James Murdoch Rides High on 'Guardian' Media List; Papa Rupert Places As Well

What Master of the Universe doesn't want to see his children do well? But do better than him—in this case, earn a higher ranking on is The Guardian's long-running Media 100 list? Well, that may be another story entirely.

Rupert Murdoch, head of News, Corp.—owners of The Wall Street Journal, FOX, FOX News, and, well, just about everything else—cracked the list at a respectable #6. (The two-headed Google Monster known as Sergey Brin and Larry Page shared the #1 spot.) But in what must surely add some Oedipal frisson the Murdoch family's next reunion, son James beat out pop grabbing the #3 spot. Atta boy, son!

According to The Guardian write-up, Murdoch fil beat out père because of, "Rupert Murdoch's focus on his US business and the Wall Street Journal, where he has been leading the battle against the Financial Times and New York Times." James, on the other hand, continues to run the company's increasingly important Asia operations and is poised to become head of News International in September. So while pops was busy polishing his post-mid-life crisis toy, sonny boy breezed on by.

Conventional wisdom suggests James is in line to succeed his old man as head of News, Corp., it wasn't always so when older brother Lachlan and sister Elisabeth were more involved in the family business. But James better watch out: Grace and Chloe (both age 7) have already made the scene at Herb Allen's Sun Valley Retreat and who knows what they have in mind for their big brother.