Real life 'Scandal'; actor charged with threats to murder wife and kill himself

Columbus Short at NAACP Image Awards, February 2014

(photo credit:  Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for NAACP)

Roughing up his wife, fighting in bars, and now threatening murder-suicide; these are not scenes from another thrilling Shonda Rhimes script, but the actual life of actor Columbus Short, a cast member on her hit ABC series ‘Scandal’.  Just yesterday Short’s wife, Turee Tanee, filed for divorce from him for the third time and has also been granted a restraining order.  There is a laundry list of accusations, but the shocker is that Tanee alleges that Short held a knife to her throat and threated to kill both of them.

Fans had already stirred up a social media frenzy about the highly-anticipated ‘Scandal’ finale tonight, but now many are riveted to see what the outcome will be for Short in real life.  Rhimes reportedly ordered Short to straighten up his act after he was involved in a bloody fisticuffs in a bar on March 15^th.  She made it clear that the show “will not tolerate negative press”.

Short and Tanee have been married since 2005 and are the parents of a 2-year-old daughter.  This isn’t the first time Short has been in the news.  There was a huge controversy when Short, a former much-in-demand backup dancer, admitted to having had a fling with his then boss Brittany Spears in 2004.  He was a dancer and choreographer for her Hotel Onyx Tour when tales of them kissing on tour fueled the breakup of his first marriage to Brandi, pregnant at the time with their now 9-year-old son.

Tanee alleges that this latest incident occurred on April 7^th, with Short coming home drunk and ended with her barely managing to escape.  She was only able to flee a short distance because she says Short had flattened her tire.  The judge immediately ordered Short to leave the home.  There is a hearing scheduled on May 8^th to determine if the restraining order will become permanent.

Man down situation, 'Scandal' recap, killers in fly coats

Daddy Pope's reunion with Momma Pope has tragic consequences

(photo credit:  Joe Morton via Twitter)

Episode 17:  “Flesh and Blood”, aired Thursday, April 10, 2014.  Spoiler alert has been issued, so please do not read any further if you don’t want to be shocked.  Between Ms. Shonda Rhimes (show creator) and Ms. Debbie Allen (episode director), we knew this episode would leave us gasping.  Right away, let’s just go ahead and give the quote of the night award to the President’s wife.  The advisors are gathered around telling Fitz that a lot of people out there want him dead.  A three-sheets-to-the-wind Mellie pulls her nose out of the vodka glass long enough to mumble “and not just out there” just loud enough for Fitz to hear. 

We left off last week with Jake waving a gun in one hand to keep the gladiators at bay, while the fingers of the other hand were in a death grip around Liv’s neck.  This week opened in the same office, but all of the major players have been called in.  In one room we see arguably the most powerful people on the planet trying to figure out where in the world Momma Pope has disappeared to with her bomb.

In the midst of this “business” discussion, Jake makes it personal.  The bruises from Jake’s choking have barely faded from Liv’s neck when Jake accuses her of sleeping with him to get information.  Even killers, if they are gentlemen, know not to kiss and tell.  Oh the shame.  Jake blurted this out in front of Fitz, Cyrus, and Daddy Pope.  Maybe it was a male ego thing because they were there desperately trying to stop an international terrorist, but Jake had to let President Fitz know that he too had been there and done that, in regards to Liv.

For the first time, two men are vying for Quinn and she is reveling in her glory.  With Huck’s superior tracking skills, they locate Dimitri, and bring him to Pope Central to squeeze out of him the whereabouts of Momma Pope.  To Liv’s shock, Poppa Pope says that Dimitri is no simple work acquaintance.  Momma Pope and Dimitri were in love before she even met Poppa Pope and continued an affair for years after Momma and Poppa Pope tied the knot.  They get Momma Pope on the phone and she doesn’t so much as flinch as she hears Dimitri’s voice pleading in the background for his life.  She says kill him because what’s love got to do with it?  She is Rick James cold as ice.  The gladiators drag a screaming Liv out, as Poppa Pope shuts the door and puts a permanent end to Dimitri.

Leo, Vice President Sally’s PR person/campaign manager sinks to his lowest point yet.  He corners this high school girl behind the bleachers at the school and asks her to do what she must to get a “donation” from President Fitz’ son for a DNA test.  While most girls would be demanding tickets to see Luke Bryan, smart chick agrees to do it for guaranteed acceptance into Harvard or Yale.  She does it, Fitz Jr. does it, and it’s all delivered in a nice paper bag to Leo.

