G4 TV - AOTB

Universal Suit Over Youtube Takedown In Question

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:02:00 -0700

Earlier this week, a judge declined to dismiss a case Universal Music Group brought against a Pennsylvania mother that uploaded a clip of her kid onto Youtube.

It seems UMG sent a takedown notice to the gal over her short vid, where her baby dances to Prince's hit "Let's Go Crazy." YouTube removed the video, but later put it back up. The mother, Stephanie Lenz, joined forces with the Electronics Frontier Foundation and filed suit against UMG last October for abusing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in making the takedown request. That original lawsuit was dismissed this April, but the plaintiffs filed a second complaint, which the judge this week declined to throw out.

In its motion to dismiss, UMG argued that it need not take fair use into account, a position the judge rejected. The ruling opens the door to how "fair use" should be taken into account before demanding a video be removed.

"Fair use is a lawful use of a copyright," the judge ruled. "Accordingly, in order for a copyright owner to proceed under the DMCA with 'a good-faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law,' the owner must evaluate whether the material makes fair use of the copyright."

The EFF is calling the ruling a milestone in the fight against a "shoot-first-ask-questions-later" attitude that content owners have taken to demanding content be removed from user-generated content sites. Most user-submitted content sites agree to remove any content on request from copyright holders, which essentially protects them from copyright infringement under the DMCA law. So the EFF lawsuit against UMG seeks to retain some measure of user rights in the process.

Stay tuned…

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Space Invaders Attack WTC?

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:17:00 -0700

An art installation at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany as part of a 30th anniversary celebration of Space Invaders is raising lots of eyebrows.

Why?

Because it’s a mod that sets the classic 1978 arcade game against the backdrop of the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, that’s why!

French-American artist Douglas Edric Stanley claims his “30 Years of Space Invaders” exhibit is using the World Trade Center attacks as a metaphor. It’s an interactive large installation, where the players must prevent the attack by shooting the invaders before they decimate the towers.

Stanley sees Space Invaders as “a social tale that can be related to historical tales without losing its poetic power.”

Right. Either that or a demonstration of unbelievably bad taste….

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Woman Sues Over Defective iPhone 3G

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:07:00 -0700

Alabama gal Jessica Alena Smith filed a lawsuit yesterday against Apple over what she is calling the "Defective iPhone 3G."

Smith hopes her complaint against the iPhone maker will become a class-action complaint, saying the performance and reliability has been subpar, despite the claims made by Apple's aggressive marketing campaign, and has thousands of others. Additionally, she asks that Apple be required to pay unspecified damages, pre- and post-judgment interest on monetary relief, and attorney's fees.

"One could barely turn on the television without hearing that the new iPhone 3G was 'twice as fast for half the price,'" reads the complaint. So Smith bought her new iPhone 3G sometime after it went on sale on July 11. But right after she scored her goods, Smith noticed the iPhone's data connection, e-mail, SMS, and other communications were slower than expected, and that the device only appeared to connect to AT&T's 3G network less than 25 percent of the time. She also experienced an "inordinate amount of dropped calls."

In other words, despite the hype, she feels it kinda blows. What do you think?

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SNL Gets Upright With New Cast Member

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:48:00 -0700

Saturday Night Live just announced the addition of a new cast member for the upcoming fall season, the show’s 34th. New York City stand up comic and Upright Citizens Brigade member Bobby Moynihan will join the cast of the long-running sketch comedy show.

SNL insiders are said to have expected a female cast member to be named, since Amy Poehler is bailing (she is preggers and joining the cast of the Office spinoff). It’s possible another new addition will be announced soon.

Some of you might be familiar with Moynihan from the improv show Asssscat, or from The Line, an online video project funded by Lorne Michaels' production company, directed by SNL head-writer Seth Meyers, and starring SNL cast-members Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis. He is also the member of much buzzed-about sketch comedy group called Buffoons.

"We are, of course, incredibly thrilled that Bobby is going to be on Saturday Night Live,” said UCBT Artistic Director Anthony King. “He's been a fixture and favorite at the UCB Theatre in NYC for many, many years now and it's exciting to see him get recognized and rewarded for his ridiculous talent. He also has a great beard and we hope America gets the chance to experience that as well."

