This is good news:

BitTorrent Inc., makers of a technology often used to trade pirated copies of Hollywood movies, is launching a Web site that will sell downloads of films and TV shows licensed from the studios... The service is squarely aimed at young men and boys who regularly use BitTorrent to trade pirated versions of the same films and who more often watch such files on their computer instead of on a big screen TV in the living room... To help wean users to paying for content, BitTorrent is featuring content and pricing that appeals to its target demographic - males between the ages of 15 and 35. TV episodes are $1.99 to download to own, which is typical for competitor sites such as Apple Inc. iTunes. The new site will rent movies for a 24-hour viewing period for $3.99 for new titles and $2.99 for older films, but the site has decided not to sell films for now because the prices demanded by the studios were too high.

I'm sure they are going to try to control people from keeping versions of the software they rent, but good luck with that -- someone will find a way to break it. But, hey guys, you know what this means, don't you? That BitTorrent is not just for stealing music and downloading porn anymore.

Labels: bittorrent, downloading movies, downloading porn, stealing music

OK, enough of the Oscar's. Let's take a look at the Razzies, awards for the worst in movies:

"Basic Instinct 2" won four Razzies on Saturday, including worst picture and worst actress for [Sharon] Stone.

The Wayans brothers comedy "Little Man" placed second with three Razzies, including shared prizes by Shawn and Marlon Wayans for worst actor and worst screen couple.

Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, a Hollywood darling a few years ago with such
blockbusters as "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs," was named worst director and worst supporting actor for his fantasy flop, "Lady in the Water."

Carmen Electra won for worst supporting actress for "Date Movie" and "Scary Movie 4,"

Robin Williams' road-trip comedy "RV" was chosen as worst excuse for family
entertainment.

Either I was lucky or had good intuition, but the only movie I saw from this list was Lady in the Water. I don't know about the worst director, but Shyamalan's acting was terrible. I hope he learned his lesson. I still think he's very talented and am counting on him coming back.

Labels: carmen electra, date movie, razzies, scary movie, sharon stone

Why wasn't Borat on the Oscar's show?

The producers behind Sunday's Oscars asked Sacha Baron Cohen to present an award as part of Sunday night's show, which might have added a refreshing bit of unpredictability to what is usually a staid evening -- his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes was one of the evening's highlights. But when Cohen said he wanted to appear as his character Borat Sagdiyev, reports the Los Angeles Times, the producers said no, and Cohen declined. (L.A. Times via Starpulse)

Labels: borat, Oscar

This puts Hooters to shame:

OL Shabu Shabu Shomuni is a Japanese hot-pot restaurant, but it serves more than just beef and vegetables... Shomuni features an all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink menu served by 15 costumed waitresses who start off dressed like receptionists and end up handcuffing patrons to their tables in sexy police uniforms. Shomuni is the latest addition to a growing number of fetish restaurants sprouting up around Tokyo... What's so special about Shomuni, then? "This is the only restaurant where you find servers that give raw strip teases to dining customers," says Yamazaki, the
manager of the restaurant.

Labels: fetish, hot-pot restaurant, japanese, shomuni

According to Laura Sessions Stepp, author of Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love, and Lose at Both, sex on campuses for young women today is a series of joyless encounters engaged in without either short-term pleasure or long-term reward. This pointless hedonism, in Stepp's view, turns young women into jaded depressives unable to trust or love anyone, secretly wishing Mr. Right would show up on their doorstep with flowers and a fraternity pin.

Labels: laura sessions stepp, sex in college

I like how this guy broke-up with his cheating girlfriend:

A UNC student decided to break up with the girlfriend who recently cheated on him by getting a Facebook group together and inviting hundreds of people to witness it...

Links: YouTube video ... Student TV: cleaned up video... This one is closer but the sound is worse. You can see the girlfriend squirm more and how directly the main singer is projecting at her. The others are from different perspectives and the outskirts of the scene. This clip of the pre-show crowd gives a good idea of the scope of the event.

I don't know if the whole thing was for real or staged, but it's interesting anyway.

Labels: breaking-up, cheater, cheating, facebook, girlfriend

Did Ricky Martin grow some cojones?

During his performance in Puerto Rico, Ricky Martin stuck his middle finger out when he mentioned President Bush’s name. In the song Asignatura Pendiente, there is a line in the lyrics that goes: “A photo with Bush…” As he said this, Ricky gave him the F-you treatment and the crowd of 18,000 fans went crazy and cheered. The irony in all of this is that Ricky was one of the artists to sing for Bush during his inauguration as President.

Labels: middle finger, ricky martin

The Queen – This is a fine movie, with excellent performances, but frankly, an Oscar nomination? This movie should not be on the list. It will not win. Period.

Letters from Iwo Jima – Shot in black and white and spoken in Japanese, this movie has some uneven acting, good war scenes, but boy, was I glad when it ended. It’s a movie that feels twice as long as it’s actual running time. And let’s face it; Clint Eastwood’s directing is boring, boring, boring.

The Departed – There are many good things about this movie but the few irritating things about it remove the film from contention. I know that Martin Scorsese enjoys strong support and for many of his fans this movie marked his return to greatness. I’m not one of those but there may be enough of them amongst Academy members to push this movie over the top.

Little Miss Sunshine – A gem! Comedies of this caliber are rare. The reason is simple: they are very difficult to make. It really is movie magic when we get a combination of such a wonderful script, clearly defined characters, fantastic acting from every single cast member, a perfect pace, and so many wonderful comedic moments mixed with the occasional touching situation. I don’t think it will win the Oscar, but if it does, I’ll be happy.

Babel – This is the Oscar winner. A truly excellent film with some of the most memorable and gripping moments, made even more so by the fantastic acting. But the real stars of this movie are the script writing and directing. This is movie making at its very best and a great movie-watching experience.

I only saw one of the nominated foreign films, so I can’t comment on its chances of winning, but Pan’s Labyrinth is one of the best movies I’m seen in many years, and together with Babel, the two best films of the year. This movie is nothing short of brilliant.

Labels: Babel, Departed, letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, Oscar, Pan's Labyrinth, Queen

It's about time Stephen Colbert gets his own ice cream flavor:

Stephen Colbert may have no taste for the truth, but he does have a sweet tooth. Ben & Jerry's has named a new ice cream in honor of the comedian: "Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream." It's vanilla ice cream with fudge-covered waffle cone pieces and caramel. Announcing the new flavor Wednesday, Ben & Jerry's called it: "The sweet taste of liberty in your mouth." The Vermont-based ice-cream maker is known for naming its flavors after people such as Jerry Garcia, Wavy Gravy and the band Phish — which Colbert sees as a political bias.

If you're asking "who's Stephen Colbert?", you're one sorry soul. I pity you.

Labels: ben and jerry's, ice cream, stephen colbert