Hurricane Sandy has taken a toll on the eastern part of the United States. Flooding and high winds have resulted in much damage, and as of this writing, it is far from over. In the entertainment world, Sandy has also been costly, the effects spreading from the Broadway hub of New York City as far west as Pittsburgh.

In New York, the iconic Broadway shut down, the lights going dark on all productions including The Jersey Boys. All forty theaters will remain closed through Tuesday night as well, affecting such popular shows as The Book of Mormon and Mama Mia! The costly shut down was the second in two years, with Broadway having had to close down for Hurricane Irene in 2011.
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Various stories have begun appearing in the business media with rumors of Microsoft buying Netflix.

This prompted a buying opportunity for investors who helped push Netflix's stock up a staggering 9.2%, to $67.19 on Friday. A popular speculation as to the roots of these rumors has to do with the recent announcement that Netflix's CEO, Reed Hastings, would be stepping down from Microsoft's board of directors.
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The new streaming stick from Roku will be out just in time for the holidays, although it will only work for a small number of television sets. The stick is essentially a miniature streaming-video box that looks like a USB flash drive and uses MHL technology (Mobile-High Definition). It was one of the hottest home theater devices to be presented at CES this year, particularly because it includes all the functions of a standard Roku box at only a fraction of its size.

What's more is that the Roku streaming stick outmatches the box in a number of ways. For example, with 512MB, it has double the internal memory of the Roku 2 XS, while its remote works by using Wi-Fi Direct, instead of Bluetooth. Roku claims that the changes are meant to improve battery life, but also to work better for the stick when it is placed on the back of the TV set. The streaming stick also comes with a dual-band Wi-Fi, instead of a single band antenna like the Roku boxes.
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It is an exclusive smackdown for subscribers of the over-the-top subscription service Hulu Plus. WWE wrestling fans will experience the on-demand formats of popular wrestling shows like Raw and Smackdown the day after they air on cable stations. This may sound like headline news, but Hulu and WWE have been working together for some time on the free ad-based side of the service airing old episodes. This recently penned deal adds another dimension to streaming for those looking to see their favorite WWE stars in competition.

The deal with Hulu Plus is the WWE's attempt to enter the digital marketplace. Presently, the only viewers with access to current shows from them must pay for cable service. The deal with Hulu Plus opens up the market to a completely new universe of watchers. Even those unable to access the USA Network or Syfy can see the mainstream offerings from the WWE. The wrestling association, however, states their decision is not about making more money. WWE chairman Vince McMahan claims they simply want to make their fans happy by offering another layer of viewing options.
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