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George Floyd Now Has THREE Different GoFundMe Campaigns as Soho House New York Donates $100,000 to Largest Fund

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There are now THREE separate GoFundMe campaigns raising money in the name of the late George Floyd.

The largest one, now totaling $12 million, is run by George’s brother, Philonise Floyd. That’s the one I’ve been writing about. The newest top donor is Soho House New York, with $100,000. Soho House is owned by billionaire Ron Burkle and was created by Nick Jones. They have private clubs all over the country and the world.

That fund is run Ben Crump, the lawyer who speaks for George’s family.

A second fund has raised $1.5 million, called Gianna’s Fund, for George’s 6 year old daughter. It’s run out of Atlanta by Tiffany Lee of Stewart Trial Attorneys on behalf of Roxie Washington, Gianna’s mother. Like the big fund, this one has attracted celebrity donations as well. P.K. Subban of the New Jersey Devils hockey team leads the list with $50,000.

A third fund run by George’s sister, Bridgett Floyd, has raised $362,000. Canadian cyclist Radek Burkat is the top donor with $5,000.

How will all these funds operate? Will the money go to George Floyd’s children? Will there be a foundation set up in his name? And who will run it? Stay tuned.

If anyone knows what’s going on with the fundraising, please feel free to contact me at showbiz411@gmail.com.

 

Lady Gaga’s “Chromatica” Quickly Replaced at Number 1 By “Free” Rap Album, Group Donates $100K to Causes

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Lady Gaga’s “Chromatica” got another surprise today. A new album by rap duo Run in the Jewels literally dropped out of the sky, went to number 1, and raised money for Black Lives Matters charities.

Crazy but true: the group’s fourth album, RTJ4, was supposed to release Friday at midnight. But given the situation with the murder of George Floyd, and all the protests, they decided to just let it go this morning. The album shot right to number 1 on iTunes despite the fact that it’s also available for FREE on their website.

Yes, you read that right. But on the website you’re asked to make a donation to a group of charities that will fund Black Lives Matter causes, legal defense funds, and so on. But 11pm, according to Run the Jewels partner El-P, they’d raised over $100,000.

RIP Oscar Nominee Bruce Jay Friedman, 90, One of Our Great Writers, Brought Nudity to PBS in 1973 with “Steambath”

Bruce Jay Friedman passed away today. He was 90 years old, and one of our greatest writers. There are many tributes to Bruce, particularly because of his movie connections. He was nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay to Ron Howard’s “Splash” with Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah.

A short story of his was the basis for one of my all time favorite films, “The Heartbreak Kid,” adapted for the screen by Neil Simon and directed by Elaine May. He wrote “Stir Crazy,” a great movie directed by no less than Sidney Poitier, starring Richard Pyror and Gene Wilder.

Bruce co-wrote “Doctor Detroit,” a comedy hit starring Dan Aykroyd. His book, “The Lonely Guy’s Guide to Life,” was turned into a movie called “The Lonely Guy,” starring Steve Martin and get this– Neil Simon adapted the screenplay, then “Mary Tyler Moore” stars Ed. Weinberger and Stan Daniels fleshed it out.

I mean, that’s a career. Is there any wonder Elaine Kaufman loved him among her many writers who hung out at Elaine’s? Bruce was gold. I wasn’t related to him, but I admired him, and when I met him in the late 80s I didn’t want to talk about any of those credits. All I wanted to talk about was “Steambath.”

“Steambath” was an off Broadway play that was filmed for PBS and shown in May 1973. I was 16.  It took place in a steambath, and all I was interested in was that Valerie Perrine was naked. I mean, she showed a nipple, sideways. We didn’t have VCRs yet. You had to study TVGuide to see when it would be repeated. As far as I was concerned, Bruce was a hero, he was Shakespeare, and “Steambath” was the best play I’d ever see.

Interestingly, I just see now that one of the producers of “Steambath” was actor Norman Lloyd. He’s one hundred and five years old. I’ll bet the memory of it keeps him alive.

