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Julia Roberts A No Show for Ex Lovers’ Broadway Debuts

Roger Friedman
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Will Julia Roberts show up tonight to see two of her ex lovers–Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Patric — debut all star revival of Jason Miller‘s “That Championship Season.” Roberts, who left Sutherland at the altar in 1991 to run off to Ireland with Patric, would really make for drama at the Bernard Jacobs Theater.

This production has maybe more drama backstage than onstage. Miller is dead, but his son, Jason Patric, is one of the stars. According to a Page Six item, he’s toting Miller’s ashes around with him in an urn on stage. (At least he’s not snorting them.) PS Patric’s maternal grandfather was Jackie Gleason, FYI. Any time I’ve ever asked Patric about Jackie, he’s brushed it off. So you see why there’s no press. (That, and what if Julia shows up? Wow.)

Patric, who’s not totally convincing as an alcoholic former basketball player, also has an interesting backstage story with this production. Sutherland was once set to marry Julia Roberts. A stage set at 20th Century Fox has been readied, invitations went out, it was all on. The date was June 14, 1991. Then, with three days to go, Julia canceled the wedding and ran off to Ireland with…Jason Patric. Really, who needs a play?

At Saturday afternoon’s matinee, the cast–Patric, Sutherland, Chris Noth, Jim Gaffigan, and Brian Cox were fine, although Cox is way beyond that. He is worth the whole ticket. Gaffigan, a TV actor and comedian in his Broadway debut, was very good. Chris Noth, playing Paul Sorvino’s old part (and that’s a “Law & Order” trivia question right there) is underused but makes a strong impact. Julia’s two exes are not so certain. A lot of the audience may be disappointed that Sutherland’s part is small. He doesn’t have much to do and he doesn’t do much with it. Patric’s alcoholic didn’t land a punch on Saturday, but he could grow into it.

The biggest problem is the play itself. Written in 1972, “TCS” is extremely anti-Semitic and racist. Back then, in the flush of “All in the Family” on TV, this seemed daring. Now frankly it’s obnoxious. We’ve grown, but the play hasn’t. I felt this way when I saw it in a different production a couple of summers ago at the Westport Country Playhouse. Cox’s character, the coach, is all Archie Bunker. Gaffigan is his disciple. Once you’ve warmed up to their bigotry and small mindedness, the actors are strong enough to pull you along. But the secondary characters–the former basketball players who may have cheated to get their famous high school win–pale by comparison.

UPDATE: In the end, Julia was a no-show. Sarah Jessica Parker,Robin Williams, Julianna Margulies, and Marg Helgenberger were the stars in the audience.

Mariah Carey: How Our Story Got Stolen By Everyone

Roger Friedman
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Look back two days in this column and you’ll see a story about Mariah Carey. She told me was “naive” about performing for Muammar Ghaddafi’s son on New Year’s Eve 2008 in St. Bart’s. I reported exclusively that Mariah was donating all the money from a new song called “Save the Day” to human rights charities. She might even start a foundation–might. What happened next? Other websites–the ones Google said it was getting rid for simply repurposing the news–just lifted the whole thing. Many claimed Carey had sent them a statement directly. However, they all used my verbiage about Ghaddafi–“vicious, crazy.” The Hollywood Reporter just helped itself to it 24 hours later almost verbatim. Some outlets said they got their story from a statement on Carey’s website. None of them acknowledged that Carey’s webmaster had just reprinted my story–with credit. But this is how the internet works. And it doesn’t seem like the new Google algorithm worked very well weeding all these sites out. And PS, to the idiots who decided Carey was returning money she made in 2008: she ain’t. That’s some fiction you created on your own.

Surprise! “Spider Man” Has Improved And Has A Cool Ending

Roger Friedman
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Well, well. “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” has actually improved. I saw it on Friday night, and there were no glitches or stops of any kind. The flying and all the special effects were absolutely thrilling. After about 100 performances, the aerialists actually seem comfortable and are having fun with the show.

Of course, past mistakes led to yesterday’s three fines from OSHA amounting to $12,500 apiece. But those fines were for old business. “Spider Man” now looks like it never had a problem. And now it has an actual ending–a pretty cool one, in fact, that brings the audience to their feet. The ending is going to be a big deal because it’s what people remember about a show.

Let’s face it: “Spider Man” has a weak book. That is never going to change drastically, although there have been lots of tweaks, cuts, and small additions. They make a big difference. The second act is still very slight when it comes to the story. But the set pieces are great, especially those involving the Sinister Six. And Patrick Page and Michael Mulheren are superb comic actors. The main problem: the story of Arachne is still a time sponge. Although beautifully staged, I would move that first act Arachne number with the loom to the second act–keeping the Green Goblin in Act I and Spider woman in Act II. But no one asked me.

