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Not So Lost Anymore: Some Stuff Finally Explained

Roger Friedman
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SPOILERS AHEAD

The black smoke monster is the Devil and also a nice man wearing a black Tommy Bahama silk shirt.

Jacob is Good, or God, and he wears a cream colored Tommy Bahama silk shirt. Sometimes the two guys get together and say enigmatic things to each other. They exchange gifts like small rocks and wine carafes.

Richard Alpert, named for the real life modern philosopher Ram Dass, was once known as Ricardo, lived in Spain, and was taken prisoner on a ship to the island in the South Seas in 1867. With little else to do, he agreed to become Jacob’s assistant. His remuneration? To live forever.

And so “Lost” finally explained much of its loony back story last night. We kind of knew it already, but it was great to see Nestor Carbonell self learn English to the point where he was using slang in a short time. Also, Ricardo had a hot wife, which is nice to know since he’s spent the next 150 years presumably without a date.

“Lost” doesn’t make sense, but as it winds down, it’s nice to see the loose threads coming together–sort of. Richard Alpert has always been the most mysterious figure in the show. It’s unclear if the writers knew who he was except that he lived forever and had the name. For what it’s worth, we now know as much about him as we ever will.

The only new question raised this week: where did all those Tommy Bahama shirts come from?

Woody Allen, “Robin Hood” Waiting for Word from Cannes

Roger Friedman
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The 2010 Cannes Film Festival is shaping up as a possible Hollywood-on-the Mediterranean event.

This is not a bad thing.

First up, I am told there is talk of Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” for opening night. The Russell Crowe-Cate Blanchett extravaganza plays like “Gladiator,” sources say, and could be Universal’s key to recovery.

The timing is good, too: Cannes opens on May 12th. “Robin Hood” opens the next day in many countries, and on Friday the 14th in the US.

Then there’s Woody Allen’s “You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger.” Woody apparently has screened the comedy with Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, and Antonio Banderas for the Cannes committee, and of course, it went well. France loves Woody! And this film is supposed to be a return to form, and very, very good.

Of course, we already know that Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps” is going to the Croisette. Warner Bros. changed its release from April to the fall to accomodate the festival. And Julian Schnabel’s “Miral” is a certainty there, too. There’s also talk of Terrence Malick’s “Tree of Life.”

A few good American films would definitely enliven the Cannes atmosphere. In recent years, “Che,” Synedoche,” and “Taking Woodstock” were incredible duds, and not what the US or the festival needed. The best case American film at Cannes is something like “Inglourious Basterds,” which was a critical and popular hit.

On the French front: Francois Ozon’s “Potiche” reunites a powerhouse pair–Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu. Sources say it may be ready in time for the festival. If so, that is really what Cannes is all about! Voila!

HBO Ready for Julianne Moore Close Up

Roger Friedman
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EXCLUSIVE!!!

(Have you noticed how every bit of minutiae out of Hollywood lately is being reported as an “exclusive”? It’s pretty funny since half the stuff is stolen from other places.)

Julianne Moore opens this Friday in Atom Egoyan’s “Chloe.” She almost came thisclose to an Oscar nomination for Tom Ford’s “A Single Man.”(She has four Oscar nominations already, so it’s ok.)

But Moore is desperately wanted, I am told, by HBO and “Chloe” writer Erin Cressida Wilson.

Wilson, whose credits include edgy treats like “Fur” and “Secretary,” is busy writing a pilot for a series at HBO. The main character is a woman in her early 40s who gets up and leaves her kids and husband. The ‘why’ would be the unraveling story. And Wilson wants Moore.

“I’m crossing my fingers,” Wilson told me recently over drinks in L.A. at the Four Seasons. “She can do anything.”

Moore, meantime, is just great as a woman who’s convinced her husband is having an affair in “Chloe.” Of course, like in any Egoyan movie, all it  not what it seems. A big twist makes “Chloe” the third head scratching thriller of the season, after “Shutter Island” and “The Ghost Writer.”

