Hollywood Week: Matthew Perry/Ketamine Queen, Chloe Malle, Howard Stern, Venice Awards, Graham Greene
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- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Saturday, 06 September 2025 12:37
- Written by Janet Walker
Ketamine Queen, Jasveen Sangha, who supplied the drugs to "Friends" television star Matthew Perry, which killed him in 2023, pleaded guilty to five federal counts. She is last of the five individuals arrested in Perry's death.
Matthew Perry's Drug Supplier Pleads Guilty
Jasveen Sangha, 41, known as the Ketamine Queen, pleaded guilty this week to five federal counts of drug related charges in the death of film and television star Matthew Perry, 54, who drowned in his Pacific Palisades hot tub in 2023.
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Perry, who was found dead by his personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, on the night of October 28, 2023. His death, which shocked many, also garnered headlines as Perry had recently published a memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing," which graphically detailed his struggles with addiction and the shocking cost, both financially and personally.
Sangha, a dual UK and U.S. citizen, was the last remaining defendant of the five individuals charged in connection with Perry's death. She faces a mandatory sentence of 10 years in a federal prison. Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 42, pleaded guilty, in June 2023, to four counts of selling ketamine to Perry in the month leading up to his death. Even as Plasencia did not sell the dose which killed Perry, he knowingly sold drugs to him with the full understanding that Perry was a struggling addict. He faces up to 40 years for his role in the actor's death.
The other three charged in connection to Perry's death, Erik Fleming, 54, Kenneth Iwamasa, and Dr. Mark Chavez, 54, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute.
"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."
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Chloe Malle Takes The Reins
Chloe Malle, 39, daughter of director Louis Malle and actress Candice Bergen, has been named as the successor to Anna Wintour, 75, the longtime Editor-in-Chief of Vogue America. Wintour, who many falsely assumed was being dismissed, has actually been promoted to lead the Conde Nast portfolio of magazines, overseeing all 28 editions of Vogue, and Malle will report to her.
As the magazine industry continues to evolve so to does the structure, Malle, who has worked in for Vogue for 15 years, will not be considered editor-in-chief, her title will be "head of editorial content," which depicts the evolution of the industry.
Malle is no stranger to the strength of the internet, and the vast resources available through tapping into the global population with innovative story, fashion, and other trends Vogue readers come to expect. Since 2023 she has been the led Vogue.com and site traffic has doubled, which is an imperative in the contemporary world of magazine publishing.
"In remarks to staff members on Tuesday, Ms. Wintour referred to herself as both Ms. Malle's mentor and her student. And in the interview with The Times, Ms. Malle called upon the image of Philippe Petit, the extreme high-wire artist, who in 1974 balanced precariously between the twin towers," The New York Times reported.
Howard Stern Contract Talks Stalled
Shock Jock Howard Stern,71, is in contract negotiations and even as both parties flower the other with compliments, media insiders are declaring there is no way SiriusXM will resign the tentpole jock to another five year $500 million dollar contract.
Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer for Sirius XM, said, "So Howard, for all these years and right up until now, is as important a content, single piece of content as we've had from the sense of being a lightning rod to get awareness for the service and publicity and all of that. He's the best interviewer out there, period, bar none. And we've always had a series, as all of you know, of renewals. With any talent at that level, you're always going to have an extended period of negotiations. We've been pretty lucky all these years. We'd love them to stay," reported The Hollywood Reporter.
Stern who secured a $500 million dollar deal with Sirius XM in 2004, that included cash and stock and has continued to secured the same at each contract renewal, three times and a five year extension in 2020. His latest contract expires at the end of 2025, and his ask remains the same.
While each side appear to have deep respect and gratitude for the other, in business the bottom line is always money. Stern, who shows no signs of slowing down and has not announced any plans to retire, although if a new contract is not reached in the coming months, he may make those announcements. And SiriusXM has continuing praised him as a leader and the bedrock of their enterprise.
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Venice Film Festival Announces Jury Prizes
The 82nd Venice International Film Festival, which officially kicks off the annual awards season, awarded the Golden Lion to Father Mother Sister Brother, directed by Jim Jarmusch and stars Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Charlotte Rampling, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Luka Sabbat and Indya Moore. The film was warmly received during its premiere and impressed the judges with the carefully constructed stories. Each of the three vignettes concern the relationships between adult children, their somewhat distant parent (or parents) and each other.
Grand Jury Silver Lion Prize went to The Voice of Hind Rajab, by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania. The film received an astonishing 23-minute standing ovation. A docudrama is co-produced by actors Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Rooney Mara tells the story of a Palestinian girl killed in the Gaza Strip.
Silver Lion Best Director went to Benie Safdie for The Smashing Machine, that stars Dwayne Johnson, and Emily Blunt, in the autobiographical sports drama written, directed, and edited by Safdie. The film which received a 15 minute standing ovation.
Special Jury Prize went to Below the Clouds by Gianfranco Rossi. Best Actor award went to Italian actor Toni Servillo for La Grazia; Chinese Actress Xin Zhilei received the Best Actress award for her performance in The Sun Rises on Us All. Best Screenplay honors will be shared with Valérie Donzelli & Gilles Marchand for At Work (France).
Graham Greene, Canadian First Nations Actor, Dies
Academy Award nominee, and Canadian First Nations actor, Graham Greene died this week after a long illness. He was 73.
Greene, who was cast as "Kicking Bird," the religious leader among the tribe, by Kevin Costner in the Academy Award winning film, "Dances with Wolves," was the first actor of Canadian Indian decent to receive an Academy Award nomination. His career spanned nearly five decades and was recently seen on the HBO drama "The Last of Us," and in the "Tulsa King."
"He was a great man of Morals Ethics Character and will be eternally missed," his agent Michael Greene said in a statement to the TheWrap on his passing. "We love you, my brother Greene. God bless you. You are finally free. Susan Smith is meeting you at the gates of heaven," The Wrap.com reported.
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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 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," and "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.
