Latest news with #ChilternFirehouse
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How London Became the New Hollywood
Rumor has it that when London's luxury hotel Chiltern Firehouse erupted in flames in February, most of its high-profile clientele spilling out onto the streets weren't well-heeled Brits — they were from Los Angeles. The venue was set to host Netflix's BAFTA awards party that weekend — with attendees including Zoe Saldaña, Leonardo DiCaprio, Demi Moore, Adrien Brody and Colman Domingo — but a rogue strip of wood falling from a pizza oven led to a change of plans. More than 100 firefighters descended on the celebrity hotspot in Marylebone, owned by Chateau Marmont proprietor André Balazs. The hotel incurred major damage, but no injuries were reported. But it's a suitable metaphor: London is ablaze. More from The Hollywood Reporter Jirí Bartoska, Czech Actor and Longtime Karlovy Vary Film Festival President, Dies at 78 The Hollywood Reporter's Access Canada Summit to Launch During Toronto Film Festival Cardinal Robert Prevost Becomes First American Pope, Takes the Name Leo XIV From the many state-of-the-art shooting facilities running at full capacity (millions of square feet of soundstage space combined) to a tax incentive scheme that saves producers millions and a progressive environment that is literally a world away from the daily onslaught of President Trump's draconian policy decrees (not to mention the chaos unleashed on travel), London is, as one insider puts it, 'more Hollywood than Hollywood.' In 2024, media agency Film London estimated that about £9.5 billion ($12.7 billion) is set to be invested in the city for production during the next five years. The global hubs of Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Disney continue to expand their U.K. offices as studios like Pinewood (home to 12 MCU blockbusters) and Ealing are fully booked out. Some of the biggest players in the production world right now — think Working Title, Protagonist Pictures and All3Media — are headquartered in London. British and Irish talent dominate in front of and behind the camera. And to those working in the U.K. capital's entertainment industry, this tidbit of insider tattle may not come as a surprise. It's not just cost savings and the Trump effect; Tinseltown has lost much of its luster. Once the global hub of film, wealth and glamour, L.A., more than any other city, has become a casualty of the worldwide production plunge. Hollywood film and TV production have taken a momentous hit, with U.S. productions across the board down some 40 percent from pre-strike levels in 2022. But in the U.K., production revenue in 2024 topped £5.6 billion ($7.4 billion), a 31 percent increase from the previous year, according to the British Film Institute's research and statistics unit. Shooting levels in California, reeling from budget reductions across most studios and streamers, last year fell to their lowest level observed by FilmLA since it started tracking the data in 2017 (excluding 2020 at the height of the pandemic). Though they only tore through 1.3 percent of the city's filming locations, the L.A. wildfires put even more projects on pause. 'It just doesn't make sense when you do the math,' a top streaming executive says, adding that entire soundstages on L.A. lots are sitting idle. And while California Gov. Gavin Newsom tries to push through the expansion of the state's Film and Television Tax Credit program to $750 million annually, he now has his hands full with Trump's spate of upending tariffs, the latest of which has baffled an entire industry. His 100 percent tariff proposal on all movies coming into the U.S. that are 'produced in foreign lands' has, naturally, prompted more questions than answers. What about co-productions? Does this apply to U.S. productions already underway outside of the States? Marvel, for example, has kicked off their hotly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday in London. Luckily, a U.K.-U.S. trade deal was struck early Thursday morning — the first major trade deal of Trump's second term — with both British prime minister Keir Starmer and the President lauding the countries' allyship. Starmer, dialling into the Oval Office news conference via phone, called it a 'fantastic, historic day,' while Trump described it as a much-needed 'win'. The vague rhetoric coming from both leaders was indicative of the breadth of detail outlined; though major talking points include a removal of the 25 percent tariff on U.K. steel and aluminium, as well as car export cuts and chopping the tariff on ethanol for U.S. goods, Trump's plan to slap a 100 percent tariff on British-made movies was not addressed in the hours after the deal was formally announced. In other words: we wait. There is one thing Trump's right about: Hollywood is facing a 'very fast