Accurate Pie Chart

SNL Audition Tapes

Check out these amazing Saturday Night Live audition tapes that include John Belushi, Phil Hartman, Will Ferrell and Dana Carvey.

Listen to Brandi Carlile’s New Single, Dreams

The first single Dreams, from Brandi’s forthcoming album Give Up The Ghost, was just added to Brandi’s media player today! You can listen to it HERE. The song will be available for purchase online on Tuesday.

Klipsch Image S4i Headset

Ditch your iPhone pack-ins for a the Klipsch Image S4i Headset ($100). It features an in-line remote and mic that’s compatible with the latest iPods and the iPhone 3GS as well as older iPhone models, 8.5mm drivers with a dual neodymium magnet motor structure, exclusive oval ear tips for a more comfortable fit and passive noise isolation, and a slick black and silver look that no one will mistake for those ubiquitous white ‘buds.

Warner Bros. Loses Rights to Superman’s Origins

Variety reports that a judge on Wednesday ruled that the family of superman’s co-creator, Jerry Siegel, has “successfully recaptured” rights to additional works, including the first two weeks of the daily Superman newspaper comic-strips, as well as portions of early Action Comics and Superman comic-books. The trade explains:

The ruling is based on the court’s finding that these were not “works-made-for-hire” under the Copyright Act.

This means the Siegels — repped by Marc Toberoff of Toberoff & Associates — now control depictions of Superman’s origins from the planet Krypton, his parents Jor-El and Lora, Superman as the infant Kal-El, the launching of the infant Superman into space by his parents as Krypton explodes and his landing on Earth in a fiery crash.

The article again mentioned that the studio and DC will have to start production by 2011 if they want to make a new “Superman” or “Justice League” movie.

Stephen King’s New Poem In Tin House Magazine

Tin House has published a new poem by Stephen King titled “Mostly Old Men” in Issue 40, their 10th Anniversary issue.  It can be purchased through their web site HERE.

Gentlemen Broncos Trailer

Gentlemen Broncos is a 2009 comedy film written by Jared and Jerusha Hess (Napoleon Dynamite), and directed by Jared Hess. The movie features Michael Angarano, Jemaine Clement, Sam Rockwell and Jennifer Coolidge. Gentlemen Broncos is scheduled to be released on October 30, 2009.

Benjamin (Michael Angarano), home-schooled by his eccentric mother (Jennifer Coolidge), is a loveable loner whose passion for writing leads him on an offbeat and hilarious journey as his story first gets ripped off by the legendary fantasy novelist, Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement) and then is adapted into a disastrous movie by the small towns most prolific homespun filmmaker.

South Park: The Un-Aired Pilot Episode

Today the South Park creators posted the series’ original pilot with four minutes of unaired bonus footage. The first episode of South Park was made entirely by hand using construction paper and animated mostly by creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. It will stream for free for 30 days, and you can also view the episode with commentary by producer Eric Stough and creative director Chris Brion. New South Park episodes will return to Comedy Central Oct. 7th. Check out the footage HERE.

Official Specs For Pixar’s Up DVD

Walt Disney Home Entertainment has announced 1-disc DVD ($29.99), 2-disc DVD ($39.99), and 4-disc Blu-ray ($45.99) releases of  Up for the 10th November. Here are the disc specs along with the official package artwork.

2-Disc Features

• Commentary by director Pete Docter and co-director Bob Peterson.

• Dug’s Special Mission – An all new original short film that follows the  misadventures of Dug as he attempts to complete his “special mission.” The short is directed by Up Story Supervisor, Ronnie Del Carmen.

• The Many Endings of Muntz – Many ideas were hatched about how to dispose of the film’s arch villain, Muntz, and now viewers can see the many alternate endings proposed during story development.

