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Exclusive: Jane Fonda Comedy “Peace Love” Going to IFC Films

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Jane Fonda Comedy “Peace Love” Going to IFC Films

Good news. Bruce Beresford‘s “Peace, Love and Misunderstanding,” which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, has been picked up by IFC Films. The charming comedy about a hippie grandma in Woodstock, New York who takes in her divorcing straight laced daughter (Catherine Keener) and kids got terrific reviews when it played in September. I’m told IFC is releasing it in late April 2012 and may even try a Mother’s Day tie in. Adding to the movie’s value is that Keener’s daughter in the film is played by Elizabeth Olsen, so hot right now with “Martha Marcy May Marlene.”The film also stars Chace Crawford from “Gossip Girl” and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

The word is that IFC — hot right now with Werner Herzog’s “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” and the documentary “Buck”– may also be circling a French film starring Fonda, called “And If We All Lived Together?” Fonda, who turns 74 this month, is hot as a pistol right now with a bestselling book about aging–“Prime Time”–and new workout DVDs for those of us who might otherwise collapse doing younger routines. Last week, she hosted a panel discussion at the TED conference with Gloria Steinem and Dr. Mehmet Oz, and also presented CBS’s Lara Logan with an award at the Women’s Media Center awards. Fonda and boyfriend Richard Perry–famed record producer of Rod Stewart, Carly Simon, etc–just blew through New York with dinner at Elio’s and Crown restaurants, and took in Hugh Jackman’s show on Broadway, and the play “Other Desert Cities.”

PS Here’s an idea for HBO: Why not make “Peace Love” into a series? It’s rife with possibilities for opening up.

Exclusive: Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber Set “X Factor” Date

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber Set “X Factor” Date

Exclusive: Mariah Carey and little Justin Bieber are set to perform on “X Factor.” Their December 15th performance will be of their new duet on Mariah’s classic hit, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Carey wrote the song and released it 17 years ago, in November 1994. (Wait! November 1994 was seventeen years ago? OMG.) Since then, “All I Want” has become a Christmas perennial. This year she re-recorded it with Justin Bieber, who sings back up in his new low register. He isn’t Perry Como or even Steven Tyler, but the keeps up with Miss 8 Octaves and doesn’t do too badly. Carey has said she will make a number of appearances on “X Factor” this season, largely because it’s controlled by her record company, Universal Music. Also, her former and future label chief, L.A. Reid, a is a judge. This is complicated because her unofficial manager and music director Randy Jackson is a judge and mainstay of “American Idol.” At any rate, set your DVRs to see the newly slimmed down Mariah sex up Justin on live TV. Let’s hope there’s no wardrobe malfunction…

…I told you a while ago –exclusively– that “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson was funding a documentary on the West Memphis 3. This was despite the fact that Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky and their team have made three docs on the subject over the course of 15 years. Their latest, “Paradise Lost 3,” is on the short list for the Oscars. It should win, really. HBO will air it in January. But Jackson put up money for the WM3’s defense, so he figured he’d better get something out of it. He sent filmmaker Amy Berg to Arkansas, where she spread his money around to relatives of the WM3 and bought up their rights.

Now Jackson has announced that Damien Echols and his girlfriend, Lorrie Davis, are co-producers on the Berg film, and that it’s ready. They were hoping to get it into Sundance. But I think the Sundance people are too smart for that.  The Berlinger films are plenty, and tell the story sufficiently. It’s a shame that Jackson et al and Berg felt they had to barge in on a filmmaker’s long investment of energy, money and heart. I don’t understand why Jackson couldn’t have just supported Berlinger and co.

Note to Jackson and Echols: this column has not spoken to Berlinger or Sinofsky. But when the Jackson doc press release came out tonight, I had to say something. Real documentary filmmakers don’t purposely upset another’s work. And they certainly don’t go around a small town handing out cash so they can derail that other doc maker’s work. That’s a FAIL. Deliver us from greed and hubris.

