Gawker: Variety

LA Times Makes Fun of Variety for Losing Oscar Ads They Covet

Hamilton Nolan — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:50:31 EST

LA Times columnist Patrick Goldstein used his blog yesterday for the entertaining purpose of viciously mocking Variety and its Hollywood fixture editor, Peter Bart. Mocking them for being poor! This column is awesome for the following reasons: because media outlets don't usually air their dirty laundry like this; because Peter Bart and Variety certainly deserve the mocking; and most of all because Patrick Goldstein seems totally unconcerned that his own paper does the same exact thing he criticizes Variety for, and that that very thing keeps him employed. Ha:

Peter Bart wrote a column of his own (Headline: "Will fiscal funk trip kudo contenders?" WTF) bitching about the lack of Oscar-related ads from the studios in Variety. Patrick Goldstein appropriately tells him to shut it:

Anyone paying attention to the outside world knows we're in the midst of a hideous global economic recession, with corporate profits plunging, the biggest U.S. carmakers teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and tens of thousands of everyday Joes being laid off from their jobs. But Bart, like most Hollywood insiders, lives a life of privilege, putting those nice Campanile lunches on his expense account. So when he hears that GE's hurting or Sony's having a tough time, his reaction? "Hankies, please."

Ha ha! He just told Peter Bart to shut up. And also told him his magazine is poor. Goldstein even gets a quote from Harvey Weinstein about why studios should buy lots of Oscar-related ads, then goes on to dismiss it:

Imagine how you'd feel if you were one of the hundreds of employees that's been laid off at a media conglomerate, only to see that your company's film division still has plenty of dough left to run Oscar ads in Variety or the New York Times or my newspaper.

Of course, the LAT started its section "The Envelope" for the same exact purpose: to get Oscar ads. But whatever. Dude has balls! He can go into porn when he gets laid off because his newspaper didn't sell enough Oscar-related ads to pay his salary. [LAT]

Steven Spielberg Is Working On A Social Network For Crackpots

Nick Douglas — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:55:33 EST

Director Steven Spielberg is going to launch a social network this year for people who've seen ghosts and aliens, according to TechCrunch. (This reminds me of my Baptist-school teacher who thought Spielberg's role on earth was to prepare humanity to accept a demon invasion through Spielberg's alien fiction.) This sounds suspiciously like a boring Internet forum, unless this one comes with annoying zombie apps, which would feel redundant really.

Yahoo even reportedly bailed on the project. Spielberg has other, better projects in new media like his decent-looking video game, so why dabble in the sad world of vanity social networks?

Launching a social network is nothing special; there are scads of bad ones, including several big-budget failures. The Financial Times has its media-execs-only network. Variety has the Biz, a "social network" that's little more than a job board. None of this little world screams "big-time movie producer" to me. The only thing that could justify this is if Spielberg ties the site to his next paranormal film. Sadly his next sci-fi deals with black holes, not UFOs.

Variety For Sale

Ryan Tate — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 05:48:29 EST

Showbiz mag, helmed by conflict-riddled editor Peter Bart, was offered by owner Reed Elsevier along with 400 other trades. Variety loves jargon, adores short sentences. Hates definitive article, pronouns. No asking price. [NYT]

Who Actually Reads The Drudge Report?

Choire — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:30:29 EST

Yesterday I was having lunch with a pal who was schooling me on the real business of the web—did you know some people are really making a killing on the internet? I did know that, but only like, as a concept—and we wondered: Who reads Drudge? Who keeps it such a monster traffic site? So! Variety columnist Brian Lowry writes about what happens when you get a link on Drudge (everyone writes in to say they hope you get cancer you liberal for fellating Tim Robbins). That column—which isn't handled very well, he's way too snippy and classist, but hey—gets linked on Drudge! The comments from Drudge readers include: "You're fat"; "And remember when you are celebrating the Holidays JESUS is the reason for the season"; "Your a supposed journalist....take the heat for the dung you write and shut it!"; "You sure are fat"; "Why do jews always and I mean ALWAYS call people they disagree with anti-semitic? Its getting old already ok sons of abraham"; "I hope you get HIV and die from AIDS at one of your Hollywood butt plugging homo orgies"; "Most of us have jobs and families, instead of life 'partners,' granola, and burkenstocks."

