Monday, June 29, 2009
BK kitchen becomes a giant killing machine
Robots and obits are two of my regular beats hear at AdFreak. They go hand in hand, as robots are dedicated to the destruction of mankind. Which brings us none too smoothly to Burger King's tie-in with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. My colleague Rebecca Cullers has noted the "conspiracy" aspects of the campaign and warned us of "a series of worldwide robot sightings." Oh, it's far worse than that, people. As our flesh-and-blood world reels from the loss of the King of Pop, the metallic monsters have found their king: the Burger King! He's been robotized to massive proportions—transformed, if you will, into a digitized death-dealing demon! Someone would probably die if a giant King smashed through a BK like he does in the spot above. There’s be chaos and confusion, at any rate. And then my chance of getting no pickles, already abysmally low, would decline even more. Robots. They'll spoil your meal every time.
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Iconic TV pitchman Billy Mays is dead at 50
He was the man with no inside voice, the man who seemed to be on every late-night cable channel at once, the man who comprehensively convinced us we don't need a cabinet full of cleaners. And now, sadly, infomercial icon Billy Mays is dead. Details were scarce Sunday, though there were apparently no signs of foul play, so that probably rules out the Yakuza gangsters who were stalking Mays in the hilarious self-parody above. It's always been hard to pin down what made Mays so good at selling cleaning products, dubiously necessary inventions and just about anything else. Was it the beard? The wildly gesticulating hands? The tone that straddled the line between evangelism and straight-out screaming? Obviously it was all of the above that catapulted Mays from hawking wares at local garden shows to reality TV stardom on the Discovery Channel's PitchMen. So here's to Billy Mays, a one-man sales juggernaut who, like fellow commercial legend Ed McMahon, was never afraid to laugh at his own public persona.
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Ana Ortiz gives birth
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Ugly Betty star Ana Oritz and her husband, musician Noah Lebenzon, have welcomed their first child, a daughter, on Saturday, PEOPLE has learned exclusively.
"She is elated and completely glowing," said Ortiz's rep. "She is surrounded by her friends and family and so happy to be a mom. She is just really enjoying the moment. The baby is absolutely beautiful."
The baby girl – Paloma Louise Lebenzon – was born at 4:25 p.m. in New York City and weighed 7 lbs., 10 oz.
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Lady Gaga Cancels Show, Makes Fans Unhappy
US pop star Lady Gaga is to miss performing at a second Take That concert in Manchester due to illness.
Angry fans complained after the star failed to appear as one of the support acts at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground on Saturday, with no explanation given.
A spokesman for Lady Gaga told the BBC the star pulled out at the last-minute as she was "feeling unwell" and would not be performing on Sunday either.
He added she was "currently resting on doctor's orders".
"Lady Gaga was feeling unwell on Saturday and, after consulting her doctor, the decision was reluctantly taken that she was unable to perform with Take That at Old Trafford last night and tonight.
"Lady Gaga is currently resting on doctor's orders, but is looking forward to rejoining Take That at Wembley next weekend.
"She would like to thank Take That for supporting her decision, and apologise to the band and her fans for being unable to perform," he added.
Take That will finish their tour at Wembley on 5 July
The 50,000-strong crowd booed after a big screen notice announced on Saturday the singer would not be performing.
According to fans, first support act Gary Go entertained the audience instead, but began an hour later than originally scheduled.
A 31-year-old fan from Stockport said: "It was a bit disappointing because there was nothing to get you going. You were stood there like a sardine."
Margaret Graves, 58, of Hoylake, Wirral, said: "Gary Barlow said 'thanks to Gary Go whose got us out of a real spot'."
She added he apologised to fans for Lady Gaga's non-appearance and said: "'Don't get me started, you should have heard me backstage'."
Fans have been posting their disappointment on Take That's website with one writing: "How dare Lady Gaga not turn up? She lost herself 50,000 fans last night!"
The star performed a one-hour set at Glastonbury on Friday night.
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Will Michael Jacksons funeral be the biggest since Princess Diana's?
It is expected to eclipse that of Elvis Presley in 1977, at which 75,000 fans lined the streets of Memphis, and could rival Princess Diana's 12 years ago when 250,000 gathered in Hyde Park alone.
Even the funeral of silent film star Rudolph Valentino in New York in 1926 drew 40,000 fans.
