Movie studios sue file traders or, in other words: We don’t understand our customers any better than RIAA and fully intend to damage our own marketplace by avoiding a shift in business model and trying to recoup a normal economically driven loss of revenue by force. Won’t that be fun?
Category: Entertainment
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Left-Leaning Radio A Reality
Air America Radio is on the air. Franken, Garafolo, Randi Rhodes, Lizz Winstead (Daily show co-creator). Who knows, maybe Stern too… the way things have been going lately.
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It’s Not Nice To Fool Mother Martha
A jury just found Martha Stewart guilty. The charges were conspiracy, obstruction of justice and two counts of making false statements that could net her up to 20 years in prison. Earlier, if you recall, judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum dismissed the charges of securities fraud against her, saying the government failed to make its case… this led everyone to relax, including her defense attorneys, apparently.
Perhaps I’ll put together some of her most excellent bundt cake, using her recipe, of course, and I’ll include a file (undocumented ingredient) too.
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Martha Stewart Will Rise Again
I told you that Martha Stewart would rise up and vanquish her persecutors. Now what remains to be seen is how she will dispose of her enemies. My guess is that she’ll banish them all to the 7th. circle of hell… I hope that will serve as a lesson to all to remember, “It’s not nice to tease (the new) Mother Nature.
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Breasts Of Mass Moral Destruction
Right Breast Stole My Thunder Says Super Bowl Streaker. Poor guy came all the way from Liverpool, managed to get down on the field, past he entire Houston P.D., and massive security efforts, do his thing… just to have it usurped by this. As I’ve said before, I’m just sorry Timberlake got mixed up in all of that. He has more to loose than the NFL, the networks, and certainly any of the Jackson family. I couldn’t give a tinkers damn about any part of Janet Jackson’s body but, it was a shame to see Timberlake get sucked in.
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Not On Dano’s Death List Yet
Kinks’ Ray Davies Shot in Robbery Attempt
NEW ORLEANS – Singer-songwriter Ray Davies (news) of the celebrated British rock band the Kinks was shot in the leg while chasing thieves who snatched a purse from a woman he was with, police said Monday. He was not seriously injured
59 and chasing armed thieves… wow, we should all have his balls but, you have to wonder what was so important about the purse?
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What Is In A Name?
Real names of celebrities has one hell of a listing of names. Some of them are rather normal sounding (ALLY SHEEDY-Alexandra Sheedy)… then others should probably have considered keeping their real name (JOAN CRAWFORD-Lucille Fay LeSueur)… While others definitely needed to change (JOHN WAYNE-Marion Morrison) via Linkfilter
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This Is Noteworthy To Me For More Reasons Than I Can Name
Paris Hilton Bigger TV Draw Than Bush
NEW YORK Dec. 18 – Paris Hilton was a bigger television draw than President Bush this week. So, for that matter, was Mark Harmon. ABC’s interview of the president by Diane Sawyer, telecast Tuesday, only two days after the capture of Saddam Hussein was announced, was seen by 11 million people, according to Nielsen Media Research.
That is, when they aren’t voting in polls demonstrating their undying love for the president.
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It’s Not Nice To Fool Mother Nature
Lightning strikes Gibson’s Christ
Actor Jim Caviezel, who plays the son of God in Mel Gibson’s controversial film “The Passion of Christ” has been struck by lightning during shooting.
Caviezel was uninjured, but a producer described how he saw smoke coming from the actor’s ear.
Think it’s a hint?
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Another Worm
Another virus is spreading quickly. Known as Sven, W32/Swen.A@mm, and Gibe. This one is a bit more sophisticated. Written in C++ and contains it’s own SMTP engine (it has a built in mail server). Outlook users, as usual, beware it compromises your address book and will attempt to disable your firewall and anti-virus software. More importantly, it presents itself as a Microsoft update and has slipped past many SPAM and virus filters on corporate e-mail servers. Microsoft has a patch, the real one, ready. The removal instructions are complicated but, most anti-virus programs should include the fix in their updates. Please run your updates on your AV software. A patch will likely be forthcoming from F-Prot and Symantec. So far, I can’t find one.
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Just Like The 4th. Of July
A man inserted a firecracker into his rectum and lit it. He was rendered incontinent, impotent, and will require a colostomy bag his entire life. Of course, the Jackass connections are already being made.
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Rare Quality From MTV
statemedia.net is a nearly complete archive of all of the shorts that appeared on MTV. The State ran on MTV during the mid 90’s. Interestingly, Reno 911 is premiering on Comedy Central tonight featuring 3 The State cast members and is directed by another. (Link sent in by Chris Boyd)
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Share A File Go To Prison
A new bill, can put you in jail for sharing or, downloading files on p2p networks such as Kazaa. Called the Author, Consumer, and Computer Owner Protection and Security (ACCOPS) Act, you can read a copy of it at eff.org. In short, the bill provides for fines of up to $250,000 and up to 5 years in federal prison for sharing even one single file. Proof of actual file sharing would not be necessary as merely the use of such file sharing programs is sufficient for prosecutors to prove intent, which is also punishable. Additionally, there are provisions that provide law for similar punishments for videotaping a movie with a digital camera. They will require p2p client software to warn users that their software can place users in jeopardy (right, like that’s going to happen). Finally, language exists in the bill to “crack down” on the practice of supplying false personal information to domain name registrars. Which is a common practice among many wishing to preserve their privacy, not to “hide from the law.”
