Sure there is still homophobia in the American entertainment industry (and, you know, as it presents nationally recognized symbols, Hollywood as big shiny fake microcosm of the rest of the world and all that), and some talented people are forced—or at least feel forced—to keep their sexuality private lest they lose out on work. (The alleged supergays: Tom Cruise, Ryan Seacrest, John Travolta, etc.) But, compared to other parts of the "first world," the situation here is pretty superior (I mean, it's not Europe, but it'll do. For now). We have queer-friendly science fiction! And kinda shitty but still, they're there! networks like Logo and here! and Ugly Betty on ABC, and, um, all of Bravo. Plus, this whole phenomenon exists! And in movies gay characters are slowly crawling out of the gay best friend ghetto and movies like Brokeback Mountain, yeah get snowed in the end at the Oscars, but they have increasingly big, important "mainstream" presences. Obviously we've still miles to go before we sleep—like, um, where has gay Erik van der Woodsen been on Gossip Girl?—but I just thought I'd take this opportunity to give a little appreciation to a flawed but progressing community of self-obsessed millionaires. Thanks for furtively tolerating the gays, because this thing in Korea is really really sad.

Among the reasons that NBC has to be pissed at Silverman: he hasn't resurrected the network's ratings; the upcoming season of shows has no clear breakout hit; he's a party boy who stays out all night and doesn't come into the office till 11; and he tapped his old friends for important positions they weren't qualified for, which resulted in NBC doing things like paying his deputy's boyfriend $1.75 million to take his stupid show pitch and go away.

At a normal job, this would result in your boss hating you. But NBC chief Jeff Zucker couldn't be happier about how things are going!

"Ben has done a fantastic job. So far he's exceeded all of our expectations and the financial targets that we've set," said his boss, NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker. "We're talking about him being with us for a long time to come."

Words like "fantastic" are as common in corporate statements as words like "the." If you read press releases, you'll notice that every company is "delighted" about everything that happens. Therefore it means nothing. The fact that NBC is "talking about" Silverman being there a long time is not as reassuring as, for example, this alternative: "He will be here a long time."

"The shows that we have for this season are more commercial than any programs that we've had in the past four years," Zucker said.

Silverman's shows may suck, but they get a lot of product placements. Point in his favor.

"From our perspective there are no questions about Ben Silverman's job security. From our perspective he has done everything we've asked and more. We're incredibly happy with the job he's done, and hope that he'll be with us for a long time to come."

Disregard "incredibly," obviously. The inclusion of "from our perspective" and "hope" are bad signs. Consider that Zucker could have said: "There are no questions about Ben Silverman's job security. He has done everything we asked and more. We're happy with the job he's done, and he'll be with us for a long time."

Maybe they'll just dump him when his contract is up. Incredibly fantastic and delightful!

[LAT, Jossip, Mixed Media]

Hollywood’s rich & famous "snapped pictures with their cell phones and Blackberrys," "Ms. Streisand ran through bits of a few songs, but did not sing entire numbers," and celebrities dined on "salad with goat cheese, roasted potatoes, filet of beef and asparagus, apple crisp and chocolate lava cake" at last night’s Beverly Hills fundraiser for Barack Obama….

Roasted potatoes! Regular potatoes are good enough for the people of Ohio, Barack Obama!

Obama raised nine million dollars yesterday, setting a record for a single night's fundraising. Poor hardworking commoner John McCain was selflessly talking to real Americans at the time:

"Let me tell you, my friends, there's no place I'd rather be than here with the working men and women of Ohio," McCain said.

Oddly, while we have a detailed list of more than thirty famous people who attended the two Obama events, no one (as far as we know!) has yet reported the names of anyone who showed up to McCain's private fundraiser Monday night in Miami! At that event, McCain only managed to raise a paltry $5.1 million. It was probably all from firefighters. For some reason that private dinner is only worth a mention deep within A section stories on how Obama is beloved in Hollyweird!

(Though the Washington Post is reporting on some questionable McCain spending practices that everyone got all up in arms about when done by Kerry in 2004.)

