The Morning Fix: The teen view on media use; ABC's Jackson deal; HBO and Comcast's deal, Bruno gets close shave

After the coffee. Before plotting to leave work early to watch the All-Star game.

Out of the mouth of babes. A 15 year-old summer intern at Morgan Stanley's London office is making waves with his in-depth analysis of media consumption by teenagers. Among the highlights: Teens don't Twitter (my niece already told me that) and they find online advertising incredibly annoying (don't we all). Details from The Financial Times and The Guardian. Teens won't read those articles either.

Amazon + Netflix? The rumor mill was swirling yesterday with talk about Amazon looking to buy Netflix. While on the surface such a pairing may seem a little odd, it's not as crazy as it seems, reports The Los Angeles Times' David Sarno. Kara Swisher of The Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital thinks that Microsoft is a better fit for Netflix.

It's not broadband, it's HBO. Cable giant Comcast has signed up HBO for its "OnDemand Online" test in which subscribers can watch the pay channel's content online provided they already pay for it on cable - and can prove it. Broadcasting & Cable.

Shrinking Star. The Hollywood Reporter reports that News Corp. is cutting and consolidating at Star TV, its Asian television unit. The Reporter says that Star COO Laureen Ong, who had been there for two years after running the National Geographic Channel here, has been "effectively pink-slipped."

Pay for an interview? Never. ABC News says it did not pay Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson for an interview. The network did cut a $200,000 check for some video footage though. The Los Angeles Times.

Grim reality. There are consequences for children whose lives get exposed on reality TV, says The Wrap.

Back in action. Bob Woodruff, the ABC News anchor who was severely wounded in Iraq three years ago is returning there for the first time. He is on a reporting trip with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and will focus on new technologies used to better fight injuries, says The New York Times.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: "Bruno" gets toned down for Britain. Blockbuster beefs up on-demand with Samsung deal. A closer look at "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest's big deal and what it could mean for Simon Cowell.

-- Joe Flint

Follow me on Twitter

After the coffee. Before figuring out whether "Bruno" is a hit or a flop. 

Hit or miss? An opening weekend of $30.4 million for a relatively low-budget comedy should be reason to celebrate. But in the case of "Bruno," which did $14.4 million on Friday, but tailed off for the rest of the weekend, the verdict is mixed. The Los Angeles Times says "Bruno" won't do "Borat" numbers. More box office analysis from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

"True Blood" boiling for HBO. The vampire drama "True Blood" has pumped new life into HBO. The show is generating ratings not seen for years at the pay cable network as it appeals to a wide range of viewers, no small feat in today's niche world. The New York Times.

Ryan's riches. The Hollywood Reporter says "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest's new three-year deal to stay with the show and develop new programs for its producer 19 Entertainment is worth $45 million. Next up for the producers, getting Simon Cowell a new deal.

Gersh growth: The Gersh Agency has a new locale, is expanding its reach and will now be known simply as Gersh. Also, there's a new Gersh scion in the picture as well. Deadline Hollywood Daily

Universal unrest? The Wrap's Sharon Waxman weighs in on all the rumors surrounding NBC Universal ranging from a shake-out at the studio to speculation on what Vivendi will do with its 20% stake in the company. The verdict? So far a lot more smoke than fire.

At least they won't have to put him up in a nice hotel. Investor Bernie Madoff is a big get for TV news. The challenge will be convincing him to go on camera. Producers speculate on the best approach. Broadcasting & Cable.

Soft upfront won't help online. Don't look for online advertising to benefit from the woes of the television industry, says PaidContent.

Business Week looks for buyer. Bloomberg is reporting that Business Week parent McGraw Hill is looking to sell. It's been a tough year for biz mags (and everyone else) as Forbes and Fortune are looking thin and Portfolio shut down.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Transformers is a hit in the toy section as well. Tourists now add reality shows to their Hollywood site-seeing. HBO's "Teddy" is high on praise, soft on analysis. 

--Joe Flint

Follow me on Twitter

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

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before trying to figure out how Twitter will make money.

Going for the cable gold. The United States Olympic Committee is partnering with cable giant Comcast Corp. to a launch a new Olympic-themed network. The channel will likely debut sometime after the 2010 winter games in Vancouver. The Los Angeles Times.

Twitter, MySpace and LeBron on ice. Wrap ups on Wednesday's action at the Allen & Co. conference from the The Los Angeles Times, The Financial Times and The New York Post, which speculates on whether John Malone could be a white knight for Harvey Weinstein's film company. 

Who cares what Malone and Diller think. TechCrunch's Michael Arrington takes issue with John Malone and Barry Diller's bleak assessment of Twitter.

Ad recession hitting social networks. Advertising on social networks such as MySpace and Facebook is going to decline in 2009, says a new study from research firm eMarketer. The firm says ad spending in the U.S. will drop 3% to $1.1 billion. That prediction is a sharp reduction from last December when the firm anticipated growth in that arena of more than 10%. The Wall Street Journal.

NBC selling cable. While its broadcast upfront is still in limbo, NBC Universal is briskly selling inventory in its cable networks including USA and Bravo, reports Advertising Age.

Action Jackson. Over 31 million viewers watched the Michael Jackson memorial coverage on Tuesday. The Hollywood Reporter. 

TiVo and Best Buy align. TiVo is going to create a special version of its recorder specifically for retailer Best Buy that will allow the chain to advertise to TiVo subscribers. Best Buy will also promote TiVo gear in its 1100 stores, according to The New York Times.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: A closer look at Google's plans to challenge Microsoft. John Horn on the slowdown of the summer movie season.

-- Joe Flint

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before chasing moguls at the Sun Valley Resort.

Guess Google took launch of Bing a little personal. Google is unveiling its own operating system, Chrome OS, to compete with Microsoft Windows. The New York Times broke the news, that Google quickly confirmed. The move will certainly make Google one of the big topics at the Allen & Co. conference where CEO Eric Schmidt and founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page are expected.

Mogul debate. Getting people to pay for online content will be the hot topic at this year's Allen & Co. conference, says the Los Angeles Times.

Give Liz Lemon a raise. Reruns of NBC's "30 Rock" have been sold to Viacom's Comedy Central and Tribune's superstation WGN at a combined price tag of $800,000 per-episode, says Variety.

Reality check. The Hollywood Reporter sits down with Mark Burnett, the man behind "Survivor" and "The Apprentice" to get his thoughts on the genre and where it's headed.

Is less plot even possible? The adult entertainment industry apparently is getting further away from plot in its content in reaction to how the Internet is changing how people consume content, reports The New York Times.

Smaller is better. While big and medium-sized newspapers continue to struggle small papers are managing to survive and in some cases even prosper, says PaidContent.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Internet radio stations and the music industry reached a new deal over royalties, ending a two-year old dispute. Complete Michael Jackson coverage. James Rainey on the Washington Post's brouhaha. 

-- Joe Flint

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before the two flights to get to Sun Valley.

Mogulfest 09 The Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley kicks off today with the usual assortment of old media stars (Viacom, News Corp., etc.), new media (Facebook, Twitter) and a few surprises (LeBron James). The tone may not be upbeat given the economy, but attendance does not look to be down and it things get to grim in the sessions there is yoga and knitting and bridge also. The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times.

First mom was on Facebook. Now grandma is! Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg may not want to talk about this at the Sun Valley mogul conference this week, but his social networking site now has more users over the age of 55 than it does high school student users. There are lots of reasons for this including some having to do with how people may not be disclosing information the way they used to on the site. Tech blog ReadWriteWeb tries to break it down. 

What happened to paper routes and mowing lawns? Ari Weinstein, a 15 year-old, is spending his summer figuring out how to hack into iPhones to download non-Apple endorsed applications, much to the chagrin of Steve Jobs & Co. The Wall Street Journal. 

PG for Potter. The latest "Harry Potter" will be PG, not PG-13 as the last two installments were, which may boost box office more, says Variety.

Mr. Glickman stays in Washington? Motion Picture Association of Amercia President Dan Glickman is toying with running for Senate from Kansas, reports Politico. Glickman's contract is up at the end of next year although there has been speculation that he would leave his post before then. 

In the Los Angeles Times: Dan Neil on Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps return to product endorsement after his pot smoking flap. Beware the Twitter grifters. If someone is offering to help you get paid for tweeting, don't breakout the checkbook just yet. John Horn on Sony's gamble on a Lance Armsrong documentary. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled against Michael Jackson's mother's push to be executor of the pop star's estate.

-- Joe Flint

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before deciding if you need a summer haircut.

Fewer fireworks. The box office explosions were muted over the July 4 weekend. "Ice Age" and "Transformers" tied for the top spot on a slow Saturday. "Ice Age" did melt audiences abroad. Analysis from: The Los Angeles Times; Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter. 

Young men and Conan. NBC's Conan O'Brien is having his greatest success with men 18-34.  Just over a month after taking over from Jay Leno, O'Brien has brought the median age of NBC's "Tonight Show" down ten years. At the same time, the overall audience for the show has also shrunk dramatically giving CBS something to crow about as well. The New York Times.

Univision navigates bumpy road. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision is battling a tough economy and a heavy debt load but some recent deal-making has given it some breathing room, reports The Los Angeles Times' Meg James.

Special FX John Landgraf, head of News Corp.'s FX cable channel, wants to recapture the buzz that the network used to have when it was seen as basic cable's HBO. Oh, and if he had sports the network would be up there with TNT and USA. Of course, if NBC had "American Idol" it'd be in first place instead of fourth. Broadcasting & Cable.

Michael's money. The Wrap weighs in with its take on Michael Jackson's finances. 

The perils of freedom. Mark Cuban offers business advice via paidContent. To sum up: "hen you succeed with Free, you are going to die by Free. Your best bet is to recognize where you are in your company’s lifecycle and maximize your profits rather than try to extend your stay at the top."

The contraian Carr. New York Times columnist David Carr says Steve Jobs health is really not our business. Writes Carr: "...We all buy, sell and trade on someone’s health without knowing their fates. Sergey Brin or Larry Page, Google’s founders, may be fit as fiddles, but they could get run over tomorrow by a Prius in Palo Alto (a Prius would still hurt, right?)."

In today's Los Angeles Times: Videogamers are saving their pennies by renting games or buying used ones. 

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before figuring out how to turn a three-day weekend into a four-day weekend.

No `Escape" yet. The Weinstein Co.'s animated "Escape from Planet Earth" has been hit with production delays due to creative issues. For the small artsy production company, this is becoming a trend. The Los Angeles Times.

Going after Google. It's official, the Justice Dept. is reviewing Google's deal to settle a suit filed by the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers to determine if it violates anti-trust regulations, reports The New York Times.

Hulu gets a passport. Hulu, the online video site that screens TV shows and movies and is owned by News Corp. and NBC Universal and soon Disney, is looking to launch in the U.K. this fall, reports Variety. Hulu, the article says, is offering ownership stakes in return for access to content.

