INDUSTRY CHATTER: Word is that John Branca,...

INDUSTRY CHATTER: Word is that John Branca, the powerhouse Los Angeles attorney who was unceremoniously dumped two years ago by Michael Jackson, is working with the King of Pop again. This return unites Branca with his sometime adversary, New York legal dynamo Allan Grubman, who industry sources say was brought to Jackson to replace Branca at the behest of unofficial Jackson adviser David Geffen. . . .

Major record companies are circling around Profile Records, the New York-based independent label that’s home to Run-DMC, DJ Quik and Rob Base, following the estrangement of longtime Profile partners Steve Plotnicki and Cory Robbins. Artistic differences about the label’s future direction were cited as the reason for the pending divorce.

Just which partner will get the company--which expects a combined gross this year of between $30 million and $35 million--remains undetermined. Neither partner foresees a sundering of the artist roster or employee payroll as a result of the split.