Last year, LAPD leaders quietly brought on a temporary consultant to advise on how to give the department’s battered public image a spit shine.
In a proposal reviewed by The Times, the consultant wrote that the LAPD’s standing as “one of the most prominent and visible law enforcement agencies in the world” was on the line.
The name of the person offering to help chart the path forward was not mentioned when the contract went before the Police Commission for approval. Nor did it come up Feb 3. when, after a heated debate, the City Council approved the creation of a new LAPD communications strategist role with an annual salary of $191,000.
LAPD Deputy Chief Jonathan Pinto, head of the Human Resources Bureau, acknowledged under questioning from council members that the department already had someone in mind for the role — but declined to say who.
Numerous department sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the confidential personnel matter, identified the candidate as the consultant: Robert Port, a filmmaker, writer and director who has worked for decades in Hollywood.
Port declined to comment, as did an LAPD spokesperson.
Winner of a 2003 Academy Award for his documentary short “Twin Towers,” about a pair of brothers — a policeman and a fireman — who responded to the World Trade Center on 9/11, Port has served as an executive producer or written for shows ranging from Amazon Prime’s “Jack Ryan” to “Numb3rs” on CBS.
A biography attached to his consulting proposal says he has been a reserve Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy for the last decade. His ties to LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell and the city’s former top cop, William Bratton, date back years through shared East Coast roots.
In his consulting proposal, Port said he would “outline a forward-looking plan that strengthens messaging, builds trust, supports officer morale, and protects the LAPD’s image as the most professional and polished agency in the country.”
“In other words, let’s bring some luster back to the badge!” he wrote.
But the secrecy around Port’s hiring has already triggered fresh criticism, along with questions about whether the LAPD — which already has multiple officers working in its press shop — really needs more help communicating.
During the City Council hearing last week, Pinto said the department’s press shop would continue focusing on dealing with outside media inquiries, but that the new civil service-exempt role would draft “comprehensive integrated communication plans.”
Reporting directly to McDonnell, the position would allow the department to present a clear, unified message to the agency’s 8,700-some officers, said Pinto, while building “brand awareness” and boosting recruitment.
Several council members questioned how the new position might influence the LAPD’s messaging, noting that McDonnell has been out of lockstep with city leaders on issues such as the response to federal immigration enforcement and the use of force against protesters.
Others on the council pressed Pinto about what they saw as a lack of clarity on the job description.
“If we’ve got nothing to hide, then we shouldn’t be acting like we have something to hide,” said Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, adding that she was uncomfortable approving such a high salary given the city’s financial straits and the possibility of other civilian employees being furloughed.
The council eventually voted 10 to 5 to approve the position.
Port has kept a relatively low public profile since he started his consulting work last fall, mostly operating behind the scenes. Images posted on social media showed him walking around the crime scene at the Brentwood home of Rob Reiner, where authorities say the filmmaker and his wife were murdered by their son in December.
In his consulting proposal, Port cited conversations with McDonnell, Assistant Chief Dominic Choi and other department leaders in which they “emphasized the need for outside expertise in shaping the department’s image, both within the organization and to the public in all aspects of communication, video, and media.”
Among his proposals was to create a more “centralized” social media strategy rather than continuing to let the LAPD’s 21 stations spread across the city each handle their own online accounts.
“The goal is to maintain strong community engagement while also giving the LAPD a single, recognizable voice across all platforms and portraying its positive messaging to fellow Angelians.”
For decades, Hollywood helped sell the LAPD’s nationwide image as the epitome of professional law enforcement with shows such as “Dragnet,” “Adam-12” and “T.J. Hooker.” Today, Port said, that relationship was “less structured.” Using his industry background, he said, he could help the department better vet proposals, including a recent pitch from a major production company for a “ride-along”-style reality series.
He also suggested that he could advise a public relations firm previously hired by the LAPD to overhaul its marketing strategy. “Port’s experience in storytelling and award-winning creative expertise in advertising enable him to review these materials with a critical eye,” the proposal said.
Port’s four-month media consulting contract was paid for by a $20,000 donation from the Police Foundation, a nonprofit group that raises funds for LAPD equipment and offers other forms of support. The paperwork around the donation did not include Port’s name but said that the money would go to pay for a consultant “to develop forward-looking, integrated communications plan that strengthens messaging, builds trust, and supports officer morale.”
Then-Commissioner Erroll Southers voted against the contract, saying at the time he was uncomfortable with the department’s unwillingness to share details about the position — even with its civilian bosses.
The decision to try to bring on Port marks the latest shakeup of the department’s press office. The unit has had four different police captains in as many years, and the chief civilian spokesperson job has been vacant since the abrupt resignation of Jennifer Forkish last October.
The late afternoon sun was setting over Coldwater Canyon when the bus arrived. Students from Boyle Heights’ Bravo High spilled out into TreePeople, a nature reserve and nonprofit in Coldwater Canyon Park, and took off hiking.
As they looked around the sage and monkeyflower-lined path, their chatter quieted, and soon, they were writing poetry.
Alina Sadibekova, a junior at the magnet medical school, sat under native oak trees, breathing in the soil-rich air with a pen in hand.
“Our city is very busy, especially living in L.A. where everything just goes on and on and it feels like there’s never a point where we can take a breath,” Alina said. “Going to the parks helped me ground myself.”
During a field trip to Gabrielino Springs and the L.A. River Gardens, Bravo High School students from Feng Shui Poetry in the Parks work on poems inspired by the landscape.
(Genesis Sierra)
TreePeople, is one of many green spaces she has visited with Feng Shui Poetry in the Parks, a program dreamed up by the West Hollywood poet laureate, Jen Cheng, in partnership with Bravo High English teacher Steve “Mr. V” Valenzuela. Cheng’s aim is for poetry, nature and Chinese principles to inspire a love for nature in students otherwise surrounded by concrete.
“I think as humans, we’re part of nature, so being better connected to nature actually brings you more home to yourself,” Cheng said. She explains that feng shui, the ancient Chinese practice of arranging a space to encourage harmony, is based on five natural elements: water, wood, fire, earth and metal.
“Feng shui, in poetry, is a lens that you can use to process big ideas using your surroundings,” Cheng said. “You can say, ‘Let’s write about water running down a river,’ not literally, but maybe as a metaphor for migration.”
