July 04, 2008 |
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Anne Hathaway's family tried to warn her about her ex-boyfriend, alleged con man Raffaello Follieri.
Before Follieri's arrest on fraud charges last week, Hathaway's father, Gerard, a lawyer, encouraged her to move out of the couple's Olympic Tower apartment, sources tell us.
"Her father's not stupid," says the source. "He and Anne's mother always had their suspicions about Raffaelo."
Anne was reluctant to believe the worst. Still, she may have gotten wind that the hammer was about to drop on the Italian charmer, who prosecutors allege concocted his ties to the Vatican.
"She left the country right before the feds arrested him. But she may have had some regrets about helping them," another knowledgeable source tells us. "The night before his arrest, she had a tearful phone conversation with him."
Hathaway's spokesman Stephen Huvane declined to comment.
Follieri may have been a victim of his own attempts to look flush, according to sources. U.S. District Court Judge Henry B. Pittman set bail at $21 million, based on documents indicating that he had $16 million in a bank account in Monaco.
But two sources say people in law enforcement now question whether he had anything like that amount.
"He doesn't have s---- in that account," said one insider. "Some people believe he drafted that document and hoped to have it validated by a bank officer in Monaco."
Follieri's lawyer, Flora Edwards, did not return a call by deadline.
Meanwhile, we hear that Follieri also clashed recently with his former lawyer, Joe Tacopina, who represented him when billionaire Ron Burkle sued him. Tacopina is heading a group of Americans trying to buy the Italian soccer team AS Roma. One source says Follieri wanted in on the deal, but Tacopina refused.
According to another source, "Raffaello claims he was instrumental in getting the deal going but Tacopina pushed him out. But Tacopina says he still owes him for his legal work."
FOR A STAR-FILLED SHOW, SEE THE ACTORS UNION FIGHT
Forget Obama or McCain - Tom Hanks vs. Jack Nicholson might be an easier choice.
As actors union talks continued Tuesday after the contract with movie studios ended at midnight, more stars are picking sides. The rift is between the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and its smaller sister union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). At stake are future royalties from downloads, as George Clooney outlined in an open letter last week to fellow actors.
"The producers say that there's no money in New Media right now," writes Clooney. "There's some truth in that - for this moment. It was also true for cable, VHS and DVD . . . all of which became very profitable for the studios . . . and the actors were out in the cold. With New Media, we have our foot in the door, but who's to say a year from now, if it becomes profitable, that the same thing won't happen again."
AFTRA, whose backers include Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey and Sally Field, has urged acceptance of the deal, saying a strike would devastate the film and TV industry. On the other side, SAG members including Jack Nicholson, Holly Hunter and Ben Stiller argue that a hasty contract approval would cheat actors out of profits.
Clooney had fresh ideas to deal with the problem, proposing that a panel of A-listers meet annually with studio bosses to negotiate fair salaries. And he suggested that megastars (like himself) pay more in union dues than others. "Make (union dues) $6,000 for every million (earned) . . . if someone makes $20 million, they pay $120,000 into the union," Clooney says. "That could go a long way."
SIDE DISH
Producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins said Britney Spears has been "professional" during their collaboration for her new album, and that she managed to record a song in just two hours. "She walked in at 8:30 and was out by 10:30," he told Rap-Up TV. Jerkins said their new songs will be "real aggressive and catchy," and he hopes to reinvent the troubled pop tart. You and Child Protective Services, honey. . . .
Rumors that Rosie O'Donnell and partner Kelli Carpenter have split are bogus, according to O'Donnell's spokesperson. . . .
Comic Lisa Lampanelli got serious - sort of - at the N.Y. gala for The Trevor Project, which provides free suicide prevention via a hotline for gay and questioning youth. "I'm deeply saddened at gay suicide," Lampanelli said. "Why them? Why not the cast of 'The Hills'? That I'd like to see. Heidi and Spencer, go off yourselves!" . . .
"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane says he's laying off the ganja. "I don't smoke much pot anymore," he tells us. "One of the last times I was stoned, I was convinced that I would die unless I kept moving my body. So I sat there, baked, waving my arms around like a crazy person." . . .
Why did only one original member of iconic rock group Joy Division turn up at the New Museum screening for a documentary on the band? "We can't stand each other!" bass player Peter Hook quipped to Radar mag. . . .
That supertall dude at Manhattan's Butter on Monday night was NBA superstar LeBron James. Towering over even those standing on the banquette behind his table, James pumped his hands in the air and sang along to tunes by Kanye West and Jay-Z. . . .
The Mets defeated the Yankees and the Padres last weekend, but not on the baseball diamond. Mets general manager Omar Minaya beat Yankees GM Brian Cashman and Padres GM Kevin Towers on the hardwood of Bowlmor bowling lanes in the West Village.
With Sean Evans and Shallon Lester. Edited by Lance D. Debler.
(Got a hot tip? Send confidential e-mail to rushmolloy@nydailynews.com)
(c) 2008 New York Daily News
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