jackson

Rep. Mike Rogers, the author of a controversial Internet surveillance bill and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, isn't exactly a card-carrying civil libertarian.

The Michigan Republican has called for the execution of accused Wikileaker Bradley Manning. His CISPA bill, which passed the House of Representatives this afternoon, has been savaged as obliterating "any semblance of online privacy" for Americans and, by fellow Republilican Ron Paul, as "Big Brother writ large."

But Rogers strode onto the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives this afternoon to invoke the same Big Brother epithet to denounce … Read more

"The Hobbit" is possibly one of the first movies to be filmed in 48fps, or double the framerate of tradition theatrical releases. According to a Facebook entry by its director Peter Jackson, the switch promises significantly higher clarity and smoothness, especially when it comes to fast movements and panning shots.

Some viewers, however, were unimpressed after a preview of the movie at the CinemaCon trade show in Las Vegas. A rival studio's projectionist was even quoted by the Los Angeles Times, saying that the film looked like a made-for-TV movie and was too accurate and too clear. … Read more

"Does anyone else want to tackle the "adorkable" Zooey Deschanel after watching those Siri commercials?" You may not be as annoyed with Apple as Jeff, but we can all agree that the latest batch of iPhone 4S commercials have lowered the bar.… Read more

Siri called Samuel L. Jackson "Sam."

There's one piece of intimate information you probably didn't have yesterday. And it comes to me via The Next Web, which unearthed this preternaturally odd piece that seems to be an iPhone 4S ad from Verizon. (Apologies for the sound and picture quality. Video was posted by Shawn King.)

It is odd because it is not often that Samuel L. Jackson -- um, Sam -- cancels golf. I am told that he has golf days built into all his film contracts.

And then here he is in the kitchen cooking … Read more

Sony's sad security song isn't finished yet.

Hackers have reportedly broken into the music label's servers and downloaded Michael Jackson's entire 50,000-track catalog, including many songs that have never been released, according to a report in Britain's Sunday Times (behind paywall). Sony purchased the catalog in 2010 from Jackson's estate for $250 million--billed as the biggest recording deal in history.

"Everything Sony purchased from the Michael Jackson estate was compromised," a source told the newspaper. "It caused them to check their systems and they found the breach. There was a … Read more

Sony Music Entertainment says the price hike in the United Kingdom on Whitney Houston albums following the singer's death was a "mistake," but some industry insiders are skeptical.

On Sunday, a day after Houston was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel, prices for two of her albums: "The Ultimate Collection" and "Greatest Hits" jumped in price in the U.K. iTunes store. In dollars, the prices rose from $7.80 to $12.50.

Right away, Sony and Apple came under fire from consumers who believed one or both of the companies were … Read more

If you're in a healthy relationship, the last thing you should probably be doing this Valentine's Day is playing video games.

But if you're a "playa" who can juggle Gears of War and a significant other at the same time, be careful when using Microsoft's new wireless headset for the Xbox.

Former UFC champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson learns the hard way in this commercial, which illustrates how things can quickly go from good to embarrassing while using the headset.… Read more

Launched on August 1, 1981, with the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," MTV had a huge impact on 1980s pop culture.

Before MTV arrived, music programming was mostly limited to bands playing a song or two on the late-night talk shows or "Saturday Night Live." Amazingly enough, most big cities' cable providers weren't on board for the MTV launch; NYC and LA didn't offer the network until 1982. MTV's "I want my MTV!" ad campaigns helped rectify the situation, but MTV's initial rise was painfully slow. The network went … Read more

A marathon debate today in the House of Representatives on the Stop Online Piracy Act wasn't derailed by procedural questions, even though not one hearing had been held on how the law would actually work.

It wasn't derailed by questions about SOPA's substance, even though legal scholars and technologists have said it could suppress free speech by virtually deleting Web sites accused of copyright infringement.

Instead, today's markup of SOPA in the House Judiciary committee was derailed by a snarky post on Twitter. (See CNET's FAQ on SOPA.)

The tweet in question came from Rep. … Read more