Gossip Central

Atwitter with Dan Stevens: House of SpeakEasy

“Are there any thespians in the house?” asked Simon Doonan at City Winery for the 2nd annual House of SpeakEasy gala on Wednesday night, looking for sympathy. The writer and window dresser long associated with Barney’s (he’s now the store’s creative ambassador at large), had launched into his story about having been tapped for the part of Nigel in the movie of The Devil Wears Prada, a good choice in everyone’s estimation, but he had reservations. “It’s the role of the helpful homosexual,” he quipped, “and I’m not that helpful.” Concluding they were merely picking his brain, “Nigel” did in fact go to a thespian, Stanley Tucci, and yes, there were at least three thespians present in a roomful of writers and other book lovers: Uma Thurman, Jim Dale and Dan Stevens.

Julianne Moore’s Year: Museum of the Moving Image’s Tribute

Even before the Golden Globes win, and the Oscar Best Actress nomination, Julianne Moore was having a good year. Her roles in David Cronenberg’s Maps to the Stars and Still Alice, two very different characters, one terrifying and satiric, the other heartbreaking and realistic, were noticed. Moore has been around for a long time: she could be all fashion as in Tom Ford’s elegant movie, A Single Man, or the housewife next door as in Lisa Cholodenko’s movie, The Kids are All Right, her performances are always noticeably excellent. That she will win the Oscar this year seems a given. And the career salute from the Museum of the Moving Image, is just the proverbial icing on the year’s cake.

Ricky Jay Shows his Cards at the Paley Center for Media

How many assistants does it take to cut a watermelon? One of 52, if you ask master conjurer Ricky Jay who wowed the crowd at The Paley Center for Media last Thursday night. He has starred in a show, “Ricky Jay and his 52 Assistants” for years, expertly fanning his deck at nightclubs around the country. This occasion, however, was a PBS event celebrating a documentary profile called  Deceptive Practice, part of Channel 13’s American Masters series, to air on January 23. Ricky Jay is the first magician to have a documentary portrait as part of the prestigious series begun by Susan Lacy several decades ago. Now with executive producer, Michael Kantor, it is evident the program continues to be in good hands.

Matisse’s Cut-Outs at MoMA and on Film/ Picasso & the Camera at the Gagosian

No surprise: the Museum of Modern Art has extended its exhibition of Matisse’s cut outs as a result of popular demand. The same happened when the show featuring the master’s late in life career debuted in London’s Tate. But viewers in 350 American cities as of this week do not have to travel to get a state of the art tour through the galleries. As a result of a new film project, Exhibition on Screen, audiences can walk through the galleries of the show, a melding of the UK and US venues in their local cinemas, with many extras including curator talks, archival footage of the artist at work, and a view of the artist’s inspiration, in Matisse’s case, a ballet dancer’s lithe figure in performance.

Cheyenne Jackson Celebrates Sobriety at the Café Carlyle

The big question when it comes to Cheyenne Jackson is whether or not the intimate cabaret stage is enough of a venue for this dynamic multi-talented performer who does Elvis complete with swiveling hips. At last night’s opening at the Café Carlyle, this Broadway star finessed the space with flair; you would think he was born to it. But no, growing up in Idaho with no running water and two goats, Harmony and Melody, as he charmingly informed the audience, he thought Broadway was one theater called Broadway. At six foot three, he was a likely candidate for football, but his understanding dad let him know, it was fine if running at giant guys wasn’t for him. As it turned out, running at guys may have been just the thing: his show, titled “Eyes Wide Open,” celebrates surviving a rough patch involving a divorce, the death of his grandparents, and awakening to another marriage, and sobriety. He met his husband at AA.

The Imitation Game: On the Way to the Golden Globes

Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley, stars of The Imitation Game, were still in the U.K.—he shooting an episode of Sherlock Holmes-- but everyone else from Morten Tyldum’s riveting movie about Alan Turing attended this final celebration in an exhilarating campaign season at the Christine and Stephen Schwartzman residence on Park Avenue Wednesday night. Michael Bloomberg, Eric Schmidt, Robert DeNiro, Charlie Rose, Trudie Styler, Damien Chazelle, Oren Moverman, Daryl Roth, Bob Woodruff were among those in heated discussion about Turing’s achievement in solving the unbreakable Nazi Enigma code, and then criminalized as a homosexual. Everything from your cell phone to laptop comes from Turing’s genius as a mathematician. His treatment as a gay man, forced to take debilitating drugs until he finally killed himself at age 41, was especially embarrassing to the Brits in the art-filled room--and there were many, including the talented young actor Alex Lawther, Turing in his youth, and Downton Abbey’s Allen Leech who here plays John Cairncross, Turing’s colleague.

John Legend and Common Sing Selma’s “Glory” at the Metropolitan Club

Bracing an icy rain, Harry Belafonte, Gay Talese, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Ruben Santiago Hudson, Phylicia Rashad, Gayle King, Tamron Hall, and many others filled the grand ballroom of the Metropolitan Club on Tuesday for a luncheon honoring Ava DuVernay for her movie Selma. The journey was worth it. Backed by an ensemble of ten musicians, John Legend and Common performed their song, original for this historic film. With “We Are the World” on her mind, DuVernay gave these artists their freedom when she asked them to compose a special song for the film, but instructed them: it should be memorable. Coming at the end of this important movie about a benchmark moment in American history, “Glory” is a powerful anthem, but now performed at this special venue, you could hear the relevance of bringing the 1965 event into the present ethos. Ferguson is intoned, and you know the Martin Luther King, Jr.-led march across the bridge remains a metaphor for a democracy that is a work-in-progress.

New York Film Critics Circle at Tao Downtown: First Awards in the New Year

The New York Film Critics Circle announce their film honors early, so you know just who you are going to see at their annual awards dinner: with Boyhood taking top honors, the team was a distinct presence at Tao Downtown, with Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, the star, Ellar Coltrane, and director Richard Linklater. The NYFCC’s impeccable choices included Marion Cotillard for two roles: in The Immigrant and Two Days, One Night, Timothy Spall as the painter Mr. Turner, J. K. Simmons, as the music teacher from hell in Whiplash. Patricia Arquette won the best supporting actress for her role over a dozen years as Mason’s mom in Boyhood: “Thank you for sharing your childhood and your chicken pox” she said to him. “Thank you for a role honoring all mothers.”

Best Movies of 2014: A Subjective View

It’s a cliché of the season to list award favorites, but it is also a thrill to be able to recommend so many good films: at this moment the pundit’s favorites are Boyhood, Birdman and Selma, with additional mention of Unbroken and The Theory of Everything. In a rich year, many films deserve our attention: