hollywood
Cameras
Hollywood Is All Over The Head-Mounted Canon5D Mark II
4:40AM Sean Fallon | Imagine the kind of HD magic you could film with a Canon5D MK II mounted on a helmet. The possibilities have not been lost on Hollywood apparently. More »
Entertainment
Supreme Court OKs DVR-In-The-Cloud Concept
10:15AM Wilson Rothman | Hollywood apparently tried to make a federal case about Cablevision launching a virtual DVR, a cable box with no local hard drive that still lets you “record” shows to watch later, and even fast forward through commercials. Hollywood studios got mad because they deemed it unfair re-broadcasting of content. The Supreme Court looked at the case and took a pass—by not hearing it, they are allowing Cablevision and others to proceed with development unhindered. I like the concept of a driveless DVR, but I don’t like the cable company keeping my shows—stuff I’ve already recorded—under lock and key. [NY Times]
Entertainment
The New Blockbuster: Godawful Wolverine Downloaded Over 4 Million Times
1:50AM Matt Buchanan | I saw Wolverine in theatres. I paid $US8 for my ticket and $US5 for popcorn, heavy on the heart attack sauce. But I still don’t know why 4 million people downloaded that piece of poo. More »
Entertainment
Steven Soderbergh’s Girlfriend Experience Released to Amazon Before Theatres
2:30AM Adam Frucci | Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh’s new movie breaks some major Hollywood rules, and not just because it stars porn actress Sasha Grey. It’s also available now on Amazon a full 3 weeks before it hits theaters. More »
Gadgets
Hollywood Film Kit: Lights, Camera, Sit Alone at Your Computer
1:10AM Mark Wilson | So things didn’t work out with the screenplay. And that backlot audition turned out to be a backseat party for two. But don’t give up your dreams so quickly! It’s a known fact that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck had to open mouth kiss for 5 seconds to get Good Will Hunting produced—in front of girls even! So pick up this Hollywood Film Kit and get back on the horse. The USB Spotlight will make your eyes sparkle as “producers” get a full look at your “talents” compliments of the simulated 35mm webcam and your AdultFriendFinder account. $US25. [iwantoneofthose via OhGizmo] More »
Networks
Hollywood Teams With AT&T and Others In Possible Packet-Filtering Coalition
12:00PM Wilson Rothman | Some of you P2P fans may want to know about a new coalition called Arts + Labs. It may sound like some kind of open-source hippie think tank, but it’s actually a powerful alignment of film and music copyright owners (NBC Universal, Viacom and the Songwriters Guild of America) and tech firms and ISPs (Microsoft, Cisco Systems and AT&T). It’s a group that could put together a pretty serious anti-piracy system without much trouble. Saul Hansell at the NY Times says the group claims that “network operators must have the flexibility to manage and expand their networks to defend against net pollution and illegal file trafficking which threatens to congest and delay the network for all consumers.” Hansell interprets this as a call to filter packets, and put the kibosh on any dubious transfers.
Gadgets
Get Smart’s Swiss Army Knife Has Working Crossbow, Flamethrower and Blowgun
12:00AM Wilson Rothman | We were surprised to learn that one of the stars of Steve Carell’s Get Smart is actually a Swiss Army knife, albeit one whose talents are slightly more impressive than your own trusty multi-tool. It’s got your scissors, saw, magnifying glass and can opener, but how about a flame thrower that shoots six feet? Or a crossbow with stow-away bolts? Or a blowgun with its own fold-out sight? The crazy part is, even though this thing is a movie prop, the producers had to make it really work. We scored exclusive schematics of the knife itself, and caught up with prop-meister Tim Wiles to learn how the thing was made fully operational for the cameras. More »
Entertainment
Hollywood Attacking Film Grain For Blu-ray
11:31PM Mark Wilson | For me, the first “ooooh” moment when I got my first HDTV was watching SportsCenter…and I don’t even watch sports. Never before had I seen such a crisp, vibrant image in my life. It didn’t look real. It looked more than real. More »
Entertainment
Is This the Ultimate Outdoor Home Theater? Answer: Yes
11:12PM Addy Dugdale | Nestled in the hills above Hollywood is a glass house that boasts one of the coolest open-air home theaters I’ve ever seen. You can flop on one of the sofas and watch a movie on an enormous screen, one of the outer walls of the guesthouse of the Hagy Belzberg-designed Skyline residence. A couple more mouthwatering pics after the jump. More »
Networks
