WebProNews

Tag: Films

  • Julianne Moore Loves Women, But Stop Saying She Only Plays Lesbians

    Julianne Moore doesn’t like being pigeon-holed. She thinks there are some misconceptions out there about who she is and the kinds of roles she plays. She’d like to set the recored straight.

    “Some people say, ‘You play happy people,’ and I’m like, ‘No.’ Or ‘You play people who have affairs,’ and I’m like, ‘No.’ Or ‘You play lesbians,’ and I’m like, ‘No!’ I’ve made 50-something movies, so there’s a lot of different people. I like really human stories.”

    The kinds of roles that Julianne Moore has played in those 50-something films include:

    a feminist nude painter (she doesn’t paint nudes; she paints in the nude) in The Big Lebowski

    a drinking, raving soon-to-be widow in Magnolia

    a pornstar in Boogie Nights

    the President of a post-apocalyptic nation in the Hunger Games series of films

    an FBI agent pitted against a psychotic cannibal in Hannibal

    the demented mother of an abused telekinetic teen girl in Carrie

    “The older you get, you have a clearer understanding about what you care about, what you value, and you begin to think laterally and not vertically. Who are these people around me; let me try to experience this. That’s what makes everything more valuable and more interesting.”

    But it is her relationships with other successful women that really helps to drive Julianne Moore. She identifies with them, and loves working with them.

    “Ellen Page [who stars as Moore’s girlfriend in the upcoming Freeheld]. Kristen Stewart, I just love her. Emma Stone is fabulous. I love Catherine Deneuve. I love Tilda Swinton.”

    “Women are fabulous. I like our camaraderie, our similarities, how we collaborate. When my daughter was born, I looked at her in the bassinet and I said, ‘You’re one of us.’ I’m going to cry if I think about it too much. I had this little girl and was like, ‘Yup. You’re one of us.’”

  • Will Ferrell To Star In Shakespearean Comedy

    Will Ferrell has tackled a multitude of subjects throughout his career – primetime news, professional figure skating, NASCAR and more. Now the comedian is preparing to take on the ultimate acting challenge – Shakespeare.

    Variety is reporting that Sony has signed on to produce a film from Ferrell and Mosaic about a Shakespearean theater company. In particular, the film will focus on the competitive nature of those who within the company. There’s not much else go on beyond that as Sony has only purchased the pitch. All we know is that Will Ferrell will be in the film and that the screenplay is being written by David Guion and Michael Handelman.

    Film buffs may recognize Guion and Handelman as the writers behind Dinner for Schmucks, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and The Ex. Their involvement may not bode well for the film as The Ex and Dinner for Schmucks are both certified rotten at Rotten Tomatoes. The latest Night at the Museum film hasn’t been released, but we’ll find out soon enough if critics find it as charming as the first.

    Before Ferrell takes on Shakespeare, the comedian will be starring alongside Step Brothers co-star John C. Reilly in a new buddy comedy film called Border Guards. Both films are still in development. If the Ferrell fan in you wants something a bit more immediate, the actor will be starring in the upcoming Get Hard.

  • Emma Thompson Talks Films And Screenwriting

    Emma Thompson recently opened up about her screenwriting process, favorite actors and the difference between men and women in films.

    Thompson admitted that she is a big fan of Clint Eastwood and said that she grew up watching him act in movies. She claimed that she and her father would watch westerns and that the shows rubbed off on her as an actress.

    “I grew up on westerns,” she said “I was very much influenced by that form.”

    She said that the films also influenced the types of roles she takes.

    Thompson said that it can be hard to find some types of film roles because many writers feel like women can’t play certain roles that men should play and vice versa.

    “Our brains are not [all that] different,” but “essentially the same,” she said. “The Venus/Mars thing is so awful, and writers really have to come to terms with the fact that our brains are essentially the same.”

    She said that there are differences in the way men and women handle certain roles and that these differences are the most clear when it comes to comedies.

    “I think you need a punch line when you are a boy, because men’s jokes are essentially something that goes on and on, leading to an ejaculation,” she said. “You have to react at the end. You have to laugh at the end.”

