Monday, 14 July 2008

Hollywood Today

Jolie-Pitt Healthy Twins Confirmed,

Boy named Knox,

Girl Vivienne

Sunday, July 13th, 2008

Early reports of two girls not right, but birthing of world’s most famous twins confirmed —

By Jeffrey Jolson

NICE, France (Hollywood Today)

7/13/08 –

Dr. Michel Sussmann, the obstetrician who delivered twins to Angelina Jolie, finally broke silence to the media.

He used French newspaper Nice-Matin and French news service AFP to report that Jolie had delivered a boy named Knox Leon and a girl named Vivienne Marcheline.

They said Jolie gave birth shortly before 8 p.m. via cesarean section.

The babies we due in August, but twins are often born early and Jolie had a cesarean this time and on her last and only natural birth, to Shiloh.

That means half the six-kid Jolie-Pitt brood will always want to leave a room by a window, though that may change.

There are unconfirmed rumors that the celebrity power couple want to adopt a Chinese baby, so there are few continents left until the Pitt-Jolie clan can form their on U.N.

Reports said each twin weighed about 5 pounds, not out of line for twins.

Other reps for Jolie, Pitt and the hospital did not confirm the birth of the boy and girl.

But the doctor has, and has more at stake career-wise than a publicist.

That news came after a wild day in the media.

Extra said no birth had occurred.

In Touch and us here at HT went with yes, there was a birth in spite of official denials to the contrary, but two girls.

Hospital said the birth was earlier than 8 p.m. (Paris time), but reports of 7 a.m. is earlier as we had said, so expect something in the middle, if you are running the new babies star charts.

The doctor, who delivered the twins at Lenval Hospital in Nice, France, said the parents and new infants “are doing marvelously well.”

Jolie and Pitt’s growing brood now stands at six.

The celebrity couple has three adopted children, Maddox, Pax, and Zahara, as well as a biological daughter, Shiloh.

Hollywood Today

Rude Superheroes fight for $145 million box office weekend

Sunday, July 13th, 2008

It’s ‘Hellboy 2’ with $36 million edges out week two ‘Hancock’ at $33 millionBy Robin Rowe

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today)

7/13/08 -

“He’s a complete underachieving, lazy slob, a beer-drinking, football-watching average American guy who has no desire to be a superhero,” says ‘Hellboy 2’ star Ron Perlman.

“He just happens to have these abilities commensurate with where he’s from and who he is.

His extraordinary superhuman traits are coincidental and not something he aspires to.”

If the premise of ‘Hellboy 2’ sounds a little familiar, consider last weekend’s top bow, ‘Hancock’.

“He drinks a little too much,” says Will Smith.

“He’s an alcoholic superhero.”

‘Hancock’ was panned by most critics.

However, not by this film reviewer.

Many critics took issue with a plot curve ball.

It didn’t seem to matter as it took a weekend gross of $63 million and now reaching $163 million.

‘Hancock’ isn’t done fighting.

It’s the broadest release this weekend with 6,800 screens at 3,965 theaters.

Weekend Theater Counts (>1,000)

‘Hancock’ (Sony) 3,965 (0)

‘Wall-E’ (Buena Vista) 3,849 (-143)

‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’ (Universal) 3,204 (new)

‘Meet Dave’ (Fox) 3,011 (new)

‘Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D’ (New Line) 2,811 (new)

‘Kit Kittredge’ (Picturehouse) 1,849 (+6)

‘Wanted’ (Universal) 3,159 (-26)

‘Get Smart’ (Warner Bros.) 3,086 (-488)

‘Kung Fu Panda’ (DreamWorks Animation) 2,704 (-643)

‘The Incredible Hulk’ (Universal) 1,949 (-1094)

‘Indiana Jones’(Paramount) 1,664 (-528)

‘Sex and the City’ (New Line) 1,025 (-250)

Does America have the appetite for two loser superheroes?

Theater owners weren’t convinced.

Despite a massive marketing campaign for ‘Helboy 2’, it has less theaters than ‘Hancock’ or ‘Wall-E’.

‘Hellboy’ 2004 did a $23 million opening weekend in 3,028 theaters on it’s way to $60 million.

‘Hellboy 2’ is looking at a $36 million weekend. ‘Hancock’ will have the typical 50% second-weekend dip, for $33 million.

