Trailer: ‘X-Men: First Class’

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This trailer is so impressively epic I’m just going to let it speak for itself. Watch it many times.

X-Men: First Class stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, January Jones, and Rose Byrne. Directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass). Opens June 3, 2011.

Synopsis: X-Men: First Class charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to prevent nuclear Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.

‘Tron: Legacy’ comes to Blu-ray April 5

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The visually splendid, perfectly scored flick Tron: Legacy is yours to own on Blu-ray Tuesday, April 5, as is “TRON: The Original Classic Special Edition.” Disney’s been holding out on releasing the original Tron so that they could give it proper state-of-the-art digital restoration and enhanced high-definition sound it rightfully deserves. In addition to Blu-ray, Legacy will be released across various platforms including Blu-ray 3D, DVD, Digital Copy, Movie Download, and On-Demand. The BD release will boast 1080p visuals and 7.1 surround sound and pack in-depth bonus features on the making of the film. Disney is going to ship three Legacy bundles ranging from $40 to $80 in price. The motherload is a “5-disc 2-movie Blu-ray combo pack” that includes flick on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD, Digital Copy, and the original, remastered Tron. Bonus features include the “Derezzed” Daft Punk music video and featurettes called “The Next Day: Flynn Lives Revealed,” “Launching the Legacy,” and “Disc Roars.” In addition, all Blu-ray packs will include Disney Second Screen support. The Second Screen companion application can be accessed on any Internet-connected device (iPad, laptop, etc.) and it allows you to explore the story behind the film while you’re watching it. For example, you can engage with elements including 360-degree vehicle turnarounds and interactive progression reels. Look after the break to see the full breakdown of every release bundle.

Oh, and there’s one more thing. Along with Legacy and the original Tron, Disney is also releasing TRON: Legacy RECONFIGURED, an album featuring 14 remixes of the original motion picture soundtrack scored by Daft Punk. Let’s just say April 5 is going to be a wonderful day.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading ‘Tron: Legacy’ comes to Blu-ray April 5 →

‘Fringe’ producers hint at epic season 3 finale [Updates: Ratings slip, FOX prez speaks]

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Fringe fans, the move to Friday hasn’t been too bad now has it? Ratings are holding steady (actually they’re not, see below), and it appears that the loyal hardcare fanbase is sticking with it. And according to FOX execs that’s all they need to confidently renew the fantastic sci-fi series thereby granting it a fourth season. This week producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman shared some intriguing thoughts about the near-term future of the show. “Largely this season has been about the march to war, and it will continue to be so, driven equally by the relationship of Peter and the two Olivias,” Pinkner tells TVLine. “But we’ve got more stuff coming.” Wyman teases, “We can definitely guarantee that the last stretch [of episodes] is going to be very complicated, because you’re going to understand our show in a different capacity. It’s going to stretch your mind and make you think, ‘I never saw that coming.’ We have a few cards to lay down that I don’t think anybody expects. That’s what we feel we owe the fans.”

If you couldn’t process this before, they clearly they have another season on their collective mind. The May finale “will be as much as anything about setting up next season,” says Pinkner. Adds Wyman, “It’s like when you read a great novel and you finish a chapter, you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, something happened that’s going to propel me forward!’ That’s something we desire to emulate.”

Bring it. Fringe airs Fridays at 9PM on FOX.

