BUMMER: STARZ ENDING STREAMING DEAL WITH NETFLIX

As of Feb. 2012, Netflix will no longer stream Starz, which means a lot of newer movies won’t be available.

Bad timing with the new Netflix price increase starting today. Starz content was a big attraction.

Related: Netflix stock took a hit.

More: If you want to understand the power of streaming, Starz turned down a $300 million  a year deal up from $30 million last year, and…

Starz was looking for tiered pricing, which would have seen subscribers of Netflix, led by CEO Reed Hastings, pay more than the standard $8 per month for content from the premium TV provider.

That is in line with comments from Starz executives who said repeatedly this year that they were looking to charge Netflix more in line with cable and satellite TV distributors, which have seen the streaming video service as a reason for consumers to cut the pay TV cord.

Count me among those eager to cut the pay TV cord.

FANS CALL FOR BOYCOTT OF GEORGE LUCAS’ ALTERED ‘STAR WARS SAGA’ ON BLU-RAY

Couldn’t agree with this more:

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Ohmydeargawd, how we love us some Greg Gutfeld. Please, Fox News, we need this in primetime:

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For those of you unfamiliar with the story, here’s our own Dana Loesch, whose offered second-to-none coverage at Big Journalism yesterday. And this was just Round 1:

As a result of this morning’s post condemning an outrageous post from Wonkette in which blogger Jack Stueff mocks Trig Palin over his Down Syndrome and suggests that Todd Palin slept with his daughter, outrage spread across Twitter and now Wonkette advertisers are pulling ads.

Check out Big Journalism and scroll… scroll… Great story. Great day for Citizen Journalists who took to Twitter and made a difference.

Really.

Purely by coincidence, here’s a piece I wrote yesterday on the political power of Twitter, especially when it comes to politely but firmly calling the MSM out on their biases.

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The Weekly Standard:

Gene Simmons, a cofounder of the rock band Kiss, recently returned to his native Israel, after a 52-year hiatus. Unlike other entertainers who have boycotted the Jewish state, such as Elvis Costello, the Pixies, and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, Simmons expressed his support for Israel. “The countries they should be boycotting are the same countries that the populations are rebelling,” Simmons told the AP, suggesting that the entertainers who boycott Israel should place a more critical eye on other nations in Israel’s neighborhood. “People long to be free … And they sure as hell don’t want somebody who’s a ruler who hasn’t been elected by them.”

In supporting Israel, Simmons now joins the former lead singer of the Sex Pistols, punk rocker Johnny Rotten.

Jerusalem Post:

Even though he hadn’t returned to Israel until this week, Simmons has always been an ardent supporter of the country, most recently sending a televised message to a IDF soldier (and Kiss fan) wounded during the 2006 war with Hezbollah in which he called him a “hero.” Although Kiss has never appeared in Israel, Simmons dismissed other entertainers who have chosen to boycott the country as “idiots.”

“As an American, there’s no choice but to be supportive of Israel,” he said. “This is the Holy Land, and it’s no secret that everybody in America perceives Israel as it’s only real friend in the Middle East – who else are you going to rely on?” ….

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***UPDATE: Kate Walsh responds.

Er, no, honestly, I don’t. I had to Google her. I may be a rare type of television viewer, but I don’t have a lot of free time to watch TV. (But when I do? “STEVEN SEGAL: LAWMAN.”)

Seems an … odd response.

***END UPDATE

Background: In my hometown of St. Louis a controversy is afoot. Bristol Palin was invited to be the keynote speaker February 7th at Washington University during the school’s Sexual Responsibility Week. As part of a four-person panel, Palin is slated to discuss abstinence.

Bristol Palin has been selected as keynote speaker for this year’s Sexual Responsibility Week at Washington University.

Student Union Treasury on Tuesday approved a $20,000 appeal by the Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) to sponsor a four-person panel featuring Palin. The appeal was initially set at $25,000 and renegotiated.

The $20,000 comes from the Student Activity Fee collected from each undergraduate student at the beginning of the year. The Student Activity Fee is fixed at one percent of tuition.

While Palin has not formally agreed to the appearance yet, she is expected to do so shortly.

