Support independent journalism, free from the trades and other publications that are part of the tinsel town machine.
For 12 years, Showbiz411.com has been covering Hollywood, Broadway, the music business and the business of celebrity. Ads are our main source of funding, but contributions (not tax exempt) from readers who enjoy the scoops, exclusives, and fact based reports are always welcome and very appreciated. To inquire about ads, email us at showbiz411@gmail.com.
Everyone has piled on Justin Timberlake in the last couple of days.
The NSYNC star was arrested in the Hamptons two nights ago for a DWI. It was late at night, he allegedly ran a stop sign on Main Street in Sag Harbor and swerved.
No one who’s written about the incident has been to Sag Harbor so they don’t know that the cops are just sitting there looking for expensive cars they can ticket. If you attempt to make the wrong turn into a parking space, bang!
Anyway. The NY Post has published stories with unnamed sources that are blown up out of control. My source at the American Hotel said Timberlake was NOT intoxicated at the end of the night.
But the whole episode has actually been good for business. Timberlake is in the middle of a tour, which he told the arresting officer might be harmed by the arrest. Far from it! Timberlake’s two shows this weekend in Chicago are almost sold out. His next shows, at Madison Square Garden next week, are in good shape.
Of the two MSG shows, the second one has more seats available. But the first one, on June 25th, is now in the hands of Verified Resellers.
Meanwhile, sales have been sparked of the album, “Everything I Thought It Was,” and the single, “Selfish.” They’re each back in the iTunes top 100.
The arrest actually brought Justin some publicity, regardless of the nature. Almost everyone knows someone who’s been pulled over. It actually might help Timberlake seem a little cooler. After all, no one was hurt (or would have been, that street is deserted after 11pm on a weekday). And Timberlake’s mug shot isn’t of someone disheveled. He actually looks pretty good.
Most legal opinions are that Justin will pay a fine, issue a heartfelt apology, and move on. But lemonade may be made from lemons here after all.
Again, I wrote immediately after the arrest was reported: Justin had dinner with a couple, he wasn’t out carousing with buddies. They shared a pitcher of martinis. That might mean 1.5 drinks per person. The bartender said he wasn’t drunk. All of those people will be called to testify.
There’s a lot of talk about Liza Minnelli right because of a new documentary shown at the Tribeca Film Festival.
It seemed like a good time for a Flashback to Liza’s 2002 wedding to David Gest. It made anything from The Addams Family look normal, yet Gest was no Gomez Addams. He ran a fake charity for years — which I reported on at Fox News with lots of evidence. (He listed the very dead producer Stanley Jaffe as CEO.)
I went to Liza’s wedding with a friend of a friend. She was very generous. I sat with Liz Smith and Dominick Dunne, and they kept me laughing all night.
Here is the report from March 18, 2002. Gest had a penchant for old Hollywood stars. He trucked them around everywhere. There were so many at the wedding, it was like the Monster Mash. (He was famous for having a shrine to Shirley Temple in his house.) Dominick Dunne came back from a visit to those tables and exclaimed to us, “Oh my god! Ann Blyth is still alive!”
No offense to Ann. She’s still alive at age 98. She outlived literally everyone!
PS Liza deserves a Kennedy Center Honor this year. It’s way past the time.
Liza’s Wedding Delayed by Liz Taylor
Liz Taylor held up Liza Minnelli‘s fourth wedding ceremony, delaying the proceedings by 50 minutes.
The reason? La Taylor forgot her shoes back at her hotel and had to go back and get them. When she finally did arrive, Taylor’s fragile physical state shocked onlookers at Marble Collegiate Church. “She could barely make the two steps up, and then she had to be helped.”
Taylor skipped altogether the wild reception Minnelli and weirdo hubby David Gest gave themselves near the site of the former World Trade Center.
