Gawker: valleywag, steven spielberg

Steven Spielberg taking money from digital film pirates?

Jackson West — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:20:00 EDT

Steven Spielberg and David Geffen are offering Indian conglomerate Reliance ADA a large stake in their production company Dreamworks in exchange for $600 million. What none of the press has mentioned? That Reliance was accused by Universal of selling pirated DVDs. Universal, though, is a rival of Dreamworks parent company Paramount, which in turn is a division of Viacom — who are busy suing Google for $1 billion in copyright infringement damages. Your move, MPAA. [Current] (Photo by AP/Kevork Djansezian)

Spielberg's next opus: a social network for tinfoil-wearing nutjobs?

Mary Jane Irwin — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:00:10 EST

Steven Spielberg, who allegedly believes in ghosts, is launching a social network for other tinfoil-wearing crazies. Thank god they'll all be corralled in one place; fear that they might find a leader and organize.

Jerry Bruckheimer to bring more bang to MTV games

Tim Faulkner — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:34:50 EST

MTV Networks has signed an exclusive deal with blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer to develop original videogame titles for MTV Games. MTV's parent, Viacom, has aimed for success in the video game industry with a commitment to spend $500 million on game and interactive entertainment within the next two years, but past attempts to break into the gaming world have been unsuccessful thus far. Unlike the purchase of game developer Harmonix, the makers of "Rock Band," a good fit for MTV, a deal with Bruckheimer is full of all the wrong kinds of risk.

MTV is not gaining access to Bruckheimer's successful film properties or TV series CSI. Those are already licensed to other developers. Other game-development deals with high profile director-producers like Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson have produced nothing but ego massages. A partnership between MTV, with little success and experience in the gaming industry, and Bruckheimer, who has no experience in the game industry, is more likely to be the kind of disaster story Bruckheimer produces so adeptly for the silver screen. (Photo by Frank Connor)