NBC News has tapped British television journalist Deborah Turness as its next president.

Turness, currently editor of Britain's ITV News, is taking over the position previously held by Steve Capus, who resigned from NBC News in March. She will report to Patricia Fili-Krushel, chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group, which includes not just the broadcast operation but cable channels CNBC and MSNBC.

The hiring of someone not only outside of NBC News but also outside the country to replace Capus was a surprise to media insiders. Turness was not on anyone's early list of candidates for the Capus...

After the coffee. Before going through two weeks' worth of mail.

The Skinny: Well, I didn't win the Powerball lottery, which means I'll be heading back to the office today after a long trip to New York. Ask me around Thursday if it's good to be home. Monday's headlines include a recap of the weekend box office, Yahoo's purchase of Tumblr and the question of whether there are clouds over Warner Bros. movie chief Jeff Robinov. If you are so eager for the Morning Fix that you must know exactly when it is available online, please send me a note.

Daily Dose:Now that the upfronts are over,...

An American woman arrives in China to retrace the steps of her deceased daughter from a video diary the daughter kept of her trip to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A young flautist travels to Beijing to audition for a conservatory. A seamstress for a fashion company is betrayed by her jealous boss when she designs a spectacular kite for the Beijing Kite Festival.

Those are among seven winners in the short-film category of the inaugural Beijing International Screenwriting Competition, launched by the Chinese government in March as part of an ongoing strategy to expand its cultural influence and...

"Star Trek Into Darkness" opened atop the U.S. box office, though its debut didn't quite make the jump to warp speed that Paramount Pictures executives expected.

"Into Darkness," the second J.J. Abrams-directed installment in the long-running science-fiction franchise, took in $70.6 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates, bringing its total take to $84.1 million. The movie launched Wednesday in 336 Imax locations before opening wide Thursday.

The overall total, while healthy, was $16 million less than what Paramount, which co-financed the $190-million-budgeted film with...

"Star Trek Into Darkness" opened atop the U.S. box office, though its debut didn't quite make the jump to warp speed that Paramount Pictures executives expected.

"Into Darkness," the second J.J. Abrams-directed installment in the long-running science-fiction franchise, took in $70.55 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates, bringing its total take to $84 million. The movie launched Wednesday in 336 IMAX locations before opening wide Thursday.

The overall total, while healthy, was $16 million less than what Paramount, which co-financed the film with Skydance Productions, had...

Paramount Pictures isn't the only company that stands to get a lift from "Star Trek's" anticipated box office success this weekend.

San Francisco-based Dolby Laboratories is hoping "Star Trek into Darkness" will propel its newest sound system, Dolby Atmos, to a new frontier. 

Introduced a year ago, Dolby Atmos is billed as the next generation in sound in cinema, giving sound experts the ability to easily place or move specific sounds, such as a rain drop or a gust of wind, anywhere in the theater.

More than 40 titles have been mixed with Dolby Atmos, which has been used by such filmmakers as...

Iron Man performed a superheroic feat at the box office this week, and now Superman and Wolverine may be trembling in their boots.

The first of the summer superhero films to hit the multiplex, "Iron Man 3" on Thursday crossed the $1 billion milestone after 23 days at the global box office, according to distributor Walt Disney Studios. The film starring Robert Downey Jr. becomes the 16th movie ever to join the elite $1 billion club -- six of which were released by Disney.

PHOTO GALLERY: The Billion Dollar Box Office Club

The Marvel Studios-produced film also passed an important mark...

“Star Trek Into Darkness” grossed $13.5 million during its first day in U.S. theaters Thursday, putting it on track to approach $100 million at the domestic box office by the end of this weekend, according to studio estimates. The take includes $3.5 million from Thursday midnight screenings and late-night IMAX shows on Wednesday. The movie, budgeted at an estimated $190 million, opened on 3,762 screens, 336 of them IMAX 3D.

Paramount Pictures expects "Into Darkness" to surpass J.J. Abrams’ 2009 "Star Trek" reboot, particularly overseas, where the film franchise, which now...

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Facebook's initial public offering, a milestone that often prompts reflection and introspection.

And in the case of Rupert Murdoch, the occasion provided an opportunity for a nanny-nanny-nah-nah tweet:

"Look out Facebook! Hours spent participating per member dropping seriously. First really bad sign as seen by crappy MySpace years ago," Murdoch wrote on his Twitter account late Thursday night.

VIDEO: Fall 2013 TV trailers

Of course, Murdoch was famously burned after jumping in and snatching Myspace for $580 million in 2005, thwarting competing media...

Prospect Park, the Century City-based entertainment company, in just two weeks has learned a valuable lesson in online viewing behavior.

The production company launched Internet versions of the former ABC soap operas "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" on April 29, figuring loyal fans of the long-running dramas would show up in droves and become addicted once again.

Viewers showed up all right, but they didn't watch the soaps in the manner that Prospect Park had hoped.

PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times

"We are posting too many episodes and making it far too challenging for viewers to keep...

After the coffee. Before the flight back to Los Angeles.

The Skinny: Finally heading home after a week and a half in New York. Hope my cats remember me and didn't tear our place up. Friday's headlines include the weekend box-office preview, some thoughts on the network upfronts and ESPN's deal for the U.S. Open. And don't forget, if you are interested in receiving an email alert when the Morning Fix is live, please send me a note.

Daily Dose:The producers of Thursday's final episode of "The Office" must have wanted to make sure there wasn't any loose change left in the show's budget. Pricey...

Buoyed by the billion-dollar box-office blockbusters “Skyfall” and “The Hobbit:  An Unexpected Journey,” MGM Holdings Inc., the parent of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., posted first-quarter net income of $57.4 million.

That was more than double than the $23.3-million net income figure the Beverly Hills-based company reported a year earlier.

