San Bruno (CA) - YouTube is close to closing a deal with talent provider William Morris Agency, which would mean that company's clients would star in productions designed specifically for YouTube's format on the web. Production companies could bypass "straight to video," going instead "straight to YouTube."
The Internet is changing; many actors and celebrities are creating their own web content toady. This new YouTube deal would give William Morris clients an ownership stake in the videos they create for the website; it will also give them a chance to increase their level of "celebrity" on the web.
By partnering with a talent agency like this, YouTube is showing that they have a desire to be a landing spot for Hollywood. And making a deal with William Morris would be a significant move in that direction as the agency's clients include such individuals as Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington.
This deal would give YouTube the opportunity to add professionally produced videos to its website, augmenting its library of mainly amateur content and user uploaded videos. The addition of videos of this caliber would give YouTube a greater presence as a true entertainment source, and this might also deliver the monetary answer Google has been seeking - which is how to make money off all the videos it now hosts for free.
Due to privacy and copyright concerns, YouTube doesn't place ads next to most of its user created content. This means the company can only make money off of a small portion of the videos uploaded to the site. YouTube had over 100 million United States viewers in October alone, meaning YouTube's audience is gigantic.
The deal isn't signed yet, so it's too early to get all worked up. But it is something to keep your eye on and watch out for. And, if professional content does come YouTube's way, they may have to change their name to TheyTube - in deference to the production companies now creating the videos instead of regular people.
source:http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/41257/113/
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
DND: No ceasefire with dissident groups during May14 polls
The Department of National Defense (DND) will not recommend to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo the declaration of a ceasefire with the dissident groups during the May 14 midterm elections in order to avoid unauthorized and unnecessary movements of possible troublesome groups.
"We are not recommending an election truce. Generally, ayaw natin na magkaroon ng unnecessary and unauthorized movements (of the groups who are planning to sabotage the election)," Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said following the taping of "The Cabinet Speaks," hosted by Press Assistant Secretary Jose Capadocia and Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) reporter Rey Mercaral at the New Executive Building (NEB) Briefing Room this afternoon.
At the same time, Ebdane called on all officials and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to help and coordinate with the Philippine National Police (PNP) to ensure the peaceful and orderly conduct of the elections on Monday.
"Gawin nating mapayapa ang halalan," Ebdane said as he urged the soldiers to think and always consider the feelings of the Filipino people who want a peaceful, progressive and economically-developed country, as a whole.
He also asked the men and women of the AFP to exercise their right to vote judiciously, thinking of the welfare of the majority of the people and using their conscience in selecting the qualified candidates based on their platform of government and not on popularity.
On the issue of military deployment, Ebdane assured the public that the role of the soldiers will be in compliance with the directives of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to ensure the peaceful conduct of the elections.
He said that the AFP is coordinating with the PNP for the soldiers to assist the police authorities in case there is a threat to sabotage the conduct of the polls.
The AFP, he stressed, is tasked to secure the crowd at all times, especially the voting populace.
Ebdane predicted that overall, the 2007 elections would be peaceful and orderly.
"We are not recommending an election truce. Generally, ayaw natin na magkaroon ng unnecessary and unauthorized movements (of the groups who are planning to sabotage the election)," Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said following the taping of "The Cabinet Speaks," hosted by Press Assistant Secretary Jose Capadocia and Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) reporter Rey Mercaral at the New Executive Building (NEB) Briefing Room this afternoon.
At the same time, Ebdane called on all officials and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to help and coordinate with the Philippine National Police (PNP) to ensure the peaceful and orderly conduct of the elections on Monday.
"Gawin nating mapayapa ang halalan," Ebdane said as he urged the soldiers to think and always consider the feelings of the Filipino people who want a peaceful, progressive and economically-developed country, as a whole.
He also asked the men and women of the AFP to exercise their right to vote judiciously, thinking of the welfare of the majority of the people and using their conscience in selecting the qualified candidates based on their platform of government and not on popularity.
On the issue of military deployment, Ebdane assured the public that the role of the soldiers will be in compliance with the directives of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to ensure the peaceful conduct of the elections.
He said that the AFP is coordinating with the PNP for the soldiers to assist the police authorities in case there is a threat to sabotage the conduct of the polls.
The AFP, he stressed, is tasked to secure the crowd at all times, especially the voting populace.
Ebdane predicted that overall, the 2007 elections would be peaceful and orderly.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Obama's SEC pick to face reform-minded Congress
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama's choice to lead the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will be grilled Thursday on how she intends to overhaul an agency widely blamed for failing to help prevent the biggest financial crisis in decades.
