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Killing an all-but-completed movie would alienate the people Zaslav — or at least Hollywood — needed most: the people who made the movies. Under fire, Zaslav defended the decision in an earnings call with analysts, saying he shelved “Batgirl” to protect the DC brand. More quietly, Zaslav also sought cover in the authority of Bryan Lourd, the powerful co-chairman of Creative Artists Agency and a leading arbiter of Hollywood mores. As Zaslav told it to several associates, Lourd had supported the decision, observing that it wasn’t in the interest of C.A.A. “We have made unpopular decisions because they were necessary.”Hollywood was in trouble before David Zaslav came to town.

Persons: Zaslav, Wiedenfels, Batgirl ”, Michael Keaton, ”, Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah, Walter Hamada, Courtenay Valenti, Bryan Lourd, Lourd, Leslie Grace, “ Bryan Lourd, ’ ”, David Zaslav, “ Organizations: DC Comics, Hollywood, DC, Warner Brothers, Creative Artists Agency, Discovery, McKinsey, W.B.D Locations: Scotland, New York, Hollywood, W.B.D

☆ Writers Guild Faces Backlash for Not Condemning Hamas Attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Nicole Sperling | More About Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Just weeks after the Writers Guild of America displayed solidarity by ending a monthslong strike and voting overwhelmingly in favor of a new contract with the major entertainment companies, the union is being roiled by a fight over its lack of a public statement condemning the Hamas attack on Israel. On Oct. 15, eight days after the attack, a group of screenwriters signed an open letter to the Writers Guild asking why it had not issued a statement condemning the attack. The letter now has more than 300 signers, including Jerry Seinfeld, Amy Sherman-Palladino (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) and Gideon Raff (“Homeland”). Later Friday, Meredith Stiehm, the president of the Writers Guild of America West, sent an email to members who had inquired about the lack of a response. “For these reasons, we have decided not to comment publicly.”Calls to the union on Monday were not returned.

Persons: Jerry Seinfeld, Amy Sherman, Palladino, Maisel, Gideon Raff, ”, Meredith Stiehm, “, ” Jonathan Greenblatt, Maha Dakhil, Israel, Dakhil, Bryan Lourd, Natalie Portman, Tom Cruise, Reese Witherspoon Organizations: Writers Guild of America, Writers Guild, The New York Times, Defamation League, Hollywood, Creative Artists Agency, The Times Locations: Israel

☆ Opinion: Julia Ormond is speaking for a generation of women who won’t be silenced
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Opinion Sara Stewart | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Ormond’s claim alleges that Weinstein sexually assaulted her in 1995 after a business dinner and that Ormond told her agents about it, and that they advised her against speaking out about it. “Harvey Weinstein categorically denies the allegations made against him by Julia Ormond and he is prepared to vehemently defend himself,” a representative for Weinstein told CNN in a statement. It includes awful, if unsurprising, details from the lawsuit about what happened when she told her agents at the time. In addition, after the incident and her disclosure of it to her agents, Ormond says CAA lost interest in representing her and her career was damaged dramatically anyway. I once wrote an awards-season story about an actor/director accused of sexual harassment by multiple women on his team.

Persons: Sara Stewart, CNN —, Sara Stewart Todd Thompson, Julia Ormond, Harvey Weinstein, Weinstein, Ormond, Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane, “ Harvey Weinstein, ”, Ormond’s, Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Sean Connery, Sabrina ”, Harrison Ford, Greg Kinnear, wouldn’t, Annabella Sciorra, Darryl Hannah, Ashley Judd, Mira Sorvino, Rosanna Arquette, Heather Graham, Claire Forlani, Rae Dawn Chong, Salma Hayek, Uma Thurman, I’ve, I’m, Amber Heard, Russell Brand, who’ve Organizations: CNN, Variety, Creative Rights Agency, CAA, Walt Disney Company, Miramax, Mr, ” CNN, Women, Brennan Center, Justice Locations: Pennsylvania, “, Rolling, Hollywood

