Category Archives: News

Mortal Kombat web series set to debut April 12 [Update: Episode 1 out now!]

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Can you remember way back to June 2010 when a live action Mortal Kombat-themed video hit the ‘Net and instantly went viral? The nearly eight-minute short film garnered critical acclaim and its maker Kevin Tancharoen (Fame) quickly climbed the latter of popularity. Tancharoen’s intent was to pitch his vision for a reimagined Mortal Kombat movie to Warner Bros., the company that owns the rights to the video game and film franchise. Taking baby steps, the studio has granted the director/choreographer the rights to make a 10-part web series based in the MK universe. The web series–now officially titled Mortal Kombat: Legacy–will serve as a promotional crossover as it will debut April 12, one week prior to the release of the new Mortal Kombat video game. It has been confirmed that the following actors from the the 2010 viral hit will return in the upcoming web series: Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager) is Sonya Blade, Michael Jai White (The Dark Knight) is Major Jackson ‘Jax’ Briggs, and Darren Shahlavi (300) plays Kano. This week the production team unleashed this all-too-brief fight sequence from the series which stars Jax taking on Kano (update: and this trailer).

If this web series turns out to be anything like last year’s spectacular reboot, we are all in for a very big treat. Anticipate the 4/12 debut and on that day point your browser to Machinima’s YouTube channel at precisely midnight PST.

Update (4/12): Episode 1 is out now! I’ve replaced the embedded video above with the twelve minute ep, which happens to include the Jax/Kano fight sequence teased late last week. The production value is through the roof, something that shouldn’t come as a surprise if you watched the summer short. Episode 1 introduces many of the main characters and places them in a stylistically gritty MK universe I think you’re going to fall for. No more chit-chat, mash play and enjoy Mortal Kombat: Legacy, part 1 of 10. Keep tabs on this YouTube channel for upcoming eps.

Update 2: Character stills have been found and placed in the gallery below. Also, jump after the break to watch a video interview featuring director Kevin Tancharoen, stars Jeri Ryan and Michael Jai White, and MK co-creator Ed Boon. In it they discuss the making-of the web series and what’s in store for the future.

Continue reading Mortal Kombat web series set to debut April 12 [Update: Episode 1 out now!] →

‘Tron: Legacy’ director Joseph Kosinski talks Blu-ray tweaks and sequel squeaks

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In an interview with MTV News, Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski talked about the movie’s Blu-ray release, calling it the “definitive version” of the visually-splendid spectacle. Though he worked on the film for four years, Kosinski still held onto gripes concerning the soundtrack after sitting through the theatrical cut on premiere night.

“Around the release, it was really hard to watch it,” he admitted. “I couldn’t even sit through the premiere. I just saw all the things I wanted to fix. Luckily for the Blu-ray, I was able to go back to Skywalker in January and fix all those things in the mix that were bothering me. We have a whole re-mastered soundtrack for the Blu-ray.” He continued, “[The] visual effects I’m really happy with… But on the sound mix, I really felt like we needed another week and I finally got that time after release. It’s now the definitive version.”

When asked about sequel rumors he spilled that he’s on board and early conceptual stuff is being worked on as we speak. He goes so far as comparing the next Tron to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Check it:

“We’re working on the story right now. Now that we’ve got the backstory out of the way and we know this world and we know these characters, there’s a lot of freedom that comes with the next film. When you look at Empire Strikes Back or The Dark Knight, sequels that were able to take the stories and characters to whole new places because you’d done all the hard work ahead of time, that’s a really exciting thing. For now, I’ll just say it’s very exciting.” He continued, “For us, the storytelling will be easier because we won’t be saddled with 28 years of backstory. From a technical standpoint, in order for it to be a Tron movie, we’re going to have to push the envelope.”

This all sounds exciting to me. Pick up the definitive version of Tron: Legacy and head over to MTV News to read the complete interview; in it Kosinski also discusses the sheer amount of work that went into creating the demanding film and he also touches upon the decision to incorporate a young Jeff Bridges, calling digitized Clu “the most ambitious thing in our film.”

[Via MTV News]

Single: Beastie Boys – “Make Some Noise”

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The Boys are back. Their oft-delayed eighth studio album called Hot Sauce Committee Part Two finally has a release date–May 3–and this week they dropped the lead single off it. “Make Some Noise” somehow manages to instill the same amount of funk they brought to the table in the 2004 classic “Ch-Check It Out.” Rock to the beat below. And after the break you’ll find the star-studded trailer for The Beastie Boys’ upcoming new short film Fight For Your Right Revisited. Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Jack Black, Rainn Wilson, Rashida Jones, Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson, Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon, Chloë Sevigny, and Will Arnett all make appearances. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and it will be made available for all to view this May.