Members of the Senate Banking Committee are expected to ask veteran regulator Mary Schapiro whether the SEC should be merged with the U.S. futures regulator and for ideas on how to rework rules that failed to prevent Wall Street's meltdown.
Schapiro, currently the chief executive of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, is also expected to face questions about what the broker-dealer watchdog could have done to uncover Bernard Madoff's alleged $50 billion fraud, something the SEC also missed.
FINRA late Wednesday said it investigated 19 trading complaints about Madoff's broker-dealer firm but they did not relate to the investment advisory issues involved in the alleged fraud.
Further, FINRA said the SEC did not pass on any complaints. "The SEC did not share the tips it received with FINRA," it said in an emailed statement.
The very future of the 74-year-old SEC is in question after a number of regulatory missteps. Under current SEC chairman Christopher Cox, the five largest U.S. investment banks -- which the SEC supervised under a voluntary arrangement -- have since either collapsed or reorganized.
The SEC has also been a punching bag for various lawmakers and Wall Street firms who successfully put pressure on the agency to temporarily stop investors from making bearish bets on financial stocks when markets were in a tailspin in 2008.
Many see Schapiro as someone who will help heal the SEC.
She has spent more than two decades regulating financial markets with a resume that includes chairing the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and a stint as an SEC commissioner.
She has been widely praised by both industry and investor groups. Members of the Senate Banking Committee have also lauded her.
Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said Schapiro will inherit a host of issues requiring the SEC's immediate attention, including the Madoff fraud and accounting issues.
"I look forward to (the) hearing and the opportunity to learn more about Schapiro's record as a regulator, her vision for the SEC, and her extensive knowledge of the securities markets and financial services industry," the Democrat from Connecticut said in a statement Wednesday.
Lawmakers are likely to seek Schapiro's views on investment bank regulation. Even though former investment banks like Goldman Sachs have reorganized into bank holding companies and are supervised by the Federal Reserve, Congress will have to figure out how to best regulate the holding companies for broker-dealers.
And shareholder activists and business groups will be listening for anything she says on the issue of proxy access, or giving shareholders another way to advance board nominees.
Questions are also expected on the move toward a global accounting standard and the controversial fair value accounting rule that has been blamed for forcing financial firms to write down billions of dollars in assets.
for more information log onto:http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE50E1ZT20090115
Members of the Senate Banking Committee are expected to ask veteran regulator Mary Schapiro whether the SEC should be merged with the U.S. futures regulator and for ideas on how to rework rules that failed to prevent Wall Street's meltdown.
Schapiro, currently the chief executive of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, is also expected to face questions about what the broker-dealer watchdog could have done to uncover Bernard Madoff's alleged $50 billion fraud, something the SEC also missed.
FINRA late Wednesday said it investigated 19 trading complaints about Madoff's broker-dealer firm but they did not relate to the investment advisory issues involved in the alleged fraud.
Further, FINRA said the SEC did not pass on any complaints. "The SEC did not share the tips it received with FINRA," it said in an emailed statement.
The very future of the 74-year-old SEC is in question after a number of regulatory missteps. Under current SEC chairman Christopher Cox, the five largest U.S. investment banks -- which the SEC supervised under a voluntary arrangement -- have since either collapsed or reorganized.
The SEC has also been a punching bag for various lawmakers and Wall Street firms who successfully put pressure on the agency to temporarily stop investors from making bearish bets on financial stocks when markets were in a tailspin in 2008.
Many see Schapiro as someone who will help heal the SEC.
She has spent more than two decades regulating financial markets with a resume that includes chairing the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and a stint as an SEC commissioner.
She has been widely praised by both industry and investor groups. Members of the Senate Banking Committee have also lauded her.
Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said Schapiro will inherit a host of issues requiring the SEC's immediate attention, including the Madoff fraud and accounting issues.
"I look forward to (the) hearing and the opportunity to learn more about Schapiro's record as a regulator, her vision for the SEC, and her extensive knowledge of the securities markets and financial services industry," the Democrat from Connecticut said in a statement Wednesday.
Lawmakers are likely to seek Schapiro's views on investment bank regulation. Even though former investment banks like Goldman Sachs have reorganized into bank holding companies and are supervised by the Federal Reserve, Congress will have to figure out how to best regulate the holding companies for broker-dealers.
And shareholder activists and business groups will be listening for anything she says on the issue of proxy access, or giving shareholders another way to advance board nominees.
