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Primtetime Goes Online...

[Copied from my new home at WordPress]

Hello, and welcome to Chapter 46 of “How Google Took Over The World.” With market share for their rather wonderful browser starting to inexplicably slide, everyone’s favorite billionaire geeks have declared a new and much-anticipated tactic in their ceaseless march towards world domination: Full-length TV shows on You Tube.

They’ve just released a new widescreen player that’s claimed to be capable of producing a passable representation of the human form, rather than the rather curious, Picasso-style monsters that have so long been their staple fare. The next logical step was content to fill them, and one of the first shows to ‘air’ will be Star Trek.

You can’t say those Google guys don’t know their audience.

You Tube’s familiar menu of short-format videos are usually free of commercials but sadly this strange new world will have ads before, after and even during the shows. To me, that’s a bad idea. Everyone - even geeks - hates ads. And Star Trek alone is over forty years old - How costly can such antiquity be??

There are several sites already online that offer TV content in various forms, and trust me - most of it’s offal! Hulu is the only one that’s captured public attention, and this is clearly Google’s reply. The world is changing and most of the change is coming by air. Digital TV is just a few months away and the restless evolution of computers, cellphones and the Internet itself means people are watching in a litany of ways. The audience is moving online, and TV Exec’s have been scared to give chase. This is a bold, first step.

Mark the date, folks. I see a day, not long from now, when your current TV will look as out of place in your home as a Tank. The day will soon dawn when your TV, computer, media players and phone will comprise a single, cohesive unit. And every part will be live and online. Our own parents would be unable to grasp it.

Personally, I relish that dawn.

Photo by: Mwichary

Talent Always Shows

Hollywood's creative anemia is advancing at a worrying pace.

As I reported some weeks ago, MGM are in the process of creating what they now call 'a reinvention' of 1980's iconic Oscar-winner, 'Fame.' Nine talented, new performers have been chosen as the Students, but players of the adult roles are still in discussions. Debbie Allen will even add a nod of approval from the original with a [hopefully meaningful] cameo role. Shooting is due to start late next month.

The budget for this remake [And let's be honest, that's what it is. 'Reinvention' is just a way to say 'recycled idea' without sounding as creatively desperate as you actually are,] is $25-million. Which in Hollywood terms is pocket change! And that's another reason why every new Actor deserves the same kind of break as this movie should give those at its core.

Any Actor who demands $50m or more just to get out of bed is an over-sized ego, with legs. And whoever who pays it is that Actor's fool. Give the freshmen a worthwhile chance and the results can burn holes in the screen. New Actors have a passion their more experienced peers ceased to feel or care about years ago. But the $50M guys put butts in the seats, so they get all of the breaks. And that's sad.

For those too young to remember, 'Fame' is the story of the joys and despairs felt by hyper-talented teens and their mentors during a year of devotion [and copious sweating] at the High School for the Performing Arts in New York. The original movie set box-office records and quite rightly collected two Oscars. I hold no such hopes for its parody's future.

The movie will debut on September 25 and I wish its new stars boundless success. I just think Hollywood should give its nascent new talent a more worthy, original showcase.

Photo by Megyarsh

Personal Loans Need Not Be Scary

As you may have noticed, the economy's in pretty bad shape. Everyone's worried about money, and reliable options for financial help are getting harder to find.

But among all the gloom there are still specks of hope; BestLeadingLenders.com have a range of loans with easy approval, and you never even need to leave home. They help people all over the country and your credit's not even an issue.

If you need some extra cash to get through the month - and with the holidays coming, who doesn't?? - they have payday loans to suit every taste. There's a menu of car loans for those needing transport and personal loans for just about every other purpose on Earth. These guys are one of the foremost online providers of sub-prime financing, so regardless of what your credit might be, they can probably help.

You can get a decision in a matter of minutes, it's quick, easy and free. So go on, check them out. You've nothing to lose but the joys of insomnia.

Does This Make My Ass Look Big??

Those of you so blessed as to live among the resplendent glories of New York will know that two dedicated Geeks have just emerged after 123 hours in a plexi-glass bubble in Times Square, watching non-stop movies to win the "Netflix Popcorn Bowl Challenge." Five days, fifty-seven movies, only ten minute breaks for bathroom needs, and no sleep allowed at all. None!

Susan Sarandon delivered their final challenge [her 1991, Ridley Scott-helmed yawn-fest, 'Thelma and Louise',] at the conclusion of which the two hardy winners, Suresh Joachim of Canada, and Claudia Wavra of Germany gained a new Guinness World Record, a lifetime subscription to Netflix, the 'Popcorn Bowl' Trophy, $10,000 each, and butts the size of an outlying planet.

I love movies to a point where the risk of needing a twelve-step program is an ominous daily reality, but I'm not sure whether to envy these people or find them professional help? Watch the video and see what you think...