Teh One Who Knocks
06-03-2011, 02:02 PM
By Mick Swasko - Chicago Tribune Local reporter
A suburban movie theater owner is suing adult film star Jenna Jameson, alleging she faked sickness in order to skip appearances in Naperville and Woodridge and instead attend the birthday party of celebrity blogger Perez Hilton in late March.
In a lawsuit filed in May, owners of Hollywood Palms Cinema in Naperville and Hollywood Blvd. in Woodridge allege the actress canceled and refused to reschedule after the chain spent “thousands” of dollars to promote an appearance by Jameson – named in the suit by her real name Jenna Marie Massoli – on March 24 through March 26 at the theaters.
The suit claims hundreds of tickets were sold in advance, and stood to make “tens of thousands” on the event, in which Massoli was to get a minimum $10,000 cut in addition to first-class airfare and hotel stays. A book signing was also scheduled, as was a screening of her 2008 film “Zombie Strippers!”
“We didn’t believe her,” Ted Bulthaup, owner of the theaters, said Thursday.
The suit alleges the plans folded when an agent for Massoli said the actress had a “medical emergency” that prevented her from traveling.
The suit states that the cinema received a “vague doctor’s note,” but later learned she allegedly attended “Perez’s Blue Ball” in Hollywood after pictures surfaced on the Internet, according to documents filed in DuPage County Circuit Court.
Bulthaup described the doctors’ correspondence the theater received as “a let-my-kid-out-of-school type of note.” He also said a “tremendous” amount of effort went into scheduling the event, and several screens for both events were sold out.
“We had to turn everybody away,” he said.
The suit says Massoli appeared “in good health” in the photos.
“Simply put, Hollywood (Palms Cinema) believes that (Massoli) was never ill,” the suit states.
Massoli could not immediately be reached for comment.
The suit seeks compensation stemming from “a result of breach, including, but not limited to: advertising costs; expenses paid for travel and/or accommodations; employee hours spent preparing for the events; lost profits from both the events as well as from the inability to show regular films that would have been scheduled if not for (Massoli’s) planned appearance; and damage to Hollywood (Palms Cinema’s) reputation among its customers and members of the press who showed up for the canceled events.”
The suit also alleges that Massoli refused to reschedule the event, which was part of her contract if she were to miss the original event.
A hearing is scheduled for Aug. 15.
A suburban movie theater owner is suing adult film star Jenna Jameson, alleging she faked sickness in order to skip appearances in Naperville and Woodridge and instead attend the birthday party of celebrity blogger Perez Hilton in late March.
In a lawsuit filed in May, owners of Hollywood Palms Cinema in Naperville and Hollywood Blvd. in Woodridge allege the actress canceled and refused to reschedule after the chain spent “thousands” of dollars to promote an appearance by Jameson – named in the suit by her real name Jenna Marie Massoli – on March 24 through March 26 at the theaters.
The suit claims hundreds of tickets were sold in advance, and stood to make “tens of thousands” on the event, in which Massoli was to get a minimum $10,000 cut in addition to first-class airfare and hotel stays. A book signing was also scheduled, as was a screening of her 2008 film “Zombie Strippers!”
“We didn’t believe her,” Ted Bulthaup, owner of the theaters, said Thursday.
The suit alleges the plans folded when an agent for Massoli said the actress had a “medical emergency” that prevented her from traveling.
The suit states that the cinema received a “vague doctor’s note,” but later learned she allegedly attended “Perez’s Blue Ball” in Hollywood after pictures surfaced on the Internet, according to documents filed in DuPage County Circuit Court.
Bulthaup described the doctors’ correspondence the theater received as “a let-my-kid-out-of-school type of note.” He also said a “tremendous” amount of effort went into scheduling the event, and several screens for both events were sold out.
“We had to turn everybody away,” he said.
The suit says Massoli appeared “in good health” in the photos.
“Simply put, Hollywood (Palms Cinema) believes that (Massoli) was never ill,” the suit states.
Massoli could not immediately be reached for comment.
The suit seeks compensation stemming from “a result of breach, including, but not limited to: advertising costs; expenses paid for travel and/or accommodations; employee hours spent preparing for the events; lost profits from both the events as well as from the inability to show regular films that would have been scheduled if not for (Massoli’s) planned appearance; and damage to Hollywood (Palms Cinema’s) reputation among its customers and members of the press who showed up for the canceled events.”
The suit also alleges that Massoli refused to reschedule the event, which was part of her contract if she were to miss the original event.
A hearing is scheduled for Aug. 15.