[Kevin Smith via Adfreak]

"Hi, folks, I just spent a couple of days in Iowa - I'm a little bit of a favorite son there - and I spoke with maybe a thousand people and was very hands-on. Even Joe Biden said, 'You should be running (for president)!' But what I came away with was, these people can't afford gas, books, food or schools or movies!

"I was approached a hundred times by people asking, 'Can you help us?' I tried to tell them we care, but they didn't buy it. They wanted to, but watching Anya and Lara [Spencer] pick out accessories makes the viewers want to vomit. I'll get killed for this, but I'm actually the one not afraid for my job. I want people to be happy."

"Lara" is apparently Pat's successor on the show. Alrighty.

[P6]

The little "pop up agency" within PN is called "Jack and Bill," and it displays its digital new media online internet publicity chops with a microsite, Facebook page, and a Flickr page! Needy (heh) fashion clients had to audition to win the services of the eight young 20-something staffers. They graciously picked a lawyer-turned-stylist, an apparel company, a model, and this dynamic duo:

One fashion item, jewelry, is represented twice: by Dannijo, a line created by two sisters, Danielle and Jodie Snyder, and by Badgley Sneed Designs, a collection from two long-time friends, Lynne Badgley and Jan Sneed.

If the name Badgley rings a bell, it is because Lynne’s son, Penn, is an actor with a lead role in “Gossip Girl,” the buzzed-about series on the CW network. (Ms. Sneed is his godmother.)

Otherwise the TV star mom and her partner—who is the executive VP of corporate communications at a media agency—would have been forced to choose between paid PR representation and a shopping spree at Barneys every month. And that's not something anyone in America should be forced to do.

Charity in action!

[NYT]

[Also, one of the Jack and Bill staffers says her "Style Inspiration" is "Denizens of third world countries." Ironically?]

*Americans, please unclick this post.

[via Adfreak]

When you think of celebrity media today, think of two words: OK! magazine. Its entire business model is based on working *with* celebrities to come up with the nicest, most agreeable presentation possible. OK! is so celebrity-friendly it is edited by a former celebrity flack.

Although OK! may not be the most powerful celebrity magazine, its business methods pull US Weekly, People, and the rest of its competitors in its direction. Outlets have to fight for celebrity exclusives, and when a celebrity knows that she can go to OK! and be treated to only the nicest coverage in exchange for cooperation on a story, it's incumbent upon anyone else who wants to land that story to put up a similarly sweet offer.

The other significant part of today's celebrity media consists of the dirt-mongering gossip hounds—TMZ, Perez Hilton, etc. They place less stock in treating famous people respectfully, but they are susceptible to favor-trading.

So what many celebrities have come to realize is this: the fact that they will be covered is a given. The fact that they will have to endure a certain amount of unwanted published gossip is also a given. Modern media saturation ensures it. Luckily, they're in a position to counter any negative coverage from the dirtmongers with positive coverage from the friendlier celeb press. It's all waiting there, right out in the open. What they need is not a flack; what they need is simply a broker.

We think of the classic Hollywood publicist as a highly-connected favor trader in a position to keep a handle on the constant demands of the media with clever spin, keeping the bad news secret and the good news front-and-center. But the explosion of online media outlets has rendered this model anachronistic. The big media outlets that were once in a position to bargain with flacks are now struggling to keep up with online competitors.

So Brad Pitt doesn't need to pay a special PR person for her services. He can simply get his manager to handle it. He doesn't need a lying flack to call up newspaper editors and berate them; he just needs someone who can get the editor of celebrity weeklies on the phone to work out the best deal. He doesn't need a pit bull; W magazine just let him take its cover photo with his own camera, for chrissake. That's better PR than money can buy.

Eventually, Hollywood flackery will dwindle down to two primary categories: crisis specialists like PR ninja Mike Sitrick, whose services will be in demand as long as celebrities are fucking up in any way; and those who specialize in clients with some political inclinations, like Ken Sunshine (pictured), who reps Hollywood superliberals like Leo DiCaprio, helping to assure that they're taken seriously.

