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EXCLUSIVE: Comcast Wants NBCU Deal Done … 
I have just learned that Jennifer Lopez is having second thoughts about accepting a starring role in the upcoming motion picture version of the TV series Dallas -- so much so that she just changed talent agencies. The rumor spread around Hollywood Friday that J-Lo was leaving ICM and hiring the William Morris Agency. Now I've found out why: the actress and her managers at The Firm believe that her appearing in the remake of the oldie-but-goodie primetime soap is a "bad move' for her acting career. It'll be interesting to see if J-Lo tries to un-entangle herself from the project, which is still in pre-production. Latest reports had Lopez accepting the juicy role of Sue-Ellen and John Travolta playing her husband JR. Lopez will be repped by WMA in all areas, including her music career. J-Lo has a recent history of changing talent agencies (and managers) as often as she changes outfits. (This was her third time at ICM; she's been at Endeavor and CAA, too.) She's the second major Hollywood actress in a week to leave an agency: as I reported the other day, Exclusive: Angelina Jolie Fires CAA!
EXCLUSIVE: J-Lo Has 2nd Thoughts about "Dallas" -- And Swaps Talent Agencies
EXCLUSIVE: Moonves Manhandles "Reba"
So CBS thinks Reba McEntire is good enough to host the Academy of Country Music Awards live on May 23rd. (It's her 8th time.) But CBS' Les Moonves doesn't think the 51-year-old actress-singer's show Reba is good enough for his new CW netlet -- even though it's the highest-rated sitcom on the WB. (Background, see my Finke/LA Weekly: Moonves Kidnaps CW.) I'm told the show's producer, 20th Century Fox TV was shocked to hear the CW doesn't want the sitcom. That's because, last year, Reba was picked up by the WB for two years. When news broke about the WB/UPN merging to form CW, Reba's executive producers informed the cast and crew that Moonves had sent word that he expected the new netlet would honor that deal. So the series' shooting ended on March 14th with everyone expecting to be back in the fall.
But I'm told that, in mid-April, the CW execs told 20th they wanted out of the deal -- the reason being that the show doesn't attract "the desired demographic" the new network wants tuning in. (Translation: no to Country-Western yahoos.) 20th said no way, and that is where things now stand. It's my understanding that, because of the old pick-up deal, it could cost the CW lotsa loot to make the show go away. Some believe this might just be a negotiation ploy to lower the license fee and other costs. But I seriously doubt it. Officially, the show is not canceled yet. But the cast is devastated, and the crew have been told to grab any other work that's offered. I've also learned from some Reba insiders that the show's season finale, which airs this Friday, was originally scripted and shot as a cliffhanger. But they tell me it's been re-edited to reflect Moonves's kiss-off, so it may be the series' finale.
Previous: Finke/LA Weekly: Moonves Kidnaps CW
Suspended LAT Columnist to Probe Sports
No one has been following the really sad Michael Hiltzik/Los Angeles Times saga more closely, and more accurately, than Kevin Roderick at LAobserved.com. In a nutshell, the paper determined that Hiltzik violated its ethics rules, and stripped him of both his blog and his Golden State column. I just have this bit of news to add: I'm told that when the Pulitzer prizewinning Hiltzik returns to the LAT after his suspension without pay, he will be reassigned to "sports investigations." I wish him well on his new beat (and I'm openly jealous, too, because that's an area I've always wanted to explore). But is the LAT aware that there are even more opinionated, not to mention hostile, sports fans out there than political pundits? I have one piece of advice for Hiltzik when the nabobs natter: chill.
NYT on Ron Meyer/Pellicano Friendship
So tomorrow The New York Times' Pellicano probers focus on Universal Studios prez/COO Ron Meyer in their latest article. Not any wrongdoing by him, mind you, just his friendship and visits in prison with Anthony Pellicano. I'm not sure if the paper is trying to infer guilt by association, or to imply Meyer has something to hide, or to merely write something about the Pellicano case even if this angle hardly warrants a story worthy of the front page of the Business section. The only juicy stuff is about Ovitz, Pellicano and Meyer, but to be interested in that you'd have to know (and care) about the background of Meyer's and Ovitz's ruptured friendship. In any case, it's an awfully long article for mostly old news (some of which was already reported by the Los Angeles Times. Yes, the LAT!). I'm told the NYT only did the piece after last week's release of the Vanity Fair article and my posting here that Meyer was the unnamed "studio president" who donated to Pellicano's kids when almost everyone else in Hollywood backed away from the fund-raising effort after allegations about the P.I.'s wiretapping hit the headlines. ("Studio Prez" Unnamed by VF/Pellicano Is Ron Meyer). I've learned Meyer was pissed that the paper was writing about him. That's also clear from Ron's angry quotes. "Meyer bridled at being asked by reporters about his relationship with Pellicano. 'I'm offended that my friendship would be questioned,' he said on Saturday." Meyer also wouldn't apologize. "Asked by reporters to explain his repeat visits to Pellicano behind bars, Meyer said: 'I visited him because he's my friend, and I don't have anything to hide. And when he's able to have visitors, I'll go visit him again."
