Hollywood Everafter

Mystery Shrouds Defense of Accused Letterman Blackmailer: ‘Screenplay’ Defense?

How did a veteran “48 Hours” producer end up being accused of a $2 million blackmail attempt on David Letterman? madonna-letterman.jpg

“There is another side of this story,” Gerald Shargel, attorney for Robert J. Halderman, said. “This story is far more complicated.”

What could the plot to the other side of the story be?

Halderman has already entered a “not guilty” plea to first-degree attempted grand larceny.

According to Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau, Halderman wrote to Letterman stating that he needed to “make a large chunk of money.” Attached to his letter was a one-page screenplay treatment, which described how Letterman would have a “ruined reputation” after details of the CBS “Late Show” host’s sexual relationships with young female employees were revealed.

The 51-year-old producer used a novel method to deliver the “screenplay.” Early in the morning on Sept. 9 the letter and other materials were left in the back seat of Letterman’s car, which was parked outside his Manhattan home.

EXCERPT, FOR MORE CLICK HERE

October 5, 2009 Posted by | Celebrities, Hollywood, Legal | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Dr. Phil Weighs in on Jaycee Lee Dugard Story


Dr. Phil

Dr. Phil McGraw, host of the daytime television show “Dr. Phil,” has weighed in on the Jaycee Lee Dugard case.

The television psychologist told the CBS “Early Show” that one of the most frustrating things about the case is people asking how Jaycee could be controlled for so long by her alleged abductors, Phillip and Nancy Garrido.

Excerpt – for more CLICK HERE

September 10, 2009 Posted by | Hollywood, Legal | , , | Leave a Comment

Lisa Marie Presley: Michael Jackson Feared Elvis-like Death

Those close to Michael Jackson are searching their memory banks for clues to explain the tragic loss.

Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis, remembered a warning sign from years past that she had received, which in light of emerging information surrounding Jackson’s death is unsettling.

Lisa Marie, in a post on her MySpace page, revealed a conversation she had with Michael when she was married to him. She remembered how, during the discussion, the talk turned to the manner in which her father had died.

“I am afraid that I am going to end up like him, the way he did,” Michael confessed. The pop singer was alluding to the tragic death by overdose that Elvis suffered.

Lisa Marie blogged that she had immediately “tried to deter him from the idea at which point he just shrugged his shoulders and nodded almost matter of fact as if to let me know, he knew what he knew and that was kind of that.”

According to Presley, she grew tired from “her quest to save him from certain self-destructive behavior.”

She added, “His family and his loved ones also wanted to save him from this as well but didn’t know how and this was 14 years ago. We all worried that this would be the outcome then.”

June 28, 2009 Posted by | Celebrities, Hollywood, Legal | , , | Leave a Comment

Farrah Fawcett, Angel in Waiting

Farrah Fawcett, Angel in Waiting
By: James Hirsen

It’s not a typical celebrity passing.

In American pop culture terms, Farrah Fawcett was an icon.

She burst onto the Hollywood scene with her sparkling smile, sweet nature and blonde windblown tresses that set hairstyle trends for a decade.

Farrah’s image adorned magazine covers galore, but more importantly her poster was tacked onto teen lockers, shop halls and office walls.

All-American places. All-American dream girl.

She was cheerleader, prom queen, sorority sweetheart and pageant winner all rolled into one. And she graced her way right on up to full-fledged movie star.

Farrah’s career, from “Charley’s Angels” to the reality genre, was a shining example of an actress who lithely coped with a changing media landscape.

Amazingly, the role that defined her fame, that of glamorous detective Jill Monroe who took assignments from the mysterious Charley, only lasted a year.

The TV show was such a hit Farrah became part of that unusual celebrity club of those stars known by their first names only. If you said Farrah, folks knew exactly who you were talking about.

Like Betty Grable in an earlier era, Farrah became the pin-up girl of her generation. The photo of Farrah in a red bathing suit quickly became the biggest selling poster of all time with an unprecedented 12 million copies sold.

Farrah proved she was more than just a pretty face when she took a part in an Off-Broadway play called “Extremities,” and she received critical acclaim. She then tackled a difficult subject in “The Burning Bed,” a TV-movie about an abused woman. It earned her an Emmy nomination.

