The Morning Fix: Upset night at the Grammys! Sandler nips Bieber at box office. Cinemax getting serious?
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After the coffee. Before deciding whether the hype for Cedar Rapids is a tad overblown.
The Skinny: You know the best way to watch the Grammy Awards? With a DVR! A slow Monday so far. Grammy recaps, box office recaps, a bidding war for Thomas the Tank Engine, and Cinemax wants to grow up.
No sure thing. Lots of upsets and surprises at Sunday night’s Grammy Awards. Arcade Fire took album of the year with ‘The Suburbs,’ while Lady Antebellum won song and record of the year, beating out bigger names including Eminem, Jay-Z and Katy Perry. As for the show itself, Eminem rocked. Bob Dylan’s voice was a little rough and Cee-Lo with those life-sized Muppets was amusing. If the producers were really cool, they’d have persuaded Madonna to perform ‘Express Yourself’ right after Lady Gaga did ‘Born This Way,’ which is a total rip. Coverage and analysis from Billboard, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Rolling Stone and Variety.
Tight battle at box office. Adam Sandler’s ‘Just Go With It’ from Sony took the top spot at the box office with $31 million. That barely beat back Justin Bieber’s ‘Never Say Never,’ which was stronger than anticipated and took in $30.3 million. Also off to a solid start was ‘Gnomeo & Juliet,’ which made $25.5 million. Not taking off was ‘The Eagle.’ Box office coverage from the Los Angeles Times and Movie City News.
Skinemax adds layers. Cinemax, the sister channel to HBO dubbed Skinemax by many for its library of cheesy soft-core entertainment, wants to get serious with original programming. The New York Post reports on the pay channel’s plans.
Still some fire in that tank. Haim Saban and Michael Eiser may find themselves in a bidding war for Hit Entertainment, owner of the kids property Thomas the Tank Engine, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: ‘The King’s Speech’ cleans up at BAFTA Awards. Need a movie for Valentine’s Day?
-- Joe Flint
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