Christiern Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 OP-ED COLUMNIST January 28, 2006 Oprah's Bunk Club By MAUREEN DOWD We should have known the guy was not really a bad-boy, tattooed "It's time to throw down" brawler when he had to bring his mom on the Larry King show to protect him. On Thursday, the unmasked memoirist's proud mother was replaced by a punitive national matriarch. Watching Oprah flay Frey was riveting. At The Times and at Doubleday, staffers were glued to their TV sets. It was a huge relief, after our long national slide into untruth and no consequences, into Swift boating and swift bucks, into W.'s delusion and denial, to see the Empress of Empathy icily hold someone accountable for lying and conning — and embarrassing her. (Though she and her producers should have known questions were raised early on about the book.) In a society obsessed with sin and redemption, this was the superfecta: Oprah admitting her flawed judgment and rescuing her reputation, while carving up James Frey for sinning in his book about sin and redemption. Oprah interviewed and showed taped clips of her media critics (including me) and credited her turnaround to the essay by The Times's chief book critic, Michiko Kakutani, who wrote: "It is a case about how much value contemporary culture places on the very idea of truth." When President Bush cut into Oprah's show with a press conference, perhaps he was trying to get the focus off truth. It was truly weird to see the twin live TV moments: A disgraced author, and a commander in chief who keeps writing chapter after chapter of fictionalized propaganda. After Nan Talese was shamed by Oprah, Doubleday said it would add two notes — one from the publisher and one from the author — before printing any more books. But it's not enough to stick on little disclaimers. The book should be recategorized, just as "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" should have been reclassified as fiction once John Berendt acknowledged all the liberties he took. "A Million Little Pieces" and "My Friend Leonard" — the Frey "nonfiction" best seller that begins with the now-debunked jail term — should be sold as novels or fictional memoirs, the term Frederick Exley used for the great book "A Fan's Notes." Will "A Million Little Pieces" move to the fiction category on The Times's best-seller list? The editors told me that the list was simply in the business of counting the books sold, not checking whether memoirs — from stoned rockers or spinning politicians — were mostly true. But The Times's list will indicate that Mr. Frey has admitted fabricating parts of the book. The Frey effect chilled publishers and agents, some of whom have encouraged authors to turn novels into hot-selling memoirs. "The decision to take on a memoir was always based on how good is the writing and how good is the story," said Christy Fletcher, a New York literary agent. "That's not enough any more." Mr. Frey said in an interview broadcast yesterday on Oxygen that he and his agent had given the book to some publishers as a novel and some as a memoir. In the insular world of publishing, that didn't tip anyone off — because no one really wanted to be tipped off. There was a bit of a panic among publishers this week. St. Martin's Press hurriedly put a warning sticker on Augusten Burroughs' latest memoir, "Possible Side Effects," due out this spring: "Author's note: Some of the events described happened as related, others were expanded and changed. Some of the individuals portrayed are composites of more than one person and many names and identifying characteristics have been changed as well." Ballantine announced it would no longer ship two memoirs by Nasdijj, supposedly an inspiring Native American writer from the Southwest who said that as a child, he was "hungry, raped, beaten, whipped, and forced at every opportunity to work in the fields." The L.A. Weekly learned that Nasdijj was really Timothy Barrus, a white middle-class man from Michigan who had written gay porn. Booksellers were also puzzling over how to proceed. "I think it should definitely not be on the nonfiction best seller list," said Mitchell Kaplan, owner of Books & Books in Coral Gables, Fla. Roxanne Coady, owner of RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, Conn., said she'd "probably reclassify it as fiction," and she thinks Doubleday should do the same: "Either it's a memoir and someone's doing their best honest job to recall things and this is how they remember it, or it's not true and it's not a memoir." What about a third category? Non-nonfiction? Self-help and self-dramatization? Pure bunk? Quote
catesta Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 Oprah is a buffoon. It's amusing to see her reacting after getting taken for a ride buy the bullshit artist. She still walks on water though. Quote
Dan Gould Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 Congratulations. You managed to slip Maureen Dowd (complete with a gratuitous political comment) into the Miscelleneous-Non Political Forum, and I am not bitching about it. PLEASE study this column and that Frank Rich "Brokeback Mountain" column until you recognize and understand the reasons why one belongs in Politics and the other doesn't. Quote
Sundog Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 She still walks on water though. Must have something to do with that god complex she's sporting. Quote
Man with the Golden Arm Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 I happened to see (and only see it w/o sound) just a bit of that Oprah show and found it amazing how they camera'ed Frey in stark video mode and then would swith to the Big Job with the nice gaussian (sp?) filter to give her that slightly smokey angelic blurr of ever goodliness. Almost as subliminal as that guy's book I gather. Quote
