Quick Takes: A falling ‘Lone Star’

Fox’s con-man drama “Lone Star” earned the dubious distinction Tuesday of being the first show canceled in the 2010-11 television season, after just two episodes.

The drama, about a Texas hustler juggling two families and his overbearing father, failed to generate a spark with viewers despite getting lots of praise from television critics.

“Lone Star” averaged just 3.7 million viewers in its two airings, according to Nielsen, and was losing more than half of its lead-in audience from “House.”

Fox said it would fill the 9 p.m. Monday slot “Lone Star” occupied with new episodes of its second-year drama “Lie to Me,” which stars Tim Roth.

— Joe Flint

‘Star Wars’ flies into 3-D

George Lucas watched the massive success of “Avatar” and “Alice in Wonderland” in the 3-D format and decided it was time for a return of the Jedi.

“Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” will return to theaters in 3-D in 2012 and will be followed in the stereoscopic format by the five other movies set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic special-effects shop is overseeing the 3-D conversion. 20th Century Fox will release them, as it has done for all previous “Star Wars” films.

ILM visual effects supervisor John Knoll promised that “we will take our time, applying everything we know both aesthetically and technically to bring audiences a fantastic new ‘Star Wars’ experience.”

—Ben Fritz

Four wives, one inquiry

The new reality TV show “Sister Wives,” featuring a real-life advertising salesman and four women he calls his spouses, has sparked a criminal bigamy investigation by police in Utah, officials said Tuesday.

The show, following the lives of Kody Brown, 41, the four women and their 16 children, premiered on the TLC cable channel Sunday, catching the attention of authorities in the Utah town of Lehi, where the family lives together in a large house.

No arrests have been made, but the investigation findings will be turned over to the local district attorney’s office for review, Lehi police Lt. Darren Paul said.

The Brown family released a statement Tuesday saying they were “disappointed” but were aware of the risks of doing the reality show. Brown is legally married to just one of the women, but counts three others as “sister wives,” a term in polygamist sects that refers to a husband’s multiple marital partners.

—Reuters

CBS collects news Emmys

CBS was the big winner at the 31st annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards, collecting seven trophies overall — four for “60 Minutes” and three for the low-rated “CBS Evening News With Katie Couric.”

NBC picked up six Emmys in the ceremonies Tuesday night in New York City, followed by PBS with five. No one else got more than two.

“NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams” won both for coverage of a breaking story and for continuing coverage of a news story. “CBS Evening News” was honored for investigative journalism, business and economic reporting and best story.

—From a Times staff writer

Orchestra gets new executive

The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra has appointed Rachel Fine as its new executive director, the orchestra’s board of directors said Tuesday.

A trained classical pianist and veteran arts administrator, Fine has been executive director of the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus since January 2007. She will assume her duties with LACO on Nov. 29.

Fine will succeed Andrea Laguni, who will return to the position of general manager, which he held before he was named executive director in 2006.

Fine is married to Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne.

—Karen Wada

Finally

Birthday bash: As an early tribute to the 70th birthday of John Lennon, three original members of his first band, the Quarrymen, will perform at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on Thursday after an 8 p.m. screening of “Nowhere Boy,” a new film about Lennon’s youth. Details about that and other local Lennon tributes at https://www.happybirthdayjohn.org.