Sunday, January 31, 2010

Kathryn Bigelow Wins Big at DGA

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AMC’s Script to Screen blog is reporting that Kathryn Bigelow has won the top prize during the Directors Guild of America (DGA) ceremony Saturday night.  This win makes Kathryn Bigelow the first women to take the award in the DGA’s over 70 years of history.  This win also, places Kathryn in good position to take the Best Director Oscar at next months ceremony.

Now Kathryn Bigelow may not be a household name for many of you.  So for the uninitiated, which I’m not far off from.  Kathryn Bigelow is a film director and ex-wife of another famous director in James Cameron.  Kathryn has directed a number of films over the past 30 plus years, which include films like K-9:The Widow Maker, Point Break and now The Hurt Locker. 

Now, if your like me, when you think women directors you think of romantic comedies and dramas.  But not with Kathryn.  Kathryn has to her credit a number of action films which now includes ‘The Hurt Locker’. 

The Hurt Locker was a great film that kept me on the edge of my seat during the entire film.  But what floored me even more that the action and suspense of the film was the fact that it was a women that had directed the film.  In many ways, I think that it was a good thing that I didn’t know it was a woman who had directed The Hurt Locker up front, as it may have influenced me before hand and I wouldn’t have had the surprise of finding out that a women had made ‘The Hurt Locker’. 

I have to give it up to Kathryn.  Kathryn surpassed my expectations of her and challenged the stereotypes that I had about women directors.  I sincerely hope to she her next film Triple Frontier, to see what she may do next. 

So what are your thoughts?  Have you seen ‘The Hurt Locker’?

Dare 2 Dream Again

This is a plug for my friend Tim over on the Inside Timmy's Mind blogs. 

You ever have something that you’ve always dreamed of doing but you felt that it was so incredible and out of reach that you could never obtain it.  Well its time to ‘Dare 2 Dream’ my friend.

My friend Tim over on the 'Inside Timmy’s Mind’ blog is doing just that, Daring to Dream.  He has set out on a goal to complete a list of 18 things before his 37th birthday on July 20,2010.  Now, some people may say that his dreams are unattainable, or to lofty, but I believe he would say that its probably more like “sheer lunacy” to try and attempt these 18 goals in 25 weeks.

And you know what? It is sheer lunacy to try and accomplish your dreams.  How many people really get to be an famous actor?  Or a famous musician?  How many people become CEOs?  For some, the dream might be to get married and have children, to get a decent job and a home.  But very few really get to chase the dream that they’ve always dreamt about in their youth.

Fewer still continue to dream as adults.  Life begins to get boring and routine, and eventually ends up being about simple not rocking the ship.  That is why I’m supporting Tim in his endeavour.  We all need to continue to dream.  Just because life seems to be settling down, doesn’t necessarily mean that we also need to.  I know that some may disagree with this, but I feel that we are here for a purpose bigger than ourselves, that doesn’t end until the Lord takes us.

Growing up in the church and reading the Bible, I’ve come across stories of people that worked up until death on a particular calling.  That was there mission, or dream to complete before they pass on.  You have a calling to, something that you need to do.

I apologize if I’m coming off a bit preachy today,  but its Sunday and I feel a need to say this.  Find what your passionate about and pursue it with all your  heart.  And to Tim.  Keep going.  Press on to your dream.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Wall Street 2:Money Never Sleeps Teaser

Its confession time.

I have to confess I never seen the first Wall Street. Seeing Wall Street has been on my to do list for sometime now and I’ve never gotten around to seeing.  But from everything that I’ve heard, Wall Street was a very defining film that spoke out about how corporations where operating.  “Greed is Good” is a tag line that has been engrained within the corporate world now for a long time and contributed to the recent downturn in our economy.

So its interesting to see Oliver Stone dust off the old Wall Street franchise and do a sequel.  The first trailer looks impressive and I can’t wait to see it when it comes out.  Well this time.

***Found this posted on The Movie Blog

Van Damme Goes back to the Ring

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I’m not sure if this is a reflection of how well Jean Claude Van Damme’s career has been going over the past 15 years.  But Film Junk is reporting that Van Damme will be returning to the Kickboxing area.

Now, Jean Claude Van Damme might be a name that your not to familiar with, especially if you didn’t grow up during the late 80s,earlier 90s.  Jean Claude Van Damme, was a huge martial arts film star during the late 80s and 90s that kind of fizzled  out over the last 15 years.  Van Damme has had some blips of hope in his career over the years, but nothing that has worked to bring him back into the spotlight again.

But returning to the ring?  Its kind of a odd move on his part.  Perhaps Van Damme looked at Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa at age 60 and thought that perhaps he could gain recognition as a martial arts again if he went into the ring at 50.  I can’t really imagine Van Damme coming out of the ring victorious against a much younger opponent in Somluck Kamsing. But it will be interesting to watch.

So, the whole thing is probably just a big publicity stunt, but it will be interesting to see just what Van Damme can still do at 50.  The only question is, will you be watching? 

Are you a fan of Van Damme?  Do you care at this point?

***Update:  I just found this clip over on the Huffington Post

Conan in Cheetos



This is apparently is an homage to Conan O'Brien, whom we all love and miss from his 11:30 pm time slot and The Tonight Show.  My only question with this is,  did he really need to use that many Cheetos?  According to the article that I found this video posted on,  the artist used over 50 bags of cheetos to produced this amazing portrait of Conan.

I'm ususally not one for wasting food, but it makes for a great video.  So Enjoy!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Zachary Takes a Break

Spock&Kirk

Yep its true.

Anyone that watched Star Trek last year, knows that Zackary Quinto’s Spock was a big part of what made Star Trek good.  But it appears that all of Zachary’s success has taken its toll on him and now he’s looking to take a break from Star Trek.

AMC’s Script to Screen blog is reporting that during an interview with Wired to promote the Star Trek MMO (to which Zachary lends his voice), Zachary mentioned his desire to take at lest a 2 year break from all things Star Trek.  Zachary started he would be involved in “….no movies, no conventions, no anything for a while.”  What this means for Star Trek’s sequel, which is set to release on June 29, 2012,  is uncertain.

I have to agree with Christina Warren over at the Script to Screen Blog.  Zachary could take a 2 year public break and still be in the Star Trek sequel.  I can’t imagine Zachary walking away from Star Trek.  So I wouldn’t be to worried about him getting replaced or having a sequel without Spock.

But if Zachary was to walk from Star Trek, who would you like to see play Spock?

Dead Rising Movie Coming

Deadrising

Well a Japanese film that is.

IGN is reporting that a Dead Rising film was officially announced by Capcom in Tokyo, Japan Monday.  This Dead Rising film will be directed by Dead Rising producer Keiji Inafune and will follow the exploits of two brothers that find themselves in a quarantined zombie town.

Looking from the trailer (which you can see here),  this is very clearly a b-movie which has all of the gore and bad acting that normally accompanies these types of films.  Which leads me to ask, why Capcom would want to produce a film like this.  Are b-movies more popular with the Japanese audience?  Or is this simply Capcom cutting their teeth on a film?

