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Exclusive: “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Will Start Shooting Season 5 After A Short Break from Just-Wrapped Season

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Will Start Shooting Season 5 After A Short Break from Just-Wrapped Season

Great news. We’re getting two seasons of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” back to back.

Season 4 just wrapped after a three day shoot at Carnegie Hall. The crew went back to Queens and wrapped up loose ends. Everyone gets a vacation. Star Rachel Brosnahan may get a free trip to the South of France courtesy of amFAR, which is listing her as a celebrity they expect next Friday, July 16th at their pre-Halloween ball, er, AIDS fundraiser (as described here).

But the good news is that I’m told Amazon has already greenlighted ( or is it greenlit?) another season. Sets can stay up, actors can leave for vacay knowing they have jobs to come back to. Season 4 features the main cast as we know them plus Milo Ventimiglia and Kelly Bishop, who appeared on the Palladino’s old series, “Gilmore Girls.”

How much longer will “Mrs. Maisel” go on for? Six, seven seasons? I guess it will all depend on how these two seasons are welcomed by fans. Here’s the problem: they promoted Emmy winner Luke Kirby to a regular. Kirby plays real life comedian Lenny Bruce, who died tragically in 1966. Lenny died  from an overdose of morphine while his New York obscenity conviction was still on appeal. He received a foreclosure notice at his Los Angeles home the same day. THAT can NEVER be part of “Mrs. Maisel,” I don’t think. So they can’t go beyond a certain point.

So far, though, it’s still like 1961 in “Maisel” land. And they can go seasons 5, 6, and 7 without getting near ’66.

Whenever Amazon schedules Season 4 — next winter? — “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” will be most welcome on our TVs, computers, and phones.

PS We can’t wait to see what they shot in Washington Square Park that ended in a public melee!

 

 

RIP Beloved Hollywood Director Richard Donner, 91, Made “Superman” and “Lethal Weapon” Movies

Roger Friedman
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RIP Beloved Hollywood Director Richard Donner, 91, Made “Superman” and “Lethal Weapon” Movies

You can’t say this about a lot of people in Hollywood, but producer-director Richard Donner, known to most as Dick, was really beloved. He has died at the age of 91.

Donner hadn’t made a movie since 2006’s little gem, “16 Blocks,” but he stopped at the top of his game. His list of credits is powerhouse: the original “Superman” Movies with Chris Reeve, the “Lethal Weapon” series, “Goonies,” “The Omen,” and “Scrooged” with Bill Murray, which got terrible reviews but is a fan favorite.

Dick cut his teeth directing classic television. “Kojak,” “Cannon,” “The Wild Wild West,” he directed both “Get Smart” and “The Man from UNCLE” (the former was a parody of the latter), six episodes of “The Twilight Zone,” and dozens more. He even acted in some of the early ones.

He was born Richard Donald Schwartzberg in New York in April 1930, and was married since 1986 to producer director Lauren Shuler Donner. In October 2008, both Lauren  and Dick were honored with Stars next to each other on the Hollywood Blvd Walk of Fame. Dick was charming, loyal and, funny. He will be much missed. Condolences to his family and friends.

Creepy amFAR Still Paying Their Execs Six Figures, Plans End-of-Cannes Semi-Gala

Roger Friedman
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Creepy amFAR Still Paying Their Execs Six Figures, Plans End-of-Cannes Semi-Gala

amFAR is back.

The creepy organization that used to mean something will attempt to throw a scaled down party in Cannes next Friday, July 16th.

By then, whatever stars were at the festival will be gone, except for Spike Lee, who’s the head of the jury. Spike doesn’t know amFAR’s history, so he’s letting them honor him.

Alicia Keys is the entertainment; someone is paying her, trust me. amFAR is boasting a lot of celebs on their website including Nicole Kidman. Someone will have to pick up that tab, too. amFAR is now better known for wasting money on celebrities eneterxpenses than doing good work.

amFAR’s CEO Kevin Frost is making around $600,000 now. According to the group’s Form 990 for 2018, compensation for the top staffers came to $2.5 million. Total salaries was around $6 million. That’s not much less than the total amount donated to domestic organizations needing amFAR’s money ($6.8 million).

