Latest news with #AFILifeAchievementAward
New York Post
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Billionaire David Geffen, 82, files for divorce from go-go dancer husband, 32, without prenup
For the record, this marriage has come to an end. Entertainment billionaire, David Geffen, has filed for divorce from his husband David Armstrong, after less than two years of marriage. The 82-year-old mogul tied the knot with the go-go dancer, 32, who goes by Donovan Michaels when he performs, in 2023 and the two did not sign a prenup. 7 David Geffen and David Armstrong. Instagram With the help of well known divorce attorney Laura Wasser, Geffen cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split, according to TMZ. Despite not signing a prenup, Forbes puts the retired businessman's net worth to be $8.7 billion. Geffen co-founded Asylum Records in 1971, founded Geffen Records in 1980 and DGC Records in 1990, and co-found DreamWorks Records in 1996. However, the record executive has been retired for 15 years and his income now consists of stocks and equities, which are separate property. 7 David Geffen attends the 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Getty Images Per California law, dividends from stocks remain separate, which could possibly leave Armstrong without a large cash settlement. The performer will receive spousal support for a year, however, since under California law, spouses receive payment for half the length of their marriage. Geffen will also pay Armstrong's spousal support and attorney's fees, TMZ reported, citing divorce documents. 7 David Armstrong. Donovan Michaels / Instagram The pair reportedly first met in 2020 when Armstrong served as a personal trainer for Geffen before marrying in a private ceremony in Beverly Hills. In 2023, details surrounding Armstrong's past came to light. His former friends told The Post at the time that the dancer's income stems from picking up odd jobs in New York and Miami. The go-go dancer was born David Armstrong in Michigan, until he began going by Brandon Foster after relocating to Florida in 2014. 7 David Armstrong aka Donovan Michaels. Donovan Michaels / Instagram The trainer started dancing and promoting parties at gay clubs around Miami including 'clothing optional' pool parties 'along with plenty of other hot sexy guys.' Armstrong was no stranger to flaunting his toned physique in Instagram photos, with one shot from September 2014 noting he was 'doing a little camming tonight.' The caption added he would 'put on a good show' for anyone who would pay for his footage. Two years later, around 2016, Armstrong left Florida for New York City, where he took on his new name. 7 David Geffen at the 36th AFI Life Achievement Award tribute to Warren Beatty. Getty Images for AFI A former girlfriend revealed she only knew Armstrong to date women. But due to the fact he liked adventure and would dive head first into situations, his former flame wasn't shocked by his marriage. 'I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, he's very attractive,' she shared. 'He would tell me people just assumed that he was into guys from what he posts on Instagram.' 'I know that he was getting comments like that from gay men, that he was really attractive and in really good shape.' 7 David Geffen speaks onstage at the 'American Masters Inventing David Geffen' panel. Getty Images At the time, pictures of Geffen and Armstrong spotted at a New York City heliport surfaced. The photos showed Geffen flashing a gold band on his ring finger. Another one of Armstrong's friends told The Post the former fitness guru 'was always looking for his next adventure and was really determined to improve his life.' Sources noted that Armstrong also came from 'very humble beginnings' in Imlay City, Michigan, a town of just 4,000 people and was one of 13 children. 7 David Geffen attends Vogue World: Paris. Getty Images for Vogue A former pal revealed he was 'super secretive' and rarely divulged his past. 'It took a while to really get to know him because he was really private about his past,' said the former friend. They explained Armstrong was 'always searching for something to help him understand his past and what he experienced.' 'I think he rebelled a lot when he was younger, and that was a big part of why he left,' the friend confessed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Robert De Niro Thanks Francis Ford Coppola 'For Not Casting Me' In ‘The Godfather' At AFI Life Achievement Tribute — Watch
Although Robert De Niro was passed over for The Godfather, his starring role in the sequel turned out to be the offer he couldn't refuse. While paying tribute to director Francis Ford Coppola with the AFI Life Achievement Award, he and co-star Al Pacino reminisced about their time with the filmmaker on his seminal mafia film franchise. More from Deadline Francis Ford Coppola's Career In Photos, From 'Apocalypse Now' To 'The Godfather' AFI Life Achievement Award Red Carpet: Elle Fanning, Ron Howard, George Lucas, Spike Lee & More Honor Francis Ford Coppola The 50th AFI Life Achievement Award Dinner For Francis Ford Coppola Is One Of The Starriest And Most Heartfelt Tributes Of Them All 'Francis, thank you for not casting me in The Godfather,' said De Niro during Saturday's gala at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. 