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Sunday, June 30, 2013

Facebook: Not as Down and Out as You Think

Your teenage daughter hates it, your mom never checks it and half your friends have stopped posting. And everyone's switching to WhatsApp and MessageMe and Snapchat, right? It seems that Facebook (FB) may be on its way out, yet another web fad tossed on the scrap heap with Myspace and AOL (AOL).
Not so fast – for all the Facebook fatigue and rising competition, the current reigning social network champ still has chops. And the world’s biggest social network is on a buying spree to bolster its appeal and one-up the best features of the competition.
Think Instagram – Facebook snapped up the photo-sharing site for $1 billion last year, adding on a top site for teens who were starting to avoid Facebook's own pages. Then this month, Facebook added video to the Instagram service; it's similar to Twitter's Vine, but – among other differences – longer by a whole nine seconds. And the service is catching on fast; in just a week, the number of Instagram videos posted on Twitter surpassed those from Vine.
Sure, it’s true that Facebook’s overall user growth is slowing – the number of monthly active users has been hovering around the 1 billion level for almost a year. And it’s also true that, in the United States, there are some signs of fatigue – a Pew Research Center survey found 27% of U.S. Facebook users planned to cut back on their usage this year. And smaller competitors – some you never heard of, such as tango.me and Glassboard – are growing fast.
But Facebook has some overlooked strengths and has been moving quickly to get a jump on some of its faster-growing peers. And even as user growth slowed in the United States, it’s still accelerating in Asia and emerging markets.

Menlo Park, start your photocopiers
One of the easiest ways for Facebook to keep its users from moving is to give them more of what they want in Facebook and Instagram, such as the new video service. Another example: With teens flocking to alternative text messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook engineers revamped their own messaging app to include SMS texting. The floating Chatheads have proven to be an appealingly fun way to trade quips.
That said, not all Facebook's homegrown efforts to add features have caught on; its "Home" overlay for Android fans, for example, was a dud. The recent HTC Facebook phone has also seen sluggish sales.

If you can’t beat them, buy them
Facebook’s initial public offering gave the company a currency most of its competitors don’t have – public stock. That helped reel in Instagram; most of the payment was in Facebook shares. Smaller deals work, too. Facebook bought personal blogging site Storylane in March. Technology from the site could be used to beef up Facebook's feeds and help fight Tumblr’s appeal to the younger crowd.
Still, Facebook has seen competitors strike back via M&A deals. Google (GOOG) grabbed social mapping app Waze, and Yahoo! bought Tumblr, strengthening their own social offerings and keeping the popular upstarts out of Facebook’s grasp.

It’s not personal. It’s business
Facebook has also played tough with some competitors that may have been trying to piggyback on the company’s massive reach. When a new messaging app, MessageMe, started to take off earlier this year – in part thanks to integration with Facebook users' friend lists – Facebook cut the service off. It has done much the same to others, including Path and Vine.

Enemy of my enemy
Facebook isn’t in competition with everyone and it has acquired some pretty hefty allies. Seeking to hold off Google, Facebook partnered with Microsoft’s (MSFT) Bing search engine to deliver results that tie in to a user's Facebook network. Unfortunately for Facebook, Bing hasn’t made much progress in reducing Google’s share of search traffic.
Probably more important, Facebook won Apple’s (AAPL) approval for deep integration on iPhones and iPads. Facebook and Twitter started as the only social networks built in for sharing in Apple’s iOS. The upcoming version 7 of iOS adds a few new partners, including Vimeo for video and Flickr for photos, but Facebook remains its only broad social network.
Sure, it's tough to be number one. But Facebook is hardly teetering on the brink of obscurity.

Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger Wed in South of France

Canadian rockers Avril Lavigne, 28, and Chad Kroeger, 38, tied the knot on Saturday in the South of France.
Mike Heller, CEO of Talent Resources, which represents the singer, revealed the happy news on Twitter. "I'm in south of France about to see my little Rok star #avril get married I am so happy to be part of this special celebration," he tweeted. "No pictures will be sent since this is #avril wedding but I will tell you everyone is so excited."
Lavigne was very involved in planning what she promised would be an outrageous ceremony filled with personal touches. "I'm the one who has the crazy vision and he's letting me be me," she told Us Weekly.

While her wedding dress was the first thing she picked out after Nickelback frontman Kroeger popped the question last August with a 14-carat diamond engagement ring, Lavigne said she was most excited about the nuptials' "out of control" venue.
"The best part about the wedding is the location," she gushed. "I want to make sure I really enjoy this amazing time and I want all the guests who come to have this once in a lifetime experience. I want everyone to say 'Wow!' and for it to be special for everyone, not just us."

The musical duo got close while collaborating on Lavigne's upcoming fifth studio album, "All Over the Place," recording two songs together — one of which, "Let Me Go," will appear on the new release, out in September. The song is about "going into a new relationship or moving on," Lavigne explains. She also told Us Weekly that the other duet was going to serve as their wedding song on the big day, but that she still had plans to release it separately.
For his part, Kroger, who has never been married before, said he was happy to let his bride take the planning reigns. "I sit back and I take a lot of the things that are presented to me, and I look at them on paper, and when I'm asked my opinion, I offer it very gently," he told E! News in May. "That's the smartest thing I can possibly do because that big day is not about me. That big day is about her."
This is Lavigne's second marriage. She and Sum 41 rocker Deryck Whibley split in 2010 after tying the knot in 2006.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Paula Deen’s Scandal Scorecard

There's no such thing as bad publicity. Or is there?
As the fallout from Paula Deen's admitted use of a racial slur continues, it would seem as if it's nearly impossible for the 66-year-old chef to make a comeback in the eyes of the public despite her tearful pleas for forgiveness. After all, endorsement deals are dropping daily, many fans have fled, and it would appear as if her empire is crumbling … but looks can be deceiving.
In reality, there are a few ways that Deen is actually managing to make more money off of this scandal.
Let's break down her wins and losses as they stand today:
Win: Sales of Deen's not-yet-published book, "Paula Deen's New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up" skyrocketed to No. 1 on Amazon this week.
Loss: The book won't ever see the light of day. On Friday, Ballantine Books announced it had canceled its multi-book deal with Dean, and won't be publishing "New Testament," which was due out in October.
Win: Fans have started a Facebook campaign called "We Support Paula Deen," which already has 482,000 likes and counting. We can all agree it was totally started by Paula, right?
Loss: Target announced on Thursday they will be parting ways with Deen. "We have made a decision to phase out the Paula Deen merchandise in our stores as well as on Target.com," a spokesperson for the company said in a statement. "Once the merchandise is sold out, we will not be replenishing inventory."
Win/Loss: After revealing she had type 2 diabetes, Deen signed on as a spokesperson for the drug Victoza in early 2012. However, the drug company Norvo Nordisk has suspended their partnership. "Novo Nordisk and Paula Deen have mutually agreed to suspend our patient education activities for now, while she takes time to focus her attention where it is needed," the pharmaceutical company said in a statement. If Norvo Nordisk decides to stand behind Deen, this would obviously be a win. If not? Well, you know where we're going with this.
Win: People aren't entirely abandoning ship when it comes to Deen. The celeb chef's annual Paula Deen Cruise aboard the Mariner of the Seas has added an extra departure in 2014 due to high demand.
Loss: Walmart has cut ties with Deen, too. "We will not place new orders beyond those already committed," said Dave Tovar, a Walmart spokesman. "We will work with suppliers to address existing inventories and agreements." Deen's products, including food items, cookware, health and wellness products, have been available at all 4,000 of Walmart's U.S. stores.
Win: Paula has some famous names coming to her defense, including Howard Stern. "I mean...are we really gonna say that if someone takes the stand and admits to using the n-word … and is being honest … I'm just wondering … Why is she losing her job?" the shock jock asked on his radio show. But perhaps the most unlikely and influential person Deen has in her corner is Reverend Al Sharpton. "A lot of us have, in the past, said things we have regretted saying years ago," he noted. "I think she has a lawsuit now about activities now whether it was discriminatory. And whether or not she's engaged in things now. It's not about her past ... She deserves what's fair, but that's based on what she's engaged in now."
Loss: Home Depot announced this week that it would stop carrying Paula Deen branded items.
Win: Deen's restaurant business seems to be booming. Over the weekend, her restaurant The Lady and Sons in Savanna, Georgia had people lining up out the door.
Win: People want to hear Paula Deen out. Matt Lauer’s exclusive interview with Paula Deen on Wednesday on the "Today" show beat GMA in both total viewers and the key demo A25-54, according to Nielsen preliminary numbers .
Loss: Perhaps the biggest blow to Deen is that she was dropped by the Food Network. Deen's cooking show is how Paula got famous in the first place. "Food Network will not renew Paula Deen's contract when it expires at the end of this month," the network said in a statement. Deen has been with the network for more than a decade.

