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The Morning Fix: Sarah Palin makes Discovery! Lions Gate board says no to Icahn. Time Warner in mix for MGM. `Spartacus’ slays them at Starz.

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After the coffee. Before figuring out how messed up your NCAA brackets are.

And then there were three. Looks like there were three bids made for the ailing MGM Monday in the $1.2-billion to $1.5-billion range, not even close to the $2 billion that the studio’s creditors were seeking. The three bidders are Time Warner, Lions Gate and Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries. Time Warner appears to have made the biggest bid and is considered the front runner. Details on the process from the Los Angeles Times and Reuters.

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Lions Gate board says no to Icahn. The board of Lions Gate Entertaiment rejected activist shareholder (still hate that phrase, by the way) Carl Icahn’s hostile bid of $6 per-share for the company. According to Bloomberg, Lions Gate CEO Jon Feltheimer said, “This financially inadequate proposal stands in stark contrast to our patient, disciplined strategy of building a strong and diversified company.” So there!

Sneak peak. The New York Times takes a look at James L. Brooks’ new adult drama (the two most dreaded words in the film industry) ‘How Do You Know’ starring Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson and Jack Nicholson. Sony has been keeping the movie under wraps. Even the title is not set in stone and details are still sketchy. It is either about a female athlete or it is about the decisions we make that change our lives, like whether I’ll take 3rd Street or Wilshire to work today.

Palin to Discovery. The Hollywood Reporter says Discovery Channel has won the Sarah Palin reality show sweepstakes. Considering the broadcast networks all passed and there was only one other cable channel in the running, we’re not sure what exactly they won. According to THR, the cost to the cable channel may be more than $1 million per episode which, uh, sounds insane. Wanna bet on whether this thing gets on the air, much less lasts a whole season? Not that we’re keeping score, but THR originally reported that Discovery Channel was not interested in the show, but that its sister network TLC was. We’ll wait for an official release from Discovery before we start the official mocking of them.

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Gossip about this. Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the team behind ‘Gossip Girl,’ have signed a new overall deal with Warner Bros. TV. Variety and the Wrap have details on the innovative pact.

‘The Situation’ is universal. MTV is taking its ‘reality’ hit ‘Jersey Shore’ overseas. This is a surprise to, well, no one except the New York Times, which has a lengthy story about whether Europeans and others from around the world will get ‘The Situation.’ If they got ‘Beavis and Butt-head’ they can handle ‘Jersey Shore.’

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Inside Starz’s over-the-top hit ‘Spartacus.’ Patrick Goldstein on the battle between theater owners and studios over windows on DVD releases.

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-- Joe Flint

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