I'm told by a source intimate with his situation tonight that Mel Gibson "was really on the verge of suicide because he felt he was helpless to alcohol and didn't know what to do about it." Sure, my reaction was: sounds like spin. But the source here is someone I've known closely for years. Make your own judgment -- here's the rest of what he told me about Gibson (mugshot left): "No one's really asking questions about his state of mind. That's why he was driving around 90 miles an hour. This was a death wish. If that cop hadn't stopped him, this guy was going to be wrapped around a pole. This is such a bigger issue than 'Will he work again?' This is about his not wanting to live anymore. I've seen what he's gone through and what he's going through. You have to understand the disease of alcoholism. He was back in it. There's no doubt in my mind he was trying to kill himself that night." As for his anti-Semitic slurs during his DUI arrest, I'm told that Gibson doesn't remember saying them. "Why? He had alcoholic blackout syndrome. I don't know a lot about it. I've not had a lot of experience with it. He has some recollection of parts of the evenings. But he's not denying he said those things, and if anything he's owning up to it. But nobody could verify it. Not even he or his lawyers have seen the police report yet." The insider called Gibson's situation "tragic. It's not about what people are focusing on, understand that. 'This is Mel Gibson. He can do whatever he wants. He has all the money in world. He has a wonderful family. He has a wonderful wife.' They're not thinking about the real issue here: alcoholism. Nobody is talking about his alcoholism." Presently, I'm told Gibson is in a non-residential alcohol recovery program in the Malibu area.

UPDATE: *Publicist Alan Nierob informed the Los Angeles Times for its Tuesday edition that his client Mel Gibson "is fighting for his life" in his struggle with drinking.*

I have learned that, because of his DUI anti-Semitic slurs, ABC canceled development with Mel Gibson's television production company on a non-fiction TV mini-series about the Holocaust that was still in the early pre-script stage. The deal had been announced late last year based on the self-published 1998 memoir of Flory A. Van Beek, a Dutch Jew whose gentile neighbors hid her from the Nazis but who lost several relatives in concentration camps, titled "Flory: Survival in the Valley of Death." Gibson was not expected to act in the 4-hour mini-series, nor was it certain that his name would even be publicly attached to the final product. But Quinn Taylor, ABC's senior vice president for movies for television, had said at the time the project was announced that the attention-getting value of having Gibson attached was a factor in greenlighting the Holocaust project. After the huge success of his The Passion of the Christ, networks and studios sought out Gibson and his Icon production company because they felt he'd reached a previously untapped spiritual audience for Hollywood entertainment. But the attention-getting value of having Gibson attached to the Holocaust project post-DUI arrest is what got the project killed at ABC.

(UPDATE: *In Tuesday's New York Times and Los Angeles Times, ABC did not connect the project’s termination to Gibson’s remarks.*)

But I'm told by sources close to Gibson that the decision was totally ABC's, that it was because of his DUI anti-Semitic tirade, and that Gibson and his people didn't challenge it. This is the first piece of business lost by Gibson because of his blurting out anti-Semitic slurs during his DUI arrest. Earlier today, in an exclusive interview with me, Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, called on Gibson to to drop plans to produce the Holocaust mini-series for ABC. "It seems inconceivable that he should, given these cirumstances, make a film about the Holocaust. That would be like getting somebody that has a past association with the KKK to do a film on African-Americans. The African-Americans would be up in arms. That's the way Jews feel. If you don't like the Jews, don't do a film about the central issue of modern Jewish history, the Holocaust. It's insensitive to their feelings, especially if you don't like them. That's why I think he should drop out. This is not a film he could do." I've also learned that, even though Disney is the parent company of ABC, the movie division's Buena Vista arm will still distribute Gibson's action epic Apocalyptic in December as planned because of the loyalty felt by top executives John Cook and Oren Aviv to Gibson.

Today, American Public Radio's Marketplace business show, heard by an audience of over 8.1 million unique listeners in the course of a week, on more than 330 public radio stations nationwide, interviewed several journalists including myself and aired a piece about the Mel Gibson slur scandal. Listen to this story  

Arianna Huffington, political activist and friend to many Hollywood heavies, wrote on her Huffington Post today a strongly worded challenge to the entertainment business re the Mel Gibson slur scandal. Here are excerpts: "For years, social conservatives have questioned the morals and ethics of the entertainment community -- tossing around the shibboleth of "Hollywood values" as an oxymoronic grenade in the culture wars. Well, now is the time for Hollywood to show what those values really are by making Gibson pay the price for his bigotry and intolerance. For starters, the town's power players need to step up and publicly condemn Gibson's vile comments (in effect, saying in public what they are already saying in private conversations I and many others have had). I mean, it shouldn't be so hard to publicly denounce someone -- even an Oscar-winner -- for being a raging anti-Semite. But that's not happening... Talk about lacking the courage of their convictions. Which makes Ari Emanuel's no-holds-barred post all the more praise-worthy. But is Ari the only high-profile figure willing to publicly draw a line in the Malibu sand? How disgusting and disappointing is that? I know this is, at its heart, a very cautious town -- a place that always likes to keep one eye on the bottom line -- but this is no time to play it safe or to put dollars ahead of doing the unquestionably right thing... This isn't a matter of Jews sticking together or non-Jews showing solidarity. It's about choosing sides in the real battle being fought all across the globe -- the fight between extremism and rationality, between hatred and common decency. And Bob Iger at Disney needs to pull the plug on two Gibson projects that are in the works. The company is slated to distribute Gibson's latest directorial project, Apocalypto, opening on December 8. They should refuse to do so. And ABC, which is owned by Disney, should, without delay, scrap its head-scratching plan to develop a miniseries about the Holocaust with Gibson's company (yep, you read that right)..."

Here's an update to my Hollywood Reacts To Gibson Slur Scandal posting: newly promoted president of production for Walt Disney Pictures Oren Aviv visited the set of Mel Gibson's in-the-works movie Apocalpto months ago and came back singing its praises and predicting Oscar consideration. So it stands to reason that he's now telling Slate's Kim Masters: "I've worked with Mel on several films over the years and we have a great relationship. We all make mistakes and I've accepted his apology to what was a regrettable situation. I wish him the very best on his path to healing." It appears that Aviv's Disney, through its Buena Vista arm, will continue with plans to distribute Gibson's forthcoming film, Apocalpto. Interestingly, the movie was supposed to be released August 4th but was moved to a December 8th release. Shooting on the film ended in June after what was described as mounting delays. But, in a May Entertainment Weekly article quoting Aviv, Disney was said to "remain upbeat about the project, which reportedly costs less than $50 million. 'Mel showed us footage that blew us away,' says Oren Aviv, Disney's [then] chief creative officer who traveled to the set in March. 'Apocalpto has the chance to get critical recognition.'" Which means Oscar notice. But now? Stay tuned. Still, Aviv has guts to publicly make a statement on this.

