None Shocker: Glen Giles' killer Jorge Ernesto Villalobos, pleads not guilty

BY SDH The scum bag who killed Hallmark Data Systems executive Glen Giles and is being held on $1 million bail, has pled not guilty to murder charges, which as you all know is the usual plea in these cases. Giles' family should be prepared for the long haul on this one as it can drag on for a year or two before it goes to trial which itself can take months. To cut a long story short, it may be a long time before Glen Giles rests in peace and justice is served, not necessarily in that order. Who was this woman that drove one man to kill another man? Where are you? We want to see if you are even worth all this!

Glen Giles murdered over woman friend

Police in Burbank, California have released details in the brutal murder of magazine fulfillment executive Glen Giles and named a scum ball by the name of Jorge Ernesto Villalobos as the suspect. Apparently Villalobos wasn't pleased that Giles had a relationship with a mutual female friend causing the Villalobos to go off his rails. We are sure Villalobos is regretting his actions at this point. But unfortunately you can't undo what has been done, at least not this.

Glen Giles’s suspicious murder could be linked back to a secret life

"He'd be the kind of guy who would swat someone (who attacked him) away pretty quick. I just don't understand it, and none of us can get over that part of it. How someone could do something like that is beyond me." - Jim Kuchinsky, CEO of Hallmark Data Systems BY ZOE S. When a single man is murdered near or in his home, more questions will come up that many may want to avoid, other than the who, the what, the when, the why. We are not going to rule out that the suspect who was arrested isn’t a magazine exec who was pissed at Giles. But there are the obvious that raises other questions as well. At 47 Giles was single and lived alone. Was he living a secret life that he kept from family, friends and colleagues? Was he murdered by someone who was part of this secret life, or was this someone he met online, and this was the first meet up gone terribly wrong? Trust, we aren’t trying to dog the fact that a man who was clearly well liked was murdered. But, these are things we are sure ran across the minds of investigators. Giles was a 6-foot-4 former varsity basketball player and looked to have weighed over 200 pounds which is puzzling to people who knew him, wondering how someone was able to get the drop on him. It is due to these facts, that no one should be surprised if the person who committed this sick act of violence is someone he knew and the attack was a total surprise. But we will leave that part for when investigators start to release details about their findings. One of Giles’s final proud moments was giving back to his community by organizing a youth basketball competition.

Heath-O-Rama: Time Warner may have gold in Heath Ledger's death but they will never admit it

-SDH With the untimely death of movie star Heath Ledger, Time Warner will benefit even if it's wrong for them to admit it. Not only did People Magazine (published by Time Inc) beat competitors to a cover story, another Time Warner division, Warner Bros. will release "The Dark Knight" this summer with Ledger playing the Joker. Time Warner totally owns Ledger's death and they will indirectly promote anything Heath related to ensure that no one forgets about the actor at least not until after the release of "The Dark Knight". Fans of the actor will no doubt flock to movie theaters to see their idol in what may be his last movie. With People Magazine's cover win, Time Inc will see the results in their spreadsheets.

Will Sumner Redstone outlive Frank Biondi, Mel Karmazin, Tom Freston and Phil Dauman as well?

-SDH Sumner Redstone's preference in having lawyers run his media company isn't recent, it goes way back to the 1980's when Terrence A. Elkes was president of the company. Anyway Elkes passed away at the age of 73 due to complications of a malfunctioning heart valve. Elkes was 11 years younger the Sumner Redstone who is still healthy and strong enough to swim naked in his pool and perhaps spend bedroom time with his wife Paula (OK try not to picture that). Which one of old man Sumner's former lieutenants will be next to bow out before him? The man must be paying top dollar to make sure he wakes up every morning. Mr. Elkes joined the company as general counsel a year later, from Parsons & Whitmore, a privately owned paper mill company at which he had been vice president and general counsel. He became president of the company in 1978 and said at the time that he realized there were great cultural differences between the entertainment business and paper companies. Mr. Elkes realized that Viacom needed to expand. Among the deals that occurred on his watch was the decision to put Showtime together with the Movie Channel to compete against Time Warner’s Home Box Office. Viacom also acquired MTV Networks and CBS’s KMOX-TV and tried to buy parts of MGM/UA Entertainment. Terrence Elkes, 73, President of Viacom in ’80s, Dies [NYT]

And now this morning's worthy media business news...

Conde Nast's former CEO Steve Florio has checked out due to complications from an earlier heart attack. Maybe Conde will name their famous cafeteria after him or something. R.I.P Steve. [NYP] Is anyone shocked that Time Warner had the worst performing stock in big media? This just puts even more pressure on incoming CEO Jeff Bewkes [NYP] Americans are wired, you think? [Reuters]

Death: Robert Krakoff checks out

Robert Krakoff CEO of Neilson Business Media -fka- VNU Business Media died at his Boston apartment Thursday night leaving many puzzled. Krakoff was 72 and a respected figure in the media industry. R.I.P Rob, R.I.P “He was a giant in our business and bigger than life,” said Gordon Hughes II, president-CEO of American Business Media. “His contributions were not just for the companies he ran, but he was a leader for the industry.” Hughes said Krakoff was instrumental in developing the CEBA (Creative Excellence in Business Advertising) Awards and ABM’s Business Information Network, which tracks ad spending on business media.“He was just a very dear friend,” Hughes said. Krakoff, Head of Nielsen Business Media -- 'E&P' Parent -- Dies Suddenly [E&P]