Christiern Posted January 28, 2006 Author Report Posted January 28, 2006 Congratulations. You managed to slip Maureen Dowd (complete with a gratuitous political comment) into the Miscelleneous-Non Political Forum, and I am not bitching about it. We are all blessed by your open-mindedness. Quote
RonF Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 Congratulations. You managed to slip Maureen Dowd (complete with a gratuitous political comment) into the Miscelleneous-Non Political Forum, and I am not bitching about it. PLEASE study this column and that Frank Rich "Brokeback Mountain" column until you recognize and understand the reasons why one belongs in Politics and the other doesn't. Not commenting at all would have been more appropriate. Quote
7/4 Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 Congratulations. You managed to slip Maureen Dowd (complete with a gratuitous political comment) into the Miscelleneous-Non Political Forum, and I am not bitching about it. PLEASE study this column and that Frank Rich "Brokeback Mountain" column until you recognize and understand the reasons why one belongs in Politics and the other doesn't. Passsive agressive? Quote
Uncle Skid Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 Has anybody read that book? I'll fess up -- my wife enjoyed it, and I was encouraged (coerced?) into reading it when she finished. It was a good read, but very far-fetched in many places. I really don't understand how anybody could have read it as the absolute, unmodified truth, even BEFORE the Smoking Gun expose. My bullshit detector went off many times, especially the trip to the dentist for a root canal with no Novocain. Watching Frey squirm has been enjoyable, as his big claim of being "brutually honest" goes up in flames. As much as I don’t care for Oprah (or her book club), she did the right thing here, for the right reasons. I don’t think she did that show *only* to save her own ass and salvage her reputation – but I do believe she has some sense of the enormous power she wields, and how it affects people who unquestionably believe she “walks on water”. Or maybe not… Quote
Dan Gould Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 Congratulations. You managed to slip Maureen Dowd (complete with a gratuitous political comment) into the Miscelleneous-Non Political Forum, and I am not bitching about it. PLEASE study this column and that Frank Rich "Brokeback Mountain" column until you recognize and understand the reasons why one belongs in Politics and the other doesn't. Not commenting at all would have been more appropriate. Thanks for the suggestion Ron but given that Albertson and his lapdog, Mr. Musical Prozac himself, 7/4, won't let the issue go, I figured it might be helpful to point out why no objection is raised to this thread as opposed to the others. Albertson still thinks that he is right, I am wrong, and that I am some sort of "censor" and I am frankly very tired of it. Quote
7/4 Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 Congratulations. You managed to slip Maureen Dowd (complete with a gratuitous political comment) into the Miscelleneous-Non Political Forum, and I am not bitching about it. PLEASE study this column and that Frank Rich "Brokeback Mountain" column until you recognize and understand the reasons why one belongs in Politics and the other doesn't. Not commenting at all would have been more appropriate. Thanks for the suggestion Ron but given that Albertson and his lapdog, Mr. Musical Prozac himself, 7/4, won't let the issue go, I figured it might be helpful to point out why no objection is raised to this thread as opposed to the others. Albertson still thinks that he is right, I am wrong, and that I am some sort of "censor" and I am frankly very tired of it. So let it go. Quote
Jazzmoose Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 Chris, you moron; everyone knows book stories go in micellaneous non political, and movie stories go in politics, even if there's only one line in the review that's political in any way. Furthermore, liars are accepted in even the highest places in this country, while gays should be neither seen nor heard. It's easy! Quote
Dan Gould Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 Congratulations. You managed to slip Maureen Dowd (complete with a gratuitous political comment) into the Miscelleneous-Non Political Forum, and I am not bitching about it. PLEASE study this column and that Frank Rich "Brokeback Mountain" column until you recognize and understand the reasons why one belongs in Politics and the other doesn't. Not commenting at all would have been more appropriate. Thanks for the suggestion Ron but given that Albertson and his lapdog, Mr. Musical Prozac himself, 7/4, won't let the issue go, I figured it might be helpful to point out why no objection is raised to this thread as opposed to the others. Albertson still thinks that he is right, I am wrong, and that I am some sort of "censor" and I am frankly very tired of it. So let it go. The audacity is staggering. How many times have you chimed in somewhere to ask me if I've seen "brokeback mountain"? You are truly a contemptible piece of shit. Quote