    She added, “Women’s comedy is more circular,” with little laughs here and there and sometimes a big laugh.” Thompson concluded that the approach to humor “goes hand in hand with our sexual, our orgasmic nature.‎”

    Is addition to acting, Thompson is also a screenwriter and says that she considers all of the above when writing stories and plots of her own. She also said that she often writes roles for specific people.

    “I often write a character with an actor in mind, and then never get them for the project”, she joked. “Sometimes it’s very helpful,” even if it is a dead actor.‎

  • Salma Hayek Already Starring in Three Films in 2014

    Salma Hayek, the 47-year-old Latina actress famous for her roles in movies such as the 1996 Hollywood adaptation of Quentin Tarantino’s dark screenplay, From Dusk Til Dawn, and, most recently, Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2.

    Now, the Mexican-born wife and mother is taking on three more films: A Three Dog Life, The Septembers of Shiraz, and Everly.

    A Three Dog Life, a film based on the bestselling memoir by Abigail Thomas, will co-star Hayek and John Travolta, both of the stars’ first major roles in some time. It is being co-produced by J. Todd Harris and Clark Peterson and directed by Nick Guthe.

    A Three Dog Life is based on the story told by Abigail Thomas (Hayek) whose husband, Rich (Travolta), is tragically hit by a car and forced to live in an institution. Thomas moves her entire life from Manhattan to a small country town to be closer to her incapacitated husband.

    The book version of the new film was an instant hit when it was first published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2006, and was named one of the Los Angeles Times Favorite Nonfiction Books of the Year and a Washington Post Book World Best Book of the Year. In September 2013, the memoir again climbed the New York Times Bestsellers List, peaking at #2.

    Harris and Peterson both recently discussed the film, which is currently being shopped at Berlin’s European Film Market.

    “Nick’s adaptation of Abigail’s emotional memoir is incredibly moving,” Harris says. “It’s rare to find such dramatic and honest material.”

    Harris’ co-producer, Clark Peterson, added, “With Nick directing this cast, the ingredients are in place for a poignant and engrossing movie.”

    Hayek will also be starring in yet another poignant film, The Septembers of Shiraz. This book-turned-movie is also loosely based on autobiographical events; author Delia Sofer was 10 when her family fled Iran during its uprising. The Septembers of Shiraz tells the story of a Jewish family trying to escape the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1981.

    In the thriller, Hayek will play an imprisoned gem dealer’s wife; the other major players in Shiraz are Hayek’s jailed husband, daughter, and United States-situated son, and Hayek’s attempt to flee the war-torn nation with her daughter and husband.

    It is being produced by Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, and Heidi Jo Markel, and directed by Wayne Blair.

    Production is hoping to commence in April.

    Hayek will be appearing in another film that is also being shopped around the EFM; Everly , an action-thriller directed by Joe Lynch, is co-produced and financed by a new Singapore company, Vega, Baby!, as well as Crime Scene Pictures and Anonymous Content. Dimension and Radius have already purchased the American rights to the film set for release later this year.

    Everly tells the story of a woman being hunted by her mob boss’ ex’s associates, and her pursuit to evade the assailants, alongside her daughter and mother.

    Main image courtesy Georges Biard via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Famke Janssen’s Apartment Burgled

    Have we seen this feature film before? Famed movie starlet, Famke Janssen, alone in her home, fearful after something bizarre has happened to her? Well, unfortunately, it’s a creepy reality, yet again, for the 47-year-old, Dutch actress.

    Most recently, Janssen reportedly told police that just this past weekend, she came home to her New York City penthouse to find a children’s book entitled “The Lonely Doll” near her bed. The thing is there were no children there to read it to. No one had access to the home either.

    “Police say there were no signs of forced entry, and that nothing in the home had been disturbed or stolen. Authorities are still investigating the alleged break-in, as the ‘X-Men’ actress says the children’s book doesn’t belong there.”

