TeleChimp | TV Journalism

Tom Hanks’ Playtone production company is producing a six-season adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s award winning novel “American Gods” for HBO.

The series, currently in development, is one of a handful of projects Hanks’ production company is working on.

Each season of the series, expected to debut in 2013; will consist of 10-12 episodes with a budget of $35-40 million per season.

“American Gods,” published in 2001, surmises the existence of gods and mythological entities is dependent on whether we believe in them. The book presents a landscape where the power of these gods wanes resulting from a lack of belief in the old gods in favor of the gods of the contemporary era – media, celebrity, technology and drugs.

The novel itself is a blend of Americana, fantasy, ancient lore and modern mythology, all centering on a mysterious character named Shadow.

“There are some crazy things in there. We’ll probably be doing more effects in there than it’s been done on a television series,” Gary Goetzman, Hanks’ Playtone partner, told the Hollywood Reporter

The report said the series will delve into the rich, religious folklore from the novelization and will feature deities from Greek and Nordic mythology, in addition to the Judeo-Christian monotheistic God.

The Playtone Company, founded by Hanks and Goetzman in 1996, is an American production company heavily involved in film and television, having produced Castaway, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Mamma Mia, My Big Fat Greek Life and Band of Brothers, in addition to various television and film soundtracks in the past.

The company’s future projects include Major Matt Mason, a live-action family film about space adventure, as well as a film version of the Broadway musical American Idiot, based off the 2003 Green Day album of the same name.

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HBO has successfully launched HBO GO, a mobile streaming service for current subscribers which is now available to U.S subscribers.    Using HBO GO mobile streaming service users of compatible PC’s, IOS devices and Android devices are able to stream the HBO content over 3G or WiFi connections.

Here is the report how HBO describes this service:

HBO GO is a mobile streaming service which is offered through participating television providers that gives you unlimited access to HBO on your computer and mobile devices. With HBO GO, you can watch your favorite HBO Original Series, blockbuster movies, sports, comedies and documentaries – whenever and wherever you want.

What about the new shows on HBO GO?

Yes, new HBO Original Series and blockbuster movies will be available on HBO GO, as well as hundreds of titles – from sports and documentaries to award-winning HBO original programming.

Do I need to subscribe to HBO to watch shows on HBO GO?

Yes, to watch shows on HBO GO you need an HBO subscription through a participating television provider.

Does HBO GO cost anything?

No, HBO GO is free as part of your HBO subscription and is available through participating television providers.

Is HBO GO available internationally?

No, HBO GO is only accessible in the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska.

Can I purchase HBO GO shows on a pay-per-view basis?

No, HBO GO does not offer pay-per-view. However, as part of your HBO GO subscription, you have access to hundreds of titles to watch every month.

What is required to sign up for HBO GO?

To sign up for HBO GO, you will need an HBO subscription through a participating television provider and the username and password from your television provider account. If you are using a computer to access HBO GO, you will need a high-speed Internet connection.

On which devices is HBO GO available?

HBO GO is available on a computer with a high-speed Internet connection and on the iPad, iPhone and Android smartphones. To access HBO GO you need an HBO subscription through a participating television provider.

What are the computer system requirements to access HBO GO from my computer?

HBO GO requires the following minimum system requirements: 1) An Adobe Flash Player with version 10.0 or higher. 2) An Internet connection of 3.0Mbps or greater (for HD content). 3) For Windows: An Intel Pentium 4 3GHz processor (or equivalent) with 512MB RAM/128MB of VRAM. 4) For a Mac: An Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz or faster processor, 512MB of RAM/128MB of VRAM. To check if you have the most recent version of Adobe Flash Player, go to www.adobe.com.

According to the HBO GO website, the following providers will be there: AT&T, Charter, Xfinity (Comcast), Cox, DirecTV, Dish Network, SuddenLink and Verizon.

You can set watch lists for your shows and new episodes will automatically appear.  Again from the HBO GO website:

How does the Watchlist work?

The Watchlist allows the subscriber to create a personalized list of favorite shows available on HBO GO. The listed items in your Watchlist will remain the same irrespective of the fact that log in to the HBO GO from a different computer or mobile device. Shows will remain in your Watchlist until you remove or delete them, or they expire.

Well I am a big time HBO fan and HBO GO is just the perfect thing for people like me. It looks like a decent way to check out our favs.  Just extend your subscriptions now..!

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In anticipation of significant growth in mobile TV and online, reports Shaw Global Media Video App already available to the IPAD, is now available for iPhone and iPod Touch.

Global offers wireless access to the full-length television programs in prime time, the first of its kind in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

And, as Paul Burns, Director of Digital Media, says the company is ready to develop other portable media platforms.

