Paramount, Lionsgate and 20th Century Fox are expected to join Warner Bros. in providing movies over the Internet via BitTorrent, the video web service that they once universally scorned, the Los Angeles Times Times reported today (Wednesday). As part of the deal, BitTorrent has agreed to use filtering software to prevent pirated content from going out over its service. However, the newspaper indicated, analysts generally believe that the switch-over from an outlet for pirated versions of movies to one where users must pay a fee to receive them is likely to fail; it noted that similar Internet-based movie-download services are struggling. Josh Bernoff, an analyst with Forrester Research, told the Times: "The problem is consumers are not convinced that paying for and downloading video is worth it. ... The other problem is it doesn't end up on the TV set. The mechanisms that do get it to the TV, like DVD burning, are not quite what they need to be." Meanwhile, Wal-Mart on Tuesday launched a new service that allows anyone who buys a DVD copy of certain features to download a copy of it onto their computer or portable digital device. The additional charge will be $2-4 dollars.

Quick!

Who are your favorite character actors? Let's go for batches of three like:

1) Eve Arden
2) Warren Oates
3) Chris Penn

David Straithran. Lili Taylor Eva Gardner

Cuddles Szakall
Ruth Hussey
Frank Morgan

My list:
Vincent Schiavelli
Tracey Walter
Jeffrey Wright
(with bonus status for Kathy Bates)

Fela's list:
Parker Posey
Ian McKellen
Forrest Whitaker

Cuddles Szakall

I've never seen this name before! My education is woefully lacking.

Ruth Hussey

I am hot for Ruth.

Eve Arden

Janeanne Garofalo described her role in Reality Bites as "The Grunge Eve Arden." That's how I think of you.

Vincent Schiavelli

"Gnarly!" I love that he married the receptionist from Moonlighting.

Jeffrey Wright

Just admiring his work in Broken Flowers this weekend.

(with bonus status for Kathy Bates)

But she's a lead!

Parker Posey

Sort of an indie lead. But I was loving her haircut in subUrbia recently.

Forrest Whitaker

Esp. in The Color of Money.

I guess character actors can be leads.

Where's the JT Walsh love?! Where's the M. Emmett Walsh Love?! Hmmm, need more women character actors... Where's the Amanda Plummer love?

You just named two that were on my mind but 3 is 3! JT and M. Emmett are long-time faves...except/even though, they sort of creeped me all the way out at the end of their careers.

Amanda Plummer was fantastic in everything she did. Now, I'ma havta go off and research because character actors really are my favorite actors and there is an entire stable of them that I fantasize about casting in my movie.

Oh, and Fela says Sidney Greenstreet...

eta: and busted on the lead thing, but Kathy has played so many great characters...as have lots of characters who have periodically hit it big. I guess my idea of a terrific character actor is someone who has longevity.

Like Gene Hackman. Is he a lead? He's opened a few flicks, no doubt, but he and, say, Michael Caine are characters to the bone. Just characters with clout.

Is he a lead?

Yes, he is. I mean...Dustin Hoffman obviously can play a lot of different types of characters but he's really more of a lead.

Old school: Laird Cregar. Short career...but very creepy and distinctive.

Adrienne Shelly Lili Taylor Used to be Jeremy Piven, but he's not that guy anymore, is he?