    The children’s book Janssen found by her bed features a story about a little doll named “Edith.” She lives alone until “Mr. Bear” and “Little Bear” comes to stay. When Mr. Bear decides to leave for awhile, Edith and Little Bear are bit naughty when they decide go through Mr. Bear’s things, of course, while he is out. What’s really scary about book’s content, at least in Janssen’s perspective most likely is that when Mr. Bear gets home he taunts Edith and punishes her for being bad.

    In 2005, Janssen had to contend with this kind of thing before. A disturbed fan reportedly sent her strange items in the mail. She had to file a report with the police.
    “Janssen had to file a harassment report with police over a persistent super-fan who sent her menacing letters and photos,” according to a report.

    Facebook is seemingly abuzz with commentary about the actress’ plight. Martin Arrowsmith said he is concerned.

    “So creepy. Reminds me of the late night break-in’s the Manson Farm used to pull off,” he said.

    “Yikes.”

    http://youtu.be/Zbz3XqwUo4Q

  • Meta Alert: A Short Film of Films Inside Other Films

    What you’re about to see is a celebration of the movies at one of its most confusing, but oddly purest forms. It’s a compilation video of movies being featured in other movies.

    Do you remember when the prisoners in The Shawshank Redemption are watching Gilda? Yeah, that’s what we’re talking about here. This is just a lot of fun. Check it out:

    [Slacktory]

  • ‘Computer Chess’ Director, Producer & Actor Talk At Google

    Google hosted a few of the people involved with the film Computer Chess for a screening and an “At Google” Q&A recently, which the company has now made available for viewing.

    Participating in a post-screening Q&A were writer, director and editor Andrew Bujalski, producer Houston King, and actor Wiley Wiggins (Mitch Kramer from Dazed and Confused).

    Here’s the movie description, in case you’re unfamiliar:

    Set over the course of a weekend tournament for chess software programmers thirty-some years ago, COMPUTER CHESS transports viewers to a nostalgic moment when the contest between technology and the human spirit seemed a little more up for grabs. We get to know the eccentric geniuses possessed of the vision to teach a metal box to defeat man, literally, at his own game, laying the groundwork for artificial intelligence as we know it and will come to know it in the future.

  • Eric Schmidt Discusses ‘Pandora’s Promise’ With Director Robert Stone

    In a recent “At Google” talk, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt sat down with Robert Stone, Director of the documentary Pandora’s Promise, along with some of the cast.

    Google has now made the video public for all to watch.

    Here’s the film’s description (via YouTube):

    The recent reactor meltdowns in Japan have ignited passionate worldwide debate about energy and the future of nuclear power. Pandora’s Promise is a feature-length documentary that explores how and why mankind’s most feared and controversial technological discovery is now passionately embraced by many of those who once led the charge against it. The film is anchored around the personal narratives of a growing number of leading former anti-nuclear activists and pioneering scientists who, in the face of considerable controversy, are directly challenging the anti-nuclear orthodoxy that is a founding tenet of the mainstream environmental movement. Their stories and ideas will be brought to life through a combination of incredible archival footage from 1945 to the present and original filming across the globe.

    Operating as history, cultural meditation and contemporary exploration, Pandora’s Promise aims to inspire a serious and realistic debate over what is without question the most important question of our time: how do we continue to power modern civilization without destroying it?

    More recent At Google talks here.

  • ‘They Call it Myanmar’ Director Robert Lieberman Talks At Google

    Dr. Robert Lieberman, novelist and director of the film, “They Call it Myanmar: Lifting the Curtain,” recently participated in an “At Google” talk, discussing the film.

    The late Roger Ebert included the film among his top documentaries of 2012.

    More recent At Google talks here.

  • ‘Disconnect’ Director Henry Alex Rubin Talks At Google

    Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Henry Alex Rubin, who directed films like Murderball and Disconnect, recently participated in an At Google talk, discussing Disconnect at Google NYC. The talk took place on April 26th.

    Disconnect is Rubin’s first non-documentary. It’s described as “a drama centered on a group of people searching for human connections in today’s wired world.” It stars Jason Bateman, Hope Davis and Jonah Bobo.

