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The official soda for Simon Cowell’s new “X Factor”? Why, it’s Pepsi, which beat out rival Coca Cola for the honor of blasting its commercials after every segment of the talent fest next fall.
The press release from Syco, Freemantle and Fox reads: “The comprehensive sponsorship of THE X FACTOR by Pepsi includes an extensive, multi-platform off-air marketing partnership; weekly in-show integrations and placements; and an immersive content experience online. Pepsi will be the exclusive beverage sponsor of THE X FACTOR both on and off-air.”
Sounds like the Morgan Spurlock documentary I wrote it below. Funny. Imagine all the product placements!
This just means that Pepsi spent more on this than Coke. Will it change the dynamic? Will Coke suddenly fall to number 2? Pepsi is the Avis of sodas, always trying harder. Maybe this will do it. But it seems to me that “X Factor” lost a chance to be associated with a great theme like “I’d like to teach the world to sing.” Maybe Coke will go with “American Idol.”
The Producers Guild of America named its top 10 movies of the year this morning, including “Toy Story 3” but leaving out “Winter’s Bone” and “Blue Valentine.” Is this the final list for the Oscars? Maybe and maybe not.
Here they are:
127 Hours, Black Swan, Inception, The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right. The King’s Speech, The Social Network, The Town, Toy Story 3. and True Grit
And they break down by studio: Paramount 2, Warner’s 2, Fox Searchlight 2, and one apiece for The Weinstein Company, Sony, Disney, and Universal/Focus.
But is this the final list? Last year, the PGA put “Star Trek” on its list. In the end, the sci fi reboot didn’t make the Oscar final 10. It was replaced by the Coen Brothers’ “A Serious Man.” So the PGA list is not carved in stone. With ten days left until ballots are in, there’s still time for some last minute jockeying. “Blue Valentine” is new, and got great reviews. So which one of the PGA top 10 is vulnerable? I always said, two Boston movies may be too much. “The Town,” which is older, may be the one to go. You never know.
Now his “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold” is going to Sundance. It’s all paid for, he says, by big companies. And it’s all about how they engineer product placements, etc. Following “Super Size Me” and “Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?” this non fiction essay should be a hoot and a half. Don’t you love sitting through studio films and counting the ads?
FRANCO STORY HIJACKED...Thanks to Entertainment Weekly. So desperate for hits and attention, they actually tried to hijack our James Franco story yesterday. No credit, not a word. The funniest thing was one of those blogs picking up EW’s hijack, and then somewhow transposing Cormac McCarthy into “McCartney.” Yes, Faulkner was a big influence on the Beatles…I was going to get really nasty about another lame blog post somewhere on the internet that tried to question the item about Franco directing “Blood Meridian.” Then I realized the blog was so insignificant that it didn’t have readers. They were just trying to get attention. So, forget it. And thanks to everyone who picked up the story with attribution…
But why is that some wannabe movie bloggers want to go out of their way to cause trouble and start fights? I call them The Pajama Gang. They sit at home in their pj’s, writing for six people, hoping that someone will take them seriously…
…The musical version of “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” closed on Broadway on Sunday, a few weeks early. The show was in an incomprehensible mess despite big stars Patti Lupone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Laura Benanti. Sheri Renee Scott was miscast, and the director, Bartlett Sher, never rethought the movie as a musical. All the scenes were out of order, and the scenes introducing the show didn’t come up until mid second act. What a disaster! And all that gazpacho, wasted! Dios mio!
Actor James Franco–headed to an Oscar nomination for “127 Hours” and getting ready to co-host the Academy Awards in February–is planning two big directing efforts.
Franco is in talks to direct William Faulkner‘s literary classic, “As I Lay Dying,” from his own screenplay.
Franco and manager Miles Levy have been in discussion for time with the Faulkner estate. They’ve also got a commitment from Fox Searchlight to bring the project to fruition.
Unlike at least a half dozen other films that have been “announced” for Franco in the last few weeks, the actor tells me this is the one he’s most attached to. He’s hopeful of getting it off the ground next spring.
“As I Lay Dying” isn’t the only writer-director project Franco’s involved in. He tells me he’s also in the process of making a deal with Scott Rudin to write and direct Cormac McCarthy‘s “Blood Meridian” in 2012. Franco and Rudin are also partnered in next fall’s Broadway production of “Sweet Bird of Youth” with Nicole Kidman.
