Ryan O'Neal to exploit son Redmond's drug battle in his Farrah Fawcett documentary sequel

Despite the denials, it appears that Ryan O'Neal will exploit his and Farrah Fawcett's son Redmond and his drug problems in a reality television format, after all.

RadarOnline.com reports that Redmond's sad battle with heroin and other addictions will be one of three plotlines in the follow-up to Farrah's Story, the exploitative NBC special that was carved from Farrah and production partner Craig Nevius' original video journal of her cancer struggle.

RadarOnline says its reporters have seen the letter O'Neal is sending out to get people to cooperate. It reads in part:

“We plan to focus on three main areas of her legacy: her art (namely her films and her sculptures), her inspirational battle with cancer; and the light of her life, our son Redmond, who is now fighting to reclaim himself in honor of his mother.”


According to RadarOnline, O'Neal also writes that the documentary will include Farrah’s voice from “an original, never-aired 2005 interview with never-before-seen footage from our private collection of home movies.”

One of the most horrific parts of the Farrah's Story special was the scene, engineered by O'Neal, in which a shackled Redmond was led from jail into the room of his near-comatose mother and allowed to get into bed with her. The sequel promises to pick up the story from there.

It's not known if O'Neal will include video of Farrah's death.

O’Neal plans to keep shooting interviews through March. It's not known if he'll get to interview Redmond, who's in court-ordered drug rehab after years of arrests, jailtime and drug treatment.


O'Neal and Redmond were arrested together on drug charges in 2008 when police found methamphetamine in the actor's Malibu home. O'Neal at first denied the drugs were his, but last year pleaded guilty to drug possession and was sentenced to a year and a half of drug counseling.

Last week, after Farrah's Charlies Angels costar Kate Jackson attacked him in the media, O'Neal said through a spokesman that his "only wishes are for Farrah to rest in peace."

EXCLUSIVE: Producer's lawsuit over Farrah Fawcett documentary could hinge on disputed signature on document that gave control to Ryan O'Neal

Farrah Fawcett's famous autograph is the ticking time bomb within the lawsuit over the NBC television special about her battle with cancer, potentially widening one man's complaint about being pushed out of the project into a major Hollywood scandal that includes accusations of coercion, forgery and an attempt to take over the iconic actress's estate.

Craig Nevius, Farrah's longtime friend and documentary collaborator, earlier this month filed suit against Farrah's longtime former lover Ryan O'Neal, O'Neal's business manager Richard B. Francis and Farrah's friend Alana Stewart, claiming they wrongfully interfered with a deal he'd made with Farrah to document her cancer fight.

The disputed signature is on a document that transferred control of the documentary to O'Neal, and is being compared to the very unique autograph Farrah has executed thousands of times on 8x10 photos which sell for an average of $50 to $100 online.

Nevius, who'd worked with Farrah since he created, directed and produced her 2005 reality television series, bases his case on an agreement he'd signed with Farrah last year.

It's one of two documents at the heart of the lawsuit and, Tabloid Baby has learned, the center of a brewing storm that includes claims that Ryan O'Neal took over the dying Farrah's documentary project and her life as part of a larger scheme to take over her estate upon her death. (O'Neal and Fawcett began a relation in the early 1980s but were never married. After a long hiatus, O'Neal returned to her life earlier in this decade after his own battle with leukemia.)

The LLC agreement between Farrah and Nevius, dated April 1, 2008, formed a company called Sweetened By Risk, "for the purposes of developing, producing and distributing/licensing a documentary currently entitled 'A Wing And A Prayer' (based on Fawcett's home movies)."

The agreement states:

"Fawcett will be the Manager/Chief Executive Office of the company and will make the final decisions on both business and creative matters.... "However, Nevius shall have both the right and the responsibility to assume Fawcett's role as Manager of the LLC if Q) Fawcett becomes too ill to function (for any prolonged length of time) or B) Fawcett is otherwise unavailable due to failing health (for a prolonged length of time) or C) Fawcett is unable to communicate her instructions and/or decisions for any reason whatsoever (for a prolonged length of time)."

The agreement was signed by Farrah on April 1, 2008 (above).

A year and nineteen days later, Farrah signed an "Appointment of Chief Executive Officer an Delegation of Rights" in which she appointed Richard B. Francis as Chief Executive Officer of Sweetened By Risk LLC, giving him "the full power and authority to take all actions the Chief Manager is authorized to take."

The half-page document also:

"...delegates to Ryan O'Neal all of her rights, whether under the agreement, any other agreement or under law, to exercise full artistic and creative control of the production currently entitled 'A Wing And A Prayer'... including, without limitation, the content, the editing and every version... including the final version."

