Delaware County District Library

Unscripted, the epic battle for a media empire and the Redstone family legacy, James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 351- 383) and index

contains biographical information

platesillustrations

index present

non fiction

Unscripted

bibliography

James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams

the epic battle for a media empire and the Redstone family legacy

In 2016, the fate of Paramount--the entertainment conglomerate that includes Viacom, CBS, and Simon & Schuster--hung precariously in the balance. Its founder and head, ninety-three-year-old Sumner M. Redstone, was facing a very public lawsuit brought by a former romantic companion--a lawsuit that placed Sumner's deteriorating health and questionable judgment under a harsh light. As one of the last in a long line of all-powerful media moguls, Sumner had been a relentlessly demanding boss, and an even more demanding father. When his daughter, Shari, took control of her father's business, she faced the hostility of boards and management who for years had heard Sumner disparage his daughter. Les Moonves, the popular CEO of CBS, felt particularly threatened. Scheming with his allies on the board, Moonves worked to strip Shari of power. But while he publicly battled Shari, news began to leak that Moonves had been involved in multiple instances of sexual misconduct, and he began working behind the scenes to try to make the stories disappear. Unscripted is an explosive and unvarnished look at the usually secret inner workings of two public companies, their boards of directors, and a wealthy family in the throes of seismic changes.

"I'm going to hell anyway" -- "Sumner in a skirt" -- Sumner will live forever -- The inner circle VIP social club -- "What's mine is yours" -- "You know how he is about women" -- "I want my $45 million back" -- "This is your family" -- "You want to go to war?" -- "I'd better not tell Manuela" -- "Operation freedom" -- "I never thought I'd see you again" -- "I'm not going to fire him" -- "This is your battle, not mine" -- "A public spectacle" -- "A modern-day love story" -- "No one likes drama" -- "An overwhelming stench of greed" -- "Don't go near this" -- "We all did that" -- "If Bobbie talks" -- "I was a good guy" -- "I feel sick all the time" -- "This is insanity" -- "Pencils down" -- "All out war" -- "A blatant abuse of power" -- "I was never a predator" -- "What the hell are you doing?" -- "Let's not get ahead of ourselves" -- "He wants to destroy me" -- "This is a deal breaker" -- "A once-unfathomable outcome" -- Epilogue

adult