A Little of the Old In and Out

(image via sfgate)

In: Larry Kramer. We haven't caught up recently with our longtime blogcrush Larry Kramer (restraining orders being what they are, namely: a nuisance). As usual, Kramer is ahead of the curve, mapping out the new Digital Game with his bold moves at CBS.com, which largely involve leveraging the popularity of sports online for the greater good of the site. Larry considers CBS.com to be, in essence, a cable network -- like, say MSNBC only without the unweildy operating costs. And if he can get the viewers and advertisers (which he seems to be doing, BTW), then Kramer may have affected a low-cost digital revolution-solution of spectacular dimensions. Just look at CBSNews's Private Eye Blog to see how his Kramer and Vaughn Ververs have used technology to bring transparency -- and soon more profitability -- to Black Rock. Now, Sports. According to Businessweek:

"Melissa Abernathy is no girlie basketball fan. When her North Carolina Tar Heels aren't on the tube near her home in Hoboken, N.J., she drives as far as Richmond, Va., to watch a game. So she perked up when she heard about CBS Sports's plan for live Internet broadcasts of games from the National Collegiate Athletic Assn.'s men's basketball tournament this month. 'I'm going to [sign up] right now,' she says.

"She may have lots of company. CBS Corp. hopes to draw millions with March Madness on Demand, the first-ever free Webcast of the tournament. It works like this: Fans register at NCAASports.com, run by CBS's SportsLine unit, then watch games live on the site. They'll have their choice of any game except for the one being broadcast by the local CBS affiliate. (CBS determines which game to black out based on the location of the computer being used.) Fans can also watch games after they're played or view highlights and other features. The live Webcasts will continue until the tournament is down to eight teams. 'We'll get several million people,' predicts Larry S. Kramer, president of CBS Digital Media. 'It wouldn't surprise me to get the audience they get on TV, but stretched out.

"Sports events have been shown on the Net in the past, by CBS, ESPN, and others. But the audiences have been limited, since they typically cost viewers money or are niche events. The madness this March could be a turning point. Since the Webcast will be paid for with advertising, it could draw the biggest online viewership ever. Live 8, a series of 10 worldwide benefit concerts broadcast on Time Warner Inc.'s AOL Music portal last July, holds the record, with 5 million same-day viewers."

(image via garrettwilson)

Out: Protectionism. What happens when neo-Empires become introspective? Do they eo ipso implode? Isn't an Empire, neo or otherwise, Will exercising itself on the global stage? Perhaps the sudden rise of Protectionism -- an Hegellian antithesis to Globalism -- is historical corrective. Wrote Dana Milbank of the Washpo on Friday:

"The nativists are getting restless on Capitol Hill.

"In a Dirksen Building hearing room, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) kicked off yesterday morning with a tirade against immigrant day laborers. 'Nobody raises any question about the illegality of people right out on Main Street, Washington D.C., illegal, waiting to get a job!'

"Grassley shouted to fellow members of the Judiciary Committee as they contemplated immigration legislation.

"Poking the air with his finger and bumping his microphone, the Iowan continued: 'I don't even know if they get paid. Some of them are probably slave laborers.'

".. It was difficult to argue against these emotional appeals. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), an internationalist, didn't really try.

"In a brief speech, he said he favors the guest-worker idea. 'The idea of dealing with 11 million people as if they don't exist is unrealistic,' Graham said. 'America needs to mature on this issue. . . . Demagoguing it is no longer an option for me.'"

Will the Democrats fall into this abyss? Already the labor unions clamor for some good old fashioned steak-and-potatoes Protectionism, circa late 1980s (remember the Japan "menace"). Archie Bunker -- and Pat Buchanan -- would be proud. Look for Tom Tancredo to speak to America's Lowest Common Denominator on the subject as the 2008 election campaign starts up.

