If you watch the Presidential debate this week, you will find this spoof to be absolutely hilarious. A day after the debate, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon debuted this sketch which stars Fallon as Mitt Romney, an Obama impersonator, and Late Night head writer A.D. Miles as frustrated moderator Jim Lehrer. Lehrer had a difficult time keeping the candidates on the same subject and time contraints made matters worse. In this spot-on spoof, Romney and Obama team up and tell Lehrer to “shut the f**k up.” Enjoy.
J.J. Abrams teases ‘Star Trek’ sequel with Conan
Director J.J. Abrams sat down with Conan O’Brien this week and during their interview Abrams–against the studios wishes–shared with the audience a clip from the upcoming Star Trek sequel. And it has a name now, by the way; it’s Star Trek Into Darkness.
Get this: the clip is only three frames long. After you watch it unfold at the speed of light in the video above, jump after the break for a better look at what you think you’ve seen. Conan correctly predicted that the Internet would freeze frame the very first look at Zachary Quinto as Spock in a volcano. There really isn’t much that can be gleaned from this, but at least it’s something.
Star Trek Into Darkness releases May 17, 2013. Continue reading J.J. Abrams teases ‘Star Trek’ sequel with Conan
Apple reflects on the passing of Steve Jobs, and you should too
One year ago today visionary leader Steve Jobs passed away at the age of 56. When you visit Apple.com you will notice the effort that his company put into remembering him on this mournful day in history that is still ripe in memory. Load the homepage and it immediately starts to play a touching tribute; a montage of powerful images fade in and out as we hear Steve introduce some of the most influential technological advances of our time. The video also includes some of Steve’s most impactful quotes regarding Apple’s DNA. When it ends, a note from his successor Tim Cook appears and it opens like this: “Steve’s passing one year ago today was a sad and difficult time for all of us. I hope that today everyone will reflect on his extraordinary life and the many ways he made the world a better place.”
I never met the man, but I miss him dearly. I will forever be grateful to have served my part at his company during the Apple retail revolution. Each and every day I experience Steve’s contributions to society when I boot up my computer, listen to music, and flick away at my phone. But it’s more than that; his inspiration and motivation to work hard, succeed, and love what you do is keen advice that sits with me at my core. Thank you, Steve, and rest in peace.
Facebook reaches one billion active users
A million users isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? A billion users.
Today Mark Zuckerberg announced that there are more than one billion people using Facebook actively each month. In his own words through a short but sweet blog post:
This morning, there are more than one billion people using Facebook actively each month.
If you’re reading this: thank you for giving me and my little team the honor of serving you.
Helping a billion people connect is amazing, humbling and by far the thing I am most proud of in my life.
I am committed to working every day to make Facebook better for you, and hopefully together one day we will be able to connect the rest of the world too.
Whether or not this incredible factoid will help boost the social network’s failing stock, it’s something to really think about. What this means is that one in seven people all around the world log on to Facebook and actively spend time there for at least a month. Zuckerberg tagged his post with a fact sheet that spits out other impressive bits of info like… there have been over 1.13 “likes” since the site’s launch; 219 billion photos uploaded; 17 billion location-tagged posts; 62.6 million songs have been played 22 billion times; Facebook now has 600M mobile users; the median age of the user is about 22 (close your account, mom!); and the list goes on.
To celebrate the milestone, Facebook teamed with ad agency Wieden & Kennedy to produce a minute-and-a-half “brand video” entitled The Things That Connect Us. In an interview with Ad Age, Facebook’s head of consumer marketing Rebecca Van Dyck shared the inspiration behind it. “What we’re trying to articulate is that we as humans exist to connect, and we at Facebook to facilitate and enable that process. We make the tools and services that allow people to feel human, get together, open up. Even if it’s a small gesture, or a grand notion–we wanted to express that huge range of connectivity and how we interact with each other.”
The ad is embedded after the break. Continue reading Facebook reaches one billion active users
Adele is selected to sing the new Bond theme song “Skyfall”, hear it here
With every Bond movie comes a title sequence theme song. For Bond 23 aka Skyfall, the Grammy-award winning sensation Adele was chosen to produce the latest 007 track. She collaborated with producer Paul Epworth, the man who helped her turn “Rolling In The Deep” into the massive hit it has become. Adele’s vocals shine in this composition definitely worthy of the James Bond seal of approvement. What do you think? Thumbs up? Purchase the track at iTunes.
Skyfall opens November 9. And while you’re here, check out some snazzy posters in the gallery below.
Update: A new trailer that features Adele was recently whipped together. Check it out after the break.
Kid Cudi drops new track off ‘Indicud’ album “King Wizard”
Cudi is back with another new track off his upcoming fourth studio album Indicud. The song is called “King Wizard” and it’s during the hook when Cudi blocks out haters and makes it clear this is his time: “I push the lames aside/They’ll learn…F**k all the talk/In time, they’ll burn…They’ll never take me alive/King Wizard.” Sample the beat and Cudi’s flow in the player below, and click the download button for keeps.
In related news, Cudder officially dropped Indicud‘s first single “Just What I Am” (Featuring King Chip) on iTunes this week.
[Via Complex]
Discover new music: Turbo T. Double
If you’re into the evolving rap/hip-hop scene, Turbo T. Double is a name to look out for. Especially if you’re into Kanye West’s rap collective G.O.O.D. Music. Turbo’s been rapping since he’s ten years old, and now some years later, he’s opened for Big Sean and most recently he’s travelled to Europe to perform internationally. Though his flow is similar to Big Sean’s and even Kid Cudi’s, he definitely has a unique sound that’s worth checking out. His YouTube channel features over 50 clips of him rapping, so you can get a decent sampling over there. It won’t take for you to discover Turbo’s interest in video games, specifically the classic arcade title Street Fighter; see his most viewed video “Gigaton Punch.” To see him in action in the studio, check out this video where he raps over Lupe Fiasco’s “Dumb It Down.” After you’ve checked out his talent on YouTube, head over to his official website to browse and download his varied collection of music.
