Hollywood Week: Paramount-Skydance Exec Out, Disney/Sony Layoffs, National Enquirer Achieves, Matthew Perry, BAFTA

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Category: Haute This Issue

Published on Saturday, 11 April 2026 10:32

Written by Janet Walker

Paramount-Skydance President Jeff Shell is stepping down as a recent investigation concluded he had shared company information to a professional gambler, and even as Shell has been cleared of wrongdoing the allegations create the impression of impropriety.

Jeff Shell Out at Paramount-Skydance

Paramount-Skydance president Jeff Shell tendered his resignation and board seat after an internal investigation found he had divulged company information to a professional gambler and whistleblower R.J. Cipriani filed a $150 million lawsuit who alleged the executive violated SEC rules.

"Consistent with Mr. Shell's commitment to prioritizing PSKY's success, he has elected to transition from his positions as President of PSKY and a member of PSKY's Board of Directors to focus on this lawsuit," the company said in its statement. "PSKY is grateful for Mr. Shell's many contributions and to have relied on him as a valued advisor," CNBC reported.

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Disney, SONY Begin Layoffs

The shift in consumers entertainment preferences continue to reshape the structure of Hollywood studios. The fallout, which includes reorganization, focusing on combining silos that consistently produce for maximum efficiency, and as box office receipts have yet to return pre-pandemic highs, studios are left with few options.

The importance of fiscal awareness and strategies to combat the financial losses have created the need to reduce the workforce.

"Layoffs have been a brutal reality across the entertainment industry for the past few years. Sony Pictures, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery have also cut staff. More layoffs are expected if and when Paramount closes its acquisition of Warner, reported The Wall Street Journal.

Current projections are that both SONY and DISNEY will cut upwards of 1000 staff members in the coming week. The expectations are that marketing will be heavily impacted.

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National Enquirer Sensationalism Enters the Streaming Wars

The streaming wars are about to heat up as the supermarket tabloid, National Enquirer, with its screaming and enticing celebrity gossip headlines, have opened its archives as it begins to mine the treasure trove of intrusive news, and true crime, in a deal with Hollywood based GammaTime, that will bring the tantalizing and scandalous tidbits, in episodic short form, to a mobile device near you.

"The tabloid's notorious celebrity coverage will likely make an appearance. Robertson noted that the Enquirer's archives included stories on "the Kennedys, the Presleys, the Jacksons, the forbidden love stories, the dynasty element to it… these are names and stories that supersede trends and generations," reported The Hollywood Reporter.

With the success of the FX limited series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette achieving over 65 million hours streamed globally across Hulu and Disney+, streamers, from Netflix to Paramount+, are all hoping to boost subscribers with the next big global viewer smash hit.

As was stated last week, in the Hollywood Week, "Which, for studio programming, equates to the development of other exposes, transforming the newsstand tabloid to the living room streaming experience."

The stories expected to make it from the archives to the small screen are those which continued to generate name recognition, and interest. With the rise in true crime, many of the most notorious killers which failed to make a dent in societies interest, at the time, now have reached a quasi-celebrity status, and will be of interest to the modern true crime aficionados.

GammaTime is headed by Bill Block, the former CEO of Miramax indicated, GammaTime is developing short form content, currently, to be streamed on mobile devices.

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Matthew Perry Ketamine Queen Sentenced

Jasveen Sangha, 42, also known as the Ketamine Queen, and responsible for selling the actor Matthew Perry the fatal dose of the anesthetic Ketamine, was sentenced this week to 15 years in prison.

Perry, 54, who had openly discussed his battle with alcohol and drug addiction, was found dead in his hot tub, October 28, 2023. Initially his death was ruled an accident, and that he died from the "acute effects of ketamine," with contributing factors of drowning, coronary artery disease, and buprenorphine effects. The notoriety of Perry and the large amount of Ketamine prompted a major federal investigation into how he obtained the drug.

This launched an investigation which resulted in multiple individuals, including two doctors, Perry's personal assistant, and Naveen, indicated as co-conspirators in the actor's death. Naveen was the last of the defendants to be sentenced.

In addition to Sangha, two physicians, Dr. Salvador Plasencia and Dr. Mark Chavez, each of whom eventually pled guilty. Plasencia received 30 months, and Chavez received an eight month sentence. Perry's personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, and a low level on-again, off again drug dealer friend, Erik Fleming, each pled guilty and are expected to be sentenced in the upcoming weeks.

Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the long running 1990s sitcom, "Friends," spent the last year of his life promoting his book, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing." Throughout the memoir, "he recounted his struggles with Vicodin, alcohol, cocaine, Xanax and Suboxone, as well as scores of rehab stints. "You can track the trajectory of my addiction if you gauge my weight from season to season," Perry wrote of his 10 seasons on "Friends." "When I'm carrying weight, it's alcohol. When I'm skinny, it's pills. When I have a goatee, it's lots of pills,"' The Washington Post reported.

Ketamine, an FDA approved mild anesthetic, is often used to treat mental health issues and sedation. FDA approved uses include inhalation for treatment resistant depression, injection for sedation for non-surgical procedures, and general anesthesia. Non-FDA approved uses include treatment for suicidal ideation and depression, seizures, and chronic pain.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, "Ketamine works by blocking certain glutamate signals in your brain. This helps protect brain cells and allows them to form new, healthy connections. It's a process called synaptogenesis. These new connections may improve your mood and reduce symptoms."

If you or someone you know is suffering from depression and experiencing suicidal ideation, text or call 988 or access the national suicide hotline for live person chat. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing can access the hotline for two-way assistance.

The Academy and ABC Announce Show Dates For 99th, 100th Oscars®

Awards Dates Set

Following the Academy Awards announcement of the 2027 and 2028, the 99th and 100th, Oscar ceremonies, scheduled for Sunday, March 14, 2027 and Sunday, March 5, 2028. The Producers Guild, and Actors Awards also set the dates for upcoming awards ceremonies.

The Producer's Guild announced the annual awards show will be held on Saturday, Feb. 27, in 2027 and on Saturday, Feb. 19, in 2028, with deadline for entry dates to be announced.

The Actor's Award, formally the Screen Actor's Guild Award, has also set its dates for the annual awards show gala, as February 28, 2027 and February 20, 2028.

The 2029 Academy Awards dates have yet to be announced, as the Oscars bid adieu to the current Dolby Theater, at Ovation Hollywood, to the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences signed a ten year deal with Anschutz Entertainment Group, (AEG).

The Academy and AEG Announce a New Global Partnership

BAFTA Concludes Internal Investigation into Racial Slur

In other Awards show news, the British Academy Film and Television Arts executive board has issued a statement regarding the refusal to edit the racial epithet spoken during Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo's presentation at the annual BAFTA Awards show by Tourette syndrome victim and executive producer of the award winning film, I Swear, John Davidson, stating, "the board of trustees said that the external review by RISE Associates "did not find evidence of malicious intent" from the parties behind the February event and offered renewed apologies to the Black community and "the disability community," The Los Angeles Times reported.

Jordan went on to win the Academy Award for his performance in Ryan Coogler's Sinners.

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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.