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Pneumonia Keeps Scott Rudin From WGA; “Modern Family” Wins for Comedy

Roger Friedman
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Pneumonia Keeps Scott Rudin From WGA; “Modern Family” Wins for Comedy

The grind of having two Oscar nominations for Best Picture has taken its toll on producer Scott Rudin. Sony Pictures chief Amy Pascal stepped in for him tonight in Hollywood at the WGA Awards, saying that Rudin has pneumonia and couldn’t make it. Pascal went on to present a lifetime achievement award to screenwriter Steve Zaillian. Rudin doesn’t like awards shows and big parties anyway. But strong antibiotics and rest should have him back in fighting form by Oscar weekend…

…”Modern Family’ won the WGA tonight for Best TV comedy. I know people love this show, and it’s new–awards go to new shows because of the novelty. But how could it be better than “30 Rock” or “The Office”? It doesn’t seem possible.

…Everyone at the WGA gets some kind of Skype branded camera. Leah Sydney reports that “Spider Man” Andrew Garfield and girlfriend Shannon Woodward made sure to get theirs. After all, they are English people in the US, with families and friends thousands of miles away…

WGA Awards: Nolan “Inception,” Sorkin “Social,” “World Turns,” “Boardwalk”

Roger Friedman
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0
WGA Awards: Nolan “Inception,” Sorkin “Social,” “World Turns,” “Boardwalk”

From the Writers Guild Awards in Hollywood:

Surprise! Christopher Nolan won Best Original Screenplay for “Inception.” (Note: “The King’s Speech” was ineligible, as were a few others.)

As expected, and deserved: Aaron Sorkin, “The Social Network,” Best Adapted Screenplay…

Martin Scorsese‘s “Boardwalk Empire” just won the WGA award for Best new show. “Mad Men” won for Best TV episodic drama and best drama series..

This means that “BE” — thanks to HBO– has swept through the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards, the Directors Guild and now the Writers Guild. Of course, the Scorsese name helps, and the show is very good, but really…Wow… congrats…But “Mad Men” still remains a winner.

Charles Ferguson‘s documentary, “Inside Job,” won the WGA just now. He won the DGA last week in the same ballroom…

“As the World Turns” just won for best written soap. CBS, of course, killed it last fall after 54 years, and replaced it with the idiotic “The Talk”…

Rose McGowan Will Guest on “SVU”; Mitch Albom Comedy Writer?

Roger Friedman
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Rose McGowan Will Guest on “SVU”; Mitch Albom Comedy Writer?

Exclusive: from the red carpet at the Writers Guild of America West awards in Hollywood…with reporting from Leah Sydney…

“Boardwalk Empire” just won the WGA for Best TV Drama, beating “Mad Men.” AMC has collapsed as far as awards season goes. What happened here?

More: One of our favorite “Charmed” actresses is coming to “Law & Order: SVU” this winter. Rose McGowan, so good in Quentin Tarantino‘s “Grindhouse,” is filming an episode of “SVU” this week called “Bombshell.” What we hear is that she’s going to play some kind of sex club worker who tries to de-stablize Det. Elliot Stabler–Chris Meloni. Can’t wait to see this. McGowan is one of Hollywood’s most under-utilized players. “SVU” meantime is on a roll. Last week’s episode with Colm Feore was great. They’ve also got Debra Messing coming in during sweeps. Stunt casting? No, just good ideas…

In other TV news: Mitch Albom, radio host and author of “Tuesdays with Morrie” and other inspirational books is working on a comedy pilot…

…”Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner is off to Paris and London for two weeks of promo for the Sundance Channel. Why not? Nothing’s happening on the “Mad Men” front, sources say, so Europe is his oyster…

“Black Swan” co-writer Andres Heinz has got a new film in the works–“The Drowning” will star Vin Diesel, of all people…

The Queen Loves “The King’s Speech”: Report from UK

Roger Friedman
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The Queen Loves “The King’s Speech”: Report from UK

The Daily Mail in London reports that the Queen of England has seen “The King’s Speech” and has given it a royal wave of approval.

The paper says that Queen Elizabeth watched the DVD over the Christmas holidays and enjoyed it. Of course, she’s depicted as a little girl in the film. Her parents are the stars.

http://tinyurl.com/68eh37h

By coincidence, I had heard over Christmas that someone had slipped DVDs to Buckingham Palace upon request but no one could confirm and no one knew what had happened. I guess it all worked out.

