Staci Wolfe is retiring. She’s the founder/CEO of Polaris PR, the agency that reps such talent as Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, filmmakers Allen & Albert Hughes, Gary Sinise, David Copperfield, Matt Dillon, Eric Bana, Aaron Eckhart, Donal Logue, and Gordon Ramsay. Her longtime associate Alana Kass will take the helm of the agency.
Kass joined Polaris in 2011 after working for several years with the late awards consultant Ronni Chasen, and she has been instrumental in the campaigns of all of the company’s clients as well as her own roster including Jonathan Van Ness.
While the twin strikes, social media toxicity and polarized world probably has plenty of Hollywood vets counting the days until that gold watch, Wolfe’s story is different. She’s only 56, and has long been a preeminent publicist. But she has been at it for 34 years and hung on to a vow she made to herself,...
Kass joined Polaris in 2011 after working for several years with the late awards consultant Ronni Chasen, and she has been instrumental in the campaigns of all of the company’s clients as well as her own roster including Jonathan Van Ness.
While the twin strikes, social media toxicity and polarized world probably has plenty of Hollywood vets counting the days until that gold watch, Wolfe’s story is different. She’s only 56, and has long been a preeminent publicist. But she has been at it for 34 years and hung on to a vow she made to herself,...
- 11/1/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Child-star-turned-women’s-rights-attorney Kelly Hyman will host Once Upon a Crime in Hollywood, a new, six-part podcast that will revisit the 2010 murder of publicist Ronni Chasen.
Premiering April 15, Hyman will examine Chasen’s life and career and will interview forensics experts, police investigators, prosecutors, journalists, as well as some of Chasen’s former clients. Hyman also talked with Chasen’s niece, who believes the case should be re-opened.
“There are some people who say that they don’t want to engage in conspiracy theories. Some people would say, no, they got the right person. Let’s close the case,” Hyman tells Deadline. “I would like to leave it up to the listeners to make their own kind of determination.”
Chasen was shot while driving in Beverly Hills on Nov. 16, 2010 after attending the Hollywood premiere of Burlesque. She lost control of her car at the intersection of Whittier Drive and Sunset Boulevard.
Premiering April 15, Hyman will examine Chasen’s life and career and will interview forensics experts, police investigators, prosecutors, journalists, as well as some of Chasen’s former clients. Hyman also talked with Chasen’s niece, who believes the case should be re-opened.
“There are some people who say that they don’t want to engage in conspiracy theories. Some people would say, no, they got the right person. Let’s close the case,” Hyman tells Deadline. “I would like to leave it up to the listeners to make their own kind of determination.”
Chasen was shot while driving in Beverly Hills on Nov. 16, 2010 after attending the Hollywood premiere of Burlesque. She lost control of her car at the intersection of Whittier Drive and Sunset Boulevard.
- 3/14/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Nov. 16 was the 12th anniversary of the murder of renowned film awards publicist Ronni Chasen. Hardly anyone has spoken publicly of it in years, but at the time it was national news. Just about everyone in Hollywood, whether they knew her or not, was vested in what happened — in part because it seemed so inexplicable. She was gunned down in her car while waiting at a traffic light in a quiet stretch of Beverly Hills, on her way home from the premiere of Burlesque, a project on which several clients had been involved.
A frenzy of speculation broke out: road rage or random drive-by; connections to shady film finance and bad art deals and gambling debts. The Beverly Hills Police Department, under an uncommon media spotlight, eventually declared it found its culprit in Harold Smith, a poor Black man with a criminal record...
Nov. 16 was the 12th anniversary of the murder of renowned film awards publicist Ronni Chasen. Hardly anyone has spoken publicly of it in years, but at the time it was national news. Just about everyone in Hollywood, whether they knew her or not, was vested in what happened — in part because it seemed so inexplicable. She was gunned down in her car while waiting at a traffic light in a quiet stretch of Beverly Hills, on her way home from the premiere of Burlesque, a project on which several clients had been involved.
A frenzy of speculation broke out: road rage or random drive-by; connections to shady film finance and bad art deals and gambling debts. The Beverly Hills Police Department, under an uncommon media spotlight, eventually declared it found its culprit in Harold Smith, a poor Black man with a criminal record...
- 11/22/2022
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
The Golden Globes have new representation.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Dick Clark Productions and NBC announced Tuesday that Chet Mehta and his boutique firm, PR Dept, have been tapped to serve as the agency of record by leading publicity efforts around the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards.
The move comes at a pivotal time for the telecast with just two months to go before showtime at the Beverly Hilton on Jan. 10. Meanwhile, the industry is abuzz with speculation and anticipation about how strong the show will be as the Globes returns to the airwaves after facing scandal that ultimately resulted in a major overhaul of the organization, a new voting class and the departure of its previous PR firm, Sunshine Sachs, in March.
Mehta, a veteran lifestyle and entertainment publicist with more than 20 years of experience, established PR Dept in 2012 and, over the past decade,...
The Golden Globes have new representation.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Dick Clark Productions and NBC announced Tuesday that Chet Mehta and his boutique firm, PR Dept, have been tapped to serve as the agency of record by leading publicity efforts around the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards.
The move comes at a pivotal time for the telecast with just two months to go before showtime at the Beverly Hilton on Jan. 10. Meanwhile, the industry is abuzz with speculation and anticipation about how strong the show will be as the Globes returns to the airwaves after facing scandal that ultimately resulted in a major overhaul of the organization, a new voting class and the departure of its previous PR firm, Sunshine Sachs, in March.
