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| Sir David Frost with "Tricky Dicky" |
Sir David was larger than life, an extraordinary man bestowed with charm, wit, talent, intelligence and warmth. His many brilliant interviews made a huge impact on television and politics, but none were as riveting as the Nixon interviews.
The Ron Howard movie of the Frost/Nixon interview in 1977 showcased one of 20th century television's most dramatic confessions, thanks to artistic inventions by scriptwriter Peter Morgan. Under Frost's coaxing, Nixon was persuaded to overcome his reticence and put his mea culpa on the record once and for all.
"Yes," said Nixon, "I let the American people down. And I'll have to carry the burden the rest of my life."
Nixon's biographer Jonathan Aitken revealed that the truth was slightly less melodramatic. Ever the master stonewaller, Nixon fulfilled his contractual obligation to sit through all 24 hours of televised interrogation, but he managed to weave a web of maximum tedium and minimum disclosure. Worst of all, he yielded no ground on Watergate; nor did he come anywhere near offering an apology for it. His staff had to gutsy up and tell the boss, "Listen, if this ends the way it has, the world is going to say, there goes the same old Nixon."
Eventually, Nixon was grudgingly convinced, agreed to offer one more additional interviewing session, and conceded that he had participated in the cover up and lied to the world about it.
Back in 1977, Nixon was at rock bottom as a disgraced political pariah in exile, and faced the added indignity of being desperately short of money. Unable to meet his doctors' and lawyers' bills, Nixon was on the verge of no longer being able to pay his staff. Frost's willingness to pay Nixon $600,000 for the interview - around $8 million in today's money - plus 20% of the profits, was a financial lifeline.
Wonder how much Frost will have to pony up to get Lee Kuan Yew to talk. As in really talk, concede how he let the Singapore people down, and have to carry the burden for the rest of his surviving days. The difference here, of course, is that Lee doesn't have to worry about money.
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David Frost will not need to wait too long to talk to the Old Fart, and he need not pony up anything. The only problem is he is up there, and the other may end up down there. Unless one of them can up the downside.
ReplyDeleteThe wages of sin. The only way to get up from the downside is to repent now - and the Old Fart don't have much time to carry the burden.
Delete"Wonder how much Frost will have to pony up to get Lee Kuan Yew to talk. "
ReplyDeleteYou unlikely to get the old fart to talk and to repent because he run the country as though it belongs to him. And he need no money directly from sinkies, as he and his cronies can just make some compulsory nonsensical money-making policies, and suddenly billions and millions endup into the reserves of you know who.
How can you expect him to talk and to repent when he has all the money sinkies ever dream ?
Better still, pretend that operation coldstore is none of his business, no question asked, and no need to repent when he alive, no need to give justice to those innocence that suffers in his political gain.
A lot older now, Frost should be wiser to know it is futile to get LKY to talk, not at this stage with 2 feet already in the grave. Besides, Frost should be able to anticipate our old fart will put the blame on GKS, TohCC, Barker for operation coldstore,.... Dhana, Tony for the losses in Temasek and GIC, ....GohCT for selecting his son to take over as PM, ....MahBT for the escalating HDB prices, ....TeoCH for the 6.9 M white paper. He may even blame Nathan for his role in serving the Japs or claim he distracted the Japs with inaccurate translations, thus aiding the allied forces. Come to think of it, perhaps Frost can convince our old fart that he will be nominated for some kind of Nobel prize if he were to give a no holds bar interview. The old fart might just take the bait since he loves adulation and attention. LOL
DeleteAhem...Frost has already gone to meet the maker...he may be doing a second interview with Tricky Dicky now. As for the old fart, well...his nemesis JBJ is waiting for him with a hatchet in the cul-de-limbo...
DeleteAhem...thanks. perhaps one of the Frost juniors can do the interview before the old fart becomes totally incoherent.
DeleteIn a month's time, it would be empress dowager's 3rd "anniversary". Looking at the wide gaping mouth and the mysterious last minute withdrawal from the 90th annversary bash, chances are high he will share his pal suharto's fate of following Ibu 3 years after her passing. I don't wish anyone harm, but life in that open-mouth state of near senility is indignant, at least Alzheimer victims fade away quickly with no memories. I don't beleive he would be spared some hallucinations from time to time. Anyway the similarity with suharto will extend to the children and cronies will not suffer tricky dick's ignoble ends, for the billions in black accounts await that final trip to Austria for the whole family - a handover ceremony. Pity the SQ crew of 24 hr standby, at least the bankers in vienna are paid by the hour, $2k per hour :)
ReplyDeletelong live kuan yew
Deletehe must not die ... too many waiting for him in netherworld
gecko, in-law, victims of japanese invaders, no alcohol i resign, jb, ... aiyah I too young to know who n who
ah ha .. so many
The man has no experience in failure, except for Malaysia ejecting him ( and because of him we too).
