OFF BEAT: Writer claims line in Oscar contender hustled him, wants $1M
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One line, $1 million — that’s the going rate for Paul Brodeur, a science journalist and staff writer at The New Yorker for almost 40 years, who claims the 2013 hit film “American Hustle” incorrectly attributed to him a comment about, of all things, microwave cooking.
The questionable claim that microwave cooking robs food of its nutrition was made by Jennifer Lawrence’s Rosalyn character in the movie to husband Irving, played by Christian Bale, and attributed to Mr. Brodeur, who asserts his reputation was damaged to the tune of $1 million by the single sentence.
He labeled the offending line a “scientifically unsupportable statement.”
He is alleging libel, defamation, slander and false light in his suit filed last Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court against the companies that produced and distributed the film, Columbia Pictures, Atlas Entertainment and Annapurna Pictures.
While the film may appear to have its legal troubles, it was a critical and box-office success, garnering 10 Academy Award nominations and taking in more than $150 million.
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