Fox Cast members to tweet live during repeats of 'Fringe,' 'Glee'

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox is teaming with Twitter to give repeats a 21st century twist.

The network this week will introduce "tweet-peats" of "Fringe" and "Glee": encore presentations accompanied by messages from cast and producers via the online social network.

During the episodes, viewers can follow Twitter-sent messages (online and on-air via a scroll near the bottom of the screen) providing commentary on the episodes, revealing behind-the-scenes details and answering fan questions.

Read full article.

IBM files patent for a TV Remote That Tweets

IBM is apparently working on technology that would enable you to blog or tweet straight from the remote control of your TV. The company has filed a patent for said technology, reports BaltTech via TechCrunch.

TED Kennedy Jr speaks of his father

At the funeral mass for Edward Kennedy, Ted Kennedy Jr. speaks about the effect his father had on him. Kennedy Jr. also mentions how proud he is to share the same name as his late father.

US Internet Users Watched 21.4 Billion Videos in July

July turned out to be the biggest month for watching Internet video yet. According to a comScore press release, Internet users in the US watched 21.4 billion videos in July, up 88% from last year.

Google's YouTube streamed 9 billion of these videos, followed by video sites from Viacom and Microsoft.

[ReadWriteWeb via Twitter/Raphael Hunold]

'Heroes' most popular illegally downloaded TV show

Millions of web users are using peer-to-peer file sharing sites to illegally download their favourite TV shows, according to new research by monitoring film Big Champagne with the number of people visiting torrent sites doubling in the last year. [via The Telegraph]

Really? A more interesting study would be how many people watch TV shows in streaming. There is no need to download torrent files.

Videos of homeless beatings spike on YouTube

Videos of homeless people being beaten or forced into humiliating acts are increasingly popular online, leading some US lawmakers to seek harsher penalties for hate crimes against the poor, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

Deeply disturbing:

In July, nearly 86,000 degrading videos of homeless people were posted on YouTube --- 15,000 more than a year earlier -- according to an NCH count.

No less than 5700 of the posts -- 1400 more than in April 2008 -- showed self-proclaimed "bum fights". In these the homeless were pushed to battle each other in return for a pack of beer or a few dollars but also to the amusement of those shooting the videos or watching them.

Homeless Man Beaten on Tape Dies (AP/YouTube)

Pirate Bay website back online!

Never underestimate The Pirate Bay. They are back online. The BBC reports.

Stockholm district court made the order on 21 August, saying ISP Black Internet would be fined 500,000 kronor (£43,000 or $71,000) if it did not comply.

The court order was the result of legal action brought against The Pirate Bay by the music and film industry.

However, TPB was back online within a few hours with a new carrier.

In a press release, parodying Winston Churchill's famous speech of 1940, the Pirate Bay team said they would keep the site running "for years if necessary".

Yesterday: - The Final Curtain Falls for The Pirate Bay

Fun. Two new "Get a Mac" ads

Always fun. Apple has come out with two new "Get a Mac" ads. One above and here's a link to the other.

The Final Curtain Falls for The Pirate Bay

The end of an era. The Pirate Bay has been shut down by its ISP.

[via Mashable]

UK. Illegal downloaders 'could have internet cut off'

According to The Telegraph, people who illegally download and fileshare films and music will have their internet connections cut off, under new laws set to be proposed by the British government.

Under the new rules, illegal filesharers will get warning letters, as proposed by Lord Carter's Digital Britain report in June, but if they continue to swap copyrighted material they will have their connection temporarily cut altogether, although they may still have access to basic public services.

Read full article.

Related:

-- Illegal downloaders 'face UK ban'

-- French three strikes" online copyright infringement bill

OFA National Health Care Forum with President Obama

Here's the full video from yesterday's event, in which over 280,000 people tuned in online to watch the President discuss the ongoing fight for health insurance reform. [via Organizing for America]

Verizon turning cell phones into TV remotes

Verizon Communications is getting ready to launch a new feature that allows its Fios TV customers to interact with their sets using their Verizon Wireless cell phones, according to a story published by Dow Jones News service, reports CNet.