death.' This is where the U.K. comes in. Sources tell THR that Hollywood producers are gravitating to London to shoot, write and even permanently live. It helps that the population of an overwhelmingly left-leaning industry is mortified by Trump's re-election (one lawyer says her Oscar-winning client who has relocated to Britain was almost entirely motivated by Trump's return to The White House), but the biggest incentive is interminably alluring: money. The tax breaks from the U.K. are among the best in the world. Until 2034, film and TV producers seeking to shoot in the U.K. can receive a 40 percent reduction on their final bill as of this year. The Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit provides them with a tax credit worth 34 percent of their U.K. production costs, and as of April 1, filmmakers can claim a credit of 39 percent on their visual effects costs. Indie films with budgets of less than £15 million ($20 million) can claim a whopping 53 percent back thanks to the new Independent Film Tax Credit, in place since October. In laymen's terms, it's cheaper: The tax relief is greater, and this means that studios can recoup the money they lose elsewhere (Disney, for example, is reported to have received more than a third of a billion dollars in U.K. tax credits the past decade). After taxes, Hollywood producers in Britain can claw back a net 20 percent of the cost of the production. And crucially, U.S. nationals are not required to pay double tax: They offset the American tax using what they already paid to the U.K. Sure, it's cheaper to film in Australia, too, and Spain, especially — Netflix has just made Madrid's Secuoya Studios its European hub for production — but there is another benefit to shooting in London that goes beyond money: infrastructure. 'I've been blown away,' says Shadowbox Studios COO Mike Mosallam of the facilities at his company's state-of-the-art Shinfield Studios. Perched just outside London, Shinfield was established in 2021 and became fully operational in June. The facility, which boasts nearly 1 million square feet of studio space, including 18 purpose-built soundstages, is emblematic of the shooting boom in the U.K. Now at capacity, the studio has played host to a number of high-profile Hollywood titles, including Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Disney's Star Wars spinoff Andor and Ben Gregor's hotly anticipated The Magic Faraway Tree. These shoots account for a fraction of the titles produced in and around London in recent years. Of course, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or indeed other parts of England are valuable, too, but of the approximately 7 million square feet of filming stage space that the U.K. benefits from, nearly a quarter of it (21 percent, to be precise) is in London. Lucasfilm, the George Lucas-founded production company behind one of the most lucrative franchises in moviemaking history, has shot all nine of its Star Wars features at the company's Pinewood base. Solo, Rogue One and the Indiana Jones flicks also have laid the groundwork for a legacy built on billions of dollars' worth of success in the U.K., which is invested back into the business. And it aids local coffers as well: Left Bank Pictures' BBC drama This City Is Ours is estimated to have boosted Liverpool's economy by £9 million ($12 million), according to the city council. A Lucasfilm source tells THR that this legacy element also promotes continuity of crews: Costume designers on recent Star Wars projects are the children of prop department pros on 1977's A New Hope: 'Harrison [Ford], Mark [Hamill] and Carrie [Fisher] were American and George was American, but all the crew were Brits.' The same applies with James Bond — which will still be made in England following its Amazon takeover — and Harry Potter too: Hollywood produced but was flanked by U.K. teams. 'It's not just, 'Let's go someplace [exotic] and get a tax break,' ' a source adds. 'Because when you show up, there's really no workforce. You have to import all of that, and that's expensive. But you go to London and you have stages, personnel and everything you need.' 'We've had really big, iconic films filmed here, and what the U.K. has done is they've built on that infrastructure' by investing in new and old facilities, adds London-based immigration lawyer Chetal Patel, who has helped some of the industry's biggest stars move across the Atlantic. Amazon's acquisition of the historic Bray Studios (home of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Mummy and Alien, to name three) is set to get millions of dollars in investment over the next five years. There's also the benefit of geography. Location-scouting from London is a streamlined task when Wales is a short car journey away and the Scottish Highlands just a 60-minute flight. The rest of Europe — including the tax-light regions of Eastern Europe, Spain and Greece — are only hours from the urban landscape of London by plane. 