Leon Russell and Elton John: A 'Union' Made on Late-Night Radio

Peter McAlevey — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:14:12 +0000

I’d heard Leon Russell’s music forever — but didn’t know him from Adam.

I actually know Elton John—but his music escapes me.

With the exception of “Your Song” and maybe “Benny and the Jets” (the same name as a boxing club in Van Nuys), I’d be hard pressed to name more of John’s oeuvre. Oh, maybe “Candle in the Wind”—but that’s not much from a four-decade career.

'War Horse,' Steven Spielberg, the Golden Globes and John Ford

Peter McAlevey — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:34:14 +0000

Now, don’t get me wrong—I loved Steven Spielberg.

I could argue that “Jaws” figures as one of the great “programmers” (or genre movies) of all time, up with, say, Paul Muni’s original “Scarface,” from 1932, 1941’s “The Maltese Falcon” or the ‘80s “Top Gun”,entertainment so pure that it transcends its genre.

What the Media's Missing in Iowa: 'Personhood' Is No. 1 Issue

Peter McAlevey — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:40:02 +0000

I’m glad I left the mainstream media in the rearview mirror years ago.

For example, I was a young reporter in New York when civilians thought then-governor Mario Cuomo was going to get a Democratic presidential nod. When I asked around the newsroom however, it was poo-poohed -- all the longtime political reporters “knew” Mario was “mobbed up” and couldn’t pass presidential scrutiny. They were just waiting for him to announce.

Wanna Buy a Watch? A How-to Guide for Christmas

Peter McAlevey — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:30:53 +0000

From Hollywood hipsters to New York subterraneans, the watch has become “the thing.” Or, at least so the major newspapers would have you believe.

Ever notice that on pages 2-3 of the New York Times everyday three or four ads are for pricey watches like Bruget, Hublot, Patek-Phillippe? Heck, in L.A. even the haughty Los Angeles Times is running watch ads on its front page (previously a “no-no”).

Fritz Manes Was a Friend of Mine

Peter McAlevey — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:59:09 +0000

Actually, to say that Fritz Manes was a friend of mine would be untrue -- he was a compatriot, patriot, boon companion and drinking buddy.

But that was all years ago -- I was sorry to read of his passing in the New York Times this week (the Los Angeles Times seems to have forgotten his story!)

After Pandora and Spotify, What Next?

Peter McAlevey — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:07:58 +0000

Sometimes it is hard not to have fun with a story; sometimes the stories have fun with you. (If they’re true!) This one falls into the nanosphere between -- it’s certainly all true and, looked at from the right point of view, fun.

But not if you’re my brother. People talk about making a deal with the devil to give their right arm for success. Tommy actually did, though whether it was the devil he made the deal with I can’t attest. It was certainly a higher power.

Saving Ferris: My Charlie Sheen Years and Yours

Peter McAlevey — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:11:05 +0000

A decade ago, I helped oversee a “table read” at the HBO offices in Century City of an exciting new screenplay, "Save Ferris," a parody/sequel to the legendary John Hughes’ movie, "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off."

My Toronto -- and Yours, Nick Lowe’s, Cindy Chvatal’s, Billy Petersen’s, Etc.

Peter McAlevey — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:35:08 +0000

I’ve never written or even spoken about this before, but some people know the whole story, some know parts and, well, some know pieces and think they know it. But with all the news out of Toronto over the last weeks—as well as other news that dovetailed into it all -- well, I figured this was my one and only chance to do it with any relevance.

Whose Captain America Is It? ... and a Final Note on Hanoi Jane

Peter McAlevey — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 19:44:05 +0000

I saw my first 3D movie the other day. ’Nuff said.

My feelings about “modern” 3D? Despite the imprecations of my old boss, Jeffrey Katzenberg (3D’s Town Crier), to embrace the “new” technology it is nothing more than the old “Smell-O-Vision” of the '50s repackaged for a new generation.

The Greatest Sequel Never Made

Peter McAlevey — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:43:18 +0000

The opening of “Harry Potter VIII” this weekend, along with “Transformers III” and “X-Men: First Class,” reminds me of a story.