The handset remote control application will only work with Wi-Fi enabled handsets and will use a Wi-Fi network instead of the Verizon cellular network to access the Fios service. Wi-Fi is only available on a select handsets from Verizon Wireless.

IRS Features Recovery Tax Credits on YouTube, iTunes

The Internal Revenue Service Friday announced the availability of video and audio products to help taxpayers take full advantage of the 2009 tax provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. [via NBC13 News]

The IRS has launched a YouTube video site and an iTunes podcast site to better serve taxpayers.

People can visit the video site at http://www.youtube.com/irsvideos to view information about the Recovery, tax tips and how-to videos. These videos will be in English, Spanish, American Sign Language and other languages.

Pirates look forward to business

Following several high-profile court cases, more and more previously illegal file-sharing services are trying to reinvent themselves as legitimate businesses. The BBC reports.

However, it is not just the threat of legal action that has caused the change of heart, say some industry watchers.

"They have realised they can make money out of it," said Eddy Leviten of the UK's Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact).

"They have advertising on their sites and, as those sites attract more eyeballs, they are getting more advertising income."

Read full article.

CBS to run video ad in magazine this fall

Broadcast network CBS will be advertising its fall TV season with a video-chip ad embedded in an issue of Entertainment Weekly. CNet reports.

The September 18 issue of the Time Inc.-owned magazine will feature the first video ad to appear in print, George Schweitzer, CBS marketing president, said Wednesday at a press conference at the company's headquarters here.

Not everyone will be seeing it: the ad will appear in a magazine insert sent to subscribers in the New York and Los Angeles areas--an edition without the video chip will be sent to subscribers elsewhere and show up on newsstands.

The technology for the battery-powered ads was manufactured by a Los Angeles-based company called Americhip, and each ad can handle about 40 minutes of video.

Watch video demo to see how it works.

Read full article.

Time Warner, YouTube reach video distribution pact

Time Warner Inc. and YouTube announced an online video distribution agreement that will give consumers access to an extensive variety of high-quality, short-form content owned by Time Warner, including clips from movies, television shows and news programming.

The agreement will allow Time Warner's Warner Bros. Entertainment and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. to program videos on YouTube using a Time Warner embeddable player.

More in press release.

Screenagers spend 10 hours a day in front of a screen

A study from npower says Britain's youngsters spend 10 hours a day in front of TVs, computers, phones and videogame consoles. Tech Digest reports.

The survey of 3000 seven to 16 year olds reveals that four in ten kids spend most of their time in their bedroom because all their favourite gadgets are in there. And that the TV, despite facing increasing competition from computers and games consoles, is still the main source of entertainment for this age group racking up an average of 19 hours viewing time per week.

Children spend up to 49 minutes each day texting, 38 minutes surfing the net and one hour playing video games. Says Clare McDougall, education programme director from the energy firm npower: "The summer holidays are traditionally a time when you expect children to be outdoors playing with their friends. But the lure of technology has made it harder to get young people to switch off."

YouTube launches online store

YouTube Blog announces the launch of a new online store where you can buy YouTube branded items, like caps, t-shirts, fleece jackets, socks and a few items for babies.

Blockbuster to Stream Video to Motorola Phones

Blockbuster and Motorola have just signed an agreement to pipe Blockbuster's OnDemand video service to select Motorola handsets, which would give consumers access to thousands of feature films on the go. PC Magazine reports.

According to the agreement, Motorola will preload an OnDemand app on the cell phones, though there's no word yet on which models this applies to. The app lets consumers rent or purchase titles that they would then download to the handsets.

Read full article.

Share TV concept

Spotted on Yanko Design,Share TV, a concept by designers Kim Seulgi & Evan Yiwei Ma.

