The Morning Fix: FCC’s new broadband plan! IMG and CAA duke it out. MGM’s job search.
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After the coffee. Before hoping I never hear the phrase ‘walk-off home run’ again.
New rules? The Federal Communications Commission is laying down some new rules that would give it oversight over broadband the same way it oversees telephone companies. This is some heavy wonky stuff, but in a nutshell the FCC wants net neutrality, which broadband providers typically don’t want and Internet companies and consumer activists do. Think of net neutrality as a national speed limit. Instead of individual states being able to decide how fast people can go on certain roads, the FCC wants a one-size-fits-all speed so broadband providers can’t play favorites or discriminate against certain websites or services. All this matters to content companies, too, since no one wants to be shoved to the slow lane. Still confused? Here’s some coverage from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Los Angeles Times that probably won’t help, but at least we tried. And I’m still confused too.
Bench-clearing brawl. Creative Artists Agency and IMG, the big sports agency, are locked in a legal battle over poaching. Over the last several years, several IMG clients have left for CAA and now the sports powerhouse is fighting back in court over Matthew Baldwin, who IMG says is violating a noncompete clause in his contract and stole files before he left. Details on the squabble from the Wall Street Journal.
Job search. The creditors of foundering (or should I use struggling or cash-strapped today?) studio MGM have chatted recently with ex-News Corp. president Peter Chernin and former Viacom big shot Jon Dolgen about running the studio, according to Bloomberg. No takers yet, but I am available. Hey, I couldn’t do any worse, could I?
King of the Universe. Well, not really, but Universal Pictures has named Jimmy Horowitz president of Universal Pictures. Remember when president, if not the top job, at least meant you were one person removed from the top job? Not anymore. Universal Pictures has two chairmen and a vice chairman before you even get to the top dog Ron Meyer. More on Horowitz’s new gig from Variety.
Status update. Fortune contributor David Kirkpatrick’s book ‘The Facebook Effect’ is coming out and has some juicy stuff including this excerpt in Fortune about how Viacom tried to get Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to sell back in 2005.
Behind Tony Stark. USA Today spends some time with Jon Favreau, who’s gone from struggling director and sometimes actor to Mr. ‘Iron Man.’
Inside the Los Angeles Times: A look at whether ‘Iron Man 2’ can set the record for biggest opening. Maybe in money, but factoring in inflation, probably not in attendance. Betsy Sharkey on ‘Babies.’
-- Joe Flint
