The producers of “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” are busy gutting the show they had, and trying to erase creator Julie Taymor‘s work. Good luck with that. Last night they announced that they’ve cut the “Geek chorus”–four young people who frame the show as they create their own “Spider Man” comic book story. Honestly, most audiences found them annoying, but the actors themselves did the best with what they had. This news follows the announcement that Chase Brock, an experimental choreographer with no Broadway experience, is replacing Daniel Ezralow. This was unnecessary, but Ezralow is from Taymor’s team, so he’s out. Too bad: his work was very good. There was nothing wrong with it. Next to go, or to be minimized, will be Arachne, the Spider Woman. Her portrayer. T.V. Carpio, was injured and is currently out of the show. When she returns, she will find her character mostly dethroned, I guess. Box office for the last couple of weeks of this “Spider Man” will be huge as people come to see the “Director’s Cut” version. It’s hard to imagine what will remain of the show when it reappears on May 11th after a three week shut down to implement these changes. It’s a hard deal for those four actors in the Geek Chorus–they have to chin up and do their best knowing they’re not coming back.
Madonna’s Rotten Charity: We Told You About This Last Year, and the Year Before
The New York Times now reports that Madonna‘s Kabbalah-front charity, Raising Malawi, is a financial mess. That’s nice. I’ve written about this so many times my wrists are sprained. Last August twice, and several times before that in Showbiz411 and in my old column. Let’s review: http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/08/04/madonna-did-her-religion-send-former-honcho-a-warning — and here: http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/07/26/madonnas-religion-has-warning-for-whistleblowers — and here: http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/04/30/is-madonnas-new-spiritual-leader-named-muki
The facts are that Madonna and Raising Malawi have been involved in questionable activities for the last few years. Let’s not forget that in February 2008, Madonna corralled a bunch of famous people to donate $3.7 million at a specious charity fundraiser including UNICEF. She convinced Gucci to start its own foundation to accept the money because Raising Malawi still did not have approval as a registered charity. She didn’t just attend the event, as the Times says: it was hers from top to bottom. Read about it here, written by yours truly: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,321228,00.html
In today’s New York Times story, reporter Adam Nagourney–a good reporter, but a little late to this game–may have been somewhat conned. He says the Kabbalah Center provided him with a report about mismanagement at Raising Malawi. The report conveniently blames– or scapegoats–Phillippe van den Bosche. Madonna and Michael Berg, son of Kabbalah Centre owners Philip and Karen Berg–escape notice. Yet, Raising Malawi was totally Michael Berg’s project.
According to the most recent tax filing for Madonna’s own Ray of Light Foundation, she donated $2.25 million to Raising Malawi in 2009, and another $200,000 to Spirituality for Kids, a Kabbalah Center subsidiary.
Right now, the most recent federal tax filing for Raising Malawi–year 2009– shows a charity in the red with only $505,000 in fund balances. It also shows almost $3 million in wire transfers for a school that was never built, and for unspecified “RM Trust.” Where this money went, who sent it, and who got it, are issues that are unresolved.
This past winter, a cry went out from Malawi because Madonna had forced local people off their land in order to build her Oprah-like leadership academy for girls. Now the school plan is dead. The people have been moved for no reason. It’s a disaster of the greatest magnitude: American celebrity goes to poor African country, scoops up two children, and leaves the place a mess.
Madonna and Raising Malawi have still not conceded defeat. On the group’s website, the most recent statement comes from January 2011: “Madonna, whose Raising Malawi charity has made substantial inroads helping over a million children orphaned from the AIDS epidemic in that African nation, is stepping up the pace considerably on all fronts — especially in regard to her plans for building the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls.”
More to come…
“Book of Mormon” Missing Playbill Page: The Song List
For some reason, the Playbill for “The Book of Mormon” doesn’t have a song list. Who knows why? An usher told us during intermission on Wednesday night that the reason was “the songs are dirty.” Yeah, well, not so dirty, and their titles don’t give anything away. So here’s the missing page for opening night revelers. “Hasa Diga, Eebowai” translates into “F– You, God.”
