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Streisand is A Hot Grammy Ticket for MusiCares

Roger Friedman
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Streisand is A Hot Grammy Ticket for MusiCares

A Barbra Streisand concert? Sort of impossible to get into. If she has one.

But Streisand kicks off Grammy weekend when she receives the Person of the Year Award from MusiCares on February 11th. MusiCares is the foundation that takes care of musicians in need of anything from healthcare to assistance of all of kinds.

This is the way Person of the Year works–a couple dozen guest stars sing songs associated with the honoree. Then the night’s star usually does one or two numbers. I’m told Barbra is going to do a show. That is, after she designs the set, the lighting, the arrangements. You can actually win two tickets to this historic show — which takes place at the LA Convention Cener–at www.barbrastreisand.com.

A number of superstars are lined up already: Stevie Wonder, Jeff Beck, Bebe Winans, Lee Ann Rimes, and Seal are among those on the list. Expect Neil Diamond to maybe show up–he was Person of the Year a couple of years ago. If Barry Gibb feels “Guilty” enough to join in, expect the Barbramaniacs to go wild.

A name I’d like to see: Gladys Knight, whose cover version of “The Way We Were” followed Barbra’s up the charts in 1974. That would be cool.

Streisand is such a great choice for MusiCares, because she is very philanthropic: she’s given millions to charity through her personal foundation.

I’m told MusiCares is readying a big announcement for right after the Grammys. They do what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame doesn’t-they take care of the people who’ve entertained us.

The next night: the Clive Davis party, with NARAS, honoring David Geffen. There will be no sleep Grammy weekend! Davis’s party should include surprise performances by Rod Stewart, Jennifer Hudson, and Jamie Foxx but probably not Alicia Keys. Her “Element of Freedom” was mysteriously snubbed by the Grammy committee.

Late possible names for Clive Davis: Justin Bieber and Rihanna.

Woody Allen Cannes Premiere; Murdoch ‘Daily’ Launch Needs Flash

Roger Friedman
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Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” will open the Cannes Film Festival on May 11th. But of course! The French love Woody, and Woody has reciprocated with a movie about the City of Lights. France’s First Lady, Carla Bruni Sarkozy, has a cameo. Can you imagine what the red carpet will be like? Sacre bleu! Marion Cotillard, the most famous French actress of this generation, is the star, along with Michael Sheen and Rachel McAdams. Owen Wilson is in it. Mon dieu! At the same time this morning, Rupert Murdoch debuted his new IPAd newspaper, The Daily. The slick live video presentation, if you watched it on a laptop PC, required Adobe Flash plug in. Apple, which makes the IPad, doesn’t support Flash. Steve Jobs hates Adobe. So. wtf, as they say? Initial impression: The Daily’s front page reminded me of US News and World Report. The inside looked like pictures and text, with some audio, video, and a blond news anchor. It’s like a website. Except it’s on the IPad. Maybe there’s more. I sure hope so. There is Sudoku and gossip.

Charlie Sheen: Should CBS Just Temporarily Replace Him?

Roger Friedman
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Charlie Sheen is supposed to be in a 90 day rehab. Reports says he’s doing the work at home, which sounds specious (the house is spacious). Also some reports say Sheen will be back to work on “Two and  A Half Men” in three to four weeks. Hmmmm….Not much rehab is going to get done.

Of course, CBS and Warner Bros. TV are nervous they won’t have first run episodes for April and May. Hundreds of people’s livelihoods are afffected by the stoppage of “Two and a Half Men.” I say: why not temporarily replace Charlie?

It’s not like continuity is so important to a sitcom. Indeed, Sheen was brought in to replace an ailing Michael J. Fox years ago on “Spin City.” He knows the game. The show must go on.

Since Jon Cryer is the stable part of the show, why not just say that brother Charlie has flipped for some woman and taken off to Fiji. Enter a cousin who needs a place to stay. The twist: the cousin is more straight laced than Cryer’s Alan. All kinds of hilarity could ensue as Alan acts more like Charlie to the cousin’s horror. So many good actors are available, out of work, and not needing rehab, why not give one a chance? Do it as a six episode arc. Matthew Broderick would be perfect the guest star.

Should Charlie Sheen be temporarily replaced so the cast and crew of “Two and a Half Men” can keep working? What do you think? Comment below.

