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Bloomberg Admits Terminal Snooping (NYT)
Reporters at Bloomberg News were trained to use a function on the company’s financial data terminals that allowed them to view subscribers’ contact information and, in some cases, monitor login activity in order to advance news coverage, more than half a dozen former employees said. Bloomberg / Matthew Winkler Our reporters should not have access to any data considered proprietary. I am sorry they did. The error is inexcusable. Last month, we immediately changed our policy so that reporters now have no greater access to information than our customers have. Removing this access will have no effect on Bloomberg news-gathering. At no time did reporters have access to trading, portfolio, monitor, blotter or other related systems. Nor did they have access to clients’ messages to one another. BuzzFeed Executives at Bloomberg have known about journalists using the company’s terminals to spy on clients at least since September 2011 — more than a year before the practice turned into a scandal that threatens the company’s relationships with its clients. That month, Erik Schatzker, an anchor at Bloomberg TV and host of Market Makers, was reprimanded for making on-air comments about using terminal data to track the activities of at least one story subject, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. TVNewser CNBC talked with a former Bloomberg employee who says he accessed usage information of Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke and former U.S. Treasury secretary Tim Geithner. He said he did it “just for fun” and as a way “to show how powerful” the Bloomberg terminals were. CNBC In response to queries that Bloomberg journalists had access to officials data usage, a Bloomberg spokesman said, “What you are reporting is untrue” but declined to respond when asked what specifically was inaccurate. He also would not say whether the company had investigated journalists’ access to this information.

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Score one for Nikki Finke‘s tireless TV editor. It is Nellie Andreeva who arrived first this morning to the news of Barbara Walters‘ TV retirement plans, although she initially confused many with the suggestion it would be May of this year. From her updated item:

I’ve learned a plan has been put in place for Walters to announce her retirement, eyed for May 2014. Fitting for Walters’ status as the grand dame of TV journalism and a signature face of ABC News, I hear she would be given a big sendoff with retrospectives and other special content in the weeks leading to her retirement that would celebrate her 52-year broadcast career.

The breaking news on Deadline sent other outlets and media journalists into overdrive. Some, like The Daily Beast and the New York Daily News, were happy to give Deadline the link-back love, credit. Many others preferred instead to frame the developing story via the new-sources, we-separately-confirmed drill.

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FishbowlLA understands that Barbara Walters‘ annual “Ten Most Fascinating People” TV special is about as rock solid as People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” shtick. It’s a harmless slice of holiday season ratings fluff, to be tuned in or not at the bored viewer’s own risk.

Nevertheless, in advance of this year’s edition airing December 14, The View doyenne is taking some heat for including the Kardashian family. It’s one thing for tabloids to keep milking this sorry situation, led this week by Star Magazine’s ridiculous all-caps groom-busting KRIS IS GAY! headline. But in the case of Walters, perhaps the ABC newswoman is simply relying on the etymology of this particular F-word:

1590–1600; fascinãtus, past participle of Latin ascinãre. To be witch, cast a spell on, verbal derivative of fascinum, evil spell, bewitchment.

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Barbara Walters, who was in contact with Elizabeth Taylor right up to the death of the beloved 79-year-old icon in Los Angeles early this morning, told Good Morning America that the actress wanted to be remembered above all for her work in the 1966 film Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

That’s no surprise. Of the nearly dozen film collaborations Taylor made with the love of her life, Richard Burton, this searing adaptation of the Edward Albee play stands as the pair’s best. It won Taylor one of her two Best Actress Oscars and presented the UK born stunner in a far different light, partly because she was willing to gain 30 pounds to play middle-aged Martha. (Haskell Wexler, who took home the Oscar for Best Cinematography that year, was brought on as a last minute replacement to help “beautify” the actress, but that idea thankfully quickly went out the window.)

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On Friday, March 11th, the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) will unveil a new program, The Catholic View for Women. Although patterned after the weekday, syndicated Barbara Walters-hosted namesake, this show has three female co-hosts rather than that program’s five.