Another improvement: it did feel like U2’s producer, Steve Lillywhite, has had an effect on the music. It rocks now. In the past, the music had a dead feeling to it. It’s much more supple, and defined. Maybe I’m wrong, but it also seemed like the song “Picture This,” which used to sound like an outtake from “Who’s Next,” now feels like a proper U2 production.

Will “Spider Man” open on March 15th? There’s a sign on the box office window that says it will. Anything could change, as we well know. But after Friday night’s show, I say they should go for it. The critics will never like it. “Spider Man” is a spectacle. It’s not “Kiss Me Kate.” But the mostly sold out audience loved it. There laughs in the right places last night.

And there was awe at the flying. I am in awe of Reeve Carney, TV Carpio, and Jennifer Damiano–as actors they are required to do really tricky acrobatics. It takes courage and they’ve got tons of it. “Spider Man” may have been a costly public experiment, but these actors have soldiered through it brilliantly.

Charlie Sheen: “Hope is For Suckers”

Roger Friedman
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Charlie Sheen, who I thought was a little quiet in recent hours, surfaced again today on a Philadelphia morning radio call in show. He told Chia and Shilo from Philly’s 96.5 that he’s close to making a deal with CBS and “Two and A Half Men.” He said he had faith,, not hope, that it was happening because “hope is for suckers.” Sheen called into the show because they flew a plane over his house and begged him to call. You can only imagine what his neighbors are thinking at this point. Anyway, there’s a lot of insane stuff in this interview as usual. Sheen said of people who are against him:  “They boil my tiger blood like a microwave on meth.” He added: “I don’t speak to them anymore. I speak past them. I don’t have any interest in being stuck in the mire of their stupidity. I lead with the truth. I’ve been inside the truth. If they decided to come around eventually… because the party over here is really bitching.” Congrats to the radio station; their gimmick paid off. Nothing like the rantings of a madman to get attention!

JLO American Idol Video Sends Her to Number 1 on ITunes

Roger Friedman
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The “American Idol” deal that Benny Medina made for Jennifer Lopez has paid off in buckets of gold. Lopez’s new highly auto-tuned single, “On the Floor,” which had a video debut on “Idol” this week, has hit number 1 on ITunes. The music is produced by Red One, the same guy who’s made Lady GaGa a sensation. RedOne didn’t come cheap, but he was the right choice. Lopez’s music career had pretty much nosedived a couple of years ago with the single “Get Right” with its god awful off key horn sample from an unreleased Usher record. By 2009 she was singing about her shoes in “Louboutins.” Things looked bleak, and Columbia Records said goodbye. But all is changed now with her $12 million deal. Next, I guess, will be an album. More importantly, RedOne is also producing a new album right now for Lopez’s very talented husband, Marc Anthony. It will be his first English language record in 12 years.

Paula Abdul Was Always Simon’s “X Factor”: From August 2010

Roger Friedman
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Big headline this morning that Simon Cowell’s talking to Paula Abdul about joining “X Factor.” In fact, I told you last August 9th that this was already in the works. Cowell always planned on Paula being the “X Factor” in his judge panel. A high up at Sony told me that last fall. And that’s because the whole rivalry between “X Factor” and “American Idol” falls into a war between Universal Music Group, which now has the recording deals for “AI,” and Sony Music, which has “X Factor.” Steven Tyler, who records for Sony and judges for “AI,” is the exception, but he’s not an active recording artist for Sony. Jennifer Lopez, who’s debuting her new video on “AI,” is with UMG. Mariah Carey, therefore, is not likely to be on a Sony panel; that’s her ex-record company. Indeed, “X Factor” has lots of Sony artists to promote. And when Doug Morris, the new head of Sony and ex chief of UMG, starts work July 1st, I am sure he will be right in there with suggestions. I would say the bigger question is who will be Simon’s third judge? And knowing Simon, who’s the PT Barnum of our time, he will tease out many names between now and September. But trust me, he already knows the winner’s names.

http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/08/09/paula-abdul-will-join-simon-cowell-on-x-factor

A-Plus “Good People”: Frances McDormand At Her Prickliest

Roger Friedman
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No one plays prickly and contentious like Frances McDormand. It doesn’t matter if she’s the mother in “Almost Famous” who declares that “Rock stars have kidnapped my son” or Charlize Theron’s testy buddy in “North Country.” Even in “Fargo” she was sweetly difficult as the pregnant sheriff who plagues William H. Macy. As Margaret Walsh, in the Manhattan Theater Club’s “Good People.” the South Boston single mother with a grown, retarded daughter (re-ta-ded is a great word to say in a tough Boston accent) she’s like a bowling ball set to knock down pins.

