..Gary Dretzka
..Noah Forrest
..Leonard Klady
..R.J. Matson
..David Poland
..Douglas Pratt
..Ray Pride
..Michael Wilmington

February 13, 2004

ROGER FRIEDMAN'S BLOOD LIBEL
AGAINST THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
by David Poland

_____________________________________

Sometimes, a journalist makes a mistake. And sometimes, a journalist makes a mistake that is so heinous and easily remedied by any fact checking that the person's publisher deserves to be threatened with litigation and the person in question deserves to lose their job.

Such is the story with today's breathtakingly inaccurate and malicious fairy tale by Roger Friedman, printed at FoxNews.com regarding the release pattern of The Passion of The Christ. The premise of this unresearched mess is that Newmarket Films and Mel Gibson are avoiding big cities and Jewish populations with the theatrical release pattern of the film.

There has been no journalist who has been more critical of Gibson's self-fulfilling-prophecy style of showing this film selectively, building a furor when he is publicly claiming to be fearful that one will erupt, than myself. However, a major media outlet propagating false information in an attack on the film - especially when suggesting that it is news and not opinion - is beyond any acceptable idea of journalistic ethics.

Moreover, for Roger Friedman, a Jew, to so incautiously swing these lies around like a bag full of angry cats is, in my opinion, deeply damaging to Jews everywhere who do not wish to be accused of being willing to stoop to any depth in order to maintain our position in society.

I am not sure that Roger Friedman meant to put such a blatant factual lie in print. I am sure his editors would have stopped it had they known. But Friedman failed to do the most basic job of being a journalist… checking out the facts. Instead, he lazily went to one internet source, apparently unaware of two basic facts: 1. Ticket sales websites are not well designed for long-range presales. 2. There is no movie ticket sales website that offers tickets to all the theaters in any major market.

It took me all of two minutes to find out that Roger Friedman's facts were incorrect. I went to two web sites and made one phone call.

FRIEDMAN ACCUSATION: "In the borough of Manhattan in New York City, the film will play in a handful of out-of-the-way-theatres - one in Times Square, two in fringe areas of the East Side, one second-run theatre at Broadway and 100th St. and one in Harlem. There will be one screen below 34th St, and none from 42nd St. to 96th St. on the West Side. This excludes all prestige venues like the Ziegfeld, the Paris, the Beekman and Sony Lincoln Square."

THE TRUTH: Friedman is correct in asserting that the film will not be playing in The Ziegfield, The Paris or The Beekman. As much as the good folks at The Paris or The Beekman might like to have The Passion of The Christ sell out show after show at their theaters, putting the film into those theaters would suggest that the release of The Passion was, as Friedman falsely claims, opening in "select theaters only." Additionally, the film is playing at the Regal at 64th and 2nd, which Friedman claims is a "fringe area." Small fringe apparently, as it is 3 whole blocks away from his beloved Beekman.

As for The Ziegfield, one of the few important single-screen theaters still standing in Manhattan, currently playing, ironically, Miracle, I spoke to someone at Clearview Cinemas, who confirmed that The Passion of The Christ was not booked into the theater. However, Clearview did book the film into their Chelsea West Cinema. The film booker for Clearview was gone for the weekend when I called, so I couldn't ask whether there was any nefarious reason why the film was not playing there, 11 whole blocks away from the AMC Empire.

Had Friedman bothered to check just a tiny bit closer, even just using Moviefone, he would have found that the release pattern for Manhattan is almost identical to another very controversial movie opening this weekend… 50 First Dates. The two films are booked into eight of the same venues in Manhattan, including Friedman's "one in Harlem." In fact, the only theater 50 First Dates is playing in Manhattan that The Passion is not is Loews Cineplex Lincoln Square… though The Passion will be playing at Loews Cineplex's 84th St & Broadway multiplex, where 50 First Dates is not scheduled.

