This here is an alternate version of the music video for Kid Cudi’s breakout single “Pursuit of Happiness.”  In my opinion this video is far superior to the original version.  It takes Cudder’s concept of dream sequences he raps about throughout Man on the Moon and runs with it, using tricky camera angles and trippy characters, costumes, and settings.  Oh, and guitarist Ratatat actually makes an appearence in this one during his solo.  Good stuff.

T.I. is just a few weeks away from being released from jail and already he’s got a new single out appropriately titled “I’m Back.”  This is the first single off his upcoming seventh studio album, yet to be titled, set to release on August 24.  Take a listen below and download the track.  Whatcha think?

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

[Via Rap-Up]

I introduced you to comedian Aziz Ansari’s off-the-walls alter ego Raaaaaaaandy last week.  I told you all about his start in Funny People and his upcoming mixtape with TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek.  You also got sneak peek at the mixtape with the release of the first single called “Aaaaaaaangry.”  This week Raaaaaaaandy is back and this time with a targeted agenda: to bring down the young music sensation that is Justin Beiber.  As you can clearly see in the video reenactment above, an older pot-smoking Beiber clearly stole the song “Baby, Baby” from Raaaaaaaandy and turned it into his own song that he calls “Baby.”  And this has Raaaaaaaandy fired up.

Via his Twitter account Ansari is taking matters into his own hands to spread the #BieberStoleFromRandy story.  Tweets like “Is this a threat?! If I get in a ‘boating accident’ in 15 days, y’all know what really happened… RT @justinbieber 15 more days…” and “Swear I just saw 12 yr old with a doo rag & a blunt in his mouth messing w/my car. Brakes might get cut. #BiebersAfterMe;” “So scared I can’t even spell straight man. #DontFuckWithTheBieb;” and “I recorded that video months ago but held it til now cause Bieber was holding one of my nephews captive in Canada” are making waves thoughout the Twitterverse.  Anyway, this whole Raaaaaaaandy vs. The Bieb situation is hilarious and the video’s got me looking forward to more Raaaaaaaandy (and Dave Sitek) collaboration.

[Via Azizisbored; Twitter]

During last night’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, SNL star Andy Samberg surprised guests when he popped out from behind guest (and former SNL cast member) Chris Parnell to perform their classic SNL Digital Short “Lazy Sunday” live, for the first time ever.  Enjoy.

I was one of the first to catch a glipse of Tron: Legacy at last year’s Disney panel at Comic Con.  Since then we’ve been given the first theatrical trailer and teaser poster.  And now there’s this: a brand new trailer that leaked out late last night with never-before-seen footage.  Want to download it in HD for keeps?  Click here.  The dialogue, the score (by Daft Punk, FYI), and the amazing visual effects make for a really awesome trailer that people can’t stop talking about, especially in the Twittersphere.  To quote a friend of mine, this may prove to be the best Disney film ever made.  GAHH!  (Did you catch the stunning Olivia Wilde at 1:31?  Good.)

[Via Trailer Addict]

Felicia Day (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, The Guild, Buffy) is ready to put her prominent red hair (and acting chops) to the test in Syfy’s reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood aptly called Red.  She will play a werewolf-hunting descendant of Little Red Riding Hood.

In the action-packed Red, Red (Day) brings her fiancé home, where he meets the family and learns about their business – hunting werewolves. He’s skeptical until bitten by a werewolf. When her family insists he must be killed, Red tries saving him.

Red is one Syfy original movie in a series of re-imagined classic fairy tales.  Syfy is also “developing films around the stories of Aladdin, Sinbad the Sailor and Hansel & Gretel.”  You can expect Red to air July 2011.  Full PR announcement after the break.

