News of the World Scandal

Joe Rogan’s never been shy about his dislike for Carlos Mencia. Back in 2007 he would tell anyone who would listen that the Mind of Mencia host was a joke-stealer. Yet no one expected the two comedians to go at each other in a profanity-riddled scuffle onstage. It started with Rogan referring to Mencia as “Menstealia” and ended with the Fear Factor host taking a “forced” break from the Comedy Store. Since the incident, caught on tape by a fan, both comedians have fallen under the radar.

9. Shrine Auditorium

Michael Jackson was on fire during the 1980s…literally. The King of Pop suffered second degree burns in 1984 when a fireworks show taking place behind him onstage showered him in sparks, lighting his hair on fire. Jackson, 25 at the time, was filming “Billie Jean” for a Pepsi commercial in front of a crowd of 3,000 at Shrine auditorium when the accident occurred.

7. Ago Restaurant

Quentin Tarantino found himself in a fight scene of his own back in 1997 when he ran into an old frienemy at Ago. The director, who was lunching with Harvey Weinstein, got into a heated brawl with Natural Born Killers producer Don Murphy. Tarantino started the punch-fest over something Murphy’s producing partner wrote about him in the book Killer Instincts. The police negotiated a truce, but Murphy later sued Tarantino for assault.

6. Hyde Lounge

When Paris Hilton was caught smooching +44 drummer Travis Barker in 2006 it didn’t sit well with his soon-to-be-ex Shanna Moakler. So when the Hollywood It girl ran into the former beauty queen at Hyde, things came to a head. According to Hilton, Moakler charged her table screaming obscenities and punched her in the jaw. The Meet the Barkers star claims that Hilton’s ex-boyfriend Stavros Niarchos threw a drink on her, pushed her down the stairs and bent her wrist. The cat fight led to a media frenzy, but despite police reports filed by both women, no charges were made.

5. Laugh Factory

Michael Richards ended his career as a stand-up comedian on a sour note in November 2006 when he went after hecklers at the Laugh Factory with his microphone. The actor’s biting racial slurs brought the once beloved Seinfeld star’s work to a screeching halt. Less than a year later the legendary comedy club was the site of another showdown, this time between Jon Lovitz and Andy Dick. Lovitz, who blames Dick for the death of their mutual friend Phil Hartman, attacked the curly-haired comedian, slamming his head against the bar until he was bleeding. Lovitz accused Dick of supplying Hartman’s wife with cocaine at a Christmas party, ultimately leading her on a downward spiral that ended with shooting her husband.

4. Will Rogers Memorial Park

George Michael calls it entrapment, but either way he was caught being very naughty at Will Rogers Memorial Park in 1998. The former Wham! singer found himself in hot water when he performed a lewd act in front of an undercover police officer in the park bathroom. He pled no contest and paid a $810 fine, performed community service and is now banned from the park.

3. Vitello’s Restaurant

Robert Blake and his wife Bonnie Lee Bakley were already off to a rough start (she named another man as the father of their baby), but no one expected what was coming next. Six months after their November 2000 wedding she was murdered outside of Vitello’s. The couple had just eaten dinner and when they returned to the car, Blake claimed he forgot his gun and needed to run back inside. When he returned, she was dead. Blake was arrested a year later for murder and conspiracy, but the star was acquitted in 2005.

 

2. Viper Room

Actor and heartthrob River Phoenix lost his life Oct. 31, 1993. The young star was allegedly doing heroin and cocaine in the Viper Room restroom with plans to take the stage that night. The drugs proved to be too much for the 23-year-old, and he collapsed just outside the club. While his brother Joaquin called 911, his sister Rain and actress Samantha Mathis stayed by his side. Despite repeated attempts to revive him, Phoenix was gone.

1. Chateau Marmont

John Belushi also met a tragic death at the hands of heroin and cocaine. The Saturday Night Live star was partying with friends in his hotel Bungalow when his friend Cathy Smith injected him with a fatal speedball. Both Robin Williams and Robert DeNiro stopped by his room earlier in the night, just before his passing. Still a popular a sanctuary for the stars, the Chateau Marmont has seen its share of fun too. In 2005 rumors spread that Benicio del Toro and Scarlett Johansson had a steamy romp in the hotel elevator at an Academy Awards after party. While ScarJo passed it off as a joke, Del Toro decided to leave the truth up to the “imagination.”