| SIORY DRAGS ON: Friends stand by embattled Tamahori [message #218812] |
Mo, 06 Februar 2006 16:25 |
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http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3563780a1860,00.html
06 February 2006
By ELEANOR WILSON and NZPA
Friends and colleagues of Once Were Warriors director Lee Tamahori were
standing by the Kiwi film-maker yesterday as details of his private
life emerged following his arrest on prostitution charges.
It was revealed on Friday the 55-year-old director, dressed in a black
wig and off-the-shoulder dress, had allegedly approached an undercover
police officer on Los Angeles' Santa Monica Boulevard, offering sex in
return for cash.
Yesterday, Sunday newspapers reported that Tamahori was a frequent
visitor to fetish clubs with girlfriend Sasha Turjak.
However, industry colleagues of Tamahori, who also directed the 2002
James Bond film Die Another Day, told The Press the scandal should not
be allowed to detract from his career.
Dan Salmon, the president of the Screen Directors' Guild of New Zealand
(SDGNZ), said: "I don't think it has anything to do with what he does
professionally."
He declined to comment on Tamahori's private life, on the grounds the
SDGNZ was "a professional organisation".
Brian Kassler of the Auckland-based film company Flying Fish - of
which Tamahori is a director - also declined to comment.
He said he had not heard from Tamahori since details of the alleged
incident on January 8 became public.
Neighbours at Tolaga Bay, north of Gisborne, where Tamahori has a
house, were also reluctant to talk to the media, telling reporters his
private life was "his own business".
The director's sister, Renaye Tamahori, and his father, Philip
Tamahori, also declined to comment.
An unnamed friend, who described Tamahori as a "consummate
professional", told one Sunday newspaper it was an "open secret" that
he was a regular visitor to London fetish clubs.
"During the filming of Die Another Day in London, Lee used to dress up
in latex and got to fetish clubs," it quoted the friend as saying. The
source said Tamahori "definitely liked the alternative side of sex with
black tight latex costumes, uniforms and so", but never let his private
life affect his work.
AdvertisementAdvertisementA Los Angeles police media spokesman said
that Tamahori could lose his ability to work in the United States, if
convicted, and face penalties of up to a year in jail and a maximum
fine of $US5000 ($NZ7391).
The spokesman said Tamahori, who is being represented by celebrity
lawyer Mark Geragos, who also defended singer Michael Jackson on
child-sex charges and actress Winona Ryder on shoplifting charges, had
been charged with agreeing to engage in an act of prostitution and
unlawfully loitering on Santa Monica Boulevard.
Tamahori, who was believed to be living in LA with a teenage son and
Turjak, gained notice for directing the 1994 drama Once Were Warriors.
His James Bond movie earned $US430 million, but his action film xXx:
State of the Union bombed at the box office last year.
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| Re: SIORY DRAGS ON: Friends stand by embattled Tamahori [message #218814 ] |
Mo, 06 Februar 2006 17:33 |
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"STORY" DRAGS ON. Jeez... I need to start spell-checking.
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| Re: SIORY DRAGS ON: Friends stand by embattled Tamahori [message #218818 ] |
Mo, 06 Februar 2006 18:48 |
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JHause wrote:
> "STORY" DRAGS ON. Jeez... I need to start spell-checking.
>
Was "Drags on" a deliberate pun? Just curious.
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| Re: SIORY DRAGS ON: Friends stand by embattled Tamahori [message #218822 ] |
Mo, 06 Februar 2006 19:24 |
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Paul Clarke wrote:
> JHause wrote:
> > "STORY" DRAGS ON. Jeez... I need to start spell-checking.
> >
>
> Was "Drags on" a deliberate pun? Just curious.
Naaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh....
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