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Does Tony get whacked or what?
The final episode of The Sopranos airs this Sunday. Wanna bet what'll happen? A lot of people have and they're placing those wagers on sites like Bodog.com. (Vegas won't take odds on something that's already happened, if you were wondering.) According to Forbes, Bodog handled more than $7 billion in online bets in 2005, and 95 percent came from the U.S. — where online gambling is now a crime. As for our star crime boss Tony Soprano, the odds right now are 1 to 3 that he lives, 2 to 1 he dies. We're staying out of it.
06/08/07 04:34 AM PT Posted on June 8, 2007 4:34 AM PTIt's a Bollyworld after all
Disney wants to break into the Indian entertainment market. The company is expected today to announce that it has commissioned one of India's oldest film studios to turn the musical magic of Bollywood movies into lucrative full-length cartoons.
Tough critics in China
The third "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie has passed the $500 million mark at the world box office and it just opened in China last Tuesday, taking in more than a million dollars on opening day alone. The Chinese version is a little shorter than the original though. Censors there didn't think the Chinese pirate in the movie was funny -- so they cut a few of his scenes.
06/14/07 07:16 AM PT Posted on June 14, 2007 7:16 AM PTThat's show business...
Forbes Magazine is out with its list of the 100 most powerful celebrities. It's based in large part on how much money they bring in. Oprah is No. 1. Actor Johnny Depp made a big move up to No. 6 with the Pirates of the Caribbean cash cow. And something we can all be thankful for: Paris Hilton was dropped from the list.
06/15/07 04:13 AM PT Posted on June 15, 2007 4:13 AM PTA Blockbuster decision
If you've been holding off on buying one of those next-generation DVD players, waiting to find out which format will win the war, there's news from the electronic industry's front lines this morning.
Blockbuster is expected to announce today that it will rent high-definition DVDs only in the Blu-ray format when it expands its offerings next month at 1450 rental outlets. That's a major setback for the rival HD-DVD format.
In explaining this decision, a Blockbuster executive tells The Associated Press consumers who've been renting limited releases so far have been choosing Blu-ray more than 70 percent of the time, a message he says the rental giant can't ignore.
Sorry, we really did try
We've tried to be a "Paris Hilton-free" zone here at Marketplace, but now they're talkin' money and that's what we're all about. Apparently a whole lotta people are anxiously awaiting that first post-jail interview with Paris Hilton when she's released next week. At least the networks think so. The New York Times reports that ABC offered $100,000 for the privilege, but says NBC made a substantially higher bid, possibly more than $750,000, and will get the first crack.
06/22/07 04:49 AM PT Posted on June 22, 2007 4:49 AM PTEvan just-alrighty
Evan Almighty drifted to the No. 1 slot at the box office with $32 million in opening weekend ticket sales, but the movie about a modern-day Noah's Ark was one of the most expensive comedy productions in Hollywood history with a price tag of about $175 million.
06/25/07 07:11 AM PT Posted on June 25, 2007 7:11 AM PTStarbucks gives Hollywood another shot
With another shoutout to the issue of climate change, Starbucks will promote the National Geographic documentary "Arctic Tale" this summer. It's the story of a polar bear and a walrus adapting to environmental changes because of melting ice.
Starbucks hopes its customers will actually see the movie this time around. Last year the company linked with Hollywood to promote "Akeelah and the Bee," a film about an inner city girl who makes it to a national spelling contest. It got a lukewarm reception at the box office in spite of fun vocabulary-word flash cards from Starbucks.
06/28/07 04:38 AM PT Posted on June 28, 2007 4:38 AM PTMovie marketing d'oh
Over the weekend, 7-Eleven turned a dozen of its stores into Kwik-E-Marts. It's part of a campaign to promote the Simpsons movie, which comes out in a few weeks. You can buy Buzz Cola and Squishees, just like in the show. Even though the Simpsons makes fun of 7-Eleven, the company is paying for the promotion.
07/02/07 04:26 AM PT Posted on July 2, 2007 4:26 AM PTWouldn't ya like to be a Powergeek too?
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is a Powergeek — no, make that the top Powergeek. The father of the iPod has been named the undisputed king of the online music revolution by Blender magazine. The magazine's Powergeek 25 is a list of behind-the-scenes players reshaping the way people listen to, buy and watch music. The creators of MySpace are second and the YouTube founders round out the top three. Perez Hilton was No. 13, which we mention only because he has the entire list on his website.
