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Sir Ian McKellen Says He’s OK After Fall off London Stage, Will Be Back to Work Soon

Roger Friedman
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Sir Ian McKellen Says He’s OK After Fall off London Stage, Will Be Back to Work Soon

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!

HBO Says 7.9 Million People Watched “House of the Dragon” Sunday Night, Caused Tonys Headache

Roger Friedman
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HBO Says 7.9 Million People Watched “House of the Dragon” Sunday Night, Caused Tonys Headache

Never bet against dragons.

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.

Exclusive: Justin Timberlake “Was Not Intoxicated” When He Left for Home Last Night in the Hamptons

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Justin Timberlake “Was Not Intoxicated” When He Left for Home Last Night in the Hamptons

Here’s a little more on the Justin Timberlake story.

Sources at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor say Justin “was not intoxicated” when the restaurant shut down last night.

Justin had been dining with a couple — that’s it, two people, not a crowd of the guys out for a good time.

When the American Hotel shuts down the bar and dining room for the night, customers can stay on the very small terrace out front and finish their drinks.

According to my sources, JT and the couple were polishing off a pitcher of martinis. Again, Timberlake didn’t appear to be drunk at all. He told the arresting officer he’d had “one martini” and was following his friends home.

Justin listed his home address as Franklin, Tennessee. But the car he was driving, a grey BMW, was from Florida. On the police report, JT is listed as “glassy eyed.”

A few people have suggested that JT was with his pal, Jimmy Fallon, who lives in East Hampton. But Jimmy has a week of live shows in New York this week for The Tonight Show, and no one in the restaurant indicated he was there.

Justin Timberlake Has the Right Local Power Lawyer for His DWI in the Hamptons

Roger Friedman
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Justin Timberlake Has the Right Local Power Lawyer for His DWI in the Hamptons

Justin Timberlake was arrested for a DWI last night in the Hamptons.

Embarrassing as that is, JT should be fine. He’s got the right lawyer.

Edward Burke, Jr. is the local defense lawyer to the stars. When anyone famous is in trouble, he’s the go -to guy.

When Jason Kidd was arrested for driving into a tree, it was Burke who got the leaves out of his exhaust pipe.

When Lizzie Grubman backed up over 16 people in front of a nightclub, she called Burke.

Burke’s family, they say, has been in Sag Harbor since 1820. (How did they even get there? How did they get food?)

His family Edward Burke Sr. is a famous lawyer and former local judge. Both of Edward Jr’s siblings are local lawyers. Burke is considered a local celebrity himself.

So JT will be fine legally, just a little dented PR wise. But life will go on. He’ll do his shows in Chicago this weekend, and Madison Square Garden next week. The big question is Why was he driving himself? And also, why was he even in Sag Harbor?

Amy Adams, David Cronenberg Honors at TIFF, Also First 5 Films Announced Including Elton John Doc (UPDATED)

Roger Friedman
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Amy Adams, David Cronenberg Honors at TIFF, Also First 5 Films Announced Including Elton John Doc (UPDATED)

WITH UPDATES:

TIFF has announced the first five films on their roster:

R.J. Cutler and David Furnish’s Disney+ doc Elton John: Never Too Late

Woo Min-ho’s Harbin Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King adaptation The Life of Chuck

Marielle Heller’s Amy Adams-led dark comedy Nightbitch

Netflix’s Indigenous coming-of-age basketball film Rez Ball from Sydney Freeland

DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot

Oscar nominated actress Amy Adams and legendary director David Cronenberg are the first two named honorees at this year’s Toronto Film Festival.

Sandra Oh will preside as honorary chair at the TIFF Tribute Awards.

Amy is featured this year at TIFF in a new film by Marielle Heller called “Nightbitch.” She is the first of two actors to be named for the Tribute Award. One more announcement is coming.

Cronenberg is getting the Norman Jewison Award for great Canadian filmmakers.

TIFF begins September 5th.

Justin Timberlake Arrested in Hamptons for DWI In Between Tour Dates: What Was He Doing There?

Roger Friedman
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Justin Timberlake Arrested in Hamptons for DWI In Between Tour Dates: What Was He Doing There?

Justin Timberlake spent the night in jail last night.

The NSYNC star was arrested and arraigned for driving and drinking in Sag Harbor.

According to TMZ he left the American Hotel on Main Street at 12:30am and immediately blew through the stop sign at the end of the short block. He was swerving as well. Justin refused to take a Breathalyzer test, and failed a test to stand on one leg.

Timberlake was released on bail and must return to court in Sag Harber on July 26.

The pop star’s most recent tour date was June 15th in Miami. His next one is this Friday in Chicago. So what was he doing in the Hamptons? His wife, Jessica Biel, and two sons live in Los Angeles and Montana.

Keep refreshing…

Celine Dion Donates $2 Mil to University of Colorado for Study of Autoimmune Diseases

Roger Friedman
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Celine Dion Donates $2 Mil to University of Colorado for Study of Autoimmune Diseases

Celine Dion is giving $2 million to the University of Colorado for the study of autoimmune diseases.

