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Awards Season News: Critics Choice Takes January 15th in Presumptive Strike

Awards season is on, baby!

The Critics Choice Awards will go on January 15th on the CW Network. The announcement is a presumptive strike against the possible Golden Globes, which would have to shoehorn themselves in a week before if NBC decides to bring them back.

Here’s the whole list of Critics Choice Awards shows coming this season. Congrats to Madelyn Hammond, who will produce the whole schedule. Madelyn is Hollywood’s hidden power, and she does it with a big smile.

The 28th annual Critics Choice Awards will return to the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 15, 2023, airing live on The CW from 7:00 – 10:00 pm ET (delayed PT – check local listings). The show will continue its combined film and television awards format honoring the best in cinematic, televised, and streaming achievement. Historically, the Critics Choice Awards are the most accurate predictor of Academy Award nominations. Bob Bain will serve as the Executive Producer.

The 7th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards are set for November 13, 2022 at a new and larger venue this year, the Edison Ballroom in Manhattan. The deadline for submissions is September 16, 2022; nominations will be announced on October 17, 2022. Last year’s winners included Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), The Rescue, Val, The Crime of the Century, Becoming Cousteau, The Alpinist, and The Queen of Basketball. Bob Bain will serve as the Executive Producer.

The 5th annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television will be held December 5, 2022 at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel. Last year’s honorees included Halle Berry, Anthony Anderson, Jennifer Hudson, Barry Jenkins, Ava DuVernay, Idris Elba, Regina King, Jonathan Majors, Danielle Brooks, Robin Thede and Kenan Thompson. Critics Choice Association Board Member Shawn Edwards serves as the Executive Producer/Co-Writer of the Celebration of Black Cinema & Television.

The 2nd annual Celebration of Latino Cinema & Television will hold its first in-person ceremony at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel on October 7, 2022, following the success of last year’s virtual event. The 2021 inaugural celebration honored Rita Moreno, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Demián Bichir, Gloria Estefan, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Clifton Collins Jr., Eugenio Derbez and Olga Merediz. This year’s event has expanded to include television honorees, in addition to film awardees. Critics Choice Association Board Member Clayton Davis will serve as the Co-Programmer/Co-Writer for the Celebration of Latino Cinema & Television.

The inaugural Celebration of Asian Pacific Cinema & Television will debut on November 4, 2022 at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel. With noteworthy performances in projects such as Everything Everywhere All at Once, Turning Red, Squid Game, Pachinko, Never Have I Ever, Station Eleven, and many more, there has never been a better time to launch the inaugural Celebration of Asian Pacific Cinema & Television. Critics Choice Association member Kylie Mar will serve as the Co-Programmer/Co-Writer for the event.

Each of the three Celebrations will be produced by Madelyn Hammond and Javier Infante of Madelyn Hammond & Associates.

Prayers for “Laugh In” Star Ruth Buzzi, 86, After Series of Strokes Causes Alarm

The husband of “Laugh In” star Ruth Buzzi is asking for prayers for his beloved wife. LA entertainment reporter George Pennacchio says Kent Perkins reports Buzzi has had a series of strokes.

Buzzi’s Twitter account is usually brimming with funny one liners. But yesterday there was an ominous post that read: “Thank you for your love and friendship for all these years.”

Buzzi, 86, is probably unknown to readers under a certain age. But in the late 60s she was a superstar on NBC’s irreverent sketch comedy show, “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In,” the blueprint for “Saturday Night Live.” She was part of a cast that included other newcomers like Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin, Judy Carne, JoAnn Worley, and so on.

Ruth and Henry Gibson appeared in dozens of sketches as a lascivious old man and an outraged spinster named Gladys Ormphby. He’d say something dirty and she’d hit him with her large pocketbook. I’ve got some videos below. She was nominated for 3 Prime Time Emmy Awards, two Daytime Emmys, and won a Golden Globe for not only playing Gladys but a wide variety of characters.

Buzzi always worked after “Laugh In” went off the air, but she will always be remembered for hilarious work on that landmark series. Sending prayers and good thoughts to her family.

UPDATE: “Rocky” Knocked Out, Stallone Removes Offending Posts About Movie Producer from Instagram

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It’s a TKO for “Rocky” producer Irwin Winkler.

Yesterday, Sylvester Stallone posted offending messages about the producer of the movie that made him famous back in 1976.

Overnight the posts are gone. It was a wise move.

