THIS IS WHAT THE EVIL, SOUL-SUCKING TV INDUSTRY IS ALL ABOUT

Six years ago I kissed goodbye my career as a journalist. Which, in hindsight, may not have been such a bad thing, given what's happened to the print business in the last few years. I'd had pretty cool jobs at big national publications, but in early 2002, I was editing a trade magazine dedicated to the adult internet business. In other words, I was feeling like a giant-sized bag o' fail. 

Then VH1 came calling. They were looking for journalists to help produce a show called Ultimate Albums. It was a brutal, pressure-filled environment in which producers were being fired mid-stream if they didn't have their shit, and their scripts, totally together. For whatever reason, I was able to hang on, and decided that I wanted continue to pursue TV as a career. What was I thinking (but that's a story for another day)?

Along the way, I began pitching shows to my big boss at VH1. None stuck, until maybe now, although I'm not getting any credit for it. In an email dated July 5, 2002, I sent an email with some ideas to my friend Jennifer Vineyard, who worked for MTV in New York. Here's a synopsis for one: 

Birthright: What's it like to be the scion of a rock god or goddess. This 30-minute show would explore the lives of rock star progeny. What path did they take in their lives? Do rock stars make good parents? Lots to choose from here: Wendy and Carnie Wilson; Chynna Phillips; Elijah Blue Allman; Jakob Dylan; Jason Nesmith; Louis Goffin; Rufus Wainwright; Derek Trucks; Julian and Sean Lennon; Zak Starkey; Jason Bonham; Teddy Thompson. Of course, parent and child could jam together at the end of each show.

Six years later, Jen sent me an email: "Sounds like you came up with Cradle of Rock," she wrote. Did I really come up with Cradle of Rock, or is it an amazing coincidence? Is it odd that the person to whom I pitched the show said to the the production company that picked it up that he'd been trying to sell it for five years? Is it odd that he told me he didn't have hiring power for the show when I later learned he was in fact interviewing producers for that very show?

Certainly, the idea is not brain surgery, so I'll give the responsible party the benefit of the doubt. I'm not mad, but it does confirm how ugly and evil this business can be.