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HBO is preparing a live television version of Will Ferrell’s “You’re Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush,” a stage show that will run in Manhattan until mid-March. The date of the HBO telecast has not been set, but it’s expected to premiere sometime close to the stage version’s final curtain call, which is scheduled for March 15. Variety (12/10)

The NBA is teaming up with Turner Sports and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. to broadcast the warm ups to this season’s All Star Game to cinemas in 3D in February 2009. The annual slam dunk and 3-point shooting contests will be shown in 3D format in some 80 theaters across the country equipped with Cinedigm gear. (Cynopsis 12/11)

Susie Castillo (House of Payne, TRL) was tapped to co-host NBC’s upcoming international dance competition series Superstars of Dance along with Michael Flatley. The series opens January 4 with a two-hour premiere beginning at 9p. Big Red 2 Entertainment, the new production entity formed by Nigel Lythgoe (American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance) and Simon Fuller (American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance) produces and both Lythgoe and Fuller serve as executive producers. (Cynopsis 12/11)

In the first few months of the TV season, prime-time viewership on the broadcast networks is down 7%, and the number of 18- to 49-year-olds, who are so important to advertisers, has fallen 11%, according to Jack Wakshlag, the research chief for Turner Broadcasting. While the big four broadcasters have slipped, ad-supported cable networks are up 10% in prime time and 9% with 18- to 49-year-olds, he said, referring to the most recent Nielsen figures. Variety (12/10) , TVWeek.com (12/10)

Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes said his company would not spend any of the $9.5 billion it would get from spinning off Time Warner Cable in early 2009 on acquisitions. Instead, he said, the parent of networks such as CNN, TNT and TBS will use the money to finance dividends and stock buybacks of Time Warner itself so that it can be transformed into a “branded-content company.” Advertising Age (12/10)

Liberty Media Corp. announced yesterday it will likely go ahead with stated plans to separate out its Liberty Entertainment tracking stock encompassing Starz Entertainment premium network, its ownership stake in DirecTV, FUN Technologies, Liberty Sports Holdings and the company’s interests in cable network GSN and wireless broadband provider WildBlue Communications. Liberty Media declared its intentions to split off Liberty Entertainment back in September but with the economy and stock market in turmoil, delays ensued. With this potential move, Liberty hopes to decrease the gap between the value of Liberty Entertainment’s properties and its current stock price. (Cynopsis 12/11)

Leaders from the Screen Actors Guild informed its members they would receive strike authorization ballots mailed to them on January 2. Only members who have paid their membership in full by this time can vote and if passed by at least 75% of those members voting, SAG’s national board of directors would be granted the authority to call a strike. Votes will be counted on January 23. (Cynopsis 12/11)

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is coming under intense fire for his plan to unbundle cable programming and other regulatory matters. “We pointed out the [FCC] has no statutory authority to regulate either independent programmers or the wholesale market for the sale of video programming,” Viacom said in one filing. Multichannel News (12/10)

Representatives of President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team met with key tech-industry figures about the handling of the DTV switchover on Feb. 17. The meeting last Friday in Washington was led by former NCTA boss Tom Wheeler, now a member of Obama’s team. TVWeek.com (12/10) , TVNewsday (free registration) (12/10)

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