Mehta, a veteran lifestyle and entertainment publicist with more than 20 years of experience, established PR Dept in 2012 and, over the past decade,...
- 11/8/2022
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TheWrap takes a look back at some of the grisliest Hollywood murders in history, from Sharon Tate to Black Dahlia
1947: The brutal murder of Elizabeth Short, a 22-year-old woman nicknamed “Black Dahlia,” remains one of Hollywood’s most grisly unsolved crimes and has since sparked numerous TV, film and literary adaptations.
1969: Charles Manson, leader of the so-called “Manson Family,” ordered the deaths of actress Sharon Tate; writer Wojciech Frykowski and his partner, the coffee bean heiress Abigail Folger; and celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring and several friends at the Beverly Hills home of director Roman Polanski.
1976: Sal Mineo, the star of “Rebel Without a Cause,” was stabbed to death near the Sunset Strip. Pizza deliveryman Lionel Ray Williams was later arrested and convicted of the murder.
1978: The “Hogan’s Heroes” star Bob Crane was found bludgeoned to death in his Arizona apartment. John Henry Carpenter was arrested and...
1947: The brutal murder of Elizabeth Short, a 22-year-old woman nicknamed “Black Dahlia,” remains one of Hollywood’s most grisly unsolved crimes and has since sparked numerous TV, film and literary adaptations.
1969: Charles Manson, leader of the so-called “Manson Family,” ordered the deaths of actress Sharon Tate; writer Wojciech Frykowski and his partner, the coffee bean heiress Abigail Folger; and celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring and several friends at the Beverly Hills home of director Roman Polanski.
1976: Sal Mineo, the star of “Rebel Without a Cause,” was stabbed to death near the Sunset Strip. Pizza deliveryman Lionel Ray Williams was later arrested and convicted of the murder.
1978: The “Hogan’s Heroes” star Bob Crane was found bludgeoned to death in his Arizona apartment. John Henry Carpenter was arrested and...
- 6/29/2020
- by Cassidy Robinson and Joe Otterson
- The Wrap
Larry Cohen, whose cult classic horror film It’s Alive spawned two sequels and remains a fan favorite, has died. He was 77 and passed Saturday night in Los Angeles, with his death announced on his official Facebook page.
“The entire #KingCohen team mourns the loss of its star, hero and King, #LarryCohen,” reads the Facebook post. “His unparalleled talents were surpassed only by his giant heart. The impact he made on television and cinema will be felt forever, and our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and fans.” series including “The Defenders,” “Espionage,” and “The Invaders.”
Cohen was born July 15, 1941 in Manhattan’s Washington Heights section. He later majored in film studies at the City College of New York.
He began his career in entertainment in the 1950s, working for NBC-tv and learning the ropes on producing and screenwriting. He created the TV series The Invaders and Branded,...
“The entire #KingCohen team mourns the loss of its star, hero and King, #LarryCohen,” reads the Facebook post. “His unparalleled talents were surpassed only by his giant heart. The impact he made on television and cinema will be felt forever, and our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and fans.” series including “The Defenders,” “Espionage,” and “The Invaders.”
Cohen was born July 15, 1941 in Manhattan’s Washington Heights section. He later majored in film studies at the City College of New York.
He began his career in entertainment in the 1950s, working for NBC-tv and learning the ropes on producing and screenwriting. He created the TV series The Invaders and Branded,...
- 3/24/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Larry Cohen, the avant-garde writer and director who made his mark in the horror and blaxploitation genres with such innovative cult classics as It's Alive, God Told Me To, Black Caesar and Hell Up in Harlem, has died. He was 82.
Cohen died Saturday night at his longtime home in Beverly Hills, his friend Merv Bloch told The Hollywood Reporter.
The older brother of late Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen — she got her start promoting his early films — Cohen began his career by writing for television in the late 1950s, and he created the Chuck Connors-starring Branded for ...
Cohen died Saturday night at his longtime home in Beverly Hills, his friend Merv Bloch told The Hollywood Reporter.
The older brother of late Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen — she got her start promoting his early films — Cohen began his career by writing for television in the late 1950s, and he created the Chuck Connors-starring Branded for ...
- 3/24/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Larry Cohen, the avant-garde writer and director who made his mark in the horror and blaxploitation genres with such innovative cult classics as It's Alive, God Told Me To, Black Caesar and Hell Up in Harlem, has died. He was 82.
Cohen died Saturday night at his longtime home in Beverly Hills, his friend Merv Bloch told The Hollywood Reporter.
The older brother of late Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen — she got her start promoting his early films — Cohen began his career by writing for television in the late 1950s, and he created the Chuck Connors-starring Branded for ...
Cohen died Saturday night at his longtime home in Beverly Hills, his friend Merv Bloch told The Hollywood Reporter.
The older brother of late Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen — she got her start promoting his early films — Cohen began his career by writing for television in the late 1950s, and he created the Chuck Connors-starring Branded for ...
- 3/24/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A few weeks ago, Daily Dead had the opportunity to speak with director Steve Mitchell about his new documentary, King Cohen, which profiles maverick filmmaker Larry Cohen and his wild journey throughout his decades-spanning career (you can read that interview Here). And now that this writer finally had the opportunity to see King Cohen as part of the 2017 Fantastic Fest lineup, I had a few more questions for Mitchell, who managed to craft an entertaining, informative, and heartfelt celebration of a truly one-of-a-kind talent in Cohen.
