Will Tom Freston ever break his silence?

By SDH When Sumner Redstone fired Tom Freston to cover his own short comings on the whole Myspace deal, he sent Tommy off with a sweet $85 million thank you pay out after Tom signed a gag order baring him from talking shit about Redstone and Viacom. But gag orders don’t last for long and it has probably expired already. We know Tom Freston has lots to say about his short stint as CEO of Viacom working directly under Redstone. We would love to hear what really happened with the Myspace.com deal because the talk is that, it was Redstone himself who prevented Tom from moving on the social networking site which would have fit nicely with MTV and its online properties. We think a tell all book is in order. Sumner paid big to keep Tom quiet but people always talk.

Sumner Redstone will be remembered as cantankerous old man, Les Moonves will be done soon, Tom Freston was fired by Sumner because of Sumner

“I guess I’d like to be known as a loving and supportive father and grandfather,” -SUMMNER REDSTONE ON HOW HE WOULD LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED By SDH The New York Time’s Tim Arango (Wazzup Tim?) puts fingers to keyboard on the subject of Sumner Redstone’s legacy and the drama that hangs over it. Sumner is like that old man who lives in that house on your block with the uncut lawn and old truck in the driveway that everyone is afraid to say hello to because he is mean and gives the neighborhood kids and their mommies the creeps. For years many have wondered who will succeed him as lord of CBS and Viacom, and even to this day the soon to be 85 year old Redstone, can’t give a straight answer. It’s as if he doesn’t even want to entertain the thought of not being in control one day believing he will live forever. In the article, analysts question the break up of CBS and Viacom, An insider claims Tom Freston was fired because Redstone hampered his ability to move on Myspace (Duh!) and CBS CEO Les Moonves is on the slow road out. Ok so we added that one. Sumner Redstone seems to have rubbed many people the wrong way, on both the business and family side. So we can’t help but wonder, if when he dies, some in Hollywood and even his family will silently be celebrating.

Morning Wire: Les Moonves to spend Sumner Redstone's money getting into a business he is already in

When Viacom and CBS split, It was said that Les Moonves believed the Paramount Pictures unit should have fallen under his rule being that he already had the television business and the two just went well together. But unfortunately for him the film business went to the since canned Tom Freston. But that didn't kill Les's dreams of being in the movie business. See Les doesn't mind gambling Sumner Redstone's money getting into new businesses. He re-launched CBS Records which hasn't even registered as a blip on any radar, and now he is about to gamble even bigger by building a movie studio from scratch. To show how serious CBS is about getting into the film business, Moonves already tapped a CEO in former Columbia Pictures production exec Amy Baer. We hope the film unit makes more noise than the record label. In an interview, Mr. Moonves said he had been eager to get back into the movie business, but that he did not view his film unit as replacing Showtime’s supply of movies from Paramount — or from M.G.M. or Lionsgate, whose output deals expire next year. “These four to six movies we’re doing are certainly not going to fill the pipeline,” he said. “I like the idea of owning more and more content, as you see what these libraries are worth, and the possibilities of what we can do with this company,” Mr. Moonves said. Moonves Picks Chief for Film Unit Under CBS [NYT]

So Tom Freston joined the board of Dreamworks Animation...Big deal!

OK so we're happy that former Viacom CEO Tom Freston got a gig as a member of the board of directors at Dreamworks Animation but we think publications like Variety are making more out of it than it really is. Tom will have no daily say so in the company, he is just another guy who has to vote on big hires, acquisitions etc... This in no way will make Sumner Redstone cut his naked morning swim short. Now if Freston was named Executive Chairman or something like that, we would make a big deal about it. Nevertheless, we are sure Freston's big third break isn't too far out. In a pointed move, Jeffrey Katzenberg-led DreamWorks Animation on Monday named Tom Freston to its board of directors. Announcement is a clear act of defiance against Viacom, from which Freston was famously fired as CEO by Sumner Redstone last fall. DreamWorks Animation pics are distribbed by Viacom-owned Paramount under a deal that extends through 2013. Dreamworks Animation adds Freston [Variety]

Tom Freston: Viacom operates in some shade of gray

It looks like former Viacom CEO Tom Freston has finally gotten his balls back and is now talking freely about how he feels about his former employer and the way they approach broadcasting. Freston recently sat down with Donny Deutsch host of “The Big Idea With Donny Deutsch,” and told it like he sees it. "Today’s broadcasters, including Viacom, operate in “some shade of gray . . . They have standards, but they’re low.” Cable programming is “getting close” to the bottom of the barrel. In the chase for ratings points . . . sensationalism is like the lowest fruit to grab . . Hey Tom was it getting close to the bottom of the barrel when you were running one of the biggest media firms in the world, or after you got canned? BOTTOM FEEDERS [NYP]

