Do you believe teh world will end in 2012? just like the LHC, Y2K,

Oh and What happened to the world-network-crippling Conficker?

heh

And Who can forget ‘The day after Tomorrow’ where the world began an ice-age from an idiot who managed to drill a hole into the Antarctic ice and half the shelf broke off (huge block of ice moving towards civilization pushing all the water) — and somehow was linked to “Climate Change”

I don’t think its healthy for h-wood to profit from people’s paranoia

But thats Show Business, baby!

So what got Andrew aka Comeoncomecast all wired?

A post by Benjamin Radford, LiveScience’s Bad Science columnist, on 10 forecasts of doom that didn’t come to pass.

Number 1? »»»

The Prophet Hen of Leeds, 1806
History has countless examples of people who have proclaimed that the return of Jesus Christ is imminent, but perhaps there has never been a stranger messenger than a hen in the English town of Leeds in 1806. It seems that a hen began laying eggs on which the phrase “Christ is coming” was written. As news of this miracle spread, many people became convinced that doomsday was at hand — until a curious local actually watched the hen laying one of the prophetic eggs and discovered someone had hatched a hoax.

In the middle »»»

Pat Robertson, 1982
In May 1980, televangelist and Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson startled and alarmed many when — contrary to Matthew 24:36 (”No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven…”) he informed his “700 Club” TV show audience around the world that he knew when the world would end. “I guarantee you by the end of 1982 there is going to be a judgment on the world,” Robertson said.

And Number 10 »»»

God’s Church Ministry, Fall 2008
According to God’s Church minister Ronald Weinland, the end times are upon us– again. His 2006 book “2008: God’s Final Witness” states that hundreds of millions of people will die, and by the end of 2006, “there will be a maximum time of two years remaining before the world will be plunged into the worst time of all human history. By the fall of 2008, the United States will have collapsed as a world power, and no longer exist as an independent nation.” As the book notes, “Ronald Weinland places his reputation on the line as the end-time prophet of God.”

Now you don’t know.

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LiveScience – 10 Failed Doomsday Predictions, November 8, 2009

Or not.

But wherever he is, he’s long gone. And now it looks as though the studio, in the hole to the tune of $3.7 billion, may itself may be on its way.

Now, among those “mentioned as potential candidates to buy MGM”, says BusinessWeek, are Warner Brothers, Fox and (appropriatey ) Lions Gate.

The studios are “said to be primarily interested in getting their hands on MGM’s 4,000-title film library, the Bond franchise and MGM’s rights (along with Warner) to make the Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit”.

Other potentially interested buyers could be former News Corp. president Peter Chernin and one-time Yahoo CEO Terry Semel, a former Warner Brothers studio chairman, the story adds.

(Cheers, Andrew aka Comeoncomcast )

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BusinessWeek – MGM Creditors May Press for an Auction, November 11, 2009

Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony Music’s once powerful extortion arm is slowly being relegated to obscurity now its sue’ em all campaign has been replaced by the global Three Strikes and You’re Off The Net scheme.

But now, “HBO Films is developing a movie based on the book ‘Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age’ by music journalist Steve Knopper,” says the Hollywood Reporter, as Zeropaid points out.

“The book covers some 30yrs of the music industry’s missteps beginning with the disco craze back in the late 1970s, through the CD craze of the late 1980s and 1990s, its battle with Shawn Fanning’s Napster in the late 1990s and other P2P applications since then, to the rise of digital downloads replacing physical CD sales,” it says, going on »»»

It should be a good movie to watch if for no other reason than to see precisely how short-sighted and ignorant the music industry really is. Every time a consumer seems to want a product or service its response is automatically no and only has a change of heart when declining sales force its hand.

It was true of digital downloads, streaming music, and DRM.

Add to that the fact that all along the way, to this very day, suing file-sharing customers has been an essential component of its overall business strategy.

Rumours that Danny DeVito will be cast as Mitch Bainwol, with Red Skelton as Cary Sherman, should probably be discounted.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Hollywood Reporter – HBO adapting record biz’s ‘Self-Destruction’, November 2, 2009
Zeropaid- HBO Making RIAA “Self-Destruction” Film, November 9, 2009

Called Voddler, it was founded in Stockholm in 2005 but now has 70,000 registered users, as well as a queue of more than 200,000 people who’ve requested an invitation to join, says The Local, going on:

“Voddler aims to provide a legal alternative to file sharing pirated films that still allows customers the chance to watch whatever they want, whenever they want, for little or no cost.”