Feng Shui Poetry in the Parks has grant funding through 2026’s spring semester, but next school year is still up in the air. Cheng says she’s looking for other grants, but as the Trump administration cuts humanities funding, including National Endowment for the Arts grants, the options are scarce.
As the oldest of five growing up in Oakland, Cheng felt seen for the first time when she discovered poetry in elementary school. It was inspired by her most cherished memories: field trips. At the time, her immigrant family worked to the point where they were often “too busy for nature.” During field trips, it was exciting, she said, to be out of Oakland’s urban landscape and in parks that felt rare in her working-class experience.
Decades after her elementary school field trips, as a newly appointed poet laureate for West Hollywood, she envisioned a way to mirror this childhood experience.
Poets laureate, whose role is to champion and encourage poetry in their community, are eligible for a $50,000 nationwide grant through the Academy of American Poets to support “meaningful, impactful and innovative projects,” according to the AAP.
As a recipient of this grant, Cheng brought Feng Shui Poetry in the Parks to life with one final addition — a teacher with a passion for poetry, who could connect her to a classroom of students.
Everyone she spoke to, she said, pointed her to the same person — “Mr. V.”
Jen Cheng, left, and Steve Valenzuela, right, close the Feng Shui Poetry in the Parks reading with words of encouragement for the students who shared their poetry at Bravo High School on Dec. 4, 2025. Both instructors have said that they were surprised by the emotion and creativity the students demonstrated in their poems.
(Kayte Deioma)
A sanctuary for ‘lifesaving’ creativity
When you enter Valenzuela’s classroom, the walls are covered with dozens of CD sleeves, from Deftones to Rage Against the Machine. In the gaps, student artwork, notes and photos with current and former students hang.
Valenzuela leads Bravo High’s poetry club, KEEPERS, and for the last few years, he’s guided the students to win awards at international poetry slam Get Lit.
“Poetry is expression, poetry is life-changing, lifesaving, which sounds very dramatic, but it’s not. Some of the things the students have written about are very traumatic,” Valenzuela said. “I’ve seen them work through difficult experiences and come out of it using poetry.”
One such student is 17-year-old Paige Thibodeaux. “I used to think it was better to be closed off, but throughout this, I was able to show my friends and peers who I am,” Paige said. “I didn’t think that’s something I could do and I’m here now.”
Paige, who lives with her family in Compton, recalled having her guard up as she walked through her neighborhood, where she said expression through poetry felt inaccessible.
“I don’t see a lot of kids doing things like this,” she said.
Student poets, friends and family members gather before the start of the Feng Shui Poetry in the Parks poetry reading and zine release at Bravo High School on Dec. 4, 2025.
(Kayte Deioma)
Working on a book, she said, opened up a whole new side of her. She started to confide in friends about stress, or things that bothered her, which otherwise would have stayed inside.
‘I still don’t believe it’
Since August 2025, Paige and her classmates have developed their poems, received feedback from Cheng and submitted their final pieces to be published as a poetry collection.
The cover, designed by Bravo student Adrian Lopez, depicts a tree wrapping around the spine. The poems are rooted in their observations of current affairs and native plants; the publication was completed in December, when Valenzuela and Cheng planned for a reading and celebration of their work at Bravo High.
“Did you guys know your work is going to be read across the country?” Cheng said to students in class one day. “I’m sending it all the way to New York!”
“Feng Shui Poetry in the Parks Vol. 1” is being printed as a zine and will be sent to bookstores and libraries from San Francisco to Chicago as well as the Library of Congress.
Students giggled and gasped in disbelief. “No pressure, I guess,” one student joked.
“It’s really crazy, I still don’t believe it. It’s been a dream of mine,” Alina said. “I never realized I could be a published author as a junior in high school.”
The night of the poetry reading, students, parents and friends gathered in excitement in Bravo High School’s library, settling in rows before a single microphone. Out in the hallway, the raucous chatter of teenagers echoed in the halls, and cars honked on the busy street outside to pick them up. But inside the haven of the library, there was a quiet settling among the crowd for the long-awaited show.
Alina Sadibekova reads her poems “I Want to Fly” and “Messy” for the Feng Shui Poetry in the Parks reading at Bravo High School on Dec. 4, 2025. She says writing poetry over the course of the program “grounded” her and alleviated the stress of school.
(Kayte Deioma)
Aolani “Lani” Alarcon approached the mic to hushed voices. As the lights lowered, she thanked the crowd, the white flower tucked in her hair catching the light as she recited her first poem, “White Sage.”
She says poetry didn’t always come easily to her. “One of the biggest things I struggle with is judgment, so opening up or writing about touchy subjects or things that mean something to me was hard,” Lani said. “Knowing that I wouldn’t be judged, or that people would actually like what I write, means a lot.”
The 16-year-old smiled as she read, describing sage as an ancestor’s prayer. Her next poem, “Hummingbird,” delved into grief.
“You teach me that healing isn’t forgetting,” she read, tears welling. “It’s learning to carry love without breaking under it.”
Manuel Alarcon, her father, was seated in the crowd, clasping his hands in rapt attention. When the readings had finished, he pulled Lani into a long embrace.
“These field trips, it exposed them outside of city life,” Alarcon said. “There’s more than opening a book, listening to a teacher. You need that outside exposure to really understand life. And inner city kids don’t have that. I want [my daughter] to be part of breaking a cycle.”
Valenzuela clapped loudly and cheered as each student stepped off the podium.
“When young voices, and voices from marginalized communities tend to be silenced, sometimes we internalize that and silence ourselves,” Valenzuela said. “I want them to feel like they can speak up.”
As Feng Shui Poetry in the Parks carries on for another semester— maybe its last — students continue to explore writing poetry in the greens of L.A. parks. Some, like 17-year-old Saneli Soto, express themselves along the way.
Saneli’s poem reads:
I’m used to concrete floors And concrete walls. I’m used to five story buildings. I needed a quiet place. Where I could just lie in the grass.
Bad Bunny’s Superbowl halftime show may have been dubbed the sexiest in sporting history, but many fans were busy watching another A-list star during the performance.
