Trade Roundup: HBO Hoping New CEO’s Tenure Remains Refreshingly Mugshot-Free

· Time Warner officially announces that interim CEO Bill Nelson will be permanently replacing the recently shitcanned Chris Albrecht, confident that their newly installed leader will keep himself free of PR-nightmare altercations at Vegas valet stands. [Variety]
· Idol runner-up Katherine McPhee will make her acting debut in the “indie dark romantic comedy” Last Caller, a part that will reportedly require no singing, and, hopefully, pave the way for the trashier roles that we’ve envisioned for her ever since her first cattle-call audition appearance. [THR]
· Universal president/COO Ron Meyer signs on for another five years running the company, extending his reign through 2012. Gushes boss Jeff Zucker, “He knows the business inside and out and has an incredible eye for talent, and inspires intense loyalty. He is a crucial part of NBC Universal’s success, but I will not hesitate to feed him to the animatronic Jaws at the Universal Studios theme park if that becomes necessary for the advancement of my own career.” [THR]
· Publicity-whoring magic rival David Blaine to issue press release calling Cameron Diaz’s new boyfriend a “pussy” for not filling the Times Square death-box he just escaped from with water. [THR]
· The studios releasing this summer’s fast-starting sequel blockbusters (Spidey/Pirates/Shrek 3) are finding that overseas audiences are much more tolerant of disappointing crap than their American counterparts. [Variety]