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Tag: TV Shows

  • Netflix’s Hemlock Grove Gets New Red Band Trailer

    Hemlock Grove, the next original series from Netflix comes to subscribers on Friday. All episodes of the first season will be made available at once, much like the format for House of Cards.

    We’ve seen a number of trailers for Hemlock Grove so far, but today, Netflix put out the first red band trailer, with all of the sex, violence, and language fans of Eli Roth (the show’s director) would expect.

    It’s going to be interesting to see how Hemock Grove is received following the success of House of Cards, which quickly became the most popular TV show on IMDB. That’s coming to DVD in June, by the way.

    Next month, Netflix subscribers finally get to enjoy the long-anticipated fourth season of Arrested Development.

  • Watch Mad Men Season Premiere Online For Free, Courtesy Of AMC

    Mad Men returned to AMC on Sunday night after much anticipation from die hard fans of the popular series. For those of you who haven’t gotten to see the episode yet, you don’t have to have cable or a satellite package to enjoy the show.

    AMC announced today that it has made the episode available to watch for free online at AMCTV.com. Watch it soon though, because it will only be available for free for a limited time (though you shouldn’t have any trouble finding it elsewhere online for a price).

    Here’s the link.

    The episode is two hours long.

    If you’ve already seen the episode, you might be interested in watching this short behind-the-scenes video:

    The next episode premieres this Sunday at 10/9c.

  • Hulu Adds TV Shows Within TV Shows To Its Lineup

    Hulu Adds TV Shows Within TV Shows To Its Lineup

    There is a lot of quality television within television. For example, The Simpsons introduced us to the colorful antics of Itchy and Scratchy many years ago. More recently, Queen of Jordan has taken the world by storm in 30 Rock. Now all these shows are coming to one place.

    Hulu announced today it has acquired all the classic TV shows within TV shows that you love. It all starts with a celebration of the 85th anniversary of The Itchy and Scratchy Show. Hulu says that it has acquired almost all 63,764 episodes of the long running TV show, with only seven episodes being banned for “nonviolence, understanding, and helping.

    The other shows coming to Hulu include Inspector Spacetime, MILF Island, Mock Trial with J. Reinhold, Ya Heard? with Perd, Queen of Jordan, Space Teens, and Numberwang.

    Hulu isn’t just adding notable TV shows to its lineup today as it has also acquired the classic direct-to-TV film – The Rural Juror. The film, starring Jenna Maroney, is a seven-hour epic that rivals any John Grisham novel adaptation.

    All of this is Hulu’s April Fools’ Day prank, but the site really is hosting most of this content today. Now’s your chance to watch all the best episodes of Itchy and Scratchy if you find yourself missing one of the greatest TV shows within a TV show ever made.

  • Amazon Instant Video Brings X-Ray To TV Shows On Kindle Fire Devices, Wii U

    When the Kindle Fire HD was announced last year, Amazon introduced X-Ray for movies along with it. The software, powered by IMDb, brought up the names of all the actors currently onscreen along with each actor’s filmography. Now that same software is making its way over to the world of television.

    Amazon announced today that X-Ray for TV is now available to all Kindle Fire device owners, as well as those using the Amazon Instant Video app on the Wii U. Amazon says that X-Ray will be available for the most popular TV shows on Instant Video including Downtown Abbey, Game of Thrones, Lost, Doctor Who and The Walking Dead.

    “X-Ray has been one of the most loved features on Kindle Fire HD since it launched last September,” said Peter Larsen, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “For people who are passionate about movies and TV, there is no better way to watch than on Kindle Fire HD, which combines an exceptional viewing experience with the unbelievable power of the over 100 million pieces of data in IMDb’s catalog.”

    IMDb says that it’s now working to get X-Ray into every movie and TV show hosted on Amazon Instant Video:

    “For over 20 years we have been cultivating a vast database of movie, TV and celebrity content,” said Col Needham, IMDb Founder and CEO. “Can’t remember where you’ve seen the actor playing Lord Grantham in Downton Abbey? No problem. Simply tap on the screen and you’ll see a full filmography, where you’ll realize that Hugh Bonneville was also in Notting Hill. Our vision is to make X-Ray available on every movie and TV show—we’re excited to make another big step forward today, and we are working hard to add X-Ray to more TV shows and movies in the future.”

    X-Ray continues to be one of things that helps set Amazon Instant Video apart from the competition. It’s also investing in more original content to better compete with Netflix’s House of Cards and the new season of Arrested Development.

  • RIM Announces Large Selection Of Film, TV Shows And Music For BlackBerry 10

    RIM will be launching BlackBerry 10 to the public later this week. It could very well succeed, but it must become more than an enterprise device if it’s going to do so. RIM’s latest move may very well just make it an attractive consumer device as well.

    The BlackBerry World for BlackBerry 10 will feature a large selection of media when it launches later this week. RIM announced that the store will feature the latest movies, TV shows and music for consumers who want to check out their media on the go.

    To make things even sweeter, RIM announced that it would be getting films same day as the DVD release, and TV shows the day after broadcast. The move helps BlackBerry 10 be more attractive to the regular consumer that may have moved away from BlackBerry after it fell behind Android and iOS in media content availability.

    “Music and video content is an integral part of a rich mobile experience. People want easy and convenient access to their favorite music, movies and TV shows wherever they are,” said Frank Boulben, Chief Marketing Officer at Research In Motion. “RIM is committed to working with content providers to bring the best, most up-to-date content to our customers with BlackBerry 10, and to make it easy for them to get what they want.”

    Video downloads and rentals will initially be available only to customers in the U.S., UK and Canada. Films and TV shows from pretty much every distributor will be available, including independent labels.

    As for music, there will be plenty of content from all the major and independent labels. Unlike visual media, music on BlackBerry 10 will be available in 18 countries at launch. These include Canada, U.S., UK, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa, Spin, Australia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore.

    I was a little worried at first as RIM was only showing off enterprise features with BlackBerry 10. Granted, the company’s most important customers come from the enterprise market, but it needs to appeal to consumers to really get a foothold in the mobile industry again. This latest move is a big step in appealing to those who want more than just enhanced security and job contacts on their mobile devices.

  • AMC Posts Another Quick Glimpse Of Upcoming Walking Dead Season Remainder

    Earlier this week, a new trailer for the upcoming remainder of The Walking Dead Season 3 hit the web. Today, AMC has uploaded another 30-second spot. This one’s all about the cast (no zombies).

    The show returns February 10. In the meantime, why not play around with AMC’s “Dead Yourself” app and turn yourself into a zombie.

    More The Walking Dead fun here.

  • TV Cancellation Causes Uproar, Hacking [Nua Mek 2]

    Fans of a TV show in Thailand, called Nua Mek 2, are furious at its premature cancellation. The show reportedly only had a few remaining episodes, which Channel 3 has reportedly decided to pull.

    Thailand’s The Nation reports that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is looking into the channel’s decision to pull the episodes. The matter has reportedly been handed to a subcommittee, and a resulting report is expected next week.

    That publication cites a poll finding that 96% of survey respondents do not agree with the decision, with 77% of them indicating that they believe the government is involved. The furor over the show’s cancellation, which has picked up global attention thanks to a report from the Associated Press, has even led to a group of hackers taking over Channel 3’s website, posting the message: “Where’s my Nua Mek?” though it was reportedly only up for about 15 minutes.

    YouTube has a number of clips from the show, starting with the following teaser:

    Arrested Development fans here in the U.S. know what it’s like to lose a beloved TV show early. Thankfully, we’ve been lucky enough to see the show resurrected for Netflix (due out in May). Hopefully fans of Nua Mek 2 will get to see their lost episodes at some point.

