Sienna Miller sues over topless pics, Batman blowup linked to mother's 'insult'

Herald online

25 Jul, 2008 01:00 AM11 mins to read

KEY POINTS:

Sienna Miller

is suing two British tabloids and a photo agency after they published topless snaps of the star with married actor

Balthazar Getty

Miller has flexed her legal muscle and

issued a writ

for breach of privacy against News International, parent company of newspapers

News of the World

and

The Sun

Photo agency Big Pictures, helmed by notorious paparazzo

Darryn Lyons

, has also been named in legal papers filed at London's High Court earlier this week.

The

Alfie

star claims her privacy was breached after saucy snaps of her frolicking with father of four Getty on a yacht on Italy's Amalfi coast were published by the tabloids earlier this month.

Getty, heir to the Getty oil fortune, vehemently denied he was playing doctors and nurses with Miller at the time, but soon changed his tune after the telltale snaps were published.

The amorous moneybags finally

confirmed reports

he has split from his wife on Monday.

In a statement to the press, he said: "In light of the fact that many pictures have surfaced in print and on the internet which has caused myself and my family great embarrassment, I felt it necessary to at least acknowledge publicly that, yes indeed my wife and I have separated and I will not be commenting any further."

This isn't the first time Miller has taken action against the tabloids.

The Sun

and the

News Of The World

were forced to cough up £37,500 (NZ$100,000) in December of last year after they both published topless shots of Miller filing a nudie scene for a movie.

Miller's legal representative, Mark Thomson, refused to comment on the fresh legal proceedings, only saying: "Neither I nor my client will be commenting further," he told MediaGuardian.co.uk.

No comment as yet from celebrity picture agency Big Pictures.

Miller time

So Miller's in a spin over snaps of her snogging some married bloke on a yacht, with her puppies out.

Snaps that could, arguably, have led to the death of his marriage. Who knows what the circumstances were that led to his big split?

And Miller's not the only celeb that's taken umbrage to personal snaps of themselves being published for all and sundry to gawp at.

Brad Pitt

is also threatening

legal action

against anyone publishing recent photographs taken by paparazzi of the actor and his newly enlarged family at their French estate.

Miller's legal action only serves to highlight the grey area where paparazzi so often tread and take full advantage of. What exactly is fair game, and where do you draw the line beyond which a star's privacy is violated?

Biting the hand that feeds

Penelope Cruz

is in a right grump because of the paparazzi.

"I think it's disgusting," the actress says of the paparazzi culture.

"It's dangerous and nasty, and bad for our society in so many ways. And it's getting worse every day," she tells W Magazine.

"It affects me directly, but I really believe that this culture of gossip affects our society on a much deeper level, on an ethical level.

Gossip affects me too, but not like it does Cruz. Gossip gives me a case of the warm fuzzies and fulfills a shallow, basic instinct.

Gossip makes the world go 'round, honey. It's part of human nature, and it ain't gonna go away just because you denounce it.

"It's what kids see and hear every day, and it will affect future generations in ways that we cannot even imagine."

Look at moy, look at moy. Penelope. Look at moy. Now I've got one word to say to you... cobblers.

Madge on the verge

Madonna.

You know the one who's allegedly been helping herself to baseball star

A-Rod

's cookie jar? Well...

Madge has apparently been one stressed bunny of late - which is understandable, given those pesky infidelity rumours, and her Judas of a brother snitching on her with a telltale book.

Word has it that the ageing diva has already sacked two dancers she hired for her upcoming Sticky & Sweet world tour.

Ooh, and her tour manager is supposedly so fed up of the singer's mood swings, he's also threatening to bail.

Then there's the growing concern over the singer's health.

Her relentless fitness regime and strict macrobiotic diet has reportedly taken its toll on her body.

The Sun

claims that Madge has had a doctor, physiotherapist and a chiropractor on duty throughout her tour rehearsals.

A source says: "Madonna is doing less than OK. She has been rehearsing for the tour and she is totally miserable.

"She's down physically and mentally. The situation with Guy is very, very tense. The way the press are going crazy with the A-Rod story, her brother's book and her physical exhaustion are all taking their toll."

Naughty Peaches

Peaches Geldof'

s alleged drug overdose at the tail end of last week has been brushed aside by the famous spawn.

Geldof was reportedly

treated by paramedics

after collapsing following a suspected drug overdose at her London home last week.

The Daily Star

now reports that 19-year-old Geldof's collapse was caused by her inadvertently inhaling fumes from hair dye.

Riiiiight. Sure.

Geldof, daughter of

Paula Yates

- who herself overdosed from a drug overdose in 2000 - supposedly accidentally inhaled ammonia fumes from her hair dye and forgot to open a window.

Her mouthpiece said: "Peaches has made a full recovery from the minor incident reported in yesterday's papers.

"After attending last night's Batman premiere in Leicester Square, she is looking forward to work as usual today."

