Food Wars Is Coming To The Travel Channel On March 9th, 2010

All over the US, locals argue over who makes the best version of the iconic dishes that define their towns. Host Camille Ford is going to settle the matter once and for all. In each city, she’ll pit 2 food rivals against each other in a head-to-head competition. Food Wars premieres on the travel Channel on Tuesday, March 9th at 9pm E/P.

Pop Culture Icons in Lego by Cube Dude

Angus Maclane also known as The Cube Dude created these fun LEGO mini-figs of pop culture icons ranging from Superman to Jack Skellington. Check them out HERE.

Stephen King’s Bag of Bones Headed to TV

ShockTillYouDrop.com reports that Stephen King’s 1998 novel “Bag of Bones” is no longer headed to the big screen, but instead will be adapted for television by Mick Garris, director of TV adaptations of King’s “The Shining,” “The Stand” and “Desperation,” and screenwriter Matt Venne.

“We’re finalizing our deal,” Garris told the site, “and will hopefully be shooting late-spring, early-summer.”

Where “Bag of Bones” TV mini-series will reside on the small screen is to be announced shortly.

In the book, novelist Mike Noonan still suffers writers block several years after his wife’s death. A dream inspires him to return to the couple’s summer retreat in western Maine, a lakeside house called Sara Laughs. Shortly after arriving, Noonan is caught in the middle of a custody battle involving the daughter of an attractive young widow and the child’s enormously wealthy grandfather. He also discovers that Sara Laughs is haunted and that his late wife, Joanna, still has something to tell him.

Tub-Marine

The porthole bath (£3250)is an original French double ended bath with two portholes cut into the side. It makes a wonderful piece for children’s bathrooms, or it can be used to create a bathroom with a nautical theme. The bath can also be supplied without portholes, and has a variety of different feet available.

Author Joe Hill Has 3 Movie Adaptations In The Works

Author Joe Hill is following in the steps of his father Stephen King, and making the transition to Hollywood. His book, Heart-Shaped Box is being developed into a big screen thriller by director Neil Jordan at Warner Bros.

Mandalay Pictures optioned Hill’s upcoming novel Horns, and his graphic novel, Locke & Key will be brought to life by DreamWorks, where Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are developing a big screen adaptation. No word on if they will lend a hand in the screenplay adaptation.

Sarah Silverman’s First Book: ‘The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee’ Due On April 20th, 2010

From comedienne Sarah Silverman — famous for her audacious, irreverent, surprisingly sweet, and gleefully outrageous sensibility — comes her first book The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee, an explosively entertaining memoir where, as the title promises, nothing is off-limits.

Of course, would readers expect anything less than full disclosure from the woman who created massive pop culture buzz and unleashed a viral video sensation by singing about “F***ing Matt Damon” on national television in front of millions of viewers?

A collection of witty autobiographical essays that are intimate, moving, and wildly hilarious, The Bedwetter features Silverman’s anecdotes about growing up Jewish in New Hampshire, proudly mimicking her father’s incessant swearing at age three, fighting a nightly war with her bladder almost until high school graduation, losing her virginity (twice, sort of), and inciting a media firestorm with a bit skewering political correctness. She also opens up about the accidental death of her infant brother and her teenage bout with depression, for which she was treated with megadoses of Xanax. Yet even as she bares her most emotionally vulnerable moments, somehow, she never fails to get a laugh.

In fact, ever since she was a kid, it has been Silverman’s dream to make people laugh. And it wasn’t long after dropping out of NYU to pursue her career that she landed a writing gig at Saturday Night Live, every hungry young comic’s holy grail — only to be fired for a) never having a sketch air the whole time she was working there or b) stabbing Al Franken in the forehead with a pencil, an impulsive act she reconstructs in The Bedwetter in loving detail.

The 288 page hardcover is due in stores on April 20th, 2010.

