Category Archives: News

Nintendo releases ‘NES Remix’ for Wii U featuring classic games with a twist

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Still looking for a reason to pick up Nintendo’s Wii U? Well, here’s one: the house that built Mario is releasing a game collection called NES Remix that invokes gaming nostalgia with a twist. The collection includes 16 classic NES titles and each of them have been “remixed” with fun alterations; for example, a stage in Mario Bros. has been flipped and players must complete it backwards. Elsewhere, Link from The Legend of Zelda shows up in Donkey Kong with Mario and Pauline. In addition to the remixed stages, the collection also offers up “rapid fire” special challenges; in Mario Bros., for example, you can test how fast you can score 10 1-Ups in a row. The following NES titles come packed inside NES Remix:  Donkey Kong (featuring Link!), Donkey Kong Jr., Donkey Kong 3, Excitebike, Super Mario Bros., Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Clu Clu Land, Wrecking Crew, Pinball, Urban Champion, Baseball, Tennis, Ice Climber, Golf and Balloon Fight. It’s out now exclusievlty on Wii U through the console’s eShop store for $16.32. Worth it? Worth it. Watch a trailer after the break.

[Via Nintendo] Continue reading Nintendo releases ‘NES Remix’ for Wii U featuring classic games with a twist →

Apple makes Mac Pro available to order, ships in February

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“The future of the pro desktop” is finally here. This week Apple made it possible for (wealthy) consumers to order the new and marginally improved Mac Pro through Apple.com. First announced at WWDC ’13, the Mac Pro comes configured in two ways: the base model, starting at $2,999, comes packed with a 3.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon E5 processor, 12GB 1866MHz DDR3 ECC memory, Dual AMD FirePro D300 with 2GB GDDR5 VRAM each, and 256GB PCIe-based flash storage. The speedier $3,999 model sports a 3.5GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon E5 processor, 16GB 1866MHz DDR3 ECC memory, Dual AMD FirePro D500 with 3GB GDDR5 VRAM each, and 256GB PCIe-based flash storage. From there these models can be further upgraded before checking out. Apple says units will starting shipping in February. If you’re a heavy gamer or a professional creative in the TV and movie industries, this cylindrical powerhouse is just what the doctor prescribed.

2014 Golden Globe nods are in!

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On Thursday the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced the latest crop of Golden Globe nominees. The award show that celebrates the best in film and TV handed out the most nominations to movies 12 Years A Slave and American Hustle (they received 7 nods each) and series Breaking Bad and HBO movie Behind the Candelabra earned 7 nods in total.

12 Years A Slave, Captain Phillips, Gravity, Philomena, and Rush are in the running for Best Motion Picture Drama. American Hustle, Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, Nebraska, and The Wolf Of Wall Street are competing for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. The movies vying for Best Animated Feature Film are The Croods, Despicable Me 2, and Frozen.

In TV, Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, The Good Wife, House of Cards, and Masters of Sex have all been nominated for Best Drama Series. The Big Bang Theory, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Girls, Modern Family, and Parks and Recreation are hoping to be named Best Comedy Series.

Personally, I’m excited about all the actors and actresses nominated in the TV categories. Dramatic actors like Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex), Kevin Spacey (House of Cards), and even The Blacklist‘s James Spader are all up for Best Actor. And in the Best Actress category you’ve got Orphan Black‘s Tatiana Maslany pitted against Kerry Washington (Scandal), Robin Wright (House of Cards), and Taylor Schilling (Orange is the New Black). Good stuff! And the good times keep on rolling in the comedy side. Jason Bateman and Andy Samberg have been nominated for their roles in Arrested Development and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, respectively, and Zooey Deschanel (New Girl), Amy Poehler (Parks and Rec), and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep) are recognized for their great work as well. In the supporting sections Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Corey Stoll (House of Cards), and Monica Potter (Parenthood) got nods, too. All in all, the HFPA did good selecting this year’s TV nominees.

That said, there will always the ones that got snubbed: The Walking Dead, Bates Motel, The Americans, Homeland, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, The Newsroom, Hannibal, Hello Ladies. And with all the wonderfully talented actors starring in those series, the list goes on and on.