Moore plays a doctor so convincingly, you actually think she could diagnose your problems. When I told her that recently, she accepted the kudos. “I did feel very authoritative,” she laughed

Moore and director husband Bart Freundlich did take in Kristen Stewart in “The Runaways” last week at the Sunshine theater premiere. Stewart is in negotiations to star with Moore in Freundlich’s “Backwoods” this summer. And that’s exclusive!

Sting Will Rock Today Show’s Plaza for First Time

Roger Friedman
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If you’re a Sting fan, circle May 13th and 14th.

The former Police front man, I am told, is going to rock Rockefeller Plaza on Friday May 14th. Sting’s going to inaugurate the Today Show’s Summer Concert series on the Plaza.

He’ll have to stay up all night, though. On the prior evening, Sting and wife Trudie Styler will present their bi-annual Rainforest Foundation concert at Carnegie Hall (with a donors dinner at the Plaza Hotel). They’ve already signed up Elton John and Lady GaGa, as well as legend Shirley Bassey. More names will follow. But long time player James Taylor won’t be able to make it. He’s on tour this spring with Carole King.

All of this comes as Sting continues to sell out dates around the country for his concert hall tour.

The Rainforest Foundation celebrates its 21st birthday this year, and it’s been an amazing success. Despite efforts to denigrate it by naysayers, the Rainforest Foundation has collected and distributed millions and millions of dollars toward the preservation of indigenous people of the rainforests. The work spreads and spreads, too.

Styler has been particularly effective in bringing the tragedies of the rainforest to light: last year she was heavily involved in a much praised documentary called “Crude,” about how Chevron Oil has poisoned the water supply in Ecuador. Unlike you or I, she actually went there and helped bring water tanks with filters.

And just this past February, Sting returned to Brazil to visit old friends from the Rainforest–you can read it about at www.rainforestfoundation.org.

Jane Fonda Channels Famous Dad in ‘Grapes’ Opera

Roger Friedman
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Two time Oscar winner Jane Fonda got a chance to do something unusual and wonderful last night. She channeled the spirit of her Oscar winner dad, Henry Fonda.

“I could really feel his presence,” Jane said after her triumphal performance narrating the opera version of “The Grapes of Wrath,” at Carnegie Hall. The one time only show was presented with over 100 members of the Collegiate Chorale, a full orchestra, and several well known singers including Christine Ebersole, Nathan Gunn, Victoria Clark, and Stephen Pasquale.

Of course, Jane’s dad famously portrayed the main character, Tom Joad, in John Ford’s classic film from 1940. As Tom Joad, Henry Fonda gives maybe the most famous speech in motion picture history.

“They asked me to read the speech,” Jane said after taking several bows last night. “But I couldn’t do it. I just kept welling up.” Instead, the characters of Tom Joad and his mother sing a song called “I’ll Be There” that evokes the speech without its exact language.

The opera is full of other terrific songs including one sung by Victoria Clark called “No Innocence” that’s a show stopper. Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie’s work deserves a wider airing than one night only at Carnegie Hall. Luckily, several representatives of various opera companies were seen in the audience, as well as bold faced names such as record producer Richard Perry (Jane’s beau), Catherine Keener, David Hyde Pierce, Patricia Bosworth, and Carl Bernstein.

Whether “Grapes” gets another performance soon is unknown, but Fonda will return to the stage next winter when she brings her Tony nominated “33 Variations” to the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles.

She’ll miss working with Ebersole, though. “It’s like she has light shining from within,” said Jane of the “Grey Gardens” star.

Two time Oscar winner Jane Fonda got a chance to do something unusual and wonderful last night.

Link:
Jane Fonda Channels Famous Dad in ‘Grapes’ Opera

Addams Family Pre-Bway Opening A Smash

Roger Friedman
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The Broadway musical version of “The Addams Family” is a smash.

Last week, in previews, “The Addams Family”  had the second highest gross with $1,192,213–finishing just behind “Wicked” at #1 and just ahead of “The Lion King.” It hasn’t even opened, but the musical is doing business equal to those shows as well as  “Jersey Boys” and “Billy Elliot.”

Some theatre wags are thinking, Hurry, take in as much as you can. Because once the show opens on April 8th, all may change.

