Ari Gold Throws Tantrum Over 'Piven Monologues'

I find this dreadfully amusing. Remember last year when Jeremy Piven pulled out of the Broadway show Speed-the-Plow, citing mercury poisoning from decades of sushi eating? It became a big joke unless, of course, you were in the cast or crew of Speed the Plow. Fortunately, William H. Macy filled in and I have a hard time believing that wasn't actually a monumental upgrade. Still, it may have ruined Piven's reputation in New York, at least temporarily, and I don't think this new wrinkle will help. The Public Theater has a new production re-enacting Piven's abrupt exit from the show called The Piven Monologues. Piven, predictably, is not amused. So he hired Marty Singer, a lawyer who has represented Bruce Willis, Kate Gosselin, and sex tape veteran Eric Dane in the past year. The result: A C & D insisting that the production be halted over "defamatory statements" about Piven. On its face, I don't think this cease and desist has any chance of holding up. The play is a satire, Piven's a public figure, and even though he was not found guilty of violating his contract, this is no different than Saturday Night Live taking license with someone's faux pas. There is a very broad interpretation under the First Amendment for what is covered as satire, as Hustler Magazine v. Falwell clearly demonstrates. More than anything, this whole incident shows that Piven doesn't seem to have a very active sense of humor. That really isn't surprising, but it is a little galling.