Plus, the Palisades Village grand reopening, 28th Television Academy Hall of Fame Ceremony and more
Sightings, hearings and happenings around town, brought to you by Engine Vision Media — behind Los Angeles, Pasadena and Orange Coast magazines and historic Downtown L.A. restaurant Engine Co. No. 28. Email your tips to [email protected]
Disgraced singer D4vd has been ordered to stand trial on every charge, and every special-circumstance allegation, in the gruesome death and dismemberment of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
After roughly five days of testimony in July of 2026, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo ruled prosecutors had cleared the relatively low probable-cause burden required at a preliminary hearing.
David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, will face trial on charges including first-degree murder, lewd acts upon a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. The judge also allowed all three special-circumstance allegations to proceed.
Hernandez was found in the trunk of the singer’s Tesla in a Hollywood impound lot in September 2025 while he was on tour.
Prosecutors presented a massive circumstantial case involving thousands of text messages, cellphone and Tesla data, DNA evidence, disturbing Amazon purchases and graphic autopsy testimony. They allege Burke groomed and sexually abused Hernandez before killing her in April 2025, dismembering her body and hiding her decomposing remains inside his Tesla.
The defense vigorously pushed back, arguing that there was only evidence of a death and dismemberment, but not a murder. Attorney Marilyn Bednarski also attacked the government’s theories of lying in wait, financial gain and killing Hernandez to prevent her from reporting a crime.
Prosecutor Beth Silverman had a different interpretation, telling the court, “Nothing sounds like an accident.”
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The defense’s arguments — now a public defender after criminal defense attorneys Blair Berk, Regina Peter and Bednarski withdrew from the case— will have to wait for the next courtroom battle, slated for October 19. Burke pleaded not guilty to charges during his Aug. 31 arraignment.
The Rivas-Hernandez family also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Burke and others on Sept. 4 through their attorney, Patrick Steinfeld.
Seen Around Town
PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 15: Rick Caruso and David Foster speak onstage at Caruso’s Palisades Village grand reopening on August 15, 2026, in Pacific Palisades, California.Credit: Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images for Caruso
Nineteen months after the Palisades fire, Palisades Village reopened with a vibrant evening celebration that included remarks from Rick Caruso, Anthony Hopkins, Kate Hudson and (via video) Billy Crystal — plus performances by Pia Toscano, Ryan Tedder and Katharine McPhee, all produced by David Foster.
FX’s The Shards, the teen thriller series from producer Ryan Murphy, based on the autofiction novel by Bret Easton Ellis, rolled into L.A. with a skate launch party at Glendale’s Moonlight Rollerway attended by cast members Kaia Gerber, Homer Gere, Igby Rigney, Hayes Warner and Graham Campbell.
Stars flocked to SoFi stadium for Ed Sheeran’s sold-out show. Actor Logan Henderson and musicians Huddy and Stevie Mackey checked out Orange Amps gear during Guitar Center’s VIP event at the Bootsy Bellows Lounge, while actors Chase Stokes and Brian Austin Green watched from beverage brand Crazy Mountain’s suite.
La La Land producer Fred Berger, composer Justin Hurwitz and choreographer Mandy Moore reminisced about making the Oscar-winning Lionsgate film during its 10th anniversary screening and rooftop bash at Griffith Observatory, a key backdrop in the L.A.-set movie.
Family Ties
Dr. Sharona Nazarian, Craig A. Corman, Robert Hayman, Kathy Gohari, Lester Friedman, and Rebecca Pynoos attend the Rodeo Drive Rodeo Drive Committee’s special toast and reception honoring Fred Hayman at Beverly WilshireCredit: Jorge Meza
The Rodeo Drive Committee threw a 50th anniversary fête at Beverly Wilshire, A Four
Seasons Hotel during Rodeo Drive Celebrates Fashion. Guests including Dr. Julian Gold, Dr. Sharona Nazarian, Lester Friedman and Rebecca Pynoos mingled, before Mayor Craig A. Corman and Rodeo Drive Committee President Kathy Gohari honored the committee’s late founder, Fred Hayman. Robert Hayman (right) accepted on behalf of his father — and others. “Aldo Gucci, Herb Fink, Jerry Magnin, they were all a part of this,” he said.
“It’s so wonderful to be at the Academy of Television to induct Ted Sarandos of Netflix into the Hall of Fame,” began presenter Jerry Seinfeld when he took the stage at JW Marriott L.A. LIVE on Aug. 13. “Even though, at the same time, it’s hard for me to believe that I am not the one receiving this very special recognition.”
Center Stage
Hall of Fame honoree Ted Danson, left, and Mary Steenburgen attends the 28th Television Academy Hall of Fame on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026 at the JW Marriott L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles. Credit: Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Content Services
The 28th Television Academy Hall of Fame Ceremony inducted seven individuals: Netflix co-CEO Sarandos, Hacks star Jean Smart, A Man on the Inside star Ted Danson, documentary producer Sheila Nevins, late journalist Ed Bradley, and South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
Mary Steenburgen honored her husband, Danson — whose career spans five decades, and who has made her coffee “every single morning for 31 years.” “Whether he’s pouring drinks behind a bar in Boston, solving cases in a retirement home or trying to become a better person in the afterlife, Ted has given us unforgettable characters who feel like family,” she said. “And most of all, he loves people and their stories. He really is the guy who knows your name and is always glad you came.”