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‘Frozen’ beats ‘Catching Fire.’ De Luca to Columbia Pictures.

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After the coffee. Before seeing how “Bonnie and Clyde” did.

The Skinny: I’m liking “Homeland” again. If I forgot how the show got to where it’s got in terms of plots, and just enjoy it for what it is, I roll my eyes a lot less. Anyway, after I endured that Redskins loss, it doesn’t take much to amuse me. Monday’s headlines include the box office recap, a shakeup at Sony Pictures and a list of the most powerful people in sports. Those are the same folks that make your pay-TV bill so big.

Daily Dose: Whether the decision by A&E Networks to air “Bonnie and Clyde” on three networks at the same time -- History, A&E and Lifetime -- will mean bigger overall ratings remains to be seen. But the move was as much about finances as it was publicity. By having three A&E-owned networks all carry it rather than just one, the parent company can spread the costs across three channels instead of one channel taking the hit.

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Ice beats fire. Walt Disney Co.’s animated family film “Frozen” upset “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” at the box office. “Frozen” took in more than $31 million in its second weekend while “Catching Fire,” which had been expected to finish first in its third weekend of release, made about $27 million. Also opening was “Out of the Furnace,” a dark drama starring Woody Harrelson, Christian Bale and Casey Affleck. However, reaction to “Out of the Furnace” was chilly as it made just $5.3 million. Opening strong in limited release was the Coen brothers new movie, “Inside Llewyn Davis.” Box office recaps from the Los Angeles Times and the Hollywood Reporter.

PHOTOS: Holiday movie sneaks 2013

Shaking it up. Sony Pictures, which has been under attack from hedge fund operator Daniel Loeb, named producer Mike De Luca as president of production of Columbia Pictures. Once a Hollywood bad boy, De Luca has a list of hits on his resume including most recently “Captain Phillips” and “The Social Network.” De Luca will take the position after he finishes working on “Fifty Shades of Grey.” More on the hire and its significance from the Los Angeles Times and Variety.

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Welcome home. As expected, producer Jerry Bruckheimer signed a deal with Paramount Pictures, the studio where he first rose to fame in the 1980s. For Paramount, which has scaled back its movie business in recent years, the move is seen as a push to get back into blockbuster game. Analysis of the deal from the Los Angeles Times and New York Times.

FCC scrutiny. For more than two decades, the FCC has blessed TV station sales in which one owner has a stake in multiple outlets in the same city. This has allowed some companies including Sinclair Broadcast Group to amass oversight over a huge number of TV stations. It has also caused concern among media watch dogs who fear that consolidation in local markets limits diversity in news coverage among other things. Now the FCC is asking Sinclair to revise a recent acquisition that includes several so-called side car deals. More from the Wall Street Journal.

Maybe it’s time for a PG-R-13 rating. A new study from Annenberg Public Policy Center and University of Pennsylvania shows that when it comes to showing bad behavior in a movie, the rating doesn’t really matter. Films rated PG-13 often have as much sex and violence as R-rated movies do. Details on the study from the Hollywood Reporter.

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Foxy! Sports Business Journal has released its annual list of the most powerful people in sports and at the top are Randy Freer and Eric Shanks of Fox. Freer oversees distribution efforts for Fox’s sports cable channels while Shanks is the programmer. Also on the list are the commissioners of the major sports and even Vladimir Putin.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Meg James on the unusual visit she got from some satellite TV salesmen.
Follow me on Twitter and endure my pain during Redskins games. @JBFlint.


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