The Crosley Revolution Record Player

The Crosley Revolution ($150) is a modern take on the company’s traditional old fashioned wooden turntables. The clever record player leaves the majority of the album exposed thanks to a compact, sleek design. The battery powered device is highly portable and features two speeds, a USB port for analog-to-digital conversion, dual headphone jacks, built-in stereo speakers and a carrying case.

Empire Strikes Back Lunchbox

Back in the day your mode of food transportation was of vital importance. You had to have a new lunchbox every year, and the characters on that lunchbox were a statement about who you were and what you stood for.

This Empire Strikes Back tin lunchbox ($15) is a throwback to the old days that will delight young and old fans of Star Wars. The movie illustration features Darth Vader, Leia, Luke, Han Solo, R2-D2, C-3PO, Lando Calrissian and a handful of Stormtroopers. Use it to make a statement in your lunchroom or display it as a collectible. Just be sure you don’t do both: the Dark Side does not protect against mold growth if you leave your leftovers in the box.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins Will Be Available On August 24th

You can pre-order Mockingjay ($26.39 at Amazon) by Suzanne Collins today. The 400 page hardcover is the final volume of her dystopian trilogy, following The Hunger Games and Catching Fire.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

The book will be available on August 24th.

New International Trailer for Knight and Day

Here is the new international trailer for the action comedy film, Knight and Day. Opening in theaters on June 25th, the film stars Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Viola Davis, Olivier Martinez, Paul Dano, Maggie Grace, Mark Blucas and Jordi Molla.

Knight and Day centers on a lonely woman (Diaz) whose seemingly harmless blind date suddenly turns her life upside-down when a super spy (Cruise) takes her on a violent worldwide journey to protect a powerful battery that holds the key to an infinite power source. Grace is playing Diaz’s sister, who is getting married, excited that Diaz will take the place of their late father and walk her down the aisle.

The Five Things You Need to Know Before Seeing Kick-Ass

Only a couple days left, until Kick-Ass mania finally descends on unsuspecting movie fans. Time Magazine made this little video primer: The five things you need to know about Kick-Ass.

The Most Awesome Thing Ever

The goal of this site is to determine the most awesome thing ever. The project matches up two contenders and lets you decide what the most awesome choice is. You can even submit your own awesome thing to compete. Try it out HERE.

Six iPhone Apps That I Would Like To See

Here are six iPhone apps that I would like to see.  Although there might be mobile sites for these suggestions, I would prefer a standalone application.

Stephen King: One of the most prolific authors of our generation deserves an icon on the iPhone. This might spark other authors to do the same? Although Stephen King does not own a cell phone, he has embraced technology by offering stories online and via the Kindle.  It would be great to see an author checklist of his fiction and films. Movie clips, release news, author biography, book publisher links and appearances would be a must.  Perhaps Mr. King could write an episodic story that readers could subscribe to for a nominal fee?

Borders Books: C,mon Borders. Barnes and Noble has a great app and so should you. Store locations, inventory information, new book releases and author information would be great to see.  What B & N doesn’t offer is coupons and this is where Borders could lead the charge with virtual coupons instead of having to print them out.  Also, special offers that are delivered to the phone for Borders members would be very cool. Set up a suggestion tool so that when you purchase a book, Borders can recommend other titles that might be of interest to you and reserve a copy for you.

DC Comics:  The Marvel Comics app was just released and DC should follow suit.  Besides comics and a store locator it would be nice to have a weekly comic book and graphic novel release list that you could check off and have waiting for you at your local comic shop.  Have a movie section with clips, news, DVD info, etc.

Disney Parks:  Yes, there is the Verizon application and the mobile site but Disney requires something more robust.  Park Hours, directions, daily schedules, park maps, dining info would be helpful.  How about a park scavenger hunt that requires the iPhone to compete?  What if FASTPASS could be handled by your phone by entering a special code?  A reminder would be sent to you once your time slot was available.