Questions are also expected on the move toward a global accounting standard and the controversial fair value accounting rule that has been blamed for forcing financial firms to write down billions of dollars in assets.
for more information log onto:http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE50E1ZT20090115
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Tax reform a key part of new German stimulus plan
BERLIN, Jan 13 (Reuters) - A 50 billion euro stimulus package agreed late on Monday by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition includes changes to tax brackets to ease the burden on households, the ruling parties said on Tuesday.
Eight months before an election, Merkel's conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD), who share power in an uneasy coalition, agreed new measures to help Europe's largest economy through what could be its worst recession since World War Two.
Details of the two-year 50 billion euro plan ($67.02 billion) were still trickling out on Tuesday morning but central to the package is 18 billion euros in new investments in infrastructure and education.
There will also be incentives worth 2,500 euros for new car purchases. The entry level tax rate will go down slightly and tax-free thresholds will be raised slightly, the parties said.
Volker Kauder, parliamentary leader of Merkel's conservatives, told ZDF television on Tuesday that on top of these measures, the package would also address so-called "cold progression" -- the process by which taxpayers are shifted into higher tax brackets even when real incomes have not grown.
Reform of this process, which occurs in Germany because tax groups are not adjusted for inflation, was one of the most difficult issues for the parties to agree on.
"There will be not just a change to the threshold and the entry tax rate but there will also be an adjustment to the tax groupings so that we can get into (tackling) cold progression," Kauder said. "It is something for the whole tax system."
Peter Struck, SPD parliamentary floor leader, told German television the package would ease the tax burden.
"With this package we can achieve our goal of emerging from this crisis as best we can."
continued at:http://uk.reuters.com/article/marketsNewsUS/idUKLD73301620090113
Eight months before an election, Merkel's conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD), who share power in an uneasy coalition, agreed new measures to help Europe's largest economy through what could be its worst recession since World War Two.
Details of the two-year 50 billion euro plan ($67.02 billion) were still trickling out on Tuesday morning but central to the package is 18 billion euros in new investments in infrastructure and education.
There will also be incentives worth 2,500 euros for new car purchases. The entry level tax rate will go down slightly and tax-free thresholds will be raised slightly, the parties said.
Volker Kauder, parliamentary leader of Merkel's conservatives, told ZDF television on Tuesday that on top of these measures, the package would also address so-called "cold progression" -- the process by which taxpayers are shifted into higher tax brackets even when real incomes have not grown.
Reform of this process, which occurs in Germany because tax groups are not adjusted for inflation, was one of the most difficult issues for the parties to agree on.
"There will be not just a change to the threshold and the entry tax rate but there will also be an adjustment to the tax groupings so that we can get into (tackling) cold progression," Kauder said. "It is something for the whole tax system."
Peter Struck, SPD parliamentary floor leader, told German television the package would ease the tax burden.
"With this package we can achieve our goal of emerging from this crisis as best we can."
continued at:http://uk.reuters.com/article/marketsNewsUS/idUKLD73301620090113
Friday, January 09, 2009
Idols, You’ll Have to Pass Through Her
ONE day after Christmas and 18 days before her life was to take a turn toward the absurd, Kara DioGuardi was here, in her cozy two-story vacation home that overlooks the harbor, sipping red wine and reassuring herself that life could always be this calm.
“Here I am,” she said, sighing between stretches of self-analysis, “being scrutinized again.”
About 15 years ago this New Rochelle, N.Y., native moved to New York City after college and tried to make it as a rock star, taking the usual knocks along the way: “I should lose five pounds, my nose is too big, you’re not black enough, you’re not white enough: those were actual comments,” she said. So instead she found her way as a songwriter, becoming one of the more successful and ubiquitous pop engines in recent memory, responsible for hits by Celine Dion, Pink, Kelly Clarkson and Christina Aguilera. Behind the scenes had become home, and she was fine with that.
But Ms. DioGuardi, 38, will have to get comfortable under the pop microscope. Feisty, heartfelt and outspoken, she is the new judge on “American Idol,” whose eighth season begins Tuesday on Fox. She will be the most evident disruption to the show’s familiar structure since its 2002 inception.
“I’m not going into this thinking everyone’s going to love me,” she said with a touch of hesitation, “but they can’ttake away what I’ve done.”
By this point in the evening Ms. DioGuardi’s Chihuahua, Tiki, had given up barking and taken a soft spot on the couch; the view outside the living room’s picture window revealed the harbor at low tide, a black plateau of silt.
It won’t be this quiet for some time. And it’s a particularly tough moment to be injected into “Idol.” Last season’s two-night premiere averaged 33.3 million viewers, the fewest of any “Idol” premiere since the fourth season. Ratings for 2008 were down 6 percent from the previous season, according to Fox, though “Idol” remained the highest-rated series on network television.
