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Rolling Stone: Rock Hall Now ‘Bonosteen’ Hall of Fame

Roger Friedman
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Rolling Stone is owned by Jann Wenner and so is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So it should come as no surprise that the new issue of Rolling Stone ‘ now shrunk to the proportionate size of its owner ‘ is a sad reflection of the Hall’s shortcomings on the occasion of its 25th anniversary

Let’s start on the cover: Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Mick Jagger. Jagger wasn’t even one of the hosts of the anniversary shows last month. Stevie Wonder was; there’s only one feature sized photo of him in the issue, and that’s with Smokey Robinson.

But there are roughly eleven ‘ 11 ‘ photos of Springsteen including the cover, nine ‘ 9 ‘ of Bono, and eight ‘ 8 ‘ of Jagger in the special issue.

Sting played on two nights as a favor to the Hall and to Jeff Beck, and got one small black and white picture. Similarly, Ray Davies of the Kinks, Annie Lennox, BB King, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Dion DiMucci, Darlene Love ‘‘each got next to nothing. ‘, who has nothing to do with the Rock Hall except that she’s pals with Jann Wenner, got herself a bigger picture than anyone. I do not recall seeing her on stage.

There’s a tiny picture of guess what ‘ the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland ‘ buried in the back of the magazine.

The magazine should now be called “Bonography.” Or “Bruuuce.”’ Both it and the Hall of Fame are over, frankly. Rolling Stone long ago ‘ like at least 1990 ‘ ceased to be of interest to anyone, or important to the world of rock music. It’s now small and poorly thought out it’s a shadow of its former self ‘ the RS of Chet Flippo, Ben Fong Torres, Jon Landau, Cameron Crowe, etc. (What ever happened to Parke Puterbaugh?)

As for the Hall of Fame, it’s a joke. It’s time to stop inducting people, close shop, seal off the voting process, and just raise money to keep the facility going. The shows on October 29 and 30th should have been the farewell. I went to the first show, and it was mostly a dull affair. To see Stevie Wonder excluded from the cover of Rolling Stone after the yeoman service he gave is an utter embarrassment. Publisher Wenner’s pandering to friends and associates is just a direct violation of whatever pact he made with his reading public back in 1967.

As for the abundance of redundant photos: they’re not Bono, Bruce, or Mick’s fault. But it’s just pathetic. Those three are the first to give credit to the real creators of rock, R&B, rockabilly, whatever. They know that Jerry Lee Lewis only opened the shows each night was because his benefactor, Steve Bing, underwrote him. (Thanks, Steve.) Little Richard and Chuck Berry weren’t so lucky. Neither was Chubby Checker. They know Wenner’s total disingenuousness. I am sure Bono, Bruce, and Mick are laughing as they page through this slip of a publication. Rolling Stone is now nothing but the historic record of Jann Wenner, nothing more.

P.S. I am told that writers of pieces that were “rerun” in this issue weren’t even paid. Rolling Stone considers itself the lifelong owner of its old stories. I wonder if Wenner would have tried to pull that stuff with Hunter S. Thompson or Ralph J. Gleason.

After this, I can’t wait to see the TV special edited down to four hours for HBO. If Rolling Stone is any indication, you can guess what we’re going to see.

Scratch “Spider-Man” For Tonys 2010; Add “Ragtime”

Roger Friedman
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Broadway news:

The revival of “Ragtime” on Broadway last night was one of those monumental events that no one will ever forget. It’s a hit, a total success, and a beautiful, entertaining important piece of art. See it, buy tickets for it; this “Ragtime” is headed to next June’s Tony Awards.

However: “Spider Man: Turn of the Dark” is not. I am told by insiders that it won’t open before August. It will miss the Tony deadline and the Tony Awards and the Jewish holiday of’ Tisha B’av, which starts on July 19, 2010. I use that as an example because no one ever knows when Tisha B’av comes, and we always say, “That will happen Next Tisha B’av.” But “Spider-Man” will not happen by then.

