Appearances: NPR, ABC “World News Tonight”

I was a guest this afternoon on Michelle Martin’s live National Public Radio talk show, “Talk of the Nation“, discussing New York City’s proposed ban on most uses of trans fats in restaurants. ABC News “World News Tonight” also had me comment for a news segment on the issue planned for tonight’s broadcast.

On NPR, NYC Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden claimed that it is always possible to duplicate the taste and other gustatory qualities of a trans fat recipe using other fats. For an example of a business that stumbled by buying into this particular premise, see Jun. 30 (West Virginia potato chip maker Mister Bee).

P.S. On the NPR audio clip, check out the section just before I come on where host Martin, interviewing Frieden, does a blind taste testing of two wafer cookies, one made with trans fats and one without. And here’s a mention by Bonnie Erbe at USNews.com (Sept. 27)(attributing to me “typical eloquently opinionated New York style”).

Filed under: NYC, on TV and radio, Thomas Frieden, trans-fats, West Virginia

Jim Blasingame, “The Small Business Advocate”

I was a guest this morning on the nationally syndicated radio show, discussing rumored BlackBerry lawsuits, wage and hour law, and class actions.

Filed under: BlackBerry, on TV and radio

Paul Harris show, KMOX

I was a guest this afternoon on Paul Harris’s radio show on KMOX, St. Louis. We discussed Judge Weinstein’s ruling certifying a national class action over “light” tobacco claims (see PoL Sept. 25), the court decision last week keeping alive the Pelman obesity case against McDonald’s (Sept. 22), and a deaf group’s lawsuit demanding captioning at Washington Redskins football games (Sept. 21). You can listen here — it’s practically a podcast.

Filed under: disabled rights, McDonald's, Missouri, on TV and radio, tobacco

WBAL “Ron Smith show”

I was a guest on the high-rated Baltimore show this afternoon, discussing my BlackBerry column.

Filed under: Baltimore, BlackBerry, Maryland, on TV and radio

CNBC “Morning Call” today

I’m scheduled to be a guest this morning at 11:45 Eastern Time on CNBC’s “Morning Call“, discussing the possibilities that employers will get sued over their employees’ “BlackBerry addiction“. I’ll be arguing that such suits are unlikely to get anywhere if filed.

Filed under: BlackBerry, on TV and radio, workplace

New Times column — Katrina verdict

My new column at the Times (U.K.) Online is on last week’s Mississippi Katrina insurance verdict. (Walter Olson, “Insurers can breathe easier over Katrina lawsuits”, Aug. 30). Concluding paragraph:

Major coverage issues remain to be resolved (and appealed), but at least we can take note at this point that America is not Zimbabwe or Bolivia. As Dickie Scruggs said before the Leonard ruling, “If you win it, it’s a huge win. If you lose it, you spin it the best way you can.”

Also, I was a guest last evening (6:30 p.m. Eastern) on Marc Bernier’s high-rated radio show, “The Talk of Florida” to discuss the article.

Filed under: Dickie Scruggs, insurance, Katrina, Mississippi, on TV and radio, United Kingdom, WO writings

Welcome Shane Warner listeners

I was a guest this morning on Shane Warner’s radio show on New Orleans’ WIST, discussing Judge Senter’s latest ruling in Katrina insurance coverage litigation. For more on that subject, see my posts at Point of Law here and here, Ted’s and Martin’s posts there, and my WSJ piece here.

Filed under: insurance, Katrina, Louisiana, New Orleans, on TV and radio

On the radio

Yesterday I was a guest on two radio shows. I joined Ron Smith on Baltimore’s WBAL to discuss my article, just out, on the lawsuit against MySpace for failing to chaperone a teenage user. And I joined Grover Norquist on his Rightalk broadcast to talk about the politics of liability reform.

Filed under: Baltimore, Maryland, MySpace, on TV and radio

O’Reilly radio today

I’m scheduled to be a guest on Bill O’Reilly’s radio program today, shortly after noon Eastern time, to talk about the role of judges.

Filed under: on TV and radio

“Hollywood Blackmail” on VH1, tonight

VH1, the cable entertainment channel known for its music videos, is running a feature news special on the problem of shakedowns and borderline-to-real extortion aimed at Hollywood celebrities. The channel interviewed me on camera to talk about some of the ways law can be used both as a remedy for shakedowns and as, itself, a weapon in the hands of the would-be shakedown practitioner. Producer Robin Edgerton tells me that several bits of the interview wound up making it into the finished program. It’s scheduled to air this evening under the title “VH1 News Presents — Hollywood Blackmail“.

Filed under: movies film and videos, on TV and radio