    More recent At Google talks here.

  • Bing To Add Klingon Language To Translator To Market ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’

    Bing To Add Klingon Language To Translator To Market ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’

    Update: Bing has now made the official announcement.

    Bing is reportedly adding the Klingon language to Bing Translator as part of a marketing deal between Microsoft and Paramount, as the studio prepares to release Star Trek Into Darkness.

    While we’ve been unable to bring up the language in Bing Translator so far, The LA Times (via Engadget) reports that it is coming today:

    The Bing service will translate text written in any one of 41 supported languages — including English, French, Hebrew and Urdu — into Klingon. Fear not, native Klingon speakers: words or phrases written in that language can be translated into the more than three dozen available tongues.

    According to the report, Microsoft engineer helped develop the feature, has he apparently speaks Klingon. The LA Times shares a quote from Bing’s Craig Beilinson: “We have people who understand the deep science of linguistics and we also have people who are passionate about the ‘Star Trek’ franchise. This was a labor of love from a lot of different avenues.”

    This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the Klingon Language utilized by a major search engine. You can still see the Google Klingon homepage here.

    Star Trek Into Darkness releases in the U.S. on May 17th.

    Image: StarTrek.com

  • Knife Fight Director Bill Guttentag Talks At Google

    Bill Guttentag, director of the political comedy/drama “Knife Fight” recently participated in an “@Google Talk,” which the company has now uploaded for viewing.

    In addition to directing the Rob Lowe film, he has helmed a number of documentaries, including: Soundtrack for a Revolution, Nanking, and Hate.com: Extremists on the Internet.

    More recent @Google Talks here.

  • Firefox Flicks Challenges Filmmakers To Get Mobilized In 2013

    Are you a filmmaker that happens to be a fan of Firefox? Do you want a chance to win a few thousand dollars? If so, you’ll definitely want to submit a film for the Firefox Flicks competition this year.

    Mozilla announced that this year’s Firefox Flicks competition will be open for entries on February 13. The competition challenges filmmakers to create a 60 second or less video “that help tell the Firefox story.” This year’s theme is “Get Mobilized.” Here’s how Mozilla describes it:

    It’s about enabling more people to take advantage of the full power of the Web and giving them better access to easily discover, enjoy and share content that can change their lives. Through Firefox Flicks we are creating energy for our upcoming mobile OS that will deliver on this promise.

    Firefox Flicks 2013 from firefoxflicks on Vimeo.

    Those who decide to make a film have a shot at winning prizes in three categories:

  • Early Entry Awards – There will be multiple chances to win $1,000 for submitting a flick early. The top three early entry submission Flicks will be included in the final round.
  • Regional Winners – One winner from each contest region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia) will win a $5,000 cash prize and one runner up from each contest region will win a $2,500 cash prize.
  • People’s Choice Award – People will be able to vote for their favorite Flick during the People’s Choice Award voting period August 1 – August 31. The three winning Flicks will receive a Firefox Flicks swag bag.
  • If you find yourself interested in the idea of being featured in one of Mozilla’s marketing campaigns, or just winning a cash prize; you’ll want to check out the filmmaker’s creative brief for all the details on the competition. If you find yourself lacking inspiration, you can check out the winners of last year’s competition at the bottom of Mozilla’s blog post.

    The Firefox Flicks 2013 competition will start on February 13 and run through July 31.

  • Amazon Is Making A Horror Movie Called Seed

    Amazon’s original content arm, Amazon Studios, announced today that it has optioned its first novel – the horror novel Seed, written by Ania Ahlborn. The book was published by 47North, a Sci-Fi, fantasy and horror imprint of Amazon Publishing.

    “Our primary objective at Amazon Studios is to develop great, commercial projects that our customers love,” said Amazon Studios Director Roy Price. “Ania Ahlborn’s SEED has been a top seller for Amazon Publishing’s 47North so we already have a sense of the mainstream attraction of the story and are excited to keep the project in-house for movie development.”

