Category Archives: News

‘Lost’ EP Carlton Cuse checks into A&E’s ‘Bates Motel’

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Earlier this year A&E announced that they are working on a Psycho prequel TV series based on the classic 1960 Alfred Hitchcock thriller. This week THR reveals that former Lost executive producer and showrunner Carlton Cuse is attached to this buzz-worthy project that’s being described as Twin Peaks meets Smallville. Bates Motel will tell the dark back story of how Norman Bates’ mother twisted her son’s psyche, molding him into a serial killing motel owner. Cuse will serve as executive producer and oversee the writing and production of the series. THR also reports that A&E plans to hype the show with an initial six-episode “event” which will eventually lead into a standard 13 or 20-something episode first season and beyond. Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights) will exec produce with Cuse, Mark Wolper and Roy Lee also share producing titles, and Anthony Cipriano is developing the script. Next up: find a suitable actor to play the historic lead role of Norman Bates. This delicate decision will likely determine the success of the show.

[Via THR]

Apple announces the new iPad, updates iOS, Apple TV & iCloud, and intros a mobile iPhoto

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On Wednesday Apple announced the next generation iPad. No, it is not called the iPad 3 or the iPad HD; it’s simply the new iPad. In addition to updating what Apple CEO Tim Cook calls “the poster child of the post-PC world,” the March 7 keynote also introduced enhancements to iOS, iCloud, Apple TV, and the mobile versions of iWork and iLife. First let’s focus on the most talked about news at hand, the new iPad; then jump after the break to read about everything else.

First and foremost, the new iPad features Apple’s Retina Display technology. They’ve managed to pack four times more pixels into the new iPad’s 9.7 inch multitouch screen than the tablet’s predecessor. The new iPad sports an impressive 2048 x 1536 resolution with a 3.1 million total pixel count (264 pixels per inch) and 44% greater color saturation over the iPad 2. This means that the new iPad contains more pixels than your average HDTV (1920 x 1080)! Packing all of these pixels in a relatively small space means: razor-sharp text, richer colors, and when viewed at a normal distance iPad owners will not be able to discern individual pixels and this makes for a better overall user experience.

Powering the new iPad is the Apple A5X high-performance low-power system-on-a-chip. It serves as a dual-core processor with quad-core graphics. The new chip will help the iPad run faster and support the millions of pixels glaring out of the Retina Display. It will also manage the tablet’s equally impressive battery life. The new iPad boasts the same longevity as the iPad 2: 10 hours of use on WiFi and 9 hours on a cellular network.

The camera on the backside of the iPad has been upgraded to iSight Camera status. It’s a five-megapixel shooter and full HD 1080p video recorder. The camera features backside illumination, f/2.4 aperture, a 5-element lens, a hybrid IR filter, an Apple-designed ISP (Image Signal Processor) that allows for auto exposure, auto-focus, auto face detection, auto exposure lock and auto focus lock, and auto white balance. In video recording mode, you’ll notice video stabilization and temporal noise reduction. On the front you’ll still find a FaceTime camera that takes VGA-quality stills and also shoots video at up to 30 frames per second.

Although Siri has yet to make her way to the iPad, Apple has included a piece of the personal assistant in the new slate. The virtual keyboard now features a new Voice Dictation key (it’s a microphone icon) that translates what you say into the text you want to type. Dictation supports English and other languages like British, French, German, Japanese, and Australian. It’s also compatible with third-party apps meaning you can dictate your Tweets or Facebook status updates if you like.

With the new iPad, Apple has embraced 4G LTE data speeds. Again they are working with AT&T and Verizon to bring these ultrafast speeds to consumers in the US. The new iPad features the most wireless bands ever shipped in a device; check them out: the AT&T model includes 4G LTE (700, 2100 MHz), UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz), GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); and the Verizon model includes 4G LTE (700 MHz), CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz), GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz). Rate plans can be viewed here. Elsewhere Apple is collaborating with Bell, Rogers, and Telus to bring these speeds to other countries around the world. Additionally, the new iPad can act as a personal hotspot to share its data speeds with up to five devices over WiFi, Bluetooth, or USB. And speaking of which, the new iPad also packs Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 4.0 technology.

At 9.4mm thin and 1.4 pounds, the new iPad will come in black and white variants and maintain the same capacity and pricing scheme as its predecessor. It’ll start at $499 for the 16GB WiFi-only model and will reach up to $829 for the 32GB WiFi + 4G model. The iPad 2 will remain on the market at one Benjamin cheaper; it will only sell in the 16GB capacity at $399 for the WiFi-only model and $529 for the WiFi + 3G model. The new iPad will release on March 16 in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia. One week later it will come out in 25 more countries making the new iPad the fastest product rollout for Apple. It’s available for preorder today at Apple’s website.

