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James Franco: Cuts Brad Renfro’s Name Into His Arm

Roger Friedman
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0

James Franco‘s short film, called “Rebel,” may make to the Venice Biennale after all. Or to the Venice Film Festival. Or to Venice, California. Late actor Brad Renfro has something to do with it, as you can see from the billboard on Sunset Boulevard. Franco had Renfro’s name cut into his arm. This is the evidence. At least he just had “Brad” carved. (It could also be Pitt.) The film is an art installation concerning James Dean, whom Franco played a decade ago. Gucci’s backing it. Franco is currently shooting his Sal Mineo movie in L.A. His first feature, “The Broken Tower,” opens at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 20th. Later this summer comes “Rise of the Apes.” Rust never sleeps! More info as it comes in…Franco, PS, is currently on a road trip through Utah, looking at Earth art. (I think that means cliffs and stuff.) Luckily, he’s told us, in case he gets stuck for…some hours.

 

Anthony Weiner’s Wife Is Pregnant

Roger Friedman
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2

As if things couldn’t get worse: on the day a picture of his genitals was leaked to the press via a radio show, disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner’s wife is discovered to be three months pregnant. The New York Times has confirmed it. Huma Abedin, a very nice person whom a lot of us knew during Hillary Clinton‘s senate term and her run for the presidency, is now in a dilemma. She’s learned that her husband is a perv and a liar. Less than a month into their marriage, he was sending sex messages to other women. And Abedin learned along with the public that Weiner had sent the original crotch shot that caused the scandal to break open. This means he continued to lie to her for a week after news of this calamity broke. So what now? There are all sorts of calls for Weiner’s resignation. He’s not my congressman in New York, so it doesn’t affect me. But despite all the scandals that befall elected officials, we expect them to be statesmen, to stand for something higher, and comport themselves properly in public. If only Weiner could be fired. But he must resign, and he will no doubt, before long. As for Abedin, maybe she’ll be like other political wives and look the other way (see under Lee Hart, Hillary Clinton, Maria Shriver, etc) . She may be forced to anyone now. What a mess.

Hello It’s Him: Todd Rundgren Readies for Summer Survival Camp

Roger Friedman
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2

This is a guilty pleasure item. Todd Rundgren is hosting a Survival Summer Camp up in Woodstock, New York June 20-24. www.toddstore.com/trsurivalcamp. It’s sort of a nod to David Fishof’s Rock and Roll Fantasy Camps.

Todd’s 1973 album, “A Wizard, A True Star,” remains a personal favorite. I don’t know why Todd isn’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Well, maybe I do. They’re idiots.) Anyway: now journalist and fan Paul Myers, who happens to be the brother of Mike Myers, has published a book called “A Wizard A True Star: Todd Rundgren In The Studio.” When the book was published during the late winter, fellow Canadian Dave Foley hosted a party for Myers at the indie Club Largo in Los Angeles. Aimee Mann, who shares a Beatle fixation with Todd, performed with her producer Jon Brion.

Paul Myers is Mike’s older, very talented, author/musician brother.  He is San Francisco based; his band is called ‘The Paul and John’ with his songwriter partner John Moremen. Our Leah Sydney spoke to Myers about the book and about Todd.

“I was a musician and a producer and became a writer later,” Myers told her. “I always wanted to write about things that affected me as a musician. Todd not only has produced his own amazing albums, but he produced all these other albums for the New York Dolls,  XTZ, Meatloaf’s Bat Out Of Hell, Cheap Trick and more. No one had been writing about him.  It’s a running commentary from all these people and Todd talking about his work.

What does he feel about Todd not being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

“It’s a travesty that he’s not in the Rock and Roll  Hall of Fame.  He’s done more work that has been platinum and innovative in rock and roll.  He produced “We’re An American Band’ by Grand Funk Railroad-that is a reason he should be in the Hall of Fame.   Meatloaf’s ‘Bat of a Hell ‘Todd produced-that’s a reason there.  Also his own albums ‘Something Anything, Runt. Permanent Mink Hollow. ‘    Every musician I ever talk to says ‘Oh My God I love Todd Rundgren.”  There is so much love for him, I can’t believe no one has talked about him yet, let alone he’s not in the Hall Of Fame. It’s a travesty.”

What about his brother Mike?