Pay to Play. A Washington Post plan to host events that would bring together lobbyists, government officials and reporters for a fee blew up in the paper's face and has been scrapped. Broken by the website Politicio, the story caused outrage among the editorial staff. Of course, legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee held these sorts of parties all the time, the only difference is he wasn't charging anyone money for access.

The last celebrity. Wall Street Journal Wonderland columnist Dan Henninger on why Michael Jackson takes the notion of celebrity with him.

Rest in Peace. Veteran TV reporter and all around good guy Steve Brennan died of cancer Wednesday. An institution at The Hollywood Reporter, Brennan was best known for coverage of the syndication and international beats as well as his charming Irish accent. The Hollywood Reporter.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Concert promoter AEG may still make money on its Michael Jackson deal through rehearsal footage, insurance and souvenir sales. Radio stations are upping the ante in their fight against the Performance Rights Act. James Rainey on sound bite media and Michael Jackson. 

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before checking if the Yankees won again (they did).

It's cash and carry for Chase. Rupert Murdoch spared no expense to lure Chase Carey back to News Corp. to be deputy chairman and president/chief operating officer. Carey's first year alone includes a $10 million signing bonus and the potential to earn north of $40 million. Oh and he can use the jet for vacations. The Los Angeles Times.

Slingbox founder to DirecTV? PaidContent's Staci Kramer reports that Slinbox co-founder Blake Krikorian is a candidate for the top job at satellite broadcaster DirecTV, which has been vacant since Chase Carey opted to rejoin News Corp.

Mel gets a raise. Sirius XM Satellite CEO Mel Karmazin, who guided the Sirius-XM merger and subsequent loan from John Malone's Liberty Media has been given a raise and more stock options. The Wall Street Journal.

They're rivals at the bank too. Angelina Jolie and Jenifer Aniston don't just have a man in common The two are also in battle to be the best paid actresses in Hollywood with Jolie again walking away with the big prize, according to Forbes.

Upfront action. Broadcasting & Cable reports that NBC and media buyer Group M have wrapped up a big upfront deal.

More `Moneyball' play-by-play. You'd think Sony's decision to pull the plug on `Moneyball' was the first time a movie ever got killed just before shooting was set to start. Today The New York Times weighs in with its take on what happened behind the scenes.

Long overdue. Facebook is overhauling its complex privacy settings to make it easier for users of the social networking site to decide who sees what on their profile pages and elsewhere. Facebook, The Wall Street Journal reports, said the new changes will not affect what data the company shares with advertisers.

Sharpen those teeth! The success of "Twilight" and "True Blood" have made vampire fashion hot. “The vampire is the new James Dean,” Julie Plec, the writer and executive producer of CW's fall series “The Vampire Diaries,” told The New York Times.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Marketing "Bruno" is a whole different ball game from marketing "Borat," reports John Horn.

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before putting the rent check in the mail.

Getting together in the backroom. Viacom's Paramount Pictures is in talks with both Sony and News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox to merge backroom operations of their home entertainment units -- primarily production and distribution of DVDs. Talks come at a time when DVD business is has tailed off dramatically for the studios. Coverage from The Financial Times and The Los Angeles Times.

But don't chuck those DVDs yet. Netflix chief Reed Hastings thinks the DVD biz still has some life in it. He tells USA Today he still sees DVDs as a "growth product."

Clooney leaves Burbank for Culver City. George Clooney's Smokehouse Productions is moving from Warner Bros. to Sony, according to The New York Times. The move ends the actor's long association with the studio going back to he "ER" days.

Here come's the bride. Cablevision's programming arm Rainbow is launching a channel devoted to weddings and all that goes into making them happen, says Broadcasting and Cable. The channel will be a spin-off of We, which already has several shows about walking the aisle. 

Syfy or Sci-Fi? The rebranding of the Sci Fi Channel to Syfy still has a ways to go, says The Wrap.

Boys of summer on the couch. This has nothing to do with entertainment but makes for good reading. More athletes are being treated for anxiety with three baseball players on the disabled list for it this season alone. The Wall Street Journal.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Patrick Goldstein talks to Sony's Amy Pascal about pulling the plug on "Moneyball." Fired gossip columnist Roger Friedman's suit against News Corp. makes for interesting reading. Global Gaming Factory is buying Pirate Bay.

-- Joe Flint

The Morning Fix: 'Bruno' is hot and cold; 'True Blood' boils for HBO; online advertising soft too; TV chasing Bernie Madoff

After the coffee. Before figuring out whether "Bruno" is a hit or a flop. 

Hit or miss? An opening weekend of $30.4 million for a relatively low-budget comedy should be reason to celebrate. But in the case of "Bruno," which did $14.4 million on Friday, but tailed off for the rest of the weekend, the verdict is mixed. The Los Angeles Times says "Bruno" won't do "Borat" numbers. More box office analysis from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

"True Blood" boiling for HBO. The vampire drama "True Blood" has pumped new life into HBO. The show is generating ratings not seen for years at the pay cable network as it appeals to a wide range of viewers, no small feat in today's niche world. The New York Times.

Ryan's riches. The Hollywood Reporter says "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest's new three-year deal to stay with the show and develop new programs for its producer 19 Entertainment is worth $45 million. Next up for the producers, getting Simon Cowell a new deal.

Gersh growth: The Gersh Agency has a new locale, is expanding its reach and will now be known simply as Gersh. Also, there's a new Gersh scion in the picture as well. Deadline Hollywood Daily

Universal unrest? The Wrap's Sharon Waxman weighs in on all the rumors surrounding NBC Universal ranging from a shake-out at the studio to speculation on what Vivendi will do with its 20% stake in the company. The verdict? So far a lot more smoke than fire.

At least they won't have to put him up in a nice hotel. Investor Bernie Madoff is a big get for TV news. The challenge will be convincing him to go on camera. Producers speculate on the best approach. Broadcasting & Cable.

Soft upfront won't help online. Don't look for online advertising to benefit from the woes of the television industry, says PaidContent.

Business Week looks for buyer. Bloomberg is reporting that Business Week parent McGraw Hill is looking to sell. It's been a tough year for biz mags (and everyone else) as Forbes and Fortune are looking thin and Portfolio shut down.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Transformers is a hit in the toy section as well. Tourists now add reality shows to their Hollywood site-seeing. HBO's "Teddy" is high on praise, soft on analysis. 

--Joe Flint

Follow me on Twitter

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

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before trying to figure out how Twitter will make money.

Going for the cable gold. The United States Olympic Committee is partnering with cable giant Comcast Corp. to a launch a new Olympic-themed network. The channel will likely debut sometime after the 2010 winter games in Vancouver. The Los Angeles Times.

Twitter, MySpace and LeBron on ice. Wrap ups on Wednesday's action at the Allen & Co. conference from the The Los Angeles Times, The Financial Times and The New York Post, which speculates on whether John Malone could be a white knight for Harvey Weinstein's film company. 

Who cares what Malone and Diller think. TechCrunch's Michael Arrington takes issue with John Malone and Barry Diller's bleak assessment of Twitter.

Ad recession hitting social networks. Advertising on social networks such as MySpace and Facebook is going to decline in 2009, says a new study from research firm eMarketer. The firm says ad spending in the U.S. will drop 3% to $1.1 billion. That prediction is a sharp reduction from last December when the firm anticipated growth in that arena of more than 10%. The Wall Street Journal.

NBC selling cable. While its broadcast upfront is still in limbo, NBC Universal is briskly selling inventory in its cable networks including USA and Bravo, reports Advertising Age.

Action Jackson. Over 31 million viewers watched the Michael Jackson memorial coverage on Tuesday. The Hollywood Reporter. 

TiVo and Best Buy align. TiVo is going to create a special version of its recorder specifically for retailer Best Buy that will allow the chain to advertise to TiVo subscribers. Best Buy will also promote TiVo gear in its 1100 stores, according to The New York Times.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: A closer look at Google's plans to challenge Microsoft. John Horn on the slowdown of the summer movie season.

-- Joe Flint

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before chasing moguls at the Sun Valley Resort.

Guess Google took launch of Bing a little personal. Google is unveiling its own operating system, Chrome OS, to compete with Microsoft Windows. The New York Times broke the news, that Google quickly confirmed. The move will certainly make Google one of the big topics at the Allen & Co. conference where CEO Eric Schmidt and founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page are expected.

Mogul debate. Getting people to pay for online content will be the hot topic at this year's Allen & Co. conference, says the Los Angeles Times.

Give Liz Lemon a raise. Reruns of NBC's "30 Rock" have been sold to Viacom's Comedy Central and Tribune's superstation WGN at a combined price tag of $800,000 per-episode, says Variety.

Reality check. The Hollywood Reporter sits down with Mark Burnett, the man behind "Survivor" and "The Apprentice" to get his thoughts on the genre and where it's headed.

Is less plot even possible? The adult entertainment industry apparently is getting further away from plot in its content in reaction to how the Internet is changing how people consume content, reports The New York Times.

Smaller is better. While big and medium-sized newspapers continue to struggle small papers are managing to survive and in some cases even prosper, says PaidContent.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Internet radio stations and the music industry reached a new deal over royalties, ending a two-year old dispute. Complete Michael Jackson coverage. James Rainey on the Washington Post's brouhaha. 

-- Joe Flint

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before the two flights to get to Sun Valley.

Mogulfest 09 The Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley kicks off today with the usual assortment of old media stars (Viacom, News Corp., etc.), new media (Facebook, Twitter) and a few surprises (LeBron James). The tone may not be upbeat given the economy, but attendance does not look to be down and it things get to grim in the sessions there is yoga and knitting and bridge also. The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times.

First mom was on Facebook. Now grandma is! Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg may not want to talk about this at the Sun Valley mogul conference this week, but his social networking site now has more users over the age of 55 than it does high school student users. There are lots of reasons for this including some having to do with how people may not be disclosing information the way they used to on the site. Tech blog ReadWriteWeb tries to break it down. 

What happened to paper routes and mowing lawns? Ari Weinstein, a 15 year-old, is spending his summer figuring out how to hack into iPhones to download non-Apple endorsed applications, much to the chagrin of Steve Jobs & Co. The Wall Street Journal. 

PG for Potter. The latest "Harry Potter" will be PG, not PG-13 as the last two installments were, which may boost box office more, says Variety.

Mr. Glickman stays in Washington? Motion Picture Association of Amercia President Dan Glickman is toying with running for Senate from Kansas, reports Politico. Glickman's contract is up at the end of next year although there has been speculation that he would leave his post before then. 

In the Los Angeles Times: Dan Neil on Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps return to product endorsement after his pot smoking flap. Beware the Twitter grifters. If someone is offering to help you get paid for tweeting, don't breakout the checkbook just yet. John Horn on Sony's gamble on a Lance Armsrong documentary. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled against Michael Jackson's mother's push to be executor of the pop star's estate.