Weekend Box Office Studio Estimates

‘Hellboy II’ (Universal) $35,885,000

‘Hancock’ (Sony) $33,000,000

‘Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D’ (New Line) $20,580,000

‘Wall-E’ (Buena Vista) $18,509,000

‘Wanted’ (Universal) $11,586,000

‘Get Smart’ (Warner Bros.) $7,105,000

‘Meet Dave’ (Fox) $5,300,000

‘Kung Fu Panda’ (DreamWorks Animation) $4,300,000

‘Kit Kittredge’ (Picturehouse) $2,357,000

‘Indiana Jones’ (Paramount) $2,250,000

Family fun ‘Journey 3D’ did a respectable $21 million.

Audiences have apparently not forgotten ‘Pluto Nash’, giving Eddie Murphy’s ‘Meet Dave’ a disappointing $5 million.

Overall, a $145 million weekend, off 15% from last year.

The weekend last year was powered by ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ bringing Warner Bros. $77 million.

Next weekend’s big openers are ‘The Dark Knight’ (Warner Bros.), ‘Mamma Mia!’ (Universal) and Space Chimps (Fox).

Data Source: Box Office Mojo

Yikes! Controversial New Yorker Cover Shows Muslim, Flag-Burning, Osama-Loving, Fist-Bumping Obama

Who knows if they'll get this in Dubuque, but they sure aren't going to like it in Chicago:

This week's New Yorker cover features an image of Michelle and Barack Obama that combines every smeary right-wing stereotype imaginable:

An image of Obama in a turban and robes fist-bumping his be-afro'd wife, dressed in the military fatigues of a revolutionary and packing a machine gun and some serious ammo.

Oh yes, this quaint little scene takes place in the Oval Office, under a picture of Osama bin Laden above a roaring fireplace, in which burns an American flag.

All that's missing is a token sprig of arugula.

The illustration, by Barry Blitt,is called "The Politics of Fear" and, according to the NYer press release, "satirizes the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the Presidential election to derail Barack Obama's campaign."

Uh-huh.

What's that they say about repeating a rumor?

Presumably the New Yorker readership is sophisticated enough to get the joke, but still:

this is going to upset a lot of people, probably for the same reason it's going to delight a lot of other people, namely those on the right:

Because it's got all the scare tactics and misinformation that has so far been used to derail Barack Obama's campaign — all in one handy illustration.

Anyone who's tried to paint Obama as a Muslim, anyone who's tried to portray Michelle as angry or a secret revolutionary out to get Whitey, anyone who has questioned their patriotism— well, here's your image.

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton called it "tasteless and offensive" and, according to Jake Tapper at ABC, another high-profile Obama supporter called it "as offensive a caricature as any magazine could publish."

The companion article by Ryan Lizza, who has written extensively about the campaign, traces Obama's early career and rise through Chicago politics.

It's very long (18 pages!) and probably won't thrill a lot of Democratic party faithful, either, since it advances the image of Obama as a skilled and calculating politician who rose by becoming a master of the game:

"[P]erhaps the greatest misconception about Barack Obama is that he is some sort of anti-establishment revolutionary.

Rather, every stage of his political career has been marked by an eagerness to accommodate himself to existing institutions rather than tear them down or replace them....he has always played politics by the rules as they exist, not as he would like them to exist.

He runs as an outsider, but he has succeeded by mastering the inside game."

Is it the New Yorker's job to write uniformly flattering profiles of Obama?

Do they have a duty to avoid controversial imagery that plays off the most dogged and damaging campaign smears?

Of course not.

Still, as Tapper says, there are probably "some angry, angry people in Chicago right now."

Not to mention Washington, New York, and maybe even Dubuque.

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER:

***MSO, the music publicity firm that handles artists and festivals in the fields of rock, alternative, country, hip-hop and electronic, has announced that it is building its presence in Nashville by uniting with Lyndie Wenner as MSO's Nashville Representative & Consultant.

The Nashville-based music industry executive and communications consultant will develop new business prospects and strategic alliances for MSO with artists, record labels and management companies as well as cover MSO artists on-site in the city.

Sunday, 13 July 2008

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sat, 12 july 2008

Rupert Murdoch, Blogger?

