This is for you bitches who used to beg me to write about vintage Hollywood scandals. In 1981, Natalie Wood’s body was found floating in the ocean a mile from Splendor, the boat she shared with her husband, Robert Wagner. They had been anchored just off of Catalina Island, and at the time, the story was that Natalie was either buzzed or completely drunk, and she had slipped and fallen off of the boat. The idea of Natalie’s accidental drowning was made worse by the fact that she had a well-documented fear of water – and I don’t think she could swim, either. On the boat with Natalie that night: the captain of the boat, Natalie’s husband Robert Wagner and Natalie’s then-current costar, Christopher Walken. There was controversy, gossip and whispers about Natalie’s death at the time, but it was ruled as an accident… until now. The LA County Sheriff’s Office has just reopened the case because they say they have new evidence:

What happened to Natalie Wood?

That is the question the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office hopes to answer regarding the Nov. 29, 1981, death of the adored movie star, it was announced late Thursday.

On Friday morning’s Today show, the captain of the boat Wood fled the night of her drowning alleged that her husband, Robert Wagner, was responsible for her death.

“I made mistakes by not telling the honest truth in a police report,” Dennis Davern also said on the NBC program.

Saying they had new information about Wood’s death – some of it apparently form Davern – sheriff’s officials have decided to reopen the investigation, according to Deputy Benjamin Grubb.

Wood, a child actress (1947′s Miracle on 34th Street) who went on to A-list status after 1955′s Rebel Without a Cause, 1961′s West Side Story and 1963′s Love With the Proper Stranger, was 43 when she mysteriously drowned while boating off Southern California’s Catalina Island.

When found, Wood’s body was floating about a mile away from the yacht carrying her husband and the actor Christopher Walken, Wood’s costar in the movie Brainstorm, which she was shooting at the time. The autopsy called the death an accident, though the tragedy has long been shrouded in gossip and speculation.

A spokesman for Wagner, 81, commenting on news that the case is being reopened, said in a statement, “Although no one in the Wagner family has heard from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department about this matter, they fully support the efforts of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and trust they will evaluate whether any new information relating to the death of Natalie Wood Wagner is valid, and that it comes from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30-year anniversary of her tragic death.”

The Los Angeles Times reports that homicide detectives wish to speak to Davern, the captain of the yacht, which was named Splendour (Wood starred in 1961′s Splendor in the Grass), after comments he made recounting Wood’s death on its 30th anniversary.

Without elaborating, Sheriff Lee Baca told the newspaper that what Davern said was “worthy of exploring.” Davern co-authored a book published last year, Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour, and said there were arguments aboard the yacht the night of the drowning.

Boat Captain Grilled
Grilled by NBC’s David Gregory on Friday’s Today show, Davern said in response to several direct questions that he thought Wagner was responsible for Wood’s death, and that he and Wagner did not do all they should have the night she died. Davern also said that Wagner told him (Davern) not to take any steps to locate Wood once she left the boat, and that he and Wagner later agreed on what they would tell police.

“Any message you would want to tell Robert Wagner this morning?” Gregory asked Davern. “No,” he replied.

“I just want the truth to come out, the real story,” Natalie’s younger sister, Lana Wood, told CNN last year. “My sister was not a swimmer and did not know how to swim, and she would never go to another boat or to shore dressed in a nightgown and socks.”

A news conference on the matter has been scheduled by the Sheriff’s Department for Friday at 11 a.m. West Coast time.

[From People]

In September, 2009, The Enquirer excerpted the boat captain’s (Dennis Davern’s) book. According to Davern’s account of the evening, Wagner and Wood were fighting ABOUT Christopher Walken. Wagner believed Walken wanted to sleep with Natalie, and that Natalie was encouraging Walken. Davern claims the fight continued for hours, fueled by alcohol, and that the screaming fight turned physical. Davern identified Natalie’s body, and he claims that he saw bruises on her arms and legs that were from Wagner’s abuse, not her fall. He also claims that Wagner was with Natalie when she fell into the water, and Wagner encouraged the cover-up.

