Los Angeles, March 18, 2007 – These days the term “hoax” brings to mind bombs and Anthrax, but the movie called The Hoax involves a 1970s literary scandal, when Clifford Irving published a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes. Irving went to prison for more than a year, and had to repay his publishers, and then he wrote a novel about the experience called The Hoax, and sold it to Hollywood and now its been made into a movie starring Richard Gere. Oh, and Irving consulted on the film. Brilliant!

Gere must want this film to do well, because he was uncharacteristically friendly at a Mann’s Festival Theater screening on Sunday, smiling and joking and chatting with journalists. He was with his wife, Carrie Lowell. Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden costars, as does the luminous Julie Delpy. Alfred Molina was a no-show at the premiere.