MTV's comment boards are full of questionably-literate folks demanding to know how that silver ball flew around the stage, but nobody seems to have an answer yet. It probably isn't CGI, since MTV blew their entire special effects budget on digital sparklies. That, and it'd be tricky to place a hat on top of an imaginary ball. Simple string work is probably out, too— the ball's movements are way too smooth for any marionette action. It's not a remote controlled vehicle, because that's ridiculous. My guess is it's a combination of strings for when they're handling the ball, and CGI for when it's swooping around the ceiling, but we may never know. Anybody have any guesses? [MTV, thanks Luke!]

Boxee is now in public alpha for Mac, Ubuntu, and Apple TV (that means available for everyone!), and in private alpha for Windows. If you remember before, the private alpha isn't a deal-breaker; request a download and you'll usually receive one in a week or two. Besides wider availability, Boxee has also added support for Joost and BBC iPlayer, though the latter will only work in the U.K. They've also expanded the use of MTV Music, adding search and browse options. [New York Times]

Viacom's argument is that their channels "provide 20 percent of their audience" yet they only "receive about 2.5 percent of the fees Time Warner pays," so they're asking for what amounts to a rate increase of 23 cents per subscriber. Time Warner says that "the root of this is that the advertising market has gone soft and Viacom is desperate" and it's no time to be making people pay more for TV.

Viacom's PR campaign, so far, is decidedly brilliant: They've taken out full page ads in the Times and other papers today with characters like Dora the Explorer crying because children can't watch her starting tomorrow. Time Warner's response is pretty savvy too. Time Warner spokesman Alexander Dudley said that they'll "be telling our customers exactly where they can go to see these programs online...We’ll also be telling them how they can hook up their PCs to a television set.”

That's right—the cable company will be telling people to use Hulu. That's a first. True, they're still doing it over Time Warner's pipes, but it's pretty shocking coming from a cable company/ISP, who, like every other TV/ISP service provider, has traditionally pushed people in various ways to use the internet less and their TV services more. In fact, Time Warner has squawked before that they hate the amount of content—like The Hills and The Daily Show, the very programs at issue here—that broadcasters are putting online for free. Now they're sending people to them.

This is also the same Time Warner that's capping the amount of data people can use a month in certain markets, which, survey says, is a network management practice likely to spread—in large part due to the amount of strain on broadband networks coming from streaming video now.

And this Time Warner's going to tell people to stream more video? Maybe they're just going to bump your broadband bill instead, or this is a bluff. So, don't worry guys, you'll totally be able to watch Comedy Central while you're hungover tomorrow. (Probably.) [NY Times via NewTeeVee]

The site's still very young, but just poking around shows the amazing amount of content on there. There aren't just music videos on here, but also songs played on shows like VH1 Storytellers and MTV Unplugged. Just check out above, where I've embedded Nirvana playing The Man Who Sold the World from their unplugged set. As of this writing, it's been played 8 times.

Before this just degenerates into me embedding my favorite music videos, I'll just leave you with this video for Wanderlust by Bjork and then let you go explore for yourself. Just from my surface exploration, it includes pretty much everything, from old acts to new, major label acts to indies. Go, go now! [MTV Music]

You already know about all of the different ways to watch TV online. Now you just want links to your favorite shows (plus all those new ones) as quickly as possible so you can ditch your TiVo and TV once and for all. Our Internet TV remote has the best links to every prime-time show currently streaming online at full length. Bookmark it and check back often, we'll update it as new shows come out... Note: Many of these streams will not work outside of the US, but if you're out of the country and need your fix, you know where to go without any help from us.

NBC
30 Rock
America’s Toughest Jobs
The Biggest Loser
Chuck
ER
Friday Night Lights
Heroes
Kath & Kim
Knight Rider
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Life
Lipstick Jungle
My Name is Earl
The Office
Saturday Night Live
The Tonight Show

ABC
Boston Legal
Brothers & Sisters
Dancing With The Stars
Desperate Housewives
Dirty Sexy Money
Eli Stone
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Grey's Anatomy
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Life On Mars
Lost
Opportunity Knocks
Private Practice
Pushing Daisies
Samantha Who?
Ugly Betty

CBS
Big Brother
CSI
CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
Eleventh Hour
The Ex List
Gary Unmarried
How I Met Your Mother
Jericho
The Mentalist
NCIS
The New Adventures of Old Christine
Numb3rs
Survivor
The Unit
Worst Week

