Harry Potter Infographic

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Optical Illusion Bookshelf

This optical illusion bookshelf by designer John Leung from ClarkeHopkinsClarke Architects, appears to have 4 shelves on the left side but only 3 shelves on the right side.

Andrew Myers’ Screw Portraits

With the help of a drill and a bucket full of screws, Andrew Myres, a 31-year-old artist from Orange County, California, manages to create realistic mind-blowing portraits. The idea struck Andrew while working in a church a few years back: “I was doing bronze reliefs depicting the life of Saint Catherine and thought how cool would it be to create something entirely out of screws. I’d always wanted to work with screws, I got the idea and that was it. Six months later I completed my first piece.”

The artist drives thousands screws at various depths, creating unique 3D images. Once the screws are in at the correct depth, (from 7,000 to 10,000 holes by hand) he paints over each head individually to create the finished product,which looks more like a portrait than a sculpture.

More Pixar Cars 2 Characters: Meet Professor Z & Tomber!

Professor Z, aka “The Professor,” is an internationally wanted weapons designer in a small, sophisticated German package. He is a brilliant, but mad monocle-wearing scientist who is plotting to sabotage the World Grand Prix. Though his true motive is unclear, Professor Z is willing to do whatever it takes to eliminate all obstacles and keep the “project” on schedule.

Tomber is a dubious little French car with an unusual, and very unstable, three-wheeled design that befits the meaning of his name – to fall. By trade he deals car parts from a stall in a Parisian market—though his questionable merchandise sources have led to his reluctant acquaintance with British secret agent Finn McMissile.

Guitar Pick Jimi Hendrix Mosaic

Leading UK mosaic artist Ed Chapman created this unique Jimi Hendrix mosaic out of guitar picks. Last month, it was auctioned (sold for £23,000) at the Cancer Research UK’s Sound & Vision event at Abbey Road Studios.

The image was created from over 5,000 different colored Fender guitar picks. Chapman began creating mosaic works in the 1990s, fascinated with bringing a contemporary twist to an ancient medium. His work has a number of high profile collectors including world-renowned musicians, sports stars and TV personalities and has received substantial national and international press coverage.

New Thor Poster and Banner

Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios have debuted a new poster and banner for Thor. Opening in 3D and 2D theaters on May 6, the Kenneth Branagh-directed film stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Stellan Skarsgard, Jaimie Alexander, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Josh Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, Idris Elba, Clark Gregg, Colm Feore and Samuel L. Jackson.

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Puss In Boots Teaser Trailer

DreamWorks Animation has revealed both the teaser trailer and poster for Puss in Boots, opening in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on November 4.

Featuring the voices of Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris, Puss in Boots tells the hilarious and courageous (daring, bold, brave) tale of Puss’s (Banderas) early adventures as he teams with mastermind Humpty Dumpty (Galifianakis) and the street-savvy Kitty (Hayek) to steal the famed goose that lays the Golden Eggs.

New Kung Fu Panda 2 Trailer

DreamWorks DreamWorks Animation has revealed the new trailer and poster for Kung Fu Panda 2, hitting 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on May 26.

Po is now living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five – Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey. But Po’s new life of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. It is up to Po and The Furious Five to journey across China to face this threat and vanquish it. But how can Po stop a weapon that can stop kung fu? He must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins; only then will he be able to unlock the strength he needs to succeed.

Kung Fu Panda 2 is voiced by Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong, Gary Oldman, Michelle Yeoh, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Victor Garber.

A Glimpse Into the World of Mondo

Justin Ishmael is the creative director of Alamo Drafthouse’s art boutique Mondo.

Mondo produces the most eye-catching desirable custom, limited-edition prints and apparel based on cult-classic sci-fi and horror movies. Some examples of their fantastic work are:

If you are interested in future Mondo projects, I highly suggest that you get on their mailing list, facebook account or twitter feed because their posters are limited and sell out quickly.

In the March-April issue of the Alamo Guide, Justin talks about his typical day, how he decides which projects to work on and what he has planned for the future of Mondo. You can download the complete article HERE.

