Friday video goodness...

A very cleverly done mash-up...

Part the First...



Part the Second...



Have a good weekend...

Dear Steven Spielburg and George Lucas...

Re: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Mr. Spielburg and Lucas (especially Mr. Lucas...)

Just a couple notes and comments regarding the new Indiana Jones movie that I thought I might give you while you are still early in production:

1) The title itself - A touch unwieldy, wouldn't you say? And, well...it sounds all made up and stuff. Not unlike...The Temple of Doom... Lost Ark - we know what that is... Last Crusade...pretty good idea what that's about historically. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull...sounds like someone wandered into the goth section of a Swarovski dealer by accident.

2) I have a concern regarding the villains of the movie. Indy is going to be looking considerably older in this movie, unless you're going to be filming with some simply amazing new lens technology coupled with CGI effects, we're going to be well out of the WW II era. If Temple of Doom taught us nothing, it's that Indy works best in the WW II era. If you have him in the 1950s with...oh...no...it's just not worth thinking about...the tears, the endless tears...

3) I really enjoyed the Indy ride at Disneyland...oh yes...thank you for that little treat.

4) I really have to wonder who came up with the initial plot ideas for Raiders, Temple of Doom, and Last Crusade. Not just what's showing in the credits for storyline. I suspect, if I had to guess, I'd say Raiders and Last Crusade's plot was borne of one person, Temple of Doom and Kingdom of the Crystal Encrusted Skull Shaped Candleholder of Dread's story was the creative result of the other partner in this endeavor. Someone who, shall we say, has considerable experience with a long series of science fiction films taking place a long time ago. Call it a hunch.

Just one little request; you know you're gonna get our money, just make it worth our while and at the end have us with a smile say "Thank you, may I have another?" Not make us doubt our existence in this world after the credits roll.

xxx, ooo

Brian

I bought a movie.

At lunch, not just 2 hours or so ago I bought a movie. Specifically, I walked over to the Post Office, walked over to Best Buy and bought a movie. Specifically, Death Proof in the special, Best Buy exclusive, limited edition, special steel case with special 3rd DVD of behind the scenes extras. This is so I feel special when buying the movie. However, some things make me feel less than special about this purchase. In fact, downright surly I might add.

Before I continue, it is important to note that my enthusiasm for the film arts does continue unabated. However...

While this is an extended and unrated version of the movie, the DVD is missing some things that would go a long way to putting a smile on my face. Notably:

1. The fake trailers that played with the original Grindhouse release
2. The theatrical version of the movie
3. Oh...yes...the Planet Terror co-feature to make it the complete Grindhouse release

Mind you it does have plenty of extras and isn't a bare-bones release by any stretch, and the Best Buy version has an additional 3rd DVD with a 30 minute behind the scenes feature that I'm sure I'll eat up. However, and I think I speak for most people who saw Grindhouse in the theater, the idea DVD release would have been replicating the theatrical release, trailers, feature presentation animations and both movies, one right after another, or on separate sides, etc. Then have your bonus behind the scenes features, etc.

There is of course hope for the Planet Terror release to have all the extras, well not extras, but instead have everything that is more of less missing from this half of the Grindhouse release. What was a heaping helping of enthusiasm for the original experience is watered down for the home version. I suppose I could just shelve it until Planet Terror comes out and see what comes of it.

Meh. Even with the most impressive car chase I have ever seen. Right now, with this DVD releasae - meh. Any other movie and I'd be pretty darn happy. This release loses the point of the whole idea and that's the bottom line.

Meh.

My inner 5 year old is smiling...

At last all the legal hurdles have been overcome, all parties have made their agreements and fans across the world can have the one, the only, One True Batmobile. This of course from the very serious 1960s crime drama (to the eyes of a 5 year old) Batman. Apparently this is a very hard to find Hot Wheels edition of the car. Later in the year there will be larger scale versions, which, of course, I will have. But for now, this will go quite nicely on my desk at work next to my Batmobile of 1950, which is a close second for best all-around Batmobile. Admittedly this isn't the best picture, and I blame the equipment. I believe that you should find the overall composition and so on more than adequate. I just couldn't get it to auto-focus on the car. End of excuse.

