Since moving to a small town in Utah for privacy, it seems that Gary Coleman’s life has become even more drama-filled.  Police reports are stating that the cops have been called in to assist with situations involving Coleman 21 times.  These incidents include: a suicide call involving 30-40 Oxycontins; domestic disputes resulting in injuries; domestic disputes resulting in self-harm;  Coleman worried that his wife would send her three brothers to harm him and asking the police for protection; and even a supposed break-in that turned out to be boxes falling in the basement.  This quote from the police report describes Coleman throwing a fit at his wife, Shannon Price, in a parking lot in Provo:

“Coleman was yelling and pounding his steering wheel for approximately 10 minutes before he jumped out of his truck. He ran out in front of his truck and around to the woman’s door, stopping several cars, and then he went to his door and was running around, yelling and screaming and throwing his arms in the air as he did,” the police report says. “Coleman was yelling that he could not take it anymore.” The report says Price felt threatened and was worried things were going to “get out of control they way they did earlier.” The 4-foot-8 actor was charged with disorderly conduct and eventually placed on probation.

[From NY Post]

This is the same Shannon Price who, one month later, he decided to marry.

I understand wanting to get away from the drama of Hollywood, but one recent-ish gig for Coleman was on season two of The Surreal Life in 2004.  He wasn’t a regular cast member and was just featured on one episode, but still. He was being paid by people whose intention was to display him as a has been. You hope that was one fat paycheck. He also went on Divorce Court to try and save his marriage to Shannon Price. You don’t get more public than that. Going on cable television to settle a personal matter is just screaming for attention.

Though he accepts jobs like The Surreal Life, he also likes to bite the hand that feeds him.  A recent incident occurred in September of this year, in which he assaulted a fan who was trying to take a picture in the parking lot of a bowling alley.

I also can’t help but feel bad for him.  Due to his stature as well as his early TV career, it’s hard to think of him as anyone but, well, Gary Coleman.  He’ll probably spend the rest of his life playing himself and he’s just not that likable anymore.

Kanye West has blogged in that incredibly convincing all-caps overly emotional style of his that it’s all the paparazzi’s fault that he smacked a photographer with his camera. He starts by invoking Princess Diana’s death and then goes on to say that there needs to be laws protecting people from being photographed in public. He may be right, but he’s not one to give advice on the matter. West was arrested in Newcastle, England for assaulting a paparazzo outside a club late Thursday night. It was his second abusive incident involving a photographer in just over two months:

WHO’S WINNING, ME OR THE MEDIA?
REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH LIGHT I PUT OUT, THERE ARE PEOPLE WORKING JUST AS HARD TO ONLY DELIVER DARKNESS. IF YOU LISTEN TO MY MUSIC, HOW COULD I DELIVER SO MANY POSITIVE UPLIFTING MESSAGES AND BE THE MONSTER THAT THE MEDIA PAINTS. PAPARAZZI GIVE REAL PHOTOGRAPHERS A BAD NAME. A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, THEIRS ARE WORTH A THOUSAND DOLLARS…

LET US NOT FORGET THE PAPS KILLED PRINCESS DIANA. WHEN WILL THERE BE A LAW PASSED THAT SIMPLY ENFORCES THAT SOMEONE HAS TO ASK TO TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH OF YOU. THAT WOULD SEEM LIKE COMMON COURTESY. RIGHT NOW THE PAPS ARE ABOVE THE LAW AND THE PEOPLE THEY SHOOT ARE BELOW IT. WHAT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL IS PICTURES TAKEN WITH THE INTENT TO SELL….LIKE DRUGS WITH THE INTENT TO SELL… OR CROSSING CUSTOMS WITH ENOUGH MERCHANDISE TO HAVE THE INTENT TO SELL. THE EXPLOITATION OF MY IMAGE IS THE PROBLEM. IT PRODUCES A “BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY” BEHAVIOR THAT CAUSE THE PAPS TO DRIVE RECKLESSLY ON FREEWAYS, JUMP OVER FENCES AND INVADE PRIVACY ALL IN AN EFFORT TO GET THAT “MONEY SHOT.” YOU SHOULDN’T BE ABLE TO SELL A PICTURE OF ME WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. AFTER THIS LAW IS PASSED, WHEN YOU ENTER A PUBLIC PLACE LIKE A BASKETBALL ARENA ETC., THERE WILL BE A SIGN THAT READS…”ALL PHOTOS TAKEN HERE ARE PUBLIC DOMAIN AND CAN BE USED AT THE PHOTOGRAPHERS DISCRETION.” OBVIOUSLY RED CARPET EVENTS WHERE PEOPLE SHOW UP TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED WILL ALSO APPLY. THE PERSONAL PROBLEM I HAVE WITH THE PAPS IS WHEN THEY TRY TO CATCH YOU BEING A REGULAR PERSON. I AM NOT A CELEBRITY. I’M A NORMAL PERSON THAT’S JUST FAMOUS. I REFUSE TO SNEAK IN AND OUT OF BACK DOORS AND KITCHENS OF HOTELS ETC….

