Nike Mag auction ends, raises $11.3 million for McFly’s charity

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Between September 8 and September 13, 1500 pairs of the 2011 Nike Mag sold on eBay. In total, the eBay auctions over that ten-day period raised $5,695,190.53; all proceeds are going to Michael J. Fox’s charity for Parkinson’s research. But it doesn’t end there. Remember that Google founder Sergey Brin and his wife Anne Wojcicki have offered to match all donations to the Foundation up to $50 million through the end of 2012. With that taken into consideration, the grand total morphs into a whopping $11,390,381.10. What an impressive feat for sneakerheads, Back to the Future fans, and the Parkinson’s community!

The celebration doesn’t end here. It continues after the break where you’ll find four “official” Nike videos providing behind-the-scenes looks at the making of the shoe from the future. Now all we have to do is wait until 2015 when the real Nike Mag comes complete with auto-lacing.

[Via Stupiddope] Continue reading Nike Mag auction ends, raises $11.3 million for McFly’s charity →

Jason Mraz releases new track “The World As I See It”

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It’s been a long while since Mr. A to Z released new music. Since dropping his third studio album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. in 2008, Mraz has been touring the world and managed to slip in the five-track Life Is Good EP in 2010. Though the new track is not an official single off his next album (which is expected to release in early 2012), it should still excite you because it’s a never-heard-before song from the acoustic-loving crooner. “The World As I See It” serves as the theme for the “In Search of Incredible” campaign headed by Mraz and tech companies Asus and Intel. The project “seek[s] the most amazing stories from around the world” and you can find out more about it at this website. Listen to the track above, download it at iTunes, and collect the geometrically-inclined artwork after the break. Continue reading Jason Mraz releases new track “The World As I See It” →

Kid Cudi pieces together his life of fame in latest Complex cover story

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Rapper Kid Cudi finds himself on the cover of Complex Magazine for the third time in so many years. In this latest cover story interview with Complex editor-in-chief Noah Callahan-Bever, Cudi opens up about his murky past consisting of drinking and smoking, how things have changed for the better managing a sober lifestyle, and the inspiration behind playing guitar and forming the Wizard album. You can read the interview in full right here; below I’ve copied a couple of standout moments.

When asked about why he spend so much time with fellow rapper Kanye West: “I was at another place, another dark place. Me and my girl had broken up. I wasn’t fully healed yet. And being around Kanye and music was my escape. He’s a sober guy, he has a drink every once in a while, but seeing how he throws himself into the studio when he’s stressing about something, I totally admire that. Being around that was therapy for me.”

When asked to look two years into the future: “I’m always going to be working on something because I have too many ideas. Every day I come up with some wild fucking idea, some type of scheme. I feel like I have a purpose and if I don’t create then I’m letting myself down. I’ve been given this opportunity for people to listen to me worldwide. I’m just gonna fucking keep rocking and keep rocking and keep rocking until I’m in a wheelchair somewhere.”

Browse pictures from the photoshoot below, and watch some behind-the-scenes action after the break.

[Via Complex; DatNewCudi] Continue reading Kid Cudi pieces together his life of fame in latest Complex cover story →

Google+ is now in beta, available for all, improvements galore

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Over the past 12 weeks Google’s new social network Google+ has been in “field trial” mode; the only way to gain access into it was by receiving an invite from Google or friends who were invited into the network early. Today all that changes. Google+ is now in beta and open signups are available for everyone. Simply point your browser to google.com/+ to see what all the fuss is about.

Over the course of the field trial, Google claims to have made 91 different improvements to the network. I will share with you the ones that Google finds most exciting.

  • The mobile version of Google+ getting an upgrade. Hangouts can now be initiated on the go. When you see an active Hangout in your stream, tap Join to enter it. As of right now Hangouts only supports Android 2.3+ devices with front-facing cameras, but Google promises that the feature will make its way to iOS soon. Update: The iOS update has arrived: link.
  • Also on the mobile front… Huddle is being renamed Messenger and it now supports photo sharing. Additionally you can now edit your profile photo, customize your notifications, and (on Android devices) you can move the Google+ app to SD storage to save space.
  • On the desktop version of Google+ the company has introduced Hangouts On Air. Users can broadcast and record video sessions; up to nine others can join your hangout (as usual); and here’s the new feature: anyone can watch your live broadcast.
  • Additional updates to Hangouts include: screensharing, sketchpad, shared Google Docs, and named Hangouts (“for when you want to join or create a public hangout about a certain topic”). Also, Hangouts APIs are now available for developers to fiddle with.
  • Search comes to Google+: “Just type what you’re looking for into the Google+ search box, and we’ll return relevant people and posts, as well as popular content from around the web.”

