Posts Tagged ‘Mark Z. Barabak’

It’s a big deal in LA media circles that the LA Times was the outlet to break the news of Maria Shriver ‘s separation from husband Arnold Schwarzenegger rather than a gossipy stand-by like TMZ, Radar Online, or perhaps US Weekly.

Today, the reporter responsible for the Monday evening website dispatch, Mark Z. Barabak, teams with Robin Abcarian for a follow-up feature look at what might have gone wrong. Underscoring the Rolodex power of Schwarzenegger and Shriver, neither one of the sources tapped by these reporters for the “two distinctly different narratives emerging” about the 25-year marriage was willing to be named:

“Everyone who’s shocked by this is reacting to the fairy-tale picture that was promoted,” said a friend who has been a frequent visitor to the couple’s Brentwood mansion and did not want to be identified as breaching the couple’s confidence. The death in August 2009 of Shriver’s mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, said this friend, marked a turning point. Her father, Sargent Shriver, the Peace Corps founder, died in January.

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Better Than A Shrimp On A Hamster Wheel: Reporters Mark Z. Barabak and Michael Finnegan call the YouTube/CNN Democratic debates a success. And by success, they mean that somehow democracy was served by having presidential hopefuls respond to questions posed by a snowman.

Lindsay Lohan Arrested on Suspicion of DUI While Chasing Her Assistant’s Mother In An SUV And Wearing An Alcohol Ankle Bracelet. Oh, And She Allegedly Had Cocaine In Her Pocket: Some people make this too easy.

Joke Theivery: Reporter Robert W. Welkos totally stole our idea to do a story about comedians who steal jokes. But we forgive him for these two interesting facts in his story: Milton Berle’s mom used to write down other comics’ jokes and give them to him, and Bill Cosby admits to lifting a bit from George Carlin early in his career. Carlin, apparently, was so disgusted he never talked to Cosby.