Farrah's signature is dated April 20, 2009 (above).

At issue are those two signatures. The one dated April 1, 2008 is identical to the signature Farrah has written out thousands of time since her first flash of stardom in the Seventies.

(Click here to visit TheKlinikMovie.com)

The signatures on the two documents are visibly different.

In an uncanny coincidence, Farrah's friend Alana Stewart (who is named in the lawsuit) was quoted on April 21st saying that Farrah had "thrown" a 68th birthday party for O'Neal on the 20th, the day the Delegation of Rights document was dated.

Stewart's statement was made specifically to counter a much-publicized statement by Farrah's son during a parole violation hearing four days earlier. Redmond O'Neal told a judge that his mother's weight had dropped to just "86 pounds."

Said Stewart on April 21st: "Redmond is young and overreacted a little. Farrah has lost weight, but not that much. No, no, no. I just saw her last night and she looked better. She had color in her face and was talking and laughing."

Her party story as not accompanied by photographs.

Farah Fawcett has not been seen in public since.

On May 7th, O'Neal was featured in People magazine, saying that Farrah's treatment has "pretty much ended."

The tabloid television special, "Farrah's Story," which starred O'Neal, made reference to his cancer movie, "Love Story" and included much footage shot hastily by producers of NBC News' tabloid series Dateline, aired on NBC on Friday, May 15th. After it was announced that the ratings were better than usual for a Friday night, O'Neal announced he would be producing a sequel, one that would presumably include Farrah's death.

But over the weekend, hours after Tabloid Baby's lawsuit report on Friday, O'Neal and Stewart said the sequel had been scrapped.

Farrah Fawcett's signature, April 2008 (click document to enlarge)

Farrah Fawcett's signature, April 2009 (click document to enlarge)

(UPDATE! Signature scandal leads to new questions...)

Sources: Ryan O'Neal's business manager is executor of Farrah Fawcett's estate

Word that Ryan O’Neal will not be receiving any of the proceeds of Farrah Fawcett’s will may be premature. Sources tell Tabloid Baby that the executors who will oversee the inheritance bestowed on her son Redmond, are Richard B. Francis and his son and partner Russell Francis.

Richard B. Francis is Ryan O’Neal’s business manager. After 43 years, Ryan O’Neal is Francis & Associates’ oldest client.

Francis, along with O’Neal and Alana Stewart, was named in the lawsuit by producer Criag Nevius that claims his documentary project and company with Farrah were taken from him unlawfully. Nevius is contesting an "Appointment of Chief Executive Officer and Delegation of Rights" document signed by Farrah in April, which appointed Richard B. Francis as Chief Executive Officer of Sweetened By Risk LLC, and gave him "the full power and authority to take all actions the Chief Manager is authorized to take."

O'Neal, meanwhile, took control of Farrah's cancer documentary project, which had been based on her diaries, and with the help of producers from NBC's Dateline infotainment show, turned it into an updated version of his 1970 film, Love Story.

In interviews and court papers, Nevius has claimed that Francis threatened him physically and professionally.


One source, a friend of Farrah, tells us this afternoon that “the fear” is that Francis or his son could simply assign control of the drug addicted, incarcerated 24-year-old Redmond's money to his father Ryan.

“That would put Redmond right back in his father's control, and that’s the last thing Farrah would want,” says one friend. “It's why she left Ryan to begin with.”

Farrah and O’Neal ended their 15-year relationship in 1997. O’Neal returned as a heavy presence in Farrah’s life after she was diagnosed with cancer in 2007. Ryan and Redmond were arrested together on methamphetamine charges at O’Neal’s Malibu home in November of last year.

In the final weeks of Farrah’s life, O’Neal stated that she had agreed to marry him on her deathbed. Farrah was never made available to confirm his statement. The wedding never took place.

Farrah passed away on June 25th at 62.

Exclusive: Bombshell evidence against Ryan O'Neal and collaborators in lawsuit over NBC News' Farrah Fawcett special

“This is not about money.
This is not about ego.
This is not about anything but Farrah.
I was entrusted with overseeing
this very personal project.
I want her vision to be seen
and her voice to be heard.
I won't speak about her in the past tense.
She’s not in the past tense."

--Craig J. Nevius, Farrah Fawcett’s documentary partner,
kicked to the curb by Ryan O’Neal

With Tabloid Baby pal Brett Hudson appearing on syndicated television this week (video here) talking about Farrah Fawcett's thwarted intentions with the cancer documentary that was hijacked and turned into a maudlin, morbid celebrity soap by NBC News (well, she did sell them the footage), new attention is being focused on the lawsuit that's hanging over the heads of the imitation tabloid producers and Ryan O'Neal, Farrah's on-again off-again drug- and anger-troubled lover who took the helm of the project and kicked the original producer to the curb.

