The former EastEnders star has been cast in the reboot of The X Files, which has been greenlit by American streaming powerhouse Hulu
Himesh Patel has landed a major new TV role(Image: PA)
Former EastEnders star Himesh Patel has landed a significant role in the highly anticipated reboot of The X Files.
The 35-year-old, who first captured the nation’s hearts as a youngster on the popular BBC soap portraying Tamwar Masood in Albert Square, is now setting off on a completely different adventure.
He has been cast in Ryan Coogler’s reboot pilot of The X Files, which American streaming giant Hulu gave the go-ahead to last month. Himesh will appear alongside BAFTA-nominated actress Danielle Deadwyler, playing two ‘vastly different’ FBI agents.
Danielle, 43, boasts an impressive array of accolades, particularly for her compelling portrayal of Mamie Till-Mobley in Till. She was nominated for the Best Actress in a Leading Role award at the 2023 BAFTA Film and TV awards, reports OK!.
According to a logline by Variety, the reboot focuses on: “Two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents (Deadwyler, Patel) form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena.”
The publication also confirms that both stars will portray entirely new characters, rather than reimagined versions of Fox Mulder and Dr. Dana Scully, according to the Daily Mail. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson brought those iconic roles to life across 11 series.
Original creator Chris Carter is returning as executive producer, while Jennifer Yale (The Copenhagen Test) has been appointed as showrunner. Meanwhile, Coogler is scheduled to write, direct and produce, drawing inspiration from his mother’s fondness for the original series.
This marks another collaboration between Himesh and Danielle, having previously worked together on the 2021 miniseries Station Eleven.
Himesh left EastEnders in 2016 after his character ran away with then-girlfriend Nancy Carter. Two years later, he shot to international fame by securing the lead role in Yesterday, which became his breakthrough film.
In 2024, Himesh disclosed that struggling with acne while working on EastEnders as a teenager ‘felt like the worst thing in the world‘.
Speaking openly to British GQ Hype, the actor looked back on his remarkable career journey, including his early years on the legendary soap.
He told the publication: “I’ve been doing this since I was 16, When you’re a teenager and you have acne, it’s the worst thing in the world.
“But then when you’ve got acne in front of millions of people every week in EastEnders, it’s a whole other thing. ‘It was rough. You just kind of feel defective because you’re surrounded by actors. Everyone gets spots, but I just felt the pressure.”
BACK to the Future and Top Gun actor James Tolkan has sadly died aged 94.
The Hollywood star passed away peacefully at his New York state home on Thursday after a celebrated TV and stage career spanning 55 years.
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Hollywood actor James Tolkan has passed away aged 94Credit: GettyTolkan as tough teacher Mr. Strickland in Back to the FutureCredit: AlamyThe actor was also known for his role as Commander “Stinger” Jardian in Top GunCredit: Getty
His death was announced on the Back to the Future website as well as by writer-producer Bob Gale, but a cause was not provided.
Tolkan played the slacker-hating teacher Mr. Strickland in the first two films of the iconic 80s franchise, returning as the grandfather of his character in the third.
He was also known for his performance as air group commanding officer “Stinger” Jardian in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, alongside stars Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer and Meg Ryan.
Tolkan’s five-decade-long career started in the 1960s series Naked City and called it a day after the 2015 film Bone Tomahawk.
He was born on June 20, 1931 in Calumet, Michigan and served in the brutal Korean War as part of the United States Navy.
The young sailor was discharged due to a heart condition and set his sights on becoming an actor, earning a BA in drama from the University of Iowa.
An obituary on the Back to the Future website says that he then “got on a bus for New York City with $75 in his pocket, went to work on the docks and enrolled with both Stella Adler and Lee Strasburg to learn the art of acting.
“He spent 25 years in New York theater, from off off Broadway to the great White Way.
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“Notably, he was a member of the original ensemble cast of the ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’.”
Tolkan moved his career from New York to California and Canada in 1983 when he was cast in War Games.
After his roles in Back to the Future and Top Gun, Tolkan had a dual role in Woody Allen’s Love and Death.
Tolkan is survived by his wife of 54 years, Parmelee – whom he met in the off-Broadway play Pinkville in 1971 – and his three nieces in Des Moines, Iowa.
The late actor adored animals and the obituary asked for donations in his memory to your local animal shelter, animal rescue organisation or Humane Society chapter.
ANASTACIA Kingsnorth has been a queen of social media since starting her YouTube Channel aged 11 – but now a fierce backlash is threatening her empire.
The Brit content creator, 25, has ventured into podcast hosting, has written her own book and been the face of many ad campaigns.
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Anastacia Kingsnorth has faced huge backlash following her latest ad collaborationCredit: tiktok/@anastasiakingsnorthShe used AI to create a short clip promoting German brand Air UpCredit: tiktok/@anastasiakingsnorthFans have called out the fact she seemingly used AI – which is not environmentally friendlyCredit: tiktok/@anastasiakingsnorthThe 25-year-old rocketed to fame on YouTube aged 11Credit: Getty
Her height meant she could scoop up a pink water bottle branded with the Air Up logo before she took a sip.
The slurp appeared to transport her into both a new location – the roof of Buckingham Palace – and a new denim pinstripe outfit.
She wrapped the clip by visiting locations including St Paul’s Cathedral and Big Ben.
Yet on TikTok, her followers have alleged she has used AI to create the scenes – and claimed the technology goes against Air Up’s environmentally friendly credentials.
Criticisms came from two angles – the nature of content creation as a creative process, and also for AI using huge volumes of water, seemingly going against green principles.
The Sun has gone to Anastacia’s rep for comment.
Fans have claimed Anastacia, whose content focusses on lifestyle, leisure and beauty, has abandoned the “creative process” with her latest venture.
One TikTok user, who works in marketing, ranted: “Honestly, I am not happy about it.
“And I don’t think a lot of people are, judging by the comments on the video”.
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She added: “It really cuts down on what content creation really is.
“If you work in marketing like myself you will know that this is totally wrong.
“The whole point of content creation is creative process”.
