Ron Meyer On Sumner: "Being an Asshole doesn't get you results"



(image via variety)

So -- there we were on Sunday Morning: Kenyan blend coffee, ermine robe revealing a tasteful amount of Ugandan knee, watching "Sunday Morning Shootout." Uberguber and Peter Bart were on, first interviewing, improbably, a reptilian-looking Wicked Pictures contract porn star --! -- then, as if by contrast, Ron Meyer of Universal Pictures.

Ron Meyer, a softspoken man, who didn't even have a bad word for his former partner, the exiled Mike Ovitz, took the Methuselan Sumner Redstone to task for his spasmodic corporate governance with a well-delivered bitchslap, saying:

"I think the Tom Cruise thing was handled poorly ... to make a statement -- for Sumner Redstone -- that Tom Cruise is not the type of person that (Paramount) wants to be in business with ... frankly, I don't understand it."

Ka-pow! And all the Frestonians, to be sure, sprayed hot tears of mirth. Then, rebounding the bitchslap with backhand, Ron Meyers added, "Being an asshole doesn't get you results."

Viacom's treatment of their talent -- Howard Stern, Tom Cruise -- and their management -- Mel Karmazin, Tom Freston -- maketh us wonder what is in store for Katie Courick if the old ratings don't improve.

Ron Meyer also had some interesting words on the Dreamworks deal which fell though NBC universal's grips, saying, "GE moved too slow ... and we got trumped (on Dreamworks).

Only Steven Spielberg was more melancholy about it all.