“The Queen loves a good film,” a source said. “‘The King’s Speech is close to the bone as it is a portrayal of her family life in the 1930s.’

And she should know: she was there.

Meantime, another story in the Mail quotes a 94 year old former Palace worker who says he heard King George VI rehearse his famous speech, complete with some stuttering. The man says he never spoke about it before, because at the time he thought no one would believe him.

As far as other movies based on famous people, I guess we all know how Mark Zuckerberg feels about “The Social Network.” He and his actor counterpart Jesse Eisenberg didn’t exactly embrace last week on “Saturday Night Live.” On the other hand, the Ward family depicted in “The Fighter” loves their movie.

Stevie Wonder Will Get Apollo Theater Award–Isn’t This Lovely?

Roger Friedman
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Stevie Wonder Will Get Apollo Theater Award–Isn’t This Lovely?

Stevie Wonder is getting the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Apollo Theater Foundation. The ceremony takes place on June 13th. Last year, Aretha Franklin was the recipient. Stevie–the greatest of the greats–deserves any award he gets but this one is special. He made his debut on the Apollo stage in 1962 at the age of 12 with his first hit, “Fingerprints (Part 1).”

Nearly fifty years later, he’s still going strong–and has certainly been the inspiration for countless numbers of artists. Next week, Stevie joins Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Dionne Warwick at an amFAR anniversary event in New York to reprise their hit, “That’s What Friends Are For.” Then he heads to the MusiCares Person of the Year dinner in Los Angeles to help honor Barbra Streisand.

Meanwhile, if you’re in New York, circle February 15th at the Apollo for a classic night: Smokey Robinson is going to perform with Ashford and Simpson, and Chuck Jackson. It’s a charity event but the tickets are extremely well priced. And this is a Motown fan dream show, frankly. A once in a lifetime opportunity!

Shocker: “Mad Men” Is No Closer to Coming Back

Roger Friedman
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Shocker: “Mad Men” Is No Closer to Coming Back

As of yesterday, “Mad Men” was no closer to returning with new episodes than Mubarak was to resigning as president of Egypt. Actually, the latter will probably happen first. According to sources, AMC and Lionsgate still have no deal with the show’s creator and head writer, Matthew Weiner. Hello? I mean, what is the deal here? Before “Mad Men” came along, AMC was showing old Westerns. And Lions Gate, really: Carl Icahn was trying to destroy them, and their claim to fame was that “Precious” star Mo’Nique was the first Oscar winner with an apostophe in her name.

(One thing I really don’t get: unlike other cable shows, “Mad Men” will make an easy transition to syndication. There’s very little that has to be changed, not much overt sex and little bad language. You’d think all parties would want to get to at least a marketable 78 epsiodes–which means two more seasons. That would take the show, I’d think, to a natural conclusion at the end of 1969.)

Weiner and his staff won’t start writing new scripts until he has a deal, that’s just the way it works. It’s now February 4th. Last year, “Mad Men” began on July 15th. That date doesn’t look so possible right now. “Mad Men” fans want to see what happens next to Don Draper and friends. We are not happy. Also, how is it that AMC could have blown both the Golden Globes and SAG awards, losing everything to HBO and “Boardwalk Empire.” Happy as we are for Steve Buscemi…Man up, AMC andLions Gate. Let’s get going already….

Mick Jagger, Playdates, and Roberta Gets Flack at the Dakota

Roger Friedman
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Mick Jagger, Playdates, and Roberta Gets Flack at the Dakota

Mick Jagger is performing with Raphael Saadiq at the Grammys in memory of Solomon Burke. Jagger last performed at the Grammys 25 years ago. He and the Rolling Stones obviously owe their careers to American R&B, they’d be the first to tell us that. The Solomon Burke tribute is very nice, although the late rotund soul singer was more admired for his style than his actual chart hits. Solomon’s famous stage prop was a huge gold throne, a cape and a crown. Maybe Mick will don those items as a salute. Strangely, Keith Richards is not in this mix. Are they even speaking after Keith’s book lacerated Mick? You’d think Keith would be celebrating Solomon up there, too…

