Latest news with #DavidGeffen
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Hypergamy? David Geffen's Divorce Gives New Meaning to an Old Term
It was a small detail amid a torrent of salacious accusations in the ongoing divorce drama between entertainment mogul David Geffen, 82, and his estranged husband, David Armstrong. Last week, Mr. Armstrong, a 32-year-old former exotic dancer who has also used the name Donovan Michaels, filed a lengthy civil suit in Los Angeles, filled with allegations that Mr. Geffen used drugs and was abusive, and calling Mr. Geffen 'an exploiter, masquerading as a white knight while hiding behind wealth, philanthropy, and fame.' And tucked into that litany of accusations — which Mr. Geffen's lawyer blasted, calling it a 'false, pathetic lawsuit' — is the assertion that the couple met on the dating website now known as which describes itself as 'a space for love and luxury to meet,' through a mutual commitment to hypergamy, something it mentions and promotes repeatedly on its website. Hyperga-what? Hypergamy is broadly defined by dictionaries as marrying or becoming involved with someone who has more financial resources or social status than you. 'Marrying up' was an old, somewhat polite way of putting it; there are less polite ways, as well. — formerly known as — has been considered a major player in the 'sugar dating' world, where sites connect romantic partners interested in exchanging gifts or money for companionship, sometimes with sexual overtones. Sites have been accused of fostering manipulative and transactional emotional relationships, and monetizing dating in a way that occasionally borders on prostitution. For its part, describes hypergamy in rosy fashion as 'a romantic relationship with someone whose strengths complement your weaknesses, enhancing both partners' growth, success, and social status through the relationship.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Los Angeles Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
‘Lords of Dogtown' hits 20, plus the week's best movies
Hello! I'm Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies. Sometimes you go to a film screening and you come to realize that it is happening under optimal conditions, that the particular combination of movie, audience, circumstances and environment make for an ideal, likely never-to-be-repeated event. Such is what happened last Saturday when I went to the Academy Museum to see Walter Hill's 1984 'Streets of Fire' projected from a beautiful archival 70mm release print. Taking place in the museum's downstairs Ted Mann Theater (some folks prefer its sight lines to those of the larger David Geffen), the screening was sold out, and there was a buzzing and expectant energy in the room before the show started. Told in neon-drenched tones with a graphic visual style, the film, which bills itself as 'a rock & roll fable,' opens with a spectacular musical number that grabbed the audience and never let go from there. The story concerns a singer (Diane Lane) kidnapped by a local gang leader (Willem Dafoe) and her adventurer ex-boyfriend (Michael Paré), who reluctantly agrees to bring her back. In a conversation after the movie with K.J. Relth-Miller, the museum's director of film programs, Hill admitted that the last time he had watched it was 'about a week before it came out.' 'It's a curious movie,' said Hill, 83. 'I wanted to make a music movie and I got interested in the idea of, could I mix the action genre and the music? My previous film ['48 Hrs.'] had been a very big hit and I knew that you got to do one that they probably would never have made otherwise. And so I didn't want to blow the chance.' Hill also admitted, 'I can see mistakes that we made in it,' specifically a moment when Paré hits Lane to knock her out. 'I promise you, I wouldn't do it today,' he said. An idea that came up through the conversation was how to subvert tried-and-true story conventions and genre tropes. Hill recalled something that director Sam Peckinpah once told him. 'I remember I had a conversation once on the other side of the fence with Peckinpah when I was writing 'The Getaway,' ' Hill said. 'And I said, 'Yeah, we could approach it that way, but it's probably a cliché.' And he looked at me and he said, 'You know what a cliché is?' — I knew I was in trouble — and he said, 'Cliché is something that works.' ' On Thursday Vidiots will have a 20th anniversary screening of 'Lords of Dogtown' with director Catherine Hardwicke in person. Set in the 1970s, the film tells the story of how a group of Venice kids — the so-called Z-Boys — reinvented the sport of skateboarding, injecting it with daredevil tricks and a rebellious attitude. The cast includes Emile Hirsch, Michael Angarano, John Robinson, Victor Rasuk and Heath Ledger. Rachel Abramowitz wrote about the film's production, including how some of the real-life figures portrayed in the movie participated in the shoot, sometimes even acting as the skating doubles for the actors playing them. At one moment, Hardwicke was standing on the edge of a drained-out pool for the skaters to use and took a wrong step and fell in, knocking herself out and fracturing an orbital bone in her face. Yet even that never dimmed her enthusiasm. As Abramowitz noted, 'With her laid-back assurance and distinct vision, Hardwicke has been able to corral a lot of difficult personalities — some who have not always gotten along, as the movie well documents. Almost all the original Z-Boys and scenesters