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George and Barbara Bush Steal Hollywood Mogul’s Movie

Roger Friedman
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George and Barbara Bush Steal Hollywood Mogul’s Movie

Lately, George and Barbara Bush are everywhere. But they’re also in Doug McGrath‘s wonderful HBO documentary about Hollywood mogul, mover and shaker Jerry Weintraub. An A list crowd came to the Time Warner Center screening room last night to watch the film, called “His Way,” based on Weintraub’s memoir. And just like the Bushes are so friendly with Bill Clinton, they also have a connection to Weintraub through his wife, singer Jane Morgan.

Like the witnesses in “Reds,” the Bushes give a hilarious on camera testimonial to Weintraub that has to be seen the film airs this coming week. (Barbara Bush has impeccable coming timing.) They rattle off a list of celebrities to whom the gregarious Weintraub has introduced them over the years. Barbara pauses, then remembers, suddenly: “John Travolta!” Her eyes light up.

There’s a long history between the Bushes and the Weintraubs not mentioned in the film, but it’s in Weinraub’s book. McGrath recalled the story for me last night. Apparently, Weintraub was denied admission into the Bushes’ country club in Kennebunkport because he was Jewish. Bush was so upset he arranged for Weintraub to play in a foursome with him (this was many years ago). McGrath said, “Now Jerry is a member.”

“His Way” is the second documentary produced by Graydon Carter recently for HBO, following Martin Scorsese’s “Public Speaking,” about Fran Lebowitz. Carter, editor in cheif of Vanity Fair, presided over the dinner following the screening at The Porter House steak restaurant in the Time Warner Center. Who wasn’t there? Nobody. Candice Bergen, Barry and Diana Levinson, Joan Juliet Buck, Liz Smith (looking snazzy in a red leather jacket), HBO doc chief Sheila Nevins, Hearst magazines chief  Ellen Levine, People mag editor Larry Hackett, and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

“His Way” is not to be missed, especially for Matt Damon’s and George Clooney’s imitations of Weintraub, rare footage of Frank Sinatra and Elvis performing together, early clips of John Denver, and Julia Roberts squirming on camera when asked to comment about Weintraub’s unusual domestic arrangements.

Kabbalah Founder’s Son Wants to See Father, “Get Him Out of There”

Roger Friedman
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Kabbalah Founder’s Son Wants to See Father, “Get Him Out of There”

On Tuesday I sat down with an interesting person in the Kabbalah-Madonna saga: Avraham Gruberger, the 53 year old son of Kabbalah Centre founder Philip Berg, nee Fievel Gruberger. Avraham is the third of the eight children Philip Berg had with his first wife, Rivka, who is now deceased. He left her and the eight kids around 1969 for Karen, who worked for him in his office.

Forty years later, with Philip Berg in his 80s, Avraham Gruberger is concerned and his father’s health and well being. He hasn’t seen him in four years. He says Karen Berg, his stepmother, has barred him and his siblings from seeing their father. None of the original eight children are involved in Kabbalah, by the way. When they were growing up, their father was a life insurance salesman. But he followed their mother’s uncle, Rabbi Yehuda Brandwein, a Kabbalah scholar.

“Karen saw that it would be a good business,” Avraham tells me. And so the Kabbalah Center was born. Now with rumors that Karen Berg has a paramour, Muki Opphenheimer, and that Philip Berg has been hobbled by strokes and old age, his son wants to rescue him.

It’s not about money, either, although none of the original Gruberger children have profited from Philip and Karen Berg’s unique abilities to earn millions from creating a religion. It’s not like Avraham has much support within his family, either: their father has never attended any of their weddings, or had much to do with them since his departure and divorce. Two of the children are deceased from cancer, leaving just six. In Florida, Avraham says, he and his family were actually told to leave the local Kabbalah Centre.

For most of Avraham’s childhood, he didn’t see his father. Philip–aka Fievel–had moved the family to Israel. He commuted back and forth to New York, leaving the family in the dark about his other life. At 12, Avraham was sent back to New York and spent some time with Berg. There was another brief meeting a few years ago. But other than that, nothing.

Avraham Gruberger says his only wish now is to “free” his father. “There’s no vendetta. I do believe he’s been drugged up. I’d like him to come live with us and fulfill his mission.” Indeed, Gruberger says that if Karen Berg were to just hand over Philip without discussion, and without money, Avraham would just take him. “We can take care of him,” he says.

