Spike Lee premiered his “Red Hook Summer” at Sundance on Sunday night and things got a little raucus. Maybe because the Giants were playing San Francisco, Variety reviewer Peter DeBruge reported that the Eccles Theater was 2/3 empty. More Tweets from the audience suggest that “Red Hook” is undercooked, with plot holes galore and a “surprise” ending that doesn’t make sense. There are also many references back to Lee’s seminal film, “Do The Right Thing.” At the Q&A following the screening, Lee wore a Giants jersey, jokingly ordered all Boston fans out of the house. He also ranted about Universal Pictures never having made the sequel to his “Inside Man.” On spy emailed me, “Can’t take another minute of the Spike Lee film.” Oh well. By the time “Red Hook” is tinkered with, it will no doubt be fine. But the auteur knows how to get attention. LA Times reporter Steve Zeitchik tweeted that Spike also ranted, “No one in Hollywood knows anything about black people!” And that, says Zeitchik, was in response to a question from Chris Rock in the audience. All in all, the movie is described as “confusing and polarizing.” Which could also mean “great.”
“The Artist” Wins Producers Guild, Brad Pitt Becomes Member #5000
Our own LEAH SYDNEY reports from Hollywood: Thomas Langmann, the son of late famed French film director Claude Berri, won the Producers Guild of America award last night for bringing “The Artist” to the screen. It was presented to him by Annette Bening. “The Artist,” from the Weinstein Company, is now set to garner many Oscar nominations on Tuesday. At a pre-panel for the PGA yesterday, even Steven Spielberg praised Michel Hazanavicius‘s extraordinary silent black and white film for its genius. It was quite an evening for the PGA: Alicia Keys performed, and other awards went to the The Colbert Report, Modern Family, Boardwalk Empire, CBS chief Les Moonves (who’s kept CBS a consistent winner), and to Steven Spielberg‘s “The Adventures of Tintin.”
Some notes from Leah: The PGA is growing. JJ Abrams became member 4,999. Brad Pitt is now #5,000. Congrats!
Morgan Freeman gave the Stanley Kramer Award to Angelina Jolie for her debut film “In The Land of Blood and Honey.” Freeman said Jolie, the director made “a powerful visceral film made by brave and bold artist…Here is the writer, producer, director and woman of my dreams.” Angelina then came on and gave a truly a beautiful , earnest speech that had the crowd mesmerized.
“To be in any way associated with Stanley Kramer is such an honor. It’s extraordinary and we are humbled.” She then went on and said “to my family because without them nothing is possible and I have nothing. ‘Schindler’s List’ was honored here,” she said, looking at Spielberg. “It was an extraordinary film and we meant it when we said never again. But at that exact time in Bosnia in 1994 the war was happening there, 40 minutes away from Italy the world turned a blind eye. It took great bravery and personal hardship for them to tell their story. But they did so so that in years to come someone will not be accepting an award for a war that is happening now. Sadly that will probably be the case. By honoring this film you are honoring them as well for that and we are grateful.”
Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee also won an award, presented to him by Tobey Maguire, his last “Spider Man.” Awards were also won by Masterpiece Theater, and “The Amazing Race.”
Leah reports that right before the show Moonves –kidding that he had no acceptance speech– asked writer director Judd Apatow to help him. Apatow quipped, “Does that mean you’re going to hire me now?” Stan Lee told Leah his biggest problem these days is being mistaken for Brad Pitt. (Long hair, scruffy beards.)
On a personal note, I know how much winning the PGA means to Langmann for “The Artist.” As a child in occupied France, his father was given to a Christian family rather than be killed in the Holocaust. Years later, his mother, a beloved woman, killed herself. The Holocaust story has hung over his family like a dark shadow. His father, who directed “Jean de Florette,” died two years ago. The surprise success of “The Artist” has been a miracle. Many congratulations.
Paul Simon Arrives Today in Sundance for Graceland Movie
The big news in Sundance today: legendary singer songwriter Paul Simon is due to arrive in Park City to help promote Joe Berlinger’s documentary “Under African Skies.” This is the film Berlinger made in Africa about the reunion of the “Graceland” musicians. Simon is not set officially to perform anywhere, but something tells me there may be an impromptu occasion for live music between now and Tuesday. Berlinger is riding on a wave of success from his “Paradise Lost” documentaries about the West Memphis Three– his were the original, and for which no participants’ rights were bought for participation. Berlinger, unlike the players in the late to the game “new film” about the WTT, remains a filmmaker and not a subject in his stories. “Under African Skies” could be the hottest ticket of the Sundance weekend, and Simon a most coveted participant in the festival. I’m wishing them well from snowy New York–perhaps snowier than Park City. (Goes to show ya…) Simon, meantime, was screwed by the Grammys on his “So Beautiful or So What” album. Buy it, download it, listen to it. For him to be overlooked shows a dreadful reversal of artistic appreciation in favor of the crass. Imagine if in 1976 “Still Crazy After All These Years” had been snubbed for the Bay City Rollers. This is what we’ve come to.
