Veni, vidi, vici: “I came, I saw, I conquered,” reportedly said Julius Caesar after an especially swift victory. Now, his words echo in Daniel Hoesl and Julia Niemann’s satire about a family so powerful it can get away with murder. Literally.
“Imagine you are above the law. You can do anything. It’s frustrating, because sometimes you want the world to wake up and yet nothing happens. It’s really funny and really sad,” Hoesl tells Variety.
“These people want to be stopped. They leave all these traces, so why does no one speak up? There is more than one Jeffrey Epstein out there.”
Premiering at Sundance and Rotterdam – and produced by Ulrich Seidl for Ulrich Seidl Film Produktion, with Magnify handling sales – “Veni Vidi Vici” takes a closer look at the Maynard clan where “family is everything,” but human life means nothing.
“Our main character always wins. It...
“Imagine you are above the law. You can do anything. It’s frustrating, because sometimes you want the world to wake up and yet nothing happens. It’s really funny and really sad,” Hoesl tells Variety.
“These people want to be stopped. They leave all these traces, so why does no one speak up? There is more than one Jeffrey Epstein out there.”
Premiering at Sundance and Rotterdam – and produced by Ulrich Seidl for Ulrich Seidl Film Produktion, with Magnify handling sales – “Veni Vidi Vici” takes a closer look at the Maynard clan where “family is everything,” but human life means nothing.
“Our main character always wins. It...
- 1/18/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Emma Willis To Helm Cbbc Fashion Format
Emma Willis is leading a kids fashion format for Cbbc, which has also unveiled a spin-off of popular football series Jamie Johnson. Willis and stylist Ayishat Akanbi are helming Style it Out from Horrible Histories producer Lion TV, which will seek the next generation of designers and stylists as kids are tested to create their own designs sustainably while celebrating individuality and creativity. The show was issued on a hefty BBC Children’s slate this morning as the BBC prepares to take children’s channel Cbbc off linear. Set in the high-stakes world of Hawx United’s elite football academy, Jamie Johnson F.C. is a spin-off of popular kids football drama Jamie Johnson, while Home Sweet Rome is a drama about a girl who moves from America to start a new life in Rome with her dad and stepmother Francesca. A number...
Emma Willis is leading a kids fashion format for Cbbc, which has also unveiled a spin-off of popular football series Jamie Johnson. Willis and stylist Ayishat Akanbi are helming Style it Out from Horrible Histories producer Lion TV, which will seek the next generation of designers and stylists as kids are tested to create their own designs sustainably while celebrating individuality and creativity. The show was issued on a hefty BBC Children’s slate this morning as the BBC prepares to take children’s channel Cbbc off linear. Set in the high-stakes world of Hawx United’s elite football academy, Jamie Johnson F.C. is a spin-off of popular kids football drama Jamie Johnson, while Home Sweet Rome is a drama about a girl who moves from America to start a new life in Rome with her dad and stepmother Francesca. A number...
- 4/12/2023
- by Max Goldbart and Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Chris Rock viciously lambasted Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith during his live Netflix special “Selective Outrage”, but they weren’t his only targets.
At one point in his standup performance, Rock aimed his sights at Meghan Markle, expressing skepticism about her claim during the Sussexes’ heavily hyped interview with Oprah Winfrey that she was was shocked to experience racism from members of the royal family.
“Everybody trying to be a victim. What’s this girl, Meghan Markle. Seems like a nice lady. But just complaining. Like, didn’t she hit the light-skinned lottery?” Rock said of the Duchess of Sussex.
Read More: Chris Rock Hilariously Shreds Will Smith In Live Netflix Special: ‘Everybody Called Him a B***h And Who Does He Hit? Me!’
“Acting all dumb like she don’t know nothing. Going on Oprah, ‘I didn’t know. I had no idea how racist they were,'” Rock continued.
At one point in his standup performance, Rock aimed his sights at Meghan Markle, expressing skepticism about her claim during the Sussexes’ heavily hyped interview with Oprah Winfrey that she was was shocked to experience racism from members of the royal family.
“Everybody trying to be a victim. What’s this girl, Meghan Markle. Seems like a nice lady. But just complaining. Like, didn’t she hit the light-skinned lottery?” Rock said of the Duchess of Sussex.
Read More: Chris Rock Hilariously Shreds Will Smith In Live Netflix Special: ‘Everybody Called Him a B***h And Who Does He Hit? Me!’
“Acting all dumb like she don’t know nothing. Going on Oprah, ‘I didn’t know. I had no idea how racist they were,'” Rock continued.
- 3/5/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
Trevor Noah snuck in a dig at Prince Harry while hosting the 65th Grammy Awards on Sunday night.
Noah introduced James Corden while cracking a joke about an excerpt from Prince Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” in which the Duke of Sussex reveals he got frostbite in his nether regions during a charitable trip to the North Pole in 2011.
“James Corden is a 12-time Emmy winner and the host of ‘The Late Late Show,'” started Noah. “He’s also living proof that a man can move from London to L.A. and not tell everyone about his frostbitten penis.”
Read More: Adele Meets Dwayne Johnson For The First Time In Cute Moment At 2023 Grammys
The comment comes after Noah was a guest on Meghan Markle’s Spotify podcast, “Archetype”, back in November.
Trevor Noah with a Prince Harry jab at the Grammys:
“James Corden is a 12-time Emmy winner and...
Noah introduced James Corden while cracking a joke about an excerpt from Prince Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” in which the Duke of Sussex reveals he got frostbite in his nether regions during a charitable trip to the North Pole in 2011.
