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Forget Episode VII, watch 'JJ Abrams Star Wars -- The Musical'

Are you a late-model "Star Trek" fan with issues about your guy J.J. Abrams jumping ship in order to direct the next "Star Wars" film? Or maybe a "Star Wars" devotee filled with dread at having your favorite franchise be under the control of someone who's directed two "Star Trek" films?

If so, there's a musical for you. "JJ Abrams Star Wars -- The Musical," to be precise.

Picture Darth Vader and Abrams singing at each other on a pier. Picture Vader shaming Abrams -- well, a … Read more

Dancing baby vs. YouTube-Prince case set to go to trial

The woman who posted a video of her children dancing to the Prince tune "Let's Go Crazy" and has since waged nearly a six-year legal fight with Universal Music Group over the clip, may see her day in court.

US District Judge Jeremy Fogel ruled today that a summary judgment will not decide this case, which means that if the two parties don't settle, this lawsuit will proceed to a jury trial.

The whole suit got started in 2007 when Prince asked YouTube to remove the clip of the dancing boys. When the clip got scrubbed, … Read more

Rumor Has It: Signs point to PlayStation 4 at E3

We're back from CES, and getting right back into the swing of the rumor mill.

This week, rumors of a 4.8-inch iPhone "Math" (say, what?) have been swirling, but we're blaming it on a bad translation. Also, Microsoft might be desperate to save the PC, YouTube might be eyeing music video site Vevo, and Sony's vice president of home entertainment hints at something that really made Karyne's day. We bet you can guess what it is (hint: read the headline of this post).

Thanks for watching!

Heard a tech rumor you think we should cover? Leave a comment below; ; send us a tweet (@EmilyDreyfuss, @karynelevy, and @CNETRumorShow); or call and leave us a voice mail at 1-800-750-CNET. … Read more

Wii U getting updates, new games

Wednesday's CNET Update:

Stories mentioned in today's tech news roundup:

- Nintendo announced several updates and new games for the Wii U console.

- GigaOM's report on DIAL, a protocol being worked on by Netflix and YouTube for second-screen apps.

- Google beat analyst expectations by reporting its first-ever $50 billion year.

- Tumblr: Actual Facebook Graph Searches

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'Big Bang Theory' star creates TV show about real prodigies

It's looking like the TV show "The Big Bang Theory" may become a reality series, of sorts.

Jim Parsons, one of the show's geek protagonists, is working on creating a television series that profiles real-life young geniuses, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series will be based on a YouTube show by the THNKR channel called "Prodigies."

"I knew within a few minutes of viewing my first episode of 'Prodigies' that I wanted to be a part of the team bringing the digital series to a wider audience via television. Spending time with … Read more

Avoid Oklahoma! Social-media map warns of flu hotspots

There are many ways of discovering just how bad the flu is in your area. You and all your friends and co-workers could get sick. You could hear about it on the local news. Or you could check Esri's social-media flu map tracking tweets, YouTube videos, and Flickr photos having to do with Flu Invasion 2013.

The nice part of the Esri map is you can check it from the sterile safety of your own home where you've locked yourself up in a hermetically sealed environment with weeks worth of Spam and Top Ramen to tide you over until flu season subsides.… Read more

Google boasts 4 billion hours of YouTube viewing per month

YouTube viewers watched 4 billion hours of the site's videos per month in 2012, a Google executive boasted during Google's fourth-quarter earnings call today.

Nikesh Arora, Google's senior VP and chief business officer, highlighted the big number along with a bunch of other favorable YouTube figures.

The video-hosting service is now available on 400 million mobile devices, Arora said, adding that "YouTube is well positioned for today's multiscreen world."

He said video has been a "key" element for advertising brands. YouTube saw a bump in advertising last year. Its top 100 advertisers … Read more

'Glee' accused of ripping off indy YouTube singer

"That's mine!"

"No, it isn't! It's mine!"

Such is the dialogue I imagine the writers of "Glee" would pen to describe a slight kerfuffle between its own creators and Jonathan Coulton.

Coulton enjoys a bit of fame on YouTube. He writes tunes like "Code Monkey." He created the themes of Portal video games.… Read more

YouTube said to be investing cash in Vevo

Word has it that YouTube is looking to throw some cash in the direction of the music video site Vevo, according to AllThingsD. If these rumors are true, it shows that YouTube is increasingly moving toward the content market.

YouTube was supposedly courting Vevo last May and is now reportedly ready to make an investment, according to AllThingsD. If indeed the video giant does partner with Vevo, the way consumers view content on the site will supposedly stay the same -- which means watching big label music videos for free.

Vevo was tallied as the third most-watched video site in … Read more

Why a smartphone may not be the best choice for everyone

Smartphones are hitting the mainstream market. And that means old and young want a piece of the action. But at more than $1,000 per year for service, a smartphone may not be the best choice for every consumer.

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I help a reader decide if he should get his parents smartphones or if he should spare them the hefty monthly service fees and get them new basic feature phones. I also help another reader decide if there is a less-expensive alternative to Verizon that will allow him to keep his unlimited data plan.

Feature … Read more