While it isn’t the only company in Sweden offering streaming movies, it’s the only one offering movies for free, it says.

Next week Voddler plans to launch a pay-per-view service which to allow users to pay to view premium content, and in January it’ll start offering monthly subscriptions, the story says adding:

“Voddler also recently launched a version of its service for Mac users, and Slavic said that an iPhone application is in the works.”

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

The Local – Swedes scramble to join new online movie service, November 11, 2009

It “follows my good friend, Pat Spurgeon (the drummer in Rogue Wave)” who, despite a failing kidney and a three-year search for a donor, “keeps his dreams of being a professional musician alive doing dialysis in the Econoline, backstage and in friend’s living rooms,” says Adam, going on:

“The film takes many emotional twists and turns.  But at the end it’s a deeply inspiring story about friends, family, and how our individual  decisions can save lives.

“With us on the precipice of healthcare reform, the film puts a human face on many of the issues we’ve probably lost track of in all the politics.”

Pat’s been battling kidney issues all his life and is curently on a six-year waiting list.

D Tour D tour is now available for pre-order on DVD which’ll begin shipping in January, says the site, adding buyers will get an “immediate download of ‘Positive Hero Worship’ by Rogue Wave, featuring Japonize Elephants, from the official soundtrack and closing credits.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

November, 2009

Soon-to-be-gone MPAA boss Dan Glickman says the anti-piracy effort is “the option” for people “to enjoy movies in a more timely fashion”.

“If the FCC agrees, the MPAA and the movie studios it represents (Paramount, Sony, Fox, Universal, Disney, and Warner Brothers) would be able to ‘turn off’ any output plug they choose, like those on the back of consumer electronics devices of an entertainment system, during special video-on-demand movies on cable television,” said Public Knowledge last year.

Not only but also, if you use a TiVo, any Slingbox, or a TV manufactured before 2004; connect your TV to your cable box with analog cables (either component or composite); or, have a TV without a digital connection, such as HDMI, you’ll probaby have to replace much if not all of your existing entertainment system, it said.

Nor are consumers the only ones under threat.

There’s “no definition of  ‘a more timely fashion’ — something that theater owners have demanded,” says IMDb, going on:

As of now films are not made available for home viewing until four months after their theatrical run. And, in an interview with today’s (Thursday) Los Angeles Times, John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners, said that while his group doesn’t oppose the use of Soc, he objects to the fact that the MPAA isn’t “telling the FCC or anyone else how early they want to go, so there’s no way of telling what the impact is on the cinema industry and our consumers.”

But, it adds, “industry analysts have observed that the barn door was already unlocked by peer-to-peer technology, which has made bootlegged versions of movies available online at about the same time they are released in theaters — or even earlier.”

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Soon-to-be-gone – MPAA boss pressures UK on 3 strikes scheme, October 26, 2009
IMDb – MPAA Asks FCC For Permission To Launch New Technology, November 5, 2009

And the votes, says Reuters, “came from the very people who made her a star, tweens and teens”.

“Cyrus, 16, took 42 percent of votes in the poll for AOL’s JSYK.com (Just So You Know) website aimed at 9-15 year-olds, pushing Britney Spears and rapper Kanye West into second and third places, respectively, in a section on worst celebrity influences of the year,” it says, going on:

“No reasons were given for the poor showing of the singer-actress and the popular star of Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana” television series.

“But the ranking follows a year which has seen Cyrus controversially dating a 20 year-old model, making ’slant eyes’ in an informal snapshot criticized as mocking Asians, and being accused of pole-dancing on a teen awards show.”

Elsewhere, the story adds, “the stars of vampire movies ‘Twilight’ and its forthcoming sequel ‘New Moon’ dominated the JSYK.com poll.”

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Reuters – Miley Cyrus voted worst celebrity influence of ‘09, October 29, 2009

That’s Boston Herald critic Mark A. Perigard on Barry Levinson’s documentry Poliwood, centering on the convergence of celebrity and politics.

He’s quoted in IMDb which says the film includes a look Susan Sarandon, Spike Lee, Ellen Burstyn, Tim Daly, Anne Hathaway and the late Ron Silver.