So what's old news and new news?
1. It's old news that Meyer saw the P.I. in prison, once at the San Bernadino County Jail, and twice making the 120-mile trek from Malibu to the Taft, Ca., minimum-security federal prison where Pellicano was jailed on weapons charges. "When the FBI agents asked Meyer why 'a man such as himself' would drive so far to see Pellicano, Meyer said it was to keep a promise." The NYT noted high up that, "Nowhere has Meyer's name been associated with even a whiff of impropriety." Yet the paper seems to slam Meyer for his loyalty. "The relationship between the ... Read More »
Will MI3 Withstand Tom Cruise Cooling? Or Da Vinci Code Faint From Vatican Heat?
Two major Hollywood movies that help kick-off the summer silliness are shaping up as referenda more than recreation. That's because the opening box office numbers for Mission Impossible 3 will gauge Tom Cruise's viability given all that bad press he's getting (most of it his doing). Meanwhile, today, the Vatican continued its anti-Da Vinci Code vendetta when a crony of Pope Benedict XVI urged Catholics to boycott the film. There's always been an imbecilic debate in Hollywood whether bad pre-release buzz can harm a movie's financial prospects. But that focused on the content or cost or production of the movie. Now we have a dilemma where outside agitation may negatively impact what is widely touted as two pretty good films. Which begs the question: Can MI3 and Da Vinci Code withstand Cruise cooling or Vatican heat?
The latest Vatican kvetch came from Archbishop Angelo Amato, the No. 2 in the Vatican doctrinal office. Addressing a Catholic conference in Rome, he called the book "stridently anti-Christian .. full of calumnies, offences and historical and theological errors regarding Jesus, the Gospels and the Church" and added: "I hope that you all will boycott the film." The movie, which premieres at the Cannes Film Festival next week and goes wide May 19th, is of course based on the megaseller which has blown out over 40 million copies. Despite the Vatican's best efforts, Catholics clearly inhaled the book along with everybody else, so it stands to reason that they'll take in the movie, too. Amato, according to Reuters, attributed the book's popularity to "the extreme cultural poverty on the part of a good number of the Christian faithful." Ouch! But I say not even the Holy Father himself could drive people away from this film.
MI3 has going for it: a proven film franchise (where the sequel was better than the original), a writer/director known for commercial sensibility, and, of course, Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman as villain. It may not matter that the public is sick of Cruise's antics. But there still may be people who'll make a statement about Tom's Scientology pronouncements and boyfriend/dad persona by waiting to see MI3 on DVD or cable just to avoid putting first-dollar theater gross in Cruise's already obese wallet (since he's not only the star but also the producer). Still, as much as Cruise's career may be down around his ankles, I'm ... Read More »
Growing Fallout From VF/Pellicano Article
There's growing fallout from Vanity Fair's upcoming June issue article, and it's not good for the mag. Given what I reported yesterday about Pellicano's ex-wife challenging facts and quotes attributed to her (Kat Pellicano vs Vanity Fair), and today's Variety story of denials by reps for Brad Grey, Brad Pitt, Adam Sandler, the late Chris Farley and HBO (Names Take Aim at Pellicano Article), the obvious question right now is: Where were Vanity Fair's celebrated fact-checkers?
Today, Daily Variety's Gabriel Snyder gathers denials from hither and yon. A Paramount statement says: "Specific allegations and statements made by unnamed sources about Brad Grey in Vanity Fair's piece on Anthony Pellicano are total fabrications." Cindy Guagenti, who flacks Pitt and Sandler, gives Daily Variety this statement, "Brad Pitt, Adam Sandler and the late Chris Farley have never once engaged the services of Anthony Pellicano, either directly or through a representative." Guagenti adds that none of the three thesps were contacted by the magazine before the story was published. And Brillstein-Grey's Mark Gurvitz, who manages the Farley estate, tells Daily Variety, "He's never once been involved with Anthony Pellicano in any way whatsoever." Even HBO released a statement saying the timing was off by two years when the magazine reported that Grey had considered replacing The Sopranos with The Pellicanos when James Gandolfini once walked off the set.