Google working on Android-powered video game console

Is Google getting into the game?
According to a new Wall Street Journal report, it sure is.
The web giant is developing a video game console powered by its Android operating system, reports the WSJ, partly in response to -- who else? -- Apple.
"The people briefed on the matter said Google is reacting in part to expectations that rival Apple will launch a videogame console as part of its next Apple TV product release," says the Journal.
The report comes on the heels of the release of the Ouya, a $99 Android-driven console that received massive support during its initial Kickstarter run. Reviews for the Ouya haven’t been glowing, exactly, but there’s clearly interest in the potential of an Android machine. The WSJ notes that Google has been watching the Ouya closely. Other Android-powered game systems like Playjam’s upcoming GameStick and the NVIDIA Shield (which can also stream PC games) are due out later this year.
The Journal report, however, suggests that this new console will be created and marketed by Google itself. That would be a huge play for the company, though the field is already set to be plenty crowded this year thanks to the holiday arrival of new home consoles by Sony and Microsoft.
Of course, the chief concern of Google is Apple, who earlier this month made some waves by announcing that its upcoming iOS 7 will support traditional video game controllers.
In addition to the game console, the Journal reports that Google is working on a reworked version of its Nexus Q device as well as an Android-powered smartwatch. Citing "people familiar with the matter," the Journal reports that Google plans on shipping at least one of these three devices as soon as this fall.

Who makes the most in Obama's White House?

Twenty-two of President Barack Obama's top advisers make the top White House salary of $172,200 per year - but there is one official who earns 30 percent more.
It's not Chief of Staff Denis McDonough. Not Obama's senior adviser and close friend Valerie Jarrett. Not Cecilia Munoz, who is overseeing White House efforts on immigration reform, nor Lisa Monaco, who advises Obama on homeland security and counterterrorism.
The best-paid person of the 460 people who work at the White House is Seth Wheeler, a senior adviser at the National Economic Council, who is crafting Obama's strategy on housing finance.

One of the newest appointees, Wheeler earns $225,000, according to the annual White House report on its $37.9 million payroll released on Friday.Wheeler has been detailed to the role from the Federal Reserve where the pay scale is higher, a White House official explained.
It also means he earns more than his boss, Gene Sperling, the director of the National Economic Council, who earns the White House limit of $172,200.
At the Fed, Wheeler was chief of staff for the Office of Financial Stability Policy and Research.

He is an ex-Morgan Stanley banker who worked for former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson during the Bush Administration, and was a key architect with the Obama administration's mortgage modification program, helping craft the signature housing aid program known as the Home Affordable Modification Program.
"His pay reflects the anomaly of the Fed pay scale," said Phillip Swagel, who served in the Treasury Department under President George W. Bush.
"It is noteworthy that the NEC is pretty political so it's fascinating that they have a Fed employee in a political position," Swagel said.

Federal employees who work for banking regulators, including the Fed, have higher pay scales than employees of other federal departments, said Julia Gordon, director of housing finance and policy at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank.
"I'm sure if he went back to Morgan Stanley, he'd be making 10 times that," Gordon said.
Wheeler replaces Jim Parrott, who had been detailed to the White House from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and earned $144,385 last year. Parrott left the White House in January, and recently joined the Urban Institute.
Wheeler's salary approaches that of Vice President Joe Biden, who this year is poised to earn $230,700. Obama's salary is $400,000.

HOUSING SYSTEM 'IN SHAMBLES'

The housing advisor position has been held by four different people during the Obama administration, punctuated by lengthy vacancies between advisers, said Gordon, who hopes the White House now begins to takes a more active role on the issue.

"Our housing system is still in shambles," Gordon said.

"Just because people hear that prices are going back up doesn't mean we've fixed anything. A lot of the underlying problems are still there."

One of the key issues is reforms for mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were seized by the government in 2008 as the housing crisis threatened their solvency.

The companies own or guarantee half of all U.S. mortgages and have been propped up with $187.5 billion in taxpayer funds.

Democrats and Republicans want to reduce the government's role and put more of the risk of lending onto the private sector, but they disagree on how far to go.

The salary report can be found at - http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/disclosures/annual-records/2013.

Friday, June 28, 2013

How Eminem beat his drug addiction


"My name is Marshall. I'm an addict," says superstar rapper Eminem in a scene from the Matthew Cooke documentary How to Make Money Selling Drugs.
Eminem has been pretty open about the fact he was once addicted to prescription meds, including Vicodin and Xanax, addressing his drug problems on his 2009 album Relapse and 2010’s Recovery. But in How to Make Money Selling Drugs, he talks about how severe his addiction was and how he nearly died.

Like most addicts, Eminem started as a casual user, then as his problem deepened, he was in denial about how severely impaired he had become. "When I took my first Vicodin, it was like this feeling of, 'Ahh.' Like everything was not only mellow, but [I] didn't feel any pain," Eminem says in the film. "I don't know at what point exactly it started to be a problem. I just remember liking it more and more. People tried to tell me that I had a problem. I would say, 'Get that f****ing person outta here. I can't believe they said that s*** to me. I'm not out there shooting heroin. I'm not f***ing out there putting coke up my nose. I'm not smoking crack."
During the documentary, Eminem tells Cooke that he started mixing pills, including Xanax and Valium. His problem peaked when he mixed too many medications and overdosed; he was rushed to the hospital just in time for doctors to save his life. "Had I got to the hospital about two hours later, I would have died," he says. "My organs were shutting down. My liver, kidneys, everything. They were gonna have to put me on dialysis. They didn't think I was gonna make it. My bottom was gonna be death."

A month after Eminem came out of the hospital he relapsed, reports MTV News. The only thing that stopped him from downward-spiraling into oblivion was his determination to be a responsible father to his biological daughter Hailie Jade Scott, and two adopted daughters, Alaina ("Lainie") and Whitney. "I'm looking at my kids and [realizing], 'I need to be here for this,'" he says in the film.

Instead of checking into a high-profile rehab clinic, Eminem quit drugs on his own through a rigorous detox program that left him literally incapacitated. "Coming off everything, I was 24 hours a day for three weeks straight," he says. "And I mean, not sleeping, not even nodding off for a f***ing minute. I had to regain motor skills; I had to regain talking skills. It's been a learning process; I'm growing. I couldn't believe that anybody could be naturally happy without being on something. So I would say to anybody, 'It does get better.'"

In addition to the confessional interview with the rapper, the movie addresses the nation's war on drugs and the government's outrageous costly drug programs, the effectiveness of which are the subject of intense debate. Throughout the film, Cooke interviews dangerous drug dealers, as well as activist celebrities like Russell Simmons and Woody Harrelson, ex-cops, and the victims of allegedly wrongful drug-related arrests.
How to Make Money Selling Drugs opens June 28 in Los Angeles. Eminem is rumored to release a new album before the end of this year.

Armstrong talks doping

Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong, who cheated his way to seven Tour de France victories from 1999-2005, claims it would have been impossible to win the world's greatest race without doping.
Asked if riders won races drugs-free in the era when he competed, a bullish Armstrong told French daily Le Monde on Friday: "It depends on the races. The Tour de France? No. Impossible to win without doping.
"My name was taken out of the palmares (list of achievements) but the Tour was held between 1999 and 2005 wasn't it? There must be a winner then. Who is he? Nobody came forward to claim my jerseys."Five-times Tour champion Bernard Hinault was quick to react, the Frenchman telling local TV channel BFM: "He must not know what it was like to ride without doping."
Last year, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) published a report into Armstrong's doping program, calling it "the most sophisticated in the history of sport", leading to the American being banned for life and losing his Tour titles.
"I did not invent doping. Sorry, Travis," the 41-year-old Texan said, referring to USADA CEO Travis Tygart. "And it (doping) has not stopped with me. I just took part in the system.
"The USADA 'reasoned decision' perfectly managed to destroy a man's life but it has not benefited cycling at all."

Armstrong also hit out at the International Cycling Union (UCI), who have been heavily criticized for allegedly covering up for the American.
"(UCI president) Pat McQuaid can say and think what he wants. Things just cannot change as long as McQuaid stays in power," he said.
"The UCI refuses to establish a 'Truth and Reconciliation commission' because the testimony that everyone would want to hear would bring McQuaid, (his predecessor) Hein Verbruggen and the whole institution down," he added without elaborating.

The 2013 Tour de France starts on Saturday.

