A Little of the Old In and Out



Fake chicken. (image via republica)

In: "JT Leroy." In an age where fake news is given more respect from society's young than its network counterpart, "JT Leroy's" pseudo-truthiness has all of Hollywood rushing to do biopics. According to Variety:

"(NYTimes' Warren) St. John last month broke the story that Leroy -- an alleged HIV-positive teen street hustler-turned-lit sensation -- was actually the invention of musician and writer Laura Albert, and that Leroy's public appearances were made by a young woman named Savannah Knoop.

"St. John had initially interviewed Leroy 16 months ago without realizing the author's true identity. The scribe exposed Albert's hoax in his next two pieces on Leroy by following up on a Stephen Beachy New York magazine piece that raised questions about the author's identity.
Over a number of years, Albert's ruse won her creation, Leroy's work, a cadre of celeb backers, from Winona Ryder to Courtney Love. Leroy's gritty fictional works -- including 'Sarah' and 'The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things' -- supposedly drew on the author's real life as a cross-dressing teen prostitute from West Virginia.

"A bigscreen adaptation of the Leroy tome 'The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things,' directed and starring Asia Argento, is set to open this week. That film was penned by Albert under the Leroy identity.

"UTA is packaging the Leroy pic, and no cast has yet been set.

"Michael Cole and Kelly Carmichael will oversee project for TWC."

More here.



(image via carlcoxphoto)

Out: David Gregory: Dialing While Drunk. It confounds the imagination that any professional journalist would want to participate in the Don Imus Show. David Gregory -- the respected NBC White House Correspondent with the inscrutible hair -- did so and, apparently, made a spectacular ass of himself. (Averted Gaze) According to Drudgie-Poo:

"NBC White House correspondent David Gregory, who apologized last week for calling White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan a 'jerk,' called into MSNBC's IMUS Thursday morning -- apparently drunk!

"[CLICK FOR AUDIO SNIP]

"Gregory is traveling with the president in India.

"IMUS: Let's go to the White House correspondent David Gregory.

"DAVID GREGORY: I'm OK.

"IMUS: You can calls us later if you want.

"GREGORY: [Laughter] [Laughter] [Laughter] [Laughter]

"IMUS: Are you drunk?

"GREGORY: [Laughter] [Laughter]"

(A considerable pause) More here.



(image via dagbladet)

In: An In-House Viacom Social Networking Site. Viacom is taking their own sweet time counteracting the "rib-busting ox-strength" of MySpace. But when they do jump in the stream, they'll have the backing of MTV's TRL -- so there. According to Paidcontent:

"Viacom CEO Tom Freston told the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit the company will get into social networking this year: 'We don't believe the game is over ...

"'Really, it's just started. ... I would expect within this year you'll see some good social networking capabilities in our company,'"

"Surely, this can't come as much of a shock given the interest Viacom has shown in social networking companies. So far no acquisitions on that front but I'm told Viacom believes it can develop some serious efforts in house. Maybe some acq-hiring is in order. Freston said the company never bid on MySpace, because revenue didn't match price."

Yeah, weel, the longer that takes to happen the longer MySpace reigns supreme.



(image via upress)

Out: Oliver Stone. Oliver Stone doesn't get along with strong women? Like, we never could have guessed that little chestnut. From TheScoop:

"Oliver Stone is no fan of Madonna�s acting.

"he controversial director, whose film 'Alexander' was pilloried by critics and snubbed by movie-goers, says his biggest mistake was not making a film about Eva Peron. But he added, Madonna might have been the wrong person to play the wife of the Argentinean dictator in Alan Parker�s flick �Evita.'

"The thing about Eva Peron was she was both a hooker and a saint, 'Stone said, reports the U.K.�s The Express.

�Madonna could do the hooker but she couldn�t do the saint!�

And, trust me, Oliver Stone knows his whores!