And he looks a lot like Howard Stern Show sidekick Artie Lang (right)!

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Xbox Live Rocks The Vote

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:47:00 -0700

Starting August 25, make a difference in your country and pause that Halo 3 online mutliplayer to register to vote on Xbox Live.

Microsoft announced today that they have partnered with Rock The Vote to bring voter registration to Xbox live. "To realize our goal of registering 2 million young Americans by this fall, we need to go where young Americans are, and there's no doubt in our minds that many are on Xbox 360 and Xbox Live," said by Rock The Vote director Heather Smith. Presidential polls and forums will also be provided by Microsoft.

"If Xbox Live were a state, it would rank as the country's seventh largest, giving it approximately 20 electoral votes," said by Microsoft. The state of Xbox Live is currently populated by 12 million users, and is known for their corn agriculture, also endless hours of online play. So go ahead and register, and don't stop making a difference in society--cause we can't stop, and we won't stop. Eh eh...eh eh.

Seinfeld to Shill for Microsoft

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:44:00 -0700

Multimillionaire comedian Jerry Seinfeld will be joining a new Microsoft ad campaign set to take aim at Apple and their recent barrage of "I'm a Mac. And I'm a PC" ads attacking Vista and Microsoft in general.

And just as Dave Thomas did with his own Wendy's restaurant ads, Bill Gates, ex-Microsoft Megaboss, will appear in the ads with Seinfeld. For his part in the $300 million campaign said to be taking a shot for younger consumers, Seinfeld will be receiving a supposed $10 million. Nice. "Let's pick the guy who had a successful sitcom that old people liked 10 years ago to hock the Zune, then all the kids'll be down with buying mp3s from zuneTunes. They won't be able to resist."

Also up for the starring $10 million role were Chris Rock and Will Ferrell who would seem to be a better choice for bringing in younger folks to the Microfold. Seinfeld, we're not so sure.

Hit the jump full speed for a sample script of the first ad.

SPOT ONE
INT. WHITE ROOM - DAY

JERRY STANDS NEXT TO BILL EQUIDISTANT FROM THE EDGE OF THE FRAME.

Jerry: Hello, I'm Jerry Seinfeld.
Bill: And I'm a PC.
Jerry: Ha, but seriously. What's the deal with Apple?
Bill: Yeah, it's almost like they want to make everything easy.
Jerry: Yeah, what's the deal with user-friendly interface, UNIX architecture, and not getting viruses, like ever?
Bill: I don't know Jerry. But check this out.

BILL REMOVES A ZUNE FROM HIS POCKET.

Jerry: What is the deal with that?
Bill: It’s the new Zune and you can download all your favorite Black Eyed Peas, Insane Clown Posses, and Timbamans mp3s for 98 cents a download.
Jerry: 98 CENTS? What's the deal --

BILL PUNCHES JERRY IN THE LARYNX.

Bill (mocking): What's the deal with "the deal?" (turns to camera) zuneTunes. Get the hippest. Get the dopest. Get the zunes!

LOGO SPLASH WITH SLOGAN "Get the Zunes!" :: CUT TO BLOW

EXT. STREET - LATER ON

JERRY SLUMPS ON A CURB IN A SPRAY-PAINTED AND COOL-LOOKING URBAN AREA, HEAD IN HANDS. BILL APPROACHES.

Bill: It hurts me to hurt you, Gerald. Don't make me do it.
Jerry: I'm sorry, Billiam. I honestly just want to know the deal. No one ever tells me the deal!
Bill: I know. BILL SITS. We'll find the deal… (to camera) while America and select international markets find great deals at zuneTunes!

LOGO SPLASH :: FADE TO BLACK

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Paramount Offers Rebates For Blu Ray Switch

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:23:00 -0700

Paramount Studios is offering a $10 rebate to specific Blu Ray titles for consumers who previously bought their HD DVD titles.

Starting September 2, Blu-Ray titles such as Transformers will contain rebate certificates that will financially help HD DVD owners make the format transition. Consumers need to simply mail-in a proof of purchase for both Blu-Ray and HD DVD versions to get the rebate.

