Thursday, March 28, 2024

How Will CNN Handle Eliot Spitzer Documentary?

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Alex Gibney‘s fine documentary about disgraced former New York governor Eliot Spitzer has a release date. Magnolia Films will send it into theaters on November 5th.

Remember: we saw “Client 9,” as it is officially titled now, a few months ago. It was the highlight of the Tribeca Film Festival.

But back then, last April, Spitzer didn’t have a deal for a nightly show on CNN. The show is all set and starts in the fall. How will they address this movie release? Gibney deftly recalls the whole episode that led up to Spitzer’s resignation, including interviews with the prostitutes and their bosses.

What’s really kooky about “Client 9” is Spitzer’s hubris: he’s interviewed for the film.

One young woman who’s basically a madam says in the film. “Vice took over virtue. He could not control himself.” This was the Governor of the State of New York. Now he’s been rewarded with a nightly talk show. But will Gibney and others from the movie be his guests? And how will CNN handle the inevitable blanketing of their shows with this material by Fox News?

Here’s a clip from CNN/Fortune magazine’s website–because yes, CNN, Spitzer’s  new employer, is actually powering the clips for Gibney’s film. That’s because Fortune writer Peter Elkind helped create the documentary to go with his book, called Rough Justice. Fortune, like CNN, is part of Time Warner.

http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2010/04/14/f_eliot_spitzer_elkind.fortune/

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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