Levinson, “attempts to show not only what happens when celebrities come together with politicians but also with ordinary folks,” says the story. But, “Most critics suggest that the result is confusing,” it says, going on »»»

The Wall Street Journal’s Dorothy Rabinowitz comments that Levinson presents “a tonnage of vague pronouncements.” Ellen Gray in the Philadelphia Daily News remarks that “for all the eye-rolling that goes on as noncelebrities weigh in on what they believe is Hollywood’s undue influence, Poliwood doesn’t pack much of a punch.”

And  in the New York Times, Alessandra Stanley says, “Poliwood feeds our prurient fascination with celebrities’ fascination with politics …”

Now you know.

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IMDb – Movie Stars Featured In Levinson Documentary, November 2, 2009

So says the CBC.

Azhar is Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 11, and Rubina is Rubina Ali, 10, and they both starred Slumdog Millionaire.

But they could lose their “monthly stipend “unless they go to school at least 70% of the time, the story has Noshir Dadrawala, “who helps administer the Jai Ho trust for the two young stars,” saying, going on »»»

The Jai Ho trust was established to provide an education, living allowance and housing for Azhar, who played the young Salim, and Rubina, who played young Latika in the Oscar-winning film.

The warning to the families about school attendance follows a visit to India by director Danny Boyle, who has faced criticism over the living conditions of the children.

Both lived in a Mumbai shantytown, but Azhar and his mother have moved into an apartment paid for by trust fund money.

Rubina’s family still lives in the slum and her father has turned down offers of apartments, saying the budget was not enough to cover the costs.

The Jai Ho Trust was founded to provide a living allowance and housing for the child stars, who grew up in Mumbai’s real-life slums and both experienced having their family shacks demolished this year, says Times Online, quoting Dadrawala as blaming busy work schedules for their truancy.

“They are constantly going to Paris and Cochin and Chennai,” he said. “That’s fine, but go over the weekend, not at the sacrifice of school.”

He said the trust had ruled the children will lose their monthly payments of about $120 each “if their school attendance drops below 70 per cent” and if they’ll lose a “lump sum” if they fail to attend school until the age of 18, the story says, adding:

“The filmmakers have refused to reveal the amount of the lump sum payment, but have said it is ’significant’.”

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CBC - Slumdog child stars truant from school, October 29, 2009
Times Online – Slumdog stars risk losing trust fund by playing truant, October 29, 2009

Yesterday, p2pnet pointed out MPAA Bob Pisano is in England to suggest traffic throttling rather than outright disconnection  is the way to deal with alleged ‘illegal’ file sharers, with Rupert Murdoch’s Times Online acting as the conveyor of this news.

According to Hollywood’s MPAA — and Lynton — camcording criminals are to blame.

However, although you won’t see it mentioned in the mainstream media — or by Lynton — leaks of  screeners, work prints, preview releases and other movie industry  ‘product’ show up on the P2P networks all the time, thanks people working in one capacity or another for the studios.

Not only but also, the many millions of DVDs routinely pumped out for retail sale serve as templates for organised criminal counterfeiters and duplicators who sell the results on underground and black markets, as well as the street corners and flea markets of the world, as p2pnet has often noted.

Now, “Our film Michael Jackson’s This Is It opens almost everywhere in the world tomorrow,” Lynton writes, you guessed it, in Times Online.

With millions of Jackson fans on every continent, it wouldn’t make sense to do otherwise,” he says, going on »»»

But there’s another reason why simultaneous worldwide releases of big movies make sense: piracy. If Sony released it only in the US on Wednesday, by late Thursday it would be camcorded, uploaded on to the internet and available free to anyone with a broadband connection.

Unfortunately ‘day-and-date’ releasing doesn’t solve the problem of piracy. Many ‘art house’ or independent films cannot afford to open globally. They have to start in just a few cinemas in one nation. When such movies are stolen, it hurts their chances of building an international audience — robbing film-makers of entire markets where stolen versions of their work have proliferated online.

So the net is bad, BAAAAAD !!!

Then we get to the nitty gritty.

“The film industry has to change quickly, and we are working hard to do that,” Lynton says, adding, “to build the kind of marketplace that allows us to innovate and take advantage of the opportunities that digital distribution opens, we need help from those who make and enforce intellectual property laws.”

But, “I’m not talking about state-imposed preservation of the status quo,” he says, although that is, of course, exactly what he’s talking about.

