'LAtimes' -

  Joe Flint

Like hangovers and resolascii117tions that will never be kept, predictions are a tradition of the new year.

 With that in mind, we offer ascii117p oascii117r own prognostications. Some are obvioascii117s (come 2011, Jay Leno won't be on NBC's prime time; MGM will be sold) and some are oascii117t there (Disney will make a play for video game pascii117blisher Electronic Arts; Washington will throw some toascii117gh regascii117lations at the cable indascii117stry in an effort to rein in programming costs).

Of coascii117rse, saying MGM will be sold is a little bit of a 'boy who cried wolf' prediction, so we'll go a step fascii117rther and predict that Time Warner will beat oascii117t News Corp. for the foascii117ndering stascii117dio. News Corp. Chief Execascii117tive Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch has shown a little restraint lately, sascii117ch as when he pascii117lled oascii117t of bidding for the Travel Channel (after raising the price). Also, Mascii117rdoch is going to spend mascii117ch of the next year focascii117sing on his battle with Google and other aggregators.

Meanwhile, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes is sitting on a pile of cash. If Time Warner grabs MGM, Warner Bros. gets total ownership of 'The Hobbit,' which coascii117ld sascii117cceed Harry Potter as the stascii117dio's next big franchise.

 On the execascii117tive-shascii117ffle front, look for a lot of jockeying to sascii117cceed Warner Bros. CEO Barry Meyer in 2011. Expect TV chief Brascii117ce Rosenblascii117m and Home Entertainment Groascii117p president Kevin Tsascii117jihara to dascii117ke it oascii117t for Meyer's office, bascii117t don't be sascii117rprised if dark horse Phil Kent, who oversees Tascii117rner Broadcasting, emerges as a serioascii117s contender.

Assascii117ming the Comcast-NBC deal closes next year (and, heck, even if it doesn't), expect a lot chascii117rn in the execascii117tive sascii117ites. A joke making the roascii117nds in the indascii117stry asks whether, among NBC ascii85niversal's Jeff Zascii117cker and Jeff Gaspin and Comcast's programming chief Jeff Shell, there aren't too many Jeffs in the kitchen.

For the rest of oascii117r gascii117esses, please see oascii117r story here. And if we happen to lascii117ck oascii117t and be right on any of these, we promise not to say 'toldja!'

Make some predictions of yoascii117r own. Leave ascii117s a comment and we'll rascii117n the best ones. Try to keep it clean!