The Wall Street Journal's Digits blog reports that iTunes is in talks with TV networks about launching a $30 subscription service for tv shows through iTunes.
The company is trying to round up support for a monthly subscription service that would deliver TV programs via its multimedia software, multiple sources tell me.
Apple isn't tying the proposed service to a specific piece of hardware, like its underwhelming Apple TV box or its long-rumored tablet/slate device. Instead, the company is presenting the offer as an extension of its iTunes software and store, which already has 100 million customers.
A so-called "over the top" service could theoretically rival the ones most consumers already buy from cable TV operators - if Apple is able to get enough buy-in from broadcast and cable TV programmers.
A subscription service will only work if they can get enough content providers on board. Subscribers aren't likely to pay a monthly fee if they are also going to have to still pay for their favorite shows that aren't part of the subscription plan. A subscription move could end up putting Apple and Hulu in direct compeition as Hulu is also planning to launch a fee-based service next year. Unlike Hulu, Apple already has people paying for television content on iTunes.
Disney On Ice presents Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo took top honors in the category of Best Foreign Show in Argentina at the annual A.C.E. Awards. This was the first A.C.E. nomination and win for Disney On Ice in the twelve years that the productions have toured the country. The worldwide Finding Nemo tour, produced by Feld Entertainment, opened in Orlando, Florida, in September 2004. It quickly set the all-time record for the highest grossing Disney On Ice show for its first two years of touring. Since its opening, the show has played more than 1,680 performances to over 6.3 million guests in 21 countries. You can find the tour schedule at Disney on Ice. You can also see a video there of the Finding Nemo skaters in action.
Angela Lansbury returns to musical theater and Catherine Zeta Jones makes her Broadway debut with the revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music. Multiple Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winner Angela talks about how thrilled she is to be back on the stage singing and Oscar-winner Catherine says she has a blast working with Angela. The show debuts December 15 at the Walter Kerr theater in New York and is sure to be a hot ticket. You can learn more and buy tickets at Broadway.com. Take a look:
This image has been circulating the Internet to show what could happen if Net Neutrality legislation is not signed into law. They say that if Net Neutrality is not passed, ISPs will be able to start charging additional fees for bandwith usage by consumer users, which will lead to only the wealthy being able to access all of the Internet because they can afford to purchase the top tier of service and access to a wide array of websites. The phone and cable companies oppose Net Neutrality.
The graphic by a pro-Net Neutrality group shows new, additional fees being assigned for websites and web services. It's sort of like how cable companies assign different fees for bundles of cable channels, in addition to your basic cable bill. You can see a larger version of the graphic here.
Fashion's Night Out was such a success that it will happen again in September 2010. WWD reports that Mayor Bloomberg is on board, and so are the rest of the retailers who participated this year.
Today, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Vogue magazine, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and NYC & Co. will unveil the return of the event on Sept. 9 -- and the plan is to make the second one bigger and better than the first.
"The numbers are in, and it's clear that Fashion's Night Out was a tremendous success," Bloomberg said. "Thousands of New Yorkers attended the events in all five boroughs, supporting the city's retail and fashion industries, and helping a worthwhile cause. It's sure to be an even bigger event in 2010."
The first event, which took place Sept. 10, was widely considered a success. In New York alone, more than 700 retailers remained open until 11 p.m., and designers planned special personal appearances or events, with various spots around the city turning into major block parties.
"We were absolutely bowled over by the response to Fashion's Night Out," said Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour. "It was only 15 minutes after the event began, and we were getting reports about lines around the block at stores throughout the city. It was wonderful to see people embrace this initiative, and we are thrilled that they wish it to return."
CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg added, "To have designers in stores to celebrate and start a shopping season is the best idea for everybody. It creates excitement and lots of business."
ShopperTrak reported that foot traffic in stores was up by 50% on Fashion's Night Out. Another survey found that 75% of the attendees at the event actually bought something, while a majority of shoppers went into a store they had never been to before. Shoppers also stepped outside their normal shopping neighborhoods and experienced a new area of the city.
The New York Daily Newsreports that Jon Gosselin and Octomom Nadya Suleman are being paid $1 million each to star in a 2 hour reality show called Jon – Kate = Jon + Octomom. The two have 22 children between the two of them.
