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Feel Old Now? “Home Alone” Child Star Macaulay Culkin Turns 40 Today, Happy Birthday! He’s Still a Kid to Us

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Want to feel old?

Perennial kid Macaulay Culkin, star of “Home Alone” and many other movies, turns 40 today. I remember him as a kid, playing games at a place Hackers, Hoops, and Hitters in Chelsea back in the early 90s. He was a lovely, gracious kid then and he’s turned into a smart adult who’s weathered storms and come out stronger.

Macaulay is many things– actor, friend, unofficial godfather to Michael Jackson’s kids, and great friend to Michael during his 2005 trial. He’s always told the truth and stood up for justice.

He also has a devilish sense of humor that comes out in his Tweets, podcasts, and posts. A good humor is the best defense, and I think he’s figured that out. You can go a long way once you understand that.

He wisecracked on Twitter: “It’s my gift to the world: I make people feel old. I’m no longer a kid, that’s my job.”

Happy Birthday, Mac!

 

Ellen DeGeneres Talk Show Repeats Sinks to Lowest Ratings Ever, Equal to 20 Year Old Seinfeld Reruns

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“Seinfeld” episodes have been seen over and over and over by fans since it went into syndication more than 20 years ago.

“The Ellen Show” is in reruns this summer of segments seen only this past season.

Last week, they had the same number of viewers: 900,000.

For “The Ellen Show,” it’s the lowest ratings in her 17 season run. Yes, these are reruns, but this week was 10% lower than last, which was 20% lower than the previous week. At this rate, “Ellen” will be a blip on the screen when she returns to first run shows on September 14th.

“The Ellen Show,” of course, has been besieged by bad publicity about toxic behavior backstage. Three main producers were just fired. Celebrities and regular guests have complained about poor treatment. There have been lengthy exposes about how bad it is to work there.

The fall out is severe. Can “The Ellen Show” rebound? Right now, it’s lagging behind “Maury,” one of the most puerile pieces of garbage ever on television and a total waste of a decent career for Mr. Povich, who will be remember for performing daily DNA tests on low lives to see who fathered a baby. She’s also tied with a guy named Steve Wilkos, a Jerry Springer spin off who looks like a bouncer.

UPDATE: Sundance Film Festival IS Happening If You Live In Utah, Otherwise It Could Be in Your Town

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Sundance UPDATE: Apparently I missed some of the Sundance announcements. So to clarify: Sundance is happening if you live in Utah, and maybe in your hometown if theaters are open.

But in Park City, as I wrote earlier, the hotels are wide open for the seven days the festival will go on from January 28th to February 3d, a much shorter festival than usual. And a week later.

There may be showings of new indie films for Sundance in New York if Governor Andrew Cuomo allows people in theaters. Who knows? Maybe there will be a vaccine by then. Even so, a lot of the Sundance screenings will be virtual, with a lot of links sent to press.

A June press release read: “The 2021 Sundance Film Festival will be a grand partnership of communities. It will take place live in Utah and in at least 20 independent and community cinemas across the U.S. and beyond. Utah has been the home of the Festival for close to 40 years and always will be, but the 2021 Festival will extend beyond Utah and will be co-created by and for different communities in different locations, preserving what is magical about experiencing films on the big screen with others — even if at a smaller and socially distanced scale.”

Hey, I’m thrilled. Any reason not to go Park City in the deep freeze of winter is cool with me. And the people of Utah can spread out in the theaters and enjoy the movies in person!

 

Bestselling “Passages” Writer Gail Sheehy Tragic Irony: She Wrote About Isolating and Beating COVID A Week Before She Died

There’s some confusion about how and why bestselling writer of “Passages,” Gail Sheehy, 83, died day before yesterday, August 24th.

