Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski trial was watched by nearly 30 million people across YouTube and social media platforms, Variety can report.
The eight-day saga was covered exhaustively by major media outlets and disseminated in viral clips and memes all over the internet. It was also a significant boon for the Law and Crime Network, which streamed the trial live on its YouTube page (the channel also has carriage deals with the likes of Roku, Samsung TV and Sling TV, though those numbers only report quarterly).
About 16.5 million people tuned in to the livestream, the network said. Another 7.4 million viewed the event on Facebook, and another 4.2 million consumed proceedings involving the Oscar winner on TikTok. Keep in mind, these numbers do not account for similar airings on Court TV and the Associated Press live feed.
“This trial performed incredibly well for us across all of our platforms. The interest continued to multiply each day we streamed it on our social live feeds, linear channel and for our video-on-demand,” said Rachel Stockman, president of the Law and Crime Network.
The Paltrow trial was centered around claims brought by Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist who said the Goop founder skied into him on a Utah ski slope in 2016. Paltrow denied the allegations, saying Sanderson crashed into her. A jury sided with the star and awarded her a symbolic $1 in damages — but we, a rapt public, were awarded a lengthy courtroom drama starring one of the most famous women in the world. She drank green juice. She served looks. She lost half a day of skiing, and the nation would not let it stand. Paltrow now ranks among top performing trials ever to be broadcast by Law and Crime, alongside the infamous Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard case, as well as the prosecution of figures like Alex Jones.
“After the Johnny Depp defamation case, there seems to be a particular fascination with celebrities in court and this pretty simple personal injury case is the perfect example,” Stockman added. “If there hadn’t been a celebrity involved, no one would have cared. To be honest, viewers would have found the details quite uneventful in this civil suit. For this trial, however, we saw just the opposite, with viewers hanging on to every nugget.”
Not unlike the swift run down Utah’s Deer Valley’s Bandana trail, Paltrow’s day in court is over. We wish it well.
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The writing-and-directing duo’s fantasy adventure film, which is based on the beloved tabletop role-playing game, has been met with rave reviews from critics and audiences, and most impressively, they’ve managed to pull off the impossible by satisfying both D&D die-hards and newcomers to the world. Furthermore, Goldstein and Daley even have a story credit on one of the buzziest superhero films of all time, The Flash, which finally releases in June after first being announced in 2014. (The pair left the project as writer-directors in 2019 due to creative differences.)
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Daley is most known for his role as the D&D-playing Sam Weir on the short-lived cult classic Freaks and Geeks, and when Paramount’s marketing department pitched a D&D-related reunion among Daley’s character, Samm Levine’s Neal Schweiber and Martin Starr’s Bill Haverchuck, Daley couldn’t resist the full-circle moment that promoted his new movie in the process.
“I jumped at the chance, because it is truly bizarre and amazing that there is this association with me as Sam Weir playing Dungeons & Dragons 23 years ago and now co-directing and co-writing this film,” Daley tells The Hollywood Reporter.
Daley’s days as a full-time TV actor are still paying dividends, as he first met his future creative partner Goldstein on the set of The Geena Davis Show (2000-01), where the latter was a writer at the time. And five years later on Kitchen Confidential (2005-06), Daley forged a relationship with a now-acclaimed actor and director who would later provide a rather delightful and unexpected cameo in Dungeons & Dragons, as Holga’s (Michelle Rodriguez) ex-lover, Marlamin. The surprise appearance was added during the later stages of postproduction. (Skip the following quote if you’ve yet to see the film.)
“I co-starred with Bradley [Cooper] on the show KitchenConfidential when I was 19 years old, and we appreciated each other’s careers from afar after that experience,” Daley shares. “So I don’t remember who it was that pitched Bradley, but the second I heard the name, I thought, ‘Oh, let’s go for it.’ So we sent him a copy of the unfinished film and he loved it. So he was ready to jump on board, and it was such an awesome day.”
Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Goldstein also discusses the film’s test screenings that ultimately led to additional photography.
John, the studio just released a brilliant promospotfor Dungeons & Dragons in the form of a Freaks and Geeks reunion with Samm Levine and Martin Starr. How did this come together?
John Francis Daley: Well, I would like to take the credit for it, but it was actually an idea from a brilliant person in our marketing department at Paramount. She was friends with Martin [Starr] and thought it would be a fun mini-reunion for the Geeks. So I jumped at the chance, because it is truly bizarre and amazing that there is this association with me as Sam Weir playing Dungeons & Dragons 23 years ago and now co-directing and co-writing this film.
Was this the same marketing team that put creepy smiling people at baseball games to promoteSmile?
Daley: I think it probably was the same people, and I still think that was one of the most genius marketing schemes to this day.
Did Freaks and Geeks kickstart your affinity for D&D?
Daley: It did. It definitely introduced me to the mechanics of the game and what made it so special. But admittedly, it wasn’t until I was an adult that I picked it back up. This was a few years before we started on the film, and I fell back in love with it. There is this unpredictability in the storytelling and this sense of fun and humor that is naturally associated with D&D, and that’s what makes it so appealing as a film.
Directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley on the set of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Jonathan, for those who may be unfamiliar, how did you and John first link up?
Jonathan Goldstein: John was an actor on a sitcom called TheGeenaDavisShow, and I was in the writing room for it. It was one of my first TV writing gigs, and one day, John stopped to show me these shorts he had made with visual effects in them. And he was just a kid, so it was like, “Holy shit.” And then I brought in DVDs converted from VHS to show him what I made at that age in high school or middle school. So it was very much a meeting of the minds, and we kept in touch about some TV ideas that John could perhaps play the lead in. And then we wrote a pilot, which didn’t wind up going anywhere, but we eventually decided to try and write a feature together. And that became the first thing we sold [The $40,000 Man]. It got us on The Black List and launched our feature career. We had both always aspired to direct, and then New Line came to us with Vacation and said, “Would you like to direct it as well as write it?” And we said, “For sure.” And here we are.
So how did you manage to adapt a tabletop role-playing game in a way that appeals to both its devout fans and the uninitiated, such as myself, without being too inside baseball?
Daley: That’s the inherent challenge, and we wouldn’t have even taken on a project that’s so ambitious, with such a fine line to walk, without knowing that there was a way to initiate the unfamiliar and also satisfy the familiar. So it’s all about story and characters. You have to approach it like a movie that you want to see, not what’s essentially a commercial for a game.
Goldstein: You don’t need to read Tolkien to enjoy the Lord of the Rings movies, and you don’t need to know much about the StarWars universe to enjoy those original StarWars movies. You feel like you’re part of a big world, but you don’t really need to know the ins and outs of it. What you’re following is the story of some characters who you start to invest in, and so that’s really how we approached it.
Daley: I’ve used this very bizarre example because it is so different tonally, but what was so incredible about The Wire was that these characters would talk shop and you had absolutely no idea what they were saying. But you understood the intention behind it, and after a while, you’d start to inadvertently learn the language. And so that was a fun way to inundate audiences without alienating them.
Chris Pine plays Edgin in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Coming off ofStar TrekandWonder Woman, how receptive was Chris Pine at first to joining another potential franchise? Were you worried that he’d already scratched this sort of itch?
Goldstein: He responded to the writing and to the script, and he saw the potential. It helped that his nephew was right in the middle of an ongoing D&D campaign, which he then sat in on and saw how much the kids enjoyed it. So he saw the potential of the D&D world, but he also liked the idea of playing a somewhat different role. A bard who plays the lute and sings and dances is not exactly the typical leading man part, and that had a real appeal to him.
Heist films are often viewed as metaphors for filmmaking, but Chris’ character really does fit the mold of a director. He comes up with the plan and his partners execute it. Was Edgin the director not lost on either of you?
Daley: Yeah, he’s also dealing with this cast of characters, if you will, where every laid plan goes wrong in some way, and that, to us, is very much the directing process. (Laughs.) You never quite get what you set out to do, and there’s a beauty in that as long as you give yourself up to that unpredictability and figure out how to pivot in ways that could end up improving what you had originally wanted to do.
From left: Michelle Rodriguez plays Holga, Justice Smith plays Simon, Chris Pine plays Edgin and Sophia Lillis plays Doric in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Goldstein: Edgin also has this power of charm and indefatigable belief that if you just power through, you can get to your goal, and that becomes infectious for the group. And as a film director, you have to have that, too, no matter how difficult it gets. Your actors and your crew all have to believe that your vision is going to get them to the finish line.
[The next question and answer contains a notable spoiler.]
Well, on the subject of Holga’s (Michelle Rodriguez) former beloved, Marlamin, how did this out-of-left-field cameo go down?
Daley: Well, I co-starred with Bradley [Cooper] on the show KitchenConfidential when I was 19 years old, and we appreciated each other’s careers from afar after that experience. And so when this opportunity came up, we knew we wanted someone to inhabit the role that brought with it this sense of gravitas and just full-on acting chops. So I don’t remember who it was that pitched Bradley, but the second I heard the name, I thought, “Oh, let’s go for it.” So we sent him a copy of the unfinished film and he loved it. So he was ready to jump on board, and it was such an awesome day.
So it was added toward the very end …
Daley: That’s right.
Rage Against the Machine guitarist and prominentD&Dplayer Tom Morello also has a cameo in the film as Kimathi Stormhollow, who he plays as in real-life games. Is he going to get you guys a guest pass to Joe Manganiello’s star-studded game?
Daley & Goldstein: (Laugh.)
Goldstein: I don’t think we’re cool enough for that game.
Daley: I think you have to have a tattoo to be allowed into that game, and neither of us [have tattoos].
Goldstein: But we’ll get tattoos if we need to.
I’ve heard some good reactions to your movie from some of the people who play in that game, so I like your odds of being observers at the very least.
Daley: That’s good to hear!
