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Back Issues: LAST OF 2001 10/15/01 9/1/2001 All 2000 2001 reviews

ANYBODY’S GUESS
2.12.02

It’s anybody’s guess who is the favorite for OSCAR with just 12 days to go. The nominees lunched in Los Angeles yesterday, after the last of the "precursor" awards were handed out over the weekend. At the DIRECTOR’S GUILD AWARDS on Saturday, RON HOWARD took home the prize for A BEAUTIFUL MIND. And at the SCREEN ACTOR’S GUILD AWARDS on Sunday, HALLE BERRY and RUSSELL CROWE took home best actor and actress nods, with the ensemble award going to GOSFORD PARK’S talented group of thespians.

A couple of caveats-the last time a DIRECTOR’S GUILD AWARD winner didn’t go on to take BEST PICTURE was 1995 when RON HOWARD won it for APOLLO 13, but then saw MEL GIBSON and BRAVEHEART take home the OSCARS. And only a talented few actors have won back to back BEST ACTOR, SPENCER TRACY, JASON ROBARDS and most recently TOM HANKS. Is RUSSELL CROWE really of that caliber, particularly in light of his recent awards show "behavior". (He has apologized for harsh remarks he made about a director in a British awards show who cut his acceptance speech from the broadcast.)? Finally, if HALLE BERRY were to win, she would be the first black woman to take home the top honor for an actress. The Academy loves to reward sentimental favorites who have undergone personal difficulties, the likes of NICOLE KIDMAN’S dramatic breakup last year with TOM CRUISE. Just something to think about…

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OSCAR RACE GETS INTERESTING
2.4.02

BAZ LURHMANN

The race for OSCAR got a bit more interesting Sunday night as the PRODUCERS GUILD awarded its Producer of the Year honor to the team that gave us MOULIN ROUGE, FRED BARON, BAZ LURHMANN and MARTIN BROWN. The audience-primarily guild members, and those who watch this sort of thing had expected the award to go to BRIAN GRAZER and RON HOWARD for the film A BEAUTIFUL MIND.

It is significant, since of the 12 years the PRODUCER’S GUILD has been doling out their statues, 9 times their choice has gone on to win BEST PICTURE on OSCAR night. It is made more interesting because the ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES, the powers that be who bestow the over-hyped OSCARS, neglected to honor BAZ LURHMANN with a BEST DIRECTOR nomination, despite his groundbreaking work in the film MOULIN ROUGE.

After the ceremony Sunday night, LURHMANN discussed his surprise at winning, and graciously stated his understanding with the ACADEMY’S decision. "It was a surprise, and I was a little bumbling out there because I didn’t want to be one of those people who say ‘I didn’t prepare a speech’, but I didn’t. Look, we got to a stage, I just said to IAN McKELLAN, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, LORD OF THE RINGS, ourselves; we’ve all been on tour together. It’s like we’ve all been in this ongoing show together, and you get to a point where the important thing to say is what an incredible year. Not a light one. We have psychological drama, the reinvention of a mythological epic, and the reinvention of the musical."

It is a reinvention that wasn’t easy. "The machinery to make a musical does not exist. Imagine having to keep a company of nearly 300 dancers available to the process for months and months and months." Production on the film ran for more than 4 months.

FRED BARON

FRED BARON, one of three producers of ROUGE was adamant about the work LURHMANN did on the film. "Great producing means a great director. BAZ was an incredible producer, but he hired a great director (himself). If you look at the frames and say ‘How did all that happen?’ The vision of the director was, to use a word, spectacular!"

After hearing BAZ speak, one gets the impression that it might not be a beautiful night for BEAUTIFUL MIND, after all. LURHMANN made a strong case for the BEST ACTRESS award. "NICOLE KIDMAN, I mean, a great, great actress said to me recently ‘You know, when you think that she plays broad comedy, then she plays high tragedy, she dies in that film, she sings, she dances." She sings, she dances she dies. That is an incredible test, the incredible test of any actor. And she could have backed away from that. We all know her life got more complicated as the film went on, and she went on to make a choice, and that choice was to embody the spirit of the film. And that is the show must go on."