We all know where Viacom's frustration really came from

-Shomari Hines So by now we have no doubt that you heard that Viacom is taking it to the courts with Youtube over some copyright issues. We thought we heard the last of this when Viacom ordered Youtube to pull all their content but it looks like Viacom was out for blood from the start. So what’s really up with this crazy $1 Billion suit which probably won't go to court anyway? What kind of message is Viacom trying to send by bringing this lawsuit to a site that basically promotes their content? Sure we can understand where Viacom is coming from but, was a lawsuit really necessary? We think Viacom is still letting off steam from missing out on Myspace which many now refer to as the MTV of the internet. Viacom is pissed and they are letting it show. Why get tied up on legal crap when they could be putting that time and energy into correcting their digital fuck ups. Hell if they’re so pissed they should send some goons to Tom Freston’s house and slap him around for a few ticks. He is who they should be pissed at.

Tom Freston loves the kids

Shomari Hines Former media big wig Tom Freston who is suing the city of New York over his disabled son's private school tuition said that he is doing it for all special kids being raped by the city. Well he didn't say exactly that but we kinda got the feeling that's what he really wanted to say. However School officials say that Freston is out of order. "Department of Education public dollars shouldn't have to pay for that if there are appropriate services available in a public school, as there were in this case," schools spokeswoman Lindsey Harr said. This is all cool and stuff Tom, but when you're done with this, please get back in the game. Did it for all kids, mogul says of special-ed suit vs. schools [NYDN]

For Tom Freston, it's not about the money. It's about principles

We didn't expect the next Tom Freston headline to be about him suing the City of New York. The former Viacomer is awaiting word from the U.S. Supreme Court on whether or not he will be able to get back his son's private school tuition. The case is being brought by Thomas Freston, who was ousted as the CEO of Viacom last year. A lawyer who handled the case for Mr. Freston before two lower courts, Neal Rosenberg, said a win for the city could pressure parents to send their children to public schools that cannot accommodate them. "This is an additional obstacle to parents that would mean you must first allow the Department of Education to try to educate your child," Mr. Rosenberg said. "Only after you have allowed your child to be made a guinea pig, can you seek reimbursement." Top Court Takes N.Y. Case On Tuition Reimbursement [NY Sun]

Poll: Which media couple was the best dressed media couple at the Oscars?

WHICH MEDIA COUPLE DRESSED TO KILL AT THE OSCARS? THE REDSTONES THE MURDOCHS THE MOONVES' THE FRESTONS THE IGERS

At least get the parent company name right

The Post's Page Six, well known for their ef ups and extortion plots, efed up again when reporting on the major Oscar parties thrown by Hollywood's talent powerhouses CAA & ICMI and those in attendance. CAA partner Bryan Lourde had the star power of the night with former Paramount chief Tom Freston and his wife, Kathy, talking to new Paramount head Philip Dauman as Tom Cruise, George Clooney, Sean Penn, Al and Tipper Gore, Jennifer Aniston, Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jerry Seinfeld and Tom Hanks all mingled until early yesterday morning. Did Grandpa Sumner replace the Viacom name with Paramount or something? Wonder if Tom was giving Phil some tips on how to look cool? H'WOOD'S UNA-BASH-ED BATTLE [NYP]

We can’t believe we’re about to say this but….