Your weekly Wino

Some

Amy Winehouse

gems for you this week:

* The toxic troll from hell has put herself forward as a

volunteer

to help drug addicts. Now, I'm not sure what Wino defines as help, but I hope it doesn't involve helping recovering druggies shovel illegal substances up their hooters. I think she means helping them as they go cold turkey and disappear down a

grotty toilet

like that bloke in

Trainspotting

* A genius Norfolk farmer has come up with a

novel idea

for scaring pesky pigeons who keep nibbling at his prized sugar beet: An Amy Winehouse scarecrow complete with beehive, tattoos, bottle of booze and fag in hand. I'd get that patented quick smart.

* Wino's goodie-two-shoes act continues apace. Not only does she want to help recovering drug addicts, she also wants to start breeding. She wants twins. With Blaaaaake! She says, "Blake and I can't wait to have kids. I want at least five kids. I want twins. Blake is gonna be the most amazing dad." Actually, this isn't good news at all. Please file under horror.

Weird 'n' wacky

Here be amazing video footage of a bloke sitting in a café, minding his own, when a car careered into the eatery, trashing the booth he was sitting in to smithereens.

Said bloke calmly soaks in the devastation, and puts his baseball cap back on...

Quote of the day

"I was sleeping with a lot of guys and had more abortions than I would like to count ... I felt if someone killed me, it wouldn't even make a difference, [but] God showed me that it would make a difference ... Oh, sometimes I say, 'Lord, Juanita Bynum or Joyce Meyer would be so good at this table. They could lay hands on Barbara Walters and get her saved."

- The View

co-host

Sherri Shepherd

lets rip with an almighty brain fart.

Oh hang on, here comes the

backtracking denial

Seeing is believing

Here comes another case of wishful thinking.

It's no big secret that

Billy Bob Thornton

still carries a torch for his ex

Angelina Jolie

, which explains his latest remark about them working together in the future.

Blabby Bob says he and his ex are searching for a comedy movie that they can star in together, and insist they are both still friends after their three-tear marriage ended.

He tells

Maxim

magazine, "We've talked about it plenty of times. I'm sure we will.

"We want to be really careful that we pick the right one. Maybe a comedy. In other words, we wouldn't want to do another movie about a husband-wife relationship. That probably wouldn't be very good."

You mean like Brad Pitt and Angie's

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Do not click here

Do not click

here

if you are of a weak disposition. You have been warned. And yes, it's safe for work.

I think my insides just died.

No more Maverick

Rumours that Tiny

Tom Cruise

™ was about to reprise his role as smart-talking Maverick in a

Top Gun

sequel are exactly that - dirty little

rumours

concocted by someone with a sick sense of humour.

The interwebnet was buzzing earlier this week with news that jobless Cruise was about to hit the big screen as Maverick once again.

An insider said: "The idea is Maverick is at the Top Gun school as an instructor - and this time it is he who has to deal with a cocky new female pilot."

Sorry guys and dolls, but Cruise has no plans to return to the role that made him a household name.

Denial

here

The Bat goes on...

More juicy details are emerging about Batman star

Christian Bale

's alleged assault that led to his arrest in London earlier this week.

The latest reports claim that Bale threw a tantrum after his mother Jenny

insulted

his wife.

Then there's the rumour that Bale's sister Sharon, 40, allegedly asked the actor for $$.

Britain's

Sun

newspaper claims that Bale's sister asked the star for £100,000 to help her bring up her three children. Bale was supposedly not amused and threw a "wobbler".

The Dark Knight

actor was arrested in London on Tuesday after his mother and sister lodged an assault claim after an alleged incident at the actor's suite in London's Dorchester hotel on Sunday.

It's understood that Bale's mother Jenny, 61 - a part-time clown (no, I'm not joking) - claims she was shoved during a row in Bale's suite when they returned after a night out at a restaurant.

A snitch tells the newspaper: "Christian is a very wealthy young man and was asked to help his sister out financially.

"He was asked to loan her £100,000 but he refused and that caused an almighty row.

"During that row, the women claim, he assaulted them by pushing and shoving them. Both Jenny and Sharon are terribly upset over what happened.

"They did not want any publicity and the last thing they wanted to do was wreck his premiere evening. But they say he bullied them.

"They are both devastated that it has come to this but want him to be taught a lesson."

Update:

Christian Bale has called for privacy after being arrested and bailed of the assault allegations.

Speaking at a press conference in Barcelona, Spain, during his promotional tour of The

Dark Knight

, Bale said it was a "deeply personal matter".

"I would ask you to respect my privacy on that subject," he added.

Watch a video of the press conference

here

Blind items

You guess the celebutards.

* "Which iconic supermodel wolfed down a sneaky KFC - and had to hide her gastronomic blow-out from her eagle-eyed agency bosses?"

Mirror

* "Which newly married diva recently went bananas after reading flirty text messages from her new hubby's ex on his BlackBerry? She locked him out of their (her) house for two nights. Memo to ladies everywhere: If you don't want to know, don't start snooping." Hint: human dolphin.

NYDN

"Which celebrity hides her booze problem by pouring vodka into a Starbucks coffee cup when she's out shopping?"

Mirror

Retro Friday

Just because...it's Friday!

We're going to

dance...

D-Gorgeous!

Fast gossip

If it's celebrity sin, it's in...

Matthew Broderick

cheating on Sarah Jessica Parker?