So I guess we can look for the story from Friedman on Tuesday about the slight against people with short-term memory loss in Manhattan. Funny, but I don't think they'd even remember being slighted.

Moving on to Los Angeles…

FRIEDMAN ACCUSES: "The same goes for the wealthier and trendier parts of Los Angeles such as Beverly Hills and Century City. Those who are curious will have to seek their "Passion" in odd places, in out-of-the-way cineplexes. You won't be able to see it at the Beverly Center, for example. But four theatres in economically less desirable San Jose, Calif. will show the film."

THE TRUTH: If Friedman wanted to make any effort - it took me one 30-second phone call - he could have found out that The Passion of The Christ is playing Pacific's theater at The Grove, the highest grossing theater in America these days - smack in the middle of a Hassidic neighborhood - even though the ticket sales website does not show it on the schedule. (The AMC Empire on 42nd Street is also in the Top 3 grossers nationally.) It is also playing The Arclight in Hollywood. It is also playing the Universal Citywalk, Loews Cineplex's massive complex about 8 miles away. It is playing the AMC Century 14 in Century City. It is playing in Santa Monica at the Loews Cineplex on the Third Street Promenade. It is playing at the Regal in Marina del Rey.

In other words, the film is playing pretty much every Westside (read: Jewish populated) theater that Newmarket or any other studio would want their movie playing.

Moving in to Chicago: "Gibson obviously thinks there's a potential problem in Chicago, where "Passion" will be on only two screens. Otherwise, Chicagoans will have to go to the suburbs."

THE TRUTH Apparently, Friedman's ignorance about the city of Chicago got in his way utterly. There are only five mainstream first-run houses left in non-suburban Chicago: Burnham Plaza, River East, 600 N Michigan, Esquire, and Webster Place. The Passion will play at River East and Webster Place.

Here there is a 50 First Dates gap also… it's playing in Burnham Plaza in addition to The Passion's 2 downtown playdates.

Roger can't stop his unresearched lies. He writes: "In Florida, for example, Jacksonville and Tampa - more northern and central cities - will have "Passion" on four or more screens, while typically Jewish areas like Boca Raton will have it one screen if at all."

THE TRUTH: There are two major theaters in Boca Raton right now, The Shadowwood and The Muvico Palace. Not only are both theaters playing The Passion of The Christ, but Muvico already has tickets on sale for multiple screens.

It's very simple. I personally dislike the way Mel Gibson has turned his movie into a political referendum and left anyone who might have issues with the film politically sitting outside the door so his supporters can gleefully say, "But you haven't seen the movie, have you?" I don't think he is cynical enough to be doing this just to raise the film's profile so that it can have a huge opening with minimal advertising expense. I think he honestly feels persecuted. But still to no good end, in my opinion.

However, to have a member of the media lie outright without doing an hour's research before making a heinous and insidious accusation on a major, if biased, website, owned by a competing film studio is actionable. There is no question that there is malice in Friedman's work here. And there is no question that he is factually incorrect and intentionally misleading the public. At the very least there is malicious disregard for the truth.

Newmarket and Icon Productions have the legal standing to sue FoxNews.com and Roger Friedman for this story and an unassailable argument that financial damage was intended, even if actual financial damages to this moron-proof movie are unlikely . They probably will not, because it is not a good thing to do politically in this business. However, a retraction should be placed up immediately.

And Roger Friedman - and I don't say this blithely - should be fired. He has crossed a very serious line. This is not whoring for Miramax or others or attacking Drew Barrymore because she didn't let him interview her at a premiere. This is, in entertainment journalism, as serious a breech of professional ethics as any I can ever recall.

- David Poland

 

Update: February 16, 2004 ... How Liars Behave When They Get Caught: Roger Friedman And The Passion

Gossip Friedman Continues To Lie & Mislead About The Passion's Theatrical Release, Adding False Claim Of Late Bookings Instead Of Taking Responsibility For His Libelous Friday Report