Tobey Maguire Targeted Over Illicit Poker Ring: Are DiCaprio, Damon and Affleck Next?
Funny, we always thought a good poker face is what kept you out of trouble.
Not so for Tobey Maguire, who's been sued after getting outed as one of the A-listers who allegedly took part in a years-long illegal gambling ring that saw millions of dollars change hands in a series of no-limit high-stakes poker games.
In addition to Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Notebook director Nick Cassavetes are among those who allegedly took part in the invitation-only marathon Texas Hold 'Em sessions.
Oh, what a tangled web. So, did the onetime Spidey simply overplay his hand? Here's what got Maguire singled out…
Well, turns out, he's pretty good with a hand of cards. So good, in fact, that between 2007 and 2008, he managed to take $311,200 off of Beverly Hills hedge fund manager Brad Ruderman—with $110,000 of that coming in just one night.
Though these figures aren't noted in the lawsuit, a source told Star that over one three-month period, Maguire averaged $1 million in winnings.
Unfortunately for him, Ruderman anted up more than he had to spare, and as a result orchestrated a Ponzi scheme among his investors to pay off his debts, which included the money he owed to Maguire.
In other words: the actor inadvertently found himself on the receiving end of some hot cash and is now being sued by a trustee for the investors Ruderman embezzled from in an attempt to get back some of their stolen funds.
The suit—filed back in March but only recently uncovered—makes it clear that Maguire was not involved in Ruderman's scheme in any way and was completely unaware of how the businessman, currently serving a 10-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to five criminal counts, came up with the currency. However, the suit alleges that Maguire nevertheless wrongfully accepted the money and should hand it all back over, with interest.
View the lawsuit
According to the lawsuit, the games, which were held twice weekly at "luxury locations" like The Four Seasons, The Peninsula, the Beverly Hills Hotel and the players' own homes, were highly organized affairs. One woman, Molly Bloom, allegedly acted as the chief coordinator of the games, and scheduled the accommodations, amenities (massages and alcohol were heavy features), food, hired the dealers, kept track of the players' wins and losses and arranged for the financial settlements between players.
All of which, in addition to helping keep things civil and organized, made the card sessions "controlled games," which should then have been licensed or otherwise regulated by federal, state or local authorities. Which they weren't. And which is where that whole illegal ring thing comes into play.
So far, Maguire hasn't publicly commented on the suit, but is believed to have heavily lawyered up.
However, lady luck hasn't left the actor completely: as of now, he's not being pursued on any criminal charges—likewise Damon, DiCaprio or Affleck. Though should that change, the legal system may have just hit the jackpot.
Not so for Tobey Maguire, who's been sued after getting outed as one of the A-listers who allegedly took part in a years-long illegal gambling ring that saw millions of dollars change hands in a series of no-limit high-stakes poker games.
In addition to Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Notebook director Nick Cassavetes are among those who allegedly took part in the invitation-only marathon Texas Hold 'Em sessions.
Oh, what a tangled web. So, did the onetime Spidey simply overplay his hand? Here's what got Maguire singled out…
Well, turns out, he's pretty good with a hand of cards. So good, in fact, that between 2007 and 2008, he managed to take $311,200 off of Beverly Hills hedge fund manager Brad Ruderman—with $110,000 of that coming in just one night.
Though these figures aren't noted in the lawsuit, a source told Star that over one three-month period, Maguire averaged $1 million in winnings.
Unfortunately for him, Ruderman anted up more than he had to spare, and as a result orchestrated a Ponzi scheme among his investors to pay off his debts, which included the money he owed to Maguire.
In other words: the actor inadvertently found himself on the receiving end of some hot cash and is now being sued by a trustee for the investors Ruderman embezzled from in an attempt to get back some of their stolen funds.
The suit—filed back in March but only recently uncovered—makes it clear that Maguire was not involved in Ruderman's scheme in any way and was completely unaware of how the businessman, currently serving a 10-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to five criminal counts, came up with the currency. However, the suit alleges that Maguire nevertheless wrongfully accepted the money and should hand it all back over, with interest.
View the lawsuit
According to the lawsuit, the games, which were held twice weekly at "luxury locations" like The Four Seasons, The Peninsula, the Beverly Hills Hotel and the players' own homes, were highly organized affairs. One woman, Molly Bloom, allegedly acted as the chief coordinator of the games, and scheduled the accommodations, amenities (massages and alcohol were heavy features), food, hired the dealers, kept track of the players' wins and losses and arranged for the financial settlements between players.
All of which, in addition to helping keep things civil and organized, made the card sessions "controlled games," which should then have been licensed or otherwise regulated by federal, state or local authorities. Which they weren't. And which is where that whole illegal ring thing comes into play.