The privately held film and television company said in a filing on its website that it had posted revenue of $481.7 million for the three-month period that ended March 31 — a sizable increase over the $179.5 million taken in during...

Director Guillermo del Toro crowed about the enduring value of movie theaters this week, reminding television advertising executives gathered in New York that there is no substitute for the big screen.

Speaking to a standing-room only crowd of more than 700 advertising and media professionals at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square on Wednesday, Del Toro presented footage from his upcoming science fiction film "Pacific Rim" and shared childhood memories about going to the cinema.

“I think that it is very important for us to remember why we go to the theater — what makes the experience...

After holding serve for 45 years, CBS has lost the rights to the nation's premier tennis tournament.

ESPN on Thursday said it has clinched an 11-year deal with the United States Tennis Assn. for the exclusive TV rights, beginning in 2015, for the annual U.S. Open tennis tournament. ESPN declined to comment on speculation that it shelled out close to $75 million annually for the rights, a steep increase from what the USTA had been getting in its previous contract. 

The U.S. Open is one of the sport's four Grand Slam tournaments and a celebrated event that unfolds over two weeks in late summer...

The "Star Trek" movie series has lived long at the box office. But is it time for Captain Kirk and Spock to really prosper?

"Star Trek Into Darkness," the second J.J. Abrams-directed installment in the science-fiction franchise, debuted in a handful of theaters late Wednesday evening and has since collected $3.3 million, according to an estimate from distributor Paramount Pictures. The movie launched at 8 p.m. in 336 IMAX locations, because 30 minutes of the film was shot on IMAX cameras.

The picture is expected to rake in about $20 million by the end of Thursday. By Sunday, those who have...

A sense of "meh."

That's the takeaway of one top media analyst after sitting through programming presentations to advertisers from ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC this past week.

"Our overwhelming impression is this: the more we see of the broadcast lineups, the more excited we get -- about the cable lineups," said Todd Juenger of Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. 

Of particular concern to Juenger was Fox's schedule, which he called "disappointing." The new dramas -- which include J.J. Abrams' "Almost Human" -- "struck us as shockingly and uniformly violent." The comedy trailers Fox showed "didn't evoke a...

As the broadcast networks wrap up a week of touting new shows to advertisers in the hopes of persuading them to spend billions on commercials, it seems like a good time to review how last year's new shows did.

It's not a pretty picture.

In the 2012-13 TV season, 42 television shows premiered on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the CW. Of those 42, so far only 11 are coming back for a second season. The casualties include "Made in Jersey," "Do No Harm," "Partners" and "Animal Practice."

No wonder only CBS and the CW were up in viewers and all were down in the coveted 18-49 demographic.

Of the five...

After the coffee. Before my last day of upfront presentations. Phew!

The Skinny: I love New York but it seems to have gotten even more crowded since I left years ago. I can't deal! Thursday's headlines include CBS's new fall schedule and a restructuring at the Warner Bros. TV Group. Also, a cable company is the latest to sniff around Hulu. If you are interested in receiving an email alert when the Morning Fix is live please send me a note.

Daily Dose:The pilot episode for the new CBS sitcom "The Crazy Ones" starring Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar as a father-daughter advertising...

Google Inc. upended the Internet with its search engine.

It launched its own email service, made roads and highways easier to navigate, developed the world's most popular operating system for mobile devices and took a shot at Apple Inc.'s iTunes with its own Google Play store.

Now the technology giant is cranking up the volume with the debut of a subscription music service that provides access to millions of songs for a monthly fee, taking on the likes of Spotify and Pandora and going after the next big wave in digital music: streaming on mobile devices.

PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments

Analy...

Cinemark Holdings Inc., the nation's third-largest theater chain, is bulking up in Los Angeles County with plans to open a multiplex at the SouthBay Pavilion shopping mall in Carson.

Vintage Real Estate, which owns and manages SouthBay Pavilion, said it had recently signed a lease with Cinemark to bring a 14-screen theater to the mall.

Set to open in December 2014, the multiplex will be among the highest-profile locations for Cinemark in the Los Angeles region.

PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times

The Plano, Texas, circuit, which has 5,259 movie screens in the U.S. and Latin America, already has a...

NEW YORK — The two major Spanish-language television companies delivered an unusual pitch to advertisers: Our viewers watch our programs live. They don't digitally record them to fast-forward through the commercials.

Both Univision Communications and Telemundo on Tuesday sought to reinforce a message that Spanish-language television is a better value for advertisers. The major networks, including Fox, NBC and ABC, have been bleeding viewers, but the audiences have been growing on Spanish-language channels.

The two companies touted their new season lineups to advertisers in separate...

News Corp. has hired a D.C. heavyweight to handle its lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill after it becomes primarily a newspaper publishing company.

Antoniette "Toni" Cook Bush will join News Corp. next month as its executive vice president and global head of government affairs. Her hiring is in anticipation of the split of News Corp. into two separate companies. The entertainment assets are being spun off into a new entity called 21st Century Fox while the print operations will remain in News Corp.

PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times

A veteran Beltway insider, Bush has spent much of the last two...

Hollywood studios are employing a new tool in their efforts to fight piracy: persuasion.

After waging an unsuccessful effort last year to introduce legislation that would crack down on websites offering illegal copies of movies and TV shows, studios are taking a different approach.

The website, at www.WheretoWatch.org, lists various services such as...

Warner Bros. Chief Executive Kevin Tsujihara has begun building his own team at the Burbank entertainment company, distributing power among a handful of key executives who have long toiled in the trenches.

On Wednesday, Tsujihara announced a new management structure for the company's television, home entertainment and video games unit.

"This is all about redesigning the company and how we do what we do," Tsujihara said in an interview with The Times. "One of the key goals we want to accomplish is running this company as one. We all work for Warner Bros."

PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments

Tsuji...

Warner Bros. Television Group Chief Executive Bruce Rosenblum is resigning less than six months after being passed over for the top job at the movie and television production giant.

