‘Game of Thrones’ gets interactive: record your Night’s Watch oath today

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Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.

That, my friends, is the Night’s Watch oath. It is required to be recited by those who give up their lives to join the Night’s Watch, a military force that guards the enormous Wall and serves to protect the people of the Seven Kingdoms from the mysteriousness that lives beyond it. The Watch and its oath were invented by author George R.R. Martin, the man behind A Song of Ice and Fire, a collection of fantasy novels that inspired the critically acclaimed HBO series Game of Thrones. In the show we’ve been introduced to the Night’s Watch and even witnessed Jon Snow, the bastard of Winterfell, be inducted into the cold group.

As we get closer to the third season premiere of Game of Thrones, HBO is promoting the series with a fun, interactive way to feel like you’re part of it all. At mywatchbegins.com you can hit record and recite the Night’s Watch oath along with Lord Snow as the words pass on the screen, karaoke style. Then you can hear it back and share the awesomeness with your friends. (Here’s my recording!) Though there really isn’t much to it, hearing your echo behind Snow’s oath…it’s epic and empowering.

Before you get started, watch the clip above to get reacquainted with the oath. Game of Thrones returns March 31.

Super Bowl XLVII: the not quite record ratings and the commercials

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Power outage and all, Super Bowl XLVII proved to be an exciting game after all. Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens dominated the game early on and the San Fransisco 49ers used the approximately 35 minutes of dark downtime to reenergize and make an unexpected comeback that nearly ended the game in their favor. When the fourth quarter came to a close, however, it was the domineering Ravens and MVP Flacco on top besting the 49ers 34 to 31.

Unlike previous years, last night’s Super Bowl did not break ratings records to become the most watched telecast in history. 108.41 million people tuned into the big game making it the third most watched TV program behind Super Bowl XLVI (111.3 million) and Super Bowl XLV (111 million). (And if you’re curious, the hyped post-Super Bowl episode of Elementary attracted 20.8 million viewers with a 7.8 rating in the 18-49 demo. These numbers are huge for the CBS freshman procedural, but they do not match the 37.6 million viewers that tuned into The Voice‘s post-game telecast last year.) Maybe we’ll see another record-breaking explosion in eyeballs next year?

Moving onto the ‘mericals. This year companies had to fork over a whopping four million dollars for a 30-second spot. I’ve posted a bunch of my personal favorites after the break, including those from Volkswagon, Oreos, Doritos, and Taco Bell and trailers for anticipated movies like Iron Man 3 (see the extended cut!), Star Trek, and Fast and Furious 6. You can rewatch nearly all of them at YouTube’s Ad Blitz center. Which are your favorites? Continue reading Super Bowl XLVII: the not quite record ratings and the commercials →

Sony teases something big–is it the PS4?

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On the very last day in January, Sony’s PlayStation handle tweeted out the message “see the future,” providing a link to a website and a video (embedded above) teasing a major PlayStation related announcement coming Wednesday, February 20 at 6PM EST. Though the 45-second teaser doesn’t offer details, it’s certainly tantalizing enough to make you scratch your head and wonder what’s coming. The rumor mill is churning at full speed and rising to the top of the heap is that Sony is readying their next big console release, PlayStation 4. As these things go, time will tell what Sony has up its sleeve.

‘GTA V’ lands a fall release date

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Grand Theft Auto V gets a release date, at last. The latest addiction from Rockstar Games is due out September 17, 2013 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The highly anticipated game has been pushed from spring to fall to allow for “additional development time” says the game maker in a press release.

“Grand Theft Auto V continues to push the series forward in new ways; Rockstar North are creating our deepest, most beautiful and most immersive world yet,” said Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games. “We are very excited for people to learn more about the game in the coming months.”

Watch the trailer in awe again here.

The new iPad sees a bump to 128GB

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News flash: Apple is adding a new storage option for the iPad with Retina display. Come Tuesday, February 5 the new iPad will sell with 128GB of valuable space in black and white for $799 (Wi-Fi model) and $929 (WiFi + Cellular model). Once it’s out, the latest and greatest fourth-gen Apple slate will be available in 16, 32, 64, and 128 gigabyte variants. Perhaps this will pave the way for iPhones and iPods to finally see storage capacity bumps in the future.

[Via Apple]

‘Bates Motel’ gets a poster, watch it come alive

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A boy’s best friend is his mother.

That’s the oh-so-approproate tagline for first season of Bates Motel, the upcoming A&E Psycho prequel series from Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights). A poster featuring young Norman (Freddie Highmore) and Norma (Vera Farmiga) Bates hangs after the break. Above, it comes to life in a such a creep-tastic way. Highmore solidifies the role here and now; that single smirk strikes a chord and he nailed it.

Bates Motel premieres Monday, March 18 at 10PM on A&E. Continue reading ‘Bates Motel’ gets a poster, watch it come alive →

‘House of Cards’ is streaming now on Netflix

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The anticipated Netflix original series House of Cards from David Fincher and Kevin Spacey is now available to stream on Netflix. “This wicked political drama starring Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright and Kate Mara slithers beneath the curtain and through the back halls of greed, sex, love and corruption in modern Washington D.C.,” reads a press release. All 13 episodes (the first two directed by Fincher) are available to stream today.

