There are many reasons I hate the mainstream media in this country and this is an example of one of them that always gets me heated:

"First Dates" Valentine Hit
by Bridget Byrne, E! News Online

...Its arrival clipped last weekend's top movie Barbershop 2: Back in Business way back to second. Remaining in 2,711 sites the sassy mouthed comedy was shorn 36 percent earning only $15.6 million from a $5,754 per screen averaged. The sequel's two week total gross is now $44 million.

As box office receipts go, a 36% drop in the second weekend is a pretty strong showing for a sequel, especially to a so-called niche - aka black - movie going up against a "mainstream" blockbuster like the Sandler/Barrymore sentimental/gross-out date flick. Also, $44 million in only two weeks is huge considering the first Barbershop made just under $78 million during its 15-week run.

You can argue that it's semantics but it's that subtle turn of a phrase that is the difference between giving credit where due and de-emphasizing an accomplishment. What you can't argue is that the use of such semantics is ever coincidental. Let's see the choice of wording next week when First Dates drops the more typical 45-50%, despite the lack of a major comedy opening up against it. Or, even better, the glowing praise if it's lucky enough to only drop 36% like Barbershop 2.

Cool web site for movie lovers that are also numbers geeks: www.the-numbers.com