Stallone’s posts, uncharacteristically filled with venom, accused Winkler of keeping the rights to “Rocky” away from his descendants. He posted a very detailed drawing of Winkler that Stallone drew showing him as a snake. The drawing had clear anti-Semitic overtones.

Stallone ignored the fact that he is now thought to be worth at least $400 million. Or that Winkler and his late partner, Robert Chartoff, mortgaged their homes to get “Rocky” made in the first place with Stallone as its star.

Stallone also went after Winkler’s son, David, calling a book he just published “toilet paper.”

But now the posts have been removed. What went on among lawyers we can only guess. Stallone is starring in a new TV series from the creators of “Yellowstone” from Paramount. I’m sure the top brass there freaked out when they saw the ensuing negative publicity. And that doesn’t even take in other possible legal issues Stallone may have created.

My sources say Winkler, a genial guy, didn’t bat an eyelash. He was cool as a cucumber all day. After all, that’s what makes for a great producer!

Sylvester Stallone Portrait of Producer Irwin Winkler Uses Anti-Semitic Imagery of Snake

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A reader of this site wrote to me this morning: “Roger, I’m sure it’s not lost on you that the snake comparison is an ages old anti-Semitic tactic, and that Winkler is Jewish. I was always a Stallone fan, but this is loathsome and despicable what he’s doing. There would be no Stallone without Winkler…”

Yes, the portrait of “Rocky” producer Irwin Winkler created by Sylvester Stallone on Instagram is of Winkler as a snake with a knife — or the snake’s tail — coming out of his mouth. It doesn’t leave a lot of room to the imagination.

On the Philadelphia Holocaust Museum site, there is a reproduced Nazi poster of Jews as snakes. The site says: “The antisemitic trope linking Jews with snakes is often associated with the trope of Jewish disloyalty. As such, it is not surprising that references to Jews’ perceived treason and disloyalty is referenced in this image as well.”

Ironic: Philadelphia is the setting for “Rocky.” FYI.

This day is not going to go well for Sylvester Stallone.

Sylvester Stallone Goes After “Rocky” Producer 47 Years Later, Demands Rights Returned in Angry Post

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Who knew that Sylvester Stallone harbored such ugly feelings for Irwin Winkler all these years?

Winkler produced “Rocky” in 1976, then all of its sequels. He owns the rights. No one knew who Stallone was before those days. And that’s what happens: producers buy rights and own them until they expire.

Stallone, however, has a different take. As you can see from this post, he wants the “Rocky” rights back for his children. It’s not like Sly is broke. His net worth is in the hundreds of millions. He is also represented by Hollywood’s most vicious law firm, Lavely and Singer. If Sly was so unhappy over the years, certainly Marty Singer could have stepped in. Why Sly went public like this is a mystery.

Winkler produced all the Rocky movies with Stallone, including three “Creed” movies, but also most of Martin Scorsese’s films including “Goodfellas” and “The Irishman.” He is highly respected.

Sly first posted this illustration of Winkler as a snake. Then he writes:
“A VERY Flattering portrait of The Great Rocky/ Creed Producer , IRWIN WINKLER, from one of the country‘s greatest artist … ALSO after IRWIN controlling ROCKY for over 47 years , and now CREED, , I really would like have at least a little WHAT’s LEFT of my RIGHTS back, before passing it on to ONLY YOUR CHILDREN – I believe That would be a FAIR gesture from this 93 year old gentleman ? … This is a painful subject That eats at my soul , because I wanted to leave something of Rocky for my children, but it’s always great hearing from the loyal fans… Keep Punching”

In a previous post, Stallone went after Winkler’s son, who’s been a producer and an author. Sly compares David Winkler’s new book, “The Arrangement,” to “toilet paper.”

“If you ever run out of toilet paper PLEASE by this one you won’t be disappointed. It’s very absorbent… This unbearable worthless dreck was written by the painfully untalented David Winkler who is the son of the remarkably untalented and parasitical Producer of Rocky and Creed…”

What the heck? Winkler, 91, has always been considered one of the nicest guys in Hollywood. Everyone loves his wife, Margo. What a shame that this is how things have developed.

Sylvester Stallone Portrait of Producer Irwin Winkler Uses Anti-Semitic Imagery of Snake

Flashback Review: Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck in “Gigli,” One of the Worst Movies Ever Made

Now that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are reunited in marriage, here’s a flashback review to one of the worst movies ever made, “Gigli.” They co-starred in this piece of garbage.

