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Awards Week: Clooney, Streep, Eastwood Make the Rounds

Roger Friedman
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This commences Awards Week. It’s sort of the first round leading up to the Oscars, with the Broadcast Critics Association handing out the Critics Choice Awards on Friday (VH1, 8pm). And then on Sunday, the Hollywood Foreign Press passes out the Golden Globes (NBC, 8pm).

During the week, there are two significant awards to be addressed in New York. The more realistic one is from the New York Film Critics Circle. Tonight, they honor “The Hurt Locker,” director Kathryn Bigelow, Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Christoph Waltz and’Mo’Nique. The latter, who still doesn’t get it, won’t attend. “Precious” director Lee Daniels will accept for her. Even so, the New York Film Critics are simply that, the main reviewers in the most important city. The public doesn’t attend, and there are no membership fees.

Then on Tuesday night the National Board of Review tosses a gala. For $600, you can buy a ticket to this thing. The NBR will give an award or a citation to just about every movie that come out this year with the exception of “Precious.” (They tossed Gabby Sidibe “Breakthough Performance” as a bone but otherwise ignored it.) They are giving Clint Eastwood his annual award because his archivist, Jeanine Basinger, is on their board. Eastwood gets Best Director for “Invictus“’even though even the DGA didn’t include him this year, and “Invictus” has turned out to be a disappointment. That doesn’t stop the NBR!

Meryl Streep didn’t get Best Actress ‘ they gave it to Carey Mulligan of “An Education” ‘ but Meryl will be there because her movie, “It’s Complicated,” was given Best Ensemble. “Up” will get Best Animated Feature, so Disney will buy a table. But where does that leave Fox Searchlight’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox“? Fox Searchlight has no other nominees, which means “no table” to the NBR. So they’re giving Wes Anderson “Special Achievement in Filmmaking.” What is the special achievement? Isn’t “Mr. Fox” just another animated film? But doesn’t it also star ‘ wait for it ”George Clooney and Meryl Streep? And won’t they be there anyway? Eureka!

Jay/Conan In PR Mess of All Time

Roger Friedman
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Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien are in the worst PR mess of all time.

It almost doesn’t matter how they got here ‘ that’s another story ‘ but here’s how they can get out of it.

On Sunday, NBC cancelled the “Jay Leno Show,” which no one watched anyway. They’ve invited Jay back to 11:35 p.m.. That’s the “Tonight” show, no matter what they call it. Since Steven Allen started it in 1954, the “Tonight” show was broadcast at that hour after the local news. So Jay is back in charge, which only leaves one problem: Conan.

O’Brien signed on for the “Tonight” show. Under the new plan, he would essentially be doing his old show, only a half-hour earlier. He might ask, like us, what’s the point in that? In order to do the “Tonight” show, Conan and his staff had to leave New York after many years. Families were uprooted, there was a lot of upheaval.

The truth is, Conan was better suited to New York. He’s edgy and quirky. He’s smart. He has East Coast written all over him. In L.A., he’s a fish out of water. He’d be better off coming back, and restarting whatever he does from New York.

Interestingly, much of what’s happening is coming out of New York. This is where Jeff Zucker is, and this is where Lorne Michaels is. NBC has always been bipolar. The News Department, the Today show, and Saturday Night Live are on the East coast. Prime time television is on the West. Rarely did the twain meet. But Michaels also has “30 Rock” under his aegis, which has only increased his power on the West Coast. If anyone’s in a position to broker a peace and calm every one down, it’s him. He’s also got Jimmy Fallon to worry about. (Fallon joked last week that soon he’d be doing his show opposite infomercials.)

In the end, Conan may have no choice but to stay and do his best work at midnight. ABC doesn’t need him now, with “Nightline” flourishing again. Fox is a dicey choice; they’ve never had success in talk shows, from Joan Rivers to Chevy Chase to “The Wilton North Report.” They run local news at 10pm on most stations, followed by a half hour of syndicated reruns on local stations. By 11:30, their earlier, stronger audience from 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. has drifted off.

The real winners here are television production companies, and the dozens of actors who have been unemployed this season because NBC had no dramas at 10 p.m. All the hospital, doctor, and lawyer shows, cop shows, and nighttime soaps will now flood the banks of 10 p.m. There’s talk of yet another “Law & Order” ‘ “Law & Order: Altoona” is still to come ‘ set in Los Angeles.