ACT ONE:
Prologue: The Hill Cumorah
Scene 1: Missionary Training Center
“Hello”…………………………………………………… Elder Price, Elder Cunningham & Mormon Boys
“Two By Two”…………………………………………… Elder Price, Elder Cunningham & Mormon Boys
Scene 2: Salt Lake City Airport
“You And Me (But Mostly Me)”……………….. Elder Price & Elder Cunningham
Scene 3: A small village in Northern Uganda
“Hasa Diga Eebowai” ………………….. Mafala, Elder Price, Elder Cunningham & Ugandans
Scene 4: Mormon Missionaries Apartment
“Turn It Off”…………………….……………………. Elder McKinley & Missionaries
Scene 5: The village
“All American Prophet”………………………….. Elder Price, Elder Cunningham, Joseph Smith, Moroni, & Company
Scene 6: Nabulungi’s House
“Sal Tlay Ka Siti”………………………………………….. Nabulungi
Scene 7: Mormon Missionaries Apartment
Scene 8: The Village
“Man Up”……………………………………………… Elder Cunningham, Nabulungi, Elder Price & Company
ACT TWO:
Entr’acte………………………….……………………………… Orchestra
Prologue: The Hill Cumorah
Scene 1: The Village
“Making Things Up Again”………………….………. Elder Cunningham, Cunningham’s Dad, Joseph Smith, Mormon, Moroni & Ugandans
Scene 2: The Dream
“Spooky Mormon Hell Dream”……………………. Elder Price & Company
Scene 3: Bus Stop/General’s Camp
“I Believe”……………………………….………………… Elder Price
Scene 4: The Village
“Baptize Me”…………….………………………………. Elder Cunningham, Nabulungi
Scene 5: A River
“I Am Africa” ……………….………………………….. Elder McKinley, Missionaries, & Ugandans
Scene 6: Coffee Shop
Scene 7: The Mission
“Joseph Smith American Moses”…………………. Nabulungi & Ugandans
Scene 8: The Village
“Tomorrow Is A Latter Day”………………………… Elder Price, Elder McKinley, Elder Cunningham, Nabulungi & Company
“Hello” (Reprise)………………………………………… Company
Liz Taylor–Buried Today– Had Wanted to Be Near Richard Burton
Elizabeth Taylor, who converted to Judaism in 1959, is getting a Jewish funeral today at Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, California. It has absolutely nothing to do with Michael Jackson being entombed nearby. It’s simply the preferred cemetery.
Yesterday TMZ made a big deal out of showing — with an arrow–how Taylor would be buried next to her parents in another cemetery. They were wrong, of course, but never really corrected themselves. Anyway, this plan was not Taylor’s original one. She wanted to be buried next to Richard Burton, who died in 1984 and rests in Switzerland.
There was some talk of moving Burton years ago to his homeland in Wales. But his final wife, Sally Burton, didn’t want that to happen. She also didn’t want Taylor and Burton reunited. In 1996 there was an unveiling of a memorial stone in Wales, but the efforts to move Burton were over. Now Taylor, who was American by choice, gets to stay in the US with her own family. If she and Burton hook up in the cosmos, expect more tsunamis and distressed weather patterns!
By the way, if you want the really good stuff on Taylor and Burton, keep reading Liz Smith on www.wowowow.com. No one knew Liz Taylor like Liz Smith, or wrote about her so well. Today Smith says:
“And so I want to end this column, quoting Elizabeth herself. Not long ago, she told me, “Liz, every scandal, terrible headline, intrusive paparazzi, every lie — everything I came to hate about my fame — now I am so grateful for. Without all that, I never would have been able to do what I have been able to do for AIDS. Fame means nothing. It stopped having meaning for me many years ago. I thought it was absurd that I was still famous, that people still wanted to look at me or write about me.
“Then I saw what was happening with AIDS. That nobody was doing anything. But maybe I could. And I did. And why? Because of my ridiculous fame. My name still meant something. People wanted to pay big money to see if I was fat or have violet eyes or whatever. Bring it on, I thought. And I thanked God that my fame and my life had finally made sense.”
That was the essence of Elizabeth. And it is what I will miss, along with her great sense of humor, not to mention the glamour and fame she often laughed at.
