avatar
Avatar Wins Heavyweight Box Office Champion of the World
Adrian Chen · 01/26/10 02:16AMcityfile · 01/25/10 03:58PM
• Is Fox about to "swoop in" and sign Conan O'Brien to host a late-night show on the network? That's the rumor. In other, not-at-all-surprising Conan news, his final Tonight Show on Friday generated huge ratings. [NYP, NYDN, LAT]
• News networks are preparing to scale back their operations in Haiti. [NYT]
• The "Hope For Haiti Now" album will debut at No. 1 this week. [Reuters]
• Diane Sawyer's ratings are up 8% since taking over World News. [NYDN]
• Avatar was No. 1 at the box office for a sixth weekend in a row; it bypassed Titanic today to become the highest-grossing movie of all time. [LAT, THR]
• The Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger has been given the go-ahead . [DF]
• The grim ad climate for fashion magazines seems to be improving. [WWD]
• Comcast's acquisition of NBC will face a few hurdles in Washington. [AP]
• Oprah was "America's favorite TV personality" in 2009, according to a new poll. Frighteningly, Glenn Beck and Jay Leno were No. 2 and 3. [Reuters]
Porn Parodies We Never, Ever Want to See
Brian Moylan · 01/20/10 04:37PMBible-Toting Holy Man Named Washington Unable to Defeat Colored, Tree-Hugging Animists
Richard Lawson · 01/19/10 09:59AMChina Blocks Avatar, Citing Restless Natives and James Cameron's Filthy Wealth
Maureen O'Connor · 01/19/10 04:25AMSandra Bullock Could Win an Oscar, and other Post-Golden Globes Predictions
Richard Lawson · 01/18/10 01:43PMHow to Turn Yourself into an Avatar in 637 Easy Steps
Mike Byhoff · 01/18/10 10:11AMPaul Dano to Star in Most Indie Movie Ever
Adrian Chen · 01/18/10 02:01AMGolden Globes: Mo'Nique Gets Emo'Tional, Robert Downey Jr. Thanks No One
Adrian Chen · 01/17/10 08:13PMShiny Balls: Your Golden Globes Field Guide
Richard Lawson · 01/15/10 03:42PMNBC Fills Jay Leno-Shaped 10 p.m. Time Slot
Adrian Chen · 01/15/10 01:14AMcityfile · 01/14/10 04:33PM
• Is NBC close to resolving the mammoth mess it has on its hands? TMZ reports the network has reached a deal with Conan O'Brien (in which he'll leave NBC with some amount of money, and Leno, in turn, will take over The Tonight Show). Others, however, say the negotiations continue and NBC chief Jeff Zucker's been playing hardball with O'Brien. So who knows. Fortunately, Conan has lots of exciting options to consider when he finally walks out the door.
• Related: NBC announced its new, post-Leno primetime lineup today. [NYT]
• George Clooney will host a live telethon on Jan. 22 to benefit earthquake victims in Haiti. ABC, NBC, MTV, HBO and CNN will all broadcast it. [EW]
• Why isn't Fox News covering the tragedy in Haiti? Because rehashing faux controversies involving President Obama always comes first, duh. [MM]
• Avatar could top Titanic and become the top-grossing movie in history this weekend. In related news, it seems the Avatar backlash is in full swing.
• Robert Pattinson won't be Tobey Maguire's replacement in Spider-Man. [E!]
• American Idol creator Simon Fuller is starting up a new company. [LAT]
• Editor & Publisher is back in business under new ownership. [E&P]
• Is the ratings dry spell at MTV almost over? MTV execs hope so! [LAT]
• The cleanest and dirtiest cafeterias in the media industry. [DF]
Avatar: Fake World, Real Blues
Daniel Barnum-Swett · 01/13/10 05:00PMCNN news anchors recently discussed the wave of post-viewing depression in Avatar audiences. One quote, detailing the crushing return to earth after witnessing Pandora's splendor, is already a meme, but was the entire phenomenon already a message board hoax?
We Must Launch a War on Communist Avatar
Hamilton Nolan · 01/13/10 11:18AMConan Remains Hip By Replacing Vampire Assistant With Avatar Na'vi
Anderson Evans · 01/12/10 02:00PMSure, for most of you, it was the monologue you were dying to see... but for others, for the die hards on Team Conan, the show didn't pay off until a few minutes in.
Avatar is Making People Motion Sick
Ravi Somaiya · 01/12/10 07:45AMIf Avatar's Sex Scene Was Cut for Its PG-13, then Tendril Sex Is as Obscene as the Penis Kind
Maureen O'Connor · 01/12/10 01:09AMcityfile · 01/11/10 03:54PM
• NBC finally confirmed yesterday that it's canceling Jay Leno's 10pm show and moving him back to late-night. Whether Conan O'Brien stays at the network or jumps to Fox remains an open question for now. [NYT, TMZ, NYP]
• More bad news for NBC: The network expects to lose money broadcasting the Winter Olympics from Vancouver later this year, which would be a first. [NYT]
• Sarah Palin has signed on to join Fox News as a contributor. Exactly what she'll be doing there—and how much she'll get paid—is unclear. [NYT]
• In case you missed the front-page Times story about Fox News CEO Roger Ailes yesterday, he makes a ton of money for Rupert Murdoch, doesn't get along much with Murdoch's kids, and hates liberals. Oh, and he's armed. [NYT]
• TV news: NBC has ordered six new drama pilots for the fall now that the network is moving Jay Leno out of primetime; CBS reports it's close to signing David Letterman and Craig Ferguson to new contracts; and Fox is renewing Glee for a second season, which should come as a surprise to no one.
• Simon Cowell wasn't kidding when he said he was leaving American Idol? He'll depart the show after the current season to host The X Factor on Fox. [LAT]
• As many as 1,200 AOL employees could get pink-slipped this week. [NYT]
• Avatar continues to rake it in. The movie was No. 1 for a fourth straight weekend and has now grossed $1.34 billion around the world. [MTV]
• Erica Hill is saying goodbye to CNN and is joining CBS News. [NYDN]
• Tucker Carlson's politics site, The Daily Caller, launched today. [WaPo]
• Did NBC try to poach Barbara Walters last year? Seems so. [HP]