Category Archives: News

Glee goes 3D for upcoming concert film

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The Glee kids are kicking off their second nationwide Glee Live! In Concert! tour later this month. If you missed out on purchasing tickets, Twentieth Century Fox and Glee creator Ryan Murphy have plans to make things right. This summer a feature film based on the concert will hit theatres and they’re going to call it GLEE LIVE! 3D! (so many exclamation points!). The film will comprise of the tour’s musical numbers, including the memorable “Don’t Stop Believin'” cover, and some behind-the-scenes action. It’ll all be captured in three dimensions, with director Kevin Tancharoen (Fame, Mortal Kombat: Legacy) and producer Ryan Murphy calling the shots.

Says Murphy: “This tour was all about going out and performing for our amazing fans who have supported our show from the beginning, but due to the limited time we had to travel during our hiatus, there were only so many cities we could get to before we had to resume work on the television series. We knew that not every fan who wanted to attend a concert would get that opportunity. Now, thanks to our friends at Twentieth Century Fox Film, we’ll be able to bring the concert experience to movie theaters across the country in full three dimensional glory. We promise every passionate ‘Gleek’ a cinematic experience that will have them singing and dancing in the aisles.”

The concert film releases August 12 and will remain in theatres for a limited two-week run…that will likely be extended due to the hit FOX show’s rabid fanbase.

[Via EW]

HP Veer 4G comes to AT&T May 15 for $100

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Back in February, HP formally introduced three new WebOS-enabled devices imagined by the Palm godfather Job Rubinstein. The HP Veer, the smallest of the bunch, is hitting the market first and it’s coming to AT&T. Described to be the size of a credit card and no thicker than a deck of cards, the newly branded HP Veer 4G goes a little something like this: 2.6-inch (320×400) glass touch display, an 800MHz Snapdragon processor, 5 megapixel camera, full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, built-in GPS, WiFi 802.11b/g, and Bluetooth, 8GB of storage, accelerometer, proximity, and light sensors, Adobe Flash Player support, it can act as a mobile hotspot supporting up to 5 WiFi-capable devices, HSPA+, one USB port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It runs WebOS version 2.1 and comes in black and white variants. When it drops May 15 the palm-sized handset will set you back an affordable $99.99, two-year contract with AT&T required. Full PR after the break, as is an image that shows you just how pint-sized this thing really is.

[Via Palm] Continue reading HP Veer 4G comes to AT&T May 15 for $100 →

Nintendo Wii drops to $149.99 on May 15, gets bundled with Mario Kart

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After almost five years on the market, Nintendo has finally decided to drop the price of the Wii from $199.99 to $149.99, effective May 15. In addition, the Wii Sports + Wii Sports Resort bundle will no longer be available. The lower priced Wii, still available in black and white, will come packaged with Mario Kart Wii and matching colored Wiimote (with built-in Wii Remote Plus functionality), nunchuck, and Wii Wheel accessories. The new black Wii Wheel will also be made available for purchase separately for $9.99.

On that same May day, Ninty will launch the new Nintendo Selects collection of Wii games. The companies most popular Wii games such as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Mario Super Sluggers, and Wii Sports will sell for a low $19.99.

[Via Nintendo]

Apple refreshes iMac with Intel quad-core processors, next-gen AMD graphics, and Thunderbolt

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This week Apple temporarily shut down their online shop and when it came back it was freshly stocked with the brand new iMac. Just like the last product refresh, things look the same on the outside. On the inside, however, Apple has raised the bar for the all-in-one package. The new iMac features “Sandy Bridge” Intel quad-core processors across the line, next-gen AMD graphics, and it joins the MacBook Pro in sporting the speedy Thunderbolt port. Pricing starts at $1,199 for the base 21.5-incher and $1,699 for the 27-inch model.

Hop on after the break for the full rundown.