Hollywood actor Jon Hamm sent fans wild with his hilarious “dad dancing” as he watched the performance pitchside.
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Hollywood legend Jon Hamm has left fans in stitches after hilariously ‘dad dancing’ to Bad Bunny’s Superbowl halftime performanceCredit: GettyThe Puerto Rican performer brought the house down with a performance dubbed the ‘sexiest’ in Superbowl historyCredit: Shutterstock EditorialAnd Jon was seemingly his biggest fanCredit: TikTok
He admitted at the time: “You can’t listen to his music and not smile. He’s a really nice guy. He’s funny, and he’s fun and his music is awesome.”
Bad Bunny rocked the iconic halftime show slot during last night’s superbowl, which saw the Seattle Seahawks reign victorious.
The Puerto Rican’s spicy performance included raunchy dancing and close-up making out which the thousands in attendance and the millions watching at home lapped up.
The performance also featured special guest appearances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin.
Meanwhile global stars like Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba and Cardi B – girlfriend of New England Patriots star Stefon Diggs – danced on stage as part of the spectacle.
Jon didn’t hold back on busting a move as he watched the show pitchsideCredit: TikTokJon has previously described himself as a ‘massive fan’ of Bad BunnyCredit: TikTokWhile his wife, Anna, even donned a Bad Bunny jersey for the sporting eventCredit: GettyHis performance featured several stars, including Lady GagaCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
California lawmakers are expressing concern about how the future of Warner Bros. Discovery could affect Hollywood’s workforce.
In an open letter addressed to Netflix Chief Executives Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters and Paramount Skydance Corporation CEO David Ellison, U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) call for the industry giants to make “concrete commitments to Californian and American workers.”
With all of these moving pieces, there’s a bipartisan fear among the nation’s lawmakers about how the acquisition could affect jobs in the U.S. entertainment industry . As stated in the letter, the industry “supports more than 680,000 jobs and contributes over $115 billion annually to the regional economy.”
Given the slowdown the industry has seen post-COVID and the growing number of international productions, Los Angeles film activity was down 13.2% from July through September 2025 when compared with the same period last year. This downward trend continues to build on the loss of 42,000 jobs in L.A. between 2022 and 2024.
Ellison and Sarandos have made arguments for why they believe their respective companies are best positioned to take over Warner Bros.
But each deal comes with major cuts. Paramount is projected to slash $6 billion in expenses over three years, and Netflix is projecting to cut $2 billion to $3 billion. Some analysts believe these cuts will have a significant effect on the workforce.
Previously, Ellison said, “We believe that what we are offering is better for Hollywood. It’s better for the customers and it’s pro-competitive.”
Sarandos is also quoted in the letter saying: “We think it’s great for consumers. We think it’s a great way to create and protect jobs in the entertainment industry.”
Earlier this week during a Senate subcommittee hearing, Sarandos said Netflix plans to increase its film and television production spending to $26 billion this year, with a majority of that happening in the U.S.
The lawmakers’ letter raises a series of questions surrounding the livelihood of creators, the use of AI and “concrete steps” about preserving jobs in L.A. Schiff and Friedman also offer the CEOs an opportunity to meet with them to discuss their answers.
In an effort to ensure “America continues to lead the world in the creative economy,” the letter said that Congress is currently working on bipartisan legislation that would establish a federal film tax incentive. It will be modeled after state programs in California, Louisiana and Georgia.
“We view this as a tool to not just protect but encourage more domestic filming and sustainable job creation on American soil,” wrote the lawmakers.
As film and television post-production work has increasingly left California, workers are pushing for a new standalone tax credit focused on their industry.
That effort got a major boost Wednesday night when a representative for Assemblymember Nick Schultz (D-Burbank) said the lawmaker would take up the bill.
The news was greeted by cheers and applause from an assembled crowd of more than 100 people who attended a town hall meeting at Burbank’s Evergreen Studios.
“As big of a victory as this is, because it means we’re in the game, this is just the beginning,” Marielle Abaunza, president of the California Post Alliance trade group, a newly formed trade group representing post-production workers, said during the meeting.
The state’s post-production industry — which includes workers in fields like sound and picture editing, music, composition and visual effects — has been hit hard by the overall flight of film and TV work out of California and to other states and countries. Though post-production workers aren’t as visible, they play a crucial role in delivering a polished final product to TV, film and music audiences.
Last year, lawmakers boosted the annual amount allocated to the state’s film and TV tax credit program and expanded the criteria for eligible projects in an attempt to lure production back to California. So far, more than 100 film and TV projects have been awarded tax credits under the revamped program.
But post-production workers say the incentive program doesn’t do enough to retain jobs in California because it only covers their work if 75% of filming or overall budget is spent in the state. The new California Post Alliance is advocating for an incentive that would cover post-production jobs in-state, even if principal photography films elsewhere or the project did not otherwise qualify for the state’s production incentive.
Schultz said he is backing the proposed legislation because of the effect on workers in his district over the last decade.
“We are competing with other states and foreign countries for post production jobs, which is causing unprecedented threats to our workforce and to future generations of entertainment industry workers,” he said in a statement Thursday.
During the 1 1/2 hour meeting, industry speakers pointed to other states and countries, including many in Europe, with specific post-production incentives that have lured work away from the Golden State. By 2024, post-production employment in California dropped 11.2%, compared with 2010, according to a presentation from Tim Belcher, managing director at post-production company Light Iron.
“We’re all an integrated ecosystem, and losses in one affect losses in the other,” he said during the meeting. “And when post[-production] leaves California, we are all affected.”
True crime fans can binge watch a harrowing series for free
Meet, Marry, Murder will be available to stream on Pluto TV(Image: Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
A gripping true crime documentary series hosted by a late Hollywood A-lister is available to stream for free, the perfect binge watch for true crime fans.
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and so are plenty of romantic watches. But for fans of true crime and criminal investigations, there is one show to put on your radar in the coming weeks.
Pluto TV has brought its single series channel dedicated to the Meet, Marry, Murder true crime documentary series. Hosted by Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Michelle Trachtenberg, it explores some of the most chilling cases where spouses are killed by their partners.
Focusing on how love turns deadly and investigates the darker side of marriage, the documentary hones in on one of the most common forms of murder – involving a married couple.
