Category Archives: News

Dallas Cowboys’ scoreboard makes Guinness Record

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Mitsubishi Electric takes the crown for “World’s Largest High-Definition Video Display.”  The high-definition video display has four Diamond Vision LED video screens (which contain 10,584,064 LED lights) and a total viewing area of 11,393 square-feet.  The two main displays measure 72 feet high by 160 feet wide, and the two Diamond Vision end-zone displays measure 29 feet high by 51 feet wide.  This insanely large screen can be seen hanging 90 feet above the field at Cowboys Stadium.

[Via Engadget]

Fame Kills Tour is dead

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Well, that didn’t last long.  According to a LiveNation press release, Kanye West and Lady Gaga’s much-hyped Fame Kills Tour has officially been cancelled.  Although no comments have come from the West and Gaga camps, people have been speculating that the cancellation may stem from West’s negative publicity (re: his latest stint at the MTV Video Music Awards), poor early ticket sales, and “creative differences” between the two headlining artists.  A Lady Gaga choreographer LaurieAnn Gibson Twittered that the cancellation was due to such “creative differences.”  Also, Kanye had mentioned on The Jay Leno show that he wanted to take a much needed break from the tours and the albums; maybe this is his way of actually proving his point.

Refunds are available at the point of purchase, and if you purchased tickets online or on the telephone they will be refunded automatically.  Also, according to the tour website, the Club membership fee will be refunded, too.  Details on this will be made available “shortly.”

Update: Lady Gaga has commented on the cancellation today, though she did not go into much detail.  “Well, actually, it was a mutual decision to cancel the tour.  But I’m not taking any time off, so I’ll be leaving just a week later than I was supposed to on my own solo tour. It will be the same places. So I will see you guys there. I’m putting out my re-release as well — The Fame Monster on November 24.  In respects to the creative work that [Kanye and I] did together, I won’t be doing any of the things that we designed for the tour.  It will be entirely new, and it will be just as amazing and memorable and epic.”

[Via MTV, here & here; Canada.com]

Brian Austin Green talks about potential Terminator:TSCC comeback

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IGN sat down with actor Brian Austin Green to discuss his new role in Smallville and his past role as Derek Reese in the brilliant and greatly missed Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles series.

I talk to [Sarah Connor Executive Producer] James Middleton all the time and I really hope that it returns. And I know that a lot of people from Warner Bros., all the way through, really wish and hope for the same thing. And the end of the day, we have some of the greatest fans ever. I so appreciate the people that are fighting as hard as they are to bring the show back. And of course, I would love for it to happen. Ultimately, if it doesn’t, I’m also really proud of the fact that we have two amazing seasons of television on DVD and Blu-ray, that people can watch from start to finish. I’m proud of every episode. I can watch the whole thing and say, “Yeah, I was a part of something that was really big and really much bigger than television is used to.” Maybe it just wasn’t the right time… But everyone did their work and it paid off. It’s because of the fans that it went two seasons, it really is. So it was a joint effort and it was kind of one of those sort of fun, global crossovers between us making the show and the fans watching the show. There was this really large group of people that made it happen and we made two amazing seasons so far. Let’s hope for the best and keep our fingers crossed for more… And if not, we can still be happy with what we have.

Green also talks about the possibility of a straight-to-DVD TV movie that ties up loose ends from the Season 2 finale.  Like Thomas Dekker (he played John Conner) said before him, Green said that “there’s a really good possibility of it happening.”  He goes on to say “I thought we really set ourselves up for something unique and incredible, if we get the chance to come back and finish it. And hopefully we will. .. I think it can end up being a really amazing finish to it all.”  I whole-heartedly agree.  Raise your glasses, readers:  here’s to The Sarah Connor Chronicles making a well-deserved comeback to network TV!

[Via IGN]

“V” production issues alter schedule

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Productions problems have been all the rage for the remake of the 1980s classic mini-series V, set to debut on November 3.  After receiving positive reviews and much hype after the initial screening of the V  premiere episode at this year’s Comic Con, the execs decided to push the airing of the series premiere from a mid-season debut (January 2010) to the aforementioned November date.  This was good news for V fans; the wait for the premiere became closer in view.  Now, though, a bit of bad news has changed the show’s planned schedule.  V will only be airing four episodes before it goes on a long hiatus (presumably until March 2010) due to the Winter Olympics.  ABC execs have said that it was planned to have the fourth episode leave viewers with a massive cliffhanger, but such a long haitus was probably not part of such plan.

This news comes at a time when we recently learned about an extended production shutdown and word of a second shutdown coming into effect after the filming of the fourth episode.  With so many shutdowns and production issues I hope that V can hold itself up and retain its hype and positive reviews throughout the long break until March.  It all rests on the shoulders of the first four episodes.  With Lost‘s Elizabeth Mitchell leading the pack of an all-star cast and a recent trailer that sent chills of excitement down my spine I will continue to support V and I have a good feeling it will do just fine.  V premieres November 3 on ABC.

[Via IGN]

TV viewership is up

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According to IGN, “the top five rated premieres of ’09 were all up when compared to the top five premieres from last year.”  In other words, more people are tuning into series premieres and helping new shows flourish and reach their potentials.  Here are the top five debuts:

  • 1 NBC’s The Jay Leno Show: 5.3 (rating – % of TV sets watching THIS show)/14 (share – % of TV sets watching ANY show)
  • 2 FOX’s The Cleveland Show: 4.9/12 (!)
  • 3 CBS’ NCIS Los Angeles: 4.4/11
  • 3 ABC’s Cougar Town: 4.4/11
  • 5 ABC’s Modern Family: 4.2/11 (!)