Ricky Gervais is the Least of the Golden Globes’ Problems

Roger Friedman
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Ricky Gervais is having so much fun at the expense of the Golden Globes. But he’s the least of their problems. (Won’t it be hilarious if NBC forces the Globes to bring Gervais back as host next year?)

Yes, it seems like everyone is suing the Golden Globes. A recap: the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is being sued by its former publicist Michael Russell.  Now a charity called Stars for a Cause is also suing them. Russell got the HFPA involved with Stars for a Cause a few years ago.

But here’s a twist: one of the main beneficiaries of this Stars for a Cause, according to their Federal tax filings, has been…ta da..Michael Russell! Stars for a Cause has three Form 990s on file with guidestar, which records the finances of US charities.

In 2006, all the money donated to Stars for a Cause–$20,000–went to Michael Russell. In both 2007 and 2008, Stars for a Cause paid Russell $39,500. It does seem like, on paper, the cause involved in this charity was…Michael Russell.

Stars for a Cause is run by the Braunstein family–Beverly Hills attorney George Braunstein is their leader, and his wife and daughter are the officers.George Braunstein told me: “We pay Michael Russell for access to the stars. We wouldn’t have it other wise.”

In 2007, the Braunsteins had a celebrity auction (celebs autograph things) and raised $225,000. Of that, they gave $30,000 to the Hollywood Museum. Another $51,000 went to office expenses including a whopping $26,000 for postage. Braunstein was paid $4,050 for renting Stars for a Cause space in his law offices.

Braustein says the postage was for shipping rare prints to an art exhibit they sponsored.

In 2008, same deal, with a twist: the Braunsteins donated $60,000 to Friends of the Prince’s Trust. Their two other donations: $250 each to AIDS Project Los Angeles, and to Loyola High School.

Russell got his usual $39,500. George Braunstein paid himself $13,000 in legal fees, and $5,500 in rent. The charity listed a $75,000 deficit for the year.

Another line of expenses. coming to almost $9,000, was for travel and entertainment.

But what about Russell? It does seem from the Stars for a Cause Form 990 and the HFPA’s own filing that he was making substantially more in fees from Stars for a Cause than from the HFPA. Was Stars for a Cause paying him for his access to the Golden Globes, meaning movie stars who would promote their causes? Yes, Braunstein says. “Michael Russell had been in the business a long time and knew everyone.”

Braunstein says when Stars for a Cause files its Form 990 for 2010 donations to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief, UN World Progra, Greenpeace and Oxfam will be recorded. Each was tied specifically to a celebrity.

Kidman-Franco “Sweet Bird” on Broadway: Scooped Here First

Roger Friedman
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Yes, James Franco and Nicole Kidman are headed to Broadway this fall for Tennessee Williams’s “Sweet Bird of Youth.”

I told you that Franco was joining Kidman back on November 30th. Here’s the link: http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/11/30/nicole-kidman-may-get-james-franco-as-broadway-co-star

For some reason, Mike Fleming at Deadline Yesterday repurposed the story and didn’t give us credit. At Variety, Mike was the ultimate good guy! Something, or someone, has infected him. Get a Zpack, Mike!

Scott Rudin is producing “Sweet Bird,” and Franco and Kidman are committed to it. Rehearsals will really be scheduled around Franco’s fall classes at Yale.

Both Kidman and Franco are nominated for Oscars this month. It doesn’t look like either will win, but that’s just the circumstances. Each turned in winning performances. Franco’s “127 Hours” is getting an awards month push by Fox Searchlight. See this movie!  It’s not about someone cutting off their arm–that scene is seconds short and at the end of the film. It’s about life and survival. “127 Hours” is a great film.

Kidman does her best work in “Rabbit Hole.” It’s a fine film adaptation of an award winning play. Nicole scores a coup in “Rabbit Hole.” And the whole cast–Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Tammy Blanchard, Miles Teller– deserve kudos.

King’s Speech Star Geoffrey Rush is ‘Best Supportive Actor’

Roger Friedman
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Geoffrey Rush plays Lionel Logue–the speech therapist–so brilliantly in “The King’s Speech.”

But forget Logue–Rush should be playing Lionel “Jet Lag.” Since the beginning of December, Rush has been commuting back and forth from Sydney to Los Angeles on 48 hour turnarounds to help support the movie, attend award shows, etc. He’s been appearing simultaneously on stage in “The Diary of a Mad Man.”