Fans of Anastacia, who has previously collaborated with ITV bosses for a Love Island promotion, continued to take to the comments in fury.
One simply posted: “Who’s idea was this?? Omg”.
A second mused: “I do like some of their content, but Ana and her family don’t seem hugely aware or maybe even that bothered by environmental issues unfortunately. (a LOT of consumption etc!)”.
A third added: “The funny part about it is , the ad is for a refillable water bottle (to try and tackle plastic waste etc) but then it the ad is literally AI!! you couldn’t write it honestly”.
A fourth mused: “The hypocrisy of these ‘influencers’ is gross tbh”.
“I’m surprised the brand approved it to be honest…says a lot about them too! I think being aware of the environmental impact AI has is important too”.
And another user surmised: “For me its the context of the ad being for a refillable water bottle while using AI which uses tons of water. It is a little ironic”.
Campaigners have previously flagged the significant carbon, energy and water use that AI requires.
Previously, Sasha Luccioni, climate lead at AI company Hugging Face told The Guardian: “What I’m worried about is that we’re deploying AI in such a way that we don’t have a good idea of the energy use.
“We’re essentially operating on the hypothesis that it’s not a problem – or that if it is a problem it will somehow be solved – instead of getting ahead of it.”
While Anastacia has posted the video to her Instagram grid, the brand is yet to feature it on their page.
Others have called out the fact AI could take away from her ‘creative’ process as a content creatorCredit: tiktok/@anastasiakingsnorthShe is rumoured to have a net worth of more than £1millionCredit: Getty
Los Angeles County’s chief executive officer Fesia Davenport, who has been on medical leave since October, has announced that she will resign next month.
In a LinkedIn post, Davenport said she was leaving county service to “focus on my health and wellness.”
A notice to the Board of Supervisors provided to The Times Saturday said she had decided to step down April 16 “based primarily on hereditary and ongoing health issues initially uncovered late last year, the risks of which have become clearer based on more recent medical testing and consultation with my doctors.”
She said the “extraordinary amount of time and energy” required of the chief executive played into her decision.
“Although I originally assumed that I would be able to return to my post, I now know that I would be unable to do the job as it deserves to be done while also prioritizing my health,” she told the supervisors.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued a statement Saturday saying, “I’m disappointed by Fesia Davenport’s decision to step down. Her dedication and accomplishments over nearly three decades have left a lasting impact on Los Angeles County.”
Davenport, who was appointed to the county’s top job in 2021, received an undisclosed $2-million settlement last summer to compensate for damage to her “professional reputation” from Measure G, a voter-approved ballot measure that will soon eliminate her position.
In a July 8 letter, released by the county counsel in October through a public record request, Davenport said she sought $2 million in damages for “reputational harm, embarrassment, and physical, emotional and mental distress caused by the Measure G.”
Under Measure G, which voters approved in 2024, the county chief executive, who manages the county government and oversees its budget, will be elected by voters instead of appointed by the board. The elected county executive will be in place by 2028.
Measure G “has had, and will continue to have, an unprecedented impact on my professional reputation, health, career, income, and retirement,” Davenport wrote to county counsel Dawyn Harrison. She said it had “irrevocably changed my life, my professional career, economic outlook, and plans for the future.”
At the time the payout was disclosed, Davenport had begun a medical leave, saying at the time she expected to be back to work early this year.
A lengthy email to her staff, posted on LAist, which first disclosed her resignation, said the unspecified “health crisis” has affected three of her siblings and posed risks to her that “have become clearer based on more recent medical testing and consultation with my doctors.”
Her brother Raymond died in 2018 after “experiencing a sudden health crisis,” she said. Last year, two more of her sisters survived the same health crisis, but one will now require 24-hour care for the rest of her life, she said.
“Although I am not out of the woods yet, I am thankful to the Board for granting me the space to focus on my health and to arm myself with the knowledge I needed to make informed decisions,” she wrote.
The office of chief executive issued a statement Saturday saying chief operating officer Joe Nicchitta will continue serving as acting chief executive officer while Davenport remains on medical leave.
“We appreciate Fesia’s nearly three decades of service to Los Angeles County and all that she has accomplished on behalf of its residents and communities,” the statement said.
Davenport listed a number of accomplishments in her letter to the board, including setting up five new departments maintaining the county’s credit rating when other jurisdictions were being downgraded and “balancing the budget while developing a financing plan to compensate sexual assault victims — the largest settlement of its kind in American history.”
That payout has now come under scrutiny after a Times investigation found that some plaintiffs had been paid to join the class-action lawsuit.
“In that darkness, I found myself,” says Mexican pop star Kenia Os, who collaborated with indie icon Carla Morrison and transmuted online hate into her fiercest album yet
Mexico’s reigning pop princess is entering her femme fatale era.
Kenia Os played up her cute and cuddly side in her previous album, 2024’s “Pink Aura” — but with her upcoming album “K de Karma,” out Friday, Os is putting that era to bed.
Os, born Kenia Guadalupe Flores Osuna in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, has made an incredible leap from social media influencer to Latin Grammy-nominated pop star in under a decade. Yet at 26, she has weathered countless storms — whether facing incessant body-shaming online, or defending her pop music pivot from cynics in the comments.
In an interview with the L.A. Times, the Mexican superstar explains how she transmuted that energy into her most fierce and sexy musical offering yet.
“In that darkness, I found myself,” the 26-year-old says over Zoom from her hotel room in Los Angeles — where she’s traded her signature blood red dress for a black tank top and jeans as she prepares for her upcoming tour.
“This album is totally about empowerment. There’s an energy behind it of divine justice… What’s for you belongs to you.”
Os had plenty of examples of powerful pop divas to draw inspiration from. Though she fondly recalls her mother playing the music of the late Selena Quintanilla and Jenni Rivera, Os was tapped into American talents like Miley Cyrus — namely her “Hannah Montana” alter ego — as well as Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez.
“I’ve always been inspired by a lot of female artists,” she recalls. “The power that women wield has always been at the core of who I am an artist.”