Craig J. Nevius is suing O'Neal, Farrah's friend and companion in German cancer clinics Alana Stewart, among others, for pushing him out of the project after two years of work and pursuing "their own individual interests contrary to Ms. Fawcett's stated desires."

(Click here to visit TheKlinikMovie.com)

Bottom line: Farrah wanted to produce a special that tackled the issue of why alternative, and often inexpensive, cancer treatments that work are available in countries like Germany but not in the United States. She and Nevius formed a company to make a film about her journey that was to be based on her home movies and called "A Wing And A Prayer.”

Love Story?

Then, as Farrah’s condition took a turn for the worse late last year, Ryan O'Neal allegedly moved in, started calling the shots, knocked Nevius out of the picture and collaborated with NBC News in cooking up “Farrah’s Story,” which featured the original Charlie’s Angels and O’Neal in the role of crying Charlie and—

Hold on a minute! Why haven’t we haven’t seen any mention of the fact that the title, “Farrah’s Story,” is very reminiscent of O’Neal’s hit film Love Story-- the one from forty years ago, about the Yalie who loses his love to cancer-- which he made reference to specifically in the special, as well as referring to the project as “a love story” in interviews?

O’Neal has taken over Farrah’s affairs and is already helming a sequel, because the NBC special did so well last Friday night, and it would seem that Nevius’ lawsuit is beside the point beyond a payoff.

But there are a couple of surprises here.

"Not about money"

First, Craig Nevius tells Tabloid Baby that he doesn’t want money.

“My motivation? This is not about money. This is not about ego," he insisted today. "This is not about anything but Farrah. I was entrusted with overseeing this very personal project. I want her vision to be seen and her voice to be heard.


“I'm not saying there wasn't anything positive in the program that aired; there was. To a certain extent Farrah has already succeeded in doing what she set out to do: promote a national dialogue about issues related to cancer--even if they weren't all addressed in the program-- and address the privacy issues.

“But Farrah's Story should be just that: Farrah's story.

“I hope Farrah will rally. That’s what motivates everything I say and do with respect to her. I have to operate under the assumption that I still work for— and with-- her. Look, I'm still accountable to her today as if she’s a hundred percent healthy and will be calling me up tomorrow with questions or new ideas. I can't-- and I won't speak about her in the past tense. Because she’s not in the past tense."

Bombshell evidence

There’s some bombshell evidence in this case that could turn this love story into one of the biggest Hollywood Babylon scandals since, well, since Tatum O’Neal accused her father of physical and emotional abuse and claimed she was molested by one of his buddies… since Griffin O’Neal’s father punched out his two front teeth… since Redmond O’Neal was busted with his father for drug possession…

We've got the evidence.

We’ll post it after the holiday weekend, so the story doesn't get lost when no one's paying attention...

UPDATE HERE: The evidence revealed...

Ryan O'Neal tells Barbara Walters he'll marry Farrah before she dies

Wonder if hard-hitting news veteran Barbara Walters will get to the bottom of the controversy over Ryan O'Neal's control over cancer-stricken Farrah Fawcett in her final days? Wonder no more. The promotion department at ABC is working overtime to hype the 20/20 segment that airs Friday night, and the big "get" is O'Neal's insistence that the iconic actress has agreed to marry him on her deathbed.

Says O'Neal: "We will (marry), as soon as she can say 'yes.'"

"As soon as she can say 'yes.'"

O'Neal, who has been accused by some of Farrah's friends of engineering an "estate takeover," laughed when he added: "Maybe we can just nod her head."

"Maybe we can just nod her head."

He was still having fun when he spoke about how he'd dress for the wedding: "Like a gigolo. A little thin moustache and slicked-back hair. I don't know."

"Like a gigolo."

There has been no comment from Farrah. The 62-year-old star is said to be heavily sedated, and at last word, has been re-admitted to the hospital.

This has led to questions about the veracity of O'Neal's statements and the intentions behind the wedding. But not, apparently, from Barbara Walters.

O'Neal and Farrah were tempestuous, (on-and-off) lovers for years (they have a son, Redmond, who's jailed on drug charges), but broke up officially a dozen years ago. He came back into her life during her cancer battle and recently made headlines when he seized control of the cancer documentary she had been producing and with the help of NBC News, turned it into a maudlin, morbid elder version of "Love Story" with O'Neal reprising his role.

Said one friend: "Ryan thinks the documentary will do to his career what 'Pulp Fiction did to Travolta's."

