True Hollywood Story

While news about the Anthony Pellicano wiretapping case, has been sending shock waves throughout the entertainment industry for weeks now, I have resisted blogging about it, because quite frankly---nothing about it held my interest...Until now...

Janet Shprintz of Variety leads off today's edition with quite a shocker. She writes:

Director John McTiernan became the highest-profile Hollywood player to be charged [in the case]...

The federal charge against McTiernan -- who helmed such pics as "Die Hard" and "The Thomas Crown Affair"-- claims he lied to the FBI when he told investigators in February that he had no knowledge of private eye Anthony Pellicano's illegal wiretapping.

The FBI claims McTiernan in fact hired and paid Pellicano to conduct an illegal wiretap of producer Charles Roven. The document does not explain why he would want to wiretap Roven, but the two worked together on the 2002 movie "Rollerball."

McTiernan is the 14th person to be charged in connection with the long-running probe, but the first high-profile name in Hollywood. The town has been buzzing for three years, guessing over who might be cited.

McTiernan could have been charged with additional crimes such as conspiracy, said Laurie Levenson, who teaches criminal law at Loyola Law School, but he was only charged with making a false statement. She suggested that single charge against the helmer -- and the fact that it was in a criminal complaint instead of an indictment -- could mean he's worked out a plea deal with prosecutors and is cooperating with federal authorities.

The maximum penalty is a five-year sentence, but Levenson said it could work out to be less.

Wow! This news comes hot on heels of an LA Times article by Claudia Eller and Sallie Hofmeister about Viacom (Paramount) chief Brad Grey and his connection to Pellicano:

Viacom Inc.'s top brass gave Brad Grey, chief executive of Paramount Motion Picture Group, a vote of confidence Monday despite the unwanted attention the studio is getting from his links to indicted private investigator Anthony Pellicano.

In their first interview on the subject, Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone and CEO Tom Freston said Grey's ties to Pellicano were fully examined by the company before he joined the studio more than a year ago. They said they remained comfortable with their decision to tap the former talent manager to turn around the lagging studio.

"I have the utmost faith in the integrity of Brad Grey," Redstone said, acknowledging that in making such a blanket endorsement, "I'm going out on a limb here. We have investigated this to the fullest. But can anybody be certain of anything but life and death?"

He added that, for Grey, "it can't be pleasant to run the studio under these circumstances. But it has not materially interfered with his running the studio."

Freston, who personally selected Grey for the job, said that before he was hired, Grey was "totally upfront" about his involvement with Pellicano. Grey's attorney, Bertram Fields, had hired the investigator to work on two high-profile lawsuits brought against Grey by his former client Garry Shandling and "Scary Movie" executive producer Bo Zenga.

Grey informed his prospective bosses that he had testified twice before the grand jury as a witness in the Pellicano matter and had been questioned by the FBI.

In addition, Freston said, Viacom did its homework, largely through conversations between Viacom General Counsel Michael Fricklas and Grey's personal attorney, Ron Olson.

This story is getting good. Since it has all of the ingredients to make a good movie...I wonder if anyone in tinseltown will want to make it. After all, Hollywood loves to champion properties about political scandal and "failed" policies. Why not make a movie about this case?

Or does the drama "hit too close to home" for some?

I can't wait to see how this story ends...