller. A Magnolia Pictures release.
· Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey, directed by Ramona Diaz. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. It sounds like a dream: A charismatic Filipino singer from the slums of Manila posts videos of his cover band to YouTube, and soon he’s fronting an iconic rock band. Sounds crazy, but it’s the real-life rock-and-roll fairy tale that Arnel Pineda is living as the new lead singer of Journey. The pressure’s on Pineda as this rockin’ doc follows Journey’s dizzying world tour—can a man who has already overcome so many obstacles deal with the demands of his newfound fame? In English, Tagalog with subtitles.
· Elles, directed by Malgoska Szumowska, written by Tine Byrckel and Malgoska Szumowska. (France, Poland, Germany) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Juliette Binoche, exquisite and involved as always, stars in this sophisticated, sexually charged drama as Anne, a journalist getting in too deep with the research for her article on college students working as prostitutes. As the surprising stories of her two candid subjects stir up Anne’s image of femininity, she wonders if life with her workaholic husband and two spacey sons is all that different from her subjects’ lives. A Kino Lorber release.
· Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie, directed by Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, and Jeremy Newberger, written by Daniel A. Miller. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Long before the days of Jersey Shore or Glenn Beck, there was one man who gleefully gave those on the fringes of the society a national mouthpiece. Witness Morton Downey Jr.’s meteoric rise and fall as the original shock television emcee, and check your sense of decorum at the door. Here we learn about the man behind the mouth, and how the pursuit of fame and fortune over the airwaves can ultimately destroy your soul.
· Free Samples, directed by Jay Gammill, written by Jim Beggarly. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Jillian is having a bad day. She’s got a raging hangover, she’s starting to think dropping out of Stanford Law to become an artist wasn’t the best career move, and things are weird with her faraway fiancé. Can spending the day parked in an ice cream truck doling out samples—and a good dose of sass—to oddball Angelenos shake her out of her quarter-life crisis? Jess Weixler, Jesse Eisenberg, and Jason Ritter star in this quirky comedy.
· The Giant Mechanical Man, directed and written by Lee Kirk. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Thirtysomethings Janice (Jenna Fischer) and Tim (Chris Messina) haven’t quite learned how to navigate adulthood. Tim is a street performer whose unique talents as a “living statue” don’t exactly pay the bills. Janice is out of work and under pressure by her sister (Malin Akerman) to date an egotistical self-help guru (Topher Grace). In this charming comedic romance, these two strangers help each other to realize that it only takes one person to make you feel important. A Tribeca Film release.
· Headshot (Fon Tok Kuen Fah), directed and written by Pen-ek Ratanaruang. (Thailand, France) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. A return to the crime genre for celebrated Thai auteur Pen-ek Ratanaruang (6ixtynin9, Last Life in the Universe), Headshot is a noir-laced thriller centered on Tul, a hit man who is shot in the head and wakes up to find that he sees everything upside down. Working backwards (and often upside down) to tell a brooding and convoluted tale of underworld double dealings, this is an unexpected and artful take on the action thriller from a genre master. In Thai with subtitles. A Kino Lorber release.
· Hysteria, directed by Tanya Wexler, written by Jonah Lisa Dyer and Stephen Dyer. (USA, UK, Luxembourg, France) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Set in 19th-century London at the peak of Victorian prudishness, this racy romantic comedy tells the surprising story of the birth of the electro-mechanical vibrator. A progressive young doctor (Hugh Dancy, Adam) has his hands full relieving the city’s affluent society women of their melancholy, until an accidental discovery electrifies their lives forever—and sends sparks flying between him and a feminist rabble-rouser (Maggie Gyllenhaal). A Sony Pictures Classics release.
· Keep the Lights On, directed by Ira Sachs, written by Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias. (USA) – New York Premiere, Narrative. For Erik and Paul, what begins as a meaningless late-night hookup evolves into a serious, committed relationship. Acclaimed director Ira Sachs offers an honest, unflinching portrait of a relationship that is by equal measure loving and destructive. Uncompromising in its depiction of drug addiction and the sacrifices we make for the ones we love, Sachs’ film is a heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful look at the way love changes over time.
· Knuckleball!, directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, written by Christine Schomer, Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. This classic sports story recounts the trials and triumphs of two of the best known knuckleball pitchers currently playing in the MLB: Tim Wakefield, a Red Sox veteran struggling to clinch his 200th career win, and R.A. Dickey, an up-and-comer with the Mets looking to make a name for himself. This energetic documentary from the directors of Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work deconstructs the controversial and erratic knuckleball style.
