The dark past of one of Los Angeles' most iconic tourist attractions - and why people still think it's cursed

Even if you've never been to Griffith Park, in Los Angeles, you'll definitely have seen it on TV.
One of Los Angeles ' leading attractions, the public park, in California's Santa Monica Mountains, is where the iconic Hollywood sign is located, as well as the Los Angeles Zoo, and Griffith Observatory, celebrating its 90th anniversary this year.

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Daily Mail​

3 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's daughter Zahara ditches diamond ring on Disneyland date as family tensions rise

Brad Pitt 's daughter Zahara ditched the diamond ring on her finger during a Disneyland date with her boyfriend amid engagement rumors. The daughter of the Fight Club star and his ex-wife Angelina Jolie fueled rumors earlier this month but left her ring finger bare this time while out with her beau. Zahara, 20, was seen holding hands with her boyfriend Elijah Cooper as they enjoyed the weekend in Anaheim, California on Friday. The pair wore matching outfits for their date and were also seen sporting matching Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse ears. For their day at the amusement park, the couple coordinated in white T-shirts and light wash jeans. The pair appeared attached at the hip as they enjoyed a loved-up outing to kick off the weekend. The aspiring actress has been estranged from her famous father and had a strained relationship with him ever since her parents split up nearly a decade ago. Zahara is currently a college student at Spelman College in Atlanta and dropped her father's surname during her sorority induction ceremony as she now goes by Zahara Marley Jolie. A little over a week ago, she was seen in high spirits after a romantic dinner date and sparked engagement rumors when she was seen with a massive diamond ring on that finger. She and her boyfriend kept a low profile as they headed home after grabbing a bite together at Craig's in Los Angeles. On the same day, her estranged dad was in New York City and nearly risked an awkward run-in with Jolie in Manhattan amid his loved-up PR tour with his girlfriend Ines de Ramon. Cooper is an actor studying at Morehouse College in Atlanta and lives in Los Angeles, according to his Instagram bio. On the same day as their Disney date, he also took to social media to share a series of snaps of him and his girlfriend posing in fun group photos alongside his family. Zahara is one of Jolie and Pitt's six children. The exes, who fell in love after starring in Mr. and Mrs. Smith together in 2005, also share Maddox, 23, Pax, 21, Shiloh, 19, and 16-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne. Jolie and Pitt were together for about a decade before they tied the knot in 2014 but filed for divorce two years later in 2016. Jolie cited irreconcilable differences and later accused Pitt of abusing both her as well as their children, which he has denied. Their lengthy, contentious divorce battle was finalized eight years later in late 2024 and since then, many of their kids have dropped Pitt's surname amid their ongoing estrangement. Shiloh also now goes by Shiloh Nouvel Jolie as she filed paperwork to legally remove her estranged dad's surname from her own when she turned 18 last summer. After Zahara stepped out with what appeared to be an engagement ring, Pitt was reportedly 'devastated.' He reportedly learned about the engagement rumors online, which was like a 'punch in the gut' since he hadn't heard anything about it from his daughter, an insider told journalist Rob Shuter. He made a shocking remark about his family after his bitter divorce with Jolie officially came to an end but his fractured relationship with their six children remains unresolved. After Zahara stepped out with what appeared to be an engagement ring, Pitt was reportedly 'devastated.' He reportedly learned about the engagement rumors online, which was like a 'punch in the gut' since he hadn't heard anything about it from his daughter; pictured November 2011 in Tokyo Pitt — who believes his relationship with two of his children is 'unfixable' — opened up about how important family is to him — amid his ongoing and escalating estrangement from his kids. Speaking at the F1 premiere in Mexico City, he said: 'No matter the mistake, you just learn from [it] and move on,' he told ET. 'It'll lead to the next success.' The Oscar winner continued, 'When you get to my age, you realize how important it is to surround yourself with the people you love, the people that love you back.' 'Friends, family, and that's it," he added. 'From there, we get to go make things. It's a pretty simple, I think, equation.' The interview comes after a source exclusively told how Pitt felt after Pax was pictured last month stumbling out of the Chateau Marmont, propped up by several friends. 'He has zero concern with what Pax does or doesn't do. [Pax's] actions reflect who he is,' the insider said. 'Brad honestly considers his relationship with Pax unfixable,' they added. The source went on to say that the actor doesn't appear to be planning any outreach to either of his adopted sons: 'Pax and Maddox have made it abundantly clear how they feel, and Brad has nothing to say about either of them.' As for his other children, the source said that Pitt 'holds out hope that the others will one day come around. Time heals wounds.' A source close to Jolie also hit back at her ex-husband at the time and said: 'Brad continues to play the victim. His fractured relationship with his children is a direct result of how he has treated them. 'He should stop blaming others. If he wants to rebuild a relationship with the kids, he should acknowledge his own actions and make amends.'