Continue reading Single: Beastie Boys — “Make Some Noise” →

The Sidekick returns April 20 at a low $99.99

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The Sidekick returns from the dead on April 20. The ultimate tween messaging device will be made available through T-Mobile and it’ll cost an acceptable $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and new two-year contract with unlimited data. If you decide to go ahead with a low-cost data plan you’ll be forced to shell out $149.99 for the Android 2.2-powered, 4G capable device. More deets on the specs can be found right here. Hop after the break to watch some videos that demonstrate the handset’s super sleek capabilities.

[Via T-Mobile; Engadget] Continue reading The Sidekick returns April 20 at a low $99.99 →

‘Tron: Legacy Reconfigured’ is Daft Punk’s soundtrack, remixed

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This week Disney released a Tron: Legacy remix album containing remixes of the original movie tracks composed by Daft Punk. Though the electronic duo did not have a hand in putting together this re-release of sorts, many well-known artists contributed to it. The Glitch Mob’s fantastic remix of “Derezzed” is just one of the 15 tracks found on Reconfigured. Paul Oakenfold, The Crystal Method, Moby, Com Truise, and Pretty Lights also took turns at rehashing the original soundtrack. Full tracklist is after the break. Physical/digital copies available at those links. This remix album cannot come close to Daft Punk’s original creation, but for hardcore Tron and electronic dance club music fans this is something not to be glossed over.

In related Tron news, Tron: Legacy is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and a bajillion other formats. Get home release details here.

Matthew Morrison’s going on tour, locations & dates enclosed

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Glee‘s Will Schuester has an album coming up, so the man’s gotta promote his solo debut with a nation-wide tour, right? His summer tour begins Saturday, June 18 in Minneapolis at the Orpheum Theatre, hits major cities like Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and San Diego, then wraps up Saturday, July 23 at LA’s Nokia Theatre. All tour locations and dates are listed after the break. Presales begin today for AMEX cardholders and tix go on sale for the general public on April 15 at 10AM. On tour Matt Morrison will perform songs from his upcoming self-titled album (which lands May 10), in addition to cover songs he’s performed on the FOX show. What’s even cooler is that he is getting local school glee clubs to vie to become his opening act; more details here.

Bonus! Look after the break to watch a Funny or Die video starring Morrison and his Glee co-star Jane Lynch.

[Via EW] Continue reading Matthew Morrison’s going on tour, locations & dates enclosed →

Lionsgate grants Netflix access to all four seasons of ‘Mad Men’, streaming near you this July

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Exciting news, fans of stellar television! Today Netflix has nabbed exclusive rights to off-network reruns of the one of the most highly acclaimed shows on television. Mad Men is produced by Lionsgate TV, and according to Variety, Netflix has agreed to pay a license fee upwards of $1 million per episode to bring the show to its streaming subscriber base. All four seasons of Mad Men will hit the streaming service on July 27.

And in case you haven’t heard, AMC and Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner recently struck a deal to produce three more seasons of the period drama. Seasons five, six, and seven won’t find their way onto Netflix until their seasons have run their full course on the cable network.

[Via Variety]

HBO makes known summer 2011 premiere dates

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Let’s get right to it, shall we? True Blood season 4 (known amongst fans as “Season of the Witch”) premieres Sunday, June 26 at 9PM; there will be 12 episodes in all. Curb Your Enthusiasm season 8 premieres Sunday, July 10 at 10PM; 10 episodes in all, some of which will take place in New York. The eighth and final season of Entourage premieres Sunday, July 24 at 10:30PM; after the shortened 8-episode run, watch out for the theatrical adaptation to follow.

[Via TVLine]

Google wants you to ‘like’ search results using new feature called “+1s” (also, Kansas City gets ultra high-speed network)

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So you know how you can ‘like’ websites, in the same way you can ‘like’ a friend’s status update on Facebook? Well Google wants a slice of the social recommendation pie, and they’re doing that by introducing a new Google Search feature called +1s. El Goog describes it as “the digital shorthand for “this is pretty cool.”” If you understand the ‘like’ concept invented by Facebook, you’ll immediately get what Google is going for with +1. When you tap the new +1 button, which is located at the end of every search result right next to the Instant Preview magnifying glass icon, you are instantly recommending that site to friends and the public at large. Need a concrete example to fully comprehend what’s going on here? Google explains…

“Say, for example, you’re planning a winter trip to Tahoe, Calif. When you do a search, you may now see a +1 from your slalom-skiing aunt next to the result for a lodge in the area. Or if you’re looking for a new pasta recipe, we’ll show you +1’s from your culinary genius college roommate. And even if none of your friends are baristas or caffeine addicts, we may still show you how many people across the web have +1’d your local coffee shop. … The beauty of +1’s is their relevance—you get the right recommendations (because they come from people who matter to you), at the right time (when you are actually looking for information about that topic) and in the right format (your search results).”

