Verizon and Redbox hope to give consumers an option that is a “simple and affordable way to access the video entertainment they crave.”

Speaking about the partnership, Coinstar CEO Pau Davis said:

“Consumers rely on Redbox for the latest new release movies at a great value, and our joint venture with Verizon will enable us to bring them even more value by offering expanded content offerings and greater flexibility for how and when they enjoy entertainment.”

“Together, we are erasing old technology boundaries, freeing people to spontaneously enjoy the entertainment they want, whenever they choose, using the devices and media they prefer, at home or away,” added Bob Mudge, Verizon’s President of Consumer and Mass Business Markets.

Since the unnamed service is very similar to Netflix, a lot of people are wondering what will happen to it once this new venture launches. What’s more, the past several months have been rather rough for Netflix after it dramatically raised its prices last September. Consumers were outraged and some even dropped the service, as Bryan Gonzalez, the Director of Social Entertainment Labs at the Entertainment Technology Center at USC, explained in this video:

WebProNews recently caught up with Gonzalez again to talk about this latest development. According to him, Netflix has to continue to focus on its content in order to effectively compete with Verizon and Redbox’s service.

“For Netflix to really continue competing, I think they’re really gonna need to push hard and try to get as much content up front as possible,” he said.

“As long as Netflix keeps that drum beat of fresh content – new content – to their streaming sector, I think they’ll do fine,” he added.

Should Netflix be worried? What do you think?

Gonzalez went on to raise an interesting point about the deal between Verizon and Redbox. As he explained, Netflix’s actions last year were part of a bigger effort to move away from its DVD service. However, it seems that this new venture focuses on the DVD side, which he believes could be due to accessibility issues that so many Americans face.

“A lot of Americans still don’t have very fast Internet connections, so streaming quality isn’t as great necessarily for everyone as a DVD or a Blu Ray,” Gonzalez pointed out.

Another potential issue he raised was in regards to Verizon’s current FIOS cable TV service. At this point, Verizon’s FIOS program is not national, but one can’t help but wonder what will happen since the new venture seems to contradict it.

These details and others were not disclosed in the announcement but are expected to come as the launch date gets closer. The companies said the new service would be available during the second half of the year.

Redbox’s offerings today, are of course kiosk-based. People can go up to a kiosk at a grocery store, a McDonald’s, a Walgreens or other place, swipe their card, give their email address and rent a DVD or game. Redbox has become very popular thanks to the convenience (customers can return discs to any kiosk) and low prices. The lack of a streaming offering, however, has kept Redbox from being a bigger threat to Netflix and Blockbuster. That may soon change.

The announcement says that the venture’s services will offer Redbox’s new release DVD and Blu-ray rentals combined with “a new content-rich video on-demand streaming and download service from Verizon”.

“Consumers rely on Redbox for the latest new release movies at a great value, and our joint venture with Verizon will enable us to bring them even more value by offering expanded content offerings and greater flexibility for how and when they enjoy entertainment,” said Coinstar CEO Paul Davis. “This alliance is the result of a deliberate and strategic process to identify a partner who shares our commitment to delivering innovative solutions to consumers. We look forward to rolling out the shared benefits this venture will bring to consumers, retailers, and shareholders.”

“When you consider the core elements the parties bring to this venture – our powerful brands; our national rental kiosk footprint; our anytime, anywhere network presence; and our mutual commitment to customer-focused innovation – it’s clear that Verizon and Redbox are a powerful entertainment team,” said Bob Mudge, president of Verizon consumer and mass business markets.

“The joint venture will combine the accessibility and value of Redbox with Verizon’s vision for a borderless lifestyle – where consumers easily accomplish what they want or need to do, on their terms, through the power of the network,” added Mudge. “Together, we are erasing old technology boundaries, freeing people to spontaneously enjoy the entertainment they want, whenever they choose, using the devices and media they prefer, at home or away.”

The companies say additional brand and product info will be revealed in the coming months.

Last week, news came out that Redbox will no longer have 28-day delays on Warner Bros. content. That’s one edge Redbox has over Netflix.

The video is for the song Give Me All Your Luvin’ (Feat. M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj).

Not be confused with ZZ Top’s Gimme All Your Lovin’:

Rumor has it that the halftime show appearance will include appearances from Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., Cee Lo and LMFAO.