[Via SciFiWire]

(Click here for more…)

The fine folks at EW got an exclusive sneek peek at the upcoming May 2 episode of The Cleveland Show.  In it rapper Kanye West “voices a 19-year-old local hero named, er, Kenny West, who gets into a lopsided rhyme battle with the show’s Cleveland Brown, Jr. over the affections of a young woman who’s voiced by Taraji P. Henson.”  According to show co-creator Rich Appel working with West was an absolute pleasure and he expects Kenny West to “become a recurring character in our universe.”  In fact, they’ve already planned to have West return in a season 2 episode.

The Cleveland Show airs Sundays at 8PM on FOX.

[Via EW-MusicMix]

PROOF!

[Via Twitpic]

On Monday video game developer Valve announced they are finally bringing Mac support to their Steam digital distribution platform and Source Engine that powers Valve games like Half-Life and Portal.  The popular Valve lineup of games including Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the Half-Life series will make its way to Mac users this April.  To add to this exciting news comes, well, even more exciting news.  Valve also announced Steam Play:  [this] allows customers who purchase the product for the Mac or Windows to play on the other platform free of charge.  For example, Steam Play, in combination with the Steam Cloud, allows a gamer playing on their work PC to go home and pick up playing the same game at the same point on their home Mac. We expect most developers and publishers to take advantage of Steam Play.”  Holy hell yes.  Oh, and Portal 2, sequel to the highly acclaimed 2007 action/puzzle game, will be the first simultaneous release on the PC and Mac.  Valve Mac teaser posters in the gallery below.

[Via Joystiq]

12►

The PlayStation Network is about to get pimped with a slew of new movie releases in glorious high definition from all six major Hollywood studios.  Sony signed a deal with 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., and Sony Pictures Entertainment that will bring a wide range of movies available for purchase or rental at the PSN.  The initial batch of 19 include flicks Fantastic Mr. Fox, UP, Star Trek, District 9, Inglourious Basterds, and The Hangover.  Look after the break for the full listing, and check the PSN video hub on your PS3 to find out if your favorites are making their way to PS3 HD land.  Sony is happy to say that the “PlayStation Network is the first and only service to deliver high definition home entertainment from all six major studios, directly to consumers for download”…for now.

[Via PRNewsWire; Engadget]

The Porsche 918 Spyder Concept is the most handsome hybrid vehicle I have ever laid my eyes on.  Set to replace the aging Carrera GT, the 918 Spyder Concept is powered by a 3.4-liter V-8 engine and a hybrid drive system that can crank out  500-horses (9200 rpm) while maintaining a 78-mpg efficiency.  Surprisingly the hybrid system does not affect this car’s superspeed; it can go 0-62 in 3.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 198mph.  It’s being previewed at this year’s Geneva Motor Show and likely won’t hit the production lines until a year or two.  Style and speed with an interior painted bright green.  Now that’s what I call good economical sense.  Can’t wait to see the price tag, though.

[Via MotorAuthority; Engadget]

This was entered into the 2009 Bricks in Motion LEGO contest by YouTuber xxxfancypantsxxx.  Job well done, pal.

[Via BricksinMotion; Gizmodo]

Check out this Pedigree Dogs advertisement shot in super slo-mo, 1000 frames per second.  Shot by Jordan Kretchmer.

[Thanks, Tim S.]

Sketch-a-move is a concept for a toy car that allows you to explore the unique relationships between small surface doodles and actual physical movements. If you draw a circle on the top of the toy car, it will move in a circle. If you draw a complicated spiral, the car will move in a spiral.

This is so friggin’ neat!  Toys of the future…maybe?

[Via Vimeo]

The Clavilux 2000 is an interactive instrument for generative music visualization, which is able to generate a live visualization of any music played on a digital piano. The setting of the installation consists of three parts: A digital piano with 88 keys and midi output, a computer running a vvvv patch and a vertical projection above the keyboard.

For every note played on the keyboard a new visual element appears in form of a stripe, which follows in its dimensions, position and speed the way the particular key was stroke. Colours give the viewer and listener an impression of the harmonic relations: Each key has it’s own color scheme and “wrong” notes stand out in contrasting colors.