“James Corden is a 12-time Emmy winner and the host of ‘The Late Late Show,'” started Noah. “He’s also living proof that a man can move from London to L.A. and not tell everyone about his frostbitten penis.”
Read More: Adele Meets Dwayne Johnson For The First Time In Cute Moment At 2023 Grammys
The comment comes after Noah was a guest on Meghan Markle’s Spotify podcast, “Archetype”, back in November.
Trevor Noah with a Prince Harry jab at the Grammys:
“James Corden is a 12-time Emmy winner and...
- 2/6/2023
- by Emerson Pearson
- ET Canada
The BAFTA has revealed nominations for its Children and Young People Awards, which are returning for the first time in three years.
The BBC’s “Dodger” and “The Snail and the Whale” lead with three nominations each, followed by two nominations for “The Amazing World of Gumball,” “Jamie Johnson,” “JoJo & Gran Gran” and “Silverpoint.”
The ceremony will take place in London on Nov. 27, where 14 categories will be awarded in recognition of craft, performance, and games. All awards are voted on by BAFTA’s membership of children’s industry professionals. The ceremony will be hosted by TV and radio presenter Lindsey Russell.
Faraz Osman, chair of the BAFTA Children and Young People Committee, said: “It is a real joy to bring together the industry and celebrate the creativity and craft behind its recent output, especially after the pandemic, where children’s programming played a monumental role in family support. Through the...
The BBC’s “Dodger” and “The Snail and the Whale” lead with three nominations each, followed by two nominations for “The Amazing World of Gumball,” “Jamie Johnson,” “JoJo & Gran Gran” and “Silverpoint.”
The ceremony will take place in London on Nov. 27, where 14 categories will be awarded in recognition of craft, performance, and games. All awards are voted on by BAFTA’s membership of children’s industry professionals. The ceremony will be hosted by TV and radio presenter Lindsey Russell.
Faraz Osman, chair of the BAFTA Children and Young People Committee, said: “It is a real joy to bring together the industry and celebrate the creativity and craft behind its recent output, especially after the pandemic, where children’s programming played a monumental role in family support. Through the...
- 10/25/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Canadian dramas were the big winners at the 2022 Diversify TV Awards, which honors excellence in diversity and inclusion in scripted and reality-tv programming worldwide.
The awards, billed as the television industry’s only awards “to celebrate, champion and promote diversity and inclusion through exemplary representation in television series and entertainment programs internationally,” were handed out at the international TV market MIPCOM on Wednesday.
Two of the top prizes went to Canadian productions. Pour toi Flora, a Radio Canada drama that explores the legacy of the trauma inflicted on Canada’s indigenous communities, took the Diversify trophy for best scripted representation of race and ethnicity, while the CBC/HBOMax gender-fluid millennial dramedy Sort Of won the prize for best scripted representation of LGBTQ+. Sort of, the story of the youngest child in a large Pakistani family who is also a nanny to a downtown...
Canadian dramas were the big winners at the 2022 Diversify TV Awards, which honors excellence in diversity and inclusion in scripted and reality-tv programming worldwide.
The awards, billed as the television industry’s only awards “to celebrate, champion and promote diversity and inclusion through exemplary representation in television series and entertainment programs internationally,” were handed out at the international TV market MIPCOM on Wednesday.
Two of the top prizes went to Canadian productions. Pour toi Flora, a Radio Canada drama that explores the legacy of the trauma inflicted on Canada’s indigenous communities, took the Diversify trophy for best scripted representation of race and ethnicity, while the CBC/HBOMax gender-fluid millennial dramedy Sort Of won the prize for best scripted representation of LGBTQ+. Sort of, the story of the youngest child in a large Pakistani family who is also a nanny to a downtown...
- 10/19/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
HBO Max’s Friends: The Reunion, BBC’s Vigil and Peacock’s We Are Lady Parts were among the winners at the 2022 Rockie Awards.
Prize-giving at the Banff World Media Festival got underway on Monday night, with Friends: The Reunion winning for best comedy or variety series, Vigil for best English language drama and We Are Lady Parts picking up the trophy for best English language comedy.
American and British TV producers as usual dominated the TV awards show in the Canadian Rockies, with U.K. TV shows earning 59 nominations and American series netting 54 nominations headed into the competition.
Other prize winners included HBO’s Landscapers nabbing the Rockie Award for best limited series, Kamikaze winning for best non-English language drama, and RuPaul’s Drag Race earning the best crown for best competition show or game show.
The flagship Rockie Awards, including the Sir Peter Ustinov Comedy Award,...
HBO Max’s Friends: The Reunion, BBC’s Vigil and Peacock’s We Are Lady Parts were among the winners at the 2022 Rockie Awards.
Prize-giving at the Banff World Media Festival got underway on Monday night, with Friends: The Reunion winning for best comedy or variety series, Vigil for best English language drama and We Are Lady Parts picking up the trophy for best English language comedy.
American and British TV producers as usual dominated the TV awards show in the Canadian Rockies, with U.K. TV shows earning 59 nominations and American series netting 54 nominations headed into the competition.
Other prize winners included HBO’s Landscapers nabbing the Rockie Award for best limited series, Kamikaze winning for best non-English language drama, and RuPaul’s Drag Race earning the best crown for best competition show or game show.
The flagship Rockie Awards, including the Sir Peter Ustinov Comedy Award,...
- 6/14/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Banff World Media Festival revealed the winners of the 2022 Rockie Awards International Program Competition on Monday, with big winners including the “Friends” Reunion, “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “We Are Lady Parts” and more.
