I’ve had The 40-Year-Old Virgin at the top of my queue for over two months, during which time Netflix has failed to deliver. I’ve even resorted to cheap tricks in hopes of improving my situation. Either Netflix is throttling the movies I get or they just don’t have enough inventory. I’m not sure which is worse… penalizing an active customer or poor planning. And if it is poor planning, how come they haven’t seen the error of their ways and purchased more stock?

My fiancé thinks I’m throttling her movie selections in favor of mine. She wonders how it’s possible Battlestar Galactica DVDs continually arrive but her DVD selection never does. Seems a little suspicious, don’t you think? So I begged Netflix to restore harmony to my home and this was their response:
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TiVo, Inc. and your Series 2 unit are hosting an Academy Awards competition. The subscriber who correctly picks the most Oscar winners will walk away with a 60GB video iPod. This is a fun use of HME… all we need now are folders.
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Well folks, we have a date for both Blu-ray hardware and media. I can’t say I’m overly excited about the initial titles, though they’re an improvement over Charlie’s Angels. Lion’s Gate is listing newer titles at $39.99 a pop and classics (I use that term lightly) at $29.99. Let the format war begin!

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) is targeting May 23 to deliver the first wave of Blu-ray Disc (BD) titles at retail, it was announced today. Delivery will coincide with the launch that day of the first commercially available BD player from Samsung Electronics, which will be followed shortly by BD players from Pioneer and Sony along with a BD compatible VAIO PC from Sony.

SPHE and MGM Home Entertainment will first release eight BD titles, with another eight following shortly June 13. Benjamin S. Feingold, president, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, made the announcement.

The first Blu-ray Disc titles from SPHE and MGM Home Entertainment will include: 50 First Dates, The Fifth Element, Hitch, House of Flying Daggers, A Knight’s Tale, The Last Waltz (MGM), Resident Evil Apocalypse and XXX.

BD titles streeting June 13 include: Kung Fu Hustle, Legends of the Fall, Robocop (MGM), Stealth, Species (MGM), SWAT and Terminator (MGM). Underworld Evolution will debut in early Summer day and date with the DVD.

“We are primed to ensure that a variety of Blu-ray Disc content is available at retail to support the introduction of the first BD players from Samsung Electronics and Pioneer, as well as the first BD player and compatible VAIO computer from Sony,” said Mr. Feingold. “Sony Pictures further intends to provide additional titles to coincide with the launch of BD products from other manufacturers. We’re thrilled that the Blu-ray Disc era is about to begin.”

Reuters is running a juicy 5 minute web interview of TiVo CEO Tom Rogers. The reporter does a nice job in understanding the issues and asking Rogers the tough questions. If the business side of TiVo interests you, check it out!

Here are a few highlights…

• “Having a DVR is not having a TiVo.”
• Several new value-added features will be unveiled in the next 3-4 months to further distinguish TiVo from a generic DVR.
• DirecTV may be responsible for about 2/3 of TiVo subscribers, but 85% of their revenue comes from other sources.
• TiVo-enabled Comcast service is expected late this year.
• Existing Comcast boxes can be upgraded via a software “burst.”
• TiVo is in discussions with other cable operators.

(thanks Pete!)

The results are in… and the Olympics were boring! Overall the US finished second in both total medal count (25) and gold medals (9) without Bode Miller’s participation. The HD was great, but NBC’s coverage just didn’t capture my attention. I also felt used in the way events and participants were edited together in prime time to keep me watching… reaffirming sports coverage is more enjoyable when live.

TiVo crunched the numbers from 20,000 households to determine the top Olympics moments. Surprisingly, The Shani Davis Chad Hedrick Show didn’t crack the top ten though it contained my most replayed moments outside of curling.

TiVo’s Top 10 Moments:

1. Canadian skater Marie-France Dubreuil slamming to the ice
2. Sasha Cohen’s Short Program performance putting her in first by a razor thin margin
3. Apolo Anton Ohno winning gold in the Men’s 500M Speed Skating
4. Bob Costas interview of Silver Medalist Sasha Cohen
5. Sasha Cohen performance at the Champion’s Gala Evening
6. Commentary featuring U.S. skaters Kimmie Meissner and Emily Hughes
7. Gold medal ceremony for Women’s Giant Slalom winner American Julia Mancuso
8. Re-broadcast of silver medal win by U.S. Ice Dancers Ben Agosto and Tanith Belbin
9. Julia Mancuso’s gold winning Giant Slalom run
10. Russian figure skater Yevgeny Plushenko’s performance at the Champion’s Gala Evening

So you know that leaked video iPod image? Not only is it fake, the creator documented the whole process in a sweet little video put to music. You must go check it out!

(via Mac Rumors)

Aaron McGruder and I simultaneously honed our artistic and comedic skills as undergrads at the U of Maryland. Print was his medium of choice with The Boondocks, while mine was radio with Zatz Not Funny. Looks like only one of us succeeded.

In trying to track down information on Microsoft’s Origami project, I came across a recent MS trademark application. On February 10, Microsoft requested the rights to the character mark MovieScout in relation to “providing online information concerning entertainment, movie schedules and locations, movie reviews, and ticketing.” The domain name is currently held through Market Vision’s squat and sell service. No telling if Microsoft has bought it or wants to buy it as MovieScout branded features could also exist within MSN, Xbox 360 Dashboard, MCE, or somewhere else entirely.