  • Most Pirated Shows Of 2012 Includes Game Of Thrones, Dexter

    Having the most pirated show of the year isn’t exactly an honor any TV producer would wish upon itself, but it’s a fact of life in today’s Internet-laden world. Either because they can’t watch the show any other way or they just don’t want to pay for it, TV shows are always being pirated. The only question now is which shows are the most pirated.

    TorrentFreak released the numbers today showing the most pirated television series of the last year compared to the actual number of viewers who caught the show on television. The results are none too surprising as television series on premium cable channels are by the far the most popular among pirates.

    Game of Thrones, HBO’s celebrated adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s series of fantasy novels, was the number one most pirated television show this year with over 4.2 million downloads. The show garnered almost just as many viewers via its legitimate channel over the year as well. Another premium cable series, Dexter, came in second with 3.85 million downloads. The number actually surpassed the number of legitimate viewers which came in at only 2.75 million.

    The rest of the top 10 is as follows:

    (image)

    For the majority of these television series, the number of legitimate watchers far outweigh that of those who pirate the shows. Even then, the piracy numbers would go down if people had more legal options to watch their favorite shows. In particular, Game of Thrones would see its piracy numbers drop if HBO offered more legitimate ways to enjoy its content beyond having a premium cable subscription.

  • Cast Of Parks And Recreation Host Google Hangout

    Google Plus Hangouts have shown tremendous promise over the years as a way for celebrities and other VIPs to connect with the common man. Today’s hangout is the ultimate fulfillment of that potential as four cast members from Parks and Recreation sit down in Google’s LA Studios to talk about season five.

    Full disclosure: I’m a rabid Parks and Recreation fan. It’s only second to Arrested Development when it comes to laughs per capita. Getting to hear four of the esteemed cast members – Amy Poehler, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt and Adam Scott – speak candidly about the show is pretty amazing. It’s not as good as Nick Offerman’s AMA, but it comes really close.

    The hangout is 44 minutes long, but Google compiled a short highlight reel that shows some of the better moments from their talk.

    It’s unfortunate that Google could only get part of the cast together, but it’s still a fan’s dream to see these great comedians all in one place. Fans should definitely check out the entire Hangout. It’s the best use of Google Plus Hangouts yet. The only thing that could top this would be Nick Offerman and Aziz Ansari showing up.

    Speaking of Ansari, the actor who plays Tom in Parks and Recreation will be doing an AMA on Reddit tomorrow afternoon at 3 P.M. Nick Offerman set the standard for entertaining AMAs so here’s hoping Ansari can keep it going.

  • Are You Lacking Energy? Watch Your Favorite TV Show

    The human psyche can only handle so much before it just shuts down. Our minds are not meant to be constantly firing at full power and we often find ourselves losing the drive to actually get anything done. The only known cure is to just wait for our mind to recharge, but science may have found a better alternative.

    Researchers at the University of Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions found that the your mental resources are finite and can quickly run out even after one completing one task. For busy people, this could leave their next task unfinished as they struggle to find the willpower to complete it. The solution to the problem, according to the researchers, lies in your favorite TV show.

    Dr. Jaye Derrick, head of the research study, found that simply watching a re-run of your favorite TV show can return the mental energy you lost. The restorative powers of re-runs comes from the fact that they don’t challenge our minds in any way. We already know what’s going to happen so our minds can take a break.

    Derrick conducted two studies from which she formed her findings. The first study had some participants complete a difficult puzzle while others were challenged with an easy puzzle. Some were then asked to write about their favorite TV show while the others were asked to list everything in the room.

    The results found that those who wrote about their favorite TV show were able to perform better at solving the difficult puzzle because they wanted to spend more time thinking about said TV show.

    The second study was even more apparent with its findings. The participants were asked to keep a daily diary on “effortful tasks, media consumption and energy levels.” Those who performed difficult tasks were more likely to seek out a re-run of their favorite TV show. The same restorative effect was apparent in those who re-watched a favorite movie or re-read a favorite book.

