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Published on Monday, Aug 25, 2008
Thunder Still Rolling. Even with some high-profile competition, the Ben Stiller comedy Tropic Thunder held onto the top spot at the North American weekend box office, with about $16.1 million in revenue.
According to Entertainment Weekly's EW.com, it is the first R-rated film to stay No. 1 for two weeks in 2008, and the fifth film to double up this year. The other four were 21, Horton Hears a Who, Iron Man and The Dark Knight, the site said.
In second place was The House Bunny, the new comedy starring Anna Faris, with an estimated $15.1 million, followed by Death Race, with $12.3 million. Some analysts had expected more of Death Race, with Jason Statham in a new version of the 1975 classic Death Race 2000. In fact, EW.com had predicted that it would top the weekend chart.
Fourth place belonged to The Dark Knight, with $10.3 million for the weekend and almost $490 million to date. Star Wars: The Clone Wars was in fifth with almost $5.7 million.
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More Swing. The CBS drama Swingtown has had its share of critics this summer, whether because of its provocative content or because it's, well, bad. And the ratings have not been great. But Broadcasting & Cable magazine reported recently that the show has admirers within CBS, and they are hoping it will get a longer run somewhere.
''The drama is now being shopped around to potential cable buyers in the event the network does not renew it for a second season,'' the magazine said. The production company has also talked to DirecTV; the satellite programming service has been key to the survival of Friday Night Lights, which will air new episodes on DirecTV this fall before they are shown on NBC.
And, with all the sexy stuff that goes on in Swingtown, a cable or premium-cable outlet — with fewer restrictions than broadcast — might show things that the network version can only suggest. ''One executive who does not work at CBS said the show in fact screamed pay TV from the outset,'' Broadcasting & Cable reported.
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Nick Clooney, Teacher. The Ohio media icon and father of actor George Clooney has begun teaching journalism at American University in Washington, D.C. He brings 56 years of experience in broadcasting and communications to the job, but not much in the way of sheepskins. The Cincinnati Enquirer noted that Nick ''has practically no formal education since graduating from St. Patrick High School in Maysville in 1952.''
He also had to buy his first computer.
''In a high-def world, I am analog guy,'' he told the Enquirer. ''All the years I wrote for the [Cincinnati] Post, I wrote the first draft in longhand, typed the second draft and then I faxed it in.''
''I know [computers] are very convenient, but I didn't want one in the house. That last isolated island of privacy is now gone, and I will mourn it, I am sure, for the rest of my days.''
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The Stars Have to Wait, Too. There's been much grumbling among ink-stained wretches like myself that the new 90210 series — an updating of Beverly Hills, 90210 — will not be available for preview before it premieres on The CW on Sept. 2. Even though that suggests that the show is not review-worthy, The CW is convinced that the buzz will be bigger if the show is kept out of sight — even from the people in it. Usmagazine.com said that, at a recent show celebration with cast members, ''party guests expecting to get a glimpse of the show's first episode were out of luck.''
They had to settle instead for glimpses of folks like Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth, who will reprise their Beverly Hills, 90210, roles of Brenda Walsh and Kelly Taylor on the new show. (Of course, they are grownups now, with a new teen cast carrying the melodrama.) Although they are reportedly getting along all right, they arrived separately for the party.
By the way, if you want a taste of the old 90210, I have been rewatching the show from the beginning and posting episode-by-episode recaps in the HeldenFiles Online. You can find it in the blog list at http://www.ohio.com.
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We All Make Mistakes. Regrettheerror.com had this item: ''A story on Tuesday gave the incorrect number of years the Daytona Beach News-Journal has been under Davidson family ownership. The Davidsons bought the paper 80 years ago.'' Which is interesting, because it was in the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://www.ohio.com. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
Thunder Still Rolling. Even with some high-profile competition, the Ben Stiller comedy Tropic Thunder held onto the top spot at the North American weekend box office, with about $16.1 million in revenue.
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