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Crowdfunded Veronica Mars movie will hit theaters and your living room simultaneously
It wasn't enough that the Veronica Mars film turned the standard studio model upside down by going to Kickstarter for its funds. Now word is that the feature length Kristen Bell vehicle will be available online to rent or purchase on the same day that it opens in 270 theaters across the country -- March 14th. Normally AMC (which owns 260 of those screens) requires that a movie not be available for home viewing until 90 days after its theatrical release, but Time Warner has found a way around that policy. Rather than doing a standard release and spliting the box office earnings with AMC, the company is simply renting out the theaters where Veronica Mars will be shown. That means that Time Warner is laying out a significant chunk of change up front to screen the film, but will pocket all of the cash from the ticket sales. That's in addition to a significant portion of the proceeds from on-demand rentals and digital purchases, which will mostly be delivered by cable and satellite providers. Don't expect this to become a standard model for movie releases, however. Time Warner views this primarily as an experiment that caters specifically to the passionate Veronica Mars fan base.
Xbox Entertainment hires AMC veteran to develop unscripted video content
Former AMC programming director Ari Mark has joined up with Xbox Entertainment Studios in Santa Monica, where he will oversee the creation of unscripted video content for Microsoft. Previously, Mark worked with AMC in developing the network-original reality television shows The Pitch and Small Town Security. Mark also assisted in the creation of AMC's The Walking Dead-focused talk show Talking Dead, along with Comic Book Men, a reality show set in director Kevin Smith's comic shop in New Jersey. Xbox Entertainment Studios announced that it will launch an Xbox-exclusive documentary series this year through its multiplatform media company Lightbox. The first film in the series will document a planned excavation of a New Mexico landfill thought to contain unsold Atari cartridges and hardware buried in the aftermath of the video game industry crash of 1983.
Google Glass wearer removed from AMC theater under suspicion of recording
Despite the many uses for Google Glass, this new class of wearable devices is inevitably meeting some growing pains (pictured above is 7'3" Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert, a Glass wearer who has experienced some growing pains) as the world gets used to them. One wearer successfully fought a traffic ticket recently and now another early adopter suffered the "embarrassing" experience of being removed from a movie theater for bringing the accessory. In a story originally posted on The Gadgeteer, the unnamed individual stopped by the AMC Easton 30 in Columbus to watch Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, wearing Google Glass attached to his prescription lenses, something he says he'd done before without any trouble. Where the story takes a twist however, is when officers moved in an hour into the movie, yanked the Glass from his face, and brought the man and his wife to separate interrogation rooms for over three hours. Apparently unfamiliar with the device and already on alert for piracy at that theater -- most pirates using this technique bring camouflaged hand-held cameras -- it took quite some time before they eventually (with the owner's permission/at the owner's insistence) plugged Glass into a computer, reviewed the stored images and determined he had not been recording the movie. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Khaalid Wells confirmed the January 18th incident calling it a "brief interview." AMC released a statement to Engadget (available in full after the break) which says theater owners contact the MPAA when suspected recording takes place, in this case prompting an investigation and resulting in contact with Homeland Security. AMC feels like wearing devices with recording capabilities "is not appropriate at the movie theatre," a position that will be hard to hold as movie viewers arrive with their Glass, Gear and other camera-equipped wearable tech, and sticks out here because they were attached to prescription lenses. The initial rollout of camera-equipped phones led to similar awkward interactions, although being arrested certainly takes things to another level. The wearer reports his Glass was returned, undamaged, but at last update he'd received only a few free movie passes for his troubles.
AMC Yeah! hits iPad today, brings tasty movie facts and extras
If you're the kind of person that lives for Blu-ray bonus extras like interviews and obscure movie factoids, AMC's new streaming service might be just the fit for you. It's called Yeah! (the worst name ever, by the way) and it's available for the iPad today. The app features a wealth of classic and cult films, all with accompanying bonus features like pop-up movie facts, with rentals starting at US$5. When it comes to streaming services, there's no shortage of options on the App Store, so Yeah! will have its work cut out for it if AMC hopes to make it a go-to option. Charging $5 for a two-day rental of a movie like Scream -- regardless of how much bonus material is being offered -- seems a bit excessive, so it'll be interesting to see if Yeah! can find a market. [via Engadget]
AMC's Yeah! interactive streaming movie service comes to iPad tomorrow
AMC Networks launched its Yeah! streaming service at SXSW 2013, and this week's debut marks the first major update since the platform's introduction back in March. Yeah! will be coming to iPad tomorrow, with a free application making its way to the App Store. The unique service pairs exclusive content, such as filmmaker and star interviews, flick facts and additional info, with full-length feature films. You'll find Wes Craven interviews packaged with A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, Kevin Smith chatting about Clerks and Michael Madsen filling you in on his experience filming Reservoir Dogs. Yeah! films start at $5 for a 48-hour rental, including the full lot of additional features.
