Hollywood Week: Wasserman, Copperfield Epstein Fallout, Nancy Guthrie, Cannes, BAFTA, Berlin, TIFF
- Details
- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Saturday, 07 March 2026 10:24
- Written by Janet Walker
Embattled LA28 Olympics chairman Casey Wasserman, is facing a new obstacle in his commitment to remain in his position after a local West Hollywood City Council adopted a resolution to have the marketing executive step down.
"Dr. Caroline Heldman of Stand with Survivors said Wasserman's association with Epstein and Maxwell represented "a profound failure of judgment" that disqualified him from representing Los Angeles on the world stage. Other speakers, including representatives of survivor advocacy organizations, said removing Wasserman would send a message that the city stands with victims of sexual abuse and trafficking," reported the WEHO Times.
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While no new evidence has surfaced indicating Wasserman's action were anything other than as described, a few racy emails to Ghislaine Maxwell, from a 29-year-old man who was looking to cash in on any opportunity to elevate his stature, most agree just mentioning Epstein in the current culture is enough to destroy careers. Wasserman's post-email infidelities do indicate poor choices, and bad decisions, and they do not fall under the purview of the Olympic Committee.
The long Epstein shadow is falling on many. If there are other emails involving Wasserman indicating a predilection to any of the behaviors which have surfaced during the exposure of the Epstein files, the decision by all, including the Olympic Committee, and the Los Angeles City Council, would become simpler.
As it is the beleaguered marketing executive has sold his name-sake sports and music marketing firm, which also took a hit after the revelation of the emails with many of the top talent departing, the West Hollywood Vice-Mayor Danny Hung summed up the entire argument stating, "that while Wasserman has not been accused of illegal conduct, "anything Epstein-related to me is tainted," and could cast a shadow over the Games."
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Magician David Copperfield Latest Name to Appear in Epstein Files
Magician David Copperfield,69, is the latest A-list entertainer to be named in the Epstein files and to face scrutiny for his relationship with the pedophile and Ghislaine Maxwell, who recruited, groomed, and abused young girls at Epstein request.
Copperfield, who is pictured embracing Ghislaine Maxwell wearing a hotel robe, announced this week, via the social media platform X, that he is the ending his twenty-five year residency at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, latest entertainer to be named in the Epstein files
The magician was also referenced in a civil suit filed against Epstein by his victims. Johanna Sjoberg, a high-profile Epstein victim, testified that Copperfield once asked her at a dinner party if she knew "girls were getting paid to find other girls," which she believed was an apparent reference to Epstein's recruitment methods," reported LA Magazine.
The Las Vegas Review Journal also covered the announcement by Copperfield that he would be ending his residency on April 30, with no mention of the Epstein files or Copperfield's connection to Ghislaine Maxwell.
MGM Grand President and COO Mike Neubecker said in a statement, "We thank David and his exceptional team for the incredible energy they've consistently delivered with this larger-than-life production. David has fascinated audiences at MGM Grand for more than 25 years, and we wish him every success as he embarks on the next chapter of his journey."
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Savannah Guthrie Returns to "Today" Amidst Mother's Disappearance
NBC Today co-host Savannah Guthrie briefly returned to Studio 1A this week, for a teary reunion with the morning show colleagues, in the wake of her mother's, Nancy Guthrie unsolved kidnapping.
"The spokesperson confirmed that Savannah "plans to return to the show on air. While no date has been announced yet, the statement concluded, "she remains focused right now supporting her family and working to help bring Nancy home," People Magazine reported.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, has been missing for more than six weeks, disappearing in what has been determined to be a kidnapping, on February 1, 2026, from her Tucson, Arizona home. While federal, state, and local law enforcement have established a time line, and other critical details, finding the elderly Guthrie has proven futile.
