CABLE
MTV wants to expand into China, but the music channel is running into
problems with the Chinese government's limits on foreign media. [Los Angeles Times]
Los Angeles Times

HBO's much-hyped six-hour version of "Angels in America," starring Al Pacino
and Meryl Streep only garnered so-so ratings. [New York Times]
New York Times

The L.A. City Council has been accused of politicizing the process of
awarding lucrative cable contracts, resulting in the resignation of the president of
the citizens' panel. [Los Angeles Times]
Los Angeles Times

SATELLITE
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 3-2 to approve News Corp.'s
takeover of satellite television provider, DirecTV. [Yahoo News!]
Yahoo! News

BROADCAST
Simon Cowell, the sharp-tongued Brit who serves as judge for "Pop Idol" and
its American cousin "American Idol," may be getting older, but he's by no means
getting mellower. [The Herald]
The Herald

Producers of the hit reality dating show, "The Bachelor" are suing the
series' most recent eligible male, Bob Guiney, for breach of contract for promoting
his CD, "3 Sides." Contestants must sign extensive exclusivity agreements
which prohibit them from promoting products unrelated to the show without
permission. [Yahoo! News]
Yahoo! News

ADVERTISING
With the success of reality shows such as NBC's "Average Joe" and Fox's "The
Simple Life," broadcasters are trying to convince advertisers that reality
programs deserve the same premium rates as prime-time scripted shows. [New York
Times]
New York Times

Priceline.com is banking that reuniting pitchman and former "Star Trek" star
William Shatner with his old Vulcan sidekick, Leonard Nimoy (Dr. Spock), will
persuade consumers to buy more plane tickets. [New York Times]
New York Times

AWARDS
Voting for Britain's prestigious BAFTA Awards (British Academy of Film and
Television Arts) had to be suspended after it was discovered that the ballots
were printed incorrectly. They'd left off many of the best actor nominees and
swapped the gender of one, listing him as a best actress nominee instead. [The
Independent]
The Independent

PIRACY
A Norwegian man who unlocked a code and distributed a computer program on the
Internet enabling the unauthorized copying of movies on DVD, was cleared by
an Oslo appeals court. [Reuters]
Reuters

BUSINESS
The lower costs of making television sets in areas like Asia and China give
those regions the edge, especially in the wake of last month's joint venture
between Thomson, a French electronics company, and China's TCL International
Holdings. Combined, the two produce 18 million sets a year. [International Herald
Tribune]
International Herald Tribune

STUDIES
According to a new study conducted by contest-based ratings system,
PSVratings.com, U.S. TV presents an average of eight "sexual incidents" during the 8
p.m. hour, which is traditionally regarded as "family hour." [Yahoo! News]
Yahoo! News

FILM
The high cost of filming in New York is leading many filmmakers to Canada and
Romania. New York is used mostly for exterior shots that can't be replicated
elsewhere. [Bloomberg.com]
Bloomberg.com

Prestigious all-female university Wellesley College is hoping that its
depiction in the new Julia Roberts-helmed flick, "Mona Lisa Smile," will draw in
more student hopefuls. [Boston Globe]
Boston Globe

The success of simultaneous global premieres for films like "The Lord of the
Rings: The Return of the King" and "The Matrix Reloaded," not only adds to box
office coffers, but averts threats of piracy, too. [New York Times]
New York Times

Tim Burton's newest quirk-fest, "Big Fish," will herald the start of the Palm
Springs International Film Festival, January 8-19. [Yahoo! News]
Yahoo! News

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ALL OF US AT Video Age International! (i.e., Happy Chrismukkah!!!)

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