Weinsteins Want Miramax Name Back 
'Saw 3D' vs 'Paranormal Activity 2' Battle … 
TV TUG OF WAR: It's Ellen vs Simon, And … 
Robert De Niro Returns To CAA From WME; Jane … 
Fox Wins Studio War For Robert Rodriguez' … 
Weinstein Co Gets "New Lease On Life"? 
Nicole Kidman Hires Angelina's Manager 
So What Are The Hot Films At Sundance? 
Huge $70M Settlement In TV Writers Age … 
TOLDJA! Momoa Chosen 'Conan' Barbarian 
Oscar Campaign Badmouthing Has Begun! My thanks to both the Los Angeles Times' Meg James and The New York Times' Bill Carter for acknowledging in their articles today that Deadline Hollywood Daily broke the news about Friday's big NBC exec shake-up. Neither trade did.
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Rourke vs NYT: Who Was Conning Whom?
One of the most time-honored traditions of the Oscars is the redemptive quality of its nominations process. Talent who've hit the the skids over the years through their own bad decisions personally and/or professionally can suddenly find their careers revived because of Academy Award attention from their peers. 
Such is the situation this year with Mickey Rourke and Fox Searchlight's The Wrestler. Which is why that recent New York Times Magazine profile of him was so unfair. For a newspaper that rarely examines anything Oscar with a cynical eye, this is usually a slam dunk bit of heartwarming PR: actor squanders great promise, gets written off by the Industry, then gives a wonderful performance, and gets the recognition that was long overdue. Instead, the NYT decided to go a different way: investigate every claim that came out of Rourke's mouth in order to expose him as a kind of whacked-out con man who's "spent his entire adult life playing not fictional characters but an idealized delusional fantasy of himself". It's hard to imagine, say, the NYT writing as negatively about Sean Penn or Frank Langella. But that's because the class-conscious newspaper of record doesn't place Rourke, long a fixture of straight-to-video feature films, in the same thesp elite category. But, worse, the mag went about this bit of character assassination badly.
One of the most controversial aspects of the piece is the treatment of Rourke's ... Read More »
Israel's Oscar Bid: 'Waltz With Bashir'
You may recall that last year the Israeli Academy of Motion Pictures chose The Band’s Visit as the country’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar only to see it disqualified by the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for having too much English dialogue. The runner-up, Beaufort, then became the first Israeli film to grab an Oscar nomination in 24 years. Israeli film blogger Yair Raveh tells me that this year Israel’s pick is Waltz With Bashir which debuted in Cannes to much buzz, played at the Toronto and Telluride film fests, and tonight swept the Israel's Academy Awards so it automatically becomes that country's AMPAS Oscar pick. Picked up by Sony Pictures Classics, it's an animated film based on writer-producer-director Ari Folman's real-life memories - or lack thereof - of the first Lebanon war in 1982. (This is Folman’s 2nd movie to win Israel’s Academy Award; 1st was 1997’s Saint Clara.)
Here's The NY Times Profile Of Endeavor
As promised, I'll dissect it on Sunday Monday...
NY Times Profiling Endeavor on Sunday
Why Sunday instead of Monday Biz? (And why does New York Times writer Michael Cieply 
keep warning the Hollywood folks he writes about "not to tell Nikki"?) Anyway, Endeavor talent agency toppers hope it's going to be a blow job on them just like that piece on CAA was. But as I always say, be careful what you wish for. Check in with DHD on Sunday when I'll tell you a lot the newspaper's business section didn't about Endeavor.
Bernie Weinraub's Second Act: Two Plays
Bernie Weinraub, the retired Hollywood and political correspondent for The New York Times (and my pal), has not one but two plays previewing. His drama The Accomplices about Jewish activists who sought aid from the U.S. government to stop the Holocaust, makes its West Coast premiere at the Fountain Theatre July 12-August 24. The play won a Stellar Network award, which led to its premiere in New York by The New Group in March 2007 and a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best New Play. It had its second production at the Biltmore's GableStage in Coral Gables, Florida. Weinraub's second play, Above the Fold, about journalism, was recently accepted by New York Stage & Film for its 2008 Reading Festival, part of the Powerhouse Theater Festival at Vassar this summer. The reading was directed by Will Frears and starred Famke Jansen. Weinraub, of course, is married to Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal.
Peter Chernin Needs To Answer For This...
I know from experience how difficult it is to tell the truth about Big Media. But News Corp moguls need to answer for Fox News Channel airing doctored photos of two New York Times television beat staffers to make them look like trolls -- all because the duo dared to report the news. 