Aside from Transformer's September 2 launch, upcoming Blu-Ray titles include The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration on September 23, Sweeney Todd on October 21 and much more.

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Add Gamertags On Your iPod?

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Let's say you're out at a bar, and a really hot woman wants to give you her Xbox gamertag so you can play PuzzleQuest with her on LIVE*. What do you do? You can swipe a soggy bar napkin and write the digits down, sure, but wouldn't it be suave to whip out your iPhone and add her "Hotchica87" gamertag right there? Soon, the above scenario may come true.

1337pwn is a 360 application that can already be used on your iPhone, and it's author, Det Ansinn, is working on adding on-the-fly friend list manipulation.

“It’s not elegant, but I think that we can get it working,” said Ansinn. “If I can’t get it solid, it won’t make the cut. It’s being worked on.”

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*the above scenario probably won't ever happen to you.

Warner To Potter Fans: 'We Share Your Love'

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:45:00 -0700

To all the disappointed Potter fanatics, Warner Bros. share their sympathy for you. After pushing back the anticipated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie to July 2009, studio president Alan Horn released a statement today regarding their decision. Here's an excerpt:

"Please be assured that we share your love for Harry Potter and would certainly never do anything to hurt any of the films. Over the past 10 years, we have nurtured and protected each film, and the integrity of the books upon which they are based, to the best of our ability. The decision to move Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was not taken lightly, and was never intended to upset our Harry Potter fans."

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was directed by David Yates.

But don't worry Potter fans, the video game counterpart is still set to hit stores this November.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince the video game, published by Electronic Arts, will arrive in stores this November 11 for the Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, PSP, PC, Macintosh and Nintendo Wii. The DS version will arrive earlier on November 1.

Kevin Gets Overshaved

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:50:00 -0700

Ever have one of those moments when you're hosting a live cable show when you wonder that your co-host may be going a bit too far? Happens to us all the time. It starts with the beard and then things get out of hand.

And what about you, dear reader, would you let O-Munn come anywhere near your beautiful mane with live clippers?

Watch Larger Version of this Video

Anti-Terrorism Cloaking Device...For Pacemakers?

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:40:00 -0700

So what do you think could be the latest high-tech development in terrorist tactics?

Satellite assassins? Stealth bullets? Mind bombs?

Nope.

How about using the radio signals emitting from pacemakers to shut them down or deliver potentially lethal electric shocks to millions of heart patients?

Whaaaaaat?

It’s true. Well, potentially true.

Doctors are using wireless pacemakers more and more these days to monitor the regulation of patients' heartbeats, and can even adjust the settings remotely. But earlier this year a team of US scientists using a radio signal were able to simulate interference with the devices and claimed that, in theory, hijackers could do the same. So scientists started working on a cloaking device that stops computer hackers from hijacking pacemakers' radio signals

Now a computer scientist at the University of Washington in Seattle named Dr. Tamara Denning has developed a cloaking device that will resist any instructions that come from anyone other than the doctor. Though it has yet to be tested, the devise could eventually be worn like a wristwatch…which is quite dope.

But not everyone think the cloaking device is so necessary

“You're asking hundreds of thousands or millions of people to wear something every day for a theoretical risk,” Dr William Maisel of Harvard University wondered.

“We wanted to draw attention not to a prevalent threat, but to a possible future one,” Dr Denning countered.

Hmmmm…what do you think?

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UPDATED: Death Race: Remake Or Ripoff?

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:48:00 -0700

UPDATE: The request for a restraining order has been dismissed. They sent the following statement:

"Universal Pictures and the filmmakers of "Death Race" are gratified by the federal court's swift and decisive today denying Adam Stone's application for a temporary restraining order. Universal looks forward to releasing "Death Race" in theaters nationwide on Friday and to proving in the pending lawsuit that Mr. Stone's baseless allegations of plagiarism are entirely without merit. A writer named Adam Stone is accusing the producers of the new flick Death Race (above), a remake of Paul Bartel’s 1975 cult classic Death Race 2000, of stealing his ideas."

