James Urbaniak ([info]urbaniak) wrote,
@ 2006-08-24 15:21:00
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Sumner Redstone Orders Jerry Lewis Off The Paramount Lot

Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone (above left) says he's had it "up to here" with Jerry Lewis's "nonsense." At right, Mr. Lewis in a recent television appearance.

Calling his "increasingly erratic" behavior "unacceptable," Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone yesterday demanded that comedian-director Jerry Lewis be removed from the company's Paramount lot "by force if necessary." Speaking to reporters outside his Los Angeles home, the 83-year-old Mr. Redstone said he was "alarmed" by Mr. Lewis's "spastic dancing on the T.V. and so forth," adding "I have a responsibility to our shareholders." When informed by a reporter that Mr. Lewis hasn't had a contract with Paramount since 1965, Mr. Redstone responded "My point exactly! What's he done for us lately?" Mr. Redstone then ordered some kids off his lawn.

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[info]kornleaf
2006-08-24 07:46 pm UTC (link)
is this from the onion?

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[info]urbaniak
2006-08-24 07:51 pm UTC (link)
It will be! Boo-yah!!

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[info]ciliandis
2006-08-24 08:38 pm UTC (link)
You got ink in The Onion? Congratulations! *grins*

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[info]urbaniak
2006-08-24 08:52 pm UTC (link)
You got ink in The Onion?

That's not what I'm saying.

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[info]ciliandis
2006-08-24 11:54 pm UTC (link)
Ah. Well, forgive me, then, I must've read it the wrong way. Sorry. -_-

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[info]gillan
2006-08-24 07:58 pm UTC (link)
Heh. That's what I thought when I read it. It's perfect.

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[info]plastnatic
2006-08-24 07:59 pm UTC (link)
HAhaa haaHAHAAHHHAAAAaaaaaaaaaa...ow my side...

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[info]thisweeksclimax
2006-08-24 08:10 pm UTC (link)
I would pay good money to watch a throw down between Lewis and two 250 pound security guards on the Paramount lot.

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[info]spooky_chan
2006-08-24 08:11 pm UTC (link)
tee-hehehehehehehe.

That darn Jerry Lewis! Always making WACKY trouble! I mean, he's a big influnce on the kids these days too!

(i'd love to see this make the onion. ^^ )

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[info]stainedecho
2006-08-24 08:38 pm UTC (link)
Heeeeey LAAAADYYY!

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[info]redtail200
2006-08-24 11:32 pm UTC (link)
oh, lady!
nice lady!

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[info]toku666
2006-08-24 08:48 pm UTC (link)
I'm curious, however:

Do you feel that Mr. Cruise was ill-served by this turn of events, or that he was somehow undeserving of this treatment?

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[info]brandawg
2006-08-24 09:06 pm UTC (link)
It's definitely an extreme position taken by the studio given Cruise's track record and the fact that, while modest, both War of the Worlds and Mission: Impossible III were still hits. Heck, War of the Worlds didn't just rest on Cruise's shoulders since it was a Spielberg movie, too.

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[info]toku666
2006-08-24 09:27 pm UTC (link)
I guess I'm trying to point out the elephant in the room.

What do people think of "punishing" people for being Scientologists?

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[info]jaster
2006-08-24 09:43 pm UTC (link)
Is... Jerry Lewis a Scientologist? I didn't know that.

Otherwise I have no idea what you guys are talking about.

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[info]vforventure
2006-08-25 02:37 am UTC (link)
Don't worry, I never know what people are talking about.

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[info]toku666
2006-08-25 03:28 am UTC (link)
Mr. Urbaniak is spoofing today's news piece about Paramount ending its contract with Tom Cruise due to his "erratic" behavior.

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[info]jaster
2006-08-25 04:28 am UTC (link)
Oh, see? I didn't know that had happened. If you don't point out the thing your satirizing, how are us stupid people supposed to be edumacated? ;)

But yeah, as far as the Scientology thing.... Tom Cruise has been acting weird. Really weird. Is he the first celebrity to act weird in his social life? Obviously not. Is it because of his religion? Well, maybe, I doubt that too, but then again...

I mean, because this is all attached to a religion it holds a certain cultish, creepiness that the antics of, for example, Jerry Lewis or even Andy Kaufman or way back to old pranksters like Harpo Marx, could never ever in a million years compare to. He's kinda legitimately scary.

I wish he was doing it all for kicks. That would actually be hilarious.

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[info]toku666
2006-08-25 07:44 pm UTC (link)
I don't think you should doubt that it is because of his religion.

He chided Brooke Shields for taking medication for post-partum depression. That's several kinds of messed up.

I now have a query for Mr. Urbaniak, if he happens to notice this:

Should we stop talking about Scientology? If you'd rather, I'll never bring it up again.

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[info]urbaniak
2006-08-25 08:10 pm UTC (link)
Hey, talk about it all you want.

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[info]toku666
2006-08-25 08:54 pm UTC (link)
Okay. They're on record as doing some pretty strange things when people talk about them too much, so I figured I'd ask.

Anybody who's interested, google for his interview with Matt Lauer. He's not making that stuff up, it's what the "Church" taught him. ...despite it being a bunch of hogwash.

