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Aretha Franklin: New Album, Movie, and (Successful) Diet

Roger Friedman
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Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul, is on a roll.

She’s lost 23 pounds on a new, healthy diet and she looks fantastic. “I’m working on the next 23,” she declared backstage last night at City Center where the Queen sang her signature hit, “Respect,” for Good Housekeeping magazine’s 125th anniversary show.

Not only was Aretha a vision in a white gown specially designed for her new slimmed down figure, but she had lots of other news. Her new album, the first in seven years, is coming to us in May via WalMart. “A Woman Falling Out of Love” was produced by Franklin with Bebe Winans and Gordon Chambers. Aretha told me she wrote two of the songs–she is always her best composer–and the album features a duet with the amazing Karen Clark, of the Clark Sisters.

Isn’t that enough?

Yesterday, the Queen of Soul huddled with two different Oscar caliber directors about turning her autobiography into a movie. It’s really going to happen. And the big names are being mentioned, like maybe Denzel Washington to play the famous Reverend C.L. Franklin, Aretha’s dad, and any number of actresses–from Halle Berry to Jennifer Hudson– to play Miss Aretha. Of course, Aretha’s incredible sisters, Carolyn and Erma, will be represented as well. (I did suggest that Miss Franklin check out Viola Davis for her movie, too.)

Franklin was in fine voice last night,too, although she said she could hear “cracks.” Her back up singers included two of my pals, the great Vaneese Thomas (sister of Carla, daughter of Rufus) whose parents were married by Reverend Franklin, and Fonzie Thornton, of the original Chic (with Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards and yes, Luther Vandross).

‘Aretha was the biggest star maybe but not the only one at GH’s star-studded event. She was actually introduced by no less than Candice Bergen. The other performer of the night, Meryl Streep, got her introduction from Nora Ephron, who in turn was brought to the stage by Liz Smith. (Meryl gave a recitation from a speech by Susan B. Anthony.) Brooke Shields was a very charming emcee, while Broadway’s Laura Benanti and Kelly O’Hara opened the night with a fully produced song and dance number. No, those Hearst types didn’t hold back a penny!

Other notables included Marlo Thomas (who appeared with a rejuvenated Miss Piggy), Martha Stewart, Jessica Simpson, Hillary Duff, Gayle King, Kristen Bell, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Ann Hampton Calloway (who sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”) and the effortlessly funny Sarah Jones. And our very own Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney was there, too–she’s helping make a National Women’s History Museum a reality in Washington, DC on the Mall (http://www.nwhm.org/).

PS Kudos to my pal Liz Smith — she gave hilarious speech and was in top form. She said that she loved getting scoops and had been on plenty of “hit” lists–Frank Sinatra and Donald Trump’s each–but that she had always endeavored to write gossip in a flattering way. She did, she has, she does, and I sure wish the glut of what passes for gossip today took a page from her book. That’s how you achieve longevity in this biz.

Conan Going to TBS, Full of Surprises in Meantime

Roger Friedman
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Conan O’Brien is heading to TBS in September for his late night talk show. It’s a surprise, since the trades kept predicting a Fox show in no time.

But I told you months ago, when the Conan-Jay scuffle was underway, that Fox had problems clearing stations. Their network goes off the air at 10pm. After that, it’s syndication. Their stations make too much money showing comedy reruns. And Fox might not have such a sense of humor about O’Brien’s politics.

Tonight Conan starts his live tour, so the announcement is well timed. The live shows are full of surprise guests in every city. The Conan people are going to work hard to keep the guests a secret, but I am sure some of it will leak out. By the time Conan gets to New York on June 1st, there should be Coco hysteria.

Also, I wouldn’t bet the farm, but maybe the barns: the New York shows are sure to have some involvement with Bruce Springsteen. We’ll wait and see.

Justin Bieber Private Show: Girl Faints, Singer Is So So

Roger Friedman
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Justin Bieber put on a private show last night at the Highline Ballroom in New York City.

The 16 year old passing fad — or Leif Garret 2010 — is an inexplicable teen sensation. Consequently, one girl–exactly one–fainted before the show started. She is okay, however.

