London-based comedy sketch group Idiots of Ants is here to show us just how realistic the controls are for Medieval Swordfighter 3 using a modern Wii-mote + nunchuck setup. It’s not too long before the game starts bleeding into the real world. …They’re British and funny so watch it!
[Via Gizmodo]
In early June two viral advertisements hit the web that claimed to be brand new “leaked” spots for Sony’s next video game console, the PlayStation 4. The first video dubbed “Leaked Launch Trailer” (see above) features a man inside a lab facility who is wearing what appears to be an advanced pair of 3D glasses that literally brings you into the game. In the video we watch (along with Japanese testers) the man experience the PS4’s virtual reality capabilities for the first time. At first the man is spooked by what he sees, but then a glimmer of hope (and success on Sony’s part) is revealed when the man gives a satisfying smirk at the conclusion of the test. The second video (look after the break for it) is titled “Leaked Viral Video” and plays out like a true viral video, shaky cam and all. This one follows two frantic Sony employees into a large facility; once there, they find a gamer who is frozen with excitement over the powers of the PS4 system. The employees remove glasses from his face but cannot pry the game controller out of his hand. The gamer squeals in joy.
After some investigation, the web realized they were douped when 24-year-old filmaker Han West spilled the beans. West created these fake viral videos for a school project that required him to produce “one viral ad and one more ‘polished’ commercial.” “Leaked Launch Trailer”, the polished spot above, took 12 hours to shoot and cost $500. “Leaked Viral Video” took four hours to capture and cost a mere $20. In the end, his timing was impeccible; these video “leaked” onto the web just days before E3, leading many to suspect Sony would announce the vision with the PS4 during their press conference. Job well done, Mr. West.
[Via Kotaku, here & here] Continue reading “Leaked” PS4 viral videos are fake, still fantastic
Watch as Japanese violinist Teppei Okada masterfully plays the iconic soundtrack and gameplay sounds from Super Mario Bros.!
Look! It’s a Super Mario live wallpaper for Android (v2.1 or greater) devices! How awesome is that?
[Via AndroidCentral]
It’s been a long time coming for British musician Mr Hudson. Though you’ve probably heard of him from Jay-Z’s recent single “Young Forever”, Hudson has been in the music biz since 2007 when he dropped his first album A Tale of Two Cities. Back then he was in a band called Mr Hudson & the Library. Having listened to his debut album and working alongside him at his Glow in the Dark tour, rapper Kanye West fell in love with Hudson’s sound, and so he decided to sign him to his G.O.O.D. music label. Hudson graciously accepted and started to work on his debut solo album Straight No Chaser, which would be executive produced by Kanye. The 12-track album includes singles “There Will Be Tears“, “Supernova” (Featuring Kanye West), “White Lies“, “Everything Is Broken” (Featuring Kid Cudi), and “Anyone But Him” (Featuring Kanye West). It released in the UK way back on October 19, 2009. After numerous delays, it was finally made available to purchase and download in the U.S. on June 29, 2010. The UK version contains two additional tracks (“Lift Your Head” & a Calvin Harris remix of “Supernova”).
The best way to describe Mr Hudson’s music is alternative hip hop/electro-pop, if that makes any sense. Straight No Chaser is a breakup album, so naturally it features heavy bass thumping tracks with softer ones to balance it all out. Hudson is a fan of auto-tune, and so a number of the tracks include him using it. Interestingly, he eliminates the use of auto-tune when he’s touring; he finds it to be a fun and useful tool when working in the studio. Having listened to the album only once all the way through, I am not ready to formally review it yet. However I can say that Mr Hudson is going to be huge. He is a gifted artist with a knack for writing and beatmaking. I’d really like to see him perform live someday. Just read these choice words from collaberator Kanye West: “I believe Mr Hudson has the potential to be bigger than me, to be one of the most important artists of his generation.” Again, that comes from Kanye West!