Pluto TV teases: “The single series channel dedicated to the ‘Meet, Marry, Murder’ true crime documentary series, hosted by Michelle Trachtenberg, explores chilling cases where spouses are killed by their partners, focusing on how love turns deadly and investigates the darker side of marriage.”
Meet, Marry, Murder will be available to stream completely for free on Pluto TV, with it being dubbed the perfect watch for fans of true crime. The series features emotional interviews as well as investigating how a life time commitment of love ends in disaster and heartbreak.
Taking to IMDB, many fans said the series was “one of the most interestingly detailed” documentary shows. One person praised: “This show is one of the most interestingly detailed true crime documentary shows. The stories are ones I had not seen or heard before as I watch quite a bit of true crime so that kept me watching.
“You hear from people very close to the story so you are very emotionally pulled in and get a large amount of detail to what led up to the sad event.” They added: “The show as a whole is a great true crime documentary series.”
Another person penned: “Did enjoy binge watching this though and the stories they made episodes on. Still love Michelle, just think maybe something else is for her in terms of hosting.
“Otherwise I enjoyed the performances and the way they build up certain twists in some of the stories. This kind of show is different because it’s not strangers, it’s people in marriages that spiral downwards.”
A third added: “Interesting new show and somewhat different then most true life crime shows. Michelle Trachtenberg who host this show in many ways is like Elvira Mistress of the Dark, Michelle, commentary on the case being viewed is very much same as Elvira’s remarks during the movie she is doing.
“Both women are very goth in the manner of dress and make up! While all the cases that Michelle does in Season 1 are ones I have already seen on other true life crime shows. That said, Michelle color commentary is unique to this show [sic].”
Adam Lewinson, Chief Content Officer, Tubi said at the time of release: “At Tubi, we are excited to expand our offerings within the true crime genre with the premiere of Meet, Marry, Murder.”
He added: “Viewers’ fascination with true crime content is ever-growing and we know Meet, Marry, Murder will captivate audiences and keep them at the edge of their seats.”
Meet, Marry, Murder is available to stream for free on Pluto TV.
It is not the end of the owners’ involvement, they remain interested and invested throughout the process.
But one of the success stories of the takeover has been the celebrity pair knowing their own limits – and placing trust in the expertise of others.
That very much includes Parkinson who draws up his list of targets, working closely with assistant Steve Parkin and scout Chris Johnson.
The budget from the board meeting gives Parkinson an idea of what he is working with as they move towards the window.
But while the final say on who ends up coming through the doors at Stok Cae Ras is always with the manager, support and scrutiny comes in the form of a transfer committee.
Parkinson is joined by Williamson, as well as directors Humphrey Ker and Shaun Harvey.
Then there is former FA technical director Les Reed. The one-time Charlton Athletic manager was a key decision-maker at Southampton as they went from League One to the Premier League, a period where the club won praise for the recruitment of players such as Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane.
He has been an advisor and consultant from the early days of Reynolds and Mac’s time, even helping identify Parkinson as their choice for manager.
The five together make sure there is a collective responsibility on the approach and, crucially, if the moves are right for the club.
Williamson has described it as a “stress test” of the process, with meetings both virtually and in person as the window demands.
Eva Longoria, John Leguizamo and Xochitl Gomez are among the 100-plus Latino actors, artists and creatives who have signed an open letter calling for accountability in Hollywood — citing longtime discrimination in casting and storytelling.
The public statement follows the controversy surrounding Odessa A’zion, who dropped her role as a Latina character in Sean Durkin’s “Deep Cuts,” following online backlash over the actor herself not being Latina.
“Recent casting decisions around the character Zoe Gutierrez in A24’s ‘Deep Cuts’ have exposed a troubling pattern,” the letter states. “We acknowledge and commend Odessa A’zion for listening, reflecting and deciding to exit the project and become an ally. Yet how did this happen?”
Earlier this week, the Wrap revealed that the “I Love L.A.” and “Marty Supreme” breakout star was cast as Zoe Gutierrez in the A24 film adaptation of Holly Brickley’s music-filled coming-of-age novel. The character’s identity plays an important role in the book, as she is written as a half-Mexican and half-Jewish lesbian.
Though the 25-year-old announced Wednesday night that she had dropped the role — admitting through her Instagram stories that she had not yet read the book, nor learned of all the character’s traits — the incident has unearthed questions about Latino representation in Hollywood.
“This isn’t about Odessa,” said Xochitl Gomez to The Times on Friday. “It’s about the executives, the producers and the whole system at the top. They thought it was OK to not even audition Latinas for the role in the first place. Latinas were pitched, including me, but we were told that there was an actress with an exclusive offer. This role never showed up on the casting grid because it was already gone.”
Xochitl Gomez attends “REBBECA” LA Premiere on November 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images for State of the Art)
(JC Olivera / Getty Images for State of the Art)
According to UCLA’s 2025 Hollywood Diversity Report, Latinos were cast in only 1% of the leading roles in the top 104 English-language films released theatrically in 2024, despite constituting roughly 20% of the total U.S. population.
In TV, representation is just as stark. Latinos are cast in only 6% of all roles across the top U.S. broadcast series, as per a recent study by ¡Pa’lante! — a Latino representation initiative from the USC Norman Lear Center — which also found that 1 in 4 Latino characters are depicted as career criminals.
“The absence of Latina audition opportunities, and the choice to replace a clearly Latina character with a non-Latina actress, signals a broader, ongoing erasure of our community from the stories that define our culture,” the letter continues. “This is not about any one actor or project. It is about a system that repeatedly overlooks qualified Latino talent even as our identities, histories, and experiences fuel the most enduring stories.”
The signatories request that Latino actors be hired for a diverse range of roles, including non-stereotypical leads. There is also a demand for more Latino executives to be involved in green-lighting projects and the inclusion of Latino consultants, writers and producers from the earliest stages of development. Finally, there is a call on Hollywood to create mentorship, scholarships and opportunities that expand access on all levels of the ecosystem.
This plea by marginalized creatives is not the first pushback — nor likely the last — against a stagnant Hollywood machine.
As early as the 1920s, the portrayal of Latinos was so negative that the Mexican government, and even Woodrow Wilson reportedly told Hollywood producers to “please be a little kinder to the Mexicans.”
