Paramount Pictures, in compliance with parent company Viacom‘s edict for 7% layoffs, gave some pink slips, Variety reported. But the marketing staffers were given a week respite. Maybe they were scared of marketing staffers gone amok.

The hits just keep on comin’. Viacom succumbed to the cost-cutting measures with a seven percent shave that included Paramount Vantage chief Nick Meyer (pictured at right) and 500 more at MTV Networks, Variety reports.

“Like all other divisions of the company, Paramount too is adapting to the changing conditions and, as a result, we will reduce our global workforce,” Paramount chairman-CEO Brad Grey wrote Thursday in a memo circulated to staff. “These reductions are across the studio: accounting, business/legal affairs, corporate and government affairs, home entertainment, human resources, information technology, production, studio lot operations and Vantage.”

For Paramount, more are expected soon.

Bad day, week, month at Paramount.

Viacom domo Sumner Redstone hates to admit it, but he’s having some troubles with his flagship National Amusements Inc.

Not only is he canceling the Christmas party, but he’s also looking to sell some theaters to make up for National Amusements debt.

Next thing to go might be Paramount, which has had its own troubles lately.

Deadline Hollywood Daily is reporting that “Viacom‘s MTV Networks is planning a lot of layoffs.” Which it is planning to announce on, um, Tuesday. As DHD puts the election day hide-and-seek: “”Dontcha just love Big Media’s sensitivity?”

50 Cent: Not the rapper, the price tag. In the face of cuts and other awful things, Steve Lopez reminds readers what they’re getting for 50 cents: “Although that money doesn’t buy you the same-size staff that was in place when I arrived seven years ago, those two quarters still buy you the biggest, best, most ambitious news-gathering operation west of the Hudson River.”

In Demand: Want to know how to make money off of articles, images and videos? Richard Rosenblatt, a guy you’ve probably never heard of, figured it out. “With blinding speed and little notice, Rosenblatt’s 2-year-old Demand Media Inc. has become one of the largest buyers of articles and video clips for the Web. It expects revenue of nearly $200 million this year and, more surprisingly, a healthy profit.”

YouTube, YouWin!: From Jessica Guynn: “Google said late Monday that it has reached a deal with Viacom to protect the privacy of tens of millions of YouTube viewers. A judge had ordered Google, YouTube’s corporate parent, to hand over user data as part of the $1-billion copyright infringement case brought by Viacom.”

A judge has issued a ruling on CBS’s motion to dismiss Dan Rather’s $70 million lawsuit. In short, some aspects (and defendants) of the suit were thrown out, but the suit will proceed.

Sounds like, in essence, not a lot has changed — but that hasn’t stopped both sides from proclaiming victory:

“We are extremely happy with the results,” said James Quinn, the lawyer for the CBS defendants. “[The justice] has essentially thrown out the core allegations of the complaint with regard to the fraud. He dismissed all the claims against the individual defendants: Les Moonves, Sumner Redstone and Andrew Heyward. What’s left in the case is a garden-variety contract dispute.”

Dan Rather’s side (surprise!) has a different take:

Justice Gammerman issued a decision today which leaves in place the entire essence of Mr. Rather’s lawsuit against CBS and Viacom, including both contract and tort claims. Although not every legal theory of the case survives, as a result of the decision, the Court has permitted discovery and a trial of all of the factual issues that form the basis of Mr. Rather’s lawsuit, including his $70 million claim for compensatory and punitive damages. The defendants’ statement that all that is left is a “garden variety contract dispute” is simply inaccurate.

The Internet Is For Porn: Pity poor Vivid Entertainment Group which is seeing too much of its skin being shown for free — and without consent — on YouTube knockoff PornoTube. Echoing the Viacom lawsuit, the porn giant is suing the little guy, and, we’re guessing, they’re going to try to screw PornoTube in every hole they’ve got. But, at the end of the day, PornoTube will be ready for another money shot.

Writers Are Screwed: Columnist Patrick Goldstein explains the studios’ hardball tactics, saying that the suits have no intention to give an inch to writers because then they’ll have an even tougher fight against the much more powerful (and photogenic) Screen Actors Guild in June.

Someone, Somewhere Paid $400 To Watch Matt Damon: Vudu Inc.’s online service is releasing a high-def version of the The Bourne Ultimatum today, the same day the DVD comes out. It’s the first HD movie that Vudu has delivered online on the DVD’s release date. This means that if you bought a Vudu box, you purchased the most expensive bragging rights ever — and (so far) little else.

South Central Days: Reporter John Mitchell makes much of the art-kinda-sorta-imitating-life aspect of this tale about a gang member who made a film about his violent demise. But we’re much more fascinated by the fact that the former thug, Marquis Calhoun, got an audience Frank Biondi, former head of Universal Studios and Viacom. His freshman effort isn’t breathtaking, but you might want to remember his name.

Death By Internet? Reporter Maria La Ganga offers a look at what might be the first murder of someone based on his Megan’s Law listing. Michael A. Dodele, a sex offender whose profile intimated (erroneously) that he was a child molester was stabbed to death. A neighbor, a father of a young boy who had been molested in the past, is being held in connection with the killing. This might be the worst outcome of one person Googling another that we’ve ever heard.

“Golden” and Gloating: Reporter Josh Friedman got to boast today about being right on Friday.

More ink on Iggy: A sobbing Ellen DeGeneres tells Ryan Seacrest that she arrived “five minutes too late” to reclaim the Brussels Griffon mix terrier from Mutts & Moms, a rescue group that has been getting arson and death threats since first crossing DeGeneres. Bitches, man.

If I Paid It: The State Controller is hoping to publicly shame celebs and other delinquent rich folk into paying their taxes by releasing a list of 224 worst scofflaws. On that list: O.J. Simpson. We’re guessing being branded a tax cheat isn’t going to bother him much.

Here It Is, Your Moment of Zen: While still suing YouTube, Viacom says it will offer every 13,000 video clips — or every minute of eight-year The Daily Show — for free on its Web site.

More Sumner Madness: Getting sick of Hollywood’s least-lovable codger, David Geffen and Steven Spielberg will likely be splitting from Paramount Pictures, less than two years after selling DreamWorks SKG to the Viacom outfit.

SAG Elections Results: Incumbent Alan Rosenberg narrowly won a second term as president of the Screen Actors Guild. 72-year-old actor Seymour Cassel won 44 percent of the vote, to Rosenberg’s 47 percent — with Cassel supporters saying the would serve the union better as it confronts contract negotiations with studios next year. Rosenberg countered that argument, by calling Cassel “a thug.” Seems it worked.

Angry Hobbit One Step Closer To His Golden Ring: Lord of the Rings director/deity Peter Jackson had to be a happy halfling yesterday: New Line Cinema was hit with $125,000 in sanctions in its ongoing legal battle with the disgruntled director, who made the studio a mountain of cash — and will likely see a bit more of it coming his way.