TV

Five months after pulling back from most of its Los Angeles soundstage business, production services company Quixote is selling much of its equipment operation.

Equipment rental house Cinelease recently announced that it had acquired Quixote’s grip and lighting and production supplies assets in Los Angeles and New York. The transaction resulted in roughly 60 layoffs, Quixote said. Most of the affected employees were based in L.A. with a few in New York.

The production supplies business will operate as Cinelease Pro Supplies.

“Our sales team is reaching out directly to clients with active or upcoming rentals from these businesses and will work with Cinelease to help ensure a smooth transition,” the company said in an email on Sept. 15 to its clients. “It has been our privilege to serve you, and we look forward to continuing to be your source for production and events transportation.”

In April, Quixote announced it was winding down most of its Los Angeles soundstage business, including its main commercial studio in West Hollywood and its North Valley studio in Pacoima. A producer has since taken over the Pacoima site.

Quixote has also closed its production services operation in Atlanta, following earlier closures in New Orleans and Albuquerque. Quixote’s Griffith Park studio will remain open.

Cinelease, a Los Angeles lighting and grip rental company founded in 1977, has been expanding in recent months. It has added rigging and fencing businesses and is pursuing work in live events and sports alongside film and TV.

Quixote was founded in 1995. Los Angeles-based real estate company Hudson Pacific Properties Inc. bought it in 2022 for $360 million, saying at the time that the acquisition would help address growing demand for soundstage space.

Quixote’s retreat comes amid a major slowdown in Hollywood production, as many productions leave California in pursuit of tax incentives around the world. The downturn has hit studio real estate hard. Radford Studio Center, which sold for $1.85 billion in 2021, was seized by lenders after its previous owner defaulted on its debt. Netflix agreed to buy the lot for between $330 million and $400 million. The Television City lot is also up for sale.

On Thursday, a bipartisan group of congressional leaders introduced a bill to create a federal film and television tax credit, the Motion Picture, Television and Entertainment Revitalization Act. It would establish a 20% tax credit on U.S. labor for eligible film and TV productions. Its path is uncertain, however. The House is in recess until after the midterm elections, and supporters hope to pass the bill at the end of the year.

“As we enter this next chapter, our Fleet team remains committed to providing the service, expertise and support our clients have come to expect from Quixote,” the company wrote in an email. “We look forward to continuing to work with you to make your visions a reality.”

Times staff writer Samantha Masunaga contributed to this report.

Leslie Jones was 14 when her father broke the news to her: “We’re moving to Los Angeles.”

For the actor and former “SNL” cast member, leaving her Memphis hometown felt like the end of the world. “I lost every bit of my s—,” she recalls. “I cried and begged him, like, ‘Please don’t take me away now.’” She’d just become friends with the popular kids at her high school. Plus, she was in the marching band — a rifle twirler — which in the South basically means “you’re a jock, you’re a star,” she says, laughing.

In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.

Despite her resistance, Jones’ father stood firm: “He was like ‘I can’t let you stay here in Memphis. You’re not going to do what you need to do with your life,’” Jones says.

Though she hated L.A. at first, she eventually found her footing and joined the basketball team at Lynwood High School. She grew to love the city and now splits time between L.A. and New York.

“[My dad] was really strategic and smart and I’m really glad he did it,” she says.

Jones’ latest project is hosting HGTV’s “Roast My Rental,” a reality show in which she visits some of America’s worst-rated short-term vacation rentals and attempts to transform them within 72 hours, alongside designer Jasmine Roth.

One of her Airbnb pet peeves: when owners put out items that are too personal. “Sometimes they want to put their personal linens in there. They’ve got pictures in there. Like why are your pictures in my room? I don’t want to know who’s renting to me,” she jokes.

Jones, who is also in the middle of a comedy tour, shared what her Sunday Funday in L.A. entails.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.

1 p.m.: Sleep in ’til the afternoon then make a big cup of tea

Sunday is the day I know that I can sleep in. I don’t schedule anything on Sundays and Mondays. I’ll probably get up around 1 or 2 p.m. because I stay up until about 3 or 4 a.m. I’m a comedian so we have late hours. Then I’ll come out my room, which is a freezer — it’s literally 59 degrees because I gotta sleep in the cold — to warm up.