-- Joe Flint

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before deciding if you need a summer haircut.

Fewer fireworks. The box office explosions were muted over the July 4 weekend. "Ice Age" and "Transformers" tied for the top spot on a slow Saturday. "Ice Age" did melt audiences abroad. Analysis from: The Los Angeles Times; Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter. 

Young men and Conan. NBC's Conan O'Brien is having his greatest success with men 18-34.  Just over a month after taking over from Jay Leno, O'Brien has brought the median age of NBC's "Tonight Show" down ten years. At the same time, the overall audience for the show has also shrunk dramatically giving CBS something to crow about as well. The New York Times.

Univision navigates bumpy road. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision is battling a tough economy and a heavy debt load but some recent deal-making has given it some breathing room, reports The Los Angeles Times' Meg James.

Special FX John Landgraf, head of News Corp.'s FX cable channel, wants to recapture the buzz that the network used to have when it was seen as basic cable's HBO. Oh, and if he had sports the network would be up there with TNT and USA. Of course, if NBC had "American Idol" it'd be in first place instead of fourth. Broadcasting & Cable.

Michael's money. The Wrap weighs in with its take on Michael Jackson's finances. 

The perils of freedom. Mark Cuban offers business advice via paidContent. To sum up: "hen you succeed with Free, you are going to die by Free. Your best bet is to recognize where you are in your company’s lifecycle and maximize your profits rather than try to extend your stay at the top."

The contraian Carr. New York Times columnist David Carr says Steve Jobs health is really not our business. Writes Carr: "...We all buy, sell and trade on someone’s health without knowing their fates. Sergey Brin or Larry Page, Google’s founders, may be fit as fiddles, but they could get run over tomorrow by a Prius in Palo Alto (a Prius would still hurt, right?)."

In today's Los Angeles Times: Videogamers are saving their pennies by renting games or buying used ones. 

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before figuring out how to turn a three-day weekend into a four-day weekend.

No `Escape" yet. The Weinstein Co.'s animated "Escape from Planet Earth" has been hit with production delays due to creative issues. For the small artsy production company, this is becoming a trend. The Los Angeles Times.

Going after Google. It's official, the Justice Dept. is reviewing Google's deal to settle a suit filed by the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers to determine if it violates anti-trust regulations, reports The New York Times.

Hulu gets a passport. Hulu, the online video site that screens TV shows and movies and is owned by News Corp. and NBC Universal and soon Disney, is looking to launch in the U.K. this fall, reports Variety. Hulu, the article says, is offering ownership stakes in return for access to content.

Pay to Play. A Washington Post plan to host events that would bring together lobbyists, government officials and reporters for a fee blew up in the paper's face and has been scrapped. Broken by the website Politicio, the story caused outrage among the editorial staff. Of course, legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee held these sorts of parties all the time, the only difference is he wasn't charging anyone money for access.

The last celebrity. Wall Street Journal Wonderland columnist Dan Henninger on why Michael Jackson takes the notion of celebrity with him.

Rest in Peace. Veteran TV reporter and all around good guy Steve Brennan died of cancer Wednesday. An institution at The Hollywood Reporter, Brennan was best known for coverage of the syndication and international beats as well as his charming Irish accent. The Hollywood Reporter.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Concert promoter AEG may still make money on its Michael Jackson deal through rehearsal footage, insurance and souvenir sales. Radio stations are upping the ante in their fight against the Performance Rights Act. James Rainey on sound bite media and Michael Jackson. 

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before checking if the Yankees won again (they did).

It's cash and carry for Chase. Rupert Murdoch spared no expense to lure Chase Carey back to News Corp. to be deputy chairman and president/chief operating officer. Carey's first year alone includes a $10 million signing bonus and the potential to earn north of $40 million. Oh and he can use the jet for vacations. The Los Angeles Times.

Slingbox founder to DirecTV? PaidContent's Staci Kramer reports that Slinbox co-founder Blake Krikorian is a candidate for the top job at satellite broadcaster DirecTV, which has been vacant since Chase Carey opted to rejoin News Corp.

Mel gets a raise. Sirius XM Satellite CEO Mel Karmazin, who guided the Sirius-XM merger and subsequent loan from John Malone's Liberty Media has been given a raise and more stock options. The Wall Street Journal.

They're rivals at the bank too. Angelina Jolie and Jenifer Aniston don't just have a man in common The two are also in battle to be the best paid actresses in Hollywood with Jolie again walking away with the big prize, according to Forbes.

Upfront action. Broadcasting & Cable reports that NBC and media buyer Group M have wrapped up a big upfront deal.

More `Moneyball' play-by-play. You'd think Sony's decision to pull the plug on `Moneyball' was the first time a movie ever got killed just before shooting was set to start. Today The New York Times weighs in with its take on what happened behind the scenes.

Long overdue. Facebook is overhauling its complex privacy settings to make it easier for users of the social networking site to decide who sees what on their profile pages and elsewhere. Facebook, The Wall Street Journal reports, said the new changes will not affect what data the company shares with advertisers.

Sharpen those teeth! The success of "Twilight" and "True Blood" have made vampire fashion hot. “The vampire is the new James Dean,” Julie Plec, the writer and executive producer of CW's fall series “The Vampire Diaries,” told The New York Times.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Marketing "Bruno" is a whole different ball game from marketing "Borat," reports John Horn.

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before putting the rent check in the mail.

Getting together in the backroom. Viacom's Paramount Pictures is in talks with both Sony and News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox to merge backroom operations of their home entertainment units -- primarily production and distribution of DVDs. Talks come at a time when DVD business is has tailed off dramatically for the studios. Coverage from The Financial Times and The Los Angeles Times.

But don't chuck those DVDs yet. Netflix chief Reed Hastings thinks the DVD biz still has some life in it. He tells USA Today he still sees DVDs as a "growth product."

Clooney leaves Burbank for Culver City. George Clooney's Smokehouse Productions is moving from Warner Bros. to Sony, according to The New York Times. The move ends the actor's long association with the studio going back to he "ER" days.

Here come's the bride. Cablevision's programming arm Rainbow is launching a channel devoted to weddings and all that goes into making them happen, says Broadcasting and Cable. The channel will be a spin-off of We, which already has several shows about walking the aisle. 

Syfy or Sci-Fi? The rebranding of the Sci Fi Channel to Syfy still has a ways to go, says The Wrap.

Boys of summer on the couch. This has nothing to do with entertainment but makes for good reading. More athletes are being treated for anxiety with three baseball players on the disabled list for it this season alone. The Wall Street Journal.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Patrick Goldstein talks to Sony's Amy Pascal about pulling the plug on "Moneyball." Fired gossip columnist Roger Friedman's suit against News Corp. makes for interesting reading. Global Gaming Factory is buying Pirate Bay.

-- Joe Flint

The Morning Fix: Olympic channel mess; `Moneyball' might get another swing; Lions Gate strengthens board

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

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before trying to figure out how Twitter will make money.

Going for the cable gold. The United States Olympic Committee is partnering with cable giant Comcast Corp. to a launch a new Olympic-themed network. The channel will likely debut sometime after the 2010 winter games in Vancouver. The Los Angeles Times.

Twitter, MySpace and LeBron on ice. Wrap ups on Wednesday's action at the Allen & Co. conference from the The Los Angeles Times, The Financial Times and The New York Post, which speculates on whether John Malone could be a white knight for Harvey Weinstein's film company. 

Who cares what Malone and Diller think. TechCrunch's Michael Arrington takes issue with John Malone and Barry Diller's bleak assessment of Twitter.

Ad recession hitting social networks. Advertising on social networks such as MySpace and Facebook is going to decline in 2009, says a new study from research firm eMarketer. The firm says ad spending in the U.S. will drop 3% to $1.1 billion. That prediction is a sharp reduction from last December when the firm anticipated growth in that arena of more than 10%. The Wall Street Journal.

NBC selling cable. While its broadcast upfront is still in limbo, NBC Universal is briskly selling inventory in its cable networks including USA and Bravo, reports Advertising Age.

Action Jackson. Over 31 million viewers watched the Michael Jackson memorial coverage on Tuesday. The Hollywood Reporter. 

TiVo and Best Buy align. TiVo is going to create a special version of its recorder specifically for retailer Best Buy that will allow the chain to advertise to TiVo subscribers. Best Buy will also promote TiVo gear in its 1100 stores, according to The New York Times.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: A closer look at Google's plans to challenge Microsoft. John Horn on the slowdown of the summer movie season.

-- Joe Flint

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before chasing moguls at the Sun Valley Resort.

Guess Google took launch of Bing a little personal. Google is unveiling its own operating system, Chrome OS, to compete with Microsoft Windows. The New York Times broke the news, that Google quickly confirmed. The move will certainly make Google one of the big topics at the Allen & Co. conference where CEO Eric Schmidt and founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page are expected.

Mogul debate. Getting people to pay for online content will be the hot topic at this year's Allen & Co. conference, says the Los Angeles Times.

Give Liz Lemon a raise. Reruns of NBC's "30 Rock" have been sold to Viacom's Comedy Central and Tribune's superstation WGN at a combined price tag of $800,000 per-episode, says Variety.

Reality check. The Hollywood Reporter sits down with Mark Burnett, the man behind "Survivor" and "The Apprentice" to get his thoughts on the genre and where it's headed.

Is less plot even possible? The adult entertainment industry apparently is getting further away from plot in its content in reaction to how the Internet is changing how people consume content, reports The New York Times.

Smaller is better. While big and medium-sized newspapers continue to struggle small papers are managing to survive and in some cases even prosper, says PaidContent.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Internet radio stations and the music industry reached a new deal over royalties, ending a two-year old dispute. Complete Michael Jackson coverage. James Rainey on the Washington Post's brouhaha. 

-- Joe Flint

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before the two flights to get to Sun Valley.

Mogulfest 09 The Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley kicks off today with the usual assortment of old media stars (Viacom, News Corp., etc.), new media (Facebook, Twitter) and a few surprises (LeBron James). The tone may not be upbeat given the economy, but attendance does not look to be down and it things get to grim in the sessions there is yoga and knitting and bridge also. The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times.

First mom was on Facebook. Now grandma is! Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg may not want to talk about this at the Sun Valley mogul conference this week, but his social networking site now has more users over the age of 55 than it does high school student users. There are lots of reasons for this including some having to do with how people may not be disclosing information the way they used to on the site. Tech blog ReadWriteWeb tries to break it down. 

What happened to paper routes and mowing lawns? Ari Weinstein, a 15 year-old, is spending his summer figuring out how to hack into iPhones to download non-Apple endorsed applications, much to the chagrin of Steve Jobs & Co. The Wall Street Journal. 