What is even more troubling here is that Guagenti told Daily Variety that none of the three actors' reps were contacted by the magazine before the story was published. And HBO said that VF writer John Connolly "specifically asked and was told by Grey's representatives that a pilot idea about Anthony Pellicano arriving at HBO and the James Gandolfini contract negotiations were at least two years apart," yet that denial never made it into the magazine. Isn't that precisely why magazines have independent fact-checkers on the staff to backstop these kinds of denials and clarifications?
Of course, cynics would point out that Daily Variety's story today seems intended to ... Read More »
EXCLUSIVE: Angelina Jolie Fires CAA!
I have just learned that Angelina Jolie has fired her talent agency CAA after 13 months there. This is a huge loss, the biggest in quite some time for that agency which has a history of keeping its marquee clients in the fold. Oscar-winner Jolie right now is inarguably the top actress in the world in terms of salary, talent and heat. And she's just made the cover of People as "World's Most Beautiful" (and stares out from newsstands every week). All CAA would confirm to me this afternoon was that "she is no longer a client." CAA also told me that Brad Pitt is still a client. Before Angelina went to CAA in March 2005, Jolie was represented by just her manager at Media Talent Group. When she and MTG decided she needed an agent, she met with every major agency in town, then chose CAA. Presently, the very pregnant actress has been relaxing in Namibia with Brad Pitt and her two children.
Here's my April 5, 2006 column: The Vulture's Are Circling: CAA picks off NFL meat
EXCLUSIVE: Kat Pellicano vs Vanity Fair
Kat Pellicano, Anthony's ex-wife who spent nearly 20 years together with the imprisoned P.I. and is the mother of his four children, has given me this exclusive statement to release today about the upcoming Vanity Fair June issue article Inside Hollywood's Big Wiretap Scandal (VF's response is lower down...): "I did not give my permission ever to be quoted in the Vanity Fair article. In my opinion, John Connolly acted unethically when he reported the story. All the quotes and information supposedly attributed to me are erroneous. How dare he drag my children into this. Those events he describes involving my children never happened. I did agree to be photographed by Vanity Fair. But I never agreed to contribute to the article."
The information in the VF article which she maintains is erroneous includes: that Anthony Pellicano ever began to think and act like Don Corleone, the fictional Godfather; that Pellicano's son Luca was ever in his father's office known as the "War Room"; that her eldest daughter ever used the word "asshole" to describe the P.I.; and that Pellicano ever wanted to convert to Judaism because "most of the lawyers in Los Angeles are Jewish." About the latter, she maintains that the article misconstrued Pellicano's motive. She says he wanted to do it because, since he was raised Catholic and she was raised Baptist (she maintains that she's never been an atheist as VF claims), he felt their kids needed a religion and he believed in Judaism more than their own faiths.
Kat Pellicano also told me she would be seeking legal counsel.
After I provided Kat Pellicano's statement, Beth Kseniak, VF's executive director of Public Relations, gave me the following response today: "Vanity Fair Contributing Editor John Connolly has met with and interviewed Kat Pellicano scores of times during the past two and a half years. During their conversations, she asked that Connolly not report certain incidents and he has not done so. Three weeks ago, Connolly carefully went over the information that was to appear in the magazine with her. Kat Pellicano also posed for Vanity Fair, so that her picture could be used in conjunction with the article (we did not end up using it). Just last week, John Connolly heard from the U.S. Attorney’s office who told him that they were obligated to inform ... Read More »
Hanks Writes Well (who knew?); His Movie Da Vinci Code Tracks Huge
I know what you're thinking: that Tom Hanks probably had his publicist or a Nobel Prize winner pen today's literate ode in The New York Times to his makeup artist of 19 years Dan Striepeke on the eve of his retirement. Probably 99% of the time you'd be right about actors who byline something in a newspaper, but this time you're wrong. I'm told by NYT sources that Hanks did indeed write it himself. In addition to being a great actor, great family man, and great guy, he's also a really good writer, according to people close to him. Now you have my permission to hate Hanks because he's so much better than all of us. And also for the fact that his new movie, the Da Vinci Code, is tracking huge, according to the numbers which Sony Pictures just received. (Like, duh.) Meanwhile, I'm told Hanks' agency CAA congratulated the studio on the great tracking early this AM, prompting Sony to ponder, How the hell did CAA know it the same time as we knew it. No doubt, that will be the subject of a sequel.
EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Attorney's Office Informs VF Writer of Pellicano Threat
Vanity Fair informed me this morning, in response to my questions on another matter, that last week the magazine's contributing editor John Connolly "heard from the U.S. Attorney’s office who told him that they were obligated to inform him that Anthony Pellicano had threatened his safety." Connolly has written several articles about the Pellicano scandal for the magazine, including this one for the upcoming June issue, Inside Hollywood's Big Wiretap Scandal, and just contracted to do a book for Atria, an imprint at Simon & Schuster.