The Hollywood Reporter has chosen former ...

abalk — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 10:27:06 EDT

The Hollywood Reporter has chosen former Variety editor-at-large Elizabeth Guider as its new editor. How does spitemeistress Nikki Finke rate the hire? "[A] joke... an unimpressive choice who sources tell me was passed over and demoted at Variety... [THR] was looking for a softball editor, someone who wouldn't ruffle advertisers' feathers." [DHD]

Julia Stiles To Gaily Tromp On Plath Grave

Emily Gould — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 16:55:40 EDT

"Esther Greenwood has a strong outlook on life, and we're really looking to bring out the humor in the character. We don't want to do a depressing descent into the world of suicide," Bell Jar flick co-producer Celine Rattray told Variety today, announcing that Julia Stiles was signed on to star. Right on! Who wants to snooze through some downer movie anyway? But there's still the problem of that bummerific title. Former teenage girls will recall that the bell jar is a metaphor for clinical depression—"To the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead baby, the world itself is the bad dream," etc. Not very upbeat! We decided to help Julia out with some cheerier suggestions.

How Esther Greenwood Got Kissed, Got Happy, And Got A Life

Save The Last Electroshock Therapy Sesh

Pre-Prozac Nation

Breathing Lessons

Girl, Uninterrupted

Surely you can do better? —Emily

Stiles Like Ring Of 'Bell' [Variety]

Richard Abate Takes His "Long Classy Track Record" To Endeavor

Emily Gould — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 11:25:59 EST

Richard Abate, the literary agent who sources tell us is "a nasty little man" and "one of those people who refuses to ever identify himself when calling, like you should obviously just be able to recognize the sound of his voice, and then eventually you do, and you hate yourself for it," will be the head of the new East Coast division of Endeavor, confirming a rumor we'd confusedly whispered when Abate left ICM. This move means the film agency, whose relatively few literary clients had previously been repped by Brian Lipson from his L.A. office, now thinks it's in a league with ICM and WMA. According to Variety, independent literary agents are none too pleased at what they perceive as the increased risk of big agency poaching. Sources at Endeavor strove to allay those fears, though, telling Variety that book agents are "more civil and less predatory by nature than film and TV agent counterparts in Hollywood." Oh, yes, especially Richard Abate! Gumdrops for everyone!

Endeavor Gets Bookish In Gotham [Variety]
Earlier: Richard Abate Leaving ICM For New 'Endeavor'?

Britney Spears Not Actually Fed OR Knocked Up

Emily Gould — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 09:10:00 EST

Well, this is embarrassing. So we'd rounded up some gossip items the other day about America's sweetheart, Britney Spears: we mentioned a "leaked song" on YouTube that seemed to be her "Cry Me A River" to K-Fed, and we linked to Jeannette Walls' report that Brit seemed preggish. After Variety broke the story yesterday, Fox News reported that the former claim, at least, is untrue: "That is NOT her vocal, that is NOT a song on her forthcoming album," Jive rep Gina Orr is quoted as saying. Today's Page Six brought the Variety quotes to the non trade reading masses:

The tune was penned by songwriters Adam and Jesse Blockton and sung by Amy Miles. "We wrote it a month ago and based [it] on Britney's separation with [Kevin] Federline with the intention that she might pick it up," Adam told Variety. "People believe that it's her."

Well, yeah, 'people' did, but looking back, 'people' really should have known better. We mean, we've been to karaoke, we know how easy it is to sound like Britney (the key is a lot of improvised "uh-huh" and "yeahyeahyeah, ungh," we find). Also, deep lyrics like "I'm sorry/I won't apologize" seemed a bit out of Brit's league.

