JOHNSON: The News’ Jimmy Breslin remembered in new book

Late Daily News columnist Jimmy Breslin, who was sent letters from Son of Sam in 1976, is remembered in “Jimmy Breslin: The Man Who Told the Truth.”

The book published this month is by Richard Esposito, who was at New York’s hometown paper from his copyboy days to Metro Editor and then editor of the Sunday News.

It’s an intimate portrait of a complicated man that captures the power of Breslin’s writing, and also his occasionally outrageous, larger than life newsroom persona.

When serial killer David Berkowitz sent his first Son of Sam letter to The News, Esposito recalls Breslin remarked on the murderer’s grasp of the semicolon. He then made a point of telling whoever would listen “he writes better than most of the reporters in the city,” Esposito recalls. That wasn’t enough.

Esposito then remembers him walking through the newsroom, muttering and bellowing that if Berkowitz were on staff they could get rid of a bunch of the less talented hacks sitting there. Breslin’s gifts won him a Pulitzer.

Telling the truth was Breslin’s gift, and the book captures that across five decades of American history, when Breslin was often at the center of events.

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The Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, 55, probably won’t be financially drained because he fathered a daughter outside his marriage.

Jordyn Blum, 48, the mother of their three children — Violet, 18, Harper, 15, and Ophelia, 10 — was photographed without her wedding ring but she has not filed for divorce, yet.

Grohl — inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice, as part of Nirvana in 2014 and as a member of Foo Fighters in 2021 — is worth an estimated $330 million.

Top divorce lawyer Martha Cohen Stine said the Grohls live in California, a no-fault community property state where all wealth acquired during the marriage is considered the couple’s joint property and generally split equally.

But there is a big but. “None of this applies if the couple signed a prenuptial agreement,” said Stine, whose firm has represented Laurence Fishburne, Andrew Cuomo and Kerry Kennedy, and comedian Louis CK.

“It is likely that David Grohl and Jordyn Blum signed a prenuptial agreement prior to their marriage given that Grohl had already been divorced when he married Jordyn,” Stine said.

Grohl was previously married to Jennifer Youngblood from 1994 to 1997.

“It is unlikely that the prenuptial agreement would call for a penalty for infidelity. As a rock star he would probably never agree to such a clause.”

Marilyn Chinitz of Blank Rome LLP — who has repped Tom Cruise, Michael Douglas, and Wendy Williams — said the Grohls should sign a post-nuptial agreement.

“Remaining monogamous is the obvious way to demonstrate that you are committed,” Chinitz said.

“But after that ship has sailed, providing your spouse with the security of assets and support is another important way to convey that message of good faith.”

Grohl said of his wife and children, “I am doing everything I can to regain their trust and earn their forgiveness.”

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The World Influencers and Bloggers Awards, which take place every May in Cannes, are bringing their glamor here for a presentation dinner Oct. 30 at the Mark Hotel.

The founder of the awards is Mariia Grazhina Chaplin, a former beauty queen from Ukraine who was a TV presenter and a journalist prior to dedicating herself to WIBA.

At the last gala were supermodel Coco Rocha, who has 2 million followers on Instagram, and actress Kelly Rutherford, who resides in Monaco now to be close to her children.

Then there is Khaby Lame from Senegal whose TikTok videos have totaled 4 billion views.

“I love the energy of New York and would like to work here more often, tapping into the huge pool of talent in United States,” said Chaplin.

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November is right around the corner as is The Day of the Dead and the New York Comedy Festival, which celebrates 20 years of raising spirits.

So it’s fitting that Joan Rivers will be celebrated at Dead Funny at The Apollo produced by daughter Melissa to support God Loves We Deliver with jokes being delivered by Rachel Brosnahan, Nikki Glaser, Matteo Lane, Michelle Buteau and Randy Rainbow.

Another late comic, Gilbert Gottfried, will be remembered at Still Screaming at the Hard Rock Hotel on Nov. 13 hosted by his widow Dara and friends Richard Kind, Susie Essman, Dave Attell and Judy Gold.

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Noel Ashman is a believer in never giving up your dream.

The former nightclub owner, who has produced 16 movies, told a class at the School of Visual Arts: “Get used to rejection because you will have it constantly … the ones who will succeed will get rejected 100 times but finally succeed on the 101th try.”

Ashman was a guest lecturer at the class taught by Charles Kipps, who wrote “Fat Albert” and many “Law & Order” episodes.

“I tried to be upbeat,” Ashman told me. “But i did say ‘Believe in yourself or no one else will.’”

Past guest speakers in Kipps’ class include actors Chris Noth and Holt McCallany (“Mindhunter”).

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Mary J. Blige accepted her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio with a confession.

“It’s been a long time coming, and there were times in my life I didn’t think I would be here, but I’m here,” Blige said.

“If you’re a fan of Mary J. Blige, you know that I needed God. I needed something other than men.”

The singer went on to thank Dr. Dre and Method Man, “my two lifelong friends.”

During the afterparty at the House of Blues, she told her fellow inductee Robert Kool Bell and the rest of the Kool & the Gang that his 1974 hit “Summer Madness” was her “favorite song.”

After midnight, Jennifer Hudson took the stage and sang “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from “Dreamgirls.”

Bell’s son DJ Prince Hakim spun into the wee hours for guests including Common, Dua Lipa, Demi Lovato, Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Kelly Clarkson, Dave Chappelle and Billy Idol.

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Out & About: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner Yvie Oddly kicked off the spooky season by hosting a costume extravaganza at Club Circo. On Oct. 31, the Times Square hot spot will host a Halloween bash featuring smoking cocktails in skeleton-shaped glasses … Cantina Rooftop owner Pedro Zamora will celebrate El Día de los Muertos, aka the Day of the Dead, on Nov. 2 when guests can leave offerings for their deceased loved ones on a special altar … Megan Thee Stallion — in town to premiere her new documentary “In Her Words” and to be honored with a God’s Love We Deliver award — was also spotted having a celebratory dinner at Fushimi in Midtown … Wanda Sykes, rocking an Oh Mary! T-shirt, power lunched with actor Tim Bagley at Carnegie Diner and posed for a photo with the Carnegie’s general manager Tasos Zapantis on the way out.