"Bruce has been a vital member of the Warner Bros. family and a good friend to so many of us, and he will be missed," new Warner Bros. Chief Executive Kevin Tsujihara and former CEO Barry Meyer said in an email to the studio's staff.

Rosenblum's departure had been expected after Jeff Bewkes, the chief executive of Warner Bros. parent Time Warner Inc., chose Tsujihara, who had headed the studio's home entertainment...

NEW YORK -- Time Warner's TNT and TBS are joining the parade of networks offering a live linear feed of their channels online for viewers on the go.

"Starting this summer, subscribers will be able to watch TBS and TNT live -- anytime, anywhere, on multiple devices," Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks, said at the Turner Broadcasting upfront presentation to advertisers.

VIDEO: New fall TV shows

Earlier this week, Walt Disney Co.'s ABC also said it would roll out a live stream of its channel this summer, and News Corp.'s Fox is said to have similar plans in the works.

For...

Iron Man is already part of an elite crew of superheroes, but now he is set to join a rarefied group at the box office.

"Iron Man 3," the third film in the franchise starring Robert Downey Jr., will pass the $1-billion milestone, possibly by Wednesday night. As of Tuesday morning, Walt Disney Studios said the Shane Black-directed movie had collected $962.2 million worldwide and was still selling tickets in territories worldwide.

The well-reviewed picture will become only the 16th film to gross over $1 billion globally, and the first in Marvel Studios' Tony Stark trilogy to cross the impressive...

After the coffee. Before the CBS and TNT upfronts. Jealous yet?

The Skinny: It feels like I've been here a week. Oh wait, I have been here a week! By the time most of you read this, I'll have already been to two upfront events and in desperate need of a nap. Well, that's a luxury problem. Wednesday's headlines include ABC's brand new schedule and Viacom getting a jump on the upfront market. As always, if you are interested in receiving an email alert when the Morning Fix is live, please send me a note.

Daily Dose:Advertisers may have been surprised to learn at the ABC upfront that the...

A loud screeching sound echoed across the oval racetrack as a driver burned rubber, revving the engine of a silver Mercedes-Benz and spinning the vehicle a full 360 degrees while kicking up a cloud of dust and smoke.

This wasn't a stock car race, but a shoot for an upcoming Mercedes commercial that was being filmed at Irwindale Speedway, where about two dozen crew members huddled Monday morning under blue pop-up tents next to camera stands and film equipment to escape the suffocating 104-degree heat.

"We shoot here all the time," said Matt Moses, a driver with North Hollywood film services...

Microsoft Corp. is partnering with Paramount Pictures on a promotional effort for the studio's "Star Trek Into Darkness." It represents the biggest such undertaking ever for the software giant.

The Redmond, Wash., company's campaign isn't short on whimsy: Bing, Microsoft's Internet search engine, was updated Tuesday to include the "Star Trek" language Klingon in its online translation service.

But there also is strategic significance to the marketing venture, because it leverages so many Microsoft services, devices and platforms in a way not previously attempted by the company for a movie...

News Corp. Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch has sold $25 million worth of News Corp. non-voting shares as the company's stock has soared in value.

Murdoch, the youngest son of media baron and News Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch, on Monday unloaded 752,000 of the company's Class A common shares for $33.32 a share.

The sale represented more than 20% of Murdoch's stock holdings in the company. He did not, however, divest his more influential Class B voting shares. Murdoch's father controls the New York-based media company through the family's holdings of 38% of the...

Sony Corp. stock soared in afternoon trading after New York hedge fund Third Point proposed that the electronics and media giant make an initial public stock offering of up to 20% of its entertainment arm.

That unit, known as Sony Entertainment Inc., includes film and television studio Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Sony Music Entertainment.

The proposal also raised the specter of a possible Sony alliance — perhaps with CBS Corp., whose CEO Leslie Moonves has long dreamed of running a movie studio.

PHOTO GALLERY: The Billion Dollar Box Office Club

"Many casual...

Director Ziad Doueiri hoped his movie “The Attack” might start meaningful conversations about terrorism, especially in the Middle East, where the film is set. Instead, the Lebanese-born filmmaker has seen his drama banned in almost every Arab country, a consequence, he says, of filming in Israel.

Doueiri, whose film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival last year, said “The Attack” was scheduled to roll out in nearly two dozen Arab countries in the weeks ahead of its U.S. premiere on June 21.

But last week he said the League of Arab States, also known as the Arab...

New York hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb wants Japanese electronics giant Sony Corp. to spin off its Culver City entertainment business.

CBS Corp. might like that, too.

Loeb, whose Third Point funds own more than $1 billion in Sony stock, sent a letter Tuesday to Sony's chief executive, Kazuo Hirai, suggesting an initial public offering of 15% to 20% of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

ON LOCATION: Where the cameras roll

Sony said that its Hollywood operations are not for sale, and a CBS corporate spokesman declined to comment on "rumor and speculation."

However, CBS, in the past has said it would...

Observers spent Tuesday morning reading Sony Corp.'s tea leaves in the aftermath of a hedge fund's proposal that the company take its entertainment arm public.

Sony's stock soared about 10% in afternoon trading after New York hedge fund Third Point proposed that the electronics and media giant make a public offering of up to 20% of Sony Entertainment Inc. That unit includes film and television studio Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Sony Music Entertainment. 

Brian Wieser, a senior analyst with Pivotal Research Group, said that there is "good value inside of Sony...

NEW YORK -- Univision intends to remain the king.

The nation's largest Spanish-language media company, Univision Communications, on Tuesday said it has made a financial investment in the planned El Rey cable channel owned by Hollywood director Robert Rodriguez and FactoryMade Ventures. El Rey, which means "the king" in Spanish, is expected to launch in December and target male Latinos under 35 with English-language programming.

