The Morning Fix: Rooney retires. ‘Terra Nova’ no go. Get your own glasses.
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After the coffee. Before submitting my video to CBS for Andy Rooney’s job.
The Skinny: Don’t get caught in Rosh Hashanah traffic tonight. Wednesday’s headlines include the latest in the battle between Fox and the Dodgers, Sony’s decision to stop providing 3-D glasses and the not-so-great ratings for Fox’s ‘Terra Nova.’
Stealing signals! First, News Corp.’s Fox Sports loaned money to Dodgers owner Frank McCourt to help make payroll. Then it tried to extend its TV deal with the ball club. Now Fox is suing the team, alleging the Dodgers breached their contract with Fox while shopping around their future TV rights. In a nutshell, Fox is worried about being outbid for those rights by Time Warner Cable, which is starting its own regional sports network in Los Angeles and has already struck a deal for the Lakers. Details on the suit from the Los Angeles Times.
Terra Nogo. Fox’s epic family adventure ‘Terra Nova’ premiered to so-so numbers Monday night. The show, about a family that travels back to the dinosaur era to be part of a group trying to save the planet, drew fewer than 10 million viewers and a 3.1 rating among adults 18-49. While those numbers are better than what Fox was doing on Mondays last year, the high cost of ‘Terra Nova’ means one can’t just look at year-to-year comparisons in deciding whether the show performed well. Similar story for ‘The X Factor,’ which opened to lackluster numbers last week given all the cash spent on it. Ratings coverage from Variety.
Bring your own darn glasses. Sony Pictures told movie theater owners that starting in May 2012 it is going to stop footing the bill for 3-D glasses, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The move is likely to annoy the theater folks, who have already been spending lots upgrading their screens for the new technology.
Remodeling. Viacom’s Paramount Pictures becomes the latest studio to overhaul its distribution operation to put more emphasis on international sales as well as digital platforms. The biggest change in the new structure will be the departure of studio veterans Tom Lesinski and Jim Tharp. More on the reorganization from the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times and the Wrap.
It worked for Huff. The new political drama ‘Boss’ starring Kelsey Grammer as a tough Chicago mayor has not even premiered yet and the pay cable channel Starz has already renewed it for a second season. It is unusual but not unheard of, and Starz hopes it sends the signal to viewers that this show will be around for awhile, so start watching. More from Deadline Hollywood.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: ’60 Minutes’ curmudgeon Andy Rooney finally hangs it up. A look at the starring role the Los Angeles River has played in many Hollywood classics.
-- Joe Flint
Follow me on Twitter. I’m the Andy Rooney of tweets. Twitter.com/JBFlint