Fasinating, no?

[Via Vimeo; Gizmodo]

Horizons, by Neil Dawson, is one of the coolest and mind-boggling optical illusions.  What appears to be a cartoonish blanket being swept up by the wind on a green field is actually a large structure made of welded steel.  Do you see it?  Additional angles in the gallery below.

[Via TheGrip; Gizmodo]

This epic chandelier of the ages is designed by expert glass artisan Robert Kaindl.  And it should come with a warning: Do not stand directly underneath the chandelier unless you want to die.  But don’t you love the design?

[Via Design-Milk; Gizmodo]

The Nissyoku lamp is inspired by the solar eclipse.  It’s powered by hybrid capacitors that allow it to keep glowing without maintenence for up to ten years.  What makes this LED lamp so neat is that it can take on different shapes thanks to rotating panels fixed with magnets.  It’s designed to be either suspended from a ceiling or placed on a surface to illuminate a room.  It reminds me of the Sony Rolly.  Check out the gallery below for alternative shapes.

[Via igendesign; TheDesignBlog; Gizmodo]

123►

The Waterpebble, designed by Paul Priestman.

The “Waterpebble” is an innovative device that keeps an eye on water consumed when you take shower in the bathroom. Designed to be fully recyclable, the smart device monitors water going down the plughole, after each shower, to compare it with earlier showers, so you could manage or reduce your shower time and thus water consumption. Featuring an automatic mechanism, the Waterpebble takes your first shower as a benchmark and gently flashes “from green through to red” to stop the shower.

Priestman says that he “wanted to design something that takes the hard work out of going green and that helps people change their behavior so that eventually they are doing it automatically.”  Something like this might just work.  A rather strange video demonstrating how it works is after the break.

[Via Waterpebble; TheDesignBlog; Gizmodo]

(Click here for more…)

This year’s Academy Awards was actually quite entertaining.  Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin proved to be great hosts; the Neil Patrick Harris surprse opening number was a hit (the Paranormal Activity spoof was spot on); the horror film montage was long overdue; Ben Stiller dressed as a Nav’i blue humanoid with fishline-controlled tail was great; the Best Picture featurettes worked well; the dance routines performed for each song in the Best Original Score category was fun; the Best Actor/Actress introductions were touching; and there was even a “imma let you finish but…” moment by some strange woman.  AND the Best Director award went to a woman for the first time!  So those were the highlights; now let’s discuss the notable winners.

Let’s start with the king (or should I say queen) of the night Kathryn Bigelow and her brilliant film The Hurt Locker.  The critically acclaimed film nabbed six Oscar wins in the following categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing.  Avatar, directed by Biglow’s ex-husband James Cameron, walked away with many technical awards including: Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, and Best Art Direction.  (Side note: District 9 totally would have won all these awards if Avatar had not been competition!)  Best Actor went to Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), no surprise there; and Best Actress went to Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side).  Best Supporting Actor deservedly went to Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds); and Best Supporting Actress went to Mo’Nique (Precious), again no surprise there.  Precious also picked up Best Adapted Screenplay.

Other notable winners include: Pixar’s UP nabbed Best Animated Film and Best Score (well done, Michael Giacchino); and Star Trek won Best Makeup.  Look after the break for the full breakdown of the night’s winner and losers.  Overall, the 82nd Academy Awards show was entertaining, fun, and full of deserved wins.  Congratuations to Kathryn Bigelow & crew for The Hurt Locker.  James Cameron, go wallow in your boatloads of cash.

(Click here for more…)

Last night on the Jimmy Kimmel Live After Oscars special, actor Robert Downey Jr. shared a brand new trailer for Iron Man 2.  Though it starts out with bits and pieces from the trailer we’ve seen, it quickly moves on to reveal a ton of new footage, including more Whiplash, a portable Iron Man suit, and a whole lot more Scarlett Johansson.  May 7 cannot come soon enough.

