LOS ANGELES, Dec 21 (Reuters) - "Festivus" has come early
for Larry David, the multimillionaire brains behind "Seinfeld"
and "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
The liberal television icon took to the editorial pages of
the New York Times on Tuesday to declare -- sarcastically --
that his life was finally getting better now that the Obama
administration has extended Bush-era tax cuts for two years.
"There is a God! It passed! The Bush tax cuts have been
extended two years for the upper bracketeers, of which I am a
proud member, thank you very much ... This is a life changer,"
David wrote in a missive headlined "Thanks for the Tax Cut!"
Forbes magazine in 1998 estimated that David, now 63, was
worth $242 million, second among entertainers behind his
"Seinfeld" cohort Jerry Seinfeld. David subsequently created
and starred in "Curb Your Enthusiasm," but he also got divorced
from his wife of 14 years in 2007.
In his op-ed column, David joked that he was planning a
Christmas vacation in the Mexican resort of Cabo San Lucas with
with his daughters.
"We were going to fly coach, but now with the money I'm
saving in taxes, I'm going to splurge and bump myself up to
first class. First class! Somebody told me they serve warm nuts
up there, and call you 'mister.' I might not get off the
plane!" he said.
The noted curmudgeon said he would finally be able to
splurge on a flat-screen television and blueberries.
"Did you know they have a lot of antioxidants, which
prevent cancer? Cancer!" he wrote. "This tax cut just might
save my life."
David's seven-paragraph tract contained 10 exclamation
points, which would surely appeal to one of his "Seinfeld"
characters. Elaine Benes, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, once
broke up with a boyfriend because he was averse to using the
punctuation mark. In another episode, the characters celebrated
"Festivus" as a noncommercial alternative to Christmas.
In a compromise deal with Republicans, U.S. President
Barack Obama last week signed off on an $858 billion package
that prevented an increase in the top two income tax rates,
lessened estate taxes, and held in place certain deductions and
the current rate a tax on gifts, which is usually paid by the
wealthy. The administration has said it will try to end the tax
breaks when they expire again in two years.
(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
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