Enlarge Overwhelmed: Nadege Barnes prays outside the Jackson family home in Encino, California, where fans have laid flowers
Overwhelmed: Nadege Barnes prays outside the Jackson family home in Encino, California, where fans have laid flowers
Celebrity mourners at Jackson's service could include showbiz legends such as Paul McCartney, who sang with him, and Elizabeth Taylor. Even if his family insist on a private ceremony, it will be almost impossible to keep fans away.
Jackson was raised a Jehovah's Witness, who are forbidden from following funeral customs that are not mentioned in the Bible.
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Coolio pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine
The Grammy-winning rapper Coolio, below, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine on Friday, and will enter a drug rehabilitation program for 18 months, thus avoiding jail time, Reuters reported.
Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was arrested on March 6 at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of felony narcotics possession. He resisted arrest at the time, but in exchange for his guilty plea on Friday in a Los Angeles courtroom the authorities agreed to drop charges of battery and possession of a smoking device.
Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, said Coolio faced three years in prison if convicted on all charges. His 1995 single, “Gangsta’s Paradise,” earned him a Grammy Award for best rap solo performance, but in recent years he has spent most of his time on reality television shows like “Celebrity Fear Factor” and “Coolio’s Rules.”
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Shakira's new single "Loba"
Loba - Shakira
Shakira's new single "Loba" premiered today on imeem. It's in spanish and the english version "She-Wolf" will be released in mid-July.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Rise of the Cobra
The gossip story of the day so far is that Paramount's upcoming "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra" is so bad that the director may have been fired.
It all began when a posting on Don Murphy's message board, now removed, claimed that a test screening of the upcoming action film scored the worst marks in the studio's history. As a result Paramount exec Brad Weston had the film's director Stephen Sommers ("The Mummy," "Van Helsing") fired and locked out of the editing room.
Stuart Baird, a renowned "fixer" editor was brought it to try to see if it could be made releasable, while producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura was told "his services were no longer needed on the film either". When word of the firing started to get around, Sommers "was summoned back to the editing room but only to save appearances, Baird is still editing the movie with studio input."
Latino Review then followed that post up with a few checks of their own. While columnists have been quick to slam the film, it apparently is tracking quite well, and so the site got in contact with di Bonaventura himself to ask if the report had any truth?
"It's completely untrue he was never asked to leave or been fired or any of that. That’s ridiculous. The movie tested very well. Everybody was happy, the studio was happy, the filmmakers were happy, the audience was happy with the movie. We had three test screenings, three different times and tested it and each time it just got better and better. We started off in a good place and we ended up in even in a better place, which is what you hope on a film from testing it."
So what happened in the editing room? "Nothing that doesn’t happen on every other movie, which is that you constantly work and work and work and you make it better and better. We had a delay on visual effects so we waited a long time to finish the movie but that’s the only thing. I don’t really know why that would be interpreting it negatively but I guess it was".
Still, many remain dubious. There's been blood in the water on this film for a while and many online critics seem to have already made their minds up on the film. Sommers has generally provoked dislike amongst critics, and the word is with 'Joe' he essentially got total creative freedom to do what he wanted. Has that resulted in a workable film? We'll find out in two months.
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Wondergirl's Debut in America Update
WonderGirls will move on with the plans of their American debut.
The girls who had been confirmed to be the performing guests to Jonas Brothers‘ World Tour 2009, will be releasing a digital single on 27th June. And from 27th June all the way till mid August, they will be performing for the opening show to Jonas Brothers‘ World Tour concert. They will be performing the songs ‘Nobody’ and ‘Tell Me’ for the concert. And they will be performing the English versions to the songs.
One of the American staff said, ‘The song ‘Nobody’ is a great charming song for listeners of all ages from whatever nationality. Not only is the song perfect, the choreography is perfect.”
“The girls will debut with their own charms and not having to transform into the other American artistes.” Park Jin Young will be the producer to the girls’ American debut, and unlike the other artistes trying to hit into the American market, he did not work with other American artistes for the girls’ debut.
And it is said that the WonderGirls will release their American official debut album in September-October. The album will have songs written and composed by Jonas Brothers. The girls will also work with the Jonas Brothers to come up with a electronic house number.
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Bo Bice and wife expecting third child
There will be two American Idol debuts to look forward to in January – the premiere of Season 9 and a new arrival from alum Bo Bice!
The season four contestant announced wife Caroline's pregnancy on Friday evening at a fan club gathering in Nashville.
"American Idol has a new winner each year – seems things are the same in our house," Bice, 33, tells PEOPLE. "Can't wait to introduce our new little 'Idol' to the world January 31st!"