The ACADEMY has a soft spot for just such circumstances, so it wouldn’t be

Producers of I AM SAM

surprising at all if KIDMAN takes home the OSCAR.

And if the BEST ACTOR award goes to SEAN PENN for his work in I AM SAM, a result the producers of that film feel is certainly warranted, MIND could end up getting left out of the limelight come March 24. I AM SAM was bestowed the STANLEY KRAMER AWARD for its portrayal of a mentally challenged parent fighting for custody rights, a role PENN took on with his usual intensity. The producers of that film were totally committed to SEAN PENN, and waited for nearly 6 years until he was available to do the project. "It’s an extraordinary experience getting to work with him. He really raises the bar for every actor."

The night resulted in an interesting irony in that MOULIN ROUGE, a musical, won 50 years after another musical, SINGIN IN THE RAIN was released, a film LURHMANN credited as being an inspiration to him. Another irony could unfold on OSCAR night. It will be the 50 year anniversary of a shocking ACADEMY upset, when AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, another romantic musical from the city of light took home the BEST PICTURE award, on a night when A PALCE IN THE SUN or A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE were favored to win.

Producers of THE WEST WING

Other winners on this night were THE WEST WING for dramatic televison series, for the second year in a row; SEX AND THE CITY for comedic series and BAND OF BROTHERS for television film, for which a visibly pleased and humbled producer TOM HANKS accepted the award.

PGA AWARDS PHOTO GALLERY

Buz Luhrmann		John Frankenheimer & Angela Lansbury
Garry Marshall & Henry Winkler		Michael Patrick King & John P. Melfi
Swoosie Kurtz		Howard Gottfried

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GRAMMY 2002-THE TERRORISTS, (OR IS IT THE PUBLICISTS) HAVE WON
2.28.02

It was the biggest night in the music business, an all-out party where all of the luminaries in the recording industry gathered to honor their stars, flaunt their wears and throw it down on the red carpet. At least that’s how it used to be. I recall years when we would sit in front of the set with a house full of people, having anticipated for weeks how CHER would look, or what outrageous acts MADONNA would perform, or how many awards MICHAEL JACKSON would take home, or with which song WHITNEY would bring the house down.

The red carpet arrivals before the show had grown to be just as entertaining as the actual presentations, with the flamboyant, if not ridiculous getups garnering more attention than the winners. The GRAMMY’S were a show-stopper, guaranteed to fuel water cooler gossip for weeks, not to mention hours of entertainment on the night of the event.

But September 11 changed all that. It seems the terrorists hatched a plan that fed right into the hidden agendas harbored by fire marshals and publicists-scale back the event, restrict access, limit the flamboyance, control the mayhem, hide the stars and dampen the fun. If you watched the arrivals at yesterday’s GRAMMY’S you may have noticed that there were fewer stars strolling down the garnet shag. And there were a lot fewer television crews inhabiting the space. We must take care for a terrorist threat, you know, and nothing keeps those Al-Queda out of the faces of our musical icons than to limit the red carpet arrivals to just a few crews, say ACCESS HOLLYWOOD, ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT and E!. Who needs anymore? They do it so well, don’t they.

Those that did the walk, did little talking, even to CBS which hosted the show. How does the network airing the program not get U2 or ALICIA KEYS to stop and smooze for a bit on their way into the event? Something is really not right here. Remember ELLEN DEGENERS assaulting guests as they arrived, asking them for a semen donation so her and ANNE HECHE could have a baby? I missed that, if only for the pure awkwardness and embarrassment! There’s nothing better than to gape and gasp as a musical icon faux-pas his way past the paparazzi. Recall RICKY MARTIN’S reaction to the cup DEGENERS was hawking on the carpet.

Those that did the talk, did a lousy job of walking. Where was the fashion? You know it’s a dry year when the most outrageous fashion statement to be made was a leather and leopard number draped on the old bones of BOOTSEY COLLINS, ELTON JOHN glasses to boot.. Nothing against BOOTSEY, but where’s the booty? The GRAMMY’S is where JENNIFER LOPEZ did her thing a few years back. Was JOHN ASHCROFT’s team running this show? Pulllleease. The naked statue at the Justice Department had more pizzazzz than this year’s carpet bunnies. CHERYL CROW did her best this year in her lace unitard, but it didn’t quite do the trick, if you know what I mean. (By the way, I thought SHERYL was all bent out of shape about the sexual marketing of BRITNEY SPEARS and her peers.) It was boring, as were the entire arrivals.

