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Role Reversal: Why TV Is Replacing Movies As Elite Entertainment

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

The Hollywood Economist - By Edward Jay Epstein - May. 13 (News Analysis) - Once upon a time, over a generation ago, The television set was commonly called the “boob tube” and looked down on by elites as a purveyors of mind-numbing entertainment. Movie theaters, on the other hand, were considered a venue for, if not art, more sophisticated dramas and comedies. Not any more. The multiplexes are now primarily a venue for comic-book inspired action and fantasy movies, whereas television, especially the pay and cable channels, is increasingly becoming a venue for character-driven adult programs, such as The Wire, Mad Men, and Boardwalk Empire. This role reversal, rather than a momentary fluke, proceeds directly from the new economic realities of the entertainment business. Consider what happened to Pay-TV. Back in the 1970s, HBO provided something home viewers could not get elsewhere: movies uninterrupted by commercials. It was, as a HBO executive put it, “the only game in town,” so its subscribers paid a monthly fee, no matter how little or often they watch it, to their local cable provider who in turn forked over a share to HBO. As the cable systems grew, so did HBO. By 2010, it had (including its Cinemax unit) over 40 million subscribers, and just the monthly fees produced cash flow of over $1.5 billion a year. Getting new movies was no problem. HBO simply licensed them from a few major studios for an exclusive period (which began a few months after they were released on video and DVD) in so-called “output deals.” To continue to harvest this immense bounty, HBO had merely to stop subscribers from ending their service.

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Key Senator Abandons The Protect IP Ship

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Huffington Post - By Zach Carter - Jan. 18 (News) - Home to the Disney World and Universal Studios theme parks, Rubio's Florida may be the most Hollywood-centric state outside California, and Rubio had been one of the first senators to sign on in support of Protect IP when Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) introduce

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Tony Curtis buried, service well-attended by fans, family and friends

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

allvoices.com - Oct. 04 (News) -

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USB Warfare: The Real Electronic Nightmare

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Miller-McCune - By Michael Scott Moore - Sep. 22 (Special Report) - But there are other ways to wage electronic war, and they tend to be more terrifying precisely because they’re tougher to fight.

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Tax Rates For America's Top 400 Earners Fell As Income Soared In 2007, According To IRS

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:35:14 -0800

Huffington Post - Feb. 17 (News Report) - The average top 400 rich person made $344 million and paid only $57 million in taxes. Maybe I have no conception of money, but $57 million doesn't sound like peanuts to me. Eliminate the the tax caps for Social Security and Medicare, make it a flat %

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