Life On The Bubble

Cynthia Littleton (Variety): Les Moonves signs new deal with CBS Corp.

CBS Corp. has cut a new five-year employment contract with prexy and CEO Leslie Moonves.

Deal keeps Moonves at the helm of the Eye through February 2015. It replaces the existing pact that was to have expired in 2011.

"Leslie is a superb executive who has led CBS to a position of unparalleled leadership in the industry," CBS Corp. chairman Sumner Redstone said in announcing the deal. "This agreement not only secures the future of the company for many years to come, it also further aligns and strengthens the interests of the chief executive with those of our shareholders."

CBS said Moonves' salary will remain at its current level, though he is entitled to bonuses and other incentives.

via www.variety.com

Nellie Andreeva (The Hollywood Reporter): Two more Sony TV current execs exit

Two more Sony Pictures TV current executives have departed as part of Sony Pictures Entertainment's companywide layoffs.

Debra Curtis, vp current programming, and Rose Lee, manager of current programming, join SPT's longtime head of current programming Jeanie Bradley, who is leaving after 25 years at the studio.

SPE said this month that it will lay off 450 staffers, or nearly 7% of the Culver City studio's worldwide work force of 6,800 employees.

The cuts at SPT are not expected to be particularly deep as most of SPE's pink slips will be in the home video and IT departments. But by being so focused on the current department, SPT could be signaling a management restructuring in the division.

With Bradley, Curtis and Lee gone, there is only one Sony TV current executive left -- vp John Westphal -- raising questions whether the studio might shift some or all current series responsibilities to its comedy and drama development teams.

Such consolidation has been a trend among major TV players. NBC and ABC eliminated their current departments on the network and studio sides the past two years.

via www.hollywoodreporter.com

What a bummer. I'd thought the bulk of the bloodshed was behind us.

Mike Fleming (deadline.com): Producers Dan Jinks & Bruce Cohen Split Up

Jinks and Cohen tell me they have decided to amicably break up their Jinks/Cohen Company. "We've had a great 12 years, but we've both decided that we want to explore on our own," Jinks and Cohen told me. Jinks is forming The Dan Jinks Co and keeping Nick Nantell as VP of development, while Cohen is forming Bruce Cohen Productions.

via www.deadline.com

Tim Adler (deadline.com): David Linde Resurfaces

Linde is starting his own global indie film company called Lava Bear that will adopt the Summit/Overture model of having U.S. distribution in place, and then selling off overseas territories. Universal will put up some of the money for 2 to 4 movies a year from Lava Bear.

via www.deadline.com

Executive Shuffle: Scott Carr hired at Hollywood Gang

Congratulations to Scott Carr (assistant to Ramses Ishak at UTA), who just got hired as Director of Development for Gianni Nunnari's Hollywood Gang.

Nikki Finke: Disney’s Jason Reed Changes Jobs

BURBANK, Calif., February 10, 2010 – Alan Bergman, president of The Walt Disney Studios (TWDS), announced today that Jason Reed has been named head of international local productions for the Studio, as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Walt Disney Studios International Productions.

via www.deadline.com

Finke & Fleming: Sean Bailey in as new Disney President

We told you yesterday that Sean Bailey's name was making the rounds of Hollywood to replace ousted Oren Aviv as Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production president. Now we can tell you it's official.

via www.deadline.com

That was fast. Looking forward to hearing what's going to happen with Idealogy.

LA Times: Disney ousts production chief Oren Aviv

Continuing to clean house and put his own team in place, Walt Disney Studios Chairman Rich Ross has ousted the studio's production chief, Oren Aviv, according to two people close to the executive.

Aviv, who had been at the studio for 18 years, was president of marketing from 2000 to 2006 before taking the production job. Aviv also served as an executive producer on the studio's movie series "National Treasure" and was a close ally of former studio head Dick Cook, who was ousted last year.

via latimesblogs.latimes.com

This is quite a week for entertainment news. Strictly from a Machiavellian point of view, this should come as a surprise to no one. The minute Rich Ross was hired the clock started ticking for everyone at the studio on principle.

Nikki: Scott Lambert out at Relativity

After only a year to the month at Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media, Scott Lambert and the company have gone their separate ways. Insiders tell me he was escorted out of the offices, and this cryptic email was sent around by Relativity: "Please be advised that Scott Lambert is no longer working with Relativity. Please do not share any company information with him going forward." So there's not even any pretense that this was an amicable exit. Lambert, the former William Morris agent, joined Relativity in December 2008 in the dual posts of president of the business group and executive VP of production.

via www.deadline.com

That must have been some holiday party Relativity threw last night...

Company Town: Getting serious about Hollywood, Discovery taps Peter Liguori as COO

One of the television industry’s most eligible executives is off the market.

via latimesblogs.latimes.com

So...I guess we can expect a "Comcast to Purchase Discovery" headline in about 24 months?  Click through for the usual, including this oddly worded quote from Ligouri:  "I haven’t even started yet, and I am already pushing myself to figure out ways to be great.”

Company Town: Marvel Studios' David Maisel to step down after Disney deal

David Maisel, chairman of Marvel Entertainment Inc.'s movie studio, is expected to leave the company once the Walt Disney Co. completes its $4-billion acquisition of the comic book giant.

A Marvel spokesperson confirmed that Maisel plans to leave, first reported by Bloomberg. However, he will remain executive producer of three upcoming Marvel films, “Iron Man 2,” “Captain America” and “Thor.”

via latimesblogs.latimes.com

Click through for details, including his potential take from the Disney/Marvel deal (hint: it's well into the eight figures).

Variety: Debbie Liebling nears Universal deal

Debbie Liebling has graduated from the shortlist to the negotiating table to take over as president of production at Universal Pictures.

via www.variety.com

This swept through town this afternoon but I was heads down pulling together the November Spec Market Report (out Friday afternoon). Once the dust settles, I'd like someone (maybe Nikki Finke) to post something about the rumors Liebling was in talks to take over Miramax (it's mentioned in the Variety piece). It was such a weird item, since conventional wisdom has Miramax getting shut down entirely.

Variety: Watts takes prexy post at Fox

20th Century Fox has firmed a new deal with Emma Watts that makes her sole president of production, in a multi-year pact that sources said covers the next three years.

via www.variety.com

Ross shuffles Disney execs - Entertainment News, Business News, Media - Variety

Walt Disney Studios has unveiled a major restructuring of its marketing, distribution and operations division, an overhaul driven by newly appointed chairman Rich Ross.

via www.variety.com

Today's rumor on the heels of the Disney restructuring announcement is that Fox's Debbie Liebling (currently EVP of Production, formerly atop Fox Atomic) is headed to Disney.