As far as the impressive oner that shows off Doric’s (Sophia Lillis) abilities, was that the sequence that cost you the most sleep?
Goldstein: (Laughs.) Yeah, it was up there. Part of it was just getting the visual effects to where they needed to be, and COVID really did a number on some visual effects places. And so we kept waiting for new iterations and it went longer than we had hoped. Ultimately, it got pretty close to where we hoped it would be. There’s some amazing visual effects in this movie, and our vendors did incredible work throughout the process. That was just the one sequence that took the longest to get there.
Daley: And we have to give a shout-out to our storyboard artist Darrin Denlinger, who worked hand in hand with us on that sequence. He really helped to elevate it to the place that we’re all so proud of, but it was a process that took weeks and weeks over the course of the shoot. And sometimes, it was not in order, much like our oner in GameNight. And that, in and of itself, is kind of a mind-fuck, because you have to keep your eye on the throughline of the chase. But obviously, it was very gratifying when we got to a place where it started to come together.
What were your conversations with marketing like? What did you want to lean into versus hold back in the trailers and TV spots?
Goldstein: Well, all of our movies turn out to be challenges to market because they don’t fall neatly into one genre bucket. And so we feel for the marketing team because they only have 30 seconds or two minutes to get across what the movie is. So it was really about finding the same balance that we struggled with while making the movie, which is how much comedy and how much big, epic action. And we also wanted to make sure we got across the unique tone of the film, but that’s hard to do in a short amount of time.
Daley: It was also really important to us to showcase the heart throughout this film. Our characters are earnest, and they’re not taking the piss out of the world that they’re living in. And to be able to sell that in a minute and a half is particularly challenging because you have a lot to establish. So it was a process, but [the marketing team] was super receptive to our thoughts and notes throughout it.
Directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley with Chris Pine (right) on the set of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
And what did you learn from your test screenings?
Goldstein: Well, the biggest thing was that there was confusion over what the bad guys are up to. So we actually went back and did a reshoot where we clarified that with a flashback in Thay where you see Szass Tam rise above the crowd and do the beckoning death. So rather than just talking about it, we thought it would help the audience to be able to see it happen in the flashback.
Daley: And more generally speaking, what those test audiences give us is invaluable insight into where we have them on the hook and when they start to fall off. And so we would study the audience throughout every moment to see if we were going off on too much of a tangent, comedically, that we were alienating the audience, or if we were being too serious and hitting them with so many proper nouns that they were starting to get confused and frustrated. So it’s a wildly helpful tool to be able to use, especially with something like this where you’re really trying to play the audience like a fiddle.
Goldstein: And when he says we studied the audience, he means that, literally. We had infrared cameras on the crowd, and so if you do go to one of these screenings, make sure you don’t pick your nose because we will know.
Daley & Goldstein: (Laugh.)
So who can I blame for the lack of aGame Nightsequel?
Goldstein: I guess it would be us, really.
Daley & Goldstein: (Laugh.)
Goldstein: Our favorite thing is to leave the audience wanting more, as opposed to hitting them over the head. And that was a case where we ended the movie with a sort of fake setup for a sequel, but we feel like it might be hard to top what we did.
When you first saw Jesse Plemons’ performance on your monitor, did you immediately high-five each other?
Goldstein: Oh yeah!
Daley: We also high-fived each other before that during our first table read with the cast. Table reads often charge you up as an actor and you might push things a little further for a comedic effect, but [Plemons] stayed as that droll, muted, humorless guy throughout. And that’s a real testament to him as a performer. He knew exactly what he wanted that character to be, and it was a revelation seeing him read alongside the rest of the cast.
Lastly, I know the company line is that you’re superstitious and that everybody just wanted to make one good movie, but do you have some idea of how you’d handle Szass Tam in anotherDungeons & Dragonsinstallment?
Daley: We have some idea. (Laughs.) But at this point, we’re just focused on trying to get this thing out there, and we’re so happy that we ended up making the film that we set out to make.
***
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is now playing in movie theaters. This interview was edited for length and clarity.
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Nishimura’s 15 years at the company have spanned the streaming boom, Oscar wins and multiple restructuring efforts. Noted one industry veteran that has long worked with Nishimura, “It’s a signal that the most thoughtful, taste-driven era is being driven out.”
Under film head Scott Stuber, the film division was long bifurcated according to budgets: tentpoles and indies, with the former sitting around the $30 million to $40 million and way upwards, and the latter sitting below that. Former exec Tendo Nagenda, who joined the streamer from the four-quadrant heavy hitter Disney, oversaw films like the Russo brothers’ The Gray Man and the Extraction films, as well as the Knives Out franchise and The Old Guard. Nishimura’s team oversaw, well, most everything else.