Jump after the break for more on iOS, iCloud, Apple TV, and updates to the mobile versions of iWork and iLife. Continue reading Apple announces the new iPad, updates iOS, Apple TV & iCloud, and intros a mobile iPhoto →

Google renames Android Market the Google Play Store, puts all of its offerings under one roof (er, cloud)

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Today Google made the executive decision to rename the Android Market and emphasize the importance of its cloud services. The newly branded Google Play Store brings together all of the company’s offerings–namely music, movies, books and apps–and ultimately ties together Android Market, Google Music and the Google eBookstore into one streamlined entity. On the Internet and Android phones and tablets the Market is now referred to as the Play Store and individual Google apps are seeing the name change, too: Google Play Movies, Google Play Books and Google Play Music. Google reminds its customers that everything is cloud-based, meaning that if you download content on your computer it will automagically find a home on your Android-powered phone and tablet, and vice-versa.

A phased OTA update is currently rolling out to devices running Android 2.2 or higher. Besides the name change, everything else pretty much remains the same. Check out some minor visual changes and get a taste of Google’s refreshed portal to music, apps, and more right here, right now: https://play.google.com/store. Video after the break.

[Via Google 1, 2, 3] Continue reading Google renames Android Market the Google Play Store, puts all of its offerings under one roof (er, cloud) →

Nintendo 3DS turns one years old, sells 4.5 million units in the US

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Nintendo is celebrating its 3D portable’s first (US) birthday a few weeks early by releasing an impressive sales figure. (The 3DS was initially released in Japan on February 26, 2011 and later in the US on March 27.) In the States, Nintendo has sold 4.5 million  3DS hardware units since March 2011–that’s nearly twice as many units as the original DS sold in its first year on the market.

Says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime: “Nintendo 3DS closes its first year with a lengthy list of accomplishments but we’re still just scratching the surface. With a massive lineup of first- and third-party games and more on the way, a budding library of entertainment options and an engaged and growing installed base, Nintendo 3DS has an incredibly bright future. We’re just getting started but this platform is built for the long haul.”

Continue the party after the break with the official press release which takes a journey down memory lane highlighting some of the major milestones the 3DS captured over the past year.

[Via Nintendo] Continue reading Nintendo 3DS turns one years old, sells 4.5 million units in the US →

FOX cancels ‘Terra Nova’ after one season

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Fans of the Steven Spielberg-produced time travel drama, your days at Terra Nova are now over. Today FOX pulled the plug on the special effects heavy prehistoric sci-fi series, despite all the speculation that the show was tipping towards renewal. With House out of the way next year, there will be at least one vacant spot left open on Monday nights next season. But due to moderate ratings and a lack of creative focus, FOX prez Kevin Reilly made the final decision to close Terra Nova for good.

Back at the Winter TCAs, Reilly foreshadowed this decision. “There were a lot of chefs in the kitchen. The show was hunting for itself creatively through the season. I loved some of the episodes. If this is all we make [of Terra Nova], we made money on it, the studio made money on it, and it seems to have resonated with the family audience. If we had more holes in our network, we’d be thrilled to lock that right in.” I suppose the subtraction of House wasn’t enough to keep Terra Nova afloat on the schedule.

Am I surprised Terra Nova was erased from TV? No, not really. Though the thirteen episode first season managed to output a handful of exciting hours, overall the series disappointed due to poor writing, character development, and acting, plus the dino CGI was mostly lackluster. Props to Stephen Lange (Nathaniel Taylor) for commanding this show on his tired back. It’s certainly sad to see a show that started with so much buzz, potential, and pedigree lose its way so early on.

Can we lay Terra Nova to rest forever? Not quite yet. Backing studio 20th Century Fox TV has plans to shop the show to other networks to see if anyone else will bite. Unfortunately for fans, in all likelihood networks will not show much interest in resurrecting the show simply because it is extremely expensive to make. The question remains: is Terra Nova worth saving?

[Via Deadline]

This week in NEW TV: ‘Breakout Kings’ & ‘Breaking In’

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SUNDAY (3/4)

Breakout Kings — A&E — 10PM

A&E’s breakout drama from 2011 is back. From the producers of Prison Break Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora, Breakout Kings is centered around a special task force led by veteran U.S. Marshal Charlie Duchamp (Laz Alonso) and a former one Ray Zancanelli (Domenick Lombardozzi). In season one, the Marshals came up with this ingenious plan: collect convicts and have them help catch other cons. Last year’s season tag, of course, was “it takes a con to catch a con.” The incentive? For each con they help the Marshals capture, their jail sentence gets reduced by one month and they get transferred to a more friendly minimum-security facility. The resourceful cons are ex-gangbanger Shea Daniels (Malcolm Goodwin), bounty hunter with anger issues Erica Reed (Serinda Swan) and the brilliant factist-not-racist Dr. Lloyd Lowery (Jimmi Simpson). Also part of the task force is Julianne Simms (Brooke Nevin), the neurotic analyst who stations herself at their Brooklyn headquarters.