Great to catch up with you again, Steve. You did a great job with this project, and I loved how it balanced out all these things I’ve enjoyed about Larry’s career so far, and also dove into a lot of things I had no idea about. Is there an art to balancing out the stuff that fans are going to expect versus...
Great to catch up with you again, Steve. You did a great job with this project, and I loved how it balanced out all these things I’ve enjoyed about Larry’s career so far, and also dove into a lot of things I had no idea about. Is there an art to balancing out the stuff that fans are going to expect versus...
- 10/2/2017
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
The Beverly Hills Police Department has released a revealing new tranche of materials pertaining to its investigation into the November 2010 murder of prominent film publicist Ronni Chasen. Exactly 200 pages of semi-redacted witness reports, evidence logs and financial documents offer a window into the scope and tenor of the inquiry, which critics have contended was deficient. It also provides fresh details into the circumstances surrounding the destitute alleged killer, Harold Smith, who died when law enforcement confronted him about the homicide.
In its final report composed seven months after Chasen’s death (and a month prior to publicly closing the...
In its final report composed seven months after Chasen’s death (and a month prior to publicly closing the...
- 5/1/2017
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Six years ago, Hollywood learned that Ronni Chasen, one of its grande dame film publicists, had been gunned down while driving along a leafy stretch of Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills just after midnight. On Nov. 16, 2010, she had been heading home from the afterparty at the W Hollywood hotel for the premiere of Burlesque. Chasen represented producer Donald De Line and lighting designer Peggy Eisenhauer as well as songwriter Diane Warren, whose tune, "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me," was sung in the film by Cher. "Me and Ronni were so excited," Warren told THR
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- 11/16/2016
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Diane Warren, who won the Emmy for Best Original Music and Lyrics for her Lady Gaga anthem, "Til It Happens to You, " said backstage she was dedicating her win to publicist Ronni Chasen, who was murdered in November of 2010 while driving home from the premiere of the film Burlesque. The song, from the documentary The Hunting Ground. The docu is about campus rape in the United States and the song has been described as an anti-rape anthem. But Warren explained she wrote the…...
- 9/11/2016
- Deadline TV
Debra Baum faces two years in jail if convicted
The Los Angeles City Attorney’s office has filed charges against talent manager Debra Baum as part of its crackdown on Hollywood talent scams, City Attorney Mike Feuer said Friday.
Baum, 53, has been charged with four counts of violating the Talent Scam Prevention Act and faces up to two years in jail and $20,000 in fines if convicted. Among other stipulations, the act prohibits agents and talent managers from charging an advance fee for representation.
Also Read: Wme-img Acquires Gaming Talent Agency Global eSports Management
According to the city attorney’s office,...
The Los Angeles City Attorney’s office has filed charges against talent manager Debra Baum as part of its crackdown on Hollywood talent scams, City Attorney Mike Feuer said Friday.
Baum, 53, has been charged with four counts of violating the Talent Scam Prevention Act and faces up to two years in jail and $20,000 in fines if convicted. Among other stipulations, the act prohibits agents and talent managers from charging an advance fee for representation.
Also Read: Wme-img Acquires Gaming Talent Agency Global eSports Management
According to the city attorney’s office,...
- 1/23/2015
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
A video exhibit entered into the court record by a crusading documentary filmmaker on the eve of his public records trial against the Beverly Hills Police Department could raise new questions as to whether the agency adequately pursued its investigation into the murder of film publicist Ronni Chasen after she left a premiere in November 2010. The inquiry ended when an America’s Most Wanted tip led police to Harold Martin Smith, a 43-year-old ex-convict who committed suicide at his Hollywood flophouse when confronted by officers. The Bhpd subsequently positioned the case as a random robbery gone wrong.
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- 12/9/2014
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This story first appeared in the Oct. 24 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Filmmaker Ryan Katzenbach's public-records lawsuit against the Beverly Hills Police Department over access to its case file about murdered film publicist Ronni Chasen raises new questions about the 2010 homicide investigation. (The Bhpd ruled the case closed after suspect Harold Martin Smith killed himself in a Hollywood flophouse; alternative theories persist that he didn't act alone.) Read more Ronni Chasen Legal Fight: Police May Turn Over Limited Files for Documentary Film An Oct. 6 brief filed by Katzenbach in L.A. Superior Court before
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- 10/15/2014
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant has ordered a hearing date in the ongoing legal fight between the Beverly Hills Police Department and filmmaker Ryan Katzenbach over access to the case file of murdered film publicist Ronni Chasen. The move comes five months after the L.A. County Coroner released Chasen's long-sealed autopsy at Katzenbach's behest and against the Bhpd's wishes as part of a related lawsuit. Katzenbach is working on 6:38: The Death of Ronni Chasen, a documentary about the prominent Hollywood figure's highly publicized November 2010 death. She was fatally shot in her Mercedes-Benz
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- 5/28/2014
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
25th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala – Awards Presentation. Meryl Streep and Margo Martindale By Robert W. Welkos It’s no mirage. After a quarter-century, and some early struggles, the Palm Springs International Film Festival has seen its visibility and star quotient rise significantly by tapping into Hollywood’s hotly contested movie awards season. The festival’s success—it now draws about 130,000 attendees—has come without a lucrative television deal for its black-tie gala similar to ones enjoyed by the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards. The festival was the brainchild of the late Palm Springs Mayor Sonny Bono, who rose to stardom as half of the pop singing duo Sonny and Cher and later became a U.S. congressman representing the Coachella Valley. Bono died in a 1998 skiing accident. Harold Matzner, a local businessman and philanthropist who was a close friend and tennis partner of Bono’s,...
