Entertainment

I don't think I've been this psyched for a Colbert Report episode since Stephen Colbert took on the Decemberists. On Wednesday, August 22, an unscripted tiff between the Comedy Central comedian and billionaire Sir Richard Branson, which swirled up quite a bit of chatter in the blog rumor mill, will be shown in that night's episode of the faux-pundit talk show.

The segment, originally cut from the program, depicts Virgin Group mogul Branson dumping a cup of water on Colbert in a manner that was rumored to be less-than-friendly. It was considered particularly out-of-line, considering the close … Read more

If high-tech car gadgets are what you've been holding out for, you can finally make that Lamborghini purchase.

No, it's not going to come fully chromed like this 2005 Murcielago.

Lamborghini announced Tuesday that it is adding an onboard computer that includes an iPod and USB connection and a steering wheel in perforated leather for its 2008 Gallardo models and Murcielago LP640. All models across the Lamborghini brand will also come with a a three-year (unlimited mileage) warranty.

The Murcielago, which already was offered with a three-year warranty in the U.K., will offer the options of a … Read more

The BBC's recently launched iPlayer, which allows eligible U.K. residents to download episodes of shows they missed on the telly, seems to be a magnet for complaints lately.

The Windows-XP only online service has already peeved Mac, Linux and Windows Vista users who can't, at least for the moment, get direct access (BBC has promised an upgrade this fall) and drawn protests over its use of Microsoft-produced digital-rights management technology.

The latest brouhaha is reminiscent of the Net neutrality debate that has raged here in the States. That controversy surrounds whether broadband operators ought to be able … Read more

Let's see how funny Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are on the witness stand.

The two comedians are apparently being dragged into the copyright fight between their employer and Google. Entertainment conglomerate Viacom, the company behind Stewart's The Daily Show and The Colbert Report filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Google earlier in the year, alleging that Google and YouTube encourage users to pirate copyright material.

The two companies entered the names of people they each wish to depose in court, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York last … Read more

Sorry if the is old news to some, but I just got back from vacation and noticed that details are out on the hotly anticipated new version of Blade Runner that's due to arrive December 18. Blade Runner was one of the first movies released on DVD, and while it sold well, the video transfer sucked. Well, for the 25th anniversary of the film, Warner Brothers and director Ridley Scott finally got around to restoring and remastering the thing--and a lot of folks are pretty stoked, especially now that the film will be available on both Blu-ray and HD … Read more

Editors note: This story incorrectly reported that Stage6 operates on an H.264 codec. Stage6 runs on the DivX codec.

The Internet was supposed to be the primo way to distribute movies, but the past week has seen the sector take some body blows.

Google told customers on Friday that it's getting out of the video-on-demand business. Earlier in the week, five of the top motion-picture studios unloaded Movielink when they sold the online VOD service to Blockbuster for around $20 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. The cost to develop the service: $100 million.

Even good news … Read more

A movie camera that attaches to your head. It's an idea that's intrigued me since I was about six.

Unfortunately, all of the bugs have yet to be worked out.

For the past two weeks, I've tried out the Samsung Sports Camcorder SC-X300L, a small video camera with a lens that straps onto your head. It also comes with a voice recorder and an MP3 player. It came out last year and now sells for $449. Since I had to review an electric motorcycle, I figured it was a good time to check it out.

The good … Read more

Like many Americans, NFL referees will spend a fair amount of time this fall watching football in HD. The NFL is upgrading the replay equipment in all but three of its stadiums so that its officials can review plays in high-definition. Fans of the Giants, Jets, Colts, and Cowboys will be dismayed to learn that their home games will lack HD instant replay until the stadiums in New York Jersey, Indianapolis, and Dallas are replaced in the next few years. Along with reviewing controversial calls in HD, the refs will also get to view replays on larger 26-inch screens--up from … Read more

Trust me--I know procrastination. But this one really takes the cake.

JibJab, as you probably know already, made a name for itself by creating corny (yet socially relevant) musical skits that superimposed the heads of politicians and celebrities onto cartoon bodies. Now that user-generated content is nothing new, it almost seems overdue that JibJab would introduce a "make your own" feature. But now, at long last, here it is: "JibJab Starring You!"

The concept, at least according to the creators, is to JibJab yourself by uploading a photo, easily crop it with the Flash-based tools … Read more