Updated: Hollywood Reacts To Gibson Slur Scandal, My Interview With Rabbi Hier Of Simon Wiesenthal Center: DUI Arrest 'Shows He Has A Problem With Jews...'

Here is my exclusive interview this morning with Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center -- an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust by fostering tolerance and understanding through community involvement, educational outreach and social action. The rabbi was speaking by telephone from Israel, where he said his organization was distributing funds for aid and shelter to people all over Israel, including to Israeli arabs. (Click here for my UPDATED: Hollywood Reacts To Gibson.)

Earlier in the day, Hier issued a statement made available to me. "It appears that Mel Gibson launched into a drunken diatribe against Jews during a DUI arrest this weekend. In his statement, Mr. Gibson ackowledged a longstanding drinking problem and apologized for his behavior without a specific reference to his anti-Semitic statements. We hope Mr. Gibson will get help for his problems. But, in the meantime, he should drop any plans to produce a movie on the Nazi Holocaust. Anyone spouting the canard that Jews are "responsible for all wars" -- a lie touted by bigots from Nazis to Hezbollah -- does not have the legitimacy to make a film about Jewish martyrdrom and suffering during the Nazi era."

Hier was referring to an ABC nonfiction mini-series that Gibson's TV company late last year announced he was developing for ABC based on the self-published memoir of a Dutch Jew whose gentile neighbors hid her from the Nazis but who lost several relatives in concentration camps. In addition, ABC's parent company Disney, through Buena Vista, is distributing the Oscar winner's upcoming movie Apocalypto, an action epic about the bloody decline of the Mayan civilization.

Hier is not only an international religious and political figure of note, but also a central and revered figure within Hollywood which helps support the Simon Wiesenthal Center both financially and substantively. In 2003, a year before Gibson's The Passion of the Christ was released, Hier co-wrote a Los Angeles Times opinion piece worrying whether the movie would stir anti-Semitic sentiments. "It's true that the final script hasn't been made available, and there is currently no release date, or even distributor, for the film. Still, there are reasons for concern," Hier wrote. He was even more outspoken against the film once it began screening, reiterating his belief that the film denigrated Jews and could spark anti-Semitism abroad and in the U.S..

2ND UPDATE:  *More Hollywood Reaction to Mel Gibson*

UPDATE: *Newly promoted president of production for Walt Disney Pictures Oren Aviv and Endeavor agency partner Ari Emanuel have both stepped forward and publicly expressed their opinion about Mel Gibson in light of his alleged anti-Semitic slurs made during his DUI arrest in Malibu Friday. But the two Hollywood execs have very different views.*

Aviv visited the set of Mel Gibson's in-the-works movie Apocalpto months ago and came back singing its praises and predicting Oscar consideration. So it stands to reason that he's now telling Slate's Kim Masters: "I've worked with Mel on several films over the years and we have a great relationship. We all make mistakes and I've accepted his apology to what was a regrettable situation. I wish him the very best on his path to healing." It appears that Aviv's Disney, through its Buena Vista arm, will continue with plans to distribute Gibson's forthcoming film, Apocalpto. Interestingly, the movie was supposed to be released August 4th but was moved to a December 8th release. Shooting on the film ended in June after what was described as mounting delays. But, in a May Entertainment Weekly article quoting Aviv, Disney was said to "remain upbeat about the project, which reportedly costs less than $50 million. 'Mel showed us footage that blew us away,' says Oren Aviv, Disney's [then] chief creative officer who traveled to the set in March. 'Apocalpto has the chance to get critical recognition.'" Which means Oscar notice. But now? Stay tuned. Still, Aviv has guts to publicly make a statement on this.

Emanuel, a top Hollywood agent, publicly urged Hollywood to shun Mel Gibson, making his statement by blogging on The Huffington Post. Before that, just one or two publicity-seeking entertainment PR consultants have spoken out publicly about Gibson's slur scandal. But Emanuel, the Endeavor talent agency partner, is taken very seriously in Hollywood. (He writes regularly on political issues for HuffPo; his brother is U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), a former top Clinton White House politico.) Other entertainment leaders -- the top executives and producers and managers and agents and talent -- have expressed opinions only on condition of anonymity. Variety's story Monday about the scandal's consequences to Gibson's career didn't name one source. Among the major showbiz players I talked to Saturday and Sunday, most were overwhelmingly angry at Gibson for his alleged slurs, several pledged never to hire him, and many others believed the drunken statements demonstrated Gibson's unmasked feelings about Jews. One or two said they wanted to speak to Gibson first. And all expressed the opinion that he needs to seek urgent help for his self-confessed alcoholic relapse.

UPDATE: *My Interview With Rabbi Hier Of Simon Wiesenthal Center About Mel Gibson: DUI Arrest 'Shows He Has A Problem With Jews... It's Not Just His Father That Is A Problem'; Hier Calls On Gibson To Dump Holocaust TV Mini-Series*

Already, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, Abraham H. Foxman, issued this statement on the organization's website: "Mel Gibson's apology is unremorseful and insufficient.  It's not a proper apology because it does not go to the essence of his bigotry and his anti-Semitism. His tirade finally reveals his true self and shows that his protestations during the debate over his film The Passion of the Christ, that he is such a tolerant, loving person, were a sham.  It may well be that the bigotry has been passed from the father to the son. It is unfortunate that it took an excess of booze and an encounter with a traffic cop to reveal what was really in his heart and mind. We would hope that Hollywood now would realize the bigot in their midst and that they will distance themselves from this anti-Semite."

