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CALIGULA Please read beore viewing video below Paulo Columbo (curator of the Contemporary Museum of Modern Art in Rome) is an old friend and he put me in touch with Francesco Vezzoli to help him as he organized the Los Angeles shoot ( Francesco is based in Milan ) for this sumptuous museum piece at a Grande over-the-top faux Roman Palazzo in Bel Air. Its a satirical trailer for a nonexistent remake of Gore Vidal's CALIGULA. I immediately called my dear friend, the legendary singer (The Mamas and The Papas), actress and social chemist Michelle Phillips. Michelle and I hosted a gathering for Francisco to fill in a few of the remaining major roles. Francesco had cast me as Claudius and I brought in Karen Black who became our sensational Agrippina. By the end of the gathering Francesco had also succumbed to obvious and cast the exquisite Michelle Phillips as Messalina. It was all falling into place. In the end the cast included the magnificent Helen Mirren, Best actress winner of the 2007 Academy Awards for her amazing performance as Queen Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears' THE QUEEN as well as Benicio Del Toro, Milla Jovovich and a super notorious surprise star as Caligula that is a truly brilliant stroke of casting. It was a hit at The Venice Biannale and last year played at The 2006 Whitney Biannual in NYC and most recently at The Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills. It was playing on an endless loop around Vezzoli's other art work and stills from the piece. It pokes satirical fun from several directions but Helen Mirren's dialogue gives it a contemporary and weighty connection. Her character looks out at a party of the elite crowd at the center of Rome's political and morally corrupt heart and says simply: "We stole for ourselves the wealth of the world and now look at us" . I've been on some wild shoots but hmmmm, this was certainly one of the wilder. Francesco has asked me to be his liaison in Hollywood which I can do no matter where my travels take me except for when I need to be on hand for the actual shoots. Francesco Vezzoli is a major artist worth going by Google to see what he's all about, has done and is doing!!. This satirical trailer is quite graphic and not meant for those under 18. The next piece for Vezzoli is a deep secret but centers around one of the most famous movie stars ever to step in front of a camera. So put the kids to bed and Enjoy!
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