The singer is establishing the Celine Dion chair at the university’s Anschutz campus.

The announcement was made earlier today at the premiere of her forthcoming documentary “I AM: Celine Dion” out later this month on Amazon Prme. Amanda Piquet, MD, FAAN, director of the Autoimmune Neurology Program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, will be the inaugural chair holder.

Celine, of course, is battling Stiff Person Syndrome, an autoimmune disease itself.

A statement says: Resources from this fund will bolster Dr. Piquet’s focus on translational studies, a foundational component of her research program that emphasizes learning in real time from patients as they experience and recover from symptoms to fine-tune treatments for improved outcomes. Additional resources from this significant gift will provide financial support for students, research expenditures, participation in conferences, curriculum development and other initiatives prioritized by the chair holder.

So this is big news. Celine’s late husband, Rene Angelil, built her career and made her rich beyond imagination, and now the singer is giving back in a big way.

Tony Awards Ratings Drop 15% from Last Year After Miserable Opening Turns Off Viewers

Roger Friedman
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Tony Awards Ratings Drop 15% from Last Year After Miserable Opening Turns Off Viewers

The Tony Awards ratings are in and they are bad.

The early numbers indicate this year’s show dropped 15% from last year. The total so far looks like just 3.5 million viewers, down from 4.1 million last year.

What happened? The opening number with Ariana DeBose singing an original song was a disaster. You can’t open the Tony Awards with a song no one knows, and a bad one at that. The Tonys have to open with “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and have big stars right at the top. De Bose is a talented singer and dancer, but this was a huge turn off.

Things went downhill from there. Alicia Keys and Jay Z aren’t even in “Hell’s Kitchen,” but they performed — from the lobby of the Koch Theater! Because the stage wasn’t big enough!

You can’t blame the director or producer of the Tonys — they weren’t saddled with this theater. The American Theater Wing and the Broadway League have been unable or unwilling to return to Radio City Music Hall. So the production was stuck with this relatively small space.

There was also a lot of ill will this year coming from both organizations. There was no room for press. They obviously insulted the NY Post’s grande dame Cindy Adams of the NY Post. She actually attacked the Tonys early last week. She began her column with this death sentence: Coming up — the Tonys. Going to sleep — the audience.

But the Tonys don’t learn from year to year. They get worse, not better. They won’t take my advice, but next year back to Radio City, get a big glamorous host, open with someone everyone at home knows and is accessible. And don’t bite the hand that promotes you!

This was the opening America didn’t want or need:

Justin Bieber Left in the Lurch as (Very Rich) Scooter Braun Exits Management After 23 Years

Roger Friedman
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Justin Bieber Left in the Lurch as (Very Rich) Scooter Braun Exits Management After 23 Years

Ariana Grande has a new manager. Demi Lovato does, too.

But as Scooter Braun exits managing artists after 23 years, Justin Bieber is left in the lurch. (Braun’s other artists, like Tori Kelly and Asher Roth, really never made it.)

Scooter leaves management a very rich man thanks to his deal with KPop company Hybe. Merging with Hybe brought him more money than management could have ever done.

But what about Justin? Expecting a child, Bieber hasn’t posted to Instagram in two weeks. He hasn’t released any new music in two years. He also hasn’t been on tour in all that time. For a long time, Bieber has been lost at sea. Now he has no manager.

Scooter at age 42 will go on to become a young philanthropist. He can no longer be connected to an artist’s success or failure, freeing him up from public scrutiny.

But it was Braun who found Bieber on Facebook when he was a child. Now the pop star is 30 and has no apparent plans other than welcoming a baby. Maybe that will be enough.

Coppola Leases “Megalopolis” to Lions Gate for September Release in Distribution Only Deal

Roger Friedman
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Coppola Leases “Megalopolis” to Lions Gate for September Release in Distribution Only Deal

Francis Ford Coppola is releasing “Megalopolis” on his own. He’s gotten Lions Gate to distribute it, for a fee. But the studio did not acquire the three hour film.

“Megalopolis” will open September 27th presumably after screenings in Toronto, Telluride, and Venice. Or maybe not. Screening in Cannes was a mistake, and so was the early private screening for half of Hollywood’s A list in April.

Coppola is the Diamond Jim of Hollywood gamblers. He’s sunk $100 million of his own money into the sprawling, unusual, and doesn’t care about getting it back. How cool is that? This is his passion project and he wants it one way or the other.

Adam Driver and Giancarlo Esposito lead a huge A list cast that tells the story of a post-apocalyptic New York that pits the mayor against a Robert Moses like architect. They have differing views of how to rebuild the city.

So far, even with bad reviews from Cannes, “Megalopolis” is still must see. For one thing, it may require a live actor to appear on stage at every screening! Also, the cinematography looks amazing.

So off we go!

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