All others should be able to do away with their general-purpose flacks. Studios and networks can handle publicity for their own movies and shows. Managers can determine the best place to place stories for their celebrity clients. One less middleman won't be mourned. Even celebrities deserve to save a few bucks sometimes.

[via Nah Right]

Some of his main problems with the poster:

2. My head:
The left side of my face seems to be melting off of my skull. I guess I am looking directly into the Ark of the Covenant? Are they going for the bells palsy thing here? My left side looks like Brittany Spears' vagina.

4. Lips:
It looks like I'm wearing Maybelline Water Shine Diamonds Liquid Lipstick.

5. Fashion:
My character is sporting a very high collar I mean damn they should be snow capped at that altitude. It's going for the vampire lurking in the castle basement vibe. An Olympic pole vaulter would have a tough go clearing that collar.

As official Dane Cook Myspace blog commenter She-Cactus writes: "Hahaha, lmao!"

[Myspace via Adages]

"What? That's ridiculous," Franco exclaimed. "We completely created that shirt and that shark. [Director] David [Gordon Green, who they say came up with the shirt design himself] wanted me to wear a purple Monterey Bay T-shirt with a whale on it. I said I wasn't into the whale shirt, so he came up with his own design, which was the shark."

Franco was then swarmed by a crowd of women demanding to have sex with him (seriously, read the story). Does he really like sex? Or is he simply looking for a convenient way to slither away from the hard questions about his shark-and-kitten shirt? The truth will emerge, Franco. The truth will emerge.

[NYDN]

A tipster forwarded us the following text, which they say is an entry that was deleted from Tucker Max's ex-girlfriend's blog. We don't follow the man's love life closely enough to know whether this is true, but the blog does have Tucker Max listed as its contact person. Portions of this post have been floating around the internet for some time now. That's our disclaimer. Now here's the alleged Tucker Max love experience:

Humiliating
Last night Tucker blew me off. Again.

I went insane. I cut off all my hair with kitchen scissors like Frida Khalo.
Today I examined the fallout (actually quite cute and flippy. I am good at
everything). I also thought, "Bunny... there is something terribly awry. Why
are you so angry? Why have you become a bitter and horrible person since you
met Tucker?"

Today, while I'm working, Tucker is hovering over me asking me the same
question.

I have decided to make an itemized list of reasons why I might want to cut
off all my hair like a rape victim.

[Note: This is truly humiliating. If anyone were to make a medicine to cure
low self-esteem, I'd take it in spades; I'd do the 10k walk for closet
self-loathers, and wear the empty wine bottle lapel pin. I wish to God these
FACTS were fabricated or embellished, but the awful truth is that they are
not. I only hope this helps the other girls who don't like themselves].

What it is like to date Tucker Max.

-You will get fried chicken for your birthday. Later that night when you
both go to a bar, you will want a diet coke, but won't get one because that
is one less beer that he can drink.

-He will hang up on your favorite aunt, and be stunned when you get upset
that he referred to your mother as "that fucking bitch" because she called
you at a late hour.

-He will scream at you because you don't like the instant coffee he bought
you.

-He will never kiss you, and barely fuck you, even if you beg him to for
months. You are now the Virgin Mary. He will still try to coerce crazy
whores into coming to Chicago to fuck him. He will kiss them because they
are whores, and don't you know that you're only supposed to give good
passionate sex to women that you don't know or give a shit about? I didn't
know that either.

-You will beg him to take a shower, which he will not do. But he will shave
his face to have long make-out sessions with any random girl.

-You will read every piece of writing he has ever done and be supportive of
all his creative outlets. When you then ask him to read your own novel he
will drop it after chapter one because it's a waste of his time. He's not
good at editing.

-You will give him the greatest head of his life on a regular basis. He will
still suck in bed.

-He will make sure you know that you aren't very hot, only sort of cute, and
that your head is too big for the rest of your body. You also have
unattractive dark circles under your eyes and your tits are too small. He
will never compliment you.

-You will be bi-sexual and okay with him sleeping with other women, but this
will not be enough. He needs freedom.

