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.

Woody Harrelson is one of those guys that does crazy things just to do them. And that’s generally okay, it’s his life. He’s made the free-spirited, anything-goes lifestyle work for him – but now Harrelson says he’s planning on taking the quirkiness up a notch. Apparently he wasn’t satisfied doing unusual things like skinny dipping with Owen Wilson, making an interviewer wait 40 minutes while he searched for an organic toothbrush, or using a machete to chop up a coconut for making drinks at a Superbowl party. In fact Woody is planning on shunning coconuts – and all food – for 40 days while banishing himself to a remote island.

Woody Harrelson plans to live on a remote island and eat nothing for 40 days - to see how the experience affects his brain.

The actor, 46, will go ahead with the experiment as soon as he gets a break in his work schedule.

‘I’ve always wanted to do it,’ he says.

‘I know it’s going to be really hard. But can you imagine it? Eating nothing for 40 days? Swimming and surfing every day in a remote place? Where does the mind go?’

[From NOW]

Where does the mind go? Look I’m all for free-wheeling, alternative lifestyles. But there are a few people that really shouldn’t push their minds to go too far. Who shouldn’t take for granted that they’ll always have their minds and their sanity. I think it’s safe to say that there’s a good chance Woody Harrelson is one of those people. I would just tread lightly, in terms of pushing the mental stability to the farthest limits Woody. That said, no one can work the crazy like Woody Harrelson. I just think he should maybe bring a little bit of beef jerky and some mood stabilizers, just in case.

Woody Harrelson is shown at the Partouche Charity Poker Tournament in Cannes on 5/17/08, thanks to WENN.

Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson have a WEIRD relationship. And not a little weird, where maybe they call each other and talk on the phone for hours like teenage girls. But the kind of relationship where they strip off all their clothes and go swimming together. Well at least one of them does. Continuing on last week’s theme of the “bromance,” we have Woody Harrelson’s trip to visit friend Owen Wilson on the Florida set of “Marley & Me.” And what good is a vacation if you have to keep your pants on?

Woody Harrelson cools off in the hot Florida sun with an impromptu skinny dip with actor friend Owen Wilson. The Natural Born Killers star, 46, has been hanging out with the Wedding Crashers actor, 39, in Miami while Wilson films his latest movie Marley & Me in the Sunshine State. While Wilson seems content to bathe in his shorts, free spirit Harrelson strips off to his birthday suit as he leaps into the Atlantic.

On Saturday, the actors had front row seats to watch Serena Williams beat Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic, and reclaimed their prime position on Sunday to see Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko win against Spain’s Rafael Nadal. After spending hours under the blazing sun watching the centre court action, Harrelson couldn’t wait to get back to his Miami waterfront home and rid himself of his sweaty clothing.

After enjoying a dip in Miami Bay, Harrelson climbed out of the Atlantic for a naked work-out on his private dock. As he hoisted himself out of the water, Harrelson showed his tan wasn’t quite all over as he flashed his white backside. Despite his tan lines, the 46-year-old cut an impressive figure as he stretched and did press-ups in the nude.

[From the Daily Mail]

By pretty much all accounts Owen Wilson is doing much better since his suicide attempt in August. But I can’t help but think that seeing Woody Harrelson’s naked ass doesn’t help things very much. Harrelson and Wilson have been close for a long time, and both seem to share an equally laid back approach to life. When describing an average day in his life, Harrelson noted, “’Every day I swim, I surf, climb coconut trees, play with my kids, eat mangoes. There’s no form to it, which I kind of like.” He and Wilson really are the hippie equivalent of Clooney and Pitt.

Header image of Woody Harrelson at the “Semi-Pro” Los Angeles Premiere on February 19th. Owen Wilson at the “Wendell Baker Story” premiere on May 10th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

The hottest thing at the moment in Hollywood is to be green. So it is nice to hear of a star who is not only preaching the green, but actively compromising his lifestyle to reduce his carbon footprint.

Woody Harrelson, who apparently is quite the greenie, came to a morning interview 40 minutes late on Friday. He’d wanted to brush his teeth with a special organic toothbrush.

Ten minutes turned into twenty, turned into thirty, turned into 40, and finally he showed up. But no hard feeling because the rumour was that he wanted to brush his teeth… He’s a massive vegan, all natural, environmentalist and he really walks the walk, he didn’t want to use any of the plastic toothbrushes at the facility. So somebody has to go out to the health food store to get one of the all natural toothbrushs.