I AM PROTECTING MY PERSONAL SPACE SINCE THERE ARE NO LAWS TO PROTECT THAT FOR ME.

I PUT MY HAND UP TO THE CAMERA IN SELF DEFENSE!

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED…WHEN I LEFT THE CLUB, I WAS ENCOUNTERED BY A THIRSTY PAPARAZZI AS USUAL. HE FELT HE HAD MORE RIGHTS TO MY SPACE THAN ME, SO I PUT MY HAND UP TO PREVENT HIM FROM TAKING MY IMAGE. I DIDN’T ASSAULT HIM BUT MERELY PUTTING MY HAND UP TO COVER HIS LENS. MY SECURITY YELLED, “GET THE CAMERA OFF HIM.” I GUESS IN ALL THE COMMOTION THE CAMERA SCRAPED HIS NOSE.

Kanye goes on to scream that the cops were semi-apologetic and told him it was “obviously a publicity stunt by the photographer but they still had to go through the motions.” (I converted all that to lower case obviously. It’s not like Kanye all of a sudden decided to turn off the caps lock for the second part of his rant.)

In September after an incident at the airport in which Kanye and his assistant broke two cameras, Kanye explained it away with a two line blog entry: “I’m cool with the paparazzi. This guy wasn’t cool. I gotta work now… I’ll rant later!”

He never did rant or really explain what caused him to go off and it looks like he waited until it happened again to blame external circumstances instead of taking responsibility for his actions.

Yes there need to be more laws protecting celebrities from the paparazzi, but abusive self-centered jerks like Kanye make it seem like the paparazzi need some protection from retaliation too. West still faces misdemeanor charges for that September altercation, but managed to get off scot free in the UK for this latest incident. Kanye has refused to apologize in writing to the photographer he admits hurting due to “legal litigation,” according to Newcastle police.

Kanye West is shown playing basketball on 11/16/08 in Glasgow, Scotland. The photographer he harmed is shown on 11/14/08. Credit: Bauergriffinonline. Header image is of Kanye at the opening of Bapestore in West Hollywood on 4/23/08. Credit: PRPhotos

Scottish beefcake Gerard Butler, 38, is under investigation by the LAPD for allegedly pulling a tailing paparazzo out of his car and repeatedly punching him in the face. TMZ has the story and a photo of the guy Bulter is said to have beaten up, who pulls down his lip to show multiple cuts. The story sounded at first like a typical case of a celebrity fed up with the paparazzi in general and taking it out on the latest stalking photographer who happened to be around. In a follow up TMZ says they have several witnesses who say the photographer was driving incredibly recklessly and following Butler for hours before he finally blew up.

We’ve learned Gerard Butler is under criminal investigation for allegedly assaulting a photog.

It allegedly went down early Tuesday in L.A. Gerard was leaving Crown Bar at 2:00 AM and got into his limo. The photog claims he was following Gerard’s limo in a car, when the limo suddenly stopped. Gerard supposedly got out of the limo, approached the photog and asked why he was tailing him.

To that, the photog says he responded, “Hey, that’s my job.” Gerard allegedly then reached in the car, grabbed the photog’s throat and and punched him three or four times. Butler allegedly then kicked the car and again punched the photog three or four times — close-fisted — for good measure.

The photog went to the hospital for stitches and then filed a police report. The LAPD confirms they’re looking into the case and plan on interviewing Gerard.

No immediate comment from Gerard’s people.

[From TMZ]

And here’s the maybe-real story where sources claim that maybe the guy didn’t have it coming exactly, but he wasn’t quite as innocent as he says:

Sources tell us witnesses have now come forward with a very different account. They are saying the papper was tailing Gerard for hours. And, they say, the photog was driving “recklessly” as he “chased” Butler’s limo, almost hitting several pedestrians.

After Gerard allegedly got out of the limo and struck the photog in the face, we’re told the photog continued following Butler for more than an hour before going to the hospital.

And, we’re told, the photog spoke with a civil lawyer before contacting cops.

