Sully Eyes Payday, While Blago Might Lose His

Does a hero become less heroic when he cashes in? Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot who landed his stalled U.S. Airways passenger jet in the Hudson River with no casualties, is in talks with publishers to write a book, or maybe a pair of them. Crain's reports that Sullenberger has already received at least one offer, a two-book deal worth $2.5 million. His agent is using a first-person article he wrote for Newsweek as the basis of his proposal.

Meanwhile, a somewhat less venerated figure may have to forfeit his own cash-in memoir if the Illinois legislature gets its way. Lawmakers there are set to approve a bill that would prevent any elected official convicted of a felony or misdemeanor involving a violation of his or her oath of office from enjoying a monetary gain involving a "media depiction or detailing of the crime for which the person was convicted." The bill -- which, of course, was written to block former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich from earning six figures from his book deal -- is being opposed by First Amendment groups.