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Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett Return to Broadway After 20 Years (or More) Away

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What a night on Broadway: “The Mountaintop” opened, with incendiary performances from Samuel L. Jackson respectively as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Angela Bassett as a maid (or it seems) in Memphis’s Lorraine Motel on the eve of Dr. King’s assassination. It’s been 20 years since Jackson was on Broadway (“The Piano Lesson”), 23 for Bassett (“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”).

The audience was filled with big names, more than I’ve seen turn out at once for a Broadway play opening.

Everyone from Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz (and Alicia’s great mom, Terria Joseph) to sports giants like Magic Johnson and Julius Erving to Harry Belafonte to Cicely Tyson, Ruby Dee (who gets a shout out in the play), Anthony Mackie, Liz Smith, Iris Love, sisters Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen, Ahmad Rashad (ex of Phylicia), Mary Alice, Sam Rockwell, Star Jones, Gayle King, Dick Cavett, producer Marty Bregman and bw Cornelia, Jimmy and Margo Nederlander, the Shuberts’ Phil Smith, producer Judy Gordon, writer Joan Juliet Buck, actor Billy Magnussen, and the stars’ spouses–LaTanya Richardson and Courtney B. Vance.

Lead producer Jean Doumanian should be proud bringing “The Mountaintop” to Broadway–it’s a terrific new play by a young black playwright named Katori Hall. Broadway is desperate for new blood; this is it. And Hall’s play, while not perfect, is certainly strong with a great plot twist and a knock out ending directed by Kenny Leon.

Bassett’s character is totally invented from fiction, and so she has greater latitude something original and wild. She is amazing, and must be seen. Jackson has the harder task–he’s playing one of the great icons of history, politics, and culture. Long a film favorite, Jackson pulls off his first stage work in years aplomb. He also has MLK’s hairline. “Look,” he showed me at the after party, “It’s a wig. I am bald under here.” He lifted his signature Kangol cap. Might he have played MLK with a Kangol? “I thought about it,” he said with a laugh.

Damien Echols to Publish Memoir, May Be A Hobbit

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Well, I should have written this two days ago when I knew it. But no one at Penguin called me back. Anyway, they’ve signed Damien Echols of the “West Memphis Three” to write a memoir which will be published in September 2012. Echols told me about it at the premiere of “Paradise Lost 3” the other night but the Penguin people kept the story on ice. Oh well. Echols and his wife Laurie Davis are now in New Zealand, as I reported before, with director Peter Jackson. There’s talk that Jackson is giving Echols a small role in “The Hobbit” while the couple is there. Why not? After 17 years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit, Echols can have anything he wants. Echols has self published another book you can find on amazon.com from a few years ago. Comedian actress Margaret Cho was responsible for that one. Echols is not the only member of the West Memphis Three. There’s a fund to help the other guys, and they need it.  You can find it at http://www.wm3.org/

Sol Kerzner, Celebrity Hotel and Casino Titan, Struggling to Keep Control

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There’s a lot of trouble in the world of high flying international hotelier and casino owner Sol Kerzner, head of Kerzner International Resorts. The 76 year old South African zillionaire owns the Atlantis resorts in the Bahamas and Dubai, as well as the celebrity populated One and Only Resorts in Dubai, Mexico, and Cape Town.  And Kerzner himself may now be in a lot of trouble on several fronts. There’s talk that he may lose his seat on the company’s board within the next 90 days. At the same time, Kerzner is in the middle of what’s come a terrible divorce from his fourth wife. And he’s still mourning the loss of his son and heir apparent.

The saga of Heather and Sol has played out in the British newspapers but has so far remained off limits here. The divorce, sources say, has taken a toll on Kerzner, who’s always been a hard partying guy with no aversion to alcohol. Kerzner had been married to the former Heather Murphy for ten years and from all reports it was a love match. Heather, now 41, was devoted to Kerzner by all accounts. But word from inside the Kerzner empire is that the story is shaping up like a version of “King Lear,” with daughter Andrea, 48, reportedly telling her father that if he didn’t divorce Heather he would never see his grandchildren again. That’s the same Andrea Kerzner who purchased a $18 million Manhattan condo on Central Park West in 2008, according to The New York Observer.