Her daughter, Maura, said in her New York Times obituary that Sheehy went to visit her boyfriend in Sag Harbor, contracted pneumonia, and died, possibly of COVID-19. She tells me this morning: “We have no confirmation of Covid. She tested negatively for both COVID and antibodies when she arrived at the hospital and we are waiting for results from another test. It may just be a very bad, very virulent pneumonia. She had a bad pneumonia a year ago that took a long time to recover from. It happens.”

But it was just a week ago, on August 18th, that Sheehy posted a blog to Psychology Today‘s website called “How I’m Beating COVID Isolation with a Dog and a 95-Year-Old Boyfriend.”

Sheehy writes that she’s living on Central Park West, while her bf Robert Ginna is in Sag Harbor. She says: “when I can, I visit my “boy” friend in a safe, socially distanced, compliant way. I go by car and stay for the weekend. And when I can’t visit, we speak on the phone.”

She also notes: “It has been my great delight to take a jitney out to Sag Harbor on summer weekends and bunk in with Robert, going to a nearly empty patch of the beach and kicking off our shoes and sharing sandwiches and beers under an umbrella. We always took [her dog] Chollie with us. He loved chasing birds and running down to dip his nose into saltwater…We are elders who have been confined to home since the pandemic became belatedly acknowledged, but we have been able to partake in this tradition.”

But obviously the title of the blog post was tragically met with reality in the last week. What a tremendous loss.

Southampton Restaurant That Got Headlines from Sketchy PR Stunt Has Liquor License Suspended by Cuomo

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In Southampton, the main attraction restaurant has always been 75 Main on Main Street. Spilling out onto the sidewalk, 75 Main is right in the middle of the action. You can’t miss it.

But this week the state of New York suspended their liquor license. Now the last two weeks of summer could be pretty difficult.

Earlier this summer, when indoor dining restrictions were lifted on Long Island, 75 Main pulled a sketchy PR stunt. They actually set on fire a table they claimed had been frequented by Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein– just get to get attention.

But neither of those men had been near Southampton in three to four years, and there was no proof they ever sat at that table. Weinstein was not a Southampton regular at all. Insiders laughed when they read that Epstein used to scout young girls at 75 Main. LOL.

So the license pull may be a bit of karma. Even in Page Six, the restaurant is trying to turn the negative notice into new that “Joe Biden, Steve Mnuchin, Paris Hilton and Ivana Trump” have all recently been there. Ivana, yes. The rest, no.

During the day, 75 Main is a friendly, bustling lunch spot. But late at night it’s become a magnet for young girls with very short skirts meeting older guys. Now the state has caught up with them.

The report reads: “On August 22nd, SLA investigators and officers with the Suffolk County Police Department, the Southampton Village Police Department, and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office conducted a joint inspection of the premises. At approximately 6:00 pm, investigators observed a line of patrons waiting to enter the premises, ignoring social distancing, with most not wearing facial coverings. Investigators also observed two bartenders and three servers without facial coverings. Roughly an hour later, investigators returned to find multiple employees and patrons standing, mingling and drinking around the bar without facial coverings, with several patrons from nearby tables wandering up to the bar to mingle and consume shots — in violation of the Governor’s Executive Order prohibiting walk-up bar service. They also observed long lines at the restrooms without social distancing and with several patrons not wearing facial coverings. At least 27 employees were working at the time of the inspection, with none of them observed attempting to control the lines or prohibit patrons from consuming alcohol while standing near the bar. At approximately 11:00 pm, the joint inspection team entered the premises, observing two employees run to the kitchen to alert staff. Upon entering, investigators identified 25 additional violations — including serious health hazards — and four criminal court summonses issued. In addition, earlier in the evening, an 18-year-old underage agent was able to purchase alcohol on two separate occasions without being asked for identification. The business is a repeat offender, with the Village of Southampton Police documenting 75 patrons eating inside on June 13th, prior to indoor dining being allowed on Long Island, and investigators from the state taskforce observing three employees without facial coverings on July 28th. Charges from both previous incidents are pending with the SLA.”

Me? I’ll stick with the historic Sip N Soda diner around the corner.