In 1999, the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) and the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) called for the boycott of broadcast networks’ 26 new fall series because they did not feature a non-white lead, sparking dialogue over the diversity of Hollywood at the time.
Comedian Chris Rock blasted the industry in a 2014 essay for its omission of Mexicans in Los Angeles, where nearly half of the population is Latino: “You’re in L.A., you’ve got to try not to hire Mexicans.”
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) — who in recent years has nominated several Latino-focused films to the Library of Congress National Film Registry — also penned a 2020 column in Variety, underscoring the dearth representation of Latinos in entertainment and the consequences of omission. “Prejudice has existed in the United States for generations, but the image of our community created by film and television has done little to counter bigoted views, and too often has amplified them.”
Another letter published in October 2020 with over 270 showrunners, creators, television and film writers signatures — including Lin-Manuel Miranda and “One Day at a Time” co-creator Gloria Calderón Kellett — called for systemic change in the industry. “We are tired,” they wrote.
The pushback continued in 2022, when actor Leguizamo penned an open letter in The Times about the history of Latino representation and the co-option of Latino stories — including that of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, who was portrayed by a brownface Marlon Brando in the 1952 film “Viva Zapata!,” and Al Pacino, who played the fictional Cuban character Tony Montana in the 1983 film “Scarface.”
Wrote Leguizamo, “There’s a fix for this: Cast more Latinos!”
Read the full open letter below.
Dear Casting Directors, Creative Executives, Writers, Producers, and Hollywood Leaders,
We write to you with urgency, because storytelling is humanity’s compass and Hollywood wields all the power. The stories you choose to tell, and how you tell them, shape public perception, cultural understanding, and who gets to see themselves reflected on screen. In these challenging moments that power comes with real responsibility.
Recent casting decisions around the character Zoe Gutierrez in A 24’s Deep Cuts have exposed a troubling pattern. We acknowledge and commend Odessa A’zion for listening, reflecting and deciding to exit the project and become an ally. Yet how did this happen? The absence of Latina audition opportunities, and the choice to replace a clearly Latina character with a non-Latina actress, signals a broader, ongoing erasure of our community from the stories that define our culture. This is not about any one actor or project. It is about a system that repeatedly overlooks qualified Latino talent even as our identities, histories, and experiences fuel the most enduring stories.
Latino communities are already underrepresented and misrepresented in ways that distort reality and harm real people. Casting decisions carry real weight: they influence who is seen as worthy of authentic storytelling and who gets to tell those stories with care, nuance, and authority.
We are calling for accountability, intentionality, and equity in casting and storytelling. Authentic representation means more than casting a performer who looks like the character; it means involving the communities being portrayed not just in front of the camera, but in the decisions that shape these stories from their inception. Our stories deserve to be shaped with the input, guidance, and leadership of Latino creators, consultants, writers, and performers at every stage.
We implore you to join us in concrete action:
Audition and hire more Latino actors for a diverse range of roles, including non-stereotypical leads
Hire Latino executives in your greenlighting rooms
Include Latino voices as consultants, writers, and producers from the earliest stages of development
Create and support pipelines: mentoring, scholarships, and opportunities that expand access all levels of the ecosystem
Ray J is under doctor’s orders to stay on bed rest, take all his prescribed medications and avoid drinking alcohol or smoking because of his damaged heart.
The R&B singer, who revealed this week that his heart is pumping at far below capacity because of damage from his heavy use of alcohol and other substances, shared those directives with TMZ in an interview published Thursday. Doctors told him he likely has only months to live, with the former “Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood” star predicting that he would die by 2027.
Doctors told Ray J — real name William Ray Norwood Jr. — that he should prepare for the chance that he might need a pacemaker or defibrillator soon, the singer told the celebrity site. He expects to get an update when he goes back in two weeks for a check-up.
The brother of actor-singer Brandy said that if he manages to survive his current health crisis, he expects to emerge a “stronger and a better person.”
Ray J told followers in a video posted Sunday that he wanted to “thank everyone for praying for me.”
“I was in the hospital,” he said. “My heart is only beating like 25%, but as long as I stay focused and stay on the right path, then everything will be all right.”
He said elsewhere that his heart was beating at 60%. The number likely refers to Ray J’s heart’s ejection fraction, which measures the volume of blood coming out of the heart’s left ventricle or being drawn into the right ventricle when the heart beats. Right-sided heart failure is far less common, according to WebMD.
The man who was with Kim Kardashian in her career-launching sex tape said in other video livestreams that the right side of his heart was “black. It’s like done.”
“I thought I could handle all the alcohol, I could handle all the Adderall,” he said. Now, he told TMZ, he’s been taking eight different drugs, including Lipitor, Jardiance and Entresto, and physicians’ warnings for him to avoid smoking and drinking are a challenge.
Doctors have told him he has only months to live, Ray J said in his recent livestreams, and he believes he won’t last past this calendar year.
Nigella Lawson has admitted that she’s “frightened” but “excited” ahead of joining The Great British Bake Off as a new judge, but warned that she’s very different to Paul Hollywood
12:57, 29 Jan 2026Updated 12:57, 29 Jan 2026
Nigella Lawson has revealed her nerves ahead of Bake Off
The Great British Bake Off‘s new judge Nigella Lawson has admitted that she’s “a teeny bit frightened” to take on the show – and will have a different approach to co-star Paul Hollywood. The 66-year-old was confirmed earlier this week as the new star who’ll be replacing Prue Leith.
Appearing on This Morning today, Nigella said that she plans to take the show “very seriously” – and warns that she’ll be applying a different judging “philosophy” to co-judge Paul. She told hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley: “I’m a teeny bit frightened. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that. I am excited but I take it very seriously.
“The thing about Bake Off is it’s about the programme. – an institution of national treasure status and it’s about the bakers. I want to be there and be part of it,” she added. “One of the reasons it’s been enduringly popular is that feels like it’s about community and I guess we just all need that.”
As for how she’ll fare in the iconic Bake Off tent, Nigella admitted that she’s “the clumsiest person in the world“, which could lead to disaster. “As long as I don’t knock any of their cakes off the table or the stand,” she said.
