People Top 5
LAST UPDATE: Thursday December 04, 2008 11:10AM EST
PEOPLE Top 5 are the most-viewed stories on the site over the past three days, updated every 60 minutes
Catherine Calls Wedding Shots 'Tacky'
London's High Court is treated to star-studded testimony as Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas speak out against Hello! magazine.
Originally posted Tuesday February 11, 2003 01:00 PM EST
Things got testy in London's High Court on Monday, where Hollywood couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones squared off against lawyers for Britain's Hello! magazine in their lawsuit against the publication for running unauthorized photos of their splashy November 2000 New York wedding.
In a packed courtroom, Zeta-Jones, 33, claimed that sneaky paparazzi spoiled the afterglow of her wedding with fuzzy images that made her look overweight and the reception (at the stately Plaza Hotel) look like a "disco," reports Reuters.
"It was cheap and tacky and everything I didn't want to have shown as being part of my special day," she said.
During his turn on the stand, Douglas, 58, said he and his new bride were shocked to learn illicit photos had been taken and called the defense lawyer's comments "offensive" after his compensation claim against Hello! magazine was deemed "trivial."
The Douglases claim Hello!'s photos both violated their privacy and damaged their careers. (Zeta-Jones was nominated for an Oscar on Tuesday for her role in "Chicago," while Douglas reportedly has two new movies in the pipeline.)
The couple also had sold exclusive photo rights to their wedding to Hello! rival OK! magazine for $1.6 million. OK! reached the newsstand with its official wedding pictures three days after Hello! did.
The Douglases testified that money wasn't at the heart of the matter. Rather, they agreed to sell OK! the exclusive rights only to protect their privacy and control which images the world would see.
According to the BBC, Hello! lawyer James Price read excerpts from Douglas's statement to the court, describing how the wedding had turned into a "complete nightmare ... It was truly gut-wrenching and very disturbing experience which left us both upset."
Then, speaking directly to Douglas, Price said: "Wouldn't an ordinary person reading that, unaware of the context ... might think a firearm had been fired at your wedding rather than a camera?"
Douglas replied that a gate-crashing photographer breaking into his wedding was the "most vindictive and mean-spirited act that you could imagine."
In a packed courtroom, Zeta-Jones, 33, claimed that sneaky paparazzi spoiled the afterglow of her wedding with fuzzy images that made her look overweight and the reception (at the stately Plaza Hotel) look like a "disco," reports Reuters.
"It was cheap and tacky and everything I didn't want to have shown as being part of my special day," she said.
During his turn on the stand, Douglas, 58, said he and his new bride were shocked to learn illicit photos had been taken and called the defense lawyer's comments "offensive" after his compensation claim against Hello! magazine was deemed "trivial."
The Douglases claim Hello!'s photos both violated their privacy and damaged their careers. (Zeta-Jones was nominated for an Oscar on Tuesday for her role in "Chicago," while Douglas reportedly has two new movies in the pipeline.)
The couple also had sold exclusive photo rights to their wedding to Hello! rival OK! magazine for $1.6 million. OK! reached the newsstand with its official wedding pictures three days after Hello! did.
The Douglases testified that money wasn't at the heart of the matter. Rather, they agreed to sell OK! the exclusive rights only to protect their privacy and control which images the world would see.
According to the BBC, Hello! lawyer James Price read excerpts from Douglas's statement to the court, describing how the wedding had turned into a "complete nightmare ... It was truly gut-wrenching and very disturbing experience which left us both upset."
Then, speaking directly to Douglas, Price said: "Wouldn't an ordinary person reading that, unaware of the context ... might think a firearm had been fired at your wedding rather than a camera?"
Douglas replied that a gate-crashing photographer breaking into his wedding was the "most vindictive and mean-spirited act that you could imagine."
Check out more on... Catherine Zeta-Jones
Latest video
Star Talk
Michael Phelps: From Speedo to Tuxedo!
SI's Sportsman of the Year talks about his latest honor – and being named one of PEOPLE's Sexiest Men Alive (with photographs by Heinz Kluetmeier)
Advertisement
Today's Photos
What's Hot on People.com
Promotion
Treat Yourself! 4 Preview Issues
