Live Hollywood events were the foundation for E! ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION? They had little more success despite having 2 crews on the runway. When split-tongued JOAN RIVERS doesn’t skewer the DIXIE CHICKS in burkas, then we might as well be watching LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. What were those country girls wearing? This is the GRAMMY’S ladies, do it up or get yourself off to the high country of Afghanistan.

Being a member of the press who was not allowed access to the red carpet this year, I actually didn’t mind the fact that it’s carnival appeal was gutted from the event. No big loss. But when they clamp down on the press room, well that’s going too far. The GARMMY’S on-air show began at 5pm and it was 7:45 and the only visitors to the pressroom were DAVE KOZ, MISSY ELLIOTT and ANDRE COUCH. Come on! Nearly every entertainment outlet, and most of the radio stations, including national news organizations like CNN, ABC NEWS, WESTWOOD ONE, to name a few were sitting around for nearly 3 hours before the first big winner was presented to the media. That award was for ALBUM OF THE YEAR, and it went to a group of performers who were nearly unrecognizable but for EMMYLOU HARRIS.

Eventually-nearly 4 hours after the show had begun, ALICIA KEYS, TRAIN and NELLY FURTADO threw off the shackles of their publicists and did the press room. But, no U2, no CHRISITNA AGUILERA, no MYA, no PINK, no SADE, no JAMES TAYLOR, no DOLLY PARTON, no GLADYS KNIGHT, no ERIC CLAPTON, no HARRY CONNICK, Jr., no JANET JACKSON, no LENNY KRAVITZ, no LINKIN PARK, no TOOL, no JEFF BECK, no EVE with GWEN STEFANI, no OUTKAST, no COLDPLAY, no USHER, no DESTINY’S CHILD, no USHER, and no CARLOS VIVES, despite all of them having won at least one GRAMMY on the evening.

Heck, I remember when all the presenters in the show would come back and do press. Not one presenter bothered to talk to the media this year. This is the GRAMMY’S people! And you got a pretty hefty gift bag just for going onstage, as a tacky PAMELA ANDERSON demonstrated. Nevertheless, no BRITNEY SPEARS, MATTHEW PERRY, PATTI LABELLE, TRISHA YEARWOOD, DON HENLEY, TONY BENNETT, BILLY JOEL, SARAH HUGHES, NSYNC, NELLY, JA RULE, JAMIE FOXX, NATALIE COLE, PUFF DADDY, DIXIE CHICKS, SHERYL CROW, KEVIN JAMES, RAY RAMANO, CRAIG DAVID and the rest. The pressroom was wide open for nearly 3 hours with no one showing his or her made-up face. Surely one of these folks could have used a little exposure. Celebrities, and pseudo-celebrities like up and coming or has been music stars need press, don’t they?

Not this year. The show was the second worst rated GRAMMY telecast in its history, watched by less than 19 million viewers. More people watched LEAP OF FAITH, whatever that show is, than watched the GRAMMYS. The unavailability of the artists, both on the red carpet, and in the pressroom will not do anything to improve on this number for future years. But for OSAMA BIN LADEN, and the newly empowered publicists running interference, we stand ready to do the dirty, nasty work of promoting and publicizing and reporting. It’s not always pretty, and it’s occasionally disappointing. But it is always real, on the red carpet, live at the GRAMMYS, f

T BONE BURNETT with 2 of his 4 Grammys on the night, 1 of which was for Producer of the Year.	DEEP DISH with their awards for Remixed Recording "Thank You" by DIDO.
LIL' KIM won for Pop Collaboration With Vocals	LUCINDA WILLIAMS was voted best Female Rock Vocalist.
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS won a Grammy for the TV theme from Malcolm in the Middle.	TERRY LEWIS and JIMMY JAM won for best Dance Recording "All For You" by JANET JACKSON.

or REEL HOLLYWOOD.

bill@manmademultimedia.com

GRAMMY UP-PARTY DOWN
By Tonie Moses


Non-stop action and partying was the highlight in the entertainment capital as stars got together to celebrate with the winners and losers at this years 44th annual Grammy awards after parties. Everywhere you went whether it was Morton’s, The BMG party, or just chilling at a posh hotel suite…no one can deny the fun and excitement that went down in lala land.

