Hulu Considers Selling Itself
Will be very interested to see how this develops. Hulu’s success is so dependent on the relationships with content providers that it makes you wonder who would even want to buy it.
Hulu is considering selling itself after being approached with a buyout offer, according to tweets from CNBC and WSJ reporters.
Julia Boorstin at CNBC says the offer did not come from Google, but doesn’t say who the offer did come from.
The Cable Xbox
Disagree. Using cable is a great transitional step from traditional cable subscriptions to full content on-demand over the internet. We need a critical mass of people consuming media this way before content providers will begin making the move to online en masse.
So if I’m reading this correctly, Xbox will now be a cable box?
That’s cool, I guess — the interface is much better than any cable box out there (which isn’t really saying anything as cable boxes are huge pieces of shit across the board). But it will still require a full-on cable contract, where you pay for tons of crap you don’t want.
I’d prefer a bit more thinking outside of the box, as it were.
Browse Netflix on Xbox
I am so looking forward to this, especially now that I’ll be returning to Seattle and my gorgeous 46” 1080p LCD TV. Ah…
In case Susan Boyle’s phenomenal singing didn’t give it away, here’s definitive proof that Britain really does have talent. His name is Shaheen Jafargholi and he’s 12 years old.
Also, how sick is it that his last name has the word “Jafar” in it (as in Aladdin’s Jafar)?
Buzz in the Biz: 2.17.09
Ang Lee to Direct “Life of Pi” [Read Article]
I’m extremely excited to see the translation to film, here. Ang Lee has definitely made some winners in the past, so I’m sure he’ll be able to preserve the “Life of Pi’s” message (and its twist). That said, it’s going to be interesting to see how this translates to film. It’s a story built around a boy’s imagination, but there has to be a way to do this without it looking childish…
Polanski Must Return to the States for Dismissal [Read Article]
I’m sure he must have expected this. He’d be a fool to return to the United States after all this time, especially considering his advanced age. France is a beautiful place to live, and being a fugitive hasn’t prevented him from directing Oscar-winning films like “The Pianist.” Who knew being on the run could be so glamorous?
“Dollhouse” Disaster [Read Article]
Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” premier was a big flop last Friday - only 4.7 million people watched the show. Pretty miserable showing, as the industry standard is a show needs at least 5 million viewers on Broadcast TV in order to avoid cancellation.
I watched the premier the other day with Tina, Jose, and Maria, and while I wasn’t impressed by the storyline, I was even less impressed by the format - scripted, serialized television. It’s a tired model that only works for ambitious epics like Heroes, House, NCIS, and the like. Otherwise, TV need have immediacy in order to be relevant. I think it’s success on Hulu and iTunes is evidence of the fact that people would rather watch shows like this at their convenience.
That’s Neat/Buzz in the Biz
Kristen Who? [Read Article]
Gov. Paterson of NY yesterday announced that Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand would fill Hillary Clinton’s empty Senate seat… Who?!
What happened to Andrew Cuomo? The GOP is going to have a field day over this when the seat goes up for election in 2 years.
Local Stations Killing NBC [Read Article]
It might be time to cut the cord on the old broadcast network model. There really is not very much need for local television anymore anyway.
United States of Tara Opens BIG
I knew this show was great when I watched the pilot on Netflix in advance of its airing a few weeks ago, but I had no idea it would be THIS great: 881,000 viewers live, 1.5 million including on-demand.
After all the news of great shows like ‘Dirty Sexy Money’ teetering on the brink of cancellation, I’m glad to hear there are still incredible new shows getting the attention they deserve.
Buzz in the Biz: 1.17.09
ABC to Launch More Sitcoms [Read Article]
“Having struggled with half hours in recent years, the Alphabet is looking at ways to bring back situation comedies in the vein of past hits like ‘Roseanne’ and ‘Home Improvement.’”
I like this move by ABC. It shows the nets are moving to differentiate from each other, especially given NBC’s totally different prime time strategy with Jay Leno. It will be interesting to see how they do, but I think you can take the way CBS currently owns Monday night with ‘Two and a Half Men’ as evidence that people still love the sitcom.
Regardless of how this mid-season experiment develops, the real question for me is whether it will result in ‘Dirty Sexy Money’s’ axing. I’ve gotten to the point where I need that show to continue to survive.
Box Office Bloodbath Coming Soon [Read Article]
“The golden rule: Do everything you can in the four-week stretch between Academy Award nominations and Oscar ceremony. The five films landing in the best picture category can enjoy a significant box office bump as moviegoers try to catch up on their viewing before the kudofest Feb. 22.”
Release delays from the studios has given rise to an unprecedented number of nod-worthy films, most of which are slated for a wide release this month, including ’ Frost/Nixon,’ ‘Revolutionary Road, ‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ and ‘Milk.’
Here’s the breaks: there’s only 5 Oscar nominations available, and there’s only so many B.O. dollars to go around. This will be very interesting to follow, and hopefully I will be able to stop having to go to small indie-focused theaters downtown to get my Oscar film fix.
‘Mad Men’ Creator Still Creating [Read Article]
Glad to see this series is staying alive. I have yet to start watching, but based on what I’ve heard, it would be a huge shame for this show to go under after only two seasons.