Michael Jackson, top billed as best man, made the ceremony and the reception, but split after giving a quick toast honoring Minnelli and Gest. The entire Jackson 5 — advertised by Minnelli’s new P.T. Barnum-like husband — were not seen. But no one was surprised. The event was all about hype — how much, how many and why not? Even Donald Trump, who was there, should have been impressed by the hubris and the insanity of the whole thing. Guests even received red heart-shaped candy boxes adorned by a rose and a card that read “Liza and David.”
There were stars and more stars at the reception, which was held in the former marble bank building at 55 Wall Street. The gigantic, vaulted-ceilinged space doesn’t have the greatest acoustics. But that didn’t stop a flurry of stars from performing, one after another, until the wee hours. The showstopper had to have been Phoebe Snow, whose rendition of “At Last” brought record industry legends Clive Davis and Ahmet Ertegun to their feet, along with tablemates Liz Smith, Lorraine Bracco (with date Steven Green) and Cynthia McFadden.
Aside from the fore-mentioned, the number of old people and veteran Hollywood stars was quite amazing. Kirk and Ann Douglas, Robert Wagner and Jill St. John, Jane Powell, Ruth Warrick, Anne Jeffreys, Ann Blyth, Tony Franciosa, Hayley Mills, Juliet Mills, Billy Davis Jr. and Marilyn McCoo of the Fifth Dimension, Gena Rowlands, soul singer Chuck Jackson, Dionne Warwick — they were all there and decked out in finery. Dionne even did a duet of “Walk on By” with the Doobie‘s Michael McDonald.
Carroll Baker — “Baby Doll” to anyone over 50 — shouted out when Donny Osmond took the stage. Lauren Bacall boogied to the reunited Doobie Brothers singing “What a Fool Believes.” Mickey Rooney — the closest thing Liza Minnelli had to family at her own wedding — seemed to enjoy Jerry Butler‘s knockout performances of “Mr. Dream Merchant” and “Only the Strong Survive.”
Some stars were truly glamorous. Marisa Berenson, in a beaded gown and diamond brooch, should be giving fashion lessons for the Oscars. ABC’s McFadden, a bridesmaid (her 3-year-old son Spencer was also in the wedding party) sparkled in her black dress. Liz Smith got kudos for her royal blue jacket from Shanghai Tang.
But everyone agreed that Minnelli — slimmed down and wearing a bright red gown — looked marvelous. She and Gest — who has strange waxy eyebrows that look like parentheses — sat at the center table, closest to the stage, and greeted all their guests. Even though there was quite a bit of dishing about their unusual union, the truth is the reception was fun, not nearly as tacky as you might have guessed. The room looked terrific, very warmly festooned in roses, and there was a nice buzz in the room.
Will the marriage last? No one’s laying odds, obviously. “No one knew who David was before this,” said one guest. “He’s like a combination of Liza’s father, Vincente Minnelli, and her stepfather Sid Luft. He’s a showman. And for Liza, she’s been so lonely. This is companionship. They’re very happy.”
The party was still going on when I left around midnight, although by 11 p.m. the heartiest of the senior citizens had packed up. There were plenty of abandoned tables, but just enough of the 1500 or so guests who danced on through the night.
Hitsdailydouble.com is reporting the sale of everything to do with Queen — the song publishing, the recording rights, the use of image, dramatic productions, etc.
Sony, they say, has paid 1 billion sterling, or $1.2 billion for the entire deal. They’ll put out the records, monetize the songs, produce a decent stage show (not the We Will Rock You show that’s so popular in London).
Mind you, this is after the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody” was such a mega hit. But that probably drove up the value of Freddie Mercury’s songs (and also the ones by Brian May and Roger Taylor.
None of this addresses what happens to former member John Deacon, who retired a while ago. Deacon contributed to 22 Queen hits including “Under Pressure,” “You’re My Best Friend,” and “Another One Bites the Dust.” Deacon, along with manager Jim Beach, are likely going to get slices of this pie.
The big winner here is Mary Austin, who Freddie considered his common law wife. He left her half his estate. (The other half was divided between his parents and his sister.)
