Roger Friedman

Roger Friedman is an American film critic and entertainment news journalist. Friedman created and wrote the FOX411 news column on Foxnews.com for 10 years. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz 411, an entertainment news and film review column which started with The Hollywood Reporter.[1]

Career

Among Friedman’s activities in celebrity journalism have been writing the “Intelligencer” column at New York magazine[2] and editing Fame magazine, where he wrote cover stories on Paul McCartney, Whitney Houston, Paloma Picasso, Carly Simon, and other stars.[3] He has also written articles which have appeared in Vogue, The New York Times, the New York Daily News, Redbook, Us Weekly, Premiere, The Washington Post, and other publications.[3]

With D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, Friedman co-produced Only the Strong Survive, a 2002 documentary film about Memphis soul musicians[1] The film was shown in the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival,[4] and at the Sundance and Telluride film festivals.

Fox News

Friedman worked for Fox News as a journalist for ten years, starting Fox News's website and creating the popular Fox411 column. Among his many successes was his coverage of Michael Jackson's child molestation and conspiracy trial in 2005.

In April 2009, Friedman was fired by Foxnews.com after he reviewed the film X-Men Origins: Wolverine based on viewing a bootlegged copy of the movie online.[5] (Friedman later told Gawker.com that he had not downloaded the film, but had streamed it after finding a link to it online.[6]) Friedman's column was perceived as an endorsement of film piracy and illegal file sharing, particularly by the film's distributor, 20th Century Fox, which, like Foxnews.com, is a unit of News Corporation.[7][8] Ironically, Friedman's review of Wolverine was very favorable, including comments such as "I am, in fact, amazed about how great Wolverine turned out. It exceeds expectations at every turn."[9]

In June 2009, Friedman filed a lawsuit against Fox News Network L.L.C., NewsCorp America, Twentieth Century Fox, and Rupert Murdoch, claiming wrongful termination, tortious interference with his employment contract, and defamation based on statements Fox News and 20th Century Fox made after his firing.[10][11]

The Hollywood Reporter

Friedman joined The Hollywood Reporter as a senior correspondent in May 2009.[12] He left in March 2010.[13]

Current career at Showbiz 411

Friedman currently writes for Forbes.com and Parade.com, as well their print versions. He started the Showbiz 411 column during his time at The Hollywood Reporter. The blog is an entertainment news website where Friedman and other authors report "everything from Hollywood to the Hudson". The website has become independent since he was fired. Friedman regularly writes about Michael Jackson and complications surrounding his death and estate. In addition, Friedman writes about James Franco, Mariah Carey, and Madonna. Showbiz411 frequently breaks entertainment news stories and is often highlighted on the Drudge Report.

References

  1. 1 2 "Roger Friedman". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  2. ↑ Google Books search for Roger Friedman columns in New York magazine
  3. 1 2 "About". Showbiz411. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  4. ↑ "Only the Strong Survive | Quinzaine des Réalisateurs". Quinzaine-realisateurs.com. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  5. ↑ "Writer loses job over Wolverine". BBC News. 2009-04-07. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
  6. ↑ Snyder, Gabriel (2009-04-06). "It's Official: Roger Friedman Loses His Job Over Wolverine Piracy". Gawker. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
  7. ↑ Suderman, Peter (2009-04-07). "Wolverine: the Curse of the Pirate Critic". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
  8. ↑ Fisher, Luchina; Heussner, Ki Mae; Marikar, Sheila (2009-04-06). "Fox News Columnist Roger Friedman Fired". ABC News. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
  9. ↑ "Roger Friedman Loves Wolverine!". Vulture. New York Magazine. 2009-04-03. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
  10. ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (2009-07-02). "Fired Fox Columnist Files Libel Lawsuit". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
  11. ↑ "Roger Friedman vs. Fox News Networks". Gawker. 2009-06-30. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
  12. ↑ Compiled by DAVE ITZKOFF (2009-05-18). "Arts, Briefly - Fired Columnist Is Hired". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  13. ↑ Finke, Nikki. "Friedman Blog Exits Hollywood Reporter –". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2011-12-20.

External links

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