'It was the best job I ever, never got. And it meant I was available for The Godfather Part II. Francis, you changed my career, you changed my life. We're all here tonight because of you. We love you.' Following Pacino's breakout performance as Michael Corleone in 1972's adaptation of Mario Puzo's book, the 1974 sequel followed the parallel paths of father and son with De Niro as a young immigrant Vito Corleone (portrayed in the first film by Marlon Brando). The performance won the actor his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Pacino prefaced his tribute with a quote from Coppola himself. ''The things you do when you're young that you get fired for, are the same things that years later, they give you lifetime achievement awards for,'' he said. 'You know, none of us were fired from The Godfather, but some of us got pretty close,' added Pacino as the audience laughed at his self-deprecating nod. 'I got the closest. And Francis just fought for us all the time. He fought for his film and his vision, which he always does. Yet, it could have gotten him fired. Everything was a firing threat. It could have had all of us fired, but it didn't. Now, years later, here we all are to celebrate him for it. So, thank you Francis. Thank for believing in me even more than I believed in myself. I am eternally grateful in kind to be part of your Godfather family.' Filmmaking peers like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Spike Lee and more were also on hand to celebrate Coppola, as well as collaborators like Adam Driver, Elle Fanning and Diane Lane. The Life Achievement Award is AFI's highest esteem for a career in film. Coppola's predecessors include Nicole Kidman, Julie Andrews, Denzel Washington, George Clooney, Diane Keaton and John Williams. Coppola's The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and Apocalypse Now are ranked among history's greatest films in AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies list. A six-time Academy Award winner, his other iconic feature credits, as writer, director and/or producer, include Patton, American Graffiti, The Conversation, The Outsiders and Bram Stoker's Dracula, to name just a few. The evening earned a record $2.5 million for AFI and will be broadcast on TNT on June 18 at 10pm ET/PT with an encore on TCM July 31 at 8pm ET/PT. Best of Deadline Francis Ford Coppola's Career In Photos, From 'Apocalypse Now' To 'The Godfather' Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far Everything We Know About Netflix's 'The Thursday Murder Club' So Far
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The 50th AFI Life Achievement Award Dinner For Francis Ford Coppola Is One Of The Starriest And Most Heartfelt Tributes Of Them All
On a night saluting the independence and go-for-broke cinematic life of Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino perhaps best summed up why the legendary filmmaker has opted out of accepting many honors over the decades by quoting Coppola himself, who once said, 'The things you do when you're young that you get fired for, are the same things that years later, they give you lifetime achievement awards for.' Well Coppola, finally on the 50th anniversary of the AFI Life Achievement Award dinners, got the most prestigious one of all for movie makers, and having been to numerous of these AFI events over the decades (Frank Capra's in 1982 was my first), this warm and very starry evening Saturday was among the very best, and certainly one of the best attended by other legends and past AFI honorees themselves. More from Deadline Francis Ford Coppola Felt Like He Returned 'To The Old Neighborhood' In AFI Life Achievement Tribute Speech — Watch AFI Life Achievement Award Red Carpet: Elle Fanning, Ron Howard, George Lucas, Spike Lee & More Honor Francis Ford Coppola Adam Driver Praises Francis Ford Coppola For "Not Letting The Money Dictate" 'Megalopolis' At AFI Life Achievement Tribute No less than seven, count 'em, seven past AFI Life Achievement Award laureates were not only on hand in the Dolby Theatre, they all got on stage to sing his praises. Pacino, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Dustin Hoffman, Harrison Ford, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (the latter pair bookending Coppola at his long table in the middle of the room) were all there to pass the torch, but you have to wonder why it took until the 50th to give this man his due, arguably the godfather himself of his generation of filmmakers (and many of those who received this years ago). Well, it wasn't because the AFI didn't ask. I am told AFI had tried on many occasions to get him to agree. At last he did, and boy, what a night. AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale welcomed everyone and started the evening with a remembrance of one of the first graduates of the AFI Conservatory, the late great David Lynch. But the day didn't start out well. The sudden rainstorm Saturday morning in parts of Southern California took a toll on Hollywood Boulevard and literally sent a river flooding the AFI red carpet that had already been set up for the event. Organizers, taken by surprise, flew into action, completely trashing the entire soaked carpet, and getting a new one in place before the first