According to the press release, cameras will follow Gosselin "as he contemplates what hooking up with Octomom could really be like. He's totally creeped out by the idea that if they got married, they'd have 22 kids."
While it may seem like nothing more than a desperate attempt for fame, it's really the fortune that is apparently enticing to the octodad.
"Both Jon and Nadya are each looking to bring in at least $1 million for doing the show," says the insider. "For that money, they would be foolish not to take the offer."
The insider added, "Jon definitely wants to do the show. His camp is currently trying to figure out how he can film around his TLC contract."
This is a pretty weird and awful premise for a reality tv show. It's no surprise that Bobby Goldstein, the producer of the show Cheaters, is claiming this show.
Radar reports that Jon Gosselin is denying that rumors of the reality show and so is Nadya Suleman. Radar says Nadya told them, "It was a joke. No offense to Jon Gosselin but I'm all about my kids right now. I don't have time for a man in my life. As far as the reality show goes, I can't speak for Jon but as far as I know presently there are no definitive plans for a TV show."
Choreographer Travis Payne and musical director Michael Bearden talk about their time working with Michael Jackson for "This Is It." They discuss how technology made it much easier to brainstorm creative ideas. In the old days, Michael would bring in scores of books for inspiration, but with a laptop he could see any city, monument or historical event immediately. Take a look:
Some people were upset when they saw Dave Spade in a commercial for Direct TV that featured a Chris Farley clip from the film Tommy Boy. The late comedian Chris Farley was a personal friend of David Spade's and some felt Spade was "selling out" Farley's memory.
David Spade's publicist provided Asylum with this quote about the ad: ""When DIRECT TV came to me and the Farley family with this idea about 'Tommy Boy,' we talked and thought it would be a cool way to remind people just how funny Chris was. It is a clever homage to my friend and a movie that we loved doing."
Direct TV also told Asylum that Farley's family approved the ad: "We should look to Chris' family and friends for the ultimate opinion on this subject. They were involved from the beginning of this project and felt that the spot was a great to tribute to Chris."
Here is the commercial that people are talking about.
Raytheon Company unveiled its Sum of all Thrills exhibit at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort last week. The exhibit lets park guests custom-design their own thrill ride using mathematical tools, a touch-screen table and a robotic simulator. The goal of the ride is help educate and inspire young students about the power of math and math-related activities.
Sum of all Thrills lets guests create their own experience by first choosing a ride theme, including a roller coaster, bobsled or jet plane. Guests use math and engineering-based tools, such as rulers and speed dials, to design and customize their ride by adding corkscrews, inversions or steep hills. The guest can then experience his or her custom ride from beginning to end on the robotic KUKA RoboSim 4-D simulator. Inside the simulator, guests experience their ride on immersive high definition video combined with stereo sound and controlled air motion for a complete sensory experience.
"Sum of all Thrills is an example of how Raytheon is using innovation to encourage students to develop and sustain an interest in math and science," said William H. Swanson, Chairman and CEO of Raytheon Company. "By experiencing the ‘thrill’ of math in this environment, students have the opportunity first hand to feel the excitement and possibilities of careers that are possible with math and science. We hope young people and adults alike will enjoy this innovative experience."
The city of Boston celebrated the arrival of the Harry Potter: The Exhibition with a "Very Important Muggle" preview reception last night at the Museum of Science. The exhibit, which includes artifacts and displays inspired by the Hogwarts film sets, will open Sunday, October 25th.
More than one thousand guests attended the soiree to catch a first glimpse of the 200+ artifacts displayed in film-inspired settings, including the Great Hall, Hagrid's hut, and the Forbidden Forest. Actor Matthew Lewis, who plays Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter film series, was the first cast member to tour the exhibition. In the photograph above, Lewis presented Neville Longbottom's wand for installation in the Gryffindor common room area. In the photograph below, Lewis pulls a Mandrake with local school children.
"The Museum is excited to offer its visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in an exhibit that bridges both cultures and generations," said Ioannis Miaoulis, president of the Museum of Science, Boston. "We are confident that this exhibition will attract visitors of all ages – some of whom may have never visited a science center. It is our hope that the exhibit will lead visitors to experience the excitement of discovery that's at the heart of all that we do at the Museum of Science."