7/4 Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 Congratulations. You managed to slip Maureen Dowd (complete with a gratuitous political comment) into the Miscelleneous-Non Political Forum, and I am not bitching about it. PLEASE study this column and that Frank Rich "Brokeback Mountain" column until you recognize and understand the reasons why one belongs in Politics and the other doesn't. Not commenting at all would have been more appropriate. Thanks for the suggestion Ron but given that Albertson and his lapdog, Mr. Musical Prozac himself, 7/4, won't let the issue go, I figured it might be helpful to point out why no objection is raised to this thread as opposed to the others. Albertson still thinks that he is right, I am wrong, and that I am some sort of "censor" and I am frankly very tired of it. So let it go. The audacity is staggering. How many times have you chimed in somewhere to ask me if I've seen "brokeback mountain"? You are truly a contemptible piece of shit. Just can't let it go eh? Quote
7/4 Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 So have you seen Bareback Mountain yet Dan? Quote
Jazzmoose Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 Not to derail this thing, but does anyone else get somewhat nervous reading the words "Oprah's Bunk Club"? I mean, not as nervous as reading "Jeffrey Dahmer's Refrigerator Club", but still... Quote
mgraham333 Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 About the book and the author who lied... Who gives a rat's @ss. I mean, seriously?! We CARE about this. Move the book from the non-fiction shelf to the fiction shelf and shut the f@ck up and get on with your life. Quote
Larry Kart Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 No, I don't think she did the right thing for the right reasons. I think her reasons at virtually all points along this line were about the same: Endorse "right feeling," or perhaps better "feeling right," as the highest value. Thus her defense of Frey during the Larry King broadcast was along the lines of "it feels right to me and to most of my audience" (actually, that probably should be "it feels right to me in large part, if not wholly, because I believe it feels right to most of my audience, therefore the 'factual' objections being raised are mean-spirited and niggling" (it being the essence of Oprah's pact with her audience that the fact or the illusion of mutual "feeling right" trumps just about anything). Then, when she became aware (or became fearful) that the story was being framed along the lines of "Oprah says the Truth doesn't matter" and that a fair portion of the audience was thinking along those lines (Oprah over here, Truth over there), this was a big "feeling wrong" development that had to be turned around if possible. Thus the dramatized Oprah-Frey broadcast the other day. I didn't see it live, but watching clips of this hang-dog humiliation ritual, I kind of wished that Frey had said it screw it all and mooned her or something of the sort. Quote
7/4 Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 About the book and the author who lied... Who gives a rat's @ss. I mean, seriously?! We CARE about this. Move the book from the non-fiction shelf to the fiction shelf and shut the f@ck up and get on with your life. What he said. It's interesting how this dominates the "news" right before the State of the Union address. Quote
Jazzmoose Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 About the book and the author who lied... Who gives a rat's @ss. I mean, seriously?! We CARE about this. Move the book from the non-fiction shelf to the fiction shelf and shut the f@ck up and get on with your life. What he said. It's interesting how this dominates the "news" right before the State of the Union address. You think there won't be similarities? (Oops...here we go to the political forum! ) Quote
RonF Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 Congratulations. You managed to slip Maureen Dowd (complete with a gratuitous political comment) into the Miscelleneous-Non Political Forum, and I am not bitching about it. PLEASE study this column and that Frank Rich "Brokeback Mountain" column until you recognize and understand the reasons why one belongs in Politics and the other doesn't. Not commenting at all would have been more appropriate. Thanks for the suggestion Ron but given that Albertson and his lapdog, Mr. Musical Prozac himself, 7/4, won't let the issue go, I figured it might be helpful to point out why no objection is raised to this thread as opposed to the others. Albertson still thinks that he is right, I am wrong, and that I am some sort of "censor" and I am frankly very tired of it. You know what Dan, you're the self proclaimed Organissimo Hall Monitor - searching high and low for political content out of place. Look at this thread from start to finish and it's obvious to me, you're the one who won't let the issue go. I can't speak for anyone else but I don't give a shit why you think you're being helpful. You're not. You're just stirring the shit up again for another 24 hour adrenaline rush and another 15 minutes of attention. Alfredson's running this joint. If you've got problems, email him. Spare the rest of us. You think you're tired of it? Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 You are truly a contemptible piece of shit. I don't know why you think this helps anything. Do you talk to people like this in real life? It really reflects poorly on you, Dan and I say that as a friend. Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted January 28, 2006 Report Posted January 28, 2006 As for whether this is political or non-political, the article is really gray (which is making Chris smile with glee, I'm sure and yes, I get the joke...) and was probably posted just to make my life harder. Which I really appreciate. Quote
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