The 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards airs live Sunday, January 12 at 8PM ET on NBC hosted by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. Jump after the break to view the full list of nominees. Continue reading 2014 Golden Globe nods are in! →

‘Spider-Man’ spinoff features in the works

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On the heels of launching the marketing campaign for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sony announced two Spidey spinoff features that will focus on villains from that Marvel franchise: Venom and The Sinister Six. Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Ed Solomon have been tasked with writing the screenplay for the Venom movie, which Kurtzman will direct. Drew Goddard will write “with an eye to direct” The Sinister Six flick. The studio is referring to Kurtzman, Orci, Pinkner, Solomon, and Goddard as a “franchise brain trust to expand the universe for the brand and to develop a continuous tone and thread throughout the films.” The Amazing Spider-Man 3, being written by Kurtzman, Orci, and Pinkner, with original and upcoming sequel director Marc Webb hoping to return to the helm, is slated to hit theatres June 10, 2016.

Producers of the spawned spinoffs Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach commented on the announcement: “This collaboration was born out of the great experience we and Marc had working with Alex, Bob, and Jeff on The Amazing Spider-Man 2. With more than fifty years’ wealth of stories in the comic books to draw upon for inspiration, the Spider-Man universe is truly boundless; in addition, the Spider-Man comics have the greatest rogues gallery of any series, and to have the chance to explore that on film is truly thrilling. Until now, we have approached each film as a separate, self-contained entity, but with this move, we have the opportunity to grow the franchise by looking to the future as we develop a continuous arc for the story. That is what Alex, Bob, Jeff, Ed, and Drew will do in this unprecedented collaboration, and we’re excited about the directions they are taking the character and the world.”

More superhero/villain movies? Yes, please.

Jay Z leads 2014 Grammy nominations

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Rapper Jay Z scored the most Grammy nominations this year with a grand total of nine. It is worth mentioning, however, that he efforts are not included in any of the big three categories. Record of the Year contenders are Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive,” Lorde’s “Royals,” Bruno Mars’ “Locked out of Heaven,” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.” Those artists vying for Album of the Year are Sara Bareilles (The Blessed Unrest), Daft Punk (Random Access Memories), Kendrick Lamar (Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City), Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (The Heist), and Taylor Swift (Red). Bareilles’ “Brave” and Katy Perry’s similar sounding “Roar” are going head-to-head for Song of the Year; the rest of that category includes Pink’s “Just Give Me A Reason,” Bruno Mars’ “Locked out of Heaven,” and Lorde’s “Royals.” Speaking of the rising 15-year-old star, Lorde was snubbed and not included in the Best New Artist section which is occupied by nominees James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kacey Musgraves, and Ed Sheeran. Click here for the full list of nominees.

The 56th Annual Grammy Awards airs Sunday, January 26th at 8PM on CBS.

Zack Snyder adds Wonder Woman to his Superman sequel

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Wonder Woman is finally making her way to the silver screen in Zack Snyder’s upcoming Man of Steel sequel featuring Henry Cavill’s Superman and an “older and wiser” Batman played by Ben Affleck. Sexy Israeli-born actress Gal Gadot, who has starred in three of the Fast and Furious installments, is set to play the Amazonian Princess.

Snyder commented on the exciting casting news: “Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time and a fan favorite in the DC Universe. Not only is Gal an amazing actress, but she also has that magical quality that makes her perfect for the role. We look forward to audiences discovering Gal in the first feature film incarnation of this beloved character.”

The still untitled Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman flick is slated to soar into theatres July 17, 2015.

[Via Deadline]

Drew Goddard signs onto Netflix/Marvel ‘Daredevil’ series

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Quick update on Netflix’s Daredevil: Drew Goddard (director of Cabin in the Woods; Cloverfield, World War Z, Buffy, Angel, Alias, Lost writer) has signed on to write and direct the first episode of the Netflix/Marvel live-action original series. He will also serve as series showrunner and executive producer across all 13 episodes that are set to debut on the streaming service in 2015.

Daredevil is one of four Marvel superhero series coming to Netflix (Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage are also on the way) and they will all culminate in an Avengers-style mini-series event dubbed The Defenders. Picking up Goddard is a great way to start this massive project; the writer/director/producer is widely accepted by fanboys and girls for his work on Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams classics.

