Fox defends ‘The Following.’ Hollywood unfriends Facebook.

After the coffee. Before everything else that is piling up on my desk.

The Skinny: Silliest question at Fox’s press tour Tuesday went to the person who asked Zooey Deschanel where she got her name from. Just think, someone got paid to ask that. Wednesday’s headlines include the controversy over Fox’s new drama “The Following,” Netflix is rolling out some new original shows and Hollywood has cooled on Facebook.

Daily Dose: Dan Brenner, a well-regarded cable industry lawyer is putting down his briefcase and putting on a robe. Brenner, who has toiled in Washington, D.C., for years has been tapped by California Gov. Jerry Brown to be a judge in Los Angeles Superior Court. Brenner most recently was at the firm of Hogan Lovells. He was previously a top lawyer for the National Cable & Telecommunications Assn.

Too violent? Fox’s new drama “The Following,” about a cult of killers and the ex-FBI agent trying to stop them, is getting some heat for its graphically violent content after the Sandy Hook shootings. Fox Entertainment Chairman Kevin Reilly said, “I’m putting on an excellent thriller, I’m not glorifying killers,” adding that, “part of what we do on television is provide escapism. It could be laughter, it could be fantasy, it could also be your worst nightmare come to life.” More on “The Following” and Fox from the Los Angeles Times.

Charting a new path. After becoming a go-to place for movies and old TV shows, Netflix is venturing into original programming. Not only is it making new episodes of the cult classic “Arrested Development,” it also will soon premiere a new political drama called “House of Cards” starring Kevin Spacey. A look at the new Netflix from USA Today and Variety.

Boldly going to the big game. Paramount bought some pricey real estate to promote the next “Star Trek” movie. The studio is spending millions on a commercial in next month’s Super Bowl. The cost for commercials in this year’s Super Bowl are approaching $4 million. More on who’s buying time in the Super Bowl from the New York Post and Advertising Age. Be sure and look for my spot promoting the Morning Fix. I’m starting a crowdfunding account to raise the money!

This time we mean it. Every year, broadcast TV executives make bold statements about programming fresh content during the summer. Every year there is talk about how the networks can no longer just put up the gone fishing sign and throw on some reality shows that won’t stick. But now they are really serious. TV Guide on why this fall you may really remember what you watched last summer.

Making his bones. Ruben Fleischer, director of “The Gangster Squad,” has come a long way from busing tables and trying to build websites. A look at his climb from that to directing one of the most-anticipated movies of the year from the New York Times.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Hollywood is unfriending Facebook.

Follow me on Twitter and learn. @JBFlint.