Madonna, being the former queen of MTV music videos is embracing YouTube and Google all the way. She is also on Google+, where she will be providing news and behind-the-scenes photos leading up to the Super Bowl, according to Google.

I’ll leave you with some classic Madonna videos from the music video age:

While it doesn’t look like the U.S. will see any legislation regarding online piracy this year, intellectual property attorney Miles Feldman tells us that it is a serious issue.

“It’s really a serious issue because of the volume,” he said. “We have a content industry that’s in trouble, and we have rampant copyright infringement that is going on, and it has decimated the music industry… and is deeply impacting the motion picture and television industry as well as the gaming industry, video gaming industry, and publishing.”

Feldman specializes in media and intellectual property and has personally been involved with litigation involving the Black Eyed Peas, Will Smith, and other high profile personalities. He told us of a recent incident, in which a video game that was just published by one of his clients began appearing on other websites and was available to download. Another site was also involved and, even though it did not make the game available to download, it still contained infringing content.

Since the sites were based in other countries, they couldn’t be effectively sued or shut down. According to Feldman, getting any action done is not only very cost-prohibitive, but it is also nearly impossible.

An option that is often the only alternative and that is non-judicial is the idea of turning the infringing sites into licensed fan sites. Feldman said he used this option with the site that did not include the download.

One of the specific arguments that has risen up against the bills recently is the fact that the Department of Justice shut down MegaUpload, one of the world’s largest file sharing sites, the day after the Internet blackout. Protesters say that, if the DoJ could take down this site, then why is there a need for new legislation?

“What the problem keeps being is it may take years to shut down the offensive site, like it did with MegaUpload, but the infringement continues and the damage continues,” said Feldman.

Even though there is clearly a problem of piracy online, Feldman told us that the SOPA and PIPA bills were not the right solution. He did believe the original purpose of them was well intentioned but said the language of the bills were not clear.

“What this legislation was intended to do was to provide a mechanism very much like the DMCA but with a little bit different of a process,” he pointed out.

However, the bills were written in a way that would put a big burden on companies such as ISPs, financial transaction providers, advertising providers, and more.

“The problem with crafting language and legislation is that it’s an imprecise science, and it has to be done with care,” said Feldman. “The aspects of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act which work so perfectly are clarity and a procedure, and that’s what we need with respect to foreign sites.”

SOPA and PIPA also called for criminal enforcement, which Feldman believes is a very bad idea.

“I think that it’s a mistake to use criminal law to deal with streaming and to deal with file sharing of content, especially when that could potentially be used by consumers,” he said.

Feldman told us that he would like to see the entertainment and Internet communities come together to talk about how both sides can benefit from legislation.

“What the entertainment industry should do is try to embrace the consumers and try to embrace the technology rather than just trying to control it,” he said.

He went on to say that the attacks that both sides have been making are not all true and that more dialogue was needed to work out the conflicts. If this happens, he believes these groups could create a more current DMCA that embraces the concept of SOPA and PIPA but that has a clause that eliminates a safe harbor for companies who are in compliance with the law.

Another outcome that Feldman potentially sees happening is that, instead of a new piece of legislation being written, the principles that were in SOPA and PIPA could be absorbed in other bills.

While the SOPA/PIPA debate is being celebrated as a victory in the Internet community, there is rising concern over the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). Many people believe it would bring the same harm that SOPA and PIPA would have brought in regards to freedom of speech and intellectual property.

“Every time you restrict or you impose copyright regulations, copyright laws under jurisdiction, you’re gonna limit expression – and that is always a concern,” said Feldman.

Incidentally, the European Union signed the agreement into effect this morning.

According to Feldman, the debate surrounding these issues will be around for a while saying, “this drama is still being written.”

What would you like to see result from the anti-piracy debate? Let us know.

Now, Redbox is running a new campaign where customers can answer trivia questions for discounts on movies. Customers started receiving emails today that look like this:

Email marketing, by the way, appears to be a pretty powerful channel for Redbox, as the company’s kiosks require customers to enter their email addresses each time they rent a movie.

Notice that the trivia offering is powered by Scene It, a popular DVD-based movie trivia game.