Click the source links to read about even more improvements, then login to your Google+ account and interact with ’em first hand.

[Via Google 1, 2]

Netflix splits in two: Netflix for streaming, Qwikster for DVD-by-mail

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On Sunday Netflix CEO Reed Hastings posted an apologetic blog entry on the official Netflix Blog and uploaded a similarly themed video to the company’s YouTube channel to announced some big changes. First and foremost, in the coming weeks Netflix will be split into two separate entities: Netflix is being kept for streaming, and the new brand Qwikster will incorporate the DVD-by-mail service. Additionally, subscribers will be able to rent video games (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii) from Qwikster; this will be available as an upgrade option at an additional charge, just like how the Blu-ray upgrade is handled.

So why is all this change happening? Hastings blames his own “arrogance” on it all. He believes that his lack of communication with customers before, during, and after the recent price hike is to blame for the negative backlash the company has witnessed from subscriber outrage, cancellations, and the plummeting of their stock on Wall Street. According to Hastings, the decision had to be made: “So we realized that streaming and DVD by mail are becoming two quite different businesses, with very different cost structures, different benefits that need to be marketed differently, and we need to let each grow and operate independently.”

Though the decision to break up Netflix into two pieces might make sense for the company, there really aren’t any benefits for the customer that I can think of. Netflix and Qwikster will each have their own domains and they will not communicate with one another. This means that queues and ratings will not carry over from one service to the other. That’s a major bummer. Every time you want to change billing information or your password, these things will have to been done twice since the two services are totally separate. All of these extra steps on the consumer end of things is going to make matters worse (read: not better) for subscribers. I get that Hastings thinks that by separating streaming and DVD-by-mail will help the company innovate faster, but in the long-run I cannot see this shift in branding working at all. And isn’t that name just plain stupid…Qwikster, ugh. Reminds us of failed Internet ventures like Friendster and Napster. Is the introduction of Qwikster a step in the wrong direction for Netflix? Time will tell, sooner rather than later I bet. It’s funny. Hastings admits that “DVD by mail may not last forever but we want it to last as long as possible.” This move to disintegrate DVD and streaming services, I think, will speed up that process leading to the demise of physical rentals.

Other tidbits to come out of the announcement… Hastings claims, “There are no pricing changes (we’re done with that!). Members who subscribe to both services will have two entries on their credit card statements, one for Qwikster and one for Netflix.” …Andy Rendich, the man in charge of DVD-by-mail for the last four years (he’s been with the company for twelve years), has been appointed CEO of Qwikster. …The DVDs will continue to ship in ” that distinctive red” envelope but branded with the Qwikster logo. …Hastings hints that, “The additional streaming content we have coming in the next few months is substantial.” (Good news there!) Watch Hastings’ video titled “An explanation and some reflections” after the break.

[Via Netflix] Continue reading Netflix splits in two: Netflix for streaming, Qwikster for DVD-by-mail →

SlingPlayer is coming to Android-powered tablets

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Android smartphone users have been slinging live TV to their devices via the SlingPlayer Mobile app for some time now. Now running through the pipeline is a Honeycomb version of the same app. That’s right: in the near future both Android-powered phones and (Android 3.0 and higher) tablets will be able to run SlingPlayer. The app upgraded for larger screens will go for the same price it always has: $29.99. Click here and sign up to be notified about its release. For now, prepare for the release by watching the video demonstration above.

[Via Engadget]

This week in NEW TV: ‘2 Broke Girls’, ‘New Girl’, ‘The X Factor’ & ‘Person of Interest’

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Last year I posted my Fall TV Preview. This time around I’m breaking that idea in pieces with a new kind of post called This week in NEW TV. Essentially they will serve as expanded versions of my usual TV Reminders. These posts will crop up through October as new TV shows premiere this fall. I will recommend new shows to watch and remind you when returning favorites are coming back. If you want a broader overview of all the new series airing on the big four networks, check out 2011-12 Upfronts coverage.

::MONDAY::

2 Broke Girls — CBS — 9:30PM

Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs star in this new sitcom that’s got a ton of positive buzz. They are being described as a young, female version of the odd couple; Dennings has street smarts and works two jobs just get by, while Behrs is a spoiled princess who’s being forced to work the waitress job due to a string of bad luck and misfortune in her life. The writing is supposedly stellar and the comedic situations that are set up each week are easily relatable: these girls are living in a bad economy and we get to watch them duke it out as minimum wage waitresses to survive. Trailer after the break. (Note: After this week 2 Broke Girls will air in its normal Monday night slot at 8:30PM.)

