There's a tacky story on today's "Page Six" in the New York Post about Mariane Pearl -- yes, the widow of Daniel -- and her conflicts with the Wall Street Journal. It's about money and celebrity and Mariane's desires to use the Journal as the instrument of her fame. You see, when Muslim terrorists kill your husband it's only fair to profit off his death. Wasn't that a clause in Daniel's insurance policy?
Frankly, I was a little bit repelled by the persona that emerged of Mariane after the ritualized beheading of Daniel. She was so chic and had such chic opinions. I suspected that Judea Pearl, the victim's father, shared some of my anxieties about her new presence on the (world) stage. Which is why we asked him to write about A Mighty Heart, the film of her version of his killing and its meaning. Read it. It is altogether dignified but quite revealing, especially if you read between the lines.
And, yes, I do read the Post whenever I am in New York. One reason is out of nostalgia for Max Lerner and Murray Kempton's Post from my childhood, which today's Post in no way resembles. The second, alas, is because of "Page Six." It keeps me young...in a certain prurient way.