August 25, 2008 | 6:11 pm

Madonna, McCain & Hitler

Posted by Danielle Berrin

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Madonna is no stranger to provocation - it’s kinda what she does best.

In her latest stunt, Queen Esther included a video montage in her world tour concert juxtaposing various political dictators: Adolf Hitler, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe…and John McCain?

That last image ruffled a few feathers in the Jewish community. Well, just two - the usual reactionaries, Abe Foxman and Marvin Hier, who both issued statements condemning Madonna’s choice.

The Jerusalem Post reports:

ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman, himself a Holocaust survivor, asserted that “Comparisons to Hitler have no place in a music concert, or in the presidential campaign.”

In the Monday statement, Foxman called the use of Nazi imagery to describe the Republican candidate “outrageous,” and added that “doing so trivializes the history of the Holocaust and is an insult to the memories of the victims and their families.”

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The dean and founder of the Jewish human rights organization, Rabbi Marvin Hier, said that, “There ought to be no place in the political and social discourse of American culture for such deliberate distortions and lies sure to be viewed by hundreds of thousands of young people around the world.”

August 25, 2008 | 2:01 pm

New York or Paris?

Posted by Danielle Berrin

“New York, I Love You” is Hollywood’s answer to French self-love.

Following in the footfalls of the nuanced and artsy “Paris, je t’aime,” a vignette-style film paying homage to every arrondissement of Paris, an all-star cast of Hollywood talent are out to prove that New York is just more interesting.

Composed as an anthology of short films, each separately crafted by different directors, “New York I Love You” combines love stories from every neighborhood that resonate as a whole. The grand love affair, of course, is with The Big Apple itself, and the film promises to be a patriotic ode. If much has changed in this country in the aftermath of 9/11, New York City remains, here and in the rest of the world, the best representation of the American ideal.

Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman, the “Hot Knishes” (as Portman called them) from The Other Boleyn Girl, are making their directorial debuts. Rush Hour director Brett Ratner also directs a segment, along with Yvan Attal, the Jewish-French actor/filmmaker. Portman also stars in the film, joining a torah scroll of talent that includes James Caan, Ethan Hawke, Christina Ricci and John Hurt.

The trailer:

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August 25, 2008 | 1:03 am

Hyler’s injuries revealed

Posted by Danielle Berrin

Initially keeping a closed lid on the severity of Joan Hyler’s injuries, her progress has enabled those closest to her to reveal just how grave those injuries were. In the latest update posted on UCLA’s carepages, it is explained that Hyler has been on a ventilator, suffered collapsed lungs, sustained multiple broken bones throughout her body, experienced internal bleeding in her head and stomach and is wearing a collar to support her neck and head.

The writer admits that the trauma discussed in the following post has not previously been referenced.  For now, it seems the good news is that Hyler’s condition is improving, but the comfort with her progress has led someone to disclose how close she came to losing her life.

The latest update:

When Joan arrived at UCLA she had a bleed/bruise/subdural hematoma next to the brain. Yesterday’s C-T scan reveals no further bleeding and indicates
that the existing fluid is appropriately on path to being reabsorbed and thus dissapated. As a result the doctors feel confident enough to remove the monitoring device from Joan’s head.

The MRI revealed that Joan’s spine is in good shape and, pending the results of some small additional tests, the doctors plan on removing the support collar from Joan’s neck and chest.

Joan’s lungs have made great progess. After the accident there had been a great deal of fluid pooling in the lowest areas of the
lungs. That fluid has been successfully drained and as a result the doctors have removed one of Joan’s chest tubes, and will imminently be removing
the other.

In the same manner, the doctors are no longer concerned about the pooling of fluid in Joan’s abdomen. All of the internal bleeding has apparently
been caught and the abdomen has been drained.

Joan responded to one of the Neuro residents by opening her eyes, appearing to see him, recognizing his commands, and answering appropriately. She won’t do this for me.

The humerus surgery is still planned for Friday. The surgeries to her legs where they inserted a rod/pin/nail and where they repaired her ankle were
complicated and involved additional procedures which the doctors will re-examine on Tuesday. The break to the pelvis and to the clavicle require no surgical intervention.

Joan remains on a ventilator, but she has made sufficiently good progress that the staff is adjusting the device so that Joan will be breathing along with the ventilator, preparing her lungs for the shortly anticipated removal of the breathing apparatus.

I know this is a lot of detail to absorb, and that this update refers to a number of injuries that had not been previously referenced. The point, however, is that in each of these areas Joan has made good, strong progress.

 

 

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August 23, 2008 | 7:27 pm

Hyler begins to heal

Posted by Danielle Berrin

Talent Manager and producer Joan Hyler is on the slow road to recovery. After a devastating accident that nearly killed her last Friday Aug. 15, Hyler has undergone multiple surgeries to assess and repair damage to her organs, arms and legs. After being struck by a car on the Pacific Coast Highway, Hyler sustained severe injuries, which reportedly included a collapsed lung, internal bleeding and broken legs. There was initial concern that Hyler might not survive the weekend.

But doctors became optimistic on Tuesday, after a CAT scan revealed that brain swelling was minimal. When Hyler responded positively to a reduction in her sedation level, it was determined she could undergo surgeries to repair her legs.