But man do I love this car...now just please get the tv show on DVD and I'll be a very happy camper.

Meanwhile, in technology news...I just wanted to let the dust settle for a while over the iPod announcements and iPhone fallout. Sheesh - you thought that the world was coming to an end over some of them. So the iPhone drops $200 in price and some are up in arms. Mind you, dropping that fast after 2 months is bound to cheese some off admittedly, and Apple is aiming to get aggressive in the coming months for the holidays, so it is a case of not being able to please everyone. So the $100 credit for early adopters is at least some small way to take the sting out. At least I didn't take the plunge and since I am tied to Verizon for at least a few more months, it's probably just as well.

So how about them iTunes ringtones? Yeah...so you pay $.99 for a song and another $.99 for 30 seconds of that song to use as a ringtone on your iPhone. How about a heaping helping of "NO!" there Steve Jobs? Yes, it's much cheaper than what other carriers charge, and you do get the whole song with that as well. But really...this has got to be the record label's idea there to do this - after all they came up with the brilliant "Ringle" after all. Still, I don't think there is a better recap of the whole thing than what Daring Fireball has to say on the subject.

I'm very happy with the Doctor Who theme that plays on my RAZR as my ringtone...

So then new iPods! Whoohoo! Overall, I'm rather pleased with the changes and were I not immediately enthralled by the iPod Touch, I'd probably be very interested in an 80 gig iPod Classic. The new iPod Nano with its new video playback capabilities reinforces the direction Apple is going with their iPods with just the Classic being the only hard drive based media player. All others being flash memory based now. While the Classic is the most recognizable of the iPod designs, I expect that in the next year or so when Apple can produce iPods of a capacity similar to the Classic without the hard drives, the Classic will simply go away and the Nano will take its spot.

But that iPod Touch - boy howdy...for someone like me who 1) Doesn't want to necessarily want to use AT&T and 2) Stuck in a cell phone contract anyway, this is a dream come true. The iPhone without the phone bits. However, there is a downside to not getting the iPhone - namely the software. No email client like the iPhone is included and with the Calendar app you can't edit or create entries. However, you do have twice the available storage on the Touch than the iPhone (16 gigs vs. 8 gigs). So there is give or take. I think that Apple will eventually add the missing functionality to the Touch eventually so it doesn't completely cannibalize iPhone sales. While I am nearly overcome with lust for the iPod Touch, I'm going to sit this out for the meantime since I'm very happy with my 30 gig 5th gen iPod and it's nearly full with music and a rotating set of podcasts to listen to and videos to watch. So call me when Chairman Steve introduces at least a 30 gig Touch and we'll talk.

That's all for now...time to go load some new images up on Mike's site and get ready to call it a night...

Oh, NBC/Universal...will you EVER learn?

Those scamps over at NBC Universal and their little tiff with Apple. It makes me smile quietly to myself and think that Jeff Zucker would, in another era, manufacture horse buggy whips and complain loudly about those new-fangled horseless carriages.

For those who have been hiding under a rock for Labor Day Weekend here in the United States, here's what happened: NBC Universal decided to announce that they will not renew their contract with Apple to provide TV show content for the iTunes store and that the contract is due to expire in December.

This is also, by the way, the same Universal that decided to not renew their contract with Apple for music content to the iTunes store and go on a month to month renewal.

Oh, and is also the same Universal that managed to force Microsoft to pay a royalty to them for every Zune sold, even if not a note of Universal-owned music is ever put on the system. Of course, since this is the Zune, the change I have in my pocket could easily cover these royalties. Admittedly, however, well played, Universal. Well played...

