Welcome To My Book Blog

A place to update and discuss facts surrounding the controversial, tragic death of legendary Hollywood film actress, wife and mother, Natalie Wood who drowned mysteriously Nov. 29, 1981 off Catalina Island. Thank you for visiting.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

INSIDE EDITION SEGMENT

Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour segment airs tonight, an exclusive interview with Lana Wood.

Inside Edition    find air times

15 comments:

  1. Hey I just saw that segment. I just have one question? WHY is the media soft balling this thing. Wagner killed his wife and all Ive seen in the media is slick, quick, gloss-over of the details.

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  2. I agree. I just sent Gail Abbott a personal message with the following comments:

    I AM APPALLED!

    Gail,

    I just finished watching INSIDE EDITION with Lana Wood. I am freaked! They said Lana Wood doesn't blame ANYONE for Natalie's death. WHAT? OMG!

    Why is Lana WIMPING OUT?

    HER SISTER, was MURDERED and SHE DOESN'T BLAME ANYONE! What is wrong with her?

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  3. I'm the author of the book...25 long, hard years proving there was a negligent investigation into the case -- pulling, dragging, hoping Dennis would finally tell all, then assuring we hired the best of polygraphists to verify his truth, and pouring endless hours into researching and writing, checking every fact and rechecking five times more -- so, no one is more disappointed than I am that media segments go only minutes and barely scan the surface of intricate stories. That's why books are vital (and decent magazines, too) to understanding stories that require many details to get to the heart of details and fact.
    Dennis and I are always asked: why 30 years later do you tell it? We've been trying since 1984 to "tell it" -- we didn't let it go, the authorities let it go. Had they done their job, none of us would be here at a blog right now, and Natalie, the victim of that tragic weekend might have justice. When Detective Rasure reached that death scene, he saw Wagner as the victim. The "grieving husband" ...Since that horrible morning, very few have seen Natalie as the victim she truly is. Hope you'll leave your comments at Inside Edition's comment page on this segment. They might appreciate it.

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  4. I don't believe authorities "let it go." I think detectives caved in to Wagner's payoffs!

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  5. A lot of people believe that, but I could find no proof of it, and I was dedicated to sticking to only facts. Also, when I spoke to Detective Rasure, I could hear the regret in his voice. Perhaps that was an act for me, as he knew my intentions, but I really got the impression that he had nothing to go on, so had to let the case go. Had he dug more, just a few simple questions and simple calculating, he might've seen how much further obvious details could've taken him. But, three surviving men of that cruise told him that it had been a pleasant weekend. They all lied, or withheld information, Dennis included. That's what tore Dennis apart. He felt the tremendous guilt of his "lie" -- Wagner and Walken had careers to think about first, but I'm sure the guilt has followed them, too. I would so appreciate for someone in the media to convince Walken to own up to the truth about the bottle smashing. Walken knows what he was accused of when that bottle came crashing down. FYI, Truth Seeker, even Sam Kashner of the Vanity Fair article suspected what you suspect of Rasure, but Rasure was very helpful to me when I interviewed him. It was odd, almost as if he was agreeing with me and offering me information to enhance my personal investigation. Why else would he have told me the coroner lied about the scratches on the dinghy? This information came from Rasure! Astounding! Detective Rasure is haunted by this case. EVERYONE is haunted by this case. Doesn't that say something in and of itself? According to overwhleming opinion, it needs a fresh look! (Thanks for your comment).

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  6. I hope every TV talk show and news interviews Marti and Dennis. The death of Natalie needs to be looked at again and again, until we know what really happened to her.

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  7. For the record, I want to clarify that Lana did not say she blames no one. She said "it can't be fixed" -- I've spoken with Lana and I know that she feels the emptiness and desperate realization of her loss, that no mattter what is said or done, it doesn't bring back Natalie, the only thing that could ever undo that terrible night. We all know the impossibility of that.