· Let Fury Have the Hour, directed and written by Antonino D’Ambrosio. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. A generation of artists used their creativity as a response to the reactionary politics that came to define our culture in the 1980s. This dynamic and exhilarating documentary brings together more than 50 big-name musicians, writers, artists, and thinkers to trace a momentous social history from the cynical heyday of Reagan and Thatcher to today—and impart a message of hope. Featuring Chuck D, John Sayles, Eve Ensler, Tom Morello, Lewis Black, and many others.
· Lola Versus, directed by Daryl Wein, written by Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Greta Gerwig stars as Lola, a New Yorker who gets dumped by her fiancé mere weeks before their wedding. With the help of her close friends Henry (Hamish Linklater) and Alice (Zoe Lister-Jones), Lola embarks on a series of unexpected encounters in an attempt to find her place in the world as a single woman approaching 30. Daryl Wein (Breaking Upwards) infuses this story of the post-breakup spiral with humor and authenticity. A Fox Searchlight Pictures release.
· Mansome, directed by Morgan Spurlock, written by Jeremy Chilnick and Morgan Spurlock. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. In the age of manscaping, metrosexuals, and grooming products galore—what does it mean to be a man? Oscar® nominee Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) and executive producers Ben Silverman, Will Arnett, and Jason Bateman present a delightfully entertaining doc featuring candid interviews from Arnett, Bateman, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, and everyday people weighing in on everything from the obsession with facial hair to body dysmorphic disorder.
· One Nation Under Dog, directed by Jenny Carchman, Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Amanda Micheli. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. This heartfelt documentary explores people’s conflicted relationships with dogs and inspires us to rethink how we treat them. From a man who spends a fortune to defend his dogs in court, to a woman who can’t turn away a stray, to pet loss support groups to rescuers who take on difficult-to-place dogs and save them from death row, this is a film about love, loss, betrayal, and hope.
· The Playroom, directed by Julia Dyer, written by Gretchen Dyer. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. In 1970s suburbia, Maggie and her younger siblings spend the night telling each other stories in the attic. Downstairs, as their parents entertain guests over the course of a gin-soaked evening, truths are unearthed and betrayals come to light. With standout performances from John Hawkes, Molly Parker, and a cast of talented young actors, Julia Dyer’s second feature is an honest and challenging look at the reality behind the façade of a seemingly perfect American family.
· Polisse, directed by Maïwenn, written by Maïwenn and Emmanuelle Bercot. (France) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Confronting abusive parents, child molesters, traumatized kids, and oversexed teens is all part of the daily grind for the motley band of cops in the Juvenile Protection Unit, but so is chatting about their relationships at lunch and laughing uncontrollably. Grounded in documentary research and naturalistic performances, this unforgettable film from TFF alum Maïwenn (All About Actresses) explores the solidarity that helps hardened vice cops face the worst of society every day. In French, Italian, Romanian, Arabic with subtitles. An IFC Films release.
· The Russian Winter, directed by Petter Ringbom. (Russia) – World Premiere, Documentary. Brooklyn-born John Forté was a Grammy-nominated musician in The Fugees at 21 and a federal prison inmate at 26. When his prison sentence was remarkably commuted in 2008, Forté was given a second chance to share his talents with the world. Chronicling his concert tour across Russia, this inspirational documentary takes us on Forté’s personal journey—one that’s as much about having his voice heard as having his music heard. In English, Russian with subtitles.
· Searching for Sugar Man, directed and written by Malik Bendjelloul. (Sweden, UK) – New York Premiere, Documentary. Rodriguez was the greatest ’70s rock icon who never was. Despite critical praise, his albums bombed in the U.S., and he faded into obscurity among rumors of a gruesome death. But when a bootleg copy of his antiestablishment rock made its way to apartheid South Africa, he was an instant hit. Years later, two intrepid fans investigate whatever happened to the mysterious rocker, setting off a wild chain of events that has to be seen to be believed. A Sony Pictures Classics release.
· Side by Side, directed and written by Chris Kenneally. (USA) – North American Premiere, Documentary. Over the past two decades, digital technology has created a groundbreaking evolution in cinema, challenging film as the standard format for motion pictures. Through interviews with masters like Danny Boyle, James Cameron, David Fincher, George Lucas, David Lynch, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh, Lars Von Trier, and many more, producer Keanu Reeves takes us on a tour of the past and future of the moviemaking process in this in-depth documentary. A Tribeca Film release.
· Struck By Lightning, directed by Brian Dannelly, written by Chris Colfer. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Even being killed by a bolt of lightning won’t keep Carson Phillips quiet. A hyper-ambitious and outspoken high school senior in a small-minded town, Carson (Glee’s Chris Colfer) narrates his own funeral and the last few weeks of his life through a series of sarcastic flashbacks in this upbeat and energetic comedy from Saved! director Brian Dannelly. With Allison Janney, Dermot Mulroney, and Drive’s Christina Hendricks.