In a copyright infringement lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles federal court, he says the movie is based on a script he pitched to the film's producer-director Paul W.S. Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt.

Though the producers passed, Stone says Bolt kept a copy of Stone’s screenplay, titled Joust, to use as a "blueprint" for Anderson's revision of the script for Death Race. He’s seeking unspecified damages and a court order stopping the film's August 22 release.

Hmmmm….I wonder what “Machine Gun" Joe Viterbo (below) thinks of all this?

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Mr. Lif Album Goes Digi Track At A Time

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:04:00 -0700

Indie hip hop vet Mr. Lif will be issuing his upcoming new album, Heard It Today, in a unique way: He’ll release 1-2 tracks every three weeks via iTunes, eMusic, Amazon, and other online music stores. So you can score new tracks on 9/9, 9/23, 10/14, and finally on Election Day, 11/4.

In fact, it was the 2008 presidential elections that inspired the album.

Take it away, Lif:

"With a new administration on the horizon, many of us are hoping things will change for the better. We are all hoping our voices will be heard and our concerns met with solutions. This project allows me to voice and magnify the all too often ignored opinions of the American people. My research has led me to speak with so many citizens nation wide, and the stories of your struggles combined with the knowledge of my own struggles have given birth to the project."

Beatmakers such as J Zone, Edan, and Illmind contributed to the effort, which will be available as a full-length album on January 20, 2009, otherwise known as Inauguration Day.

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Frosted Flakes: Breakfast Of Champions?

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:59:00 -0700

Seemingly awesome Olympian Michael Phelps’ decision to endorse Kellogg's Frosted Flakes by appearing on the box is pissing off many health experts who are worried about the message he'll be sending to children across America.

"I would not consider Frosted Flakes the food of an Olympian," said nutritionist Rebbecca Solomon of Mount Sinai Medical Center. “I would rather see him promoting Fiber One. I would rather see him promoting oatmeal. I would even rather see him promoting Cheerios."

So why not Wheaties, the traditional (and less bad for ya) cereal endorsement choice for many athletes? Doesn’t he know Frosted Flakes has three times the amount of sugar as Wheaties and 1/3rd the fiber. That may not matter to a pro swimmer who burns 12,000 calories a day, but to us regular slobs, that’s a lot of sugar!

"For a guy like Michael Phelps who isn't worried about obesity because he's burning thousands of calories as an athlete...eating Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes every so often is not an issue," Solomon said.

The cereal boxes with his mug on ‘em will hit supermarket shelves in mid-September. Phelps, 23, the winner of a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, will appear on Corn Flakes boxes as well.

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Gary Oldman To Star In 'Call of Duty: World at War'

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:41:00 -0700

Activision had an ace up its sleeve at their press conference this morning in Germany: Gary Oldman. The renowned, Oscar-winning actor will voice a character in upcoming World War II game Call of Duty: World At War!

The "actor's actor" will be joined by Kiefer Sutherland, who plays main character Sgt. Roebuck in the game. World At War is an FPS set partially in the Pacific theater during WW II. It features flamethrowers, Molotov cocktails, flame tanks, and much, much more.

The game comes to the DS, PC, PS3, 360, Wii and mobile phones this fall.

'LotR' Writers Working On 'Hobbit'

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:44:00 -0700

A few months ago, visionary director Guillermo Del Toro confirmed that he had signed on to direct the film adaptation of The Hobbit and its sequel, which will cover the time between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. Today it was announced that Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens, the three writer/producers of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, are also attached to the fantasy film prequels. Production is set to begin at the end of next year, with the films releasing in 2011 and 2012. Del Toro will direct both films back-to-back, just how Jackson originally shot the entire LOTR trilogy.

Day one. For reals.

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Apple: We Will Replace Your Exploding Nanos

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:39:00 -0700

If your first-gen iPod Nano looks like the one above, Apple's got you covered. After many reports of kamikaze iPod Nanos frying up, Apple released a statement on Tuesday that enables a replacement program for first gen owners:

"Apple has determined that in very rare cases batteries in first generation iPod nanos sold between September 2005 and December 2006 can overheat causing failure and deformation of the iPod nano. Apple has received very few reports of such incidents (less than 0.001 percent of first generation iPod nano units), which have been traced back to a single battery supplier. There have been no reports of serious injuries or property damage, and no reports of incidents for any other iPod nano model. Any first generation iPod nano customers who have experienced their battery overheating should contact AppleCare for a replacement. Any other customers who have concerns about their first generation iPod nano battery should also contact AppleCare."

