Movies
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And the winner is — Parker — Sarah Jessica Parker
Demi Moore was originally cast as Gloria Steinem in Lovelace, but she decided to suck on a whip cream can and that cancelled that. Next, Mary-Louise Parker’s name was floated as a possible replacement, but now E! is reporting Sarah Jessica Parker nabbed the part and will begin filming this Monday in New York City.. I love me some SJP, but Mary-Louise Parker would have been perfect.
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Real Time with Bill Maher: Top Conservative Movies
Conservative tag lines for popular Hollywood movies: The always clever writers @ “Real Time with Bill Maher” came up with some doozies… Philadelphia: A Hollywood liberal gets AIDS and dies. Taxi Driver: A teenage girl makes her own money instead of relying on government handouts. E.T.: An alien here illegally gets rounded up and sent home. Jaws: People who vacation on Martha’s Vineyard get eaten by a shark. Silence Of The Lambs: A man who enjoys freedom refuses to let elite’s from the federal government tell him what he can and cannot eat. Rise of the Planet of The Apes: The birth of the Tea Party. Rosemary’s Baby: She could have had an abortion, but…
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Enough already: EW’s Mark Harris defends Wiig’s “Bridesmaids II” snub
Entertainment Weekly’s frequent columnist Mark Harris is a smart guy – he’s one of my favorite entertainment writers and one of the major reasons I hold on to my EW subscription. In the current issue of the magazine, Harris takes on the criticism that enveloped Kristen Wiig recently when she commented that she was not particularly keen on making a sequel to last year’s hit film Bridesmaids. Harris defends Wiig’s view. He makes the point that the original film was a self-contained vehicle with a complete dramatic arc, adding, “A sequel that puts [the characters] back in pink dresses replaying life crises would suggest everything that happened in the first movie was a lie—you thought…
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“Holy”-wood? Spielberg, Gibson, Aronofsky to put Old Testament through the mill (but not DeMille)
“Oh, Moses, Moses, why of all men did I fall in love with a prince of fools!”—Anne Baxter as Nefreteri in director Cecile B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” (1956) When Steven Spielberg makes his planned version of the Old Testament story of Moses, don’t expect any campy VistaVision exclamations like Baxter’s. Deadline wrote yesterday that the new epic, tentatively titled Gods and Kings, will be a gritty look at the Old Testament story. Reports from insiders describe the script as “Braveheart-ish” and “a real warrior story” in the mode of Saving Private Ryan. Deadline says that Spielberg is close to committing to the project, which will be added to a list of Old Testament-inspired films…
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Tom Whitcomb Awards for Excellence in Cinema AKA “The 2012 Tommies”
Each year, the Oscars always manage to screw the dog with some of their nominees, and each year, I feel helpless being unable to right these wrongs. Accordingly, I’ve come up with my own method for retribution. Welcome to the Tom Whitcomb Awards for Excellence in Cinema, or as I like to call them, the Tommies. A few ground rules: Bridesmaids will not be nominated, because I don’t see how it’s groundbreaking. It’s The Hangover starring women, not the most important comedy ever. Second, I will not be nominating The Help (or as I like to call it, White Guilt: The Movie) on moral grounds. Let the games begin! Winners are in CAPS. Best Picture…
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And the winner is — Parker — Sarah Jessica Parker
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Real Time with Bill Maher: Top Conservative Movies
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Enough already: EW’s Mark Harris defends Wiig’s “Bridesmaids II” snub
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“Holy”-wood? Spielberg, Gibson, Aronofsky to put Old Testament through the mill (but not DeMille)
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Tom Whitcomb Awards for Excellence in Cinema AKA “The 2012 Tommies”
Hot Topics
Christian “God Warrior” Woman Goes into a Religious Rage
This is probably one of the best things I’ve ever seen on the Internet. In this episode of Trading Spouses, a conservative Christian housewife returns home after visiting a family who practiced Astrology. As you can see, she did not have a positive experience. Perhaps the best lines: “I’m glad you’re home.” “Get the hell out of my house, in Jesus’ name I pray!” Did anyone else think of Kristen Wiig when they watched this?