· Take This Waltz, directed and written by Sarah Polley. (Canada) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Margot (Michelle Williams) and Lou (Seth Rogen) are happily married. Their life is thrown out of order when Margot falls for another man and is forced to choose between the comfort of the familiar and the excitement of the unknown. Writer-director Sarah Polley’s follow-up to her acclaimed film Away From Here is a quirky, uncommonly heartfelt look at the evolving nature of love and the difficulty of sustaining a relationship over time. A Magnolia Pictures release.
· Trishna, directed and written by Michael Winterbottom. (UK) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Again proving his endless versatility in his fifth film at Tribeca, prolific director Michael Winterbottom (The Road to Guantanamo, last year’s The Trip) adapts Thomas Hardy’s classic Victorian melodrama Tess of the d’Urbervilles to all the beauty and blight of contemporary India, where the budding love between a peasant woman and the son of a wealthy Englishman is strained by old prejudices and class divides. The radiant Freida Pinto stars. In English, Hindi with subtitles. An IFC Films release.
· Whole Lotta Sole, directed by Terry George, written by Terry George and Thomas Gallagher. (UK) – World Premiere, Narrative. In a rowdy little corner of Belfast, hapless young father Jimbo tries to protect his family from the gangster he’s in debt to by robbing the local fish market… which turns out to be a front for the same gangster! On the run, Jimbo holes up in a local antique shop run by a long-lost man from his past. A colorful cast of character actors and a strong turn from Brendan Fraser light up this madcap Irish crime comedy from Terry George (Hotel Rwanda).
· Xingu, directed by Cao Hamburger, written by Helena Soarez, Cao Hamburger, and Anna Muylaert. (Brazil) – North American Premiere, Narrative. Brazil, 1943. Three brothers on an expedition into the feral center of the country encounter a village of Xingu Indians. Allured by the rich indigenous culture, the brothers take a bold stand against corrupt national forces and make protecting the Xingu their lives’ work. With wild, breathtaking visuals and atmospheric music, TFF alum Cao Hamburger conveys a distinct vision of Brazil while finding a universally resonant message in his protagonists’ revolutionary vision. In Portuguese with subtitles.
· Your Sister’s Sister, directed and written by Lynn Shelton. (USA) – New York Premiere, Narrative. Jack (Mark Duplass) hasn’t recovered from his brother’s death. His best friend—and late brother’s ex—Iris (Emily Blunt) sends him to her family’s isolated cabin for some quiet reflection, but complications, rivalries, and surprising revelations arise when both Iris and her heartbroken sister Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt) end up at the cabin as well. Lynn Shelton’s long-awaited follow-up to Humpday heralds a graceful maturation of the reliably against-the-grain filmmaker. An IFC Films release.
CINEMANIA
The crowd-pleasing Cinemania section returns to the Tribeca Film Festival, tempting audiences to experience the most exciting genre films from all corners of the globe. Typified by tense thrillers of all types, this year’s program takes viewers from the simmering home invasion drama Replicas to a twisty underworld kidnapping plot in Graceland; from the intense action of France’s Sleepless Night to online gaming run amok in Rat King. The Cinemania films this year also embrace a darkly comic edge, including the darkly satirical Eddie – The Sleepwalking Cannibal, the over-the-top comedic violence of Revenge for Jolly!, and Jackpot’s heist-comedy-gone-wrong. This gripping lineup, alternately suspenseful and hilarious, serves up just the right number of twists and laughs for late-night filmgoers.
· Eddie – The Sleepwalking Cannibal, directed and written by Boris Rodriguez. (Canada, Denmark) – North American Premiere, Narrative. Onetime art star Lars Olafssen is all washed up. Unable to paint without inspiration, he accepts a teaching stint at a small-time art school in podunk Koda Lake, Canada, and along with it the guardianship of the offbeat town’s neighborhood weirdo, Eddie. As their unlikely friendship evolves, Lars uncovers a dark and violent secret about Eddie’s nocturnal impulses, and finds himself torn between his duty to his friend and his duty to his art.
· Graceland, directed and written by Ron Morales. (Philippines, USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Family man Marlon Villar is the longtime chauffeur of prominent politician Manuel Chango. While he and his daughter accompany his boss’ preteen daughter home, Marlon is ambushed and the wrong girl is kidnapped. Suddenly the unassuming driver is propelled into a horrifying downward spiral and, as events in his life unravel, Marlon, Chango, and their families become entangled in a game of deceit and betrayal that will leave no one innocent. In Tagalog with subtitles.