Master of the Universe Brian Grazer pays obeisance to le roi soleil, Graydon Carter. (image via wireimage)

In: Graydon Carter. Love him or hate him (what day of the week is it?), it's hard to be ambivalent about the architectonically-coiffed editor of Vanity Fair, especially on Oscar night where he serves as Gatekeeper of the Jet Set. (The Corsair pours himself a full-bodied Napoleonic brandy with a spicy finish) Says Fashionweekdaily:

"As we weaved our way past Diane von Furstenberg and Barry Diller, Eve, Kimora Lee Simmons, Julie Delpy (snapping digital pictures of Martin Landau), Steven Spielberg, Zooey Deschanel, Jennifer Lopez, author Zadie Smith, Diane Kruger, Helena Christensen and Mary J. Blige, we eye-spied Graydon Carter stoking up a stogie. Who wouldn�t celebrate with a cigar when you throw the year�s hands-down hottest party?"

And, According to Lloyd Grove:

"Pamela Anderson ... showed up at the checkpoint with celebrity transsexual Amanda Lepore and celebrity photographer David LaChapelle, only to be told she could bring one or the other inside, but not both. So she turned on her stilettos and fled.

"Vanity Fair's Graydon Carter trimmed this year's guest list of all fat and gristle � and made himself, for the night at least, arbiter of all that was worthy. That included Mick Jagger, who followed his tall girlfriend, L'Wren Scott, around the room like an obedient pet, and Jon Voigt, the estranged dad of Angelina Jolie, who crossed the street to meet the screaming fans. 'It's funny, but Angie does that too,' he told me."

How about Diana Ross, Jon?

"Also at VF's bash: Lauren Bacall shmoozed with Kimora Lee Simmons and Mary J. Blige. 'She's been giving us diva advice,' the diamond-drenched Kimora told me, though Bacall insisted: 'I never, ever give advice to anyone about anything!'"

And especially not Kimora. (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment) Advising Kimora Lee Simmons on the subject of taste is a decades-long Arcades Project -- enless, thankless, labyrinthine -- at the very least. (Averted Gaze) Bacall has better ways to spend her twilight than turning on a dim bulb like Kimora on being a classy dame.

They both look hungry. (image via hollywood)

Out: Nicole Ritchie and DJ AM. Familiarity can be both a blessing and a curse. We suppose, on some level, there is something adorable about the fact that these two are back together. (Averted Gaze) But there is also something profoundly needy in the vibe these two throw off. Maybe it's because the two of them are so hungry, with all the bonds of extreme dieting that thery share. (Someone -- quick! -- throw them a beefsteak!) It's almost as if they are bound in this life to cause each other great pain and yet cannot find it in them to just break up.

Mind you, The Corsair knows neither of them, absolutely nothing, so this is all ultimately idle speculation on my part. And fun.

Still: They rarely smile toegther. It's almost as if they can't move on because the alternative would be too much to bear. According to Fashionweekdaily:

"At the bar, Nicole Richie (in Azzaro) was holding the hand of her supposed ex-fianc� Adam DJ AM Goldstein. The pair looked very much back together."

But did they look happy?

(image via wireimage)

In: Harvey Weinstein. There is something so darkly brilliant about Harvey Weinstein. (The Corsair sparks a Cohiba Esplendidos) Yesterday we noted that Fox 411's Roger Friedman credited The Dart Group with the Crash Oscar win. Yet -- somehow -- Harvey Weinstein, who employed some members of the Dart Group ("former Miramaxers") is garnering behind-the-scenes credit (or, at the very least, being seen as the media go-to guy by way of explaining the phenomenon). Even when Harvey doesn't win Best Picture, he has some Machiavellian involvement. Evil genius! Says Liz Smith:

"Tycoon Harvey Weinstein opined that the upset of 'Crash' over 'Brokeback Mountain' was the result of a brilliant word-of-mouth campaign. 'In the end, Hollywood voted for a film about L.A.' (If Harvey had handled the final month of 'Brokeback' publicity, the movie surely would have taken the gold.)"

Substitute "L.A." for "Harvey."