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Brian Avnet, Longtime Artist Manager and Music Executive, Dies at 82
Brian Avnet, the respected personal manager and music executive who discovered Josh Groban, collaborated with David Foster and helped The Manhattan Transfer to great success, has died. He was 82. Avnet died May 14 at his home in Los Angeles after a years-long battle with Parkinson's disease, a publicist announced. More from The Hollywood Reporter Ed Gale, 'Chucky' and 'Howard the Duck' Actor, Dies at 61 Shaboozey Defends Megan Moroney Amid AMAs Backlash: "Let's Not Twist the Message" Judge Quickly Rejects Mistrial Request at Sean "Diddy" Combs Trial The Baltimore native also worked closely with the likes of Johnny Mandel, Herb Alpert and Lani Hall, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Cyndi Lauper, Take 6, Jean-Luc Ponty, Eric Benét and Joshua Ledet. Avnet began working with The Manhattan Transfer in 1979, and two years later the vocal group became the first to win Grammys in the pop and jazz categories in the same year, earning trophies for 'The Boy From New York City' and 'Until I Met You (Corner Pocket).' 'Brian was an excellent manager and like a brother to me,' Manhattan Transfer founding member Alan Paul said in a statement. 'He was savvy, honest, funny and gifted with a heart of gold. I never met anyone personally or in business who didn't like him.' Added fellow founding member Janis Siegel: 'Brian got into the rough and tumble with us as we all negotiated the ups and downs of the music business. He was fiercely loyal, passionate about his opinions, smart and kind.' With composer and producer Foster, Avnet teamed on recording projects for Whitney Houston, Céline Dion, Toni Braxton, Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, Faith Hill, Brandy, En Vogue, Olivia Newton-John, the Bee Gees, Michael Bolton, All-4-One, Julio Iglesias and Smokey Robinson. Avnet discovered Groban through vocal coach Seth Riggs, who helped develop his career and became his manager. And in 1995, when Foster launched 143 Records at Warner Bros., he appointed Avnet to lead the label. The roster included Groban, Michael Bublé, The Corrs and Beth Hart. Avnet was born in Baltimore on July 16, 1942. His father, Duke, practiced law in the area for 54 years and was blacklisted during the McCarthy era for his defense of actor-singer Paul Robeson. His mother, Beatrice, was a social worker. At 15, Avnet landed a job at the newly opened Painters Mill Music Fair in Owings Mills, Maryland, and he would become the venue's youngest-ever manager. He also assisted Lee Guber at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island. A graduate of Gettysburg College, Avnet completed an internship with Princeton's theatrical department. He worked in summer stock, shared a New York apartment with Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight and went on to produce A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Voight, at the Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo, New York. Avnet also collaborated with Bette Midler, starting when she was playing bathhouses in New York before becoming a Broadway sensation in the 1970s. He served as G.M. for her 19-show run at the Palace Theatre in New York in December 1973, for which she won a special Tony Award 'for adding lustre to the Broadway season.' In 1974, Avnet moved to Los Angeles to work with Lou Adler on the production of The Rocky Horror Show at The Roxy, and the success of that nine-month run led to the 1975 film adaptation. He also produced an L.A. stage production of Tommy and managed Jesus Christ Superstar at the Universal Amphitheatre, where he oversaw its first season. Avnet, who in 2017 was named Manager of the Year by Pollstar and inducted into the Personal Managers Hall of Fame, never signed a contract with any of his artists. 'It was a long career, and he was beloved. His word was his bond. And that's rare in the entertainment industry,' said his wife of 26 years, Marcia. Survivors also include his brother, Richard, and his nephew, Evan. A private memorial service will be held in L.A. in September. Donations in his memory can be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
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Loretta Swit, Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan on ‘M*A*S*H,' Dies at 87