PS Avraham knows nothing about Madonna or Raising Malawi, and doesn’t care to hear about what’s gone on since Karen Berg took over the Kabbalah Centre. “I just want to see my father and get him out of there.”

“The Office”: Ricky Gervais Odds Get Higher as Possible Head Honcho

Roger Friedman
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“The Office”: Ricky Gervais Odds Get Higher as Possible Head Honcho

There’s news today that Will Arnett has joined the cast of a Lorne Michaels-produced pilot co-starring Christina Applegate and Maya Rudolph. That most certainly means that Arnett will not be the new boss on “The Office,” even though Ricky Gervais first told me on Golden Globe night that he wanted him. And so the mystery of who will succeed Steve Carell deepens. With Arnett scratched from the list, it seems more and more possible that Gervais himself will take the spot. (Will Ferrell, coming in for four episodes, returns to films.) Gervais re-appears in the final episode of “The Office” after making his debut back on January 27th as a sales guy looking for a job.

Gervais had told me that the January 27th episode would give a big clue about who’s going to run Dunder Mifflin. Gervais has his animated show with HBO, “The Ricky Gervais Show,” but that certainly wouldn’t preclude joining “The Office.” And as I reported recently, Gervais’s production partner, Stephen Merchant, who helped develop “The Office” in Britain, recently visited the American set. We’ll keep an eye on this, because with Arnett signed up for something else, all bets are off now.

PS Last week’s episode of “The Office,” called “Garage Sale,” was Emmy worthy for acting, writing, and directing. A perfect episode. The engagement of Michael and Holly was just sublime. Carell deserves Best Actor, and I do hope Amy Ryan is nominated for Best Actress. Can’t wait for tonight’s episode!

“Spider Man” Using Understudies as Leads Go to Rehearsals

Roger Friedman
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“Spider Man” Using Understudies as Leads Go to Rehearsals

“Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” is now using understudies instead of its leads for regular performances. Two sources tell me that an announcement was made to the cast and crew that Reeve Carney, who plays Peter Parker, Jennifer Damiano (Mary Jane), and Patrick Page (Green Goblin) are all out of the main performances for the next two weeks. The reason is they’re rehearsing new material on dawn til dusk. (A spokesman for the show insists that the performers can work all day and all night, and that understudies will not be used.)

The good news might be that audiences will see Matthew James Thomas as Peter Parker. He’s very good. What’s unclear is how this affects the character of Arachne, played by T.V. Carpio. She’s been out because of an injury. Her understudy, America Olivo, has been playing Arachne. Who is rehearsing Arachne’s new material is a big question. But that role, sources tell me, is being cut way down anyway.

“The whole second act has been rewritten,” says a source. “And there are new songs.” The show closes down after the April 17th performance, for three and a half weeks. The whole first week, I’m told, is just to make technical changes without the actors.

Meantime, the “Spider Man” producers still have no signed deal with creator Julie Taymor. Sources say that legally she may still have power to veto the new work that’s being done.

Horrifying “Kennedys” Sensationalizes Sister Rosemary’s Condition

Roger Friedman
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Horrifying “Kennedys” Sensationalizes Sister Rosemary’s Condition

Fans of “Melrose Place” may remember a big reveal from one season when Kimberly, who was crazy as a bed bug, pulled her hair back in front of a mirror to reveal a massive scar from brain surgery. It was the last scene of an episode, and done for maximum shock. Guess what? In Joel Surnow’s really terrible miniseries, “The Kennedys,” about real people, the scene is more or less re-enacted in the worst possible way.

Episode 5, just toward the end: “The Kennedys” stages a scene of Rose Kennedy coming to see her daughter, Rosemary, after her lobotomy. The miniseries acts as if Rose knew nothing of the surgery in advance, that Joe Kennedy did it without anyone’s acquiescence. This is historically inaccurate according to Laurence Leamer’s book about the Kennedy women. In fact there was much discussion in the family before the surgery. Kathleen Kennedy aka “Kick”–who is not mentioned in the miniseries–did a lot of research in advance. She was told it was a mistake.