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[info]gundamtsubasa
2006-08-24 10:02 pm UTC (link)
I don't think he's being punished so much from being a Scientologist, but more for being a batshit insane Scientologist who loves to make a scene. I mean, you don't see Jason Lee getting fired from My Name is Earl or Mila Kunis fired from Family Guy just because they're Scientologists. It's because they don't act batshit insane and don't draw negative publicity to themselves.

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[info]youngfreud
2006-08-24 10:39 pm UTC (link)
This is true. I do know that I've seen press that the reasons War of the Worlds and MI:3 weren't as big blockbusters as they could've been was because of all the publicity surrounding Cruise/Holmes marriage and subsequent pregnancy and his bizarre behavior throughout, amongst others (i.e. his anti-psychiatric drugs rant on Today).

Of course, "poor performance" is kind of an unusual statement for any media conglomerate like Paramount to say. As brandawg said, both films were hits, but not as well as Paramount had figured they would based off prediction based on past performance. It reminds me a bit like Sony PSP: even though Sony did a really good showing for a handheld unit against Nintendo and it's DS line, it's been considered a failure because Sony wanted the PSP not to be "the next Gameboy", but "the next iPod".

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[info]spooky_chan
2006-08-24 11:20 pm UTC (link)
you know i was thinking this is just a big scam to just push those last 2 movies by creating controversy over the crazy actor (whom i've never liked.. but thats besides the point.)

Just a studio stunt i'd imagine.. though i dunno why they'd want to drop a money maker like Cruise. They just need to give him better movies...?

The whole situation is weird.

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[info]jammybottoms
2006-08-25 01:25 am UTC (link)
Wow, I had no idea those two were scientologists. I guess that proves your point. Thanks for enlightening me! Not all scientologists (or any other religioustologists) are batshit insane.

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[info]toku666
2006-08-25 03:30 am UTC (link)
Uh, they are if they go far enough into it. Or they stop being Scientologists.

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[info]toku666
2006-08-25 08:57 pm UTC (link)
Well, maybe they're not as far along the "Bridge" as Tom is. "They" (celebrity Scientologists) get awfully weird when questioned about it, though.

It's not like when Dylan was born-again. Just because auditing is free for the famous doesn't mean "it can't hurt."

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[info]ryan_speck
2006-08-24 11:53 pm UTC (link)
It'd be about time.

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[info]saveservo2000
2006-08-24 09:35 pm UTC (link)
ever since i put jerry lewis's face on my school binders, i've been having the strongest urge to rebel and enact in erratic inapropriate behavior. damn you, jerry lewis.

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[info]rjwhite
2006-08-24 09:36 pm UTC (link)
I've nothing to add here- I just wanted to use my disturbing Jerry Lewis icon in a relevant setting.

Thank you for your attention in this matter.

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[info]tamburlaine
2006-08-24 10:10 pm UTC (link)
This reminds me of how much I can't wait to use my responsibility to shareholders as an excuse for things. Nasty things.

Mmmm. I wring my hands... menacingly.

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[info]dramatrauma
2006-08-24 10:14 pm UTC (link)
I think "erratic behavior" is a great way for Sumner Redstone to not only save 10 million a year (the last publically listed amount given to Cruise/Wagner productions) but to save face if the rumours are true that negotiations had already broken down and that weeks ago Cruise/Wagner had secured a new contract from another source making Paramount look like chumps.

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[info]anonymouse789
2006-08-24 10:22 pm UTC (link)
Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

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[info]jeremystrang
2006-08-24 10:39 pm UTC (link)
I'm still vaguely annoyed that the whole mess with him and Katie Holmes managed to completely overshadow any of the real news back when Batman Begins was released.

I wonder when Hollywood will switch over to manufacturing drama full-time.

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[info]monica_black
2006-08-24 11:53 pm UTC (link)
Mr. Redstone said he was "alarmed" by Mr. Lewis's "spastic dancing on the T.V. and so forth
I recently discovred that Jerry Lewis wasn't dead. This is further proof that he isn't dead.

This is the second celebrity in two days that Paramount has "fired" right?

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[info]urbaniak
2006-08-25 12:11 am UTC (link)
And it's not looking good for Pola Negri either.

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[info]mcbrennan
2006-08-25 01:35 am UTC (link)
I can't believe Sumner Redstone would go after Pola Negri. After all, he's been like a grandfather to her.

I suppose somebody should warn Eddie Bracken to "tone down" his obsessive public allegience to the Raelians before it's too late.

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[info]toddalcott
2006-08-25 03:52 am UTC (link)
There's only one reason Sumner Redstone would terminate Tom Cruise's contract: he has failed to keep his production company's cost outlay consistent with his profits for Viacom. That is, he's not bringing in enough money anymore and the red line is heading south. To keep Viacom stock up, Redstone has terminated his contract and saved himself tens of millions of dollars a year. Why Redstone would present it as a moral decision based on Cruise's "behavior" is a question best left to Redstone. Tom Cruise could paint himself red and slaughter puppies atop 1515 Broadway and Redstone would renew his contract if he thought it was profitable.

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[info]jaster
2006-08-25 04:31 am UTC (link)
Because 'Mer'ca is a "moral" country right now, and lookin' moral's good for the 'blicity! Heh heh heh heh.

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[info]lizzymama
2006-08-25 05:09 pm UTC (link)
I was pleased to see that this was indeed Jerry Lewis and not a prematurely wrinkled Martin Short, as was my first assumption.

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