FIEGER ROAST MAY 15TH
TO BENEFIT ASPIRING JOURNALISTS

Geoffrey Fieger, arguably Michigan’s best-known trial lawyer of the last two decades, will be roasted Thursday, May 15 at “The People vs. Fieger . . . The Modesty Tour” benefit program. Tickets are available to the general public. The Roast is sponsored by the Detroit Metropolitan Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) with proceeds going to aspiring young journalists.

“This is a great opportunity for fans, friends, rivals, colleagues, supporters and even detractors to have fun at Fieger’s sufferance for a good cause,” said Sandra Combs Birdiett, president of SPJ and head of the Journalism Institute for Minorities, Wayne State University.

Participants will include roast organizer Vicki Lange, SPJ vice president, membership, and co-founder, The Ballot Box; co-chairmen Ritschard Homberg, vice president and general manager, WXYT-WWJ; Federal Judge Avern Cohn and Sheldon L. Miller, a labor lawyer affiliated with Lopatin, Miller, Freedman, Bluestone, et al, and former president, Michigan Trial Lawyers’ Association.

Master of Ceremonies is famed radio/television weathercaster Marvin “Sonny” Eliot. Among those persons invited to serve as roasters include WJBK-Fox-TV Reporter Al Allen; TV personality Bill Bonds; Wayne County Prosecutor Mike Duggan; Detroit City Councilperson Kay Everett; Gov. Jennifer Granholm; WDIV-TV4 Anchor and Chief Political Correspondent Emery King; newspaper columnist Jack Lessenberry; Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga; former radio talk-show host Ronna Romney; Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Gene Schnelz; and WJR News/Talk 760 Morning Host Paul W. Smith; although it’s uncertain who will accept the challenge.

Fieger, a Michigan native and graduate of Oak Park High School, University of Michigan (U-M) and Detroit College of Law, today is considered one of the most high-profile lawyers in the U.S. According to Yale Kamisar, a law professor at U-M, “He’s certainly a successful lawyer and an effective lawyer . . . quite capable of being good without the histrionics. But look where the histrionics have gotten him. Anyone who needs a lawyer right now probably thinks of Geoffrey Fieger or Johnnie Cochran.”

“The People vs. Fieger . . . The Modesty Tour” takes place 6:00 p.m., Thursday, May 15, at the Troy Marriott Ballroom, 200 West Big Beaver Road (east of I-75 interchange) in Troy. The program includes cocktails from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., during which time guests may be photographed with Fieger; a sumptuous dinner from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and the roast to follow from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Detroit rapper/hip-hop entertainer Bee – The Real Queen – is preparing an original rap for Fieger, showcasing the talent which landed her a performance in New York before MTV and Sean “Puffy” Combs. Accompanying her will be an all-female dance-team revue.

Other surprises are in store for ticket holders, including the award of outstanding prizes.

Tickets for the roast are $100 per person or $1,000.00 for a table of 10. SPJ members are entitled to a $25.00 discount, although the discount is limited to the purchase of two tickets.

For more information, please contact:

Vicki Lange, Fieger Roast Organizer
(248) 646-5317 (telephone)
vellange@aol.com

Reserve your seats by sending checks (payable to SPJ) to:

SPJ – Metro Detroit Chapter
13542 Parkridge Drive
Shelby Township, Mich. 48315
Tony Malta, SPJ Administrator
ajmalta@earthlink.net (for information)