Meanwhile, “but I do support proposals that target people who persistently upload content for illegal file sharing, so that they can be warned by their ISP to stop, or face temporary suspension of their account,” he states.

Who’ll be next to chime in?

Stay tuned.

Jon Newton – p2pnet

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

p2pnet – Major Hollywood ‘anti-piracy’ shake up, October 19, 2009
p2pnet – MPAA boss pressures UK on 3 strikes scheme, October 26, 2009

Hold that thought.

“A generation has been taught by TV chefs to aim high in their cuisine, but some people are taking it further and opening mini-restaurants in their living rooms,” said the BBC in September, going on »»»

What underground restaurants have in common, though, is the chance for amateur chefs to test their skills for a paying public and an emphasis on eating as a social experience.

One of the first to open her home to hungry strangers was Ms Marmite Lover, who does not want to give her real name. As well as hosting regular dinners, she reviews venues and is writing a book about underground dining.

She says the emphasis on eating communally is what makes underground restaurants special.

Back to Harry, now a Harry Potter-themed dinner at Mrs Marmite Lover’s, “has been banned by Warner Brothers, because they say it infringes its copyright,” says the Telegraph, going on:

“The not-for-profit event, which has been renamed ‘Generic Wizard Night’, was to have a menu of dandelion wine, pumpkin soup and Dumbledore’s favourite – mint humbugs. Guests would have been led down ‘Diagon Alley’ by the side of the house and been met by a portrait of the “Fat Lady” who would have demanded a password before they could be let in.”

Fun, and free PR for Warner.

But ‘Screw You, Mrs M,’ said Warner in effect, stating in a letter »»»

Dear Ms Marmite Lover. While we are delighted you are such a fan of the Harry Potter series, unfortunately your proposed use of the Harry Potter properties … without our consent would amount to an infringement of Warner’s rights.

However, “Other companies have welcomed their brands being used in Ms Marmite’s themed evenings,” says the Telegraph, adding:

“When she hosted a Marmite-themed dinner, rather than sending her a warning letter, Marmite made sure she was fully stocked up with plenty of Marmite – all for free.”

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

BBC – Bite club, September 27, 2009
Telegraph – Harry Potter themed dinner banned for ‘infringing copyright’, October 25, 2009

“I think I’m funny.”

But he probably isn’t laughing now.

The major movie studios are revamping their antipiracy policy, firing executives and renaming their efforts as ‘content protection,’ p2pnet reported yesterday.

Was he among those receiving the Order of the Goonah?

He recently, “met with several of the MPAA member company studio executives, as he often does,” CNET News had an MPAA spokeswoman saying, adding, “During those meetings he reconfirmed his plans to continue in his role as chairman and CEO through the remainder of his contract. They welcomed that commitment and expressed their continued confidence in him.”

But now, he says he’s “stepping down when his contract is up next September,” says the Los Angeles Times.

“Rumours that Mitch ‘The Don’ Bainwol has already put his bid in should probably be discounted, but if he does replace The Joker, Glickman reportedly tried for the RIAA top job when Hilary Rosen was fir — sorry, resigned — but had to settle instead for the MPAA,” said p2pnet.

And while we wait to fnd out who the next Hollywood joker will be, perks,  depending on expertise, include an annual salary that can reach seven figures,” says the LA Times, adding »»»

“Current job holder was making $1.2 million per the 2007 Form 990 filed with the IRS, but this is a different economy. Probably can get you season tickets to Redskins although, frankly, if you are applying for this job you should already have them.  Also, use of MPAA screening room, trips to Hollywood, invitations to premieres and even a few minutes in the spotlight during the annual Oscar telecast. Oh wait, scratch that last one. We’re really trying to tighten the show these days but we will pan to you sitting and smiling in the audience.

Drawbacks?

“Long hours. Multiple bosses with multiple personality disorders.”

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The Joker – New MPAA boss a comedian, July 4, 2004
p2pnet – Major Hollywood ‘anti-piracy’ shake up, October 19, 2009
CNET News – MPAA: Antipiracy is now ‘content protection’, October 16, 2009
Los Angeles Times – Help Wanted: Hollywood’s lobbyist must have deft people skills, pursue pirates, October 19, 2009
p2pnet – MPAA boss Dan Glickman: on his way out, April 3, 2009 at

Clearly, the auld grey heads who run Time-Warner, Fox, Disney, Columbia, Paramount and MGM haven’t been near the P2P networks, lately. There, the sharing of movies continues to be prolific, thanks to a significant extent to Hollywood insiders who supply screeners, work prints, preview releases and other ‘product’ for online consumption.