Entertainment Weekly:  Time, Newsweek and Popular Science all have iPhone versions.  The most popular entertainment magazine should join them with updates on music, movies, TV shows, books, games and breaking celebrity news.

Apple Genius Bar:  This suggestion is for you Apple. Link the iPhone to your local stores so that you can communicate with a genius if you have a technical issue.  Order products via the iPhone and have them waiting for you when you arrive at the store.  Schedule appointments with a technical expert via the phone.  Get pinged with late breaking Apple news on new products and services.  How about Apple Chat with other iPhone users?

I’m sure that these suggestions are a bit selfish as they relate to topics that I am interested in.  I welcome your ideas as well…what app would you like to see on the iPhone next?

LOST Final Cast Shot

The final LOST official cast photograph is titled “Final Flight” and it can be ordered as a Limited Edition signed 16×20 print for $49.99.

This print is limited to 300 copies and is individually numbered and signed by Bob D’Amico – ABC’s Chief Photographer. The image comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and there is a limit of one (1) per household.

You can order it HERE.

40 Reasons to Be Excited About Music: The New Issue of Rolling Stone

“You hear it all the time: Rock is dead,” David Fricke writes in the new issue of Rolling Stone, on sale at newsstands today. “But the current state of music is the same as it ever was: There is the good and the bad, and there is always plenty of the former, if you’re willing to seek it out.”

To prove the point, the Rolling Stone staff assembled a rundown of the 40 top reasons to be excited about music right now, starting with our cover stars, the Black Eyed Peas, a group that has perfected the art of global domination thanks to the brilliant maneuvering of philosophical leader Will.i.am. The producer/rapper/friend-of-Bono tells Chris Norris about his theory that music works in circles, not squares (the proof: the success of the 45; the failure of the 8-track), the moment he realized an electro album would be a blockbuster (see: The E.N.D.), and how it’s possible to make a whole song a chorus. “Lots of people say, ‘Black Eyed Peas shit is simple,’ and I’ll be like, ‘No, fool, it’s the most complex shit you even could fathom, that’s the reason it works everywhere around the planet,” Will.i.am says.

RS also spotlights MGMT (Number 17), who tell Vanessa Grigoriadis about rejecting fame in the wake of their blockbuster Oracular Spectacular and returning to their real psychedelic roots for their new disc Congratulations. Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser also open up about their unique dynamic and their personal struggles after their first disc blew up big: “We needed to figure out how to exist in the real world, but we had no idea how to do it,” Goldwasser says. “To have a record deal come along — well, we pretty much convinced ourselves that aliens had done it.” Stay tuned for bonus Q&A, only at RollingStone.com.

The countdown also includes supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, Chuck Berry’s incredible monthly residency in St. Louis, the returns of the Strokes and T.I., the rise of ridiculously cool gear (like the micro music player), Dr. Luke’s awesomely trashy radio hits, badass country singer Jamey Johnson and U2’s epic stadium tour. Plus, RS spotlights female pop divas who are ruling the charts from Rihanna and Katy Perry to Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief DVD Due On June 22nd

Fox Home Entertainment has announced DVD ($29.98) and Blu-ray/DVD Combo ($39.99) releases of Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief for June 22nd. The DVD will include 5 deleted and extended scenes, a Discover Your Powers Quiz, and The Book Comes To Life featurette. The Blu-ray release will also include all that, along with 5 additional deleted and extended scenes, 4 featurettes (“Secrets of the Gods”, “Inside Camp Half-Blood”, “On Set With Brandon T. Jackson”, “Meet The Demigods”), and a digital copy of the film.

2010 Tax Day Freebies

After dropping your taxes in the mail, head to these places of business for free, or almost free, goodies. It’s just their way off offering a little bit of relief.

Boston Market: Individual dinner plates BOGO (Buy One Get One) Free
04/15/2010 through 04/18/2010.

Cinnabon – 2 Free Cupcake Bites on 04/15/2010 between 6pm and 8pm.