    • Here are the top 5 debuts from last year:

  • 1 CBS’ Worst Week: 3.8/8
  • 2 CBS’ The Mentalist: 3.5/9
  • 3 FOX’s Hole in the Wall: 3.5/10
  • 4 FOX’s Fringe: 3.2/9
  • 5 NBC’s Knight Rider: 2.5/7

    • So what does it all mean, Basil?  People are watching TV more than they were before, and that’s a good thing.

    [Via IGN]

    Latest PS3 ads feature Nazis, Joan of Arc [Updated]

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    And I thought we had seen the creepiest, strangest ads from Sony already for it’s Playstation 3.

    These latest ads feature a “gamer” giving a blood transfusion to a Nazi soldier and a heart transplant to Joan of Arc.  Sony PR, you might have gone a wee bit too far this time.

    Update: Apparently this was a “mock campaign” and Sony never officially signed off on these outlandish creations.  Check out what Cristián Lehuedé B., the president of BBDO Chile (the advertisement company behind these ads) has to say on the matter after the break.

    [Via Gizmodo]

    Continue reading Latest PS3 ads feature Nazis, Joan of Arc [Updated] →

    Netbooks to run all versions of Windows 7

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    I hate to use the phrase “all versions” in the a sentence that is about an operating system, but the geniuses at Microsoft leave me no choice.

    Windows 7 will come in six different editions: Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise.  Of these six editions, four of them will be available to the general public in the US: Starter, Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate.  (The others were developed for different countries.)  If you would to know “which one is right for you,” take a look at what Microsoft has to say on the decision-making process.

    Up until this point Microsoft made it clear that all netbooks would be restricted to the Windows 7 Starter Edition, meaning that all netbooks would be limited to running at most three applications at a time.  That stinks, I know.  Fortunately, though, Microsoft has given it some thought and has decided to remove this restriction from the Starter Edition, andallow netbooks to run any version of Windows 7.  In other words, you can run the dumbed down Starter Edition or you can rock the Ultimate Edition with Areo Peek features and all.  As the release of the new OS dawns upon us (October 22), it looks like Microsoft is trying to do anything and everything to ease the transition from the troubled Vista to what may be its savior, Windows 7.

    [Via Engadget]

    Microsoft Courier: UI tour, additional details in the rumor mill

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    In addition to this revealing video picked up at Gizmodo, ZDNet’s Mary Jo-Foley reported on new speculation from a “more verifiable source” that sheds some more light on the still unannounced Microsoft Courier booklet device.  Her source claims that the Courier is currently running on top of the Windows 7 operating system.  However, the consumer will not be able to install Windows 7 apps on the device: Microsoft tablets of the past “failed because the applications were not tailored to a tablet form factor – that is, Word still had toolbars and menus and scollbars. So, a tablet needs to be like an iPhone – a UX that is specific for the form factor.”  The source mentions that the development team at Microsoft is creating this device like they did the Xbox video game console; Microsoft will handle the hardware and software so as to speed up the development process.  The source also says that the Courier is on track for a “mid-2010” release.

    Very interesting tidbits of information, yes.  As Apple is currently in the process of manufacturing their own tablet, I am excited to see how all of this will play out.  Will it be the MS Courier vs. the Apple tablet in the near future?  Only time (and potential surfacing FCC filings) will tell.

    [Via Gizmodo; ZDNet]

    AT&T gives in, MMS on the iPhone for all!

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    The day has finally come, people.  AT&T has enabled MMS, the ability to send and receive pictures and video, on the iPhone.  (iPhone 3G & 3GS customers only, sorry original iPhone owners.)

    The steps to getting MMS running on your iPhone are simple.  First open up iTunes and make sure you are running iTunes 8.2 or later.  Next, connect your iPhone to your PC or Mac.  The update window should pop up automatically after iTunes recognizes the connection.  If it does not, go to the iPhone device tab and select “Check for Update.”  If you have not updated your iPhone to version 3.1 you must do this first.  The actual MMS update is installed via a “carrier settings” update; this means that it is not an iPhone software update, and it should install on the phone within seconds.

    [Update Settings Screenshot]

    Once you’ve completed the update, disconnect the phone from your computer and RESTART the phone.  The MMS feature will not show up until the phone has been restarted by holding down the power button.  After the phone turns back on, check that the update installed by opening the Messages application and looking for the small camera button next to the text input bar.  It looks like this:

    [Text Field Screenshot]

    And there you have it.  MMS on the iPhone.  One small step into the 21st century, one giant leap for AT&T.

    [Via Apple]

    Nintendo announces Wii price cut

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    After Microsoft and Sony decided to slash the price of their video game consoles,  Nintendo wanted in on the fun.  Effective September 27, the Nintendo Wii will become $50 cheaper and will sell for $199.99.

    So, where does this leave us?  Xbox 360 = $299.  PS3 Slim = $299.  Wii = $199.  Prices are dropping and games and content are getting better.  This is a win-win situation for the consumers!

    In related Nintendo news, the ever-popular sequel to Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, is packing a second WiiMotionPlus in its bundle.  Starting October 12, Wii Sports Resort will include the game, two MotionPlus accessories, and will cost $60.  Yes, that is $10 more than what it cost before, but now it has a second MotionPlus; don’t complain.

    [Via Joystiq; Gizmodo]