Quantum Project, the first multimillion-dollar film ever made for the Internet, will become available for downloading at $3.95 a pop at <www.SightSound.com> beginning Friday, apparently tailored to appeal to "Webheads, " published reports said today (Thursday). (With a 56K modem, it takes some four hours to download.) AP writer David Germain said that while the music-video-type editing makes the visual effects appear "reasonably impressive" on the computer screen, the film itself amounts to "little more than a collage of impressionistic images stitched together by a loose plot." Germain added: "If the Internet is going to become a new outlet for first-run films, the requirement is the same as it is for television and movie theaters: If you want an audience, tell a good story." Daily Variety columnist Army Archerd reported today that there are actually three "completely different" versions of the movie, with the other two "upcoming."

The Directors Guild of America said Wednesday that it will encourage members to become involved in the production of movies made for the Internet. Appearing on CNN's Showbiz Today the DGA's Warren Adler said, "We think it's very important that our members are able to work in what could be very exciting, could be very big." Last month the DGA approved new guidelines for directors making films for the Internet. But Adler said, "Like films with sound, Internet features could have a vast future. And Hollywood doesn't want to stop the flow of progress; it just wants to make sure it's going along for the ride."

Efforts to focus on the Internet to promote American Psycho (2000) are being described as a failure by Exhibitor Relations chief Paul Dergarabedian. In an interview with today's (Thursday) New York Daily News, Dergarabedian said that the film lacked the same sort of "hook" that worked for Blair Witch Project, The (1999). "The (Internet) trailer for Blair Witch captured the imagination of a lot of people ... and the Internet provided shelf space for information, " Dergarabedian observed. However, he added, "For American Psycho (2000), I don't know where the tie-in was." The film has earned only $12 million at the box office in 3 weeks, about a tenth of Blair Witch's earnings.

George Lucas is close to making a decision on who will play Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode 2 (2002), Daily Variety columnist Michael Fleming reported today (Thursday). Fleming, citing Hollywood "buzz, " said that 19-year-old Canadian actor Hayden Christensen appears to have the inside track.

Ridley Scott says that he was able to use computer-generated images to complete the cast-of-thousands scenes in the upcoming Gladiator (2000). Appearing on CNN Wednesday, Scott said that he was able to build about 40 percent of the Roman Coliseum and pack real spectators into just two tiers. "Of course, " he added, "the coliseum was 360 degrees and five tiers.

Steve Reeves, the onetime Mr. Universe who became the movies' Hercules, died Monday at the age of 74 of cancer at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, CA. He had told the Los Angeles Times in 1989: "I want to make it to 100, because if I don't, it would be bad for my reputation."

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire continues to break its own ratings records for a regular primetime game show, with Wednesday night's celebrity quiz pulling an astounding 24.7 rating and a 38 share in the 8:00 hour, according to Nielsen overnights. Millionaire's competition took big hits. NBC's Dateline lost nearly half its audience from last week, earning only a 4.9/8. And CBS's Academy of Country Music Awards, a traditional big winner, averaged only a 7.7/12. The three wins for Millionaire this week -- representing the top rated shows of the year, except for the Super Bowl and the Oscars -- appeared to give ABC a commanding lead in the May ratings sweeps.The Network won Wednesday night with a 15.6/24. NBC was a distant second with a 9.5/14, followed by CBS with a 7.7/12 and Fox with a 5.4/8.

The FCC's cable bureau ruled Wednesday that Time Warner Cable violated a 1992 law and agency regulations when it dropped ABC-TV in 11 markets on Monday. The law bars any cable company from removing a channel during a ratings sweeps period. Time Warner said that it would "pursue further review" of the decision. Meanwhile, AT&T chairman Michael Armstrong told the New Media Summit conference in New York that cable systems and content providers should settle their disputes without upsetting viewers. "If we can't ... work out the terms and conditions of prices before we penalize the public, then we're just inviting the regulators to come and tell us how to do it, " he said. In a telephone interview with analysts later in the day, Disney chairman Michael Eisner said that he didn't expect the blackout to be repeated. The disagreement between his company and Time Warner, Eisner said, "will resolve itself, and we will continue to have our access." Analysts appeared to agree. Jeffrey Logsdon of Seidler Cos. told the Dow Jones newswire, "I think Time Warner's going to be pretty hard-pressed to pull the network off again."

The FCC gave final approval Wednesday to Viacom's $44.37 billion acquisition of CBS. At the same time, it gave Viacom one year to comply with current rules barring it from owning two networks (it also owns UPN) and to sell off a number of its stations. Those rules are likely to change in the coming months. In a sharply worded dissent, Commissioner Gloria Tristani, commented, "Will the combination of these assets give one entity too much control over the marketplace of ideas? The commission provides no analysis, and, most disturbing, does not even ask the question. ... The sound of a dog not barking is a clue. The sound of a watchdog not barking is a problem."

Thanks to a resurgence of its ABC division (credited primarily to the success of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire) ABC was able to report better-than-expected first-quarter earnings of $369 million, excluding its interest in Go.com, which reported a net loss of $292.2 million earlier this week. Revenue was put at $6.2 billion. That compares with income of $226 million on revenue of $5.5 billion in the year-ago quarter. Operating profit for the broadcasting unit leaped 48 percent to $537 million. On the other hand, earnings from its movies turned out to be disappointing, plummeting to just $3 million from $96 million in the same quarter last year.

The conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, which holds that homosexuals can be converted into heterosexuals through faith, has denounced a recent Will & Grace episode that lampooned a group of "ex-gays." In a news release, Focus on the Family quoted Mike Haley identified as a former gay man and the "youth and gender specialist" for the organization, as saying, "Once again, NBC has chosen to ridicule people with deeply held biblical convictions and those who believe that change is possible."