Currently the search giant requires you to be logged into a Google Account to see the +1 results. The new feature will already rolling out to English Google search results and ads. Once you see them appear, start +1-ing and let the great social search experiment begin!

In related Google news, the company has selected Kansas City, Kansas to be the inaugural recipient of the fiber-based ultra high-speed 1 gigabit broadband network. Back in February of last year Google began a country-wide search looking for a U.S. to use as a test subject for its broadband network installation plans. The mayor of Topeka, Kansas went so far as legally changing the name of the town to “Google” for the entire month of April to gain the attention of the company; but in the end, Google selected Kansas City and things are about to get blazingly fast there. But don’t fret, towns that didn’t get selected. Google assures everyone that “today is the start, not the end of the project. And over the coming months, we’ll be talking to other interested cities about the possibility of us bringing ultra high-speed broadband to their communities.”

Look after the break to watch videos summing up the +1 and Kansas City news bites.

[Via GoogleBlog 1, 2] Continue reading Google wants you to ‘like’ search results using new feature called “+1s” (also, Kansas City gets ultra high-speed network) →

Single: Death Cab for Cutie – “You Are a Tourist”

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The wait for Death Cab for Cutie’s first album in three years is almost over. Codes and Keys, their seventh studio album to date if you’re counting, will feature 11 new tracks from the indie-pop/alt-rock band and it releases May 31. Frontman and lead vocalist Ben Gibbard told Stereogum that “this a much less guitar-centric album than we’ve ever made before.” The band recently outed the lead single off the album and it’s called “You Are a Tourist.” Listen to it below and quickly you’ll notice the changes they’ve made. This still very much sounds like a DCFC track (Gibbard’s voice echos along with the upbeat tune), and at the same time its message is uplifting, too. Bassist Nick Harmer admits that “the emotional spectrum feels much wider this time…. I think there is a lot more light in this record.” Bet you’re really looking forward to contrasting Codes and Keys with their 2008 melancholic smash Narrow Stairs. For now, hear the single and anticipate the end-of-May release.

Reminder: Kiefer Sutherland’s web series ‘The Confession’ premieres tonight on Hulu

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The Confession, fully previewed here, is a thriller that follows a hitman (Kiefer Sutherland) who has a theological discussion with a priest (John Hurt) about why his victims deserved to die. The series streams exclusively on Hulu; 10 five-to-seven-minute webisodes have been produced. The first batch of “chapters” have been made available to watch starting today. In “Chapter 1” Sutherland enters a Catholic church confessional where he confronts a priest at gunpoint and forces the holy man to listen to his sins. Sutherland makes it a point that it has been 35 years since his last confession. The episode switches back and forth between the confession and action-packed flashbacks highlighting the hitman’s misdoings. Having watched the first episode I can say though this new character is not Jack Bauer, Sutherland certainly can’t contain the man he played for so many years. Also of note, 24‘s composer Sean Callery has produced the music for this series, and you can hear (ever-so-slightly) hints of 24‘s sound effects. Whether or not you’re a fan of the genre-defining FOX show you should make some time to watch this top notch, high caliber series being distributed over the web. Graphic scenes do pop up, so if you haven’t signed up for a free Hulu account you’ll have to do that to access the video page.

Watch the intense trailer above, then head over to Hulu and stream the first three chapters of The Confession.

Apple’s WWDC 2011 begins June 6

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Today Apple announced that it will hold its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (otherwise known as WWDC) June 6 through June 10 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. According to the press release, “Apple will unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS, including exciting demonstrations of the new kinds of apps that developers can build using Apple’s advanced frameworks and more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers.” In years past, we’ve come to expect the unveiling of the next-generation iPhone at WWDC. According to various sources (All Things D, The Loop, Daring Fireball), however, iPhone 5 will likely not make an appearance at this year’s event. Hardware announcement(s) will wait for the fall (updated iPhone and/or iPad hardware may show up during Apple’s September event for new iPods) and WWDC will strictly highlight software–that is, iOS 5 and Mac OS X Lion. Look after the break for the full PR.

[Via Apple] Continue reading Apple’s WWDC 2011 begins June 6 →