    The book was released last year, and it reached the #1 spot on Amazon’s bestselling horror list (Amazon says this is due to word of mouth). It was re-released this year after Ahlborn restructured the story and added over six thousand words.

    Here’s the book description (via Amazon):

    With nothing but the clothes on his back—and something horrific snapping at his heels—Jack Winter fled his rural Georgia home when he was still just a boy. Watching the world he knew vanish in a trucker’s rearview mirror, he thought he was leaving an unspeakable nightmare behind forever. But years later, the bright new future he’s built suddenly turns pitch black, as something fiendishly familiar looms dead ahead.

    When Jack, his wife Aimee, and their two small children survive a violent car crash, it seems like a miracle. But Jack knows what he saw on the road that night, and it wasn’t divine intervention. The profound evil from his past won’t let them die…at least not quickly. It’s back, and it’s hungry; ready to make Jack pay for running, to work its malignant magic on his angelic youngest daughter, and to whisper a chilling promise: I’ve always been here, and I’ll never leave.

    Country comfort is no match for spine-tingling Southern gothic suspense in Ania Ahlborn’s tale of an ordinary man with a demon on his back. Seed plants its page-turning terror deep in your soul, and lets it grow wild.

    Here’s the book trailer from Ahlborn’s YouTube channel:

    Here’s a book trailer contest entry for it:

    Amazon will begin testing various big screen adaptations of the book. Up until now, Amazon Studios has only optioned scripts and episodic series projects. Earlier this year, the company announced that it was in the process of putting together some sitcoms and children’s programs. Still, Seed won’t be Amazon’s only horror-themed project. Horror icon Clive Barker also signed on to assist Amazon Studios with a project called Zombies vs. Gladiators.

  • Robert De Niro Doesn’t Impress Critics With Red Lights

    I’m a big fan of Robert De Niro. His films have always been some of the best in the business and I’m willing to forgive him when he signs on for a less than great film. His newest film, Red Lights, seems to be one of those films.

    Red Lights is the story of two paranormal researchers played by Sigourney Weaver and Cillian Murphy who make it their job to debunk psychic frauds. Robert De Niro comes in to the picture as a powerful and revered blind psychic who goes by the name of Simom Silver. Weaver’s character, Dr. Margaret Matheson, used to go after Silver, but now wants to back off. This leads Murphy’s character, Tom Buckley, to take on Silver himself.

    The premise, along with the great cast, lends itself to greatness. I love a good psychological thriller and Red Lights would appear to be one of the greats. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The film is sitting at a pretty bad 33 percent on Rotten Tomatoes which firmly plants it in rotten territory.

    Most of the complaints from critics seem to stem from the film’s story being incoherent to critics saying the ending is even worse than what M. Night Shyamalan serves up. That’s some pretty stiff criticism, but those are the critics. You may enjoy the movie nonetheless. There are plenty of universally panned movies that I can’t help but love. Check out the trailer below to see if Red Lights looks to be worth your time and money.

  • “Need For Speed” Racing To The Theaters

    “Need For Speed” Racing To The Theaters

    I enjoy EA’s Need for Speed franchise as much as the next guy. They’re fun racing games that know their audience without going too far into arcade or simulation gameplay. I never played the games for any kind of story, but apparently EA thinks the games need to tell a story – through film.

    Variety is reporting that EA is now shopping around a script for a “Need for Speed” film. The film is being written by George and John Gatins of Real Steel fame. John Gatins, alongside EA, are also producing the film. Apparently, Warner Bros., Sony and Paramount are all interesting in obtaining the film rights.

    So let’s look at what this could possibly mean. In all honesty, as Variety says, this could be EA wanting to capitalize on the success the Fast and the Furious movies have seen. Any film studio would want to take on Universal in the underground street racing film genre and Need for Speed has the brand recognition for that.

    A problem arises though when you consider what a possible Need for Speed plot would entail. While it’s easy enough to just make a street racing movie, people have already seen that in The Fast and the Furious. While it’s good enough for that franchise, audiences may not be so kind to another film trying to be just another clone.