· Jackpot (Arme Riddere), directed by Magnus Martens, written by Jo Nesbø. (Norway) – International Premiere, Narrative. Terrified, bloodied, and gripping a shotgun, Oscar Svendsen wakes up in what used to be a respectable strip joint, surrounded by eight corpses and with a gun pointed at him by a detective with the National Criminal Investigation Service. Naturally, Oscar is taken into custody, and during his interrogation a bloody and darkly comic story of betrayal, murder, and lottery winnings emerges—but is this the whole story? In Norwegian with subtitles.
· Rat King, directed and written by Petri Kotwica. (Finland) – International Premiere, Narrative. Eighteen-year-old Juri spends his days absorbed in his computer gaming world, to the exclusion of school, friends, and ultimately his exasperated girlfriend. When his internet ally Niki turns up at his door fearing for his life because of a mysterious new online game, Juri eagerly follows him down the rabbit hole. In this taut, violent thriller, the lines between reality and the game blur as Juri and Niki are drawn into its increasingly morbid world. In Finnish with subtitles.
· Replicas, directed by Jeremy Regimbal, written by Josh Close. (Canada) – World Premiere, Narrative. Following the tragic death of their young daughter, the Hughes family decide to escape to their upscale vacation home in the woods. But their attempt to get some quality time together is violently interrupted when a neighboring family with a hidden agenda drops by for dinner. First-time director Jeremy Regimbal builds tension to a calculated and ultimately brutal crescendo in this home-invasion thriller. Starring Selma Blair, Joshua Close, James D’Arcy, and Rachel Miner.
· Revenge for Jolly!, directed by Chadd Harbold, written by Brian Petsos. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Harry (Brian Petsos) will stop at nothing to avenge the death of his beloved dog, Jolly. He and his demented cousin Cecil (Oscar Isaac) follow a series of clues in a frenzied attempt to track down the dog’s murderer, leaving a path of destruction in their wake. Elijah Wood, Kristen Wiig, Adam Brody, Ryan Phillippe, Gillian Jacobs, Bobby Moynihan, Kevin Corrigan, David Rasche, Amy Siemetz, and Garret Dillahunt all stand between Harry and revenge for Jolly.
· Sleepless Night (Nuit Blanche), directed by Frederic Jardin, written by Frederic Jardin and Nicolas Saada. (France, Belgium, Luxembourg) – New York Premiere, Narrative. Vincent is a dedicated police officer, or so it seems. After he steals a massive bag of cocaine, his young son winds up being held for ransom by the mob boss it belongs to. When Vincent travels to the outskirts of Paris to trade the drugs for his son, he gets caught in an intense cat-and-mouse game that quickly spirals out of control. This night might not only be the longest of his life—it could be the last. A Tribeca Film release.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
· Joe Papp in Five Acts, directed by Tracie Holder and Karen Thorsen. (USA) – World Premiere. In Joe Papp’s eyes, art is for everyone, not just a privileged few. This is the story of this indomitable, street-wise champion of the arts who brought more theater to more people than any other producer in history. Co-produced with American Masters and featuring Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Kevin Kline, James Earl Jones, and more, this documentary lets Papp’s great accomplishments and tumultuous personal history be revealed by the artists he helped create—and sometimes tried to destroy.
· Queen: Days Of Our Lives, directed by Matt O’Casey. (UK) – Documentary. Relive the triumphant legacy of Queen in this comprehensive documentary of the band’s career from the late 1960s to today. Packed full of rare archival footage of the band hashing out their signature overdub sound in the recording studio, mind-blowing live performances, and Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon’s candid reflections on their career and the last days of Freddie Mercury, Queen: Days Of Our Lives is any fan’s dream.
· The Zen of Bennett, conceived, created, and produced by Danny Bennett, produced by Jennifer Lebeau, directed by Unjoo Moon. (USA) – World Premiere. At 85, not only does Tony Bennett still have the smoothest pipes in the music business, he’s got the kind of philosophy that has made him one of the most beloved and respected performers of the last six decades. Made with as much class and refinement as Tony himself, this is an insider’s look at the icon as he records his latest duets collection with stars like Lady Gaga, Aretha Franklin, and—bittersweetly—Amy Winehouse.
2012 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival
Sponsored by Time Warner Cable
A perennial audience favorite, the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival has become a leading platform to present independent sports and competition-themed films. The 2012 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival is comprised of five films, all of which will screen throughout the Festival and again all together at Tribeca Cinemas during Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day on Saturday, April 28.
Celebrating competition, passion, and teamwork—and proving that sports is much more than just a game—these documentary films run the gamut from an energetic profile of two iconoclastic MLB pitchers in Knuckleball! and the inspirational story of Ethiopian villagers with amazing athletic abilities in Town of Runners to a teenage basketball player whose life was cut tragically short in Benji and a slew of sports stars whose competitive spirit costs them their fortunes in Broke.