You can read more about the Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum of Science, Boston here on the museum's website.
Forty-one of the world's best monopoly players gathered in Las Vegas for the annual Monopoly World Championships. The event is held each year. A 19-year-old from Norway won the Monopoly competition this year. He took home over $20,000 in prize money. Take a look:
Broadcasting & Cable reports that the fun may be over at Hulu. The website plans a switch to a subscription model in 2010. B&C interviewed News Corp. Deputy Chairman Chase Carey who said Hulu's current free model is a difficult way for them to make money.
"I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content. I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value," Carey said. "Hulu concurs with that, it needs to evolve to have a meaningful subscription model as part of its business."
AdVerse had a quick chat with Carey too and posed the question, when exactly does Hulu start charging then? Carey, who says he's only been to one Hulu board meeting since arriving at News Corp., suggests there is still no timeline but supposes it’s at least in 2010. Carey says that while throwing up a pay-wall around all content is not the answer, it doesn't mean there wont be fees for some specially-created content and TV previews. Windows are just around the corner. American Idol audition previews anyone? Mobile Hulu is another potential way of making money.
Is Hulu going to try to charge people while continuing to run commercials? People aren't going to pay for content they can get free elsewhere while also being bombarded with ads. A lot of people won't pay whether there are commercials or not. Those willing to pay are going to want an ad-free service. They will also want every episode available from every season. They will also want the episodes available immediately after they have aired - not some annoying eight day delay. The News Corp. and Comcast executives that think hordes of people will pay for Hulu the way exists now are deluded.
Monty Python is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month. The exact date was October 5th as the very first Monty Python aired on Oct 5th, 1969. The five surviving members of Monty Python made a rare joint appearance at the premiere of an IFC documentary series called Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut).
CNN reports that John Cleese says fans knows the lines from the Monty Python skits better than he does.
"One of the embarrassing things is that the fans know these lines better than I do. So they come up and I have absolutely no idea, and I just nod and go ha ha, yeah," Cleese said.
But the fan base has spread past the original audience. "Kids of 10 or 11 now see Python as the cool thing. We're old enough to be their great-grandparents," Palin said.
The surviving members are still a little bemused about the whole phenomenon.
"It's kind of unreal," Palin said. "We did all of this when we were kids."
Jones added, "We're just totally lucky."
Many of the Monty Python skits are pretty timeless so they should remain popular for many decades to come.
Here is a video clip of the IFC reunion (viewable only in the U.S.) with John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. Take a look:
Glee just keep in on getting bigger. Just a couple days ago we learned that Joss Whedon will be directing an episode of Glee. Now we learn from EW that Madonna will grant Glee rights to use songs for her extensive catalog of hits. The result could be an all-Madonna episode of Glee.
EW has learned that Madonna has given Glee the rights to her catalog and that an all-Madonna-music episode is in the works for early next year. The hit series has been building an audience and filling the iTunes charts with its cover songs, and Madonna's involvement is a testament to how big the show is getting. Also, an amazing Glee cover of a classic Madonna track has the potential to be even bigger than the show's blockbuster take on "Don't Stop Believin'." Quinn totally has to do "Papa Don't Preach." And I can completely see Rachel tackling "Material Girl."
Gleepassed the one million download mark on iTunes earlier this month. They will generate millions more downloads with the music they are lining up for future shows.
It took them a little while but the Larimer County police have finally decided the balloon incident was a hoax. To be fair the police had to initially reserve judgment because a small boy was thought to be in harm's way. With evidence mounting the Sheriff's department has now confirmed that the incident was indeed a hoax and a publicity stunt. It's sad that parents would put their child and emergency services through this kind of an ordeal solely for the hopes of becoming famous. Larimer Sheriff Jim Alderden says the family put on a "very good show and we bought it." He says charges will include conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, false reporting ot authorities and attempting to influence a public servant. Take a look:
The Wall Street Journal's Digits blog 
Broadcasting & Cable 
Glee just keep in on getting bigger. Just a couple days ago we 