FOX
American Dad
America's Most Wanted
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
Bones
Cops
Do Not Disturb
Family Guy
Fringe
Hell's Kitchen
Hole in the Wall
House
Kitchen Nightmares
MADtv
The Moment of Truth
Prison Break
The Simpsons
TALKSHOW with Spike Feresten
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
til Death

The CW
4REAL
90210
America's Next Top Model
Easy Money
Everybody Hates Chris
The Game
Gossip Girl
In Harms Way
Privileged
One Tree Hill
Reaper
Smallville
Supernatural
Valentine

Comedy Central
The Daily Show
The Colbert Report
South Park

MTV
The Hills
A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila
Cribs

FX
30 Days
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Nip Tuck
Rescue Me
The Riches
Sons of Anarchy

USA
Burn Notice
Dr. Steve-O
Monk
Psych
The Starter Wife

Sci-Fi
Battlestar Galactica
Destination Truth
Eureka
Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters International
Sanctuary
Scare Tactics

The new kit is said to be released August 15th of this year and cost $100. And at this time it's available for pre-order now on the Xbox 360, but not listed as a PS3 option (which may or may not mean something). That said, we're still holding out for Rock Band's next, most promising simulation peripheral—the groupie kit. [Gamestop via Kotaku]

Each episode will begin with two hidden cell phones ringing at opposite ends of a major city. Contestants who answer the phones will get to go on a timed mission for a cash prize. While they're racing through the city, a helicopter will track their every move. Kind of like that scene in the Bourne Ultimatum where Matt Damon's trying to get that journalist dude to follow his instructions—but sexy. Also nobody's going to get their heads blown off.

What? You think this sounds unbelievably lame? You're not lovin' it? Well buddy, cry me a river, because last time I checked, I was Justin Timberlake and you weren't. I get to do things like make out with Scarlett Johansson and have four cellphone channels devoted to my life. I think I would be the king of knowing what's lame and what's not. Where is the love, man? God, you guys are such dicks (in a box). [Reuters]

Otherwise, the computer has pretty standard specs:

Starting at $1,129.99, you'll score a Core 2 Duo (Penryn) processor, 14.1" widescreen display, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS 128MB video card, up to 4GB RAM, up to a 250GB hard drive, DVD burner or HD-DVD ROM (heh), Bluetooth and built-in webcam.

So it's a nice looking machine, but the whole package sounds a bit too matchy-matchy for our tastes. And while it looks a lot better than another silver box, why not just make more designs? Until then, we'll opt to stick with the absolutely fantastic GelaSkins.

Oh, but one little message to HP—when you make an artist edition laptop, there's no need to slap the logo on the design. This is not a commercial; it's a laptop. We think. [product via notebook info]

RHAPSODY AND YAHOO! ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP IN DIGITAL MUSIC

Yahoo! to Exclusively Offer and Promote Rhapsody for On-Demand Music Services

SUNNYVALE, CA AND SEATTLE - February 4, 2008 - Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) and Rhapsody® America, the award winning digital music service of RealNetworks® (RNWK) and Viacom's (NYSE:VIA and VIA.B) MTV Networks, today announced a broad strategic relationship in digital music. Rhapsody will be the exclusive on-demand music service for Yahoo!, replacing Yahoo! Music Unlimited. Yahoo! Music and Rhapsody also intend to collaborate on other digital music services such as music downloads. The partnership introduces Rhapsody's award-winning subscription music service to the largest online music audience through Yahoo! Music and reinforces Yahoo!'s focus on providing users with a destination to easily access the best music services and content from across the web.

In the coming months, Yahoo! Music Unlimited subscribers will be migrated to Rhapsody's digital music service through a simple process that will convert Yahoo! Music Unlimited subscribers' music libraries to Rhapsody. Current Yahoo! Music subscribers will have the opportunity to maintain their existing pricing tiers for a limited time period after migration to the Rhapsody service. Additional details will be communicated to Yahoo! Music subscribers closer to the date when account migration begins.

"By partnering with Yahoo!, we are connecting Rhapsody's 'jukebox in the sky' with one of the biggest music audiences on the web," said Rob Glaser, chairman and CEO of RealNetworks. "Soon, tens of millions of Yahoo users will be able to access their favorite music through Rhapsody - wherever they go, whenever they want it."