have worked on the film in various capacities, and the actors seem to look up to her.' At one point Hardwicke's direction to a group of actors in a scene was simply, 'Just keep hanging and loving life and thinking how bitchin' we are.' In his review of the film, Kevin Thomas called Hardwicke 'an inspired choice, given the insight and compassion for troubled, reckless teens she revealed so memorably in 'Thirteen.' ' He added, 'The film never loses its heart, as the limelight and spiraling competition strain friendships and incite ugly behavior but reveal a youthful vulnerability that makes the three engaging and their sometimes obnoxious, self-defeating behavior understandable under the circumstances. As in 'Thirteen,' Hardwicke has been able to inspire unsparing portrayals from young actors. … 'Lords of Dogtown' is as beautifully structured as one of the Z-Boys' graceful and intricate maneuvers. It is economic yet possesses depth and is visually striking, capturing an idea of what life is like in a very fast lane.' James Baldwin's book-length essay 'The Devil Finds Work,' completed in 1975 and first published in 1976, mixes personal memoir with insightful film criticism to become a singular work. The UCLA Film and Television Archive is launching a series to celebrate the book and Baldwin. The series opens with an evening of excerpts from relevant Baldwin-related projects, including Raoul Peck's 2017 documentary 'I Am Not Your Negro,' along with Karen Thorsen's 1989 doc 'James Baldwin: The Price of a Ticket.' Where this series should get really interesting is the decision to have most of the screenings include a reading from 'The Devil Finds Work' by some pretty noteworthy names, including author Roxane Gay, podcasters Sam Sanders and Zach Safford and actors LisaGay Hamilton, Justice Smith, Nic Ashe, Marc Anthony Howard, Kendale Winbush and filmmaker Raven Jackson. Among the films being screened are Jack Conway's 1935 'A Tale of Two Cities,' John Huston's 1942 'In This Our Life,' Julien Duvivier's 1942 'Tales of Manhattan,' William Friedkin's 1973 'The Exorcist,' and Norman Jewison's 1967 'In the Heat of the Night.' 'Powwow Highway' The Philosophical Research Society will host a screening on Friday of Jonathan Wacks' 1989 road comedy 'Powwow Highway,' which won a prize at that year's Sundance Film Festival and has since been entered into the National Film Registry. Produced by George Harrison's production company Handmade Films and the directing debut of Wacks, best known at the time as a co-producer on 'Repo Man,' the film was noteworthy for its depiction of Native American life. With a cast that also includes Wes Studi and Graham Greene, 'Highway' stars Gary Farmer, later seen in 'Dead Man' and the recent series 'Reservation Dogs,' as Philbert Bono, who sets out on a journey to help his estranged sister and renew his sense of self. In a review at the time, Sheila Benson called the film 'a little zinger of a comedy with a rare backbone of intelligence.' Austin Powers triple-bill As part of its 'Summer of Camp' series, the Academy Museum will present on Sunday a triple feature of all three Austin Powers spy spoofs, 1997's 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery,' 1999's 'Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me' and 2002's 'Austin Powers in Goldmember.' Jay Roach, director of all three pictures, will be there in person. I don't why, but the idea of watching all three of these movies together just makes me laugh all on its own. An unlikely cultural phenomenon that spawned catchphrases and Halloween costumes, the films are about a British secret agent (Mike Myers) in the Swinging 1960s who is reawakened from cryogenic sleep in the modern day to face off against against his archenemy, Dr. Evil (also Myers). The films feature a cavalcade of guest stars, including Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Heather Graham, Michael Caine and Beyoncé in her film debut. In his review of 'The Spy Who Shagged Me,' Kenneth Turan wrote, 'As these films and his earlier 'Wayne's World' demonstrate, Myers has a singular talent for skit humor. Seeing him play both the sniggering snaggletoothed Austin, 'the man who put the grr in swinger,' and the fussy, pinky-waving Dr. Evil is to see a gifted performer who knows his strengths and is not afraid of playing to them. You can get away with an awful lot of gross, juvenile humor if you've got that to fall back on.' 'Oh, Hi!' Writer-director Sophie Brooks' 'Oh, Hi!' premiered earlier this year at Sundance and hits theaters this week. Described by its co-star Molly Gordon as a 'rom-com gone wrong,' the film is about a young couple (Gordon and Logan Lerman) who spend a romantic weekend together until he admits he doesn't consider what they have going to be a committed relationship. He says this while handcuffed to a bed, and she decides to leave him there until he changes his mind. In her review, Amy Nicholson wrote, 'Pointedly and inevitably, our leads regress into Mars-Venus caricatures — he's the jerk, she's the psycho — as Brooks vents her frustration that gender tropes haven't evolved. And not for lack of trying. For months, Isaac has whipped up homemade scallop dinners, while Iris patiently played it cool. The film's core question is: How have men and women worked so hard to overcome toxic archetypes and still wound up stuck here?' I wrote a profile of Gordon, who shares a story credit on the film and is also a producer. Now perhaps best known for her supporting role on the series 'The Bear,' Gordon has also appeared in films such as 'Shiva Baby,' 'Booksmart' and 'Theater Camp,' the latter which she co-directed and co-wrote. 