Paramount

HOLLYWOOD - Sherry Lansing, a Hollywood pioneer who for three decades has been one of the most powerful figures in the movie business, plans to step down as chairwoman of Paramount Pictures when her contract expires at the end of next year. According to a source familiar with the situation, Lansing will stay long enough to help choose her successor and to aid in the transition. But after 12 years in one of the most high-pressure jobs in the business, Lansing has made it known that she does not plan to seek another entertainment industry job. Lansing's decision comes as she finds herself having to prove to her new boss, Viacom Inc. co-President Tom Freston, that she can reverse the fortunes of the struggling studio.

TELEVISION 1.Dancing With the Stars (Wednesday), ABC 2.Dancing With the Stars (Tuesday), ABC 3.CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS 4.CBS NFL National Post Game, CBS 5.Desperate Housewives, ABC FILMS 1.Happy Feet, Warner Bros. 2.Casino Royale, Sony 3.Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, 20th Century Fox 4.The Santa Clause 3, Disney 5.Flushed Away, Paramount SINGLES 1.My Love, Justin Timberlake 2.Smack That, Akon featuring Eminem 3.Fergalicious, Fergie 4.Irreplaceable, Beyonce 5.Lips of an Angel, Hinder ALBUMS 1.NOW 23, Various artists 2.Awake, Josh Groban 3.Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing, Keith Urban 4.Enjoy the Ride, Sugarland 5.Hannah Montana Soundtrack, Various artists DVDS (SALES)

NEW YORK -- As the midnight deadline neared last night in the long-running takeover battle for Paramount Communications, even executives close to QVC Network conceded that Viacom had apparently won.But even if Viacom has succeeded in its five-month struggle with QVC, there were indications yesterday that the merged Viacom-Paramount might face even greater financial pressures than have been expected.The problems involve Viacom's plan to strengthen its hand by also acquiring Blockbuster Entertainment, the leader in video rentals.

The L.A. Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics have weighed in on behalf of Daily Variety film critic Joseph McBride in a spat with Paramount Pictures and Variety editor Peter Bart.In a review of the Paramount thriller "Patriot Games," starring Harrison Ford, Mr. McBride chided the movie for trivializing the political situation in Ireland. Paramount protested and pulled all its advertising from Variety. Mr. Bart later wrote an apologetic letter to Paramount, suggesting that Mr. McBride's Irish background had affected his review.

HOLLYWOOD - So who will play Ralph Kramden? James Gandolfini? John Goodman? Eddie Murphy? Eddie Murphy? After more than a year of negotiations, Paramount Pictures is planning to make a feature film based on The Honeymooners, the classic 1950s TV comedy series. The immediate question of casting - who will play Ralph Kramden, the portly New York City bus driver, and his best friend, Ed Norton, who lives upstairs - is engaging Paramount and the film's producer, David Friendly, though they say it's too early to discuss it publicly.

QVC, BellSouth discuss bidRepresentatives of QVC Network Inc. and BellSouth Corp. met the last two days to discuss the possibility of QVC revising its bid for Paramount Communications Inc., sources said yesterday.Final bids in the five-month fight between QVC and Viacom Inc. are due by Tuesday.BellSouth is the largest investor in QVC's bid for Paramount, having agreed to put up $1.5 billion.Viacom is offering $105 a share in cash for 50.1 percent of the company, compared with QVC's bid of $92 a share in cash for the same percentage.