To the boondocks west of West Palm Beach.

On Thanksgiving weekend, 40 years ago.

See anyone you know in the crowd? (Courtesy Ken Davidoff)

And the local ruling class didn’t like it one bit.

Then-Palm Beach County Sheriff Bill Heidtman vowed to make life miserable for the free-loving, pot-smoking, anti-establishment youngsters coming here for the Palm Beach Pop Festival. He threatened to herd alligators toward the crowd, gathered on the grounds of the old Palm Beach International Raceway. And he swore he’d have his good ole’ boys dig out fire ant colonies and relocate them at the venue.

Yet, 50,000 people showed up for the three-day event, the only one of its kind ever in this area. And they got to calling Heidtman “Sheriff Eichmann,” after Hitler’s henchman, Adolf Eichmann.

Mick Jagger at the 1969 Palm Beach Pop Festival (Courtesy Ken Davidoff)

The lineup of bands was nearly the same as the earlier New York state rendezvous. Except that Jimi Hendrix couldn’t make it. He was replaced by a little band known as The Rolling Stones. Janis Joplin belted out a few tunes, as did The Byrds, Sly and the Family Stone, Johnny Winter, Grand Funk Railroad, Spirit and Jefferson Airplane.

Florida rocker Tom Petty was there, too, after hitch-hiking south from his hometown of Gainesville.

Palm Beach society shutterbug Ken Davidoff remembers the festival well. At 19, he scored a gig as the event’s official photographer.

Janis Joplin and Johnny Winter at the 1969 festival (Courtesy Ken Davidoff)

“It was raining and freezing cold and people were ankle deep in mud,” Davidoff said. “There were 50,000 at the beginning, but by the time the Stones got on stage on Sunday, there were maybe 3,000 left. The weather and delays just drove people away.”

Among the delays, Davidoff cited the Stones’ arrival after authorities forced the band to wait on an airport tarmac for six hours, sorta, kinda, on purpose.

Davidoff recently built this Web site for the anniversary and stuffed it with some of the 600-plus pictures he took that weekend. He’s also interviewing festival-goers, roadies and promoters for a documentary.

“The festival was definitely a historical event that very few residents knew about,” Davidoff said.

For more photos, click here. And for some of the sounds, click here.

]]> http://www.page2live.com/2009/11/20/after-woodstock-came-the-palm-beach-pop-festival-40-years-ago/feed/ http://www.page2live.com/2009/11/20/dolphins-co-owner-marc-anthony-dogged-by-lawsuit/ http://www.page2live.com/2009/11/20/dolphins-co-owner-marc-anthony-dogged-by-lawsuit/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:49:52 +0000 Jose Lambiet http://www.page2live.com/?p=15661

JLo, Marc Anthony and Floyd, the German shepherd guard dog (Courtesy www.celebrities.au)

A flight attendant on a private jet carrying salsero Marc Anthony and his wife, singer/actress Jennifer Lopez, was attacked by the couple’s guard dog in flight because she was carrying eating utensils to their table.

So the flight attendant, Lisa Wilson, is suing the couple in a Brooklyn, N.Y., court over the 2006 attack in a Gulfstream jet. Wilson says the snarling dog lunged and head-butted her, causing her to fall and injure her back.

For her pain and suffering, she is demanding $5 million.

According to the New York Daily News, the German shepherd, Floyd, received military-style training and has a thing for sharp objects being handled near the Dolphins’ minority owner Anthony. According to the court documents, the glamorous couple’s personal chef also has been harassed by the pooch.

An animal behavior expert hired by Wilson’s legal team said the dog is dangerous and the famous couple knew it. Early in the flight, Anthony warned Wilson not to look at Floyd in the eyes and call his name when she wanted to pass by.

“The dog was obviously dangerous and we will prove at trial that it was only a matter of time before he hurt someone,” Wilson’s lawyer, William Cafaro, told the News.

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Bruce Helander (Michele Sandberg/Special to Page2Live)

West Palm Beach collage and pop artist Bruce Helander, a darling among Palm Beach’s art collectors and a popular figure on the society circuit, may soon lose his beloved classic home.

The bowler hat-wearing artist and his wife, Claudia, were notified last week that the U.S. Bank National Association filed a notice to have the home sold on the proverbial courthouse steps unless the couple comes up with $945,033.

That includes the principal on an $882,970 mortgage in 2006, and more than $2,060 in late fees.

Helander bought it in 1998 for $195,000 but, according to court records, routinely borrowed against it. The digs are well-known for being the stage for some of the best parties in town and its second-to-none lush backyard.

Helander, whose art has been shown nationally, was the first hipster to buy a home in one of the downtown’s most neglected and blighted areas. He was soon followed by dozens of others, and Grandview Heights became livable again.

Helander listed the house in 2005 for $1.2 million.