It was the mid-‘80s and I was still covering the industry for Newsweek. I was having lunch with David Matalon, boss of the upstart studio Tri-Star, discussing the surprising tracking for the upcoming film “Rambo: First Blood, Part II.” Predictions were for it to be the hit of the summer, which it turned out to be.

Michael Eisner and the L.A. Times—A Marriage Made in Heaven?

Peter McAlevey — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:54:58 +0000

'Expendables' Should Try On 'Kashmir'

Peter McAlevey — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:57:23 +0000

It’s funny, but not only is "The Expendables” -- as many noticed -- a throwback to the heyday of ‘80s action stars (Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Statham … oops, the latter’s from the ‘00s!), but more to the point, it’s really a throwback to one of the classic action films of all time, 1967’s famous (infamous?) “Dirty Dozen.”

Tom & Tom and the (Auto)biography of 'Knight and Day'

Peter McAlevey — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 01:35:17 +0000

I’ve always liked Patrick Goldstein: In the old days (the ‘80s) when the Los Angeles Times barely admitted the “industry” existed, he was one of the few capable of giving you an inside look.

'Flatliners' and the Long-Forgotten Secret Woid: Profitable

Peter McAlevey — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:04:10 +0000

Last November, I wrote how the movie “Flatliners” took an unknown word and made it common parlance for everyone from sportswriters to politicians and the like. In that story, I detailed the history of the film and how it became, at the time, the most profitable film in a long time at the then-beleaguered Columbia Pictures.

A Time and a Place: Steve Reuther, R.I.P.

Peter McAlevey — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:42:48 +0000

Wow! As if it wasn’t tough enough dealing with the passings of people like Dan Melnick or Dennis Hopper (each chronicled here), who were, of course, of another generation.

3D: Déjà Vu All Over Again

Peter McAlevey — Tue, 18 May 2010 23:13:07 +0000

All right, so I’m ripping off Yogi Berra with that headline. Who doesn’t? What kid can’t remember a Little League coach reminding him, “Half the game is 90 percent mental” … which actually makes sense if you think about it! But that’s a story for another time.

Unfortunately, this is a sad story … and the results are likely to be as confusing for many in the industry for years to come.

Army, Where Are You Now That We Need You -- Part Deux: Raquel Welch

Peter McAlevey — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:18:15 +0000

Six months or so ago, I wrote a column about my friend Alana Stewart’s party for her book “My Journey With Farrah: A Story of Life, Love and Friendship,” which you may remember was a follow-on to her top-rated TV documentary about her best friend, Farrah Fawcett.

Who Says There Are No Second Acts? Part II

Peter McAlevey — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:03:13 +0000

If Dennis Hopper had never directed a film, you’d still know who he was — before he was 20 he’d played a key role opposite James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause.” Later, he also provided color and humor to such famous, important films as “Apocalypse Now,” “Blue Velvet” and “Hoosiers.” And, of course, if you were a drug dealer or hooker on the Westside of L.A. for many of those years, he was, by his own admission, a key customer.

Who Says There Are No Second Acts? Malcolm McLaren and Dennis Hopper

Peter McAlevey — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 01:23:37 +0000

Who said American lives (or those of transplanted Englishmen) have no second acts?

That’s right, it was F. Scott Fitzgerald, after his most acclaimed novel, “The Great Gatsby.” Just a few years later, he published what he considered his best novel, “Tender Is the Night.” Unfortunately, at the height of the Depression, America was less interested of the travails of the rich. It sank without a trace. Hence his melancholia.

How Movie-Futures Trading Could Bring (Gasp!) Truth to Hollywood

Peter McAlevey — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:24:35 +0000

News item: TheWrap 4/17: “As Film Futures Trading Clears One Hurdle, New Battle Flares.” “The move came the same day the Commodity Futures Trading Commission unanimously approved the creation of one of two proposed markets that backers say would allow movie studios and financiers to hedge the risk of their investments in motion pictures.”

