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Twitter will come to Current TV for debate chitchat

Current, the edgy news and culture channel co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore, has come up with a new way to broadcast the presidential debates: show Twitter commentary on what people are saying.

Through an official partnership with the microblogging service, Current will broadcast "Hack the Debate," which will live-stream on Current.com as well as air on the network. Twitter updates, or "tweets," will be shown in real time for all four debates (three with the presidential candidates and one with the vice presidential candidates), which begin on September 26. It makes a whole … Read more

Download free HD episodes of 'Battlestar Galactica', '30 Rock', and more

Best thing about the just-released iTunes 8? HD versions of TV shows. To help kick things off, Apple is offering one free HD episode from each of a dozen shows (some of which are actually worth watching!). I've rounded up the links for you; just make sure you have iTunes 8 installed.

30 Rock (welcome back, NBC!) Battlestar Galactica (the dazzling Season 4 opener) Eureka Heroes (Season 2--meh) In Plain Sight Lipstick Jungle Monk (I've never seen a single episode--any good?) The Office (strong as ever in its fourth season, which is amazing) Psych Life The Rachel Zoe Project (… Read more

MTV's next step in social networking: Backchannel

Once the global leader in youth culture, MTV's attempts to address the social-networking craze have seemed a little puzzling sometimes (the Twittering Moon Man?) But now we've seen another piece of the entertainment brand's puzzle: Backchannel, a play-while-you watch game that's one part chat room, one part Digg, and one part Mystery Science Theater with a Mean Girls twist.

It's debuting on Monday night with that evening's episode of wildly popular reality-soap The Hills.

Here's how Backchannel works: Watch the show (for now, only The Hills is on Backchannel, but later this fall … Read more

Panasonic puts plasma TVs on a diet

We had inklings that thin was in for the HDTV business this year after CES, but the sets being shown off at IFA in Berlin this week confirm it.

Panasonic showed off the 50-inch version at CES in January, but brought out 58-inch and 65-inch versions of the startlingly thin TVs at IFA at the Berlin trade show Thursday.

Unsurprisingly, Panasonic is saying that the sets are not as heavy as normal plasma TVs. Plus, the prototypes are being made with WirelessHD inside, which means fewer pesky wires. Keep in mind, this is not a real TV. It's just … Read more

TiVo, 'Entertainment Weekly' team up for favorite programs

TiVo announced Wednesday that it's hooking up with Entertainment Weekly to automatically record the TV programs highlighted on the publication's recommended viewing list.

Under the partnership, TiVo will record for its subscribers the programs on Entertainment Weekly's "What to Watch" listing. The service is slated to begin this fall.

TiVo subscribers will also be able to download Entertainment Weekly's EW.com original programming, such as Just a Minute, Ausiello TV, and Idolatry.

"This partnership creates an exciting new service for our fans, closing the loop between the entertainment choices we spotlight and our … Read more

Bebo appoints exec to handle original content

Bebo doesn't just want to be that social network that AOL bought--it also wants to be a hub for entertainment.

The site, now part of the Time Warner unit's "People Networks" division, has appointed the London-based Kelly Brett as its head of original productions.

Brett had last worked on KateModern, a Bebo-hosted video series created by Lonelygirl15 production company Eqal (then known as LG15 Productions), and she also counts projects for television networks like the BBC, Sky, and ITV on her resume.

The youth-oriented Bebo, with most of its popularity concentrated in the United Kingdom … Read more

LG's Flatron W2252TE: It's green, but is it any good?

So you wanna save the Earth, huh? You've got two options: you can visit the Surya nightclub in London and dance on its electricity-generating dance floor, or you can buy an LG Flatron W2252TE monitor.

It might sound like some sort of futuristic tank, but the W2252TE, which we first told you about in June, is reportedly the world's most eco-friendly monitor. LG reckons it sucks just 22W in use and as little as 0.3W in standby mode.

We tested these claims, and to our delight, it drew just 18.8W in use and less than 0.… Read more

Hulu sharpens focus on hi-def content

Right now I think the No. 1 thing worth watching on Hulu is the stellar Season 2 premiere of AMC's Mad Men--regrettably, the NBC-News Corp. joint venture hasn't been able to secure the rights to any other episodes of the ad-industry drama.

But there's more that's new on Hulu, the company said in an e-mail statement Tuesday. It's revamping its high-definition offerings in a new release of its "HD Gallery" section, with episodes of current NBC shows like 24, 30 Rock, Heroes, and The Office. As part of a special promotion, they're … Read more

Sony picks up Web series Rocketboom

Sony Pictures Television has signed a distribution deal with pioneering Web series Rocketboom, which has been producing a quirky daily newscast since 2004.

Under the terms of the agreement--which reports pin in the seven figures--Sony will handle all distribution and ad sales, as well as use its Crackle.com player on the Rocketboom.com Web site. (Until this point, Rocketboom has used a YouTube embed on its home page.) It'll also see additional distribution on Sony's network, which includes the PlayStation 3 console.

Sony bought Crackle, then known as Grouper, back in 2006.

Created by entrepreneur Andrew … Read more