Walters, with the 20/20 investigative unit and powerful ABC News organization at her disposal, might still surprise us and delve into the charges, mystery and uproar around O'Neal's control over Farrah in her dying days. It will be interesting to see if the tabloid babies who create her segnments dig away to find the truth, or, in more standard network procedure, make deals with public relations firms, promising to stay away from certain hot topics in exchange for "exclusives' like wedding announcements.

As for the deathbed wedding, O'Neal tells Walters: "I promise you, we will. Absolutely."

EXCLUSIVE: Signature scandal in Farrah Fawcett cancer documentary lawsuit leads to new questions for Ryan O'Neal

The issue of a disputed signature in the lawsuit over Farrah Fawcett's cancer documentary has led to new questions that go beyond Ryan O'Neal's control over the project to his control over Farrah Fawcett's final days.

Craig Nevius, the producer who's suing Ryan O'Neal, Alana Stewart and O'Neal's business manager for allegedly unlawfully hijacking Farrah Fawcett's cancer documentary project, confirmed our report that the signature on the document transferring creative control to O'Neal and company could be a explosive evidence against the defendants. He also revealed that the issue goes far beyond the television special.

April 2008

April 2009

"It wouldn't be appropriate for me to comment on matters of which I don't have firsthand knowledge," Nevius told Tabloid Baby this afternoon. "But I will acknowledge that you have raised some questions that need answers in terms of the disparity between those two signatures, especially when you take into account the various public statements about Farrah's lucidity, or lack thereof, that have come from Ryan O'Neal and others over the past six weeks or so.

"I wish I had the answers but I don't. I have not been allowed access to Farrah, not even the briefest of phone calls, by others whom I have never had to go through before."


The questions of access and Farrah's condition was also raised over the weekend in a message on her official website, FarrahFawcett.us:

"To add to this on going upsetting situation with Farrah. Now I have been denied access to my business partner (Farrah) by phone, email and in-person. Farrah and I have been in partnership with FarrahFawcett.us since the conception in Sept. 2006. Please keep her in your thoughts. ~Greg Lott"

Greg Lott is Farrah's partner in website and has long been part of Farrah Fawcett lore, with a relationship that goes back at least 43 years when he was her boyfriend at the University of Texas at Austin (People magazine: "The Delta Delta Delta sorority sister was going steady with Greg Lott, the Longhorns' star quarterback...") and who rekindled his relationship with the beauty in 1997, after she and O'Neal announced their breakup.


Sources tell Tabloid Baby that the native Texan is in Los Angeles, and is very concerned about Farrah's condition, now that O'Neal has announced that her treatment has pretty much ended, and that he controls her medication.

The document at the center of this sad chapter bears Farrah's signature and hands over "full power and authority" in the production company she started with Nevius a year earlier to business manager Richard B. Francis and "full artistic and creative control" of her cancer journal documentary to O'Neal. The document is dated April 20, four days after Farrah's son Redmond said in open court that her condition had deteriorated and she was down to 86 pounds.

Nevius (below) and other sources (including Tabloid Baby pal Brett Hudson, who was treated in Germany with Farrah and is working on his own doco project, Frozen Pictures' The Klinik) tell us that Farrah intended the documentary to explore why alternative treatments were not available in the United States. It wound up as a morbid, exploitative tabloid television entertainment special produced under the auspices of NBC News and the supervision of O'Neal, who played a major part onscreen and in its promotion.

"Farrah and I have always had a direct and open line of communication-- professionally and personally, in sickness or in health, no matter what time of the day or night, regardless of country she was in." Nevius insists. "Her condition, by all accounts, seems to have gotten worse over the last two months, yet Ryan and Alana Stewart's spokesperson has said that Farrah is still seeing friends. So why haven't Ryan and his business manager allowed me to see her? And why was I threatened--physically and professionally)-- if I even tried?

"Like Farrah said in our documentary about her cancer, 'I don't have all the answers. But I do have some questions.'"

( Click here to visit The Klinik website)

Redmond O'Neal completes drug rehab

Farrah Fawcett's drug addict son Redmond O'Neal has completed a year-long court-ordered drug rehab program.

Redmond O'Neal's father, the troubled actor Ryan O'Neal, was not there to watch the 25-year-old graduate yesterday from the hardcore treatment.

Redmond was among a "class" of seventeen drug or DUI convicts in Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Tynan's courtroom. He hugged the judge before speaking at the emotional ceremony.

"I just wanted to thank Judge Tynan and tell everyone how much I appreciate everything you have done for me," he said. "To the newcomers, you do this. That's it."

FATHER & SON MUGSHOTS OCT 2008 DRUG ARREST

The courtroom was filled with friends and family members of graduates.

Redmond's latest try at rehab try began last September after a stint in jail that stemmed from a January 2008 drug arrest and a probation violation.