The event, held in Banff and hosted by comedian Rakhee Morzaria (“Run the Burbs”) featured winners chosen by a panel of 150 international industry professionals. The Rockie Awards International Program Competition presented awards in 28 categories spanning Documentary & Factual, Arts & Entertainment, Children & Youth, Scripted, and Podcast.
The competition featured 148 nominations from 45 countries including the UK, United, Canada, Australia, France, China, Germany, Italy and Norway.
On Tuesday, the Banff World Media Festival will honor late filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée posthumously with its Canadian Award of Distinction. Vallée will be joined in being honored at Banff’s Rockie Award Gala by “American Auto” star Ana Gasteyer, who will receive the Sir Peter Ustinov Comedy Award, and the “Yellowjackets” team of Ashley Lyle,...
The event, held in Banff and hosted by comedian Rakhee Morzaria (“Run the Burbs”) featured winners chosen by a panel of 150 international industry professionals. The Rockie Awards International Program Competition presented awards in 28 categories spanning Documentary & Factual, Arts & Entertainment, Children & Youth, Scripted, and Podcast.
The competition featured 148 nominations from 45 countries including the UK, United, Canada, Australia, France, China, Germany, Italy and Norway.
On Tuesday, the Banff World Media Festival will honor late filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée posthumously with its Canadian Award of Distinction. Vallée will be joined in being honored at Banff’s Rockie Award Gala by “American Auto” star Ana Gasteyer, who will receive the Sir Peter Ustinov Comedy Award, and the “Yellowjackets” team of Ashley Lyle,...
- 6/14/2022
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
HBO Max’s pandemic-delayed Friends: The Reunion and Channel 4/Peacock hit We Are Lady Parts were the big winners Monday as prizes were handed out at the Banff Media Festival’s Rockie Awards International Program Competition.
Back to an in-person festival, the awards were very much looking at something old and something new at this afternoon’s ceremony.
The much-loved Friends Reunion, which brought all six original cast members back together, took home the Best Comedy & Variety Program prize, while Nida Manzoor’s We Are Lady Parts, the story of a female Muslim punk band, won Best Comedy Series: English Language.
The prestigious ceremony also saw big wins for Suranne Jones-starring BBC submarine thriller Vigil in Best Drama Series: English Language, while, in a year when non-English-language shows have dominated the landscape, HBO Max’s Danish offering Kamikaze took home the Non-English award.
In other scripted categories, Jack Thorne’s Channel 4 drama Help,...
Back to an in-person festival, the awards were very much looking at something old and something new at this afternoon’s ceremony.
The much-loved Friends Reunion, which brought all six original cast members back together, took home the Best Comedy & Variety Program prize, while Nida Manzoor’s We Are Lady Parts, the story of a female Muslim punk band, won Best Comedy Series: English Language.
The prestigious ceremony also saw big wins for Suranne Jones-starring BBC submarine thriller Vigil in Best Drama Series: English Language, while, in a year when non-English-language shows have dominated the landscape, HBO Max’s Danish offering Kamikaze took home the Non-English award.
In other scripted categories, Jack Thorne’s Channel 4 drama Help,...
- 6/14/2022
- by Max Goldbart and Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Bluey’.
Ludo Studio may be set to pick up its third Emmy: the company’s Bluey has been nominated for an International Emmy Kids Award.
Bluey is nominated in the Kids: Preschool category, competing against Germany’s Animanimals, Chile’s Petit and SuperWings Mission Teams – Season 3, from South Korea.
The nominations for the International Emmy Kids Awards were announced by the International Academy of Television Arts & Science at Mipcom; there are 28 nominees in seven categories spanning 15 countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, India, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and the United Kingdom
“The geographic spread and diversity of topics addressed in this year’s nominated programs attest to the vibrancy and quality of children’s television throughout the world,” said Bruce Paisner, President & CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
“We congratulate the nominees for their outstanding talent and for setting the standard...
Ludo Studio may be set to pick up its third Emmy: the company’s Bluey has been nominated for an International Emmy Kids Award.
Bluey is nominated in the Kids: Preschool category, competing against Germany’s Animanimals, Chile’s Petit and SuperWings Mission Teams – Season 3, from South Korea.
The nominations for the International Emmy Kids Awards were announced by the International Academy of Television Arts & Science at Mipcom; there are 28 nominees in seven categories spanning 15 countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, India, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and the United Kingdom
“The geographic spread and diversity of topics addressed in this year’s nominated programs attest to the vibrancy and quality of children’s television throughout the world,” said Bruce Paisner, President & CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
“We congratulate the nominees for their outstanding talent and for setting the standard...
- 10/15/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
“Calm with Horses,” which made its world premiere in Toronto’s Tiff in the Discovery section, is the feature directorial debut of Nick Rowland (Amazon series “Ripper Street”), and stars Barry Keoghan, Cosmo Jarvis (“Annihilation”), and Niamh Algar (BBC’s “The Virtues”). The script, which was adapted from Colin Barrett’s short story by screenwriter Joe Murtagh (UK series “Origin”), centers on ex-boxer Douglas “Arm” Armstrong (Jarvis), who has become a feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family. Set In rural Ireland, Armstrong has to balance his criminal life with the demands of being a father to his autistic, five-year-old son. When his employers ask him to kill a rival, he must decide where his loyalties fully reside.
“I think it was that the characters felt so rich and the dialogue was beyond fantastic,” says Rowland, when asked about what initially drew him to Murtagh’s script. “There was a...
“I think it was that the characters felt so rich and the dialogue was beyond fantastic,” says Rowland, when asked about what initially drew him to Murtagh’s script. “There was a...
