Advertisement

The Morning Fix: ‘Lion King’ invincible! Dish makes move. Wong to Sony.

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 changing my Super Bowl pick to Lions vs. Bills.

The Skinny: I have to make sure to get out of work a little early because I don’t want to get caught in Obama traffic on the way home. I advise you do the same. Our headlines include box office analysis and a review of Fox’s much-anticipated ‘Terra Nova,’ which launches tonight.

Advertisement

Sharp claws. Disney’s reissue of ‘The Lion King’ finished in first place for the second weekend in a row. I’m not sure if that says a lot about the endurance of an almost 20-year-old classic or a lot about the movies being released now. Probably both. Sony’s ‘Moneyball’ didn’t homer, but it got a big extra base hit with over $20 million in box office. ‘A Dolphin’s Tale’ also did well. Analysis from the Los Angeles Times and Movie City News.

Dream deal or spin? Netflix signed a deal with DreamWorks Animation to stream the animation studio’s movies, the New York Times reported. DreamWorks had been with HBO so on the one hand this can be seen as some good news for Netflix, which has been battered by Wall Street and its customers as of late. However, the output from DreamWorks does not even begin to replace the content Netflix has lost from Sony and Disney. Also, the DreamWorks deal is no surprise. Word of its being in the works surfaced over two months ago in the Los Angeles Times and elsewhere. Some analysis from Cnet.

Make it a Blockbuster night again. Satellite broadcaster Dish Network, the new owner of home-entertainment company Blockbuster, announced its long-awaited streaming service last Friday. However, the service is available only to Dish subscribers, for now anyway. Details from the Los Angeles Times and Reuters.

It’s not a big college town. TBS is touting how popular Conan O’Brien’s late-night show is on the Web. And indeed, the show does have a big Internet following, but is it so huge that advertisers will look the other way about how underwhelming Conan’s TV ratings are? Advertising Age looks at Turner’s Web strategy. Although I normally don’t like to dumb down the Morning Fix by explaining obscure culture references, the headline to this one refers to the manager of Spinal Tap trying to console the band when their gig in Boston is canceled. Now do you get it?

She’s back. Andrea Wong, who got bounced out as head of Lifetime Television in early 2010 amidst an ownership change at the network, has landed at Sony Television where she will head international production. More from Deadline Hollywood.

A new Roger? The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz looks at Fox News chief Roger Ailes and his management style and decision-making process as the powerful cable channel heads into another election season. Most interesting tidbit is Kurtz’s suggestion that the 2012 election will be Ailes’ ‘last hurrah.’

Advertisement

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Ben Fritz on how Hollywood is moving away from the DVD business. Mary McNamara on ‘Terra Nova.’

-- Joe Flint

Follow me on Twitter. We’re having end-of-the-month specials for signing up. Twitter.com/JBFlint

Advertisement