• After all the build-up, the actual film seems rather beside the point. But New Moon is here and looking to do the box office what vampires do to their victims, except not leaving them dead, but rather filled up with money. The second installment of the Twilight series has already become the all time online ticket sales champion. In it's opening weekend it is expected to rake in in the range of $85 million domestic, although there is some buzz that it could, just possibly, if we can dare to dream, break the magic $100 million opening weekend figure. [Hollywood Reporter]

• And if you are worried that what with there only being a couple Harry Potter movies left and Twilight being half over, that we might soon be running out of fantasy mega-cycles at our multiplexes, set your mind at ease, help is on the way. Lorenzo di Bonaventura yesterday nailed the rights to produce a film adaptation of the six chapter literary fantasy series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. Bonaventura, Variety notes, presided over the launch of the Potter series which has currently grossed $5.38 billion worldwide while he was head of production at Warner Brothers. [Variety]

• Oscar's got a new director. The fantastically named Hamish Hamilton, veteran of directing live concert events will take the Academy's baton under producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman. [Variety]

• The Academy however, majorly dissed its once darling Michael Moore. His latest installment of the Michael Moore Yells at The Rich cycle Capitalism, A Love Story, failed to make the short list of 15 films up for the Best Documentary prize. The list which included favorites Valentino: The Last Emperor, The Cove and Every Little Step, will be winnowed down to five nominees in February. [The Wrap]

• Forbes has done the math on the most-overpaid stars in Hollywood, coming up with a showbiz equivalent of a PE ratio, calculating how much their movies gross for every dollar they are paid. Topping the list: Will Ferrell whose films earn a mere $3.29 for every dollar he has paid. [Forbes]

• The New York Times reports on how early very obscure Oscar buzz for Jeff Bridges' performance as a country singer in Crazy Heart transformed a movie that its distributor had deemed unreleasable into a major awards contender. [NY Times]

• Asked in an interview with CNBC's Erin Burnett about the pending sale of NBC/Universal to Comcast, CEO Jeff Zucker was tight lipped, saying "I'm incredibly interested to see what will happen...Time will tell." Asked about his decision to upend NBC's schedule with the Jay Leno Experiment, Zucker deflected the question, focusing on the show's spin, saying he thought it was unfortunate that the move had been portrayed as part of a cost-cutting strategy and that its just about making great shows. His team is focused on doing "whatever it takes to put on the best television," he said, which is something less than saying either "We are committed to giving Jay as long as he needs to find an audience" or, on the other hand, "What the hell have we done!?" [Hollywood Reporter]

• In the first big pick-up of the Toronto Film Festival, The Weinstein Company came out on top after an "all night negotiating session" over the rights to designer Tom Ford's directorial debut A Single Man. For the newly contractually-joined pair, it was all a beautiful dream. Ford told Variety "Harvey and I have talked about a collaboration for years, in fact, since our first meeting more than 10 years ago." [Variety]

• Weinstein denied rumors, however, that the release of the Rob Marshall musical Nine is being pushed off until next year, a move which would have knocked it out of the Oscar race. The scuttlebutt started when when Weinstein pushed back the release of The Road, landing it on the same date as Nine had been booked to bow. The change would have shaken up an already wide-open Oscar race but Weinstein declared yesterday that we can handle two releases on one day just fine, thank you very much. [Hitfix]

• At Goldman Sachs' Communicopia in New York, Rupert Murdoch thrilled attendees with his plan to save big media by charging for NewsCorp content, starting with the Wall St. Journal Blackberry edition. Jeff Zucker for his part declared NBC's Jay Leno was blazing a trail to the future with his 10 PM show. Asked about a possible Vivendi deal to buy NBC from GE, Zucker was coy saying the company has been "a great partner." [Variety]

• If you worried that we were running low on ideas after Battleship—the A-Team film is moving forward. Jessica Biel and Sharlto Copley are in talks to star. [Hollywood Reporter]

• Red hot quirky comic Zack Galifianakis is in talks to star in the new film by writer-directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. The movie "It's Kind of a Funny Story" will also star Emma Roberts and is described as a "coming of age dramedy.' [Hollywood Reporter]

Of particular interest was how Leno, unwilling to go quietly off to Vegas or Branson to peddle corny jokes to the olds, grew disenchanted over time with the network's decision to appoint O'Brien as his successor in 2004, eventually forcing NBC head Jeff Zucker into offering him the nightly 10pm slot over fears that he might jump to ABC or FOX.

