INSIDER EDITION

A reader of the erratically-updated blog by John Ellis (who is all but responsible for his cousin's election, according to Michael Moore) writes:

The business cost to CBS of acknowledging forgery could ultimately be much larger than mere damage to the brand. Think Arthur Andersen.

I've been thinking along the same lines. The events of the past few weeks, and especially those of the past few days, have reminded me of "The Insider," Michael Mann's terrific (if likely fake and inaccurate) film version of the 1995 "60 Minutes" (Sunday only then) Big Tobacco whistleblower kerfuffle, which at the time threatened to derail CBS' merger with Westinghouse.

Here's the always great Christopher Plummer as "Mike Wallace," screaming at CBS brass in a way he (or perhaps Bob Schieffer or Andy Rooney) may have done this week:

"I've been in this profession fifty fucking years. You and the people you work for are destroying the most-respected, the highest-rated, the most-profitable show on this network!"

And here's "Wallace," storming about in a way I can picture Dan Rather bellowing:

"I don't plan to spend the end of my days wandering in the wilderness of National Public Radio!"

Plummer's "Wallace" again, in a quote that applies to any number of individuals this time:

"Fame has a fifteen minute half-life, infamy lasts a little longer."

Actually, the only relevant quotes I could find at the IMDb are from "Wallace," which makes sense as long as the possibility exists that Rather's story could lead to a crippling lawsuit. As usual, Al Pacino -- starring as now-former "60 Minutes" producer Lowell Bergman -- has all the best lines and shouts them like no one else can shout, but none of them really lend themselves to the events of 2004. When I find out more about Mary Mapes, perhaps that will change.

P.S. Hey, Mr. Mann. "Collateral" was pretty weak. You need to direct something with gravitas, quick. Why not make a movie about "Dan Rather"?