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Billy Joel Doc Makers Lament Ailing Subject Couldn't Make Tribeca Opening Night but Insist 'He's Going to Be Fine'

Billy Joel Doc Makers Lament Ailing Subject Couldn't Make Tribeca Opening Night but Insist 'He's Going to Be Fine'

Yahoo2 days ago

The 2025 Tribeca Festival kicked off with the world premiere of the HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So it Goes, but its subject was unable to attend the celebration.
Joel announced last week that he had been diagnosed with brain disorder normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), leading him to cancel his upcoming concerts and prompting concern from fans.
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In keeping with that focus on recovery, Joel wasn't on hand for the Tribeca Festival opening night celebration, but the directors and producers of the two-part film, echoing comments made yesterday from Joel friend Howard Stern, indicated there's no reason to be too concerned about the 'Piano Man' performer.
'He's going to be fine,' co-director Susan Lacy told The Hollywood Reporter before Wednesday night's screening. 'He just needs to recover. He needs to do the physical therapy, which he's doing — the doctors were telling him yesterday he'll be fine.'
Lacy and co-director Jessica Levin added, 'He'll be back,' sharing a message from the performer in their opening remarks in which he made light of his condition, showing his sense of humor is still intact.
'Getting old sucks, but it's still preferable to getting cremated,' Joel said via a message read by Lacy onstage.
Joel's longtime lighting director and And So it Goes executive producer Steve Cohen shared that he spoke to Joel that day.
'He's doing great. He's working on his healing and recovery,' Cohen told THR before Wednesday night's premiere. 'He's bright; he's happy; he's thrilled for us. He called me and said, 'I'm so proud of the work you've done. I didn't expect you to get there,' and just great stuff. He's a good guy, that's what he is. I think he's going to be spending time with the family. He's going to be doing what he needs to do to heal from this condition and the prognosis is good. At least he's happy. He's my boss; he's my collaborator. At the end of the day, he's my best friend and I don't give a shit about anything else except him being healthy and enjoying this part of his life. We have done everything. He has climbed the highest mountain. He's accomplished anything anyone could ever want.'
Still, the team behind the film said it was 'bittersweet' that they were premiering it without him.
'We wanted him to be here and hoped he would be here, and he wanted to be here,' Lacy said.
Producer Emma Pildes added, 'This is hard, but this is what our bodies do to us. But this is a celebration of him and his artistry and everything that he's done. And we just wish that he was able to share that with us and be here with us.'
Though Joel didn't make it uptown for the premiere at New York's Beacon Theatre, the event was attended by such stars as Whoopi Goldberg, Mariska Hargitay, Mira Sorvino and Tom Hanks, who executive produces the And So it Goes with his Playtone partner Gary Goetzman.
And Tribeca co-founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal were on hand for the opening night gala, even reciting some lines from Joel's hits like 'Movin' Out,' 'Only the Good Die Young,' 'New York State of Mind' and 'You May Be Right' during their opening remarks.
In a statement when Joel's brain disorder was announced, De Niro and Rosenthal shared their 'love and full support' for the musician, wishing him a 'healthy recovery.'
'Our hearts are with Billy Joel and his family following today's announcement. As a New York icon and global music legend, he has profoundly shaped the cultural fabric of this city and touched audiences around the world. We send our love and full support and wish him strength and a healthy recovery,' the pair said at the time. 'We're deeply honored that this year's opening night celebrates his remarkable legacy and enduring influence on New York's cultural landscape. This is the perfect moment to recognize a creative force whose work reflects the very soul of our city — and the heart of Tribeca.'
Though only the first part of the two-part And So it Goes was screened Wednesday night, both installments will premiere on HBO and Max this summer.
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Harvey Weinstein Receives Mixed Partial Verdict As Deliberations Heat Up in Criminal Case
Harvey Weinstein Receives Mixed Partial Verdict As Deliberations Heat Up in Criminal Case

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Harvey Weinstein Receives Mixed Partial Verdict As Deliberations Heat Up in Criminal Case

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Parker Posey reveals ‘The White Lotus' fans are making sure she's living a comfortable life
Parker Posey reveals ‘The White Lotus' fans are making sure she's living a comfortable life

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Parker Posey reveals ‘The White Lotus' fans are making sure she's living a comfortable life

