'The Purge' trounces 'The Internship.' Cable show kicks off in D.C. - Los Angeles Times
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‘The Purge’ trounces ‘The Internship.’ Cable show kicks off in D.C.

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After the coffee. Before heading into humid downtown D.C. for cable fun.

The Skinny: Made the mistake of standing still in a backyard in suburban D.C. on Sunday afternoon, and the mosquitoes ate me up. Lesson learned. I’ll be drenched in Off next time. Monday’s headlines include a recap of the weekend box office and a curtain-raiser on the cable industry’s annual convention, which is why I’m here. Also, an article on obsessed fans making their own versions of their favorite TV shows. If you are interested in receiving an email alert when the Morning Fix is live, please send me a note.

Daily Dose: News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch and President Chase Carey were big behind-the-scenes advocates of putting former Fox Sports chief David Hill over the network’s talent shows “American Idol†and “The X Factor,†people close to the matter said. The colorful Hill, best known for innovating sports production and being very hands-on, is close to Murdoch and Carey. On Hill’s to-do list is trim some of the bloat out of “American Idol.†The show’s longtime executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick are exiting.

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Revoked internship. Buddy comedy “The Internship,†starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as two aging interns at Google, struggled in its opening weekend. The movie, which was heavily hyped and the beneficiary of lots of media coverage because of its ties to Google, ended up taking in just $18.1 million. Finishing first with $36.4 million was the low-budget thriller “The Purge,†starring Ethan Hawke. Also doing well were “Fast & Furious 6†and “Now You See Me.†Box-office recaps from the Los Angeles Times and Movie City News.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Tonys 2013 - Red carpet arrivals | Show highlights

What, us worry? The National Cable and Telecommunications Assn., which is the lobbying arm of the cable industry, is assembling this week in the nation’s capital for its annual convention. Let’s see how many times we hear that cord-cutting isn’t really a problem and that the cost to watch sports on TV is perfectly reasonable. But hey, Jennifer Lopez will be there, so that’s sort of cool. A preview of the show from the Los Angeles Times. Meanwhile, Bloomberg weighs in on speculation about what John Malone, considered the Godfather of the modern cable industry, may be up to next.

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Another bite at the apple. John de Mol, who’s made a career of producing reality and talent shows, is hoping his latest -- “The Winner Is†-- can become as big a hit for NBC as “The Voice,†which he also created. De Mol, who founded the company Endemol (which he later sold), now runs Talpa Holding. He reportedly said he is concerned that NBC is over-exposing “The Voice,†and wants “The Winner Is†to take some pressure off the big franchise. More on De Mol from the Wall Street Journal.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Tonys 2013 - Winners & Top nominees | Best & Worst moments

Talk about too much time on his hands. An “Arrested Development†fan has reedited the 15 new episodes Netflix released and put them in chronological order on the Web. Though reediting clips or creating one’s own episode of a show isn’t exactly new, this is one of the more extreme examples of a fan playing producer, and the trend is growing, says the New York Times. Some creators don’t mind, but others would rather that viewers just enjoy the shows instead of playing producer.

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Inside the Los Angeles Times: “Kinky Boots†was the big winner at the Tony Awards Sunday night. Michael Shannon is Hollywood’s new favorite bad guy. CBS is wrapping up its upfront sales.

Follow me on Twitter. I travel just to bring you news. @JBFlint.

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