What can you expect to see in season 2? In an interview with TVLine, Serinda Swan spilled some details. “We have this through line of Damien [the season premiere’s elusive target], which is pretty cool. But the main thing we heard from the fans last year was the desire to know more about the characters’ stories, about their lives, to see them interact more. And I think [series creators] Matt [Olmstead] and Nick [Santora] and the whole writing team did a wonderful job listening, because this year they did that. As a result, we got to have more fun, and we get more laughs. For example, there is a lot of humor in the breakouts. You’ll have [a convict] running naked across a field, while all of us are staring at each other like, “What exactly is going on here?”

Then there’s this: the tag for season two (as revealed in the key art pasted above) is “one king will fall.” Now get this: the name of the premiere episode is “An Unjust Death.” Will one of the Kings perish in tonight’s opener, drastically changing the show’s dynamic? Tune in at 10PM on A&E.

TUESDAY (3/6)

Breaking In — FOX — 9:30PM

This right here is proof that TV shows can in fact come back from the dead. After airing just seven episodes last year, FOX cancelled the modestly rated workplace comedy Breaking In. And then it was decided that it would make for a great midseason replacement on FOX’s Tuesday night comedy lineup while Glee is on hiatus. So now it’s back and this is definitely a show you need to put on your (DVR) schedule.

It’s quirky, it’s fun, and best, it’s different. In sum, Christian Slater plays a master of manipulation at Contra Security, a company that gets hired to break into places to test their security systems and make them more secure if they’re found to be weak. In season one, nearly every episode involved Slater and his team (Bret Harrison, Alphonso McAuley, Trevor Moore, and Odette Annable) breaking into people’s homes, companies, whatever and we laughed at all the antics that went on at the office. This season co-creator Adam F. Goldberg promises more laughs because the show will truly shine as a workplace comedy and most of the action will take place at Contra. Other changes this year: Trevor Moore’s master of disguise character is out, Annable sexy Melanie will be mostly absent due to her obligations at House (will her boyfriend Dutch (Michael Rosenbaum) return, we don’t know), and Megan Mullally is in as a series regular. She plays Slater’s boss, and British bombshell Erin Richards will factor into things as her assistant.

Missed out on season one? No worries. You can easily hop into Breaking In tonight and see what you missed out on. This show was resurrected for a reason: it’s good. The season two opener airs Tuesday night at 9:30PM on FOX.

Ryan Murphy confirms returning actors to ‘American Horror Story’ season 2

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Last month Ryan Murphy guested on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live and revealed that Golden Globe winner Jessica Lange will return to his FX anthology series American Horror Story. He also let slip that four other actors from the first season of the show will be back in season two. AHS opened the 2012 PaleyFest last night, and in front of critics and fans of the show, Murphy confirmed the returning actors and they are: Zachary Quinto (he played the gay previous murder house owner Chad Warwick), Lily Rabe (she played Nora Montgomery, the baby-obsessed wife of the original murder house owner Dr. Charles Montgomery), Sarah Paulson (the mysterious medium Billie Dean Howard who could speak to the spirits in the house and (we think) rightfully predicted the birth of the demon baby), and (drum roll, please) Evan Peters (the son of Lange’s Constance character Tate Langdon).

Besides announcing the returning lineup, Murphy and co-creator Brad Falchuck remained mum about season two plot details. Here is what the panel got out of them. “We don’t want to talk about it too much, we’re still writing, anybody could pop up at any time,” said Murphy when questioned about the return of Quinto, Rabe, Paulson, and Peters. He added that “everyone is playing the opposite of what they played before.” (As we already know, AHS has been called an anthology series and each season will take place in a new location featuring all new characters.)

A day before the panel, EW reported Lange’s comeback and during that interview Murphy hinted that the next season of the show will revolve around her new character. Chew on this quote: “We have designed the second season of American Horror Story completely around her [Lange’s] character. Last year Jessica came in with Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott. This will really be the Jessica Lange show so I’m very excited about it. We are designing this amazing new opposite of the Constance character for her. She and I have spoken about different things. She has a lot of ideas, and has a lot of input into her character. She told me some things she has always wanted to play as an actress. She’s a great collaborator and a great friend.”

Back at the panel, a few more morsels of intel surrounding season two were dropped: Quinto is set to play one of two male leads; Murphy: “A supernatural element will always be a part of the show. But we’re trying to do something more historically accurate”;  Murphy again: “Our only rule is no werewolves, and no vampires”; and in the first season Lange’s Constance alluded to a fourth child she had and Murphy shared that “We have not lost sight of the fourth child. We want to answer that.” So perhaps some things will bleed from season one into proceeding seasons. We shall have to wait and see.