So, is it possible that Robert Wagner has gotten away with murder all this time? I don’t know. My mom always thought Wagner was fishy, though.

Archival photos of Wood, additional pics by WENN.

A while ago, James Franco did drag for the cover of Candy, a magazine for and by transvestites or something – they call themselves “the first transversal magazine”. This is only their third issue, and if the person on the cover looks familiar, it’s because SHE is. It’s Chloe Sevigny, dressed up in a drag king version of “Uncle” Terry Richardson. Terry Richardson, as many of you know, is the fashion photographer and noted pervert (go here for the backstory on his perversions) who is best known this year for being doing photoshoots with Lindsay Lohan, and Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux. He also does a lot of cover work for Rolling Stone and Harper’s Bazaar – many of the pop stars love him, like Gaga and Katy Perry.

Now, I tend to like Chloe when she isn’t speaking or trying to infect me with her umlaut. But can any of us ever UNSEE the image of Chloe as Terry? Am I overreacting to the creep-factor? Is this just a cool drag king thing that I’m obviously too mainstream to understand fully? Is it just something silly and cute? Ugh. It’s just so… scary. She looks way too much like Uncle Terry.

Cover courtesy of The Fashion Spot. Additional pics by WENN.

As we talked about yesterday, LeAnn is on another needy, crazy jag where she’s tweeting bikini photos of herself and making some big fuss about how she’s so healthy and she doesn’t know why people continue to harp about how skinny she is and she’s eating so much and she’s America’s Sweetheart and everybody is just yelling at her all the time and it’s NOT HER FAULT. So, what to do? First, I would suggest that LeAnn and her doctors sit down and figure out the right medication and dosage and everything, because the neverending cycle of manufactured drama is making my eye twitch, and none of it healthy.

Anyway, LeAnn tweeted the two black and white bikini photos on Sunday with the comments “CURVES… They are there LOL” and “Beach Bum…” Barf on that, but beyond her bones, how weird is it that LeAnn hired a professional photographer to take artsy bikini photos, just so she can post them on Twitter? These are totally professional, hi-res images – which just proves A) LeAnn has too much time on her hands that she’s organizing this kind of dumbass photo shoot FOR TWITTER and B) Bitch needs a prescription. Note: the photo of LeAnn and Eddie is from Saturday. Because they’re so in love.

Photos courtesy of LeAnn’s Twitter.

I didn’t even want to write about this because it just seems so utterly bizarre. But it really happened – police in England arrested two men who are accused of plotting to kidnap and murder singer/actress Joss Stone. The alleged kidnappers possessed “detailed maps and aerial photos of her rural property in east Devon” as well as “swords, forensic-style overalls… and a body bag.” Oh, and ROPE. The Sun even has a photo of rope, in case you need to see it illustrated. I’m sorry, I’m seriously not making light of this, it sounds so sketchy and scary, and Joss is really lucky that she has paranoid neighbors:

TWO men were being held last night over a suspected plot to rob and murder singer Joss Stone. Cops found swords, rope and a body bag when they swooped on the pair at around 10am yesterday near the star’s isolated country home.

The men, aged 33 and 30, also had detailed maps and aerial photos of her rural property in east Devon. The suspects had travelled from the Manchester area 200 miles away.

Police insiders said they were arrested on suspicion of planning a terrifying raid on Joss, 24, who has a £9million personal fortune.

The alleged plot was foiled by sharp-eyed neighbours who saw two black men acting suspiciously in a red Fiat Punto. The car was being driven slowly around the isolated lanes of the Cullompton area. Police were alerted and took the men to Exeter, where they were being questioned last night.

A 20-strong team of detectives is now working on the case, liaising with colleagues in Manchester. Sources said the car was registered in Manchester but had a different owner. Cops said the men were initially held on suspicion of possession of offensive weapons and being equipped to steal.

