Stephen Glass staying in limelight

Penn's most famous liar remains in the public eye after publishing his semi-autobiographical novel, writing an article for Rolling Stone magazine and soon having his tale told in a feature film.

A Penn alum and former Daily Pennsylvanian executive editor, Stephen Glass earned public notoriety in 1998 for fabricating stories while reporting for The New Republic magazine.

Nevertheless, Rolling Stone recently hired Glass to write an article about illegal drugs in Canada for its next issue. Rolling Stone spokeswoman Claudia DiRomualdo said that the magazine believed Glass deserved a second chance and that he is a talented writer.

But the infamous fabricator is not expected to fade from the public eye just yet -- although Glass is not involved with the project, he is the subject of Shattered Glass, a film to be released nationally Nov. 14, according to Tom Ortenberg, president of releasing at the Lions Gate Films production company.

The movie -- based on a Vanity Fair article about Glass' life -- stars actors Hayden Christensen and Hank Azaria and focuses on Glass' time at The New Republic, Ortenberg said.

Shattered Glass "doesn't pretend to represent reality in all its... detail, but it tries to present a fair representation of what happened," said Charles Lane, the editor who fired Glass from The New Republic. Lane, now a Washington Post reporter, cooperated with producers, giving them an inside look at how the events unraveled.

Though Glass never responded to the production company's requests to comment on the screenplay, Ortenberg said that other sources, including editors and reporters, helped filmmakers create an accurate portrayal of the scandal.

"Certainly, the film portrays Stephen Glass in an unflattering light, but its mission was not to condemn him," Ortenberg said. "The film's mission... was to ask the question of how do people like Stephen Glass come into being. There are no excuses made, no whitewashing.... He is absolutely held accountable for his actions."

The movie will be released in both art houses and commercial multiplexes, and Ortenberg said it would probably appeal to a wide audience. Yet, early response to the movie has been less than favorable.

Earlier this week, an invitation-only sneak preview was poorly attended -- according to Washingtonian magazine, only five people showed up for the screening.

Sales for Glass' book The Fabulist -- published last May -- have been equally unimpressive, with the book failing to make its way to any bestseller list, even after Glass appeared on the television show 60 Minutes. On Amazon.com, its average consumer rating is three out of five stars, and its current sales rank is 49,567.

"It's a colossal flop," said Jonathan Chait, Glass' former colleague at The New Republic. "The book was spectacularly awful on every single level, including writing," he added, noting that Glass cast blame on others in the novel rather than fully admitting his own guilt.

Lane -- who said he borrowed a copy of the book instead of buying one -- expressed similar disdain for the novel. "I don't feel it's a very good book, and I don't think it's clear from reading the book whether it's an exercise in remorse or an exercise in payback."

Peter Spiegel -- managing editor of the DP while Glass was a reporter -- said that the book changed the minds of some who still supported Glass.

"I was disappointed he wrote it, because I really think he was putting his life back together and kind of getting back on his feet," Spiegel said of Glass' post-scandal career as a lawyer.

Some of Glass' other colleagues from his DP days said that they have abstained from reading the book.

While Helen Jung -- the DP's executive editor before Glass -- said that she has not yet decided if she will read the book, she does recall Glass' driving desire to write dazzlingly perfect articles.

"The thing about Glass is that he was such an easy reporter to have on your staff. He was always willing to work super hard, always concerned that he would get you a great story," said Jung, now an Associated Press reporter. "He was so easy to tease, because if he did anything that was at all wrong, he would look at you with these puppy dog eyes and say, 'Do you hate me?'"

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