“I’m a little older than Mike,    I let my hair go prematurely white-when I was 19 it was salt and pepper-then all salt.       My wife likes it  because my eyebrows haven’t gone white so I don’t look like Colonel Sanders yet.  The first time I met Todd was through Mike at an Saturday Night Live party. One of the  cool thing about Mike being famous is that I’ve gotten to meet a lot of my musical heroes.  We also have an older brother Peter-who’s a music fan and him and Mike’s are huge Todd fans like me.”

Where is Todd?

“Todd is playing on the east coast- his albums ‘Healing’ and  an album called ‘Todd-’he’s playing them in his entirety on the east coast.  He’s huge across the country.  He plays the whole album from beginning to end.  Fans that go to his shows can get my book, he loves the book.  So it’s all so cool.’

You can order this book on Amazon. And if you don’t have “A Wizard, A True Star” or Todd’s prior album, “Something/Anything,” you’re missing the best, most inventive pop rock ever. I could listen to “I Saw the Light” over and over. It’s a perfect record. Also, Rundgren has produced dozens of albums for other artists. My favorites: XTC‘s “Skylarking” and Badfinger‘s seminal “Straight Up.”

The Beatles: Getting Greedy or Just Smart Marketing?

Roger Friedman
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2

Tonight in Las Vegas, the Beatles’ “Love” show from Cirque du Soleil celebrates its fifth birthday. Paul, Yoko, Olivia, and Dhani Harrison, as well as George and Giles Martin are showing up to give it a promotional push. The show is great, I saw it again this winter. It’s pretty much the only reason I would ever visit Las Vegas again. But are the Beatles doing too much promotion? After years of staying quiet, the Beatle brand is getting exploited. Their late great general manager Neil Aspinall would be apoplectic if he read today’s Hollywood Reporter. There’s a plan afoot for a film about Brian Epstein, the Beatles manager. The producer says he’s secured the rights to a bunch of songs–not the master recordings, but songs someone else will sing in the movie if it’s made. (The script looks turgid.)

Aspinall never approved master recordings rights for Beatles songs in movies. Years ago when Wes Anderson tried to get “Hey Jude” for “The Royal Tennenbaums,” he was shot down immediately. Mark Mothersbaugh had to record an instrumental version in its place. But this year we’ve already had “Baby You’re a Rich Man” turn up in “The Social Network.” More recently in Cannes, we heard “Two of Us” in Gus van Sant’s “Restless.” Of course, each of these is a Sony movie, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing controls the rights to Beatles songs. In the former case, the film paid over a million bucks to get the rights. For “Restless,” I’m told, it was much less.

And then there’s the whole ITunes thing. In the last couple of weeks, the Beatles put all three “Anthology” albums on ITunes, joining them with all the other Beatles albums that went there last year. And a low rent show of Beatles music, called “Rain,” a sort of “Beatlemania II,” is playing on Broadway, Luckily, a planned live action version of the classic “Yellow Submarine,” has been scrapped by Disney. Julie Taymor‘s “Across the Universe” was enough for the Beatles on imaginative new film.

Is it too much? Does it dilute a great brand? Yes, and no. While it’s important to keep the 250 or so Beatles songs alive, it would be wise for Apple Records (not Apple computers) to be circumspect in how the music continues to be disseminated. More interesting is an idea for Sony/ATV to release its own CDs of artists covering the songs. A long awaited Roberta Flack album of Beatles songs is…long awaited.

Everyone tries to use the Beatles for their own purposes. Case in point: disgraced congressman Anthony Weiner told a magazine back in the late 90s that he thought his greatest accomplishment was that he was born (September 4, 1964) on the same day “I WAnt to Hold Your Hand” was released. I guess the magazine had no fact checkers. The record was actually released in November 1963 and entered the US charts in January 1964. Weiner may have wanted to hold something else, but that’s another story.

Christie Brinkley: A Hit on Broadway, Will Take Her “Chicago” to London

Roger Friedman
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2

Christie Brinkley — supermodel, ex wife of Billy Joel, TV aerobics pitchwoman. Broadway musical star. Huh? Gorgeous Christie is 57, looks 20 years younger, and has never sung or danced in public. But a few weeks ago she joined the cast of the musical, “Chicago,” now in its 400th year on Broadway. She’s playing Roxy Hart, the streetwise married dame who shoots and kills her lover because he wanted to leave her. Ann Reinking originated the role, but over the eons of “Chicago” many celebrities have come and gone as producers Fran and Barry Weissler have made stunt casting an art.

