Monday morning headlines

Spidey rules: To little surprise, "Spider-Man 3" set an all-time box office record in its opening weekend, with $148 million in domestic ticket sales. That doesn't include the $227 million from 105 foreign countries since last Tuesday, when the film opened overseas. The strong opening suggests that other summer blockbusters - including "Shrek the Third," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," "Ocean's 13" and "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" - could fuel the first-ever $4 billion summer. Before this weekend, the domestic box office was up 3.5 percent. Of course, it's mostly all about kids this summer – as has been the rule since “Jaws.” Thanks, Mr. Spielberg. NYT

Mexican package deal: Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu, three of Mexico's most talented directors, are shopping around their collective services in an all-or-nothing, five-picture deal for up to $100 million. But wait, there’s more: at least two of the five movies would be in Spanish and two lesser-known directors would be included in the package. Will Hollywood pony up? You wouldn’t think so, but with so much production money up for grabs - thanks mostly to out-of-town investors - it's not out of the question. LAT

HBO CEO busted: So much for what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Veteran TV exec Chris Albrecht was arrested over the weekend and held on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic assault at the Clark County Detention Center. Police reported seeing Albrecht fighting with a woman in the valet parking area of MGM Grand casino, where HBO had broadcast the Mayweather-De La Hoya fight. The woman was only ID'd as his girlfriend. Albrecht, who is divorced, lives in L.A. LAT

Big business pushing reforms: Safeway Chairman Steve Burd is fronting a coalition of 36 companies signing onto Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal for overhauling health care. The coalition includes PepsiCo, General Mills, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. - as well as a bunch of health insurers, such as Aetna, Blue Shield of California, Cigna HealthCare, Eli Lilly and Co. and PacifiCare. The effort is not a huge surprise: big business is getting killed by the steadily rising cost of health care, so it's really in their best interest to push for an overhaul that would offer coverage for more people. That, the thinking goes, might lower rates for everyone. Small and mid-sized businesses that often don't provide coverage are generally opposed to a big overhaul because it would cost them money. From the LAT:

Schwarzenegger's plan would require all individuals to obtain health insurance, hospitals and doctors to subsidize insurance for the poor, and companies to spend a set amount on employee healthcare. The Democrats who dominate California's Legislature have several proposals that include similar requirements for employers but do not insist that everyone get insurance. Schwarzenegger's proposal to insure everyone in California, unveiled in January, was influenced by Burd's views. The governor was particularly drawn to financial incentives instituted for Safeway workers to encourage them to seek preventive care, stash money for future illnesses and address ailments such as diabetes before they become debilitating. Schwarzenegger has incorporated such ideas into his proposal.

Buffett on newspapers: He's not exactly bullish, predicting at the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting that papers will become more trophy properties than economically viable businesses. (The NYT's David Carr said the Murdoch bid was based on a multiple of ego, not earnings.) From the WSJ:

"I think Rupert [Murdoch] would even acknowledge that some part of his interest in The Wall Street Journal is noneconomic," said Mr. Buffett. He said Dow Jones has a high noneconomic value, "second only to the New York Times," which includes prestige and notoriety, for example, and he suggested other bidders could emerge for the company. "The last chapter is not necessarily written on that," he said.

WSJ update: Those opposed to Rupert Murdoch's bid for Dow Jones got some more support over the weekend. Two members of the Ottaway family, a fairly large minority shareholder, offered a no-way, no-how response to the $60-a-share offer. "Dow Jones has no good reason to be sold to anyone," said James H. Ottaway Jr., a trustee for most of the family shares. "[Murdoch] has for a long time expressed his personal, political and business biases through his newspapers and television channels." Also weighing in against the deal was former DJ Chairman Peter Kann, who is said to hold sway over many family members. WSJ NYT

Cellphone static: Despite Hollywood's efforts to transfer more of its content onto cellphones and other small-screen platforms, advertisers have yet to be convinced. Last year, $421 million was spent on mobile phone advertising, a mere blip next to the $48 billion spent on the broadcast side. Sure, it's still early in the game and many expect interest to pick up as the hardware becomes more sophisticated. But at some point, the networks will need advertiser dollars to get beyond the novelty stage. From the NYT:

Many in Hollywood are betting that interest in mobile video will be hastened by the debut of the new touch-screen iPhone from Apple, which are expected to begin selling this summer. With a 3 1/2-inch screen and no cumbersome keypad, many people believe it will be easier for Americans to watch movies and television shows like their peers in Europe and Asia readily do. “The iPhone is going to shake things up and make cellphone companies look like they are behind the curve,” said Thomas Lesinski, president of digital entertainment for Paramount Pictures. “It is going to be good for us.”

Kudos to Los Angeles: With NY magazine cleaning up at last week's National Magazine Awards, the NY Post took a gander at the nation's other city magazines and apparently liked what it saw. Getting high marks was Los Angeles (where I’m a contributing writer). "The mag touts lighter fare, such as a special travel cover, before getting to meatier matters, in-depth pieces that reflect the true character of the city," the Post writes. The paper singled out Jesse Katz's portrait of Jordan High students competing for the LAUSD's academic decathlon and my business piece on the rise and fall of former KB Home CEO Bruce Karatz.