If you opted to cruise the infamous sunset strip to peep all the bling bling (diamonds that is), groupies, fancy cars and yes-pretty people, somewhere in your head you were probably thinking this was a mere dream or actually a part of history in the making, club making that is.

First up was the Sony party at the posh Morton’s restaurant where label mates Destiny’s Child, J-Lo, Gloria Estefan and Celine Dion seemed to be soaking up all the glitz and glamour. Destiny’s Child had every reason to be soaking it all up after picking up a Grammy for Best Duo or Group for Survivor. But, Dion, who seemed slightly overwhelmed with all the excitement after the post Grammy frenzy was just thrilled to be partying along with the other artists.

"I am really glad to see my friends here, and to be a part of this wonderful festivity," said the singer. Dion who has an album due out later this month was not a part of the Grammy ceremony this year, but was eager to talk about her new album, and her return to the wonderful world of Showbiz.

"I’m here in town to shoot my third television special which will air on April 7th, and I look forward to hearing the response from my fans," said Dion. "The important thing for me is to stay well-grounded, and fortunately for me I have a big family that keeps me that way." Celine is on her way to Vegas where she sets up residence at CAESAR’S PALACE where she will be perform 5 times a week, 40 times a year for the next 5 years for the paltry sum of $100 million dollars.

Dion wasn’t the only celeb on hand waiting to hear the response from the fans. J-Lo’s entrance was all too spectacular and worth the wait. Lopez who was wearing a pastel blue mini dress, and space boots straight out of a 60’s magazine stopped briefly and posed for camera’s before being whisked away by manager Benny Medina into the star packed party.

"It feels great, it feels wonderful," said Lopez, who was accompanied by husband/dancer Chris Judd.

Meanwhile just across town things were just getting heated at The Argyle Hotel, where BMG was sponsoring a party. The party was buzzing as BMG entertainment execs; party-goer’s and other well-wishers awaited the arrival of the night’s big winner, Alicia Keys.

Keys who earned five Grammy’s, including the Song of the Year for Fallin was a-glow as she made her entrance into the party, wearing a pink head scarf looking like a fairy princess. The 21-year-old songstress was definitely the highlight of the party; just ask Jimmy Jam, who came specifically to congratulate Keys on such a phenomenal year.

"I’m here to celebrate and show my appreciation and it just feels real good to be out chilling with the winners tonight," said Jam of the producing duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
Although the mega producers did not win the prestigious Producer of the Year Award, they did win the Dance Remix grammy for Janet Jackson’s All For You. Lewis made it a point to hit some of the hot spots in and around town, and to pay homage to the evening’s big winners.

"Music is about celebrating and enjoying life, and what better place to be than the strip checking out all the live and fancy parties."

Other celebs on hand to celebrate were Gospel artists and past Grammy winner Kirk Franklin, Pink and Christina Aguilerra, who picked up a Grammy for Best Collaboration with Vocals for Lady Marmalade, and Clive Davis who had every reason to be celebrating after a very prosperous year with best new artist Alicia Keys.

So, whether you were inside the party or just hanging outside trying to get a glimpse of your favorite star, one thing is for sure, Grammy night is party night and on that note we should all be celebrating, not just for the winners, but for the losers as well…Just ask Indie Arie.


tonie@manmademultimedia.com

Hallelujah-Thank God for Halle
By Tonie Moses

These days HALLE BERRY has every reason to be saying hallelujah. With an academy award nomination for best actress in a role critics are hailing as her best work in MONSTERS BALL, to her upcoming stint as the new BOND GIRL, the stunning actress has a lot to be thankful for. So does this mean she finally can command the respect, as a Hallewood leading lady?

