So Paramount chief Brad Grey, who yesterday lost “an aggressive bid” to be recognized by the Producers Guild of America as one of the producers of Martin Scorsese‘s The Departed (per Claudia Eller’s 1.4.07 L.A. Times story), is this year’s Bob Yari?
“People who have talked to the studio chief said he was angered by the guild’s decision but had not made up his mind whether to appeal to the academy,” Eller reports. “Scorsese reportedly advised Grey on Wednesday to appeal to the guild’s executive committee should The Departed be nominated.”
She adds, however, that “any such move to appeal carries big risks for Grey” because it “could it come off as an unseemly grab for personal glory to Hollywood insiders. To his bosses at Viacom Inc., it would [also] put him in direct competition with his own studio. Paramount’s Dreamgirls and Babel, which also received guild nominations, are strong contenders for the best picture Oscar.”