Yogi Land

Netflix could pay up to one billion dollars for the rights to stream recently-released feature films from Lionsgate, MGM and Paramount in a deal with cable movie channel upstart Epix.

The Los Angeles Times says the deal has been discussed for months but it’s still facing a few hurdles. Not the least of these is the fact that cable providers (which Epix is fighting an uphill battle to woo) would be less inclined to carry Epix if it also offers its content online outside of its own private portal.

However, Epix might do well to place its bets on online media instead of traditional cable in general if it’s in this for the long haul.

If the deal goes through, the LA Times claims it will last five years, help Epix meet its goal of breaking even in 2011 and retain movie studios’ option to also sell and rent their films on iTunes even as they’re showing on Epix. Competing movie channel HBO doesn’t give its partners the same options.

Films currently on Epix include Iron Man, Star Trek, Saw VI, The Cove, and Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Epix has also tried making original material, including a Steve Jobs parody created by a Seinfeld writer.

The LA Times report doesn’t clarify whether or not all titles available on Epix will also be available on Netflix. Netflix could definitely use the influx of current, mainstream movies; many of the Hollywood blockbusters it streams today are provided by a similar deal with the cable movie channel Starz.

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Reviews: iTunes

More About: cable, deal, Epix, Film, films, hbo, itunes, Lionsgate, MGM, Movies, netflix, Paramount, starz, streaming video, television, tv, video, watch instantly

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We had a chance to visit the Dream House in Los Angeles that the cast of Simon Fuller’s Hulu reality show If I Can Dream calls home. We got a sneak peak at the significant technology powering the show as well as a tour of the house from the talent themselves.

We’ve been following the If I Can Dream project since its inception as the first direct-to-Hulu original series. The show, helmed by the creator of American Idol, follows the lives of a group of young Hollywood hopefuls as they navigate the trials and tribulations of the entertainment industry.

Earlier, we got a chance to see firsthand how the series is put together at the show’s DREAM Studio command center; we also got to meet the cast and find out a bit about what it’s like to live a life online and on camera 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Check out the video below for a window into the technology integrated into both the Dream House (including the Twitter TV!) as well as the Ford Fiesta used by the cast to whisk them off to rehearsals, acting classes, gigs, photo shoots and even the occasional date.

More About: 19 entertainment, american idol, Hollywood, hulu, If I Can Dream, IICD, Simon Fuller, technology, television, tv, twitter

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According to a presentation made by European Sony executive Mike Hawking, 3D Blu-ray support will be added to the PlayStation 3 in a firmware upgrade this September, and support for 3D YouTube will come within the next 12 months. You’ll eventually be able to use the console to show off photos taken with 3D cameras, too.

CVG quoted Hawking saying that the PS3 already has all the hardware it needs to handle 3D games and videos thanks to its compatibility with the HDMI 1.4 connection. The console can detect the size and 3D hardware in any TV it’s connected to, so it can be adapted to support most new 3D technologies with simple software or firmware updates.

Rival Microsoft hasn’t announced any plans to go 3D with the rival Xbox 360 console, but the hand-held Nintendo 3DS has a screen that shows 3D images without requiring the player to wear special glasses.

Market researchers believe that plenty of 3D TVs will show up in consumers’ living rooms over the next few years, so Sony might be making a smart move by getting in to the game ahead of its competitors.

Sony already updated the console with support for 3D games, but there are only a few on the market currently.

[via Joystiq]

More About: 3D, blu-ray, firmware, playstation 3, PS3, software update, sony

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MTV is using a novel approach to generate buzz for their upcoming new television series The Hard Times of RJ Berger: the company is launching a casual game that will tie into the show via episodic content.

The “Chain of Thought” game centers on the theme that it’s “difficult to talk to one’s crush.” Players get points and level up by completing “conversation challenges” in which objects must be connected in the correct order to produce a sentence that elicits a positive response from the crush character. The game introduces new users to the show about an unpopular 15-year-old boy who deals with a sudden influx of newfound popularity at school and wants to figure out how to talk to his object of affection, Jenny.

The title also features a “build mode” that brings in an aspect of user-generated content. Players are invited to set up their own conversation challenges along with positive or negative responses, and see them played out in a level of their own creation. The idea is to help break the ice with an actual crush or at least have fun with a friend who knows about the situation — and MTV hopes that aspect of the game will encourage players to virally share it with their friends.

We spoke with VP of MTV Digital Colin Helm and Supervising Producer at MTV Digital Tom Akel about the project and wanted to know what led to the idea behind introducing a game before the series launch. Early on the team was looking for a way to “raise awareness outside of what we normally do.” As one of the first scripted shows that MTV has produced in some time, they had the benefit of a longer lead time with available assets including visuals and scripts. Using a viral casual game to promote a television series seemed like a timely play in the context of interactive digital entertainment.

As the TV show progresses, new “episodes” of the game will be unveiled as well, featuring actual dialogue and plot themes from the series. This type of tight integration between a television show and its companion game is a novel approach to episodic content, and we’ll be interested to see how much repeat interest is generated from the series to the game and vice versa.