Continue reading Apple refreshes iMac with Intel quad-core processors, next-gen AMD graphics, and Thunderbolt →

Android still dominates smartphone sales, Apple gains much ground

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It’s time to take a closer look into the exciting and ever-expanding smartphone market. The NPD Group, a market research company, has done some number crunching for us to determine US smartphones sales for the first quarter of 2011. They break it down by smartphone manufacturer: Android-powered smartphones accounted for 50 percent of smartphone unit sales in Q1 2011 (falling 3 percent from last quarter); Apple’s iOS gained some ground jumping 9 percentage points to comprise 28 percent of smartphone sales; and RIM remains in a distant third place, dropping 3 percentage points to 14 percent for the quarter. Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD, explains Apple’s growth and Android dip (spoiler alert: it’s the Verizon iPhone’s fault): “Apple and Verizon had a very successful launch of the iPhone 4, which allowed the iPhone to expand its market share that was previously held back by its prolonged carrier exclusivity with AT&T. While some of that growth came at the expense of Android operating system (OS), Android models still accounted for half of all smartphones sold in the quarter.” Thanks to the iPhone being available on the world’s two largest carriers, Apple (14 percent) is now the third-largest handset brand in the US behind LG (18 percent) and Samsung (23 percent).

Here are a couple fun facts for you to chew on. This quarter marks the first time a majority (54 percent) of all new mobile-phone handsets purchased by U.S. consumers were smartphones. Woohoo, yay technology! And here are the five top-selling mobile phone in the country: iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, Motorola Droid X, HTC EVO 4G, and HTC Droid Incredible. Go Apple and HTC!

[Via NDP]

Hulu Plus makes its way to Xbox 360 (free access this week!)

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We all knew it was coming, and now it’s finally here. Hulu Plus is now available to enjoy on Xbox 360. Microsoft joins Sony in becoming the second video games console to support access to Hulu’s collection of TV shows and movies. Now check this: Courtesy of Jack Link’s Beef Jerky (ya’ll remember the Sasquatch?), all Xbox LIVE members (that includes paying Gold subscribers and free Silver members) will be able to access the entire Hulu Plus collection on their consoles for one week, specifically from April 29 through May 6. Setup is simple. Download the Hulu Plus application on your Xbox 360 and you’ll be instructed to enter a code at hulu.com/plus/unlock. After giving Hulu your name and email address (no credit card required!), you’re all set. Free access to Hulu’s mega-collection of popular TV shows and movies from the Criterion Collection right at your fingertips. No, really; Kinect support is live at launch. Check out some stills of Hulu on Xbox in action below and begin your free trial before it’s too late. Once May 6 passes, you’ll have to be an Xbox Live Gold member ($50/year) and a Hulu Plus subscriber ($7.99/month) to continue accessing the content.

[Via HuluBlog]

Continue reading Hulu Plus makes its way to Xbox 360 (free access this week!) →

Production begins on The Avengers

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Here is the very first image from the set of the upcoming super hero epic The Avengers, released by Marvel. Not that exciting, I know; but when you really think about it, it kinda is. Director Joss Whedon has broken ground on the movie that will bring together Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and oh so many more Marvel favorites.

On April 24, the day before principal photography for the film began, Whedon marked the occasion with a short but sweet blog post on the fansite Whedonesque. Here’s an excerpt:

Hi Pumpkins, joss here. Tomorrow we start shooting (I THINK I’m legally permitted to say that). Day one. That’s right. We’ll be shooting the pivotal death/betrayal/product placement/setting up the sequel/coming out scene, at the following address: [Marvel Lawyers rush in, take Joss’s keyboard, blowtorch a picture of his family like in “Stormy Monday”, drink his milkshake, leave the seat up, fluff his pillows, violently unfluff his pillows, leave]

Oh, Joss. You’re going to want to read the rest here. Right! The Avengers assemble in theatres May 4, 2012.

‘The Cape’ is dead and gone

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And here is your proof. TVShowsOnDVD has managed to get their hands on this image of the DVD packaging for NBC’s failed series The Cape. Notice the branding: The Cape: The Complete Series. Typically networks release DVDs with the marking “The Complete First (or second or third) Season,” and as you can see that is not the case here. Nail, meet coffin. We all saw this coming, didn’t we? First the network decreased the show’s episode count by three, and then it refused to broadcast the series finale and put it online. I never want to even think about this show ever again. Yes, it was that bad.

