Trailer For Larry Crowne

Universal Pictures has debuted the trailer for Larry Crowne, directed by Tom Hanks and written by Hanks and Nia Vardalos. The July 1st dramatic comedy stars Hanks, Julia Roberts, Bryan Cranston, Cedric the Entertainer, Taraji P. Henson, Gugu Mbatha Raw, Wilmer Valderrama, Pam Grier, Rami Malek, George Takei, Grace Gummer, Rita Wilson and Jon Seda.

Until he was downsized, affable, amiable Larry Crowne (Hanks) was a superstar team leader at the big-box company where he’s worked since his time in the Navy. Underwater on his mortgage and unclear on what to do with his suddenly free days, Larry heads to his local college to start over. There he becomes part of a colorful community of outcasts, also-rans and the overlooked all trying to find a better future for themselves…often moving around town in a herd of scooters. In his public-speaking class, Larry develops an unexpected crush on his teacher Mercedes Tainot (Roberts), who has lost as much passion for teaching as she has for her husband.

The simple guy who has every reason to think his life has stalled will come to learn an unexpected lesson: when you think everything worth having has passed you by, you just might discover your reason to live.

Help Japan T-Shirt

The Help Japan T-Shirt ($22) lets you help the earthquake and tsunami ravaged country while picking up some clothing at the same time. Printed on the American Apparel tee is a graphic showing the archipelago, along with a craked rising sun. All proceeds will go to Save the Children: Emergency Response, Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Relief Fund: A GlobalGiving Project, Hands on Tokyo, and the American Red Cross, giving you basically no reason not to order one.

Hoax Or Real? iPhone Hacker Hijacks Times Square Screens

Watch this video and decide if this is a viral hoax or a brilliant invention. In the 2 minute video posted on Sunday evening, BITcrash44 claims to have added a transmitter to his iPhone that allows him to take over any video screen.

Howard Stern Speaks Out About Artie Lange, His New Contract and His Divorce in New Rolling Stone Cover Story

For his wide-ranging interview with Howard Stern in the new issue of Rolling Stone, on stands and online in the digital archives (subscription required) this Friday, writer Neil Strauss spoke to Howard Stern for over three hours at SiriusXM headquarters in New York. They discussed Stern’s traumatic divorce from his ex-wife Alison, the wild period in his personal life that followed before he met his second wife Beth, former sidekick Artie Lange’s suicide attempt, his many years in therapy and his plans for the next five years of his radio show.

Read more HERE.

Junkyard Jumbotron

MIT engineers Rick Borovoy and Brian Knep created the Junkyard Jumbotron. This application allows you take a bunch of random displays and instantly stitch them together into a large, virtual display, simply by taking a photograph of them. It works with laptops, smartphones, tablets – anything that runs a web browser.

Watch The First 5 Minutes of Source Code

The sci fi thriller Source Code stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a soldier who, through the wonders of modern technology, must repeatedly relive the last eight minutes of another man’s life in order to foil a terrorist plot.  Summit Entertainment has made the first four and a half minutes of the film available in the video below.

“2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America” A Novel By Albert Brooks Due On May 10, 2011

Writer, actor, and director Albert Brooks is a writer, actor, and director has penned a 384 page hardcover entitled, “2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America” that will be released on May 10, 2011. The synopsis is as follows:

Is this what’s in store?

June 12, 2030 started out like any other day in memory—and by then, memories were long.  Since cancer had been cured fifteen years before, America’s population was aging rapidly.  That sounds like good news, but consider this: millions of baby boomers, with a big natural predator picked off, were sucking dry benefits and resources that were never meant to hold them into their eighties and beyond.  Young people around the country simmered with resentment toward “the olds” and anger at the treadmill they could never get off of just to maintain their parents’ entitlement programs.

But on that June 12th, everything changed: a massive earthquake devastated Los Angeles, and the government, always teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, was unable to respond.

The fallout from the earthquake sets in motion a sweeping novel of ideas that pits national hope for the future against assurances from the past and is peopled by a memorable cast of refugees and billionaires, presidents and revolutionaries, all struggling to find their way.  In 2030, the author’s all-too-believable imagining of where today’s challenges could lead us tomorrow makes gripping and thought-provoking reading.

Official One-Sheet Poster For Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Here is the official one-sheet poster for the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The film, which opens in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on May 20, features the return of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow and Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbosa. New to the franchise are stars Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Kevin R. McNally, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, and Sam Claflin.

New Cars 2 Character: Meet Rip Clutchgoneski

Representing the Republic of New Rearendia is the latest Cars 2 character reveal, Rip Clutchgoneski!