El Rey becomes the second planned English-language network to capture Univision investment. Though the company declined to provide details about its stake in El Rey,...

ESPN President John Skipper said Tuesday he isn’t too worried about proposed legislation from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) that would allow consumers to pick what channels they want instead of buying a big package of networks.

“We don’t think the bill has any momentum,” Skipper said to reporters after ESPN made a presentation to advertisers in New York City. His view that McCain’s legislation is a long shot is shared by many television industry insiders. ESPN is a unit of Walt Disney Co.

Still, McCain on Tuesday made the case for a so-called a la carte pricing model...

Sony Corp.'s stock rallied about 9% in early trading after a New York hedge fund proposed that the company take its entertainment unit public.

Sony shares added $1.64, or 8.7%, to stand at $20.53 shortly after the opening bell on Wall Street.

Daniel Loeb, chief executive of the hedge fund Third Point, outlined his case in a letter dated Tuesday and hand-delivered to Kazuo Hirai, Sony's president and chief executive.

QUIZ: How much do you know about the stock market?

In the letter, Loeb proposed a public offering of 15%-20% of Sony's entertainment division. Loeb said the capital infusion would...

"Townies," an upcoming comedy starring Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, is giving some comic relief to Los Angeles.

The Universal Pictures movie, in which Rogen plays a regular family man whose life is upended by the raucous behavior of his frat boy neighbor (Efron), has been lighting up local feature production.

The timing couldn't be better for L.A., where location filming for feature films dropped nearly 12% in April compared with the same period last year after a 26% surge in the first quarter, according to data from FilmL.A. Inc., which handles film permits for the city and the county.

PHOTOS:...

After the coffee. Before the ESPN and ABC upfronts.

The Skinny: I got through the day without any pizza. Let's see if I can make it two in a row. Tuesday's headlines include Fox's new TV schedule for next season. Also, a hedge fund manager is pressuring Sony to split its entertainment assets from the rest of the consumer electronics giant. If you are interested in receiving an email alert when the Morning Fix is live, please send me a note.

Daily Dose: Scott Sassa, the former president of Hearst Entertainment & Syndication who exited his job earlier this year after racy text messagesbetween...

Can the return of Michael J. Fox, agent Jack Bauer and "Ironside" help vanquish the flesh-eating zombies that are threatening to take a bite out of television broadcasters' fortunes?

ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC are unveiling their fall lineups this week with the hopes that their latest crop of crime-solving dramas and half-hour comedies will cure what ails the broadcast industry. The networks are coming off a lackluster season marked by falling ratings and a failure to produce new hits on the magnitude of cable channel AMC's zombie show "The Walking Dead."

News Corp.'s Fox watched its juggernaut...

News Corp.'s Fox Sports will launch not one, but two new national sports cable channels in August, according to people familiar with the plan.

In March, Fox Sports said it would debut Fox Sports 1 on Aug. 17. At the time, the company downplayed talk that it had plans for a second national service -- Fox Sports 2 -- as well.

But now insiders say Fox Sports 2 will launch around the same time and perhaps even the same day as Fox Sports 1. The new channel will take the place of Fuel TV, a News Corp.-owned network that currently carries a heavy load of Ultimate Fighting Championship programming.

Wh...

Trekkies looking to translate the famous Klingon battle cry Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam! -- or any other phrase from the fictional alien race's language -- will soon have a new tool at their disposal. 

Starting on Tuesday, Bing, Microsoft Corp.'s Internet search engine, will include Klingon in its web-based translation service. The move is part of a broad marketing partnership between the Redmond, Wash., software giant and Paramount Pictures, which will release the upcoming "Star Trek Into Darkness."

The Bing service will translate text written in any one of 41 supported languages -- including...

Fox and Twitter have entered into a partnership to promote the broadcaster's programs and allow advertisers a way to reach TV audiences as they discuss the shows on the social network.

In an announcement Monday timed to coincide with its upfront presentation to advertisers and media buyers in New York City, Fox said it would use Twitter to distribute clips of upcoming TV shows, tout highlights of live events or share video after episodes of various shows have aired. 

Brand marketers would use Twitter's advertising platform to promote this network content. 

PHOTOS: Tech we want to see in 2013

"...

NEW YORK -- NBC Broadcasting Chairman Ted Harbert feels the pain of advertisers who have spent the last two months sitting in stuffy auditoriums listening to television executives tell them where to spend their money in advance of the fall TV season.

"I think it's a little crazy," Harbert said at NBC's so-called upfront announcement to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall on Monday. By Harbert's count, there are 18 upfront presentations this week alone and there have been 70 so far this year.

"The biggest beneficiary is Grey Goose," Harbert cracked.

PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times

Ironically,...

NEW YORK -- Looks like there will be no shortage of plugs for NBC in the network's new sitcom starring Michael J. Fox.

A preview clip that the network showed to advertisers during its upfront presentation Monday at Radio City Music Hall looked like one big promotion for the network.

The premise of the program -- titled "The Michael J. Fox Show" -- is that Fox is Mike Burnaby, a TV reporter who retires after he can no longer mask the symptoms of his Parkinson's disease.

VIDEO: NBC comedy trailers 2013

But being at home doesn't suit him or his family so he tries to go back to work. And where did...

After the coffee. Before getting through two upfronts in one day.

The Skinny: It's a beautiful day here in New York. Too bad I'll spend it indoors at the NBC and Fox upfronts, and then running in and out of Starbucks to steal their Wi-Fi to file blog posts. See what I go through for all of you? Monday's headlines include a recap of the weekend box office, news that a top television executive is expected to leave Warner Bros., and NBC's unveiling of its fall schedule. If you are interested in receiving an email alert when the Morning Fix is live, please send me a note.

Daily Dose: British...

On a warm, Friday morning in Beverly Hills, 150 prospective television producers from around the world gathered at PitchCon 2013 at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills to try to sell their projects to 50 of Hollywood's top industry professionals.