• Partly Cloudy –The hilarious short film that preceded screenings of Up. Everyone knows that the stork delivers babies, but where do the storks get the  babies? The answer lies up in the stratosphere where the cloud Gus is a master at creating “dangerous” babies, which prove to be more than a handful for his loval delivery stork Peck. Directed by Pixar story artist, animator and voice actor Peter Sohn.

• Adventure is Out There – This action-packed documentary tells the story of the filmmakers’ own trek to the tepuis mountains of South America to research the design and story of the film.

• Digital Copy

4-Disc Blu-ray Features

And, only on Blu-ray Hi-Def, hours of features, and behind-the scenes bonus features, including:

• Cine-Explore – A visual montage of concept art, clips and documentary coverage that illustrates the directors’ commentary.

• Geriatric Hero – A character study of Carl, from research to realization including art and design, rigging, animation and story. It focuses on the issues of aging, “simplexity”, shape-language and compelling character arcs.

• Canine Companions – For anyone who ever wondered where CG puppies
come from, an introduction to the design, behavior and language of dogs.

• Russell: Wilderness Explorer – A character study of Russell from inspiration and design to finding the character arc and authentic voice for this wilderness ranger.

• Our Giant Flightless Friend, Kevin – Find out how avian research and development at Pixar helped bring a mythical, 13-foot tall iridescent bird to life.

• Homemakers of Pixar – Carl and Ellie’s house is an important “character” in the film. Fans follow the development of the house from story to art to its ultimate realization in the computer.

• Balloons and Flight – Carl’s house and Muntz’s dirigible presented the filmmakers with two different problems—how could they make a physical impossibility possible? And, in the case of the dirigible, how would they unearth a fallen giant and let it soar?

• Composing for Characters – Composer Michael Giacchino returns to score his third Disney Pixar feature film. See how the Up filmmakers collaborated with Giacchino to create the memorable score and compelling musical themes.

• Married Life – The original story concept that became the powerful “Married Life” scene, showing Carl and Ellie’s love story.

• Global Guardian Badge Game – Players try to locate countries, states and capitals around the globe in a multi-layered BD-Exclusive geography game enhanced by BD-Live.

• Digital Copy & Standard Definition DVD

New Dan Brown Website Launched With Secret Easter Egg

Doubleday launched Dan Brown’s new website yesterday. The website includes information about all of Dan Brown’s books, bizarre facts, secrets and games. If you look closely enough you will find an Easter egg link tipping to information about Dan Brown’s upcoming book The Lost Symbol, to be published by Doubleday on September 15th. Let the hunt begin!

Wolverine 2 Movie Will Take Place in Japan

Hugh Jackman talked to MTV and confirmed that Wolverine 2 will take place in Japan. “Japan is where we’re heading, [and] we’re starting to work on it now. We’re in the … first steps of developing that story,” Jackman said about adapting Frank Miller and Chris Claremont’s story arc. He added: “I think the fans love that saga. It’s my favorite saga of the Wolverine stories.”

She & Him – Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? Music Video

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, who star in the romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer, strut their stuff in this exclusive look at their bank heist/movie musical homage.

JetBlue offers ‘All-You-Can-Fly’ Pass For $599

JetBlue is offering an “all-you-can-fly” pass where passengers can book an unlimited amount of flights over a month for $599.

The airline said Wednesday that pass holders will be able to fly to any of JetBlue’s 56 destinations between Sept. 8 and Oct. 8. Customers must book the pass by Aug. 21.

Pass holders can book travel within three days before a desired departure date. Domestic taxes and fees are included, but international and Puerto Rico taxes and fees are not included in the deal. A $100 change or cancellation fee also applies.

“No shows” for flights will incur a $100 fee, and the pass will be suspended until the fee is paid.

The Next Block-Buster Could Be A LEGO Movie?

Warner Bros. is building a Lego movie. The studio and producer Dan Lin have acquired theatrical rights for a motion picture about the timeless toy, and set writers Dan and Kevin Hageman to pen the script. The live action/CG hybrid is described as a movie set in the world of Lego that centers on the subject of childlike imaginations and examines themes of creativity and teamwork in the manner of “Toy Story.” While the pic will have elements for children, the studio is hoping the film is a four-quadrant play that can also appeal to adults.