Now that he's completed the program, Redmond's criminal record will be expunged and is free to move out of the court-ordered sober living facility.


He inherited about $4.5 million after his mother died in June 2009.

Restricted! Now how will Ryan O'Neal get footage of his drug addict son for his Farrah Fawcett sequel?

Controversial Hollywood actor and father Ryan O'Neal is being restricted from visiting his and Farrah Fawcett's son Redmond in drug rehab, while the young drug addict has been banned from any more home visits that could impede his recovery.

The young ginger O'Neal left his one-year program at the Impact residential drug treatment center today for a courtroom progress report in Los Angeles and to hear Judge Michael Tynan tell him:

"You were faking it the last time you were at Impact. You weren't sincere. You have to take a hard look at your life.

"Right now, pal, you are still in trouble. I'm going to ask Impact to eliminate any home visits, you agree with that Mr O'Neal?"

Redmond replied: "Yes your honor."


RadarOnline.com quotes Redmond as saying, "I'm doing better this time."

The 25-year-old also told People: "I'm doing great. I am focused on my recovery and plan not to let anything get in the way. I am doing my best to make my mother proud."

His attorney Richard Pintal added:"Redmond has kicked it up, and the progress report reflected that."

It was the father, Ryan O'Neal, who took the hardest shot in court when Redmond was denied home visits, along with being restricted from visiting with his son. This is especially difficult for the 68-year-old actor in light of his professed plans to include footage of Redmond amid his struggle with drugs in his planned sequel to the NBC special Farrah's Story.

Redmond's next court date is set for April 7th.

Ryan O'Neal left out of Farrah Fawcett's will

$5 million? More like $50 million...

Ryan O'Neal had good reason to attempt to marry Farrah Fawcett on her deathbed: he was not mentioned in Farrah's will.

Sources tell Tabloid Baby this morning say that Farrah left the bulk of her $5.5 million estate to Redmond O'Neal, her son by the contentious Love Story actor, who is now jailed on drug charges.

Ryan O'Neal took control of Farrah's affairs and cancer documentary project after she began to slip in and out of consciousness in the final stage of the cancer battle that ended on June 25th.

Sources tell Tabloid Baby that the $5.5 million figure quoted may reflect Farrah's cash holdings, but that her assets push the total value of Farrah's estate past the $50 million mark.


Farrah's holdings include a collection of Andy Warhol art (some of which depicting her as subject), property in Texas, and the the copyright to the legendary 1976 burnt-orange swimsuit poster, which is worth millions every year in licensing fees.

Farrah was also the majority owner of the film production company, Sweetened By Risk, that produced Farrah's cancer journal documentary that was taken over by O'Neal in April and turned into the morbid, Emmy-nominated NBC special, "Farrah's Story."

April 2008

April 2009

Farrah's production partner is currently suing O'Neal and his associates over the documentary and the takeover, claiming that Farrah signed the necessary documents while in a medicated state.

Developing...

Ryan O'Neal makes a deal for his and Farrah's junkie son to walk out of prison and into a reality television show

Father of The Year Ryan O'Neal must be hellbent on getting his and Farrah Fawcett's son Redmond off drugs and on the straight and narrow. The man who took over Farrah's cancer documentary after her health worsened, and with the help of producers from NBC Dateline turned it into a morbid soap opera in which he had a starring role, has reportedly brokered a deal for Redmond to begin filming a reality television series as soon as he's sprung from prison.

And yes, Ryan O'Neal will be a costar.

The show reportedly will chronicle 24-year-old Redmond as he struggles with addiction-- which is about all the kid has done for most of his life. Filming will supposedly begin in four months, as soon as he's released from the prison where he’s serving time for narcotics possession and bringing narcotics into a jail facility.

Ryan O'Neal, who was arrested with Redmond last September for methamphetamine possession, will be remembered for helping engineer the scene in Farrah's Story in which Redmond was brought from prison in leg shackles to visit his semi-comatose mother and climb into her deathbed with her. According to the official story, junkie Redmond is doing the reality show to honor his mother's memory.

Farrah died on June 25th at age 62.

Redmond inherited most of her estate. Supposedly, he only gets the money is he remains sober. We don't know where the money goes if he dies.

Report: Rehabbing Redmond rebels, refuses role in dad Ryan O'Neal's sequel to TV special about his mom Farrah Fawcett

Gossip man Mike Walker, who has pretty reliable sources, reports in this week's National Enquirer that "drug addict Redmond O'Neal" is "fed up with the money-grubbing exploitation of dead mom Farrah Fawcett by ruthlessly abusive dad Ryan O'Neal" and "finally exploded and refused to star in Ryan's sequel to Farrah's Story, the hit TV documentary that featured shocking footage of jailbird Redmond shuffling in shackles to Mommy's deathbed!"

