Times Square Gossip

**** THE WEB GOSSIP Gossip By The Nostalgic New Yorker **** Barbara Feldon UNCLE GREENLIGHTED -- Director Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes 1 & 2) has been inked to direct the long-gestating big screen version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. – which director Stephen Soderbergh just exited. The legendary series, which ran from 1964-1968, was noteworthy for a number of reasons: it featured actors Robert Vaughn, David McCallum (now at CBS’ NCIS) and, the late-Leo G. Carroll; co-creator Norman Felton had input on the creation of the show from none-other than James Bond creator Ian Fleming. The book, The James Bond Films revealed that Fleming’s TV concept had two characters: Napoleon Solo and April Dancer (aka The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.). Interestingly, Mr. Solo was originally the name of a crime boss in the Bond-film Goldfinger. Robert Towne, Sherman Yellen and Harlan Ellison all wrote scripts for the series, which was originally to have been titled Solo. As a youth, I absolutely loved this show;...

**** THE WEB GOSSIP **** Jason Segel SEGAL ON SNL -- Last week’s SNL with Jason Segel from TV’s How I Met Your Mother was simply outstanding; musical guest Florence + The Machine were spot on terrific too. She performed two numbers from her-just out Ceremonials albums (“Shake It Out” and “No Light No Light”) and was sensational. She is without a doubt (along with Adele) the taste of the moment. Regal, creative and just out-and-out interestingly, she was definitely electric. Segel’s quite the comic too; perfect timing and his sketch where he played Andre The Giant was splendid. For Segel-followers, this is an imitation he’s done for years and has perfected it to perfection. The last sketch was about a band, called the Bluejean Committee playing some dive somewhere called The Empty Glass singing a song called “Massachusetts Afternoon” and, was a major highlight of the show; the sketch didn't have any major message to it, but rather a slice-of-life moment from some dusty bar we'v...

**** THE WEB GOSSIP **** Scarlett Johansson LES MIS MYSTERY -- With names such as Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson, Lea Michele and Evan Rachel Wood all in the running to essay Eponine, in the forthcoming Tom Hooper-directed big-screen version of Les Miserables, the role seems destined to be a goldmine for whoever is chosen. We love Swift, but clearly if she is chosen, it'll turn into one big tween-event. Michele is a wild card choice too, but her Glee-cred could detract from the brilliant story line. Johansson on the other hand, would certainly bring a welcomed dramatic edge to the event, but we think Wood is the wise choice. According to reports, each actress knocked their audition out of the park. Whoever is chosen will join a star-studded cast, including Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne and Geoffrey Rush. **** Barry Sonnenfeld MUNSTER YOU SAY -- NBC’s forthcoming re-boot of the 1960’s comedy The Munsters is a go and will be directed and executive pro...

**** THE WEB GOSSIP **** John Travolta BOBBY & JOHNNY -- Robert DeNiro and John Travolta will begin filming the movie Killing Season on January 16; the action movie thriller is set in the Appalachian Mountains and concerns a military veteran (DeNiro) who has retreated to a remote cabin in the woods. When a visitor, a European-tourist (Travolta) , appears on the scene, the two men strike up an unlikely friendship. But in fact the visitor is a former Serbian soldier bent on revenge. What follows is a tense, action packed battle across some of America's most forbidding landscape that proves the old adage: the purest form of war is one-on-one. Said an exec from Nu Image/Millennium Films who will release the film:”I've loved the project from the moment I read it. Evan Daugherty's remarkable script is thrilling, imaginative, unexpected and dominated by two extraordinary characters on a collision course.” There are those who say DeNiro's been coasting for quite some time...

**** THE WEB GOSSIP **** Howard Stern STERN STERN -- Howard Stern kicked off his show last Wednesday by ripping into Sirius XM's senior staff for their One Night At Studio 54 blast last week. “I can't imagine a bigger waste of time … I think a certain gentleman around here wanted to have his own bar mitzvah and got the company to throw it for him. And, of course, I get resentful because it's my money they use. Me, they can't pay. They should ask me about everything around here since they're doing it on my dime.” The certain gentleman Stern is referring to may or may not be Sirius XM's tanned-God Mel Karmazin. The two, who used to be best pals, are now embroiled in an all out legal war. Stern claims that he's owed more than $75 million in unpaid stock bonuses for subscribers he's brought in to the sat-caster since joining the company in 2006. In spite of Stern's widely publicized riff with the company, the King of All Media says both he and his wife...

**** THE WEB GOSSIP **** Glen Campbell CAMPBELL GOLD --- Hands down, the album of the year is the final opus from singer/songwriter Glen Campbell, entitled Ghost On The Canvas. There's no need to re-visit his proclamation earlier in the year of his ongoing health issues, and his subsequent finale tour (which reached L.A. Last week with none other than Micky Dolenz in the audience), but this last release is just out and simply outstanding … in every way. First off, the material is stronger than anything the singer has ever done before in his career. This is not the “Dreams Of The Everyday Housewife” Campbell, but rather a serious, sobering look at the artist's life and eventual end of it; both the good and the bad. As the singer writes and sings on the very first track, “A Better Place": “I've tried and I have failed Lord; I've won and I have lost; I've lived and I've loved, Lord; sometimes as such a cost.” Let's face it, you don’t go into listening to ...

**** THE WEB GOSSIP **** Martin Scorsese HARI'S BACK -- I finally got the chance to watch the almost three-hour Martin Scorsese/HBO documentary on George Harrison called Living In The Material World. It aired two weeks back, I DVR'd it, but didn't have a chance to watch until this weekend. The early reviews were fairly good, but each one mentioned that much of the source material and photos had been seen before. Truth to told; the reviews were rather tepid. George was always my favorite Beatle; I'll admit I didn't particularly cotton to the whole Hare Krishna-thing (though I did give it some serious research back then), but, face it: he wrote some great songs; his 3-album All Things Must Pass opus still holds up some 30 years later; and, his Concert For Bangla Desh was the first-ever charity concert and set the template for subsequent events like that. That said, I'm happy to report that the entire production was just lovingly put together and was a real joy fro...

**** THE WEB GOSSIP **** Ben Stiller A STILLER SNL -- This weekend's much heralded SNL, which featured Ben Stiller (who was briefly a writer for the show in the late 80's), was heavily anticipated per a quick cameo from former-SNL-er Eddie Murphy, who hadn't appeared on the show in almost 27 years (he left in 1984). The story goes that years ago, David Spade made some remark about a falling star … and, then held up a picture of Murphy, which apparently angered the star. Murphy is solidly talented, but stories of his ego reverberate like the nice weather in Hollywood. It's a shame as his presence would have definitely lifted the show, which despite an amusing cameo by Hugh Jackman, the writing for the most part was dreadful. The musical act, L. A.'s Foster The People was odd too. Their current hit “Pumped Up Kicks” is a nice radio hit, but seeing it performed live was somewhat reminiscent of a studio rehearsal. It's a great song .. but, someone at SNL should hav...