My review from the end of July, 2003.

Ben and J-Lo’s ‘Gigli’: It’s Turkey Time, Gobble, Gobble

It’s not so easy to make a great howler of a bad movie. In recent years, Madonna ‘s made more than her share: “Shanghai Surprise,” “Swept Away,” “Who’s That Girl,” among them.

In 2001, Mariah Carey starred in “Glitter,” which has only aged badly since its laughable premiere. And then there’s “Showgirls,” “Striptease,” “The Postman,” “Waterworld,” “Ishtar,” and the perceived king of kings, “Heaven’s Gate.”

Now add to the very top of the list, “Gigli” — directed by Martin Brest, who actually has another title on the list already: “Meet Joe Black.”

Witless, coarse, and vulgar, “Gigli” is worse than its advance buzz could have indicated. Starring real-life tabloid lovers Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, the film — if you can call it that — is a total, mindless disaster. Sitting in a screening last night with reviewers and feature writers, I could only think of one word: stupefying.

As many who were there muttered on the way out: “What were they thinking?”

First, the acting: Lopez and Affleck may have chemistry at home, but they have none here. Affleck comes off the worst. As hitman Larry Gigli, Affleck seems to be doing a bad imitation of James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano.

A thuggish Brooklyn-esque accent comes and goes, and Affleck never figures out whether he’s a good guy or a bad guy. While these gears are turning in his head, you can’t help notice that he’s a hitman wearing a luxurious Gucci leather jacket and gorgeous silk tops. He also appears to be wearing Ted Danson’s toupee from “Cheers.”

J-Lo does a little better, but not much as a lesbian hitwoman who is nonetheless smitten with Affleck. She makes her first appearance wearing a midriff-revealing halter-top to show off her abs and rear end, and it just keeps getting better.

At one point Lopez is featured in a yoga position called “the crow,” which is photographed as if she were a kangaroo hoisted on its hind legs and ready for mating. As I once heard Anna Wintour say of Clint Eastwood with matted hair in a rainstorm scene, “It’s not a good look for you.”

Like Ben, who actually says the word “heart-throb-a-rama,” J-Lo is saddled with ridiculous, offensive, unfortunate dialogue, much of which can’t be quoted in proper publications.

Herewith some of her declarations: “It’s turkey time. Gobble, gobble.” “A penis is like a sea slug or a long toe.” “I thought you wanted to be my bitch.”

There’s a fourth line, but it can’t be repeated here, concerning her offer to perform a sex act on Affleck for 12 hours. Another character, doing an unintentional Joe Pesci imitation from “Goodfellas,” later describes Lopez’s lesbian with a term that should have women’s groups on both sides demanding a recall vote on the screenwriter.

Trust me, the dialogue in “Gigli” is so awful that the groans just come faster and faster. It is also unnecessarily vulgar. I counted the “f-word” no fewer than 15 times in the first 10 minutes and then lost track.

Lopez also makes a long speech to Affleck in which she draws analogies between her female anatomy and one’s mouth, ending in a particular vulgarity that sent at least two New York Times writers right out of the theatre.

There are other actors in the film. Sadly, newcomer Justin Bartha , who plays a “Rain Man”-like autistic character stolen directly from that movie — but without the manual — makes a very bad first impression.

Will he turn out to be a “thumbless, bleeding halfwit,” as Lopez’s character posits? It’s hard to say since Bartha, not getting any direction from Brest, slips from autism to Tourette’s Syndrome to ADD to simply being annoying.

But the “Rain Man” lifts are painful to watch. Instead of being obsessed with “Wapner,” for example, this character only wants to see “Baywatch.” Again, what could Brest, who wrote and directed this junk, have been thinking?

Al Pacino, whom Brest directed to an Oscar in the very bad “Scent of a Woman” 11 years ago, appears in one interminable scene as a New York crime boss. This one bloated moment may completely unravel Pacino’s esteemed career from “The Godfather” to “Insomnia.”

His expressionless, frozen face — though included in the film’s trailer as a big deal — appears about three-fourths of the way through the film. It’s not clear even if Affleck and Lopez, who Brest cuts to occasionally for stupefied reactions, were even on the set when Pacino delivers his numbing monologue. The fact that it ends in his character committing a sudden act of bloody violence doesn’t help.

