Stars behaving badly

JOLIE. Some stellar sins and pecadilloes are too nasty to be kept secret for long!

Showbiz luminaries are as human and imperfect as you and me, but they hire image-makers, PRs and damage-control experts to sustain the illusion of their “idol” status. Stars’ sins and peccadilloes are smoothly and swiftly swept under the rug – well, most of the time.

There are some stellar run-ins with the law or societal norms that are too nasty or stinky to be kept secret for long, so they eventually end up as grist for the gossip mills. Some classic examples of stars behaving badly:

When Elizabeth Taylor “stole” Eddie Fisher from “sweet” Debbie Reynolds’ loving embrace, Liz was vilified as a homewrecker. Did other stars learn from the sordid experience? Nope. Decades later, Angelina Jolie similarly broke Jennifer Aniston’s heart by seducing Brad Pitt!

Persona

Jolie was similarly excoriated in the media – but has since ended up smelling like roses due to her belatedly emergent “humanitarian” persona. Now, that’s a lesson she could have learned from Liz, who also effected her own transformation by becoming a pioneering fundraiser for AIDS research.

When Daryl Hannah decided to break up with Jackson Brown, she ended up with a black eye, bruises all over her body, and a broken finer. Ouch!

David Caruso

Diane Cilento, Sean Connery’s first wife, seconds the motion: “I left Sean after he bashed my face in with his fists,” she told investigators.

But, comedienne Roseanne Barr’s testimony takes the cake: According to her detailed account in divorce proceedings against Tom Arnold, “He hit me, struck me, punched me, twisted my arms and legs, cruelly squeezed me in bear hugs, and verbally abused me. He has also slammed me against walls, thrown me down on the floor and bed, and put his face inches away from mine while screaming at the top of his lungs.” Double-ouch – and, too much information!

Halle Berry lost most of her hearing after being smacked around by an unnamed boyfriend. James Farentino pleaded guilty to stalking his ex-girlfriend, singer Tina Sinatra, Frank’s daughter. He’s lucky Sinatra didn’t sic his Mafia connections on him!

Speaking of the Mafia, rumors persist that it was “somehow” involved in the mysterious death of Marilyn Monroe.

When Madonna filed for divorce from Sean Penn, scuttlebutt has it that he had once tied his wife to a chair, beat her, then left her alone, still tied up for several hours. No wonder, she wanted out!

Elizabeth Taylor

That went double for Anthony Quinn’s bride, Katherine Demille (daughter fo Cecil B.): He reportedly slapped her on their wedding night, after he found out that she wasn’t a virgin! Oh, Zorba, why didn’t you just break a plate, instead?

‘Palimony’

David Caruso was sued for “palimony” by live-in partner, Paris Papiro, who said she gave up her acting career to support his. In a sort of similar move, the producers of “Boxing Helena” sued Kim Basinger for reneging on her promise to star in the movie. The actress then filed for bankruptcy protection.

More suits: Joan Collins was sued by her publisher, Random House, for writing an autobiography that was so ineptly penned that it was “unpublishable.”

Marc Christian sued the estate of former lover, Rock Hudson, claiming that the star had unprotected sex with him even after learning that he had AIDS.

And, Douglas Fairbanks had to pay $5,000 to a man he accidentally hit in the behind with an arrow while shooting a scene for  “Robin Hood”!