Latest news with #DiamondHead
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Trail of blood': New book walks through horror night at Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's Aussie mansion
The tempestuous relationship of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard comes under the microscope in a new book by journalists who covered the A-list couple's courtroom battle. This extract from Hollywood Vampires dives into that infamous night of mayhem in Australia when everything came to a head. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were still celebrating their nuptials when Johnny's freelance butler Ben King pulled into the palatial carport at Diamond Head, a colonial estate and riverfront mega mansion on Australia's Gold Coast. Soon the newlyweds would arrive at the estate. There was no time for a honeymoon after their February 2015 wedding; both Johnny and Amber were due back at work to start shooting their new films. Diamond Head's owner, Aussie motorcycling champion Mick Doohan, was away on tour. Mick had previously rented his place to Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Pink. Now the mansion would be Johnny and Amber's home for several months while Johnny filmed the fifth instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Dead Men Tell No Tales. The film would be shot exclusively in Australia after the Australian government offered Disney $20 million in tax incentives. It was the largest international feature film shoot in the country's history and the newest instalment would be an emotional exploration of Jack Sparrow's backstory. At Diamond Head, Ben scoped out the movie theatre and gym then entered the primary suite. He was surrounded by stacks of suitcases containing everything Johnny and Amber would need for their home away from home. There was a box filled entirely with candles. Several more suitcases were filled with art supplies. Then he unpacked and hung Johnny's clothes, mostly an assortment of tattered, patched, and stained bohemian garb. Nathan Holmes, Johnny's long-time assistant, had arrived earlier in the week. Between him and Ben, everything had been taken care of for Johnny and Amber's arrival. Nathan rented go-karts for the racetrack outside. He also found an art teacher for Amber because she wanted to take painting classes. The two men were soon joined by Chef Russell. Johnny arrived in Australia first and Amber a couple of weeks later. Immediately they began to fight. According to Johnny, Amber was 'irate' and 'possessed' over discussions of a postnuptial agreement following their failure to execute a prenup before the weddings. He said Amber believed he was trying to 'trick her' into receiving nothing from the postnup and complained that she wasn't even listed in his will. Without a pre- or postnup, per California law, Amber would automatically be entitled to 50 per cent of everything Johnny made during their marriage if they split. On the evening of Friday, March 6, Johnny and Amber were snuggled under a blanket to watch TV when Chef Russell said goodbye for the weekend. He reminded the pair that he'd prepared meals for the weekend that only needed to be reheated. On Sunday, Malcolm Connolly, Johnny's bodyguard got a call from Jerry Judge, Johnny's head of security. 'Something's happened with the boss, man,' Jerry said. 'You need to extract him. Just extract him, take him out of there.' Malcolm and Johnny's driver raced to Diamond Head. When he walked in the door, Amber was wearing a cardigan and a shiny slip, and screaming at Johnny. Johnny screamed back at Amber, clutching one of his fingers. 'She cut my finger clean off …' Johnny said. 'She slapped me with a vodka bottle.' He leaned over to Malcolm showing him the injured appendage. The claims were later disputed in court. Malcolm looked at Johnny's finger and thought, 'This looks like a captain cigar, like what you see in the cartoons.' He said to Johnny, 'Let's move, get in the car.' He crossed over to Johnny and pushed him toward the door. Johnny and Amber continued to argue as Malcolm tried to pull Johnny away and into the car outside. 'Johnny, that's all you do. You f**k off. You f**k off with your guys. You're a fucking coward, you big man,' Amber screamed at him. Johnny kept running back up the stairs to continue the fight, begging Malcolm, 'Let me stay for a few more minutes.' Finally, Malcolm pulled him down the stairs and out of the house. He put him in the car and walked around to the other side to sit behind Johnny in the back seat. 'Johnny, LET'S GO!' Malcolm demanded. With Johnny in the back seat wailing, Malcolm and the driver raced back to Malcolm's apartment in Broadbeach. 