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Cannes Unveils Huge 2021 Program with Sean Penn, Tom McCarthy, Andrea Arnold, Sean Baker, Oliver Stone

Roger Friedman
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Cannes Unveils Huge 2021 Program with Sean Penn, Tom McCarthy, Andrea Arnold, Sean Baker, Oliver Stone

Cannes 2021 will have a lot of films. There won’t be a lot of Americans, but the ones who will are important: Sean Penn, Sean Baker, and especially Tom McCarthy, of “Spotlight” fame. McCarthy’s “Stillwater” could be a big player next fall and in awards season.

Sean Baker’s last movie was “The Florida Project,” still a breath of fresh air in filmmaking.

Sean Penn’s “Flag Day” will be of interest because, well, it’s Sean Penn. It stars Josh Brolin, Kathryn Winnick, and according to the imdb, both of Sean’s kids, Dylan and Hopper, have roles. Screenplay is by Jez Butterworth, which is very good news.

As previously noted, the opening film is Leos Carax’s “Annette,” which I’ve heard interesting things about. Adam Driver stars in it, and there’s a lot of him. Marion Cotillard is said to be in only part of the film with music from the totally cult and outlier duo, Sparks.

Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” is in there, as expected.

Will there be another “Parasite”? Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar winning film began at Cannes in 2019. Is there film not in English that will surprise everyone? Thierry Fremaux hopes so.

Spike Lee leads the jury, and the show begins July 6th. But France is the key question here. Will Cannes guests have to quarantine for 7 days when they arrive? Can anyone afford a week of staying in the hotel before ten days of the festival? I have a feeling Cannes will be the same as ever, overcrowded and full of mischief!

 

COMPETITION

“Ahed’s Knee” OR “Ha’berech,” Nadav Lapid

“Annette,” Leos Carax — OPENING FILM

“Benedetta,” Paul Verhoeven

“Bergman Island,” Mia Hansen-Løve

“Casablanca Beats,” Nabil Ayouch

“Compartment No. 6” OR “Hytti Nro 6,” Juho Kuosmanen

“Drive My Car,” Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

“Everything Went Fine” OR “Tout s’est bien passé,” Francois Ozon

“Flag Day,” Sean Penn

“France,” Bruno Dumont

“The French Dispatch,” Wes Anderson

“A Hero,” Asghar Farhadi

“La fracture,” Catherine Corsini

“Lingui,” Mahamat-Saleh Haroun

“Memoria,” Apichatpong Weerasethakul

“Nitram,” Justin Kurzel

“Paris, 13th District” OR “Les Olympiades,” Jacques Audiard

“Petrov’s Flu,” Kirill Serebrennikov

“Red Rocket,” Sean Baker

“The Restless” OR “Les Intranquilles,” Joachim Lafosse

“The Story of My Wife,” Ildikó Enyedi

“Three Floors” OR “Tre Piani,” Nanni Moretti

“Titane,” Julia Ducournau

“The Worst Person in the World” OR “Julie (en 12 Chapitres),” Joachim Trier

UN CERTAIN REGARD

“After Yang,” Kogonada

“Blue Bayou,” Justin Chon

“Bonne Mère,” Hafsia Herzi

“Commitment Hasan,” Hasan Semih Kaplanoglu

“Freda,” Gessica Généus

“Gaey Wa’r,” Na Jiazuo

“Great Freedom,” Sebastian Meise

“House Arrest” OR “Delo,” Alexey German Jr.