So far, Maguire hasn't publicly commented on the suit, but is believed to have heavily lawyered up.
However, lady luck hasn't left the actor completely: as of now, he's not being pursued on any criminal charges—likewise Damon, DiCaprio or Affleck. Though should that change, the legal system may have just hit the jackpot.
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miércoles, 22 de junio de 2011
Ryan Dunn at Double the Legal Alcohol Limit at Time of Crash
After much speculation, it has been confirmed that Ryan Dunn was intoxicated when he drove his Porsche off of a Pennsylvania road at 130 MPH Monday morning, killing himself and his passenger, Zachary Hartwell.
After an autopsy and toxicology reports were conducted, it was concluded that Dunn had the legal alcohol limit nearly doubled. His blood alcohol level was .196 while the legal limit in Pennsylvania is .08, according to TMZ.
Dunn reportedly consumed at least three beers and a number of shots -- one round of drinks which he documented in a photo he posted to his Tumblr account just hours before his death.
But according to West Goshen Police Chief Michael Carroll, "No other substances were found in his blood other than the alcohol."
Both Dunn and Hartwell were killed instantly by blunt force head trauma upon impact, before their vehicle burst into flames.
"I've never seen a car destroyed in an automobile accident the way this car was even before it caught on fire," Carroll said previously. "The automobile actually came apart. It was unbelievable and I've been on a lot of fatal accident scenes. This is by far the worse I've seen."
Dunn's colleagues and friends, including Bam Margera, Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O, have been showing their love for the fallen jokester and stunt man, remembering the kind and comedic member of the 'Jackass' family.
After an autopsy and toxicology reports were conducted, it was concluded that Dunn had the legal alcohol limit nearly doubled. His blood alcohol level was .196 while the legal limit in Pennsylvania is .08, according to TMZ.
Dunn reportedly consumed at least three beers and a number of shots -- one round of drinks which he documented in a photo he posted to his Tumblr account just hours before his death.
But according to West Goshen Police Chief Michael Carroll, "No other substances were found in his blood other than the alcohol."
Both Dunn and Hartwell were killed instantly by blunt force head trauma upon impact, before their vehicle burst into flames.
"I've never seen a car destroyed in an automobile accident the way this car was even before it caught on fire," Carroll said previously. "The automobile actually came apart. It was unbelievable and I've been on a lot of fatal accident scenes. This is by far the worse I've seen."
Dunn's colleagues and friends, including Bam Margera, Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O, have been showing their love for the fallen jokester and stunt man, remembering the kind and comedic member of the 'Jackass' family.
Bikini Clad Avril Lavigne Parties In St. Tropez (Photos)
Avril Lavigne looks like she's ready to party.
The singer was spotted earlier today having a grand old time aboard a yacht off the coast of Saint Tropez with some of her girlfriends and she looked like she was really enjoying herself.
The group of girls were photographed having a dance party on the boat before taking the fête into the water. (Check out the photo of Lavigne's leap into the sea, below.) The 26-year-old Canadian swung her shirt around her head as she and her pals laughed and danced the day away.
This girls only trip left Lavigne's main man, Kardashian step-brother Brody Jenner, alone to fend for himself. The pair have been together for over a year and even inked themselves with matching tattoos.
The singer was spotted earlier today having a grand old time aboard a yacht off the coast of Saint Tropez with some of her girlfriends and she looked like she was really enjoying herself.
The group of girls were photographed having a dance party on the boat before taking the fête into the water. (Check out the photo of Lavigne's leap into the sea, below.) The 26-year-old Canadian swung her shirt around her head as she and her pals laughed and danced the day away.
This girls only trip left Lavigne's main man, Kardashian step-brother Brody Jenner, alone to fend for himself. The pair have been together for over a year and even inked themselves with matching tattoos.
Is Wilmer Valderrama the Screech of the 2000's?
It's a valid question. Wilmer Valderrama has been largely out of the celebrity spotlight since his days as the kooky exchange student Fez on 'That '70s Show' came to an end in 2006 and we have even heard some of our colleagues refer to him as the Dustin Diamond of the 2000s.
But Wilmer himself shot those notions down when PopEater spoke to him on Tuesday afternoon, as he filled us in on exactly what he has been doing since Fez left our lives. While he may not have been marrying up or landing major studio flicks like some of his ''70s' compatriots, he certainly hasn't resorted to a life of sad, sad porn like Mr. Dustin Diamond. And in fact he has a small role in the upcoming Tom Hanks/Julia Roberts summer flick 'Larry Crowne' -- not too shabby.
