Lion's Gate Up For Grabs?

Sources said a logical buyer would be entertainment empire Viacom, whose Showtime network and Paramount movie and TV studio divisions are involved in several deals and ventures with the indie movie company, including hit USA Network series "The Dead Zone."

Lions Gate boasts a vast library. It has 8,000 titles from "Dirty Dancing" to independent film hits like the critically acclaimed "Monster's Ball." And potential new hits are on the way, like Kevin Spacey's upcoming Bobby Darin biopic "Beyond the Sea."

A sale would likely mean a big windfall for Lions Gate's star-studded list of investors, which includes "Benefactor" billionaire Mark Cuban, J.P. Morgan Chase president Jamie Dimon and veteran media investor Gordon Crawford of Capital Research and Management, as well as Fidelity Investors. They've already seen the stock jump nearly fourfold since the beginning of last year.

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