Kevin Rules

The movie publicist said I had 30 minutes to talk to Kevin Costner over the phone, so I made a long list of questions and things to chat about.

She goofed: I only had 10 minutes.

So, I introduced myself by saying we had to jam 25 years worth of his career and all my questions into 10 minutes, so could he talk real fast?

Kevin chuckled at that, and we had a very pleasant conversation, some of it about his gut instinct that the script for "Mr. Brooks'' gave him the same sure-thing feel as "Field of Dreams,'' "Thirteen Days'' and "Dances With Wolves,'' even though he plays a serial killer.

He also raved about his second wife, Christine and her devotion to their newborn son (May 7 arrival): "She loves cleaning and feeding that baby, but I look at her and say "poor thing, she's so tired.' The baby is not sleeping through the night.''

Kevin also mentioned in passing his belief that our war in Iraq is a mistake.

When I told him that colleagues and friends were very envious that I was interviewing him (only my interviewing Johnny Depp elicited as many oohs and aahs) he said, "Thank you very much for telling me that.''

All in all, a smart and personable man.

TWJ

If it hadn't been for Tom Jobson, who died Tuesday in Florida, I wouldn't be sitting here writing this blog .
Tom was the managing editor of the Asbury Park Press until he retired in 1987.
Tom taught me journalism at the then-Monmouth College in West Long Branch, then hired me to be a police checks' reporter on the 4 p.m. to midnight Saturday shift, then promoted me to a features writer, then gave me the newly created movie writer beat in 1985. In other words, Tom had a lot to do with giving my career direction and focus.
He rarely complimented you on a story but when he did it was big stuff. He now and then pointed out a flaw in a story (I confused Dover in northern New Jersey with Dover-Toms River, his home, in a story), and he occasionally made you defend your position.
If you gave a good argument, he would see the wisdom.
An example: When Orson Welles died in 1985, I wrote the editorial page appreciation. Tom read my copy before it was published, asked me to his office and wanted to know why we were writing an appreciation of a man who squandered his talent and lived a (reportedly) dissolute life.
Because, I said, he directed two of the greatest American films ever: "Citizen Kane'' and "The Magnificent Ambersons,'' and several near-great ones, such as "Touch of Evil,'' "The Trial,'' "The Lady From Shanghai,'' and that doesn't even include films that surfaced later, such as his definitive portrayal of Falstaff in "Chimes at Midnight.''
Tom said okay, you win on logic, and the appreciation ran, with only a minor change.
That was a classy thing to do, but Tom was a classy guy and a first-rate journalist.
I was lucky to know him.

Open Membership

A new movie might be in the works: call it "Loser's Club,'' and it would feature the antics of people just now in the news.
In the star-crossed cast you might find Paul Wolfowitz, just resigned-president of the World Bank; Paris Hilton, starlet heading for the slammer for violating probation; Alberto Gonzales, United States Attorney General under Congressional scrutiny for overseeing the firing of numerous U.S. prosectuors, and Jerry Falwell, founder of the Moral Majority who went to his great reward this week.
Notice there's only once cast member from the entertainment industry. However, the remainder certainly have been sources of what you might call amusement, on a very slow day.

The Fire This Time

The horrible fires that have been burning in Ocean County this week, with enormous personal losses, remind us of the amazing sacrifices firefighters make.
Far from trivializing this very real horror, I'd like to recommend the one movie I've seen in years that apparently is accurate in capturing what fire and rescue personnel endure in trying to save lives.
"World Trade Center,'' from Oliver Stone, is a measured and faithful to the facts movie about two actual Port Authority police officers' ordeal as they lay trapped in the rubble of a fallen World Trade Center building. While rescuers struggled to save the men, they gave each other hope and the will to survive until they were reached.
It's a no-frills movie that really hits home this week.

He's Back!

