My sympathies go out to all who are losing their jobs. I now have been given names from today’s tragic bloodletting of The Hollywood Reporter‘s staff. The trade has not only been thin, but only publishing digital version 19 days this holiday season. 
“It’s really bad. They’ve moved beyond cutting bone to shaving off gristle. I’ll be surprised if the print publication makes it all the way through 2009,” an insider tells me. Names I’m hearing include film writers Leslie Simmons, Carolyn Giardina, Gregg Goldstein, plus lead TV critic Barry Garron and TV reporter Kimberly Nordyke, also special issues editor Randee Dawn Cohen out of New York and managing editor Harley Lond and international department editor Hy Hollinger, plus Dan Evans, Lesley Goldberg, Michelle Belaski, James Gonzalez.
Meanwhile, Variety.com editor Dana Harris announced this morning that the “Stylephile” 
blog is stopping and its newsletter publishing its final column on November 21st. It attempted to bring news of trends but was really just an excuse to attract high end advertising. Meanwhile, Variety may be about to fold Weekly Variety into Friday’s Daily Variety. And the trade recently moved into refurbished office space. Also, Variety has shut its D.C. bureau and laid off Bill Triplett. With THR‘s bureau gone, neither trade is keeping full-time track of Hollywood/Washington.
In these difficult economic times does Hollywood really need TWO sycophantic ass kissing public relations driven trade publications with no journalistic credibility?
I think VARIETY fills the vacuous requirements of the position just fine.
Or as their headline might say if they go out of business:
HACKS AXE FLACKS TRACKS
Nikki, by no means do I want to shoot the messenger, but your blog is making me want to kill myself today…
wow, guess hollywood is not “recession-proof” afterall… so much for the rational that entertainment is safe from mundane worries of finacial security…
Carolyn Giardina, Leslie Simmons, Gregg Goldstein, Harley Lond, Michelle Belaski, Lesley Goldberg, Dan Evans, James Gonzalez, Kimberly Nordyke, Barry Garron, Randee Dawn Cohen, Hy Holllinger and Backstage’s Lauren Horwich all got the axe.
Isn’t it worse to cut bone first? Who the hell wants gristle? In either case, a corpse is still a corpse, unfortunately.
Hey Reelbusy:
Fuck you. Those are real people losing real jobs. Grow up.
Reelbusy, actually, while I agree with your take on the overall focus of the trades, I think it would be awful if there was only one trade, particularly if the survivor was Variety. Peter Bart is a bully and if he has no competition, either editorially or on the ad side, then anyone who is covered by them is forced to further kiss his ass and pay whatever we have to for these stupid fucking vanity ads. At least, even in its withered, dying state, the Hollywood Reporter fills some role, unfortunately news is not it.
It will be a shame to have only one daily voice for the industry but at least it is the one I prefer.
With studios claiming they’ll stop the ego driven overkill on Oscar ads, what;s a trade paper to do. This is their Christmas season and historically has carried the re st of the year.
I admit that I rarely look at my print editions of the trades because I’ve read them before midnight the night before. And I prefer holding newspapers in my hand as I o with three newspapers daily.
Yes, there will always be a need for two trades. The late Buzz magazine said it best: The motto of THR should be “We’re Number Two: We kiss ass harder.”
thanks for the updates, Nikki.
Once again, THR drops off on the roadside some of their hardest workers. How did this 78 yr magazine get flayed and destroyed and how does the real excess of this company, and it sure ain’t in salaries, keep going unnoticed by the powers at Neilsen? My sympathies to all. Is our industry in the last days?!
Very sad and couldn’t be worse timing for the holidays, but with THR’s downward spiral, almost inevitable. I’ve worked with Leslie, Lauren, Kimberly, and Gregg before, and they were always a pleasure to deal – hope they bounce back soon in ’09.
p.s. Nick Meyer (ex-Paramount Vantage) was always a good guy, too, esp circa his days at Sony Classics & Columbia-TriStar.
Unfortunately, the trades have to kiss ass to the egomaniacs at the studios to some degree and some of the a-hole directors the studios deal with because if they don’t, the studios pull ads. When I worked at The Hollywood Reporter,editors were often bullied by studio a-holes saying that if any type of negative story or film review ran, they would pull all of their ads, all hell would break loose, blah, blah, blah. So yes – unfortunately, the trades are just one big collection of press releases – often times, barely re-written from the original release itself. This is why Nikke’s blog is so important. The LA Weekly doesnt have to rely on big studios as advertisers so she is free to write the truth.
Like clockwork, The Hollywood Reporter guts its staff every six months. It’s incredibly sad and enough is enough. Nielsen should sell the paper for scrap or just fold it. Let Variety stand alone. No one in Hollywood gives a shit about the trades anymore anyway.
A friend of mine who used to work with Peter Bart, says that he’s been in a foul mood of late. Word on the street is that the parent company is gong to axe him next, which will be a blessing for everyone in Hollywood. Elizabeth Guider at the Reporter is a decent human being and not a racist monster like Bart.
Kimberly Nordyke was an absolute delight who made it very easy to play ball over there. Total class act. And pregnant. Nice work, THR. Your loss is everyone else’s gain.
Another loss…Randee Cohen. LOVED working with her. Got it done and was a pleasure.
Maybe I’m naive but I’ve always thought that Variety was an independent observer of the showbiz scene — film, tv, legit. I’ve trusted their articles and their reviews for decades and I have no reason to start doubting them now.
One complaint, though, is that most of their obituaries are from AP now. Variety obits used to be thorough and in-depth and with a certain savvy that you didn’t get elsewhere. Now they are the same superficial coverage you can get anywhere else.
Wow, my very own (sorta) Nikki Finke Diss! Today is even more special than the day I was canned!
Caroline “the former Variety Stylephile who attempts to cover trends” Ryder
http://www.carolineryder.com
To: Peter Bart Haters
From: GhostofWasserman
Re: You’re all a bunch of ignorant ass clowns with
the IQ of a diabetic monkey on crystal meth
Peter Bart is one of the most brilliant men in the business. I’ve read his books and essays and heard him speak and his insight and love of movies is unquestioned.
The hair he’s lost knows more about the business than any of you jerksoffs.
It is not surprising that some of you don’t like him. People who matter always make enemies and inspire debate.
Look at what the business was in Bart’s prime.
And look at it now.
Screw youse all!
Peter Bart for King of Hollywood!
My best wishes go out to my colleagues who are still there, especially the copy desk which already was spread so thin after being hit hard by the four previous rounds of layoffs. They’re the heart and soul of the paper and among its hardest workers. Keep on keepin’ on, guys!
Peter Bart is racist? The only people of color I ever heard him diss were The Blue Men.
I used to work to be an intern at the Hollywood Reporter and Dan Evans was my boss/supervisor and one of the most hardworking people that I have meet. I respect him and wish him the best.
And with all the layoffs announced today, SAG is still looking to strike? Forget raises, how about we work on keeping people working.
Leslie Simmons also covered the labor beat and some legal stuff (she did a great job covering the Pellicano trial earlier this year) for HR as well. So, they’ve laid off their labor reporter in the midst of the biggest labor crisis in town. that’s smart.
The problem with THR is that moron Mika, who pretends to be a publisher. When he isn’t spunking half a million dollars in Asia to gain one, yes count’em, new subscriber — and Nikki you oughta ask why he’s so keen on Asia — he’s dropping another half in Cannes branding the Noga Hilton with THR logos. Guider must be tearing her hair out about the cretin — not only has he sacked all her staff but he’s put the freelance contributions on stop until the end of the year. No wonder THR has gone digital, there wouldn’t be enough stories for two sides of A4.