Peter Kafka

May 12, 2008

1:51 PM

Buyout mogul Carl Icahn says he's just about ready to start blogging at his personal site,

The Icahn Report, any day now -- as long as he gets the OK from his lawyers.

Has he started a trend?

At a party for Arianna Huffington last week, one of her eager employers cornered Rupert Murdoch, and asked the News Corp.

(NWS) boss whether he'd like to start writing posts for free, too.

The exchange, via the NY Observer:

“Would you blog for us?” said a young political reporter.

“Would you ever want to do a blog for us?”

Mr. Murdoch gazed at him silently for a few seconds, then smiled.

“I’d love to,” he said.

We're not sure that this represents an ironclad commitment on Rupe's part.

But if it is, we have a proposal for his first contribution:

"Why I Was Sure I Was Going To Buy Newsday A Week Ago, And What Happened Next".

July 11

The Tykes are Expendable, Too

So the guys at Disney and Pixar have it all figured out --

if you don’t believe it, ask them.

Why mess around with big, risky tentpole pictures aimed at capricious teens when you can aim your output at the ultimate sweet spot -- families with kids?

All parents live for is to make their offspring happy, whether that means movies, theme parks or tween tours, and Disney has the revenues to prove it.

But what happens if attitudes change?

A series of studies cited in Newsweek Magazine this week suggest childless married couples are a lot happier than those with kids.

They actually get to do things they like, such as travel or go to restaurants and see movies that actually interest them, not Panda pics that appease the kids.

In short, the “bundle of joy” syndrome may be wearing off.

Robin Simon, a professor of sociology who has conducted several parenting studies, points out that Disney World commercials “made parenthood out to be one blissful moment after another, and it’s disappointing when you find out it’s not.”

Simon, by the way has two kids.

Other studies also suggest that American couples are increasingly pursuing the Western European model of remaining childless.

There are several reasons:

Raising kids is becoming more expensive, public education continues to deteriorate, extended families (with their support mechanisms) are diminishing.

Plus for more and more parents (and I see this in my family as well) the process of raising “perfect” kids is becoming an obsession, replete with private coaches, trainers and learning gurus.

Mothers don’t seem to feel they’re good enough anymore --

they need to hire a backup team.

After all, their kid is destined to be a star.

At today’s prices, he better be.

The process of raising a kid through college involves an investment approaching $500,000, according to new government figures.

None of this poses a serious short-term challenge to the Disney business model, but suggests that they should be a little less smug about it.

The time may come when the kiddie market isn’t the only one to show exponential growth.

Suddenly the grownups will start demanding, ‘what’s in it for me?’

Now that’s a terrifying concept.

Paris Hilton Wants Your Money

Published by Carolina on

July 11th, 2008 (5 hours ago)

All you gotta do is buy her fake hair extensions!

Gonna Be HUGE

This is crazy.

Reports are surfacing that the new Warner Bros Batman film, Dark Knight, is set to have a record-breaking weekend.

Sources are estimating that the film will bring in around $130 million for its opening 3-day weekend.

And, when it opens, next Friday, is not even a holiday weekend! Even more impressive!

However, WB is trying to lower expectations, suggesting that the film might "only" make $90 million due to increased competition now as opposed to the beginning of May.

ONLY $90 million?

That's still a damn lot!

And, as we mentioned last month, pre-sales for the film are selling out quickly!

We've already scored our tix for opening night at one of the Imax theaters in L.A.

Yay!!!!

Additionally, inside sources are telling PerezHilton.com exclusively that the opening weekend for the Batman sequel could bring in about $150 million or more.

That's record breaking!

And, despite the fact that the movie is a bit longer than usual, at 2 hours and 32 minutes, theater managers are trying to by-pass the problem by adding late and round-the-clock screenings during its debut on July 18th.

So the main question is, Will U go watch Dark Knight on its opening weekend?

(Duh, the answer is yes.)

....more ....entertainment......fri, 11 july 2008

OPEC CHIEF

WARNS OF 'UNLIMITED' OIL PRICES IF IRAN IS ATTACKED :

The head of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries warned Thursday that oil prices would see an "unlimited" increase in the case of a military conflict involving Iran, because the group's members would be unable to make up the lost production.