[Via IGN]

TV Reminder: Steve Carell departs ‘The Office’ tonight

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Oh, I can already feel the tears swelling up. Tonight’s episode of The Office is called “Goodbye, Michael” and it will be the final episode starring the brilliantly talented Steve Carell.

The Office boss is going out with a bang, thankfully. The super-sized episode is extended from a half hour to fifty minutes in length; it will air from 9PM to 9:50PM, followed by a beefier episode of Parks and Rec (9:50PM-10:30PM) to soften the blow.

Don’t miss Michael Scott’s swan song tonight (4/28) at 9PM on NBC. The Office will attempt to forge on without him; two more episode will follow, then the season seven finale airs May 19. Perhaps this impressive slate of upcoming special guests will have you excited for the final three episodes. Will Ferrell, Ricky Gervais, Ray Romano, James Spader, Catherine Tate, Will Arnett, and Jim Carrey will all be vying for Michael Scott’s managerial position at Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch! Continue reading TV Reminder: Steve Carell departs ‘The Office’ tonight →

Lord of the Rings coming back to theatres this June, Director’s Cut in tow

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LOTR fans, check it: To celebrate the ultimate Blu-ray release of Peter Jackson’s masterpiece, AMC is going to screen all three Director’s Cuts of the Lord of the Rings films this summer! They will be release chronologically over the course of three weeks leading up to the Blu-ray collection release date that is June 28. Here’s the plan. Each movie will be see new life in theatres for one night only. Fellowship of the Ring will play on June 14th, The Two Towers June 21st, and the trilogy will conclude with the screening of The Return of the King on June 28th. Tickets can be ordered today. Head over to AMC’s website and see if the extended cuts will be playing near you. And if you’re curious, the twice aforementioned LOTR ultimate Blu-ray collection is up for preorder at Amazon; it’ll cost you $83.99. So worth it! Should hold you over until Jackson’s next journey to the Shire.

[Via TheOneRing]

iPhone 4 to receive new coat of paint tomorrow

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The day has finally arrived. Apple figured out how to make an iPhone 4 a color other than black. In June 2010 at WWDC Apple announced the latest version of the iPhone and showed off the beautiful hardware in two colors: black and white. Claiming manufacturing problems, the company delayed the launch of the white model on numerous occasions, to the point where everyone started to suspect Jobs & co. would simply wait for iPhone 5 to introduce the new hue. Well now we can all put those worries to rest; today Apple released a press statement (located after the break) saying that the white iPhone will arrive in stores tomorrow, April 28 around the world.

Says Phil Schiller, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Product Marketing: “The white iPhone 4 has finally arrived and it’s beautiful. We appreciate everyone who has waited patiently while we’ve worked to get every detail right.”

And here are the deets: White iPhone 4 models will be available from Apple’s online store, at Apple’s retail stores, AT&T and Verizon Wireless stores, and select Apple Authorized Resellers. The following countries will see phantom handset in their stores starting tomorrow: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Macau, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UK and the US. Besides change in color, the hardware remains the same as the black model and so does pricing: $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB–on contract with a wireless carrier.

Hip hip….now when’s iPhone 5 coming out?

[Via Apple] Continue reading iPhone 4 to receive new coat of paint tomorrow →

HTC’s Droid Incredible 2 hits Verizon April 28 for $200

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A new day, a new Droid. A little over a year after its original incarnation, the Incredible gets an upgrade. So what does the sequel bring to the table? It packs Qualcomm’s latest 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 4-inch super LCD display (the original featured a 3.7-inch screen), eight megapixel with dual LED flash capable of 720p HD video capture, 1.3-megapixel front facing camera (a new addition!), and it runs Android 2.2 with the latest version of HTC Sense. The world phone can act as a 3G Mobile Hotspot that can connect up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices. Unfortunately the Incredible 2 does not support Verizon’s new 4G LTE network. 3G’ll have to do. 200 bucks is the fee (with a new 2-year contract, of course), and it goes on sale the 28th of this month–that’s tomorrow! Full PR after the break.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading HTC’s Droid Incredible 2 hits Verizon April 28 for $200 →