Famous Objects from Classic Movies

Famous Objects from Classic Movies by Ji Lee is an clever little online game that presents the player with the silhouette of a famous movie object and asks them to guess which movie it is from.

Conan O’Brien Spoofs iPad 2 Announcement

The Ghosts of Sitcoms Past

This illustration by Kagan McLeod from the National Post features ghosts of sitcoms past. The key is at this link, but click on the image for a larger version and try and name as many of the 49 shows as possible.

American Idol Reveals Top 13 Finalists of Season 10

American Idol revealed its Top 13 contestants of Season 10 on Thursday night (Mar. 2), as the judges added three wild card picks — Stefano Langone, Ashton Jones and Naima Adedapo — to the 10 finalists chosen by voters at home.

The “American Idol” Top 13 of Season 10 are:

Scotty McCreery

Pia Toscano

Lauren Alaina

Karen Rodriguez

Jacob Lusk

Casey Abrams

Thia Megia

Paul McDonald

Haley Reinhart

James Durbin

Ashton Jones

Stefano Langone

Naima Adedapo

Season 10 arguably boasts the strongest set of contenders in several seasons. I am leaning towards Casey Abrams and Pia Toscano as my early favorites.

Winning For Men, Jimmy Fallon Impersonation of Charlie Sheen

Jimmy Fallon does a spot-on impersonation of Charlie Sheen in this spoof ad for the new fragrance “Winning For Men”.

Today Is Free Fry Day At Chick-fil-A

Celebrate the national launch of Heinz Dip & Squeeze Ketchup at your local Chick-fil-A. Today (Friday, March 4, 2011), from 2 to 4pm get one free medium order of Waffle Potato Fries when you mention you’re there to try the new Heinz Dip & Squeeze.

McMullens, A Children’s Imprint from McSweeney’s To Launch In May

My favorite publisher, McSweeney’s will launch a children’s imprint line of books in May. The new venture is called McMullens and their goal is to “find and publish great books new and old for individuals and families of all kinds.”

Four books will initially be released:

Here Comes the Cat by Frank Asch, illustrated by Vladimir Vagin: A parable about the Cold War, was originally published by Scholastic in 1989.

Symphony City by Amy Martin: A little girl gets lost in a big city and follows the music of the streets back home.

We Need a Horse, is by Canadian short story writer Sheila Heti and illustrated by San Francisco artist Clare Rojas. This book encourages self-discovery.

Lastly, Dave Eggers has written and illustrated When Marlana Pulled a Thread, his first book for children, in which a girl is surprised by what happens when she pulls on a thread she finds in the grass.

The four hardcover books will all have dust jackets that unfold into double-sided posters

The imprint is named after Brian McMullen, Art Director and Editor at McSweeney’s where he’s worked for nine years. McMullen’s hopes to publish a total of 10 children’s books this year.

I will have to make more room on my 2 year old daughter’s book case for what I know will be, books that our family will read and cherish for years to come!

Get Free Music From My Morning Jacket

For the next six weeks, My Morning Jacket will offer free downloads to celebrate the forthcoming album Circuital. The first five downloads will be live songs taken from each of their shows at New York’s Terminal 5 this past October.

On April 12th, the countdown ends with a new song from Circuital. Sign up HERE to automatically receive all the music as it’s revealed.

First look at The Red Skull From Captain America: The First Avenger

Entertainment Weekly has posted a first look image from this summer’s ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ of the ghastly villain Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), along with a Q&A with director Joe Johnston about how Captain America may be the most human of the superheroes, and certainly the most humble — a little guy who remembers what it was like to be pushed around. Read more HERE.

Disney Parks Unveils New Annie Leibovitz Disney Dream Portraits

Today, Disney Parks unveiled some spectacular new images by acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz, who continues to lend her vision to the successful Disney Dream Portrait series that began just more than four years ago. Each portrait features well-known celebrities transformed into the role of famous Disney characters.

The three latest Disney Dream Portraits are the first new images in the series since 2009, and for the first time Disney has included a couple of the most wicked Disney villains ever!

