Yeah - personally, I think iTunes is a really good platform because a) the studios don't have to worry about the technical distribution cost (bandwidth etc) b) piracy is pretty difficult c) for a viewer they can take the episodes with them (iPods, iPhones) or watch them on TV (Apple TV) and d) they can subscribe to a season and get it automatically to watch.

None of which is possibly via Hulu. I think the Hulu embedding in HTML thing is genius, though, because people are already doing that on blogs and fan sites all over the place.

Hulu is the production companies' attempt to control the one area they don't already control. I am highly skeptical about it as a result.

Hey, should there be a Press post about Cash for the Crew? I just checked, and I don't think I saw one. I'd do it myself, but it wouldn't be very eloquent. At this hour. And I'm heading out the door. But not without sticking my nose in OPB first.

United Hollywood's latest thing: [link]

Merry Christmas from Nikki Finke. (Hint: She's putting C _ _ L in our stockings.)

This working out thing is doing wonders. Her post didn't even put a ding in my cheerful mood.

ETA: I'm actually still laughing about this. I think this "grim news" is so over the top, it's bordering on camp. It's like Alan Rickman in Prince of Thieves, "Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans. No more merciful beheadings. Oh and call off Christmas."

Nikki's post doesn't pass the smell test with me. I simply can't see the studios destroying this season and next season. It just doesn't compute. Sorry.

I get that this is one big (or little) dick measuring contest, but the people who think they are in charge are only allowed to play that little boys' game for so long before the people who count the money step in.

They will be stepping in soon.

The crazy assed rhetoric, on both sides, has been pretty unbelievable throughout this strike. But this story? Nikki should have just titled it, "No. More. TV. EVAH ... mwahahahaha."

I'm the first to admit that most corporate decisions are based on absolutely nothing more than some guy pulling something out of his ass, but if that decision fails miserably, that guy will out on his... well you get the picture.

The scenario that Nikki paints just doesn't jive with the kind of self-preservation decision making that I see on a daily basis. And everyone at the struck companies wants all of this mess over with as soon as possible as well.

Nobody is climbing the corporate ladder while this crap is going on. I smell a coup.

I have been reading the comments, so a couple of things hit me:

1) Nikki got fed bad info with hopes that her post will cause a schism in WGA; or

2) Nikki got fed bad info that she decided to "print" anyway because she hopes this worst case scenario will get people back to the table after the new year.

It seems impractical that the networks and movie studios would be okay with delaying major creative work for 2 years (if they let the strike continue), but perhaps the end game is to for the studios to negotiate with WGA, DGA, and SAG all at the same time.

Nikki has been fed bad info before. The movie side of these studios simply can't afford to sit it out for 2 years. They will loose money, and a lot of it. There are going to be individual execs at these companies going 'For fuck sakes, look at my results! My bonus is fucked!' sooner or later.

The thing is, obviously, businesses fuck people over all the time to get ahead, but when you're publicly traded you can't just do that. If your TV division starts loosing shit loads, your share holders hold the business accountable, which goes all the way to the board.