Morning Fix: Golden Globes! White House blasts anti-piracy bill.
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After the coffee. Before shaking off a Golden Globes hangover.
The Skinny: After several weeks of beta-testing, we now officially launch ‘Daily Dose,’ an original item to go with your links. Sometimes it will be news, sometimes it will be observations. The bar is low and wide and we’re open to pitches so send them in. Holiday headlines include a look at who won and who went home crying at the Golden Globe Awards, the merger of Lions Gate and Summit and the fight over an anti-piracy bill takes a surprising twist.
The Daily Dose. Not only did I watch playoff football all weekend, but I worked while doing it. On Saturday, I tried to count the number of promotional spots and mentions by CBS and Fox for their respective prime-time lineups to see which network was the biggest shill. It wasn’t even close as CBS had roughly 30 (I may have missed a ‘Rob’ bumper somewhere) to Fox’s 23. CBS had lots more little promos and mentions of its prime-time product and pretty much started the onslaught right after kickoff. Fox waited almost 35 minutes before hyping its own shows.
We’re all winners. That’s what the folks who didn’t go home with Golden Globes Sunday night are telling themselves. The big winners on the movie side were ‘The Descendants’ and ‘The Artist.’ In television, Showtime had a huge night with Matt LeBlanc getting a well-deserved Globe for ‘Episodes’ and Claire Danes winning for ‘Homeland,’ which also took best drama. ABC’s comedy ‘Modern Family’ also had lots to celebrate. Coverage from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Variety and Hollywood Reporter.
White House weighs in. On Saturday, the White House rocked Hollywood by saying it was not likely to embrace the anti-piracy legislation that the industry is trying to push through Congress. The Obama administration’s coming out on the side of those fighting the bills -- including media watchdogs and Silicon Valley folks who fear they go too far and will curtail speech and innovation -- is a big setback for the industry. An angry Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of News Corp., took to Twitter to blast Obama and Google. Here’s what the White House said, exactly. Details from the Los Angeles Times and New York Times.
Finally! After years of talking about it, production companies Lions Gate and Summit are finally getting together and merging in a deal valued at $412.5 million. Think of this as a marriage between ‘Twilight’ and Tyler Perry. More on the merger from the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal.
No holiday for actors. While the rest of you are sleeping off your late night at Golden Globe parties and enjoying the Martin Luther King holiday, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have hammered out a merger agreement. The two have been trying to combine for roughly two years and the hope is that by teaming up they will have more leverage in contract negotiations with the big studios and networks. The latest from the Los Angeles Times.
You can’t do both! The New York Post says the folks behind the Oscars tried to discourage big stars from presenting awards at Sunday’s Golden Globes show. Given that both George Clooney and Brad Pitt took the stage at the Globes, my hunch is the Oscars will only have success pressuring folks not quite big enough to tell them to take a hike.
Dominating the field. Once a tiny channel showing bull riding, ESPN has turned into a force almost as big as sports itself and the most important part of parent Walt Disney Co. But power comes at a price, including the occasional accusations that it gets too cozy with the folks it covers. The Daily Beast weighs in on ESPN.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: Hulu is getting into the original programming game. And Mary McNamara says Fox’s new drama ‘Alcatraz’ will imprison viewers.
-- Joe Flint
Follow me on Twitter. It’s where I interact with the little people. Twitter.com/JBFlint