'Oh, Hi!' is her first leading role in a film and it was an opportunity she had to create for herself. 'I don't think I've gotten to really show this emotion or this darkness or gotten to be this crazy,' Gordon said. 'It would've been cool if it came with someone else giving me that opportunity, but it just didn't really feel like that was going to happen. So hopefully this shows people that I can do other things. But if not, I will keep trying to make my own things.' TIFF on the horizon The Toronto International Film Festival, which runs Sept. 4-14, made a few program announcements this week which brought the fall festival picture into clearer view. (Festivals in both Venice and New York made clarifying announcements this week as well.) Among the notable premieres at TIFF will be Aziz Ansari's feature directing debut 'Good Fortune,' along with films such as Jonatan Etzler's 'Bad Apples,' starring Saoirse Ronan; David Michôd's 'Christy,' starring Sydney Sweeney; James Vanderbilt's 'Nuremberg,' starring Russell Crowe; Nic Pizzolatto's 'Easy's Waltz,' starring Vince Vaughn; and Alice Winocour's 'Couture,' starring Angelina Jolie. Other Toronto titles that will also be popping up at other festivals include Gus Van Sant's 'Dead Man's Wire,' Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein,' Mona Fastvold's 'The Testament of Ann Lee,' Benny Safdie's 'The Smashing Machine' and Edward Berger's 'Ballad of a Small Player.' Free screening of 'Kerouac's Road: The Beat of a Nation' On Tuesday we will have another free screening event with the documentary 'Kerouac's Road: The Beat of a Nation.' A look at the enduring influence of Jack Kerouac's 1957 novel 'On the Road,' which became a foundational work of late 20th-century counterculture, the film includes Josh Brolin, Natalie Merchant, W. Kamau Bell and Michael Imperioli all reflecting on its personal and cultural impact. Director Ebs Burnough will be there for a Q&A after the screening.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Billionaire film mogul David Geffen sued by estranged husband Donovan Michaels
David Geffen is being sued by his estranged husband. The 82-year-old film producer is accused of treating Donovan Michaels, 32, like a "living social experiment" during the couple's two-year marriage in a lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court. Michaels has accused Geffen of breach of contract and alleges that the record executive kicked him out of their New York while he attended Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos's wedding to Lauren Sanchez in Venice last month and went back on a promise to give him lifelong financial support. The lawsuit alleges that Geffen – who has an estimated net worth of $8.8 billion – used a "toxic mix of seduction, control, promises of love and lavish displays of wealth to entrap" Michaels in a loop of "dependency, submission and humiliation". Patty Glaser, a partner at the law firm representing the film mogul, said: "There was no contract – express, written, oral or implied – that has ever existed. We will be vigorously and righteously defending against this false, pathetic lawsuit." The complaint says that Geffen met Michaels on the dating site in 2016 and paid him $10,000 for sex. The couple married in a private Beverly Hills ceremony in 2023 and the complaint claims that Geffen did not seek a prenuptial agreement. The DreamWorks co-founder filed for divorce in May, citing irreconcilable differences, and the pair had kept details of their separation private until Michaels filed his lawsuit. The dancer – whose real name is David Armstrong – described himself in the lawsuit as a vulnerable young gay black man who had been exploited by a "wealthy, powerful white gay billionaire who believed himself untouchable". Geffen is alleged to have criticised "every aspect of Michaels's appearance" and body hygiene that required him to get "painful" laser and dental treatments. Michaels claims that he was frequently subjected to "back-handed insults and put-downs" about his "past and lack of sophistication". He likened the pair's relationship to the plot of the movie Trading Places and alleges that Geffen treated him like "a living social experiment – a trophy to show off to his wealthy friends, under the guise of benevolence". The lawsuit states: "Geffen told Michaels he loved him, and the two agreed to treat each other as life partners, share all assets equally and that Geffen would support Michaels financially for life. "Michaels gave up his dreams – his modelling career, his independence – to dedicate himself fully to this promise." The suit also alleges that Geffen ordered Michaels to "immediately vacate" the couple's New York home as he partied aboard his $400 million Rising Sun superyacht in the lead-up to the Bezos wedding. It states that Michaels was left homeless as Geffen was "decadently and extravagantly partying and dancing the night away in Venice, Italy with the other 0.0001 per cent of the wealthiest people on the planet". The complaint says: "While Geffen holds himself out to the public as an extraordinarily charitable man whose foundation gives millions and millions of dollars to advocacy and support groups for the homeless and disadvantaged populations, he is simultaneously endeavouring to render Michaels impoverished and homeless."