'No matter where in the world [producers] might be looking, in my experience, production decisions consistently come down to two things — people and prices,' says Mosallam. 'As a world-class city, London is an easy ask for top-tier talent.' Indeed, there's no need to fly far from family when talent (and crew) can grab an early morning taxi to Pinewood. 'The U.K. is an easier sell to stars,' says L.A.-based talent attorney Abel Lezcano. 'Above-the-line talent, meaning actors, head writers, directors … They don't necessarily want to go to South Africa or Botswana for eight weeks. Flying from New York to London is not much different than flying New York to Los Angeles.' When Wicked's Ariana Grande released the deluxe version of her most recent album, Eternal Sunshine, one of the most talked-about tracks was a love letter to the north London area Hampstead. 'I left my heart at a pub in Hampstead,' she sings. A favorite among celebrities like Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, the quaint, village-esque spot is a stone's throw from the city center and perfectly positioned for stars. And Hampstead is one of a hundred — London's boroughs are extensive and diverse, with some of the world's best restaurants, green spaces, museums, sports arenas and theaters within reach. So when Jon M. Chu's Broadway adaptation filmed both parts of Wicked at Pinewood, its entire cast — Brits Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey included — were more than happy to nestle in the U.K. during the shoot. 'Maybe somebody gives you a great tax incentive to shoot in the desert,' another insider adds. 'But do you want to spend a year in the desert?' Patel concurs. She says that her clients have been flocking to the U.K. thanks to benefits like the country's free health care system and security advantages (read: restrictive gun laws). One client working in Britain through the Global Talent visa tells THR: 'The political shift and cost of living, especially the cost of health care — which was virtually unaffordable as a freelancer — became a significant factor to the decision to extradite myself from the U.S. I felt that I was much more culturally tuned to the U.K. ethos.' But there's another incentive as well: sticking it to Trump. With diversity and inclusion programs getting shuttered seemingly everywhere, Britain has the potential to become something of a refuge for talent hoping to get away from Trumpian turmoil. 'With the Trump administration, there is a crackdown on certain nationalities even coming into the U.S.,' explains Patel. 'If you're Indian or Pakistani, [it can be more difficult]. So a lot of people don't necessarily want to be in the U.S. … The U.K., to some extent, provides a safe haven for them.' Then there's the chaos and uncertainty surrounding travel and visas thanks to Trump's hard-line immigration policy. Patel advises her clients to capitalize on a visa scheme called the Global Talent visa — 'the crème de la crème' of visa categories available in the U.K. — which allows talent to work and live in Britain for up to five years. Many of Patel's clients, she tells THR, have been making use of it in recent months. It isn't a sponsored route, but it allows the applicant to earn money however they like, whether as a freelancer or self-employed. All they need is a 'substantial track record' and an endorsement from a British-based member of the entertainment industry. 'My plan was to move here, and with the current administration, that time is now,' another creative on the Global Talent visa says. 'For the past few years, I've really enjoyed and related much more to the work coming out of the U.K. My favorite projects and people that I've worked with have been from the U.K. … I find it increasingly difficult to create here in America because the atmosphere is not conducive to my sensibilities as an artist. The quality of life in the U.K. suits me much better not only as an artist, but as a human being.' Reaction to Trump is even being felt in the production of British content, which some say has the potential to fill a void left by the current play-it-safe-at-all-costs mentality in the American entertainment industry. As Hollywood in the Trump age becomes more risk-averse, insiders say the U.K. isn't afraid of embracing tough material, and boundary-pushing only reaffirms what execs already believe about Britain: It is the best country for content on the small screen right now, and examples abound, from Black Mirror to Baby Reindeer. 'We are unmatched in the world for what we do in this space,' BFI chair and Apple TV+ European creative director Jay Hunt said late last year. 