"We really cannot replace Iran's production - it's not feasible to replace it," Abdalla Salem El-Badri, the OPEC secretary general, said in an interview.

RICE WARNS IRAN THAT US WILL DEFEND ISRAEL:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Iran on Thursday that the United States will not back down in the face of Iranian threats against Israel.

Iranian officials have strongly suggested the country's missile test on Wednesday was itself a warning to Israel not to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.

Israel has left that option open.

"We are sending a message to Iran that we will defend American interests and the interests of our allies,"

Rice said at the close of a three-day Eastern European trip.

IRAN TEST-FIRES MORE MISSILES IN PERSIAN GULF:

Iran test-fired more long-range missiles overnight in a second round of exercises meant to show that the country can defend itself against any attack by the U.S. or Israel, Iranian state television reported Thursday.

The weapons have "special capabilities" and included missiles launched from naval ships in the Persian Gulf, along with torpedoes and surface-to-surface missiles, the broadcast said.

It did not elaborate

'MEN AT WORK' SIGNS TO DISAPPEAR IN ATLANTA;

DECISION FOLLOWS COMPLAINTS BY MAGAZINE EDITOR:

In the battle of the sexes, women's magazine editor Cynthia Good said this was a skirmish she had to fight.

Across Atlanta they stood, orange signs with black letters that read "Men At Work" or "Men Working Ahead."

Sometimes, the signs stood next to women working alongside the men.

Good demanded Atlanta officials remove the signs and last week, Atlanta Public Works Commissioner Joe Basista agreed.

LBN-SEE IT.....At 41, Pam Anderson is still as limber as a teenager.....

LBN-SEE IT....

Map of India's nuclear power stations.

A top US envoy has welcomed India's decision to open up some of its civilian nuclear reactors to UN inspections as a

pre-condition for a controversial nuclear cooperation deal between the United States and India.

LBN-QUOTE:

"A damn fool with a plan beats a wondering genius 100 times out of a 100."

-----Michael Levine

Friday, 11 July 2008, Allen & Co, Sun Valley, day 2

The Allen & Co. media conference in Sun Valley continued into its second day Thursday.

Below, more photos from the playground for the media elite —

today, with leaders from the worlds of sports, entertainment, and government added into the mix.

Thursday Jul 10, 2008

Jeff Zucker's NBCU Deal Denial and A Surprise Visit From Bill Gates

Dan Cox, on special assignment for FishbowlLA, covering the 2008 Sun Valley Media Conference.

Universal Studios CEO Ron Meyer was standing with NBCU head Jeff Zucker, waiting for Zucker's kids coming out of the Chocolate Foundry.

Both were upbeat about the Sun Valley conference.

Meyer gave kudos to colleague Jeff Katzenberg, the DreamWorks partner who had a presentation on 3-D this morning.

"It was good," Meyer said, "a great display of the technolgy."

Katzenberg gave a presentation about the uses of 3-D in film and TV and reportedly showed an "incredible" visual display of the possibilities.

Nike chairman Philip Knight was also exuberant about the display.

"It's where we're headed.

It's the future," he said.

Zucker, meanwhile, denied a newspaper report of NBC possibly unloading assets at the Sun Valley conference.

"No, there's nothing like that," Zucker said.

"I'm just here watching."

Former American Express chairman James Robinson III said he was only here out of a long-standing friendship with host Herb Allen.

But Robinson said that Katzenberg's speech, like other technology-driven segments, was fascinating and will be of great use to companies like Amex and others.

Robinson now runs RRE Ventsures, which deals in applied technology and its utilization.

Former Microsoft chair and founder Bill Gates unexpectedly showed up last night was hovering around the morning presentations.

Asked if he had any comment on the pending Microsoft/Yahoo! discussions, he said:

"No thank you.

No."

Richard Parsons, Chairman of the Board of Time Warner, rocks the CNN hat

Vivi Nevo, of NV Investments, and Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi

Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company

Anne Sweeney, president of Disney-ABC Television
Phil Knight, chairman of Nike
Brad Gray, chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, is hugged by Ron Olson, of Munger, Tolles & Olson

Isla Fisher and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, here at last year's Oscars, have been forced to delay their wedding as the actress has not yet converted to her fiance's Jewish religion

EXCLUSIVE: Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher's wedding on hold

By Mark ColemanLast updated at 10:12 AM on 10th July 2008

Sacha Baron Cohen and fiancee Isla Fisher have been forced to postpone their wedding over religious issues, MailOnline has learned.

