New York - Time Warner's HBO has announced plans to put its entire "Entourage" series up for sale at Apple's iTunes Store, the Associated Press reports. The first two seasons of the series were made available today, while the third and fourth seasons will be added in consecutive weeks before the broadcast premiere of the fifth season on Sept. 7.

Los Angeles - BlueCollarOrDie, a spin-off comedy site of Will Ferrell-backed FunnyOrDie, has been shut down due to lack of Web traffic, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Seattle - Amazon.com's (NASD: AMZN) CreateSpace on-demand DVD distribution service said on Monday that it has partnered with Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) HBO Video to offer a selection of HBO and Cinemax documentaries on the service. Films included in the offering, to include "When I Knew" and "Hard Times at Douglass High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card," will also be the first created through an on-demand service to be encrypted by the industry's Content Scramble System (CSS) copy protection technology.

Los Angeles - FunnyorDie.com, the comedy site backed by Will Ferrell that offers original video programming, has received an investment from Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) HBO in exchange for a "small equity stake," Variety reports. The deal will also see FunnyorDie create 10 half-hours of programming for HBO, and the two partnering on live comedy tours and possibly FunnyorDie-branded programming on HBO channels.

New York - Apple (NASD: AAPL) will soon announce a new deal with Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) HBO that will bring TV episodes to its iTunes Store under a new, separate pricing structure from other partners, Portfolio.com reported, citing HBO employees involved in executing the agreement.

Los Angeles - Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) HBO is offering free streams of the first fifteen episodes of its new series "In Treatment" on its website, in an attempt to help generate a following for the show -- the first HBO series that airs five nights a week, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

New York - Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) HBO cable TV network plans to offer its subscribers free access to some of its movies and original programming online, beginning with a pilot set to launch this week in Wisconsin, The New York Times reported. The offering will require users to first download an application for viewing the content, which will expire in four weeks and will not be transferable to portable devices, at least initially.

Barry Bonds, the San Francisco Giants slugger and current Major League Baseball homerun king, was recently indicted on federal charges for perjury, obstruction of justice, and lying under oath, capping a story that dates back to his single-season homerun record obliteration.  One of the most controversial figures in the history of American sports will now take center stage in an HBO film, Variety reports.

Los Angeles - HBO has acquired a documentary film created entirely within the "Second Life" 3D virtual world, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The 35-minute film "Molotov's Dispatches in Search of the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey" was directed by Douglas Gayeton, who also co-wrote and co-directed an interactive CD-ROM version of the film "Johnny Mnemonic," and was a member of Propaganda Films. HBO intends to air the film sometime next year, as well as submit it for Oscar consideration in the animated short subject category.

New York - Time Warner's HBO and AOL will shutter their online comedy joint venture, "This Just In," in August, just six months after its launch, Variety reported.

Digital initiatives prexy Jim Moloshok, business development VP John Penney, and EVP new media programming Carmi Zlotnik are all leaving HBO in an exodus of its execs who were leading the pay cabler's online media efforts.  It's believed that HBO will continue exploring digital distribution possibilities out of its New York office, though the departure of several senior execs is a sign those efforts may slow.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117967209.html