This summer, as the movie industry stumbles, suffering from a very painful case of "sequelitis," and "A Star is Born" (the fourth version) and "Groundhog Day" (the movie) are adapted for Broadway, it's clear that Groundhog Day-like reboots are increasingly replacing that much riskier notion: the idea of funding, nurturing, and believing in a (choke) completely original concept.

It's the dog days of August, and I'm stuck in mid-stick. So I figured I'd break away from all the heinous political stories eating away at our emotions and brains these days -- a numbing stream of analysis and coverage of mad bullies, deluded manipulators, and even reality-deniers. For relief, I eagerly cracked open the newly published doorstop-sized book "Power House: The Untold Story of Hollywood's Creative Artists Agency."

There is a referendum on gender happening in advertising. Painful as it is, the good news is that lately, progress is occurring at the speed of the 24/7 news cycle, rather than in fits and starts. That's only because male agency leaders have learned from previous humongous PR disasters.