Emanuel, who is Jewish, wrote on HuffPo: "I wish Mel Gibson well in dealing with his alcoholism, but alcoholism does not excuse racism and anti-Semitism. It is one thing when marginal figures with no credibility make anti-Semitic statements. It is a completely different thing when a figure of Mel Gibson's stature does so. Even when he sobers sobers up and apologizes. According to the handwritten report of the deputy who pulled Gibson over, published by TMZ.com, after he was arrested Gibson launched into an anti-Semitic tirade, saying: "Fucking Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Gibson then asked the deputy, "Are you a Jew?" At a time of escalating tensions in the world, the entertainment industry cannot idly stand by and allow Mel Gibson to get away with such tragically inflammatory statements. When The Passion of the Christ came out, Gibson was quoted as categorically denying any anti-Semitism attributed to him: "For me, it goes against the tenets of my faith, to be racist in any form. To be anti-Semitic is a sin. It's been condemned by one Papal Council after another. There's encyclicals on it, which is, you know -- to be anti-Semitic is to be unchristian, and I'm not." Now we know the truth. And no amount of publicist-approved contrition can paper it over. People in the entertainment community, whether Jew or gentile, need to demonstrate that they understand how much is at stake in this by professionally shunning Mel Gibson and refusing to work with him, even if it means a sacrifice to their bottom line. There are times in history when standing up against bigotry and racism is more important than money."

Click here for my weekend reporting on the Gibson Scandal. The Los Angeles Times weighs in Monday with a weak next-day story "Crossing This Line Could Cost Him Deals" which fails to back up such a strong headline.

UPDATE: No TV Interviews 'Anytime Soon' For Mel

UPDATE: New Mel Gibson Statement: 'I Am Not A Bigot'; Apologizes To Jewish Community

UPDATE: EXCLUSIVE: Mel Gibson Was 'Really On The Verge Of Suicide' Before His DUI Arrest

UPDATE: ABC Cancels Mel Gibson's Holocaust TV Mini-Series Because Of His DUI Anti-Semitic Slurs

UPDATE: Hollywood Reacts To Gibson

UPDATE: EXCLUSIVE: My Interview With Rabbi Hier of Simon Wiesenthal Center About Mel Gibson

Lt. Steve Smith, in charge of the detective bureau for the Malibu/Lost Hills station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, confirmed to me just now that "the contents seem to be similar" between the official reports and the four pages posted by TMZ.com on the Internet alleging Mel Gibson "blurted out a barrage of anti-Semitic remarks" -- "fucking Jews" and "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world" and asking the arresting deputy "Are you a Jew?" -- during his DUI arrest early Friday morning. Smith denied TMZ.com's charge that the sheriff's department was involved in a "cover-up" of Gibson's alleged anti-Semitic tirade detailed in deputy Jim Mee's first arrest report. "TMZ has learned that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department had the initial report doctored to keep the real story under wraps," the website claims. But Smith told me emphatically, "There's no whitewash. I've seen the first report, and the supplemental report, and it looks to be the same thing as what's on the Internet. The contents that are on the Internet are covered in both those reports." That is the first official confirmation from the Sheriff's station that Gibson's alleged anti-Semitic rants are included in the official reports about his DUI arrest.

UPDATE: *Gibson issued a statement today apologizing for his drunk driving arrest and saying he has battled alcoholism throughout his life. The Oscar-winning filmmaker also apologized for what he said were "despicable" "out of control" statements "that I do not believe to be true" made to the deputies who arrested him early Friday morning on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. But though his statement seems to confirm he made the anti-Semitic slurs, it does not specifically admit them or apologize for them. And that's going to embroil him in even more controversy, I predict. "After drinking alcohol on Thursday night, I did a number of things that were very wrong and for which I am ashamed. I drove a car when I should not have, and was stopped by the LA County Sheriffs. The arresting officer was just doing his job and I feel fortunate that I was apprehended before I caused injury to any other person. I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I am deeply ashamed of everything I said. Also, I take this opportunity to apologize to the deputies involved for my belligerent behavior. They have always been there for me in my community and indeed probably saved me from myself. I disgraced myself and my family with my behavior and for that I am truly sorry. I have battled with the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse. I apologize for any behavior unbecoming of me in my inebriated state and have already taken necessary steps to ensure my return to health.” However, later Gibson's statement was amended to include: "I am deeply ashamed of everything I said, and I apologize to anyone who I have offended."*

Lt. Smith told me that it is the station's normal procedure not to release the arrest report until it's submitted to the District Attorney's office for possible action. Also, according to procedure, Deputy Mee's report, he said, was reviewed by the filing detective "to see if there's maybe corrections or additions or elements of the crime that should have been included, or just additional information that wasn't known at the time of the report. And then a supplementary report is generated because that's the proper way to add information to the first report. In this case, the original report had a lot of this nuance in it: how Mr. Gibson was conducting himself and behaving. Traditionally, in a drunk-driving arrest, or any type of arrest, the deputy wants to paint a picture of what he's dealing with at the time. And, the reason for that is it helps the detective or the D.A. to put the contact into some sort of context. The other purpose for describing the context is that it assists the deputy in remembering the incident when the court case can be four, or six, or eight months down the road." (Deputy Mee has declined to comment about his report.)

LA County Sheriff's Department public information officer, deputy Paul D. Schrader, also denied to me there has been any attempt to cover-up Gibson's alleged anti-Semitic rantings. "We're not sterilizing anything. We would not sanitize a report. We don't edit reports." He also denied any favors were being done for the celebrity. "Basically, Mr. Gibson was not given any preferential treatment."

UPDATE: *The LA County Sheriff's Department won't confirm or deny TMZ.com's report that Deputy Mee, the arresting officer, audiotaped the entire exchange between himself and Gibson. However, I'm told that deputies often do carry a tape recorder. Much has been made of the initial Sheriff's account that Gibson was arrested "without incident." But what constitutes an incident in law enforcement terms as opposed to civilian terms can be quite separate. "The shorthand is that 'without incident' means 'without force,'" spokesman Steve Whitmore told me. Still another PIO spokesman, deputy Ban Nguyen, told me, "I don't understand about a cover-up. Everything's in the report. They could have just put him in the car and taken him home. Obviously they didn't do that." However, TMZ.com reports today that Mel Gibson has been stopped for reckless driving two other times in Malibu but he was allowed to leave without a ticket or arrest. Because of all the allegations, the LA County Sheriff's Department Office of Independent Review will investigate whether Gibson received preferential treatment.*

Among the allegations within TMZ.com's four pages, Gibson "angrily stated" that "'My life is fucked'" and "became fixated on his notoriety and concern that the incident was going to be publicized." The celebrity became "belligerent' and "threatened" the deputy, saying "'I'm going to fuck you. You're going to regret you ever did this to me.'" Then, Gibson "blurted out a barrage of anti-Semitic remarks about 'Fucking Jews.' Yelled out 'The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.' Then asked, 'Are you a Jew.' Conduct concerned and frightened me to a point. I called ahead to the station requesting a sergeant meet the arrival of my patrol car in the station parking lot..."