The latest addition will be the third child for Bice and his wife, who are also parents to sons Caleb James, 9 months, and Aidan Michael, 3 ½. The couple have been married four years.
On tour throughout the summer, the rocker will open for Lynyrd Skynyrd in August.
• Reporting by ANNE MARIE CRUZ and RANDI RADCLIFF
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David Cross talks about dating a lovely YOUNG lady (and other stuff)
The actor, who has the comedy 'Year One' coming out Friday, says he has been working without a break for a year and a half now -- not that he's complaining.
June 14, 2009
Reporting from New York -- David Cross appears in "Year One," which opens Friday, with Jack Black and Michael Cera. He is dating Amber Tamblyn, late of ABC's recently canceled "The Unusuals." We met at his East Village apartment, where he keeps his truly awesome dog.
Is the publicist yours? Or the film's?
It's mine! I've never had a publicist before but my girlfriend, who's in the business, as they say, she's with them, and I said, wow, you know, I've got so much happening right now, in the space of a few months. I've got this movie, the London show, a book coming out ["I Drink for a Reason," due Aug. 31], and it just seemed to make sense. The whole idea of seeking out publicity was anathema to me and how I like to live, but I was also very ignorant and naive about what they do and she kind of explained it to me: No, they keep you out of those things you don't like. I'm still on the fence but then I discovered I might be able to get discounted or even free baseball tickets and I was like, let's do it. So it's a three-month trial basis. And, so far, I've gotten a free jacket and a free tie.
They help you with outfits!
I needed an outfit for the White House Correspondents' Dinner and they made a singular phone call to GQ and I went to their offices and got fitted with a suit for the dinner and they sent someone to pick it up the next day.
What's going on in London?
I shot a pilot for Channel 4. And it'll air, I believe, in December. When we picture-lock on Friday, it will be almost two years to the day that I was first approached by those guys. The cast is a crazy dream team. ["The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret" costars Will Arnett and Spike Jonze.]
Is it worth getting paid in Euros?
You mean pound sterling? The time that I was going over there and working on this back and forth, the dollar was really in decline -- and prices are comparable to New York. I'd walk out of a pharmacy with toothpaste and soap, some Q-Tips, a thing of water, and I was like whoa, I just spent $39. Now that I'm getting paid, the dollar has risen up and I'm getting less. I did the math: man, 30,000 pounds, that's $60,000! Now it's only $42,000.
What is the subject of this book of yours?
It's a collection of humor tidbits. Some of it's fictional, some nonfiction, some essays, some really silly [stuff]. The font is quite nice!
So you're diverging. You're an octopus. You're going eight ways.
Are you saying I'm like Tad -- "8-Way Santa"? No one's going to get that reference except old punkers. I've always done a lot of [stuff]. I'm making another TV show -- my friend Jon Benjamin and I are shooting a pilot for Adult Swim.
What are they like? Are they insane?
Yes! . . . 'Wait, I thought you said do this, now you're saying do this?' That's my brief experience with them. It's been interesting. But we're making the pilot and I'm looking forward to it
There comes a point in a man's life where he wants to take it easier. And you're not doing that.
But you know why: because of the nature of this business and how work rolls in. Fairly recently, three years ago, I didn't work for six months. I got really depressed, I was angry, I was a [cruddy] person to be around. I didn't understand why or what was happening.
And now you're in "Year One."
I worked pretty nonstop from January of last year to now. I literally finished shooting the sequel to "Alvin and the Chipmunks" for three days, headed to London. It's been pretty nonstop but really great. Outside of the "Alvin" thing, which I could give a [brass farthing] about.
But that stuff pays!
Absolutely. "Alvin and the Chipmunks" paid me more than all my other projects combined: book, TV show, the two pilots, "Year One," yeah. And I'm contractually obligated to do it.
Good for you.
It was a sequel and the first one did insane business. Anything I've been a part of creating, "Alvin" paid me twice as much as those things combined -- for very little work.
It's the Laura Dern model.
That's your best example? Laura Dern? Your reference is 15 years old. Steve Buscemi, who was in "Con Air," who wrote and directed his own movie? I'm talking about not even acting in stuff but when you write and create something and produce it and you're not getting much money, you're adding 75% of your time.
What is up with Amber? I always feel bad when people get their shows canned.
She worked her . . . off on that thing. . . . She'd be gone 17 hours a day.
She's OK, right?
