The Morning Fix: ‘Salt’ to storm box office! Drowning in Comic-Con hype! Kerrey nearing MPAA deal.
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After the coffee. Before deciding whether the new Sheryl Crow CD is any good.
‘Salt’ ready to shake things up. The Angelina Jolie action thriller ‘Salt’ is expected to give ‘Inception’ a run for the money this weekend at the box office. Sony’s ‘Salt’ is going to probably take in between $35 million and $40 million while Week 2 of Chris Nolan’s mind game ‘Inception’ will probably have similar numbers. If you have to drag the kids somewhere, there’s always ‘Ramona and Beezus.’ Box office previews from the Los Angeles Times and Variety.
Comic-Con jumping the shark? Maybe that’s a little harsh, but it does seem like the cult event has gone a little too mainstream. Shows and movies that years ago would have no role or place at the San Diego gathering now take center stage. It’s like when Bob Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival (yes, I realize I just dated myself, go Google it). An era is over and instead we’ve got another corporate marketing gathering. Done ranting. Here are stories about Angelina Jolie and others invading Comic-Con from the New York Times and Variety.
Thought this was already over. The New York Post says the Weinstein Brothers have lost the backing of the Fortress hedge fund that was supporting their effort to reacquire the Miramax library from Walt Disney Co. Of course, Disney has already made it clear they are now looking to cut a deal with construction magnate David Bergstein, who is backed by Colony Capital.
Kerrey wrapping up MPAA deal. After months of negotiations (well, it seems like months anyway), former senator and New School chief Bob Kerrey is closing in on a deal to become head of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, the movie industry’s chief lobbying arm. Kerrey is replacing Dan Glickman, who faced the difficult task of succeeding the late, great Jack Valenti. The Hollywood Reporter says Kerrey’s paycheck will be $1.2 million annually.
Bashir bails on ABC and ‘Nightline.’ Martin Bashir, one of the key components of ABC’s ‘Nightline,’ which has surprisingly survived and sometimes thrived in late night, is jumping to MSNBC. The departure is a blow to ABC, but Bashir apparently wanted his own gig. ABC said Bill Weir, currently an anchor of the weekend edition of ‘Good Morning America,’ would join ‘Nightline.’ More on the chair shuffling from the Associated Press.
Muy Caliente. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision is red hot this summer, thanks to its World Cup coverage as well as its original programming including two new telenovelas -- ‘Hasta que el Dinero Nos Separe’ and and ‘Soy tu Duena.’ Univision is often topping English-language broadcasters in key demo graphics. The Wrap looks at Univision’s smoking performance.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: Digital comics: Friend or foe? For those of you not tired of ‘Mad Men’ hype yet, here’s Mary McNamara’s analysis. Kenneth Turan’s review of ‘Salt.’ Showtime is thinking about getting into the male escort business with a reality show about gigolos.
-- Joe Flint
Follow me on Twitter and I promise no Comic-Con tweets. twitter.com/JBFlint