Paramount Sets ‘Terminator’ Relaunch For June 26, 2015

Paramount has confirmed the long in the works deal to cofinance and distribute the reboot of James Cameron’s Terminator franchise creation. Highbrow picture maker Megan Ellison spent over $20 million for the rights in 2011, and the project didn’t go very far. Things finally started percolating when Megan Ellison and her Annapurna Pictures joined forces with brother David Ellison, whose Skydance Productions has a deal with Paramount and makes popcorn movies. Avatar’s Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier have been working on the script for months. Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the title character and the hope is to get at least two movies done before North American copyright reverts back to Cameron, who might want a fortune or might want to retire the franchise. Here’s the announcement:

Skydance Productions, Annapurna Pictures and Paramount Pictures have jointly announced they will partner on a rebooted “TERMINATOR” movie, to be released by Paramount Pictures on June 26, 2015.
The first in a stand-alone trilogy, “TERMINATOR” will be produced by Megan Ellison of Annapurna and David Ellison of Skydance. Dana Goldberg and Paul Schwake of Skydance will serve as executive producers. Laeta Kalorgridis (“Avatar,” “Shutter Island”) and Patrick Lussier (“Drive Angry”) are attached to write the screenplay.
Launched in 1984 with star Arnold Schwarzenegger as the title character, “TERMINATOR” spanned 3 subsequent films, which have earned over $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
David Ellison most recently executive produced, along with his partners at Paramount, “World War Z,” “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” and “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”. A 5th installment of in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise is in active development, along with a 3rd film in the “G.I. Joe” franchise, among other films.
Megan Ellison most recently produced the Academy Award®-nominated “Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Master” and executive produced “Spring Breakers” via her Annapurna Pictures banner and has David O. Russell’s “American Hustle,” Spike Jonze’s “Her,” and Bennett Miller’s “Foxcatcher” set for release later this year.

James Woods, 66, Debuts New Girlfriend Kristen Bauguess, 20

Age may be just a number, but in James Woods' case, it's a much higher number than his girlfriend's. The actor, 66, is now dating Kristen Bauguess, 20 -- and it appears things are going well for the two. On Tuesday, June 25, Woods showed off his much-younger companion at the New York premiere of his movie White House Down.

Walking the red carpet at NYC's famed Ziegfeld Theatre, Woods affectionately wrapped his arm around Bauguess' waist. They wore color-coordinating outfits: a blue dress and black jacket for her, and a blue shirt and black suit for him.

The outing came just a few weeks after Bauguess' reported run-in with the law. According to Radar Online, the young brunette was arrested in Chatham County, Ga., in early June on suspicion of two felonies: possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance.

Woods -- who stars alongside Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, and Maggie Gyllenhaal in White House Down -- apparently has a penchant for younger women. He recently split from 26-year-old Ashley Madison after more than six years of dating.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

How Many Pair Of Shoes Emma Watson Has ?

She may play a pilfering party girl in the Sofia Coppola-directed flick "The Bling Ring," but Emma Watson insists that she's the polar opposite of her fame-hungry, fashion-loving character, Nicki.
While the 23-year-old told Teen Vogue that she likes red carpet fashions from Chanel and Dior, she was quick to point out in an interview with "Radio Times" that she's not your typical celebrity fashion fiend.
"I've got about eight pairs of shoes and that's it," she admitted on the radio show.
Yep that's right, little Hermione Granger, who could easily wave her Hollywood wand and have shoes magically appear, keeps it real with less than 10 pairs of footwear, one of which comes from a basic retailer. "[I've got] 4-inch, little brown Bebe shoes."

Those heels are fairly budget-friendly (they rarely top $150, as opposed to $750 Jimmy Choos), and a surprising choice considering the fact that the British beauty is worth an estimated $40 million.
Should her shocking shoe admission be a surprise? Not really. In her August interview with Teen Vogue, Watson explained that she made a conscious decision when she was 9 years old to keep her life as normal as possible, to the point that she never really identified herself as famous.

"I think, in a way, I was very protected during 'Harry Potter,' because I was working all the time," Watson dished. "I would get in the car, go to the studio, and go home," she said.
In fact, it wasn't until she crossed the pond to attend Brown University in 2009 that the flaxen-haired starlet got a taste of how famous she was.

She isn't your typical A-list star.
"It sounds stupid," she confessed, "or completely unbelievable, but that was when I really realized that I was famous. There are still days when I deal with it horribly and there are days when I deal with it really well."
Watson handles her massive stardom by keeping her friends close. "I feel a bit wobbly before hitting a red carpet. So it's always nice to bring friends, especially because I love to see their reactions. It's not normal to get out of a car and have, like, 80 people screaming at you, and so when they say, 'This is crazy,' it makes me feel slightly more sane."

And to maintain her sanity, she regularly ditches the fancy wardrobe and gobs of makeup in favor of a more low-key look, telling the magazine that she's a huge fan of wallet-savvy retailer, Topshop.
"I try not to wear makeup all the time. It is nice to give your skin a bit of breathing and space. Generally, I wear a lot of sunscreen," she explained.
There you have it; Emma must be the most down-to-earth celebrity in Hollywood history.

The new 2014 Mazda3 is here… but is it a game-changer?

The Mazda3 has always been somewhat of an enigma among compact cars. Unlike its peers that lean towards the efficient and practical side of the econobox equation, the Mazda3 has always been a spunky alternative that nicely balanced efficiency and performance. Consequently, it’s the most fun-to-drive vehicle in the C Segment and a serious value, relatively speaking. It surely isn’t boring like some of the other boxes.

For months now, unsubstantiated rumors about the redesigned Mazda3 have been swirling around the web, along with several fuzzy spy images and ambiguous artist renderings. In addition, there has been lots of speculation, particularly with how the zoom-zoom automaker was going to incorporate its new Kodo design language -- which is intended to “embody the tension of power and speed caught in motion” and made its first appearance on the automaker’s Shinari concept back in 2010 -- as well as how the company’s lineup of Skyactiv technologies would affect the vehicle’s fun-to-fling character.

All of that conjecture -- well, most of it -- was put to rest today, as Mazda unveiled its all-new 2014 Mazda3 in New York City this morning.

Lower and leaner than its predecessor, the new Mazda3 shares almost nothing with the previous generation. As expected, it’s based on the same platform that underpins the CX-5, and takes it styling cues from the new Mazda6, complete with muscular fenders, a distinctive greenhouse and a sloping roofline, which also gives the car a strong family resemblance to the new Mazda2. The longer wheelbase helps to give it a more commanding stance and shorter overhangs front and back.

While Mazda claims the infamous “smiley face” that has adorned the car’s front-end for years is a thing of the past, I disagree. Check out the photos: It has been softened somewhat, but it’s there. In fact, it looks bit buck-toothed like Tow Mater from Pixar’s animated feature Cars. After saying that, it doesn’t look bad or cartoonish. The aggressive headlamps and upright grille translate nicely and, thus, are quite appealing.

Inside, the Mazda3 has gone upscale – pure and simple. It’s still small, but there are plenty of nice appointments and soft-touch surfaces. One of the most notable features is the new human-machine interface (i.e., the in-dash LCD based Navi/Infotainment system) that motors out of the dash as it does in the Mazda6.

Under the hood, there are two options: an updated version of the current 2.0-liter Skyactiv four-banger that pushes out 155 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque, as well as the new Skyactiv 2.5-liter gasoline engine, the same one fitted to the CX-5 and 2014 Mazda6. As compared to the outgoing 2.5-liter, the torque output of the new engine at low- to mid-range speeds is increased by 10 to 15 percent, and its weight is reduced by 10 percent. The Skyactiv-G 2.5-liter produces a peak of 184 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and 185 lb-ft of torque at 3,250 rpm, both an improvement of more than 10 percent over the previous engine. Models with the 2.5 will also feature an active grille shutter mounted in front of the radiator, which automatically opens and closes to improve the cars aerodynamics. Both engines will be offered with a Skyactiv-MT six-speed manual and a Skyactiv-Drive six-speed automatic.



Finally, the 2014 Mazda3 introduces several all-new safety systems under the i-Activsense banner that help the driver recognize hazards, avoid collisions and minimize damage should an accident occur. They include high beam control (automatically switches headlamps between low and high beams when necessary), blind spot monitoring, and lane departure warning.

Sadly, that’s pretty much it for the specifics. Mazda’s Head of Product Planning Tim Barnes was very vague when it came to details, especially regarding trim levels, pricing and fuel economy figures, saying that all will be revealed “at a later date.”

Barnes did give us a few hints on pricing, saying it will be “somewhere in the heart of the segment.” Meaning that it will be more expensive than some its peers, thus hurting its value factor.

And as far as fuel economy goes, we are guessing that the nearly 200-pound lighter 2014 Mazda3 will return improved fuel economy and performance since there's not only less heft to cart around, but also because of the slippery coefficient of drag (0.255 for the sedan, 0.275 for the hatchback). Currently, the 2.0-liter Mazda3 returns up to 40 miles per gallon on the highway. It won’t be any lower.