“Along with other mobile development shops, we’re looking at Android, Windows Phone 7 and BlackBerry,” Burns told Mediacaster Magazine. “The app game is a game of scale; who can we actually reach, from an audience perspective, with each device? As the devices get better, the options for content providers get better too,” he said. “The more devices that nail the user experience, the more attractive it is for developers.”

In the case of iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch devices, the potential reach is certainly a large group.

Offering full-length episodes of top TV shows won’t hurt.

“It is unique, yes – we are officially the first Canadian broadcaster to launch an iPhone iPod Touch version with full episodes like this, and we’re really proud of that,” he stated, adding that while the two apps offer that same content, the feature set and user experience were uniquely optimized for the iPad device or iPhone iPod touch.

Burns sees the app as an alternative way for users to keep connected to the content, not a replacement for TV viewing.

“We do not see these as something trying to take away from our audience, rather as a catch-up vehicle,” he said, explaining that the app allows users to stop and start viewing of a program on the same device, taking advantage of a built-in memory or history function.

Not only are complete shows and episodes available, in as high a quality as the device and the connection will support, the ad breaks are the same, for the most part, as on TV.

The app does includes sponsorship integration, which may appear on the start-up screen (while the application loads) and as a small icon on the left side of the control tab bar, the company describes, and video ads may play before, during, and after video playback.

Burns says that there is a “slightly lower ad load” for the mobile app now, as new and engaging ways to increase the ad exposure are developed.

“The knee-jerk response would be to flick the switch and have same ad parity,” he notes. “It seems good idea, until you learn that there’s some deterioration in the user experience. There needs to be a good balance between monetization and overall user experience. It’s an evolution; we love ads in the program, to keep the revenue churning, and we are looking at ways to make the experience more impactful for advertisers.”

He explains that geo-location and specific ad targeting is in the toolkit now, and the apps allow for such specificity and interactivity.

It’s that ‘lean forward, lean back’ metaphor for the engagement levels of home bound TV viewers, versus on the go mobile users and the degree of brand recall and product awareness that’s created with different ad valuations.

Nevertheless, Burns says that at the end of the day, it’s about content. “The app is a shell for superior content. Despite all the design, development testing and quality assurance work that went into the app, at the core, the content is everything, he underscores.

“We obsess over every pixel.”

Both the app and the web portal use an adaptive streaming technology to make the best use of available bandwidth, be it 3G or Wi-Fi.

All content is streamed; there is no option to save or store content locally.

The Global Video App offers access the network’s library of premium content, including full episodes of House, The Good Wife, NCIS: LA, The Office, Rookie Blue and Survivor along with previous broadcasts of Global National and 16:9:The Bigger Picture.

The content offering mirrors that of Global’s online offering with the exception of Fox content (including Glee, Bones and other Fox shows, due to international licensing agreements.

More content is anticipated as negotiations continue, and as usage grows.

As Peter Bissonnette, President of Shaw Communications, said: “To date, our Global Video App for the IPAD, users have seen more than one million panels in bringing our content to iPhone and iPod we extend our market reach. Make our extensive library of premium content available to more users across Canada. “

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English general entertainment channel Star World will launch five new shows in different genres – comedy, crime and drama.

Brand initiative as “full load of training in March, the watch includes Dexter, Mr. Sunshine, giving hope, Las Vegas and the community.

Star World is to strengthen its Torrentz initiative, launched last month to combat piracy in the channel. Bringing the latest and best show in Hollywood this month is Mr. Sunshine, and “Raising Hope. Carrier says it will also play an important role in the solution recommendation system for its viewers with new offerings, they can see.

Star India GM, senior VP, English Channels Saurabh Yagnik said, “Star World is committed to bringing the best in English entertainment to its viewers in India. The objective is not only to get the freshest in entertainment but also create innovative ways to engage our viewers with our content across multiple screens and platforms. Our viewers find crime and drama appealing and we are revamping that genre in our 9 and 10 p.m. slot.

“We have been driving this category so far and will continue to do so thereby spurring on the growth of the category overall and our channel specifically. It won’t be long before we also organize live chats with international stars of our channel. The English GEC space has tremendous potential for growth and we are continuously innovating, listening and coming up with new initiatives that fulfill viewer expectations.”

Former ‘Friends’ star Mathew Perry stars in ‘Mr. Sunshine’ which is also his own production. He will guide viewres on the dos and don’ts of overcoming a mid-life crisis at 40. The show is based on a concept by Perry, which he planned to co-write, star in and produce. Ben Donovan (Perry) is the sports arena manager for the Sunshine Center, a second-tier arena in San Diego. He goes through a mid-life crisis when he turns 40, while dealing with the unusual demands of his job and his unpredictable boss.

The show starts on 26 March and airs every Saturday at 10 pm.

