"Passion of the Christ" director and fervent purveyor of the faith Mel Gibson was officially out-weirded this week as his 35-year old stalker, who had proclaimed he was on mission from God to heal Gibson, was sentenced to three years in prison. Zack Sinclair, a drifter who previously spent time in a psychiatric institution, was convicted last March of felony stalking for appearing at Gibson’s home, sending numerous religious-themed letters, and showing up at the star’s church to worship with him.
Also battling the same charge was insurance adjustor John Hughes, who filed suit against E! Entertainment Television for libel for calling him Meg Ryan‘s "stalker." In 2002, Hughes broke into a house he mistakenly thought was the home of the "When Harry Met Sally…" star only to find out it belonged to a different Ryan family; he later claimed he had entered the bedroom window because Meg "forgot to leave him the key under the doormat." After pleading no contest to misdemeanor trespassing, the mixed-up intruder took offense to a 2004 mention that he was "Meg Ryan’s stalker," and is seeking more than $25,000 in damages.
Rounding out the day’s legal moves were former power couple Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, whose jointly owned company Plan B Productions was divided, marking the beginning of their divorce settlement. Staying in place with Warner Bros. will be Jennifer Aniston and four of Plan B’s high profile projects in development, while Pitt departs to Paramount Pictures for a three-year first look deal and the biopics "True Story" and "Glass Castle." Pitt, whose new film "Babel" is (surprise!) a Paramount production, joins friendly faces at his new digs (former Plan B associate and now Paramount CEO Brad Grey), and can look forward to the upcoming Plan B releases "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "The Departed."