By my count, this is the third alleged Pellicano-connected threat against a journalist, the second against a Vanity Fair writer, and the first against a New York-based reporter.
I'm told that Connolly is taking this alleged threat "very seriously." In response to my query, the U.S. Attorney's Office said "we do not comment on private communications that come from or come into the office."
In 2005, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office charged Pellicano, already in prison on federal weapons and explosives counts, with conspiracy to threaten then LA Times contract writer Anita Busch. The man he allegedly hired to do the dirty work, Alexander Proctor, already had been charged with one count of making criminal threats against Busch in a case filed in 2003. (Still unclear is who hired Pellicano.) At the time, Busch was working on a story about actor Steven Seagal’s alleged ties to the mob. On June 10, 2002, police were called to investigate the contents of a mystery package left on Busch's auto along with a note that said "STOP" and a shatter mark on her windshield. The Los Angeles street where she lived was evacuated so the bomb squad could investigate the package contents: it contained a dead fish and a rose but no explosive device.
There have been no charges stemming from the incident two months later involving VF's Ned Zeman, who at the time was also writing an article about Seagal. He was reportedly threatened at gunpoint while driving outside his LA home. According to his editor, another car pulled up alongside Zeman's, someone shined a light into his car window, and a man in the other car pointed a gun at Zeman and said ''Bang,'' and ''Stop what you're doing,'' then drove off. Zeman reported the incident to the police.
Previous: ... Read More »
UPDATED: "Studio Prez" Unnamed by VF/Pellicano Is Ron Meyer
I've just learned the name of the "studio president" not identified by Vanity Fair who contributed money to an effort to raise $$$ for Pellicano's kids when Pellicano was arrested in November 2002 -- even after word of the P.I.'s wiretapping got out. He is Universal Studios President/COO Ron Meyer.
Also, I'm told the "producer" not identified by VF who also contributed is Madonna's one-time manager Freddie DeMann.
VF reports that attorney Bert Fields spearheaded the fund-raising. But I've learned Meyer was that president of a major studio who told VF he gave testimony before the grand jury and recalled that Fields told him, “Anthony has no money, and he’s not going to be able to take care of his kids. A group of us should pitch in and do something for him.” It also was Meyer who tells Vanity Fair that he and Pellicano subsequently spoke, “[and] he gave me a list of people to call.” VF reports that the list numbered 20 to 30 people, and was a Who’s Who of Hollywood power players, including Michael Ovitz and Jerry Bruckheimer. Several of them promised to contribute, but as word of the wiretapping probe spread, the magazine reports that all but the studio prez -- whom I'm identifying as Meyer -- and a producer -- whom I'm identifying as DeMann --dropped out. If you're keeping a scorecard, you'll remember that Meyer also visited Pellicano in prison.
Previous: VF: H'wood Raised $$$ for Pellicano Kids
Finke/LA Weekly: Moonves Kidnaps CW
My latest 
column is headlined Screwing The TV Viewers: The CW network is the bastard child of The WB and UPN. To tease you, here's some of my scoop: How Les Moonves kidnapped The CW, won a negotiating advantage over Warner Bros. and seized sole custody of the netlet for business decisions and programming. Also, see this update: EXCLUSIVE: Moonves Manhandles "Reba"
"Sure, all those press releases back in January claimed CBS and Warner Bros. were supposed to be equal partners parenting the new bastard child of The WB and UPN networks. That’s how The CW got its lame name — 'C' for CBS, which owns UPN, 'W' for Warner Bros. What no one dared mention was how right from the beginning Moonves out-maneuvered Barry Meyer, the chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment, and Bruce Rosenblum, the president of the Warner Bros. Television Group. The Warners duo had been warned over and over to build in every safety clause they could think of to prevent the 50-50 partnership from becoming the 'Les Network' instead of the 'Can’t Win Network,' as wags now refer to it. Instead, they rolled over. 'The deal should have been pretty straightforward. After all, no money changed hands. But Moonves was more aggressive. On tiebreaker issues, Barry and Bruce were folding every negotiation to Les,' a Warners insider tells me. The result, the source explains further, is that 'we were willing to trade a more valuable asset much more easily than we generally do at Time Warner given that we were bringing better stations, more successful programs and way higher revenue to the table.'
Now Moonves has used his negotiated advantage to de facto seize sole custody of The CW. I’m told 'everything, every business decision, every programming decision' has to go by Les. Moonves and Nancy Tellem, the president of the CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group, are together programming the 13 prime-time hours — yes, that’s all CW is giving you for its September launch. 'Even Bruce acknowledges at this point that Les and Nancy run the show. This is basically a CBS takeover,' sources tell me. 'Everything on UPN will have first shot at coming back.'"
More from my column: ... Read More »
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