Slate's Bizbox




the breakfast table: An e-mail conversation about the news of the day.

from: George Rush
to: Lloyd Grove

Who Is the Boss?

Posted Thursday, March 28, 2002, at 1:53 PM ET

Who are these people?

Dear Lloyd,

My wife IS a very smart lady—and one tough cop. Molloy tends to be the enforcer, the Westie thug who works over the double-planting flacks. I tend to play diplomat. But the roles are sometimes reversed. Yes, there are moments of tension between two parents who disagree over the upbringing of their child, the column. (We both answer to a short 3-year-old person, who regularly reminds us: "Who is the boss? I am.") All the same, I would recommend this job to anyone who fears that they have too many friends or are at risk of living too long. As I'm sure you know.



Great item today about Bill Clinton running into Lucianne Goldberg and George Stephanopoulos. I see that Stephanopoulos has finally confirmed your scoop that he and his wife, Alexandra Wentworth, are expecting. I called ABC News after you wrote your item, and someone there said George asked if we could hold off because it was so early in the pregnancy. I can appreciate that, so we did. But I have to say Georgie Boy seems to have become a little beguiled by his own media stardom. He handled his wedding like it was Liza Minnelli's—deciding who would write the "exclusive" on it, sneaking out the back of the church with his bride so that only "authorized" photographers could get their picture. You'd expect better from a newsman.

By the way, Clinton had lunch Tuesday in Harlem with his baseball god, Willie Mays—which we're writing about, so hand's off, buddy!

Seriously, it's been a pleasure corresponding with a man of your talent.

All the best,
George

from: George Rush
to: Lloyd Grove

Who Is the Boss?

Posted Thursday, March 28, 2002, at 1:53 PM ET
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Lloyd Grove, a 22-year veteran of the Washington Post, took over "The Reliable Source" column in May 1999. George Rush writes the "Rush & Molloy" column for the New York Daily News with his wife, Joanna Molloy.
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Reader Comments From The Fray:


Let's face facts, all this stuff about terrorists, the Middle East, Enron, Northern Ireland, and the mid-term elections is kind of a downer. Finally, Slate has bravely put forth two people who write about celebrities. I mean I like politics and foreign affairs as much as the next guy, but this has been a long stretch without a lot of humor. Finally, the "Breakfast Table" addresses the real issues: Is Russell Crowe a thuggish alcoholic, do movie people act as badly as we hope they do, and do gossip reporters feel like badly dressed party crashers? Apparently, the answer to all these questions is yes. I for one hope this exchange continues into an exploration of the sexual relationships between famous married people and relatively attractive starlets. By exploration I mean naming names and the reactions of the betrayed spouses. Onward, no more international bummers, and drinks for everyone.

--Neill Hamilton

(To find or answer this post, click here.)


Everybody bitches about the speeches going on too long, but this isn't the problem. We want to see people who are happy to receive the award. It's part of the reward itself to get a multi-million-person captive audience for a minute or two. No, the Oscars seemed to run long this year because the running time was fueled by the Academy's own filmmaking: the innumerable montages, tributes, and other "entertainment" that looks for all the world like it was inserted to pad out the ceremony time-wise. We could do without three honorary awards with a montage each. We could probably get by without the circus acts, the meaningless pre-recorded comments, and the insider's walks down memory lane.

Or could we? I was entertained by all these things, and would regret seeing them go. I like the idea that the academy hold reverence for people I've never heard of because they were behind-the-scenes. If you get bored easily, don't watch; or wait until the next day when it's all boiled down to more manageable chunks of highlights. If you want to see what the Academy wants to offer, then by all means do so--but get ready to hunker down

--Mangar

(To find or answer this post, click here.)

(3/26)





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