Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis looking for CBS pilot

Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis are headed for CBS and Las Vegas. The happy couple are going to star within the untitled CBS TV Galleries drama pilot in line with the existence of rodeo cowboy-switched-Vegas sheriff Rob Lamb. Quaid stars because the title character within the sixties-set project. Chiklis plays Johnny Savino, a Chicago mob fixer whose business ambitions for Las vegas collies with Lamb's law-and-order mandate. Both thesps assists as co-professional producers. Pilot was composed by Greg Master ("With no Trace") and have vet Nicholas Pileggi ("Goodfellas," "Casino"). James Mangold is aboard to direct the pilot and professional produce with Master, Pileggi, Trina Konrad and Arthur Sarkissian. If purchased to series, the project would mark Quaid's first stint like a regular in primetime skein. Chiklis was last observed in ABC's "No Regular Family," which adopted his Emmy-winning operate on FX's "The Shield." Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com

Netflix to lose share of top movies

The loss of the Netflix-Starz agreement could be more keenly felt among the 2010 entries, including Disney's 'Toy Story 3.'The impending expiration of Netflix's movie deal with Starz at the end of the month will cut into its market share of top movies available among subscription VOD services, according to new data compiled by investment firm Piper Jaffray.Netflix still has 17% of the highest grossing movies in the U.S. of the past two years, the most of any service. But at the end of February that 17% figure drops to 11% when Netflix's distribution deal with Starz expires. That's still a big number compared with zero at Netflix rivals Amazon Prime Instant Videos and Hulu Plus, which has always positioned itself as more of a hub for catch-up viewing of TV series than films. While only one of the top 50 movies of 2011, Disney's "Gnomeo and Juliet," was derived from the pact, the loss of that agreement could be more keenly felt among the 2010 entries, where three of the top 12 box-office draws of that year all came from Disney including No. 1 "Toy Story 3," as well as "Tangled" and "Tron Legacy." Two more Disney films, "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," are in the top 50 as well. The other studio covered in the Starz deal, Sony Pictures, has no entries in the top 50 from either year because high-grossing titles like "The Karate Kid" were already removed from Netflix due to a separate contractual dispute between Starz and Sony.The Starz films -- licensed for as little as $20-30 million in 2008 -- were seen as instrumental to Netflix' rapid growth over the years. But founder Reed Hastings indicated in his letter to investors last month accompanying fourth-quarter earnings that the 15 Disney movies included in the deal only constituted 2% of total viewing. Netflix previously estimated that all of the content covered in the Starz deal represented 8% of total viewing, but the streaming service has since re-licensed some of the content as well.While total top titles may not be the most important indicator of a subscription VOD service's value, given they typically tout the strength of their long-tail catalog, Netflix has put increasing emphasis on its ability to obtain programming in the pay-TV window through deals with Relativity, EPIX and Open Road. The new data gives a glimpse into the comparative strengths of the rival subscription VOD services. While both companies get attention for each deal they make with studios and their total volume of titles, gauging the number of most popular titles provides a clear method of comparison. However, box-office receipts and TV ratings doesn't necessarily mean these titles retain their relative popularity online.But the research also found Netflix is finding more momentum on the TV side, where it is closing the gap on Hulu Plus in the availability of top TV shows. Hulu Plus currently provides 49% of the highest rated TV series over the past two years compared to 44% for Netflix on the same measure. When Piper Jaffray analysts checked in on both companies last August, Netflix was at 32% while Hulu Plus was at 53%. While Netflix has been known as a film-centric service, chief content officer Ted Sarandos indicated late last year that 50-60% of its total viewing comes from TV programming.Amazon accounted for only 6% of top TV shows, up from 1% last August. Amazon announced earlier this week that its Prime library had reached 15,000 titles after one year in business. Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com

VIDEO: Joan Rivers on Whitney Houston Jokes: You Don't Want to Do It Once Somebody's Dead

Stephen Colbert The Colbert Report unexpectedly shut down production on Wednesday and Thursday of this week for "unforeseen circumstances," and the NY Post reports that Stephen Colbert took the break to care for his ailing 91-year-old mother in South Carolina. "They are a very private family," a source told the Post. "It's not surprising that he did not want anyone to know what was going on." Colbert Report taken off the air due to "unforeseen circumstances" Prior to Wednesday's taping, audience members received a last-minute email saying that their reservations had to be canceled. No further details were provided. Comedy Central tells the Post that The Colbert Report will air repeats until further notice, but could return as early as next week.