She'll be fine, yes! She's in L.A., her book comes out soon. It comes out basically the same week mine does. ["Bang Ditto," another collection of Tamblyn's poetry, is due out Sept. 1.] She's pretty amazing. I don't know what I did to luck out. I'm glad she pursued me.
Is work changing for people this year?
Oh, absolutely. I'm not complaining because I have plenty of money, more money than I certainly need, and for most of my life have been used to. As you can see, I don't have a lot of luxuries.
Just Rock Band.
And I got some art. And a dog. I don't live a lavish lifestyle. And so I'm not complaining at all. It's one of those things where, OK, you've got this offer for this movie, and it sounds great. But to tell you ahead of time, they're crying poverty, they don't have as much money as they used to, and everyone's getting less and there's nothing they can do. All the studios are going, "We just don't have it in our budget, you know." I'm sure it's down the line -- wardrobe, editing, everyone's getting less money. Except for the studios.
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Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Hulk defends Brooke, denies smoking pot
Hulk Hogan is jumping to the defense of his daughter, Brooke, 21, after her mother, Linda, accused her of everything from lying about having a breast augmentation to hanging out with a guy who smokes marijuana with her father. "I can't believe Linda would do this," the former wrestling champ tells Life & Style exclusively. "She's lost and needs help."
Hulk vehemently denies Linda's claim that he was "rolling and smoking joints" with Brooke's boyfriend, Stack, during one of Brooke's recording sessions. "Absolutely not!" he shoots back. "Brooke is a clean-cut girl. She's very open and honest." In fact, Hulk suggests that Linda, who filed for divorce in 2007 after 24 years of marriage, is the one using drugs. Linda has said she'd happily submit to a drug test to prove otherwise. Hulk's response? "If Linda says she'll take a drug test, I say bring it, brother! It needs to be done, and she'll fail it."
In the meantime, he just wants Linda to stop attacking their little girl. "Brooke can't have a relationship with her mother like this," he tells Life & Style. "I hope one day Linda will grow up and be an adult like Brooke is. Linda has to reach to her level. One day, maybe."
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Oven Pride ad not sexist so much as idiotic
This Oven Pride spot has caused an uproar in the U.K. Set to nursery-school music, it features a husband learning a lesson in the kitchen as the announcer keeps repeating, "Oven Pride. So easy, even a man can do it!" Hey, sweet, I didn't realize we were bringing the '80s role-reversal thing back! In 1979, Kramer vs. Kramer showed that a father could learn how to make breakfast. Advertisers picked up on the trend big time, for two reasons: 1) They had finally sniffed out this thing called feminism; and 2) Somebody had to look stupid in order to learn a lesson in a commercial, so now it was the man. Hee hee! The trend is still happening, to some degree, as advertisers pander to women, but not with the aesthetic sledgehammer of this particular spot. I guess it's meant to be taken straight—it's too dumb to be ironic. But the bigger takeaway for me is how hard it is to use the product—and how little it helps. This big lug has to place heavy, greasy oven racks in big plastic bags, shake them, then remove them and wash them off. The main problem with washing oven racks is getting the things in and out of the oven. If you're going to have to rinse them off in the sink anyway, how much good does pre-rinsing them in giant bags do? Stupid product, stupid commercial. Now, honey, get me my breakfast, and make it snappy! You think these caribou slippers put themselves on?
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The Veronicas to do MTV reality show
The Veronicas are in discussions to appear in their own reality series on MTV, Sydney Confidential has learned.
The proposed series, described as a “documentary-style” program, would offer fans of Australian-born rocker siblings Lisa and Jess Origliasso a behind-the-scenes look at their attempt to crack the international music market.
The Veronicas are no strangers to an American audience. In 2008, the girls appeared in ten webisodes of Yahoo!’s Pepsi Smash with The Jonas Brothers. They have also performed on The CW’s Beverly Hills, 90210 and the 2009 Miss USA pageant.
