Tag Archives: entertainment

In digital age, can movie piracy be stopped?

When the highly anticipated movie "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" opened Friday in theaters, many fans had already seen it. The online leak of a pirated, unfinished version of the 20th Century Fox film a month ago sent federal authorities springing into action and stoked a heated conversation within the entertainment industry about digital piracy. Piracy of upcoming films is not new, but the theft of “Wolverine” is especially troubling for an industry concerned with a stalled economy and the financial bottom line

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Berlusconi Comes Under Attack — from His Wife

Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy are adding new luster to the role of the 21st century First Lady — with their style and smarts, they complement and sometimes even outshine their high-profile husbands. Other recent First Ladies, such as Hillary Clinton and Argentina’s Cristina Kirchner, have used their experiences in the halls of power to launch themselves into political offices of their own. But Veronica Lario, wife of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, has a different approach to this historically supporting part

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Four jailed in landmark Web piracy case

Four men behind a Swedish file-sharing Web site used by millions to exchange movies and music have been jailed for a year for collaborating to violate copyright law in a landmark court verdict in Stockholm. The four defendants — Fredrik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Peter Sunde Kolmisoppi and Carl Lundstrom, three founders and one patron of The Pirate Bay — were also ordered to pay 30 million kronor ($3.6 million) in damages to several major media companies including Warner Brothers, Columbia, Twentieth Century Fox, Sony BMG and EMI. The Pirate Bay allows users to exchange files including movies, music, games and software, but does not host the files itself.

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Verdict due in major Internet piracy case

The founders of a Swedish file-sharing Web site could face jail time and multimillion-dollar fines if convicted of copyright infringement. A verdict is expected Friday in the landmark copyright case between major movie studios and The Pirate Bay, one of the world’s most popular file-sharing Web sites. The site allows users to exchange files including movies, music, games and software, but does not host the files itself.

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Apocalyptic ‘Knowing’ hits anxious chord

The numbers were good for "Knowing." The film, about a physics professor who sees clues for disastrous events in a time capsule’s list of digits, overcame some pretty long odds at the box office — going against the Paul Rudd-Jason Segel comedy “I Love You, Man,” the Julia Roberts-Clive Owen romantic thriller “Duplicity” and some fairly scathing reviews — to emerge as the weekend’s No. 1 film

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Actor, activist Ron Silver dies at 62

Actor and political activist Ron Silver, who played a recurring role in TV’s presidential drama "The West Wing," and who also let his political views play out in real life, died Sunday after a two-year battle with esophageal cancer, according to a colleague. Robin L.

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Stewart seen as winner in showdown with Cramer

By most accounts, the showdown was pretty brutal. Many watching Thursday night’s “Daily Show” on Comedy Central felt that comedian-turned-media-critic Jon Stewart held bombastic financial guru and CNBC “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer’s feet to the fire.

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Can Chris Brown’s career survive?

As details about an alleged assault of Rihanna by her boyfriend, Chris Brown, emerged, fans and the entertainment industry grappled with what it could mean for the future of the young star’s career. Authorities charged Brown, 19, on Thursday with felony counts of assault and making criminal threats, the Los Angeles County, California, District Attorney’s Office said.

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