CORPORATE JIGSAWS

Lot of news on the corporate front, thanks to Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily (http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/). Nikki and her blog are in top shape, in this beginning of 2009.

« Lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh, my! »

TIGER AT THE GATES (OHI'MBUBE, OHI'MBUBE)

Carl Icahn (http://www.icahnreport.com/), American Financier and Corporate raider, has increased his presence in the shareholding of Lionsgate (http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/carl-icahn-increases-stake-in-lionsgate/). Amongst the company valuable assets: the Saw horror franchise, Tyler Perry's Tyler Perry movies (http://www.tylerperry.com/) and an impressive library (http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/carl-icahn-may-be-amassing-a-bigger-lionsgate-stake-than-anyone-realizes/).

To be perfectly honest this news would leave your humble French servant totally cold if not completed by this most interesting scoop from Nikki: Mr Icahn seems to be interested by MGM too (http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/carl-icahn-interested-in-mgm-now-too/).

Now the question is: what are the intentions of Carl Icahn behind this lion agenda? A merger? Or a catalog shopping spree on both Lionsgate titles and the MGM library? As our Canadian friend Furious D (http://dknowsall.blogspot.com/), fine connaisseur of the industry, remarks in a comment under Nikki Finke's post: « He might be thinking of adding the MGM/UA library to Lionsgate’s. As a brand MGM is good at selling history, but not as good at selling new projects » (http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/carl-icahn-interested-in-mgm-now-too/#comment-206049).

We all love the MGM brand, we owe Leo part of our interest for cinema. But with all the respect due to these three letters, today's MGM means the Bournish Bond franchise, the library and remakes of glorious MGM entries (Rollerball,The Taking of Pelham 123... Please watch the originals first!) As Nikki writes: « MGM may have publicized themselves as bringing back the glory days, but it was only to build the hype which could help others see the company as desirable ». Itte missa est?

AFTER THE FOX

Scoops unlimited for DHD... Nikki Finke has announced that Peter Chernin has decided to step down as N°2 of News Corporation - owner of Twentieth Century Fox (http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/source-peter-chernin-leaving-news-corp/). « Who happens next? » asks Nikki. Your humble servant believes, like many observers, that Elisabeth Murdoch - daughter of News Corp's Rupert Murdoch - is the best qualified.

But Elisabeth Murdoch doesn't wish to enter the Board of News Corp (http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/new-murdoch-family-drama-report-says-daughter-elisabeth-declined-spot-on-news-corp-board/). With Shine Group, she has done a brilliant job building a tv production mini-empire in United Kingdom, reminding the days of ITC Entertainment. Shine owns Kudos, which is regularly mentioned on this blog.