[From TMZ]

Ca-ching! Even if the guy wasn’t looking to get abused he certainly seems open to getting a big fat settlement from Butler. I hope all he gets is a fat lip and his case dismissed. There need to be more laws in California and in the US in general to protect celebrities from the paparazzi. It’s getting out of hand, and while I don’t condone Butler’s behavior, no one should be driving recklessly to tail a star, either. We avoided a disaster with Britney, but the problem didn’t go away – she just got sane despite the circling vultures.

Gerard Butler is shown at the RockNRolla premiere in LA on 10/6/08. Credit: WENN

Nicole Richie is the latest celebrity to engage in the art of camera smashing. The petite 26 year-old mother was leaving a party at a NY club on Friday night when she jumped over a rope and threw a young tourist’s camera to the ground, shouting the phrase popularized by 1980 film The Elephant Man, “I am not an animal!”

Nicole Richie kicked off the diva fits at an after-party for Charlotte Ronson by grabbing a fan’s camera and smashing it to the ground. While Lindsay Lohan and Sam Ronson were celebrating at Country Club on West 14th Street with host Alan Philips of Sky Group, Richie left early at 11 p.m.

As she walked out, “a young, Swedish tourist was trying to take her photo,” said one witness. Richie shouted, “I’m not an animal” then “jumped over the velvet rope, ripped the camera out of the girl’s hand, and smashed it to the ground.” Reps for Richie didn’t reply to Page Six.

[From The NY Post]

Like Kanye West’s camera-smashing paparazzi encounter on Thursday, we don’t know what prompted Richie’s behavior and if that particular tourist – it’s not specified if it was a man or a woman – said something obnoxious or was otherwise following her all night. (Although in Kanye’s case the longer it takes that loudmouth to blog about what happened, the more at fault he seems. If his lawyer is advising him not to reveal details that may incriminate himself or his road manager, he should mention that.)

This is Nicole Richie we’re talking about, though, and she’s not exactly known for being the most gracious and friendly celebrity. Her sour moods and sense of entitlement are pretty much legendary, but her sweet daughter seems to have softened her a bit. Maybe she was pissed off at something else and just taking it out on that person’s camera. Being stalked like that has got to get to you after a while. I bet some of these celebrities would gladly give up their gadgets in exchange for a society in which famous people’s personal lives weren’t so publicly scrutinized and followed. If it’s getting to them so much they always have the option to move to the country.

Here’s Nicole Richie out at the Marc Jacobs show on 9/8/08. Credit: MLM/Fame Pictures

It looks like former football star and not-quite-exonerated murderer O.J. Simpson got a little taste of his own domestic abuse medicine at the hands of his oldest daughter recently. Arnelle Simpson, 39, “went berserk” on her estranged dad during an argument over his treatment of Arnelle’s mother and O.J.’s first wife. The police were called by Arnelle herself after she shoved her father into a glass cupboard, which shattered, causing cuts on his head.

THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER exclusively reports O.J. Simpson’s daughter went berserk, attacking both him and his girlfriend!

Cops sped to the home of the disgraced footballer and Naked Gun star on Aug. 24 after he was attacked by eldest daughter Arnelle, 39.

“He was cut on the back of his head, blood was coming out the side of his mouth and his lip was cut,” a source told THE ENQUIRER.

O.J. and Arnelle had a war of words about how her mom, Marquerite, O.J.’s first wife has to work at Walmart just to make ends meet because O.J. gives her no money — but does support current girlfriend Christie Prody.

As tension mounted, Arnelle lashed out at OJ for ditching Marquerite, his high school sweetheart, to marry Nicole Brown whom Simpson was later acquitted of charges of Nicole’s murder in 1994.

In a rage, Arnelle shoved O.J. violently into a glass cupboard in the kitchen.

“O.J. hit the cupboard hard and the glass shattered all over him. He fell to the floor, bleeding,” said the source.

Arnelle, in a moment of guilt, dialed 911 but panicking, hung up.

Despite that, police cars were dispatched to O.J.’s house in Kendall, Fla., near Miami, after the call was tracked to his address.

According to the police report, Simpson told cops he didn’t want to file assault charges against his own daughter.

[From The National Enquirer]

This sounds like a confrontation that’s been a long time coming. However, a 39-year-old who still resents her father for divorcing her mother could probably use some therapy. Still, the only thing that surprises me about this story is that O.J. wasn’t attacked by one of his children with Nicole Brown instead. Now those kids have something to be pissed about.