In another recent interview with Alec Shankman, the CEO of Hollywood interactive community GotCast, he told us that technology and the entertainment industry were “merging quickly.” Sites such as Hulu, Netflix, and, of course, YouTube are creating many new opportunities for both known talent and budding talent.

While there are many opportunities, there are also challenges in bringing these two industries together. After being an agent for several years, Shankman realized that there was a gap in connecting fresh talent to agents, producers, and casting directors. He and his business partner Wil Schroter took this problem and developed a platform for bridging this gap called GotCast.com.

“We’re actually merging the way talent is discovered and the way that talent finds work with technology,” said Shankman.

They wanted to create options beyond American Idol, The Voice, and other talent oriented shows.

He went on to explain that the service has both a free and premium model and anyone that wants can sign up. The service also has a social-based component called MediaBlastr that allows family and friends to vote for their loved ones on various social sites. Brands such as MySpace, Dove, and Sony Playstation have created contests that have gone viral through this element.

“It’s really difficult for a brand to get talent to, or anybody for that matter, to speak about the brand across Facebook and Twitter without getting paid for it or without having a really specific reason,” Shankman said.

“But, in this case, when you’re saying, ‘Hey, I wanna be the new face of Dove, come vote for me,’ and you’re posting it on Twitter and Facebook and Google+, and then your friends go to vote for you and they sign up and they post the same thing, it gets really viral really quickly; and it’s incredible for brands,” he added.

The other challenge with this intersection of technology and entertainment is monetization. The entertainment industry is accustomed to having tried and true business models, but this new space is different. Shankman told us that GotCast, and the others that are embracing the two, are still experimenting with revenue models.

“Technology is growing like crazy everyday, so it’s gonna be in the entertainment space whether entertainment’s ready or not,” he said.

Despite these challenges, Shankman said that Hollywood was motivated to integrate technology because it didn’t want to “miss the boat” like the recording industry did.

If you’re unfamiliar with The Hunger Games, it’s the first book in a trilogy of novels by Suzanne Collins. Below is a synopsis of storyline, wrote by the author herself:

In a not-too-distant future, North America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcast throughout Panem. The 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss’ young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district’s female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives.

Will you be making the trek to your local multiplex to check out The Hunger Games? Let us know in the comments below.

No, that’s not a typo… that’s actually his name – Phillip Phillips.

The Albany, GA native performed an over-the-top version of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” that didn’t really win over the judges. Randy asked him to pick up his guitar and play something else. He began to play a stripped-down cover of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, and it was instantly obvious to the three judges that he was the real deal, and he was on his way to Hollywood.

If you do a YouTube search for Phillip Phillips, you’ll see several other songs from him including covers of Eminem, Lil’ Wayne, and Usher among others. You can check out some of the videos for yourself below.

Eminem – Lose Yourself

Lil’ Wayne – Lollipop

Usher – Nice & Slow

Do you think Phillip has what it takes to win American Idol season 11? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.

Much of Gervais’ routine remained intact from last year: the celebrity bashing, the NBC bashing and the ever-present glass of beer. But his opening monologue felt tame, and besides a well-placed joke about actress Jodie Foster’s “beaver,” Gervais failed to push the buttons and stir up the controversy that many expected from the popular comedian.

Much of the Twitter reaction bemoaned this year’s innocuous Ricky Gervais, complaining about his lack of screen time and wanting a sharper tongue when he was on camera:

Check out his opening monologue and decide for yourself:

If Twitter reaction is any indication, Gervais’ night might have been trumped by one joke made by presenter Seth Rogen:

We’re not quite sure if Ricky Gervais’ toned-down Golden Globes performance was his decision, or has something to do with network pressure. Maybe he just wasn’t on air enough to make his usual impact – he did have some pretty impressive lines when he was on air. Either way, many in the online community feel that they wanted more from a guy who has become the king of the Hollywood send-up.

WebProNews interviewed CEO Alex Iskold about the funding and the growth of GetGlue (it has surpassed 2 million users):

GetGlue created the following infographic to recap its year that has led up to the announcement:

GetGlue also released a new update for its iPhone app and GetGlue.com, which includes a visual stream of check-ins, the ability to participate in multiple conversations, and a personalized recommendation feature called Guides.