Give this pilot episode a chance: The Playboy Club (NBC, 10PM)

Returning shows you should be watching: Hawaii Five-0 (CBS, 10PM); Castle (ABC, 10PM)

Charlie Sheen alert: Don’t forget the Roast of Charlie Sheen hosted by Seth MacFarlane airs Monday night at 9PM on Comedy Central. And if you’re interested to see how his Two and a Half Men replacement Ashton Kutcher performs, DVR the CBS sitcom; it also airs at 9PM.

::TUESDAY::

New Girl — FOX — 9PM

Zooey Deschanel is the New Girl and boy is she “adorkable.” The ads plastered all around town don’t have to tell us that. Much like 2 Broke Girls, this show has a lot of exciting positive buzz surrounding it. If there’s one new comedy you tune into this fall season, this is it. The 500 Days of Summer actress brings her enviable charm to the small screen, and we get to watch what happens when her character goes through a messy breakup and then moves into an apartment occupied by three guys. Fair warning: Deschanel can carry a tune and she will be showing off her skills more than once throughout the pilot and series. Are you bouncing up and down in anticipation? Relax–you can get a head start and download the pilot episode for free via iTunes right now. (Note: Damon Wayans Jr. appears in the pilot episode, but he gets replaced by Lamorne Morris after that. Why? Because ABC’s Happy Endings got renewed (thankfully) and he is obligated to remain on that show. New Girl will address the switcheroo.)

1 2

Returning shows you should be watching: Glee (FOX, 8PM), Raising Hope (FOX, 9:30PM) …so basically Tuesday night you won’t need to change the channel–FOX comedies dominate.

::WEDNESDAY::

The X Factor — FOX — 8PM

Four words: Simon Cowell is back. And so is his Idol muse Paula Abdul. They will be joined by Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger and former Def Jam CEO L.A. Reid at the judges table for this new singing competition imported from the UK. Sure it’s reality TV, but you cannot deny how much fun it is to watch Cowell destroy dreams. Get a lengthy 8-minute taste of what’s in store right here. (Note: British judge Cheryl Cole appears in the first half of the episode and then she vanishes. Don’t let your eyes play tricks on you.)

Give this pilot episode a chance: Revenge (ABC, 10PM)

Returning shows you should be watching: The Middle (ABC, 8PM, Glee‘s Chord Overstreet (Sam) guest stars in the 9/28 episode), Modern Family (ABC, 9PM, special 1 hour episode)

::THURSDAY::

Person of Interest — CBS — 9PM

From producer J.J. Abrams (Lost, Fringe) and writer Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight) comes a show with an intricate plot shrouded in mystery and paranoia starring Lost‘s Michael Emerson (Ben Linus) and Christ himself Jim Caviezel. Really, need I say more? The story follows Caviezel, a presumed dead former-CIA agent, as he teams up with Emerson’s mysterious Mr. Finch to prevent crimes before they happen. Finch understands the ins and outs of the surveillance technology that’s installed inside every crevice of New York City, and he uses this information to his advantage to save lives. I was lucky enough to view the pilot at Comic Con earlier this summer, and I can say with full confidence that this show is not one to miss. It’s a classic, adrenaline-filled procedural with a Michael Emerson-fronted mythos attached. I mean, what more could you ask for?

Returning shows you should be watching: The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 8PM); Community (NBC, 8PM), Parks and Recreation (NBC, 8:30PM), The Office (NBC, 9PM)

::FRIDAY::

Give this pilot episode a chance: A Gifted Man (CBS, 8PM)

Returning show you should be watching: Fringe (FOX, 9PM) Continue reading This week in NEW TV: ‘2 Broke Girls’, ‘New Girl’, ‘The X Factor’ & ‘Person of Interest’ →

2011 Emmy results: ‘Modern Family’ is king

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Last night Jane Lynch hosted the 63rd Primetime Emmys. Overall, Lynch proved to be a fun host. Her opening musical number featuring numerous TV celebs (Leonard Nimoy came out of retirement again to serve as “the President of TV”) tickled viewers’ funny bones and started things off right. Her zingers throughout the night (especially the one acknowledging her lesbianism) were downright hilarious. Her only fault has to be the New Jersey spoof she took part in; it was terribly boring and nearly all the jokes fell flat. Besides that, though, Lynch rocked it and the telecast went by smoothly and uncharacteristically speedy (except for maybe the mini-series/movies categories; that part tends to always drag on). Other exciting and fun moments from the night include: the two Jimmys of late night TV getting in a faux-fight; Ricky Gervais’ prerecorded bit about censorship; Charlie Sheen apologizing to the entire TV industry; The Office bit was outrageously funny in so many ways; and Amy Poehler pouncing onto the stage when her name was listed before the other Best Actresses in a Comedy nominees was priceless. Things that didn’t come across so well: the Emmy-Tones (Zacahary Levi, Cobie Smulders, Taraji P. Henson, Kate Flannery, Wilmer Valderrama, and Joel McHale seemed so stiff and the lyrics weren’t all that amusing); the Canadian Tenors rendition of “Hallelujah” was so-so; and that masked announcer was more of an annoyance than anything else as Emmy winners made their way to the stage.