“The Innocents,” Eskil Vogt

“La Civil,” Teodora Ana Mihai

“Lamb,” Valdimar Jóhansson

“Let There Be Morning,” Eran Kolirin

“Moneyboys,“ B.C Yi

“Noche de Fuego,” Tatiana Huezo

“Rehana Maryam Noor,” Abdullah Mohammad Saad

“Unclenching the Fists,” Kira Kovalenko

“Un Monde,” Laura Wandel

“Women Do Cry,” Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazakova

OUT OF COMPETITION

“Aline, the Voice of Love,” Valerie Lemercier

“Bac Nord,” Cédric Jimenez

“Emergency Declaration,” Han Jae-Rim

“In His Lifetime” OR “De son vivant,” Emmanuelle Bercot

“Stillwater,” Tom McCarthy

“The Velvet Underground,” Todd Haynes

MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS

“Bloody Oranges,” Jean-Christophe Meurisse

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

“Babi Yar. Context,” Sergei Loznitsa

“Black Notebooks,” Shlomi Elkabetz

“H6,” Yé Yé

“JFK: Through the Looking Glass,” Oliver Stone

“Mariner of the mountains” OR “O Marinheiro das Montanhas,” Karim Aïnouz

“The Year of the Everlasting Storm,” Jafar Panahi, Anthony Chen, Malik Vitthal, Laura Poitras, Dominga Sotomayor, David Lowery and Apichatpong Weerasethakul

CANNES PREMIERE

“Cow,” Andrea Arnold

“Deception” OR “Tromperie,” Arnaud Desplechin

“Evolution,” Kornél Mundruczo

“Hold Me Tight,” Mathieu Almaric

“In Front of Your Face,” Hong Sang-soo

“Jane by Charlotte,” Charlotte Gainsbourg

“JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass,” Oliver Stone

“Mothering Sunday,” Eva Husson

“This Music Is Playing for No One,” Samuel Benchetrit

“Val,” Ting Poo and Leo Scott

Billie Eilish Tries a 4th Single from July Album After “Your Power” Tanks with Just 12K in Hard Sales

Roger Friedman
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Billie Eilish Tries a 4th Single from July Album After “Your Power” Tanks with Just 12K in Hard Sales

Billie Eilish is having a little trouble with singles.

She’s just released a fourth single from her forthcoming July album. It’s called “Lost Cause.” Let’s hope it isn’t one.

Billie is coming off a dud of a third single, “Your Power.” Released on April 30th, the song got no airplay, had mediocre sales in its first week, and went on to get a lot of streaming. Total paid downloads: 12,000. Total including streaming: 450,00.

“Lost Cause” is off to a better start. In a few hours it went to number 11 on iTunes. It already has 5 million views on YouTube.

Of course, Billie can look forward to her her Grammy winning James Bond theme, “No Time to Die,” getting a revival in November when that movie is finally released.

The new album, “Happier than Ever,” with a punch line of “without you,” comes July 30th. If “Lost Cause” doesn’t hit, they’ll have to try another one. That’s a lot of singles available before the album is released.

I think listening to “Your Power” again and “Lost Cause” that they will wind up being album cuts in a solid album. The whole thing has to be heard. Releasing all these advance singles might be a mistake.

Just sayin’…

Chris Harrison Still Being Punished by Bachelor Nation Even Though “Offended” Couple Got Back Together

Roger Friedman
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Chris Harrison Still Being Punished by Bachelor Nation Even Though “Offended” Couple Got Back Together

Chris Harrison still being punished by the producers of “The Bachelor,” and for no reason now.

They just announced he won’t host this summer’s moronic series, “Bachelor in Paradise.” He also won’t host the next round of “The Bachelorette.”

Harrison is being penalized for being surprised and giving the wrong answers, live, to former “Bachelorette” Rachel Lindsay during an interview on Extra. They were discussing pictures that had surfaced of “Bachelor” player Rachael Kirkconnell at a party on a restored Southern plantation. Kirkconnell was dressed for an Antebellum Ball.

At the time, The Bachelor was Matt James, the show’s first Black Bachelor. He was choosing her as his finalist. Harrison, flustered, defended Kirkconnell. Lindsay asked him, “What role do you think I would play at that party?” (She meant, slave.) Harrison equivocated, and imploded.

James broke up with Kirkconnell. There were a lot of tears and much anger. But he’s several lightbulbs short of a chandelier. So guess what? He’s back together with Kirkconnell! They’ve decided to put her ignorant, racist past behind them.

And Harrison? As Boris used to say to Natasha on “Rocky and Bullwinkle” after setting a bomb that backfires: “Who gets blown up? Me!”