On top of that, the many millions of DVDs routinely pumped out for retail sale serve as templates for organised criminal counterfeiters and duplicators who sell the results on underground and black markets, as well as the street corners and flea markets of the world.

The statement in the intro comes from CNET News which says Hollywood has been forced to rethink its strategy with respect to ‘illegal’ file sharing, firing some of its most senior executives in the process.

It also seems Hollywood will be following the lead of the major record labels who’ve mounted a massive, mega-million-dollar international campaign to ‘persuade’ governments to act as enforcement agencies, and local ISPs as copyright cops with their own customers as targets.

And the term ‘antipiracy’ is to be abandoned in favour of the less emotive phrase ‘content protection,’  says the story.

The six major studios are, “apparently dissatisfied with the way their trade group has waged war on illegal file sharing,” it states, going on at least “three leaders of its antipiracy operations have been fired”.

Among them was MPAA general counsel Greg Goeckner, who must be gone by the end of the year. The others are the director of worldwide antipiracy operations, and th deputy director of Internet antipiracy. Goeckner will remain with the MPAA until the end of the year.

Additional MPAA staffers received a pink slips as part of a “dramatic restructuring of the piracy-fighting operations, says the story, saying Daniel Mandil, an MPAA senior executive vice president, is now general counsel and chief of content protection. He’ll oversee the enforcement  unit’s combined legal and antipiracy efforts.

“The reshuffling at the highest levels of the MPAA’s antipiracy efforts will undoubtedly be seen as a black eye for MPAA CEO Dan Glickman,” says the story, continuing:

“Hollywood fears that the pirating of movies will become as common as the illicit sharing of music files. Studio insiders say they know that the answer isn’t lawsuits but the hope is that Comcast, AT&T, Time Warner, and other bandwidth providers will help them thwart file sharing at the network level. So far, though, the music and film industries have failed to get the major ISPs very involved.”

What of Dan ‘The Joker’ Glickman, the man who took over from deceased MPAA boss Jack Valenti?

It seems he too is on his way out.

But this isn’t news.

As p2pnet pointed out the back in April,  quoting Nikki Finke in Deadline Hollywood, studio bosses were unhappy with Glickman, their discontent centering, “on the fact he’s a bad and boring speaker who has not repped the movie business well in Washington”.

Now “whispers” say Glickman, ” hasn’t been very effective since taking over at the MPAA in 2004,” says CNet.

He recently, “met with several of the MPAA member company studio executives, as he often does,” it has an MPAA spokeswoman  the saying, adding.

“During those meetings he reconfirmed his plans to continue in his role as chairman and CEO through the remainder of his contract. They welcomed that commitment and expressed their continued confidence in him.”

Stay tuned.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

CNET News – MPAA: Antipiracy is now ‘content protection’, October 16, 2009
p2pnet – MPAA boss Dan Glickman: on his way out, April 3, 2009
Deadline Hollywood – Studios Plan To Replace MPAA’s Glickman, March 27, 2009

But through their MPAA, the major studios insist their problems centre on kids with camcorders of the kind made by Sony, one of the loudest complainers.

Nowadays, you can’t go to the cinema without fear of being hassled by an eager usher with night vision specs, or having staff rummage through your personal property looking for recording devices.

In Canada, a Montreal theatre owner was ordered to pay a woman $10,000 after an employee rifled through her handbag, said p2pnet, going on instead of a camcorder to be used for ‘pirating,’ the employee found only, ’smuggled snacks and birth control pills’.”

Now, things are escalating — in the UK, at least.

Jeremy Nicholas blogs he was refused access to a Cineworld theatre because he had a laptop in his bag, going on, “I was told it was a new policy to stop people recording the films. I pointed out that my laptop does not have the capability of recording a film. It does not have a camera on it for a start.”

“I have a few things to say to Cineworld,” he adds, among them »»»

1.  If you treat your customers like this, they will go elsewhere.

2.  There are many more efficient ways of recording a film than via the webcam on a laptop.

3.   Many people carry a laptop or netbook these days. They will not all go straight home from work, some may come straight to the movies.

But, “The good news is after treating me like a a potential villain they let me in, and with my laptop,” he says.

