IN BRIEF BEVERLY HILLS
Lewis Gilbert, director of three Bond films, dies
Director Lewis Gilbert, whose dozens of movies included three James Bond thrillers — “You Only Live Twice,” “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “Moonraker” — and the Swinging London classic “Alfie,” has died at 97, colleagues said Tuesday. The British Film Institute’s filmography lists 33 features directed by Gilbert between 1947 and 2002, making him the most prolific of British filmmakers. Gilbert’s early output ranged from cheap- and- cheerful British noir dramas, such as “Once a Sinner,” “Wall of Death” and “Cosh Boy,” to the stirring Second World War dramas “Reach for the Sky,” “Carve Her Name With Pride” and “Sink the Bismarck!”
In 1966, he directed a young Michael Caine as a London man- about- town in “Alfie,” which was nominated for five Academy Awards. In the 1980s, Gilbert changed gear, directing “Educating Rita” and “Shirley Valentine,” both character- driven stories of workingclass women adapted from stage plays. His last film was “Before You Go,” a 2002 family comedy.
Rose McGowan wants drug charge dropped
Lawyers for actress Rose McGowan say a drug possession charge against her in Virginia should be tossed out of court, in part because she has been a victim of “the Harvey Weinstein machine.” McGowan faces a preliminary hearing next month in Leesburg after authorities say cocaine was found in a wallet she left behind on a United flight at Dulles International Airport in January 2017. In court papers filed Tuesday, lawyer Jessica Carmichael says five hours passed between the time McGowan got off the plane and her wallet was found by a cleaning crew. “There is simply no point in time at which the evidence places Ms. McGowan and the cocaine together in the same place,” Carmichael wrote. Carmichael argued the drugs may well have been planted, citing “the underhanded targeting of Ms. McGowan” by Weinstein. McGowan was one of the first actresses to accuse the now- disgraced producer of
sexual abuse.
Alec Baldwin gets talk show
Versatile Alec Baldwin is back on TV, but this time he’s not acting. He has a new talk show on ABC. Sundays with Alec Baldwin, announced Tuesday by ABC, will get a late but prime kickoff with a sneak peek episode after the network’s broadcast of the Oscars on Sunday ( 11: 35 p. m. ET/ 10 p. m. PT). The remaining eight episodes will return later in the year. Baldwin will have “one- on- one conversations with some of the most interesting people from American pop culture,” ABC’s announcement said. His first two guests are comedy legend and friend Jerry Seinfeld and “Saturday Night Live” co- star Kate McKinnon. “I’m excited about this show and grateful to ABC for taking a chance on me in what is, admittedly, a crowded field,” Baldwin said in a statement accompanying the announcement.
Kevin Spacey Foundation shuts down
Kevin Spacey was already removed from his namesake organization in November, but now the entire foundation has been shuttered. The Kevin Spacey Foundation, a British nonprofit that aimed to help young people in the performing arts, announced Tuesday that it will cease operations effective Wednesday. “The Trustees have reached the conclusion that the work of the Kevin Spacey Foundation U. K. is no longer viable and as such the Foundation will be closing on the 28 February 2018,” a statement on the company’s website reads. The Kevin Spacey Foundation was opened in 2008, while the Oscar winner was serving as artistic director of The Old Vic theatre in London. Over the past several months, Spacey has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen men.