Daily Mail
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Billionaire David Geffen, 82, lashes out at sex and drugs claims made by husband, 32, in explosive divorce war
Billionaire mogul David Geffen has rubbished his estranged boytoy husband's explosive claims that he's a sex and drug-crazed abuser. Geffen, 82, branded 32 year-old Donovan Michaels' divorce filing allegations 'false and pathetic'. Donovan Michaels, 32, alleges that his billionaire beau Geffen, 82, forced him to take drugs, subjected him to abusive sex and controlled his every move, according to the latest lawsuit in their messy divorce battle. The most jaw-dropping part of the suit alleged that Geffen forced Michaels to have all his body hair lasered off and that he'd once flown into a rage at the sight of an ingrown hair. The pair met in 2016 on a dating website often used by rich people looking for younger partners. Geffen, a movie and music producer worth about $9 billion, allegedly paid Michaels $10,000 for sex on the night they met, according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The pair would go on to form a relationship and ultimately married in 2023 without a prenup, according to the complaint. Michaels said in the complaint that he was targeted by Geffen because he was a vulnerable, marginalized young gay black man who spent the majority of his life bouncing around in the foster care system before turning to erotic dancing to make ends meet. The lawsuit claims that Geffen commanded Michaels to use drugs like cocaine and molly (MDMA) alongside the entertainment mogul's friends on his 450-foot superyacht, The Rising Sun. The suit also claims that Geffen enjoyed physically dominating his sexual partners and causing them pain, which triggered Michaels' childhood trauma. This allegedly caused him digestive issues, headaches and a desire to isolate himself. David Geffen, 82, has been sued by his husband Donovan Michaels, 32. He claims Geffen forced him to take drugs, subjected him abusive sex and controlled his every move Much of the wrongdoing alleged by Michaels was said to have occurred on Geffen's 450-foot superyacht, the Rising Sun The complaint further alleges that Geffen told Michaels 'where to go, what to wear, what to read, what to watch, and what to say.' The lawsuit even accused the billionaire of making Michaels to undergo painful cosmetic treatments. Geffen is also alleged to have told Michaels he had to be constantly available to him, preventing him from being able to pursue a modeling career, according to the suit. In May of this year, Geffen filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, according to a petition seen by Daily Mail. Michaels' lawsuit claims that Geffen did this because after years of being 'a prop in Geffen's theater of virtue,' Michaels finally approached his husband and asked to renegotiate the terms of their union. He 'wanted a new beginning wherein he could stand shoulder to shoulder with Geffen as an equal free from power dynamics that existed,' the suit said. Michaels claimed that Geffen rejected this, cut him off financially and immediately demanded a divorce. Michaels is suing Geffen for breach of contract, alleging that he promised to take care of him financially but left him near broke and without a home. 'It was a sick game,' the complaint states. 'Michaels became a prop in Geffen's theater of virtue, paraded around as evidence of Geffen's supposed altruism, while privately used as a sexual commodity.' Michaels is suing Geffen for breach of contract, alleging that he promised to take care of him financially but left him near broke and homeless The complaint also alleges that while Geffen was at the Jeff Bezos–Lauren Sanchez wedding in Venice he ordered Michaels to 'immediately vacate' their New York property, leaving him without a home (Geffen is pictured with Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble in Venice for the wedding) Geffen's attorney Patty Glaser hit back at the allegations, denying them completely. 'There was no contract — express, written, oral, or implied — that has ever existed,' she said in a statement to Daily Mail. 