Speaking of Emmy winners, let’s move on to those. Modern Family and Mad Men took home the top prizes for outstanding comedy and drama series, respectively, just as they did last year. And for those of you keeping count, Modern Family is 2 for 2 and Mad Men is an impressive 4 for 4. Other non-surprises of the night include The Daily Show with Jon Stewart winning Outstanding variety, music or comedy series for the ninth consecutive year and The Amazing Race winning Outstanding reality competition for the eighth time in nine years.

As spoiled in the post title, Modern Family walked away as this year’s Emmy victors. The ABC sitcom took home five statues for Outstanding supporting actor (Ty Burell), Outstanding supporting actress (Julie Bowen), Outstanding director (Michael Alan Spiller for the “Halloween” episode), Outstanding writing (Steve Levitan & Jeffrey Richman for the “Caught in the Act” episode), and of course Outstanding comedy series as mentioned above. Other notable comedy winners include… Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) stole the Outstanding lead actor award from Steve Carrell (The Office) and Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly) beat out Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) for Outstanding lead actress.

In the drama categories, Mad Men interestingly did not take home any other awards in addition to their Outstanding drama series win. Friday Night Lights faded to black with two big wins: star Kyle Chandler was named Outstanding lead actor and creator Jason Katims was acknowledged for his writing. Other notable drama winners include…  Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) won Outstanding lead actress and Margo Martindale (Justified) nabbed the award for Outstanding supporting actress. And yes I’ve saved the best for last: Peter Dinklage was awarded Outstanding supporting actor for his phenomenal portrayal as Tyrion “The Imp” Lannister in HBO’s Game of Thrones.

Look after the break for the full list of winners. Continue reading 2011 Emmy results: ‘Modern Family’ is king →

Teaser trailer: The Muppets in “The Pig With The Froggy Tattoo”

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It’s definitely been awhile since Muppets Studio pumped out a parody trailer for the upcoming Muppets movie. I am happy to announce that the wait is officially over. “The Pig With The Froggy Tattoo” sits above, and it wonderfully parodies David Fincher’s teaser trailer for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Man I cannot wait for The Muppets to return to the big screen. They arrive this Thanksgiving on November 23.

Music video: Asher Roth – “Last Man Standing” (Featuring Akon)

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Rapper Asher Roth is ramping up production on the followup to his 2009 debut Asleep in the Bread Aisle by dropping a new single titled “Last Man Standing.” It serves as the lead single off his sophomore attempt now called Is This Too Orange? (it was originally named The Spaghetti Tree). It’s due out later this year; a new mixtape Paps & Jazz will precede it.

The music video for “Last Man Standing” finds Asher stuck inside a haunted mansion fending off his enemies with combat and fast rhymes. It all plays out in slick comic book style; the rapper teamed up with comic book artist Chris Hunt to make the cool, authentic visuals pop. Featuring artist Akon is transmitted digitally onto the scene.

[Via Rap-Up]

Lost’s Tania Raymonde & Freddy Kruger to guest star on ‘Hawaii Five-0’

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Can you believe it? Another Lost actor is returning to the Island! According to EW, Tania Raymonde (aka Alex Rousseau) will guest star in an upcoming season 2 episode of Hawaii Five-0. She will play “Trisha, a married woman caught up in a love triangle between her husband and the volleyball coach she’s sleeping with.” Raymonde joins Five-0 regular Daniel Dae Kim and new recurring guest star Terry O’Quinn in the greatest attempt to reunite the case of Lost. Glad this natural beauty is finding work post-Lost; she’s currently starring in the new MTV series Death Valley.

In related casting news, Robert Englund–the man best known for portraying Freddy Kruger in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise–will also guest star in a Five-0 episode. And can you guess which one? That’s right–the Halloween-themed one. EW got this scoop too and they say he will play “a homeless desert storm veteran who hangs around an ancient burial site and becomes a suspect in a murder investigation.”