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Before They Were Stars: 50 Celebrity First Jobs
1. Nicolas Cage - Sold popcorn at a movie theater
2. Charles Bronson - Coal Miner
3. David Lee Roth - Hospital orderly
4. Paula Abdul - Laker Girl
5. Clint Eastwood - Pool Boy
6. Sean Connery - Lifeguard
7. Mick Jagger - Hospital Porter
8. Cyndi Lauper - Emptied dog kennels
9. Steve Buscemi - Firefighter
10. Ozzy Osbourne - Slaughterhouse Worker
11. Gwen Stefani - Worked at Dairy Queen
12. Rod Stewart - Grave Digger
13. Queen Latifah -Worked at Burger King
14. Warren Beatty - Rat Catcher
15. Alec Baldwin - Bouncer
16. Kanye West - Worked at the Gap
17. Jason Lee - Worked behind the counter at a Taco Bell
18. Whoopi Goldberg - Bricklayer
19. Mickey Rourke - Movie Theater Usher
20. Claiy Aiken - A counselor at the YMCA
21. Marlon Brando - Ditch Digger
22. Matthew McConaughey - Cleaned out chicken coops
23. Donald Trump - Rent Collector
24. Gene Simmons - Newspaper Delivery Boy
25. Jon Bon Jovi - Made Christmas decorations
26. Keith Richards - Tennis Ball Boy
27. Russell Simmons - Worked at Orange Julius
28. Nancy Grace - Worked the candy counter at Sears
29. Henry Fonda - Worked for a credit agency
30. Pamela Anderson - Fitness Instructor
31. Jennifer Aniston - Telemarketer
32. Lucille Ball - Sold ice cream
33. Michael Douglas - Gas Station Attendant
34. Robin Williams - Street Mime
35. Danny DeVito - Hair stylist
36. Garth Brooks - Boot Store Salesman
37. Drew Carey - in the Marine Corps.
38. Kurt Cobain - Janitor
39. Evangeline Lilly - Flight Attendant
40. Jerry Seinfeld - Sold lightbulbs
41. Sting - Teacher
42. Vin Diesel - Bouncer
43. Eddie Vedder - Gas Station Attendant
44. Christopher Walken - Lion Tamer in the circus
45. Julia Roberts - Worked behind the counter in an ice cream shop
46. James Dean - Tested stunts for the game show “Beat the Clock”
47. Walt Disney - Ambulance driver
48. Carmen Elektra - Danced at a theme park in Ohio
49. Tom Cruise - Bell Hop
50. Faith Hill - Receptionist
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A Sims 3 Mega Post
Wired: 4 Ways to Make the Most of Sims 3’s Massive Upgrades
The Sims 3 arrives Tuesday, and fans of Electronic Arts’ mind-bogglingly successful franchise are going to want to set aside some time to take in all the upgrades.
Quite a bit of time, actually: The Sims 3 is a sprawling mass of a game, building upon the success of its predecessors and taking the virtual-life simulation series to entirely new heights.
The title has received a graphical face-lift and more new features than you can shake a stick at, including an open world, personalities for your characters and enough customization options to make the hardiest of creative types light-headed. And if you never saw much point to carrying out mundane tasks virtually, a new goal-oriented structure means there’s likely to be something here for you, too.
Here are four tips to mull over while you’re installing the game on your PC or Mac.
1. Roll Your Own Life, Then Brace for Impact
When it comes to designing your virtual citizens, Sims 3 offers an unprecedented amount of freedom. A dizzying array of sliders and color wheels lets you customize just about every aspect of your Sim, from the roots of their hair to the socks on their feet. For the first time, you’re also able to design your Sim’s personality.
There are 63 different traits to choose from that will determine how your characters behave. But choose wisely: A neat Sim will wander about the house performing menial chores, but an absent-minded one will probably forget all about those cookies in the oven.
If you’re not very creative, or can’t be bothered with tweaking so many options, you can have a random family of Sims generated for you. There are also quite a few premade families packaged with the game. If you’d like to avail yourself of the hyperactive Sims fan base, you can also download characters made and shared by other players.
2. Let Your Little Ones Roam
What better way to explore the new, seamless world than going out for a jog? Sims 3 gets rid of all those pesky loading screens, allowing players to explore every nook and cranny of their towns.
Feel free to call a cab if you’re in a hurry, but Sims who wander will meet new friends, find the occasional seed to plant in their gardens or stumble upon a quiet spot to do a bit of fishing.
Your Sims are a also bit more independent than in previous versions of the game. Icons called Moodlets will help you keep track of which needs aren’t being met, and your characters will address these problems when possible. That means you can spend less time shepherding them and more time playing the game. While you’re still free to lead Sims around, it’s often far more interesting to see what the ones you haven’t been watching have done with their time — whether it’s buying a few groceries or stealing all the light fixtures and potted plants from their neighbors’ houses.
