Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) announced first-quarter earnings on Thursday, and while it beat the market's expectations, I can't say I'm terribly excited. Revenues decreased a little over 5% to $1.4 billion. Net income from continuing operations came in at $0.21 per diluted share. Briefing.com says that this performance was $0.06 better than Wall Street's average call. Revenues, however, missed expectations.

Why am I not excited about the performance here? I mean, not only did the bottom line trounce the wizards of Wall Street, but domestic comps increased 2.9%. Well, for one thing, the cash flow was nonexistent. Both operational and free cash-flow were negative; granted, the company used a lot less cash this time for operations, and the deficit in terms of free cash was much better, but still, I don't see any positive green.

Plus, there's just the general idea of Blockbuster itself. My feelings haven't changed since I last wrote about the movie-rental business and its earnings. I still believe that Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) and video-on-demand limit the upside potential of the company's long-term prospects (perhaps I shouldn't just say limit; maybe threaten is better terminology, who knows).

For the past year, Circuit City (NYSE: CC) has done a nice job short-circuiting its shareholders. But lately, there has been hope.

In fact, today the company essentially said it's "in play" for a sale. That is, it will allow Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) – which has expressed buyout interest – to check out the books.

Although, it helped that billionaire activist investor, Carl Icahn, has been pushing for a deal. In a letter to Circuit City, he said he'll write a check to buy the company if Blockbuster can't come up with sufficient financing.

Yet, the question lingers: does a combination makes sense? After all, both Circuit City and Blockbuster are ailing. So why would a merger of two duds turn into a great entity? I seriously doubt it's something that frightens the folks at Best Buy (NYSE: BBY).

Then again, Circuit City may really be allowing itself to be sold to another player. For example, the company put an end to its proxy fight with Wattles Capital Management, which got three board seat. Oh, and Circuit City has retained Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) to explore strategic alternatives.

Thus, for the most part, Icahn is playing his typical role as the instigator. Keep in mind that he can be pretty tough to negotiate with – especially when you're selling your company to him.

And, so far in today's trading, Circuit City's shares are up 8%.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

I'm not a huge fan of Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI), but I do concede that I think the movie renter is on to something with its latest move. According to this brief AP piece, Blockbuster wants to leverage the current video game console cycle to add value for its shareholders. Management intends to increase its presence in this sector by adding more hardware, software and accessories dedicated to consoles from Sony (NYSE: SNE), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) to its locations.

This would be wise. I think all retailers should have a comprehensive and well-defined strategy when it comes to video games -- why let GameStop (NYSE: GME) have all the fun? Blockbuster should really go all out on this form of leisure entertainment and aggressively pursue this potential area of growth. Kids -- and teenagers and adults, for that matter -- love to try before they buy when it comes to game software.

Management has to realize, however, that it's not enough to just expand its video game sections; oh no. Indeed, some heavy branding and promotional initiatives are definitely required to convince consumers that Blockbuster is a go-to place for rental/buying needs related to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and the Nintendo DS. I haven't thought of Blockbuster as a place to rent video games for a long time now (I also haven't thought about Blockbuster in general, since there aren't any close to me anymore).

So, yes, Blockbuster should do what it can to hitch onto the hot video game growth curve. This is a much, much better idea than buying Circuit City (NYSE: CC), I can tell you that. (For more on that debacle, check out Zac Bissonnette's recent post on the subject.)

Disclosure: I don't own shares in any of the companies mentioned here; positions can change at any time.

For a company so in the dumps, there seems to be a whole lot of attention focused on Circuit City Stores, Inc. (NYSE: CC) these days. First, Blockbuster, Inc. (NYSE: BBI) offered to buy the struggling consumer electronics retailer for about a billion dollars recently. Circuit City finally made the offer public. Another party that has shown interest in acquiring Circuit City is now demanding the retailer open its books for review.

