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PIX PUB ANKLES BIZ. Print This Item for Your Future Grandkids. End of an Era for Those in the Movie and TV Biz. After 80 Years, the Bible of the Entertainment Business, Daily Variety, to Publish Its Final Print Edition March 18. Online to Continue

Daily Variety, which began publishing 80 years ago, in 1933, will publish its last print edition on March 18, 2013, reports its sibling publication, Deadline.com. (Deadline owner Penske Media Corp. bought Variety last fall.) The article, by Deadline founder Nikki Finke, is…

Could Be a Landmark: MSO Cablevision Files Anti-Trust Suit Against Viacom. What the Lawsuit Does and Does Not Mean About the Bundling of Cable Channels

"Don’t be confused: Cablevision’s anti-trust suit decrying the evils of "anti-consumer" bundling by Viacom, which have pushed cable-bills up oh-so-high, has nothing to do with the frustrations consumers have with cable bundling." So writes staff writer Rebecca Greenfield at the…

Tough Monday Night for CBS, With Three Shows Sinking to Series or Season Lows

CBS is the latest network to be bitten by the “historic ratings low” bug, based on Nielsen overnights for Monday prime time. TVbytheNumbers.com reports that three of the network’s series hit season lows or series lows in the key 18-49…

AMC’s ‘Breaking Bad’ Finds Cable Home for Syndication Run — With a Marathon to Kick Things Off

AMC’s perennial Emmy contender “Breaking Bad” has found an outlet for its move into syndication. The drama series will move to Sundance Channel, which acquired the rights to the first four seasons of the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter….

U.S. Government Quietly Drops Probe Into Best Picture Nominee — Did Politics Hurt Movie’s Oscar Chances?

On the heels of the 2013 Academy Awards, a government investigation into a movie that was among the leading contenders has been dropped. Citing a congressional aide, Reuters reports that the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee has closed its inquiry into…

Veterans of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and ‘Footloose’ Join Forces for New Starz Drama Series

Starz announced today that it is partnering with veterans of “Dancing with the Stars” and “Footloose” to create a new scripted drama series set in the world of international competitive ballroom dancing. The project involves actor, dancer and singer Julianne…

Erik Estrada Rides Again — ‘CHiPs’ Star Climbs Back on Motorcycle for Syfy Chupacabra Movie Based at U.S. Landmark

Actor Erik Estrada, still closely identified with his role as a motorcycle-riding California Highway Patrolman in the 1970s and early 1980s NBC series “CHiPs,” will be back on two wheels for a new Syfy original movie. The cable channel announced…

Memorial Scheduled for Pioneering TV Producer Milt Hoffman

A memorial has been set for Milt Hoffman, a veteran television producer whose career spanned seven decades. Hoffman died Feb. 21 at age 90, as previously reported. The tribute to Hoffman is scheduled for Sunday, March 17, 2013, at 2…

Political Backlash Follows the Oscars

Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony has sparked a political backlash, with the complaints focused mainly on one element of the show: the appearance by Michelle Obama. The Hollywood Reporter’s Live Feed reports that conservative media members are complaining about the first…

Seth MacFarlane Comments on His Future — or Lack of One — Hosting the Oscars

Following up on Sunday’s high-profile gig as host of the Academy Awards, Seth MacFarlane took to Twitter and indicated that he won’t make himself available for a second try at the job, according to The Hollywood Reporter’s Live Feed. In…