As Os looks back on being a teen girl who shared her life gratuitously on YouTube, and later social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, she still feels the sting of body-shaming comments. Os reveals during that time, her weight would fluctuate from dealing with hormonal issues such as PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and endometriosis.
“It’s very difficult how people judge you for your body, if you gain weight, have a tummy, or whatever,” she says. “It was very complicated to grow from a young girl into a woman [in a world] where you are how you look. Currently, I feel at ease because thanks to the universe, I’ve had the opportunity to take care of my body, understand it, and heal from within. It’s made me a stronger woman.”
Another hurdle that Os had to overcome in her career is an ongoing stigma placed on influencers-turned-pop stars. Although artists like Addison Rae, Tate McRae, and Charli D’Amelio successfully forged their careers as performers on social media before taking center stage, Os sees Mexico as being less receptive to that kind of career transition as the U.S. or Canada.
“In Mexico, it hasn’t been that easy for people to understand that I am a singer,” she says. “I’m not the best, but I’m here, I have my fandom that I love and we’re doing incredible things together.” (Os is referring to her massive following online, which includes 26.3 million fans on TikTok and 18.2 million fans on Instagram.)
When Os first launched as a singer in 2018, some immediately took aim at her dance moves and the digitally augmented sound of her voice. Os admits that she’s come a long way since that first iteration with rigorous singing and choreography lessons; three years later, she signed a record deal with her current label Sony Music Mexico, and released her glossy debut album, “Cambios De Luna,” in 2022.
Since then, Os has come to rule the Latin pop scene in Mexico, boasting multiple sold-out tours of the country.
“It’s been difficult for people to understand that I started out making content — which I still love to do — and suddenly, I’m [also] a singer,” she says. “They try to devalue my work and what I do as an artist. At the end of the day, I’m still as hard-working as I [was] on day one. I’m on the charts with a lot of artists. I’ve put myself in a position where I can say that I’m fully dedicated to music. For me, it’s been a beautiful journey where I’ve learned a lot about myself and I’ve grown so much.”
Os achieved an international breakthrough with her visual album, 2022’s “K23.” The following year she scored a viral hit on TikTok with the flirty “Malas Decisiones,” which has over 340 million streams on Spotify. Os would soon tour the U.S. for the first time, and at the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards, “K23” was nominated in the category of long form music video.
“I loved that experience, and I believe it would be beautiful to win a Grammy, but now I’m more dedicated to my fans, my music and what I like without expecting an award,” she says.
Last year, Os also pulled a page from Taylor Swift’s playbook by releasing the concert film “Kenia Os: La OG” in theaters in both the U.S. and Mexico.
Now with “K De Karma” out, Os is finding strength in further harnessing a sexier and more defiant alter ego — which she introduced in her cinematic music video for “Belladona.” Directed by Daniel Eguren, the visuals emphasize the fatality of her femininity with a car explosion and suited-up businessmen bending to her will.
“It doesn’t feel like that I have to act or pretend to be sexy or sensual,” Os admits. “Now, this feels very natural. It feels very me. This is who I am at this moment as a woman.”
She adds that her album was also inspired by a marginalized group that stuck by her side through her ups and downs: the LGBTQ+ community. As a show of gratitude to the girls and the gays, Os transforms from “Belladona” to Primadonna in vogue-ready house bangers like “Slay,” “Problemática,” and “Boom In Your Face.”
“I wanted to do something fun and different for the LGBTQ+ community,” she says. “I’m very happy and grateful for the love they’ve given me. I believe they’re my most passionate fans — they’re the kind of fans that are there for you the most. To put on concerts where you know most of the crowd belongs to that community, it’s an incredible experience.”
A surprising collaborator on “K De Karma” is Mexican singer-songwriterCarla Morrison. She co-wrote the tender love song “Tú y Yo X Siempre” with Os; the two also collaborated on “Días Tristes,” which is reminiscent of the moody ‘80s pop anthem by Jeanette, “El Muchacho De Los Ojos Tristes.”
Os reveals that she and Morrison worked on a third song that they’re still putting the finishing touches on. “It was very magical to work with her,” she adds. “She’s an exceptional and incredible human being with a big heart. She told me very beautiful words that motivated me all of last year. Those were words that I needed to hear.”
On the personal side, Os is also relishing her relationship withPeso Pluma. After collaborating on the reggaeton track “Tommy & Pamela” in 2024, the two Mexican artists went public as an item last year. Os has even accompanied Pluma on a few stops of his recent Dinastía Tour.
“It’s very beautiful to know that you have a partner that knows what you go through and that can give you advice from his experiences as well,” Os says. “I love that I can count on someone that understands me completely and supports me.”
As for now, she is raring for the Mexican leg of her “K de Karma Tour” that kicks off on April 25 in her hometown. She is hoping to eventually add some dates in the States.
“I want to grow more internationally with this album,” says Os. “As long as my fans love and enjoy this album, that’s all that matters to me.”
On a night when my family watched Austin Reaves pull off the miraculous intentional missed free throw put-back basket on the way to a thrilling Laker overtime win against the Denver Nuggets, we talked more about the newest Lakers super fan on the way home. Kudos to Bill Plaschke for recognizing and capturing the power of 6-year-old Jackson Tuyay’s passionate cheering that helped ignite the laid-back crowd and inspire the Lakers to a huge comeback win. As a lifelong Laker fan since the same age as Jackson it was so awesome to see such innocent and authentic passion for the Lakers. In an arena full of stars in the stands and on the court it was the voice of a 6-year-old that reminded us how awesome it is to be a Lakers fan for life!
Paul Stapleton Los Angeles
To quote Jackson Tuyay, “Yeaaaaah!” It looks like the Lakers can play some defense and beat the better teams after all.
Vaughn Hardenberg Westwood
The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.
OTTAWA — Linus Ullmark made 23 saves for his second shutout of the season and the Ottawa Senators blanked the Ducks 2-0 on Saturday.