The word from a source who knows about the $45 million budget: “The money is there, but we haven’t seen it. We’ve heard about it.” The feeling they say is that U2 and Bono will have more of a role in the show since it’s their music. Producers Jim Stern and Norton Herrick’s names are still in the mix; so is Michael Cohl’s.

This has to be a real blow to stars Alan Cumming and Evan Rachel Wood. They are now in limbo for months when they could be taking film roles. Each is always in demand.

More Broadway news: it should be announced today that Will Smith and Jay Z are putting some big bucks into “Fela!’ opening a week from tonight. “Fela” was a huge hit off Broadway. Now it can have a real life uptown. Hooray!

As for “Ragtime”: it has no stars, but a cast of mostly Broadway newcomers who last night wowed Senate Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Barney Frank, Senator Frank Lautenberg, and Montego Glover of “Memphis” fame (why hasn’t this powerhouse potential R&B diva been signed to a record label already?), Jason Alexander, Richard Kind, Doris Roberts, Tovah Feldshuh and Kathie Lee Gifford among others.

“Ragtime” was not a hit when it opened on Broadway in January 1998. It played two years, had a lackluster reaction, and faded out.

But the new “Ragtime” is supercharged, passionate, and timely. I don’t think anyone’s seen such a turnaround in fortunes for a musical since “Chicago” was revived. Certainly, the great writer E.L. Doctorow ‘ upon whose classic novel the musical is based ‘ was the most enthused about this new version.

The funny thing is, the original version had real Broadway stars ”Brian Stokes Mitchell, Marin Mazzie, Judy Kaye, and Audra McDonald. But it had no soul for some reason. These things are all about chemistry, aren’t they?

The new “Ragtime” may be more resonant because, set in 1902, the story is about the end of an era, or many eras. You can feel the uncertainty in the air. And that change ‘ or those changes ‘ feel a lot like the traumas of 2009. Things are happening, no one’s sure what, or if it will work out. Certainly, Senator Pelosi, who was sitting across the aisle, could relate to that. She’s the shepherd of changes that some people are resisting out of fear ‘ just like Father, the “Ragtime” character who is watching his patrician America give way to immigrants from Europe and “negroes.” Nothing will ever be the same. As such, the story of “Ragtime” ends with a glimpse of World War I, the biggest change ever.

Names to remember for the Tonys: Quentin Earl Darrington as Coalhouse Walker; Christiane Noll as Mother; Robert Petkoff as Tateh; Bobby Steggert as Mother’s Younger Brother; Stephanie Umoh as Sarah; Ron Bohmer as Father. Last night no one had ever heard of them. Today, they’re stars. So too is director/choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge, who also makes her wildly successful Broadway debut running a show. And just to give you an idea of how much peace and love was spread by “Ragtime,” I caught the Nederlanders and the Shubert all eating together at the Tavern on the Green after party!

P.S. Montego Glover and Queen Latifah join a bunch of stars next Monday for Rosie O’Donnell’s annual don’t-miss fundraiser for her Broadway Kids.

“Seinfeld”: Jerry and Elaine Have a Child Together!

Roger Friedman
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Wait! What was that? On last night’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” fans of “Seinfeld” learn something rather unexpected: eleven years after the show went off the show, Jerry and Elaine have a child together. It’s a daughter, named Isabelle.

Jerry reveals during the fake “Seinfeld” reunion that he “donated the sperm” to create this child. Now she calls him “Uncle Jerry” and he doesn’t like it.

Not only that: in the nearly dozen years since we last saw them, not much has happened to the “Seinfeld” gang. Jerry and Kramer still live across the hall from each other. Newman is still in the building. Elaine has the child. And George, of course, has remarried, and divorced again.

In fact, George has lost about two million dollars to Bernie Madoff after creating an “app” for the IPhone called IToilet, which finds the closest public bathroom. His ex, Cheryl, played by Cheryl Hines, who is Larry David’s fictional ex in the “Curb” series, then reveals she got her all money back from Madoff and lost nothing. She ran into him in the street and thought he looked “creepy.” Now George is trying to woo her back to get his money.

