Larry Wachowski | Jacko's Taco Hunt | Wedding Bells | Spector Case Moving Along | Man/Woman Behind Matrix?
Matrix Director's Wife Airs Dirty Laundry — Literally
It should be the best week in Matrix Reloaded director Larry Wachowski's life. But with exquisite timing, court papers have emerged at thesmokinggun.com that probably make him feel like he's in the Matrix itself.
Wachowski's wife, Thea Bloom, is suing him for divorce — and it's going to get ugly.
Her court papers not only reveal all his financial dealings with Warner Bros. but also suggest that recent gossip in the British press about Wachowski being a cross-dresser could be true. To wit: In the legal papers, Bloom says the couple's decision to separate was mutual and "based on very intimate circumstances ... which I do not elaborate on at this time for reasons of his personal privacy."
But Bloom is more interested in money than undergarments, and with good reason. According to her papers, the Wachowski brothers received $16 million for their work on The Matrix movies recently — and it's unaccounted for in her divorce.
Interestingly, if Bloom had waited until this fall to file for divorce, she might have passed the magic 10-year mark under California law. She and Wachowski, she claims, were together from 1984-93 and then married in 1993. A judge will have to decide if that constitutes 10 years of marriage.
In the meantime, Bloom will be watching The Matrix Reloaded box office very carefully this weekend — and maybe doing an inventory of her unmentionables as well.
Another gold star incident involving Michael Jackson came to light yesterday. He made a weirdo appearance and got a lot of press -- his favorite thing to do.
Jackson apparently decided to visit his local congressman recently. He had his chauffeur driven Bentley pull up to the local office of Rep. Elton Gallegly in Solvang, Calif. Unfortunately, Gallegly wasn't there, but his deputy, Steve Lavagnino was present for the fun.
Jackson, wearing a Spider-Man mask, asked Lavagnino why their surrounding area doesn't have more fast food restaurants. Lavagnino replied by pointing out there's a Subway sandwich shop. Jackson retorted: "But I like Taco Bell!"
By the time this hit the wire services yesterday, Lavagnino had already been put on ice by the congressman's office. All calls were referred to the Washington office, where Tom Pfeiffer handled calls.
So did this really happen? "It did," Pfeiffer told me. He assured me that the now sequestered Lavagnino was a longtime resident of the area and knew Jackson from an impostor. Pfeiffer did say that Lavagnino was alone at the time and there were no other witnesses.
This all comes a day or so after Jackson had his picture taken wearing a fake Afro in Miami, and on the heels of his settlement with Sotheby's over paintings he hadn't paid for. What's going on? Is Michael crazy?
Crazy, I would say, as a fox. Jackson knows how to manipulate the press, and this week he's already gotten two good publicity hits for strange behavior. But believe me, it is orchestrated by the Gloved One.
As nuts as you may think he is, Jackson knows that riding around in a Bentley looking for fast food will get him the attention he craves.
Think of him as a publicity vampire. Attention is the blood he needs to suck. So hey there, Mike, we haven't forgotten about you! We're just taking a rest before your next trial starts. We have duly noted your Miami appearances and await your purchase of a new home there.
Natalie Wood's Daughter Engaged
I am told that Natalie Wood's daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, is engaged to be married. Her intended is screenwriter D.V. DeVincentis, good friend of actors John and Joan Cusack, and author of movies like Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity.
The 32-year-old daughter of Wood and Richard Gregson was raised by actor Robert Wagner after Wood died in a mysterious 1981 drowning. Gregson had been married to Wood in between her marriages to Wagner. An up and coming actress, Wagner has three new films set to come out this year including Wonderland also starring Val Kilmer and Lisa Kudrow.
Spector Murder Case Proceeding at Right Pace
The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department et al seem like they're taking forever with the Lana Clarkson murder investigation. But I am told there is a purpose to this slowness.
The Sheriff's Department will not present evidence in the case before August 1st, even though the murder took place on Feb. 3. The reason for this is simple, says a police source: They want to make sure their i's are dotted and t's crossed.
"There is a lot of evidence, and it must be handled properly," said my source, recalling the O.J. Simpson debacle.
Indeed, the amount of time here is not unusual, he insists. And for an example, look at the Robert Blake case. The police took months gathering that evidence before arresting and arraigning Blake.
Phil Spector should note that the police are not amused by his pronouncements of being cleared in the case. That is simply not true, reminds our source. And lest he think Lana Clarkson's mom has gotten over her grief, the truth is quite the opposite. I am told the Clarksons have been in touch with the police and remain devastated by their loss.
The August 1st date, by the way, will not be an arraignment as such. That may be the day the evidence is presented. Or Spector and attorney Robert Shapiro could ask for another postponement. There's a good chance we won't hear Spector plead in court before Labor Day.
Great story yesterday from the British press and picked up the New York papers: Matrix director Larry Wachowski is a cross-dresser. By last night the story going around was that he wanted to have a sex change, like the main character in the HBO Movie Normal.
If it's true, it's his business. If it's not, and it's a hoax perpetrated by the Wachowskis, it's even better. The brothers have made a big deal out of having no publicity. No one's ever heard a word about this latest peccadillo, and I suspect it may be a hoax perpetrated by Wachowski just for fun -- much like the Coen Brothers' insistence that Fargo was based on a real story. (It wasn't.) Something tells me if this news were true, it might have come out years ago. Oh well, life in The Matrix is surreal, isn't it?
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