‘Pain & Gain’ has muscle. Disney makes peace with theaters.
After the coffee. Before figuring out where the heck April went.
The Skinny: Sorry to start the day with a sales pitch but if you are interested in getting an email alerting you when the Morning Fix is available, send me a note. If enough people sign up, we’ll try to get this going. Now back to business. Friday’s headlines include the weekend box office preview and plans for a reality show that won’t air on TV.
Daily Dose: Al Jazeera was recently mentioned as a potential suitor for the Tennis Channel. But I hear (I wanted to use that annoying phrase just once to see how it feels) that Al Jazeera, which recently bought Current TV, has no interest in buying the Tennis Channel, which has not said that it is for sale.
PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments
No pain. Director Michael Bay’s “Pain & Gain,” a dark comedy starring Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson, is expected to muscle its way to the top of the box office. For Bay, best known for big action flicks such as “Transformers,” the $26 million “Pain & Gain” is a low-budget affair. Tom Cruise’s “Oblivion,” which had a strong opening last weekend, will likely have enough juice left for second place. Also opening is “The Big Wedding,” (couldn’t they have come up with a better title?) which will deliver little box office. Previews from the Los Angeles Times and Hollywood Reporter.
Peace at last. Movie theater chains Regal and AMC Entertainment have struck a deal with Walt Disney Studios on a revenue split from ticket sales for “Iron Man 3.” The pacts came after both chains had stopped selling advance tickets for “Iron Man 3,” which opens May 3. More from the Los Angeles Times and Deadline Hollywood.
That’s what friends are for. Kathie Lee Gifford, co-host of the fourth hour of NBC’s “Today,” felt so bad about all the nasty stories about Matt Lauer that she tried to take out an ad supporting the “Today” anchor, according to the New York Daily News. She gathered up signatures from the show’s cast and crew and was preparing to put it in USA Today when Lauer put the kibosh on the idea.
From TV to Twitter. The Chernin Co. is developing a reality show for social media platforms. According to Variety, @SummerBreak will play out on Twitter, YouTube and other outlets, but not on television. The thinking is that if young people aren’t watching much television, then the shows better go to where the kids are hanging out. Hopefully the next step will be a reality show that doesn’t air anywhere.
Another event ruined. The White House Correspondents Assn. dinner used to be a Washington insider affair. It was a night when political journalists and the White House could lower their guard and break bread and have a few laughs. Now Hollywood has overwhelmed the dinner as news outlets try to land hot stars to sit at their tables and come to parties. Once a dinner tailor made for C-Span, now E! covers it. The Washington Post on the money big media now blow on this once staid affair.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: Betsy Sharkey on “Pain & Gain.”
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