- 9/16/2019
- by Nick Clement
- Variety Film + TV
12 year old newcomer Louis Dunn stars in the title role of Jamie Johnson in a brand new Cbbc children’s drama, which is set to hit TV screens around the Euro 2016 Championships and features cameos from Gary Lineker, Ruud Gullit and Notts County Fc’s Roy Carroll.
Louis who is from Manchester and represented by Boss Model Management, stars in his first TV role, as 11 year old Jamie, a boy with a dream. A boy who lives and breathes football.
An open casting for boys who love acting and football was held in Manchester for the role back in July 2015.
The three episode series follows Jamie starting a new school, making new friends, dealing with school bully Dillon (played by Patrick Ward), searching for his absent father and eventually making the school’s football team, all with the support of his new friends Jack (played by Olivia Lava) and Boggie...
Louis who is from Manchester and represented by Boss Model Management, stars in his first TV role, as 11 year old Jamie, a boy with a dream. A boy who lives and breathes football.
An open casting for boys who love acting and football was held in Manchester for the role back in July 2015.
The three episode series follows Jamie starting a new school, making new friends, dealing with school bully Dillon (played by Patrick Ward), searching for his absent father and eventually making the school’s football team, all with the support of his new friends Jack (played by Olivia Lava) and Boggie...
- 4/6/2016
- by noreply@blogger.com (ScreenTerrier)
- ScreenTerrier
Well, that's it! The final Battles have taken place and the confetti is being swept off the ring as we speak. But Kylie, Ricky, Tom and Will had some very tough decisions to make - there were tears - so who made it through? Who headed home? Were the decisions right? And who got the final steal from Kylie? Read on as Digital Spy rounds up all the Battle business...
Chris Royal vs Jamie Lovatt - Team Ricky
Song: 'Rolling in the Deep'
Fighting Talk: Chris doesn't mess around, saying at the piano rehearsal that Jamie is in the way of his dream! But the guys seem to get on, even if they try to outdo each other - Jamie with his rock, and Chris with his falsetto. Ricky thinks the duo have very different voices - power vs emotion, serpent vs lion... But who'll win?
The Battle: It's a...
Chris Royal vs Jamie Lovatt - Team Ricky
Song: 'Rolling in the Deep'
Fighting Talk: Chris doesn't mess around, saying at the piano rehearsal that Jamie is in the way of his dream! But the guys seem to get on, even if they try to outdo each other - Jamie with his rock, and Chris with his falsetto. Ricky thinks the duo have very different voices - power vs emotion, serpent vs lion... But who'll win?
The Battle: It's a...
- 3/8/2014
- Digital Spy
We're well into the swing of things on The Voice now, so the attention can turn back away from Kylie and Ricky (mostly, at least) and on to all the many very talented people we saw attempting to make it through to the next round of the competition!
When the coaches weren't talking about aliens vs humans or gushing about how much they all love Kylie (seriously, boys, behave yourselves), they also found time to snap up six contestants for their teams. But who did we love the most? Read on to find out - then have your say in the comments below...
1. Sophie May Williams
Song: 'Time After Time' / Coach: will.i.am
Will hadn't pushed his button all evening, and we were starting to wonder if he'd forgotten what the whole premise of the show was. But then Sophie came along, and despite his claims that...
When the coaches weren't talking about aliens vs humans or gushing about how much they all love Kylie (seriously, boys, behave yourselves), they also found time to snap up six contestants for their teams. But who did we love the most? Read on to find out - then have your say in the comments below...
1. Sophie May Williams
Song: 'Time After Time' / Coach: will.i.am
Will hadn't pushed his button all evening, and we were starting to wonder if he'd forgotten what the whole premise of the show was. But then Sophie came along, and despite his claims that...
- 1/18/2014
- Digital Spy
Actor Verne Troyer, who played Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies. Photograph by Jamie Johnson.Formal charity events are almost always insufferable affairs. They embrace all the pretentions of upper-class social life without actually satisfying anyone’s desire to have fun while supporting a good cause. Guests are routinely subjected to uninspired party planning and artless attempts to recapture the glory of grand 19th-century balls. Bad clichés define the experience—and in turn, the tedium drives benefactors away.
- 6/7/2011
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. Photo via Wikipedia Ever since Congress used taxpayer funds to bail out Wall Street, tensions between average Americans citizens and the wealthiest members of the society have been mounting. Disputes over limits on executive compensation, financial-sector regulation, tax policy, and other knotty issues have injected a new vigor into our nation’s long-running class war. At the moment, the fight is surging around the midterm political elections, where activists on both sides of the combat zone are displaying their outrage theatrically—and where the out-and-out resentment is palpable.
- 10/5/2010
- Vanity Fair
Queen Elizabeth of England doesn’t exert quite the same gravitation force as she did in the 1970s. Photo credit: Conde Nast Archive. Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. Queen Elizabeth II was greeted with surprisingly little fanfare last week when she travelled to Manhattan for her first official visit to the city in more than 30 years. Though a number of formal ceremonies were held in her honor around town, most members of New York’s upper-class society seemed content to ignore her presence altogether. Not even the most devoted of Anglophiles, proud descendents of patrician families who for generations have been modeling themselves on English aristocrats, could muster much enthusiasm. Decades ago, during Her Majesty’s previous visits to Manhattan, she was given a proper hero’s welcome by the local elite. The Queen was the undisputed toast of the town,...