In any case,  the Dead Rising film will be released later this year online for those curious enough to see it.

Is the iPad for You?

Unless you've been hiding under a rock your probably know by know that the Apple iPad has been officially announced.  This announcement comes after about 10 years of rumours and months of speculation about what the iPad would be and do.

Even the Mainstream media has managed to become captivated by the iPad. On CTV (a major network up here in Canada), the noon news usually runs a call in segment (Talk Back Toronto) where they ask a question of the TV audience.  Today's question for Talk Back Toronto was, "Will you buy the new Apple Tablet device? " Now this question came about an hour before the actually Apple announcement, but yet they were asking viewers on a mainstream news broadcast what they thought about this device.  Its just crazy to think that your mom or grand parents know about the iPad before it was even announced.

But is the iPad for you?  Is it a device that you should buy?  The truth is, since no one has really had a lot of time with the device,  I would have to say that it might be a bit uncertain whether or not you should be running out to grab an iPad.  Also, I think we need to consider how people will be using the iPad.

The iPad seems to be positioned to be a better Net Book.  To play your media and read your books on; to play games; and to be a work machine.  For each of these different uses I think we need to be asking questions.  If I use the device to read books on, will I suffer from eye strain?  If I use the device for work, will I be as effective on this device without a physical keyboard?  If the requirement is to get the keyboard accessory for me to be able to be as effective on the iPad as I would be on a laptop to do my work, I think that this quickly becomes a very different device.  Depending on the weight and price of the keyboard some business professionals may find themselves trying to justify the purchase of the iPad.  Also, the lack of multi-tasking may make the iPad a non starter for people who like to multi-task. (Which is most people by the way.)

If your looking to the iPad to replace your Kindle for reading,  you may want to hold on it.  With a LED backlit screen I have to believe that people will be complaining about eye strain after hours of use.  Unless Apple has some how solved the problem with eye strain from LED screens.  Students wanting to use this device for reading there text books and doing their homework may run into similar problems.  For Apples sake I hope eye strain won't be a huge issue with this device.

For gaming and watching or listening to your media,  this could be a very compelling device.  Many people since the release of the iPhone and iTouch have been craving a device that is slightly larger, to view there media on.  The iPad is the device for you if that was what you've been waiting for.  The only problem is the lack of support for flash, which by the way, is becoming less of a problem.  With the increasing use of HTML 5, many sites are now starting to forgo Flash when doing video or animation.  Not that HTML 5 will replace Flash over night.

So the iPad is kind of a mixed bag right now.  As we get closer we should have a better picture of just what this device is good for and what it is not.  Until then I will remain sceptical and continue to ask questions of this device. So what are your thoughts on the iPad?  Are you buying one?

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Apple Announces iPad

iPadgdgt So its the iPad. 

Apple has just announced the iPad.  A device that from the looks of it, is a better and larger iPod Touch.  It will be useful for web browsing, reading print media, watching movies and listening to music.  It can access iTunes directly which will be handy when your on the road.  It also features applications, gaming and scheduling and drawing programs.

The iPad also features a 9.7 inch screen, is 0.5 inches thick, weighs just 1.5 pounds and has a 10 hour battery life.  Its seems like Apple is trying to get the net book market with this device, by positioning it not as a replacement for the Macbook, but as a sub device. Which, as I think of it, could be a really good device to have.  As soon as I heard the dimensions and weight I realized that this would be a good traveling device when you don’t want to carry around a heavy laptop.

What I’m worried about is the fact that it has a keyboard similar to the iPhone and iPod Touch’s keyboard.  I’m not sure how anyone is going to be able to type on it, especially at that size. Then again, I would have to see it.  Perhaps there is a way.

Also, I’m worried about the price, which up to this point in the press conference, hasn’t been announced.   But I’ll stay tuned and try to do report on that later.

**** Update:  The iPad will sell for $499 for the 16G model.  Wow.

World Waits on Apple

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Unless your not much of a tech geek,  you probably already know about Apple’s press conference which is scheduled to happen later today.

At this press conference Apple is expected to take the raps off of there highly rumoured Tablet PC or iSlate, as some believe it will be called. 

The iSlate comes surrounded by much hype and bold claims on the part of Apple enthusiasts.  From revolutionizing the print industry, to being a better book reader than the Kindle, to a great multi-media device. 

Whatever the case, Apple at lest believes that this device is a big deal.  A big enough deal in fact to make sure that nothing would get out about this rumoured device before the announcement.  At lest nothing concrete.

In all truth,  I won’t be one of the people jumping on the Apple band wagon until I personally see the device.  I’ve been thinking of getting  a laptop, but I’m just not sure if a tablet would be a good chose for me.  Sure Tablets are great to draw on, and for watching media, but I want something with a keyboard.  So I have to wonder what Apple will do to over come this hurdle.  Certainly, people said the same thing about the iPhone’s lack of a keyboard and they eventually got use to it, but I have to think that in a work environment your going to want the feeling of keys under your fingers.

But in any case,  before I get to far ahead of myself talking about whether I think this device will be good or not,  I’ll just stop here and wait for the announcement to at lest come out. 

So what are your thoughts?  Are you waiting for the iSlate?

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Mortal Kombat Remake Coming

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Bloody Disgusting is reporting that Warner Bros. is in talks to remake Mortal Kombat.

Mortal Kombat for the uninitiated was a popular arcade fighting game that first debuted in 1992.  In 1995, Mortal Kombat was turned into a film and released to theatres by New Line Cinema.

Mortal Kombat was a pretty good film at the time, although a bit cheesy and featured a very iconic techno music soundtrack.  Its just to bad that the sequels didn’t live up to the first film.

But now, 15 years after the release of the first Mortal Kombat film (13 years after Mortal Kombat:Annihilation),  they have decided to remake this film.  Is it too soon for a remake?  The majority of the film going audience has seen Mortal Kombat in some form and may still have it fresh in their mind, but I kind of think this is a good move on the part of Warner Bros..

I think most people have a very short memory of the past and if you want to test that, just ask them when the major blackout happened that took out most of North America.  I can guarantee they can’t remember the date or the year, some may not have even remembered that a black out occurred until you ask them about it.  But in any case, given the length of time I don’t think most people will be looking on Mortal Kombat as a sequel.  Nor will people be comparing the two films,  especially if the marketing is done right for the Mortal Kombat remake.

But, the one hurdle that Warner Bros. will need to get over is that most videogame movies suck.  Especially fighting game movies.  With Street Fighter: Legend of Chun Li in the minds of the unfortunate people that say that film, it may cause some trouble for Mortal Kombat film to be taken seriously.  Not that many people saw the last Street Fighter film.

In any case, I wish Warner Bros. the best on Mortal Kombat.  Hopefully Warner Bros. will be able to do the impossible and make a great videogame movie.

Avatar is #1 All Time Worldwide

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Many of you will remember that yesterday I wrote about how Avatar had beaten the all time international box office record with $1.288 billion.  Also, how Avatar at its current pace was expected to break the all time worldwide box office record this week.