-Shomari Hines Remember last year when Tom Freston was still CEO of Viacom and we said their answer to Wall Street’s concerns would be to install MTV CEO Judy McGrath as President? Well we abandoned that talk when Freston was shit canned by Grandpa Sumner. However we won’t lie, even after he left we talked her up as the future leader of Viacom, but we abandoned that too. Over the past few months we have been doing some serious thinking about Viacom and what the company needs to get back in the good graces of Wall Street. We couldn’t quite put our finger on it. We asked should they buy someone, or spin off the MTV unit? We just couldn’t think of a solution to Viacom’s current woes. Then it hit us. What does Wall Street like? A CEO who plays on their terms right? A CEO who can talk up his company and not afraid to take chances and who can find and develop new revenue sources right? Then we asked ourselves, but who would fit into this mold? Who is Wall Street loving right now? And then BOOM! It hit us again. The man who fits into this mold and linked to Viacom is the man we love to hate, Les “Love Boat” Moonves. MORE.... We can’t really say that splitting Viacom in two was a big mistake because, CBS is doing well and is making some serious moves under Moonves’ leadership. But Viacom has dragged its ass since the break up a year ago. The company hasn’t made any major moves to mention except a truck load of layoffs. Current Viacom CEO Phil Dauman is just some guy in a suite who got Tom Freston’s job and is close to Sumner Redstone. The only reason Dauman is CEO is because Sumner probably couldn’t land someone else in time for his termination of Freston. In a scenario we know may not happen, but it isn’t impossible, Les Moonves should lead both Viacom and CBS the same way Carlos Ghosn runs Nissan and Renault. He would spend less time with his hot wife Julie Chen Moonves but we think Les could knock it out the park. You know what, maybe for Viacom the best thing is to get back with CBS and name the new company Viacom CBS and install Moonves as king. Is this possible? We think so. Would Moonves jump on it? Only Moonves knows. -Shomari Hines

Morning Wire: We Got Frestonized in 06

HEY! Its 2007, but you already knew that. Anyway, for the last 3 weeks in 2006, we posted a poll question asking you, our readers, to vote on what you thought was the biggest media news of 2006 was. The votes came in steady, even on Christmas day, leading us to believe that you either don't have a life or, you just love Media Wire Daily that much. Just to stroke our ego, we will go with the latter. The poll closed at midnight on New Year's Eve and just like we thought, Tom Freston getting fired as CEO of Viacom was your choice for the biggest media story of 2006. We couldn't agree more. This thing got coverage from all corners and even gave birth to a video clip that was viewed thousands of times. In second place was the OJ Simpson, Judith Regan drama which lead to her being canned from News Corp, after allegedly saying some un-Newscorpish things. So what will steal media headlines in 2007? Will it be Viacom being sold or put back in bed with CBS? Will it be a mega merger? Who knows? We’re just two days into the New Year and it’s just too damn stressful to be thinking about that right now. Let’s see how the first week plays out shall we! -Shomari Hines

Hey Plum Guys!,What, No Love For NYC?

THE freshly cash injected Plum TV must have some major plans for the coming new year with all that money they just landed from deep pockets like, Tom "Tommy Boy" Freston and Virgin Records' Jason "Lyor Cohen disposed " Flom. However, we hope one of those plans on the table is a Plum NYC channel. How can you not have NYC coverage on Plum? The Hamptons is cool and all, but you gotta show love to the greatest city in the world baby!

Wait a minute, Our prayers have been answered. Tom Freston has surfaced

AFTER begging Tom Freston to re-surface and make his post Viacom move, an article in today's Wall Street Journal has the media cool cat joining forces with fellow former media-ite Bob Pittman and many others to back upstart, Plum TV. When music executive Jason Flom stays at his vacation house in Aspen, he likes to check out a morning TV show about local happenings and weather in the upscale ski town. The show airs on a local station that is part of a fast-growing network called Plum TV designed for tony vacation spots. Mr. Flom, chairman of EMI Group's Virgin Records U.S., liked the TV show so much that he has joined several other big names -- including former Viacom Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tom Freston, former AOL President and Chief Operating Officer Robert Pittman's investment firm, Starwood Capital CEO Barry Sternlicht, Kraft Group CEO Robert Kraft and singer Jimmy Buffett -- investing a total of $20 million into the network as it charts an expansion. Upstart Plum TV PursuesWealth of Opportunity [WSJ]

Did Tom Freston really lose in 2006?

Market Watch's Shawn Langlois runs down his picks of the year's Winners and Losers. Though we do agree with his picks for winners, we kinda disagree with Tom Freston being placed on the loser's list. Yeah he got canned for losing out on the Myspace deal but we still believe Viacom Grandpa Sumner Redstone had something to do with the company missing that bus. Freston in our eyes is a winner. Come on, the guy walked away with a shit load of cash. If you ask us he is one of the biggest winners in 2006. Why? Like we said he got a sack of cash, and he no longer has to put up with Sumner's insecure ways. Piles of cash and pop culture éclat made 2006 a pretty good year for Borat and the YouTube guys. Hewlett-Packard's former chairwoman and the guy we know best as Kramer, however, would clearly love to take a mulligan. Winners & losers [MarketWatch]

Yahoo! wouldn't be a good look for Freston, we think, then again it could be....