Following a successful surgery last Friday morning, doctors are increasingly optimistic that Hyler is responding well to treatment.

Yesterday morning, Hyler underwent a six-hour surgery during which doctors attempted to repair a badly broken right leg by inserting a pin in her tibia bone. During that same surgery, they also inserted a screw in her left ankle. Doctors had planned to repair damage to her right upper-arm, but decided to delay further procedures and allow Hyler to rest. Hyler has since been taken off of sedation, but continues to receive a morphine drip for pain.

Her progress will be closely monitored throughout the weekend.

Hyler is a prominent player in both Hollywood and the Jewish community. A former vice president of William Morris Agency, she once represented clients Bob Dylan, Madonna and Andy Warhol. Today, Hyler is a prominent talent manager and producer, representing A-list actors, including Oscar-winner Diane Lane.

Hyler has also exhibited a steadfast commitment to the Jewish community and its causes. As president of Women in Film, Hyler created the Morning Star Commission, an organization founded by Hadassah to promote more diverse portrayals of women in media and entertainment. She also co-created the Jewish Image Awards, which celebrates outstanding portrayals of Jewish heritage in film and television.

After it was reported that Hyler went through 40 units of blood last weekend following her accident, friends and colleagues in both the Entertainment and Jewish communities began organizing blood drives on her behalf. Endeavor Talent Agency held an in-house blood drive last Wednesday, where 82 people contributed 61 units of blood. IKAR, a spiritual community in which Hyler is involved, is also encouraging people to donate blood tomorrow, Aug. 24 (see details below).

The latest report on UCLA’s carepages:

Last Friday night was the lowest of all low points. Since that point we have measured time in 12 hour and 24 hour increments. This is going to be a long difficult struggle. Still, at this point, one week later, we have made only progress, with no emergencies and no setbacks.

Joan rested comfortably during the night. She tolerated the surgery well. The swelling in her face has greatly decreased. At various times she has appeared to recognize familiar voices and has started to fleetingly open her eyes in response. They had suspended feeding her [intravenously] while she was waiting for the surgery; that feeding is now resumed.

The third part of yesterday’s surgery—the part that was not completed—the insertion of a plate and screws to repair the humerus—is now scheduled for this coming Friday.

The action for today is for Joan to undergo an MRI and a C-T scan. The ICU is prepping her for these even as this is being written. Joan had been in a support collar from the beginning and they are now thinking of removing it, hence the MRI, to see if they can proceed. Relative to the C-T scan, Joan had suffered a substantial impact to the head, and while there was no fracture, there had been an internal bleed. The C-T scan will give us an up to date picture of where we are on this front.

 

IKAR blood drive:

Sunday August 24
9 a.m.-Noon
Children’s Hospital
4650 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles

Donate anytime:

UCLA Medical Center
757 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles
(310) 825-9111

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August 19, 2008 | 7:46 pm

Hyler condition stabilizes

Posted by Danielle Berrin

Hollywood talent manager Joan Hyler’s critical condition has stabilized, three days after she was struck by a car on the Pacific Coast Highway and nearly lost her life.

Friends and family reporting through UCLA’s carepages have said that Hyler received numerous blood transfusions and is responding to doctors with slight movements, but nothing verbal.

A flood of support and solidarity from both the Jewish and entertainment communities continues to reach Hyler. Endeavor Talent Agency has organized a blood drive in Hyler’s honor, which will take place Wednesday, Aug. 20 (details below). A beloved figure, hundreds of Hyler’s colleagues have posted personal messages, healing prayers and words of encouragement online. 

The latest update from a friend posting on UCLA’s carepages:

The doctors came down this morning and met with Nancy, Joan’s sister.

Joan’s vital signs are very good. She continues to be in stable condition which is exactly what we were hoping for. Now that Joan has been stable for the past 24 hours, the doctors are looking to lowering her sedation level to see how she responds. If that response is ok and indicates that Joan can tolerate movement, the doctors will likely proceed to obtain another CAT scan with a view to determining what needs to be addressed next. All of the above is neither good nor bad. What is good is that we avoided emergencies for the last 24 hours and are seeking to build upon that.

Update (10:42am): The doctors came down again and reported that Joan reacted well enough to the lowered sedation level that they feel comfortable moving her. The next step is for the orthopedists to proceed in an minimally invasive manner and start to clean out the orthopedic
injuries.

Update (Noon): Joan will shortly be going under general anesthesia as the surgeons operate to clean out many of the areas of orthopedic injuries and preventy infection. They will also assess the damage in each locale so as determine the next steps to be undertaken.

The Hollywood Reporter has details on the Endeavor blood drive:

Endeavor will host a blood drive from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in its Beverly Hills screening room Wednesday in honor of Joan Hyler.

The blood drive is being held in conjunction with the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where Hyler was in critical condition. Hyler required a heavy amount of blood.

Hyler’s company manages the careers of Diane Lane, Amber Tamblyn and Amber Heard. She has represented Bob Dylan and Madonna in the past and is a former president of the nonprofit Women in Film.

Appointments can be made by contacting Sarah Adolphson of Endeavor at (310) 248-3039.

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