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In a bizarre development that I can only imagine will be very embarrassing to Sirius XM's morning man Howard Stern , a bootlegged copy of the JJ Abrams-directed Super 8 has shown up on content-thieving websites. The print is watermarked with the Paramount Pictures logo , and " H Stern " in the right-hand corner. Film companies and networks like HBO routinely personalize advance screeners to safeguard against piracy. There is widespread speculation the leak came from a DVD sent to the show. I see that already, the Sternfannetwork.com features an "over/under" asking commenters to decide if Stern got $50,000 for posting the film. That is preposterous. Stern receives advance screeners so he can talk knowledgeably about upcoming films he likes, and because he does superb interviews with directors and stars. He will be upset if his show breached a trust with Abrams, a longtime friend who once thrilled Stern's daughters by putting them on his series Felicity. Th

In 2004, before Howard Stern signed a blockbuster deal with Sirius Satellite Radio, he thought about retiring. Instead, he took a "significant risk" and went with Sirius. The moment is captured in a lawsuit filed today in New York Superior Court where Stern's company, One Twelve Inc., and his agent Don Buchwald are pressing charges that Sirius XM Radio stiffed them on promised stock. In 2004, Stern was negotiating with both Sirius and XM, two rivals before they merged in 2008. In the lawsuit, Stern says Sirius got the upper hand by promising him that he would be treated like more than just an employee; that he would share in the company's success. "Sirius needed Stern more than Stern needed Sirius," says the complaint. Sirius signed a deal with Stern whereby One Twelve would be paid performance-based compensation based on escalating stock awards. The promises of stock are said to have been tied to subscriber growth. The rewards were set at high leve

Where Will He End Up? Howard Stern could broadcast live on Sirius XM for the last time on Dec. 16. After that, he heads for his annual end-of-year vacation and there still is no decision as to whether he’ll renew his contract, which expires on Dec. 31 and sets Sirius XM back a hefty $100 million every year. Speaking at a UBS investor conference in New York on Monday, Sirius XM CFO David Frear said he is “hopeful” that Stern sticks with the company, but hinted that if he does it would be for less money. Frear also acknowledged that there could be other offers Stern is considering, maybe even one from Apple to do a show on iTunes . “He could decide that he doesn’t want to get up that early in the morning. That he’d like to do a shorter show. That he’d like to do it somewhere else,” Frear said. “The Internet, whether it’s through iTunes or something else, is always a possibility.” Apple did not respond to requests for a comment. And it's not only Stern who is expected to

Will Howard Stern Return? The Howard Stern Show's final live broadcast on Sirius XM Radio under the shock jock's current contract is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 17 , and the two sides continue to negotiate a possible extension, according to Stern's producer. " Howard is negotiating, but we've never gone this far before," Stern show producer Gary Dell'Abate said in an appearance on radio station WFAN's Boomer & Carton show on Friday, according to radio industry news site FMQB. "I've never gone down to the wire like this and everybody is nervous, including me." Dell'Abate added that Stern wants "to continue here at satellite radio, but if it doesn't work out, the one thing he said is, 'I want to continue to do radio.'" Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmazin on his firm's recent earnings conference call said the had no update on the Stern situation beyond saying that discussions continue. Deal terms, inclu

PTC Getting Excited About Howard Stern For Nothing Why would Fox think it would be a good idea to have Howard Stern act as a judge for next years American Idol? Does he have any musical talent at all? Didn't think so. Maybe they are thinking that with Simon moving on to his new show they will need someone to help keep the ratings going. Now, I've stayed quiet on the Stern stuff because the whole notion seemed ridiculous from the outset. Do you think Fox would risk its top-rated family-friendly franchise by putting Stern on the air? Correction: On the air live? And despite his popularity among radio listeners, the man is Kryptonite to TV advertisers -- just ask E!, which used to run his talk show. Fox wants ads from Coca-Cola and Ford, not Valtrex and phone sex lines. And now we get this The Parents Television Council has extended its broadcast TV neurosis to a new level: issuing press releases about events that have not happened. Usually, something actually has to occur on tel

Howard Stern Who Can Afford Him? I was a huge Howard Stern fan ever since I could get his channel 9 show in high school, and while he was on the radio, but once he moved over to satellite then that is where it all ended for me. I wasn't going to pay for radio, no way in hell. And I was broke at the time too. I have caught a few of his shows on XM and they just aren't the same. When he was on the radio the entire Stern team had to work hard and creatively to get there bits on air. But being on satellite they can say what they want, which has caused the show to lose it magic. Perhaps not technically, but Stern's on-air mentions of his exclusive Sirius XM Radio deal winding down at year's end, and his hedged proclamations of competing offers, are what one insider called his "method of operation." Not only is it his way of rallying his fan base so they'll agitate on his behalf, but he also is making sure that celestial and terrestrial radio know they'll ne