Well it appears that Avatar broke the worldwide box office record a bit faster than I thought.  AMC’s Script to Screen blog is reporting that Avatar has beat Titanic to claim the all time worldwide box office record.   It’s really unbelievable to think that in just 6 weeks any film could pull in more than $1.8 billion at the box office, but here Avatar has done it. 

Just how high Avatar could go, no one is really sure.  CBS is estimating that Avatar could pass the $2 billion mark, which is very reasonable give the fact that there aren’t any big 3D films coming until Alice in Wonderland in March. 

Avatar however, has quite away to go to break the all time box office record with adjustments to inflation.  ‘Gone with the Wind’ still holds the record with an estimated $6 billion after inflation.

But all in all, Avatar has performed really impressively.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Gremlins 3D?


Ah Gremlins.

Growing up in the 80s, we were treated to many great comedies and campy films.  Gremlins was one of those classic films. At the time, Gremlins was very original and great fun to watch with your friends.

But now with many 80s classics making a come back in the form of a remake.  It seems that Gremlins is up for some remake magic.   The Movie Blog is reporting on a rumour that a Gremlins 3D film is in the early stages of development. 

And I have to ask myself why.

Gremlins was a franchise that worked very well in the 80s, but I'm just not sure how Gremlins could really benefit from a remake or from 3D.  Don't get me wrong, I very much love the Gremlins franchise,  I'm just not sure how it would work.

Certainly, some creative person out there could find a way for Gremlins to work for our current audience, I just think that it will probably never have the same magic that it had in the 80s.  My one hope is that if they bring the Gremlins back, they decide to continue to use puppets as in the 80s film and not CGI models.

So what are your thoughts?  Are you looking forward to Gremlins?

Fake Captain America Poster Online

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Well I guess it didn’t take fans any time to get started producing posters for the forthcoming Captain America film.  Which by the way looks awesome.  Well the poster that is.

Many of you may remember fans coming together to produce posters for the next Batman film shortly after ‘The Dark Knight’ released to theatres.   Many of these posters were in part fuelled by rumours of what the next villain was going to be or just simple wishful thinking on the part of the fans.  But all of them have been pretty impressive, and so, I guess that there is no wonder to why fans have moved to create this poster for the upcoming Captain America film. 

Whoever is behind this poster is quite talented and if I was producing the Captain America film, I would try and use it as a teaser poster.  But if history continues to repeat itself the studio probably won’t use this poster, but will instead create their own.

I seriously hope that the guys behind this poster get some form of recognition.  As I’m certain that some people out there would probably want to use their services to help them market there small projects.  And its great poster. 

Avatar Beats Titanic Overseas

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The Hollywood Report is reporting that Avatar has officially broke the record for all-time international box office sales with $1.288  billion, beating Titanic (the previous record holder) by $46 million.

What is interesting about this report is that both China and Russia are listed as major players in Avatar’s success.  Also, the international market has accounted for 70% of Avatar’s over all success.  Its kind of interesting to think that the International market is now a bigger deal than the Domestic markets for Hollywood. 

I guess now Hollywood may feel some motivation to not only satisfy the Domestic market, but the markets overseas.  Which could be a good thing for those that have been wishing to see a less American centric films come out of Hollywood.

Avatar still has a couple hurdles to overcome though.  Avatar still needs to beat Titanic’s record for Highest Worldwide box office gross of $1.8408 billion and Titanic’s record for at the domestic box office with $600.8 million.  Which Avatar may just do with in a week.

Its kind of crazy to think that just a little over a month ago many of us were wondering if Avatar would even sale, and here it is fastly becoming the Highs Grossing film in History.  James Cameron must be having a field day with those that doubted him. 

In any case, we’ll find out in the next couple of weeks what the new record will be at the box office.  Well, that’s assuming Avatar keeps up its current pace at the box office.

Pants on the Ground

My brother showed me this video this past week and I couldn’t help but share it here. 

This video has been making its way around the net since this episode of American Idol first aired and has gone on to inspire many remixes, covers and even a Facebook group.   You can also, if your so inclined, buy a ‘Pants on the Ground’ T-Shirt.

In any case, enjoy.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

I’m with Coco

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This has been a pretty crazy week in the late night scene. 

For those that don’t know,  Jay Leno’s 10pm show hasn’t been doing so great, so much so that many of the local affiliate stations wanted to ditch Jay Leno’s show.  NBC seeing the writing on the wall made the very wise decision to cancel Jay’s 10 o’clock show.  But here is where it gets a little weird.  Instead of simply firing Jay, they made the decision to try and move the show back half an hour into the 11pm time slot and then move ‘The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien’ to 12 am and Jimmy Fallon to 1 am.

This decision by NBC  was very quickly responded to by Conon O’Brien himself, who released a statement saying that he wouldn’t be moving his show back to 12 am because it wouldn’t be the same Tonight Show that he grew up with and loved.  Conan’s refusal to move his show lead to a stand off (well kind of) between NBC and Conan O’Brien, as well as, some very hilarious nights on The Tonight Show. 

NBC, in response to Conan’s refusal to move his show, made what is considered by most people, (well at lest most people I know), to be a very unwise choice of having Jay Leno take over the Tonight Show again, after his failed attempt at primetime and only 7 months after giving Conan the show.

NBC’s decision to give Leno back the Tonight Show didn’t sit well with Conan nor did it with the majority of people online.  Even a few late night hosts in David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel have chimed in on this argument between Conan and NBC.  But, all failed to change NBC’s mind on their decision and Conan ended his run with The Tonight Show on Friday.

But not without some hilarity.  Conan clearly had a lot of fun with his situation.  From his monologues to his new show segment featuring things that weren’t that funny, but were crazy expensive to produce.  It was amazing to see all of this go on in the Late night segment.  Late Night TV, hadn’t been that fun in years.  And I must confess that they even got me to watch what was going on too. 

Typically, I would be working my way to bed around 11:30 pm, but even I found myself wanting to tune in to the Tonight Show to see what was going to happen next in this whole saga.  It was really a great week and Conan finished it off with great style and grace, as on Friday he thanked NBC for the time that he was able to spend at the network and the audience for coming out.

We might still say that Conan was screwed out of his position on the Tonight Show and many may decide not to tune in to see Leno return in March.  But what we can all say is, that we all had fun this week watching the Tonight Show.  Conan has excepted a tidy sum of money to leave so he’ll be ok and so will his crew.  So thank you Conan for a fun week.  Best of luck in the future.  And, I hope your next show last more than seven months.

Hope for Haiti

CFH_child_photo Hey Guys!

I’m back from my week of vacation.  Truth be told, I started a new job and so I was splitting the week between my new job and trying to have some fun. So it wasn’t a true vacation.

But aside from the fun and the job, I’ve been keeping up with what has been happening with Haiti.  If you’re like me, you probably don’t like what your seeing.  Haiti is a country very much in need, and is quickly going out of control, with looting mobs and violence. 

