Movie Download Websites - A Reality Check

I'm sure we've all come across movie download websites that promise "unlimited downloads" of your popular movies. For what appears to be a cheap fee, some offer a every year or lifetime membership that allows you to get a hold of thousands of movies, ranging from classics to modern blockbusters. And it's all available right from the convenience of your own Pc! Sounds like a great deal, right?

And great yet, many of these movie download websites promise you these great films in high Dvd quality, or a format compatible with your Sony Psp, iPod, or entertainment system. Some don't just offer movies, but music too! And for a one time membership fee? This looks too good to be true!

Downton Abbey

And unfortunately, it is.

Although I haven't had a chance to explore all of these movie download websites, I've done some digging on a popular one called The Movie Downloads (I cannot provide the full link for legal reasons, but you can Google it and read about it for yourself. Anyway, the site is very slick-looking, well-organized, and easy to read site that seems to clearly spell out everything it has to offer, from Faqs to tech support. By the pro layout of the homepage, it admittedly looks legit.

Read on, and find out why you'll feel like an idiot if you sign up...

What it claims: They boast unlimited downloads, a wide range of movies and music, and a variety of formats to select from (.avi, divx, .mov, .mp3, etc). The service claims to be spyware/virus free (for those of you using Windows), and for mac users, The Movie Downloads says it's totally mac friendly.

They even offer software (if you need it) to burn the files you download onto Cds and Dvds. With a tech hold theory in place, this site will refund your money if you are not satisfied for any reason.

All that's left for you to do is sign up for their service, select the membership option that's best for you, then pay the .99 fee. From there, you should have instant access.

What admittedly happens: Once you're in, you define yourself as a mac or Pc user, then select either or not you're an "Advanced" or "Beginner" user. For "Advanced" users, you are directed to download uTorrent (Windows) or Tomato Torrent (Mac).

Here's the dumb part...

Programs like uTorrent and TomatoTorrent (other than having dumb names) are already available online for free! If you superior "Beginner" user, you're simply directed to download Limewire, which is also free!. The lowest line is this: You never had to drop .99 in the first place!

Moral of the story: Movie download websites such as The Movie Downloads trap population who are a little less web/tech savvy by simply convincing them to pay good money for stuff that's available free of charge.

Lesson #1 is this: Don't believe free movie download websites that offer films/music/pictures/porn/beer for free. It ain't gonna happen. Even if you see the occasional "free movie download" links on the Google ads displayed on my very own site, avoid them and click something else.

Lesson #2: Even if you are one step ahead of the crooks and are already an specialist in using bit-torrent or P2P software, watch your back. Downloading gobs of movies, Tv shows, and music using bit torrent sites/services such as can get you into a heap of legal trouble. Sure, thousands of other population (mostly kids) are doing it, they feel the thrill of "beating the system," enjoy bragging about it, and the authorities don't have the resources to police the whole internet (not yet, at least).

But every once in a while person gets caught. And it's ugly. And those who get busted never concept they would. Is it worth it?

I'm not telling you to stick to legitimate pay sites like Netflix or iTunes because I have ads for them running on my website (I only endorse products/services that I admittedly use myself), but those fellowships are legal, affordable, and dependable. Maybe it's not "cool" to play by the rules, but last I checked it's not very "cool" to get slapped with a lawsuit either.

Special thanks to my "little friends" for their investigative assistance

Movie Download Websites - A Reality Check

A First Look Into Vh1's New Reality Series 'Basketball Wives'

All I can say is Wow...I just previewed the first episode of Basketball Wives, the new reality series on Vh1 menagerial produced by Shaunie O'Neal (former wife of Nba star, Shaquille O'Neal) and all I can say is "Wow". Now I will admit that my guilty satisfaction is the Housewives series on Bravo; I watch them all Orange County, New York, New Jersey, Atlanta...it's freaking intriguing and downright hilarious. So I have come into watching Basketball Wives with a preconceived conception on what to expect...and it was all that I conception it was going to be and much more. As I watched it I had to take some notes so can I can remember all of the foolishness that I endured for 20+ minutes. I want to introduce you to all of the players, I think that is the best way to get you ready for the premiere Sunday, April 11 at 10:00 Et/Pt.

Let's start with Shaunie "Momma" O'Neal. As we all know Shaunie was married to Shaq, their on-again off-again married was marred by rumors and incidents of infidelity. Shaunie says that her goal with the series is to shed light onto the involved lives of the women who stand beside larger-than-life pro athletes and show the world that it's not all glitz and glamour as it may seem. Let's just be real here for a minute, I don't know about you but the only habitancy who seem to think that the relationships with these pro athletes is all glitz and glamour is the women who get into these relationships. Trust me, Biggie taught us years ago that 'more money, more problems'. Shaunie comes over as Queen Bee sitting on her throne as these women flock to her for advice on their basketball playing husbands, baby-daddies, ex-fiancés, fiancés, anything they call them. She is absolutely the momma-figure in these episodes, and believes that they all should stick together because this is an foremost and hectic sorority that they all are a part of. Well...I don't know about that but the only thing that makes them distinct from all of the millions of other married women colse to the world is the pro that these men have, which I am inclined to believe brainwashes these women to believe that their lives and families can rival that of Kings and Queens of countries near and far.