So rumors are flowing like Diarrhea that former Viacom topper Tom "Tommy Boy" Freston may have been, or will be approached by the folks at Yahoo! about taking over for Terry Semel. We wouldn't be surprised being that Yahoo! seems to have a thing for traditional media guys and Semel seems to be on his last round. But for some reason we just don't see Tom Freston running a company like Yahoo! We mentioned before that we more see Tom heading a major record company, but there are no jobs on the CEO level open. But never the less it would be a great fit for Tom. So let’s just say that Yahoo! does offer and Tom bites. Does this mean that Viacom's Redstone should worry? Maybe MTV queen Judy McGrath didn't leave because she had no where to go. Would this be the door for the major exits Redstone feared? Ahh not sure on this but Techcrunch seems to have their finger on info as it flows out of Yahoo! Maybe by week's end we will know for sure what's really going on at Yahoo!, or with Freston for that Matter. Yahoo Execs Meeting To Discuss Major Shakeup [Techcrunch]

Everyone else is doing it!

We decided to play around a bit and join in the whole OJ Simpson media blitz we told you was on the horizon and is now clearly in full blitzdom. We wanted to add our own version of a faux confessional and we figured we would go with a Tom Freston moch up wondering just where in the world would Myspace.com be if Tom Freston did get it?

So who will it be?

iWantmedia.com is looking for feedback on who should be 2006' media person of the year. However this year's pick may very well not be a person at all, and we at Mediawire Daily have our picks. Sumner Redstone: Because the man will do anything to get the word out that he is relevant, and he did just that by shit canning two Toms in the same year. Tom Freston: Because he got shit canned by an old man who wanted to get the word out that he was still relevant. CNN for their corner to corner coverage of the midterm elections. We can only imagine what they will do when 2008 rolls around. Microsoft's Zune: The dam thing just came out of no where posing a serious threat to Apple's iPod. Les Moonves: We love to hate Les but we have to hand it to the man. he outlasted Tom Freston and ended up being the star we never knew Sumner had. We are still wondering why Sumner doesn't put his companies back together and hand Les the keys. Who Should Be Named 2006 Media Person of the Year? [IWM]

Inside Conde Nast's "The Black Ball"...kinda

It looks like Conde Nast Media Group's "The Black Ball" to Benefit Keep A Child Alive Hosted by Alicia Keys and Iman was a hit bringing out the who is who in Hollywood to New York City. We don't know if Tom Cruise really had his former boss Tom Freston sitting next to him at a table like we reported what the Post reported, but the men sure did look chummy. here are a few shots of the faces in attendance. Wait, wonder if Tom Freston attended that FourSquare media gathering? Shouldn't he be on vacation in India or something? images: wireimage.com Continue>> TomKat Hip Hop mogul turned socialite Damon Dash and Wife/Girlfriend Rachel Roy The Toms share a laugh, maybe about the Old man Redstone Mayor Bloomberg cheeses with Conde Nast Media Group Prexy Richard Berkman

Viacom earnings in the toilet, CFO takes the fall

Its just not a good year for Viacom at all. The media company reported a 16 percent decline in net earnings for its third quarter and a compensation charge for the trunk of cash they handed to former CEO Tom Freston. Since the company is doing so bad, and CBS is doing so great, why don't they just let Les Moonves run the Viacom show as well? He seems to have the formula! Anyway with sucky earnings sometimes comes heads being chopped. This time the head being chopped will be Viacom CFO Michael Dolan, one of the left overs from the Freston regime. Revenues rose 7 percent to $2.66 billion, just ahead of the $2.63 billion that analyst had been expecting. A 10 percent gain in cable networks revenues was offset by a smaller rise of 1 percent in entertainment. Operating income fell 12 percent to $655.5 million as a 14 percent gain in cable networks was offset by a swing to a loss in its entertainment unit of $6.7 million from a profit of $108.2 million a year ago, when movie profits got a big boost from "War of the Worlds." Viacom earnings fall; CFO to leave [AP]

Tom Tom: The two Toms formerly of Viacom, team up?

