The Morning Fix: Olympic channel mess; `Moneyball’ might get another swing; Lions Gate strengthens board
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After the coffee. Before the flight to Los Angeles.
Tarnished Gold. Comcast and the United States Olympic Committee’s plans to launch a cable network has hit snags and irritated the International Olympic Committee and NBC Universal, the long-time rights holders to the games in the U.S. The inside dirt from The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.
Play ball? Sony’s ill-fated ‘Moneyball’ may get another at bat. The movie about the economics of the national pastime starring Brad Pitt that the studio pulled the plug on last month, is getting a rewrite from Aaron Sorkin, says Variety. The New York Times adds that producer Scott Rudin may come aboard as well.
Beefing up. Lions Gate nominated its biggest shareholder -- Mark Rachesky -- to its board of directors. The move, says The Los Angeles Times, is an effort by Lions Gate to stave off activist shareholder Carl Icahn’s efforts to overhaul management at the studio. Rachesky, who used to work with Icahn, is supportive of Lions Gate brass.
Does `Harry Potter’ need fangs? The Wall Street Journal says the latest Harry Potter will have to attract teens who may now be bitten by ‘Twilight,’ the vampire saga. Warner Bros. is not worried.
Seacrest in! American Idol host and Simon Cowell foil is near a rich new deal to stay with the show and develop content for the show’s co-producer 19 Entertainment, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Tweet this. Movie studios adjust to a Twitter and Facebook world and what it means to marketing. Used to be word-of-mouth took a few days to spread, now it’s a few hours and that’s changing the game, reports The Wrap.
Mogul beat. The view from Google and other nuggets and gossip out of the Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley from The Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal and New York Post.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: Billy Mays keeps working even after death.
--Joe Flint
