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Thursday, 22 August 2013
Tamil actor Simbu's album 'Love Anthem' to feature Akon
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Tamil actor Bharathi Raja to star in Suseenthiran's next
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Tamil film industry is open to fresh stories: Bharat Bala
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Team 'Sigaram Thodu' shoots in minus 2 degrees
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Don't believe in tailor made roles:Vijay Sethupathi
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Tamil director Nagaraj to direct 'Mathapoo'
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Ryan Anderson Told Gia Allemand He Didn't Love Her Hours Before Her Suicide
Details concerning the final hours of Gia Allemand?s life are starting to emerge thanks to the coroner?s report and sources close to the situation. If true, they paint the picture of an extremely emotional and life-altering argument followed by the fateful decision that has and left so many shocked and saddened.
Pop Blend?s sincerest well-wishes go out to everyone who was touched by Gia?s life. Some of them will never completely get over her loss, but here?s to hoping they?re able to figure out ways to cope and let some positives come out of this tragedy.
According to TMZ, Allemand spent the afternoon having lunch with her boyfriend, NBA star Ryan Anderson. During the meal, she reportedly accused him of stepping out of the relationship and cheating on her. The situation apparently got very intense. Afterwards, they headed to a local Walgreens because she wanted some Nyquil. Afterwards she told him she still wanted to make it work, but he apparently said, ?I don?t love you anymore.?
Once she returned to the house, Gia reportedly called her mom and talked for an undetermined amount of time. During the call, she wrote a note leaving all of her possessions to her mother and tied a vacuum cleaner cord around the center section of the spiral staircase and around a second floor handrail. She then tied it around her neck and jumped without warning. Her mother repeatedly screamed into the phone trying to get her attention, but it was too late. Anderson raced back to the house to check on her not long after, but by that point, she had been without oxygen for thirty or forty minutes. A few days later, she officially passed away at the hospital, leaving a grieving family, a devastated boyfriend and plenty of Bachelor fans who loved watching her during Jake Pavelka?s season.
Not long after Allemand took her life, actor Lee Thompson Young of Rizzoli & Isles did the same thing. He was also twenty-nine, though the reasons behind his death remain a complete mystery. Those close to the situation are really hoping a more concrete motive will emerge, but Gia is proof that no matter how clear cut something seems, it doesn?t make the end result any less devastating. We still lost a beautiful, caring woman in her prime, and nothing will ever make that okay.
Here?s another look at the family?s official statement?
?Ms. Allemand passed away peacefully with her mother, boyfriend, and other lifelong friends by her side. As a practicing Christian, Gia did receive the sacrament of last rites. Loved ones and fans will remember Gia Allemand as a caring woman who loved her family and was well-known for her compassion towards animals and mission to rescue homeless pets. On behalf of the family, we sincerely ask for privacy at this time."
Pop Blend?s sincerest well-wishes go out to everyone who was touched by Gia?s life. Some of them will never completely get over her loss, but here?s to hoping they?re able to figure out ways to cope and let some positives come out of this tragedy.
Ajaj Devgn to attend audio launch of 'Singham 2'
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Telugu film industry to celebrate 100 years of cinema
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Allu Arjun, Amala Paul gear up for Telugu film 'Iddarammayilatho'
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I have nobody to blame for the controversy, says Telugu actress Anjali
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Tamil Nadu stuntmen seek FEFSI's intervention
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Lee Thompson Young Got Very Into Ancient African Religion Prior To Suicide
After someone commits suicide, friends, family members and observers often look for a very clear indicator of why the person decided to take that route. Whether it be financial problems, the dissolving of a marriage or a recent firing, the reason isn?t as important to most as there simply being one. In the case of Famous Jett Jackson actor Lee Thompson Young, however, what exactly happened is still extremely unclear. He didn?t leave a note at the scene, and while some friends are saying he had a history of depression, his history or perhaps lack thereof with therapists hasn?t really emerged. As such, observers are going over his life with a microscope to try and find anything out of the ordinary, and over the past day or so, many have pointed to the actor?s interest in religion, culture and heritage.
According to E! Online, Young wasn?t a drinker, a smoker or a partier, but a few years back, he reportedly got very interested in the Yoruba culture. He visited Africa, started dressing in white and apparently became fascinated by the ancient religion some local residents practiced/ continue to practice. Some of his friends told the outlet they saw a change in him afterwards, and while he drifted away from the religion for awhile, he reportedly came back around in the months before his death. In the past, many have pointed to elevated suicide rates and some teachings related to death before dishonor in the belief system, but those involved have vociferously denied encouraging suicide.
Regardless of why Young decided to take his own life, his loss is a great tragedy. He was overflowing with talent as an actor, and by all accounts, he was a really genuine and likeable guy. His co-workers and his friends have spent the past few days praising him for what a joy he was to be around. His absence will no doubt affect Rizzoli And Isles in a negative way, and it?ll affect an unknown number of future projects he could have lent his talents too.
Following this week?s episode of Rizzoli & Isles, producers added a brief tribute to Lee. It doesn?t feature any sound or any complicated graphics, but it?s extremely touching in its simplicity. You can watch it below?
Actor Sundeep Kishan keen to build credibility as actor
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After 2 years comedian Vadivelu returns to arc-lights
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The Mortal Instruments City Of Bones: 10 Big Differences Between The Book And Movie
It?s not always an easy task to create movies based on a series of well-liked books, especially those that have plenty of historical context that needs to be explained. The Lord of the Rings is a famous example of a film that gets the pre-narrative information out of the way early, by explaining the history of the ring in a story at the beginning of the first franchise film and coloring in other details later. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones doesn?t get that luxury. Since the story is one of a girl named Clary learning about her past and her unique role as a member of a society of Shadowhunters, an exclusive crew who protects the world from demons, the background details need to come out throughout the film. Unfortunately, this means the movie lacks some of the subtlety of its novel counterpart.
Jessica Prostigo was responsible for the screenplay that adapted Cassandra Clare?s City of Bones and director Harald Zwart brought it to the big screen. While they maintain the barebones outline of the narrative, a lot is changed from the book to the movie, including the opening scene. The earlier that details begin changing when being adapted for the big screen, the more the storyline will have to change later, and this is an issue The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones runs up against, again and again.
Following are the ten biggest changes I noticed in my screening of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. Feel free to remark on any changes you feel may have been more noticeable. There are many spoilers in City of Bones book to movie comparison. Do not delve in if you want the film to be a surprise.
The opening scene introduces us to Clary, Luke and Jocelyn rather than the world of demon hunting. Clary?s been drawing a mysterious mark and her mother seems worried, but why she might be on edge isn?t explained. While this is less exciting than the opening sequence in the book, it does give us a glimpse at the haphazard unit that is the Fray family and we do get the fun club scene later on.
Now Mammootty to star in 'Kadal Kadannu Oru Mathukutty'
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Tamil actor Allu Sirish to star in 'Kottha Janta'
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Karthik Subbhuraj to star Siddharth as the lead in his next
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'Sahasam' trailer: Watch Gopichand, Taapsee in action
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Aurangazeb's Prithviraj to star in a Tamil flick now
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Vijay to star in Aascar Ravichandran's next film
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Santosh Varun plays the lead in Kannada film 'Love Show'
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'Kochadaiyaan' First Look: Rajinikanth is back
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Akkeneni multi starrer film 'Manam' shoot to begin soon
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Kamal Haasan to star in Tamil film 'Thalavian Irukiran'
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Bi-lingual films are on Sundeep's wish list
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Tamil actor Arjun Sarja to direct 'Jai Hind 2'
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Content key to debutant director's success: Madhan Kumar
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Director Deepan Chakravarthi is ready with his next
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I thought I'm too ugly to be an actress :Shruti Haasan
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Prison Break Actor Wentworth Miller Comes Out In Protest Of Russia's Anti-Gay Law
Prison Break actor Wentworth Miller has always been a standup guy. Unlike many other Hollywood types who are interested in making any kind of headlines, he?s always preferred to let his work speak for itself. As such, when he wrote the screenplay for the strangely brilliant Stoker, he sold it under a pseudonym so as to properly gauge whether or not he had any real writing talent. Let the record show he does, and if further evidence of either his wonderful, understated personality or his ability with the pen is needed, look no further than the letter he published today on GLAAD?s official website.
If you?re keeping score at home, that?s one of the most classy and pointful ways I?ve ever seen someone come out. It doesn?t beg for attention. It doesn?t use a world event for personal gain. It doesn?t even go out of its way to attract headlines. It simply says there is a battle for human rights going on, and it?s time I made it clear exactly where I stand.