Cormac McCarthy is a little like the modern day Faulkner, although he’s had much more luck in Hollywood. So far his “All the Pretty Horses,” “The Road,” and “No Country for Old Men” have all made it to the big screen.
And yes, this is all while Franco attends classes at Yale University and the Rhode Island School of Design.
He also just completed directing a small, indie film about the famed poet Hart Crane called “The Broken Tower.” But “As I Lay Dying”–which others, including Sean Penn, have wanted to make for a long time–will be his big studio debut.
If all that isn’t enough, Franco is bringing his art project film connected to the ’80s sitcom, “Three’s Company,” to the Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontiers section later this month.
He’s also moving talent agencies, following his longtime agent, Kami Putnam-Heist, to CAA. “I’m being loyal to my agent,” Franco says, which is a rare thing in Hollywood.
Pete Postlethwaite was an Oscar nominee in 1993 for “In the Name of the Father.” He was 64, and well known to American audiences for being in two Steven Spielberg movies, “Amistad” and “Jurassic Park.”
Postlethwaite was so popular with directors he was in three hits this season: “Inception,” “The Town,” and “Clash of the Titans.” He was one of those rare character actors who “made” a good movie with memorable performances.
Anne Francis–if you are of a certain age, you will remember Anne Francis as “Honey West” on TV circa 1965. She guest starred on every major show of the time, from “The Man from UNCLE” to “Mission: Impossible,” appeared in the movie “Funny Girl,” and literally worked every year right up through 2004. Francis, who was 80, was a cool, bright, blonde who was smart and sexy. She was, also, incidentally, a star of the great B movie “Forbidden Planet.”
Don’t prove The New York Post wrong. Last year the city’s most under-edited tabloid proclaimed that New York Yankee Derek Jeter and actress Minka Kelly would definitely marry on December 5, 2010. It was front page news.
It was also wrong. Completely, dead, absolutely wrong.
The Post got Jeter and Kelly for not getting married according to their plan by putting the couple at Number 1 on their “Out” list for 2011.
Hysterical. Whether or not he gets married, Derek Jeter is always, totally on the “In” list every year. The Yankee captain constantly proves his worth, be it on the field or speaking for the Yankees. When he’s taken the mic to talk about the closing of the old stadium or the passing of George Steinbrenner, Jeter has shown himself to be articulate in addition to a team player.
Boo hoo, Post!
The Post also has a bunch of ins and outs that don’t really make sense. The Bowery is “out”? The whole avenue? Indeed, the Bowery is very much “in”. The old Bowery bums would never recognize it. Except for losing CBGB to the hateful BRC, the area is booming.
I’ll tell you what else is ‘in’ for Showbiz411 for 2011:
Jimmy Fallon is in. His show is rocking, and Jimmy is commanding late night. Rosie O’Donnell is in, for graciously commanding a huge charity for kids and giving them a place to learn theater. Elaine’s will always be in. The East Side Social Club is in. The new Lincoln Center construction is in. Well done! So is The Lambs Club Restaurant, councilwoman Christine Quinn, producer Scott Rudin, and the Weinstein Company. Downtown Records is in, for putting out terrific music like Cyndi Lauper‘s blues CD, “Memphis Blues.” Billie Jo Armstrong of Green Day is in for constantly supporting “American Idiot” on Broadway.
What’s out? Mayor Bloomberg and his sidekick, Janette Sadik-Khan are out, out, out. The Post, obviously, is out. Greedy landlords are out: there are empty spaces all along Madison Avenue. Wal Mart is out. “Holiday” by Vampire Weekend is Out with a capital O. So is the elongated video announcement in the cabs: the only decent cab is that Toyota crossover. Out are the small Toyotas and the Nissan Sentras. You have to ride sideways in them. Out are concrete turning lanes and no parking spaces on the avenues. Goodbye! Already out is Madonna’s movie about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Completely out is Mel Gibson and maybe Jodie Foster if she’s not careful.
Very in: Jeremy Renner. Very out: Tom Cruise.
Always in: The Four Seasons restaurant. Always out: The Lion.
Good signal in: Scott Greenstein’s Sirius XM; Bad signal out: the waste of 102.7, what used to be WNEW FM
In, in, in: Joan Rivers. Out, out, out: Bristol Palin.
In: Regis and Kelly. Out: The Talk.