-If he is an insensitive asshole to you, it is only because you are selfish.
You should understand that his parents sucked and now you have to pay for
this. How this is logical, I'm not really sure.

-When he has major surgery you will not leave his side. You will spend day
night waiting on him hand and foot, making sure he is comfortable and well
cared for. You will even wipe his ass when he takes a shit. Later he will
tell you that it was all unnecessary. He didn't need or want you to be
there.

-When he is supposed to pick you up and take you to a party, he will get
black-out drunk and fuck some girl instead of showing up.

-He will tell you he loves you and wants to have children with you. When you
then get pregnant, he will say that he has about two to four more years of
drinking and whoring left to do, so a baby isn't in the cards. He will
coerce you into an abortion by threatening to give away your dog if you try
to have the child. Then he will be evasive so that you will be forced to
dump him and he can get off scot-free.

-When you get upset about this, he will tell you that you are
over-emotional. When you try to explain how this hurts, he will ignore you
till you find yourself screaming and breaking things. He will explain these
outbursts to his drinking buddies as so: "Yeah she's fucking crazy. She
flips out on me like every third day."

-When you go to stay with your parents (read: bawl day and night) for two
weeks, he will fuck other women in your bed. The night you return he will
try to go out with a whore he's just met and wonder why you're upset about
that. He needs his freedom.

-When you are at your parents, he won't take your calls. Instead he will
spend his time e-mailing some whore. Later, he will not stop e-mailing this
same whore, because all whores come before your feelings even if the whores
are half as attractive and barely capable of forming cogent sentences.

-When his ex-girlfriend dies and then comes back to life, you will nurse him
through the depression. You will even be fine with her coming to stay at
your own fucking apartment so that he can decide which of you he wants. This
is so that you can be fair to both of them because you are a good person.
unlike them.

-Later on you will catch him telling this covert bitch who pretended to be
nice to you that he is only keeping you around because you are willing to
support him financially. They will laugh at you behind your back for being
"over-emotional." Oh how silly you are!

-When Tucker bounces back from his depression you will not be needed
anymore. You will just hand over the keys to his car and not say a word when
he drives it all over Chicagoland while black-out drunk.

-When girls come to the apartment, he will become "Cooooool Tucker Max." He
will dress and act differently. He will be an asshole to you. Why are you
upset? Don't you know "this is the Tucker Max show?" This pathetic statement
is his actual quote.

-And finally (though I could write pages and pages of this horrible shit):
When you've been stood up by the very first date you've planned in a year,
you will call Tucker and ask to hang out with him. He will not come pick you
up in YOUR OWN FUCKING CAR, because HE lost your license the night before
and you won't be able to get into the club he's going to. When you ask if it
's possible to go anywhere else he will refuse because there are free drinks
and whores in said club. Whores are very special. Much more special than the
woman that did all the above things out of unconditional love FOR A FUCKING
YEAR!

posted by The Bunny at 4:22 PM

JADE: A drop-dead gorgeous stripper with big boobs. She's the main event at the strip club. She tries to negotiate Tucker into the champagne room. She thinks he's cute and funny and seems to enjoy the process of flirting with him independent of the job...10 lines, 1 scene (51) AGE: 18-24 NUDITY NOT REQUIRED, but skimpy stripper attire will be worn. Only submit super-hot, gorgeous women with very large breasts (think Pamela Anderson). Will be in scene with Matt Czuchry, Jesse Bradford, and Geoff Stults, so actresses must be good enough to hold their own onscreen with them.

Implied: MUST HAVE STRONG STOMACH.

Czuchry, by the way, was Logan from Gilmore Girls and is Kate Bosworth's ex. Bradford has appeared in Bring It On and Swimfan. Stults played Ben on 7th Heaven.

Intimidating!

The original WOWCH shirt:

The Pineapple Express poster:

A closer look at Franco's shirt-wearing:

On WOWCH's blog, the company points out an interview in which Franco credited the shirt's design to director David Gordon Green. Yea right! WOWCH is demanding free tickets and popcorn to a showing of Pineapple Express to make up for what is, in all likelihood, the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of licensing fees (we just made that figure up). Justice!