    Derrick is quick to point out that just watching any TV show that’s on will not restore your energy. She says that it has to be a favorite TV show that you are already familiar with. She also says that her study proves that TV is actually good for people. It’s a safe relationship that’s free of worry or stress.

    If anything, the study gives me an even better excuse to re-watch all of Arrested Development before the new season airs on Netflix later this year.

  • Copper Debuts to Moderately Good Reviews

    Copper, the new, “gritty,” drama from the BBC premiered on BBC America last night. Reviews for the show are mostly good, though not spectacular. While reviewers generally enjoyed the themes, setting, and backstory in the premiere episodes, the characters and tropes used in the show were considered old hat.

    Copper is the story of Detective Kevin Corcoran, an officer for the 1864 New York City Metropolitan Police. While investigating the murder of a child prostitute that reminds him of his own daughter, he and his partners move from the brothels and slums of Five Points to classy Uptown residences.

    Robert Lloyd of LA Times had a fairly positive review for Copper, calling it “rather good.” He declared the straightforward morality of Copper to be “refreshing,” though he thought its depiction of Five Points looked a little too “clean.” IGN’s Matt Fowler couldn’t get into the show’s characters, but thought the show’s premiere “has some good seeds planted down.”

    Most reviewers seems to be taking a wait-and-see approach, which is understandable for a slow-building drama. Though many TV series, such as Mad Men or Deadwood, can be judged by their first episode, some take time to settle in and propel characters on interesting trajectories.

    One word of advice: if you are planning on watching Copper but haven’t seen Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, go ahead and avoid the movie. Set in the same time period as Copper, Gangs of New York is a masterpiece starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio. Certainly see it eventually, but I suspect more enjoyment will come from Copper if you avoid seeing the movie, which can’t help but overshadow the series.

  • If You Have Netflix, You Probably Watch TV On It

    I’ve been a Netflix subscriber on and off again since the very beginning. When they began to offer unlimited streaming, I was all over that. I could watch any move I wanted and it was glorious. Now I find myself moving away from the movies and more towards TV shows. It turns out that I’m not alone.

    A Nielsen study from today has found that the number of people using Netflix to watch TV shows has gone up eight percent to 19 percent in 2012. That’s still nothing compared to the 47 percent of respondents who use Netflix to watch movies, but that number is actually down from 2011’s 53 percent.

    If You Have Netflix, You Probably Watch TV On It

    Netflix is becoming a TV powerhouse thanks to their tireless efforts to gain the rights to many of our favorite TV shows. I rarely ever watch TV during the first showing because I’m usually too busy with something else. Netflix lets me watch all of Parks and Recreation in one sitting compared to waiting a week for each new episode. Being able to sit back and watch all the episodes in a row without commercials is definitely a major selling point.

    Another big boom for Netflix TV viewing is the company’s creation of new original content. While I haven’t really checked out much of their current original programming like Lillehammer, I think I speak for everybody when I say I’m super excited for the return of Arrested Development later this year.

    Interestingly enough, the amount of people who watch movies and TV content equally didn’t budge much over the past year. It declined from 36 percent to 35 percent, but it seems that a large section of Netflix viewers are using the service to its full potential. You can expect to see the numbers of TV viewers on Netflix to increase when the service drops all 10 episodes of the new season of Arrested Development. If it doesn’t, people are using Netflix in all the wrong ways.

  • Amazon Original Programming On The Way, Job Listings Hint

    It looks like Amazon is on its way to producing some original video content, not unlike Netflix and Hulu.

    Well, actually, it’s a little unlike Netflix and Hulu. Rather than outsourcing production of original programming, Amazon is looking to create it in-house, as is indicated in Amazon’s job listings (via Ryan Lawler at GigaOm).

    Recent listings include: Creative Executive, Kids, Creative Executive, Comedy, and Production Assistant.

