Just wodering what others here think about this...many of you have probably heard that Jeremy Piven abruptly exited "Speed the Plow" ten weeks ahead of contract due to a diagnosis of mercury poisoning. His personal doctors advised him not to perform. For whatever reason, he was never examined by the production medic.
The producers of Speed-the-Plow issued a brief and blunt statement upon his departure from the show and it was not a secret that David Mamet, who publicly commented that he assumed Piven was leaving the play to pursue a career as "a thermometer" was unhappy with the situation.
Then there's news that Piven hopped a flight to Bangkok (apparently he recieved treatment there for his condition) and then a week later showed up on television at the Golden Globe Awards, red carpet and all.
The latest, and most serious development, came yesterday when the producers of Speed-the-Plow filed a formal grievance with Actors Equity over Piven's breach of contract.
Piven issued a statement today saying that he was advised that he was at serious health risk, including the possibility of having a heart attack, should he continue to perform in the show. Also, he said he was in the hospital for three days -- but somehow managed to miss no performances, either. Perhaps he spent the day in the hospital and was discharged each night to perform the show?
Almost everybody I know says they think it's all bs and that rather than mercury poisoning, he merely fell victim to the same disease that claims many film and TV actors who attempt the grueling schedule of Broadway - fatigue.
One of the reasons this sounds most plausible is that nobody seems to know what the hell mercury poisoning actually is, what it does to the body, or at what level of mercury in the blood one becomes impaired. The other is of course that this sort of complaining from Hollywood actors who grace Broadway for a limited run has become a trend recently (cough, Terrence Howard, cough).
But most of all is Piven's behavior in the wake of this. I don't know how serious his condition is and I'm certainly not gonna pile on the guy if he really was too sick to perform. But jetting around the world and attending a red-carpet event while you're supposedly too sick to fulfill a contractual obligation is stupid and arrogant. Eight shows a week is of course more of a load than a trip to Bangkok or a night at the Golden Globes. But why the hell stoke the fires of controversy?
People put their money into this show, which was a risky proposition during a financially difficult time. It's no wonder that this sort of behavior is making them question whether or not he was honest.
Anyway, that's what I think. Anybody else?
This message has been edited. Last edited by: R2684,
Posts: 2803 | Location: New York, New York | Registered: August 08, 2003
On NPR they devoted their Friday Science program to Mercury levels in fish and the effect it can have on humans. The doctors described that high levels in humans causes symptoms like having a very bad case of mononucleosis. It can also have an affect on babies in utero so some of the doctors said pregnant mother should completely avoid high Mercury fish (tuna, swordfish, shark- generally large predatory fish). The only cure for Mercury poisoning is bed rest and allowing it to dissipate from your system. The scientists and doctors did agree though that even though there are levels considered dangerous some people are tolerant to Mercury at high levels and some people are badly affected at levels much less than what is considered dangerous or high.
A friend once told me of a cousin of hers who felt ill most of the time and finally went to the doctor and was diagnosed with Mercury poisoning. He was a school teacher and brought his lunch from home and had tuna sandwiches multiple times a week. He was told to rest for a period of time and eat tuna no more than twice a month.
Even though Mercury poisoning is real I do not think Jeremy Piven was badly enough affected by it that he needed to leave his show. As bed rest is the only cure there would be no reason to go out of country for treatment. That would run counter to treatment. He was still very active outside of his play commitments. He said Mercury poisoning could lead to a heart attack which I do not think is true so he may be making up facts to bolster his case. I agree that he was just looking for an excuse to leave his show because he could not deal with the eight performances a week schedule of a Broadway performer.
Posts: 27161 | Location: Phoenix, AZ | Registered: February 02, 2003
That's some good info on Mercury poisoning. Thanks pacino.
There's also been lots of rumors that Jeremy Piven was out at bars almost every night after the show - the show is only 85 minutes, but still if that sort of schedule is new to your body that sort of lifestyle isn't going to help.
Posts: 2803 | Location: New York, New York | Registered: August 08, 2003
Broadway Producers File Grievance Against Jeremy Piven
FIRST PUBLISHED: January 16, 2009 4:45 PM EST LAST UPDATED: January 16, 2009 4:55 PM EST
NEW YORK, New York -- Jeremy Piven pulled out of his Broadway show after suffering from mercury poisoning from apparently eating too much sushi, but it appears the producers of the show think the actor’s story is fishy.
The producers of “Speed The Plow” have filed a grievance over Piven’s departure from the play, Access Hollywood has learned.
The grievance was filed with Actors’ Equity, the union which handles Broadway performers.
In December, it was reported Piven was ending his run in the show due to a condition caused by a high mercury count.
At the time, “Speed The Plow” playwright David Mamet made light of Piven’s announcement.
“I talked to Jeremy on the phone, and he told me that he discovered that he had a very high level of mercury,” Mamet told Variety. “So my understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer.”
But despite Mamet’s skepticism, Piven’s physician told Access Hollywood he was the one responsible for the “Entourage” star pulling out of the play after Piven’s mercury limit was six times higher than normal.
“I’m the one who pulled the plug,” Dr. Carlton Colker told Access, who went on to explain the reason behind Piven’s high mercury levels. “He was a voracious sushi eater… He ate sushi twice a day for years.”
At the Golden Globes, Access’ Billy Bush caught up with Piven to talk about his health scare.
“It completely shuts you down. It feels like the heaviest bout of mono you’ve ever had in your life. You’re kind of crippled from it,” Piven said of the mercury poisoning. “I fought the good fight, my doctors propped me up and then doctor’s orders was enforced rest. That’s what I’ve been doing for a month and here I am.”
