Reality star is cut out of billionaire husband's will
MPTF: The Whole Story Behind Tillman's Tossing
“The Fund has come to understand the activists are going to sue them if they continue along this line"
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The Hollywood sign might have been covered up by environmentalists, but Love is definitely in the Tinseltown air this Valentine’s Day. No, we don’t mean the baby factory of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, though nice to see you guys are still together, or the are-they-or-aren’t-they “Twilight” couple of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.
What we do mean is the undeniable attraction of eight couples that have seized the heart-shaped zeitgeist this year … for better or worse.
The resignation of Dr. David Tillman as chief executive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund may not be enough to save the Woodland Hills hospital and long-term nursing care facility whose closure he announced so peremptorily almost 13 months ago.
It may not be enough to satisfy critics of a board of directors which stood by Tillman (pictured above in a "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" segment) even as the weakest, most vulnerable residents of the MPTF campus were ordered to move out without warning and their outraged relatives staged an increasingly noisy -- and successful -- campaign to try to force the MPTF to backtrack.
What the resignation does signal, though, is an acknowledgement – if a slow and reluctant acknowledgement -- that the proposed closures were not in fact the result of some “perfect storm” of financial calamities outside the MPTF’s control, as Jeffrey Katzenberg and others tried to argue last year.
Rather, they came about because the MPTF facilities were mismanaged into the ground, as a result of decisions made by Tillman and the leadership culture he fostered over his decade at the helm.
TheWrap wrote about this pattern last April, detailing for example how Tillman decided in 2006 to close the intensive care unit of the hospital over the objections of his senior medical staff; how the loss of the ICU dealt a death knell to the hospital; and how the loss of the hospital threatened to slash MediCal payments to residents of the long-term care facility to such an extent that it would no longer be financially viable.
Nobody at MPTF has ever taken issue with that account. Slowly, over the past few months, senior figures have, in fact, acknowledged it.
In August, Katzenberg’s lawyer, Bert Fields, told TheWrap he couldn’t “speak to Tillman’s past decisions” -- a subtle way of throwing at least his legs under the bus.
In October, the man now designated as Tillman’s interim successor, Bob Beitcher (above), wrote in an otherwise party-line blog for this site that the nursing home’s “business model accelerated its demise” -- a slightly less subtle way of tossing Dr Tillman’s chest and arms under, too.
The official release announcing Tillman’s departure on Tuesday was tantamount to a public humiliation. He did not say he was leaving to pursue other opportunities. He did not even plead that he wanted to spend more time with his family. Rather, he was quoted saying, with remarkable bluntness, that he was getting out “in my own best interests as well as in the best interest of the Fund.”
Translated into English, this means he was fired -- something a senior employee privy to at least some management decisions confirmed to me. “There is no question he would never resign on his own,” he said.
The spin coming out of MPTF circles Wednesday is that Tillman’s departure was strictly a matter of savvy PR. He was the fount of unceasing bad publicity, therefore he had to fall on his sword for the good of everyone else.
Another informed individual close to both the board and the nursing home residents and their families had a much blunter assessment.
Saving the Lives of Our Own, the protest group still hoping to keep the nursing home open, has retained the high-profile downtown law firm Girardi & Keese and has made no bones that something has to change if the MPTF wants to avoid a costly -- and potentially shaming -- lawsuit.
“The Fund has come to understand [the activists] are going to sue them if they continue along this line,” the individual said.
Saving the Lives of Our Own is now cautiously optimistic it can end what it sees as the cold, corporate, uncaring tone cultivated under Tillman’s leadership and launch a full-scale effort -- including heavy fundraising in the industry -- to restore the nursing home and everything else that has fallen by the wayside.
“For us to succeed, Tillman had to go.
Comments
In the wind? Says
Methinks reconciliation is in the wind between MPTF and those standing up for the nursing home. Though it may be reluctantly, MPTF may be forced into it, not unlike Tillman being forced to resign. Too bad they won't be putting out the white flag for the right reason.
Proposal Says
This piece is quite clear. The Fund is backpedaling. Now is the time for Beitcher and board leaders to reach across the table. Maybe not to the Saving the Lives group as a whole, but to Biederman. The board has what might be termed legacy seats, Hawk Koch after his father, Larry Mirisch and his father among others. Why not Biederman? Her mother was on the board and highly thought of until she spoke up and disagreed with the direction the board was heading. Now it seems her mother's position has been vindicated. Now it seems in order to save the Fund something bold has to be done. Inviting her mother back would be a bold move, inviting Biederman to the table would be even bolder.
ray Says
Valencia was also president of Havana Joe and executive vice president of Tommy Hilfiger christian louboutin.where ip="kakijing_" and he was responsible for men's.women's and children's christian shoes.
aallen Says
When is the lawsuit coming that accuses the Board of Breach of Fiduciary Duty?
cheryl Hardy Phillips Says
Came across this post by Nancy Biederman from last October and every word still applies 4 months later - Give it a read again, Mr Beitcher. Maybe the second time around it will sink in and you will understand the philosophy of those of us who will never give up.
October 27, 2009, 9:48PM
Nancy Biederman Says
Mr. Beitcher,
While we recognize that as a board member you must adhere to the party line, we also understand that charitable institutions make a commitment to the people and the community they serve. It is the responsibility of the board to insure that the commitment is fulfilled even at the expense of some temporary financial challenge.
