Meeting Mr. Moviefone

I raced to CNN's L.A. offices on Sunset this past Tuesday for a last minute appearance on CNN Headline News' "Showbiz Tonight."

Yup -- Mike the media whore was back! And booked to talk about the network upfronts. I met the segment producer in the CNN greenroom, where he introduced me to a tall surfer-looking dude, complete with bronze tan and half-unbuttoned blue shirt.

Bronze surfer dude's name was Russ Leatherman -- but I thought nothing more of it. Until bronze surfer dude opened his mouth.

Holy crap, it was Mr. Moviefone!

Leatherman/Moviefone is a pro. The second the camera was on, the voice came out. Booming down the hallway at CNN West. (Standing outside the studio for my turn, I heard it all.) Leatherman/Moviefone isn't really a critic, but he's regularly seen on CNN and other outlets giving his movie pics.

Having sold Moviefone to AOL in 2000, Leatherman/Moviefone made some bank. No longer CEO of the company, he now spends most of his time simply serving as the face of the organization. The guy's on TV so much, he even owns his own IFB (those earpieces used by reporters and interviewees on live TV). Leatherman carries it with him -- guess you never know when you're suddenly going to do a live interview somewhere.