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Melanie Griffith’s Daughter Dakota: “Cherry 2000” Redux?

Roger Friedman
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Can it be? Next year is the 25th anniversary of one my favorite bad movies, “Cherry 2000.” This post-apocalyptic thriller starred a pre-“Working Girl” Melanie Griffith as a bounty hunter. She helps Sam, played by David Andrews, journey into a forbidden zone where model Cherry 2000 android wives are stored. Sam’s own model has died, or given out, and he wants the same one again. This is sort of like me trying to find another Motorola v9 Razr2 phone instead of getting a smart phone.

Anyway, producer Ed Pressman–one of the good guys in the movie business–is talking remake. And Melanie Griffith has suggested her daughter, Dakota Johnson, whose dad is Don Johnson, play her role. Dakota recently appeared in “The Social Network” as the girl who realizes she’s just slept with Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). It’s not such a far fetched idea. Pressman is considering it, I’m told, and putting together some ideas for the remake including a director. Who directed the original? A guy named Steve De Jarnatt who went on to direct a lot of episodic TV but has no credits on the imdb since 2006. He published a short story in 2009 in “The Best American Short Stories.”

Katie Couric Announcement Coming Mid Day Today

Roger Friedman
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Katie Couric Announcement Coming Mid Day Today

Starting today, or thereabouts, ABC News is going to be overflowing with  female news stars. Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer are going to be welcoming Katie Couric to their fold around mid day today.

Is there room for all these ladies in one news division? Because until Couric’s afternoon talk show starts in September 2012, she’s going to be bunking with Walters and Sawyer. Right now, Walters relies on her role as executive producer and co-owner of “The View.” That show is pretty much all that’s left of ABC Daytime now that the soaps and Oprah are history. Sawyer, of course, has the evening news.

So where will Katie fit in? “Good Morning America”? It’s doubtful that Couric wants to get up at the crack of dawn to sit in for Robin Roberts on her days off. There’s always “This Week” with Christiane Amanpour, where Couric could appear as the presidential race starts to heat up. There’s “Nightline,” although Cynthia McFadden and crew seem to have that well in hand. “20/20” is a possibility, although Couric is not going to replace Elizabeth Vargas. So it will be interesting to see where Katie fits in during the 15 month ramp up to her own show. Details of her deal should break midday Monday at the latest since her CBS contract expired on Friday.

“X Men” is First Class, But Last in Series at Box Office

Roger Friedman
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“X Men” is First Class, But Last in Series at Box Office

Who knows why? “X Men: First Class” got terrific reviews and buzz. It has a cast of young, hot up and coming actors including Michael Fassbender and James McEvoy. The director, Matthew Vaughn, has turned into first class director after producing Guy Ritchie’s movies. But “First Class” is a bit of a disappointment this weekend at the box office. Even with a $21 million take so far, the Marvel comics adventure is projected to make around $51 million total this weekend. This is half of what the last “X Men” film made in 2006. Brett Ratner’s “Last Stand” broke records with a shocking $102.7 million in three days. The funny thing is, fanboys and girls didn’t much like the movie. But maybe because it was considered the end of a trilogy, “Last Stand” boomed. Obviously, most audiences liked it a lot. It was one of the few sequels to outrun its predecessor. “X2” had done $85 million on its opening weekend. “First Class” is supposed to be a set up for two more new installments. But if it lacks “legs” in the next couple of weeks, this class may never get the chance to graduate. Is Hugh Jackman the “x factor” after all in these movies? Time will tell.

John Edwards Indicted For Siphoning Election Money to Girlfriend/BabyMama

Roger Friedman
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If John Edwards hadn’t already been ruined by his affair with Rielle Hunter, this is it: today he was indicted by a federal grand jury for siphoning funds from his campaign to help keep Hunter, who was pregnant with his baby, a secret.There are six counts against him, including conspiracy, making false statements, and four counts of illegal campaign contributions. Unless Edwards takes a settlement, prosecutors should have no trouble making their case.