“I feel like I’m not someone who looks for fault, I look for pleasure. My basic attitude in life. I feel Paul Hollywood is Mr. Technical, I’m all about the eating.”
Nigella added: “If I see my job as eating, it’s not too daunting. I can eat.”
Nigella will be the third judge to take on that Bake Off slot alongside Paul Hollywood, with Prue Leith and Dame Mary Berry coming before her.
Mary was one of the show’s original judges when it started on the BBC in 2010, however she left the show alongside hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins when it moved to Channel 4 in 2016. Prue took over the following year for Channel 4’s first series and has been with the show ever since.
Earlier this month, Prue announced that she was leaving Bake Off for good, saying in a statement: “Bake Off has been a fabulous part of my life for the last nine years, I have genuinely loved it and I’m sure I’ll miss working with my fellow judge Paul, Alison and Noel and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4.
“But now feels like the right time to step back (I’m 86 for goodness sake!), there’s so much I’d like to do, not least spend summers enjoying my garden.”
“Whoever joins the team, I’m sure they’ll love it as much as I have. I feel very lucky to have been part of it.”
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX. The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 later this year.
Many in Hollywood fear Warner Bros. Discovery’s sale will trigger steep job losses — at a time when the industry already has been ravaged by dramatic downsizing and the flight of productions from Los Angeles.
David Ellison‘s Paramount Skydance is seeking to allay some of those concerns by detailing its plans to save $6 billion, including job cuts, should Paramount succeed in its bid to buy the larger Warner Bros. Discovery.
Leaders of the combined company would search for savings by focusing on “duplicative operations across all aspects of the business — specifically back office, finance, corporate, legal, technology, infrastructure and real estate,” Paramount said in documents filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Paramount is locked in an uphill battle to buy the storied studio behind Batman, Harry Potter, Scooby-Doo and “The Big Bang Theory.” The firm’s proposed $108.4-billion deal would include swallowing HBO, HBO Max, CNN, TBS, Food Network and other Warner cable channels.
Warner’s board prefers Netflix’s proposed $82.7-billion deal, and has repeatedly rebuffed the Ellison family’s proposals. That prompted Paramount to turn hostile last month and make its case directly to Warner investors on its website and in regulatory filings.
Shareholders may ultimately decide the winner.
Paramount previously disclosed that it would target $6 billion in synergies. And it has stressed the proposed merger would make Hollywood stronger — not weaker. The firm, however, recently acknowledged that it would shave about 10% from program spending should it succeed in combining Paramount and Warner Bros.
Paramount said the cuts would come from areas other than film and television studio operations.
A film enthusiast and longtime producer, David Ellison has long expressed a desire to grow the combined Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. slate to more than 30 movies a year. His goal is to keep Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. stand-alone studios.
This year, Warner Bros. plans to release 17 films. Paramount has said it wants to nearly double its output to 15 movies, which would bring the two-studio total to 32.
“We are very focused on maintaining the creative engines of the combined company,” Paramount said in its marketing materials for investors, which were submitted to the SEC on Monday.
“Our priority is to build a vibrant, healthy business and industry — one that supports Hollywood and creative, benefits consumers, encourages competition, and strengthens the overall job market,” Paramount said.
If the deal goes through, Paramount said that it would become Hollywood’s biggest spender — shelling out about $30 billion a year on programming.
In comparison, Walt Disney Co. has said it plans to spend $24 billion in the current fiscal year.
Paramount also added a dig at Warner management, saying: “We expect to make smarter decisions about licensing across linear networks and streaming.”
Some analysts have wondered whether Paramount would sell one of its most valuable assets — the historic Melrose Avenue movie lot — to raise money to pay down debt that a Warner acquisition would bring.
Paramount is the only major studio to be physically located in Hollywood and its studio lot is one of the company’s crown jewels. That’s where “Sunset Boulevard,” several “Star Trek” movies and parts of “Chinatown” were filmed.
A Paramount spokesperson declined to comment.
Sources close to the company said Paramount would scrutinize the numerous real estate leases in an effort to bring together far-flung teams into a more centralized space.
For example, CBS has much of its administrative offices on Gower in Hollywood, blocks away from the Paramount lot. And HBO maintains its operations in Culver City — miles from Warner’s Burbank lot.
The tender offer was set to expire last week, but Paramount extended the window after failing to solicit sufficient interest among Warner shareholders.
Some analysts believe Paramount may have to raise its bid to closer to $34 a share to turn heads. Paramount last raised its bid Dec. 4 — hours before the auction closed and Netflix was declared the winner.
Paramount also has filed proxy materials to ask Warner shareholders to reject the Netflix deal at an upcoming stockholder meeting.
Should Paramount win Warner Bros., it would need to line up $94.65 billion in debt and equity.
Billionaire Larry Ellison has pledged to backstop $40.4 billion for the equity required. Paramount’s proposed financing relies on $24 billion from royal families in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The deal would saddle Paramount with more than $60 billion of debt — which Warner board members have argued may be untenable.
“The extraordinary amount of debt financing as well as other terms of the PSKY offer heighten the risk of failure to close,” Warner board members said in a filing earlier this month.
Paramount would also have to absorb Warner’s debt load, which currently tops $30 billion.
Netflix is seeking to buy the Warner Bros. television and movie studios, HBO and HBO Max. It is not interested in Warner’s cable channels, including CNN. Warner wants to spin off its basic cable channels to facilitate the Netflix deal.
Analysts say both deals could face regulatory hurdles.
Well, they do say any attention is good attention.
Actor Sydney Sweeney was in the spotlight Monday after being captured on video recently scaling the H of the Hollywood sign under the cloak of darkness — to hang up some bras.
TMZ reported on the footage, which was part of a promotion for Sweeney’s upcoming lingerie line. But according to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the alleged publicity stunt was not authorized.
The chamber owns the intellectual property rights to the sign, which is managed by the nonprofit Hollywood Sign Trust. Neither the chamber nor the trust knew about the apparent Sweeney stunt until they saw the video, officials told The Times.
“Anyone intending to use and/or access the Hollywood Sign for commercial purposes must obtain a license or permission from the Hollywood Chamber to do so,” the chamber’s chief, Steve Nissen, said in a statement. “The production involving Sydney Sweeney and the Hollywood Sign, as reported by TMZ, was not authorized by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce nor did we have prior knowledge of it.”
