• Nell Scovell, a writer on Dave Letterman's show in the late '80s, has stepped forward to detail the show's "hostile, sexually charged atmosphere." [VF]
• Layoffs: Yesterday's cuts at Forbes claimed 30-40 people; reality TV-focused Teen Vogue laid off half a dozen staffers today; the cuts continue this week at W; and…
Google Co-Founder Kind of a Jerk in Person, Says Fellow Billionaire
It's so fun to see the media wars play out in actual tiffs between actual human beings in actual rooms together. Take this passive-aggressive clash between Google's Larry Page, programmer, and IAC's Barry Diller, onetime movie mogul.
Twitter CEO's Mockery: We 'Were Laughing at Those Media Guys'
Twitter's revenues will be just $4 million this year, according to a new Wired feature story. But that's not going to crimp its co-founder's swagger: Evan Williams knows Twitter will be huge, and has words for anyone who says otherwise.
I Am Slightly Underwhelmed By Lindsay Lohan's Paris Fashion Week Debut
Lindsay Lohan makes her big Paris Fashion Week catwalk debut. Beyonce dad is impregnating women and moving women to the left. Vincent Gallo: still awesome. Liza Minella, Michael Jackson, Padma, Diller, the High Line! Here's your Sunday Morning Gossip Roundup:
Leno's Fall, Bloomberg's Bid, Dan Brown's Big Day
• As expected, ratings for Jay Leno's new show are falling fast. [THR]
• Bloomberg LP appears to now be in the lead to buy BusinessWeek. [NYP]
• Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol sold 1 million copies its first day. [NYT]
• Don't try to talk to Vogue publisher Tom Florio about what changes are in store for the mag now that…
ABC Sinks Further, MTV To Relocate?
• All is not well at ABC. The hoped-for comeback of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? didn't happen and ratings have been so low, the network is now occasionally falling behind Univision. Yes, Univision. [NYT, B&C]
• The owners of Uptown magazine are in talks to acquire Vibe, which shut down in June. What they plan to do…
Time Warner's Loss, IAC's Gain & The McKinsey Mystery
• Time Warner sucked wind in the second quarter as profits fell 34%. Newly-independent Time Warner Cable, however, posted a profit. [AP, Reuters]
• McKinsey has set up shop at Condé Nast. What it is the consulting firm's actually doing (or recommending), however, remains a mystery. [NYO]
• Barry Diller's IAC posted a…
Ben's Big New Deal, Another Rough Quarter For Viacom
• Ben Silverman didn't have much success during his two-year stint at NBC, but that didn't stop him from scoring a super-sweet deal with Barry Diller's IAC. His new venture will reportedly give him $100 million to play with. [NYP]
• Viacom, the media conglomerate controlled by batty billionaire Sumner Redstone,…
Barry Diller Just Bought This Kid a TV Studio
At the ripe old age of 28, Ricky Van Veen is finally putting CollegeHumor.com behind him. He's leaving the site he co-founded and starting a production company called Notional. But the young man remains in Barry Diller's well-padded nest.
Diane Von Furstenberg's Secrets To Success: 'Independence,' Sugar Daddies, Sheer Delusion
You know when the Sunday New York Times profiles Diane Von Furstenberg - fashion designer, wife of heterosexual business owner Barry Diller - they're going to deliver. And oh, did they. Welcome to Diane Von Furstenberg's Secrets to Success.
Is Brangelina NYC-Bound?
• Are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie moving to NYC and into a giant apartment at the Apthorp? That's the rumor! [NYDN]
• The good news/bad news for Madonna: She's getting along much better with her ex, Guy Ritchie, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, the reconciliation isn't making Madonna's boyfriend, Jesus Luz,…
The Jackson Memorial, The WSJ, Another NYT Scandal
• How many networks covered the Jackson memorial? Count 'em yourself: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, HLN, MTV, VH1, VH1 Classic, VH1Soul, BET, E!, TV Guide, TV One, Univision and Telemundo. [AdWeek]
• The WSJ is planning a weekly New York-only arts-and-culture section. [NYO]
• Condé Nast will launch a…
Syfy's Arrival, Timberlake's Book & TMZ's Big Win
• The Sci Fi Channel is now called Syfy. It's pronounced the same way, except it's less science fiction-y, which is why it was changed to begin with. [THR]
• Justin Timberlake has tapped lit agent David Vigliano to sell publishers on the notion that Timberlake is just the person to write a book about golf. [NYO]
•…
Barry Diller Will Cater to Very Specific Sexual Tastes
After pawning off his highbrow cultural shopping newsletter on the New York Observer, what does Barry Diller buy? Sites for people with fetishes for the "Big and Beautiful," Black Baby Boomers and Italians. Diller, after all, knows from picky. (Pic)
Sun Valley 2009: Biking and a Bit of Dealmaking
It's that time of year again, time for the Allen & Co's annual media industry confab in Sun Valley, Idaho. Occasionally described as a "summer camp for billionaires," the Herb Allen-hosted event is expected to atrract more than 250 media chiefs, tech moguls, financiers, Hollywood agents, and politicians, as well as…
Lisa Maria Falcone Steps Into the Spotlight
It hasn't been a fun ride for hedge fund manager Phil Falcone since he picked up 20 percent of the New York Times Co. a couple of years ago. He had to face off against the ruling Sulzberger clan for representation on the board of directors and the company's plunging stock price means his investment in the paper is…
The Friday Party Report
More than 1,200 people descended on Skylight Studios on Wednesday night for the Whitney's annual Art Party. Sponsored by BCBG Max Azria, the designer (left, with co-host Camilla Belle) and wife Lubov welcomed the likes of Lake Bell, Lydia Hearst, Gretchen Mol, Hilary Rhoda, Calvin Klein, Jason Wu, Tinsley Mortimer, …
Royal Rumors, Another Split for Lohan and Ronson
• Here's a rather unlikely rumor but an amusing one all the same: Prince William is supposedly thinking of moving to America with his girlfriend, Kate Middleton, and the two have been spotted house-hunting in Malibu. Frankly, if they were going to move to America—and they're probably not—we see them as more of a New…
Typo, Filler Ad, Mainstream Movie Herald New York Observer's Second Very Short List
How is shopping newsletter Very Short List doing on the second day under the New York Observer's ownership? Poorly enough to motivate mogul wannabe Jared Kushner to hire some dedicated staff, perhaps.
Amazon.com Outs Barry Diller
Ho ho, what do people who buy a copy of "Dillerland," a biography of married media mogul Barry Diller, also buy, according to the Amazon.com robots?