The official description is as follows “The former European colony and newly independent Republic of New Rearendia is desperate to put their name on the map – the #10 open-wheeled racer Rip Clutchgoneski is their best bet. After putting together a remarkable string of qualifying races, Rip’s entry into the World Grand Prix is clearly the Cinderella story of the competition. Though Rip credits luck for his chance on the international stage, it’s really skill and exuberance that brought the proud New Rearendian racer to the starting line.”

Marvel Announces The Next Arc In Stephen King’s Dark Tower Comic Series, Titled The Battle of Tull

The next arc in Marvel’s Dark Tower series begins this June. Titled The Battle of Tull, the new arc brings the artwork of Michael Lark to the series.

This June, acclaimed artist and Eisner Award nominee Michael Lark (Daredevil, Gotham Central) joins the superstar writing team of Peter David & Robin Furth for Dark Tower: The Gunslinger – The Battle Of Tull #1 (of 5). Lark joins the acclaimed team of Peter David, Robin Furth and Richard Isanove in the select group of creators entrusted by Stephen King himself to bring the adult adventures of his most personal creation to life in Dark Tower: The Gunslinger – The Battle Of Tull! Longtime fans and newcomers alike are sure to be amazed as Lark’s take on the grit and grandeur of Mid-World this June with an outright merciless tale that sets in motion the fateful journey of Roland Deschain.

“I have nothing but respect and admiration for Stephen King and the chance to work on the Dark Tower is a wonderful privilege,” said Lark. “I only hope that I can come close to conveying his vision – a daunting task, but a challenge that I’m enjoying tremendously. It has allowed me to explore the darker aspects of my art and really start pushing some of the boundaries of my own style. And who doesn’t love drawing cowboys and horses?!”

New Stephen King Short Story, “Herman Wouk is Still Alive” To Be Published In The Atlantic Magazine’s May 2011 Issue

Stephen King’s short story, “Herman Wouk is Still Alive,” will be published in the May issue of The Atlantic, on newsstands April 19 and available on the web and to subscribers a week earlier.

John Lasseter Talks About Cars 2

John Lasseter, Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer is taking the driver’s seat and giving you the inside scoop in this summer’s highly anticipated sequel (and spilling a few secrets along the way). Lasseter makes it clear that Cars 2 “is not a parody of a spy movie” but an actual espionage flick.

The Office’ Sets A Date For Steve Carell’s Final Episode

The first night of May sweeps will be the last night at “The Office” for Michael Scott. NBC has set April 28 as the date for Steve Carell’s final episode on the show. That date sticks to the show’s goal to wish Michael goodbye with four episodes left in the season (the hour-long May 19 finale counts as two), and to focus the end of the season on his replacement at Dunder Mifflin.

Will Ferrell will be around for Carell’s departure; his guest arc will begin with the April 14 episode and conclude on May 5, a week after Carell leaves. He’ll be playing another Dunder Mifflin manager and a possible candidate to replace Michael — but he won’t actually get the job.

Carell has earned five Emmy nominations for his work on “The Office”; he’s also won a Golden Globe for playing Michael and shared in the cast’s two Screen Actors Guild ensemble awards.

“The Office” returns to original episodes on March 24.

Stephen Wiltshire’s Creates Realistic Cityscapes From Memory

Stephen Wiltshire is an artist who draws and paints detailed cityscapes. He has a particular talent for drawing lifelike, accurate representations of cities, sometimes after having only observed them briefly.

Stephen was born in London to West Indian parents on 24th April, 1974. As a child he was mute, and did not relate to other people. At the age of three, he was diagnosed as autistic. He had no language and lived entirely in his own world.

At the age of five, Stephen was sent to Queensmill School in London, where it was noticed that the only pastime he enjoyed was drawing. It soon became apparent he communicated with the world through the language of drawing; first animals, then London buses, and finally buildings. These drawings show a masterful perspective, a whimsical line, and reveal a natural innate artistry. Wiltshire was awarded an MBE for services to the art world at Buckingham Palace in 2006. His work is popular all over the world, and is held in a number of important collections.

2011 Sendai, Japan Earthquake: How To Help!

President Obama released a statement earlier announcing that “the United States stands ready to help the Japanese people in this time of great trial.”

Below is a list of charities and relief organizations you can donate to in order to help bring aid to those affected by the worst earthquake in Japanese history.

- The American Red Cross has set up a special designation for disaster relief efforts in Japan. To donate, click here, or text REDCROSS to 90999 to instantly donate $10.

