TOUCH is a show that thrives on impenetrable mysteries, so perhaps one day it will solve its own.  The show was FOX’s big midseason drama play (Terra Nova was the fall’s), by virtue of being created by Heroes writer Tim Kring and starring FOX’s own hero, Jack Bauer Kiefer Sutherland, and given the week’s plum […]

        NETWORK FINALS:  There were no changes from the preliminary morning ratings.           Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart     CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  TNT’s NBA doubleheader was at 1.12 (Lakers vs. Milwaukee)/0.79 (Houston vs. Clippers).  CNN’s coverage of the latest DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES DEBATE (which aired on PBS as well) […]

  OPENINGS;  It’s no surprise that a sequel has already been announced (and scheduled for June 3, 2016, for those who like to get their Fandango orders in early) for TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (Nickelodeon/Paramount), which blew past all expectations with a reported $65M opening weekend.  The CG action spectacle dipped only 14% on Saturday, […]

  It was all so cute when it started… David Yates’ 2009 HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is surprisingly funny at times–surprising, because in all other ways the film was, up to that point, by far the grimmest entry in the series.  It’s curiously structured:  part romantic comedy, complete with love potions and pining […]

NETWORK UPDATE:  As expected, FOOD FIGHTERS and AMERICA’S GOT TALENT exchanged 0.1s in final network numbers.  EXTREME WEIGHT LOSS and 20/20 each gained 0.1.  In addition, the FAMILY GUY rerun rose 0.1 and the SUPERNATURAL rerun dropped by the same. Below are the ratings in several demographic categories for the Top 25 original cable telecasts […]

    ANOTHER EARTH – Worth A Ticket:  Tiny Story With Big Ambitions   For ANOTHER EARTH, the Sundance Film Festival went exactly the way it’s supposed to.  The low-key picture was made on a miniscule budget (a few hundred thousand dollars) by complete unknowns, director/cinematographer/editor/co-writer/co-producer Mike Cahill and star/co-writer/co-producer Brit Marling, with far less […]

Based on Friday’s grosses, weekend #35 of 2014 looks like $84 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, 1% below the norm for this weekend ($85 million). Opening at 2,639 theaters, As Above/So Below from Universal grossed $3.2 million Friday and is on track for a $9.3 million opening three-day weekend (somewhat below our $10.5 million […]

  PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3:  Worth A Ticket – More Minimalist Bumps In the Dark   The PARANORMAL ACTIVITY franchise is a movie studio’s dream come true.  The concept itself demands a no-star cast, a very limited number of settings and a bare minimum of special effects (the third and latest entry in the series cost […]