Joss, who is close friends with Prince William and was at his wedding to Kate Middleton, is said to be in Britain and being kept informed of developments.

She said today she was “absolutely fine and getting on with life as normal”.

Det Insp Steve Parker said: “The men had information and items that lead us to suspect that they may have intended to commit a criminal offence.”

There was no sign of the singer yesterday at her farmhouse home, where workmen were busy. Joss, among the five top-earning female UK singing stars, is due to go back on tour next month. She has sold over ten million albums and worked with legends such as James Brown, The Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder.

[From The Sun]

Thank goodness she’s safe! And thank goodness the cops were so proactive. This whole thing sounds so sketchy. It’s totally creeping me out that they might have gone through with their plot… at her country house. For some reason, that’s the detail that really bothers me. She would have been out in the country, perhaps her closest neighbor would have been a mile away, and if they had gotten a hold of her, it would have been a really bad situation.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Here is Lea Michele’s June cover for Cosmo UK. I could have done without the open mouth, honestly. Lea annoys me, and I think she deserves much of the negative publicity she gets, but I don’t like people ragging on her “unconventional” face. She’s a pretty girl… but a lot of depends on her styling and her angles. Lea on a magazine cover with her mouth hanging open in an unattractive “RAWR” gawp … it’s just not pleasant. Anyway, in the interview, I feel like Lea is trying to tone down the crazy a little bit, but of course, she’s still talking about how beautiful she is and how she’s the best, the greatest, the most important person ever. Not really, but I feel like that’s the subtext of Lea’s interviews:

Lea on her own high school experiences: “I wasn’t a goody-goody… I loved to have fun. I never did drugs. Acting always came first. I was lucky, because I really believed in who I was.”

Lea on her career path: “I knew I wasn’t going to end up on a Disney half-hour show. I mean, look at me! I do’’t look like those girls. I just wanted to do a guest appearance on something like ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’”

On nose jobs: Lea admits “of course I thought about it” when it comes to nose jobs, but she never took the rhinoplasty plunge, saying, “I’m sooo thankful that I didn’t.”

Lea on her dad, and her boyfriend: “My father makes me laugh – my sense of humor comes from him – but at the same time, I know he’s going to take care of everything… I see some of that in my boyfriend.”

Life beyond Glee “Take a shower, put on a bathrobe, pour myself a glass of wine and Skype with [boyfriend] Theo [Stockman]. That’s the best.”

On Glee hookups: “(The public) thinks that everyone is sleeping with everyone. We spend every minute of every day together, and when we’re finished we all go out to dinner, so of course they think we’re hooking up. I’m thankful that it doesn’t happen. If people hooked up, there’d be awkward tensions.”

[From Pop Crunch & OMG Music]

Quick takes: I don’t care if you have a great relationship with your wonderful father, it’s creepy to talk about how your boyfriend reminds you of your dad. What else: I’m glad Lea didn’t have a nose job too – her nose is absolutely fine, and it suits her face. However, the subtext of the comment seems to be “I’M SO GORGE!!!” Last thing: Glee cast members hooking up… yeah, my guess is that they’re hooking up, it’s just that Lea isn’t doing any of the hooking up, so now she’s trying to play it like no one is.

Photos courtesy of Cosmo UK.

Finally! The Enquirer has an interesting story about Scarlett Johansson’s dong haze slowly lifting – according to their sources, Sean Penn and ScarJo aren’t quite as loved-up and happy as every other report would indicate. While Sean is totally into Scar – to the point of overbearing obsession – Scarlett is (allegedly) starting to feel cramped. Like, Sean is acting like Scarlett’s father and Scar is all “Um, dude, I don’t need another father, just shut up and spank me.” I kind of hope this one is true:

The romance between Sean Penn and Scarlett Johansson is already getting rocky, according to insiders. Sean has been acting like a control freak on the set of Scarlett’s latest movie, We Bought a Zoo, insiders say, and Scarlett is getting fed up.

