Star Sighting: Piven's Beach Stroll

Jeremy Piven was recently seen strolling through an undisclosed beach in California with his completely exposed bare chest.

Jeremy Piven Wins Arbitration Against Producers

Jeremy Piven won't be sleeping with the fishes.

An arbitrator ruled that the actor – who abruptly left the Broadway revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow after suffering from mercury poisoning – did not breach contractual obligations or any personal agreements with the producers of the play for leaving.

The arbitrator stated in the decision that there was "sufficient evidence to establish that Piven's decision was a reasonable one; that it was reasonably based, and that the contrary evidence is insufficient."

Earlier this year, the producers filed charges with Actors Equity against Piven, who was advised by his doctor at the time to stop working because of his illness. The case got tied up in arbitration. Piven's high mercury count was attributed to his habit of eating sushi.

"I'm pleased with the outcome of the arbitration and to be completely vindicated in this matter based on the facts and the medical evidence," Piven said in a statement.

Star Sighting: Jump on It!

Don't mess with The Piven! Jeremy, the Entourage actor launches his assault against WWE star John Cena while guest-hosting Monday Night Raw at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Jeremy Piven's Been Fish-Free for 10 Months

Hold the fish for Jeremy Piven.

"I haven't had a piece of fish since the doctor told me to lower my blood mercury level," the Entourage Emmy winner told People during Thursday's Lakers celebration party at Los Angeles's Nokia Club. "So, it's been almost 10 months now."

Piven, 43, abruptly left the Broadway revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow mid-run in December with an ailment his doctor called fatigue from mercury poisoning.

Miffed over his departure from the show, producers filed charges with Actors Equity against Piven, with the case currently tied up in arbitration.

"I changed all of those habits," Piven says of his life post-Broadway. "All of these things happen to make us better. So, you've got to embrace that."

Now, he says, "I'm a lot better. What basically happens is when you work your whole life without stopping like I've done, you end up in the hospital. Basically, I had a cardiologist say your body is trying to catch up and it can't. I had a resting heart rate of 47, something called arrhythmia, along with all the mercury poisoning."

He adds, "They just said you can't get back in that stage. Basically what I'm trying to do is rest as much as possible, celebrate the Lakers for a moment, and go back to work."

Piven blamed his fatigue on his then-six times the normal blood-level of mercury. In the producers' claim – after it could not be decided unanimously by the Grievance Committee, the case was handed over to arbiters in February – a tally of Piven's nightlife habits was requested.

"By the way, for the record, it's the not the fish's fault," Piven says. "It's a man-made problem. It's all the mercury being dumped. Women shouldn't eat tuna, especially when you're pregnant."

The path to health, he says, is, "You just change your life and kind of do it. It wasn't necessarily the sushi. It was just a steady diet of fish. Twice a day for 20 years. That's not right for anyone."

Piven Confident He Can Prove Mercury Poisoning

Actor Jeremy Piven is confident he will be cleared of allegations he faked a health scare to allow him to pull out of Broadway play Speed-the-Plow as he prepares to defend his honour in an arbitration hearing.

The Entourage star stepped down from the show in December, citing severe fatigue. He claims he was diagnosed with toxic mercury poisoning and blames regular sushi meals for his medical woes.

Broadway bosses, who were forced to replace Piven with William H. Macy at the last minute, are furious with his sudden departure and are not convinced the actor was really ill.

They filed a complaint with the Actors Equity Association, claiming Piven's exit jeopardised show earnings.

The case is due to be heard in an arbitration meeting with union bosses in June, and Piven is sure he can prove his illness was serious - because U.S. president Barack Obama has identified mercury poisoning as a "grave chemical problem".

His representative says in a statement, "After Mr. Piven was diagnosed with a potentially toxic Mercury level, he reluctantly left Speed-the-plow at the insistence of his doctors, who warned him that enforced rest was required to avoid severe medical problems, including a heart attack. Mr. Piven is looking forward to testifying in Arbitration along with his doctors so that the truth comes out about the very health serious risks caused by Mercury exposure, which the Obama administration has recently described as the world's gravest chemical problem."

And Piven is mystified by the theatre executives' decision to share details of the hearing to the press - vowing to keep his medical records private - because he has been open to being reexamined by a doctor from the start.

The rep adds, "Mr. Piven had also repeatedly offered to be examined by a doctor designated by the producers both before, during and after his hospitalisation for toxic Mercury levels. The producers never took him up on that offer.

