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drama kings and queens
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Jeff Zucker
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drama kings and queens
weinstein woes
Jeff Zucker's Wife and Kids Nervous About Harvey Weinstein's 'Runway' Restitution
Some days we're so full of love for Harvey Weinstein that our weak, arrhythmic blogger hearts nearly explode. It was one thing last week when he brazenly moved Project Runway to Lifetime, pulling the rug out from a supposedly unwitting NBC. It was another thing entirely on Monday when Harvey rolled the rug up and started whacking NBC boss Jeff Zucker over the head with it: More »
weinstein woes
More Fallout For Controversy Magnet Harvey Weinstein As 'Runway' Heads To Lifetime
Spring 2008 hasn't been kind to Harvey Weinstein and his little production company. First, his close friend Anthony Minghella passed away (prompting a highly critical piece penned by New York Magazine film critic David Edelstein), then he butted heads with the Marley family over his planned biopic on the reggae singer, and now the portly producer finds himself at the center of NBC and Lifetime's battle for Project Runway. Moments after Lifetime announced their five-year $150 million deal with the Weinstein Co. to take over the helm of Bravo's signature show, Jeff Zucker and his peacocked lawyers immediately responded by suing Harvey and his goons for breach-of-contract. And insiders at NBC aren't keeping mum about their feelings towards the money-hungry Weinstein:
"Harvey hates us passionately, always did...He despises Bravo because he thinks we didn't pay him enough."More »
executive privilege
Opening Act Jeff Zucker Fails to Rally Crowd For Return of 'My Name is Earl'
The months-long anticipation we've experienced awaiting new episodes of NBC comedies has almost totally destabilized Defamer HQ, particularly in our speculations as to how the network would gently reintroduce us to programming like My Name is Earl. Would we see a brief sketch with Jason Lee agreeing to return to work on the condition of no more Paris Hilton cameos? Would the show go meta, with its cast treating its staff writers to a Earl-esque karma intervention? Or would NBC boss Jeff Zucker hijack the moment and squander yet another two minutes of viewer goodwill? Wait — did we just give it away? More »
hollywood strikewatch
Jeff Zucker Rumored To Be Seeking Damages From WGA For Pooping On His Golden Globes Parade: UPDATE
With the joyous news that the writers strike has unequivocally ended, an historic accord marked by Nick Counter and Patric Verrone appearing together on the balcony of the Warner Bros. water tower on Valentine's Day eve, as thousands below chant, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" until the reluctant peacemakers finally acquiesce to a deafening roar of approval, it would seem everything is right again in the magical realm of Hollywoodland. Which makes this rumor all the more disconcerting: Could the NBC Universal ruler, whose upward-failing rise to power was prophesied in lesser-known New Testament appendix The Book of Jeff, really be mulling a lawsuit with the HFPA against the WGA for robbing them of a Golden Globes ceremony? Deadline Hollywood Daily says it could be so: More »
the return of late night
NBC Uses Fear Of Jeff Zucker's Wrath To Scare 'SNL' Writers Away From Doing Letterman's Top Ten List
Did upward-failing NBC Universal Chief Executive Golden Boy Jeff Zucker, enraged at the galling disloyalty of striking SNL writers who planned to participate in the delivery of a Top Ten list on hated CBS talk-show rival David Letterman's WGA-sanctioned return to the airwaves last Wednesday night, threaten to dispatch a flock of ravenous, flesh-craving demon-peacocks to eat the defenseless babies of anyone who dared betray their corporate family by appearing on a competing network's late-night telecast? Sources tell Slate's Kim Masters that once Zucker got word of the impending treachery, Warnings Were Issued, and a hasty retreat beaten by some of those reminded where their bread was buttered:
More »
In news sure to rock the voiceover world, the Eat the Press blog's audio forensics lab has revealed that the new, disembodied voice of NBC Nightly News is...[SFX: drumroll] Michael Douglas. (In fairness, we should note that some false positives—like Richard Dreyfuss and Alan Alda—preceded the final announcement.) We're not sure which NBC official is responsible for this coup, but we wouldn't be surprised if co-chairman/designated big-idea-haver Ben Silverman called up boss Jeff Zucker and demanded that he patch this latest hole in the their leaky network with the finest celebrity spackle available. [Eat the Press]
trade roundup
NBC U's Jeff Zucker Issues Timely Reminder That There's No Money To Be Made On The Internet
· NBC Universal boss Jeff Zucker whines that his company wasn't making much money from iTunes downloads of its TV shows, and that the control-freaky Apple wouldn't allow him to "experiment" with raising the prices for one of its series. Also, the greedy Apple is apparently to blame for denying them revenue they would then immediately share with their beloved partners in content creation, their writers: "Apple sold millions of dollars worth of hardware off the back of our content and made a lot of money. They did not want to share in what they were making off the hardware or allow us to adjust pricing." [Variety]
· The feds are sending a nanny to tomorrow's contract negotiation session to make sure that WGA and AMPTP play nice in the final moments before a possible strike. [THR]
short ends
Taunting Pinkberry
· By the time you get to the end of this video, the man with the microphone will already be dead, with Oreo crumbs and a curiously yogurt-like substance found near his lifeless body the only clues as to who did him in.
· Every wonder how Brandon and Dylan's 90210 sideburns influenced 9/11 jihad fashion? Radar explains.