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Like, it's so hospitable, and the people are so lovely and kind. So I still feel like I'll be returning there soon, even though I'm not. What was cool about the experience was there was the hotel working next to us, and the Butlers. Did I read that you and Natasha Rothwell took the butlers out to dinner? God, that was such a perfect night. That was such a perfect night! Yes, we took our butlers at the Four Seasons. [Names them.] We bonded with them. They were just such cool women, you know. And when they knew that I like to just hang out — we were staying there for like two months — I felt like I got to know them a little bit, and to know just the kind of people that they are. And I just love them. "You know Khun Parker, you don't need a man if they don't enhance your life. And if they don't enhance your life, why…." [Laughs] They were, like, giving advice. … One of my favorite nights was going to set watching Lisa perform [as Mook]. And I watched Lisa dance, and it was so beautiful. 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That moment, when she says, "I don't want to live an uncomfortable life, I don't have the will," that's when you don't really know what's gonna happen to Victoria, this being at the end of her rope and what she's been through. [With] those little lines, we get to bring in the history of person. I had the essential oils and the lotions, and you just see how spoiled she is. But also, you know she's broken. She's kind of a mess, and then on the other side, she gets it together, and she's able to, like, Sherlock Holmes this stuff and get her daughter back. I love Mike White and how he writes women! We're talking about a writer who writes great women, and they're alone. They stand alone in a man's world. I feel so lucky I got to play it. 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Emmy experts analyze Limited Series race: Why ‘Adolescence' is ‘the one to beat' as voting begins
Emmy experts analyze Limited Series race: Why ‘Adolescence' is ‘the one to beat' as voting begins

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Emmy experts analyze Limited Series race: Why ‘Adolescence' is ‘the one to beat' as voting begins

Is the Best Limited Series Emmy race over before it's even begun? With voting beginning Thursday, four top Emmy experts — Variety's Clayton Davis, The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg, Indiewire's Marcus Jones, Deadline's Pete Hammond — predict the race with moderator and Gold Derby editor-in-chief Debra Birnbaum in our latest slugfest (watch above). "I can start and end with Adolescence," Hammond declares as the others laugh in agreement. "The race here we're going to talk about is for nominees two, three, four, and five. But I think [the eventual winner is] Adolescence for every reason you can imagine: its global reach, what it's talking about, the extraordinary acting, directing, writing. Everything about this is once in a generation. This thing is taking off and it isn't going to stop at nominations. This is the one to beat." More from GoldDerby Making of 'Mid-Century Modern': How comedy legends created Hulu's freshest sitcom starring Nathan Lane and the late Linda Lavin Parker Posey reveals 'The White Lotus' fans are making sure she's living a comfortable life Animal skins, clothes-swapping, and those terrifying masks: How 'Yellowjackets' costume designer works with Liv Hewson and cast Feinberg notes how it's actually "twice in a generation" because something similar happened last year with Baby Reindeer, which also aired on Netflix. He then singles out Monsters for "the whole conversation" it created throughout the country. "Whether you like it or not — and I'm annoyed by how much I think it's ridiculous talking about paroling the Menendez brothers — it's in the news every day." Birnbaum mentions how Adolescence was a "binge drop" on Netflix that "nobody knew anything about," and then "built momentum" to become a global phenomenon. She notes, "And again, going back to my point about voters watching the thing that they know they have to talk about, this is it." HBO Davis refers to The Penguin as "the one to beat before Adolescence showed up," adding, "But here's the thing: I maybe would have been a little hesitant, because genre superhero doesn't do that well at Emmys. Ask WandaVision [and its stars] Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, and Kathryn Hahn, who went home empty-handed. They just don't typically go for genre superhero stuff, but I think it's undoubtedly going to get in." The pundits name-drop more limited series in the running for a nomination, including Dying for Sex, Zero Day, Black Mirror, Sirens, Apple Cider Vinegar, Disclaimer, Presumed Innocent, Dope Thief, Long Bright River, and Say Nothing. And TV movies up for some Emmy love include Rebel Ridge, Mountainhead, and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. "I think we're bringing up a lot of shows that we're going to see represented in the acting categories," Jones says. "Say Nothing is that prestige pick that has picked up the Scripter and the Peabody, etc. I do think it's on people's radar, but is not probably going to get acting nominations, and so people can take all that passion toward making sure the show is nominated." Which Emmy expert do you agree with the most? Be sure to make your predictions and join the Emmy discussion in our TV forum. SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby TV Hall of Fame: Top 50 best choices who should be inducted next Carrie Preston on fencing with Matthew Broderick and the heart, humor, and growth of 'Elsbeth': 'She's more than just quirky' 'RuPaul's Drag Race': Onya Nurve and Jewels Sparkles dish their 'ride of a lifetime,' stolen jokes, and turning drag 'inside out' Click here to read the full article.

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