News Corp. keeps BSkyB license. AEG guessing game going full steam.

After the coffee. Before separating fact from fiction again.

The Skinny: I strongly recommend this week’s episode of HBO’s “Real Sports,” particularly the segment on fan violence at ballgames. Very depressing statement of where we are at as a society. Thursday’s headlines include more analysis of AEG’s decision to sell, News Corp.’s BSKYB license is renewed, James Gandolfini is going back to work for HBO and Sony is looking to sell its New York headquarters.

Daily Dose: While everyone tries to guess who might buy AEG (see below), here are some companies we can rule out: News Corp., CBS and Time Warner Cable. Here’s some fun trivia for you. News Corp. once owned a piece of Staples Center but sold it long ago.

Round up the usual suspects. The surprise news that entertainment and sports behemoth (I love when I get to use behemoth) AEG is up for sale has everyone trying to figure out who will buy it. The privately held owner of the LA Live complex, hockey’s Kings and a chunk of the Lakers, is valued at as much as $7 billion. Besides local billionaire (I want to be described that way one day) Patrick Soon-Shiong, others mentioned as likely candidates for at least some of AEG’s assets include Mark Cuban, Clear Channel, MSG and too many private equity firms to mention. Analysis of AEG’s assets and potential suitors from the Los Angeles Times.

License renewed. British regulators have said News Corp. can continue to keep its 39% stake in British Sky Broadcasting and remains a “fit and proper” broadcast operator. The decision comes despite the ethics scandal that has rocked the media giant’s British newspapers. Although the news was good for News Corp., the British regulator Ofcom did criticize James Murdoch, the son of News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch and the executive who had oversight of the British tabloids when much of the bad behavior took place. “We consider James Murdoch’s conduct, including his failure to initiate action on his own account on a number of occasions, to be both difficult to comprehend and ill-judged,” the media regulator said. More from the Los Angeles Times and the BBC.

For sale. Struggling Sony Corp. is looking for less pricey digs. The New York Post reports Sony is looking to sell its New York headquarters and could get from $700 million to $1 billion for it. Maybe New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg can buy the building and use it to house all those big soft-drink containers he’s outlawed.

Just when he thought he was out, they pull him back in. James Gandolfini, star of HBO’s legendary mob drama “The Sopranos,” is developing a new show for the pay-TV channel. USA Today reports Gandolfini will play a defense attorney in HBO’s remake of the BBC series “Criminal Justice,” which follows one case for an entire season. Hmm, sounds a lot like the ABC series “Murder One” from a few years ago.

Keep it in the family. The Hollywood Reporter goes behind the scenes of the hit sitcom “Modern Family” to see how cast and crew are getting along in the wake of heated contract negotiations for the show’s stars and on the eve of what could very well be another Emmy win for best comedy.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Zeebox, a British company that makes a so-called second screen app to provide companion material to TV shows, is coming to the United States.

Follow me on Twitter, but not while you’re driving! @JBFlint.