ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 6, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- RedChip Visibility, a division of RedChip Companies Inc., today announced that it has dropped research coverage on Left Behind Games, Inc. (OTCBB:LFBG).

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif., Feb. 6, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Hot Topic, Inc. (Nasdaq:HOTT) today announced the sales results for its fiscal month of January as well as its fourth quarter and fiscal year (four weeks, thirteen weeks and fifty-two weeks, respectively, ended February 2, 2008). A summary of the sales results by division (including internet) is as follows:

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Feb. 6, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Retro Television Network (RTN), which is owned and distributed by Equity Media Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq:EMDA), announced today that it will launch an RTN affiliate in Salisbury, MD. The network will begin airing on WRDE in the 4th quarter of this year on the station's digital channel. The station is currently being acquired by XBC Broadcasting, LLC, pending FCC approval.

Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Exhibition

Piracy is a huge issue in Hollywood, and I ain't talkin' about the Johnny Depp movies. The Motion Picture Association of America has been cracking down hard in recent years -- but how effective have their efforts been? Andy Baio at Waxy.org has tracked the availability of pirated versions of Oscar-nominated movies every year since 2003, and guess what? By the time the ceremony rolls around, nearly every nominated film can be found illegally online.

Here are his findings for this year, along with some analysis of the results. Baio reports that 28 of the 34 nominated films were online -- in DVD quality -- by the end of January. Some of those films are out on DVD already, and that accounts for some of the uploads. Others were made available to Academy members and some critics' groups by way of DVD screeners. Those screeners are encoded and tracked and watermarked, and we're threatened with our lives if we allow them to be pirated, but obviously some people are doing it anyway.

What's interesting about this year's data is that those Academy screeners are becoming less of a factor. The risk of prosecution has probably made some recipients think twice about uploading them. But also, the window between theatrical release and DVD release is getting smaller, and many films are released in Region 5 format overseas at the same time they hit theaters here. The reason for that is to counteract camcorder piracy -- there's no reason for someone to buy a pirated version on the streets of Hong Kong when a studio-endorsed DVD-quality version is also for sale -- but a lot of those DVDs make their way onto the Internet, too.

Continue reading Big Surprise: Almost All Oscar-Nominated Films Have Been Pirated Online

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LANGHORNE, Pa., Feb. 6, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Casual games developer and publisher eGames, Inc. (Pink Sheets:EGAM), announced today the finalization of an international distribution agreement with game publisher Mindscape for Rubik's Cube Challenge, a casual PC game based on the world's best-selling puzzle game. The agreement grants Mindscape distribution rights in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, while eGames oversees distribution of the game in North America.

Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Newsstand

According to the New York City medical examiner, Heath Ledger's death was due to an "accidental overdose of painkillers, sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medication and other prescription drugs." For those hip to different medications, the official cause of death was "acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine." Apparently, these are the generic names for Oxycontin, Valium, Xanax, Restoril and Unisom. There was no word on how much of each he took, or whether a heavy dose of one was what ultimately did him in, but a spokeswoman did note that his death was due to "the cumulative effects of these medications together."

This ruling finally came two weeks after the actor was found dead by a masseuse in his rented SoHo apartment in New York City. Original reports claimed the apartment belonged to Mary-Kate Olsen (which turned out to be false), and the masseuse actually called Olsen several times before calling for an ambulance in an attempt to get the young actress to send her security crew. This was the part I had the most trouble with -- if you found this dude unconscious on a floor, would you want an ambulance there or Mary-Kate Olsen? Whatever the case, it's obvious Ledger (may have) had a pretty strong addiction to pain killers and sleep medication, if it was taking that many pills to knock the guy out. It's my belief that too many young kids today are sucking these pills down like they're water, not really understanding what they do or how they can harm you. Hopefully Ledger's death will provide enough of a wake-up call to those who are currently suffering from their own addictions.

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Filed under: Casting, Deals, Celebrities and Controversy, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand

Chalk up another missed opportunity for Lindsay Lohan, as it now appears the gal will not be starring in the upcoming flick Poor Things, no matter what Shirley MacLaine tells us. Lohan originally dropped out last year when she was admitted to rehab (first or second trip for her, I forget?), and now according to The Hollywood Reporter, they're looking at Brittany Murphy as a possible replacement. I say 'looking at' because negotiations with Murphy haven't even begun yet; she's just one actress they're eying for the role. Poor Things also has a new director in Scott Marshall (Blonde Ambition), who replaces Ash Baron-Cohen after the dude dropped out over "creative differences."

Poor Things tells the story of two female con artists who befriend and then murder homeless men for their insurance policies. Sounds interesting enough, although I never knew the homeless were known for their phenomenal insurance policies. The film already stars Shirley MacLaine and Olympia Dukakis (as the two female con artists, I believe), as well as Rosario Dawson and Channing Tatum. HR also says that Murphy was cast in Sin City 2; a project we haven't heard much about as of late. I assume she'll be reprising her role from the first film. No word on when Poor Things will finally go into production, but we'll let you know.

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I know, I know: I didn't sprint to this blog after the Wesley Snipes verdict, but in fairness to myself, the "bombshell" I'm about to drop on you (while watching a bearded Bill Richardson do what can only be called his Horatio Sanz impersonation on Super-Fat Tuesday), this news did break a couple of hours ago: Graydon Carter has canceled the Vanity Fair Oscar party because of the writers strike. Oh lawd. What gives? I thought we were a little closer to settlement. Can't you see the gold-plated tumbleweed blowing down Vine Street.

Speaking of tumbleweed, the Academy's president, Sid Ganis, put the passive-aggressive squeeze on the stars at the nominees luncheon the other day, threatening -- jokingly, of course -- that you can't win if you don't come. Man, that Democratic debate from last week is starting to look more and more like the year's most glamorous event. President Ganis, meanwhile, is starting to seem a lot like certain people's moms.