- International Medical Corps says it is putting together relief teams and supplies to aid Japan “and other affected countries.” Donate here.

- GlobalGiving’s Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.

- World Vision’s Disaster Response Fund.

- Click here to donate to AmeriCares’ emergency relief response.

- Save the Children’s Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund.

The Full-Length Trailer For J. J. Abrams Super 8

Director J. J. Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg’s Super 8 has received its first full-length trailer. I for one can’t wait for this movie. It bring’s back memories of films like E.T., The Goonies, Stand by Me and Close Encounters but with a much more menacing tone.

The film is described as follows:

In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth – something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.

Todd Slater’s Close Encounters Poster On Sale Today

The Alamo Drafthouse will release Todd Slater’s stunning new Close Encounters poster today. The 24″ x 36″ screenprint has an edition of 300 and will cost $40. There is also a variant with an edition of 100 for $65. They go on sale today (Friday, March 11th) at a random time. Slater meticulously built the image pixel by pixel. Visit Mondotees.com for more information.

Gerber Fit Multi-Tool

The Gerber Fit Light Multi-tool ($41) is a toolbox that fits in your pocket. Available in orange or slate blue, this sleek clever device contains 10 handy tools that you will use every day. Under the compact, colorful housing you will find tweezers, bottle opener, micro cross driver, micro flat head driver, scissors, fine edge & serrated Blade, interchangeable large cross and flat head driver. The large components lock for safety.

But wait folks, there’s more. Also included is a powerful 25 lumen LED light, strong enough to be used as a stand alone flashlight to light your way on the darkest nights.

Quinny Zapp Xtra Stroller Review

With its sleek, modern design and lightweight compact fold, the Quinny Zapp Xtra ( $299.99) is ready to go wherever life takes you. When used with a Maxi-Cosi Mico infant car seat, your child can profit from the exceptional ease of use of the Quinny Zapp Xtra from birth. The Quinny Zapp Xtra lets you enjoy a hassle-free life with your child. Its reversible and reclining seat allows you and your child to travel your way. Designed for children up to 50 pounds the stroller is available in 4 colors: Rocking Black, Rebel Red, Brown Boost, Pink Emily.

The Quinny Zapp Xtra has a sleek and attractive, eye-catching design that  can be used from birth when combined with the Maxi-Cosi Mico infant car seat (adapters included). This complete stroller with a highly compact fold is ideal for taking along wherever you go; for a walk, in a car, train or airplane. The highly maneuverable front wheels can rotate 360 degrees and are lockable.

The Zapp Xtra comes with a sun canopy, shopping basket and adapters for attaching a Maxi-Cosi Mico infant car seat. The Travel bag, cup holder, footmuff and weathershield are sold separately

If you are looking for a mid-range stroller that is compact with great maneuverability the Quinny Zapp Xtra would be a perfect fit for you.

For availability and retailers near you please click here. (Reviewed by Patricia Fire)

Starbucks Celebrates New Look With Free Petite Treats

Starbucks unleashed a retooled brand look and a few new menu items this week in cafes.

To celebrate the change, which includes the stripping of the chain’s name from its green logo, Starbucks is offering a food freebie today through Saturday. (March 10-12)

From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., customers can get a free Petite treat (see details of new items below) with the purchase a beverage while supplies last.

The Starbucks Petites are part of a new line of eight small sweets: Cake Pops (available in Birthday Cake, Rocky Road and Tiramisu flavors), Red Velvet Whoopie Pies, Mini Cupcakes (Carrot Cake and Peanut Butter) and Sweet Squares (Lemon and Salty Caramel).

Other new menu items that debuted this week:

- Cocoa Cappuccino: espresso with bittersweet mocha sauce, steamed milk and foam. Topped with mocha drizzle.

- Starbucks Tribute Blend: a blend of four different coffee beans

- Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Tribute Blend: An instant version of the new special blend coffee.

Stephen King Announces A New Dark Tower Book, The Wind Through the Keyhole To Be Released In 2012

StephenKing.com officially announced The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole today. The next installment of the epic Dark Tower series is set for release in 2012. Here is the announcement letter from Stephen King about new eagerly anticipated book.

Dear Constant Readers,

At some point, while worrying over the copyedited manuscript of the next book (11/22/63, out November 8th), I started thinking—and dreaming—about Mid-World again. The major story of Roland and his ka-tet was told, but I realized there was at least one hole in the narrative progression: what happened to Roland, Jake, Eddie, Susannah, and Oy between the time they leave the Emerald City (the end of Wizard and Glass) and the time we pick them up again, on the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis (the beginning of Wolves of the Calla)?