'I mean literally unmatched. To sit at the Emmys [where Apple TV+ hit Slow Horses took home best writing for a drama series in 2024] or the Oscars a couple of years ago and just hear British accent after British accent walking up onstage … I just want to keep doing something that fuels that, because this is really precious.' Many believe that backlash to Trump's DEI crackdown could end up having a positive effect on minorities and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds seeking access to the industry in the more welcoming U.K. Patel offers Netflix's Adolescence as an example of how British producers can fight back against Trump's attacks on diversity — and have real-world impact in the process. '[Adolescence star Owen Cooper] and the child actors were purposefully chosen for those roles as they hadn't gone through that traditional [upper middle class] drama route. They wanted to create opportunities for social mobility,' she says of the timely Brit drama. 'It's something that we're fully embracing in the U.K.' The impact of the show has been so profound that it has been discussed in Parliament and is now being screened in schools across the U.K. in an effort to combat knife violence and the toxic influence of the online 'manosphere' on young boys. Similarly, ITV's Mr. Bates vs. the Post Office (2024) was a show for public broadcast that had the country in an uproar. The Peabody Award winner spotlighted how hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongly convicted of theft — the true cause was a faulty IT system — between 1999 and 2015. The series was so popular and the scandal it depicted so outrageous that it prompted the British government to exonerate the sub-postmasters and compensate them in thousands of pounds. The former Post Office boss Paula Vennells was publicly vilified and stripped of her CBE. Film and television can provoke political and societal change in the U.K., Patel says, which isn't always the case in other countries: 'We can be provocative.' According to Hunt, Idris Elba's 2010 casting on Luther as the BBC One's first Black lead was a turning point for the industry. 'You go into people's homes, and you change the way they think about the country that they live in,' she said while discussing how British film and TV can 'change the world.' She adds, 'It's profoundly important that we find a way, particularly in quite a divided society, that communities across the U.K. see themselves onscreen and see their stories onscreen, and we know it's utterly game-changing.' While the full extent of Trump's impact remains to be seen, London's dominance on the global film and television stage outdates his return to politics' biggest job, and it shows no signs of abating. Studio facilities are booked solid for years, the various cost savings will no doubt become even more valuable as the trade wars impact the global economy, and London's streets will continue to crawl with Hollywood talent (even if their posh hotels aren't on fire). For some, London will never truly replace Hollywood, but the city's production boom certainly has the rest of the world — and President Trump, it appears — a little jealous. 'From my discussions that I've had with colleagues and friends in the U.S.,' Patel says, 'we are definitely the new Hollywood. I've got some contacts for the big streamers overseas, and what they've said to me is London is the next big stage, and they want to be here.' A version of this story appeared in the May 7 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
Telegraph
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Hotelier to the stars André Balazs: ‘If you must get into trouble, do it at the Chateau Marmont'
It is 10pm and André Balazs is sitting near the grand piano in the drawing room of the Chateau Marmont, sipping Campari and soda. At the keyboard the virtuoso house pianist Jason Pelsey is playing the 1934 George Gershwin classic, Summertime. Balazs's eyes are closed and he taps his hands on the lid in time to the music, completely absorbed in the moment. It may not be summertime but the livin' is certainly easy at Chateau Marmont, Hollywood's legendary castle, which Balazs bought 35 years ago. And you don't need to close your eyes to be transported back in time: it could still be the 1930s in this beautiful room where Greta Garbo, Charlie Chaplin and Howard Hughes once partied. The lighting is low. Guests on velvet sofas sip martinis. Arched windows, heavy curtains and exposed beams lend a Gothic glamour. Even the clientele seems to come from another age. A tall, bearded man in a full-length tapestry dress sashays around the room, gathering up his skirts to tackle the steps. On the other side of the piano is a man wearing a three-piece suit, paisley neckerchief and black trilby – it is he who requested Summertime. He carefully lays down a couple of $20 bills as a tip for Pelsey, who is also an award-winning film