Category Archives: Video

Google introduces the Knowledge Graph, makes search even smarter

Last month Google started rolling out their next evolution in search and they call it the Knowledge Graph. Here’s how they describe it:

The Knowledge Graph enables you to search for things, people or places that Google knows about—landmarks, celebrities, cities, sports teams, buildings, geographical features, movies, celestial objects, works of art and more—and instantly get information that’s relevant to your query. This is a critical first step towards building the next generation of search, which taps into the collective intelligence of the web and understands the world a bit more like people do.

Go to Google and search “Tom Cruise.” In addition to the typical results (links to his official website, Wikipedia and IMDb pages), you will surely notice the Knowledge Graph to the right. Google’s search engine now aims to understand your query and pull together relevant information for you to easily glance at. You’ll see an image of the actor, along with a brief description borrowed from Wikipedia including date of birth, his spouse, children, and a list of the movies he’s been in. Underneath all that you’ll find a “people also search for” section that serves as a recommendation hub for further research.

To reiterate, the Knowledge Graph will provide information based on your query. For example, if you search “Empire State Building” you can quickly glance to the right to find relavant information such as the height of the building and architectural styles.

It may not seem like a giant leap in the evolution of search on paper, but the more you take advantage of Google’s new offering you’ll come to notice that the Knowledge Graph does come in handy and marks a step in the right direction for intuitive search. Google explains it all in a video embedded after the break.

[Via Google] Continue reading Google introduces the Knowledge Graph, makes search even smarter

Trailer: ‘The Bourne Legacy’

The action-packed followup to the February teaser has arrived. Here is the first full-length theatrical trailer for the next movie in the Bourne franchise, The Bourne Legacy. New star Jeremy Renner is trained assassin Kenneth Kitson, “Treadstone, without the inconsistency.” Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach and Oscar Isaac also star alongside franchise vets Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Scott Glenn.

The Bourne Legacy is out August 3.

Jason Mraz hosts an emotional ‘VH1 Storytellers’ this Friday night

This Friday Jason Mraz will take the stage and host the season premiere of VH1 Storytellers, the music/reality channel’s original program that invites artists across all genres to perform a collection of their songs and share insight into how the music came to be. In this installment VH1 promises that viewers will be privy to “a rich assortment of songs from [Mraz’s] truly outstanding body of work,” including tracks from his latest album Love Is A Four Letter Word. And things will get emotional. In a nearly nine minute preview clip embedded after the break, Jason explores the inspiration behind his hit single “I Won’t Give Up” and tears flow before he performs the song in front of a live audience. The gifted singer/songwriter is known for digging deep into his mind and soul and past life experiences to come up with lyrics and rhythms for his songs; fans should be excited because Storytellers gives him a platform to reveal the secrets behind his most popular tunes. Get a taste of what’s in store after the break. Mraz is arguably the greatest live performer to live, so it is somewhat of an understatement when I say this is must see TV.

VH1 Storytellers with Jason Mraz airs this Friday, June 1 at 11PM. Click here to see pictures from the previously recorded event. Continue reading Jason Mraz hosts an emotional ‘VH1 Storytellers’ this Friday night

G.O.O.D. Music: The Throne drops “No Church In The Wild” music video, Pusha T teams with The-Dream for “Exodus 23:1”

It’s been a rather busy week for valuable members of the G.O.O.D. Music family. On Tuesday the music video for “No Church In The Wild” dropped; it’s the third single off Kanye West & Jay-Z’s collaborative effort Watch The Throne. Unlike the previous two singles that also received clips (“Otis” and “Ni**as In Paris“), this riot-themed music video directed by Romain Gavras and shot in Prague does not feature the Throne duo nor featured artist Frank Ocean. Still, like everything West outputs it is visually pleasing and deserves at least one go-around. Watch it after the break.