Paul Simon song of the day-“Duncan” –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngH4zZ-oiuY
Etta James, 73, At Last: May She Rest in Peace
Etta James has finally passed away after some real health struggles. She was 73. “At Last” is her signature song, but “Tell Mama” is really just as good if not better. Etta had a hard early life, like most R&B singers. She never made a lot of money. Because there’s no performance rights royalty, her songs–“At Last” especially– have just been played and played for free a zillion times all over the galaxy. This means she had to tour and tour and tour, find gigs, well beyond the time any adult should have to keep getting on a bus in the middle of the night and traversing the countryside. She joins dozens and dozens of R&B giants whom we all mourn when they die, but who were not properly rewarded during their lives. We only lost Johnny Otis the other day. “At Last” will just go on and on into infinity–you’re hearing it now somewhere, no doubt. So Etta, like her compatriots, must have been a saint to give the world entertainment and love for free.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6d3YZbN9tI
Meryl Streep — Underdog– Has Not Won An Oscar Since 1982. Were You Alive Then?
Everyone says to me, “But Meryl Streep has like thirteen Oscars.” Not true. Our finest actress, a woman who has brought acting to a place beyond nirvana, has not won an Academy Award since “Sophie’s Choice” in 1982. It was her second. Her first, for “Kramer vs. Kramer,” was in the suppporting category. Every two years she’s been a sport, and sat in the audience while losing for magnificent performances in “Doubt,” “The Manchurian Candidate,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Marvin’s Room,” “Music from the Heart,” “Ironweed,” “Julie and Julia,” the Dingo ate my baby movie, ” “The Hours,” “Adaptation,” “Out of Africa,” and so on. She’s sat in the audience, done all the publicity, acted with complete grace. I think Hilary Swank beat her twice. It’s utterly ridiculous. Even in “Prime,” she was a comic genius.
As Margaret Thatcher, Streep does things that are almost beyond review. She is a master acting class. She absorbs into the role and creates a fully rounded fictive character for cinema. This is the only way such a portrayal would work. “Margaret Thatcher” the film creation has to be severely more textured than the real person so as to command our attention. From the moment Streep enters the scene she is in command. After 29 years of graciousness, this is her moment. Perhaps we think of her as an overachiever. A goddess. But in real life, she’s a person. I see her on the uptown 1 train waiting patiently. She shops in the local market. She refuses to have a stylist or a designer dress. (Maybe it’s bad luck, but Meryl–my mom says call Jane Fondda and go shopping with her. Call Armani, or Donna Karan.)
Funniest story: for the Lincoln Center tribute to Diane Keaton a few years ago, Meryl took the #1 train from downtown to Lincoln Center. I ran into her at the top of the stairs. No publicist. She asked me, “I don’t know where to go now. Where would a person like me go?” (Meantime, civilians are watching this exchange slack jawed.) “Meryl,” I said, “There is no person like you.” She blushed, as she does. We found the green room. Relief. And still she was signing autographs as we walked, talking to total strangers. She is endlessly polite, and too nice to ask for–or campaign for–an Academy Award. It’s time to give her one.
PS Did I mention that she and husband Don Gummer have raised four fantastic kids? Just sayin’…And just watch “Heartburnm” when she turns that cake into Jack Nicholson’s face.
Will George Lucas Eat $60Mil Plus on “Red Tails” This Weekend?
Let’s face it, George Lucas is loaded from “Star Wars,” Industrial Light and Magic, and all their subsidiaries. He’s financed “Red Tails” at $60 mil plus, which could mean $80 mil since he’s paid for all the prints and promotion. Is it a flush down the toilet? Could be. Boxofficemojo.com is predicting a $15 million weekend. The movie has a very low 38% 33% score on RottenTomatoes.com. Not only that, the film has no word of mouth. Anyone who makes it alive or awake during a screening will not be recommending to friends. The film is interminable. An even worse showing for Lucas will be heart-wrenching; he is completely devoted to it, warts and all. This is admirable, because he knows how much it means to the history of the Tuskegee Airmen. But the stage seems set for a disaster. The only salivation might be in video games derived from the CGI airfights; that’s where the money will come back. And I guess the tax accountants can calculate a loss on whole. But oh what a missed opportunity. And I do think Lee Tergesen is in a tie for saying the least (nothing) in a movie with Michael Ontkean’s strange mime in “The Descendants.” Perhaps these were odes to silent film, “The Artist.”