Of course, News Corp squeals like a stuck pig whenever anyone criticizes their people. And Peter Chernin and Rupert Murdoch themselves are thin-skinned. (Again, I know this from experience...) But NYT reporter Jacques Steinberg and TV editor Steve Reddicliffe were just doing their job. And News Corp has plenty of opportunities to take on that reporting in the proper forums. What I don't understand is the corporate culture at News Corp where the response is always to attack, attack, attack its critics in as underhanded a way as possible. (Again, I know this from experience...) It's said that the fish stinks from the head. Murdoch may be unredeemable. But Chernin likes to think of himself as a good guy... Both MediaMatters.com and Editor & Publisher have the details.
Wkd Prediction: Robot $70M, Angie $40M
I'm told that not only is Pixar/Disney internally hoping for a $70+ million dollar opening for Wall-E, but also a Best Picture Oscar nomination for the L'il Robot. 
It's possible with 100% great reviews from top critics and even rival studios bigwigs gushing about the pic: "I saw it on Wednesday and it's just adorable and smart and interesting. It has more character development and emotion than any movie I've seen this year." My box office gurus are projecting a $65M to $70M opening, and maybe more from 3,992 theaters. Clearly it'll be another giant box office since Universal's Angelina Jolie / James McAvoy starrer Wanted now looks like an all-round date movie instead of just a guyfest.
Universal is hoping for at least $35M and maybe even $40M from 3,175 venues for Wanted's Fri/Sat/Sun total. My box office gurus are projecting $40M to $42M. "In terms of comps, that would be an extraordinary result for an R-rated summer action movie," a source tells me. "So anything above $35M is absolutely a franchise." 
The appeal for well-reviewed Wanted is a surprise: women want to see it as almost as much as men, young and old are coming in nearly even, and relative newcomer McAvoy is almost as much of a draw for the film as veteran Jolie.
Wall-E and Wanted will compete for older females. But it won't matter. "All the Wall-E reviews have been extraordinary. And Pixar is a brand that has earned the complete and total trust of the public," ... Read More »
'Wall-E' Orbiting Best Picture Oscar Nod?
I'm told that Disney and Pixar are going to push hard for a Best Picture Oscar nomination for Wall-E on the basis of its anti-toon moody darkness and rave reviews by critics who matter. Certainly many toons have tried for that high honor over the years, and then settled for "just" a recently added Best Animated Feature nod. Only one animated movie has made it into the most competitive Academy Award category -- Disney's Beauty And The Beast in 1991 -- but, alas, didn't win. But that may not be the obstacle in Wall-E's way. No, I'm hearing the problem may be Andrew Stanton's arrogance in that interview in last Sunday's New York Times:
"Stanton, who wrote and directed the film, doesn’t care if the kiddies want to hug Wall-E or not when the movie comes out on Friday. 'I never think about the audience,” he said. “If someone gives me a marketing report, I throw it away.'” Because them thar's fightin' words in the movie industry. "Half of Hollywood went, 'You've got to be kidding!' " a bigwig Hollywood marketer said, echoing sentiment heard within the Industry. "Nobody can say, 'I don't care what the audience thinks', especially when making a mainstream movie for families. Nobody can live outside the envelope like that. His disdain for the audience was really obvious."
Ah, I love the smell of nastiness at the start of Oscar season. Smells like... controversy!
New Rules For 81st Academy Awards
AMPAS just released this news release:
Beverly Hills, CA –– The governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences approved the rules for the 81st Academy Awards at their Tuesday evening (6/17) meeting. The only significant changes were in the Music – Original Song category. Other modifications of the rules include normal date changes and minor “housekeeping” changes.
Three items of note were altered in the Original Song rules. First, while there continues to be no limit on the number of songs from a given film that can be submitted for consideration, no more than two songs from any one film may be nominated for an Academy Award.
Also, in addition to the annual screening event at which members of the Music Branch view clips featuring the eligible songs as they appear in the films and vote, DVDs of those same clips will be made available to branch members who are unable to attend the screening; ballots will accompany the DVDs and must be returned by mail.
Music Branch members who have one or more songs in contention for nominations do not vote in that phase of the balloting. They remain eligible to vote on the final ballot to select the winner.
The only other category with a notable change is the Foreign Language Film Award and as was the case in 2006, the alteration is a procedural one rather than one in the rules per se. For the 81st Academy Awards, the two-phase process by which the nominees are selected will
... Read More »
NYT's David Halbfinger Leaves Hollywood
That long-in-the-works article about MGM looks like David Halbfinger's major swan song on the Hollywood beat. I'm told that The New York Times' movie culture editor Lorne Manly was out here last week to finalize Halbfinger's exit from the Los Angeles bureau. NYC sources say Halbfinger will be going to the Metro Desk to report politics. Generally, the feeling is that Halbfinger "never got his footing" covering the movie beat and devoted too much of his time to the Pellicano scandal (with freelancer Allison Hope Weiner). But that dead-ended when all the Hollywood bigwigs escaped prosecution. Also, like Sharon Waxman before him who is also gone, Halbfinger clashed repeatedly with the NYT's veteran showbiz reporter Michael Cieply (who used to have Manly's editing job). And since Cieply and Manly are joined at the hip... Well, bye-bye David, who I hear is thrilled to return to covering politicians instead of moguls. 
