Tuesday, August 31, 2010

AP Exclusive: Secret testimony reveals stars loss AP

LOS ANGELES Roughly two weeks before a judge would sentence her to jail, Lindsay Lohan sat in a downtown courtroom and recounted to a grand jury how a burglars black fingerprints on her wall left her so unnerved that she had to move.

Moments later, Orlando Bloom told the same panel how a break-in at his home had left him distrustful of those around him, especially after he realized his carefully hidden collection of watches had been plundered.

The appearance of Lohan, Bloom and four other celebrities in late June before a Los Angeles County grand jury went unnoticed. Yet their testimony helped indict five young people who authorities claim desperately craved what the stars had and were willing to cut through fences and climb through a doggie door to get.

The stars reactions revealed in recently unsealed testimony obtained by The Associated Press offers the most detailed account so far of the personal toll that resulted from the rash of celebrity break-ins by the so-called "Bling Ring" between October 2008 and August 2009. One ring member pleaded out and served time; the five others face trial later this year.

Lohans testimony typified the fear felt by the celebrities whose homes had been targeted: "That night I went back to the house, I just felt, to be honest, so violated and uncomfortable that I literally packed as much stuff as I could," Lohan told the jurors, "because it wasnt about the things that were taken, it was just the fact that someone came into the only private space that I have in my life at this point."

One-by-one, Rachel Bilson, Audrina Patridge and Paris Hilton also recounted for grand jurors how they walked into their supposedly secure Hollywood Hills homes to find them ransacked and looted.

Brian Austin Green told the jury how the burglary of his home � the last one targeted � was so stealthy that he thought his missing items were simply misplaced. It wasnt until a detective called and told him his stolen Sig Sauer handgun had been recovered that he realized hed been robbed.

Some of the items stolen were eventually returned. But still outstanding are several irreplaceable personal items, including Bilsons mothers engagement ring that she gave to "The O.C." star.

For a while, the actors told jurors, their belongings had been replaced with a sense of vulnerability and dread.

"It took me a while to feel comfortable staying there," Bilson said of her home. "I wouldnt sleep in my bedroom for about a month.

"And I was convinced that I needed to sell my house and get out of there, because I was very scared," she told jurors. "But Im still there."

Deputy District Attorney Sarika Kim, who is handling the prosecution, urged jurors to overlook the stars wealth and celebrity.

"It doesnt matter," Kim told the grand jury in closing remarks. "The fact that you are able to replace property doesnt matter. And in fact, we heard evidence in this case some of the folks werent able to replace any of the property. Some folks lost items of sentimental value."

"And I think the one thing that was abundantly clear from listening to the testimony of all of the victims was what they lost most importantly was a sense of security," Kim said.

None of the stars have testified in open court. Bloom likely would have been the first, but Alexis Neiers, who was charged with his break-in, took a plea deal before trial. An aspiring model and reality television star, Neiers served 30 days in jail.

But the celebrities could still take the stand if any of the members of the Bling Ring go to trial. The five remaining defendants had been previously charged and the actors grand jury testimony eliminated the need for a preliminary hearing.

The testimony led to indictments for felony residential burglary against Nicholas Frank Prugo, Rachel Lee, Roy Lopez Jr., Courtney Leigh Ames and Diana Tamayo. All five pleaded not guilty on July 2 and are due back in court on Sept. 20 for a pretrial conference.

Many of the details of the actual break-ins given to the grand jury have been revealed in search warrants and other court filings, but most of the stars have refrained from talking publicly about their losses.

Lohans testimony came during a turbulent streak in her life. Her appearance on June 18 occurred about two weeks before a judge handling her criminal case sentenced the "Mean Girls" star to jail for a probation violation.

For 40 minutes, Lohan described coming home with her sister early last August to find her rented house in complete disarray.

"My front door wasnt locked, and it usually always was," Lohan said. "My alarm didnt sound, and I usually had to turn it off. And everything that I had was kind of thrown, and everything was pretty much disheveled."

A fur coat, two paintings and other high-end jewelry and clothing were missing. When Lohan stepped into her closet, she told jurors, she saw her safe had been moved and black fingerprints were on her white walls.

She said that after she packed up what she had left, she never returned to that house. "I dont ever plan on going back to that house," she said. "It was like, such an invasion of privacy, and its just eerie."