As soon as TMZ's Internet pages surfaced about Gibson's alleged anti-Semitic slurs, Hollywood's entertainment leaders began phoning one another asking if it could possibly be true. (Already this morning, I personally spoke with several prominent players wanting to know more.) Now, with my confirmation from Lt. Smith that those pages are similar to the official Sheriff's reports, showbiz moguls are certain to be shocked and angry. Still, to be fair, whether any person should be held responsible for what may have been under-the-influence ramblings is certainly debatable. But Gibson is a special case because his worldwide mega-hit The Passion of the Christ was criticized by some Jewish leaders as anti-Semitic, and Gibson's father, a local religious leader, has said that the Holocaust did not happen. Hutton Gibson in statements has decried the Holocaust as "fiction" and claimed there were more Jews in Europe after World War II than before. Mel Gibson, however, has repeatedly denied his movie Passion was anti-Semitic. But the actor/director's views about his father's Holocaust denial have been under scrutiny. When asked by an interviewer in early 2004 whether the Holocaust happened, the actor / director / producer responded that some of his best friends ''have numbers on their arms,'' then added: ''Yes, of course. Atrocities happened. War is horrible. The Second World War killed tens of millions of people. Some of them were Jews in concentration camps.'' But in the same interview, Gibson said his father, Hutton Gibson, had ''never lied to me in his life,'' and Holocaust scholars have cited those and other statements as evidence that he has failed to disassociate himself clearly from his father's views. Perhaps to counter that, Gibson late last year announced he was developing a nonfiction mini-series about the Holocaust for ABC. His TV production company will base the four-hour miniseries for ABC on the self-published memoir of Flory A. Van Beek, a Dutch Jew whose gentile neighbors hid her from the Nazis but who lost several relatives in concentration camps. Gibson was not expected to act in the mini-series, nor was it certain that his name, rather than his company's, will be publicly attached to the final product, according to The New York Times. But Quinn Taylor, ABC's senior vice president for movies for television, told the paper at the time that the attention-getting value of having Gibson attached to a Holocaust project was a factor. ''Controversy's publicity, and vice versa,'' Taylor was quoted as saying. Now it remains to be seen whether the contents of these LA County Sheriff's Department arrest reports will make Gibson's Holocaust project too hot to handle for the network.

ABC's parent company, Disney, is distributing Gibson's latest Hollywood movie project, Apocalypto, through its Buena Vista Pictures Distribution arm. The action epic set before the Spanish conquest of Mexico and Central America about the bloody decline of the ancient Mayan civilization (filmed in their language) wrapped production earlier this year and planned for a Dec. 8 opening. In his most recent act of controversy, Gibson recently compared the fearmongering and human sacrifice of the Mayans to President George W. Bush's political actions. Previously, the Bush administration, Christian religious leaders, and conservative politicos had embraced Gibson for making The Passion of the Christ despite the overwhelmingly negative response to the film inside Jewish circles.

Hollywood, especially its Jewish moguls, has simultaneously rejected and embraced Gibson before, during and after Passion. Right before the movie was released, several top Hollywood Jewish executives saw an anti-Semitic subtext in the religious movie and pledged privately never to work with Gibson because of it. But once Passion became a surprise hit at the box office, and rang up humongous $611 million theatrical grosses worldwide, much of the heated criticism of Gibson began to cool inside Hollywood circles. And, in some quarters, the actor / director / producer began to be hailed as a genius for tapping into the zeitgest of those spiritual moviegoers often ignored by Hollywood moviemakers. 

Given today's confirmation by the Sheriff's Office that Gibson's alleged anti-Semitic tirade is in his DUI arrest reports, the debate will rage anew in Hollywood and Jewish circles about Gibson's true feelings about Jews. The actor / director / producer works closely with many Jewish VIPs in the entertainment business at talent agencies, in law firms, and at the studios. Now, with Gibson's statement, this incident is very, very difficult to explain away.

SUNDAY: Nostalgia for Crockett and Tubbs, plus a grittier look and story, made Universal's Miami Vice the No. 1 movie at the box office, knocking off month-long Disney blockbuster, Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest. This was Michael Mann's biggest movie opening of his directorial career as Vice took in $8.8 mil Friday and $9.1 mil Saturday for what was a less-than-anticipated $25.2 mil finish. Then again, the pic was playing in only 3,021 theaters, so its per-screen average was a  respectable $8,340. (Mann's last big film, Collateral, starring Tom Cruise in his first villain role, opened at $24.7 mil and went on to gross a 4x multiple of its domestic opening weekend -- getting past $100 mil.) I'm told Miami Vice played to a racially and ethnically diverse audience divided almost evenly between male and female -- but a whopping 62% of the moviegoers were aged 30 and older. (Must have been the lure of that familiar theme music...) But the real news was that Warner Bros. continued its "bombs away" summer with the complete collapse of its expensive kiddie fare Ant Bully despite a lavish marketing campaign. Earning only $2.6 mil on Friday and $3.1 mil on Saturday, Ant Bully ended its opening weekend with a pathetic $8 million. So chalk up another loser for that studio, along with M. Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water, which barely registered its 2nd weekend out with $2.3 mil on Friday and $2.7 mil for Saturday. And, to top it off Superman, dropped out of the top 10 to finish the weekend with less than $4 mil -- so it doesn't look like it will make $200 mil, which is exactly the scenario I've been predicting since it opened. Pirates 2 hauled in another $20.3 mil for second place as it closes in on $400 million at U.S. theaters. The cheap teen pic from Fox, John Tucker Must Die, added $4.5 mil to its Friday's take of $5.5 mil to finish the weekend at $14 mil. Sony's Monster House had a super second weekend out with $11.5 mil (on Friday and $4.5 mil on Saturday). Finally, Uni's comedy You, Me and Dupree playying in 2,820 theaters added another $7 mil for a cume to date of $59 mil. (By the way, on Friday, star Owen Wilson denied any connection between the movie and '70s supergroup Steely Dan. The band recently posted a letter on their website claiming Wilson's Dupree character was based on their Grammy-winning song, "Cousin Dupree," about a couch-hopping houseguest. Whatever...) Finally, the Woody Allen/Scarlett Johanssen/Hugh Jackman comedy-thriller Scoop was #13 at $3 mil on 537 prints for its opening weekend. That's a not-so-hot $5,800 average. Overall, box office was up 5% over last year's.
 