Rising G.O.O.D. Music rapper Pusha T released a new track titled “Exodus 23:1” featuring The-Dream. The very colorful clip does include Pusha as he stirs controversy with rival rapper Lil Wayne and his Young Money crew. Watch above, then snag a free download here. Continue reading G.O.O.D. Music: The Throne drops “No Church In The Wild” music video, Pusha T teams with The-Dream for “Exodus 23:1”

First look: ‘The Walking Dead’ season 3

The first thing Walking Dead fans are used to seeing before the start of a new season is a graphic production still of Greg Nicotero’s spectacular zombies. This time around, however, we get a two-and-a-half minute clip! Though it’s not all that revealing in terms of plot, some things are said that are worth mulling over here. As we know, Michonne and The Governor will be introduced in season 3, and the action will take place at a fortified prison. Lauren Cohan (who plays Maggie) says, “From the beginning of this you see completely changed characters.” Laurie Holden (Andrea) teases, “We have the introduction of new characters, some that have been announced, some that have not.” Norman Reedus (Daryl) says that in season 3 “People start losing their minds, love blossoms, and a whole lot of awesome zombie kills [will take place].” Andrew Lincoln (Rick) sums it all up nicely: “The pace of it is darker, harder, faster, deeper.”

From the farm to the prison, The Walking Dead returns this fall on AMC. Bonus! Jump after the break to get a first look at Danai Gurira as the katana sword-wielding Michonne. Continue reading First look: ‘The Walking Dead’ season 3

Trailer round-up: ‘Skyfall’, ‘The Great Gatsby’, ‘Anchorman 2’ & ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’

Here it is, the first official teaser trailer for the 23rd Bond movie, Skyfall. Watch Daniel Craig and company in the quick but tantalizing clip above. Out November 9.

Jump after the break for more trailers. Continue reading Trailer round-up: ‘Skyfall’, ‘The Great Gatsby’, ‘Anchorman 2’ & ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’

Two years later, showrunner Damon Lindelof addresses the polarizing ‘LOST’ finale

The date is May 23, 2012. Exactly two years ago on this day the cult ABC drama LOST aired its series finale to much fanfare. In a word, it was polarizing–some accepted it and enjoyed it, while others were extremely disappointed by the lack of answers. In an interview with The Verge’s Josh Topolsky, LOST showrunner/executive producer/writer Damon Lindelof ends his radio silence and discusses the ending of his six year long tale of mystery and connectedness. Topolsky sides with those viewers that remain bitter about the ending, and Lindelof came prepared to admit faults and also defend what came to pass. There are way too many choice quotes to transcript here; so if you’re a fan of the addicting roller coaster that was LOST set aside half an hour to watch this educational video. (And it goes without saying…but…MAJOR SPOILERS here, so beware.)

No matter how you felt after the series wrapped on May 23 in 2010, there’s no denying that LOST kept you in a trance for six whole years and impacted you in some way, shape or form. Though I find myself in Topolsky’s camp (I wanted answers, dammit!), I must say that LOST will forever remain one of my favorite TV shows of all time.

Kristen Wiig parts ways with ‘SNL’ (also, Samberg’s “Lazy Sunday 2” video inside!)

Last night Kristin Wiig made it official with a curtain call at the end of the season 37 finale. After spending seven wonderful years as a member of the Saturday Night Live cast, Wiig has decided to move on to shift her focus on other projects including film ventures. In her final episode Wiig played some of her most memorable characters including the bizarre small hands freakshow in the “Lawrence Welk” cold opening (with Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm!) and the theatrical Mindy in “The Secret Word” game show sketch. Also brought back was the instant classic “The Californians” for a second round before her departure. (I probably could have done with one more Kathy Lee Gifford impression, Gilly (with Will Forte!), the Target lady, and movie reviewer Aunt Linda); but we’ll always have the archives.) At the very end of the show she “graduated” and received hugs from all her castmates and SNL head honcho Lorne Michaels in a very emotional send off. In case you missed it, you can watch the goodbye after the break.