As a result Fox and 19 Entertainment, the show’s producers, have made a few changes. More emphasis will be placed on the emotional arcs of the contestants, a feature that had been marginalized in recent years. As in the first few seasons there will be 36 semifinalists instead of 24, with judge-selected wild cards making it into the final 12. But the shift that will make the biggest impact will be the insertion of Ms. DioGuardi between Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul at the judges’ table.
“We needed someone who would be credible musically,” said Mike Darnell, president of alternative entertainment for Fox. Several people were considered before Ms. DioGuardi was chosen, just days before auditions began in August, he said. “It doesn’t hurt that she’s very attractive. We wanted someone who would argue when necessary, a voice that would stir it up, and she’s done that.”
for more information:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/arts/television/11cara.html
“Here I am,” she said, sighing between stretches of self-analysis, “being scrutinized again.”
About 15 years ago this New Rochelle, N.Y., native moved to New York City after college and tried to make it as a rock star, taking the usual knocks along the way: “I should lose five pounds, my nose is too big, you’re not black enough, you’re not white enough: those were actual comments,” she said. So instead she found her way as a songwriter, becoming one of the more successful and ubiquitous pop engines in recent memory, responsible for hits by Celine Dion, Pink, Kelly Clarkson and Christina Aguilera. Behind the scenes had become home, and she was fine with that.
But Ms. DioGuardi, 38, will have to get comfortable under the pop microscope. Feisty, heartfelt and outspoken, she is the new judge on “American Idol,” whose eighth season begins Tuesday on Fox. She will be the most evident disruption to the show’s familiar structure since its 2002 inception.
“I’m not going into this thinking everyone’s going to love me,” she said with a touch of hesitation, “but they can’ttake away what I’ve done.”
By this point in the evening Ms. DioGuardi’s Chihuahua, Tiki, had given up barking and taken a soft spot on the couch; the view outside the living room’s picture window revealed the harbor at low tide, a black plateau of silt.
It won’t be this quiet for some time. And it’s a particularly tough moment to be injected into “Idol.” Last season’s two-night premiere averaged 33.3 million viewers, the fewest of any “Idol” premiere since the fourth season. Ratings for 2008 were down 6 percent from the previous season, according to Fox, though “Idol” remained the highest-rated series on network television.
As a result Fox and 19 Entertainment, the show’s producers, have made a few changes. More emphasis will be placed on the emotional arcs of the contestants, a feature that had been marginalized in recent years. As in the first few seasons there will be 36 semifinalists instead of 24, with judge-selected wild cards making it into the final 12. But the shift that will make the biggest impact will be the insertion of Ms. DioGuardi between Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul at the judges’ table.
“We needed someone who would be credible musically,” said Mike Darnell, president of alternative entertainment for Fox. Several people were considered before Ms. DioGuardi was chosen, just days before auditions began in August, he said. “It doesn’t hurt that she’s very attractive. We wanted someone who would argue when necessary, a voice that would stir it up, and she’s done that.”
for more information:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/arts/television/11cara.html
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Ballmer touts Windows 7 beta, new deals
LAS VEGAS--As he takes the stage Wednesday, Steve Ballmer has a mighty big task ahead of him.
Not only is he taking over Consumer Electronics Show keynote duties from Bill Gates, he is also aiming to convince the tech world that Microsoft is serious about defending its turf on the PC as well as making headway on the Web, television and phone. Oh yeah, and then there's that whole economy-melting-down thing.
Ballmer hasn't arrived in Sin City empty handed, however. In perhaps the biggest announcement of the night, he will announce Microsoft is ready with a beta version of Windows 7 and he will show off some of its key consumer features.
Microsoft will also announce new deals for Windows Live that will see Microsoft's search engine become the default on PCs from Dell as well as touting a deal with Verizon Wireless that leaked earlier in the day. The company is also counting on two Halo game releases this year to help keep the Xbox 360 going in the right direction.
But Microsoft faces considerable competition in each of the areas Ballmer is discussing. On the PC front, a resurgent Apple has increased its share. In search, Google continues to dominate. In the phone market, Apple's iPhone has grabbed much of the spotlight, not to mention significant market share. Google also has joined the fray, while longtime competitors such as Research in Motion and Palm are trying to maintain their slices of the pie as well.
And then, of course, there's the substantial financial headwind. Ballmer is expected to express his usual optimism--despite the global financial outlook--and discuss the company's commitment to research and development in both good times and bad. That said, Microsoft is clearly not immune from the problems that led Intel Wednesday to announce that fourth-quarter revenues were down 23 percent from the same quarter a year ago.