PG for Potter. The latest "Harry Potter" will be PG, not PG-13 as the last two installments were, which may boost box office more, says Variety.

Mr. Glickman stays in Washington? Motion Picture Association of Amercia President Dan Glickman is toying with running for Senate from Kansas, reports Politico. Glickman's contract is up at the end of next year although there has been speculation that he would leave his post before then. 

In the Los Angeles Times: Dan Neil on Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps return to product endorsement after his pot smoking flap. Beware the Twitter grifters. If someone is offering to help you get paid for tweeting, don't breakout the checkbook just yet. John Horn on Sony's gamble on a Lance Armsrong documentary. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled against Michael Jackson's mother's push to be executor of the pop star's estate.

-- Joe Flint

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before deciding if you need a summer haircut.

Fewer fireworks. The box office explosions were muted over the July 4 weekend. "Ice Age" and "Transformers" tied for the top spot on a slow Saturday. "Ice Age" did melt audiences abroad. Analysis from: The Los Angeles Times; Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter. 

Young men and Conan. NBC's Conan O'Brien is having his greatest success with men 18-34.  Just over a month after taking over from Jay Leno, O'Brien has brought the median age of NBC's "Tonight Show" down ten years. At the same time, the overall audience for the show has also shrunk dramatically giving CBS something to crow about as well. The New York Times.

Univision navigates bumpy road. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision is battling a tough economy and a heavy debt load but some recent deal-making has given it some breathing room, reports The Los Angeles Times' Meg James.

Special FX John Landgraf, head of News Corp.'s FX cable channel, wants to recapture the buzz that the network used to have when it was seen as basic cable's HBO. Oh, and if he had sports the network would be up there with TNT and USA. Of course, if NBC had "American Idol" it'd be in first place instead of fourth. Broadcasting & Cable.

Michael's money. The Wrap weighs in with its take on Michael Jackson's finances. 

The perils of freedom. Mark Cuban offers business advice via paidContent. To sum up: "hen you succeed with Free, you are going to die by Free. Your best bet is to recognize where you are in your company’s lifecycle and maximize your profits rather than try to extend your stay at the top."

The contraian Carr. New York Times columnist David Carr says Steve Jobs health is really not our business. Writes Carr: "...We all buy, sell and trade on someone’s health without knowing their fates. Sergey Brin or Larry Page, Google’s founders, may be fit as fiddles, but they could get run over tomorrow by a Prius in Palo Alto (a Prius would still hurt, right?)."

In today's Los Angeles Times: Videogamers are saving their pennies by renting games or buying used ones. 

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before figuring out how to turn a three-day weekend into a four-day weekend.

No `Escape" yet. The Weinstein Co.'s animated "Escape from Planet Earth" has been hit with production delays due to creative issues. For the small artsy production company, this is becoming a trend. The Los Angeles Times.

Going after Google. It's official, the Justice Dept. is reviewing Google's deal to settle a suit filed by the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers to determine if it violates anti-trust regulations, reports The New York Times.

Hulu gets a passport. Hulu, the online video site that screens TV shows and movies and is owned by News Corp. and NBC Universal and soon Disney, is looking to launch in the U.K. this fall, reports Variety. Hulu, the article says, is offering ownership stakes in return for access to content.

Pay to Play. A Washington Post plan to host events that would bring together lobbyists, government officials and reporters for a fee blew up in the paper's face and has been scrapped. Broken by the website Politicio, the story caused outrage among the editorial staff. Of course, legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee held these sorts of parties all the time, the only difference is he wasn't charging anyone money for access.

The last celebrity. Wall Street Journal Wonderland columnist Dan Henninger on why Michael Jackson takes the notion of celebrity with him.

Rest in Peace. Veteran TV reporter and all around good guy Steve Brennan died of cancer Wednesday. An institution at The Hollywood Reporter, Brennan was best known for coverage of the syndication and international beats as well as his charming Irish accent. The Hollywood Reporter.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Concert promoter AEG may still make money on its Michael Jackson deal through rehearsal footage, insurance and souvenir sales. Radio stations are upping the ante in their fight against the Performance Rights Act. James Rainey on sound bite media and Michael Jackson. 

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before checking if the Yankees won again (they did).

It's cash and carry for Chase. Rupert Murdoch spared no expense to lure Chase Carey back to News Corp. to be deputy chairman and president/chief operating officer. Carey's first year alone includes a $10 million signing bonus and the potential to earn north of $40 million. Oh and he can use the jet for vacations. The Los Angeles Times.

Slingbox founder to DirecTV? PaidContent's Staci Kramer reports that Slinbox co-founder Blake Krikorian is a candidate for the top job at satellite broadcaster DirecTV, which has been vacant since Chase Carey opted to rejoin News Corp.

Mel gets a raise. Sirius XM Satellite CEO Mel Karmazin, who guided the Sirius-XM merger and subsequent loan from John Malone's Liberty Media has been given a raise and more stock options. The Wall Street Journal.

They're rivals at the bank too. Angelina Jolie and Jenifer Aniston don't just have a man in common The two are also in battle to be the best paid actresses in Hollywood with Jolie again walking away with the big prize, according to Forbes.

Upfront action. Broadcasting & Cable reports that NBC and media buyer Group M have wrapped up a big upfront deal.

More `Moneyball' play-by-play. You'd think Sony's decision to pull the plug on `Moneyball' was the first time a movie ever got killed just before shooting was set to start. Today The New York Times weighs in with its take on what happened behind the scenes.

Long overdue. Facebook is overhauling its complex privacy settings to make it easier for users of the social networking site to decide who sees what on their profile pages and elsewhere. Facebook, The Wall Street Journal reports, said the new changes will not affect what data the company shares with advertisers.

Sharpen those teeth! The success of "Twilight" and "True Blood" have made vampire fashion hot. “The vampire is the new James Dean,” Julie Plec, the writer and executive producer of CW's fall series “The Vampire Diaries,” told The New York Times.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Marketing "Bruno" is a whole different ball game from marketing "Borat," reports John Horn.

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before putting the rent check in the mail.

Getting together in the backroom. Viacom's Paramount Pictures is in talks with both Sony and News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox to merge backroom operations of their home entertainment units -- primarily production and distribution of DVDs. Talks come at a time when DVD business is has tailed off dramatically for the studios. Coverage from The Financial Times and The Los Angeles Times.

But don't chuck those DVDs yet. Netflix chief Reed Hastings thinks the DVD biz still has some life in it. He tells USA Today he still sees DVDs as a "growth product."

Clooney leaves Burbank for Culver City. George Clooney's Smokehouse Productions is moving from Warner Bros. to Sony, according to The New York Times. The move ends the actor's long association with the studio going back to he "ER" days.

Here come's the bride. Cablevision's programming arm Rainbow is launching a channel devoted to weddings and all that goes into making them happen, says Broadcasting and Cable. The channel will be a spin-off of We, which already has several shows about walking the aisle. 

Syfy or Sci-Fi? The rebranding of the Sci Fi Channel to Syfy still has a ways to go, says The Wrap.

Boys of summer on the couch. This has nothing to do with entertainment but makes for good reading. More athletes are being treated for anxiety with three baseball players on the disabled list for it this season alone. The Wall Street Journal.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Patrick Goldstein talks to Sony's Amy Pascal about pulling the plug on "Moneyball." Fired gossip columnist Roger Friedman's suit against News Corp. makes for interesting reading. Global Gaming Factory is buying Pirate Bay.

-- Joe Flint

The Morning Fix: Social Networks not social advertising; Comcast and Olympics; Summer Box Office slowdown; Allen & Co. roundup.

After the coffee. Before trying to figure out how Twitter will make money.

Going for the cable gold. The United States Olympic Committee is partnering with cable giant Comcast Corp. to a launch a new Olympic-themed network. The channel will likely debut sometime after the 2010 winter games in Vancouver. The Los Angeles Times.

Twitter, MySpace and LeBron on ice. Wrap ups on Wednesday's action at the Allen & Co. conference from the The Los Angeles Times, The Financial Times and The New York Post, which speculates on whether John Malone could be a white knight for Harvey Weinstein's film company. 

Who cares what Malone and Diller think. TechCrunch's Michael Arrington takes issue with John Malone and Barry Diller's bleak assessment of Twitter.

Ad recession hitting social networks. Advertising on social networks such as MySpace and Facebook is going to decline in 2009, says a new study from research firm eMarketer. The firm says ad spending in the U.S. will drop 3% to $1.1 billion. That prediction is a sharp reduction from last December when the firm anticipated growth in that arena of more than 10%. The Wall Street Journal.

NBC selling cable. While its broadcast upfront is still in limbo, NBC Universal is briskly selling inventory in its cable networks including USA and Bravo, reports Advertising Age.

Action Jackson. Over 31 million viewers watched the Michael Jackson memorial coverage on Tuesday. The Hollywood Reporter. 

TiVo and Best Buy align. TiVo is going to create a special version of its recorder specifically for retailer Best Buy that will allow the chain to advertise to TiVo subscribers. Best Buy will also promote TiVo gear in its 1100 stores, according to The New York Times.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: A closer look at Google's plans to challenge Microsoft. John Horn on the slowdown of the summer movie season.

-- Joe Flint

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before chasing moguls at the Sun Valley Resort.

Guess Google took launch of Bing a little personal. Google is unveiling its own operating system, Chrome OS, to compete with Microsoft Windows. The New York Times broke the news, that Google quickly confirmed. The move will certainly make Google one of the big topics at the Allen & Co. conference where CEO Eric Schmidt and founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page are expected.

Mogul debate. Getting people to pay for online content will be the hot topic at this year's Allen & Co. conference, says the Los Angeles Times.

Give Liz Lemon a raise. Reruns of NBC's "30 Rock" have been sold to Viacom's Comedy Central and Tribune's superstation WGN at a combined price tag of $800,000 per-episode, says Variety.

Reality check. The Hollywood Reporter sits down with Mark Burnett, the man behind "Survivor" and "The Apprentice" to get his thoughts on the genre and where it's headed.

Is less plot even possible? The adult entertainment industry apparently is getting further away from plot in its content in reaction to how the Internet is changing how people consume content, reports The New York Times.

Smaller is better. While big and medium-sized newspapers continue to struggle small papers are managing to survive and in some cases even prosper, says PaidContent.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Internet radio stations and the music industry reached a new deal over royalties, ending a two-year old dispute. Complete Michael Jackson coverage. James Rainey on the Washington Post's brouhaha. 

-- Joe Flint

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before the two flights to get to Sun Valley.

Mogulfest 09 The Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley kicks off today with the usual assortment of old media stars (Viacom, News Corp., etc.), new media (Facebook, Twitter) and a few surprises (LeBron James). The tone may not be upbeat given the economy, but attendance does not look to be down and it things get to grim in the sessions there is yoga and knitting and bridge also. The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times.

