Jeremy Piven hasn’t exactly been one of the most respected actors in Hollywood. Long before Sushigate, he was generally considered a legendary douche bag. In fact I think you could argue that he was lower on the totem pole than Brandon Davis or any of the guys from “The Hills.” He was an epic player and a huge joke.

It’s hard to say what Piven’s mercury poisoning scandal has done to his reputation. It seems like most in Hollywood think it’s bull, but there are definitely some who feel compassion for him. But lest you forget that Piven is still a total sleaze, Gatecrasher has a little update on his love life.

Mercury is rising everywhere for Jeremy Piven these days, including his love life. The “Entourage” actor has found a brand-new girlfriend in blond stunner Ashley Chontos, a 23-year-old model-cum-bottle waitress at Mansion NYC who he met at Britney Spears’ birthday bash.

According to pals of Chontos, Piven is so crazy about the SUNY Binghamton dropout that he’s even planning on breaking tradition by taking her to the Golden Globes. For the past four ceremonies, he brought his mother, Joyce, but now he’s said to have arranged to fly Chontos to the West Coast on Jan. 10.

Despite Piven’s obvious interest, an insider tells us that the ex-Choice Model was actually runnerup for the actor’s affections. “Jeremy met several girls at Britney’s birthday party,” the source says. “He was really interested in a model who happens to be Ashley’s direct competition, but he was so insistent in his pursuit that he freaked her out. She stopped returning his calls, so he settled for Ashley in the long run.”

Says another source: “He’s a numbers boy. He gathers up girls’ numbers when he’s out. That night, he sent out a mass text to everyone he’d met, saying, ‘Come to my room – whoever responds first gets me for the night.’”

[From Gatecrasher]

That is one of the sleaziest things I’ve ever heard. I couldn’t care less about Piven’s love life – he’ll be dating Chontos for a maximum of three more weeks. His “long run” is under a month. But texting all the women you meet in one night and trying to get them all to make a mad dash to your hotel room is super creepy. I cannot imagine how it’d feel to know the only reason you were sleeping with someone was because you got there first.

I wonder if Piven texts his remainders to let them know not to show, or if he has to field knocks on his door all night long. How creepy. I’d feel sorry for Ashley Chontos, but I’m sure she knows what she’s getting into. Unfortunately I bet Piven will leave her with some parting gifts.

Here’s Jeremy Piven arriving at the Barrymore Theatre in New York City on October 29th. Images thanks to Fame.

Jeremy Piven – who is now the world’s most famous thermometer thanks to writer David Mamet – got thoroughly bashed by his “Speed the Plow” cast mates. He clearly wasn’t popular with Raul Esparza and Elizabeth Moss, and they’re obviously either not buying or don’t care about his reason for leaving the play. Piven has extreme mercury toxicity, according to his doctor.

Actor Jeremy Piven apparently wasn’t so popular with his Broadway cast mates in the revival of David Mamet’s “Speed the Plow.”

After yesterday’s matinee, the remaining actors — Raul Esparza and Elizabeth Moss — bashed Piven to their audience after their curtain call.

Piven left the show last week, claiming he had mercury poisoning. He’d been playing opposite Esparza and Moss in the three character play for just a couple of months.

Sources say that when the matinee was finished yesterday, Esparza suddenly addressed the audience. (Actor Jordan Lage, Piven’s understudy, played the role of Bobby Gould.)

According to those who saw this, Esparza — famous for being outspoken — reamed Piven while Moss, my sources say, “sobbed.”

“’He said, I’m sure you’ve read the headlines about the silliness in our show.’ Then he said, ‘Today was the first time I really enjoyed playing this show. I hope you weren’t expecting a big TV star.’ It was pretty emotional.”

[From Fox News]

I’m assuming this supposed reaming involved more than what Fox quoted above. I don’t really consider that “reaming” by any measure. Nor is it “pretty emotional.” Though I’m confused about why Elizabeth Moss was crying over the whole ordeal. Perhaps just general frustration. No matter what, Esparza’s comments clearly were not said with any sympathy towards Jeremy Piven.

A lot of websites and articles seem to think his excuse is bull. And the guy does have the reputation of being a complete jerk, which I think is why people are reticent about believing him. But you’d think if Piven wanted to leave the show and was just looking for an excuse, he would have come up with something more common and easily accepted than what is now being labeled as Sushigate.

