The high-stakes gambler who sparked an internal investigation and filed a whistleblower complaint against Jeff Shell was previously negotiating with the Paramount president over a music reality show.
R.J. Cipriani co-created and exec produced Roku’s Spanish-language series Serenata De Las Estrellas, in which Latin acts like Ozomatli and Los Lobos perform surprise mini-concerts for fans who’ve gone through tough times. He’d been introduced to Shell via their mutual attorney Patty Glaser, and he’d recently pitched the studio boss on picking up the English-language format of Serenata.
After the discussion soured, Cipriani brought claims to the attention of Paramount about Shell. As THR previously revealed, the entertainment mogul is alleged to have improperly disclosed details about the timing, cost and structure of his public company’s $7.7 billion media rights deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, whose parent TKO Group Holdings jumped 10 percent following news of the pact.
Notably, Glaser has been both Shell’s attorney as well as counsel representing Cipriani in business pertaining to Serenata, whose English-language version has been shopped as Star Serenade. In the current conflict, Cipriani’s counsel is Steve Aaronoff, who previously worked for Glaser.
Glaser is a prominent Hollywood litigator with a formidable reputation. Kim Basinger referred to her as “Ms. Glacier” during the 1990s legal feud over the film Boxing Helena. “I sort of took it as a compliment,” Glaser later recalled.
Cipriani and Shell declined to comment. Glaser didn’t respond to an inquiry about her involvement with both parties.
The Shell saga has surfaced as Paramount owner David Ellison appears to have succeeded with his $111 billion bid to take outmaneuver Netflix and win control of Warner Bros. Discovery, pending regulatory review.
Shell landed atop Paramount after his termination from his last top post as NBC Universal’s CEO over allegations of sexual misconduct with a CNBC correspondent. Ellison has repeatedly been willing to look past reported alleged transgressions in big hires, bringing on John Lasseter to run Skydance Animation and, as THR reported Feb. 27, screenwriter Max Landis to work on a feature for its rebooted G.I. Joe franchise. Both men have made public acknowledgments in response to accusations of sexual misconduct.
Cipriani is a larger-than-life character known within and beyond the entertainment business for his exploits as a gambler, connector, instigator and whistleblower. Last year, he took issue with the accuracy and framing of a Mark Wahlberg-produced Amazon docuseries about his fraught entanglement with an international drug kingpin.
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