MSN goes Hollywood

And the also-ran Microsoft portal is doing it with a production company formed by former Fox and Paramount honcho Gail Berman, and former Disney and Yahoo big cheese Lloyd Braun. BermanBraun, as the L.A. production company is called, will develop and maintain an entertainment-focused Web site within the MSN portal. The new site will launch in early 2009. No word yet on the kind of entertainment they're talking about or how much BermanBraun will get paid. Numerous players are getting the feel of Web-based entertainment, but this venture stands out because Braun and Berman are two of Hollywood's bigger names - or at least they used to be. From the NYT:

BermanBraun will sell ads for the site in partnership with MSN, according to an advertising executive who was briefed on the plans but who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. One potential advertiser is Pepsi, which holds a first-look deal with BermanBraun to sponsor online projects. A Pepsi spokeswoman said it was too early to comment.