3. The Happy Sim Gets the Goods
While most Sims fans have been content designing elaborate homes and lives for their virtual personas, the Sims 3 has something in store for the goal-oriented gamer, too. As you play, your Sims will earn Happiness points by staying in a good mood and completing the occasional mini-objective, determined by their traits.
Take a Sim who is granted the Evil and a Bookworm traits, for example. This Sim might earn a few points by heading to the library and swiping candy from an infant along the way. Sims also have a Lifetime Wish.
Completing these will net you thousands of Happiness points, but they require enormous amounts of effort — becoming Leader of the Free World isn’t for the faint of heart. Happiness points can be cashed in for prizes that can make life a bit easier, from a steel bladder that cuts down on bathroom visits to a Teleportation Pad that (usually) gets your Sims where they need to go.
4. So Much to Do, So Little Time
The life of a Sim isn’t all about telling jokes and throwing parties — unless you want it to be. For Sims who like to stay occupied, there are a number of careers to choose from, with success determined by your ability to work hard, stay in a good mood and make friends. You’ll need the simoleons you earn to shop for groceries, buy furniture or keep the bill collectors at bay.
A work and no play makes a depressed, unproductive Sim, though, so when the weekend won’t come soon enough, don’t be afraid to skip work and play videogames. But remember: The clock is always ticking. Sims will eventually grow old and die. The game will track the progress of all households. After a few weeks of play, your town will likely be unrecognizable. So be sure that your Sim goes out and makes its mark on the world: You don’t want to have spent your entire virtual life wasting away in front of a computer screen, right?
CNET: 'Sims 3' ready for prime time
OS ANGELES--Start saving simoleans, everyone: "The Sims 3" has finally launched.
The latest full iteration of the famous "Sims" franchise--"The Sims" launched in 2000 and became the best-selling PC game of all time, and "The Sims 2" released in 2004--the new game presents a chance for its publisher, Electronic Arts, to bolster its bottom line, even while trying to push the boundaries of what game players are used to.
The original "Sims," from the hit-making game designer, Will Wright, was a game in which players could control a household of, yes, "sims," little people whose daily lives depended on players' attention. The innovations in the game, plus its non-goal-oriented nature, its unique graphics, its ahead-of-its-time game play and a number of other factors quickly made it into a success far beyond what anyone could have imagined. It also spawned a series of expansions that were also successes.
Then came "Sims 2," which improved upon the original title's graphics, incorporated more user-generated content--players could now use a movie feature that allowed players to script and make films starring their sims, while players of the original version figured out a way to do so themselves using the game's "family album" feature--and also spawned a series of hit expansions.
As a result, EA spun "The Sims" off its original studio, Maxis, and turned it into one of the company's main labels. And now, with the release of "Sims 3," EA has both a chance to prove it can continue to maintain its most popular and lucrative franchises, and to win over a new generation of players unfamiliar with the little green diamond that floats over players' characters' heads.
But EA has had a series of layoffs, its much-anticipated "Spore" franchise, which moderately successful, has not been the mega-hit the company likely hoped it would be and it is facing an environment in which the games industry, while still stronger than most, is finally starting to show some cracks.
So how important is "Sims 3" to EA? Well, it's not bet-the-house important--no game could be to such a large company--but it's certainly got to be up there.
And now, as the latest iteration incorporates even more social media, and more user-generated content--players can now not only make films starring their sims, but can also have full editing control over the footage--EA has to deliver with bottom line figures. Will it? Only time will tell. But there's certainly a lot of excitement around the game. And given the franchise's history, it would be tough to bet against them.
MTV: The Sims 3: Final Look
Five years and eight expansion packs after “The Sims 2,” Maxis has finally stepped away from the drawing board to deliver a new approach to their popular life simulation franchise in “The Sims 3.” The changes range from subtle to dramatic, though ultimately it all still boils down to running partially AI-controlled rats through a maze. In the case of “The Sims” of course, those rats are actually human beings and the maze, a small-town community.
The Basics
There is no story in “The Sims 3” except for the one that you create yourself. The first step is to create a Sim or a family of Sims to be your own, a process that now results in a much more realistic approximation of real people. This is largely thanks to five assignable Traits slots (ie evil, slob, party animal, lucky, loves the outdoors, never nude) which in turn informs the created Sim’s Lifetime Wishes, long-term goals that earn you points which can be spent on a variety of tedium-killing perks.