- 7/13/2010
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. She’ll take it. All of it! Photo credit: Condé Nast Archive. Earlier this year, when German politicians called on the government and citizens of Greece to resolve their debt crisis by selling off precious state-owned islands that are central to the country’s heritage and identity, most people dismissed the move as a diplomatic sucker punch. The Germans were using combative rhetoric, the international community thought, to express their outrage at having to rescue the Greeks from impending financial ruin. But in the U.S., these comments were taken by the vastly rich to mean that great opportunities were beginning to surface for those wealthy enough to purchase a Greek island of their own. Bargain hunting for real estate in the Aegean and Ionian Seas has become a new American pastime,...
- 5/25/2010
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. Last week, on the night of England’s watershed parliamentary elections, I happened to be out barhopping in central London. Naturally, most of the conversation centered on politics, and on which of the three main parties—the right-wing Conservatives, center-left Labour, or the left-wing Liberal Democrats—should lead the country. While the middle-class patrons in the bars that night were largely Labour supporters, with a smattering of Lib Dem fans, the affluent people seemed to back the Conservative Party and its charismatic leader, David Cameron, overwhelmingly. A British friend of mine summed it up in matter-of-fact terms: “Basically, the way it works in this country is that if you’re rich, you always vote Conservative.”...
- 5/11/2010
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. History scrubbed Henry Clay Frick’s reputation. Will it do the same for Goldman Sachs C.E.O. Lloyd Blankfein? These days, it’s pretty easy to hate Goldman Sachs. The firm appears to have made tons of money by betting against the success of the American economy. Its former C.E.O. turned secretary of the treasury played an instrumental role in bailing out Wall Street’s elite firms, which, ironically, were the very same institutions responsible for causing the recession in the first place. And perhaps most vexing of all, the current suit filed by the S.E.C. against the bank for allegedly committing fraud is turning up sensitive documents that expose how Goldman employees arrogantly criticized their less sophisticated clients, and even privately characterized certain of their own investment vehicles as “shitty.
- 5/4/2010
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. “Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations” is an enduring cultural proverb that describes the average lifespan of a family fortune. According to traditional wisdom, the first generation works hard to earn the money; the second, having never learned the true value of a dollar, spends recklessly; and the third, possessing neither the ambition of the first nor the cash of the second, squanders what remains and gradually surrenders all distinction. Right now, intelligence agencies all over the world—whether or not they are familiar with this particular upper-class axiom—are confronting its basic principles in their analysis of North Korean leadership. With Kim Jong-il’s health in decline, experts are questioning which one of his sons, all third-generation members of the ruling family, will be chosen to succeed him, and what such...
- 4/27/2010
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. It’s fairly easy to argue that the greatest single thing vastly rich people can buy is the freedom to travel privately, unimpeded by the hassles of public transportation. For centuries, the most prized and iconic symbols of wealth have been independently owned luxury vehicles—the horse-drawn carriage, the automobile, the yacht, and the item of choice for all modern-day aristocrats, the personal jet. Extravagances such as these traditionally have provided members of the upper class not only with the convenience of riding around in comfort and on a flexible schedule but also with a sense of empowerment that sets them apart, at least metaphorically, from the realm of average men and women. That’s why I was especially surprised to hear private-jet pilots describing how the volcano in Iceland has impacted...
- 4/20/2010
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. Let’s hope the kids of NYC Prep don’t behave like Jamie Johnson’s naughty acquaintances. It’s been almost a decade since I made Born Rich, a controversial documentary about the lives of ten children of fortune who provided a candid view into their typically guarded world of wealth. Audiences were both shocked and intrigued, as I recall, to hear notable heirs and heiresses speak openly about their personal privileges, and in the process occasionally demonstrate jaw-dropping displays of entitlement and arrogance. Since the film’s initial airing on HBO, programs depicting the fast and loose lifestyles of supercilious rich kids have become a mainstay on television. Everybody has seen, or at least read about, shows like The City, NYC Prep, High Society, and even earlier popular reality programs, such as The Simple Life,...
- 4/6/2010
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. “Everything would be so much easier if someone would only invent text messaging.” Recently, I was reprimanded for committing what my old dancing-school instructor used to refer to as “a criminal act of social indecency.” It happened at a bar, where, in the shuffle of being seated in tight and overcrowded quarters, I failed to offer my date the optimal chair at a tiny table set for two. Instead of following proper protocol, I absent-mindedly took the corner seat with a generous view of the entire room for myself and left her stuck in a lousy spot that required her to stare directly at either an empty brick wall or my face, which, at that moment, expressed not even a trace of sympathy. I realized my error only when, after somewhat playfully...
- 3/30/2010
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. When a hipster friend of mine who works in trendy Manhattan restaurants and bars recently fell on hard times and needed to raise some extra money in a hurry, he did, I guess, what anyone in his position would do: he sold his rare and beloved African elephant’s foot. For years, he had been hoarding the item, carefully preserving it as the crown jewel in his modest assortment of personal belongings, but acute financial pressures forced him to peddle the specimen to a drinking buddy in exchange for cash. Such irregular business transactions illustrate just how absurd life can be among upper-class New Yorkers. And to judge from the tales I've been listening to lately, deals of this kind appear to be on the rise. Sometimes the players involved hail from different social classes,...
- 3/23/2010
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. The Art of The Steal, an absorbing new documentary that chronicles the contentious battle for control over the roughly $25 billion modern art collection assembled by the late pharmaceutical magnate Albert C. Barnes, is a good reminder of just how elusive the dream of an enduring legacy can be for the very rich. In Barnes’s case, as the comprehensive documentary instructively details, his wish to leave behind a permanent institution that would house his collection of prized European paintings gradually has evolved into a scandalous nightmare. At the end of his life, Barnes stipulated in a will and in trust agreements that his works of fine art must remain in the special location he created for them. But over time, disagreements and uncertainty among the individuals placed in charge of the collection...