I had the pleasure of working with Turbo in the past, and I can say without hesitation that he’s a force that will not go unseen in the rap community. He’s been producing tracks for years, but thanks to fan donations and his hard work and dedication to his craft, Turbo is about to really blow up. Need proof? He sent me a behind-the-scenes video for an upcoming track titled “Atoms: The World Is Our Hood.” An accompanied music video is on the way, and it features Turbo along with the same beautiful models ‘Ye used in his Runaway film. The vid is directed by Yemi A.D., another talented collaborator of Kanye’s.
Jump after the break to watch the BTS footage; in it Turbo and Yemi talk about their experience working together and the inspiration behind awesome visuals featured in the music video. Check back here for when Turbo drops the clip in full. Continue reading Discover new music: Turbo T. Double
SpeakSonic album reviews: Owl City, Minus the Bear, Matchbox Twenty, Imagine Dragons, P!nk, Deadmau5 & Muse get scored
The time has come again to get up to speed on the latest album releases. SpeakSonic delivers with this week’s bite-sized album reviews. And they are…
Owl City – The Midsummer Station
Minus the Bear – Infinity Overload
Matchbox Twenty – North
Imagine Dragons – Night Visions
P!ink – The Truth About Love
Deadmau5 – album title goes here
Muse – The Second Law
Movie trailer round-up: ‘Movie 43’, ‘The Lone Ranger’, ‘A Good Day to Die Hard’ & ‘Lincoln’
First up is the very NSFW red-band trailer for Movie 43, a raunchy comedy that brings together the most unlikely group of actors under the same roof. The large ensemble cast includes familiar funny people like Elizabeth Banks, Kristen Bell, Anna Faris, Johnny Knoxville, Justin Long, Jack McBrayer, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chris Pratt, Emma Stone, Jason Sudeikis, and Seann William Scott. Also thrown into the mix? A-listers such as Halle Berry, Richard Gere, Terrence Howard, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Naomi Watts, and Titanic‘s Kate Winslet. So yeah.
Though the trailer doesn’t make it crystal clear, you will probably infer that Movie 43 consists various comedic vignettes. These segments were written by Rocky Russo, Jeremy Sosenko, Patrik Forsberg, Will Carlough, and James Gunn and they were received direction from a wide range of directors and even actors: Patrik Forsberg, Peter Farrelly, Elizabeth Banks, Steven Brill, Steve Carr, Rusty Cundieff, James Duffy, Griffin Dunne, James Gunn, Brett Ratner, and Bob Odenkirk (Saul from Breaking Bad!).
The highly inappropriate flick is lining up to be a hysterical laugh fest. It releases January 25.
Jump after the break for more trailers. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘Movie 43’, ‘The Lone Ranger’, ‘A Good Day to Die Hard’ & ‘Lincoln’
‘Walking Dead’ webisodes are back!
The return of The Walking Dead may be a little over a week away, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your zombie fill right now. The show’s makeup and special FX expert Greg Nicotero is back directing a new batch of Walking Dead webisodes. The four-part web series is titled Cold Storage and it follows Josh Stewart (No Ordinary Family) as Chase, a man trying to make his way to his sister in the early days of the zombie apocalypse. Thanks to some nasty walkers, he is forced to make a pit stop at a storage facility controlled by a guy (Lost‘s Daniel Roebuck) who thinks he has it all figured out.
“It’s such a thrill to revisit the The Walking Dead world from a new perspective and tell a bit of a darker story this time around with the webisodes,” said Nicotero. “We had a terrific cast, and once again the crew came up with some killer walker gags and visual effects. This year there’s a clear nod to the ‘show’ but our story could definitely exist on it’s own as the ‘what if’ story of The Walking Dead.”
Here are direct links to the four gory, suspenseful installments that make up Cold Storage:
PART 1 // PART 2 // PART 3 // PART 4
The Walking Dead returns with all-new episodes October 14 on AMC.
‘Arrested Development’ announces walk-on fan contest (video inside!)
Arrested Development is in the middle of shooting its fourth season for Netflix. I know, it still hasn’t hit me yet. The creative team behind the show is collaborating with the streaming service for a fan contest aptly called “You’re Gonna Get Some Walk-Ons.” They’re going to allow six super fans to visit the set of the show in LA and appear in the upcoming episodes. So what do you have to do to win? It’s simple, really.
Show that you deserve a walk-on role by creating an original piece ofArrested Development content. Entries can be videos (less than 2 minutes), photos, artwork, essays and more.
We’re looking for entries that are the most creative, unique and relevant to the show.
That’s it. Entries can be shared via Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter with the hashtag #BluthWalkOn or submitted directly at the website youregonnagetsomewalkons.com. Hop over to that site to browse the latest entires if you’re short on ideas.
But you didn’t hear any of this from me. Jump after the break to get the news straight from George Michael! Continue reading ‘Arrested Development’ announces walk-on fan contest (video inside!)
FOX bumps ‘Touch’ to January
Sour news, Touch fans. You’re going to have to wait a bit longer for the return of Martin Bohm and his gifted son Jake. Today FOX made a schedule adjustment, removing Touch from its fall lineup and replacing it with Kitchen Nightmares. Gordon Ramsay’s show will premiere Friday, October 26 at 8PM and Touch is being benched until midseason. The network has yet to decide where exactly on the schedule Touch will resume; all we know is that it returns for a second season in January 2013. Hopefully that bonus episode has the power to hold you over until then.
[Via TVLine]