As first foreseen here last week, bad news rolled into Picturehouse HQ today in the form of a batch of pink slips. Warner Bros, is shuttering the art-house/indie/foreign distribution arm in the wake of its belt-tightening at Picturehouse's parent company New Line; we're a little more surprised, however, to read that Warners is also closing shop at Warner Independent Pictures. We knew Jeff Robinov and Alan Horn were unhappy with the boutique business, but Jesus. Picturehouse chief Bob Berney and WIP boss Polly Cohen, tagged for a possible (if implausible) power-sharing arrangement as recently as last week, are both being shown the door, as are both offices' staffs in New York and Los Angeles. We'll be following up later with word on that rumored independent venture of Berney's, but in the meantime, the full press release from Warner Bros. follows after the jump.

Will superfine motorcyclist George Clooney be the latest celebrity to participate in the U.K. Independent's gimmicky Famous Guest Editor campaign? According to the Guardian, the Ocean's Eleven star is in negotiations with the paper. He'd be following in Bono's footsteps. [Guardian]

When he wasn't busy blacking up Kate Moss for his editorial stint on Britain's Independent, designer and disembodied head/hand Giorgio Armani found time to weigh in — get it! — on the thin/fat model teapot-tempest that continues to rage. Well, maybe "rage" isn't the right word. Armani certainly plays the peacemaker, dismissing complainers as alarmists who "exaggerate the problem." And even though he admits his models have always been on "the slender side" (because his clothes must "hang correctly on the body"), the anorexic model trend ain't nothin' to do with him. As counter-example, Armani even takes time to gingerly trod on Gianni Versace's grave, all but calling his dead competitor a chubby chaser. The article's behind the Independent's subscription wall, so we present it for your delectation after the jump.

Here's the front of today's Independent (UK), guest-designed by Giorgio Armani. We've very little to add, save to say that putting Kate Moss in blackface makes it much easier to see the coke you're cutting on the cover.