- 3/2/2010
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. Watching the Olympics among members of polite society at posh Manhattan apartments is a bit like watching jesters perform before high-ranking nobles at some ancient imperial court: you’re always perched on the edge of your seat, waiting in suspense for someone in the crowd to break out that old familiar cheer: Off with his head! Unlike most Americans, who are happy to grant accomplished Olympians a level of respect normally reserved for national heroes, cosmopolitan elites view the athletes competing at the games as mere entertainers of the moment. Battles in Vancouver, where blood, sweat, and tears are expended to capture victory over opponents by razor-thin margins, translate on television screens back in New York’s affluent homes as so many expendable prime-time diversions. Viewers at informal gatherings and casual dinner...
- 2/23/2010
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cJenny Sanfordwww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorHealth Care Crisis These days, when you hear affluent, educated Southerners publically bemoaning the loss of indentured house servants, you typically assume the remarks are being made sarcastically, as a way of recognizing past misdeeds and maintaining at least a nominal level of self-awareness about long-standing divisions in social class. But last week, when South Carolina’s first lady, Jenny Sanford, appeared on The Daily Show and announced to Jon Stewart that the worst part of moving from the governor’s mansion was giving up the convict laborers who used to bathe her dogs and maintain the property gardens, it seemed, curiously, that her comments were not satirical at all. She was speaking earnestly, and intended...
- 2/16/2010
- Vanity Fair
Vanessa Paradis played host at last night's special dinner celebrating Chanel's new Rouge Coco de Chanel lipsticks. Kate Bosworth also put on one of Karl Lagerfeld's designs for the event, which brought out a crowd including Rachel Zoe, Nina Garcia, and more. The attendees are gearing up for Fashion Week, which starts tomorrow, but Vanessa and Kate had love on the mind before Valentine's Day. Vanessa made a rare comment on her longtime love, Johnny Depp, saying, "I like him very much in all terms and every sense of the way . . . He makes me happy. We are many things - we are together and, in a way, one person." Kate, meanwhile, was all about her own guy, Alexander Skarsgard, despite arriving at the bash with socialite and Born Rich director Jamie Johnson. "We are very good friends," she said of Alex. "He's a wonderful, wonderful man. I adore him.
- 2/10/2010
- by PopSugar
- Popsugar.com
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. Whenever the ranking member of a super-rich family reaches the end of his or her life and finally passes away, the human equivalent of hyenas emerge following the fresh scent of free money. The latest example of this peculiar phenomenon to make headlines across the world and spur discontent among wealthy people almost everywhere is the controversy in Hong Kong involving the estate of the late Asian billionairess Nina Wang and her former feng-shui master, Tony Chan. According to a report in The New York Times last week, a judge in Hong Kong recently halted Chan’s quest to inherit the entire contents of Ms. Wang’s fortune, one that he hoped would come to him under the provisions of a special feng-shui will. The will’s legitimacy was denounced by the court,...
- 2/9/2010
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. A couple of months before last year’s presidential campaign, I was having a casual lunch with a conservative friend who suddenly announced that he would be voting for Barack Obama. The news was especially surprising for me because up until that moment I had never heard this individual speak of politics, except on the occasions when he would proudly announce that his views on governance were to the right of Marie Antoinette’s. Adding to my shock was the fact that my friend’s family, a highly influential American dynasty, had close ties to many Republican Party leaders and helped to raise millions in support of conservative congressional candidates. At the time, I took this unexpected bit of news as a sign that Obama had succeeded overwhelmingly at seducing the rich.
- 1/26/2010
- Vanity Fair
Kid Rock isn't necessarily a fan of Taylor Swift's music, but he's definitely a fan of Taylor Swift. While he admits he doesn't often reach for Swift's self-titled or Fearless albums when he's in the mood for country, he wishes the country cutie continued success. "She knows how to play guitar and she writes her songs so God bless her. I wish there was more of that out there," he told People Sunday while celebrating his 39th birthday at Palazzo Las Vegas's Lavo. "Hopefully she gets better and grows and keeps it all going." What Rock is listening to...
- 1/19/2010
- PEOPLE.com
The Johnson & Johnson heiress was born into a spectacularly wealthy and complicated family.
By Eric Ditzian
Casey Johnson
Photo: Michael Bezjian/WireImage
Casey Johnson was born into a family of spectacular wealth, sordid squabbles and tragic incidents. The death of the 30-year-old Johnson & Johnson heiress is the latest tragedy to befall the family.
Casey's great-great-grandfather Robert Wood Johnson founded the pharmaceutical company, along with his two brothers, in the late 1880s. The company passed from family member to family member until Robert Wood Johnson II — who was known by the intimidating nickname "The General" — took over and turned the business into a multibillion-dollar international conglomerate. The General's son, Robert Wood Johnson III, had five children — one who died of a cocaine overdose and one who died in a motorcycle accident, both in 1975 — and was eventually forced out of the company in the mid-1960s after a falling-out with his father.
By Eric Ditzian
Casey Johnson
Photo: Michael Bezjian/WireImage
Casey Johnson was born into a family of spectacular wealth, sordid squabbles and tragic incidents. The death of the 30-year-old Johnson & Johnson heiress is the latest tragedy to befall the family.