Michael Amadio and Thomas Chabot scored for Ottawa. Shane Pinto had two assists. It was the 14th shutout of Ullmark’s career. The Senators have won four of five.
Nick Cousins won a battle along the boards, which sprung Pinto down the ice. Pinto fed Amadio on a 2-on-1 and he made no mistake, beating Husso short-side 3:54 into the second period.
At the 9:21 mark of the second period, the Senators capitalized on a turnover. Pinto intercepted a pass and found Chabot in the high slot for his seventh goal of the season and second career short-handed score.
Anaheim challenged for goaltender interference but was unsuccessful.
Warren Foegele had a couple of chances from close range in the opening period, but just couldn’t settle a bouncing puck.
Husso then stopped Amadio on a short-handed 2-on-1 breakaway.
Amadio later drew a penalty, but Husso made a big glove save on Tim Stutzle on the Senators’ power play.
Up next: Ducks: at Montreal on Sunday; Senators: host San Jose Sharks on Sunday.
How did Jeff Shell, who is seven months into his tenure as president of Paramount Skydance, get entangled with a professional gambler with a penchant for controversy?
Now he’s facing new scrutiny after his Paramount bosses hired a law firm to investigate his surreptitious dealings with a Las Vegas high-roller and self-styled “fixer.” Investigators are reviewing whether Shell leaked sensitive corporate secrets, according to two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment.
The real-life drama features accusations of betrayal, vengeance and an alleged promise of a TV show deal.
Paramount declined to comment. An attorney for Shell also declined to comment, citing the ongoing review.
Last week, Paramount toppled Netflix with its $110-billion deal to claim HBO, CNN, Food Network and the storied Warner Bros. movie and TV studios, a key piece of Ellison’s ambitions to create a Hollywood behemoth by combining two century-old firms.
“The timing is terrible,” said Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. “The last thing Paramount wants when closing this deal is for one of its [corporate] officers to be faced with allegations, true or false, from a professional gambler who calls himself Robin Hood.”
An unusual meeting in 2024
This account is based on interviews with nearly a dozen industry insiders who are familiar with the players and details of the increasingly ugly dispute. The Times granted anonymity to the sources, most of whom were not authorized to speak publicly.
According to these people, Shell’s dealings with the blackjack player began with an odd meeting in August 2024.
At the time, Shell was just joining Ellison’s team as the technology scion was preparing to build a new Hollywood empire.
But Shell was facing a serious problem. Someone was trying to plant unfavorable stories about him from his NBC days just as he was poised to stage his second act, two of the sources said.
Enter Patty Glaser, the high-powered entertainment litigator who represents Shell, and, as it happens, the person they suspected was behind the whisper campaign: Robert James “R.J.” Cipriani.
Patty Glaser wanted to defuse the tensions between R.J. Cipriani and Jeff Shell.
To defuse the tensions, Glaser convened a meeting at her Century City offices between Shell and her other client, Cipriani, who is a self-professed whistleblower and high-stakes gambler who goes by the handle RobinHood702 (the Las Vegas area code). Shell attended the meeting at Glaser’s recommendation.
Cipriani wanted to meet the executive. He had been angry ever since Shell sacked his friend Ron Meyer, former vice chairman of NBCUniversal, in 2020.
One of the founders of talent giant CAA, Meyer filled a unique role at NBCUniversal as the self-deprecating and beloved sage in a wool vest who was often called on to finesse frayed relationships with producers, agents and talent.
Ron Meyer, former vice chairman of NBCUniversal, remains beloved in Hollywood.
(Kevin Winter / Getty Images for AFI)
Kirk had an affair with another studio boss, Kevin Tsujihara, who resigned as Warner Bros. chairman in 2019 after it was revealed that he tried to help her get parts in movies and TV shows.
Meyer had said that after the payment was made, associates of Kirk allegedly demanded more money to keep the affair quiet.
Kirk’s associates denied any wrongdoing, but those dealings ended Meyer’s 25-year tenure at Universal.
Cipriani, according to a source familiar with the situation, was galled that Meyer had been unceremoniously dumped, particularly after it was revealed that Shell also had been engaged in an improper relationship — with a CNBC anchor.
Other Hollywood friends shared the sentiment — a form of schadenfreude — after Shell got his comeuppance nearly three years later.
Jeff Shell in 2015.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
During the meeting at Glaser’s office, the two men discussed their families. Cipriani appeared to have a change of heart.
He told Shell that he would be his friend and personal “crisis PR” agent helping him with damage control, one of the sources said.
It was an unlikely pairing; the two men came from entirely different worlds.
Shell, 60, is a Los Angeles native — a relentlessly driven son of a Cedars-Sinai cardiologist and a teacher turned stay-at-home mom. Although only about 5-foot-9, Shell secured a spot on the University High varsity basketball team after spending long hours perfecting his jump shot.
He earned a degree in economics and applied mathematics from UC Berkeley, then an MBA from Harvard University.
“He’s often the smartest guy in the room,” a former high-level NBCUniversal executive said.
Jeff Shell previously ran NBCUniversal.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Shell has worked in the entertainment business more than 30 years, first at Walt Disney Co., then Rupert Murdoch’s Fox, where he briefly ran its cable networks. The TV executive moved to Philadelphia in 2004 to join Comcast, when its business was selling cable channels to subscribers.
When Comcast bought NBCUniversal in 2011, Shell’s stock was on the rise. He ran NBC’s international operations in London, then moved his family back home to Los Angeles when he became chairman of Universal’s prestigious film unit.
Meyer, who previously ran the studio, was tasked with showing Shell the movie business ropes.
Cipriani, 64, knew Meyer from gambling circles. The two men are friends, the sources said, although Meyer was not involved in the current dust-up, according to several of the people.
Cipriani grew up in Philadelphia, where his dad had worked for the Uniroyal tire company, according to an obituary.
It’s unclear when Cipriani came to L.A., but eventually he became a whistleblower who frequently made contact with journalists. He’s married to a former Brazilian model and actor/musical artist, Greice Santo, who had a small role in the CW’s “Jane the Virgin.”