The Hollywood-based couple, who welcomed a daughter last year, originally planned to tie the knot later this summer.

But they have decided to delay the nuptials because Isla, 32, has yet to convert to the Ali G star's faith of Judaism.

A source said: 'Isla was supposed to spend her time after giving birth hard at work on her Torah studies, and that's gone far slower than expected.

It's very much frustrated her future in-laws, especially Sacha's parents, who were really hoping for a wedding this summer.'

Working mum: The Australian actress on the set of her new movie romcom Confessions Of A Shopaholic

The source added: 'Right now there's no wedding date set because Isla hasn't fully converted yet, and even though she's working at it part-time, she's far from being close to completing her studies.'

Isla, who has spent most of this summer filming her upcoming project Confessions Of A Shopaholic, is said to have a tense relationship with Sacha's mother, Daniella.

The source said: 'What made relations difficult between Isla and Sacha's mother is that she really wanted Isla to spend more time with the baby and their family in England instead of being hasty and returning to work so quickly.

Now that Isla's done shooting, she's in the awkward position of making up for lost time.'

To this end, the Australian-born actress, who found fame in Home And Away in the Nineties, is spending increasing amounts of time with her in-laws in Britain, in an apparent effort to endear herself to them.

Meanwhile the notoriously reclusive Baron Cohen, 36, is patiently playing peacemaker between his wife and mother.

Instead of wedding preparations, he has channelled his energies into work,

chalking up long hours on his new reality-based film Bruno,

which has nearly completed filming and will be released worldwide next summer.

The source said: 'Sacha is not as worried about the relationship between his parents and Isla as

everyone else is because he's extremely devoted to her and their child.

He also believes that putting too much pressure on Isla is only going to make the wedding happen later rather than sooner.

'He is happy taking his time to get married the same way he was happy having a long engagement.

'But in the meantime Isla's had to endure a lot of awkward moments with Sacha's mother, who just doesn't seem to understand her future daughter-in-law's drive to become a big star.'

Happy families: Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher with their daughter Olive

For Isla's part, the actress is said to be looking forward to becoming a Cohen.

The source said: 'No matter what Sacha's mother throws at her, Isla isn't going to be scared away from the relationship or the family.

You really get the sense that her devotion to Sacha is total, even if she's stalled a little bit on her Jewish studies.

She loves sharing her life with this guy.'

Wacko Jacko hits a toy shop in pyjamas, a surgeon's mask, a rasta wig and a wheelchair

By Richard Simpson

Last updated at 9:12 AM

on 10th July 2008

Any popstar worth their salt knows that to survive in the business, you have to reinvent yourself every so often - and the King of Pop must know that better than any.

But quite what Michael Jackson thinks this look will do for his career is anyone's guess.

As he approaches his 50th birthday next month, the singer's appearance just seems to be getting more and more bizarre.

Looking every inch the invalid, Michael Jackson is wheeled around Las Vegas

Pictured on a visit to a toy and book shop near his current home in Las Vegas, the singer was slumped in a wheelchair wearing pyjamas, a dreadlocked wig, a surgeon's mask, a baseball cap and sunglasses.

Such theatre was presumably designed to prevent shoppers from discovering his true identity.

The irony is of course that Jackson is now better known for wearing such ludicrous disguises than not.

Indeed he would have stood a much better chance of not being noticed had he strode into the shop without any disguise - and had not pulled up in four cars filled with his eight-strong security team.

It remained unclear last night whether Jackson, who is most famous for his footwork and in particular his moonwalk,

actually needs the wheelchair to get around or whether he was just using it as a prop.
Family affair:

A rare glimpse of the Jackson kids, Paris, Prince and Blanket

He has been spotted both with and without the chair in recent weeks.

He has battled numerous health problems over the years, having being diagnosed with lupus and vitiligo and the amount of surgery he has had has rendered him unrecognisable from his former self.

Following accusations of child molestation in 1993, Jackson lost a massive amount of weight.

In late 1995, he was rushed to hospital after collapsing during rehearsals for a televised performance; the incident was caused by a stress-related panic attack.