Be sure to look after the break for some more Hudson content. You’ll find music videos for “Instant Messenger” and “Central Park”, plus there’s a short trailer that celebrates the U.S. release of the record. Continue reading Mr Hudson’s debut album finally releases stateside
Here’s the music video for the “Wondamix” verison of Janelle Monáe’s “Tightrope”. The original version features Big Boi; this one’s got B.o.B and Lupe Fiasco. The remix is available as an iTunes download, as is Monáe’s new studio album The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III). She’s got this indie-pop/afro-punk/soulful swagga’ to her voice and style, and I like it. And B.o.B and Lupe make for nice additions to the track.
“King of Anything” is the first single off Sara Bareilles’ second studio album. Kaleidoscope Heart is the followup album to 2008’s Little Voice that featured the break out hit Love Song. You can pre-order the 14 track album right here. And “King of Anything” is available to download today, as is the music video. Sara Bareilles sounds great in this first single, and I have no doubt that Kaleidoscope Heart will please your ears. It releases September 7. (Don’t you just love this music video? The hand clapping and multiple camera shots are fun!)
It’s baaaaaack. The demon thing that took over Katie (Katie Featherston) has returned in a sequel to 2009’s hit screamfest Paranormal Activity. This teaser trailer for Paranormal Activity 2 is just as creepy and mysterious as the original’s. So what do we have here? Multiple security camera shots, a baby, a whimpering dog, and a silhouette that resembles the actress Featherston (leading me to believe that the story will continue with the same demon that terrified us in the first movie). Paramount is taking the same route with the sequel–no casting information has been spilled in order to sustain the veil of realism that made this franchise so widely popular and successful.
If you take a closer look at the trailer you will notice two things. In the last frame at the end, we see a still of the baby’s room through the eyes of the security camera. But this time around the baby (and dog) are no longer in the scene. But look in the mirror! The baby is standing up in his crib! And what’s that scibbled message on the carpet? It reads “what is happening to hunter?” Oh sweet lord what is happening to that innocent little baby?!
You’ll have to wait and find out when PA 2 hits theatres October 22. Kip Williams directs, Oren Peli (writer/director of the original) exec produces.
[Via ScreenRant]
The Social Network aka The Facebook Movie stars Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland) as Mark Zuckerberg, Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker, as well as Brenda Song (The Suite Life of Zack & Cody), Andrew Garfield (the next Spider-Man), and Rashida Jones (Parks & Recreation). It’s directed by David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), written by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing), and executive produced by Scott Rudin, Kevin Spacey, and Michael DeLuca. Like the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich, the film will focus on the founding of Facebook and all of the internal battles that took place.
I have to say that this teaser is rather bland; it has not piqued my interest in the least to want to see this movie, and that’s what trailers are supposed to do. If there’s one rewarding aspect to take away from it it’s the amazing score that’s being provided by Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails) and Atticus Ross. “…when I read the script and realized what [Fincher] was up to, I said goodbye to that free time I had planned,” said Reznor on his site. He calls the movie “really fu**ing good. And dark!” Look after the break for the theatrical poster which reads, “You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.”
[Via Pitchfork; Wiki] Continue reading Teaser trailer: The Social Network
The Smurfs are making their way to the big screen next summer in a live action/CGI animated feature-length film directed by Raja Gosnell (Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Scooby-Doo). Since this is only a teaser trailer, it’s difficult to read what the plot of the movie is. Here’s how the Wiki page describes it:
Set in the Middle Ages, the evil wizard Gargamel (Hank Azaria) discovers the Smurf’s village and chases them into some woods. The Smurfs get scattered and Clumsy Smurf (voiced by Anton Yelchin) wanders into a “forbidden” grotto and some of the other Smurfs follow. Since it’s also a blue moon, a magical portal within the grotto transports them into Central Park in New York. They take shelter with a married couple (Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays) and try to find a way back to their village before Gargamel finds them.
The live cast includes Hank Azaria as Gargamel, Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Jayma Mays (Glee), Sofía Vergara (Modern Family), and Tim Gunn (Project Runway). The voice actors include Jonathan Winters as Papa Smurf, Katy Perry as Smurfette, Alan Cumming as Gutsy Smurf, George Lopez as Grouchy Smurf, Gary Basaraba as Hefty Smurf, Anton Yelchin as Clumsy Smurf, Fred Armisen as Brainy Smurf, John Oliver as Vanity Smurf, Paul Reubens as Jokey Smurf, Kenan Thompson as Greedy Smurf, B. J. Novak as Baker Smurf, Jeff Foxworthy as Handy Smurf, and Wolfgang Puck as Chef Smurf.
