Friday, October 4, 2013

Schapelle Corby's TV payday could make her a multi-millionaire

Revisit the jail cell that has been home to the convicted drug smuggler for the past decade.
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Schapelle Corby at a Christmas service at Kerobokan Jail in 2010.
Schapelle Corby at a Christmas service at Kerobokan Jail in 2010.
Mr Anderson told News Corp despite the fact Corby has polarised the public since 2004 when she was sentenced to 20 years for importing 4.2kg of cannabis into Bali, "hers is a significant story which hasn't diminished in value.''
While her sister Mercedes and mother Ros have pocketed regular money for magazine updates, it is Corby's story in her own words that continues to generate "so much intrigue."
"There's still a lot of questions to be answered and no one really knows what Schapelle has been through," Mr Anderson said.
"There's so much intrigue and if she's able to really talk, this is the kind of exclusive interview you could spread across two or three nights. This would push all the buttons for a great TV drama ... what actually happened (with the drugs), her time in jail, what it's been like to spend so much of her life in jail."
But the price tag for the interview would hang on any parole conditions which could prohibit Corby from speaking openly about her prison time and court conviction, as well as her physical and mental condition.
Mr Anderson said: "There are still considerable hurdles to overcome, but there is no question, if handled properly, this could be a great opportunity for Schapelle to tell her story and negotiate a similar deal (to the Beaconsfield miners)."
husband
Schapelle Corby's sister Mercedes, her husband Wayan Widiarta and their children visit Kerobokan Jail for Schapelle's 33rd birthday in Bali, Saturday July 10. 2010.
The Corby camp has previously been able to evade Australian proceeds of crime laws by having the cash paid into the account of Schapelle's Bali-based brother-in-law, Wayan Widyartha.
An AFP spokesperson said yesterday that it would not be appropriate to speculate on the likelihood of any future legal proceedings.
Webb and Russell cashed in on their miracle survival, selling their story to PBL Media for $2.6 million which included a two-part sit down with A Current Affair's Tracey Grimshaw - billed on Nine as The Great Escape - followed by print interviews in the now defunctBulletin magazine, Australian Women's Weekly and Woman's Day.
They also sold the rights to their story to producers of the telemovie, Beaconsfield, which was a critical and ratings hit last year.
Their deal stands as Australia's richest TV tell-all, ahead of Thredbo disaster survivor Stuart Diver, wrongly convicted Lindy Chamberlain and Iraqi kidnap victim, Douglas Wood.
Nine's 60 Minutes and Seven's Sunday Night would be regarded as the biggest spenders, but Channel 10 could want to mark its rebranding as a serious player by clinching the Corby story for its Eyewitness news team.
Interestingly, Channel 9 has "gone dark" on details of its production of a Corby telemovie, based on the book Sins Of The Father by journalist Eamon Duff which was at the centre of a lawsuit won by the Corby family over photos used without their permission.
The production, to be directed by Khoa Do (who helmed the SBS drama Better Man about the execution of a Melbourne man convicted of drug smuggling in Singapore), was due to begin filming this month on the Gold Coast but all news of casting has been silenced.
While sources claim the gag order was to keep Corby's aggressive supporters from disrupting the production, it could also help Nine to keep the peace with her family during any future TV tell-all negotiations.
Corby would have to serve out her parole in Bali, where she would live with her sister Mercedes and brother-in-law in Kuta.
It is understood that the family has not negotiated any media deal yet for Schapelle's release and is currently focusing on fulfilling all the requirements for parole to be granted.