composer, drains his cocktail and disappears into the night. Balazs, who knows many of the guests, says he's never seen him before. A young-looking 68, Balazs is the man behind not only the Chateau (as it is known) but also two of the other coolest hotels in the world: The Mercer in New York, and Chiltern Firehouse in London, which was severely damaged by a fire last month. In a catch-up with The Telegraph after this interview to discuss the event, which began in the kitchen's pizza oven before raging to the top floors of the hotel, he says; 'we've been told it will most likely be a two-to-two-and-a-half year process. As I've often said in the context of what makes a great hotel, it's first and foremost about making sure that people feel safe. It's testament to the kindness of my colleagues in hospitality that we've been inundated with over 50 offers to employ our staff. We're grateful for their embrace.' Firehouse will rise again, undoubtedly, but it is his Los Angeles castle on the hill, which opened in 1929 and whose earthquake-proof walls harbour some of Hollywood's best-kept secrets, that is the jewel in his crown. Over the years, the hotel has hosted all sorts of shenanigans. 'If you must get into trouble, do it at the Chateau Marmont,' said Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures in 1939, installing best friends Glenn Ford and William Holden in a penthouse suite. Clark Gable had an affair with Jean Harlow here. The Rolling Stones created havoc when they stayed; Jim Morrison fell two storeys (and survived) while trying to swing from the roof or a balcony, no one can remember which. Bette Davis nearly burnt the place down when she fell asleep with a lit cigarette while watching one of her own films. In 1982 John Belushi died of a drug overdose in one of the bungalows. Johnny Depp claimed to have had sex with Kate Moss in every single one of the Chateau's 63 rooms. The quintessence of Old Hollywood, the hotel combines a heady mix of style and loucheness – as chronicled in the lavishly illustrated Hollywood Handbook, just republished and edited by Balazs. First published in 1996, it includes contributions from many writers who have stayed here. 'The Chateau has been a constant in my life, a kind of club for someone who has never been a joiner,' writes the novelist Jay McInerney. 'When people are looking very hard for me they eventually call the Chateau.' In 1926 Fred Horowitz, a lawyer, decided to build a version of the Loire Valley's medieval Château d'Amboise on a hillside above a scrubby, unpaved road called Sunset Boulevard, adjacent to Marmont Lane. Complete with turrets and a vaulted colonnade, it was conceived as an apartment block, and the first tenants moved in on 1 Feb 1929. But eight months later the stock market crashed and the apartments were let out to short-term lodgers. And so it morphed into a hotel. Over the decades, the Chateau went downhill. The ratty brown and orange shag carpets were a joke. The rooms, full of thrift-store furniture, were falling apart. Hell, it didn't even have a liquor licence. But somehow it retained its cachet. Visiting in 1990, Balazs bought the property: 'I learnt that the two partners weren't getting along and one of them wanted to sell.' The process of buying was swift. The desire to buy the hotel wasn't. He was looking for a sister property for The Mercer, and the Chateau fitted the bill. 'But what compelled me was I had stayed here five or six times, and I noticed how lonely LA was… I used to land late at night, and even just coming out of the airport, there's a sense of emptiness… The Chateau fought against that loneliness. It's an antidote to the loneliness of LA.' So he was buying somewhere to call home in Los Angeles? 'That would be a fair way to put it,' he agrees. It's a sentiment he shares with many of the guests. 'There are two people here now, a director and an actor, one who's lived here four years, the other a year and a half.' He introduces me to a director who stays here for three or four months each year. 'Once you're a part of this community, you tend to stick around,' says the director. 'It's a membership club with no application, no fees. You just subscribe to whatever magic André creates.' Balazs is far more than just the owner: he is sewn into the fabric of the Chateau, part of the scene, king of the castle if you will. 'I wouldn't go that far,' he says modestly. Yet, with his suave charisma and string of famous girlfriends (including Courtney Love, Kylie Minogue and Uma Thurman – twice), he is intrinsic to its glamour. When he bought the Chateau, he was married to Katie Ford, former CEO of the Ford Models agency, with whom he has two daughters, Alessandra and Isabel. He also has a son, Ivo, now aged seven, with Cosima Vesey, daughter of the 7th Viscount de Vesci. If there is one golden rule, it is discretion. If you see something, don't say something. 