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Madonna’s Movie May Suffer from “King’s Speech” Comparison

Roger Friedman
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Madonna’s Movie May Suffer from “King’s Speech” Comparison

There’s room in history for lots of different interpretations. But there’s rarely room in Hollywood for two movies on the same topic at the same time.

Madonna is still shooting a feature film for which she reportedly put up big bucks of her own. “W.E.” centers around the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Winsdor, juxtaposed with a modern American couple. The wife in the modern couple is named Wally, and she’s obsessed with Wallis Simpson. Call it “Wally and Wallis” after “Julie and Julia.”

Now, however, we have Tom Hooper‘s “The King’s Speech,” which is largely concerned with the abdication from the throne of King Edward–the Duke of Windsor–and his relationship with Mrs. Simpson.

Unlike the gauzy romantic view of the Duke and Duchess in “W.E.,” the couple don’t fare so well in “The King’s Speech.” That’s because the latter film sticks to history. The couple were Nazi sympathizers, and not too bright. Edward was only interested in Mrs. Simpson, not in the British public. In “The King’s Speech” he is being led around by the nose by Mrs. Simpson, who is described as promiscuous. “She shares her favors with others,” is how it’s delicately worded. Theirs is not a great romance, but a big mess.

One of the best moments in “The King’s Speech,” is when Prince Albert–soon to be King George VI–and the soon to be Queen Mum attend a wild party thrown by Edward and Mrs. Simpson at Buckingham Palace. Albert (Colin Firth) asks Edward (Guy Pearce) what he’s been doing on the throne. Edward thinks about it. “King-ing.” he replies vacantly.

Lucky for Madonna, “The King’s Speech” will be just about done with its run next spring before “W.E.” is ready to be seen.

It’s Colin Firth’s Turn for the Oscar as “King’s Speech” Triumphs

Roger Friedman
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6
It’s Colin Firth’s Turn for the Oscar as “King’s Speech” Triumphs

I wish I could be in Toronto on Friday night when “The King’s Speech” is met with thunderous applause and standing ovations. (I don’t arrive until late Friday night.)

Tom Hooper‘s movie about King George VI, father of the current Queen of England, and his speech therapist, is going to rock the festival, just as it has Telluride It’s one of those Best Picture nominees that is just perfect in every way. Stars Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, and Geoffrey Rush–not to mention Timothy Spall, Jennifer Ehle, and Guy Pearce–just take your breath away individually and as an ensemble.

Hooper is well known for his Emmy award winning work directing mini series for HBO. He was behind “John Adams” and “Elizabeth I” with Helen Mirren. Last year Hooper made his first feature, “The Damned United.” It was a good film but it didn’t foreshadow at all what Hooper had in mind. “The King’s Speech” is a fascinating hybrid of old fashioned film making done on the cutting edge. And the nice part is, you won’t have to see it three times to figure out what happened.

The story is simple: King George (Michael Gambon)– that’s Elizabeth’s grandfather–is dying. He will be succeeded by his son, Edward (known in the family as David.) But Edward is in love with an American divorcee, Mrs. Wallis Simpson. When the king dies, Edward takes the crown. But in short time he abdicates to be with her. Next in line is Edward’s brother, “Bertie,” Elizabeth’s father. Bertie is married to another Elizabeth, whom we came to know as the Queen Mother.

Helena Bonham Carter has made so many movies with Tim Burton that you kind of forget how good she is not being crazy, evil, or possessed. She is sublime as the Queen Mum, almost a revelation. She is there to support and guide her husband, who stammers ferociously and has deep seated fears about communicating with his public. That’s where Geoffrey Rush comes in, as the real life speech therapist Lionel Logue. The scenes with three of these actors in them–Firth, Rush, and Bonham-Carter–are the actors’ scenes to beat in this awards season.

So it’s a relief to report on “The King’s Speech.” There’s none of that usual last minute gasping and wondering that has accompanied  Oscar level films in the last few years. It’s the first week of September, and there’s some great to look forward to for holiday release. For the Weinstein Company, “The King’s Speech” is the much needed hit–commercially and artistically– to lift them back into the winners’ circle.

And for Colin Firth, who came close last season with “A Single Man,” it looks like 2010 is really his year.