[Via Marvel]

‘House of Cards’ returns this February

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Netflix’s Emmy award-winning series House of Cards returns for its second season on February 14. Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright return as the politically power-hungry Francis and Claire Underwood. Just like before, all 13 episodes will premiere the day the streaming service launches the new season. As you prepare your binge schedule today, check out the new season 2 synopsis:

In the second season, Francis (Spacey) and Claire (Wright) Underwood continue their ruthless rise to power as threats mount on all fronts. Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara, “American Horror Story”), an up-and-coming reporter and Francis’s former paramour, is inching closer to the truth about his crimes. President Walker’s (Michel Gill, “The Good Wife”) billionaire confidante Raymond Tusk (Gerald McRaney, “Southland”) demands that Francis reciprocate political favors or face retribution. And Claire must confront the increasing glare of the spotlight as it eats away at her and Francis’s once private existence. The Underwood’s must overcome these dangers — past and present — to avoid losing everything, regardless of collateral damage they leave in their wake.

Jump after the break to watch a sizzling promo. Continue reading ‘House of Cards’ returns this February →

Preview ‘The Walking Dead’ 4B

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The Walking Dead went out with quite the bang last Sunday (respectively rest in peace and burn in hell to those we lost). The back-half of season 4 (or as we TV types like to call “4B”) premieres February 9 on AMC and you can preview what’s to come in the short yet tantalizing teaser embedded above.

[Spoilers!] During last week’s Talking Dead, creator and executive producer Robert Kirkman teased, “Not only have these people lost Hershel, they lost the prison, but they also lost each other. They’re out on their own, they’re in different groups. There’s going to be a lot going on with these different people as they try to survive in the next half of the season.”

Star Andrew Lincoln describes the next batch of eight episodes as “the boldest, bravest, and most exciting this show has ever attempted.

Squee.

NBC renews ‘The Blacklist’ for second season

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Here’s some exciting news: NBC has granted the wildly addicting and action-packed procedural The Blacklist for a 22-episode second season. After airing only two episodes the Peacock ordered a full season of the show and it didn’t take the network much longer to decide The Blacklist is a keeper. It’s a ratings machine; it ranks as the #1 drama in the coveted 18-49 demo averaging a 4.9 rating/13 share, plus it gains even more viewers after factoring in DVR usage.

“The success of The Blacklist demonstrates that inspired storytelling is alive and well in broadcast television, and I’m impressed on a daily basis by this creative team’s imagination and the extent to which they will go to capture this grand vision on film,” NBC head Robert Greenblatt said in a statement. “With gratitude to both our partners at Sony Pictures Television and our NBC development executives who took a great script and shepherded it into a great series, I hope that Red Reddington never runs out of names to bring down on his list!”

The Blacklist aired its fall finale last Monday and it returns with new episodes January 13.

Elsewhere, The CW gave full season orders to its three new series The Originals, The Tomorrow People, and Reign.

TV reminder: Frank Darabont’s ‘Mob City’ premieres on TNT

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Frank Darabont, the man who adapted The Walking Dead for television and ran it for two seasons, has a new series that debuted on TNT. Mob City, formally known as L.A. Noir and Lost Angels, is an adaptation of John Buntin’s novel L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City that tells the story of an epic battle between a determined police chief and a dangerous mobster inflames set in 1940s Los Angeles. Darabont reached out to the Walking Dead dearly departed Jon Bernthal (Shane) and Jeffrey DeMunn (Dale) to star in his new show. Neal McDonough, Ed Burns, Jeremy Luke, Gregory Itzin, Robert Knepper, Milo Ventimiglia, Simon Pegg, and Alexa Davalos round out the cast.

The pilot, written and directed by Darabont, premiered Wednesday, December 4. The series’ first season is being called a “three week event” due to its unorthodox rollout; the season will play across three two-hour episodes airing from Dec. 4 to the 18th. Eye the masterful poster imagined by famed artist Drew Struzan above and tune into Mob City Wednesdays 9-11PM.

[Image via EW]

TV teasers: BBC’s ‘Orphan Black’, ‘Sherlock’ & HBO’s ‘Girls’

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Black is back. Orphan Black, that is. The Tatiana Maslany Show returns April 19 on BBC America and even though this teaser doesn’t feature new footage in does not fail in ramping up anticipation for what’s to come, not in the slightest. The latest season 2 logline hints at more clone mysteries and some long-anticipated answers

Season 2 hits the ground running with Sarah in a desperate race to find her missing daughter Kira. Her scorched earth tactics spark a war with pro-clone Rachel, dividing and imperiling all the clones. As Sarah discovers more about her past, mysterious newcomers appear, but can they be trusted?

Jump after the break to watch teasers for Sherlock and Girls. Continue reading TV teasers: BBC’s ‘Orphan Black’, ‘Sherlock’ & HBO’s ‘Girls’ →