Charlie Sheen’s Shows: Thousands of Tix Still Available
Charlie Sheen indeed sold out Radio City Music Hall, according to the theater’s seating plan. But in reality, Radio City is not sold out at all. According to counts on StubHub.com, a licensed “scalper,” the service has 1244 seats for sale on Friday, April 8th and 1666 on Sunday, April 10th. That’s a third to a quarter of the house. Things are worse in Detroit, where 1400 seats seem to be in play. In Chicago, the number is 1100. In Boston the situation is more pronounced: around 1800 seats are listed with StubHub. And those are in the cities where there’s been higher demand. In Sunrise, Florida, for example, on April 23rd, there are tickets available in large quantities at all prices on ticketmaster.com. I was able to search ticketmaster for Premium Tickets at $575.00 without any trouble. Five days later, I could purchase six seats together for $100 apiece for the Denver show. And StubHub has tickets in those cities, as well. Sheen may have to count on last minute impulse walk-ins if he expects to sell out. It could be the public is starting to wonder what exactly a Charlie Sheen would be, and what it’s worth without clips from “Two and A Half Men.” Those violent torpedos may turn out to be boomerangs.
“Book of Mormon” from “South Park” Creators Has More Bark Than Bite
There’s some brilliant writing in “The Book of Mormon,” which opens tonight on Broadway from the creators of “South Park.” There’s also some lazy writing. Maybe I’m holding it to a higher standard than usual because I had to buy my tickets at a severely high premium from an online scalper. The “Mormon” producers are trying to create the illusion that the show is the biggest hit ever. They’ve so limited the seating for tonight’s opening that at Wednesday night’s show I spotted Angela Lansbury, New Yorker editor David Remnick, New York City film commissioner Katherine Oliver, and the New York Times’s David Carr. It makes you wonder who was invited to the premiere.
“The Book of Mormon” has been hyped to me as the most outrageous show I’ve ever seen. Not true. It is built as a very conventional musical that often aims for and achieves moments of greatness. The “F word” is used constantly to spice up some otherwise turgid areas. There are plenty of other words that don’t come up at the Mormon Tabernacle, like clitoris and scrotum. Shocked? (Yes it’s a Broadway musical with a running subplot about clitoral circumcision and maggots in the scrotum of an African local. Roll over, Cole Porter.)
Some things “The Book of Mormon” doesn’t have: a list of its songs in the Playbill–I’ve never seen that before. It also lacks an editor in Act 1 to move things along. Also in Act 1, I got confused: are they lampooning the Mormons or celebrating them? This may be deliberate because in Act 2 things perk up: it’s a lampoon, it’s cutting, and Mormons who maybe enjoyed Act 1 get the point now. This is “South Park” country, after all.
Here’s a little plot: a bunch of young elders are sent to Uganda on a Mormon conversion mission. The main pair are like the Bialystock and Bloom of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Josh Gad is Nathan Lane, Jack Black, Jonah Hill and Lou Costello all rolled into one. His Arnold Cunningham is an overweight Tasmanian Devil. His cohort, played by Andrew Rannelis, is Matthew Broderick and Bud Abbott, the straight man. Price is bright eyed and bushy-tailed, but not for long. Later, when Price gets his copy of the real Book of Mormon shoved up his derriere, he gets the message, literally.
The Ugandans are skeptical, but Elder Cunningham (Gad), a pathological liar (very Jon Lovitz) convinces 20 of them to convert after telling them all kinds of scatological, made up stories about the history of Mormonism. These stories will get him in trouble later when the local Ugandans put on a play for the visiting head of the Church. What they’ve learned is a hilarious retelling of Mormon founder Joseph Smith’s journey that includes shocking language and anecdotes that can’t be repeated here.
Matt Stone and Trey Parker of “South Park”wrote “The Book of Mormon” with Robert Lopez–book, music and lyrics. You will not remember one song. They are more like comic cotton candy. Some are very funny just because they’re outrageous upon delivery. You won’t be singing them. There are many references to “Star Wars” and “Star Trek,” and Darth Vader appears on stage a few times. So does Lieutenant Uhura. “The Lion King” is mocked constantly. There’s even a “Spider Man” joke for Broadway insiders.