Update: Looks like Fringe isn’t exactly maintaining viewers like I had previously thought. Let’s take a look at the trend since it moved to Friday. “The Firefly”, Fringe‘s Friday debut, attracted 4.8 million viewers (1.9/6 in 18-49 demo); that was up 12% from its last original Thursday airing. Great start. The following week FOX aired “Reciprocity” and the ratings held steady at 4.6 million viewers (1.9/6 in 18-49 demo). The next episode “Concentrate and Ask Again” started the rocky spiral descent; viewership dropped 16% to 4.2 million viewers (1.6/5). And that brings us to last night’s episode; “Immortality” garnered 3.7 million viewers (1.4/6)–that’s a 13% drop from the previous ep. This is certainly a cause for concern when it comes to thinking about season renewal. The hardcore fanbase needs to stick with this show if FOX is going to pick it up for another season. Obviously these early numbers do not take into consideration DVR numbers (Fringe typically picks up the slack in time-shifted viewership), so these low figures may increase over the next few days. The bottom line is this: if Fringe wants to see another year to live, YOU have to tune into the show when it airs Fridays @ 9PM. Plain and simple. If you must, DVR it and watch it later. Tell your friends about it. The producers have promised they have “years of story left to tell” so it would be nothing short of a catastrophe if FOX eliminated it from its schedule prematurely.

Update 2: Recently FOX entertainment president Kevin Reilly shared his thoughts on Fringe‘s early surge when it first moved to Friday nights. He said, “I’m so psyched about it. It does go to show you the loyalty of the genre audience, when you get the right show. I’m so grateful to that audience, I’d like to shake their hands. We have a lot of passion for that show here.” Even though Reilly released this statement before last Friday’s dip in ratings, it does go to show his massive amount of support behind the show. If ratings can pick up again and begin to level out, I have no doubt in my mind Fringe will return for another season next fall.

[Via TVLine 1, 2; EW]

‘The Guild’ gets picked up for season 5

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Do you watch the fantastic web series The Guild? Well I’ve got some great news for you: sponsors Microsoft and Sprint have picked up The Guild for a fifth season! In case you’re living inside a bubble, the long-running web series follows the on- and off-line lives of a group of MMORPG gamers. The wildly colorful characters and the laugh-out-loud words they speak to one another were imagined by co-creator and writer Felicia Day. Says Day to GigaOm, “We’re lucky that we have such an eager fanbase and that our numbers have stayed so high. Partnering with Xbox increased our fanbase in a real way–it introduced us to millions of people who never would have seen it before.” She adds, “Every season has had a different style and sensibility. That has been on purpose. We’re always exploring different aspects of our characters. This season will be no different!”

After last season’s cliffhanger of an ending, it’s expected that Day will take the gang to a convention for the game they play. According to co-creator Kim Evey, cosplayers may or may not be involved. Director Sean Becker, confirmed to helm season 5, adds to the conversation. “The convention based story line will allow us to take these characters further out into the unknown (meaning away from their computers), which will be new to us as well on the production side,” he told Tubefilter. “I look forward to personally exploring this new environment as well as seeing the characters interact in it. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and by fun I mean extremely hard work.”

If you aren’t caught up on all the seasons, run–don’t walk–to portals like Xbox Live, MSN Video and the Zune Marketplace to watch them. I can confidently say that The Guild is bar none the greatest web series of all time. And I’m not just saying that because I contributed to the production of season 4. It’s smart, funny, witty, and best of all it’s a feel-good comedy that always leaves you wanting for more. Expect season 5 to hit the ‘Net this summer. But will season 5 be the last? According to Day, don’t even think about. “For the end of this season, I have an idea for what I want to do and it’s definitely not closing a door. I’m definitely not planning to make Season 5 the final one. The characters are a vast well. I can’t stop coming up with ideas for them.”

[Via GigaOm; Tubefilter]

3net, a 24/7 3D network, set to launch Sunday on DirecTV

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I know you’ve been waiting with so much anticipation since late December 2009 to hear this news. DirecTV is nearly ready to launch the 24/7 3D network dubbed 3net, the joint venture of Sony Corp., Discovery Communications, and IMAX Corp. On Sunday, February 13 at precisely 8PM ET 3net will be accessible exclusively to DirecTV customers. The network plans to premiere original 3D series and programs every night at 9PM ET. Sony, Discovery, and IMAX hope that the network will “serve as a critical driver for consumer adoption of in-home 3D entertainment” with their goal for the channel “to offer viewers the largest library of native 3D entertainment content in the world by the end of 2011.” China Revealed, Into the Deep, and Forgotten Planet is the Feb. 13 lineup, so if you’re a satellite subscriber and own a 3DTV tune to channel 107 to experience TV in an entirely new dimension. Official PR after the break.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading 3net, a 24/7 3D network, set to launch Sunday on DirecTV →

