{"id":219096,"date":"2026-01-03T23:29:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T23:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/219096\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T23:29:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T23:29:09","slug":"my-fathers-rolling-in-his-grave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/219096\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018My Father\u2019s Rolling in His Grave\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cMy father\u2019s rolling in his grave right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how Michael \u201cMike\u201d Sardina Jr. describes his reaction to Song Sung Blue<\/a>, the new Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson film based on his family \u2014 a movie he now says has \u201ccompletely destroyed the one thing my father worked his entire life to pass on \u2013 his legacy.\u201d The 41-year-old is considering legal action against the production company and distributors and claims the film\u2019s version of events is so off-base, it feels like a betrayal.<\/p>\n

More from SheKnows<\/p>\n

Song Sung Blue, adapted from Greg Kohs\u2019 2008 documentary, follows Milwaukee Neil Diamond tribute performers Mike and Claire Sardina (aka Lightning & Thunder). Jackman and Hudson portray the couple in a dramatized retelling that spans Claire\u2019s accident and the years after \u2014 and Mike Jr. says that version gets key parts of their story wrong.<\/p>\n

According to Mike Jr., who spoke with Daily Mail<\/a> on Dec. 29, he was hired as a consultant for what he calls \u201ca pathetic $30,000,\u201d alongside his sister, Angelina, whose on-screen counterpart is played by singer-songwriter King Princess. He claims his \u201cexistence was purposely cut out of the film,\u201d even though he says he was \u201cthe most prevalent force in my father\u2019s life\u2026 because I\u2019m his only son.\u201d Angelina\u2019s contract reportedly allowed for a fictionalized version of her story and did not guarantee contact with the cast \u2014 something she now says never happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t have any contact with Kate Hudson or Hugh Jackman, anyone from the cast,\u201d Angelina said. Text messages she shared with producer John Fox show her frustration over limited input, with Fox calling it \u201cnot the most ideal situation,\u201d even as the contract stated there was no obligation to consult her beyond the fee.<\/p>\n

\"Kate<\/p>\n

Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman at Focus Features\u2019 “Song Sung Blue” New York premiere held at AMC Lincoln Square 13 on Dec. 11, 2025 in New York.<\/p>\n

Things reportedly came to a head at the New York City premiere on Dec. 11, where Mike Jr. says he and Angelina were invited on the condition that he \u201ckeep away from any of the stars and reporters.\u201d Meanwhile, their stepmother Claire and her children Dayna and Rachel posed for photos with Jackman and Hudson \u2014 a split that has only deepened the family rift. Mike Jr. says he ignored those alleged instructions, walked \u201cright up to Kate Hudson,\u201d introduced himself, and later blasted both leads as \u201cmonsters\u201d for failing to acknowledge him in interviews. \u201cEvery interview\u2026 [they] don\u2019t even mention my existence at all,\u201d he said. \u201cThey didn\u2019t even try to contact me\u2026 [or] get more information.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond his own absence from the script, Mike Jr. says the film downplays what he describes as an \u201cextremely violent\u201d household, alleged drug use, and the years after Claire\u2019s accident. Angelina said \u201cthe only thing that was true is the love between my dad and Claire,\u201d adding, \u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful story, but that\u2019s not how it went down\u2026 it\u2019s a lie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Director Craig Brewer appeared to concede some gaps in texts to Angelina, writing there was \u201cso much\u201d he \u201cdidn\u2019t get\u2026 accurate\u201d and that he was \u201cjust trying to take care of Mike\u2019s kids,\u201d even as Mike Jr. says he still feels erased.<\/p>\n

All of this is unfolding while Song Sung Blue\u2019s rollout \u2014 and Jackman\u2019s personal life \u2014 are already under a microscope. In one recent report, insiders claimed Sutton Foster is \u201ckeeping one eye open\u201d<\/a> as Jackman and Hudson have allegedly grown \u201cincredibly close\u201d around the film, following longstanding rumors that Jackman and Foster\u2019s relationship began as an affair during The Music Man and contributed to his split from Deborra-Lee Furness. A viral Gotham Awards PDA clip<\/a> drew fresh #TeamDeb backlash online, and a separate story suggested Jackman\u2019s romance with Foster may even be testing his long-running friendship with Ryan Reynolds.<\/a><\/p>\n

While Hudson\u2019s performance as Claire has already earned her a Golden Globes nomination<\/a>, the real-life Sardina siblings say they\u2019re still fighting to make sure their version of the story is heard \u2014 even as the film pushes deeper into awards season.<\/p>\n

More on Hugh Jackman & Kate Hudson:<\/p>\n

Before you go, click here<\/a> for more documentaries about strong women in music.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Best of SheKnows<\/p>\n

Sign up for SheKnows’ Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cMy father\u2019s rolling in his grave right now.\u201d That\u2019s how Michael \u201cMike\u201d Sardina Jr. describes his reaction to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":219097,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[109887,458,109414,146,9044,85,46,121021,9045,121020,9047,2469,66346],"class_list":{"0":"post-219096","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-angelina","9":"tag-celebrities","10":"tag-claire-sardina","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-hugh-jackman","13":"tag-il","14":"tag-israel","15":"tag-john-fox","16":"tag-kate-hudson","17":"tag-michael-mike-sardina-jr","18":"tag-neil-diamond","19":"tag-sheknows","20":"tag-song-sung-blue"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219096"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219096\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}