Cipriani’s name went from the Vegas casinos to the headlines in 2017 when he was a key player in the arrest and conviction of a USC quarterback-turned global drug kingpin, Owen Hanson, who was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison.
Robert James “R.J.” Cipriani in Amazon Prime Video’s 2025 series, “Cocaine Quarterback.”
Cipriani has publicly taken issue with his portrayal as a money launderer in the popular Amazon Prime Video series “Cocaine Quarterback,” which brought the scandal to the screen. It’s a production of Mark Wahlberg and others.
Although Cipriani is often referred to as an “FBI informant,” the moniker rankles him. He prefers being called a “confidential human source for the feds,” who “goes after the bad guys,” according to those familiar with his thinking.
And Cipriani is not afraid to tangle with powerful people.
“Jeff Shell may have [gone to] Harvard Business School but R.J. Cipriani comes from the hardscrabble streets of Philly,” Cipriani’s attorney Steven Aaronoff told The Times. “Who’s going to win that war?”
Cipriani was arrested in 2021 on the casino floor of Resorts World Las Vegas, allegedly for snatching the cellphone of another gambler who Cipriani said was recording his movements.
The charge was dropped, but Cipriani has since brought a RICO lawsuit against Resorts World that alleges the firm allowed “known criminals involved in illegal gambling” and “money laundering” while also spearheading his ban from Vegas casinos.
Cipriani alleged his arrest and subsequent treatment was in retaliation for raising his concerns with casino management and law enforcement. A former president of the casino called the claims “ridiculous,” according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Cipriani and Shell texted on-and-off for about 18 months, according to the knowledgeable people.
In the first half of last year, as Ellison and his team were waiting for the blessing of President Trump and the Federal Communications Commission to finalize the Paramount takeover, the group was bedeviled by press leaks.
Some were reported by Hollywood newsletters, including a scoop that Matt and Ross Duffer, who created the blockbuster horror series “Stranger Things” for Netflix, were decamping to Ellison’s Paramount. Shell was not aware of the Duffers’ deal before it was announced, said a person close to the executive.
Fallout over a TV show
But Shell and Cipriani had a major falling out when Cipriani began angling for a television show.
According to people familiar with the dispute, Cipriani worked for months without compensation but, at one point, Shell had thanked him for his efforts and offered to help him out. That’s when Cipriani asked Shell to greenlight an English version of a Spanish-language music show that streams on Roku TV, “Serenata De Las Estrellas.”
The TV project, like the Spanish-language version, would be co-executive produced by Cipriani and his wife, Santo.
But Shell failed to deliver, and Cipriani became furious.
“Mr. Shell promised to give my client, to produce the English language version of the show that was already a Spanish language hit,” Aaronoff said. “It was not something that was risky … It was not some crazy idea,” adding that Shell “did not keep his word to my client.”
Cipriani — who also has producer credits on the 2020 documentary about Vegas, “Money Machine: Behind the Lies,” and the 2015 movie, “Wild Card” — had intended to make “Serenata” as a homage to his late mother, Regina.
It was inspired by a song that Cipriani used to sing to her when he was growing up.
Jeff Shell became president of Paramount Skydance last summer.
(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
Cipriani has threatened to file a lawsuit that makes a range of allegations, including that Shell had been slipping Cipriani sensitive corporate information, according to sources who have seen a copy of Cipriani’s draft complaint.
Shell, who officially joined Paramount in August with the Ellison takeover, immediately disclosed Cipriani’s legal threat to Paramount’s top lawyer and his previous employer RedBird Capital Partners, a Paramount investor partner.
“We were presented with a draft complaint riddled with clear errors of fact and law,” attorney Glaser said in a statement last week. “We will strongly respond.”
The lawsuit hasn’t been filed, but Paramount hired Gibson Dunn lawyers to investigate Shell’s conduct and allegations contained in the draft, which was sent to Paramount.
As a child in Newark, N.J., Narciso Rodriguez was often transported back to Cuba by the stories from his family and their friends. He walked the halls of El Encanto, a Havana department store and fashion mecca on the island — one that drew in celebrity clientele and featured haute-couture designs and fragrances from the far-flung fashion capitals of Paris and Milan.
“I don’t know that they could have afforded any of those things when they were in Cuba,” he tells De Los. “But they certainly filled my imagination with beautiful stories and laid the foundation for my work.”
It was the women in his life — the “amazing, powerful, loud, colorful dynamos,” as he describes them — who inspired him to pursue a career in fashion.
“Their stories, their lives, their power, their curves, it all influenced me,” he says. “They’re the reason I wanted to create things.”
Over the last three decades, the renowned designer has earned a reputation for sleek, flattering lines and effortless shapes, most famously seen on the career-launching dress he designed for his friend Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy to wear on her wedding day. The bias-cut silk slip has remained a source of inspiration for generations of brides since, and has been making waves again thanks to the FX series “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.”
Omari K. Chancellor as Gordon Henderson, from left, Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette, Tonatiuh as Narciso Rodriguez in FX’s “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette”
(Eric Liebowitz / FX)
“Love Story” will follow the couple’s wedding in the latest episode, out March 5. (Rodriguez is portrayed by Tonatiuh on the show.)
After designing Bessette-Kennedy’s dress, Rodriguez launched his own label and a fragrance line, and has continued to create designs that are woven into the fabric of American history — Michelle Obama wore his dress on election night in 2008.
De Los spoke with Rodriguez about his career, upbringing and memories of designing Bessette-Kennedy’s dress.
You’ve spoken about how inspired you were by the women in your life growing up. Are there any “fashion icons” from your family or neighborhood that you could point to from your childhood?
You know, I’m so lucky because I was raised in a very Cuban household in a very culturally rich community in Newark. I mean, it was Italian, Spanish, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Black. It was everything. But I always think back to when I was very, very young, there was a kind of matriarch here in the neighborhood. Her name was Concha and she was kind of this lightning rod. My dad’s sister was married to her son, so when my parents came to the U.S., she gave them a place to stay. She would teach all of the young women how to cook and gave everyone a place to stay until they got on their feet. She was larger than life, she was like “Auntie Mame.” She had these great ‘60s beehive wigs in amazing wig boxes, she made these beautiful Chanel suits for herself, and had all these gold bangles, great lipstick and stilettos. When she came into the room, she just radiated power, joy and style. I always think of her as being my first signpost on the road.