Haiti really needs help to get back to some semblance of civilization.  To that end, there has been a number of telethons and charitable events that have taken place for Haiti that you can still take part in.  Hope for Haiti was an international telethon organized by George Clooney and featured many musical performances that you can download from iTunes.  All proceeds from the sale of these performances will go to help the people in Haiti.  They also will accept donations on their site hopeforhaitinow.org.

Also, for those Canadians out there.  We had Canada for Haiti, which was organized by several of the major networks up here and took place just before Hope for Haiti on Friday.  They are still excepting donations on their site http://www.canadaforhaiti.com/.  So if you haven’t donated yet, make sure to get your donations in.

Hopefully we can all help to make Haiti just a little better.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Vacation Time

Hey guys.  I just thought I would drop in and wish everyone a great weekend, as I’m cutting out early this week.  I have a job assessment tomorrow that I need to prepare for and so I’m taking off.

Also, next week I’ve decided to take a bit of a vacation.  So there will be no new post next week unless something really important happens.  If I do post I’ll post to Twitter so just follow my feed at twitter.com/Chriseverything.  Other than that I should be back posting on January 25th.  So until then, be safe.

Spiderman May Have a New Director



It looks like it didn't take Sony long to replace Sam Raimi. The Movie Blog is reporting that Marc Webb is apparently under consideration to helm the next Spiderman. 

Marc Webb is best known for directing 500 Days of Summer last year, which by the way is nominated for best picture at the Golden Globes. (And rightfully so.)   But given Marc's lack of experience directing action films,  many are wondering if Marc is the best choice for Spiderman.  And I do share their concern.


Many of you might remember the concern that people had when Marc Foster was selected to direct Quantum of Solace.  Marc, up until Quantum of Solace hadn't directed an Action film, but he did a pretty good job with Quantum of Solace.  Could Marc Webb be the same?  The truth is I'm not sure.

Although, perhaps Marc's Selection to direct Spiderman does give us a hint as to the direction Sony wants to take with Spiderman.  Since Marc isn't much of an Action director, perhaps that means we may be seeing more about Peter Parker, than Spiderman.  Or at lest a much more dramatic Spiderman.

The truth is I'm looking forward to Spiderman with Marc at the helm, if that is what ends up happening.  Anyone that can do as good of a job directing 500 Days of Summer, could be a great addition to Spiderman.

What do you think?

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Google Pulls Out

5xJmy

Well its probably only a matter of time.

A Few days ago, Google made the unprecedented decision to go public with news of attacks that their offices in China have been experiencing.

According to Google’s Official Blog, the attacks that Google has been experiencing, center around the Gmail accounts of activists for human rights in China.  Google also, found that many of the other business in China had experienced similar attacks.

It was with this information that Google has made the decision to try and stand up to the Chinese Government and stop filtering their search results, which was required by the Chinese government.  I really think that this is a courageous move on the part of Google.  Google stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars if they are forced to leave China, and so their really isn’t a benefit for them to fight the Chinese Government.    Other than to live up to their motto of “Don’t be Evil”. 

In any case, well I’ll learn soon what will happen to Google.  Personally, I think they will be leaving China shortly as I can’t see the Chinese Government allowing Google not to censor their search results. 

Nexus One Doesn't Sell


As many of you know, Googles new Android phone called Nexus One released last week Tuesday, to much buzz and talk online.  But even with all the momentum that the Nexus One had leading up to its release,  the Nexus One has failed to really sell.

Mobile Beat is reporting that the Nexus One has only managed to sell 20,000 phones.  In comparison, Apples iPhone 3GS sold over a million phones in just 3 days, and even Motorola's Droid sold 250,000 in its first week.  This is actually kind of disappointing news for the Nexus One.  The assumption was that this phone would sell like hot cakes, but here it is having difficulty getting off the ground. Maybe its because its not an iPhone.

Working at a new mobile carrier up here in Canada, I know that for many people the iPhone is considered to be the ultimate phone.  When I did my short stint in a retail store during the holidays, I found that the number one question people had was "Do you have the iPhone?"  The iPhone has managed to cement itself as the best phone out there in the minds of the average individual.  And they want nothing else.

Google really did have an uphill battle with this phone. It just unfortunate that Google never really tried to fight.  For the most part Google hasn't marketed the Nexus One.  At lest not to the extent that Apple or Motorola marketed their phones.  When I run into people and talk about the Nexus One, I find myself explaining to them just what the phone is.  The majority of non geeks haven't heard about the Nexus One, unlike the Droid or the iPhone.

Finally, Google's decision to sell the phone online is problematic for most people and decreases their overall visibility with the Nexus One.  Working in retail I know the importance of letting the customer play with the phone.  People want to know how the phone feels in their hand and how it functions before committing to the phone.  Its only us geeks that get excited over how a phone is supposed to function and its specs.  Only geeks are going to go out and find what the latest phones are and when they are coming out.  And so in the end, it was only the geeks that seemed to have bought the Nexus One.

I hope that the slow sales that Google is experiencing will encourage Google to change their strategy with the Nexus One.  Maybe they'll let it ship to Canada.  One can only hope.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Please Donate

Hey Guys.  As you already know Haiti was hit with a very destructive Earthquake a couple days ago and the country is in need of some very desperate help.  So I'm asking everyone toe please take the time to donate to the crisis.  I know the Red Cross is asking for donations as well as many other organization.  So please give.

You can find the Canadian Red Cross here,  the American Red Cross here, and World Vision here.

Privacy No Longer Exists

Well that is according to the CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg, who made these remarks during a presentation at the Crunchie Awards in San Francisco. 

If there was ever a case where someone should keep their mouth shut its Mark Zuckerberg, who is still in the hot sit over the changes Facebook made to its privacy policy, which made many of Facebook’s users accounts public without their knowledge.

But is he right?  Is Privacy died?  Certainly, its not like how it use to be.  With Twitter, unless you specify it, your account is public by default.  Many people use Twitter to share various details of their lives from what they are doing, to what they are eating, to simply make inquires.  This is the benefit of Twitter and its well understood by its users. 

Some us online have also, made the choice to blog.  To share our lives and opinions on many different subjects from politics to technology, etc..  Some have even gone as far as to Podcast,  although I’m still not so inclined.  But maybe one day.

And so I do agree with what Mark Zuckerberg, when he says,

“When I got started in my dorm room at Harvard, the question a lot of people asked was, 'why would I want to put any information on the internet at all? Why would I want to have a website?'."

"Then in the last 5 or 6 years, blogging has taken off in a huge way, and just all these different services that have people sharing all this information,”…..

But, what I do disagree with is Mark trying to make the decision for his users.  The difference between Twitter and Blogs is that the user makes the choice to be public, while Facebook was sold as a means to protect your privacy within your circle of friends.  That is why everyone is mad with Mark, as the decisions that Facebook are making are disrupting what people came to accept about Facebook.  That while your on the site you can maintain your privacy.

Although,I do feel for Mark, since he is only trying to build his business.  I just disagree with the way he is doing it.

