Media Crack

More Viacom Layoffs Today?

In your gloomy Wednesday media column: More rumored Viacom layoffs today, Newsweek staffers are mad at the boss, Playboy might have to sell Playboy, and more!: More »

02/18/09

6,429

14

By Hamilton Nolan

Comment by DonLaFontaine: Hugh's timing in life was pretty impeccable: the last of the Xanax and booger sugar dependent wallet whores will be... 2 Responses | Other threads

oscars

Jon Stewart Misses Viacom Memo To Not Openly Hate On 'Benjamin Button'

Paramount probably could have lived with Jon Stewart's slobbering praise for Slumdog Millionaire last night on The Daily Show. If only it had stopped there. More »

02/04/09

8,924

15

By STV

feuds

'Bromance' Crisis Averted in Viacom, Time Warner Settlement

After Viacom went blazingly public Wednesday with its threat of an MTV/Comedy Central/Nickelodeon blackout on Time Warner Cable, an 11th-hour truce settled the matter just in time for 2009.

01/02/09

1,470

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By STV

Comment by TurdBlossom: Or Bravo... more » | Other threads

feuds

SpongeBob on Strike: Viacom Threatens to Pull 19 Channels From Time Warner

Ensnared in a vicious battle over 23 cents per customer, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Daily Show, South Park and the rest of Viacom's cable offerings may vanish tonight for 13 million Time Warner subscribers.

12/31/08

1,209

5

By STV

Comment by Losin_it: The grown men and women at Viacom always try to get their way in these negotiations by hiding behind Sponge... more » | Other threads

Pop Culture Doomsday

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Hollywood Xmas: The Personnel Purging Begins

As you may have already heard, a staggering 850 people were laid off from Viacom today. Torrents of blood washed down the halls of MTV on both coasts, with added security in wading boots posted on every floor for "observation" (translation: making sure downsized employees don't try to swipe a promotional copy of Trivial Pursuit: TRL Edition on their way out of the building). More »

12/04/08

2,953

9

By Seth

Comment by Astara: In this time of "reductions" and "layoffs", wouldn't it be a bit more "compassionate" to reduce everyone's salary by 3%,... 1 Responses | Other threads

john norris

John Norris A Victim Of MTV Layoffs?

The 850 layoffs at Viacom today—including hundreds at MTV—are claiming the livelihoods of tons of hardworking people who did their jobs well without ever receiving fame and fortune. And just like when a jumbo jet crashes with hundreds of souls aboard, the first question is: "Were any celebrities involved?" You know you were thinking that, you heartless swine. Well (according to an unconfirmed rumor from an inside tipster), your third-favorite MTV correspondent-for-life, John Norris, was laid off today. After the jump, we've got other reports from the Viacom scene. More »

12/04/08

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By Hamilton Nolan

Comment by Nic Fit: I think that Martha Quinn and J.J. Jackson are on the way out too. 21 Responses | Other threads

disney

Thousands of Drunken Co-Worker Trysts in Jeopardy as Industry Cuts Back Holiday Parties

The odds that you remember the drunken, depraved glories of your employer's past holiday parties are virtually nil, so most of Hollywood shouldn't be too upset today to hear how the recession-to-be is affecting this year's big industry fetes. Variety reports that Disney and Viacom won't be celebrating at all, while other studios are scaling back their own events and even awards-season premieres to the extent their needy talent will allow. And if the global economic meltdown didn't feel like a crisis before, wait until you hear how the caterers will be hit: More »

11/14/08

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By STV

Comment by Reason: Yes, but what's the Defamer party plan for this year? The drunken hookup potential is mathematically much more limited these... 1 Responses | Other threads

moguls

Sumner Redstone Divorce Confirmed

It's official: Sumner Redstone's second marriage is finished, confirming our exclusive from Friday. Court papers were filed at the end of last week, according to the Los Angeles Times, and now the Viacom chief has issued a statement saying the split is "amicable" and that "we remain close and supportive friends." In other words, wife Paula Fortunato has finally, 14 months after divorce rumors surfaced, agreed to leave, perhaps because she got something beyond her "iron-clad prenup," once thought to be worth a flat $1 million, or because she's actually now earned $5 million, with the prenup now pegged at $1 million per year of marriage. Or maybe the former public school teacher is just tired of living with the mean mogul, 40 years her elder, and of hearing rumors he's been calling some famous comedian's wife. Whatever happened, Redstone is reaching into his pocket at a time when he can least afford it. Writes the LA Times: More »

10/21/08

5,528

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By Ryan Tate

Comment by Weegee's bored: A guy for Madonna! They can join together and see if kaballah can cure turkey neck. 2 Responses | Other threads

sumner redstone

Sumner Redstone Separating From His Wife?