'It's going to be all right, boss,' he reassured Johnny. The driver parked in the underground garage and Malcolm snuck Johnny inside through a back passageway. As Malcolm washed Johnny's bloody hand, he could see the bone sticking out of his finger. There was dirt and paint in the wound too. He sat Johnny down on his bed and phoned Nurse Debbie Lloyd who, along with Dr Kipper, a specialist in addiction care, had been engaged by Johnny's team the previous year. Both had flown out to Australia and were installed in apartments near the mansion to be on call. 'Get here fast,' he said. Johnny moaned behind him. Kipper and Debbie arrived at Malcolm's apartment, took one look at Johnny's hand, and drove him to the hospital. Inside the ER, Johnny, still wearing his sunglasses, laid on a stretcher, his bloody finger wrapped in a green napkin laid on top of a large fabric pad. Malcolm stood next to Johnny, fuming. 'I stood on top of a chair and I took pictures of him. I had enough.' Malcolm wanted to document Johnny's injuries. 'Every time I see him, he's got marks or scratches. It really was dangerous, man, dangerous. I thought I could show up one morning and he'll be dead.' Back at the Diamond Head mansion, Dr Kipper and Nurse Debbie tried to locate Johnny's missing fingertip. There was still time to stitch it back on. At some point that morning, Amber's cell phone had been positioned on the first floor near the front entrance. Still actively recording audio, it captured Dr Kipper and Nurse Debbie's conversation. When questioned about it later, Amber explained that Johnny 'took her phone and pressed record' before security got there. The recording would eventually become a significant piece of evidence at trial. Amber would later assert that on that Sunday morning, she was fresh out of a 'three-day hostage situation,' in which Johnny inflicted grievous bodily harm on her, including rape with a glass liquor bottle. But on the recording, in the presence of her doctor and a nurse, Amber didn't mention any of the bloodied cuts and gashes covering her arms or her 'shredded' feet caused by several broken glass bottles. As the medical team tried to find Johnny's finger, Amber became fixated on returning to Johnny and being by his side, but Dr Kipper wouldn't hear it. Amber sobbed in the background – 'He needs me right now! Me!' - while Kipper and Debbie discussed what meds to give her to calm her down. Jerry Judge urged Amber to go back home to Los Angeles, but she remained reluctant. She believed the relationship would be over if she did. 'I can't leave, I can't leave. It'll be the end if I leave,' she said. While Amber was sequestered upstairs, Jerry Judge called Christi Dembrowski, Johnny's sister and business partner, filling her in on what had happened that morning. The audio recording captured his end of the conversation. 'There's been bottles thrown, and she – she admits to me she threw the first – she threw a bottle at him.' Amber would claim Johnny was out of his mind on drugs, having taken ten ecstasy pills at once, as well as cocaine and liquor. She said she'd watched him smash a wall phone into pieces and lose his fingertip that way, though no evidence was found of a smashed phone. Plans were made for Amber to fly back to Los Angeles early the next morning, March 9, 2015 and Ben King returned to Diamond Head to find the rental home wrecked. Ben said that when he walked through the aftermath, there was a clear trail of blood leading from one bedroom to the next, and in and out of several bathrooms. Inside one bedroom, the bed linens were covered in blood, and there was also a bloody iPad and a blood-smeared guitar. Both Johnny and Amber later claimed to have been hiding from each other in various rooms of the house. Ben followed another trail of blood to the downstairs bar, which was set back from a pool table, lit with blue lighting. On the floor was a bloody paper towel sitting next to cans, bottles, and broken glass. Inside the towel was Johnny's fingertip. Ben went upstairs and placed the flesh inside a zip-lock bag and put the bag in a bowl of ice inside a plastic container. The fingertip was rushed to the hospital to give it to the doctors, but according to Ben, 'The fingertip didn't find its way back to his finger, because it was too late.' In the end Ben escorted Amber back to LA. On the ride to the airport, Amber talked on her phone to several people, one of them Johnny. She'd later testify that he called her from the hospital to ask if he had 'killed it,' meaning the relationship. As they taxied down the runway, Ben asked the question that had been burning into him. 'What happened to the house?' He said Amber turned to look at him. 