Downton Abbey

Then there's Royce. She is the mom of Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard's daughter, which you will never hear that mentioned on the show since Howard has gotten a court injunction that prohibits her from the mentioning his name. Coming into this Royce has so many strikes against her. The other women believe that she is the quintessential stereotypical groupie, and I agree with them. Royce is a dancer (and I use that term loosely, because being from the home of the renowned Magic City I call it something else...if you know what I mean) who danced for both the Magic and the Heat and started her own Burlesque Dance business called Fantashique which travels all over Florida. I haven't surely made up my mind about Royce because one puny she's showing her ass and dropping it like it's hot at a pool party hosted by Terrell Owens, or on a stripper pole at a Miami nightclub, and the next she's crying talking about she wants to go home because nobody likes her. To be a 29-year-old mom this lil' girl has got some serious growing up to do. And what I believe amazes me so much is that she doesn't understand why the other women don't like her, or that many others label her as a 'Gold Digger'. C'mon Son! At the end of the first episode the wives ambushed Royce for raunchy dancing at the party and informed her that her behavior is a reflection of all of them not just her.

Now on to Jennifer, the wife of basketball player, Eric Williams. Now this one I like, even though her marriage is falling apart at every angle she seems to be the most down to earth, the one whose head isn't stuck so far in the clouds. Jennifer is not just sitting at home watching soaps and eating bon-bons, she's a high-end real estate agent and the owner of an upscale women's fitness center, Flirty Girl Fitness. Now the association with Jennifer and her husband Eric is a bit, how should I say, dysfunctional. Jennifer doesn't not call Eric her husband out in collective and he has the 'rule' that when he's on the road, he's gone on the road, but when he's home, he's home with her. Now I naturally have to shake my head at that, because all it does is show me that here's a flourishing woman who's traded in her self-respect for a lifetime furnish of Gucci and Jimmy Choos. As the series progresses we get to learn more about Jennifer and Eric and what they are going to do about this dysfunction that they are living in.

Suzie Ketcham is the previous wife of basketball player Michael Olowokondi, who is a bonafied party-girl and collective butterfly. Suzie is on the Vip list of every club, has invites to the hottest parties, and knows all of the hottest celebrities and athletes. Suzie met Michael while attending college and by her senior year was pregnant with the concentrate first child. Suzie reminds me of Shaunie, she's diluted in her believe that being a players' wife or ex-wife isn't a lifestyle it's a career that you get on the job training for and you are an worker for life with all of the perks and benefits. Suzie and Michael have two children together and were together for 10 years before splitting up. Suzie coins herself as knowing all of the ends and outs of the 'game' and is all the time more than willing to give her conception even if no one asked for it.

Then there's Puerto Rican beauty Evelyn, who's from the Bronx, and is the previous fiancé of Antoine Walker. Evelyn and Antoine were together for a puny over 10 years before she says she got fed-up with all of the lying and cheating; well that's at least her said of the story. I just can't believe that this woman let her association with this man go on for 10+ years and no 'real' commitment. Wake-up... The engagement was just the keeping pattern that worked for 10 years so you could be engaged and he could continue living the superstar lifestyle he was leading. Evelyn is living in Miami beginning over and enduringly crying about how she's struggling because there's no more shopping or excessive spending...Please Give Me a Break! Evelyn has milked the lifestyle for all that it has to give and is now on to the next one.

Finally there's Gloria, who is the only who feels she's got her stuff together. Gloria is engaged to Matt Barnes, who she met at the age of 12. After years apart Gloria and Matt reconnected when Matt was playing ball near her hometown of Oakland. The concentrate has twin 16-month-old boys, and at the age of 24 Gloria is trying to focus on her own business and charities outside of basketball, but the only charity that she is involved in Matt Barnes' charity. Now the drama with Gloria is that the other women are enduringly telling her that this not how it's going to be forever, he [Matt] will cheat on you, there will be groupies, but there's an awkward association is with Shaunie, because it is rumored that Gloria's sister is sleeping with Shaq. Wow! For what I saw in the first episode, Gloria doesn't even care what the others think, she believes in her fairytale life and will put money on it that Matt is not like the others.

Well like I said I knew what I was getting into before I watched the show, but I was hoping to see at least one concentrate who was centered down to earth and showing the hold of what a real family unit was. In the first episode don't expect the drama, or the hair pulling, or the club fights, all of these antics will be Coming up in future episodes. All in all it's your typical reality show full of bling, champagne, mansions, cars, clothes and of procedure the men. After the first episode let me know what you think, and each week look for a new posting on the newest episode of Basketball Wives. Until next time...

A First Look Into Vh1's New Reality Series 'Basketball Wives'