EXCLUSIVE Happy Birthday, Martin Scorsese. The famed director turned 80 last night in style. Leonardo DiCaprio hosted a big secret A List birthday party for him at the very snazzy Casa Cipriani ballroom — the same place where Clive Davis celebrated his 90th back in April.

The guest list — you can imagine. Writer/director Paul Schrader, who’s made many films with Marty including “Raging Bull” and “Taxi Driver” — posted a picture. If you had to guess who else was there– Spielberg, De Niro, Keitel, Beinco del Toro, hundreds more stars. Van Morrison performed songs from all of Scorsese’s movies since the beginning. Margot Robbie got down there after their Q&A. No press allowed, so if you know anything, email us at showbiz411@gmail.com

I’m told the COVID protocol was very strict, with people who showed up unaware sidelined until they were cleared. So how did Van Morrison, who’s anti vax and COVID rules, make the cut? Guess they kept him away from everyone else. I’m told Morrison was introduced by The Band’s Robbie Robertson.

On Sunday, Scorsese interviews George Harrison‘s widow, Olivia, on stage at the 92nd St Y. He made a terrific doc about George with Olivia a few years ago. Scorsese is our Orson Welles, only more successful. From “Taxi Driver” through “The Irishman,” he’s made classic film after classic film. His “New York New York” is being turned into a Broadway musical for next spring. He’s working on a new film now with DiCaprio and De Niro. He’s a New York landmark!

“Babylon” is here. It’s really Hollywood Babylon, sort of referencing Kenneth Anger’s famous book about Tinseltown before talkies made everyone so serious. It was a time of bacchanalias, sort of “The Great Gatsby” on the west coast.

No reviews yet– the movie doesn’t open until December 23rd. But director Damien Chazelle — he of “Whiplash,” “La La Land,” and “First Man” — brought his all star cast to New York yesterday for two screenings and two Q&As after showing it to the folks in actual Hollywood a couple of days ago.

Present at AMC Lincoln Square were members of the Producers Guild as well as some notable actors like the great Cherry Jones and Barbara Barrie. The latter is a youthful 91 years old and a sprite. She came to the screening on her own because no one in her family was around to accompany her!

What am I allowed to tell you? Well, this is the Era of Jean Smart. She plays a gossip columnist who is dogging a movie company trying to get info. This is before Louella Parsons or Hedda Hopper, and she’s based on a real person. Smart is riveting all through the film and then has a scene with Brad Pitt — not sexual, cut it out — that may land them each Oscar nominations in the supporting categories. The movie is sumptuous. And that’s all I can say for now.

On stage the cast was charming and happy to be with each other. That included Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li, and Diego Calva, who makes an impressive debut as Chazelle’s Nick Carraway. Pitt was especially fun, nearly falling when his chair on stage actually collapsed, then doing pratfalls, and finally tossing his microphone out when it didn’t work and getting lots of laughs. Pitt announced on stage that he was waiting to make the next Damian Chazelle movie, so that’s a good sign.

“Babylon” clocks in at a little over three hours and it is never boring. Any attempts to nod out are challenged by a fascinating film. So hold on!

Here are a couple of things to note as Apple releases the trailer for “Emancipation, their Will Smith movie directed by Antoine Fuqua.

First off, there are no Oscars in the cards for this movie. Will Smith physically attacked someone on the stage of this year’s Oscars. He received a 10 year suspension from the Academy. He should have been arrested. There is no way this movie will be nominated, or he will be invited back. So just forget it. He’s lucky Apple will put it on their TV platform.

Second, the movie looks ridiculous. He’s speaking with some kind of French Creole accent. The black and white is so rich looking it might as well be color. It’s a high studio gloss. The whole project looks inferior in every way to “12 Years a Slave,” a great movie that is fresh in our minds. This looks like one of those holier-than-thou savior movies that Smith likes so much.

Really, that fake accent for two hours, is too much.