Okay, "Spider-Man 3'' was an overlong disappointment, and "Pirates of the Caribbean'' number three, at two hours and 47 minutes (!) is bound to run out of charm, but can we ever get enough of the "Shrek' series?
"Shrek the Third'' arrives May 18, so we shall see.
Any cartoon with Antonio Banderas as a wily cat has got some major points already.

But for those who would rather find something else to watch other than a blockbuster, there is "The Valet'' from France, opening at the Red Bank Arts Theatre on White Street the same day. So, while the world is looking at a cartoon, you can see a comedy set in Paris.

Hellzapoppin

Notes On the Hollywood Scene:
Gore Vidal said that F. Scott Fitzgerald's books weren't the issue when one considered him for posterity: "It's his life that matters,'' Vidal said. A tangled, doomed and alcohol-fueled life it was, cut short before he was 50.
Now Paris Hilton, fueled by booze and the American penchant for resisting growing up, is sentenced to 45 days in the L.A. slammer for violating probation in a reckless driving case (a DWI case). Hilton, under 30, still hasn't written a "Great Gatsby" nor has she script-doctored screenplays _ she doesn't have to _ she's an heiress. Therein lies part of of the problem of another Underachieving Hollywood Denizen.
On to inexplicable Overachieving _ how about that Spidey? In its opening three-day weekend, "Spider-Man 3,'' the busiest and least compelling of the trio, grossed $148 million domestically, plus more than $200 million abroad, thus making back its costs (said to be around $300 million) in no time.
Does it matter that Paris Hilton doesn't do anything yet is a major celebrity?
Does it matter that "'Spider-Man 3'' is a wheezer yet sets new box office records?

Bronx Betty

Anybody catch TCM's Private Screenings interview with Lauren Bacall last night?
These one-on-one chats (with TCM's poised and gracious Robert Osborne) are priceless peeks at movie performers worth listening to for hours on end.
Bacall was exactly as Osborne said: "adorable,'' and funny and bright and lovely, too.
In 1994, I interviewed her in a group setting at a New York hotel, for the press junket on "Pret-a-Porter.'' Most of the other reporters were nervous because they'd heard that Bacall could be "difficult'' (a point that Osborne raised and debunked in his interview!).
Me, I was chomping at the bit _ Bacall, raised Betty Perske in the Bronx _ has always fascinated me: beautiful in a unique way; witty, not a great actress but an interesting screen presence; married to Bogey (and later, Jason Robards) and a great success on the Broadway stage, too.
Bacall did not disappoint; she was a charming storyteller and a classy woman.
If they rerun her TCM interview, do watch.

Foul Ball

Okay, since the Yankees are driving me and all their other diehard fans crazy _ I mean, what kind of world is it when the Yanks are in the cellar and the Mets are in first place! _ let's drown our sorrows briefly by looking at old, great baseball movies.
Any list would have to include "Bull Durham,'' the best baseball movie ever made, in my 'umble opinion, plus "Fear Strikes Out,'' about the personal turmoil of BoSoxer Jimmy Piersall; not to mention "Bad News Bears,'' in which Walter Matthau manages not to be outsmarted by a bunch of kids, and of course the great movie about the even greater Lou Gehrig, "The Pride of the Yankees.''
And for that one scene in which Kate Hepburn has Spencer Tracy delineate the concept of "My grandmother died' to attend a crucial game, let's throw in "Woman of the Year,'' too.
Play ball!

D.C. Chicks

Can a movie be far off about the Washington, D.C. Madam and her bigwig customers?
The proprietor of a "legal'' adult center for "relaxation'' says she'll unveil her ultra-connected client list if law enforcement officials don't cut her a deal.
Hmm, let's see, would this make a black comedy or a deeply dark drama?
I'm seeing Angelina Jolie portraying the proprietor; her dad, Jon Voight, as a highly placed D.C. government official client with plenty to lose; Jane Fonda (Voight's former co-star) as a veteran White House reporter who digs up the dirt, plus Matt Damon and Claire Danes as White House aides who know the truth and are ready to spill the beans.
Title? "Mayflower Hotel Madam.''