Although the specs on paper may not bedazzle, the Achilles' heel of the Mazda3 has long been its lackluster sheetmetal that betrays the car's zippy dynamics. Hence, the much-needed aesthetic overhaul could be enough to steal marketshare away from the duller mainstream offerings like the the Honda Civic.

Computer from ‘WarGames’ going up for sale

Good news for anyone looking to buy a computer capable of starting World War III. One of the computers used in the 1983 film "WarGames" is going up for sale, IT World reports.

"WarGames," the classic hacker flick starring Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy, told the story of a high school student and computer genius (Broderick) who hacks into a military computer that controls the U.S. nuclear missile supply.
What could possibly go wrong? Turns out, a lot. Chaos and threats of nuclear war with the Soviet Union ensue.
The computers played pivotal roles in the thriller, and none was as important as the one Broderick's character used to hack into North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

Todd Fischer, who owns the computer, spoke via email to Yahoo News about the 8080 computer, keyboard, and noisy modem. With the exception of the dual disk drive (remember those?), all the props are still in working condition.
Fischer said he takes great pride in having contributed to the scene in which Broderick's character "inserted a floppy disk into an original 8" floppy drive to initiate the 'War Dialing' sequence that connects with W.O.P.R."

Fischer explained that while the computer is stock, "dummy boards and cables were provided to give the illusion of greater computing power and resources to boost the screen effect." Fischer said he never heard a single complaint that something wasn't correct. "I took great pains to ensure that all props offered from my end met the credibilities that the script called for," he said.
Fischer has yet to decide how he wants to sell off the famous props. Two years ago, he was set to auction off the computer at Christie's in London, according to IT World. However, Fischer called off the sale over "concerns about the safety of the props once they made it across the pond." At that time, the computer and accessories were valued at over $25,000.
This time, he says he plans to sell whenever "the right offer or proposition knocks on my humble door."

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Found! 3 Super-Earth Planets That Could Support Alien Life

The habitable zone of a nearby star is filled to the brim with planets that could support alien life, scientists announced today (June 25).
An international team of scientists found three potentially habitable planets around the star Gliese 667C, a star 22 light-years from Earth that is orbited by at least six planets, and possibly as many as seven, researchers said. The three planet contenders for alien life are in the star's "habitable zone" — the temperature region around the star where liquid water could exist. Gliese 667C is part of a three-star system, so the planets could see three suns in their daytime skies.

The three potentially rocky planets in Gliese 667C's habitable zone are known as super-Earths — exoplanets that are less massive than Neptune but more massive than Earth. Their orbits make them possible candidates for hosting life, officials from the European Southern Observatory said in a statement.

"We knew that the star had three planets from previous studies, so we wanted to see whether there were any more," co-leader of the study Mikko Tuomi of the University of Hertfordshire, U.K. said in a statement. "By adding some new observations and revisiting existing data we were able to confirm these three and confidently reveal several more. Finding three low-mass planets in the star's habitable zone is very exciting!"
This is the first time three low-mass planets have been spotted in the habitable zone of the same star system, and it's unlikely that astronomers will find any more around Gliese 667C. The star's habitable zone is packed full, making it impossible for another planet to orbit stably within the zone, the researchers said.

"The number of potentially habitable planets in our galaxy is much greater if we can expect to find several of them around each low-mass star — instead of looking at 10 stars to look for a single potentially habitable planet, we now know we can look at just one star and find several of them," team member Rory Barnes of the University of Washington said in a statement.
Gliese 667C is the faintest star in the three-star system. From the surface of the planets in orbit around Gliese 667C, the two brighter stars would be as bright as the full moon by night and shine visibly during the day, ESO scientists said.
Gliese 667C is cooler and dimmer than the sun, making it possible for planets that have very close-in orbits to remain habitable. This star's habitable zone lies within an orbit the size of Mercury's around the sun, ESO officials said.

Liam Neeson Enters Exclusive $20 Million Club With 'Taken 3'

Liam Neeson is being paid handsomely for his particular set of skills.
First of all, yes, there is going to be a third installment in the "Taken" franchise — which was most definitely inevitable, even though Neeson himself laughed off the possibility a few months ago with "That's just bad parenting" (which is true, but it also makes for good movie-making). Second of all — and this is definitely something of a surprise — Neeson himself will be joining the $20 million club for reprising his role as former CIA operative and dad, Bryan Mills.

The veteran actor (and former boxer) has opted for high octane action roles over the past several years, which has coined the playful term of "Neesploitation" — and made him one of the most bankable stars in the business. Oscar-nominated for his dramatic role in Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List," Neeson went on to score a handful of sword-wielding (or lightsaber-wielding) swashbuckling roles in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (1999), "Batman Begins" (2005) and "Kingdom of Heaven" (2005) before embracing more B-movie material like "Taken" (2009), "The A-Team" (2010), and "Unknown" (2011). Even director Joe Carnahan's moody, Malick-esque survival tale "The Grey" (2012) was marketed as a movie in which Liam Neeson took on a bunch of vicious wolves in bad weather.

Now, with "Taken 3," Neeson is apparently a full-blown A-list movie star — and he's got the zeroes on his paycheck to prove it. The $20 Million Club in Hollywood has had a few distinguished members over the years, though it's certainly a club from which it's pretty easy to lose one's membership, depending on how long audiences actually, you know, go to see your movies. Members of the club have included Neeson's ex-lover Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie, Reese Witherspoon, Tom Hanks, Jim Carrey, and Mel Gibson. Stars like Kristen Stewart, Brad Pitt, Robert Downey Jr., and Johnny Depp can currently demand even more than that.
However, the $20 million club isn't what it used to be. Several stars have taken considerable pay cuts in order for certain films to actually get made. Profitable films with no-name casts like "Paranormal Activity" have also given studios more leverage in negotiating lower paychecks — after all, if they can make money with a movie starring a bunch of unknowns, what do they need movie stars for?

Fans should be pleased with Liam Neeson receiving a $20 million paycheck under any circumstances. Ever since the untimely 2009 death of his wife Natasha Richardson, Neeson has been a bit of a workaholic — and the more physical the roles, the better. He has a charm and humbleness that makes him one of Hollywood's most likable stars, and there's something truly cathartic about watching him punch out every single person in France as he frantically searches for his daughter — Neeson provides "audience participation" cinema like no one else as you can't help but root for him as he goes about his seemingly insurmountable tasks and comes out the other side with only a few cuts and bruises.
"Taken" has become a sure-thing action franchise. The original 2009 film, which cost only $5 million more than what Neeson is getting paid for the third film, grossed $376 million worldwide. Last year's "Taken 2" cost $45 million and scored $226 million.
"Taken 3" will commence production in March 2014 from a script by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. No director or supporting cast has been announced, though Deadline speculates that "Taken 2" director Olivier Megaton will be back for more, as will Neeson's co-stars Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen.

Miley Cyrus Threatens Dad on Twitter

The feud between Miley Cyrus and her dad, Billy Ray, has gone public.
On Monday night, Miley sent out a tweet to her dad that delivered an ominous-sounding message.

Miley's deleted tweet.
Attached to the tweet was a photo of Miley with an attractive woman who has been identified as stage actress Dylis Croman. Dylis and Billy Ray starred together in a revival of Chicago that ran on Broadway last winter. Other outlets, like Hollywood Life, Huffington Post, and Life & Style, have speculated that Miley tweeted the photo because Dylis and Billy Ray had an affair, but that's only speculation. Nothing has been confirmed by any of the involved parties' camps, which we attempted to contact and did not receive a reply from at posting time.
The photo that Miley tweeted was shot backstage during Chicago's Broadway run, and was actually first tweeted back on November 19 by "Miley Cyrus News."
We're not sure if Billy Ray replied privately or if Miley realized that public humiliation might not be the best route to travel, but less than five minutes later the tweet was deleted and Miley fired off another post.

While Miley may try to blame the threatening tweet on a technical glitch, those who have been following her social media antics know this isn't the first time that she's publicly gone after her father. Nearly two weeks ago, after her mom Tish's plans to divorce Billy Ray were made public, she tweeted, "Since your texts and email obviously aren't working would you like to talk like this?" Once again, Billy Ray didn't reply publicly.
Billy Ray and Tish had planned to divorce once before. Three years ago, he start the proceedings claiming that Miley's fame had made life too difficult for the family, but a year later, he called it off, saying, "Things are the best they've ever been." Now apparently — at least according to Miley's Twitter account — things have changed.

Carlyle CEO buys 1776 printing of Declaration of Independence

The chief executive of U.S. private equity giant Carlyle Group bought a copy of the first newspaper printing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence for a record $632,500 on Monday, adding to his collection of historic documents for public view.
David Rubenstein, co-founder and co-CEO of the Washington-based asset manager, bought the printing of The Pennsylvania Evening Post from July 6, 1776, two days after American colonists declared their independence from the British crown.
It was the highest price ever paid at auction for a historic newspaper, said Seth Kaller, an expert and dealer in historic documents who represented the seller in the auction at the Robert A. Siegel Galleries in New York.