Asked to be a guest of honor at the upcoming St Petersburg Film Festival, Miller declined in order to show solidarity with his fellow members of the LGBT community who are actively being discriminated against thanks to a new law that essentially forbids talking positively about or displaying any signs of homosexuality anywhere children could be present. Didn?t know Miller was gay? Neither did pretty much anyone else. He?s never talked about it on the record, but given the situation, he decided to take a stand.
Here?s a transcript of the entire letter?
Dear Ms. Averbakh:Thank you for your kind invitation. As someone who has enjoyed visiting Russia in the past and can also claim a degree of Russian ancestry, it would make me happy to say yes.
However, as a gay man, I must decline.
I am deeply troubled by the current attitude toward and treatment of gay men and women by the Russian government. The situation is in no way acceptable, and I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly.
Perhaps, when and if circumstances improve, I'll be free to make a different choice.
Until then.
Wentworth Miller
If you?re keeping score at home, that?s one of the most classy and pointful ways I?ve ever seen someone come out. It doesn?t beg for attention. It doesn?t use a world event for personal gain. It doesn?t even go out of its way to attract headlines. It simply says there is a battle for human rights going on, and it?s time I made it clear exactly where I stand.
Miller?s acting career might not be on an upward trajectory right now, but his writing career certainly is. He?s currently working on several different projects, and he?s reportedly been asked to script an upcoming film being produced by Oprah and Tom Hanks. Really, there aren?t any better words to express burgeoning success than that statement of facts.
Pop Blend?s sincerest salute goes out to Miller for being courageous enough to come out and for being wise enough to choose a moment that really matters. Here?s to hoping he receives nothing but support.
Naga Chaitanya to play the lead in 'Thadakha'
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Malayalam film on Sreesanth and his involvement in spot-fixing?
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I let my script choose the actors: Radha Mohan
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Veteran singer TM Soundarajan passes away
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Sunday, 18 August 2013
Divekick Hits PSN Tuesday, Tips Available Now
After successfully debuting at this year's highly watched and very entertaining EVO 2013, fighting fans who prefer their combat options to be extremely limited have something to cheer about next week as Divekick finally makes its way to the PlayStation Network this Tuesday, August 20th.
According to the game's creator, Adam Heart, the idea for Divekick came about when he and a buddy were having a chat and decided ?wouldn't it be funny if there was a fighting game called 'Divekick', with two playable characters named Dive and Kick, and your only moves were dive and kick>??
What started out as a joke has since evolved into a legitimate game and, despite the simplicity of the controls (or perhaps because of them), the result has been an extremely strategic fighting game that rewards careful planning, lightning-fast reflexes and a complete mastery of timing.
As you'll see in the following video, the competition can get pretty heated in Divekick, even when your combat options are almost exclusively limited to diving and kicking, which is sometimes the entire repertoire of moves that some gamers employ when playing side-scrolling fighting games.
As you can see, each character has its own dive angle, kick angle and speed. You can also activate an ability that lets you move faster for a limited time. Earning a kick to the head will also give your opponent a concussion, meaning they'll be greatly crippled in the next round. It seems silly at first but, once you get your hands on the game, you find there's a lot of tension packed into every nail-biting round.
The cast of characters has also evolved since the original concept to include one of the most bizarre collections of combatants to ever grace a fighting game. And in this genre, that's saying quite a bit. You can learn all about many of the characters here and here. One of the final character reveals recently went up on the PlayStation Blog, along with some helpful hints from the top three finishers at EVO 2013. The fighting community is really getting behind this game, and Mean Saltine, Kerahime~<3 and Adelheid Stark all have some thurough hints to help make you a Divekick master. Creator Adam Heart also offers up some additional tips just to make sure everyone is ready to roll once the game releases on Tuesday.
Look for Divekick to arrive on the PlayStation Network on August 20th, playable on the PS3 and Vita. And now...more Divekick action! Also, don't let Mr. N swindle you out of a win!
Payday 2 Safe House Customization Inbound, Mod Workshop Integration Possible
Overkill Software already has a hit on their hands with Payday 2. The game turned a profit on pre-orders alone before it even released and a ton of people are now experiencing the new heist game for all its glory when it released digitally earlier this week and at retail today. Following up on all the positive gamer and reviewer feedback, Overkill Software recently revealed that they have a year's worth of DLC planned and that safe house customization will be inbound soon, along with the team looking at the possible integration of Steam Workshop support for mods.
I have to be honest. There is fear in my heart.
Goldfarb is also looking to extend the life-expectancy of Payday 2 with mods. This here is what I believe could be the single greatest thing to help prolong the life of this title if they just follow through. According to Goldfarb...
Joystiq didn't end it all there... oh no, they went for the gold and some brownies, too. In regards to crossover content, the lead creative director didn't rule out that Payday 2 might crossover with other titles just the way they did with the original Payday: The Heist and Left 4 Dead.
Joystiq picked up the quotes from the creative lead, David Goldfarb, as he talked about plans for Payday 2's future. The creative director stated that...
"Payday 2 - just like its predecessor Payday: The Heist - is a living thing. We have 5 DLCs planned together with 505 Games for the coming year." ?[we'll support it] just like we did with the first game."
I have to be honest. There is fear in my heart.
You see, whenever a developer talks DLC and plans they have for it in conjunction with the publisher, I always think ?DLC ravage train, all aboard!?
However, Overkill isn't like a lot of the other studios out there who make AAA games under blood-sucking publishers and then after the initial $60 they have $100 worth of content to milk out of gamers, sometimes with stuff already on the disc.
The team at Overkill have been very gracious with their fans and many fans have shown a lot of support toward the developers as they aimed to craft a very sound and fun heist title. The sequel is everything anyone could have wanted out of the original Payday, along with additional fixes, skills, weapons and tons more. Payday 2, from the little I've played, does just about everything right. In addition to this, 505 Games are pretty honest when it comes to their offerings, so five new DLC packages coming out for Payday 2 are DLC packages I trust will be done right by good developers and a fairly trustworthy publisher.
Overkill also aims to assuage any fears of misdoings by announcing that the safe house customization will be inbound soon and it will be free. The team also has some additional fixes and whatnot inbound to address any of the other problems the game faces with David commenting that...
"The safe house is what we intended it to be at release," ... "Just like Bain says when you enter the safe house for the first time, it's not much at the moment, but give it some time. He's working on it and he'll let us do some decorating soon."
Goldfarb is also looking to extend the life-expectancy of Payday 2 with mods. This here is what I believe could be the single greatest thing to help prolong the life of this title if they just follow through. According to Goldfarb...
"We would love to add support for creating community generated content," "[we'll] continue to look into this."
Joystiq didn't end it all there... oh no, they went for the gold and some brownies, too. In regards to crossover content, the lead creative director didn't rule out that Payday 2 might crossover with other titles just the way they did with the original Payday: The Heist and Left 4 Dead.
If you're looking for a prime-time heist-thriller, you can pick up Payday 2 right now from your local retailer or digitally for home consoles and PC. The game is a blast so far and I'm certainly looking forward to playing more of it.
Was Kim Kardashian Right To Slam Katie Couric?
Most Hollywood feuds make sense. They involve people of the same age or in the same field. More often, they involve former lovers or former friends or former bandmates. This one, however, comes out of left field. Apparently, Kim Kardashian and Katie Couric are friendly acquaintances, or at least they used to be before the latter decided to bash the former in this week?s In Touch. Now, all hell has broken loose, and the tensions don?t show any signs of subsiding.
Kim isn?t typically the type of girl to take things lightly, and she did nothing to disprove that reputation with her response today. Instead of acting above the comment or tackling it indirectly, she decided to address it head on by taking to her Instagram account and posting a picture of the gift Katie sent, as well as some pretty vicious hashtags.
Katie isn?t exactly the type of woman who creates many ugly headlines or finds herself in the middle of much drama. Her interviews are typically good-hearted and honest, but if you ask me, she got exactly what she deserved here. Bashing someone you?re supposed to be friendly with for no apparent reason in an unrelated interview is poor form on a lot of levels. There?s nothing wrong with saying ?no comment?, and there?s nothing wrong with lying either. Even if she genuinely thinks Kim and company are talentless hacks, that doesn?t mean she can?t like them on a personal level.
