While everything's still in the early talking stages, the former Democratic presidential candidate is mulling the idea of hosting his own syndicated gabfest. He's hooked up with ex-Big Ticket TV topper Larry Lyttle ("Judge Judy") and longtime political consultant Gerald Rafshoon, who would likely serve as exec producers of a pilot for any such project.
Dean is in Hollywood this week, and he's taking meetings with execs at Viacom-owned Paramount Domestic Television. Lyttle is still based on the Par lot, and he's helping Dean make the connection with the studio.
Lyttle spent much of last year working as a consultant for another former presidential candidate, Joe Lieberman (news - web sites). He and Rafshoon are also in talks with several other Washington insiders about opening a bicoastal political consulting group; company will likely have a media unit that would produce a few projects per year.
But Dean seems interested in going in a completely different direction.
"The last thing we're going to talk about is politics," Lyttle said. "We'd talk about a myriad of other things instead of politics." More