Longtime corporate raider Carl Icahn, who took a run at Marvel a few years back (see 'Comic Wars -- A Financial Book You Can Sell'), is now working the video business. In regulatory filings on Tuesday, he disclosed that he's trying to force a merger of Blockbuster Video and Hollywood Entertainment, the two largest video retail chains. Icahn is now the largest shareholder of both chains, with over 5% of Blockbuster and 9.5% of Hollywood.
Blockbuster made a bid for Hollywood in November (see 'More Home Video Consolidation?'); there are now three or more bidders for Hollywood. But with Icahn's accumulation of stock, there may be new momentum for the merger.