The Lego development project continues what has been a veritable craze for toy-based movies. Some history: Lego began in the 1940s as a toy first popular with Europeans and then around the globe. The company, which remains a privately controlled firm based in Billund, Denmark, has over the years maintained its core lines of building blocks even as it has expanded into robots, space stations and other theme-driven extensions.

The toy has always had a presence of sorts in and around Hollywood. A handful of direct-to-DVD CGI pics have been distributed through the home video arms of companies such as Universal and Miramax, and it also has offered children’s video game tie-ins with Warners properties like “Batman.” And the only Legoland in North America sits in Carlsbad, about an hour south of Los Angeles, which if you have anyone under 7 years old in your life, you know all too well. But a big-screen feature has never been attempted.

Bose To Unveil Major Product On August 19th

Bose has sent out invitations to select members of the media for an event to be held in New York City on Wednesday, August 19th. The invite, believed to be for a new product compatible with the iPod and/or iPhone, states simply, “Thirty years of research. Our best ever. Now Arriving. Please join us to experience the next generation of the product that defined an industry.” No further details as to what product they might be referring to were given; the company’s marquee offerings include QuietComfort headphones, SoundDock speakers, and Wave Radios, amongst others.

Cover To Stephen King’s Talisman Issue # 1 Comic Book

Here is the cover for issue #1 of The Talisman: The Road of Trials comic book published by Del Rey. It’s being released on November 18, 2009.

Paramount Announces Braveheart Sapphire Series Blu-ray DVD

My friend Mike Brady has a Blu-ray player and considers Braveheart his favorite movie so this article is for him (I’ll try and get Mike a copy of this classic film).

Paramount Home Entertainment announced today that it will release some of the greatest films ever made for the first time in high definition as part of its exclusive new “Sapphire Series”.  The Sapphire Series will capitalize on the pristine picture and sound of the Blu-ray format to present each cinematic gem in the highest quality for the first time in two-disc, high definition sets.  The series will kick off on September 1st with one of the most requested Blu-ray releases, Braveheart.

The Braveheart Blu-ray details are as follows:

The exhilarating epic Braveheart is one of the most anticipated films on Blu-ray according to Amazon.com and continues to be beloved by fans and critics alike.  The film will be presented in 1080p High Definition with English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.  Among the more than two hours of new special features to be included on Braveheart are:

-Interactive Timelines—Three distinct timelines featuring a combination of video, images, text and audio that can be accessed linearly or randomly.

-Braveheart: A Look Back— Features new interviews with members of the cast and crew reminiscing about their experiences making the film and its enduring impact on cinema.

-Smithfield: Medieval Killing Fields—Relates the remarkable history of Smithfield, which for centuries was regularly filled with the roars of crowds, regal fanfares and rowdy games. Smithfield is also known as the site of
William Wallace’s execution, along with other terrifying spectacles when heretics, rebels and criminals were put to death.

-Battlefields of the Scottish Rebellion— Two major Scottish battlefields, Falkirk and Bannockburn, will be presented as 3D models that can be explored for further investigation into the military strategies and timetables employed in each. Topography, weapons, troop movements, and leadership data can also be accessed.  An alternate playing mode will allow the story of each battle to unfold in an “automated” fashion, much like the interactive dioramas displayed at historical site museums around the world.

Facebook Begins Testing Facebook Lite

On Tuesday night, a number of Facebook users received notifications that they were beta testers for something called “Facebook Lite.”

The notifications, as well as the site hosted on lite.facebook.com, disappeared within minutes. It seems to have been rolled out prematurely by mistake.

“Last night, the test was temporarily exposed to a larger set of users by mistake,” an e-mailed statement from Facebook representative Brandee Barker read. “We have not opened up access to lite.facebook.com to all users at this time. People who are not part of the test and are trying to access ‘Lite’ will be directed to Facebook.com as usual.