Exclusive: Daldry Says “Extremely Loud” Is Finished and Screened for First Time

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Daldry Says “Extremely Loud” Is Finished and Screened for First Time

Stephen Daldry has not only finished “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”–he’s screened it on Sunday evening for the Hollywood Foreign Press in New York. He finished the movie on Saturday night, he told me exclusively Sunday night at the swanky all out premiere for Steven Spielberg‘s “War Horse” at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center. “I’m done!” he cried as Daldry zoomed up to me at the after party. That’s where the likes of Tony Danza, Celeste Holm, Billy Connolly, Brian Cox, Eriq LaSalle and Michael Michele,  and dozens of A-listers swarmed around stars Emily Watson, Jeremy Irvine, and the terrific young actors who comprise Spielberg’s stunning, sentimental, and sensational film.

“I just finished last night,” said Daldry when I asked him what the heck was going on. “Extremely Loud” is late late late. “Everyone else just finished early,” Daldry said with his typical chuckle. He’s missed deadlines for many award presentations, and is just making it for the Academy Awards, Critics Choice and Golden Globe awards. The movie stars Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.

“We’re not going to win anyway,” he joked, which is a joke since the director of “The Reader,” “Billy Elliott,” and “The Hours” could well pull off a last minute ambush and find himself with lots of nominations. Daldry turned up at the “War Horse” party to support young David Kross, who appeared so vividly in Daldry’s “The Reader” with Kate Winslet. Kross has a key role in “War Horse” as a German soldier.

Meanwhile, Spielberg had to leave “War Horse” early and get back to Richmond, Virginia, where he’s shooting “Lincoln” with Daniel Day Lewis and Sally Field.

But the “War Horse” cast was overwhelmed and thrilled to stick around, and meet lots of New York actors like the amazing Lois Smith, who played doctor who explained what a ‘minority report’ was in the movie of the same name. Also meeting and greeting: Robert Wuhl, Anika Noni Rose, Mariska Hargitay, Vondie Curtis Hall and his teen age son (mom is Kasey Lemmons) and Kathie Lee Gifford who brought 18 year old daughter Cassidy. Guess what? Cassidy is a knockout, and has already been on the TV series “Blue Bloods” and an indie film. I’m afraid to tell you that she’s got “it’–it’s quite clear–that Cassidy Gifford is on the launch pad. I just wish she’d go to college first. What can I say about Kathie Lee? I’ve always liked her a lot. I can’t help it.

Anyway. “War Horse” has potential for well over a dozen Oscar nominations. Jeremy Irvine and Emily Watson will go into Supporting. Joey the horse should be in lead. He’s that good. Director, adapted screenplay, cinematography, editing, music, costumes, sets, etc. “War Horse” is a magnificent accomplishment. Is it schmaltzy? Sometimes it gets very drippy. John Williams’ memorable score is superb. Maybe it’s a little too much. But get out the hankies. Spielberg,  overall, has made a modern masterpiece. The war scenes alone are going to be talked about by film buffs forever. Spielberg stages a war without any blood or gore, and yet it’s searing. The sequence in which Joey makes his run through “no man’s land” and winds up entangled in  barbed wire is going to go into every time capsule for classic filmmaking.

One more thing about “War Horse” for now: why isn’t Tom Hiddleston a big star already? In “War Horse” he plays a young David Niven. Hollywood, let’s go.

Charlize Theron in “Young Adult” No Holiday Gift

Roger Friedman
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Charlize Theron in “Young Adult” No Holiday Gift

Director Jason Reitman‘s reunion with “Juno” screenwriter Diablo Cody, “Young Adult,” is a mixed bag–good acting, nicely made, but nothing that anyone will be racing to see. “Young Adult” is no “Juno.” These films are very far apart in their structure, tone, and texture. “Young Adult” is a tough film that offers its viewers no olive branches, while “Juno” was all about achieving peace. Indeed, I’m surprised that Paramount didn’t take “Young Adult” to Sundance first–it’s a Sundance film if ever there was one. It’s supremely edgy, kind of a downer, and struggling for hipness.