Walker goes a step further by adding that "Redmond-- desperately fighting his drug habit in rehab-- blames Ryan for the vicious snub of Farrah by the Oscars, which cut her out of its In Memorium segment."

Ryan is quoted by a "friend visiting him in rehab":

"My dad's pissed off so many people in Hollywood that they're taking it out on my mother!"


Redmond reportedly believes his dad is "using poor Farrah's memory to grub for money he badly needs. Redmond got $4.5 million in Farrah's will-- but Ryan got zero."

According to one of Mike's insiders, Red's "residual anger" at that deathbed scene has built after "friends and fellow jailbirds convinced him that Ryan shouldn't have shot that embarrassing footage.

"And now that he's out of jail, he's told Ryan not to visit him in rehab."

Sound true?

Redmond O'Neal back on the streets-- again

It turns out that the late Farrah Fawcett got more than fans' best wishes and a cancer foundation in her name for her birthday on Tuesday. In a little-noticed courtroom action, Redmond O'Neal, her troubled junkie son with lover Ryan O'Neal, was released from jail. The 25-year-old has been in stir since December 29th, after he was found to be intoxicated while on a 24-hour Christmas pass. At Tuesday;'s sentencing hearing, Judge Michael Tynan approved Red's release, reinstated his probation and enrolled him back into rehab. If he finishes this stint, Red will be be placed in a sober living home, and according to the judge will again be allowed to receive day passes "from time to time." This time, he'll be under strict supervision with limits on where he can go and the company he keeps. His father's name didn't come up.

This is, by one count, Redmond's fifth chance.

Two days have passed, so he could already be back behind bars, but in any case, who bets there won't be a Round Six?

Redmond O'Neal goes from jail to rehab

Redmond O'Neal is leaving jail and heading into rehab after he pleaded no contest this morning to felony drug charges. The son of Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal was sentenced to a minimum of one year in a residential drug treatment program, a six-year suspended state prison term and three years of formal probation. Redmond, the heir to Farrah's fortune, has been in jail since April (with a brief respite to attend his mother's funeral) since he was caught with heroin during a routine security check in April in the parking lot of Pitchess Detention South Facility. The plea and sentence should put on hold any plans the 24-year-old and his dad had for a reality show about his life outside. But who knows?

Now Farrah Fawcett's producing partner comes out swinging!

While Farrah Fawcett's college sweetheart Greg Lott has been getting lots of attention with his bombshell claims of their secret love affair in the final decade of her life, another close male companion who is about to get his own share of headlines.

Craig Nevius is suing Ryan O'Neal, Alana Stewart and O'Neal's business manager for pushing him aside from the cancer journal documentary he and Farrah were producing for NBC. Though "Farrah's Story" received many harsh, disgusted reviews for its maudlin morbidity, it is up for an Emmy-- as are Farrah and Nevius, who kept his executive producer title.

As the case winds its way to court, Nevius tells his side of the story and much more to Chris Mann on Retroality.tv.

The extensive two-part interview (here and here) contains many insights into Farrah as well as exclusive information about the career plans left unfulfilled, though more interest will likely be placed on Nevius' claim that Ryan O'Neal threatened to kill him.

A taste:

You must feel thrilled (being nominated for an Emmy. Aren’t you?

People say to me: “Congratulations. Are you excited?” But that’s not the right word. I guess I’m more “relieved.” Because when Farrah took a turn for the worse in April, Ryan O’Neal and his business manager banned me from seeing or talking to Farrah ever again.

At the same time, Ryan and Alana Stewart decided it was time for them to come in and “save” the project. And NBC, who had previously been so supportive and promised Farrah that this was her story to tell, supported them 100 percent. I’m sure the network would say otherwise but I believe that it was because they wanted this on the air for May sweeps and didn’t have the star to promote it. So began the “Ryan O’Neal Grieving Widower Press Tour With Special Appearances by Farrah’s Robotic Self-Promoting Best Friend Alana Stewart.”

That was bad enough but then Ryan and Alana did basically the same thing in the documentary itself by inserting those cringe-inducing, self-serving interview sound bytes shot by an unemployed ex-Dateline NBC Producer. I was appalled. But my appall quickly turned to disgust when I saw that Ryan and Alana had secretly shot Redmond (Farrah’s son with Ryan) in chains when he was released from jail for a few hours, under the supervision of two sheriff’s deputies, visiting Farrah—who was unconscious or close to unconscious in her bed. How dare they?