of many stars arrived. These included Spielberg, who has been in New York making a movie, but to show his respect for Coppola, didn't just send in a video greeting, but got a private plane, picked up De Niro and Spike Lee as well, and flew in earlier Saturday before immediately flying back so he can be back on set Monday morning. American Film Institute founder (and creator of this event) George Stevens Jr. had tipped me off Friday evening at the TCM Classic Film Festival event honoring him, that Spielberg felt so strongly about being there in person, and joining with Lucas to present the award they both had gotten long ago, that he just had to do this. When he got up on stage at the end of the evening, he said to Coppola, 'We have come all the way up the river to find you buddy,' in a wry reference to one of the master's masterpieces, Apocalypse Now. 'Francis is a warrior for independent artists and always championing their causes,' he added before pronouncing The Godfather as 'the greatest American film ever made.' But there was so much more before we got to that point. Freeman opened the show portion of the evening by telling the audience he was there despite never having been in a movie written, directed or produced by Coppola, who he noted was still ever so the independent filmmaker. 'He may have lost millions but tonight, f— the bankers!'' Throughout the night, there were not just film clips, but portions of an interview his daughter Sofia Coppola conducted with her father that took us through each step of his life and career from directing Fred Astaire in Finian's Rainbow in 1967 (where a young college intern named George Lucas would come by the set to learn) all the way to 2024's Megalopolis. Sofia couldn't be at the Dolby however since she is shooting her own new film in London. The interesting thing is how few sent tapes. They were all there, including Ron Howard who starred in Lucas' American Grafitti, which Coppola produced in order to even get this low-budget ($700,000) movie made by the largely untested young director. The studio (Universal) wasn't thrilled with what they were seeing, 'So after a very early screening, studio executives said to Francis and George, 'You should be embarrassed by this movie. It's too long. We hate the way it looks. It seems unprofessional.' George was shocked, so Francis, with unblinking authority, pulled out a checkbook and said, 'Alright, listen. You don't want the picture? Okay, I will buy it back from you right now. I will buy it back from you today.' Well never mind he didn't have the money, it worked. And the film went on to make well over $100 million, which at that time made it the most profitable ROI (return on investment) in Hollywood history. So that's a producer and that's Francis Ford Coppola.' Next up, the evening's first big standing ovation (after Coppola's as he was seated) went to De Niro and Pacino who made some brief remarks, including the aforementioned one from Pacino, and De Niro's gratitude for not getting cast as Sonny in The Godfather. A clip had been shown from De Niro's screen test and he would have been great, but Coppola thought he was not quite right for the role (James Caan got it). 'Thank you for not casting me in The Godfather, Francis, which meant I was available for The Godfather Part II!' he said of the role that won him his first Oscar. RELATED: Harrison Ford arrived to tell how he was a carpenter but determined to be an actor when he said he got lucky and landed the role in American Graffiti, and later a smaller one in The Conversation. 'Not the part I wanted but I got the part,' he smiled, saying he now felt part of the family. 'After that film, I built something for Francis because he hired me again as a carpenter. I'm not kidding. I was installing a library portico entrance for his offices, as one does, and George Lucas walks in and says (to Francis), 'I am looking for someone to play Hans Solo,' and I am covered in sawdust, wearing my tool belt, sweeping the floor. Well you know the rest… He created a world where the carpenter could be the guy. And by the way, thank you for Apocalypse Now, where I played a guy named Colonel Lucas. Subtle!' Lee talked about the influence Coppola had on him from the days he was a student at NYU ('I couldn't get into AFI'), seeing the uncut version of The Cotton Club with Coppola, and announcing he still has his ticket stub from Apocalypse Now. Also highlighted was Coppola's dream-like musical One From the Heart, one of his self-financed American Zoetrope swings for the fences, and early dances with bankruptcy, a movie now being reconsidered and watched again, even as a predecessor to the likes of La La Land. And then a look at The Outsiders, one of many films where Coppola rolled the dice with new talent including Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, and at the Dolby onstage, both Ralph Macchio and C. Thomas Howell. Macchio drew big laughs with a story about borrowing $5 from Coppola on the set but never paying it back, or for that matter everything he owed the director for his career, until this night when he told Coppola to look under the centerpiece in front of him at his table. There was a $5 dollar bill, which got a smile from Coppola, who promptly handed it to Lucas, who probably doesn't need it. In the audience was a librarian, Jo Ellen Misakian from Lone Star Elementary School in Fresno, California, who had sent Coppola a letter (that somehow got to him) with the enthusiasm of her class, who loved the book, suggesting he read S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders in hopes that he might make a movie out of it. 