GEORGE CLOONEY'S 'MONUMENTS MEN' DELAYED
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THE GLORIOUS CORNER
By: G. H. Harding
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George Clooney
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| Matt Damon |
MONUMENTS STOPPED --- Big news last night in Hollywood as Sony Pictures announced that George Clooney’s much hyped World War II movie The Monuments Men – scheduled to open for the holidays on December 18- has been pushed back to an unspecified date in 2014. The official reason is that certain visual effects could not be completed in time; but, the underlying reason may well be, that as good as the film is supposed to be (Sony successfully sneaked it last weekend at several local-key theaters in L. A.) it just wasn't good enough for the holiday rush. If you recall, when the movie’s trailer first came out, several months back, I quipped that it looked great… but, I also said I had already seem Clooney in military garb in his The Good German movie. The cast is pretty exemplary too, Bill Murray, Matt Damon, Jean Dujardin, Cate Blanchett, and, the ever-wonderful John Goodman, but, the story, about the Nazis stealing priceless art, was a bit tough to fathom.
Though Clooney was prepared to mount an effort to get the movie recognized fully by the Oscar-patrons and hopefully vie for some awards … now, all that won't happen. George is shooting Disney’s Tomorrowland and the success of his movie Gravity (with Sandra Bullock) goes on and on.
Gravity, is, in fact, one of the movies of this year. I'm a fan of the man … great taste and stylish in almost every way. To be honest, to have Monuments Men come out without so much competition might be the best thing of all. I'm in!
WOODMAN MAGIC --- Woody Allen’s new movie has a title. It’s called Magic in the Moonlight. The film was shot this past summer in the south of France. Cast includes Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Marcia Gay Harden, Hamish Linklater, and Simon McBurney. There are some reports that Magic will open July 26, 2014, but that’s because that was the release of his awesome Blue Jasmine. Maybe we'll see it in the next Cannes event. But, by then Woody will be working on a new film altogether. Blue Jasmine, by the way, has made $50 million worldwide; a person best for the director. I predict it will clean up at the Oscars.
CLOSING NOTES --- Marc Eliot's new book Nicholson is out next week via Crown. Eliot's past subjects have included Clint Eastwood, Michael Douglas, Steve McQueen, and The Eagles, and in this new one paints an intimate picture of the always charming and charismatic star's life, with extensive research and some rare interviews with some people who know Captain Jack well; including Micky Dolenz, of The Monkees, film-titan Mike Medavoy, and Monte Hellman. I'm half-way through it now and am loving it ...
Apparently Lana Del Rey is having trouble finding inspiration to write a full-length follow-up to her 2012 breakthrough, Born to Die, according to a new interview in Nylon. "When people ask me about it, I just have to be honest — I really don't know," she said about a follow up album. "I don't want to say, 'Yeah, definitely — the next one's better than this one,' because I don't really hear a next one. My muse is very fickle. She only comes to me sometimes, which is annoying." Note to Lana: I'm a huge fan and I think the material, especially the song “Summertime Sadness,” that you wrote with Rick Nowels, is one of the best songs I've heard in decades. Start writing again with him! ...
The Grammy Museum has announced that they will be honoring Motown founder Berry Gordy and singing legend Smokey Robinson with their first Architects of Sound Award. Bob Santelli, director of the museum, said "We are honored to celebrate both Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson as the first-ever recipients of the Architects of Sound Awards. Their contributions to Motown have truly changed the landscape of American music. We are grateful to these extraordinary industry leaders who will be helping us celebrate not only our first gala, but also our upcoming five-year anniversary of The Grammy Museum."
The awards will be presented on Monday, November 11 at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. The evening will be hosted by Randy Jackson and will include a reception, dinner and a concert for the two honorees with Boyz II Men, Kelly Rowland and additional artists, to be announced ...
After four episodes thus far, The Blacklist (with James Spader) is still one great ride. Monday's episode The Courier, was just excellent with the actor delivering some of his best work yet. Many have compared the show to what the relationship was like between Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Clairce Starling in that great 1991 movie Silence Of The Lambs (directed by Jonathan Demme); and, the more I think about it, they're spot-on. Monday's show ended with Spader and Megan Boone (his Clarice) sitting together ... lost in thought in a sun-drenched apartment. Great TV for sure ...
The upcoming Cutting Room shows by Stones-Ron Wood & Mick Taylor should be classic indeed .. great one Steve Walter ... Also, look for Micky Dolenz at Donnie Kehr's Rockers On Broadway show November 11 ...
Inside Edition's Deborah Norville releasing The Way We Are ... a compendium of her years on the show. She joined them in 1995 ...
And, finally: Gavin (Love Boat) McLeod on NBC's Today Show this morning (tub thumping) his new memoir This Is Your Captain Speaking) - "Can you believe my first hair-piece was a second-hand hairpiece?" There's a lot of this going around ... too funny!
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