CBS shows dinosaurs still scary. ’50 Shades’ casting backlash!

After the coffee. Before getting ready for New Year’s Eve.

The Skinny: Boy did 5773 just fly by or what? Yes, I had to look that one up. Summer may be ending but much of the industry seems to still be on vacation. It is a pretty light edition Wednesday. We’ve got more analysis of the CBS-Time Warner Cable deal and what it says about the media business. Also, stories on the launch of the new cable channel FXX and a preview of the Toronto Film Festival. The Morning Fix will be off for Rosh Hashanah on Thursday but back on Friday.

Daily Dose: With Jennifer Lopez back on “American Idol,” it might be time to re-read “Elimination Night,” the roman a clef about the talent show that was published earlier this year. The book, whose author remains anonymous but clearly worked on the Fox hit, features memorable fiction versions of Steven Tyler and Lopez that -- if only half true -- will make you cringe.

Dinosaur power. In the age of cable, Netflix and Hulu, broadcast networks are often viewed as dinosaurs struggling to survive digital meteor storms. But the fight between CBS and Time Warner Cable over a new distribution deal showed why the Tyrannosaurus rex is still pretty scary, especially to a big cable operator. What we hope are some final thoughts on the CBS-Time Warner Cable retransmission consent fight of 2013 from the Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

PHOTOS: Hollywood backlot moments

Putting out the fires. Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. has been Hollywood’s go-to insurer since before movies had sound. The Novato, Calif. company is celebrating more than 100 years of making it easier for producers, directors and bean counters to sleep at night. The Los Angeles Times on Fireman’s Fund.

X marks the spot. FXX, the spinoff cable channel from FX, officially launched on Monday. It didn’t take much effort for the new network to top the ratings that the previous occupant of that real estate -- Fox Soccer -- was receiving. Deadline Hollywood and AdWeek on FXX’s first day performance.

Toronto time. The Toronto Film Festival is getting underway. It’s another sign that summer explosion season is over and hopefully a return to more thoughtful movies is coming as we enter the fall and later awards season. USA Today with a preview.

PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times

Drama drought? With Netflix and cable networks such as HBO, FX and AMC becoming the place to go for compelling drama, fewer pitches for new shows are being made for broadcast networks. Cable and digital platforms can offer not only more creative freedom, but less pressure to score massive ratings out of the gate. The Hollywood Reporter looks at the lack of drama pitches for broadcasters.

Get over it. The news that Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson have been cast as the leads in the movie version of “Fifty Shades of Grey” has hardcore fans of the book furious. Thanks to the Internet, everyone can now play casting director and critic at the same time. Variety looks at the backlash. As for me, I didn’t read the book and I already saw “Secretary” so I’m kind of over this.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: News Corp. sold its community newspapers unit, which included the Stockton Record.

Follow me on Twitter for a rocking 5774. @JBFlint.