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 Schadenfreude  |
This is the New York Times Schadenfreude Ping List. Freepmail me to be added or dropped.
Posted on 05/15/2003 1:22:53 AM PDT by kattracks
Jayson Blair is ready for his closeup.The disgraced New York Times reporter has hired an agent to scope out book and TV deals that could net him a mid-six-figure paycheck - way more then he ever would have seen working for the paper.
Blair's choice is literary agency David Vigliano Associates, a source told the Daily News last night.
Blair, who has been accused by The Times of plagiarism and fraudulent reporting, already has fielded an offer from Ian Rae, the seasoned tabloid TV producer who created "A Current Affair."
Rae's spokesman, Ted Faraone, told the Daily News he reached Blair yesterday and pitched a TV project.
"He's definitely interested; we are pursuing talks," Faraone said. Faraone, who specializes in the television business, was a source for Blair when he covered the subject for The Times early in his career at the paper.
Rae said Blair's story would make a juicy TV pic because "it has it all - gossip, scandal and intrigue. This has brought this paper to its knees."
"There's a real market out there," Rae added. "Everyone will be scrambling."
Rae's not alone. Other TV networks have been trying to reach the elusive Blair, sources said.
Showbiz experts said anyone interested in Blair will have to move quickly, before the hot news story grows stale.
The likeliest place for Blair's bio will be a cable network like HBO, Showtime or FX, which tend to tell more complex stories on short deadlines.
It's less likely to find a home on a broadcast network such as ABC or CBS, because they target an average viewer who may not have heard of or care about Blair.
"He's not Jessica Lynch being rescued from the Iraqis," said a high-level Hollywood agent who specializes in TV movies. "It's for more of a sophisticated audience, where one could explore the psychology of why an individual would embark on such a self-destructive path."
But even if Blair scores a book or movie mega-deal, he may not be able to keep the cash. Prosecutors are looking into whether he has committed a crime. Under New York's Son of Sam law, if convicted, he cannot keep the profits.
And if he reveals confidential information, The Times might file a lawsuit against him "to force him to disgorge the profits," said Mark Biros, a partner at law firm Proskauer Rose.
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Schadenfreude |
"He's not Jessica Lynch being rescued from the Iraqis," said a high-level Hollywood agent who specializes in TV movies. "It's for more of a sophisticated audience, where one could explore the psychology of why an individual would embark on such a self-destructive path."
Huh?!? You mean those of us who CHOOSE not to waste our money on cable subscriptions are uninformed and not sophisticated enough? Dude! From where do you get your information?
Oh! I see!
TV?
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
Sometimes the NY Pravda will hire kids to give out free copies outside Penn Station -- since I do not have a puppy to toilet train, I always refrain from taking a copy.
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