Bruce’s memoir’s “Lucky Bruce,” was published in 2011. There’s a lot about Elaine’s in the heyday. I know she loved Bruce, but he writes in the book– published after her death– that he was really eleventh among her favorite patrons “if for no other reason than the frequency of my appearances. (Over years, and with the thinning out of ranks, I may have moved up a few notches.)” In the next generation, I felt the same way. Bruce, we weren’t related, but I always felt we were. Rest in peace.

George Floyd GoFundMe Campaign Gets New Top Donor with $166K T Shirt Drive from West Coast Designer Blackcraftcult

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I never heard of Blackcraftcult, a t shirt designer from Anaheim, California. But of course, I’m still wearing my Steely Dan “Aja” shirt.

But Blackcraftcult is now the top donor to George Floyd’s memorial GoFundMe campaign. The designer has a t shirt emblazoned with “F+ck Racism,” from which they are donating portions of proceeds. They’ve raised $83,000 from customers, which they’re matching for a total of $166,632.12.

They wrote on Twitter: “THANK YOU!!! With your help we were able to raise $83,316.06 from our benefit tee. We at Blackcraft, will be matching this amount dollar for dollar leading to a grand total of $166,632.12 to the George Floyd’s memorial fund.”

Based in Anaheim, California, Blackcraft is owned by Jim Somers and Bobby Schubenski. According to their website: “The duo began with a sparse one hundred dollar investment in their pockets and a singular idea to motivate people in a positive light outside of the realms of organized religion. An idea that has manifested and grown, reaching people of all walks of life across the globe.”

After this initial donation, any more money that comes in from the t shirt will go to the NAACP. Nice work, guys!

The campaign is up to over $12million.

Criticism for 2020 Cannes Film Festival Line Up: No Hollywood, No Glamour– Cancelling Was Actually A Good Thing

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The 2020 Cannes Film Festival line up was announced today, and it wasn’t popular. The Festival was cancelled because of the pandemic. These films would have been announced in April. Today’s list was a bust. Just three movies with any PR value for press visiting or covering the festival. As I told you months ago, Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” was the first movie called today. But that leaves very little to chew on.  Pixar’s “Soul” and “Ammonite,” a British film with Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet.

That’s it. (We were lucky there was no Ken Loach.) Read here also about Cannes and amfar for 2020.

What happened to the Cannes of Sophia Loren and Jane Fonda? How about Nicole Kidman? George Clooney? Cannee used to be not just about the films but the glitz. Otherwise, why is anyone spending $10,000 to fly to the south of France and stay in a room the size of a prison cell? The people who run Cannes, who are very nice, seem oblivious to the costs involved in coming to cover their convention. At the very least there must be some frisson, some action, some juice, something to write about.

This list gives us nothing. Yes, there are a lot of international films, all of which have a lot of quality and great subjects for serious discussion. But if this had been the actual list this year, I couldn’t have gone. It wouldn’t have been feasible financially. And I doubt the trade papers would have sent their usual armies of reporters. Who would they interview? There has to be an audience at home who wants to read about this stuff.

A lot of what goes on with choosing films has to do with what’s ready. Last year, Thierry Fremaux pushed for Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” The result was a starry screening and a pay off at the box office and the Oscars. Fremaux was also very lucky with “Parasite,” which won the Palm D’Or and went on to win the Oscar. But even those are just two movies. and not enough to justify two weeks in paradise.

As it happened, maybe Thierry– who is the hardest working man in show biz– was lucky Cannes was cancelled. I know, this time, I was. I’ll bet a lot of other people breathed a sigh of relief.

And PS: there was no mention of Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods.” Spike was supposed to head the jury this year. Weren’t they going to show his new film? If the answer is no, it’s because it’s from Netflix has no theatrical release. That is really crazy.