A few years ago I contributed to a New York Daily News piece entitled, "What's Up With Wilmer Valderrama?" The question seems much more poignant today.
"The problem with doing a lot of behind the scenes work is your fans don't know exactly what you're doing because you're behind the scenes," Valderrama said while hosting an event in Herald Square in Manhattan for Stride, the ridiculously long lasting gum. "I launched a production company with scripted and non scripted development and I have been helping the company grow for the past couple of years. I have a number of projects in development with the Discovery networks and a couple of animated series for the Disney channel. I am telling you, it is an exciting time."
Does that mean he likes being an off-camera guy? Doesn't he miss the constant fan adoration and the chance to date starlets like Lindsay Lohan?
"I love [behind the scenes work] but once an actor always an actor. I took a nice break after eight years and 200 episodes. I did independent films over the past few years that have been festival darlings but that is stuff a lot of fans haven't heard about and this year I decided to return to the camera starting with 'Larry Crowne' and a couple episodes of 'Royal Pains' just for fun."
He also tells us that he's returning to television soon with a series called 'Awake,' which will begin shooting in the fall for NBC and is something unlike anything else on television and -- in his words -- groundbreaking and 'Twilight'-esque.
If you have reservations about whether Wilmer is a decent actor, then you're wrong, because multi-Academy Award winner Tom Hanks, star of 'Crowne,' apparently thinks he's awesome.
"I had my meeting with him and he tossed the script aside and said 'I know you're hilarious,'" Valderrama told us.
Sometimes it just takes time for a quirky character to die -- five years to be exact.
"I loved Fez and I loved 'That '70s Show.' It's the character that introduced me to America but yeah as an actor it took a little while for me to mature and strategically understand what my lane was and challenge myself," Wilmer said. "I think people won't necessarily see me as my character from [the show] anymore. This year people will see me do things they wouldn't expect me to do."
And unlike Dustin Diamond, none of those things include straight to DVD porn. That's what's up with Wilmer Valderrama.
But Wilmer himself shot those notions down when PopEater spoke to him on Tuesday afternoon, as he filled us in on exactly what he has been doing since Fez left our lives. While he may not have been marrying up or landing major studio flicks like some of his ''70s' compatriots, he certainly hasn't resorted to a life of sad, sad porn like Mr. Dustin Diamond. And in fact he has a small role in the upcoming Tom Hanks/Julia Roberts summer flick 'Larry Crowne' -- not too shabby.
A few years ago I contributed to a New York Daily News piece entitled, "What's Up With Wilmer Valderrama?" The question seems much more poignant today.
"The problem with doing a lot of behind the scenes work is your fans don't know exactly what you're doing because you're behind the scenes," Valderrama said while hosting an event in Herald Square in Manhattan for Stride, the ridiculously long lasting gum. "I launched a production company with scripted and non scripted development and I have been helping the company grow for the past couple of years. I have a number of projects in development with the Discovery networks and a couple of animated series for the Disney channel. I am telling you, it is an exciting time."
Does that mean he likes being an off-camera guy? Doesn't he miss the constant fan adoration and the chance to date starlets like Lindsay Lohan?
"I love [behind the scenes work] but once an actor always an actor. I took a nice break after eight years and 200 episodes. I did independent films over the past few years that have been festival darlings but that is stuff a lot of fans haven't heard about and this year I decided to return to the camera starting with 'Larry Crowne' and a couple episodes of 'Royal Pains' just for fun."
He also tells us that he's returning to television soon with a series called 'Awake,' which will begin shooting in the fall for NBC and is something unlike anything else on television and -- in his words -- groundbreaking and 'Twilight'-esque.
If you have reservations about whether Wilmer is a decent actor, then you're wrong, because multi-Academy Award winner Tom Hanks, star of 'Crowne,' apparently thinks he's awesome.
"I had my meeting with him and he tossed the script aside and said 'I know you're hilarious,'" Valderrama told us.
Sometimes it just takes time for a quirky character to die -- five years to be exact.
"I loved Fez and I loved 'That '70s Show.' It's the character that introduced me to America but yeah as an actor it took a little while for me to mature and strategically understand what my lane was and challenge myself," Wilmer said. "I think people won't necessarily see me as my character from [the show] anymore. This year people will see me do things they wouldn't expect me to do."
And unlike Dustin Diamond, none of those things include straight to DVD porn. That's what's up with Wilmer Valderrama.
Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie Hug it Out
From BFFs to frenemies to nemeses, it looks like Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton may be making their way back to the former -- or at least they're doing a pretty good job of faking it. The pair both attended a Hollywood event on Tuesday where they were all smiles upon greeting one another.