His role will be filled by Oscar nominee William H. Macy, who Fox notes has “performed the David Mamet play in the past, [and will be] taking over for the duration of the run.”

Here’s Jeremy Piven at the Primetime Emmy Awards on 9/21/08. Credit: PRPhotos

Did you know you can get mercury poisoning from eating too much sushi? Jeremy Piven now does.

Dr. Carlon Colker, a doctor who has been treating the SAG award nominee and Emmy award-winner, tells ET, “Jeremy is disappointed that members of the production staff of ‘Speed-the-Plow’ and other members of the entertainment community have not rallied behind him during this health crisis.”

Colker says, “Jeremy is suffering from extreme mercury toxicity. A major symptom of mercury poisoning is extreme fatigue. In addition, Jeremy began experiencing neuro-muscular dysfunction late last week, which led to extreme difficulty in lifting his arms and legs. Then, this past Sunday, he began feeling dizzy.” Now on enforced rest, Jeremy spent three days in the hospital recently. Colker tells ET exclusively that he is no longer in New York.

“Jeremy has been an avid sushi eater for many years, regularly eating sushi twice in one day. He has also taken certain Chinese herbs, and that, in combination with the frequent sushi consumption, could have led to these elevated mercury levels,” Colker explains. He goes on to inform ET that a test revealed that Jeremy had the highest level of mercury that he has ever seen, which amounts to six times a healthy amount of mercury, in his system.

ET via In Case You Didn’t Know

I guess David Memet, who made the joke about Jeremy leaving to ‘pursue a career as a thermometer’, is feeling a little red-faced right now.

One question that this doesn’t answer is, why aren’t his Broadway coworkers convinced he is indeed unwell with mercury poisoning. What is it about his recent behavior that makes them suspect of this doctor’s diagnosis?

What are the Chinese herbs that Piven has been taking? You can take them for just about anything, like most holistic medicines if you have a complaint someone has a natural alternative for you to try. I believe that for some people they make a big difference, and for others it seems to do nothing. You have to be careful with any kind of unregulated medication as they can have additional harmful ingredients, as Piven found out the hard way.

Note by Celebitchy: Mercury poisoning is very serious and although Piven can be a douche I think it’s unfair for people to doubt his diagnosis or make fun of him. He has a doctor vouching for him who sounds both sincere and incredibly concerned for his health. Mercury can cause madness and extreme illness. The “Mad Hatter” character is based on mercury poisoning suffered by hatters in Victorian Britain, who used mercury in the process of making hats. Many of them got very sick and became mentally ill.

Jeremy Piven is shown on 12/8/08 at a screening of The Wrestler. Credit: WENN

“Entourage” star Jeremy Piven has been making a big splash on Broadway in the David Mamet drama “Speed the Plow,” but suddenly dropped out of the production due to a medical condition. At first, I thought maybe his ego got so huge that his head exploded, but instead, Piven says he has possible mercury poisoning. Those associated with the show are keeping tight-lipped regarding the Emmy-award winning actor’s impromptu departure- but it sure does sound suspicious.

Jeremy Piven will abruptly end his run in Broadway’s “Speed-the-Plow,” after missing Tuesday evening’s performance and a Wednesday matinee.

Piven has informed the producers that he hasn’t been feeling well and that the condition is attributable to a high mercury count.

The show’s producers weren’t returning calls, but Daily Variety reached out to David Mamet, who wrote the showbiz satire and seemed skeptical of the reasons for Piven’s departure. More than one option

“I talked to Jeremy on the phone, and he told me that he discovered that he had a very high level of mercury,” Mamet said. “So my understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer.”

Mamet indicated that the show will go on despite Piven’s exit.

“The good news is that some really great actors will be helping out and stepping in, which to me is a sign of great heroism and friendship,” said Mamet, who declined to name the replacements.

Piven, who opened alongside Elisabeth Moss and Raul Esparza in the successful revival of Mamet’s play on Oct. 23, had been expected to stay until late February.

A spokeswoman for the actor said he wanted to continue in the role but that doctors advised him he should end his run immediately.

The show is one of a handful of star-driven play revivals to log strong sales this fall, with “Plow” generally averaging more than $500,000 per week since opening to strong reviews.

[From Variety]

David Mamet has a very dry sense of humor doesn’t he? If it turns out that Piven really does have mercury poisoning he’ll feel bad about that remark. But it is kind of funny.