The fake “Seinfeld” reunion is the closest we’re going to get to a real “Seinfeld” reunion, and it’s brilliant. Conducted on “Curb,” it’s fictional Larry’s way of getting Cheryl to come back to him ‘ by letting her play George’s ex. As Julia Louis Dreyfus and Jason Alexander both say to Larry, “I didn’t know she was an actress.” Larry can’t even come up with a credit for Cheryl, although old “Curb” fans may recall she had a part in “The Vagina Monologues” years ago.

Last night’s episode poked fun, too, at Michael Richards‘ (Kramer’s) famous racist outburst. Michael Richards also fears that he may have Groat’s Disease ‘ which isn’t real, but was described in the second season of “Curb” as something to do with hyperactivity. Featured in the show were the characters of Newman and unsuccessful comic Kenny Banya. George’s mom was seen at the read-through for the reunion script, but there was no sign of his dad (Jerry Stiller).

Next week is the season finale for “Curb,” which will feature the “Seinfeld” reunion and maybe Larry and Cheryl’s as well. In the meantime, last night’s episode was really brilliant, combining elements from both shows. Of course, “Seinfeld” was squeaky clean and “Curb,” because it’s on cable, can be filthy. And so it was, with a joke that scandalized Jerry, and a running motif that could never be used in broadcast repeats about Larry and a nine year-old female pen pal. I think that’s why the show ran long last night, so those bits can be edited out later. The syndicated version of this episode will have to be stitched back together. But oh ‘ if you have HBO, the original is laugh out loud hilarious.

By the way, regarding the casting of Cheryl as George’s ex: Jason Alexander told me last night at the premiere of “Ragtime” he would have preferred Kristin Chenoweth. Or rather, George would have preferred her. And Meg Ryan? “Definitely not.” said Jason. Who they missed entirely: Marisa Tomei, with whom George was once obsessed.

Michael Jackson’s ‘Captain EO’ Will Return to Disneyland

Roger Friedman
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captain eo 227x300 Michael Jacksons Captain EO Will Return to Disneyland“Captain EO” is coming back.

The word from Hollywood is that Disneyland is planning to revive Michael Jackson’s 3D film beginning in January. Heavily influenced by “Star Wars,” the 1986 short film was produced by George Lucas and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Back in those days, Michael had the money from “Thriller” to make anything happen.

Among the cast: Michael, Anjelica Huston, Dick Shawn — the latter died less than a year after “Captain EO” was released.

It’s the 3D version coming back to Disneyland, but you can watch a less complex version on YouTube (see below).

“Captain EO” was pulled from Disneyland years ago. But with Jackson’s “This Is It” up to about $220 million worldwide, interest in him is rekindled. It’s another tragic irony for Jackson. And, believe it or not, the “This Is It” companion CD looks like it sold well over 125,000 copies last week — even though it’s just greatest hits.

“Captain EO” contains a video of Jackson dancing and singing a song called “We Are Here to Change the World.”

No word yet on whether Huston or any of the other “Captain EO” cast members will get paid for this revival. According to sources, Disney has the right to use the film whenever it wants to. I’m told they’re even thinking of having a premiere — with a red carpet — if they can get Jackson family members to attend. Hey, La Toya — you should call them right away!

Rob Thomas Closes the Matchbox and Strikes with Fire

Roger Friedman
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rob thomas263x300Rob Thomas (left), who leads superstar rock band matchbox twenty, isn’t considered edgy because he’s been married for ten years, doesn’t get into the tabloids, is a sober, eminently likeable, dedicated musician and gifted songwriter. He hasn’t sniffed up a relative’s ashes, or fallen out of a tree, or run off with a girl half his age. What can you do?

Still, Thomas hit the Beacon Theater in New York for the first of three sold out shows, and the result was pop and rock craftmanship of the highest order. To be edgy, he added the virtuoso pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph‘(below right) on two numbers, and notched up the pop sensibilities of his tight band to sizzling Hendrix level wah wah. I hope a clip of them attacking Jimi H’s “Voodoo Child” winds up on YouTube soon.

