2012 Will Be a Big Music Concert Tour Year

    The prospect of a possible farewell tour for the Rolling Stones, compared to their large tours of previous years, figures to lead a ticket buying frenzy that could lead to higher box office revenue.  Michael Rapino, president and chief executive of Live Nation Entertainment, the world's largest music concert promoter, said business is up 14% to 15% in terms of ticket sales and the number of shows the company is promoting.  Anytime the Rolling Stones go on tour records for box office revenue start looking within reach.  2012 will see stars like the following possibly plan to announce tours:  Tim McGraw/Kenny Chesny (arena tour), Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, Madonna, Van Halen re-united with David Lee Roth, Justin Bieber, The Beach Boys, and Fleetwood Mac this year.  See also, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/.

Sports is Still Showbiz Too

 Sports is entertainment by its very definition.  Joe Dimaggio dated Marilyn Monroe.  Prince Fielder's nine-year $214-million dollar deal and Albert Pujols 10-year $240-million dollar deal, prove sports is still showbiz.  This  becomes particularly true when one considers the fact that much of these salaries is coming from television broadcast rights.  With sports the live television medium is booming.  http://www.billboard.com/.

Michael Jackson the Immortal World Tour - Official Trailer - Cirque du S...

"The Immortal" (Michael Jackson) Cirque du Soleil Tribute Tour

   The Cirque du Soleil/Michael Jackson tribute tour, "The Immortal", rolls into Hollywood, California at the Los Angeles Staples Center, Friday Jan. 27th until Sunday Jan. 29th, 2012.  "The Immortal" tour may be coming to a city near you before it returns to Las Vegas, Nevada to reside permanently in 2013. The show which uses 65 Michael Jackson songs, numerous video clips, 30 dancers, 25 acrobats, 10 musicians, and 10 choreographers partially takes place at Neverland Ranch, one of Michel Jackson's former homes.  See also, http://www.latimes.com/.

Solar Storm Won't Affect Television Transmission Stations

    The National Ocianic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) detected a solar flare, or coronal mass ejection (cme), Sunday night at 7:59 Pacific Time.  NOAA says the burst of charged plasma particles that is expected to reach Earth by 6 a.m. Tuesday is not expected to pose any significant threat to aircraft, communication satellites, power grids, and other high-technology hardware.  As a precaution Monday some airline flights were re -routed around the North (and South) polar regions, while still others flew at lower altitudes to reduce the exposure to plasma radiation.  X-rays traveling at light speed can sometimes interfere with radio communications.   See also, www.nytimes.com.

Hollywood Unions Agree to Merge

   Hollywood- Leaders of the 125,000 - member Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the 70,000 - member American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) reached an agreement Monday, after nine days of intensive talks, at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel.  If approved, as expected the new union would be called SAG-AFTRA.  The merger would end decades-long competition between the two groups to represent actors.  Two earlier merger attempts in 1999 and 2003 failed.  About 40,000 actors belong to both unions.  See also, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/.

Broadcast Decency Laws Upheld in Supreme Court

   Washington - The high court ruled the broadcast decency laws that have been keeping some values and morals in radio and television since the 1930's (with radio) were upheld Tuesday January 10, 2012 in a Washington Supreme Court.  The justices said they want to preserve broadcast TV as a "safe haven" for children and families.  See also, http://www.nytimes.com/.

Television News Anchorman Turns Into Politician

  Israeli television news anchorman, for Israel's Channel 2, informed his station's executives he would be leaving.  Recent polls have predicted Lapid could head a party that would probably tend to be left-leaning and liberal.  One most recent poll predicted a party led by Yair Lapid could win as many as 15-20 seats in the 120- seat parliament, making it the third largest party in Israel.  Some pundits say a party led by Lapid could even become Israel's second-largest party forming a coalition that could rival Benjamin Netanyahu's.  See also, www.latimes.com.

NewsCorps. Hacking Scandal Continues With New Interrogations

  London - Being an assistant to a higher level executive at Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is no guarantee from being arrested.  Scotland Yard arrested Cheryl Carter (47), assistant to former NewsCorp. executive Rebekah Brooks, and released her after hours of questions on Friday.  In the bureaucratic mumbo jumbo of a large corporation's dealings, this case now is focusing, among other things, on whether some senior officials at Newscorp. conspired in the previously identified cover-up, and whether the company paid money (as much as $1.4 million dollars) to a British soccer union executive who was suing NewsCorp. over telephone hacking.  See also, http://www.nytimes.com/.

Comcast Gives Customers Disney Channels on Portable Devices

   "We get the broadcast rights to all of the Disney Channels across the most platforms of any distributor," Neil Smit, chief executive of Comcast Cable.  The more platforms the more portable devices the television content can be viewe on.  The Disney-Comcast agreement is the first time Comcast has paid for retransmission (re-running) of ABC-owned TV stations.  The deal will give customers video on demand for more channels  (ESPN, ABC, ABC Family, and the Disney Channel ) on portalbe devices like laptops, tablets, and smartphones.  See, http://www.wiredmag.com/. 

Twitter and Facebook Help to Catch The Hollywood Arsonist

   Hollywood - Social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook were key to catching the Hollywood arsonist who had torched cars at some 50 different locations.  People tweet in real-time as events unfold which helped first responders find the incidents sooner.  And, as information and video became available Public Information Offices (PIO's) of the various agencies involved could make posts on facebook to virtually immediately notify entire neighborhoods.  See also, http://www.latimes.com./

SNL: Tim Tebow Skit

Big Screen...Low Attendance

   Movie attendance fell to a 16 year low in 2011.  "Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol", and Sherlock Holmes:  A Game of Shadows" helped to bring viewers into theatres.  See also, http://www.billboard.com/.