OJ Simpson is shown talking to press outside Johnnie Cochran’s funeral on 4/6/05. Credit: David Livingston / WENN

Pauley Perrette, the funky goth chick who plays a forensic examiner on CBS show NCIS, is going through a legal battle in which she claims her ex husband, Coyote Shivers, stalked and terrorized her and another woman. Shivers is a musician who was married to Bebe Buell, Liv Tyler’s mom, from 1992 to 1997. He married Perrette in 2000 and they were separated in 2004.

Perrette has had four consecutive restraining orders against Shivers stemming from his abusive behavior and citing a supposed incident in 2004 in which she claims he raped and sodomized a woman named Angela Garber. In two YouTube videos, Shivers says that Perrette is setting him up and trying to ruin his life. He produces what he claims is a screenplay by Perrette detailing the very scenario she accuses him of. He also reads off what he says are e-mails from the supposed rape victim, Angela Garber, proclaiming her love for him up to a year after the date of the incident.

Shivers comes off as sane enough in his first video, and I was inclined to believe his account that Perrette is somehow out to get him for whatever reason he doesn’t fully explain. Then he goes off in his second video and claims that Perrette and Garber are colluding against him. He seems off balance and kind of wild and it makes you wonder why a woman would go through the trouble of obtaining multiple restraining orders against an ex, especially if their divorce is already concluded. Each side often tries to smear the other in an acrimonious divorce but you can’t help but think that Perrette is the victim. The 2006 Fox News report Shivers mentions in his video states that his other ex, Bebe Buell, also has a similar story of abuse and intimidation by him during their relationship.

Perrette, 39, is now living with a 25 year-old former pizza delivery guy she met in 2004 when he was working on the set of a film in Michigan. She was still married at the time to Shivers and each of them filed for divorce shortly afterwards. It’s just a good thing there are no kids involved in this mess.

Here are Coyote Shivers’ YouTube videos. Thanks to The National Enquirer for the heads up and most of the details for this story.

Pauly Perrette is shown at the CBS summer press tour ‘Stars Party 2007′ on 7/19/07. Credit: Nikki Nelson/WENN

Ed Harris was videotaped, photographed and found pretty much being a total a**hole (okay, that last part was just my impression) yesterday afternoon outside the Newsroom Cafe because he was cussing out a videographer and trying to pull away her (yes, HER) camera because he didn’t want to be filmed.

“A” The last time he was filmed in anything good was 2002 (How good was The Hours?)

“B” If he had any hair left on his head you know he is on his way to a Britney Spears meltdown. Have you seen this clip from The History of Violence press conference?

…yeah, someone needs to be medicated. Ironically the film he is in pre-production on is called Once Fallen.

Thanks to WENN for these pictures.

In early July of 2006, Woody Harrelson grabbed a paparazzo by the neck and br when the guy wouldn’t stop taking photos of him out with a group of women. Most of the exchange was caught on videotape and posted to TMZ shortly afterwards. There were visible scratches and broken skin on the back of the photographer’s neck.

The photographer filed a criminal complaint at the police station, and the LAPD said they were investigating the incident but not much more was heard about it.

Right before the two year statute of limitations runs out, the photographer is predictably suing Harrelson. Along with claiming that 46 year-old actor choked him and broke his camera, he also says Harrelson ordered his bodyguard to attack him. The photographer wants a whopping $2.5 million:

Woody Harrelson has been sued for $2.5 million by a paparazzo who accused the actor of assaulting him and breaking his video camera two years ago.

According to a lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Josh Levine was filming Harrelson in Hollywood late one night in June 2006. He alleges the Academy Award-nominated actor choked him, broke his video camera and ordered his bodyguard to attack him.

Levine’s suit says he still has mental, physical and emotional pain from the encounter. He is also suing the unidentified bodyguard.

Harrelson’s publicist could not immediately be reached for comment.

[The Associated Press via Huffington Post]

It seemed pretty obvious to me at the time I assumed at the time based on his aggressive behavior that Woody was cheating on his wife, who had just given birth to their third daughter a month before. Why would he get so upset at being photographed unless he was up to something? (Update: as many of you mentioned, I made the assumption that Woody was cheating based on the way he objected to being photographed. There was little basis for this and I should have phrased it better.)

The photographer definitely deserves compensation for his injuries and broken equipment, but $2.5 million? I see this being settled out of court for five figures, and that’s probably what the victim is hoping for too. It’s not like a jury is going to be incredibly sympathetic toward a paparazzi photographer, even if Harrelson was clearly in the wrong.

