Updates below…
Paradigm has signed Tony Danza, whose new reality series set in Philadelphia Teach premiered this past Friday night on A&E. (I saw the debut and found it compelling.) Danza’s many credits include as the co-star of Taxi and Who’s The Boss and was executive producer on Showtime’s TV movie Out Of Time. He’s been out of the limelight way too long.
Jason Pagni, a Paradigm agent in the Production department handling below-the-line clients like cinematographers and editors is going to WME Entertainment as a feature agent.
ICM has signed Keith Olbermann, host of Countdown with Keith Olbermann which airs weeknights on MSNBC. Olbermann’s new book Pitchforks and Torches: The Worst of the Worst, from Beck, Bill, and Bush to Palin and Other Posturing Republicans will be published on October 26th.
Brad Goreski has signed with Management 360 for representation in all areas. Goreski was the stylist on Bravo’s reality series The Rachel Zoe Project until their recent parting of the ways.
UPDATE: Anonymous Content partner Michael Sugar recently signed writer/director Richard Linklater (Me And Orson Welles, Fast Food Nation). CAA remains his agency.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.


Tony Danza is an American icon.
When did 360 get into reality?
Nikke, do you think we’ll ever see a day when audiences grow as weary of so-called “Wanna Be” famous/ infamous people on so-called reality shows, and ALL networks get back to producing 100% REAL programming using trained actors and scripted stories? I’m sooooooooooooooooo tired of being inundated with news from legitimate news outlets, now including yours, crafting stories about NOBODIES who would do anything short of selling their own grandmother just to be seen on TV. In the last decade the medium has just devolved into such sludge. Yes, I know there are good shows out there, but I want to see more good shows and less junk. And it’s frightening that these shows are aimed at the lowest common denomenator in our society, which, sadly, seems to be a very high percentage of the populous. …Your thoughts. Is TV forever doomed from here on out?
Anonymous Girl Friday,
My unsolicited answer: Our country is doomed (we’re heading toward socialism), and thus, TV is forever doomed. Everybody wants to live “the good life” and a large percentage of people will sell their souls to live it.
“… heading toward socialism’ – ? What? That is ridiculous.
Not only will reality t.v. survive and thrive, it will be THE entertainment choice of the future. More and more scripted series will die off. The internet will become the t.v. of the very near future. There will be cameras everywhere recording life (as we know it). People will be able to click on any cam anywhere in the world. Twitter/Facebook will die off. Reality cams will be the future. People won’t leave their homes. Live theatre and movies will be extremely scarce, if not go away all together. The real world will become the viewing choice of the masses. And we will be bombarded with ads for this free content. Watch and see.
heard really good things about Teach. He taught the entire year and there are very few episodes, so hope it will be a good run.
Tony Danza is one of the most iconic actors in tv history. Lets hope he decides to do a half hour network comedy again. The man belongs back in a primetime lineup.
Danza’s new manager, Dan Farah, is bringing him back in a big way!! Heard they are developing a new half hour multi-cam comedy that will be Tony’s comeback to half hour comedy after 13 years of not even wanting to develop anything. Hope my bosses want to buy it!!
Pagni’s great.
One of the best agents out there….. nice get WME..
Easy prediction: 5 people will buy Olbermann’s worthless book.
How smart is Goreski? Leaving that awful Rachel Zoe for a real management firm like 360. 360 has somehow become cool. And their movie stars and directors are a-list. Smart.
ICEBERG RIGHT AHEAD!!!!! Yes Jasan Pagni is a good agent and a nice guy. But Nikke you used to probe the why question. The truth that the WME hierachy will not tell you is that they have just shuffled the department and put Devin Mann who doesn’t know a thing about features in charge. He is a commercial agent who doesnt know anyone in featuers. He is like the Captain in the Titanic movie, in over his head. Time to get in the captain’s quaters and watch your ship go down. Troy Knowles is supposed to be his number two, but at most other agencies he wouldn’t be a good number 4. He is like the officer in the TITANIC that shoots himself when he realizes all is lost.
So yes Pagni is a good guy. And yes he will bring over some nice fine ok clients. But isn’t WME supposed to be competing with UTA, and ICM in below the line.
Jack Dawson was a nice guy too in the movie, but we all know what happened to him. In this case the ship has already hit the Icberg, and there is nothing Jack can do but watch it go down. Devin Mann in charge the last 5 months has lost more clients then are countable. He is like a French Royal Aristocrat who has hemophilia at a Razor blade convention. He is bleeding more clients then any one thought possible.
WME Board, wake up, best way to right the ship, is build a new one!