· The WGA recognizes the Oscar favorites, but throws in a couple of curveballs by nominating Zach Braff for Garden State and Tina Fey for Mean Girls. Never doubt the appeal of Lindsay Lohan's breasts to a bunch of people who sit in front of their computers all day. [Variety]
· Anthony Minghella will direct Breaking and Entering for Miramax, "a contemporary story about theft, both emotional and criminal." We'll let him get a little artsy if he promises to throw in a scene where the thing they want to steal is surrounded by laser beams. [THR]
· Les Moonves' remarriage can't stop him from extending his evil partnership with Jerry Bruckheimer, as CBS greenlights the Bruck's American Crime pilot. If it ever gets to air, expect a "CSI" to be appended to the front.
[THR]
· Kiefer Sutherland continues to carve out a nice little career playing government agents, signing on to play a Secret Service guy in The Sentinel, with Michael Douglas. [Variety]
· Edward Norton attempts to make the heat on his career reappear by playing a magician in The Illusionist. [Variety]

The LAT reports that the Weinstein brothers are close to finalizing their divorce with Disney, but exactly how close they are predictably depends on which side you listen to. The Miramaxies say it's all over except for the lawyer papers, but Michael Eisner's minions sound like they're not quite ready for the break-up sex:

While the expected divorce of Harvey and Bob Weinstein from Disney lacks the tabloid-friendly heat of The Big Brad and Jen Break-Up, we're all still waiting for an announcement about the split. The NYT says that the separation "could come soon" (thanks for the update, guys), but things are always more complicated when kids are involved:

· Rick Sands, the Miramax COO hardened by years of Harvey Weinstein's cat o' nine tails, assumes the title of president and CEO of DreamWorks. He'll report to David Geffen, whom we expect will issue a totally different kind of daily beating than the ones Sands grew accustomed to at The Max. [Variety, sub. req'd.]
· You hardly needed this told to you: Shrek 2 was the highest selling home video title in 2004. DreamWorks Animation's Jeffrey Katzenberg can now flush entire stacks of hundred dollar bills down the toilet, whereas before he had to peel them off one by one. [THR]
· Just because there's nothing to do in the first week of the year but count the piles of money: Sony wins the year in North American box office thanks to Spider-man 2, while Warner Bros. takes the international box office crown [THR, Variety]
· Paramount execs were taken by surprise by the stories that Brad Grey has been anointed as the next studio head, feeling they weren't consulted. Hmm, maybe they weren't told because they're all about to get fired? [Variety]
· Jerry Bruckheimer gets two drama pilot pickups, including E-Ring for NBC, a supposed West Wing in the Pentagon. Maybe it's time he gets his own channel. Jerry's Steaming Pile of Derivative Shit TV has kind of a nice sound to it. [THR]

· Aviator investor and foreign rights salesman Graham King is the man with the big money—no, the other one, the guy that isn't afraid of Harvey Weinstein. [LAT]
· Paris Hilton takes a faceplant on the social slopes of Gstaad. [Page Six]
· Fuckin' Debbie Reynolds, man. She's the meanest chick in town, as everyone knows—almost as vindictive as Shirley Maclaine and that cruel, cruel Julia Roberts. Now she's backed out of a mall display of Hollywood memorabilia and she's getting sued, the little witch. [AP]
· Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer vows vengeance; will lil' Anna ever get her rightful $88 million? [CNN]

We know the workload is high and the morale is low at Miramax, but really, putting The Avitor in the title bar of The Aviator's official site is just a sad cry for help.

Harvey Weinstein used his platform at Miramax's 25th anniversary function on Thursday to bitch about Disney and crow about his possible post-Mouse future:

· The latest on Miramax vs. Disney: In an SEC filing, Disney ominously states that production of Miramax projects may be "abandoned or otherwise impaired" after their deal with the Weinsteins expires. This is the closest Michael Eisner can get to threatening to kill Harvey Weinstein's children. [Variety, sub. req'd.]
· Hilary Swank gets the "femme fatale" role in the Brian DePalma adaptation of the James Ellroy novel The Black Dahlia. DePalma will now have to try and find a way to butch her up a little and put her right back in Oscar contention. [Variety]
· No matter how hard we close our eyes and wish for Brett Ratner to disappear, he stubbornly continues to show up in the trades. Robin Tunney signs up for Ratner's Fox drama Prison Break.[THR]
· NY Film Critics Circle jumps on the Sideways bandwagon. When will these critics stop blindly rewarding excellence, just like the Academy voters did years ago? [THR]
· NBC Universal Television pretends to humor Will & Grace star Eric McCormack's producing aspirations, sets up a shingle for him with offices across from the CBS Radford lot. How long will it take McCormack to figure out NBC provided him with cardboard prop computers from Ikea and Fisher Price telephones? [Variety]

We've seen some truly strange shit on Craiglist, but we submit this mindblowing Missed Connection for your bewilderment:

Even with the spectre of layoffs still haunting Miramax's offices on both coasts, they're still looking for some fresh blood—we think Harvey Weinstein must really love the look of shock on a new recruit's face as he slashes an entire department on their first day. So, adrenaline junkies looking to get a foot in the door in the movie business, why not cut your teeth at the Max? Here are some of the prerequisites for the open Assistant to the Exec VP of Marketing gig:

A reader from across the pond corrects the American media's references (and ours) to Harvey Weinstein as "Sir Harvey" after he was recognized as an honorary Commander of the British Empire last week.

Harvey Weinstein, Hollywood's job-slashingest studio head, used the occasion of being named an honorary Commander of the British Empire to bitch about his negotiations with Disney to stay with Miramax:

A reader reports some bedlam at last night's Miramax screening of The Aviator, where a twenty-minute melee broke out and a barely-employed WGA member was stabbed for punching Dr. Dre and dissing The G-Unit. Oh, wait, that was the Vibe awards! We get confused sometimes. Still, a decimated Miramax again proves its recent gift for courting trouble by alienating many of the voters they hope to court with their patented end-of-year awards publicity binge. Naturally, we blame Harvey Weinstein.

As you know, if you know what's good for you, under the fearsome public persona, the Miramax boss is a kindly, lovable, gentle man. Here's Harvey Weinstein, as you've never seen him, relaxing with friends as he waits for guests to arrive at his famous pre-Oscar party. Thanks to David at Acerbia for this revealing shot.

Fake Hollywood job ads, courtesy of the DataLoungers: "Are you in your 20's? Are you willing to work for minimum wage? Are you willing to put in 90 hour work weeks without overtime? Do you like to create your own title to make yourself look important? Do you like small cozy offices, and don't care about promotions or raises? Do you enjoy being a slave to fat cats who take credit for anything you do? Miramax is a special place for those with extremely low self-esteem, who are clueless about what they really want to do, and will settle for anything. Are you a filmmaker whose film opened in Sundance in 1991, which Miramax bought, and has yet to release? Are you friends with Gwyenth Paltrow? They even have offices on both sides of the coast, so you can surf or ski!"
Film industry/audio stuff [DataLounge]

Newsday notes that Democratic fundraiser Harvey Weinstein seems, oddly, to be more focused on the Oscars than picking a Democratic candidate to back. [Ed. noteyeah, this whole "Miramax" distraction really needs to go.]
Many big Democratic donors uncommitted [Newsday]

Miramax, with Chicago and Gangs of New York among other movies in contention, drew 40 nominations yesterday. Last time a single studio cornered the market to the same extent was back in 1940. So the New York Times gives Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of Miramax, his due. Everyone's making nice to Weinstein again, even Martin Scorsese, with whom he famously clashed during the making of Gangs. Well, not entirely.

Oscar season. Cue the usual chest-beating by the New York independents. Miramax has Chicago in contention; New Line funded Lord of the Rings; Focus Features bought The Pianist. Crain's quotes Amir Malin of Artisan: "People were talking about the demise of Miramax. But (tomorrow) everyone there will be smiling."
New York's Oscar [Crain's]

Oh dear, Harvey Weinstein will be really insufferable now. Last night at the Golden Globes, Miramax won best director for Gangs of New York, best drama for The Hours, and three awards for Chicago. Cue a chorus for the great leader that wouldn't have been out of place at a Ba'athist party conference.

Keith Kelly reports that Harvey Weinstein may be considering funding Maer Roshan's new mag, Radar. Yes, this is the same Harvey whose Miramax lost $27 million on Talk, Maer's former employer. Then again, as far as we know, Harvey's never overtly threatened to kill or maim any of the top Talk alumni, and maybe that constitutes a "good relationship"$27 million notwithstanding.
It's Christmas in January [Keith Kelly - Post]