Nokia and Microsoft enter into a “strategic alliance”

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Bombshell alert! Nokia is ditching its homemade mobile operating systems (read: Symbian and MeeGo) for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7. Today Nokia’s newly appointed CEO Stephen Elop announced that the Finnish company will enter into a “strategic alliance” with Microsoft that will make Windows Phone 7 Nokia’s “principal smartphone strategy.” Elop is hopeful that the marriage between these two companies will result in “a new global mobile ecosystem” based around Nokia’s hardware design and Microsoft’s software architecture. Says the official press release: “Nokia will help drive and define the future of Windows Phone. Nokia will contribute its expertise on hardware design, language support, and help bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points, market segments and geographies.”

They’ve also addressed how Nokia’s services will mesh with WP7. Bing will power Nokia’s search services across Nokia devices; Microsoft adCenter will provide search advertising services on Nokia’s line of devices; and Nokia Maps will be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services. Nokia’s previously announced Qt development framework will not provided to developers to make apps for Nokia WP7 devices; instead they will be working with Microsoft’s Windows Phone Developer Tools. Ovi Store, Nokia’s content and application store, will integrate with Windows Marketplace.

In a stock exchange release, Nokia lays out their future. “[They] expect 2011 and 2012 to be transition years, as the company invests to build the planned winning ecosystem with Microsoft.” The transition is expected to begin immediately (in fact, Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer publicly stated that the WP7 engineering team has been working closely with Nokia hardware designers for some time now) and Nokia hopes to start shipping WP7-powered devices in significant volume by 2012.

What’s going to happen to Symbian and MeeGo, you ask? Nokia expects to continue to sell many Symbian powered devices in the coming years, but the long-term plan is to eventually and quite abruptly kill off the platform as soon as the WP7 devices make their way into the marketplace. MeeGo, on the other hand, will “become an open-source, mobile operating system project.” Though Nokia plans to ship the first MeeGo based device later this year, they see the brand “not as part of another broad smarpthone platform strategy, but as an opportunity to learn” (read: an experimental platform to help drive future innovation).

To the dismay of the majority of Finnish engineers, I am excited about Nokia’s partnership with Microsoft. To be frank, Symbian and (especially) MeeGo were taking an interminable amount of time to develop and catch up to the competition (read: iOS, Android). It is interesting to note that Nokia was contemplating an alliance with Google to bring the Android platform to Nokia devices, but in the end, says Elop, his company “would have difficulty differentiating within that ecosystem” and the “commoditization risk was very high–prices, profits, everything being pushed down, value being moved out to Google which was concerning to us.” I think this is the perfect marriage, really. Nokia is known for making beautifully detailed, sophisticated hardware and Microsoft’s newborn sleek WP7 OS seems like a natural fit. After years of being stuck in a rut, it was time to shake up the chain of command and with Elop in charge it’s clear to see that he’s a staunch believer in steadfast change, even if it means dropping everything (on the software side) for something starkly different and exciting. I’m looking forward to what Nokia and Microsoft cook up in the coming years. If you want a hint at whats to come, hop after the break to see a mockup of Nokia/WP7 conceptual devices scored exclusively by Engadget. Also there you’ll find a related video spelling out the day’s shattering news.

[Via Nokia (1, 2); Engadget (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)] Continue reading Nokia and Microsoft enter into a “strategic alliance” →

HP introduces three new WebOS devices: Veer, Pre3, and TouchPad

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This week HP introduced three brand new WebOS-enabled devices: two smartphones and a tablet. After gobbling Palm last March, HP has worked very closely with WebOS engineer Job Rubinstein to create innovative new products powered by the mobile and ubiquitously-connected operating system. At HP’s “Think Beyond” event they formally introduced the tiny yet powerful Veer, the next generation Pre3, and the very first tablet to run WebOS, the TouchPad.

