The Hub, the joint venture children’s network between Discovery and Hasbro, has made six hires: Joshua Meyer as senior vice president of business and legal affairs; Jordan Beck as vice president of creative services and on-air promotions; Lou Fazio as vice president of scheduling, acquisitions and planning; Greg Heanue as vice president of marketing and promotions; Fred Poston as vice president of operations; and Michael Ross as vice president of production and post-production. The network is scheduled to launch later this year.

Comedy Central has added Chris Parnell and Horatio Sanz to its untitled comedy starring Jon Heder, which begins shooting March 31. The show stars Heder as a man who moves back in with his parents as he chases his dreams.

He played with a tiger in "The Hangover." Now Animal Planet has signed former boxer Mike Tyson to star in “Taking on Tyson,” a new realty series to premiere next year. The show will focus on Tyson’s longtime hobby of raising pigeons as he enters the world of pigeon racing for the first time.

Michael David Barrett, who pleaded guilty in December to interstate stalking for following and secretly videotaping ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, received a two-and-a-half year prison sentence yesterday in U.S. District court in Los Angeles. This likely isn’t the last trial for Barrett, who allegedly also uploaded videos of 16 other women online.

The New York Times is keeping its digital operation in the family. David Perpich, the nephew of Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr., has been named executive director of paid products for NYTimes.com, where he will help build its upcoming paywall. Perpich was previously with the consulting firm Booz & Co.

Greg Mitchell has joined The Nation. The magazine has brought in Mitchell as a writer and editor of Media Fix, a blog that will look at the best and worst of media and journalism. Mitchell was editor at Editor and Publisher from 2002 to December 2009.

It appears Paula Abdul is heading back to TV. The former “American Idol” judge is close to a deal to appear on ABC’s upcoming reboot of “Star Search,” according to EW.com. The report doesn’t say what sort of role Abdul would have, although it could be some sort of combination of host and judge. Fox is also reportedly interested in bringing Abdul back for “X-Factor,” Simon Cowell’s reality competition scheduled to premiere next year.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is going with what works. The Academy has hired Don Mischer to produce the “62nd Primetime Emmy Awards,” which this year air on Sunday, Aug. 29. This will be Mischer’s 10th time producing the awards, and this year the show will air live nationwide for the first time in 30 years.

Oscar-winning actress Mary Steenburgen has joined ABC’s comedy pilot “Southern Discomfort.” She'll play the matriarch of a family whose adult children move back home.

There could be a last-minute change at ABC’s drama pilot “Cutthroat.” The network is in talks with actress Mia Maestro to replace Roselyn Sanchez in the pilot, although no reason has been given for the swap. Maestro is best known for her role as Jennifer Garner’s character’s half-sister on “Alias.”

“Two and a Half Men” star Charlie Sheen yesterday pleaded not guilty to domestic violence charges in Pitkin County District Court in Colorado, three months after his wife accused him of threatening her with a knife. The judge scheduled a jury trial for July 21.

Dennis Skulsky, president and chief operating officer at Canwest Global Communications Corp.’s newspaper and publishing division, has stepped down to spend more time with his family. Skulsky, a former publisher of the Vancouver Sun, is expected to move from Toronto back to the West Coast.

Ari Merkin is headed to Miami. Merkin is set to become executive creative director at Crispin Porter & Bogusky, working in the agency’s Miami office. He’ll make the move after his five-year-old agency Toy in New York completes its shutdown.