At one table in the center of the room, Charla Young, 40, of Louisville, Ky., calmly pitched a television executive the idea for her inspirational talk show "Power to Change." Having already obtained regional syndication in her home state, Young had come to Los Angeles to find national distribution for her show.

"I've always felt this show was destined for...

Walt Disney Co.'s ABC is looking to become the first broadcast network to go live on the Internet on a full-time basis. 

"Watch ABC" will debut this fall and allow viewers to watch the network from mobile devices and tablets when they are away from home. Watch ABC will basically be a live stream of the network's feed as well as local programming such as news.

There are some catches. The service is only available to people who already have a pay-TV provider. Also, it will initially not be available in every market because ABC needs to reach distribution agreements for Watch ABC with all its...

While the USS Enterprise has yet to conquer foreign galaxies, it is starting to pick up speed overseas.

Playing in seven foreign markets this weekend, J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek Into Darkness" collected $31.7 million, according to an estimate from distributor Paramount Pictures. The studio said the sequel performed about 70% better than the original did when it debuted in those same countries four years ago. The movie did well in locations like Germany and Australia but fared best in the United Kingdom, where it grossed $13.3 million.

The movie needs to fare well abroad if it is to become a hit,...

Seth Meyers has been tapped to be the host of NBC's "Late Night" after Jimmy Fallon takes over for Jay Leno as host of "The Tonight Show" next year.

The appointment of Meyers, a cast member and head writer on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," had been expected for weeks.

Lorne Michaels, the producer of "Saturday Night Live," will oversee Meyers' show, which airs at about 12:30 a.m., after "The Tonight Show." Michaels also will be executive producer of "The Tonight Show" after it moves to New York with Fallon as host.

PHOTOS: 13 memorable 'SNL' stars

"Since 1982, there have been three 'Late Night'...

“The Great Gatsby” wasn’t the No. 1 film at the box office this weekend, but Warner Bros. executives may be breaking out the bubbly anyway.

Baz Luhrmann's 3-D take on of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1920s novel lost out to “Iron Man 3,” the superhero behemoth that has already made nearly a billion dollars worldwide. In its second weekend of domestic release, the Marvel Studios production collected $72.5 million, according to an estimate from distributor Walt Disney Studios.

That left "Gatsby" to settle for the runner-up position, though the film starring Leonardo...

Bruce Rosenblum, the longtime president of Warner Bros. Television Group and one of the top executives at Time Warner Inc., is expected to leave his position in the coming weeks.

The departure had been anticipated ever since Rosenblum was passed over earlier this year to succeed Barry Meyer as chief executive of all of Warner Bros. in favor of Kevin Tsujihara, who had headed the studio's home entertainment unit.

Peter Roth, the president of Warner Bros. Television, the creative unit within Warner Bros. Television Group, is expected to take on greater responsibilities in the wake of Rosenblum's...

Rupert Murdoch has just popped the cork on a deal to buy a rare trophy property in Los Angeles: the 16-acre Moraga Vineyards estate, located in the hills above Bel Air.

The billionaire media mogul announced his purchase on Twitter on Friday afternoon: "About to celebrate buying beautiful small vineyard right in LA. Great wine, Moraga, owned by great Angelino, Tom Jones, Time cover, 1961!"

Murdoch did not reveal the purchase price.

The listing price for the Santa Monica Mountains property, which can be glimpsed from the 405 Freeway, was just a tasteful sip below $30 million, according to The...

The force is returning to Britain.

Disney-owned Lucasfilm announced Friday that production of "Star Wars: Episode VII" will take place in the United Kingdom, the latest example of a high-profile Hollywood movie filming outside California. Another big Disney movie, Marvel Studios' current release "Iron Man 3," filmed in North Carolina.

Britain provides rebates of up to 25%, making it an attractive destination for such big productions as the "Harry Potter" movies, "Clash of the Titans" and "Captain America: the First Avenger."

The "Star Wars" franchise has longstanding ties to Britain. All of...

NBC has pulled the plug on "Rock Center," the prime-time news magazine hosted by "Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams, after just two seasons, the network said late Friday.

The cancellation of "Rock Center" is a blow to Williams and NBC's news unit, which spent a lot of money on the show. NBCUniversal Chief Executive Steve Burke was also a champion of "Rock Center."

Besides Williams, "Rock Center" was filled with several big-name producers and correspondents including former "Nightline" anchor Ted Koppel and Harry Smith, a CBS News veteran. Even Chelsea Clinton had a stint as a reporter.

PHOTO...

Paramount Pictures will be getting a payday for "Iron Man 3" -- a film released by its crosstown rival Disney.

The Walt Disney Co.'s Robert Downey Jr. action sequel has already sold $794 million of tickets worldwide -- a massive success for the Burbank company.

But Paramount, which had no involvement in the making of the Marvel Studios-produced superhero movie, could wind up receiving more than $100 million from the box office pie. 

PHOTOS: 'Iron Man 3' premiere

The financial deal stems from an October 2010 agreement between Disney and Paramount, which had previously distributed Marvel movies,...

NBC News is expected to name Deborah Turness, a prominent British TV journalist, to be its next president.

Currently editor of Britain's ITV News, Turness will take the position that was previously held by Steve Capus, who resigned from NBC News in March. The Los Angeles Times last month was first to report that Turness was a leading candidate for the post.

NBC News is declining comment on Turness and insiders there say no official announcement is expected Friday or Monday, which is when the network will unveil its new prime-time schedule to advertisers. However, people with knowledge of the...

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past,” F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote in “The Great Gatsby,” a melancholy observation on the struggle to transform one’s dreams into future glory.

Against the box-office current facing Baz Luhrmann’s “Great Gatsby” adaptation in its opening weekend in theaters, the bedazzled 3-D drama got off to an auspicious start, hauling in a robust $3.25 million Thursday night in its 10 p.m. debut at approximately 2,500 locations.