Edwards started his affair with Hunter (aka Lisa Druck) in 2006, pretended to break it off, and then she became pregnant. The story broke first in the National Enquirer, was brushed aside, and then returned in the fall of 2007 as Hunter grew with child. In January 2008, when it was really too late, Edwards–who’d known for months that he would have to pull out of the 2008 presidential campaign– finally acquiesced. The baby, Frances Quinn, was born at the end of February.

But it turned out that two of his majors donors were solicited for large amounts of money to help him keep this all quiet–the late Fred Baron and the nearly 100 year old socialist Bunny Mellon. The money was used to keep Edwards aide Andrew Young able to hide Hunter from the public. Young also lied about being the baby’s father. When the money ran out, Young and Hunter were cut loose. Young wrote a bestselling book telling the whole story. Hunter, who lived with her baby daughter for months with her friend Mimi Hockman, eventually cut a deal with Edwards and moved into a home near his in South Carolina. And now, with Edwards’ estranged wife, Elizabeth, dead from cancer, the former Senator has been indicted. Instant karma indeed.

Kristen Wiig Will Parlay “Bridesmaids” Success into Drama

Roger Friedman
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“Saturday Night Live” star Kristen Wiig is finally coming into her own. After appearing in many movies, and of course the late night TV show, Wiig has finally hit it big with “Bridesmaids.” The unassuming actress was almost astonished when I mentioned to her last night–over dinner at the St. Regis Hotel for the Museum of the Moving Image–that she’s a movie star. “That’s what you say,” Wiig laughed. But now that “Bridesmaids” has put her at the top of the box office, Wiig isn’t resting on her laurels. She’s producing a dramedy called “Imogene,” in which she’ll star. She told me financing is just coming together for the film, which will be directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (“American Splendor”). The couple specializes in off beat characters–witness “American Splendor” and their recent “Cinema Verite” for HBO. The plan is to shoot the film this summer, while “SNL” is on hiatus. Then, with any luck, we’ll see her back on the comedy show this fall.

Jon Stewart Roasts NBC’s Brian Williams, Skewers Anthony Weiner

Roger Friedman
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There’s nothing better than Jon Stewart away from “Comedy Central,” doing standup. To get the crowd of media types at last night’s dinner for the Museum of the Moving Image in the mood, Stewart referred to the ornately draped and chandeliered rooftop ballroom at the St. Regis Hotel as being “inside Marie Antoinette’s vagina.” Then he went on the attack against Congressman Anthony Weiner. “He has to investigate if the picture is him,” Stewart said of Weiner’s now infamous crotch Twitter picture. “I don’t know if he thinks his penis robbed the Bellagio. I don’t know.” He added, shaking his head in disbelief: “There are few things I’m certain about. That The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie, that OJ killed those two people, and what my [penis] looks like.”

Stewart was hilarious. about Weiner, but then he went after NBC News anchor Brian Williams, one of the night’s two honorees. “You’re so funny…A lot of people don’t know this, he started out in news. Obviously, he’s transitioned very nicely… you killed Bin Laden…no, I’m kidding. Brian does amazing work. He’d be the first one to say he does…The Nightly News, they just go through the obituaries to see how many viewers they have left.”

Williams, who brought his wife and daughter, Allison (soon to be seen in HBO’s “Girls”), didn’t mind hitting back at Stewart. Thinking the comic had left the room, Williams free-styled his own bits about Stewart’s lack of height. He joked they often went for rides with Stewart sitting on his lap to reach the pedals of his car. Stewart was actually not gone, but just outside of earshot in the vestibule, making a call. He likely heard much of Williams’s good natured rant. The NBC anchor said Stewart was “lovely but parasitic. Remember, there’s no him without us.”

Stewart also had fun with Donald Trump‘s pizza date with Sarah Palin. “Donald Trump took Sarah Palin to La Famiglia, a chain pizza restaurant on 50th and Broadway. Why don’t you take a sh– in Fiorella LaGuardia’s hat and feed it to the crying ghost of Joe DiMaggio? You sonofabitch,” Stewart added.

