Hollywood Week: Entertainment CEOs Endorse Harris, Skydance Sets The Date, TIFF, Matthew Perry

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Category: Entertainment News
Published on Saturday, 07 September 2024 10:19
Written by Janet Walker

With the 2024 presidential election quickly approaching, entertainment industry leaders are doing more than opening their wallets to show their support of Vice-President Kamala Harris, they have penned an open endorsement letter to encourage voters to vote.

Entertainment CEO's Pen Open Letter Endorsement

After a tumultuous campaign season, marred with opinion pieces ranging from determined, the writing on the wall there is no path to victory, to love bombing, we love you but Joe you gotta go, a group of 88 entertainment and tech industry leaders have come together to jointly pen a letter supporting Vice-President Kamala Harris for president.

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, the letter begins with a simple declarative statement of support.

"We endorse Kamala Harris's election as President of the United States. Her election is the best way to support the continued strength, security, and reliability of our democracy and economy. With Kamala Harris in the White House, the business community can be confident that it will have a President who wants American industries to thrive. As a partner to President Biden, Vice President Harris has a strong record of advancing actions to spur business investment in the United States and ensure American businesses can compete and win in the global market. She will continue to advance fair and predictable policies that support the rule of law, stability, and a sound business environment, and she will strive to give every American the opportunity to pursue the American dream."

TIFF Opens

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival has opened and will run until September 15, 2024. Gala screenings include Francis Ford Coppola, Megalopolis, which is the film's North American premiere, and William Tell a film by Nick Hamm, which will see its world Premiere at TIFF. Luca Guadagnino's Queer, with Daniel Craig, will have its North American Premiere.

The festival will also present the 10th Anniversary screening of Damien Chazelle's Whiplash. Among the newly announced Special Presentations titles is Pedro Almodóvar's The Room Next Door.

Visit tiff.net/schedule to view the full schedule and tiff.net/films to see the full list of films.

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Bronfman Bows Out, Skydance Sets the Date

Days after Seagram's heir Edgar Bronfman had up the ante in the Paramount deal, he notified the search committee, of his intent to withdraw his bid in what had shaped up to be an all-star match up between the underdog Skydance, led by David Ellison, son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison, and Entertainment Veteran, Bronfman, who landed a solid bid, and then raised it, which gave the impression of an 'in it to win it' deal.

"Edgar Bronfman Jr. dropped out of the bidding process for Paramount Global on Monday night, ending a months-long saga for control of the media giant. The pullout, barring any unforeseen issues or regulatory challenges, means Paramount will end up being acquired by David Ellison's Skydance Media, whose $8 billion offer was approved by Paramount's board last month," reported TheWrap.com.

The Paramount Board special committee, overseeing the bidding and investor process, confirmed the Skydance Paramount merger will close in the first half of 2025.

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Matthew Perry Doctor Accepts Plea Deal

A trial date for the alleged Hollywood Ketamine Queen Jasveen Sangha, 41, and Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 42, one of the two doctors charged in the death of Matthew Perry, the star of the 1990s hit television series "Friends," who died from a ketamine overdose last year, has been set for March 5, 2025.

"Ketamine Queen," Jasveen Sangha and "Dr.P" Salvador Plasencia are each charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Sangha is charged with nine various drug counts, including five counts of distribution of ketamine.

Her attorney, Mark Geragos, said in a statement, "There's no mystery, she isn't connected to Matthew Perry at all. People try to make her out to be something that she isn't but there's a whole different side here and story to be told and that will be told at her trial," The Daily Mail reported.

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Sangha, who has documented her lavish lifestyle on Instagram and other social media sites, has been linked to another ketamine death, Cody McLaury who died of an overdose in 2019. On the nine drug related counts in the Matthew Perry case, she faces a minimum of ten years to a maximum of life in prison.

Salvador "Dr.P" Plasencia, 42, is charged with seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the federal investigation. He was released after posting a $100,000 bond. Should he be convicted he faces up to 10 years for each ketamine count and 20 years for each falsifying records count.

In total a network of five individuals were charged in Perry's death. Sangha and Plasencia, have entered pleas of "Not Guilty," and their case is proceeding to trial.

Other charged in the case that have made plea deals include Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, who faces up to ten years in prison, and the loss of his license to practice medicine, and cooperation in the prosecution of the two remaining defendants who have yet to enter into a plea agreement. Also accepting a plea agreement Perry's former live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, who faces 15 years in prison, and Erik Fleming, 54, is facing 25 years.

"These defendants cared more about profiting off of Mr. Perry than caring for his well-being," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. "Drug dealers selling dangerous substances are gambling with other people's lives over greed. This case, along with our many other prosecutions of drug-dealers who cause death, send a clear message that we will hold drug-dealers accountable for the deaths they cause," the Department of Justice said in a released statement.

 

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. Ms. Walker has completed five 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 is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and the International Federation of Journalists.

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