"Five years ago," Leno continued, "I think they thought we wouldn't still be on top. Back then, I said, ‘Whatever you want.' I don't have an agent. I don't have a manager. If the girl doesn't want to sleep with you, that's O.K. I'm not one of those guys who says, ‘Why don't you want to sleep with me?' I say, ‘O.K., great - let's be friends.' You want to make a change? That's great - we'll make a change."

As he became increasingly disgruntled, Leno began entertaining offers from other networks. Although viewership on network TV is shrinking and advertising is migrating to cable and (to a lesser degree) to the Web, topical shows with comedy and celebrity guests are inexpensive to produce and maintain a consistent appeal. Leno is a name brand - he could easily move to ABC or Fox and become O'Brien's competition, which is what NBC feared. "It became clear that Jay wanted to continue telling jokes on television at 11:30," Zucker said. To entice him to stay at NBC, Zucker offered Leno a daytime show, a cable show, a series of specials. When Leno turned all those down, Zucker proposed a half-hour show, five nights a week at 8 p.m. The idea was that Leno would just do his monologue, riffing off the events of the day. "Eight p.m. doesn't work," Leno explained to me. "I never assume anyone is watching because I'm good-looking. You're selling a product. In my particular instance, the product, hopefully, is jokes. With ‘The Tonight Show,' you have the jokes plus Angelina Jolie, and that's a little more enticement. A half-hour monologue every night doesn't seem like enough enticement."

Zucker made his final plea: an hourlong show at 10 p.m., five nights a week. To Zucker's surprise, Leno agreed. "I have believed, for a long time, that there should be a daily prime-time program with a topical format," Zucker told me. "I've never said this publicly before, but I approached Oprah Winfrey about her doing a daily hourlong show in prime time. She turned me down, but I rekindled the idea with Jay. The advantage of a show like that is it's easy to join, DVR-proof due to its topicality and different. Too much on television is the same show recycled. This will be a show that can provide an answer for the changing times we live in."

And then this paragraph near the end of the piece where O'Brien reflects back on the early struggles of his Late Night show is just fucking funny.

Critics attacked him (Tom Shales suggested in The Washington Post that "the host resume his previous identity, Conan O'Blivion"), and the NBC executives were anxious to replace him with Greg Kinnear, who was on the network at 1:30 a.m. "One executive," O'Brien recalled, "particularly despised Andy [Richter]. He told me I'd never succeed until I ‘got rid of that big fat dildo.' That was the tone of the conversations between us and the network."

Yes Andy Richter is a big fat dildo, and we can't wait to see him back on a show with Conan.

Heeere's...Conan!!! [New York Times]

It's brutal. Carter wrote around the quotes and got exactly what he wanted: to write a Riot-Act level piece capable of inciting the pitchfork-wielding masses of Hollywood suits, gossips, and former NBC employees who want a Blackberry lodged through Silverman and Jeff Zucker's skulls (and put on display prominently at the NBC-Universal commissary). The title alone ("NBC Hired a Hit Maker. It's Still Waiting.") is fairly cruel. But then again, so was what he managed to get. For the first time, we're seeing less signs of Silverman hanging himself out to dry, and what might be the first instances of a somewhat apologetic-sounding Jeff Zucker beginning to try and swim to shore on Ben. Yes, Zucker is now trying to save his own ass:

Jeff Zucker, Mr. Silverman's boss and the chief executive of NBC Universal, says he continues to value Mr. Silverman's work. "Ben has a skill set that is incredibly appropriate for these times," he said. "If we weren't supportive of Ben, he wouldn't be here."

Still, the fact that there has been no formal deal announced to renew Mr. Silverman's contract will probably set off speculation among Mr. Silverman's critics that Mr. Zucker does not want to make a public endorsement of him.

As for his personal life, Mr. Silverman said he had taken steps to temper his social profile, which made him a frequent target in the Hollywood blogosphere. (He famously held a party populated by models in bikinisand white tigers in cages.) "I am more conscious of how I'm being presented," he said.

The off-hand remarks:

He was quoted dismissing two network competitors as "D-girls" - or low-level development executives. "I should never have called them that," Mr. Silverman said.

Silverman's goal posts:

...In its current position, still last among the major networks, NBC needs up, not flat; it also had the Super Bowl this season and it won't next year. To pick up [the] slack, it will require something (or several somethings) shiny and successful out of Mr. Silverman's shop.