At this point, “The Bachelor” execs should just reinstate Harrison, have him go on the air and talk about what happened and what he learned, and move forward. Instead, they’re going to torture the audience with David Spade, the obsequious and painful former “SNL” cast member, as host of “Bachelor in Paradise.”

I will never see it. It’s Yankees season, and even if it weren’t, I’d become a fly fisherman or something. Let’s call a Spade a Spade.

Social Media Was Wrong about Ellie Kemper and Veiled Prophet: My Interview with One of Several Black Members (Exclusive)

Roger Friedman
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Social Media Was Wrong about Ellie Kemper and Veiled Prophet: My Interview with One of Several Black Members (Exclusive)

I don’t know what Veiled Prophet was in the distant past, but it’s not a racist organization.

Social media has become a lynch mob, looking to castigate “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” star Ellie Kemper for being queen of their pageant in 1999. She’s been labeled a “KKK queen” and worse.

Today I spoke to a Black member of the Veiled Prophet organization, of many, he says who participate in all activities and have for years. He asked not to give his name, but I know it, and he’s a substantial  citizen, deeply involved in St. Louis civic activities and businesses. I’ll call him Donald, a St. Louis native who saw Ike and Tina Turner perform when he was six years old. (Lucky him, “Rescue Me” singer Fontella Bass he knew well, also.)

Donald told me in a phone conversation that he’s only interested in “looking forward, not backward.” He says Blacks and Whites participate in the wrong labeled “racist Ball,” and they’re proud of it.

“We are dedicated to community betterment. Anyone who wants to can be part of it,” he said.

Donald said he was recruited by another Black member around 2012. “A number of people, I’d call them community do-gooders, have joined.” Donald told me his current business interests are “golf,” but I know better: he’s being modest. For a man of this caliber to be in this group and singing its praises means social media really got this wrong. They owe Ellie Kemper and Veiled Prophet an apology.

Donald said of this ideas Veiled Prophet is a ‘secret society”: “this story re-occurs every few years.” He ignores it. He says the Veiled Prophet Ball is one of the best pageants in the country, “one of the few in which several different groups participate.”

He concludes: “Every organization has its history. It’s how we transform that history that matters.”

Amen.

So Many Platforms, No Enough Content, So Apple TV is Renewing Poorly Reviewed “Mosquito Coast” for a Second Season

Roger Friedman
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So Many Platforms, No Enough Content, So Apple TV is Renewing Poorly Reviewed “Mosquito Coast” for a Second Season

I wish you would all read Paul Theroux’s 1981 novel, “The Mosquito Coast.” It’s a page turner, gripping, maybe the best of all his excellent reads.

Then there’s the 1986 movie with Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, River Phoenix, and Martha Plimpton. Peter Weir directed the hell out of it. Ford’s Allie Fox is one of his best non-franchise characters, a madman, eccentric, evil genius.

Now comes the Apple TV version, as a series which was just picked up for Season 2. Why, I ask, why? No one likes it. The TV series has a 61 on Rotten Tomatoes among critics and an 83 with fans. The TV series has completely misunderstood the book and the movie.

But there are so many platforms for content that once you’ve got something, why not keep going? Filling all those hours on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Crackle, Spackle, whatever plus HBO and Showtime not to mention the broadcast networks….Meanwhile, “Ozark” is only doing one more short season! There is no justice!

So get out the bug repellent and the zapper, the netting and the fly swatter.

PS a little ironic that Apple TV’s two biggest shows feature a now divorced couple– Jennifer Aniston on “The Morning Show” and Justin Theroux on this one. I guess they have to schedule their TCA press conferences on different days!

Facing Indictments in New York, Donald Trump Removes Blog Section of His Website

Roger Friedman
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Facing Indictments in New York, Donald Trump Removes Blog Section of His Website

No more bloviating for Donald Trump.

The former and unloved president has excised the blog section of his website at www.donaldjtrump.com. It’s gone but for a few short platitudes.

Trump boasted to his base that the website was going to be a incredible new platform to communicate with them on since Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube had removed him.