“Sean’s been coming to the set daily and watching Scar’s every move,” an insider divulged. “He scowls at any guy who talks to Scar or even looks at her unless it’s work-related, and he demands that people bend over backwards to accommodate her. If Scar’s hungry, Sean orders a set assistant to get exactly what she wants from a local restaurant. If he notices a smudge on her skin or a problem with her wardrobe, he orders the makeup and costume people to fix it. It’s bizarre that he’s gotten involved in such tiny details.”

Sean and Scarlett’s relationship is already showing signs of strain. According to the source, “Sean and Scar argue over everything from where to sit to what kind of drinks to order. They argued over wine versus champagne, and Scarlett rolled her eyes through the entire meal.”

An insider predicts: “Scarlett is a free spirit and she was attracted to Sean for his bad boy reputation. She thought he’s a be a fun rebound after her failed marriage, and she respects him as an actor and activist. But she wants superstar Sean, not someone who acts like her dad.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition]

Does this sound like Sean? Well… I don’t know. I think Sean comes across as the kind of man who would become “obsessed” with the woman he was seeing, to the point of being over-bearing and creepy. But I also don’t think that phase would last very long. Sean gets bored easily, at least that’s my impression. So while today he can’t bear to be without Scar’s biscuits and he’ll do anything to make her happy, a month from now he’ll be boning some C-list blonde and obsessing over her.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

One of the first news stories I saw Monday morning was the breaking story about the Church of Scientology. The New Yorker has just published an exhaustive article on the Church/cult which is the culmination of ten months of research, including talking to high-profile people who were once involved with CoS. The 26-page article is here, at The New Yorker. I haven’t got the chance to read the whole thing, or even skim most of it. I’ve only managed to read the excerpts, like this one, where Josh Brolin talks about his brief flirtation with Xenu:

There are many celebrity adherents to Scientology — Josh Brolin isn’t one of them.

In a long feature about ‘Crash’ director and screenwriter Paul Haggis’ rejection of his longtime religion, The New Yorker spoke to star Josh Brolin about his brief and unsuccessful run-in with the group.

Running to the religion “in a time of desperation,” Brolin says he saw some… interesting things. One of them involved John Travolta “practicing Scientology” on Marlon Brando.

“I watched this process going on–it was very physical,” Brolin said. “I was thinking, ‘This is really f**ing bizarre! Then, after ten minutes, Brando opens his eyes and says, ‘That really helped. I actually feel different!’”

For the record, Travolta denies that it ever happened.

Haggis opens about how, as a troublemaking young man, he felt saved by Scientology, something that stars such as Kirstie Alley attested to, saying that it saved her from cocaine. Haggis, though, says that the Church had a fierce anti-gay slant, something that especially troubled him given both his belief in social justice and the members of the Church that are rumored to be gay.

[From Huffington Post]

Um, I totally believe that John Travolta was coming on to Marlon Brando. Did that strike anyone else? Like Travolta wanted to tag that ass. Anyway, Paul Haggis left CoS after the head of CoS’s San Diego office signed the Proposition 8 petition in 2008. Haggis spent months trying to get CoS to clarify their position on gay rights, to no avail, so he ended up “resigning” from the Church. Haggis also details his issues with certain policies and practices of CoS, including “disconnection” and the rumors of the organization’s civil rights violations on members. Speaking of, the FBI opened an investigation into CoS (or “Sea Org” as “the religious order” are called). The investigation was for human trafficking. Human trafficking cases are usually meant for prostitution, and specifically the enslavement of women for sexual or slave labor purposes. More from The New Yorker piece:

The laws regarding trafficking were built largely around forced prostitution, but they also pertain to slave labor. Under federal law, slavery is defined, in part, by the use of coercion, torture, starvation, imprisonment, threats, and psychological abuse. The California penal code lists several indicators that someone may be a victim of human trafficking: signs of trauma or fatigue; being afraid or unable to talk, because of censorship by others or security measures that prevent communication with others; working in one place without the freedom to move about; owing a debt to one’s employer; and not having control over identification documents. Those conditions echo the testimony of many former Sea Org members…

[From The New Yorker via Gawker]

So… Tom Cruise and John Travolta could be slaves, people. Well… I believe that they are brainwashed, and that there is probably a significant amount of “groupthink” going on, but is that a good enough excuse? At some point, doesn’t personal responsibility have to come into play? I have always believed that many actors join up with Scientology because they think it will help their careers, not because they believe in the “tenants” of CoS, whatever they may be (spa dong, high heels for men, contractually enforced marriages). Whatever.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

The Kardashian Mastercard has been cancelled. You can no longer have the pleasure of charging five dollars worth of soda and candy on your Kardashian Kard. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t really give a crap, but the statement that the Kardashians issued to Gossip Cop is worth its weight in gold. It’s the funniest thing I’ve read all morning:

The Kardashian Kard is kaput.

Kim, Khloe and Kourtney’s much-hyped prepaid debit card has been dumped over allegations that it contains several hidden fees that may be illegal.

This afternoon, legal counsel for the Kardashians’ corporation, Dash Dolls, LLC, sent a “notice of termination” to the companies behind the Kard, ending the endorsement deal after the fees controversy surfaced.

Connecticut’s attorney general, Richard Blumenthal, announced last Friday — the so-called “Black Friday” after Thanksgiving that sees enormous shopping activity — that his office was investigating whether the Kardashian Kard violated consumer protection laws with “predatory” monthly and service fees.

The notice of termination letter says that the Kardashians “have worked extremely long and hard to create a positive public persona,” and are recognized as “honest, ethical, and fun-loving individuals who are kind and caring to others.”

Because the card “might violate” certain laws, rules and regulations, notes the letter, Dash Dolls “terminates the agreement in its entirety, effective immediately.”

Gossip Cop called William “Claude” Butler from the Revenue Resource Group, the firm behind the Kardashian Kard, but has not received a response.

[From Gossip Cop]

Yes, whenever I think of “Kardashian” the first words that pop into my head are “ethical” and “positive public persona”. I definitely don’t think “famewhore” or “Kat-Face” or “famous for a sex tape”. Granted, the Kardashians on the whole are relatively harmless (in my mind), and I don’t begrudge them their “takesies-backsies” on the whole credit card thing. But here’s a funny story – I bet they kept the thousands of dollars they got as an appearance fee to launch the credit card. Ah, ethics.

Header photo courtesy of Fame.

This is the poster for the only film Mel Gibson has coming out any time soon, The Beaver. Mel Gibson gently nuzzling a big beaver, his mouth buried in the… okay, I’ll stop. God knows Mel certainly isn’t the one to go downtown, but he will f-cking SCREAM at you if you dare to go to the Jacuzzi without blowing him. Back to The Beave – this is the film that was directed by Gibson’s BFF Jodie Foster, and she also stars with him in the movie. The film doesn’t have a release date, it doesn’t have a trailer, and no promotional images have been released except for this poster. Sigh… poor Jodie. For real.

Anyway, the film is about Mel’s character, who is experiencing PTSD or something like that, and he decides to communicate only through this beaver puppet that he finds in the trash. Now, if this was really Mel Gibson talking through a puppet, that might be interesting… and terrifying. But it would probably be more watchable than this. Instead of a fictional film, it would be a nasty, hard-to-watch documentary about a man with a puppet who sets out to offend every single special interest group in the world. Go to Collider if you want the real story synopsis.

Poster courtesy of HuffPo. Additional pics courtesy of WENN.