'Stay gold, Francis,' she said to him, repeating a key phrase from the book that urged Ponyboy to retain his youthful optimism and innocence, 'Stay gold.' It was one of the undisputed highlights of the night. Another Outsiders star, Diane Lane, was next, and interestingly the only female participant onstage for the evening who talked about the four films she has made with Coppola, including how while making Outsiders, they all had such a good time, they decided to make another film on the spot. That movie was Rumble Fish. After Roman Coppola paid tribute to his father for putting him to work on the visual effects for Bram Stoker's Dracula and starting his career, it was Dustin Hoffman's turn, who began by saying, 'Word has it you turned down a lot of these awards in the past.' He also said it took a while for Coppola to hire him. 'I waited until I was 86 for you to cast me in Megalopolis! It was worth the wait.' Regarding that movie, it was star Adam Driver who showed up to tell the tale of the futuristic and controversial, but unquestionable risk-taking and wild ride of a cinematic journey Coppola had been trying to get made for over 40 years and finally did by financing it himself to the tune of $120 million. Driver said at one point Coppola addressed the cast and crew and said, 'We're not being brave enough.' Of all the speakers, I thought Driver really summed up best just who this genuine maverick of a filmmaker is. 'Knowing Francis as I know him now, being brave is not such a surprising note if you consider the source. You can pick any section of Francis' work, open it up, and find bravery, whether it be fighting the studio over cuts of The Godfather; forming American Zoetrope; making Apocalypse Now, again with his own money; giving Ellie (his late wife Eleanor Coppola) a camera and saying 'shoot what you want'; running a studio that ended up bankrupting him; hiring Marlon Brando; defending Al Pacino; breaking all four of his Oscars by throwing them out of a window—I'm not sure that is especially brave but it certainly is passionate [ed note: he actually has five]; moving into the jungle and starting a hotel; spending $120 million on a piece of art and not letting the money dictate the content of the film,' Driver listed for the crowd. 'This is a principled life, and for a year in our culture where the importance of the arts is minimized and our industry is seemingly out in the open, that the only measure to judge a film's success is simply by how much money it makes, I hang on to individuals like Francis for inspiration who live though their convictions, through big moves, all in service of pushing the medium forward. Francis took $120 million dollars and created a singular gesture for what he thought film could be, and I think that's pretty great.' RELATED: The actual award to Coppola was preceded by an orchestra on stage with Josh Groban, who sang, all in Italian, a beautiful version of the immortal theme from The Godfather. Spielberg added to his remarks about seeing a five-hour cut of Apocalypse Now with other filmmakers invited to give their thoughts, and Lucas recounted the key lesson he learned from his American Graffiti producer. 'Don't be afraid of jumping off cliffs. I have lived by that my entire life,' he said while confirming Coppola was indeed the first cinema student to make it big and prove the worth of that education. As for Coppola, he was brief but charming in his acceptance (after all, we had seen him talk about his career all night in that interview with Sofia). He talked about his childhood and remembrances of growing up before addressing this community of those who toil in the same fields he does. '(I see) all the beautiful faces are welcoming me back because I am, and will always be, nothing more than one of you.' Stay gold indeed, Francis Ford Coppola. The evening earned a record $2.5 million for AFI and will be broadcast on TNT on June 18 at 10 p.m. ET/PT with an encore on TCM on July 31 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Best of Deadline Francis Ford Coppola's Career In Photos, From 'Apocalypse Now' To 'The Godfather' Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far Everything We Know About Netflix's 'The Thursday Murder Club' So Far
Asharq Al-Awsat
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Spielberg, De Niro, Freeman Praise Francis Ford Coppola as He Accepts the AFI Life Achievement Award
