Pellicano trial kicks
off in La-La Land

The long-awaited trial in Los Angeles of Anthony Pellicano, Hollywood's 'private eye to the stars', in which a galaxy of film actors, agents and studio chiefs are due to take the witness stand in the coming weeks, finally got underway on Thursday with Pellicano, dressed in green prison garb, representing himself.

Charged with illegal wire-tapping and racketeering, Pellicano is pleading innocence. He insisted to a packed courtroom that he had done no more than serve his clients in "problem solving". "That is what [I] was paid for," he said, "gathering information."

The case against the private investigator is that he broke the law in order to dig up dirt on wives, lovers, business partners and rivals to help the rich and famous "discredit and in some cases destroy" their adversaries in a series of divorce cases, child custody battles and business disputes.

Prosecutor Kevin Lally said Pellicano and his four co-defendants accessed telephone company records and police files, intimidated witnesses and exploited the judicial system - all for personal gain.

Pellicano was well-known in Hollywood for acting like a fictional 'private
dick': he enjoyed his nicknames - The Celebrities' Thug, The Big Sleazy - and he liked to wear mirror shades, patent leather shoes and double-breasted suits. But Lally urged the jury not to be fooled: Pellicano was no "pulp fiction" gumshoe, ekeing out a living, he said; on the contrary, he demanded $25,000 non-refundable deposits from people who could afford to pay a "premium price" for his services.

Stars including Sylvester Stallone, Chris Rock and Garry Shandling, along with studio executives Brad Grey and Ron Meyer and former super-agent Michael Ovitz are among the 120-plus prosecution witnesses expected to testify during the 10-week trial. Some of the witnesses, including Stallone, were targets of wiretaps; some worked for Pellicano and others agreed to testify after gaining immunity from prosecution.