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iTunes: All-Star Babes Stand Up

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:33:00 -0700

Fans of girl power, chick rock and hoochie hop will be overjoyed to learn that 15 of the most popular female singers have teamed up to record the benefit song "Just Stand Up," for exclusive release on iTunes on Sept. 2.

The song features Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood.

All sales of the single will benefit Stand Up to Cancer, a cancer research program that calls on the entertainment industry to help fight cancer.The song concept was birthed by Antonio "L.A." Reid, who produced it with Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds.

Better still (unless you like good music), all 15 singers will share the stage to perform the song live on Sept. 5 during the Stand Up to Cancer television special, set to air simultaneously on ABC, NBC and CBS. Other stars expected to turn out for the hour-long fund- and awareness-raising program include Jennifer Aniston, Lance Armstrong, Katie Couric, Sally Field, Salma Hayek, Meryl Streep, Forest Whitaker and Reese Witherspoon.

Man, I can’t wait to hear that Sally Field/Forest Whitaker duet!

(I kid...it's a good cause...support it!)

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Harry Shearer Finds Funny Video Objects

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:12:00 -0700

Comedy vet, esteemed writer, Simpsons voice actor, and Spinal Tap bassist Harry Shearer is the genius behind Found Objects, a semi-regular feature of the My Damn Channel website. And you should be watchig his every move…

Found Objects features news reporters and journalists flubbing, bloopering and getting upset before or after the cameras are rolling. Kinda like that awesome Bill O'Reilly clip we all saw a few months back…

For instance, funnyman Shearer unearthed a hilarious 9-minute clip of anchorwoman Laura Ingraham's freakout while taping Fox News. In the vid, Ingraham has a meltdown after a word is misspelled on her teleprompter and she decides her script makes no sense. Then she gets pissed that a stranger is hanging around the set and a producer is talking too loudly in her earpiece.

"Oh, my God," she gasps. "This is a train wreck."

It suuuure is...and we love it!

Or dig the 17-minute video of former CBS News anchor Dan Rather on a chilly rooftop in Seattle, consumed with whether to wear an overcoat during a standup, or whether the coat's collar should be turned up or down.

Or better yet is his successor Katie Couric’s response to Rather and his comment after the fact that he was simply trying to "tart" up his image. After purposely fiddling with her coat, she says, “I'm going to be like Dan Rather on YouTube. Geez, don't you think he deserves a little payback? This tart is ready to go!" She too did not realize the cameras were rolling.

After starting her own video blog in response to her newfound Youtube fame, Couric joked in her debut clip: "It's nice to be on YouTube when I know the cameras are rolling. Harry Shearer, I'm gonna get you!"

"Some people collect coins…Harry collects this footage," said Rob Barnett, president of My Damn Channel. "There's a combination of reality and voyeurism that captures the imagination."

Damn straight!

Yes, that Harry Shearer is funny....though not Webby-award winning funny, of course (Freestyle 101 stomped him in the '08 Best Music Series category...just sayin'...)!

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Studios Fight Over 'Watchmen'

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:51:00 -0700

While the onscreen action in upcoming would-be blockbuster The Watchmen is sure to be hot, the real knock-down drag-out fighting is going on behind the scenes, as movie studios Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox fight it out in court over who owns the rights to the film. The movie, based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' comic book of the same name, is was directed by Zack Snyder. It's in post-production now, and is slated for a March release. Both companies claim that they own the rights to the film version.

Yesterday, a judge denied Warner Bros.' motion to dismiss Fox’s lawsuit over Warner's right to make the film. The ruling means the legal fight will continue, and possible consequences include some sort of profit sharing between the two studios. Weirdly, Fox said it would rather see the film killed than collect a percentage of the box office.

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