    While EA tried to introduce plot with last year’s, “Need for Speed: The Run,” it didn’t exactly impress critics or gamers. EA needs to rethink its strategy with a Need for Speed film. Need for Speed at its best, which I would argue was with Hot Pursuit, is all about sexy cars, winding tracks in the countryside and police chases.

    So here’s the idea: Let’s combine the plots of Speed and Crank, but set it in the British countryside. Throw in a thin plot about street racers being kicked out of the city and have now moved to the countryside for their racing fix. Too bad there’s a bomb strapped to one of the cars that will destroy the tiny hamlet of Worcestershire. Maybe hire Michael Bay as a producer to add some Bay-splosions (anything to get him away from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). There’s your movie, EA. You can thank me once it makes you millions.

    All joking aside, unless you really like the above idea, what do you think about EA shopping around a Need for Speed film? What do you think it should be about? Let us know in the comments.

  • Oscars Have Little Effect On Top 10 Pirated Movies

    Do Oscar nominations correlate to increased piracy? Let’s find out!

    TorrentFreak keeps a tally on the most pirated films each week, but this week is special as it comes on the coattails of the Oscars. People were aware of the nominations for a while so one would assume that the most pirated films would be those films that received the most nominations.

    My hypothesis is partly true, but leave it up to the average Internet users’ taste in movies to always surprise you. Speaking of surprises, the most pirated film this week was Ben Stiller’s and Eddie Murphy’s crime caper Tower Heist. This is the second week the film has been at the number one spot.

    The Oscar nomination may have helped Martin Scorsese’s Hugo as it was number five last week, but it’s been upgraded to number two this week.

    The third spot goes to the animated epic The Adventures of Tintin. The Grey was at number eight last week but has been propelled to the fourth spot this week.

    The rest of the list is populated by films that I forgot even existed, but BitTorrent users seemed to have liked them. From the number five spot to the tenth spot, the list goes: The Three Musketeers, The Woman In Black, Underworld Awakening, Immortals, Puss in Boots, and Jack and Jill.

    So the Oscars seemed to have not had much of an effect this week on pirated movies, but there may be an effect next week now that the winners have been announced. I postulate that The Artist will definitely show up on the list next week at maybe even the number one spot due to its winning Best Picture.

  • Twitter Documentary “Twittamentary” Set To Begin Open Screening [Exclusive]

    The making of a Twitter documentary was announced over two years ago. It’s called Twittamentary (fittingly), and now it’s set to begin screening in communities around the world.

    The film’s director Siok Siok Tan tells WebProNews, “We have lots of exciting plans in 2012. We have just announced an open call for community screenings between February 1st and May 1st.”

    “The first of the community screenings will roll out over Social Media Week in February,” she says. “We are screening in New York City on Feb 15th, London on Feb 17th and will be announcing more Social Media Week events in other locations soon. ”

    Here are a few teasers for the documentary:

    We first interviewed Tan here, where she explained the concept and process of making the film. The following year, we followed up with her, and it was getting a sneak preview in NYC. Now, many communities around the word should have a chance to see it.

    Anyone can organize a screening for their community as long as they meet the guidelines discussed here.

  • Celebrities on Google+ – 15 More to Add to Your Circles

    Celebrities on Google+ – 15 More to Add to Your Circles

    Celebrity use may prove to be a big driver of general Google+ use. It certainly helped with Twitter. We live in a society that is obsessed with celebrity, and we tend to want to follow people on social networks who have updates that may be of interest to us.

    Last month, we looked at a list of early adopter celebrities on Google+ and more have joined since then. Google’s Pedro Dias provided a helpful list including some that weren’t in the previous article.

    The previous list included William Shatner, Britney Spears and Newt Gingrich to name a few. Here are some more (click on the images to go to the profiles).

