Rupert Murdoch may have just made his shrewdest decision in, well, a long time.

Late last night reports emerged that Murdoch’s son, James, was no longer the de facto successor for the CEO spot, as some had assumed. Rupert’s now putting his trust in Wilford Brimley’s nephew News Corp COO Chase Carey, whom Murdoch described as his “partner” during an earnings call. If we had an inkling over James Murdoch’s troubles at News Corp before, this latest development more or less confirms our suspicions.

Yesterday was a good day for James Murdoch — BSkyB had announced they’d keep him on as chairman, which was sort of a crucial win for the embattled media titan. And while Parliament did note that wanted “further details” on some of his disputed claims, Murdoch could address these issues in writing, without going through the ordeal of (yet another) hearing. Or so we thought.

Now it would seem that Parliament is ready to call Murdoch back — we just don’t know when.

That crackling sound you may be hearing is an army of torch-wielding populists. Why? Because Rupert and James Murdoch are both in line for multimillion-dollar bonuses. Really.

It would seem that Rupert and James could soon receive cash bonuses of up to $25 million and $12 million, respectively, according to the Guardian based on their year-to-June-30 job performances. Two questions emerge from this new development: 1) Will either father or son actually end up with this purse, given the level of public scrutiny they each face? and 2) How the heck do you assess “job performance” given these circumstances?

This week’s winner? Joel Klein… sort of.

Our winner this week faces a bit of an uphill battle. It’s true that Joel Klein has emerged as the new voice of reason over at News Corp — he’s the man beloved by Rupert Murdoch — and it’s fair to say that he’s now cemented his status as a “Mr. Fix-It” for moguls. But it’s also true that Klein may have never wanted this role (according to the Times) in the first place. He’s been tasked with leading an internal investigation over the phone hacking allegations that plague News Corp. It’s going to be a grueling assignment — one that (potentially) could make or break his career.

Let’s face it: this has been a tough week for News Corp. Between the Parliament hearing, the foam attack, the allegatons from News Corp’s old attorneys and the allegations from News of the World ex-employees Colin Myler and Tom Crone, the Murdoch clan has faced a brutal amount of criticism.

And now new reports show there’s increased speculation over whether James Murdoch is going to get out of this mess. So, will he speak up?

He’s the heir apparent who’s now, apparently, erred.

During the Parliament hearings, James Murdoch might have appeared the Winklevoss to his Dad’s Mr. Magoo — handsome, sharp and quick with an answer — but the brainy protege of media’s most (in)famous mogul is now facing a landslide of accusations he can’t outrun. And while Rupert Murdoch’s career is in jeopardy, it’s arguably less important than James’. After all, the elder Murdoch is 80 and may or may not be senile, depending on how convincing you found his “old man” performance on Tuesday.

But will Rupert’s would-be rising star bounce back from this mess? We sincerely doubt it.