Microsoft's 'Bringing Comic-Con Home' offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Comic-Con show floor through exclusive content on Xbox LIVE, Xbox.com, MSN and Zune Marketplace.

SAN DIEGO, July 23, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Horror and comedy often come
together on the show floor at Comic-Con International, just never like this.
Microsoft Corp. today announced that a set of original short film pilots will
be coming to Xbox LIVE this fall, free to all members around the world. The
unique concept of masters of horror taking on comedy, conceived by filmmaker
James Gunn ("Slither," "Dawn of the Dead") and producer Peter Safran ("Scary
Movie," "Meet the Spartans," "Disaster Movie"), will see some of the world's
greatest horror directors bring their comedic visions to life. Microsoft is
teaming up with Safran Digital Group to produce these exclusive shorts.

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Beginning this fall, the short film pilots will be available worldwide on
Xbox LIVE from influential horror directors James Wan ("Saw," "Death
Sentence"), David Slade ("30 Days of Night," "Hard Candy"), James Gunn, Lucky
McKee ("May," "The Woods"), Andrew Douglas ("The Amityville Horror") and
Marcus Nispel ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "Friday the 13th"). All of the
pilots will be free either for download or streaming on Xbox LIVE. The new
short film pilots available on Xbox LIVE this fall include the following:

-- "Doggie Heaven (Woof!)" -- The creative team behind the smash hit "Saw"
films, James Wan ("Saw," "Death Sentence") and Leigh Whannell, tell the story
of a young man who is having a dog of a day. He's just been shot dead, but his
real problems are only just beginning because of a clerical error that has
sent him to the wrong heaven.

-- "Humanzee!" -- James Gunn ("Slither," "Dawn of the Dead") directs and
stars in a sitcom about his human-chimp hybrid son, the Humanzee (played by
Gunn's brother, Sean Gunn, from "Gilmore Girls"). It's a delightful mix of
"South Park," "Wonder Showzen" and "Small Wonder."

-- "MEATDOG: What's Fer' Dinner" -- Director David Slade ("30 Days of
Night," "Hard Candy") presents MEATDOG, an animated mutt made up of cold cuts.
MEATDOG is pitted against a church of evil occult pigs while being pursued by
a carnivorous rabbit and a slobbering hound. It's dogicide when everyone wants
MEATDOG on their menu.

-- "Blue Like You" -- From director Lucky McKee ("May," "The Woods"),
"Blue Like You" follows the antics of old friends Patrick and Cyndy as they
get to know their mysterious and extraordinary new friend Blue, a beautiful
young woman who doesn't seem to understand how the simplest of things work.

-- "The Miracle of Phil" -- From director Andrew Douglas ("The Amityville
Horror"), "The Miracle of Phil" shows that the best relationships are full of
screaming, shouting and cursing, but when Phil gets knocked up, Chris is the
one who feels screwed.

-- "Adrenaline Slam" -- Director Marcus Nispel ("The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre," "Friday the 13th") brings "ADRENALINE SLAM," a high-octane hybrid
of hidden camera reality and Hollywood fantasy that exposes ordinary people to
extraordinary events.

In addition, Microsoft has sought pilots from emerging online talent John
Clisham:

-- "Assorted Nightmares: The Janitor" -- From online director John Clisham
and starring Jenna Dewan ("Step Up"), somewhere in the darkness just beyond
"Tales From the Crypt" and a little south of "The Twilight Zone," is "Assorted
Nightmares," a modern-day horror anthology show. The first episode pays homage
to the 1980s horror-slasher genre, as things at school for Jennifer don't turn
out as expected.

"We're excited to launch the Xbox original content with these world-class
directors, who are all tremendously talented and at the cutting edge of their
craft," Safran said. "Their youthful and innovative approach is the perfect
combination for this unique digital venture with Xbox 360, and we expect to
see some very creative, horrifying and hilarious shorts as these masters of
horror present their comedic vision. We can't wait to give fans at Comic-Con a
taste of what's to come."

Microsoft will also be "Bringing Comic-Con Home" on Xbox LIVE from
Wednesday, July 23, to Sunday, July 27, so anyone can get a behind-the-scenes
look at all of the action. The Xbox 360 team will be covering every inch of
the show floor with daily coverage on Inside Xbox and Xbox.com, as well as MSN
and Zune Marketplace. The Xbox 360 team is joining forces with Warner Bros. to
provide sneak peeks of all the panels and videos shown at the event, along
with interviews with talent for movies and TV shows, including the upcoming
feature films from Warner Bros. Pictures "Watchmen" and "Terminator
Salvation," as well as "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," "Fringe,"
"Chuck," "Supernatural," "Lost Boys: The Tribe" and much more. Xbox LIVE
members will also be among the first to see the following:

-- Warner Premiere's Motion Comics' "Batman: Mad Love" draws on a massive
amount of source material to bring a visually engaging experience to life,
through the use of subtle movements, voice-overs, sweeping music scores and
stunning comic book artwork.

-- The exclusive branded consoles for "Terminator: The Sarah Connor
Chronicles," "Watchmen" and DC Comics, and the upcoming "Gears of War" comic
book-inspired console, with all the limited-edition consoles being given away
at Comic-Con.

-- New gamer pictures and themes from DC Comics, available only on Xbox
LIVE Marketplace.

"Bringing Comic-Con Home" will also give people an exclusive look at two
Xbox 360 panels at the show:

-- In the "Xbox 360 'Gears of War' Showcase" panel, Cliff Bleszinski,
design director at Epic Games Inc., will be joined by comic writer Joshua
Ortega and novelist Karen Traviss to discuss upcoming installments to the
"Gears of War" universe, including a look at the holiday blockbuster game
"Gears of War 2" for Xbox 360. The panel will be held on Saturday, July 26.

-- In the "Horror Meets Comedy Xbox Original Short Film Pilots" panel
Friday, July 25, the audience will see a sneak preview of what is coming this
fall, and will hear from all the directors on their creative vision for the
shorts.

Xbox LIVE members will also get an online backstage pass to the famous
Comic-Con masquerade ball, where the person with the best Xbox-themed costume
will win an amazing "Halo" prize package, including a Master Chief costume and
a "Halo" console. Further information is available at
http://www.xbox.com/comiccon08.

About Xbox 360

Xbox 360 is a superior video game and entertainment system delivering the
best games, unique entertainment features and a unified online gaming network
that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 has a portfolio of nearly 400 games in 37
countries. More information can be found online at
http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.

About Xbox LIVE

Xbox LIVE is the first and most comprehensive unified online entertainment
network seamlessly integrated throughout the entire console experience, making
it easy for people to find the friends, games and entertainment they want from
the moment they power on their Xbox 360 system. Xbox LIVE connects more than
12 million members across 26 countries to enjoy hundreds of multiplayer games,
downloadable games via Xbox LIVE Arcade, free and premium playable game demos,
music videos, TV shows, and movies in the United States as well as new game
levels, characters and vehicles for all their favorite retail games. More
information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/live.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their
full potential.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

http://www.microsoft.com

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