More from Gary Baum
How ‘Tiger King’ Led to ‘Chimp Crazy’ — and That Penultimate Episode Betrayal
[This story contains spoilers from the third episode of Chimp Crazy, “Head Shot.”] Tiger King documentarian Eric Goode’s intense, sordid follow-up Chimp Crazy has been unfolding on HBO over the past couple of weeks. It centers on the fraught dynamic between exotic animal broker Tonia Haddix, the retired Hollywood chimp Tonka she claims to love […]
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Matthew Perry’s “Street Dealer” Managed High-End Rehab Where Client Died
Two entertainment industry figures connected to Matthew Perry’s death, one of whom pled guilty in the federal investigation, were involved in another fatal L.A. area overdose nearly three years earlier, family members of the deceased tell The Hollywood Reporter. Erik Fleming, a former film director and TV producer with a colorful résumé, was recently described […]
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‘Rust’ Ricochet: Film’s Ammo Provider Questions New Bullet Evidence That Derailed Trial (Exclusive)
From the moment law enforcement arrived at the New Mexico set where the Rust shooting occurred, how exactly the live rounds got there was a key focus of the investigation. The prosecution, for years, maintained that they likely came from armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was convicted in March for involuntary manslaughter. But when a so-called […]
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Matthew Perry’s Alleged Ketamine Dealer Once Directed a Kids’ Movie and Produced ‘Surreal Life’
Among the five people arrested in the Matthew Perry overdose death investigation were a local physician and the actor’s live-in assistant. Then there was Erik Fleming, listed as the TV star’s “acquaintance,” and charged as a middleman in the deadly ketamine scheme. The Department of Justice described Fleming’s activities as that of a drug dealer, […]
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Billie Eilish Moves to WME as Previous Agency Hit With Sexual Impropriety Allegations
Billie Eilish — the massively influential music performer who’s consistently topped the Billboard charts and repeatedly won Grammys and Oscars — has signed, along with her brother and collaborator Finneas O’Connell, to WME, ending their relationship with Wasserman Music. “While grateful to their former live booking agents at Wasserman, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell have […]
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Hotel Bel-Air Debuts New Dining Room, Patisserie (Exclusive)
The Hotel Bel-Air is now fully in its post-Wolfgang Puck era. First it brought on culinary director Joe Garcia, a French Laundry vet who drew acclaim at West L.A.’s tasting-menu temple Manzke, as well as noted French-born pastry chef Christophe Rull. Now the pair, who’ve already been freshening the offerings at the property’s eponymous al […]
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Pricey Veneers Have Made Hollywood Smiles Too Perfect
Flawlessness has complications. Perfect teeth, long a Hollywood ideal, have now become the onscreen standard for A-list actors. The rise of orthodontia and the fall of smoking have played roles in bringing about this new normal. But the key factor has undoubtedly been the historic conquest of veneers. While there are notable holdouts — including […]
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Tom Cruise to Skydive in Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony
Tom Cruise will reportedly have a starring role in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games’ Aug. 11 closing ceremony, when he may skydive to the Hollywood Sign during the orchestrated handoff to Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympiad. According to TMZ, the stunt was quietly shot in March. Cruise has attended the Paris games, including for […]
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Hollywood Icon Yamashiro Listed for $100M
Yamashiro, the landmark Japanese Revival restaurant in the Hollywood Hills, has been listed for $100 million. The 7.3-acre estate sits immediately north of the famed Magic Castle and up the block from the TCL Chinese Theatre, which is owned by movie producers and entrepreneurs Elie Samaha and Steven Markoff. Yamashiro, according to The Real Deal, […]
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What to Do About the Academy Museum’s Pandering Problem
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has been a commercial hit and a critical misfire. In an era of declining Oscar telecast ratings, the new institution’s robust ticket sales — there have been nearly 2 million visitors since it opened in September 2021 — have turned it into a major Los Angeles draw, bolstered the […]
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DEI Is Not DOA — At Least Not Yet
The DEI dominoes started falling — or at least wobbling — last summer. There was a Supreme Court ruling all but gutting affirmative action on college campuses. In Hollywood, there was the mass exodus of diversity officers — at Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, Netflix and the Motion Picture Academy. Meanwhile, conservative activists launched a barrage […]
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Producer With Checkered History Eyes Purchase of Dolby Theatre, Home to Oscars
[Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Elie Samaha as once detained in a Lebanese prison over a family dispute. That dispute and detention concerned a different Elie Samaha, not the one eyeing the Dolby Theatre. We regret the error.] The home of the Oscars telecast may soon be purchased by a producer […]
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