But Christie Brinkley? She’s been great for business. “Chicago,” still sturdy with its Kander and Ebb score, and Bob Fosse/ Ann Reinking choreography, has been playing to very full houses since Brinkley arrived. She’s been so good for business that in July, Brinkley and co-star Amra-Faye Wright will take over as leads in the West End production.

Last night the cast — six weeks into her run, not on Brinkley’s opening night–celebrated her arrival. Her kids–Alexa Ray Joel, son Jack and daughter Sailor–were all present, as was bff Jill Rappaport of the Today show, Patti Hansen Richards, and lots of media friends. She got roses on stage at the end of the performance–number 8 for a week that ended last night and begins again on Thursday. Amra-Faye Wright, who looks like a South African Annie Lennox and has a magnificent voice–spoke to the audience. She praised Brinkley for her talent, tenacity, and work ethic.

And it’s true: Brinkley is a big surprise as Roxy. She’s not a great singer, but it turns out she has very good, if not perfect, pitch. She told me that Billy Joel used to tell her that all the time. When she launches into a Kander and Ebb song, she’s fearless and fine. She knows melody. “They told me from the beginning, trust Kander and Ebb’s melodies,” Christie told me after the show at a reception at the Hudson Terrace. She’d changed into a hot Marchesa mini skirt and danced and sang along with fellow castmates to Bon Jovi songs. She was hoarse. “And I know melody. Billy always said that.”

And what of Billy Joel? He’s coming to see Christie in the next few days, when he returns from Europe. “Billy always used to say I could do a Broadway musical,” said Christie. “And now I have.” She doesn’t want to go home, either. It’s like she’s run away and joined the circus. “I love it, I love the people, the community.” And she means it. You can tell by her million dollar beaming smile on stage. Brinkley is having the time of her life.

Lady Gaga CD Sales Drop 85% in Second Week

Roger Friedman
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138

Is Lady Gaga really “Born this Way”? After a spectacular first week of sales, with almost 1.2 million copies of her CD and downloads sold, the second week shows a big fall off. “Born this Way” sold only 169,387 copies last week. That’s a drop of 85% from the first week. It’s important to remember that 440,000 of those first week sales were only for 99 cents. So the fall off is really less, I guess. But if we stick the official numbers, “Born this Way” is in swift decline.

Compare that to Adele, who “21” album was only off 4% last week. That album continues to sell and sell. One reason is that Adele’s album is strong all the way through. It’s unclear what kind of”legs” the Lady Gaga collection really has: so far it’s spawned just one real hit, the title track. The rest of the album is monotonous. Watching Anderson Cooper’s piece on “60 Minutes” this past Sunday didn’t help.

While Stefani Germanotta is confident and smart, she is also overbearing. The costumes. the pretense, the posing to be more Madonna than Madonna–it’s too much. Gaga believes more is more. This may play her out very quickly. She’s reinventing herself at the speed of ADD. Quite clearly, the songs don’t matter-it’s the statement, the look, the attitude. Her supporters argue that she sings and actually plays the piano and writes songs. But that’s getting lost. If sales drop again next week by huge numbers, Lady Gaga may have to lose the egg.

Kevin Smith: “I Never Thought I’d Say This, But Ed Burns Is A Genius”

Roger Friedman
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0

Kevin Smith is still out there, somewhere, promoting his film, “Red State.” I don’t know why he hasn’t put this terrific film, which he debuted at Sundance, into real distribution. But over the weekend, he was honored by the Producers Guild at their third annual Produced by Conference held at Disney Studios in Burbank. A lot of heavy hitters participated, including Oscar winner Morgan Freeman (who’s also getting honored by the AFI this week), “Milk” and Oscar cast producer Bruce Cohen, NBC’s cool new chief Robert Greenblatt, “Sex and the City” producer Darren Star, Roy Sekoff, who’s running the whole AOL /Huffington Post conglom, “Die Hard” producer Lawrence Gordon, and Harvey Weinstein, who appeared via video.

Showbiz411’s Leah Sydney reports that Weinstein’s name came up right away. Smith told the crowd that without Harvey Weinstein he’d have no career and that “Harvey is one of the greatest producers on earth-he told me to manage my expectations.”  Kevin also paid tribute to his good pal Ed Burns, “Ed was saying years ago that VOD,( Video On Demand) was the way to go.  He reached there first.  I remember giving him shit, not personally cause he’s stronger than me and would have punched me, but now it’s all VOD.  He was ahead of the curve. I never thought I’d say this, but Ed Burns is a genius. He’s a smart cookie, he figured out his audience and he plays to it.  He thinks outside the box office box.”

