Sammy Davis says......................

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By SAMMY DAVIS JR.:

When you lose a lover it's like getting a bad haircut.

It grows back in time.

LBN-MUSIC INSIDER:

***Australian rock band Men at Work had a massive hit with their 1980s song "Down Under" about a vegemite sandwich and the worlds other temptations.

It turns out they had some help as an Australian judge ruled Thursday that the group's famous flute riff was ripped off from a folk tune.

The owner of the song, the entertainment group EMI, may have to pay up to 60 percent of the earnings they made from the international smash.

"It's a big win for the underdog," said one lawyer.

LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER:

***The private equity firm Star Avenue Capital - a partnership between CAA and Irving Place Capital - is buying a majority stake in J Brand, a denim apparel brand whose jeans are popular among the celeb crowd.

The agency thus becomes an equity owner in the blue jeans company making this, to Fleming's recollection, the first time a talent agency has held a stake in a consumer apparel brand.

LBN-QUOTE:

"The world of politics is always twenty years behind the world of thought."

- John Jay Chapman.

"if you have an ounce of common sense and one good friend.........you don't need an anal...............

LBN-COMMENTARY By JACOB BERNSTEIN:

The reason for this is that the Grammys are fundamentally unlike film awards shows, where small, critically acclaimed films frequently dominate.

Rather, they' re a mutual masturbation society for a dying breed of A&R men, an opportunity to give out year-end bonuses in an industry that cant afford them and is ineligible for a government bailout.

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By JOAN CRAWFORD:

If you have an ounce of common sense and

one good friend ,

you don't need an analyst.

LBN-DID YOU KNOW:

***France has the highest per capita consumption of cheese.

***Dalmations are born without spots.

***Mens shirts have buttons on the right side; womens shirts have buttons on the left.

***Dutch are the tallest average people.

***An olive tree can live up to 1500 years.

LBN-QUOTE:

"Whenever you see a successful business, someone made a courageous decision." - Peter Drucker.

LBN-HISTORY:

On Jan. 30, 1948, Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi was murdered by a Hindu extremist.

SHOW THEM THE MONEY: Is Simon Fuller's Sweetened TV Deal Richer Than Cowell's?

SHOW THEM THE MONEY:


Is Simon Fuller's Sweetened TV Deal Richer Than Cowell's?



By TIM ADLER

Friday January 15, 2010 @ 11:48am

UPDATE:

We told you there was intense rivalry between The Two Simons.

Now it's over their new net worth. Simon Fuller's flacks on both sides of the Atlantic have angrily contacted Deadline London claiming the producer is already far wealthier than his one-time protégé, Simon Cowell.

That alone speaks volumes.

Is this hilarious or what?

American Idol creator Simon Fuller through his PR mouthpieces claims he's set to not just match but pull even further ahead of Simon Cowell when it comes to how much money he’s going to make from new TV deals.

As you know, Fuller has quit 19 Entertainment, the company he founded, to set up a new as-yet-unnamed company to executive produce Fox’s American Idol.

Remember, five years ago, U.S. entertainment group CKX bought 19 Entertainment, his £92 million business with 200 employees, for nearly $200 million, already making Fuller a rich man.

But his new executive producing deal means he will share for the first time in the profits of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.

Fuller will also continue to supply “general consulting services” to CKX, which owns the format for American Idol.

On the other hand, Cowell, unlike Fuller, owned the formats of the shows he makes, The X Factor and Got Talent, from the beginning.

Sony then bought out the remaining 50% of X Factor.

Between them, X Factor and Got Talent sell to 30 countries and Cowell makes money from them all.

In addition, UK broadcaster ITV pays Cowell £6.5 million a year for hosting the British versions of X Factor and Got Talent, plus fees which go to his production company Syco.

Cowell also shares in phone revenues, which generate around £1 million from viewers’ votes.

For American Idol though, Cowell is paid a flat fee – albeit a hefty £20 million a year.

But he recently announced he's quitting as an AIl judge next year when Fox will start running The X Factor.

Now Sir Philip Green, owner of the Top Shop fashion chain, is going into business with Cowell.