"This agreement allows Yahoo! to continue its focus on being the Internet's leading starting point by creating an indispensable music experience that will drive music fans to Yahoo! first on their path to music discovery," said Scott Moore, Senior Vice President and Head of Media, Yahoo!.

The partnership coincides with an announcement by Yahoo! that it has acquired FoxyTunes, the company that developed a popular toolbar plug-in that enables users to control more than 30 desktop and Web-based music players. FoxyTunes also allows users to easily find lyrics, videos, bios and more, based on what is currently playing in a user's media player. By giving Yahoo! users an easy and agnostic tool with which to control and play music, FoxyTunes' functionality across multiple music sources and services also furthers Yahoo!'s goal to be more open. To read more about this announcement, please visit Yahoo!'s corporate blog at yodel.yahoo.com.

"Our partnership with Rhapsody, the acquisition of FoxyTunes and the release of the web-based Yahoo! Media Player moves Yahoo! Music closer to our goal of enabling users to play all of the music on the Web," said Ian Rogers, Vice President of Video and Media Applications, Yahoo!. "But, it doesn't end there, Yahoo! Music will continue to innovate and forge new ways to marry music content with the rich content of the Internet."

"Rhapsody connects fans with more music, in more ways and through more devices than any other on-demand music service," said Neil Smith, Vice President of Marketing for Rhapsody America. "As an unlimited access, on-demand service, Rhapsody is a perfect complement to Yahoo!'s vibrant Yahoo!Music site."

It's a ballsier move than putting The Daily Show online, as South Park sells lots of DVDs, and these episodes will directly compete with episodes available for sale in stores. The Daily Show is less valuable as it gets older, as it's news-based, so putting episodes that poke fun of Ralph Nader online wasn't as much of a risk. If successful, look for more MTV and Comedy Central shows to get this treatment (The State! Please!). The more free TV shows online the better, as far as we're concerned. We'd like it if they spread the love and made all these episodes available to other players such as Joost, but I guess we should be happy with what we get. [Reuters]

The positioning is obvious to anyone who's watched the bloodbath of non-Apple music stores over the past few years. Urge was supposed to be Microsoft's darling, and the key to its Windows Media Player 11 and Vista music strategy. That is, until the new baby Zune came along and Urge was left playing in the road like a foster child. An article today in the Wall Street Journal said that the Verizon Wireless angle is also clear, since Apple "angered" many carriers by deciding to go exclusive with AT&T.

Regarding DRM-free music, Real chairman Rob Glazer said that the company started its trial of DRM-free tracks fro Universal today, but did not indicate if DRM-free music would ever be available for download to a cell phone.

As the Journal predicted, Urge's GM, Michael Bloom, will run the new company, and the Urge brand will cease to exist.

[WSJ]

Press Release:

MTV Networks, RealNetworks and Verizon Wireless Join Forces To Offer A New Integrated Digital Music Experience

NEW YORK - Aug. 21, 2007 - RealNetworks, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK), MTV Networks, a division of VIACOM International (NYSE: VIA.A and VIA.B), and Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), and Vodafone (LSE: VOD) today announced they are teaming to create a single, integrated digital music experience that consumers can access via their PC, portable music device or mobile phone. Promising to be ultra-rich in music culture, programming and discovery, Rhapsody will unite the best of RealNetworks' market-leading service and MTV Networks critically acclaimed URGE music service. Verizon Wireless' V CAST Music -the most successful mobile music service in the country - will become the mobile platform for the integrated Rhapsody service.

As part of this alliance, MTV Networks and Real are forming a new company, Rhapsody America, whose offering will be the exclusive digital music service for Real and for MTV Networks' premier music and pop culture brands in the United States. Both partners will bring complementary strengths, including MTV Network's storied history in music programming, unparalleled connection with music fans, and youth marketing prowess, with Real's innovative technology, market momentum for Rhapsody, and deep relationships within the consumer electronics industry. Michael Bloom, previously General Manager of MTV Network's URGE, will lead Rhapsody America, which will have offices in New York, Seattle and San Francisco.

Real and MTV Networks, through their Rhapsody America venture, have formed a long-term, groundbreaking and exclusive relationship with Verizon Wireless, in which the companies will be partners in bringing consumers digital music to their PCs and over the air to their mobile phones. Through the relationship with Verizon Wireless, Rhapsody will be fully integrated with VCAST Music, delivering a superior music service across multiple consumer devices.
"With RealNetworks and Verizon Wireless, we're creating a unique and engaging experience that also reflects our own strategy of allowing fans to go narrow and deep into the musical genres they love," said Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks. "Any time we can partner with industry leaders like this to create a new music proposition, everyone wins, especially the audience."