Casey's great-great-grandfather Robert Wood Johnson founded the pharmaceutical company, along with his two brothers, in the late 1880s. The company passed from family member to family member until Robert Wood Johnson II — who was known by the intimidating nickname "The General" — took over and turned the business into a multibillion-dollar international conglomerate. The General's son, Robert Wood Johnson III, had five children — one who died of a cocaine overdose and one who died in a motorcycle accident, both in 1975 — and was eventually forced out of the company in the mid-1960s after a falling-out with his father.
- 1/5/2010
- MTV Music News
Martha and George have nothing on Jamie Johnson’s Christmas Eve hosts. It has become a cliché to use pet coddling as a metaphor for wealthy excess, but I can’t seem to shake from my mind a scene I witnessed on Christmas Eve, where a cat snacked on an eight-ounce tin of Beluga caviar. While men and women enjoyed champagne and conversation, huddled around a grand fireplace on Louis Xv chairs, this imperious feline leapt atop a console table in the corner of the room and began to nibble at the most treasured of delicacies. Far from being outraged over the devilish maneuver, people found it riotously funny that a furry little creature should exhibit such unabashed entitlement. Of course, it wouldn’t have seemed funny to the same people had a housekeeper acted so boldly, but everyone typically knows his or her place in a household of high esteem,...
- 12/29/2009
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. Each year during the holiday season, I notice the reemergence of a common misperception that suggests the vastly rich don’t appreciate receiving gifts for Christmas or Hanukkah. While navigating the circuit of annual holiday parties and obligatory Christmas visits, I always overhear at least one person express the idea with the following ill-conceived question: “What could someone who already has everything possibly want for a present?” Well, the answer is that there is no peculiar shortage of desire among the wealthy to collect new possessions. It’s just that, unlike normal people who are usually happy to obtain whatever is generously extended to them by others, the superrich prefer to purchase gifts for themselves. Expensive taste and the steadfast ability to acquire anything carrying a price tag make it difficult for...
- 12/15/2009
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. If these people celebrated Thanksgiving, they would do so with a pleasant ceremonial hunt. Image via. One of the finer remaining traditions enjoyed by what’s left of America’s polite society of country gentlemen and ladies is the ceremonial Thanksgiving hunt. Each year during the holiday, instead of celebrating in the ordinary fashion by planning the day around football and an elaborate family feast, rural elites fix their attention on formal hunting festivities. These ritualistic pursuits differ somewhat from region to region. Fox hunting, a sport closely associated with the English aristocracy, and one that requires horsemen carefully turned out in scarlet coats to ride after impatient, piercingly vocal hounds, is probably the most widely recognized among them. But bird shooting, due to its greater accessibility on almost all levels, undoubtedly attracts more participants,...
- 11/24/2009
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. All of the top stories about President Obama’s current trip overseas seem focused on the fact that he is having to kiss a little ass in China. Weakness in the U.S. economy, a soaring national debt, and the growing demand for government funds to bankroll ambitious social programs, journalists say, are forcing the president to work extra hard at placating Chinese officials who are quietly threatening to trim their lending to the U.S. just when we need it most. The significance of Obama’s diplomacy extends far beyond immediate concerns for financial recovery. For the first time in the modern era, an American president is left with no alternative other than to adopt a groveling tone with a rival nation in order to meet the payroll at home. The...
- 11/17/2009
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. You’ve got to love London’s mop-headed screwball of a Mayor, Boris Johnson. Americans don’t get to hear about him very often; mainly he appears to us in news stories highlighting his outlandish behavior and laughable political gaffes. A couple of weeks ago, I read something about him chasing a group of young girls, alleged preteen pickpockets, down city streets while brandishing an iron bar. To be fair, reports claim he was merely responding to a mugging he stumbled upon while out riding his bicycle, and the metal bar was an instrument he picked up only after it was dropped by one of the little outlaws, but I think it’s fair to say that this kind of cavalier approach to solving problems is largely absent from American politics. Recently,...
- 11/10/2009
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. When journalists write about the family of Warren Buffett, one of the world’s richest men, they almost always discuss his unconventional decision not to pass the bulk of his fortune on to his children and grandchildren. In 2006, the iconic investor announced plans to leave the greatest portion of his fortune—a sum estimated in the tens of billions—to The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This widely publicized gift, along with numerous reports that have emerged over the years detailing Warren’s outspoken views on limiting inheritance, have established him as a model of dynastic restraint. People value his philanthropic initiative and perceive his wealth-transference policy as a great equalizer, or at least an initial step towards leveling the social and economic playing field. And it’s hard to argue against...
- 10/27/2009
- Vanity Fair
Becka Diamond and Byrdie Bell. From PatrickMcMullan.com.It was fitting that the David Yurman–and Milly-sponsored benefit for the Fountain House, an organization dedicated to helping people recover from mental illnesses, fell on the day when Glenn Close and her sister Jessie launched a campaign to raise awareness about mental-health problems. Hoards of people, including Charlotte Ronson, Byrdie Bell, and Ally Hilfiger, flocked to the Palm Court of New York City's Plaza Hotel for cocktails. Party chairs Jeremy and Sarah Goldstein chatted with Christy Walton, wife of the late John T. Walton, as a raffle drawing took place. Girl-of-the-moment Becka Diamond was suitably dressed for the trek over to the Raquet and Tennis Club for dinner: "I'm not sure what this style is called, but I'm wearing Mongolian lamb—but I eat it, so I think you should use it all," she said before walking out with writer and...
