Results tagged “mercurypoisoning”

Just like he did in star said, “All we can ask for is our day in court. I was lucky enough to get it, and the truth prevailed. It’s a beautiful thing...I think our president has shown us, beautifully, that the high road is the road to take and so I’m going to take his lead on this."

Albany's in turmoil. The MTA's in fiscal crisis. Cheap lawn chairs clutter Broadway. But just in time to heal a troubled city, Jeremy Piven is back. You'll recall that last December the Smokin' Aces star abruptly quit the Broadway production of Speed-the-Plow, claiming that excessive seafood consumption—not excessive partying, shut up!—had left him exhausted with "dangerously high" mercury levels. The world—or at least, that tiny fraction of it that goes to theater—snorted derisively, but Piven stuck to his story, even going on Good Morning America to warn everyone about mercury. Producers of Speed-the-Plow, which made less money once the rubes learned a tee-vee star wasn't in it anymore, filed a complaint against Piven with the actors' union. At a grievance hearing in February, the five actors on the panel bought it (he cried!), while the five producers didn't, and thus here we are at arbitration, which is happening this week! Producers whisper to the Post that they'll nail Piven good this time by citing examples of his odd behavior at the theater, which included showing up late for his call time and even telling one backstage visitor, "I'm bored out of my mind."

Yes! The saga continues! After yesterday's grievance hearing ended in a split decision, we were all so worried that the legend of Jeremy Piven's mercury poisoning had at last reached its denouement. But aggrieved producers of the Broadway Speed-the-Plow revival still say Piven was lying when he claimed that elevated mercury levels forced him to quit the show. Now they've issued a statement announcing their intention to pursue the matter further, meaning a continued Piven-related diversion for all! The short press release states: "The grievance went as expected yesterday. The grievance committee (made up of League and Equity representatives) did not rule for either side and we will be filing for arbitration as provided by our contract." Your move, Ari!

They bought it! At a closed-door hearing yesterday in front of a committee comprised of union actors and producers' reps, Jeremy Piven was able to convince his fellow thespians that he had no choice but to quit Speed-the-Plow last December because of dangerously high mercury levels. The five actors on the panel all sided with the Runaway Jury star, while the five members of the Broadway league agreed with the show's producers, who say Piven faked mercury poisoning because he was bored and wanted to get back to sunny L.A.

Jeremy Piven sat down for his first interview since his sudden departure from Broadway play Speed-the-Plow last month, and despite widespread snickering that his "exhaustion" was really brought on by too much plowing-the-snow, the Entourage star is sticking to his mercury poisoning story. In the exclusive chat with Diane Sawyer, Piven maintains that illness caused by excessive seafood consumption brought him to his knees, and the condition deteriorated to the point where "that final Sunday, um, I had problems spatially, I was losing my balance and my memory. The lights were too bright, I couldn't get enough oxygen, I ended up passing out in my place when I got home... I'm a very clean person, I kind of grew up macropsychotic—macrobiotic, I call it macropsychotic." After brushing off rumors about his hard partying lifestyle ("If I had a glass of wine, it was too much"), Piven declares he hasn't had fish in five months, and wraps with a plug for ocean preservation website Blue Voice.

Tonight's the night William H. Macy takes over the role in Speed-the-Plow that hacktor Jeremy Piven abandoned so he could convalesce in Bangkok after a bout of "mercury poisoning" left him too "exhausted" to "perform" in the hit Broadway play. After weeks of silence, more of Piven's squirming (video) on the Golden Globes' red carpet has come to light today; speaking of Macy, Piven told the Post, "I know he'll be extraordinary in the role." No secret there; Macy is a Mamet expert. Here's the Scooby Doo in Where's My Mummy star's explanation to the Daily News:

What people don’t really know is that it’s a real illness and I am not a doctor, so I cannot identify specifically what brought me down.

Continue reading ""Be Nice To Me," Jeremy Piven Pleads"

Okay, one more Golden Globe video for the road. After weeks of silence about his abrupt departure from Broadway's Speed-the-Plow, actor Jeremy Piven was finally cornered on the red carpet last night and had no choice but to comment about his recent "mercury poisoning." Naturally, the question about his illness wasn't prompted by the "reporter" doing the interview (Tiki Barber), but by Piven's Entourage buddy Mark Wahlberg, who facetiously wondered if mercury poisoning is contagious. Piven did not seem too amused by the jape.