Meanwhile Quinn and Huck have one of their licky sticky smooch sessions.  They are not the most romantic kissers in the world.  While all of this muck and mire is going on against their car in the garage, Momma Pope sashays right past them into the office and sneaks up on her bird of prey Poppa Pope.  Huck and Quinn finally come up for air, and find a distraught and crying Liv on the floor clinging to Poppa Pope.  We don’t know whether the weapon of choice was a gun or knife, but Poppa Pope is splayed out with blood streaming from multiple chest wounds. Apparently neither hell nor high water could save him from Momma Pope’s wrath.  But that creek may not be completely dried up because previews show him in the hospital next week.  Which begs the question did she attack him because of the bomb or because he killed Dimitri?

Cyrus finds out from Jake that Momma Pope murdered a senator so that President Fitz would have to deliver the eulogy, the bomb is actually planted beneath the church and they need to evacuate.  With music and words “smiling faces tell lies sometimes” playing in the background we see Cyrus’ satisfied grin as he decides not to make the warning call to evacuate the church, but, instead just delay Fitz’s arrival at the church.  He is sure all of his troubles will be over because Sally, Andrew, and Leo are all already arriving at the church.  Never mind the possible collateral damage to the innocent church members.  Stay tuned for next Thursday’s explosive finale at 10p.m. on ABC.

"Scandal" recap: Mellie said knock you out!

Mellie and Fitz come to blows

(photo credit:  abc.go.com)

Aired Thursday, April 3^rd, on ABC, Episode - “The Fluffer”

Well to get the medical miracle out of the way, Harrison seems to have recovered rather quickly from his sleep-inducing injection last week and is back in tip-top Gladiator suit form.

Liv, still hurt from President Fitz’s harsh “I’m talking to my wife,” rebuttal last week, tries to play the icy dead-eyed stare game and calmly asks Fitz “what service am I billing you for today?’’  Wow!

Fitz shows his hypocritical side with a fierceness when he orders Liv to “make it stop!”  He brazenly asks his own mistress to make sure the vice presidential candidate stops sleeping with Fitz’s wife, Mellie.  The nerve.

Of course Liv, the strongest woman in D.C., but weak for Fitz, goes straight to Andrew and tells him he has 24 hours to decide whether he wants to be vice president for the next four years, or does he want to pleasure Mellie for the next three months which, according to Liv, is about how long it will be before Mellie gets bored with him.

Andrew protests that this is about love, not politics.  However as he watches Liv and Fitz interact for the cameras and how smoothly she lays on the role of the loving, touchy-feely wife, he begins to doubt if what Mellie feels for him is any realer than the act she puts on for the press.

Later that evening, Mellie sidles up to Andrew and gives him the come hither smile.  Andrew says he doesn’t think it’s a good idea for them to continue sleeping with each other.  Without another word Mellie spins on her heel, marches into Fitz’s office and reaches back from Louisiana to the Gulf of Mexico with a roundhouse slap heard around the world!

Fitz almost goes down, the people he was meeting with are speechless, and the secret service agents (Fitz’s supposed protectors) don’t make a move.  She accuses Fitz of not letting her have anything.  Taking Andrew was apparently the last straw.

Then there was the Hallmark family dinner moment…not.  For the first time ever viewers were treated to Momma and Daddy Pope at dinner with their beloved Livvie.  Momma Pope wasn’t invited, but that’s never stopped her before.  Where most families reach for each other’s hands to grace the food, these folk were grabbing for knives and making threats.  Momma Pope stayed just long enough for Liv to get the phone call that Claire (one of Momma Pope’s operatives that was sneaking info to Liv) was dead, and then sashayed off.   Notice how everyone ends up dead in the streets on this show?  Poor Claire sprawled in the street with her throat sliced open.  Always outside.

Just when we thought Liv was going to give in once again, she grew a backbone and stood up to Jake’s begging, refusing to let him into her apartment.  Then she showed up at his apartment and went way above and beyond the call of duty.  Let’s just say she worked him out, put him to sleep and snuck the data off of his phone.  What that woman won’t do for her country.

Super Quinn and Charlie and Team Gladiators all find out around the same time that Momma Pope has a bomb.  Liv tells Huck to shut down the communication system, and he does, but in the process Momma Pope gets away and no one knows where she is going.

Out of the blue Jake bursts into the office and (horror of horrors) grabs Liv around the throat and slams her against the glass-paned door…hard!  Before crazy Huck and the other Gladiators can make a move, Jake whips a gun in their faces and waves it back and forth, keeping them at bay.  Believe it or not, that’s the kind of stress Shonda Rhimes (creator of Scandal) left us under.  She’s a great writer, but her episodes are not at all blood-pressure friendly.  But we love it.

Oh and the previews next week left us with a glimpse of President Fitz speaking and a bomb underneath the stage.  Not necessarily saying that the bomb was ticking under the same stage Fitz was on, but that’s all we were given.

Be sure to catch the next episode, Thursday, April 10^th at 10:00pm on ABC.