Does Avatar Really Kill Babies?


Ever since Avatar released to theatres,  it has been meet with great success. Now holding the number 2 spot on the all time Worldwide revenue list.  Avatar has really been a great experience for the majority of us.  Unfortunately, not everyone has shared in our same experience.

Avatar has been met with a lot of controversy since its release, as Avatar has been accused of everything from being Un-American, to being critical of US troops, to encouraging goddess worship.  But now, Avatar can add racism to the list of many accusations against it. The Toronto Star on Monday, published an article  which looked at some appearent bloggers accusations that the basic story of Avatar is racist.  The fact that a "White Man"  is the one that ultimately saves the Na'vi is apparently a cause for the film being racist.

Avatar's detractors apparently feel that because the Na'vi were unable to save themselves with out this "White Soldier"  this is innately racist.  I really have to say that I disagree with this.  I'm Black and I had absoluterly no problem watching Avatar, nor do I have a problem watching it again.  Its really crazy that people are getting so worked up about their own interpretations of the film that they seem to miss the story completely.  If Jack Sully (Sam Washington) was black would we have an issue here?

I'm just glad that James Cameron has a bit more class when it comes to the criticism that he faces.   He released a statement in which he stated that his film, "asks us to open our eyes and truly see others, respecting them even though they are different, in the hope that we may find a way to prevent conflict and live more harmoniously on this world. I hardly think that is a racist message."

Mind you , I would have to think that every time someone criticizes Avatar, James Camerson must put a smile on his face.  At lest I would.

We all know how the church's criticism of the Da Vinci Code sold the book and the movie.  In fact, many people hadn't even heard about The Da Vinci Code until the church began its criticizm of the book.  With Avatar nipping at the heals of Titanic,  any controversy will be a good thing for this film.  James Cameron was probably wondering what it would take to beat Titanic, but now he's getting some well needed controversy to help propel Avatar forward, as there are people out there that will go to see Avatar due to the controversy.

I'm just waiting for someone to come out and say that Avatar kills Babies.  Then again,  someone just make it up.  We'll all write about it.  And Avatar will hopefully beat Titanic by the time the controversy has calmed down.  So what do you say?

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Transformers: War for Cybertron

This looks awesome.

I’ve made the habit of trying not to post to much videogame news on this blog.  But I couldn’t resist this one.  Transformers: War for Cyberton is looking to be a great game. Well, that is assuming that it can live up to its trailer. 

I’ve been a Transformers fan since the show first aired in 1984.  And I think I’ll always be a Transformers fan.  I’ve bought all the original seasons on DVD, as well as, collected the comics from DreamWave when they came out a few years ago.  So I’m really looking forward to this game.

How about you?  Are you looking forward to Transformers: War for Cyberton?  Or are you all Transformed out?

Spiderman Reboot. Raimi Walks.

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Of all the unfortunate news I never thought I would hear this.

Some of you may remember that I had put up a post about some of the difficulties that Sam Raimi and Sony were having over the next Spiderman film.  Well unfortunately,  it appears that Sam Raimi has made the decision to walk from Spiderman. 

This really sucks.  Sam Raimi did a pretty good job with the Spider man franchise.  Sure he did have a bit of a miss with Spiderman 3,  but part of that I feel was the fact that Sony wanted him to have Venom in the film, while Sam had no desire to have Venom there.

But more surprising, is the news that the decision has been made to reboot the Spiderman franchise rather than simply continuing from where Sam left off.  I don’t know what to think about this move.  I know that many people will be happy to see Kirsten Dunst off of Spiderman.  But I have to wonder who they will get to direct, and who will play Spiderman.  I’m not sure if this is really a good thing for Sony to do.

So what are your thoughts?

The Problems with Skype


Last week, I put up a post about the benefits of having Skype built in to TV sets, as well as, a webcam. But a few days ago, Time online published an article about the negatives of Skype or more specifically Video calling.  I never covered the negative in my article so, I felt that it was a smart idea to talk about it here.

The Time article centers around two basic problems with Videocalling.  Firstly, with video calling you now need to pay attention.  Since the other person can now see you and see what your doing you now are required to pay absolutely 100% attention to the other person.  I think most women will probably like this feature, since now they will know that their husband on the other end is listening to what they have to say.  Unfortunately, us guys like to have the ability to zone out every once in a while.  I'll be honest.  When I make a Skype call (minus the webcam), I'm surfing the web, typing things out and even muting my mic to talk to someone that just happens to come by in the room.  With Video calling, I would lose those freedoms and be forced to pay attention.

Secondly, videocalling forces both people to be present at the same time.  According to the Time article,  people now a days like the ability to communicate through e-mail or text messaging so that they don't have to be communicating in real time.  By using these other methods of communication, people are better able to manage their time, unlike with videocalling or the old fashioned telephone call.   I must admit that sometimes instead of calling someone I will make the decision to simply text them in order to save the time that I would normally take in a conversation. 

All in all, these two negatives could derail the future of video calling and Skype.  I've personally never gotten why Skype hasn't taken off more than it has, but now I can see why.  If people are more interested in non real time conversations it does make sense that people wouldn't about Skype nor care to use it..

So what do you think about Skype?

Monday, January 11, 2010

New Kick-Ass Trailer

I like this trailer.

Many of you will know that I wasn’t to hot about the Hit Girl trailer that was put out last month.  But, I kind of dig this trailer and the story of Kick Ass.   The idea of regular people going out and taking on superhero roles in society is definitely something new and interesting.  I can’t wait to see it.

Although, I am a bit worried about just what Kick Ass is.  Is it a serious superhero movie or a comedy about superheroes?  From the trailer, I’m just not sure.  But what can be seen is that Kick Ass is a film that doesn’t feel the need to take itself seriously, which could  be a good thing if done right or a bad thing if done badly.  

Personally, I’m hoping good things for Kick Ass.  So what about you?  How are you feeling about Kick Ass?

Sunday, January 10, 2010

A-Team Trailer

Does anyone mind if I call them the Cheese-Team?

As you can see the A-Team have released their first trailer and its pretty cheesy.  Not that the original A-Team wasn’t cheesy.  Its just that, for me, this A-Team is a kind of cheesy in a bad way. 

I have less desire to see this film than before I saw this trailer. And that’s a shame since I grew up with the A-Team. To be honest, part of the reason I don’t buy into the A-Team film is that, in every way it seems that the original A-Team cast was better.  Well, at lest from what we can see in the Trailer.  Mr. T had a kind of intimidation factor to him that Rampage seems to lack,  and Liam Neeson, whom I’ve loved in his previous roles, seems to be a bit weak as Hannibal.

Certainly, not everyone will agree with me.  Rodney over at The Movie Blog, gave the A-Team trailer a pretty good review.  I just don’t see it.  Through out watching this trailer I felt as if I was watching the trailer for a GIJOE sequel and not the A-Team. 

Anyone else feel the same way?

I could just be crazy.  But it doesn’t feel like the A-Team.