    Trent Reznor

    Trent Reznor on <a href=Google+” src=”https://img.ientry.com/webpronews/pictures/trent-reznor-google.jpg” title=”Trent Reznor on Google+” class=”alignnone” width=”616″ height=”452″ />

    Alanis Morissette

    Alanis Morissette on <a href=Google+” src=”https://img.ientry.com/webpronews/pictures/alanis-google.jpg” title=”Alanis Morissette on Google+” class=”aligncenter” width=”616″ height=”294″ />

    Madonna

    Madonna on <a href=Google+” src=”https://img.ientry.com/webpronews/pictures/madonna-google.jpg” title=”Madonna on Google+” class=”aligncenter” width=”616″ height=”368″ />

    Paris Hilton

    Paris Hilton on <a href=Google+” src=”https://img.ientry.com/webpronews/pictures/paris-hilton-google.jpg” title=”Paris Hilton on Google+” class=”aligncenter” width=”616″ height=”293″ />

    Mariah Carey

    Mariah Carey on Google Plus

    Amanda Palmer

    Amanda Palmer on <a href=Google+” src=”https://img.ientry.com/webpronews/pictures/amanda-palmer-google.jpg” title=”Amanda Palmer on Google+” class=”aligncenter” width=”616″ height=”392″ />

    Rose McGowan

    Rose McGowan on Google Plus

    Mark Hoppus

    Mark Hoppus on <a href=Google+” src=”https://img.ientry.com/webpronews/pictures/mark-hoppus-google.jpg” title=”Mark Hoppus on Google+” class=”aligncenter” width=”616″ height=”440″ />

    Chris Tucker

    Chris Tucker on <a href=Google+” src=”https://img.ientry.com/webpronews/pictures/chris-tucker-google.jpg” title=”Chris Tucker on Google+” class=”aligncenter” width=”616″ height=”388″ />

    T-Pain

    T-Pain on <a href=Google+” src=”https://img.ientry.com/webpronews/pictures/t-pain-google.jpg” title=”T-Pain on Google+” class=”aligncenter” width=”616″ height=”356″ />

    Felicia Day

    Felicia Day on <a href=Google+” src=”https://img.ientry.com/webpronews/pictures/felicia-day-google.jpg” title=”Felicia Day on Google+” class=”aligncenter” width=”616″ height=”343″ />

    Jeri Ryan

    Jeri Ryan on Google Plus

    Taylor Swift

    Taylor Swift on <a href=Google+” src=”https://img.ientry.com/webpronews/pictures/taylor-swift-google.jpg” title=”Taylor Swift on Google+” class=”aligncenter” width=”616″ height=”390″ />

    Dolly Parton

    Dolly Parton on Google Plus

    Sasha Grey

    Sasha Grey on <a href=Google+” src=”https://img.ientry.com/webpronews/pictures/sasha-grey-google.jpg” title=”Sasha Grey on Google+” class=”aligncenter” width=”616″ height=”374″ />

    All of the celebrities on this list are verified. Google announced late last week that it was beginning to verify accounts, starting with celebrities and public figures (though they will roll this out to more people in time).
    Know of other celebrities that weren’t on either of these lists? Please feel free to share in the comments.

  • Netflix: Pay More If You Want Streaming AND DVDs

    If you didn’t like the Netflix redesign, you’re going to love this. Pricing adjustments!

    Netflix announced today that it is doing away with member plans that let you get both unlimited DVDs and unlimited streaming – something many of us have been enjoying for some time. You can still get both, but it will be two separate plans, and it’s going to cost you.

    You can get unlimited streaming with no DVDs for $7.99 a month or Unlimited DVDs (one at a time) and no streaming for $7.99 a month. Or you can get both plans for $15.98 a month.

    Clearly members who don’t want to pay that much for something they’ve enjoyed for significantly less, are now faced with a choice. With streaming, you can watch a lot more, but with DVDs, you can get access to a lot of stuff that isn’t available through streaming. Keep in mind that Netflix already has to wait a month after DVD release to get a lot of the new releases as it is. Of course there is another choice: find a different service. Something tells me Redbox and the recently acquired-by-DISH Blockbuster are going to benefit from this.

