Salon.com > Caroline Sommers

The outsider

Thu, 04 Nov 1999 17:00:00 +0000

"Good evening. What you are about to witness is an unrehearsed, uncensored interview. My name is Mike Wallace. The cigarette," says a stern, young Wallace, holding up his smoky stub in black and white, "is Phillip Morris."

Cut to noir-ish title sequence, complete with smoke curling its way up the television in fast-motion as the words "The Mike Wallace Interview" pop up on the screen one at a time.

It's now 42 years later, and the very industry that helped put Wallace's kids through college is at the center of a controversy that threatens to undermine his five-decade career in a mere two and a half hours. That's the running time of a new movie chronicling what was may turn out to be the lowest point in Wallace's career. "The Insider" centers on the "60 Minutes" debacle over whether to air a controversial exposi of the tobacco industry.

Wallace is said to be fuming over his portrayal, and rightly. Despite his reputation as the country's No. 1 hard-nosed journalist, Wallace, as interpreted by Christopher Plummer, is a sell-out. He throws his loyal, longtime producer to the wolves (network executives), who are terrified of repercussions (lawsuits) from the big bad tobacco industry. Only after another media outlet breaks the story does the real-life Wallace reportedly burst forth with bravado, insisting that CBS run the story of whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand.

All hail the queen

Mon, 20 Sep 1999 16:00:00 +0000

The news has not been good for TV talk shows of late. Jerry Springer has been emasculated, no longer allowed to feature fistfights on his former daily brawl-fest. Jenny Jones has lost face over the murder of Scott Amedure, a guest who confessed his gay crush on a friend and was subsequently shot by the man. Montel has just announced he suffers from multiple sclerosis. And now, there's Queen Latifah, rap artist, actress, and talk show hostess extraordinaire (at least that's what her producers at Time Telepictures, a division of Time Warner, hope.) The new talker premieres Sept. 20 but, as I said, the news isn't good.

Having worked in television over the last dozen years, I've seen my share of the bizarre and the distasteful. But never have I seen anything like what I experienced this past summer, spending one full month in pre-production for the Queen Latifah show.

I admit I went in with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. After all, who wants to be in the same scuzzy profession as Jerry Springer? After producing documentaries for such esteemed cable outlets as A&E and Court TV (well, at least they're better than "My father is a transvestite hooker!"), it was a major step down. But the money was good.

Horror show: The nightmare of making tabloid TV

Sat, 18 Sep 1999 16:00:00 +0000

Seen it? I've lived it. As I watched the summer's surprise mega-hit, "The Blair Witch Project," I thought I'd drown in the flood of memories. Having spent the last dozen years making documentary television, it's safe to say I've been in "Blair Witch"-type situations countless times. Did I really need to watch an amateur documentary film crew whine, fight, scream, beg, freak out and shoot dizzying tape for 87 minutes? Hadn't I had enough of that in real life?

Although the film did manage to capture the emotional coaster ride that is working in film and television, compared to the real thing, those kids had it easy. I've interviewed Joey Buttafuoco! Now that's scary!