Loretta Swit, the actress and animal activist forever known for her pioneering turn as the disciplined Maj. Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan on the acclaimed CBS sitcom M*A*S*H, has died. She was 87. According to a police report, Swit died just after midnight Friday of suspected natural causes at her home in New York City, her publicist, Harlan Boll, announced. More from The Hollywood Reporter Mike Sumler, Kool & the Gang Hype Man, Dies at 71 Ena Hartman, 'Dan August' and 'Terminal Island' Actress, Dies at 93 Brian Avnet, Longtime Artist Manager and Music Executive, Dies at 82 Swit won two Emmys for her portrayal of the Army nurse — she was nominated 10 times, every year the show was on the air except the first — and appeared on 240 of the series' 251 episodes during its sensational 11-season run. Adapting the character from Sally Kellerman's film portrayal of the lusty powerhouse, Swit was one of only two actors (along with Alan Alda as Hawkeye Pierce) to have a role in both the pilot and series finale of M*A*S*H. That finale, which aired Feb. 28, 1983, attracted a record of nearly 106 million viewers, and a 35-second kiss between Swit and Alda during that episode has been called the most expensive in television history, based on its length and the ad revenue per minute. As a tough, by-the-book major, Swit's Houlihan was a rare strong woman on television. 'She was [unique] at the time and in her time, which was the '50s, when [the Korean War] was happening,' Swit said in a 2004 discussion for the TV Academy Foundation website The Interviews: An Oral History of Television. 'And she became even more unique, I think, because we allowed her to continue to grow — we watched her evolve. I don't think that's ever been done in quite that way.' Bolstered by her M*A*S*H fame, Swit performed in a number of movies, including Freebie and the Bean (1974), Race With the Devil (1975) and BoardHeads (1998). She also was hilarious as Polly Reed, a Sue Mengers-type agent, in Blake Edwards' satire of Hollywood, S.O.B. (1981). Swit starred alongside Tyne Daly on the 1981 pilot for Cagney & Lacey, but because of contractual obligations to M*A*S*H, she could not continue when the cop series was picked up by CBS a year later. After Meg Foster played Cagney in the six-episode first season, Sharon Gless took over the role. Active in theater, Swit starred as one of the daffy Pigeon sisters during the L.A. run of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple that starred Don Rickles and Ernest Borgnine as the ill-matched roommates. In 1967, she starred in a national tour of Any Wednesday with Gardner McKay. Eight years later, she made her Broadway debut in Same Time, Next Year opposite Ted Bessell (That Girl). She also played on Broadway in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Loretta Jane Szwed was born on Nov. 4, 1937, in Passaic, New Jersey. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and performed in repertory. Swit moved to Los Angeles in 1970 and landed TV gigs on such series as Mission: Impossible, Mannix, Gunsmoke and Hawaii Five-O and in the women's lib film Stand Up and Be Counted (1972). Those parts led to Swit being considered for M*A*S*H, produced by Fox. 'I had done a guest-starring role [in the premiere episode in 1971] on Glenn Ford's CBS series, Cade's County, which was short-lived, but it was a wonderful role,' she said. 'The network people, as well as Fox, knew about me, and when the part came up, they thought of me.' Swit always pushed for Houlihan to grow in maturity and complexity. Her character cut off her affair with the 'lipless wonder' Frank Burns (Larry Linville) to marry a soldier she could be proud of (Lt. Col. Donald Penobscott, though they quickly divorced) and revealed her vulnerability to those under her command in the season-five episode 'The Nurses.' 'She was the head nurse, and her ambition was to be the best damn nurse in Korea, and I tried to help her achieve that,' Swit recalled. But in 'The Nurses,' Houlihan's conflicted relationship with authority comes into focus when, in a memorable monologue, she confronts her subordinates for not including her. 'That woman was so lonely, and she was trying to do such a good job. And nobody appreciated her,' Swit recalled in a THR oral history that marked the show's 35th anniversary. 'Gene [Reynolds, the show's executive producer] called me the next morning after shooting it and said they'd watched the dailies, and my scene was last. When the lights went up, everyone was sniffling,' she said. 'He asked the projectionist to run the scene again. The lights go out and they watched it again. The lights go up and everyone's still crying. He says to everyone, 'Is that the best thing you ever saw?'' Swit was able to carry those kinds of dramatic moments with her character throughout the series. 'I was allowed to continue to grow,' she said. 'I didn't bounce back to where I was before you saw this happen to her.' She noted that the cast was tight-knit from the very start, and things got emotional when they shot the finale. One especially touching moment comes when Swit and Harry Morgan (Col. Sherman Potter) say their goodbyes. 'We could hardly rehearse,' she told THR. 