Category Archives: News

Kanye West: ‘Watch the Throne’ coming this week?; unreleased track “Eyes Closed” leaks; The Muppets sing “Monster”; and more

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Ever since Kanye West’s magnificent album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy released on November 22, things have been pretty quiet on the West front.  Besides downloading the holiday-themed G.O.O.D. Friday joint “Christmas In Harlem” and watching a leak of the upcoming “Monster” music video hitting the ‘Net, fans have been sitting idly by rocking out to “Dark Fantasy” in anticipation of another major release dubbed Watch the Throne. It’s a collaborative album between rap gods West and his mentor Jay-Z.  Originally ‘Ye billed it as a 5-track EP but after time he admitted enough tracks would be made to consider it a full-length album.  Sweet music to fans’ ears. So what’s all the hub-bub about it spreading around the Internets today?  Well… at a New Years Eve party in Las Vegas West (drunkenly?) announced, “Watch the Throne, coming in one week!”  So what does that mean?  One of two things, in my humble opinion: (1) The album will come out this week (highly unlikely since Ye’s Def Jam record label has not even confirmed its existence); (2) West was referring to a possible lead single called “Watch the Throne” (highly more likely).  I’ve heard whispers that case #2 is the winner, and the album is looking at a March drop.  Whatever the case, though, something is going down soon so be ready.

Update (1/6): Looks like I was right.  Today ‘Ye posted a Twitpic of the elaborately designed lead single artwork and it’s called “H-A-M.”  The track will drop 1/11/11, that’s next Tuesday.

Side note: The New Years Eve party I mentioned earlier… it took place at Las Vegas’ Marquee Nightclub and so many celebrities made an appearance.  Besides ‘Ye and Jay Z, Rihanna, Diddy, 50 Cent, J. Lo and many others enjoyed the night’s festivities. Click here to browse through a gallery of hi-res photos from the party.  And look after the break to watch some videos from it (one includes ‘Ye screaming the “one week” announcement).

Next up is an unreleased track featuring vocals from West and John Legend.  “Eyes Closed” made its rounds today, spreading like wildfire in an unfortunately tagged now tagless version.  Sources say the track was originally intended to be included on Twisted Fantasy but in the end it didn’t make the cut.  Rumor has it that the West-produced beat will be handed off to Snoop Dogg who will use it (with Legend in tact) for his upcoming record Doggumentary Music, due out March 8.  Preview and download the track below.  If the lyrics sound familiar to you that’s because you’ve heard that before in the BET Cypher video and West’s “Dark Fantasy” track.

Download: Kanye West – “Eyes Closed”

[audio: Kanye West – Eyes Closed.mp3]

This news bit is short but sweet.  Over at Amazon you’ll find a preorder page hyping a “G.O.O.D. Friday [Import]” audio CD.  Is West prepping an album to publicize his free G.O.O.D. Friday tracks?  There better be some bonus tracks or slick artwork and packaging or what’s the point?

Two more things.  Today two video cropped out that are West-related must-sees.  The first features classical vocalist Josh Groban belting out Kanye West tweets, and the other is a Muppets mashup of the Twisted Fantasy track “Monster”.  Yes, Piggie Minaj makes an appearance.  Watch the videos after the break. Continue reading Kanye West: ‘Watch the Throne’ coming this week?; unreleased track “Eyes Closed” leaks; The Muppets sing “Monster”; and more →

Music video: Lupe Fiasco – “The Show Goes On”

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Five months after Lupe Fiasco announced his new album was complete, Atlantic Records has finally confirmed a release date for the rapper’s oft-delayed third studio album Lasers: March 8, 2011.  “The Show Goes On” is the lead single off the record, and the music video for it is embedded above. iTunes download right here. No word whether or not previously released tracks “Shining Down” and “I’m Beamin” will be included on Lasers.

Disney opening vault to release classics and modern flicks in Blu-ray 3D for 2011

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If you’ve purchased a 3DTV then you already know that exciting 3D content is annoyingly absent from the retail space.  You can’t even pick up the best 3D feature film Avatar unless you buy it with a Panasonic set.  But I’ve got some good news for you, so listen here.  Walt Disney Studios has made plans to release “at least” 15 Disney films in 3D this year.  The selection includes older classics such as The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast as well as modern hits such as Tangled and Tron: Legacy.  Disney promises that the latter two films will release in 3D day-and-date and packaged with the Blu-ray 2D version.  Be sure to look after the break for the full PR which lists other Disney hits getting the Blu-ray 3D treatment in 2011.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading Disney opening vault to release classics and modern flicks in Blu-ray 3D for 2011 →

Nickelodeon renews ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ for season number nine

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Nickelodeon, my favorite network growing up, just decided to greenlight another season of one of my most treasured cartoons, SpongeBob SquarePants.  When the 26-episode ninth season airs in 2012, it will breeze past the coveted 200 episode milestone.  Says Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group: “SpongeBob‘s success in reaching over 200 episodes is a testament to creator Stephen Hillenburg’s vision, comedic sensibility and his dynamic, lovable characters.  The series now joins the club of contemporary classic Nicktoons that have hit this benchmark, so we’re incredibly proud.”  Hillenburg, who still serves as an executive producer, handed off day-to-day responsibility to director/writer Paul Tibbitt after the series found its long-lasting success.  “We never imagined we would be on for that long but we’re going to keep going,” Tibbitt said.  “The trick is to try to keep the episodes funny and simple and press from there.”

