The Morning Fix: ‘Hop’ goes to top of box office. Ups and downs of Charlie Sheen show! Katie ready to skate.
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 sneaking out early to hopefully see Butler pull it off!
The Skinny: A tip for Charlie Sheen. Next time sign a pay-per-view deal before your first show. Looks like he got his act together for show No. 2. I’ll hold off on tickets for now. In other news: ‘Hop’ bops to the top of the box office. KNBC anchor Alycia Lane is tabloid fodder.
‘Hop’ to the top. Universal’s ‘Hop’ bounced its way right to the top spot, taking in $38.1 million in its opening weekend. While that was the best opening for any movie this year, it was not enough to turn around the industry’s overall box office slump. Box office for the weekend was down 30% compared with the same weekend in 2009. The two other big releases -- ‘Source Code’ and ‘Insidious’ -- took in $15.1 million and $13.5 million, respectively. Since ‘Insidious’ was relatively cheap, it’s already a winner. Falling off the map in its second weekend was ‘Sucker Punch’ from Warner Bros., which fell almost 70% from its disappointing opening weekend. Box office analysis from the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal and Movie City News. The New York Times has a look at Illumination Entertainment, the animation company behind ‘Hop.’
Bubble popping time! Every April, shows that fall between hit and flop start making their case to be given another season to prove themselves. New shows still trying to find themselves -- such as Matthew Perry’s ‘Mr. Sunshine’ on ABC and older shows looking to squeeze out one more year -- including NBC’s ‘Chuck’ -- are among this season’s bubble shows. USA Today looks at who might float to another season and who might get popped.
Really, we have your best interests at heart. Fox Filmed Entertainment chairman Jim Gianopulos takes a shot at trying to ease the worries of movie theater owners who think the plan of some studios to offer movies on video-on-demand just two months after their release is betrayal. ‘It’s not the end of the world,’ he tells the New York Times. Gianopulos said the plan is to experiment with smaller films. Of course, lots of overhauls start as small experiments.
If at first you don’t succeed. Alec Gores, the billionaire investor who has been trying to make a move in entertainment, sent an unsolicited bid to CKX, the parent of ‘American Idol’ producer 19 Entertainment. CKX had been up for grabs last year but when none of the bidders could get their act together, the company took itself out of play. Details from Bloomberg.
Well, if AP says so it must be true. It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that Katie Couric is exiting her job as anchor of CBS News. The Los Angeles Times and others have reported for weeks that Couric is looking for a daytime gig and when she went on David Letterman’s show she did not sound like someone who was sticking around. Now the Associated Press weighs in with its Couric-is-leaving story. If only she generated this much attention as an anchor as she does for leaving an anchoring job. Of course, this will generate a new round of Couric-is-leaving stories.
The show must go on! Like his personal life, Charlie Sheen’s ‘Torpedoes of Truth’ tour has already been a roller coaster ride in just two days. Night one in Detroit was a disaster from all accounts while night two in Chicago appears to have been his rebound show of sorts. A review of the Detroit debacle from the Detroit News and a look at Chicago from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Hope there’s film at 11! KNBC news personality Alycia Lane’s past keeps knocking on the door. She’s involved in a messy legal fight with her former bosses at KYW Philadelphia and her former co-anchor. Let’s just say if anyone is looking to make a darker version of ‘Anchorman,’ the script might be in this tawdry mess. More from the New York Post.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: If you are wondering what the flap is over Time Warner Cable’s iPad app that lets its subscribers watch live TV, here’s our explanation. Want to own Blockbuster? The auction for the video chain is Monday.
-- Joe Flint
Follow me on Twitter. It helps pass the time. Twitter.com/JBFlint
