Buzz Briefs: Springsteen, Joel, Obama
Springsteen, Joel Join Musical Forces For Obama
Rock stars Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel are teaming up for their first joint concert to benefit Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
Obama plans to attend the concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on Oct. 16. That's the day after Obama's final debate with Republican John McCain at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.
Seeing the two superstars together won't come cheap. Tickets start at $500 and range up to $10,000.
The event was first reported by the Huffington Post Web site and confirmed by an Obama aide.
Woodstock Film Festival Kicks Off
The ninth annual Woodstock Film Festival this week will feature appearances by filmmaker Kevin Smith, '60s troubadour Donovan and more than 120 films.
The festival runs Wednesday through Sunday at venues in Woodstock and nearby Kingston, Rosendale and Rhinebeck. Honorary awards will be presented to Smith, cinematographer Haskell Wexler and veteran writer-producer James Schamus, chief executive officer of Focus Features.
Festival director Meira Blaustein said 124 films will be screened this year, about half of them full-length features and documentaries. She said participants will be coming to this famous artists' colony north of New York City from all over the world.
Smith's new movie, "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," will be featured on closing night. Smith's past films include "Dogma," Clerks" and "Chasing Amy."
Opening night will feature the films "Pride and Glory," "Happy-Go-Lucky" and "Flash of Genius."
Joel To Aid N.Y. Clammer's Kin With Funeral Costs
Billy Joel, who has championed the cause of Long Island, N.Y., fishermen in songs like "The Downeaster Alexa," is helping with the funeral expenses for a clam-digger whose body was found not far from the singer's mansion.
The body of Edwin Flores was found floating off a Long Island Sound beach in Lattingtown on Monday, six days after he was reported missing. The Nassau County medical examiner has confirmed the man's identity and says an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.
Joel, who has a house in nearby Centre Island, says he has made a donation to the North Oyster Bay Baymen's Association to help Flores' family with funeral and other expenses. He has declined to say how much he donated.
"Shrek" Shakeup On Broadway
There's been a shakeup at "Shrek The Musical" as it prepares for its Broadway opening.
The mammoth DreamWorks musical based on its successful animated film and the characters in William Steig's book will have a new Donkey when it begins preview performances Nov. 8 at the Broadway Theatre.
Daniel Breaker, a Tony nominee for his performance last season in "Passing Strange," will take over the role played by Chester Gregory during the show's recent Seattle tryout. Gregory has been seen most recently on Broadway in "Crybaby" and has appeared in "Tarzan" and "Hairspray" as well.
In addition, the role of the Dragon has been reconceived, with the voice of the creature now being performed by a chorus of eight women rather than one performer and a chorus. As a result, Kecia Lewis-Evans, who played the solo Dragon voice, has decided to leave the production.
The musical received generally good notices during its Aug. 14-Sept. 21 Seattle engagement.
"Shrek" opens officially Dec. 14. It features Brian d'Arcy James as the green ogre, Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona, Christopher Sieber as the evil Lord Farquaad and John Tartaglia as Pinocchio.
"Shrek," directed by Jason Moore, has book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori.
Spears' Attorney: Let Britney Pay $10 Fine & Go
Britney Spears' attorney has asked a judge to delay the singer's upcoming trial on a misdemeanor charge for driving without a valid license.
Attorney J. Michael Flanagan filed a petition in Superior Court on Monday seeking a stay in the criminal case. Flanagan also wants an appellate judge to order the judge overseeing the case to grant Spears' motion to dismiss.
Flanagan has twice requested a dismissal of the case, saying that Spears should be allowed to pay a $10 fine and not face a criminal trial.
The 26-year-old singer is scheduled to go on trial in October on a single misdemeanor charge that she did not have a valid California license when she hit a parked car in August 2007 and left the scene.
Flanagan also argues in Monday's filings that Spears is unable to meaningfully participate in her defense because of her conservatorship. Since February, her father has controlled the singer's personal and financial affairs.
Spears, whose new album "Circus" drops Dec. 2, plans a possible world tour next year.
Pair Involved In LaBeouf Crash Didn't Get Their Story Straight
Two people involved in an accident that injured Shia LaBeouf were charged Monday with giving police false information about the wreck.
The Los Angeles County district attorney's office said Monday it filed one misdemeanor count apiece for Herbert Simon, 22, and Kimberly Bent, 21. A spokeswoman for District Attorney Steve Cooley's office said Bent told police after the crash that she was driving, but that investigators suspect Simon was behind the wheel.
The charges stem from a July accident in West Hollywood that left LaBeouf's hand mangled, an injury that was written into the script for the "Transformers" sequel that the actor was filming at the time.