07/17/07 07:13 AM PT Posted on July 17, 2007 7:13 AM PTGTA IV stuck in the shop
Virtual car thieves are in for a long wait. Take-Two Interactive is postponing the release of Grand Theft Auto IV because the video game's just not ready. It was due out in two months, but now the release has been pushed back to Spring '08. Analysts say this could create ripple effects for the entire video game industry during the holiday selling season. The latest edition of the wildly popular series was expected to drive sales of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Oh no you didn't, AT&T
Pearl Jam isn't happy. Portions of the band's set — part of a Lollapalooza concert sponsored by AT&T — were cut for the version broadcast on the Internet because their lyrics talked about President Bush. The company says the censorship was a mistake made by an overly-zealous Web content person. The band believes this points out the need for Net neutrality, so broadband providers don't have so much control over content.
08/09/07 04:56 AM PT Posted on August 9, 2007 4:56 AM PTLatest Tinseltown deal: Terminated
Yet another casualty of the clampdown on credit: Hollywood. Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank were working on a deal with MGM to finance movies — up to a billion dollars. They were talking about backing a new Terminator film and maybe the next James Bond flick, but the Financial Times reports the banks have pulled out.
08/16/07 05:08 AM PT Posted on August 16, 2007 5:08 AM PTNothing goes with a good wine like... nudity?
A few Napa Valley winegrowers are taking off their clothes to raise money to protect Napa's dwindling farmland. The men of the Napa County Farm Bureau pose among the vines without much else on in the new Napa Uncovered calendar. Clos Du Val vineyard manager Al Wagner is Mr. July. He appears in a cowboy hat, boots and an apron. Wagner says some of the guys had misgivings about the calendar, but in the end they got a good laugh about their naked stand for the land.
Get a Quarterlife
A couple of television's most creative minds are turning to the web.
TV veterans behind shows like "Thirtysomething" and "My So-Called Life" are launching a Web-based program about a group of recent college graduates.
The show, called "Quarterlife," aired once in 2005 as a pilot on ABC but it was pulled because of creative differences between the network and creators Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick. Herskovitz and Zwick hope the show's next premier, on the Internet, will give them the creative freedom they want. Quarterlife debuts on MySpace.com in November.
Music industry hoping not to croak
Something called "Spiral Frog" is hopping onto the music scene in the U.S. and Canada today. It's an ad-supported website that allows visitors to download songs and videos free or charge. Spiral Frog.com has set up deals to pay record companies a cut of its advertising revenue. To deter users from posting copies of songs and videos they get from Spiral Frog, the service requires users to register and log on at least once a month on the site. Otherwise, the content locks up and you can't play it.
09/17/07 05:08 AM PT Posted on September 17, 2007 5:08 AM PTHalo 3 debuts stronger than movies
Microsoft is absolutely glowing about the first-day sales of video game "Halo 3."
Alien-shooting fans helped set an opening day sales record of $170 million. That's not only more than any other video game, but it also beats any movie debut.
To put that into context, even a superhero can't beat that. SpiderMan 3's box office record was $59 million.
Bugs Bunny learning Arabic
Abu Dhabi has done a billion-dollar deal with Warner Brothers. The entertainment company is going to be a giant theme park and theater complex in the Persian Gulf emirate -- and it's created a fund to make Arabic language movies and video games there.
09/27/07 06:58 AM PT Posted on September 27, 2007 6:58 AM PTWhat's Radiohead worth to you?
Radiohead's known for creating innovative music. But this time, the band's drumming up buzz about what will be lacking when the album "In Rainbows" comes out on the 10th. There's no record label and there's no retail price. You'll only be able to buy "In Rainbows" as a digital download through the band's website. And when you start the on-line purchase process a question mark will pop up where you'd normally see a price. Instead, the words "it's up to you" will show up. Really: If you don't want to pay anything at all, "it's up to you."
10/01/07 04:27 AM PT Posted on October 1, 2007 4:27 AM PTWhen the cookie is no longer sweet
The fortune cookie with its optimistic messages has become a staple of the Chinese restaurant. One fortune cookie maker has started to reform those trite little bits of wisdom, with new messages like, "Today is a disastrous day." The maker of the less-cryptic treats is America's largest fortune cookie maker: Wonton Food. The company churns out 4.5 million cookies a day. The company reportedly hopes the cookies will "be a little bit more value-added" with messages like: "It's over your head now. Time to get some professional help."
10/08/07 03:43 AM PT Posted on October 8, 2007 3:43 AM PTHow do you say 'You're fired' in Malay?
The reality TV impresario Mark Burnett may soon be producing an Asian version of "The Apprentice." Burnett has formed a 50-50 joint venture with a gaming group in Singapore to produce game shows and reality TV in Asia. The partners plan to invest $20 million in the firm as part of a 10-year exclusive deal that covers all of Asia except Japan.
