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Jeremy Piven's Fishy Situation

by Celebuzz on Dec. 21, 2008 04:29 PM / Leave a Comment
Jeremy Piven's Fishy Situation
WENN

Jeremy Piven has been put on strict notice by his doctor.

The 43-year-old Entourage actor had to abandon his starring role in David Mamet's Broadway play Speed-the-Plow on Wednesday due to alarmingly high levels of mercury in his system. Now Dr. Carlton Colker, the primary internist treating the actor, has revealed to ABC.com just how severe Piven's condition is.

"This is a situation of mercury toxicity," says Colker, the medical director of Peak Wellness in Greenwich, Connecticut. "His level [of mercury] was quite high, almost six times the normal limit...In this case, it's either because of fish--he ate sushi twice a day for years--or because of the Chinese herbs he was taking, or both. We're pretty sure about the fish, how much the Chinese herbs contributed, we don't know. We don't have the specifics of which herbs he took."

Colker is so concerned about Piven, in fact, that he's calling on the general public to aid him in looking after his patient.

"He cannot eat seafood," Colker cautions. "If anyone sees him eating seafood, tell them to call my office."

Alarmist? Perhaps. But then, Piven has been known to ignore the rules when he sees fit. And the guy has displayed poor impulse control on occasion.

Quotables /
“He lives his life just like Entourage, huh? Phew. For a minute there, I thought this story wasn't going to have an HBO original series angle to it, but it looks like I can put away the Xanax.”
The Superficial
“Replacing Piven will be Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz (Dec. 23 to Jan. 11) and Emmy Award winner and Oscar nominee William H. Macy (Jan. 13 to Feb. 22).”
Just Jared
“Mercury poisoning is most often caused by eating a lot of fish with high levels of mercury and can cause birth defects in pregnant women. Most common symptoms include sensory impairment, disturbed sensation and a lack of coordination which if you've ever seen Piven act, would be incredibly hard to diagnose.”
Splash News Online
“Jeremy Piven will no longer play what E! News describes as, a "sleazy, power-hungry studio exec." OK. As long as he lays off the "tuna" and returns to his other gig as the sleazy, power-hungry studio exec on Entourage, all will be fine in my world.;”
Socialite Life
Next Story / Kendra Wilkinson: Domesticated Bunny

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