- 3/25/2014
- by Robert W. Welkos
- Hollywoodnews.com
A filmmaker is a step closer to revealing new details of the investigation into the murder of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen. During a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, Beverly Hills Police Department attorney T. Peter Pierce told Judge James C. Chalfant that his client would share some documents related to its handling of the Chasen murder case -- just not anything about how the investigation itself went down. Documentary filmmaker Ryan Katzenbach, currently working on 6:38: The Death of Ronni Chasen, sued the department for the case file in November, citing the California Public Records Act. He maintains that
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- 3/20/2014
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The film industry was devastated by two recent deaths that have led to a movement to alter this Sunday’s “in memoriam” segment of the Oscar telecast: One was the natural causes passing of comedy filmmaker Harold Ramis, 69, and the other was the accidental death of camera assistant Sarah Jones, 27, who was struck by a train in Georgia while working on a biopic of rock musician Gregg Allman.
Ramis, the star of Ghostbusters and Stripes, and director of Vacation, Caddyshack, and Groundhog Day, died on Monday at his home in Chicago, while Jones, whose credits include Midnight Rambler (the film...
Ramis, the star of Ghostbusters and Stripes, and director of Vacation, Caddyshack, and Groundhog Day, died on Monday at his home in Chicago, while Jones, whose credits include Midnight Rambler (the film...
- 2/27/2014
- by Anthony Breznican
- EW - Inside Movies
Beverly Hills authorities plan to fight a documentary filmmaker’s lawsuit seeking all police records in the slaying of publicist Ronni Chasen, re-asserting that the records are “exempt from disclosure” and denying that keeping them under seal is a violation, according to legal documents obtained Tuesday by TheWrap. Ryan Katzenbach, who is working on a film about the veteran publicist and awards season consultant’s murder, sued investigators for access to Chasen’s case on Nov. 13. Last week, he dismissed two defendants – the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office and its deputy chief Ed Winter – after they made her autopsy report public late Thursday.
- 12/17/2013
- by Josh Dickey and Pamela Chelin
- The Wrap
The Beverly Hills Police Department has asked for a different judge to preside over a documentary filmmaker’s lawsuit seeking all police records in the slaying of publicist Ronni Chasen, saying that the Honorable Robert H. O’Brien, to whom the case is assigned, is “prejudiced against Defendant City and Defendant City’s interests.” The peremptory challenge to the lawsuit does not describe what that prejudice may be, simply stating that “Defendant City cannot have a fair and impartial trial before the Honorable Robert H. O’Brien.” Messages left with the lawyer who filed the action, T. Peter Pierce, were not immediately returned Monday night.
- 12/17/2013
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
The city of Beverly Hills and the Beverly Hills Police Department have filed a motion to remove the judge considering whether to force them to make public the homicide investigation file of publicist Ronni Chasen. The filing comes just days after the L.A. County Coroner's Office released Chasen's autopsy Thursday, more than three years after she was gunned down while driving through Beverly Hills. That document was finally made public to settle part of a lawsuit filed by filmmaker Ryan Katzenbach, who's investigating the killing for a documentary called 6:38: The Death of Ronni Chasen. (An Indiegogo financing campaign is
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- 12/16/2013
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The L.A. County Coroner's Office released the autopsy of Ronni Chasen Thursday, more than three years after the movie publicist was gunned down while driving through Beverly Hills. The document was finally made public to settle part of a lawsuit filed by filmmaker Ryan Katzenbach, who's investigating the killing for a documentary called 6:38: The Death of Ronni Chasen. (An Indiegogo financing campaign is currently underway.) Katzenbach spoke to The Hollywood Reporter Friday about his public records victory, the revelations within the document and the unanswered questions surrounding Chasen's death and the man police said committed the crime, Harold Martin
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- 12/14/2013
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The newly released La County Coroner’s report into the death of Ronni Chasen continues to raise questions into how the Beverly Hills Police Department handled the high-profile murder investigation of one of Hollywood’s best-known names in publicity. Today, an La Times story revealed that a police officer reported that another “unknown vehicle” had pulled up alongside her. Specifically, according to the Lat, “the (coroner’s) report states that while Chasen was stopped at a red light at the intersection, “an unknown vehicle pulled up and someone fired approximately four gunshots into her vehicle.” Chasen was killed after leaving the premiere of the musical film Burlesque on November 16, 2010 in Beverly Hills. Questions arose early on about whether the death was a hit, given the fact that nothing was taken out of the Chasen’s car and that veteran police officers in the Lapd questioned whether the man named as...
- 12/14/2013
- by ANITA BUSCH
- Deadline TV
Ronni Chasen’s autopsy report reveals that first responders found her barely breathing and emergency surgeons’ desperate attempt to save her life — but the document otherwise provides scant insight into her killing. According to the report, EMTs were dispatched within 3 minutes and arrived on the scene inside of 10 minutes. They found no pulse but did indicate that Chasen was breathing — if barely. She was intubated and operated on at Cedars-Sinai, but pronounced dead minutes later. Ryan Katzenbach, the documentary filmmaker who sued investigators for access to Chasen’s case files has dismissed two defendants – the Los Angeles County...
