ABC entertainment Chairman Lloyd Braun walked into Vincenti restaurant in Brentwood and extended a hand to his boss, Disney President Robert Iger, who did not reciprocate.
Instead, Iger warned his lieutenant on that night in November 2003, "I'm going to let you have it."
But it was Braun who let fly, according to a passage from a draft of James B. Stewart's upcoming book "DisneyWar." Braun accused Iger of "lack of character; incompetence; taking credit for things you had nothing to do with; and running away from decisions you made."
When Braun alleged that his boss hadn't had a hand in one of ABC's few successes at the time, the "reality" show "The Bachelor," Iger was irate. He jumped out of his chair, jostling a waiter who spilled coffee down Iger's shirt front, ruining his tie.
The portrait of Iger that emerges in the 804-page draft of Stewart's book -- a copy of which was obtained by The Times -- is one of an embattled and sometimes insecure man who hungers for respect and recognition, especially from his boss, Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Michael Eisner.
The book, which won't hit stores until later this month but already is the talk of Hollywood, couldn't come at a worse moment for Iger. He is widely seen as the front-runner to become Disney's next CEO, a candidacy now backed by Eisner.
"The timing isn't good at all," said New York media analyst and longtime Disney watcher Harold Vogel.
Disney board members are scheduled to meet Thursday, on the eve of the company's annual shareholder meeting in Minneapolis, to discuss their search for Eisner's replacement, who is expected to be named by June. The Disney directors already have been fully briefed on the book's contents, a person familiar with the matter said.
At a minimum, "DisneyWar" could complicate what increasingly appeared to be shaping up as a smooth ascension for Iger, the lone internal candidate to succeed Eisner. Once dismissed by Wall Street as being too close to Eisner and not a strong leader in his own right, Iger has overcome many reservations in the investment community as Disney has turned around its financial performance over the last year.
Disney cooperated extensively with Stewart while he researched his book. But in recent weeks, the Burbank entertainment giant has been battling behind the scenes with the author and his publisher, Viacom Inc.-owned Simon & Schuster, over unflattering passages about Iger and Eisner that Disney executives have insisted are slanted or erroneous. Some of those complaints, according to a source familiar with Disney's communications, have been addressed in footnotes, parenthetical sentences or rewording in the book's final version.