Apparently, the two women are close enough that after the birth of North West, Katie sent over a gift from Barney?s along with a cute little note of congratulations. At the time, Kim clearly took it as a gesture of friendship. After taking one look at Katie?s little quote, however, she now thinks it was pretty damn insulting, and she wants the whole world to know it.
Here?s a look at Katie?s back-handed slap?
"I don?t understand ? why are they so famous? I think it?s mostly teenage girls that are interested."
Kim isn?t typically the type of girl to take things lightly, and she did nothing to disprove that reputation with her response today. Instead of acting above the comment or tackling it indirectly, she decided to address it head on by taking to her Instagram account and posting a picture of the gift Katie sent, as well as some pretty vicious hashtags.
Here?s a look at the picture?
And here?s a look at the accompanying hashtags?
#IHateFakeMediaFriends #MayIHumblySuggestYouNotSendGiftsThenTalkShit
Katie isn?t exactly the type of woman who creates many ugly headlines or finds herself in the middle of much drama. Her interviews are typically good-hearted and honest, but if you ask me, she got exactly what she deserved here. Bashing someone you?re supposed to be friendly with for no apparent reason in an unrelated interview is poor form on a lot of levels. There?s nothing wrong with saying ?no comment?, and there?s nothing wrong with lying either. Even if she genuinely thinks Kim and company are talentless hacks, that doesn?t mean she can?t like them on a personal level.
If you ask some of Kim?s critics, however, Katie isn?t wrong. The Kardashian family doesn?t offer anything in the way of singing talent or acting talent, and since the two women aren?t really close friends, there?s no reason why she should have been forbidden from speaking openly. After all, sending one wedding gift doesn?t guarantee long-lasting friendship.
What do you think? Which woman do you side with? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below?
For more questions of the day, head here
Spike Lee's Blood Thriller Reaches Kickstarter Goal
Hooray, everyone! You can stop making regret-filled movements to take your wallet out to possibly donate money to Spike Lee?s ?Newest Hottest Spike Lee Joint? via his Kickstarter campaign, because it has officially surpassed the $1.25 million goal! Not only that, but it?s sitting at $1.3 million with four days still left to go. It?s a pretty huge deal, and Lee is very thankful for its success, as you can tell by the following tweet.
"@SpikeLee: Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Supporters. You bet on the mule. http://t.co/91cq922e5o"Hard Work And Faith.
? Spike Lee (@SpikeLee) August 16, 2013
You?d think he?d have thanked the supporters first, seeing as how Jesus probably didn?t drop a dime on this project, but maybe I?m just being cynical. He also put out a prideful thank-filled video to mark the occasion, which you can watch in the Tweet above. And while I?m not saying this in judgment at all, it seems like Lee had been celebrating a little before recording it, as his words seem more slurred than usual. ?40 Acres?40 Acres and a Mule. We been doing this motherfucker?since 198-muhfucking-6.? It?s too bad he?s so subdued, as a rowdy celebration would have been more fun to watch. Catch the video, and do like Malcolm says.
Honestly, I?m surprised it took this long for him to reach the goal, as Lee is one of the most respected filmmakers across the world, regardless of his numerous naysayers. I have a feeling if he?d gotten into this project immediately after last year?s Red Hook Summer, he might have reached his target a little earlier. Instead, it comes after his questionable remake of Park Chan-wook'?s modern classic Oldboy, which audiences have yet to get a look at.
As well, the subject matter for this new film doesn?t exactly jibe with the oft-racially driven subject matter he?s been associated with since 198-muhfuckin?-6. Described as a psychological thriller about people with a thirst for blood, the film automatically sounds like a vampire movie, though he has denied rumors of that sort. He?s already landed his leading lady in U.K. actress Zaraah Abrahams (Waterloo Road), but there hasn?t been any other news about the project, probably because he was waiting to see how much Shop Amazon - Holiday Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping
Check out the Oldboy trailer below to get an idea of where Lee?s head is at these days.
WWE 2K14 Roster Announced For Wrestlemania Mode
As promised, 2K Games announced the full roster for WWE 2K14's story mode "30 Years of Wrestlemania" during a livestream event today. The "30 Years" mode allows players to take on the role of dozens of WWE superstars from throughout the wrestling organization's history.
Players will reenact fights from past WrestleManias. The arenas for these matches have been faithfully recreated, as have the wrestler outfits and entrances. Cutscenes will get you up to speed on the events leading up to the bouts. Special filters will make the older matches look more "aged," so you can feel like you're watching them on a rickety old TV back in the 1980's. By faithfully recreating certain moments from the real matches, you'll earn unlockables like characters and outfits.
Judging by the roster, "30 Years" mode has a good mix of both old and new wrestlers. Superstars from the earliest days of WrestleMania like King Kong Bundy and Ricky Steamboat are joined by current stars like The Rock and John Cena. There are several wrestlers from the New Generation and Attitude Eras as well. The roster's not as slanted toward the modern era as you might expect. Alberto Del Rio Andre the Giant Batista Big Show Big Show (Retro) Bret Hart Brock Lesnar Brock Lesnar (Retro) Chris Jericho Chris Jericho (Retro) CM Punk Diesel Edge Goldberg Hulk Hogan 'Hollywood' Hulk Hogan JBL John Cena John Cena (Retro) Kane (Retro) King Kong Bundy Mick Foley Randy Orton 'Macho Man' Randy Savage Razor Ramon Ric Flair Ric Flair (Retro) Ricky Steamboat Sergeant Slaughter Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels (Retro) 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin Ted DiBiase The Miz The Rock The Rock (Retro) Triple H Triple H (Retro) Ultimate Warrior Undertaker Undertaker (Retro) Yokozuna I'm a bit puzzled by Ultimate Warrior's inclusion on the list. 2K previously announced that he's an exclusive pre-order bonus. Does this mean that you'll be able to play him in "Wrestlemania" mode regardless of whether you reserve the game? That would mean that being able to freely play him in other modes of the game is the real pre-order perk. Or maybe his match in "Wrestlemania" mode is inaccessible unless you've unlocked him with the pre-order?
It's worth noting that this isn't the complete roster for WWE 2K14. This is just the list of wrestlers included in "30 Years" mode. The full roster hasn't been announced yet but will also include a wide range of current superstars. Earlier today 2K revealed that Darren Young will be one of the superstars in the game. Presumably they'll announce the rest in another livestream event. There's no word yet from 2K when that reveal will happen, though.
WWE 2K14 will launch on October 29th in North America and on November 1st elsewhere. The game will be available on both the PS3 and Xbox 360.
Update: And here's the trailer for the roster reveal:
Duck Dynasty Star Jase Robertson Confused For Homeless Man And Escorted From Hotel
Duck Dynasty is becoming a huge phenomenon on A&E. The first Season 4 episode pulled in a whopping 11.8 million total viewers, which is certainly something to talk about. The cast headed to New York City in order to appear on Live with Kelly and Michael earlier this week to talk about the series, as well as share some stories about spending time in the Big Apple. As it turns out, Duck Dynasty cast member Jase Robertson became a victim of ?facial profiling.?
If you are unfamiliar with the Duck Dynasty clan, Robertson and his brothers sport much more hair apiece than most other dudes. Long hair and long beards are the style of choice. Additionally, it?s safe to assume that Live with Kelly and Michael put Robertson up in a pretty nice hotel for the morning TV appearance, and his regular t-shirt and camo pants garb may have stood out against the clothing choices of the hotel?s average clientale. It?s not like the man couldn?t have afforded to stay at a nice place?the Duck Dynasty clan runs a multi-million dollar business and recently re-upped their contracts with A&E for a heftier sum.
If you are wondering how the incident ended, all is well and good. Robertson opted to continue staying at the hotel despite the little mishap, rather than raising a stink about the incident, which shows real class. It?s also kind of amusing to think that the man is on a wildly popular television show right now and still manages to maintain anonymity from time to time.
Robertson walked into his hotel before the show and asked where the bathrooms were. The employee he approached calmly seemed as he was about to show him where the restrooms were located, but instead mistook him for a homeless man and walked him outside. According to Robertson, the man didn?t treat him particularly rudely, but the event would likely have been jarring with a hint of comedy.
"I asked where the bathroom was and he said, 'Right this way, sir.' He was very nice, he walked me outside, pointed down the road and said, 'Good luck.'"