Thomas’s new solo album, “Cradlesong,” was on display fully, with his gorgeously melodic “Someday” and rockers like “Fire on the Mountain” and “Give Me the Meltdown” designed to show that he’s not just another pretty face in pop.

But pop is what Thomas does best. His songs are three minute confections, they are complex and yet full of hooks that fall somewhere between Elvis Costello and Squeeze when he’s on the money. For an American songwriter, that’s saying a lot. He eschews bombast, and looks for wordplay and economy. When the songs are in your head, they’re not coming out so easily.Robert Randolph262x300

“Someday” is at once personal and public, an anthem and a secret promise. It follows a matchbox twenty song from last year that was not in last night’s show called “These Hard Times.” I fell in love with a song from the new album last night called “Getting Late” that’s so simple and effective you wonder why someone didn’t write it before. Another “CradleSong” track, “Still Ain’t Over You,” also surprised me ‘ it’s kind of hidden on an album full of hits. Back in the day, when you constantly said about an artist, “He sings that, too?” it was a good sign. Rob Thomas is like that, full of good signs. If you’re in New York this weekend, good luck trying to get tickets, but try ‘ these shows are the end of a tour before Thomas goes back to write some new matchbox songs.

Here’s a clip of Rob Thomas and Alicia Keys covering Bill Withers’ “Use Me” on an awards show.

Robert DeNiro: “Everybody’s Fine” and So Is He In New Film

Roger Friedman
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You may recall I reported some weeks ago that there was positive buzz about Robert DeNiro in “Everybody’s Fine.” There was even some talk after years of making comedies and formula police dramas that DeNiro could be nominated for an Oscar.

And now, I am happy to say, I was right.

You should have been in the Dolby 24 screening room yesterday to hear the sniffles and tears from a bunch of hardened movie critics. But there it is: DeNiro is so moving in “Everybody’s Fine,” a family drama from the now lame duck Miramax, that he will most certainly be in the mix for Academy Award nomination and awards from other groups as well. You’ll need a nice little packet of Kleenex tissues or a good sleeve for this one.

“Everybody’s Fine” could have devolved into absolute shmaltz. At its worst, I feared “About Schmidt” mashed up with “The Family Stone.” But British director Kirk Jones, who has “Nanny McPhee” and “Waking Ned Devine” on his resume, has managed to rein in the the potentially worst aspects of his own story, based on an Italian movie. Luckily, no one dies or gets cancer in this film ‘ I was so glad when DeNiro’s Frank, the widowed father of four adult children, announces that early on.

So what’s up with Frank? Recently widowed, he’s trying to connect with his children after letting his late wife be the liaison between parents and kids. And Jones has set up a nice metaphor: lack of communication and the fact that Frank worked encasing millions of miles of phone wire with copper.

Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale, and Drew Barrymore play three of the four children, and each is well cast and perfectly matched with DeNiro. They are all “fine,” professionals whose lives seem good on the surface but are nuanced with normal problems ‘ only they’ve been afraid to confide these real issues to their father. None of the problems is earthshaking. Rather it’s the way they interact with their dad that stands out.

DeNiro is in nearly every frame, and he’s just outstanding. There’s none of the “Fockers” nonsense, even when he’s working in scenes with a baby or a teenager. Maybe he found something in his relationship to his own late father, the artist whose name he carries, but DeNiro feels more invested in “Everybody’s Fine” than he has in any film since maybe “Marvin’s Room” or before. He almost reminded me of Spencer Tracy: refined, elegant, wise. Now new generations will want to reconsider DeNiro, and see why we have considered him one of the handful of great actors of his generation. Whatever qualms there might be about the conventional nature of the film, it’s DeNiro’s command of it that turns Jones’s film into something of a greater mission.

So add Robert DeNiro to that list of formidable potential Best Actor nominees. It’s getting mighty crowded!

P.S. Just one observation about the house Kate Beckinsale lives in in this movie: this is real estate porn, that’s all I can say. No one can be unhappy living in this house. I am moving right in!

One more thing: it will be wild in the DeNiro household this winter. His wife, Grace Hightower, one of our favorite people , not only has a small role in “Precious,” but a great song ont that movie’s soundtrack as well!