Is Oprah As Big as the Beatles Now? Kennedy Center Will Honor McCartney, Winfrey

Roger Friedman
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11
Is Oprah As Big as the Beatles Now? Kennedy Center Will Honor McCartney, Winfrey

Is Oprah as big as the Beatles? The Kennedy Center seems to think so. They’ve just announced their awards for this December, and the two big names are Paul McCartney and Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah, of course, gets this as part of her year long winner’s lap. Her show ends its run in May.

McCartney’s award is a long time coming. None of the Beatles are in the Kennedy Center. Obviously, John Lennon and George Harrison, sadly cannot be inducted. McCartney’s award represents his work and the work of the group, frankly. And this is his year for big honors. He was at the White House last spring to pick up the Gershwin Prize.

The other awardees this year are country legend Merle Haggard, choreographer Bill T. Jones, and, at long last, “Hello Dolly!” Broadway composer Jerry Herman.

Ironically, it was Herman’s hit song, “Hello Dolly!”–as recorded by Louis Armstrong–that fought the Beatles for the number 1 spot on the charts in 1964.  It would be very funny if producer George Stevens, Jr. got McCartney to sing “Hello Dolly!” at the show.

The Kennedy Center opted for no Hollywood names this year. Among some that were bandied about were Meryl Streep and George Lucas. Michael Douglas might have been a cool choice considering his illness, and that he’s having a banner year with “Wall Street 2” and “Solitary Man.”

In music, some fans were hopeful of an award for Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the legendary songwriting team. This is their 60 th anniversary. But there’s always next year.

Project Runway Host Tim Gunn Says His Father and J. Edgar Hoover May Have Been Lovers

Roger Friedman
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6
Project Runway Host Tim Gunn Says His Father and J. Edgar Hoover May Have Been Lovers

Yeah, I can’t believe it either.

But in a book published today by Project Runaway host Tim Gunn, the fashion expert says he thinks his father and J. Edgar Hoover were lovers.

Yup, that’s right. The book is called “Tim Gunn‘s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Lessons for Making it Work for You.”

Gunn writes that his father was a special FBI agent based in Washington. He was Hoover’s ghost writers of all his speeches and books.

“I have no proof and I’m going to say right now, my mother would deny it up and down, and so too would many biographers of Hoover. I’m likely just totally wrong about this. But…The men were incredibly repressed. So even if they were sleeping together you can bet they never would have admitted it, even to themselves. He would have really beaten it back. He certainly wanted to knock it out of me, literally.”

Gunn calls his father possibly a “big closet case” and notes that most of his FBI colleagues committed suicide. His father was the only one of his group who died a natural death. The wives, Gunn says, were “barely functioning alcoholics.”

I’ve never watched “Project Runway.” I know it’s popular. I don’t even really know who Tim Gunn is, or what he does. But god bless. This should get more people to tune in.

Elton John Petitions Rock Hall for Leon Russell Induction

Roger Friedman
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Elton John Petitions Rock Hall for Leon Russell Induction

You may wonder, what happened to our “friends” at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

They’re meeting on September 13th to have the annual fight over who will get onto the ballot and who won’t. As usual, it will be a slugfest between Jann Wenner‘s minions and the few independent voices left on the nominating committee.

I’m told that Leon Russell‘s chances have gotten a lot better since Elton John made an album with him and went on tour together. Elton has petitioned everyone on the nominating committee for Russell. His induction is long overdue. Russell is not only a seminal influence as a rocker, but he wrote some of the best pop songs ever including “A Song for You” and “This Masquerade.”

But that leaves a lot of question marks. Sting is eligible this year as a solo artist. He’s had had too many hits and influenced so much of the music business that he’s the only cinch.

From there things look bleak. Wenner and company have made a point of skipping over some key people from the late 70s to the mid 80s. Cyndi Lauper should be in. The Cars have been overlooked. Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler, as well.

Then there’s the holdovers from the 70s. Wenner bears everyone a grudge for something, so this group is hard to navigate. Chicago, Hall & Oates, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, The Moody Blues and Todd Rundgren are on that list.

Going backwards, there are a whole roster of important musicians and stars, many of whom are now gone including Billy Preston and Mary Wells.  Dionne Warwick, Chuck Wills, Chubby Checker. and so on. And let’s not forget Neil Diamond and Neil Sedaka.