As for Bieber, fresh from his performance on “Saturday Night Live,” he worked the crowd of youngsters into a screaming frenzy. When you’re screaming, you can’t hear anything. It’s just as well. Bieber is no Sinatra, let alone a Timberlake.

My eyewitness reports: “He covers other people’s songs, and he can’t really sing.”

The latter more or less confirms my own impression of the Beeb from the taping of “We Are the World 2″ last February. When it was his turn to do his solo in the booth, the voice cracked. Those of us watching on the closed circuit were more than surprised. He is also height challenged for a 16 year old.

Anyway, after the show Justin twittered to his fans, all 1.8 million of them. (Yes, this is the new teen phenom, the male Britney.) He wrote, with exclamation: “Oprah is looking for my Biggest fans!” (The capital B is his.)

Indeed, over on Oprah.com, the website says that “Justin Bieber is the hottest teen star of our time!” She is absolutely looking for his biggest fans, including those who’ve built shrines to him.

Also, after his private show, he alerted fans: “taking a moment 2 listen to MY WORLD 2.0 – I really am proud of this album. 1st time this week I’ve been able to chill and just listen 2 it.”

That’s so great. And he still had time to do homework, I’m sure.

Elvis Is in the Building at Million Dollar Quartet

Roger Friedman
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Elvis is back; did he ever leave?

Last night, Mr. Presley arrived on Broadway along with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis. “Million Dollar Quartet” is the story of heir one day reunion at Sun Records in Memphis on December 4, 1956. They’d all started at Sun with Sam Phillips, and on that day they met for the last time.

This Broadway show doesn’t have much of a story. The guys meet, and Cash has something to tell Phillips. Otherwise, there isn’t much information. It’s just the most enjoyable jam session ever, with the four guys playing their rockabilly hits, and giving a feel for what it must have been like to invent rock and roll. (They are missing Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison, Little Richard and Ike Turner, but it’s ok. That could be the sequel.

The performers are better than expected. They really put on a show, singing and playing their own instruments. Every show is different, too. They improvise, and invent the concert as it unravels. Lance Guest–who once was a regular on “Lou Grant” is well known for starring in “The Last Starfighter”–is super as Johnny Cash. Levi Kreis — a full time musician–just about steals the show as Jerry Lee; he does the wild man proud on those keys, to say nothing of playing with elbows and shoes. Eddie Clendening is a smart Elvis, keeping away from impersonation. And Robert Britton Lyons makes Carl Perkins, maybe the least well known of the four, a real person.

Sam Phillips (played by Hunter Foster) was a music industry icon, so the heavy guns were out last night. Paul Shaffer and wife Kathy were there, plus “Law & Order” star Tamara Tunie, famed record producer Phil Ramone and former head of NARAS Michael Greene. The show got a big sponsorship from Gibson Guitars, too, which parked an enormous bus covered with their logo across the street from the Nederlander Theater on West 41st St.

Liza With a Z Visits Valerie with an R (“Rhoda”) on Broadway

Roger Friedman
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Friday night on Broadway: Liza Minnelli and pal Michael Feinstein visited Valerie Harper backstage after one of her last performances in the play, “Looped.” Harper makes for a marvelous Tallulah Bankhead, the celebrity actress of the 40s, 50s, and 60s who boozed, drugged, and slept her way back and forth between Hollywood and Broadway.Bankhead was the original bad girl, Paris, Lindsay, and Britney all rolled into one.

Harper is really brilliant and never a caricature as she portrays the star in her waning days. She deserves a Tony nomination for her excellent work. She is a comic assassin, able to deliver devastating lines and keep moving. While the play isn’t perfect, Harper is riveting. I hope the Tony committee doesn’t write her off as “Rhoda” from TV come to impress on Broadway. She’s too good not to be taken seriously.

Minnelli and Feinstein were wowed and told Harper so. But I winced a little since much of Tallulah’s life seemed similar to Minnelli’s. She was a good sport about it, though, and in fine form following knee replacement surgery from January.

Why is “Looped” closing? The word is a backer backed out at the last minute. It’s too bad. This show should move to off Broadway, like the Lucille Lortel downtown. It could run forever with lower overhead. The Friday night house was sold out…

Dixie Carter: One Degree to Sean Penn

Roger Friedman
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Sad, sad news on Saturday night that Dixie Carter has passed away. The 70 year old actress, famous for starring in “Designing Women,” was elegant, eloquent, and fun. She will be missed.

