The Freston Follies: Sex, Drugs, and MySpace
Oct. 27 2008, Published 7:07 a.m. ET
DUDE, WHERE'S MY JOB? Freston A person who knew nothing about ex-Viacom chairman Tom Freston would have learned the following by attending a luncheon in his honor yesterday:
1. He was recently canned and paid a lot of money in severance, though no one seems to agree on just how much.
2. He is a fan of recreational drugs and may have worked as a smuggler in his youth.
3. He really should have tried harder to buy MySpace.
4. He is a terrible dancer.
As we recently reported, Freston was booked as the Center for Communication's annual honoree well before getting the ax from Viacom honcho Sumner Redstone in September, and the group was pleasantly surprised when he didn't cancel. During the cocktail hour, RadarOnline.com couldn't help but ask why: "I had plenty of time on my schedule, and you never want to say no to a good meal," Freston deadpanned, as guests Brian Grazer, Harvey Weinstein, Les Moonves, and Russell Simmons mingled nearby.
Now that he's back on the market, would Simmons considering hiring him? "Absolutely not!" the Def Jam founder said, before laying it on thick. "I don't have a job that's worthy of Tom Freston's talents. But I will say this: He has used his talents so wisely for the good of other people that God may be the only one who could hire him. He's like an angel!"
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