In 2018, amFAR claimed that revenue less expenses left them MINUS $3.6 million. Their total net assets were down by $3 million from 2017, to $49 million.

amFAR in Cannes is something to behold: volunteer swan around town in chauffeur driven cars emblazoned with their logo, placards in the windshield. Even though the group is much hobbled from its glory days 20 years ago, they still put on a show. The celebrities, who bask in the glow of their largesse, are none the wise. No one talks about Sharon Stone, the deposed Queen of amFAR who raised millions for them and was treated shabbily.

This year’s semi-gala is said to be down to just 400 guests. Because the film festival was moved to July, and because of the pandemic, the event will not take place at the famed Hotel duCap Eden Roc. Instead, it’s been moved to a space owned by the city of Antibes which must be rented out from the office of tourism. The Villa Elienroc is not far away, but doesn’t have the cachet of the Hotel.

amFAR in 2021 is almost completely unrecognizable from the organization just five years ago. Harvey Weinstein is gone, of course. So is Kenneth Cole, who put his heart and soul in it and was also treated shabbily. But still lurking around is the mysterious “Milutin Gatsby,” a Serb using a pseudonym who is called the group’s “global fundraising chairman.” It’s a made up name, for a made up job. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, also sketchy, parted company with him a while back during the Malaysian public funds scandal.

There will be more, believe me… to be continued…

 

 

 

Sean Penn’s Cannes Trip: 70 “Flag Day” Crew Members with Families Coming to Festival, Some as His Guests

Roger Friedman
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Sean Penn’s Cannes Trip: 70 “Flag Day” Crew Members with Families Coming to Festival, Some as His Guests

EXCLUSIVE Don’t say Sean Penn isn’t grateful to his crew from “Flag Day.” He’s bringing them to Cannes!

That’s right. The talk of the Croisette this morning on the day before the Festival de Cannes opens is that Penn is giving his crew an extraordinary gift.

“Flag Day” opens in Cannes this Saturday, July 10th. And in the audience will be at least 7o people connected to the film. Sean’s doing them a solid for working at low wages on his independent film.

A source says: “He’s doing this as a beautiful gesture. There’s no posse coming. Even his wife is staying home so he can bring everyone. It’s just the cast and crew and some of their families.”

And I don’t think that includes the 20 or so people who have producing credits on “Flag Day.” This means hairstylists, camera people, sound, editing, and so on.

UPDATE: Sean’s publicist says, “He’s not paying for 70 people. A lot of people from the film are going. Some are paying for themselves. Others may have deals with the foreign distributor.”

Where will they all stay? I’m told most of them will go into AirBnB rentals since hotels are hard to come by for this Cannes because it’s happening in the middle of France’s vacation high season. Sean, properly, will be installed at one of the famed hotels along the Croisette. (Although it’s not like he isn’t used to camping out. He’s spent a lot of time in Haiti helping to rebuild that country.)

At least this way Sean is guaranteed a standing ovation when “Flag Day” concludes. But it would have anyway. A former head of the jury, the two time Oscar winner is a Cannes favorite.

“Flag Day” opens next month in the US, from MGM Studios.

PS If you’re on the “Flag Day” trip, drop us a line at showbiz411@gmail.com. I’ll reply with restaurant recommendations!

Um, It’s July 5th, Where is Lana Del Rey’s “Blue Banisters” Album? Did She Forget She Said July 4th Release?

Roger Friedman
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Um, It’s July 5th, Where is Lana Del Rey’s “Blue Banisters” Album? Did She Forget She Said July 4th Release?

Dear Lana del Rey,

Today is July 5th. You said in April that a new album called “Blue Banisters” was coming out on July 4th.

Did you forget?

Yesterday Lana posted a video of herself singing the title track, and wrote that the album was “coming soon.” Uh huh.

To be fair, Lana has posted three singles from the forthcoming album. And she released a whole other album, “Chemtrails over the Country Club,” a short time ago, a probable Grammy nominee. So it’s not like she’s been lazy.

But still…those banisters are turning blue. I wouldn’t want to be a record executive in this environment. Artists drop surprise albums without warning. Or they don’t. Very weird and upsetting.

What Year Is It? The Number 1 and 2 Albums on iTunes Are 40 (Queen) and 50 (Joni Mitchell) Years Old

Roger Friedman
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What Year Is It? The Number 1 and 2 Albums on iTunes Are 40 (Queen) and 50 (Joni Mitchell) Years Old

What year is it again?