Cannes 2020 Lineup

THE FAITHFUL (or at least selected once before)

THE FRENCH DISPATCH by Wes Anderson (USA) 1h43
Production: INDIAN PAINTBRUSH PRODUCTIONS / AMERICAN EMPIRICAL PICTURES – International Sales: FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES – French Distribution: THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

ÉTÉ 85 by François Ozon (France) 1h40
Production: MANDARIN – International Sales: PLAYTIME – French Distribution: DIAPHANA

ASA GA KURU (True Mothers) by Naomi Kawase (Japan) 2h20
Production: KINO FILMS CO – Sales: PLAYTIME – French Distribution: HAUT ET COURT

LOVERS ROCK by Steve McQueen (United Kingdom) 1h08
Production: TURBINE STUDIOS LIMITED – International Sales: TURBINE STUDIOS LIMITED

MANGROVE by Steve McQueen (United Kingdom) 2h04
Production: TURBINE STUDIOS LIMITED – International Sales: TURBINE STUDIOS LIMITED

DRUK (Another Round) by Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark)1h55
Production: ZENTROPA – International Sales: TRUSTNORDISK – French Distribution: HAUT ET COURT

ADN (DNA) by Maïwenn (Algeria/France) 1h30
Production: WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS – International Sales: WILD BUNCH INTERNATIONAL – French Distribution: WILD BUNCH INTERNATIONAL

LAST WORDS by Jonathan Nossiter (USA) 2h06
Production: STEMAL – International Sales: THE PARTY FILMS

HEAVEN: TO THE LAND OF HAPPINESS by IM Sang-Soo (South Korea) 1h40
Production: HIVE MEDIA CORP – International Sales: FINECUT

EL OLVIDO QUE SEREMOS (Forgotten we’ll be) by Fernando Trueba (Spain) 2h16
Production: CARACOL TELEVISION – International Sales: FILM FACTORY ENTERTAINMENT

PENINSULA by YEON Sang-Ho (South Korea) 1h54
Production: REDPETER FILMS – International Sales: CONTENTS PANDA – French Distribution: ARP SELECTION

IN THE DUSK (Au crépuscule) by Sharunas BARTAS (Lituania) 2h06
Production: KINOELEKTRON – International Sales: LUXBOX

DES HOMMES (Home Front) by Lucas BELVAUX (Belgium) 1h40
Production: SYNECDOCHE – International Sales: WILD BUNCH INTERNATIONAL – French Distribution: AD VITAM

THE REAL THING by Kôji Fukada (Japan) 3h48
Production: NAGOYA TV – International Sales: NAGOYA TV

THE NEWCOMERS

PASSION SIMPLE by Danielle Arbid (Lebanon) 1h36
Production: LES FILMS PELLÉAS – International Sales: PYRAMIDE INTERNATIONAL – French Distribution: PYRAMIDE DISTRIBUTION

A GOOD MAN by Marie Castille Mention-Schaar (France) 1h47
Production: WILLOW FILMS – International Sales: PYRAMIDE INTERNATIONAL – French Distribution: PYRAMIDE DISTRIBUTION

LES CHOSES QU’ON DIT, LES CHOSES QU’ON FAIT by Emmanuel Mouret (France) 2h
Production: MOBY DICK FILMS – International Sales: ELLE DRIVER – French Distribution: PYRAMIDE DISTRIBUTION

SOUAD by Ayten Amin (Egypt) 1h30
Production: VIVID REELS

LIMBO by Ben Sharrock (United Kingdom) 1h53
Production: CARAVAN CINEMA LTD – International Sales: PROTAGONIST PICTURES

ROUGE (Red Soil) by Farid Bentoumi (France) 1h26
Production: LES FILMS VELVET – International Sales: WTFILMS – French Distribution: AD VITAM

SWEAT by Magnus Von Horn (Sweden) 1h40
Production: LAVA FILMS – International Sales: NEW EUROPE FILM SALES

TEDDY by Ludovic et Zoran Boukherma (France) 1h28
Production: BAXTER FILMS – International Sales: WTFILMS – French Distribution: THE JOKERS FILMS

FEBRUARY (Février) by Kamen Kalev (Bulgaria) 2h05
Production: KORO FILMS – French Distribution: UFO DISTRIBUTION

AMMONITE by Francis Lee (United Kingdom) 2h
Production: SEE-SAW FILMS – International Sales: CROSS CITY FILMS – French Distribution: PYRAMIDE DISTRIBUTION

