Gene Maddaus-Senior Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer As it prepares for tough negotiations with the major studios, the Writers Guild of America issued a report on Friday emphasizing that the entertainment business is “highly profitable.” The guild is seeking to counter the gloomy tenor of industry coverage, which tends to stress that companies are losing billions on streaming. In its State of the Industry report, the guild argued that entertainment divisions remain profitable overall, and that the companies have a “path to profitability” in streaming. “(T)he fundamental truth remains: the content writers create has tremendous value,” the report concluded. “The companies have demonstrated time and time again that they can and will capture that value, but writers and the WGA must work to ensure that success is shared.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Alec Baldwin will face a two-week evidentiary hearing in a Santa Fe courtroom in May, as prosecutors seek to show there is enough evidence to try him for the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. At a brief status conference on Thursday, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer scheduled the preliminary hearing to begin on May 3. Baldwin’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, said that the actor “wants his day in court,” and would not agree to delay the hearing much beyond the 60-day statutory deadline. Baldwin and “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed were charged in January with involuntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The WGA announced Tuesday that 98.4% of members had voted in favor of the “pattern of demands,” a loose outline of topics for discussion in upcoming negotiations. The vote was not unexpected, but does signal a broad consensus around issues like wages, streaming residuals and “mini-rooms.” The negotiations are set to begin on March 20, ahead of the May 1 expiration of the current contract.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Santa Fe district attorney on Monday defended the appointment of a state lawmaker to prosecute Alec Baldwin in the “Rust” case, saying there is no reason she cannot fulfill both roles. Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed both face involuntary manslaughter charges in the October 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. They are scheduled for a virtual court appearance on Thursday. Baldwin’s lawyers are seeking to disqualify the special prosecutor, Andrea Reeb, arguing that she cannot serve as both a prosecutor and a member of the state Legislature under the separation-of-powers provision of the state constitution.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer “Michael,” the Lionsgate biopic about Michael Jackson, will receive more than $21 million in California tax credits, the state’s film commission announced Monday. The California Film Commission announced the latest round of credit allocations, totaling $81.7 million for 24 projects. The commission stated that “Michael” will generate $120 million in “qualified” in-state spending, which is more than any other project in the 14-year history of the tax credit program. The project was announced in January, with Jackson’s nephew Jaafar in the lead role. John Branca and John McClain, the executors of the Jackson estate, are producing with Graham King.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Paramount Global disclosed on Friday that it will pay $122.5 million to settle lawsuits from Viacom shareholders arising from the company’s merger with CBS. In a securities filing, the company revealed that it has agreed to settle the class action litigation now pending in the Delaware Court of Chancery. The settlement still requires judicial approval. The plaintiffs had alleged that Paramount Global’s chairwoman, Shari Redstone, ousted board members in a “tyrannical” effort to merge the two companies. The suit alleged that CBS stock was overpriced in the merger, and that Viacom was undervalued, causing harm to Viacom shareholders.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Georgia lawmakers will take a close look at all of the state’s tax incentives — including its TV and film production program — with an eye toward reforming the ones that don’t work. Gov. Brian Kemp joined Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and House Speaker Jon Burns on Thursday to announce that a “thorough review” of tax credits will take place after the current legislative session. The announcement specifically included the $1.3 billion film credit, the state’s largest tax incentive, which has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support. Jones, who was elected in November, campaigned eliminating the state income tax, which would require either eliminating tax credits entirely or turning them into cash grants. Other lawmakers have also sought to reduce income taxes for all taxpayers by eliminating business tax credits.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Attorneys for Jussie Smollett filed their appeal of his conviction on Wednesday, as they seek to keep him from having to go back to jail on hate crime hoax charges. Smollett was released a year ago pending his appeal, after serving six days of his 150-day sentence. Attorneys for the former “Empire” actor were originally due to file his appellate brief last August, but have been granted five extensions of that deadline. Smollett was convicted in December 2021 of lying to police when he claimed to have been assaulted by two men who shouted homophobic and racist slurs, poured a chemical substance on him, and put a rope around his neck.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer California has tried using carrots to encourage film and TV productions to hire a diverse workforce. Now, for the first time, it’s getting out the sticks. Under a proposal from the governor’s office, productions that fail to meet their diversity goals will lose 4% of their tax credit allocation. The provision is part of a five-year extension of the state’s $330 million tax credit. Productions that receive the credit will be required to submit a diversity “workplan,” under which they must commit to hire a crew that is “broadly reflective” of the state’s demographics.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer David Young, the chief negotiator for the Writers Guild of America West, has bowed out of the negotiations on a new basic agreement due to a medical leave. The WGA informed members Tuesday that Ellen Stutzman, the assistant executive director of the guild, will take over as chief negotiator. The move comes just three weeks before the high-stakes negotiations are set to begin with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The current three-year contract is due to expire on May 1, and writers have been agitating for significant increases in wages and residuals and for measures to address “mini rooms.” Stutzman has been with the guild for 17 years, and has been assistant executive director since 2018.