Sue Mengers dies

Mengers in 1985Sue Mengers, among Hollywood's most effective agents within the seventies, who symbolized the kind of Sidney Lumet, Peter Bogdanovich, John P Palma and Mike Nichols in addition to Michael Caine, Cher, Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman and Barbra Streisand, died Saturday evening in Beverly Hillsides. She was 79 coupled with lately experienced a number of small strokes. "She would be a trailblazer," stated ICM chairman and Boss Shaun Berg. "When Sue was a real estate agent around within the late 60s at CMA, there have been very couple of who have been women, with no senior executives at systems or galleries." Recalling the super-agent as "an excellent signer," Berg stated Mengers had "gumption and great wit and was gifted at putting people together and finding solutions." The L.A. Occasions authored about Mengers later, "Even her detractors admit she was the very first female to experience hardball within the boys club. And never just with superstar careers: Aside from stars, Mengers was settling using the careers and also the lives of company directors like Lumet and Nichols and John P Palma, talents who know what they need -- and are utilized to setting it up." Mengers' friend and longtime connect, ICM agent Boaty Boatwright, stated, "Her title grew to become symbolic of ladies and what she assisted all of us to complete, but her legend is usually the vitality that she resided existence, and her wit, which is celebrated in tales throughout our community for a long time.Inch Inside a 1973 profile, Time magazine stated, "Like a v . p . of mighty Creative Management Affiliates, Sue Mengers is, within the rueful words of 1 of her ex-clients, 'more effective compared to stars she handles.'?" Her parties were considered key networking possibilities, which after she upon the market, her home would be a center from the Hollywood social scene. She presented the town's top talent ("single title stars" like "Warren, Jack, Barbra, Elton, Ali, Anjelica, Bette, Sting and Trudy, together with buddies with last names like Geffen, Diller, Poitier, Lansing, Friedkin, Semel, Lourd and Zanuck"), as Graydon Carter remembered inside a remembrance on Vanityfair.com. Mengers was created in Hamburg to oldsters who'd later flee Germany because the Holocaust got began. She was 8 once the family showed up within the U.S., and her father committed suicide a couple of years later. She started in showbiz like a secretary at MCA in 1955, then labored inside a similar job in the William Morris Agency, where she continued to be until an old co-worker, Tom Korman, hired her like a talent agent when he began their own agency. Her first success was landing Broadway star Julie Harris. "I had been just a little pisher, just a little nothing making $135 per week like a secretary for that William Morris Agency in NY," Mengers told Mike Wallace in 1975. "Well, I looked around and that i respected the Morris office as well as their professionals, and that i thought, Gee, the things they're doing is not very difficult, you realize. And That I like how they live, and that i like individuals expense accounts, and that i such as the cars. And I did previously stay late in the office, much like 'All About Eve,' and that i all of a sudden thought, 'That beats typing.'?" Because the repetition for Anthony Perkins, she guaranteed him a job in Rene Clement's film "Is Paris Burning?" (1966). Her next thing up came when she was hired by Freddie Fields' agency Creative Management Affiliates. The company, which repped Paul Newman, Robert Redford and McQueen, was bought by Marvin Josephson's Worldwide Famous Agency to produce Worldwide Creative Management in 1974. She left ICM in 1986 and came back briefly as leader of William Morris 2 yrs later before permanently retiring Noted for a clear, crisp tongue along with a penchant for poaching using their company agencies, Mengers nonetheless accepted to being starstruck herself inside a 2009 interview with Vanity Fair. "Stars are rare animals, and never everybody could be one," she stated. "But there is not anybody on the planet -- not you, not me, not the lady nearby -- who wouldn't enjoy being a superstar supporting that gold statuette on Academy Award evening." Mengers was a symbol within Hollywood, though not well-known to everyone: Dyan Cannon's character in Herbert Ross' 1973 film "All of the Sheila," composed by Perkins and Stephen Sondheim, took it's origin from her. Mengers was married to Belgian author-director Jean-Pierre Tramont from 1973 until his dying in 1996. She leaves no children. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