Charlize Theron, in an acting tour de force, is vincitive, selfish, manipulative, horrifying Mavis. Mavis is a lot like Mary Richards on steroids–single and attractive, successful career woman living in Minneapolis. She returns to her pokey hometown in suburban Minnesota–where they call their big city the “Mini-Apple”–with a plan. She wants to win back her high school sweetheart (Patrick Wilson), even though he’s married (Elizabeth Reaser) and has just had a baby. She picks up a buddy along the way, the loser gimp from their old school (Patton Oswalt), whom she still treats like dirt–and he still takes it.

Fun scenario, huh? The main character, Mavis, is incredibly unsympathetic and unlikable. She’s more Phyllis than Mary from “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”–Phyllis with no redeeming features, no husband, and no sweet best friend. Remember, “Phyllis” did not work as a sitcom because the character was so awful on her own. Mavis is like that. It takes a leap of faith to make a movie with that in mind, so Reitman and Cody deserve credit. They’ve tried something difficult here. Did I mention that Mavis is a hard, unrepentant drinker as well? That she’s cruel to her parents and condescending to everyone around her?

Theron, like I said, is exceptional. And Patton Oswalt, though he plays it a lot like he did in “Big Fan,” is very good. Wilson and Reaser are just fine, too. It was really nice to see Jill Eikenberry as Mavis’s mom, too. But “Young Adult” is a bitter pill to swallow at the end of the year, and in competition with “War Horse” or “Hugo.” Mavis is a loser who remains a loser; there’s no third act and no absolution. There’s not a ray of hope as the movie ends that she’s received a glimmer of insight into what’s gone wrong. Cody will hate comparisons to “Juno,” but it does seem odd that in that earlier film, the main character could be so wide, winning and sensible–and that in this film it’s like the inverse.

Box Office: “Hugo,” “The Artist” Prove Smart Audience Exists

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Hugo,” “The Artist” Prove Smart Audience Exists

Just when you thought the world had gone to hell, there are flickers of hope: “The Artist,” “Hugo,” and “My Week with Marilyn”– movies in which no vampires appear–did great over the weekend. Michel Hazanavicius’s “The Artist,” which just won Best Picture and Director from the New York Film Critics–is in very limited release and a total hit. It sold out on every one of its six screens, and took in a daily average of $12,000 per screen. “My Week with Marilyn,” directed by Simon Curtis, was a hot ticket as well. People are clamoring to see Michelle Williams in her raved about performance. The movie is playing on just 244 screens and has made a total of $3.8 million through today. This is just the beginning for both of these, as well as Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” in 3D. Scorsese must be at the jaw drop stage. “Hugo” will finish the weekend with a total of $25 million. It’s only on 1,800 screens, and is number three at the box office following “Twilight: Everyone Pouts, Part 6” and “The Muppets.”

“The Help” Star Viola Davis on Competing with Meryl Streep and Beating Up Co-Star

Roger Friedman
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“The Help” Star Viola Davis on Competing with Meryl Streep and Beating Up Co-Star

Considering how serious “The Help” really is, it’s nice to see the Oscar buzzed actresses from it have a sense of humor. At a lunch/screening on Friday for the terrific Disney film, I asked stars Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer how they dealt with co-star Bryce Dallas Howard off camera. After all, Howard plays a nasty, racist socialite who causes a lot of misery for the local maids. “We just took Bryce out back and gave her a beating,” laughed Davis. She and Spencer held forth at the lunch, at Desmond’s on East 60th St., with a room full of admirers.

“Bryce is like the sweetest person. When we met her, I thought, how’s that going to work?” Davis said. “Then the cameras rolled and she went right into the character.” Spencer talked me about her relationship with co-star Jessica Chastain. “We’ve become great friends. I’m having dinner with her in LA right before Christmas. That’s the way it was from the beginning.” Davis is a cinch for a Best Actress nod, while Spencer and Howard should be locks in Best Supporting Actress. (Chastain will be covered in that category for “The Tree of Life.”)