UN MÉDECIN DE NUIT by Elie Wajeman (France) 1h40
Production: PARTIZAN FILMS – International Sales: BE FOR FILMS – French Distribution: DIAPHANA DISTRIBUTION

ENFANT TERRIBLE by Oskar Roehler (Germany) 2h14
Production: BAVARIA FILMPRODUKTION – International Sales: BAVARIA FILMPRODUKTION

NADIA, BUTTERFLY by Pascal Plante (Canada) 1h46
Production: NEMESIS FILMS – International Sales: WAZABI FILMS

HERE WE ARE by Nir Bergman (Israel) 1h34
Production: SPIRO FILMS – International Sales: MK2 FILMS

AN OMNIBUS FILM

SEPTET: THE STORY OF HONG KONG by Ann Hui, Johnnie TO, Tsui Hark, Sammo Hung, Yuen Woo-Ping et Patrick Tam -1h53
Production: MILKYWAY IMAGE – International Sales: MEDIA ASIA DISTRIBUTION

THE FIRST FEATURES

FALLING by Viggo Mortensen (USA) 1h52
Production: PERCIVAL PICTURES – International Sales: HANWAY FILMS – French Distribution: METROPOLITAN FILMEXPORT

PLEASURE by Ninja Thyberg (Sweden) 1h45
Production: PLATTFORM PRODUKTION – International Sales: VERSATILE

SLALOM by Charlène Favier (France) 1h32
Production: MILLE ET UNE PRODUCTIONS – International Sales: THE PARTY FILM SALES – French Distribution: JOUR2FÊTE

CASA DE ANTIGUIDADES (Memory House) by Joao Paulo Miranda Maria (Brazil)1h27
Production: MANEKI FILMS

BROKEN KEYS (Fausse note) by Jimmy Keyrouz (Lebanon) 1h30
Production: EZEKIEL

IBRAHIM by Samir Guesmi (France) 1h20
Production: WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS – International Sales: WILD BUNCH INTERNATIONAL – French Distribution: WILD BUNCH INTERNATIONAL

BEGINNING (Au commencement) by Déa Kulumbegashvili (Georgia) 2h10
Production: FIRST PICTURE / O.F.A – International Sales: WILD BUNCH INTERNATIONAL

GAGARINE by Fanny Liatard et Jérémy Trouilh (France) 1h35
Production: HAUT ET COURT – International Sales: TOTEM FILMS – French Distribution: HAUT ET COURT

16 PRINTEMPS by Suzanne Lindon (France) 1h13
Production: AVENUE B PRODUCTIONS – International Sales: LUXBOX – French Distribution: PANAME DISTRIBUTION

VAURIEN by Peter Dourountzis (France) 1h35
Production: 10:15 PRODUCTIONS – International Sales: KINOLOGY – French Distribution: REZO FILMS

GARÇON CHIFFON by Nicolas Maury (France) 1h48
Production: CG CINEMA – International Sales: LES FILMS DU LOSANGE – French Distribution: LES FILMS DU LOSANGE

SI LE VENT TOMBE (Should the Wind Fall) by Nora Martirosyan (Armenia) 1h40
Production: SISTER PRODUCTIONS – International Sales: INDIE SALES – French Distribution: ROUGE DISTRIBUTION

JOHN AND THE HOLE by Pascual Sisto (USA) 1h38
Production: MUTRESSA MOVIES

STRIDING INTO THE WIND (Courir au gré du vent) by WEI Shujun (China) 2h36
Production: ALIBABA PICTURES

THE DEATH OF CINEMA AND MY FATHER TOO (La Mort du cinéma et de mon père aussi) by Dani Rosenberg (Israel) 1h40
Production: PARDES FILMS – International Sales: FILMS BOUTIQUE

3 DOCUMENTARIES FILMS

EN ROUTE POUR LE MILLIARD (The Billion Road) by Dieudo Hamadi (Democratic Republic of Congo) 1h30
Production: LES FILMS DE L’OEIL SAUVAGE – International Sales: ANDANA FILMS

THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS by Michael Dweck et Gregory Kershaw (USA) 1h24
Production: GO GIGI GO PRODUCTIONS LLC – International Sales: SONY PICTURES CLASSICS – French Distribution: SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

9 JOURS À RAQQA by Xavier de Lauzanne (France)
Production: ALOEST FILMS

5 COMEDY FILMS

ANTOINETTE DANS LES CÉVÈNNES by Caroline Vignal (France) 1h35
Production: CHAPKA FILMS – International Sales PLAYTIME – French Distribution: DIAPHANA DISTRIBUTION

LES DEUX ALFRED by Bruno Podalydès (France) 1h30
Production: WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS – French Distribution: UGC DISTRIBUTION

UN TRIOMPHE (The big hit) by Emmanuel Courcol (France) 1h40
Production: AGAT FILMS & CIE – International Sales: MK2 FILMS – French Distribution: MEMENTO FILMS DISTRIBUTION

L’ORIGINE DU MONDE by Laurent Lafitte (France) 1st film
Production: TRESOR FILMS – International Sales: STUDIO CANAL – French Distribution: STUDIO CANAL

LE DISCOURS by Laurent Tirard (France) 1h27
Production: LES FILMS SUR MESURE – International Sales: CHARADES – French Distribution: LE PACTE

4 ANIMATED FILMS

AYA TO MAJO (Earwig and the Witch) by Gorô Miyazaki (Japan) 1h22
Production: NHK / NHK ENTERPRISES / STUDIO GHIBLI – International Sales: WILD BUNCH INTERNATIONAL – French Distribution: WILD BUNCH

FLEE by Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Denmark) 1h30
Production: FINAL CUT FOR REAL – International Sales: CINEPHIL

JOSEP by Aurel (France) 1h20 – 1st film
Production: LES FILMS D’ICI – Sales: DOC & FILM INTERNATIONAL – French Distribution: SOPHIE DULAC DISTRIBUTION

SOUL by Pete Docter (USA) 1h30
Production: PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS – French Distribution: THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

Broadway Star Nick Cordero’s Wife, Amanda, Sad Admission After 62 Days Unconscious: “I’ve been told to say goodbye…”

After 62 days suffering from the effects of COVID 19, Nick Cordero’s wife Amanda Kloots is sadly admitting what the doctors have told her, to say goodbye to her husband. This is a very tough thing to write, I’m sure. Everyone has been hoping for a miracle for the popular and beloved actor, dancer, singer, husband, and father. But time is running out. Amanda wants to believe in a miracle, we all do. But her latest post is more realistic.

Cannes 2020 Selections Announced, Better Late than Never (Watch LIVE): Wes Anderson’s “French Dispatch,” Pixar’s “Soul” Lead List

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We’re going to see these movies next year in Cannes, plus new ones from next year. Cannes 2020 should have taken place last month but the pandemic stopped it. There’s a list of 15 films. The full list is coming. There’s a 5 hour movie! So far, almost no American movies. Very little in English. Not much Hollywood glamour for the red carpet. And the Pixar movie, “Soul.”

Thierry just said, “I don’t know if the Oscars will take place.” Don’t worry, they will.

Wes Anderson, The French Dispatch
Francois Ozon, Summer of ’85
True Mother
Steve McQueen, West Indian mini series
Last Words

Chrissie Hynde, Pretenders Release Cool Stealth Single from New Album that Recalls Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley

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For some reason, the new Pretenders single, called Didn’t Want to Be This Lonely, was sort of stealth released recently. It’s the third or fourth single from an album coming out in July that has no marketing plan. They’ve all been very good but this one is my favorite. It’s got a little “Not Fade Away,” a little Bo Diddley, a pinch of “Don’t Get Me Wrong.” I love the video, too. “Hate for Sale” comes July 17th, it will sell 10,000 copies, no one will know what the hell is going on, and of course, there’s no tour because of the pandemic. It’s a shit show. Who’s in charge? I dunno. I think 2020 is the Pretenders’ 40th anniversary. Am I right? There’s a marketing hook. Someone use it!