During his further trial on molestation charges, the singer again suffered from stress-related illnesses and severe weight loss.

He has also been addicted to various painkillers over the years to cope with the accusations levelled at him.

The last time he was in the chair was to watch the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Las Vegas in May at the MGM Grand hotel.

On that occasion, he also draped a coat around his face to try to disguise himself. But as always, the peculiar appearance only drew more attention to himself.

On this occasion, Jackson arrived with his three children, who were unusually unmasked, and headed straight for the children's book section, where he remained alone for some time.

An eyewitness said: 'They arrived at the Barnes and Nobel shop in Las Vegas on Monday afternoon.

First Michael was in the childrens' section on his own in the wheelchair reading books.

The three children were at another table with the bodyguards.

He was in the children's section for about half an hour.

He then went to the music section and was sitting in the chair looking through various books.

But this time the children were in the children's section.

Then he pushed himself around in the wheelchair for a while and ended up in the magazine section.

He was in the shop for about two hours in total.

There was no special treatment.

The shop was not closed to the public at any point.

'There were quite a few members of the public in the shop who knew he was there but no one approached him.

To be honest, he looked a bit weird wheeling himself around covered up in a surgeon's mask and that is probably what freaked people out to not want to approach him.

When they left the shop, the children came out first and he was wheeled out behind them. He never left the wheelchair at any point in the shop.'

A Jackson family friend indicated last night that the wheelchair was indeed needed for a recurring back problem that Jackson has had ever since his performing days.

'He has a problem with his back which surfaces from time to time,' the friend said.

Jackson is currently living in Las Vegas trying to land a residency at one of the big venues in the city to clear massive debts he has accrued.

His career fell apart and he spiralled into debt - despite selling 170million records worldwide -

after a string of child sex allegations were made against him in 2005, of which he was later cleared.

Looking every inch the invalid, Michael Jackson is wheeled around Las Vegas

....more ....entertainment......wed, 9 july 2008

JESSICA SIMPSON

celebrated having the 'Best Boobs In Hollywood' by giving them an airing in Hollywood last night.

The beauty wore a particularly low-cut top while out with her lucky fella TONY ROMO, giving him and fellow clubbers at Key Club a real treat.

She's been forced to up her game in the busty stakes now that her pregnant sister Ashlee is catching up with her.

Ashlee has been showing off her new bumper cleavage in recent weeks but Jessica seems to have pulled out the stops to ensure she remains top of the busty league.

Long may the rivalry continue...

the top 10 best, they got "milk".......in hollywood......!!!

10 ... Beyonce Knowles

9 - Megan Fox

8 - Jennifer Aniston

7 - Audrina Patridge

6 - Katherine Heigl

5 - Lindsay Lohan

4 - Carmen Electra

3 - Scarlett Johansson

2 - Tyra Banks

1 - Jessica Simpson

Thursday, 10 July 2008- allen & co, sun valley retreat

July 9

The Ball is Back in SAG’s court: It’s Deal or No Deal

Though SAG spent big bucks to hammer AFTRA members to vote “no”, the result turned out to be 62% voting “yes”.

Alan Rosenberg, SAG’s answer to Che Guevara, was quick to point out that this was far from conclusive -- indeed that many had clearly responded to SAG’s “education and outreach campaign.”

SAG could still fight the three-year deal and seek a strike authorization vote (it would need 75% backing).

Rosenberg and company will meet with the studios again tomorrow.

The studios offered to sweeten the deal provided the guild ratifies it by August 15th.

How did we get to this mess?

As Cynthia Littleton reminds us in today’s Variety, the original scenario was quite different.

The Writers Guild was going to keep working under its old contract until SAG’s June 30 expiration date.

Summer was supposed to be solidarity time.

Then the writes decided to enter the fray sooner, hoping to disrupt the TV season.

The resulting strike walloped the community, though it’s arguable whether it gained much for the writers.

So suddenly SAG finds itself at the end of the bargaining line behind the writers, directors and below-the-line craftsmen.

It’s well know in the business that actors love to play heavies.

If you’re the heavy you can chew up the props, climb the walls, and lay on the shtick --

you don’t have to follow the rules of the clean-cut leading man.

Due to its strategic missteps, SAG has now cast itself as the heavy.