Last year Kerzner put on a quite show for his 75th birthday, inviting friends from around the world to fly to Rome and sail around the Mediterranean  with him on his massive yacht. It was on the yacht, friends say, that Kerzner’s adult children forced a stand down with their father over Heather, who has two children from a previous marriage. The result was a massive, screaming, door slamming fight that guests like Quincy Jones, Naomi Campbell and Denise Rich are still talking about. When it was over, Heather was out. Now Kerzner– whose properties benefited in the last ten years from incredible publicity thanks to gala celebrity events and inclusion in movies and other media–could lose control of not just his personal life but his business, too.

It’s the business that’s proven to be more in peril than the marriage. Four years ago, Kerzner’s son, Butch, was killed in a helicopter crash in the Dominican Republic. Butch’s death, friends say, has thrown the father into a tailspin. Kerzner’s company is now said to be in disarray, with many talented executives, including the company’s head of corporate communications, leaving or being fired in the last couple of years. Meantime the company is struggling under $2.6 billion worth of debt that’s currently being restructured.

An expected fight among board members should be bloody, sources say. Kerzner and his two daughters occupy three seats. But the other directors–Ron Baron of Baron Capital, David Solomon of Goldman Sachs, and Tom Barrack of Colony Capital (yes, the same company that owns Neverland)– apparently feel it’s time for a change. Kerzner would lose his board seat and status but remain in some emeritus capacity.

Stay tuned…

“Gotti” Actor Ben Foster Waffles As Money Woes Stall Film

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The “Gotti” movie: I’ve told you exclusively for weeks that the movie is in financial trouble. Today, Deadline Hollywood tried to steal our thunder by literally just picking up what we’ve been reporting–haha, since they complain all the time about being stolen from. Anyway, I can tell you that the actor signed to play John Gotti, Jr., Ben Foster, has been asking around for other work since “Gotti” doesn’t seem to be happening. Foster was brought in by director Barry Levinson, who introduced the talented young actor a decade ago in “Liberty Heights.” If Foster leaves, expect the rest of the cast to start exiting too since the money simply is not there. What Deadline has totally overlooked is that the producer, Marco Fiore, and executive producer, Salvatore Carpanzano, have no history in the film business. They do, however, have history with the law. Fiore is a former convicted felon. Carpanzano has a colorful past with courtrooms. Irish born construction magnate Fay Devlin has been Fiore’s main source of income. He was introduced in May at the Cannes Film Festival where I ran into him, Levinson, and Fiore having dinner at the seaport. Devlin runs a company called Eurotech and has been a prime supporter of Irish peace, backing Gerry Adams and the Sinn Fein movement. But it seems to be Fiore’s inability to attract any large investors other than Devlin that’s shutting him down.

Murdoch Empire Suffers a New Scandal: WSJ Europe Publisher Resigns

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The Rupert Murdoch empire suffered a new scandal today. The Guardian reports that Andrew Langhoff, the publisher of the Wall Street Journal Europe, has had to resign. The reason stems from a scheme–all committed to paper–to falsely boot circulation numbers. This is on top of the phone hacking scandal that claimed an entire newspaper, News of the World, and 17 people who’ve been arrested. News Corp stockholders were already calling for the ouster of James Murdoch. This new disaster won’t help his cause, that’s for sure. Read the Guardian story here. It’s sort of amazing. And you know, it’s not over for News Corp. It’s like a death by paper cuts. Literally.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/12/wall-street-journal-andrew-langhoff