…Roberta Flack is being mistreated at the Dakota. I was very chagrined to read this in the New York Times. Alphonse Fletcher, Jr. is suing the famed New York apartment house. claiming racism. They wouldn’t let him buy another apartment, he says. He and Roberta are just about the only minority owners in the place. (Yoko doesn’t count, she came in with John originally and after all, her husband was murdered in the entry.) Who in the world would be stupid enough to mock or be unkind to Roberta Flack? It’s just unthinkable. And The Dakotans are supposed to be so sophisticated! Fletcher’s brother, Geoffrey, won an Oscar for writing “Precious.” That doesn’t impress the secretive Dakota board, I guess. Neither does the $80 million that Harvard grad Alphonse is worth. (No? Wow. I think we’re all impressed. Really.) Last spring, Fletcher gave the most elegant cocktail party for his brother, by the way. This whole thing is really bad, bad news for the Dakota board…

…Thelma Adams is the playful film critic and writer for US Weekly, and she’s a member of the New York Film Critics Circle. In her spare time she’s written a novel, called “Playdate.” It’s not about children. It’s about the parents messing around with each other. So far “Playdate,” which has Thelma’s comic voice clearly at its center, has been compared to “Little Children.” It’s that mixed in with “Desperate Housewives” and Susan Isaacs. On Monday night, our pal Warner Bros. pr guru Debbie Nathin managed to get all the publicists and editors and writers in town to lay down arms temporarily and raise a glass to Thelma. Congrats! Get “Playdate” on amazon.com or at a bookstore if you still know where one is…

Annette Bening, Geoffrey Rush Could Score Oscar Upsets

Roger Friedman
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Annette Bening, Geoffrey Rush Could Score Oscar Upsets

Oscar ballots went out this week to Academy members. “The King’s Speech” seems like a lock for Best Picture. There are also some definites: Colin Firth for Best Actor, Melissa Leo for Best Supporting Actress. But what’s still fluid and in flux? Judging  by past voting trends, there are two possible upsets: Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress.

In the former, Christian Bale was superlative as Dicky in “The Fighter.” But dial back to 1997 and “The English Patient.” Betting money had Lauren Bacall winning Best Supporting Actress for “The Mirror Has Two Faces.” The Hollywood legend had never won an Oscar, and there was a lot of support and sentiment for her. But “The English Patient,” like “The King’s Speech,” was a tsunami. It pulled Juliet Binoche in, surprising Bacall and her fans.

This could happen again. With Firth, the movie, and the original screenplay very solid, “The King’s Speech” may pull along Geoffrey Rush. Before Bale was on the scene, everyone thought Rush was a lock for Best Supporting Actor. It’s a long shot, but who knows? There are those who think Rush was equal to Firth in “The King’s Speech.” They may check off his name at the last minute. I wouldn’t blame them.

In Best Actress, Natalie Portman has lots of awards for “Black Swan.” She’s young, cute, and pregnant. She’ll have a long career. But there are plenty in the Academy who remember Annette Bening’s performances in “American Beauty” and “Being Julia,” her two best prior Oscar shots before “The Kids Are All Right”, as well as “The Grifters.” This should have been her year. How many times do we expect this woman to go through Oscar campaigns and come out a loser? Not only that: imagine the irony of Firth and Bening, who once co-starred in the dreadful “Valmont,” emerging together as winners years later. It’s delicious.

What else? Yes, we know Aaron Sorkin has Best Adapted Screenplay in hand for “The Social Network.” But who gets Best Director? Is it David Fincher, to split the vote, or Tom Hooper, following “The King’s Speech.” I’ve said this before: Fincher has the lower profile. A lot of people think Sorkin directed “The Social Network”; he’s the face of the film in the Oscar campaign. Hooper also has the DGA, which is hard to shake; rarely does the DGA winner lose the Oscar. Oh, those last two awards are nail biters. There won’t be an empty seat in the Kodak Theater when those announcements come.

The Real Sundance Bombs: “Ledge,” “Cedar Rapids,” “Salvation,” “Future”

Roger Friedman
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The Real Sundance Bombs: “Ledge,” “Cedar Rapids,” “Salvation,” “Future”

I told you all about the really good films we saw at Sundance 11 –“The Details,” “The Devil’s Double,” “Higher Ground,”  the Morgan Spurlock and Harry Belafonte docs, etc– and some of the even mildly interesting ones– “Martha Marcy Ray Marlene,” and so on. Here are a few of the failures, even those now bought for distribution.