I will say this: while Act 1 becomes enervating, Act 2 is on the attack. Now that the set up is done–the straight laced Aryan like missionaries are loosed into the jungle–the fun can begin. Act 2 is just a rat-tat-tat series of home runs, from “Making Things Up Again” to “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream” (which includes OJ Simpson and Hitler, among others), the very sly “I Believe,” and “Baptize Me” (a hilarious number in which baptism has a second, not so religious meaning). It’s also as if the writers were afraid to attack in Act 1, but figured they had a captive audience in Act 2. And what comes is not an indictment of Mormonism, but of all religion. The bark from Act 1 now has bite.
Is “The Book of Mormon” this year’s Best Musical? It’s hard to say. Few of these songs can be reproduced in a significant way without some editing. (It will be interesting to see what’s included in the Tony Awards show.) We still have “Catch Me If You,” “Baby It’s You,” “Sister Act,” and “The People in the Picture” to deal with. (“Wonderland” is a non starter from what I’m told.) The “Mormon” cast has many great surprises including Michael Potts and Nikki James, who shine in the second act. The direction is fluid. Ann Roth‘s costumes are splendid. It’s not “The Producers” or even “Spamalot,” but “The Book of Mormon” — hyping itself to death– may yet win the day.
PS There’s been no merchandise on sale for two weeks at the Eugene O’Neill Theater. No one seemed to know why. An usher told us it would be back for Friday night’s show. Some suggested T shirts came from lines in the show, like “F— God.”
RIP Richard Leacock, Famed Documentary Film Maker, Dead at 89
Richard Leacock, known to his friends as Ricky, died earlier today in Paris. He was 89 and had been ill for some time.
Leacock, along with DA Pennebaker, the Maysles brothers, and Bob Drew more or less invented cinema verite documentary. Whatever you see today from “The Real World’ to “Jersey Shore” was invented by these guys in the late 1950s and early 60s–only theirs were unscripted and actually a form of journalism. Leacock’s Wikipedia entry tells the whole story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Leacock.
DA Pennebaker went into business with Leacock in 1960 after seeing Leacock’s watershed 1954 film, “Toby and the Tall Corn.” I spoke to Pennebaker and his filmmaker wife Chris Hegedus this afternoon: “When I saw Toby, I said that’s it. It was the first film like that, where there was dialogue from the subjects. Immediately Bob Drew and I wanted to know who he was. Later ge was my partner. We made several films together. I learned a lot about making this kind of film from him. All of the filmmakers [who do documentaries now] owe their start to him. He didn’t go into it for money. He kind of didn’t worry about that. He was willing to go into projects blind. That’s where I got the nerve to do that. We go in not knowing what’s going to happen. Without a script, we say what can the camera discover? It’s a big dark woods and you can see what you will find.”
On a personal note, I’ve known Ricky–who really lives in Paris–through his family and through the Pennebakers. He was an elegant, serious man for whom there should be more awards and accolades. No one can measure the influence of Leacock Pennebaker films. Ricky will be sorely missed. His memoir will be published next spring.
www.canarybananafilms.com/memoir.html
Ironic: Leacock died one day before a big retrospective of his work is planned to begin in Paris. Also, today MTV renewed “The Real World” for two seasons. “The Real World” now is horrendous, but in its first couple of seasons the show–like PBS’s famous “An American Family”–owed its influences to Leacock, et al.
How Elizabeth Taylor Turned Perfume Into Millions to AIDS Charities
Elizabeth Taylor managed to turn profits from perfume into millions for AIDS research. Her White Diamonds perfume is still a bestseller with Elizabeth Arden after 20 years. Taylor was known for her tireless efforts to raise money for AIDS research. Some of it was done through her friend, Madeline Krim, and AmFAR. Some of it was done through Elton John’s AIDS Foundation. Elton and David Furnish, and AmFAR’s Kenneth Cole all issued statements today praising Liz. But Taylor had her own, smaller AIDS Foundation, that doled out money every year thanks in part to steady sales of White Diamonds.
