Hollywood Beltway

Maggie Gyllenhaal, nominated for best supporting actress for “Crazy Heart,” is really just happy to be nominated for an Oscar. “I’m going to enjoy all of it,” she told me the other night at a USA Network/Vanity Fair party held in the thick of the big snowstorm. All the USA Network TV shows were being celebrated–”Characters [...]

Carly Simon was en route to the UK when the British papers got all the signals wrong about her song “You’re So Vain.” She emailed me last night: “What a riot! Nothing to do with David Geffen! What a funny mistake! Someone got a clue mistaken for another mistake!” As I wrote in the previous post about [...]

The British papers have gone crazy over a 38-year-old story. And they’ve got it all wrong, of course. For years, Carly Simon has teased the public that “You’re So Vain,” her signature record, was about Warren Beatty. She always said the character– who flew his Lear Jet to Nova Scotia “to see a total eclipse of [...]

At the rate things are going, a fourth installment of the “Bourne” series remains, sadly, doubtful. Last night at the premiere of “Green Zone,” starring Matt Damon and directed by Paul Greengrass — who directed “The Bourne Ultimatum” — the question was asked. And really, no one could answer it. Of course, Matt Damon told this column [...]

In Texas there’s a fierce battle over a Congressional primary being held this Tuesday. And pop radio seems to be the issue. Democrat Sheila Jackson-Lee, who’s been a great and vocal member of  Congress since 1994, has done a lot of good things during her run in Washington. One of the best things is her fight [...]

“Hurt Locker” producer Nicholas Chartier has gotten himself into hot water. A novice to the Oscar process, Chartier violated Academy rules by sending out an e-mail to voters last week. Here’s what he said: I hope all is well with you.  I just wanted to write you and say I hope you liked Hurt Locker and if [...]

Bobby Zarem is heading south. He’s leaving on Sunday to go live in his beloved Savannah, Ga., where he’s been the mastermind for the city’s film festival for many years. New York without Bobby Zarem? It’s unimaginable. Like New York without bagels. Or taxis. He’s the only publicist about whom a movie was made — “People [...]

Fans of the Rolling Stones know all about a little known underground film that could not be released in the early 1970s. It was called “Cocksucker Blues.” It was made around the time of he recording of “Exile on Main Street” in 1971 and it contained some racy, racy stuff. (Considering what we see on [...]

Michael Jackson’s family can’t wait anymore. They’re starting to plan events to cash in on Michael’s memory. First, eldest sister Rebbie planned a tribute to Michael in Scranton, Pa., with a second-tier lead singer from the Temptations. It was too sad for me to write about. Now Katherine Jackson has lent her name to a Michael fanfest [...]

Conan O’Brien seems like he’s in purgatory right now, but not exactly. I am told that the Fox deal for a late-night show is moving forward with “everyone talking.” Among the obstacles, as I reported here first when the whole NBC debacle began: clearing Fox stations for an 11:30 p.m. show. The Fox network signs off [...]