GIRL POWER
Heads began to roll in 2017, including some of the brightest, most respected and best paid names in the industry. Matt Lauer was unceremoniously canned over allegations levied against him. It was a similar situation for respected anchor and former “CBS This Morning” star Charlie Rose.
Many say it was a long time coming, as rumors surrounding Fox’s No. 1 guy Bill O’Reilly had been circulating for years.
Movie sets were in a state of shock when Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey was pulled from his widely-anticipated flick “All the Money in the World,” in which he played J. Paul Getty, and was quickly replaced with Christopher Plumber.
The scandal hit everyone from Miss America officials to “Transparent” actor Jeffrey Tambor. One thing is sure—2017 was a year of changes.
MUSIC AND MEDICINE
Santa came early to Malibu’s Urgent Care this year. Pepperdine University and legendary local music man Herb Alpert and wife Lani Hall pulled out all the stops for a pre-holiday concert helping to raise much needed funds for the beloved organization that comes to the rescue of Malibu residents 365 days a year, rain or shine.
Says longtime supporter Lou Adler: “Our urgent care is good but can be even better.”
WARM RECEPTION FOR A FROSTY FILM
James Cameron celebrates 20 years as “king of the world.” It’s hard to believe, but it was 20 years ago that a spectacular cinematic epic called “Titanic” was released.
While the ship began to go down, careers started to rise and made megastars of a boyish Leonardo DiCaprio, young beauty Kate Winslet, plus Billy Zane and songbird Celine Dion—who knew, along with the rest of the world, that the “Heart Will Go On.”
Kate Winslet disclosed some unique original casting ideas from “Titanic”—the classic we see today might have been very different. She recently revealed in an interview on the “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” that she first auditioned with Matthew McConaughey. While nothing against MM, “it just wouldn’t have been the whole ‘Jack and Rose, Kate and Leo’ thing.”
SWEET LADY JANE
Jane Seymour will be spending the early part of the year recuperating from a three-day bash for her Open Hearts charity. The festivities kick off at a posh Santa Monica hotel and ended up with a benefit lunch at chez Jane’s breathtaking ocean view estate in Malibu.
Needless to say, it’s been an extraordinary year. So to all you Seensters out there, keep rolling with the changes and all the best for a happy and healthy 2018.