Shonda Rhimes, 'Veronica Mars' EP Sell Drama to Fox

Shonda Rhimes Fox is going into the Shonda Rhimes business. The network has picked up Wildwood, a 1985-set coming-of-age dramedy from ABC Studios and her Shondaland shingle. Veronica Mars executive producer Diane Ruggiero will pen the project and executive produce alongside Rhimes and her Shondaland partner Betsy Beers. STORY: The Quiet Mystery of Shonda Rhimes Fox has given a put-pilot commitment to Wildwood, which revolves around a wise-beyond-her-years teenager who poses as an adult in order to land a job at a bar on the Jersey Shore in Wildwood, N.J. Over the course of the summer, she learns to balance obligations with her chaoitic Irish-Italian family with her new secret life filled with romance, intrigue and '80s music. Wildwood is the third hourlong drama sale this development season for Rhimes and first outside of ABC. The Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice showrunner in August sold period luxury hotel drama Gilded Lillys to ABC with Gossip Girl scribe K.J. Steinberg attached. Last month, the network also picked up an untitled drama project from Rhimes protégé Jenna Bans (Off the Map) revolving around a young, idealistic and recently fired defense lawyer who struggles to start his own firm. STORY: Top 50 Power Showrunners 2011 Longtime partners Rhimes and Beers are attached to executive produce all three projects through their Shondaland shingle. In addition to executive producing Veronica Mars, Ruggiero's credits include The Ex List, Cupid and Dirty Sexy Money. She also recently penned an episode of the now-canceled NBC comedy Free Agents. In addition to Grey's and Private, which are in their eighth and fifth seasons, respectively, Rhimes and Beers have the Kerry Washington legal drama Scandal set for midseason on ABC. The sale marks the latest in a trend this development season of high-profile showrunners moving projects outside their "home" networks. On Thursday, Glee's Ryan Murphy and Ali Adler sold a half-hour comedy to NBC and last month, CW staple Kevin Williamson (The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle) sold a serial killer drama to Fox. Ruggiero is repped by WME and Principato-Young Entertainment; Rhimes is with ICM; Beers with UTA. Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit Shonda Rhimes Private Practice Grey's Anatomy TV Development

Sleep Expert: Drugs Triggered Michael Jacksons Dying

First Launched: October 14, 2011 9:25 AM EDT Credit: Getty Images La, Calif. -- Caption Michael Jackson at Madison Square Garden, New you are able to city, 2001 A UCLA sleep expert known to Dr. Conrad Murrays usage of a cocktail of medication on Michael Jackson as dishonest, disturbing and beyond comprehension. The mix of medication used as Jackson fought to visit sleep at that time he died will be a occur and ultimately triggered his dying, Dr. Nader Kamangar stated Thursday. Under questioning by Murrays attorney, J. Michael Flanagan, the witness was asked for to see jurors what he understood in regards to the occasions of June 25, 2009, your entire day of Jacksons dying. To sum up, Mr. Jackson was receiving very inappropriate therapy in your home setting, receiving very potent remedies without monitoring, Kamangar mentioned. He mentioned diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan) and midazolam (Experienced) received for the sleep deprived star within a ten-hour period with the evening and morning. This cocktail will be a occur, Kamangar mentioned. Watching adding propofol (Dipravan), a effective anesthetic found in surgical treatments, Flanagan asked for: Could this have triggered dying? Absolutely, Kamangar mentioned. Absolutely. Government physiques say Murray gave Jackson a fatal dose of propofol. Murray has pleaded not prone to involuntary wrongful dying. The witness, one of the professionals who examined Murrays actions for your California Medical Board, expressed dismay in regards to the drugs Murray gave the pop star, his failure to right away call 911 for help, and also the inadequate monitoring and record-keeping. Murray was unable to create any everything written lower on his control over Jackson, Kamangar noted. There has been no records whatsoever, he mentioned. Its quite simple to forget particulars. We do not rely on memory. So its your opinion that there's not a way he may have appreciated what he did if he didnt write it lower? Flanagan asked for. This is an egregious breach in the standard of care when you are using sedative drugs like propofol and you are not writing it lower, Kamangar clarified. The defense lawyer pressed on, asking, As they didnt write lower one's heart beat rate, oxygen saturation, heartbeat that didnt kill Michael Jackson, managed to get happen? Its a mixture of factors, mentioned Kamangar. While not the reason behind dying? asked for Flanagan. Its a adding factor, mentioned the witness. Kamangar was the next prosecution expert to criticize the conduct of Murray. He mentioned his first mistake was using propofol to cope with insomnia, calling it an unacceptable utilisation of the drug. He mentioned Jacksons curiosity about the drug the subject of previous testimony wasn't an sufficient reason take. More youthful crowd suggested Murray should have done a real examination, taken a history from his patient about his insomnia, and approached other doctors if needed to evaluate the problem. The key factor he or she must did is demand help, Kamangar mentioned. He mentioned Murrays interview with police handled to obtain apparent he anxiously anxiously waited too extended to call 911 when he found Jackson not breathing. Flanagan suggested sooner or later that doctors sometimes practice bad medicine, however patients are untouched. Kamangar agreed. On redirect questioning, Deputy Da David Walgren asked for: Mr. Flanagan asked for in case your physician may be grossly negligent as well as the patient could survive? Yes, mentioned Kamangar. Conrad Murray was grossly negligent in several areas which he triggered Michael Jacksons dying, is always that correct? Yes, mentioned the witness. On Wednesday, Murrays defense team introduced they were losing claims that was the focus from the situation that Jackson consumed additional propofol when Murray was in the room. Flanagan did not mention self-dosing on Thursday. Before court recessed, the prosecution referred to as for the stand Dr. Steven Shafer, one of the nations leading experts on propofol. However, he did not enter his substantive testimony before trial recessed until Monday because Shafer stood a schedule conflict. Shafer was prone to function as final prosecution witness inside the situation. The defense features a friend of Shafers waiting to simply accept stand. Shafer aided craft strategies for appropriate propofol dosing for sedation that's incorporated inside the packaging of every single bottle that's offered. Murray could address four years in jail and losing his medical license if billed. Copyright 2011 with the Connected Press. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'Margin Call' Clip: Demi Moore and Kevin Spacey Satisfy the Economic Crisis (Moviefone Exclusive)