 

Tom Cruise — With a Mask — Went to See “Tenet” at a London Screening and Tweeted That He “Loved It”

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Tom Cruise Tweeted today for the first time since April. Or someone Tweeted for him. From London, where he went to a screening of “Tenet.” He said he “loved it.” Either he’s interested in making a Christopher Nolan film or he did someone at Warner Bros. a big favor. With Rotten Tomatoes giving “Tenet” an 82, and Metacritic at 71, “Tenet” needs a lot of help. A Tom Cruise plug is a BIG deal. And a Tweet! Really. Whoever masterminded that gets a bonus! Tom is in London while shooting “Mission Impossible 7.”

Kate McKinnon’s “Tiger King” Mini-Series Lands at NBC, So She’ll Probably Remain at “SNL” This Season

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We haven’t heard any rumblings from Kate McKinnon this season about re-upping with “SNL” on NBC. Last year, in May, she made renegotiation noises as early as May.

But the silence looks like it can be explained, Kate’s “Tiger King” miniseries– in which she plays Carole Baskin– has landed at NBC and across all Universal properties including Peacock and USA Network. So NBC Universal has stepped up. And that would mean McKinnon wouldn’t be leaving “Saturday Night Live.”

That’s a relief because even though the whole “SNL” cast is terrific right now, Kate is the stand out. Also, losing her in the election year would be terrible.

Of course, McKinnon was dealt a couple of blows she had no control over recently. Her characters– imitating Elizabeth Warren and Kellyanne Conway– are not going to be part of the election centrally. Warren wasn’t chosen for VP, and Conway is leaving the spotlight after tonight. Maya Rudolph will likely be playing Kamala Harris.

But McKinnon can pivot and do almost anything. Like Kristen Wiig, she’s a star. But even “SNL” stars will have a hard time this fall as nothing is in production. So staying at “SNL” is a good move. She’s still got Ruth Bader Ginsburg and lots of possibilities.

We haven’t heard the usual “I can’t do this anymore” squawk from Alec Baldwin either. I’m sure he’s been recompensed for staying to play Donald Trump. And hopefully Joe Biden will be portrayed by Jason Sudeikis.

 

Kimberly Guilfoyle, Failed Newscaster, Paid Trump Staffer, Explodes on Stage During First Night of 2020 Republic Convention

Kimberly Guilfoyle is Donald Trump Jr’s lady friend. She’s also a failed newscaster who’s reportedly paid $180,000 by the Trump campaign. Last night she exploded on stage during the Republican convention. She stopped short of singing “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina,” but she came damn close. Perhaps imitating Judge Jeanine “Box Wine” Pirro, Kim didn’t realize there were NO PEOPLE In the auditorium as she shouted out her speech endorsing the man she prays will be her father in law one day. How did she prepare for this performance? Was it a case of Red Bull? Or was it something more? I’m told she had to be scraped off the ceiling later and reassembled at a Scientology retreat.

Here now, hear now, Kimberly Guilfoyle. And after, I’ve given you Donald Trump Jr.’s red-eyed remarks, also shall we say caffeinated beyond normal levels:

PS Some say that Jerry Falwell, Jr went home with these two last night and watched them have fully clothed relations for ten seconds before passing out. Luckily, Falwell was there to call the ambulance.

RIP Gail Sheehy, Best Selling Author of “Passages,” Famed Writer Was Also Wife of New York Magazine Founder Clay Felker

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Sad news: Reports on Facebook that bestselling author and famed writer Gail Sheehy has died at age 83. Her book, “Passages,” in 1976, was a monster hit that transcended the culture of non fiction writing and reporting. She captured a moment in the zeitgeist for women and for men talking about life’s changes decade by decade in frank detail that had never before been examined so intimately or frankly. For the Baby Boom generation, “Passages” was a revelation. Her interviews were among the first in the world of New Journalism that sprang up with Tom Wolfe and other writers who transformed non fiction writing and reporting in the late 60s.