In what appears to be a well-planned, and well-executed kidnapping, as a random home invasion has been ruled out, the newest released information indicate that the perpetrator may have used a WiFi signal jammer
"On Thursday, March 5, investigators were seen investigating a home west of the 84-year-old's Catalina Foothills neighborhood. One neighbor told NewsNation that his Ring camera history was "not available" from the night Nancy disappeared. Meanwhile, other neighbors told the outlet that the FBI also questioned them about an "internet service disruption" on February 1," Yahoo! Entertainment reported.
FBI Director Kash Patel speculated on X, as several homes in the area experienced WIFI outages, the interruptions may have been from a Walkie-Talkie, a signal-jammer. There was not a high wind weather event on January 31, 2026 in Tucson, or loss of electricity in the region, which would logically be considered as the reason in the offline status. Winds were light at 10mph, which would indicate loss of signal would be a third party source.
Although FBI officials have linked DNA from the found gloves to a local restaurant worker, and have stated, there is no direct link to the case. The question remains, why was the restaurant worker in the area? Did he/she have a side hustle preparing meals for a local family? Which would lead to other conversations regarding the community with the restaurant worker's community.
As the investigation continues there are two schools of thought the first considers all the facts, including the ransom note, and the sophistication of the crime, that Mrs. Guthrie, who has mobility issues, and a heart condition that requires daily medication, is still alive, and somehow her medical needs are being managed; unfortunately, the other is that she has died, and her captor has disposed of her body somewhere in the vast desert surrounding the region.
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Cannes Update
The Canne Film festival, scheduled for May 12 - May 23, has announced the Koran director Park-Chan-wook has been name Jury President of the 79th Festival de Cannes.
A few months before the 79th Festival, future President Park Chan-wook confided: "The theater is dark so that we may see the light of cinema. We confine ourselves within the theater so that our souls may be liberated through the window of film. To be enclosed in a theater to watch films and enclosed again to engage in debate with the members of the Jury, this double, voluntary confinement is something I await with great anticipation. In this age of mutual hatred and division, I believe that the simple act of gathering in a theater to watch a single film together, our breaths and heartbeats aligning, is itself a moving and universal expression of solidarity."
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Berlin, TIFF, BAFTA Speech Controversy
The Toronto International Film Festival became embroiled in a shocking censored speech controversy after comments made by Indigenous actress and filmmaker Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers during her acceptance speech, were edited before airing at the recent awards show gala.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "The mass exodus at the Toronto Film Critics Association is gathering pace after Indigenous actress and filmmaker Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers returned her award trophy following the alleged censorship of her video acceptance speech, which included remarks in support of Palestine.
Many believe it entertainment leaders have an obligation to present a statement condemning or supporting any number of critical wars and human rights violations around the world. As the global entertainment communities use their voices to highlight the atrocities of regimes and these films reach a wider audience, the work speaks, and the festivals should be open to all voices, dissenters as well as supporters.
The Toronto International Film Festival's censored speech controversy follows similar demands by the German tabloid Blid that Berlin Film Festival director Tricia Tuttle resign for appearing to be pro-Palestinian even in the face of accusation against the German government of supporting genocide.
The Berlin Film Festival was also marred in an antisemitism allegations, as the award winning "Syrian-Palestinian director Abdallah Al-Khatib, winner of the top prize in the Perspectives section for Chronicles From the Siege, used his speech to take aim at the German government, accusing them of "being partners in the genocide in Gaza by Israel." In response, German Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider walked out of the ceremony," reported The Hollywood Reporter.
These controversies follow the recent BAFTA racial slur shock during the presentation of Best Visual Effects by Academy Award Best Actor nominee Michael B. Jordan and Best Supporting Actor nominee Delroy Lindo in which BAFTA later apologized for and commended the pair for their dignity. The BAFTAs, the highest British artistic organization had ample time to censor the remark and chose not to edit the slur, which has reverberated throughout the known world.
As the geopolitical temperature continues to rise, artists cannot wait for history to deem an event a horror, or reveal appalling atrocities, or deem leaders barbaric and inhumane before we, those who can, use resources to bring attention to these indescribable brutalities, especially as attention may be what is needed to end the unspeakable crimes against humanity that the vulnerable of the world endure.
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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.