4. Tucker's Friend Is Down With Mexicans, Mane:

5. Tucker "Max" On A Midget Girl, Ha:

6. Tucker Max Really Has To Poop Immediately:

1. The Dramatic Opening Scene:

2. Bar Scene One: Tucker Max Has A Way With Women And Dudes Better Not Give Him Any Shit Bro:

3. Bar Scene Two: Tucker Max Can Steal Your Sorostitute You Dumb Frat Boy So Watch Out Bro:

If we have the stomach, we'll bring you more lowlights soon bro!

The personality summary:

Tucker Max is an asshole but the kind of asshole that all of his asshole friends love because his antics distract them from the thinning hair and gentle mediocrity that characterize their post-college years.

The victim's personality:

Most Tucker Max stories involve him doing or saying crazy/offensive things, getting into trouble for them, and then going home with one of those girls who, when a guy says something sort of awful to her, hits him on the shoulder and says “you asshole” but also smiles and sticks to him like glue for the rest of the night. My dad was nice to me, so I don’t have this reaction, but I guess it takes all kinds.

The methodological analysis:

Invariably in Tucker’s stories, someone gets pissed off and says his jokes aren’t funny, and if that someone is a woman, she’s dismissed as ugly and/or fat and therefore too bitter and angry to get the joke, while if that someone is a man, he’s dismissed as being a meathead and therefore not cool or smart enough to get the joke. If you are confused by this last, let me clear it up for you: Tucker Max is unaware that he is the definition of a hazey, rapey, fratty meathead.

In the course of one paragraph, the author has summarized everything you will ever need to know about Tucker Max. The script—which, yes, involves midget sex—is called "Godawful" and "terrible" and many other things, although those two will suffice. We're looking into getting a copy of it ourselves; if you have one handy, email us.

[Read the entire takedown by The Script Reader. Somebody inform Michael Ian Black that his nemesis is open to attack.]

Creative director Fabien Baron was flabbergasted that Mendes' nipple flash was deemed unacceptable for Middle American sensibilities:

“You must be kidding me. This country really needs a new president — this country is so messed up,” said Baron. “It’s such a joke and it’s quite upsetting, frankly, how hypocritical this country has become. It’s OK for children to see people killed by guns? Spreading a little love right now would be a good idea.

“She is being a little sexy, but they are not provocative,” added Baron. “They are really well done. The spot is really beautiful — I really can’t believe this is happening.…I don’t know what else to say.”

So the company will run an edited version, the racier cut will be an online smash, the new perfume gets a ton of free media, and Eva Mendes can raise her asking price for her next film ever so slightly. It's all quite repetitive, isn't it? That won't stop anyone from watching this ad though:

[WWD]

Australia's national tourism group is spending $38 million to partner up with a new movie called Australia, starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman.

Other movies have boosted tourism. The number of visitors to New Zealand increased 30% after "The Lord of the Rings" showcased the country's vast mountain landscapes. Some wineries in the Santa Barbara area saw a 300% increase in visitors after the film "Sideways" featured two men hitting the local wine scene. And thousands of visitors annually still flock to a baseball field in Iowa to get nostalgic about the Kevin Costner film "Field of Dreams."

Weird right? But how can people not drop thousands on tickets to Australia once they see this epic:

"Australia" follows two characters, played by Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, as they drive cattle across the continent on the eve of World War II.

Naked, I hope.

[LAT]

“We’ve turned down Shaq for wearing sneakers,” says a Las Vegas PR director. “Then Diddy shows up the other night with a guard who’s wearing shorts and sneakers. Diddy was hosting an event, and he wouldn’t enter without his guy. So we had to let him in, but it’s obnoxious.”

Especially when Karl Lagerfeld's guards all wear Dior.

“Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore—they’ll come with no one.” By contrast, in her latest malfunction, Janet Jackson drew glares when her guards accompanied her inside the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute gala in May. “Even the Beckhams leave their guys outside that event!”