If you are unfamiliar with the Duck Dynasty clan, Robertson and his brothers sport much more hair apiece than most other dudes. Long hair and long beards are the style of choice. Additionally, it?s safe to assume that Live with Kelly and Michael put Robertson up in a pretty nice hotel for the morning TV appearance, and his regular t-shirt and camo pants garb may have stood out against the clothing choices of the hotel?s average clientale. It?s not like the man couldn?t have afforded to stay at a nice place?the Duck Dynasty clan runs a multi-million dollar business and recently re-upped their contracts with A&E for a heftier sum.
The reality star took all in stride, however. He simply turned around and walked right back into the hotel to rejoin his wife.
"So I circled back around and my wife said, 'What happened?' and I just said I just got kicked out."
If you are wondering how the incident ended, all is well and good. Robertson opted to continue staying at the hotel despite the little mishap, rather than raising a stink about the incident, which shows real class. It?s also kind of amusing to think that the man is on a wildly popular television show right now and still manages to maintain anonymity from time to time.
You can hear the whole tale from the man?s own lips, below.
Justin Long And Amanda Seyfried Are Hanging Out, Probably Dating
This week, rumors that Amanda Seyfried and Justin Long are currently dating one another on the sly began to whisper around the Internet. First, he just so happened to come along with her to the premiere of her new film, Lovelace. Second, the two were sharing a meal on Thursday and cosying up with one another while doing it. The verdict: they are totally hanging out and are probably dating.
US Weekly initially noted that the couple had begun spending time together around the time of Seyfried?s recent movie premiere. Then E! caught the couple out on a dinner date on Thursday, hanging out at an Italian restaurant called Cecconi?s, which is located in trendy and hopping West Hollywood. The outlet is also noting they drank white wine, which literally has nothing to do with the fact they might be dating, but I guess is a hot fact to consume if you are into celebrity drink choices. Currently, Seyfried and Long?s reps are staying mum about the possible relationship, but let's be serious, something is clearly up.
Both Seyfried and Long have had several high-profile romances. Seyfried dated Desmond Harrington, Dominic Cooper and once even noted she went out with Alexander Skarsgard, explaining that he is very funny. Long?s highest profile romance was probably with actress Drew Barrymore, which ended way back in 2008. That was a long time ago, however, and maybe he?s ready to commit to a relationship with another badass, high-profile actress.
Long may not be admitting he?s dating Seyfried, but the 35-year-old actor did admit she rocked out in Lovelace via the very public forum, Twitter.
Adjectives don't do justice to @AmandaSeyfried's fearless + transformative perf in #Lovelace (though I would've been better) -just go see it
? Justin Long (@justinlong) August 10, 2013
Celebrities may not always be purposefully keeping secrets when they first begin dating. Sometimes they let people in on a need-to-know basis, and the general populace and the media aren?t a part of that inner circle. I?m guessing it?s generally easier to keep things under wraps until you know you stand a good chance of being with a person for the long haul. That way if famous couples drift apart or decide they don?t have much in common, they don?t have to go through the rigmarole of scrutiny related to the break-up. Since I?m not a celebrity, I can?t prove this theory, but if you have a better one, by all means, let us know in the comments.
The 27-year-old actress has an extremely busy schedule and Long is no slouch either. Whether or not hanging out leads into something serious will likely depend on the amount of fun the couple have together and whether or not it?s worth juggling schedules to make something serious work. Either way, we?ll keep you updated, whether this one moves forward or fizzles out.
Orion: Dino Horde Will Be Free For An Entire Week On Steam
Starting August 19th, Orion: Dino Horde will be free for an entire week on Valve's digital distribution portal. Spiral Game Studios sent out word that their prime-time first-person, dinosaur hunting, open-world shooter will be free for an entire week on Steam.
The game, in the meantime, will also be available for 75% off until Monday, August 26th, 10am PST.
The original Orion: Dino Beatdown got off to a rocky start last year when it launched on Steam as an incomplete mess. YouTuber's drilled it further into the ground than a Texas oil company and reviewers scored it worse than an uneven fight featuring Manny Pacquiao against a one-armed cerebral palsy patient.
However, Spiral Games Studios didn't want to let the tough times burn them to the ground like a hillside forest in California during a torrid summer. The team has worked through the bad press and the game-breaking bugs to churn out a real winner in the sequel, Orion: Dino Horde.
The game has also been on the receiving end of quite bit of free DLC and additional promotions to help put the game in the public spotlight. The reality is that this low-budget gem is a great little shooter for gamers looking to log in some hours with their friends cooperatively shooting the mess out of dinosaurs and spiral wants to capitalize on that, which is why they're allowing any and everyone to play the game for free all week long starting next Monday.
As noted in the press release...
With this week-long event we will also be doing our second DoubleXP event to coincide. With the newly added Persistence system this will make for the best time to grind and level up all 3 of your classes.We will be releasing the Desert DLC Pack (free) next week to celebrate this event and the game series. This new DLC pack will add new modes, maps, our favorite weapon, 100+ steam achievements and the massive game version 1.9. Users will be able to enjoy all of this new content starting no later than Friday, August 23rd.
The game, in the meantime, will also be available for 75% off until Monday, August 26th, 10am PST.
You basically have plenty of time to play-test the game with your friends (or make some new ones) to see if it's a game you want to get in good with before laying any cash down for the title.
Now, I can't say that Orion: Dino Horde is perfect by any means. However, if you're looking for a simple shooter with all the basic functionality you've come to expect from modern shooters, you won't find yourself too disappointed with the offerings. There are a couple of maps, day and night cycles, a variety of vehicles to interact with and use, tons of weapon upgrades to utilize and plenty of character abilities to use, abuse and have fun with.
You can see the game in action with the trailer below or hit up the official website to learn more.
Diablo 3 Console Commercial Invites You To Orgy
Blizzard has rolled out a new TV spot for the soon-to-be-released PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Diablo 3. It's extremely different in tone than the previous commercials we've seen for the action RPG.
In the commercial, a man comes home to find a trail of clothing leading upstairs. He follows the trail to his upstairs den, where two girls dressed like a Wizard and Demon Hunter are playing Diablo 3 with a dude dressed like a Witch Doctor.
"Hey hun," the blonde Wizard says. "Sit down, we'll make it a foursome."
Instead of being like, "Honey, why did you and your friends dress up like video game characters in order to play a video game? You know you can just play them in normal people clothing, right?", our hero excitedly joins in. After a montage of gameplay footage, the camera cuts to him playing D3 in his underwear.
"I'm gonna put my pants back on," he says to his companions.
Oh, you finally figured out that your wife wasn't inviting you to London Bridge with the Hendersons? What gave it away? The fact that they were dressed up as Diablo 3 characters and playing a video game? The puzzled looks when you took your pants off? WHAT KIND OF A HOUSE HAS AN UPSTAIRS LIVING ROOM.
It's funny how different this commercial is from the #EvilReborn ads that Sony ran for Diablo 3. Instead of making a "Oh, I thought you meant orgy instead of local co-op!" joke, Sony's ads go for a Blair Witch horror experience. Here's one sample ad from that campaign:
If you recall, I wasn't a big fan of the Sony ads, either. It doesn't seem like anyone knows how to market Diablo 3. You're overthinking it, guys. It was a well-reviewed, best-selling game on the PC and Mac. Just reuse those cinematic trailers from last year and call it a day.
Should you feel the need to make a new ad, though, I'd prefer something like this:
[JIM enters home, sees trail of clothing leading upstairs. With a concerned look, he heads upstairs. He opens a door to his living room to find his WIFE, MR. HENDERSON AND MRS. HENDERSON playing Diablo 3 while wearing D3 character garb.]
JIM: Honey? What's going on here?
WIFE: We just had sex. Also, the console version doesn't have always-on DRM or a real-Shop Amazon - Holiday Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping
JIM: Awesome!
[Jim strips to his boxers, picks up a controller.]
Mary Poppins 50th Anniversary Blu-ray Will Sing Onto Shelves In December
Disney has an all-star cast set for its upcoming movie, Saving Mr. Banks, which will follow the unlikely story of the making of Mary Poppins and the problems plaguing the project until it eventually made it to the big screen in 1964. The film will star Tom Hanks and will hit theaters this Christmas as part of the big 50th Anniversary of Mary Poppins. Disney is never one to miss a promotional opportunity, and the company will be putting out the Mary Poppins: 50th Anniversary Edition on December 10.
While the latest edition will be available on DVD, Disney is really pushing the HD Digital and Blu-ray copies of the film, and with good reason. The December 10 release will mark the first time the film has hit Blu-ray, and the first big release of the movie since Disney put together the 45th Anniversary Edition on DVD just a few years ago (Likely due to rarity, those copies run pretty expensively).