Competing against newly minted international...

CNN News President Jeff Zucker is putting a priority on the cable network’s new morning show, “New Day,” which launches June 17.

 “It’s really important that we have a very strong and good morning show,” Zucker said at a New York press conference Friday with the anchors and producers of “New Day.” Chris Cuomo and Kate Bolduan will host the three-hour (6-9 a.m. ET) show. Michaela Pereira, currently of KTLA-TV Los Angeles, will be the news anchor.

Zucker, who cut his teeth as producer of NBC’s “Today,” said the CNN show will steer...

DirecTV is going to have to decide soon whether to punt or keep the football.

While that may seem like it is a long way off, typically the NFL likes to renegotiate its TV agreements a few years in advance of their expiration date. That was the case with ESPN, Fox, CBS and NBC, all of whom signed lengthy deals long before their current pacts expired. The NFL has managed to...

After the coffee. Before eating something other than Sal & Carmine's pizza.

The Skinny: My diet has taken a turn for the worse since getting to New York. I'll need an extra long run in Central Park this weekend burn off the grease. Friday's headlines include a look at the weekend box office and ESPN's talks with a mobile phone company about covering data cap costs for its viewers. Also, if you are interested in receiving an email alert when the Morning Fix is live, please send me a note.

Daily Dose: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is a big fan of ESPN but he said Thursday doesn't think every cable...

News Corp. has unveiled its corporate logo for its new incarnation.

The company, following the spinoff of its publishing assets, plans to take the name 21st Century Fox. The new logo is a stripped-down version of the one that has served the legendary Los Angeles movie studio for decades.

The moody blue sky and hulking golden pedestal are gone, but the sweeping klieg lights remain.

"Today I am proud to unveil our new logo, which serves as a powerful symbol of the inspiration and high bar set by our company," News Corp. Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch said Thursday in an email to employees.

"Like...

It may seem strange that anybody would pass on financing a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio. But when Baz Luhrmann was trying to make “The Great Gatsby,” with the “Titanic” star cast in the lead role, every studio in town said no — except one.

Opening this weekend, and expected to gross as much as $45 million in its debut, “The Great Gatsby” originally was going to be co-financed by Sony Pictures (with Village Roadshow splitting the tab). But soon after James L. Brooks’ $120-million “How Do You Know” flopped for Sony in late 2010,...

Rhythm & Hues, the Oscar-winning visual effects house that recently emerged from bankruptcy protection, is now looking for a new home.

As Times writer Roger Vincent reports, the company's 200,000-square-foot El Segundo headquarters has been sold for $25 million to real estate developers who plan to convert the six-acre property into an office campus for other media and entertainment companies.

The studio, which occupies three buildings on Grand Avenue and Continental Boulevard in El Segundo, will remain at the site for the next several months until a new location can be identified, two people...

"The Great Gatsby" is set to make a splashy debut at the box office this weekend, but "Iron Man 3" will still be the life of the party.

The Marvel Studios film starring Robert Downey Jr. debuted with a massive $174.1 million last weekend and has already sold more than $768 million of tickets worldwide. The movie should rake in an additional $70 million or more this weekend domestically, according to those who have seen audience survey data.

That would be more than enough to again claim No. 1, leaving "The Great Gatsby" to settle for the runner-up position. Baz Luhrmann's 3-D adaptation of F....

YouTube unveiled its much-anticipated subscription service Thursday with such recognizable entertainment brands as "Sesame Street," "Jim Henson Family TV" and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The Internet's dominant online video site, whose content has been free to watch since its inception, added monthly fees to generate a second source of revenue to support its content creators. 

The pilot subscription program launched with 30 paid channels spanning the programming gamut, from familiar children's fare to British TV and documentary films to entertainment offerings targeting specific...

Sony Corp. swung to its first annual profit since 2008, aided in part by its movie studio.

The company posted annual net income of $458 million for the fiscal year ended March 31. Last year, the company lost $456.7 million.

A big part of the Tokyo-based company's success was studio Sony Pictures Entertainment -- in addition to real estate sales, job cuts and currency weakness in Japan.

PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments

Sony Pictures posted operating income of $509 million, up 40% from a year earlier. Sony attributed the improvement in part to blockbusters "Skyfall" and "The Amazing Spider-Man....

Calling the business practices of the television industry an "injustice being inflicted on the American people," Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) introduced legislation Thursday he said will give consumers more choice and control over their pay-TV services.

McCain said his Television Consumer Freedom Act of 2013 will "help shift the landscape to benefit television consumers."

Long a foe of how pay-TV distributors such as satellite and cable companies and programmers package and sell programming, McCain wants the industry to start selling channels on an individual or a la carte basis to consumers....

Netflix has reached an agreement with the Disney/ABC Television group to become the only subscription streaming service to offer the popular children's shows "Jake and the Never Land Pirates" and the animated "Tron: Uprising."

The multiyear licensing deal also brings "Handy Manny," "Special Agent Oso" and "JoJo's Circus" to the movie and television service on a non-exclusive basis.

The announcement follows a high-profile agreement last December, in which Netflix won exclusive pay TV rights to Walt Disney Studio films -- including its Marvel's superhero pictures, Pixar's animated fare and...

After the coffee. Before seeing if I can make it here.

The Skinny: It took almost two hours to get from JFK to the Upper West Side on Wednesday but a four-mile run in Riverside Park recharged me. Think of me in a sticky subway station while you're in your air-conditioned car. Thursday's headlines include Sen. John McCain's efforts to overhaul the TV industry, Fox's plans to overhaul "American Idol" and a new documentary on the late J.D. Salinger, an author who made Thomas Pynchon look outgoing. And remember, if you are interested in receiving an email alert when the Morning Fix is live, please...

Prepare yourself for on-demand access to actor Danny Trejo’s tattooed chest.