Bloom, who estimated his losses at half a million dollars or more, said he immediately suspected hed been robbed by a close friend or someone who worked for him.

"Its just awful because you are suddenly second-guessing everything," Bloom told the jury. "You are like, Who has been in my house? You know, the value of things kind of fades away. Its really about who is it, who am I starting to question?"

The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star said only some of his items � mostly clothes and one of his prized watches � was ever returned. He testified that clothing of his then-girlfriend, model Miranda Kerr, was also stolen. Bloom and Kerr have since married.

His house, which one detective likened to the "Bat Cave" because it couldnt be seen from the street or the air, was targeted in July 2009.

Authorities estimate that there is at least $2 million of the stars property that has not been recovered. They suspect that Lee, one of the groups alleged masterminds, may have hidden the goods before her arrest at her fathers home in Las Vegas.

Lee allegedly offered to return some of the stolen property to detectives in exchange for leniency, according to transcripts and other court filings.

A Louis Vuitton bag full of jewelry was returned to Paris Hilton after several alleged members of the group were arrested in October.

Prugo, another alleged Bling Ring mastermind, told authorities that Hiltons home was actually targeted numerous times before a December 2008 heist nabbed the socialites jewelry and luxury clothes.

Hilton told the grand jury that she first noticed something was amiss when she spotted dirty shoe prints leading up the stairs to her bedroom.

"My closet where all my jewelry is kept had been ransacked and, you know, basically two full entire shelves were, I guess, pushed into a bag," Hilton told the panel. Also gone was a topless photo of the socialite, which detectives said was recovered from Lees home.

Hiltons home was also recently targeted by a man who authorities say showed up at the residence armed with two knives. Prosecutors have charged Nathan Lee Parada with one count of attempted felony burglary, although his case does not appear related to the Bling Ring.

Since the break-ins, several of the stars said they took greater caution with their home security. Despite their wealth and sophisticated security systems, several of the celebrities told jurors they couldnt remember if they set their alarms, or even locked their doors, on the days of the break-ins.

"We have always sort of lived a very, I guess, trusting lifestyle and we just didnt set the alarm," Bilson said. "I now do, every time I leave the house. Even if its for 20 minutes."



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Venice film festival focuses on film innovation AP

VENICE, Italy In film, recession may be the mother of innovation.

The Venice Film Festival opens Wednesday with its share of big-screen bound blockbuster potential, from Darren Aronfskys "Black Swan," to Sofia Coppolas highly anticipated "Somewhere" and Ben Afflecks sophomore directorial effort, "The Town."

But director Marco Mueller says that the economic downturn has forced even big name directors to come up with cheaper means of production, giving rise to innovation and an "in-between" budget category � bridging low-budget under a million dollars and mid-range of around EURO6 million-EURO7 million $7.5 million to $9 million.

"In between there was very little. And now several people rush to occupy that special space," Mueller told The Associated Press in an interview. "Because its also the space where with some local, regional subsidy, some private money, and maybe with a few distributors interested in the project you can get your film off the ground."

Oscar-winning Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore, limited after last years big-budget bonanza "Baaria," turned to documentary making this year with a portrait of Italian cinematographer Goffredo Lombardo still in progress, to be shown out of competition.

Vincent Gallo will be at the Lido both as an actor, playing a terror suspect plotting his escape in Jerzy Skolimowskis "Essential Killing," and as the director of two films.

"Both films are entirely self-produced. He started with a short film, then he actually realized that using the same mode of production he could dare to look forward to a feature," Mueller said. The result is "Promises Written in the Water," which will compete for the Golden Lion.

The film tells a romantic story about a man � a professional assassin � and a woman confronting terminal illness. It was shot without preparation or a traditional script.

And U.S. director Monte Helmann, whose influence has been greater than his popular acclaim, will be showing his movie "Road to Nowhere" in competition. The film is described as a romantic thriller about a filmmaker who becomes involved in a criminal conspiracy.

"Monte made the film he has wanted to make for several years on a shoestring budget with an incredible cast using quite a few important names and all of a sudden we have a film with special effects. Without being a travelogue it does move to a number of countries and it cost less than $2 million," Mueller said.