'We will be vigorously and righteously defending against this false, pathetic lawsuit.' The complaint also alleges that while Geffen was at the Jeff Bezos–Lauren Sanchez wedding in Venice in late June, he ordered Michaels to 'immediately vacate' their New York property, leaving him without a home. The suit claims that 'at the very same time, Geffen was decadently and extravagantly partying and dancing the night away in Venice, Italy with the other .0001% of the wealthiest people on the planet.' In one of the divorce documents prepared by Geffen's lawyer, Laura A. Wasser, it states that the pair separated in on February 22, 2025, months before the Bezos wedding. As well as Michael's claims about their final days together, the lawsuit includes a series of astonishing allegations about what went on during their relationship. 'Geffen also found additional ways to satisfy his unquenchable thirst for control over Michaels,' the lawsuit claims. The former model turned go-go dancer claimed in his lawsuit that Geffen 'used Michaels' tragic story not as a reason to offer genuine support, but as a grooming tool – casting himself as savior, "white knight," mentor, and gatekeeper to a better life' 'With backhanded insults and put-downs about Michaels' past and lack of sophistication, Geffen cultivated Michaels' insecurity and self-doubt. He critiqued every aspect of Michaels' appearance and exercised strict control over his body hygiene.' The billionaire record executive is accused in the lawsuit of ordering his ex-lover to 'undergo extensive, painful' treatments to conform to his idea of 'perfection.' 'Geffen required Michaels to undergo extensive, painful laser and dental treatments. Even something as minor as an ingrown hair could provoke Geffen's ire and prompt a barrage of instructions to correct the imperfection,' according to the complaint. Michaels claims he was 'awestruck by Geffen', a 'philanthropist' who 'talked the talk' when the younger man revealed issues 'during his underprivileged upbringing,' during the ill-fated couple's first meeting nine years ago. In his complaint, Michaels said he 'opened up to Geffen', confiding in him 'about the painful realities of his life – his traumatic upbringing in the Michigan foster care system, his lack of a real family, his instability, and his prior run-ins with the law'. He went on that he 'spoke candidly, not to gain sympathy from Geffen, but because he believed he had finally found someone who could understand and maybe even care'. But Michaels claims his then future husband 'weaponized [his] vulnerability to fulfill his own personal fantasies', including the lucrative financial transaction he alleges was made on the first night they met. The former model turned go-go dancer claimed in his lawsuit that Geffen 'used Michaels' tragic story not as a reason to offer genuine support, but as a grooming tool – casting himself as savior, "white knight," mentor, and gatekeeper to a better life'. The younger man claims he became a 'private sexual object and a public prop' that Geffen allegedly used to show off his 'self-proclaimed altruism to impress his powerful network'. 'From that moment forward, Geffen began transporting Michaels across the globe as his paid sex worker,' the complaint continued.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
David Geffen sued by estranged husband
David Geffen is being sued by his estranged husband, Donovan Michaels, for breach of contract. The billionaire and former record executive, who is 82, has allegedly reneged on his promise to provide "lifelong support" to the 32-year-old dancer, who also goes by the name David Armstrong. The news comes amid their ongoing divorce, according to court documents filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court. According to the complaint, reported by People magazine, Michaels is claiming that Geffen is in "breach of express oral contract" and "breach of implied contract" for denying him "full financial support" after the two separated in April this year. "In addition to evicting Michaels, Geffen also cut him off from his status quo financial support," Michaels' lawyers allege in the complaint. In a statement shared with People, Geffen's lawyer Patty Glaser claimed that "there was no contract, express, written, oral, or implied, that has ever existed." "We will be vigorously and righteously defending against this false, pathetic lawsuit," she added. Geffen filed for divorce from Michaels in May after less than two years of marriage. The couple did not sign a prenup before marrying in March 2023. Geffen co-founded Asylum Records in 1971 and co-founded DreamWorks Records in 1996. He is now retired, and Forbes has reported that his net worth is around $8.7 billion (£6.4 billion).