In: One Life to Live. Out: Desperate Housewives.
Forever in: Liz Smith, Cindy Adams, Frank DiGiacomo, Keith Kelly, Emily Smith and her crew
Out: columnists with axes to grind and no facts to find.
In: Listening. Out: in ear headphones or anything else that blocks connecting with the world.
I am remiss. Before we start 2011 officially tomorrow, so to speak, let’s flash back a month to December 3rd. I was so in shock about losing Elaine Kaufman, I never did publish notes on seeing Peter Asher that night at the Iridium Jazz Club in Times Square.
So–wait a sec. I’ve been lucky enough to know Peter for about 20 years. I once wrote a story about him living in the Sutton Place Hotel while working at Sony Music and commuting back and forth from Los Angeles. How jarring, since he’s a Brit!
After a lifetime of producing and managing James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, of signing the major acts to the Beatles’ Apple Records, after a wildly successful career as one half of the British pop duo Peter & Gordon, Peter has finally put his storied career into a one man show. On that crazy night, December 3rd, he presented the show at the Iridium to a very sold out audience.
Peter, of course, was also the brother of Paul McCartney’s girlfriend during the real heyday of Beatlemania, Jane Asher. Paul lived in the Ashers’ home, in fact, while screaming girls roamed London looking for him. He wrote “A World Without Love” for Peter & Gordon, and it went to number one. Same for “Woman,” “Nobody I Know,” and “I Don’t Want to See You Again.” If Paul were looking for a kick, he should put out his own versions of these songs.
Anyway, Peter’s show at the Iridium featured a tight little band including one of the later members of Badfinger. They played some of P&G’s hits, which Asher sang, and Badfinger’s “Day After Day”–Peter signed Badfinger to Apple, but two of the original members died so there were never any big concert tours in the 70s. It was really a thrill to hear “Day After Day” live after all these years.
The show is still in its infancy, but Peter would be wise to turn it into a book and a documentary. He has terrific clips, and all the inside stories of so many important events of rock history. He also has a charming delivery. Gordon Waller, who died tragically from cardiac arrest in July 2009, must be smiling to know Peter is carrying on their legacy. http://www.peterandgordon.net/
PS Right now, James Taylor and Carole King‘s CD/DVDÂ of their reunion shows at the Troubadour in November 2007 is a big hit. Peter Asher produced those shows–there were six of them over three nights–and they were just remarkable, intimate successes. The behind the scenes story of Peter actually getting those shows onto discs and out in the world should be part of his next show–three years! His life has been a different kind of tapestry, indeed.
You can also see and hear Peter narrate a documentary about the Beatles and Apple Records on their website.
Didn’t New York seem a little subdued other than Times Square this New Year’s?
Not at Ye Olde Waverly Inn. Proprietor Graydon Carter was AWOL but the place was nicely buzzing. Interesting thing about the Waverly recently: it’s become even more seriously A list oriented and cream of the crop.
Jon Hamm and actress-director girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt stopped in for an early dinner. That’s right: Don Draper himself. He got a good laugh when one patron told him she’d received “Mad Men” Barbie dolls for Christmas. So far Mattel has dolls for Don, January Jones’ Betty, and Christina Hendricks‘ Joan. We’re waiting for the John Slattery/Roger Sterling edition! Next stop for the “Mad Men”: Golden Globes, where they should sweep.
Next booth: CAA superagent Bryan Lourd entertained a hot hot hot group that included the recently single Scarlett Johansson, Ellen Barkin, and director Sam Levinson, 25 year old son of Oscar winner Barry (“Rain Man”), and author Carole Radizwill. Levinson junior unveils his first film at Sundance in a couple of weeks, starring Barkin, as well as Demi Moore, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Bosworth, Martin Landau and Thomas Haden Church. The film, a wedding comedy, is tentatively called “The Reasonable Bunch.”
A little gossip: ScarJo complimented one of the waiters on his athletic build. Luckily, his wife, who was in the bar area, missed that. It was all in good New Year’s fun!
Meantime, up at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, famed singer Judy Collins, opera great Lauren Flanigan and erudite CBS News star Harry Smith led the annual Concert for Peace. Smith joked about “being fired” from his job as anchor of CBS’s Early Show. But he’s staying at CBS News, where he should be the most valuable player of his generation. The network has made a mistake by replacing him with New York Channel 2’s Chris Wragge.