He also gave Mary his home Garden Lodge and all of his other possessions.
Sony Music Publishing now owns a big chunk of pop music publishing including the Beatles and Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and so on. This sale does make you wonder what the Beatles catalog would be valued at if it were on the market. (It’s also been a hot potato between Sony and Michael Jackson.) My guess would be $2 billion under these rules.
Sony has been monetizing the Beatles lately using “Come Together” in commercials. It won’t be long before we hear the Queen songs pitching cat food, credit cards, and Big Phama. We will never get away from “We Are the Champions.”
Louisiana, typifying the South, has abdicated modern life.
It’s unclear what era they’ve returned to, but now this backward state will require schools to post the ten commandments in schools.
Not The Ten Commandments in capital letters. That was a movie.
The 11th commandment, of course, is don’t be a backward, bigoted nutjob. That one, however, will not be included.
If I lived in Louisiana, I’d leave immediately. I certainly wouldn’t send a child into a schoolroom.
The law will be challenged in court. It most certainly violates the separation of Church and State.
The American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation said that the law violates longstanding Supreme Court precedent and the First Amendment and would result in “unconstitutional religious coercion of students.”
“The First Amendment promises that we all get to decide for ourselves what religious beliefs, if any, to hold and practice, without pressure from the government. Politicians have no business imposing their preferred religious doctrine on students and families in public schools,” the groups said in a joint statement.
But this is what we’re dealing with now in these redneck, Red states. Fundamentalism and racism have only grown since Trump took office in 2016. Antisemitism has risen right along with them, as well as intolerance for all religious beliefs outside of extreme Christianity.
How utterly ridiculous these people are.
Thou shalt mind your own business, Louisiana. Stick to gumbo and po boys.
Here’s the press release. Make of it what you will:
Making a monumental power move, VERZUZ—the online award-winning, multi-media platform launched by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland—has cemented an exclusive partnership with X for distribution. Swizz and Timbaland personally broke the news at an activation in Cannes, France today.
Earlier this year, Swizz and Timbaland reacquired VERZUZ from previous partner Triller, now owning 100% of the platform, while retaining their equity (along with the artists who participated in VERZUZ) in Triller. Upon resuming complete control, they sought out the perfect channel for independent distribution.
The partnership journey with X has now begun!
Together, the companies orchestrated a mutually beneficial alliance where Swizz and Timbaland maintain their full ownership and creative control, while X receives exclusive distribution rights. As a result, VERZUZ will now broadcast to an audience of over 550 million active users, exponentially expanding its viewership and international reach like never before. Since the inception of VERZUZ, the conversations around each VERZUZ naturally evolved on X from fans and enthusiasts alike. Viewers will now be able to watch for FREE exclusively on X, bringing the visual series, and viral conversation, all to one platform! Stay tuned for the announcement of the next VERZUZ matchup coming soon.
About this chapter, Swizz stated, “We are beyond thrilled to have found the best partner for Verzuz. Not only are we excited to have Verzuz on X, we’re excited to help X build the biggest entertainment company in the world. I would like to thank Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Brett Weitz, Mitchell Smith and the entire X team for believing in the Verzuz vision. We can’t wait to get to work.”
Timbaland added, “We are thrilled to partner with X, the most innovative platform globally. Our goal has always been to bring Verzuz to the world which we can now do bigger than ever.”
Tony and Emmy Award winner Glenn Close says she has COVID and RSV.
Unfortunately for the multiple Oscar winner, she’s shooting the new “Knives Out” movie! She was just two days into making the Rian Johnson movie “Wake Up, Dead Man” with Daniel Craig, Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin, and Kerry Washington, and a cast of what seems like thousands.
Close says, “I was really hit hard.”
Get well, Glenn! But this is a reminder that COVID is still out there!
Back in 2009, Robert Kennedy Jr. was still involved with the Riverkeeper Foundation. He was married then to his second wife, Mary Richardson, with four children.
