Bill Murray really has guts. While a lot of celebrities will do some crazy things for attention, Murray isn’t generally one of them. Rarely do you see him falling out of Bungalow 8 with his panties around his ankles. Instead Murray goes for the more planned kind of attention – though albeit a bit more dangerous. He jumped out of an airplane at 13,500 feet this weekend for the Chicago Air and Water Show.

Bill Murray landed in Chicago on Friday like he never had before — by jumping from an airplane 13,500 feet up. The 57-year-old actor took several deep breaths before stepping out the open doors of a C-31 Fokker and dropping at about 120 mph to the city’s lakefront with members of the Army Golden Knights Parachute Team.

An exuberant Murray, whose jump kicked off the 50th Chicago Air and Water Show, landed safely on a beach. The actor pretended for a moment to stagger as if dizzy, then smiled broadly, waved to the crowd and shook hands with some of the Golden Knights. Friends asked Murray to participate in the show, which features demonstrations and performances in the air and on Lake Michigan, to support the Illinois United Service Organizations… “It seemed like a good idea at a time,” Murray said. “I’ve had second thoughts, believe me. I’ve been really nervous. All the jokes (from friends) involve death.”

At more than 2 miles above Chicago, the air temperature in the unpressurized plane dropped to 30 degrees. The roar of the plane’s engines and winds coming through the open doors was deafening. Up in the plane, Murray, a native of Wilmette, Ill., looked out the window and took short calming breaths from a yellow oxygen tank. A buzzer went off in the plane around 3 p.m. It was Murray’s time to jump. He and Jones, connected by ropes and harnesses, ambled down the aisle. After a countdown they stepped off, instantly disappearing into the skies below.

Once he landed, Murray said a Golden Knight jumper had tried to ease his nerves by telling him he would want to repeat the jump. “But right now,” Murray said, “I really feel like having a drink.”

[From the Daily News]

Here are photos of Bill’s awesome jump this weekend. Thanks to to PR Photos.

It seemed like the Bill Murray divorce was on the verge of getting super ugly. First, his wife Jennifer came out swinging, calling the actor an abusive, drug-addicted alcoholic. Then, Bill shot back the Jennifer was a drunk and a pill popper who wasn’t so nice to their kids. Just when things looked like they were going to escalate to something of Richards/Sheen proportions, the couple quietly settled their divorce.

A month after after his wife sued him for divorce in a shocking filing alleging abuse and infidelity, Bill Murray and Jennifer Butler Murray have worked out an agreement to end their marriage.

According to court documents dated June 13 and obtained by TMZ.com, Butler Murray, 42, has been granted primary custody of their four children and will keep the couple’s homes in Hemet, Calif. and Sullivan’s Island, S.C. Bill Murray, 57, must pay child support and will keep other property in California, New York and Massachusetts.

Bill Murray must also pay Jennifer a lump sum. The Murrays signed a prenuptial agreement in which Bill would pay his wife $7 million in a divorce, and, according to court documents, it is still valid.

In May, Butler Murray filed for divorce on the grounds of drug addiction, physical abuse, adultery and abandonment. She also requested a restraining order against her husband.

According to Butler Murray, she felt forced to move with their children to a new home as a result of the actor’s alcohol, marijuana and sex addictions, among other reasons. According to a newspaper report, the filing said that Murray once “hit his wife in the face and then told her she was ‘lucky he didn’t kill her.”

At the time, the actor’s lawyer, John McDougall, said only: “I can say that Bill Murray is deeply saddened by the break-up of his marriage to Jennifer. They remain loving parents, committed to the best interest of their children.”

[From People]

Well, I don’t know what snapped them out of it, but I’m glad. With four kids to think about, these two were heading to a bad place, and once the name calling starts, it’s hard to take those things back. It looks like Jennifer is going to get a nice little settlement for herself and the children are going to be provided for- that’s really the best case scenario in a divorce, isn’t it? If the allegations are true about Bill, I hope he gets some help. I still think he’s a fantastic actor and hate to see him getting this kind of publicity.

On a side note, I’d also like to point out how easy it is to settle a divorce financially when there is a pre-nup involved. Too bad Paul McCartney didn’t take that advice.

A couple of weeks ago, we told you about the impending divorce between comic actor Bill Murray and his wife, Jennifer, who dropped a bombshell that Murray was an abusive alcholic. Now, it looks like Jennifer may have some similar issues of her own. TMZ is reporting that the soon to be ex-Mrs. Murray was picked up by police back in March for verbally abusing her children while seemingly under the influence.

Bill Murray isn’t the only Murray who gets lit and lets it out on the kids — allegedly.

Murray’s wife Jennifer Butler-Murray was pinched by the po-po in South Carolina on March 17 after allegedly getting drunk — and then violent with her kids, according to a report filed with the Sullivan’s Island Police. A witness caught Jennifer yelling at one of the couple’s kids, and the cop who cornered her wrote that she was “very impaired.”

Butler-Murray’s been blabbing in a divorce filing that Bill was addicted to booze and drugs, abused, abandoned, and once said she was “lucky he didn’t kill her.”