I wasn’t even fully aware of what was happening until a number of Wash U student conservatives reached out, upset at their treatment when they would defend the student union’s decision. Protests are organized and two Facebook pages have been created. Above all else the protest against Bristol Palin stems from no other reason than her last name is Palin.

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Opposes same-sex marriage, plays Rush Limbaugh’s wedding, refuses to boycott Israel, and now this. Does Elton John’s free-thinking apostasy know no bounds? 

Today’s Arizona Daily Star:

Elton John didn’t mince words in slamming his fellow musicians for boycotting Arizona over the controversial SB 1070 immigration law. From the stage at his sold-out Tucson Arena concert Thursday night, John savored a few choice, not-so-family-friendly words:

“We are all very pleased to be playing in Arizona. I have read that some of the artists won’t come here. They are (expletive)wits! Let’s face it: I still play in California, and as a gay man I have no legal rights whatsoever. So what’s the (expletive) with these people?”

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A couple of weeks ago, a Facebook group called “Against Jennifer Lopez Performing in Occupied Cyprus” came to my attention.  Being a Greek-American and half Cypriot, I immediately investigated and found out that Ms. Lopez was scheduled to perform in Cyprus on July 24th, as part of the opening of the Cartos Premium Hotel and in celebration of her 41st birthday. The uproar was due to the fact that the event was not an ordinary concert at some new 5-star hotel at a Mediterranean resort, it was a hotel that is located in the town of Kyrenia, which is one of the many towns occupied unlawfully by the Turks.

Why would this be so personal? Because my Grandparents are from Kyrenia and their land was unlawfully taken away from them during the Turkish occupation of Cyprus in 1974. Even though they had to come to the United States many years prior and became American citizens (like they use to do back in the day), there is no recourse for them to claim what is rightfully theirs. In brief, the Turks invaded the northern half of Cyprus, brutalizing its citizens and evicting 180,000 Greek Cypriots from their homes as Turkish Forces settled the Turks into the properties of those displaced Greeks.

The events were a violation of the Geneva Convention and various UN resolutions. In 1983, Turkish Cypriots proclaimed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus which is recognized only by Turkey. So when I read about J. Lo’s concert it affected me as well as many others of Greek heritage. (more…)

[Ed. Note: Please welcome Ezra Dulis to BH. He will be covering the music beat for us, commenting on the personalities, business, and doing an occasional review -- all from the unique point of view of a right-of-center thinking young man who's both passionate about music and a musician himself.]

Concerning actors and artists, “Shut up and sing” has become a conservative cliché long since due for retirement.  For one, we’re inconsistent.  We can’t applaud Jon Voight speaking his mind one day and then decry Sean Penn for speaking his the next day.  Sure, we can point out how much his thoughts lack basic self-awareness, but to suggest that he should just do his job and not voice his opinion is a totalitarian thought.  To entertain it is to betray our own principles and become exactly what we hate.

Today, though, I can’t help but entertain it. 

Zack de la Rocha, the lead singer of Rage Against the Machine (who came crawling back to his band once it was clear his career as a solo artist was DOA), has organized a boycott of Arizona’s new immigration law, convincing plenty of well-to-do leftist bands to skip on performing in the state.  Now, there’s nothing wrong with bands deciding where they’re going to play.  The issue is the principle behind the decision, exploiting a cause célèbre to frame themselves as righteous racial crusaders. (more…)

Pop singer Shakira is boycotting the State of Arizona.  I know, horrible news if you’re an Arizona rancher near the border or a construction worker standing in an unemployment line. Since your state has actually tried to do something about the illegal immigration problem you will not be able to enjoy the sweet sounds of Ms. Ripoll shimmying half naked to “Hips Don’t Lie,” live in concert. Not that I don’t enjoy seeing that sort of thing but not if it includes a lecture on social justice.

For those of you who, like me, are counted among the tragically un-hip, Shakira is a singer from Columbia and huge star in the Latin music world. If one were a cynical racist you might begin to see some economic motive in her opposition to the United States enforcing its immigration laws. However Ms. Ripoll has some serious bone fides in the area of human rights. Her own country, Columbia, is the worldwide beacon for justice and law enforcement. A cynic may also wonder why she isn’t down in Columbia working on their border problem with Venezuela. Maybe she is still angry about that whole thing where we stole Panama from them back in the early part of the last century.