She starred in another complex made for TV film, “Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story.” And she garnered a second Emmy nomination for a miniseries “Small Sacrifices.”

More critical praise for her acting came from her portrayal of a wayward wife to Robert Duvall’s character in “The Apostle.”

When she appeared as herself in the 2005 reality show, “Chasing Farrah,” the public had a glimpse of the deep love she and Ryan O’Neil shared. The tender relationship supplied a sort of tonic to the public, which offset the disappointing failure of marriages that is so widespread from Hollywood to D.C.

Looks like the Angel got her wings.

June 26, 2009 Posted by | Celebrities, Entertainment Business, Hollywood, Showbiz, Television | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Rihanna to Be a Witness for the Prosecution

Chris Brown had a bad week.

Rihanna’s former boyfriend released a YouTube video in which he told fans he wasn’t a “monster.”

But then he found out that the upcoming court drama is probably going to tell a very different story.

Prosecutors are going to subpoena Rihanna, and she’ll reportedly testify at a preliminary hearing in the case against Brown.

According to the police report, she’s going to have to give the ugly details of that supposed brutal night.

Brown has pled not guilty to the alleged Rihanna beating, and he’s hired high-profile lawyer Mark Geragos to defend him.

If things go along as expected, Rihanna will be subject to cross-examination by Geragos.

Most celebrity cases end up with plea bargains, but if Brown’s convicted he could end up spending more than four years in the slammer.

There’s no truth to the rumor that Rihanna’s working on a new book: “How I Lost 180 Pounds of Unwanted Fat-By Dumping Chris Brown.”

James Hirsen – - Hirsen on Hollywood

June 2, 2009 Posted by | Celebrities, Hollywood, Legal | , , , | Leave a Comment

Wanda Sykes Us Out

Who chose Wanda Sykes to be the featured comic at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner?

Maybe it was the same person who set up the Scare Force One photo op.

The dinner traditionally dishes out humor at the president’s expense.

But Sykes used her moment in the D.C. spotlight to attack conservatives.

She began her routine with a few jokes about President Obama that were actually not-so-veiled compliments.

Not known for her subtlety, she went on to blast talk radio biggies Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and toss cow pies at former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Her jabs at Rush were the harshest and most disingenuous and had no place at the time-honored event.

Sykes falsely “joked” that Limbaugh said he hopes America fails, and she accused him of treason.

She recklessly compared Rush’s comments to those of Osama bin Laden and used the #1 talk radio host’s name and “highjacker” in the same lame joke.

She went on to express, as pathetic liberals are prone to do, her desire that he experience life threatening health problems.

For Hannity, she hypocritically encouraged the use on him of what the Left has deemed “torture” and included a snide remark for bad measure.

When it came to Cheney, Sykes hid behind her lazy wisecracks but inadvertently revealed how unoriginal she really is.

Still, the Hollywood, D.C. crowd (which included Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Natalie Portman, Jonathan Rhys Myers, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes as well as Brian Williams, Helen Thomas, Barbara Walters, Wolf Blitzer and other mainstream media big shots) chortled approvingly.

And according to Variety, White House senior adviser David Axelrod called Sykes “very entertaining.”

Very insidious is more like it.

May 10, 2009 Posted by | Celebrities, Hollywood, politics | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Barbara Walters to Eject Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Seat Miss California

Despite her public denials, Barbara Walters reigns supreme on ABC’s “The View.”

The media Jill of all trades calls the shots when is comes to co-hosts.

Walters shoved Rosie O’Donnell off the show a while back, and she’s about to do the same to Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

The reason for Hasselbeck’s ejection? Walters has apparently had enough of her so-called “shrilly-silly views” and “looney-toon responses,” according to the National Enquirer.

Removal of the former “Survivor” star would leave an empty chair on the hosting panel, and it’s the only slot with a conservative vantage point.

Barbara is considering Carrie Prejean, the now famous Miss California, to take Elisabeth’s place.

Prejean has displayed grace under pressure in her unwavering expression about her beliefs on marriage.

Similar to the manner in which the media treated Governor Sarah Palin, attacks on the Miss USA runner-up have been unfair and unceasing.

Walters will likely get a lot of heat for even considering bringing on Prejean especially since the beauty contest winner is now a spokesperson for the National Organization for Marriage.