HydroMassage – Free massages 04/15/2010 through 04/18/2010.

MaggieMoo’s – Free sample of MaggieMia’s Ice Cream Pizza on 04/15/2010 between 3pm and 7pm.

McCormick & Schmick’s – $10.40 dinner specials & drink specials at the bar.

P.F. Chang’s – 15% off food purchases all day

Starbucks – Bring in a reusable travel mug & get free brewed coffee

Taco Del Mar – Free taco per customer

McDonald’s – Select restaurants to offer BOGO Free Southern Style Chicken Biscuit

Subway – Free cookie for all customers

Chick-fil-a – Return before April 30th to receive the same order for free

T.G.I. Friday’s – Diners receive a $5 gift card w/purchase of $15-$25 or a $10 card w/purchases of $25 or more

Dunkin Donuts – Free donut when customers buy a cup of hot coffee today.

IHOP Kids eat free at the restaurant every day from 4pm-10pm through the month

Some offers may only be valid at select stores/restaurants. See your local businesses for details.

Guns N’ Roses Guitarist DJ Ashba launches Ashba Tuner iPhone Application

Guns N’ Roses and Sixx: A.M. guitar player Dj Ashba has teamed up with Curious Brain, the developer of the TouchChords family of guitar apps to create the “ASHBA Tuner” iPhone application.  The revolutionary guitar and bass tuner application for both novice and expert players is available today exclusively for the iPhone and iPod touch.

“I decided to create a professional guitar tuner app because I wanted to design a tuner that not only would be useful to guitar and bass players, but to professional guitar and bass techs as well. I teamed up with Curious Brain to help me create what I feel is the ultimate professional guitar/bass tuner application out there,” says Dj of the ASHBA Tuner.

Features include:

- Multi-string interface allows you to quickly tune your guitar or bass to a variety of tunings

- Detailed calibration mode supports pitch-perfect tuning of any instrument

- Multiple skins (look) that can be changed as desired for both guitar and bass with original artwork by ASHBA Media and Curious Brain

- The “ASHBA” button to learn about all things ASHBA, and stay updated on his latest moves with the ASHBA screen, with links to Dj’s website, Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter pages.

The “Ashba TUNER” is available now for purchase in the App Store by clicking HERE for $2.99.

Fourth Teaser Poster For Season 3 Of True Blood

The poster is one piece of a 12-part weekly advertising series to promote the drama — months in advance of the show’s debut.

Logitech Squeezebox Boom

If you want to stream your digital music collection to any room, then the sleek Logitech Squeezebox Boom ($300) is an easy to use robust solution. The Boom is an all-in-one network music player and alarm that lets you rock the house with the music from your computer and the Internet—without wires.

Set-up only takes a few minutes once the unit is plugged in and even if your computer is off, you can stream web radio stations and other music services, including Rhapsody, Last.FM, Slacker, Pandora and Sirius. The all-in-one network music player uses true 802.11g wireless technology and features an integrated 30-watt powerful amplifier and high-performance speakers with two ¾-inch soft-dome tweeters and two 3-inch long-throw woofers.

The device supports just about any format you’ve got, including MP3, FLAC, WMA, WMA Lossless, AAC, Apple Lossless, WAV, and AIFF.

The compact Boom includes a remote, an external subwoofer connection, a headphone jack, and works as an alarm clock, waking you up to your choice of music source.

Limited Time Offer: Order The Stephen King’s Blockade Billy Limited Edition Slipcase Today

Due to tremendous demand from collectors, Cemetery Dance is producing a high-quality Limited Edition slipcase for the 1st Edition/1st Printing hardcover of Stephen King’s Blockade Billy for an extremely limited time only.

The publisher will take slipcase orders for just 10 days and there will be no extras to sell later on.

The price will be $16.95 plus shipping, making these Limited Edition slipcases an extremely affordable way to protect your book.

The slipcases will be produced after your book has shipped and will arrive separately. Ordering a slipcase will NOT delay your book shipment.