As for the game side, play is no longer explicitly focused on managing Needs meters such as hunger, bladder and so on. The needs are still there, submerged behind several menus, but they all inform a new, constantly visible meter that indicates your chosen Sim’s Mood. Performing different activities opens up Moodlets, which function as time-based buffs or penalties to your Mood. Lifetime Wishes provide definable goals for each Sim to work towards while randomly occurring daily Wishes offer smaller, easily achievable goals, acts as minor as giving your significant other an amorous hug.
The Highs
Endlessly Replayable: Like every other “Sims” game, “The Sims 3” is designed to deliver radically different experiences on repeat visits. New elements such as randomly occurring Opportunities ensure that even identical Sims will experience different life stories.
We Got To Live Together: The neighborhoods of old are gone. Sims now dwell in one contiguous space as part of a whole town. Your home, place of business, shopping centers, recreational & learning facilities and more are all visible and accessible on the same map.
Streamlined Tedium: Each Sim still has Needs, but the Mood meter and associated Moodlets make keeping track of it all a snap. Rather than watching for one need or another to dip, you instead respond to negative Moodlets as they appear; if you get slapped with a penalty because your Sim has to pee, then send him to the bathroom. The expectation is that you’re eventually performing routine, lifelike actions to preemptively eliminate negative Moodlets.
If Wishes Were Fishes: Daily and Lifetime Wishes, and the Lifetime Wish Points you earn for completing them, add an almost RPG level of carrot-dangling and long-term customization to the game. Earned points are spent on Lifetime Rewards, each of which functions to make your Sim’s progress through life easier. You’ll make friends quicker, spend less cash in stores, have an easier time picking up new traits; it all depends on what you choose to “purchase.”
The Lows
Great Power, Great Responsibility: Like its predecessors, “The Sims 3” still boils down to lots and lots of micromanagement. As more people enter your family circle, managing them all becomes quite a chore, especially since every Sim has an annoying tendency to do what he or she wants if left unattended. There are a lot of wheels to keep spinning in your typical Sim’s life and managing them all for even a single person can be a daunting experience.
User Unfriendly: “The Sims 3” is certainly bright and colorful, filled with whimsical imagery and sly pop culture in-jokes, but the non-stop stream of tutorials which pop up to confront newcomers is daunting. Even longtime fans are going to experience a learning curve as they adjust to new gameplay systems. Series noobs are in for a slow learning process as they come to grips not only with the complex underlying meter juggling but also the series’ unique pacing.
Microtransactions: The Exchange, where user cans freely trade created items, is now joined by an official Sims Store. Here you can spend real money on points, which can then be used to purchase a variety of household items, pre-made Sims, even (eventually) whole neighborhoods. The new feature isn’t terribly surprising, but it also leaves players with an extremely limited collection of household stuff to choose from. A robust pattern creator allows players to put in the time to make each object distinct, but those coming off of “The Sims 2” and its many expansions will quickly want for more crap to choose from.
Final Word
“The Sims 3” remains the unique experience it has always been, albeit with some welcome streamlining. The changes aren’t enough to make the game completely accessible to all, but mass appeal really isn’t what a proper “Sims” game has ever been about. Fans will certainly appreciate the more focused approach on simulated living, but newcomers will similarly be just as mystified as they’ve always been. Although it remains a “Sims” game through and through, “The Sims 3” is without question the best in the series so far.
Wired, CNET, MTV
Britney Spears: ‘I’m Learning to Relax’
Britney Spears is learning to relax more and not take things so seriously.
The singer — who suffered a highly-publicized breakdown in 2008 — says in an interview with Britain’s More! magazine that she’s finally getting her life back on track.
“I feel positive, I feel much happier, and things are looking good again,” she said. “I’m learing to relax more and take everything in my stride, and to not place so much pressure on myself.”
“I’m learning to take better care of myself,” she added, “and not get stress or down about things for nothing. I’m taking my time these days and not letting myself feel any pressure other than to just feel happy and to work on my music.”
Asked how she currently feels about her life, the 27-year-old said, “There are so many things that I am grateful for. I just want to make the most of this time in my life and build from there. It’s a good feeling.”
Spears is currently in London for the UK leg of her Circus world tour.
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Very Bad Drawings Of Celebrities: A Photo Gallery
People like drawing celebrities. But it seems like the people who really like drawing celebrities are the ones who can't draw. Here are some of the worst on the Internet.
Brad Pitt
Billy Mays
David Beckham
Taylor Hanson of Hanson
Chris Farley
Sylvester Stallone as Rambo
Eddie Van Halen
Marilyn Monroe
Kenny Rogers
Jennifer Aniston
The Jonas Brothers (I Live 4 Jonas)
Martin Luther King Jr.