Or, of course, the nominating committee can choose from a list of one hit wonders who first released albums in 1985. We love ’em but still: Fine Young Cannibals, til Tuesday, and Simply Red. If they’re not available, Pet Shop Boys are ready and waiting from last year.

And PS Isn’t it time for producers to be honored? Phil Ramone, Richard Perry, Richard Gottherer, Russ Titelman, Lenny Waronker, Tommy LiPuma, and posthumously Arif Mardin and Tom Dowd are just a few that come to mind.

Michael Jackson’s New Album: So Close And Yet, So Far Away

Roger Friedman
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Michael Jackson’s New Album: So Close And Yet, So Far Away

An album of Michael Jackson‘s unreleased music is still for a November release from Sony.

But really, among the insiders, no one knows what’s going to be on it. Or if it will be ready in time. The word is that Sony/Columbia Records chief Rob Stringer recently made a trip west to see what the heck is going on. It’s unclear what he found.

In the Jackson world, things are vaguer than ever on this subject.

My sources say there are different camps working on different tracks, and that at some point someone is going to have to make some decisions. One thing is for certain: no one is talking to Jackson’s long time engineer, Bruce Swedien, the man who actually knows what music is available from all his different sessions.

So producer Rodney Jerkins is working on a few tracks, I am told. Some of them may be from that group of songs Michael recorded with Eddie Cascio in his New Jersey home studio three summers ago.

On the other side, John McClain — Jackson’s co-executor and long time family friend– is said to be working on some songs with Michael’s brother Jackie Jackson. Jackie was recently put on the estate’s payroll as a family liaison. He’s said to be the “most reasonable” of the Jackson brothers, and the one with whom everyone gets along. Akon is also said to be working on one or two tracks.

But McClain is another issue. It was under his aegis that the unearthed song, “This Is It,” was produced and released as part of the movie and soundtrack of the same name. But the song wasn’t a hit. One listen to Paul Anka‘s version of it, live, and you see what could have been. Anka has another unreleased track in the Jackson archives.

But the clock is ticking: two months from a release date, and there’s no concept, title, artwork or marketing plan.

John Travolta Drops Extortion Case in Bahamas, But Has Other Problems

Roger Friedman
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6
John Travolta Drops Extortion Case in Bahamas, But Has Other Problems

John Travolta has dropped the extortion case in the Bahamas against two people he claimed were shaking him down for money for info about his late son Jett.

The original case ended essentially in a mistrial. Travolta would have had to return to the Bahamas and testify again about the two men who wanted $25 million from him. Otherwise, Travolta claimed, they were going to expose details and photographs about the last minutes of Jett’s life.

Now Travolta says he can’t put himself and his family (Kelly, little Ella Blue) through all of that again. So the men go free. End of story.

Meantime, the National Enquirer has Travolta on the front page with some wild claims and a terrible, terrible photograph. Coincidentally, the three main stories on this week’s Enquirer cover are all about famous Scientologists. The other two are Kirstie Alley, who had a reality show on A&E earlier this year; and Lisa Marie Presley.

But Travolta remains front and center this week, especially since it’s a surprise he decided not to go through and conclude the case for Jett. But perhaps he was afraid of what would come out this time. Last time around, Travolta was forced to admit — after 16 years of public denials–that Jett was autistic. It was revealed in a police report that Travolta fessed up to the Bahamian police about Jett’s true condition. For Jett’s whole life, the Travoltas maintained publicly that Jett suffered from something called Kawasaki Syndrome. It wasn’t true.

At the time of Jett’s death it was also revealed that his “manny” was a Tampa based wedding photographer named Jeff Kathrein. Six months earlier, Kathrein, a Scientologist, had taken a course called “NED Drug Rundown,” according the watchdog website www.truthaboutscientology.com. Kathrein’s wedding photos are good (www.kandkweddings.com) but it’s unclear what experience he had to be the caretaker of an autistic teenager who suffered from severe seizures. Kathrein did get a big break a couple of years ago when a photo portrait by him–of Kelly Preston–appeared in TV Guide.

“Mad Men”: Don Draper In Tears

Roger Friedman
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“Mad Men”: Don Draper In Tears

“Mad Men” — episode titled “The Suitcase” and written just by Matt Weiner was a winner and a return to form. A nearly all Don and Peggy episode, “The Suitcase”–Samsonite, for which the gang is trying to come up with an ad–is full of secrets (product placement?–urggggh). Don and Peggy shared secrets from the beginning, principally the one about her pregnancy. And tonight, Weiner decided to reconnect these two characters. Nicely done.