Simon vs. Simon: Idol Will Soldier on Without Him

Roger Friedman
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120744 cowell simon fox 341x182 Simon vs. Simon: Idol Will Soldier on Without HimSo Simon Cowell is really leaving “American Idol.” How will we manage?

Two words: Just fine. “American Idol” is not dependent on its judges anyway. It’s all about the talent. The judges are merely trimming.

For years Simon has been abrasive and cruel. It won’t be hard to find a replacement. There are plenty of embittered former record execs dying to take that spot.

“AI” will be smart to rely more on Randy Jackson in the 2011 season. He’s a musician, a producer, and he’s signed acts to labels. Randy is like “AI’s” secret weapon. Notice how he stays out of the madness when Simon is fighting with this one and that one. Randy is the judge to whom everyone will turn once Simon is gone.

And my guess, take it for what you will: Paula will be back. “AI” is very publicity-mad about headlines. When Simon exits, it’s not out of whack to predict a huge Paula return. They will do it for consistency, if nothing else. And by that time, Ellen DeGeneres will be bored and return to her own show.

One guy they might try out this season, if only as a guest judge: Desmond Child. The songwriter-producer of many, many hits would be just professional enough and a little bit flamboyant. Like Kara DioGuardi, he has the resume. And anyway, how about a night of “Livin’ La Vida Loca” and “Dude Looks Like A Lady”?

Directors Guild Nails It � Their Noms Are the Top 5

Roger Friedman
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The Directors Guild nominations are out, and they’ve nailed it. The choices they made reflect what are certainly going to be the top five vote getters for the Oscars in Best Picture and Best Director.

The DGA chose Kathryn Bigelow, Lee Daniels, James Cameron, Jason Reitman, and Quentin Tarantino. Their respective films ‘ “The Hurt Locker,” “Precious,” “Avatar,” “Up in the Air,” and “Inglourious Basterds” ‘ were the ones I predicted would go the distance. If the Academy had only five Best Picture nominees this year, these would be the choices.

Who would be the runners up? As I said the other day, the Back five would be “Nine,” “An Education,” “Up,” “Invictus,” and “A Single Man.” Certainly, the combination of nominations from the Broadcast Critics and the Golden Globes would reflect that.

But good for the DGA for giving some authority to the season, and organizing what’s been a scattershot year of films into something cohesive.

Paul Allen’s Brave Fight Against Cancer Continues

Roger Friedman
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Mega-billionaire Paul Allen continues to battle cancer bravely.

Sources tell me he did indeed have his annual party aboard his yacht, Octopus, back on December 30th in St. Barth’s. But the party was scaled down to just about 150 people and not the usual 500. Allen, they say, had just finished a round of chemo for non Hodgkin’s lymphoma and wanted to celebrate.

As usual, Allen did manage to play some rock and roll with his house band. His good friend Jon Bon Jovi joined in at one point. Bon Jovi’s David Byron, who wrote the Broadway hit, “Memphis.” played keyboards. But one guest overheard Bon Jovi express surprise when he first saw Allen. The Microsoft co-founder is said to be quite thin, and has lost most of his hair during treatment.

Nevertheless, Allen did entertain a crowd that included his other music pal, Robbie Robertson, of The Band, as well as Usher, Orlando Bloom, George Lucas, Lorne Michaels, Larry Gagosian, and Bob Shaye. And, of course, lots of pretty girls.

Sources say Allen talked about fighting the cancer. He resigned from the board of Charter Communications last December, but said it was not health related.

“His friends rallied around him and convinced him he must live his life normally,” one guest’ told me. “Once he played with his band, he seemed to have a lot of energy and went around talking to everyone. It was good for him.”

Woody Allen Alum Gets Restless; “Knots Landing” Star Tackles Ephron

Roger Friedman
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…Michele Lee spent 14 years on “Knots Landing,” but now she’ll spend four weeks with sisters Nora and Delia Ephron. Lee opened last night in Ephron’s off Broadway hit, “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” with the play’s newest cast including Debra Monk, Tracey Ellis Ross, Casey Wilson, and Tony winner Katie Finneran. Michele plays the lead role of Gingie, the main character and sort of narrator in the Ephrons’ hilarious femlit recitation of shopping and living. This little staged reading at the WestSide Theater has become a mini hit, with famous actresses traipsing through it every month. This new group is pitch perfect, of course. Lee has just the right authority as Gingie, and keeps the four other ladies on track. Now, someone find Michele Lee ‘ former Tony nominee ‘ a musical already. But in the meantime, we can enjoy her here. P.S. Ross, a vet of sitcoms and the eldest daughter of Diana Ross, is a surprise hit here too.