Update: Idolator went the extra mile for the story and hunted down Amy Miles's MySpace. Amy Miles is the new Britney Spears, y'all!

Britney Spears 'Fed Up With K-Fed. Or Not. [Fox News]
Bogus Britney [Page Six]
Britney's New Single Not Hers [Variety]

More Successl For The Pessl: Miramax Options 'Special Topics'

Emily Gould — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 09:40:00 EST

More good news for publicity-shy author Marisha Pessl: she not only has a fancy new paintbox, she now has a movie deal. Variety reported today that Miramax Films and producer Scott Rudin have bought film rights to her debut novel, Special Topics in Calamity Physics. A preternaturally prescient Pessl forsaw this outcome; in an interview in September's Bookslut (that we, uh, remember somehow), Pessl talked about what she'd want to happen with her book's movie rights: "I hope it goes to someone really good, like Sofia Coppola." Well, no dice on that front, but there's still a chance — albeit a slim one — that Pessl will get her way when it comes to casting: "I like the idea of hiring all unknowns!" We're happy for the Pessl, and we hope for her sake that the deal was a big fat one — the loft she shares with her hedge-fund husband looks a little cramped in this picture; and we were concerned that she wouldn't have enough room for her painting hobby.

Miramax, Rudin Option Rights To Novel [Variety]
An Interview With Marisha Pessl [Bookslut]
It's Like Nothing, Really [NYT]

Judith Regan "Not Going To Take This Lying Down"

Emily Gould — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 09:10:00 EST

At least, that's what lawyer Bert Fields said when he announced yesterday afternoon that our favorite golden-gina'd battleaxe is going to sue the Jew cabal at HarperCollins for wrongful termination. He also contradicts HarperCollins lawyer Mark Jackson's assertions about the content of the phone conversation that prompted Regan's firing, and implied that he may have a tape of the conversation. "They should worry about that," Variety quotes him as saying.

Or maybe Fields is the one who should be worrying. He's been in trouble before for being involved in wiretapping— remember the whole Anthony Pellicano case back in February, when the feds investigated Pellicano, a private investigator long in Fields' employ, for illegally tapping phones in order to give Fields' clients (among others) an advantage in the courtroom? Well, whatever. We're thrilled to hear that there might be tapes of Regan's controversial conversation, and we'd be even more thrilled to hear it — if there's the slightest chance that Judy's husky voice screaming the words "Jewish cabal!" could become our new ringtone, it'll be a merry Hanukah indeed.

Regan, Fields Prep Firing Suit [Variety]
Lawyer to Celebrities is Subject of Inquiry [LA Times]

'Variety' Trying To Get Into the Matt Drudge Business

abalk2 — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 15:00:45 EDT

Geffen, DIC ready to get Party started [Variety]

Earlier: Now Matt Drudge Just Mocking Us

Hard-Hitting Media Coverage From James Brady: This Week, Peter Bart

Jesse — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 17:33:26 EST

It's kind of hard not to adore James Brady's thoroughly ridiculous new media column for Forbes. It's not that we adore it because it's so well-crafted, or so interesting, or so informative — far from it. We adore it because it's so much fun to see what new and interesting ways Brady will find to serve up happy-talk pabulum about some media executive.

Today brings a great example of the form. As we ramp up to the Oscars, Brady checks in with Variety's wise, charming, accomplished, avuncular editor-in-chief, Peter Bart. And while it's true that Bart is brilliant and accomplished and all that, Brady — who recaps the man's whole life — somehow manages to avoid any mention of the famous Amy Wallace Los Angeles magazine profile of Bart from 2001, in which he's revealed to be not so much wise and avuncular as a fabricator and a bigot.