Smith, who likes to be self-deprecating, referred to himself several times as a “stupid fat kid” and confessed that he smokes weed for inspiration.

Larry Gordon meanwhile, recalled saving Sean Connery when the Teamsters turned off his hot water in New York while shooting “Family Business.:

“It was freezing cold in Manhattan. I get this screaming call from Sean.  He has no hot water. I told him, “What do I look like a plumber?  I went down there.  Seems the teamsters didn’t like Sean and cut his hot water off.  Took me a half a day to get that freakin’ hot water back on.  But I love the guy –I tell him that he’s the luckiest guy cause both men and women love him.”

Jon Stewart Has Good Reason to Dislike Anthony Weiner

Roger Friedman
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9

Give Jon Stewart credit. The Anthony Weiner story is delicious copy for comedians. From his double entendre name to his “shaven” chest (yes the New York Post coined that word today), the soon to be ex Congressman is a pathetic joke. And he has a history with Stewart. They’ve known each other for about twenty years. But that doesn’t mean they’re “friends.” No, no. Here’s an interview that Weiner gave in May 2009 to CityScoopNY http://www.cityscoopsny.com/?p=1198%3Cbr%20/%3E. He said Stewart’s “Daily Show” has a “corrosive effect” on his business.

CS: You used to be roommates with “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart. How did that come about?

AW: We knew each other after college. I worked on Capitol Hill for [then-Congressman Chuck] Schumer with a guy who played soccer with Jon at William & Mary. So we were all in the same circle. I was dating a woman at the time, she lived where he did and we all kind of…it was a classic New York [situation]. We were all making twenty grand.

CS: Where did you all live?

AW: Soho. I was living there more or less because I was bumming off of my girlfriend who was living there. Technically speaking, I was living in my mom’s house. We were all living together, and we shared a beach house, too.

CS: Are you and Jon still friends?

AW: Yeah, we stay in touch. We talked a lot during the campaign.

CS: Have you been on “The Daily Show?”

AW: No. I don’t have a book. You gotta be selling something to go on his show.

CS: Well, if you run for Mayor…

AW: If I become Mayor, then they’ll probably waive that requirement. I wouldn’t want to go…I don’t know.

CS: Because it would be too weird?

AW: No, I love Jon’s show, and I TiVo it and watch it every day. But I think it has a bit of a corrosive effect on my business.

CS: In what sense?

AW: Its entire ethos is to make fun of politicians. Colbert’s worse…or better at it, I don’t know. I guess it’s really not fair to say it’s corrosive. It’s just that for a remarkable number of Jon’s viewers, that’s the sole source of news, and that’s both good and bad. It’s good that they’re gonna get it somewhere, and if it’s gonna be at a comedy show I’d rather it be there than Bill Maher or something like that. But on the other side, I don’t like the idea that there’s such a cynical view of politics and government.

CS: But you understand why that cynicism exists, right?

AW: Do I understand why that cynicism exists? Yes. I think it exists because of Jon’s show.

CS: Do you really?

AW: We could have the circular argument if you want. I think it accelerates itself. I think there becomes a feedback loop that’s corrosive. Congressmen do dumb things, yes, then are highlighted for doing dumb things, and highlighted some more, and people watch it and say that congressmen do dumb things, and so then when another congressman does a dumb thing, it’s like, “Well, my audience wants to watch a congressman do a dumb thing,” and then the audience laughs at the congressman doing a dumb thing, and then Jon says, “Hey, I got a great scam here, lemme go find another congressman doing a dumb thing,” and where do I get in? Where do I get in not doing a dumb thing? Not being a bozo?

CS: Have you ever expressed that to Jon?

AW: Oh yeah, we had…yes. The answer is yes.

CS: What did he have to say?

AW: The argument was somewhat predictable.

CS: Well, after last night, we know very well how Jon argues. (This interview took place the day after Stewart’s takedown of CNBC commentator Jim Cramer – Ed.)

AW: What I thought was interesting about last night was the irony of watching the comedian be critical of the news guy for being funny.

CS: I don’t think that was the reason…

AW: …at the crux of it, it was the news guy defending himself by saying, “I’m being an entertainer. I’m being funny.” And the comedian saying, “Dude, don’t do that. You be the serious one and I’ll be…” which is kind of a theme of Jon’s joust with the “Crossfire” guys. The irony with Jon…we have to remember that Jon was critical of “Crossfire” because it dumbed down the debate. Some of my concern about Jon is that, it’s smart, but it can be just as corrosive, because we’re being treated like we’re dumb. And maybe some of us are.