Pam Anderson Was a Friend of Mine

Peter McAlevey — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:56:26 +0000

Now that Pam Anderson is back in the “news” as one of the (truly) hot stars of “Dancing with the Stars,” it may be time to revisit her career — or at least her as a friend.

What Tarantino Owes to 'Greenberg'

Peter McAlevey — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:49:47 +0000

All right, this one is too weird even for me -- and anyone who has read these posts knows, I can find connections everywhere … at least in Hollywood. (Or, as my friend George says, it’s like being a character in that old game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, though I did make a movie with Kevin and had a deal with him and Gail Ann Hurd, another of Jim Cameron’s ex-wives while I lived near Jim on Point Dume in Malibu … oh, forget it!)

Twists of Fate Bring James Badge Dale Full Circle in 'The Pacific'

Peter McAlevey — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:50:45 +0000

Who would have thought, all these years later, that Joseph Mazzello and James Badge Dale would be working together!

What Hollywood Owes to Oxford

Peter McAlevey — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:33:38 +0000

It’s hard to think of a more disparate connection than Tinsel Town and the ancient college on the Thames, Oxford University. But believe it or not, there is one, a quarter-century old, that has yielded numerous stars, Academy Awards, hit films and hit-film makers. And I have some little personal knowledge.

Weinstein Is Hoping to Turn Tarantino Into John Wayne

Peter McAlevey — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:46:45 +0000

Not to step into Steve Pond’s, well, pond, but I have this terrible feeling that, in fact, despite the vicissitudes of Academy voting, Harvey Weinstein may actually pull it off and get Quentin Tarantino an Academy Award.

A Beer Run for The Ramones

Peter McAlevey — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 02:44:08 +0000

I don’t know what’s scarier: That most of my recent blogs have either been about dead people (Dan Melnick); books largely about dead people (“Pictures at a Revolution”); or the living dead (my story about the Rolling Stones and the creation of “Exile on Main Street”).

There at the Birth -- of 'Exile on Main Street'

Peter McAlevey — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:16:54 +0000

My friend, writer/producer George Francisco, says that reading Hollyblogs reminds him of long nights in too many bars telling stories. And he’s right -- that’s exactly what I assume a Hollyblog (or, for that matter, any good story) to be. For example, how could anyone chronicle the history of the postwar world without reading Dean Acheson’s “Present at the Creation,” in which the former Secretary of State laid out the plan that, eventually, brought the Soviet Union to its knees.

Stuff a Stocking With 'Pictures at a Revolution'

Peter McAlevey — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:31:02 +0000

I’d never pretend to be a book reviewer. On the other hand, it’s been years since I’ve read a book like Mark Harris’ “Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood” (Penguin), now out in paperback.

Dan Melnick and the Cutthroat Maniacs

Peter McAlevey — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:41:18 +0000

Somehow I missed the fact that Dan Melnick passed last month.

How 'Flatliners' Went From a Verb to a Noun

Peter McAlevey — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:45:55 +0000

Honestly, I’d kinda forgotten what a landmark movie it was -- “Flatliners,” that is.

Next year is its 20th anniversary, and what amazes me is that people still use the word as a noun, not a verb (as in, “He’s flatlining” ... meaning all those monitors you see in TV shows are beeping and the patient is dying). Which is what writer Peter Filardi meant when he created the phrase in the 1989 script “Flatliners.”

Is Tarantino Following the Downward Spirals of Spielberg, Ford & Kubrick?

Peter McAlevey — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:59:56 +0000

A couple of months ago, I posted a blog in this space “Is it a Wrap for Quentin Tarantino?”

Boobs as Leading Indicators: an Economics Lesson

Array — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:39:59 +0000

Those of us of a certain age remember the '60s (though I pretend not to -- after all, I was only 12!). And if you remember the '60s, you'll remember one of the tenets of the '60s economy -- shorter skirts meant higher stock markets and a better Gross National Product. (No kidding -- if you don't remember the '60s, then just check Wikipedia.)