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Ken Starr’s Teen Daughters Sneaked Into Bail Hearing EXCLUSIVE

Roger Friedman
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Ken Starr’s Teen Daughters Sneaked Into Bail Hearing EXCLUSIVE

Jailed Hollywood money manager Ken Starr got a nice surprise yesterday: his teenage daughters managed to get into his bail hearing. They had a visit in the courtroom before bail was set for $10 million. None of the reporters in the courtroom or press outside realized the girls were there. In the courtroom they tried to hug their dad–whom they hadn’t seen since before his arrest on June 1st–but bailiffs reminded them there’s no physical contact with the prisoner.

Starr is being held in the Manhattan Correctional Center. He was indicted on 21 counts of fraud totaling at least $59 million. His clients included a galaxy of stars from Uma Thurman and Neil Simon to Courtney Sale Ross, Carly Simon, and Mike Nichols and Diane Sawyer.

Starr’s kids didn’t tell their mother, Marisa Vucci Starr, that they were going to the hearing. They told her they were visiting friends in the city. Instead, the girls, 17 and 15 years old, took the train in from Syosset and arrived with Starr’s current wife, Diane Passage, dressed in matching outfits picked from the closet of a friend. It’s unknown if they ‘fessed up once they got home.

And that’s not all that happened yesterday at the Starr hearing but was not reported anywhere. Only in this column.

Reports that Passage is “destitute” are completely incorrect. For the time being, she is still living in the $5.5 million condo Starr purchased in April right before his arrest. I am told that she has been fully cooperative with prosecutors in the case, as well.

If Starr were to raise his $10 million bail, he would not be returning to that apartment. Instead, Starr’s brothers have kept up the rent on the East 79th St. luxury rental where Ken and Diane lived until they moved into the condo. “It’s all ready for him,” says a source.

Yesterday’s hearing produced very little of news value. “Starr’s bail was always going to be $10 million.” says a source. “The $2 million figure offered by Flora Edwards [his defense attorney] was not realistic.”

Judge Shira Sheindlin–who has a reputation for being very hard-nosed–wasn’t so thrilled when she heard that the bail was going to include assets provided by Starr’s brothers including their houses. The brothers’ wives would be required to sign off on any agreements. And from what I’m told, that’s not going to happen.

(Ken Starr here pictured with Planet Hollywood owner Keith Barish. They each paid multi million settlements in a case settled before Starr was indicted to the estate of Joan Stanton.)

‘The Lion’ Sleeps Tonight

Roger Friedman
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‘The Lion’ Sleeps Tonight

Well, I waited. I never said a word about how truly horrible my visits to the new, “hip” restaurant The Lion had been. I held my tongue because the place was new, and hadn’t officially been reviewed. But I detested everything about it.

And now Sam Sifton, in the New York Times, has given The Lion one star and pretty much summed up its awfulness. I can’t say I’m surprised.

http://events.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/dining/reviews/28rest.html?hp

The Lion is an offshoot of the terrific Waverly Inn. Chef John DeLucie, who I like very much, decamped from the Waverly with two of its good customers: Dan Abrams, who is the legal analyst for the Today show, and Dave Zinczenko, of Men’s Health magazines and many books about how to get good abs.

They took over and gutted a very nice neighborhood restaurant in a town house on West Ninth Street that I can see from my living room windows. The restaurant was for many years called Bondini’s, and then just Village. The guys wanted to make it bigger and better than The Waverly. This seemed impossible.

In the spring, they held test dinners, a common practice. The meal is free, you just tip the waiter. But it was a disaster, My reservation–which I know I made–was not on the books. I was treated with hostility, and my guests were hungry. It was already after 9:30pm. There were no celebrities in the place, which is the hallmark of the Waverly. Every 15 minutes a new promise was made of a table. Each was a lie. We left, and went to the Waverly for dinner.

Two months later, a new attempt. A reservation was made. The four of us were ushered to a table in the bar area. They call this little space The Tavern. Well, it’s just a few tables packed into the bar. If you draw the table closest to the bar, you’re supposed to eat with the derrieres of barflies in your face. Or even worse, their gigantic hangbags. It’s very unpleasant. But no one associated with the joint cared. It’s hard to imagine they even heard our complaints. The Lion is the loudest place I’ve ever been in. I considered asking for the Cone of Silence, but no one was old enough to know what I was talking about.