Hawaii Five-0 returns this Monday, September 19 at 10PM on CBS.

[Via EW 1, 2]

Microsoft details Windows 8 at BUILD 2011 conference

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This week at its developer-focused BUILD conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft previewed Windows 8 in all its Metro glory and offered up new juicy details surrounding the upcoming sleek OS. Methinks they can be best presented in easily digestible bullet point format.

  • Windows 8 doesn’t require the latest and greatest and most powerful computer guts to run well. At the conference Microsoft’s President of Windows Steven Sinofsky (above) showed off a Lenevo S10 running Win8 without hiccup. The S10 is an ancient netbook released in 2008 with a single core 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor and 1GB of RAM, mind you.
  • Sinofsky also showed off not-yet-released ultra thin-and-light notebooks running Win8 smoothly. These “ultrabooks” of the future will have no problem powering the OS.
  • Win8 will come baked with NFC support. Microsoft demoed a tap-to-share feature whereby users can physically tap a tablet running Win8 to another compatible device and share information between the two devices. Just like HP’s “touch-t0-share” functionality between the TouchPad and other WebOS devices.
  • Xbox Live is coming to Windows. The company promises that this new service will bring the console’s games, music, movies, and TV shows to Win8 devices. (Click here to watch a demo)
  • The Windows Store (Microsoft’s version of Apple’s Mac App Store) will sell both Metro-style and conventional Windows apps.
  • Metro apps can communicate with one another so long as the developer builds that functionality in. Microsoft offers this example: “You can easily select and email photos from different places, such as Facebook, Flickr or on your hard drive.”
  • Windows SkyDrive support allows users to access content in the cloud across various Win8 devices with a Microsoft account.
  • The company has given a name to the pane that houses Search, Share, Start, Connect, and Settings. A swipe from the right brings up those aforementioned “Charms.”
  • The new OS will offer three different ways of logging into your account: password, PIN, or picture password. That last one is definitely the most innovative; you can select a picture from your collection and you will be asked to setup three touch points. When you go to login simply touch the predetermined points and you’re in!
  • Expect much, much faster bootup times. Depending on the type of hardware, going from completely off to the login screen could take as short as 3-5 seconds.
  • The ability to refresh and reset the OS from scratch is a new feature. If for any reason your system becomes corrupted due to, say, a virus you can wipe it out but keep all your settings in tact with a feature called Refresh. If things get really bad or you’re just looking to start anew again, Reset makes it easy to restore your OS to its original factory settings.
  • Last but certainly not least I want to talk about the core of Windows 8. Microsoft continues to reiterate that the new Metro UI and its Live Tile apps is not a skin on top of the classic Windows 7-esque desktop. At the conference the company demoed how users will easily be able to switch back and forth between the new UI and what Windows enthusiasts are used to. Think of it like this. The traditional Windows desktop with Start menu and Quick Launch bar lives next to (not underneath or above) the new UI. To access it users will tap or click the “Desktop” square that lives among the apps that make up the Metro UI. Want to download and engage with new HTML5-based apps? Stay inside Metro. Need to pull up a spreadsheet in Excel? You’re probably going to want to switch into the classic Windows mode. Let’s hope that Microsoft eventually ports their Office suite to Metro like Apple built an iOS version of iWork. Once that happens, your eagerness to return to the dark ages will quickly begin to dwindle. Microsoft is firm in its belief that Metro is the future for their PCs and smartphones; don’t be surprised if one day they completely phase out the Windows interface of yesteryear.
  • Update: Microsoft has announced that the Internet Explorer 10 running in Metro will not support any plug-ins. And that includes Flash. But why? Because they claim it “improves battery life as well as security, reliability, and privacy for consumers.” Don’t fret, though; IE10 running in the classic Windows app will support plug-ins as usual. Though Flash maker Adobe says they are ready and willing to “drive innovation in HTML5,” they will also be working hard to enable Flash-based apps in Metro via Adobe AIR.

Windows 8 is expected to release in 2012. But what if I told you there’s a way to get your hands on Windows 8 right now? The Windows Developer Preview is out now! So for all you app-makers out there excited to start building apps for the Metro interface, don’t wait another minute and click that link. And for those of you who are interested in learning more about Microsoft’s next big thing, check out the Windows unveiled article posted back in June. Microsoft’s plan to integrate Windows 8 across all kinds of devices (desktops, laptops, ultrabooks, and tablets running x86 and efficient ARM processors) is discussed in more detail there and after the break in PR form.

[Via Engadget 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] Continue reading Microsoft details Windows 8 at BUILD 2011 conference →