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ATLANTA: The upcoming Katz Broadcasting over-the-air TV networks Grit and Escape have picked up the rights for 157 movies in a multiyear licensing deal with NBCUniversal (NBCU) Television & New Media Distribution in the U.S. and Canada. Genre-targeted titles headed to the male-skewing Grit will star such popular actors as Clint …

LOS ANGELES: Showtime has ordered a pilot for the half-hour comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend from Aline Brosh McKenna and Rachel Bloom and CBS Television Studios. The show, which will have musical elements, focuses on a successful young woman who impulsively gives up her law firm job and Manhattan apartment to find …

BEVERLY HILLS: Starz has added to its executive team with the appointment of David Weil as executive VP and general counsel for business and legal affairs. Weil will be working out of the Beverly Hills headquarters, taking on responsibility for developing the strategic direction of business and legal affairs for …

LOS ANGELES: New York has become the top location for one-hour TV pilot productions in the U.S., according to FilmL.A., hosting 24 drama projects in the 2013/2014 development cycle, as compared with 19 in Los Angeles. In total, there were 90 pilot projects shot in L.A. in the period—19 one-hour …

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Supreme Court has sided with the major broadcast networks in their copyright infringement case against Aereo, which has called the decision a "massive setback for the American consumer." CBS, ABC, NBC and FOX have maintained that Aereo violates copyright law because it delivers their broadcast signals without …

STUDIO CITY: This August, Hallmark Channel is set to air the world premiere of the original movie Stranded in Paradise, which stars Vanessa Marcil (General Hospital) and James Denton (Desperate Housewives). Shot on location in Puerto Rico, Stranded in Paradise centers on an ambitious executive who finds love during an …

BURBANK: Scandal's Kerry Washington and costume designer Lyn Paolo are working on a clothing line inspired by the ABC drama, with a retail launch at The Limited set to coincide with the premiere of the show's fourth season this fall. The Scandal collection includes tops, pants, jackets and outerwear. The …

NEW YORK: Jim Sharp has been promoted from the role of senior VP of original programming and development for the West Coast at Comedy Central to the executive VP post. He reports to Kent Alterman, Comedy Central’s president of content development and original programming. Sharp will continue to oversee development …

SANTA MONICA: Rob Dyrdek and his Super Jacket production company have inked a multiyear agreement with MTV that includes new seasons of Ridiculousness and Fantasy Factory. Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory is getting a seventh season, while Ridiculousness heads into its fifth season next month. The season five premiere of Ridiculousness …

SEATTLE: Prime Instant Video has become the exclusive streaming home of titles from Drafthouse Films, the film distribution arm of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, following a deal between Amazon and Cinedigm. Drafthouse releases already available include Cheap Thrills, with David Koechner and Ethan Embry; Ben Wheatley’s A Field in England; the sci-fi cult …