GALA
· Benji, directed by Coodie and Chike. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. In 1984, 17-year-old Ben Wilson was a symbol of everything promising about Chicago: a sweet-natured youngster from the city’s fabled South Side, and America’s top high school basketball prospect. His senseless murder on the day before his senior season devastated the city of Chicago and sent ripples of anguish nationwide. A stirring portrait of a phenom admired both on the court and off, Benji tells the story of a legend who might’ve been.
Exclusive: News Sites Are Running an Outdated Whitney Houston Will
“Inside Edition” and The New York Post sparked a frenzy on Wednesday night. They ran an outdated version of Whitney Houston’s will. We have the right one, with the 2004 codicil and all the changes Houston made to the Will. It’s posted right now at http://blogs.forbes.com/rogerfriedman/. It’s really embarrassing, too, because I posted the news of the updated Will around 7pm and the codicil exclusively a couple of hours later with a statement from Whitney’s lawyer, Kenneth Meiselas. The other news organizations also did not know that today in Atlanta, the Houston went into probate court and named Pat Houston, Whitney’s sister in law and manager, as executor. Mother Cissy Houston is now a trustee. But on the Forbes site you can read the codicil and see the statement. If the 2000 codicil had stood, Whitney’s other sister-in-law, Donna Houston, and her husband, Michael, would have been trustees and Whitney’s old lawyer, Sheldon Platt, would have been the executor. That’s the way “Inside Edition” and the Post have it.
James Franco Lands “General Hospital” Film in Tribeca Film Festival
Even as ABC gets ready to shut down “General Hospital” and blow what’s left of its afternoon programming, the soap opera lives on. Movie star James Franco, who has recurred as a maniac art for the last two years on the show, made a documentary about his experiences. Now it’s been chosen for the Viewppoints section of the Tribeca Film Festival in April. Here’s the description:
Francophrenia (or: Don’t Kill Me, I Know Where the Baby Is)
Directed by Ian Olds and James Franco, written by Ian Olds and Paul Felten
(USA)—North American Premiere, Narrative
“James Franco stunned the film world when he committed to a regular gig on General Hospital, but the Oscar®-nominated actor had a clever trick up his sleeve. While shooting a key GH episode, Franco brought along a film crew. TFF award winner Ian Olds (Fixer, 2009) then repurposed Franco’s behind-the-scenes footage into an experimental psychological thriller set amid the spectacle of a celebrity’s escalating paranoia, creating a mind-bending exploration of identity.”
I have never understood Franco’s participation in General Hospital. But this should be good. And a hot, hot ticket. It may also be the only permanent record of the show in mainstream media. It’s set for cancellation this summer, to replaced by Katie Couric or a show about bowling. If you read the emails to this column, you’ll see that ABC has made a New Coke type mistake destroying their soaps. The fans are outraged, and are turning off the network. Some say they’re working out. Others are reading books. It’s a scandal.
Bruce Springsteen’s Apollo Mission: Launch CD and Major Tour
Bruce Springsteen‘s new CD, “Wrecking Ball,” is streaming for free all day today on www.brucespringsteen.net. It’s getting mixed reviews, but I’m enjoying it tremendously. No matter what Bruce and the E Street Band do, it’s several cuts above anything else out there. “Wrecking Ball”– with Bruce playing drums on some cuts–is a departure from some of his old work and similar to some of it, too. Without Clarence Clemons, the E Street Band has been rejiggered. There are horns, but you’re not going to hear “Rosalita” or “Thunder Road.” Artists evolve. Springsteen has come through Pete Seeger and other episodes.
“Wrecking Ball” reflects his deep political thoughts about the status of working men and women. Yes, it’s his State of the Nation address–the recession, the economy, the way we’re living is very much on his mind. It’s gritty and folksy. It’s also got plenty of soul. Bruce would have been a great WPA muralist. Particularly striking are “Jack of All Trades” and “Land of Hopes and Dreams,” the latter a a very cool E Street epic track that has already become a concert classic. (It’s great to have it in proper studio form.)
“You’ve Got It” sounds like a natural radio song–dare I say a “single”–reminiscent of “Fire” and “Hungry Heart.” It’s damn catchy. Listen to “This Depression” to get a sense of where Springsteen’s heart and mind are now. Reading some early reviews I think it’s a mistake to take Springsteen at face value, to not let the totality sink in. “Wrecking Ball” is not simple, it’s not Coldplay or Arctic Monkeys or Arcade Fire. Like Paul Simon, there’s an artist working here. And I think the current tides of listening run too fast to appreciate that. “Wrecking Ball” is tough, but it’s a pleasure, and extremely satisfying.
