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Video streaming firm uploads 13-episode series starring Kevin Spacey to more than 30 million subscribers across world

In just six years Netflix's video streaming service has revolutionised the way people watch films. On Friday, the firm made a $100m bet it can do the same to the TV industry, launching its House of Cards remake starring Kevin Spacey online.

Netflix, seeking to make the biggest possible splash as it battles for a leading position in the fast developing video on demand (VOD) market, released the entire 13-episode first series of House of Cards – a star-studded, $100m (£64m) remake of the 1990s BBC drama adapted from Michael Dobbs' political thriller, produced by The Social Network director David Fincher and featuring Spacey in his first TV lead role – to 30 million-plus subscribers in 40 countries simultaneously.

"People want the flexibility of being able to watch what they want, when they want on their choice of device,...

Mario Lopez, Anna Stuart, James Cromwell Mario Lopez interviews James Cromwell and guest Anna Stuart at the 84th Academy Awards from Hollywood, CA, on February 26, 2012. Cromwell wasn't nominated for anything this year, but he is one of the featured players in Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist, which won five Oscars, including Best Picture. Thus, Cromwell got the chance to hop onstage with his fellow cast members, among them Penelope Ann Miller, Bérénice Bejo, and Best Actor winner Jean Dujardin. (Matt Brown / ©A.M.P.A.S.) An animals rights advocate and a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee for Chris Noonan's Babe, Cromwell is also the son of filmmaker John Cromwell and actress Kay Johnson, both of whom were kept quite busy at the dawn of the sound era — the time period in which The Artist is set. John Cromwell directed three 1929 releases, including two Nancy Carroll musicals, The Dance of Life and Close Harmony.

As news breaks that MGM has risen out of bankruptcy, this writer would like to take a moment and remember when this studio first entered the news, with its formation being the result of a corporate merger on Wall Street over eighty years ago. Following this merge, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer would be the dominant motion picture studio in Hollywood, from the end of the silent film era through World War II.

The man behind the merger was Marcus Loew, the owner of a large theater chain known as Loew’s Theatres. Wanting to provide a steady supply of films for his theaters, he had purchased both Metro Pictures Corporation and Goldwyn Pictures. However, both of these companies lacked leadership, and Loew was unable to spare his longtime assistant, Nicholas Schenck, as he was needed in New York City to oversee the theater chain. The answer came to Loew when his visited the...

According to the Internet Movie DataBase (IMDb.com): "The STARmeter rankings provide a snapshot of who's popular based on the searches of millions of IMDb users. Updated weekly, these rankings also graph the popularity of people over time and determine which events affect public awareness."  Here is a listing of some present and past soap stars and their current ranking, as well as some public figures.  Do you agree with the list? Is Lisa Rinna really more popular than President Obama? Weigh in below.   1. Darren Criss (Glee) 3. Leonardo DiCaprio (ex-santa Barbara)4. Johnny Depp (star of Dark Shadows movie)9. Dot Jones (Glee, Venice) 11. Jill Clayburgh (ex-sft)19. Brad Pitt (ex-aw)28. Amber Tamblyn (ex-gh)54. James Franco (ex-gh) 101. Parker Posey (ex-atwt)

119. Jessica Lowndes (90210) 121. Amanda Seyfried (ex-atwt)125. Demi Moore (ex-gh)134. Lyndsy Fonseca (ex Dh, ex-y&R)144. Courtney Thorne-Smith (ex-Melrose Place)157. Morgan Freeman (ex-aw)189. Josh Duhamel (ex-amc)200. Julianne Moore (ex-atwt)208. Paul Wesley (ex-gl)236. Lindsay Lohan...