Green is Britain’s 9-richest man with a personal fortune estimated at £4 billion.

Now for the numbers:

The Sunday Times Rich List already has Fuller worth £300 million compared with Cowell's £120 million.

Game Over?

Maybe not.

Because it'll be amusing to watch The Two Simons keep piling up big bucks as their new TV deals kick in.

Great idea for another TV competition show.

Let them fight over who'll produce it.

Simon Cowell........a STAR.....................by Bob Leftsez

Simon Cowell is a star.









I like Kelly Clarkson.







She's cute, honest about her weight/body image and is a good singer.




But she's not a star.




Her best material is written by others.

And she has the depth of an Oreo cookie.

If I asked her to wrestle between higher taxes and a social safety net, I'd expect her to go blank and suggest we get another drink.

But I'm sure Simon Cowell has an opinion.

Real stars don't exist in a vacuum,

but in the environment,

they're aware of their surroundings, their context.

As for the other "Idol" winners...Clay Aiken couldn't admit he was gay.

Oops, he wasn't the winner that year?

Well, he got the longest ride, which is just about over.

A real star is not afraid of who he is,

he owns his identity, he doesn't fake it.

Adam Lambert played coy with his sexual identity until the competition was over.

Stars don't leave us guessing about where they stand.

And after coming out, selling his music, Adam resembled nothing so much as a cartoon.

Let's see, other "Idol" victors...I just can't think of one.

Oh yeah, that young woman, the plump one, what was her name again?

Jordin Sparks...

Let's see, we've got Jim Morrison, college-educated, writing poetry, and Jordin's number one asset is her smile. Whoo-hoo!

I'm not saying "Idol" will crumble without Simon Cowell, although I do expect it to sustain a deep ratings hit, but the reason the show has been so successful is because of this one man,

who won't wear a tie on camera,

who smiles like the Mona Lisa,

daring us to wonder what he thinks,

and when he speaks states his own, unequivocal truth.

That's a star.

That's why we revere stars.

They're not beholden to a boss.

They do it their way.

Mmm... God, everybody on the hit parade seems to be beholden to someone else.

Thanking their sponsors...

Doing whatever their labels tell them to do...

Unwilling to offend anyone in their pursuit of the brass ring.

No wonder the public likes the song at most, and why music doesn't drive the culture.

Steve Jobs?

The biggest rock star on the planet.

Does whatever he wants, is beholden to no one and releases the best damn products.

Don't agree?

That's just the point,

stars have haters,

from the beginning of time.

At least people CARE, have an opinion.

Who's got an opinion on all those evanescent singers in the Top Forty?

Somehow, in the dash for cash,

we've given up searching for stars.

Stars are uncontrollable,

they break ground,

they need to do it their way.

Why, with millions on the line, would investors want to spend money on people like this?

But they used to.

When there was less money at stake.

When labels weren't owned by multinational conglomerates, when those truly in charge were willing to take risks.

Risks...

What's the cliche, no reward without risk?

That's true.

There hasn't been any risk in the music business for eons.

Except by no-talents pissed no one's paying attention.

Speak your mind.

Take a stand.

Don't be afraid to offend.

The opposite is death.

We love to watch Simon Cowell.

Because we truly believe it's his opinion.

That he's not second-guessing us, is not beholden to the sponsors or Fox.

And like a true star, Simon is willing to strike out on his own, to bet on himself.

We don't begrudge stars their success, we feel they're entitled.

Love him or hate him, you pay attention to Simon Cowell.

"X Factor" will succeed, this is assured.

As for your next record...odds are not so good.

Simon Fuller to launch new company...........

Simon Fuller to launch new company


'American Idol' creator to keep working on hit shows


By Georg Szalai


Jan 14, 2010, 07:55 AM ET

NEW YORK --

Simon Fuller, founder of 19 Entertainment, and 19's parent company CKX have agreed to a long-term deal to keep the "American Idol" creator and executive producer involved in the firm's key shows, while freeing him up to launch a new entertainment company.

The deal includes a provision that gives Fuller a share of profits.