[W]

When Weinstein first made his "significant" investment, A Small World was touted as the place where the rich and powerful would meet online, "friendster for people who self-identify as being dually-based in two large cities with modern Western economies, an abundance of 8-figure real estate and a luxury resort or two."

With the Weinstein Co. on such unstable ground, Harvey sure would have loved to have the insurance of a successful ASW. Just imagine, a site with Facebook's popularity but the demographic profile of the WSJ. It would be a gold mine! Alas,much like Denise Rich, megayachts, and parties in St. Tropez with Naomi Campbell, ASW was overhyped. An illustrative look at how the game-changing site (that's too exclusive for you) has been performing:

Nazarian is remaking The Sahara, a former Rat Pack hangout on the Vegas strip that's become a piece of crap: "Outside, life-size Arab figures pull a row of cheesy plaster camels. Inside, $34-a-night rooms pull in pack-a-day low rollers."

But Sam is changing all that! He's remaking the hotel, and the casino, and the restaurant, and the clubs! Soon the Sahara will be the awesomest Lindsay Lohan hangout ever. Although it may or may not cure what seems to be his confusion over whether he's a young superprodigy or a wizened old business genius:

After dropping out of college, Sam Nazarian invested family money in commercial real estate and began to amass his own fortune. He was 22 years old and was known as Samy Boy. Today, his public-relations team says pointedly, he is addressed as Sam...

Although he and his PR handlers cringe at the term "nightclub king," Mr. Nazarian became known through the Hollywood club scene, starting in 2003. He formed SBE Entertainment (for Samy Boy Entertainment).

First, change your company's name. Then, fire your PR team.

[WSJ]

Pacific Coast News reports: "Heidi and her newest BFF, Meghan McCain, were spotted lunching at Ivy on the Shore in Santa Monica today. Just the intimate two of them."

Then they didn't have any cash for the valet so the paparazzi had to give them some. That's change you can believe in.

"There doesn't seem to be a lot of room for nuance," [Lt. Col. J. Todd Breasseale, the Army's liaison to Hollywood] said. "What sells a script to a studio is an easy concept, like 'This guy is crazy because he has been at war.' 'Easy, I love it,' the executive says."

Wow, are executives that easy? I have an idea for a movie, in that case!

Iraq war movies as a group have not done well at the box office. Film critics have speculated that moviegoers see enough of war on the news or don't care to watch films about an ongoing conflict. The Army suggests another possibility: The public is rejecting films that feel didactic or inauthentic.

"The public does not deal too well with being preached at," Breasseale said.

The US Army: No Preaching.

[LAT]

The documentary version, which came out last year, tells the story of Burt and Linda (pictured above, with Klores on left), a New York couple who are straight up crazy. Why? Because Burt was so in love with Linda, he hired goons to throw acid in her face after she broke up with him. And she married him anyways! And they're both still together and acting crazy to this day! I imagine the fictional version can't be any crazier than the real story. Which was—as advertised—crazy. Trailer for the Klores documentary is below:

[Variety. Pic via NY Mag]

Who is Raffaelo Follieri?

A 29-year-old hustler, murky businessman, and head of the Follieri Group, an investment vehicle known mainly for suckering Bill Clinton and Ron Burkle out of tens of millions of dollars in a botched scheme to buy up Catholic Church property. Also, he's Anne Hathaway's ex-boyfriend.

What kinds of scandals has he been involved in?

Follieri's scandals, in brief: he got written up in the WSJ for suckering Bill Clinton and Ron Burkle out of millions of dollars in investments, which he subsequently blew on his own lavish lifestyle; he bounced a $215,000 check; and now a Follieri charity is being investigated by the NY attorney general for tax issues.

After the Clinton-Burkle item—which was hugely embarrassing for the ex-president—Follieri was a marked man. Every subsequent scandal just adds to his shame. And he hasn't demonstrated even one iota of improving judgment since then. That bounced $215,000 check? It was supposed to be payment to a PR firm for representing him during the previous scandal. Genius.

