A few choice quotes from this New York Times profile remembering Ronni Chasen in this, what would have been the busiest week of the year for her.
She was very smart…She would always get there early so her noncelebrity client would get on camera, before all the stars would arrive.
There is not a day I have not thought of her; she was such an intrinsic part of this time.
She was very, very, very devoted to her clients…She just really needed you to know that Hans Zimmer walked on water.
• Fourteen actors acting: A video gallery of classic screen types. [New York Times Magazine]
• Billy Crystal’s advice to this year’s Oscar hosts: “Look like you want to be there.” [Vulture]
• “Animal Kingdom”‘s Jacki Weaver on her National Board of Review victory. [Little Gold Men]
Some at the reception were disturbed to see The Wrap’s Sharon Waxman, in her trademark blunt style, grilling folks, notebook in hand, about Chasen’s murder. Finally, this cross-section of the film community not only mourned the loss of a friend but of a way of working, a civilized discourse, and the arrival of a more tabloid sensibility in Hollywood coverage, especially of Chasen’s violent death.
From Anne Thompson’s report of Ronni Chasen’s funeral yesterday.
• The Academy honored legends Francis Ford Coppola, Eli Wallach, Jean-Luc Godard and Kevin Brownlow at the annual Governors Awards.
• Kris attended a Summit Entertainment holiday party, chatting with the talent in attendance.
• Disney revealed a clever plan geared toward presenting “Toy Story 3” as a legitimate Best Picture contender.
• The Weinstein Company lawyered up on the MPAA rulings on “Blue Valentine” and “The King’s Speech”
Welcome to Oscar Talk.
In case you’re new to the site and/or the podcast, Oscar Talk is a weekly kudocast, your one-stop awards chat shop between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood. The podcast is weekly, every Friday throughout the season, charting the ups and downs of contenders along the way. Plenty of things change en route to Oscar’s stage and we’re here to address it all as it unfolds.
There have been toasts in honor of talent and in the way of remembrance during this busy, and heartbreaking, week on the Oscar circuit. So as always, there’s plenty to cover. Let’s dive in and see what’s on the docket today…
The press release:
The Palm Springs International Awards Gala and Film Festival has issued a reward of $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the murder of Ronni Chasen, who was shot and killed in the early hours on Tuesday, November 16, 2010.
Festival Chairman Harold Matzner issued a statement today regarding her death: “Famed Hollywood publicist, Ronni Chasen, has been my partner in selecting all honorees and presenters for the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala for the past 10 years. Ronni handled all negotiations with the studios and she and her team made all of the arrangements to bring the celebrity honorees to Palm Springs for the event. The honorees were Ronni’s responsibility until they arrived in Palm Springs. The Awards Gala has the amazing record of having every single honoree appear on stage for the past nine year. A very good lady, a good friend…and a genius at her craft…Her death is very, very sad and mystifying…. Ronni has played the most important part in the Awards Gala’s success. She will be very missed by all in the Festival family…and by me especially ….!”
If you have any information about the death of Ronni Chasen please contact Beverly Hills Police Department Tip Line at (310) 288-2656.
Holiday parties sure are getting earlier, as the team at Summit Entertainment held theirs last night at BOA Steakhouse on Sunset. The event was held to toast the efforts of cast and crew on the studio’s 2010 films — “Fair Game,” “The Ghost Writer,” “Red” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.”
I ended up chatting with Olivia Williams early in the evening about her experience on Roman Polanski’s film, which she clearly coveted. She noted with candor how positive reinforcement isn’t exactly part of the process, not in any bad way, but just that hearing a “hey, nice job” isn’t the norm on a Polanski set, something she wasn’t expecting. But she relished the experience and her handlers certainly think seeing her vibrant sense of humor on the circuit could make people realize how wonderful she is as a cold character in the film.
Meanwhile, Jerry Zucker was there with his family as producer of “Fair Game.” While there was plenty to talk about regarding that political thriller, how do you engage in conversation with the guy who made “Airplane!” and “The Naked Gun” without going there? We talked potential torch-bearers of the form today, and he made it a point of mentioning how right “The Hangover” got it, that it was a comedy constantly surprising you, and that is key. He’s currently working on a send-up of Broadway musicals tentatively titled “You Are Here,” which should be a hoot.
I was driving, in between interviews this morning, when I got the tragic news of Ronni Chasen’s random, senseless death. Deadline followed up on an initial Radar Online report and the news spread from there.
Ronni was a long-time publicist who worked with just about everyone in town at one point or another. She was a driven, persistent professional, amazing at her job but also a truly sweet person. I considered her a friend, and to know she experienced such a horrific death is nearly too much to bear.
The sad reality is this business, the business she had such a hand in shaping, will take a moment to grieve and then it’ll be taking calls and business as usual. But part of me thinks Ronni, who never slowed down, wouldn’t have it any other way.