In addition, Fuller is launching a new company, in which CKX can invest, and Fuller will provide general consulting services to CKX.

The two parties didn't immediately disclose further details.

The news follows recent industry rumors focused on a possible change in Fuller's status or title.

The deal keeps Fuller in place as executive producer and driver behind hit shows like "Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance" and new online led property "If I Can Dream."

"As an entrepreneur I feel I am about to enter my prime years and starting a new entertainment company at this moment fills me with great excitement," said Fuller.

"This new arrangement guarantees that Simon and CKX will be working together for many, many years to come," said Robert F.X. Sillerman, chairman and CEO of CKX.

"I'm also delighted that going forward Simon will be free to focus his creative energy on developing new ideas and projects and that CKX has the opportunity to invest in his new business.

"The 19 founder sold his firm to CKX in 2005.

It creates a vast majority of CKX's revenue.

NELSON MANDELA......"your playing small does not serve the world"

LBN-QUOTE:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

-Nelson Mandela.

Simon Napier Bell, Wham's ex Manager on Marc Bolan........British Rock Star

MARC BOLAN

...................Nevertheless I had to let him do it because the instant he walked through the door he came across with the one thing that is most needed but is most lacking in all rock singers.

It's what people call star quality,

but in reality it's nothing more than the artist seeing himself as the essential material of his own art.

He devises his own unique image and lifestyle and projects them to everyone around him

The fact that he has chosen singing, or acting or even being a politician, as the area to work in is irrelevant.

He uses himself as a painter uses a canvas, or as a sculptor uses his lump of rock.

He paints himself a little, does a bit of sculpting, decides on the right clothes, and out comes a new person.

A creation.

A work of art.

A star.

ADRIAAN and Legendary Wham Manager and Music Industry Impressario.... SIMON NAPIER BELL

Freddie "Farrokh Bulsara" Mercury..............

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By

FREDDIE MERCURY:

No one loves the real me inside.

They're all in love with my fame, my stardom.

I fall in love far too quickly and end up getting hurt all the time.

I've got scars all over.

But I can't help myself because basically I'm a softie.

I have this hard, macho shell which I project on stage but there's a much softer side too, which melts like butter.

(1985)

William Shakespeare...........All the World's a stage.............

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE:

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts.

(1599)

Florence Nightingale...Actions of WISDOM......

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By Florence Nightingale:

You ask me why I do not write something...

I think one's feelings waste themselves in words, they ought all to be distilled into actions and into actions which bring results. (1910)


LBN- COMMENTARY By

THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN:

Whenever something like Fort Hood happens you say, “This is not Islam.”

I believe that.

But you keep telling us what Islam isn't.

You need to tell us what it is and show us how its positive interpretations are being promoted in your schools and mosques.

If this is not Islam, then why is it that a million Muslims will pour into the streets to protest Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, but not one will take to the streets to protest Muslim suicide bombers who blow up other Muslims, real people, created in the image of God?

You need to explain that to us- and to yourselves.

LBN-MEDIA INSIDER:

***MGM sale expects to elicit half-dozen bids. Hollywood should know better by the end of next month whether MGM will change owners or simply shift course.

***Liberty Media president and CEO Greg Maffei said Tuesday that Comcast is paying a "pretty big price" for a 51% stake in NBC Universal, but he lauded the cable giant for pulling off a deal that will allow it to hedge potential future challenges.

***Comcast-NBC ad industry executives have talked for years of a future where a marketer could buy a single national TV placement that serves up different ads to individual households depending on the viewing and purchase profiles of those homes;

this Universal deal could change ads.

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By

MARK TWAIN:

LBN-NOTICED:

***Rev. Jesse Jackson and media expert and author Michael Levine talking about Michael Jackson at Jeff Wald's party for the official photo book titled Michael Jackson Opus at the Luxe Hotel last night in Brentwood.

Also present at the party were attorney John Branca, Suzanne DePasse, actor Ray Liotta, attorney Howard Weitman, Bruce Jenner, radio talk show host Richard Greene, Irving Azoff, among many others.

The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot. (1906)