Entertainment

If you would have told me a month ago that I'd be ga-ga for the Zune, I would have had you institutionalized. "Zune-lover? Are you high?" But here I am, smitten with the Zune 80, spending my entire weekend exploring every little feature while my trusty iPod languishes in my messenger bag.

I'll be updating the MP3 Insider blog this week with some personal insights on why the Zune is currently rocking my world. I invite all the Apple fanboys and girls to sound off in the comments section to try and snap me out of … Read more

The Internet is a weird place. It also has a weird way of making things wildly popular that would never have been famous before the copy-paste generation.

Over the last decade, we've seen a massive number of funny videos, odd art, daft catchphrases and quirky trends. These "memes," as they're generally known, spread like wildfire over the Web, sometimes reaching millions of people within hours, and millions more within days. They're known as "virals" for an excellent reason. Click here to see the list.

(Source: Crave UK)

So, what could Google execs be talking about with the man who created American Idol and X Factor?

The United Kingdom's Guardian online reports that Google has been in discussions for about a year with Simon Fuller. Fuller worked with the Spice Girls and managed David Beckham in addition to creating popular entertainment shows like Pop Idol.

The report cites unidentified sources close to Fuller saying the deal could "revolutionize the way entertainment and music are distributed."

Asked for comment, a YouTube spokesman said: "Simon Fuller has a promotional branded channel on YouTube and we don'… Read more

Like most news about Microsoft's oddly-named media player, it was leaked well in advance. But now it's official: consumers buying the new Zune devices, which are set to be released on Tuesday, will be able to customize them with laser-engraved text and select artwork.

Now that explains the tag line "you make it you."

Called "Zune Originals," the new Zunes will feature a selection of artwork by 18 artists and design studios: Colletivo Studios, Catalina Estrada, Laurent Fetis, Sam Flores, Klaus Haapaniemi, Pierre Marie, Kenzo Minami, Parskid, Mike Perry, Phunk Studios, Chisato Shinya, Skwak, … Read more

Last week I posted a rather pointed polemic titled "Suicide by strike" in which I argued that the big entertainment companies were acting suicidally in picking a fight with the writers at precisely the wrong time.

In this post, I more dispassionately outline my theory of why that's the case, and what I think may happen next.

The writers' strike, and the studios' response to the strike, may radically accelerate a structural shift in the media industry -- a shift of power from studios and conglomerates towards creators and talent.

First, some context. In Hollywood, the talent … Read more

Yes, this is off-topic, but I also think it's important.

The big furor of late is that Hollywood is soon to release The Golden Compass, the first movie made from Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. Pullman, an avowed atheist, decided to write the anti-Narnia children's series, killing off god and the church along the way. Church-going parents have been flooding email in-boxes with warnings not to see the movie ever since word got out that a movie would be made.

Apparently, these people have not read the books or have a tenuous grasp on their faith. I think it's been roughly 34 years since I missed a day of church (I'm 34) and consider myself a devoutly religious (and spiritual, since some persist in making a distinction) person. I loved the books and expect the movie to be excellent.

Indeed, my one concern with the movie is how much the anti-religious aspect has been toned down to appeal to mainstream audiences. It is Pullman's questioning of faith in organized religion that I found so refreshing and uplifting of my own faith.… Read more

Continuing an aggressive campaign to defend his copyrights, pop star Prince is preparing to file lawsuits within the next few days in three countries--including the United States--against The Pirate Bay, CNET News.com has learned.

One of the world's best-known BitTorrent indexing sites, The Pirate Bay has defiantly linked to pirated copies of films, TV shows, music videos, and other content while often boasting that it ignores Hollywood's requests to remove them. The Pirate Bay does not host any unauthorized content, but the service is internationally famous for being a highly effective file-sharing tool.

Prince will file similar … Read more

I've really enjoyed seeing the lifecasting movement take off. I can't say I feel the need to visit these sites on a regular basis, but like a roller coaster built for children, they provide enjoyable moments mixed in with some less-than-incredible build-up. One of the newest entrants to the space is Mod My Life, which shares a lot in common with its other lifecasting brethren by mixing up live Webcam footage with user chat. The twist is that the person with the Webcam is an actor or comedian, and the audience gets to control what he or she is doing.

All the user-created actions are created and voted on by users, and they show up in an upcoming section that lets the group weed out the good ideas from the bad. The four most popular get dropped into a voting pool where users can vote on the item as many times as they like until the time runs out. The "Modstars," which are the people with the cameras strapped to their heads, then has to go do what people have told them to do.

While watching last night I was treated to several awkward moments of Modstar Jason Wilder Evans bothering people around the greater New York area before managing to somehow walk into what looked like an attempted robbery with a baseball bat. The robbery had just been broken up by the convenience store's security guard. We never really found out what happened, but the damage had been done, and I sat quietly in awe along with the rest of the viewers as Jason called the police and recounted what had happened with other witnesses.

The rest of the show wasn't nearly as gripping as that bit, but like the creators have told me, a lot of it depends on the Modstar, and other variables like location, time of day, and what ideas the community has got cooking. In many ways it's a lot like Justin.TV when they first started out. Far from what Justin Kan and company have expanded to now with their platform and live channel selection, Mod My Life is treading a slightly different path and trying to pack as much as they can into just an hour or less instead of going for daylong marathons. For that, I think viewers who are willing to base their watching around the "time slot" will be getting more bang for their buck (note: the site is free).

… Read more

Update: The Man-Ram's car is now up for bidding on eBay.

If you just missed out on buying the grill Boston Red Sox left-fielder Manny Ramirez was hawking on eBay this past spring, maybe you'll have better luck buying his car.

The Boston Herald reports Ramirez will be selling his 2006 Chrysler 300M SRT8 on eBay starting tonight. A quick search of eBay revealed Ramirez hadn't put the car up for bidding at the time of this post.

This isn't your standard-issue Chrysler. Ramirez's custom ride is chromed-out, fitted with 22-inch rims, and has a … Read more