- 12/13/2013
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
The Los Angeles County Coroner's official autopsy report for Ronni Chasen, obtained late Thursday by The Hollywood Reporter, reveals that the publicist died in her Mercedes-Benz of four gunshot wounds fired from what police initially described as a "second vehicle." Read the full autopsy here. "While she was stopped at a red light at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Whittier Drive and [sic] unknown vehicle pulled up and someone fired approximately 4 gunshots into her vehicle," the report reads. "All witnesses report hearing 4 gunshots." The report was filed hours after the accident and initially
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- 12/12/2013
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A documentary filmmaker is suing the Beverly Hills Police Department for access to case files in the murder of Ronni Chasen, the longtime Hollywood publicist who was gunned down three years ago on her way home from an after-party following the premiere of “Burlesque.” According to a court document obtained by TheWrap, Ryan Katzenbach wishes to see the entire file for his documentary “6:38,” a reference to the amount of time between Chasen’s final cell phone call and the moment authorities arrived to find her shot to death in her car on Nov. 16, 2010. Also read: Police Close Ronni Chasen Case.
- 11/14/2013
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
Access to the slain publicist's case pits a documentary filmmaker against Beverly Hills police as alternate theories continue to surround her 2010 murder.This story first appeared in the Nov. 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
Exactly three years after Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen was gunned down as she drove home from a movie premiere, the saga is taking a new legal turn. Documentary filmmaker Ryan Katzenbach has sued the Beverly Hills Police Department in a battle over access to its case files pertaining to the Nov. 16, 2010, murder of Chasen. Police later tracked down suspect Harold Martin Smith, a 43-year-old ex-convict, who committed suicide when confronted at a flophouse in Hollywood. But Katzenbach believes there remain unanswered questions pertaining to the homicide. He is seeking to review the full investigation file for his Ed Asner-narrated project, 6:38, titled in reference to the time that elapsed between Chasen's final cell phone call and the arrival of police.
Exactly three years after Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen was gunned down as she drove home from a movie premiere, the saga is taking a new legal turn. Documentary filmmaker Ryan Katzenbach has sued the Beverly Hills Police Department in a battle over access to its case files pertaining to the Nov. 16, 2010, murder of Chasen. Police later tracked down suspect Harold Martin Smith, a 43-year-old ex-convict, who committed suicide when confronted at a flophouse in Hollywood. But Katzenbach believes there remain unanswered questions pertaining to the homicide. He is seeking to review the full investigation file for his Ed Asner-narrated project, 6:38, titled in reference to the time that elapsed between Chasen's final cell phone call and the arrival of police.
- 11/13/2013
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
During what some would call the most sinister month of the year, the E! television network is exploring a side of Tinseltown beyond all the glitz and glamour. Sound intriguing? Then read on for more details about how you, too, can take a "Hollywood Death Trip."
“Hollywood Death Trip,” airing Thursday, October 24th, at 10Pm Et/Pt, reveals disturbing details behind some of the city’s best known tragedies.
Dearly Departed Tours founder Scott Michaels takes scream queen Danielle Harris on a special tour of the city’s most disturbing death sites while offering new insight into the unfortunate events that took place. The hour-long special details the tragedy surrounding “Sons of Anarchy” actor Johnny Lewis, with Michaels and Harris getting a first-hand account from a neighbor who narrowly escaped becoming Lewis’ victim himself.
Later, Michaels and Harris examine Playboy Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten’s mysterious passing in...
“Hollywood Death Trip,” airing Thursday, October 24th, at 10Pm Et/Pt, reveals disturbing details behind some of the city’s best known tragedies.
Dearly Departed Tours founder Scott Michaels takes scream queen Danielle Harris on a special tour of the city’s most disturbing death sites while offering new insight into the unfortunate events that took place. The hour-long special details the tragedy surrounding “Sons of Anarchy” actor Johnny Lewis, with Michaels and Harris getting a first-hand account from a neighbor who narrowly escaped becoming Lewis’ victim himself.
Later, Michaels and Harris examine Playboy Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten’s mysterious passing in...
- 10/21/2013
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
This story first appeared in the Sept. 27 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Publicist Ronni Chasen was waiting at a red light in Beverly Hills in 2010 when she was shot five times through the car's closed passenger window and killed. Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls, was leaving a party in L.A. when a gunman sprayed the door of the rap star's Suburban with 9 mm bullets, striking Wallace four times and killing him. The combination of guns, death and the particular vulnerability that a car on a public street presents to stars who are under siege from
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- 9/20/2013
- by Michael Walker
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Levine Communications Office, a PR firm launched by Michael Levine in 1983, has been purchased by Icon Builder Media CEO David T. Fagan, Lco announced on Tuesday. Despite the change in ownership, the firm's name will not be changed and Levine will continue to serve as a consultant. Also read: Publicist Michael Levine to Ronni Chasen Tipster: Leave Me Out of It "I love Lco with all my heart and know that its best days lay ahead," Levine said in a statement before adding that the sale feels "a bit surreal." "I feel like a...