...as well as his removal from the day-to-day of developing and green-lighting shows, the programming failures (though there is some praise reserved for his success with The Biggest Loser and The Office, both of which arrived via him, before he got to NBC). Oh, and then there's this gem, which makes Silverman sound like he showed up to work on the first day in boardshorts, ready to rock the lot with a set of aged cedar bongos under his arms:

"What I didn't realize is, it's really hard to have a vision running a network," Mr. Silverman said. "You can have an agenda. But it's almost impossible to have a vision because of the scale of the business and the entropy that already exists."

What the hell were Zucker and Silverman thinking giving anything - quotes, on the record or off - to Carter in the first place? How did they not know he was gonna hang them out to dry? If anything, this is throwing a propane tank on the coals: the piece in it of itself represents a massive fuckup on both of their parts, and Silverman - probably sitting at home right now, face in a Pyrex - will inevitably go deeper into hiding from being the programming rockstar he once saw himself as, and further into the dark, cavernous corridors of his advertisers' offices to do the "business stuff" he imaginably despises. It doesn't help that they included a chart (pictured below) to show how terrible of a job Silverman's doing. Growing up: bummer, man.

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NBC Universal—which runs, among other things, NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA Network, Universal Studios, and a bunch of theme parks—pulled in a profit of $391 million in the first quarter of 2009, versus $712 million in the first quarter of the previous year.

It's yet another colossal failure in Zucker's cap: He single-handedly engineered the demise of NBC from first place to fourth; he spent insane amounts of money on the Olympics in Athens and Beijing, which netted great ratings but not enough ad revenue to keep profits growing; he hired a club-kid to run NBC; and he acknowledged defeat last month. But he keeps on keeping his job, maybe because he dazzles and confuses his General Electric boss Jeffrey Immelt with reflections from his exceedingly bald head.

NBC Universal blames the profit drop squarely on the broadcast television unit, which lets it mask poor executive decisions behind the general advertising recession. Yes, local TV advertising is down because nobody is buying cars. But NBC also says that the Super Bowl was a drag on profits:

While NBC aired Super Bowl XLIII to great ratings success, there were significant production costs to air the big game, combined with rights fees paid to the NFL. Those expenses added up to $45 million in the quarter.

"Ratings success" understates it: Super Bowl 43 was the most-watched Super Bowl game in history, and the second-most watched program in the history of television. That's right: NBC Universal is explaining it's poor performance last quarter by saying that it got stuck with broadcasting the No. 2 television broadcast since the medium was invented. Tough luck guys!

Also dragging down profits were expenses relating to the Beijing Olympics, another huge ratings success that, in the normal course of business, ought to mean more money, not less. DVD sales were also down significantly.

On the upside, NBC Universal's cable networks were up 19%, which explains why executives were describing boring old USA this week as the company's "single biggest asset."

Though Zucker has gotten some grudging credit for installing Leno as the network's 10pm player (all the better to distract you from that billion dollars of profit he's lost over the last three years!), Leno tells the NY Times that Zucker offered him some ridiculous, borderline-crazy ideas first:

He proposed a lot, starting with a half-hour show at 8 p.m. “That seemed way wrong,” Mr. Leno said.

Mr. Zucker then offered a prime-time slot every Sunday night. “Once a week is death,” Mr. Leno said.

So Mr. Zucker turned to another NBC Universal property, the USA cable network. Mr. Leno could have 11 p.m. (even though that would have cut into Mr. O’Brien’s “Tonight Show”). “That sort of seemed like living in the basement of your own house,” Mr. Leno said. “I’m still old enough to think network is the place.”

We're hardly Leno fans, but even we can't take pleasure in Zucker's offer of a much-worse, lower-rated talk show on USA, of all things. This man is somehow running NBC Universal! Did he really think that the workaholic Leno would eschew a huge payday and high-profile slot from rival suitor ABC so that he could follow lead-ins from Monk and Dr. Steve-O on basic cable? And that it would be a good idea to set up such a show to compete directly against NBC's The Tonight Show? Suddenly, the decision to greenlight Rosie Live! is making a whole lot more sense...

