I know you’ve been taking advantage of Google’s free calling in Gmail feature since it was integrated into the mail client back in August. Well in the “spirit of holiday giving” Google has decided to extend free calling for all of 2011. Thanks, Google! Remember, free calls are only applied to those made in the U.S. and Canada.
[Via GmailBlog]
OnLive, that gaming on-demand cloud-based service you’ve been hearing so much about, has found its way to the iPad but not in the way you might suspect. No you cannot demo and purchase games on Apple’s ubiquitous device; what can do, however, is hook up to OnLive’s servers to watch other people play games. With the free OnLive Viewer app you can spectate live gameplay, view and rate Brag Clips, add your favorite players to a friends list and send them messages, and view trailers for current and upcoming games. Says John Spinale, OnLive VP of Games and Media: “Watching live games and interacting with the people playing them takes social gaming to an entirely new level. It’s unlike any other experience. And people love it.”
But this is just the beginning for OnLive on portable devices. The company promises that the update will receive an update sometime next year that will allow users to demo, purchase, and instantly play games and create Brag Clips–so much more than just spectating. What they’re waiting for is games to become “touch- or motion-aware” so that gameplay is more suitable for a touchscreen experience a la the iPad. CEO Steve Perlman says that the app “is the last piece of the puzzle to unify the worlds of TV, computing and mobile all under one real-time cloud-based platform, enabling previously inconceivable experiences, capabilities and live, video-rich social interaction.” Beyond gaming, Perlman’s plan is to have the app bring the touch-based Windows 7 OS to OnLive users, effectually porting Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight to iOS and Android devices.
For now you’re stuck with spectating–but it’s not all that bad actually. Download the free app here and give it a whirl. An Android version is currently in beta.
Paul Reubens brought his signature character to Broadway for a limited two-month run, and now he’s solidified plans to televise his Pee-wee Herman stage show on HBO! So if you missed out on his Broadway stint, this should be music to your ears. An unspecified January show at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre will be shot and used for the HBO special which will air sometime in 2011 following the show’s run.
Nancy Geller, SVP HBO Original Programming: “Before his hit series and movies, HBO introduced Paul Reubens’ Pee-wee Herman to a national audience in the Young Comedians series, followed by the groundbreaking 1981 special. It’s thrilling to have Paul back on the network, and it will be a blast to return to Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”
Marty Callner, who directed the aforementioned 1981 special, has been called on again to direct the HBO presentation of The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway.
CBS waited and waited, and now we finally have a better look at what’ll be on the dominantly procedural network come January 2011 and beyond. First let’s take a look at program day and time shifts. Freshman cop drama Blue Bloods is moving to Wednesday nights at 10PM on January 19; it will stay there for four weeks and eventually move back to its regular Friday 10PM slot on April 1. After the network airs the series finale of Medium, freshman legal dramedy The Defenders will take over the Friday 8PM position starting February 4. When Blue Bloods departs its four week run on Wednesday nights, the spinoff show Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior will assume the 10PM spot, immediately following 9PM’s Criminal Minds. (As you can see, CBS is using the Tuesday night NCIS/NCIS:LA formula here.) New midseason shows include: Live to Dance (premiering 1/19 at 9PM), Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (see above), Mad Love (2/21 at 8:30PM; Rules of Engagement moves to Thursdays 8:30PM replacing $#*! My Dad Says), Chaos (4/1 at 8PM; The Defenders season finale will have aired a week prior). And don’t for get about the latest installment of Survivor: Redemption Island which begins 2/16 at 8PM.
Kelly Kahl, CBS Senior EVP primetime: “We’re in the fortunate position of having a schedule with many successful shows and very few holes. This allows us to be very targeted with our mid-season series. These are moves that maintain the core stability of a successful schedule, while giving us multiple looks for the future at a few time periods.”
Look after the break to view the CBS midseason schedule.
[Via EW; Deadline] Continue reading CBS announces midseason schedule
This weekend The Lonely Island (aka The Dudes, comprised of Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer) premiered the first single off their upcoming (rap) comedy album due out in 2011. The SNL Digital Short features vocals from Akon and outrageous cameos from Blake Lively, Jessica Alba, and John McEnroe. Watch the viral hit here and begin anticipating the followup to 2009’s sensation that was (and still is) Incredibad.
