Edward Wyatt will not let up in the James Frey story.

In today’s New York Times he skewers Sean McDonald, Frey’s editor (who has moved from Nan Talese’s imprint at Doubleday to Riverhead, an imprint of Penguin USA, but remains Frey’s editor), for tellling different stories at different times about Frey and the veracity of his tale.

This is the biggest sensation in the publishing world since the Clifford Irving hoax, which happened more than 30 years ago. Likely, this one went into heavy rotation in the news cycle because it involved Oprah Winfrey, at whose altar many worship, calling Larry King, who celebrities go to when they want to repair their damaged images, during the live airing of his interview with Frey (and his mom!).

Oprah’s January 26 performance, which aired at the regularly scheduled time, was followed by a half-hour segment that few saw and even fewer heard about. But it made clear that Oprah’s finger-pointing was a performance.

“After the Show” she was less sure of herself and less steely–particularly when the first audience member stood up and said he didn’t care how much Frey had lied. He (the audience member) was a former addict and he was a hundred percent behind Frey.
For offering the best entertainment packaged with the least amount of useful information, the burning-at-the-stake of James Frey wins the Best Infotainment Blip of the Month award.