First mom was on Facebook. Now grandma is! Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg may not want to talk about this at the Sun Valley mogul conference this week, but his social networking site now has more users over the age of 55 than it does high school student users. There are lots of reasons for this including some having to do with how people may not be disclosing information the way they used to on the site. Tech blog ReadWriteWeb tries to break it down. 

What happened to paper routes and mowing lawns? Ari Weinstein, a 15 year-old, is spending his summer figuring out how to hack into iPhones to download non-Apple endorsed applications, much to the chagrin of Steve Jobs & Co. The Wall Street Journal. 

PG for Potter. The latest "Harry Potter" will be PG, not PG-13 as the last two installments were, which may boost box office more, says Variety.

Mr. Glickman stays in Washington? Motion Picture Association of Amercia President Dan Glickman is toying with running for Senate from Kansas, reports Politico. Glickman's contract is up at the end of next year although there has been speculation that he would leave his post before then. 

In the Los Angeles Times: Dan Neil on Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps return to product endorsement after his pot smoking flap. Beware the Twitter grifters. If someone is offering to help you get paid for tweeting, don't breakout the checkbook just yet. John Horn on Sony's gamble on a Lance Armsrong documentary. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled against Michael Jackson's mother's push to be executor of the pop star's estate.

-- Joe Flint

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before deciding if you need a summer haircut.

Fewer fireworks. The box office explosions were muted over the July 4 weekend. "Ice Age" and "Transformers" tied for the top spot on a slow Saturday. "Ice Age" did melt audiences abroad. Analysis from: The Los Angeles Times; Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter. 

Young men and Conan. NBC's Conan O'Brien is having his greatest success with men 18-34.  Just over a month after taking over from Jay Leno, O'Brien has brought the median age of NBC's "Tonight Show" down ten years. At the same time, the overall audience for the show has also shrunk dramatically giving CBS something to crow about as well. The New York Times.

Univision navigates bumpy road. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision is battling a tough economy and a heavy debt load but some recent deal-making has given it some breathing room, reports The Los Angeles Times' Meg James.

Special FX John Landgraf, head of News Corp.'s FX cable channel, wants to recapture the buzz that the network used to have when it was seen as basic cable's HBO. Oh, and if he had sports the network would be up there with TNT and USA. Of course, if NBC had "American Idol" it'd be in first place instead of fourth. Broadcasting & Cable.

Michael's money. The Wrap weighs in with its take on Michael Jackson's finances. 

The perils of freedom. Mark Cuban offers business advice via paidContent. To sum up: "hen you succeed with Free, you are going to die by Free. Your best bet is to recognize where you are in your company’s lifecycle and maximize your profits rather than try to extend your stay at the top."

The contraian Carr. New York Times columnist David Carr says Steve Jobs health is really not our business. Writes Carr: "...We all buy, sell and trade on someone’s health without knowing their fates. Sergey Brin or Larry Page, Google’s founders, may be fit as fiddles, but they could get run over tomorrow by a Prius in Palo Alto (a Prius would still hurt, right?)."

In today's Los Angeles Times: Videogamers are saving their pennies by renting games or buying used ones. 

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before figuring out how to turn a three-day weekend into a four-day weekend.

No `Escape" yet. The Weinstein Co.'s animated "Escape from Planet Earth" has been hit with production delays due to creative issues. For the small artsy production company, this is becoming a trend. The Los Angeles Times.

Going after Google. It's official, the Justice Dept. is reviewing Google's deal to settle a suit filed by the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers to determine if it violates anti-trust regulations, reports The New York Times.

Hulu gets a passport. Hulu, the online video site that screens TV shows and movies and is owned by News Corp. and NBC Universal and soon Disney, is looking to launch in the U.K. this fall, reports Variety. Hulu, the article says, is offering ownership stakes in return for access to content.

Pay to Play. A Washington Post plan to host events that would bring together lobbyists, government officials and reporters for a fee blew up in the paper's face and has been scrapped. Broken by the website Politicio, the story caused outrage among the editorial staff. Of course, legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee held these sorts of parties all the time, the only difference is he wasn't charging anyone money for access.

The last celebrity. Wall Street Journal Wonderland columnist Dan Henninger on why Michael Jackson takes the notion of celebrity with him.

Rest in Peace. Veteran TV reporter and all around good guy Steve Brennan died of cancer Wednesday. An institution at The Hollywood Reporter, Brennan was best known for coverage of the syndication and international beats as well as his charming Irish accent. The Hollywood Reporter.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Concert promoter AEG may still make money on its Michael Jackson deal through rehearsal footage, insurance and souvenir sales. Radio stations are upping the ante in their fight against the Performance Rights Act. James Rainey on sound bite media and Michael Jackson. 

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before checking if the Yankees won again (they did).

It's cash and carry for Chase. Rupert Murdoch spared no expense to lure Chase Carey back to News Corp. to be deputy chairman and president/chief operating officer. Carey's first year alone includes a $10 million signing bonus and the potential to earn north of $40 million. Oh and he can use the jet for vacations. The Los Angeles Times.

Slingbox founder to DirecTV? PaidContent's Staci Kramer reports that Slinbox co-founder Blake Krikorian is a candidate for the top job at satellite broadcaster DirecTV, which has been vacant since Chase Carey opted to rejoin News Corp.

Mel gets a raise. Sirius XM Satellite CEO Mel Karmazin, who guided the Sirius-XM merger and subsequent loan from John Malone's Liberty Media has been given a raise and more stock options. The Wall Street Journal.

They're rivals at the bank too. Angelina Jolie and Jenifer Aniston don't just have a man in common The two are also in battle to be the best paid actresses in Hollywood with Jolie again walking away with the big prize, according to Forbes.

Upfront action. Broadcasting & Cable reports that NBC and media buyer Group M have wrapped up a big upfront deal.

More `Moneyball' play-by-play. You'd think Sony's decision to pull the plug on `Moneyball' was the first time a movie ever got killed just before shooting was set to start. Today The New York Times weighs in with its take on what happened behind the scenes.

Long overdue. Facebook is overhauling its complex privacy settings to make it easier for users of the social networking site to decide who sees what on their profile pages and elsewhere. Facebook, The Wall Street Journal reports, said the new changes will not affect what data the company shares with advertisers.

Sharpen those teeth! The success of "Twilight" and "True Blood" have made vampire fashion hot. “The vampire is the new James Dean,” Julie Plec, the writer and executive producer of CW's fall series “The Vampire Diaries,” told The New York Times.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Marketing "Bruno" is a whole different ball game from marketing "Borat," reports John Horn.

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before putting the rent check in the mail.

Getting together in the backroom. Viacom's Paramount Pictures is in talks with both Sony and News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox to merge backroom operations of their home entertainment units -- primarily production and distribution of DVDs. Talks come at a time when DVD business is has tailed off dramatically for the studios. Coverage from The Financial Times and The Los Angeles Times.

But don't chuck those DVDs yet. Netflix chief Reed Hastings thinks the DVD biz still has some life in it. He tells USA Today he still sees DVDs as a "growth product."

Clooney leaves Burbank for Culver City. George Clooney's Smokehouse Productions is moving from Warner Bros. to Sony, according to The New York Times. The move ends the actor's long association with the studio going back to he "ER" days.

Here come's the bride. Cablevision's programming arm Rainbow is launching a channel devoted to weddings and all that goes into making them happen, says Broadcasting and Cable. The channel will be a spin-off of We, which already has several shows about walking the aisle. 

Syfy or Sci-Fi? The rebranding of the Sci Fi Channel to Syfy still has a ways to go, says The Wrap.

Boys of summer on the couch. This has nothing to do with entertainment but makes for good reading. More athletes are being treated for anxiety with three baseball players on the disabled list for it this season alone. The Wall Street Journal.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Patrick Goldstein talks to Sony's Amy Pascal about pulling the plug on "Moneyball." Fired gossip columnist Roger Friedman's suit against News Corp. makes for interesting reading. Global Gaming Factory is buying Pirate Bay.

-- Joe Flint

The Morning Fix: Google goes after Microsoft; moguls debate paid content; "30 Rock" gets big rerun bucks.

After the coffee. Before chasing moguls at the Sun Valley Resort.

Guess Google took launch of Bing a little personal. Google is unveiling its own operating system, Chrome OS, to compete with Microsoft Windows. The New York Times broke the news, that Google quickly confirmed. The move will certainly make Google one of the big topics at the Allen & Co. conference where CEO Eric Schmidt and founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page are expected.

Mogul debate. Getting people to pay for online content will be the hot topic at this year's Allen & Co. conference, says the Los Angeles Times.

Give Liz Lemon a raise. Reruns of NBC's "30 Rock" have been sold to Viacom's Comedy Central and Tribune's superstation WGN at a combined price tag of $800,000 per-episode, says Variety.

Reality check. The Hollywood Reporter sits down with Mark Burnett, the man behind "Survivor" and "The Apprentice" to get his thoughts on the genre and where it's headed.

Is less plot even possible? The adult entertainment industry apparently is getting further away from plot in its content in reaction to how the Internet is changing how people consume content, reports The New York Times.

Smaller is better. While big and medium-sized newspapers continue to struggle small papers are managing to survive and in some cases even prosper, says PaidContent.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Internet radio stations and the music industry reached a new deal over royalties, ending a two-year old dispute. Complete Michael Jackson coverage. James Rainey on the Washington Post's brouhaha. 

-- Joe Flint

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before the two flights to get to Sun Valley.

Mogulfest 09 The Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley kicks off today with the usual assortment of old media stars (Viacom, News Corp., etc.), new media (Facebook, Twitter) and a few surprises (LeBron James). The tone may not be upbeat given the economy, but attendance does not look to be down and it things get to grim in the sessions there is yoga and knitting and bridge also. The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times.

First mom was on Facebook. Now grandma is! Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg may not want to talk about this at the Sun Valley mogul conference this week, but his social networking site now has more users over the age of 55 than it does high school student users. There are lots of reasons for this including some having to do with how people may not be disclosing information the way they used to on the site. Tech blog ReadWriteWeb tries to break it down. 

What happened to paper routes and mowing lawns? Ari Weinstein, a 15 year-old, is spending his summer figuring out how to hack into iPhones to download non-Apple endorsed applications, much to the chagrin of Steve Jobs & Co. The Wall Street Journal. 

PG for Potter. The latest "Harry Potter" will be PG, not PG-13 as the last two installments were, which may boost box office more, says Variety.

Mr. Glickman stays in Washington? Motion Picture Association of Amercia President Dan Glickman is toying with running for Senate from Kansas, reports Politico. Glickman's contract is up at the end of next year although there has been speculation that he would leave his post before then. 