The new copies of the film have some neat cover art, and buyers who purchase the Blu-ray or HD Digital copies of the film will also get a couple of brand new bonus features with the release. The first is ?Mary-OKE?s,? an interactive segment that allows viewers to sing-along with famous songs from the film, similar to the ?frog-E-OKE? feature that just came as part of The Muppet Movie: 35th Anniversary Edition. The second brand new extra is a segment called ?Becoming Mr. Sherman,? which is actually related to Saving Mr. Banks rather than Mary Poppins itself. In this segment, Jason Schwarzman will reveal what it was like to take on the shoes of famed Disney professional Richard Sherman. To tie the segment in with Mary Poppins, it will also delve into the making of the musical.
As the months wear on, Disney will likely reveal more details about the Mary Poppins: 50th Anniversary Edition. Past editions of the film have included behind-the-scenes looks at the costumes and an introduction by production designer Bob Crowley, so buyers may be seeing those on the disc, as well. Until then, if you haven?t caught the brand new Blu-ray trailer for the film on TV, you can give it a watch below. I?m not going to say the HD picture looks fabulous, but I?ve seen the preview on a pretty big screen and it hasn?t looked at all fuzzy. Check it out below and decide for yourself.
Big Brother 15 Live Feed Updates: Who Did Aaryn Nominate?
Remember Thursday night when Julie brought up the subject of making big moves? Well, Aaryn's making a big move during her latest Head of Household term, but is it the right one? The following article contains Big Brother 15 live feed spoilers! If you don't want to know who Aaryn nominated for eviction today, read no further! We also have some information on the Have/Have-Not situation.
Ok, you've been warned?
First and foremost, Aaryn put up Helen and Elissa for eviction. The short and skinny is that she told Helen she's targeting Elissa, who we know doesn't get along with Aaryn. Aaryn's explanation for nominating Helen along with Elissa was that she wants Elissa out and she knows Helen and Elissa are in an alliance. But unbeknownst to Helen, there's major talk about getting her out this week. Aayrn, Andy, Amanda and McCrae talked about it yesterday after the live episode - after Amanda pouted over not winning again.
Back to the plan to evict Helen, I think it's tentative until the Veto is played and won. I get the impression they don't want to go full force on evicting Helen until they know for sure that they can. If Helen wins the Veto, they may target Elissa. Spencer's name is also being tossed around, but that's always the case, and I don't think Aaryn wants to nominate him again.
From what I've seen, Aaryn has not revealed the plan to evict Helen to GinaMarie, which makes it hard to tell for sure what her true goal is. GinaMarie and Aaryn share a mutual dislike of Elissa. And I heard some chatter about Elissa telling them to their faces that she didn't want to sit near them during the live show. Granted, their version of the story could have been exaggerated, and I'd love it if this incident was actually featured during Sunday's episode just so we can see what exactly was said. But going on hearsay entirely, it doesn't surprise me. Elissa's strikes me as a good person with a moral compass that points due north, but her social game has been sloppy from the start. I would believe she'd tell someone she didn't want to sit next to them for no other reason than to emphasize the fact that she doesn't like them. And doing it before the next Head of Household competition was just obvious bad timing.
I'd honestly love to see what happens to Elissa if Helen is evicted first, considering how much navigating Helen's done to keep Elissa's game on track. On the subject of Elissa, she's made some comments (or at least one comment that's been repeated) that if she's evicted, she's not sticking around for Jury. Meaning she'll walk. Now, granted, she has kids, and I have no idea how parents make it through the summer with no contact with their children on this show, so I get her eagerness to walk away from this experience if and when her shot at the Shop Amazon - Holiday Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping
As for Have/Have-Nots, America voted for Head Cheese and Habaneros. Jokers reports that GinaMarie, Amanda, Elissa and Helen are Have Nots. I always vote for the good food, mainly because I hate listening to the houseguests complain all week about being hungry and miserable from slop and the "luxury" food they don't want to eat. Like Head Cheese and Habaneros. Then again, maybe someone will work those foods into an edible slop recipe?
So right now, it's looking like Aaryn's sticking with her alliance with McCranda and Andy (McCrandy?) - otherwise known as the 3 a.m. alliance, but I'm reserving full judgment until I see her diary room. On one hand, working with a group to evict a big player like Helen is huge and exciting. But on the other hand, Aaryn might benefit more by targeting someone like Elissa and then claiming Helen's loyalty all for herself. Elissa could be due for an HoH win soon, and if she does, my Shop Amazon - Holiday Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping
What will be especially interesting is if whoever goes this week comes back due to the twist. Right now, I'm hoping Judd will return, mainly because he got short-changed by the double-eviction and because I think he'd stand the best chance of realigning with key players and actually managing to last more than a week. But if it turns out to be Elissa or Helen, that might be an interesting turn-around.
In other news, if you're looking to reminisce about amazing Big Brother moments from past seasons, check out some great clips here.
UPDATE
The feeds just came back after the Veto competition and it looks like Elissa won. I saw Helen and Elissa celebrating in the bathroom. Sounds like it was the Otev comp.
Discuss Kick-Ass 2 With Spoilers And Rate It
It wasn't box office numbers that led to a sequel to Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass - it was passionate fans demanding for one. When the first movie was released in 2010 it was buoyed by positive critical response, but ultimately was considered an under-performer domestically, making only $48 million on a $30 million budget. At the time we tried to figure out exactly what went wrong, citing the movie's muddled marketing and lack of the 3D in a post-Avatar world. Regardless of what the reason was, however, one thing seemed certain: we would probably never get to see a Kick-Ass 2.
And that would have stayed true had it not been for Universal Pictures. In May of last year the studio picked up the rights to the project from Lionsgate, hired Cry_Wolf and Never Back Down filmmaker Jeff Wadlow to direct, and gave the film the greenlight for a September production start. Now, nearly three and a half years later, Kick-Ass 2 is actually coming to theaters. But was it worth the wait?
According to critics, the answer to that question seems to be, "no." While the first film got mostly thumbs up from film journalists, the same can't be said about the sequel, which is currently sitting at 28% on Rotten Tomatoes (very low compared to the 77% mark that the first movie). Sadly, I largely agree with the majority consensus. While I was a big fan of the first movie, happy to see something so different and crazy come out of the comic book movie genre, the sequel is unbalanced story-wise, completely wastes its best character (Hit-Girl) in a plot that's essentially a rip-off of Mean Girls, and fails to have the brutal-but-fun impact that the original did. As I wrote in my review earlier this week, "There?s a good amount to like in Kick-Ass 2, including some manic performances from [Christopher] Mintz-Plasse and [Jim] Carrey as well as some cool comic book flourishes by Wadlow... but the good stuff is continually buried in the things the movie gets wrong."
But now that the movie is actually in theaters and the general audience gets to see it, we want to know what you think of Kick-Ass 2. Do you think it lived up to expectations or was it a disappointment? Did you like what it did with the characters? What would you have liked to see them do differently and what did you really love? Vote in our poll, and hit the comments to let us know your thoughts, feelings, and opinions, and, as the title says, SPOILERS ARE WELCOME!
How Would You Rate Kick-Ass 2?Help Fund Community Fan Convention CommuniCon 2
The fourth season DVDs for Community were released a couple of weeks ago, but I didn?t rush out to buy it. Whatever the reason, nearly every aspect of the show felt far more forced than usual, making for a lot of bum episodes. But instead of turning me off of the series altogether, it just made the first three seasons easier to celebrate. And what better way to celebrate than a Community-themed fan convention, specifically ?CommuniCon 2: Re-Introduction to Fanaticism,? which is raising funds through a Kickstarter campaign that you can still donate Shop Amazon - Holiday Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping">Shop Amazon - Holiday Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping">money to until the evening of August 21. So put your Shop Amazon - Holiday Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping">Shop Amazon - Holiday Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping">money where your Pop Pop-quoting mouth is, and plan on attending, as the campaign has already been funded, raising over $15,000 with a $13,000 goal. Huzzah! 
">Shop Amazon - Holiday Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping">money to until the evening of August 21. So put your Shop Amazon - Holiday Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping">Shop Amazon - Holiday Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping">money where your Pop Pop-quoting mouth is, and plan on attending, as the campaign has already been funded, raising over $15,000 with a $13,000 goal. Huzzah! CommuniCon 2 will be held on October 19-20 inside the Embassy Suites Glendale in Los Angeles. The funding is paying for the venue itself, decorations and badges, Kickstarter rewards and producing a documentary covering the event. The additional funding will be used to make both the convention and the documentary that much more superb. Check out the event's poster below.