American Horror Story begins production on season two this July with an expected October premiere date.

[Via Deadline; TVLine]

Trailer round-up: ‘Despicable Me 2’, ‘Frankenweenie’, ‘ParaNorman’, ‘Prometheus’ [Update: ‘MIB 3’]

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The Minions are back in Illumination Entertainment’s sequel Despicable Me 2. Check out the teasiest of teasers above and anticipate the film’s July 3, 2013 future release.

Now jump after the break to watch trailers for Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, ParaNorman, and Prometheus. Continue reading Trailer round-up: ‘Despicable Me 2’, ‘Frankenweenie’, ‘ParaNorman’, ‘Prometheus’ [Update: ‘MIB 3’] →

The 25th billion app has been downloaded in Apple’s App Store

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Today Apple updated their homepage to celebrate another major milestone in the company’s relatively short history in the app domain. As of today, March 3, 2011, 25 billion apps have been downloaded in the company’s App Store. The lucky individual who downloaded the 25th billion app has been awarded a $10,000 gift card that can be applied to the App Store. Since you probably didn’t win, take solace in the fact that you were still likely part of it all by helping Apple reach this wildly impressive achievement.

PS Vita hardware sales surpass 1.2 million units worldwide

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On the 28th of February Sony announced sales figures for their latest console release the PS Vita. Following the powerful handheld’s December 17th launch in Japan and February 22 drop in North and Latin America, Europe, Singapore, and PAL territories, the house that built PlayStation “exceeded expectations surpassing over 1.2 million units worldwide,” according to a press release pasted in full after the break. The company also notes that software sales have surpassed 2 million units at both retail and on PlayStation Network.

Says Andrew House, President and Group CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.: “PS Vita was designed to deliver the ultimate portable entertainment experience, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the reaction we’re seeing from consumers and the pace at which PS Vita is selling. The market has responded and there is clear demand for a mobile device capable of providing a revolutionary combination of rich gaming and social connectivity within a real world context. To sustain momentum, we’re working closely with 3rd party developers and publishers to ensure the best games and franchises possible will be available on PS Vita, and our software line up for the remainder of 2012 will have something for everyone across the globe.”

Currently there are 25 titles available today for the PS Vita, and Sony says that 70 additional games are in development. Are you an early adopter? How do you rate the PS Vita so far? Sound off in the comments below.

[Via Joystiq] Continue reading PS Vita hardware sales surpass 1.2 million units worldwide →

Windows 8 Consumer Preview is now available for download

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Microsoft unveiled their next major operating system release in June 2010. Then at the BUILD 2011 developer’s conference the company provided further details about the totally revamped, Metro-style OS. And now, this past Wednesday at Mobile World Congress in Spain, Microsoft has made available to the general public the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. According to a press release, this free preview “offers a more robust experience for testing the world’s most popular operating system and is available to the widest range of people yet following the initial release of the Windows 8 Developer Preview late last year.” In other words, it will provide a more stable Windows 8 experience for developers and consumers alike to check out before Microsoft officially releases the final version of the OS before the end of the year.

Ready to give Windows 8 a spin? Head over to Microsoft’s official download portal and click Get It Nowto, well, get it now. Can your computer handle it? The company released these recommendations: 1 GHz or faster processor; 1 GB RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit); 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit); DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver.

[Via Microsoft 1, 2]

TV reminder: ‘Awake’ premieres tonight at 10PM on NBC

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From creator Kyle Killen (Lone Star) and executive producer Howard Gordon (24) comes an inventive new series starring Jason Issacs (Lucius Malfoy from the Harry Potter films) as Michael Britten, a detective who lives a double life in two separate realities. In tonight’s pilot episode, Britten will survive a tragic car accident while his wife played by Laura Allen (Terriers) and son Dylan Minnette (Lost) will go on to distinctly define the alternate realities Britten experiences after the crash.

If this sounds confusing to you, after you watch the pilot things should become clearer. Recently at the Winter TCAs Gordon casually explained the concept: “[Britten]’s a guy who goes to sleep, wakes up, he’s with his wife, goes to sleep, wakes up, and he’s with his son. And he’s a cop who sees clues and details that crossover from one world to the next, and he uses that insight to solve crimes.” There you go. In each reality Britten has a different partner–Steve Harris (The Practice) in one and Wilmer Valderrama (That ’70s Show) in the other; and he also sits down with a therapist in each reality (Cherry Jones, 24 & BD Wong, Law & Order: SVU) to deal with the ramifications of his dual existence.

Killen has confirmed that the show will not be taking the easy way out and wrap up by saying “it was all a dream.” One (or potentially both, or neither?) of these realities is in fact real and over the course of the series the mystery behind that pivotal car crash will reveal itself.

I say take a chance and tune into the series premiere of Awake that airs tonight (3/1) at 10PM on NBC.