Best supporting actor? How about best Supportive actor since until Christian Bale came along in “The Fighter,” Rush was the dead on favorite for an Oscar?

The play ends its Sydney run on Feburary 6, then transfers to the Brooklyn Academy of Music from February 11th through mid March. There will likely be an understudy on Sunday, February 27th. Ironically, the venue at BAM is called The Harvey Theater.

On Monday, at a Hollywood lunch given for him at the Peninsula Hotel by his “Pirates of the Caribbean” producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Rush told our Leah Sydney that the jet lag wasn’t so bad after all. He said, ““I’m lucky to have these problems and I know it.  I drink water, I sleep a lot.”

Bruckheimer told the crowd–including  Angela Lansbury  Sharon Stone , James Cromwell, Virginia Madsen, Dyan Cannon, Mickey and Jan Rooney, Patrick Stewart,  Hal Holbrook, Frances Fisher, Martin Landau, Angie Dickinson, Sharon Stone, Brenda Vaccaro, Peter Gallagher, Ileana Douglas and Jane Seymour–that  “Geoffrey, over the course of four ‘Pirates’ has transformed himself body and and soul into the Captain.  He owns every part he plays and his performances haunt you.  He’s more than a great actor, he’s quite simply a genius.” 

Rush said that he and his wife Jane, “just jetted here from Australia yesterday, I’m doing a play there, and I’m going back tonight. I feel embraced by this town.”  Then Renee Taylor’s phone rang loudly, to which Geoffrey quipped,  answer that, “it might be your agent.” 

Rush said that Martin Landau “gave me the best advice early in his career, which I can’t tell you, I have to protect patient/therapist privilege. I can say that he’s a party animal though.”

Rush confessed to Angela  Lansbury that , “In my closeted metro sexual adolescent years, I did leap around my room lip synching to Mame.  I thought she should know that.”

He thanked Sharon Stone for “yelling my name out with such enthusiasm at the Golden Globes.”

He thanked Helena Bonham Carter  “who always felt the triangle of man love (me, Colin Firth and Tom Hooper) was dangerous so she only popped in on weekends cause she was shooting Harry Potter. ”

He also thanked his wife, Jane. “She’s an amazing actress. The secret of our success is that we share blouses.”

Directors Guild winner Tom Hooper than explained that the only reason the film was made was because Geoffrey signed on and that’s when everyone else agreed to to do it.

He brings a wide eyed joy and wonderment to his craft every day he’s on a set. Tom then had everyone toast to “The Kings Speech Therapist.”

reporting in Hollywood by Leah Sydney

Courtney Love Twitter Law Suit Will Be Settled, No Trial

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Courtney Love will not go to trial in her Twitter lawsuit.

I’ve learned exclusively that Courtney’s lawsuit, brought by clothing designer Dawn Simorangkir who said she’d been defamed by the Hole singer on Twitter, is in the process of being settled. All that remains are the signatures.

A few months ago there was a lot of speculation that the case would be a first in court. At issue, what happens when you call people names on Twitter?

It turns out: not much.

Love’s attorney James Janowitz is said to have worked with  Bryan Freedman, Simorangkir’s attorney, to reach simple agreements. In the end, it turns, my source says, that Twitter is pretty much open to interpretation. Calling names it on is much like being on the playground.

On Twitter, Love called Simorangkir all kinds of things including  “a drug-pushing prostitute with a history of assault and battery who lost custody of her own child and capitalized on Love’s fame before stealing from her.”

 Well, publicity from the news of the lawsuit has only been good for the designer, it seems, who could not prove any real damages. In the end, I’m told, business has only gotten better. Maybe Love should attack more people! (No, no just kidding, Courtney!)

Vanity Fair Snares Oscar Hosts Franco and Hathaway for Cover

Roger Friedman
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Vanity Fair should be announcing its cover stars for its annual Oscar issue any minute now. But I am told that the number 1 Hollywood magazine snared Oscar hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco for the cover. The shoot, held in mid December, also boasts up and comer Anthony Mackie and “Buried” star Ryan Reynolds. Natalie Portman had been scheduled for the shoot, but the word is her pregnancy prevented it. (Maybe she had morning sickness.)

It’s a three panel deal so there are plenty more A listers. The cover is described Prince like as a new power generation.

The funny thing is how everyone–the trades, the regular mags like Newsweek–are all trying to copy the Vanity Fair Hollywood issue. It won’t work.