…This is right out of believe it or not: Caroline Aaron, the great character actress who was featured in four Woody Allen classics, is toiling on a soap right now. (So is James Franco. Is this a trend, just as soaps are being cancelled?) Aaron was featured in Woody’s “Husbands and Wives,” “Alice,” “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” and “Deconstructing Henry.” She’s also one of the hardest working SAG members in town, appearing sort of everywhere all the time. Nevertheless, I just about did a spit take when I noticed she’s now playing a “Dog the Bounty Hunter” character on CBS’s “The Young and the Restless.” It’s totally out of character for her, but shows Aaron’s range. She’s great, and everyone in her scenes looks amused. Talk about inspired casting!…

X Factor in Conan/Jay Soap Opera: Lorne Michaels

Roger Friedman
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There are reports all over the place since yesterday about Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno. Their situation is a mess. One of them will have to go, or both of them will have to share the time slot from 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. on weeknights.

lorne conan X Factor in Conan/Jay Soap Opera: Lorne Michaels But here’s what everyone’s missing: Lorne Michaels is the guy behind Conan. Lorne, the executive producer of “Saturday Night Live,” has been a fixture at NBC longer than almost anyone ‘ since 1975. He handpicked Conan to replace David Letterman years ago, and was executive producer of “Late Night With Conan O’Brien.”

On top of that, Lorne is also the guy behind “30 Rock,” NBC’s biggest hit and award-winning comedy. How ironic: the hottest show on NBC is in the hands of a guy who lampoons the network on the show. And that same guy’s protege is in the middle of a network power struggle.

If NBC screws Conan in this battle, Michaels will not be a happy man. This is no small thing. His own contract with “SNL” runs through 2012. No one else can run that show. And it’s unlikely that “30 Rock” can run without him. Plus, Lorne is the exec producer of Jimmy Fallon’s “Late Night,” a show that would be severely affected if it had to be moved back to 1:05 a.m. from its current 12:35 a.m. start time.

It’s a quandary.

Some TV veterans made the argument to me last night that as much as everyone loves Jay Leno, he is now “damaged goods.” Putting him back at 11:35 is not the answer, they say. Conan was the choice for the future. Stick with it, they say. Leno, scorned and unhappy, will move on to ABC or Fox or syndication. His monologue last night ‘ that NBC stood for “Never Believe (your) Contract” ‘ shows that he gets what’s going on, and isn’t taking it lightly, either.

The good betting at NBC, though, never goes against Lorne Michaels. And if Conan and Jimmy are somehow hurt in this deal, it will be a surprise. Tina Fey is probably already writing an episode of “30 Rock” about it right now. Whatever happens, it won’t be pretty.

Exclusive: Actress Nicole Beharie Gives Back Award

Roger Friedman
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Nicole Beharie, the gifted actress from “American Violet,” has decided to return her award from the African American Film Critics.

She’s sent me this email via her publicist: “I’ve been informed that there was a disagreement over the AAFCA Best Actress Award.’ Because of the discrepancy, I am returning the award. Gabourey Sidibe is an extraordinary actress in a film that I absolutely loved.’ I wish her all the best.”

You may recall that on December 22, 2009 I wrote about the controversy within the AAFCA. Members of the group were furious because Gabourey Sidibe, of “Precious,” actually finished first on the majority of the ballots. For reasons that are unclear, the group’s chief, Gil Robertson, instead announced Beharie as the winner.

Apparently Beharie, who was just as much a victim in this as Sidibe, wrestled with this information for the last couple of weeks. I am told she simply felt it wasn’t right, and that after asking more questions, decided to return the award.

It’s a weird and sad story. But this is what often happens when these small awards groups go unchecked through their voting processes. I am also told that members of the AAFCA are so angry they are considering ditching Robertson and starting their own group. I wish them well.