Allen & Co retreat at Sun Valley

The trouble is the town doesn’t need another heavy -- it needs a little statesmanship.

While no major news has yet come out of the Allen & Co. retreat in Sun Valley, which traditionally has the media elite trading in their business suits for their bathing suits,

photographers have been hard at work snapping the executives in mogul casual.

Below, photos of major media players making their arrivals to the Sun Valley conference, which began officially Wednesday morning.

For years, the Allen & Company media conference in Sun Valley, Ida.

was a time for media moguls to kick back, talk with their fellow executives —

and maybe even strike a deal.

But with the stock markets tanking, the dollar sliding and turmoil the operative description of the day, a pall has set over the sunny landscape.

DealBook’s Andrew Ross Sorkin told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Wednesday morning that media chieftains seem upbeat — in public.

Catch them at the bar in the evening, however, and you’re likely to get a different story.

All photos (and captions) courtesy AP.

Michael Eisner, of Tornante Company and former head of Walt Disney Company, breaks for lunch

Phllippe Dauman, president and CEO of Viacom, breaks for lunch with his wife Debbie Edgar Bronfman, chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group, breaks for lunch

Barry Diller, chairman and CEO of IAC, and his wife, designer Diane von Furstenberg

Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway

Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of New Corporation and his wife, Wendi Deng
Robert Iger, president and CEO of Walt Disney Company, and his wife Willow Bay

Lachlan Murdoch, director of Illyria Pty Limited and son of Rupert Murdoch

David Zaslav, president and CEO of the Discovery Channe

Tom Freston, of Firefly3 LLC (formerly CEO of Viacom)
Ronald Meyer, president and COO of Universal Studios

Michael Ovitz, former head of Walt Disney Company

Sir Howard Stringer, chairman and CEO of Sony Corporation
Investor Vivi Nevo and Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi

Sun Valley Diary:

Sun Valley: The Old-Media Death-Watch Continues

July 9, 2008, 5:09 pm

Internet pioneer Marc Andreessen, who now runs the social networking site Ning, kept up his death watch for old media Wednesday morning.

In a morning panel session titled “Looking Around the Corner to the Future” – which,

like all meetings here are closed to the press –

Mr. Andreessen told the audience, which included many executives from the so-called “old media” world, that non-digital businesses are toast.

“He said, ‘If you have old media, you should sell,’”

according to one attendee, who spoke anonymously because the sessions are off-the-record.

“If you own newspapers, sell.

If you own TV stations, sell.

If you own a movie studio, sell.”

That didn’t seem to prompt moguls like Rupert Murdoch to run out and start an auction for News Corporation’s assets.

When asked if he planned to make any deals, he said, “Not this week.”

On the same panel, which was moderated by The New Yorker’s Ken Auletta, was Barry Diller, chief executive officer ofIAC/InterActiveCorp; and Larry Page, co-founder of Google.

Mr. Auletta, according to another participant, tried to nudge Mr. Page and Philippe Dauman, the chief executive of Viacom, in to an exchange about Viacom’s $1 billion lawsuit against Google’s YouTube for copyright violations.

They apparently didn’t take the bait, although Mr. Dauman derisively noted that other content providers –

meaning those not named YouTube – sought Viacom’s permission before distributing Viacom shows.

The New-Media In Crowd

July 9, 2008, 8:06 am

The annual Sun Valley conference has always been a place for established moguls —

media barons such as Rupert Murdoch or John Malone are regulars on the guest list.

Often, however, Allen & Company, the investment banking boutique that runs the event, will invite a mogul-in-the-making or two, so the old guard can gawk at them (or buy their companies, or both).

Chad Hurley of YouTube was such an example — and, indeed, the initial sparks of Google’s romance with his video-sharing service began in this Idaho resort town a couple of years back.

This year, the invitation list is loaded with moguls-in-the-making, a next-generation A list of who may run big media one day.

The names reflect the interests of Allen & Company’s founder, Herb Jr., and his son, Herb III.

While Herb Jr. generally hangs out with the old lions, Herb III has been building up an impressive client list of new-media players.

With so many up-and-comers rubbing elbows with moguls — and their big checkbooks — deals could be aplenty.

So, who from new media got a much-coveted invitation to Sun Valley this year?

