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Viacom's Family Feud (AP)
Sumner Redstone, the chairman of Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp., has reportedly had a falling out with his daughter and heir apparent, Shari Redstone, that could eventually result in her departure from his media empire. If the younger Redstone does leave, it could throw open the question of who would succeed the 84-year-old media mogul as the controlling shareholder of Viacom and CBS Corp., which used to be combined with Viacom. Shari serves as a director of both companies, and is vice chairman of both boards. Forbes: The prospect of Shari Redstone's departure raises fresh questions about the company's succession plans, about which Sumner Redstone has been famously evasive. And investors seem pretty happy about it. Fortune: A new crack in the house of Redstone. FT: Sumner moves to sideline daughter.

Rowling, Furious Over Spoilers, Bids Her Boy Wizard Goodbye (Forbes)
Harry Potter's life hangs in the balance. Millions of fans are holding their breath. Meanwhile, his creator is baking a cake — and keeping her secret. On Saturday, readers around the globe will learn the schoolboy wizard's fate with the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling's fantasy series. Will Harry defeat his evil nemesis, Lord Voldemort, and restore order to the wizarding world? Will he die in the attempt, as many fans fear — and as Rowling, an expert narrative tease, has hinted? "Harry's story comes to a definite end in book seven," is all she will say. GalleyCat: Did Publisher's Weekly editor buy an embargoed copy of book? A.V. Club: Harry Potter and the liveblogging all-nighter. Reuters: Rowling furious over New York Times' spoiler.

Countdown's 'Ho' Graphic: Olbermann's Done This Sort of Thing Before (FishbowlNY)
There's some furor building over a graphic shown on Tuesday's Countdown With Keith Olbermann — guest-hosted by Alison Stewart — which referred to embattled Louisiana Senator David Vitter's wife as a "ho" for her choice of leopard-print at a press conference acknowledging his involvement in the "DC Madam" scandal. Considering its "Nappy 'Hos" history, MSNBC should've learned a lesson or two about off-handed, misogynistic remarks. Still, here's why no one should be surprised. FBNY: "A Slut and Battery." Inside Cable News: Didn't anybody at MSNBC stop and think, "Whoa ... what are we doing here?"

In Protest of Sale, Dow Director Quits (NYT)
A Dow Jones director resigned yesterday to protest the planned sale of the company to Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, publicly siding with those who say such a shift in ownership would undermine the quality of Dow Jones and its flagship, the Wall Street Journal. The director, Dieter von Holtzbrinck, abstained when the Dow Jones board voted Tuesday night to accept News Corporation's $60-a-share offer for a stock that was trading at about $36 before the bid became public.

NBC Chief Pentagon Correspondent Paid $30,000 for Speech Attacking John Edwards (Media Matters)
This spring, NBC chief Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski took $30,000 from the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce to address its Business EXPO 2007. Miklaszewski not only took $30,000 from the Chamber of Commerce in apparent violation of his employer's policy on paid speaking engagements, the NBC correspondent then proceeded to call presidential candidate and former Sen. John Edwards a "loser" for attempting to defend a pricey haircut.

NABJ: Don't Bring Back Imus (Journalisms)
As speculation mounts that Don Imus will return to the airwaves after his ouster in April for racist and sexist remarks, the National Association of Black Journalists, the first organization to call for his removal three months ago, says no way. "NABJ and America applauded in April the decision of national broadcasters to remove his language from the national airwaves. We would hope that, just a few months later, they would not substitute a desire to cash in for the need to stand by their convictions," said NABJ president Bryan Monroe. The stance puts NABJ at odds with Imus' most visible opponent during the controversy, the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Valerie Plame Suit Against Cheney Dismissed (NYT)
A federal district judge on Thursday dismissed a civil suit brought by Valerie Wilson and her husband seeking damages from Vice President Dick Cheney, his former chief of staff and two others for the disclosure of Ms. Wilson's role as an operative of the Central Intelligence Agency. Though the way they sought to discredit Mr. Wilson may have been "highly unsavory," the judge said, "there can be no serious dispute that the act of rebutting public criticism, such as that levied by Mr. Wilson against the Bush administration's handling of prewar foreign intelligence, by speaking with members of the press is within the scope of defendants' duties as high-level executive branch officials."

