Did LeBron James really start weeping? No way. Not the cocksure Miami Heat dominator. Especially after a basically meaningless, regular-season loss. Sure, his team is struggling, but it wasn't the NBA Finals. Nonetheless, it's enticing to ponder James and waterworks. After Sunday's loss, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra indicated there were tears in the locker room. He didn't name the players welling up, just said a couple of guys were overcome. Then on Monday, the coach said the media made way too much about his comments.

In the 1950s, an actor welcomed audiences to a program with "Good Evening, I am Ronald Reagan, speaking for General Electric." A half-century later, Coke branding became a staple of "American Idol." But throughout that span, the United Kingdom held firm against any form of paid brand integration or product placement on its airwaves. That was even after other European countries allowed it.

A while back, CBS sports chief Sean McManus recounted a conversation with NBCUniversal counterpart Dick Ebersol, where they agreed it would be brutal operating a broadcast network without the NFL. Wow, does the league know it. A judge's ruling this week details how unyielding the NFL can be in pursuing massive rights fees. Then again, sports TV can be a seed for greed -- on both sides of a table.

With his role as an ESPN analyst, look no further than Bob Knight for an example of the pathology of college basketball coaching. Who is this guy? Free of the pressures of winning, he seems to have undergone a personality transplant. He can't be the referee-bullying, chair-tossing former coach at Indiana, can he?

Charlie Sheen's appearance on CNN is a study in social media's impact on TV. Once he began his screed, Web conversations lit up -- and so did the ratings. Some 45 minutes into the show, viewership in the 25-to-54 demo -- an age range likely to be viewing and tweeting at once -- was up 61%.

As the co-CEO of MediaCom, Jon Mandel routinely spent $12 billion in ad dollars for clients. Upon leaving MediaCom, he eventually became CEO at NielsenConnect, charged with developing integrated services. Now, the well-known power broker has formed Dogsled Enterprises, consulting with research companies, content providers and packaged-goods marketers.

It's time for this month's Leaders and Bleeders. Brilliant creative on Chrysler's two-minute Super Bowl spot, while cord-cutting may be a boon for DirecTV, which added 289,000 net new customers in 4Q. Did we mention CBS' new revenue stream -- retrans?

On Thursday, the network and producer Warner Bros. finally put principle before profit. Filming on "Two and a Half Men" was stopped -- for now -- due to anti-Semitic comments made by Charlie Sheen. When is Fox News and Premiere Radio going to censure Glenn Beck for his anti-Semitic tirades?

Among the arguments for cameras in the courtroom, one comes out of left field: instant replay. Presumably, this reason is not widely shared. Even baseball struggles with the topic. Yet upcoming trials -- Barry Bonds, Rod Blagojevich should net big ratings for networks.

Don't laugh when you hear there's a new show built around a family aquarium business or another about a company that has its customers wading into waters to grab a catch-fish -- by hand. Give TV development executives credit for sifting through every possible dust-collecting, edge-of-town seemingly boring-corner of American life.