What does it have to do with Anne Hathaway?

The Devil Wears Prada actress was also drawn into Follieri's scheme. In the Clinton/ Burkle case, a lawsuit said "Follieri has been 'systematically misappropriating the assets' to indulge in 'massive charges for five-star lodging,' 'dog care' and 'inappropriate jet travel' for himself and 'his actress girlfriend.'"

An insider tells the Mail Online that Hathaway made the painful decision to end their relationship because of the effects his controversial business dealings could have on her career...

A source said: 'It's heartbreaking for her to dump him, and she's devastated that it's come to this, but she really didn't have a choice. His scandals were hurting her reputation.'

Who's going to take Follieri's place in Hathaway's life?

Weird funnyman and Get Smart costar Steve Carell, in an alternate, cooler world:

Hathaway's split from Follieri may mean she finally moves to Hollywood, after years of insisting she would remain on the east coast to stay close to her beau.

A pal said: 'She seemed to really be enjoying her freedom, and making new friends in L.A., especially Steve.

'Anne really wants to find a guy like Steve, and if he weren't married, I have no doubt she would date him in a second.

[Daily Mail UK]

[ArabAquarius via Coudal]

Now the Weinstein Company—the mini-studio launched by the brothers after they fell out with Disney—hasn't been a complete failure. Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse (widely believed to be their biggest flop) might actually eke out a profit over its entire life. There's some buzz for at least two coming productions: Nine, Weinstein's film version of the Tony-winning musical, and Stephen Daldry's The Reader, a holocaust-guilt tale. And Project Runway—which recently wrapped up its fourth season—is of course a big hit.

Let's also stipulate that the rumor of the impending crunch is vague. The mini-studio is privately held which means there's no easy way of knowing the terms on which the Weinsteins raised funds in 2005. Some of the tittle-tattle may be merely wishful thinking; most of the Hollywood establishment wishes the worst for Harvey Weinstein; the mini-studio frontman has been counted out before, and has rebounded. Says one insider: "He comes back like a cockroach."

But some kind of financial pressure is entirely plausible. The Weinsteins—despite their reputation as two of the most successful film producers of the last 20 years—have surprisingly meager personal resources; when running Miramax they made more money for Disney than they ever did for themselves, and they remain heavily dependent on outside investors.

Those backers aren't happy. Already last year there were rumblings that the Weinstein Company had lost the confidence of shareholders such as Tarak Ben Ammar, the Tunisian dealmaker. Fortune's Tim Arango reported then that the Weinstein Co. was missing its financial targets; he said shareholders were putting pressure on Weinstein to focus on movie making rather than pursuing his ambition to be an all-round media mogul with investments in internet companies such as A Small World, the briefly fashionable social network.

So what? The Weinsteins' $1bn should cover them for a few more years. But there's a problem. Investors likely have the ability as well as the inclination to demand some of their money back. One assumes that the $420m the Weinsteins raised by selling 49% of their company is committed: that the founders are under no obligation to buy back the shares, though that's not unheard of.

The remainder of the Weinsteins' fund was in the form of debt, however. A loan is often subject to covenants, such as the maintenance of a certain amount of cash flow, and a repayment schedule. For instance, the Weinstein Co. projected it would reach profitability this year; if that's not the case, the lenders might have reserved the right to demand repayment.

Even in the heyday of Weinstein's Miramax—when he produced Acadamy Award winners such as The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love and Good Will Hunting—Harvey Weinstein was known as one of the most unpleasant negotiators in the entertainment business. (See the clip from HBO's Entourage, left, for a lightly fictionalized rendering of his famously titanic rage.) If his funding is really as insecure as suggested, the irascible film producer at least have better reason to be quite so bad-tempered.

Disclosure: Harvey Weinstein used to live in the apartment above me, and once cornered me at the local deli to complain about a post on Defamer about his girlfriend, designer Georgina Chapman. Fine to criticize Brad Pitt, he said. "He gets $20m a picture." But Chapman? "She's a civilian." But he waited until I had bought my strawberry milk—and he never yelled.