There’s no word yet on how she died, but it is interesting that there are no pictures of Dixie on WireImage or Getty Images after her appearance at the 2008 Academy Awards. Her husband, Hal Holbrook, was nominated for his role in “Into the Wild.”

Carter and Holbrook recently appeared together in “That Evening Sun,” an independent movie that got nice notices last year. There is scant sign of them having done any publicity for it.

But Carter was very much behind Holbrook when he was nominated for “Into the Wild.” And they told me a great story. When they met in 1981, it was on a film called “The Killing of Randy Webster,” in 1981. Sean Penn was a 21 year old actor on the film.

“It was just about his first job ever,” Holbrook told me. “We loved him. He was always watching what everyone was doing, studying it. When we got home, he sent us a letter, thanking us and telling us how much the experience meant to him. No one does that!

“So when the script for ‘Into the Wild’ came, he just sent a note and said, ‘It would be great if you’re not busy. I hope you can do this.’ I called him right away and said, ‘Even if I were busy with something, I’d cancel it.’ I reminded him about the letter. And he said he’d been waiting all this time to find the right thing.’”

Carter was there, telling me the story along with Holbrook. Her eyes sparkled as she remembered it. A great lady, a great couple.

PS Not to take anything away from Hal Holbrook, to whom Carter was married for 26 years. But her first husband was multi millionaire Arthur Carter, who went on to own the New York Observer. They had two daughters. Her second husband, for two years, was Broadway star George Hearn. What a life!

Date Night A Hit: People Will Watch TV at the Movies

Roger Friedman
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People will watch TV in movie theaters.

That’s what we learn today as “Date Night,” featuring TV stars Steve Carell and Tina Fey, had a huge Friday night. The Fox comedy took in $9.3 million according to boxofficemojo.com, and could reap a $28 million weekend.

Considering that the tepid comedy cost $55 million or so, “Date Night” will earn out nicely. Expect sequels as the studio milks Carell and Fey’s chemistry over and over.

The success of “Date Night” is also good for The Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am. Profiled on Friday in the Wall Street Journal as the most commercial pop star on the scene, the savvy marketer is also featured in “Date Night.” He plays himself, and gets several shout outs concerning his name. It’s a huge product placement. Ironically, the Journal story didn’t mention the “Date Night” connection, even though the paper and studio share an owner.

It’s also good for “Big Love” HBO star Jeanne Tripplehorn, who gets the best shout out of her career in the film as well.

Universal must be kicking itself since Carell and Fey’s shows air on NBC Universal and their film is with Fox. But the movie’s success can only be good for the TV shows. And, with the unlikeliness of sitcom star Kevin James going into movies, there’s more than ever a movie audience of TV watchers. Maybe the next “Date Night” will be in 3D!!

Mel Gibson Divorce: There’s Cash for Robyn

Roger Friedman
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Mel Gibson

TMZ has a strange item this morning. They say Mel Gibson has no cash for soon to be ex wife Robyn. All his money is tied up in property.

Not really, Robyn.

Someone should tell Mrs. Gibson that after 25 years and 7 kids, there is some money.

According to a federal tax filing, Mel parked over $6 mil cash in his A. P. Reilly Foundation in 2008. That donation brought the total assets of A. P. Reilly to $50 million. The filing for 2009 isn’t available yet.

The Foundation is designed to run Mel’s Holy Family church in Agoura Hills. The private church sits on a very desirable piece of land.

And guess who the unpaid Vice President is of A. P. Reilly according to tax documents going back for several years? Why, it’s Robyn Gibson.

