In a fairly unprecedented move for a film critic at a major publication, New York Magazine's David Edelstein issued an apology for his eulogy last week attributing late filmmaker Anthony Minghella's artistic slump to the meddling of his studio backer (and good friend) Harvey Weinstein. "I had decided to eat shit even before Harvey called," Edelstein wrote today. Wait — Harvey actually called? "Yes, he called — did you think he wouldn't?" Edelstein continued. "He was the soul of politeness, believe it or not. He said he cried for hours when he got the news. He said Minghella came to him with most of the projects. He said despite his 'Harvey Scissorhands' reputation, Minghella was not a man whose work you recut." Edelstein (who also noted Defamer's reaction at the time) later reaffirmed his right to give Harvey shit at a later time, to which we hear Weinstein recommended the Oct. 31 release date of Kevin Smith's latest, Zack and Miri Make a Porno. [NYM]

New York magazine film critic David Edelstein issues a bit of a mea culpa this morning, regarding Anthony Minghella and some not-so-pleasant comments he made about the late filmmaker's oeuvre. Last week he suggested that the English writer-director was perhaps artistically bullied by former Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein. Once Miramax got a hold of Minghella, Edelstein argued, Weinstein coerced him into directing high-gloss prestige pictures, Oscar-bait that didn't exactly sync up with the ragged little edge he showed in his first film, Truly, Madly, Deeply. Now, just a few short days later, Edelstein is recanting.

Our day just wouldn't feel complete without an update from the spittle-streaked slapfight surrounding Fanboys, the geek-world equivalent of a cuddly endangered panda being shepherded to its unwitting demise through the dark reaches of Harvey's Ye Olde Butchery and Movie Co. The pimpled purists still plan to boycott Friday's release of Superhero Movie if the Weinstein Company doesn't promise to leave Fanboys' critical cancer subplot intact, but a series of e-mail dialogues published Wednesday on /film indicates that Harvey's designated re-shooter, Steven Brill, has a thin skin that itches like crazy:

Harvey Weinstein's tough week didn't get any easier today, with his Marley family squabbles and Star Wars-geek travails cycling back around this morning to the Anthony Minghella tragedy that started it all. Except that film critic David Edelstein had more than what you might call a moment of clarity in his New York Magazine blog entry slamming Harvey for the filmmaker's artistic demise:

After last weekend's flash of rebellion threatening to engulf parents' basements across America with smoldering dork rage, the Weinstein Company announced late Monday that it would in fact release the Star Wars-devotee dramedy Fanboys on DVD in both a cancer-subplot-free edit and the original, disease-of-the-geek version preferred by the angry fans at StopDarthWeinstein.com. But that's not enough for the fanboy offensive, who lashed out in protest yet again this morning:

Still reeling from the shock of close friend and colleague Anthony Minghella's sudden death last Tuesday, Harvey Weinstein's hope for a quiet week around the office was vanquished late Friday as resistance mounted for two of his company's upcoming projects. And you have to know that when you've made enemies of groups as diverse as Bob Marley's family and Star Wars fanboys, things really aren't going your way.

Details regarding director Anthony Minghella's sudden death early this morning are finally emerging, with the official cause of death now listed as a brain hemorrhage, which may have been a result of surgery he had several days ago to remove a growth in his neck. Harvey Weinstein, a longtime collaborator of Minghella's who distributed all five of his theatrical features in the States (ultimately handling his final film, No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, as a TV pilot with HBO and the BBC), issued a poignant remembrance to Variety:

Radar's "Harvey Weinstein judges your worst possible movie pitch" feature is actually pretty funny! But guys, this thing looks suspiciously like that notoriously terrible thing. [Radar]

• Singer Britney Spears, said to be worth around $50 million, has become steadily more sane since her father was placed in control of her finances and other affairs several weeks ago. She parted ways with hanger-on ex-paparazzo Adnan Ghalib and earned the right to see her children more often. Apparently her father is compensated at $2,500 per week for his oversight, and the many tabloids that make money off Spears insanity are incredulous. So is comedian Rosie O'Donnell, who wrote in her Web Q&A forum that Spears' dad's high pay has become "the problem." Apparently these people have never priced rehab, or done some simple math on the scale of Spears' image problem.