“We didn’t know the bank was filing,” Helander said. “We were negotiating a new traditional mortgage. But this is a classic case of being upside down. The house appraised at less than $500,000.”

The good old days (Courtesy Sports Illustrated)

But then, along came Madonna, and the SoFla lovebirds were divorced. Both A-Rod and C-Rod have moved on. Alex is playing house with starlet Kate Hudson. And Cynthia took out her new main man, whose id is still unknown, for a stroll in Miami Beach the other day. Did she upgrade? Look below to find out and vote, or click

(Courtesy Splash News)

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Back in the days: Varga and Mersentes (Palm Beach Post file photo)

Stolen nude pictures of a Palm Beach socialite.

Allegations of spying and stealing against a well-known society butler.

Big money. Conspiracy. Intrigue.

The latest filing in a Palm Beach County circuit court by the new husband of diet guru Robert Atkins‘ 72-year-old widow has it all.

Alexis Mersentes, 72, a serial groom of rich women who married the multi-millionaire Veronica Atkins in 2007, has joined his ex-girlfriend, former Worth Avenue store owner Ildiko Varga, 57, in a $1 million-lawsuit that Varga originally brought against him.

Confused yet?

Don’t be.

In the January lawsuit that the black-tie Palm Beach gala stalwart Varga brought against Mersentes, Varga claimed Mersentes took pictures of her posing nude then distributed them without her consent.

Now this: Mersentes, the defendant, has joined Varga as a plaintiff, claiming that he is as much a victim of the pictures’ distribution as she is.

Dozens of Varga’s nudie shots ended up in the hands of lawyers in an unrelated lawsuit in Miami.

So, how did the pictures end up in the public realm?

The butler did it!

Want more? Look below, or click

Mersentes and Veronica Atkins (Palm Beach Post file photo)

Mersentes is accusing butler Vincent Fermin, who has worked for some of The Island’s finest families over two decades, of finding photo memory cards with the naughty portraits and handing them to the trustees of Dr. Atkins’ $600 million-estate.

The move, according to Mersentes’ recent court filing, was to discredit him in the eyes of Veronica Atkins. Two of the deceased nutritionist’s trustees based in Miami, Clive Metz and John Mezzanotte, are also named.

“It’s about the control of Mrs. Atkins money,” said Mersentes’ West Palm Beach lawyer, Denise Kalland. “The trustees wanted to get rid of Mr. Mersentes so that they could continue their business relationship with her. They tried to use the pictures to that end.”

Fermin worked for Atkins from 2003 to 2005 and watched as Mersentes started courting the widow. Robert Atkins died in 2003 after slipping on a New York City street.  Since then, according to court records, Veronica has lived from a trust fund that pays her about $1.2 million a month.

Fermin admitted in court that he downloaded the pictures onto his computer. He wanted to protect the widow, he said, from Mersentes, whom Fermin believes is really after her money.

“They (Mersentes and Kalland) want to make me out to be a crook,” Fermin said. “That’s simply not true. I was trying to protect Mrs. Atkins. She asked me at her husband’s death to make sure she wouldn’t get ripped off. I was very close to her. I even saved her life once. She has a seizure in 2004 and stopped breathing. I resuscitated her. I used to find envelopes stuffed with money all over the house and never even thought of taking them. There are so many things I did for her. And now her new husband is trying to kill my career.”

Said Kalland: “Mr. Fermin mistakenly thought he was a member of Mrs. Atkins’ family. It wasn’t his job to decide who she could be with.”

Mersentes wants damages in excess of $15,000.

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Stewart

Part-time Palm Beacher Rod Stewart this week got sued for not paying $3.3 million in legal fees to a Los Angeles firm that represented him in three cases.

What is it about the rocker and IOUs?

Back in 2001, the Palm Beach interior designer Kemble Interiors was stiffed by Stewart. To the tune of $168,000, according to records. The firm decorated his three homes — Palm Beach, London and Los Angeles — and charged him $1.4 million.

But when the last payment came due, Kemble waited for months. Then the business sued in a Palm Beach County court.

‘He’s at it again,” said Mimi McMakin at Kemble.

She declined to comment further because the firm and Stewart settled then signed a confidentiality agreement.

Funny thing, the singer of Maggie May and Baby Jane also was sued by the Boca law firm that represented him in the Kemble case, Proskauer Rose LLP, for $20,000. Seems that Stewart, 64, had forgotten to pay those attorneys, too.

The latest lawsuit on the Left Coast claims Stewart, a multi-millionaire who’s notoriously cheap, owes for legal work on three cases, including one involving the cancellation of a gig in Las Vegas. A federal jury ordered Stewart to pay the Rio hotel-casino $2 million for canceling the Christmas 2000 concert.

Stewart’s manager could not be reached.

Deputy Chief Ralph Phillips (Courtesy Delray Beach Police)

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating whether a deputy chief at the Delray Beach Police Department interfered with his own cops in incidents involving his sons.