Star Trek Sequel Gets a Release Date

startrek

Coming Soon is reporting that Star Trek has received a tentative release date of July 4th, 2012.  At this point, the yet unnamed sequel to Star Trek is the only film scheduled to release during the summer of 2012.  Truth be told if they can make a Star Trek film that is as good as the last one I wouldn’t mind if Star Trek remained the only film to release in summer of 2012.  Ok, maybe not, but you know what I mean.

Star Trek is a series that I grow up watching.  Not that I was around when it originally aired.  I like most people caught the re-runs of the original series.  In the 1987, Star Trek the Next Generation came out and quickly earned the spot as in my TV viewing schedule.  Not that I watched it religiously, but I can still remember when it premiered, as well as, when it ended.  Here in Toronto, Citytv did a big event where they aired the series finally at the Skydome (now Roger’s Center). 

Star Trek was popular.  But, unfortunately that soon changed.

Star Trek Deep Space Nine opened to mixed reviews and Star Trek Voyager was no different.  (I like them them both.) Star Trek Deep Space Nine was probably my second favourite series, but it was clear that there were many that disagreed, as ratings declined during the course of the series. 

Seeing the decline in ratings, Paramount decided to try something different with Enterprise.  Enterprise was a series that attempted to combine sex, violence and bad language with the Star Trek universe, but ultimately worked to turn the core audience off of Star Trek and failed to attract an audience. 

It was no wonder that in 2005, Paramount decided to close up shop on Star Trek, to the dismay of the fans, who tried to save it by taking out full page ads, pledging to give Paramount $3 million if they would continue to film Enterprise.  But it was to late.

That is why when Paramount Star Trek on May 8, 2009 it was quite a big deal for us Star Trek Fans, and we weren’t disappointed.  Star Trek was designed to attract a new audience, as well as, respect the core audience of fans that had been turned away during the Enterprise days.  I can attest to the fact that Star Trek was filled with little Easter Eggs for those of us that had watched Star Trek previously, yet it worked to redefine the Star Trek universe, by getting rid of the original continuity.  Not that everyone was happy with this, but it did work for the majority. 

Hopefully the sequel to Star Trek can strike the same note with us the audience and yet remain as good as the first film.  

Friday, January 8, 2010

Green Lantern Gets the Go Ahead

blackest_night_2

This news is currently going around the Internet with many crafty puns.  Like, Green Lantern gets a Green Light, or Green Lantern Green lit.  So I decided to just leave it at “Gets the Go Ahead. No more puns.

In any case, I’m really excited for this film project.  Green Lantern has been my favourite comic book character for sometime now and to finally be able to see him on scene is just great.

Certainly, I have a little bit of a reservation with Ryan Reynolds playing Hal Jordon. Not that Ryan Reynolds is a bad actor, I just haven’t seen him really play a serious character and Hal Jordon strikes me as a serious character.  Well, that is assuming that they don’t decide to redefine Hal’s character like they did with Sherlock Holmes. 

But with a $150 million budget and a great director in Martin Campbell at the helm.  I have faith that these guys know what they are doing.   So what are you thoughts on Green Lantern? 

Buppies

Yes Buppies.  I never even knew what the word meant until I looked it up on the Urban Dictionary.  So for those that don’t know.  According to the Urban Dictionary, Buppies are,

Black Urban Professionals.
It's a variation of Yuppies(Young Urban Professionals) geared towards black young urban professionals.

Now that we all know what Buppies are, your probably wondering why I’m posting about them here.  Well, its because its BET’s new series that they developed specifically for the web, with Tatyana Ali of Fresh Prince fame as Executive Producer.  This is probably the first time (you can correct me if I’m wrong) that a major TV network in North America has stepped out and developed a Web only series. Certainly we have had little tie in series like “Mode After Hours” which was a tie in for Ugly Betty.  But I’ve never heard of a major network actually going out and developing a new series for the Web specifically.

In 2008, we saw the release of “Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog”, which was produced by Joss Whedon of Buffy.   This was the first time that a Hollywood producer had created a web series, but now with a major network coming in I think that its only a matter of time before we see more Internet based content and perhaps even IPTV.  

With decreasing revenue from advertising, and increasing advertising dollars moving online, it only makes sense for Networks to try and make it online. 

Also, unlike before, there are now technologies in place to help online streaming go mainstream.  The Xbox 360 for months has had the capability built in to stream Netflix content, which previously would require someone to sit at there computer to watch.  Also, there are devices like the Roku box which do provide streaming of Netflix, as well as, other web content..  But more importantly, there are now HD TV sets that are coming with Wi-Fi and internet streaming applications coming built in to the TV set.  Online streaming is going to hit a new hit height and anyone that is there to catch the wave of consumer demand for online content will see some profit.

So I have to give it to BET for trying to enter the ring first.  Certainly, there are already a lot of online content providers out there to compete with, but if BET can succeed, it could change how TV is delivered for the rest of us. 

So what do you think? Do you like Buppies?

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Repo Men Green Trailer



In the future, a company called 'The Union" will develop human body enhancements to improve the lives of all humans.  The only problem is what they don't tell you.  If you fail to make your payments The Union will send repo men to reposses their parts regardless if it kills you.

That is the basic concept behind the aptly named "Repo Men" film being released on April 2, 2010.  It does seem like a fairly interesting concept for a film, but what I do find more interesting is the timing of this film.  The release of this film comes during the time Americans are debating public health care, and so,  I have to wonder if this film will try to speak into the debate or if it was the intention of the author of the book "Repossession Mambo", which the film is based off of, to speak to this issue.

Even though Repo Men is a sci fi idea, you have to wonder how things like body enhancements will really be handled in the future.  Currently, the only body enhancements we are pace makers and artificial motorized limbs,  but what happens when things get a bit more sophisticated.  Or what if a profit minded company developes these artifical limbs how will it be handled?  Will Medicare cover it?  I'm actually glad I live in Canada and we get our health care paid for, but from what I'm hearing from the US, it seems you guys have a different story.

In any case, we can watch how everything plays out come April 2 with the release of Repo Men.  So what are your thoughts?

RoboCop on Hold

robocop-feat The Latino Review is reporting that Robocop has officially been put on hold. And with good reason.

Apparently, Mary Parent, the Chairperson from MGM, wants to see a CGI 3D Robocop film, while Darren Aronofsky isn’t really interested in in 3D, as he views it as kind of gimmicky.  And you know what?  I don’t really blame Darren for feeling that way.  Up until Avatar, every movie that was released in 3D, with very few exceptions, was really gimmicky.  And yes, I’m pointing the finger at you My Bloody Valentine.

As for whether or not a 3D Robocop could be actually good.  I really just don’t think so.  Unlike Avatar, Robocop takes place in a very dismal future Detroit, which lacks all of the eye candy that Avatar had.  Also, I don’t see Robocop really benefitting from 3D.  Could it be done in 3D?  Certainly, I’m just not sure that its really necessary here. 

Finally, if the guy creating this film isn’t motivated in the lest to go 3D, I think that it could get very gimmicky very fast.  James Cameron had a vision for 3D and that vision is what he applied to Avatar.  This is why Avatar was so good in 3D.  I still haven’t seen it yet without the 3D, but I can bet that its a different experience, as this film had 3D as the focus from the start of the production of this movie,  unlike Robocop.   So to impose 3D on Robocop now isn’t really going to do anything for the audience.

So, what are your thoughts?  Are you aching for a 3D Robocop?

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Sherlock Holmes Sequels in Trouble



I must admit that I haven't gotten out to see Sherlock Holmes yet at the theatre, but I can say that it has done very well with over $230 million worldwide.  Its just unfortunate that there seems to have developed a very interesting controversy surrounding some comments made by Sherlock Holmes star Robert Downy Jr. on The Tonight Show With David Letterman.

Apparently, Robert Downey Jr. (which you can see above) made some comments that seemed to indicate that Sherlock Holmes and Watson had a somewhat "homo erotic" relationship in the movie.  These comments haven't sat very well with the current rights holder  of the Sherlock Holmes franchise, Andrea Plunket.  Andrea has stated that, if this (a gay Sherlock Holmes and Watson) is going to be the future direction of the franchise she will not be allowing any further films in the franchise, as this goes against the "spirit" of the books.

Now it seems that some people seem to think that Andrea is really just taking this situation too seriously, but I have to agree with her.  I've never read the Sherlock Holmes books, but from what I know, Sherlock Holmes and Watson always have had a close relationship without being gay.

Why can't two guys in a movie share a very close relationship, without them being gay?  I remember after The Lord of the Rings trilogy came out many people seemed to think that Sam and Frodo were gay.  Anyone that read the books or saw the end of The Return of the King clearly knows that Sam gets married to a women, and the relationship he has with Frodo doesn't evolve farther than a close friendship.  But that never stopped people from saying that Frodo and Sam were gay.

Now people are trying to imply that Sherlock Holmes and Watson are gay.  And you know what, I haven't seen the movie so I really don't know what people are seeing in Sherlock Holmes.  Nor do I really know the source of Robert Downey Jr.'s comments.  Was he just joiking?  The truth is I hope he is joking since I don't want to see a gay Sherlock Holmes and Watson.  Sorry I have nothing against anyone that is gay, as I find them to be very nice people.  I just don't want to see a gay Sherlock Holmes.

But in any case, what are your thoughts on this whole situation?  Do you want to see a Gay Sherlock Holmes?  Is this just a publicity stunt?

New Clip from Legion



Angels get down to Business.

I think that is probably a better title than what I chose for this post, but I'll just leave it the way it is.

The clip above is from Legion, a film in which God wants to destroy the world by bringing about the Apocalypse, and Michael (God's Archangel) decides to rebel against God and protect a pregnant women whose child is the saviour of the world.  It seems like a pretty interesting premise to a film and all the trailers that have come out have been a bit creepy with many possessed people, as well as, Angels (Gabriel in particular) that have shed the halo and white robes for a much darker palette of colors and a mace with spikes.

The clip above seems to serve to show us that Legion is not kiddie flick, but is very grown up as the Angels, etc. really get down to business in this movie.  Looking at the story, Legion isn't that original, as many films have had a similar premise.  Children of Men was the last film that I can think of that had a similar premise.  But, I must admit that Legion does look somewhat entertaining, although it also does turn me off a little.

Being a Christian in an increasingly religiously diverse city, and dealing with many non religious people.  I find that many people seem to have a miss understanding of just who God is and what he is like.  Many people believe that God is quite cruel and vengeful and it seems like Legion plays upon these feelings that people have with in our society.  Certainly, I don't know how things will ultimately play out in the movie, as I haven't seen it yet.  But, the idea of thinking that God, whom I find to be merciful and gracious, is actually mean, evil and ultimately is just sitting up there thinking of when he should just come and wipe us all out, is a bit offensive.  Or at lest it just rubs me the wrong way.

Maybe I'm taking it a bit too seriously, but I have to wonder what thought processes these guys went through while making Legion.  Then again, maybe I'll just wait to answer that question when I see the movie.

So what are your thoughts on Legion?  Do you like the clip?

Nexus One Releases

As expected, the Nexus One released today to much hype and anticiapation online.

For weeks there has been many rumours floating around concerning the actual price of the device, as well as, when it would be released.  The rumours stated that the Nexus One would retail at $530 unlocked from Google themselves, or at $180 through T-mobile on a 2 year contract.  It was also to be rumoured to release on Jan.5.

As time went on we received more and more details on the Nexus One, which came to a head with the release of Engadget's review of the unit a few days ago.  Engadget confirmed many of the technical details that were bouncing around on line concerning the Nexus One, and put to rest the debate as to whether or not the Nexus One would be the iPhone killer it had been made out to be.  Which unfortunately, it wasn't.

Today, my anticipation for the Nexus One grow, as I found myself checking up on google.com/phone to see if the site was up and checking in on Gizmodo to see if they had started live blogging.  At 9:30 am, Google's press conference began and Gizmodo keeped right on it, ( I don't know how that guy at the conference could post so fast and take pictures),  giving us every detail that was unveiled during the conference.  Which by the way, confirmed that the rumours were in fact right about everything concerning the Nexus One.

Also, google.com/phone very quickly after the start of the press conference went live to reveal Google's new retail site for the phone, and one thing very quickly became apparent.  Google wasn't going to be selling the phone to everyone.  When I visited google.com/phone, I was greeted with a message stating "Sorry, the Nexus One is not available in your country".  To say that I was a little upset is a bit of an understatement.

Anyone that has read the posts that I put up concerning the Nexus One, knows I was waiting for this phone.  Its really disappointing that Google has decided to ship the phone only to Britian, US, Sinapore and Hong Kong.  Why not Canada?  I can understand if Google feels they will have shortages on the Nexus One or something,  but really restricting where you will let the phone ship.  Why don't they just see if the phone sells first then worry about limiting it?  Its really disappointing Google has decided to do this.  I know that I may never buy Nexus One now, as I need a phone now and unless I can get someone to order me one, I'm going to probably go with a Blackberry or something.

By the way, for anyone interested, I checked eBay to see how the Nexus One is selling.  As of the writing of this post, the cheapest Nexus One on eBay is at a bid of $640 with no buy out price, and the cheapest buy out price is $799.  I want the Nexus One, but I'm not willing to pay much more than what Google was offering it for. 

My ranting aside, the Nexus One looks to be a good phone and kind of puts Google in an interesting spot.  As Engadget pointed out in their review, Google is now officially competing with the companies licensing their Android software.  Is this a good thing?  Maybe.  From a business perspective, I believe that it could make the Android platform less desirable for companies to license, as Google could theoretically create a better Android phone, being the company developing the software.  This is probably one of the reasons why Microsoft hasn't decided to try and compete with its Windows Mobile licensees.  But, from a consumer perspective it could be good, as Google can force its licensees to step up and create a better phones.

In any case,  I hope Google quickly reconsiders not shipping the Nexus One to Canada.  Also, hopefully the Nexus One will help to create more competition in the wireless handset space.