Meanwhile, Davis told me to send a message to “Iron Lady” star Meryl Streep, with whom she will likely be in the Best Actress race. “You tell Meryl Streep it’s not about competition,” she said, with great gravity. Remember, the two had quite an on screen showdown in “Doubt.”

“I mean, she’s Meryl Streep. She is amazing. I’m in awe of her.”

Got that, Meryl?

As for Octavia Spencer, her next film is Diablo Cody‘s directing debut. Like the upcoming “Young Adult,” which Cody also wrote, “it’s not a lot of laughs,” says Spencer. “But we’ll try and get a few in.”

Michael Jackson’s Father Will Release Self-Immortalizing Documentary

Roger Friedman
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2
Michael Jackson’s Father Will Release Self-Immortalizing Documentary

Michael Jackson’s charming father, Joe Jackson, won’t stop ’til he gets enough. He’s just announced that he’s released a documentary about himself, come February. “Confessions of a Father: The Words of Joe Jackson” will likely not detail all of Joe Jackson’s business mistakes, his abuse of his children, or the story of his illegitimate daughter. According to the press release, “Confessions” “will offer a fascinating and chilling look at one of the most controversial fathers in show business history.

“Told from Joe Jackson’s unique perspective, the film will cover the Jackson family history from the formation of the Jackson 5 through Michael’s tragic death and the subsequent trial and sentencing of his physician, Dr. Conrad Murray. Principal photography is almost completed and GPA is currently meeting with distributors. The film’s release is planned for 2012, as is the publication of “The Architect,” Joe Jackson’s autobiography from Atria Books, a division of Simon and Schuster.”

The press release all says Joe will “break his silence.” Has he ever actually been silent?

Yes, that’s right: he’s also “written” a “book.’ It’s unclear if that offering is simply a translation from the German book Jackson “published” a few years ago. Frankly, they’d be better off leaving it in the German.

All of this is told from Joe’s “unique perspective.”

The documentary, they say, is produced by “award winner”  (his words) George Paige, who has mostly credits for re-releasing Jerry Lewis videos. The “director” is someone named Johnny West.

George Clooney Gets Third Best Actor Nod in Five Years from NBR

Roger Friedman
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George Clooney Gets Third Best Actor Nod in Five Years from NBR

The National Board of Review (er, fans) announced its awards just now–who cares? They named Martin Scorsese Best Director for “Hugo” and the film got Best Film. gave George Clooney Best Actor for “The Descendants,” which also got Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress.

The NBR loves George Clooney more than their own little lunches, and will give him something if he’s breathing. This is his third Best Actor nod from them in the last five years. So be it! They also named “The Ides of March” one of their ten Best Pictures. They gave Stacey Keibler an award for Best Girlfriend of a Star, too. (Just kidding.)

Tilda Swinton is their off beat choice for Best Actress. Christopher Plummer is Best Supporting Actor for “Beginners.” The “Harry Potter” series got a special award because the NBR loves Warner Bros. Similarly, Clint Eastwood’s “J. Edgar” made their top ten list.

Between Paramount (Hugo, Rango) and Fox Searchlight (Descendants, Shame), the NBR must have calculated which studio would pony up for the most tables. And they were precluded from giving awards to “The Artist,” Meryl Streep or Brad Pitt because the New York Film Critics beat them to it. Ha ha.

Listen, I really like Tilda Swinton. But if the NBR had wanted to do something different and meaningful, they would have given Best Actress to Viola Davis for “The Help.” But you know, they’re the group that snubbed “Precious.” So “The Help” gets Best Ensemble, which includes everyone and guarantees Disney will buy a table.

