Links of the Day

Law & Order CancelledA television era comes to an end as NBC has canceled the show after 20 years. The decision is so sudden that it seems it will not even get a proper finale episode. The cause comes down to money as NBC wanted the show produced on a shoestring budget which the show’s creator and executive producer Dick Wolf. To add to the pain, yet another spin-off Law and Order: Los Angeles was ordered for the fall season. The show was on track to break the American record for longest running drama series but instead will tie Gunsmoke with 20 seasons. The weird thing is the show was still averaging 8 million viewers, a rather high number for NBC of late (I think their average is around 6 million).

Adobe Launches Anti-Apple Campaign
While Apple has couched the Flash debate as being something against a closed platform, at least Flash can be used or not used on any browser and users and developers have a choice in whether or not they use it as part of their websites. Not the case with Apple, which bans flash and requires a strict set of requirements if want your content to play on their devices such as the iPad and iPhone. Adobe, affected by this decision, has decided to launch a PR campaign to reverse Apple's decision. Doomed to fail but I like the idea. Apple has become the 1984 big brother. It makes me sad.

Firefly's Original Designs
That long lost, great TV shows that led to the great Serenity (but no sequels) might have looked a little different based on early designs. A new book, Firefly: Still Flying give a bunch of behind the scenes details about the show including a look at a design of the ship that wasn't used.

Call for Newsweek Boycott
In an example of looking for insults were none exist, some folks in Hollywood are calling for a boycott because an opinion piece dared to suggest that some gay actors cannot act convincingly in straight roles cites Glee's Jonathan Groff and Sean Hays. It should be noted the author is gay himself. This has been denounced as basically hate speech because of some of the terminology used like "queeny". It should also be noted that those leading this silly charge is Haye's costar Kristin Chenoweth and Glee's executive producer Ryan Murphy. Is the lesson supposed to be that a gay man cannot tell gay actors not to play straight roles if they cannot do it well? Or that gay actors should get a free pass if they don't perform up to snuff? I don't know, don't care, just found the whole thing to be silly. There are better battles to fight for homosexuals then whether a few actors should be allowed to play straight characters poorly without criticism. Full disclosure: I am a Newsweek subscriber.

Apple Forced Police Investigation
The documents on the investigation on the lost, then found, and then sold to Gawker Media iPhone gen 4 was forced by Apple as most suspected. The time table indicates it was a quest for revenge as the investigation was requested only AFTER Gawker posted the story and told Steve Jobs they would need to produce a document proving the phone was there before it would be returned to them. The claim, probably true, is the leak cost them millions in iPhone sales as now people are going to wait for the new device to purchase. The problem I have is the goal for Apple is justice but really to create an object lesson to the media and bloggers that essentially says "if you don't leak information per our instructions and at our time table, we will get you." This is a lesson Apple tries to push frequently with lawsuits for leaks, attempts to shutdown blogs, black listing certain reporters for speaking ill of the company and more. Basically they are engaging in Scientology 101 tactics but because coming from Apple, it is being defended. If it came from say Microsoft, these same people would be condemning them. No telling how this will shake out but I get the feeling no charges will be filed as the waters are so muddy (made worse when Apple accepted the return of the device) that even if charges were pressed any half decent lawyer can probably mount an effective defense.