SATURDAY: I'm told Universal's Miami Vice opened strong enough this weekend to Mann-handle Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest for No. 1. That would make this Michael Mann's biggest movie opening of his directorial career as Vice took in $8.8 mil Friday for what will probably be a $27 mil finish. (Mann's last big film, Collateral, starring Tom Cruise in his first villain role, opened at $24 mil.) That's hardly blockbuster status, especially considering the $150+ mil cost, because Mann movies tend to be better received among critics than at box offices. (Which still doesn't explain why studios make movies with Mann. But it's well-known they do well in the home, TV and foreign markets.) Disney's Pirates 2 took in $5.8 mil Friday for the start of its 4th weekend out. Fox's cheap teen comedy John Tucker Must Die opened with a better-than-expected $5.5 mil (some say more like $6 mil) for No. 3, and holdover Sony's Monster House hauled in a nice $3.5 mil for #4. This weekend's only other opener, Warner's expensive kiddie fare Ant Bully, was disastrous with only $2.6 mil despite a lavish marketing campaign. So chalk up another loser for that studio, along with M. Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water, which barely registered its 2nd weekend out with $2.3 mil. And, to top it off Superman, dropped out of the top 10 with only $1.2 mil and will finish the weekend with less than $4 mil so it doesn't look like it will make $200 mil, which is exactly the scenario I've been predicting since it opened. Another holdover from last weekend, MGM/The Weinstein Company's Clerks 2 eked out $1.2 mil. Overall, weekend box office was up 8% over last year's.

FRIDAY: Here's some very early box office reports: I'm told that today's matinees for Universal's Miami Vice remake are good enough that box office gurus think the Michael Mann movie will finish the weekend with high $20s (as in millions). What's especially interesting is that the studio was actually surprised by the better-than-average reviews that the movie has been receiving. Certainly, NBC Universal has done all it can to market the film, even showing the original Miami Vice TV pilot on the network in primetime. The Jamie Foxx/Colin Farrell starrer may even knock off Disney's long-time No. 1 movie, Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest, projected to earn $20 mil during its fourth weekend out. Warner's Ant Bully matinees have been respectable for a high teens opening weekend. Same with Fox's John Tucker Must Die aimed at the teen market. Sony's Monster House, which opened last week at No. 2, is also projected in the low teens.

Back around Christmas 2005, I was tipped that ICM's Jeff Berg wanted to close two big deals for boutique agencies. Flush with his month-old $100 million private equity infusion from Rizvi Traverse Management, the agency chief was looking closely at Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann Agency as well as Endeavor Agency. Then, there followed a waiting game. Rumors were rampant. But the reality was that these deals aren't done overnight: like everything in Hollywood that involves ego and money, they're complicated because they combine different agency cultures as well as partners and personnel. (Who else remembers back to 1992 when William Morris acquired Triad? The two agencies had been talking for 17 months; and, even when those chats became very serious, the deal points took five months.) Also on Berg's mind was the successorship issue; these days, every head of a company has to have an eye on an heir apparent, or two or three. Demonstrating just how clueless the Hollywood trades really are, Variety even ran a June 22nd hit story during the waiting period asking, "Has ICM squandered the momentum that could have come with a restructuring?" Variety didn't know that, at that very moment the story was published, ICM and Broder already had a signed letter of intent in their hands. (More on this later...) The deal took four intensive months to get done: it was code-named, it was stealthy -- and it involved Camp Allen's Duck Pond.

For 10 years off and on, Berg (left, photo credit LA Times) and Broder had danced that slow minuet that accompanies any agency talk of merging. One was in charge of a large agency that had hit tough times: movie agents and clients were being poached, and the TV division was not keeping up with the formidable competition. Broder had been king of the small tube representation for seemingly eons; his was the Tiffany of TV agencies, a true cash cow. The two men, after all, served together on the board of the Association of Talent Agencies's Strategic Planning Committee and had huddled together over the many regulatory, labor and guild matters affecting them. And Broder, besides, was an ICM veteran, as well as Elliot Webb who'd both worked with Berg back in the 1970s. In 2005, Berg began talking more about merging with Broder's Chris Silbermann. After all, they, too, had a lot in common: they were both Berkeley grads, both English majors and both active alums. Silbermann was very involved with the College of Letters and Sciences board which Berg had founded and ran in the late 1980s. The connections made the deal "easier. It cut through volumes," I'm told. "We didn't have to go through any posturing."

But first Berg had to pin down his war chest before his talks with Broder (left) could proceed further. Once the $100 mil was clinched, the negotiations with Silbermann (left) accelerated over four months. The deal-in-the-works was code-named "Project Beta" and extreme security measures were taken to prevent leaks. Most of the sessions were held in a private dining room of a still secret location. The negotiators were never in each others' offices. And even the phone traffic was run outside the agencies through lawyers and bankers. One thing was clear from the outset: this wasn't going to be a cheap deal. And the Broder agency wasn't sure it wanted to give up its independence and become part of a large organization's culture and anatomy. But both sides eventually recognized the urgency to put the companies together. "It's not so much an acquisition, but a response to a consolidating market," I'm told. "But this story is about growth, not about consolidation." (More on this later...)

The final negotiations over operational issues took place between Berg and Silbermann by the Duck Pond during the mid-July Camp Allen investment confab in Sun Valley, Idaho. It happened that host Allen & Co. was brokering the deal, and managing director Tom Kuhn was using the conference to help Berg and Silbermann nail down finalities. In fact, the three men were sitting by the Duck Pond having lunch one day during the conference when CAA president Richard Lovett spied the trio from the other side. "Uh-oh, we're going to blow our cover," worried Silbermann. "Let's invite him over to join us," Berg suggested. So Lovett wound up being the fourth for lunch, and never knew the deal was taking place. More suspicious was William Morris CEO Jim Wiatt, who saw the talking heads throughout the confab and thought something might be up. He began calling Silbermann over the past two weeks, asking to get together.

