Gary Baum
Hollywood Reporter
Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Past articles by Gary:
Unmasking the AMPTP: Hollywood Labor’s Opaque Nemesis
During the double strike, a studio bargaining coalition run by lawyers and located in a suburban shopping mall has been portrayed by the unions as a James Bond villain set on breaking their solidarity. The Hollywood Reporter peeks behind the curtain. → Read More
Les Moonves’ Compromised Cop: Hollywood Ties, Complicated Past
Long before LAPD Captain Cory Palka helped quash a sexual assault probe against the former CBS head, he pursued acting roles while off-duty and faced his own internal affairs allegations. → Read More
How Hollywood’s Favorite Charity Went Broke
Founded in 1921 by silent-era legend Mary Pickford, the Motion Picture & Television Fund has long provided care to aging industry veterans. But despite a glamorous Oscar season fundraiser and an A-list donor base, the non-profit is at risk—in the words of its director—of "imminent demise." What happened? → Read More
Inside the Secret ‘Rust’ Settlement: Why Did Halyna Hutchins’ Widower Drop His Suit to Become an Executive Producer?
Legal experts detail what the estate and the producers stand to gain by calling a truce and teaming up to complete the movie on which star Alec Baldwin fatally shot the DP in October 2021. → Read More
The Top 20 Power Lunch Spots in L.A. Now
From classics like the Polo Lounge to newcomers like Great White, the vibe may vary — as well as the quality of the food — but the goal is the same: to see and be seen. → Read More
‘Rust’ Rallied Hollywood, But Has Spurred Limited Action So Far
The calls for bans that erupted when Alec Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins have quieted and legislation remains stalled, but armorers point to a drop in work and the continued adoption of safer Airsoft replicas — if only for big projects: "It's strictly liability" → Read More
Unhoused Sweeps Become Flashpoint for Film Shoots in Los Angeles
The clearing of a tent encampment near a Freeform series highlights Hollywood’s friction with unhoused residents: “There are sweeps happening for filming all the time.” → Read More
Inside the Hollywood Labor Rebellion: “We Have Awoken a Sleeping Giant”
According to union organizers and observers, the pandemic, streaming and corporate consolidation collided in 2021 to supercharge the activist playbook — and this is only the beginning. → Read More
Hollywood’s Sobering New Reality of Fentanyl Lacing: “Don’t Gamble If You Don’t Have a Stash From Pre-2020”
The ultra-powerful synthetic painkiller is increasingly mixed with other drugs, from cocaine and MDMA to Xanax and Adderall, leading to a spate of high-profile overdoses and deaths across the entertainment community. → Read More
‘Rust’ Producers’ Prior Film Raised Red Flags
Insiders say the never-released Dennis Quaid-Queen Latifah film is symptomatic of the indie film world's lack of accountability. → Read More
'Rust' Shines Spotlight on Opaque Indie Film Financing Scheme
Insiders say the model used on the Alec Baldwin Western, which relies on an obscure provision in the U.S. tax code to offer breaks for investors, is like playing "the audit lottery." → Read More
Guns, Ammo, Accountability: Hollywood Munitions Experts Grapple With ‘Rust’ Tragedy
Questions swirl about on-set gun safety and who could be at fault after Alec Baldwin shoots prop gun with live rounds, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. → Read More
Hollywood’s Socialism Boom: Emboldened Leftists Agitate for Radical Change
With supporters ranging from assistants to power players like Adam McKay, the industry's Democratic Socialists are demanding a fair share for workers (but aren’t necessarily coming for your house in the hills). → Read More
Stripped Down: How Hollywood’s Favorite Pole-Dancing Studio Was Undone by Allegations of Emotional Exploitation and Racial Insensitivity
Nadia Mitri says it was her experience on the dance floor in a Hawaii hotel ballroom with a veteran Hollywood actress that led to the darkest interlude of her life. In 2015, at a wellness retreat in Kona, Mitri danced to Damien Rice’s “Cheers Darlin’ ” for Sheila Kelley, a self-styled “feminine embodiment leader” who […] → Read More
Industry-Favored Hotel Mr. C Vetoes Panic Buttons for Employees
Union workers at the L.A. hotel (where Harvey Weinstein allegedly raped an actress) demand heightened security, citing examples of guests exposing themselves to employees. → Read More
Chateau Marmont Hit With New Lawsuit Over Alleged Racist Incidents Involving Guests
As a union-led boycott effort gains steam, an April 26 filing arrives from a Black employee who worked overnight shifts at the hotel’s front desk. → Read More
Aaron Sorkin's Lucy-Desi Movie Scraps Chateau Marmont Shoot Amid Boycott (Exclusive)
'Being the Ricardos,' which stars Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem, had planned to film at the Los Angeles hotel, which faces widespread claims from former staffers of racial discrimination and sexual misconduct. → Read More
Dalton Trumbo, 'The Brave One' and the Greatest Mystery in Oscar History
How Robert Rich's 1957 story win for the film (despite the fact that he didn't write a word) kicked off one of Hollywood's most intriguing credit battles — and why it remains unsolved. → Read More
Chateau Marmont Owner Faces Expanding Boycott, Loss of Mercer Hotel
Celebrity hotelier Andre Balazs, accused of sexual harassment and racial discrimination, is now battling his Mercer business partners, who claim self-dealing and financial mismanagement. Meanwhile, Hollywood figures are taking public stands against him. → Read More
L.A.'s Power Dining Scene Repopulates — But With Caution
With indoor and outdoor options available, COVID-19 vaccines being distributed and a workforce readying to return to normal after more than a year of rolling calls from home offices, reservations are up. → Read More