The Share TV looks like any other except the screen is actually made of two bezaless (is that even a word?) OLED screens you can separate for individual viewing needs.

Mad Men Retro: The Golden Age of Advertising

With Season 3 of Mad Men premiering last Sunday, a renewed interest in all things retro - the fashion, the lingo, the drinks - can be expected to tighten its grip on popular culture.

WebUrbanist features a comprehensive collection of the product of the Golden Age of Advertising.

[via PSFK]

Live TV on the iPhone

Livestation has launched a streaming video solution that allows any broadcaster to deliver live TV to the iPhone.

ReadRightWeb reports:

Livestation quietly launched their first mobile application streaming live content over a month ago with the release of BBC World News, which debuted in June 2009. This iPhone application delivers live TV news to viewers in 16 European countries but is sadly not available in the US as of yet….

In the U.S., Livestation also began offering Al Jazeera English Live last month, a live TV application built using the same technology. As with BBC News, the live TV channel is available over both Wi-Fi and 3G. Around the corner, NASA may also be launching a live TV streaming application using Livestation’s technology.

[via Cyberjournalist]

BBC children's drama to be released online

A new British teen thriller will make its debut next month online instead of on television, as its producers follow their young audience who are switching off the set and focusing their attentions on the internet. The Guardian reports.

The Po5t series throws together a group of teenagers when their lives are put in peril.

The first of six planned eight minute episodes of Po5t will appear next month and the producers are hoping to work with its teen audience to "tweak" future episodes before they come out so they can take in viewers' suggestions of how the suspense plot should evolve. Audience participation is expected to play an even greater role in the second series.

In the UK, university-bound students get TV Licence warning

TV Licensing is issuing specific advice for students who plan on watching live TV online. Research by TV Licensing shows that 80 per cent of students now take a laptop to university in their first year and 40 per cent use it as their main way to watch TV. The Shuttle reports.

You need a TV Licence to watch or record TV programs, irrespective of what channel you are watching, what device you are using (TV, computer, laptop, mobile phone or any other) and how you receive them (terrestrial, satellite, cable, via the Internet or any other way).

If you do not have a license you risk prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.

That means that if you are watching or recording live broadcasts via the BBC iPlayer you need to be covered by a TV Licence. If you are only watching or downloading programmes that have already been broadcast using the iPlayer or other internet services, a licence is not required.

'Hundred people an hour' joining Pirate Party UK

The Pirate Party, a political group which hopes to legalise internet filesharing, has attracted a huge number of new members since announcing its plans to contest seats at the next election. The Telegraph reports.

Andrew Peter Robinson, the leader of the Pirate Party, said they had been flooded by enquiries from people who wanted to join the group. At its peak, he said, around 100 people an hour were signing up to become party members.

Previously: - Pirate Party UK now registered by the Electoral Commission

Mad Men ignores TV's rules and goes online

The hit television show Mad Men is breaking new ground in Canada. When the third season debuts this fall on AMC, viewers who do not subscribe to the digital channel can purchase the episode directly from iTunes for $2.50, or $3.50 in high definition.

The show will be available for purchase after the episode has aired, and though this has been the case for the past two seasons, this season it is the only way for viewers in Canada without access to AMC to watch the show.

[via Canada.com]

Pirate Party UK now registered by the Electoral Commission

Sweden’s Pirate Party, created to lobby for more free content on the internet, is now an officially recognised political party in the UK.

This means the group can now have a Pirate Party candidate standing at the next general election.

[via The Telegraph]

MadMen Explored In Vanity Fair

Adding to the excitement mounting over the new season of the show MadMen which starts on August 16, Vanity Fair has an in-depth analysis of the series and they also got Annie Leibovitz to shoot Jon Hamm and January Jones as their ad-biz alter-egoes for the latest issue.

[via PSFK]

Vanity Fair full article: Don and Betty’s Paradise Lost

Back August 8th

Off to St Petersburg and Moscow. Back on Saturday August 8th.