10/09/07 06:10 AM PT Posted on October 9, 2007 6:10 AM PTFox News is in business
The new addition to Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp debuts this morning. The channel is attempting to capitalize on a growing market for business news. The channel is set to air some 30 million homes in the U.S. and is attempting to compete with CNBC. Murdoch drafted Roger Ailes, who formerly ran CNBC, to help develop programming at Fox.
10/15/07 05:05 AM PT Posted on October 15, 2007 5:05 AM PTWii taking Sony's sales
It's pretty clear Sony is losing the battle against Nintendo's Wii. So, Sony's cutting the price of the Playstation 3 one more time. A $400 version goes on sale November 2. Is that something you might be interested in? Still, the Wii sells for $250. And the Xbox 360 goes for $300 to $400.
10/18/07 04:47 AM PT Posted on October 18, 2007 4:47 AM PTThe new competition goes wireless-less
Here's one more way to get video from your computer to your TV. SanDisk is entering the competition today. But unlike Apple or TiVo, no wireless home networks involved here. SanDisk will offer an online video service and a USB flash drive that will do the trick. You plug the USB drive in your computer, drag the videos you want into it, and walk over to the TV. The drive connects to the TV through a small dock. Sort of like the way you may carry documents form work to home on a USB stick? The only little problem: for now, the SanDisk service only offers about 85 TV tittles.
10/22/07 04:24 AM PT Posted on October 22, 2007 4:24 AM PTWii got money
Looks like Nintendo's plan to take over the video gaming market are working so far. It's first half of the year profits nearly tripled form a year earlier. The Japanese company is also revising its forecast for the year to about $3.7 billion. And of course, the Nintendo Wii is responsible for all these profits. The latest sign of the console's dominance came earlier this month when the developer of "Monster Hunter," one of those blockbuster games, said it's offering a Wii version. Before, you could only get it for the Sony Playstation.
10/25/07 05:06 AM PT Posted on October 25, 2007 5:06 AM PTLife in Wal-Mart's check-out lane
The Eagles are flying and they have Wal-Mart to thank. The rock band is selling its new album exclusively through the retail giant. Billboard put the Eagles at the top of the sales chart this week.
The two-disc set, "Long Road Out of Eden," is the second-biggest debut of the year -- behind Kanye West's "Graduation" -- with more than 710,000 copies sold last week. Perhaps the bigger deal is Billboard reversed its policy of albums being sold through one retailer as ineligible for published charts.
Hollywood looking for a few good aliens
Who says you have to be beautiful to make it in Hollywood? If you have say, a long neck, large head, or bug eyes, this could be your big break. Paramount Pictures is holding an open casting call tomorrow in Burbank, California for background actors to appear in the new "Star Trek" film. Casting directors are looking for people with unique and interesting facial features.
11/09/07 06:04 AM PT Posted on November 9, 2007 6:04 AM PTLooks like the news is gonna be reruns, too
TV and radio news writers at CBS could soon be walking the picket line with other writers.
About 500 unionized news writers are expected to approve a strike authorization tomorrow.
The CBS News employees are represented by Writers Guild of America East. They've been working under an expired contract since April 2005. Drama and comedy writers are entering the second week of the entertainment industry strike that's shaken network and cable television.
Clothing may not actually have seaweed
A popular yoga clothing retailer may be stretching the truth. Lululemon is a high-end shop with workout gear made of unusual materials like soybeans, bamboo and silver. But the New York Times reports today at least one of the funky ingredients may not be present. The Times commissioned a lab test on a fabric Lululemon says is made with seaweed. The mineral levels of the tested shirt were the same as a cotton t-shirt. Lululemon's been a Wall Street darling since it went public this summer.
11/14/07 04:38 AM PT Posted on November 14, 2007 4:38 AM PTThe Internet can be a royal pain
Apparently pop music start Prince doesn't like the Internet so much anymore. He was the first major artist to distribute an album exclusively online. But the piracy thing is getting to him.
Within the next few days, Prince is expected to start a legal campaign against the website The Pirate Bay. The site is based in Sweden and is best known for helping users find copies of music and movies -- illegal copies, of course. The funny thing is that Prince just gave away two million free copies of his latest album in the U.K. -- with the newspaper.
