Ever since Daniel Frankel at PaidContent revealed that 11 entities were interested in looking at the Variety books, the race has been on among media watchers to identify authoritatively who those parties might be.

The New York Post today seems to have claimed these honors. Per a Page Six report:

Billionaire Ron Burkle is looking to further extend his influence in Hollywood by buying entertainment trade paper Variety, sources tell Page Six. Taking over Variety would continue supermarket magnate Burkle’s buying spree, which this year alone includes investments in industry hangout Soho House, BlackBook Media, Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity Media, concert-booking firm Artist Group International and UK agent Duncan Heath’s Independent Talent Group. He’s also an investor in numerous Harvey Weinstein films and Al Gore’s Current TV.

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The latest issue of Deadline.com’s awards season print magazine Awardsline is out. Distributed for free to AMPAS voting members and film execs, the February 1 edition is once again chock full of studio ads.

There is also some clever editorial sourcing of a panel held last December at a two-day industry event hosted by the PMC/Nikki Finke site. Alongside Relativity Media CEO Ryan Kavanaugh and Open Road CEO Tom Ortenberg, Roadside Attractions co-president Howard Cohen shared stories about awards seasons past:

“Last year we had Biutiful, and were doing a campaign for Javier Bardem for Best Actor. [At the end of] last year, it did not get a Golden Globe nomination, it did not get a SAG nomination, it did not get a BFCA nomination, nothing. We thought we were dead, basically.”

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Tyler Shields, a photographer and painter, will debut a new show this weekend at the Poodle Parlor in downtown Los Angeles. Titled “Life Is Not a Fairy Tale,” the exhibit will be open to the public on Sunday after a launch party Saturday night.

The main attraction is a painting he created using blood collected from more than a dozen celebrities. The list of artistic donors includes nightclub promoter Brent Bolthouse, film financier Ryan Kavanaugh, and actress Jenna Ushkowitz.

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Call us cynical but the Sharon Waxman and Nikki Finke feud benefits them both. Possibly one more than the other. If they’re lucky a New York journalist will write about their flame war as if it’s new/news. Then they’ll get national attention.

But it’s been quiet for months. Too quiet.

Waxman posted an invite for Finke to speak at her conference titled The Grill. She also name drops before getting into the reasons why Finke should speak. Of course, the note was posted on her site as opposed to or in addition to being sent privately to Finke. We’re all so shocked by this.

Waxman writes:

Dear Nikki,

We have known each other for a very long time, much longer as friends than as enemies.

With a view to that relationship I would like to invite you to be a keynote speaker at our upcoming entertainment leadership conference, TheGrill.

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Portfolio, Conde Nast’s new business magazine, has officially launched.

Senior writer Amy Wallace (formerly with the LA Times) profiles Relativity Media’s Ryan Kavanaugh, a 32-year-old dealmaker, who gets Wall Street to invest in Hollywood.

Nancy Haas has a piece about Maroon 5′s big bucks backer.

Posh Spice is a fashion brand killer: she makes everything look bad, according to Fashion Inc.

The Culture and Lifestyle section doesn’t grab us, but then, we’re broke.

Job of the Week gives us a designer of doll clothes, and a video game artist.

The website offers the weakest drawings of the blog writers. Are they all really that ugly?

Jeff Jarvis weighs in. He also continues his appreciation of Amanda “Not a Journalist” Congdon.

FKC calls it an exciting new outlet.

Dealbreaker takes some credit.

Celebrity News sniffs at the lack of, well, celebrities.

Jossip is unimpressed, due to the lack of mention of same.