· NBC's Jeff Zucker is so in love with his new rock star that he can barely find the words to express his ardor: "Ben [Silverman] brings great enthusiasm, optimism and energy, so it's always exciting to have Ben around because his enthusiasm and excitement is boundless."·
· Thighs Wide Shot celebrates The Lost Boys' 20th anniversary. (Damn, that makes us feel old.)
short ends
How To Fuck Up The American Version Of Your Hit British Sitcom
· "I can answer that with three letters: N-B-C. Very, very good writing team. Very, very good cast. The network fucked it up because they intervened endlessly. If you really want a job to work, don't get Jeff Zucker's team to come help you because they're not funny ...." [Note: This is a (slightly) revised transcription of the quote reported by TV Week that we originally posted.]· Courtney Love is looking better than ever.
· Is there actually a Transformers fan insane enough to bid $40,000 on a prop, or is some prankster interfering with eBay's invisible hand of commerce?
· "I really want to do a different take on the celebrity interview. The last thing I want to see is Nicole Kidman talking about what movie she's going to be in. I want to talk to Nicole Kidman's neighbor about what's going on with Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban when he's pretending not to drink." That's admirable and all, but the big question for Chelsea Lately's Chelsea Handler: Will even Kidman's neighbor be willing to slum it on an 11:30pm show on E!?
milestones
NBC Chief Silverman Wins Goldenseal Of Approval
Let the networkwide party begin: today's Page Six reports that allegedly 420-friendly NBC co-chairman Ben Silverman has jumped over the last mellow-harshing hurdle erected by the killjoy suits of his parent corporation, finally taking- his company drug test: More »
trade roundup
HBO Hoping New CEO's Tenure Remains Refreshingly Mugshot-Free
· Time Warner officially announces that interim CEO Bill Nelson will be permanently replacing the recently shitcanned Chris Albrecht, confident that their newly installed leader will keep himself free of PR-nightmare altercations at Vegas valet stands. [Variety]· Idol runner-up Katherine McPhee will make her acting debut in the "indie dark romantic comedy" Last Caller, a part that will reportedly require no singing, and, hopefully, pave the way for the trashier roles that we've envisioned for her ever since her first cattle-call audition appearance. [THR]
· Universal president/COO Ron Meyer signs on for another five years running the company, extending his reign through 2012. Gushes boss Jeff Zucker, "He knows the business inside and out and has an incredible eye for talent, and inspires intense loyalty. He is a crucial part of NBC Universal's success, but I will not hesitate to feed him to the animatronic Jaws at the Universal Studios theme park if that becomes necessary for the advancement of my own career." [THR]
· Publicity-whoring magic rival David Blaine to issue press release calling Cameron Diaz's new boyfriend a "pussy" for not filling the Times Square death-box he just escaped from with water. [THR]
· The studios releasing this summer's fast-starting sequel blockbusters (Spidey/Pirates/Shrek 3) are finding that overseas audiences are much more tolerant of disappointing crap than their American counterparts. [Variety]
nbc 3.0
Jeff Zucker's Internal Memo Offers Cheery Take On The Difficult Process Of TV Executive Termination And Rebirth
Because no seismic shift in the Hollywood power matrix feels fully complete without the requisite internal memo patting the ousted exec on his recently axed head for a job well done—but not quite well enough to warrant not getting fired!—while welcoming with great fanfare his more promising replacement, we offer the following message from NBC Universal President and CEO Jeff Zucker. It introduced new co-chairmen, Ben "Zucker II" Silverman and Marc Graboff, to his army of blind followers, who know better than to question the at times brutal wisdom of their sheeny-scalped overlord. The rest of the memo and press release follow after the jump: More »
surprise shitcannings
NBC Head Kevin Reilly Relieved Of His Classy-TV-Making Duties
NBC head Kevin Reilly, who just weeks ago optimistically unveiled his network's fall slate to advertisers with the fighting, Muhammad-Aliesque couplet: "We've got the class and next season we're ready to add some mass," has been relieved of his Deal or No Deal-replicating duties once and for all, in a Memorial Day weekend surprise shakeup ordered from on high by NBC Universal's Peacock King, Jeff Zucker. Reports LA Weekly's Nikki Finke: More »
don imus
Les Moonves Finishes Off Gutshot Imus
For those of you unable to concentrate on your jobs, family, or the heartbreaking news that Angelina Jolie seems unable to love her lone biological child because you've been sick with worry about this Don Imus situation, relief: He's been shitcanned by CBS, and shitcanned good. Our east-coasted siblings at Gawker have smiling CBS Corp. despot Les Moonves' announcement of the firing, who is no doubt a little annoyed that sworn NBC enemy Jeff Zucker beat him to the kill yesterday; he hates being the guy to fire the second bullet at a public execution. More »
jeff zucker
Jeff Zucker Delicately Explains Don Imus's Shitcanning To NBC Universal Employees
We haven't exactly been eager to dive into the Don Imus controversy that has erupted since some ugly words regarding the Rutgers women's basketball team slipped from the dessicated radio host's slackened jaw. We can no longer avoid it, however, now that a reader has forwarded us an internal missive from reigning NBC Universal oligarch Jeff Zucker, explaining, with heavy Golden Boy heart, the thought process that led to the dismantling of Imus's MSNBC talk show and expulsion from the General Electric kingdom. It's not the kind of letter a chief executive ever wants to have to compose, but let's face it—these things happen, and not every every company-wide correspondence can begin with a horn-tooting intro like, "Please join us for an afternoon ice cream social in the lobby to celebrate Heroes landing at #1 in the 18-49 demo AGAIN, folks!" The e-mail, and NBC Universal's official statement, is after the jump: More »
kevin reilly
Kevin Reilly Renews NBC Contract; Credits Jeff Zucker And 'Those Models With The Briefcases'
It took a little longer than expected, but beleaguered NBC Entertainment president/Dwight Schrute-comic-foil Kevin Reilly, who for years was expected to be but one axe-swing away from being ejected from his Burbank offices via medieval catapult, has renewed his contract:More »
jeff zucker