Order now HERE or miss out as this offer will expire in 10 days!

Eric Daigh’s Push Pin Art

These push-pin portraits are a modern take on Monet’s dotted paintings; from afar, they look like beautiful, full-color portraits of people, but up close, their true pixel-like nature is revealed.

Eric Daigh, a Southern California-born artist, displays the creative projects in Northern Michigan. He loads his canvases with pins, sometimes more than 10,000, in basic hues of black, white, blue, red and yellow. Despite the limited color palette, he is able to craft incredibly detailed works of art.

“It’s always portraits. I just don’t think anything else would be compelling,” Daigh says. “I think the faces are the interesting part, the method, the fact that I’m using push pins, has to take a second place to them. And the piece needs to convey something about the subject”

A piece can take anywhere between 2 days and up to a few months, depending on how much time the artist can devote.

Don’t Forget To Wash Your Hands

Milan designers Gabriele and Oscar Buratti worked closely with bathroom brand Roca to create a combination toilet and wash basin called ‘W+W’.

The washbasin and WC were designed to maximize space and conserve water. This ground breaking idea, incorporating Roca’s new ‘water-reuse’ technology, uses waste water from the basin to fill the WC cistern, thereby reducing water usage by up to 25% compared to a standard 6/3 litre dual-flush WC.

They were smart not to design it the other way. Plus it provides couples a nice conversation spot.

Apple Genius Betty White On The Late Show With Craig Ferguson

Apple Genius Betty White stops by The Late Show with Craig Ferguson to chat about the iPad and yes she does rule!

Glee Premieres Sue Sylvester’s ‘Vogue’ A Week Early

FOX gave Glee fans a taste of the April 20th Madonna episode a week earlier than expected. During Tuesday’s (April 13th) return episode, the show offered a three-minute look at Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) getting down to Madonna’s “Vogue.”  The clip featured Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Mercedes (Amber Riley) joining Sue in what FOX says is a shot-for-shot re-creation of the 1990 video.

MapEnvelope: Wishing You Were Here

MapEnvelope is a website which prints a map that you choose onto a fold-friendly envelope template.

The tool overlays dotted lines onto the Google map before you print it, so all you’ll need to do is cut out the template, fold it up on the lines and glue the edges.

Using MapEnvelope is quite simple. Enter an address, city, state, or landmark, then include an optional personal message. The web app instantly creates your printable template, complete with a satellite view of the location, the address, and your message for that personal touch.

Message In A Bottle

Medea Spirits’ Vodka bottles with a programmable LED display that can be programmed with up to 6 messages, each up to 255 characters in length. The messages can be scrolled through when the display is turned on and messages can be changed using buttons on the side of the board. It sells for $40.

Apple Updates MacBook Pro Line

Today Apple updated the MacBook Pro line with faster processors, powerful next-generation NVIDIA graphics and even longer battery life. The popular 13-inch MacBook Pro features the new NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor for up to 80 percent faster graphics and a groundbreaking 10-hour built-in battery. The new 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models feature Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and Apple’s new automatic graphics switching technology that toggles seamlessly between powerful NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M and energy efficient Intel HD Graphics processors.

All 13-inch MacBook Pro models now include faster Intel Core 2 Duo processors, 4GB RAM, a 10-hour built-in battery and the new NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor. With 48 processing cores, the new NVIDIA GeForce 320M is the fastest integrated graphics processor on the market, ideal for graphics intensive applications or high performance games. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is available in two configurations: one with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and 250GB hard drive priced at $1,199; and one with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and 320GB hard drive priced at $1,499.

The new 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models are up to 50 percent faster than the previous systems. Using Intel’s state-of-the-art 32 nanometer process, Intel Core i5 and i7 processors integrate the memory controller and Level 3 cache for faster access to system memory. Hyper-Threading technology improves data throughput by creating virtual processing cores, while Turbo Boost optimizes performance between the two processor cores, accelerating the system from 2.66 GHz to 3.06 GHz for intensive dual core tasks, and up to 3.33 GHz for single core tasks.