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“When I joined, [my job] was to buy DVDs from all the non-major studios that were selling, whether it was English-language or foreign, fiction or nonfiction,” Nishimura said in a 2020 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. The output from Nishimura’s original film division ranged from film festival acquisitions and more auteur-driven features. It also oversaw the streamer’s rom-coms, which were the domain of Ian Bricke, who also exited as a part of this week’s restructuring. Netflix was credited with helping to revive the genre with original projects like Set It Up, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and the Kissing Booth films. Nishimura and Bricke were well-regarded in Hollywood, particularly in the indie filmmaking space, with the industry expressing general shock at their exits.
Nishimura long oversaw docs and docuseries, which earned the streamer its early awards success. Netflix’s first Oscar win came in 2017 with The White Helmets for doc short, and it was followed by Icarus in 2018 for best doc feature. Nishimura’s purview also included nonfiction series hits like Chef’s Table and Making a Murderer, and later, the phenom Tiger King. (Dan Silver will oversee documentary efforts, taking on projects previously overseen by Nishimura.)
Also notable about Nishimura’s tenure was her status as a high-ranking Asian American film executive. “As a Japanese person, as an underrepresented person, Lisa represented so much. She is one of the single most important Asian executives in the business,” says a sales agent and financier. In his note following Nishimura’s exit, Stuber described her as “a champion for inclusion on and off screen, a leader and mentor to countless colleagues, and a trusted partner to the creative community.”
An initial restructuring of Netflix’s film division came in 2021 with the elevation of Kira Goldberg and Ori Marmur, who were charged with making commercial films not terribly dissimilar to Nagenda’s mandate but functioning separately. Warner Bros. exec Niija Kuykendall also joined in 2021, with a mandate to focus on midbudget films that would fall above Nishimura’s indies but below the commercial fare overseen by the other vps.
Nagenda’s exit came in August 2022, at which point Goldberg and Marmur took over his slate. With Nishimura departure, Goldberg, Marmur and Kuykendall will oversee all original films. The restructuring has been billed as an effort to curb confusion and streamline all film efforts.
The industry has long voiced perplexity over Netflix’s org chart. Pitching a single project to multiple teams — and getting different answers from those teams — was not uncommon. Some insiders who spoke with THR suggested that Nishimura, whom one exec described as a “Netflix celebrity,” was spread too thin over too big of a slate.
The restructuring also comes as Netflix is looking to scale back production. It’s an about-face from when, at the top of 2021, the streamer was touting “one new movie every week” with a slate of some 70 features. That announcement came as the company was looking to bulk up its own originals library as other studios launched their respective streamers.
As of early 2022, the streamer’s mandate has been to do fewer films that are seen as bigger and of better quality, so as to maintain its consumer audience and reduce subscriber churn, a noted stock killer. This left Netflix’s indie films in a precarious position. “Unless you’re doing it for awards and being OK with losing money, that’s not a viable business to be in. [Netflix] is now about bigger budgets and bigger star packages,” says one rep whose talent often works on the Netflix film slate.
As for 2023, sources have told THR that the streamer has been pulling back costs on feature film projects, with budget concerns holding up productions (see: Nancy Meyers). Recently, the streamer offloaded two finished original productions.
Of course, this all comes as the industry is undergoing greater contraction as it weathers post-pandemic pressures and difficult macroeconomic conditions. Disney is in the middle of 7,000-person layoffs, which included high-ranking executive Marvel’s Ike Perlmutter, while networks and studios are offloading finished projects and rescinding renewals.
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PARK CITY — A Park City jury sided with Hollywood actor Gwyneth Paltrow Thursday, deciding Terry Sanderson was at fault for a ski collision between the two skiers seven years ago at Deer Valley Resort.
The jury heard testimony for eight days but deliberated less than three hours.
Paltrow was awarded $1 from the man — the amount she requested in her countersuit — to account for the disruption to her vacation.
Paltrow left immediately after the verdict but released a statement that said, "I felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity."
She also thanked the judge and jury for their work.
"Gwyneth has a history of advocating for what she believes in, and this situation was no different," attorney Stephen Owens said.
Paltrow approached Sanderson after the trial ended. Sanderson said she told him, "I wish you well." He said he thanked her and later said he thinks Paltrow's sentiment was sincere.
"It's been a long hard battle, but we fought a good fight," Sanderson said.
He said he didn't realize how much of his life would be wrapped up in this incident and that he thinks it will take him time to get back to his typical life once again, but he plans to spend more time with family.
He joked, "So much for dating sites," because of the significant amount of information available online about him after the trial. Some of the things brought up in the trial about him are not true, Sanderson said, and others are misleading, making a big deal out of something that was a small health issue.
Sanderson's attorney, Robert Sykes, said he and his client respect the jury, although they do not agree with the decision. He said they put a lot of effort into trying the case and Sanderson is a good man who conducted himself well throughout the trial.
Six of the eight jurors, four men and four women, needed to agree with each part of the verdict, which considered both Paltrow's and Sanderson's fault and whether money should be awarded to either side.