Rubenstein has acquired several historic documents that are on loan to U.S. institutions, including a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation declaring freedom for slaves that is signed by Abraham Lincoln and on loan to the Oval Office of the White House, Carlyle spokesman Christopher Ullman said.
"He purchases these and then is putting them on permanent loan at important institutions so that more people can see them," Ullman said. "When he dies, he'll make them permanent."

Among those are a 1297 copy of the Magna Carta on loan to the National Archives, where the signed manuscripts of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights are displayed, and the first map of the United States after declaring independence, on display at the Library of Congress, Ullman said.

Rubenstein has not yet decided where to display The Pennsylvania Evening Post, one of 19 copies known to exist.
The one Rubenstein bought was in very fine condition, Kaller said.
"It looks like it did in 1776," Kaller said. "No fading and very little toning to the paper."

Bizarre 500-Million-Year-Old Creature Unearthed

A new fossilized, cigar-shaped creature that lived about 520 million years ago has been unearthed in Morocco.
The newfound species, Helicocystis moroccoensis, has "characteristics that place it as the most primitive echinoderm that has fivefold symmetry," said study co-author Andrew Smith, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum in London, referring to the group of animals that includes starfish and sea urchins. Modern echinoderms typically have five-point symmetry, such as the five arms of the starfish or the sand dollar's distinctive pattern.
The primitive sea creature, described today (June 25) in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, could even change its body shape from slender to stumpy. Researchers say it is a transitional animal that could help explain how early echinoderms evolved their unique body plans, Smith said.

Cambrian explosion

In 2012, Smith and his colleagues were excavating in sediments dating to about 520 million years ago in the Anti-Atlas Mountains in Morocco, when they uncovered several specimens of the strange fossil.
The creature lived on the ancient supercontinent called Gondwana during the Cambrian Explosion, a period when all creatures inhabited the seas and life on the planet diversified dramatically.
One of the oldest known echinoderms, Helicoplacus — first unearthed in the White Mountains in California — had a spiral but asymmetrical body plan. And all modern echinoderms start off as larvae with bilateral symmetry, raising the question of how and when the creatures' distinctive five-point body plan originated.

New creatures

H. moroccoensis, named after the country where it was found, had a cylindrical body that extended up to 1.6 inches (4 centimeters) long. The echinoderm's mouth was on the top of its body, and it sported a cup made of checkered plates with a small stem at its base. It had a latticelike skeleton made of calcite.
"It's a cigar-shaped beast, and it was able to expand and contract that cigar shape," Smith told LiveScience. "Sometimes it could be short and fat, and sometimes it could be long and thin."
The tiny sea creatures changed shape using a spiraling arrangement of five ambulacra, or grooves coming from the mouth that opened and closed to capture bits of food floating in the water.
The newly discovered species is the oldest known echinoderm with five ambulacra, and could shed light on how echinoderms evolved their unique body plans, Smith said.
H. moroccoensis was also found in sediments containing several other bizarre echinoderms, many of which had wacky body plans, ranging from completely asymmetrical to bilaterally symmetrical. That wide variety suggests the creatures were going through a period of dramatic diversification around that time period, Smith said.
"The important thing about the whole fauna is that there is already, by this time, a remarkable diversity in body form," Smith said. "And yet this is only 10 million to 15 million years after the calcite skeleton evolved."

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Katy Parry's sneaky reunion with ex !

Third time's the charm?
Katy Perry and John Mayer attended The Friars Foundation gala honoring Don Rickles at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on Monday night, and the couple were photographed leaving the venue together holding hands.
While Mayer, 35, walked the red carpet, Perry, 28, snuck into the event, making a low-key entrance to meet her on-again beau.
“Katy arrived after the event had already started, but before dinner was served,” a source inside the party tells ABC News. “A waiter brought a chair to John’s table for her just before her arrival.”
Apparently the duo was quite “affectionate” and “very lovey-dovey."
“They were smooching and rubbing one another’s backs,” continues the insider. “And Katy had her arm around John at one point.”

Perry - who stunned in a silk Sally LaPointe gown - looked on adoringly as her beau performed the song "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)."
Mayer and Perry also had date night together this past Saturday, but purposefully avoided being photographed together. The "Paper Dolls" singer and Perry hit up both the Greenwich Hotel and Bowery Hotel in NYC, but entered and exited separately. Still, witnesses say it was obvious the two were dating again.
As omg! reported earlier this month, Perry and Mayer have been spending a lot of time together since reconciling at her Memorial Day party. Sources told us they were "keeping things light and having fun" together and are just "seeing where things go."

Although Perry and Mayer were broken up when the cover girl talked with Vogue for its July issue (long lead interviews like that are done months in advance), the "Fireworks" singer admitted back when the interview took place that she was still "madly in love" with John.
"All I can say about that relationship is that he’s got a beautiful mind," Perry said. "Beautiful mind, tortured soul. I do have to figure out why I am attracted to these broken birds.”
Perry and Mayer split for the second time in March after six months of dating. They first started seeing each other in the summer of 2012 before breaking up briefly for the first time in August.

The Rock Works Out Like a Demi-God for 'Hercules' Role

Diplomatic Security Services agent who isn't beyond picking up a suspect and slamming him into the ceiling if it'll get some answers. Johnson's workout regimen for that film might have very well involved picking up grown men and throwing them across the room, as he barely seemed to be straining at all ... nor did it seem like he was receiving too much of a special effects assist.

(Photo : The Rock's training chests)

Now, Dwayne Johnson looks to be taking his astonishing physique even further as he takes on another crazy diet and workout regimen for his upcoming role as ... well, the son of a god. Johnson will be playing the title role in "Hercules: The Thracian Wars," a fantastical action-adventure directed by Brett Ratner ("X-Men: The Last Stand") based on the Greek myth of the mighty muscle man born of the immortal Zeus and the mortal Alcmene.
A series of photos that Johnson himself provided via Twitter show him hard at work to become Hercules. One pic shows him grimacing (we're sure it's just for show) as he pulls down weighted cables to work his upper arm muscles. The medium shot reveals that Johnson will be just as muscular than he was in "Pain & Gain" though perhaps not as, well, wide — his stomach and chest appear to be more toned than they were in Bay's film, giving him more of an athlete's physique than a hardcore bodybuilder's. It's just as well, too —Hercules will no doubt be involved in a lot more actual fight scenes than the hapless Paul Doyle.
The man's arms are still ridiculous, though. Another pic features a close-up of Johnson's deltoid, complete with fake scars as he's transformed into Hercules in the makeup room. It's about the size of Texas. This pic is also interesting as it gives a glimpse of the long-haired wig that Johnson will be wearing in the film — after all, you've got to get those dramatic shots of hair blowing in the wind, as Brad Pitt recently showed us in "World War Z."

Another pic takes us back to the gym and shows off Johnson's leg, which appears like it could kick a football to the moon (interestingly enough, the legs are Johnson's personal favorite body part, according to AllStarWorkouts.com). Really, how do the other gym members feel whenever The Rock is around? Do they wonder why they even bother?
It's not all about hitting the exercise equipment, though. You've got to eat a lot to get that big, and by "a lot" we mean at least seven meals a day. That's right — the rest of us barely eat three, and Dwayne Johnson eats seven. He even took a pic of the inside of his refrigerator, which reveals a series of seven pre-packaged meals on each shelf.
Believe it or not, Johnson would probably be eating seven meals a day even if he weren't preparing to play Hercules. According to AllStarWorkouts.com, eating seven times is just another part of his everyday workout: "The Rock eats seven times a day. His crazy diet is about getting enough protein to aid lean muscle growth. The key to the Rock Diet is that he consumes a lot of protein, fibrous carbs, and starchy vegetables. Nutrition is everything. The reason The Rock eats this way, is because it helps him lose weight and gain muscle." Diet AND exercise, people.

And here's an idea of what might be in six of those seven containers in the fridge:
Meal 1: 10 scrambled egg whites, 3 servings cream of rice or 1 cup oatmeal, 3 rice cakes, 24oz water
Meal 2: 6oz skinless grilled chicken breast, 1 cup grits, 6oz yams, 1 cup of steamed asparagus, 24oz water
Meal 3: 6oz tuna, 1 cup brown rice, 1 sliced cucumber, 24oz water
Meal 4: 6oz perch fillet, 1 cup barley, 6oz baked potato, 1 cup steamed green beans, 24oz water
Meal 5: 6oz pork tenderloin, 1 cup brown rice, 6oz sweet potato, 1 cup peas, 24oz water
Meal 6: 10 scrambled egg whites, 3 servings cream of rice or 1 cup oatmeal, 24oz water
And the seventh? Apparently that's between The Rock and his stomach.

