Over the last few years, I wrote a number of articles about the death of Hollywood. We are looking at the demise of an entire industry.
The latest news is going to stun people. It was something that shocked me and got my mind wandering.
To be clear, we are dealing with reports with nothing substantiated. There could be a lot of noise here so we will have to wait until more evidence appear.
We can all agree the death of Rob Reiner and his wife was tragic. To be murdered in cold blood like that is brutal. Then we have the fact this was a family dispute, with an addicted son who appears to have mental issues at the epicenter.
In this era, it seems everything is turned political. Many are using Reiner's death as a vehicle to attack the other side. While the political attacks might be off base the basis of the discussion might not be.
Recent reports about Conan O'Brien could open up a new can of worms.
Death of Hollywood: Conan O'Brien Forbid People To Call Police
Before the Reiners were murdered in their bed, there was an argument between Rob and his son, Nick. This occurred at a party hosted by Conan O'Brien. The gathering was at his residence.
Here is where things take a massive turn.
Conan O’Brien reportedly intervened when guests tried to call the authorities during a dispute involving Nick Reiner and his now-deceased father at his holiday party over the weekend.
According to sources, the argument between Nick and Rob at O'Brien's party escalated to the point where someone considered calling 911. This occurred just hours before the latter and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were allegedly murdered by their son. An insider told the Daily Mail that someone was about to call law enforcement. However, the source claimed that the late-night host stepped in and told his guests that they were at his house and he wasn't going to call the police, which prevented the unnamed attendee from doing so.
As stated, these are allegations, perhaps based upon unnamed sources. We can only surmise what will happen in the future.
That said, if there is something here, we could see this become very public. I am no lawyer so take this with a grain of salt but it is not uncommon for wrongful death lawsuits to be filed by the families in this situation.
If true, does what O'Brien did amount to that? I cannot answer. What I can say is that things will become very public if that is the case. He will be on trial, albeit in civil court, with testimony becoming part of the public record.
What could this say about Hollywood?
Another Nail On The Coffin
Many, including myself, believe Hollywood is already on life support. The numbers tend to back it up with production in Southern California dropping to levels not seen in decades. It is a fact mirrored by job losses.
For decades, there were stories about the degeneracy of Hollywood. Many were placed in the "conspiracy theory" category. However, over the last couple decades, people started to take notice. The prevalence of sexual abuse claims on children started to be taken seriously. Then we had some substantiations of these allegations, although prosecutions were rare.
In the era of social media, podcast, and influencers, many took to the Internet to air the dirty laundry of Hollywood. It takes only one decent sized star who saw his or her career fall from grace to get the gossip flowing.
Eventually, it starts to unravel. Harvey Weinstein is a prime example.
If O'Brien did what the reports claim, how degenerate is that? What is his motive? How can he possible defend his action, especially in light of the results.
Now, I must say from all accounts, he is a stand up guy. If there is a category of "good guys" in Hollywood, he would be there. This is one star who is known to help others out and be there for people.
Therefore, this could be a misstep in judgment. Or it might be a reflection of something deeper. Considering the mindset of many in this realm, it is hard to deny the latter might be the case.
If this is drawn out in the public eye, does it cause even more people to throw up their hands with celebrities. I already believe the shine is gone off their stars. Last year's US election showed that celebrities, at least in the political arena, have little clout. Perhaps this is starting to spread to other areas.
Time will tell how people react. What we might see is more crumbs thrown on top of an already collapsing empire.