Death: Media Journalist Cathy Seipp checks out

Media Journalist and Commentator Cathy Seipp has died and gone to media heaven. One of the industry’s busiest journalists, Cathy wrote the weekly Cathy’s World column for UPI and was a columnist for Pages. She also wrote for American Journalism Review, Forbes, Penthouse, Reason, TV Guide and The Weekly Standard and was one of the original columnists for Mediaweek.com when it first launched eight years ago. Cathy was also a frequent guest on HBO's Dennis Miller talk show. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Mt. Sinai Hollywood Hills, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles. Instead of flowers, Cathy had requested that people make donations to the Humane Society, (www.hsus.org). Media Journalist and Commentator Cathy Seipp Dies [Mediaweek]

Newspaper problems go beyond newstands

Newspapers are not only losing subscriber/readers, some of them are also losing employees to senseless crimes as well. A 30-year-old newspaper advertising representative was shot to death Tuesday in a parking lot outside the Morning Sun offices after police said she was rammed and flipped over in her vehicle. Authorities said they believe Thomas Babb was waiting outside the Morning Sun offices about 4:30 p.m. when his wife drove her sport utility vehicle into the parking lot, the Mount Pleasant newspaper reported. Witnesses told police the suspect then rammed Mary Babb's SUV with his pickup truck, pushing her vehicle across the parking lot and causing it to roll over onto its top. Ad Rep Shot to Death in Parking Lot at [E&P]

The Post Just Had to Pull a Saddam Out of Their Ass

IN this round of "Morning Covers" we have to hand the trophy to The Daily News for having 100% respect for a dead former President and giving him the full cover. The Post on the other hand has about 90% respect for a dead former President which is clear, due to the fact that, they still squeezed a headline about the soon to be dead Saddam on the cover. Come on guys, we would have waited to open the paper to see that headline. Then again you're the Post. What else should one expect from a paper who once employed an extortionist, gets headlines wrong, and dumps truck loads of copies while claiming high circ?

Morning Wire: And Now This Morning's Worthy Media News

Dam! The man hasn't been dead for a week and... Already Viacom is looking to cash in on the life of James Brown. Director Spike Lee has signed on to shoot a movie about James Brown, the late "Godfather of Soul," Daily Variety reported on Wednesday. The authorized project is being developed for Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures by Brian Grazer, the Oscar-winning producer of "A Beautiful Mind," the trade publication said, adding that production would likely begin in 2008. lonelygirl15, Myspace, The Firecrotch Crown and More Ruled 06 There is no doubt that 2006 was the year of the web and it will only get better and more crazy in 07. Twenty-three years after the birth of what became AOL, a decade after Yahoo's IPO, eight years after the dawn of Google, five years after the Time-Warner/AOL merger, a year after the founding of YouTube, all but the most calcified corners of the media world (what's black and white and read all over ... ) awoke to the fact that the Internet was not just at the doorstep, it had unpacked its bag, raided the liquor cabinet and taken the family for a joyride down to Baja. Hallmark to Pimp Major Advertisers, and They Will Let Them “We’ve got these huge retail assets,” said Carol Campbell Boggs, the magazine’s publisher. “And our business model is to leverage those assets.”

Former CBS President Frank Stanton Checks Out

ONE of Les Moonves' many predecessors Frank Stanton passed away over the Holiday weekend at his home in Boston. From 1946 to 1973, they operated as probably the greatest team in the history of broadcasting, making CBS, for a time, the most powerful communications company in the world, and the most prestigious. It was under Dr. Stanton and Mr. Paley that CBS, mixing entertainment programming with high-quality journalism and dashes of high culture, earned its reputation as the Tiffany Network. As a brilliant corporate builder and a technologically minded executive, Dr. Stanton — everybody used the “doctor” — played a pivotal role in CBS’s rise. He did so despite a relationship with Mr. Paley that was often strained and an object of puzzlement to those around them. Frank Stanton, Broadcasting Pioneer, Dies at 98 [NYT]

Remembering those who are no longer with us

2006 was a year of many losses, and Ad Age is taking a look back at some of those who are no longer with us. 1) "Budget Living" Founded by Don Welsh, died Feb. 15 Once an Advertising Age Launch of the Year, competitors overcrowded this title's turf. "Imitation is the best form of flattery," founder Don Welsh told the New York Post, "but maybe this time I didn't need so much flattery." 2) "Cargo" Conde Nast Publications, died March 27 Getting men to read a shopping magazine proved too tough. "We now believe the market will not support our business expectations," said Conde President-CEO Charles H. Townsend. 10 Magazines That Met Their End [Ad Age]

Music Wire: Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun dies

The past couple of years haven't been too good for the music industry on the business end and/or on the personal end. Legendary music exec and Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun has passed away. The halls at Warner Music Group, parent company of Atlantic where Mr. Ertegun was honorable Chairman, will sure be quiet in the days to come. Ertegun remained connected to the music scene until his last days - it was at an Oct. 29 concert by the Rolling Stones at the Beacon Theatre in New York where Ertegun fell, suffered a head injury and was hospitalized. He later slipped into a coma. "He was in a coma and expired today with his family at his bedside," said Dr. Howard A. Riina, Ertegun's neurosurgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center. Ahmet Ertegun, Atlantic Records founder, dies in New York at 83 [NYP]