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Three “Rust” crew members sued Alec Baldwin and the film’s producers on Monday, alleging they have suffered anxiety and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the shooting death of the film’s cinematographer. The three crew members were in the church building at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, N.M., when Baldwin’s gun fired, striking cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and director Joel Souza. Baldwin has denied pulling the trigger, though prosecutors have charged him with involuntarily manslaughter for allegedly firing the weapon while it was pointed at Hutchins. The plaintiffs in the latest suit are Ross Addiego, the dolly operator, Doran Curtin, the set costumer, and Reese Price, the key grip. According to the suit, all three were in close proximity to Baldwin when the gun was fired, and suffered “blast injuries” from the deafening sound of the shot.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed a key figure in Florida’s “parental rights” movement to the board that will oversee Disney’s Orlando theme parks, in a sign that the governor is still leaning in to the cultural fight with the entertainment giant. DeSantis signed a bill on Monday that strips Disney of control over its special governing district and establishes a successor agency to handle zoning, fire service, infrastructure and utilities at the parks. “The corporate kingdom finally comes to an end,” DeSantis said. He also appointed five members to the board of the newly named Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer In May 2021, Ashley Morgan Smithline appeared on the cover of People magazine next to the headline: “I survived a monster.” The story announced that Smithline, who has worked as a model and actor, was “ready to tell her truth” about the horrific abuse she had suffered at the hands of Marilyn Manson. Among other things, she alleged that Manson had tied her up and raped her while she slept, drank her blood and carved his initials into her thigh. “I was brainwashed, and it makes me feel disgusting,” she said, alongside a photo in which she displayed the scar. But in a three-page declaration filed in court on Thursday, Smithline recanted her allegations.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer who loaded Alec Baldwin’s gun on the set of “Rust,” made her first court appearance Friday in her involuntary manslaughter case. Gutierrez Reed did not enter a plea at the hearing, which was held via Google Meet. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, of the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe, N.M., advised her of her rights and set conditions of her release. At the brief hearing, District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies argued that Gutierrez Reed should not be allowed to possess a gun during the pendency of the case, given the allegation that she had engaged in “sloppy mishandling of firearms.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The producers of “Rust” have agreed to pay a reduced penalty of $100,000 to resolve the OSHA case that arose from the shooting death of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by Alec Baldwin. The New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau issued a $136,793 penalty last April, the highest allowed by law. Rust Movie Productions was scheduled to challenge the citation at a state commission hearing in June. Under the settlement, the state agency agreed to the reduced penalty and dropped its claim that the production committed a “willful” violation of safety rules. A “willful” citation is the most severe under OSHA’s enforcement system.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, and waived his appearance in court on Friday. Baldwin remains free without having to post a bond. The actor was due to make his first court appearance on Friday via Google Meet, but chose instead to submit his not guilty plea through a court filing. Baldwin faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted in connection with the death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The Santa Fe D.A. alleges that he acted with “criminal negligence” when he fired a loaded weapon during preparation for a scene at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in October 2021.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A former MoviePass executive was arrested Tuesday on charges that he embezzled $260,000 from the company to pay for a party at Coachella Music Festival. Khalid Itum, 42, was indicted on two counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering. The charges allege that Itum submitted sham invoices to MoviePass to pay for the marketing event, which he had run through a separate company that he owned and controlled. MoviePass collapsed in 2019, after losing hundreds of millions of dollars on its all-you-can-watch theatrical subscription business. Last November, the two top executives — Theodore Farnsworth and Mitch Lowe — were indicted on securities fraud charges for allegedly deceiving investors about the sustainability of the business.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Isabella Pollok, a member of the Sarah Lawrence sex cult featured in the Hulu docuseries “Stolen Youth,” was sentenced Wednesday to 54 months in federal prison. Pollok, 31, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering, avoiding a trial. According to prosecutors, she served as the chief lieutenant to Lawrence Ray, who relied on her to gain the trust of young women whom he would exploit for sex and money. Ray was sentenced in January to 60 years in prison, after being convicted of extortion, sex trafficking and racketeering. Under her plea agreement, Pollok faced a maximum of five years in prison. Her attorneys argued, however, that she should face no jail time, and stated that Ray had “brainwashed” her into doing his bidding.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Investigators spent more than a year sorting out blame for the death of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer killed on the set of “Rust.” In the end, two agencies came to two sharply different conclusions about Alec Baldwin’s level of responsibility as a producer of the film. Prosecutors charged Baldwin for firing the gun that killed Hutchins, but also for management failures that created a hazardous set. “We believe Baldwin, as a producer, knows everything that goes on, on the set,” prosecutor Andrea Reeb said on Fox News’ “The Five” last month. “There were a lot of safety concerns that were brought to the attention of management, and he did nothing about it.” 

