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UPDATE: The IATSE General Executive Board this afternoon unanimously named Matthew Loeb to be president after today's retirement of Tom Short. (See my previous, TOLDJA! Tom Short Retires From IATSE.)
According to the IATSE announcement, Loeb said, "I enter into the position of International President with the deepest sense of obligation to the members, who number better than 111,000, and their families. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Tom Short who made desperately needed institutional changes that will allow me to continue to build on a solid foundation. We are well positioned to meet the challenges of the future. I remain convinced that the interests of IATSE members are best protected when we use all of the resources gained through the unity and coordination of our locals and members throughout the United States and Canada."
The press release goes on to say: Loeb is credited with devising and implementing an aggressive organizing and bargaining strategy under the leadership of President Emeritus Short. The policies laid the foundation for obtaining more than 1,000 term agreements in motion pictures, television, music videos, and commercials, and the chartering of numerous new local unions adding thousands of new members to the union. Loeb has been a member of the United Scenic Artists Local 829 since 1989, a member of Local 52 since 1996, and is a Charter
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For crissakes! Like TV viewers haven't been bombarded 
is almost completed and will be announced in the next week to 10 days. The Reliance people were in Los Angeles last week meeting with DreamWorks. I hear they also met with Jeffrey Katzenberg (whose public company DreamWorks Animation has an "out" clause from its Paramount distribution deal after 10 films...). However, David Geffen officially severs his ties with Paramount as soon as August, and Spielberg can leave in October. Then DreamWorks has to make a distribution deal, probably with Universal where Spielberg still keeps his office. To refresh your memories, Geffen had on speed dial the newest Big Media mogul names of Rajesh Sawhney and Anil Dhirubhai Ambani (one of the world's Top 10 richest men) to help with a planned $1.2 billion total financing for DreamWorks 2.o, the new independent film company the principals are starting post-Paramount. The intent is to make about 6 movies a year. Meanwhile, DreamWorks and Paramount will battle over Spielberg's exit and all that joint development. For instance, I just heard that Spielberg starts directing Tintin as soon as October -- and there's already confusion if this is a DreamWorks/Paramount or a DreamWorks 2.0 production.
As Myers has previously said, this fourth installment of the super spy spoof movie series will focus on Austin's arch-villain Dr. Evil, who was based on Blofeld of the Bond films. But what hasn't been known is that the AP4 plot is really about Dr. Evil and his son (introduced already as Scott Evil, played by Seth Green). (NEW) Myers said this week he conceived the film’s plot during a “spiritual quest” of self-discovery to help him cope with his dad’s death in 1991 following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. And it was during this time in his life that he said he was inspired to create the character of The Love Guru. “In many ways, The Love Guru is honouring him by dealing with his loss, because making silly movies is how I deal with things.”
equating the release of Bruce Almighty with curing cancer. Geez, I always thought the 63-year-old former marine was one of those rare moguls who didn't need his ego fed like the rest of the Big Media weenies. But how pathetic to see that he, too, succumbed to such a nauseating suck-up. I hear Meyer initially turned down the issue only to reconsider when he was told THR would work its way down the list of other moguls with a still healthy advertising budget. Meanwhile, I'm told Meyer's issue sold more ads than past honorees like Rupert Murdoch, Bob Iger and Jerry Bruckheimer. Shame on Meyer for subjecting all his friends (and enemies) to be held up for ransom by THR's rapacious ad salesmen. If only all the studio bosses stopped congratulating each other long enough to personally step in and solve the AMPTP-SAG stalemate and put this town back to work. In my estimation, Ron just lost his street cred. I hope he enjoys the tiara and sash and the traditional stroll through The Grill clutching a bouquet of long-stemmed roses. 
After years of complaining about partner Rick Nicita, CAA's original Young Turks have pushed him out of the agency and foisted him onto Morgan Creek where he'll be co-chairman and chief operating officer. It must have been a desperate situation for the 63-year-old Nicita who, after years of rumors that he's on the outs, is now willing to work for James Robinson, one of the worst bosses in Hollywood and one of the biggest assholes in the movie biz. (Kudos to LA Times' Claudia Eller who got online first with the announcement... without analysis.)
This horrible job culminates Nicita's 42-year career as an agent for first William Morris and then CAA, where he became a partner in 1995 when Ovitz left to become the short-timer prez of the Walt Disney Co. That's when the agency was handed over to the so-called Young Turks -- Jay Moloney, Richard Lovett, Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane, David "Doc" O'Connor -- as well as to head of music Tom Ross, head of television Lee Gabler, and veteran agent Nicita. Even though Moloney at one point was touted to take over the agency, he was fired in 1996 because of his hopeless drug habit. Since then, the Young Turks have slowly but surely consolidated their grip on CAA, pushing out first Ross, then Gabler, and now Nicita.
While I'm on the subject of the Los Angeles Times, the newspaper is engaging in another bit of synergy with its Tribune-owned local TV station KTLA -- this time about Hollywood. I'm told that LA Times chief film critic Kenny Turan is teaming up with KTLA Morning News entertainment reporter Sam Rubin for a half-hour television show based around the print version of "Sneaks", the LA Times' four-times-a-year look at movies coming out. The show will be called Sneaks and produced four times a year with the first one airing September 7th. One past bit of successful synergy between the newspaper and KTLA was to promote LA Times columnist Steve Lopez's series about Skid Row. 
EXCLUSIVE: Reliable sources tell me that Eddy Hartenstein, the ex-chief of DirecTV, is under serious consideration to be the new Los Angeles Times publisher, replacing David Hiller who was fired this month. A deal for him isn't done yet but he's first choice on the short list. The 57-year-old rocket scientist (yes, really) is a name well-known to Hollywood since he was the Big Kahuna in the development of modern-day satellite television, serving as DirecTV's CEO, chairman, vice chairman and president from the company's inception in 1990 until 2004 when he left after Rupert Murdoch's News Corp bought the company. OK, so why Hartenstein for LA Times publisher?
after taking DirecTV from zero to 12.5 million subscribers despite facing very stiff competition from cable. Hiring Hartenstein would seem to be a smart move on the part of Tribune Co owner Sam Zell. But why is Hartenstein jumping on board journalism's equivalent of the Titanic? "He doesn't need a job, he needs an adventure," one source explained to me. "He's looking for the next bounce." Hartenstein also served in senior executive positions at the satellite-based communications provider Hughes Communications and Equatorial Communications Services Company, a provider of telephony and data distribution services. Hartenstein was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in 2002 and received an Emmy for lifetime achievement from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2007. 
As I write this, Comic-Con 2008 has just concluded. Before everything ended, I had to check in on a couple of panels with DC Comics president Dan DiDio. Would nit-picky fans rake him over the coals for not getting DC's act together regarding their movie properties? (And yes, yes, I know: THE DARK KNIGHT was great. But where's The Flash? Green Lantern? Martian Manhunter? Marvel's even getting to third-tier guys like Ant-Man.)
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