I have to give Shakira credit for her charity work in Columbia. She has a foundation which supports education for poor girls in her native land. In fact she is such a great philanthropist that she has an entire section on her official website detailing her good works and awards. She was recently awarded a medal by the U. N. for her work, the same group which recently elected Iran to its committee on the status of women.  I wonder if she sees any irony in that? (more…)

It’s getting worse people.

Last night I told you about the SF mayor banning city employees from traveling to Arizona. But now, in a move meant to bring the state to its knees, the Montreal pop band “stars” has tweeted that until its “racist new immigration law is repealed,” they will boycott the state.

Arizona’s reaction? One of devastation.

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Wow, they’re taking it harder than I thought.

Look, I love Canada for many reasons (it’s where I keep my winter clothes), but they don’t share a porous border with a troubled country with limited opportunities for its hardworking people. In 2008, do you know how many people illegally immigrated to Canada? I could count it on my hand, if I had 120,000 fingers.

There are almost five times as many already in Arizona. (more…)

Can any of you remember a time when so many creative film artists in Hollywood shit where they eat by endlessly voicing such outspoken contempt and loathing for the majority of the American people, our history and our way of life? I can’t. Now I’m not talking about Hollywood Lefties going off on political tangents like at HuffPo. We do the same damn thing here. I’m talking fighting words as defined in the Chaplinsky ruling. Too many fighting words coming out of Lefty Hollywood these days.

I don’t know about you, but I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take them anymore. Prime example. Sean Penn calling for the arrest of anyone who tags dictator Hugo Chavez as a dictator. That must now include the mass arrest of the entire leadership of the OAS, which just slammed Pennhead’s hero El Chavista on his horrific human rights record. I will say it: that statement is as un-American as it gets, and is dictatorial in itself. Those are fighting words, IMHO. Tell me where I’m wrong.

Then we had Tom Hanks effectively saying that the Japanese and Americans wanted to destroy each other only because they were different breeds of racists. That intellectually vacuous statement not only slanders America’s most honorable record in the war against a genocidal Imperial Japan, it slanders the sacred memory of every US service member who fought and died in that conflict. As a Navy veteran myself, and the son of an Army veteran of Normandy Beach on D-Day? Fighting words. (more…)

Attention Santas:

This missive is directed at the guardians of, and donors to, tiny humans. If you fall into that category you likely are already familiar with Build-A-Bear, a world-wide corporation that provides the most innocent of services. They sell customizable stuffed animals. Make your own bear, dog…penguin. Cute concept.

So cute, in fact, that the Build-A-Bear empire sweeps across nearly every state and into 17 other countries. You’ll find their outlets in shopping malls everywhere and even some ballparks. The company also has a website called Build-A-Bearville.com where children can play an interactive video game that, on it’s surface, is unlikely to raise suspicion or sound alarms.

But when your unsuspecting tot logs on and hops a virtual train to the North Pole…you should know that he or she will be informed — by Santa Claus — that Christmas may be canceled this year due to Global Warming. Below is part two of the 3-part video.

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Now that Bush is out of office and Palin has become a Tweeter, the left has been searching for other straw men to hang in effigy. Lately, Fox News’ Glenn Beck is filling the bill. He has been ever since he switched to Fox in January and became a major player there.

On Wednesday he attracted three million viewers with guests like Rush Limbaugh and Karl Rove.

In fact, the more the left hates Beck, the more popular he becomes.

A race-based pressure group called “ColorOfChange” has been running a boycott against Beck for the last few weeks because he said he thinks President Obama may be racist against white people. And, because he dared to express an opinion they don’t agree with, ColorOfChange has been trying to get every advertiser on the show to pull their ads. Apparently they don’t believe in free speech or opinions that run contrary to their agenda.

But Beck’s ratings are soaring ever since the boycott started. And it hasn’t really affected Fox’s revenues as the advertisers who pulled their ads just moved them to other shows. The problem with boycotts is they end up promoting the thing they try to destroy. Movies that probably would have failed before they were “banned in Boston” often make a profit. TV shows that get boycotted often go on to become hits — people want to see what the fuss is about. And if the show is entertaining, they attract steady viewers. (more…)