Agonizing and disappointing is the only way to describe Miranda July’s “The Future.” Her “Me and You and Everyone We Know” was so much fun a few years ago. And “The Future” had promise galore. It’s narrated by a cat, so you know it’s eccentric. But it is a ghastly enterprise that has a little promise and goes nowhere. With July (real name Miranda Grossinger) and Hamish Linklater, it seems like the couple is cute and so is the premise. But there’s no there there. The movie also jumps the shark when Miranda’s character, for no reason, cheats on Hamish with a stranger. Just pfeh.

“The Ledge” was a mystery to me. Charlie Hunnam and Terrence Howard alternate storylines. The former wants to commit suicide. The latter was cuckolded by his wife. Enter Liv Tyler, who needs to pick better material. (She has so much potential, but no defined screen persona.) This film also has the worst lighting and production values. Yikes. None of it makes sense. I won’t give the ending away, but you will never see it either. This was a script either not thought through, or birthed in a haze of substances.

I could barely tolerate “Cedar Rapids,” a forthcoming Fox Searchlight film that seems like a branch of “The Office.” Fox Searchlight did pick up the very interesting “Another Earth” and “Homework,” two strong titles.  They also debuted Tom McCarthy‘s “Win Win” which is a win win. You can’t have everything. As usual, Ed Helms from “The Office” is a naif. John C. Reilly is a lout. The whole thing looks and sounds like an airplane movie. Sigourney Weaver, I know it’s tough out there, but really this is not necessary. Anne Heche needs to do serious dramatic work in indies. I still believe in her.

Equally quease-making was Greg Kinnear in “The Convincer,” with Alan Arkin helping to make this “Little Miss Sunshine” reunion collapse. This is supposed to be a ‘sting’ kinda movie with a big reveal toward the end. It’s too late. Bad title, and weird plot line about a rare violin. I don’t want to see Greg Kinnear thinking up any more get rich quick schemes, okay? Bob Balaban was very good as the violin appraiser. Otherwise, “The Convincer” strikes a sour note.

Finally, “Salvation Boulevard” is one of those not-funny wearying Christian send-up films. (I’m starting to feel sorry for the Christians.) Pierce Brosnan tries hard. Ed Harris and Marisa Tomei–who literally lights up the screen–are wasted. Greg Kinnear–yes, Greg, again–can do better. He also needs to start getting choosier. No redemption here.

And all these movies will be released. The trades and blogs were killing each other to report on which film went to which distributor. In these cases, really, it matters not. They will all be in DVD bins soon enough.

Michael Jackson Family Wrongful Death Suit “Gutted” by Judge

Roger Friedman
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Michael Jackson Family Wrongful Death Suit “Gutted” by Judge

Before everyone gets too excited: the wrongful death suit brought by Katherine Jackson against AEG Live was allowed to proceed on Wednesday by Judge Yvette Palazuelos. However: little remains of the case. Katherine Jackson’s attempt to wrest millions from AEG Live was “gutted,” as on one observer described it. Not only that, but Jackson choreographer Kenny Ortega was removed as a defendant by the judge. Also, the judge said in her remarks that she doubted the Jackson case had much left to it.

“If the object was to get him to rehearsals, I don’t see that as a wrongful or illegal act,” she said. The judge threw out the three complaints concerning fraud. What remains are three complaints concerning Dr. Conrad Murray. They’e gone to summary judgment. That means the judge will rule without a trial.

Katherine Jackson is no doubt frustrated by her attempts to sue someone in the death of her son, Michael. This didn’t help. The Jackson lawsuit would like to make AEG Live responsible for hiring Dr. Conrad Murray to care for Michael. But AEG Live never had a contract with Dr. Murray and never paid him. Michael Jackson died in Dr. Murray’s care before any of that could happen. The doctor, in fact, had already been in Michael’s employ.

The people who were following Michael Jackson’s progress during rehearsals for the “This Is It” tour by and large didn’t even know who Dr.Murray was on the day Michael died. This reporter can tell you that when I asked about him on June 25, 2009, everyone associated with the tour said, “Michael asked us to hire him. He brought him in.”

It’s going to be a rude awakening when everyone realizes that Michael Jackson, who’d abused his leverage with doctors for more than 20 years, brought about his own demise by making a deal with Murray. AEG Live had nothing to do with that.

Meantime, the executors of Michael Jackson’s estate are suing Mrs. Jackson and Howard Mann, her business partner, for violating their copyrights, etc.

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