‘Expendables 2’ will be No. 1. FTC sues Dish.

After the coffee. Before figuring out how to transcribe an interview without actually listening to it.

The Skinny: Another week has come and gone. If you’re like me, you spent it obsessing on things that don’t matter and ignoring the things that do. Sorry, not trying to be a downer, just offering some perspective. Friday’s headlines include a look at the weekend box office, profiles of the producers of next year’s Oscars and reviews of “Red Hook Summer” and “Premium Rush.”

Daily Dose: As part of its new distribution deal with Fox News, Time Warner Cablesubscribers can now watch the cable network live on their iPads and iPhones. The Fox Business Network will also be available to Time Warner Cable customers via table devices. Now if Time Warner Cable can just get the NFL Network.

The Over the Hill Gang rides again. “The Expendables 2,” starring aging action heroes Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, is expected to stay on top of the box office for the second weekend in a row. New challengers include “Premium Rush,” the bike messenger thriller for those who have been screaming for a “Quicksilver” sequel, and “Hit & Run” starring Dax Shephard, although you’ll keep thinking its Owen Wilson. Box office previews from the Los Angeles Times and Hollywood Reporter.
Oscar is in tech.“Smash” executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have been tapped to produce the 2013 Oscars telecast. Zadan and Meron, whose other TV credits include “Drop Dead Diva”and whose long list of movie credits include “Chicago” and “Hairspray,” said they’ve been Monday morning quarterbacking the Oscars for years just waiting for their shot. Call it a hunch but I’m guessing there’ll be a few song and dance numbers. More on the duo from the Los Angeles Times and Variety.

Pass the bubbly. Hard liquor ads are starting to pop up more frequently with late night shows on broadcast television, according to the Wall Street Journal. They are already a staple of cable TV, but the broadcast networks are now getting aggressive with the hard stuff. While broadcast TV is full of beer ads, hard liquor has always been seen as taboo. Though one can debate whether hard liquor is worse than beer, it seems silly that ads for it appear on one channel and not another when the viewer for the most part doesn’t distinguish between broadcast and cable.

Going old school.The USC Annenberg/Los Angeles Times Poll on Politics and the Press revealed that news coverage from local TV stations is still the way many get information. The survey showed that almost 60% of respondents watch local news at least once daily. Analysis of the survey from the Los Angeles Times.

Sibling rivalry. Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, had sharp words for her younger brother James and even took a few digs at the management style at her father’s conglomerate in the wake of the ethics scandal there. In a speech, Murdoch said there are “significant and difficult questions about how some behaviors fell so far short of its values.” More on her remarks from the Guardian.

Don’t call us, we’ll call you. The Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit against Dish Network claiming the satellite broadcaster violated “do not call” rules by continuing to pester consumers who had already indicated they didn’t want to hear any more pitches. Details on the suit, which Dish said it would fight, from Reuters and the Los Angeles Times.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Betsy Sharkey on “Premium Rush” and Spike Lee’s “Red Hook Summer.”

Follow me on Twitter while you still can! @JBFlint.