HP Veer: The Veer is an extremely small smartphone. At just 54.5mm x 84.0mm x 15.1mm and only 103 grams, it’s about the size of a credit card and slimmer than a deck of cards. Rubinstein described the Veer like this: “The power of a large phone in a compact size.” So let’s see what this tiny beast packs inside. It features a 2.57-inch (320×400) glass touch display, an 800MHz Snapdragon processor, 5 megapixel camera, full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, built-in GPS, WiFi 802.11b/g, and Bluetooth, 8GB of storage, accelerometer, proximity, and light sensors, Adobe Flash Player support, it can act as a mobile hotspot supporting up to 5 WiFi-capable devices, HSPA+, one USB port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Veer will be available in early spring. (It’s being reported that the Veer is too slim to feature actual microUSB and headphone ports, so users will be forced to attach bundled adapters to access those ports.)

Continue reading HP introduces three new WebOS devices: Veer, Pre3, and TouchPad →

In Q4 2010, smartphones outsold PCs for the very first time

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Now isn’t this curious news? According to the IDC, a market research and analysis firm, smartphone manufacturers pushed out 100.9 million units during the final quarter of 2010. Compare to this number of PCs sold during that same quarter: 92.1 million. For the first time ever, smartphones outsold traditional computers. Think about that for a second. Pretty crazy, huh? Alarming, no. With innovators like Apple, RIM, and HTC churning out mobile devices left and right, we all knew this day (erm, quarter) would come when the inevitable would strike. And don’t forget–phones are steadily evolving into pocketable computers now aren’t they?

The IDC provides us with more fun facts, if you’re interested. Smartphones shipped during Q4 2010 were up 87.2 percent from the 53.9 million smartphones shipped during the Q4 2009. They say Google’s mobile OS Android “continues to gain by leaps and bounds” and they call Nokia’s Symbian the market leader, interestingly enough. They calculate the top 5 (Q4 2010) smartphone vendors to be Nokia, Apple, RIM, Samsung, and HTC. On the PC front, they name HP, Dell, Toshiba, Acer, and Apple to be the top 5 (Q4 2010) PC vendors. Computer shipments rose by a meager 2.7 percent compared to the year-ago quarter. They say Apple’s iPad managed to stifle demand and competition and thusly constrain PC shipments.

[Via IDC, here & here; Engadget]

Activision kills the Guitar Hero franchise

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Today video games publisher Activision announced the end of the Guitar Hero franchise. Three developers, two publishers, and six iterations later, the once beloved music game is no more. The news came out of the company’s just released quarterly financial results press release.

“Due to continued declines in the music genre, the company will disband Activision Publishing’s Guitar Hero business unit and discontinue development on its Guitar Hero game for 2011.  The company also will stop development on True Crime: Hong Kong. These decisions are based on the desire to focus on the greatest opportunities that the company currently has to create the world’s best interactive entertainment experiences.”

So according to the company, Guitar Hero was axed due to declined interest in the genre. But there’s more to it, obviously. Ever since original creator-turned-fierce-competitor Harmonix handed the reins of the franchise to Activision (who in turn gave it to developer Neversoft and Vicarious Visions) in 2007, the game’s overall feel quickly went sour. The game mechanics got weaker, the songs got stale, the instrument accessories never evolved past toy-like appearance and usability. Each new iteration of the game following Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, in my opinion, paled in comparison to the franchise’s best version (GH II) and the competition in Rock Band. All of these downfalls led to poor sales and ultimately to the demise of the franchise.

With the Guitar Hero brand dead and gone, what’s left of the lingering related games? Well, the only one left standing is DJ Hero and it’s being reported that its developer Freestyle Games is being hit with layoffs too. No word on whether or not it will meet the same fate as its close rhythm-based cousin.

RIP Guitar Hero (2005-2011). You will always be remembered as the video games franchise to revolutionize the way we play interactive music-based games that always seemed to find the inner rock star in all of us.