More on Springsteen as the week progresses. He plays the Apollo Theater in Harlem on Friday, launching a long worldwide tour. The Apollo show will be broadcast on SiriusXM, which does the most interesting one off music specials on radio.
Russell Brand No Longer Mourning Marriage to Katy Perry
Let’s just say Russell Brand, on the surface at least, has completed the mourning of his marriage to Katy Perry. On stage Sunday night at Radio City Music Hall he performed stand up comedy brilliantly–twice–for “The Secret Policemen’s Ball.” Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Amnesty International, the two and a half hour show was heavy with British comics and the rock groups Mumford & Son and Coldplay. American comics from “Saturday Night Live” and some miscellaneous local actors seemed a little lost, and maybe not quite up to speed on Amnesty International. But the Brits–punctuated by taped segments from members of Monty Python–were very good. Brand and his comedy partner Noel Fielding reminded me of Dudley Moore and Peter Cook; Fielding–with Goth looks and black hair, big silver cross–is going to hit it big here now that he’s managed by Danny Bennett. I also really like Jimmy Carr.
But there’s something about “The Secret Policemen’s Ball” that is just very British. Americans have no sense of what it would be like to lose their freedoms or have to fight for them. It didn’t translate well. A comedian, of all things, from Burma, came out–he’d been in jail there for 11 years. Liam Neeson (who had a big bodyguard with him) introduced Zarganar, the audience didn’t really relate to his plight. But maybe it’s too hard to think of comedy clubs in Burma. He got out of jail, but it was a close shave. (Drum roll–Burma shave…)
Anyway, in the audience were Bob and Harvey Weinstein, Stanley Tucci, Matthew Rhys, and Jason Sudeikis’s girlfriend actress Olivia Wilde. (Jason is doing something right, that’s all I can say.)Someone said they saw Hugh Grant. Richard Branson, a long time Amnesty supporter, had a cameo. Jon Stewart opened the show and had a funny bit with Rex Lee from “Entourage.” You can watch the whole thing on EpixHD.com; it’s being edited down to a manageable 90 minutes. Eddie Izzard was the nominal emcee, and he was as good as he was at the McCartney MusiCares tribute–he did a whole routine riffing in fake and real Latin. This guy is really talented and should be bigger here. Someone do something.
There was said to be an after party, but people with jobs had to go home. I’m guessing Russell Brand had a great time. He deserved it.
“Spider Man” Creator Julie Taymor Sues Show Producers, Says They Conspired Against Her
Julie Taymor has finally filed a strong counterclaim in US District Court in New York against the producers of “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” explaining her side of the collapse of their collaboration. The claim contains numerous emails back and forth between her and the producers turning off the dark, and shedding a lot of of light, on why she was ousted a year ago from the $75 million musical.
Ric Miramontez, spokesman for the show, says: “The producers of ‘SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark’ will have no further comment on the matter at this time.”
Keep in mind: the irony here is that “Spider Man” could very well win the Tony Award for Best Musical this year, and Taymor the Tony for Best Director.
The strongest part of the complaint reads:
“In reality, Taymor was not fired for any alleged refusal to “cooperate” in making changes to the Book of the Musical, as the producers now claim. Rather, upon information andbelief, the true reason Taymor was fired was because the producers believed that firing her, and blaming all of the Musical’s past problems on her, would be an opportunistic way to:• appease existing investors who were anxious about the show;
• encourage additional investments to fund a suspension of preview performances while structural changes were made;
• sway critics’ opinions of the Musical by fostering an image that the Musical would be “re-imagined” and that its technical and substantive problems were behind it;
• mask the producers’ own failures to ensure the technical viability of the staging of the Book as originally conceived; and
• avoid the financial obligation of complying with Taymor’s royalty rights, which had long ago been agreed upon.”
A major part of the dispute between Taymor and the “Spider Man” producers hinges on the producers claims that Taymor wasn’t working with them and wouldn’t make changes to the show as discussed. But Taymor’s complaint now contains excerpts from emails that belie those assertions. In one email, in December 2010, Taymor writes to her musical partners Bono and The Edge, who were on tour with U2:
“It is nine pm in NYC. I am just about to sit down to a home cooked meal. I have been at it on [Spider-Man] nonstop. Glen has as well. We are writing lyrics, lines of dialogue, changes in music – all in service to the ending, to clarity. We know what the story is, we understand the stakes – but we do not have the lyrics to support it. I would like to talk to you before midnight my time –
We have sold out houses. Though there are issues of cueing etc, the first act works very well. The second act is better but the ending is still vague.
after I eat – to go over the situation and beg for lyrics.