Shock of all shocks, another woman who “dated” Mel Gibson has come forward and told (sold) her story of abuse, at the pure white hands of Mel. The woman’s name is Violet Kowal, and if that sounds familiar, it’s because she was the woman rumored to be having an affair with Mel during the same time that Oksana was pregnant with Lucia. Violet has been described at various times as a porn star, porn director and porn producer. In Touch Weekly identifies her as a “star” so let’s go with that. Anyway, Violet’s story is that she was his mistress for a short time, and everything horrible you’d ever want to think about is probably true in Mel’s case. He’s paranoid, he chain-smokes, he threatens his mistresses, he doesn’t want to wear a condom and he’ll yell at you if you don’t come over and f-ck him when he wants it. UGH.

“Mel was a monster to me too,” Violet Kowal tells In Touch exclusively. “I left town and went into hiding for almost a month.”

In an exclusive interview with In Touch, Mel Gibson’s former mistress, Violet Kowal, claims that Mel was terrifying and threatened her life.

“His threats scared me so badly,” Violet tells In Touch, “I left town and went into hiding for almost a month.” Violet says she met Mel at the Hotel Bel-Air in 2007, when he was still married to his wife, Robyn. Two years later, in July 2009, after Mel was divorced but dating Oksana, Violet claims she got a call from the star.

“I agreed to go visit him at his Malibu compound,” she explains. The two had sex for the first time, though Violet was uneasy.

“He didn’t want to use protection, but I insisted,” she says. “He seemed paranoid and anxious. He chain-smoked before and after we had sex. It was weird.”

Mel’s attorney has said that Violet’s story is an “absurd fabrication.”

Violet and Mel had “passionate” sex six more times, but she claims his dark side was bubbling under the surface.

“He would get very aggressive and angry if I was not available,” she explains, “even yelling and demanding to come to my home when I refused to see him.”

[From In Touch Weekly]

It’s funny to me that Mel’s people are even denying any story about him at this point. You’d think they would just go quiet and go home. I feel for Mel’s team, I really do. It’s gotta suck to work for Mr. Crazypants White Supremacist.

By the way – Violet is Polish. Gee, I wonder what racial slurs he threw her way when she refused to be at his beck and call? It’s no wonder she left town. I buy it.

Also – in regards to the now ongoing domestic violence investigation against Mel, Radar got two “law enforcement specialists” to say what they think is going to happen to Mel, long-term. They pretty much think that if Oksana turns over the tape of Mel admitting he hit her, the investigation will be pretty cut-and-dry. Then there was this quote that made my blood turn cold: “The cops will ask Oksana if it’s true and if she wants to press charges. If she does, Mel would be prosecuted for domestic violence and he would have to defend himself. Until now it’s been a he-said-she-said. Now we’re getting into facts. It doesn’t look good for Mel…His lawyers will do everything they can to suppress the tape. That will take care of the criminal actions but it will get messy before it gets better. The bottom line is that normally when you see violence escalate like this the female is in extreme danger. The fear is what he [Mel] will do if action isn’t taken.” Yep. I think what he’s saying is that Mel is escalating, in violence, in rage, in paranoia, in a complete disregard for anyone but himself.

UPDATE: Radar is also reporting that Mel threatened to kill Oksana and “bury her in the rose garden.” According to Radar’s source (Team Oksana): “Mel made a series of serious and violent threats against Oksana. When things in their relationship started going badly and he made the first threats against her, Oksana decided she needed to protect herself. She made the recordings and on one of them, Mel is heard telling Oksana, ‘I will bury you in the rose garden,’ which she believed to be a clear reference to killing her. Of course it never eventuated, but it reminded Oksana that Mel is a violent, disturbed and unpredictable man.” The tape is now in the possession of an LA judge who is overseeing Mel and Oksana’s custody dispute, and will probably also be heard by the LA County Sheriff’s Dept.

Mel Gibson on October 12, 2009. Credit: WENN.