[From TMZ.com]

This happened months ago, but it’s just coming to light now…wonder who leaked this to the press? This divorce is shaping up to be one of those Charlie-Denise “He Said, She Said,” type of deals. Which is sad for the couple’s kids. I hope they can find a way to resolve their differences privately from here on out and concentrate on helping their children deal with the fallout that goes along with divorce.

Bill and Jennifer Murray are shown in 2004, thanks to Splash News.

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.

Remember a few weeks ago, when Bill Murray was given a DUI citation for driving a golf cart drunk? Well he’s finally spoken out and explained himself, and it turns out it’s all because he’s a good samaritan bus driver type who just can’t let friends walk home or call a cab – so logically, why NOT borrow your hotel’s “for display only” golf cart and drive all over Stockholm?

“Bill Murray says he was just dropping people after a party when he was stopped in downtown Stockholm driving a golf cart. The police ‘asked me to come over and they assumed that I was drunk and I explained to them that I was a golfer,’ Murray told reporters Monday at the Venice Film Festival, where he appeared before the premiere of his new film The Darjeeling Limited, which also stars Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson.

The star of 1980’s Caddyshack said he was in Stockholm last month to play in a pro-am golf tournament, and hitched a ride to a post-event party in a golf cart. When no one wanted to drive home, he volunteered. ‘I ended up stopping and dropping people off on the way like a bus. I had about six people in the thing and I dropped them off one at a time.’ He said police called him over as he was dropping the last couple off at a 7-Eleven, adding ‘I didn’t know they had 7-Elevens in Stockholm.’ Swedish police took a blood test after the actor refused a breath test. He could face drunken driving charges.

It’s not illegal to drive a golf cart through downtown Stockholm, just unsual [sic].”

Apparently he’d had one or two drinks – though driving with much of anything in your system is illegal in Sweden. They have a zero-tolerance approach, which appears to apply to golf carts as well. Murray’s blood alcohol results from the blood test haven’t been released yet, so we’ll see if he ends up getting in trouble or not. I don’t know how I know this, but I’m pretty sure that gopher from “Caddyshack” was behind this somehow.

Picture note by JayBird: Header image of Bill Murray at the 2004 Vanity Fair Oscar Party at Morton’s in Beverly Hills. Images thanks to PR Photos.

So Bill Murray’s been kind of quiet lately. That’s not really news in and of itself, supposedly he’s a recluse and not exactly on the list of hot young celebrities. But he’s really smart and talented and once in a while puts out a really great movie, so he certainly deserves to get a mention when he joins the hot young destructive celebrity set, and gets his very own DUI. Yes, at the age of 57, Bill Murray finally has what it takes to be young and powerful in Hollywood these days. If only he’d have a pantyless crotch shot, he’d be made.

Murray was taking part in the Scandinavian Masters golf tournament in Stockholm this weekend. He had a bit to drink. Not so much that he was slurring or tipsy or falling over or anything. But enough that driving a golf cart through the streets of Stockholm seemed like a good idea. Driving a golf cart on the streets isn’t illegal in and of itself, but driving much of anything after imbibing any drink more potent than a dose of Nyquil is quite illegal. Europeans are famously more tolerant towards alcohol, but much less tolerant towards DUI/DWIs. Which is how it should be. A first infraction can often mean significant jail time and a loss of a person’s drivers license for the rest of their life. Apparently that won’t be the case for Mr. Murray, as he wasn’t ridiculously drunk and likely returned to the States.

“Bill Murray could face a drunken driving charge after cruising through downtown Stockholm in a golf cart and refusing to take a breath test, citing U.S. law. Police officers spotted the “Caddyshack” star early Monday in the slow-moving vehicle and noticed he smelled of alcohol when they pulled him over, said Detective-Inspector Christer Holmlund of the Stockholm police.

“‘He refused to blow in the (breath test) instrument, citing American legislation,’ Holmlund told The Associated Press on Wednesday. ‘So we applied the old method — a blood test. It will take 14 days before the results are in.’ Murray, who had been at a golf tournament in Sweden, signed a document admitting that he was driving under the influence, and agreed to let a police officer plead guilty for him if the case goes to court, Holmlund said.

“‘Then he was let go. My guess is he went back to America,’ Holmlund said. He said the 56-year-old actor-comedian would only be charged if tests show his blood alcohol level exceeded the legal limit, which is quite low in Sweden. A very high alcohol level could lead to a prison sentence, but Holmlund said fines were more likely.

“‘There were no obvious signs, like when someone is really tipsy,’ he said.”

[From Yahoo News]

The things unknown untalented actresses will do to get attention these days. Oops, I mean Bill Murray. Apparently the golf cart had been outside of the hotel Murray was staying in, on display for the past week. I guess temptation became a bit too much to take, and Murray absconded with it, driving the cart to the Cafe Opera nightclub. The nightclub was less than a mile away, but I’m guessing that was one long, slow mile. I wonder what role that crazy Caddyshack gopher played in this whole debacle, and if he was cited too?

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Bill at the The Lost City Los Angeles Premiere in April 2006. Image thanks to PR Photos.