The Morning Fix: Box office ‘Help.’ Saving Ryan Reynolds.
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After the coffee. Before trying to convince a valet at the Ivy to start a Twitter account.
The Skinny: For those wondering about this morning’s ‘After the coffee ...,’ I’m making a little fun of the media obsession over figuring out who was tweeting about conversations inside the elevator at magazine publishing giant Conde Nast. In real news, box office previews and a look at whether a trio of monster directors can revitalize the already lagging 3-D genre.
‘Apes’ likely to stay on top. ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ is likely to be the No. 1 movie this weekend again and I’m just as likely to still not see it. Opening is ‘The Help,’ a civil rights-era social drama that is getting good buzz and could be surprisingly strong at the box office. Conversely, it might end up being a case of one of those movies people say they want to see but don’t. I may be there but I’m going to push to see ‘Thirty Minutes or Less’ if for no other reason than that it’s under 90 minutes! Box office projections from the Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter and Variety.
3-D dreams. Some of the masters of the modern movie -- Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese -- are coming out with their first 3-D movies. Do we care or has the shine already worn off the format? The Wall Street Journal looks at their efforts and if it will boost 3-D.
Get your offer in! All Things Digital says bids are due at the end of next week for the online video site Hulu, which is being shopped by its owners, which include News Corp., Walt Disney Co. and silent partner Comcast Corp. The big question is how much content and for how long are part of any deal for a sale. Without that, what are you buying?
Murdoch’s rise. News Corp. stock jumped after the company released its fourth quarter results and Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch reiterated that he and Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey are not going anywhere. Still, given the uncertainty over how far probes into the company in England and here will go in the wake of the phone hacking scandal at the now-defunct News of the World tabloid, the clouds have hardly lifted. Details from the Associated Press and Los Angeles Times.
Already? Apparently a few summer disappointments (‘The Green Lantern,’ ‘The Change-Up’) is all it takes for the Daily Beast to start figuring out how to save Ryan Reynolds’ career. Frankly, anyone who survived ‘Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place’ to become a movie star has already won.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: Mary McNamara offers her buy-sell take on cable TV business analysts. The boyfriend of a former Disney intern was busted for insider trading on Marvel stock before Disney bought the animation giant in 2009.
-- Joe Flint
Follow me on Twitter to survive the dog days of August. Twitter.com/JBFlint