Ryan was not a producer on this program. Alana had refused to sign her co-producer contract because she wanted more money and a better title. Farrah was the boss, and if the boss was unable to function because of a health crisis her authority went automatically to me as per our company’s operating agreement (signed on April 1, 2008).

Ryan didn’t seem to care what any piece of paper said. He demanded that the title of the documentary be changed from A Wing & A Prayer to Farrah’s Story— which, in my opinion, was nothing but a cheap homage to his greatest claim to fame other than dating Farrah: Love Story. Changing the title was also a cruel irony considering if this was really Farrah’s story it would have been broadcast under the original title that Farrah and I chose: A Wing & A Prayer.
How much of the finished product that aired reflected Farrah’s intentions with the project?

Don’t get me wrong, most of the work that Farrah and I did is there. Like the diary narration that I shot with her in my living room. No one else was present. It was just her and her diary—and me and my camera.

It’s just that a lot of our other work was interrupted and sloppily clipped short in order to make room for Ryan’s bad reprisal of his Oliver Barrett role and Alana telling us that “needles are painful.” And for needless inserts of a trip to Mexico and Farrah’s brief experience with an inconclusive test of a new cancer drug. Farrah and I agreed not to include such footage because we had a lot more important, educational and inspiring scenes to include.

The New York Times reviewer Alessandra Stanley wrote, “...it was an exploitative portrait of a celebrity’s fight with cancer... NBC took Ms. Fawcett’s candid video diary and allowed it to be packaged as a generic VH1 Behind the Music” biography—maudlin music, gauzy slow-motion film, and pseudo-revealing interviews with friends, coworkers, doctors and hairdressers reminiscing about a former star.” Yikes.

I can't disagree with the reviewer. That being said, there were scenes that were cut out completely. Scenes that dealt with medical information and issues that Farrah wanted to address in order to start a dialogue that could eventually effect change in our health system. And once again Ms. Stanley nailed it, criticizing the film for what wasn’t there (based on Farrah’s diary narration) and understanding that it was supposed to have been.

She also seemed to distinguish Farrah from Farrah’s Story. She wrote that “the film isn’t as nearly as brave or as serious-minded as its cancer-stricken subject.”

But the film that Farrah and I were close to completing was as brave and as serious minded as she was. Because this project was a total reflection of her—and not Ryan O’Neal or Alana Stewart. And the fact that NBC allowed Ryan and Alana to do what they did, with significant help from an ex, unemployed NBC Dateline producer who Farrah had previously rejected, is still staggering to me. The rest of the reviews I read were as bad if not worse. At that point, I really didn’t think my promise to Farrah—of a nomination much less an Emmy—would come true. But there was one glimmer of hope. Most of the reviewers appreciated Farrah herself. Her bravery.

What changes would you make to NBC’s cut? Would you cut out some of the more graphic “death” scenes?

Absolutely. Because that’s sinking to the levels of the tabloids. It’s what Farrah was against. Like the scene with her son, Redmond, in chains and shackles, when he comes to visit Farrah, who does not appear to be conscious. And the various scenes from her last trip to Germany, which Alana withheld in order to try to get more money and a better credit. Farrah doesn’t appear to be completely lucid in that footage. And since neither Farrah nor I was ever shown that video to approve its inclusion, well, I think it was in bad taste and totally exploitative of everyone.

Doesn’t sound like you’re going to drop your lawsuit anytime soon?

I’m not. I can’t. Farrah trusted me. She was a good partner and a good person. A lot of fun as a friend. She was a talented actress and artist. And an inspiration to millions around the world—not just fans but also her fellow cancer patients and their families.

* * *

Alana ignored Farrah’s wishes as to who she entrusted to make decisions and violated her right to privacy in doing so. Nowhere is that more evident than when she shot Farrah barely conscious— if she was conscious at all— in her bedroom. Her own bedroom. Again, Farrah was fine with having everything (related to cancer) filmed in order to consider its use. But that was only with the knowledge that the footage was going directly to me and no one else, including NBC. It was a betrayal.

* * *

Ryan and I had never fought, at least not to my knowledge. In fact, Farrah was always amazed that we got along because she said that Ryan didn’t like most of the people in her life. Anyway, he was going on and on. But I never raised my voice—again, as far as I was concerned we had nothing to fight about. But Ryan saw it differently. His final words to me that day were the final words he has ever spoken to me: 'If you take me on, I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you in Farrah’s life and then I’ll kill you in real life!' Then he hung up.

Read Retroality.tv's complete interview with Craig Nevius here and here.