You might also be wondering about that bottle of fish oil. According to Wiki Answers, fish oil contains Omega 3, an essential fatty acid that your normal American diet is almost devoid of. It supports heart health, joint health and brain health, including promoting memory retention, cognitive skills and supporting good moods! In addition fish oil helps to promote immune health and supports healthy eyes, skin and hair.
All essential elements in becoming the son of Zeus.
"Hercules: The Thracian Wars" will commence with walking amongst us puny mortals in theaters on July 25, 2014.

Rihanna's Veiled Beanie: Regal or Ratchet?

Rihanna loves a good beanie when she's off-duty—but the superstar can't wear just any head topper. While out and about in Ireland on Monday, the style-savvy singer kept her noggin warm with a baby-pink beanie wrapped with a tulle bow for a veiled effect.
Now, it's already surprising that the singer whose penchant for skin-baring, borderline fetish wear would even wear a color that's just so … vanilla. But the royal wedding-esque spin on the omnipresent street style accessory gives it an oomph that has people double-taking.

Rihanna must've received quite the care package from the beanie's designer, London-based styling studio Silver Spoon Attire, as she had already worn two other Silver Spoon beanies duing casual outings in the UK recently. Priced at £80, which is about $123, the beanie is beyond the reach of most of us. Which is kind of the point.
RiRi isn't the first high-profile celebrity to wear a veiled beanie this month. Miley Cyrus beat her by a few days when she rocked a black veiled beanie in her freshly released "We Can't Stop" music video last week.

But then again, the designer who actually started the veiled-beanie craze has everyone beat by over two years—which is like two decades in fashion time. High-end designer Jil Sander sent models down the runway with veiled beanies for her Spring/Summer 2012 collection, which was exhibited in fall 2011 (collections are shown a season ahead for buyers). The fashion world went way cray over the look for a hot second, but it eventually faded into the abyss like all trends.
P.S. Courtney Love said that people hardly wore beanies in the '90s—and she would know!
So what do you think about Rihanna's spin on the '90s street style? Is it out of date or getting a relevant revival? Does she need to ditch the veil, or is it just right?

When Kobe Will Retire ?

Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant saw his 2012-13 campaign end under the difficult and depressing circumstances of tearing his Achilles tendon on the final weekend of the regular season. While that injury is a serious setback for any player, it perhaps meant more to the 34-year-old Bryant, who said in October that he might retire when his current contract expires after the 2013-14 season. We simply don't know how much energy he has left, or how willing he is to fight through a lengthy rehabilitation process and return at the top of the game.
However, it appears that this injury might have rekindled Kobe's desire to stay in the NBA for several seasons. In an interview for Brazilian television, he said he can see himself playing three or four more years.

"I could easily see myself playing another three or four years," he said on Brazilian television in a segment produced by Glenda Carqueijo.
The All-Star guard is currently recovering from a torn Achilles' tendon, suffered April 12. He's expected to return to the court by November or December.
Bryant is headed into the final year of his contract and will be 35 before next season. He's confident he'll fully recover from what was a devastating injury.

It should be noted that Kobe doesn't commit to that timetable, just that he sees at as a potential outcome. Nevertheless, it does make sense given what we know of his personality. Throughout his career, Bryant has been committed to staying relevant no matter the cost — he plays through injuries, amends his training in drastic ways, changes his diet, etc. After this injury, it will likely take him more time to return to his pre-tear level, simply because rehabilitation is a long process for even the most committed player. Kobe is as prideful as any NBA star we've seen in the last few decades, and he won't want to leave the league as an injured has-been.

On a more basic level, though, this might have been Kobe's reaction to the Lakers' season even without the Achilles tear. When he made his statements in October about playing through 2013-14, the Lakers looked likely to compete for championships in both this and next season — in other words, Kobe would retire while remaining a relevant figure. After a disappointing Lakers season, Bryant and his teammates have work to do to return to that level — the sort of task that might take as long as three or four seasons. Simply put, Bryant could just want to leave at a time when he feels like everyone will remember him as someone who competed for titles through his entire career. The Lakers might need three or four seasons to get there.

'Mad Men' Season Finale: Don's a Free Man

Well, "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner promised nobody would die in tonight's Season 6 finale… but he didn't promise that everyone's career would survive.
Consummate ad man Don Draper got his hat handed to him by the other partners at SC&P, who informed him he's taking an involuntary leave of absence from the firm — effective immediately. Citing "questionable behavior" (and following a crash-and-burn pitch with Hershey's), Jim Cutler and the others impassively told Don he'll be taking several months off, with no return date. Joan wore black; Roger could only shrug.

And they weren't the only ones to cut Don loose tonight: Megan also walked out on her husband after a plan to move to California, and give their marriage a second chance, fell through. (Never mind that it fell through because Don actually did something decent and selfless for once.) So now Don has no place to work, and no one to come home to.

But strangely enough, we think this will be good for Don: He's free of a job that doesn't excite him much anymore, he's free of a wife he didn't really love, and he's free of the lies he's been carrying around nearly all his life — which came spilling out when he ripped off the Don Draper mask and (awkwardly, painfully) revealed his Dick Whitman backstory to the executives at Hershey's.
Trudy told Pete that he's "free of everything," but she could've been talking about Don, too. He was freed from a literal prison tonight; maybe he's finally been freed of an emotional one as well. He's beaten up, he's on the mat… but he is free.

It'll be interesting to see how an untethered Don comes back for "Mad Men's" seventh and final season. Maybe he'll come back as Dick Whitman, and start living authentically for the first time in a long time. Or maybe he'll fall into someone else's bed and start the vicious cycle of indulgence and regret all over again. We're rooting for the former, if only to see Don find a shred of happiness and contentment before the show signs off for good. (Speaking of which, can we please get Jon Hamm an Emmy for playing Don Draper before it's too late?)

Monday, June 24, 2013

Rick Ross Set To Give Mastermind A Soulful Vibe

Like any true boss, Rick Ross is cunning and calculated, so when he announced his upcoming sixth studio album Mastermind with a cinematic trailer at the top of the year, every detail was deliberate.

The two-minute, 45-second clip is set to the soulful melody of Curtis Mayfield's 1972 classic "Give Me Your Love (Love Song)," giving fans a hint of the new album's sonic direction.

Rick Ross' 'Mastermind' Will Have A Soulful Vibe
"That's most definitely the feel and that's why I made sure I wanted to open at the top of the new year," Rozay told MTV News on June 3, when he and his MMG team sat with us to discuss the release of their upcoming Self Made, Vol. 3 compilation. "I wanted to make that clear for the ones that paid attention that that's most definitely my vibe."

It's a sound that Ross began tinkering with on "Pots and Pans," a deep album cut from his first album, but one that he really began to become known for on his 2009 Deeper Than Rap LP with songs like "Magnificent" and "Valley of Death." With last year's God Forgives, I Don't, Rozay seemed to perfect his sound on "Amsterdam," with producer Cardiak delivering a rich and soulful 1970s-inspired beat to rhyme over.

Ross says we can expect that sound to make up at least some of his album, but he never knows where his creative bounds may lie. "I love making those kind of records, those 'Cigar Music' records, those 'Amsterdam' records, and that was most definitely the energy, but I record so much material — we gotta wait and see," he said.

'Monsters U' Scares Up $82M to Hold Off Brad Pitt's 'World War Z' at the Box Office

The "Monsters U" opening is the 14th consecutive No. 1 debut for Pixar, and is the storied animation unit's second-largest debut weekend ever, behind only the $110 million rung up by "Toy Story 3" in 2010.
Paramount's "World War Z" took in a surprising $66 million in its first three days – about $15 million over analysts' projections – to finish a strong second and cap a remarkable turnaround.

The $190 million-budgeted action thriller was plagued with cost-overruns and expensive re-shoots, including an 11th-hour decision to cook up a new ending. Just two months ago, it was tracking to open at $35 million, but the studio mounted a massive marketing campaign behind it, and days before its debut, analysts had revised their projections up to $50 million.
Last week's No. 1 movie, "Man of Steel," was third with $41.2 million. The top three films dominated the action, taking in a combined $209 million. Thats roughly 82 percent of the overall box office, which was up 43 percent from last year, when another Disney-Pixar production, "Brave," led the way with $66 million.

Sony's raunchy comedy, "This is the End," was fourth with $13 million and Summit Entertainment's magic-themed heist thriller "Now You See Me" was fifth with nearly $8 million.
The "Monsters U" audience predictably skewed young, with 60 percent under 25 years of age, and was 56 percent women.  It received an "A" CinemaScore from first-night audiences at its 4,004 theaters (2,907 of which were 3D), and that strong word of mouth contributed to the big turnout on Saturday and Sunday.