Oddly enough, they haven?t even waited an entire year since the first event, which was held this past February. But it gives us a good idea of what attendees can expect to see. Since it?s being put together by superfan Gillian Morshedi, it is in no way affiliated with Sony, NBC, or anyone involved with the show itself. However, Morshedi put her own blood, sweat, tears and Shop Amazon - Holiday Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping
February?s con was headlined by a Q&A presentation by creator Dan Harmon, and stars Yvette Nicole Brown and Gillian Jacobs were on-hand for fan interactions. Beyond that, there was a writers? panel, a supporting actors? panel, a trivia contest, a costume contest and a panel about PixelDrip Gallery?s Six Seasons and a Movie art exhibit. And while there are no guarantees on who will show up this time around, rarely is the sophomore effort a smaller affair in the world of conventions. Especially if a documentary will be filmed. Maybe a performance by Childish Gambino is in order. Or at least an impersonator.
Kickstarter rewards include tickets for admission, t-shirts, DVDs of the documentary, signed items from the cast and crew, front seats to all panels and more. So if you don?t have the Shop Amazon - Holiday Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping
You can catch Community on Comedy Central starting in September. Below, you can catch most of Dan Harmon?s appearance at the first CommuniCon.
Monsters University Will Rush Its Way Onto Blu-ray In October
Pixar?s been churning out sequels and prequels a lot more often in recent years. Some have been a little more well-received than others, but regardless of where you might place Monsters University in the Pixar canon, very few people would claim it isn?t at minimum an extremely enjoyable ride.
Starring John Goodman and Billy Crystal, the film follows our old friends Mike and Sullivan who are just as loveable the second time around. In this prequel, the guys head to the title college to learn the art of scaring. Sully, of course, has all the natural gifts, but he?s lazy, cocky and too excited about partying. Mike, on the other hand, has no natural gifts whatsoever. Luckily, he?s a ravenous studier and a brilliant theorist, which is the perfect recipe for some early personality conflicts, some mid-section bonding and an emotionally satisfying climax. It?s just the type of film you?d want to watch a second time, and luckily, you?re about to get your chance.
Disney Pixar announced this week that the film will be released in Digital HD and Digital HD 3D on October 8 and Blu-ray, DVD and OnDemand formats on October 29. You can take a look at the sweet cover art below?
If you?re looking for a few extra reasons to buy a copy of the film, beyond the film itself, you?ll likely find more than enough with the Blu-ray and Digital offerings. In addition to the absolutely gorgeous short film Blue Umbrella that ran prior to Monsters University in theaters and will be available withl all versions, fans will get a slew of special features about the technical aspects of the film, some deleted scenes and perhaps best of all, a featurette about the challenge in taking familiar characters and making them just a little bit younger with the Blu-ray and Digital versions. If there any Randy Newman fans out there, you?ll be in for a special treat with this set too as Pixar will give you a look into the composer/ musician?s creative process he uses for scoring films.
If you?re interesting in ordering the film now, you can hit up the preorder function on Amazon, or you can simply check out the full list of extras below?
Monster?s University Blu-ray and Digital Bonus Features Campus Life Story School Scare Games Scare Tactics Color and Light Paths to Pixar - MU Edition. Furry Monsters: A Technical Retrospective Deleted Scenes ?The Blue Umbrella? Audio Commentary Promo Picks College Campaign, Theatrical Campaign Set Flythroughs Art Gallery And more!? Monster?s University DVD Bonus Features Audio Commentary ?The Blue Umbrella?
Chris Brown Gets 1000 Extra Hours Of Community Service
Chris Brown sells a lot of music, but he?s also popular in the tabloids, for reasons that include but are not limited to beating up Rihanna, committing potential parole violations, getting into a shady car accident and starting a nightclub brawl. Recently, some of his past issues have come back to haunt him. On Friday, Brown was sentenced to 1,000 hours of community labor stemming from a recent hit and run accident that violated his parole.
You would think one of these problems may have spurred a judge to order the 1,000 hours of labor, but it was actually the car accident that Brown took responsibility for that caused the recent court date. Brown apparently hit a woman, stopped and chatted with her, and then repaired her car. Still, lawyers pressed on and although the charges were dropped, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Brandlin eventually ruled that if Brown served the hours, his probation would also be reinstated.
Hopefully, the star will show up to finish the hours this time. More than a year ago, the 24-year-old performer got into some heat with the Los Angeles District Attorney?s office who encountered discrepancies with the times and dates of some community hours he supposedly served. The office found that Brown had described dates where he said he had volunteered, but was actually on the road and sometimes even out of the country performing. The District Attorney?s office underwent an investigation and later found that the star was only escorted to community service on several occasions. The Richmond police chief who approved Brown?s ?fulfilled ? community service hours eventually even resigned from his position.
CNN was quick to note that Judge Brandlin would not take sides when past records of service were brought up. Still, this time around, Brown will have to accomplish hours of actual hard labor, which includes beach cleanup or even working for Caltrans, the agency responsible for highway maintenance, etc. Assumedly, the police in the LA area will also keep a closer watch on the young man?s work hours this time around.
Hard labor is actually a pretty big punishment, but it is not nearly as bad as it could have been for the singer. If probation had not been reinstated, Brown could have faced four years of jail time related to the domestic violence charge police slapped him with after Rihanna was hit. He also failed a drug test during probation, which could have contributed to actual jail time served. All in all, things weren?t looking good for the 24-year-old, and he?s lucky he got off as cleanly as he did. Now, he?ll really have to stick to the terms of his probation if he wants to avoid the courts any further.
Katie Couric Apologizes For Making Fun Of Kim Kardashian
Katie Couric has no interest in continuing the war she unintentionally started with Kim Kardashian. So, rather than escalate the feud by firing back at the reality star for the mean-spirited hashtags she dropped yesterday, the journalist decided to take the high road and apologize for causing problems.
The quote Katie is referring to ran in the pages of In Touch Weekly a few days ago. She was asked about her thoughts on a number of celebrities, and her views on Kim got boiled down to a terse soundbite that operated like a giant middle finger.
If there?s one person in the world who stays current on magazines like In Touch Weekly, it?s Kim Kardsashian. She was all over the quote within a matter of hours, and she decided to get her revenge by taking a picture of the beautiful gift Katie sent over following North West?s birth and adding a series of hashtags that referred to Katie as a phony for pretending to be her friend and then talking shit behind her back. The whole thing is very Mean Girls-esque, and yet, it?s strangely awesome too.
Close female friends of a certain personality type might have a tendency to fight and come back together, but I really don?t think these two were ever close enough for a reconciliation to come down the line. After all, Kim obviously thinks Katie is a two-faced bitch now, and Katie obviously thinks Kim is a drama queen prone to wild overreactions. Since there are other celebrities to interview and other journalists to put out information through, I highly doubt these two will ever have an extended conversation again. It?s not as if they both work in the same department at their local Home Depot.
In a carefully worded statement released to E! News last night, Couric raised the white flag and extended a hand to her once friendly acquaintance. You can take a look at the mea culpa in its entirety below?
"I've met Kim before and I think she's a really sweet person. I was responding to a reporter's question, and explaining how I'm intrigued by the public's fascination with her family. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings. The gift is genuine, and I'm happy for Kim and Kanye."
The quote Katie is referring to ran in the pages of In Touch Weekly a few days ago. She was asked about her thoughts on a number of celebrities, and her views on Kim got boiled down to a terse soundbite that operated like a giant middle finger.
"I don?t understand ? why are they so famous? I think it?s mostly teenage girls that are interested."
If there?s one person in the world who stays current on magazines like In Touch Weekly, it?s Kim Kardsashian. She was all over the quote within a matter of hours, and she decided to get her revenge by taking a picture of the beautiful gift Katie sent over following North West?s birth and adding a series of hashtags that referred to Katie as a phony for pretending to be her friend and then talking shit behind her back. The whole thing is very Mean Girls-esque, and yet, it?s strangely awesome too.
#IHateFakeMediaFriends #MayIHumblySuggestYouNotSendGiftsThenTalkShit
Close female friends of a certain personality type might have a tendency to fight and come back together, but I really don?t think these two were ever close enough for a reconciliation to come down the line. After all, Kim obviously thinks Katie is a two-faced bitch now, and Katie obviously thinks Kim is a drama queen prone to wild overreactions. Since there are other celebrities to interview and other journalists to put out information through, I highly doubt these two will ever have an extended conversation again. It?s not as if they both work in the same department at their local Home Depot.
