'BIRDMAN' GET'S SEVEN GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS
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THE GLORIOUS CORNER
Story By: G. H. HARDING
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| Emma Stone |
GLOBES AWAY --- The Hollywood Foreign Press Association honored Birdman with seven Golden Globe nominations yesterday, including nods for actors Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone; director Alejandro G. Iñárritu; and, a nod for Best Musical or Comedy as well.
In the Best Drama category, Boyhood and The Imitation Game -which each earned five nominations - were joined by Foxcatcher, Selma, and The Theory of Everything.
Jennifer Aniston and Jake Gyllenhaal, once considered long shots in the acting categories, followed up their Screen Actors Guild honors with Globe nominations as well. Aniston joins front runners Julianne Moore and Reese Witherspoon in the Best Actress in a Drama race, while Gyllenhaal joins a powerhouse field that includes Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne.
We’ve seen Birdman, and right now, I think its unquestionably the best film I’ve seen so far this year, however, I’m watching Foxcatcher tomorrow.
Snubbed for sure, were Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, movies American Sniper with Bradley Cooper, Inherent Vice and director Clint Eastwood.
In television, Fargo and True Detective were the top two shows, with five and four nominations, respectively. Their stars—Fargo‘s Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton, and Detective‘s Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey—dominate a Best Actor in a TV Mini-series category that also includes The Normal Heart‘s Mark Ruffalo (who was also nominated for his role in Foxcatcher.) Our Corner-favorite James Spader was nominated for Best Actor, but no nod for the series. And, nothing for Mad Men, ending its last cycle … and, that’s a real shame.
The 72nd annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, will air on NBC on January 11.
ROLLING ON THE RIVER --- Former Creedence Clearwater Revival members Doug Clifford and Stu Cook have decided to sue their former bandmate John Fogerty over the CCR name.
The band settled a lawsuit brought by Fogerty against the band in 1997 over the former members using the name Creedence Clearwater Revisited. After some back and forth in the courts, both sides came to an agreement allowing Clifford and Cook to use the name for a fee to Fogarty.
According to the lawsuit, even though Fogerty agreed to the use of the Creedence Clearwater name, he continued to criticize its use, saying he kept saying 'using the name is sort of a sacrilege.'
"When the band broke up, I never had any problem not trying to abscond with the name Creedence as a solo artist," says Fogarty. "I just think that thing is from a certain time and it is untouchable, unless everybody is there. You can't do it unless everyone says it is OK to do it."
The lawsuit demands that Fogerty stop making disparaging comments about the use of the name and to stop breaching the agreement in other ways.
Part of the suit turns the tables on Fogerty who originally claimed that the name Creedence Clearwater Revisited would confuse people as to who they were seeing. Recently, Fogerty himself has been billing his concerts as 'performs the albums of Creedence Clearwater Revival' which Clifford and Cook say is causing confusion between Fogerty as a solo artist and their Revisited group.
Along with Cook and Clifford, the suit also includes Patricia Fogerty, widow of member (and, John’s brother) Tom Fogerty.
For a true legacy band like this, which enjoyed massive success in the late 60’s and 70’s, this is indeed a sad, sad postscript. Fogarty’s has put out a series of solo albums, that as terrific as they were, they just didn’t enjoy the success as the earlier CCR work had.
But, this lawsuit puts the CCR legacy out in the news yet again.
You have to remember, there’s always a plan!
SIDE SHOW SHUTTERS --- Just announced this AM, the $8 million reboot of a 1997 flop about freak-show legends Daisy and Violet Hilton, helmed in his Broadway debut by Dreamgirls and Gods And Monsters director Bill Condon, will shutter after the Sunday, January 4 matinee.
Ironically, the original production also closed on January 4 — 1998, after 91 performances, a record the new version will not match. After successful tryouts at the La Jolla Playhouse in California and the Kennedy Center last summer, the heavily revised show opened November 16 at the Jujamcyn-owned St. James Theatre to several glowing reviews, including a rave from the New York Times’ Charles Isherwood.
The musical stars Erin Davie and Emily Padgett as the twins, who in the late 1920’s are rescued from life in a sleazy but familial freak show and become sensations in the vaudeville circuit.
The true story was referenced in Tod Browning’s 1932 genre film classic Freaks.
Despite the positive notices, audiences weren't convinced and Side Show consistently came up short at the box office against formidable competition at the all-important holiday season from more family-oriented shows.
Last week, Side Show took in just $483Kb at the box office, well under half its gross potential of $1.1 million and likely below its running costs. With the bleak weeks of January and February ahead, when Broadway attendance falls off significantly and weak shows are culled from the roster, the decision was shocking yet not unexpected.
And yet, they appeared on this morning's edition of The Today Show, which was probably booked well before today's dire announcement.
As we referenced earlier this week, Sting joining the production of his Last Ship, instantly added a cool 1 million to its coffers.
Broadway ain’t easy.
CLOSING NOTES --- Beverly Johnson is the latest addition to the Bill Cosby brouhaha. Beverly was the first woman of color to grace the cover of Vogue and is a class act all the way. Sad …
Producer Scott (Mr. Nasty) Rudin and Sony-head Amy Pascal are the latest to be caught up in the cyber-hack for Sony Pictures. Insensitive and racially charged emails between the two have embarrassed them and the studio even more. Amy’s been a friend for years and has always been a rising star … but, this could change. A colleague who deals in cyber-crime said now there is no question that this attack is personal. More to come for sure …
Happy birthdays to star producer John Robie and colleague Deb Caponetta. Cheers!
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