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Stars tremble as PI trial starts
08/03/2008 22:09 - (SA)
Los Angeles - Off the record, on the QT and very hush, hush, the trial of a Hollywood private eye who counted A-list stars among his clients is stirring fears of what secrets might crawl out of the woodwork.
Anthony Pellicano, dubbed "the PI to the stars" went on trial on Wednesday on 110 counts of illegal telephone tapping and racketeering with four co-accused.
Eyebrows were already raised among the rich and famous in 2006 when he was charged as the rumour mill went into overdrive speculating what juicy secrets might be revealed as police scoured his Sunset Boulevard offices.
Gossip mongers were salivating Wednesday as prosecutors unveiled a list of potential witnesses, including some of Hollywood's top stars such as Sylvester Stallone, Keith Carradine, Chris Rock and Farrah Fawcett.
They also said two of Hollywood's most powerful men, the head of the Paramount studios, Brad Grey, and the former head of Disney, Michael Ovitz, who had supposedly hired Pellicano, would be in the witness-box.
"Perhaps Hollywood's paranoia regarding the trial of Anthony Pellicano was justified," said the industry daily Variety, after prosecutors told the court they would use as evidence hours of tapes between the accused and his clients.
The tapes were all seized when he was first arrested in 2006.
Those stars called to testify under oath at the trial might find themselves hit by some embarrassing revelations, says columnist Joel Stratte-McClure, who writes for the Los Angeles Daily News.
Tidbits, which have already filtered out to the press, suggest that Pellicano was hired for a whole range of issues, from divorces to disputes between producers and film-makers.
One director John McTiernan was sentenced to four months in prison in September 2007 for lying to investigators.
For Stratte-McClure, the affair is symptomatic not just of Hollywood but of "rich America" in which legal success is often measured by how much you can afford to pay your lawyer.
Pellicano, who is defending himself in court, said on Thursday, that his clients problems became his problems. For such personal care, he charged his clients tens of thousands of dollars.
A well greased machine
"Hollywood is generally a very well greased machine, that involves everybody from publicist to security officials, private trainers and everything else that caters to these individuals. They have a lot of money, and can have legitimate concerns about their security," says Stratte-McClure.
"But when you're involved with helpers, finders, fixers, you can go with someone who can solve problems quickly, even if he used illegitimate means."
So far, Pellicano, who has spent 30 months in prison for possessing explosives, has remained tight-lipped, refusing to talk about his clients.
But "people doing their own defence are completely loose cannons and go crazy," added Stratte-McClure.
"He claims that he was there to solve problems, just like Michael Clayton, but the fact is that the jury is about to hear about wiretapping, intimidating and threatening people. It will be very dirty.
"He did lots of things that cross the line. Since he's been in jail, he has kept his mouth shut."
Another cinema critic Lew Harris believes the Pellicano scandal is a result of the intense secrecy with which the stars shroud themselves in a bid to escape paparazzi harassment.
"Pellicano was a huge muscle guy, he threatened people. This is a story about the people in Hollywood who think that the rules don't apply to them. The question is whether they knew the tactics that he used," he said.
"Even in his heyday, everybody knew that he was playing outside the system. The celebrities and the powerful people seclude themselves from reality.
"And some handlers go to people like Pellicano."
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South Africa
