‘Gravity’ and ’12 Years a Slave’ win big. ‘Non-Stop’ flies to top.
After the coffee. Before erasing the Oscars from my already packed DVR.
The Skinny: I’d love to tell you I was at all the hot parties last night. While I was certainly in demand — sorry, Graydon and Madonna — I opted to stay home and watch the way the little people do, which is with a bag of Doritos on my lap. Today’s Fix includes all the Oscar recaps and reviews you’ll need. Also, the box=office report and the latest on Comcast, Charter and Time Warner Cable.
Daily Dose: Dodger fans who are not Time Warner Cable subscribers won’t be totally out of luck if the team’s new channel is unavailable from other area pay-TV distributors. Fox Sports 1 will carry six national Dodgers games (still need a pay-TV provider for that) and Fox will have three on free TV. That’s a long way from 162 games, but start small and dream big.
Defying “Gravity.†While “Gravity†took home the most Oscar awards including best director for Alfonso Cuarón,†“12 Years a Slave†snagged best picture. Also winning big was “Dallas Buyers Club,†as Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto won for best actor and best supporting actor, respectively. As expected, Cate Blanchett walked home with best actress for “Blue Jasmine.†Hey, “60 Minutes†doesn’t profile also-rans. Shut out were “American Hustle†and “The Wolf of Wall Street.†Oscar recaps and analysis from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, USA Today, Variety and Hollywood Reporter.
Wait til the midnight hour. I selected the extra time option for my recording with the Oscars and the show managed to exceed it. Yes, it was a long broadcast that seemed to take forever to get to the big awards. But, was it “driven sideways into a ditch†by host Ellen DeGeneres, as one critic charged? Not in my view. Look, it is a thankless job made even worse now by social media where everyone thinks they have something important to say (guilty too). My one piece of advice: Don’t bother putting specifics under those in the In Memoriam tribute. I’m sure Elmore Leonard would have liked to be remembered for more than the screenplay to the long-forgotten Clint Eastwood western “Joe Kidd.†Reviews from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, USA Today, Hollywood Reporter (ouch) and Variety.
While you partied. Not everyone was celebrating in Hollywood yesterday. Many who have the less glamorous jobs in the industry were protesting runaway production and worried about their own futures in the business. More movies and TV shows are being made elsewhere as other states throw big tax breaks at producers. The Los Angeles Times with a look at the human cost of runaway production.
No flight delays. “Non-Stop,†the Liam Neeson thriller set on a plane, flew to the top of the box office with a take of $30 million for the weekend. Finishing second was “Son of God,†which made $26.5 million. “The Lego Movie†continued to deliver as well, grossing $21 million. Box office recaps from the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press.
Still ready to pounce. Although its dream of acquiring Time Warner Cable has fallen short, Charter Communications and its backer Liberty Media aren’t ready to throw in the towel. If Comcast’s deal for Time Warner Cable falters, Charter could be back in there, said Liberty CEO Greg Maffei. Meanwhile Comcast is considering spinning off some subscribers into a public company as part of its deal to acquire Time Warner Cable. More on all this from the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: Mary McNamara on the new A&E drama “Those Who Kill.â€
Follow me on Twitter. I don’t need Oscar buzz to be cool. @JBFlint.
From the Oscars to the Emmys.
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