Daily Mail​

3 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

Tom Sandoval leaves judge stunned as he tries to rehabilitate image as 'most hated man in America' on AGT

With Vanderpump Rules getting a whole new cast and Schwartz and Sandy's closing down, Tom Sandoval is in need of a job. He's not on any reality TV show for the first time in more than a decade so he decided to try something new. He is auditioning for America's Got Talent and the episode with him in it airs on Tuesday, June 24. 'My name is Tom Sandoval, I was the most hated man in America,' Sandoval said in a clip shared via Instagram. He was referencing the so-called Scandoval drama that unfolded on season 10 and 11 of Vanderpump Rules when Tom cheated on his then-girlfriend Ariana Madix with friend Raquel Leviss. 'This is the chance to show who I am as a musician,' Sandoval said, while Simon Cowell quipped, 'I think I know who you are.' He then launched into a cover of the 1980s song 'Take On Me' by the band A-ha. He really threw his all into the song while wording the state in a green sequin jacket and black pants. Sandoval had five short white vertical lines under his right eye as he crooned the song with his band The Most Extras. Judges Cowell, Sofia Vergara and former Spice Girl Mel B were all shocked to see Sandoval take the stage. Cowell scowled for most of Tom's song, but in the end he did offer him a small smile. But Sofia Vergara didn't look at all comfortable with Sandoval on the stage. Sandoval still hasn't escaped the long shadow of his cheating scandal and, in fact, has yet to sell the house he and Ariana bought together. He offered an update about the house he previously shared with Ariana on a March episode of Watch What Happens Live. The 42-year-old Sandoval and 39-year-old Madix purchased the Valley Village home for $2 million back in 2019. After they split in 2023, following Sandoval cheating on her with Raquel Leviss, Madix sued her ex to get him to force him to sell the house and split the profits. Sandoval ultimately agreed to sell the home, revealing on his Everybody Loves Tom podcast in October 2024 that he's getting the house ready to be sold. 'The house is going on the market. [We are] selling the house, getting it ready,' Sandoval revealed on the podcast. However, nearly five months later, Sandoval admitted on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live that the house has not sold yet. He also clarified that he's only communicating with his ex through her lawyer. Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen asked Sandoval if the house had sold yet, and Sandoval began, 'We have not.' 'It's been a lot of work. I've been doing a lot of the heavy lifting. It's just the way that it's been. It takes awhile,' Sandoval said. When Cohen asked who was living in the house, Sandoval said, 'I am currently,' and when he asked if he's been speaking with Madix throughout the process, he said they only communicate, 'through her entertainment lawyer.' Madix ultimately moved out of the Valley Village home she once shared with Sandoval, and moved into a Hollywood Hills home last year that she purchased for $1.6 million. Sandoval previously slammed Ariana as 'petty' for turning down his offer on the $2million property, which was later revealed to be a $600,000 cash buyout. 'Ariana is making it out to be that me wanting to keep the house is a psychopath move, but it's not,' the singer told Nick Viall on the The Viall Files podcast in January.