In the Los Angeles Times: Dan Neil on Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps return to product endorsement after his pot smoking flap. Beware the Twitter grifters. If someone is offering to help you get paid for tweeting, don't breakout the checkbook just yet. John Horn on Sony's gamble on a Lance Armsrong documentary. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled against Michael Jackson's mother's push to be executor of the pop star's estate.

-- Joe Flint

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before deciding if you need a summer haircut.

Fewer fireworks. The box office explosions were muted over the July 4 weekend. "Ice Age" and "Transformers" tied for the top spot on a slow Saturday. "Ice Age" did melt audiences abroad. Analysis from: The Los Angeles Times; Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter. 

Young men and Conan. NBC's Conan O'Brien is having his greatest success with men 18-34.  Just over a month after taking over from Jay Leno, O'Brien has brought the median age of NBC's "Tonight Show" down ten years. At the same time, the overall audience for the show has also shrunk dramatically giving CBS something to crow about as well. The New York Times.

Univision navigates bumpy road. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision is battling a tough economy and a heavy debt load but some recent deal-making has given it some breathing room, reports The Los Angeles Times' Meg James.

Special FX John Landgraf, head of News Corp.'s FX cable channel, wants to recapture the buzz that the network used to have when it was seen as basic cable's HBO. Oh, and if he had sports the network would be up there with TNT and USA. Of course, if NBC had "American Idol" it'd be in first place instead of fourth. Broadcasting & Cable.

Michael's money. The Wrap weighs in with its take on Michael Jackson's finances. 

The perils of freedom. Mark Cuban offers business advice via paidContent. To sum up: "hen you succeed with Free, you are going to die by Free. Your best bet is to recognize where you are in your company’s lifecycle and maximize your profits rather than try to extend your stay at the top."

The contraian Carr. New York Times columnist David Carr says Steve Jobs health is really not our business. Writes Carr: "...We all buy, sell and trade on someone’s health without knowing their fates. Sergey Brin or Larry Page, Google’s founders, may be fit as fiddles, but they could get run over tomorrow by a Prius in Palo Alto (a Prius would still hurt, right?)."

In today's Los Angeles Times: Videogamers are saving their pennies by renting games or buying used ones. 

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before figuring out how to turn a three-day weekend into a four-day weekend.

No `Escape" yet. The Weinstein Co.'s animated "Escape from Planet Earth" has been hit with production delays due to creative issues. For the small artsy production company, this is becoming a trend. The Los Angeles Times.

Going after Google. It's official, the Justice Dept. is reviewing Google's deal to settle a suit filed by the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers to determine if it violates anti-trust regulations, reports The New York Times.

Hulu gets a passport. Hulu, the online video site that screens TV shows and movies and is owned by News Corp. and NBC Universal and soon Disney, is looking to launch in the U.K. this fall, reports Variety. Hulu, the article says, is offering ownership stakes in return for access to content.

Pay to Play. A Washington Post plan to host events that would bring together lobbyists, government officials and reporters for a fee blew up in the paper's face and has been scrapped. Broken by the website Politicio, the story caused outrage among the editorial staff. Of course, legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee held these sorts of parties all the time, the only difference is he wasn't charging anyone money for access.

The last celebrity. Wall Street Journal Wonderland columnist Dan Henninger on why Michael Jackson takes the notion of celebrity with him.

Rest in Peace. Veteran TV reporter and all around good guy Steve Brennan died of cancer Wednesday. An institution at The Hollywood Reporter, Brennan was best known for coverage of the syndication and international beats as well as his charming Irish accent. The Hollywood Reporter.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Concert promoter AEG may still make money on its Michael Jackson deal through rehearsal footage, insurance and souvenir sales. Radio stations are upping the ante in their fight against the Performance Rights Act. James Rainey on sound bite media and Michael Jackson. 

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before checking if the Yankees won again (they did).

It's cash and carry for Chase. Rupert Murdoch spared no expense to lure Chase Carey back to News Corp. to be deputy chairman and president/chief operating officer. Carey's first year alone includes a $10 million signing bonus and the potential to earn north of $40 million. Oh and he can use the jet for vacations. The Los Angeles Times.

Slingbox founder to DirecTV? PaidContent's Staci Kramer reports that Slinbox co-founder Blake Krikorian is a candidate for the top job at satellite broadcaster DirecTV, which has been vacant since Chase Carey opted to rejoin News Corp.

Mel gets a raise. Sirius XM Satellite CEO Mel Karmazin, who guided the Sirius-XM merger and subsequent loan from John Malone's Liberty Media has been given a raise and more stock options. The Wall Street Journal.

They're rivals at the bank too. Angelina Jolie and Jenifer Aniston don't just have a man in common The two are also in battle to be the best paid actresses in Hollywood with Jolie again walking away with the big prize, according to Forbes.

Upfront action. Broadcasting & Cable reports that NBC and media buyer Group M have wrapped up a big upfront deal.

More `Moneyball' play-by-play. You'd think Sony's decision to pull the plug on `Moneyball' was the first time a movie ever got killed just before shooting was set to start. Today The New York Times weighs in with its take on what happened behind the scenes.

Long overdue. Facebook is overhauling its complex privacy settings to make it easier for users of the social networking site to decide who sees what on their profile pages and elsewhere. Facebook, The Wall Street Journal reports, said the new changes will not affect what data the company shares with advertisers.

Sharpen those teeth! The success of "Twilight" and "True Blood" have made vampire fashion hot. “The vampire is the new James Dean,” Julie Plec, the writer and executive producer of CW's fall series “The Vampire Diaries,” told The New York Times.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Marketing "Bruno" is a whole different ball game from marketing "Borat," reports John Horn.

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before putting the rent check in the mail.

Getting together in the backroom. Viacom's Paramount Pictures is in talks with both Sony and News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox to merge backroom operations of their home entertainment units -- primarily production and distribution of DVDs. Talks come at a time when DVD business is has tailed off dramatically for the studios. Coverage from The Financial Times and The Los Angeles Times.

But don't chuck those DVDs yet. Netflix chief Reed Hastings thinks the DVD biz still has some life in it. He tells USA Today he still sees DVDs as a "growth product."

Clooney leaves Burbank for Culver City. George Clooney's Smokehouse Productions is moving from Warner Bros. to Sony, according to The New York Times. The move ends the actor's long association with the studio going back to he "ER" days.

Here come's the bride. Cablevision's programming arm Rainbow is launching a channel devoted to weddings and all that goes into making them happen, says Broadcasting and Cable. The channel will be a spin-off of We, which already has several shows about walking the aisle. 

Syfy or Sci-Fi? The rebranding of the Sci Fi Channel to Syfy still has a ways to go, says The Wrap.

Boys of summer on the couch. This has nothing to do with entertainment but makes for good reading. More athletes are being treated for anxiety with three baseball players on the disabled list for it this season alone. The Wall Street Journal.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Patrick Goldstein talks to Sony's Amy Pascal about pulling the plug on "Moneyball." Fired gossip columnist Roger Friedman's suit against News Corp. makes for interesting reading. Global Gaming Factory is buying Pirate Bay.

-- Joe Flint

The Morning Fix: Facebook gets older; Moguls and LeBron to mingle at Sun Valley; beware of Twitter grifters!

After the coffee. Before the two flights to get to Sun Valley.

Mogulfest 09 The Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley kicks off today with the usual assortment of old media stars (Viacom, News Corp., etc.), new media (Facebook, Twitter) and a few surprises (LeBron James). The tone may not be upbeat given the economy, but attendance does not look to be down and it things get to grim in the sessions there is yoga and knitting and bridge also. The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times.

First mom was on Facebook. Now grandma is! Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg may not want to talk about this at the Sun Valley mogul conference this week, but his social networking site now has more users over the age of 55 than it does high school student users. There are lots of reasons for this including some having to do with how people may not be disclosing information the way they used to on the site. Tech blog ReadWriteWeb tries to break it down. 

What happened to paper routes and mowing lawns? Ari Weinstein, a 15 year-old, is spending his summer figuring out how to hack into iPhones to download non-Apple endorsed applications, much to the chagrin of Steve Jobs & Co. The Wall Street Journal. 

PG for Potter. The latest "Harry Potter" will be PG, not PG-13 as the last two installments were, which may boost box office more, says Variety.

Mr. Glickman stays in Washington? Motion Picture Association of Amercia President Dan Glickman is toying with running for Senate from Kansas, reports Politico. Glickman's contract is up at the end of next year although there has been speculation that he would leave his post before then. 

In the Los Angeles Times: Dan Neil on Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps return to product endorsement after his pot smoking flap. Beware the Twitter grifters. If someone is offering to help you get paid for tweeting, don't breakout the checkbook just yet. John Horn on Sony's gamble on a Lance Armsrong documentary. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled against Michael Jackson's mother's push to be executor of the pop star's estate.

-- Joe Flint

Follow Joe on Twitter

After the coffee. Before deciding if you need a summer haircut.

Fewer fireworks. The box office explosions were muted over the July 4 weekend. "Ice Age" and "Transformers" tied for the top spot on a slow Saturday. "Ice Age" did melt audiences abroad. Analysis from: The Los Angeles Times; Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter. 

Young men and Conan. NBC's Conan O'Brien is having his greatest success with men 18-34.  Just over a month after taking over from Jay Leno, O'Brien has brought the median age of NBC's "Tonight Show" down ten years. At the same time, the overall audience for the show has also shrunk dramatically giving CBS something to crow about as well. The New York Times.

Univision navigates bumpy road. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision is battling a tough economy and a heavy debt load but some recent deal-making has given it some breathing room, reports The Los Angeles Times' Meg James.

Special FX John Landgraf, head of News Corp.'s FX cable channel, wants to recapture the buzz that the network used to have when it was seen as basic cable's HBO. Oh, and if he had sports the network would be up there with TNT and USA. Of course, if NBC had "American Idol" it'd be in first place instead of fourth. Broadcasting & Cable.

Michael's money. The Wrap weighs in with its take on Michael Jackson's finances. 

The perils of freedom. Mark Cuban offers business advice via paidContent. To sum up: "hen you succeed with Free, you are going to die by Free. Your best bet is to recognize where you are in your company’s lifecycle and maximize your profits rather than try to extend your stay at the top."

The contraian Carr. New York Times columnist David Carr says Steve Jobs health is really not our business. Writes Carr: "...We all buy, sell and trade on someone’s health without knowing their fates. Sergey Brin or Larry Page, Google’s founders, may be fit as fiddles, but they could get run over tomorrow by a Prius in Palo Alto (a Prius would still hurt, right?)."

In today's Los Angeles Times: Videogamers are saving their pennies by renting games or buying used ones. 

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before figuring out how to turn a three-day weekend into a four-day weekend.

No `Escape" yet. The Weinstein Co.'s animated "Escape from Planet Earth" has been hit with production delays due to creative issues. For the small artsy production company, this is becoming a trend. The Los Angeles Times.