On the PC side, Microsoft is looking to turn the page from Vista to its successor, Windows 7. Microsoft isn't talking about any new features of Windows 7, saying it talked about all of the key features at the Professional Developer Conference last year. Instead, it will attempt to demonstrate what features like improved home networking really mean for the average household.
As for the beta of Windows 7, Microsoft said it will be immediately available for technical beta testers and those in Microsoft's TechNet and MSDN developer programs and will be made publicly available on Friday. The company still isn't officially committing to a final release in time for this year's holiday season, although the company is clearly still aiming for that.
Ballmer will also discuss Windows Live. In addition to the global PC deal with Dell and the five year U.S. deal with Verizon Wireless, Microsoft has expanded its relationship with Facebook to allow users to see within their Windows Live homepage certain of their buddies' Facebook updates. The company is also stripping the beta tag off many of its Web-based and downloadable Windows Live products.
On the phone side, Ballmer is expected to talk about the improved mobile browser Microsoft released at the end of last year, but the company is not talking yet about when to expect a serious upgrade to the Windows Mobile operating system, which has grown rather long in the tooth. Microsoft has made reference to an interim Windows 6.5 release that could serve as a bridge until the more significant overhaul of the operating system--Windows Mobile 7--makes its delayed debut.
On the automotive side, Microsoft is announcing a new version of its Ford Sync entertainment system that uses voice recognition software from its Tellme acquisition.
While that's the main news of the show, check out our live blog to get some live quotes, our commentary, as well as updates on any celebrity guests or funny videos that are often the hallmark of Microsoft's keynotes.
source:http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10135791-75.html
Not only is he taking over Consumer Electronics Show keynote duties from Bill Gates, he is also aiming to convince the tech world that Microsoft is serious about defending its turf on the PC as well as making headway on the Web, television and phone. Oh yeah, and then there's that whole economy-melting-down thing.
Ballmer hasn't arrived in Sin City empty handed, however. In perhaps the biggest announcement of the night, he will announce Microsoft is ready with a beta version of Windows 7 and he will show off some of its key consumer features.
Microsoft will also announce new deals for Windows Live that will see Microsoft's search engine become the default on PCs from Dell as well as touting a deal with Verizon Wireless that leaked earlier in the day. The company is also counting on two Halo game releases this year to help keep the Xbox 360 going in the right direction.
But Microsoft faces considerable competition in each of the areas Ballmer is discussing. On the PC front, a resurgent Apple has increased its share. In search, Google continues to dominate. In the phone market, Apple's iPhone has grabbed much of the spotlight, not to mention significant market share. Google also has joined the fray, while longtime competitors such as Research in Motion and Palm are trying to maintain their slices of the pie as well.
And then, of course, there's the substantial financial headwind. Ballmer is expected to express his usual optimism--despite the global financial outlook--and discuss the company's commitment to research and development in both good times and bad. That said, Microsoft is clearly not immune from the problems that led Intel Wednesday to announce that fourth-quarter revenues were down 23 percent from the same quarter a year ago.
On the PC side, Microsoft is looking to turn the page from Vista to its successor, Windows 7. Microsoft isn't talking about any new features of Windows 7, saying it talked about all of the key features at the Professional Developer Conference last year. Instead, it will attempt to demonstrate what features like improved home networking really mean for the average household.
As for the beta of Windows 7, Microsoft said it will be immediately available for technical beta testers and those in Microsoft's TechNet and MSDN developer programs and will be made publicly available on Friday. The company still isn't officially committing to a final release in time for this year's holiday season, although the company is clearly still aiming for that.
Ballmer will also discuss Windows Live. In addition to the global PC deal with Dell and the five year U.S. deal with Verizon Wireless, Microsoft has expanded its relationship with Facebook to allow users to see within their Windows Live homepage certain of their buddies' Facebook updates. The company is also stripping the beta tag off many of its Web-based and downloadable Windows Live products.
On the phone side, Ballmer is expected to talk about the improved mobile browser Microsoft released at the end of last year, but the company is not talking yet about when to expect a serious upgrade to the Windows Mobile operating system, which has grown rather long in the tooth. Microsoft has made reference to an interim Windows 6.5 release that could serve as a bridge until the more significant overhaul of the operating system--Windows Mobile 7--makes its delayed debut.
On the automotive side, Microsoft is announcing a new version of its Ford Sync entertainment system that uses voice recognition software from its Tellme acquisition.
While that's the main news of the show, check out our live blog to get some live quotes, our commentary, as well as updates on any celebrity guests or funny videos that are often the hallmark of Microsoft's keynotes.
source:http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10135791-75.html
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