Will ‘Son of God’ rise at box office? Parity comes to the Oscars.
After the coffee. Before getting my boat out of the garage.
The Skinny: Am I the only one disappointed (but not surprised) that Jay Leno couldn’t go two weeks without popping back up on a late-night TV show? Maybe there is a 12-step program for him. Loving this rain but hope its gone by Sunday so my colleagues working the red carpet aren’t drenched. Today’s headlines include the box-office preview and, of course, more Oscar coverage.
Daily Dose: Time Warner Cable feels so bad that some Los Angeles viewers had their Super Bowl disrupted by a brief outage that it is even sending gift cards to folks that are no longer customers of the pay-TV provider. My colleague Meg James, who gave up Time Warner Cable for DirecTV three years ago, reports that she received a note from Time Warner Cable and a $5 gift card to Target. It might be time to update the mailing list.
A challenge from above. “The Lego Movie†has beaten back all challengers with ease the last few weeks, but the arrival of “Non-Stop,†a new Liam Neeson thriller, and the religious saga “Son of God†may be too much for the family film. “Non-Stop†is projected to take in $20 million as is “Son of God,†although the distributor for the Mark Burnett-produced movie is keeping expectations low. Hollywood forecasters are often off base with movies such as “Son of God,†so don’t be surprised if it does much better than expected. Weekend box-office previews from the Los Angeles Times and Variety.
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The boss’ kid. Husband-and-wife producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey are leaving no stone unturned in their marketing efforts for their movie “Son of God.†The pair have been hitting Christian organizations to promote the movie, which Burnett tells the Los Angeles Times is “an evangelizing tool.†A look at Burnett and Downey’s road show for “Son of God.â€
Parity comes to the Oscars. There is no clear-cut favorite for best picture as we head into Oscar Sunday. Since everyone has a shot, the lobbying has been more intense than many can recall. That said, at the same time there is no guarantee that the industry excitement about the unpredictability about the race will lead to a big audience. The Wall Street Journal (with great artwork) and the New York Times on the Oscar race and the Los Angeles Times on the big bucks ABC is poised to make for what’s described as the “Super Bowl for women.â€
Horror show? Jason Blum has earned a reputation for making scary movies on the cheap. “Paranormal Activity†was his first success and since then he’s produced a slew of hit movies (“Insidious,†“Sinisterâ€) and generated lots of fawning coverage. But behind every success story are some annoyed and angry people and the Hollywood Reporter found them and takes a look at the misses as well as the hits from Blum.
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Something fishy here? SeaWorld is firing back at an investigator involved in the probe of the death of a trainer attacked by an orca at one of its water parks that inspired the documentary “Blackfish.†SeaWorld charges that the investigator for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration gave confidential material to the movie’s producers, says the New York Times.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: Mary McNamara on the return of NBC’s “Hannibal.†Before the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences settled on the old May Co. building at Fairfax and Wilshire for its new museum, it had its eyes on Hollywood but things didn’t work out as planned for them or the community.
Follow me on Twitter and thank me during your Oscar acceptance speech. @JBFlint.
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