The Cricket's Daily 3: A pre-holiday &..

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Here's what's being talked about today in pop culture:

• "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" topped the pre-Christmas weekend box-office chart, with a lower-than-expected $36.7 million. Newcomers "Jack Reacher" and "This Is 40" fared well, but "The Guilt Trip" was a dud. [Box Office Mojo]

• Two deaths in rock 'n' roll over the weekend: Mike Scaccia, 47, guitarist for the industrial band Ministry, died after collapsing onstage at a show in Fort Worth, Texas; and Lee Dorman, 70, bass player for the iconic psychedelic band Iron Butterfly – who played the immortal riff on the 17-minute track "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida" — died of natural causes at his home in Laguna Niguel, Calif. [Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times]

• Another year of not knowing who Ted Mosby married: Deals have been struck to bring CBS' sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" back for a ninth season. [Vulture]

The Cricket's Daily 3: A pre-holiday 'Hobbit' habit