When HALLE BERRY closes her eyes and dreams of her three favorite places, she imagines sitting in a charming bistro in Paris, perhaps sipping on a glass of bubbly Perrier. Retreating to her mothers house in Cleveland overlooking Lake Eerie, far away from the glitter and fame. And at home in Los Angeles spending quality time with husband, R&B singer, ERIC BENET whom she describes as the best thing that has ever happened to her.

This may sound like a fairy-tale, but her story doesn’t start here, instead it begins with a young, shy, naïve girl from Cleveland, Ohio, who had big dreams of someday becoming a huge movie star.

It was in Cleveland where HALLE and older sister HEIDI, was raised single handedly by their mom JUDY a psychiatric nurse. This was the place were she first experienced racism as a child, because of her mixed heritage, and also the place where she got her first start in the beauty pageant circuit.

" I was always driven to be the best that I could be. I knew that my beauty would played a huge part in my success, but I also wanted people to see me as an great actress not just a pretty face," said BERRY, 33, at a recent press tour promoting MONSTERS BALL.

When it comes to success, you can say Halle has driven herself to the pinnacle of her dreams, and if you had asked Ms. Berry two years ago if she thought she would be where she is today, she would say "not a chance."

From the infamous hit-in-run accident in 2000 which she pleaded no contest, and settled out of court last year, to the $500,000 she was allegedly paid to bare her breasts in the Monster hit SWORDFISH. Berry has proven time and time again that she is very self determined woman who isn’t afraid to try new things.

"The topless scene was definitely something I contemplated over, but my husband said go for it and I did."

That is one of the reasons why Berry fought to play LETICIA MUSGROVE, a death row inmate’s lover who falls in love with the prison guard on the detail in charge of executing her condemned husband in MONSTERS BALL. The work has won her various accolades and an Oscar nomination for best actress.

"She really wanted that role, and dedicated herself so much to the character. She knew that people would not be able to see passed her pretty face. This is her prove herself role," said a spokesman for BERRY. She wasn’t the producers first choice for the role, but after weeks of begging to be cast, and even offering to do it for free, BERRY was eventually hired and paid $300,000 for it.

Even before the films release the reaction has been glowing for the actress. The national Board of review named her best actress for her performance, not to mention a Golden nomination. Most recently she picked up a best actress nod from the Screen Actors Guild, and yes-of course the Oscar nomination.

In a recent interview with CNN the actress explained that she did not want to tempt fate, and hoped that with the entire buzz, that more people will go out and see the movie.

"I know that people look up to me and expect for me to be perfect but I am human and I’m glad people can see me for who I am and not this perfect little actress. I am a self-determined actress who isn’t afraid of the challenges," she says.

That self-determination pulled her through some very difficult times. First, her high-profile marriage to baseball player DAVID JUSTICE ended in divorce. Then there was her involvement in a minor car accident in which she left the scene after a head on collision during the wee hours of the morning. The other driver sued, but the case was settled out of court early last year. Perhaps the most overblown was the publicity over a short topless scene in last summer’s "SWORDFISH,"which by the way she won an NAACP Award for, for best actress.

" The media tends to blow things way out of proportion, I never thought that I would get negative backlashes from the little things, I do," says BERRY. "I’m happy that I have a strong support team and people around me who keep me motivated."

BERRY credits much of her motivation to her mother, OPRAH WINFREY, DOROTHY DANDRIGE, JODIE FOSTER, and YVONNE SIMS, her fifth grade teacher who is featured with her in the March issue of In-Style magazine.

HALLE won an emmy last year for her portrayal of DANDRIGE, in the DOROTHY DANDRIGE STORY. But it was SIMS, she says, who inspired her to be the best she could be, and says that while growing up in a predominately white area, and having a white mother, she didn’t have a woman of color to look to relate to. " Ms. SIMS was a woman like me, a woman of color, and I thought I could grow up to be like her."

Even if she doesn’t take home the Oscar next month she will always still be the same girl from Cleveland who had big dreams of being a star. BERRY remains philosophical about it all.

"It passes, she says, Life is about peaks and valleys and ups and downs. And every valley you’re in, you’re in their for a reason. There’s a lesson. That new day is coming and you’re armed with everything you got, everything you learned from being with that valley—the strength because you survived it, and that’s worth more than anything."

tonie@manmademultimedia.com

sashya@manmademultimedia.com