We hear from a good source that Sumner Redstone, the 85-year-old media mogul who controls Viacom (which includes MTV, BET, Paramount, and Dreamworks), is separating from Paula Fortunato, his wife of five years. Fortunato will be moving out this weekend, our source says. Redstone married Fortunato—a former public school teacher who is 40 years his junior—in 2003, several years after he divorced his first wife. Redstone's finances are currently under a significant strain thanks to the recent economic meltdown, causing him a good deal of stress. Fortunato's biggest moment in the spotlight came when she reportedly forced her husband to break with Tom Cruise in 2006. There were rumors a year ago that the marriage was not happy; now, according to our source, it's all but over. Anyone with more information can email us. This may be the first sign that relationships based on anything other than love or sexual attraction will be sorely tested by this financial crisis. More »

10/17/08

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By Hamilton Nolan

Comment by American Dreamer: This reminds me very clearly of the Leslie Wexner story (the multibillionaire who owned the Limited department store group). Leslie was... 5 Responses | Other threads

sumner redstone

Paging Dr. Redstone: Viacom president Philippe Dauman was optimistic Tuesday in Cannes, where he downplayed Sumner Redstone's move this week to sell off $233 million in stock to help pay down the company's debt. We guess it is better than last week's estimate of $400 million, but Dauman isn't letting numbers get in the way: "If you have a life-threatening crisis," he said, "there is no one on the planet you would more want to have by your side, helping you figure out how to get out of it, than Sumner Redstone." Oh, please, Philippe — we love Sumner, too, but everyone knows that nobody assuages A-list panic better than Werner Herzog. [Variety]

10/14/08

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By STV

george lucas

Rape Sells! South Park beat George Lucas at his own pervy game Wednesday with its already-infamous "Indy rape" episode — the show's highest-rated fall premiere in nine years. Paradoxically, this must mean Indiana Jones 5 will be green-lit within the hour — probably at the end of that crisis meeting rumored to be unfolding today at Paramount. Sadly, bitterly, the cycle continues. [The Live Feed]

10/10/08

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By STV

Comment by LLH: so is lucas a "bear" then? more » | Other threads

Steven Spielberg

To Catch a Thief: When you're done parsing the genetic heritage of Dane Cook's slightly doppelgangy new film, we've got another, bigger provenance for you to deduce: Steven Spielberg is one of several defendants named in a new lawsuit accusing the creators of the 2006 hit Disturbia of stealing the idea from Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. Of course, they pretty much did; the Shia LaBeouf voyeurism thriller tied up a two-quadrant crowd-pleaser with a black ribbon of 21st-century paranoia, all on the way to grossing nearly $80 million domestically. The estate of Window source author Cornell Woolrich finally Netflixed the film over the weekend, it appears, alleging both copyright infringement and breach of contract in a suit filed today in New York. "What the defendants have been unwilling to do openly, legitimately and legally, (they) have done surreptitiously, by their back-door use of the Rear Window story without paying compensation," the suit claims, also citing DreamWorks, Viacom and Universal among the offending parties. And here you thought Fox took its sweet time torching Warner Bros. over Watchmen. Expect a settlement by 2014, probably around the time that DreamWorks/Reliance deal closes. [Reuters]

09/08/08

571

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By STV

Comment by Dimo: Didn't anybody see Brian DePalma's "Body Double"? It's a total rip off as well...but with tits! 1 Responses | Other threads

double standards

How Google could humiliate Viacom in YouTube lawsuit

Worried that your obsessive kitten-video viewing records on YouTube would be exposed in Viacom's copyright lawsuit against YouTube? You can relax. Google and Viacom lawyers have reached an agreement to anonymize records of usernames and IP addresses in YouTube's video-viewing logs, which Viacom wants to examine to show patterns of willful copyright infringement on the site. The accounts of employees of both companies, however, aren't included in the deal. And that suggests a negotiating tactic for Google. More »