Billy Crystal and John Goodman return as Mike and Sully in this prequel to Disney's 2001 "Monsters Inc.," which opened to $62 million and went on to bring in $290 million domestically. Dan Scanlon is the director and wrote the screenplay with Daniel Gerson and Robert L. Baird.
"World War Z" is the biggest box-office opening ever for Pitt, topping the $50.3 million debut of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" in 2005. He stars as a United Nations worker battling a global zombie pandemic in this adaptation of Max Brooks' bestseller, directed by Marc Forster. It received a "B+" CinemaScore from audiences in 3,607 theaters.
"World War Z" bounced back spectacularly from where it was in April. That's when screenwriter Damon Lindelof revealed in a Vanity Fair interview that he'd been called in to write a new ending after the original was scrapped. The thriller also suffered rampant production snafus and budget overruns at its far-flung foreign locations.

That set off a storm of bad buzz, most of which was countered by good reviews (80 percent positive on Rotten Tomatoes), a barrage of TV ads and a series of highly publicized personal appearances by Pitt. Now, in the wake of the film's success, Paramount said Sunday that a sequel is likely.
The studios head of distribution Don Harris said that the actor's efforts went a long way toward erasing any early negativity consumers might have had surrounding the film.
"He went everywhere on behalf of this movie and he worked hard," Harris said. "He was proud of what he did to make this movie the best that it could be, and I think he wanted people to know that."
Pitt's presences no doubt helped the film play broadly, with the crowd at 51 percent women -- high for an action movie, especially with zombies -- and 33 percent under the age of 25.
Pitt's Plan B produced the film, which was co-financed by Skydance Productions, in association with Hemisphere Media Capital and GK Films.
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures' "Man of Steel" raised its domestic total to $210 million. It had a strong Saturday and wound up down 65 percent from its $116 million debut last weekend.
Seth Rogen's R-rated comedy "This Is The End" held well for Sony in its second week, dropping just 37 percent from its opening weekend. It has now taken in nearly $58 million, impressive given its $32 million production budget.
"Now You See Me" is on its way to $100 million. It fell off just 29 percent from last week and its domestic total is now $94.2 million.

25 year-old’s Company Makes Millions On Cracked iPhones

Millions of clumsy cellphone users have been in the situation shown in this video: One minute your iPhone’s in your hand, the next it has hit the floor and cracked! That’s where 25-year-old A.J. Forsythe comes in with a simple idea: iPhone doctors who make house calls.
Forsythe co-founded iCracked, a start-up that with a team of repair people who specialize in cracked screens.
“We’re an on-demand group of individuals that no matter where you are, you can press a button and we’ll dispatch a group of iTechs to you in real-time,” he said.

The company has raised $700,000 from Y-Combinator, SV Angel and other investors. It is moving into another round of financing and hopes to raise $5,000,000.
A spokesperson for iCracked said revenue for 2012 was $2MM and this year the company says it expects to ‘crack’ $10MM. The company’s co-founders, recently made Inc. Magazine’s 30 Under 30 list.

At the core of the iCracked business is a network of iTechs who promise to fix your phone in a flash. Currently their network has 340 iTechs spread over 11 countries. Forsythe said thousands apply, but only 2 percent are accepted. The firm adds 50-70 new iTechs every month.
“We are extremely diligent in who we bring on and who represents us as a company…we background check every single one of them,” Forsythe said. “We have a five-step interview process. We have a sales team that will vet them at different stages of the process."
While the company’s iTechs are popping up in lots of new cities (customers can find iTechs on the site by entering their zip code) they’re still not everywhere. For cell phone users in places like Kalamazoo, Michigan, where iTechs currently don’t make house calls, the company offers the option of sending the broken phone to iCracked, where an iTech will fix it and ship it back the same day. For people who like to take matters into their own hands, iCracked offers a Do-It-Yourself repair kit. The company also has a buyback program, which offers cash for old iPhones, iPads, and iPods.

iCracked-Before and After

Forsythe said he believes the potential for the service is huge. One thing’s for sure, the potential market is enormous, the world has more than 1 billion smartphones in use, and researchers estimate the next billion smartphone users to be online by 2015.
Apple (AAPL) recently started an in-store repair service for cracked screens but Forsythe says he’s not concerned. "We're doing something completely different and changing how service is rendered,” he said. “We don't really look at our competitors as long-term competitors since they’re so big and slow they don't have time to react or scale at the speed we can."

Pricing for the service varies based on the damage and model of phone. iTechs can set their own prices, but typically, fixing a cracked screen on an iPhone 5 costs from $190 to $220.
Forsythe said repairing iPhones is just the beginning, "I think when we have such a large network we can really push any product or service through them,” he said. Over the next few months iCracked has plans to start repairing android models, as well as selling cell phone insurance.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Kanye West wins over critics with 'daring' new album 'Yeezus'

Rapper Kanye West pushes the boundaries of hip hop with his latest album "Yeezus," using aggressive electro-dance music beats to channel his anger and win over critics, who have called the record "daring" and "ambitious."
"Yeezus," the 36-year-old rapper's seventh solo studio album, has also sped to the top of the iTunes digital music chart upon its release on Tuesday, led by the single "Black Skinhead."

The album's release coincides with the birth of West and reality star girlfriend Kim Kardashian's first child together, a baby girl born over the weekend.
But on the album the famously ironic and self-referential West avoids mentioning Kardashian and their high-profile romance, which has been heavily tracked by paparazzi and the Kardashian clan's plethora of reality shows on the E! Network.
Instead, he lets his anger out against critics, the public and "haters" on tracks such as "I Am a God," "Send It Up" and "Black Skinhead," a scathing message on modern day racism.
While West rages against the world, critics have been taken aback with the new sounds that West explores, moving away from the traditional hip hop of his earlier albums and fusing electro-dance and synthesizers with thumping beats.

"Yeezus" has so far earned a score of 87 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic.com.
Jon Pareles at the New York Times called the album "an aggressive demand for attention" while Rolling Stone's Jon Dolan said, "'Yeezus' is the darkest, most extreme music Kanye has ever cooked up, an abrasive album."
USA Today's Steve Jones called the album "daring and infectious," while the New Yorker's Sasha Frere-Jones labeled it "ambitious" and West's "most satisfyingly narcissistic record."

"Yeezus" features collaborations with French DJ duo Daft Punk - who provide beats on four songs, including "I Am God" and "Black Skinhead" - folk singer Justin Vernon from Bon Iver on "Hold My Liquor," and rappers Chief Keef, Kid Cudi and King L.
Billboard magazine, which compiles the weekly U.S. music charts based on Nielsen SoundScan sales figures, projected that "Yeezus" could sell 500,000 copies in its first week, making it one of 2013's big debuts along with Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience."
Timberlake has so far led the pack as "The 20/20 Experience," his first album since 2006, set a year high with 968,000 copies sold in its first week.
Rapper Jay-Z, who West collaborated with on 2011's chart-topping record "Watch The Throne," announced this week that his new album will be released on July 4, while his pop star wife Beyonce also has a new album in the works for this year.
New albums from pop singers Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Katy Perry are also expected to be released in the second half of 2013.
"Yeezus" is released by Universal Music Group's Def Jam label. Universal is subsidiary of France's Vivendi SA.

Jennifer Lopez's musical career honored with Walk of Fame star

In front of a screaming crowd of fans, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez was honored for her musical accomplishments on Thursday when she received the 2,500th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Lopez, a New York City-native born to Puerto Rican parents, gave an emotional speech to the crowd gathered to see her receive the terrazzo and brass star along Hollywood Boulevard, saying she was overwhelmed.
"This all feels, I don't know, kind of surreal, but so real. It's awesome," Lopez said, fighting back tears as she received her star in front of the W Hotel in Hollywood.

Lopez, 43, who began her career acting in the 1986 film "My Little Girl" and gained recognition for her portrayal of late singer Selena in the 1997 biopic "Selena," has built a multi-faceted career as an actress, singer, fashion designer and reality television judge on Fox's talent show "American Idol."
Lopez has sold more than 70 million albums worldwide in a recording career that began in 1999 with the critically acclaimed debut album "On the Six." She is set to release her eighth studio album this fall.

Among those attending the ceremony on Thursday were Lopez' boyfriend, 26-year-old dancer Casper Smart; rapper Pitbull, who has collaborated with Lopez on numerous dance-pop hit songs including "On the Floor"; actress Jane Fonda; and former "American Idol" producer Nigel Lythgoe.
Fonda, who starred with Lopez in the film "Monster-In-Law," said that while Lopez's star was for music, "she should have an entire block of stars" for her ambitious career.

