disney

It's official: Disney offers short-form YouTube channels

Update 4:50 p.m. PDT: To include comment from entertainment industry source on YouTube's DRM issues.

Disney has agreed to post short-form video content on YouTube, a deal that might come as a bit of a disappointment to those who had hoped to watch full-length ESPN sporting events or episodes of ABC's "Gray's Anatomy" on YouTube.

But those people shouldn't lose heart. This could be the start of something bigger.

Disney announced on Monday that it would launch "multiple ad-supported channels featuring short-form content from ESPN and the Disney/ABC Television Group.&… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 941: Urine nation

The Streamy awards made me think of how Hollywood and the video bloggers are starting to come together. It made Natali think about urination. So, maybe they need to rethink branding. We also tell you how violent video games will make you see better. For real.

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 941

Happy fourth birthday! I can’t believe Buzz Out Loud has been around for four years. Here’s hoping for four more! –Joseph in Ohio http://buzzoutloud.wikia.com/wiki/Episode_1

Streamy Awards dominated by Felica Day http://newteevee.com/2009/03/29/joss-whedon-felicia-day-and-a-pile-of-streamys/

Google gives … Read more

CNET News Daily Podcast: Twitter doesn't have a business plan yet? Fine

It seems like everyone has an opinion about how Twitter should try to make money (by the way, there is no official business plan yet, at least one that's public). Webware editor Rafe Needleman stops by to explain why there's plenty of time for the Twitter guys to figure that out.

Also in today's podcast: Microsoft takes the gloves off with its latest Windows ad; Disney and Hulu appear poised to make a deal; and the Tesla Model S sedan is actually quite inexpensive--if you ask company founder Elon Musk. Listen in to hear how he explains … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 940: The legend of black fart

Rafe coins a new name for a port of the iFart application for the BlackBerry. But really the show is much more about variable pricing coming to iTunes, The Pirate Bay rolling out VPN for you, and robot soccer teams one day killing us all.

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 940

Report: variable pricing comes to iTunes Apr. 7 http://news.cnet.com/8301-13526_3-10205535-27.html

New Microsoft ads attack Apple on price http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-10205757-82.html

WWDC in June http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10205232-37.html

The Pirate Bay to roll out secure $5 per month VPN … Read more

Report: Disney in talks to join Hulu

The Walt Disney Company is discussing a deal to take an equity stake in Hulu in exchange for providing the video portal with ABC programming, according to a published report.

Citing unnamed sources, news blog PaidContent says that it's not clear how much of ABC's content would be involved, but a final deal could include ESPN, the sports cable behemoth that has been a goldmine for Disney.

Representatives from Disney and Hulu were not immediately available.

The talks between the two companies reportedly are "serious," but a final deal has not been reached, according to two … Read more

Reports untrue: Steve Jobs did not appear at Disney meeting

Just to get this out of the way up front, Apple CEO Steve Jobs did NOT make an appearance earlier Tuesday at Disney's annual shareholder meeting.

Marketwatch's RealTime Headlines section reported Tuesday that Jobs did show up at Disney's meeting--which would have marked his first public appearance since announcing a six-month medical leave of absence--and the Internet was off to the races. ZDNet's Sam Diaz captured screengrabs of the original headlines here. Marketwatch did not correct its headline for over an hour, posting the headline at 1:12 p.m. EDT and not posting a correction … Read more

Report: Daft Punk to score 'Tron 2.0'

For a certain kind of geek, there's no more important film than Disney's 1982 cult hit "Tron."

The story about a man trapped inside a computer who must continually fight for his life by riding light-bikes across a digital playground didn't do so well at the box office but gained a massive following in the years since.

Now, Disney is working on "Tron 2.0," a sequel to the original, and word is that the studio has chosen Daft Punk, the French electronica duo that is itself a cult favorite, to write the … Read more

Dear George Lucas: You're allowed to say no sometimes

Synergy. It's not just a square on the buzzword bingo cards you take with you to big meetings. George Lucas and Disney have been pals for quite a while. They even have "Star Wars" weekends at the parks.

Now I'm a fan of "Star Wars." Not a rabid one, mind you, but I can't believe I missed these before now:

Limited statues of Disney characters as Star Wars characters. Ooh ooh, and each one will set you back 195 clams.

Each.

I'll just sit back while you let that sink in for … Read more

The 404 285: Where Tuesday is not fat; it's big-boned

Jeff Bakalar makes his return on Fat Tuesday--how appropriate. Justin reveals to the world that he loves Alvin & the Chipmunks, on top of his fascination with Disney music. Disney we can forgive, but really? An Alvin & the Chipmunks cover of "Uptown Girl?" And we figure out that Alvin wears a giant "A" because he's committed adultery.

On today's show, Justin learns some new racial slurs from Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino." Jeff tells us to check out Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler"and reveals to us that he once was a professional wrestler known as "The Flying Daisy." In actual news, newspapers are asking the federal government for a bailout. Get with it! Newspapers are going the way of the dodo. On top of that, it's National Pancake Day, so head on over to your local IHOP! Let Fat Tuesday's debauchery begin in earnest.… Read more