Don't mistake it for the real Vuitton
Britney a counterfeiter? Not quite her, but someone did counterfeit at Sony BMG. Luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton has won a lawsuit that accused a Britney Spears music video of violating counterfeiting laws. The video showcases a pink Vuitton "Cherry Blossoms" design on the dashboard of a pink Hummer (we're guessing it wasn't the authentic "Cherry Blossoms" Louis Vuitton dashboard). Both Sony BMG and MTV online have to pay a fine of $117,000. They could have bought a couple of Vuitton bags with that money...
11/20/07 04:34 AM PT Posted on November 20, 2007 4:34 AM PTRed Hot Chili Lawsuit
There's a new series on Showtime called "Californication." But that's also the name of a Red Hot Chili Peppers song and 1999 album.The Chili Peppers don't think that's cool. Yesterday, the band sued Showtime for using the name Californication. The show also features a character named "Dani California." That happens to be the title of a Chili Peppers song that came out last year.
11/20/07 05:00 AM PT Posted on November 20, 2007 5:00 AM PTStrike talks resume on several stages
Striking TV and movie writers are set to resume talks with studios and networks today. The Writers Guild of America went on strike November 5 over payment for work that airs on the Internet. Writers want more money when movies and shows are sold to sites like Apple's iTunes. Talks for another showbiz strike are already underway. Broadway stagehands resumed negotiations with theater owners and producers yesterday -- 26 theaters have been dark for more than two weeks. It's estimated the Broadway strike has cost New York City $2 million a day.
11/26/07 04:29 AM PT Posted on November 26, 2007 4:29 AM PTCan Jackie Chan's magnetism stop piracy?
Here's the latest message from movie makers to the people of China: If you buy legal DVD's instead of pirated ones, we'll give you a refrigerator magnet. The Motion Picture Association plans to distribute hundreds of thousands of magnets bearing a message from actor Jackie Chan.
It says, "Thank you for Purchasing Legitimate DVD's. Your action determines the future of the film industry." Chan says he hopes the magnets will encourage people to tell their children that piracy is wrong.
Shanghai Disneyland may come soon
Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy could soon have yet another home. Shanghai is hoping for mainland China's first Disneyland. Reports say the city is waiting for approval of the project by the central government. Walt Disney Company happens to have a sleek new Shanghai office complex.
But company reps have repeatedly said for now the focus has been developing its theme park in Hong Kong which opened a couple years ago. A Shanghai Disneyland could come in time for the city to host the World Expo in 2010.
Nokia's sounding like a good option
Nokia hopes this is music to your ears: free downloads for a year. The company has struck a deal to offer free songs from Universal's entire catalog with the purchase of certain Nokia phones. The service will work through an online music store Nokia started last month, yet another rival to iTunes. It's the next step in Nokia's goal of becoming an Internet company like Google. Universal will get a cut of the phone sales but it's still not clear when the new offer will start.
12/05/07 04:54 AM PT Posted on December 5, 2007 4:54 AM PTWii don't want no strokes
Wii are feeling a little better. That's what some stroke patients are saying after playing the top-selling Nintendo game system. The Ohio State University Medical Center is among rehabilitation centers prescribing Wii-time for people recovering from a variety of traumatic injuries.
The gaming system requires the use of your body, while holding a controller, to determine movement in several games. An occupational therapist at Ohio State says the idea came from a rehab hospital in Alberta, Canada using the Wii with patients.
It's been a long time . . .
Led Zepplin played its first concert in 19 years last night in London. The show was a not-to-be repeated charity benefit for the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund. Ertugen, who died last year, signed Led Zepplin to Atlantic Records in 1968. Billboard reports rampant speculation of additional shows in the New Year. It's estimated Zepplin could rake in $3.2 million per night.
12/11/07 04:41 AM PT Posted on December 11, 2007 4:41 AM PTChina wants U.S. movies screened
Hollywood big-wigs and government officials think China is plotting against American movies. The New York Times reports there's suspicion that U.S. films aren't getting permission anymore to be shown in Chinese theaters. No formal ban has been announced by the Chinese government, but there's speculation the action could be in retaliation to an intellectual property rights case.
The U.S. filed with the World Trade Organization last year to put pressure on China when it comes to pirating U.S. movies, and to give U.S. companies more access to China's markets.
12/12/07 03:02 AM PT Posted on December 12, 2007 3:02 AM PTLittle town of . . . lucky slots
It's the company that helped build hundreds of U.S. warships, the Golden Gate bridge, and New York City's skyline. History buffs have wanted to explore the massive ruins of Bethlehem Steel in Pennsylvania for years. Now, they could have a chance thanks to an $800 million casino going up on the site. About 5 million people a year are expected to visit the the slot-machine complex being built by Las Vegas Sands. That could help provide the economic support t