'I had to look at this man whom I adore and say, 'You dear, sweet man, I'll never forget you,' without getting emotional — and I couldn't. I can't now even. [Morgan died in 2011.] It wasn't words on a page. You knew what you were saying was truth.' Swit became the first M*A*S*H castmember to visit Korea when, in 1988, she hosted the syndicated documentary Korean War — The Untold Story. The doc combined interviews with American veterans and combat footage and was released in conjunction with the 35th anniversary of the truce that ended the fighting. Apart from her acting career, Swit was an active supporter of animal welfare, serving on the boards of Actors and Others for Animals and The Wildlife Waystation and as a spokesperson for the Humane Society. In 2016, she founded SwitHeart Animal Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to ending animal cruelty. She used proceeds from her original artwork to raise funds. Swit also was host of the cable documentary series Those Incredible Animals in 1992 and teamed with M*A*S*H co-star Mike Farrell (B.J. Hunnicut) to host the 1986 PBS special Saving the Wildlife, which highlighted efforts by Jane Goodall, Brigitte Bardot and Prince Philip to protect endangered species. Swit was named Woman of the Year by the Animal Protection Institute and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. She testified before Congress in 1999, speaking out for the prohibition of 'crush videos' — productions where insects and small animals are squashed onscreen. She was active in the Chicago theater community and performed the one-woman play Shirley Valentine more than 1,000 times. She received the Sarah Siddons Award in 1991 for her theatrical contributions and in 2003 joined the touring cast of The Vagina Monologues. That same year, she played the title role in a North Carolina production of Mame — she had starred as Agnes Gooch in 1968 in Las Vegas after serving as an understudy on the Broadway show headlined by Angela Lansbury. Swit said her career came full circle when, in 1994, she guest-starred on Murder, She Wrote alongside Lansbury. 'Angie is one of two fan letters I've ever written in my life. The other was to Robert Mitchum,' she recalled. 'She was just dazzling [in Mame]. Years later, when we met at a CBS function, I said, 'You probably won't remember this, but when I was in New York …' I don't think I got further than that and she stopped me and said, 'I still have that letter.'' A talented singer and dancer who had been enrolled in dance classes as a youngster, Swit also performed on The Muppet Show and in a number of musical TV specials. And she was a game-show regular on Match Game, The Hollywood Squares and The $10,000 Pyramid. In 2019, after a 21-year absence, she returned to the screen in the religious film Play the Flute, about a youth group. Swit was married to actor Dennis Holahan, whom she met on the set of M*A*S*H, from 1983 until their divorce in 1995. Donations in her memory can be to Actors & Others for Animals or the SwitHeart Animal Alliance, which she set up to protect, rescue, train and care for animals and preserve their habitat. She recently created a fragrance and a necklace, the sales of which supported her efforts. When asked about the continuing impact of the show that made her a household name, Swit brought up a telegram from a fan. 'It said, 'Dear M*A*S*H folk: You made me laugh. You made me cry. You made me feel. Thank you.' I've never forgotten that,' she said. 'That's one hell of a legacy.' Duane Byrge contributed to this report. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
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Would Trump Pardon Sean 'Diddy' Combs? 'I Would Certainly Look at the Facts,' President Says
After Donald Trump went on a clemency spree this week issuing pardons to several high-profile people, the president has answered the question on many people's minds — would he pardon Sean 'Diddy' Combs? When asked if he'd consider pardoning the music mogul during a press briefing on Friday, Trump said that 'nobody's asked' quite yet. However, Trump said, 'I know people are thinking about it' and 'I think some people have been very close to asking,' adding that he would have to 'look at what's happening' in Diddy's case as he hasn't 'been watching it too closely.' More from The Hollywood Reporter Sean "Diddy" Combs' Lawyers Question Assistant's Dedication Amid Abuse Allegations Todd Chrisley Maintains Innocence, Teases Reality Show After Trump Pardon Elon Musk Was Using So Much Ketamine While Campaigning for Donald Trump It Was Affecting His Bladder, NY Times Reports 'First of all, I'd look at what's happening, and I haven't been watching it too closely, although it's certainly getting a lot of coverage,' the president said. 