Dismissals

One of Hollywood's juiciest television dramas came to a close Monday when NBC Entertainment chief Ben Silverman said he was leaving the network after two tumultuous years. In the end, NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker's big gamble to hand over the keys to NBC's storied legacy to an aggressive young television producer who vowed to revolutionize the network backfired.

After years of silence, top Bush administration political advisor Karl Rove went on a public relations offensive Thursday, saying he did nothing wrong in the controversial firings of nine U.S. attorneys. He said soon-to-be-released White House documents and his testimony from a closed-door congressional hearing will bear him out. But Rove's comments, made through his lawyer, Robert D.

After 38 years, the end for Dick Cook came in less than 10 minutes. The chairman of Walt Disney Studios, who began his career as a Monorail operator at Disneyland and went on to launch billion-dollar franchises like "Pirates of the Caribbean" and woo filmmaker Steven Spielberg to the studio, didn't know what was in store when his boss casually mentioned Tuesday that he wanted to see him for a few minutes later in the day. Cook had back-to-back meetings...

During a court hearing last week, Dan Rather's long and costly battle against CBS Corp. appeared to be finally getting some traction. Ira Gammerman, the New York Supreme Court judge hearing motions on the case, repeatedly urged the squabbling parties to resolve their conflicts over deposition and discovery so Rather's lawsuit against his former employer could go to trial. He ruled that Rather could depose Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone, dismissing CBS' objections. "Let's get this case moving," Gammerman said.

Hollywood's biggest slasher story isn't playing at any theater near you. It's hitting the industry's corporate suites, where the sacking of studio executives has reached epidemic level. As evidenced by Disney's recent firing of its studio chief, Dick Cook, and Universal Pictures' dismissal Monday of chairmen Marc Shmuger and David Linde, Hollywood is in a state of panic-producing turmoil. It used to be that Hollywood's corporate parents could stomach a dry spell from their studio managers.

The decision Monday to oust Universal's two top movie executives comes at a time when the studio's corporate parent, NBC Universal, may be facing dramatic upheaval of its own. Universal Studios President Ron Meyer's move to force Universal Pictures Chairmen Marc Shmuger and David Linde from their posts had been months in the making as the studio suffered from a string of costly box-office flops and infighting that had become a major disruption among...

As Jamie McCourt vanished from the Dodgers' website, Frank McCourt charged his estranged wife with insubordination and inappropriate behavior in a letter firing her as the team's chief executive. The letter, signed by Frank McCourt on letterhead that identifies him as the Dodgers' owner, advises Jamie McCourt to contact team human relations personnel to arrange "a time and date to gather your personal belongings." The letter is dated Wednesday, the day the Dodgers were eliminated from the National League Championship Series in Philadelphia.

Daniel Battsek, head of Walt Disney Co.'s specialty label Miramax Films, has been forced out after a series of flops failed to turn around the struggling company, whose brighter moments included such prestige movies as "No Country for Old Men," "The Queen" and "Doubt." Battsek's departure comes on the heels of Disney's move this month to slash 70% of Miramax's staff, to 20 people, and drastically cut the number of movies it releases to only three annually. Miramax's marketing and distribution were also consolidated into the larger Walt Disney Studios.

The war of words continued to rage Tuesday in the Dodgers' divorce battle, with attorneys for both sides stating their cases in court papers filed in advance of Thursday's initial court hearing. Jamie McCourt, who claims co-ownership of the Dodgers, has asked the court for immediate reinstatement as chief executive officer of the team. Her attorneys argued such an order would maintain "the marital status quo, at least until the issue of ownership of the franchise has been finally determined."

Before the sermon Oct. 9 at the Islamic Center of Irvine, a member of the board got up and informed the congregation that the beloved and charismatic religious director, Sadullah Khan, had been dismissed, citing inappropriate conduct. No further explanation was given. Many in the congregation were stunned; some demanded more information. One called out, "We deserve to know the reason why," according to Khalid Abdurrahman, a college student who attends Friday prayers at the mosque.