Look after the break to watch their “Huge-Ass Announcement”.
Update: The single is now available for purchase on iTunes. And it managed to break the iTunes top ten singles chart; it currently sits at #9.
[Via TheLonelyIsland] Continue reading Watch “I Just Had Sex”, the lead single off The Lonely Island’s next album
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Are you ready to celebrate the best of the best in film and television? The Golden Globe nods are in! Let’s take a look at some of the television categories first. The big five best drama contenders are Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, The Good Wife, Mad Men, and The Walking Dead. I’m so glad the AMC zombie-fest got nominated! The short but terrific six-episode arc deserves a major win like this at the show. And how about the best actors in a drama series? Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), and Hugh Laurie (House). A nice bunch there, indeed. The best comedy contenders are 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, The Big C, Glee, Modern Family, and Nurse Jackie. I’m sure this will be a tight race between the FOX musical, the ABC hit, and the Jim Parsons-led comedy sensation. Speaking of Parsons, let’s move onto best actors in a comedy series. Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Steve Carell (The Office), Thomas Jane (Hung), Matthew Morrison (Glee), and Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory). Parsons is likely the lock here, but congratulations to Glee‘s Will Schuester! In other notable nods, Chris Colfer (Glee), Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family), and Scott Caan (Hawaii Five-O) are nominated for best supporting actor, and Sofia Vergara (Modern Family) and Jane Lynch (Glee) are up for best supporting actress. Glee ended up being the most recognized show (Lea Michele was nominated best actress in a comedy!).
This is the space I usually save for my rant concerning the the snub of Fringe’s John Noble. But you can refer to that in last year’s Globes nomination post. Other notable TV snubs: Where’s the love for Community, Parks and Rec, and Raising Hope!?
Now let’s branch into the film categories. Best picture, drama: Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The King’s Speech, and The Social Network. This is certainly going to be a tight race. A really tight race. It’s hard to make a prediction here. Best actor, drama: Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Colin Firth (The King’s Speech), James Franco (127 Hours), Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), and Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter). I gotta cheer on Mr. Eisenberg here for his fantastic take on TIME’s Person of the Year; he really gave his first riveting performance here that’s worthy of an award or two. I could list the best actress category here, but we all know this one’s going to Natalie Portman for her amazing performance in Black Swan. In other notable nods, Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) and Jeremy Renner (The Town) are nominated for best supporting actor, and Mila Kunis (Black Swan) is up for best supporting actress. I think it’ll be an exciting race for best director between David Fincher (The Social Network), Christopher Nolan (Inception), and Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan). And the same goes for best original score between Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network) and Hans Zimmer (Inception). For best animated feature, Despicable Me or Toy Story 3. Loved both, but the win will definitely go to the one starring Woody.
Movie snubs: Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception), armie hammer (The Social Network), True Grit.
Comedian Ricky Gervais will host (again!) the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards when it airs Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 8PM on NBC. You know the drill: look after the break to browse all the nominations.
Sources confirm that Jon Favreau will not direct Iron Man 3. But why? Vulture broke the news and they speculate: A) Creative differences: Favreau is “frustrated with Marvel’s urge to stuff more of their in-house heroes into the next film in the wake of The Avengers.” B) Financial reasons: Favreau is said to have made $10 million for the Iron Man 2 and a hefty raise would likely be necessary to keep him on board. C) A mix of both A & B. Vulture goes on to say that a source close to “Marvel’s playbook” think that “the company had been pushing a confusing and packed vision of the third film as a tactic to provoke Favreau into leaving the project.” Whatever the reason, Favreau is out and apparently he left the team under amicable terms. Shortly after this news hit the web he tweeted, “It’s true, I’m directing Magic Kingdom, not Iron Man 3. I’ve had a great run with Marvel and wish them the best.” Marvel is currently in the process of finding a new helmer, and it’s worthy to note that star Robert Downey Jr. has contractual approval over the director of the film so he’ll have a hand in the decision. Iron Man 3 is still on track for a May 3, 2013. Favreau is putting the final touches on Cowboys and Aliens and he’s still signed on as a producer for The Avengers.
