arts & entertainment Comin' To America Neil Diamond's 31-city concert tour stops in Michigan. Marvin Glassman Special to the Jewish News F or his first job as a songwriter, in 1961, singer/songwriter Neil Diamond earned $50 weekly. Now, at 71, he could easily settle into retirement, looking back on his almost 50-year solo recording career (in which he's sold 125 million records and achieved 39 top-40 hit songs), and just enjoy his four children and four grandchildren. But Diamond isn't ready to get out of the limelight just yet. He is currently on a 31-city North American concert tour that includes a July 3 stop at DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston. Over the past two years, Diamond has much to beam about: He got married (for the third time) to his 41-year-old manager, Katie McNeil; was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; and was named a Kennedy Center honoree. We caught up with Diamond in a recent phone interview from his Los Angeles home: IN: You have been recognized for your career achievements and found hap- piness in your personal life. Are you surprised that you are still in demand career-wise at 71? ND: I never thought when I started writing that my career would last for five decades, let alone that I would be honored and still working in my 70s. I feel so fortu- nate to make my dream a lifetime's work. Having Katie with me, being honored over the past two years, I am as excited about singing and songwriting now as I ever was. I feel that I have been rejuvenated. I'm looking forward to another 20 years of singing and songwriting. I try to be honest and truthful in every- thing I do, just the same as when I was struggling in the 1960s. For me, it was never the fame or the money that moved me — it is the challenge of expressing myself in new songs. IN: What are your fondest memories of making the 1980 film The Jazz Singer? ND: More than anything else, this film is a tribute to my grandmother, who taught me Yiddish at home and my Jewish heritage. I worked very hard to retell this story of the cantor who left his expected place in life for a career in show business. I identify with the cantor because my parents wanted me to be a doctor and did not encourage me to have a career in music. "America;' "Hello Again" and "Love On The Rocks" were songs I wrote for the film that became popular and highlight my concerts to this day. Blockbuster filmmaker switches gears for new flick. T he truth is, when Bob and I started writing together, we always thought we were going to make small films': said Alex Kurtzman, co-writer and director of the new film People Like Us, which opens nationwide on June 29. "Bob" is Roberto Orci, his writing and producing partner. But small is not exactly the way it worked out — until now. Best known for TV scripts like Xena: Warrior Princess and developing the Hawaii Five-0 reboot, Kurtzman and Orci have written for the big screen on Transformers, Mission Impossible and Star Trek films, what the industry calls "tent pole movies" that make or break studio executives' careers. That's why People Like Us is such a pleas- ant surprise. Where previous work was big, bold and over the top, the new film is sub- tler, frequently moved forward by tiny slices of reality and small moments of truth. Sam (Chris Pine) is a shady, fast-talking salesman who learns his father has died; he only reluctantly returns to California 50 28 3 201;„: tour, Katie and I will be going on a six-month honeymoon to visit Israel, Italy and New York. I want her to know all about me — my past and present. All the places we are visit- ing are part of my history, including Italy as my mother has a few relatives there. E IN: You've performed at fundraisers for Jewish organizations over the years. Will you be doing any more in the future? ND: The organizations I've performed for — both Jewish and non-Jewish — are all involved in making the world a better place, which is important from my tradition. I do the fundraisers when I can so I hope to do more in the future. I am proud of my roots, and following this A Family Affair Curt Schleier Special to the Jewish News Neil Diamond plays DTE Energy Music Theatre on July 3. and his estranged family. In fulfilling his father's last wishes, he discovers a 30-year-old half-sister (Elizabeth Banks) and a young nephew (Michael Hall D'Addario) he knew nothing about. It sounds like a Lifetime "Movie of the Week': and even begins with Director Alex Kurtzman confers with actor a screen placard that says,"Inspired Chris Pine on the set of People Like Us. by True Events:' But People is so well acted — Michelle Pfeiffer rounds out the had he met his half-siblings when he was top-flight cast — so well thought out, so younger. well constructed, it is one of the best pic- In fact, though, "it was weirder than that. tures of a summer overstuffed with — you I was sitting in the garden of my house one should pardon the expression — tent pole day and this image — it's the last image of movies. the film — struck me like an arrow. It was The spark for the film comes from a powerful image. Three hours later, I walk Kiu-tzman's own life. His father has been into a party, and a woman comes up to me married before, and there was a half-broth- and says,`I'm your sister:" er and a half-sister the filmmaker vaguely They spent time together and got to knew about. But it was never discussed. know each other. Kurtzman won't talk "Definitely it was a presence,' he said. "I about the family dynamic that kept the two didn't ask too many questions until I met families apart as he was growing up or his my sister. It's a little like having a phantom father's reaction to the film. He will say, "My limb. You know there's a part of you miss- dad has been my greatest supporter always ing, but you don't know where it is" and always has been incredibly proud of According to the film's production notes, my work; he always gave me the faith to Kurtzman was sitting around one day believe I could make it as a writer." wondering what life would have been like Kurtzman, 38, grew up in Los Angeles. Neil Diamond performs at 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 3, at DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston. $127.50 and $85 pavilion; $29.50 lawn. (800) 745-3000; www.palacenet. com . He did not attend Hebrew school but had a bar mitzvah "together with my father; my dad's father died when my dad was 12 , so my dad didn't have a bar mitzvah. We decided to have it together:' Orci and Kurtzman met in high school — "We just gravitated to the same likes" — but writing for a smaller film was far different from writing the comic book movies. "Typically with the bigger films we have a release date before we have a script so its always go-go-go. In this case, we weren't writing about anyone but ourselves, spend- ing a lot of time separating truth from fic- tion. It was a very different experience and taught us patience." (Joining the duo as a writing partner for this project was Jody Lambert.) While it took eight years to complete the screenplay, the writers' patience was quickly rewarded. "We gave [the script] to DreamWorks on a Thursday, and they called us on Saturday to say they were going to make the movie." Because of the personal nature of this film, Kurtzman wanted to direct. Actually, he's wanted to direct since childhood. "I got into writing to be a director," he said. "I thought I would write my way into directing." And he did. H People Like Us opens in area theaters on Friday, June 29.