'Have you ever been so angry with someone, you just lost it with them?' Meanwhile, Jerry Bruckheimer's production company, JBF Inc., needed a story to give the public explaining why production on Pirates 5 had come to a halt. Three days after the finger incident, a press release with their 'official' story was released: 'Pirate steers off course! Johnny Depp injured his hand GO-KARTING at motorbike champion's luxury estate – forcing the star to fly home.' Photos showed Johnny boarding his private jet, flashing a gold-toothed grin for the paparazzi. He held his injured hand like a sock puppet against his chest, his forearm and hand sheathed in black skull-and-crossbones fabric that was sloppily wrapped up with silver duct tape. Soon he'd be on an operating table in Los Angeles for a skin grafting, in which skin from another part of his hand would be used to cover the portion of his finger that had been severed. A pin would also be placed in the broken bone. After the operation, Johnny posed for a picture, flipping off the camera with a massive middle finger bandaged up in pink gauze patterned with little purple hearts. As for Disney, they lost US$350,000 for every day that the production was shut down.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Weeds, hope grows for stagnant film industry in Hawaiʻi
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaiʻi's stagnant film industry is becoming glaringly obvious as weeds have taken over the once-bustling film studio, but there is hope with continued tax credits and momentum from two big productions. Big changes could be coming for Hawaii's film industry — and they aren't good The Hawaiʻi Film Studio in Diamond Head sits vacant with weeds now growing outside. An actor recently tweeted the visual – some say symbolic of the current state of our film industry. 'It's just sad that now that there's nobody in there, it's dying, it's falling apart just like the industry is,' said Ralph Malani, hairstylist. Malani is one of the thousands of locals who worked behind the scenes of film and T.V. productions. But with nothing currently shooting here, he's had to find other work just like almost everyone else in the industry. 'If the choice is between doing the thing that you love and doing the thing that will feed your family, that's a pretty easy and still tough choice,' said Tuiaana Scanlan, IATSE Local 665 President. But there is some hope. Governor Green announced he plans to veto House Bill 796, which would put a five-year expiration on income tax credits on several industries, including film and television, research and renewable energy. Green feels the credits are critical to supporting economic development and scares away future investors. Check out more news from around Hawaii 'It means that we have a longer runway for our industry to take off,' said Scanlan. Those in the industry hope the Governor's veto jumpstarts everything again and gets this studio and all the industry employees in Hawaiʻi back to work. With the success of 'Lilo and Stitch,' and Jason Momoa's 'Chief of War' scheduled to debut in August, industry leaders say now is the time to showcase Hawaiʻi and for Hawaiʻi to see what these productions really mean. 'They put us in the forefront and spotlight of folks when they're looking at travel destinations, when they go to a theater, when they see advertisements for a movie, that directly impacts the visitor industry,' said Scanlan. Scanlan cites one 2022 study that found the film industry accounted for 4.5 million visitor days in Hawaiʻi, $544 million in wages and $720 million in economic impact. 'The benefit of productions that look to create those stories about Hawaiʻi, are hiring more local directors, local writers and we at DBEDT really believe that's an important part of putting Hawaiʻi first,' said Georja Skinner, DBEDT Creative Industries Division Chief Officer. Another important part, according to Skinner, is making incremental changes in Hawaiʻi's film tax credit which the State Film Office will push to do next legislative session. She says it's about 30% across the nation, while it's 22% on Oʻahu.'Atlanta has become the new Hollywood,' said Malani. 'And they film everything in Atlanta now because they play the game. They give the tax incentives, they play the game. Hawaiʻi doesn't play the game, and look what happened.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NCIS: Hawai'i Vet Shares Video of ‘Empty,' Weedy Honolulu Studio, as Governor Fights for TV/Film Incentives
A longstanding hub of Hawai'i TV and film production shows heartbreaking signs of disuse, as the 50th state is confronted with the first time in more than 20 years that it has not hosted a TV series. NCIS: Hawai'i vet Jason Antoon, who played the three-season CBS drama's Ernie, recently shared a drive-by video of the Hawaii Film Studio in Honolulu, a 7.5-acre lot at the foot of Diamond Head crater that most recently was home to the NCIS spinoff and CBS' Magnum P.I. reboot. More from TVLine Roberto Orci, Co-Creator of Fringe and Sleepy Hollow, Dead at 51 NCIS Offers a Blink-and-You Missed It Update on the Hawai'i, Los Angeles and New Orleans Teams Lost Rises to No. 2 on Nielsen Streaming Top 10, Trailing The Lincoln Lawyer In decades prior, the lot also was home base for nearly a dozen other TV shows — including CBS' Hawaii Five-0 reboot, Shawn Ryan's Last Resort and, of course, Lost — plus feature films such as Fifty First Dates and Blue Crush. Hawaii Film Studios – Empty and full of weeds. #NCISHawaii #MagnumPI #Hawaii50 #Lost 😢 — Jason Antoon (@jasonantoon) June 7, 2025 With the recent cancellation of Fox's Rescue HI-Surf, which filmed in Oahu and its North Shore, Hawai'i now is hosting no TV production for the first time in more than 20 years. That's a frightful stat when you consider that film and television productions generated over $320 million for the Hawai'i economy as recently as 2024. 