PS What are they doing with those Bob Dylan covers?

And here’s “The Buzz”:

title track “Hate for Sale”:

George Floyd Family GoFundMe Campaign Hits $10.5 Mil with New Donation from Jay Penske, Publisher of Variety

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The George Floyd Gofundme campaign is up to $10.5 million as of 7:15pm Eastern.

The latest donation is $25,000 from Jay Penske, publisher of Variety, Rolling Stone, Deadline and other websites and magazines.

The top donor is someone named Samuel LeBlanc, with $45,005. If anyone knows who he is, please give me a shout at showbiz411@gmail.com

A number of celebrities and famous people have contributed large sums, including U2 Manager Guy Oseary, actor Chris Evans, and model Georgia Jagger.

Most of the donations, though, are from regular folk, and they’re in the range of five-to-100 dollars. A food producer called Strong Roots donated $10,000. So did Dumbgood, a company that makes t shirts. I don’t if these companies have a strong sense of justice or just want publicity.

The actor Guillermo Diaz, from “Scandal,” gave $5000. So did designer Gabriela Hearst.

More to come…

“Orange is the New Black” Actress Taryn Manning Cancels Herself With (Now Deleted) Pro-Trump Instagram Post

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Taryn Manning was featured on “Orange is the New Black.” Today she posted and quickly deleted a message on Instagram that was pro-Trump, pro-conspiracy theory and completely crazy. Who knew? (I suppose people around her did, but not us.)

Four times she uses the hashtag #q, which is code for Qanon, the fringe right wing conspiracy group. She attacks Democratic fundraiser George Soros, the frequent target of right wing conspiracy theorists who believe Soros is conducting a Dark war in secret. (They remind me of the Lyndon LaRouche follower who told me in the fall of 1976 that the world “would come to an end” in four weeks, and he had proof.

Funny thing about “Orange is the New Black.” Laura Prepon went in as a Scientologist, but they say she’s given that up. Turns out Prepon was normal compared to this kook. I hope she’s got a back up plan, because after this, well…Anyway, her next role is playing skeezy Faye Resnick, Nicole Brown’s low life friend, in a B movie about the OJ Simpson murders.

Here’s the post:

I never pop political but I want to start by saying if I was being attacked the way everyone attacks him I would hold the HOLY BIBLE too. People can feel scared right now. Donald can feel scared too. I do say with all my love in the name of Jesus Christ my savior to be mindful of dragging God into the fake media and trying to pick this choice of his apart. Not about him, it’s about God. This is what I saw, I don’t watch fake news-#q. Who cares? Let it ride. I am happy because Donald chose the power of the sword in his hand #righthand and maybe if we lifted him up rather then tear him apart daily – since he is still in office, wished him the best and that we pray Jesus wrap his wings around the man for heavens sake then he could think straight and make better choices that please all the humans full of hate. Whatever it will take to shush the idle chit chat that is only the devils play time ✝️ No I don’t ‘support trump’ as you will all attack me. I support humans. Let it ride. I see his errors of course but let the Holy Spirit reign supreme now. Donald can be very nice actually. If you’re not attacking him constant. We are in times of utter peril. ✝️ Much bigger beasts at work. I mean for now. #gameover ;) remember in the end. We win. Book of revelations. Stay close to the ✝️ #q ALL I SEE IS THE BIBLE. That’s all that matters to me. #q funded protests – white antagonist – blaming BLM – nice Soros- #gameover #breadceumbs #q know the #truth do the research. It’s all there for you to see. Turn off your TVs. They got you by the ball sacks. I don’t care about Trump I care about kindness and peace #love q Do you know he’s saved more children from human trafficking than Obama ever did. No? Look it up. Stop reading the fake hate news and look at facts. Look at the symbols. Mass arrests. All darkness comes to light. You think this ONE man is the sole problem for the globe? We are 45 in the freedom of the press. Read news from other counties. Read about the Pope. Wake. C’mon. Think bigger for fun.