“Hurt Locker”� Number 6 of 10 Best Picture Nominees

Roger Friedman
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Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” is this year’s worst nightmare for advocates of the 10 Best Picture nominee program.

Those people probably hoped “Star Trek,” “Up,” and “Harry Potter Does More Tricks” would make the balance of a list composed of indie films.

Instead, the one film everyone agrees is number 6 automatically is “The Hurt Locker,” a searing, sensational piece of filmmaking about a fictitious American bomb squad in Iraq, with starmaking performances by Anthony Mackie and Jeremy Renner.

(1 through 5? Just a guess: “Precious,” “Nine,” “Invictus,” “Up in the Air,” “An Education“).

Yesterday at lunch, “The Hurt Locker” got a Veterans Day salute at the 21 Club. It was supposed to be just an average celebration, with Bigelow and Mackie in attendance as well as screenwriter Mark Boal. A great group was in attendance too: Buck Henry, making a rare appearance in New York; plus Oliver Stone, producer Ed Pressman, Bob Balaban, Tovah Feldshuh, writer Eric Alterman, producer Fred Zollo, actor Bob Dishy, Dan Abrams, legendary WNBC newsman Gabe Pressman, the effervescent Toni Goodale, and so on.

There was a moving surprise though: our own Gerry Byrne, of the Nielsen Company, a former US Marine, introduced a Marine who’d been dining downstairs with some buddies. The Marine, a vet, spoke poignantly ‘ in his content and manner, because of many reconstructive surgeries ‘ about his harrowing tour of duty in this war. It was one of those revelatory moments. The Marine got a standing ovation, and “The Hurt Locker” felt all the more real because of it.

No, there will be no “Star Trek” or “District 9,” much as I loved them. More slots for Best Picture means more movies like “The Hurt Locker.” Wait, and see.

And by the way: another former US Marine, Harvey Keitel, was not in town for Veterans Day observances. Word is he’s filming secret scenes with Robert DeNiro for “Little Fockers.” It’s going to give the comedy a Scorsese kick.

Goodbye, Lou Dobbs, and Good Riddance

Roger Friedman
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So Lou Dobbs is gone from CNN. Goodbye, and good riddance. I freelanced on a show called “Biz Buzz” at CNNfn in the late 90s. Dobbs was abusive and totalitarian to everyone around him. When he left in 1999 for Space.com, no one cried. He was impossibly rude. When he left that time, no one cried.

More recently, Dobbs has lost his mind on CNN. He belongs squarely on Fox News or their little watched Business Network. His right wing opinions about immigration and just about everything else have helped him “jump the shark.” Like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Michael Savage, Dobbs foments hate. He has no connection to objective journalism. CNN scarcely has viewers now. The remaining ones won’t miss him.

The negative vibe of right wing broadcasting and print is taking a big hit these days, and why not? This week a fired New York Post editor sued the paper for sexual harrassment and wrongful termination. She alleges in her lawsuit that the editors at the Post told her they were going to “get” President Barack Obama. I am certain she is correct in this. In mid-March, in the same building, Fox News editors were told the exact same thing. It was relayed to me at lunch right after it happened, just before I was canned in April.

More Proof Only Streep and Clooney Are Working

Roger Friedman
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Here’s the rest of the proof that only Meryl Streep and George Clooney are working. Everyone else in Hollywood is just hoping to get a part in their movies.

To wit: Wes Anderson’s fabulous “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” a wonderful, charming, stop-action animated film in which Streep and Clooney play Mr. and Mrs. Fox. (Her name is Felicia) It’s the third film this season for Clooney, who also has “Up in the Air” and “The Men Who Stare at Goats.” It’s also the third for Streep, who already turned in “Julie and Julia” and has “It’s Complicated” coming up in December.

streep anderson 250x3001 More Proof Only Streep and Clooney Are WorkingStreep is so confused at this point that she went on and on about working with Stanley Tucci, from “Julie and Julia” when someone asked her a question at the party at Rouge Tomate on East 60th St. “What about Alec Baldwin?” I asked. Her eyes narrowed for a minute. “Oh yes, of course, Alec!” Who can keep all these films straight?