Hilton and Richie were the best of friends, and among the original reality show few, whose quirky friendship had viewers rolling in laughter on 'The Simple Life.' But as with everything else in La La Land, things changed with the drop of a hat and before we knew it, it was Team Nicole versus Team Paris. The feuding duo made Heidi Montag and Lauren Conrad's future battle of the blonds look like no more than a kindergarten tiff.
Although we're sure mom of two, Richie, is more than busy with her little ones, we have a feeling that Hilton could use a friend now more than ever -- the heiress recently announced her split from boyfriend of over a year, Cy Waits.
So is the dynamic duo back on the friendship fast track? We've seen her film work and from the friendly snapshot, we're pretty sure Hilton isn't that good of an actress. Do you think Richie and Hilton have finally put their differences aside or are they just putting it on for the cameras?
Hilton and Richie were the best of friends, and among the original reality show few, whose quirky friendship had viewers rolling in laughter on 'The Simple Life.' But as with everything else in La La Land, things changed with the drop of a hat and before we knew it, it was Team Nicole versus Team Paris. The feuding duo made Heidi Montag and Lauren Conrad's future battle of the blonds look like no more than a kindergarten tiff.
Although we're sure mom of two, Richie, is more than busy with her little ones, we have a feeling that Hilton could use a friend now more than ever -- the heiress recently announced her split from boyfriend of over a year, Cy Waits.
So is the dynamic duo back on the friendship fast track? We've seen her film work and from the friendly snapshot, we're pretty sure Hilton isn't that good of an actress. Do you think Richie and Hilton have finally put their differences aside or are they just putting it on for the cameras?
'Glee' Creator Ryan Murphy Talks Season 3
'Glee' creator Ryan Murphy may have learned a thing or two from the criticism and complaints about the choppy second season of the hit musical series.
Last summer, Murphy divulged entirely too much information about this last season and has seemed to abandoned that practice. He's stopped revealing every single plot twist, guest star and song selection. There is something to be said for the element of surprise when the episodes finally air.
The series has finally hired a full-on writing staff, ensuring (hopefully!) that the third season might be able to maintain some sense of continuity or develop its many characters in multi-episode arcs and recurring storylines! Now, Murphy is publicly stating that season 3 will not be the guest-star bonanza we've come to know. The 2011-2012 season is pulling a Christina and going back to basics. "We're not going to have any guest stars," Murphy told TVLine. "And we're going to do fewer songs."
There's also going to be just one big tribute episode. Just one. He promises. "It's one I've been working on for two years - it took forever to clear - with a really big artist," he told TVLine.
And that tired "Sue wants to destroy the glee club" storyline? It's over. "We did that, and we did that well. But now it's time for Sue to stop picking on the glee club and time for her to start picking on the country," Murphy told TVLine.
As for how 'The Glee Project' ties in to the show, Murphy revealed to TV Guide that the person who ultimately wins "is the person who she hates the most in the history of the show. ... 'The Glee Project' winner is Sue Sylvester's new archenemy and she is going to destroy their life."
Although Murphy maintained that the current New Directions members will, in fact, graduate at the end of the year, he hasn't ruled out a spinoff. That decision will be made in a few months, he said.
Last summer, Murphy divulged entirely too much information about this last season and has seemed to abandoned that practice. He's stopped revealing every single plot twist, guest star and song selection. There is something to be said for the element of surprise when the episodes finally air.
The series has finally hired a full-on writing staff, ensuring (hopefully!) that the third season might be able to maintain some sense of continuity or develop its many characters in multi-episode arcs and recurring storylines! Now, Murphy is publicly stating that season 3 will not be the guest-star bonanza we've come to know. The 2011-2012 season is pulling a Christina and going back to basics. "We're not going to have any guest stars," Murphy told TVLine. "And we're going to do fewer songs."
There's also going to be just one big tribute episode. Just one. He promises. "It's one I've been working on for two years - it took forever to clear - with a really big artist," he told TVLine.
And that tired "Sue wants to destroy the glee club" storyline? It's over. "We did that, and we did that well. But now it's time for Sue to stop picking on the glee club and time for her to start picking on the country," Murphy told TVLine.
As for how 'The Glee Project' ties in to the show, Murphy revealed to TV Guide that the person who ultimately wins "is the person who she hates the most in the history of the show. ... 'The Glee Project' winner is Sue Sylvester's new archenemy and she is going to destroy their life."
Although Murphy maintained that the current New Directions members will, in fact, graduate at the end of the year, he hasn't ruled out a spinoff. That decision will be made in a few months, he said.
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