Who created the "business model" that is now being blamed for the demise of the hospital and the LTCU? Is the phrase "business model" an analogy or are board leaders saying that Pickford, Chaplin, Fairbanks and others were setting up and nurturing a "business" with their years of dedicated efforts and financial contributions? Was Jean Hersholt working on a "business model" as he labored to establish what he called ‘a dream come true’ when the Hospital was dedicated in 1948? Is the award named for him given by the Academy to an individual with a successful “business model,” or is it awarded in acknowledgment of humanitarian efforts that bring credit to the motion picture industry?
It has been said that we human beings all have a desire for meaning in our lives. For many of us, that meaning is attained by preserving the legacy of a continuum of care that was the heart and soul of the Fund. Let’s pause to remember the significance of the late Lew Wasserman’s words: “Caring about people who don’t have the wherewithal to care for themselves; that’s what I want to be remembered for.”
We know there is enough money to fulfill the MPTF’s commitment to the current residents, and if, after that, the well runs dry, then there should and will be more money raised by all of us to carry on the mission. That is, of course, if MPTF believes that its obligation of ‘taking care of our own’ is worth continuing. If the mission has now been redefined as taking care of those who can afford it, then that is just further evidence of the moral bankruptcy of the existing board.
aallen Says
Smells like Enron.
Follow the money.
See how they enrich themselves while looting and gutting the MPTF Home.
They never tried to save it because they DON'T WANT to save it.
Seriously, someone needs to investigate how much money these guys are personally profiting from their destruction of this once-great institution.
To The Families Says
God speed to you for your commitment to our industry and to our loved ones. And to the families of Ken Scherer, Seth Ellis, Susan Poprock, et al: I feel very sorry for your pain. A trial can tear a family apart and ruin careers and cause financial ruin. Convince your loved ones to do the right thing. See what has happened to David Tillman he will be scorned by his peers and live his life in shame for his attempts.
Seth Will Fallow Says
Shame on the (M)otion (P)icture (T)itans (F)all! No more volleys in the Daily Foxariety who kisses the brown eye of the business. Time to go to court and expose their crimes. Shame on Bob (the temp). You will follow Tillman into a legacy of shame and disgrace. There is no escaping the truth. There is no "I was just following orders". Down, Bob, Down!!!
ROYCE Says
THE SCREENPLAY, "SAVING THE LIVES OF OUR OWN" IS SLOWLY BEING REWRITTEN . . . THERE'S A HAPPY ENDING IN THE NEAR FUTURE
ROY Says
I'M DONATING SEVERAL SWORDS THAT OTHERS OF TILLMAN'S ILK MAY FEEL FREE TO FALL ON.
Dear FLee Says
Yes, if you make movies you are above the law.
How else do you think that this happened? Movie makers are wealthy kingmakers who scoff at the same laws that you and I must follow. Raising money for Obama and rubbing elbows with celebrities go along way.
Cruella dePoprock Says
Ten years of damage is a lot to recover from. We can do it. The threat of a lawsuit often trumps one's own sense of humanity, as it has in this case.
So be it.
FLee Says
Just a question not insinuating anything
If the MPTF Fund leaders like Mancuso and Fischer were sued and deposed and brought in to a court with a real judge is it possible for them to be found guilty of things like fraud and wrongful you know what, if they worked in the movie business? Is there an exception to stuff like this if you made movies?
Bubba Says
I want Seth in my cell. Ooofah!
This will happened Says
JAIL
Fact Teller Says
You know where these guys Mancuso and Fischer & Company are heading - down [let me count the ways].
Their dastardly deeds are being exposed [they can't seem to help themselves], the excuse they made up that it is a money issue is out the window because of - the facts, the Industry has awoken, more and more people join the cause every day - to keep the sick elderly residents in their home at the MP&TF Nursing Home, to keep the Nursing Home open for future generations who will need it desperately. The auction held by Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna to raise money for the residents had Hollywood royalty in attendance - some who asked to hold benefits for the Nursing Home in their own home - who have said their Hollywood star friends will be at the next function, big stars along with other Industry workers, all aghast by the disgusting behavior of the MP&TF Board leadership.
How can this be resolved amicably when you have Joe Fischer and Frank Mancuso issuing a statement after Tillman's resignation that includes their marching orders to Beitcher that his top priority must be to get the remaining 60 sick and elderly residents out of the Motion Picture Nursing Home so it can be closed.
Boy does something smell. These guys have stunk up the Industry and before their asses are hauled into court, they need to resign - now! They need to be replaced with people who first and foremost have respect for human life.
Undercover Says
Tillman's career is in shambles. Sad.
However not as sad as those that have lost their loved ones due in part to a forced transfer that did not have to happen. This fact will not be lost or swept under the carpet. It will be dealt with in a court of law.
Tillman's dismemberment of the Motion Picture Home goes far beyond being criminal. He has looted the spirit of the Motion Picture Home, and in doing so unfortunately sealed his fate and some of those left behind. He has struck terror and caused the confusion and fear that comes out of uncertainty about one's future.
Out of sight does not mean out of mind. We will not forget what has happened at your hands Dr. Tillman. We are not done with you yet. Your lackeys that bought into and evangelized your scheme will face many sleepless nights as they try to imagine what the end game will be for them in a court of law
Or in the company of their maker.