Brady even writes admiringly that in addition to his Variety duties Bart has also "written and published seven books, including a couple of novels and several bestsellers, with a new one called Boffo due out in early June" — without mentioning the screenplay he wrote pseudonymously in 1996 and sold to Paramount Pictures, a clear violation of Variety's conflict-of-interest guidelines against people who cover movie studios shopping scripts to one of them.

All this got Bart suspended from his job. Which you think might merit mentioning. But, then, we also think there's a difference between "snubbing" and "getting fired by." So what do we know?

Peter Bart: Hooray for Hollywood [Forbes]
Related: 'Variety' Honcho Suspended [E! Online]
Earlier: Out of Step With... Bonnie Fuller

Media Bubble: 'Teen People' Kills Article on N**i Teen Singers

Jesse — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 14:45:00 EST

• Teen People kills story on Nazi bubblegum popsters after learning that a staffer promised not to use the words "Nazi," "supremacist," or "hate" in discussing the hateful white supremacists, and after Holocaust survivors picket Time Warner HQ. Keith Kelly calls incident a test for new Time Inc. EIC John Huey, but we gotta wonder about what this means for new Teen People m.e. Lori Majewski. [NYP]
• Per the latest Plamegate wrinkle, Mr. Wonkette notes that Bob Woodward isn't "the preeminent investigative reporter of his generation;" he's just a highly placed transcriptionist. [NYO]
• From just after the invasion until last week's withdrawal excitement, U.S. media did a shitty job of covering the Iraq war, [NYO]
• Ruth Reichl will be making miso-rubbed turkey with gravy, persimmon cranberry sauce, and rustic porcini onion stuffing for Thanksgiving. [WWD]
• Did Anna Wintour bring down the Variety spinoff V Life? She certainly thinks so. [Radar]
• Two Bloomberg L.P. employees charge the mayor's media company with disability discrimination. [NYP]
• 2005 was a crummy year, says Jon Friedman. [MW]

Media Bubble: Newspaper Editorials Are a Way for Editorializing

Jesse — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 14:00:05 EDT

• At Advertising Week in September, the headline event will be Jon Stewart interviewing four yet-unnamed prominent magazine editors. We really hope it's Newsweek chief Mark Whitaker. We hear he's a laugh riot. [AdFreak]
• "[B]logs are often just a way of making oneself appear on the Internet," observes NYT editorial. No word on whether newspapers are a way for making oneself appear in print, of if TV is a way for making oneself appear on TV. [NYT]
• More on the Murdoch Family Feud: It wasn't that Rupe couldn't let go, it was that Lach just didn't care enough. And dad was very disappointed in him, young man. [Economist]
• Top flack Peter Costiglio to leave Time Inc. at end of summer. Also, EIC Norm Pearlstine could hand over the top chair to editorial director John Huey around then, too. Ah, they grow up so fast these days. [NYP]
• Army Archerd to end column, but not leave Variety. [NYT]
• Will Fairchild honestly name a new editor to take over Jane within the next week? And does this new editor actually exist as of yet? [Folio]

More launch party: Gabriel Snyder

Gawker — Wed, 12 Feb 2003 11:32:57 EST

Recently-departed US Weekly staffer Gabriel Snyder and I reminiscing about the old days hanging out at Slide after closing Marion's and being too lazy to walk more than 5 feet to the next bar. Discussing Gabriel's new job at Variety, the requisite move to Hollywood, and me wondering how long before Gabriel realizes that he's in Hollywood and comes screaming back to New York.

Morale at Bloomberg

Gawker — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 09:49:43 EST

Keith Kelly reports that Bloomberg LP chiefs have been ordered to make a list of employees who aren't happy, possibly in an effort to find out who's been talking to the press. Says one insider, "There isn't enough paper in a printer to print out that list." On a side note, Kelly says that US Weekly's Gabriel Snyder is leaving to work for Variety.
Bloomberg: A list-ing ship? [Keith Kelly - Post]