Arrested Development Movie a Go … Again

by Christina Warren

Brace yourself Bluth fans, the long-rumored Arrested Developmentmovie is actually going to happen. Actor Will Arnett, who starred as G.O.B. on the 2003 – 2006 Fox comedy series, claimed that the film is in the works and should be in theaters next year.

Arnett’s confirmation on a recent episode of the WTF with Marc Maron Podcast is just the latest in a series of rumors surrounding a film since the program went off the air in February 2006.

Never a hit on broadcast television, Arrested Development has always had a strong online fan community. Various fan campaigns like SaveOurBluths.com (now defunct) tried to rally support for the series.

Even today, the Facebook page for the show, has more than 1.2 million fans. The show is one of the most popular shows of all time on Hulu and is also available on Netflix.

Stars from the show including Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Michael Cera have gone on to far greater success in movies in the years since the series ended.

Arrested Development fans have been down this road of film promises in the past. Let’s just hope this time, it’s for real. After all, there’s always money in the banana stand.

“Dark Knight Rises” Trailer Hits the Web [VIDEO]

Warner Bros. has posted the first teaser trailer for the third installment of The Dark Knight Rises, the third film in the rebooted Batman film franchise, on Facebook.

The trailer, which first graced screens this weekend before showings ofHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, is mostly a 90-second compilation of scenes from the previous two films — but it does contain a few scenes from the new one. A scene showing Batman (Christian Bale) preparing to fight Bane (Tom Hardy), one of the caped crusader’s greatest adversaries, should get fans excited.

Warner Bros. decided not to host the video on its servers, but instead posted it to its Facebook Page. Presumably the studio is trying to amass more Facebook fans to help promote the film.

The movie hits theaters in summer 2012 and also features Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. Morgan Freeman reprises his role as Lucius Fox, and Michael Caine returns as Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s trusted butler and adviser.

Check out the trailer and let us know in the comments what you think .

Want Netflix DVDs & Streaming? That’ll Be $16 a Month

 by Sarah Kessler

Depending on how you use Netflix, your monthly bill could be increasing this fall. Netflix announced Tuesday that it is turning its unlimited DVD and unlimited streaming services into two separate plans.

Currently, customers can take one DVD out at a time and watch unlimited movies online for $9.99 per month. Starting immediately, new customers will pay $7.99 per month to rent one DVD at a time by mail or $7.99 to stream movies online. Customers who want both services will pay both fees, for a combined total of $15.98 per month. That’s a 60% rate hike.

For existing Netflix users, the changes go into effect on September 1.

Netflix started experimenting with a $7.99 streaming-only plan in November.

“At the time, we didn’t anticipate offering DVD-only plans,” wrote Netflix VP of Marketing Jessie Becker in ablog post. “Since then we have realized that there is still a very large continuing demand for DVDs both from our existing members as well as non-members.”

Considering this demand, she wrote, it doesn’t make financial sense for Netflix to offer DVD service as a $2 add-on to its streaming service. Nor does it satisfy the needs of people who only want to use Netflix’s DVD service.

How does the new Netflix pricing affect you? Will you be dropping either the streaming or DVD service because of the pricing change?

10 Must-Follow Fictional Twitter Accounts [PICS]

 by Amy-Mae Elliott

If you enjoyed our list of must-follow fake Twitter celebs, then we wager you’ll love this offering of the bestfictional accounts.

Whether you want to be amused by your favorite caped crusader, keep up with some cartoon characters or see tweets from film baddies, you’ll find it all in this fun list.

Take a look through the gallery and, because there are so many more great accounts that we didn’t have room include, share in the comments your favorites that didn’t make the list.

View As Slideshow »

1. The Batman

Even more deliciously dark than the most recent Batman movie, this version of the caped crusader is an anti-hero indeed. Offering a stream of witty one-liners about just how tough he is, somehow the mix of real-life commentary mixed with Gotham City references works.

---

2. Mrs Stephen Fry

Did you know British comedy star and Twitter legend Stephen Fry has a wife and kids? Her name is Edna (we're not sure what the kids's names are -- all five, six or possibly seven of them). As the winner of a Shorty Award and author of Mrs Fry's Diary, she may be made up, but she's well worth a follow.

