Kelly Gonda Strikes Again! (Today's Riedel)

[jv92]

Posted: 3/7/08 at 11:56am

"My dear friend Kelly Gonda, the billionaire producer from Los Angeles who ran "Grey Gardens" into the ground, was back in New York this week, screening "Grey Gardens: From East Hampton to Broadway," a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the musical.

(Somehow I doubt we'll see the scene in which one of their stars, Mary Louise Wilson, tears into Kelly for writing on her closing-night gift: "I guess you won't be able to sell this one on eBay.")

Naturally, Kelly ticked off a few people while she was here - chief among them, Michael Greif, who directed the musical but who was not invited to the screening. He has, I'm told, been spitting tacks all week.

The making of the movie was a real mess, sources say.

At first, legendary filmmaker Albert Maysles, who did the original "Grey Gardens" movie, was in charge. But the Gondas hijacked his film and re-edited it.

They obliterated almost all references to off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons, which commissioned the musical. The Gondas' version, says a person who saw a rough cut, gave the impression that it was Kelly's idea to bring "Grey Gardens" to the stage.

Maysles eventually regained control of his movie and reinstated all the references to Playwrights Horizons.

The final version is "just OK," says a person who saw it, "but it doesn't begin to capture the insanity of working with the Gondas."

For that, you might check out "Brazil.""

What on earth is wrong with this woman? It's an Albert Maysles film! You don't touch Albert Maysles whether it portrays you as Santa Evita or not. Maysles should make a documentary independant of the Gondas about the REAL story behind the Grey Gardens musical, not the Gondified one.
Has anyone seen the film? Is Christine even in it? I know the Gondas are big fans of hers. In fact, the feeling's pretty mutual. What do the authors think of all this nonsense? Who is the person connected to the show that keeps giving Riedel all of this information?



Link to article Updated On: 3/7/08 at 11:56 AM

Posted: 3/7/08 at 12:55pm

Riedel is like Santa- he knows if you've been sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.

Or you'll read about it in the Post.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 3/7/08 at 1:00pm

So it was Mary-Louise Parker who killed Hirschfeld.

[jv92]

Posted: 3/7/08 at 1:04pm

He has goons that go looking for gossip for him to dish about, I know that. If only they'd come forward.
Honestly, he can be quite nasty sometimes, but I'm glad he came forward with these wonderful stories exposing the Gondas. Of course, there are two sides to every story, but I think this is a case of egomaniacal Hollywood asses thinking they can do whatever the hell they want in the theatre, not a "he said-she said" thing, or rather "she (Christine) said-she (Kelly) said."

[lildogs]

Posted: 3/7/08 at 2:13pm

How dare they mess with the Maysles! Little Edie's VMIing in her grave.

"Albert and David...nerves of steel!"

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/7/08 at 2:30pm

I love how he makes the leap from Mary-Louise Parker disliking the cartoon to implying she is partly to blame for his death. There's bad journalism if there ever was one.

[acrocksyo]

Posted: 3/7/08 at 2:37pm

When she was in "Proof," her producers, as a gift, commissioned Al Hirschfeld, the great cartoonist, to do her caricature. One afternoon, they all trooped up to Hirschfeld's Upper East Side townhouse to see the drawing. She hated it and didn't bother to hide her feelings around Hirschfeld, who was then 97.

"There goes $25,000," a person who was there remembers thinking.

Hirschfeld died not long after the meeting.

LOL! That is the best thing ever! I am sure that being 97 had nothing to do with his death. Durp.

[lildogs]

Posted: 3/7/08 at 2:41pm

She'd probably rather have the cash.
Updated On: 3/7/08 at 02:41 PM

Posted: 3/7/08 at 2:51pm

But imagine how much that Original Hirshfeld would have brought on EBay!

[jv92]

Posted: 3/7/08 at 3:47pm

Perhaps he was trying to make a joke about Parker causing Hirshfeld's death? Of course, it isn't a very good joke.

[acrocksyo]

Posted: 3/7/08 at 3:54pm

Well I believe in order to make a joke, the person making it has to have some semblance of humor. Wah wah!

[jv92]

Posted: 3/7/08 at 10:13pm

bump