Nicolas Cage

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Accountant: Nicolas Cage Was 'Compulsive' Spender

Originally posted 11/17/2009 07:00PM

While Nicholas Cage is claiming that bad money management is behind his financial collapse, the former accountant who worked with the star claims that it's Cage who is to blame for his own ruin.

In documents filed in L.A. Superior Court, Samuel J. Levin, Cage's former financial advisor, paints a portrait of the 45-year-old star as an out-of-control and debt ridden spender who bucked any attempt to reign in his over-the-top lifestyle.

Cage claims in his filing that "Samuel J. Levin, "lined his [own] pockets with several million dollars in business management fees while sending Cage down a path toward financial ruin." Levin denies the claims, saying he was paid a standard fee for a business manager.

Among the accusations laid out in Levin's the 12 page cross-complaint to Cage's lawsuit against are the below:

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Credit: Ray Tamarra/Getty

INSIDE STORY: Nicolas Cage Blames Advisor for Financial Ruin

Originally posted 11/01/2009 08:00AM

How could one of Hollywood's highest paid actors find himself owing $6.3 million in back taxes and deep in money troubles? The answer is, "Easy," if you believe Nicolas Cage.

In a lawsuit filed Oct. 16 in Los Angeles, the National Treasure star, 45, claims that his longtime business manager, Samuel J. Levin, "lined his [own] pockets with several million dollars in business management fees while sending Cage down a path toward financial ruin."

That journey began in 2001 when Cage – whose next movie is the crime drama Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans – hired Levin to oversee his investments and finances. Levin did not return calls seeking comment. A rep for Cage had no comment.

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Movie News

Smash-Up Occurs on Set of Nicolas Cage Movie

Originally posted 05/05/2009 06:40AM

A New York chase sequence for Nicolas Cage's latest film got out of hand – literally – when a car being driven by a stuntman skidded out of control and crashed into a Times Square restaurant, injuring two pedestrians in its path.

The injuries, a hurt foot and a bumped head, were deemed to be minor after being checked out at a hospital, the New York Post reports. The stunt driver was unharmed.

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Credit: Ray Tamarra/Getty

Nicolas Cage Shares His All-Time Favorite Thrillers

Originally posted 03/19/2009 06:25PM

In his new movie Knowing, Nicolas Cage plays a teacher who discovers some chilling predictions in a time capsule. The star, 45, likes a good scare himself: When PEOPLE asked him to name his all-time favorite thrillers, he included some of the most terrifying movies ever made. "I only left out King Kong, Terminator 2 and Gojira (the original Japanese version of Godzilla) because I wanted to focus on performance," Cage says.

1. The Exorcist (1973) Truly terrifying, largely because of extraordinarily realistic performances by Jason Miller and Ellen Burstyn. The sound work is extraordinary.

2. The Phantom of the Opera (1925) There is only one Lon Chaney, he is the king and this is his finest work. The phantom's face is arguably the most terrifying image on film, but Chaney somehow still makes him sympathetic.

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Credit: Junko Kimura/Getty; Robert Pitts/Landov

Nicolas Cage Taking Kathleen Turner to Court

Originally posted 02/12/2008 11:10AM

Peggy Sue got sued?

They costarred together in the 1986 Peggy Sue Got Married, and now, Nicolas Cage is suing Kathleen Turner for libel over claims she makes about him in her new memoir, Send Yourself Roses: Thoughts on My Life, Love, and Leading Roles.

The defamation, libel and slander case had been issued at London's High Court, the BBC reports. A rep for Cage told the Daily Telegraph that the move stems from "false allegations that appear in a forthcoming autobiography."

Turner's book hits stores in the U.S. and U.K. this week, and an excerpt can be found in the current issue of PEOPLE.