Going after Google. It's official, the Justice Dept. is reviewing Google's deal to settle a suit filed by the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers to determine if it violates anti-trust regulations, reports The New York Times.

Hulu gets a passport. Hulu, the online video site that screens TV shows and movies and is owned by News Corp. and NBC Universal and soon Disney, is looking to launch in the U.K. this fall, reports Variety. Hulu, the article says, is offering ownership stakes in return for access to content.

Pay to Play. A Washington Post plan to host events that would bring together lobbyists, government officials and reporters for a fee blew up in the paper's face and has been scrapped. Broken by the website Politicio, the story caused outrage among the editorial staff. Of course, legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee held these sorts of parties all the time, the only difference is he wasn't charging anyone money for access.

The last celebrity. Wall Street Journal Wonderland columnist Dan Henninger on why Michael Jackson takes the notion of celebrity with him.

Rest in Peace. Veteran TV reporter and all around good guy Steve Brennan died of cancer Wednesday. An institution at The Hollywood Reporter, Brennan was best known for coverage of the syndication and international beats as well as his charming Irish accent. The Hollywood Reporter.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Concert promoter AEG may still make money on its Michael Jackson deal through rehearsal footage, insurance and souvenir sales. Radio stations are upping the ante in their fight against the Performance Rights Act. James Rainey on sound bite media and Michael Jackson. 

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before checking if the Yankees won again (they did).

It's cash and carry for Chase. Rupert Murdoch spared no expense to lure Chase Carey back to News Corp. to be deputy chairman and president/chief operating officer. Carey's first year alone includes a $10 million signing bonus and the potential to earn north of $40 million. Oh and he can use the jet for vacations. The Los Angeles Times.

Slingbox founder to DirecTV? PaidContent's Staci Kramer reports that Slinbox co-founder Blake Krikorian is a candidate for the top job at satellite broadcaster DirecTV, which has been vacant since Chase Carey opted to rejoin News Corp.

Mel gets a raise. Sirius XM Satellite CEO Mel Karmazin, who guided the Sirius-XM merger and subsequent loan from John Malone's Liberty Media has been given a raise and more stock options. The Wall Street Journal.

They're rivals at the bank too. Angelina Jolie and Jenifer Aniston don't just have a man in common The two are also in battle to be the best paid actresses in Hollywood with Jolie again walking away with the big prize, according to Forbes.

Upfront action. Broadcasting & Cable reports that NBC and media buyer Group M have wrapped up a big upfront deal.

More `Moneyball' play-by-play. You'd think Sony's decision to pull the plug on `Moneyball' was the first time a movie ever got killed just before shooting was set to start. Today The New York Times weighs in with its take on what happened behind the scenes.

Long overdue. Facebook is overhauling its complex privacy settings to make it easier for users of the social networking site to decide who sees what on their profile pages and elsewhere. Facebook, The Wall Street Journal reports, said the new changes will not affect what data the company shares with advertisers.

Sharpen those teeth! The success of "Twilight" and "True Blood" have made vampire fashion hot. “The vampire is the new James Dean,” Julie Plec, the writer and executive producer of CW's fall series “The Vampire Diaries,” told The New York Times.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Marketing "Bruno" is a whole different ball game from marketing "Borat," reports John Horn.

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before putting the rent check in the mail.

Getting together in the backroom. Viacom's Paramount Pictures is in talks with both Sony and News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox to merge backroom operations of their home entertainment units -- primarily production and distribution of DVDs. Talks come at a time when DVD business is has tailed off dramatically for the studios. Coverage from The Financial Times and The Los Angeles Times.

But don't chuck those DVDs yet. Netflix chief Reed Hastings thinks the DVD biz still has some life in it. He tells USA Today he still sees DVDs as a "growth product."

Clooney leaves Burbank for Culver City. George Clooney's Smokehouse Productions is moving from Warner Bros. to Sony, according to The New York Times. The move ends the actor's long association with the studio going back to he "ER" days.

Here come's the bride. Cablevision's programming arm Rainbow is launching a channel devoted to weddings and all that goes into making them happen, says Broadcasting and Cable. The channel will be a spin-off of We, which already has several shows about walking the aisle. 

Syfy or Sci-Fi? The rebranding of the Sci Fi Channel to Syfy still has a ways to go, says The Wrap.

Boys of summer on the couch. This has nothing to do with entertainment but makes for good reading. More athletes are being treated for anxiety with three baseball players on the disabled list for it this season alone. The Wall Street Journal.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Patrick Goldstein talks to Sony's Amy Pascal about pulling the plug on "Moneyball." Fired gossip columnist Roger Friedman's suit against News Corp. makes for interesting reading. Global Gaming Factory is buying Pirate Bay.

-- Joe Flint

The Morning Fix: Slow July 4 box office; Conan and young men; Univision battles on; FX wants to capture magic

After the coffee. Before deciding if you need a summer haircut.

Fewer fireworks. The box office explosions were muted over the July 4 weekend. "Ice Age" and "Transformers" tied for the top spot on a slow Saturday. "Ice Age" did melt audiences abroad. Analysis from: The Los Angeles Times; Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter. 

Young men and Conan. NBC's Conan O'Brien is having his greatest success with men 18-34.  Just over a month after taking over from Jay Leno, O'Brien has brought the median age of NBC's "Tonight Show" down ten years. At the same time, the overall audience for the show has also shrunk dramatically giving CBS something to crow about as well. The New York Times.

Univision navigates bumpy road. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision is battling a tough economy and a heavy debt load but some recent deal-making has given it some breathing room, reports The Los Angeles Times' Meg James.

Special FX John Landgraf, head of News Corp.'s FX cable channel, wants to recapture the buzz that the network used to have when it was seen as basic cable's HBO. Oh, and if he had sports the network would be up there with TNT and USA. Of course, if NBC had "American Idol" it'd be in first place instead of fourth. Broadcasting & Cable.

Michael's money. The Wrap weighs in with its take on Michael Jackson's finances. 

The perils of freedom. Mark Cuban offers business advice via paidContent. To sum up: "hen you succeed with Free, you are going to die by Free. Your best bet is to recognize where you are in your company’s lifecycle and maximize your profits rather than try to extend your stay at the top."

The contraian Carr. New York Times columnist David Carr says Steve Jobs health is really not our business. Writes Carr: "...We all buy, sell and trade on someone’s health without knowing their fates. Sergey Brin or Larry Page, Google’s founders, may be fit as fiddles, but they could get run over tomorrow by a Prius in Palo Alto (a Prius would still hurt, right?)."

In today's Los Angeles Times: Videogamers are saving their pennies by renting games or buying used ones. 

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before figuring out how to turn a three-day weekend into a four-day weekend.

No `Escape" yet. The Weinstein Co.'s animated "Escape from Planet Earth" has been hit with production delays due to creative issues. For the small artsy production company, this is becoming a trend. The Los Angeles Times.

Going after Google. It's official, the Justice Dept. is reviewing Google's deal to settle a suit filed by the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers to determine if it violates anti-trust regulations, reports The New York Times.

Hulu gets a passport. Hulu, the online video site that screens TV shows and movies and is owned by News Corp. and NBC Universal and soon Disney, is looking to launch in the U.K. this fall, reports Variety. Hulu, the article says, is offering ownership stakes in return for access to content.

Pay to Play. A Washington Post plan to host events that would bring together lobbyists, government officials and reporters for a fee blew up in the paper's face and has been scrapped. Broken by the website Politicio, the story caused outrage among the editorial staff. Of course, legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee held these sorts of parties all the time, the only difference is he wasn't charging anyone money for access.

The last celebrity. Wall Street Journal Wonderland columnist Dan Henninger on why Michael Jackson takes the notion of celebrity with him.

Rest in Peace. Veteran TV reporter and all around good guy Steve Brennan died of cancer Wednesday. An institution at The Hollywood Reporter, Brennan was best known for coverage of the syndication and international beats as well as his charming Irish accent. The Hollywood Reporter.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Concert promoter AEG may still make money on its Michael Jackson deal through rehearsal footage, insurance and souvenir sales. Radio stations are upping the ante in their fight against the Performance Rights Act. James Rainey on sound bite media and Michael Jackson. 

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before checking if the Yankees won again (they did).

It's cash and carry for Chase. Rupert Murdoch spared no expense to lure Chase Carey back to News Corp. to be deputy chairman and president/chief operating officer. Carey's first year alone includes a $10 million signing bonus and the potential to earn north of $40 million. Oh and he can use the jet for vacations. The Los Angeles Times.

Slingbox founder to DirecTV? PaidContent's Staci Kramer reports that Slinbox co-founder Blake Krikorian is a candidate for the top job at satellite broadcaster DirecTV, which has been vacant since Chase Carey opted to rejoin News Corp.

Mel gets a raise. Sirius XM Satellite CEO Mel Karmazin, who guided the Sirius-XM merger and subsequent loan from John Malone's Liberty Media has been given a raise and more stock options. The Wall Street Journal.

They're rivals at the bank too. Angelina Jolie and Jenifer Aniston don't just have a man in common The two are also in battle to be the best paid actresses in Hollywood with Jolie again walking away with the big prize, according to Forbes.

Upfront action. Broadcasting & Cable reports that NBC and media buyer Group M have wrapped up a big upfront deal.

More `Moneyball' play-by-play. You'd think Sony's decision to pull the plug on `Moneyball' was the first time a movie ever got killed just before shooting was set to start. Today The New York Times weighs in with its take on what happened behind the scenes.

Long overdue. Facebook is overhauling its complex privacy settings to make it easier for users of the social networking site to decide who sees what on their profile pages and elsewhere. Facebook, The Wall Street Journal reports, said the new changes will not affect what data the company shares with advertisers.

Sharpen those teeth! The success of "Twilight" and "True Blood" have made vampire fashion hot. “The vampire is the new James Dean,” Julie Plec, the writer and executive producer of CW's fall series “The Vampire Diaries,” told The New York Times.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Marketing "Bruno" is a whole different ball game from marketing "Borat," reports John Horn.

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before putting the rent check in the mail.

Getting together in the backroom. Viacom's Paramount Pictures is in talks with both Sony and News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox to merge backroom operations of their home entertainment units -- primarily production and distribution of DVDs. Talks come at a time when DVD business is has tailed off dramatically for the studios. Coverage from The Financial Times and The Los Angeles Times.

But don't chuck those DVDs yet. Netflix chief Reed Hastings thinks the DVD biz still has some life in it. He tells USA Today he still sees DVDs as a "growth product."

Clooney leaves Burbank for Culver City. George Clooney's Smokehouse Productions is moving from Warner Bros. to Sony, according to The New York Times. The move ends the actor's long association with the studio going back to he "ER" days.

Here come's the bride. Cablevision's programming arm Rainbow is launching a channel devoted to weddings and all that goes into making them happen, says Broadcasting and Cable. The channel will be a spin-off of We, which already has several shows about walking the aisle. 