☆ Julia Ormond sues Harvey Weinstein for battery along with Disney, CAA and Miramax as enablers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Actress Julia Ormond is suing disgraced former film producer Harvey Weinstein for battery and sexual assault she says occurred in 1995, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by CNN. Ormond is also suing the once Weinstein-owned Miramax as well the Walt Disney Company, which purchased Miramax in 1993, for negligence and Hollywood talent agency CAA (Creative Artists Agency), who represented the actress, for negligence and breach of fiduciary trust. (A majority stake of CAA was recently purchased by the Artémis investment firm.) In the complaint, first reported by Variety, Ormond alleges that in December 1995, she and Weinstein were supposed to have a business dinner to discuss a project. Weinstein, 71, was at the center of allegations that fueled the global #MeToo movement in 2017.

Persons: Julia Ormond, Harvey Weinstein, Ormond, Weinstein, Weinstein “, ” “ Harvey Weinstein, ”, Ormond’s, ” Ormond, Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane, “, Sabrina ”, Grandin, Ormond Douglas H, Wigdor, Effie Blassberger, Rosenberg Kirshner, Linder, he’d Organizations: CNN, Miramax, Walt Disney Company, Hollywood, CAA, Creative Artists Agency, Variety, Mr, Disney, ” CNN, Warner Brothers Discovery, AMC, Wigdor LLP, Linder LLP Locations: “, Clayman, Los Angeles, New York

☆ The 2023 superyacht summer recap: Jeff Bezos is now king of the high seas
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

For billionaires and their celebrity friends, warm weather means it's yacht season. Four years later, Bezos is no longer Amazon's CEO, and he's spent the last few months earning a new title: king of the high seas. As 2023's yacht season comes to a close, it's clear that Bezos' brand new $500 million superyacht won the summer. AdvertisementAdvertisementYacht season's runner-up: billionaire Barry Diller's EosThe Eos, owned by Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg, is a yacht-season staple. The Eos docked in Venice to end its summer season, where von Furstenberg hosted the annual DVF Awards — and began furnishing one of her dry-land residences.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, David Geffen's, Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, he's, superyacht, David Zaslav, Bezos, Koru, Lauren Sanchez —, —, that's, Sanchez, Bill Gates, Whitney Wolfe Herd, Ari Emanuel, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Katy Perry, Usher, Barry Diller's Eos, Barry Diller, Diane von Furstenberg, Horacio Villalobos, Eos, Diller, von Furstenberg, Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Edward Enninful, Valentino, Valentino Giancarlo Giammetti, Kris Jenner, Candice Bergen, Emma Thompson, Jason Blum, Diane Sawyer, Bryan Lourd, Giorgio Armani's, Sydney Sweeney, Kerry Washington, Geffen, it's Organizations: Service, Warner Bros, Discovery, Hollywood, Bezos, British Vogue, Creative Artists Agency, Geffen Locations: Wall, Silicon, Gibraltar, Spain, Cannes, Positano, Dubrovnik, Croatia, Mallorca, Greece, Amalfi, Venice, Venice's, Capri, Portland , Maine

Putting a price on celebrityIn buying a majority stake in the powerhouse Hollywood talent agency Creative Artists Agency, François-Henri Pinault showed that high-ticket M.&A. is a game that more than one French luxury billionaire can play. Acquiring CAA — which represents stars including Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie and Pinault’s wife, Salma Hayek Pinault — underscores Pinault’s ambitions, and reinforces the growing importance of celebrity in the luxury sector. Like his archrival, Bernard Arnault of LVMH, Pinault used a series of acquisitions to assemble the luxury empire now known as Kering, starting with Gucci and later adding Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen and more. The agency will be run separately from Kering; Bryan Lourd, the superagent who represents Scarlett Johansson and Brad Pitt, will become C.E.O.

