Gordon Crawford

In Dutka's excellent article, Gordon Crawford of Capital Research states that it was Julia Roberts who carried "Pretty Woman" and not Richard Gere. With this statement, Crawford is questioning what's all this ruckus about women in Hollywood not being chosen to carry a major film? Well, Gordy dear, Roberts was cast as a hooker--one of the favorite Hollywood roles--so it doesn't count in my book. Streep is correct: ". . . it stinks." So I plan to stop attending the repetitious, uninspiring films of the male stars named in the article.

The black BMW 750 looks out of place alongside all the Toyotas and Hondas in the parking lot of public radio station KPCC-FM (89.3) in Pasadena. The man who owns the sleek sedan also looks a little out of place. Wearing black pinstripes in a room full of khaki, Gordon "Gordy" Crawford is here to talk to the newsroom about the global economy. This is the same man who's considered to be one of the smartest guys in Hollywood, the influential investment fund manager best known for dispensing wisdom to the titans of media, entertainment and technology, not journalists.

If the select group of Wall Street institutions that hold big chunks of broadcast, cable and entertainment stocks are known as the "media mafia" because of the behind-the-scenes power they wield, then Gordon Crawford is the media don. "People used to say that Michael Ovitz was the most powerful man in Hollywood," said Raymond Katz, a managing director at Bear Stearns & Co., referring to the Hollywood super-agent and soon-to-be president of Walt Disney Co. "I always thought it was Gordy Crawford."

If the select group of Wall Street institutions that hold big chunks of broadcast, cable and entertainment stocks are known as the "media mafia" because of the behind-the-scenes power they wield, then Gordon Crawford is the media don. "People used to say that Michael Ovitz was the most powerful man in Hollywood," said Raymond Katz, a managing director at Bear Stearns & Co., referring to the Hollywood super-agent and soon-to-be president of Walt Disney Co. "I always thought it was Gordy Crawford."

The black BMW 750 looks out of place alongside all the Toyotas and Hondas in the parking lot of public radio station KPCC-FM (89.3) in Pasadena. The man who owns the sleek sedan also looks a little out of place. Wearing black pinstripes in a room full of khaki, Gordon "Gordy" Crawford is here to talk to the newsroom about the global economy. This is the same man who's considered to be one of the smartest guys in Hollywood, the influential investment fund manager best known for dispensing wisdom to the titans of media, entertainment and technology, not journalists.

Capital Group Reports News Corp. Stake: Los Angeles money manager Capital Group Inc. reported to the Australian Stock Exchange that accounts managed by five of its subsidiaries together hold 9.1% of the stock of News Corp., the Sydney-based media company controlled by Rupert Murdoch. Gordon Crawford, media analyst for Capital Group, said the "passive, friendly investment" has been accumulated for clients over the last two years.

AOL Time Warner Inc. Chief Executive Richard Parsons is facing a revolt from two of the company's biggest investors as they plan to vote against some directors in protest of auditing issues, board independence and a plunge of more than 70% in share value since 2001. The California Public Employees' Retirement System said it won't vote for five directors of AOL Time Warner.

William J. Bird, a prominent Los Angeles estate attorney who handled the fortunes of such luminaries as Jules C. Stein, Lew R. Wasserman and Hal B. Wallis, has died. He was 55. Bird died Feb. 10 after a fall in his home, said his close friend Gordon Crawford. Along with managing the trusts of principal donors, Bird also handled funds for the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA, the Wasserman Foundation, the Wallis Foundation and the Thornton Foundation set up by TRW co-founder Charles B.

Time Warner Inc.'s biggest shareholder, Capital Research & Management Co., cut its stake to 4.2%, shedding 48.3 million shares as billionaire investor Carl Icahn campaigns to split the company into four pieces. Capital Research, a unit of Los Angeles-based Capital Group Cos., had held 190.6 million shares as of Dec. 31, the investment company said in a regulatory filing Friday. Capital Research has cut its Time Warner stake in each of the last two years.

A major Yahoo Inc. shareholder has asked for a review of how its votes were cast in last week's reelection of the Internet company's board, raising questions about whether the opposition to the directors may have been understated. Capital Research Global Investors of Los Angeles, which owns a 6.2% stake in Yahoo, demanded the review Monday, Capital spokesman Chuck Freadhoff said. Capital World Investors, a related fund that owns nearly 10% of Yahoo, didn't make the same request.

In Dutka's excellent article, Gordon Crawford of Capital Research states that it was Julia Roberts who carried "Pretty Woman" and not Richard Gere. With this statement, Crawford is questioning what's all this ruckus about women in Hollywood not being chosen to carry a major film? Well, Gordy dear, Roberts was cast as a hooker--one of the favorite Hollywood roles--so it doesn't count in my book. Streep is correct: ". . . it stinks." So I plan to stop attending the repetitious, uninspiring films of the male stars named in the article.

Just two weeks ago, life could not have been better for the Crawford family of La Canada Flintridge. Gordon and Dona and their youngest son, Brett, had just taken a tour of the Far East. And Brett was off on the rest of his around-the-world adventure. "The last thing he said was 'I love you Mom. I love you Dad.' And we said our goodbys," Dona Crawford said.

In a widely expected move, Walt Disney Co. announced Tuesday that it will wade into "the mainstream" of the recorded music business by starting a new label to be run by Peter T. Paterno, an industry lawyer who has represented heavy metal acts. Disney--which already owns the largest children's music company in the world--recently told Wall Street analysts that it would enter the industry's mainstream, and Paterno told The Times last month that discussions about his hiring were under way.