Do you think the fact he’s a journalist and not an ordinary member of the public had anything to do with the change in attitude?

No need to stay tuned.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

originate in Hollywood - Camcording Pirates versus Infra-red, September 23, 2009
p2pnet - Cinema search victim gets $10,000, June 1, 2009
Jeremy Nicholas - I was refused entry to a Cineworld cinema because I had a laptop with me, October 14, 2009

They were, “allegedly made sterile after Dole sprayed them with a banned pesticide,” as The Local phrased it.

Dole is the “leading grower and packer” of such food items as bananas, pineapples, grapes, strawberries, and other fresh and frozen fruits, says the Wikipedia.

The company sued Swedish filmmaker Fredrik Gertten, claiming the documentary was inaccurate and defamatory.

However, Dole has now dropped the case, says The Local.

“It’s a really positive development,” he story has Gertten saying, adding:

“It’s thanks to the support we’ve received.”

“A court in the US was going to rule on the matter in two weeks. I suspect that Dole realized they had a weak case. They probably thought it was best to pull back before the trial.”

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went bananas – Bananas!* vs the Dole Food Company, October 1, 2009
The Local – Swedish MPs back filmmaker’s battle with US food giant, October 1, 2009
The Local – Dole drops Bananas!* lawsuit, October 15, 2009

“In 1973, the first Russian cosmonaut on the Moon is unable to make his way back and is declared missing in Space. However, through ghostly radio messages, he claims to have come back to Earth and found it empty, not a living soul. His unreal presence and voice will little by little destroy the world of his loved ones.”

If the quotes above look like clips from a sci-fi movie promo, that’s because because they are.

“Hello,” says an email from Pol Rodríguez. “I am writing you because, since P2P is about free information and media, I think you could be interested in the latest
project of the independent cinematographic company where I work, Riot Cinema
Collective.”

Interesting.

“A SCI-FI feature film produced by lots of people (like YOU) starting from 2€. Licenced as Creative Commons so that you can edit it, copy it, remix it and share it as your wish. For Free.

“Поехали!.”

So it says on the web site for The Cosmonaut.

In his email, Pol goes on »»»

Directors from everywhere in the world have been looking for years for alternative models of funding, exhibition and distribution that actually work in this new scene, and in some way our project, called “The Cosmonaut”, is our contribution to this debate. The Cosmonaut is a full length sci-fi film project financed with crowdfunding (the public itself produces the movie, amongst other sources ), and its premiere will be free, in HD, on the internet and under a Creative Commons License.

The film tells the story of the first Russian cosmonaut sent to the moon. He disappears, but eventually, radio messages from him are received. In them, he claims he has come back to earth, finding it empty.We already have the support from various institutions and personalities, such as *Sergey Volkov* (a Russian Cosmonaut) *J.L. Ruiz de Gopegui*(theformer director of NASA Programs in Spain),*Richard Stallman* (founder of the GNU and Free Software Foundation), or the *Laboratory for Experimentation in Space and Microgravity*, as well as lots of other people and entities, that can be seen in http://www.thecosmonaut.org.

(A funny fact: thanks to this collaborations, for example, everyone who contributes to the film participates in a prize draw for an authentic cosmonaut suit!)

From its beginning, the project seeks the creation of a closer relation withits audience and invites everyone to participate in the different stages of the film production. As said, it is mainly funded through crowdfunding and non-invasive publicity, and everyone who decides to get involved (from a minimum inversion of two euros) becomes a producer, being a member of ourcommunity “K Program” and always receiving something in exchange.

The premiere of the film (in spanish with english subtitles) will be in the internet, for everyone, for free, and in HD.

All the material created until now and everything there is to come is, andwill always be, under a Creative Commons License, so anyone can access it,copy it, remix it, and redistribute it, even commercially.

And – a very important point to us – we always keep a premise oftransparency.

We uploaded our site on the begining of this summer and we are surprisedwith the general response. We already have more than 1000 producers and the 65% of the funds we need and every day more and more producers and collaborators from all areas  decide to join or work with us.

If you check it out you’ll find a short version of the script, a project dossier http://s268192870.mialojamiento.es/The_Cosmonaut.pdf, a press kitand some more information. There’s also a blog called Diario de abordo http://elcosmonauta.es/blog/(OnboardDiary).

We have not had the time to translate all  the posts to the English version yet, but it’s very active.