Gail was also a feminist whose work dovetailed with the times of Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda, Betty Friedan, and so on. The majority of her writing was in New York magazine, for which she wrote in the 70s. She married New York’s founding editor Clay Felker, and they became a hot society media couple in New York during a halcyon time. In the 80s and 90s Sheehy wrote for Tina Brown at Vanity Fair extensively.

Maybe Gail’s most famous magazine story, at New York, was about Jackie Kennedy’s cousins, the Beale sisters. Her story inspired Albert and David Maysles’ famous documentary, “Grey Gardens,” which later also became a hit Broadway musical.

From what I can tell on Twitter this morning, Gail died suddenly, of pneumonia possibly linked to COVID-19. She leaves two daughters and an extraordinary legacy. Condolences to her family and friends.

Gail’s death is even more of a shock considering it was only 6 days ago that she posted this message to Facebook. She went out with a bang. Bravo!

DEATH ANXIETY REPLACES PRE-COVID-19 WORLD
by Gail Sheehy
COVID-19 has linked in our minds with nuclear fear. The two silent and invisible menaces combine to infect many of us with a rising death anxiety.
COVID-19 creates a universal sense of dislocation. Even the privileged among us feel that dislocation as they flee from areas of high infection, or work from home, or socially distance themselves even from family and friends.
We put distance between our work arrangements, which may collapse or be radically altered. We struggle with excruciating decisions about teaching and learning and the function of schools in preparing our children for the adult world.
What we’ve lost is the relative safety of a pre-COVID world.
We Americans are twice-dislocated from national authority: misguided by a president who has responded to the virus with extraordinary incompetence, cruelty, and corruption. His ignorant and destructive approach to our institutions gravely endangers our political and psychological capacity to function as a democratic society.
We must ignore the pre-existing conditions (Trump’s lies and ignorance of science) and learn how to resist the death anxiety that has infected so many of us.
We can do this — together – by joining scientifically authentic
groups that will keep us informed of the intelligent way to respond to this period of lies and chaos.
DO NOT FALL VICTIM TO THE DEATH ANXIETY!
WE SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF WRITING ABOUT
THE IMPORTANCE OF LIVING WITH OUR EYES WIDE OPEN!

Freeway of Love: In Detroit, the Great Aretha Franklin Has a Section of Highway Dedicated to Her Memory

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Just a few days after the 2nd anniversary of her death, Aretha Franklin received a new honor in Detroit.

A section of the M10 Highway was dedicated in her memory as the Aretha Louise Franklin Highway.  Of there was a line of pink Cadillacs there plus local officials.

Photographer Montez Miller sent me some pictures and posted a few to his Facebook page.

The area is a stretch of the Lodge Freeway between Livernois and I-94, not far from her father’s New Bethel Baptist Church. Guests included sons Edward and Kelf Franklin, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib.

“From now on, anybody who passes through this city, no matter how briefly, will be reminded that Aretha Franklin came from the great city of Detroit,” said Duggan.

Aretha’s granddaughters sang, and Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” was played as one of the highway signs was unveiled, according to reports. Aretha’s son, Edward, spoke as well.

I know Aretha would be thrilled. She was alive to see another street named Aretha Franklin Way a few years ago. This winter we’ll have two Aretha movie projects: “Respect,” starring Jennifer Hudson, opening in theaters (fingers crossed) on January 15th. And “Genius,” an 8 part mini series starring Cynthia Erivo, will come to National Geographic we hope in December.

Just one PS: I know for a fact that Aretha would be so thrilled about Kamala Harris running for Vice President. Aretha was very political, very liberal, and backed every Democrat who ran for president. I know she’d be excited about Biden and Harris. And Aretha was a former friend of Donald Trump. She often stayed in his hotel on Columbus Circle. But when he announced his candidacy, and began to show his true colors about black and brown people, she moved down the street to the Ritz Carlton and never looked back.

 

All photos courtesy of Montez Miller