Trade Round-Up: Paramount Distributes Pinkslips
· Black Wednesday becomes Blacker Tuesday: 109 of the 129 employees in Paramount's domestic distribution department were fired to make room for a leaner, meaner team mostly comprised of DreamWorks staff. Somewhere on the Melrose lot, Emperor Grey shrugs off the executions by imagining all the money Steven Spielberg might one day make for him. [Variety]
· ESPN/ABC Sports trades sportscaster Al Michaels to NBC for an animated, lucky rabbit. Seriously. [THR]
· Producer Bob Yari loses an appeal to the Academy for a producer credit on Crash, which will keep him off the podium should our worst nightmares be realized and the movie win Best Picture. [Variety]
· In perhaps today's most inspiring trade paper tale of redemption, the guys who wrote Elektra have overcome that tragedy to continue to work in Hollywood. [Variety]
· Jennifer Beals joins the cast of The Grudge 2, leading to much rejoicing at Defamer HQ. We loves us some Beals. [THR]
· Holy fucking shit: Someone actually took the $100K and got the Pink Panther surgery. [Variety]