Trade Papers Struggling in Hollywood

Variety's cost-cutting decision to lay off two of its most prominent critics and others last Monday sent shock waves through Hollywood. For generations, Variety's critics had a clout that far outweighed their number of readers, providing early readings on coming films and Broadway shows to an audience of powerful industry insiders. Then, on Tuesday, it faced a lawsuit that accused the paper of having lured a film producer into the Oscar race with promises of wide-ranging support through a $400,000 promotional package — only to wreck his movie's prospects with a negative review. The review, of the film "Iron Cross," was removed from the Internet when the producer complained in December. But it was restored more than two months later, after the dust-up had become a public embarrassment. The double punch became the latest in a series of blows that have people who live and die by entertainment news wondering if classic trade publishing, as practiced by Variety and its younger rival, The Hollywood Reporter, can even survive.