 

Best Film: Hugo

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants

Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Original Screenplay: Will Reiser, 50/50

Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash

Best Animated Feature: Rango

Breakthrough Performance: Felicity Jones, Like Crazy

Breakthrough Performance: Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Debut Director: J.C. Chandor, Margin Call

Best Ensemble: The Help

Spotlight Award: Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, Shame, X-Men: First Class)

NBR Freedom of Expression: Crime After Crime

NBR Freedom of Expression: Pariah

Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation

Best Documentary: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Special Achievement in Filmmaking: The Harry Potter Franchise – A Distinguished Translation from Book

to Film

Top Films
(in alphabetical order)

The Artist

The Descendants

Drive

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The Ides of March

J. Edgar

Tree of Life

War Horse

Top 5 Foreign Language Films

(In Alphabetical Order)

13 Assassins

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within

Footnote

Le Havre

Point Blank

Top 5 Documentaries

(In Alphabetical Order)

Born to be Wild

Buck

George Harrison: Living in the Material World

Project Nim

Senna

Top 10 Independent Films

(In Alphabetical Order)

50/50

Another Earth

Beginners

A Better Life

Cedar Rapids

Margin Call

Shame

Take Shelter

We Need To Talk About Kevin

Win Win

NYTimes, MovieLine, Facebook Join Our “Uggie” Campaign

Roger Friedman
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NYTimes, MovieLine, Facebook Join Our “Uggie” Campaign

Good news! The New York Times’s Carpetbagger and MovieLine have jumped on board with our “Uggie” campaign. I wrote on November 23rd that Uggie, the 8 year old Jack Russell terrier from “The Artist” deserved a Best Supporting Actor nomination–that he could even win! Here’s that link: http://www.showbiz411.com/2011/11/23/best-supporting-actor-hemingway-borat-a-dog-and-albert-brooks-are-circling

And guess what? There’s even a Facebook page for Uggie’s campaign called Consider Uggie, sprouting up in the last couple of days. I guess we relate to Uggie because we know it’s a dog eat dog world out there. But if he’s dogged in this pursuit, who knows? And Johnny Depp could be nominated for a Golden Globe in “The Tourist,” the possibilities are endless for Uggie!

Elaine Kaufman Gets an A List Memorial

Roger Friedman
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Elaine Kaufman Gets an A List Memorial

I was AWOL yesterday for most of the day, producing a memorial celebration for our late friend Elaine Kaufman with veteran TV producer Fred Rappoport. And what an afternoon! The erudite long time Elaine’s patron Dick Cavett handled hosting duties, and Elaine Stritch, Liz Smith, Gay Talese, Sports Illustrated’s Terry McDonell, and James Lipton were among the illustrious speakers. Their backdrop at Merkin Concert Hall was an incredible reproduction of the Elaine’s bar that was conceived and constructed by Fred Gallo of PRG Productions–he does all the big Broadway shows. Michele Lee and Lucie Arnaz each sang, with Ron Abel and his band backing them up.

The show went on for a pretty fast moving three hours–Stritch, coming in at the end, joked that she might have to take an insulin shot on stage. But Stritch also pretty much stole the show with her stories about bartending at Elaine’s early in her career–and serving one man 37 drinks in one night! There were great stories from restaurateur Joe Allen, as well as mystery writer Carol Higgins Clark, famed NY rock deejay Carol Miller, Bill Bratton and Rikki Klieman, New York Yankess president Randy Levine, New York Times metro editor Pete Khoury, and Father Pete Colapietro. Long time head waiter Gianni Adamo and bartender Alex Gregg got standing ovations. There was a touching photo slide show at the end from Jessica Burstein, set to a medley of Ella Fitzgerald  singing “‘S Wonderful”  and Kenny G playing “Auld Lang Syne.” It was very sweet.

Later, at the after party in PJ Clarke’s downstairs private room at Lincoln Center, Josh Gaspero and Jenine Izzi, two faithfuls, announced the formation of the Elaine Kaufman Foundation for young writers. And what a fun party–Michele, Lucie, “The Sopranos” star Dominic Chianese, and Father Pete serenaded the crowd with a Capella renderings of their favorite songs– Michele sang in Yiddish, Lucie in Hawaiian, and Dominic in Italian. Elaine would have loved it, and of course, demanded that everyone order dinner!

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