Here are a few names:

Jay Adelson, chairman and chief executive of Digg;

Marc Andreessen and Gina Bianchini, co-founders of Ning;

Michael Birch of Bebo (recently acquired by AOL);

Jeffrey H. Boyd of Priceline.com;

David Friedberg of WeatherBill;

Janus Frilis, co-founder of Joost;

Jeffrey Jordan of OpenTable;

Blake Krikorian, chairman of Sling Media;

Max Levchin, chief executive of Slide.com, David Liu, chief executive of The Knot;

Gary Marino, chief executive of Bill Me Later;

and Peter Thiel of Clarium Capital (also a director at Facebook and co-founder of eBay-owned PayPal).

Sun Valley Diary: A Peek at the Agenda

July 9, 2008, 7:48 am

For devotees of Allen & Company’s annual confab who like to keep up with the official doings here in Sun Valley, we’ve procured an official schedule —

against the wishes of the event’s organizers — for your information andperhaps even your amusement.

The action starts early Wednesday with breakfast at 6:30 a.m. —

much earlier than breakfast at Michael’s in New York.

At 7:30 a.m. is a presentation by Jeff Bezos, founder and chief executive of Amazon.com.

He’s likely to trot out his Kindle e-book device and talk about the future of publishing and electronic commerce.

After than, Ken Auletta of The New Yorker leads a conversation called

“Looking Around the Corner to the Future” with Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Ning, the hot new social networking site;

Barry Diller, chief executive of IAC/InterActiveCorp; and Larry Page, a co-Founder of Google.

That’s all for the panels today.

Then the fun, and closed-door meetings, begin.

If you’re not hatching a project or calling your office, the whitewater rafting trip leaves at 10:30 a.m.

Golf is at 11 a.m.;

there’s biking, fly-fishing, hiking trail rides, yoga and bridge (paging Bill Gates and Warren Buffett!) in the afternoon.

On Thursday, Joel I. Klein, New York City’s schools chancellor, tries to open everyone’s mind with a conversation entitled “The Education Crisis” with Andre Cowling, principal of the John Harvard Elementary School of Excellence;

Deborah Kenny, founder and chief executive of the Village Academies;

and Michelle Rhee, the schools chancellor in Washington, D.C. After that, Donald R. Keough of Allen & Company,

the former No. 2 at Coca-Cola, leads a conversation called “Global Perspectives” with Muhtar Kent, chief executive of Coca-Cola;

Niall FitzGerald, deputy chairman of Thomson Reuters; and Sir Howard Stringer, chairman of Sony.

The last act for the day is Jeffrey Katzenberg, chief executive of Dreamworks Animation.

The afternoon is filled with a tennis tournament, a trap-shooting tournament and yes, even knitting.

Friday begins with a panel of conference newbies:

Gary Marino, chief executive of Bill Me Later; Max Levchin, chief executive of Slide.com;

and David Friedberg, chief executive of WeatherBill.

(Expect lots of people to wake up early to check out their next potential acquisition targets.)

Then things get serious with a panel Charlie Rose is moderating called “Where We Are – Where We Should Be” with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Sam Nunn, a former senator from Georgia and co-chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

After that comes the surprise guest.

It says “TBA” on the schedule, but we’ll announce it here:

The mystery speaker is His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Then an afternoon of more activities — and for some of the crowd, a ride back to airport to catch a private jet home.

For those who stick it out until Saturday, Allen & Company, the event’s organizers, have left what may be the best for last.

Bill Gates is on the hot-seat with Tom Friedman of The New York Times in a conversation entitled “Creative Capitalism.”

And that’s just a warm-up act for Warren Buffett, who is being interviewed by Donald Graham of The Washington Post.

(Mr. Buffett is a big shareholder and board member of the Washington Post Company.)

A blowout dinner ends the week before everyone packs up.

JESSICA SIMPSON has the best boobs in Hollywood - fact.

The Dukes of Hazzard beauty came out on top in a poll by In Touch magazine, beating the likes of JENNIFER ANISTON and LINDSAY LOHAN in the process.

Unfortunately, Jessica has, as yet, not commentated on her victory but on her behalf, her dad and manager JOE has offered a few words of praise.

Joe said: "She's got double-Ds!

You can't cover those suckers up."

Proud dad, indeed...