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Well, this is a surprise: The Hollywood Reporter announced today it has hired gossip columnist Roger Friedman as a senior correspondent "to beef up its coverage of the celebrity world and how it intersects with and influences the business of showbusiness," according to a statement by THR editor Elizabeth Guider. I find it mystifying that THR, which is slavishly dependent on studio goodwill and advertising, would deliberately provoke 20th Century Fox which was surprised by the news. The freelance writer was very publicly fired by parent company News Corp last month because of its "zero tolerance for any action that encourages and promotes piracy". Friedman got himself in trouble for what he wrote after a stolen, early and unfinished work print of the studio's big summer blockbuster X-Men Origins: Wolverine was leaked onto the Internet illegally in a major scandal that the FBI continues investigating.
THR said that New York-based Friedman will replicate the Fox 411 column he wrote for Fox.com that broke news about Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith and the music scene, only now it will be called ShowBiz 411 and added to THR's roster of blogs. "In addition, he'll provide breaking news for THR.com and occasional longer pieces for the daily newspaper as well as appear in THR video products and at THR-branded events. He also will play a key role in THR's multiplatform coverage of the Oscars, the Emmys, the Tonys and the Grammys," the trade paper said. THR publisher Erik Mika called Friedman "a major asset for Nielsen Business Media".
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A few years ago Roger devoted an entire column to the book signing of a major producer. Coincidentally, I had been in the bookstore when the signing occured and attended. To say the turnout was slim would be generous. Maybe (maybe!) 10 people there. The entire thing took 10 minutes and that was accounting for the 5 minutes it took for him to leave the building. The next morning Roger went on and on and on about a SRO crowd, the dozens of questions during the Q&A, etc, etc. He wrote that column as if he had been there and he wasn’t. My guess was that the flack for the producer fed Roger the story and he ran with it. I lost all respect for that hack that day and now can’t read one world of his column without doubting the entire thing. Nice hire, THR! Hard to believe you guys are even still relevant.
There’s also the problem that he’s a terrible writer.
There’s also the problem that he’s a vile human being
Well, I’m sure Harvey Weinstein is happy. Ever since he picked up Friedman’s doc ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE, Roger has been the most fervent and obvious shill for all things Weinstein imaginable. I would’ve sworn he was on Harvey’s payroll.
Opinions aside, it’s amazing how many things this guy gets wrong. The fact that the Reporter picked him up says more about them than anything else.
COngrats Roger.
Well deserved.
No one works harder or better in the “gossip” community.
wait! are you saying roger will lower the reporter’s standards?
This is just the nail that THR needed for it’s coffin. nobody reads it, nobody buys it, and now nobody will have any respect left for it at all. Guider and Mika should be proud that they have helped speed along the paper’s demise.
Why does the Hollywood Reporter hire hacks? Because they are desperate. They can’t get excellent writers because THEY have lost all credibility. I think this is a sign that THR is on it’s way out.
Super boring. Wont read.
(…and he is obsessed with scientologist, dont know why).
thr went to shit when they fired george christy. i miss the great life.
all i know is he said Wolverine was better than the Dark Knight? XD
This is going to be a huge huge problem for THR in their relations with the major studios — ALL OF THEM — not just Fox have zero tolerence for piracy and every legit person in town celebrated Friedman’s demise at the hand of News Corp. It was a long-time coming for a variety of reasons and now THR puts him on staff? This hire makes no sense whatsoever and shows how out of tune THR managment is with the rest of the industry and the people who run it.
It’s an appalling hire, more for journalistic reasons than anything else. He’s never written two consecutive accurate sentences in his life, and his ethics are dubious. The fact that Fox might be annoyed is neither here nor there. You can’t allow a studio to dictate the hiring process, though I realize they pretty much dictate the content of the trades. Frankly, I thought reviewing the pirated Wolverine DVD was quite a good idea.
When relationships are what drive this industry and ultimately the stories that are given and experienced, I am not sure what laps THR had to think they would get a writer who works these relationships.
From reporting from events he hasn’t attended to vilifying anyone that doesn’t even give him a glance or a nod to bolster his own recognition, and from someone who went so agains a studio in not only an unethical way but an illegal way, to someone who claims to be a writer but whose level of writing couldn’t sustain the National Enquirer.