Over the weekend, Queen’s Greatest Hits went to number 1 on iTunes. Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” is number 2.

read all of today’s Showbiz411 headlines click here

They are from 1981 and 1971, respectively.  I was 16 in 1973, I’m trying to imagine music from 1923 and 1933 suddenly being popular. And I can’t. ABBA, Journey, and Fleetwood Mac are also in the top 50. But HER Music’s first album, released last week, is a dud. And it shouldn’t be. Go figure.

PS Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Greatest Hits is number 14. It’s been in the top 10 for weeks. So have four of their singles. Maybe we’re in a time warp!

Box Office Update: “Cruella” Exceeds Expectations, “F9” Nears $500 Mil as Universal Takes Top 3 Spots

Roger Friedman
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Box Office Update: “Cruella” Exceeds Expectations, “F9” Nears $500 Mil as Universal Takes Top 3 Spots

SUNDAY UPDATE

I guess there will be an “F 10.” The most recent movie in the “Fast and Furious” saga, “F9,” will cross the $500 million mark internationally today or tomorrow. There was a surge on Saturday in the US, bringing the domestic box office to $117 million.

If you add over $200 million from China, and then factor in the rest of the world, “F9” is a post pandemic phenom. It was good mainstream entertainment at the moment everyone needed it. So there will be more and more of these things.

For Universal Pictures, it’s a big weekend. “F9” is number 1, the “Boss Baby” sequel is number 2, and “The Forever Purge,” a B movie about a Mexican drug cartel, with lots of shoot outs, is number 3. Can’t beat that!

Disney’s “Cruella” continues to be a late starter and a surprise still-blooming hit. They’re up to $76 million now, eyeing $80 million and hoping for more. Deserved!

The “Sparks” doc sparked little interest, made $24,000 over the weekend.

 

Sean Penn’s “Flag Day” Family Affair: Kids Dylan and Hopper Are In it, Julia Roberts’ Husband Did the Cinematography

Roger Friedman
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Sean Penn’s “Flag Day” Family Affair: Kids Dylan and Hopper Are In it, Julia Roberts’ Husband Did the Cinematography

Sean Penn’s movie, “Flag Day,” is a family affair.

His kids, Dylan and Hopper, each have roles. Dylan is actually the main character, Jennifer Vogel, who wrote the book the movie is based on called “Flim-Flam Man: The True Story Of My Father‘s Counterfeit Life.”

But the Penn kids aren’t the only people close to the director involved in the making of “Flag Day.”

The cinematographer is Daniel Moder, whom you may know as the husband of Julia Roberts. Moder doesn’t work a lot. His last feature film was called “Ibiza,” made in 2018 for Netflix but mostly known. It starred Richard Madden, Gillian Jacobs, and Vanessa Bayer from “SNL.”

There’s a reason no one’s seen “Ibiza,” which has a 67 on Rotten Tomatoes. According to the IMDB: “The Balearic government considered whether to take legal action against Netflix because of this film. According to them, Neflix took advantage of Ibiza’s image by naming the film after the island but actually shooting it in Croatian locations instead. They also argued that this film not only perpetuates harmful stereotypes about Ibiza but it also clashes with the tourism board attempts to subvert them. ”

“Flag Day,” I’m sure, will have a better reception.

Here’s a look at Moder’s work in “Ibiza”:

“Black Widow” SVU Party Update: ScarJo Was A No-Show, Mariska Hargitay Hurt Her Ankle and Missed Own Party

Roger Friedman
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“Black Widow” SVU Party Update: ScarJo Was A No-Show, Mariska Hargitay Hurt Her Ankle and Missed Own Party

UPDATE The NY Post, which I call the NY Past, helped themselves to this exclusive from this site. They also used a picture from Mariska Hargitay’s Instagram that was six weeks old! LOL!

EXCLUSIVE

Spies have sent in updates on that “Black Widow” screening from Friday in the Hamptons.

Apparently, things didn’t go so well. It was, of course, raining like crazy.

Scarlett Johansson was a no show. No ScarJo. The star of the movie, though she lives a couple of miles away, stayed high and dry in neighboring Montauk.

Brooke Shields was the only celebrity of any value noted by observers. As it turned out, she was the perfect choice because Brooke is recovering from a broken femur.

“Law & Order SVU” star Mariska Hargitay, who was hosting the after party with husband Peter Hermann at their 7,000 square foot estate in East Hampton, never made it to her own party. Maybe because of the rain, Mariska either twisted or sprained her ankle outside the theater. An ambulance was called. Brooke Shields, knowledgeable and sympathetic, was spotted waiting with her. (Only in the Hamptons– the EMS drivers must have gotten  kick out of that call!)