But it was too late. The deal was done yesterday, with all parties signing the papers at the offices of the law firm Irell & Manella in Century City. That's where the new ICM agency will transfer into 100,000 square feet -- 25,000 more than ICM presently occupies. With 27-some agents coming from Broder, the space will be welcome. But, unfortunately, several ICM'ers won't be making the move: Scott Arnovitz, Nancy Etz, Tanya Lopez, Steve Simons, Babbette Perry, Stacey Lubliner, Jill Gillette, Patty Detroit, and Nancy Josephson, ICM's co-president who was pushed out during the merger, I'm told. That's sad; she was a continuation of ICM history as the daughter of the founder and one-time owner Marvin Josephson. She was the first female president of a major talent agency when she was named in 1998. Josephson made a lot of money for the agency as the rep for the ICM package Friends and its exec producers and her discoveries Marta Kaufman, Kevin Bright, and David Crane. But with a piece of ICM prior to the equity investment, she made money in November. So, in Hollywood, that's what passes for loss-of-job condolences.

Finally, the very fact that ICM and Broder still want to keep the name of their meeting place secret signals strongly that the new combined agency isn't done with its merger-and-acquisition plans. "We're gonna want to use that venue some more."

Previous: The Post-Broder ICM Casualty List, So Far, That Agency Urge to Merge

UPDATE: ICM: Behind-The-Scenes of 'Project Beta'

The newly freed agents:

SCOTT ARNOVITZ

NANCY ETZ

TANYA LOPEZ

STEVE SIMONS

BABBETTE PERRY

STACEY LUBLINER

JILL GILLETTE

PATTY DETROIT

NANCY JOSEPHSON

There's still plenty of summer left for the movie biz. I'm told Paramount's World Trade Center is on track for a $25 million-to-$30 million opening weekend starting August 9th. Gotta say, that's more than I ever expected. Sony's Talladega Nights; The Ballad of Ricky Bobby looks like it'll debut even bigger with $30+ million for August 4th weekend. Great summer at the box office for comedies.

I've been out and about from midday to almost midnight today, and in the meantime ICM finally announced it's acquired that TV powerhouse, Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann Agency. (I'd been tipped this was happening months and months ago.) It's late, I've got a lot to say about the deal, so check out DHD in the AM. G'nite.

I'm told that the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, Prince Turki al-Faisal, left Washington D.C. on Saturday and is cocooning with his family at their Beverly Hills estate for the rest of the summer until October. It turns out the envoy's primary pasttime while he's here is to watch Hollywood movies in his home's well-appointed screening room. So far, the only movie that Prince Turki has requested to see is Paramount's Mission Impossible 3 starring Tom Cruise. I've learned that, when informed the prince wanted to screen MI3 and needed more movies, one Paramount executive snickered, "Yeah, I'll give him World Trade Center." So I asked the prince's film guru, the Sunset Screening Room's Walter Moshay, if that might be a movie the ambassador would see. "I would imagine so. I'll find out," Moshay told me today. I've learned that al-Faisal is no stranger to controversial Hollywood films. Moshay tells me that one of the movies he recommended and screened for the prince last summer was Lionsgate's Lord of War, the film also starring Nicolas Cage as a globetrotting arms dealer operating in some of the deadliest war zones and arming many of the world's most notorious dictators until his own conscience kicks in. And, according to news reports, this son of the late King Faisal weighed into the controversy surrounding Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, terming it "grossly unfair" to Saudis. The ambassador complained Moore failed to carry out proper research and dismissed the movie's claims that the Bush administration helped high-ranking Saudis leave the U.S. immediately after 9/11 attacks.

Asked about Prince Turki's viewing habits, Moshay told me today, "I try to line up films for him when he comes out here for his annual vacation. That's his only relaxation -- dinner, then watch a movie. I deliver the prints and run the films in his screening room." Moshay says the ambassador likes "good drama pieces or good action pieces, but not usually comedies." (So there goes Paramount's plan to send him Failure To Launch starring Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. Besides, I don't think the plot --about parents trying to push out their thirtysomething son who still lives at home with them -- would resonate, given that the Saudi royal family is such tightly knit clan.) Moshay says he also picks out animated films to screen for the kids who hang out.

According to news reports and his official biography, Prince Turki, 61, led the Saudi external intelligence service for 24 years until August 2001, then cut his diplomatic teeth as Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the UK and Ireland. Analysts considered Prince Turki to be a skilled diplomat steering a difficult course as envoy to London in the period between 9/11 and the US-led invasion of Iraq. Since 2005, the prince has maintained the relations between Washington and Riyadh built up by his predecessor, his brother-in-law Prince Bandar bin Sultan. A member of the Saudi royal family, he has repeatedly defended his country against claims it could do more to tackle the threat posed by al-Qaeda. During the 1980s he had contact with Osama bin Laden and, in 1998, sought unsuccessfully to have the al-Qaeda chief extradited from Afghanistan to Saudi Arabia. In December 2004, Prince Turki accepted substantial libel damages and an apology from the French magazine Paris Match over claims he himself was linked to the 9/11 attacks. The prince described the allegations as "outrageous" and condemned al-Qaeda as an "evil cult" which the international community must destroy.

One of America's greatest exports, as we all know, is Hollywood films. They can bridge understanding between cultures, they can reinforce stereotypes that foment tensions between nations, or they can allow different peoples to see the United States in a new way. Given recent news events in the Middle East, I believe Hollywood studios have a rare opportunity right now during these unsettled times -- if they take advantage of it. Moshay will be responsible for coming up with more titles. "He never watches a movie more than once so he needs a whole bunch of them. I'd like to know what's available." 

Previous: Oliver Stone/Paramount Need A Reality Check: It's Lunacy to Deny WTC's Politics, Stone's WTC: Is a Moving Movie Enough? 