There are no reports on the symptoms Piven experienced, but typical symptoms of mercury poisoning go way beyond “not feeling well.” They include impairment of vision, speech and hearing, severe lethargy and lack of coordination. In recent photos, Piven was looking a little paler than usual and seemed kind of out-of-it. That could also be attributed to his grueling Broadway schedule, or his love of drinking and paryting. His alter ego, Ari Gold on “Entourage” wouldn’t be above telling a lie to get out of an obligation. So: is he being honest or not?

Jeremy Piven looking pale but healthy at the opening of “The Wrestler” on Dec. 8 in New York, and at a Microsoft even on Dec. 3. Photo credits: WENN.

Wow, talk about name dropping! Jeremy Piven is going to the presses to try and get President-elect Barack Obama to call him. Piven says he was given our next President’s digits in a voicemail left by Obama himself, but his Blackberry glitched out, as they do, and erased the message.

“I was lucky to stump for Barack in Indiana and to introduce him in Chicago. Barack left me five [phone] numbers.” he tells Extra. “It was the greatest voicemail that I’ve gotten in my life by the way… I saved it and I went back to listen to it and my BlackBerry had erased all of Barack Obama’s phone numbers. Then when I called back to try to tell them, ‘Can I get Barack’s number? He left it for me.’ They didn’t believe me and I now have nothing and I’ve been trying to find him.”

[From OK! Magazine]

Seriously, who gets a voicemail from the next President of the United States complete with personal contact information and just leaves it all in a message on your cell phone? I almost feel like Jeremy kinda asked for it by being so nonchalant with that kind of information! Murphy’s Law says if you don’t write those kinds of numbers down, your Blackberry is definitely going to eat it.

What Piven is worried about is his inauguration invite. But he has a back-up plan. Jeremy is currently working on Broadway and giving plenty of notice that with or without an invitation in hand, he’s skipping his show and crashing the DC party. If Obama reads OK! I’m sure he’ll call ya back, Piv.

Jeremy Piven, 43, won an Emmy for his some-say typecast performance as douchebag agent Ari Gold on Entourage. He wasn’t as lucky after the awards ceremony when he tried to put the moves on actress Hayden Panettiere, 19, at a party. She wasn’t having his feeble attempts and got out of there as soon as possible:

Jeremy chatted up Heroes hottie Hayden Panettiere – who, at 19, is 24 years younger than Jeremy. “He was trying to be charming and kept saying he ‘wanted to show her around town,’” says a partygoer. “But Hayden soon excused herself and escaped.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, October 6, 2008]

It’s possible that Star doesn’t have their information right or that Piven was just trying to be friendly in his skeevy way. Given his reputation though, that’s unlikely. Just about everyone knows that Hayden is in a serious relationship with her co-star Milo Ventimiglia, but that didn’t stop Jeremy.

Piven also played the drums at the HBO post-Emmys party, probably in an attempt to look nonchalant after he got dissed by Panettiere.

Here’s Piven at the party telling his celebrity friends that he’s going to do a stint on Broadway. He’ll be in a revival of David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow which starts performances October 3. (NSFW language.) Piven will appear in RockNRolla, which is out in limited release next month, and has three films in the works for next year.

Jeremy Piven is shown at the Emmy Awards on 9/21/08. Hayden Panettiere is shown at a Declare Yourself event on 9/24/08. Credit: PRPhotos.

Jeremy Piven must have one of the worst reputations in Hollywood. You never hear anyone even say something as nice as “He’s the male Paris Hilton.” Brandon Davis throws up when someone says his name. The vilest creatures consider this guy too low to talk about. Though John Mayer gives him props.

Piven used to star on Ellen DeGeneres’ sitcom as a balding nerd. Though he looks pretty much the exact same – just 15 years older – somehow he got a part on Entourage which instantly made him cool. Apparently it’s something about saying the F-word a lot. Now the Pivs drops by the coolest parties, nails the hottest chicks, and shits crab cakes or something highfalutin like that. And he knows it.

Last year Piven hosted VH1’s Fashion Rocks. Instead of being grateful anyone even knows who he is – I don’t understand how any semi-logical person could think otherwise – Piven seemed to expect the models and the rock stars to kiss his ass, and he was well-nigh pissed when it didn’t happen. So this year he’s been asked to please stay the hell home.

