Today's fake: now with extra cheese

A freelance writer has lost his gig with NBC, the New York Times reported, for ripping off dialogue from one of NBC's own shows. The unidentified writer composed the script for a short introductory feature shown before the Kentucky Derby last weekend. The featurette highlighted the bravery of a horse trainer who survived a firey airplane crash:

In the script, read by NBC's Tom Hammond, Matz was extolled because he "ran into the fire to save the lives of three children." Hammond paused dramatically and added, "Ran into the fire."

Man -- that's writing. And the producers of the recently cancelled show "The West Wing" would agree. In one episode, centered around a bombing:

Martin Sheen, who plays President Josiah Bartlet, delivered a speech praising the rescuers who "ran into the fire to help get people out." He paused and added dramatically, "Ran into the fire."

You know, if you've got to steal, steal from the best.

But this raises something that I've always wondered about. That guy who survived the airplane crash -- never mind his subsequent heroism -- that's the kind of event where people would look at the fact he was able to run at all, and say, "Man, was he lucky." Oh yeah? How lucky is it to get into an airplane crash in the first place? It's safer than driving, as we're constantly reminded.

Similarly "lucky" people would be miners who survived mine disasters, soldiers in Iraq who come home missing a leg, and the Houston area teen who contracted rabies while sleeping after being bitten by a bat (but only if he survives). Yeah, those are some lucky folks.

Me -- I've got a good job, a house, a great partner, and I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Good thing I'm not also "lucky."

television, fakes, plagarism