'We're Not Gonna Kill Him': New Tape Catches Sumner Redstone Leak-Hunting

I guess if you're 87-year-old Sumner Redstone, there's a certain aloof magic that accompanies your self-appointment-for-life as Viacom kingpin. Not that his public boldness is anything especially new (ask everyone from his daughter to Tom Cruise), but his latest pickle offers a unique new perspective on his megapower's dark side. Why? It's all on tape! Click through and listen in.

Don't expect any Gibsonesque meltdowns or Balesque remixes with this one, though. Instead, just sit back and wonder what in God's name Redstone -- a media titan who has been dealing with industry politics, policies, and reporters for decades -- is doing asking Daily Beast journalist Peter Lauria for one of his sources. "We have to have the name of the person who gave you that story," Redstone says with total equanimity. "We're not gonna kill him; we just wanna talk to him. We're not gonna fire him; we just wanna talk to him."

Ah, of course. "That story" happens to be one Lauria contributed last month about the Electric Barbarellas, a sexy but not-so-talented all-girl band whom dirty old man Redstone was pushing to see on MTV. This despite network CEO Judy McGrath's objections to the girls' generally terrible pilot episode, which an anonymous source said were strenuous enough to consider resigning -- if she wasn't fired first.

The saga continues today, with Redstone on the source-prowl and appealing to Lauria's credibility: "Your story said the girls have no talent," Redstone told him. "Obviously, intentionally or not, the story was false. I think I'm doing the right thing in talking to you because you were misled and I don't think you want to be a party to something that was misleading. I have a sense that you want true stories."

Of course. With this in mind, can you believe Sumner Redstone actually left this voicemail? OK, don't answer that.

· Sumner's Witch Hunt [The Daily Beast]