Woody Harrelson is shown at the Semi-Pro premiere on 2/19/08, thanks to PRPhotos.

Naomi Campbell should be locked up in a rubber room until further notice- either that, or sent into the mountains of Afghanistan to scare terrorists. The irrelevant British model was arrested in April at Heathrow airport after she threw a fit when her bags wound up lost. She got physical with a security officer and was taken into custody. No word on whether her cell phone was confiscated as a weapon of mass destruction. She was officially charged this morning with assaulting two police officers for that incident and must report to court on June 20 to face charges.

Naomi Campbell has been charged with assaulting a police officer at London’s Heathrow Airport, her lawyer told BBC News Thursday.

She has also been charged with one count of disorderly conduct and one count of using threatening, abusive words or behavior towards cabin crew.

The model, 38, was arrested in April aboard a British Airways flight when she threw a fit after her carry-on bags came up missing.

“Miss Campbell is bitterly disappointed that the prosecutors have advised her she is to be prosecuted for various offences,” her lawyer said in a statement after she answered bail at a London police station Thursday.

“She respects that decision and she hopes this matter is dealt with expeditiously,” he said.

She is due in court June 20.

Last year, Campbell was ordered to spend a week mopping floors at a NYC warehouse for assaulting her maid with a cell phone.

[From Us Weekly]

What is this bitch’s problem? Look, we all know how much flying sucks. There’s the nightmare that is airport security, the endless flight delays, and the knowledge that your luggage is probably headed to Fiji while you are in Cleveland. But that doesn’t justify acting like a stark-raving lunatic and putting your hands on a cop! What’s so special about her that she gets to act like this? I’m glad she got charged – but I’d like to see her get in a lot more trouble this time. Someone needs to commit this hag before she really hurts someone. Just tell her that the padded room is a trendy new nightclub and the straightjacket is from the new Calvin Klein summer collection. Then throw away the key.

Note by Celebitchy: Naomi’s assault charges carries “a maximum sentence of six months in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000,” according to the Associated Press. Hopefully the judge will take her prior record into consideration and throw the book at her – hard.

Naomi Campbell is shown at Cannes on 5/21/08, thanks to WENN.

On the rare occasions that I’ve pondered Bill Murray’s private life, I’ve assumed that he’s the type of guy who gets drunk and tries to drive to 711 in a golf cart. He seems like a goofy fun-loving guy, and maybe someone who would cheat on his wife, but not someone with an abusive temper or a mean streak. His second wife of over ten years claims otherwise and has filed for divorce along with a restraining order against Murray, 57.

Jennifer Butler Murray filed for divorce in Charleston counrty, South Carolina on May 12. Her reasons include adultery, drug addiction, alcoholism, and abuse. She details an incident in which he hit her in the face and said she was “lucky he didn’t kill her.” Under the provisions of their prenuptial agreement, Jennifer would get $7 million with no alimony or child support:

Jennifer Butler Murray cites the allegations as grounds for divorce, according to the complaint filed May 12 in family court. Records in the case were sealed Friday by a court order…

Jennifer Murray also seeks a restraining order barring Bill Murray from her Sullivan’s Island home and asks the court to determine if the couple’s premarital agreement is valid and enforceable…

According to the complaint, Jennifer Murray moved into a Sullivan’s Island home in 2006 with the couple’s four children due to her husband’s “adultery, addiction to marijuana and alcohol, abusive behavior, physical abuse, sexual addictions and frequent abandonment.”

Jennifer Murray purchased the Sullivan’s Island beach house in 2006 for $3.65 million, according to county property records.

It was at the Sullivan’s Island home, according to the complaint, that Murray allegedly abused his wife in November 2007. The six-page court filing says Murray “hit his wife in the face and then told her she was ‘lucky he didn’t kill her.’ ”

The complaint alleges that Murray physically abused his wife on more than one occasion during the marriage.

[From Charleston.net via TMZ]

The couple have four sons together, Caleb, 15, Jackson, 13, Cooper, 12, and Lincoln, 7. Murray also has two sons with his first wife, Margaret Kelly: Homer, 26, and Luke, 23.

Maybe Murray’s wife is emphasizing certain aspects of her husband’s character to try and get out of her prenuptial agreement, but if those claims are true that’s awful and she deserves a hefty settlement along with substantial child support. Bill Murray has three movies coming out this year: Get Smart, City of Ember, and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. He is also a co-owner of minor league baseball team The Charleston Riverdogs.

Bill Murray and Jennifer Murray are shown at the 2004 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, thanks to PRPhotos.