That being said, if either of these ladies decide to comment on the situation again, we?ll be sure to let you know what they have to say.
Are You Bothered By LeBron James Using A Police Escort To Get To A Concert?
The other night, LeBron James got in his car and headed to the Jay-Z/ Justin Timberlake concert. Unfortunately, traffic was a nightmare. The NBA superstar inched along for as long as he could, but once it became obvious he was going to miss out on the show, King James decided to use his status as one of the most famous men in the United States to his advantage.
Rather than fight his way forward, he arranged for the police to swing by and escort him down the wrong side of the road. He made the concert in time, assumedly had a nice evening and later posted the footage to his Instagram account. Unfortunately, that final decision has opened up quite a can of worms thanks to the practical implications of police officers using time and resources to escort an athlete to a concert.
On the one hand, it?s easy to see where the complainers are coming from. The city of Miami isn?t exactly Martha?s Vineyard. Real crime happens every single day. The city could use more officers, not less. It?s unlikely the cops involved here were actually on duty, but at the very least, they were using company vehicles and using their cop powers. Besides, it?s not as if anyone else was getting the same treatment. There were probably dozens or even hundreds of other people heading to the same concert, and they sucked it up and fought the traffic.
On the other hand, LeBron has made the city of Miami millions of dollars in tourism. He could have stayed in Cleveland. He could have gone to Chicago or New York. Instead, he moved to Florida and because of it, those fine taxpayers and those cops have two NBA Championships to celebrate and hordes of tourists coming in to watch one of the most exciting shows on Earth. Yeah, no one else got escorted to the concert and that?s unequal, but nothing about LeBron has ever been equal. He might take a lot more, but he gives a whole lot more too.
Personally, I have no problem with LeBron getting a little perk here or there. If some cops want to spend their off-time driving him to the stadium, so be it. He?s earned it, in my mind, with those two titles, but I can definitely see why a lot of people disagree.
Where do you stand? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below?
Are You Bothered By The Escort?For more questions of the day, head here
The Chaos Engine Remake Hits PC, Mac, Linux Aug 29th
Remakes of classic games are a dime a dozen these days, but it's hard to complain when modern developers are putting in the time to recreate games that, otherwise, would be dang-near impossible to get your hands on. Such is the case with Chaos Engine, Abstraction Games' throw-up to the 1993 Amiga shooter that helped pave the way for the entire genre. It's headed to PC, Mac and Linux on August 29th.
In a steampunk future, a computer gone mad, the Chaos Engine, has started churning out diabolical baddies that you, the player, must stop at nothing to destroy. A sort of twin-stick shooter before the genre really existed, The Chaos Engine is a top-down shooter featuring a skill system, multiple playable characters, abilities, weapons and the like.
Originally created by The Bitmap Brothers, The Chaos Engine is getting the remake treatment by Abstratction games, the same team that made the excellent PS3/Vita port of Hotline Miami.
?We grew up with the Amiga and those classic Bitmap game were the inspiration for a lot of us who went on to work in games and development,? said Abstraction CEO Ralph Egas. ?For many of us, The Chaos Engine was our first taste of co-op and was a platform that incited our love of top-down shooters. The Chaos Engine holds such fond memories for so many people and it stands the test of time and we were determined to restore the game to its full and amazing pixel-perfect glory, with a couple of cool enhancements.?
But purists need not be worried, as the upcoming PC, Mac and Linux will feature two play modes, including a ?Classic? option that remains unchanged and an ?Enhanced? mode that throws in those extra tweaks Egas was talking about.
Whichever mode you play, single mercenaries or co-op partners will have six characters to choose from and four worlds to explore. Steam Achievements have also been thrown in, as well as additional Steam features, enhanced graphics, controls and more.
?This really feels like the right time to bring back The Chaos Engine,? said Mike Montgomery, one of the founding members of The Bitmap Brothers. ?...I wanted to make sure that the game was true to the original without losing its charm during the restoration process. The option to play in the original Classic mode with the added option to play in Enhanced mode with its refined pixel-perfect finish is a clever way to satisfy all enthusiasts. It feels like a completely natural transition to the PC.?
To give a piece of gaming history a try for yourself, it'll be available on Steam, Get Games and GOG on Aug. 29 for PC, Mac and Linux. If you've got some extra time to spare, you can also check out this recent interview with the developers from Eurogamer. It features a lot of in-game footage, so you'll know exactly what The Chaos Engine has to offer when it's made available in a couple of weeks.
College-Set Tina Fey Comedy Heads Straight To Series At Fox
Earlier this week, we learned that Tina Fey was teaming with former 30 Rock showrunner Robert Carlock for a TV comedy in development at NBC, putting the writer/actor/producer back with the network that helped put her on the map, between, Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. It looks like Fey's determined to keep busy on the small screen, as she has another TV project in the works, and this one, which also involves Carlock in addition to 30 Rock's Matt Hubbard, is going straight to series at Fox.
The comedy doesn't have a title yet, but it's reportedly a multi-camera comedy that takes place at a women's college that's just started admitting men for the first time. Fox apparently isn't waiting around to sample the merchandise. THR says there was a multiple-network bidding war for this one, which may explain Fox's eagerness to bypass the pilot stage and send this project straight to series. NBC was another network said to be involved in trying to get their hands on that one. Hubbard is set to write the half-hour project, as well as executive produce. Fey, Carlock and David Miner are also on board to executive produce.
As mentioned, Fey and Carlock are also teaming up for an NBC comedy. That one is set on Fire Island and centers on a woman who attempts to reconnect with her father. There's no word on whether or not the NBC project is single or multi-camera, but it's said to be in the vein of Cheers (multi-camera), and given that the Fox series is multi-camera, I'm inclined to wonder if that's the direction Fey and Carlock are leaning with their upcoming projects, which is curious, considering 30 Rock was a single-camera comedy.
Here's the thing. On one hand, neither Fox nor NBC have had all that much success on the multi-camera front in recent years. Most of their big comedies are single-camera, while efforts to get a multi-camera comedy to take off haven't worked out so well (RIP Guys with Kids, Whitney, I Hate My Teenage Daughter). With that said, even their most successful single-camera comedies aren't making a dent in the ratings by comparison to CBS, and as you may be aware, CBS comedies - The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls, Two and a Half Men, etc - tend to be multi-camera set-ups. So it's not especially difficult to see why the networks would want to tap into the viewership that's not averse to the laugh-tracky chuckles of a studio audience. Plus, multi-camera comedies are said to be cheaper and faster to produce than the single-camera sitcoms, though I suppose that varies. I can't imagine writing talent like Tina Fey comes cheap.
As for the premise of the Fox college-set comedy, it sounds a little like familiar territory for Fey, when we consider her recent film Admission, which had her playing a college admissions officer. Of course, Fey starred in that film and according to THR, she has no plans to star in this new Fox series, which is unfortunate. But if she's piling up the writer projects, it's not all that surprising that she isn't looking to add screen-time to her presumably busy schedule.
Hugh Jackman Denies Being Offered $100 Million For Another Decade Of Wolverine
In this cinematic world of trilogies, scarce is the non-James Bond actor who continues to take on the same role in film after film. Hugh Jackman is one of those rare performers who has repeatedly reprised the role that made him famous, having played the mutant Wolverine in six X-Men films, with the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past set to be number seven. So when it was recently reported that Twentieth Century Fox offered Jackman $100 million to come back to play Wolverine four more times, it wasn?t a big surprise. But as most things involved with superheroes tend to be, the news was all a fiction. Jackman himself has told Entertainment Weekly that the news of the studio's offer wasn?t true. He?s only been offered $99.99 million to do it. Just kidding!
While on the set of Days of Future Past, Jackman denied the reports, which were admittedly pretty sketchy already, having come from The National Enquirer. ?No, it?s not true,? Jackman said. ?I would never do that. I?ve never done that mainly because, for the fans and for me, each time I?ve gone around there?s been a really good reason to do it and I don?t know what that reason is from here. I?m in the middle of making this and I just promoted the other and I?m really happy with the way The Wolverine came out.?
While this most recent standalone film definitely wasn?t one of the summer?s Shop Amazon - Holiday Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping
Of course, given Robert Downey Jr.?s massive payday for The Avengers, I guess nothing that studios do these days seems crazy anymore. Then again, The Avengers did make over $1.5 billion at the global box office, which equals the earnings of all four X-Men films put together, excluding the Wolverine spinoffs. So his payday does seem like it was worth it.