There was a storm, I decided. One of sudden and vicious intensity. The kind to which billy-bumblers like Oy are particularly susceptible. Little by little, a story began to take shape. I saw a line of riders, one of them Roland’s old mate, Jamie DeCurry, emerging from clouds of alkali dust thrown by a high wind. I saw a severed head on a fencepost. I saw a swamp full of dangers and terrors. I saw just enough to want to see the rest. Long story short, I went back to visit an-tet with my friends for awhile. The result is a novel called The Wind Through the Keyhole. It’s finished, and I expect it will be published next year.

It won’t tell you much that’s new about Roland and his friends, but there’s a lot none of us knew about Mid-World, both past and present. The novel is shorter than DT 2-7, but quite a bit longer than the first volume—call this one DT-4.5. It’s not going to change anybody’s life, but God, I had fun.

– Steve King

I will post more information about The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole as it becomes available.

True Grit To Be Released On Blu-ray & DVD On June 7

Paramount Home Entertainment has announced that Oscar-nominee True Grit will hit Blu-ray and DVD on June 7. The full specs follow:

True Grit debuts in a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack with Digital Copy and on standard DVD June 7, 2011 from Paramount Home Entertainment. The gritty and memorable film has been embraced by audiences and critics alike, earning over $165 million at the U.S. box office, nominated for 10 Academy Awards and named by more than 75 reviewers as one of the top 10 films of the year. Jeff Bridges stars as Rooster Cogburn, an irascible U.S. Marshal hired by a 14-year-old girl (newcomer Hailee Steinfeld) to bring her father’s killer (Josh Brolin) to justice. Matt Damon is an overzealous Texas Ranger who is also tracking the killer, hoping to capture him and bring him to trial for another murder.

The True Grit Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack with Digital Copy includes over an hour of extensive behind-the-scenes featurettes exploring the cast and cinematography of the film, the period costumes and guns, a fascinating portrait of the brilliant but reclusive novelist Charles Portis and more.

True Grit Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack & Standard DVD

The True Grit Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The DVD in the Combo Pack is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with English 5.1 Surround and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

The Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack contents are as follows:

Blu-ray:

- Mattie’s True Grit

- From Bustles to Buckskin—Dressing for the 1880s

- Colts, Winchesters & Remingtons: The Guns of a Post-Civil War Western

- Re-Creating Fort Smith

- The Cast

- Charles Portis—The Greatest Writer You’ve Never Heard Of…

- The Cinematography of True Grit

- Theatrical Trailer

DVD:

- Feature Film

- Digital Copy

The standard DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description with French, English and Spanish subtitles.

The single disc DVD includes the following:

- Hailee’s True Grit

- From Bustles to Buckskin—Dressing for the 1880s

- Re-Creating Fort Smith

- The Cast

The casting of this film is perfect. Bridges, Brolin and Damon are riveting with a standout performance from newcomer Hailee Steinfeld. Kudos to the Coen brothers for superb direction, editing and cinematography! This movie is destined to be a classic. The Blu-ray offers a wonderful hi-def transfer that captures the captivating photography of Roger Deakins to stunning effect.

Cinema Cool Tribute to Stephen King

Cinema Cool honors the film works of fright-master Stephen King.

McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern Issue 37

McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern Issue 37 will be a 256-page hexagonal hardcover book that has been designed to look like a 3D representation of a regular old rectangular hardcover book.

This amazing issue features Jonathan Franzen and his thoughts on Upper East Side ambition, Jess Walter on the men who ride children’s bicycles in Spokane, Washington, Joe Meno on women who want to be eaten by lions, Etgar Keret and Joyce Carol Oates on murder and language in a restaurant called Cheesus Christ and at Gate C34 of Newark International Airport, respectively—and ten more stories besides, five of them strange and beautiful pieces from Kenya. Other topics covered include unemployment, drumming vs. painting, and Faisal Shahzad, the Times Square car-bomb attempter.

This full-color issue will feature illustrations on every page and will ship in early April.

Apple Releases Apple TV Software Update 4.2

Apple has released Apple TV Software Update 4.2 for the second-generation Apple TV. According to the new “What’s New” screen, the update includes support for MLB.tv and NBA League Pass streaming, AirPlay video streaming for apps and Safari, new slideshow themes, and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound in Netflix movies and TV shows, as well as an improved on-screen keyboard. Apple TV Software Update 4.2 is available now via the device’s software update feature or as a direct download from Apple.