Lizzie Olsen Could Be on Oscar List for Indie Film

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If Jennifer Lawrence‘s Oscar nomination last season for “Winter’s Bone” is any indication, Lizzie Olsen is headed for one this year. Olsen, the younger sister of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, debuted last night at long last in “Martha Marcy May Marlene.” The title is a mouthful, but this dark indie drama by Sean Durkin is a winner even more so than I remembered it from Sundance. Olsen is a revelation, quite captivating the audience with her natural acting style. This time around, too, the performances of Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy, and John Hawkes were more evident, too. The whole film is a gem. Kudos too to lesser role holders Alan McCullough, Brady Corbett and Maria Dizzia. At the premiere, director Durkin, who grew up in New York, recalled getting shooed off the steps of Lincoln Center for skating around illegally. Now he has a feature in the New York Film Festival–and made for less than a million dollars. At the after party at the Empire Hotel rooftop, the Olsen twins huddled with their sister, who could be their triplet. Elizabeth aka Lizzie is the breakthrough actress of the year. What’s she doing next? “Finishing NYU,” the level headed 22 year old told me. She also co-stars with no less than Jane Fonda in the upcoming, “Peace, Love and Misunderstanding.”

Adele, Lady Gaga Head Up American Music Awards Nominees

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The amusing and meaningless American Music Awards have announced their nominees. Lady Gaga and Adele take up most of it, and they’ve thrown Justin Bieber in for good measure. Here’s the list. Again, this is just a fun night. It has nothing to do with anything. The Grammy Awards are in February.Maybe Foster the People will win Best New Artist. As you know, the winners are well informed prior to the show. My guess is they’ll give Gaga all of it. She’ll show up, get good ratings, and make for a fun night. Adele will get Adult artist or something.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2011 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS

POP or ROCK MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Justin Bieber

Bruno Mars

Pitbull

Favorite Female Artist
Adele

Lady Gaga

Katy Perry

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
LMFAO

Maroon 5

OneRepublic

Favorite Album
Adele/21

Lady Gaga/Born This Way

Rihanna/Loud

COUNTRY MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Jason Aldean
Brad Paisley

Blake Shelton

Favorite Female Artist
Sara Evans

Miranda Lambert

Taylor Swift

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
The Band Perry

Zac Brown Band

Lady Antebellum

Favorite Album

Jason Aldean/My Kinda Party

The Band Perry/The Band Perry

Taylor Swift/Speak Now

RAP/HIP-HOP MUSIC

Favorite Artist
Lil Wayne

Nicki Minaj

Kanye West

Favorite Album
Jay-Z & Kanye West/Watch The Throne

Lil Wayne/Tha Carter IV

Nicki Minaj/Pink Friday

SOUL/RHYTHM & BLUES MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Chris Brown

Trey Songz

Usher

Favorite Female Artist
Beyonce

Rihanna

Kelly Rowland

Favorite Album
Beyonce/4

Chris Brown/F.A.M.E.

Rihanna/Loud

ALTERNATIVE ROCK MUSIC

Favorite Artist
The Black Keys

Foo Fighters

Mumford & Sons

ADULT CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

Favorite Artist
Adele

Bruno Mars

Katy Perry

LATIN MUSIC

Favorite Artist

Enrique Iglesias

Jennifer Lopez

Pitbull

CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL

Favorite Artist
Casting Crowns

Tobymac

Third Day

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Adele

Lady Gaga

Lil Wayne

Katy Perry

Taylor Swift

Sprint New Artist Of The Year

POP/ROCK

Foster The People

Hot Chelle Rae

COUNTRY

The Band Perry

Thompson Square

SOUL/R&B

Marsha Ambrosius

Miguel

RAP/HIP-HOP

LMFAO

Wiz Khalifa

“West Memphis Three” Survivor Will Get “Lord of the Rings” Holiday

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The West Memphis Three got a thunderous and rapturous standing ovation last night at the New York Film Festival premiere of “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory.” It was quite an evening for them, with celebrities like singer Paul Simon, and actress-activist-producer Trudie Styler there to support them. Earlier in the day, Damien Echols said at HBO’s press conference that his biggest adjustment to life outside prison after 17 years was walking. “I’m used to walking in chains,” he said. “I fell down a lot the first few days.”

Now Echols, who’s left Arkansas for good, heads to New Zealand with his girlfriend for two months. They will be hosted by “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson, who took an interest in the case and helped fund the defense along with rock stars Eddie Vedder, Natalie Maines, and actor Johnny Depp among others.