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The producers of “Rust” announced Wednesday that they will complete the film at the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Montana, with production set to begin this spring. Alec Baldwin is still on board in the lead role, despite facing a charge of involuntary manslaughter in New Mexico for the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The filmmakers announced in October that they would finish the film, which has been on hold since Hutchins was shot and killed in October 2021. The announcement was made as the production settled a civil suit with Hutchins’ widower, Matthew, who will become an executive producer.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Prosecutors have dropped a five-year gun enhancement against Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, after the defendants argued that the law did not apply at the time of the shooting on the set “Rust.” Baldwin, the film’s star, and Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer, now face a maximum sentence of only 18 months if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. When the charges were filed on Jan. 31, prosecutors sought to apply a statute that imposes harsher penalties for gun crimes. Under New Mexico law, if a gun is discharged in the course of a felony, defendants can face an extra five years in prison.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Dominion Voting Systems alleges that emails, depositions and text messages among Fox News executives and its top stars show that the network had a clear financial motive to lie to its audience about voter fraud in the wake of the 2020 election. In a summary judgement motion filed Thursday, the company argued that Fox anchors feared losing viewers to rival Newsmax if they did not perpetuate the fantasy that the election was stolen from President Trump. “The network is being rejected,” wrote Sean Hannity, in a text message to Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson. In another text thread, Hannity wrote: “Respecting this audience whether we agree or not is critical.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced her retirement on Tuesday, setting the stage for the most competitive Senate race in California in three decades. Feinstein, who will turn 90 in June, said she will not seek reelection when her term expires in 2024. Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter have already announced their campaigns to succeed her, and Rep. Barbara Lee is also expected to join the race. Feinstein has served California since being elected in 1992, and is the oldest current member of Congress. In recent years, her declining acuity has been a source of widespread concern, especially when she was the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee during the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. She relinquished that post in 2020.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer “Rust” will resume production in January, more than a year after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed on set. But the production will not return to New Mexico, where a criminal investigation and state workplace safety proceedings remain unresolved. The production is still looking for a new location, but California is a possibility, said Melina Spadone, the attorney for Rust Movie Productions LLC. The production company announced a settlement on Oct. 5 with Matthew Hutchins, the widower of the cinematographer. Under the agreement, the production will be able to resume after a 15-month hiatus. Matthew Hutchins said in a statement that completing the film would be a way “to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The first witness in the Danny Masterson trial broke down in tears on Wednesday as she told jurors that the actor had raped her in April 2003. The woman, who prefers to be identified as Jane Doe #1, testified that she remembered waking up in Masterson’s bed, with him on top of her and penetrating her. She said she tried to shove him away with a pillow, but he grabbed her wrists with one hand and grabbed her throat with the other. “I just couldn’t breathe,” she said, crying and daubing her face with a tissue. “He squeezed really, really hard.” She added that she felt “that I was going to die.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer As his term in office winds down, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has kept a low profile. But he spoke at a recent downtown luncheon and offered some advice to the next mayor — whether it’s Karen Bass or Rick Caruso. “The top three issues for my successor — it’s housing, it’s housing and it’s housing,” Garcetti said. “There is no issue more important than housing.” Bass is leading Caruso by a significant margin in the polls, and so she in particular has been getting a lot of advice lately. Among her most influential supporters is Jeffrey Katzenberg, the Hollywood mogul who has spent $1.85 million to boost her campaign — making him her largest single financier.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Scientology was front and center on Tuesday as the rape trial against “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson began with opening statements. Masterson is a Scientologist and each of his alleged victims was a Scientologist at the time of the alleged rapes, which span from 2001 to 2003. Reinhold Mueller, the lead prosecutor, made several references in his opening statement to church terminology and practices in explaining why two of the accusers delayed reporting to the police. “They can declare you a suppressive person,” Mueller said. “You are essentially an enemy of the church. Your friends, your parents — if you have children who are part of the church — they all have to detach from you. Essentially you lose everything.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Attorneys are set to give opening statements in the Danny Masterson rape trial on Tuesday, as a jury is expected to be chosen by mid-morning. Over the last week, the initial pool of 225 potential jurors has been narrowed to about 85. On Monday, the defense and the prosecution began to question the potential jurors in open court — in what is called voir dire — after an initial round of screening from Judge Charlaine Olmedo. One of the key questions has been how much the potential jurors know about Scientology. Masterson is a Scientologist and each of his three accusers was a Scientologist at the time of the alleged rape. The accusers — now all ex-Scientologists — have said that they delayed going to the police out of concern that they could be excommunicated.