Persons: Henri Pinault, Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Pinault’s, Salma Hayek Pinault, Bernard Arnault, Pinault, Saint, Bottega, Alexander McQueen, —, Bryan Lourd, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Pitt Organizations: Hollywood, Creative Artists Agency, CAA, Gucci, Puma Locations: Bottega Veneta, Kering

[1/2] Cars are shown lined up at the valet parking area outside the Creative Artists Agency building in Los Angeles, California, September 24, 2012. REUTERS/Jonathan Alcorn Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Sept 7 (Reuters) - French luxury goods billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault has reached an agreement for a majority stake in Creative Artists Agency (CAA), adding Hollywood's premiere talent agency to his family empire which spans fashion, wine and contemporary art, parties involved said on Tuesday. The presence of stars like Beyonce, Zendaya and Rihanna have become key to drawing the spotlight to fashion shows, and Kering's larger rival LVMH(LVMH.PA) recruited Pharrell Williams to head menswear designs for Louis Vuitton. TPG first invested in CAA in 2010 and, in 2014, increased its stake to 53% in a deal valuing the agency at $1.1 billion. Global investment firm Temasek will remain a minority investor in the agency while CMC Capital will remain a "strategic partner", according to a statement.

Persons: Jonathan Alcorn, Francois, Henri Pinault, Pinault, Gucci, Beyonce, Zendaya, Rihanna, Pharrell Williams, Louis Vuitton, Pinault's, Salma Hayek, Valentino, perfumer, Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane, Richard Lovett, Lourd, Sudip Kar, Mimosa Spencer, Dawn Chmielewski, Jonathan Oatis, Tomasz Janowski, Timothy Gardner Organizations: Creative Artists Agency, REUTERS, Rights, CAA, Artemis, TPG, Global, CMC Capital, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Temasek, Paris

☆ Disney's wildest ride: Iger, Chapek and the making of an epic succession mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +88 min

Iger told Chapek that he lived for those "two-shower days," according to people familiar with the conversation. In January 2020, Iger told Chapek the plan was back on. During his 27 years at the company, Chapek had only attended one annual meeting — as a guest in the audience. Bob Iger, Disney CEO, during a CNBC interview, Feb. 9, 2023. WATCH: Disney CEO Bob Iger's exclusive July 2023 CNBC interviewTake the 'A'During Chapek's tenure as CEO, Disney lost more than a quarter of its market value.

