Hard times in Hollywood mean smaller salaries for stars and writers alike as the industry struggles to keep its head above water. The studios may well be keeping a close eye on the Machinima Work Group (and others like them), who are using the 3D engines of virtual worlds like Second Life to create a new breed of cinematic art where the only budget restraint is that of man-hours. And not a moment too soon either, as we hear reports that Second Life is about to become host to another iteration of the inexplicably popular Big Brother franchise – it may be a brilliant PR move, but that’s a big dent in SL’s cultural kudos from where I’m sitting.