Nissen also said that the organization “did not grant a license or permission of any kind to the production … nor did anyone seek a license or permission from the Chamber for that production.”
Footage obtained by TMZ shows Sweeney climbing up the Hollywood sign to help string up a clothesline of assorted bras across the familiar landmark. The “Christy” star is accompanied by a small crew that is filming her handiwork.
The team did obtain a general permit to film in the area from FilmLA.
But as is explained both on the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and Hollywood sign websites, filming the sign itself requires additional clearance and payment of a licensing fee. The chamber says a portion of the proceeds goes to a trust that assists in maintaining the Hollywood sign. Access to the Hollywood sign is generally restricted.
So far, a police report that could trigger a trespass investigation and review by prosecutors has not been filed, according to L.A. Police Officer Tony Im, a department spokesperson.
Built in 1923, the Hollywood sign was donated to the city 21 years later. Climbing or altering the sign are not permitted — and have happened over the decades. Famously, the letters were changed to “Hollyweed” by a local college student on New Year’s Day 1976 when California downgraded the possession of a small amount of pot from a possible felony to a misdemeanor. That stunt was repeated in 2017. In that case, the suspect was arrested on suspicion of trespass. In 1987, Caltech students changed the sign overnight to read “Caltech.”
Last February, a man was arrested after he climbed onto the letter D as part of a social media promotion and was taken into custody.
As for Sweeney, this is not the first time the actor has been scrutinized for promotional activity involving clothing. The “Euphoria” star previously faced backlash for the slogan of an ad campaign involving jeans. (Sweeney later addressed the controversy, telling the Hollywood Reporter that she was “surprised by the reaction” and that she “[doesn’t] support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true.”)
Representatives for Sweeney did not respond to The Times’ request for comment.
Don’t stop me if you’ve heard this one before, since I’m admittedly something of a broken record on the subject, but I very much prefer Marvel’s television series, which tend to be fleet, original and unpredictable, to its movies, which tend not to be. “Loki,”“Ms. Marvel,”“Moon Knight,”“Echo,”“WandaVision” and its spinoff “Agatha All Along” — all (among others) are worth watching, even the ones that are dumped after a season.
Developing longer stories with less money, the TV shows makers need to be inventive, creative with their resources, so they invest in characters and ideas rather than special effects and action. They focus on secondary or ensemble figures who would never be given a theatrical feature of their own to carry, are particular about culture and family and place, and are often less contingent on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with its phases and stages, its crossovers and cross-promotions and long-range marketing plans. At once higher concept and more grounded than the movies, they’re interesting on their own, to the point where, when they finally hitch on to the Marvel multi-mega-serial train, I find them disappointing.
“Wonder Man,” whose eight episodes premiere all at once Tuesday on Disney+, is perhaps the most grounded of these series. Created by Destin Daniel Cretton (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”) and Andrew Guest (who has written for “Community” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), the series is a (generally) sweet, disarming tale of actors in Hollywood, tricked up with picture-business details that you don’t need to be au fait with the MCU to appreciate. There are things it might be helpful to know, but you can work out everything that matters through context. (Locals will enjoy playing Spot the Locations.)
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays Simon Williams, who as a child became a fan of a B-movie superhero called Wonder Man — not a “real” superhero, in this reality, merely a fiction. Now in his 30s, he’s a struggling actor in Hollywood, good enough to land a small part in an “American Horror Story” episode, but not clever enough to keep from slowing down the production with questions and suggestions when all he needs to do is deliver a couple of lines before a monster bites his head off. He loses the part and a girlfriend directly afterward.
Taking in a revival house matinee of “Midnight Cowboy,” he meets Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), who is back from having played the Mandarin — that is, he acted the part of a terrorist called the Mandarin, believing it was just a job — in “Iron Man 3” and providing appealing comedy relief in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” The character here is more fleshed out, something of a mess (but 13 years sober, he likes to point out), serious but not a joke. Before it all went wrong, Trevor played King Lear (in Croydon), appeared in “Coronation Street” and in a movie with Glenda Jackson, was off-off-off Broadway in “The Skin Our Teeth” and briefly had the lead in a hospital show with Joe Pantoliano, who’s very funny playing himself.
Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), left, and Simon Williams (Yahya Adbul-Mateen II) team up in “Wonder Man.”
(Suzanne Tenner / Marvel Television)
Slattery tells Simon that European art director Von Kovak (Zlatko Burić) is rebooting Wonder Man, a role Simon feels born to play. He makes an end run around his unconvinced agent, Janelle (X Mayo), and wheedles an audition — where he again meets Trevor, auditioning for Barnaby, Wonder Man’s pal, or sidekick or something. There are wheels behind wheels in this setup, some of which could use a little grease, but for most of the series they do their squeaking off to the side. It’s a love story, above all — “Midnight Cowboy,” not an accidental choice, is more of a touchstone than any Marvel movie.
Simon does have powers — things shake, break or explode around him when he’s upset, and his strength can become super in a tight spot — which puts him in the sights of the Department of Damage Control, embodied by Arian Moayed as P. Cleary, who would like to contain him. But he struggles to keep them secret, especially in light of something called the Doorman Clause — its history established in a sidebar episode, a cautionary Hollywood fable with Josh Gad as himself — which prohibits anyone with super powers from working in film or television, all Simon lives for.
There is little in the way of action, and you won’t miss it. The fate of the world is never in question, but a callback for a second audition means everything. The only costumed characters are actors playing costumed characters; the only villains, apart from the bureaucracy that seeks to bring him in, are Simon’s own self-doubt and temper. As things progress, Trevor will become a mentor to Simon. As is common in stories of love and friendship, a betrayal will be revealed, but if you have seen even a few such stories, you know how that’s going to go, and will be glad it does.
Whether discussing acting techniques or the traffic they’re stuck in on Hollywood Boulevard (Trevor: “Probably the Hollywood Bowl.” Simon: “It’s too late for the Bowl.” Trevor: “It’s usually the Bowl. I remember seeing Cher there once — breathtaking. Chaka Khan, now there’s a woman”), Abdul-Mateen and Kingsley work well together; their energies are complementary, laid back and loose versus worked up and tight and, of course, each will have something to teach one another about who they are and who they could be. I was genuinely anxious for them, as friends, more so than just wondering how such and such a superhero (or team) might defeat such and such a supervillain (or team).