Out with Biden, in with Clinton
Carol Marin of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote a very interesting article where she notes… “A person who knows Hillary Clinton well — and who doesn’t believe Clinton wants or would agree to be drafted — said this on Friday: “The reason people are drumming up this ticket is . . . there’s not enough sizzle on the second seat. Joe doesn’t light them up.”” Another person, one who knows Barack Obama very well, believes that, regardless of who the Republican nominee is… Clinton would bring “a whole new energy and particularly energize women.” And to that I say: pack your bags, Joe!
Confirmed bachelor Stacey “Don’t say gay” Campfield: The lady doth protest too much?
Tennessee state senator Stacey Campfield, the “brains” behind the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, is attempting to explain his ideology…again. On why only heterosexuality should be discussed in schools: “I just think there are situations where some kids maybe sexually unsecure [sic] in themselves or sexually confused and don’t necessarily know clearly what direction they are. If someone, a person of influence, says maybe you’re gay, maybe you should explore those things — maybe the child, who is young and impressionable, says maybe I am gay.” On AIDS: “Most people realize that AIDS came from the homosexual community — it was one guy screwing a monkey, if I recall correctly, and then having sex with men….
And the winner is — Parker — Sarah Jessica Parker
Demi Moore was originally cast as Gloria Steinem in Lovelace, but she decided to suck on a whip cream can and that cancelled that. Next, Mary-Louise Parker’s name was floated as a possible replacement, but now E! is reporting Sarah Jessica Parker nabbed the part and will begin filming this Monday in New York City.. I love me some SJP, but Mary-Louise Parker would have been perfect.
Amy Sedaris…Meth Expert…er…Laundry Expert?
My, my, my, it is a rough economy. Amy Sedaris — or as I think of her — Jeri Blank, is shilling for Downy. The scent boosters appear to be the “active ingredient” in glint and even more so, in the special blend of blue meth Walt concocts on Breaking Bad. Notice what time it is on the wall-clock behind Sedaris. Do you know why it’s ten minutes to two? There’s a reason. Let me know what you think it is in the comment section and I’ll tell you if you’re right.
Soap actor Nick Santino kills himself over his dog’s euthanasia [VIDEO]
After months of his neighbors’ complaints about his Pit bull named Rocco, soap actor Nick Santino had the healthy dog put to sleep Tuesday, the New York Post reports. In 2010, his building at 1 Lincoln Plaza announced strict new dog regulations, including a ban on Pit bulls. The ban didn’t apply to Pit bulls already in the building, but friends and neighbors said Santino began to be harassed. “People were complaining about his dog,” said neighbor Kevan Cleary, 63, an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School. “It was open season on him.” Neighbors said a tearful Santino brought dog treats to the building’s doorman and said: “Give these to the other dogs. Rocco is…
Politics
Out with Biden, in with Clinton
Carol Marin of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote a very interesting article where she notes… “A person who knows Hillary Clinton well — and who doesn’t believe Clinton wants or would agree to be drafted — said this on Friday: “The reason people are drumming up this ticket is . . . there’s not enough sizzle on the second seat. Joe doesn’t light them up.”” Another person, one who knows Barack Obama very well, believes that, regardless of who the Republican nominee is… Clinton would bring “a whole new energy and particularly energize women.” And to that I say: pack your bags, Joe!
Confirmed bachelor Stacey “Don’t say gay” Campfield: The lady doth protest too much?
Tennessee state senator Stacey Campfield, the “brains” behind the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, is attempting to explain his ideology…again. On why only heterosexuality should be discussed in schools: “I just think there are situations where some kids maybe sexually unsecure [sic] in themselves or sexually confused and don’t necessarily know clearly what direction they are. If someone, a person of influence, says maybe you’re gay, maybe you should explore those things — maybe the child, who is young and impressionable, says maybe I am gay.” On AIDS: “Most people realize that AIDS came from the homosexual community — it was one guy screwing a monkey, if I recall correctly, and then having sex with men….