'I would certainly look at the facts.' Questions of whether Trump would consider pardoning Diddy were likely sparked both due to the president's recent wave of pardons and his former friendship with the fallen mogul before Trump launched his political career. When Trump was asked if he'd consider a pardon, the reporter also noted that he previously said on The Apprentice in 2012 that Diddy was a 'good friend.' The president also responded to this tidbit, noting that their 'relationship busted up' after he got into politics. 'I haven't seen him, I haven't spoken to him in years,' Trump said of Diddy. 'He used to really like me a lot, but I think when I ran for politics, that relationship busted up from what I read. I don't know, he didn't tell me that, but I'd read some little bit nasty statements in the paper.' In recent days, Trump has pardoned reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were serving years-long prison sentences after being convicted of federal bank fraud and tax evasion charges, and rapper NBA Youngboy who was sentenced to just under two years in prison on gun-related charges, among others. The Bad Boy Records founder's sex trafficking and racketeering trial began in early May, and has seen multiple witnesses take the stand with allegations of sexual and verbal abuse, non-consensual sex, violence and more. Notably, Diddy's longtime former partner Cassie Ventura is among many key witnesses that have testified against him. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
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Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Lawyers Question Assistant's Dedication Amid Abuse Allegations
The iron grip Sean 'Diddy' Combs allegedly had on his assistant for nearly a decade was detailed as the longtime staffer testified at his federal trial for a second day about working for him, walking on eggshells and trying to please him amid his multiple alleged instances of sexual assault and being suspended from the job she said became her entire world as she worked around the clock without sleeping for days. The assistant is using the pseudonym 'Mia,' as she has testified from the stand that she was repeatedly assaulted and forced into sex acts by Combs over the years she worked as his dedicated right-hand woman, from 2009 to 2017. On Thursday, she revealed details about the assaults; on Friday's cross-examination, defense attorney Brian Steel grilled Mia, questioning why she would still work for Combs and often go beyond the responsibilities of her job, creating homemade news archive scrapbooks and video shout-out compilations of his inner circle as birthday gifts. More from The Hollywood Reporter Mike Sumler, Kool & the Gang Hype Man, Dies at 71 Who's Who in the Sean "Diddy" Combs Trial: Key Witnesses, Industry Enablers and Victims So Far Miley Cyrus Releases Ninth Album, 'Something Beautiful' 'I'm a very loving person,' Mia told Steel from the witness stand, to which he quickly replied, 'To your rapist? To the man who sexually assaulted you?' According to Mia, the first time Combs sexually assaulted her was a few months into her employment when they were at the Plaza Hotel in New York. It was around this time that Combs met 19-year-old singer and soon-to-be-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and signed her to a 10-album deal with his Bad Boy Records. Therapy has been a part of Mia's recovery from post-traumatic stress of her time working for the defendant, which was defined by hot and cold treatment, dangling her job security as a means of control, and verbal abuse. She was finally fired in 2016, jettisoned from Combs' world after eight years by his side. At the time she was axed, Mia was working for the mogul's film imprint, Revolt Films, on a documentary looking at the history of Bad Boy Records. Combs, she told the court, didn't even tell her directly that she was being let go. Revolt Films was shutting down, she said she was told by another executive. 'Out of the blue, he just said 'I hate to tell you this but I talked to Mr. Combs and he no longer wants to be involved with film, so he basically wants to end Revolt Films,'' Mia told the court. She described the devastation she felt as the rug was pulled and the only world she knew was suddenly pulled away. The jury saw texts she exchanged with Combs' chief of staff Kristina 'KK' Khorram, where she texted about contemplating suicide after 'the worst thing in the world' had happened. She told Steel that her job with Combs was the only life she knew back then. 