Joel and Ethan Coen are about to set a new box office high with their remake of “True Grit.”
The Coens will shatter their previous high–$74 million for “No Country for Old Men–when “True Grit” crosses that line this weekend.
And the season for “True Grit” is still fresh. By the time the Oscars have come and gone in late February, “True Grit” will be way past $100 million. Not too bad.
It’s funny to look back at the Coens’ “classic” movies to see how little they made. The early ones–my favorites– from “Blood Simple” through “The Big Lebowski”–were not exactly money makes. Only “Raising Arizona” did well, with $22 million. Ha ha. “Barton Fink” and “Miller’s Crossing”? Forget it. And the beloved “Fargo”? Just under $25 million.
Starting in the 2000s, “O Brother Where Art Thou?” did very well. With George Clooney as its star, and a terrific soundtrack, “Brother” raked in $45 million.
But then the Coens had three missteps in a row. “The Man Who Wasn’t There” — shot in gorgeous black and white, but really an enigma of a movie–took in $7 million.
Using George Clooney in “Intolerable Cruelty” and Tom Hanks in “The Ladykillers” brought in $35 and $39 million apiece, but like “The Man Who Wasn’t There,” the films had a pedestrian feeling. “Burn After Reading” with Brad Pitt did well, but it was incomplete because Pitt had to leave the shoot early. It didn’t make sense.
“No Country” brought the Coens back, winning them a Best Picture Oscar and lots of new fans. “A Serious Man” was meant to be a side project, without stars. A great film that keeps getting better, “Serious Man” returned the brothers to their original perspective even if it earned only $10 million. It’s lovely.
Now produced Scott Rudin can be very pleased. He’s already got the $100 million hit, “The Social Network.” With “True Grit,” he’s got number 2. And the Coens have finally gotten success with a movie star, Jeff Bridges. They’ve also introduced a new young actress with lots of potential–Hailee Steinfeld. It’s a nice way to start the new year!
The worst thing was losing friends and people we admired. I am not through saying goodbye to our dear Elaine Kaufman. None of her friends will ever get over that.
On the other hand, Elaine was with us for most of 2010, and we had a ball with her. That was a gift.
Stupidest media decision of the year: replacing the beloved “As the World Turns” with more idiot-chat on “The Talk.” It’s intolerable.
Craziest story that had to happen: the big reveal about Ponzi schemer Ken Starr, celebrity business manager.
Some other good things: Last winter, during awards season, a famed talent Hollywood talent manager was nice enough to invite us for dinner. I promised not to give any of the details. But it was the best night of the year, with dozens of A list stars. My place at the dinner table was between Joan and Jackie Collins. Elton John popped in. That’s all I can say, it was terrific.
Rob Marshall’s “Nine” didn’t win any Oscars, but there were plenty of cool events to launch it. My fave: a lunch at Per Se restaurant, with Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Daniel Day Lewis and all the stars. We were high above Columbus Circle, and all was well with the world. Frankly, “Nine” deserved better awards-wise. But there’s no going back.
Some other highlights of the year:
Announcing Rosie O’Donnell’s return to daytime TV.
Announcing Quincy Jones’s 25th anniversary recording of “We Are the World” –and subsequently hanging out with Q and the artists on the big day.
Announcing that George Clooney would host the Haiti telethon. And he did. He also donated $1 million to Haiti relief.
And those were just a few of the exclusives. Also: we broke the news on Michael Jackson‘s album, his Cirque du Soleil show, and everything about his mother’s book, and her deal with the man who bought the Jackson memorabilia.
We also told you–and Sony–about the existence of the “Cascio” tracks.
Broke scoops on Keith Richards. His book, “Life,” is off the charts great.
Favorite shows: Sting at the Metropolitan Opera, Sam Moore at the Grammy after party, Aretha Franklin getting her award at the Apollo, Songwriters Hall of Fame dinner, the Clive Davis Grammy party, the English Beat at Stephen Talkhouse.
Music that got us through the year: Sharon Jones (see below), Julia Fordham, Kings of Leon, Ryan Shaw, the Beatles remasters, U2, celebrating Teddy Pendergrass, remembering Willie Mitchell, anything by Tony Bennett, Stones re-releases of “Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out” and “Exile on Main Street,” and Sting’s “Live in Berlin” CD.