.publish-content img In limited release and video on-demand in a few days, 'Margin Call' concentrates on several employees in an investment bank during the period of 24 hrs at the outset of the 2008 economic crisis. A murderer's row of talent -- Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Stanley Tucci and Simon Baker -- star in J.C. Chandor's timely film, as well as in this exclusive new clip, Spacey, Moore and Baker have to face some fairly not so good news. Hold tight for your 401Ks watching above. 'Margin Call' hits theaters and video on-demand services on March. 21. Watch a clip on this link. Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

Current TV Announces Show With Former Michigan Governor

Current TV is launching a new primetime program hosted by former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm.our editor recommends Jeff Zucker Praises Keith Olbermann; Reveals His Own Plans Keith Olbermann Slams 'Very Stupid' Sarah Palin, Jokes About Anthony Weiner PHOTOS: Keith Olbermann's Famous Feuds The War Room With Jennifer Granholm premieres in January 2012. PHOTOS: The Hollywood Reporter Cover Stories It will air after Countdown With Keith Obermann at 9 p.m. ET. and feature election commentary. PHOTOS: The Most Talked-About TV News Faces Related Topics Keith Olbermann

Anne Archer and Michelle Danner Come Together For A New Play

Back Stage recently sat down with actor Anne Archer and Los Angeles acting teacher and director Michelle Danner to talk about their first-time collaboration. Danner is directing Archer as the title character in a workshop presentation of "Jane Fonda in the Court of Public Opinion," written by Archer's husband, Terry Jastrow, who is co-directing. The play examines a 1988 meeting between Fonda and 26 war veterans to confront her antiwar activity during the Vietnam era. The play opened Oct. 8 at the Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica, where Danner is the artistic director and teaches acting.For years, Danner taught classes for the Larry Moss Studio in L.A. Danner is also a film director and recently shot "Hello Herman," starring Norman Reedus ("True Blood"). Archer is best known for her Oscar- and Golden Globenominated role as Michael Douglas' wife in the 1987 thriller "Fatal Attraction." Other notable film roles have included "Patriot Games," "Short Cuts," "Clear and Present Danger," and "Rules of Engagement." Her stage work has included "The Graduate" in London's West End, a Williamstown Theatre Festival production of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," and the Off-Broadway production of "A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking."Back Stage: How did the two of you meet? Anne Archer: I discovered Michelle when my husband, Terry, and I came and saw the production that's here in this theater now, "Sylvia," and it was great. So we became familiar with the theater, and then we started talking to Michelle about this play that my husband had written, about Jane Fonda, "Jane Fonda and the Court of Public Opinion." She's been working with me in between the rehearsals just on my part, because it's a huge, huge undertakingfinding the colors and the nuances. So we've been working together, and she's been coaching me.Back Stage: Anne, you're playing someone who is still alive and well-known, but what are the other challenges for you as an actor in playing this part? Archer: I've done a lot of research on this. I've read everything about her and the Vietnam War. And I'm a big human rights advocate. I started an organization called Artists for Human Rights. I do a lot of work in that area. So I would say the biggest challenge is it's such a huge role; it's almost like a one-woman show. I mean, she never stops talkinglong monologues. One goes on for two pages. So the biggest challenge is to find colors and variations, and that's what Michelle and I have been working on so intenselyto find [the character's] different moments and her evolvement throughout the play. So she starts in one place, and she ends up somewhere else. The changes that she goes throughthat's the big challenge.Michelle Danner: It's very interesting. I didn't know enough about all of that controversy. So it's really plunged me into that world. It's a beautiful play; it's very interesting. And even if you know about that time period, I think you're going to learn something. And if you don't know, this will enlighten people to what happened. It's this tour de force. [Fonda] was shooting "Stanley & Iris" in Connecticut, and all the vets campaigned and rebelled, and she agreed to meet with them face-to-face. [The play depicts] this meeting that