Gwyneth Paltrow speaks with retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, left, as she walks out of the courtroom following the reading of the verdict in their lawsuit trial, Thursday in Park City, Utah. Paltrow won her court battle over a 2016 ski collision at a posh Utah ski resort after a jury decided Thursday that the movie star wasn’t at fault for the crash. (Photo: Rick Bowmer, Associated Press)
The courtroom was full of spectators and media Thursday for the trial's last day, and thousands of others watched closing arguments live on YouTube — the first time trial proceedings have been livestreamed from a Utah courtroom.
The jurors were tasked with deciding if Sanderson and Paltrow were hurt in a 2016 ski collision, and if their injuries were the other person's fault. The jury was instructed by the judge that if they determined a person is responsible for more than 50% of their own injuries, damages would not be awarded.
Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired optometrist who lives in Utah, filed the lawsuit in 2019 against the Hollywood actor, claiming Paltrow ran into him while skiing at Deer Valley Resort in February 2016. He claims the aftermath of a concussion and four broken ribs that occurred during the crash have caused him ongoing mental and emotional issues and made it harder for him to enjoy life and connect with others. He was seeking $300,000. An initial $3.1 million complaint was dismissed.
Paltrow filed a countersuit for a symbolic $1 plus attorney fees, claiming Sanderson was actually the one who hit her from behind. She testified last week that his skis came up between hers, and she was worried for a second that she was being sexually assaulted before they fell to the ground together.
"Mr. Sanderson hit me," she said. "Mr. Sanderson categorically hit me on that ski slope, and that is the truth."
Paltrow's closing arguments
Owens said his client had been a "punching bag" through most of the trial. He said the easiest thing for her would have been to give away the money, but that would have been wrong and would have sent a message to her children that she did not want to send.
Owens said it took courage for Paltrow to come to the trial, a place where she is not comfortable, "and be pounded like a punching bag."
He hit her. He hurt her. And then he asked her for $3 million for the pleasure. That is not fair.
–Stephen Owens, attorney for actor Gwyneth Paltrow
"He hit her. He hurt her. And then he asked her for $3 million for the pleasure. That is not fair," Owens said.
Owens said it was also not fair for Sanderson to call a press conference and say Paltrow came up screaming "like King Kong," knocked him out, and then skied away — noting that the court has already determined the incident was not a "hit-and-run" incident. He said actions like this should not be rewarded.
He said Paltrow's loss from Sanderson hitting her is not just a missed half-day of skiing, but a disruption to an important trip. Owens said the day was part of a carefully planned trip where Paltrow and her boyfriend hoped to see if their families — each with two kids of their own — would blend together. He said it is not about the $1 they asked for, but about an interruption to a delicate time in their relationship.
"Thank goodness the family melded well together, but we want our dollar," he told the jury.
Owens said if the jury determines that there actually was GoPro video of the collision — based on an email from Sanderson's daughter shortly after the incident that said "and to think it was all caught on GoPro" — that jurors should assume the video would have had a negative impact on Sanderson's case.
He showed computer animations of the crash and talked through what they believe happened to tell Paltrow's side of the story one final time.
Gwyneth Paltrow leaves 3rd District Court in Park City Thursday after a jury sided with her version of events regarding a 2016 ski collision at Deer Valley Resort. (Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
James Egan, another attorney for Paltrow, said they presented real events and realities, while the other side presented perceptions and embellishments.
He claimed witness Craig Ramon wanted an attention-grabbing story to tell his friends and embellished the story, while Sanderson took his reality of a deteriorating mind and embellished a connection between that and Paltrow.
Egan cited a witness who said Sanderson's brain scans and reported mental problems make sense without considering the collision, and a medical record that says he reported feeling old weeks before the collision. The attorney said accepting mental health challenges is hard, but that does not mean it was caused by Paltrow.
"His life is not the mess he perceives it to be. Ms. Paltrow wants him off the mountain, too, but she should not be responsible for the cost of that," Egan said.
Sanderson's closing arguments
Egan was referring to closing statements from attorney Robert Sykes, who said Sanderson did not really make it off the mountain after the skiing incident in 2016. He said the 76-year-old man has spent hours and hours trying to make himself better.
"Terry is trying to get off that mountain, but he's really still there. Part of Terry will forever be on the Bandana run, figuratively," Sykes said of his client.
Sykes told jurors that he believes Paltrow was sincere, but that doesn't mean her testimony was correct.
I think she sincerely believes that she got hit in the back. The problem is you have to make a decision based on the evidence that you've heard here.
–Robert Sykes, attorney for Terry Sanderson
"I think she sincerely believes that she got hit in the back. The problem is you have to make a decision based on the evidence that you've heard here," Sykes said.
He pointed out things in the story presented by Paltrow's attorneys that didn't make sense to him. He said Sanderson, an advanced skier, would not be making wide-radius turns on a beginner run. He said multiple people heard Paltrow scream and the downhill skier would not scream at something they can't see. He said having both of Sanderson's skis between Paltrow's legs is "unbelievable." Lastly, Sykes said it does not make sense that two Deer Valley employees would have heard someone with four broken ribs was doing fine and gone down the hill without making a report.