There’s a short video about the project. BUT —-  it’s in rapid-fire Spanish. ;p http://www.vimeo.com/4652176

Definitely stay tuned.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

October, 2009

But it isn’t about bananas.  It’s about freedom of speech — about, “efforts by Los Angeles trial lawyer Juan Dominguez to represent fruit workers allegedly made sterile after Dole sprayed them with a banned pesticide,” says The Local.

The Dole Food Company is a US-based agricultural multinational headquartered in California. It’s the “leading grower and packer” of such food items as bananas, pineapples, grapes, strawberries, and other fresh and frozen fruits, says the Wikipedia.

The company, “recently filed a lawsuit against Fredrik Gertten, the Swedish filmmaker behind the movie, claiming the film is inaccurate and defamatory toward the company,” says The Local, going on:

“The food giant was also successful in blocking a previously scheduled screening of the film in Los Angeles.

“Dole’s actions caused two Swedish parliamentarians, Mats Johansson of the Moderate Party and Social Democrat Luciano Astudillo, to schedule a screening of the film in a show of support for Gertten.”

But, “Right now, there is a legal process in the United States where questions about free speech are being pushed to its limits,” say the chairmen of Sveriges Television (the Swedish public service television), Producentföreningen (the Swedish Film & TV Producers Association) and Svenska Filminstitutet (the Swedish Film Institute) on the Bananas!* blog.

Their comments came in an editorial in in Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter.

“Should it be possible, in a democratic society, to prohibit the screening of a documentary criticizing a major company?” – they ask. “Should a company be able to stop the criticism in advance and stifle discussion and debate?”

In the OpEd, Lars Engqvist, Sveriges TV, Björn Rosengren, Producentföreningen, and Håkan Tidlund, Svenska Filminstitutet, continue, in part »»»

Dole’s lawsuit concerns the very basic principles of freedom of expression.

In a globalized world, where economic and political interests moves freely across national borders, free speech must also be global and without frontiers.

A Swedish film crew must have the freedom to examine the actions of a large American company in another country, and must be able to put forward their criticism to public examination and debate.

The foundations of an open society are poisoned when journalists, writers, artists and filmmakers have to work under the threat of being sued every time a financially strong party is examined.

If companies, public institutions or organizations believe that they are subjected to false or unfounded criticism, they all have the option and means to respond in an open discussion. To prohibit a critical examination is a serious restriction of free speech.

We urge Dole Food to withdraw their lawsuit and instead acknowledge our open society and freedom of expression.

Stay tuned.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

The Local – Swedish MPs back filmmaker’s battle with US food giant, October 1, 2009

That’s p2pnet reader Andrew in an email from Oz.

He’s talking about a Reuters report which reckons the Hollywood studios are “warming” to the net.

heh. Took them  long enough.

The story has Stephen Prough who, “advises investors in the film business,” stating, “I don’t think that studios are looking at online to save the home entertainment business, but I think they want to avoid what happened to the music business and try to come up with alternative modes of distribution before physical media goes away.

Meanwhile, “Higher margins, the ability to collect and use information about customers, more revenue and greater willingness to share content with Internet operators is prompting Hollywood to join forces with the likes of Google’s YouTube or set up its own Internet portals,” says the story, continuing:

“Online video streaming and digital downloads should nearly triple to a $753 million North American market in 5 years, still a 5 percent sliver of DVD sales in 2008. But, analysts said, with disc sales dwindling and online viewing exploding, that gap will shrink.”

Enter advertising company Google’s YouTub and, “In any deal between Hollywood studios and YouTube, YouTube would likely charge consumers $3.99 per rental, in line with Internet rental outlets such as Apple Inc’s iTunes store and Amazon.com,”  says Reuters, with PricewaterhouseCoopers’s Mike Kelley PricewaterhouseCooper’s observing, “It’s not just pulling them into the movie and streaming it, but forming a relationship that lasts a lot longer than that two-hour window.”

Customers who, “show a preference for science fiction become marketing targets for other sci-fi content”.

Targets, eh?

And, “Disney’s chief executive Bob Iger recently said he was ‘pretty bullish’ on direct Internet marketing to consumers.”

Meanwile, back at the ranch house …

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Reuters – Hollywood warming to Internet as DVDs begin to fade, September 30, 2009

AFACT, the movie studios’ mouthpiece in Australia, has for the second time withdrawn allegations in its case against Perth ISP iiNet.

