CBS employee charged with Letterman extortion plot

[Catty1]

Age difference = I had my fun you silly twit, lose my number.

Well, heck - I guess conversation at the breakfast table was lacking an intellectual partner.

Will leave it at that....

[RICHARD]

Well, heck - I guess conversation at the breakfast table was lacking an intellectual partner.

Will leave it at that....

"You are too young for me. I'm an old man knocking boots with you.
Thanks, You are dismissed."

As a guy?


I'll have to remember that line should the need arise....

[blue]

Yeah consenual sex is much worse then extortion or blackmail.

[Medusa]

Excuse my ignorance but exactly what is it that Letterman did that was "terrible, terrrible"? He had sex w/staff members, that's it? He had a girlfriend then, I get that, so what he did was smarmy and if he was my SO, I would dump him but "terrrible, terrible"? I don't know; it sounds as if perhaps Halderman had something else on Letterman. That doesn't excuse Halderman's attempted blackmail but it seems to me that Letterman could've said "Go ahead and spill the beans. I'm not paying you anything. My girlfriend already knows and the public won't care" unless he had something else to hide. I guess we'll find out during the trial.

[Catty1]

Mary, the only thing I can think of is that Letterman had control over how the "beans" were spilled...who knows what Halderman would have done? He was talking a screenplay AND a book...and even after he got the cheque, was saying on his way out of the meeting that he might still do a movie.

Halderman sounds like he snapped...he had $40,000 credit card debt and $6,000 a month in child support. It was reported that in the first meeting with Letterman and the latter's attorney that he said he 'didn't want to work for the rest of his life'. It seems only an arrest would have stopped him from doing his own version of events.

I think the extortion attempt was far worse than anything Letterman did (for better or worse, just about 'everyone' does it).

Wait for the trial, that will be interesting.

[sasvermont]

I saw an interview this AM - with Halderman's attorney. He didn't let any new information out during the interview and still stuck to his statement that there is much more to the story than what Letterman has had to say. Stay tuned.

[Catty1]

Maybe I am a sick puppy, but there are some fairly clever Top 10 lists coming out now...here's another (though it's a bit more pointed than the first one I posted):

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment...article/705142

10: PLAN YOUR LOCATION

An auditorium may be outside your budget, especially considering how broke you're going to be post-divorce. Forget doing this in a kitchen, restaurant or shed (too many stabbing implements about). Try the living room. I'm pretty sure you can survive a leap through the front window.

9: BRING AN AUDIENCE

Stop moping. You can make a night of it. Tell people that you're going to be hosting a Windows 7 House Party, but surprise guests with pointy hats that read: "Robert Admits His Indiscretions 2009." Your soon-to-be-ex will love it. And a half-dozen witnesses are a great hindrance to violence.

8: TELEVISE IT

Who ever got seriously hurt on TV? Well, Lee Harvey Oswald. But let's remember that he refused to confess. Totally his fault.

Be sure everyone involved is aware that all of this is being filmed. First reason: Safety. Second reason: Video evidence makes future depositions a snap.

7: MAKE THINGS FUN

Remember Dave's first words: "I have a little story. Do you want to hear a story?" Ooh, ooh, a story! Yes, please! What's it about?! Sordid hookups in the back seat of your Dodge Intrepid. Er. All right. But are there any fairy princesses? No, a dominatrix named Groovella doesn't count.

6: WRITE IT DOWN

Letterman referred several times to notes during his monologue. Now, you just want to bang away at talking points here: "Really sorry." "Remember how much we enjoyed being poor when we met?"

5: HIT YOUR KEY WORDS

"Creepy" sounds awful. At the outset, keep saying "creepy" over and over again, as Letterman did. Just when you've got her convinced that you have a secret human-ear collection, drop the good news on her: "Hey honey, I'm only sleeping with your sister."

4: ZINGERS

Self-deprecating humour is a wonderful way to misdirect towering, destructive rage. Try to plant a few jokes between the heartbreaking admissions. "And I said to your sister, if you think that's funny, wait until I take off my pants." Zing!

3: BRING A WINGMAN

Maybe you have a friend who can make reassuring sounds in the background, à la Paul Shaffer. When you mention how frightened you were of your blackmailing stalker, he will mumble, "My, my, my."

Later he may let you sleep in his garage.

2: THANK THE POLICE

Letterman gave shout-outs to every law enforcement officer currently at work in New York state. That sends one important message – I have not broken any civil laws.

1: QUASH FURTHER DISCUSSION

Like Letterman, your last words should be: "I don't plan on saying much more about this topic."

[Medusa]

My point is that even though what Letterman did was sleazy, it wasn't illegal, so unless Halderman has knowledge of an illegal activity to hold over Letterman's head, I don't see why Letterman felt he needed to protect himself by doing a preemptive strike, so to speak.