All 15-inch and 17-inch models include two graphics processors, the new NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M for peak performance and Intel HD Graphics for energy efficient operation. More than twice as fast as the GeForce 320M, the powerful new GeForce GT 330M provides incredibly smooth, crisp on-screen graphics for the most demanding 3D games, creative software and technical applications. Apple’s automatic graphics switching determines which graphics processor an application needs and switches instantly between processors to deliver peak performance and long battery life. Tightly integrated hardware and software allow the new 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro to deliver 8 to 9 hours on a single charge.

The new 15-inch MacBook Pro is available in three models: one with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M and 320GB hard drive at $1,799; one with a 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M and 500GB hard drive at $1,999; and one with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M and 500GB hard drive at $2,199. The new 17-inch MacBook Pro features a 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M and 500GB hard drive for $2,299.

Animated Ultimate Spider-Man Scheduled For 2011 On Disney XD

Marvel Animation has announced that they will be launching an animated take on Ultimate Spider-Man for Disney XD beginning in 2011.

Marvel Animation president Eric S. Rollman shared that “Ultimate Spider-Man will be a unique journey exploring our favorite web-slinger as he teams up with other fan favorite Marvel Super Heroes in never before seen stories with a new life filled with great challenges, new friends, intense action and character growth.”

Ultimate Spider-Man was Brian Michael Bendis’ breakout work at Marvel Comics in 2000, as he worked with seminal Spider-Man artist Mark Bagley. Their stories, which were characterized by naturalistic dialogue and long-form “decompressed” storytelling, focused on a teenage Peter Parker in a contemporary world. The series was relaunched last year as Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, with David LaFuente heading art duties.

This new series comes after Sony gave up the rights to the animated series Spectacular Spider-Man in September of 2009. The series, which was spearheaded by Gargoyles’s Greg Weisman, ran on Kids WB for two seasons. The scuttling of the project took place just after Disney purchased Marvel Comics for $4 billion.

Scribner To Publish Stephen King’s Blockade Billy With An Additional Story On May 25th

Stephen King and Cemetery Dance have made an arrangement with Scribner to make available a less expensive hardcover edition of Blockade Billy ($14.99), with an on-sale date of May 25th, the same date the audiobook goes on sale.

The Scribner edition will be available in all U.S. and Canadian retail outlets. Both the Scribner book and the Simon & Schuster audiobook will feature a bonus short story (“Morality”). In the meantime, an eBook edition of Blockade Billy should go on sale through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Sony on April 20th.

Remember though that there are some major differences between this edition and Cemetery Dance’s 1st edition. The Cemetery Dance edition…

- has a very limited print run of just 10,000 copies

- is heavily illustrated unlike a standard New York edition

- is shrink-wrapped to protect the book

- includes the Limited Edition William “Blockade Billy” Blakely baseball card, which will never be reprinted

- is beautifully designed with both the collector and general reader in mind

The print run of Cemetery Dance’s 1st Edition/1st Printing is about 1/100th of what King’s New York publishers print for a new hardcover, making this easily the lowest print run of any new King trade edition since the 1970s!

Patton Oswalt Lands Role On NBC Comedy Pilot

Actor-comedian Patton Oswalt and Kristen Johnston have landed roles on NBC’s half-hour comedy pilot “Beach Lane.”

Oswalt (“Ratatouille,” “Big Fan”) will star opposite Matthew Broderick in the project, playing James, a slacker with inherited wealth who’s given the job of running a small Hamptons newspaper. James hires a renowned journalist (Broderick) to help turn the paper around.

Kristen Johnston (“3rd Rock from the Sun”) also has been cast in a series regular role playing James’ stepsister, a real estate agent.

“Lane” was created by Paul Simms (“Bored to Death,” “The Larry Sanders Show”) and produced by Lorne Michaels and Marci Klein.