Big Fat Story
Italian PM blames The Times of London.
Silvio Berlusconi’s wife originally leveled accusations that he has had inappropriate relationships with minors, but the Italian prime minister and media mogul has decided to blame Rupert Murdoch. Berlusconi claims that Murdoch is using one of his newspapers, The Times of London, to editorialize inappropriately about the PM’s alleged misconduct as payback for a dispute between the Italian government and Murdoch’s Sky Italia network over taxes. In an interview, Berlusconi said, “I don’t mean to be nasty but unfortunately with the episode on VAT for Sky there was a breakdown in relations with the Sky group and with Murdoch’s group, which has published a series of very critical articles attacking me.” What’s in the articles that so angered Berlusconi? One compared him to the Roman emperor Tiberius, who was as “notorious for his sexual frolics as he was keen to keep them quiet.” The other was an editorial called “The Clown’s Mask Slips.” It called him a “chauvinist buffoon” and denounced “the utter contempt with which he treats the Italian public.”
The moguls have a lot in common—it’s no surprise they used to be pals.
For years, starting in the mid-1990s, Berlusconi and Murdoch would dine together at one of Berlusconi’s Italian villas, devising ways to work together to take over the media world. After all, on paper, the duo seemed a perfect match: Both have had to manage pesky family dramas; both have a penchant for younger women (Murdoch’s third and current wife is nearly 40 years his junior; Murdoch has been called the devil, while the Vatican is none too pleased with his former Italian buddy. Starting in 2003, though, when Murdoch’s created Sky Italia, it’s been a downhill series of turf wars and power plays over the Italian media. Thankfully, neither seems heartbroken by the falling out.
Silvio Berlusconi is usually able to charm his way out of anything, but even he’s having trouble disentangling himself from a rumored sex scandal with a minor. Berlusconi, 72, reportedly flew out teenage model Noemi Letizia, who calls him “papi,” to his private villa for a party when she was just 17. Veronica Lario, the prime minister’s wife, who’s long complained about her husband’s infidelity, said she could “not stay with a man who frequents minors,” and she is seeking a divorce. Berlusconi gave Letizia thousands of dollars worth of jewelry for her 18th birthday, and claimed he was an old family friend, though nothing seems to support that assertion. The relationship is paternal, he says, and he’s willing to resign if someone proves otherwise: “I have sworn it on the life of my children. And I have said that I am aware that, if this were perjury, I would have to resign a minute later.” This isn’t Berlusconi’s first brush with scandal. He’s been accused of corruption and of filling his cabinet with beautiful but underqualified women.
Billionaire Smackdown
They’re at it again. Billionaire media moguls Silvio Berlusconi and Rupert Murdoch are feuding, as Berlusconi has blamed the brouhaha over his divorce and alleged affairs with underage women on “foreign newspapers which are critical [and] are inspired by certain Italian dailies which are owned by someone opposed to the Mediaset group.” Asked if he meant Murdoch, Berlusconi said “exactly.” The Daily Beast examines the long history between these two former friends.
Murdoch and Berlusconi have suited up for battle before: Their conflicts revolve around Murdoch’s attempts to break Berlusconi’s media hegemony in Italy. So far, the Australian seems to be succeeding: Sky Italia’s $3.2 billion in 2008 earnings closed in on Mediaset’s $4 billion. In recent months, Berlusconi’s Mediaset has accused Murdoch’s Sky Italia of trying to steal its big-name presenters. In 2008, Berlusconi’s government passed a 20 percent tax on pay-television subscriptions—a move many thought favored Berlusconi’s Mediaset. Sky Italia responded by airing ads urging Italians to protest the tax hike. Berlusconi believes that this tax spat underlies Murdoch’s recent Times of London attacks on his alleged misdeeds with underage women.
Berlusconi isn’t the first media titan to go to war with Murdoch. The son of a powerful newspaper owner, Murdoch grew up amid epic feuding among Australia’s tribal media. Murdoch has been accused of taking the intermedia violence too far: When he moved into the U.S. market, he immediately stepped on media tycoon Ted Turner’s toes. Turner said he was “looking forward to squishing Rupert like a bug” when Murdoch launched Fox News in 1996, and Time Warner temporarily refused to carry the channel. Turner later claimed Murdoch had him tailed by private eyes in the ’80s to prove Turner was crazy. Not content to see another former rival, Conrad Black, behind bars, Murdoch’s New York Post sent letters to Black’s fellow inmates seeking information about the disgraced news baron. Fellow billionaire Sir Richard Branson called Murdoch “a threat to democracy” when he blocked Branson’s bid to buy into the U.K.’s largest cable TV broadcaster. And in perhaps the saddest battle, Murdoch clashed with his own son, who quit News Corp. in 2005 amid rumors he was upset his father was factoring children from a later marriage into family trusts.
How ugly has the feud between Berlusconi and Murdoch gotten? In April, Murdoch’s Sky Italia channel broadcast a movie about a plot to kidnap Berlusconi. It’s title? Killing Silvio. Berlusconi was “furious” about the film, according to the Guardian, and his spokesman said it was intended to “instigate hatred against the prime minister.”
psalmist
Flight 447 Airbus is 145 miles off the coast of Brazil on the oceam floor!!!!!!!
Observations
Mr. Murdoch himself is married to a significantly younger woman. Also, his relationship with certain children has been reportedly been "strained". Does he need to call the kettle black?
Let's say this: woman don't want to have sex with significantly older men, unless there's something BIG in it for them. And, usually, it involves a lot of cash; right along with power.
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