Lessons You Learn at a 'Future of the Media' Party

It's pretty late to post this, but last night The Atlantic held the only sort of media party left: a discussion about the future of media with television producer Michael Hirschorn and blogger Andrew Sullivan. More »

The Financial Future of the New York Times

The New York Times Co. is striking back (in letter form) against Michael Hirschorn's excellent Atlantic essay on the paper's gloomy immediate future. Below, a factual look at the NYT Co.'s financial future: More »

Everybody Wants Some In 'Sex: The Revolution'

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Howard Stern's Cronies Want To Be Paris Hilton's BFF

If you have "responsibilities" and "a life," you may not know that Paris Hilton is searching for a best friend on her new MTV reality show. So how does one get in on that sweet action and earn the right to hang with Hilton (for as long as the cameras are rolling)? MTV suggests you start by heading over to http://parisbff.com and creating a profile. Then, if you get enough votes, you could be picked for the show. You'll be in good company because two of the most celebrated members of Howard Stern's Wack Pack have already done so. More »

Paris Hilton To Everyone: Pay Attention To Me!

Paris Hilton is not going to just stand by idly while the likes of Lo Conrad and her posse of entitled Hills chickettes steal all of her thunder. The lazy-eyed heiress is returning to the reality television fold in a yet-to-be-named project from Ish Entertainment, the production company recently founded by former Vh1 reality show maestro Michael Hirschorn. The show will revolve around Paris Hilton's attempts to comb through a gaggle of camera-ready twentysomethings an attempt to find a new "best friend" (read: someone who she'll gladly appear with for a few reunion show photo opps and then promptly never call again). But wait, that's not all! In a move likely prompted by being repeatedly passed over by magazine editors in favor of her spawning friends, Paris is desperately trying to reignite her fading star (a la Sunshine) by, you guessed it, strutting around town with a new boytoy on her arm. More »

Hirschorn v. Smalls

The renegade commenter expats at SLC Outsider, fresh from breaking the news that Jezebel plagiarized a post on SLC Outsider (which bore purely coincidental resemblance to an old Wonkette item) write to ask why we haven't covered the shocking news of the Tionna Smalls/Michael Hirschorn battle. Maybe because we don't know what the hell is going on. More »

Viacom's Senescence

Bad news for Sumner Redstone's Viacom: one of the media conglomerate's most talented show creators has decided to leave. Michael Hirschorn, to whom Gawker yesterday gave a rare and much-prized herogram, is setting up an independent production company. More embarrassing: MTV owner Viacom, now run by an 84-year-old mogul and a long-time lawyer with no experience making programming, was briefing yesterday that its expert in high-low entertainment, Hirschorn, might be tempted to stay. The first-look deal, which will give Viacom channels an early glimpse of Hirschorn's projects, looks like a face-saving arrangement. To think Viacom, freed of boring network CBS, was supposed to be the hip and dynamic company in old Redstone's stable. (After the jump, a scene from A Shot At Love with Tila Tequila, the latest hit Hirschorn has shepherded to the air.) More »

Michael Hirschorn of VH1

One of the most talented producers in television, Michael Hirschorn, may or may not be leaving VH1, the entertainment channel he revived with shows like Best Week Ever, Flavor of Love, and I Love New York. The New York Post says the Viacom exec is in discussions with a number of rival networks, but he might just move into another role at Viacom, the company that owns VH-1. So, why should you care? More »

The GQ succession race

Have they no decency? Quicker than Art Cooper's tears can dry, the media commentators are handicapping the race to succeed him as editor of GQ. Keith Kelly is offering odds. More »