[Roughly transcribed from video of New Zealand’s TV3 Sunrise Entertainment reporter Nelson Aspen]

I really appreciate that Woody was willing to hold off brushing his teeth, although I’m not entirely sure the person waiting to do the interview was so pleased. Still, it’s better than mega-greenie Leo DiCaprio, who drives a hybrid car, but flies in private planes.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with organic toothbrushes, they’re not made out of wood, but they can be made from recycled materials, or recyclable plastic, or have a replacement head so you don’t waste the whole brush. I had one of these which was okay in dry weather, but with humidity the brush seems get moldy in the join between the handle and the head. Ew.

Woody is passionate about environmental causes, and I’m not sure the lost toothbrush delay wasn’t just a stunt to either delay the interview, or to raise awareness. He has previously been involved in protests and driven a bio-diesel bus for publicity.

Woody just made a great appearance in No Country For Old Men, and will co-star in the Will Ferrel comedy Semi-Pro, which is out on January 29.

Note by Celebitchy: The reporter added on the video available on the TV3 website that there were no hard feelings after Woody came 40 minutes late, and that he did the entire interview while barefoot. At least he brushed his teeth and didn’t just come with bad breath because he didn’t want to waste a plastic stick for that.

Woody Harrelson is shown brandishing a machete that he used to chop up a coconut to make drinks with at a Superbowl party on 2/3/08, thanks to Splash News. He is also shown at the SAG Awards on 1/28/08, thanks to PRPhotos.

Everyone is talking about the new romance between Jessica Simpson and Owen Wilson. Both In Touch and Star are reporting that Wilson and Simpson had dinner together on October 28 at a restaurant called The Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica. They were seen getting cosy, with Jessica’s hand on Owen’s knee and Owen playing with Jessica’s hair and touching her shoulders and hands. Star reports that Jessica went to Owen’s house afterwards. That means that an earlier report that his ex-girlfriend was going to move in with him was probably not true or their cohabitation was short-lived.

Simpson and Wilson got re-acquainted while filming a music video for Willie Nelson. They took part in a lawn mower race near Austin, Texas on november 17 for the video, and Star reports that the phone calls and text messages between the blonde stars started soon afterwards. Woody Harrelson was also on the set of Nelson’s music video, and is said to have tried to put the moves on Simpson and to have been shot down. Harrelson is married with three children, but that didn’t seem to deter him:

Accompanied by his best pal, Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson was “flirting up a storm with Jessica. He told her that she looked incredible,” says a source. “He followed her around like a puppy dog and even chased her with his big tractor.” After their lunch break, Woody told Jess that they should get together in L.A. But unfortunately for Woody, Jessica wasn’t into it. “She handled it with grace and told him she’s going to be busy these next few weeks,” adds the source. “Woody got the hint, and he handled it like a gentlemen.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, November 12, 2007]

I’m surprised Harrelson didn’t throw a fit when Simpson let him down easy, but maybe he wasn’t too invested in the flirtation or stepped aside once he learned that Wilson was interested. Owen and Jessica don’t strike me as a likely to have a long-term relationship, but maybe they’ll last and we’ll have another couple to speculate about for a few months.

Here’s Jessica Simpson in unfortunate dark makeup and a dress that makes her boobs look saggy promoting her clothing collection at Macys on 11/3/07, thanks to PRPhotos.

According to the latest National Enquirer, Owen Wilson was on a new antidepressant right before he attempted suicide, sparking fears that side effects from the unnamed drug might have prompted his self-destructive behavior.

Owen’s suicide attempt, in which he slit his wrists and took a large quantity of pills, was his third attempt at killing himself. His friend Woody Harrelson staged two interventions to try and save him. And while most of us thought that Owen was in the hospital in the week before Labor Day, The Enquirer claims he was holed up at Harrelson’s house for several days.

Owen’s recent depression also had nothing to do with his split from Kate Hudson or with her high-profile romance with Dax Shephard, according to the Enquirer. As is consistent with other reports, they say that he was the one who broke up with Kate, that he didn’t regret it, and that it was an argument with a friend over a business matter that left him distraught:

An in-depth Enquirer investigation also reveals stunning new details about the story that has rocked Hollywood, including the fact that the deeply troubled star was on a deadly drug cocktail in the months before his most recent suicide attempt, mixing illegal drugs with antidepressants and Valium.