Indeed, “The Addams Family” has been plagued by problems. The pair of original directors was replaced by Jerry Zaks, even though the duo’s names are still in Playbill. Zaks remains a ghost-director.

Numbers have been cut, added, reworked, and moved around to try and help stars Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth make sense of their roles as Gomez and Morticia Adams.

Many theatergoers are wondering what exactly is up with Lane, who’s playing Gomez with a terrible and unnecessary Spanish accent. Lane, they say, has trouble lighting a fire with steamy Neuwirth. Remember: Gomez and Morticia always had a sexy relationship.

Neuwirth, on the other hand, is hot. And a new number added for her toward the end, a with a tango dance, finally shows off her dancer’s legs. Previously she spent the show dressed head to toe in Morticia’s trademark black shroud.

Broadway is rooting for “The Addams Family” for one good reason. If it’s a dud upon arrival, then “Memphis” becomes the default Best Musical of 2010. Yikes! This has been a great year for plays but a bad one for original musicals. All the talk has been about revivals like “A Little Night Music.”

Insiders who’ve seen “The Addams Family” tell me it needs to be more like the TV show or the movie, and less about death. “There’s a lot of talk about death,” said one ticket holder. “Too much.” The good news is that the role of Grandmama, played by Jackie Hoffman, may get softened some more. No one who’s seen the show has liked poor Grandmama’s coarse bathroom humor.

Fans of the show will be surprised, I am told, to see little Wednesday Addams grown up old enough to be in a kind of “Birdcage” scenario with the son of a “normal” couple played by Terrence Mann and Carolee Carmello. The latter pair are, at the same time, sort of like Brad and Janet from “Rocky Horror.”

On the plus side: there’s lots of praise for the set. But they still need to add, apparently, Lurch’s pull cord in the living room. And these immortal words: “You rang?”

Rosie’s New Show: What Daytime Has Been Waiting For

Roger Friedman
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Oprah’s leaving, so is Tyra. Martha Stewart is heading to the Hallmark Channel. Even my hero, Regis, is cutting back his work schedule.

What will happen to daytime TV? With soap operas on the wane, the day cannot consist solely of game shows and “reality.”

Enter Rosie.

As this column reported exclusively on Friday, Rosie O’Donnell is back. She’s lured former Warner syndication star Dick Robertson out of retirement, and he’s reunited with old partner Scott Carlin. Their new company will produce a new show for Rosie beginning in the fall of 2011.

There’s still no format decided on, but rest easy, kids: Rosie is not bringing FM radio to Television. Her show will more than likely be close to her old format, with lots of laughs and music. Certainly a component of it will reflect Rosie’s amazing charitable work. But that will be just the way Oprah does it, and the way Rosie herself handled it during her former and wildly successful show of years past.

What we won’t have: the shrill Rosie of “The View.” O’Donnell will be back in control, and not have to deal with political debates and backstabbing by co-hosts.

Knowing Rosie, if we’re all here in September 2011, her first guest will be Barbara Walters. Remember, I said it here first.

Reba McEntire: $900,000 for Lunch with Country Superstar

Roger Friedman
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I always liked Reba McEntire, but get this: on Saturday night in Phoenix, at the Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night concert and dinner, three bidders spent a total of $900,000 to have dinner with her.

The winners were Bill Austin, of the Starkey Hearing Foundation; Bob Parsons, of GoDaddy; and self made philanthropist Walter Scott, one of Warren Buffet’s childhood buddies.

Each spent $300,000 to have a meal with Reba, and presumably, her husband and manager Narvell Blackstock. Each of these men actually went to spent hundreds of thousands more during a live auction that raised, all told, over $5 million for research into Parkinson’s Disease.

There were plenty more exciting bids, including $70,000 to hear R&B legend Sam Moore sing his most famous hit, “Soul Man,” with Randy Jackson playing bass, and comedian Chris Tucker singing and goofing along.

Let me tell you: Chris Tucker does a very exact imitation of Michael Jackson doing “Billie Jean.” I am told he is very keen on playing an R&B great like Jackie Wilson or Otis Redding on the big screen. From the looks of it, he could do it. Brett Ratner, where are you?

