Advertisement

The Morning Fix: ‘Inglourious’ analysis; August box office is hot; Beck’s offensive; ‘Up’ floats abroad

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

After the coffee. Before shopping for back-to-school supplies.

‘Inglourious’ defies trends. It was supposed to be a hard sell, with a running time of, really, 2 1/2 hours, during a summer when stars weren’t shining and R ratings really weren’t flying.Yet the violent ‘Inglourious Basterds’ managed to pull in almost $40 million in its opening weekend and drew a ton of women to boot! The Los Angeles Times looks behind the scenes to figure out just how this one broke all the rules.

Advertisement

August is the new black. Normally a dumping ground, August is suddenly a big movie month. Variety reports that ‘District 9’ and ‘Inglourious Basterds’ (yes, I’m just as tired of spelling those words wrong as you are reading them) could lead to a record-breaking summer at the box office.

Give blood, get ratings? The CW’s new teen-angst vampire drama has formed an unusual partnership with the Red Cross with the aim of not only raising awareness for the show, but also encouraging blood donations. Posters promoting ‘The Vampire Diaries’ proclaim: ‘Starve a Vampire. Donate Blood.’ New York Times veteran ad columnistStuart Elliott wonders if the show will have the same bite as HBO’s ‘True Blood’ and the movie franchise ‘Twilight.’

Cue the music ... not! The Wrap looks at how the battle to secure music rights is delaying the launch of lots of television shows on DVD.

‘Up’s’ passport ready to be stamped. Pixar’s ‘Up’ already has made more than $140 million overseas and as it hits more of the globe could end up taking in several hundred million abroad, predicts the Hollywood Reporter. Even ‘Ratatouille’ pulled in $400 million in international box office.

Beck brouhaha. Fox News’ Glenn Beck went on the offensive against Color of Change, the group leading an advertiser boycott of him for saying President Obama is racist. Los Angeles Times scribe Matea Gold writes about Beck’s strategy to fight back against the group and Van Jones, the White House advisor who used to work for Color of Change.

Hulu’s UK plans. Although Hulu is hot here, efforts to get the video site off the ground in the United Kingdom are going slower than anticipated. PaidContent on what’s dragging the effort. Now it looks like nothing will happen until after next year.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Patrick Goldstein on the demise of Paramount Vantage.

-- Joe Flint

Follow me on Twitter.

Advertisement



Advertisement