Billboard chart won't count Jay Z sales from Samsung album deal

Billboard's weekly music chart will not include the 1 million copies of rapper Jay Z's upcoming album that were sold to electronics maker Samsung as part of a promotion, the U.S. trade magazine said on Friday.

Jay Z, 43, announced last weekend that his album "Magna Carta Holy Grail" could be downloaded for free on July 4 - three days before its public release - to the first 1 million users of Samsung smartphones who had downloaded a special app.
Bulk album sales that are give away for free are not counted in total sales and not eligible to be included on the music charts even if an artist and a record label are paid for them, according to Billboard's rules.

The magazine's editorial director, Bill Werde, said Billboard rejected Jay Z's request that the Samsung promotional sales be counted toward the Billboard 200 chart because "in the context of this promotion, nothing is actually for sale."
"The ever-visionary Jay Z pulled the nifty coup of getting paid as if he had a platinum album before one fan bought a single copy," Werde said.

The magazine in 2011 also instituted a minimum price of $3.49 for an album to be considered for its chart in the first four weeks after release, which came in response to retailers and record labels who were selling albums for less than $1 to inflate sales.
Werde said Jay Z should earn his 13th No. 1 album anyway, as "Magna Carta Holy Grail" is forecast to sell between 400,000 and 450,000 units in its first week.

But Werde said Billboard will discuss tweaking its album-counting policy because of the prevalence of branding deals in the industry and the changing nature of how music is consumed.
"Just because the Billboard 200 has been based purely on sales of an album for the entirety of the life of the chart doesn't mean it must always remain so," Werde said.

The magazine's Hot 100 songs chart has been changed in recent years to include digital downloads and online streaming figures as consumers turn away from traditional terrestrial radio and buying physical copies of songs.
"Magna Carta Holy Grail" will be released by Universal Music Group's Roc-A-Fella Records.

Where Celebrities Live: Hollywood's Worst-Kept Secrets

When Jenna Gering and her husband advertised their 2,700-square-foot Hollywood Hills home for rent in 2008, they were surprised when actress Lindsay Lohan showed up at their front door ready to pay the asking price of nearly $10,000 a month.
"We were desperate to rent the house, which was expensive, so we thought, 'What's the worst that could happen?' " says Ms. Gering, an actress who currently lives in the house with her family.
About nine months later, the Gering house made national news when it was burglarized. The culprits, dubbed the "Bling Ring," turned out to be fame-obsessed youths from the San Fernando Valley who used the Internet to locate celebrity homes and steal more than $3 million worth of goods from them in 2008 and 2009. In addition to the residence, homes owned by Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson and others were hit.
The Bling Ring, immortalized in a film directed by Sofia Coppola and starring Emma Watson, left a lasting imprint on the world of Hollywood real estate. Here, security and privacy are primary concerns—agents with famous clients are often required to sign confidentiality agreements—yet the exact locations of celebrity homes are hardly a secret. Encouraging interlopers are celebrity-gossip websites, aggressive paparazzi and reality-television shows, not to mention satellite mapping.
"Celebrity privacy is simply no longer—that's why everyone in L.A. now has hedges and gates and perimeter beams," says Jeff Hyland, president of brokerage Hilton & Hyland, which caters to celebrities. The sheer number of people involved in high-profile real-estate transactions—often 30 to 100 people—also contributes to the difficulty of keeping celebrity addresses under wraps, says David Kramer, a broker for Hilton & Hyland who recently listed Jodie Foster's home.
Between staging companies, inspectors, rival real-estate agents and even neighbors, there's a lot of potential for loose lips, adds Mr. Kramer. "While there's no way to shield a celebrity client completely," Mr. Kramer says, he often deliberately misleads curious observers about the identities of buyers and sellers until a deal is closed. To maintain anonymity, celebrities are encouraged to purchase homes in the name of a trust and appoint a neutral trustee from a generic trust company, since a business manager or a friend can be traced back to the celebrity.

Bilson sold her Spanish-style Los Feliz, Calif., home last year for $2.106 million. (Michal Czerwonka/WSJ)
Because the erosion of privacy has created so many security issues for stars, brokers says that high-end gated communities, such as Mulholland Estates and Beverly Park, both located in the coveted 90210 ZIP Code, are increasingly popular with high-profile buyers. Both communities have full-time gatehouse security at their entrances.
And yet, even wrought-iron gates can't stop the most determined. Paris Hilton's 7,493-square-foot, Mediterranean-style mansion in Mulholland Estates was robbed repeatedly by the "Bling Ring" shortly after she bought it for $5.9 million in 2007. The teens climbed a hill to evade the gatehouse and found a key left under a mat by the front door to enter the home, according to journalist Nancy Jo Sales's book on the Bling Ring. The stolen items included "somewhere over $2.5 [million] to $3 million worth of jewelry," according to Ms. Hilton's grand-jury testimony.
Ms. Hilton, who still lives in the five-bedroom home with a nightclub room and a stripper pole, says she has added security since the burglaries. "I have new cameras and laser beams. I also now have security guards right outside my house, 24 hours a day," she says.
But Ms. Hilton says that even with those additional measures, she still feels vulnerable at home. "What happened with the Bling Ring would have never happened 10 years ago—kids would never have been able to find addresses of celebrities so quickly online. Nowadays, everyone knows where everyone is…you're not safe anywhere."
Although Ms. Hilton decided to remain in her home—and even allowed Ms. Coppola to film scenes for "The Bling Ring" there—some of the other celebrities targeted by the youths have moved away. In 2010, Brian Austin Green sold the four-bedroom Hollywood Hills house where he and Megan Fox lived to a businessman for $1.8 million, slightly more than the $1.65 million he paid for it in 2001 but well below the $2.395 million he listed it for in 2009. Rachel Bilson sold her white Spanish-style Los Feliz home last year for $2.106 million, a few hundred thousand dollars above the $1.88 million she paid for it in 2006, according to public records.
Ms. Lohan moved out of the Gering home immediately after the burglary. "Her security deposit was three months of rent, which was the remainder on her lease, so we basically shook hands and walked away," says Ms. Gering. She adds that Ms. Lohan left the house in excellent condition; the only areas of damage were the camera-lens-size holes in the tall hedges that screen the front of the home, left by persistent paparazzi. A spokeswoman said Ms. Lohan wasn't available to comment.
Earlier this year, Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr decided to rent out the ¾-acre compound in the Outpost Estates neighborhood of Hollywood Hills that the Bling Ring youths burglarized. The gated estate is currently on the market for $18,000 a month, says Venessa Blair, the couple's broker. Jennifer Mulberg, the broker who sold Mr. Bloom the house in 2007 for $2.75 million, points out one of the downsides to having a well-publicized address: "Even gates and security can't stop bus tours and paparazzi. When you stand outside that house, every 30 minutes you hear a bus come by with a guide shouting, 'This is Orlando Bloom's house,' over and over again."

Green and Fox sold their Hollywood Hills house in 2010 for $1.8 million. (Michal Czerwonka/WSJ)
Websites that track where celebrities are buying, selling and renting have proliferated in recent years, making it easier and faster to discover where a high-profile person lives. A search warrant related to the Bling Ring case revealed in November 2009 that one of its members used a website called celebrityaddressaerial.com, as well as TMZ.com and Google Maps, to learn where Hollywood celebrities live.
"I don't feel responsible for what happened with the Bling Ring at all because there are so many sites like mine out there," says David Ruppel, 41, a Toronto-based computer programmer who runs celebrityaddressaerial.com, which displays addresses and aerial views of celebrity homes. Mr. Ruppel says that his site, which he began in 2008, has a loyal base of subscribers, mostly Los Angeles-based paparazzi. But he says that other websites provide similar information. "The business of blogging about celebrity real estate has really exploded," he adds.
That explosion is also fueling bus tours around Los Angeles of celebrity homes. Philip Ferentinos, the director of Starline Tours, one of the largest tour operators, which serves 1.5 million customers annually, says the company has seen a 40% to 50% increase in the number of people taking its movie stars' home tour compared with five years ago. To cater to that increased demand, the company is now also running a Malibu celebrity house tour, which passes the residences of Leonardo DiCaprio and Adam Sandler, among others.
Publicizing where celebrities live has angered more than a few high-profile people, many of whom move after their address becomes public, brokers say. But they've had little success when it comes to suppressing the publication of addresses of their properties, since they're in public records.
In 2003, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge dismissed an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit Barbra Streisand filed against an environmental activist who had posted an aerial photograph of her Malibu mansion on a website alongside thousands of photographs of the California coastline. That precedent has prevented other celebrities from taking action, says privacy lawyer Neville Johnson. It also led to the "Streisand effect," says Mr. Johnson, a term now widely used to describe the phenomenon of how fighting to conceal information winds up making it go viral instead.
"Celebrities are very reluctant to do anything about these issues because they're afraid of bad publicity," says Mr. Johnson.