She ran the foundation without charging for salaries or travel or the other bugaboos of celebrity foundations. In years when not so much money came in, like 2008, according to the foundation’s tax filings, Taylor dipped into reserves. In 2009, for example, she gave away $930,000 even though revenue had been about half that much–because they’d had a good year in 2007 and disbursed the funds carefully. Taylor’s son Christopher Wilding runs the foundation; he was married to Aileen Getty, granddaughter of J. Paul Getty. It was Aileen being diagnosed with AIDS in 1985 (possibly through a transfusion) that further catalyzed Taylor into becoming an AIDS activist.
Elton John said today in a statement: “We have just lost a Hollywood giant, but more importantly we have lost an incredible human being. Elizabeth Taylor earned her fame with her extraordinary talent as a young actress, making her first movie at the tender age of nine. She earned our adoration for her stunning beauty and for being the very essence of glamorous movie stardom. And she earned our enduring love and respect for her compassion and her courage in standing up and speaking out about AIDS when others preferred to bury their heads in the sand.”
“Ocean’s 11-12-13” Producer Jerry Weintraub: Wife, Mistress, Success
Tuesday night: our Leah Sydney caught the A list Paramount studios in Hollywood as they watched the new HBO documentary about famed producer Jerry Weintraub, one of our favorite people. and the producer–among other things– of all the “Ocean’s” movies.. Doug McGrath‘s “My Way,” produced by Graydon Carter, premieres on Monday April 4th at 9 pm. So who came? Charlie Sheen’s ex publicist Stan Rosenfield huddled with CBS’s Les Moonves and Julie Chen, Ron Meyer chatted with Sylvester Stallone (the only actor trailed by a publicist), plus Matt Damon , Lee Majors, Billy and Janice Crystal, the indefatigable Carl Reiner, Bruce Willis, James Caan— on a cane with his actor son Scott Caan, Brett Ratner, Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Jeff Garlin, Chelsea Handler, Ellen Barkin, Andy Garcia.
Jerry told the crowd: “I don’t take long to make a speech…cause I need a vodka really badly. Hope you have fun. I’ve had fun, I’ve seen it 117 times.”
Director Doug McGrath told us that it wasn’t so much Jerry’s famed career that attracted him to it but rather his unorthodox living arrangement: Weintraub’s still happily married to his wife Jane Morgan, with whom he has four children, and he’s also happily been living with his girlfriend Suzie Ekins for the past twenty years.
“What interested me, obviously he’s been a successful promoter and producer, but there are a number of people who have pulled that off in their lives. But I don’t know anyone who has a wife and a girlfriend, who know each other, who are happy with each other and are happy with the arrangement. That made me think who is this guy that can make that happen? There are a lot of people who could make ‘Karate Kid’ and a rock concert happen, but I don’t know anybody, and I mean anybody that can keep a beautiful, articulate wife like Jane, and a wonderful woman Susie and keep them both happy. Totally, that’s what pulled me in.”
Jerry later told us his secret to success. “I never hear the word ‘no’. Ever. And I just absolutely love life, better here than underground.”
By the way, the whole story of Jerry’s life, his wife (singer Jane Morgan), etc can be found in his terrific read of a book, called “When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead.”
Liz Taylor: How to Endure a Day of “Experts” and “Close Friends”
Liz Taylor goes to her grave without an official autobiography. Many hacks–like C. David Heymann–did write around books about her. They will undoubtedly turn up everywhere. The only book Taylor wrote, “Elizabeth Taylor Takes Off,” was about weight loss and was published in 1988. It’s out of print. Last year a pair of writers worked with her to publish the love letters between her and Richard Burton. “Furious Love” is still available, and the Vanity Fair excerpt is probably on line. The real friends are George Hamilton, Mickey Rooney, Carrie Fisher, Joan Collins, Liza Minnelli and Taylor’s family. If ex husband Larry Fortensky turns up like a bad penny, or people claiming to have been her “last love.” I’d take all that with a big bucket of salt. Taylor was smart. By never setting any record straight, she leaves her Hollywood legend intact. In months to come, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of her kids turns up with a memoir that will offer some clues to the great star’s mythic life. But until then, we will have to sit back and listen to a lot of gabbing from people who’ve “aggregated” their news from other third party sources. As one insider put it this morning: “She’s taken it all with her.”