Jackson’s involvement has been a double edged sword. While his generosity made a lot of the legal wrangling possible, he’s also caused some problems for “Paradise Lost” filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. Jackson has been funding a documentary by Amy Berg, who came into the West Memphis Three saga after the first two “Paradise Lost” films were made and heaped with awards. Since Berg arrived in Arkansas, sources say, she’s done a lot to undercut the “Paradise Lost,” which will undoubtedly be up for an Oscar. It also premieres on HBO in January.

“Berg did a lot to try and cut Berlinger and Sinofsky off from their original sources and characters,” an HBO insider tells me, by buying up their rights with Jackson’s money. “How would she have felt if they’d tried to make a sequel to her film, ‘Deliver Us From Evil’?”

Indeed, the word now is that Berg has hopes to bring her film to Sundance. But knowing the festival, this doesn’t seem likely. Certainly the Q&A after her film would be loaded with questions about how she muscled in on the “Paradise Lost” territory–simultaneous to the new installment playing on HBO.

Meantime, at the after party at the Hudson Hotel last night, Echols and Jason Baldwin played a little friendly pool, knocking back glasses of water and accepting congrats from everyone. Their co-defendant, Jessie Misskelley, was happy just cooling out with friends and family on the hotel’s terrace.

Berlinger will move ahead now. He filmed Simon’s 25 year “Graceland” reunion in South Africa. Simon–bracing for some Grammy nods for his recent “So Beautiful or So What” album–said he’s very excited about the outcome.

“The King’s Speech” Sets Actors for UK Run, Broadway Will Follow

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“The King’s Speech” is headed to Broadway. But readers of this column know I broke this story last year–that David Seidler wrote the script as a play, then converted it into the Oscar winning film. Producers have announced that British actor Charles Edwards and Australian Jonathan Hyde will play, respectively, King George VI and Lionel Logue, playing the roles originated on screen by Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. They will likely not be the actors who come to Broadway, but for the time being these guys will tour the United Kingdom starting in February 2012 and open in the West End sometime next spring. The Broadway opening would most likely occur a year from now. Adrian Noble is set as director. Here’s the link to the original story, just so some others don’t try to claim it was theirs: http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/10/26/kings-speech-oscar-buzzed-film-set-for-broadway-next-year

Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” Surprise Screens at New York Film Festival

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“Hugo,” Martin Scorsese and Paramount’s big family friendly entry for Thanksgiving, was the surprise screening at the New York Film Festival. Billed as a work in progress, “Hugo” is still being tinkered with. But it’s pretty much done, and nearly all of the local entertainment press saw it last night. Avery Fisher Hall had to be fitted overnight with new 3D technology to accommodate the screening, too. And Scorsese showed up and introduced the film.Most of his staff was there including Oscar winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker, who’s still eying “Hugo” with one hand on her mouse.

So what’s the story? Based on the book “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” Hugo is about a boy in early 20th century France who stumbles on an old, revered filmmaker (Ben Kingsley, playing a version of real life director Georges Melies.). In the process he learns about Georges’s life and his own, especially that of his own deceased father (Jude Law). “Hugo” is stuffed with supporting roles and cameos, the most interesting of which go to Sacha Baron Cohen, Emily Mortimer, Michael Stuhlbarg and Frances de la Tour. Johnny Depp is listed as a producer, but rumors of a cameo by him are said to be false.

Scorsese himself, of course, makes a Hitchcock like appearance. He does a few things with “Hugo”–it’s his first family film, but not necessarily for children. Also, he gets to explore his passion for film preservation and film history by making Georges a fictional version of his own many heroes. Scorsese also gets to re-enact famous film scenes, like Harold Lloyd dangling from the clock hands.

And in fact, “Hugo” is all about clocks. Much of it takes place in a grand Paris train station underneath a clock tower. Using really terrific 3D process, Scorsese goes inside the whirring gears of the place. That’s what sets “Hugo” apart. That, and of course, the fantastic archival film clips he uses for Georges’s retrospectives. You know that Scorsese is just over the moon introducing this stuff to new generations.

“Hugo” opens on November 23rd with a lavish Howard Shore score, and a huge promo push. It’s unlike any Martin Scorsese movie you’ve ever seen. No one gets whacked. But there are wonderful long shots. It’s the work of a master craftsman who loves film. It shows.