We settle the fight between Ryan O'Neal and Farrah Fawcett's production partner Craig Nevius over "Farrah's Story"

Outrage over Ryan O'Neal producing a sequel to the NBC special Farrah's Story that includes his and Farrah Fawcett's troubled drug addict son Redmond? The storm began even before Farrah's death last June, when Craig Nevius, Farrah Fawcett's production partner on her cancer documentary, A Wing and A Prayer, sued O'Neal, O'Neal and Farrah's longtime business manager Richard B. Francis and Farrah's friend and documentary camerawoman Alana Stewart for pushing him out of the project that became the controversial Farrah's Story. Last month, O'Neal fired back as Francis sued Nevius on behalf of Farrah's estate.

We contacted Craig Nevius, asking for his reaction to this latest twist-- and with an idea for settling at least one part of the sad saga. He responded via email.

What's your reaction to Ryan O'Neal's sequel to Farrah's Story?

I’m sure that any project Ryan or Alana may produce will be of the same quality that most of us have come to know and expect from both of them.

What are the chances of you getting a copy of the original footage and the rights to produce and release the original A Wing and A Prayer director's cut that Farrah wanted made? Would that settle things?

First, let me correct the premise of your question (and a growing misconception born out of the lawsuit that “Farrah’s Estate” filed against me last month): there is no such thing as a “Director’s Cut” of A Wing and A Prayer. While I am (and have always been) the director of the film, every edited version was the “Executive Producers’ Cut.” Meaning it was not only my work but Farrah’s work as well.

The idea that I was working in a vacuum and then, suddenly, after almost two years of editing, simply “presented” her with “my version” is as ridiculous as it is untrue. Anyone who ever got to know Farrah, let alone got the chance to work with her, knows that control was not something that she easily gave up, much less gave into (if someone else tried to exert it). And while Farrah had many talents, biting her tongue was not one of them. She always insisted that people around her “say what you mean and mean what you say.” And she did the same. In my experience, Farrah rarely changed her mind.


Even though Farrah couldn’t be in the editing room on a daily basis, we spoke almost every day, usually several times a day, often for hours on end. And we screened new scenes and/or sequences together every two or three weeks (unless she was in Germany, but even then we tried to speak once a week even if it was at 4:30 in the morning Los Angeles time). Changes to the film were made based on her artistic vision as well as her medical condition: which means both her triumphs and setbacks dictated our direction. She was, after all, still living the “story” we were telling.

"Farrah never wanted this project
to be about death.
She wanted it to be about
the fight for a chance at life."

But what she made clear to me early on was that if it suddenly became apparent that the end was near, we needed to make sure that the story in the film ended first. Because Farrah never wanted this project (or its promotion) to be about death. She wanted it to be about the fight for a chance at life. That’s why we chose to use “I Run For Life," Melissa Etheridge’s inspirational anthem to cancer patients everywhere, near the end of the documentary. Farrah’s video diary was never supposed to rely on talking heads to narrate the story, much less reminisce about her in the past tense. It was not to be a tribute and it was certainly not meant to be a eulogy. Farrah knew that there would be plenty of those on The Today Show and Entertainment Tonight and if the worst were to happen.

So what about the question we asked: What if you were allowed to release that original documentary so the pubic can have both?

My lawsuit is asking the court to declare that the Sweetened By Risk Agreement (signed by Farrah and by me) is our company’s only legally valid (and therefore controlling) operating agreement. If that is the court’s finding, then yes, A Wing and A Prayer will be seen by the world. But until that time comes, the only audience likely to see it will be the judge and jury.


And that’s only because the accusations made by Richard Francis in the estate’s lawsuit against me made the quality of the work relevant-- when it was not necessarily relevant before (in my lawsuit for contract interference). At least that’s my understanding of it. But you have to remember, my only law degree comes from watching Boston Legal.

Would you accept that?

Yes. My lawsuit has always been primarily about two issues: my rights and my responsibility. That’s how Sweetened By Risk’s Operating Agreement reads. It clearly states that if Farrah becomes unable to function for any reason (including and specifically illness), I not only had the right to make all business and creative decisions for our company, I also had the responsibility to do so.

So you see, even if I wanted to settle for something less than completing the film as Farrah intended, I really couldn’t. At least not if I wanted to live with myself. Sure, money would be great. But I know that it wouldn’t last nearly as long as the guilt I would feel for selling out Farrah. She fought too long and too hard for me not to do the same.

Has the other side offered to settle with you for money?

Whether they did or not, I wouldn’t be able to talk about it.

***

It sounds simple enough: Show us the movie. Farrah's fans, O'Neal's supporters, and the world will only be richer for getting even more insight into Farrah, and seeing her ordeal through her own eyes.

The lawsuits would be settled and everyone involved could be satisfied that Farrah is indeed "resting in peace."

Ryan? Bernie?