'Breaking Bad' spin-off 'Better Call Saul' will be a Netflix exclusive in Europe and Latin America
Despite its popularity and critical acclaim, Breaking Bad had difficulty finding a broadcaster that respected the show on the other side of the pond. For the final season, however, Netflix began releasing the episodes shortly after their US broadcast, and suddenly people began to take notice. Following that trend, it'll be the streaming service that has won exclusive broadcast rights to Breaking Bad's follow-up in Europe and Latin America, rather than a fusty old TV network. Prequel show Better Call Saul will feature the exploits of Walt and Jesse's lawyer before he got involved with the pair, and we expect it to follow a similar pattern of becoming available the day after its US broadcast -- which is expected to begin at some point next year.
Apple refunds Breaking Bad iTunes passes in wake of split season
When AMC split the last season of Breaking Bad in two, it annoyed iTunes Season Pass holders who had to pay twice to finish Walter White's saga. Rather than point angry viewers in AMC's direction, though, Apple is shouldering the burden (and trying to dodge a lawsuit) by issuing refunds. Customers who bought the not-actually-last season of Breaking Bad are receiving $23 iTunes credits that they can use for another Season Pass if they so choose. The refund comes just before the series wraps this Sunday, but it's a welcome recompense for viewers who were caught off guard. Check out Apple's email to customers after the break. [Thanks, Abraham]
Lego Breaking Bad is surprisingly safe for work
It's no secret WB's Traveller's Tales is running out of fresh licensing ideas for the Lego series, so here's the bold new direction of Lego Breaking Bad by animator Brian Anderson.
Netflix snags global streaming rights for The Killing season 3, after it airs in the US
AMC's detective series The Killing had an inconsistent first couple of seasons, but it is surprisingly returning for a third. Netflix may have assisted that, by sewing up exclusive rights to stream the show worldwide, with the third season coming to US and Canadian subscribers three months after its cable TV finale. The first two seasons are already on the US service and will appear in other regions over the next few months. We've seen Netflix use its analytics to decide to air a brand new show (House of Cards) and bring back one that's been cancelled (Arrested Development), but this time it's picking up a currently airing series that probably plays better in "binge viewing" format than week-by-week. Whatever the case, even with premium channels and streaming services chasing original content, the odds of your favorite niche program getting its six seasons and a movie appear to have never been better.
The Engadget Interview: Wes Craven and Joe Swanberg
We're here in Austin for SXSW Interactive, but it's impossible to avoid a little bleed over from the film and music portions of the event -- particularly when you get invited to cover the latest webstreaming news from AMC Networks. The company set up camp in the IFC Theater on 6th Avenue to unveil its new online offering, Yeah, a rental service that provides the viewer contextual information on movies mined from interviews with the filmmakers and cast, along with two months of research for each of the titles. According to the company, each curated movie features some 400 to 500 new pieces of content. Of course, what we were really looking forward to at the event was the chance to speak with a couple of filmmakers tied to the service, beginning with the great Wes Craven, who provided new interviews for his early films A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Last House on the Left. Craven, it turns out, is one of the new service's biggest cheerleaders, with a genuine enthusiasm about the opportunity to offer some new insight into works that have, admittedly, been fairly well-tread by both film historians and fans.
AMC launches Yeah! movie service, promises exclusive content and enthusiastic punctuation (video)
In this post-DVD world, it can be tough to really enjoy a film without having a director talk on top of it. AMC's looking to fill in the void of contextual information left as many of us have moved from physical to streaming media, with the launch of Yeah! today at SXSW, an online streaming movie service featuring curated supplementary features for classic movies like Superman, Reservoir Dogs, Clerks and A Nightmare on Elm Street. The offering includes interviews with folks like Wes Craven and Richard Donner, facts about the films and quizzes -- there's 400 to 500 new pieces of content per film, according to AMC, which you can access "without obscuring the movie." Yeah! is available now in the source link below -- movies will run you $5 for a 48-hour rental. An iPad version of the service is hitting this summer.