    So why the changes? Here’s the explanation from the Netflix blog. Jessie Becker writes:

    Last November when we launched our $7.99 unlimited streaming plan, DVDs by mail was treated as a $2 add on to our unlimited streaming plan. At the time, we didn’t anticipate offering DVD only plans. Since then we have realized that there is still a very large continuing demand for DVDs both from our existing members as well as non-members. Given the long life we think DVDs by mail will have, treating DVDs as a $2 add on to our unlimited streaming plan neither makes great financial sense nor satisfies people who just want DVDs. Creating an unlimited DVDs by mail plan (no streaming) at our lowest price ever, $7.99, does make sense and will ensure a long life for our DVDs by mail offering. Reflecting our confidence that DVDs by mail is a long-term business for us, we are also establishing a separate and distinct management team solely focused on DVDs by mail, led by Andy Rendich, our Chief Service and Operations Officer and an 11 year veteran of Netflix.

    Here’s a sampling of the comments so far (also from the blog):

    “Are you F#**!!@! kidding me?”

    “Way to go again Netflix – Divide and Conquer – EPIC FAIL!!”

    “This will cost you some customers. Will you be able to break even?”

    “I guess it’s finally time to cancel my Netflix subscription. DVDs + Streaming gave me a great bang for my buck, but by not offering any sort of bundling discount for those wanting both, I can’t justify sending you my money every month.”

    “I know I’ll be cancelling my service and going with Blockbuster soon.”

    “Sept.1 I’ll be canceling.I do without cable I think I can do without Netflix.”

    “Peace out. You’re streaming selection is horrible anyway.”

    “Sounds great to me! The amount of use I get out of my Netflix account means I’d be willing to pay more (sorry whiners, but $16 is ridiculously cheap for unlimited anything, you can’t get a good cable package for that price). I hope this means much more streaming content in the future.”

    The new plans go into effect for new members immediately. For existing members, they’ll kick in in September.

    Oh, they tweaked some of their recent design changes though.

  • Netflix, Miramax Deal Brings Oscar Winners and Cult Classics to Customers

    Netflix has announced a new multi-year deal with Miramax to bolster its ever-expanding catalog of available-for-streaming movie titles. That means users will get access to some classics from Kevin Smith, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, among others.

    Films include (but are not limited to) Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill volumes 1 and 2, Clerks, Chasing Amy, From Dusk Till Dawn, the Spy Kids movies, Good Will Hunting, Cold Mountain, and of course Reindeer Games.

    Miramax says the movies included in the deal have a total of 284 Academy Award nominations among them (and 68 wins). Granted, I don’t believe Reindeer Games falls into that category, unfortunately.

    “Netflix is thrilled to enter into this deal with the new team at Miramax,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.  “Existing relationships with management and a shared affinity for these great films make this an important deal for both companies and for our members, who will enjoy instantly watching movies from one of the truly great film libraries for many years to come.”

    “From day one, we’ve been very clear about the importance of digital and our desire to respond to the significant pent-up demand for our films — delivering to consumers whenever and wherever they want,” said Miramax CEO Mike Lang.

    “This agreement is an important first step in our digital strategy,” he added. “Netflix has always been a trailblazer, with a tremendous track record of innovation and quality customer service.  We’re thrilled to now be in business with them as we build and revitalize the proud Miramax brand.”

    As competition mounts in the streaming movie space, Netflix seems to be making content deals faster than ever. That should not only help to keep existing customers from jumping ship, but also bring more on board. With studios putting movie rentals on Facebook and Google renting movies directly through the Android Market and through YouTube (just to name a couple of recent entrants to the race), things aren’t going to get easier for the company.

    Meanwhile, Netflix also continues to expand upon the list of supported devices. Last week, they announced a new Android app for some devices, and said that they were developing for others.

    Netflix is not available for Google’s other operating system (Chrome OS) yet, but the company says it is working with Google to have it available soon.

    The Miramax deal will go into effect in June for Netflix subscribers in the U.S.

    [Image: From Dusk Till Dawn]