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“The Office” Thumbs Its Nose at the Golden Globes

Roger Friedman
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“The Office” Thumbs Its Nose at the Golden Globes

Last Thursday night’s episode of “The Office” was really, brilliant. I just got a chance to catch up with it on Sunday night. Mindy Kaling wrote “Michael’s Last Dundies,” which was essentially a parody of the Golden Globes combined with a send up of “The King’s Speech.” This was also Will Ferrell’s second episode and a huge improvement from the first, when he was introduced as Michael Scott’s successor, DeAngelo Vickers.

I liked that Kaling accomplished a few things here: she had Kelly break up with Gabe (who I’m not fond of). She also continued the thread of Dwight (Rainn Wilson) being angry about being passed over for Michael’s job. Then, after seven years, there were the visits to many of the Dunder Mifflin staff’s homes. Egging Toby’s house was priceless. And then, for some reason, without any dialogue, Jack Coleman, who was once on “Dynasty” and doesn’t seem to age, is sitting at the Dundies. He play Angela’s boyfriend, but what is he doing there?

A few other character bits: after all this time no one knows still what Ryan (BJ Novak) does in the office. In an usual exchange, Kaling threw in a little cat-hiss between him and Pam (Jenna Fischer). Will it mean anything?

But the main thrust of “Michael’s Last Dundies” were the office in house awards, only referenced before several seasons ago. There’s an inside-baseball reference to Ricky Gervais (who created The Office) when Michael says the Dundies are “like the Golden Globes but not as mean.” Indeed, they are just like the Golden Globes with their ridiculous categories and winners. Note: “The Office” loses every year to “30 Rock.” They probably figure what the hell at this point? Then there’s the “King’s Speech” satire–Ferrell with a giant 80s cassette tape Walkman on, volume turned all the way up in the headphones, screaming out his practice lines as co-host of the Dundies. This is Ferrell beyond compare.

And then there’s the ending: the entire cast singing a rewritten version of “Seasons of Love” from “Rent” to Steve Carell aka Michael. If you didn’t know it was TV show, you’d swear they’d surprised him. Carell is genuinely moved. As with the candle scene in “Garage Sale,” this moment is gorgeous without being sentimental or schmaltzy. Kaling nails it.

Now I’ll have to watch Thursday night’s show when it airs.  Michael leaves “The Office” for Holly and Colorado. And no, it’s not The Sunshine State (as mentioned in the prior episode). That would be Florida. Colorado, DeAngelo, is the Centennial State.

Oh, also: Ed Helms can do anything.

Aretha Franklin Sensational New Album May 3rd: Track Listing

Roger Friedman
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Aretha Franklin Sensational New Album May 3rd: Track Listing

Last summer I had the great honor of Aretha Franklin playing me several tracks from a new album called “A Woman Falling Out of Love.” They were wonderful. Out in East Hampton, Aretha and her sister in law Earline made us a lunch of “Aretha’s Chili” with cornbread, and we got to hear the songs on Miss Franklin’s laptop. Now the album is ready. It drops May 3rd at Wal Mart and on walmart.com. The track listing follows. The first single, “How Long I’ve Waited,” was written by Aretha herself. So was “This You Should Know.” I am happy to say that a couple of tracks were written by Norman West, a sort of unsung hero of classic R&B. First he was with the Del Rios, and then co-founded The Soul Children at Stax Records. Also featured on this album are gospel star Karen Clark and Aretha’s famous arranger, H.B. Barnum. The CD is classic Aretha, and feels like she reached back to her early 70s sound–no artifice. This is the genuine article. Hooray!

PS Aretha says this is an album for the ladies. She writes: “OK ladies take a good look at the photo of me on this album; this is how you’re supposed to look when you’re a woman falling out of love.  Don’t sit by the phone waiting for him to call you, girlfriend; I want you to listen very closely to the lyrics of the songs on this album and you’ll hear a few good tips. Go out and have a ball!” – Love always, Ree Ree