Jane To Go Out on Topless (Actress Archives)
Eva Mendes, Kate Mara, Joss Stone and pregnant Milla Jovovich are among the stars baring all for the provocative, final issue of Jane. The ladies agreed to disrobe for a series of sexy snapshots in the publication's upcoming Body issue. Actress Mendes, who appears topless on the cover, covering her breasts with pink flowers, admits she was honored to be asked to appear in what will be Jane's last.

BBC Suspends Editors Over Fake Call-Ins (Reuters)
A parliamentary committee said on Thursday it will summon the BBC's deputy director general to answer concerns about a string of fake phone-in competitions that has tarnished the British public broadcaster's reputation. The announcement came hours after the BBC suspended some senior editors over the issue.

Seth Rogen to Play 'Green Hornet' (Variety)
The doughy star of this summer's breakout hit, Knocked Up, is finalizing a deal to write, and likely star in, Columbia's bigscreen adaptation of Green Hornet. He will exec produce, along with co-writer and frequent collaborator Evan Goldberg. Rogen would play Brit Reid, millionaire publisher-turned-masked crime fighter — a role George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Jake Gyllenhaal flirted with in various stages of the project's long gestation.

Two Ex-Officials of Take-Two Plead Guilty (Bloomberg)
Take-Two Interactive Software's former chief lawyer Kenneth I. Selterman and former chief accounting officer Patti P. Tay pleaded guilty yesterday to falsifying business records in connection with the company's improper backdating of employee stock options. Take-Two, maker of the Grand Theft Auto video games, brought in new management this year after five quarters of losses and the options scandal that forced it to restate eight years of results.

Earnings Decline Sharply at McClatchy and Dow Jones (NYT)
As newspapers suffer from falling advertising revenue, the McClatchy Company and Dow Jones & Company became the latest companies in the industry to report sharply lower second-quarter earnings. McClatchy reported earnings of $39.9 million, or 49 cents a share, compared with $44.1 million, or 94 cents, in the quarter a year earlier, when it was a much smaller company. The company more than doubled in size last year with the acquisition of Knight Ridder, whose papers have performed worse this year than those McClatchy held a year ago. FT: Google profits fall, shares drop.

Economist: Why We're Awesome (B-to-B)
Publisher Paul Rossi: While many magazines are suffering from flat or declining circulations and advertising revenues, The Economist is bucking the trend. We are enjoying breakneck circulation growth. Since 2000, circulation is up 86.5% in North America, to 639,206. Readership has grown 12.3% in just the past year alone. More and more marketers are choosing The Economist to reach its young, smart, educated and influential readers. We saw 29.3% revenue growth in the first quarter, and we saw 13.6% growth in ad pages. And this year we garnered a National Magazine Award nomination for General Excellence in our first year of eligibility. So, how are we doing it?

Conrad Black's Apologist at the Sun (CJR Daily)
This week, the New York Sun's president, editor-in-chief, and co-founder Seth Lipsky waxed nostalgic about his dinner buddy, ideological fellow-traveler and Sun funder (and let's not forget, newly-minted convicted felon, having been found guilty of obstruction of justice and three counts of mail fraud), Conrad Black. You can almost feel the dampness on the page from Lipsky's tears as he recounts what a great guy Black is. NYT: Judge lets Black remain free on bail.

Can a Former Bail Bondsman Reinvent Himself as a Jailhouse Media Czar? (FSB)
Crime, Justice & America, a five-year-old, 40-page magazine upstart, is beginning to tap into a previously overlooked — or just misunderstood — niche in the jailhouse marketplace. The magazine, based in Livermore, California, targets not only inmates looking to be entertained or defended but also lawyers and bail bondsmen who pay relatively reasonable prices to reach prospective clients. "This is the first magazine we've seen like this," says Lt. Jerry Maldonado, who until recently was in charge of about 3,600 inmates at the Santa Rita Jail, another institution in which CJA is avidly read. "There's a need, and [CJA] is filling it."