They were all beautiful, you know? My aunts and my mom were the most beautiful, glamorous women. None of them were wearing designer clothes, but they took great pride and great care in how they looked, and that really made an impression on me.
How did that impression translate into a concrete passion? How did you go about actually pursuing a career in fashion?
I loved architecture. I loved building things, so I was always drawing, sketching and sculpting. Then I would see my mom take a piece of fabric and the way she could take something flat and shapeless and turn it into a garment was fascinating. By the time I was 13, I was doing fashion illustration, and I got a job in a tailor shop. Later, I enrolled myself in Saturday courses at Parsons [School of Design], and I kind of had to hide it from my parents at first. I felt like I couldn’t be a fashion designer, you know, because of the whole “macho” idea, but I just kept going. I was lucky that I was someone who always knew what they wanted to do, and that Parsons recognized I had talent for it at a young age.
I was exposed to really great people there, too. Donna Karan was a critic, Calvin Klein was a critic, Oscar de la Renta too. I got to do projects with all of them, and then I was hired after school by Donna Karan while she was still at Anne Klein. It was an amazing experience, and then I got poached by Calvin Klein, which was a very different experience.
How so?
It was incredible, but just very different. Whereas Anne Klein was this melting pot of creativity, Calvin was much more image-driven and precision-driven. He brought in great talents to collaborate with, so on any given day, you’d be working with the most amazing photographers, stylists and art directors. It was a really great finishing school as a young person.
You arrived at Calvin Klein during a period of reinvention for the brand. This was in the era of Kate Moss, and the famous “Marky Mark” print ads. We see a version of it in “Love Story,” but what was it like to actually be there?
When I got there, I think around 1989, it hadn’t really started to change yet. And I thought, “Wow, I made a really big mistake. This is not my aesthetic, not my thing.” But it changed very quickly, and it was very exciting. [Calvin] worked very hard. He was very focused, and he appreciated that I could keep up. Like everybody, there was a rough initiation period, but afterward, he gave me the opportunity to work on some tailored pieces that sold really well at retail, so I was rewarded with more opportunities.
But it was the ‘90s, and it was New York, and it was brilliant. It felt like the whole city was reinventing itself, and Calvin was a leader in that. All the best photographers, the most brilliant artists were there. Jacky Marshall, Zack Carr, Carolyn — the talent was endless. I was really fortunate to experience it and build friendships that were lifelong.
I’m curious if you remember your first impressions of Carolyn. How did you two connect?
We were quite friendly immediately, and then we became the best of friends. We lived in the same building, so the rest was history. You know, she’s an incredible person, and she had great style. She was bigger than life.
Carolyn has been regarded as a fashion icon, and especially now, everyone is trying to re–create her look. There was something more subtle and interesting going on than just “minimalist” fashion, so how would you describe what made her style so special?
Carolyn was so authentic in so many ways, and I think that she was very pragmatic about her choices. She had a great eye. She knew what worked for her, and she knew how to present herself. She never wanted to be uncomfortable. She was very connected to herself. I think so many people have this relationship to fashion and what they think they should look like based on the ideas they see in a magazine or being sold to you by the industry, and Carolyn never fell into that trap.
I have this conversation often with young designers, with people, with journalists. Today, everything that we see is inauthentic. Celebrities are paid to wear designer clothes. They’re styled by a stylist, and nothing is innate. That is the opposite of Carolyn. She was 100% real.
Narciso Rodriguez in 1997.
(Paolo Roversi)
We have to talk about her wedding dress. If you’re a bride, it’s impossible to look for inspiration without coming across her dress. What was it like to have a friend ask you to create something for such a special, important moment?
You know, until my children were born, Carolyn was the love of my life. We were very close, and she asked me, as you said, to make the dress that she would marry the love of her life in. It was very personal for me. It wasn’t a press event, it was a conversation between two people who were very close. I knew what looked good on her, she knew what looked good on her. I knew that she would never want to be bogged down with trains and lace. It wouldn’t be her.
What was the actual design process like?
It was an effortless collaboration. She came to fittings in Paris, we pulled the neckline down a bit lower, and the dress was born. I added the gloves, the veil and the shoe. It was just magical, and exactly the way it should be. It really made her the focus. You know, she was the one who pointed that out to me about my work. She always said, “You create a frame for a woman’s beauty and personality to shine through.” I’ve always thought that was a really beautiful thing that she gave me, because it’s true. I never want my work to be what you see first. I think the success of that dress is that you see her and her happiness and the purity of it all.
Everything about the wedding, including the dress, had to be kept a secret. Was it a challenge to make sure that no one knew what you were working on?
I was working in Paris, and I got approval from the owner of [Cerruti]. He was discreet about it. I worked with one pattern maker. I had a fit model who was lovely. Nobody knew who it was for. They always asked. But because I was working in Paris, they didn’t really connect me to her. I was also quite cautious when the dress was in work, I remember I had become quite friendly with Azzedine Alaïa. I asked, “Can I take this dress over to you and have you check it out to see what I’m doing?” I went over and he looked at the prototype, and said, “Why don’t you move this seam over the bum by a centimeter. I think it’ll be more flattering.” And I did, because he was the master, and he tortured me to know who it was for, but I never told him. Later, when it was all over the press, he would call and pretend he was a fancy lady looking for a wedding dress for her daughter. [Laughs] He tricked me a few times into believing some of his gags, but he was an amazing person.
It was just a magical time in all of our lives. And then I flew to America with the dress and went to the wedding, and it was that simple. You know, I’ve heard all these amazing stories about how the dress didn’t fit, and I had to sew her into it, and that she was hours late because of it, and none of this is true. But I love that people have made up all these stories.