Update: I happened to stumble upon a blog post written by Activision’s Dan Amrich and he shed light on today’s unfortunate news with a positive spin:

“So, honestly…is that “death” or a much-needed break? For a while there I couldn’t drown out the cries of gamers on forums, blogs, and Twitter saying GH should take some time off, and from all appearances, that’s what this is. Step back, let it breathe for a while, don’t make any major plans, and see what happens in the future. I’m very okay with that, even if the break turns into a long time. Chapter closed? Sure, okay. Book burned? I doubt it.”

Perhaps the franchise isn’t completely just, it’s just taking a long hibernation. Amrich went on to add an addendum to his post that certainly dampens the aforementioned positive thinking. According to the official GH Twitter feed: “We will release the previously announced DLC track and mix packs for February, but we will not be able to release new DLC packs.” So GH DLC is disappearning (for now) as well.

[Via Activision; IGN]

Sony’s Kaz Hirai talks NGP

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Was your heart all a-flutter when Sony announced NGP (Next Generation Portable), the successor to the PSP at their January unveiling event in Tokyo? If so, you’ll want to set aside about six minutes of your day to watch this brief but highly informative glimpse into the man behind the product’s vision. President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. Kaz Hirai talks about the NGP announcement and where he sees the powerful and uniquely designed handheld fitting into the competition (read: Nintendo 3DS).

[Via PlayStation Blog]

Trailer: A&E’s ‘Breakout Kings’

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A&E’s upcoming drama from the producers of Prison Break is almost here. Quench your anticipation with this here trailer which includes glimpses into the season as well as thoughts from the main cast and producers.

Because there’s nothing more dangerous than a convict on the run, we decided to use fugitives to help catch a fugitive. Get it, got it, good. ..Oh, and did you catch the return of Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell, hm pretty?

Breakout Kings premieres Sunday, March 6 at 10PM on A&E.

Glee’s going on tour again!

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Gleeks, get this: New Directions is going on tour again! Here’s the scoop. The Glee Live! In Concert! North American concert tour will star 13 Glee cast members and they include Lea Michele (Rachel), Cory Monteith (Finn), Amber Riley (Mercedes), Chris Colfer (Kurt), Kevin McHale (Artie), Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina), Mark Salling (Puck), Dianna Agron (Quinn), Naya Rivera (Santana), Heather Morris (Brittany), Harry Shum, Jr. (Mike), Chord Overstreet (Sam) and Darren Criss (Blaine). The latter two cast members are the newest additions to the concert lineup. They will perform hit songs from the first two season’s of the FOX show including “Empire State of Mind,” “Toxic,” “My Life Would Suck Without You,” “It’s My Life,” and “Don’t Stop Believin’.” The tour kicks off May 21 in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay Event Center and will travel to 16 locations around the country through June 18 when it will end in Uniondale, New York at Nassau Coliseum. Look after the break for the full listing of tour dates. The previously announced Glee European tour will follow in late June.

Says Glee creator Ryan Murphy: “The cast and I were so moved by the love and enthusiasm of our fans at last year’s concerts that we knew we had to do it again. There is something magical about thousands of ‘Gleeks’ coming together to share a special night with our cast, and this tour is one way we can thank them for their unbelievable support from the beginning.”

Here’s how to snag tickets to the event. If you’re an AMEX cardholder you’ll have access to an exclusive presale beginning Friday, February 11 at 10AM. Tickets go on sale to the general public for most cities on Saturday, February 19 at 10AM. (Here are the other stipulations: tickets for the Boston concert go on sale Friday, Feb. 18 at 10AM; Toronto goes on sale Friday, Feb. 18 at noon; and Sacramento goes on sale Saturday, Feb. 19 at noon.) All tickets will be sold through Ticketmaster. And if last time taught us anything, it’s that getting tix to a Glee concert is a crapshoot; within seconds virtually all venues were sold out. Have the site loaded up with your finger on the submit button at 9:59AM and godspeed.

[Via EW] Continue reading Glee’s going on tour again! →