The star stuck New York Times is out shilling for Jeremy Piven. The Old Gray Lady appears to be smitten with the actor, perhaps that’s why it’s the only paper reporting that Piven, “convinced a group of fellow actors that he did not violate his contractual obligations when he dropped out of the Broadway play “Speed-the-Plow.”

More accurately, what actually happened, as reported by the Associated Press, New York Newsday and others, was “a panel composed of Actors’ Equity and Broadway League representatives were unable to reach the necessary unanimous decision.” So Piven’s laughable mercury poising from fish excuse lives another day. You see he convinced the actors on the panel he was being honest but the producers didn’t buy it.

Piven’s not outta the woods by any stretch of the imagination. He may have been able convince his peers of his story but on-the-record comments he has made in the past stand in stark contrast to the latest in scientific research on mercury in fish and could come back to haunt him.

If this thing goes to real court (not actor’s court – insert appropriate Judge Wapner, Rusty the bailiff or Doug Llewelyn joke here) Piven’s gonna have some splainin’ to do. Courts usually don’t accept anecdotal diagnoses as the end all be all- so Piven should be prepared to submit his medical records and call on his crocodile tears to testify. While the plaintiffs should be prepared to submit his bar tab and call on the entire country of Japan; where people eat far more commercial seafood than Piven but don’t complain about mercury poising, to testify.