I’ve got some bad news for you early adopter folks. If you purchased a 3DTV recently in hopes to revel in everything Pandora has to offer in the comfort of your own living room, this won’t be happening until 2012. Earlier this month Panasonic became the exclusive seller of Avatar 3D on Blu-ray; if you want a 3D copy of the flick you must purchase a Panny VIERA 3DTV. The exclusive deal was expected to end sometime next year, but the electronics manufacturer has confirmed that the deal will run through February 2012. Happy bidding!
[Via Gizmodo]
Just when you thought Comedy Central couldn’t top The Hoff they just did: Donald Trump is the next celebrity roastee! The wealthy man with that thing on his head commented on the breaking news: “I’ll show up to the Roast because Comedy Central is paying me a lot of money, but I’m confused as to how anybody could make fun of me.” Oh, you’ll soon find out buddy.
Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump tapes March 9 and is slated for a Spring 2011 air date.
[Via Deadline]
NBC’s The Sing-Off is doing so well in the ratings that the network’s decided to expand the December 20 season finale by a half-hour. But here’s the really exciting news: The Peacock plans to use the Sing-Off finale as a platform to promote the new midseason sitcom Perfect Couples. Following the finale a “preview episode” of Perfect Couples will air from 10:30PM to 11PM; the network makes it clear that this special preview is not the pilot. That will be saved for the show’s true premiere date set for Thursday, January 20 at 8:30PM. It will follow Community in the Thursday night comedy block, which was recently extended to include six shows in total.
Perfect Couples follows three couples at various stages of their relationships. Here’s a quick synopsis: Dave (Kyle Howard, My Boys) and Julia (Christine Woods, FlashForward) are the relatable, normal couple, but Julia’s hope of remaining the cool, low-maintenance chick is tested by Dave’s attempts to keep both his wife and his needy best friend Vance (Dave Walton, NBC’s 100 Questions) equally happy. Vance, along with the neurotic Amy (Mary Elizabeth Ellis, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), are the high-passion, high-drama couple who bring out the best and worst in each other. The third duo features Rex (Hayes MacArthur, She’s Out of My League), a reformed party guy, and his wife, Leigh (Olivia Munn, Attack of the Show), who considers herself as the group’s mother hen. Believing that they are relationship experts, Rex and Leigh have attended every class and seminar on relationships — and regard themselves as the ‘perfect couple.’”
Update: Well there’s been a change in scheduling here, so take note: The Sing-Off finale will remain two hours in length, and the Perfect Couples preview episode will air at 10PM followed by a repeat of The Office.
Mitch Hurwitz’s Running Wilde, starring Will Arnett and Keri Russell, never caught on with TV viewers. And that’s unfortunate because it’s a damn funny show that boasts the same kind of charm Hurwitz’s Arrested Development managed to carry across to its cult fans. FOX still hasn’t had the guts to officially cancel it just yet, but all signs point to a quick exit for the short-lived comedy. The network did not order additional episodes past the original 13, and this week they decided to shuffle the remaining five episodes around instead of letting them air consecutively in their regular Tuesday night slot. If you’ve been a trouper and stuck with the show, mark your calenders. The remaining episodes will air on these dates: Sunday, December 19 at 7PM & 7:30PM; Sunday, December 26 at 9:30PM; Tuesday, December 28 at 9PM (one-hour finale). Farewell Steve, Emmy, and Puddle!
[Via EW]
Matthew Morrison’s album with substance is almost here, and the Glee star recently spilled the beans that he will be headlining a world tour to promote the album’s release. Rehearsals begin later this month and the tour will kick off in April just as the FOX sensation goes on its hiatus. Exact dates and locations have yet to be specified but Morrison promises that he’s “gonna go all over the world.” And what’s the story on the much anticipated solo album? “We’re almost done,” he says. “We have like two more songs to record and then it’s off to the mixing stages. I’m really really happy with it and I can’t wait for people to hear it as well.” It’s expected to hit stores this May.
[Via EW]