Selling Stardom: Read the series
They come to Hollywood by the thousands every year, looking for stardom. Waiting for these aspiring actors, singers and models is a small army of wheeler-dealers looking to turn a buck off their dreams. The hustlers peddle questionable talent services, costly acting seminars and shady casting agencies. The mainstream entertainment industry knows better, but many fledgling performers do not. The financial losses are typically small, but for those trying to break into show business, it’s money that would otherwise be spent on food and rent. These stories offer a look at one of Hollywood’s darker sides.
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John Doman was filming on location in Prague when he learned that roughly $450,000 he was owed for his work on the TV series “Borgia” was missing.
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Rita Reimers, 54, runs a cat-sitting service in Charlotte, N.C.
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They are aspiring actors, models and singers of all ages and backgrounds, and they’ve gathered at the DoubleTree hotel in Orange for an intensive weekend of show business training.
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It’s called the “Oscar Qualifying Package,” and it’s aimed at filmmakers who dream of snagging an Academy Award nomination.
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A talent listing service would have to pay about $1.6 million — including cash and services — to resolve a case affecting thousands of former clients under a class-action settlement preliminarily approved by a federal judge in Los Angeles.
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Two fashion models have dropped their lawsuit against a Caesars Entertainment entity and their former talent agent, Lynn Venturella, after reaching an out-of-court settlement.