The FDLE is also looking at accusations of official misconduct against the sergeant who arrested one of the kids. He is accident homicide investigator Vinny Gray, and has since been reassigned in what he says is clear retaliation.

Deputy Chief Ralph Phillips, a 26-year veteran of the 150-member police force, confirmed to Page2Live that an investigation is underway.

Phillips declined to talk about the details. DBPD Chief Anthony Strianese and City Manager David Harden didn’t return calls.

According to a document obtained by Page2Live, Gray invoked the whistleblower protection act to prevent retaliation when he faxed a letter about Phillips to Harden last month.

“Deputy Chief Phillips has been using his official position and authority to secure more favorable treatment of his family by law enforcement,” Gray’s later starts.

Scott Phillips (Courtesy PBSO)

According to the missive, Delray cops started experiencing trouble with Scott Phillips, 19, the chief’s oldest son, in 2007. On July 10 that year, Gray wrote that his night crew found Scott and a convicted felon named Dustin Inman street racing. Both allegedly tried to flee but eventually were caught.

After the deputy chief arrived at the scene of the capture, Gray wrote, Philllips got in his son’s truck and drove it home. Scott Philllips wasn’t charged.

Inman, meanwhile, was arrested and charged with fleeing police. His car was impounded.

Six months later, the state attorney’s office declined to prosecute Inman, according to court records.

Then in February, according to Gray’s letter, Scott Phillips allegedly tried to ram a Delray police car during yet another pursuit that also involved Boynton Beach PD. This time, Gray alleges, the deputy chief asked that he change the incident report. Gray refused, and Scott Phillips pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to flee police and hit-and-run. He was sentenced to two years probation and 100 hours of community service, court records show.

Then in May, it was Chief Phillips youngest, Jeffrey, who was pulled over. According to Gray, Scott was driving 30 mph over the speed limit. When he was notified of the stop, the deputy chief allegedly ordered his son’s release with no citation, no warning or incident report.

Finally, three months ago, Gray added, Scott Phillips was chased on foot by a private security guard at an undisclosed Delray location. Once again, Chief Phillips showed up as his officers considered criminal trespassing. No charge was filed. Scott was still on probation.

Gray ends the letter by claiming that his career took a nasty turn after he arrested the teenager.

“Things are not as they appear,” Ralph Phillips told me Tuesday. “The outcome of this investigation will be very different from the story.”

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(Robert Holland/Special to Page2Live)

What’s a Babar book worth if it was signed by former First Lady Barbara Bush and her son, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush?

Five bucks? Twenty? One hundred?

Make that $850,000!

A resident of Palm Beach County who asked to remain anonymous just contacted organizers of the upcoming celebrity-book charity auction in Stuart, The Little Auction That Could, and bought the signed copy of The Travels of Babar for the equivalent of three Rolls-Royces.

The Jean De Brunhoff work is part of a collection of nearly 100 children’s books John Hancock-ed by world-famous celebrities, including poet Maya Angelou, golfer Tiger Woods, Pres. Barack Obama, singer Jimmy Buffett and astronaut John Glenn. The books will be auctioned at the Lyric Theatre Friday, and proceeds are going the Hibiscus Children’s Center, a Martin County shelter for abused and neglected kids.

But the anonymous caller just couldn’t wait and was adamant he wanted the book signed by momma and sonny Bush.

The sale Thursday morning sent some organizers into a joyous frenzy. With the wire transfer minutes later, they’re guaranteed to raise well above $1 million.

“First thing I said when I got the call is: Are you serious?” said Karla Preissman, who spent two years painstakingly gathering the signed books. “I’m not a professional fund-raiser or anything. I was very humbled by it.”

Jeb Bush’s reaction? “That’s fabulous!!!!’ he e-mailed Preissman.

Eisenberg, here with PBC Commish Burt Aaronson (The Palm Beach Post)

A respected Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office captain is under Internal Affairs investigation today for firing a gun in his cramped office, in the presence of two other people.

No one was hurt, but PBSO spokeswoman Teri Barbera tells me Capt. Matt Eisenberg, 49, a 25-year veteran of the agency and the commander of a district west of Boca Raton, is the target of the incident review.

“We still don’t know exactly what happened, but it appears there was an accidental discharge,” Barbera said. “I.A. will have to determine if procedures were properly followed.”

A PBSO source tells Page2Live that the captain was at his desk at District 7 on 441 with two Glock handguns. One was loaded and the other empty.

I’m told the captain mentally lost track of the loaded firearm when he received a phone call. After he hung up, Eisenberg supposedly picked up one weapon and placed it between his legs to dry fire it towards the floor.

A round went off — startling the commander and two others, a deputy and a civilian crime analyst.

Eisenberg remains at his post pending the I.A. report.