Meryl, by the way, said she wanted one thing at the party: a Tanqueray gin martini, dry. It was produced for her by yours truly. She really took two sips because she was so busy listening to everyone tell her how wonderful she is. At the actual screening, earlier, Wes Anderson announced, “The No. 1 ranked actress,” as if she were Martina Navratilova.

“Did you know you were ranked No. 1?” I asked her. “Oh, that’s just Wes,” she said. But come on, we all know better. A total stranger came up to her and started chewing Streep’s ear off about a play her daughter was doing that Meryl once did, yada yada yada. “I know that play,” Streep said. She listens patiently to each new’ person’s saga. “It was ‘The Idiots Karamazov.’ ”

“That’s right!” said the woman, who then extended her hand in friendship and said, “I’m Linda.”

“I’m Meryl,” replied Streep.

Elsewhere at the party, Bill Murray ‘ who plays a badger ‘ looked perturbed as he approached Anderson, co-writer Noah Baumbach, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. What was wrong? “Someone is bothering me,” he said mysteriously, then lightened up. Chef Mario Batali, Willem Dafoe and Jason Schwarzman, also voices in the film, were there, as was Rosie Perez, and a lot of nervous looking people associated with it.

Click here for an image gallery of the premiere.

Patricia Neal, the great actress and widow of Roald Dahl, who wrote the original book, told me she loved the movie, “Loved it,” she said. She’s 83 and a movie and theatre grande dame.

And she’s right. Somehow Wes Anderson’s knack for quirky characters just mixed perfectly with Dahl’s magical foxes. The whimsy of Anderson’s usual gang just meshes with Dahl’s creatures and tone. There is a plot ‘ and a villian (voiced by Michael Gambon, and the character of Mr. Bean seems a lot like Rupert Murdoch). But mostly it’s a story about family with a lot of zany characters. Of course Mr. Fox runs what is really a crime family, foxes on the run who occasionally knock over supermarkets. In between they have the same problems as humans ‘ in fact, they don’t seem to realize they aren’t humans.

Streep gets one of the best lines in the movie as she fends off a rat. Clooney is almost doing a parody of himself from an “Oceans” movie. Keep a close ear for Wally Wolodarsky, as Kylie, and Eric Anderson (Wes’s real life brother) as Kristofferson, Mr. Fox’s nephew.

“Fantastic Mr. Fox” is one of those kids’ movies that’s really for adults on many levels. Anderson has made sort of his “Wallace and Gromit,” a film that will really lift your spirits and engage you. It’s a shoo in for a nomination in Best Animated Feature, and may wind up besting Disney’s “Up.” I can’t wait to see it again.

P.S. Great soundtrack, usual, put together by Randall Poster. Lots of Beach Boys songs, and the usual rare gem ‘ this time, “Let Her Dance” by the Bobby Fuller Four.

Cirque du Soleil Wants Michael Jackson; “This Is It” Goes Gold After Two Weeks

Roger Friedman
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Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” companion album ‘ really just an album of hits ‘ sold a little over 200,000 copies last week and went gold. That means it’s sold over 500,000 copies in two weeks.

The really weird thing is that another greatest hits album from Jackson, “Number Ones,” sold about 33,000 copies, too. Are people just buying and rebuying the same songs? Hey, why not?

Meanwhile, some interesting news from the live performance front: Cirque du Soleil is heavily courting the Jackson estate for a Las Vegas-style show featuring Michael’s music. The Canadian-based company is said to be working hard to convince all the parties that they can do for Michael what they did for the Beatles with the “Love” show at the Mirage Hotel.

The money involved is said to be astronomical.

Right now, Cirque du Soleil is prepping an Elvis Presley show, “Viva Elvis,” which will start performances next month at the ARIA Hotel in Las Vegas. Once that show is off the ground, the Jackson estate will confer with the Cirque folks. Meantime, AEG Live is also hoping to get its “This Is It” show, featured in the movie, on tour in some way as well.

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