SpongeBob has ranked as the #1 animated TV series with children (ages 2-11) for a whopping ten consecutive years.  Season 9, I’m ready!

[Via Deadline; EW]

Fox turns down ’24’ movie script

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24 fans, the wait for a feature film just got a bit longer.  According to EW, 20th Century Fox has turned down the 24 movie script penned by Billy Ray (State of Play).  The show’s long-time executive producer Howard Gordon commented on the matter.  “As far as I know, it is in suspended animation,” said Gordon. “There is talk about re-approaching it. I understand [director/producer] Tony Scott is meeting with Kiefer [Sutherland] to talk about ideas. People are still talking about it.”  He continued, “I was disapppointed [Fox] passed on the script but I’m certainly hopeful that the movie will get made at some point. Anecdotally, I’ve heard from people who are really missing the show and I do think there is more life in Jack Bauer.”

Back when FOX the network announced that season eight would be the last for the series, star Kiefer Sutherland shared his excitement over the possibility of making a 24 movie.  “We wanted to create a definitive end for Jack Bauer,” said Sutherland.  Since we do have the intention to make the feature film, it would lead into that and certainly set that up.  Something we’ve dealt with in the series is how the crisis always has to come to us because we don’t have time to move anywhere in a real time world.  In a two-hour (movie) representation of the 24 world, planes, trains, and automobiles all of a sudden become a factor because you are not required to go scene by scene in real time. That’s something I can say I am very excited about.”

Although the script was thrown out, this isn’t all bad news.  At least we’re receiving assurance that Gordon, Sutherland, and Tony Scott are still in talks about it.  The wait for it got longer, but there’s still hope a 24 movie will get made.  No word if Billy Ray will be replaced with a new screenwriter.

[Via EW]

Skype brings video calling to the iPhone

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Today Skype updated its official iPhone app and version 3.0 brings with it video calling over WiFi and 3G.  Two-way Skype-to-Skype video calling can take place between two phones and between phones and computers (Windows, Mac, or Linux) at no charge.  In addition to the iPhone 4, the app is also compatible with the iPhone 3GS, the newest iPod touch, the third gen iPod touch, and the iPad all running iOS 4.0 or higher.  Since the latter two devices do not feature back and front-facing cameras they are restricted to only receiving video.  And note that since the 3GS does not pack a front-facing camera it will only broadcast video from the back-facing camera.

I gave the app a test drive and it worked flawlessly…over WiFi, that is.  With that stable connection I was able to successfully connect to a desktop Skype client and video chatting worked as advertised.  With the iPhone 4 you have the option to broadcast video from the front-facing camera and switch it to the back one on the fly, as well as options to mute the conversation and switch between portrait and landscape modes.  When I disabled WiFi and attempted an iPhone 4-to-desktop video chat the video appeared noticeably more pixelated and laggy until it decided to cut out completely and drop the call.  But that’s 3G for you; heck, at least it works.

The free Skype update is available to download now at the App Store.  Apple might have had a leg up on the video conferencing competition with FaceTime since iPhone 4’s introduction, but with Mac and Windows support–plus 3G support–plus a giant user base in the millions–Skype is enabling the futuristic functionality for a significantly larger community of iOS users.  Press release and (creepy) introductory demonstration video after the break.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading Skype brings video calling to the iPhone →

Gorillaz produce an album on the iPad

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We’ve seen some rather crude uses of the iPad forced to make music happen, but nothing like this.  Alt-hip-hip group Gorillaz produced a 15 track album called The Fall using 20 iPad apps and just a few other instruments. The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered in 32 days while the band was on tour.  Frontman Damon Albarn fell in love with the iPad when he first got it, and shortly thereafter decided to “[make] a completely different kind of record” with it.  Here’s the list of apps the band used:

Speak It! / SoundyThingie / Mugician / Solo Synth / Synth / Funk Box / Gliss / AmpliTube / Xenon/iElectribe / BS-16i / M3000 HD / Cleartune / iOrgel HD / Olsynth / StudioMiniXI / BassLine / Harmonizer / Dub Siren Pro / Moog Filatron

While it “has a much slower and more basic vibe than the Gorillaz’ normal high-production, technically superior collections” (as described by CNN), there’s no denying the sheer amount of ambition that went into this unique project.  Preview the first track “Phoner To Arizona” after the break.