True Blood stream Scoop: Fulfill the Vampire Authority's Youngest Member

Spartacus: Vengeance lulled us in to a false sense of security in regards to the violence it has been showing to date this season. Ignore. All the bloodshed that has come before remains positively civilized -- dare we're saying, boring -- in contrast for the heinousness that went reduced the Roman house party. However, we get together with Spartacus and also the crew, that are on the go carrying out a semi-effective Naevia save mission. Despite the fact that former gladiators kill greater than their great deal of pursuing Romans, the rebels are eventually selected off one at a time until all that's left certainly are a fierce Mira, frightened Naevia, formidable Spartacus and seriously hurt Nasir. They have to jettison the Syrian, but Spartacus is "no slave omittedInch and follows Naevia's advice to cauterize his wound with fire. Just if the seems that new Romans have taken up on their behalf, it calculates being another digital digital rebel faction introduced by Agron. Huzzah! Discover More > Other Links From TVGuide.com Spartacus

Bradley Cooper joins Oscar presenters

Bradley Cooper has grew to become part of Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Aniston and Emma Stone one of several presenters for your 84th Academy awards ceremony. The Academy of motion Picture Arts and Sciences formerly introduced Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Lopez as well as the cast of "Bridesmaids." The Oscar ceremony, situated by Billy Very, will probably be broadcast survive ABC on Feb. 26. Contact Christy Grosz at christy.grosz@variety.com

Five journos arrested in hacking scandal

LONDON -- Another five journalists at News Intl.'s best-selling U.K. tabloid, the Sun, have been arrested over alleged payments to police and other public servants. The developments escalate the phone hacking and police corruption scandal that has already forced Rupert Murdoch to close his profitable Sunday tabloid, the News of the World, and robbed the mogul of his once considerable U.K. political clout. Following today's arrests, News Intl.'s new CEO Tom Mockeridge issued a statement to Sun staff saying that Murdoch remained committed to the paper. The five are deputy editor Geoff Webster, picture editor John Edwards, chief reporter John Kay, chief foreign correspondent Nick Parker and deputy news editor John Sturgis. This follows the arrest of four current and former Sun journalists two weeks ago. Murdoch is expected to visit the Sun in London next week amid speculation that if criminality is found to be widespread it will suffer the same fate as the News of the World and be shuttered. Mockeridge nixed the rumor, assuring staff in an email, "The Sun has a proud history of delivering ground-breaking journalism. I have had a personal assurance today from Rupert Murdoch about his total commitment to continue to own and publish the Sun newspaper." News Corp. said its Management and Standards Committee (MSC), controlled from NY and formed in July when the hacking scandal went toxic, had given information to the police inquiry leading to the latest arrests. Others arrested include a police officer, a member of the British armed forces and a civil servant employed by the Ministry of Defence. The company said in a statement, "News Corp. remains committed to ensuring that unacceptable news-gathering practices by individuals in the past will not be repeated." The U.K.'s National Union of Journalists condemned the latest arrests. General secretary Michelle Stanistreet said, "Journalists are reeling at seeing five more of their colleagues thrown to the wolves in what many sense to be a witch hunt. They are furious at what they see as a monumental betrayal on the part of News Intl." Media analyst Claire Enders, a chronicler of the phone hacking saga, said the Sun's future should not be in doubt as it "hasn't experienced any specific loss of sales as a result of the arrests that occurred earlier in the year." But Clive Hollick, the U.K. businessman who once controlled part of terrestrial web ITV, tweeted that the arrests will intensify the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act probe into News Corp. and "may lead to fines, director oustings and asset sales." He also suggested it could impact Murdoch's 39% stake in U.K. pay box BSkyB. Hollick tweeted: "Will Ofcom (the U.K. media regulator) conclude that Sun arrests on top of hacking render NI not fit and proper to hold Sky license and make them sell shareholding?" Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com