bernie-brillstein

Bernie Brillstein, 1931-2008

STV · 08/08/08 01:00PM

Legendary talent manager and producer Bernie Brillstein died Thursday after months of battling complications from heart disease; he was 77. Credited with influential (and lucrative) deals for clients including Jim Henson and the geniuses who brought you Hee Haw, Brillstein was perhaps best known for nurturing John Belushi's rising star before his own devastating death in 1982.From his start in the William Morris mailroom to his powerhouse partnership with Brad Grey, Brillstein needed three memoirs just to sort his stories out; as such, we don't even know where to start on our favorites here. Would it be his fatherhood of the "executive producer" credit he established while packaging and selling hit shows? His insatiable appetite and fantastic lust? His shepherding of Animal House and The Blues Brothers through Universal and early defense (maybe even rescue) of Saturday Night Live from the NBC ax? Or it could be any number of the other stories referenced and cross-referenced between Variety, a particularly fun tribute at Tabloid Baby ("I’d like to fuck that Drew Barrymore. Oooh.”) and Nikki Finke, who notes that Grey and Lorne Michaels are arranging a memorial service for Brillstein next week. Consider this our own: Thanks for the memories, Bernie — even Hee Haw. You'll be missed. [Photo Credit: WireImage]

Owen Wilson: The Best Case Scenario

seth · 08/29/07 05:47PM

Hypothesizing about what might have led Owen Wilson so far astray—and ultimately towards Sunday's blindsiding whinny for help—is no simple matter. As details emerge, the story only seems to grow darker; certainly having Courtney Love go on the glossy record about her concern over your heavy drug use does not bode well. Adding to the tragic circumstances was today's announcement that Wilson would be pulling out of Tropic Thunder, denying him a chance to once again play cocksure counterpoint to another tightly wound Ben Stiller comic creation. But before we start conjuring nightmarish scenarios in which Wilson permanently retreats from the public eye and into his shell, or worse, becomes a regular fixture on Tyra, let us turn to the comforting words of the only two men who can help us see the light at the end of this tunnel of despair—famed John Belushi-wrangler Bernie "Never Saw A Celebrity Tragedy I Couldn't Weigh In On In A Deadline-Friendly 25 Words Or Less" Brillstein, and Tom "Who the Fuck Cares What Tom Arnold Thinks About This?" Arnold: