Former Observer Editor to Clean Up Spitzer's Mess

Peter Elkind Don't know how we missed this one at the end of April, but, thankfully, Texas Monthly editor Evan Smith took note. Because, according to the The New York Observer, former Dallas Observer editor Peter Elkind's done landed himself a nice six-figure payday with a book about former New...

By Robert Wilonsky

May 20, 2008

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Peter Elkind

Don't know how we missed this one at the end of April, but, thankfully, Texas Monthly editor Evan Smith took note. Because, according to the The New York Observer, former Dallas Observer editor Peter Elkind's done landed himself a nice six-figure payday with a book about former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, felled by his affinity for doling out his hard-earned to one Ashley Alexandra Dupré. Notes The Observer, a Penguin imprint's paying the former bossman about $350,000 to write the book pronto, which is why Peter's in NY this very moment.

Appropriately, Peter's writing the book in conjunction with Oscar-winning doc-maker Alex Gibney, who turned Peter and Bethany McLean's book Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron into a doc for Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's Magnolia Pictures. Gibney's Spitzer doc will be released the same time the book's published. And, yes, as a comment to the story notes, Peter and Spitzer were at Princeton at the same time: Peter graduated in 1980; Spitzer, a year later. A whole new meaning, perhaps, to friends with benefits? --Robert Wilonsky

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