賴斯簽約好萊塢著名經紀公司
The former professor and Stanford University provost has been in the Bush administration since its beginning, first as national security adviser and then as secretary of state. Her appointment ended on Tuesday afternoon, after Barack Obama was sworn in as president.
Although most other members of the Bush administration, save Karl Rove, might have trouble finding such a wide-ranging deal, Rice found a strong market among talent agencies.
"It was certainly a competitive situation," said Jim Wiatt, chairman and CEO of the William Morris Agency. "She was very thorough about the process and who she would feel most comfortable with and who would be speaking on her behalf."
It's unlikely that Rice will turn up as a talking head on television, however. The deal includes William Morris representation for books, lecture appearances and philanthropic initiatives, as well as business initiatives in media, sports and communications.
WMA co-chief operating officer Wayne Kabak said that the agency was struck not only by Rice's well-rounded resume. In addition to her political career, Rice is an accomplished concert pianist as well as a big-time National Football League fan.
"It's more than just books, it's much more than just lectures," Kabak said. "We're here to help her create and enhance an agenda that is very important to her in her post-government career."
That agenda will include philanthropic efforts involving classical music and college educations for disadvantaged students, as well as initiatives to help US children become global citizens.
In support of those efforts, Rice might appear on camera, but she won't be traveling the well-worn path as a news or policy analyst.
"She's not interested in being a shadow secretary of state," Kabak said. "It's not her goal to go on morning talk shows the day after something happens. That's not what she wants to do."
威廉•莫里斯經紀公司於本週三宣佈，美國前國務卿康多莉扎•賴斯已成爲其簽約客戶，這是賴斯在布什政府的任期結束後邁出的重要一步。
曾經做過大學教授以及斯坦福大學教務長的賴斯在布什政府組建之初就爲其效力，起初擔任國家安全事務顧問，之後成爲國務卿。本週二下午，巴拉克•奧巴馬宣誓就職後，她的任期也隨即結束。
除了卡爾•羅夫以外，布什政府的大多數成員可能都不太容易能找到如此好的一個歸宿，不過賴斯在經紀人公司那裏倒是頗有市場。
威廉•莫里斯經紀公司主席兼首席執行官吉姆•韋特說：“當時競爭很激烈。她對整個選擇的過程、跟誰合作最輕鬆、以及誰會成爲她的代理人等環節要求都非常細緻。”
不過，賴斯不太可能以電視節目主持人的身份現身。雙方簽署的合約項目包括威廉•莫里斯公司所做的書籍代言、出席講座、以及慈善活動，另外還包括媒體、運動和社交方面的一些商業活動。
威廉•莫里斯經紀公司聯席執行官韋恩•卡巴科稱他們看中的並不僅僅是賴斯無懈可擊的個人履歷。除其從政經歷以外，賴斯還是一位出色的音樂會鋼琴演奏家，同時還是國家足球聯賽的超級球迷。
卡巴科透露說：“她要參與的活動不僅限於書籍和講座。我們要幫她製作並實現她從政生涯結束之後另一個重要的發展規劃。”
這個規劃將包括推動古典音樂以及貧困學生大學教育等方面的慈善活動，還會在幫助美國兒童成爲世界公民方面有一些舉措。
爲了宣傳這些活動，賴斯可能需要出鏡，但肯定不會走大家已經很熟悉的那種新聞分析師或政策分析師路線。
卡巴科說：“她不想活在國務卿的影子裏。她的目標不是每天一早上脫口秀評論頭一天發生的事情。那並不是她想做的事情。”
Vocabulary:
William Morris Agency (WMA): 威廉•莫里斯經紀公司，好萊塢三大經紀公司之一，旗下藝人包括茱莉亞·羅伯茨、梅爾· 吉布森、章子怡等。
save Karl Rove: 除了卡爾•羅夫以外（卡爾•羅夫，布什總統高級顧問，是布什兩屆競選的幕後高參，被成爲“布什的腦袋”，於2007年辭職。）
talking head: 電視節目主持人
