Hollywood Week: Disney To Vote on CEO, Don Lemon Arrested, Geoffrey Mason Sports Producer, Catherine O’Hara

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Category: Haute This Issue

Published on Saturday, 31 January 2026 12:10

Written by Janet Walker

The Board of Directors for the Walt Disney Company is scheduled to meet this week to vote on the replacement for the current CEO, Robert A. Iger, whose contract is due to expire at the end of 2026.

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Walt Disney CEO Robert Iger, who is scheduled to retire from the company at the end of 2026, has been quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying he is ready to leave sooner.

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"In private conversations over the last few months, Iger has told people close to him that he is ready to move on from the grind of being CEO and was frustrated by conflicts at Disney's ABC network over the brief suspension of late night host Jimmy Kimmel, people who have spoken with him said," reported The Wall Street Journal.

Although no transition timeline has been discussed, Iger stayed on for nearly 18 months after transferring the reigns to Bob Chapek, in 2019, as a consultant and executive chairman.

The article goes on to outline the transition period, and believes the front runners are Parks and Resort Chief, Josh D'Amaro, and TV Exec, Dana Walden.

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Don Lemon Arrested After Living Streaming Protest

Minnesota continues to be a hotbed of civilian protests over the Trump administration ICE policies and pushback by federal officials as they attempt to intimate journalists and citizens from exercising their freedoms to gather, protest, and petition their government for change.

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested after he, along with several other journalists, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Minnesota, for allegedly storming a church and violating the rights of the parishioners to exercise their religious freedoms.

The pastor of the church chosen by Lemmon, and other journalists, is led by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, and as the recent murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in the streets of Minneapolis, the protestors entered the church to cover a planned demonstration.

"The prosecution faced pushback from defense lawyers on First Amendment grounds, given that political protest sits at the center of the indictment and that Mr. Lemon and the other journalist who was charged, Georgia Fort, have said they entered the church to cover a demonstration against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in the area," The New York Times reported

The efforts of the protestors were led by a civilian activist, Nekima Levy Armstrong, and included blowing whistles, shouting, and questioning those in leadership, which caused disruption in the church service, resulting in fear, and an escalation among the congregants of impending violence.

While Lemmon, and another journalists Georgia Forte, have maintained they were covering the news, often civilian interaction can often cause situations to escalate.

The line for journalists and civilians protestors, is to either adopt the philosophies of ICE, and the Trump Administration's blatant disregard of human life, and constitutional freedoms, and terrorizing citizens at random, or protest and petition the government, without violating the constitutional rights and protections of those whom we are protesting against.

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Geoffrey Mason, Producer During Munich Olympics, Dies

Geoffrey Mason, the ABC Sports producer working his first day, during the 1972 Munich Olympics, when 11 members of Israeli Olympic Team were held hostage by the terrorist group Black September, died this week. He was 85.

Mason, who won 24 Emmy Awards throughout his career, was expecting a soft day of sports, when he was notified early of shots being fired in the Olympic Village and began minute by minute coverage as the global tragedy unfolded in real time.  

"Mason was barely 30 and working alongside ABC Sports head Roone Arledge on Sept. 5, 1972, when Israeli athletes and coaches were taken hostage at the Olympic Village by the Palestinian militant group Black September, and it was "largely up to Mason to decide what to show the world about it," THR's Steven Zeitchik wrote in November 2024. "I cannot begin to tell you how fast events were unfolding in that room," he told Zeitchik. "Every minute brought a new challenge. … we had no way of knowing the wide range of possibilities we'd face,"' reported The Hollywood Reporter.

That day, as told from the vantage point of the control room, was recently adapted into an Oscar nominated film, September 5, with John Magaro playing Mason, who served as script consultant.

Mason, who died of natural causes at his home in Naples, Florida is survived by his wife, son, and brother.  

September 5 can be streamed on Paramount Plus.

September 5 Review – A Must See, One of the Year’s Best Films, Riveting

Catherine O'Hara, Home Alone Star, Dies

Catherine O'Hara, star of television and films, died this week, after a brief illness, according to Creative Artist Agency, her representation. She was 71.

Ms. O'Hare, a staple in comedic sketch comedy, was best known for her role as Mrs. McCallister, in the Christmas season film Home Alone, (1990) in which O'Hara inadvertently forgets her young son, Kevin, played by Macauley Calkin. The film was a huge hit, and spawned a sequel, and continues to resonate with audiences as it returns during each holiday season to delight new audiences.

Her roots in Canadian comedy sketch television, similar to "Saturday Night Live," alongside other Canadians including John Candy, Rick Moran, and Eugene Levy, proved instrumental in developing her early comedic craft, and also forming relationships that would later return with huge rewards. Her relationship with Eugene Levy continue throughout the years, and when the critically and commercially successful sitcom "Schitt's Creek" received the greenlight O'Hara joined Levy once again, for a six season run, earning her both a Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe for her performance.

With the advent of streaming, Ms. O'Hara was a sought after talent and playing the recurring role of Paige Leigh, a pretentious producer, in Seth Rogan's "The Studio," poking fun at the industry with all its jealousies, and back room dealings.

Proving her versatility as an actress she received an Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy nomination for her role, in "The Studio," and received an Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role as the pot-smoking psychologist Gail Lynden in the science fiction drama, "The Last of Us."

O'Hara was a frequent choice for the director Tim Burton, starring in Beetle Juice, (1988), The Nightmare Before Christmas, (1993), Frankenweeine, (2012).

Ms. O'Hara had taken ill in recent weeks and was unable to attend the Critics' Choice Awards and the Golden Globes, both held in early January. Her last public appearance was at the 2025 Emmy Awards in September 2025. On the morning of January 30, she was transported via Los Angeles County recuse squad, to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at approximately 5:00 AM, in serious condition suffering from serious respiratory distress. She died later that day.

O'Hara is survived by her husband, of year, Bo Welch, and two sons, Matthew and Luke, as well as numerous siblings.

No further information is available.

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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.