Newt Gingrich says Obama is a “food stamp President” and “anti-work”
“The difference between Barack Obama and the five of us, that we actually think work is good.” — Newt Gingrich Related link: Food Stamp Charge ‘Ridiculous’
Dullard Meghan McCain talks to Jay Leno
Did you watch Meghan McCain on Jay Leno the other night? CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO Miss McCain gives Chelsea Clinton some snotty advice about her show, saying “if you’re going to get wet, go swimming.” The entire appearance was one big blob of awkward, but particularly so when she followed up the Clinton snark with “my water is just fine” even though Leno didn’t ask. Meghan McCain says “Oh God, the ‘entertainmentization’ of politics, I have such a problem with it,” missing the fact that MSNBC gave her a platform to be part of just that. And, she’s on The Tonight Show to promote it. On Michelle Bachman, Meghan McCain says: “I like…
(Un)accustomed to her face: “Jeopardy” panelists ask “Rachel WHO?”
The Huffington Post noted today that on Thursday night’s broadcast of Jeopardy, panelists answering a series of questions (or make that “questioning a series of answers”) on “Real Rhodes Scholars” failed to identify MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, even when a picture of her was shown as a hint. The “answer,” printed on the game board and voiced by longtime Jeopardy moderator Alex Trebek, was “This cable TV newswoman received a doctorate in politics from Oxford.” A picture of Maddow was flashed to the contestants as a further clue. While they could identify other Rhodes scholars in the category, none of the three contenders could come up with the right “question”: “Who is Rachel Maddow?” Predictably, Huffington…
In the wake of teen suicide, Tennessee considering “license to bully” bill
Nope. This is not a hoax, as I thought it must have been when I first read about it. See, Phillip Parker, aged 14 from Tennessee hanged himself in his foster parents’ bathroom in Gordonsville after one year of constant bullying, family members told NBC news. And now this, According to ThinkProgress.org… Lawmakers in Tennessee are considering legislation that would protect bullies who harass other students for their sexual orientation. The so-called “license to bully” bill (HB 1153/SB 0760) would allow students to share any “religious, philosophical, or political views” that are “unpopular,” regardless of their consequences to the learning environment, and limits educators’ ability to curb such harassment. Tennessee Rep. Joe Ragan (R) wrote…
Governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, is a jerk “if you will”
Who does she think she is, Whitney Houston waving her finger in the face of Kathy Griffin? This is the President of The United States. Show some respect. “I felt a little bit threatened, if you will, in the attitude that he had,” said Jan Brewer So, the woman shoving her bony little finger in the face of a smiling man feels threatened? She also described meeting the president at the White House in 2010 to talk about immigration. “I felt a little bit like I was being lectured to, and I was a little kid in a classroom, if you will, and he was this wise professor and I was this little kid, and…
Interviews & Exclusives
Jazz vocalist Nicole Henry finds soul, R&B “Embraceable”
Singer Nicole Henry will return to The Metropolitan Room in Manhattan on December 19th with a program that promises to be both eclectic and electric. The singer, whose 2008 album The Very Thought of You went to #7 on the Billboard jazz chart, has expanded beyond the jazz realm with her most recent CD, Embraceable. At the Met Room, Henry will include versions of some of Embraceable’s cuts, which encompass a wide-ranging contemporary pop sound, tinged with R&B, soul, and gospel influences. “Before jazz, I’d sung popular contemporary R&B,” Henry told me over the phone from Miami Beach, which she has called home since her college days. “I was a child of MTV, so I…