Second only to Cannes in terms of prestige, Venice has suffered since the economic downturn of 2008, with many Hollywood producers preferring the cheaper option of taking their movies to the Toronto Film Festival, which overlaps with Venice.

However, Mueller has continued to insist that his festival will accept primarily world premieres � 79 are showing at this years festival � and believes that events are moving back in Venices favor.

"A lot of people now are counting on a two-step operation where the visibility, the credibility of the film is built in Venice, Venice reveals the immediate aesthetical qualities of the film, or everything that makes this film very exciting. And Toronto reveals the market value of the film."

The Venice festival opens with an unprecedented triple-header: Golden Lion-winner Aronofskys "Black Swan" and Hong Kong director Andrew Laus "The Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen," starring Donnie Yen, followed by a special midnight screening of Robert Rodriguezs "Machete."

"I can predict that at midnight the atmosphere will still be the atmosphere of a rock concert or a football match," Mueller said.

Festivities get under way Tuesday evening with a tribute to one of Italys most famous cinematic and theatrical actors, Vittorio Gassman, with a free, open-air screening of the 1974 classic "Scent of a Woman" in a Venetian square attended by the Gassman family.

In addition, the Italian edition of Vanity Fair is hosting a party in a palace on the Grand Canal for Quentin Tarantino, who heads the jury that will select the winner of the prestigious Golden Lion on Sept. 11. And the industry publication Variety is holding a big party where it will present director Dino De Laurentiis with an award.

Mueller will have to hit each of the events within the space of three hours � no easy feat when boats plying Venices canals must comply with strict speed limits.

"If we speed, they will give us a speeding ticket. Every year the boat I use gets a speeding ticket. They plant them right where we have to go. Fantastic," Mueller said, with a glint of amusement.



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AP Exclusive: Secret testimony reveals stars loss omg

LOS ANGELES - Roughly two weeks before a judge would sentence her to jail, Lindsay Lohan sat in a downtown courtroom and recounted to a grand jury how a burglars black fingerprints on her wall left her so unnerved that she had to move.

Moments later, Orlando Bloom told the same panel how a break-in at his home had left him distrustful of those around him, especially after he realized his carefully hidden collection of watches had been plundered.

The appearance of Lohan, Bloom and four other celebrities in late June before a Los Angeles County grand jury went unnoticed. Yet their testimony helped indict five young people who authorities claim desperately craved what the stars had and were willing to cut through fences and climb through a doggie door to get.

The stars reactions revealed in recently unsealed testimony obtained by The Associated Press offers the most detailed account so far of the personal toll that resulted from the rash of celebrity break-ins by the so-called "Bling Ring" between October 2008 and August 2009. One ring member pleaded out and served time; the five others face trial later this year.

Lohans testimony typified the fear felt by the celebrities whose homes had been targeted: "That night I went back to the house, I just felt, to be honest, so violated and uncomfortable that I literally packed as much stuff as I could," Lohan told the jurors, "because it wasnt about the things that were taken, it was just the fact that someone came into the only private space that I have in my life at this point."

One-by-one, Rachel Bilson, Audrina Patridge and Paris Hilton also recounted for grand jurors how they walked into their supposedly secure Hollywood Hills homes to find them ransacked and looted.

Brian Austin Green told the jury how the burglary of his home � the last one targeted � was so stealthy that he thought his missing items were simply misplaced. It wasnt until a detective called and told him his stolen Sig Sauer handgun had been recovered that he realized hed been robbed.

Some of the items stolen were eventually returned. But still outstanding are several irreplaceable personal items, including Bilsons mothers engagement ring that she gave to "The O.C." star.

For a while, the actors told jurors, their belongings had been replaced with a sense of vulnerability and dread.

"It took me a while to feel comfortable staying there," Bilson said of her home. "I wouldnt sleep in my bedroom for about a month.

"And I was convinced that I needed to sell my house and get out of there, because I was very scared," she told jurors. "But Im still there."

Deputy District Attorney Sarika Kim, who is handling the prosecution, urged jurors to overlook the stars wealth and celebrity.

"It doesnt matter," Kim told the grand jury in closing remarks. "The fact that you are able to replace property doesnt matter. And in fact, we heard evidence in this case some of the folks werent able to replace any of the property. Some folks lost items of sentimental value."