"Today's announcements represent a sea-change in the digital music market," said Rob Glaser, chairman and CEO, RealNetworks. "By partnering with MTV Networks, home of the most storied brands in music history, and the market's leading wireless company, Verizon Wireless, we'll make Rhapsody the premier digital music service that delivers great music to millions of consumers whenever and wherever they want."

"By bringing together the cultural and musical heritage of the MTV Networks family with the functionality of Rhapsody and the reach of V CAST Music, it's like we've put the best lead singer, drummer and guitarist all on the same giant stage, allowing music fans to experience the purest music play in any way they want," said Van Toffler, President of MTV Networks Music & Logo Group. "The new Rhapsody will build on the musical curation of URGE and have the marketing power of MTV, VH1 and CMT behind it, ensuring this new platform is front and center in the hearts and minds of music lovers."

John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Verizon, said, "Our commitment to innovation and making V CAST Music the #1 mobile music service in the country has led to today's momentous announcement. Verizon's alignment with these two great companies - MTV Networks' music and youth marketing expertise with RealNetworks' acclaimed service and technology - promises to propel digital music into an exciting new future. Together, our three companies will provide a new, unbeatable digital music experience that will give every consumer a way to get music quickly and easily - whether sitting in front of a computer screen or on-the-go with a mobile device."

Real, MTV Networks and Verizon Wireless will leverage their complementary strengths to bring the new service to market and back it up with an aggressive advertising and promotional campaign. Verizon Wireless will market Rhapsody through its extensive network of Verizon Wireless Communications Stores nationwide when the service launches on mobile phones. Rhapsody will become the music service of choice across MTV Networks' MTV, VH1, and CMT brands and their myriad of online youth-culture touch points. On-air integration for the new service will begin next week and Rhapsody will also be integrated into the fabric of MTV's marquee event, the Video Music Awards airing live from Las Vegas on September 9th.

Customer Experience
Starting today, URGE customers can use their existing usernames and passwords to log in to Rhapsody and enjoy access to both services. In addition, Rhapsody customers can get their first taste of MTV Networks' rich programming from MTV, VH1 and CMT. Verizon Wireless customers can already download music instantly to their V CAST-enabled phones at any time and from anywhere in the V CAST service area and transfer digital music to their phones from their PC. In the months ahead, Verizon Wireless will roll out functionality that sends the duplicate copy of songs purchased over the air directly to a customer's Rhapsody account. The service will also allow transfer of subscription music from a Rhapsody account to a mobile phone.
Rhapsody will also continue to be offered through RealNetworks' extensive network of partners, including Best Buy, SanDisk and TiVo.

Press Teleconferences
Today's news was announced this morning at a press teleconference by executives from RealNetworks MTV Networks and Verizon. Replays of the teleconference will be available at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT via a toll-free call at 1-888-484-8256 and at 1-203-369-3737 for international callers.

About MTV Networks
MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 137 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services - MTV: MUSIC
TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, with all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 260 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

About RealNetworks
RealNetworks, Inc. brings digital entertainment to consumers on every screen. Real's heritage of delivering groundbreaking digital entertainment products and services includes creation of the streaming media category with the introduction of RealAudio in 1995. Since then, Real has continued to be a leading force in the market, pioneering products and services that include: RealPlayer, the first mainstream media player that lets consumers download and record Internet video; the acclaimed Rhapsody digital music service, which serves up more than 1 billion songs per year; RealArcade, one of the largest casual games destinations online; and a variety of mobile entertainment services, such as ringback tones, offered to consumers through leading mobile operators around the world. RealNetworks' corporate information is located at www.realnetworks.com/company.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving more than 62.1 million customers. The largest U.S. wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 67,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at http://www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon
Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at
http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

Forward Looking Statements:
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements relating to: the creation and future growth of a compelling digital music service by Rhapsody America; customer acceptance and adoption of the Rhapsody America service; the impact of MTV Networks' marketing support on the Rhapsody America service; and the launch and integration of the Rhapsody America service with Verizon's music service. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted include: development and consumer acceptance of digital music services generally, including the adoption of mobile phones as a music platform, and Rhapsody America's service in particular because these are relatively new and unproven business models and markets; the emergence of new entrants and competition in the market for digital music services; risks inherent in strategic relationships, especially with competitors, including the formation of Rhapsody America and the related transaction and commercial agreements with MTV Networks, and technology and service integration efforts, as well as risks specifically associated with the combination of Real's Rhapsody service and MTV Network's URGE service; and risks relating to the ability of Real's strategic partners, including MTV Networks, to generate subscribers for Real's digital content services. More information about potential risk factors that could affect RealNetworks' business and financial results is included in RealNetworks' annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent year ended December 31, and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and from time to time in other reports filed by RealNetworks with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which are in effect as of their respective dates.

