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Perez Hilton Hit With Lawsuit Over Topless Aniston Pic (The Smoking Gun)
According to a copyright infringement complaint filed yesterday against Hilton (real name: Mario Lavandeira) by Universal City Studios, the Jennifer Aniston photo came from footage shot during filming of The Break-Up. The suit seeks an injunction barring further distribution of the picture and requests a court order "directing the U.S. Marshall to seize" the copyrighted material.

ABC, NBC Draw 'Upscale' Audiences (Variety)
Among adults 18-49 living in households earning $100,000 or more, ABC sets the pace with an index of 112 (meaning its audience is 12% more likely than the average adult under 50 to bring home the big bucks). NBC was close behind at 107, with CBS at 90 and Fox at 87. Fox usually rises in the second half of the season with 24 and the above-average upscale American Idol.

Writers Guild Wins 'Webisode' Dispute (LAT)
In a victory for the Writers Guild of America, a National Labor Relations Board judge has rejected an NBC Universal complaint that the union illegally hampered the production of Web episodes of such TV shows as The Office and Heroes. NBC had alleged that the Guild pressured the writer-producers who oversee shows to refrain from overseeing the writing of "webisodes." B&C: The decision does not involve a second NBCU complaint and WGAW counter-complaint referred to private arbitration.

ABC Mulls Grey's Anatomy Spinoff (USAT)
ABC is considering a spinoff of its No. 1 hit, centered around the character of Dr. Addison Montgomery, an ob-gyn played by Kate Walsh. Grey's creator Shonda Rhimes is preparing a two-hour episode to air in May that would serve as the pilot episode. If the network approves, the show could get a spot on next fall's schedule, to be unveiled to advertisers in mid-May. WSJ: No new show is a safe bet in the fast and fickle TV business, but a spinoff is a safer bet.

Journal to Split Top Exec Roles (NYP)
After years of complaints from corporate governance watchdogs, Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co. said it would split the roles of chairman and CEO between two executives. The about-face comes as the New York Times is battling an investor campaign to shake up its corporate structure and wrest control from the Sulzberger family.

Esquire Site Revamped (AdAge)
Esquire became the first of Hearst Magazines' big books to receive a much-needed web facelift, adding larger photos, easier navigation, an improved search engine and, of course, new online-only content. The new site does not yet include video or games, and the new mobile Esquire won't make its debut until the last week in April. FishbowlNY: The site enters the 21st century, literally.

SF Chron Defends Source Protection Amid Criticism (E&P)
Recent criticism of the paper for protecting a source in the BALCO steroid story who apparently leaked secret grand jury testimony in an effort to help his clients has drawn a strong defense from editor Phil Bronstein and one of the reporters on the story. "Do you want the information or not, is what it comes down to," said Lance Williams, who along with Mark Fainaru-Wada faced jail time.

Restaurant Owner Takes Out Ad in NYT to Blast Paper's Poor Review (NY Sun)
The owner of Kobe Club, Jeffrey Chodorow, may have spent more than $80,000 for a full-page advertisement that he used to defend his new steakhouse against what he called a personal attack by an unqualified food critic in a review. Chodorow slammed Times reviewer Frank Bruni, writing that the newspaper has been lacking a "real food critic" since Ruth Reichl left for Gourmet.

Advertising Industry Focuses on ROI (NYT)
Marketers are increasingly focused on the effectiveness of their pitches, trying to figure out the return on investment for ad spending. That is spurring most of the major media — along with many large research companies like Arbitron, Nielsen and Taylor Nelson Sofres — to improve the methods by which they measure audiences.

Syndicated TV Magazine Shows Soar on Anna Nicole Coverage (B&C)
Coverage of the death of former Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith in the week ending Feb. 11 sent ratings for syndicated magazine shows through the roof. Entertainment Tonight recorded its best numbers in over three years; it was ET's highest ratings since the week after Janet Jackson's infamous Super Bowl half-time appearance. Best of New Orleans: Smith was a creature of the media, proof that fame makes more fame, that we live in the age of the eternal feedback loop. When she died, the media seized her passing as if a great part of the media itself had passed, and it had, writes Andrei Codrescu.

Strong Start for New Online Lad Mag From Dennis (MediaLife)
Three months ago, yet another lad mag, Monkey, launched as a free, weekly online magazine. The big puzzle was just how well this publication would do, and certainly a lot was seen to be at stake. A successful launch would potentially open up a whole new field of magazine publishing. The word on Monkey: So far, so good.

Reuters to Launch African News Site (Guardian)
Reuters will launch a consumer-targeted African news and information portal that will include a continent-wide network of local bloggers, financial news, breaking general news and features that the company's reporters file from across the continent. Content will also include sports coverage and clips of video footage, taken from Africa Feed, the dedicated daily news program.

Prison Sentence Reduced for Editor of Chinese Newspaper That Angered Officials (AP via IHT)
The news about Yu Huafeng came just weeks after his colleague, Li Minying, was released from prison three years before the end of his six-year sentence. Both were convicted of embezzlement and graft, but many believe the charges were trumped up by officials seeking revenge for media reports that embarrassed the local government in the southern province of Guangdong.

Hey There Lonelygirl: Checking in With the Web Video Phenomenon (ETP)
Michael Sonnenschein: Lonelygirl chugs along, with a paid cast and crew of nine people producing several Webisodes per week. With the "Is she real?" question no longer providing the show's dramatic tension, it's gotten a bit more conventional in its storytelling. But the conceit remains the same: each episode is supposedly created and uploaded to the site by one of the characters.

Taking Aim at Fox News (AlterNet)
Don Hazen: The power of Fox News and Matt Drudge to serve as kingpins of the Bush White House echo chamber, while at the same time being key agenda-setters for the mainstream press, is a daunting problem for Democrats, progressive media makers and bloggers. But bloggers and activist groups are fighting harder to discredit Fox.