The Morning Fix: Remembering John Hughes; why Fox won’t do ‘Family Guy’ episode; women behind the ‘Mad Men’
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After the coffee. Before finding your DVD of ‘The Breakfast Club.’
Remembering John Hughes. The director, who died of a heart attack Thursday, captured suburban teen angst better than anyone with his 1980s classics ‘The Breakfast Club,’ ‘Sixteen Candles’ and ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.’ Coverage of Hughes’ career from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and USA Today.
It’s money, not politics. The decision by Fox not to air an episode of ‘Family Guy’ that dealt with abortion had more to do with profits than politics. The network’s brass told the New York Times that a weak advertising market made the network unwilling to go out with an episode that would be a tough sell, but left the door open to revisiting the episode down the road.
Down upfront. Looks like the networks have thrown in the towel on the upfront advertising market where the majority of commercial time is sold for the fall TV season. The Los Angeles Times’ Meg James says the take of the five broadcast networks was $7.5 billion, down from $9.2 billion last year. The networks ended up holding back more inventory for sale closer to air in what is known as the scatter market. Advertising Age says cable ad sales are flat compared with a year ago.
Berney and Pohlad’s distribution details. Bob Berney and Bill Pohlad’s Apparition has signed an output deal with Sony. Screen Daily and the Los Angeles Times.
‘Mad Men’s’ feminine side. The Wall Street Journal looks at the writing team behind the narcissistic men of AMC’s cult hit ‘Mad Men.’ Most are women. Guess they’ve spent some time on Mars.
‘Monk’s’ legacy. As USA Network’s ‘Monk’ starts its final season, USA Today looks at how the quirky detective drama set the tone for the shows that followed and ultimately made the cable channel a powerhouse for parent NBC Universal.
Sirius XM’s serious issues. Business Week reports on the challenges facing satellite radio’s Sirius XM, which not only has been hit by the auto industry crisis, but now needs to make sure to keep Howard Stern in the fold when the king of all media’s contract expires next year.
Seaworthy. The Wrap decides to make everyone who’s stuck in town this weekend feel worse this weekend with a piece on moguls and their boats.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: CBS managed to squeak out a profit and says recovery is coming. ‘Fast & Furious’ does just that in DVD sales.
-- Joe Flint