Katie Couric Must Really Hate GoldfishMEDIA
• Katie Couric’s YouTube channel provides real service journalism: While chitchatting with Joe Biden, the CBS anchor recommends viewers tune into her favorite viral video — the one where a little girl watches her goldfish get flushed down the toilet. [HuffPo]
• The New York Times op-ed columnists can’t endorse political candidates. This “isn’t a problem” for Maureen Dowd because she doesn’t “do a partisan column.” [NYO]
• Vegas, take note: Big Apple broadsheets are front-runners in the race for the Pulitzers. [E&P]
company town
Pandit and Willumstad to Share the Ultimate Power?FINANCE
• The newest Citigroup rumors suggest a “tag team at the top”: Financial whiz Vikram Pandit will take over as CEO, while the more socially astute Robert Willumstad handles chairman duties. We’re just not sure “tag team” means the same thing for us as it does the Times? [DealBook/NYT]
• Morgan Stanley issued a full recession alert for the U.S. economy today in the oh-so-subtly titled “Recession Coming.” Meanwhile, a recent Journal poll of top economists puts the risk of recession at 38 percent. [Telegraph, WSJ]
• Thirtysomething Blackstone real-estate guru Jonathan Gray is getting rather comfortable in the top tier of the young establishment. [DealBook/NYT]
company town
Did ‘The New Yorker’ Rip One of Its Cartoons Off ‘The Far Side’?MEDIA
• OMG, plagiarism in The New Yorker’s cartoon issue? [Gelf]
• Washington Post chief Don Graham has 300 Facebook friends. Poke away! [Washingtonian]
• Fox 9’s license is up for renewal, and a bunch of incensed New Jerseyans are fighting the station for failing to live up to its Jersey-side obligations. After all, the channel is based out of Secaucus but bills itself as “My9 New York.” [NYT]
company town
Al Gore: Cashing In on His Big YearFINANCE
• Al Gore, venture capitalist? The Nobel laureate and Apple board member is taking a hands-on role at Kleiner Perkins, the leading Silicon Valley venture firm. His goal: Save the world. And annoy GE’s Jeff Immelt as much as possible. [Fortune]
• Harvard picked Robert S. Kaplan, a former Goldman Sachs vice-chairman, as the new steward for the $35 billion endowment. Something tells us his kids won’t have any trouble getting in. [Reuters via NYT]
• A few management consultants with nothing better to do gave the Times its newest buzzword: CEO version 3.0. With the departures of Stan O’Neal, Chuck Prince, and Richard Parsons, it’s now time for leaders “who can assemble a team that functions as smoothly as a jazz sextet.” Because, as James Cayne showed, the old CEOs were way too bebop. [NYT]
company town
The Bancroft Family High Jinks: Ongoing!MEDIA
• The Bancrofts are so dysfunctional that they missed the deadline for choosing their representative to the new Dow Jones board. Murdoch then vetoed two family nominations before agreeing to Natalie Bancroft, a 27-year-old opera singer and journalism neophyte. Family member Crawford Hill concluded: “This entire, sad and pathetic final episode is a fiasco. No wonder we lost Dow Jones!!” [WSJ]
• With the Times hiring former sex writer Susan Dominus as the newest “Metro” columnist, will the section be heading toward the look of “Sunday Styles”? [NYO]
• Nora Ephron: Blogging makes us better writers. Hey Nora, can you call our boss? [Mixed Media/Portfolio]
company town
Did Aaron Charney Only Get 100K From Sullivan?LAW
• Will Aaron Charney ever have to work again? More than likely — he may not have gotten more than $100,000 in his sexual-harassment settlement with Sullivan & Cromwell. [PrawfsBlawg via Above the Law]
• Should law schools be more like business schools? One law prof thinks so, and he looks a little like Justin Timberlake, so he must be right. [Law Blog/WSJ]
• Do Cravath’s two rounds of bonuses signal Big Law strength and more money for associates, or is the firm just hedging so they aren’t locked in to paying the same amount next year? [NYT]
company town
Will Dick Parsons Pull a Bloomberg?MEDIA
• Rumor has it that Richard Parson’s will announce his departure at Time Warner as early as this week. Jeff Bewkes, longtime No. 2, is set to take over as CEO. Does this mean a Parsons run for mayor? [Times of London]
• Radar cooked up a clever quiz: Fox News anchor or porn star? You decide. Wait, no, Murdoch decides. [Radar]
• Jim Cramer matched Rupert Murdoch’s legendary subtlety: “We have a competitor now in Fox and it is really important to destroy and mutilate them.” [Broadcasting & Cable]
company town
Tony Blair Sells Out Rupert MurdochMEDIA
• Tony Blair sold his memoir for $9 million to Knopf, something of a surprise since Blair has long been tight with Murdoch, known for offering advances so big they resemble campaign donations through HarperCollins. [Media Mob/NYO]
• A democratic member of the FCC requested an investigation of Murdoch’s Dow Jones deal, arguing the merger consolidates too many powerful outlets in one less than trustworthy hand. [B&C]