Back to the Future DeLorean reaches Lego form in mid-2013, likely won't reach 88MPH (video)
Team BTTF has been pushing for months to get a Lego rendition of Back to the Future's AMC DeLorean as an official kit. Persistence pays off: Lego's Summer Review has approved the two-person group's project as its next Cuusoo set, both for its realistically affordable design and in response to the "massive appeal" fostered when geek culture took notice. While we don't know how closely the design will follow the templates created by M. Togami and Sakuretsu, it's safe to say there will be a brick-based (and sadly non-functional) Mr. Fusion in the mix. We'll have to wait until mid-2013 to buy a set for ourselves; that's arguably early when Back to the Future II won't take place for another two years.
The Walking Dead TV show's Norman Reedus is Daryl in the FPS
Terminal Reality's The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is a first-person shooter based on AMC's television series, which is of course based on The Walking Dead comic series from Robert Kirkman. It's the first new-media extrapolation to be based on something based on The Walking Dead, rather than on the graphic novel itself, which is probably a smart move when a game directly from the comic has already proven extremely successful.All that said, Survival Instinct integrates AMC's TV show directly, grabbing Norman Reedus, the actor who plays Daryl Dixon, to voice the main protagonist."Norman is super-cool, generous, and a real joy to work with," writes Terminal Reality Creative Director Drew Haworth. "And man, does that guy deliver! He gets the scene, the line, and what you're going for instantly and then doubles down on it, effortlessly 'Darylizing' lines for maximum punch. He's the kind of actor that really makes writers look good."From our own experience with the TV show, we have to agree with that last statement. No one on The Walking Dead nails "looking dramatically at another cast member, in silence, for five whole minutes" quite like Reedus.
Dish Network settles Voom HD lawsuit, AMC comes back on the air tonight
Dish Network customers have been without AMC and its family of channels since July 1st, but thanks to a settlement between the satellite company and Cablevision's former Voom HD unit, AMC will be back on the air starting tonight. The possibility of a settlement leaked out late last week via a court filing, and it looks like Dish CEO Charlie Ergen will avoid taking the stand Monday after all. According to the terms, Dish will hand over $700 million in cash plus its 20 percent stake in Voom, and receive 500MHz of video and data spectrum licenses in 45 areas. In a separate deal, Dish and Cablevision spinoff AMC Networks have a new multiyear deal that should bring back AMC (on channel 131) in time for The Walking Dead to air tonight, and all of its other channels (IFC, WE tv, Sundance and for the first time, Fuse) starting November 1st. While Dish had previously claimed the channel deal was being held up by AMC's distribution of its shows via iTunes, Netflix and Amazon, now that lawsuit is over those concerns seem to have faded away.
Dish vs. Cablevision court filing hints at a settlement, could lead to AMC's return
If you're waiting for a sign that shows like The Walking Dead are coming back to Dish Network, a court document filed Thursday might be it. According to Reuters, the document was originally filed with the title "poss. settlement" (later changed to "adj. for briefing") and set a date for October 22nd. Additionally, the New York Post reports that on Wednesday the Judge adjourned proceedings for the week. As you'll recall, Cablevision sued the satellite company over its Voom HD channels being dropped back in 2008, and is asking for $2.4 billion in damages. If the two have found a resolution, the next question would be whether this affects Dish's negotiations with Cablevision spinoff AMC Networks, which the latter claims were derailed because of its connection to Voom. If the case proceeds, Bloomberg reports Dish CEO Charlie Ergen is set to take the stand Monday -- we'll see if this can get wrapped up before Mad Men and Breaking Bad return in 2013.
'AMC The Walking Dead Social Game' seeking brains in open beta
AMC The Walking Dead Social Game, a Facebook game set in AMC's Walking Dead television universe, which isn't to be confused with Telltale's Walking Dead universe or Image Comics' Walking Dead universe, has entered open beta.The game (playable here) features all the prerequisite expendable resources of a Facebook game, requiring the player to spend energy to move, attack, heal themselves, etc. Weapons can either be purchased with in-game currency or with in-game currency purchased with real-world dollars, also just like you'd expect.Some of the zombies out and about in the world have pictures of your Facebook friends floating above them, and upon death will prompt you with the option to post an automated invite on said friend's wall. Now that we think about it, Facebook games and a zombie pandemic actually have a lot in common -- first it happens to someone you know, then someone you love, and then, when all hope is lost, it happens to you.