In the miniseries, Rose walks into a hospital room where Rosemary is seated and staring into space. For maximum shock, Rose pushes back Rosemary’s hair to discover a severe and bloody scar on her forehead. It’s right out of Hannibal Lecter, and totally disgusting. I’m not sure if Caroline Kennedy or Maria Shriver made it this far into the series, but if they did, I wouldn’t blame them for calling anyone they knew to kill it. Reprehensible and unnecessary. Yikes.

I can’t even imagine what awaits me in Episodes 6, 7, and 8.

James Franco: “It’s An Honor” To Teach at NYU

Roger Friedman
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James Franco: “It’s An Honor” To Teach at NYU

James Franco, in classes at Yale, this week, is about to become a professor. He’s been asked to teach a directing class at NYU Film School.

Franco told me: “It’s an honor to be asked to teach there.” He’s finishing his MFA at NYU, and on the road to a PhD at Yale. Today’s New York Post sounded positively bitter as it quizzed NYU students–none of whom will be in Franco’s class–whether he should teach there. It does seem that the more Franco accomplishes, the more people in the media seem to resent it. Well, too bad.

The “127 Hours” star did fine at the Oscars, too, despite crazy accusations that he was stoned or unprepared. Again, insane. As a teacher of film directing, Franco has plenty of experience, too: several short films, a couple of small features, all praised. He’s also working on a plan to shoot William Faulkner’s “As I Lay Dying” next year. Franco could be like the two dozen or so other young actors in his age group, just going from one mediocre film to another and not trying to do anything new or interesting. By the way, the students who are chosen for his directing class will not be there to ogle a movie star. They’ll be there to get work done, just like the teacher. Give James Franco an A for effort.

“Mad Men”: AMC Does Itself In With Hit Show

Roger Friedman
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“Mad Men”: AMC Does Itself In With Hit Show

I’ve been writing about “Mad Men” and Matthew Weiner’s problems there for some time. So it came as no shock today that AMC announced it was going forward with a fifth season even though it doesn’t have an agreement with Weiner. The cable network — so lucky to have “Mad Men–doesn’t seem to get it. They proposed things to Weiner like cutting two full time cast members and shaving minutes off each episode for more commercials. Greed is no stranger to TV executives and networks but this takes the cake. “Mad Men,” if Weiner’s deal is ever done, won’t be back on the air until nine months from now at least. Ridiculous. AMC blew a whole year by not acting professionally. If HBO hadn’t passed on “Mad Men,” they’d be doing everything they could to keep it on the air as often as possible, AMC has literally pissed away all its good will with the public. It’s also hung up Weiner, his crew and cast for months for nothing. Cut two characters? Not on your life. More commercials? AMC should be taking pleasure in its future syndication and DVD plans, not trying to bleed the show before its done. What a shame. In TV History, AMC will now be remembered as the network that didn’t know enough to get out of its own way.

$1 Million Of Missing Madonna Raising Malawi Money Came from AmFAR

Roger Friedman
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$1 Million Of Missing Madonna Raising Malawi Money Came from AmFAR

There’s money missing from Madonna‘s charity, Raising Malawi. I told you earlier that a grand jury’s been convened to figure it all out. But let’s not forget–$1 million of the money that went to Raising Malawi came from AmFAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.

Apparel magnate Kenneth Cole is now trying to put AmFAR on a new road. But in 2007-2008, as I first reported last May, AmFAR gave Raising Malawi a $1 million in kind donation after Madonna made an appearance at AmFAR’s annual Cinema Against AIDS gala during the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2008, when she came to Cannes, everyone wondered why Madonna had finally just shown up so suddenly. My sources tell me now that it was to get money out of AmFAR for Raising Malawi. It was strange because Madonna’s Ray of Light Foundation had given nearly nothing to AIDS organization– odd since she has such a big gay following. She did help raise money that night by auctioning off handbags.

But the Raising Malawi money is now gone, and no one seems capable of explaining what happened to it.

Originally, Madonna had put $5 million aside, my sources say, for a Spirituality for Kids school in New York. Like the one in Los Angeles, it was going to be the Kabbalah Children’s Academy. When that school didn’t pan out, I’m told the Bergs convinced Madonna to build a school in Malawi. And that’s interesting, too, because Madonna said in her documentary that she was persuaded to build the school after meeting an  African woman who told her about Malawi’s plight. Not at all, says an insider.It was Kabbalah Centre’s Michael Berg, son of founders Philip and Karen Berg, who didn’t want her to take the $5 million back.