The Fall is a Christmas gift for the fans; right now it’s available in digital form on the Gorillaz website.  (To stream the album you must supply them with your name and email address; to download a copy for keeps you’re required to become a fan club member.)  The album will officially release in physical form sometime next year.

[Via Gizmodo] Continue reading Gorillaz produce an album on the iPad →

Want to learn more about this year’s holiday-themed Google doodle?

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On Thursday the holiday-themed Google doodle you see right now was unveiled to the masses.  This year was rife with all kinds of Google doodles (from Pac-Man to UFOs), but this one’s being touted as the “most ambitious one yet.” Chief Google doodler Michael Lopez (yes, that is a real position) headed this year’s festive doodle with a team of four other artists.  It took them over 250 hours to complete the 17 interactive portraits of holiday scenes. Originally, the plan was to unveil the doodle in stages over three days, but at the last minute Google execs decided that it’d be best to push out the doodle in one piece and keep it up for two-and-a-half days.  Lopez and his team rushed to make it happen, and they managed to put it up just in time around 9am Thursday morning.  The majority of the holiday scenes focus on food, dance, architecture, and textile from all around the world. Google estimates that it has created over 900 doodles since 1998, with approximately 270 of them running in 2010.  Of all the doodles thus far, this one seems to be the one that most diverges from spelling out the search engine’s name.  Can you find where it says “Google” there?  It’s very subtle.  Anyway, can’t wait to see what Lopez has in store for us next year!

[Via WSJ]

Google Maps 5.0 available for Android devices now

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The next version of Google Maps for Android-powered mobile devices is now available as a free download in the Android Market.  Google’s Andy Rubin previewed it (and I provided you with details) a little over two weeks ago.  In a nutshell, the new Maps uses vector graphics to provide 3D modeling of streets and buildings with a skyline; there are new multitouch inputs like tilting, rotating and smooth zooming; in compass mode the map will start rotating to match your perspective; offline caching will proactively save  large mapped areas on your device based on where you use Maps the most; and with offline rerouting you no longer need to rely on a network connection once you’ve started a route and find yourself lost.  In fact, Google claims that viewing maps now requires almost 70% less mobile network data overall than before; you should notice considerably faster speeds in Maps.  Android 1.6+ devices can run version 5, but 3D and offline features require Android 2.0+ devices.  If you’re reading this on your phone, click here to access the Maps download page.

[Via GoogleMobileBlog]

Microsoft says over 1.5 million WP7 devices sold to carriers and retailers since launch

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In an interview posted on the company’s website, Microsoft’s corporate VP of Mobile Communications Business and Marketing Group Achim Berg spilled that “phone manufacturers sold over 1.5 million [Windows Phone 7] phones in the first six weeks” since the October launch.  I added bold formatting there for a reason.  This sales figure is not as effective or all that impressive as you might think.  Rather than specifying the actual number of devices sold to end users, they are hiding that sales figure and replacing it with the number of units sold to mobile carriers and cell phone retailers.  In a word, this is baloney.  I mean, this figure is not incorrect; it’s just that it makes it hard for us to genuinely know how well Microsoft is doing with its new mobile OS.  Perhaps they are reluctant to revealing the actual number of units sold to customers because that number isn’t as high as they expected.  But Berg’s words counter that logic; he says, “Sales are ramping well as our reputation is growing for offering users a unique experience and are in line with our expectations – especially when compared to other new platform introductions.”  So why not tell us like it is?  Oh well, all we can do is sit and wait for a celebratory Microsoft press release to help us make sense of the massive 60 carriers/over 30 countries WP7 launch.

[Via Engadget; Microsoft]

Apple TV is about to hit the one million mark in units sold

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Apple let out a press release yesterday excitedly stating that “it expects sales of its new Apple TV to top one million units later this week.”  Apple TV, mind you, only starting shipping three months ago.  The cheap price point ($99) and the general consumer shift to streaming content on the big screen are certainly the two major factors contributing to this sales figure.  Is the Apple TV still your pet “hobby”, Steve Jobs?  Huh!  Full PR, that is noticeably missing a quote from Jobs, sits after the break.

[Via Gizmodo] Continue reading Apple TV is about to hit the one million mark in units sold →

iTunes song previews extend to 90 seconds in length

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After many years of mediocre 30 second song previews, Apple now allows artists to upload 90 second previews.  Two restrictions apply: for the preview length increase the song must be 2 minutes and 30 seconds or longer, and lengthier previews only exist in the U.S. iTunes Store (for now).  The preview extension is very handy; purchasing decisions become easier when you have more time to demo a track.  Open up iTunes, head to the Store, and see if your favorite artists are embracing the positive change.

[Via AppleInsider; Engadget]