In these days of lowered sales and valuations, publications as print or online need credibility, and Roger will not bring that. Smugness, maliciousness and his own spin of bile will surely reheat the competition between Variety and THR. And one of the first things I will do when I see his name on the credit – cancel my home subscription and give my business delivery to the trash.
What a joke!
Tim
One last thing – to reiterate – regardless of how you feel about downloading, Wolverine was NOT streaming for sale. Those who viewed it, viewed it illegally. For those other than fans on this site, we need to wrangle control of how to deter people from doing this. This an illegal act. To go against a studio that is in the midst of post production and to boldly state how easy it was to find Wolverine as well as many other movies screams in the face of those honest folks that purchase a ticket. That experience the film in a theater, perhaps with their family or a date. These people are our core audiences and it is these people that our industry needs. Not someone who is screaming from a site that they should seek out an illegal capture of a film. Disgraceful. And disgraceful THR.
TimB…totally agree with you, its the idea that some think its ok to cannibalize the business we all are barely surviving. How utterly unforgivable to laugh at the destruction that piracy wields. Friedman is a hack, don ‘t recall when he was or if he ever was a decent journalist but his behavior regarding Wolverine, killed his byline forever for me and I won’t read THR as soon as he starts there.
What a vile man and bad writer. I know many that have been victims of his over the years. Because of this, I plan to cancel my THR subscription for the entire LA office (9 people).
I think people should go back and take a look at his articles connected with Scientology. I think they will find them well informed and well written. Its interesting that after having a very well regarded career all of sudden there all these people showing up and leaving negative opinions on this particular article about Mr. Friedman.
You know, I find it curious that there are so many comments similarly phrased referring to Roger as a hack.
But truly, I should not be suprised as this is a common tactic by the people who were attacking him. Can we say Scientology, people? Yes I knew we could.
Anyone ever hear of the Leaf Project? Google that and scientology and see what you come up with. People are told what to right and assigned subjects to cover and wording to use. Ex. “Say he is a truly vile man” etc.
Roger has a great deal of respect in the community and a large following because he is willing to write the turth about a truly scummy organization masquerading as a religion.
Kudos to THR for picking him up and I wish him success in his lawsuit.
Come on now. We’ve read that four people okay’d the Wolverine story so did they fire all of those people, too? This man was obviously fired because he refuses to lie about a cult. I think it’s telling that right before FOX caved and fired Mr. Friedman he had run into Kelly Preston in the lobby of the prestigious Peabody Hotel in Memphis where both were attending Isaac Hayes’ funeral. Preston went completely white trash and very loudly lambasted Friedman, calling him a “religious bigot”. She then proceeded to call FOX to try and get him fired. Initially, she failed, but her whining finally paid off and they let him go.
Friedman has a very good case and I hope he wins it.
With the Wolverine story the buck stops with the editors who let the story be published, that’s their job after all.
I’m also glad Freidman got the THR gig, as it’s a thumb in the eye to Scientology who have used their money, litigiousness, and Hollywood connections to intimidate the media for too long.
And lol at the “vile human being” comments. Looks like the Scientology PR department found this article.
Commentators Vince, jason, former subscriber, Tracy, seems to be intollerant anti-free speech scientologists.
I used to receive instructions by OSA to leave such kind of comments about scientology critics, when I was in the cult. It is a Scientology practice called “Dead agenting”. Lets remember what they did to Paulette Cooper and cartoonist Jim Berry, to silence and destroy them.
Those of you who don’t understand his problem with scientology just don’t understand scientology.
Their “therapy” makes people crazy.
They believe that anyone who opposes them is evil.
The “religion” is all about collecting power and money.
Those thugs are trying to infiltrate every city on Earth.
Hollywood and Washington DC are just their favorites.
Hey, all you guys who are trying to jam the genie back into the bottle… Why don’t we find and prosecute the guy who transcoded the film and let it go viral over the net? Once it is out there, it is well with in the purvue of a reporter to download, watch and report on the phenomon. Fox over-reacted. Once I heard Peter Chernin address a group. He talked about piracy and that the only way to stop it was to give people the content wherever, whenever and in which ever format they want it. Then he talked about upgrading digital security. He was so close to having a clue.
It’s a new world we’re living in. Everyone’s job is to figure out how to make money in it… not just sit back and wish for the good old days.