By , ,
Published May 19, 2015
Lindsay Lohan | Elaine Kaufman | Box-Office Ups and Downs | Mike Myers | Argentina Brunetti
Lindsay Lohan Helps the Knicks
Yes, indeed, that was teen queen bee Lindsay Lohan sitting courtside last Friday night at the New York Knicks-Utah Jazz game at Madison Square Garden. Her "date" was her younger brother, Cody.
Some may think Lindsay helped the Knicks break their losing streak that night with their much needed 98-90 win over the Jazz. I'd like to think it was yours truly, sitting not quite courtside in front of famed character actor Charlie Robinson. (You know him from the "Night Court" TV series, among other things.)
Lindsay did leave early in the third quarter. The Knicks were ahead. Maybe Cody had to go to sleep.
I do think that Matthew and Cari Modine made the most difference, though, for the Knicks' destiny that night. They are steadfast Knicks fans, and sent out much needed positive vibes.
Matthew will miss much of the season, however. He's headed to London to star in Robert Altman's production of the late Arthur Miller's last play, "Resurrection Blues." Neve Campbell and Maximilian Schell are also in the cast. The latter was chosen, I'm told, when Malcolm MacDowell was unavailable due to a prior commitment.
"Resurrection Blues" opens in early March in London's West End and is sure to be the hot ticket of the theater season over there.
Just to prove how hip she is, famed and beloved restaurateur Elaine Kaufman had hers replaced over the weekend.
A fast healer, Elaine should be home from rehab by mid week, and is even threatening to greet guests on New Year's Eve. I can attest from personal observation that the great lady was overwhelmed by flowers and gifts at home and in the hospital.
And the biggest improvement in her life because of this? Not better mobility. She's finally agreed to use a cell phone.
By Sunday yours truly was showing her how to program a new black Motorola Razr V3. I told you she was hip.
P.S.: In case you wondered, Elaine knows who's been in for dinner during her absence. And the bold-faced names have not missed a beat. Last week the place was jammed, as always.
'Kong' and 'Brokeback' Down; 'Munich' Up
What happened at the box office over this crucial holiday weekend?
Well, "Brokeback Mountain" added over 150 theaters to its existing 69 and took in less money totally than it had during its halcyon days in San Francisco.
The trend seems to indicate that as "Brokeback" makes it way into polite society, the interest is starting to wane. It doesn't matter, though. "Brokeback" is still assured of a Best Actor nomination for Heath Ledger and maybe Best Picture. But the frenzy is over, that's clear.
"King Kong" continued to under-perform. It pretty much tied with "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" for the weekend, with $20 million, give or take.
The problem is that "King Kong" has slowed down considerably. Twelve days passed before "Kong" went over the $100 million mark. Break-even is a long way off, even with respectable international sales.
Steven Spielberg's "Munich" now has a respectable $6 million in sales, even though it's still in limited release and has almost no "regular" publicity. It's not clear how that plan will work out, but "Munich" is attracting an audience very quickly.
All three movies are from Universal Pictures. It's their year, no matter what happens. Stacey Snider and friends, take a bow.
I was genuinely sorry to hear that "Austin Powers"/"Wayne's World" star Mike Myers and his wife Robin Ruzan announced they were getting a divorce after 12 years.
If ever there was a couple who seemed so close as to be insulated from the outside world, it was they.
Mike, who's from Canada, based his "Coffee Talk" lady on his mother-in-law, Linda Richman, and even named the character after her as well. Linda taught Mike just enough Yiddish to make the character and the sketch so authentic. Together they reinvented the word "verklempt" (even though my grandmother disagreed with their usage).
Mike's friendship with Barbra Streisand through her guest appearance on the reoccurring sketch led the singer to donate a lot of money to one of Mike's favorite causes: a memorial fund for Robin's brother, Linda's son, who died from cancer at an early age.
At Oscar parties, and all kinds of industry events, Robin was a constant presence with Mike. The tip-off that something was wrong should have come a few weeks ago when Robin did not attend a private screening of "Syriana" with Mike. He looked a little nervous as he entered the room. Maybe now we know why.
I'm sure the tabs will try to figure out who was to blame, but I hope not. They are each nice people, and frankly, making it through a dozen years with no scandals is something of an accomplishment in Hollywood. I'd say they had a successful marriage and wish them well.
Oldest Golden Globe Dies in Italy
Don't cry for her, Argentina: The Golden Globes have often been accused of having older voters who don't see the films under consideration and may not even vote in the award process. This weekend, one from that group passed away.
Argentina Brunetti is said to have been 98 years old. She lived in Italy with her children. Almost as soon as she died at the end of last week, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association erased her name from its Web site. There wasn't even a memorial mention that Argentina was one of its founders.
Brunetti was famous for appearing in one particular movie, "It's A Wonderful Life." Otherwise, her acting resume seems to have mostly limited to small roles.
Like most enterprising Golden Globers (there are about 85 of them), Brunetti was good at marketing and promoting herself. Her Web site, which is full of pictures of herself with movie stars, almost touts a memoir she's self-published about her adventures in Hollywood, getting pictures taken with stars.
According to the site, her son, Mario, 65, no doubt eager to take her place on the HFPA gravy train, is maintaining his mother's weekly Web log. He writes that he has a "family propensity" for journalism.
Argentina may not have been oldest Globe; that's still to be determined. There are several more members over the age of 90.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/lindsay-lohan-helps-knicks-break-streak