07/15/08

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By Owen Thomas

Comment by internetlawattorney: I am still amazed that the judge approved the original order requiring the personally identifiable information of google's users. Viacom... more » | Other threads

defamer

Wall Street Meanies Harsh On Paramount's Summer of Love

For every blockbuster this summer with Paramount's name attached — from Iron Man to Indy 4 to Kung Fu Panda — there's been a looming crisis to greet it at the studio gate. The latest wake-up call comes from Deutsche Bank, from whom we're learning the 'Mount split recently after the the studio balked at the conditions of a $450 million financing deal. This follows word that unhappy Wall Streeters wanted free-spender Brad Grey's head and that DreamWorks' Indian-funded defection was imminent. Mix The Love Guru in just for fun, and it's enough to almost make you forget Paramount is supposedly on a roll. More »

07/15/08

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By STV

Comment by SteamyMcFirecrotch: @Breadbowl: Weeee waaaant the Florie Dories! Weeeee waaaant the Florie Dories! more » | Other threads

viacom

Semi-mummified Viacom overlord Sumner Redstone explains how he managed to work an immortality clause into his 8-trillion-year contract: "I don't want to die. I love what I'm doing. I love Viacom. I love CBS. And so I don't want to die. I have a will to live. The same will to win that I've always had. And, I'm gonna fight death as long as I can. I like it here. I don't want to go anywhere else." And with that, the eternally youthful media titan gave a mischievous wink—causing his lower jaw to shake loose and fall to the ground, evaporating into a small cloud of dust upon impact. [Page Six]

07/08/08

414

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By Seth

Comment by Good Crazy...: ... he'd want to get a tooth scrub 1st, sorry for double-posting... more » | Other threads

exclusives

Exclusive: MTV Video Music Awards Are Leaving Las Vegas, Bound For L.A.

Sources are telling us this afternoon that the executives at MTV have decided against returning to Las Vegas, the scene of the 2007 Video Music Awards, for the 2008 incarnation of the show. Instead, this year's VMAs will be broadcast live on September 7 from the Paramount Pictures Studio in Los Angeles. While one source told Defamer that it was a case of "been there, done that", a separate source told us that the "very chaotic" proceedings last year had something to do with the decision not to return to The Palms Hotel in Vegas (where, you'll recall, a clearly out-of-shape Britney Spears nearly killed her career with a zombified rendition of "Gimme More"). More »

06/20/08

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By Mark Graham

Comment by Desk_hack: They're still producing this fucking thing? more » | Other threads

defamer

It's Always the Kids Who Suffer Most in a Vengeful Studio Divorce

Despite the defiant source who today told the LA Times the DreamWorks/Reliance deal could yet fall apart, we think we'll just go about retrofitting our office anyway in preparation for the worst. Like "custody battle" worst, as Claudia Eller mentions in parsing the 'Works divorce from Viacom/Paramount: Who gets Ben Stiller? Who gets Eddie Murphy? Who gets the retiring David Geffen's parking space and the office's unparalleled catalog of faxable lunch menus? And who gets the movies? More »

06/19/08

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By STV

Comment by TheQuestion: There's Paramount's next movie! more » | Other threads

defamer

Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Ready to Join Other Hollywood Players Outsourced to India

Months of speculation over whom DreamWorks might be courting to help underwrite its ugly exit from Viacom ended late Tuesday when The Wall Street Journal reported that Reliance ADA Group, a massive Indian conglomerate, is close to sinking $500 million to $600 million into Steven Spielberg's breathless bid for autonomy. As presumed, the deal would expedite David Geffen's eventual departure from the DreamWorks fold and allow Spielberg to keep the DreamWorks name, if not the projects currently in development with Paramount/Viacom — alas, Transformers 2 stays behind. CEO and Spielberg right hand Stacey Snider would follow as well. More »