Another show, Las Vegas, kicks off on 7 March and airs Monday-Friday at 9 pm. It will showcase all one needs to know about the high-stakes and glamorous world of Casinos and its underbelly. It focusses on a team of people working in the fictional Montecito Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada—dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and restaurant management to security.

Following that at 10 pm is Dexter. It is a crime drama about a serial killer who only kills serial criminals. Dexter Morgan is played by Michael C Hall, a serial killer who works as a blood splatter analyst. The series shows him balancing an everyday life with his secret identity, all the while keeping up a facade of normality.

Community is a sitcom about a group of students studying at a community college in Colorado. Community centers on Jeff Winger (Joel McHale), a suspended lawyer who was forced back into school after his college degree is deemed invalid. The series focuses on Jeff’s experiences while attending the Greendale Community College in Greendale, and the people he meets there. It kicks off on 14 March and airs Monday-Friday at 11 pm.

Another comedy raises the hope, which involves 23-year-old who has to raise her child, conceived by a single night with the help of his family imperfect baby’s mother (who killed multiple partners) is sentenced to death and executed when the baby is only six months. Begins March 26 and will air every Saturday at 10:30 pm.

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It takes focus, commitment and determination is a fighter and Viking in the last 24 years, Coach Brent Barnes has helped hundreds of young men in the mold of adult men and successful movement through the program in Lake Stevens High School wrestling.

While many students can attest to the success of the program, both on and off the mat, a former student was able to use his influence in Hollywood to tell the world what a wonderful program we have here in our beautiful city.

Lake Stevens’ own Chris Pratt, best known for his television roles on “Ever wood”, “The OC” and his current role in which he plays Andy Dwyer on NBC’s “Parks & Rec,” has been instrumental in the creation of an upcoming MTV documentary about the Viking wrestling team and what drives them to be one of the best teams around.

Pratt was himself a Viking Wrestler, or Berserker, as they call themselves, almost 15 years ago and was coached by Barnes. The two have remained friends and came up with the idea together.

“Former student and wrestler Chris Pratt and I had talked about how cool it would be to do something like this. As he became more successful and started to get connected to the right people in Hollywood he finally felt comfortable writing a pitch,” Barnes said. “Originally it was pitched as a series show but now with the type of footage they have and the nature of it they believe it will be a documentary.”

Pratt began his quest to sell the idea in Hollywood and after talking to MTV they agreed to take on the project. “About a year ago I started pitching the idea around Hollywood to see if I could rise some funding and get some money. I.ma huge fan of documentaries and because MTV is the network that’s financing, people is assuming that it’s going to be a reality show. There’s a big distinction between contrived reality and actual reality,” Pratt said. “My goal is to put Lake Stevens on the map.”

The transition from student/wrestler to ‘star’ with camera crews following their every move, has been easy for most of the team, however, sometimes repeating simple movements gets bothersome.

“At first it was distracting but they (the wrestlers) have gotten used to it and now they don’t pay much attention to them,” Barnes explained.

Eric Soler, a top ranked wrestler from Lake Stevens, has enjoyed the experience but it does take a little getting used to. “My experience with the MTV camera crew following me around is pretty good they are really good guys but sometimes it gets annoying. We get a lot of attention from it and get asked a lot of questions by bystanders which is sometimes very annoying but dealing with it will be worth it when the world gets to see what wrestling is really about and what we are about as a team and individuals,” Soler said. “The most annoying part about having them follow us around is they make you repeat some of the things you do A LOT which is sometimes very annoying like earlier today me and a couple of teammates walked out of Safeway and they didn’t get it on film so we had to walk back and then do the same thing over again.”

MTV Producer Alex Ko is part of the crew who has been following the wrestlers for the past two and half months. Watching all that this team does to prepare for matches and also the way the fit a normal life into their schedules has been interesting, Ko said.

“As an individual I don’t think the film crew has really changed the way I prepare for a match whether it’s different for some of the others on the team I am unsure of. But Coach Barnes always tells us to have consistency in our preparation so I just try to stick to that rule and prepare myself the same before every match,” Soler said.

Barnes is a big influence in how these kids are turning out in the world and Pratt knows firsthand what Barnes’ coaching can do for you.

“I know that my life was greatly changed under the tutelage of Brent Barnes and going through his program. I would like people to see what happen to these boys and how their character changes and how they grow from a boy to a man, Pratt said.

For now, the Vikings are preparing for the State Finals in Tacoma this weekend and Pratt has been part of the drills this past week after an injury on the team. He encourages everyone to support them in Tacoma.

“I’ve been here the last week or so with them,” he said. “If you get a chance – came to the Tacoma Dome and see Come see who are the most difficult child in the state is supporting your berserkers.”The second part of the series will be published in the Journal of Lake Stevens next week.

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