ReplyDeleteFrom that time on, he never knew failure.. winning every election, implementing new laws.. never did he failed.
A blessed life, a wondrous life. No fear.. dont even understand what is fear.Even upon death.
Never ever felt pain
Never ever experienced poverty
Never ever failed exams
Never ever applied for an HDB
Never ever washed clothes
Never ever cooked a meal
Indeed a privileged life.
$500 a unit for paperworks .... starting using by using manual typewriters ... electric typewriters n now computers
Deletemust had collected close to $500,000,000 BY NOW (1,000,000 units ???)
HUNGER, SINFUL AND POVERTY DO NOT EXIST IN THEIR VOCABULARY
..... IS THIS WHAT WE MEANT;
"MONEY GROWING ON TREES" OR "SINGAPORE STREETS ARE PAVED WITH GOLD (for some)"
Being ejected by Malaysia is not failure - it's part of the plan. No?
Deletelong live kuan yew
ReplyDeletedo not die before your son hsien loong
else you have to jump out of the bucket .... that is, if you really can
Why does LKY, supposedly a learned man, comes to be so loathe by his citizens?
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad conclusion !
It's only the beginning
Deletea righteous man will not work for the the japanese invaders during the WW2
ReplyDeletefrom period drama that I had viewed ... they called such people running dogs
but he is not alone, amongst them was an ex-president too .... his nickname is prataman
They are not called running dogs, running dogs are stooges and bootlickers.
ReplyDeleteThose who work for the enemy and or sell their souls and fellow countrymen are called TRAITORS.
but they claimed to be interpreters to for their japeNis masters
Deletethey must have felt they doing a noble task .. probably please they were trying to reduce the world population
was KFC man also one???
/// Wonder how much Frost will have to pony up to get Lee Kuan Yew to talk. ///
ReplyDeleteMore likely Kuan Yew pay David Frost to incentivize Frost to interview him. wah! so important that even david frost want to interview.
.... he even request China CCTV News (Dialogue) host Yang Rui to interview him (according to the host)
Deleteneed to verify .... ???? check the interview
wonder if he "requested" his face to appear daily on the programme
"Dominance in any space breeds complacency and enables the luxuries of political squabbling, sclerosis and loss of focus. Competence becomes incompetence, and the infrastructure that fosters creativity and flexibility--that is, a keen appreciation of risk and spontaneity--is slowly dismantled.
ReplyDeleteThat applies not just to corporations but to governments, nations and empires."
I wonder if this also applies to dominant political parties led by a dominant personality?
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-07/guest-post-when-dominance-leads-incompetence-and-catastrophe
"At the onset of World War II, Lee was working at the Shell depot at Batu Pahat. As the Japanese invaded Malaya, he was evacuated and returned to Singapore in his Baby Austin car before the Causeway was destroyed.
ReplyDeleteLee Kuan Yew wrote that the difficulties of the Japanese Occupation "sobered (his father) and he became more responsible in hard times". Lee took a job with the military department dealing with oil supplies, and found his eldest son his first job, as a clerk.
After the war, Lee resumed his job with the Shell Oil Company. He was a manager in charge of the depots at Pasir Panjang in Singapore and would later work at depots in Stulang and Johor Bahru in Malaya. After his retirement from Shell, Lee worked at B P De Silva Jewelers, a shop in Singapore's High Street selling jewellery and watches."
unquote.
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(Lee Chin Koon, father of lee kuan yew - www_hardwarezone_com_sg)
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/eat-drink-man-woman-16/lee-chin-koon-father-lee-kuan-yew-3682841.html
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http://singaporedesk.blogspot.sg/2013/08/elephant-in-room.html
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http://singaporedesk.blogspot.sg/2013/08/a-teaching-moment.html
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http://singaporedesk.blogspot.sg/2013/08/sad-stories.html
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http://sgforums.com/forums/10/topics/127699
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http://yeocheowtong.com/
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http://www.tremeritus.com/2013/08/19/nurturing-the-habit-to-speak-up-listen-will-be-a-mark-of-osc%E2%80%99s-success/
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http://www.tremeritus.com/2013/09/09/when-i-was-a-student-i-believed-pap/
Joshua Chiang