Pictured (l to r): David Geffen, Suge Knight, Chuck Philips.

Sure, on Friday I jested a bit at the expense of Chuck Philips and the LA Times. (I'm a professional asshole and truthteller. I'm just doing my job.)

Please, though, do not mistake any humor made at Philips expense for a claim that he, historically speaking, has done anything less than a stellar job as the LA Times's entertainment industry reporter.

However, I will plainly and proudly state that the LA Times is a poor excuse for a newspaper. That's why the New York Times does so well here. Need evidence? Next time you're at Sunday brunch in Los Angeles check out what paper everyone around you is reading. Full stop.

But, anyway, back in the day when the LA Times was (somewhat) less horrible, and I bothered to read it with some regularity, Philips entertainment industry pieces were one of the few bright spots in an otherwise blighted, stupid, and irrelevant publication.

Moral of this story: Let's not hang the messenger, let's see if we can put the paper out of business! Or better yet read this comment that came in response to a self-congratulatory interview with Philips the LA Times ran on its Soundboard blog:

Chuck Phillips is paid by Suge Knight and is in his pocket like a #2 pencil.

Hmm, wouldn't it be awesome if David Geffen joined forces with Suge to actually purchase the paper? If, as they say, politics really is the entertainment industry for ugly people, maybe newspaper publishing is the music industry for former moguls who no longer understand music?

I am also an idea man.

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