Wattles Capital Management, which owns a decent chunk of Circuit City's shares, delivered a letter yesterday to the retailer's board demanding that it investigate other potential suitors for the company (i.e., seek other interested acquirers), as well as provide open access to the company's financial operations. One would think that being a public company gives a decent amount of insight into the books already, but Circuit City may be hiding something. Or not. Wattles just wants some feedback from a company that has talked "transformative process" for quarters, but that clearly has no clue how to dig itself out of the hole it is in.

Part of Wattles' letter to the board yesterday included questions about 1) the fact that some of Blockbuster's financing could be derived from Circuit City's own balance sheet, 2) how Carl Icahn could assist in the buyout and 3) Blockbuster's "very short" due diligence process.

Wattles wants to make sure there are no inside shenanigans going on here that would give Blockbuster unique access to a buyout without considering other parties as potential acquirers of the electronics retailer. It seems more than one party wants to buy Circuit City these days, and for the fire-sale price of its stock, who could blame any of them?

After Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) announced its bid for Circuit City (NYSE: CC) in the $6-8 range this morning, Circuit City replied in a press release that "to date Blockbuster has been unable to satisfy Circuit City and its advisors that Blockbuster's proposal could be financed."

Now the Wall Street Journal is reporting (subscription required) that "Mr. Icahn, a Blockbuster director whose companies own about 16% of Blockbuster's Class A shares, has agreed to backstop Blockbuster's rights offering if it cannot obtain the financing elsewhere, according to Circuit City investor Mark Wattles."

All of this raises an interesting question: has Mr. Icahn gotten daft? Blockbuster shares are down more than 16% on the news of this offer, strong evidence that, rightly or wrongly, Icahn is seeing something investors don't.

In any case, Icahn's backing removes one big stumbling block from this deal's path, as there is no question that he has the resources to make it happen. Even so, at its current price of $5.08, Circuit City is trading at a wide discount to the $6-8 offer contemplated in the letter. Perhaps people think King Icahn will change his mind.

As Doug McIntyre reported earlier, Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) has extended a preliminary offer to acquire Circuit City (NYSE: CC) "with an all cash offer in the range of $6.00 to $8.00 per share, subject to due diligence."

In a press release, Blockbuster said that Circuit City has not yet provided it with information necessary to conduct due diligence, and that it "believes the shareholders of Circuit City should have the opportunity to participate in determining the destiny of the company."

The pre-market trading tells the story on this one. Share of Circuit City are up more than 55% to $6.14, at the lowest end of the range Blockbuster's press release contemplates. This indicates investor skepticism about the prospects of a deal getting done. In a press release responding to the offer, Circuit City noted that "to date Blockbuster has been unable to satisfy Circuit City and its advisors that Blockbuster's proposal could be financed." Meanwhile shares of Blockbuster are down about 11%, a sign that investors aren't too excited about the prospect of a Blockbuster-Circuit City combination.

It's easy to understand why. This deal would be the absolute epitome of "two drunken sailors trying to hold each other up." Both of these companies have experienced precipitous declines in recent years, reporting losses as industry changes and more nimble competitors take their market share.

Circuit City Stores, Inc. (NYSE: CC) is an awful business right now, and a big shareholder of the retailer wants Chairman and CEO Philip Schoonover to get the heck out. According to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Wattles Capital Management LLC owns 6.5% of Circuit City, and it's getting pretty tired of the CEO's dismal performance.

Bravo to Wattles -- it irks me when chief executives who aren't up to par remain at the helm of the ship. Regular, small-time investors really have no say in anything -- but the big-guy activists can throw their weight around and enter into proxy battles to keep the pressure on management. I completely agree with Wattles and its reasoning regarding the current state of Circuit City, and I hope its efforts will pull the retailer in a new direction and inspire fresh, shareholder-value-enhancing strategies. Easier said than done, of course, but with Circuit City's stock currently stuck below $5 a share, management needs some outside influence.

Circuit City is having a tough time against competitors like Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY); its brand equity is definitely suffering. As far as investing in Circuit City goes, it's not even a tiny blip on my radar at the moment; I'll have to wait and see how a turnaround -- if it is genuinely forthcoming -- evolves.

Disclosure: I don't own shares in any of the companies mentioned here; positions can change at any time.

Circuit City Stores, Inc. (NYSE: CC), the consumer electronics chains that continues to have earnings and profit meltdowns every quarter, may be seeing one of its more lucrative businesses slipping.

When it comes to offering services, the company's Firedog installation and service business is one of its most profitable. Similar to competitor Best Buy Inc. (NYSE: BBY)'s Geek Squad and Magnolia services businesses, this is how Circuit City makes a decent profit in the wake of slashed margins on many electronics products like flat-panel televisions.

But in Circuit City's case, the slowdown in home construction across the U.S. is having an effect on its installation business now -- so the main bandage on the wound is coming off. The company will be laying off 67 workers across the U.S. who specialize in pre-wiring new homes for sound and video. Although the retailer hopes to retain many of those workers in other areas within the company, my bet is that this won't happen.

There is no word on whether Best Buy's Magnolia installation business is being hit as the new housing construction business continues slowing across the U.S., but as the company reported Q4 earnings today, the weakness domestically and decline in same-store sales could indicate it would be hit as well.

Shares of electronics retailer Best Buy Inc. (NYSE: BBY) have been surging today, despite posting a decline in its fourth-quarter profit, as its earnings per share came in well above analysts' predictions. The company also issued a positive earnings outlook for fiscal 2009, sending its shares up over 2.5%.

The company said its quarterly profit dropped 3% to $737 million, from $763 million in the same period a year ago due to a slowdown in consumer spending. However, higher sales for laptop PCs and flat-panel televisions helped the company post quarterly earnings of $1.71per share, topping analysts' forecast for a profit of $1.65 per share.

Best Buy posted 4% growth for its fourth-quarter revenue, which climbed to $13.42 billion. During the period, the largest U.S. electronics retailer faced lower demand for its products as soaring gas prices and tight credit conditions put a curb on consumer spending. However, the company was able to successfully surpass those obstacles defying analysts' expectations for revenue of $13.19 billion in the third quarter, according to Thomson Financial.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• In a deal that values Global Ship Lease at about $500M, the Wall Street Journal reported that Marathon Acquisition Corp. (AMEX: MAQ) is expected to acquire a majority stake, or 66%, in the firm that acquires and charters vessels to container shipping companies.
• Activist investors are moving in on Circuit City Stores Inc (NYSE: CC), which is expected to result in a change of management as the company's turnaround efforts have failed and many investors have jumped ship, according to the Wall Street Journal's "Heard on the Street".

OTHER PAPERS:

• JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM) was in talks last night about raising its bid for The Bear Stearns Companies Inc (NYSE: BSC) by 500% in order to appease angry Bear shareholders who have vowed to fight the deal, the New York Times reported.

WEB SITES:

• The mining industry is consolidating, Business Week noted, and investment pro Richard Steinberg, sees Anglo American Plc (NASDAQ: AAUK) as a possible takeover target due to its sizable deposits of platinum and ferrous and nonferrous metals.
• Perfect World Co Ltd (NASDAQ: PWRD), a big player in China for online gaming, has seen its share price shoot up to $37 in October, up from $16 back in July, Business Week reported, and then slide back down to $21.90, attracting investors again.
• Business Week reported that investors are flocking to overseas investments and opportunities as they have become spooked by Bear Stearns' collapse, and the prospect of a protracted U.S. financial crisis or recession. John Maloney, president of M&R Capital Management says it makes sense to put money in non-U.S. investments, particularly in Liberty Global Inc (NASDAQ: LBTYA), a major cable company.

Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) shares are rising after the market has gotten some positive news for companies connected to LCD TVs. Circuit City (NYSE: CC) CEO Philip Schoonover predicted in an interview with the AP that 2008 will see high growth in TV sales as a result of the FCC's mandate that broadcasters switch to digital format in February 2009. This could be good news for AMAT, which makes equipment to fabricate thin film transistor LCDs for televisions. If you think that the company won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on AMAT.

After hitting a one-year high of $23.00 in August, the stock hit a one-year low of $16.13 in January. AMAT opened this morning at $20.28. So far today the stock has hit a low of $20.23 and a high of $20.45. As of 12:15, AMAT is trading at $20.35, up 26 cents (1.3%). The chart for AMAT looks bullish and steady, while S&P gives the stock a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy rating.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a July bull-put credit spread below the $16 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. This particular trade will make an 11.1% return in just four and a half months as long as AMAT is above $16 at July expiration. Applied Materials would have to fall by more than 21% before we would start to lose money.

AMAT hasn't been below $16 at all in the past year and has shown support around $19 recently. This trade could be risky if the economic situation continues to worsen, but even if that happens, this position could be protected by the support the stock might find at its 50-day moving average, which is around $18 and rising.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in AMAT or CC.

Investor Mark J. Wattles of Wattles Capital Management has filed plans with the SEC to nominate a slate of five directors to the board of struggling electronics retailer Circuit City (NYSE: CC).

The nominees include Elliott Wahle, Don R. Kornstein, James A. Marcum, Anthony Bergamo, and Alexander M. Bond. Examining the materials submitted by Wattles, these men appear to posses strong retail and operational backgrounds.

In a 13-D filed on January 9, Wattles disclosed a 6.5% stake in the company. Wattles is the founder of Hollywood Entertainment, which pulled off quite a coup when it sold itself to Movie Gallery for $1.2 billion in 2005. The combined company is now in bankruptcy.

Circuit City Stores, Inc. (NYSE: CC), which continues to struggle with sales, profit and just about every other meaningful metric, at least is clinging to life with some public relations efforts. The second largest consumer electronics chain in the U.S. has noted many times in the past that the falling prices of flat-panel televisions contributed in large part to its negative fortunes.

Now, though, the retailer wants to become the 'answer center' for all consumer questions related to next February's switch to digital television. It will start by hosting an interactive web forum with input and help from Sound & Vision magazine. The forum will host consumer questions to address what Circuit City is billing as "a significant shift in the way television is broadcast and received."

While that is true, the actual amount of Americans expected to be impacted by the switch from analog to digital is definitely not the majority of TV consumers in this country. But, there's nothing wrong with Circuit City using this transition as a marketing tool to move more digital television sets, right? Every other competitor will be doing the same thing, although most of them will also be carrying the $50-60 converter boxes meant to allow older televisions to receive the new digital signals next year. My guess is that those products will be placed next to signage on discounted flat-panel sets and credit applications. Which would you pick?

Although consumer electronics retailer Circuit City Stores, Inc. (NYSE: CC) is teetering on the brink of a buyout or doomed to failure, at least some areas of it appear promising. This time around, the company has announced that it will get involved with the used video game industry. You heard that right.

Instead of focusing efforts on trying to improve its retail competitive position and somehow out-maneuver competitor Best Buy, Inc. (NYSE: BBY), Circuit City will position itself as a sort of flea market. It's true that the used video game industry is chalked up at a $1.5 billion-a-year industry, that's a niche currently being filled by game specialty retailers like GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) and eBay. But this move is a sign that Circuit City is willing to do something -- anything -- to revitalize any product category that it can.

If Circuit City can really make this effort stick, then it may succeed in actually getting more shoppers in the doors. But video game buyers and traders are a fickle lot and will instantly sense if the retailer's pricing, availability and breadth of titles are going to give the competition a run for the used-video-game money, or if this is just another ploy to improve traffic numbers (as some of these customers will invariably shop for more than video games).