Besides, with the regular input of David Carr and year-old addition of Brooks Barnes, there were probably too many people at the paper covering Hollywood films, which in the old days used to be adequately reported by a lone correspondent. NYT editors may agree: the word to me is that the newspaper hasn't made up its mine to replace Halbfinger, so don't deluge the editors with those resumes yet. Meanwhile, I bet Brad Grey, who was ignominiously splashed all over the NYT pages during Halbfinger's ... Read More »
Will This Be More Of Harry Sloan's B.S.?
I'm told Sunday's New York Times will publish a long-in-the-works takeout examining whether MGM studios is on the brink. Harry Sloan was interviewed extensively for it...
Director Rob Marshall Exits ICM For CAA
SUNDAY AM UPDATE: The helmer's flack just emailed me to say that "Rob Marshall was concerned about your report that his departure from ICM had anything to do with Harvey Weinstein. Here is what Rob has to say, personally, about his decision to change agencies." Hey, I went with what my excellent sources told me he said at the time in terms of Harvey Weinstein. After all, poor Rob has to work with Harv again. But because I love revisionist history, I'm happy to update with his statement:
"I'd like to take this moment to clarify personally the situation behind my move to CAA. It was a very difficult and thoughtful decision I made -- one that I did not take lightly. My time at ICM has been incredibly rewarding and my partnership with Doug MacLaren was nothing but positive. He is an extraordinary agent and friend. I made the decision for a variety of professional reasons, none of which have to do with Harvey Weinstein. I am thrilled to report that everything on my film Nine is moving forward with great momentum. Daniel Day Lewis' deal was closed last week and we are on schedule to begin rehearsals in London on July 28 with shooting to commence September 29."
PREVIOUS: From what I'm told, Harvey Weinstein was the cause. Because Rob Marshall, the Oscar-nominated helmer of the Academy Award-winning musical Chicago for the old Miramax (and the old Harvey), was sick and tired of waiting, and waiting, and waiting, for the ... Read More »
New York Times Now Programming HBO: Frank Rich Hired As Creative Consultant
HBO's Richard Plepler, who rose from top corporate communications officer and exec VP to the company's programming boss in a promotion that raised creative eyebrows, has decided to get some help from a source very familiar to him: The New York Times. Specifically, from Frank Rich, the NY Times' weekly Op-Ed columnist and formerly America's most powerful drama critic, who as of today keeps his day job in journalism but also signs on as HBO's creative consultant (press release below). Rich, who's about to turn 59, told me just now "it was not hard" to obtain the newspaper of record's permission to do the showbiz deal once it was agreed that he would no longer even mention HBO. "I am completely out of covering HBO whatsoever."
As Plepler told me this morning, "I'm a longtime fan of Frank's, and HBO's goal is to bring as many interesting voices and points of view to the table as possible. When you look at what Frank has done, and his sui generis talent, and his many relationships in the creative community, he has a very, very good instinct for quality. Because of that, he has a remarkable feel for what we see as a quintessential HBO brand." The details of Rich's deal, while confidential, sound typical for showbiz: a consulting fee combined with payments for projects that get made. Plepler made a point of stressing that while Rich will make suggestions, HBO execs "will ... Read More »
David Geffen Goes After LA Times Again? Is He In "Serious Discussions" With Zell? Or Have They Not Spoken In Months?
I've written here again and again how much David Geffen wants to own the Los Angeles Times and put it back under local control as well as make it a real must-read. 
But the Hollywood mogul was rebuffed first by the Tribune Co's CEO Dennis Fitzimmons and then by current owner Sam Zell. Now Geffen may be looking for a third chance to buy the paper. I'm told by a source that Geffen and Zell are "in serious discussions" regarding a sale. It's all very hush-hush, but my source tells me: "Cash flow is not being met for the bankers, revenue is in freefall, and the potential liability on the Combs story is huge. Sam feels he bought a bill of goods. Geffen is back in the mix and he's going to get it for a deep discount. They're in serious discussions."
UPDATE: However, Geffen has been on his yacht vacationing in the South Pacific for weeks. And a Geffen insider insists that the DreamWorks partner and Zell haven't spoken in months.
Some background is needed. I've reported previously that, not long before Dean Baquet became the LA Times editor in July 2005, Jeffrey Katzenberg sought a meet-and-greet to announce that Geffen really wanted to buy the newspaper. Baquet was shocked. “How’s he going to feel the first time we review a movie or music produced by ... Read More »
Spielberg vs Paramount: The Real Story
Apparently it's news to The New York Times -- though to no one else in Hollywood -- that there may be friction when Paramount and DreamWorks try to unentangle themselves. What's a better story the newspaper could have written for Thursday's edition? That DreamWorks can finally shop itself around starting May 1st. Or that Steven Spielberg has the right to terminate his contract as soon as October, if David Geffen is no longer there, even though the producer-director's pact on paper goes to 2010. 
(Even Dreamworks Animation has an "out" clause after 10 films.) But I'm really surprised that the newspaper of record doesn't know what I know: that Spielberg has the right to elect to be involved in any project that DreamWorks has developed at Paramount. As an ex-Paramount business affairs source once told me, Steven's so-called "Amblin deal" would apply even if he chooses to leave and is no longer under contract. He'd still make 7.5% of the gross and 50% of the profits to cash break. And if it's decided the projects won't be made, they have to be offered to Steven in turnaround. So, tell me, given the choice that if he stays he's paid nothing, and if he goes he's paid a lot, who in their right mind would think Spielberg sticks around?
When Is An Interview Not An Interview?
The New York Times interview with ex-Hollywood reporter/editor Anita Busch is such a non-story that it's embarrassing not only in its hype but also in its omissions. 
For one thing, I wrote this identical story three years ago with much less info about the case than is available today. (See Requiem For Anita Busch.) For another, the NYT doesn't detail Busch's behind-the-scenes efforts to convey info and spin to journalists covering the longstanding Pellicano case (including to reporters for the NYT) which would disprove the article's claim that she's been silent until now.
Way more inexplicably, the NYT article today omits the primary reason why journalists at first didn't believe Busch's June 2002 account of threats against her: because she was claiming they were prompted by her then investigation of actor Steven Seagal's alleged mob ties. At the time, she wasn't the first to look into that story. In fact other media beat her to the punch. Yet even seasoned Mafia beat reporters had never experienced a threat to their person or property. So that's why Busch wasn't believed. (The incident in which a man threatened Vanity Fair writer Ned Zeman with a gun in August 2002 remains just a footnote even though Zeman, too, was working on a Seagal-mob story...)
Actually, the press was right to be skeptical: because now even Busch's own civil lawsuit and the feds in their criminal lawsuit don't finger Steven Seagal or the mob. The FBI's November ... Read More »
A Denial Is A Denial Is A Denial. Or Is It?
The New York Times was given an early peek at chairman/CEO Jeff Immelt's message to investors contained in GE's 2007 annual report to be released on Wednesday. Turns out the bossman addresses all those NBC Universal-is-for-sale-after-the-Olympics rumors. “Should we sell NBCU? The answer is no!” Immelt writes. “I just don’t see it happening. Not before the Olympics, not after the Olympics. It doesn’t make sense.” Do I believe him? Well, I know the Hollywood folks parented by GE have long insisted they don't hear sale talk coming from Immelt. But Big Media barons lie when their lips are moving. I presume Immelt's hand (or his ghostwriter's) was typing.
Gil Cates Apologizing To Whoopi, But...
...Steve Martin, Brad Renfro, Joey Bishop, Alice Ghostley, Robert Goulet, Charles Nelson Reilly, Lois Nettleton, Allan Melvin, Tom Poston, Charles Lane, Merv Griffin, Marcel Marceau, Floyd “Red Crow” Westerman, and many others whom Hollywood can't believe were also omitted, are waiting for theirs.
UPDATE: Wow, Worst-Rated Oscars Since Nielsen Started Tracking Them in 1974!
It's even more horrible than first thought. It's not just the lousiest Nielsen's in a decade but the lousiest since at least 1974 and maybe ever! (Honestly, my headline last Friday Best To Expect The Worst Oscars Ever... was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, not psychic.) According to this afternoon's news reports, the Nielsen's recorded only a pathetic 32 million people who watched the 80th Academy Awards. And the 56 metered markets averaged a 10.7 rating among adults 18-49. According to Broadcasting & Cable, that was the least viewed Oscarcast since Nielsen started tracking the kudos-fest in 1974. (FYI, the Academy Awards drew just 38.9 million viewers on Jon Stewart's watch in 2006 -- smaller than the 39.9 million drawn by 2007's Ellen DeGeneres. Compare both to the 55 million who tuned in for Billy Crystal back in 1998. Understand, I'm not saying last night's debacle was Stewart's fault. Sadly, my phone is ringing off the hook today about who's really to blame...)
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