It was rumored that Andy Samberg and Jason Sudekis would also be leaving this season because their contracts are up, too. In the past two weeks Samberg and his Lonely Island crew celebrated 100 Digital Shorts and brought back SNL alum Chris Parnell for a sequel to their breakout viral rap “Lazy Sunday.” You can watch both of these hysterical clips after the break. For Samberg this feels like a nice send off; Sudekis, however, was featured in only a handful of sketches as of late. Though nothing has been confirmed by NBC yet, don’t be surprised if these two aren’t included in next season’s opening credits. We can hope that Samberg will return every now and then for a Digital Short, and Sudekis should reprise his role as Republican Mitt Romney (especially if he becomes the next POTUS).

For now, farewell Kristen Wiig. The show will go on, but it will never be the same without you. Continue reading Kristen Wiig parts ways with ‘SNL’ (also, Samberg’s “Lazy Sunday 2” video inside!)

‘Halo 4’ game box art unveiled, Limited Edition package detailed

The long-awaited return of Master Chief is almost here. Halo 4 is so close you can taste it preorder it. This week Microsoft fleshed out the $100 “Limited Edition” package that will go on sale alongside the standard $60 version of Halo 4 when it hits shelves November 6. Forty extra bucks will get you the following: War Games Map Pack (early access to “three future competitive multiplayer map packs, each including three locations”); Specializations (early access to “six Specializations to achieve higher ranks in your Spartan career and new unlockable customization options”); UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet (“includes an armor customization schematic, a blueprint of the massive ship itself, and insight into what it means to be one of humanity’s finest warriors: the Spartan-IVs”); and bonus digital content available through Xbox Live including unique armor and weapon skins, an exclusive in-game emblem, Avatar props, and an extended 90-minute version of the live-action digital series Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (it provides “an enthralling backstory leading up to the events of Halo 4). Preorder your UNSC-engraved Halo 4 Limited Edition package today. Image of the LE case and PR after the break.

Oh, and how awesome is the official Halo 4 game box art that’s pasted above? Watch it come alive after the break.

[Via Joystiq] Continue reading ‘Halo 4’ game box art unveiled, Limited Edition package detailed

Behind-the-scenes of ‘Epic Mickey 2’ with lead developer Warren Spector

Here’s another look at Warren Spector’s sequel Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. Developer Junction Point Studios enhances gameplay and takes advantage of the next-gen console’s high-def support in a game that brings together former opponents Mickey and Oswald. Look for the title this holiday season available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (with Move support), in addition to Nintendo’s Wii.

Movie poster: ‘Anchorman 2’ (video teaser inside)

We already know it’s official. But now it’s official official. Director Adam McKay and star Will Ferrell are hard at work on the sequel to the 2004 cult comedy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. If this shiny poster says anything, its that the boys of the Channel 4 news team are back in action; that is, Ron (Ferrel), Champ (David Koechner), Brian (Paul Rudd), and Brick (Steve Carrell). Whether or not the film’s actual title is Anchorman: The Legend Continues is still debatable but seems likely.

In an interview with EW, McKay spilled the deets surrounding the secretive teaser trailer he and the stars recently cooked up. Producing the clip “was like the Manhattan Project–except without the possibility of destroying all of mankind, said McKay. He continued, “Paramount came to us with the idea of the teaser, and since we’re writing the script, it was a good chance to see the characters and hang out with the actors to inspire writing. All of the actors slipped right into character and they all looked amazing. Paul has a beard and we’re thinking of keeping it. Kind of an Eddie Rabbit-meets-Serpico look.” Unfortunately for viewers the super-teaser does not reveal an ounce of plot detail. “Nothing’s set,” McKay added. “Right now I can say for sure there is no Ghost Rider cameo or a scene where Ron fights a wolverine on a nose-diving helicopter. We’re either going to shoot the movie in 3-D or 1/2 D.”

The teaser hasn’t hit the web officially yet, but you can hop after the break to watch a shaky, shot-in-the-theatre version if you can’t wait any longer. It’s playing today in front of The Dictator, FYI. More as this story develops, San Diegites. Continue reading Movie poster: ‘Anchorman 2’ (video teaser inside)