In a surprise, bold move Netflix is offering up the first episode free for anyone to watch. “The creative team in front of and behind the camera have delivered a riveting 13-chapter narrative that we’re proud to present to Netflix members today,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer of Netflix. “By offering the first episode for free, including to non-members, we are opening up this fascinating world for everyone to see and are confident they’ll want more.” An intriguing move by the company; get hooked after watching the first episode and you’re only option is to become a paid subscriber to see the rest. One wonders if they’ll do the same when Arrested Development comes around this spring?

Watch the first episode of House of Cards at Netflix.

First look: The Muppets are back in ‘The Muppets …Again!’

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The Muppets are coming! The Muppets are coming! After a hugely successful return to the silver screen in 2011’s The Muppets, Kermit and the gang are back for more in a followup sequel The Muppets …Again!. James Bobin is back at the helm and again he co-wrote the script with Nicholas Stoller. Also returning is Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords fame who won a shiny Oscar for Best Original Song “Man or Muppet” which was featured in the first film. What’s this one about? Read on…

Disney’s The Muppets …Again! takes the entire Muppets gang on a global tour, selling out grand theaters in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets overseas, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper headed by Constantine—the World’s Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit—and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two.

Jason Segal and Amy Adams will not reprise their roles. Instead fresh blood will invigorate the franchise; Tina Fey (30 Rock) plays feisty prison guard Nadya, Ty Burrell (Modern Family) is Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon, and comedian Ricky Gervais is the villain’s sidekick Dominic.

“It’s great to be back working with the Muppets,” said Bobin, “some of them even remember my name occasionally now. As for the movie, it’s a tip of the hat to the old-school crime capers of the ’60s, but featuring a frog, a pig, a bear and a dog—no panthers, even pink ones—along with the usual Muppet-y mix of mayhem, music and laughs.”

The Muppets … Again! will shoot on location in London and in Hollywood, as well as in the famed Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, just outside of London. Save the date: March 21, 2014.

Eye the Muppets in London in the colorful image pasted above (Walter’s back!) and after the break you’ll find Gervais keeping Kermit and Miss Piggy close to his vest. Continue reading First look: The Muppets are back in ‘The Muppets …Again!’ →

It’s official: ‘Entourage’ is coming to a theatre near you

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Ever since Entourage came to an end in September 2011 fans of the longrunning HBO series have been drooling over the idea that the boys might return for one last hurrah on the big screen. Over the past couple years creator Doug Ellin and producer Mark Wahlberg have expressed interest in doing a movie; most recently in September Ellin told Deadline that he was fully invested in completing a feature-length script. And now, it’s officially a-go: Warner Bros. has given the green light for a theatrical version of Entourage. Ellin (who has completed the script by now) is set to direct and Wahlberg will produce with Stephen Levinson. Adrian Grenier (Vinny Chase), Kevin Connolly (E), Kevin Dillon (Johnny Drama), Jerry Ferrara (Turtle), and Jeremy Piven (Ari Gold) are all expected to reprise their memorable roles.

Ellin is keeping wraps on the film’s plot but he spilled this to Deadline in September. “There are interesting developments about Ari as a studio head…But foremost is the friendship between the guys who are still hanging out and going to fun parties, and it continues with the same characters,” he said.

And now we wait for the trailer!

[Via Deadline]

Disney Animation’s ‘Paperman’ short will make your day

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A cute little animated short called Paperman played in front of Wreck-It-Ralph back when it was in theatres and now Disney Animation has released the six-and-a-half minute black-and-white clip for all the world to see. If you haven’t seen it yet, set aside that short amount of time and literally get swept away by this romantic tale that doesn’t require dialogue to get its whimsical and charming point across.

Movie trailer round-up: ‘Spring Breakers’, ‘Upside Down’, ‘JOBS’, ‘Oz: The Great and the Powerful’ & ‘Pacific Rim’

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A groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow today and you know what that means–spring comes early. And when it does there’s a scandalous movie coming out to celebrate the occasion. Disney girls Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens are all grown up in director Harmony Korine’s upcoming flick Spring Breakers, also starring Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, and James Franco with dreads and a grill. Basically it’s about four college girls who party too hard, land in jail, and get springed free by a local drug dealer. The trailer promises sex and drugs and money and girls. If that’s your speed, March 22 is the day to remember.

Jump after the break to view more trailers. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘Spring Breakers’, ‘Upside Down’, ‘JOBS’, ‘Oz: The Great and the Powerful’ & ‘Pacific Rim’ →

The Lonely Island returns with “YOLO” (Featuring Adam Levine)

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Andy Samberg made a surprise return to Saturday Night Live last weekend, and he brought with him his Lonely Island pals. Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer teamed up with host Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and NBC’s The Voice and musical guest and up-and-coming rapper Kendrick Lamar to cook up a new music video called “YOLO.” It’s some of their best work yet. Watch it here. And like most of TLI’s clips you’ll have it on repeat in no time.