He said Ramon, their eyewitness who says he saw the crash from about 40 feet behind, is an acquaintance of Sanderson and doesn't have a "dog in the fight."
"He has no reason, no motive to falsify this," Sykes said.
The attorney said the main piece of evidence in the case was a significant change in personality Sanderson faced after the crash and his loss of executive function, the ability to be organized.
Lawrence Buhler, another Sanderson attorney, said his client spends 16 hours each day dealing with his injury and he should be entitled to a significant amount of money. The attorney said compensating him $33 for each hour he is awake for the rest of his life would add up to over $3 million, but suggested the jury members pick whatever number they feel would be right for each hour and do their own calculations.
Buhler said the case is not about celebrity — it's about a man's life. A man who was previously healthy enough to ski and now is unable to do that and many other activities.
"Terry doesn't want to be brain injured; he wants to live life to its fullest," he said.
Attorney fees
Before the jury was brought in on Thursday, Sanderson's attorneys asked the judge for a directed verdict regarding the attorney fees in the case. Attorney Kristin VanOrman argued that for attorney fees to be awarded in Utah, a lawsuit has to be filed "in bad faith" and be "without merit." She argued that since multiple witnesses said Paltrow must have hit Sanderson, including a witness who testified that he saw the collision, the case has merit.
She also said Sanderson is not acting in bad faith and is not attempting to take advantage of Paltrow. VanOrman said in this case there is an honest belief the lawsuit is appropriate and there have been no attempts of fraud.
"The reason for awarding attorneys' fees based on bad faith is to punish the wrongdoer, not to compensate the victim," VanOrman said. "There is clearly an evidence-based support for (Sanderson's) claims in this case."
She called it a "he said, she said" case, not one filed with poor intent.
Paltrow's attorney, Owens, said they have not been allowed to address the issue of bad faith and attorney fees throughout the trial, and said they would need time to respond to the motion.
"I can't be handcuffed and then slapped. I need to be able to defend the claim," Owens said.
Third District Judge Kent Holmberg said he would take that motion under advisement, and said he would address the issue after the verdict. It was not mentioned in court immediately after the verdict was announced Thursday afternoon, and an expected time for the decision was not available.
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Emily Ashcraft joined KSL.com as a reporter in 2021. She covers courts and legal affairs, as well as health, faith and religion news.
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Jimmy Kimmel lamented the still pending possible arrest of Donald Trump for campaign finance violations, which will remain unclear as they are now on break. The grand jury’s two-week hiatus is “leaving us hanging like Trump tried to do with Mike Pence”, Kimmel quipped. “But that’s a different indictment, I think.”
Trump, meanwhile, has tried to court some favor from the anonymous jurors, posting on Truth Social: “I HAVE GAINED SUCH RESPECT FOR THIS GRAND JURY.”
“And I’ll tell you, if that isn’t the saddest damn thing I have ever read,” said Kimmel. “The great and powerful Donald Trump, weakly kissing the all caps asses of people he will never meet in a last-ditch hope he might somehow flatter them just enough to let him off the hook. I haven’t seen anything this pathetic since he asked Stormy to spank him with a Forbes magazine.”
It was reported earlier this week that the grand jury would call David Pecker, the publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid and a longtime Trump associate, to the stand as the final witness. “Which is kind of poetic, if you think about it,” said Kimmel. “This started with a pecker and now it might end with one.”
Stephen Colbert
On the Late Show, Stephen Colbert reported on a different grand jury which has ordered Mike Pence to testify about Trump’s actions on January 6, and specifically what Trump told Pence in an effort to persuade him to attempt to overthrow the 2020 election. It’s already been reported that the ex-president told Pence: “You can either go down in history as a patriot or you can go down in history as a pussy.”
“To which Pence replied: what’s that?” Colbert joked.
“One reason this case may never come to court is that America may cease to exist,” Colbert continued, as congressional Republicans refuse to raise the debt ceiling, risking a 5 June deadline to avoid “catastrophic default”.
“Now, I’m sure that’s not good, but at this point aren’t we all a little catastrophied out?” Colbert mused. “If you want to grab our attention at this point, you’re going to have to do more. You’re going to need something scarier than catastrophic default, like gonorrhea-geddon or Please Welcome Kanye West.”
Biden has proposed a budget, which has been met with crickets by the speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, who on Tuesday sent the president a “blame letter” claiming “with each passing day, I am incredibly concerned that you are putting an already fragile economy in jeopardy.”
“No you’re not,” said Colbert. “You know how I know you’re not concerned? Because you expressed your concern in the form of the slowest possible form of a communication, a letter. That’s like saying, ‘Oh no! The house is on fire. Quick, someone hire a barbershop quartet to tell the fire department!’”
And on Late Night, Seth Meyers relished Trump’s attacks on his main rival for the GOP nomination, the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis. In an interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity, Trump claimed DeSantis begged for his endorsement in 2018 and that if he hadn’t given it, DeSantis would be “working either in a pizza parlor place or a law office right now”.