- 4/3/2013
- by Greg Gilman
- The Wrap
A version of this story first appeared in the March 29 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. A documentary about the 2010 murder of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen could be coming to TV next year. Story: Ronni Chasen Remembered Ryan Katzenbach, an ad exec who has directed a trio of self-distributed docs on the 1974 Amityville killings, tells THR he’s working on 6:38: The Death of Ronni Chasen, a reference to the time between Chasen’s last cell-phone call and the response by the Beverly Hills police. Chasen was shot to death in her Mercedes-Benz while driving home on
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- 3/13/2013
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
3:10 Pm Pt -- Victory for Sheryl Crow and Harvey Weinstein ... the judge just granted their restraining order requests against Phil Sparks -- requiring Sparks to stay 300 yards away from both of them for the next 3 years.Harvey Weinstein claims the delusional homeless man who threatened to attack Sheryl Crow has Also threatened to "shoot" him ... and now he fears for his life ... this according to docs obtained by TMZ. Weinstein -- arguably the most...
- 8/14/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Beverly Hills, Calif. -- Two people have been found dead in what investigators believe was a murder-suicide at the Beverly Hilton, just hours before the Daytime Emmy Awards are being held at the posh hotel, police said Saturday.
Police responding to a report of a shooting late Friday found a man and a woman dead from gunshot wounds in a hotel room, Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen said.
Police would give no other details on the two people, their relationship, or the circumstances of the shooting. Police would not comment on whether the deaths were connected to the Emmy awards.
Coroner's officials had yet to begin their investigation, but said they were a man in his late 60s and a woman in her mid-50s.
The luxury hotel was also the site of Whitney Houston's death in February. The singer drowned in the bathtub of her fourth-floor room,...
Police responding to a report of a shooting late Friday found a man and a woman dead from gunshot wounds in a hotel room, Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen said.
Police would give no other details on the two people, their relationship, or the circumstances of the shooting. Police would not comment on whether the deaths were connected to the Emmy awards.
Coroner's officials had yet to begin their investigation, but said they were a man in his late 60s and a woman in her mid-50s.
The luxury hotel was also the site of Whitney Houston's death in February. The singer drowned in the bathtub of her fourth-floor room,...
- 6/23/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Beverly Hills, Calif. -- Two people have been found dead in what investigators believe was a murder-suicide at the Beverly Hilton, just hours before the Daytime Emmy Awards are being held at the posh hotel, police said Saturday.
Police responding to a report of a shooting late Friday found a man and a woman dead from gunshot wounds in a hotel room, Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen said.
Police would give no other details on the two people, their relationship, or the circumstances of the shooting. Police would not comment on whether the deaths were connected to the Emmy awards.
Coroner's officials had yet to begin their investigation, but said they were a man in his late 60s and a woman in her mid-50s.
The luxury hotel was also the site of Whitney Houston's death in February. The singer drowned in the bathtub of her fourth-floor room,...
Police responding to a report of a shooting late Friday found a man and a woman dead from gunshot wounds in a hotel room, Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen said.
Police would give no other details on the two people, their relationship, or the circumstances of the shooting. Police would not comment on whether the deaths were connected to the Emmy awards.
Coroner's officials had yet to begin their investigation, but said they were a man in his late 60s and a woman in her mid-50s.
The luxury hotel was also the site of Whitney Houston's death in February. The singer drowned in the bathtub of her fourth-floor room,...
- 6/23/2012
- by AP
- Aol TV.
Michael Sands, the famed Hollywood publicist behind Mr. Blackwell's Annual Worst-Dressed List, has died after choking on deli meat in an upscale supermarket in Los Angeles, The Wrap reports.
Sands' son told reporters his father started choking on a sample of beef. Sands suffered from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease. The 66-year-old was pronounced dead on the scene for five minutes, then revived and taken to Cedars Sinai hospital.
At the hospital, Sands was placed in a medically induced coma to prevent inflammation of the brain (a common medical procedure in cases like this). Ultimately, however Sands did not survive.
The deli incident took place on March 24 and Sands passed away on April 6, but the news had not been reported until today.
Though his death was -- to say the least -- unexpected in nature, Sands' life was also quite interesting. Sands was a gifted publicist and a tireless promoter, his own career notwithstanding.
Sands' son told reporters his father started choking on a sample of beef. Sands suffered from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease. The 66-year-old was pronounced dead on the scene for five minutes, then revived and taken to Cedars Sinai hospital.
At the hospital, Sands was placed in a medically induced coma to prevent inflammation of the brain (a common medical procedure in cases like this). Ultimately, however Sands did not survive.
The deli incident took place on March 24 and Sands passed away on April 6, but the news had not been reported until today.
Though his death was -- to say the least -- unexpected in nature, Sands' life was also quite interesting. Sands was a gifted publicist and a tireless promoter, his own career notwithstanding.
- 4/13/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Real estate developer Bo Zarnegin is betting a prime piece of 10-acre real estate in Beverly Hills can beat a down market. Zarnegin -- the co-developer with his brother Robert of the Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel -- is listing his six-bedroom, seven-bath estate for a decidedly ambitious $54.95 million, according to Blockshopper Los Angeles. That puts it in a class of just a handful of listings in Los Angeles to top the $50 million mark. Photos: Hollywood's Biggest Real Estate Deals of the Week: Hilary Swank, Chris Brown, Ronni Chasen The property, called Terrazza al Cielo and
read more...
read more...