With interests including Halston, A Small World and, well, the Weinstein Company, the post-Miramax Weinstein brothers have proven their uncanny ability to diversify, crash and burn as well as any moguls this side of Charles Keating. No reversal of fortune is complete, however, without a boutique DVD label and a few classics freshly extracted from Harvey Weinstein's TiVo:

Weinstein is a legendary film producer who co-founded Miramax with his brother, Bob. Notoriously quick-tempered Harvey now presides over The Weinstein Company with his lower-key sibling. The Weinsteins founded Miramax in 1979, focusing on small art-house films throughout the '80s, including Errol Morris' The Thin Blue Line. The movie that ignited their careers—and the entire indie film movement—was Steven Soderbergh's sex, lies and videotape in 1989, which made Miramax the leading independent production studio in America. Harvey and his brother went on a tear during the '90s, producing such films as Oscar-winners The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, and Good Will Hunting. In addition to an Oscar for producing Shakespeare in Love, Harvey has seven Tonys for his productions of numerous Broadway hits. The brothers left Disney-acquired Miramax in 2005 to form their own production company, producing a few semi-successful films (Hoodwinked and Michael Moore's Sicko, for example), though not approaching the success of Miramax in its heyday. His second—and current—wife is designer Georgina Chapman.

It's halftime for the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, and while Paris plays air guitar, Mischa buys guitars, and Dennis Quaid signs guitars, Hollywood has collectively sighed after every flick being screened, save for a sad handful of standouts. But taking the fest's past few years into consideration, we're starting to grow wary of Sundance's power in both next year's Oscar race AND at the box office. So far the most exciting thing we've heard from Utah has to do with Sarah Jessica Parker and her non-comments on the most overhyped movie ever (SATC: The Movie, in case you hadn't heard), and the to-be-bomb isn't even showing there.

• Caribbean fisherman fracas blocks harbors, possibly endangers movie semi-mogul Harvey Weinstein's honeymoon; the big man and his wifey have rented Denise Rich's yacht for half a million bucks for two weeks, regarding which we wonder: Why is benefit-addict Denise Rich always renting everything out? Her Southampton house, her boat... doesn't she just ever loan anyone anything? [Page Six]

· Continuing in the proud tradition of investigative journalism that's yielded penetrating reports on in the parking lots of local clubs, TMZ TV goes deep inside the world of Hollywood tour guides who could be better informed about the sights on their bus routes.
· Harvey Weinstein denies being a DJ-battering badass willing to throw down to defend the honor of a female companion.
·The author of Rosemary's Baby has passed.
· GSN is happily promoting itself as "The Other Strike-Proof Basic Cable Network."
· The first pics of Winona Ryder's son have made it online.

• Angelina Jolie's massive rump tried to escape her Versace leather pants at a 'Beowulf' premiere, which, by the way, doesn't 'Beowulf' look terrible? [Us Weekly]

Lynn Hirschberg unloads in this weekend's Times' T mag on how all the moguls dress terribly nowadays; she lumps in the sometimes-bad dresser Barry Diller with the frequent offender Harvey Weinstein. "Scientists should stop investigating the links between fat friends, fast food and obesity and concentrate on the pernicious impact of stretch fabric. When a waistband can give and give, why should anyone stop eating? When a shirt does not need to be tucked in, who cares about the belly beneath?" Well... true! But she goes on to note that if lady-moguls dressed this poorly, their business choices would get seriously questioned. So did she miss the last two years of everyone asking if Harvey had lost it, having thrown an empire in the trash and all? And also that thing a couple weeks ago, when her fashion critic colleague Cathy Horyn called Harvey a "bearish hetero"?

• Concert mishap-prone diva Beyonce Knowles accidentally flashed her tits to an audience. And this had her lookin' so crazy, etc. [Hollywoodtuna which, actually, just typing that makes us feel gross]
  

"'I may be jumping the gun," [Harvey] Weinstein said, "but if Cate Blanchett doesn't get nominated, I'll shoot myself.'" [NYT]

Harvey Weinstein, seasonal mounter of bloody, take-no-prisoners Oscar campaigns that leave scores of voters forever scarred by his onslaught, knows that it's never to early to start For Your Consideration pimping for his beloved talent. In a NY Times story about the strategically slow rollout of I'm Not There, the Bob Dylan biopic (trailer here for the curious) in which the musician is portrayed by no fewer than 700 different actors, Weinstein threatens suicide if his favorite Dylan isn't recognized by the Academy:

Get ready for the most synergistic fashion happening of our times! Famously difficult movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is going to make '70s brand Halston "the first American global luxury brand - an American LVMH." How will he accomplish this? "The film studio owned by the brothers Weinstein plans to dress actors in its movies in Halston fashions, hold a fashion show at next year's Cannes Film Festival and possibly open a stand-alone store in Manhattan." After all, nothing captures the experimental, artistic spirit of fashion more than enforced brand partnership. And somehow, this will also help make Halston seem irreproachably upscale: "'Louis Vuitton and Gucci are amazing, but this has the potential to be the classiest American brand,' Weinstein has said." Harvey is just a classy guy. Maybe his new focus on classiness will even lead him to shell out for business class tickets for his employees next time they all have to fly someplace!

Weinsteins Poach Choo Exec For Halston [NYP]