'I didn't want to leave the company that I'd built when I actually started to see my dreams come to fruition,' she said. The defense's strategy in cross-examining 'Mia' was to discredit her allegations of sexual assault and reduce the impact of the alleged abuse she described over the past two days by showing moments where she was kind and friendly with Combs, particularly around his birthdays. Steel asked Mia how she could post to social media about someone who'd assaulted her's birthday; she replied that as his assistant, she was expected to post for Combs' birthday while she was working for him. At one point in the cross-examination, Steel asked Mia, point blank, 'Mr. Combs never had unwanted nonconsensual forcible sexual contact with you, Isn't that true?' Mia replied, 'What I said in this courtroom is true. I have not lied to anyone at all.' After she was fired, Mia hired an attorney and sought out severance. Nine months of back-and-forth led to her receiving $400,000; she took home $200,000 after attorneys' fees, she testified. The cross-examination will continue when the trial resumes on Monday. On Friday, President Trump weighed in on Combs' fate and a potential pardon, saying that he will 'look at the facts' if the fallen mogul is found guilty. Trump added that he hasn't seen or spoken to Combs in the years since he launched his political career. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
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4 days ago
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Broadway Box Office Has Finally Recovered, Overtaking Pre-Pandemic Returns for First Time
Last week, Broadway grosses for the season-to-date surpassed 2018-2019's record season-to-date box office for the first time. Total industry box office hit $1.8 billion for the season, propelled by hits such as Good Night, and Good Luck, starring George Clooney, which was last week's highest earner, with $3.8 million, followed by Othello, starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, with $3.2 million and Glengarry Glen Ross, starring Kieran Culkin, Bob Odenkirk and Bill Burr, with $2.4 million. More from The Hollywood Reporter Cynthia Erivo to Star in One-Woman Version of 'Dracula' in London Tom Francis Is Ready to Flex His Muscles for Hollywood Nicole Scherzinger on How Her "Pop Star Mentality" Prepared Her for 'Sunset Blvd.,' "Manifesting" a Film Adaptation and First Tony Nom Good Night, and Good Luck and Glengarry Glen Ross both announced that they had recouped their capitalizations, with Glengarry Glen Ross breaking the Palace Theatre box office record with a gross of $2.4 million. Some shows also appeared to get a boost from the Tony nominations, including Death Becomes Her, which saw its grosses shoot up close to $270,000 from the prior week to $1.3 million, Buena Vista Social Club, which saw a close to $90,000 gain to $1.2 million, Maybe Happy Ending, which shot up close to $100,000 to $1 million. All three tied for having the most Tony nominations. Among the plays, Purpose, which is Tony nominated and was also awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Drama, saw its grosses increase by about $100,000 to $522,691 last week, and the Tony-nominated play John Proctor is The Villain, starring Sadie Sink, also increased close to $100,000 to $596,511. The milestone of surpassing the 2018-2019 season is significant as that season is the highest on record for Broadway grosses and attendance and has been viewed as a benchmark to measure post-pandemic recovery. At this point in the 2018-2019 season, Broadway had brought in $1.79 million. However, Jason Laks, president of the Broadway League noted that the numbers are driven by a few productions – namely the recent celebrity-driven titles, with high ticket prices – and that otherwise the economics of Broadway are making it harder for productions to survive. Othello commanded the highest average ticket price on Broadway last week at $387. 'Broadway audiences are responding to the remarkable and diverse slate of productions this season. These grosses and attendance numbers are a testament to, and a reflection of, the efforts of every person working both on stage and off to turn the dream of each show into a reality,' Laks said in a statement. 'While we celebrate this milestone, we also need to be clear-eyed about where this industry stands today. Among other factors, these record grosses have been buoyed by the tremendous success of a few specific productions this season, without which we would still trail our pre-pandemic numbers. While we are, of course, thrilled by their successes, we also have to look at our industry as a whole,' the statement reads. 'Every show, no matter how acclaimed, is grappling with rising costs across every facet of production. Shows have an ever-shorter window to get on their feet, find an audience, and determine their future. This is a major challenge shows face as they seek out investors, without which a production will never make it to the stage,' Laks said. 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