Wheaties Fuel

Is your normal breakfast leaving you short on energy before lunchtime rolls around? Give Wheaties Fuel ($5) a shot in your cereal bowl. Developed with the help of world-class athletes including Peyton Manning, Kevin Garnett, and Albert Pujols, Fuel packs 200 calories in each serving, with whole grains for long-lasting energy, five grams of fiber to curb hunger, calcium and Vitamin D to help with bone growth, and 100 percent of the recommended daily value of five B vitamins to help your body release the energy stored in food, giving you a strong base on which to start your day.

Click on the image below to become a Facebook fan and receive a one dollar off coupon.

Frank Miller GelaSkins

Frank Miller began his career in comics in the late 1970s on Marvel Comics Daredevil. It was there that Miller gained notoriety, honed his storytelling abilities, and took his first steps toward becoming a giant in the comics medium.

After Daredevil came Ronin , a science-fiction samurai drama that melded Japanese and French comics traditions into the American mainstream, and after that, the groundbreaking and acclaimed Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, and Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again.

Miller introduced Sin City in 1991, fulfilling his dream of doing all-out, straight-ahead crime comics. Readers responded enthusiastically to his tough-as-leather noir drama, which Miller continued to develop in subsequent years. His multiple award-winning 300 series from Dark Horse, a telling of history’s most glorious and underreported battle, was brought to full-blooded life in 1998.

Today Miller continues to push the comics medium into new territories, exploring subject matter previously untouched. With the 2005 release of Frank Miller’s Sin City, and the 2008 release of Will Eisner’s The Spirit, the artist added director’s credits to his long list of accomplishments.

These striking new Gelaskins designs are pulled directly from the pages of Frank Miller’s Sin City and 300. The prices are set at $14.95 for an iPod Touch or iPhone case, or $29.95 for a laptop skin—which are available for both MacBooks and PC laptops ranging in size from 13-inches to 15.4-inches.

The Best Pizzas in America

Yesterday food experts Ed Levine and Adam Kuban appeared on ‘Every Day With Rachael Ray’ and named the best pizzas in America. Four regional winners were picked: Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, Great Lake in Chicago, Motorino in Brooklyn, New York and Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix.

Rachel Ray’s magazine, which hits newstands on February 15th, features all four of the regional pizza finalists. One overall winner will also be chosen and named the best slice in the country.

LINK

A Brief Conversation With Patton Oswalt

Stand-up comedian, actor and renaissance man Patton Oswalt discusses with Dan Fierman from GQ Magazine the current state of comedy. The topics up for debate: Are there too many stand-ups? Are we currently in a golden age? And how the hell did that happen?  Read the interview HERE.

Universal Pictures Offers $10,000 to Contestants Who Can Disappear For a Month

Lone Shark Games, in conjunction with Wired Magazine and Universal Pictures, is looking for a few creative, honest, adventurous people to go on the run starting in late February. You need to be available through late March to leave your regular life behind. Starting later this month, a few select individuals will get that chance.

You will be provided with vital technology and seed money to get you through your month on the run. Your creativity and wits will have to get you whatever else you need for life on the run. If you’re chosen, you will get $2,500 over the course of the run, and an additional $7,500 if you make it to the end without being caught. But people will be trying to find you, and they’ll use any means allowed to try to figure out where you are.

Read the rules and submit your application HERE.

M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Last Airbender’ Superbowl Trailer

New Video Game Releases: Feb. 1st – Feb. 4th

A very slow trickle this week, but last week’s epic Mass Effect 2 should still be keeping a lot of thumbs busy.

Star Trek Online is the title to watch this week.  It’s an MMO set in the Roddenberry  universe that lets you choose your race, command your own starship, send exploring parties to alien worlds, and boldly go where other games have previously tried and failed.  While it probably won’t give World of Warcraft a run for its money, if you have any interest in the Trek franchise, it may be worth taking a look.

This week’s count: 13 new games.

