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'Grown Ups 2' sinks 'Pacific Rim'! Hulu sale off. Lassie comeback?
Posted on: 07/15/13
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By Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before working "Sharknado" into all my stories. 

The Skinny: I know a lot of you have always wondered, but no, J.K. Rowling is not the secret author of the Morning Fix. Just wanted to make that clear. Monday's headlines include the weekend box office recap, Lassie attempt a comeback and the Hulu sale canceled. Also, the sad passing of "Glee"star Cory Monteith.

Daily Dose: The Tennis Channel is continuing its fight against Comcast Corp. Friday it petitioned the full D.C. U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to reverse a decision by three of its judges that said Comcast did not have to carry the network in all its homes as it does with sports channels that the cable giant owns. Interestingly, the Federal Communications Commission, whose ruling in the case the three judges overturned, did not join with the Tennis Channel in its latest petition.

Sequels duke it out. "Despicable Me 2" held on to the top spot at the box office for the second weekend in a row, taking in almost $45 million. That was enough to squeak out a win over Adam Sandler's "Grown Ups 2," which pulled in a healthy $42.5 million. This week's big-budget disappointment was "Pacific Rim." The monster movie made just over $38 million. Given that it cost a lot more than that to make and market, "Pacific Rim" is expected to join "White House Down," "The Lone Ranger" and "After Earth" on this summer's flop list. Box office recaps from the Los Angeles Times and Variety.

Lassie come home. Hollywood is a town of comebacks and now one of the industry's most famous franchises is getting another shot. DreamWorks Animation is looking to bring back Lassie, the dog that's been a star of both the big and small screens. But can Lassie appeal to a new generation of moviegoers. Disney just learned a hard lesson on that front with "The Lone Ranger." The Los Angeles Times on Lassie.

Change of heart. After months of reviewing bids, the owners of Hulu decided to take the online video site off the market. On Friday, Hulu's parents -- Walt Disney Co.21st Century Fox and NBCUniversal -- said they instead would invest $750 million in the site. Meanwhile the suitors -- including DirecTV -- were less than thrilled with the  development. This was the second time in less than two years that Hulu pulled a Lucy and yanked the football away from potential buyers. More on Hulu from the Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg.

Hits and errors. Some sports channels are finding that just because you have rights to the local team, that doesn't mean every pay-TV distributor is going to open up their bank account. In Houston, Comcast teamed up with the Astros and Rockets on a new network. But most of the other big distributors are balking at the price Comcast wants and betting that subscribers won't jump ship over the channel. While sports is valuable content, its ratings don't always justify the prices networks seek.The Wall Street Journal weighs in on TV sports.

Serious news? TV networks are constantly cutting costs from their overseas coverage but when it comes to a royal baby, the checkbooks come out. With Kate Middleton getting ready to give birth, news outlets are camped out at the hospital waiting for the big story to drop. The New York Times on how the networks are covering the birth. 
 

Follow me on Twitter. I know when to tweet and, more importantly, when not to tweet. @JBFlint.
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