White House crashers looking for six-figure TV payday

associated press Barack Obama Bravo Joe Biden Larry King Larry King Live Michaele and Taregq Salahi Michaele Salahi President Barack Obama President Obama Salahis crashed State dinner Tareq Salahi The Real Housewives of D.C. the Salahis Vice president biden Vice President Joe Biden White House White House Crashers

1:13 pm, November 29th, 2009

Michaele and Tareq Salahi, the couple who crashed President Barack Obama‘s first state dinner, are in discussions with TV networks to sell their story for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

An unnamed TV executive tells the Associated Press the Salahis, who were pictured chatting up the president and also photographed with Vice President Joe Biden, are looking for a payday “in the mid-six figures range.”

Networks don’t openly pay for interviews, but often find ways around it by claiming they are just buying rights to air private photos or video.

Gossip Cop has always found it a bit sketchy when networks “buy the rights” to seemingly ordinary photos and videos for tens — sometimes hundreds — of thousands of dollars, and afterwards magically get that sought after interview, which they then claim was done for free.

The Salahis were slated to appear on “Larry King Live” tomorrow night, but have canceled, giving more credence to the report that they’re not talking for free these days.

But one really has to wonder about the Salahis and their desperate desire to be on TV. As you probably know, Michaele is trying to be chosen for “The Real Housewives of D.C.”

Gossip Cop wants to know: Do you think networks paying for interviews is a big deal or not? And would you watch the Salahis if they were interviewed by one of the networks?

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