Monday (Feb. 1)
5 in 1 Solitaire (Wii)
Global Agenda (PC)
Mystery 5 Collection (PC)

Tuesday (Feb. 2)
Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun (Wii)
Imagine: Reporter (DS)
Making History II: The War of the World (PC)
Mystery 5-in-1 Collection (PC)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (PC)
Star Trek Online (PC)
The Sims 3: High-End Loft Stuff (PC)
White Knight Chronicles International Edition (PS3)

Wednesday (Feb. 3)
Chime (360 )

Thursday (Feb. 4)
Armored Core: Silent Line Portable (PSP)

(Written by Nick Creature)

Where the Wild Things Are DVD Due On March 2, 2010

Warner Home Video has announced DVD ($28.98) and Blu-ray/DVD Combo ($35.99) releases of Where the Wild Things Are which will be arriving in stores on March 2nd. The only extra material on the DVD release will be 4 Webisodes. The Blu-ray release will include those, along with an all-new short entitled “Higglety Pigglety Pop!” featuring the voices of Meryl Streep and Forest Whitaker, a HBO First Look featurette, a digital copy, and the standard definition DVD.

Columbia Pictures To Make Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol

Columbia Pictures is moving forward with The Lost Symbol, the third installment of the Da Vinci Code franchise. Steven Knight has come on board to adapt Dan Brown’s novel.

The book is described as follows:

The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling–a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths… all under the watchful eye of Brown’s most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.

As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object–artfully encoded with five symbols–is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation… one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.

When Langdon’s beloved mentor, Peter Solomon–a prominent Mason and philanthropist–is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations–all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.

Tom Hanks, who played Langdon in The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. has not yet committed to reprise the role, though he is expected to. Imagine’s Brian Grazer and John Calley have signed on to produce the latest installment.

Heinz Dip & Squeeze Marks The First Ketchup Packet Makeover In 42 Years

Whether you’re a dipper, a squeezer, or a health-minded ketchup lover, Heinz is giving everyone more ways to enjoy America’s Favorite Ketchup. Today, Heinz announced a revamped packaging innovation in response to consumer demand: the Heinz Dip & Squeeze.

“For more than a century, product and packaging innovation based on a thorough understanding of what consumers want has been a critical part of the great success of Heinz Ketchup,” said William R. Johnson, H.J. Heinz Company Chairman, President and CEO. “Heinz Ketchup’s Dip & Squeeze product is just the latest milestone in our long history of packaging innovation. From the first plastic ketchup bottle to Top-Down and Fridge Door Fit, Heinz continues to lead the industry in ketchup packaging innovation.”

A true packaging breakthrough, the Heinz Dip & Squeeze dual-function package gives ketchup lovers two ways to enjoy Heinz Ketchup: either peel back the lid for easy dipping, or tear off the tip to squeeze onto favorite foods. The new package holds three times as much Heinz Ketchup as the traditional packet.

That means more ketchup when it’s wanted and where it’s wanted with less mess and a better overall dining experience. Now, busy Americans have a portable, clean and versatile package that makes it easier and more fun to dip or squeeze Heinz Ketchup no matter where they are.

“Americans love Heinz Ketchup, and now the Dip & Squeeze product makes it easier and more fun for them to enjoy it on-the-go,” said Dave Ciesinski, Vice President of Heinz Ketchup. “From dipping nuggets and fries to squeezing ketchup on hamburgers or eggs, the Heinz Dip & Squeeze product gives consumers more flexibility, so they can have fun and enjoy eating Heinz Ketchup on whatever and wherever they want.”

The new Heinz Dip & Squeeze product marks the first ketchup packet makeover for the foodservice industry in 42 years. In the past, on-the-go eaters have struggled to open multiple ketchup packets while worrying about making a mess.

Periodic Table of Smellements

Periodic Table of Smellements by Natalie Dee

Dave Eggers Book Bundle

All of Dave Eggers‘s hardcovers published by McSweeney’s to date are included in this book bundle.  The books include The Wild Things, Zeitoun, What is the What, How We Are Hungry and You Shall Know Our Velocity.  You can purchase this wonderful collection for $75 HERE.

Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse Talk About LOST’s Season 6

Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse were on Jimmy Kimmel last night and discussed the final season.  You can watch part one of the interview HERE and part two HERE.  They also were interviewed by Entertainment Weekly about the season opening episode and you can read it HERE.

