MIKE ON KCRW: "Blurred Lines" and Brian Williams

On last Thursday's Hollywood Breakdown, Matt Belloni and I talked all about the Tom Rothman era at Sony:

The trial over the song "Blurred Lines" is moving towards closing arguments. The issue at hand is whether the biggest hit song of 2013, created by Robin Thicke, Pharell Williams and T.I., is a copyright infringement on the Marvin Gaye song "Got to Give It Up." One thing the trial has revealed is just how much of a financial success "Blurred Lines" was. The song made more than $16 million in profits, which was given to the song's creators and record companies. The overhead costs of creating the song were said to be $6.9 million. Gaye's family is also after money made from performing "Blurred Lines" on tour. The family's lawyer says the alleged total damages add up to about $40 million.

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On Monday's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, Buzzfeed's Kate Aurthur and I discussed the New York mag story about Brian Williams' fall from grace, and more:

New details came out today in New York Magazine about how the Brian Williams situation exploded at NBC. According to the magazine, when Williams’ stories about being shot down in Iraq were proven to be fabricated, they also exposed a news operation that was already in crisis mode. Plus, our critics’ first impressions of new network shows American Crime and CSI: Cyber in our weekly TV roundup.

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MIKE ON KCRW: Hosting "The Business" with Guest Adam Carolla

On this week's episode of KCRW's The Business, I fill in for host Kim Masters and interview Adam Carolla, whose new semi-autobiographical movie "Road Hard" is now in theaters and on VOD:

Comedian Adam Carolla has weathered career highs and lows, but he's been determined to follow his gut and always keep working. Now he's co-directed a movie in which he's also the star. Road Hard is a comedy with an autobiographical slant about a comedian's dark days on the road. He tells Michael Schneider how he got the money to make the film and why he was adamant about working outside the Hollywood studio system.

Matt Belloni of the Hollywood Reporter and I also discuss top entertainment news stories of the week:

- After poor TV ratings for the Oscars, the Academy considers a move back to five best picture nominees, instead of the current system, which allows for up to ten.
- Former NBC executive Andy Lack returns to the network as chairman of NBC News and MSNBC. Could this mean good news for Brian Williams?
- No one said the transition would be easy -- Amy Pascal encountered a potent problem when she tried to move into her new office on the Sony lot.

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MIKE ON KCRW: 50 Shades of Grey, SNL40, Brian Williams and More

On this Monday's edition of The Business, Kim Masters and I bantered about several topics including:

- Jon Stewart announced his departure from The Daily Show, and he’s leaving Comedy Central with some very big shoes to fill.
- NBC has suspended Brian Williams for six months. A return after that kind of break doesn’t look promising.
- Sony’s Spider-Man will be swinging over to the Marvel universe in a new partnership that’s pushing back the release dates of other superhero movies. Former Sony chairwoman Amy Pascal will be a producer on the new Spider-Man project.
- Fifty Shades of Grey will have a huge opening over Valentine’s Day Weekend. The stars of the film are signed on for two more movies, but it’s unlikely that director Sam Taylor-Johnson will stick around after fighting with author EL James, who was given an unprecedented level of control on set.

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On last Thursday's Hollywood Breakdown, Kim Masters and I talked all about the "Fifty Shades of Grey" phenomenon:

Fifty Shades of Grey has already broken records, and it hasn't even opened yet. The film based on EL James' book of the same title has sold the most advance tickets ever for a Valentine's Day Weekend release. James' story originally started as Twilight fan fiction, and after her books became international bestsellers, studios went into an all-out bidding war for the film rights. Universal walked away from that war the winner, and they've given James unprecedented control for an author on a movie set. James and director Sam Taylor-Johnson had frequent clashes creating the film, stemming from James getting the final say on everything from wardrobe to dialogue to the final word of the film's last scene. While stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan have signed on to be in all three Fifty Shades movies, it doesn't look like Taylor-Johnson will be back for the next one.

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On Monday's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, NPR's Eric Deggans and I discussed the Saturday Night Live 40th anniversary special and more:

"Saturday Night Live" celebrated 40 years on the air over the weekend with an elaborate and lengthy special. Wayne and Garth were just two of the characters brought back for the reunion, which featured cast members from every generation of the show. In true SNL fashion, the broadcast was hit-and-miss. We talk about the highlights and the lowlights in our weekly television news roundup.

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KCRW's THE SPIN-OFF: February 2015 Edition (Listen Now!)

It's the February edition of our monthly TV podcast on KCRW, The Spin-Off! This month, Joe and I are joined by Mashable's Sandra Gonzalez. Here's what we discuss:

The Spin-off crew has survived TCA, and they're back in their respective home cities watching lots of mid-season premieres of new and returning shows...thinking those shows will probably dominate the TV-related conversation...and then Brian Williams happened. Or, more correctly, Brian Williams didn't happen…to be shot down in Iraq.

We talk about Williams and his possible fate at NBC, and also take a moment to speculate about what the heck is happening to broadcast news in general.

Then we look at some of the shows doing especially well on network TV right now, Empire, Fresh Off the Boat and How to Get Away with Murder among them. The one thing they'll all got in common is that their casts all look a lot more like the real complexion of America -- a lot more than the prime-time shows of eras past. Is TV diversity finally paying off, and this time, is it here to stay?

And what happens when a new spin-off rises, like a Phoenix, from the ashes of a beloved retired show? As excited as we all are about Better Call Saul, will it turn out to be Frasier… or is it the next AfterMash or Joey? Does the party have to ever end, or is there a time when it's best to say goodbye?

Finally, we go around the horn for our Download segment and share the stories or shows that are top of mind this month.

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