Mentions of New York places: The Palm (now a chain, and please don’t tell me that was product placement, too), The Forum of the Twelve Caesars, and Keane’s. The former was born the same year as this reporter and closed when I was 18. The latter is still in business on West 36th St., believe it or not, and as good as ever. I’m still waiting for a reference to Henry Stampler’s Filet Mignon, on Central Park West, and Elaine’s.

The Cassius Clay-Sonny Liston fight was a nice touch, too.

But it was all about Peggy’s story with Pete, the appearance again of his pregnant wife, and their secret of the baby that was given away.

At the same time, Don breaks down in tears at the news of Anna’s death. Jon Hamm got some good Emmy worth scenes in with a little drama. I liked his boxing routine.

First scene: Harry, who used the word “goniff” a couple of weeks ago, now making “Jew” jokes. This is why Roger’s wife’s cousin, Danny, was introduced–counterbalance to what now seems to be the underlying anti-Semitism. Rich Sommer sort of warned us about this last week at the Emmys. It’s getting ugly.

A major theme, though, is the alcoholism: Freddie’s return, Duck’s return, and now Don tossing his cookies violently. Only Roger Sterling’s jolly handling of the drink is kind of a sad comic effort to make it seem like nothing bad is happening. I just don’t want to see Don in AA. Not Don.

An ‘A’ outing.

“Law & Order CI” Could Bring Back Original Stars

Roger Friedman
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“Law & Order CI” Could Bring Back Original Stars

You may wonder whatever happened to “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”?

It was this column that reported the scandal when stars Vincent D’Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, and Eric Bogosian were all fired. Producer Dick Wolf was all set to make Jeff Goldblum the permanent star. He filmed one season with Goldblum and Saffron Burrows.

But then Jeff Goldblum quit. Surprise! He went back to movies and to theater. He’s currently appearing in London’s hit West End production of “The Prisoner of Second Avenue.” He has a small role in the current Jennifer Aniston movie, “The Switch.”

Meanwhile, the original “Law & Order” was cancelled, and Wolf started up “Law & Order Los Angeles,” or “LOLa,” as it’s known among insiders.

And “CI”? I’m told the new thinking is that D’Onofrio and Erbe will be asked back, if they haven’t been already. It’s impossible to bring back Bogosian because his character was killed off–unless it was all a dream. Maybe Bogosian, like Bobby Ewing, will return in a shower.

Even if D’Onofrio and Erbe return, sources say there is still no renewal from NBC and USA Studios. It could be NBC is waiting to see how their new shows pan out this fall before they send an order for episodes. Looking at their lineup, it would seem that “CI” should start shooting pretty soon.

American Idol: Randy Jackson in the Dark About New Judges

Roger Friedman
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American Idol: Randy Jackson in the Dark About New Judges

Say goodbye to Kara DioGuardi. Fox has sent out a press release saying she’s “stepping down” from her judgeship. We know she was fired, but heck, whatever.

DioGuardi will continue to have a great career as songwriter-producer.

Meanwhile, even though press reports keep insisting on Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler as the new judges to sit around Randy Jackson, I wouldn’t bet the farm on it. Sources tell me nothing has been decided, and that no one has told Jackson anything. “He was never even told about Kara,” says a source. Calls to Jackson were not were not returned. But the word is that he was not informed of DioGuardi’s official departure. And he knows as little as we do about who his fellow judges might be.

Jackson will remain with the show, however. “He has a contract,” says a source.

But every name is still in motion with executive producer Nigel Lythgoe. Remember Lythgoe told me in February that he wanted Elton John.

http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/03/11/20100311american-idol-producer-elton-still-best-simon-replacement

“He’s not going to get him,” says a source. Chris Isaak‘s name is still in the mix. Frankly, they’d be better off getting Gene Simmons, someone who has nothing to lose by being hard on the contestants. Tyler and Lopez will be hard pressed to make fun of people who are their fans in real life.

Lythgoe has two weeks or less to make his final decisions.

And this: there’s still a persistent rumor that Paula Abdul is being talked to endlessly about coming back. It’s hard to since she has a contract with CBS.

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