Movie trailer round-up: ‘Ender’s Game’, ‘The World’s End’, ‘Captain Phillips’ & ‘Big Hero 6’

Movies, Video, , , , , , , ,

70 years after a horrific alien war, an unusually gifted child is sent to an advanced military school in space to prepare for a future invasion.

That is the most concise synopsis you’ll find of the upcoming film adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s 1985 science fiction novel Ender’s Game. Written and directed by Gavin Hood, Ender’s Game stars Asa Butterfield (Hugo) as the film’s child protagonist Ender Wiggin, Harrison Ford is Colonel Graff, Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) is Valentine Wiggin, Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) is Petra Arkanian, Viola Davis (The Help) is Major Anderson, and Sir Ben Kingsley is Mazer Rackham. There are many who thought a film adaptation of this sci-fi classic couldn’t be done, but take a look for yourself in the premiere trailer embedded above; as a big fan of the book I’m excited to see more. Are you?

Ender’s Game hits theatres November 1.

Jump after the break to view more trailers. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘Ender’s Game’, ‘The World’s End’, ‘Captain Phillips’ & ‘Big Hero 6’ →

It’s Spock versus Spock in an extended, nerd-tastic Audi ad

Hilarity, Video, , ,

I’d hate to post a commercial here outside of the Super Bowl, but this one’s special. The old Spock and the new (namely Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto) star in this nerd-tastic extended advertisement for the Audi S7. Titled “The Challenge,” the spot features Quinto placing a fun bet with Nimoy and along the way you’ll hear “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” and you’ll witness the Vulcan nerve pinch at work. Don’t ask, just watch.

Watch ‘Fringe’s John Noble let in a mysterious ‘Friend’ in new short film

Entertainment, Short film, Video, , , ,

In February I told it it was coming and now the mysterious John Noble short film has surfaced in full. The man who played Walter Bishop for five years on Fringe steps into a new, not-so-different role in Friend, an eight minute short produced and written by Noble’s daughter Jess. “A labor of love,” Friend reunited Noble with many behind the scenes players from his FOX sci-fi series.

“The amazing thing about Friend was our entire production team was made up of Fringe crew. That’s what made it such a unique and personal project,” Noble shared with TV Guide. “Our director was Fringe director of photography David Geddes; our editor was Ari Margolis, who created Fringe‘s wonderful online trailers; and our original music was composed by Jeremy Little, who contributed that wonderful cover of “If I Only Had A Brain” heard in “The Firefly” episode from Season 3.” Additionally, “the cameramen, grips, lighting, sound, catering, script supervisor, makeup, hair, wardrobe, props — they all came from the Fringe family and brought this project to life. Jasika Nicole [who played Astrid Farnsworth] even designed and handmade the paper flowers used in the film. It was a family project in every sense.” The balloon seller at the end? That’s Noble’s wife Penny.

As a refresher, Friend follows “a lonely, grief stricken man of wealth [who] finds a new lease on life after an unusual ‘friend’ is mysteriously delivered to his door. A unique and unexpected relationship quickly forms, bringing hope and color to the man’s bleak existence. But will tragedy strike again?”

It doesn’t take long to discover the mystery behind the door, and in such a short period of time you will connect with Noble’s heartbroken protagonist through his emotional performance that’s sprinkled with some subtle humor. The actor describes it succinctly: It’s “sad, and funny, and special.” From the disorienting mental breaks to the piano-heavy score, Friend is a treat for Fringe fans who recognize Noble’s unparalleled capabilities when he’s placed in a mysterious setting and lost his way.

Video game trailers: ‘GTA V’ & ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’

Technology, Video, , , , , , , ,

With every passing trailer, Rockstar’s next installment in the lucrative Grand Theft Auto franchise looks better and better. This brand spankin’ new clip clocks in at a lengthy 3:53 and is organized by playable protagonist. There’s rich but miserable Michael, caught up in the hood Franklin, and hillbilly Trevor. GTA V releases for Xbox 360 and PS3 on September 17; preorder today.

Get introduced to the next game in the Call of Duty franchise after the break. Continue reading Video game trailers: ‘GTA V’ & ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ →

The next Xbox is coming

News, Technology, ,

Nintendo released the Wii U, Sony laid out its plans for the PS4, and so now it’s time for Microsoft to reveal its next-gen console. The followup to the hugely successful Xbox 360 will be announced on Tuesday, May 21 at 1PM EST at the Xbox Campus in Redmond, WA. On that day “we’ll mark the beginning of a new generation of games, TV and entertainment,” says Xbox’s Major Nelson. “We’ll share our vision for Xbox, and give you a real taste of the future.” If you didn’t score an invite to the event, don’t fret; the press event will be streamed live globally via Xbox.com, Xbox Live, and on Spike TV. See you then.

A Google Glass tutorial shows off the stock UI

Technology, Video, , , ,

Google Glass is starting to ship out to key members of the press who attended last year’s Google I/O, developers, and winners of the #IfIHadGlass contest. If you aren’t included in any of these precious categories, here’s a little something to keep you occupied. Google has released a how-to video for their futuristic wearable technology and it brings you closer to the sleek hardware and the Android-powered user interface. Memorize the “getting started” clip above so that you’ll be ready to interact with your Glass when Google eventually decides to open its new product category to the masses.