---

3. Bender

If you're a fan of Bender from Futuruma, then you'll enjoy this stream's acerbic tweets. This fan-run account manages to capture all of Bender's alcoholic, kleptomaniacal hatin', in a fun way, of course.

---

4. Death Star PR

If a space station ever needed a public-relations makeover, it's the planet-destroying Death Star. This Twitter account tries to mend the Death Star's reputation while also recruiting folks to the dark side. We only recommend following if you're strong enough to resist its sway.

---

5. Cobra Commander

It may be odd that a terrorist leader racked up more than 100,000 followers, but he's actually quite a funny guy. Two favorites include: "The one thing I loathe about women besides their incessant need to speak their opinions are these cursed gladiator sandals," and "Installing booby traps outside my office has cut down on useless meetings by 75%"

---

6. Darth Vader

Calling people "asshat," threatening tweeple and hashtagging commands with "obey" are just what we'd expect from the Sith Lord. Follow for cutting commentary from the dark side.

---

7. Homer J. Simpson

Everyone's favorite yellow donut-lover tweets via this official account. Despite its above-board status, it's actually very funny with an average of several tweets per week.

---

8. Lord Voldemort

Harry Potter's nemesis offers humorous commentary on current affairs and witty retorts, with various Potter references thrown in for good measure. With over a million followers it looks as if the Death Eaters are getting more and more numerous ...

---

9. False Peter Griffin

This unofficial account hasn't been going for a long time but it has already notched nearly 70,000 followers from just 17 amusing tweets. If you're a Family Guy fan, there's always Stewie to follow too.

---

10. Yoda

Finally, is your Twitter life lacking wisdom from a small green sage? Then follow Yoda you must ...

---

Netflix Arrives on the Boxee Box

by Christina Warren

Happy Valentine’s Day Boxee Box owners — Netflix is now officially supported on the D-link-produced connected device.
Netflix was one of the first services to get official support from the Boxee media center software, so it came as a surprise (and disappointment) to some when the actual Boxee Box shipped without support last fall.
Fortunately, the wait is over. Boxee founder Avner Ronen announced the news on the official Boxee blog, noting that a software update to make Netflix accessible in the U.S. and Canada is now available. Users can manually update the firmware or wait for the update to hit their boxes in the next 24-hours.
Rather than using the custom interface designed for the Boxee desktop software, Netflix for the Boxee Box uses the official Netflix UI that the company recently released for the PlayStation 3. That means Boxee Box owners will get the benefit of the interface updates and tweaks that Netflix is able to deploy on the fly.

---

The Premium Content Quagmire

---

As connected devices go, the Boxee Box has some of the most impressive technical specs and third-party content options. The beauty of Boxee is that it can interface with existing devices on a home network to play back media files of practically any stripe, as well as offer support for streaming and online content.
The problem for the Boxee Box has been that some third-party services — like Netflix — have been slow to hit the device. Last month Vudu was officially added to the Boxee Box, helping fill a void for feature-length commercial content.
It isn’t clear if Hulu Plus will make its way to Boxee. Hulu took great strides to block (or attempt to block) access to its site from early Boxee software implementations, but in the ensuing 22 months, the streaming video site has launched the subscription Hulu Plus offering and provided access to devices like the iPhone, iPad, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, TiVo, Roku, and assorted connected TV sets and Blu-ray players.
This is representative of a growing problem — not just for Boxee — but for any device maker that wants to offer users more choice and variety in content offerings.
Looking at the various streaming media services that are available in the U.S., finding a device that supports every major premium service is impossible. What is more problematic is that getting access to non-premium content, like regular Hulu or network TV websites, is difficult on most connected devices without opting for using some browser-agent changing tomfoolery.
In short, as we edge closer to finally making connected devices a common part of the living room, the content available on those devices can fall short of expectations. Yes, individuals can always build and configure a stand-alone HTPC, but that requires an investment in both time and money that outpaces a sub-$200 set-top box.
As a Boxee Box owner, I’m excited that Netflix support is finally on the flagship device. I have at least six other Netflix-capable gadgets in my house, but having Netflix built into Boxee means I can see myself using that device much more often.
What do you think of the Boxee Box and the general state of connected devices? Let us know.