(3 of 3)
One involves the chumminess that seems to surround deals between ABC and its Hollywood producers. Hayes, for instance, is not only the lawyer, manager, accountant and negotiator for Spelling and Goldberg, but also Rule's lawyer and the manager of his personal accounts. All three of Rule's children, moreover, work for Spelling, who produces by himself as well as with his partner. "Nepotism is everywhere," says Hayes with a shrug. "Who should you direct your children to? Strangers?"
Another issue raised is the responsibility of the networks. By refusing to pick up the full costs of new shows, they virtually force producers into some kind of inventive bookkeeping. "If a network has faith in its producers, it should pay them the money it costs to do the shows," says Goldberg. "They pay, we deliver. But they always want more added to the script.
Their ideas are bigger than their purse."
Spelling agrees, adding: "If it rains, it costs us $30,000. And if an actor is late, we pay. Script changes, which occur often, are also at our expense."
Many people in the industry approved of Van De Kamp's decision not to prosecute. "This is a dynamic business," says Manhattan Lawyer Richard Barovick, whose clients are mostly in entertainment.
"It's more creative than professional. This isn't manufacturing chairs in Wisconsin to be delivered in Tennessee."
What next? There will be tougher bookkeeping, and auditors will probably ask more revealing questions — for a while. "Things will tighten up," says Joel Segal, a broadcasting expert at the Ted Bates advertising agency. He adds cynically — or perhaps realistically: "Then it will get lax again." The moral, which the D.A. repeated several times: Hire a good accountant.
— By Gerald Clarke. Reported by Martha Smilgis/Los Angeles