DON’T ever expect to see “Entourage” star Jeremy Piven back at “Fashion Rocks,” the Condé Nast-sponsored concert that celebrates Fashion Week. Last year, production insiders say Piven, who hosted the show, was a “nightmare,” insisting on a separate green room and rewriting the script up until the last minute. “And it wasn’t even funny,” the source said. This year, Fashion Rocks decided to go with “a more trustworthy and mature host, Denis Leary, who also has a background in stand-up and could make the necessary transitions onstage,” we’re told. The show – featuring Beyoncé, the Black Eyed Peas, Chris Brown, Rihanna and Justin Timberlake – will tape Friday and air on CBS Sept. 9. A rep for Piven said, “Not true. He had his own room, just like everyone else, and came in a week early to work on the script as expected.”

[From Page Six]

That’s funny. Because I saw about half an hour of last year’s show and the only joke of Piven’s I laughed at was the one where he got everyone to think he was cool and sexy and relevant and should somehow be part of the show. I’m not saying Fashion Rocks is anything epic. But if rolling through a Dairy Queen’s drive-thru was considered epic, I’d say it’d still be a bit too much for Jeremy Piven.

Here’s Jeremy Piven on Saturday. Images thanks to Fame.

Let me preface this story by saying it’s probably not true that Jeremy Piven actually put cat urine on his head. The source is Star Magazine, and while it may be accurate that he’s trying to stave off baldness it’s up to question whether he went to the extreme of applying cat urine to his scalp. Since it’s asswipe Jeremy Piven we’re talking about, I’ll give Star the benefit of the doubt.

Jeremy Piven, 42, revealed his insecurities about going bald (again?) to a friend and told her that he has tried absolutely everything! “He has experimented with all sorts of folklore remedies, like cat urine and bee pollen, as well as all the organic hair restoration formulas,” the source says. “He had literally 30 types of hair vitamins in his bathroom. It looks like a pharmacy in there.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, May 5, 2008]

Star probably figured, “what the hell, it’s Jeremy Piven, he could have done this,” and that’s pretty much my opinion on it too.

It was hard to google to find out more about this supposed cat urine homeopathic balding treatment, because most of the results had to do with balding in house cats. Balding Blog has a Q&A with a doctor about washing your hair in urine – the human type, not the cat type, which somehow sounds less disgusting. The doctor points to a site that claims that heated urine mixed with potato and sulphur powder is a treatment for hair loss. Instead of trying such drastic remedies, a consultation with a medical professional is recommended.

As a woman who finds balding men sexy, I would suggest that if you’re a guy with a decent-shaped head you may as well shave it off or cut it super short. Balding is a sign of virility and men seem to be more worried about it than necessary. In Piven’s case, he probably has some sort of artificial hair coverage going on. Even if he did proudly shave his head there’s no compensating for that obnoxious personality.

Jeremy Piven is shown at the Broadway premiere of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” on 3/8/08, thanks to WENN.

The stars were out for the premiere of the new terrorism-themed film The Kingdom in LA on Monday. Jennifer Garner looked stunning in a loose red dress with tiered layers. Jada Pinkett Smith’s outfit was a definite miss, though. She wore fuschia satin shorts paired with a matching jacket. She loves bright colors and looks great in simple dresses with shocking colors, but her look was just wrong. Her husband Will looked hot though in a quilted black leather jacket, shades and dark jeans.

I saw the trailer for this movie during one of my rare nights out when my husband and I went to see The Bourne Supremacy. It looks like a good intelligent thriller, and centers around FBI agents, played by Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman and Chris Cooper, trying to capture a lead terrorist after a civilian attack on the US. Watching the trailer gave me goosebumps and it hit too close to home for me as I lived right near NY when 9/11 happened. I’m not sure theater-goers are ready for that with the war still going on and touching so many people. (Not that there is any connection between the war and 9/11. It’s just that too many people have died recently through random acts of terrorism, and there’s a lot of that in this movie.) It looks like it provides the riveting story of the capture of a top terrorist, but I don’t think I would be able to watch it, even on DVD.

Here’s the trailer:

The Kingdom is getting decent reviews, and is said to be an action-packed film with a tight plot. It currently has a 60% aggregate critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Kingdom is out in US theaters on September 28.

Shown at the premiere are Jennifer Garner, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, a hot-looking pregnant Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, Jeremy Piven looking beat, Amanda Peet, Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, and Jason Bateman. Thanks to PRPhotos for these pictures.