Actress, Former Manager Continue Commission Feud

18

Attorneys for “Strong Medicine” actress Rosa Blasi and her ex-manager Rick Siegel once again squared off Nov. 6 in Sacramento in a half-hour hearing before a panel of state Supreme Court judges, the latest development in a case that could have major implications on the way talent managers in California operate.


At the heart of the dispute is the 1978 Talent Agencies Act, which holds that personal managers and unlicensed individuals are prohibited from soliciting work for the artists they represent.


Blasi fired Siegel in 2002, several years after she became a regular on Lifetime’s cable TV series “Strong Medicine.” The dismissal led to a 2003 lawsuit filed by Siegel over unpaid commissions.


A state court decision first backed Blasi, though a subsequent appeals court ruling overturned some of the initial decision and sided with Siegel, supporting his assertion that one violation of the act would not invalidate all of his other work as a manager.


Siegel has argued the appeals ruling did not address his contention that the state Legislature did not intend for the Talent Agencies Act to be applied against managers, while Blasi’s attorneys argued that appeals court erred in not invalidating the contract because he procured employment.


The state Supreme Court agreed last year to hear the appeals, and is expected to issue a ruling within 90 days.



In the Pages

CurtCo Media Labs LLC, publisher of the Robb Report and other luxury titles, is no longer publishing Luxury Home as a stand alone magazine. The home design journal will be folded into a supplemental publication that’s packaged and sold with CurtCo’s flagship magazine.


CurtCo will continue to put out original Luxury Home editorial content, but will incorporate it into the Robb Report Collection, a separate monthly supplement poly-bagged and sold with the Robb Report. The shift is part of an effort to piggyback on the Report’s established circulation and advertiser relationships.


The “collection” is a 150 to 200 page supplement that is put out monthly, and the content alternates between automotive and home design themes.


No decisions have yet been made about continuing or shuttering Vertical Living, a magazine which had its inaugural issue hit newsstands late this summer, according to a CurtCo employee who spoke on condition of anonymity. Only one issue of Vertical Living has been published to date.



Doing Good

Good, Ben Goldhirsh’s West Hollywood media company, has announced partner selections for Good magazine’s second annual “Choose Good” philanthropic fundraising campaign.


The campaign earmarks all of the $20 magazine subscription fee for a subscriber’s choice of one of 12 non-profits: Acumen Fund, Ashoka, 826 National, Hands On Network, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Kiva, Malaria No More, NRDC, Room to Read, Slow Food, Teach For America and YouthAIDS.


Good Magazine LLC was founded by Goldhirsh in 2005 after he came to Los Angeles to attend film school, but opted instead to launch his production company, Reason Pictures, in 2004. Goldhirsh’s father, Bernie, founded Inc. magazine and upon his death left his son with the money to pursue his goals, with the proviso it would somehow be tied to philanthropy and that he get a solid business plan past a savvy board of trust advisers.


Integrating the charity partnerships across Good’s print, film, online and live event platforms will further the mission of these non-profit partners by raising awareness and visibility among the magazine’s “highly desired” audience an average age of 31 with an average household income of $100,000 and 78 percent college graduates.


Last year, the inaugural campaign raised more than $500,000, and Good aims to increase its charitable contributions as the two-year-old magazine grows.



Launching Madness

Quattro Media Inc., a 6-year old Santa Monica media company, is entering the publishing business. Quattro has formed Madness, a publishing company. The publishing company will initially consist of two imprints: Madness and Malevolent.


Madness will focus on a broad range of fare including young adult and kids picture books. The new company’s first acquisition is “Allie Carson: Interpreter Extraordinaire,” written by Marilyn Kinghorn.


The Malevolent imprint looks to publish daring and provocative work in fiction and non-fiction, novels and graphic novels.


The company’s goal is to grow intellectual property for distribution across all media.



Daytime Showtime

Female-interest Web site SheKnows.com last week acquired online property Soaps.com, the Internet’s second largest soap opera entertainment site behind Soapcentral.com.


Financial specifics were not disclosed.


Soaps.com has nearly 600,000 unique visitors per month with over 15 million page views. The site is dedicated to being first to publish key updates of every daytime serial drama.


It’s a good fit for the target demographic for L.A.-based SheKnows women ages 25 to 54. The online network has more than 5.5 million unique visitors every month along with nearly 60 million page views of its own.



Staff reporter Anne Riley-Katz can be reached at [email protected] or at (323) 549-5225, ext 225.