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  8. Cindy Adams pegged Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour in her NY Post column in late August with a reference to the possibility that media will not know what to do with its contents. Sadly, Media doesn't know what to do. Because it's not considered "breaking news" it misses that mark. Because it makes huge claims, it misses the luxury of "Jon and Kate" minute-to-minute" coverage, and because greater TV media has decided viewers have no more than a 4-minute attention span, it misses the opportunity to be explored. I will continue this message in a new post....it's worth seeing up front....

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  9. I think there is something interesting revealed by the fact that it likely wasn't a payoff... that there are things that influence other than money changing hands. In this case, celebrity and all the things that come with it - status, class, and a sense of familiarity. It's the latter that I think could be particularly corrupting in an unconscious way. The familiarity could create the same bias a detective might have toward a friend, yet without the conscious knowledge that you may be prone to bias, and on top of that, probably a tendency to want to impress this person you admire.

    I found it fascinating - and heartbreaking - that Rasure thought of Dennis as some drunk, but failed to notice Wagner's obvious intoxication. It's clear he was displacing any uneasiness he was feeling entirely onto Dennis. Some pre-conceived idea of Wagner seemed to stop Rasure seeing how he really was, coupled with pity for his grief. Being sympathetic is fair enough, but a detective should also take a step back from that and assess other factors. His familiarity with Wagner could have made him feel the pity more personally than he should have. Rasure strikes me as having been well-intentioned but misguided.

    As for the softballing, I suppose most of the mainstream media are prepared to take the heat for suggesting an aging, beloved star murdered his wife. I can't think of any precedents. OJ was fair game because most of the public thought he was guilty and everyone was familiar with the evidence. I can understand legally they will err on the side of caution, but I think beyond that, they are afraid of alienating their audience with what will seem like a way-out claim. Of course it is not a wayout claim once you have the full story (which, as Marti points out, TV does not have the time to cover).

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  10. Christine,
    Well thought out and well said. I must admit, I really liked Rasure and Salerno and I really believe they believe there was nothing to "go on" -- but they really didn't look. They REALLY didn't look! I think you've pegged the media, too. This is shocking information, a hard story to hear, let alone tell. Do I ever wish I hadn't told it? No! And I never will. And, that's for the right reasons. This story needs lengthy TV time...time to delve into it. Is there a show willing to do that? Not in prime time, I would think.

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  11. My response is posted in the 'Lana Wood' thread.

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  12. I will post my response there

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  13. Marti, your book is the most important of those written about NW and I've read them all. Don't give up -you've come this far and are near the finish line, namely convincing authorities to reopen the case. If they don't, can someone sue the authorities for gross negligence and incompetence in light of the overwhelming evidence you uncovered and which Dennis, the captain, finally had the courage to admit after all these years? We need tens or hundreds of thousands of signatures on this petition. We need to deluge the DA's office with calls and emails. Wagner is a liar and a scumbag who thinks he's above the law, just as OJ thought. And just like OJ, Wagner knows exactly how his wife died. Time for justice to be done, RJ. You can wear one of your silk ascots in court to impress the judge and jury that you're too refined and fancy a fellow to ever commit such a heinous crime. As for Chris Walken, shame on him for also lying all these years. If it's true what someone posted, that N's sister, Lana Wood, is now retracting her statement that foul play was the cause of her sister's death, why on earth is she suddenly back-peddling and retracting her belief that foul play was the cause? Is she getting paid off by 'you know who,' or is she getting death threats like Dennis and the other witness did - the woman who heard N's cries before she drowned?

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  14. i am confused why Natalie did not call out for RJ to save her. Instead she called out for "someone" to save her. If I were drowning in the sea and I knew my husband was on the boat, I would surely scream out his name to help me.

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  15. That jumped out to me as well. She would've been screaming "RJ come f*** get me!!!!" Unclear to me as well was the level of her intoxication. I guess it had all cycled out of her body after 9 hours but w/ the amount they drank, her blood level was really low. Also I was unclear about whether there was a 'phone on the boat. At one point it was mentioned that N. would routinely go ashore to call the girls. Why? But I did love this book, and truly respect the dedication tht went in to it and hope something comes of it, but I doubt it. Hollywood will close ranks around 'success'

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