The very first iPad commercial aired last night during the Oscars.  Per usual, Apple found a very catchy song to pair with it.  It’s called “There Goes My Love” by Danish band  The Blue Van.  And if you were wondering, Steve Jobs did attend the Oscars, likely cheering on Pixar’s Up.

This hilarious segment also aired last night during the Jimmy Kimmel Live After Oscars special.  It features a wide range of “handsome” actors including Patrick Dempsey and Matthew McConaughey, with memorable appearences by John Krasinski, Lenny Kravitz, and many others.

In honor of it being Oscar night, ABC played a promo from an upcoming episode of Modern Family where the family gets together for a game of charades.  Hilarity ensues.

Modern Family airs Wednesday nights at 9PM on ABC.

What’s that you’re pointing at, Walter?  Is the parallel universe telling you something?  FOX decided to renew Fringe for a third season, huh?  YES!

Despite the recent drop in ratings due to its competitive Thursday night time slot, FOX is reassuring its rabid fans that Fringe will return next fall for a third season.  Fringe proved itself a worthy contender this season when its audience numbers were up on nights when its competition (CSI, Grey’s Anatomy) aired repeats.  Along with a good amount of DVR recordings, what this proves is that Fringe still has a strong viewership; it’s just that it isn’t priority number one against other high profile shows.  The renewal comes at a good time; Fringe is on hiatus right now, so the guarantee of another season puts the writers in a comfortable position; they can plan ahead and not worry about the fear of wrapping story lines up too quickly.

Fringe returns with all new episodes Thursday, April 1 on FOX.

[Via EW; IGN]

Remember when Gizmodo first picked up this story back in September about a Microsoft hardware-and-software-designed booklet of sorts?  Since then I’ve been keeping my ear to the ground, picking up on anything concerning the secret device.  Today new details emerged about what’s being called the Microsoft Courier.  According to the latest sources (as relayed by Engadget) the device will be smaller than expected, not much bigger than a 5×7 photo when closed and will be under one inch thick and weigh a slightly over a pound.  The operating system will be powered by NVIDIA Tegra 2 hardware and based on the same OS as Windows Phone 7 Series and Zune HD.  The device will also include a built-in camera, headphone jack for media playback, and a stylus for writing and drawing.  The source pegs a release date of “Q3 / Q4″ of this year.

The Courier is being dubbed a “digital journal” whose sleek user interface will revolve around pen-based interaction with the help of handwriting recognition software.  If you take a look at the latest videos (look after the break for another) and images (see below) you can tell the developers behind this device have really come a long way in the design process.  The overall UI experience looks tighter, more defined, and user friendly.  The demos feature many touch-based actions like dragging, flicking, copy & pasting, and “pocket”-ing.  At its core, Courier is an “infinite,” highly customizable journal; it’s a place to discover and collect things of interest locally and over the Internet and use them to create.  Or as Microsoft says, it’s about “bringing ideas to life.”   I smell a worthy iPad contender.  Tickle me highly intrigued.

[Via Engadget]

12►

(Click here for more…)

The Apple iPad took one step closer to the brink of reality today when Apple announced a ship date.  iPads will be available for purchase Saturday, April 3 at Apple Retail stores, online at Apple.com, and “select Apple Authorized Resellers.”  (Could that mean we’ll see iPads sold at Best Buys?  Time will tell.)   On March 12 (one week from today) you can pre-order the iPad (Wi-Fi + 3G models) at Apple.com or you can reserve the iPad (Wi-Fi model only) at an Apple Retail store and pick it up on that date.  The 3G model will be released in “late April.”  Speaking of late April, peoples of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK will get their paws on the device at this time.  Need to be reminded the prices of the models and how much poorer you will be come next month?

Fun fact: Apple’s stock hit a record high Friday afternoon, jumping to $219.70 before it slightly fell to $218.95 at closing time, up around 4%.

[Via Apple; Yahoo!]