The weathervane see-sawed about what might happen. Mercifully, the rain gods were kind for the 73rd Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on Sunday. Say what you will, whoever you are who’ve bitched about the meaninglessness of the awards (including scurrilous host Ricky Gervais damning them as “worthless”), please concur that it has its fun moments. Wild and wooly with leading Hollywood filmmakers and talents drunkenly fannybumping with their high fashions, while swilling Moet & Chandon champagne through the longeurs of this night of nights. Sad to say, the booze predominates since there’s no limit to the fill-er-up champagne flutes, while the gourmet dinner of filet mignon and lobster remains mostly uneaten.
In years previous, Frank Sinatra carried bottles of Jack Daniels bourbon that he poured endlessly for tablemates, vowing that it’s “what gets me through the night.” A bottle of Jack Daniels is tucked into Frank’s coffin in the Palm Desert burial ground.
A Golden Globe memorable moment this year? Tom Hanks’ eloquent presentation of the Cecil B. DeMille honor to Denzel Washington. Man-about-town Howard Celnick suggests Tom would serve as a brilliant host for next year’s Golden Globes. “Or during the Oscarcast, for that matter.” In our opinion, Tom’s Bridge Of Spies, directed by Steven Spielberg, with Oscar-worthy performances by Steven, Tom and Mark Rylance will be lauded as a classic.
News of the winners, however, appeared eclipsed in some circles the following day with the announcement of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, 84, who appeared younger and happier than we’ve seen him of late, about his engagement to blonde Texas bombshell Jerry Hall, 59. The former mate of Mick Jagger, Jerry has four children with him: daughters Elizabeth and Georgia, sons Gabriel and James.
Jerry’s modeling career was launched when she was discovered on the French Riviera, flown to Paris where she bunked with model Grace Jones. Soon enough, she found herself the highest paid cover girl, and then met Mick. The twain morphed into their relationship of 20 years.
“Above all, Jerry craves security,” a source is quoted in the Daily Mail. “‘She likes to feel that she is going to be taken care of by a man – which perhaps comes from being raised poor in Texas, with an alcoholic dad who beat her and her four sisters so viciously that he ‘broke bones.’” (Not unlike the Jackie Kennedy syndrome, Jackie’s security blankets being the Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis and banker Maurice Templesman.)
Murdoch family members and friends recall Murdoch was downhearted and disturbed when his former wife, Wendi Deng, known as a Shanghai Girl, romanced British Prime Minister Tony Blair during their marriages, boldly shacking-up at Rupert’s estates, which the staff reported to Rupert. Needless to say, Wendi walked off with a formidable divorce settlement. Murdoch and Wendi have two heirs to the empire, Chloe and Grace, along with his daughters Elisabeth and sons James and Lachlan with his author wife Anna Torv, and daughter Prudence from his first marriage to Patricia Booker.
Well, they’re back. That joyride of Louis Prima and Keely Smith bounced into the Geffen Playhouse this week, performing through Sunday.
They say … so they say … that Dean Martin claimed, “You can’t buy happiness, but you can pour it.” Whatever the hell that means. Well, happiness is poured nightly at the Geffen by the Tony-winning and fleet-footed Anthony Crivello as the New Orleanian musicmaking maestro, the lion-hearted Louis Prima harmonzing his jazz-flecked repertoire with wife Keely Smith, played by the musical’s co-writer Vanessa Claire Stewart.
Did you know Keely, whose voice is a God-given power unto its own, was born Dorothy Keely?
First nighters included director and co-writer Taylor Hackford (Ray, An Officer And A Gentleman) with wife Helen Mirren seated front and center. Also: Louis and Keely’s daughter Luanne and producer Hershey Felder applauding Ray Litteral’s good-as-it-gets band.
Taylor departed the next morning on a dawn flight for Manhattan to meet with Robert De Niro, whose passion project is the “indie-financed” The Comedian that Jennifer Aniston just dropped out of. De Niro stars as an aging insult comic (a la Don Rickles?), with Taylor directing, and the cast’s a runaway procession of comedic talent. Taylor’s negotiating to round up others.
Will there be a day without more baggage bearing down on Hillary Clinton, who’s become the Compleat Baggage Lady on the political global scale. Always quick-quick-quick to mouth apologies filled with untrustworthy excuses?
Meanwhile, this from columnist Adam Brodsky on his New Year’s predictions in the New York Post:
“Hillary Clinton will go a whole year without being caught in a lie.
“Hillary Clinton will go a whole week without being caught in a lie.
“Hillary Clinton will go a whole day without being caught in a lie.
“Democrats will hold Hillary accountable for her lies.”
Matt Drudge briefly reported that Vice-President Joe Biden (who’s supporting Senator Bernie Sanders for the presidency), and Senator Elizabeth Warren are polishing their boots to step into the presidential power play arena. C’est possible? Who knows?