“Our ideas about heroes and gods, they only get in the way,” says Von Kovak, putting a room of hopeful actors through their paces, and essentially speaking for the series he’s in. “Too difficult to comprehend them. Let’s find the human underneath.”
When “The Great British Baking Show” returns for another season later this year, the tent will welcome a new judge alongside the freshest batch of competitors.
British cookbook author and TV personality Nigella Lawson will join the beloved baking competition as a judge, succeeding Prue Leith, who announced her departure from the series last week. “The Great British Baking Show” (alternatively titled “The Great British Bake-Off” in the United Kingdom) unveiled Lawson’s appointment Monday on Instagram. She will co-judge alongside longtime “Bake Show” fixture and bread expert Paul Hollywood.
“I’m uncharacteristically rather lost for words right now!” Lawson said in a joint Instagram post. “Of course it’s daunting to be following in the footsteps of Prue Leith and Mary Berry before her, great dames both, but I’m also bubbling with excitement.”
“The Great British Baking Show” first aired on the BBC in 2010, with Hollywood judging competitors’ bakes alongside Mary Berry. Berry departed the series when it moved from the BBC to commercial broadcaster Channel 4 and Leith began her tenure in 2017.
During her “Baking Show” days, Leith became known among fans and competitors for her affinity for boozy bakes and colorful fashion and accessories. Notably, she and Hollywood co-judged the series in its 11th season, which was filmed and aired amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leith, announcing her exit, said “Bake Off has been a fabulous part of my life for the last nine years” and looked forward to a new chapter in her life.
“But now feels like the right time to step back (I’m 86 for goodness sake!), there’s so much I’d like to do, not least spend summers enjoying my garden,” she wrote, adding later in her caption that she believes her successor will “love [the show] as much as I have.”
Lawson, a former journalist and Margaret Thatcher cabinet member Nigel Lawson’s daughter, comes to “Baking Show” with some history with Channel 4. The broadcast aired her series “Nigella Bites” in the late 1990s and early aughts in tandem with the release of her book of the same name.
Her television credits also include hosting her series “Nigella Feasts,” “Nigella Express,” “Nigella Kitchen” and “Nigellissima” and judging on shows “Iron Chef America,” “The Taste” alongside Anthony Bourdain and “MasterChef Australia,” among others.
“The Great British Bake Off is more than a television programme, it’s a National Treasure – and it’s a huge honour to be entrusted with it,” she said on Monday. “I’m just thrilled to be joining the team and all the new bakers to come. I wish the marvellous Prue all the best, and am giddily grateful for the opportunity!”
HAMNET, the new Shakespearean film starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal is thrusting this lesser-known UK county into the spotlight.
Herefordshire stood in for Stratford-upon-Avon in the new film and it’s predicted that people will soon be visiting its pretty villages over that of its popular neighbour.
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Hamnet is set to put Herefordshire on the map after using it for filmingCredit: AlamyThe half-timbered houses make the perfect period backdropsCredit: Alamy
The Independent called Herefordshire the ‘quiet corner of England’ and explained that the county hoping for more tourists with what they’re calling the ‘Hamnet effect’.
In 2024, cast and crew descended on a small Herefordshire village to transform it into looking like Shakespeare’s Stratford.
The hope is that the county will become popular like its neighbour – the Cotswolds which is just 25 miles down the road.
As we all know the Cotswolds is known for its charming villages with cottages built from limestone brick that sit along cobbled streets around winding rivers.
Well, you can still get such charm in Herefordshire, and it sees much fewer visitors – around six million each year compared to the Cotswolds’ 25million.
One of Herefordshire’s villages that appeared heavily in Hamnet was Weobley, which is nicknamed a ‘black and white’ village thanks to its many half-timbered houses.
The Hollywood production transformed the village into one from the 1500s, which was done fairly easily thanks to its old buildings.
While you won’t find many shops in Weobley, there are a few places to have a bite to eat like The Green Beach Cafe, or the local Indian restaurant, Lal Bagh which has a TripadvisorTravellers‘ Choice Award and 375 five-star reviews.
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Weobley also has two pubs, Ye Old Salutation Inn and The New Unicorn Inn.
But fans of Hamnet should head into The Wobbly Badger cafe which took centre stage for the exterior of Shakespeare’s family home in the film.
There are lots of other villages that are part of Herefordshire’s ‘black and white villages’ – and there’s even a dedicated tour route to see them.
One of the other villages in the trail is Pembridge, or Eardisland, which sits on the banks of the River Arrow – and looks similar to Bourton-on-the-Water.
Even smaller villages include Eardisley, Dilswyn, Leominster and Kingsland.
It’s not just Hamnet that was filmed in Herefordshire, as one very famous Netflix series also made its home there.
The recognisable red and white chalet where Otis and Jean live sits high above the River Wye.
Eardisland in Herefordshire sits on the banks of the River ArrowCredit: AlamyIt’s riverside location makes it similar to Bourton-on-the-water in the CotswoldsCredit: Alamy
It’s the UK’s fifth longest river and has an incredible backdrop of rolling green hills – and getting onto the water is one of the best ways to see it.
There are plenty of companies offering kayaking, canoeing or stand up paddleboard sessions for around £60 per person along the river.
Herefordshire is also well regarded for its cider production thanks to its acres of orchards that cover the countryside – it’s been made there since the 17th century.
Scattered around the county are orchards and breweries that you’re welcome to pop into.
VisitHerefordshire even has ‘Cider Circuits’ with dedicated cycling loops to see as many as possible.
If you head to Westons Cider Mill in Ledbury, you can sample the latest flavours – tours of the cider mill cost just £15 for adults.
If you go there with the family, there’s an outdoor play park with slides and tyre trails to entertain the kids.
If you need a place to stay, Gwatkin even has its own campsite with pitches from £9pppn.
Just outside Lyonshall village is the White Heron Estate where they make their own signature blackberry liqueur – British Cassis and British Framboise.
Taking a walking tour and tasting is £25pp (for groups of 10+).