06/18/08

3,768

10

By STV

Comment by SunnydaZe10 is BANNED!: Let's try this again . . . Here is a sneak peak at the first film which will be released under... more » | Other threads

come to papa

Sumner Redstone Apparently Finds Right Price to Forgive 'Good Friend' Tom Cruise

The Tom Cruise Image Rehabilitation Tour rolls on today with a public pardon from Viacom kingpin Sumner Redstone, who followed his prodigal son's subdued Oprah stint with a reassurance that, you know, all that erratic-behavior outrage from a couple years back? Just kidding! And Mission: Impossible 4? It's "up to Brad Grey." Or, loosely translated, "Are we on number four? Already? Well, I'll be": More »

05/06/08

1,753

6

By STV

Comment by FlangeSqueal: What a creepy pic of the Teeny One with the Super-Annuated, Liver-Spotted, Red-Hair Dyed King-Maker! If ONLY little Tommy could just... more » | Other threads

defamer

Harvey Weinstein Evidently the Default Savior for Showtime

Beyond the boardroom squabbles and oneupsmanship following Paramount's recent break with Showtime, two basic questions remain: Who will actually broadcast the new Paramount Channel? (Answer: Nobody, of course!) And besides its original series like Weeds and Dexter, what will Showtime air once its output deals expire in 2011? Come on — when you think of "corporate rescue," don't you think of Harvey Weinstein? More »

04/28/08

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By STV

Comment by kyle4: We need more Dexter, and if it takes Harvey to get it to us, than hell yeah bring it on. more » | Other threads

family feuds

Less than two weeks ago, the staff of Bestweekever.tv put together a spirited and inventive internet campaign whose mission was to convince NBC not to cancel Friday Night Lights. By all accounts, it seemed to be working well; not only did it receive a healthy amount of press coverage, BWE.tv was able to convince over 10,000 people to sign an online petition to save the show. However, over the weekend, all mention of the campaign mysteriously disappeared from the site's homepage. So we decided to do some digging. More »

02/19/08

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By Mark Graham

Comment by BluntObjects: I'm not much on soap operas,which is all this show is.I won't miss it. more » | Other threads

evil corporations in action

Memo: Judgment Day On Permanent Jobs For MTV Freelancers

The time has come for MTV Networks beleaguered slavey permalancers to learn their fate. Brand-new human resources lady Catherine Houser issued a memo an hour ago to the Viacom subsidiary's contractors, announcing they would learn if they were among the lucky group whose positions will be converted to staff jobs, as promised in December. On what basis will a permalancer earn job security and benefits? Among the benchmarks: "The position would be staff if there was headcount." Uhh...what? "The position transcends a specific project or show," is another. Considering that a key issue in the uproar over Viacom's benefit cuts last month centered around the frequent rotation of workers (which made it hard for them to accrue the required time needed to qualify for benefits), it sounds like MTVN has given itself a whole lot of leeway with that one. So you've been an MTVN cameraman for nine years? As far as Viacom is concerned, you only spent four months at a time on Pimp My Ride and Cribs, so you're shit out of luck, pal. God be with you, and also with you and you. Let us know how it goes. After the jump, the memo in full. More »

01/31/08

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By Maggie

Comment by ArtfulSlinger: @Carol Gardens: Can Jeff Conway actually die already? I am sick of him taking so much screen time on... more » | Other threads

defamer

How will high-powered members of Viacom's corporate family like Sumner Redstone and Les Moonves be spending some of the days freed up by not having to deal with the boring details of a contract negotiation with the WGA? By heading off for some much-needed head-clearing time early next week at Boulders Resort and Golden Door Spa, an executive-pampering Xanadu located in picturesque, improbably named Carefree, Arizona. And when they finally return from their well-earned post-holiday break, they'll hardly even remember why all those rude people in red T-shirts are walking in circles in front of their studios. [United Hollywood]

01/09/08

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By Mark

online video

Writers' strike hurting, not helping CollegeHumor

The television and film writers' strike over Internet pay was supposed to be a boon for Internet-only content creators. But according to CollegeHumor cofounder Ricky Van Veen, that's not been the case. More »