But enough from me. What are your thoughts on the Nexus One?  Can you buy one?

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

402

Hey Guys, I just wanted to stop and acknowledge my 402nd blog post.I meant to write up a big post on my 400th blog post, but in my business I missed it. 

The truth is I can't believe that I made it this far.  Anyone that has gone back through this blogs knows that there are big periods were I bearly posted anything.  In fact there were times that I was trying to decide as to whether or not just to close down my blog.  But something keep me going.  I would post something and then stop, post then stop.

I just glad now that I've at lest hit a stride were I feel comfortable posting and I actually kind of enjoy blogging again.  Certainly its like everything.  You need to push yourself to write and to post from time to time.  But I like it.  Its really become a very meaningful part of my life and I hope in some ways this blog is serving a purpose in your life as well. 

Thanks again guys for reading. The Blog wouldn't be the same without you.

Skype HD

panasonic_skype_ces2010 CES is now on in Las Vegas, and as a result we are getting a lot of interesting announcements coming out of this convention.  But non so far has peaked my interest like Skype HD has.

Engadget reported yesterday that Skype now has a deal with LG and Panasonic to have Skype built in to their Internet enabled Plasma and LCD TV sets.  These TV sets will also come with an HD Webcam, capable of being used for video calling. 

This is really a good idea for those that would love to do a video call without having to leave your living room.  I remember back in (I believe) the 90s, they introduced video phones and they just faded away.   But with Skype and Webcams coming built into TV sets, I think we can safely say that video calling will experience a renaissance phase, especially as people make the jump to HD.

Also, this is great decision on the part of Skype since all Skype phones out there are selling for over $100, which is a hard sell for many people who have no problems just using their computer with a headset.  Having Skype come built into your TV, will certainly help to drive subscription for Skype, which up to this point has had a hard time catching on. 

Personally, I can’t wait to see these TV sets show up on Store shelves.  I haven’t bought an HDTV as yet,  so maybe one of these will be my first one. 

Brett Comes Back to the WWE

Bretthart Brett said it best.  Hell froze over last night.

For those that missed it, Brett “The Hitman” Hart returned to the WWE, following a over 12 year absence.  And, it was amazing.  (Well at lest for me.)

Growing up in the 80s, wrestling was just one of those shows that everyone watched.  Back then, people use to believe that wrestling was actually real and so we rooted for the good guys, because we believed the bad guy was really bad and the good guy was really good.  Brett Hart was one of the good guys back then. Certainly there were at the time much more popular wrestlers in Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant.  But Brett found a way to set himself apart being a part of a tag team called the Hart Foundation

Later, as Andre the Giant died and some of the other wrestlers began to move on Brett “The Hitman” Hart began to be set up to take over by Vince McMahon, the owner of then WWF (now WWE).  Very quickly, Brett began to rise to the top, winning the Intercontinental Championship back in 1991 from Mr. Perfect and continued until he became the WWE Champion in 1992. 

But that all changed in 1997.  Facing some financial problems Vince McMahon advised Brett to consider talking to WCW (WWE’s chief competitor at the time), about possibly signing with them.  Brett and Vince up to that point had had a almost father-son relationship, and so, Brett followed Vince’s advise and signed with WCW.  The only problem with Brett signing with WCW was that he was currently the WWE Champion and thus would have to lose it before moving on to WCW.  Brett wanted to lose it at a match outside of Canada (where Brett comes from), but Vince wanted him to lose it at Survivor Series in Montreal.

Unknown to Brett, Vince decided to get what he wanted.  Vince had the ring bell rung as Shawn Michaels put Brett in a Sharp Shooter.  Thus having Brett lose the Championship in Canada where he didn’t wish to lose it. 

Brett did not take this result very well (understandably so),  Brett responded by spitting in Vince’s face and later punching him out in the backstage area.  Anyone that watched “Wresting with Shadows” knows what affect all of this had on Brett, and how it worked to start a feud between Vince and Brett over the years.  Which continued following the death of Brett’s Brother Owen Hart during a Pay-Per-View event for the WWE called “Over The Edge” on May 23, 1999.

That is why when Brett came back to the WWE, it was very surprising.  I  and everyone else I know, thought that we would never see Brett’s return to the WWE.  But, we’re all happy to be wrong in this case.  Even though I hadn’t watched much wrestling over the years, I couldn’t help but find myself interested in seeing what would happen when Brett came back to the WWE. 

Last night, I decided to go out and watch WWE Raw with some friends.  Even though the show over all was ok, it was just great to see Brett back, and to see him make up with Shawn Michaels, as well as, to continue his feud with Vince McMahon.  All in all it was a great night.

So what are your thoughts on Brett coming back to the WWE?  Do you care?

Monday, January 4, 2010

Google and HTC are Making a Tablet

With all the hype out there over Apples yet unannounced tablet computer, many computer companies have made the decision to hop on the tablet bandwagon and release their own offerings.  It appears that Google and HTC are no different.

Gizmodo reported over the weekend, that Google and HTC, whom you will remember have just completed the production of the Nexus One, are reported to have been also working on a tablet device.  According to Gizmodo, this new tablet will run on Google's new Chrome OS, which is an open source, internet based operating system, which was designed to run on net books and other small devices.

I think this is a pretty good idea for these two companies to work together on a tablet computer.  Certainly, they are not as experience as Apple when it comes to computer hardware, but the difference between a touch screen phone and a tablet computer, aren’t that major.   And seeing that Apple likes to lock people in with DRM, Google and HTC could represent a good alternative to Apples locked down device.

My only worry is Chrome OS’s seemingly heavily reliant on the Internet.  If the requirement to use the device is access to the Internet, it could cause some problems for those people that need to get work done when there internet goes down. 

But all in all, I think that this is good news for us consumers, as Apple needs to start facing more competition in the device space.  I have nothing against Apple, but I know that their dominance in the MP3 player market hasn’t been the best thing for use consumers.  Apple needs to be challenged to keep them on their toes and innovative.   Google could be that competition for Apple that we are looking for. 

So what do you think?  Will you be buying a Google Tablet?

Could Avatar Beat Titanic?

4054882566_3b0efd0fb4_b The Script to Screen blog has an interesting poll up today asking its visitors how much they think Avatar could make.  Certainly that is the question that everyone is asking these days.  Even before Avatar come out, people were wondering if Avatar could beat James Cameron’s previous film Titanic, which holds the all time box office record with over $1.8 billion in box office revenue worldwide ($600 million Domestic gross). 

There is no doubt that Avatar will get somewhere up there with now over $1 billion dollars in box office revenue world wide, ~$352 million domestic gross.  Can Avatar make another $248 million domestically, or $800 million worldwide to beat Titanic?  Certainly Avatar does have a good chance given all the formats that Avatar released in.  There are people out there with a desire to see the film a second or perhaps a third time in each of the different formats. (I know I’m still waiting to see it in IMAX 3D.)

I have my money on Avatar beating Titanic.  What about you?  How High will Avatar go?