'You can feel safe being whoever you are, as quirky as you may be, it's not going to be exploited or revealed or shared.' His philosophy is that anything goes, as long as other guests don't mind: 'I don't think anyone's behaviour is objectionable, except if it disturbs other people. If someone wants to take their clothes off, it's not a problem for many people. That's very problematic for others.' Bookings are lightly filtered. They tend not to take groups or weddings, because they skew the make-up of a small, 63-room hotel. He rarely hears complaints from Chateau guests. 'I think they're too intimidated by the reputation that precedes it. It's either your cup of tea or it's not.' The idea of the Chateau as a safe haven dates from the early days, when it would provide rooms for anyone, regardless of sexual orientation or skin colour. During Covid, it offered free rooms for doctors, and now it is advertising free stays for the firefighters tackling some of the worst blazes in Los Angeles history. In fact, the hotel is abuzz with news of the very handsome firefighter staying in one of the bungalows. Of course he's handsome, it's the Chateau Marmont. Three nights before we meet, the Chateau had to be evacuated due to the wildfires, which were visible from the higher windows. Balazs was the last to leave. 'I would have stayed… but my two daughters and my ex-wife were imploring me to leave, they were so freaked out. To make them happy, I left.' Within an hour, he was back. I get the impression that, like the captain of the Titanic, he would have been happy to go down with his castle. In retrospect, it seems that the Chateau and André Balazs were always destined for each other. Born in 1957, Balazs is the son of Hungarian immigrants who fled to Sweden during the Second World War before settling in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Balazs describes his father, a scientist, as 'amazingly creative', and his mother, a psychologist and musician, as 'fiercely rebellious'. A maverick as a child, Balazs broke the rules, with his mother's encouragement. 'I was very badly behaved,' he says when we meet the next day for lunch in the Chateau's sunny garden. 'Rules were just something I ignored… When I was 10 or 11, they were building a large highway near my home, and it involved filling in part of a lake that we lived on. My mother was incensed at this, and somehow she convinced me and my two buddies to go on these Caterpillar bulldozers that were parked at night and pour bags of sugar into the gas tanks, which would ruin the engines. I thought nothing of it, it was rather like a sport.' He went to Cornell University, then took a masters in business and journalism at Columbia University. After working briefly in political PR, he and his father formed a biotech company, which made their fortune. A friend invited him to become an investor in a Manhattan nightclub named MK. And from there it was a short leap into hotels – fuelled partly, he says, by a fascination with sculpture. 'I found it very frustrating that nobody understood the language of three-dimensional design… I liked the idea of making something out of nothing and have it express something.' Like many of the guests, Balazs views the Chateau as a character, a movie star in its own right. Sofia Coppola's 2010 Somewhere, filmed at the hotel, captures its dreamy, hypnotic nature. 'You could argue that a hotel is just a place to sleep,' says Balazs. 'And there are hotels like that. [But a good hotel] has a certain DNA, a soul, something that draws people.' A few weeks after buying it, he met the photographer Helmut Newton and his wife, June, in room 49, a suite in which the couple had been living every winter since 1957. 'Helmut started telling me that I shouldn't change anything: 'Don't f—k it up,' he told me. And as he was talking, I sat back and the seam of the sofa ripped and the spring literally popped out.' The hotel had to change, but Balazs made it his mission to make any changes imperceptible. 'The Japanese have a name for that: kaizen, perfecting things without people knowing what you're doing. It's a discreet fiddling, so things are better without losing its soul.' It worked. Newton continued to stay regularly. 'I'm so glad you didn't change anything,' he would say whenever he saw the hotelier. In the meantime Balazs was quietly changing everything. 'Not one surface is the same.' In 2004 Newton died after crashing his Cadillac while suffering a heart attack in the hotel drive. 'In fact,' Balazs tells me, 'you're staying in his room.' Is it haunted? 