Online distribution company Yekra has acquired exclusive 60-day online distribution rights to the Eric Schwartz documentary “Tattoo Nation” – which features Trejo, Ed Hardy and others sharing their body art.  

The film premiered online early Thursday morning and will rent for $6.99 on Yerka’s video platform. The cost of the rental can be applied to a $19.99 DVD purchase of the movie for those who want more than one viewing.

Founded in 2011, Yekra is not a destination platform like Hulu or...

The maverick wants to cook the TV industry's golden goose.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is preparing to introduce legislation perhaps as early as Thursday that would dramatically overhaul the television business and will probably be met with strong opposition from the broadcast and cable industries if it ever gets off the ground.

Specifically, McCain wants to require pay-TV distributors to give consumers the option to buy channels on an individual or a la carte basis instead of the current system in which they must buy large bundles of channels.

PHOTOS: Cable vs. broadcast ratings

He is also...

News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey rattled cages last month by threatening to turn his company's Fox Broadcasting network -- home of "Family Guy," "American Idol" and NFL football -- into a cable channel.

Carey threw down the gauntlet in early April at the National Assn. of Broadcasters convention. News Corp., he said, would take the extraordinary step of turning Fox into a cable channel if Aereo, the start-up Internet TV service that captures and transmits over-the-air signals of the broadcast networks to consumers, were allowed to flourish.

On Wednesday, Carey sounded less...

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is preparing to split into two entities, and the company's fiscal third-quarter financials illustrated why: Its cable television and film properties continue to flex their muscles while the publishing unit's profit exhibited atrophy.

For the quarter ended March 31, News Corp. earned $2.85 billion, or $1.22 a share, compared with $937 million, or 38 cents a share, in the year earlier period.

Revenue for the quarter increased 14% to $9.54 billion, beating Wall Street estimates.

PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments

The increases primarily came from higher carriage fees...

Art is imitating life again.

CNN personality and former tabloid editor Piers Morgan is going to try his hand at producing a drama about the British tabloid business in the 1970s.

Morgan has signed on as an executive producer of "Fleet Street," a drama pilot in development at the pay-TV cable channel Starz.

“Imagine an industry where every single opponent worked in the same street, competing with each other by day -- drinking, brawling, fornicating, nightclubbing and cocaine-snorting with each other by night. A street full of the most ruthless and amoral people in the world existed, and...

If the dead could speak, they probably wouldn't have been heard over the burst of virtual shouting and howling Walt Disney Co. drew for attempting to trademark "Dia de los Muertos" -- a bid it has since dropped.

The company filed 10 applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for “Dia de los Muertos,” including applications pertaining to toys, cereals and jewelry. The May 1 filings came in anticipation of an untitled movie about the Mexican holiday, known in English as Day of the Dead.

“As we have previously announced, Disney-Pixar is developing an animated feature...

"The Wire" as a reality show?

That appears to be what the cable news channel CNN is thinking with "Chicagoland," a new unscripted series about the Windy City from Robert Redford's Sundance Productions.

"Chicagoland," which is set to premiere on CNN early next year, will showcase Chicago's challenges with crime, education and public policy.

 “The vibrant culture and opportunities inherent in this 21st century, world-class city run alongside profound daily challenges,” said Robert Redford in a statement.

For CNN, the "Chicagoland" deal is the latest sign that Jeff Zucker, the new...

After the coffee. Before the flight to a rainy New York City.

The Skinny: By the time most of you read this I'll be in the air on my way to the Big Apple for the broadcast upfronts and real pizza. I'm listening to "The Boxer" as I write this just to get in the mood. Of course, the New York that Simon & Garfunkel sang about is now a distant memory. Enough deep thoughts from me. Today's stories include Walt Disney Co.'s strong earnings and Legendary Entertainment perhaps jumping ship.  If you are interested in receiving an email alert when the Morning Fix is live please send me a note.

Daily...

Angry about a proposal to relax the Federal Communications Commission's rules regulating indecent content on broadcast television and radio, the Parents Television Council and Morality in Media are  pressing Congress to stop the regulatory agency in its tracks.

"We urgently request that you do all you can to stop the proposed enforcement standard, including opposing any nominee to the Federal Communications Commission who supports changing the current standard," wrote PTC President Tim Winter and Morality in Media President Patrick Trueman in a letter to the Senate Committee on Commerce,...

When the upcoming comedy "The Hangover Part III" wrapped production in January, Warner Bros. was left with tons of used plywood, joists, furniture, faux brick and other materials from the film set.

But instead of hauling the leftovers to the landfill, the studio donated the items — enough to fill 10 truckloads — to the charitable organization Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, to be sold in Habitat's stores in Gardena and Norwalk. The proceeds supported the organization's mission of building and renovating homes for the needy.

"The crews take pride in what they've built,...

Politics makes strange bedfellows, especially in Hollywood.

Case in point: A trade group representing the business interests of Oregon's major production companies has joined forces with local labor leaders -- to keep a local union office from closing.

PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments

"As director of an organization...

Given all the different platforms that movies are available on, one might think their value as a form of programming for a cable network would be on the decline.

Not so for News Corp.'s FX, which has the rights to many of the top theatrical releases of 2013, including "Iron Man 3," which last week took in over $170 million in U.S. box office.

Other theatricals that will run on FX include "Pain & Gain," "Oblivion," "A Good Day to Die Hard" and "The Croods."

Although the titles will have been available on other outlets including HBO ("Oblivion"), Epix ("Pain & Gain") Starz ("Iron Man 3") and...

Nielsen has expanded its definition of what constitutes a television home to include hundreds of thousands of dwellings that have broadband Internet connections.

Beginning later this year, the ratings giant will begin including people who consume video over the Internet in its sample audience.

Homes will qualify as part of the TV universe if they have a broadband Internet connection and "at least one operable TV/monitor with the ability to deliver video," Nielsen said Tuesday in a statement. 

