In your head-scratching Wednesday media column: Barry Diller's wacky plan for The Daily Beast, Conde Nast advertising shakeup, Shep Smith stays on at Fox News, and Juan Williams fans continue to provide comic relief.
[Tech mogul Barry Diller, actress Sarah Jessica Parker, Bravo executive Andy Cohen and CNN anchor Anderson Cooper check out babes together at the Sunday Diane Von Furstenberg runway show. And is that Desiree Rogers across from them? Pic via Getty.]
Microsoft founder Bill Gates, New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg and 38 other billionaires have signed a pledge to give away 50 percent or more of their fortunes to charity. Sounds good! We'll kill them last when the revolution comes.
Best paid CEOs of the decade: Larry Ellison and Barry Diller. Best performing: Not them.
Barry Diller runs a virtual harem of internet properties at his IAC, but every year he flirts with other startups at the Sun Valley mogulfest. The question this year: Will Diller finally dump Ask.com — and who will he insult?
IAC CEO Barry Diller expensed $1.6 million in personal travel in 2009. ($4,600/day!) That doesn't include business trips—just vacations. Welcome to MogulAir. Would you like a blanket and a pillow made out of diamonds? [NYP]
We were so busy gawking at Real Housewife Danielle Staub eating dinner with skater Johnny Weir in Chelsea last night that we missed the Costume Institute Gala Benefit. Luckily fictional freelancer Betsey Morgenstern was there in our stead.
We were too busy watching all our favorite shows simultaneously on TV last night to attend the fancy soiree Vanity Fair threw for the opening of the Tribeca Film Festival. Luckily fictional freelancer Betsey Morgenstern was there in our stead.
Today Ricky Martin dropped a crazy truth bomb on the world and acknowledged he is a "homosexual man." Yeah, duh! But he's not the only public figure still hiding—unsuccessfully—in the glass closet.
Tina Brown, legendary magazine editor, rules over the Daily Beast just like she did her magazines: arbitrary deadlines, grueling "closings" and reams of printed proofs. Her glossy approach to the Web is, naturally, driving staff insane.
Sarah Silverman unleashes the rage of a thousand indignant female fans on an ex-boyfriend. Brangelina sues News of the World for the break-up rumor. I hereby nominate Kevin Federline to date Kate Gosselin. Tuesday gossip just wants to be loved.
Zooey Deschanel sleeps with bands, stars react predictably to Oscar nominations, Hugh Jackman goes to 19th century China and Ben Silverman teams with a Murdoch. You'll catch cold out there! Come inside and have a hot glass of Trade Roundup.
Barry Diller turns 68 today. Christie Brinkley is turning 56 (not that she looks it). Former New York Post gossip columnist (and current wowowow.com contributor) Liz Smith is celebrating her 87th birthday. Colombia's most famous cultural export, Shakira, is turning 33 today. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is 58. Broadway vet Elaine Stritch is turning 85. Food Network host Ina Garten is 62. Marissa Jaret Winokur (of Hairspray fame) turns 37. And Duane Chapman, who you probably know as "Dog the Bounty Hunter," turns 57 today.
So, the Nigerian man detained Sunday for locking himself in Northwest Flight 253's bathroom for an hour, two days after some other Nigerian tried to blow up the same flight? Definitely not a terrorist. Just a remarkably inopportune bathroom break.
Everyone got crunk at the IAC/College Humor/Daily Beast X-Mas party. Did you? Did Julia Allison? Know what a "walk off" is? The Elle party apparently does, so suckit, Vogue. VICE/VBS.tv? And what about this here website's shindig? Party roundup time!
Many thanks to the faithful reader in Australia who directed us to this article in The Cairns Post which has some totally vital info on the whereabouts of media mogul Barry Diller's $200 million sailboat, EOS. It's located in lovely Cairns right now—as you probably could have guessed—along with Diller's crew of "two chefs, three engineers, nine deck crew and captains and stewardesses." But it won't be docked there for long! The paper reports that Diller will be climbing aboard the 304-foot beast in January when it sets sail for the Solomon Islands. [The Cairns Post]
• Rupert Murdoch is hoping to give the Times a run for its money. The mogul plans to put $15 million into the NYC edition of the Wall Street Journal. [NYO]
• ABC still hasn't said who's replacing Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, which has led to some "puzzlement and frustration" among staffers. [LAT]
• Why is Comcast planning to keep Jeff Zucker on as NBC Universal's CEO after it takes control of the company? There are no easy explanations, alas. [NYT]
• The Times may "prune" its collection of 70 blogs to cut expenses. [NYO]
• Sam Zell has stepped down as CEO of Tribune; he'll remain chairman. [NYT]
• The lineup for Sundance 2010 was announced today. [Vulture, NYT]
• Tiger Woods' spicy extracurricular activities would have come out two years ago if the National Enquirer hadn't cut a deal with the golfer. Allegedly. [NYP]
Ricky Van Veen announced the production schedule for his brand-new TV studio, and it would appear the CollegeHumor founder believes the future of the small screen lies in the past, because he's unleashing a mess of game shows.
As an NBC chairman, Ben Silverman once mingled with true media titans. But now the fallen mogul rolls with a different crowd; we hear he's besties with CollegeHumor editor-in-chief Ricky Van Veen. Now they might be in business together.
• Tom McGeveran took over as editor of the Observer after Peter Kaplan made his exit this spring, but now he's headed out the door as well. [NYO]
• Layoffs: The cuts at Condé Nast continue though they should end soon; the layoffs at Forbes this week were deep ones: 1 in 4 editorial staffers were let go.
• Newsday's website erected a pay wall today. Good luck with that. [E&P]
• The Michael Jackson movie This Is It sold $2.2 million in tickets on its opening night, which is pretty good considering it was a Tuesday. [LAT, NYT]
