$newsid = ''; ?> Adina reports on a paper asserting that once file-sharing hits Hollywood in a big way, movies will be funded by merchandising and product placement, not ticket sales.
(To which I might quibble that file sharing would hit DVD sales and rentals harder than ticket sales: going to the theater has survived for this long since the video revolution because people still sometimes like to go out for a change.)
But my main response is: Product placement?! Ack! Phht! I see it now:
Johnny Depp in Captain Morgan of the Caribbean...
Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas in Once Upon a Time at Taco Bell and Salmita again in La Frida Bandida...
Elijah Wood et al in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of DeBeers...
Any more?