PHOTOS: Cable vs. broadcast ratings

The change in definition, which acknowledges that more consumers...

Walt Disney Co. reported a massive jump in net income for its fiscal second quarter, lifted by the performance of its media networks, movie studio and theme parks.

The Burbank company posted net income of $1.51 billion for the quarter that ended March 30, up 32% from a year earlier. Revenue rose 10% to $10.55 billion.

Disney, the world's largest entertainment and media company, posted adjusted earnings per share of 79 cents, up from 58 cents a year earlier. The company beat the expectations of analysts who predicted earnings per share of 77 cents.

PHOTOS: Hollywood backlot moments

“With...

ABC is expected to finally fill a key position in its scheduling department by tapping Whitney Holland as its new vice president of program planning and acquisitions, according to people close to her and ABC.

At ABC, Holland will report to Andy Kubitz, the network's executive vice president of program planning....

The migration of big sports events to cable TV continues.

In 2016, TBS, the cable channel owned by Time Warner, will carry the NCAA college basketball championship game as part of its deal to share rights to the sports property with CBS. 

TBS will also televise for the first time the Final Four semifinal games that lead to the championship in 2014 and 2015. CBS will broadcast the championship game for both of those tournaments.

Starting in 2017, TBS and CBS will alternate coverage of the Final Four and the championship game. CBS will have both in 2017.

Early round games will continue to be...

After the coffee. Before packing for almost two weeks in New York.

The Skinny: I'm catching up on "Rectify," the new drama on Sundance. It is slow going but I'm told it is worth the effort. I just want to know how long Daniel is a cross between Karl Childers and Forrest Gump? Tuesday's news includes a story about some new glasses that will make it easier for the deaf to enjoy movies and a look at NBC's challenges heading into upfront week. Also, today I tested out emailing an alert with a link when the Morning Fix went live. Hope those of you that got it used it and for those who want it, sen...

Raymond Smith Jr. has been trying for nearly two decades to make the movie industry listen to the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing.

This month, the senior executive at Regal Entertainment Group will come closer to his goal.

His company, the nation's largest theater chain, will have nearly 6,000 theater screens equipped with closed-captioning glasses that could transform the theatrical experience for millions of deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons who have shunned going to the cinema because previous aids were too clunky or embarrassing to use.

PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments

The Knoxville,...

The next time you click on a YouTube video, you might be asked to pony up some cash before it plays.

The Google-owned online video site is getting ready to enter the subscription business, according to people with knowledge of the situation.

The Internet's dominant source for online videos will allow content creators to charge a monthly fee to bring a broader range of entertainment to the platform, these people said.

PHOTOS: Tech we want to see in 2013

The move -- which has been under discussion since last fall -- could happen as soon as this week, according to the Financial Times, which first...

Even as Zach Braff was taking heat for asking the public to help finance his next movie, the actor and director was contributing to another Kickstarter campaign -- to help save a historic theater in Northern California.

Braff was among nearly 500 donors who helped raise $65,753 through the Kickstarter crowd-funding site to help the owners of the Rio Theater in the small town of Monte Rio raise enough funds to buy a digital projector. As the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday, many small-town theaters nationwide are holding such fundraisers to survive the transition to digital.

Don and Suzi...

The Walt Disney Co. and Electronic Arts Inc. have inked a licensing deal that will see the video game developer make and publish new "Star Wars" games, the companies said Monday afternoon.

Under the exclusive, multi-year agreement, Electronic Arts will develop titles for "all interactive platforms and the most popular game genres" related to "Star Wars." Disney retains certain rights to develop games for mobile, social, tablet and online platforms, the companies said. 

The announcement comes a little more than a month after Disney's Lucasfilm Ltd. subsidiary, which is responsible for the "Star...

A lawsuit to stop lawsuits?

That's the latest twist in the fight between Aereo, a start-up company that streams broadcast TV signals over the Internet, and the networks trying to put it out of business.

Aereo recently announced that it would expand its service -- currently only available in New York City -- to Boston. CBS, one of the companies that has sued Aereo in New York for copyright theft, promptly said it would sue in Boston as well.

"Stealing our signal will be found to be illegal in Boston, just as it will be everywhere else," a CBS spokesman tweeted.

Aereo, whose backers include...

After the coffee. Before deciding if I still need a landline phone.

The Skinny: My Time Warner Cable bill, which includes Internet and phone, is now more than $200 a month. I'm always looking to trim costs and am debating dropping the phone, which would save me $60. I have it only in case of emergencies and in four years, I've had none. Monday's headlines include the weekend box office recap and a look at Hollywood's latest script doctor. Also, we're getting closer to making this a reality so if you are interested in receiving an email alert when the Morning Fix is live please send me a note....

Instead of probing how other media outlets are doing their jobs, CNN media critic Howard Kurtz spent a big chunk of his Sunday morning show "Reliable Sources" being questioned about his own work.

Kurtz took heat last week for a piece he wrote for the Daily Beast about NBA player Jason Collins coming out as gay. Kurtz criticized the piece Collins wrote for Sports Illustrated because Kurtz claimed the athlete didn't acknowledge that he had once been engaged to a woman. Kurtz also made a video about the story that mocked Collins for a website called Daily Download to which he contributes.

The...

"Iron Man 3" surpassed everything except "The Avengers."

The third Tony Stark movie from Disney’s Marvel Studios enjoyed the second-best opening in box-office history, grossing an estimated $175.3 million in its debut weekend, Disney said Sunday. That debut could help start to reverse a very slow year in local theaters, where revenues and admissions are down about 12% from 2012.

"Iron Man 3" appeared to benefit from strong family attendance and positive audience recommendations, collecting a CinemaScore of A.

PHOTOS: 'Iron Man 3' premiere

"We’re getting some great word of mouth,"...