Nice people, but no stars including Chris Meloni, headed to the Hermanns’ to nosh and talk about how good “Black Widow” is. Or how Mariska deserves an Emmy nomination this year for “Law & Order.”

You know what they say: No good turn goes unpunished!

If anyone else wants to chime in from the event, we are always at showbiz411@gmail.com.

 

EXCLUSIVE: The Original Discoverer of Questlove’s “Summer of Soul” Footage Says It Was Never “Lost” at All

Roger Friedman
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EXCLUSIVE: The Original Discoverer of Questlove’s “Summer of Soul” Footage Says It Was Never “Lost” at All

Joe Lauro, famous documentary filmmaker and archivist, says on Facebook this morning that there’s an untold story behind the footage that has become Questlove’s “Summer of Soul.”

“Summer of Soul” was released on Friday by Searchlight to theaters and is available on Hulu. The film is revives footage from the 1969 Harlem Music Festival that took place two weeks before Woodstock. It contains amazing footage of Stevie Wonder, Sly & the Family Stone, The 5th Dimension, Nina Simone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and so on. I gave “Summer of Soul” a ‘fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

When “Summer of Soul” was shown at Sundance this past winter, we were told the footage had been “lost” and “forgotten” and was recovered by Questlove, who shaped it into this film.

But Lauro, as you will read below, says that’s not exactly true. His version of the events of the history are surprising and revelatory. The footage was neither lost nor forgotten. Lauro, with a long impressive resume, knows exactly what happened to it.

I spoke to Lauro this morning and he confirmed everything he posted. He allowed me to make some small copy-edits. He refers to Hal Tulchin, the original producer/director.

Lauro concludes: “I assure you, if it were not for my efforts the Harlem Festival master tapes would likely still be molding in Mr. Tulchin’s Westchester County basement and Questlove would still be in totally ignorance of their existence.”

Here’s the Facebook post:

“For nearly 50 years, this (Harlem Festival tapes) just sat in a basement and “no one cared” was one of the key premises of the film itself, as stated in the opening montage, that the Harlem Festival footage was LOST FOR 50 YEARS.

This statement at best is hyperbole.

The reality is that in 2004 I tracked down director/producer Hal Tulchin after screening a 16mm syndication print of an episode of his first, Harlem Festival series.

Mr. Tulchin and I went to lunch to discuss the Harlem Festival footage and shortly thereafter he signed a representational agreement with my company Historic Films.  The idea was to license clips to third parties from the 40+ hours of Harlem Festival footage as well as develop a feature length documentary on the event.

I pulled the video tape masters from his Westchester County basement, digitized the reels, logged their contents, archived the 1” submasters at the Historic Films offices  and insisted that Mr. Tulchin copyright all of the reels.  In fact I filled out the forms for him and filed the copyright registration on his behalf  (and on my dime) with the Library Of Congress.

The Library Of Congress was also sent a complete set of videos of the 40+ hours of Harlem Festival  footage as is their requirement for copyright filing.  Through the years of our representation, we licensed excerpts of the footage to several productions including SONY RECORDS who used a sizable portion of the “lost” Nina Simone set in one of their home video releases.

Morgan Neville (Academy Award Winning director TWENTY FEET  FROM STARDOM) Robert Gordon (Emmy winning co-director BEST OF ENEMIES, author of IT CAME FROM MEMPHIS)  and I developed a feature length documentary film on the festival framing the event within the politics and civil right unrest that existed at the time, created a trailer and shopped the production around to several possible distributors.

A deal with a major distributor was in negotiation in 2007 and we were in contract negotiations.  To our surprise the negotiations broke down  and the rep from that company jumped ship and teamed with Mr. Tulchin  dumping Neville, Gordon and myself and taking the Harlem Festival project on as his own. Some 15 years later we have SUMMER OF SOUL.

As an archivist and filmmaker who has spent his 35 year career creating music documentaries, and unearthing and preserving rare musical content, I am delighted that this film has finally been produced.  I only ask that credit for the Harlem Festival footage’s re-discovery be properly given. Producers of a doc such as this that is touting it’s righteousness and quest for truth should at least give credit where it is due.

I assure you, if it were not for my efforts the Harlem Festival master tapes would likely still be molding in Mr. Tulchin’s Westchester County basement and Questlove would still be in totally ignorance of their existence.”

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