"And I think the one thing that was abundantly clear from listening to the testimony of all of the victims was what they lost most importantly was a sense of security," Kim said.

None of the stars have testified in open court. Bloom likely would have been the first, but Alexis Neiers, who was charged with his break-in, took a plea deal before trial. An aspiring model and reality television star, Neiers served 30 days in jail.

But the celebrities could still take the stand if any of the members of the Bling Ring go to trial. The five remaining defendants had been previously charged and the actors grand jury testimony eliminated the need for a preliminary hearing.

The testimony led to indictments for felony residential burglary against Nicholas Frank Prugo, Rachel Lee, Roy Lopez Jr., Courtney Leigh Ames and Diana Tamayo. All five pleaded not guilty on July 2 and are due back in court on Sept. 20 for a pretrial conference.

Many of the details of the actual break-ins given to the grand jury have been revealed in search warrants and other court filings, but most of the stars have refrained from talking publicly about their losses.

Lohans testimony came during a turbulent streak in her life. Her appearance on June 18 occurred about two weeks before a judge handling her criminal case sentenced the "Mean Girls" star to jail for a probation violation.

For 40 minutes, Lohan described coming home with her sister early last August to find her rented house in complete disarray.

"My front door wasnt locked, and it usually always was," Lohan said. "My alarm didnt sound, and I usually had to turn it off. And everything that I had was kind of thrown, and everything was pretty much disheveled."

A fur coat, two paintings and other high-end jewelry and clothing were missing. When Lohan stepped into her closet, she told jurors, she saw her safe had been moved and black fingerprints were on her white walls.

She said that after she packed up what she had left, she never returned to that house. "I dont ever plan on going back to that house," she said. "It was like, such an invasion of privacy, and its just eerie."

Bloom, who estimated his losses at half a million dollars or more, said he immediately suspected hed been robbed by a close friend or someone who worked for him.

"Its just awful because you are suddenly second-guessing everything," Bloom told the jury. "You are like, Who has been in my house? You know, the value of things kind of fades away. Its really about who is it, who am I starting to question?"

The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star said only some of his items � mostly clothes and one of his prized watches � was ever returned. He testified that clothing of his then-girlfriend, model Miranda Kerr, was also stolen. Bloom and Kerr have since married.

His house, which one detective likened to the "Bat Cave" because it couldnt be seen from the street or the air, was targeted in July 2009.

Authorities estimate that there is at least $2 million of the stars property that has not been recovered. They suspect that Lee, one of the groups alleged masterminds, may have hidden the goods before her arrest at her fathers home in Las Vegas.

Lee allegedly offered to return some of the stolen property to detectives in exchange for leniency, according to transcripts and other court filings.

A Louis Vuitton bag full of jewelry was returned to Paris Hilton after several alleged members of the group were arrested in October.

Prugo, another alleged Bling Ring mastermind, told authorities that Hiltons home was actually targeted numerous times before a December 2008 heist nabbed the socialites jewelry and luxury clothes.

Hilton told the grand jury that she first noticed something was amiss when she spotted dirty shoe prints leading up the stairs to her bedroom.

"My closet where all my jewelry is kept had been ransacked and, you know, basically two full entire shelves were, I guess, pushed into a bag," Hilton told the panel. Also gone was a topless photo of the socialite, which detectives said was recovered from Lees home.

Hiltons home was also recently targeted by a man who authorities say showed up at the residence armed with two knives. Prosecutors have charged Nathan Lee Parada with one count of attempted felony burglary, although his case does not appear related to the Bling Ring.

Since the break-ins, several of the stars said they took greater caution with their home security. Despite their wealth and sophisticated security systems, several of the celebrities told jurors they couldnt remember if they set their alarms, or even locked their doors, on the days of the break-ins.

"We have always sort of lived a very, I guess, trusting lifestyle and we just didnt set the alarm," Bilson said. "I now do, every time I leave the house. Even if its for 20 minutes."



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Mel Gibson movie appeal little changed by tapes: poll omg

NEW YORK Reuters - Mel Gibson may be suffering one of the worst media scandals of his career, but a new poll shows it is having a relatively small impact on the movie stars box office appeal.

In a 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll released on Monday, more than three quarters of Americans said they would not be affected by audiotapes of phone calls, widely reported to be Gibson ranting at his estranged ex-girlfriend, when deciding whether to see one of the Oscar winners films.