As the Evil Queen, Olivia Wilde joins Alec Baldwin as the spirit of the magic mirror from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” In the dark depths of her lair, the Queen has summoned the mirror’s spirit through wind and darkness to reveal the identity of a lovelier maid than she. The caption reads, “Where magic speaks, even when you’re not the fairest of them all.”

Penelope Cruz and Jeff Bridges appear as Belle and the transformed prince, recalling the final scene from “Beauty and the Beast.” The celebratory moment is captioned, “Where a moment of beauty lasts forever.”

Finally, coming ashore as Ursula from “The Little Mermaid” is none other than Queen Latifah. The caption reads, “Where memories take hold and never let go.”

New Billy Joel Memoir Available On June 14th, 2011

One of the most popular and defining musicians of his generation, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Billy Joel has sold more than 100 million albums and consistently sells out arenas and stadiums around the world. From the song which first brought him wide notice, “Piano Man,” through such legendary hits as “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” “New York State of Mind,” “Just the Way You Are,” and numerous others, in his upcoming memoir, The Book of Joel: A Memoir ($27.99), written with Fred Schruers, Billy Joel brings us along for the emotional ride, unveiling the life events that brought the original inspiration for his songs, then sharing insights into the process of writing and recording them.

The 368 page book will be available on June 14th, 2011.

True Blood: The Complete Third Season DVD & Blu-ray To Be Released On May 31st

HBO has announced 5-disc DVD ($59.99) and 5-disc Blu-ray ($79.98) releases of True Blood: The Complete Third Season for May 31st. Each will include all 12 episodes, as well as commentaries and featurettes. We’ll bring you further details on the extra material shortly.

Chronicle Books The Art of Cars 2 Cover

Written by Ben Queen and Karen Paik, the next installment in Pixar’s popular series of coffee table books is sure to keep you in awe as you turn through 160-glossy pages. The Art of Cars 2 ($40) will be available on June 1, 2011, but you can pre-order it now via Chronicle Books or Amazon.

Pirates of the Caribbean 7-disc Blu-ray Trilogy Available Now

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has announced a 7-disc Blu-ray release of the Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy. The set includes 2-Disc Blu-ray editions of each of the three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, a seventh bonus disc, and a special movie ticket offer to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Extras on the 7th bonus disc will include a sneak peek of the upcoming theatrical release of On Stranger Tides, and never-before-seen deleted scenes with introductions and commentary by Gore Verbinski. The set is available now.

The Dilemma DVD & Blu-ray To Be Released On May 3rd

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced DVD and Blu-ray releases of The Dilemma for May 3rd. Extras on the DVD release will include an alternate ending, 7 deleted scenes with introduction by director Ron Howard, a This is the Dilemma featurette, and a gag reel. The Blu-ray release will include all of that, plus 7 additional deleted scenes, 2 additional featurettes (“Tour Chicago”, “On Ice”), and BD-Live features.

Random House, Inc. Makes Entire US Catalog of 17,000 ebooks Available On Apple’s iBookstore

Apple today announced that Random House, Inc., the largest trade book publisher in the US, has made its full catalog of 17,000 ebooks available on Apple’s iBookstore, including bestsellers by Stieg Larsson, John Grisham, Dan Brown, Danielle Steel, Laura Hillenbrand, Cormac McCarthy, Lee Child, Justin Cronin and many more of the world’s preeminent authors. Starting today, customers can pre-order upcoming releases from Random House including Lisa Gardner’s “Love You More,” Suze Orman’s “The Money Class” and Jean Auel’s “The Land of Painted Caves.” With the addition of Random House, the iBookstore now offers ebooks from all six major trade publishers and thousands of independent publishers.

iBookstore customers can choose from a wide selection of illustrated and video-enhanced books that look incredible on iPad, including Jay-Z’s memoir “Decoded” and Bing West’s “The Wrong War”; bestselling children’s series such as Magic Tree House and Junie B. Jones; and cookbooks by Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray, and the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. Random House, Inc. comprises more than 80 adult and children’s US publishing imprints including Alfred A. Knopf, Doubleday, Crown, Pantheon Books, Vintage, Ballantine and Bantam.