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The settlement that will allow production to resume on “Rust” has stirred complicated feelings among the film’s crew, with some saying they would not return to the project while others support the decision. The producers announced on Oct. 5 that they plan to resume production in January, more than a year after Alec Baldwin shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while preparing for a scene at a location near Santa Fe, N.M. The producers — including Baldwin — settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Hutchins’ widower, Matthew, and said they intend to complete the film to honor Hutchins’ memory.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Jury selection got underway on Tuesday in the case of Danny Masterson, the former “That ’70s Show” actor who is facing 45 years to life on three charges of rape. The selection process is expected to take about a week. The attorneys will ask the prospective jurors about their feelings on the #MeToo movement and the Church of Scientology, which will play a significant role in the trial. The defense is particularly concerned that jurors will come into court with a negative view of the church. “We have almost a perfect storm of prejudice in this case,” defense attorney Karen Goldstein said on Monday.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA on Monday called for the resignations of three Los Angeles council members and the president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, after the council president was caught on tape making racist and homophobic remarks. The actors’ union joined a chorus of outrage that followed the leak on Sunday of an hourlong conversation, in which Council President Nury Martinez disparaged indigenous Mexicans and made racist remarks about the three-year-old Black son of a fellow council member. “Racism and homophobia have no place in the labor movement, government or society,” the actors’ union said in a statement. “All leaders must be held to a higher standard that centers on anti-racism and immediately calls out discrimination and hateful comments in the moment.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer At a pre-trial hearing in the Danny Masterson rape case last week, Judge Charlaine Olmedo laid down a basic ground rule. “This is not going to become a trial on Scientology,” she said. But the role of the church will nevertheless be a key theme in the trial, which begins with jury selection on Tuesday. Masterson, the 46-year-old former star of “That ’70s Show,” is facing three charges of forcible rape and a possible sentence of 45 years to life. Masterson is a Scientologist, and all three of his accusers were members of the church at the time of the alleged assaults. Olmedo has indicated that she will allow some testimony about Scientology and its practices, especially to the extent that it helps explain why the accusers delayed going to the police — for two of them, by more than a decade.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The second trial of Harvey Weinstein will get underway this week in a Los Angeles courtroom, in a case that figures to be more sprawling and complex than his first trial in New York. The trial is expected to last up to two months, as Weinstein faces testimony from nine sexual assault accusers — up from six in New York. Jury selection begins on Monday and is expected to take at least two weeks, as both sides seek to screen out jurors who may be prejudiced by ubiquitous pre-trial publicity. Weinstein, 70, is already serving a 23-year sentence after being convicted of rape and sexual assault two years ago. The New York Court of Appeals has agreed to hear his case, but a conviction in Los Angeles — where he faces up to 140 years behind bars — could effectively guarantee that he never goes free.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The settlement of the wrongful death lawsuit in the “Rust” shooting will have no effect on the district attorney’s consideration of criminal charges, the D.A.’s office said Wednesday. The producers of “Rust,” including Alec Baldwin, announced a settlement on Wednesday morning with Matthew Hutchins, the husband of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The producers intend to resume production of the film in January. “The proposed settlement announced today in Matthew Hutchins’ wrongful death case against ‘Rust’ movie producers, including Alec Baldwin, in the death of Halyna Hutchins will have no impact on District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies’ ongoing investigation or her ultimate decision whether to file criminal charges in the case,” said Heather Brewer, a spokeswoman for the D.A.’s office. “While civil suits are settled privately and often involve financial awards, criminal cases deal only in facts. If the facts and evidence warrant criminal charges under New Mexico law then charges will be brought. No one is above the law.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Kevin Spacey and Anthony Rapp are set to square off in a federal courtroom on Thursday, in the first of four #MeToo trials to get underway this month in New York and Los Angeles. The other three trials involve producer Harvey Weinstein, director Paul Haggis and actor Danny Masterson. The four cases — two civil, two criminal — each involve at least one sexual assault allegation against a once-powerful celebrity whose career was badly damaged, if not destroyed, in the court of public opinion. Coming five years after the #MeToo movement began, the trials will involve similar themes — power imbalances in the entertainment industry, the dynamics of sexual assault, the reliability of memories, and the nature of due process.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Danny Masterson’s lawyer warned on Monday that TV ads in the race for Los Angeles mayor could inflame hostility toward the Church of Scientology, making it harder for Masterson to receive a fair trial. Masterson, the former “That ’70s Show” star, is scheduled to go on trial next week on three charges of forcible rape. Masterson is a member of the Church of Scientology, and the church and its processes are likely to figure in the trial. The church has also become an issue in the mayor’s race. Last week, Rick Caruso began running an ad attacking Karen Bass for praising Scientology during a speech in 2010. The ad includes a quote referring to the church as a “ruthless global scam.” Bass responded by saying that she “absolutely condemn(s) their practices.”