Former Viacom cool hand Tom Freston and former Viacom odd ball Tom Cruise are getting into bed together...........um........... we mean around a table together according to the Post. TOM Cruise has a new best friend, Tom Freston. The two Toms were humiliated by Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone earlier this year when Redstone fired them both. Now they've become good pals and are showing a united front at tomorrow night's Conde Nast Black Ball at Hammerstein Ballroom hosted by Alicia Keyes and Iman. "[Cruise] bought a $50,000 table and has sat [Freston] right next to himself. Will this show of "Unity" lead to some kind of business venture or something, or are both Toms just trying to remain relevant? TOMS TEAM UP [NYP]

Morning Wire: Rappers Edition

And now the morning's worthy media news: Les Moonves to be fired If our minds serves us correctly Sumner Redstone said similar things about Tom Freston early on out, only to show him the door. "I could not be any more pleased with everything that Les and his team have achieved," Redstone, who is chairman and controlling shareholder of both Viacom and CBS, gushed to Wall Street analysts yesterday on a conference call to discuss CBS' quarterly results. "In Les we have the best executive in the media industry." Les seemed settled in his shell however during a call with drooling analysts: "That means we are not buying a movie studio," Moonves said during the call. "We're not going to buy YouTube, but it is not a bad idea to buy the next YouTube." Note to Les: Youtube has already been bought by a company that can afford to buy your company and it's sister company Viacom. Rapping on your cell phone is against the law Rapper Busta Rhymes ran into his good buddies in the NYPD after driving by the west 54th street station while rapping on his cell phone which also lead the New York Daily News to reiterate all his other run-ins with the NYPD. Oh yeah he got a ticket. The Baton did him in Snoop Dogg was charged yesterday with carrying a dangerous weapon - an illegal collapsible baton - at a California airport. An arrest warrant was issued for the 35-year-old entertainer, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office said. He faces up to three years in prison if convicted.

Any day now

Three posting days after Liz Spiers got us rock hard with info that MTV is about to name a president of god knows what, we have now gone soft. As a matter of fact we may have blue balls. Yeah we won't dog Liz too much, at least not yet because an announcement can still be in the works but Jeez if MTV is hiring that Atom Films guy what the hell is taking them so long to announce it already? Is Sumner Redstone writing the press release himself? We live for shit like this you know!! BREAKING(ish): And the Tom Freston Replacement Is... [DealBreaker]

The known knowns and now knowns of Sumner Redstone

Even though we touched on Vanity Fair's lengthy but entertaining feature article on Media grandpa Sumner Redstone, we had to re-visit to run down some of the things we now know about Sumner from reading the article about 4 times. -So we now know that Sumner is as old as he looks due to the fact that the man stumbles when he tries to get out of a chair. -He keeps a can of Gillette shaving cream next to the hot tub in his back yard because that's where he likes to shave naked. Continued>> -He swims in the nude while some poor guy stands by with a phone in hand in case Les or Philippe calls in. -We knew that Les Moonves was offered the top job at Viacom after Tom Freston turned it down only to call back and say OK I want it. -We now know that Sumner never had 100% faith in Tom Freston but wanted to see how Tom would handle being CEO of a public company. -We always knew that he has more faith in Les Moonves and constantly compares himself to the CBS ruler. -We always knew Tom Freston got the boot because he failed to land Myspace. -We now know that Sumner's wife Paula, isn't with him for the billions, but she has a new found interest in what it is her husband does that she is known to sit in on Viacom meetings. -We now know that with all his money, Sumner really has no friends. -And last but not least we dam sure know that Sumner Redstone should get out while he can and let the young guns run the show.

Who knew? Sumner Redstone could be humiliated

Sumner Redstone has a love life you know, he is probably a stud in bed too. The media mogul didn't reveal any of the above in Vanity Fair but he sure did, share his thoughts on weirdo movie star Tom Cruise and explained how his rival Rupert Murdoch, humiliated him leading him to can Tom Freston. VF takes us inside Grandpa Sumner's home and chats it up with him and wife Paula who is slowly but surely calling some serious shots of her own within her husband's media empire. An afternoon spent at the Redstone home doesn't entirely dispel the theory. Sitting in a straight-backed chair in the living room, attired in an unfortunate blue plaid jacket and black shoes, Redstone comes across as feisty as he did when he burst onto the financial scene, 20 years ago. But he looks frail and has a senior moment or three, losing his train of thought, repeating stories, and asking that a question or two be repeated. Still, he appears in total command, roundly attacking Cruise and, while emphasizing how much he admires Freston, trashing him nonetheless. He appears in command, that is, until the very end, when he stands to shake my hand and, to my horror, suddenly lurches to one side and begins to fall. This poor guy doesn't realize that he is just too old for the game. Sleeping with the Fishes [Vanity Fair] Photo: by Don Flood

Wait a minute now.....