"The fact that the producers issued a statement announcing the Arbitration dates suggests that this is part of a punitive strategy to intimidate actors so that they ignore serious health symptoms and the advice of medical professionals due to fear that they will be sued."

Arbitration Hearing Set for Jeremy Piven

This summer we may finally solve the enduring Broadway mystery: Did the fish do it?

On June 6th and 7th, an arbitrator will hear the dispute between both Actors' Equity, the producers of the Broadway revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow and the production's one-time star, Emmy winning actor Jeremy Piven.

The Entourage star, 43, abruptly left the show in December – 10 weeks early – complaining of fatigue caused by toxic mercury in his system from eating fish. At the time, his doctor claimed that he had mercury levels that were six times higher than an allowable level.

To prepare for the arbitration, the producers have requested that Piven turn over a wide range of information, including his medical records and "documentation of Mr. Piven's activities both during and after the run of the show," according a statement released Wednesday by the producers.

In a statement released Wednesday, a rep for the actor responded to the continued arbitration by saying that Piven had "repeatedly offered to turn over his medical records to the Producers subject to an appropriate confidentiality agreement … Mr. Piven had also repeatedly offered to be examined by a doctor designated by the Producers both before, during and after his hospitalization for toxic Mercury levels. The Producers never took him up on that offer."

As for the planned arbitration, the statement says, "Mr. Piven is looking forward to testifying ... along with his doctors so that the truth comes out about the very health serious risks caused by Mercury exposure, which the Obama administration has recently described as the world’s gravest chemical problem."

As a result of the incident, the actor became the butt of late night monologues and the subject of a classic bon mot by playwright Mamet, who said that the actor was leaving show business to "pursue a career as a thermometer."

The producers have pledged that they are not asking for the information just to turn around and leak it to the press.

"The producers recognize that most of this information is of a highly sensitive nature," the statement said. "Therefore, they have proposed to the Union that all of the information that is turned over be subject to a strict confidentiality agreement."

Jeremy Piven Caught Eating Sushi

Oh boy! Entourage actor Jeremy Piven was caught eating sushi again - big deal right?

Many don’t think so, after he just failed to prove at an Actor’s Equity grievance hearing that sushi was the cause of his bowing out of the Broadway show Speed-the-Plow.

Back in December Piven claimed that he had gotten mercury poisoning from eating way too much sushi and fell ill and was unable to fulfill his obligations.

Ok! magazine spoke with Dr. Grace Keenan about how long one should stay away from raw fish after getting poisoned.

“After recovering from mercury poisoning, a patient should be avoiding foods that are known to be contaminated with mercury, such as tuna, for at least three months.”

After all the scrutiny that Jeremy went through over his claims, one would think if he was going to continue to indulge he would do it in private.

Plow Producers Still Pushing to Penalize Piven

Jeremy Piven might still have to reap what he sowed for dropping out of Speed-the-Plow.

The producers of the Broadway revival, who filed a grievance against the actor when he left the production early, citing a case of mercury poisoning, are planning to file for arbitration after their claim was denied by the Actors' Equity Union.

At a hearing this past Thursday, a 10-member grievance committee comprised of five AEU members and five members of the Broadway League could not reach the necessary unanimous decision on Piven's fate and advised the Plow team of its rights to pursue arbitration.

"The grievance went as expected yesterday," the producers said in a statement Friday. "The grievance committee did not rule for either side and we will be filing for arbitration as provided by our contract."

Per AEU procedure, an arbitration hearing will be held within 30 days of the filing, presided over by one of nine individuals acceptable to the union and the league. A decision will be issued within 30 days of the hearing.

Meanwhile, Piven is finally speaking out about the condition that forced him to give up the "the holy grail" of acting.

"The biggest misconception was that this all came out of the blue in December and that I came down with this ‘sushi-gate' stuff," Piven tearfully told the New York Times after the hearing.

"It's not sushi, it's from eating fish for 20 years and not understanding the mercury threat."

While playing a loutish studio exec in the revival of David Mamet's 1988 play, Piven would immediately go home to bed after every performance and, after the Sunday evening shows, he would stay in bed until the curtain went up again on Tuesday nights.

"At times I was incapable of getting enough oxygen to get my lines out on stage, and sometimes I'd forget where I was in the play," he said. "This misconception that I was out partying was wrong. My problem was that as soon as I woke up, I wanted to figure out a way to get back into bed."

"This is the holy grail for any actor," Piven said when asked whether he'd like to work on Broadway again. "I kind of can't wait to do it again. And I hope to."