• Leno Discusses His Prime-Time Plans [NY Times]

Though Fey fired herself as Sarah Palin after the Republican ticket lost the election, the will of the people (and the network's biggest female star) is no match for the whims of tax credit-wielding lawmakers! According to New York, Fey was forced to reheat the impression for the state's Assembly Speaker and his Democratic caucus:

NBC boss Jeff Zucker asked her to make the appearance, according to Fey’s manager, David Miner. “He doesn’t ask every day for something,” Miner says. The lawmakers voted for legislation this year expanding tax credits for New York film and television productions, like 30 Rock. Miner says Fey was happy to be there, but one lawmaker in attendance isn’t convinced. “She seemed incredibly uncomfortable,” he said. “It was like she didn’t know what she was doing there. Someone said, ‘Do a Sarah Palin!’ and she did a Sarah Palin.” Fey posed for pictures before racing out to finish a script for a 30 Rock episode shooting the next day.

Will the country ever stop forcing an uncomfortable Fey (they said it, not us!) to sing for her supper when the woman runs a sitcom that demands her attendance? Or will Zucker continue to issue loaded threats to Fey, musing, "You don't have to do Palin for my godson's bar mitzvah, but what do you think about Kevin Eubanks getting a 9:30 Leno pre-show, hmm?"

• Zucker Calls, Fey Says ‘You Betcha’ [New York]

Jeff Zucker has canned pretty much everyone responsible for finding new NBC shows — except Silverman — and given nearly a quarter of the primetime schedule — i.e. what Silverman's supposed to fill — to Jay Leno by moving him to 10 p.m. As for Silverman's job performance since joining the network in 2007, NBC's ratings are still in the toilet, every one of the shows that Stiller has championed has either been cancelled (Knight Rider, Kath & Kim) or nonexistent (Without Breasts There Is No Paradise).

But never worry for hard-partying Ben: an "NBC source" tells the Post "there are many reasons why Silverman's contract, which expires in June, will likely be extended." Among those reasons: still blaming the year-old writer's strike and now the latest bloodletting itself. Silverman's own handpicked deputy was included on that list: Teri Weinberg, an executive he brought with him from his old production company and tasked with doing his job while he went skiing and chatted with Ryan Seacrest from the Olympics.

"Jeff wants to give Ben a chance to work with his own team in a normalized environment," said an NBC source.

An NBC source said Zucker thinks Silverman is "the best dealmaker in town," and that he "brings the show and the business together better than anybody."

Who could this source be? Silverman has a penchant for corporate nonsense-speak — "I think I am the audience, you know what I mean? I viscerally respond. I am conceptual and a dealmaker,” he once told me — and he's suspected as the one who griped to the Post's Page Six that NBC's troubles were all the fault of one of his now-fired subordinates.

But maybe we're jumping to conclusions. Why wouldn't NBC be scrambling to keep this suave operator around?

[via Deadline Hollywood Daily]

An old-fashioned, TV honcho dick-measuring contest! Talking today at the same New York media conference where Zucker dropped jaws by announcing his plan to scale back on programming hours, Moonves temporarily blinded the audience with a smile, before pledging that it wouldn't be long before David Caruso would be scraping Leno off the bottom of his Italian loafers. THR reports:

"I'm here to tell you the model ain't broke," Moonves told the UBS conference late Wednesday morning. "You can still make a lot of money in network television. We like 10 o'clock shows."

"For NBC, probably a very good move," Moonves said. "For us, it wouldn't be a good move. We are winning four of five nights at 10 p.m." [...]

"I would bet anyone who would like to bet that 'CSI: Miami' will beat Jay by a lot," Moonves said. "Remember: by a lot."

Probably true, but that doesn't make it any less satisfying to hear—almost as satisfying as the image it conjures of a beet-red Zucker submitting to a stress-reducing neck massage from Ben "Magic Fingers" Silverman, who comfortingly whispers, "Shhhhh...Just focus on Jay's chin...We're golden, J.Z., golden..." into his ear.

• Moonves on NBC's Leno move: 10 p.m. 'ain't broke' [THR]

(With a half-hour of local news between the two as the delicious, late night sandwich filling.) While he never said the words "Jay Leno can suck my pink, Irish ass" directly, he did point to the worrisome 20 degree temperature-increase in NYC that accompanied the news. The subtext was clear: Conan had been following our Pop Culture Doomsday coverage closely, and was warning his viewers to find their quickest route into orbit before the planet erupts into flames the second Leno delivers his first joke about Bill Clinton getting handsy with Michelle Obama at the Press Corps dinner in primetime. [Late Show]

First, there was the mushroom cloud hanging over Burbank, as Jeff Zucker announced NBC would be scaling back production of hours of original programming, then proceeded to shitcan about everyone except Ben Silverman, before triumphantly revealing his amply-chinned endgame: Keeping Jay Leno in the NBC fold by giving him a five-night-a-week show ("Keep doing what you're doing," went the pitch") in the 10 p.m. slot.

