More Messages: Setting the Bar Higher

Denver author (and former Rocky Mountain News staffer) J.R. Moehringer's star began to rise following the publication of his best-selling memoir, The Tender Bar -- and judging by this morning's episode of Good Morning America, he currently shares a constellation with some mighty bright lights. In a segment about sons raised by single mothers, Moehringer was featured alongside Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn, Illinois Senator Barack Obama and (ahem) former President Bill Clinton.

Things promise to keep getting better for Moehringer. Bar, which tells the tale of J.R.'s formative years in Manhasset, New York, where he was raised jointly by his mother and the regulars who lingered at the family watering hole, has been optioned by big-shot Hollywood producer Scott Rudin; in an article on the deal, Variety reported that Rudin outbid several other suiters with a "high six figure" offer. That's not quite Oprah-level money, but the company he keeps in the GMA package suggests that such a windfall may be in his future.

Call it legal Tender. -- Michael Roberts