Michael Douglas honored
Last month, two-time Oscar winner Michael Douglas, 64, was honored with the prestigious American Film Institute Life Achievement Award. A tape of the evening’s proceedings will be shown on the TVLand cable channel Sunday, July 19 at 9 p.m.
A highlight moment came when Douglas’ father, Kirk Douglas, 94, who won the same AFI award in 1991, gave a moving tribute to his son, laced with some humor. The Douglases are the only father-son duo to have won the award.
In his speech, Douglas paid tribute to his father and his mother, actress Diana Dill Douglas, 86, who isn’t Jewish. Douglas attributed his success to the “acting DNA” he inherited from his parents. (Douglas identifies culturally as Jewish, but isn’t religious.)
An incredible collection of A-list Hollywood stars turned out for the gala, including Jack Nicholson and three of Douglas’ former co-stars: Annette Bening, Anne Archer and Sharon Stone.
Douglas’ wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, did a show-stopping performance of “One” from the musical “A Chorus Line” (the film version of which starred Michael Douglas). There also was a surprise musical performance by Bob Dylan.
Dylan handwritten lyrics auctioned
Lyrics to the song “Little Buddy,” handwritten by Bob Dylan, 68, sold for $12,500 at a Christie’s auction held June 23. Dylan wrote the lyrics in 1957, when he was attending Camp Herzl in Wisconsin under his birth name, Robert Zimmerman. The lyrics were published in the camp’s newspaper. The paper’s editor, who knows Dylan, recently decided to auction the lyrics to help the camp’s building fund. She got the permission of Dylan’s niece and nephew, who work for the camp — and got Dylan’s OK as well. While the auctioned lyrics are in Dylan’s hand, the song was written by late country singer Hank Snow.
New Potter, new poet
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” opened July 15, with Daniel Radcliffe, 19, once again starring as Harry. Harry’s mentor, Dumbledore, teaches him new skills to fend off the evil Lord Voldemort. Meanwhile, Harry finds time to get really sweet on his old friend Ginny.
Radcliffe was the subject of a recent long profile and interview in the British paper the Guardian. In short, he is now a legal adult, he has bought an apartment and he has a new girlfriend, an actress he met while starring in “Equus” on Broadway. Radcliffe is currently filming two more Harry Potter films: The last book in the “Potter” saga will be released in two installments. Both films are being made at the same time.
The Guardian also notes that “[Daniel] has published some poems under a pen name. It seems to be Jacob Gershon: Jacob is his middle name, Gershon the Jewish version of Gresham, his mother’s anglicized maiden name.” (Radcliffe’s mother is Jewish, his father is not.)
On being Jewish, Radcliffe told the paper: “I’m an atheist, but I’m very proud of being Jewish. It means I have a good work ethic, and you get Jewish humor and you’re allowed to tell Jewish jokes.”
‘Summer’ on film (and TV)
The indie romantic film comedy “500 Days of Summer” opens in limited release Friday, July 17. A hit at the last Sundance Film Festival, it stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Brick,” “3rd Rock from the Sun”), 28, as a hopeless romantic who falls in love with a young woman who doesn’t believe in lasting love (Zooey Deschanel). ”500 Days” features two songs by Regina Spektor, the Russian Jewish jazz-pop sensation.
Comedians Michael Ian Black, 37, and Michael Showalter, 39, have a new seven-episode TV series, “Michael and Michael Have Issues,” which premiered on Comedy Central on July 15. The show is described as ”one part sketch comedy, two parts show-within-a-show narrative.” Both guys are members of the comedic trio Stella, along with comedian, actor and director David Wain, 39.
Columnist Nate Bloom, an Oaklander, can be reached at [email protected].