    The Job Description/Responsibilities section for Creative Executive, Comedy, says:

    People’s Production Company is a movie and series production company. We are seeking a Creative Executive, Comedy to help develop half hour comedies for online and traditional distribution. Projects will primarily come from Amazon Studios. This position will report to the VP, Series Development.

    The ideal candidate knows the comedy genre, has development and production experience and wants to work with writers and artists to develop original series for the web and for traditional distribution channels.

    Responsibilities

    Assess pilot proposals
    Work with writers and artists to develop series ideas
    Staff, cast and produce pilots in a cost-efficient way
    Supervise series production when series are greenlit
    People’s Production Company, part of the Amazon.com, Inc. group of companies, is an equal opportunity employer. This job will be located in Sherman Oaks, CA.

    It looks like at the very least, Amazon is looking to offer comedies and children’s programming. My guess is that it won’t stop there. So far, Netflix is going the drama route. Hulu has gone with comedy and reality.

    We may be poised to see some interesting new directions for Amazon between this and a rumored retail store.

  • Lilyhammer, New Netflix-Exclusive Show, To Debut In February

    Netflix announced the premiere of a new original series called Lilyhammer, set for February 6 of this year.

    The company describes it as “a gripping fish-out-of-water story” set in Norway. It stars Steven Van Zandt, of Sopranos (and Bruce Springsteen video “Glory Days”) fame.

    The plot involves a New York mobster going into witness protection after ratting on his boss. Netflix explains, “A sports fan, Frank wants to make his new life in Lillehammer, the Norwegian town that hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics – or as he calls it ‘Lilyhammer.’ Frank has visions of a paradise of ‘clean air, fresh white snow and gorgeous broads’ far away from the temptations of the Big Apple and from mob hit men. Reality, of course, turns out to be spectacularly different.”

    Here’s the trailer:

    “I am very careful with my choices and this project was so exciting to me because of the wonderful writing, the rich characters and the fascinating culture of Norway,” says Van Zandt, who also serves as Executive Producer. “Netflix is the perfect home for such a unique show.”

    This isn’t Netflix’s first foray into exclusive programming, though it does come before the previously announced entry into this territory – House of Cards, which will debut later this year.

    Lilyhammer will premiere on February 6 via Netflix Instant in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. It will debut with the entire season (8 episodes) available all at once.

  • Amazon Instant Video Up to Over 100,000 Titles

    Amazon Instant Video Up to Over 100,000 Titles

    Amazon announced that it now offers over 100,000 movies and TV shows through its Amazon Instant Video service. That includes new releases, and these titles can be either purchased or rented.

    These titles start at $3.99 a piece, and can be viewed on Macs, PCs, or on TV via 300 different devices from Lg, Logitech, Panasonic, Roku, Samsung, Sony, Tivo, and Vizio.

    “We are focused on offering our customers the very best selection and are always working to expand our already extensive list of great video content,” said Steve Oliver, director of video at Amazon. “The 100,000 titles on Amazon Instant Video range from new hit blockbusters to old favorites, with more than 15,000 of those titles available in HD, and popular TV shows available the day after they first air. On top of that, Amazon Prime members have the added benefit of unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of more than 9,000 Prime instant videos at no additional cost.”

    Netflix, the current leader in movie rental, recently announced a new pricing structure that has been pretty controversial among members. Essentially, members who have had their streaming and DVD together plan have to pay 60% more to keep the same level of service. This goes into effect September 1 for existing members (that’s not too far off).

    Amazon is often named as a major contender in the streaming space – the space that appears to be the future norm of video consumption. It will be interesting to see how the market share changes (if it does) once September gets here.

    Amazon sites already attract one in five Internet users around the globe, according to a report out this week from comScore. They’ve also got tablet aspirations, which could factor heavily into their video streaming plans.

    Amazon announced a 51% year-over-year growth in revenue for the second quarter in its latest earnings report. They also announced a deal with CBS to stream the networks’ TV shows.