Would 'Rathergate' Make a Good Movie? Hollywood Insiders Working on Screen Adaptation

New York Observer ^ | July 21, 2008 | Felix Gillette

[abb]

The Media Mob has learned that a team of Hollywood insiders is currently working on a screen adaptation of Truth And Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power—the 2005 book by former CBS News producer Mary Mapes, in which she defends the 60 Minutes II story by Dan Rather about President George W. Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard, which ran on CBS in September 2004 and eventually led to her ouster from the network.

Who would want to turn "Rathergate" into a feature-length film?

According to sources familiar with the situation, Producer Mikkel Bondesen, (his credits include serving as executive producer on the USA Network series "Burn Notice") is actively working on the adaptation with screenwriter James Vanderbilt.

Mr. Vanderbilt wrote the screenplay for the 2007 serial killer movie Zodiac—based on the nonfiction book by Robert Graysmith—and is currently writing the screenplay for Spider-Man 4.

In the book, Ms. Mapes was highly critical of how her bosses at CBS and Viacom handled the aftermath of the wildly controversial story about President Bush's military service. Along the way, she lays much of the groundwork for what could be a juicy White House conspiracy thriller.

"Money is the master," wrote Ms. Mapes. "That is the bottom line to what happened at CBS that fateful fall when we aired a story that, like all stories, was imperfect, but was absolutely grounded in fact. It was well researched and well documented. But when Viacom saw that the story was not well received and that a conservative firestorm was threatening the corporation's financial well-being, their collective wallets started itching. As a result, I believe CBS News, 60 Minutes, Dan Rather, and journalism itself got badly scratched."

(Mr. Rather is currently making similar charges in Manhattan court in a $70 million civil suit against his former employers, in part, for their handling of the aftermath of the story.)

"This was a corporate, political, and public relations operation, designed to take the heat off and allow Viacom to walk away unscathed, unencumbered by lingering anger from the White House or the various Republican-dominated committees that the corporation lobbied constantly," added Ms. Mapes.

It remains to be seen how much of the screenplay will be dedicated to the alleged bungling of the story and its aftermath at CBS versus the broader story of the President's military service.

When reached by phone on Monday afternoon, Ms. Mapes declined to comment. The Media Mob has a phone call in to Mr. Bondesen. We'll update if we hear back.

No word yet on who might play Mr. Rather if the script ever makes it to production. This wouldn't be the first film made about internal drama at CBS News: In 1999, Michael Mann directed The Insider, an account of 60 Minutes and its struggle with tobacco company Brown & Williamson. That movie was nominated for seven Oscars, including for Best Actor and Best Director.

[Political Junkie Too]

Wow! Are they going to talk about how Burkett and Joe Lockhart met? Are they going to talk about how the DNC film "Fortunate Son" and the CBS News piece ran in a practically coordinated way?

-PJ

[weegee]

There are numerous cases of collusion between Democrat politicians and the media in the 2004 and 2006 elections.

Pravda was a more transparent business operation.

[abb]

I used to think the Drive-By Media was the PR department for the DNC. I’m not so sure anymore.

It might be the other way around. The Democrat party seems to be the political arm of the Drive-By Media and the Liberal Intelligentsia.

[Shelayne]

RFLOL! Excellent!

[Charles Henrickson]

I say, make it a musical:

THEY'RE COMING TO TAKE DAN AWAY
Tune: "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-haaa!"

Remember when I broke the news
How Bush got in the Guard
And didn't have to leave
To go to Vietnam?
Well . . .

I pushed that story hard
Just weeks before Election Day
And so of course you know
The thoughts I had in my mind
Like . . .

They're going to give me a prize, Ha-ha!
They're going to give me a prize, Ho-ho, Hee-hee, Ha-ha!
For a journalist
Who helps the Democrats all the time
And I'll be happy to put
That nice award
In my trophy case
And they're going to give me a prize, Ha-haaa!

You thought it was a fake
And so you cringed
You cringed when people said
That superscript was not done at that time
Right . . .

The people laughed, I heard them laugh
They laughed, they laughed and laughed
You made me leave
But now you know I'm Rather upset!
So . . .

I'm going to take you to court, Ha-ha!
I'm going to take you to court, Ho-ho, Hee-hee, Ha-ha!
For a tidy sum
Like six--no, seventy million bucks
And put me back on the Evening News
And make all the viewers watch
And I'm going to take you to court, Ha-haaa!

I read your news
I gave my views
And this is how you pay me back
For all my years of bold unbiased news?!
Hah . . .

Well, you just wait
I'll find the proof
And when I do
They'll know that Dan is not some sort of old unbalanced nut!
'Cause . . .

They're coming to take me away, Ha-ha!
They're coming to take me away, Ho-ho, Hee-hee, Ha-ha!
To the Kinko's store
Where fake but accurate faxes fly
And I'll be happy to see
Those daring scoops
Come across my desk
And they're coming to take me away, Ha-haaa!

To the anchor desk
With lights and cameras and breaking news
And four producers who sit and smile
And tell me that I'm the best
And they're coming to take me away, Ha-haaa!

To the Kinko's store
Where fake but accurate faxes fly
And I'll be happy to see
Those daring scoops
Come across my desk
And they're coming to take me away, Ha-haaa!

[happinesswithoutpeace]

lol internet...movies

couple of threads up:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049370/posts

[marktwain]

“It would be like a movie about the Secret Service taking down a pack of kindergarten counterfeiters who draw their money with crayons.”

---

But Americans love stories where the righteous underdog comes out on top. Too bad this movie will almost certainly rewrite history to reverse the roles.

[marktwain]

“Leftists are at perpetual war with reality, which is why they gravitate toward newsrooms, universities, and entertainment media.”

---

Nicely put. Deserves repetition.

[marktwain]

“I used to think the Drive-By Media was the PR department for the DNC. I’m not so sure anymore.

It might be the other way around. The Democrat party seems to be the political arm of the Drive-By Media and the Liberal Intelligentsia.”

---

Nice to see someone else has come to the same conclusion. I have made that point several times myself!

[kempo]

Hollywood just loves to rewrite history.

[Doctor Raoul]

I want Alec Baldwin to HAVE to play Buckhead...

"This should be aggressively pursued YOUR LITTLE UNGRATEFUL PIG..."

[Doctor Raoul]

I always enjoy that!

[Doctor Raoul]

Mo Dowd doesn’t wear underwear either. That’s cellulite, not a run in her panty hose.

[ErnBatavia]

Fantabulistic, in the words of Mike Tyson.....

[Doctor Raoul]

Which one is the bigger psycho?

[Doctor Raoul]

What will Buckhead’s fictional name be?

Leo Con, as close to NeoCon as they can make it sound.

[Billthedrill]

I can tell you what it will look like. Picture a young Robert Redford as Danny, fighting the Evil Right-Wing KKKorporate Konspiracy in Three Days Of The Condor. Remember that one? When all the world was against him he just sent an envelope to the New York Times and the Eeeevil right-wingers gasped in terror like Dracula at a cross.

This is Hollywood, folks, and they've already cast the villains. It's us.

[GOPJ]

Lefty movies don’t make money - - let them turn the crap out until they’re broke.

[weegee]

Hollywood won’t go broke. They have 70 years of backstock product that they can always make money off of.

When audiences cease watching Wizard of Oz, King Kong, Gone With The Wind, Casablanca, Marx Bros., Snow White, etc. their unconstitutional perpetual extension of copyright might cease to fund their modern endevors.

If they had to exist funded strictly by the films of the past 28 years, that would be 1980+. And don’t get started on the music industry’s extensive back catalogs....