I've edited out the jejune personal attacks. But because I'm always in favor of a dialogue based on the merits or demerits of my editorializing, I'm honored to give director Kevin Smith his say. He didn't take kindly to my recent post Hollywood Guilds Ain't Gonna Be Thrilled. (Or else he was looking to pick another PR fight just as he did with GMA's Joel Siegel.) Under the headline "Finke Makes A Stink", Smith opines on his Internet sites:

"There’s a woman named Nikki Finke who writes for the LA Weekly, and she seems to have taken issue with the MySpace Credits Contest we did for Clerks II. 'This could very well be the most insulting thing I’ve ever heard,' she writes. 'A huge diss, to anyone who’s ever legitimately earned a credit on a film.' Yes - she's serious... She’s presupposing an industry outrage and ire that simply doesn’t exist. No guild has said a word about the credits contest. Know why? Because there’s nothing to be upset about. The MySpace names don’t appear in the credits proper of Clerks II. The film’s credits end (with all the proper logos and copyright legalese), the screen goes to black, and then after five to ten seconds, a new crawl (although 'crawl' is hardly the term I’d use to describe the speed with which the names zip up the screen) begins. Why is this an issue for Nikki Finke when nary a guild member nor other film artisan seems to care? It’s so sad. Weinstein Co. finds a fun way to spice up the marketing a bit, and this woman tries to kill-joy the whole endeavor. ... And since when are the credits sacrosanct anyway? If Finke feels the post-credits addition of ten thousand names is some kind of 'huge diss, to anyone who’s ever legitimately earned a credit on a film', what must she think of my end credits 'Thank You' shout-out to God. When a dog is listed in the credits, is this somehow an affront to the performers in a film with speaking roles? I dedicated Jersey Girl to my recently deceased Father (a dubious honor, I know) who had nothing whatsoever to do with the making of the picture; should the filmmaking community be livid that such an undeserving cad as my dead Old Man wound up with his name in the credits? Bottom line? Ms. Finke can try to tempest-in-a-douchebag the contest all she wants; it doesn’t change the fact that it was a fun thing to do that all involved seem to enjoy. And if nobody (but Finke) is upset about it, where’s the harm?"

Me now. Dedications are a time-honored, if rarely used, tradition in filmmaking. Dogs deserve credits, along with their handlers. Total strangers to the film who merely entered a contest don't deserve credit, no matter how quick the crawl. It's crass and commercial. But it's certainly Kevin Smith's right to embrace that, just as it's my right to denounce that. The director also took issue with my box office analysis calling Clerks 2 a failure. Here are Smith's thoughts:

"In addition, of an earlier promotion the Weinstein Co. did at YouTube for Lucky Number Slevin, she also writes 'Yeah, we saw what that promotion did for those movies’ bottom-line: Slevin made a pathetic $22 million, and Clerks 2 is well on its way to more failure.' For someone who covers the film biz, I found that statement rather oblivious. Our flick’s budget was five million bucks. We did twice that in the opening weekend. The film’s foreign sales more than covered its negative cost. Our marketing budget was pretty modest - especially for a summer release. Even if after the box office split the Weinstein Co. will make with the theaters, our thetrical [sic] run winds up simply being a wash (meaning all costs are covered), that means everything we made on DVD is pure profit. If Clerks II DVD is anything like the DVD on Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, we’re looking at forty million bucks, easily. Forty million bucks in profit. Where’s the 'failure'? Aside from Little Miss Sunshine (which opens this week), Clerks II may be the lowest budgeted wide release of the summer. We were modest across the boards, in shooting and opening the flick. We did this because we had a model in the Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back release. That film turned out to be very profitable, so we simply plugged in lower numbers when doing the Clerks II budget, to ensure high profitability for the Weinstein Co. Spending 75% less to make the current flick, spending far less to market the current flick and opening to roughly the same numbers ($11mil for Strike Back, $10mil for Clerks II)? In what world is that a 'failure'? It may not be sexy huge like the Pirates numbers, but when it comes to the business half of the show business equation, being in the plus column is all that matters (on the show side of the equation? Making the film you want to make).

Back to me. I based my analysis on: the very low opening box office total, the average $36 million it takes to market a movie nowadays (and no one's ever characterized Harvey Weinstein as stingy when it comes to spending money on promotion and advertising); and the collapsing DVD market. Given the insanity of marketing costs, it doesn't matter anymore how little a film costs to make. Because eking out anything less than $20 mil at the box office during its debut weekend means that movie should have gone straight to video. Showing it in a theater, with all that extra $$$ output, is just ego feed. I, for one, am sickened by everybody mouthing off that their movie will make money when the reality is it doesn't have a chance in hell. But, hey, Kevin, best of luck in your new career as a TV personality. (You're a regular on Leno. Your work on The N's Degrassi: The Next Generation was epic. And you'll be sitting in for Roger Ebert next week as a guest critic on Ebert and Roeper). I think that's going to work out more profitably for you than this film thing.

Previous: Hollywood Guilds Ain't Gonna Be Thrilled

This may set a new low in the scandal of credits gone wild in the movie biz. The Weinstein Company is boasting about creating a unique partnership between Clerks 2 and MySpace whereby the first 10,000 people who linked a designated page to their friends list would be permanently added to the ending credits of the film. This could very well be the most insulting thing I've ever heard, a huge diss, to anyone who's ever legitimately earned a credit on a film. It's the sort of shenanigan that, if the guilds in this town had spines, they should stop immediately.

Back to TWC, a recent PR release exults: "Willing to take risks, the Weinsteins have consistently been the film industry's early adopters in their use of specialized marketing and distribution strategies, individually tailoring each film's release to suit its particular strengths. Most recently, The Weinstein Company, embraced rich media/online video with a ground breaking presence on YouTube for the respective launches of Lucky Number Slevin, and hotly anticipated Clerks II." Yeah, we saw what that promotion did for those movies' bottom-line: Slevin made a pathetic $22 million, and Clerks 2 is well on its way to more failure. The Weinstein Company also has significantly invested in SmallWorld, billed as "the world's most exclusive online social network that brings together highly influential people from all over the globe." Meanwhile, Harv will be interviewed by Charlie Ross at this year's MIXX 2.6 confab and expo held Sept. 25-26.

