Tag Archives: Fox

Fox To Lower Price of Digital Copies and Release Them Earlier

 

How do you get people to purchase something that isn’t selling well? Lower the price, of course! That’s the strategy Fox is banking on to boost digital copy sales on services like Amazon, CinemaNow, iTunes, and VUDU.

Not enough? What if Fox sweetened the deal by giving the digital copy an advanced release date over the DVD/Blu-ray?

Starting September 18th, Fox will be serve movies to under the name Digital HD (DHD) and the first title is Prometheus, which will be made available about 3 weeks before the Blu-ray (October 11, 2012). Other titles such as Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Watch, Ice Age: Continental Drift will also be available for around $15 before their disc releases.

I am definitely a fan of the VUDU UltraViolet service and think this is a big step in the right direction. Blu-ray prices continue to drop but the sacrafice of sharability, extras, and nice packaging seems like a strong case for digital copies to be significantly cheaper. At $15 dollars, we can arguably call this a bargain. The Blu-ray for Prometheus is currently listed for $27.96 on Amazon. Sure, we get extras that we may or may not watch but at $15 dollars, we’re paying about the same price as one movie ticket.

Chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment, James Gianopulos, said Fox would offer the new low price for forthcoming movies but what about catalog titles? Shouldn’t those also be repriced?

With plenty of titles in my Netflix/HBO Go queue, the window of theatrical and home video release has never been a big factor in my interest of purchasing digital copies. It’s always been price. Let’s hope the other studios follow or go a step further in releasing titles earlier or at a lower price.

Source: New York Times via Engadget

Fox Resurrecting Arrested Development For Another Season Before Movie

The beloved and quirky Bluth family will make a return to Fox’s TV lineup for a forth season. Speculation was put to rest through tweets by both Jason Bateman and Will Arnett. The upcoming season will reunite fans for 10 episodes and build up to to the crtically acclaimed show’s big screen adaptation. We’ve seen modern TV series hit the big screen before (Simpsons), but is this move too risky for a show that was given the axe? Have fans already moved on or has the flame been reignited since episodes were made accessible on streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes, and of course DVD?

Source

Labor Day Weekend Reminds Me of a Man Who Scored 4 Touchdowns in a Single Game

Labor day in the United States can represents many things.  Some see it as the last fashionable day for women to wear white, others may see it as the return to school and end of summer, and some may see it as the beginning of NFL and college football season (Go Chargers!).  For me, I see it as a period of rest for all the hard working people out there.  The Average Joe who works hard for their money, but may not always get the respect they deserve.  In short, this holiday reminds me of Al Bundy.

Al Bundy

Al Bundy, played by Ed O’Neill, is a fictional character from a TV show called Married with Children.  For those who never heard of Married with Children (shame on you), it is a comedy show featuring a dysfunctional family living in Chicago. It was broadcasted on Fox from 1987 until 1997, and at the time the first prime time television series to air on Fox.

Al Bundy, a once-glorious high school football player (who scored 4 touchdowns in a single game), eventually became a woman shoe salesman while struggling to support his family.  A simple man, who finds himself in a series of hilarious hi-jinks and likewise a run of very bad luck. Despite it all, he’s able to endure and enjoy the simple pleasures in his life.

Growing up, you couldn’t help but enjoy the adventures of Al Bundy (and his family).  Every Sunday night, I would find myself glued to the TV at 9pm without fail.  The show had many great moments celebrating Labor day weekends like throwing a BBQ (and using the ash remains of Steve and Marcy relative), to being stuck in dead-lock traffic.  Honestly, it has been a while since I seen an episode of Married with Children (though I do have many of the seasons on DVD, that I may revisit soon).

So why am I thinking about it now?  Very recently, Ed O’Neill received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star!  Though he was hesitant at first to accept it, with some persuasion from his daughter he decided to accept with pride.  In a certain irony, his star is outside a shoe store on Hollywood Boulevard.

Ed O'Neill posing with his Walk of Fame Star

So to all the working stiffs out there, a happy Labor Day to you all!

 

You can find more information on Ed O’Neill on IMDB as well as the popular TV show Modern Family on ABC.

For more history on Labor Day visit Wikipedia.