The game itself is live now, so if you have a chance to check it out on MTV.com be sure to let us know what you think in the comments. The Hard Times of RJ Berger series itself premieres on June 6 at 11 p.m., and you can check out a trailer to get a sense of the show as well.

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Tags: casual games, facebook, games, Hard Times of RJ Berger, mtv, MTV Digital, tv

Betty White hosted Saturday Night Live Last night, realizing the dreams of more than 500,000 Facebook users. Reception from fans and critics alike was mostly positive, and a day later White’s gig is leading Google searches and Twitter conversations.

The episode also gathered SNL its highest overnight ratings in 18 months.

NBC and Hulu have both posted videos from the various sketches that ran during the show, plus some backstage peeks, promos, and web-exclusive sketches from the dress rehearsal. We’ve gathered all the videos we could find and brought them into one place for you to enjoy.

The episode was hosted by White, but it also played host to numerous female luminaries from Saturday Night Live’s past, including Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Amy Poehler and more. You’ll see them reprise classic roles in several of the videos below. Note that these NBC and Hulu-hosted videos are only viewable in the United States.

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Full Episode

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Betty White’s Monologue About Facebook

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NPR: Betty White’s Muffin

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Lawrence Welk Cold Open

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Weekend Update Favorites: 5/8/2010

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MacGruber, With Betty White As Grandmother

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Gingey

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Scared Straight

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Really?!? with Seth, Amy & Tina

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Census

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Update: Sally O’Malley & Dotty O’Donaghan (Also Featuring Betty White)

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The Manuel Ortiz Show

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Web Exclusive: Car Bomb Press Conference

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Web Exclusive: Bronx Beat

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Web Exclusive: Debbie Downer

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Web Exclusive: Joyologist

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Betty White on SNL Promo #1

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Betty White on SNL Promo #2

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Betty White on SNL Promo #3

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Interview: “This Is Frickin’ Betty White”

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Reviews: Facebook, Hulu, Twitter

Tags: amy poehler, betty white, comedy, nbc, rachel dratch, saturday night live, seth meyers, snl, television, tina fey, tv, video

The folks at Babelgum, who scored an Internet hit earlier this month with “Glee Explained in 60 Seconds,” are out with another timely video that’s making the rounds today: “Little Kids Reenact The Hills” (a theme the video site previously explored with “Little Jersey Shore“).

The video – a parody of the MTV “scripted reality” show that has its season premiere tonight – features little kids playing the show’s main cast of characters with references that will be all too familiar to those that watch (admittedly or not) Kristin and company.

From the banal dialogue at LA lunch hotspots to the incestuous relationships between characters to Audrina’s inability to make eye contact, this parody pretty much nails everything you need to know about “The Hills.” It even includes the product placement musical overlays that the show uses as it cuts between scenes. Enjoy:

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Tags: Babelgum, mtv, television, the hills, tv

The YouTube Store has a much more impressive library than it did during its January trial period, including a few classics like Reservoir Dogs and recent critical hit Precious. The Cove — one of the original five — is currently the most popular film in the library.

If you’re interested in trying out the service, rentals range from $0.99 to $3.99, and the rental periods vary. Some pages say 24 hours, while others say 72. When the service initially launched, it only had five Sundance films, which only drew in $10,709 during the 10-day run. The New York Times deduced that figure by counting the number of views on each of the five films, but you can’t do that now — view counts are hidden.

Niche content like Bollywood movies and Japanese animation TV shows still place prominently in the lists of popular content — evidence that while the site does have some mainstream options now, they still don’t match what Amazon, iTunes and Netflix offer. We find it curious that while iTunes and Amazon sell TV episodes for $0.99, the episodes on YouTube are just for rent.

NewTeeVee contacted the site and asked about the new content, which went up with little fanfare. A spokesperson told them: “When we announced YouTube Rentals in January we said we would be creating a destination after more partners joined the program. To date, we have nearly 500 partners that have joined our Rental program.”

Five hundred partners looks like a good number, but the YouTube Store still feels like a trial run because the content library isn’t competitive. Try it out and let us know what you think.

[via ReadWriteWeb]

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Tags: Film, Google, Movies, News, rentals, television, tv, youtube, youtube store

Tonight is the night: the Second Annual Streamy Awards show will be kicking off at downtown Los Angeles’s historic Orpheum Theater this evening to honor the best of the best in web video and web series. We have the complete list of nominees as well as the audience choice finalists, and will be on the ground at tonight’s event to witness the final winners unveiled.

If you’re not able to attend the show in person though, you’ve got the next best thing — tune in for the live stream of the Streamys using the player below, which will convert to the live player beginning at 5:20 p.m. PST in advance of the 5:30 p.m. show start.

Who are your favorite nominees and your top winner picks? Once the show gets underway, be sure to let us know your thoughts on the ultimate winners as they’re announced.

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Streamy Awards Live Stream

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Tags: live video, streamy awards, streamys, video, web series, Web TV