Movies

After the coffee. Before wishing it was Friday already. The Skinny: Be sure and watch TNT's "Southland" tonight. It may be the series finale. "Nashville" is a repeat so you have my permission. Wednesday's stories include Craig Zadan and Neil Meron being tapped for the second year in a row to produce the Oscars. Also, movie theater owners want fewer R-rated films. Daily Dose: A reminder of Google's stalking prowess. A few days ago I clicked on a Brooks Brothers ad. Soon after, every page I visited and my own social network pages were filled with Brooks Brothers ads via Google.

It feels as if we've hit a major movie slump. So much this year has disappointed. I wasn't entranced with Danny Boyle's crime thriller "Trance. " "42," Brian Helgeland's new drama based on baseball great Jackie Robinson's historic defiance of racial stereotypes, didn't knock it out of the park despite its good intentions. I even considered a shout-out for Selena Gomez and her gal-pals in "Spring Breakers" for exceeding low expectations. And so I find myself suggesting that you consider taking on the latest challenge from director Terrence Malick - "To the Wonder.

The head of the theater industry trade group urged Hollywood studios to give their audiences more choices at the box office. John Fithian, chief executive of the National Assn. of Theatre Owners, told a crowd of theater owners and studio executives gathered at the annual CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas that box office attendance had fallen 12% this year mainly because of a dearth of family movies. "Indeed, we were down in the first quarter. But why? Simply put -- not enough choices," Fithian said in his State of the Industry speech on the second day of the convention.

Chris Dodd, chairman and chief executive of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, announced a new "Check the Box" movie ratings awareness campaign Tuesday morning at CinemaCon, the National Assn. of Theater Owners' annual convention in Las Vegas. The campaign encourages parents to use the rating descriptors that are featured for every film rated PG or higher to make decisions about what films are family friendly and appropriate for their children. PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times "Throughout its existence, the goal of the rating system has never changed: to inform parents and allow them to make their own decisions, considering the children's sensibilities and unique sensitivities," said Dodd.

Joe Mantello, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance as Ned Weeks in the 2011 Broadway production of "The Normal Heart,” has signed on for a different role in Ryan Murphy's film adaptation. Mantello will play Mickey Marcus in the on-screen incarnation of Larry Kramer's autobiographical drama about the early days of the AIDS epidemic in New York City. The previously announced Mark Ruffalo will star as activist Weeks. Emmy-winner Murphy (“Glee”) will direct the “Normal Heart” film, which Kramer adapted from his 1985 landmark play.

Selena Gomez's bindi - the sparkly gems she wore during the MTV Movie Awards Sunday - is offending Hindu groups. The actress-singer wore the Hindu symbol on her forehead during her sultry "Come and Get It" performance at the awards show and again during a televised performance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," which was taped Monday. (She gushed on "Ellen" about meeting Brad Pitt before the performance Sunday, but that's another story.) PHOTOS: 2013 MTV Movie Awards - Arrivals The inspiration for the accessory comes from the electronica song's Punjabi lyrics lyrics and tabla beat in the background, according to the Times of India.

In a new poll just released by Bridgestone Americas, 50% of young drivers admitted to talking on their phones without a hands-free device. Slightly less (45%) said they were receiving texts and emails while motoring down the road. One in 10 said they posted on social media sites while driving and 9% said they browsed social media sites. A few (4%) said they were editing and posting pictures while driving and 2% said they had watched a video or a movie while driving. Quiz: How big a problem is texting while driving?

Movie theater owners will converge in Las Vegas this week for their annual convention, checking out new hybrids of popcorn, the latest iterations of stadium seats and clips from potential summer blockbusters including "Star Trek Into Darkness," "Man of Steel" and "The Lone Ranger. " A few studios, though, will use CinemaCon as a chance to give their year-end films a head start before the crowded holiday season. Twentieth Century Fox will unveil footage from its planned Christmas release "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," one of the longest-in-development movies in recent Hollywood history.

Maybe Aubrey Plaza is on to something with her crazy stunts - the MTV Movie Awards she spectacularly crashed Sunday posted big ratings gains. The "Parks & Recreation" costar was supposedly tossed from the premises after coming onstage unannounced and trying to grab an award from actor Will Ferrell. But the audience apparently didn't mind: An average of 3.8-million total viewers tuned in, according to Nielsen. That was up 11% compared with last year's show. In MTV's core demographic of adults aged 18 to 34, the show did even better, zooming 45%. Critics often focus on the ribald banter at the show, but PR stunts are maybe just as notable a feature.

When it comes to our commercial moviegoing, there are some pretty basic staples. Romances. Comedies. Animated adventures. Superhero films. Check the upper echelons of Box Office Mojo in any given year and you'll find the list rife with them. But lately a different cinema species seems to be slipping in: the history-lesson film. “Lincoln,” the exemplar of the form, took in a whopping $182 million during the most recent award season -- more than any other Oscar contender, which tended to contain plenty of other serious overtones, and more than heavily hyped sequels such as “Men in Black 3” and “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” which did not. REVIEW: Pleasing '42' has Jackie Robinson's number And then once again this weekend we found ourselves very interested in a spin through the charged past.