Syfy or Sci-Fi? The rebranding of the Sci Fi Channel to Syfy still has a ways to go, says The Wrap.

Boys of summer on the couch. This has nothing to do with entertainment but makes for good reading. More athletes are being treated for anxiety with three baseball players on the disabled list for it this season alone. The Wall Street Journal.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Patrick Goldstein talks to Sony's Amy Pascal about pulling the plug on "Moneyball." Fired gossip columnist Roger Friedman's suit against News Corp. makes for interesting reading. Global Gaming Factory is buying Pirate Bay.

-- Joe Flint

The Morning Fix: Hulu wants a passport; `Escape' delayed for Weinstein Co.; Washington Post gets egg on face; AEG could still make money on Jackson

After the coffee. Before figuring out how to turn a three-day weekend into a four-day weekend.

No `Escape" yet. The Weinstein Co.'s animated "Escape from Planet Earth" has been hit with production delays due to creative issues. For the small artsy production company, this is becoming a trend. The Los Angeles Times.

Going after Google. It's official, the Justice Dept. is reviewing Google's deal to settle a suit filed by the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers to determine if it violates anti-trust regulations, reports The New York Times.

Hulu gets a passport. Hulu, the online video site that screens TV shows and movies and is owned by News Corp. and NBC Universal and soon Disney, is looking to launch in the U.K. this fall, reports Variety. Hulu, the article says, is offering ownership stakes in return for access to content.

Pay to Play. A Washington Post plan to host events that would bring together lobbyists, government officials and reporters for a fee blew up in the paper's face and has been scrapped. Broken by the website Politicio, the story caused outrage among the editorial staff. Of course, legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee held these sorts of parties all the time, the only difference is he wasn't charging anyone money for access.

The last celebrity. Wall Street Journal Wonderland columnist Dan Henninger on why Michael Jackson takes the notion of celebrity with him.

Rest in Peace. Veteran TV reporter and all around good guy Steve Brennan died of cancer Wednesday. An institution at The Hollywood Reporter, Brennan was best known for coverage of the syndication and international beats as well as his charming Irish accent. The Hollywood Reporter.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Concert promoter AEG may still make money on its Michael Jackson deal through rehearsal footage, insurance and souvenir sales. Radio stations are upping the ante in their fight against the Performance Rights Act. James Rainey on sound bite media and Michael Jackson. 

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before checking if the Yankees won again (they did).

It's cash and carry for Chase. Rupert Murdoch spared no expense to lure Chase Carey back to News Corp. to be deputy chairman and president/chief operating officer. Carey's first year alone includes a $10 million signing bonus and the potential to earn north of $40 million. Oh and he can use the jet for vacations. The Los Angeles Times.

Slingbox founder to DirecTV? PaidContent's Staci Kramer reports that Slinbox co-founder Blake Krikorian is a candidate for the top job at satellite broadcaster DirecTV, which has been vacant since Chase Carey opted to rejoin News Corp.

Mel gets a raise. Sirius XM Satellite CEO Mel Karmazin, who guided the Sirius-XM merger and subsequent loan from John Malone's Liberty Media has been given a raise and more stock options. The Wall Street Journal.

They're rivals at the bank too. Angelina Jolie and Jenifer Aniston don't just have a man in common The two are also in battle to be the best paid actresses in Hollywood with Jolie again walking away with the big prize, according to Forbes.

Upfront action. Broadcasting & Cable reports that NBC and media buyer Group M have wrapped up a big upfront deal.

More `Moneyball' play-by-play. You'd think Sony's decision to pull the plug on `Moneyball' was the first time a movie ever got killed just before shooting was set to start. Today The New York Times weighs in with its take on what happened behind the scenes.

Long overdue. Facebook is overhauling its complex privacy settings to make it easier for users of the social networking site to decide who sees what on their profile pages and elsewhere. Facebook, The Wall Street Journal reports, said the new changes will not affect what data the company shares with advertisers.

Sharpen those teeth! The success of "Twilight" and "True Blood" have made vampire fashion hot. “The vampire is the new James Dean,” Julie Plec, the writer and executive producer of CW's fall series “The Vampire Diaries,” told The New York Times.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Marketing "Bruno" is a whole different ball game from marketing "Borat," reports John Horn.

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before putting the rent check in the mail.

Getting together in the backroom. Viacom's Paramount Pictures is in talks with both Sony and News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox to merge backroom operations of their home entertainment units -- primarily production and distribution of DVDs. Talks come at a time when DVD business is has tailed off dramatically for the studios. Coverage from The Financial Times and The Los Angeles Times.

But don't chuck those DVDs yet. Netflix chief Reed Hastings thinks the DVD biz still has some life in it. He tells USA Today he still sees DVDs as a "growth product."

Clooney leaves Burbank for Culver City. George Clooney's Smokehouse Productions is moving from Warner Bros. to Sony, according to The New York Times. The move ends the actor's long association with the studio going back to he "ER" days.

Here come's the bride. Cablevision's programming arm Rainbow is launching a channel devoted to weddings and all that goes into making them happen, says Broadcasting and Cable. The channel will be a spin-off of We, which already has several shows about walking the aisle. 

Syfy or Sci-Fi? The rebranding of the Sci Fi Channel to Syfy still has a ways to go, says The Wrap.

Boys of summer on the couch. This has nothing to do with entertainment but makes for good reading. More athletes are being treated for anxiety with three baseball players on the disabled list for it this season alone. The Wall Street Journal.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Patrick Goldstein talks to Sony's Amy Pascal about pulling the plug on "Moneyball." Fired gossip columnist Roger Friedman's suit against News Corp. makes for interesting reading. Global Gaming Factory is buying Pirate Bay.

-- Joe Flint

The Morning Fix: Lots of cash for Carey; Slingbox's Krikorian a candidate for DirecTV; more on `Moneyball' saga

After the coffee. Before checking if the Yankees won again (they did).

It's cash and carry for Chase. Rupert Murdoch spared no expense to lure Chase Carey back to News Corp. to be deputy chairman and president/chief operating officer. Carey's first year alone includes a $10 million signing bonus and the potential to earn north of $40 million. Oh and he can use the jet for vacations. The Los Angeles Times.

Slingbox founder to DirecTV? PaidContent's Staci Kramer reports that Slinbox co-founder Blake Krikorian is a candidate for the top job at satellite broadcaster DirecTV, which has been vacant since Chase Carey opted to rejoin News Corp.

Mel gets a raise. Sirius XM Satellite CEO Mel Karmazin, who guided the Sirius-XM merger and subsequent loan from John Malone's Liberty Media has been given a raise and more stock options. The Wall Street Journal.

They're rivals at the bank too. Angelina Jolie and Jenifer Aniston don't just have a man in common The two are also in battle to be the best paid actresses in Hollywood with Jolie again walking away with the big prize, according to Forbes.

Upfront action. Broadcasting & Cable reports that NBC and media buyer Group M have wrapped up a big upfront deal.

More `Moneyball' play-by-play. You'd think Sony's decision to pull the plug on `Moneyball' was the first time a movie ever got killed just before shooting was set to start. Today The New York Times weighs in with its take on what happened behind the scenes.

Long overdue. Facebook is overhauling its complex privacy settings to make it easier for users of the social networking site to decide who sees what on their profile pages and elsewhere. Facebook, The Wall Street Journal reports, said the new changes will not affect what data the company shares with advertisers.

Sharpen those teeth! The success of "Twilight" and "True Blood" have made vampire fashion hot. “The vampire is the new James Dean,” Julie Plec, the writer and executive producer of CW's fall series “The Vampire Diaries,” told The New York Times.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Marketing "Bruno" is a whole different ball game from marketing "Borat," reports John Horn.

-- Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before putting the rent check in the mail.

Getting together in the backroom. Viacom's Paramount Pictures is in talks with both Sony and News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox to merge backroom operations of their home entertainment units -- primarily production and distribution of DVDs. Talks come at a time when DVD business is has tailed off dramatically for the studios. Coverage from The Financial Times and The Los Angeles Times.

But don't chuck those DVDs yet. Netflix chief Reed Hastings thinks the DVD biz still has some life in it. He tells USA Today he still sees DVDs as a "growth product."

Clooney leaves Burbank for Culver City. George Clooney's Smokehouse Productions is moving from Warner Bros. to Sony, according to The New York Times. The move ends the actor's long association with the studio going back to he "ER" days.

Here come's the bride. Cablevision's programming arm Rainbow is launching a channel devoted to weddings and all that goes into making them happen, says Broadcasting and Cable. The channel will be a spin-off of We, which already has several shows about walking the aisle. 

Syfy or Sci-Fi? The rebranding of the Sci Fi Channel to Syfy still has a ways to go, says The Wrap.

Boys of summer on the couch. This has nothing to do with entertainment but makes for good reading. More athletes are being treated for anxiety with three baseball players on the disabled list for it this season alone. The Wall Street Journal.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Patrick Goldstein talks to Sony's Amy Pascal about pulling the plug on "Moneyball." Fired gossip columnist Roger Friedman's suit against News Corp. makes for interesting reading. Global Gaming Factory is buying Pirate Bay.

-- Joe Flint

The Morning Fix: Studios talk backroom DVD deal; Clooney to Culver City; Pascal on `Moneyball'

After the coffee. Before putting the rent check in the mail.

Getting together in the backroom. Viacom's Paramount Pictures is in talks with both Sony and News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox to merge backroom operations of their home entertainment units -- primarily production and distribution of DVDs. Talks come at a time when DVD business is has tailed off dramatically for the studios. Coverage from The Financial Times and The Los Angeles Times.

But don't chuck those DVDs yet. Netflix chief Reed Hastings thinks the DVD biz still has some life in it. He tells USA Today he still sees DVDs as a "growth product."

Clooney leaves Burbank for Culver City. George Clooney's Smokehouse Productions is moving from Warner Bros. to Sony, according to The New York Times. The move ends the actor's long association with the studio going back to he "ER" days.

Here come's the bride. Cablevision's programming arm Rainbow is launching a channel devoted to weddings and all that goes into making them happen, says Broadcasting and Cable. The channel will be a spin-off of We, which already has several shows about walking the aisle. 

Syfy or Sci-Fi? The rebranding of the Sci Fi Channel to Syfy still has a ways to go, says The Wrap.

Boys of summer on the couch. This has nothing to do with entertainment but makes for good reading. More athletes are being treated for anxiety with three baseball players on the disabled list for it this season alone. The Wall Street Journal.

In today's Los Angeles Times: Patrick Goldstein talks to Sony's Amy Pascal about pulling the plug on "Moneyball." Fired gossip columnist Roger Friedman's suit against News Corp. makes for interesting reading. Global Gaming Factory is buying Pirate Bay.

-- Joe Flint