Most obnoxious is the man who stands outside, perched on the steps in front of the Lion. He’s there to ask this question: “May I help you?” to those who might dare to approach the front door. If you say, I’m coming in for a drink, he responds, Do you have a reservation? If the answer is no, you’re told you’re not welcome. I’m not even sure if this is legal.

If this were going on in a dark back corner, away from crowds, it might be one thing. But The Lion and the Korean deli where I buy cat food and orange juice share a wall. Real world meets surreal world. Where the Waverly went out of its way to make the neighbors happy, the Lion is just a nuisance and headache. You don’t want to go in, and you wish Bondini’s would magically return.

And then of course, why would you go in? The noise level is horrid, there’s no space. And the customers are no draw: not famous, and not even interesting. It’s real estate brokers and hedge fund managers. The real stars are over at the Waverly, which hasn’t missed a beat. And the chicken pot pie is always good, even in the summer.

PS Had recent, four star meals at both Babbo and the Gotham Bar and Grill recently. Everything from service to food to atmosphere was beyond superlative. Babbo is hard to get in to, but well worth it. The Gotham is now a landmark. Who needs the tsuris of a place like the Lion?

CBS’s Take on “The View”: More of a Soap Opera than “World Turns”

Roger Friedman
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CBS’s Take on “The View”: More of a Soap Opera than “World Turns”

CBS–stupidly–is canceling 54 year old “As the World Turns.” They’re replacing it on September 20th with their own version of “The View.”

But this new show could be more of a soap than “World Turns” from what I hear.

The word inside is that there’s already trouble among the personalities hired to host this lame attempt at late afternoon chitchat. And this should get interesting. The ladies chosen for the show are Julie Chen as moderator, with Sharon Osbourne, Holly Robinson Peete, Sara Gilbert, Leah Remini, and Marisa Jaret Winokur. (Think about this: an Asian, a Jew, a Black, a Lesbian, a Scientologist, and a person who was on Broadway. Talk about demographics!)

The word is that Sharon Osbourne, who takes no prisoners and suffers no fools, is not so happy with Peete, with whom she just shared a season of “The Celebrity Apprentice.” Osbourne doesn’t have much use for Scientologist Leah Remini, either, from what I am told. Her alliances are with Chen and with Sara Gilbert, former “Rosenanne” actress and real life lesbian mom.

One insider to the still unnamed show told me: “I doubt it will run very long.” CBS is trading the stablity of five decades with “World Turns” for this potential daytime drama. Yikes.

Chen is the only member of this squad with news experience. I like Julie, but she suffers from charges of nepotism since she’s married to CBS chief Les Moonves. She now appears on the Early Show and hosts “Big Brother.” The joke at CBS is that she’s in line to get a “CSI” gig at this rate.

Remini should prove to be a big problem on the new show, especially if she starts espousing Scientology dogma about psychiatry and psychotropic drugs for children. Many of the mothers whom CBS hopes will watch have made hard decisions to give their ADHD children Ritalin. It’s a controversy in the making.

Will these gals get along? Or will the whole thing turn into the predicted unruly squabble? We’ll have to wait and see once the show debuts, but it sounds like it won’t take too long.

Sumner Redstone: Viacom Stock to TWO Young Women?

Roger Friedman
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Sumner Redstone: Viacom Stock to TWO Young Women?

There are reports today that Viacom chief Sumner Redstone gave about $100,000 in Viacom stock to a rocker chick in Los Angeles.

But I can tell you that another young lady, Rohini Singh, was the beneficiary of a Viacom stock sale six days later.

The Redstone gift giving has caused a firestorm in the business pages, gossip columns and blogs. Peter Lauria broke the first story in the Daily Beast online that Redstone had become smitten with an L.A. girl rock group called the Electric Barbarellas. He ordered MTV to start developing a show for them.

Redstone, according to Lauria, then tried to bribe the reporter to find out who snitched on him. Lauria had the bribe on tape, and played it.

