Watch Pixar’s Presto

Presto is a Pixar short shown before Wall-E.  The clever short was filmed in the classic Warner Bros. style.  It is about an elegant magician and his bunny, whose task, naturally, is to come out of a top hat at the appropriate time.   Watch Presto in its entirety here.

 

The 75th Anniversary Issue of Esquire Will Feature An E-Paper Cover

Esquire magazine is turning 75 and is celebrating the momentous event by releasing the first magazine ever with an electronic-ink-display cover. Only 100,000 copies of the high-tech October issue are heading to newstands, since the technology is still new and expensive.

The flashy cover, which uses the same technology as the Amazon Kindle e-book reader, is powered by a special battery that will keep the display on for at least 90 days. David Granger, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, told The New York Times that the magazine has been playing with the idea of using electronic paper since 2000 until it finally became possible and hired an engineer in China to develop a battery small enough to be inserted in the magazine cover.

In a nod to the digital age, Esquire’s cover will flash the words “the 21st Century Begins Now,” and the issue will be dedicated to “exploring the ideas, people and issues that will be the foundation of the 21st century” according to Granger.

This little stunt will cost the magazine a pretty penny, which is why Ford will co-sponsor the issue by running a double-page e-ink advertisement on the back of the magazine featuring the new Ford Flex crossover vehicle.

Expect the magazine to hit newstands in mid-September and eBay shortly thereafter. Can’t wait to see the bidding war on this one.  (Reprinted from Yahoo Buzz)

Randy Pausch’s Carnegie Mellon Commencement Speech

Professor Randy Pausch sadly passed away last week.  In May he made a surprise return to Carnegie Mellon University to deliver an inspirational speech to the Class of 2008 at the Commencement ceremony.

 

Who Was Charley Harper

Charley Harper was a Cincinnati-based American Modernist artist. He was best known for his highly stylized wildlife prints, posters and book illustrations.

Born in Frenchton, West Virginia in 1922, Harper’s upbringing on his family farm influenced his work to his last days. He left his farm home to study art at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, and won the academy’s first Stephen H. Wilder Traveling Scholarship. While at the Academy, and supposedly on the first day, Charley met fellow artist Edie Mckee, whom he would marry shortly after graduation in 1947.

Charley and Edie spent their honeymoon traveling the country, mainly in the west and south, being able to do so because of the Stephen H. Wilder Scholarship the Academy awarded to Charley for post-graduate travels. Charley Harper returned to the Art Academy of Cincinnati as a teacher and also worked for a commercial firm before working on his own. He and his wife worked out of their Roselawn and Finneytown homes, and later, with their only child Brett Harper, formed Harper Studios.

During his career, Charley Harper illustrated numerous books, notably The Golden Book of Biology, magazines such as Ford Times, as well as many prints, posters, and other works. As his subjects are namely natural, with birds prominently featured, Charley often created works for many nature-based organizations, among them the National Park Service; Cincinnati Zoo; Cincinnati Nature Center; Hamilton County (Ohio) Park District; and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania. He also designed interpretive displays for Everglades National Park.

Charley Harper passed away on Sunday, June 10th, 2007 after contending with pneumonia for some months.

A beautiful career retrospective coffee table book entitled, “Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life” can be ordered here.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall DVD

Universal has announced a 3-disc special edition of Forgetting Sarah Marshall which stars Kristen Bell and Jason Segal. The DVD set will include the original theatrical version of the film as well an an extended version.  The DVD specs are as follows:

 

Disc 1 (Side A): Original Theatrical Version (Feature 1)

 

• Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes

• Line-O-Rama

• Gag Reel

• “We’ve Got to Do Something” Music Video

• “Dracula’s Lament”

• “A Taste for Love”

• Raw Footage – Video Chat

• Red Band Trailer

• Rated Feature Commentary with Director Nick Stroller, Executive Producer Rodney Rothman, Producer Shauna Robertson, Writer/Star Jason Segel and Cast Members Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand, and Jack McBrayer

 

Disc 1 (Side A): Extended Version (Feature 2)

 

• Extended Feature Commentary with Director Nick Stroller, Executive Producer Rodney Rothman, Producer Shauna Robertson, Writer/Star Jason Segel and Cast Members Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand, and Jack McBrayer

 

Disc 2 (Side A): Bonus Disc (Feature 1)

 

• Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes

• “Dracula’s Lament” Mixed Version

• Puppet Break-Up

• Sex-O-Rama

• Drunk-O-Rama

• Russell Brand: Aldous Snow

• The Letter “U”

• Crime Scene

• Sarah’s New Show – Alts

• Raw Footage

• Video Diaries

• Auditions

• Cinemax Final Cut: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

 

Disc 3 (Side A): Bonus Disc (Feature 1)

 

You can preorder this hilarious movie here.