The Smurfs hit theatres in 3D on August 3, 2011.
[Via Wiki]
The rumor mill just couldn’t handle it anymore so Hulu decided to make things official: Hulu is expanding its video streaming services to an electronic device near you. The new subscription-based service does not replace Hulu.com, mind you; it gives TV addicts the option to pay $10/month to access full libraries of TV shows on their computers and many other devices. So you know how many of your favorite TV shows you watch on Hulu.com are limited to streaming only five episodes at a time? Hulu Plus subscribers will gain access to every episode of every season “for almost all of the current broadcast shows” Hulu offers. In addition to having access to modern hit shows like House and Modern Family, Hulu Plus subscribers will be able to watch “back seasons or full runs” of some classic TV shows. These include The X-Files, Arrested Development, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hulu calls it “a treasure chest in the cloud for TV lovers.” I concur. And here’s the kicker: all native HD content will stream in 720p high definition.
If you’re a Hulu Price subscriber you can take all your Hulu content into your living room and on the go. I’ll list out the devices. Samsung Internet-connected and Samsung App-enabled TVs & Blu-ray players (available today); Sony & VIZIO Internet-connected TVs & Blu-ray players (support coming Fall 2010); Microsoft Xbox 360 (coming early 2011); Sony PlayStation 3 (coming soon). Got an Apple device? There’s a Hulu Plus app available in the App Store; it runs on iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 3G (all running iOS4), and iPad. And it will stream content over 3G and WiFi. Score! You can download the app today for free and watch some free content to test it out for yourself. It’s pretty incredible, the ability to watch all your favorite (network) TV shows in HD away from the computer. Sure you have to cough up $10 a month but if you’re a TV junkie like me, a price like that might just have you consider cutting the cable cord and opting for Hulu all the way. Unless, of course, True Blood and Mad Men mean too much to you. Decisions, decisions..
Currently Hulu is handing out invitations for Hulu Plus. If you want to be considered for the first wave of subscribers, click here. Hulu says, “We’ll be sending out as many invitations as we can each week, and as soon as we’re ready, we’ll remove the need for an invitation and start bringing in new subscribers without delay.” Look after the break for an informative video about Hulu Plus.
[Via HuluBlog] Continue reading Hulu Plus brings TV & movie content to Apple devices, Xbox 360, PS3, TVs & Blu-ray players
Droid X by Motorola joins siblings Droid by Motorola, Droid Eris by HTC, and Droid Incredible by HTC on Verizon Wireless later this summer. Check out these spectacular specs: 4.3-inch 854 x 480 display, 1GHz TI OMAP3630 processor, 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and 720p video recording, and 8GB of onboard storage, expandable up to 32GB (it comes with a 16GB SD card). All of that’s packed inside a sleek, black 9.9mm thin device. It will come preinstalled with Android 2.1 and a brand new UI skin overlay (it has not been confimed if this is MotoBlur). Android 2.2 and Flash 10.1 support is expected to make their long-awaited debuts on Droid X via an OTA update “in the latter half of the summer.” And there’s more. Droid X will act as mobile hotspot, supporting up to 5 other devices over WiFi. It also features DNLA and HDMI connectivity “to download, stream and share personal HD content.” A preinstalled Blockbuster On Demand app will allow users to rent and watch movies right on the device. Last, let’s talk pricing and availability. Droid X becomes available to the masses July 15 for $199.99 (that’s with a new two-year contract with VZW and after a $100 mail-in rebate). If you opt for the 3G Mobile Hotspot service be prepared to cough up an additional $20/month. VZW is pulling an Apple with this one: All VZW customers whose contracts end by December 31, 2010 will get their early termination fee waived if they want to upgrade to the X (or any other smartphone for that matter). Be sure to look after the break for the full PR and the awesome Droid X commercial that has been making waves on the boob tube.
[Via Engadget]
Continue reading Droid X by Motorola hits Verizon Wireless July 15 for $200