Persons: Elham, Bob Iger, Bob Chapek, Iger, wasn't, Chapek, Michael Eisner, —, who's, he's, Clint Eastwood, Eastwood, Arthur Bochner, Jackie Hart, Kareem Daniel, Chapek —, Eisner, Michael Ovitz, Ovitz, Bob, Disney's, Kevin Mayer, Mayer, Bryan van der Beek, he'd, Tom Staggs, Staggs, Staggs —, Steve Jobs, cajoled Ike Perlmutter, George Lucas, Rupert Murdoch, Iger's, Susan Arnold, Arnold, Peter Rice, David Paul Morris, Rice, CNBC's Julia Boorstin, Mark Parker, Mary Barra, Michael Froman, Willow, Parker, John Donahoe, Roy Disney, Walt Disney, Stanley Gold, David A, CNBC Eisner, Big Bob, Little Bob, Christine McCarthy, Patrick T, He'd, McCarthy, Iger —, Coronavirus, Gavin Newsom, Michael Kovac, curtly, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Ben Smith, Smith, Disney, Randy Shropshire, Agnes Chu, Ricky Strauss, Chu, Strauss, Kevin Feige, Kathleen Kennedy, Who's, Alan Bergman, Bergman, Bob Kyncl, Daniel —, Iger didn't, Daniel rankled, Daniel, Chapek didn't, James Pitaro, Jesse Grant, CNBC Chapek, Jimmy Pitaro, Zenia Mucha, didn't, Mucha, Barbara Walters, Charles Eshelman, Scarlett Johansson, Scarlett Johansson —, Florence Pugh, Natasha, Yelena, " Johansson, Bryan Lourd, Johansson, Lourd, Steven Spielberg, Al Michaels, David Muir, Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan, Spielberg, Geoff Morrell, Alan Braverman, Alan Horn, Jayne Parker, Bochner, Claire Lee, Paul Richardson, Josh D'Amaro, Ron DeSantis, Morrell, Disney Animation —, George Floyd, Reba Saldanha, Reuters Chapek, DeSantis, Nicholas Maldonado, Octavio Jones, Chapek she'd, we're, " Morrell, CNN's Chris Wallace, Kristina Schake, John Skipper, Daniel steamrolled, Latondra Newton, Newton, Charles Krupa, Pitaro, NBCUniversal's Peacock, Dana Walden, Thomas Murphy, Josh Kushner, Privately, Schake, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Michelle Obama's, David Dee Delgado, Kara Swisher, hadn't, Netflix's, overhiring, McCarthy hadn't, Safra Catz, Kareem, DMED, Horacio Gutierrez, Justin Warbrooke, Alexia Quadrani, Bryan Castellani, Michael Buckner, Quadrani, Lindsay Lohan, Winnie, Nelson Peltz, Catz, Donald Trump's, they'd, Walden, Gutierrez, D'Amaro, Rich Polk, Walden he'd, Iger she'd, Mickey Mouse, Mark Rightmire, haven't, Indiana Jones, Halle Bailey, Ariel, Hamilton Faber, Rich Greenfield, Bob Iger's, — Mayer, McCarthy —, doesn't, they'll Organizations: Disney, Marvel, CNBC, Bloomberg, Getty, Walt Disney, Indiana University, Michigan State University, Shanghai Disney, Man, Hong Kong Disneyland, Walt Disney Parks, Resorts, Pixar, Fox, Chapek, Nike, General, Mastercard, Foreign Relations, University of Pennsylvania, Grogan, Disney's, Fallon, ABC, ESPN, ABC News, California Gov, New York Times, Disney confidants, Hollywood, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Television, Walt Disney Studios, Hulu, HBO Max, Walt Disney Company, YouTube, Companies, Netflix, Apple, Disney Media, Entertainment, Stanford, Rights, Junior, petulant, Filmmagic, Brunswick Group, Covid, CAA, onetime Defense Department, Century Fox, Human, Florida Gov, Republican, Disney Animation, Reuters, Human Rights, HRC, Walt Disney World, Employees, American Foundation for Equal Rights, AP, Amazon Prime, Paramount, South Pacific, Capital Cities, Dow Jones, CVS, Kingdom, Variety, Trian Partners, Charter Communications, U.S, Comcast, Charter's, MediaNews, Orange, Allen, Co, Candle Media, Advisors Locations: Burbank , California, Midwestern, Brentwood, Los Angeles, Westlake Village, Iger, Hammond , Indiana, Shanghai, China, Hong, Fox, Willow Bay, Raleigh , North Carolina, Orlando, U.S, Hulu, Iger's Brentwood, coronavirus, Brunswick, Hollywood, Hawaii, Disney's, Marvel's, Anaheim , California, Montana, Florida, Rye , New Hampshire, Chapek, Hong Kong, California, missteps, South, DMED, Burbank, New York, India, Atlantic, Sun Valley , Idaho, America

☆ Scarlett Johansson says she was ‘groomed’ for ‘bombshell’ roles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Marianne Garvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Scarlett Johansson is opening up about some of her early roles. During a conversation on the “Table for Two” podcast on Tuesday, Johansson described how she felt while filming her 2003 movies “Lost in Translation” and “Girl with a Pearl Earring” while she was still a teenager. “I think it was because of that trajectory I had been sort of launched towards, I really got stuck,” she said. “I was kind of being groomed, in a way, to be this what you call a bombshell-type of actor.”Johannson said her agent Bryan Lourd helped her turn things around. “But for that kind of bombshell, you know, that burns bright and quick and then it’s done and you don’t have opportunity beyond that.”

☆ How Bryan Lourd became one of the most powerful people in the history of Hollywood
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

Lourd, 61, isn't a household name, but he wields a stunning amount of influence in Hollywood. Lourd's Hollywood clients aren't just A-listers, they're A+-listers: Brad Pitt. An old-fashioned talent agent who loves discussing old movies and doesn't mind pointing out the flaws in his own clients' work, Lourd has become arguably the most powerful person in Hollywood. "He's one of the most powerful people in the history of Hollywood," said Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos. But Lourd's clients are such bankable stars that it's equally important for Hollywood executives to be friendly with him as it is beneficial for Lourd and CAA.

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