Alongside broadcast journalist Teresa Tomeo and Janet Morana, executive director of Priests for Life, will be Astrid Bennett Gutierrez (pictured), executive director of Los Angeles Pregnancy Services and a VP of Hispanics for Life and Human Rights. The UCLA grad majored in European studies.

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There’s not much left to laugh at when it comes to Charlie Sheen. Per tonight’s latest “Sheen’s Korner” Internet broadcast, the actor is still – albeit in a more scripted, Teleprompter form – desperately trying to channel the spirit of Hunter S. Thompson.

In lieu of accompanying illustrations from gonzo artist Ralph Steadman, Sheen fans can instead look forward to an upcoming graphic novel from Bluewater Productions. Other media stars given this treatment by the Vancouver, WA company include the much saner quartet of Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres, Barbara Walters, and Meredith Vieira, for the title Female Force: Women in Media.

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There’s been plenty of speculation about what media giant might purchase Twitter ever since the San Francisco-based company turned down a $500 million offer from Facebook. But Twitter co-founder Biz Stone put the rumors to rest when he appeared on “The View” Wednesday morning. From Reuters:

When host Barbara Walters — mentioning rumors that Google Inc, Microsoft Corp and Apple Inc might be interested in acquiring the company — asked whether Twitter is for sale, Stone answered, “no.”

“We’re just getting started as I’ve said. The company is two years old, we have so much to do, so much product stuff to fix, and so much growing to do.”

HBO has picked up Academy-Award nominated doc. A Taxi to the Dark Side, after Discovery chickened out.

Barbara Walters will interview Ellen Page, Harrison Ford, Vanessa Williams, and Mylie Cyrus. Pick the two with shows on ABC.

Who will be forgotten in the Montage of Dead Stars this year?

Joel Stein invites George Clooney home for dinner, and alas, merriment does not ensue. Stein claims Clooney is the only movie star “we have now”, rather than telling the truth–Clooney’s the only star on Stein’s sofa. When Liz Smith eventually passes on, Joel Stein will be ready.

Shepherd to Join View, Variety Says
Variety does some source leaning in today’s paper, announcing that Sherri Shepherd is the new cohost on The View, taking the fifth spot on the morning chatfest alongside Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Elizabeth Hasselbeck and newly-installed Whoopi Goldberg. The trade paper cited its sources in confirming the story, which also says the announcement will be officially unveiled on this Monday’s show.

Rudin Wrangles Graves Novel
Producer Scott Rudin has reeled in the movie rights to Robert Graves historical novel, I, Claudius, in a major $2 million deal, reports Variety. Michael Fleming‘s story also says that The Departed pair of Leonardo DiCaprio and scribe William Monahan will become attached to the project, likely to end up at Disney where Rudin has a production deal.

Toronto In’Panic’
A looming actors strike next summer is having an effect on the Toronto International Fim Festival, reports THR’s Gregg Goldstein. The possible strike cloud hanging over the industry’s head coupled with new distributors and few Oscar contending pics has added to the pressure at the fest, which is in a mood of “panic” according to one of his sources. Read the pre-fest recap here.

- CHRIS GARDNER

THURSDAY 06.28.07
WHAT: Bookstore Grand Opening, Signing
WHO: Larry Mantle, of Air Talk
WHEN: 3 p.m. — hurry!
WHERE: Flintridge Bookstore and Coffee House
WHY: Mantle will lend his familiar, reassuring voice to his reading of This Is Air Talk: 20 Years of Conversation on 89.3 KPCC

THURSDAY 06.28.07
WHAT: Book signing and show opening
WHO: Robert Stivers
WHEN: 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Frank Pictures Gallery
WHY: Because one reviewer refers to the photographer’s work as “alchemy,” and who couldn’t use a little more gold?

FRIDAY 06.29.07
WHAT: Walk of Fame Star Dedication
WHO: Mike Curb, guest speaker Casey Kasem
WHEN: 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: In front of Capitol Records
WHY: Because you’re still mad at yourself for missing Barbara Walters.