Chris Stein, the founder with Debbie Harry of the legendary new wave group Blondie, remembers Kennedy well. He and Blondie entertained the crowd of wealthy patrons at a Riverkeeper event in 2009, playing hits like “Heart of Glass” and “One Way or Another.”
Stein tells me that it was this event that Kennedy hit on his wife.
“She got in line to meet him,” Stein says of wife, Barbara Sicuranza. (They have now been married 25 years.) “When she came she said, He shook my hands for too long. It was creepy.” That wasn’t all. It was clear to Barbara what was going on. “She said, He tickled the inside of my palm with his middle finger. She was really appalled.”
I had asked Stein, a rock and roll hero, about a Tweet he posted on June 17th. He’d written: “This jackoff made a pass at my wife at a River Keeper event in NYC. True story.”
The pass made no difference to the Steins, who shrugged it off and moved on. Kennedy and Richardson separated in 2010. She committed suicide by hanging herself in their barn in 2012.
Subsequent to all, the NY Post published Kennedy’s sex diary that listed all his affairs during the marriage.
As for Stein, he’s just published a beautifully crafted memoir called “Under a Rock.” Stein wrote it himself, and I’d say it’s up there with literary rock recollections like Sting’s “Broken Music” and Patti Smith’s “Just Kids.”
Stein writes about his upbringing in Brooklyn, his early days of rock from 1965 to 1971 or so, and then how everything changed as classic rock became bland by the mid 70s. He was present for the birth of punk. Stein’s stories about the Ramones, Talking Heads, Johnny Thunders, and son are so detailed and personal it’s hard to put the book down!
I also love the fact that he met actor Tony Sirico aka Paulie Walnuts from “The Sopranos” when he was a young gangster.
PS The story about Kennedy is not in the book. It’s just here in this column.
Remember when George R. R. Martin was finishing the final “Game of Thrones” novel?
No? Well, he never did, and the series concluded without it.
“House of the Dragon” has subsequently become a hit HBO series from Martin and crew.
Now another Westeros TV show is filming. It’s called “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” It’s more swords and shields, set a century before “Game of Thrones.” I think that means in between “Game” and “Dragon.”
Will there be dragons? You can count on it. Also, humans: Finn Bennett as Aerion Targaryen, Bertie Carvel as Baelor Targaryen, Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle, Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Barotheon, and Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen. The only name we know is Bertie Carvel.
Martin is listed as executive producer. He will never finish that book at this point.
Sir Ian McKellen says he’s ok after his fall off a London stage last night.
He tumbled during a performance of “Player Kings,” a Shakespeare mashup. Audience members heard McKellen shout in pain. The show was stopped and he was whisked away.
But now he writes: “I want to thank everyone for their kind messages and support. Since the accident, during a performance of Player Kings last night, my injuries have been diagnosed and treated by a series of experts, specialists and nurses working for the National Health Service. To them, of course, I am hugely indebted. They have assured me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work.”
All’s well that ends well!
I want to thank everyone for their kind messages and support. Since the accident, during a performance of Player Kings last night, my injuries have been diagnosed and treated by a series of experts, specialists and nurses working for the National Health Service. To them, of…
HBO says 7.9 million people watched the return of “House of the Dragon” Sunday night. That was down 22% from the first season debut of around 10 million.
That’s “across all platforms” and in several viewings. The linear number on HBO was 1.9 million.
But a LOT of people watched the dragon fest, which included a really horrible kind of “Sophie’s Choice” moment at the end. It was enough to conquer the Tony Awards over on CBS. The Broadway awards really suffered the effects of the HBO hit. Plus, for some, a Yankees- Red Sox game was a diversion as well.
I thought for sure CBS would put Alicia Keys and Jay Z on during the 9pm hour and draw viewers away from HBO. But instead they shoved their big stars into the 8pm hour. What followed at 9pm was dancing from “Illinoise” — not much of a competition. Also, Jay Z was launched on the show almost by accident. There was no build up, and the pair performed in the lobby of the theater. It was bizarre.
