by Tara Fowler
There are sex workshops. There is lingerie. There are even baby clothes and beer cozies. But just when you thought the Fifty Shades of Grey craze couldn’t go any further, it did.
There is now an entire magazine dedicated to E L James’ erotic novel. Yes, you read that right. An entire magazine (whose cover looks suspiciously familiar).
Continue reading
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Has the Dawg left the building?
Randy Jackson will not return as a judge on “American Idol,” but will remain involved with the show and its contestants as a mentor, TMZ reported on Friday.
A source for the website reportedly claimed execs at the reality hit are concerned Randy may not actually be “well-suited for the mentor role,” but feel his presence is necessary in some form as he’s “the glue that helps keep the show together.”
Previously, multiple outlets, including the Associated Press, reported that Nicki Minaj was set to fill one of the vacation judges’ chairs, but TMZ claimed on Friday the deal is close, but still not completed.
Source >>
SHANGHAI—DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. on Tuesday signed plans with Chinese partners to build a $350 million movie studio in Shanghai to capitalize on the success of its Kung Fu Panda film franchise as the studio looks to build up its presence in a fast-growing Chinese movie market.
The studio will be 45% owned by the California animation company, with the remainder held by media-related companies controlled by the Shanghai government. The partners also plan an entertainment zone that could bring the total investment to 20 billion yuan (US$3.14 billion) to be largely funded in China.
The foundation of the project is the animation studio, DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said in an interview. “The talent must exist here in China if only they had the knowledge, training and opportunity,” he said.
Continue reading
First job, first kiss, first pet — firsts are a big part of life, and so it is with games.
From MMOs to Madden, from sophisticated CG cinematics to gritty shooters, gaming’s biggest franchises, genres, and techniques all had to get started somewhere. Journey back in time with us as we excavate the obscure origins of the gaming world we take for granted today.
First 3D shooter: Wolfenstein 3D
Conventional wisdom holds that the first true first-person shooter — combining texture-mapped 3D graphics, a first-person perspective, and arcade-quick shooter action — was id Software’s seminal hit, Wolfenstein 3D. And, as it happens, conventional wisdom is mostly correct. Sort of.
Shortly before the release of Wolfenstein 3D (which is itself based on the classic 8-bit adventure Castle Wolfenstein), id took a dry run at the same technology with 1992’s Catacomb 3D, a fantasy shooter in which gamers battled enemy goblins with an arsenal of fireballs. All the pieces of the genre were already more or less in place, but Catacomb lacks the visible firearm and ammunition counter that make Wolfenstein seem so familiar to today’s Call of Duty devotees.
Continue reading
By Robert Hof
For once, an Apple product isn’t the hottest piece of hardware on the scene. This week, at least, that highly enviable status goes to Google‘s new Nexus 7 tablet. According to reports, several retailers are sold out of the 7-inch tablet, and even Google’s own online store only has the cheaper 8-GB version.
Of course, you have to remember that selling out doesn’t mean much without knowing how many sold out. This is a classic Apple ploy, though to give Apple credit, it usually turns out later that it sold a ton of whatever sold out. No matter, selling out a product shortly after its release still works great as a marketing tool, as you can see from the coverage gushing about “incredible demand.”
Continue reading
By Eric Pfeiffer
Director Zack Snyder and “Man of Steel” star Henry Cavill promised to reinvent Superman for a modern generation.
“We certainly respect the history,” Snyder told 6,000 screaming fans at Saturday’s Comic Con panel. “But I kind of felt like Superman needed to be reintroduced to a new generation,” Snyder said. “He’s always been like this Boy Scout on top of a mountain and you can’t really touch him.”
“I just wanted to bring Superman into the modern world,” Cavill added. “Hopefully I bring a version that everyone can relate to.”
Snyder screened the first-ever footage from the film, which premiers next June.
Continue reading
Love is in the air as an “American Idol” tour romance blossoms for the season 11 finalists.
by Michele Amabile Angermiller
Young love is blooming on the American Idol summer tour.
Season 11 runner-up Jessica Sanchez giddily teased her fans with her news via a UStream chat Thursday that she has a new man in her life: fellow Idol DeAndre Brackensick.
“I got a secret and I want you guys to guess. I’ll nod if it’s no or yes,” said Sanchez.
By Salvador Rodriguez
Good luck getting a Nexus 7 — the Google tablet has sold out from many of the retailers carrying the device.
The seven-inch screen device is Google’sfirst in-house developed tablet, and many have said it is the first true challenger to Apple’s iPad. Now that sales have begun, it seems consumers might agree.
The Nexus 7 has been available for pre-order from Google since it was unveiled last month, and recently other retailers have begun carrying the tablet on their sites too. But now most list the Nexus 7 as sold out, back-ordered or have a shipping wait time of a couple of weeks for the tablet.
The Google Play store lists “SHIPS SOON” on their Nexus 7 page and says the device will take a week or two to arrive.
Continue reading