The Guardian

4 hours ago

• The Guardian

In the Arena: Serena Williams review – there is just no one in the world that matches up to her (and her sister)

Serena Williams, holder of 39 grand slam titles and four Olympic gold medals, who spent 319 weeks as tennis's world No 1 and became the highest-earning female athlete in history, never thought she was that good when she was a young player. That was because she was always training against her older sister, Venus ('she was the prodigy of prodigies'), the only person in the world who could really challenge her. A year younger, Serena remembers being shorter and weaker and resorting to cheating on line calls at practice so she could occasionally beat her. In the Arena: Serena Williams (the title comes from President Roosevelt's 1910 speech to the Sorbonne – 'It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena' so, yes, consider me told) is an eight-part docuseries that covers Serena's rise and rise over her 27-year tennis career before she retired three years ago. Since then, incidentally, she has been busy with her venture capital firm, production company, body care and pain relief startup, beauty line and raising two children. Honestly, it's like looking in a mirror, is it not? In the Arena was executive produced by Serena and is clearly meant to be the definitive version of events. It would be too strong to call it hagiographic, but it is a full-blooded celebration of her achievements. It is not the place to come if you want, for example, an interrogation of the techniques used by the sisters' astonishing father and coach, Richard Williams, to mould two champions. 'My dad was a marketing genius,' says Serena of his marshalling of press attention round his children in the early years, regardless, some might say and have said, of the psychological impact. 'There's a very thin line between parent and coach … But I would say at the end it was all worth it,' is as far as Serena goes here in acknowledging the criticism Richard has faced for his intense focus on their professional success. Then it's on to the good stuff. The sisters turning pro – Venus flying from the start, Serena stumbling slightly before she too took off. The beating of rivals and established stars ('I was determined, determined to take her down … I'm coming for you. I'm coming for everyone') and their swift domination of a game that had hitherto been almost solely the preserve of a white, moneyed elite. 'Little sisters from Compton. Can't really take that too seriously, right?' Inevitably, of course, they begin to meet in grand slam finals. The footage – the grace, the power of them – is astonishing. Almost as astonishing, if in a gradually emerging way, is the grace with which they handle the competition between them, the wins and the losses. Serena talks about benefiting from Venus going first in everything, from turning pro, to handling good and bad press, to playing individuals Serena will later face in tournaments. They talk with sincerity about being pleased for each other's wins even as they mourn and analyse their own losses. And they talk about the bifurcation between life as sisters and life as absolutely dedicated competitors and not letting either one infect the other. They warmed up together before their first joint grand slam final, the 2001 US Open. Venus won. 'I can't say I enjoyed it. I did what I had to do.' 'I wasn't happy,' adds Serena. 'But I was OK. She was the phenom. It was never me.' Her turn would come. She learned to pretend she was playing someone else when it was Venus on the other side of the net. By the time Wimbledon rolled round a year later, she was ready to be No 1. 'I gotta have it,' Serena grins, remembering. 'That's what I need in my life. Because it's just an extension of who I was. As Thanos says: I was inevitable. I couldn't stop the roll.' Nor could anyone – including the haters behind the racial and misogynist abuse she dealt with – or anything, including the difficult birth of her first child, in 2017, which nearly killed her. She retired in 2022, and plunged straight into what is already a highly successful and lucrative second act. It would be fascinating to compare and contrast another pair of sisters or – perhaps even more fascinatingly – a pair of brothers who followed the same trajectory. Would they have stayed so close, maintained the same boundaries between love and work, or would they have disappeared under the pressure of competition? Would they have spurred each other on to greater heights in the same way, or destroyed each other? Would they remain such generous supporters of each other, or have combusted by now? What makes the mind not just of a champion – but of a champion who survives the ride intact? Maybe one day we'll find out. But there is as yet nothing to compare to Serena or to Venus separately, let alone together. In the Arena: Serena Williams airs on BBC One and is on iPlayer now