The actor then confirmed he is on his way to recovery.
“I’m doing so much better. I really am,” he added.
Posts: 5425 | Location: "Stay Classy San Diego!" | Registered: June 15, 2006
FIRST PUBLISHED: January 16, 2009 10:06 PM EST LAST UPDATED: January 16, 2009 10:17 PM EST
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Jeremy Piven is fighting back after the Broadway producers of “Speed-the-Plow” filed a grievance against the actor for leaving the production over claims of mercury poisoning.
“The claims made by the producers of ‘Speed-the-Plow’ are absurd and outrageous,” a rep for the “Entourage” star said in a statement to Access Hollywood. “Mr. Piven’s serious medical condition has been well documented by multiple physicians. He withdrew from the play due to medical necessity on the advice of his doctors, after he was hospitalized and warned by his physicians that enforced rest was necessary in order to avoid serious medical problems.”
“His symptoms included extreme fatigue, spacial problems, difficulty remembering his lines, difficulty maintaining his balance, and an alarmingly low resting heart rate,” the rep added. “Mr. Piven followed his doctors’ advice, although his forced withdrawal from the show was an enormous personal disappointment since it was a life-long dream to perform on Broadway.”
The rep went on to add that the “Plow” producers had the opportunity to have Jeremy examined by their own doctors, and allegedly did not, as well as calling the grievance “ironic,” given that “the production failed to pay his required compensation and he has been defamed in the media by their false accusations.”
As previously reported by AccessHollywood.com, the “Plow” producers filed a grievance with the Actors’ Equity, the union which handles Broadway actors, over questions of Jeremy’s early leave. He ended his run on the production in December.
“It completely shuts you down. It feels like the heaviest bout of mono you’ve ever had in your life. You’re kind of crippled from it,” Jeremy told Access’ Billy Bush at the Golden Globes on Sunday. “I fought the good fight, my doctors propped me up and then doctor’s orders was enforced rest. That’s what I’ve been doing for a month and here I am.”
Posts: 5425 | Location: "Stay Classy San Diego!" | Registered: June 15, 2006
Originally posted by pacinofan: Even though Mercury poisoning is real I do not think Jeremy Piven was badly enough affected by it that he needed to leave his show. As bed rest is the only cure there would be no reason to go out of country for treatment. That would run counter to treatment. He was still very active outside of his play commitments. He said Mercury poisoning could lead to a heart attack which I do not think is true so he may be making up facts to bolster his case. I agree that he was just looking for an excuse to leave his show because he could not deal with the eight performances a week schedule of a Broadway performer.
Which goes to show you what kind of douchebag he really is.
This year's Emmys, give some love for The Shield
Posts: 2427 | Location: Long Island | Registered: January 30, 2003
Ahh, Hollywood. Jeremy Piven, the actor who plays Ari Gold on HBO’s Entourage (a character that just so happens to be based on White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s brother, Ari), has been locked in a battle for months with the producers of a Broadway play he bailed on last fall. At the time, Piven claimed he was sick from mercury poisoning because he had been eating tuna sushi several times a week. That excuse, not surprisingly, was met with wide ridicule and prompted several jokes about thermometers and bad sake that your Gaggler just doesn’t have the heart to repeat here. To say the least, the play’s backers weren’t at all amused, immediately calling on Piven to pay up for abandoning the show.
On Wednesday came word that the dispute will head into arbitration this summer. But just like Ari Gold, Piven has signaled he won’t go down without a fight and took his sushi defense one step further. He officially played the Obama card. According to a statement Piven released to BroadwayWorld.com Wednesday, the actor said that he was looking to testifying in the arbitration so that the “truth comes out” about the dangers of mercury exposure “which the Obama administration has recently described as the world’s gravest chemical problem.”Oh yeah? Your Gaggler didn’t recall any recent White House statements on sushi, so she, well, Googled it, and what do you know? Up pops a February article from the Associated Press: “The Obama administration reversed years of U.S. policy Monday by calling for a treaty to cut mercury pollution, which it described as the world's gravest chemical problem.” Couldn’t have come at a better time for Piven, who, according to those always right tabloids, still enjoys a dish of tuna tartare now and then. Will Piven call an EPA official to the stand? We can’t wait to see.
This year's Emmys, give some love for The Shield
Posts: 2427 | Location: Long Island | Registered: January 30, 2003
Three-time Emmy Award winner Jeremy Piven ("Entourage") is being brought before an arbitrator who will decide whether the actor owes damages to the Broadway producers of "Speed-the-Plow" for his abrupt departure from the hit show in December. Piven said he left because of fatigue brought on by high levels of mercury in his bloodstream. And the reason given for these elevated levels? His sushi addiction. As the play's author, David Mamet, acidly remarked at the time, "My understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer."
This year's Emmys, give some love for The Shield
Posts: 2427 | Location: Long Island | Registered: January 30, 2003
Jeremy Piven is set to join the ranks of the Dan Whites ("The Twinkie Defense") and O.J. Simpsons ("The If The Glove Don't Fit, You Must Acquit Defense") of the world with his very own contribution to the lexicon of legal shenanigans: "The Sushi Defense."
Think anyone will ever offer him another job on Broadway?
Originally posted by Oscarluver: I hope not. When you're a big an ******* like he is, you can forget it. I'm surprised he still has a job on Entourage.
Um, doesn't Entourage need him more than he needs the show? They'd be foolish to fire him.