It was a Dick Wolf-coronary-inducing coup that—despite the mildly unpleasant side-effect of completely fucking over Conan O'Brien and reducing the number of hours of scripted NBC entertainment to 10 per week—might one day be heralded as a brilliant triumph. Or a complete fucking disaster.

Who's the biggest loser you can think of? As much as your reflexive instinct is to shout the name "Jimmy Fallon!" in response to that question, we're afraid that's not the case. His new, third hour of NBC's late-night lineup "premiered," as such, last night on the web. Color us asleep—but in the new, improved, all-late-night NBC landscape, any dude with a band-leader and a desk is safe.

No, the biggest loser of course would be SAG members, who called an emergency town hall at the Harmony Gold last night in which, Deadline Hollywood Daily reports, "99% of those who spoke were exceedingly supportive and said 'Yes, we need a strike authorization vote.'"

As the Hot Blog points out, the 10 p.m. slot was the only slot not yet infested by shows featuring obese families dutifully weighing-in or Howie Mandel narrating the gripping selection of numbered-briefcases. Even if the strike didn't happen—and that's looking less and less likely—the announcement of Jay's new strip would give AFTRA a two-hour lead on NBC's primetime programming: 12 hours vs. SAG's 10. Further, were the strike to go through, dual SAG-AFTRA members would be required to go to work under the terms of the AFTRA agreement.

We suppose that makes AFTRA the second-biggest winner here, after NBC. (We're not calling that one for Leno merely for the fact that he's an unknown primetime quantity, and could rapidly lose him momentum once his audience moves beyond "married couples looking for an excuse to avoid sex.") Second-biggest loser, meanwhile, goes to late show bookers. Happy feeding frenzy for the one actor who actually has a project debuting, guys!

Brought in to fill the vacuum is Angela Bromstad, former studio president who had been exported via Empire prison ship to NBC's distant outpost on the Fog Planet London, roughly around the time Silverman was plucked by the tiny, manicured hand of NBC Universal God Himself, Jeff Zucker, to run the network.

Also out is Craig Plestis, EVP of Alternative Programming, Development and Specials (i.e. their reality-shmata guy) after higher-ups carefully examined his body of work and deemed it—save for a few, shining, jug-flattened gems—to have come up short. He's replaced by BBC Worldwide America's Paul Telegdy, the man responsible for Dance Wars: Sassy Gaytalian vs. Cloris's Dragonlady Nemesis.

Of Bromstad's re-appointment, one TV exec told us, "Angela didn't do that well first time around so what makes them think she's gonna do better now?"

Well, she can't possibly make things any worse!

• UPDATED: NBC UNIVERSAL SHAKE-UP! Teri Weinberg And Katherine Pope Out; Angela Bromstad Being Brought Back In; BBC's Paul Telegdy Starts January 5th [Deadline Hollywood Daily]

After the jump: Salma Hayek storms Fox, Jeff Zucker reassures nobody, Earl's preem crashes.

· Completely over the success of Ugly Betty, executive producer Salma Hayek's budding media empire will next overtake Fox with the multiethnic family comedy The New McToms. [THR]
· At an exec powwow in London on Thursday, noted NBCU economist Jeff Zucker insisted that his network's value to GE "only increases if there is less coming from the financial divisions." And the Olympics? "We measure success in ways that are far greater than the bottom line." Indeed, this man has all the answers. [THR]
· And not to pile on, but last night's My Name is Earl and ER premieres were down 29% and 20%, respectively, from last year's bows. But that's OK — maybe NBC doesn't measure success that way, either. [The Live Feed]
· Director Gary Fleder has reupped with ABC to helm every episode of every ABC series produced through the end of time. Or television, whichever comes first. [Variety]

"I was hired to come in and help transform our model," Silverman says. "Day to day I'm maybe 80% revenue-oriented and business-oriented. I'm working with ad sales. Connecting with broadcast partners and connecting with advertiser clients globally. ... The reality is we've got to collectively be thinking about how we put shows together and get them financed, and people are resisting that."

At NBC, Silverman has introduced international co-productions to the mix, starting with the upcoming "Crusoe."

Because it's shot overseas, "Crusoe" costs less than half of an average hourlong drama. And with U.K. producer Power funding more than 75% of the show, it's a virtually risk-free investment for NBC.

"Instead of a 3 rating, we can survive with a 1.2 rating," Silverman says.

It's unclear if Silverman will even stick around long enough to see if his model will yield the kinds of turkey-resistant results he envisions, and help NBC turn a profit despite future Nielsen-stillborn brainstorms like Soap Star Illusionists and Supertrain 3000. Variety reports that "Zucker has already begun conversations with Silverman...about his future at the network." You know—the kinds of "conversations" in which Zucker pulls out a giant binder of golden parachute fabric swatches, and stands over Silverman's shoulder as he thumbs through its glistening pages.

• Ben Silverman's Peacock problem [Variety]

"Maybe the reason enough people aren’t watching 30 Rock to make Mr. Baldwin happy is because Alec Baldwin is so unlikable as a person. 30 Rock is a really funny show. And Alec Baldwin is funny as long as someone else is writing his words. When left to his own devices, he sounds like a psychotic narcissist who whines about being rich for 8 pages in The New Yorker."

"Instead of blaming NBC, I think Alec should consider that some people in America may not want to watch a man who cusses out his own 11 year old daughter on a phone message, calling her a “rude thoughtless little pig.” It’s a shame that the people who produce such a funny show have to put up with such a distasteful man on a daily basis. It makes me thankful to have such a wonderful cast on My Name is Earl, a show that is still going strong and has helped bring an audience to 30 Rock over the last few years. You’re welcome, Alec.

Oh, and the reason NBC occasionally puts on an hour-long episode of Earl is because an hour of Earl gets better ratings than an Earl followed by a 30 Rock. It’s called math, stupid."

Huzzah! We've got to admit, nothing warms our cockles like a good ole fashioned catfight between two strong anchors of NBC's Thursday night lineup. We would think that Ben Silverman would be able to bring peace to these warring factions, but then again, it's a crapshoot as to whether or not he's even showing up for work these days. Our only piece of advice at this point is directed to Greg Garcia: if Alec Baldwin decides to ring you up this afternoon, be sure to let that call go straight to voicemail.

PREVIOUSLY: Inside Alec Baldwin: A 'Nudist,' A 'Homosexual,' A Rock Music Aficionado, And a Tormented Soul

"Teri just couldn't stay out of their business even though NBC had instructed her for months and months and months to do so," one insider informs me. "Other TV writer/producers began assuming that every decision Teri made was influenced by her relationship with her boyfriend's company. If she didn't buy something of theirs, they complained she was protecting her boyfriend's pitch. The truth is that this appearance of a conflict was really starting to hurt NBC's business."

Finke also provides more salacious details on the Silverman/Ari Emanuel blowup that set industry tongues wagging last May:

For some time, Endeavor talent agency owner Ari Emanuel had been counseling his pal to tone down this over-the-top behavior — even last spring when both men were attending a cancer benefit dinner where Silverman was widely observed "high as a kite". During the fundraiser, Emanuel reminded Silverman that scheduled the very next morning was a big meeting about an important piece of Marvel Studios business between Endeavor and NBC, and Ari warned Ben not to be late. But the next day, Silverman was a no-show. Though Endeavor does 75% of its TV business with NBC, Emanuel didn't hesitate to complain directly to Zucker — and the conversation focused on Silverman's over-indulgence of alcohol and drugs.

...I'm told that NBC is hoping that Silverman jumps before he is pushed. And several sources have information to believe there is every reason that Ben is a short-timer. His contract, like Weinberg's, expires next summer. But already Ben's posse is letting it be known that he may start negotiating his out with an eye to exiting before December. His reasoning, according to insiders, is that, if by some miracle this fall's primetime schedule succeeds, he'd like to go out "a hero".

Only time will tell whether Silverman is allowed to exit the NBC arena like a triumphant American Gladiator, or whether he will be cruelly pushed out and sold for parts like a ratings-challenged Bionic Woman. Sure, there's always that Entourage guest spot to fall back on, but we're starting to worry that the party-hearty NBC chief lacks the time needed to mend his ways. If Silverman can't shape up, we have but this to say: Benji, do not ask for whom the NBC chimes toll. They toll for thee.

