FCC Approves Film Distribution Before DVD Releases

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), saying it was "in the public interest" has approved a request by the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) to permit recent movies to be sent directly to American households over secure high definition transmission lines from their cable or satellite providers prior to their release on DVD or Blu-ray.

"This action is an important victory for consumers who will now have far greater access to see recent high definition movies in their homes. And it is a major step forward in the development of new business models by the motion picture industry to respond to growing consumer demand.” said Bob Pisano, President and Interim CEO of the MPAA.

"On balance, this limited waiver will provide public interest benefits– making movies widely available for home viewing far earlier than ever before – without imposing harm on any consumers...For those people unable to make it to the theater and interested in viewing a recently released movie, thanks to the FCC, they will now have a new option..."

"Something, Something, Something Dark Side" - May 23

The one-hour animated production "Something, Something, Something Dark Side", will now be the season finale of "Family Guy", Sunday, May 23, after previously being released on DVD and Blu-ray, December 2009.

The "Family Guy" homage to the "Star Wars" saga, with the blessings of creator George Lucas is a 'retelling' of Lucasfilm's "The Empire Strikes Back".

The episode, written by Kirker Butler and directed by "Blue Harvest" director Dominic Polcino, features guest voice performances by H. Jon Benjamin, John Bunnell, James Caan, Jackson Douglas, Joe Flaherty, James Greene, Phil LaMarr, Kevin Michael Richardson, George Rogan and James Woods, along with several recurring guest actors from the "Family Guy" series.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Something, Something, Something Dark Side"...

"On The Road"

Actors Kristen Stewart, Sam Riley and Garrett Hedlund will star in director Walter Salles' $25 million big-screen adaptation of author Jack Kerouac's "On the Road", prepping for an August 2010 start.

Producer Rebecca Yeldham will partner with French production company MK2, the UK's Film4 and Brazil's Videofilmes.

Screenplay is by Oscar-nominated Jose Rivera ("The Motorcycle Diaries").

Stewart will play 'Marylou', the wife of 'Dean Moriarty' (Hedlund) with Riley as Kerouac's alter ego 'Sal Paradise'.

"On the Road", published in 1957, is largely an autobiographical work that was based on the spontaneous road trips of Kerouac and his friends across 1950's America, considered a defining work of the postwar 'Beat Generation', inspired by jazz, poetry and recreational drugs.

"...In the winter of 1947, the reckless and joyous 'Dean Moriarty', fresh out of another stint in jail and newly married, comes to New York City and meets 'Sal Paradise', a young writer with an intellectual group of friends, among them the poet 'Carlo Marx'. Dean fascinates Sal and their friendship begins three years of restless journeys back and forth across the country.

"With a combination of bus rides and adventurous hitchhiking escapades, Sal goes to his much-dreamed-of west to join Dean and more friends in Denver, and then continues west by himself, working as a fieldworker in California for awhile. The next year, Dean comes east to Sal again, foiling Sal's stable life once more, and they drive west together, with more crazy adventures on the way at Bull Lee's in New Orleans, ending in San Francisco.

"Through all of this constant movement, there is an array of colorful characters, shifting landscapes, dramas, and personal development. Dean, a big womanizer, will have three wives and four children in the course of these three years. Perceptive Sal, who at the beginning is weakened and depressed, gains in joy and confidence and finds love at the end. At first Sal is intrigued by Dean because Dean seems to have the active, impulsive passion that Sal lacks, but they turn out to have a lot more in common..."

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Revolution Gets Back Into "The Beatles"

Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, in partnership with Revolution Films, will produce a new biopic feature on "The Beatles" based on the 1972 novel "The Longest Cocktail Party: An Insider's Diary Of The Beatles, Their Million Dollar Apple Empire And Its Wild Rise And Fall, by author Richard DiLello.

The rock history book, following The Beatles from their 1967 heyday to their breakup in 1970, was published in 1973 by Playboy Press, then reprinted in 1981 and 2005.

The title is a reference to the habit of entertaining members of the media with expensive drinks, luncheons and perks.

DiLello served as 'house hippie' (Client Liaison Officer) from 1968 to 1970, becoming acquainted with each of the Beatles, their wives, girlfriends and the inner circle of agents/managers, who worked with Apple, including business manager Allen Klein, attorneys Lee and John Eastman, road managers (and Apple directors) Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall, press agent and author Derek Taylor, members of Apple bands Badfinger, White Trash, the staff and countless visitors to the office.

DiLello covers events including the launching parties for Apple Records, an ill-fated Apple Christmas party in 1968, the Beatles's "Let It Be" rooftop concert, lawsuits that began as the Beatles grew apart and the closing of the Apple press office.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Beatles"...