All of this took place, by the way, in front of an austere crowd that included museum leader Herb Schlosser, Steve Burke, the new head of NBC, Steve Capus, NBC News chief, Discover Network chief David Zaslav (who’s Oprah’s new boss), “Saturday Night Live” star Kristen Wiig and newer cast member Vanessa Bayer, Showtime chief Matt Blank, and the evening’s other honoree, the very impressive and good natured Kenneth Lowe, head of Scripps Interactive, the man responsible for HGTV and the Food Network. ESPN Chairman Emeritus Herb Granath was there, too, with his wife, former soap actress Ann Flood (she played Nancy Karr on “The Edge of Night” for eons and looks terrific.) Universal Pictures chief Ron Meyer stopped by earlier, but missed all this frivolity because he was due at an event honoring Revlon chief Ronald Perelman across town.

PS Great evening put on by Gary Springer and Ellen Delsener.

“Spider Man” on Broadway: New Version a Lot Like Old, Just Rearranged

Roger Friedman
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“Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” finally opens–yes, opens– on June 14th after a wild winter and spring of previews, the sidelining of creator Julie Taymor, and a three week shutdown to retool the show’s story. Now, as the $70 million-plus musical– infamous for its performers getting hurt –prepares to reveal itself, it turns out that the new “Spider Man” is a lot like the old one, just polished up to make better sense.

I ran into producer Michael Cohl having dinner last night at the very hot as a pistol (and loud!) Minetta Tavern in Greenwich Village, where he was taking a few minutes off.  Cohl told me the show is being “locked” in a couple of days, meaning all the changes will be final. And guess what? Julie Taymor’s going to get a surprise. There’s just as much of her work in the show as there was to start with, only it’s been rearranged. Taymor’s amazing set piece of Arachne, the Spider-woman, weaving her web in mid air now opens the show. Arachne, who was Taymor’s creation and vision, now serves as a guiding light for Spidey/Peter Parker as the show progresses. Gone, of course, is the “geek chorus” of four graffiti spraying teenagers who tried to explain the show. The way Cohl and company have worked, no explanations are needed.

Bono and The Edge have added just one song, Cohl says, called “A Freak Like Me.”  And, just as I suggested in this space several times over the last few months, there are now snippets of U2 hits woven into the show. “Spider Man,” which is playing at 94% capacity in its third week back, and should do even better once it’s opened and families are flocking in for summer vacation.

One more thing: Cohl told me that once the show is settled in, the plan is not to go to Las Vegas first, as many had thought. We’ll have to see which city is picked as their first stop.

Godfather Director Coppola: Part of Next Movie is Spoken in Rhyme

Roger Friedman
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Part of the next movie coming from legendary director Francis Ford Coppola–who made “The Godfather” films and “Apocalypse Now”–will be in rhyme. So says veteran actor Bruce Dern, who was honored on Wednesday night at the opening of the Gold Coast Film Festival on the north shore of Long Island. Dern, an Oscar nominee for “Coming Home” (1978) and well known for his work in “The King of Marvin Gardens,” “The Great Gatsby,” and “Smile,” among others, stars in Coppola’s “Twixt Now and Sunrise.”

The film also stars ex spouses Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley, Ben Chaplin and Elle Fanning. Dern and I spoke as he made his way out to the Gold Coast ceremony on Long Island, where he picked up a Lifetime Achievement Award. He says the Coppola film, which is done, was shot in the Napa Valley. It’s a gothic thriller that concerns Edgar Allen Poe. Dern is the sheriff in a spooky town with a murder mystery. Kilmer is a second tier mystery writer who comes to town and investigates its past. There’s a clock steeple in the town with different time on each of its four sides. Dern told me: “Francis says it’s got more of him in it than any of his films.”

Dern’s next outing will be “Hart’s Location” with real life actress daughter Laura Dern, and her mother–Bruce’s ex–the great Diane Ladd. Last fall the trio was the first family, Dern notes, to receive their Hollywood Walk of Fame stars all together. Joe Dante, Dern says, will direct “Hart’s.” It’s a project that’s been in the works for about five years, but now it seems like it may take off.

