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Michael Moore Bumped for Paris Hilton Interview James Hirsen
THE LEFT COAST
REPORT
Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. Michael Moore Bumped for Paris Hilton Interview Michael Moore can't seem to work the press the way he used to. Heiress and reality star Paris Hilton will do her first post-prison TV interview on CNN's "Larry King Live." It turns out that "Sicko" propagandist Moore had to be bumped so Larry could do some jail time talking with "The Simple Life" star.
Story Continues Below
"She will be on for the hour," Spokesperson Bridget Leininger told Reuters. "We had Michael Moore originally scheduled for that time." Hilton was released from jail after serving roughly half of her 45-day sentence.
It turns out that Hilton's jail stint produced something positive after all. It generated some discussion about the appearance of a two-tiered justice system, shed light on the "checkbook journalism" issue, and sank a Moore promo spot. 2. Cameron Diaz's Mao Mess Cameron Diaz displayed her multicultural ignorance and unhip insensitivity while on a recent visit to Peru. During a tour of the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu in the Andes, the actress carried a bag that was adorned with the infamous slogan of ruthless Chinese Communist dictator Mao Zedong. The phrase "Serve the People" was prominently printed on Diaz's bag along with a well-known Communist symbol, a red star. The tragic truth is that Peruvians have firsthand knowledge about the evils of Communism. For decades a Maoist group called Shining Path terrorized the South American nation. Diaz's radical chic accessory served as a horrible reminder to locals of a merciless campaign of massacres, assassinations and bombings that resulted in the deaths of almost 70,000 of their fellow citizens. 3. ‘24' to Feature Female President? After the attempted mind massage a la ABC's "Commander in Chief" failed, we thought the airwaves might be free for a while from a current Dem presidential front-runner look-alike. Now rumors and even a report from TV Guide indicate that the hit Fox series "24" may very well feature a female president next season. Although the final decisions have yet to be made, agents are already getting clients geared up to read for the part. The television episodes featuring a female president would be perfectly timed for a real life Hillary transition from primary to general election. Wonder if any of the TV presidential wannabes will resemble Condi Rice? 4. Jessica Alba's Paris Hilton Hair Huff Jessica Alba got mad at a U.K. reporter who dared to compare her new hairdo to Paris Hilton's coif. Alba was attending the world premiere of the "Fantastic Four" sequel in which she stars when a Sky News reporter pointed out the Hilton similarities. Alba strongly disagreed. The miffed actress was later overheard complaining to a publicist about being compared to the "jailbird." Alba isn't the only one who has Paris-related rage. So do the residents of Hilton's neighborhood. Hilton's home happens to be in West Hollywood, just above the famed Sunset Strip. It seems that the locals aren't acting very neighborly toward the troubled heiress. Residents who live near Paris' digs have reportedly signed a petition requesting that she move somewhere else. Folks didn't seem to mind having Hilton as a neighbor when she was out drinking every night. But now reports are circulating, which claim she's changed her life, found God and is reading the Bible. Hey, there are some things that just can't be tolerated in Tinseltown. 5. Checkbook Journalism Checks In Larry King won the Paris post-jail interview sweepstakes by default. NBC and ABC backed away from a Hilton interview. CBS also let it be known it wasn't interested. However, the reason for the sudden chill toward Hilton had less to do with the heiress and more to do with the networks' reps. Networks have been trying to distance themselves from numerous reports that have implied that, in an attempt to obtain an exclusive post-jail interview with Paris, checkbook journalism may have been at work. The New York Post started the ball rolling when it reported that NBC agreed to pay up to $1 million for a "Today" show sit down. The report ignited other stories about media bidding. ABC and NBC News were then forced to publicly insist that they do not pay for interviews and that neither had a deal with Hilton.
However, an ABC executive has said otherwise. According to the executive, the Hiltons had taken NBC up on a $1 million offer for the licensing of family photos and a video because it was more lucrative than ABC's $100,000 bid. For decades news organizations have frowned upon checkbook journalism primarily because the practice implicitly taints the credibility of sources. Cash payments provided in exchange for news may give a source an incentive to inflate a story. The hotter the account, the more money it is worth. In all of the jockeying, truth may be lost in the mix. The nets have been cleverly getting around the rule by paying money for what they call "licensing" of photos, videos, or made-for TV movie rights. Here are some examples:
Disclosure is the key. Now if we can only get the networks to quit the charade. Editor's notes:
The Left Coast Report is put together by James L. Hirsen and the staff of NewsMax — The Left Coast Report Archives Get your FREE copy of James Hirsen's new book 'Hollywood Nation' — Click Here Now.
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