Our friends over at Dealbreaker broke that they heard that some new guy who runs Atom Films is going to be announced as the new President of MTV. We were kinda confused however with the headline they chose which read " And the Tom Freston Replacement Is...." As far as we know Tom Freston's replacement is Philippe Dauman who is now CEO of all of Viacom which is what Tom Freston was when he got canned. However, being that MTV's current president is Christina Norman, If this is true, should we expect some kind of shuffling in Judy's house this coming week? Is Christina Norman leaving the company or is Judy McGrath pulling her up? We hate having to wait to hear what is what? BREAKING(ish): And the Tom Freston Replacement Is... [DealBreaker]

Tom Freston's an asshole

Tom Freston was roasted by his big media friends and even the man who took his job. But it was all in good fun.....we think. "How bad it must feel for Tom to be screwed over by a man so old that he needed a little blue pill to do it," said News Corp. president Peter Chernin to a big laugh "I don't think there's anyone in this room today who feels Viacom treated Tom fairly. And I think everyone here knows Tom's continued success will haunt Viacom for years to come - but enough about Tom Cruise. We're here to talk about Tom Freston - and Tom Freston is an [bleep]hole." "While you were all at Michael's yesterday, I was creating content," Freston said. "I could go on forever, but if I don't get going, I'll never get a seat at Starbucks," he cracked. "It gets crazy busy." That's some funny shit. [NYP]

Tom Freston not burning Viacom bridges just in case

Tom Freston, the canned CEO of Viacom is making sure not to burn bridges to his former employer . For 26 years I had the incredible good fortune of working at a job I felt passionate about," Freston told fellow media moguls in New York, where his career was honored by the Center for Communication. "Nothing will ever change the good feelings I have for Viacom," said Freston, one of the founding executives of youth-oriented MTV networks. Ousted CEO Freston still feels good about Viacom [Reuters]

Philippe Dauman won't be CEO of Viacom for too long

Many in media circles like us believe current Viacom CEO Philippe P. Dauman won't be around too long. Why you ask? Well because grandpa Sumner hired Mr. Dauman for one reason and one reason only, to clean up the back room so the stock can move around a bit. Philippe P. Dauman is a long time trusted advisor to grandpa Sumner. He advised on many deals from the merger with CBS to the DreamWorks deal, but that doesn't make him media exec material. Viacom is built on creative content and the delivery of that content and there is only one person driving that creativity, now that Tom Freston took his money and ran. In the past we have campaigned and failed (because come on who were we kidding) for MTVN CEO Judy McGrath to be placed into the number two spot at Viacom, but with the whole Tom Freston showdown that went to hell. But then we got to thinking while our fucking power was cut for almost the whole day. Judy Mcgrath will eventually end up running Viacom! Why because Judy runs Viacom's cash cow business the MTV Networks which accounts for a huge chunk of Viacom's yearly revenue. It only makes sense for such a move to take place in the not too distant future. Phillipe Dauman is there to clear the way for the coming of Judy and when the day comes we will say "We told you so!!) Once Viacom's stock start dancing again, Judy will take the steering wheel.

Morning Wire: Tom Freston's payout mystery

Why does Tom Cruise and old media need to worry about new technology? [NYT] Jim Cramer tries to indirectly tell Yahoo's Terry Semel what he needs to do to fix the company. We think it needs to start with getting rid of Terry [Dealbook] OK we guess the amount Tom Freston will end up getting from his old boss Sumner Redstone is about $85 million [NYP] Waiting patiently to see if Zucker will cut or not [NYP] Wait, now the Daily News is saying Tom Freston will get $58 Million we may never know how much this man is getting. [NYDN]

Seriously. How much is Tom Freston getting?

As usual all the major newsers can't get on the same page. Well one thing is clear, Tom Freston is one rich mother_____! Ex-Viacom CEO Gets $75M Comp Package /Freston Gets $58.9M Payout From Viacom /Viacom to Pay Ousted Chief Tom Freston $84.8 Million (Update1)

Fresh off the wire: Tom Freston to take home some serious 100% pork bacon

Viacom grandpa Sumner Redstone is about to payout his pushout Tom Freston and Tom is looking pretty. Viacom plans to pay $84.8 million to former Chief Executive Officer Tom Freston, ousted by Chairman Sumner Redstone last month after less than a year in the top job. Redstone, 83, removed Freston after he failed to boost the company's stock price, which fell 10 percent between Viacom's split from CBS Corp. at the