Wednesday morning headlines

Who gets O.J. tape?: The family of Ron Goldman has asked News Corp. to turn over the rights to the material - and News Corp. is considering it. Before the book and interview had been pulled, the company had offered its profit from the TV and book deals to the victims’ families, although Denise Brown, the sister of Nicole Brown Simpson, called that "hush money." The fear, of course, is that the book will end up in the hands of another publisher and the interview will end up on the Internet. By the way, the interview had attracted zero interest among advertisers.

Airlines brings back food: Now that they're making a profit again, a number of carriers are bringing back some of the in-flight perks that had been taken away. But don't get your hopes up - WSJ reports that most of the add-ons will be in first class. That includes fresh bakes cookies, silverware and hot cloth towels. Coach passengers on Delta will get free midflight snacks, but only on international routes. From the WSJ:

Though airlines won't disclose how much they've saved overall by cutting amenities, food-and-beverage costs alone have dropped by one-third since 2000, according to the Air Transport Association. In the first quarter of this year, U.S. airlines collectively spent $444 million on food and beverage, down from $662 million six years earlier, the trade group said. The average that major airlines spend on food per passenger has dropped to $2.22 this year from $4.91 in 2000 and $6.22 in 1992, according to the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. For the past decade, American generally spent the most until 2004, when UAL Corp.'s United Airlines started consistently ranking as the biggest spender.

Gas goes up: Just in time for the holidays, right? Pump prices are now about the same as they were last Thanksgiving. The Auto Club reports that the average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $2.489, which is three cents higher than last week, two cents lower than last month, and three cents lower than last year. There's been some wild fluctuations in wholesale gasoline and crude oil prices, though some expect things to settle down after the holiday.

Zell stays bullish: Even though the Chicago real estate tycoon unloaded his Equity Office Properties Trust in a $20 billion deal, he believes the office market is in good shape. "If I were betting," he told the WSJ, "I'd say 6 percent to 7 percent growth in revenue over the next 24 months. This is not somebody who thinks the office market is going over a cliff." He is especially excited about the amount of private equity money that's looking for a home:

This is greatest period of monetization in the history of the world. That huge amount of liquidity that's floating around is not something that would be absorbed in six weeks. I think it will take more like six years. Overall, the liquidity will continue to be there, and real estate will be a significant beneficiary, because in the end, it gives people great comfort. I'm a great brick-and-mortar man. I think it's proven to be a terrific investment over a long period of time.

Asked what he intend to do now, Zell said "Are you kidding me? I'm chairman of five other New York Stock Exchange companies. I'm controlling shareholder of five others. I have a very significant private portfolio. I don't expect that this is going to change my life much at all." He spends a lot of time out here.

The 'Mel factor': Time for Disney to start selling Gibson's "Apocalypto," a cute little tale about the collapsing Mayan civilization that is violent, subtitled and cast with a bunch of unknowns. Oh, and it's directed by Mel Gibson. In a curious bit of scheduling, Disney's ABC network will air a prime time special on the movie - and Gibson - Thanksgiving night (I'm not sure how many viewers out there will want to see that puss on a full stomach). The program, hosted by Dianne Sawyer, was arranged before Gibson's drunk-driving arrest. If only Michael Richards had the same publicity machine...

Disney-Comcast deal: It's been dribbling out these last few days but the two media giants formally came to terms on a mutibillion-dollar distribution deal. As part of the agreement, Comcast will distribute Disney content through its video-on-demand service and will buy Disney's 39.5 percent stake in L.A.-based E! Entertainment Television channel for $1.23 billion. Comcast currently holds a 60 percent interest in the channel. No other financial details were released.

Queen Mary settlement: The city of Long Beach and the company that operates the Queen Mary have come to terms over a legal dispute concerning $9 million in rent. Under terms of the agreement, Queen's Seaport Development Inc. would pay $4.9 million to the city from the sale of its lease. The agreement comes nearly six months after a bankruptcy judge appointed a trustee to take over the ship's operations.