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Monday, March 24, 2003

Latest on Kevin & Bean / Jacques Chirac incident, from Variety:
Did KROQ morning team Kevin & Bean actually get on the phone with France president Jacques Chirac by impersonating Jerry Lewis? Lewis' attorneys would sure like to know.

Listeners two weeks ago heard the top-rated radio duo, along with sidekick Ralph Garman (who does a solid Lewis impersonation), supposedly call Chirac's office as part of a bit. The DJs sounded genuinely shocked when Chirac, who at first questioned whether he was talking to Lewis, actually got on the phone and talked for eight minutes.

But was it really Chirac? No one seems to know. KROQ owner Viacom has muzzled the radio team, who haven't mentioned it on air since, and released a terse statement: "We're looking into it and there's no further comment."
A Viacom insider out says the company believes Kevin & Bean did somehow talk to Chirac and takes the matter seriously.

Lewis' attorney Alan Isaacman reviewed the tape and says he still can't figure out if the KROQ jocks tricked Chirac into thinking he was talking to Jerry Lewis. But just in case they did, Isaacman is reviewing how to respond to the matter-- including potential legal action.

"For some radio host to impersonate a person of Jerry's stature to deceive the president of France is irresponsible and reprehensible," Isaacman says. "Now if Jerry Lewis makes a call to a foreign dignitary, the person on the other end might not know if it's actually him."

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