Thompson on Hollywood

Blip Online Video Network Gets on the Original Programming Bandwagon

News

Another day, another web-based company getting into original programming production and distribution, joining the likes of Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, Hulu and Crackle. Online video network Blip announces the launch of Blip Studios...

By Beth Hanna
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July 2, 2012 2:43 PM
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Netflix Lures Movie-Going Non-Subscribers with $1 Movie Ticket Offer

News

Netflix wants non-subscribing moviegoers to give the digital platform a chance...

By Beth Hanna
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June 22, 2012 6:28 PM
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Amazon Studios Adds Hellraiser to 'Zombies vs. Gladiators'

News

Heading toward mainstream film production where genre reigns supreme, Amazon Studios has hired "Hellraiser" creator Clive Barker to rewrite "Zombies vs. Gladiators."

By Anne Thompson
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June 5, 2012 2:50 PM
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Amazon Studios Adds TV Series to Development Slate for Instant Video Release

News

Phase Two of Amazon Studios' radical move to reinvent entertainment industry production models--turning to movie fans for direction and feedback on the process--is television.

By Anne Thompson
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May 2, 2012 11:59 AM
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Amazon Studios Director Roy Price Talks Second-Year Changes

News

It's more than a year since Amazon Studios launched its radical new approach to making movies. Where are they now? Well, Amazon Studios director Roy Price has finalized a development slate of fifteen projects in the works.

By Anne Thompson
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April 6, 2012 4:29 PM
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Trying to Load Sony and Amazon Instant Video App for My PlayStation 3

News

As soon as Amazon and Sony Computer Entertainment announced the launch of the Amazon Instant Video app for PlayStation 3, which means that as an Amazon Prime member I can not only upload to watch on my TV some 120,000 movies and TV shows, but 17,000 movies and TV shows on the PlayStation Network as well.

By Anne Thompson
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April 4, 2012 10:09 PM
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Hillary Johnson's Hollywood Satire 'Shooting Stars' Hits Amazon, Bookstores

Features

"Shooting Stars," a Hollywood mystery satire from Dymaxicon Press, just went up on Amazon. The page-turner hits stores April 1. It's the funniest Hollywood novel I've read in a long time, up there with the likes of the two Peters, Farrelly and Lefcourt.

By Anne Thompson
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March 28, 2012 7:37 PM
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Amazon Adds 'Melancholia,' '13 Assassins' and More Magnolia Goodies to Prime Instant Video Library

News

Amazon is adding a slew of Magnolia Pictures titles to its Prime Instant Video library. "Melancholia," "13 Assassins" and "Page One: Inside the NY Times" are a few of the Magnolia standouts available for streaming to Prime members on the site.

By Beth Hanna
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February 29, 2012 4:20 PM
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Media Watch: Justin Timberlake Tackles Myspace, Kindle's Lending Library, News Corp. Profit Dip

Life imitates art: musician/actor Justin Timberlake, who played a media mogul in Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network, is set to revive the hulking mess of MySpace. He purchased an ownership share in the social media site in June of 2011 and just recently acquired an office and a staff of six to help him with the revamp. Timberlake wants to turn the website into a hub for musicians, entertainers, and fans to explore new content and connect over their favorite music.

By Maggie Lange
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November 3, 2011 4:37 AM
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AFM News: Freestyle Digital Media to Focus on Digital, Cable, VOD Distribution

In case you were wondering, VOD distribution is here to stay. Look at JC Chandor's $3.5 million Margin Call, which lured a strong ensemble of name actors led by Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons and Zachary Quinto, and has passed the $1.5 million mark theatrically in limited release, as it was also available day-and-date on VOD. More and more people are learning, as Netflix had hoped, to download and stream movies from their cable companies or through Roku, iTunes, PS3 or TiVo. Several folks I know picked up on the publicity and ad noise surrounding Margin Call and watched it on its second weekend in theaters, at home. It's significant, too, that theater owners are lowering ticket prices for a change.