12/13/07

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By Nicholas Carlson

Comment by BogusPocus: Yea, that means it's not going to happen in industry speak. more » | Other threads

breaking

In Major Reversal, Viacom Returns Healthcare To Freelancers

In a memo issued this afternoon, MTV Networks performed a near-180, relenting to complaints from freelancers who were told last week their benefits would be cut. "We've implemented a process for evaluating freelance and temporary employee positions for possible conversion to staff positions," reads the announcement from JoAnne Griffith, MTVN's executive vice president for HR. "This process is currently underway." Freelancers will now have the choice to continue with their current health plan—including dental!—or sign on to MTV's Aetna plan. Either way, they won't have to make the decision until February of next year, nearly three months after the original deadline set by the company last week. Full memo after the jump. More »

12/12/07

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By Maggie

Comment by popt: @josheastvillage: Missed that message from Joanna Griffith? But MTVN does exist on the sweat of its freelancers. Shows would not be... more » | Other threads

defamer

Viacom CEO Publicly Making Nice With Steven Spielberg

· Hoping to heal the emotional damage he once inflicted upon national treasure Steven Spielberg by declaring the director's possible departure from his corporate family "completely immaterial," Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman offered a conciliatory flurry of hugs, kisses and a vigorous foot massage to the icon he once offended, calling him "one of the great filmmakers of our time and actually of all time," and promising that "We're going to proceed with calm, with deliberateness, and our entire objective is to focus on making him happy doing what he's doing. Whatever makes him happy and makes us happy will be the way it works out" as they continue to try and salvage their relationship. [Variety] More »

12/04/07

863

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By Mark

Comment by gwendolyn: @Bufflekins: I am of the opinion that Spielberg, along with his pal George Lucas, almost singlehandedly destroyed the second golden... more » | Other threads

defamer

Getting To Know Philippe Dauman, Sumner Redstone's Right-Hand Hatchetman

Sunday's LAT provides the world with the fascinating backstory of Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman, the proudly uncool corporate kamikaze responsible for carrying out the public relations suicide missions Sumner Redstone dreams up while partially hypnotized by staring too intently at his collection of exotic fish, such as suing Google for copyright infringement, replacing a wildly popular executive, or blaspheming a Hollywood deity. But more impressive than the French-speaker's childhood language-acquisition skills (he learned English from Saturday morning cartoons!) and stunning promotion from kindergarten to Columbia Law School (there may have been a stop in college we're forgetting, but we don't have time to go back and double-check that part of the bio) is Dauman's uncanny ability to stay in the good graces of his notoriously prickly boss: More »

10/08/07

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By Mark

Comment by Sweet Panda Love: Executor of his estate...are they suggesting that Redstone is, in point of fact, actually already dead? I mean, that would explain... more » | Other threads

defamer

Catching Up With The Feuding Redstones

With the once-boiling conflcit between cold-hearted Viacom CEO Phillippe Dauman and the insufficiently treasured DreamWorks team he offended with those two now-infamous little words (indeed, "completely immaterial" will soon totally replace "fuck you" in the Hollywood vernacular) momentarily reduced to a public simmer, there's now time to check in on the status of another intramural corporate spat that recently made headlines. According to today's LAT, Sumner and Shari Redstone, the feudingist first family in all of show business, called a truce in their ongoing succession battle long enough to celebrate a happy occasion over Labor Day: More »

10/01/07

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By Mark

Comment by Ringles: I think there should be a pornstar named Summer Redstone. more » | Other threads

defamer

More Aftershocks From The Two Little Words That Shook Hollywood

While Hollywood observers can rationally understand what Viacom CEO Phillippe Dauman meant when he told a room full of investors that Steven Spielberg's possible departure from his corporate family would be "completely immaterial" to his company's overall health, they also know that it was a catastrophic mistake not to immediately douse himself in gasoline after speaking those impolitic words, strike a match, and cry in anguish, "But the very thought of losing the greatest filmmaker—nay, human being!—in the history of this business we call show is so painful that this disturbing self-immolation you will now witness is the only thing that can stop my heartsickness." Slate's Kim Masters asks some insiders about Dauman's tragic failure to pay any kind of tribute to the national treasure's contributions, about Spielberg's likely feelings on the issue of immateriality, and about whether or not Paramount should just burn down the Melrose lot and start over after his inevitable departure: More »

