Producers Press Case Against Piven

(NEWSER) - John Forsythe, a versatile actor who gained lasting fame as Blake Carrington on the pioneering prime-time soap Dynasty and as the voice of the mysterious Charlie on Charlie's Angels, died yesterday in California. He was 92. Best known at the time as the affable star of Bachelor Father, Forsythe played a villainous judge in the 1979 Al Pacino vehicle And Justice for All, demonstrating he had the chops to channel the scheming Blake Carrington. More»

Advocates complain that blind, deaf had no chance to audition

(NEWSER) - Advocates for blind and deaf actors complain that they were never given a chance to audition for the role of Helen Keller in an upcoming revival of The Miracle Worker. The part has instead been given to Abigail Breslin, best known for playing Olive in Little Miss Sunshine. The Broadway show's producer says it would have been naïve and "financially irresponsible" to even consider giving the role to anybody except a proven star. More»

Play mocking mercury poisoning must stop defaming him, comedian insists

(NEWSER) - Jeremy Piven has had it up to here with people mocking his sushi poisoning. The comedian slapped the Public Theater with a cease-and-desist letter over The Piven Monologues, a show that explores his mercury poisoning fiasco. Piven’s attorney clarifies, “We didn't say you cannot do the play, we said you can't make defamatory statements about our client.” Somehow it seems that would make the play a lot less funny… More»

Actor says he could have had heart attack

(NEWSER) - Jeremy Piven and his terrible case of sushi-related mercury poisoning got off easy during last night's Late Show appearance. David Letterman skipped questions prepared by the National Fisheries Institute—such as "why is it that people in Japan eat far more fish than you, yet don't complain about mercury poisoning?"—and let the actor explain why he bailed on Speed the Plow, the New York Post reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Jeremy Piven was on the level when he blamed mercury poisoning for his decision to bail on a Broadway production of Speed-the-Plow last December, an arbitrator has ruled. "While we respect the decision, we strongly disagree with it," the producers of the David Mamet play said in a statement. Said the Entourage star, who blamed overconsumption of sushi for his medical condition, "I'm pleased with the outcome of the arbitration and to be completely vindicated in this matter," Playbill reports. More»