Then came the news that Redstone had given Barbarellas singer Heather Naylor about $100,000 in stock last March. He must have really liked that group! That scoop came from the Hollywood Reporter’s dependable George Szalai.

But according to insider transactions filed for Viacom, an insider transaction was made by a Rohini Singh stock just a few days later. The amount of the transaction–registered on March 8, 2010–was $76.745 for 2,522 shares of class B Viacom stock.

It’s unclear where Naylor and Singh know each other. Actor Gregg Bello, pictured here with Singh, says he hasn’t seen Singh in about a year and that she’s not an actress. Singh’s Twitter account is shut down, although she’s following a bunch of celebrities and Hollywood types including Jennifer Meyer Maguire, jewelry designer wife of Toby Maguire.

Someone better tell the Viacom shareholders: stock, like miniskirts, is going up!

Madonna: No Malawi Concert, Perez Hilton Gets It Wrong

Roger Friedman
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Madonna: No Malawi Concert, Perez Hilton Gets It Wrong

Perez Hilton isn’t exactly known for his accurate reporting. Maybe his advertisers should start realizing this.

Anyway, Hilton announced on his site that Madonna was planning a Live Aid like concert for Malawi in September. Hundreds of websites picked this up, and now Madonna’s concert is all over the web.

Only problem: it’s not true. Perez was punk’d, or whatever. Fooled.

On the Raising Malawi website, they’ve posted a notice clearly stating that reports of a concert are FALSE.

For one thing, it’s unlikely Madonna’s planning a gigantic worldwide event in two months. She’s in the middle of shooting her movie, “W.E.”–her take on the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. For better or worse, she’ll be out of pocket for many months.

For another: rock stars would probably not do a big free show for Malawi, just one African country. Or for Raising Malawi, a not for profit organization that’s a front for Madonna’s Kabbalah Centre. Raising Malawi, as seen through tax documents, is tied to the Kabbalah Center in many ways. Just follow the little red string.

As for Perez, this is what’s wrong with the internet: inaccurate posts, not corrected, become some kind of ‘truth’ that can’t be expunged. They create massive web garbage that can’t be erased later. Readers beware.

Remember the Guy Who Hired Aerosmith, the Eagles, and other Rock Stars for a Party?

Roger Friedman
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0
Remember the Guy Who Hired Aerosmith, the Eagles, and other Rock Stars for a Party?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,177077,00.html

Nice New York Times story today on David H. Brooks. Ah, memories. Here’s my story from November 30, 2005. Everything old is new again!

Rock Stars’ Host Faces SEC Investigation

David H. Brooks, the man who laid out $10 million for his daughter’s bat mitzvah celebration, has been under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission since last year.

Brooks gained notoriety in the last couple of weeks when it was revealed he had hired Aerosmith, the Eagles, Stevie Nicks, 50 Cent, Ciara, Kenny G and Tom Petty to play at a party for his 13-year-old daughter this past weekend. Brooks took over the two floors of the Rainbow Room for the event, installing hi-tech sound and light equipment.

Many of the acts are managed by Irving Azoff and Howard Kaufman‘s powerful Los Angeles firm. But what reports of the lavish, over-the-top and some might say completely inappropriate party was who Brooks was, or what trouble he’s been in. It’s a lot.

He’s under a major SEC investigation, as I will report in a moment. That’s not all.

His company, DHB, as reported, is a defense contractor that makes bullet-proof vests for the Army. But what published stories did not report was that DHB is now and has been the subject of several class-action suits stemming from, among other things, a government recall of those bullet-proof vests.

In May, the Marine Corps recalled 5,277 combat vests made by a DHB’s subsidiary issued to troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Djibouti because of concerns that they failed a test to determine whether they could stop a bullet.

This occurred six months after DHB announced a $100 million contract with the Defense Department on Dec. 23, 2004. The contract, Brooks said at the time, could be worth as much as $500 million.

Coincidentally, Brooks and the insiders at his company sold off about $200 million worth of DHB stock between Nov. 29 and Dec. 29, 2004. Brooks, according to publicly available filings, sold about $186 million himself, not counting another $50 million in sales that had already been planned.