How did I miss this? The venerable Wall Street Journal, which has just decided to start an official fashion and design bureau, takes a serious look at "media-mogul fashion" from Herbert Allen's Sun Valley investment confab earlier this month. Sheesh, this is pretty thin stuff. And good thing they didn't glimpse David Geffen who pairs his jeans with either a white T-shirt or plaid flannel shirt. We learn that the media moguls, tech executives and financiers ditch their neckties and sport jackets and go Western casual. (Like, duh.) Actually, I'd call it Greenwich, Conn., casual -- lots of khakis and cashmeres. But the paper "saw some common style miscues that many executives face with business-casual clothes." Horrors, the media big shots look -- drumroll, please -- disheveled! They "may be used to getting their suits tailored, they often buy casual clothes off the rack and don't pay enough attention to style or fit." Cited as bad examples were Barry Diller in drawstring pants with a red-and-black-striped zip-up cardigan and a "clashing" orange polo shirt. Rupert Murdoch wore his cable knit tennis sweater with an orange stripe around the neck two days in a row and the color "tones are too strong for his complexion." Geraldine Laybourne, chief executive of Oxygen media, had on a "mismatched ensemble" and she blamed her husband for it. ("He usually checks what I wear, but he slept late that day.") Chad Hurley, the 29-year-old hero-of-the-moment YouTube CEO, wore jeans and an untucked dress shirt with the cuffs unbuttoned almost all weekend. The combo made him "look like a little boy wearing daddy's shirt," said the newspaper. Actually, I thought he looked just like a valet parker. What I want to know is how many times Terry Semel flipped him car keys to "bring it around front."

Previously: Camp Allen Photo Album: #1, #2, #3

LA Weekly: Moguls Will Be Moguls At Camp Allen

Click here for the free Google video of Rupert Murdoch's recent interview with Charlie Rose. It's important because Rupe announces his final succession plan: that his four children from his first marriage -- Lachlan (middle left), James (near left), Elisabeth (below), and Prudence -- will assume control over the family trust that owns 30% of $55 billion News Corp. after he dies. His two daughters by wife Wendi Deng will not assume any control of the trust, nor will Deng have a voice in how News Corp is run. His assets, however, will be divided equally among all six children. Wall Street, though not Peter Chernin, can rest easier now that the dispute over his financial assets has been settled. Rose asked Murdoch: "If something happens to you, [if you're] run over by a bus when you leave this studio, the four kids have to decide who will be the heir apparent?" Replied Murdoch: "If I go under a bus tomorrow, it will be the four of them [that] will have to decide which of the ones should lead them, ... In terms of leadership, they'll all get treated equally financially." This squabble had led to a rift with Lachlan Murdoch, who left News Corp. last year after Dad had stated previously that he wanted Deng's kids to have a say in control of the trust. (See this 2005 New York mag story for a refresher.)

For my money, the Murdoch offspring who should run the company is Elisabeth -- but that'll never happen given the usual corporate misogyny. As I wrote back in 2003 (and much later, other media followed), it was Rupert Murdoch's second oldest kid, Elisabeth, who, Fox insiders informed me, kept telling U.S. executives that Simon Fuller's 2001 British monster hit Pop Idol would do just as well in America. But Fox honchos Sandy Grushow and Gail Berman shrugged her off. Finally, these sources said, it took Elisabeth's nagging Daddy, and a direct order from Rupert himself, to get American Idol launched. Only after it scored a huge audience and became the humilitainment linchpin of Fox's sweeps win did the news suddenly "come out" that Berman and even Chernin worked to make sure the U.K. import was properly Americanized. Though Elisabeth, formerly head of programming at the family-owned BSkyB, is considered the smartest of Murdoch's children with Anna, she is only third in the line of succession behind Lachlan and James, 30. Murdoch told Rose it'll be up to the kids themselves to decide who'll be Numero Uno in terms of power.

There goes the neighborhood. From today's Lloyd Grove of the New York Daily News: "Hollywood superagent Ari Emanuel - the brash, crass, fast-talking model for the brash, crass, fast-talking character in the HBO hit Entourage - has been ruffling feathers this summer in the understated little beach community of Watch Hill, R.I. 'He wears skintight, black-and-hot pink golf clothes - like really high-tech, long-sleeved black Nike tops,' a Watch Hill denizen confided to Lowdown after observing Emanuel's flashy West Coast ways. 'I saw him golfing in a porkpie hat one time. This is the kind of place he would blend in if he wore madras on the course. He sticks out like a sore thumb.' The amused Watch Hiller went on: 'He drives around in a silver minivan. He's also always on his phone headset. The golf course changed their cell phone rules because of him. He would always be on the headset on the driving range.' The golfing establishment now strictly enforces a cell phone prohibition. The 45-year-old Emanuel - who reps Michael Moore, Martin Scorsese, Larry David and Entourage producer Mark Wahlberg - used to rep Entourage star Jeremy Piven, who plays the relentless 10-percenter Ari Gold in the series. Emanuel vacations in tiny Watch Hill, which dates back to the 1600s, because the family of his wife, Sarah Addington, has a summer home there. Over the Fourth of July weekend, he displayed his virtuosity as a multitasker. 'He was on the beach, shirtless, doing yoga stretching poses,' a witness said. 'He was holding out a book in his right hand while he went from one pose to the other - like no one else was around.' A spokesman for Emanuel declined to comment."

C'mon, doesn't Ari's behavior sound like every other Hollywooder you know?

Box Office Update

It's surprising but not exactly unexpected: three big film directors crashed and burned at the box office this weekend. M. Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water, Ivan Reitman's My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and Kevin Smith's Clerks 2, all bombed badly with moviegoers. (It's not that the budgets were necessarily outsized -- in fact, Clerks 2 was cheap -- but by the time insanely high marketing costs on average $36 mil are factored in, the movies should have gone straight to video.) So, why? In my opinion, blame it on the arrogance that unfortunately follows Hollywood success. All three directors -- Shyamalan, Reitman and Smith -- have experienced the best of the box office in their past: great reviews, great grosses, great wealth. That's when the disconnect comes in. Even though ousted Disney exec Nina Jacobson told Shyamalan that his Lady script had problems and that's why she wouldn't greenlight it, he refused to listen and even trashed her. Even though Reitman is one of the richest directors around and has little in common with the young guys who are his target audience, he keeps making one bad movie after another. Even though Smith was once lauded as the rebel, he is so much the insider these days he does shtick on Leno. (And Kevin sank so low as to try to score PR mileage out of film critic Joel Siegel's childish Clerks 2 walk-out.) Past success in Hollywood is no guarantee of future success. Especially when directors lose touch with filmgoers. As these three disasters show.