PS You wouldn’t think AmFAR could have afforded to give away a million dollars at thetime, considering their expenses. Their longtime leader, now gone, Jerome Radwin, took home $481,778 in 2008-2009. That was a raise from $365,379 the previous year.

Charities: Padma Lakshmi’s Genitals Discussed; Betty White Purrs

Roger Friedman
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Two good charity events recently came and went, and I’ve been remiss in not mentioning them. The Endometriosis Foundation is turning into a big deal, what with “Top Chef” star Padma Lakshmi leading the way. A recent new mother, Lakshmi told a very scientific crowd at the New York Public Library that it took her a long time to conceive and carry a child because of this ailment. She got pretty specific on the podium before a little self-editing.

“I’m not going to discuss my genitalia here,” she said sweetly, but it was too late. Susan Sarandon also spoke, and we got to meet Oprah’s “Dr. Oz,” violinist Joshua Bell, and some models. During dinner, philanthropist Jean Shafiroff discussed world events, and talk to Bridget Moynihan and director Joel Schumacher…

…Meanwhile, in LA, Betty White–she’s 89, everyone loves her–hosted the Humane Society’s 25th annual Genesis Awards. Kristin Davis of “Sex and the City” was honored with the Wyler Award for bringing the plight of elephants’ poached ivory tusks to the world. James Cromwell, who loved animals in “Babe,” singer Leona Lewis, and Valerie Bertinelli–who co-stars with Betty in “Hot in Cleveland” on TV Land–were there for support. Ryan O’Neal was there, too. I don’t know why. Betty White, I’m told, was in and out quickly. Betty, the password is, speak to the reporters. Still, her work with animals is quite admirable.

“The Kennedys” Performed as “Dallas”: Sue Ellen Had It Better than Jackie

Roger Friedman
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4
“The Kennedys” Performed as “Dallas”: Sue Ellen Had It Better than Jackie

“The Kennedys” premieres in Los Angeles tonight. I’ve heard the press is not invited. Really, it doesn’t matter. I’ve made it through five of the eight episodes. They are truly awful. Watching this thing is torture, although the music is nice.

It’s not the politics. The shows are just badly made. Greg Kinnear, who’s usually very good, does the best he can. By episode 3 he just gives up trying to maintain the Boston accent. (Now you know why Melissa Leo and Christian Bale got Oscars; it’s not easy to do.) Katie Holmes can’t do it either. As Jackie she sounds like a female Elmer Fudd. She also looks mystified most of the time.

The real stars of this show are Barry Pepper as Bobby, and Tom Wilkinson as Jock Ewing, er, Joe Kennedy senior. “The Kennedys” is written like a short season of “Dallas” with Jock and Miss Ellie as Joe and Rose, JR Ewing as Jack Kennedy, Bobby Ewing as Bobby Kennedy, and Sue Ellen as Jackie. (Maybe Pam is Ethel.)I love it when the announcer says at the start of each episode, “Previously on The

The mini series is very concerned about Jack’s philandering, that he and Jackie both are amped up on Dr. Feelgood’s shots, that Bobby is a choir boy, and Joe Senior is a crusty curmudgeon. They are always discussing their sex lives. The basis for the mini series seems to be a weaving together of all the trashiest books ever written on the Kennedys. C. David Heymann, Kitty Kelly, the whole gang. You wonder why the History Channel didn’t want it? I’m sure in Episode 1 when Jack Kennedy is riffling through his medicine cabinet, someone at History said, “Whoa!”

There are weird omissions and additions: Teddy Kennedy is completely absent. I don’t think he’s ever mentioned. Also missing is Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, who was played so well by Tracy Pollan in a better TV movie years ago. But shooting fish in a barrel, the series makes a long detour into the story of Rosemary Kennedy, who was lobotomized.

I don’t know if Caroline Kennedy or Maria Shriver had a role in History dropping the show. But if they did, they were right. In the 50th anniversary year of President Kennedy’s election, this miniseries is no tribute. I’m not advocating whitewashing, but a well made, historically accurate show would have been preferable.

If I can force myself through volumes 6 through 8, I’ll update you.

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