Culture War – Corporate War

It’s been an eventful day. I’ve got big gay porn news, and it involves Titan Media and their woofy exclusive model, Dred Scott, but hang on, I’ve got to rant a bit first.

1. March 9, 2004 is the 50th anniversary of Edward R. Murrow’s expose’ of Senator Joseph McCarthy. The bombshell report on CBS television is what brought down the McCarthy’s Senate hearings on Un-American Activities and blacklisting.
2. Howard Stern’s blacklisting from 6 of Clear Channels stations is heating up. The FCC may impose tremondous fines on Viacom (the parent company of CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, and Stern’s boss, Infinity Broadcasting) to encourge them to fire Stern. By all indications, his firing was politically motivated because of his recent support of John Kerry. Inside sources however, worry that the FCC’s plan may backfire and actually make Howard Stern a hero of free speech and destroy Bush’s chance for re-election. (Excellent article!)
3. DISH Network’s contract with Viacom has expired leaving 9 million satellite customers (including me) without CBS, MTV, VH1, Comedy Central and Nick At Night. Viacom wants to charge DISH a 40% rate increase to carry their programs AND the commercials that come with the programs.
4. A temporary Constitution goes in effect in Iraq today allowing free speech.
5. David J. Knight, 42, the son of California state Sen. William J. “Pete” Knight, married his partner of 10 years, Joseph J. Lazzaro, 39. Senator Knight is the author of Prop 22 which bans same sex marriages in California.
6. Martha Steward awaits sentencing after being convicted of lying to the government (see item 1). Poor people are jealous of her wealth and priviledge. The government needed a high profile case to show they’re tough on white collar crime. O.J. Simpson and Enron executives are playing golf.
7. Outsourcing of jobs overseas has gotten so common that in some states, the information hotlines for Unemployment benefits are now being answered by workers in India.

Things are getting really strange in national politics, a lot of frightening things are converging, and some of our leftist progressive fears are coming home to roost. There are no good guys and bad guys between the media giants, and I blame FCC for de-regulating them and allowing too many media takeovers by too few voices. The Christian Right wants to mold the US government as well as the Iraqi government in it’s image, and they’re willing to let corporations run wild as long as they keep propping them up with money, even if it comes from cheap overseas labor. The Middle East is going to erupt because the Muslims don’t want to be told what to do, and they want to live the lifestyle of the Americans they see on satellite TV (except for CBS and MTV).

Enough of my ranting, let’s talk gay porn convergence.

Titan Media, one of the first studios to stream movies on NakedSword.com, has returned to once again offer their award winning movies on pay-per-view. Click [continue] to read the press release.

Check out NakedSword.com and TitanMen.com. In fact, buy lots of porn NOW, before Ashcroft takes it away! Well, gay porn won’t disappear, but it will be harder to get, and probably more expensive. Sign up for websites now, and keep renewing your membership to lock-in the price.

Media Convergence – Culture Clash – Outsourced Labor – Corporate Corruption – Blacklisting – Separation of Church and State – Same Sex Unions

Am I reading too much into all this???FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

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TitanMen.com to Premiere on NakedSword.com

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA 03/09/2004) – NakedSword.com, an online leader in gay adult Video on Demand, and TitanMen.com, a leading producer of gay adult entertainment, announced a deal today that will distribute TitanMen.com films via NakedSword.com. The licensing agreement will allow NakedSword.com to sell and distribute TitanMen.com films via Digital Rights Management (DRM) protected pay-per-download and pay-per-view streaming.

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to work with TitanMen.com,” said NakedSword.com president Tim Valenti. “Their films are among the best in the industry, and our customers have continually expressed their desire to see TitanMen products on NakedSword.”

“Tim and his team “get it,” and are willing to work together with producers to ensure a win-win for both sides.” Says Bruce Cam, CEO/President of TitanMen.com. “Our past history with NakedSword has shown us that their company is run professionally and with the utmost respect for content producers.  They have a long term vision that meshes perfectly with our goals and vision for our company; we look forward to a successful and profitable partnership together.”

While the two companies have worked together successfully in the past, this is the first time that TitanMen’s collection of high-end film will be available in DRM format on the NakedSword site.

Valenti suggested that Titan’s decision to distribute with NakedSword is especially discerning. “Bruce Cam has fought tirelessly against online video piracy,” Valenti added. “His decision to distribute TitanMen DRM protected movies on NakedSword is an important move in helping to eliminate this illegal activity.”

Valenti and Cam also hinted that the industry could expect to see more joint efforts between NakedSword.com and TitanMen.com. “Titan is one of the best managed and most technologically savvy studios in the industry,” explained Valenti. “I look forward to developing future projects with Bruce and the Titan team.”