We need you. It is not easy to change anything but now I think it is a matter of lyrical and musical changes
Call me to discuss. (Emphasis added) – and perhaps cutting a scene or two from the second act.”
What happened next, according to the complaint, is the return of Bono and Edge in January. During one meeting that was taped, Taymor herself actually brings up the idea of shutting down the show to make changes–something that happened later after she was dismissed. But right away, in January, Taymor asserts that the producers began working in secret behind her back to change her show.
“Upon information and belief, beginning in early January 2011, the producers, [writer Glen] Berger, Bono, and Edge began to work in secret on what they called a “twin track” approach, despite their representations to Taymor during the January 4 meeting that all were in agreement about how to move forward with changes to the show. Berger was directed to continue working with Taymor on changes that concentrated on clarifying the storyline and confronting the technical limitations that had arisen with respect to the ending scene. At the same time, however, the producers apparently directed Berger to continue secretly developing his “Plan X” changes to the Book of the Musical, in complete derogation of Taymor’s approval rights over changes to the Book.”
Upon information and belief, Berger communicated privately with Bono and Edge about proposed changes to the show and Plan X. On January 9, 2011, for example, Berger apparently sent Bono and Edge a detailed outline of the plan and met privately with them to discuss it. According to a later e-mail Berger apparently sent to the Musical’s associate set designer recounting the meeting, Berger “pitched [Bono] and [E]dge the new idea,” and Bono and Edge told Berger they were “100% in.” Upon information and belief, Berger warned the associate set designer, however, to keep Plan X “under the hat” and not to disclose it to Taymor.
221. Upon information and belief, over the next two days, Berger, Bono, and Edge exchanged secret e-mails about Plan X and Berger’s “double life” of working both with Taymor and against her:
Berger: “I understand Michael and Jere H. have some massive considerations to figure out, but I’m bewildered not knowing where their minds truly are and how anyone thinks we should be proceeding . . . . I’ll continue on with this double life til I’m told otherwise.”
Bono: “I think we have to take a twin track approach.”
Berger: “I’m twin tracking it, but a bit draining when it’s 4 hours working with [Taymor] on scenes I know in my heart-of-hearts are wrong.”
Edge: “Bono spoke to Michael [Cohl] yesterday and he was in the middle of putting together a time-line for executing plan X. . . . I want to kick the tires on plan x, but assuming it works I’m certain we will go for it.”
Berger: “Well, that’s—tentatively—encouraging.”
The complaint states: Nobody told Taymor about these communications or the secret plan, despite Berger’s prior agreement in his contract to “collaborate with Julie Taymor on bookwriter related and other creative decisions for the Musical” and that “Julie Taymor, in her sole and absolute discretion, shall have final approval on all such decisions.”
In the end, Taymor was ousted. The complaint continues:
“…the producers did not fire Taymor because she refused to implement Plan X or any other proposed changes to the production.
“… Indeed, the producers never disclosed Plan X to Taymor until the decision had already been made to fire her. The producers never offered Taymor a chance to implement Plan X and never offered her a shutdown to make other changes to the Musical.As Edge confirmed in interviews published after the Musical’s official opening in June 2011: “[P]eople were careful in what they said or told [Taymor]. I certainly didn’t feel I could be 100% frank with Julie. . . . She’s been given the lion’s share of the blame, but we were all in those workshop meetings and all saw the script. . . . [Taymor’s work] is still the heart and soul of the show
“Upon information and belief, the true reason Taymor was fired was because the producers believed that doing so, while blaming all of the Musical’s past problems on her, was the one action they could take to serve their own opportunistic goals, as set forth in Paragraph 173, above. .” (Emphasis added)the one action they could take to serve their own opportunistic goals, as set forth in Paragraph 173, above. .” (Emphasis added)
“In the end, the producers have not created a “re-imagined” production. The revised Musical currently performing on Broadway is substantially the same production that Taymor directed before she was dismissed in March 2011. This technically-complicated Musical took years to write, design, and develop. The producers’ current suggestion that they have created a “new” show after a mere three-week shutdown is false and incredible.
“Rather Taymor’s substantial creative contributions to the Musical, including her work as co-author of the Book, remain an integral part of the Musical and a substantial reason for its success. The myriad press reviews of the revised Musical that the producers have touted on the Musical’s website promoting the show confirm this: “A fun, high-flying adventure”; “There’s more flying than ever-And you can’t help but feel a thrill as Spider-Man and the Goblin battle it out just a few dozen feet above your head!”; “it’s a fantastic spectacle”; “Thrilling high-flying acrobatics”; “dazzling sequences unprecedented on Broadway!”; “It was one of the most dazzling theatrical experiences we have ever seen! And, most of that, we think, can be attributed to the bold and inspired work of Julie Taymor”; “[e]ssential elements of [the Original]production remain”; “[v]isually speaking, the show bears Taymor’s outlandish stamp”; “fans of ‘The Lion King’ will be in familiar territory”; “[o]riginal director Julie Taymor’s fingerprints are still evident.”
