TVSquad

The folks at our sister site Cinematical are working hard to give you news and reviews of the best -- and worst -- the silver screen has to offer. Here are some of their musings on the latest blockbusters, indies, and everything in between:

• I just saw a trailer for District 9 in front of Funny People, but I'm not sure if it completely grabbed me. Cinematical says otherwise though. They discuss that movie, as well as Lovely Bones and The Hobbit when they spent an evening with Peter Jackson recently.
• I also saw the trailer recently for Aliens in the Attic. It looked... forgettable. Apparently, I'm not wrong.
• This Fan Rant wants lazy parents to stop blaming the MPAA. I wholeheartedly agree.
• I really don't know why we would need a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but apparently Hollywood thinks we do, and Rob Marshall may direct it.
• When I went to see Funny People last night, the ticket taker said, "Are you sure you want to see that movie? It's not good." I really enjoyed it, and so did Cinematical. What did you think?
  

The MPAA has warned the FCC against allowing cable subscribers a la carte pricing for their cable channels. This was done in reaction to several consumer rights groups feeling that the current bundling method of pricing was against the spirit of the First Amendment.

The television networks (and, by extension, the cable companies) and the MPAA have been in bed with each other since the word "television" entered our lexicon. I learned in a marketing class that the majority of advertisements for any movie are found on television and they tend to be broadcast on Thursday nights when people are deciding what to do with their weekend.

You know that shiny new personal video recorder you got from TiVo or your cable company? You know, the one that records high definition movies and TV shows in crystal clear quality? Yeah, well the MPAA isn't so thrilled about those high quality recordings that you make from "free" over the air broadcasts.

Sure, you pay by watching (or skipping) the commercials or subscribing to cable/satellite channels. And movie studios get paid a wee bit o' cash every time a deal is struck to broadcast a movie. But the MPAA wants the FCC to allow the use of technology called Selectable Output Control that would block your PVR from recording some HDTV movies.

The MPAA filed a petition with the FCC last month asking for the abillity to prevent users from recording movies that are broadcast before they are released on DVD. The idea is that if you can record a higher than DVD quality video before it's available for purchase, why would you go out and purchase it? So obviously, the solution is to prevent you from using perfectly legal technology to record it. Never mind the fact that the film studios could easily avoid this problem simply by moving up DVD release dates and/or refusing to sell broadcast rights before the DVD release.

The FCC is seeking public comment on the proposal. If you have some thoughts you'd like to share, you can file a comment at the FCC web site. The docket number is 08-82.

A roundup of people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Anne Pitoniak: She was a character actress who appeared on several TV shows over the years. She had a recurring role as Irene on Third Watch and guest starred on other shows including Law and Order: SVU, Becker, ER (she played Ruth Johnson in the "Good Luck, Ruth Johnson" episode), Cheers, Hill Street Blues, After MASH, and The Equalizer. She's probably best known for her work on stage in night, Mother and Picnic. She was nominated for a Tony Award for each role. She died of cancer in NYC at age 85.