This seems curious to the outsider’s eye. Today, DHB sells around $4 a share on the AMEX. Recently, DHB Industries reported it lost $41.7 million in the third quarter of 2005, the result of special charges, stock compensation and research and development costs.

But things were a lot different one year ago today. In fall 2004, the stock began a sudden climb out of the $11-$12 range toward a high of $20. That’s where it was on Dec. 23, the same day as the press release announcing the $100 million contract. Brooks and co. had already begun a huge sell off a few days earlier culminating in an even bigger one on Dec. 27.

That’s how he was able to bring in Aerosmith and friends for his daughter’s party.

Ironically, though, the SEC investigation into DHB had already commenced before that. The company acknowledges being investigated at first for “certain related party transactions between the Company and affiliates of Mr. David H. Brooks (the Company’s Chief Executive Officer).”

But they acknowledge that since then, the investigation has widened to matters relating to the Company’s reporting and treatment of executive compensation (primarily relating to Brooks).
The SEC investigation also comes from investors learning that Brooks purchased parts for his products made by a company owned by his wife.

Meanwhile, Brooks has also been looking to become the Denise Rich of the Republican party. A quick check of political donations this year shows that Brooks contributed $25,000 this past June to the National Republican Senate Committee.

A spokesman for Brooks, Manuel Rubio, said the company did not comment on their stock price. As for the party, Rubio told me, “I prefer country music.”

Black Eyed Peas May Rest While Fergie Rocks for Soft Drink

Roger Friedman
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Black Eyed Peas May Rest While Fergie Rocks for Soft Drink

No group works or tours as much as the Black Eyed Peas. With a bunch of Grammys and hits on their resume, the Peas, with will.i.am and Fergie as leaders, seem to be everywhere. Right now they’re on a tour that takes them to the end of August in Canada.

But “I gotta feeling” things may be changing, and soon. Sources say that Fergie is about to announce a major endorsement deal with a soft drink company. The multi-multi-million dollar backer is likely to be Coca Cola. Last year, Fergie teamed up with Slash of Guns n Roses fame for a Coke commercial. Everyone’s guessing the new deal is with Coke too.

Meantime, will.i.am has been telling friends that he wants to take a break from the Peas soon. That announcement may come shortly as well. An insider says, “They’re not breaking up, but something is happening along those lines.” Will has other interests, including quite a few in technology.

If the Peas take a break, Fergie will have a lot of options. The 34 year old could have a baby with actor husband Josh Duhamel. Although they had a rocky start, the couple is said to be on an even keel at the moment. Fergie could also launch a second solo album; her first one was a smash hit. And then there’s Broadway and movies. Fergie’s rendition of “Be Italian” in the movie “Nine” was the breakout success of that movie. She has unlimited options.

Bill Clinton–Gaunt and UNDERWeight–Lifts Charity to $7.5 Mil Night

Roger Friedman
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Bill Clinton–Gaunt and UNDERWeight–Lifts Charity to $7.5 Mil Night

Bill Clinton‘s appearance at an A list celebrity charity event on Sunday night was a hit. But the 100o or so people who turned out for the 10th annual Starkey Hearing Foundation dinner couldn’t help but notice how unusually thin Clinton looked.

Clinton, always chided for being chubby, was so gaunt and underweight that his neck didn’t nearly fill out his starched white collar. His eyes and cheeks were sunken. And when he spoke, Clinton’s usually booming voice was a tad hoarse. As he spoke eloquently about volunteerism, Clinton’s mouth was clearly dry.

Nevertheless, Clinton’s appearance in St. Paul, Minnesota for amazing hands-on philanthropists Bill and Tani Austin helped Starkey raise $7.5 million for their round the world missions to fit every poor child and adult in the world with hearing aids. An impromptu auction for the highest bidder to win a day just tagging along with Clinton fetched $150,000.

Clinton not only spoke but arrived in time to hear many of the performers and stayed after his speech at the head table with Muhammad Ali, “Soul Man” Sam Moore, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. He got to watch Moore accept a humanitarian award from Starkey, given by Lou Ferrigno. Afterward Moore and a half dozen stars performed “Soul Man” with eight year child prodigy violinist Brianna Kahane. Clinton opened his remarks by saying how much Moore’s performance meant to him. “Unlike a lot of you, I remember when Soul Man was a hit.”

