Thursday, February 28, 2008

On 60th Anniversary, Polaroid Discontinues All Instant Film

Wow. I'm kind of shocked that more people don't think that this is a pretty historic thing. Yeah, I know that digital photography has replaced Polaroids for a lot of things but there are still going to be places that need them.

A world without Polaroids is a pretty big deal.

That's one more product that technology has killed off completely: On the eve of the product's 60th anniversary, Polaroid is announcing that its namesake instant film is being discontinued. None of Polaroid's two dozen auto-developing products will be produced after 2008.

Depending on the type of film, Polaroid says you can expect to find it on store shelves until the first quarter of 2009, but most of its films will be gone well before then. And don't get too excited about 'stocking up' on Polaroid film, either: It will all expire before the end of 2009, after which it will begin to degrade considerably.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

You Know What's Stupid? Everything I Don't Understand

For far too long I've sat idly by, twiddling my thumbs and respecting the right of others to form thoughts and opinions independent of my own, and I can't take it anymore. I've got to speak up about the many things that annoy me or I'm going to go crazy. Take these new credit cards with the microchips in them, for instance. Man, those things really get my goat—trying to improve a device that was working perfectly fine as it was. Even worse are those wrappers on CDs that take forever to open. But you know what I hate the most? The one thing that makes my blood boil whenever I see it? Anything beyond my mental capacity, that's what.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Foo Fighters Sue Marvel Comics Over X-Men Cartoon

It seems like a bad idea to pick a fight with Spider-Man, Wolverine and the rest of the Marvel Universe, but that’s exactly what Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters are doing, as the band is suing the comic book giant for copyright infringement. The band alleges that Marvel used 'substantial excerpts' of their songs 'Best of You' and 'Free Me' as the music for the trailer of the new animated series Wolverine and the X-Men. You can watch the trailer here, and it’s pretty obvious that the Foos are used to soundtrack the cartoon’s preview. The series’ producers First Serve International, Toonz Animation India and First Serve Toonz were also named on the lawsuit, with the Foos’ seeking unspecified damages. We’re guessing the Foo Fighters just blew their chances of being on the soundtrack to The Punisher 2.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Here He Comes....

Which Superhero Are You?

Your results:
You are Green Lantern
























Green Lantern
85%
Spider-Man
85%
Catwoman
70%
Iron Man
70%
Hulk
60%
The Flash
55%
Superman
50%
Supergirl
40%
Batman
40%
Wonder Woman
35%
Robin
30%
Hot-headed. You have strong
will power and a good imagination.


Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Pere Ubu Guitarist Jim Jones, R.I.P.

A blow to Cleveland music.

Jim Jones, Cleveland music scene stalwart and guitarist (and sometime keyboardist) for legendary art rockers Pere Ubu for some 15 years, died Monday (February 18) at his home after suffering a heart attack, according to Pere Ubu's Ubu Projex website.

Jones joined Pere Ubu in 1987, after serving as a roadie. Due to his declining health, he retired from the live band in August 1995, although he continued to record with Pere Ubu for some time after, playing on 1998's Pennsylvania and 2002's St Arkansas. Jones is particularly noted for his contributions to the more pop-oriented sound Pere Ubu embraced during his tenure with the band.

A life-long musician, Jones also played with Mirrors, the Styrenes, the Electric Eels, Foreign Bodies, Easter Monkeys, and Home & Garden.

According to a report in Cleveland newspaper The Plain Dealer, Jones was 57 at the time of his death.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Interview With Torchwood's Burn Gorman at Newsarama

Until a couple of years ago, you’ve probably seen Burn Gorman, but didn’t know him.

Then again, in barely a decade he appeared on sterling British TV shows and films as East Enders, Coronation Street and the film Penelope starring Christina Ricci and Reese Witherspoon (finally getting a true theatrical release in the U.S. this February).

Then, two years ago, he took the role of the hot-headed Owen Harper on the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. There he co-stars with fan favorite Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and an equally talented ensemble cast protecting our planet from what’s to come in the 21st Century.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Paramount shuffle delays 'Trek'

Dramatically underscoring the need for movie-side execs to review slates following the long writers strike, Paramount on Wednesday bounced six films to new dates and moved two unslotted films to next year's calendar.

Other distributors were scrambling to complete similar reviews of their upcoming productions to determine what can or can't be delivered on scheduled dates. In some cases, films will move because of talent issues, but many film projects have been frozen in time when script rewrites weren't completed before the 100-day scribe walkout.

'Star Trek' arguably was the biggest film moved, with the intended Christmas Day release now set for the first prime date in the following summer boxoffice season: May 8, 2009. But 'Trek' appears something of an exception in the mix of itinerant pics, with its shift unrelated to script or cast considerations.

''Star Trek' is moving to summer because its has so much boxoffice potential,' Par spokesman Michael Vollman said. 'It does not need any script tweaks. They're two-thirds of the way through shooting, and we would have delivered a great movie at Christmas.'

Warren Ellis' Freakangels