Keanu’s Depo Won’t Leave Legal Matrix
Keanu Reeves’ next court date will remain his own private session.
A judge has granted the actor’s request to seal the transcript and tape of his deposition pertaining to a paparazzo’s negligence lawsuit, deeming it a “reasonable request.”
“I expect everyone to comply in good faith,” Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elizabeth A. Grimes said Monday. “I do not view this as an attempt by the defense to take unfair advantage of the plaintiff.”
Reeves’ attorney had argued that, if a video of the Q&A session got out, it would “undoubtedly be analyzed frame by frame in an attempt to embarrass Mr. Reeves.”
Meanwhile, legal eagle Joseph Farzam, who’s representing shutterbug Alison Silva, said that the public was unlikely to give Reeves the fine-tooth comb treatment reserved for celebs such as “Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith.”
The Street Kings star is “certainly not more important than the president of the United States,” Farzam argued.
But, per Grimes’ order, only the warring parties’ lawyers and expert witnesses will have access to the depo transcripts and an unnamed third party will hang onto the tape.
Silva sued Reeves in November for unspecified damages, claiming that “in a sudden, erratic and dangerous manner” Reeves hit him with his Porsche in March 2007 while pulling out of a parking space in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., leaving him with “serious injuries to body and severe shock and injuries to the nervous system and person, all of which…have caused and continue to cause Plaintiff great mental, physical and nervous pain and suffering.”
The case is scheduled to go to trial Oct. 27, but the judge expresed her belief that the two sides will settle up before then.
No plans to strike, says SAG president
There’s good news and bad news coming from the on-going talks between the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The bad news is that there has been very little progress in talks between SAG and the studios concerning a new contract.
With their current contract expiring on June 30th, SAG members are looking for higher pay for “middle-tier” actors, those making less than $100,000 a year, and a greater cut of profits from DVD and new media sales — a main sticking point during this past winter’s Writers Guild strike. In addition to those woes, there are bitter splits taking place between SAG members and those of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) after the smaller union ratified an agreement with the studios.
The good news, at least for film and television viewers, is that SAG has no immediate plans to strike.
In a statement to the press SAG president Alan Rosenberg said, “We have taken no steps to initiate a strike authorization vote by the members of Screen Actors Guild. Any talk about a strike or a management lockout at this point is simply a distraction.” Rosenberg added that SAG is coming to the negotiations in good faith to settle on a fair contract for their actors. These statements have not eased the fears of the studios: they’ve been rushing to complete their current projects before a proposed strike. Here’s hoping the union and the studios can resolve heir issues.
Screen Writers Strike Takes Its Toll
Screen Writers Strike Takes Its Toll
It hasn’t happened in twenty years, but Sunday began a massive strike for television and movie writers. And insiders speculate it may be a long one.
Picket lines formed on both the East and West coasts after last-minute negotiations failed to appease the disgruntled entertainment workers. Celebrities like Jay Leno lent his support to the striking workers by delivering doughnuts to the picketers from a motorcycle.
The story is, workers in the entertainment industry don’t feel that they are being fairly compensated, and they’re finally doing something about it. Currently, writers don’t’ get a share of the profits of their shows, and they are lobbying for 2.5 percent.
But it doesn’t look like anyone’s budging. There aren’t any negotiations scheduled currently, and some writers are saying they’re not going back to work until things change. But the industry execs aren’t too eager to accommodate the requests of the picketers.
A Hollywood producer told press, “We’re hunkered down for a long one. From our standpoint, we made every good faith effort to negotiate a deal and they went on strike. At some point, conversations will take place. But not now.”
And an industry analyst observed, “The question is, how will people feel if this strike drags on as long as the last one strike went on for in 1988? That one lasted for more than five months, and it would be difficult for some of these writers to be without a paycheck for that amount of time.”
We’ll keep you updated on this one.
The Rock’s Divorce Solidifies
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has left no stone unturned.
The actor’s divorce from his wife of 11 years was finalized May 19, and Dany Johnson has reclaimed her maiden name of Garcia, according to a detailed settlement agreement filed in Miami-Dade County and obtained by News.
The ex-spouses, who announced their separation last June, have one child together, 7-year-old Simone Alexandra Garcia Johnson.
Per the terms of a settlement dated April 29, the duo will amicably share physical and legal custody. Johnson will fork over $22,454 per month in child support and each parent will make monthly contributions of $5,000 apiece to a trust account for Simone’s private-school tuition, health care and, eventually, her college expenses.
Furthermore, Johnson and Garcia have both waived their rights to any alimony and have agreed to trust each other when spur-of-the-moment decisions need to be made regarding their child, to allow her as much phone time as she wants with either parent and to recognize each other’s right to play as large as role as possible in the girl’s upbringing.
“Each of the parties shall exercise, in the utmost of good faith, his and her best efforts at all times to encourage and foster the maximum relations of love and affection between the minor child and her mother and father,” court documents state.
The agreement, which obviously could teach most Hollywood types a thing or two, also includes a very detailed breakdown of the parents’ custodial obligations on birthdays and holidays, including Father’s Day and Mother’s Day.