- 10/23/2009
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich.Last Saturday, I chose not to attend the hugely popular steeplechase race that takes place each autumn in my hometown, Far Hills, New Jersey. Years of firsthand experience as a disappointed spectator have taught me to stay far away. I regret speaking unkindly about the event, but charitable words are difficult to muster for a countryside race meeting that fails to encourage athleticism on the track and civility along the sidelines in favor of promoting a field day of outdoor drinking for a generally indifferent crowd. Few upper-class traditions once championed by affluent landowners remain fashionable. The shift away from agrarian life and the disappearance of the landed gentry have undercut the prestige of sporting activities originally designed to entertain lords of the manor. That steeplechase endures isn’t entirely surprising, since...
- 10/20/2009
- Vanity Fair
Ivanka Trump signing copies of her book. From PatrickMcMullan.com. It might have been a meeting of the junior committee on Wednesday evening as younger members of boldfaced family names, including Jamie Johnson, Bara Tisch, and Topper Mortimer (with new girlfriend Valerie Boster on his arm), showed up to the Trump Tower in New York City to congratulate Ivanka Trump on publishing The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life.. Tourists hung over the railing to gawk at the party below (and undoubtedly at Donald's distinctive hairstyle) as Ivanka alternately signed books and lingered by her soon-to-be husband, Jared Kushner. Clad in jewelry from her own collection, one of her other ventures, Ivanka discussed her plans for the future. "My focus will always be on real estate, but I'm always interested in entrepreneurial pursuits." Also mingling in the cavernous stairwell were the rest of the Trump contingent (Melania,...
- 10/15/2009
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. Recently, the American public has reacted with anger about a formal letter signed by more than a 100 show-business V.I.P.’s, requesting Polish director Roman Polanksi’s release from a Swiss detention center, where he is currently held and facing extradition to the U.S. on longstanding charges of having illegal sex with a minor in the 1970s. The news of the impassioned plea from Hollywood sympathizers who fear Polanksi might be handed a prison sentence for a crime he snuck away from more than 30 years ago doesn’t surprise me. Luminaries from the film world have never been known for observing conventional moral guidelines. Their support for Polanksi demonstrates a laissez-faire attitude toward forbidden behavior, and it is precisely this casual approach to sensitive issues of decency that has a great many Americans outraged.
- 10/13/2009
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. When I heard the news that Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov had arranged a deal to purchase the New Jersey Nets basketball franchise and a portion of their proposed new stadium complex in Brooklyn, New York, I couldn’t help but ask myself, “What took him so long?” Prokhorov, an avid basketball aficionado and the possessor of the title Russia’s Richest Man, will be the first foreign owner of an NBA team. Unlike many European nations, especially England, the United States has relied largely on money from the pockets of American billionaires to support its professional sports organizations. But the infusion of cash from a prominent oligarch to a desperate NBA outfit may officially signal a turning of the tide. Russian mineral and oil wealth has been marching from Moscow westward through...
- 10/6/2009
- Vanity Fair
Every week on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. Celebrity provocateur and documentary filmmaker Michael Moore returns to movie screens this week with the release of his new film, Capitalism: A Love Story. I first met Moore at a Tribeca Film Festival screening of a documentary I directed called The One Percent, which focuses on how the very richest Americans have attempted to shape the economy around their interests. Moore’s new film covers related topics from a very different perspective, examining with his inimitable style the effect concentrated wealth and power have on the working class. Earlier this week, I spoke to Moore about the film and about his perception of American capitalism's inherent flaws. Here's how it went: Jamie Johnson: Your new film is called Capitalism: A Love Story. But it’s clear that you don’t love capitalism,...
- 9/30/2009
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. Last Friday, The New York Times published a story called “Now Even Millionaires Can See the Benefits of Budgeting.” Citing reports from wealth advisors to the very rich, the article identifies strains of fear within the upper class about proper financial planning in the wake of the economic collapse. One example involves a woman worth $100 million, who called her personal banker, requesting that the two of them place her on an old-fashioned budget. It seems a bit ridiculous to worry about overspending when you have as much as $100 million at your disposal. If the sum were simply left in the bank, in a basic savings account, interest alone would provide an excess of $3 million per year. But anxiety caused by the financial crisis has a number of affluent people allowing concern to trump reason.
- 9/22/2009
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. “Put the gun down. Those hippos are mis amigos.”When most people think about building their dream homes, the plans don’t call for hosting dangerous land mammals on the property. But two popular topics in the news right now highlight the actions of wealthy men whose singular influence over wildlife populations on their estates has stirred up controversy in environmental circles. The first involves the outlandish behavior of the now deceased Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, who, during the construction of his sprawling countryside mansion in Puerto Triunfo in the 1980s, imported the African hippopotamus, a species invasive to the Colombian river system. And the second concerns billionaire Ted Turner’s support for the reintroduction of wolves into the American west. Turner has used his vast private ranch lands to assist the U.
- 9/15/2009
- Vanity Fair
Every Tuesday on Vf.com, filmmaker Jamie Johnson offers a glimpse into the secret lives of the super-rich. Now that Labor Day has passed, business tycoons are returning to work with boastful stories about their extravagant summer vacations, but none can rival that of Silicon Valley billionaire Tom Siebel, who was gored by a stampeding elephant in Tanzania just over a month ago. While on a photo safari in the Serengeti, Siebel and his guide were unexpectedly charged. The guide fired a rifle shot at the animal but was unable to protect Siebel from suffering broken ribs and a crushed right leg. Seibel’s harrowing encounter with the elephant would have fit neatly onto the pages of a hunting journal kept by Teddy Roosevelt or some well-born British explorer. Nowadays, the greatest danger an individual confronts overseas is falling victim to global political conflicts. Modernity has, for the most part,...
- 9/8/2009
- Vanity Fair
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