Natali Going Cyberpunk With "Neuromancer"

According to reports, Toronto-based "Splice" director Vincenzo Natali will next direct a big screen adaptation of author William Gibson's 1984 novel "Neuromancer", the 'cyberpunk' book said to be the 'inspiration' for "The Matrix" series of films.

"Neuromancer" the first novel by Canadian-based Gibson, is notable for winning the science-fiction 'triple crown', including the Nebula Award, the Philip K. Dick Award and the Hugo Award.

The book is based on the concept of video games, with Gibson fascinated by how gamers seem to leave their bodies when they engage with the on-screen world, as a projection of the self into cyberspace.

"...'Case' is a cyberspace thief, hacking into corporate databases and stealing info for his clients who pay him big bucks. One day he gets greedy and steals the loot for himself. His client hunts him down, straps him to a chair and changes his biological make up - Case's pancreas is obliterated and his liver nearly destroyed.

" Case lives in the neon world of urban decay that is 'Shiba', spending his life on the edge, working for anyone, doing anything. But, his luck is about to change as he is recruited by sexy 'Molly' to work for 'Armitage', a broken army officer who is being controlled by an artificial intelligence known as 'Neuromancer'.

"This whimsical bunch of low-lives are forced together by the lure of money amidst a chaotic, uncertain future..."

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Ubisoft Plugs Into Toronto

It seems there is a renewed optimism to invest in Toronto now that the "take from the rich and give to the poor NDP politicians" will soon be municipal history following the next local elections, as France-based videogame software giant Ubisoft, with a flagship base in Montreal, has announced an investment of $806 million in Toronto, creating up to 1,000 videogame-related jobs.

Ubisoft will build its Ontario base out of an old General Electric plant @ Bloor and Lansdowne in the city's west end, which will evolve into the second largest of the company's Canadian operations.

The French computer/video game publisher/developer, partially owned by Electronic Arts, based in Montreuil-sous-Bois, France, currently has an international presence with studios and subsidiaries in 28 countries.

Toronto studio head Jade Raymond, received $263 million from the provincial government, along with $543 million from Ubisoft, anticipating 150 new employees by year's end and 800 over the next 10 years. Raymond will build an infrastructure on the tech side, before focusing on hiring a new animation director, storyboard artists and writers.

The new Toronto team will also include Ubisoft Montreal's creative director Max Béland, audio director Fabien Noël and producer Alex Parizeau.

Upcoming Ubisoft games for 2010 include "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood", "Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands", "Pure Football", "R.U.S.E.", "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World", "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier", "Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X 2" and "TrackMania 2".

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"Smallville: Salvation"- May 14

Smallville: Salvation" is the Season 9 finale of the Vancouver-lensed "Superman" TV series, airing Friday May 14 over the CW, directed by Greg Beeman from a script by Turi Meyer & Al Septien.

"...'Zod' (Callum Blue) unleashes his army upon the world, forcing 'Chloe' (Allison Mack) to call in reinforcements from old friends. Zod tells 'Lois' (Erica Durance) he is 'The Blur' and asks her to steal the 'Book of Rao' from 'Clark' (Tom Welling).

"Torn between Clark and The Blur, Lois asks Clark to come clean with her about everything but he refuses.

"'Chloe' (Allison Mack) and 'Oliver' (Justin Hartley) attempt to reconnect the 'Watchtower' satellite system in order to fight the 'Kandorians' but to Chloe's horror, Oliver gets caught on site and disappears.

''Tess' attempts to stop Zod but he leaves her clinging to life as Clark and Zod battle for control of Earth...".

"Smallville" has been greenlit for an unprecedented tenth season on the CW, continuing to provide an ongoing opportunity for Canadian casts and crew.

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Fox Monkeys Around With "Rise Of The Apes"

20th Century Fox, who have started pre-production @ Burnaby, BC's Mammoth Studios, for the big budget "Planet of the Apes" prequel "Rise of the Apes", directed by Rupert Wyatt ("The Escapist"), is prepping for a mid-July start, targeting a June 24, 2011 release.

"ROTA" will use computer-generated apes created by Peter Jackson's WETA Digital, rather than monkey around with costumed actors in rubber suits, with moving lips that don't sync up.

To be set in San Francisco, the sci fi feature is described as a cautionary tale in which "man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy."

"...'Will' is a doctor trying to cure Alzheimers, a disease that afflicts his father. He's working with monkeys to create a benign virus that can get into brain tissue and restore functionality. After his research is shut down he's left with just one chimp, the child of his most promising subject and Will raises him at home.

"Young 'Caesar' is incredibly intelligent for an ape, and over time continues to mutate and evolve, looking less like a chimp and moving on from sign language to actual speech.

"Eventually Caesar ends up leading an army of apes in an uprising just as a catastrophe strikes mankind..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes"...