Here’s a thought: If she really wants to show independence, and maybe a smidgeon of balance, Walters ought to leave Hasselbeck on the panel and give Miss California Joy Behar’s spot.

James Hirsen is a New York Times bestselling author media law professor.

May 3, 2009 Posted by | Celebrities, Hollywood, politics, Television | , , | Leave a Comment

Tweeting with the Stars

Lately Twitter has been getting a terrabyte’s worth of celebrity buzz.

After a tweeting addiction got pinned with the blame for John Mayer’s breakup with Jennifer Anniston, Mayer opined that posting on the micro blogging social network is “inherently silly and inherently dumb.”

He proceeded to put up a non-silly and fairly astute post on the subject of self-esteem.

“Living by the power of other people’s suggestion will slowly kill you. Genuine self esteem isn’t a roller coaster. It comes from within,” Mayer texted.

Look for esteem or something like it to end up in a new Mayer song.

Meanwhile Demi Moore’s Twitter wits may have helped save a life.

A distressed woman had sent the “Charlie’s Angels” star an ominous Twitter message that read: “Getting a knife, a big one that is sharp. Going to cut my arm down the whole arm so it doesn’t waste time.”

The alert actress and Ashton Kutcher spouse forwarded the terrible tweet to her 350,000 Twitter followers, adding this supplemental message: “Hope you are joking. Everyone I was very torn about responding or retweeting that woman’s post but felt uncomfortable just letting it go.”

Demi’s followers sprang into action and contacted the police who were able to find the woman and prevent the potential suicide.

“Thanks everyone for reaching out to the San Jose PD,” Moore later tweeted. “I am told they are aware and no need to call anymore. I do not know this woman…”

“It is my understanding that the situation was not a joke and that through the collective efforts here action was taken to provide help!” Moore added.

It just goes to show that social networks can be used for more than mere amusement.

They can be twitterly important and at times tweetastic.

BTY, I’m a twitterer, too, and if you’re so inclined please forward me your choicest news twips and H-tweets.

Twanks.

James Hirsen is a media analyst, teacher of mass media and entertainment law at Biola University and professor at Trinity Law School.

April 5, 2009 Posted by | Celebrities, Hollywood, Showbiz | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Brad Pitt Too Good Looking to Play D.C. Reporter?

tn2_brad_pitt_1.jpgDirector Kevin MacDonald says he’ s relieved that Brad Pitt pulled out of the upcoming movie “State of Play.”

Washington, D.C. journalists aren’t likely to be too happy about it, though.

MacDonald says he’s glad Pitt’s not in the flick because the dude is just too handsome to play a D.C. reporter.

The flick’s storyline is based on a BBC mini-series in which an investigative reporter works with a police detective to solve a murder involving a congressman’s mistress.

MacDonald says the journalist is supposed to be a bit of a schlump, and Pitt can’t play a schlump so he’s hired Russell Crowe.

Luckily for the director, the congressman is played by Ben Affleck who happens to be quite adept at playing schlumps.

March 22, 2009 Posted by | Celebrities, Hollywood, Showbiz | , , , | Leave a Comment

Don’t Miss Gary Sinise on Fox!

Veteran critically acclaimed CSI actor Gary Sinise’s special will be on the Fox News Channel Saturday January 10 at 9 pm ET.

“With the help of the USO, my brother-in-law Jack, and my friend Jonathan Flora who used a handheld camera, you will see what happened on a seven day trip I took to Iraq last summer which will air this Saturday night on the FOX News Channel,” Sinuse said.

“It was my fourth trip there with the USO. My goal, as always, was to cover as many miles as possible and to take pictures, sign autographs and shake hands with as many troops as I could in the time I had. Stops included bases in Kuwait and in Iraq – Al Asad, Al Qaim, Ramadi , Habbaniyah, TQ airbase and Baghdad.”

“It was the first time I have let a camera follow me around on one of these trips. Over the last six years, I have traveled around the world and all over the United States to visit and perform for our troops with the USO. I have supported many grass roots efforts as well and visited our wounded in the hospitals several times. I could not be more honored to play a small part in helping our troops and their families. We can never do enough for our veterans who have sacrificed so much to keep this nation free.”

January 9, 2009 Posted by | Hollywood, politics, Television | , , , | Leave a Comment

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