Pellicano Trial: Starring Michael Ovitz

We start the morning off listening a recording of Anthony “working” one of his clients. This time it is Mark Cohn, who had problems with the government prosecuting him for all kinds of things! 4 Star Financial Services was in trouble and it would appear that all of this guy’s associates are from “colorful” backgrounds! The Pelican goes in for the big fish, the wind is rushing past his beak as he dive bombs — this is a big fish and this Pelican is hungry!

Anthony sings the same old song, “I am not supposed to have these records” and “this cost a tremendous amount of money” and it would not be a Pellicano song if it did not have the old favorite, don’t tell know one! And one of the verses is a loving one, “send me more money!” This guy is working these rich SOB’s and loving it, and why not, he is selling a service and they are willing to pay and pay and pay and they do!

Mark Cohn tells Pellicano “I don’t have a record!” I wonder if that is still the case? All of the witnesses and victims it appeared had been run by Arneson and that, too, is going to be helpful for the other side as we can be assured that someone will call or visit them at night and make them reconsider coming forward to testify! And what appears to be the end of the conversation, we hear Pellicano tell Mr. Cohn, “I wish you had got to me sooner!” and at the end we hear what I hate, “Ok, partner, you take care.” “Partner, Pal, buddy, sweetie, honey” are all set ups for a con!

Now 8:50 AM, and who walks in but Michael Ovitz, nicely dressed and with two lawyers,”Suits!”. He is well spoken but does the “my lawyers took care of it” routine. Ovitz was the founder of Creative Artist Agency and after 21 years moved to work at Disney in October 1995. The big move would cost Disney millions as things did not work out, and they paid Ovitz to leave…and leave he did with the bank he towed behind his car! This pay out has to be the reason why it costs so much to get into Disneyland! He comes across as a decent guy, but no one believed it. The story is that he is a miserable person who knows he is very rich. He tells the court that it was his lawyers who brought Anthony in and paid $25,000 for each separate issue they wanted him to look into, $75,000 in all.

It was in the spring of 2002 that Ovitz first called Pellicano. Bernard Weinraub and Anita Busch were the New York Times reporters who had really gotten on his nerves. He was tired of the negative articles being written about him, and he was upset that these articles might prevent him from selling his management business, AMG. So he turned to the Pelican, who recorded the phone call while they spoke. And there it was, Mr. Ovitz sitting in the hot seat and his voice being heard through the courtroom! He wanted embarrassing information on both of these pains in his ass. Mr. Ovitz tells us all that the articles were “wildly embarrassing to me and my family” and all he was looking for was “a graceful exit from the business,” AMG. Ovitz was sitting on the hot seat and gulping water like an old goldfish with a bladder problem. I bet a good martini would have helped with his anguish! This guy does not like being in the public arena when he has no control, and today he had none. At the break when many left the courtroom, he and his two lawyers never left the safety of the courtroom. To hell with the restroom…especially if it might mean having to deal with more reporters, who might not be too happy about the way he treated their comrades!

On Ovitz’s initial call to Pellicano, Anthony was his gracious self. He spoke about someone being ill in his family and Ovitz offered his assistance at UCLA medical center! Must be a money thing, many miserable people donate money to hospitals and museums…I wonder if Mr. Ovitz did that? “I need to see you” states Ovitz to the Pelican! “My best friend Bert (Fields) loves you,” “I love you,” all this love…I am getting sick! Ovitz makes it clear that he needs about 1/2 an hour and tells the Pellican, “I am not coming to your office!” Funny, this one is rich and not so stupid…and how was it that he became aware of the “powers” of Anthony Pellicano? Could it have to do with all that “Love?” And he then pays the Pelican $75,000 in CASH! In the initial attempt, Ovitz tells the Pelican that it would be “beneficial” to him and to the Pelican; when asked by the prosecutor what that meant, Ovitz explained that he would pay him (Pellicano). Oh, you betcha you are going to pay, and much more than 75 grand! I think Anita Busch will be looking at some “beneficial” Ovitz cash soon.

Ovitz was doing some big time Pelican feather fluffing, telling the prosecutors that Pellicano “moved around in the community at the highest levels” (BULLSHIT! He knew he did not need to leave his office! You know, those “unorthodox” methods)…Ovitz states “I reached out because I needed information.” Hmmm! “I wanted all kinds of information.” As to the large sums of money, Ovitz stated that Pellicano needed it to run his business! And I am so sure that we all were believing this bullshit — Oh my god, Ovitz is getting stupid right before our eyes! Pellicano gave Ovitz the code name “Gaspar” so he could call and no one would know who it was…except we already know that Pellicano would blurt out Ovitz’s name at the drop of a hat to “impress” his other clients. Omerta oshmerta.

Chad Hummel, Esquire was making Mr. Ovitz squirm right in front of us. It was as if he was skinning this multi-millionaire in a way that not even Pellicano had thought of! As the cross went on it was apparent that this guy was not upset with Pellicano, and go figure that one out. He is sitting in a Federal Court house and being grilled in a way that he never ever thought possible. He had just heard his recorded voice all over the court and he is still sitting comfortably! One has to wonder if this is the route of least pain, or was there much more? Was the silence we are seeing in Pellicano going to be rewarded by some of these people someday? You know — later, much later? Many of these moguls had secrets, and I believe that Pellicano knows so much that I have no doubt in my mind that he goes to sleep with a smile on his face…not too sure about the rest of Hollywood!