Woody

Diane Keaton, the beloved star of “Annie Hall,” “The Godfather” and “The First Wives Club,” wooed audiences as much as she did her multiple Hollywood boyfriends. It seems that much remains true for ex-lovers Woody Allen and Al Pacino, whose high-profile romances with the Los Angeles native are back in the spotlight in the wake of her death over the weekend.

“Her face and laugh illuminated any space she entered,” Allen, Keaton’s “Annie Hall” director and co-star, wrote Sunday.

The acclaimed and controversial filmmaker reminisced on his dating relationship with Keaton for the Free Press, recalling how they first met in Manhattan in the late 1960s for his stage production of “Play It Again, Sam.” Allen’s first impression of the eventual Oscar winner was, he explained, as “if Huckleberry Finn was a gorgeous young woman.”

“The upshot is that she was so charming, so beautiful, so magical, that I questioned my sanity. I thought: Could I be in love so quickly?” he wrote, later describing their evolution from collaborators to romantic partners.

Keaton and Allen collaborated on eight movies, also including “Stardust Memories,” “Sleeper” and “Love and Death.” The 89-year-old director wrote that he “made movies for an audience of one, Diane Keaton,” and heavily valued her opinions on his work. As Allen praised Keaton’s radiating personality (“She was a million laughs to be around”) he recalled learning about her struggles with bulimia and spending Thanksgiving with her family in Orange County.

“Why we parted only God and Freud might be able to figure out,” Allen wrote.

Pacino, who shared the screen with Keaton in three “Godfather” films and dated Keaton throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, is also thinking about what could have been. “Looking back, Al admits the love of his life was Diane who he’s always called an ‘amazing woman,’ ” a source close to the 85-year-old actor told the Daily Mail.

“I know he will forever regret he didn’t make his move when he had the chance,” the source added. “For years after he and Diane split, Al used to say, ‘If it’s meant to be, it’s never too late for a do-over. But sadly, now it is.’ ”

After news of Keaton’s death spread Saturday, stars including Bette Midler, Steve Martin, Viola Davis and Kate Hudson paid tribute on social media. “What you saw was who she was,” Midler said of her “First Wives Club” co-star. Keaton never married and is survived by two adopted children, Duke and Dexter Keaton.

Allen closed his essay emphasizing the significance of Keaton’s death: “A few days ago the world was a place that included Diane Keaton. Now it’s a world that does not. Hence it’s a drearier world.”

“Still there are her movies,” he wrote. “And her great laugh still echoes in my head.”

As if we needed another reason to question Woody Allen’s judgment, the 89-year-old director praised President Trump as “polite” and “a pleasure to work with” on Bill Maher’s podcast, “Club Random.”

Allen, who cast Trump in a cameo appearance for his 1998 film “Celebrity,” said on Monday’s podcast that the then-real estate mogul “hit his mark, did everything correctly and had a real flair for show business.”

“As an actor, he was very good,” Allen said. “He was very convincing, and he has a charismatic quality as an actor. And I’m surprised he wanted to go into politics. Politics is nothing but headaches and critical decisions and agony.”

Trump’s latest critical decision as commander in chief? Sharing the filmmaker’s positive comments on his Truth Social account. Heavy hangs the crown …

But why would Trump even want Allen on his side?

Allen’s legacy as a groundbreaking filmmaker was tarnished by revelations about his personal life that emerged in the 1990s. It was revealed that he had a romantic relationship with his then-girlfriend Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn. He was 56. She was 21. Allen’s own daughter with Farrow, Dylan, would later accuse Allen of sexually molesting her, claims that he denies. Even if fans want to separate the artist from news stories about the man, it’s difficult given that Allen’s films often reflect an obsession with youthful — and occasionally underage — women.

The president has been doing everything possible to bury his past associations with older men who allegedly prey on younger women. There’s this guy named Jeffrey Epstein …

There’s obviously no comparing Allen to the late convicted child sex trafficker, but why even open the door to such scrutiny? It’s because a compliment is a compliment, and there are so few of them coming from Hollywood that Trump could not help but copy, paste and post.

More troubling is that Allen now joins Maher in normalizing America’s first president who operates like a dictator, describing Trump as “pleasant,” “gracious,” even “measured.” Meanwhile, the White House is siccing militarized forces on American cities, trying to deport planeloads of children and attempting to rig the 2026 midterms.

Maher responded to Allen’s flattering words about Trump with mock outrage: “How dare you?!”

Allen may have surprised listeners who know the director as a master satirist of the flawed personality, but Maher was right on brand. The 69-year-old has forged a career playing to all sides of contentious issues while sincerely committing to none.

Earlier this year, the host of HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher,” who describes himself as a “vocal critic” of Trump, caught flak for dining with the president at Mar-a-Lago, then later describing Trump as “gracious,” “not fake” and that “everything I’ve ever not liked about him was absent.” He praised Trump for being “measured” and not like the “person who plays a crazy person on TV.”

Larry David, the creator of “Seinfeld” and star of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” responded to Maher’s laudatory dinner recollection with a satirical essay in the New York Times titled “My Dinner With Adolf.” David wrote from the perspective of a “vocal critic” of the Nazi dictator who, over dinner, finds Hitler to be surprisingly “disarming” and “authentic.” The essay went viral.

During Monday’s podcast, Allen counterbalanced his kind words about Trump with the revelation that he voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. He also said that he disagrees with Trump on “99%” of issues.

After wondering aloud why Trump went into politics, Allen said, “This was a guy I used to see at the Knicks games, and he liked to play golf, and he liked to judge beauty contests, and he liked to do things that were enjoyable and relaxing. Why anyone would want to suddenly have to deal with the issues of politics is beyond me.”

Perhaps it’s about seizing total power? Exacting revenge on enemies such as his former national security advisor John Bolton? Scrubbing the Epstein files? Profiting off his office?

But let’s get back to Allen.

The director reiterated that he disagreed “with many, almost all, not all, but almost all of his politics, of his policies. I can only judge what I know from directing him in film. And he was pleasant to work [with], and very professional, very polite to everyone…

“If he would let me direct him now that he’s president, I think I could do wonders.”

He kids. But it was only just a few days ago that Allen came under fire for virtually attending the Moscow Film Festival as a guest of honor. He praised Russian cinema and hinted at wanting to shoot a film in the country. After some “measured” thought, perhaps Putin will get a cameo.

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has signed a “legally binding contract” to buy John Textor’s 43% stake in Crystal Palace in a deal believed to be worth close to £190m.

Palace confirmed the news in a statement on Monday, but it has yet to be announced whether it boosts the club’s fight to be cleared to play in next season’s Europa League.

Palace said the deal is pending approval from the Premier League and Women’s Super League.

“We do not envisage any issues and look forward to welcoming Woody as a partner and director of the club,” the south London club added.

“We would like to go on record to thank John Textor for his contribution over the past four years and wish him every success for the future.”

Eagle Football Holdings – the multi-club company owned by Textor – bought a stake in Palace in 2021 for around £90m.

Johnson, like any such major investor, will have to pass the Premier League’s owners’ and directors’ test.

It is understood that the American businessman indicated he can transfer the funds quickly.

This is believed to have been a crucial factor in why his offer was favoured ahead of two other interested parties, given the predicament in which Palace find themselves with European football’s governing body Uefa regarding their 2025-26 Europa League entry.

Palace could lose their spot in Europe, earned by winning last season’s FA Cup, on the basis of Textor’s perceived involvement at Selhurst Park.

Uefa has been considering whether Palace breach its rules about multiple teams under one multi-club ownership structure competing in the same European competition.

This is because Textor has a stake in French club Lyon, who also qualified for the Europa League.

Whether the process of Textor selling his stake in Palace influences Uefa’s final decision remains to be seen.

But it does provide an indication the businessman is open to severing ties with Palace, an eventual scenario that could allow the Premier League club entry into the Europa League.

The other two parties in the running are unconfirmed but well-placed sources have indicated that a globally-renowned entertainment giant based in Florida have shown an interest, while another consortium that includes the NBA star Jimmy Butler also have a reported interest.

Investment vehicle Sportsbank – who were named as the preferred bidder to buy into Eagle at a time Textor was looking for investment – have also shown an interest in making an offer.

However, it is claimed that it would have taken around a month for Sportsbank to draw the financial contributions from their investors from the Middle East and the US which would not suit Textor’s need for a quick sale to help aid Palace’s case with Uefa.

Sources claim that Johnson is best placed among the interested parties to pass the Premier League’s owner’s and directors test given his estimated £3.39bn fortune and his status as globally-renowned businessman. He is the heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company.

Uefa are expected to make a decision on whether Palace can participate in the Europa League by the end of June.