LaBeouf was initially arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, but prosecutors announced Thursday that there was insufficient evidence to file a formal charge. Sheriff's officials say the actor exhibited signs of being impaired during the early morning accident, and could lose his license for not submitting to a breathalyzer exam.
Attorney Michael Norris said last week that LaBeouf, 22, was pleased to not be facing a criminal case and that he is confident the actor's license will not be suspended.
Investigators had previously determined that LaBeouf was not at fault for the wreck. Simon has already been issued a traffic citation for failing to stop at a red light in connection with the crash.
There is no arraignment date scheduled for Simon and Bent, and no further charges were expected. It could not be immediately determined Monday whether either of them had retained an attorney.
Merv Griffin's Company Sues Ed McMahon
Court documents show a company founded by Merv Griffin is suing Ed McMahon for a $100,000 loan it claims has gone unpaid.
The Griffin Group Inc. says it loaned the money to McMahon, Johnny Carson's sidekick on the "Tonight" show, in 2005. The company filed the suit Thursday and says that none of the loan has been repaid.
McMahon's publicist didn't directly address the lawsuit, instead asking, "Anybody wanna buy a nice house in The Summit?"
The quote is an allusion to McMahon's hilltop home, which is facing foreclosure. The former pitchman also faces numerous other lawsuits filed on behalf of creditors.
Griffin, the longtime talk-show host who created "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune," died in 2007.
The lawsuit is seeking repayment of the money, with interest and attorney fees.
Katie Holmes Brings In The Bucks On Broadway
Katie Holmes may be helping "All My Sons" pull in potent grosses on Broadway.
Last week, the Arthur Miller drama was the highest-grossing play on Broadway, with $684,002 for its first full week of eight preview performances at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. It played to nearly 98 percent capacity at the 1,052-seat theater.
The revival - starring John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest, Patrick Wilson and Holmes - opens officially on Oct. 16. It has a top ticket price of $116.50 with premium tickets topping out at $300 for certain performances.
Hit musicals usually gross much more. "Wicked," for example, took in more than $1.3 million last week at the 1,809-seat Gershwin Theatre.
Jesse Ventura: To Believe Or Not To Believe, That Is The Question
Jesse Ventura will be working on a new conspiracy-theory series for truTV.
Production of a pilot featuring Ventura begins next month. The project comes from A. Smith & Co. Productions, which also produces "Hell's Kitchen" and "Trading Spaces."
Ventura will travel the country, investigating cases and getting input from believers and skeptics before passing judgment on a theory's validity.
"Ventura will hunt down answers, plunging viewers into a world of secret meetings, midnight surveillance, shifty characters and dark forces," truTV said in a statement.
Ventura, a former pro wrestler and Minnesota governor, hosted a weekly talk show that lasted two months on MSNBC in 2003. He was also a TV commentator for the XFL, an alternative football league that folded after airing for one season on NBC in 2000. Elected governor in 1998, he did not run for re-election in 2002.
Blacklisted TV Writer Oliver Crawford Dies
Oliver Kaufman Crawford, who overcame the "Red Scare" blacklist of the 1950s to become one of television's most successful writers, has died at age 91.
Crawford, who wrote for such shows as "Star Trek," "Bonanza," "Perry Mason" and "Kraft Television Theatre," died Wednesday, his daughter Vicki Crawford told The Associated Press. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Crawford was just starting a writing career in Hollywood when he was contacted in 1953 by the House UnAmerican Activities Committee, then looking into allegations of Communist influence in the entertainment industry. He was blacklisted after refusing to reveal names of suspected Communists, his daughter said.
After being blacklisted, Crawford moved to New York, where he took a variety of jobs, his daughter said.
He got back into the business in 1957 after a friend, actor Sam Levene, helped him land a job as a writer for "Playhouse 90."
His career flourished in the 1960s as he wrote for such popular shows as "Rawhide," "Lawman," "The Rifleman," "Ben Casey" "The Outer Limits" and "I Spy." Still other credits were for "Gilligan's Island," "The Big Valley," "The Wild Wild West" and "The Fugitive."
He remained busy throughout the 1970s, writing for "Mannix," "Kojak," "Ironside," "Love, American Style," "The Bionic Woman" and other shows.
Howell Schools Opens Doors For "High School" Movie
Hollywood is coming to the Livingston County, Mich., seat.
The Howell Public Schools Board of Education voted Monday to lease the shuttered Parker High School to Parallel Media of Studio City, Calif., which plans to film a movie called "High School" there.
The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus of Howell says the company will pay the district $15,000 per week for what's expected to be at least 12 weeks of filming. The deal also calls for the district to supply custodial, maintenance and food services while Parallel Media will provide learning opportunities for Howell students.
Filming of the movie, budgeted at $9.5 million, could begin in late October.
Parker was built after voters approved a 2003 bond issue but closed because the district couldn't afford to run both it and Howell High School.