Maybe the dress on her seems so effortless that people want to invent a way to complicate it.
[Laughs] I really have heard so many crazy stories, but when you look at the pictures, it certainly doesn’t look like it didn’t fit. That’s for sure.
As you mentioned, the dress was all over the press later. How did that moment impact your career?
Well, I went from Paris to my best friend’s wedding, and then I flew home to New York to do a pit stop at my apartment. When I arrived, there was a huge crowd outside the building with news trucks. I kind of walked through the crowd and into the building, and I said to the doorman, “What’s all that about?” And he looked at me, and he said, “They’re here to see you.”
Oh, wow.
It was a very big, kind of scary, unexpected change in my life. I remember going up to my apartment and trying to navigate that when Anna Wintour’s office called and said, “Anna would like for you to come to the Princess [Diana] benefit in Washington.” And I said I couldn’t go, I needed to be back in Paris, I didn’t even have a white shirt. And they said, “It’s Princess Di and Anna Wintour. You’re going. We’ll send you a shirt.” So I went, and I met Princess Diana, and it was really strange to be at such a big event and have so many eyes on me, because I didn’t expect that, and everyone was curious. I remember they were shady journalists trying to sit next to me and get information about where [John and Carolyn] went on their honeymoon. Life changed dramatically, but it brought great attention to the work that I was doing in Paris, and I was able to then go off and start my own business and do my own thing.
I’m sure you had an understanding through Carolyn about what it felt like to be hounded or followed by photographers and press, but did that firsthand experience in New York give you another layer of understanding for what she was going through?
It’s so funny because society today will do anything for that. But it was a very different time, and she was a very private person. I was a very private person. It’s very invasive, and I was kind of stuck in the middle, because while I needed to promote my work and my shows, and sort of be in the press, it wasn’t something that I was very comfortable with. I mean, I love doing the work more than I like the things attached to it. It can be debilitating, and it was difficult for me, but I adjusted, because I could hide behind my work, but as a private citizen, it was more difficult for her.
Narciso Rodriguez.
(Sølve Sundsbø)
You’ve been a part of fashion history on numerous occasions. Michelle Obama frequently wore your designs, but most famously, on election night in 2008, and then during her final appearance as first lady. How does it feel to have been a part of those moments?
It’s hard to put into words. You know, you spend so much time in it, and you have these amazing moments, like designing a dress that became legendary for brides, or getting to dress the first lady, and it wasn’t until COVID that I took a step back. I think about my mother and father coming here to give their son a chance to live out his dreams. And to have been able to sit with my friends on election night and watch her appear in my dress on such a historic moment — the first African American elected president of the United States — words fail. [Michelle Obama] is such an incredible human being who I admire so much, and to have been a part of that night, I feel so lucky.
I don’t talk about my work with my children, but the other day, when they were on the bus headed to school, they told one of their friends, “My dad went to the Obama White House.” They were proud of me. My parents’ dreams came true, and now I get to share that with my children. It’s very special.
It’s really powerful to hear you frame it that way — that these moments mean so much because of your experience being the child of immigrants. How does it feel to be in the midst of a revival right now?
It makes me want to create more. It means a lot to me that people remember these pieces, and that they’re still part of the conversation. But it also means a really great deal to me because I think it’s an important story to tell today. I think it’s important that young people hear that this kind of thing can happen to the children of immigrants, especially as I’m watching all of the horrible things happening to immigrants now.
I could never do what my parents did. When I think about it now, my parents were so much more successful than I could ever be, because they left behind their home for a cold climate, in a place where they couldn’t speak the language, and they really struggled for a long time before I was born. And now, the idea that we’re trying to take that opportunity away from people? It just blows my mind.
My parents faced so many hardships, their life wasn’t easy, but I can’t imagine if they had been put through what immigrants are put through today. I am the “American Dream,” right? I got the chance I got to do the work that I love and succeed because of them. I want that for everyone. I want that to be the world we live in.
The ending was not what Jason Crowe Jr. wanted, but he got a hug from his mother and praise from his coach/father after Inglewood’s 84-65 loss to Damien on Tuesday night in the Southern California Division I regional playoff game.
He finished with 34 points, ending his high school career with a state-record 4,718 points in 124 games, according to CalHiSports.com. He’s more than 1,000 points ahead of the next closest player. His scoring average was 38.0 points.
Jason Crowe Jr. ends his fabulous high school career with 34 points in Inglewood 84-65 loss to Damien. He finishes with 4,718 points in 124 games, the most points in California history. pic.twitter.com/O1Lqcaqwzl
“I think he’s had an amazing high school career,” said his father, Jason Sr., who will join his son at Missouri next season serving as an assistant coach. “He had to go against the best defenses every night. I’m proud of him. He brought this program to the Division I level. He was on honor roll every year.”
Damien (28-7) had too much firepower for Inglewood (28-7). Eli Garner scored 25 points and Zaire Rasshan had 24 points. Garner had a five-point play and Rasshan added a four-point play. Damien will play at No. 3-seeded Crespi on Thursday. Crespi defeated Bishop Amat 83-66. Isaiah Barnes scored 20 points. Sophomore Aiden Shaw had 25 points for Bishop Amat.
Jason Crowe Jr. of Inglewood launches three against Damien. He finished with 34 points in loss.
(Nick Koza)
“Incredible career,” Damien coach Mike LeDuc said of Crowe Jr.
Damien fans get excited in state playoff game.
(Nick Koza)
Mater Dei 86, La Mirada 79: The Monarchs came back from a 12-point halftime deficit to eliminate No. 1-seeded La Mirada on the road in Division I.
St. John Bosco 65, San Marcos 55: Christian Collins scored 30 points and Max Ellis 19 for the Braves.
Venice 61, Riverside Ramona 50: Canaan Rodriguez scored 18 points for Venice in Division IV.
Girls basketball
Oak Park 72, La Jolla Country Day 57: Karisma Flores scored 27 points, including seven of seven from the three-point line, to lead Oak Park.