PS George Lucas: I wish he’d return to the fun and passion of “American Graffiti.” His California has not changed so much. Maybe the music and clothes have changed, but the lonely wandering teen–in tough economic times–is a good story. George, phone home.
Clive Davis Famous Grammy Party to Honor Sir Richard Branson
Clive Davis’s annual famous pre-Grammy party is going to honor Sir Richard Branson. The dinner and concert –famed for its performances and number of celebs–takes place at the Beverly Hilton on February 10th, the night before the Grammys. Davis’s dinner was made part of the official NARAS Grammy weekend a few years ago. This year the dinner is sponsored by sponsored by Harman, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Hyundai, and MasterCard Worldwide. Outside of the Songwriters Hall of Fame dinner, Clive’s Grammy event is maybe the hardest ticket for an untelevised evening. Davis mixes the old and the new, and never fails to pull off a coup with some unexpected superstars. Last year’s event ended with duets by Dionne Warwick and her cousin, Whitney Houston. Honoring Branson is a cool idea because he started Virgin Records. Some acts who could come to toast him might be Janet Jackson, the Rolling Stones, Lenny Kravitz and my own personal favorites from Virgin, Orchestral Manouevers in the Dark. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNTQglG6NL8
“One Life to Live” Replacement Show Drops 17% in Debut
Fans of “One Life to Live” swore they were tuning out ABC Daytime after last Friday’s finale. And they made good on their promise. “The Revolution,” another panel show about food and nonsense like “The Chew,” dropped 17% in its debut. According to Media Insights, The Revolution “opened with a sluggish 1.9 rating/5 share. Comparably, that declined from the lead-in average (2.4/ 6) by 21 percent in rating, and year-ago time period occupant One Live to Live (2.3/ 6) by 17 percent.” ABC Daytime deserves what it gets for dismantling its 50 year loyalty among audience for killing “All My Children”–replaced by the unwatchable “Chew”–and now this. From what I’ve seen, both of these cheap to produce shows look they’re on local cable access TV, right before “Wayne’s World.” Psychologically, ABC has now damaged long held viewing habits among their audience. Once they make the movie to replace “General Hospital” with Katie Couric’s talk show next fall, the full results will be known. But judging just by reader email on this column, once the soaps are gone, so are the viewers. It’s some small consolation to viewers of “OLTL,” who were given a tremendous finale last week even though the show’s producers and writers had been lied to about a future for the show on cable.
Michael Jackson Lawyer Recommended for Disbarment by State
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the State Bar of California is recommending disbarment for Brian Oxman. Oxman is the ever self-plugging Tv appearance star who’s held himself out to the media as “Michael Jackson’s lawyer” for years. Twice in his career he’s been suspended from practicing law, but this is the piece de resistance. From the report:
“In a Jan. 13 order, the State Bar Court said Oxman should lose the ability to practice law because of dishonest and unethical conduct, including failing to advise the bar after he had been fined by a judge and commingling personal funds in a client trust account.
Under the order, Oxman will become inactive Feb. 2, pending a final ruling by the state Supreme Court. It typically takes several months for the Supreme Court to issue a final ruling.”
Oxman, who once fell asleep in court during Michael’s child molestation trial, could not be reached for comment according to the the Times.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-oxman-disbarment-20120119,0,5631564.story
McCartney MusiCares Show: James Taylor, Norah Jones, Coldplay Featured
Literally everyone in the music biz wants to be part of MusiCares’s Person of the Year show with Paul McCartney on February 10th in L.A. I can tell you that James Taylor was first to sign up. He gets to sing “Yesterday,” which is like the greatest honor. Coldplay, Norah Jones, and the Foo Fighters are still deciding their songs. There are a lot more names in the bin, too. But NOT names elsewhere reported: Rihanna, Jason Aldean, Kelly Clarkson,Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj, and Taylor Swift. This was someone’s misinformation.
McCartney, by the way, expressed an interest in Kanye West. It’s not clear if he’s available.
So far not on the schedule are Ringo Starr or Eric Clapton, but that could change. Clapton plays on two tracks from Paul’s new album, “Kisses on the Bottom,” so he might just show up and surprise everyone. There’s also a question about Stevie Wonder, who also plays on the album. What I do know is that Paul is putting on a real show after he’s received his tribute, with Diana Krall and her band helping out as they do on the album. Then Paul makes an appearance on Sunday on the Grammy Awards. I’m surprised he hasn’t tapped Roberta Flack to sing, as well. Her wonderful “Let it Be Roberta” CD comes out that week, too, and it’s all Paul’s songs.
Also read this: http://www.showbiz411.com/2012/01/08/paul-mccartney-will-get-grammy-tv-special-treatment-for-kisses