hi fella

Brian Quintana's record of run-ins with celebrities has gone mostly unnoticed. Those he's accused say he's an example of a small group of opportunists who wreak havoc in the lives of famous people.

By Harriet Ryan 
March 22, 2009

If Brian Quintana, an events planner who bills himself as "the billionaire's Hollywood go-to guy," is to be believed, the last decade and a half of his life has been marked by a series of startlingly abusive relationships with celebrities.

If he is to be believed, actress Stefanie Powers sexually assaulted him, socialite Paris Hilton tried to wreck him professionally and movie producer Jon Peters solicited him to commit murder. If he is to be believed, all three also threatened him with death or grave injury.

Quintana's record of run-ins with the rich and famous has mostly gone unnoticed in Hollywood, where attention spans are shorter than a starlet's micro-mini. His is a cautionary tale of misplaced trust, but whether that warning is directed at the entertainment industry's big names or the little people who minister to them depends on who is telling the story. 

Quintana paints himself as a champion of those victimized by celebrity arrogance.

"I for one will not tolerate their abuse," he wrote in an e-mail.

Not surprisingly, those he's accused say he is not to be believed. They contend he is an example of a small but destructive group of opportunists who worm their way into the lives of famous people and wreak havoc.

"Brian Quintana is an individual who made a career out of hanging on to well-known people, creating trouble for them, demanding compensation from them and, when he is about to be cut off, blackmailing them with fabricated allegations," Peters' attorney charged in a January lawsuit against Quintana.

In his most recent legal battle, Quintana filed a suit accusing Peters, a former studio chief whose movies include "Caddy Shack," "Rain Man" and "Ali," of jaw-dropping misconduct, including plotting a homicide, procuring sex for his actors and destroying evidence of rape. Peters denies the allegations and says he hopes to make Quintana's third court faceoff with a celebrity his last.

"The buck stops here. He needs to be exposed," Peters said.

Quintana, 42, initially refused to comment for this story. He answered requests for an interview with an e-mail of quotes on various issues ("I manufacture fame and celebrity. I feel like Dr. Frankenstein when these creatures become monsters."). His lawyer then sent two letters threatening legal action for, among other things, invading his privacy. But a few days before the story was scheduled to run, Quintana said he wanted an interview.

He portrayed himself as the ultimate insider -- "someone who can get almost any Hollywood A-lister on the phone in 30 seconds." 

He did not drop names so much as machine-gun them. He spoke of relationships with an array of actors, directors, politicians and philanthropists. Among his claimed connections: Oprah Winfrey ("Are we best friends? No, but there's a kinship"), reality TV star Brody Jenner ("He would always say, 'Why are you always with the cool people?' "), filmmaker Bryan Singer ("I introduced him to Jon Peters") and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

A publicist said Winfrey had "no relationship" with Quintana. Jenner's representative said Quintana's claim of a friendship was "completely false." Singer said Quintana played no role in his meeting Peters. Aides to Pelosi said Quintana was an intern in her office during college but denied that he and the congresswoman have the close association he asserts.