• Bloggingheads, everyone’s favorite lo-fi insider-y political fight club, reached a content-sharing agreement with the Times. [HuffPo]
company town
Topshop Signs a Lease in NYC?FASHION
• Breaking rumor alert: After months of hinting, Topshop has possibly, maybe signed a New York lease. Anglophiles and Kate Moss–ophiles, rejoice! [Fashionista]
• First he’s out as the designer of Dior Homme. Now, Hedi Slimane’s been replaced by none other than BFF Karl Lagerfeld as the photographer of the ad campaigns. Oh, cruel fashion world! [WWD]
• Giorgio Armani’s raking in the dough. The designer sold back a 5 percent stake in his company to Giorgio Armani SpA for about $110 million. [British Vogue]
company town
So Who Will Run Viacom?MEDIA
• Sumner Redstone is feuding with his daughter, leaving the future of Viacom in doubt. [WSJ]
• Forbes is putting its historic Greenwich Village building on the block. [NYP]
• Countdown With Keith Olbermann referred to a Louisiana senator’s wife as a ho. Imus again? [FishbowlNY/Mediabistro]
company town
Who Will Catch the ‘Redbook’ Traitor?MEDIA
• Will the $10,000 that Jezebel paid for an unretouched Redbook cover be enough to feed the sure-to-be-fired leaker? [WWD]
• Houghton Mifflin will acquire Harcourt from rival Reed Elsevier for $4 billion. [NYT]
• Rolling Stone publisher Tim Castelli has left the magazine to be New York sales director for Google. [Ad Age]
company town
Scarborough Takes Imus’s SlotMEDIA
• Joe Scarborough picks up Don Imus’s coveted MSNBC morning slot. [Radar]
• The Dow Jones editorial-independence agreement with News Corp. stipulates that disputes will be aired on the Journal’s editorial page. [WSJ]
• News Corp. bought two Bronx weeklies, expanding its weekly neighborhood newspaper holdings. But how well will Murdoch papers go over in Greenpoint and Williamsburg? [NYT]
company town
Charney’s Lawyers Toss Around Casual Nazi ReferencesLAW
• One of Aaron Charney’s lawyers accuses Sullivan & Cromwell of having “adopted Dr. Mengele’s techniques to torture the facts and law of this case.” [Above the Law]
• More than twenty lawyers filed an objection against the $125-apiece BAR/BRI settlement. [National Law Journal]
• Summer associates at Pillsbury Winthrop practiced researching things in books this week. Next week: writing briefs by hand. [Law Blog/WSJ]
company town
Happy Eccentric Executive Day!FINANCE
• Steve Schwarzman’s chef spends $3,000 each weekend on food; Schwarzman makes his employees wear non-squeaky shoes, and at five-foot-six, he attributes his success to “little man” complex. [WSJ]
• “Page Six” is on the trail of an investment banker who wears kimonos and eyeliner. [NYP]
• If you’re a CEO, you may well be a lousy father. [Fortune via CNNMoney]
company town
Bonus Season, Already?FINANCE
• Investment bankers’ bonuses could break records again, with one recruiting firm predicting 10 to 15 percent increases. [DealBook/NYT]
• Ben Weston, the chief of Merrill Lynch’s hedge-fund development group, stepped down after two years with the firm. [Bloomberg]
• Is “back pain” the new euphemism for buyout deal? The CFO of Palm might know. [Deal Journal/WSJ]
company town
The Charney ConspiracyLAW
• Aaron Charney filed his long-awaited amended complaint against Sullivan & Cromwell. His new suit contains allegations of emotional distress and conspiracy. [New York Law Journal]
• Things are getting ugly at the Harvard Law Review the new president has a “decidedly fascist approach to leadership,” complains one staffer. [Above the Law]
• Australia’s Slater & Gordon is the world’s first publicly traded law firm. [Law Blog/WSJ]
company town
Will Imus Return?MEDIA
• Is Imus’s planned $200 million lawsuit a ploy to get back on the air? [NYP]
• The final bids for Dennis Publishing are due next week, and it’s shaping up as a showdown between Kent Brownridge and Ron Burkle. [AdAge]
• Jeff Bridges will play Graydon Carter in the film version of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. [WWD]
company town
Murdoch Makes a Move on Dow JonesMEDIA
• News Corp. made an unsolicited offer of $60 a share for Dow Jones today, sending the share price up 58 percent on the news before trading was suspended. [CNBC]
• GQ auctioned off a one-month internship in its marketing department on eBay. The winner paid $30,200 likely more than a marketing assistant makes in a year. [eBay via Media Mob/NYO]
• Contrarian Christopher Hitchens called the Virginia Tech shootings a “non-story” at the annual ASME board meeting yesterday. [Fishbowl NY/Mediabistro]
company town
Is Naked Brooklyn Law Student a Natural Blonde?LAW
• The Brooklyn Law School student who appeared naked in a Playboy video is neither blonde nor brainy. Discuss. [Above the Law]
• Is David Lat at Above the Law siding with Aaron Charney over Sullivan & Cromwell? Disclosures aside, the site’s commenters are suspicious. [Above the Law]
