As even Charles Randolph-Wright concedes, he was hardly the logical choice to direct Motown, the Musical, the tale of how Berry Gordy created the Detroit rhythm-and-blues empire that brought Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and so many other superstars into the international spotlight. A member of the original cast of Dreamgirls — the fictional history of The Supremes — … [Read more...]
Comic Griffin to bring edgy outlook to Kravis
March was a month in which comedian Kathy Griffin generated a lot of headlines. “I say things I regret constantly, and I just can’t help it,” she says. This time, it was over her departure from the E! Network series Fashion Police, where she had been brought in to replace the late Joan Rivers: “Kathy Griffin Describes Her ‘Fashion Police’ Experience as a ‘Dog Pile,’” “Kathy … [Read more...]
For James Grippando, the ideas keep coming
James Grippando, the Miami lawyer-turned-bestselling crime writer, used to be able to produce books faster than publishers could publish them. That’s no longer true, thanks to digital technology. But that doesn’t mean he’s slowed the pace. “It’s been more than a book a year for a while now,” says Grippando, who has two novels scheduled for the first half of this year, and an … [Read more...]
Director Boorman unveils long-awaited sequel to ‘Hope and Glory’
Englishman John Boorman has directed 22 films, and is probably best known for Point Blank and Deliverance, two of his early, violent dramas. But in 1988, he earned three Oscar nominations — best picture, best direction, best screenplay — for Hope and Glory, his autobiographical memoir of growing up amid the shelling of London during World War II. Now, 26 years later, comes a … [Read more...]
Bland, predictable ‘And So It Goes’ aims for safe audiences
You can tell a lot from a movie by its opening shot. Rob Reiner’s new film, And So It Goes, opens with a crane shot delicately gliding over a landscape of absolute tranquility. We’re in a verdant seaside town in Connecticut, where the skies are always clear, there’s never any traffic, and the residences and businesses are storybook-quaint. These images — which scream … [Read more...]
Palm Beach Film Festival focuses on the independent lens
Over the years, the Palm Beach International Film Festival has had its share of celebrity visits and Hollywood glam. But that’s not what Randi Emerman wants you to remember about the 17th edition of PBIFF. “The focus of this year’s Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) is on the film,” says Emerman, director of the festival. “Pure and simple, our emphasis is on … [Read more...]
Playwright sees spirit of art in ‘Ghost-Writer’
If you knew that a book called The Iron Whim describes itself as “a fragmented history of typewriting,” you may not bother to pick it up. But you will be glad that Michael Hollinger did, for it led him to create Ghost-Writer, his latest work to be produced by West Palm Beach’s Florida Stage. For as dry as the book sounds, it is full of juicy literary anecdotes. “A couple of … [Read more...]