I’ll make me a big cup of tea. I’ve got those big “Friends” cups. My favorite is ginger tea. I’ll pick a lemon off my tree to add to it. Then I’d lay on the couch and figure out if I’m going to watch something on TV or play a video game. I play the dumbest games. What has me in a choke hold right now is “Brilliant Sort.” It’s almost like jigsaw puzzle, but it’s electronic. It’s so f— relaxing and I play it for hours. It’s bad now because I’ve been spending money on it and my accountant was like “Hey, you’re spending a lot of money on a video game.” I said “Well, it’s not crack” and they were like “What?” [laughs]. I might have end up deleting this f— game.

3 p.m.: Brunch at the Waffle

About an hour later, I’d figure out what I want to eat. Sunday is the day I eat anything I want. I don’t like to call it a cheat day. I always order from this place called the Waffle in Hollywood because they’ve got this biscuit sandwich with a whiskey glaze and bacon. It’s good as f— and then I get my egg over medium. I always order it with a blood orange-flavored Pellegrino over some ice. Wooooo.

5 p.m.: Watch an action movie

On Sundays, I really like to watch movies. I’ll go on Apple TV or another streamer to find something to watch. If not, I’ll watch “SVU” all day. Some days I can watch serious stuff, but I really like a good action movie like all of the “Fast & Furious” films. I know people talk about them but I f— love “Fast & Furious.” I love “Mission: Impossible.” I love all of the Marvel movies.

7 p.m.: Order dinner from all my favorite spots

Usually I order food from my cook when I’m at home and she’ll make like a week’s worth of food. But if I don’t, I’ll order in. If I want a really good steak, I’ll go to the Nice Guy. I spoil myself on Sundays because I might get a steak from there, a salad from Tender Greens and a lemonade from Cheesecake Factory. The key is getting one driver and telling them, “I’m going to order something else, do you want to go get it?” because then you can give them a big tip. I might not eat until like 10 or 11 p.m. though.

11 p.m.: Catch a second wind

During the day, I probably took a nap so my brain is activated around 11 p.m. to midnight. If my friends call me and say they want to go out, I might go to this karaoke night hosted by Project Studio that my friend Neff took me to. There’s good drinks and a good DJ. I like to go see live music too. I recently saw Olivia Dean [at the Crypto.com Arena]. If there’s a Sparks game on a Sunday, I will go. If not, I’ll stay home and I’ll be up until maybe 4 or 5 a.m. just watching TV, playing my game, doing nothing [laughs].

Judy Judge is hanging up her robe.

Nearly 30 years after Judy Sheindlin launched a career that made her TV’s most widely recognized judge — first on the syndicated small claims series “Judge Judy,” which premiered in 1996 and ran for 25 seasons; then on Amazon Prime’s streaming show “Judy Justice” starting in 2021 — she’s passing her gavel to a fitting successor: her son, Judge Adam Levy.

The 83-year-old Sheindlin told People magazine that when “Judy Justice” wraps in October, she’s moving away from on-camera work to focus on other endeavors, including afternoon naps and developing the animated series “Judyverse” based on the “Baby Judge Judy” videos circulating social media.

Created with AI, the videos feature a toddler version of Judge Judy overseeing cases with her signature New York accent and no-nonsense barbs.

“I don’t want to do hair and makeup anymore, but I still want my message to get out there,” she told the outlet.

Sheindlin will also produce her son’s syndicated court TV show, “Adam’s Law,” which debuts Monday.

“There aren’t a lot of people who can carry a half-hour on their own, unscripted,” Sheindlin continued, adding that Levy has what it takes.

The 58-year-old earned his law degree from Hofstra Law School in 1992. This isn’t his first foray into TV, as he joined a panel of judges on Prime’s “Tribunal Justice” in 2023. After three seasons, Sheindlin said he’s ready for his close-up.

On Sept. 22, CBS will air a 30th anniversary special looking back on Sheindlin’s career, “Judge Judy: Unfiltered, Unforgettable.”

“I don’t think that I’ve ever been this content before,” she told People of entering the next era of her life. “I don’t have to prove anything else. I did it.”