Steven Spielberg proclaimed 'The Godfather' the 'greatest American film ever made,' Robert De Niro teasingly bemoaned being cast in the sequel and not the original and Harrison Ford fought back tears reflecting on his role in the 1974 film, 'The Conversation.' At the center of it all was Francis Ford Coppola, who on Saturday received the AFI Life Achievement Award at a ceremony at Dolby Theatre that brought together legendary stars from a seemingly bygone era of cinema, A founding AFI trustee, Coppola's recognition from the organization was a kind of full circle moment for the 'Apocalypse Now' director. 'When I was a kid there was the Oscars and that was it. Now they're going to have an award show for the best award show,' the 86-year-old said on the red carpet ahead of the show. 'But this is a little different because it's a personal recognition of the people that you've known all your life and your colleagues over many years, so it's like a homecoming in a way.' 'You, sir, are peerless. You have taken what came before and redefined the canon of American film,' Spielberg said. Coppola sat between Spielberg and George Lucas, as actors and fellow filmmakers like Spike Lee, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Morgan Freeman took turns gushing over the Oscar winner. 'Dreamer of dreams on a dime, teller of tales that cost and lost millions. But tonight, (expletive) the bankers and the bank,' Freeman said to laughs and cheers. Lucas, Coppola's longtime friend and colleague, presented him with the award. The pair have known each other for decades and cofounded their own production company, American Zoetrope, in 1969. 'You rounded up a bunch of young film students, gathered us together. We moved to San Francisco, hoping to beat the system. And we did. Like the filmmakers from the dawn of the art form, we had no rules. We wrote them, and you were holding the pen,' Lucas said. Coppola was mostly stoic throughout the ceremony as Hollywood sang his praises — until he accepted the award at the end of the night. He beamed as he approached the stage and thanked the room, which was filled with some of his family members as well as multigenerational A-listers. 'Now I understand here, this place that created me, my home, isn't really a place at all, but you — friends, colleagues, teachers, playmates, family, neighbors, all the beautiful faces are welcoming me back,' he said. 'I am and will always be nothing more than one of you.' Coppola was the 50th recipient of the award first handed out to John Ford in 1973. Guests were served wine from the Francis Ford Coppola Winery and after dinner — true to his Italian heritage — a trio of cannolis. Actors who have worked with Coppola painted a unified picture of him as a director, reminiscing on how they were invited to participate and educated about film in a way that empowered them. 'He's very professorial. He talks about history and things and even older movies in the scene he's inspired by,' said 'The Godfather III' star Andy Garcia. 'You go into working with him in a movie, and you go in seeking an associate's degree and you would walk out with a master's.' Coppola last year released his long-in development 'Megalopolis,' a Roman epic set in a modern New York. The film drew mixed reviews from critics and flopped with audiences. Coppola, though, has maintained he was compelled to make 'Megalopolis' as an artist, not as a businessman. He self-financed the film. 'For a year in our culture when the importance of the arts is minimized, and our industry is seemingly out in the open that the only metric to judge a film's success is by how much money it makes, I hang on to individuals like Francis for inspiration, who live through their convictions,' said Adam Driver, who starred in the film. Last year's AFI honoree was Nicole Kidman. Other recent recipients include John Williams, Mel Brooks, Denzel Washington and Julie Andrews.
India.com
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Robert De Niro: Airyn Is Now Like A Daughter to Me, And I Fully Support Her
Hollywood star Robert De Niro said that he loved and supported Aaron as his son, and now he 'loves and supports' daughter Airyn, who has come out as transgender. 'I loved and supported Aaron as my son, and now I love and support Airyn as my daughter. I don't know what the big deal is,' Robert De Niro told in a statement. He added: 'I love all my children.' Airyn De Niro discussed 'stepping into this new identity', during a conversation with the publication Them. She also talked about growing up as one of seven children in the De Niro household. 'There's a difference between being visible and being seen,' Airyn De Niro said. 'I've been visible. I don't think I've been seen yet.' She went on to say that 'no parent is perfect, but I am grateful that both my parents agreed to keep me out of the limelight. They have told me they wanted me to have as much of a normal childhood as possible.' In the same interview, Airyn De Niro discussed her inspirations for going public with her transition. Among them was actress Laverne Cox. She went on to say that 'no parent is perfect, but I am grateful that both my parents agreed to keep me out of the limelight. They have told me they wanted me to have as much of a normal childhood as possible.' Airyn De Niro also talked about her inspirations for going public with her transition. Among them was actress Laverne Cox. Robert De Niro has been feted with various accolades, including two Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for eight BAFTA Awards and four Emmy Awards. He was honored with the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2003, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2009, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2011, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2019, and the Honorary Palme d'Or in 2025.