Okay, here’s what I think:
1. The bill is being sponsored by John Conyers (D-MI) and Howard Berman (D-CA). Berman received $222,791 and Conyers $49,859 from the record and television industries as campaign contributions (from opensecrets.org). See any connection here?
2. To put this in perspective in the “real world”, you know the one that you and I live in? Not the world of rarified air inside the record company boardrooms and the Washington DC beltway? Anyway, in the real world, shoplifting a CD or DVD is a misdemeanor. Does this smack of internet hysteria? The mindless hoard reacts yet again, in a wholly inappropriate and draconian manner to The Big Scary Internet.
3. The bill only increases the judicial branch’s copyright enforcement and protection budget from $10 to $15 million. Meaning that in the front side, it looks very tough, very zero-tolerance, and hard as nails on “crime.” But, on the back side, it lacks the financial support needed to actually pursue to a degree beyond a few martyr cases for publicity’s sake. That is unless the record industry is willing to part with a lot more lost profits to try, convict, and jail offenders meaning that they would have to pay for the upkeep not you and me as taxpayers.
4. This poorly constructed, ham-fisted chunk of legislation opens up every single PC and network to exposure for any copyright violation if law enforcement or, prosecution decides to pursue you for that result. Giving the judicial branch yet another tool in The War on the Citizens of The United States.
5. Most importantly, this is yet another act of desperation of behalf of the music industry to try and recover lost profits. No matter how potentially damaging to their reputation among the consumers that they are trying to incriminate and punish.
To all of this I say fuck the record companies, fuck the career politicians who are their puppets, and fuck the short-sighted artists who support them. Find an independent label if you want me to buy your works. I will not support big record companies any longer. I suggest you do the same. Download the latest version of spyware free KaZaa Lite (v 2.1.0) where you can prevent RIAA and Ashcroft’s blackshirts from getting a list of your shared files but, you can still share them with people.
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Bush Falls Off Segway, Bin Laden Not Suspect
GeeDubbya fall off Segway but, lands on feet. Nation goes to orange alert. Pretzels said not to be a factor. Cheney’s cardiac team on full alert as Vice Pres. can’t stop laughing from his orbiting headquarters.
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Smells Like Courtney Love’s Media Empire
VH1 names Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” the number one most important song of the last 25 years. What a revolting development. With MTV, Nickelodeon, and VH1 I’m now torn if MTV is the most evil corporate media machines in the universe. They are in a close tie with Time Warner/AOL and Microsoft in my mind. Regardless, I can’t believe that this came on top of the list. But, considering that A). the last 25 years means since 1978. slim pickins musically speaking. And B). consider the other songs near the top, “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses, “One” by U2 and the nauseating list goes on.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, Nirvana single handedly killed both the metal music genre as well as punk rock with that song. So, perhaps in light of that, it is the most important depending on your point of view.
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The Matrix Reloader
Well, we’ve been suitable excited about “The Matrix Reloaded” around here. I think it was the first “Rated R” movie that I let the kids see, followed by Office Space. Well, the first reviews are in, as reported by slashdot. This line has me more then a bit worried: “If you’re looking for a deep, meaningful cinematic experience then The Matrix Reloaded is not for you. But if it’s a non-stop roller-coaster ride you’re after, then this movie is light years ahead of anything that’s gone before.”
Ah well, reviews are meant to be taken with a large grain of salt. Some of my very favorite and most cherished films were given terrible ratings and reviews by the media.
Anyway, the beloved Landover Baptist Church has their own ideas about The Matrix Reloaded and the powers behind it. The Animatrix shorts have been out for a while, here’s the first and second installments, of nine apparently. No doubt you’ve seen the co-marketing campaigns flourishing. So many marketeers and pitchmen have hopped on the bandwagon that between the new X-Men movie, The Hulk, and The Matrix Reloaded… it promises to be a madison avenue summer indeed.
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Adult Swim is cartoon networks
Adult Swim is cartoon networks offering for kids. I love cartoon network. I’m faithfully devoted to “Ed, Edd, & Eddie,” “Dexter’s Laboratory,” and “Courage the Cowardly Dog.” I also enjoy some of “Toonami” as well. Check out “Cowboy Bebop,” “Spaceghost,” and especially “The Brak Show.” I know it’s sad, but true… the best T.V. going is on this network. Also, it’s great to see Hanna Barbara putting out quality toons for once.
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Marylin Manson could play Willie
Marylin Manson could play Willie Wonka in Tim Burton’s remake? “Willy Wonka is one of my favorite movies, and I think I can play that role like no one else.” God, I love that guy… he took Alice Coopers schtick and blew it beyond anything he could have imagined. Too bad his career is in the dumper and he lost his wife.