But now as his possible indictments in New York are heating up and a grand jury is considering his fate, Trump has backed off his idiotic proclamations.

Only yesterday he claimed that he’d be “reinstated” as president come August. This seemed to me like the result of onset dementia. It must have appeared that way to his lawyers as well.

So goodbye again, Donnie. Start working on your prison diaries.

 

Exclusive: Hysteria Over Ellie Kemper “Racist” Ball May Be Misplaced as Group Gave $100K to Minority School, Donates Thousands to Underprivileged Groups

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Hysteria Over Ellie Kemper “Racist” Ball May Be Misplaced as Group Gave $100K to Minority School, Donates Thousands to Underprivileged Groups

I’m aghast at the mass hysteria labeling actress Ellie Kemper a KKK prom queen. In 1999 she was made the Queen of the Ball at the Veiled Prophet Gala in St. Louis. Much has been made of Veiled Prophet’s century long history in St. Louis, accusing them of racism and associating them with the Klan.

I’ve got no stake in this discussion, I never heard of them. But I did read that Kemper’s family were Abolitionists. Her great grandfather, the patriarch of the family, was vehemently anti-slavery. So there’s that. But why muddle around in research and facts?

Then I checked the Form 990 tax filing for the Veiled Prophet Foundation. I even looked at their Facebook page where I found the video below. Veiled Prophet dispenses funds every year to needy groups. In 2018, they built the playground seen in the video below at Biome Stream School in St. Louis. They donated over $100,000 and their time, as you can see in the video. Biome is 91% minority as described on their website. I never heard of the KKK building playgrounds for Black kids, have you?

Veiled Prophet donates several thousand dollars a year to supplies for foster children, and various schools. I’ve confirmed that the Form 990 is correct, for what it’s worth. So this story is not literally black and white.

The Veiled Prophet may have been racist a long time ago, I don’t know. But when Ellie Kemper participated in the Ball, in 1999, it had already been 20 years since they accepted Black members. Now it’s 42 years. I’ve confirmed with their spokesman that they have Black members now, and they participate in the Veiled Prophet Ball. As you can see from the video below, it’s not really a “Secret Society.”

Last, it should be noted that Ellie’s dad, David Kemper, head of Commerce Bank, donated $2,000 to Joe Biden last year. In 2016 he donated to Hillary Clinton’s campaign. But he’s definitely a Republican at heart. In 2016 he also gave a whopping $50,000 to the Senate Majority PAC through the Veterans Foundation. But he didn’t give a penny to Donald Trump, and that counts for a lot.

A spokesman for Veiled Prophet says:

“The VP organization is dedicated to civic progress, economic contributions and charitable causes in St. Louis. Our organization believes in and promotes inclusion, diversity and equality for the entire region. We absolutely reject racism and have never associated with any organization that harbors these beliefs. We are proud of our commitment to support civic St. Louis for 143 years.”

Social media is the worst. It just unleashes anger for no reason, resentment of what amounts to nothing. The crazy thing is that this time is was against a perfect lovely, funny comedic actress who’s done nothing but entertain us. She committed no crime, no act of social injustice. We have people actively inciting and encouraging treason in this country, but the glare of hatred is on the the girl who played the receptionist on “The Office.” How very awful and bizarre.

National Enquirer Hit with $187K Fine from Federal Election Commission over Buying and Killing Story from Trump Mistress

Roger Friedman
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National Enquirer Hit with $187K Fine from Federal Election Commission over Buying and Killing Story from Trump Mistress

Remember when the National Enquirer was doing Donald Trump’s dirty work?

Well, they’ve just been fined $187,000 by the Federal Election Commission for buying and killing a tell all by former Playboy model Karen McDougal. She sold them her story about sleeping with Trump for $150,000. They bought it, and killed it.

The FEC considers that a campaign donation, besides being unethical.

McDougal she that she had a 10-month fling with Donald Trump before he was President, saying they were together “many dozens of times.”

“I can tell you we saw each other a minimum five times a month, up to bigger numbers per month,” the former Playboy model told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. She said they were together “many dozens of times,” and when asked by Cooper if they were intimate, she responded in the affirmative.