3D printed 'Magic Arms' give a little girl use of her limbs
Don't get us wrong, we adore 3D printers and the whole additive manufacturing movement. But, if all you're going to get out of the ABS-jets are some companion cubes and a raptor claw, well then, we don't think there's much hope for the technology. Thankfully there are people out there (much better people than us, we might add), who have turned to 3D printers to actually improve peoples lives. Take, for example, the tale of two-year-old Emma, born with the congenital disorder arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC). The disease causes a person's joints to become locked in a single position, in Emma's case, it was her arms. There are prosthetics that can help, but most are made of metal -- including the anchor vest -- which would make them too heavy for a 25-pound girl. Instead of going off the shelf, doctors turned to a 3D printer from Stratasys to create custom molded parts and a lightweight vest for Emma. The result: the two-year-old who once could not lift her arms is now able to play, color and feed herself. Printing the parts also solves another major issue -- Emma is growing... quickly. The adorable tot has already outgrown her first vest, but her mother just calls the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and has a new one made. The same goes for replacement parts. Should a hinge or brace break, it need only be a matter of hours (not days or weeks) before a new one is delivered. For more details check out the heartwarming video after the break.
AMC to live stream Breaking Bad season premiere on its site, Dish customers rejoice
Yes! Good news are in for those of you who were affected by the ongoing kerfuffle between Dish and AMC: the TV network just announced it'll be live streaming the return of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman on its website. As you're likely aware, this announcement comes shortly after Dish Network revealed it was dropping the home of Breaking Bad and Mad Men from its lineup, after both parties couldn't reach a deal to keep the channel in place -- if there ever was one on the table to begin with. Nevertheless, AMC's taken it to the interwebs to stand its ground, and has rolled out a page inviting Dish customers to sign up for the free live stream of the season premiere this Sunday. Notably, TechCrunch reports an AMC rep told the site that "there's no real way for the network to verify that viewers are actually Dish subscribers," which pretty much opens the doors to anyone wanting to join the Season Five fun. The link to the nice streaming gesture is down below, so give it a bookmark if you're planning on tuning in.
AMC dropped from Dish Network, cuts a new deal to stay on with AT&T U-verse
As June expired, so did AMC's contract with both Dish Network and AT&T U-verse. While negotiations continue with AT&T and its channels remain on for the moment, AMC is already firing at Dish for dropping its channel immediately (after shifting it to an entirely different channel number a few weeks ago), claiming no negotiations have even taken place. As we heard in May, AMC maintains that the real issue is a court case between the two over the Voom HD debacle. For its part, Dish is telling customers the problem is fee increases requested by AMC and "devaluing" its programming by offering it on iTunes, Netflix and Amazon.com. As a result it's swapping in commercial-free HDNet Movies for AMC, and replacing two other AMC channels, WE and IFC, with Style and HDNet (soon to become AXS TV). We'll see how these negotiations go -- it's not too bad now but let's see how viewers react once the new season of Breaking Bad starts airing July 15th. Update: As we went live, AT&T has announced it reached an agreement with AMC Networks, so it's only Dish Network that's on the hotseat now. [Thanks, @soulfliesfree]
Dish Network, AMC dispute could see the network's channels dropped this summer
It wasn't that long ago that Dish Network was proudly offering AMC HD to its customers (especially since DirecTV didn't, which has since been rectified) but now the company is willing to let the network's contract expire this summer, taking new episodes of Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead away from subscribers. The source of the sudden animosity, according to a press release from AMC, is continuing litigation between it and Dish Network over dropping the Voom HD channels back in 2008, leading to them going dark soon after. The LA Times reports Dish Network claims the denial of its appeal on a decision in the case has nothing to do with its sudden change of heart is solely about AMC's high renewal cost for a relatively low viewership. Whatever you believe, the sniping and threats will likely continue right up until the contract runs out June 30th, which is at least long enough for this season of Mad Men to finish on its own.