09/25/07

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By Mark

Comment by Shumina: @Everybody Likes Pandas: I agree. He's been phoning it in since "A.I." and "Minority Report." Still, there's some wisdom in... more » | Other threads

defamer

DreamWorks Ani Extends Bird Viacomward, Takes On Tom Freston

· Thumbing its nose at coldhearted, Spielberg-disrespecting corporate partner Viacom, DreamWorks Animation names legendary Sumner Redstone shitcanee Tom Freston to its board of directors. That'll teach you not to fuck with a national treasure, unfeeling new CEO Phillppe Dauman! [Variety] More »

09/25/07

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By Mark

Comment by gwendolyn: @scroll_lock: David Leisure is the new black... more » | Other threads

defamer

Paramount's Brad Grey Also Refuses To Admit That Losing Spielberg Will Emotionally Cripple Him

The emotional feud touched off when Viacom CEO Phillippe Dauman tried to preemptively break Steven Spielberg's heart by telling the world that the national treasure's possible departure from Paramount would not send the executive into a Valium-overdosing tailspin of despair (and which incited outraged DreamWorks partner Jeffrey Katzenberg to publicly attempt to claw out Dauman's eyes) spills into the pages of today's LAT, where studio emperor Brad Grey was induced to comment on HolyShitWhatIfSpielbergLeavesUsGate. For his part, Grey—who convinced boss Sumner Redstone to buy DreamWorks in late 2005 so that his studio might actually have some movies to release the following year—seems to be toeing the company line: More »

09/21/07

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By Mark

Comment by Sweet Panda Love: No one ever leaves a star! more » | Other threads

spats

Jeffrey Katzenberg Defends Pal Steven Spielberg Against Viacom CEO's Thoughtless Words

Deeply hurt by Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman's efforts to emotionally distance himself from an eventual break-up with an allegedly dissatisfied Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks BFF Jeffrey Katzenberg has publicly come to the defense of the director, advising the mouthy executive to tread lightly when appraising the value of his priceless longtime partner. Reports Var: More »

09/19/07

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By Mark

Comment by ConnieStellation: Is this the same national treasure that gave us "1941"? The DIVE! restaurant chain? Yes? more » | Other threads

defamer

Viacom CEO Getting Ready To Have His Heart Broken By DreamWorks

· Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman prepares for the jilting DreamWorks partners David Geffen and Steven Spielberg may inflict upon Paramount, calling their potential departure for a new studio venture "completely immaterial" to his company's happiness and inviting the pair to "go ahead and fuck whoever you want, you disloyal little tramps, see if I care! My heart will go on!" [Variety] More »

09/19/07

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By Mark

Comment by NotReadyForPrimeTime: @BabylonSister: You know, this item is not going to help Eddie Haskell's reputation as a porn actor. more » | Other threads

defamer

Stewart, Colbert, Creepy Elvis, And A Naked Cougar

· YouTube is calling Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert to testify in the suit the comedians' corporate overload Viacom filed against them, perhaps hoping to get one of the hosts to crack and admit that they're secretly uploading unauthorized clips of their shows to the site to spite Sumner Redstone. More »

08/14/07

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By Mark

Comment by Trackback: Deadliest attack of the Iraq war claims at least 250 lives and as many as 500. Want to learn... more » | Other threads

defamer

Battle Between Sumner Redstone And Daughter Fizzling, But Bar Fight With God Could Be Brewing

While we were secretly hoping that the ongoing feud between filicidal Viacom overlord Sumner Redstone and traitorous offspring Shari would end with an executive futilely attempting to pry the ageless patriarch's bony fingers from his rebellion-fomenting daughter's throat, it now seems that their battle might end without a death in the family. Slate's Kim Masters reports that the conflict seems like it may "blow over," but gets some company insiders to handicap how the fight might've turned out had it continued: More »

08/02/07

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By Mark

Comment by nick_r: Don't forget the exciting showdown that's destined to result when a vengeful Xenu arrives to claim Sumner's soul for eternal... more » | Other threads

defamer

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