The only performance worth seeing in “Gigli” (which rhymes, Affleck says often, with “really”) is another cameo, this one by Christopher Walken as a police detective. When Walken steps into the film, “Gigli” suddenly becomes full of color and oxygen — two things that Lopez and Affleck lack.

Unfortunately, Walken’s scene is meant to explain the plot. But it’s pretty clear that the actor has no idea what he’s saying; he just says it so wonderfully that it doesn’t matter. Watch the pause he takes at the end of the scene. It’s a brilliant comment on the nonsense set before him.

Broadway Surprise: Billy Crystal’s “Mr Saturday Night” Will Close at End of Summer

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This has been a rough season on Broadway.

Now, among the many shows closing is Billy Crystal’s wonderful “Mr. Saturday Night.” The final performance will come on Labor Day weekend.

“Mr. Saturday Night” had a lot of Tony nominations but no wins. Without the Tony imprimatur, the musical based on Crystal’s 1994 movie fell apart at the box office. Two weeks ago ticket sales were only at 61% of capacity. When last week’s numbers are published tomorrow, it could be lower.

In just three weeks, total box office has fallen by $300,000 to just $542,696. In its short run, “Mr. Saturday Night” never rose above $848K.

Besides attendance, the other issue with “Mr. Saturday Night” is that it’s dependent on Crystal being there for 8 shows a week. He’s 74, and has had COVID at least once. If he misses a show, the whole production has to shut down. No one comes to see an understudy. And Billy may have just said, That’s enough.

“Mr. Saturday Night” still has 7 weeks left. Please go see it, it’s so much fun and Billy and David Paymer and the whole cast are terrific. We’ll be sad to see them go.

Start the Clocks: Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck Get Married in Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas

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You can almost imagine the solemnity of the occasion.

Perhaps in honor of the Yankees beating the Red Sox this weekend, a couple from each team’s hometown has married in Las Vegas.

Jennifer Lopez of the Bronx, and Ben Affleck of Boston, have tied the knot in the City of Sin.

Affleck has only been married once, to Jennifer Garner with whom he has three kids.

For Lopez, this is number four. She has two kids with Marc Anthony. She’s also had near miss engagements with Alex Rodriguez and Sean Puffy Combs.

If these two crazy kids can’t make it after a 20 year break in their relationship, who can? Start the clocks. Two years? Five? More? I don’t think so.

We have to thank them, actually. There’s not much of this kind of celebrity movie star romantic stuff any more. In the old days you could count on Liz Taylor and Richard Burton to lead the pack. So we salute Ben and Jen! Their kids will write bestselling memoirs, I hope!

RIP William Hart, 77, of the Delfonics, Sang and Wrote Soul Classics for the Ages

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I’m a little late for this because I was traveling over the weekend.

William Hart of the Delfonics died on Friday in Philadelphia. He was the lead singer and writer for the group. His songs are classics played on every oldies station now and forever. Hart was 77 years old.

Hart’s biggest hits were “La La Means I Love You,” “Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time,” and “Ready or Not Here I Come,” among others. His falsetto soars through all of those hits, co-written with Philly legend Thom Bell. They are magnificent records.

These songs are sampled constantly by everyone in music today.  Hart had a lasting impact on the soundtrack of our lives. Celebrate his.

Netflix Happy $200 Mil “Gray Man” Not Dependent on Box Office: Few Tickets Sold This Weekend

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“The Gray Man” has not been a crowd pleaser in theaters.

Netflix doesn’t release box office figures, but a quick, unscientific look at Fandango indicates audiences didn’t flock to the $200 million thriller this weekend.

The steamer is counting on their subscribers sampling a few minutes of “The Gray Man” beginning Friday when it hits the platform. Even if no one gets through the film, Netflix will declare a victory.

But in person, “The Gray Man” is not an attraction. Today, for example, The Paris Theater in New York has sold fewer than 10 seats for two shows. Ditto the Cinepolis on West 23rd St. In Los Angeles, about four tickets are sold at the Westwood Landmark.

Otherwise, we can surmise most movie fans are waiting for Friday. Or they’ve read the reviews.

Meanwhile, Netflix is suffering online with “Persuasian,” a Jane Austen adaptation starring Dakota Johnson that is jus awful. I’m a big fan Dakota fan, but this project, let’s say, has gone South. I guess Vanity Fair hadn’t seen it when they put her on the cover. They should have waited til the winter when Apple’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth” — showing Ms. Johnson at her best — has some awards attention.