And that’s what she does on stage at the Samuel G. Friedman Theater, rolling right over her friends, her boss, an ex boyfriend, and his young wife. Even so, Margaret gets as good as she gives, making everyone around her up their game– and that includes Tate Donovan, Estelle Parsons, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Becky Ann Baker, and Patrick Carroll.

David Lindsay Abaire wrote this very funny, smooth play set — like “The Town,” “The Fighter.” and almost everything out there right now in Boston with strong flavored accents. He also wrote “Rabbit Hole,” which won Cynthia Nixon a Tony and Nicole Kidman an Oscar nomination. No kidding he’s done it again. The “Rabbit Hole” movie director John Cameron Mitchell was in the opening night audience probably thinking the same thing, along with McDormand’s husband, director Joel Coen, plus Tony Roberts, John Slattery and Talia Balsam, Amy Ryan, Jan Maxwell, Willem Dafoe, Tyne Daly, and Bobby Cannavale, who — at the BB King’s after party– showed off the stitches in his head from “a work related incident” preparing for “The Motherf—er With the Hat” on Broadway with Chris Rock. No, it wasn’t “Spider Man”!

Tony nominations? Yes, indeed, they’ll be coming, especially for John Lee Beatty’s turntable set.  Oscar season is over, Tony season starts. Let the games begin!

Courtney Love Twitter Case Settled– Reported Here January 31st Exclusively

Roger Friedman
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It’s a flashback! I told you on January 31st that the Courtney Love Twitter case was being settled. The amount involved was confidential. But Bryan Freedman, the attorney for the designer in the case, decided he needed some publicity. So he released the figure — $430,000 — to the Hollywood Reporter, and now they’re claiming an exclusive. Ha ha. Well. Dawn Simorangkir gets that money in monthly payouts over three years. It’s not exactly a windfall. Simorangkir sued for a million dollars. No one took the cast too seriously, alas. I’m told Freedman may have lost money on the case. If he’d had a strong case, he would have tried it–that’s what happens. Congrats to the Reporter for getting this scoop a month after we did! Good work! See http://www.showbiz411.com/2011/01/31/courtney-love-twitter-law-suit-will-be-settled-no-trial

James Franco Directed Two Videos for New REM Album

Roger Friedman
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Okay yes, I know, enough already: but what the heck? I told you the other day that Michael Stipe had commissioned a bunch of videos for the new REM album, Collapse Into Now. The album–which is great– and is streaming now on NPR’s website–hits stores next week. Now it seems that of the 12 tracks, James Franco has directed two: for the songs “Blue” and “That Someone Is You.” Franco apparently did this during “alternate” hours on Earth’s mirror planet, Franconia. Some of the other directors on the “Collapse”project are Britain’s Sam Taylor-Wood, who directed “Nowhere Boy,” famed documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles, Tom Gilroy, and Stipe’s sister, Lynda.

http://www.youtube.com/user/remhq#p/u/20/En6iGamLwso

Mariah Carey: New Song “Save the Day” To Raise Money for Human Rights Issues

Roger Friedman
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Mariah Carey: New Song “Save the Day” To Raise Money for Human Rights Issues

Mariah Carey‘s had a slight pr problem recently. She and other acts like Beyonce and Usher have performed in St. Barts over the last few years at New Year’s Eve parties thrown by the sons of vicious, crazy dictator Muammar Ghaddafi. At the time, Libya was not in the news. The shows were booked by a name promoter who probably was not forthcoming about the true nature of the underwriters. Now it’s become an issue in hindsight, which is sort of ridiculous.

Anyway, Mariah is not happy about what occurred and is stepping up to the plate. First, she tells me that a song she will record for her album, called “Save the Day,” will only generate funds to be donated for human rights issues. She may even set up her own foundation. She’s done this before. All the money ever made from the song “Hero” has gone to charity–millions. She’s also donated millions from DVDs and from the song “One Sweet Day,” which she recorded with Boyz II Men.

Carey has always been very philanthropic. She still runs her annual Camp Mariah through the Fresh Air Fund; she supports it financially. She’s even given her image to PETA to sell, although considering the weather today she might want it back!

Mariah’s official statement about the birthday event:  “I was naïve and unaware of who I was booked to perform for. I feel horrible and embarrassed to have participated in this mess. Going forward, this is a lesson for all artists to learn from. We need to be more aware and take more responsibility regardless of who books our shows. Ultimately we as artists are to be held accountable.”

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