The Wolverine is entering its fourth weekend in theaters. If you haven?t watched it yet, check the trailer below if you need that extra push.
Weekly Recap Aug 17th: GTA 5 Multiplayer Video, Xbox One Delayed, Payday 2 Launches
Rockstar shocked the world when they unveiled the new multiplayer mode for Grand Theft Auto V, pretty much putting all other multiplayer modes in every other game to shame. The video is featured in this recap along with some details on the multiplayer mode itself... it's epic. The Xbox One has been delayed in a few territories, pushing back the region release outside of North America to 2014 for many countries, and Overkill Software's Payday 2 launched to a lot of fanfare and some rocket busting sales. These stories and more in this August 17th, 2013 edition of the Gaming Blend Weekly Recap. Sunday
7 Days To Die, The Novelist Approved By Steam Greenlight A list of cool new indies have landed on Steam thanks to the Greenlight.
7 Days To Die, The Novelist Approved By Steam Greenlight A list of cool new indies have landed on Steam thanks to the Greenlight.
Venus Rising MMO Dabbles In Interactive Sex 16 different positions of interactive digital awesomenes. Who's in?
Splinter Cell Blacklist System Requirements Released As Game Goes Gold Ubisoft's Blacklist has officially gone gold and you can find out if your PC is up to snuff for the game.
Half Life 3 Trailer Created By Fan To Torment You Well shucks, Valve has laid off on the trolling, so it's up to the community to pick up the tab.
Sword N Board Brings Childhood RPG Adventures To Life On Kickstarter
Sir, You Are Being Hunted Pre-Order Alpha Test Starts August 19th Rock, Paper, Shotgun's open-world survival game will open up to the public later in the month for those who buy into the pre-order campaign.
Omni Treadmill Pre-Orders Available At $499 For the price of an Xbox One you could own your own Omni Treadmill, one of the most advanced pieces of technology out there.
Jobs
The history of Apple is long, complicated and utterly fascinating. It features betrayals, takeovers, an airplane crash, communism and a hell of a lot of innovation. It spans decades, includes a large number of important players and has made great fodder for several books. In theory, it would make great fodder for several movies too. Unfortunately, writer Matt Whiteley and director Joshua Michael Stern have decided to try and jam all of those hypothetical movies into one single film and add tidbits about founder Steve Jobs? complicated personal life to boot. Is the resulting product a biopic, a highlight video featuring the biggest moments in Apple?s history or a goofy story about some weird kids trying to build computers out of a garage? Jobs has no idea. It?s a combination of all three, which makes for a disorganized but still frequently fascinating movie.
At its best, Jobs is a pretty effective look into the title innovator?s mind, particularly when he was a younger man first getting into business. It gives us scene after scene of him pushing, striving and refusing to be content, many of which are riveting. The consequences of his aggressive attention to detail may have cost Apple millions while he was running one of the biggest companies in the world, but that same mentality was costing co-founder Steve Wozniak untold amounts of time when he was complaining about the circuit boards not looking right when they were first being assembled inside a garage. He was born a perfectionist, and he died a perfectionist.
At its worst, Jobs is beset by the exact same pacing problems, clarity issues and supporting character confusions you would expect from a movie that spans decades. From a storyline involving Jobs? birth parents, to a mean-spirited and frankly sickening custody battle, to random projects he works on, the film has a habit of bringing issues like these up as asides and then dropping them just as quickly. Obviously, all involved want to create the fullest, most layered story possible, but that can?t be done in runtime that?s just a wink over two hours. This movie would be exponentially better if it were called Twenty-Something Jobs or Jobs, Woz And The First 2 Apples.
As it stands, it?s just called Jobs, and it opens with our title character (Ashton Kutcher) wasting away his life at Reed College. He?s aimless, conceited and not nearly as technologically adept as he?d like to be - a fact proven overtly when he takes a job at Atari, volunteers for a complicated project and is forced to call in his pal Steve ?Woz? Wozniak (Josh Gad) to do it for him. His friend is a real whiz with circuit boards and video games, and it just so happens he?s building his own personal computer for fun. Jobs instantly recognizes the potential in the idea and convinces his tech genius buddy to start Apple. Progress is slow at first, but when Mike Markkula (Dermot Mulroney) shows up with a suitcase full of cash in exchange for thirty percent of the company, the rise is swift and very well-publicized.
Of course, the initial high doesn?t last. Taking the company public adds a board of directors led by Arthur Rock (JK Simmons) and a slew of shareholders who don?t necessarily share Jobs? vision for the future. The resulting friction plays out slowly and over a long period of time. To the film?s credit, it doesn?t take the easy road and tell us Jobs is a saint one hundred percent of the time, nor does it make him out to be a raving, unreasonable lunatic. He consistently pushes for innovation, and the board consistently tries to keep him on a budget.
Kutcher is actually very good as Jobs. He?s a spitting image of the pioneer in his younger days, and he?s able to handle the emotional load. Many of the exchanges between the characters are informative without feeling like they?re merely trying to advance the plot, and there are a nice number of smiles to be had. Jobs does far more right than it does wrong, but the script is just all over the place in terms of subject matter, and that makes it really hard to care deeply enough about anything that?s happening.
If you?re interested in the history of Apple or want to see Kutcher show that he has actual acting talent, Jobs is definitely worth a look. If you?re looking for something snappy or, more importantly, organized, there are better choices to see this weekend.
DirectX 11 Indie Game, Candle, Coming To Wii U
You've probably never heard of Candle and that's fine. However, you do know about DirectX 11 and we all know that it's an API that commands respect from graphics whores the world around. So how do you feel about the Wii U knowing that an indie game that uses heavy DirectX 11 features will be arriving on Nintendo's Wii U?
It's funny because Player Essence also references a previous article where they point out the very reasons why Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3 aren't coming to the Wii U, and it's because Square Enix stated that it didn't have DirectX 11 equivalent capabilities or the potential to make use of the OpenGL API to get comparable graphics fidelity as the PS4 and Xbox One.
Player Essence spotted the update on the team's official Kickstarter page for the successfully Kickstarted platformer, Candle, where the update reads...
?We love Nintendo platforms since our childhood has been full of them, so it was natural for us to go for it. We are already thinking about dedicated gameplay on Wii U ? we are not doing any kind of quick port. We will designe specific gameplay features for its gamepad: all the menus, inventory and minigames will be tactile-controled on the touchscreen, as well as other unique actions concerning Teku?s candle. We will talk more deeply about this when we start developing all that stuff.?This is a dedicated development, and so we need extra time and effort to do it correctly with the all-new features. If we could fund it, we would hire some extra professionals and make this a day-1 version, but if we don't reach it we can't promise this one to be a launch day version, unfortunately. It may take us some additional weeks.
It's funny because Player Essence also references a previous article where they point out the very reasons why Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3 aren't coming to the Wii U, and it's because Square Enix stated that it didn't have DirectX 11 equivalent capabilities or the potential to make use of the OpenGL API to get comparable graphics fidelity as the PS4 and Xbox One.
Except Final Fantasy XV producer Tetsuya Nomura is blatantly off his rocker given that one of the main features of Unity 3D's game engine is making use of advanced lighting and shader technology offered through DirectX 11 equivalent APIs, and David Helgason already mentioned in a previous interview that they would be offering DirectX 11 equivalent functionality for Unity games made on the Wii U, utilizing shader 4.0 or higher features.
It could simply be that Nomura and crew aren't as talented as some other (indie) developers, or possible that they aren't as adapt to the Wii U's hardware as Helgason and other developers utilizing Unity, and instead of learning the hardware they would rather take the easy way out and avoid the console altogether.
Nevertheless, I like that we're seeing indie games with high-end graphics capabilities come out of the woodworks because you don't always need a massive budget to make something look unique or striking or visually compelling. So it's good to see the Wii U is getting high-end visual support, albeit from the lower-end of the development pool.
Hopefully more developers will stop taking a dump on the Wii U and play it up for its strengths as opposed to comparing it to the other consoles. Because if we really want to throw out hardware capabilities and comparisons, both the PS4 and XB1 are utter crap compared to a Master Rig in the PC arena. Believe it.
Anyway, Candle is looking good and reminds me a little bit of the other indie title Candlelight, which operates on a similar premise of using light and dynamic light sources to add new and exciting elements to the gameplay. You can check out the video for Candle below.
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