“You know Trump is a New Yorker because the only two professions he could think of are pizza parlor and law office,” Meyers joked. “Although Trump has clearly never been inside a pizza place himself given that he refers to it as a pizza parlor place.
“Fox have put themselves in a situation where they’ve tied their financial and political success to Trump and his base – a base they helped create,” Meyers later added of the beleaguered network. “But now that Trump is under multiple criminal investigations and has tanked the GOP in those three successive national elections, Fox is gently trying to nudge their audience toward DeSantis without pissing them off.”
This included the Fox commentator and former congressman Jason Chaffetz, who called Trump’s interview with Hannity “terrible” and said, “he’s the former president of the United States! Act like it!”
“I’m sorry, which Donald Trump were you expecting – the Donald Trump who whines, complains and plays the victim card, or the Donald Trump who doesn’t fucking exist? Because there’s only the first one,” Meyers retorted. “He’s got two shticks: punching down and playing the victim. That’s it. That’s the whole deal. And as much as the rest of us hate it, for Republican voters, that’s not a negative for Trump.
“That’s why he’s the GOP frontrunner,” he added. “Either these guys still don’t get it or they’re just pretending not to get it because they don’t want to admit that they’ve devoted their lives to a morally and ideologically bankrupt political movement whose main goals are cutting taxes, making it easier for people to get guns and losing their shit over the fact that the green M&M doesn’t give them boner any more.”
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A user said, "Your body is [fire emoji] but it's your [heart] I love the most!" to which Khloe wrote back a slew of teary eyed emojis with, "what an incredibly sweet message! Bless you! I love you and thank you for being so sweet."
As for the workout routine posted for the 38-year-old's 300 million Instagram followers, she captioned the three-minute long clip, "We're Back Baby!" before detailing her vigorous regimen.
"Trying to get up the energy to work out," wrote Khloe, who donned all-black fitness apparel paired with white socks and sneakers. "I'm just not in the mood, but let's get to it.'"
But before the workout began, followers got an adorable guest appearance from Khloe and ex Tristan Thompson's 4-year-old daughter True, who let the world know she's ready for spring break.
"I have braids in my hair," she shared, "and for two weeks I'm not going to go to school because it's spring break," before making funny faces for the camera.
After going through her routine, Khloe then took a moment to give fans some health updates.
Jennifer Aniston spoke recently about the state of comedy and what’s considered funny – and what’s not – on the occasion of the debut of her new Netflix comedy Murder Mystery 2 with Adam Sandler.
“Comedy has evolved, movies have evolved,” the former Friends star told French news agency AFP.
“Now it’s a little tricky because you have to be very careful, which makes it really hard for comedians, because the beauty of comedy is that we make fun of ourselves, make fun of life,” she said, before getting specific.
In years past, “you could joke about a bigot and have a laugh — that was hysterical. And it was about educating people on how ridiculous people were,” said Aniston. “And now we’re not allowed to do that.”
In fact, that’s not even considered funny anymore to many people, she says.
“There’s a whole generation of people, kids, who are now going back to episodes of Friends and find them offensive.
Friends has long been skewered for its all-white cast and the fantasy scenario of six twentysomethings being able to afford Manhattan apartments.
Show co-creator Marta Kauffman spoke out last year on the lack of diversity both in front of and behind the camera and her part in it.
“It was after what happened to George Floyd that I began to wrestle with my having bought into systemic racism in ways I was never aware of,” said Kauffman. “That was really the moment that I began to examine the ways I had participated. I knew then I needed to course-correct.”
As a result, she pledged, “I want to make sure from now on in every production I do that I am conscious in hiring people of color and actively pursue young writers of color. I want to know I will act differently from now on.”
On the show’s 25th anniversary, Out looked at both its enduring appeal and reminded readers that “Friends is still really, really homophobic.”
Some examples:
The male characters “showed a noted discomfort and disdain toward LGBTQ+ people,” according to Out. Specifically, the publication cited Chandler’s aversion to his transgender parent (played by Kathleen Turner) and an episode in which Ross “insists his male nanny must be gay.”
Out observes that “nearly anytime LGBTQ+ people are brought up through the show, it’s played for laughs” — whether it’s the running joke that people think Chandler is gay or a bit where Joey convinces an acting student with whom he is competing for a role that the character should be played “homosexually.”
The publication also calls out a tendency on Friends to trade on “gay panic for cheap laughs.” One example cited: Joey and Ross freak out after accidentally falling asleep together on the couch. “What happened?” Ross screams, before insisting, “We fell asleep — that is all.”
Aniston said about the show’s blind spots, “There were things that were never intentional and others…Well, we should have thought it through — but I don’t think there was a sensitivity like there is now.”
The actress then made a plea for more comedies, even given new sensitivities.
“Everybody needs funny! The world needs humor! We can’t take ourselves too seriously,” she said.
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Jeremy Renner will appear in person at the “Rennervations” world premiere, taking place April 11 at Los Angeles’ Regency Village Theater, Variety has confirmed.
