A New Theory of Relativity

Although studios tout the synergy associated with a wave of mega-mergers, a recent flap between Paramount’s “Hard Copy” and “ER” star George Clooney has exposed what many see as the soft underbelly within these newly created media giants.

As companies like Time Warner/Turner, Disney/ABC, News Corp./Fox and Viacom/Paramount get bigger, they may find themselves under attack as corporations for the actions of one of their many far-flung divisions, according to industry observers.

Last year, religious groups called for a companywide boycott of Disney--including its retail products and theme parks--because a studio unit, Miramax, released a movie (“Priest”) that offended them. Time Warner has come under fire for its music division’s distribution of rap music, which led to its severing ties with Interscope Records.

In similar fashion, Clooney wrote letters to Paramount saying he will boycott “Entertainment Tonight” because of what he viewed as invasive coverage by the tabloid magazine “Hard Copy,” also owned by Paramount. Such threats spotlight the side effects of concentrating diverse media interests in fewer hands.

“I think it’s an ominous development on the power of media corporations who have an enormous variety of holdings in almost every important medium,” said Ben Bagdikian, former dean of the UC Berkeley School of Journalism and author of “The Media Monopoly.” “Because we have a dozen or so huge conglomerates whose various arms can do damage or good for a public person, they can boost a person, then harass them with intimidation powers based on their control of so many parts of public communication.”

In February, Clooney wrote to “Entertainment Tonight,” saying: “I can’t, in good conscience, do interviews for one faction of a company while the other is making a profit at my expense.”

The star received a letter back from Frank Kelly, president of creative affairs at Paramount Television, stating: “I understand clearly your point of view on ‘Hard Copy’ and see no reason why there should be any areas of conflict in the future. We agree that ‘Hard Copy’ will not be covering you in any future stories.”

Though deals like this go on frequently, according to publicists and agents, they are usually handshake or verbal agreements, rarely put in writing.

Insiders say magazine shows like “Entertainment Tonight,” “Extra” and the since-canceled “A Current Affair” have been known to steer clear of harsh pieces on stars of television shows distributed by their companies.

“Entertainment Tonight,” in the eyes of its competitors, downplayed coverage of “Frasier” star Kelsey Grammer checking himself into the Betty Ford Center for substance abuse last month, and Grammer will do his first TV interview with the program. Both shows are produced and distributed by Paramount. (“Entertainment Tonight” officials declined to comment on the Clooney boycott or any aspect of its coverage.)

“No one’s going to feel sorry for me and no one should,” Clooney said late Tuesday. “The bottom line is you do what you have to do and I’ll do what I have to do and we’ll both do it constitutionally. . . . I’m not punching anybody and I’m not suing anybody. This is a different way to fight it. If it works and there’s some change, great. If it doesn’t, I did it to take a stand.”

Paramount TV had no comment and officials at other studios would not discuss issues raised by the Clooney dispute.

Clooney--who will star in 20th Century Fox’s “One Fine Day” with Michelle Pfeiffer, due in December, and in Warner Bros.’ “Batman and Robin,” now filming for a June release--said he and his girlfriend and other associates have been routinely baited by intrusive video paparazzi.

“We’re talking about 17-year-old kids with video cameras running around putting cameras in your face,” Clooney said. “I can deal with it when they jump in front of you and goad you into a fight. But it’s not as easy to deal with it when they’re insulting a woman or a friend you’re with.”

Clooney said that he has been inundated with calls of support from fellow actors and others who feel victimized by tabloid coverage.

“They’re all saying, ‘I’m in. I’m not going to do “ET” either,’ ” Clooney said. “I absolutely feel like this is a crusade.”

Clooney said the rest of the cast of “ER” has pledged to boycott “Entertainment Tonight” and Dean Cain, the star of television’s “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” on Tuesday canceled an interview on the program to show his solidarity.

Many agents and publicists who represent celebrities agree with Clooney’s tactics and believe this could trigger additional boycotts.