Other honorees for the evening included Steve Martin, who brought his bluegrass band. They put on a rousing show of banjo music and comedy, harking back to Martin’s days with the musicians who formed the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Also on the bill, for a show that lasted three or four hours, were Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the Canadian Tenors, Jordin Sparks, ageless comedian Norm Crosby, and a rousing finale by the Doobie Brothers.


In the audience, an electic crowd including Magic Johnson, Nancy Lieberman, songwriter Paul Williams, astronaut Scott Carpenter, actor Robert Loggia, Verne Troyer (Mini Me), many famous Minnesota pro athletes including Larry Fitzgerald, and Dennis Gilbert, the famed sports agent upon whom “Jerry Maguire” was modeled.

The only musician in the room who shied away from participating was Ozzy Osbourne, who’s taken a miraculous trip in the Way Back Machine. He looks younger than springtime. It’s extraordinary. But he and Sharon couldn’t have been nicer, or spicier.

As for Clinton, one explanation offered by an insider for his appearance: “He’s been in Haiti a lot, and he’s been exposed to dysentery and any number of things. He works constantly.” It’s hoped that he’ll have a few of his favorite milk shakes and get some rest before daughter Chelsea’s wedding on Saturday.

All pictures c2010 Showbiz411.com

Madonna’s Religion Has Warning for “Whistleblowers”

Roger Friedman
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Madonna’s Religion Has Warning for “Whistleblowers”

There it is, one of the the stranger things I’ve seen yet on a Federal tax filing for a religion.

On page 21 of the 2008-2009 Form 990 for the Research Center of Kabbalah, Madonna’s chosen religion, here is a proviso you won’t see so brazenly expressed anywhere else:

WRITTEN WHISTLE BLOWER AND DOCUMENT RETENTION AND DESTRUCTION POLICIES

The organization is in the process of developing written whistleblower and document retention and destruction policies which will be consistent with governance best practices and the organization’s operating policies.

So what are these operating policies? It’s not exactly common to see the word “whistleblower” associated with a real religion. But Kabbalah is a business, really, and religion second. They don’t want their secrets known, or exposed. This one statement sums up so beautifully what’s going on here. Kabbalah leader Karen Berg and her top adviser Muki Oppenheimer are said to be making changes that will take Kabbalah away from whatever roots it had.

The exact same thing is written on the Form 990 for Raising Malawi, the “charity” that’s just a front for the Kabbalah Center. Not only does Raising Malawi carry a warning about whistle-blowing, it also lists all the Kabbalah Center organizations, including its massive real estate holding company, as its affiliated groups.

How Will CNN Handle Eliot Spitzer Documentary?

Roger Friedman
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How Will CNN Handle Eliot Spitzer Documentary?

Alex Gibney‘s fine documentary about disgraced former New York governor Eliot Spitzer has a release date. Magnolia Films will send it into theaters on November 5th.

Remember: we saw “Client 9,” as it is officially titled now, a few months ago. It was the highlight of the Tribeca Film Festival.

But back then, last April, Spitzer didn’t have a deal for a nightly show on CNN. The show is all set and starts in the fall. How will they address this movie release? Gibney deftly recalls the whole episode that led up to Spitzer’s resignation, including interviews with the prostitutes and their bosses.

What’s really kooky about “Client 9” is Spitzer’s hubris: he’s interviewed for the film.

One young woman who’s basically a madam says in the film. “Vice took over virtue. He could not control himself.” This was the Governor of the State of New York. Now he’s been rewarded with a nightly talk show. But will Gibney and others from the movie be his guests? And how will CNN handle the inevitable blanketing of their shows with this material by Fox News?

Here’s a clip from CNN/Fortune magazine’s website–because yes, CNN, Spitzer’s  new employer, is actually powering the clips for Gibney’s film. That’s because Fortune writer Peter Elkind helped create the documentary to go with his book, called Rough Justice. Fortune, like CNN, is part of Time Warner.

http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2010/04/14/f_eliot_spitzer_elkind.fortune/

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