Zach Galifianakis To Host Saturday Night Live On March 6th

According to Zach Galifianakis’ twitter account, the hilarious comedian is scheduled to host Saturday Night Live on March 6th, 2010.  No musical guest has been announced as of yet.  I can’t wait for this episode, it should be a good one!

Apple Releases iPhone OS 3.1.3 for iPhone And iPod touch

Apple has released iPhone OS 3.1.3, its latest update to the operating system software for the iPhone and iPod touch. According to Apple’s release notes, the update improves the accuracy of reported battery level on the iPhone 3GS, resolves an issue where third-party apps would not launch in some instances, and fixes a bug that may cause an app to crash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard. In addition, a number of security changes have been made which are listed in this Apple support document. iPhone OS 3.1.3 is available now via the Update feature in iTunes for all iPhone and iPod touch models running iPhone OS 3.0 or later.

The 82nd Annual Academy Award Nominations

Nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards were announced this morning by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis and Oscar-nominated actress Anne Hathaway.

James Cameron’s Avatar (20th Century Fox) and Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker (Summit) tied for the most nominations with 9 each.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

You can view the complete list of nominees HERE.

‘We Are The World’: Behind the Scenes

More than 75 stars — from the legendary Barbra Streisand to rapper Lil Wayne and actor Vince Vaughn — gathered at Hollywood’s Henson Recording Studios yesterday (Feb. 1) to record the 25th anniversary version of “We Are The World.”

Like its predecessor, “We Are The World – 25 For Haiti” features a diverse lineup: this time ranging from Streisand and Celine Dion to actor Jeff Bridges. But it also boasts a major hip-hop contingent (Kanye West, Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, Akon, Kid Cudi, Drake), young newcomers (Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber) and major-league high technology.

“This is like running through hell with gasoline underwear,” said Quincy Jones with a laugh late last night during a five-minute recording break.

The video for “We Are the World – 25 For Haiti” will world premiere in 3D during NBC’s coverage of the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver Winter Olympics on Friday, Feb. 12. Academy Award-winning writer/director Paul Haggis (“Crash,” “Million Dollar Baby”) directed the video, an online version will feature green screen, allowing viewers to place themselves in the We Are the World lineup as well.

Proceeds from the contemporary recording and the accompanying video will go directly to Haitian relief efforts through the We Are The World Foundation, a newly created not-for-profit organization comprised of board members Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Wyclef Jean, Paul Haggis, AEG Live president/CEO Randy Phillips and Ambassador Louis Moreno of the Inter-American Development Bank. Helping to underwrite the project was Visa.

Joining Jones in the media tent (which housed two video screens showing both looped and real-time footage of the recording) was an equally tired but ebullient Lionel Richie, who produced and co-wrote the original song with Michael Jackson. He, Jones and Jean are executive producers of the new song, with newly minted Grammy Award winner/producer RedOne and producer/musical director Ricky Minor (“American Idol”) also onboard. Richie and Jones noted that other artists beyond those on hand last night will be added to the recording. Among those will be Janet Jackson, who will sing brother Michael’s middle part in the original.

OXO Cord Catch

Keep unplugged cords easily accessible with the OXO Cord Catch ($6.99). Simply slip a charging cord or computer cord into the Cord Catch and place it on a desk, dresser, nightstand or table. The weight of the Cord Catch and its non-slip base keep it secure so cords won’t fall behind your desk or nightstand when unplugged. No adhesives or screws required! Use the Cord Catch for cell phone and laptop cords that are uplugged daily, as well as for USB and Ethernet cables or charging an MP3 player.

Monopoly Revolution

Monopoly owners Hasbro will be launching a circular version of the board game to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its creation the company has announced at this year’s Toy Fair.

The game known as Monopoly Revolution, which stays the same when it comes to gameplay, will involve players moving around the board as if it were a roundabout rather than the traditional square set we’ve all come to know and love.

Not to be out done by the latest video games, however, the Monopoly board will do away with cash and the chance to raid the bank when no-one is looking. Players instead will be issued with a chip and pin credit card and a central console that plays banker.

Expect the new version to be in the shops later this year.