Taking it to Les Boulevards: Jean Brassard pays tribute to Yves Montand in NYC show
Who, these days, remembers Yves Montand? The French singer, actor, and politico (who was, in fact, born in Italy) has been gone now for two decades. And many of those who came of age listening to him sing are likewise departed. In the English-speaking world Montand lives on in his movies—not just his American ones (Let’s Make Love with Marilyn Monroe, My Geisha with Shirley MacLaine, and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever with Barbra Streisand) but also his French classics, including Z, Jean de Florette, and Manon of the Spring. He is also recalled by some moviegoers as the husband (and later the widower) of actress Simone Signoret, and as the lover…
From this day forward: Brian Shnipper, “Standing on Ceremony,” and the fight for marriage equality
In the general election on November 4, 2008, Californians helped elect Barack Obama as president. They also passed the infamous Proposition 8, which eliminated the recently won right of same-sex couples in the Golden State to marry. Theatre director Brian Shnipper remembers sitting in the kitchen that night in the L.A. home he shared with his partner. The household’s dogs rested at his feet. “It came to me—I thought, ‘How [are we] any less normal than any other couple in the country?’ And I thought at that point about what I would do. I started to call playwrights I had worked with before. I thought, ‘What if I asked them if they would be interested…
Mama’s doin’ fine: Nancy Opel of Broadway’s “Memphis”
Nancy Opel gets a heaping helping of audience hostility each night at the top of Broadway’s Tony-winning musical Memphis. Opel plays a character billed simply as “Mama”—the bedraggled, monumentally unenlightened mother of rising 1950s music promoter Huey Calhoun (Chad Kimball). When Huey begins an interracial romance with black singer Felicia Farrell (Montego Glover), bad feelings erupt. The love between Huey and Felicia may see no color. But Mama sees red. It is not until Act 2 of the show—after she has been inspired by the music of a black gospel choir—that Mama begins to lose her stubborn streak of prejudice. “You really feel the audience disliking her…” Opel told me recently. “It’s palpable at the…
Cary Hoffman of “My Sinatra”: Let him be (perfectly) Frank
Off-Broadway’s My Sinatra is performer Cary Hoffman’s autobiographical exploration of a life-long obsession with Hoboken, New Jersey’s most famous native son. Through song and narration, Hoffman explains to audiences at the Midtown Theatre (at the Ha! Comedy Club in Times Square) about how—while growing up as an introverted Jewish kid in the Queens, New York in the 1950s—he spent countless hours in his bedroom trying to find the musical key to the Frank Sinatra sound and attitude. Eventually suffering through the deaths of both his biological father and a suave, Sinatra-like stepfather, young Cary looked increasingly to the Chairman of the Board as a surrogate dad. In his late teens, Hoffman began his own show-business…
Supper-club serenade: Two new gigs for Manhattan singer Barrett Taylor
The life of a singer-pianist working in the eateries and bars of New York City is measured by opening nights. For Barrett Taylor—an enduring musical presence in the Manhattan restaurant-and-lounge scene—this month marks two memorable first-night performances. This past Friday, Taylor appeared for the first time at a new venue called WALLE Restaurant and Lounge, at 249 E. 53rd Street; he’ll continue there Fridays, 7:30-11:30pm. WALLE features elegant presentations of modern Chinese cuisine, and management has recently introduced a musical component to the menu as well. “I had a great time that night,” Taylor says of his opening WALLE show. “It’s just a happy vibe…. It’s pretty. And everyone really liked it and thought it…
Off-Broadway’s Rita Gardner recalls “The Fantasticks”–and Much More.