Every year of its existence, Mel has made a substantial cash donation to A. P. Reilly, even though it can’t possibly take that much money to support a church that has only 70 members. Maybe this year, Mel can give Robyn the cash and the church can have a bake sale…

Epatha Rep Says Law and Order Decision Final; True Blood Stars Re-up

Roger Friedman
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Yesterday I told you that insiders at “Law & Order” really feel that S. Epatha Merkerson will sign a new contract. She said previously that she was leaving. Her rep told me yesterday that she’s really, really leaving. “It’s not a contract ploy,” he says. Somehow, I still think she’ll be persuaded to stay for one last record breaking season. That is, if Dick Wolf doesn’t kill off her character at the end of this season…

…And I hear the folks at HBO had to ante up “a lot” to get the cast of “True Blood” back for its next season. No, Anna Paquin won’t be paid twice since she announced she’s bi-sexual…

…We know that Matthew Rhys re-signed for another season of “Brothers & Sisters,” as did other cast members. But will ABC renew the show? The ratings are terrible, and the show is simply adrift. What could have been “Knots Landing” meets “thirtysomething” has lost all focus. They should try and get the creator, Jon Robin Baitz, back on board. Especially embarrassing is the waste this season of Rachel Griffiths on an idiotic story line involving a French stud boyfriend…

Here in New York, we lost something special last week: the Joey Reynolds show on WOR Radio. WOR Radio has really become a creepy outpost for right wing conservative radio buoyed by commercials for wacko products. There’s nothing entertaining about listening to hate-filled Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, and even John Gambling III (who has really gone ’round the bend since returning to the station after an 8 year absence) rant on and on. Now the once great station has canned the lovable Reynolds for syndicated George Noory, who talks every night about UFOs, ESP, and cosmic happenings. Reynolds gave the station a heart and soul, now something it lacks sorely other than New York institution Joan Hamburg. I sure hope Joey lands somewhere soon. He knew that New Yorkers have no time for space ship watching. We’ve got real stuff to do…

Will “The Addams Family” Be Critic Proof?

Roger Friedman
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It was a long time coming, but “The Addams Family” opened last night on Broadway. The reviews are scathing, and the question is: Can a show with millions in pre-sales overcome the critics?

“The Addams Family” took in nearly $1.4 million last week in previews. It was third at the box office behind “Wicked” and “The Lion King.” A new show, not even opened, such a hit? It’s never happened before.

You could see why at last night’s premiere. Stars Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth were met with adulatory applause from an audience that was part celebrity and part real people. Among the stars who showed: Matthew Broderick (with a bodyguard no less) plus Bob and Lynne Balaban, Nora Ephron and Nick Pileggi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Hoda Kodb, Tony Roberts, Tova Feldshuh, and “Ray” director Taylor Hackford.

The crowd loved the show, as did the “real” audience I saw it with a couple of weeks ago. But “The Addams Family” is taking a drubbing from theater critics. And they’re right. The show is a mess, from top to bottom. The songs by Andrew Lippa are so awful that one of them includes a comedy line about “Schindler’s List.” Ouch! What was Lippa thinking? The songs do nothing to drive the story along; many of them are just self contained, with terrible lyrics. A couple of them sound like Meat Loaf’s cast offs.

And then there’s the script: it is baffling how this slight plot line mirrors a movie in which Nathan Lane once starred: “The Birdcage.” In this version, Wednesday Addams is now more Marilyn Munster, the “normal” member of an odd family. She wants to marry a normal boy and so invites his normal family to dinner. Sound familiar? Soon this conservative Ohio couple (Terrance Mann, Carolee Carmello) are loosening up and getting wild.

“The Addams Family” grinds to a halt somewhere in there. I particularly objected to the constant references to death and love of it; the Addamses are obsessed with it, but nothing explains why or who they are. And in this version, their mansoleum of a mansion is planted in Central Park. Huh? Cousin It is seen in passing, and Grandmama (Jackie Hoffman) is the most annoying character on Broadway in many seasons.

But still: the audience wants to see this show. It various flaws will matter not, I think, to the average theatergoer. No Tony’s for the show, book or score unless the committee takes one of Grandmama’s potions before voting. But the actors will be nominated, and that should give it some help. My guess is “The Addams Family” runs for as long as Lane and Neuwirth can stand it, or need the paycheck.

And they are the pleasures of seeing the show. Lane is full of shtick. Neuwirth is quintessential Morticia even though they haven’t given her enough to do. You really have to wait into Act 2 to see Neuwirth, the former star of “Chicago,” show her stuff. She’s worth the price of admission.

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