“The elements of the Musical praised in such reviews—which are elements Taymor was instrumental in creating—are the same elements that had been praised in February 2011, before Taymor was dismissed and the Musical was revised.
“The producers also have not created a more financially viable production than Taymor’s original production. The first version of Spider-Man consistently ranked as the second- or third-highest grossing show on Broadway, despite the lack of promotion of the show to encourage ticket sales during the prolonged preview period. Its box office receipts were almost identical to the box office receipts that the revised version has earned since Taymor was dismissed from the production.
262. In total denigration of Taymor’s over seven years of work on the Musical and with obvious malice, defendants assert in paragraph 10 of their counterclaims that “[t]he show is a success despite Taymor, not because of her.” The evidence at trial will put the lie to this falsehood. In fact, Taymor undeniably has been instrumental in the enormous success of two of the three currently top-grossing shows each week on Broadway—The Lion King and Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark.”
Harvey Weinstein Getting Highest French Cinema Award
Congratulations to Harvey Weinstein. He’s receiving France’s highest honor in cinema. Here’s the press release:
Paris, France – March 2, 2012 – French President Nicolas Sarkozy has named Harvey Weinstein, Co-Chairman of The Weinstein Company (TWC), a recipient of the 2012 Légion d’Honneur, in recognition of Weinstein’s contributions to cinema and his decades of work producing some of the most highly regarded films of our time. Weinstein was nominated personally by President Sarkozy on July 22, 2011 and will receive the award in a ceremony to take place in Paris.
President Sarkozy wrote the following upon nominating Weinstein to the Légion d’Honneur: “This prestigious distinction, which I wanted to come from my personal allocation, is a testimony of the admiration of millions of French citizens for the exceptional quality of the films that you have produced. It also expresses our gratitude to someone who has always shown great friendship towards our country and our cinema which you have enabled so many Americans to discover.”
Said Weinstein, “I am honored and humbled by this recognition from President Sarkozy and the people of France. All my life, I have loved and been inspired by French cinema. I am still the young boy who walked two miles to The Mayfair movie theater in Flushing, NY to see films by the greats – Lelouch, Godard, Renoir and my personal favorite François Truffaut. They inspired me and led me to the place I am in today. I hope to continue my friendship with France and its filmmakers for many years to come.”
Top Hedge Fund Guy Loves Jennifer Lopez and David Lynch
Ray Dalio is now the world’s No. 1 hedge fund guy. He tops the Forbes list of 40 highest-earning hedge fund managers.
But he’s also very charitable. His Dalio Family Foundation gave away over $13 million in 2010, and claimed assets of well over $227 million. As I’ve reported in the past, Dalio really likes Jennifer Lopez, aka JLO. Over the last three years, he’s given her Maribel Foundation $775,000. There’s nothing wrong with that. Each year, Maribel makes one contribution of its own, to a children’s hospital. Maribel reports Dalio’s gift on its 2010 tax filing; Dalio does not.
Dalio also really likes director David Lynch (“Blue Velvet,” “Twin Peaks”) and Transcendental Meditation. In 2010, he gave $1,855,000 to David Lynch’s Consciousness Based Foundation in Fairfield, Iowa for the teaching of TM. He also gave $25,000 to a groupl in Harlem to teach the kids there how to meditate. (That’s listed on his Form 990 as “Transidental Meditation” so there is either also a spelling problem or the kids can become dentists, perhaps.) Dalio gave $1.23 million to director David Lynch’s TM Foundation in 2008 and another $2.1 million in 2009. Clearly, he likes to meditate.
Dalio’s third biggest interest is in mental health. His family foundation also donates millions for treatment of bipolar disorder and Alzheimer’s. Dalio, like JLO’s sister Lynda Lopez, graduated from Long Island University. He, however, got his MBA at Harvard. He’s also married to a direct descendant of the legendarily and historically monied Vanderbilt-Whitney families. Their antecedents must be proud. Barbara Dalio is the daughter of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney-Henry and Peruvian businessman Luis Gabaldoni The couple divorced in a contentious jury trial in Reno, Nevada in 1955. The Dalios have a reported net worth of $5 billion.
Also read:
Marc Anthony, JLO Have Billionaire Pal: Call Him for Your Tax Problems, Kids!
JLO Billionaire Benefactor New Yorker Profile Leaves Out Good Stuff