From Hollywood actors to Olympic athletes and politicians, California’s newest Hall of Fame class runs the gamut in talent and achievements.
Academy Award-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis and former governor/action star Arnold Schwarzenegger, Olympic champions Janet Evans and Carl Lewis, authors Riane Eisler and Terry McMillan, chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, groundbreaking ensemble Mariachi Reyne de Los Ángeles and former state Democratic leader John L. Burton all earned a spot into the assembly of distinct Californians, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday.
This class, the 19th in state history, will be formally enshrined during a ceremony at the California Museum in Sacramento on March 19 as a “celebration of their contributions to civic life, creativity, and social progress,” according to Newsom’s office.
The inductees “have reshaped our culture and our communities. Resilient and innovative, these leaders and luminaries represent the best of the California spirit,” Newsom said in a statement.
To be inducted, candidates must have lived in California for at least five years and “have made achievements benefiting the state, nation and world,” according to the California Hall of Fame website. To date, 166 Californians have been selected by three governors since 2006.
Curtis, 67, a Santa Monica native, is among Hollywood’s elite and teamed with Schwarzenegger in the action blockbuster “True Lies” in 1994. Her acting career dates to 1977, and she earned a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award in 2023 for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
Lewis, 64, is considered by many one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. The track star won 10 medals, nine of them gold, in four Olympics.
Eisler, 88, and McMillan, 74, added multiple bestsellers to this Hall of Fame class.
Eisler’s critically acclaimed “The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future” examines roughly 20,000 years of partnership between men and women and male domination over the last 5,000 years. The futurist, cultural historian and Holocaust survivor who has degrees in sociology and law from UCLA said she was informed of the honor last year by Jennifer Siebel Newsom and recently was honored by the Austrian government with its Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class.
“I am very honored at this time in my life to be inducted into the California Hall of Fame,” Eisler wrote in an email. “I have worked tirelessly to help create a better world, and firmly believe that a new paradigm, a new way of looking at our world and our place in it, is crucial.”
McMillan has written a series of smash hits, including a couple that became major studio films in the ‘90s, “Waiting to Exhale” and “How Stella Got her Groove Back,” centered on Black women’s voices.
Matsuhisa, 76, know for his iconic Japanese restaurant Nobu, which has six locations in California, owns businesses across five continents.
Mariachi Reyna de Los Ángeles, founded in South El Monte, rewrote the rules of music, becoming the first all-woman mariachi ensemble that has entertained for more than three decades.
Burton, the former chair of the California Democratic Party who died last year at 92, boasted a political career that included time in the California State Assembly and Senate and the U.S. House.
“This year’s class embodies the very best of California — creativity, resilience and a spirit of community,” Siebel Newsom said in a statement. “These honorees remind us that innovation and courage flourish when people are lifted up by those around them.”
Harrison Ford received a standing ovation Sunday as he accepted the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award.
“It’s a little early isn’t it?” Ford joked, noting that “it’s a little weird to be getting a lifetime achievement award at the half-point of my career.”
The 83-year-old is one of the industry’s highest-grossing actors after catapulting to global stardom with his role as Han Solo in the “Star Wars” franchise, a legacy further cemented by his lead role in “Indiana Jones” movies.
Ford fought back tears, thanking his fellow actors, writers, directors and cast members. He “found a calling. A life in storytelling. An identity in pretending to be other people,” he said.
“While we’re all at different stages of our lives and careers in this room, we all share something fundamental. We share the privilege of working in the world of ideas, of empathy, or imagination,” Ford said. “Because of that privilege, I’ve come to know myself.”
Ford said he was “not an overnight success,” spending the first 15 years of his career jumping between acting and carpentry before landing an acting role.
Ford thanked film producer and casting director Fred Roos and his longtime manager Pat McQueeney, all of whom he said were integral to his success.
“They’re no longer with us, but it feels important that I think of them now. I feel them here tonight. They would be happy for me,” Ford said.
SAG-AFTRA’s recognition on Sunday is one of several lifetime achievement awards bestowed upon the actor over his extensive six-decade career, which is defined by two of Hollywood’s biggest film franchises.
A highlight reel of Ford’s various acting performances played ahead of his accepting the award.
The award was presented by actor Woody Harrelson, who lauded Ford’s varied achievements and called him a “timeless American treasure.”
“There’s too much of me in this tribute to Harrison, but I’m an actor, what do you expect?” Harrelson quipped. The actor first met Ford after following him into a sushi restaurant and the pair “sealed their friendship” over lunch, during which “at one point, we laughed — and I’m not kidding — for three minutes straight,” Harrelson said.
“This is a life achievement award and he has lived a full one,” Harrelson said.
Ford hasn’t shown signs of slowing down in recent years. The actor plays therapist Paul Rhoades in the Apple TV show “Shrinking,” which earned him his first-ever Emmy nomination last year. He also recently starred in the “Yellowstone” prequel “1923” and appeared in his first Marvel movie, “Captain America: Brave New World.”
Ford “thinks working more is the antidote to aging,” Harrelson said. The actor recently reprised his iconic role as a swashbuckling archaeologist in the 2023 sequel “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”
Despite Ford’s massive success in the industry, the actor has yet to win a major competitive acting award. The Life Achievement Award is the first that Ford snagged from the guild. He was nominated last year for actor in a comedy series for his role in “Shrinking” but lost to Martin Short for his performance in “Only Murders in the Building.”
Ford said he was “quite humbled” to be honored with the award in a room full of actors, “many of whom are here because they’ve been nominated to receive a prize for their amazing work, while I’m here to receive a prize for being alive.”
“Sometimes we make entertainment. Sometimes we make art. Sometimes we’re lucky and we make them both at the same time,” Ford said.
The awards show’s highest honor is given to performers who foster the “finest ideals of the acting profession.” Ford joins a list of seasoned actors who have received the award, including Jane Fonda, Barbra Streisand, Morgan Freeman and Robert De Niro.
SAG-AFTRA described Ford as “one of cinema’s most enduring leading men” whose performances “have become woven into the fabric of our culture,” in a December release announcing the honor.