Meanwhile, Nicole Beharie, who has many awards in her future, has just gone off to shoot a new movie.

Amy Adams Keeping Her Due Date Secret

Roger Friedman
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59230063One thing we know: Amy Adams is not having her baby on Leap Day because 2010 is not a leap year.

But the star of “Leap Year” is otherwise keeping secret the exact due date for the baby she’s having with fiancee actor Darren Le Gallo. “It’s in the spring.” she told me coyly, and said the same when Universal Pictures prez Ron Meyer asked too.

This is the new thing among the cool Hollywood stars. For example, I heard last night that Paul Rudd and his wife Julie had a second baby about two months ago. They never announced it, no one knows the name or the sex. “They’re not into publicizing it,” says a friend.

But Amy is otherwise looking about four and a half months gone, and she is radiant. The two time Oscar nominee was meeting and greeting last night at the premiere of “Leap Year.” But she, like many of the stars last night, was a little taken aback when a young reporter for a weekly mag asked them about “celebrity death” in regards to heiress Casey Johnson. Amy answered the questions politely, but some of the other celebs weren’t so pleased. The reporter, I’m told, was given the pitch out the door.

“Leap Year” was shot, panoramically, in Ireland by director Anand Tucker, the man who gave us the great film, “Hilary and Jackie.” And Ireland ‘ you can only imagine what fun it would be to shoot a movie there. Plenty of booze, right? “But I don’t drink,” Tucker told me. He didn’t have a sip. He’s half Indian, half German and a tee totaller, he explained. All the wrong people are sent to have fun!

Matthew Goode is Adams’s co-star, and most people weren’t sure who he was at first ‘ until they were reminded of “Match Point” and Matthew’s current turn in “A Single Man.” He’s won a whole new slew of admirers, including matchbox twenty rocker Rob Thomas and wife Marisol, who were both knocked out by him. “We each have a crush on him now,” said Marisol, Rob in the bromance way (no rumors please). Also on hand from the movie: actor Adam Scott, who’s also a favorite of the Thomases for his Starz TV series, “Party Down.” And of course, John Lithgow, who makes a memorable cameo in “Leap Year” as Amy’s down-at-heel dad. Lithgow can do anything!

There were plenty of other luminaries at the DGA Theater and later Rouge Tomate including Regis and Joy Philbin ‘‘Regis just back on the air after his hip surgery. You can scotch those rumors that he’s thinking of retiring. Not Regis. He’s more into his TV show than ever. Over the break, he and Joy told me, they watched a lot of films on screeners. What did they like? “Up in the Air” was their first choice. Also: “It’s Complicated.” But randomly taken from a pile of discs, “Humpday,” an indie film, was not popular in the Philbin home. No kidding!

P.S. Here’s a little gossip from the after party: coming soon to Broadway is a musical version of “Honeymoon in Vegas” written by Andrew Bergman with music and lyrics from Jason Robert Brown (”Parade”). Imagine a whole musical number of Elvis impersonators. This could be good. A workshop was performed recently and went well enough to proceed forward to a reality stage. As with all new shows, let’s hope it’s original, witty and a success!

Leona Lewis Music Better for “Precious” than “Avatar”

Roger Friedman
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I knew “Titanic.” “Avatar” is no “Titanic.”

Even though “Avatar” has made its much vaunted billion dollars around the world, fans of the 3D sci-fi spectacle are not wanting to take its music home.

Remember when James Cameron’s “Titanic” launched Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” up the charts to number 1? You couldn’t get away from the song or Celine pounding her heart with her fist.

Alas, Leona Lewis’s theme song from “Avatar” is atrocious, and, luckily, not getting any traction. So far the soundtrack album to “Avatar,” featuring the milquetoast new age music of James Horner, isn’t selling any copies. Only amazon.com has it listed, at number 20. Otherwise, the “Avatar” CD is not a factor in the music sales since its release on December 15th.

As well, the Lewis single, “I See You,” has failed to attract much attention from anyone. And that’s just as well. Lewis is a great singer, and has her own hit album and single out right now. “I See You” is a bland example of her soulful work. For a better example of Leona Lewis, try “Happy.”’

And here’s an irony: even though “I See You” hasn’t done much for “Avatar,” Lewis has helped out another, more Oscar prone movie. “Happy” is used in the TV ads and trailers for “Precious.” So there.

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