Meantime, I hear that Vanity Fair has a socko story about Harvey Weinstein’s “comeback” by Bryan Burroughs. He’s bullish on Harvey, as is a documentary that’s supposed to screen in Toronto on February 10th.

The fact is that Harvey and brother Bob weathered the rough transition from the end of their Disney deal through the recession and some poor film choices. With “The Reader” and “inglourious Basterds,” they started the long climb back. And they were refinanced brilliantly. And refocused on their core business.

Five short years later, “The King’s Speech” is booming. “Blue Valentine” has turned into an indie box office hit. Next season, the Weinsteins’ Oscar film is called “Marilyn and Me” starring Michelle Williams–she’s supposed to be amazing. And at Sundance they picked up “The Details” and “My Idiot Brother”–two potential hits.

PS Word is very strong on the new Oscar broadcast for February 27th. Producer Bruce Cohen and the regular Academy gang is putting together a hotm funny show. Lots of pre-tapes and maybe some parodies a la Billy Crystal!

“The King’s Speech” Sweeps Awards Weekend, Heads to Oscar Coronation

Roger Friedman
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Tom Hooper’s “The King’s Speech” swept the awards weekend with wins at all the Guilds: Screen Actors, Producers, Directors.

Now this gorgeous film heads to a coronation on February 27th at the Academy Awards. I told you this would happen back in early September, when the other Oscar “pundits” had clearly decided for “The Social Network.” It’s amazing to me about all those blogs that concentrate on the Oscars, get almost everything wrong, and then stamp their feet about their importance.

If only all that punditry and “digging” for bits of information were applied to reporting in any other field besides the Academy Awards.

What happened? “The Social Network” is a great, exciting movie. The acting is fine. But it’s a writer’s movie–Aaron Sorkin is kind of the star of the movie. Sometimes we thought he was the director because David Fincher is so reticent in public. That’s not all: in the end, “The Social Network” doesn’t speak to a larger human issue. It’s about friendship gone bad, yes. But it’s also about billions of dollars being divided among young people. Everyone wins, no matter what happens.

“The King’s Speech” is big scale. It’s about family and honor and facing a challenge. It’s also about kindness. In the end, that will always win a Best Picture. Exuberance helps also. And “The Social Network,” while cutting edge, lacks those qualities.

But what about all those online critics polls, etc? They were all wrong. Now they’ll try to explain what happened. Of course, they knew all along!

PS Kudos this season to actors who were team players: Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Julianne Moore, Amy Adams, Max Minghella, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling, Mark Wahlberg, and Matt Damon. They made their movies successful, and had to take backseats during awards season. They’re all great!

SAG Awards: King’s Speech, Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo

Roger Friedman
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The Screen Actors Guild Awards are tonight. Refresh this page often.

The King’s Speech and Colin Firth win Best Ensemble and Best Actor.  This movie now heads to coronation at the Oscars.

Best Actress: Natalie Portman for “Black Swan. “Smart pro-SAG speech. Getting bigger. Annette Bening, et al still rock!

Christian Bale wins Best Supporting Actor for “The Fighter.”

Al Pacino wins as Dr. Kevorkian again. He’s in New York on Broadway in “Merchant of Venice.” HBO clean sweep of anything they were nominated for. Claire Danes also wins for HBO.

Ernest Borgnine is great. What a career. Tim Conway, still the best. But no mention of Ernie’s 2 minute marriage to Ethel Merman. TMZ woulda loved them!

Best Actor, Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin. Best Actress, Comedy Series: Betty White. Wow. Good for her! “Modern Love” is Best Comedy Ensemble.

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, “The Fighter.” Gets a little political, pro-union. Good for her.

Best TV Ensemble: “Boardwalk Empire.” HBO is king. AMC loses focus on “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad.”

Best Actor, TV Drama: Steve Buscemi for “Boardwalk Empire.” Beats Jon Hamm, Hugh Laurie, et al. Wow. Second award for Buscemi this winter.

Best Actress, TV Drama: Julianna Margulies, for “The Good Wife.”

Read here for updates. Much of the Guild overlaps with the acting branch of the Academy, so the SAGs are the best barometer for Oscars. With “The King’s Speech” winning both the Directors and Producers Guild Awards, it could be that the Golden Globes are totally–as Sarah Palin might say–refudiated. Let’s see what happens tonight. The SAGs are live at 8pm EST.

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