[2] An Edgy, Gritty Precursor to the Film `The Insider' Finds Going Tough.PHILADELPHIA--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Dec. 16, 1999-- Publishing legend Lyle Stuart had set the stage for a blockbuster block·bust·er n. 1. Something, such as a film or book, that sustains widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales. 2. A high-explosive bomb used for demolition purposes. 3. when his Barricade Books released Frank Freudberg's controversial novel Gasp! -- a tobacco industry thriller thrill·er n. One that thrills, especially a sensational or suspenseful book, story, play, or movie. thriller Noun -- in 1996. The timing was perfect. Tobacco stories were making international headlines everyday, and the book was garnering stellar reviews. The Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. wrote, "The only problem with Freudberg's novel Gasp! is trying to figure out whom Hollywood will cast as the dying journalist-turned-terrorist whose vendetta vendetta (vĕndĕt`ə) [Ital.,=vengeance], feud between members of two kinship groups to avenge a wrong done to a relative. Although the term originated in Corsica, the custom has also been practiced in other parts of Italy, in other against the cigarette industry kills almost 400 people." Barricade publicists cheered when that review was picked up all over the world. The AP review ended with this heads-up: "Hollywood's leading actors should be asking their agents about this one. If a movie version turned out to be as riveting riv·et·ing adj. Wholly absorbing or engrossing one's attention; fascinating: The last chapter was so riveting that I was reading past midnight. as the book, it would be a big winner." But Hollywood never jumped, and the major book chains were reluctant to stock the book. The problem may have been fear of copycatting. The story describes how a man dying of lung cancer lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. plotted to bring down the tobacco industry by an elaborate scheme of planting sodium cyanide sodium cyanide n. A poisonous white crystalline compound, NaCN, used in extracting gold and silver from ores and in dye manufacture. Noun 1. in cigarettes. Three years later, the novelist's earnings amount to less than $10,000, while another Big Tobacco tale, Michael Mann's The Insider starring Al Pacino, has so far grossed $24 million. Three movie production firms offered options on Gasp!, but the offers were low and the novelist's agents rejected them. Freudberg recalls a recent letter from a woman who claimed that she had not missed a day of work in 18 years -- until she stayed up until daybreak finishing the novel. "When people read Gasp!, they either love it or hate it," Freudberg says. "The agents claim it's only a matter of time until Hollywood recognizes the value of the property. The book has very little exposure, but even three years after its release, I still get email and letters from people all over the world." Last year Freudberg bought the book rights back from Barricade. So far, his only continuing income from Gasp! dribbles in from Amazon.Com. Amazon sends Freudberg royalty checks for the few copies it sells each month. "Last month, Amazon sent me a check for $9.45," he said. "I took the money and bought my eight-month-old son a book." |
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