Grainge New World

LUCIAN'S CUTTING EDGE: This week’s desultory nine-month UMG earnings report (see Rumor Mill below), which posted a 9.3% drop, has new chief Lucian Grainge sharpening his knife, according to a story in today’s U.K. Guardian here. That’s no secret, of course, as Grainge continues to meet with staff at his L.A. base. Most interesting quote in the article comes from Vivendi CFO Philippe Capron, who said, “A lot of fat can be taken out without hurting the muscles and bones,” adding that there was ‘very, very significant potential for cost savings" at the world’s largest record group. Vivendi’s overall Q3 growth was boosted thanks to video game division Activision, which sold 5.6 million copies of the $59.99 Call of Duty: Black Ops on its first day. (11/16p)