 

 

Garth Brooks, Billy Joel, Boz Scaggs Set for Songwriter Hall of Fame Dinner

Roger Friedman
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2

The last time Billy Joel presented an award at the annual all star Songwriters Hall of Fame dinner, it was to Jimmy Webb. Billy sat at the piano and taught a master class on how Webb wrote “Wichita Lineman.” It was an extraordinary moment. God only knows what he;ll do on June 16th when he presents to Garth Brooks. Billy just signed on to the show, which is the hottest night of the year after Clive Davis‘s Grammy party. Other presenters and performers are going to include Ashford and Simpson, Sam Moore, Bill Medley, Boz Scaggs, Chrissie Hynde, Jimmy Jam Harris, Dwight Yoakam, Dominic Chianese, and Mrs. Brooks aka Trisha Yearwood.

This year’s inducteess besides Garth: Leon Russell, Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly, John Bettis and Allen Toussaint. The Johnny Mercer Award will be presented to Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and the Towering Song is “It Was A Very Good Year,” to be accepted by composer and lyricist Ervin Drake. The Hal David Starlight Award will be presented to hip hopper Drake, who is no relation to the aforementioned Mr. Drake. The Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award recipient will be Chaka Khan, because she’s had hits by Prince, Ashford and Simpson, etc. The first-ever Visionary Leadership Award will be presented to beloved SHOF Chairman Emeritus Hal David, the famed lyricist who wrote dozens of smash hits with Burt Bacharach and others.

As usual, the concert is produced by Phil Ramone. Linda Moran, who’s turned the Songwriters Hall of Fame into a five star operation, presides. The show should be on TV, but everyone says that would ruin it. You have to be there to see it and to hear it.

Paul Simon Plays a Rare New York Club Date, with David Byrne as His Guest

Roger Friedman
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0

The solo Paul Simon, not the one from Simon & Garfunkel, is a different artist altogether. Last night he and his very tight band played a rare New York club date at Webster Hall, formerly the Ritz, in the East Village. Unlike most venues Paul Simon might play, Webster Hall has few seats. It was a new wave dance club in the early 1980s. Patrons stand, and stand. They are crammed onto the main floor like sardines.

And so they were last night, as Simon rocked and Zydeoc-ed, playing his most upbeat danceable music and mixing it with just a few powerful ballads and anthems like “Peace Like a River” and “The Sound of Silence”–the latter was the only one of two songs from the Simon & Garfunkel songbook. The other was “The Only Living Boy in New York,” a nod to the commercial now playing on TV.

Simon, unburdened by “Bridge Over Troubled Water” or “Mrs. Robinson,” instead delved into his solo catalog with a heavy emphasis on “Graceland” and “The Rhythm of the Saints.” You could tell this made him happy. He invited David Byrne on stage to perform the Talking Heads’ “Road to Nowhere” with Simon’s band, and then followed it up with Byrne swivel-hipping “You Can Call Me Al” into a Talking Heads style chant. On the face of it, the two musicians wouldn’t seem to have a lot in common. But Byrne had the Talking Heads performing African inspired music three or four years before Simon. Remember their “I Zimbra”? So it worked.

Elsewhere in the show, Simon combined Jimmy Cliff‘s “Vietnam” with his own “Mother and Child Reunion.” He turned “Kodachrome” to a singalong anthem. He took a rare shot at “Gone At Last”– a hit record he made with Phoebe Snow–and the band sneaked in riffs from the Four Tops‘ “Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch.” There was Simon’s lovely nod to George Harrison with “Here Comes the Sun” — shades of “Saturday Night Live” circa 1976–http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVJgDTQZPbs.

Simon’s African and Brazilian periods were represented by “The Obvious Child,” “The Boy in the Bubble,” and the entire audience joining in on “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes.” The songs from his latest album, “So Beautiful or So What,” actually quieted the audience and they listened. The album is headed to the Grammy Awards next winter. It’s a gem.

What a night! Another New York singer songwriter icon, Carole King, was spotted in the house with one of her daughters. Camera crews buzzed around, filming for a PBS special and for a 25th anniversary “Graceland” documentary. No one wanted to leave, least of all Simon. He came upstairs to the mezzanine, covered in sweat, and shook hands with every guest left up there. He told me that the small club atmosphere energized him. “You can feel the audience,” he said. He may still be there.

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