• Claims from victims of one fraudulent attorney could put the New York Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection in fiscal jeopardy. [New York Law Journal]
company town
My CEO Can Beat Up Your CEOFINANCE
• Lehman CEO Dick Fuld, nicknamed the “Gorilla” on the Street, didn’t do so well when he picked a fight with another father at his son’s hockey game. [Trader Daily via DealBreaker]
• Paul Wolfowitz promotes his girlfriend at the World Bank, and his colleagues want him out. [CNNMoney]
• The world’s top earner in the financial sector: reclusive ex–Enron trader John Arnold, who netted almost $2 billion shorting natural gas. [The Guardian]
company town
Co-ed Naked Brooklyn Law StudentsLAW
• A third-year Brooklyn Law School student has been identified as a woman being spanked and holding gavels up to her breasts in the Playboy TV show Naked Happy Girls. [NYDN]
• Was Aaron Charney just afflicted by Sullivan & Cromwell’s general malaise? The firm ranked 60th on a satisfaction survey of midlevel associates in New York. [New York Law Journal via Above the Law]
• Judicial paradox: New York Chief Justice Judith Kaye says she’s prepared to sue after Albany failed to deliver on judicial pay raises. [New York Law Journal]
company town
Kate Moss’s Topshop Collection Goes OnlineFASHION
• At last! Take a look at Kate Moss’s Topshop collection. [Racked]
• Gap ups the ante on high-low designer collaborations, teaming up with Doo.Ri, Thakoon, and Rodarte. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Set your DVR to Cinemax on April 30 to glimpse rare footage of Helmut Newton at work. [Radar via Fashionista]
company town
Aaron Charney Wants Your StoryLAW
• Do you know anything about the Aaron Charney case? His lawyers want to hear your story. [Above the Law]
• GE’s in-house council cuts 44 firms from its preferred provider’s list, including Paul, Hastings and Sherman & Sterling. [Corporate Counsel]
• Anyone want to buy a giant legal publisher? ALM is up for sale. [Legal Blog Watch]
company town
Sullivan & Cromwell’s Silent PartnerLAW
• Is Sullivan & Cromwell partner Stephen Kotran the quiet hero in the Charney case? [Above the Law]
• Department of Justice e-mails recall high-school girlfriends and Raging Bull. [Radar]
• Justice Anthony Kennedy recuses himself from a case involving Credit Suisse because his son is a managing director there. So why didn’t that come up last December when Kennedy was involved in the decision to grant review? [Legal Times]
company town
Janice Dickinson Booted From Fashion WeekFASHION
• Janice Dickinson’s slurred antics get her banned from all IMG fashion events, including New York Fashion Week. [Fashionista]
• Leave your dancing shoes at home. The Costume Institute is scaling back this year’s gala to just dinner, no after-party. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Jil Sander’s moving out of the 57th Street flagship store. Moving in? Miu Miu. [The Shophound]
company town
CBS Sports Understands the Kids and the YouTubeMEDIA
• CBS Sports launched an NCAA Tournament channel on YouTube yesterday. Not everyone’s afraid of the Web. [MediaWeek via mediabistro.com]
• But things aren’t as good over at CBS Radio, where CEO Joel Hollander is letting his contract lapse after disagreements with Les Moonves. [NYP]
• Starting this weekend, you can add the Sunday Times of London magazine to the pile of things you don’t have time to read. [WWD]
company town
Notes Go Missing in Charney CaseLAW
• Gallion & Spielvogel is drawn into Aaron Charney case when notes the firm kept during a settlement conference are destroyed. [Soloway via Above the Law]
• State Chief Judge Judith Kaye asks business leaders to lobby for judicial pay raises. [Crain’s]
• Harvard Law tops the list of 25 leading schools based on the success of its graduates. [Law Dragon via Above the Law]
company town
‘Voice’ Voiceless, AgainMEDIA
• David Blum out at the Village Voice. He was the fourth editor there since December 2005. [Gawker]
• Flummoxing DVR users everywhere, ABC green-lights a sitcom based on the Geico cavemen commercials. [WSJ]
• Pulitzer judging starts today at Columbia University; judges from Willamette Week, the Indianapolis Star, and others read actual printed copies of newspaper articles. [E&P]
company town
Warren Buffett Wants a New Warren BuffettFINANCE
• Buffett 2.0: Oracle of Omaha seeks young understudy to take over Berkshire. [Fortune]
• Thirteen charged with insider training, including Morgan Stanley, UBS, Bear Stearns, and Bank of America employees. [NYT]
• Goldman, Merrill, and Morgan Stanley traders rate own firms barely above junk-bond status. [Bloomberg]
company town
Barbarians at the Energy GridFINANCE
• A group led by Kohlberg Kravis is taking energy giant TXU private for $45 billion, besting the Blackstone record by $6 billion. But can Kravis beat Schwarzman’s party? [NYT]
• Gary Crittenden named Citigroup CFO. Job description: Fix CEO Charles Prince’s mistakes. [NYT]
• Goldman media banker Sebastian Grigg may defect to Credit Suisse. [DealBook/NYT]