As Owen spiraled downward into drug use and depression, his close friend Woody Harrelson tried two interventions to save him.

“This isn’t the first time Owen tried to commit suicide,” a family friend revealed exclusively to the Enquirer.

“A good portion of his life has been dedicated to fighting depression and addiction. Owen’s been on and off drugs for years - and this is actually the third time he’s tried killing himself…”

The Enquirer has learned that Owen secretly has been plagued by many career and personal demons for a long time, but was sent hurtling toward the edge by a huge fight with a close friend, who was working with him on a movie project, say sources.

The comedy star’s failure to write any material for the production triggered the clash…

While most of the world thought Owen was still in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center - where he was transferred after being treated at Saint John’s Health Center - The Enquirer learned he quietly checked out on Wednesday, August 29, at around 11 am and went to Woody’s Beverly Hills home, where he stayed for several days…

Contrary to reports elsewhere, Owen’s breakup with Kate Hudson is not what pushed him over the edge. In fact, it was Owen who ended that relationship…

The actor also started taking a popular antidepressant - which can have devastating side effects, according [sic] a source close to the case. The antidepressant was legally prescribed to him…

The side effects of the antidepressant could well have triggered Owen’s suicide attempt, say medical experts contact by The Enquirer.

[From The National Enquirer print edition, September 17, 2007]

Several commentors mentioned here that while a lot of people were surprised over Owen’s suicide attempt, it just brought home how common and hidden depression can be. Commentor Amanda said “I have read numerous reports about people saying he doesn’t seem like the type. There is no type. My best friend killed himself 13 months ago and he was the last person you would think would do it. I also deal with manic depression and no one would guess that I am depressed let alone that I nearly killed myself 6 months ago. Point being just because someone appears happy and ‘normal’ doesn’t mean they are.”

After hearing those type of stories, I guess it’s not surprising that Owen had earlier attempts. He seems to have a good support system with his two brothers and good friends like Woody and I hope he makes it through to the other side soon. He seems like a very good guy, and he’s quite talented. We would love for him to continuing entertaining us well into his old age, if that’s what he wants to do.

If you or a friend or family member is depressed please talk about it and get help. Owen’s case shows us that you shouldn’t wait until it’s too late, and thank goodness he didn’t do permanent damage.

Header image is an older one, thanks to Splash News.

TMZ has a big story and video of Woody Harrelson choking one of their photographers, but when you watch the video he only grabs the guy by the neck and talks to him in his face, and it doesn’t like like he’s trying to strangle him.

The photographer had “neck lacerations” that look serious, though, and are clearly finger marks. It’s pretty convincing that Harrelson was forceful, and he’ll probably get sued.

Here’s my bad transcript of the tape:

Woody is seen with a blonde, brunette, and a guy. Then he’s walking down the street with a brunette near him. He approaches the cameraman, and the camera is turned to the side so you can’t see him.
“Turn it off, Turn it off, I’m asking you to turn it off.”
“All I’m doing is my job.”
“Will you stop doing it, please?”
“… Come on, man”
“I’ve asked you to stop. Are you going to stop?”
“Not when you ask me like that.”
“I asked you politely… turn it off”
“No.”
Scuffle ensues. (You have to click the link to the right for “Camera 2″ if you want to see the alleged choking.)

TMZ says that the injured paparrazo tried to flag down a cop but that the officers ignored his complaint and just drove off. They went to the station and filed a criminal complaint and an invesitgation is underway:

This is incredibly dumb of Woody, because he obviously got pissed getting videotaped and photographed while out with a brunette who wasn’t his wife. He was seen with several women kind of walking together at first and should have played it off like it wasn’t a big deal. He’s cheating, though, or else why would he get so upset?

Danny Glover similarly hit a photographer in late April when he was photographed out with a woman who was not his wife.

No one cares about Danny Glover or Woody Harrelson and unless their wives are super sleuths they’re not going to get their hands on some random paparrazi photos of their semi-famous husbands out with other women. Add some rage and violence to the mix, though, and they’re sure to find out.

Harrelson’s wife, Laura Louie just had his third daughter on 6/3. They live on the Hawaain island of Maui, and now she’s going to realize what he gets up to when he’s in Hollywood.