took four hours. Terry, who's the writer and is also co-directing, he sat with Jane Fonda for hours and researched it. It's a historical piece. So I was very drawn to this, aside from the fact that if you tell me to work on anything with Anne, I'd be drawn to that. But there's this subject matter that is fascinating.Archer: You've got this meeting with 26 vets in a meeting room of a church where she confronted them, and it was cathartic for both sidesand it's a true event. So using that as the premise, it makes an interesting play and you know there's a lot of information. It's smart and it just lends itself to a theater audience. I didn't really ever plan to do it, and he just asked me to do a reading of it a few times. It was a natural for me. And this character is a natural for meand [there's] my intense interest in this subject and the whole human rights aspect of the subject. Back Stage: What do you hope audiences take from this play? Danner: What the themes arethe journeythat the play takes us through is what we are experiencing today in the world. So it's not something that happened way back then and now it's not relevant. More than ever, it's very relevant.Archer: And I think the other thing is to separate fact from fiction. There have been a lot of lies that have been pushed on the Internet about the things that Jane actually did or didn't doa lot of misinformation. So it clarifies that. It also gives the vets' point of view. So it's a very balanced play. One of the things we hope to accomplish from it is that it will be healing and it will get rid of the hatred and cause people to realize that dialogue and truth are important. Communication is very important. And the arts do that, whether it's film or theater. That's how we communicate a message that improves things. So we're hoping that it will be a very healing message.Danner: We've already gotten some pretty heated emails from people [telling us] that we should not do this play. So the subject matter, the issue, stirs up a lot of conflict. I think it's great. That's what theater needs to do. Theater needs to spark debate and have controversy. Back Stage: Did Jane Fonda have any involvement with the play, and what research did your husband do? Archer: Yes, he had conversations with her, but she said, "You know, I can't be a part of this," and he said, "I'm going to do this anyway, whether you want to or not." So she gave him names of people to contact. He went to Hanoi, and he retraced her footsteps in Hanoi, hired all the same guides that she had. He also talked to many, many vets at lengthanyone who was involved in the issue at that time. The meeting took place in 1988, but his research had to go back. What is it that the vets are so angry about? So that takes you back to the Vietnam War and all of her antiwar activity and her going to Hanoi and meeting with the POWs. All the things that happened. That is what's dealt with in the play. Back Stage: Anne, what research did you do for this part? Archer: I've done all the same research he's done. I read all the books. I've looked at all the footage. He brought back footage from Hanoi that no one's ever seen, that you're going to see in the play. It's multimedia. It's very much like the concept of "Frost/Nixon." So I've read all the material that he's read. I've seen every piece of footage on her and that deals with her antiwar activity and all the interviews she's done since then where that ends up being discussed. And if you just go on the Internet, there are fantastic interviews with her early on during that period. So I've done a tremendous amount of research. I probably know her life as well as she does at this point. Not really, but at least everything she's said about herself.Back Stage: Anne, when did you last do theater in L.A.? Archer: Well, the Mark Taper [production of "The Poison Tree"] was about [11] years ago. After that I did "The Graduate" in London in the West End. So it's been a while since I've been on the stage. You know, I've been on the stage in master classes and things like that working, but it's been a while. It feels very natural, especially because this is a very small space. It's black box. It's so perfect. Danner: There's nothing like intimate theater.Archer: It feels great. You know, I love acting. Listen, this is why we do this. We just love acting. If I get a chance to act, I will act. And then I'm usually the happiest person around. "Jane Fonda in the Court of Public Opinion" continues at the Edgemar Center for the Arts, 2437 Main St., Santa Monica, through Oct. 30. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 & 7 p.m. (310) 392-4327. www.edgemar.org/.

