The trial over Nicollette Sheridan's firing from Desperate Housewives featured one last plot twist Monday with the disclosure of a new mystery witness who has indicated show officials tried to cover up a correspondence related to the actress. A judge has ordered the man to appear in court Tuesday morning to determine whetheror not he will become one of the final witnesses that jurors considering the case will hear from. The man, who was identified as Michael Reinhart, left a message for Sheridan's attorney on Sunday afternoon stating that he mistakenly got an email that suggested that messages related to Sheridan's departure would be purged. The man on the message said he didn't want to become involved in the case, but by day's end had becoming the latest intriguing thread in a trial that has featured a behind-the-scenes look at Desperate Housewives and conflicting testimony on whether Sheridan was struck by show creator Marc Cherry during a September 2008 dispute.
"There was a definite conspiracy to cover up the correspondence on email-wise in regards to Nicollette," the caller is heard saying on the call, which was played in court outside the presence of the jury. Adam Levin, an attorney for Cherry and the ABC television network, dismissed the claims. He noted in court that he had not spoken with Reinhart. "Today's antics by the plaintiff, conjuring up mysterious emails, appears to be a last ditch effort to save her case," Levin said after Monday's proceedings. Closing arguments are likely to begin on Tuesday as both sides call their final witnesses. Sheridan's attorney Mark Baute, who received the message Sunday, said he would like to call Reinhart as a witness. Sheridan, now 48, is suing Cherry and ABC for wrongful termination and battery and is seeking $6 million in damages. All of us here at UPBEAT think that Nicollette deserves a small fortune for having to put up with Marc Cherry. That's right ABC, we/ believe that Marc Cherry doesn't really deserve another show let alone all of the dubious "ass-kissing", similar to the same empirical treatment given to ex-ABC Daytime Head Brian Frons!
In the end, the character, Edie Britt's death came after she escaped being strangled and survived a car crash only to be electrocuted by a downed power line. Baute, in opening statements, called it a triple homicide that reflected Cherry's animosity toward Sheridan. Cherry told jurors that he had contemplated killing Sheridan's character at the end of season three, but studio and network executives didn't approve. As he began to plan season five, he said he wanted to kill Britt as part of a "risky but potentially effective change to the series."
And of course, ABC, made sure that numerous witnesses for the show's creator and network testified that the decision to kill off Sheridan's Edie Britt character was made in May 2008, four months before her dustup with Cherry on the show's set. Cherry maintains he tapped the actress while trying to give her direction for a scene, but Sheridan claims he struck her hard on the left temple, leaving her stunned and humiliated. For the record, we believe Nicollette Sheridan, not only is she a superb actress, but we've spoken with and interviewed her several times and she's an extraordinary person. Maybe it's time for ABC to grow a set and take better care of their TALENT and the SHOWS as opposed to guys like Cherry and Frons!
As Harriet Ryan from The Los Angeles Times summed it all up in her brilliant piece, "Underscoring it all was the absurdity of asking a group of strangers to care deeply about the minor travails of the very rich and semi-famous."
Her entire article can be found at:http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0313-desperate-housewives-20120313,0,3547030.story
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment