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Mike Ovitz Explains: “Nobody Called Me”

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday April 9, 2010 @ 3:12pm PDTTags: Agents, Ovitz, R.I.P.

UPDATES Shame On Mike Ovitz…

This morning, Mike Ovitz tried to go through a NYC power publicist (Steven Rubenstein, who doesn’t rep him) to get back to me. But I needed to hear the words directly from MO’s mouth. So he just phoned me from a plane to explain why he was a no-show at Mike Rosenfeld Sr’s memorial service yesterday when the other CAA founding partners were in attendance:

“I’m calling you for a simple reason. I feel horrible. I swear to God I had no idea Mike passed away until someone read me your blog an hour ago. I had no idea. I’m mostly in New York. I don’t read the LA Times or the trades anymore. I only read your blog. (My hat’s off to you…).

“I know the guys [his 5 former CAA partners] have had issues with me. But between them and the current partners I didn’t hear one word, not even from their assistants. When Ray [Kurtzman] died, I wasn’t in the country. And when Mike died, I was in the Caribbean. But I was here in Los Angeles when the memorial took place and of course I would have gone. But no one had the courtesy to tell me about it. Nobody called me. Forget if they like me or don’t like me, it was common decency. This was a guy I spent 20 hours a day with. Call me, send me an email, I’m the most reachable guy on the planet.

“I swear to you no one invited me to something where hundreds of people went and I could have gone. It’s no secret they don’t like me. But I’m not going to die with a grudge or animus  to my old partners. I’m happy for their success. But I care a lot about my children. And they hurt them. My son, the oldest one Christopher, called me about this.”

As you can see, some people never change.

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Shame On Mike Ovitz…

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday April 8, 2010 @ 3:00pm PDTTags: Agents, Ovitz, R.I.P.

UPDATES Mike Ovitz Explains: “Nobody Called Me”

Today was the memorial service for Mike Rosenfeld Sr, the William Morris agent who became one of the five founders of Creative Artists Agency and then moved to Sonoma County before passing away on March 25th. All of the … Read More »

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Who You Gonna Call? Sandy Litvack?

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday September 9, 2008 @ 5:18pm PDTTags: Agents, Oscars, Ovitz, Radio

Sandy Litvack used to be one of Michael Eisner’s most trusted advisers at the Walt Disney Co. He’s now one of the U.S. government’s. That’s because the Justice Department has hired the Century City lawyer with Hogan & Hartson as an outside consultant on a possible federal antitrust challenge … Read More »

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Cathy Schulman Has Last Laugh On Ovitz

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday August 14, 2008 @ 12:37pm PDTTags: Agents, Ovitz

My sources within the Hollywood legal community tell me that producer Cathy Schulman, who was sued by Michael Ovitz and at one point facing a terrifying $4 million judgment, has won her appeal and now a new arbitration so that she owes … Read More »

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Ovitz And Burkle Settle Their Lawsuits

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday July 25, 2008 @ 4:02pm PDTTags: Law, Ovitz

When I last left this litigious twosome, a judge had just dismissed billionaire Ron Burkle’s lawsuit against Michael Ovitz after ruling that the duo had been more friends than business partners … Read More »

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Look At What It Says On Ovitz’s T-Shirt…

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday July 11, 2008 @ 2:52pm PDTTags: Hollyweird, Humor, Ovitz

This is a photo of Michael Ovitz arriving at Camp Allen. Look closely at his T-shirt. (FYI, I reported three weeks ago about his renting the I.M. Pei building, the ex-home of CAA, to Sony BMG. Embarrassing for Variety to be so late on this…):

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Ovitz Back In Control… Sort Of

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday June 18, 2008 @ 3:01pm PDTTags: Agents, DH update, Directors, History, Hollyweird, Hollywood, Journalism, Moguls, Ovitz, Writers

I keep forgetting to report that the old CAA building designed by I.M. Pei, complete with its Roy Lichtenstein mural, is back in the hands of Michael Ovitz. Both his ex-partners Ron Meyer and Bill Haber recently sold to him their financial … Read More »

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Pellicano Trial Update: Jury Has Case

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday May 1, 2008 @ 2:25pm PDTTags: Agents, Courts, Hollywood, Law, Ovitz, Pellicano, Pellicano Jury, Scandal, U.S. Attorney Daniel Saunders

Here is DHD/LA Weekly trial correspondent Steven Mikulan’s wrap-up: “Prosecutor Daniel Saunders got the last word in during the government rebuttal argument. Saunders, who’d been lumbered during his  closing argument by the need to enumerate most of the 78 counts involved in the RICO case, got to unload on … Read More »

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Pellicano Trial Update: Closing Arguments

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday April 30, 2008 @ 11:14am PDTTags: Agents, Courts, Hollywood, LAPD Sgt Mark Arneson, Law, Ovitz, Pellicano, Scandal

So the trial that would not end is finally ending with closing arguments. Not much of a Hollywood angle to report, except for the lawyer for LAPD Sgt Mark Arneson, who is accused of doing all those illegal law enforcement database … Read More »

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Pellicano Trial Testimony: Ex-FBI Agent Believes Ovitz Behind Anita Busch Threat

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday April 18, 2008 @ 9:55pm PDTTags: Agents, Anita Busch, Bernie Weinraub, Courts, Hollywood, LAPD Sgt Mark Arneson, Law, Ovitz, Pellicano, Scandal

Today the retired FBI agent who led the Pellicano investigation testified that he believed Ovitz’s hiring of the Hollywood private-eye led to that June 2002 fish-rose-&-note warning left on Anita Busch’s Audi. But Stan Ornellas stopped short of saying Ovitz specifically ordered the June 2002 … Read More »

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Ovitz Testifies Busch/Weinraub NYT Articles “Wildly Embarrassing”: Says He Suspected Ron Meyer & David Geffen Were The Sources So Hired Pellicano

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday April 9, 2008 @ 8:58am PDTTags: Agents, CAA, Courts, David Geffen, Hollywood, Media, Ovitz, Pellicano, Ron Meyer, Scandal

2ND UPDATE: Michael Ovitz on the witness stand at the Pellicano trial today pointed an accusatory finger at his former friend and CAA partner Ron Meyer, now president/COO of Universal Studios, and at his longtime nemesis David Geffen, the billionaire co-founder of … Read More »

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Ovitz Expected Manana At Pellicano Trial

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday April 8, 2008 @ 1:21pm PDTTags: Courts, Media, Ovitz, Ovitz Testimony Pellicano, Pellicano, Scandal

ovitz1.JPGI’m told he showed up at the Roybal federal building although his lawyer shooed away reporters. No, he didn’t take the witness stand today and was left cooling his heels. Supposedly, Mike testifies tomorrow. Speaking of the former CAA co-founder and … Read More »

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Let’s Deal With Latest Bunch Of Rumors

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday April 4, 2008 @ 9:54am PDTTags: Agents, Bryan Lourd, CAA, Kevin Huvane, Law, Ovitz, Pellicano, Rumors

That published report claiming CAA partners Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane “may file a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Michael Ovitz — charging that, among other things, he hired infamous private eye Anthony Pellicano to spy on them” is bullshit. Seriously, you’d have to know nothing about Hollywood to think anyone at CAA would … Read More »

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Judge Dismisses Burkle Suit Against Ovitz

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday March 28, 2008 @ 9:56am PDTTags: Courts, Internet, Law, Ovitz, Ron Burkle

While Michael Ovitz’s name keeps coming up repeatedly in the ongoing Pellicano trial (though he’s charged with no wrongdoing), he’s also been the subject of an ongoing multimillion dollar lawsuit brought by his one-time Internet partner, billionaire investor Ron Burkle. But yesterday Ovitz scored a big victory when that lawsuit by … Read More »

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Pellicano Trial: CAA Partners Say Nothing

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday March 26, 2008 @ 12:39pm PDTTags: Agents, Bryan Lourd, CAA, Courts, Hollywood, Kevin Huvane, Law, Ovitz, Pellicano, Scandal

lourd-huvane1.jpgPoor Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane had to cool their heels all morning inside the Roybal federal building. A place near the coffee shop substituted as a Green Room for the Pellicano Trial. Even the government realized this was costing CAA a fortune. Around … Read More »

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Ovitz Pulled This With Bert Fields, Too

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday March 10, 2008 @ 4:06pm PDTTags: Ovitz

ovitz1.JPGSince Michael Ovitz is in the news right now courtesy of the Pellicano trial, I thought this Rush & Molloy item might amuse: Lunching at that NYC media feeding trough Michael’s, the one-time showbiz power (now pariah) was introduced to Tab Turner, a top … Read More »

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Pellicano Trial Update: Federal Prosecutor Talks About Michael Ovitz During Opener; Pellicano Puts On Puny Self-Defense…

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday March 6, 2008 @ 9:40am PSTTags: Courts, Hollywood, Law, Media, Ovitz, Pellicano, Scandal

trial-pellicano-side-view.jpg5:30 PM: Today, accused Hollywood P.I. Anthony Pellicano finally gave the court his version of what this case is all about. And if anyone was expecting some impassioned defense of himself, or surprise explanation for his prosecution, there was none. There was, in … Read More »

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Feds Subpoena Hollywood Heavies As Possible Witnesses In Pellicano Trial

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday February 14, 2008 @ 6:34pm PSTTags: Media, Moguls, Ovitz, P.R., Pellicano, Scandal

pellicano-witnesses.JPGEXCLUSIVE: It looks like this month’s upcoming trial of Hollywood private investigator Anthony Pellicano isn’t going to disappoint. I’m told that big names from past and present in the entertainment biz like Paramount chief Brad Grey, Universal President/COO Ron Meyer, … Read More »

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There’s A Mike Sucker Born Every Minute

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday January 14, 2008 @ 3:32am PSTTags: Hollywood, Law, Ovitz

So now Michael Ovitz is bringing his “I see into the future” carnival act to the digital crowd who, unbelievable as it sounds, is still impressed with his one-time moniker as “The Most Powerful Man in Hollywood.” You have to wonder if these … Read More »

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