Just days after 
announcing a slew of alliances with cable channels and services, Microsoft is adding Ultimate Fighting Championship events to its growing roster of non-gaming programming.
Starting Dec. 1, Xbox 360 users will be able to order pay-per-view events as well as access a library of live and on-demand content. The first pay-per-view will be the company’s UFC 140 event on Dec. 10.
With so many 
achievements to his credit, Steve Jobs impact on the advertising industry is often forgotten.
The fact is that with Jobs influence, the modern Super Bowl commercial might never have happened. The “1984” spot that is so well known was conceived by Chiat/Day and directed by Ridley Scott, but it was the Macintosh that was the inspiration.
The death of Apple 
co-founder and tech visionary Steve Jobs was something we all suspected was coming, but still were shocked to hear had occurred. His impact on the entertainment and tech industries is something that will be measured for years to come.
As news of his passing spread Wednesday night, impressions and condolences came flowing from all corners of the entertainment and technology worlds. Here is a collection of some of those tributes:
Microsoft, which tried 
unsuccessfully to acquire Yahoo in 2008, is thinking about making another run at the company. This time, though, a merger of the two companies could impact the entertainment landscape.
To be clear: There’s no offer at this point and there’s apparently a lot of internal debate about whether to make one at Microsoft headquarters these days. And, technically, Yahoo hasn’t announced it’s for sale – though it has been talking quietly with potential bidders.
It was hardly 
a secret that Apple would be rolling out its next generation iPhone at a press event Tuesday, but the Cupertino-based company still managed to sneak in a few surprises.
The iPhone 4S, which will be available for pre-order on Oct. 7 and will launch Oct. 14, will look almost exactly like the current 4G model, but a number of under the hood enhancements could be noteworthy for the entertainment industry – as could the expansion of the iPhone’s retail footprint with the addition of Sprint to the carriers offering the phone.
Those of you 
hoping to hear news about the iPhone 5 may have been a bit disappointed by today’s Apple press event, but the iPhone 4S seems to have plenty of solid improvements on the way.
The new phones will be available for pre-order on Oct. 7 and will launch Oct. 14. Pricing will range from $199 for a 16GB version to $399 for a 64GB version.
Nintendo is turning 
to Hollywood to help bolster the 3D content for its 3DS handheld gaming system.
The game maker has announced partnerships with DreamWorks Animation for a pair of timed-exclusive digital shorts as well as with 3net, the joint venture between Discovery, Sony and Imax. Content from both studios became available this morning.
While the Wii 
was a runaway success for Nintendo, the biggest criticism about the system was the lack of big third-party games. Now a new compilation of the console’s top-selling software is dramatically underscoring that complaint.
Of the top 20 selling games for the Wii, 13 were made by Nintendo. Among third-party publishers, Ubisoft was the big winner, thanks largely to its music games – “Just Dance” and “Michael Jackson: Experience”.
The long-awaited consolidation in the music streaming space is underway.
Rhapsody has acquired Napster from electronics giant Best Buy for an undisclosed price. The deal will combine two of the largest streaming services in the U.S. and could roughly double the number of Rhapsody subscribers.
When “Mortal Kombat: 
Annihilation” hit theaters in 1997, it did something that parents groups and senators had failed to do: Brought the franchise to its knees.
The film was so horrendously bad that it made 1995’s “Mortal Kombat,” which only the most die-hard fans of the series truly embraced, look downright artistic. Production on a third sequel, sub-named “Devastation,” was shelved and New Line Cinema never looked back.
Chris Morris: Journalist 