This is the same Universal who also said they would like to have the same clause with Apple in their next round of negotiations. I think you can imagine how Chairman Steve would react to an idea like that.

Oh, and did Apple ever react to this latest announcement from Universal. Their reaction was pretty much a public "Say, Universal...why don't you go F* yourself? We're actually going to stop selling your shows before the new Fall season." It was amazing, simply amazing to read it. Apple's stock also jumped up a couple bucks on the announcement. Gotta love that.

So after Apple steps up to the plate and accuses Universal of wanting to double the wholesale price of shows in the iTunes store, Universal says "Well, allow me to retort," and claims that wasn't their intention at all. Oh, no. They merely wanted to provide you the consumer with some wonderful bundled choices and options and flexibility in these bundles to make it attractive to you! I get the fuzzies just reading it!

I figure you'd still be paying the $4.99 a hit, like Apple said, but you would be getting two shows for the price of admission. Does this mean that NBC Universal is sitting there going "Let's do something for the fans that they'll love!" and that they really wanted to have a bundle deal where every week you could for that $4.99 get an episode of The Office and 30 Rock? Don't bet on it! You'd probably be forced for every episode of The Office to have to download some crap like Deal or No Deal or some ratings-impaired sitcom that you don't want to watch, much less pay even more for. Or say you really like Battlestar Galactica. I bet they'd bundle that with the new Flash Gordon on Sci Fi. Yeah. I hear the screams already. Think of it as the equal and opposite of quality to counterbalance your Galactica fix. At $4.99 a week.

For those thinking that "Well, I'm sure Apple makes a load of money on these shows, let's give Universal the doubt on this one. Apple's gotta be lying..." Uh...no. The iTunes store is like any other retail establishment out there. Just all digital. That means the split between NBC Universal and Apple as a retailer of Universal's product is about 65/35. So if Universal did want to double their wholesale and Apple wanted to keep their margins the same, it would indeed be about $4.99 an episode...or "bundle" if Universal got their way. Apple must keep this profit margin. Not out of any greed, but out of responsibility to their shareholders to have a reasonable profit margin (which is not the 50% + markup on their products that everyone keeps repeating - Apple's profit margins across the board are actually around 25-30% as reported in their annual financial statements, which are required by law, and as such had better be air-tight and accurate). If they capitulated to Universal on this, then that opens a Pandora's Box to the other content providers (over 50 other networks who are pleased as punch with the iTunes store I might add) who might get a funny idea and bang goes Apple's margins completely on the product they offer in the store from around 35% to something much, much lower. Since the attractiveness of a $4.99 download is minimal - especially when you multiply that across a season, everyone loses. Especially Apple since, again, their margins would be decimated.

Say you owned a book store and were selling books from one publisher and one day they call you up and said that they were changing the terms of the deal they have with you and said "Don't worry, just charge more to your customers...and if you're worried about losing them, just lower your margins and don't make as much money per book sold." How would you feel? Thought so.

Apple also has a desire to their customers to provide the content at what they feel is a reasonable price and without strings attached that the customers don't want. That means $1.99 per episode across the board, all shows, all networks (although, for half hour episodes, this admittedly isn't too attractive when compared to the same price for hour long shows) This, plus their responsibility to the shareholders means showing Universal the door. More power to them.

Rumor also has it that Universal wants to start up their own portal to sell their shows directly to the public or some such. Or maybe they're so afraid of "new media" and digital downloads and have this insane desire to hold on to their buggy whips that they'll deliberately price themselves out of the market and try to force said market to abandon digital downloads all together, especially when compared to the price of a DVD box set. Well, good luck with that Universal...the future is now and if you don't get your customers used to a semi-reasonable $1.99 download that you'll make a fair amount of money on, you'll make zero in the digital download arena as people shift to bittorrent to get their fix of shows they offer. It's better you get used to a new revenue and distribution model that isn't necessarily network and advertiser based.