Oracle CEO LARRY ELLISON "skipped a keynote address at his software company's massive annual customer conference on Tuesday to be on San Francisco Bay as his Oracle Team USA made a comeback in the America's Cup." Hundreds of Oracle OpenWorld attendees "streamed out of San Francisco's Moscone conference center after an Oracle executive announced that Ellison was still on a boat and would not attend the keynote presentation, a focal point of the annual event" (REUTERS, 9/24). Oracle declined to comment on Ellison's absence. He wanted to "get out the news about Oracle's new cloud services so he sent" Exec VP/Product Development THOMAS KURIAN to deliver the keynote in his place (WSJ.com, 9/24). CNBC's Becky Quick asked of Ellison, "What is his primary focus, America's Cup or the company?" CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin: "He looks like he's the absentee CEO. ... Maybe there's a company that operates and you don't even need to run it." CNBC's Joe Kernen said Ellison is "at a point in his career where he can definitely do what he wants" ("Squawk Box," CNBC, 9/25).
OFF THE BOOKS: Publisher Kar-Ben has pulled Brewers LF RYAN BRAUN "from the cover of 'JEWISH SPORTS STARS: ATHLETIC HEROES PAST AND PRESENT.'" The original edition was published in '06, and the second edition was originally "scheduled for August release but was moved to October so Kar-Ben could make the necessary changes." Braun was "replaced in the back cover copy and the jacket photo" by SANDY KOUFAX and gymnast ALY RAISMAN (PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.com, 9/23).
NAMES: Director DEREK CIANFRANCE is "in talks to direct 'ESPN: THOSE GUYS HAVE ALL THE FUN' for Focus about the rise of the dominant sports channel." The project is "based on the JAMES ANDREW MILLER and TOM SHALES book" (VARIETY.com, 9/24)....Former NFLer HUGH DOUGLAS was arrested Sunday "following a domestic incident at the Hartford Marriott Downtown" (HARTFORD COURANT, 9/25)....ESPN's JALEN ROSE yesterday spoke to a crowd of more than 1,000 at Central Michigan Univ., and "joined a growing list of former professional athletes to call for more financial support for scholarship student athletes" (FREEP.com, 9/24)....Bears K ROBBIE GOULD's charity, The Goulden Touch, is partnering with local high schools to raise meals for the Northern Illinois Food Bank’s backpack program (Illinois DAILY HERALD, 9/25)....Patriots QB TOM BRADY and his son, BENJAMIN, appeared at Patriots Owner ROBERT KRAFT’s home last night to “offer praise and congratulations to a group of Brandeis University students enrolled in a program named for Kraft’s late wife, MYRA” (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/25).