Apple reports 2013 Q2 earnings: $9.5b profit on $43.6b revenue

News, Technology, , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

On April 23 Apple reported its second quarter financial results. Apple posted a $9.5 billion profit on $43.6 billion in revenue. Compare this to one year ago, that’s down from a profit of $11.6 billion on $39.2 billion in revenue. That’s the first year-over-year drop in profits and revenue in nearly a decade for the tech company. But still, stay assured Apple is doing just fine in the big scheme of things; they currently have a healthy cash balance of $145 billion. Says CEO Tim Cook: “We are pleased to report record March quarter revenue thanks to continued strong performance of iPhone and iPad. Our teams are hard at work on some amazing new hardware, software and services, and we are very excited about the products in our pipeline.”

Now let’s break it down by product category. Apple sold 37.4 million iPhones in the quarter (compared to 35.1 million in the year-ago quarter); 19.5 million iPads (compared to 11.8 million); just under 4 million Macs (compared to 4 million); and 5.6 million iPods (compared to 7.7 million). Elsewhere, the App Store has seen 45 billion downloads, and iCloud has amassed 300 million users.

Looking ahead to the third fiscal quarter of 2013, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer expects revenue between $33.5 billion to $35.5 billion.

[Via Apple; Engadget]

Twitter drops #music app to promote discovery

News, Technology, , ,

Twitter is expanding its horizons with a new app called #music. It’s a simple service, really, with a snazzy user interface that helps you discover new artists, see what’s popular, and preview and share tunes. The app is organized into five sections: Popular (new music trending on Twitter), Emerging (Hidden talent found in the Tweets), Suggested (Artists you might like), #NowPlaying (Tweeted by people you follow), and Me (a section that lists the artists you follow). Essentially the service scans your Twitter activity (people you follow, specific artists you follow and interact with, etc.) to aid in the discovery of new music you might like. The main portal is the Popular section and the UI displays interactive images of artists that you can tap on. You can preview tracks, share them, and download them via iTunes. Additionally, the artist squares give users quick access to a musician’s Twitter page where you can find out what artists that musician is following. In addition to iTunes for track previewing, #music is tied to Spotify and rdio; if you subscribe to those streaming services, you can link your account to enable the app to play full tracks.

Currently Twitter’s #music app is available in Apple’s App Store free of charge; if you have an Android device you’re out of luck for the time being. However, you can test drive the new service in a desktop browser at music.twitter.com if you live in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand; the desktop layout mirrors its mobile counterpart. In time, the service will expand to more devices and countries.

So watcha waiting for? Go get your discovery on. #getlucky

[Via Twitter]

Sound bites: Daft Punk premieres new hit single “Get Lucky”, Frank Ocean & Anna Kendrick debut music videos, The Lonely Island announces new album

Music, News, Video, , , , , , , , , ,

Remember that oh-so-awesome snippet from Daft Punk’s upcoming new record Random Access Memories. Since then, the good have been delivered: the first single from the French duo’s followup album to 2005’s Human After All is titled “Get Lucky” and it features the classic electronic sound fused with lyrics from Pharrell Williams and wicked guitar plucks provided by Nile Rodgers. It’s predictably catchy and will have you foaming at the mouth for more where this came from. Download the single today at iTunes, and prepare to upgrade your RAM May 17.

Jump after the break for more in music. Continue reading Sound bites: Daft Punk premieres new hit single “Get Lucky”, Frank Ocean & Anna Kendrick debut music videos, The Lonely Island announces new album →

‘Arrested Development’ ad campaign is a must-see for fans (plus: new clip inside!)

Hilarity, Television, Video, , , , , , ,

It’s officially May which means we can now say this: Arrested Development returns this month! In anticipation of the return of the short-lived cult comedy, Netflix is going all out with an attractive ad campaign featuring images and taglines that evoke some of the most memorable bits from the series’ original run. You can sort through it all below; gallery #1 includes some laugh-out-loud promo posters while gallery #2 contains character portraits. Also, the storage container has sprung open (see above!).

Once you’re done there, you’re going to want to hop after the break to watch a BRAND NEW CLIP starring the dynamic duo Buster and his overbearing mother Lucille.

Arrested Development launches on Netflix with 15 new episodes all at once on May 24.

1 2

Continue reading ‘Arrested Development’ ad campaign is a must-see for fans (plus: new clip inside!) →

TV renewals: ‘Bates Motel’, ‘Revolution’, ‘Glee’ and others coming back next season

News, Television, , , , , , , , , ,

On April 8, A&E renewed Bates Motel for a second season. Same order as before–10 new episodes will premiere in 2014.

A&E president Bob DeBitetto: “Bates Motel has garnered critical acclaim and a loyal audience in its first few weeks. With superb writing and exceptional acting, led by the critically acclaimed performances of Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore, we’re incredibly excited to see where Carlton and Kerry take Norma and Norman Bates next.”

On April 26, NBC renewed five dramas including freshmen Revolution and Chicago Fire, Law & Order: SVU (for a fifteenth season), Parenthood (for a fifth season), and Grimm (for a third season).

NBC entertainment president Jennifer Salke: “On the verge of our 2013 fall scheduling decisions, we’re pleased to renew five drama series that will be important to our new season line-up. We’re proud and very appreciative of all of the actors, producers, writers and directors who work so hard to deliver such high-quality work week in and week out. These complex shows represent a broad range of genres and tones, and all of them stand out for us in a television landscape now filled with one-hour series. We’re especially pleased to be renewing Revolution and Chicago Fire — two first-season successes — and there will be more returning series announcements made in the next couple of weeks.”

For more renewal news, jump after the break. Continue reading TV renewals: ‘Bates Motel’, ‘Revolution’, ‘Glee’ and others coming back next season →