Los Angeles, Dec. 27, 2013.
Sime Silverman is back where he belongs! Variety, under new owner Jay Penske, astutely returned the publication’s founder to the masthead, after his name was dropped shortly after Peter Bart took over the editorship back in the dark days of the late 1980s. The entry is: “Sime Silverman, Founder 1873-1933” and contains a nicely-done portrait art of his face.
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Los Angeles, Dec. 24
Mike Malak has forwarded to us the following:
The L.A. Times reported today the death, at 95, of vet publicist Julian Myers. Julian wrote a number of Anni articles for the Daily Variety, was a well-regarded regular visitor to Tom and Pete Pryor and was as close to a staffer as I’d ever seen a publicist get. His wife, Patsy, an attorney, was famous for her pro-bono work. She died at 83 in October. I knew Julian was a runner and a health guru, but not that he marked his 90th birthday by running 90 miles, from San Diego to L.A. (By that criterion I’m barely two.) He was one of the Gentlemen Publicists and never a stranger to a smile.
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Madrid, Dec. 17, 2013
As we head into the home stretch of yet another year, my thoughts turn to all the surviving muggs all over the world, wondering if, in fact, they have survived and, if so, what they might be up to.
Some will doubtless be sitting in their slippers glued to their TV sets, veritable couch potatoes; others may still hobble around the streets and countryside; the younger ones, it is to be hoped, will be gainfully employed and active. A few may still be writing or working on novels and other artistic ventures.
All of which is merely a preamble to once again urge you to drop me a few lines telling us what you’ve been up to in the course of 2013 so we can include your comments in Simesite’s Year End Roundup.
So do take off ten minutes and kindly send your brief or long input, the sooner the better, to pbesas@hotmail.com. Our faithful Ian Watkins in London will post on the Site whatever I have received at year’s end.
In the meantime, we send you all Season’s Greetings and our best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year.
Ian and Peter
Madrid, Nov. 15, 2013
Former Variety radio and TV editor, Les Brown, died of lung cancer at his Larchmont, NY home on November 4, aged 84. Born on Dec. 20, 1928 in East Chicago, where he grew up, his real monicker was Lester Louis Brown. After graduating from Roosevelt University in Chicago in 1950 he entered the Army during the Korean War. (more…)
New York, Oct. 30, 2013
By Marie Silverman
I visited New York City last week to catch up with another Variety denizen, Tom Gilbert. As we ate lunch, we reminisced, as we often do, about some of our colleagues and the good times at the paper. John Madden was among them, and he is the subject of this piece.