The event will mark Renner’s first press event since the actor’s Jan. 1 snow plow accident, which landed him in the hospital for blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries. In trying to help his nephew out of the snow near his Lake Tahoe home, Renner was run over by his Sno-Cat, which weighs over 14,000 pounds.
All four episodes of “Rennervations,” the actor’s new vehicle renovation show, begin streaming April 12 on Disney+.
“I’ve been on this journey for many years, and I started in my community by building vehicles for people in need,” Renner said about the series. “But a few years ago, I thought, ‘How can I plus this up and create a bigger impact on a whole community?’ And that’s what this show does. This is one of my biggest passions and it’s a driving force in my recovery, and I can’t wait for the world to see it.”
Renner broke over 30 bones as a result of his accident, writing on Instagram at the time, “These 30 plus broken bones will mend, grow stronger, just like the love and bond with family and friends deepens. Love and blessings to you all.”
Since the injury, Renner has shared updates with his fans on social media. This week, the “Hawkeye” star posted a video in which he walks with the assistance of an anti-gravity treadmill. Renner confirmed in the video that he is doing all of “the walking motion” himself, with the anti-gravity treadmill taking off a percentage of his body weight as his legs slowly recover. “Now is the time for my body to rest and recover from my will,” Renner wrote in the caption.
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As for Tom and Raquel, 28, the pair "admitted their affair started as a hook up and wasn't a relationship right away," during the March 23 taping, per the source and by the day's end, the Schwartz & Sandy's co-owner "was really emotional and regretful."
On the other hand, Ariana, 37, was emotional, but "she also kept her cool," with the source noting that "she cried but came prepared to talk too."
Fans will see the drama sur-ved up firsthand during the upcoming multi-part reunion.
Vanderpump Rules airs Wednesdays on Bravo.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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Meghan King was seen in a nude and white polka-dot dress. The reality star had her blonde hair styled down and combed back, showing off her statement silver earrings.
Hannah Goodwin stunned in a gorgeous, white two-piece look. Her top was fastened with one, rhinestone strap that matched the detailing on her skirt.
Goodwin was joined by Dylan Barbour on the carpet.
Pink stepped out with her children, Willow, 11, and Jameson, 6, on the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards red carpet on Monday night.(Getty Images)
Meghan King was seen in a nude and white polka-dot dress. The reality star had her blonde hair styled down and combed back, showing off her statement silver earrings.(Getty Images)
Hannah Goodwin at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.(Getty Images)
Jana Kramer donned a shimmery low-cut look that showed off her abs.
Brian Austin Green and Sharna Burgess, who rocked a silver two-piece, kept close on the red carpet.
Heidi Klum left little to the imagination in a blue dress. The supermodel stunned in the revealing dress, with matching eye make-up and her hair styled in a "wet" look.
Heidi Klum at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.(Getty Images)
Brian Austin Green and Sharna Burgess keep close on the red carpet.(Getty Images)
Jana Kramer at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. (Getty Images)
Rising pop culture star Ice Spice was seen in a black and white abstract dress. She rocked her signature ginger hair with a small handbag that read "Baby Girl."
Ice Spice at the iHeartRadio Awards.(Getty Images)
Cole Swindell at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.(Getty Images)
Cole Swindell donned an all-black look, pulled together with a baseball hat.
Pat Benatar was arm in arm with her husband, Neil Giraldo, on the red carpet. The 70-year-old stunned in a nude shirt with black polka dots as her smile shined bright for the cameras.
Pat Benatar at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.(Getty Images)
Cody Johnson at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.(Getty Images)
Cody Johnson and his wife, Brandi Johnson, stunned in neutral tones on the red carpet on Monday night.
TLC's Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas rocked all-black looks with a little bit of lace on the red carpet.
Award show host Lenny Kravitz followed suit in an all-black look with diamond necklaces and black sunglasses.
TLC's Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas rocked all-black looks, with a little bit of lace on the red carpet.(Getty Images)
Lenny Kravitz was hosting the iHeartRadio Music Awards.(Getty Images)
Nicole Scherzinger wore a strapless pink dress that had a small cut-out revealing her hip.
Nicole Scherzinger in a pink strapless.(Getty Images)
Delilah Bell at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.(Getty Images)
Dellilah Bell, the daughter of Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna, opted for a sheer, maroon gown with her blonde hair parted down the middle.
Madison Beer wore a unique, silver dress that had mesh detailing on her stomach. The singer had her hair tied back and accessorized with silver hoop earrings and rings.
Madison Beer at the iHeartRadio Awards.(Getty Images)
Zach Braff and Donald Faison posed together on the iHeartRadio Music Awards red carpet on Monday night. Braff wore a teal, suit-like look and Faison sported a tan T-shirt.
Kelly Clarkson appeared in a black blazer, fastened at her waist with a thick black belt and a long black skirt.
Zach Braff and Donald Faison attend the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards.(Kevin Mazur)
Kelly Clarkson at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.(Getty Images)
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