1. How Long I’ve Waited – Written and Produced by Aretha Franklin
2. Sweet Sixteen – Written by Riley B. King and Joe Bihari, Produced by Aretha Franklin
3. This You Should Know – Written and Produced by Aretha Franklin
4. U Can’t See Me – Written and produced by Curtis Boone
5. Theme From A Summer Place – Lyrics by Mack Discant, Music by Max Steiner, Produced by Aretha Franklin.
6. The Way We Were – Written by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman and Marvin Hamlisch, Produced and Arranged by Marty Paich
7. New Day – Written Kecalf Franklin Cunningham and Norman West, Produced by Brian Garrett and Joseph Hall
8. Put It Back Together Again – Written by Norman West
9. Faithful (featuring Karen Clark-Sheard) – Produced by Sanchez G. Harley and Co-Produced by Jacqui Whittman
10. His Eye Is On The Sparrow (Performed by Eddie Franklin) – Written by Charles H. Gabriel and Civilla H. Martin, Produced by Aretha Franklin
11. When Two Become One – Written by Curtis Boone
Bonus Track:
12. My Country ‘Tis of Thee – Lyrics by Samuel Francis Smith, Music from Thesaurus Musicus, 1744, Arrangement by Aretha Franklin and H.B. Barnum

Julia Roberts, Movie Producer, Comes to Greenwich Village

Roger Friedman
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Julia Roberts, Movie Producer, Comes to Greenwich Village

Julia Roberts is back in New York, kids. Over the weekend the Roberts posse made itself known in Greenwich Village at Roberts’s new address. On Saturday, several big black SUVs and security guards appeared in the street where Julia is now residing. They made enough of a spectacle to bring attention to the fact that Julia had arrived. The drivers blocked traffic on the narrow street to load children’s car seats. A little party ensued at Julia’s penthouse apartment, where a new awning has sprung up as well as large, bushy plants on the terrace. On Sunday, more people were in and out of Roberts’ new pad, including Madonna manager Guy Oseary.

The party preceded a showing at the Tribeca Film Festival of a movie Roberts and her sister Lisa produced called “Jesus Henry Christ.” The film is directed by Dennis Lee, with cinematography by Julia’s husband, Danny Moder. Michael Sheen and Toni Collette star. Hopefully this Roberts-Moder collaboration will get a distributor. A prior outing, called “Fireflies in the Garden,” has never been released in the United States even though Roberts is in the film. It was also directed by Dennis Lee. Interestingly, “Jesus Henry Christ” was the title of a short film also directed by Dennis Lee, in 2003. It had a different plot, and similarly named characters, but was then based on a short story by indie filmmaker Joe Turner Lin.

Paula Abdul to Join “X Factor”: Scooped Here Last August

Roger Friedman
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Paula Abdul to Join “X Factor”: Scooped Here Last August

Simon Cowell is now saying what I told you last August: Paula Abdul will join him as a judge on “X Factor” this fall. This was known last summer. Here’s the link to my original story: http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/08/09/paula-abdul-will-join-simon-cowell-on-x-factor When “X Factor” was conceived for America, this much was already on the table. Simon and Paula’s reunion is the single biggest publicity hook that “X Factor” has when it makes its American debut. Add to those judges L.A. Reid, who by September will be a Sony Music executive, and Brit singer Cheryl Cole. Will Mariah Carey pop in and make appearances? Possibly. She’d be the anti-Jennifer Lopez.

But here’s the reality: Cowell expected “American Idol” to tank in the ratings once he was gone. For a while he was right. But then the drama of a couple of good contestants really helped. And Steven Tyler turned out to be enough of his own  X factor that people have wanted to see what he’ll do each week. Jennifer Lopez–not a singer, but looking radiant every week, and expressing sympathy and encouragement to all players–is doing well. So Cowell needs his biggest gun. That’s Paula.

Reps, etc can say that Simon has been toying with different names for a long time. But I was told about Paula last summer, and it’s coming to pass.

Ben Stiller Sings and Plays Piano On Broadway

Roger Friedman
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Ben Stiller Sings and Plays Piano On Broadway

Who knew? Ben Stiller has made so many movies in the last few years, it was all getting to be a blur. But when he opens Monday night on Broadway in John Guare‘s “House of Blue Leaves,” audiences will get a big surprise: Ben sings, and plays piano. He’s not Van Cliburn, but he’s up there playing chords realistically. He’s also belting out the very funny songs sung by his character, Artie Shaughnessey without embarrassing himself it all.

On Saturday night, Laura Linney caught the show with husband Marc Schauer. It was a Showtime night since Linney is on the network’s “The Big C” because also in the audience was Showtime chief Matt Blank and wife Susan. Also catching the show was Guare himself–rare that a playwright shows up for a performance with guests, but Guare can be confident his 40 year old play is funnier and more tragic than ever. After the show, by the way, the crowds are thick outside waiting for Stiller and co-stars Edie Falco and Jennifer Jason Leigh to emerge from the stage door.

Ben is a late entry for most critics voting this week in various theater awards like the Outer Critics and the Tonys. The list of potential nominees among leading actors for Broadway shows is long, starting with Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Billy Crudup, Bobby Cannavale, Mark Rylance, and James Earl Jones. Heavy stuff.

Oprah Will Not Save the Soaps: Video Message

Roger Friedman
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Oprah Will Not Save the Soaps: Video Message

Oprah Winfrey has one life to live and it’s her own. She is not going to move ABC’s canceled soaps to her OWN Network. She released a video to YouTube (see it below on our video player), which was quite extraordinary, explaining her position.

With a little editing, here’s what Oprah says on camera: “I would like to say thank you to everybody who has been responding, bombarding our message boards really with your requests for me or OWN to take on the soaps. I understand what’s it like…to have a show you love off the air…I felt the same when Mary Tyler Moore went off the air, I must say…I appreciate that you all think I could save the soaps.

But here is the bone marrow truth. The soaps have been an institution in broadcast history and television because they had the support of the audience…There are just not enough people at home in the daytime to watch them.

Believe me, if there was a dime left to be made from them on broadcast television it would still be happening. And so because all good things come to an end, and all good things have their time, as do the soaps, as does The Oprah Winfrey Show, I will not be taking on the responsibility of trying to revive an institution that for all intent and all purpose indicates that time has come for it to be over. So thank you for believing I could save them. But I really can’t.”

My opinion, not that Oprah asked? I watched a big block of OWN recently. It is quite dreadful. It’s all reality and fake documentary and makeover crap. It’s well below the standard set by her own show.  I don’t know if adopting the ABC soaps is the answer, but if OWN is going to survive, it’s going to need some kind of high quality scripted programming. Otherwise, it’s just competing with cable’s wasteland of 500 vapid channels. She could worse than bring on half hour versions of the current ABC shows.

Earth Day Is Like Xmas for Leonardo DiCaprio, Drew Barrymore, Other Stars

Roger Friedman
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1
Earth Day Is Like Xmas for Leonardo DiCaprio, Drew Barrymore, Other Stars

The 41st anniversary of Earth Day is here. And guess what? For some lucky celebs who have “green” profiles, it’s going to be like Christmas Day. I just got an advisory from a company called Distinctive Assets that a big group of A listers is being delivered a gift bag with a few hundred dollars worth of stuff.  The lucky group includes Jeremy Piven, Tom Hanks, Bill Maher, Adrian Grenier, Kate Bosworth, P!nk, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ed Begley Jr., Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow, Natalie Portman, Daryl Hannah, Drew Barrymore, Ellen DeGeneres, Orlando Bloom, Jake Gyllenhaal, Cameron Diaz, Shalom Harlow, Cindy Crawford, Barbra Streisand, Alicia Silverstone, Ricky Martin and Courteney Cox.

Whether they like it or not, I guess, they get $300 worth of headphones and other stuff from a company connected to Bob Marley’s estate;  a pair of Earth Shoes ($119-$149), a variety of cosmetic stuff including a cream called Sun Chlorella that sells for $250 a tube; and the piece de resistance–a $10,000 service called the XTI Anti Germ Service– here’s the description:

“XTI Active-Shield 360™  is a revolutionary anti-germ, green transparent nanocoating for sterilizing consumer products (like phones, toys, cars, fabrics, pet beds, appliances) and interior surfaces in buildings (like walls, ceilings, carpets, toilets, desks, air ducts/filters). It provides the longest lasting and most powerful air purification, deodorization and germ-killing protection (99.9999% efficiency). The coating also removes harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds), it is self-cleaning, regenerated by light and it is safe for humans consisting only of ultra-pure water and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles.”

Yes, it’s fun being green — and pays–when you’re famous. Everyone else, don’t forget to recycle!

Kim Cattrall “Monica Velour” Pulled from Theatres But Will Return (Sort of)

Roger Friedman
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Kim Cattrall “Monica Velour” Pulled from Theatres But Will Return (Sort of)

Poor Kim Cattrall. Her “Monica Velour” feature, which opened two weeks ago, is being shelved by Anchor Bay Films. The film has made $15,000 total in four theaters.  And it’s not like Cattrall didn’t get great reviews in it–she did.