 

Dern is still waiting to hear about “The Big Valley.” The big screen adaptation of the 60s TV show was all set to go until financing fell apart. Dern has a long history with “The Big Valley,” having played several roles on the old show as a guest star.

Dern, born in 1936, has quite a colorful family past, too. Eleanor Roosevelt baby sat him, and the famed poet, playwright and three time Pulitzer Prize winner Archibald MacLeish was his great uncle. Dern’s grandfather, George Dern, was the first non Mormon governor of Utah and Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first Secretary of War. Pretty cool!

www.goldcoastfilmfestival.org

Michael Jackson Documentary from Old Pal David Gest Gets Screened

Roger Friedman
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Remember David Gest, Michael Jackson’s bff and Liza Minnelli‘s one time husband, he of the Shirley Temple shrine in his home and the waxed eyebrows? Well, he’s back. Gest has made a documentary about Jackson called “The Real Michael Jackson.” He screened it recently in Los Angeles for a select group that included Smokey Robinson, Angie Dickinson, and Katherine Jackson and her son, Tito. The source I spoke to says the documentary is pretty good mainly because it includes lots of rare footage of Michael and the Jacksons. How Gest got the rights to the footage, I don’t know. He does have plans to release the doc in the UK. Here’s the copy from the invite he sent out, I’ve reprinted it with typos:

PLEASE JOIN ME FOR A PRIVATE SCREENING OF MY FIRST FILM ‘THE REAL MICHAEL JACKSON’ ON THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2011  PM AT 8:00 PM AT THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK THEATRE ON THE UNIVERSAL STUDIOS LOT. YOUR NAME WILL BE LEFT AT THE GATE AND THEIR WILL BE PARKING. I HAVE ENCLOSED DIRECTIONS AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THE PARKING OR DIRECTIONS CALL MS. xxxxxxx AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS ON (818) 777-xxxx

I AM VERY PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK HAS ALREADY PURCHASED THE WORLD DVD RIGHTS AND MR MARK REYNOLDS OF BBC WORLWIDE MEDIA CENTRE (THE TOP DISTRIBUTOR IN THE WORLD) HAVE SIGNED FOR EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS. THIS IS A MOST UNIQUE FILM AND ACCORDING TO LEGENDARY PRODUCER LAMONT DOZIER: ”THE REAL MICHAEL JACKSON’ IS MORE THAN JUST A DOCUMENTARY, IT IS AN EPIC TELEVISION FILM AND QUITE POSSIBLY THE MOST REMARKABLE DOCUMENTARY I HAVE EVER SEEN!’

A DRINKS & HORS D’OEUVRES RECEPTION WILL FOLLOW THE SCREENING AT A LOCATION NEAR THE STUDIO (LOCATION TO BE ANNOUNCED). PLEASE JOIN ME FOR THE SCREENING & RECEPTION BY RSVP TO MY E-MAIL. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ON THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2011 AT 8:00 PM AT THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK THEATRE AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. THE FILM IS 90 MINUTES.

BEST REGARDS,

DAVID GEST

Lady Gaga Sells One Million CDs, But Not Really

Roger Friedman
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1

Lady Gaga‘s “Born this Way” sold 1.1 million copies last week. But not really. Around 440,000 of those were generated from amazon.com’s 99 cent sale over two days. “Born this Way” really sold more like 600,000 copies without amazon’s help. That’s still pretty sensational in these times, but predictions are the album will tumble this week. Expect a big drop when Monday’s charts are counted. Just to give you an idea of what’s going on, “Born this Way” has already been toppled on ITunes by new releases from Eddie Vedder and from Death Cab for Cutie. “Born this Way” is now the number 3 album. Gaga’s single, “The Edge of Glory,” is number 3 on the singles charts, too, where Adele still rules the roost. On amazon, the “Born this Way” album is still number 1. It’s selling for $6.99 with its digital booklet. Since this is what we paid for LPs in the stone age, Lady Gaga is going to have some interesting bottom line accounting issues. Considering that she says she almost went bankrupt from her last tour, I hope someone is figuring out how she’s going to make money. (We’re not feeling bad for her yet.)

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