From what it looks like, Facebook Lite is a simpler version of the site and pares down profiles to basic information and a stream of status updates. The easy conclusion is that this would make Facebook’s service look a whole lot like Twitter. And given the fact that Facebook had attempted to acquire Twitter, got snubbed, and then acquired the significantly smaller real-time streaming site FriendFeed this week, a Twitter-like service would be rife with implications.

Here’s Facebook’s official explanation: “We are currently testing a simplified alternative to Facebook.com that loads a specific set of features quickly and efficiently. Similar to the Facebook experience you get on your mobile phones, Facebook ‘Lite’ is a fast-loading, simplified version of Facebook that enables people to make comments, accept friend requests, write on people’s walls, and look at photos and status updates.”

Michael Jackson’s This Is It to be Released Oct. 30th

Beginning October 30th, the world will have a front-row seat for Michael Jackson’s final concert, as Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment release Michael Jackson’s This Is It.

This Is It is being produced with the full support of The Estate of Michael Jackson and will be drawn from hundreds of hours of rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage, captured in high definition with state-of-the-art digital sound as the late singer was preparing for his concert series in London. The film, which will also offer select sequences in 3-D, will provide a unique career retrospective and feature interviews with some of Jackson’s closest friends and creative collaborators.

Proceeds the Estate earns from the film’s release will benefit the Michael Jackson Family Trust, the entity that Mr. Jackson specified in his will is to receive all of his assets.

The majority of the film’s footage was shot in June, 2009 at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California and The Forum in Inglewood, California, as Jackson prepared for “This Is It,” the series of fifty concerts Jackson planned to present at the O2 Arena in London.

“People who have seen this footage are astounded by the amazing quality of Michael Jackson’s performance,” said Michael Lynton, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sony Pictures Entertainment. “This historic recording of the last time he sang and danced on stage shows the legendary artist in an incredibly powerful way, with crystal clear images and sound. We understand the importance of producing a film that pays tribute to Michael as an artist, and are honored to work with The Estate of Michael Jackson to give audiences the gift of his final performances. I know this film will serve as further proof that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest entertainers who ever graced a stage.”

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Trailer

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present-day. It tells the story of Dr. Parnassus and his extraordinary ‘Imaginarium’, a travelling show where members of the audience get an irresistible opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom. Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Doctor Parnassus is cursed with a dark secret. An inveterate gambler, thousands of years ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick, in which he won immortality. Centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr. Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his daughter reached her 16th birthday, she would become the property of Mr Nick. The film stars Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell as the character ‘Imaginarium Tony’ after Heath Ledger’s untimely death.

Pixar’s Up DVD Release Info

Pixar’s Up will be released on November 10th.  More information about what will be included in later posts.

Stephen King’s Under the Dome Signed Collector’s Edition Ordering Information

Simon & Schuster has announced they will be taking pre-orders beginning September 15th at 9 AM (Eastern Time) for the signed Collector’s Edition of Under the Dome. Click HERE for more information.

LaCie USB Keys

USB flash drives are great, but their small size also makes them easy to lose. Keep your mobile storage handy at all times with LaCie’s new line of key storage. The itsaKey, iamaKey and PassKey USB Drives ($10 to$25) all feature a key ring-friendly design from 5.5 Designers, offering up to 8GB of storage on istaKey and iamaKey, while PassKey lets you expand as you go with a built-in microSD card reader.

2016 Olympics Logos

The International Olympic Committee will decide by October which city will host the 2016 Summer Games. The finalists are Chicago, Madrid, Rio, and Tokyo. The design blog idsgn has the proposed logos for each finalist and some runners-up. Which design do you think is the best?

Sandwiches for Picky Eaters

The Funky Lunch website showcases gorgeous photos of adorable sandwiches that are almost too nice to eat.