Cattrall, I’m told, is furious that Anchor Bay didn’t do more for it. Today, “Monica Velour” gets yanked from theaters in four cities. It won’t be playing anywhere. But shazaam!–not long after I called Anchor Bay, they announced that “Monica” would return to New York for one week beginning April 29th at the Beekman Theater uptown. Kim– a hard worker when it comes to promotion– will do Q&A’s all weekend from April 29th through May 1st.

Even so, “Monica” will probably not play again after that in a movie theater.

Kim joins a club that also includes Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon and a lot of other fine actors. Anchor Bay “released” “Solitary Man” last year and blew it big time–they just didn’t get it. Douglas could have had an Oscar nomination and a lot of attention.

Recently Anchor Bay released “HappyMoreThankYouPlease” directed by “How I Met Your Mother” star Josh Radnor. It’s taken in about $200,000 and is gone. Soon to be dumped in a similar way is a very poignant and disturbing film called “Beautiful Boy” starring Michael Sheen and Maria Bello as parents of a high school student who shoots up his school and kills himself. They’re releasing it a week before Memorial Day, because people love that kind of stuff on a holiday. Not.

I don’t know why anyone sells a picture to Anchor Bay, if only to infuriate themselves later. The company’s had one success: “City Island,” which breaks even with about $7 million at the box office. That film had an easier hook, and at least a real place — City Island, New York City– that people could relate to. But Anchor Bay is like a lot of small distributors (even though they’re owned by Liberty Media and the Starz Channel). They’re searching for DVD library material. The films they pick up aren’t first on anyone’s list, and they know it. So there’s a two or four week theatrical run, and off to DVD and ancillary sales.

It’s not like they’re totally wrong, either. Many of these films are very well done but don’t have enough drawing power to linger in theaters. But a little more marketing push would have been nice for “Monica.” It should have played on VOD, for example. Anyway, Cattrall is in good company; that’s some consolation.

“Twilight” Star Robert Pattinson: Can He Overcome the Bad Reviews?

Roger Friedman
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“Twilight” Star Robert Pattinson: Can He Overcome the Bad Reviews?

“Water for Elephants” opens today, with “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson in the lead role. The big question this Easter weekend will be, Can Pattinson overcome the movie’s horrendous reviews to be a hit? Or is Pattinson a vampire with bite in only one series of films? On Rotten Tomatoes.com, “Elephants” is scoring a 45% right now, not good and not terrible. But the negative reviews are scathing. The New York Times’s Stephen Holden, who is usually generous, skewered the actor and the film.

Holden writes: “Mr. Pattinson is only partly to blame for the fatuity of a character who even in the novel is really a generic male ingénue with no personality. In the film there is nothing about him to suggest a Depression-era youth whose parents’ deaths have thrown him into the world without a safety net. He is more like a “Gossip Girl”-ready 21st-century heartthrob who has exhausted his trust fund.” He gives the film itself low marks.

Oddly enough, Pattinson is supposed to be paired up with Reese Witherspoon in “Elephants” as a love interest. It was a just a few years ago that she played his mother in “Vanity Fair.” Time flies! (In real life she’s only eight years his senior.) “Elephants” has a pretty good shot this weekend, with competition from Morgan Spurlock’s wonderfully entertaining “POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold” and a new Tyler Perry film–they’re interchangeable.

The power of the “Twilight” audience will endure a big test. Pattinson can’t even look to girlfriend Kristen Stewart for advice. Her non “Twilight” films have been busts pretty much–“The Runaways” and “Welcome to the Rileys”  bombed last year.

Olsen Twins Have Not Seen Little Sister’s Big Movie

Roger Friedman
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Olsen Twins Have Not Seen Little Sister’s Big Movie

Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of Mary Kate and Ashley, is breaking out as a big movie star. At Sundance, she received kudos for her work in Sean Durkin’s “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” an indie film that won high praise and immediately got a distributor. Now the film is going to the Cannes Film Festival, which is quite an achievement. But neither Mary Kate nor Ashley has seen it. Last night I ran into them at P.J. Clarke’s in the World Financial Center, right before the start of the Tribeca Film Festival screening of Cameron Crowe’s “The Union.” They were drooped over a wooden booth, sitting across from Lauren Hutton, who was giving them some kind of advice. At first I thought the twin nearest me was actually Elizabeth (they all have a strong family resemblance). But it was Mary Kate. After we sorted that out, I asked them if they’d seen the film. Neither one had, and it’s unclear whether they will accompany Elizabeth to Cannes. I did not ask them what they thought of Charlie Sheen’s missing goddess, Bree Olsen, using their last name for her pseudonym.

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