'Not that I've heard,' says Balazs – in a way that suggests it might be. Ghosts are part of the Chateau's mystique. Almost everyone has a ghost story, including Balazs himself: 'I was alone in one of the bungalows and I suddenly felt this weight in the room, like a physical weight, I could barely move, I slowly opened my eyes, and I saw a naked couple [standing] at the foot of the bed: I felt I was intruding on their space. They were holding each other in a very loving way and rocking back and forth… I clapped my hands to make a noise and they were still there. I said hello and they still wouldn't go. I turned the light on and I was looking at them and then slowly slowly they faded away… There was a sulphurous smell.' Perhaps more than ghosts, people talk about the creative energy of the Chateau. The filmmaker John Waters says the only time he didn't stay at the Chateau, he didn't get his movie deal. In the Hollywood Handbook, the late screenwriter Kit Carson describes how a ghost would come to him at 3.30 every morning in suite 23 and 'make me go to work… it was a rosy presence.' Balazs shows me Carson's old car, a 1967 red Morgan two-door convertible, which Carson abandoned at the hotel in the late 1970s. It is a classic Chateau story. 'For years I was calling everyone, I couldn't find him so I thought 'F—k it, I'll start charging him the same rate as everyone else.' [His bill went from] $120,000 to $200,000, I didn't know what to do. One day Griffin Dunne [the actor] calls me from Dallas and says, 'Why don't you pop down. I'm having dinner with Kit Carson tonight.' So I showed up [and said], 'I'm André, I have your car.' [And he said] 'Yeah, I know, why don't you just keep it.' So I said, 'OK, but any time you're in town you can drive it.'' Balazs's real home – when he is not staying at one of his hotels – is Locusts-on-Hudson, a neo-baroque country manor in New York, which he bought in 2004, also on a whim, while browsing an estate sale. '[Thurman's] mother loved to go to these sales, and I somehow finagled the address. We drove out and we were driving around the back of the house; the grass was so tall, taller than the car roof and I almost drove into an empty swimming pool. The real-estate broker had placed a sign next to the house so I pulled it out and put it in the trunk of the car. That was on a Saturday, I had bought it by Monday morning.' He says he views Chateau Marmont as 'the troubled child' in his brood: 'It's the one that refused to grow up.' And yet it is not hard to see that it is also his most adored child. 'It's been 35 years out of 97, it's a long time.' He is meant to be leaving tonight but finds that he cannot. 'I hate leaving places. I always come up with some excuse [to stay].' Two days later, he is still in residence. One night, I am working late in my room, which looks out over Hollywood, a massive billboard of Timothée Chalamet looming in the night sky, which is hazy red from the fires. I hear a crash in the living room. By now I have heard so many stories about ghosts that I almost jump out of my skin. I tiptoe through. All is still. And then I realise it must be the ice bucket. The ice has finally melted and the bottle that was nestled on top has dropped to the bottom. I have to admit that I am almost disappointed. Chateau Marmont: Hollywood Handbook, edited by André Balazs (Rizzoli, £29.95)
Emirates Woman
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Emirates Woman
Experience a delectable new menu at The Guild in Dubai
Life by Sarah Joseph 2 seconds ago With a myriad of fine-dining spots around the UAE. There's a few that are set apart from the rest. The Guild isn't just a restaurant – it's a completely new world of its own. Situated within the sleek confines of ICD Brookfield Place in DIFC, this bold concept is a love letter to the bustling brasseries of Europe and New York. A place where artistry meets culinary excellence, where every dish and detail tell a story. As the brainchild of Melbourne born Dubai trailblazer Tom Arnel, the venture unfolds under the masterful design of London-based architect David Archer, celebrated for iconic creations such as the timeless celebrity haunt Chiltern Firehouse and The Standard Hotel. For all the food aficianado's, the menu has a vast array of dishes catering to everyone's needs. Some of the key dishes to try at The Guild Wagyu Burger, Poached King Crab, Wood-fired Lamb Chops and the Crêpe Brûlée. For those looking to take it up a notch, dishes from the new menu include Australian Wagyu Striploin Ribeye, Chilean Seabass En Papillote, Italian Burrata, Canadian Lobster and Braised Veal Pappardelle, all headed by Chef Burak Pazarioglu. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Guild (@theguilddubai) Known for its expansive space, guests can step into The Nurseries, a lush, plant-filled oasis inspired by New York's bohemian Tribeca, perfect for long, leisurely lunches. Tucked away nearby is The Potting Shed, an intimate escape ideal for an aperitivo—or your next ultra-exclusive gathering, with space for up to 30 guests. But the real showstopper? The Salon. This grand dining room is where the magic happens, with fire and coals setting the stage in an open kitchen, while The Rockpool—teeming with live crustaceans—keeps seafood lovers coming back for more. Regarded as the ultimate late-night spot, The Aviary is night-time hideaway where cocktails flow with timeless design and an unforgettable experience. This night-time hideaway haven is every Wednesday to Saturday from 7 PM till late, the intimate and cosy space features the expertise of the renowned bar team, who bring their exceptional drink service and knowledge to the dynamic setting. So, if you're looking for a place to dine for a romantic date or simply celebrate a special occasion with friends. For more information visit – For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram Images: Supplied
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BAFTA Film Award Winners: ‘Kneecap' Wins Outstanding Debut British Feature — Updating Live
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has rolled out the red carpet for its annual BAFTA Film Awards at London's Royal Festival Hall. The ceremony is about to kick off on what is a typically cold and grey evening in the capital. Heading into the event, Papal thriller Conclave leads all nominations with 12, including Best Film, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Actor, and Casting. More from Deadline BAFTA Film Awards 2025 Party List Netflix BAFTA Party Is On: Streamer Makes Fast Pivot To New Venue For Sunday Soirée Chiltern Firehouse, Host To Netflix's Buzzy BAFTA Film Awards Party, Closed After Blaze - Update With the second-largest haul of nominations, Jacques Audiard's Emilia Perez is vying for a total of 11, including Best Film, Director, Film Not In The English Language, and Support Actress. The film is also nominated in Leading Actress with Karla Sofía Gascón, who was left off the ceremony's guest following widespread pushback about past racist tweets. Chasing the leading two is Brady Corbet's The Brutalist (nine), Sean Baker's Anora (seven), Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two (seven), and Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown (six). The BAFTAs are yet another Oscar precursor that may give us a clearer indication of what's to come at the Dolby on March 2. The ceremony is airing on a two-hour delay in the UK and U.S., so check back for winners as we update live below. You can follow our live blog from the ceremony here. BEST FILM LEADING ACTRESS LEADING ACTOR EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public) DIRECTOR MAKE UP & HAIR COSTUME DESIGN OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION BRITISH SHORT FILM PRODUCTION DESIGN SOUND ORIGINAL SCORE DOCUMENTARY BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR ADAPTED SCREENPLAY CINEMATOGRAPHY EDITING CASTING FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER KNEECAP Rich Peppiatt, Trevor Birney, Jack Tarling, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, JJ Ó Dochartaigh CHILDREN'S & FAMILY FILM WALLACE AND GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham, Richard Beek ANIMATED FILM SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS DUNE: PART TWO Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Gerd Nefzer, Rhys Salcombe ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Best of Deadline How To Watch The 'SNL50' Anniversary Concert And Three-Hour Special This Weekend Everything We Know About Christopher Nolan's Next Film – 'The Odyssey': Release Date, Cast And More 'Bridgerton' Season 4: Everything We Know So Far
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Netflix post-Bafta party moved to new location after blaze at Chiltern Firehouse
Netflix has moved the location of its annual post-Bafta Film Awards party following a blaze at the original venue. Around 100 people were forced to evacuate Chiltern Firehouse, a luxury hotel favoured by celebrities, on Valentine's Day after the fire ripped through ducting at the London establishment. Streaming platform Netflix has now moved its after party to luxury hotel The Twenty Two in Mayfair's Grosvenor Square. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said that 20 fire engines and about 125 firefighters were involved in tackling the blaze on Chiltern Street in Marylebone on Friday. A firefighter at the scene told the PA news agency the five-star hotel and restaurant will likely need a 'large refurbishment'. A-list actors and award-winning filmmakers will take to the Bafta red carpet on Sunday for the annual awards ceremony, which is being hosted by Scottish actor David Tennant for the second year in a row. Among the British stars nominated this year are Cynthia Erivo, for her role playing Elphaba in the musical Wicked, and Ralph Fiennes, who starred in papal-set drama Conclave.