AFACT, short for Australian Farcical Allegations against Copyright Transgressions, or Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft, has now pulled charges that iiNet cached illegal copies of films on its servers, says IT News.

The, “legal brawl over copyright infringement was instigated by AFACT against iiNet in November,” says ARN.

“Representing a host of movie studios, AFACT accused the ISP of violating copyright laws by allowing subscribers to download films through BitTorrent and peer-to-peer (P2P).”

In May, AFART [read Disney, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Pictures, Village Roadshow and Warner Bros Entertainment] dropped its claim of ‘conversion’, “which suggested iiNet denied copyright holders their right over possession,” says the story.

Australian IT has an iiNet  saying the withdrawal revealed AFACT’s legal team, “fundamentally misunderstood” the technical realities of running an ISP and are “clutching at straws”.

iiNet says it’ll ask for legal costs over the withdrawn claim.

The case, which now centres on whether or not  iiNet allowed customers to infringe Oz copyright rules, will be heard next Tuesday.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

IT News – Hollywood drops another claim in iiNet suit, September 30, 2009
ARN – AFACT ‘goes for the throat’ in iiNet case, September 30, 2009
Australian IT – AFACT retreat reveals ignorance: iiNet, September 30, 2009

Shockingly horrible.

They’re the baddest of the bad,  the worst of the worst.

At least, that’s what Rotten Tomatoes says in its countdown of the past 10 years.

And the top (bottom?) five are »»»

1. Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)
   Critics Consensus: A startlingly inept film, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever offers overblown, wall-to-wall action without a hint of wit, coherence, style, or originality.
   Synopsis: In the mystifying opening sequence of BALLISTIC: ECKS VS. SEVER, a double kidnapping takes place on a rainy night in Vancouver with a minimal amount of wasted time and a maximum amount of violence. A little boy is picked… [More]
   Starring: Lucy Liu, Antonio Banderas, Gregg Henry
   Directed By: Kaos
2. One Missed Call (2008)
   Critics Consensus: One of the weakest entries in the J-horror remake sweepstakes, One Missed Call is undone by bland performances and shopworn shocks.
   Synopsis: In the tradition of THE RING, THE GRUDGE, DARK WATER, and PULSE, ONE MISSED CALL is yet another moody Japanese ghost story to be adapted for American screens. Originally made by cult director Takashi Miike in 2003 from… [More]
   Starring: Shannyn Sossamon, Edward Burns, Ana Claudia Talancon
   Directed By: Eric Valette
3. Pinocchio (2002)
   Critics Consensus: Roberto Benigni misfires wildly with this adaptation of Pinocchio, and the result is an unfunny, poorly-made, creepy vanity project.
   Synopsis: Roberto Benigni (LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL) brings Carlo Collodi’s classic children’s story to life in this big budget live-action adaptation. Gepetto (Carlo Guiffre), a humble toy maker, fashions a marionette out of a log that… [More]
   Starring: Roberto Benigni, Carlo Guiffre, Nicoletta Braschi
   Directed By: Roberto Benigni
4. King’s Ransom (2005)
   Critics Consensus: Filled with crass dialogue, unlikable characters, and overdone slapstick gags, King’s Ransom is an utterly inept would-be comedy.
   Synopsis: Anthony Anderson sheds his usual sidekick status, heading up the ensemble cast as Malcolm King, a boorish, egomaniacal billionaire who owns a huge, equally tasteless marketing firm in Chicago. The cocky businessman is… [More]
   Starring: Anthony Anderson, Jay Mohr, Regina Hall
   Directed By: Jeff Byrd
5. National Lampoon’s Gold Diggers (2004)
   Critics Consensus: It aspires to Farrelly-level offensiveness, but the PG-13 rating and a dearth of decent gags renders Gold Diggers tame, toothless, and dull.
   Synopsis: National Lampoon’s Gold Diggers explores the misadventures of two completely incompetent con men, who, in desperation, turn their attention to the art of gold digging. First time director Gary Preisler directs the cast of… [More]
   Starring: Will Friedle, Chris Owen, Louise Lasser
   Directed By: Gary Preisler

The only mystery is why Battlefield Earth isn’t right at the top of dishonourable mentions.

At # 27, it’s an, “Ugly, campy, and poorly acted … stunningly misguided, aggressively bad sci-fi folly.”

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Rotten Tomatoes -

September, 2009