New York City’s Off-Broadway theatre is not the only turf on which singer-actor Rita Gardner has flourished. She’s taken roles in film and television, including three different branches of the Law & Order franchise. She’s done voice-over work for animated cartoons (lately, as a grandmother in Dora the Explorer). She has played in regional theatre and on Broadway, most recently in the musical The Wedding Singer in the mid 2000s. It is with Off-Broadway, though—specifically the Off-Broadway of lower Manhattan—that Gardner has always been most tightly linked. In the late 1950s and early 1960s she appeared in several notable Off-Broadway productions, including the Jerry Herman revue Nightcap with Charles Nelson Reilly, the play To Be…
Rebecca Kilgore to explore the Marilyn Monroe songbook in Feinstein’s appearance
One of the biggest pleasures of living in Portland, Oregon in the 1990s was the luxury of stopping by the Heathman Hotel of an evening to hear singer Rebecca Kilgore and jazz pianist/songwriter Dave Frishberg make music. The duo’s longstanding engagement at the Heathman ended in 1997, with the finale captured as the splendid recording The Starlit Hour. I wasn’t there for the taping of that set, but Starlit Hour has become one of the most-listened-to CDs in my collection. Now that I’m in New York, getting my Rebecca Kilgore “live” fix has become something of a challenge, although I’ve tried to catch her whenever I visit Portland. Kilgore only occasionally performs in Manhattan, but…
Grammy Award-winning, “Rosie O’Donnell Show” Alum, John McDaniel
Conductor, pianist, composer, arranger and Grammy Award-winning record producer John McDaniel is now working as music director and conductor for Broadway’s Catch Me if You Can (starring Aaron Tveit and Norbert Leo Butz). He talks to Simply-Showbiz, in this exclusive interview by Mark Dundas Wood and Michael Roman… How did you get started in the biz? My mom was and is a piano teacher so I learned how to play very quickly and began playing piano for shows when I was in junior high. I did all the high school musicals and played piano at a Japanese restaurant lounge on the weekends all through high school. I am fortunate to be able to say that…
Oregon troupe stages U.S. premiere of forgotten Shakespeare spin-off
Scott Palmer, artistic director of Hillsboro, Oregon’s Bag & Baggage Productions, was asked recently about the company’s upcoming summer production. “You’re doing Shakespeare’s The Tempest,” the gentleman remarked. “No, no, no,” Palmer answered. “We’re doing an adaptation of an adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.” The man looked at the director and responded: “Why on earth would you want to do that?” “Well, why not?” said Palmer. He pointed out that one can see various productions of Shakespeare’s famous late-career comedy, in theaters and Shakespeare festivals across the continent. “But you can’t see this one—nobody else is doin’ this one.” That’s not to say that no one else will ever again stage The Tempest, or The…
Rich little person: Remembering singer/actress Alice Playten
Alice Playten passed away late in June at age 63. She was a Broadway and TV veteran. Though not universally a household name, she amused Americans in many households. She began performing as a child, playing Baby Louise in Gypsy opposite Ethel Merman. A few years later she originated the role of Ermengarde in the original Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! Her name also graced the playbills of other landmark Broadway musicals of the 1960s, including Oliver! and George M. One of her most memorable performances, though, was in a 1967 Broadway flop: Henry Sweet Henry, a musicalization of the film The World of Henry Orient. She was tiny of stature but highly spirited. I…
A Conversation With Celeb Photographer, Marc Hauser
Marc Hauser is a take-charge kind of guy. He began his career as a photographer at age 13. A few years later he landed his first job — apprenticing with Playboy magazine’s contributing photographer, Stan Malinowski. But before accepting the job, he had to ask his parents. After all, he was only 15. Shortly after that he was on a plane to California to shoot Carly Simon. “She was very nice. I shot her a few times. She doesn’t like to have her picture taken, though. She said, ‘You know, Marc, I’m just going to dance in front of my house, and you just bring you camera, and if you get something…good.’ Even for her…
He’s the mensch: Mike Burstyn and the quest to keep Yiddish alive
When entertainers say they have “international careers,” it often means they’ve made one or two excursions away from their home turf. In the case of Mike Burstyn, though, the claim verges on understatement. Burstyn, who was born Mike Burstein in New York City in 1945, is fluent in eight languages and is currently learning a ninth (Russian). The singer/actor has performed in French in France, in Spanish in South America, and in Hebrew in Israel. In the 1970s he hosted a variety program in Holland where he spoke Dutch. His English-language roles include the title character in Broadway ‘s musical Barnum (replacing Jim Dale, who originated the role). The language that Burstyn is perhaps most…