Hollywood Week: Bari Weiss, the MAGA Mouthpiece, Celine Dion, Dirty Rotten Scandals, Bob Barker, Tiger Woods

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Category: Haute This Issue

Published on Saturday, 04 April 2026 10:36

Written by Janet Walker

The Paramount-Skydance merger, which included CBS, one of the oldest television networks in the nation, has revealed its intent to remake the once revered news programming division into a MAGA mouthpiece, to influence the upcoming elections.

CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss Programming Makeover

CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, the former woke conservative opinion columnist, has moved quickly to remake the CBS news programming division, beginning with the complete annihilation of CBS radio news programming.

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All CBS radio affiliates were notified over the past week that their services were no longer required as the cuts were necessary as the former Substack and conservative niche writer explained cuts are necessary as the network restructures. Additional cuts are expected as Weiss explained, "parts of the newsroom may get smaller" as she believes the media environment is evolving rapidly and the need to be agile in finding "new audiences in new places" translates to traditional staff cuts while she and her staff use the media diving rod to locate these new audiences.

Essentially she is looking for the next generation of MAGA supporters and attempting to lure them from their traditional media site to the new revamped MAGA supporting CBS.

"In October 2025, Paramount Skydance bought The Free Press for $150 million and installed Weiss, who had no prior experience in broadcast journalism, as editor-in-chief of CBS News. [. . .] This announcement was interpreted by critics as a sign that CBS was shifting rightward in response to the Trump era and was praised by Trump himself. This was shortly followed by layoffs, which, one former CBS producer alleged, primarily targeted racial minorities while white employees were simply shifted to other jobs. The total reported losses were around 100 employees, including eight on-air hosts, all of them women," Wikipedia reported.

For the news minded members of society, the idea of the CBS News make-over isn't about programming that allows the viewer to make a decision based on facts, it is about using the broadcast opportunity to develop a MAGA mouthpiece to help secure the Midterm elections for the GOP, and even further to use the CBS news and news programming including the storied "60 Minutes," which is now subject to review by those who are instilled by the governing leadership to redact and remove any news or segment that may portray any person, especially republicans in a unfavorable light.

Media, including print, and broadcast journalism, is divided between democratic broadsheets and MAGA mouthpieces, and the new CBS is intent on using all its broadcast stations to damn the democrats, and create this political civil war within society.

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Streaming Wars New Battle Front

It was a different time in Hollywood, and many of the most well-known secrets in tinsel town, are finally bubbling to the surface like a hidden volcano, ready to erupt and expose the many who played a role in the days of blatant sexual harassment, toxic work environments, ageism, discrimination, and or demands for oral sex, anal sex, and vaginal sex in exchange for employment and keeping one's job.

As streaming competition continues to dominate, the streaming wars, especially with the Paramount-Skydance-WBD merger, have created new front in the quest for subscribers: that of the expose.

As of April 3, 2026, the FX limited series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette has achieved over 65 million hours streamed globally across Hulu and Disney+. The series, which is part of Ryan Murphy's anthology, became the most-watched limited series in FX history on streaming platforms.

Which, for studio programming, equates to the development of other exposes, transforming the newsstand tabloid to the living room streaming experience.

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Dirty Rotten Scandals - Bob Barker Defended

"Dirty Rotten Scandals," which also streams on Hulu, includes two episodes based on "The Price is Right" host Bob Barker, and the long alleged toxic workplace violations including sexual harassment, ageism, or wrongful termination, has been lambasted as a "hit piece" by longtime producer Roger Dobkowitz. However, court documents show that Barker, who died at the age of 99, in 2023, settled many of the cases brought against him.

The two episodes featuring Barker, who served as the show's emcee for 35 years, center on several of "Barker's Beauties," models including Holly Hallstorm, who worked on the show for 18 years, from 1977 to 1995.

"Hallstrom claimed she was told she was terminated because she gained weight, but she said the real reason that she and other models on the show lost their jobs was because they refused to testify in court on Barker's behalf after fellow model Dian Parkinson, who was having an affair with the host, sued him for sexual harassment in 1994. After Hallstrom took her story to the press, Barker sued her for defamation, but he later dropped the lawsuit just days before they were set to go to trial in 2000," Yahoo! reported.

She eventually countersued and won a settlement in 2005. It wasn't until his death in 2023, that she was allowed to speak freely about the dark side of Bob Barker.  The episodes on Bob Barker also include former models Kathleen Bradley, Claudia Jordan, and Price is Right staffers Linda Riegert and Barbara Hunter.

Other television scandals appearing in the limited series include Dr. Phil, from the "Dr. Phil Show," and Tyra Banks, from "America's Next Top Model."

Society, by and large, no longer holds to the possibility that those in positions of power will not use that power to force unwanted sexual advances upon junior staffers. The public believes that every person, who holds some authority over another, is capable of becoming the aggressor and holding the golden ticket, the dream, the promotion, the opportunity, as bait in the quid pro quo barter system.

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Celine Dion Announces New Tour

International superstar Celine Dion, who retired from entertainment in 2022, to focus on her health issues, has announced this week she would be returning to the Paris stage for ten shows, from September to October.

The Canadian singer, 58, who was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare progressive autoimmune neurological disorder, has not performed publicly since the single performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Dion has received 469 global music nominations, and has won 228 awards, including, Grammys, Billboard, American Music Awards, and Felix awards.

Presales for her upcoming Paris shows begin Monday, April 7, 2026.

Tiger Woods Update

Pro golfer Tiger Woods, 50, who blamed his latest driving arrest on cellphone distraction, has flown to Zurich, Switzerland, to seek treatment. During Woods' arrest, officers found hydrocodone, a highly addictive opioid used to treat chronic pain, in his pocket and noted that Woods was lethargic.

Woods, who explained to the arresting officers he had not been drinking subsequently submitted and passed a breathalyzer. He did, however, refused to submit to a urine analysis.  

"Woods' movement was lethargic and slow," the report read. "While walking, I observed Woods limping and stumbling to the right … I asked Woods if he was able to perform tasks such as walking and lifting his leg, Woods advised he has a limp and his ankle seizes while walking," The Athletic reported.

Woods entered a not guilty plea and his lawyer, Douglas Duncan, demanded a jury trial. Florida Judge Darren Steele approved the request to allow Woods to leave the country to seek care at an international high-end treatment facility, due to his high profile status and need for privacy. He arrived on April 3, 2026.

Hydrocodone, an opioid, is often referred to as its discontinued brand name, Vicodin, and is a Class II scheduled narcotic. It is highly addictive and used to treat chronic pain. Under medical supervision and used properly the drug is effective in managing pain symptoms. Misused and hydrocodone can lead to overdoses.

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Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five award-winning screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," a non-fiction narrative, "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," and "Songs of Freedom: A Collection of Biblical Teachings," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Authors Guild, the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.