Where was Melania? I don’t care, do you? This was in addition to Stormy Daniels and who knows who else?

Here is the FEC decision.

Just PS: American Media said they were selling the Enquirer to James Cohen’s Hudson News for $1 million. This sale has NEVER happened. AMI, now known as A360, still owns and publishes the Enquirer. Chatham Assets, which said they wanted to get rid of the Enquirer after this McDougal mess, still has it.

“Mare of Easttown” Scored Record 3 Million Viewers on Sunday Night Despite HBO Max Crash

Roger Friedman
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“Mare of Easttown” Scored Record 3 Million Viewers on Sunday Night Despite HBO Max Crash

“Mare of Easttown” scored big numbers on Sunday despite HBO Max crashing right before the show went on.

The total says HBO was 3 million for both HBO and HBO Max, and another million before Monday night was over. They say it’s a total of 4 million. Not bad.

The “Mare” finale was their best showing of the 7 episodes. It beat the finale of “The Undoing” and was the most watched show so far in its time slot first run on HBO Max.

In other words, it was a monster hit. And so well done that it should garner lots of Emmy attention. HBO will have a problem on its hands, but the kind everyone likes: too many limited series nominees. “The Undoing” was just as good, but it was six months ago. People have short memories.

UPDATES: Warner Bros. Discovery Will Be the New Studio, John Mayer Is an “SOB,” Clive Davis Makes Magic Upstate

Roger Friedman
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UPDATES: Warner Bros. Discovery Will Be the New Studio, John Mayer Is an “SOB,” Clive Davis Makes Magic Upstate

JACK WARNER can rest easy in his grave. The studio he and his brothers founded almost a hundred years ago will continue to bear their name.

Warner Bros. Discovery is the result of AT&T  spinning off its WarnerMedia properties and merging them with the Discovery networks. Why not? After all, we’ve had Warner Communications, Time Warner, Time Warner AOL, then Time was sold for firewood, and WarnerMedia.

The combined companies comprise everything that isn’t Disney-Fox, Paramount-CBS, or NBC Universal.

David Zaslav, of Discovery, will run the show. He said this morning:

“Warner Bros. Discovery will aspire to be the most innovative, exciting and fun place to tell stories in the world – that is what the company will be about. We love the new company’s name because it represents the combination of Warner Bros.’ fabled hundred year legacy of creative, authentic storytelling and taking bold risks to bring the most amazing stories to life, with Discovery’s global brand that has always stood brightly for integrity, innovation and inspiration. There are so many wonderful, creative and journalistic cultures that will make up the Warner Bros. Discovery family. We believe it will be the best and most exciting place in the world to tell big, important and impactful stories across any genre – and across any platform: film, television and streaming.”

JOHN MAYER hasn’t had a new album in a while. The talented guitarist with quirky social skills has been busy making deals for talk shows and so on. But he’s releasing a new collection on July 16th called “SOB Rock.” At first I thought it was sob, as in sob sister. But then I realized it was SOB, and not sounds of Brazil. The tag line is “It’s time to love an album again.” I hope it’s this album! Fans will speculate about the lyrics, are they about this one or that one? Mayer has had his hits including pinching “Waiting for the World to Change” from Curtis Mayfield. So haha people get ready, there’ a new album coming…

CLIVE DAVIS hosted his annual Memorial Day dinner in upstate New York over the weekend. Clive looked royal himself in a royal blue linen dinner jacket, and welcomed so many great guests like Julian Casablancas of the Strokes, Gregg Alexander of New Radicals, Broadway great Julie White, famed singer songwriter Valerie Simpson, HitCo record exec Charles Goldstuck, actress Lisa Banes, and Republic Records chief Monte Lippman. For entertainment after the swanky dinner, Clive imported mentalist Gerard Senehi, who freaked out “Madame Secretary” actor Erich Bergen (now a big Zoom producer) by reading his mind and almost revealing his PIN Number to the crowd! A swell night, and Clive– what can you say? — he is our living legend. We are not worthy!

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