So much for discretion

The world really doesn't need another profile of NBC head programmer and child-about-town, Ben Silverman, but his nasty attack on ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson in next month's Esquire is already making the rounds. He describes McPherson and Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly (his predecessor at NBC) as "D-girls," which the magazine describes as "industry slang for cute young development execs with little power." Naturally, there's a backstory: Reilly was fired in order to bring on Silverman and McPherson is a good friend of Reilly's. Both have been less than gracious about Silverman's advancement, and Silverman is returning the favor, saying that Reilly has been "shockingly lacking grace. Everyone knows that somebody doesn't show up and say, 'Hey, I want that job.' That's not how it works. You get pursued." As for McPherson:

"He's a moron," Silverman says of McPherson, his voice raising. "I delivered him a huge hit that he didn't want: Ugly Betty. He hated the show, he didn't want America Ferrera, he didn't understand why I pitched it to him seventeen times and wouldn't stop. Then it delivered despite that. And every time we would do well, he'd try to find some issue with it. I think he wishes he had been a producer. He's a sad man, like a miserable guy stuck operating as an executive. And it probably makes him nuts that this kid who's five years younger than him is producing hit shows and then goes and gets his job in an end run -- and a much bigger job than he has." (McPherson and Reilly declined to respond; an ABC spokeswoman says Silverman's Ugly Betty story is inaccurate and distorts the way the pitch process works.)

Time out for a shower.