Asked if they were less likely to buy a ticket for a Gibson movie after hearing the tapes posted on the Internet, 76 percent of Americans -- including 80 percent of men and 72 percent of women -- picked , "No, no effect," in the poll by magazine Vanity Fair and television news program 60 Minutes.

Gibson, whose movies include "Braveheart" and "The Passion of the Christ," has in the past been embroiled in other scandals including making anti-Semitic comments to a California police officer in 2006.

In the now infamous tapes of calls between he and former girlfriend and Russian-born model Oksana Grigorieva, a voice said to be Gibsons rants and curses during an argument dealing with their baby daughter.

The tapes, which were posted in July at Radaronline.com, made headlines worldwide and since then, film industry pundits have wondered what the long-term fallout would be on Gibsons movie career and box office appeal.

He has two movies that have wrapped production, "The Beaver" and "How I Spent My Summer Vacation." His most recent "Edge of Darkness," which landed in theaters this past January, failed to ignite much of a spark at box offices.

In a separate poll question, Republican Sarah Palin, the 2008 vice presidential candidate whose rift with the former fiancee of her teenage daughter, Bristol, also has attracted recent U.S. tabloid coverage, was deemed an ineffective future president by 59 percent of Americans.

Six in ten Americans -- including 75 percent of Democrats, 40 percent of Republicans and 63 percent of Independents -- said Palin would not make an effective President, while only 26 percent overall believed she would have the ability to fulfill the role, according to the Vanity Fair/60 Minutes poll.

And contrary to the vampire mania that has spread in recent years among films, books and TV shows such as the popular "Twilight" and "True Blood," the poll said more Americans believe in ghosts than vampires.

Asked to choose which was most believable among vampires, ghosts, U.F.O.s, Bigfoot, or the Loch Ness Monster, 33 percent overall picked ghosts, followed closely by U.F.O.s at 30 percent. Vampires scored a mere seven percent.

The poll, which is posted at VF.com, is a monthly measure of U.S. attitudes on topics including culture, lifestyle, current events, and politics. The CBS News interviewing facility conducted a random sample of 847 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone.

Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Bob Tourtellotte



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Crocodile Dundee says he cant afford back taxes AP

ADELAIDE, Australia Paul Hogan, star of the "Crocodile Dundee" movie trilogy, said Tuesday he cannot afford to pay even 10 percent of what the Australian Tax Office says he owes in back taxes.

Hogans interview with the television program "A Current Affair" was his first public comment since the actor was barred earlier this month from leaving Australia until he settles a multimillion dollar tax bill.

Hogan told the news program the tax office was on a witch hunt for a high-profile case, and he should not be classed a flight risk.

"I actually came out here at the request of the Australian Crime Commission at my own time and expense to assist them with their inquires," he said in the interview. "If I was a tax evader, which Im not, I must be the dumbest one in the world, because they gave me five years notice that they have seized every piece of paper that my tax advisers and lawyers and accountants have ever had. I kept coming back here."

Australian tax and crime investigators have fought Hogan in a five-year legal wrangle in Australian and U.S. courts to investigate evidence he used offshore bank accounts to conceal earnings since his low-budget "Crocodile Dundee" movie became an international hit in 1986.

Tax authorities last month claimed Hogan owed tax on 38 million Australian dollars $34 million in allegedly undisclosed income. The exact tax bill has not been disclosed.

Hogan has denied any wrongdoing and disputes the tax bill. He has never been charged with tax evasion.

He said in the interview he is not as rich as people believe. "I cant pay 10 percent of what theyre asking," he said.

Hogan said he could not disclose the exact bill for legal reasons.

"I know theyre absolutely desperate to nail some high-profile character with money to justify the expense to the taxpayer," he said of the tax office.

The 70-year-old actor, who lives in Los Angeles and first gained a public profile in the United States with his cheerful offer to "slip an extra shrimp on the barbie" in Australian tourism TV ads in the mid 1980s, arrived in Sydney earlier this month to attend the funeral of his mother.

Hogan was served with an Australian Taxation Office order on Aug. 20 that prevents him from leaving Australia until he settles the tax bill, lawyer Andrew Robinson said.



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