Paul Dergarabedian Watch: Paul D. Compares Numbers With Other Numbers

Our old friend, Hollywood quote-slut Paul Dergarabedian, was hard at work this weekend, weighing in not just on box-office champ Harry Potter for the AP but on torture porn for Reuters (“I think what happens is subgenres like (torture) become popular, then play out”) and on Ratatouille’s Oscar chances for the Los Angeles Times (“There is an innate bias against animated films. They are perceived as being for kids”). He even made a big-money appearance on this morning’s Today show, sporting new hipster glasses and sagely noting that later Harry Potter movies have been more mature, “which makes sense because the kids are older.”

But the biggest scoop for aficionados of all things Dergarabedian is this glowing profile from the CBS Evening News, which neatly boils down Dergarabedian’s demanding job into one perfect sentence:

While each studio tallies up its own sales, it’s Dergarabedian, working out of this small, white box-of-an-office in Encino, who compares the numbers and figures out the week’s winner.

That’s right! It takes a special Hollywood genius — the son of a rocket scientist, CBS reports! — to compare several numbers and figure out which one is highest. Bless you, Paul Dergarabedian! And shame on you, AP, Reuters, L.A. Times, the Today show, and the CBS Evening News!

Meet Mr. Box Office [CBSNews.com]
Earlier: Paul Dergarabedian Must Be Stopped