• MAJOR MESSY NBC SHAKEUP AHEAD: Network Wants To Fire Teri Weinberg & Hopes Ben Silverman Quits Very Soon [Deadline Hollywood Daily]

But let not his gnome-like stature fool you: Zucker's quick rise to supreme power at the G.E.-held media conglomerate was no upwards-failing accident. This former "captain of his high-school tennis team" applies the same ruthless brutality of his deadly slices and backhands to the business of hacking away the fat hindering a rapidly evolving medium:

Zucker’s most audacious and controversial move was to dramatically slash the number of pilots NBC will produce each season. Instead of about 20, he’s funding about five. [...]

Zucker relishes pointing out that for every 80 pilots made, only eight become shows and just one of those becomes a hit. That ratio, he explains, works only if your hits generate enough money to pay for all those misses. But in today’s fragmented media landscape, that math has broken down, leaving the networks scrambling to monetize their content in new ways, via the Web, DVDs, and digital downloads. [...]

Zucker has come under fire for ditching the pilots, but Ben Silverman, Zucker’s choice to run NBC Television and the man who must implement the new mandate, is diplomatic about its reception in the creative community: “There are moments of loneliness when you are out in front.”

Silverman is right. Like the amazing accomplishments of the U.S. Olympic swim team giving their network its best ratings in two-and-a-half years, sometimes you simply have to revel in the glorious solitude that comes with being a full pool-length ahead of your nearest competitor. (Not ratings-wise, of course—he wouldn't have even qualified if that was the criteria—but for the sheer audacity of his vision.) Yes, for the misunderstood mavericks of TV 2.0, it's merely a matter of confidently zigging while the other guy zags, then sitting down with a glass of 130-year-old Scotch poured over peacock-shaped ice cubes to take in the fruits of your visionary, Antonio Sabato Jr.-on-a-unicycle labors.

• Zuckervision [Portfolio]

As the NY Post reports, Ricci worked the red carpet like a pro, but ditched the party as soon as she learned that hostess Anna Wintour (Vogue EIC and most feared woman in New York) had opted to seat her far away from her boyfriend Kick Gurry (our new favorite "celeb" name, by the way!). And before the Gala even began, pissy Harvard boy Jeff Zucker reportedly made a very showy point to avoid Project Runway usurper Weinstein on the red carpet. Says a Post spy, "It was awkward." Awkward? More like the single most awesome sight we regret not seeing for ourselves.

As for the missing wedding ring, Liv Tyler showed up on the carpet after telling friends that "she and Langdon...married too young and that she'd started looking for a new apartment." But one bit of gossip from the drama-packed evening managed to put a smile on our face, courtesy of none other than John Mayer. After being accosted by questions regarding the status of his beachy fling with Jennifer Aniston, he told reporters, "This is not a scandal...This is not a problem. This needs no spin control. This is me living my life!" And on goes his recent trend of forcing us to like him however hard we fight it.

[Photo credits: Getty, Wireimage]

• COSTUME GALA'S SUPER-SNARKY [NY Post]
• IF LIV TYLER'S COSTUME COULD TALK [NYDN]

NBC Universal Chief Executive "Jeff Zucker has been a friend of mine for many years," Weinstein said today at a lunchtime programming presentation hosted by Lifetime Networks at a posh midtown Manhattan restaurant. "Over the next three years, once I finish my servitude of cleaning his house, driving him to work every day, baby-sitting the kids and taking [his wife] Karen shopping, I think we will be friends again. ...

Weinstein declined to comment on [an NBCU lawsuit] Monday, but said, "I don't think there's anything to worry about."

"As I've said before, Jeff Zucker has been one of my best friends for many years," he added. "The show was never going to be renewed for Bravo anyhow. ... We wanted to grow the show; we have the rights to leave."

Good God — Harvey's glorious cutthroat miracles never cease. Never mind his tease (in the same breath!) that he wants to be reincarnated as network playboy Ben Silverman; we worship at the altar of a man who suggests his alleged breach of contract can be remedied through cleaning Jeff Zucker's house. Or by watching his children! As if Harvey wasn't a threat to "accidentally" gulp down a pair of Zucker kids while reaching for M&M's during My Name is Earl. "No problem," he'd respond to the criminal charges. "Georgina and I will crank out a couple new ones for him. Jeff and I go wayyyy back. He'll understand."

• Weinstein promises 'servitude' to make up with Zucker [LAT]