'Long Tail' National Geographic Docs Online

Here's a slightly promotional but appropriate blurb: As if timed perfectly for Chris Anderson's The Long Tail book release, a fourteen classic National Geographic documentaries are available for pay-per-view in pristine high resolution. Presented by FilmClix, the docs are available online through Open Media Network (OMN).

Secured with Windows Digital Rights Management (DRM) for $2.69, all of the films are in full National Geographic cinematic excellence ... and watching them on a desktop or laptop with a large output window and high bit rate through OMN does them justice.

Rainforest - produced in 1983 - seems as vivid and alive today as I'm sure it did to original audiences. Other favorites of mine include Behind the Scenes of The Lord of the Rings and for you politicos, Air Force One, Secret Service, and Pentagon are all excellent.

Gore's other Truth blends O.M. and N.M.

While his An Inconvenient Truth racks up grande Super Size Me box office Al Gore's other media initiative, CurrentTV, is quietly profitable and an interesting blend of of O.M (Old Media) and N.M. (you can figure it out).

Profiled recently in the San Francisco Chronicle, Current TV led the User Generated Content (or as they call it, Viewer Created Content or VC2) initiative now so popular at YouTube and MySpace. The VC2 idea was ridiculed a year ago when the cable and satellite channel launched, but former Democractic Party fundraiser and CurrentTV CEO Joel Hyatt is vindicated and feels good about Current's unique programming mix.

"Content creators -- people who want to share their stories with their generational cohorts -- believe that television is at a whole different level than the Web," Hyatt said. "So, yes, anybody can submit a piece of video to, fill in the blank -- YouTube, iFilm, Google Video, Yahoo video -- and it's all put up there. And it's a big mass of stuff.

THR respecfully disagrees ... is the allure of being programmed at 3 AM on Current's cable channel three times a week more powerful than being on YouTube 24/7? However, the unique blend of VC2 and traditional 'professional' programming make Current a unique TV option ... one worth setting the remote down. And once you're hooked by the TV experience, surf away from YouTube, MySpace, and even THR to check out http://current.tv

MTV to Mweb ?

Continuing an aggressive online acquisition strategy, Viacom's MTV Networks announced the acquisition of online, short form entertainment pioneer Atom Entertainment. Seattle based Atom's four online destinations include atomfilms.com, addictingclips.com, addictinggames.com, and shockwave.com.

There's some synergy between Atom's short-form entertainment and casual gaming sites and recent MTVN additions IFILM, XFIRE, NeoPets, Y2M and GameClips.com.

No mention how broadband channel MTV Overdrive will leverage programming and content from these recent content players in the MTVN aresnal, but THR suspects MTVN Preso Judy McGrath has a master intergration plan.