- 12/3/2011
- by Bryan W. Logan, Degen Pener
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Eriq Gardner
Before any celebrity takes to Twitter and announces a big-ticket reward for solving the mystery of lost keys or for providing information leading to the arrest of a certain college football coach, they might wish to consider two recent lawsuits. In one dispute, a man seeks to collect on a $1 million reward offered on YouTube by musician Ryan Leslie for finding his missing laptop. In another dispute, an anonymous person looks to collect on a $125,000 reward offered by Palm Springs Film Festival head Harold Matzner and publicist Michael Levine for information leading to the identification of fellow publicist Ronni Chasen's killer. The two recent cases show that it's
read more...
Before any celebrity takes to Twitter and announces a big-ticket reward for solving the mystery of lost keys or for providing information leading to the arrest of a certain college football coach, they might wish to consider two recent lawsuits. In one dispute, a man seeks to collect on a $1 million reward offered on YouTube by musician Ryan Leslie for finding his missing laptop. In another dispute, an anonymous person looks to collect on a $125,000 reward offered by Palm Springs Film Festival head Harold Matzner and publicist Michael Levine for information leading to the identification of fellow publicist Ronni Chasen's killer. The two recent cases show that it's
read more...
- 11/18/2011
- by Eriq Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Slain Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen's life is to be turned into a French TV movie.
The top PR was gunned down in Beverly Hills a year ago as she made her way home after a movie premiere.
Harold Smith, who was described as a "person of interest" in the case, shot himself dead as cops approached him in the lobby of the Harvey Apartments in Los Angeles in December.
He had allegedly bragged about murdering Chasen, but her screenwriter brother Larry Cohen had insisted cops had the wrong guy.
Detectives closed the investigation into Chasen's death in July.
And now, on the first anniversary of the slaying, bosses at Patrick Spica Productions have announced they're working on a new documentary about Chasen's glitzy life in Hollywood.
The special is expected to debut in France next year, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The top PR was gunned down in Beverly Hills a year ago as she made her way home after a movie premiere.
Harold Smith, who was described as a "person of interest" in the case, shot himself dead as cops approached him in the lobby of the Harvey Apartments in Los Angeles in December.
He had allegedly bragged about murdering Chasen, but her screenwriter brother Larry Cohen had insisted cops had the wrong guy.
Detectives closed the investigation into Chasen's death in July.
And now, on the first anniversary of the slaying, bosses at Patrick Spica Productions have announced they're working on a new documentary about Chasen's glitzy life in Hollywood.
The special is expected to debut in France next year, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
- 11/7/2011
- WENN
At the Ghent Film Festival, Hans Zimmer told The Hollywood Reporter that he'll sit out this year's Oscar race for Best Original Score. According to Zimmer, the murder of his longtime publicist Ronni Chasen* was one reason for his decision, though that came about chiefly as a result of his desire to "to take a step back and say 'I’m not in the race," and thus focus on his current projects. The composers themselves, not the studios, must submit their own scores. The fact that Zimmer won't be submitting his work for Rango or Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows most likely won't change the prospects for the Best Original Score category as neither work has been perceived as a top contender for a nomination. Or, for that matter, Zimmer's scores for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Kung Fu Panda 2, and The Dilemma. Zimmer, who is...
- 10/25/2011
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
According to an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hans Zimmer said at the Ghent Film Festival, where he was attendance for a performance of some of his scores at last night’s World Soundtrack Awards ceremony, that he will be sitting out this year’s Academy Awards competition. The composer mentioned that his decision is partly related to the death of his longtime publicist Ronni Chasen, to whom the concert was dedicated, but he also mentioned his desire to just focus on his upcoming work (which includes the highly anticipated The Dark Knight Rises). Zimmer has written music for five movies released this year, including Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Kung Fu Panda 2 (co-composed with John Powell), The Dilemma (co-composed with Lorne Balfe), Rango and the upcoming Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, with especially the latter two having been considered serious contenders for the awards race.
- 10/23/2011
- by filmmusicreporter
- Film Music Reporter
Los Angeles -- The tipster who led police to the killer of a Hollywood publicist last year is suing to collect the $125,000 in reward money that he has been unable to get from the two men who offered it.
In the suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, the tipster, identified only as John Doe, said Harold Matzner and Michael Levine, two friends of victim Ronni Chasen, have reneged on their promises to pay $100,000 and $25,000, respectively, for information solving the case.
Chasen, 64, was driving home through Beverly Hills from a movie premiere party on Nov. 16, 2010, when she was fatally shot in her car. The hit-style killing in sedate Beverly Hills shocked Hollywood circles.
Police had few leads until a tipster called "America's Most Wanted" with the name of Harold Martin Smith, a career criminal. Doe said he lived in the same Hollywood apartment complex as Smith and statements...
In the suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, the tipster, identified only as John Doe, said Harold Matzner and Michael Levine, two friends of victim Ronni Chasen, have reneged on their promises to pay $100,000 and $25,000, respectively, for information solving the case.
Chasen, 64, was driving home through Beverly Hills from a movie premiere party on Nov. 16, 2010, when she was fatally shot in her car. The hit-style killing in sedate Beverly Hills shocked Hollywood circles.
Police had few leads until a tipster called "America's Most Wanted" with the name of Harold Martin Smith, a career criminal. Doe said he lived in the same Hollywood apartment complex as Smith and statements...
- 10/6/2011
- by AP
- Huffington Post
NBC has canceled "The Playboy Club" and ordered full seasons of the comedies "Up All Night" and "Whitney." The cancellation is the first of the new fall season. Read full story at The Wrap.
Here are more hot topics for October 4!
Adele Forced to Cancel 10-City U.S. Tour Due to Illness - L.A. Times
Ronni Chasen Murder Tipster Sues for $125K Reward -- The Wrap
"Nemo," "Little Mermaid" Swim Back to Big Screen...
Here are more hot topics for October 4!
Adele Forced to Cancel 10-City U.S. Tour Due to Illness - L.A. Times
Ronni Chasen Murder Tipster Sues for $125K Reward -- The Wrap
"Nemo," "Little Mermaid" Swim Back to Big Screen...
- 10/5/2011
- Extra
The man who claims he helped police track down the murderer of famed Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen is barking up the wrong tree -- according to the publicist he's suing. As we previously reported , the tipster -- who identifies himself as John Doe -- sued bigshot publicist Michael Levine ( left ), claiming Levine offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Chasen's gunman ... but never paid up. Mr. Doe also sued Palm Springs Film...
- 10/4/2011
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Michael Levine, a Hollywood publicist sued in L.A. Superior Court on Monday, said he neverestablished a $25,000 reward for his murdered friend Ronni Chasen and thus should not be sued for failing to pay it. Levine was named in the lawsuit demanding a $125,000 reward, citing the publicist along with the Palm Springs Film Festival for failing to pay a promised bounty for finding Chasen’s killer. The suit was filed by an unnamed “John Doe” who said he was the tipster who had called the “America’s Most Wanted” television show and led...
- 10/4/2011
- by Sharon Waxman
- The Wrap
The man who claims to have provided the tip leading police to publicist Ronni Chasen's murderer is suing for $125,000 in reward money he says he's owed. "John Doe" sued Harold Matzner, chairman of the Palm Springs Film Festival and publicist Michael Levine in L.A. Superior Court Monday, claiming breach of contract, promissory estoppel and fraud. The suit demands the $100,000 reward promised by the Palm Springs festival, and a $25,000 reward offered by Levine. The informant says that he called in to the television show "America's Most Wanted" with information on the...
- 10/4/2011
- by Tim Kenneally & Sharon Waxman
- The Wrap
The man who claims he led police to the person accused of gunning down Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen claims he never got his $125,000 reward -- and now he's suing to get his money. The tipster -- who only identifies himself as John Doe -- claims a bigshot publicist named Michael Levine offered a $25k reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of Chasen's killer. He also claims Palm Springs Film Festival honcho Harold Matzner offered $100k.
- 10/3/2011
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Late producer Laura Ziskin and PR guru Ronni Chasen, who was murdered last year, will be honoured during the annual Jewish High Holy Days celebrations in Los Angeles.
The Yizkor Memorial Service on Yom Kippur will be dedicated to the women, Rabbi David Baron announced on Monday.
Baron says, "Each of these women of valour, in their own way, gave so much to humanity and the arts. They are eternal role models of decency and tzedakah (Hebrew word meaning righteousness)."
Ziskin lost her seven-year battle with breast cancer in June, while Chasen was shot dead in Los Angeles as she drove home from the premiere of Cher and Christina Aguilera's film Burlesque last November.
The Yizkor Memorial Service on Yom Kippur will be dedicated to the women, Rabbi David Baron announced on Monday.
Baron says, "Each of these women of valour, in their own way, gave so much to humanity and the arts. They are eternal role models of decency and tzedakah (Hebrew word meaning righteousness)."
Ziskin lost her seven-year battle with breast cancer in June, while Chasen was shot dead in Los Angeles as she drove home from the premiere of Cher and Christina Aguilera's film Burlesque last November.
- 9/27/2011
- WENN
Beverly Hills synagogue Temple of the Arts will memorialize publicist Ronni Chasen and producer Laura Ziskin by dedicating one of its High Holy Days services to them. The Yom Kippur Yizkor memorial service is set for Oct. 8. Chasen and Ziskin were members of the synagogue. Members of the temple have placed bronze tablets in memory of the two women on the Wall of Memory. In a written statement, Rabbi David Baron said, "Each of these women of valor, in their own way, gave so much to humanity and the arts. They are eternal role...
- 9/27/2011
- by Joshua L. Weinstein
- The Wrap
The World Soundtrack Academy has announced the nominees for the 2011 World Soundtrack Awards to be presented in three categories: Film Composer of the Year, Best Original Score of the Year and Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film. The names of the winners will be announced at the World Soundtrack Awards & concert on Saturday, October 22, the closing night of the Ghent International Film Festival. Here are the nominations:
Film Composer of the Year
Alexandre Desplat
A Better Life, Tamara Drewe, The Burma Conspiracy, The King’s Speech, The Tree of Life, The Well Digger’s Daughter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hans Zimmer
Inception, How Do You Know, Megamind, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Dilemma, Rango, Kung Fu Panda 2
Clint Mansell
Black Swan, Faster, Last Night
John Powell
Mars Needs Moms, Rio, Kung Fu Panda 2...
Film Composer of the Year
Alexandre Desplat
A Better Life, Tamara Drewe, The Burma Conspiracy, The King’s Speech, The Tree of Life, The Well Digger’s Daughter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hans Zimmer
Inception, How Do You Know, Megamind, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Dilemma, Rango, Kung Fu Panda 2
Clint Mansell
Black Swan, Faster, Last Night
John Powell
Mars Needs Moms, Rio, Kung Fu Panda 2...
- 8/17/2011
- by filmmusicreporter
- Film Music Reporter
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