Record producer and songwriter David Foster emceed the evening, the second in a row over the weekend, with more performances by Kris Kristofferson, Jessi Colter, Reba, comedienne Melissa Peterman, the Canadian Tenors, and a special appearance by Eagles front man Glenn Frey. The afterparty music was supplied by John Corbett and his band, with his beau, Bo Derek, dancing along. In the all star band: music greats Nathan East and Greg Phillinganes.

Others in the audience included baseball great Dave Winfield and stars like Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and women’s basketball great Nancy Lieberman. During the day on Saturday, by the way, the latter two had a one on one at a local basketball court. What was the score? “No score,” Larry said. “We were just having fun.”

Best quote of the night, from Glenn Frey, who told the audience: “Back in 1970, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther and I hit on every waitress at the Troubador. But they were only interested in one guy: Kris Kristofferson.”

As for Muhammad Ali: his Parkinson’s is severe. He can walk, with assistance, but tires easily. He does not speak very much at all, and remained silent throughout the presentation given by wife Lonnie. He is mostly attended to by Lonnie’s sister, who is his trusted caregiver. However, say friends: “His mind is all there.” Ali simply suffers from waging a war against Parkinson’s. But his Foundation is now world famous, and a cure gets closer and closer.

PS You can read all about the Foundation at www.celebrityfightnight.org. And for fans of Ali, there are two gorgeous color portraits of Ali, signed by the Champ, painted by the very talented artist Ludvic Saleh (www.ludvic.com), available at the silent auction online.

Country Superstars Serenade Muhammad Ali

Roger Friedman
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It takes a lot to get a legend like Kris Kristofferson to leave his happy home and make a rare appearance.

But the singer-songwriter-actor did just that last night in Phoenix, Arizona to play for the Greatest, Muhammad Ali.

Not only that: Kristofferson was joined on stage at a private dinner for 200 patrons of Ali’s Parkinson’s fund by Jessi Colter, widow of his late best friend Waylon Jennings. The pair sang a song Jennings wrote but never recorded for the Champ, and it brought tears to Ali’s eyes. There wasn’t a dry eye in the massive tent that was built on the grounds of the Marriott Desert Ridge.

Colter, of course, is also famous for her hits like “I’m Not Lisa.” Even though she’s off the circuit, she told me she couldn’t resist coming by for Ali. “Waylon wrote the song but he never got to perform it for anyone except the Champ,” she said.

But that wasn’t all: at this annual pre-Fight Night event, organizer Jimmy Walker wouldn’t let Kristofferson off the stage. Walker and emcee David Foster chided Kris to play “Me and Bobby McGee,” the big hit he wrote for Janis Joplin in 1970. Kristofferson obliged, and about a quarter way through, with Foster on piano, superstar Reba McEntire was pushed on stage to join them–without rehearsal!

Did she know the song? “Are you kidding?” Reba exclaimed when the show was over. “I’ve known it all my life. But they didn’t even tell me I’d be singing. Oh my!”

Reba is set to perform tonight at the big swanky Fight Night dinner along with “Soul Man” Sam Moore and a bunch of other stars including Chris Tucker, John Corbett and Bo Derek, Randy Jackson, and many others. And the big news: Kristofferson liked the first night so much, he’s staying for the second one!

Zach Braff: Scrubs Is Over

Roger Friedman
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“Scrubs” is scrubbing out.

So star Zach Braff told me at the premiere this week of the great new film, “The Runaways.”

Braff, who came with a beautiful blonde girlfriend named Taylor, said: “We had a good eight years. It’s over. With me, or without me.”

He praised the cast of “Scrubs Medical School,” the ninth season edition of the show which moved to ABC. But like many shows that had one off final seasons on different networks–”Scrubs” moved to ABC from NBC–it was a pale reminder of past successes.

Think of “Archie Bunker’s Place” or “Get Smart” after Max and 99 had twins. Ouch!

Bigger news is that Braff, a New Jersey native, is moving back to New York. And he’s working on a new script for a film to direct. His “Garden State” remains a favorite indie. It’s about time to put his JD character from “Scrubs” into retirement and move on.

So long “Scrubs.” We’ll see you in syndication!

More from “The Runaways” premiere shortly…

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