'We've had such a doldrum of no work pretty much since Magnum cancelled, [Disney+'s] Doogie [Kamealoha M.D.] cancelled, NCIS[: Hawai'i] cancelled…,' IATSE Local 665 rep Irish Barber shared with Hawaii News Now after Rescue HI-Surf got the axe. And shows that swing by to film an episode or two don't provide enough steady work to truly support the local talent pool. (For example, 90% percent of Rescue HI-Surf crew members were based out of Hawaii.) Hawai'i currently offers TV and film production 'incentives' in the form of a tax refund of 22% for Oʻahu productions and 27% on neighboring islands. That falls short, though, of the more competitive 30% or larger refunds offered by other states. And even those Hawai'i incentives are at risk. Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green recently declared his intent to veto a bill that would 'sunset' such tax credits after five years (or by one third annually starting with Year 6). 'This bill would have a significant long-term impact on income tax credits across a variety of industries, including film and television, research, and renewable energy,' Green's office explained, and 'disincentivize future investors from doing business in Hawai'i.' Best of TVLine 'Missing' Shows, Found! Get the Latest on Ahsoka, Monarch, P-Valley, Sugar, Anansi Boys and 25+ Others Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Yahoo
Residents want sustained enforcement on Diamond Head homeless
DIAMOND HEAD, Hawaii (KHON2) — The issue of homelessness around Diamond Head continues to frustrate neighbors and beachgoers, even after a major sweep in April. Over 100 cleared from Diamond Head during homeless sweep KHON2 checked it out and found some troubling signs that the problem has not gone away. Kuilei Cliffs Beach Park looks like any other scenic spot on Oʻahu at first glance, but this corner of paradise was also home to a large and messy homeless encampment until June 5. 'And I've been writing letters and and sending in photos and I mean, I think people from all over the world come here. They shouldn't have to see that,' said Ann, a Diamond Head beachgoer. Ann and others who visit the beach said they have been pleading for help for weeks, but it was not until KHON2 reached out to HPD and the Department of Land and Natural Resources on Thursday that action was taken — the encampment was cleared out on Friday. Neither agency would say who made it happen — HPD told KHON2 that it was DLNR responsibility and DLNR said to ask HPD. There is concern that someone cooking dinner could provide the spark that lights up the whole mountainside with the summer heat drying out the slopes. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news City officials said at Mayor Rick Blangiardi's Town Hall meeting on Thursday that they were aware of the risks, especially from campfires and open flames. A joint sweep with the State removed most of the homeless living around Diamond Head in April. 'There were as many reported 120, 140 people on the Hill. There's 12 there now, seven on top, five below. We're going to zero. We're going to zero because of the fire safety issues that are posed there,' said Department of Community Services director Anton Krucky. Diamond Head Beach is still troubled even though some areas are mostly cleared. Folks are still living in the cliffs and along the shoreline — neighbors said it simply is not safe. 'It's a very dangerous place for anybody really, alone. Male or female, there's a lot of people on drugs here. You can tell. And, there's no police presence here,' said Arleen Velasco, Diamond Head Neighborhood Board vice chair. Velasco said the solution is not just clearing tents, it is sustained enforcement. 'If people knew there was a police presence and they were going to get tickets and fines. I think they'd go somewhere else,' said Velasco. 'You know, I used to come to Diamond Head all the time, for many years, and walk the beach, but now I go somewhere else because I don't like to walk past it. It's. It's a safety issue for me,' Ann said. Check out more news from around Hawaii Jurisdiction over enforcement is split between City police and State DLNR officers, and for now, this scenic part of the south shore is still caught between gorgeous views and serious problems. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