# # #

A band I've never heard of called Cartel will be locked up inside this spherical-domed tent on one of New York City's piers for 20 days to record an album while 23 cameras stream footage to the Web. It's the usual invasion of privacy: night vision in the bedroom, a shower cam, and something called a "KFC cam" in kitchen.

While it will be a decent test of Adobe's new Flash Media Encoder, we doubt that's why a bunch of 13-year-old girls will sit outside the bubble, screaming and crying while their moms wonder where they went wrong. Anyway, these are all matters to keep in mind when you devise your own bubble using the blueprints and renderings below. (Cameras and desperate fame seekers sold separately.)

A word of advice to Cartel: See how your name is the same size as Wal-Mart's? That's a sure sign you should fire your agent. Good luck in the bubble! – Wilson Rothman

Dr Pepper Hopes MTV Show Will Sell Soda [AP]

Check out this years top entries after the jump, and feel free to dissect them and come up with your own, better ideas in comments.

Casablanca - New York University: A hybrid social networking and mobile/alternative reality game that pits teams of players against each other as members of either "the Occupation" or "the Resistance." The game plays out online and via text messages; is one part espionage, one part team-builder; and rewards players for building or infiltrating real-world and virtual communities.

Selectricity - M.I.T.: An online voting technology that focuses on preferential decision-making— shifting away from a winner-take-all paradigm to a more democratic standard. Using a drag-and-drop mechanism, voters rank "candidates" in order of preference and the Selectricity application generates a winner that is most acceptable to the group as a whole.

Osiris - Brown University: A first-of-its-kind iTunes visualizer that uses song lyrics to automatically generate music videos using images pulled from Flickr and pictures on the user's hard drive.

RapHappy - New York University: An online hip-hop destination where users can record, collaborate on, search and listen to freestyle or written raps. The site will encourage user interaction and collaboration, enabling users to form groups, start battles or rate/comment on the sites' submissions.

How Do I Say This? - UCLA: One of the greenlighted Digital Incubator programs from last year, the 2006 SXSW Web Award-winner will return bigger than ever in its second season. "How Do I Say This?" is an interactive, Web-based advice wiki, where users help script and create video messages for people with problems that have left them at a loss for words.

Current owners can download Sonos 2.1 software which adds support for these new music stores as well as Apple iTunes 7 volume normalization and Windows Vista and WMP11 support. – Jason Chen

Product Update Page [Sonos]

These will be priced the same as current shows at $1.99 for an episode and more for a complete season. Order today! – Jason Chen

MTV Networks & Apple Bring More Music, Comedy & Entertainment Programming to the iTunes Music Store [Apple]

The players will be pre-loaded with MTV content and come in South Park (a Viacom property) and Pimp My Ride versions. The PMR version holds about 1GB, include FM tuner and voice recorder, and a more advanced version has a 1.5-inch display and can play video. No pricing but it's a September launch. – John Biggs

MTV-branded music players launch September [MacWorld via i4u]

The interesting fact is that URGE is integrated into Windows Media Player. And by many of you know, WMP is already installed on a large majority of computers sold, so MTV may give the iTunes Music Store a little competition.

Official Site [URGE]
MTV Launches Online Music, Video Store [Yahoo! News]

Amp'd Mobile, that odd high-speed wireless service aimed at the younger folk, have teamed up with giant video game purveyor Electronic Arts. Looks like you'll soon be able to download 15 games, including Madden NFL 06, Need for Speed Underground 2 and The Sims 2 which could be more than mildly addicting on a cellphone. Amp'd (whose big-time investor just happens to be MTV) also says that it will actually build a dedicated game channel around the EA brand, letting you get video previews, user ratings and other content as well. The only time frame we have on this right now is "early this year" and no word on pricing just yet.

EA and Amp'd forge mobile games partnership [Reuters]