Celebrity Court

Apparently the reality show marriage curse has continued, as Linda Bollea, wife of Hulk Hogan, has filed for a divorce from the famous former pro wrestler. The couple, along with their children Nick and Brooke, starred in a reality show for VH-1 called Hogan Knows Best.

It has been a rough few months for the family, as son Nick was involved in a serious car crash this past summer which left his good friend in a coma. It is unclear if that tragedy played any role in the divorce, but certainly that had to put a strain on all of them. Nick was recently arrested in connection with the event and charged with reckless driving. Nick was reportedly excessively speeding at the time of the crash.

What is so strange about this story is that apparently, according to People magazine, the Hulk did not even know about the filing of divorce papers until a reporter for The St. Petersburg Times broke the news to him. Unless he was just acting surprised, it is odd that a man would not know that his wife was going to put the wheels in motion to divorce him. I remember reading that they were moving from the house featured in the reality show, so maybe that move was related to their separation?

The reality television marriage curse is well-documented, as many former couples who put their marriage on television ended up divorced. Some examples include Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra, and The Barkers (although they may have reconciled). Does the stress of having a camera document your life cause your marriage to breakdown or is just that, like marriages not on television, the reality show marriages have their problems and end for reasons unrelated to television and celebrity?

Hulk Hogan, Brooke Hogan, Nick Hogan, Nick Bollea, Linda Bollea, Hogan Knows Best, divorce

I reported last week that it was imminent and today charges were filed against Nick Hogan in connection with the car crash that left his friend in a coma. As I correctly predicted, he was charged with reckless driving following his arrest. Do I know my vehicle code or what? The photo was taken today when he booked and is courtesy of TMZ.

The family issued a statement, which said in part that it was unfortunate that passenger John Graziano was not wearing his seatbelt and they were grateful that Nick had his on. Some outlets, like TMZ, have interpreted that to be blaming the victim; essentially saying that it is John’s fault that he is in a coma. I am not sure that was their intent. It sounds to me like the are simply trying to warn others about the dangerous of seatbelt safety. Of course I could be wrong and it the statement could be a carefully worded plan of attack to sour the potential jury pool and get Nick an acquittal down the line.

I have a feeling, though, that this might not go to trial and Nick may plead out. The only thing that might prevent such an action is fear that an admission of culpability might be used against Nick by John’s family to get a settlement in a civil case. It is expected that John might need specialized care the rest of his life and I am sure that if I were his mother, I would want the responsible party to be paying for that care. The fact that Nick’s father has deep pockets certainly won’t hurt in that department.

Nick Hogan, Hulk Hogan, John Graziano, Nick Bollea

Nick Hogan’s days as a carefree hot-rod driver might be limited. According to TMZ, the case against Hogan, which stemmed from the car crash in August that critically injured his friend, could be in the hands of the State’s Attorney as early as today.

As you may recall, the passenger, John Graziano, is a former Marine and still remains in a coma following the crash. Hogan is not apparently not letting that fact cramp his style and spent the day yesterday at NOPI Drift Racing Booth at a hot rod show.

This is one of the those cases where the potential defendant really needs to be on his best behavior because that is really all that he can do at this point to prevent charges from happening. If he is going to be charged, spending time at a hot rod convention, or talking about racing on his blog, or driving fast around town will only serve to anger the State’s Attorney and could elevate the charges.

I understand that Hogan’s whole life apparently revolves around driving fast, but sometimes, like when you crash a car and nearly kill your friend, you might want to reevaluate your priorities.

Even though he has not yet been charged, Hogan is already feeling repercussions from his actions. He was dropped by Polaroid, one of the sponsors of his car, presumably as a result of this case.

Of course, check back to Celebrity Court for any updates, including what charges, if any, were brought against him. I predict that he is looking at reckless driving, but we will have to wait to hear the official verdict from the prosecutor’s office.

Although no charges have been filed in connection with the crash that critically injured his friend, Nick Bollea, son of Hulk Hogan, has pleaded no contest in another case.

On August 10th, Nick was ticketed for going nearly double the speed limit in a construction zone. In exchange for the guilty plea, Nick received a $1,000 fine and was order to complete a “driver improvement course.” He was also fined for failing to wear his seatbelt.

This incident took place weeks before the crash which led to his friend’s injuries. The friend still remains hospitalized and Nick may be charged in that case, as it appears that speed also played a role in the crash.

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Nick Hogan, Nick Bollea, crash, Hulk Hogan

Edward Graziano, the father of John Graziano, the young man injured when Nick Hogan crashed his car last week, was arrested on Friday. He reportedly became violent at the hospital where is son is staying on Thursday, resulting in the arrest.

Edward Graziano was arrested after his wife told police that he “got physical” while arguing with other members of the family. He has a history of violent behavior and was under an injunction to stay away from his wife following a previous domestic violence incident.

I do not know anything about the nature of the relationships in this family, so I cannot begin to speculate about the intentions of Edward Graziano, but I would think that if my son was critically ill, I would go to the hospital to visit him and ignore any family drama that might be there. It could be that a fight ensued when other family members did not want to see him there because of the domestic violence history between him and his wife. While I understand her concerns for her own safety, I think that they could have worked out some sort of visitation schedule so that both parents could visit with their son and not have to be in each other’s company. I do not think that a father should be prevented from seeing his adult son because his wife has an order of protection preventing him from being around her.

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Edward Graziano, Nick Hogan, John Graziano, domestic violence, car crash

Nick Hogan, also known as Nick Bollea, is asking people to pray for his friend, John Graziano, who remains in critical condition following a car crash in which Hogan was driving. Witnesses say that Hogan, son of famed wrestler Hulk Hogan, was racing another car at the time of the crash.

Nick was released from St. Petersburg’s Bayfront Medical Center after Sunday’s crash, in which the VH1 reality star’s Toyota Supra careened off the road, striking a 25-ft.-tall palm tree. No charges have been filed, but police say the case remains under investigation, and Hogan was traveling at an “excessive speed” at the time of the crash.

The saddest part of the story is that John Graziano recently returned from service in Iraq. From the look of the photo from the crash, I think that they are both lucky to have survived.

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Nick Hogan, John Graziano, Hulk Hogan