Mediagazer: Sony announces The Interview will play in select theaters Christmas day (Erik Hayden/Hollywood Reporter)

12:35 PM ET, December 24, 2014

Top News:

Sony Releases Official List of Theaters Playing ‘The Interview’ — They may not have the backing of the major chains, but the independent theaters banded together to support a release of The Interview, and Sony followed through. Reversing their decision to not release Seth Rogen …

Discussion: CNNMoney.com, Variety, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, WATE-TV, Wall Street Journal and Just Jared

Krishnadev Calamur / NPR:

The Interview available to rent for $5.99 or purchase for $14.99 through YouTube, Google Play, and Xbox Video from 1pm ET Wednesday — Sony To Stream ‘The Interview’ On YouTube, Other Sites Starting Tonight — Sony Pictures' The Interview, the comedy that centers on a plot to assassinate …

Discussion: Deadline, Re/code, TechCrunch, Gawker, The Wrap, Gigaom, Los Angeles Times, ABC News, Hollywood Reporter, Washington Post, CNBC, AppleInsider, Inside Movies and GeekWire

Erik Hayden / Hollywood Reporter:

Sony announces The Interview will play in select theaters Christmas day — Multiple Theaters Say They Will Screen ‘The Interview’ — Sony did not yet respond to a request for comment — Sony's The Interview may be getting its day in theaters after all.

Hadas Gold / Politico:

AP denies Pyongyang bureau under North Korean control — The Associated Press is pushing back on a report its bureau in North Korea is nearly completely controlled by the North Korean government. — In a lengthy article for NKNews.org, Nate Thayer, a former AP stringer …

Discussion: NK News and Mediaite

Michael Wolff / Hollywood Reporter:

2015 predictions: Comcast offloads NBCU, Facebook airs TV shows, Rupert Murdoch “retires” — 8 Hollywood Predictions for 2015 — The beautiful thing about predictions for the new year is that nobody predicts a continuing muddle. And yet confusion and untidiness …

Nellie Bowles / Re/code:

Mic tailors news topics and format for millennials, aiming at college-educated 25-year-olds — Mic.com, the Most Earnest Millennials in the Room — One thing that has become clear this year is that we, the millennials, like our news in special millennial-friendly packaging.

Discussion: @jallenj, @cwarzel, @mikeisaac, @mccarthyryanj and @rafat

Lisa Campbell / Bookseller News:

Simon & Schuster allows libraries in UK, Australia, and New Zealand to lend full 14K ebook catalog — S&S UK permits library e-lending for all titles — Simon & Schuster UK is to allow libraries to lend its full catalogue of nearly 14,000 e-book titles, effective immediately.

Discussion: @thebookseller and LJ INFOdocket

Todd Spangler / Variety:

DirecTV, Disney Ink Multiyear Pact That Includes Internet-Video Rights — The Walt Disney Co. and DirecTV have reached a multiyear distribution deal, which gives the No. 1 satellite TV broadcaster rights to ESPN, ABC and Disney Channel online-video services.

Discussion: ESPN MediaZone, Washington Post, Hollywood Reporter, Wall Street Journal, @rickklein, Deadline, Gigaom and Broadcasting & Cable

Bloomberg:

Sony explored selling its music publishing division that includes Sony/ATV and EMI, represents works by the Beatles, Michael Jackson, others — Sony Planned to Sell Music-Publishing Unit Owning Beatles — Sony Corp. was considering the sale of its music-publishing business …

Discussion: The Wrap, @lucas_shaw, New York Times, @chrispalmeri, @pkafka and @peterlauria3

Peter Greste / Sydney Morning Herald:

Peter Greste sends greetings from a cell in Cairo — I write to all our friends and supporters from my jail cell in Mazraa Prison, Cairo. — As we approach Christmas and the rather inauspicious anniversary of our arrest on December 29, there is a temptation to become morose over our continued detention.

Discussion: TVNewser, @janecat60 and @davidfolkenflik

Diana Mehta / Canadian Press:
Imprisoned Al Jazeera journalist warned network of potential trouble with Egyptian government

Discussion: TVNewser and CP24

David Zurawik / Baltimore Sun:

WBFF apologizes for misleading edit on videotape of protest chant — WBFF (Fox45) apologized Monday night online and on-air for misleadingly editing and airing a video Sunday of a protest march in Washington to make it seem as if protesters were chanting “kill a cop.”

Discussion: @visionnehemiah, @theyesmen, The Huffington Post, @ggreeneva, WBFF-TV and Media Nation

Matt Wilstein / Mediaite:
Fox Affiliate Edits Protest Chant to Sound Like ‘Kill a Cop’

Discussion: Raw Story, Variety, @becketadams, @drewunga, FTVLive, Talking Points Memo and TVSpy

Billboard:

Billboard's Canadian Hot 100 Now Incorporates Spotify Listening — Billboard's Canadian Hot 100 chart now officially incorporates data from Spotify, which launched in the country last Sept. Nielsen began tracking the data in October, which also takes into account physical and download track …

Chris O'Brien / VentureBeat:

Meet Val Broeksmit, the rock singer Sony is threatening to sue over his hacking tweets — Just when you think nothing else about the Sony hacking episode can surprise you, along comes another bizarre twist. — The latest involves Sony making legal threats against indie singer …

Discussion: Boing Boing, Gigaom, Ars Technica, ReadWrite, Inc.com, PandoDaily, @marciahofmann, @bradmossesq, @_cypherpunks_ and @kashhill

Nancy Scola / Washington Post:

FCC accidentally omitted 680,000 Open Internet comments from public record due to technical error, will post new, complete file in new year — More than half a million net neutrality comments went missing from the FCC's downloadable public record — The Federal Communications Commission …

Discussion: FCC.gov, TechCrunch and The Hill