Matt Damon
Michael Jackson In The Wiz
Nick Carter
Pierce Brosnan
This One Was Called Sarah Michelle Gellar
Whoopi Goldberg In Sister Act
BONUS AWESOME DRAWING:
Sarah Palin With Pancakes On Her Head (Your Argument Is Invalid)
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Megan Fox: ‘I’m a Role Model For Strong Women’
Megan Fox thinks she’s a role model for strong, young women.
The Transformers star — who recently likened herself to a prostitute — wants to help teenage girls “feel strong and intelligent and be outspoken”.
“It depends on what your idea of a role model is,” Fox told the Times of London in a new interview. “If your idea of a role model is somebody who’s gonna preach to your kids that sex before marriage is wrong and cursing is wrong and women should be this and be that, then I’m not a role model.
“But if you want your girls to feel strong and intelligent and be outspoken and fight for what they think is right, then I want to be that type of role model, yeah.”
Fox, 23, admits she’s afraid of typecasting. “Getting typecast as what? Attractive? How bad is that?” she explains. “That’s not really a bad thing. If people want to look at me like that I find it flattering. And it gives me an advantage because people don’t expect anything from me.
“If I show up and give any sort of performance at all, even a mediocre one, everyone will walk away going, ‘Holy shit! Megan did a great job in that movie!’ So I’m an overachiever just by default because of the category I’ve been put in.”
Source
Little Gracie Sheffield will be on Heroes
Madeline Zima to Star in Heroes
Source:The Hollywood Reporter
June 3, 2009
The Hollywood Reporter says that "Heroes'" Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) is off to college in the fourth season of the show.
She will cross paths on the college campus with a quirky student played by Madeline Zima. "Californication" co-star Zima has been hired to recur on the NBC drama.
In a multi-episode arc she will play Gretchen, an edgy outsider and college roommate to Claire.
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Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Sizemore hopes to avoid surgery
The Indians said an MRI of All-Star center fielder Grady Sizemore's inflamed left elbow revealed no structural damage. But that doesn't mean Sizemore isn't a candidate for surgical intervention.
Sizemore, placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday, will rest the injury and receive treatment for the next two weeks. If the inflammation in the elbow doesn't calm down by that point, Sizemore will probably have arthroscopic surgery performed on the elbow, according to head athletic trainer Lonnie Soloff.
The arthroscopy would essentially clean out the inflamed joint.
"In essence," Soloff said, "it would suck out all the inflamed joint lining."
If the procedure is performed, Soloff said Sizemore would miss an additional four to six weeks.
"Probably closer to six," Soloff said.
So that would be two months total spent on the DL for Sizemore, who has never been on the DL previously in his career.
Obviously, it's a scenario the Indians hope to avoid. Thus far, Sizemore's elbow hasn't responded favorably to treatment. He spent two weeks getting treatment on the elbow while spending most of his time at designated hitter and only three games in the field. This past week, his only activity was swinging the bat, as the Indians held him out of pregame shagging duties.
"We hope parlaying that [week off from throwing] with two weeks off [from all baseball activity] will help Grady overcome the symptoms," Soloff said.Soloff said Sizemore, who is one of eight Tribe players on the DL, injured his elbow on a swing and miss earlier this season, though he did not reveal when that exact instance occurred.
"At the elbow, the thing that causes [inflammation] symptoms is extension," Soloff said. "This is clearly the result of baseball activities."
Soloff said the injury is similar to that suffered by Victor Martinez last year only in that it involves inflammation. But Martinez, who missed two and a half months of action, also had loose bodies and a bone spur that had to be addressed surgically. Sizemore does not have such structural damage, according to the Tribe.
"Grady's condition is more similar to Aaron Laffey's at the end of last season," Soloff said.
Laffey was shut down in the Minors in early September because of elbow inflammation. He rested and rehabbed the injury before beginning throwing activities in October. Laffey avoided surgery, and the Indians hope Sizemore can do the same.
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Source
Muse announce European tour dates
Muse are pleased to announce the European leg of The Resistance Tour! The band will be playing 30 dates this autumn starting in Finland on Thursday 22nd October and winding up in Italy on Friday 4th December taking in 7 arenas in the UK and Ireland on the way including two nights at the O2 in London! Tickets go on general sale in the UK, Sweden and France on 5th June.
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