“This is the only thing that gives them any weapon,” said Pat Kingsley, who represents Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Richard Gere, among others. “Actors have come to a point where they just refuse to be used and they’re mad as hell. . . . If these were independent shows individually owned, not by a conglomerate, you wouldn’t really have any weapons to use.”

Others in the industry feel that while Clooney is fighting the good fight, he should have conducted it quietly.

Said one top publicist: “This is nothing new . . . and I question the fact that they went public with it. It may end up backfiring on George from a fan and media standpoint. . . . If I were George, I would have gone quietly to [Paramount chief] Sherry Lansing. We routinely call in studio bigwigs to deal with tabloid television shows. . . . I feel badly for ‘ET.’ They’re sort of the innocent victim. Why should they be held liable for something ‘Hard Copy’ did?”

Clooney said he feels that speaking out now is critical since “Entertainment Tonight” is gearing up for the holiday movie season. But the actor, the son of a former news broadcaster, said he is also concerned about the larger question of deal-making in tabloid journalism.

“Is it OK for so-called news shows to make deals with a certain person so they’ll do a certain show?” he said. “The minute you start making deals, what are you opening the door up to? If you’re going to actually admit you’re going to censor your own news format show, then we have to talk about FCC licensing and really legitimate questions. Are you allowed to call yourself in any way a news format show when you’re making deals and writing them down? Then you should be forced into calling it what it is: ‘Soft Copy.’ ”

What drives many entertainment industry mergers is the notion of synergy, said Ken Auletta, media critic for the New Yorker. “The lingo is common among CEOs--they talk about synergy, they talk about border-less companies. . . . That makes business sense, but it doesn’t necessarily make journalistic sense.”

Bagdikian said he understands Clooney’s efforts to fight back but sees broader implications.

“Here are a couple of programs that history will not record as making much of a dent to human civilization, except to cheapen it, but, on the other hand,” he said, “Paramount also owns Simon & Schuster, one of the biggest publishing companies, so what they do with the more serious holdings they have could have a real lasting influence on American ideas and values.”

Clooney is quick to point out that he is not extending his boycott to Paramount’s feature film division. He and others acknowledge that stars could conceivably boycott entire corporations, however.

“Sherry Lansing doesn’t have a lot to do with ‘Hard Copy’ so my issue right now is with television,” Clooney said. “This is a television company that has crossed the line.”

Sources estimate that a successful entertainment magazine show can bring in for its owner between $25 million and $40 million annually--a tidy sum, but considerably less than the possible returns on a hit movie.

Both “ER” and “Batman and Robin” are Warner Bros. productions, prompting some to speculate that Clooney would be “sacred” at the studio, just as Tom Cruise might be to Paramount, which doubtless wants a sequel to “Mission: Impossible.”

Still, Jim Van Messel--executive producer of the TV magazine “Access Hollywood,” which is jointly owned by Fox and NBC--stressed that such programs can’t play favorites toward parent companies.

“If there’s no separation between church and state, it’ll come back and bite us in the butt,” he said. “You can’t survive being a house organ these days.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Mixed Media

Hollywood’s merger mania has created complex relationships at several corporations.

STUDIO: Warner Bros.

TELEVISION: “Extra,” CNN (“Showbiz Today”), E! Entertainment Television*, “The Rosie O’Donnell Show.”

PUBLISHING: Entertainment Weekly, People, Time and Fortune magazines, War Books.

*

STUDIO: Paramount

TELEVISION: “Entertainment Tonight,” “Hard Copy”

PUBLISHING: Simon & Schuster

*

STUDIO: Fox

TELEVISION: “Access Hollywood”*

PUBLISHING: Premiere*, TV Guide, New York Post, HaperCollins

*

STUDIO: Disney

TELEVISION: ABC News, “Siskel & Ebert,” “Live With Regis and Kathie Lee.”

PUBLISHING: Los Angeles magazine, Hyperion Press