Tom Cruise in Talks for Warner Bros.' 'We Are Mortals'

This story first appeared in the Oct. 14 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Tom Cruise would make a great Survivor contestant. Despite his peculiar public image and less-than-stellar domestic box office in recent years, the 49-year-old has four big studio movies hitting theaters in the next 18 months: Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol in December, the now-filming One Shot for Paramount, June's Rock of Ages for New Line and the untitled Joseph Kosinski sci-fi epic for Warner Bros. And THR has learned that Warners is again talking to the actor for the lead in its big-budget sci-fi war pic We Mortals Are (aka All You Need Is Kill), being directed by Doug Liman. PHOTOS: Hollywood's 10 Highest-Grossing Actors "The studios are interested in him again," says one producer. What a turnaround. When Mission: Impossible III opened in May 2006, the actor had been under siege for his over-excited Oprah appearance, his public stumping for Scientology and his anti- psychiatry rant on Today. MI-3's $398 million worldwide gross was nearly 30 percent less than the previous film's global take. Paramount soon cut ties with Cruise/Wagner Prods., then Lions for Lambs bombed in 2007 for MGM, where Cruise had taken over as head of its United Artists label, a gig that also led nowhere. Meanwhile, his November 2006 marriage to Katie Holmes seemed only to provoke mass eye-rolling. PHOTOS: South Park's Most Famous Spoofs An apology-laden PR offensive erased some of the damage to Cruise's reputation. But while his funny cameo in Tropic Thunder drew praise, Valkyrie and Knight and Day were considered under- performers, at least in the U.S. War of the Worlds was his last unqualified success, with $591 million in worldwide grosses dur- ing summer 2005 -- a lifetime ago in Hollywood terms. So what's behind his sudden resurgence? One: Need. Movie stars are an increasingly rare breed, and new ones aren't solidifying. Cruise still delivers internationally, as evidenced by the $186 million foreign gross for Knight and Day, and he has the added benefit of looking (and playing) younger than his years. He's also hardworking, reliable and invested. "When you have somebody with that good a track record, there's always the potential for the audience to support that person they've had a long relationship with," says Paramount's Rob Moore, who sees the new Jack Reacher character in One Shot as another Cruise franchise. Two: Goodwill. "He's good at wooing people," says one studio exec. "He makes it a priority to meet the next generation of execs and is one of the few actors who goes out of his way to shake people's hands to get back in their good books." According to insiders, one person Cruise has gotten close to is Skydance Productions president David Ellison, who is co-financing both Protocol and One Shot and shares Cruise's love of airplanes and flying. Three: Adaptability. Cruise and his CAA agents have proved to be flexible on dealmaking, meaning he's working cheaper at times -- sources say he's getting just $5 million for Ages -- and structuring deals to lower upfront fees in exchange for backend participation that has greater upside in success. Four: Commitment. Cruise has always understood what a movie star is and how he's supposed to behave, and he's been tireless in playing that role. Excepting the chaotic missteps of 2005-06, he's always been a smart public figure "willing to do the job of being a movie star," as one producer puts it. Unlike Russell Crowe or Jim Carrey, who rarely attempt to mend breaks with their fans, Cruise, like friend Will Smith, is a constant, enthusiastic campaigner for his own stardom. That accessibility to the wider world translates to tens of millions in ticket sales. Cruise is not as big a star as he once was. But his approval ratings among filmgoers seem to have turned a corner, even if he has softer- than-desired traction with the under- 25 demo and some portion of the female audience. "Anecdotally, the polarization you once heard isn't here anymore," says a Hollywood marketing consultant. And his overseas prowess remains strong -- the rest of the world still loves Maverick. TOM CRUISE'S UPS AND DOWNS Oprah's Couch (May 2005): His public image takes a hit when, professing his love for Katie Holmes, he jumps the couch. War of the Worlds (June 2005) Rebounds with the help of Steven Spielberg as alien invasion movie grosses $592 million worldwide. South Park Parody (Nov. 2005): The "Trapped in the Closet" episode mocks him, and Comedy Central cancels a rerun. Mission: Impossible III (May 2006) His third outing as agent Ethan Hunt disappoints, stalling at $398 worldwide. Exit Paramount (Aug. 2006): Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone sours on him, ending his 14-year relationship with the studio. Enter United Artists (Nov. 2006): He and producing partner Paula Wagner find a new mission ressurecting UA. Knight and Day (2010): American audiences aren't impressed, but the movie more than doubles its domestic gross of $76 million overseas. Related Topics Tom Cruise