Continuing his tour before he resumes his full TV career, Conan O’Brien traveled to Google’s headquarters. While he’s very funny in the video, some have wondered if he violated his exit contract with NBC.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=u7TwqpWiY5s%26amp
20th Century Fox seems to be going more the viral route with this Knight and Day video. Check out Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz practicing stunts.
Bulletstorm is the latest franchise from Epic Games and People Can Fly. Crazy action was promised when it was first announced and, well, you can judge for yourself in the debut trailer. This is definitely going to get the hype train started nicely for Epic.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is Disney’s big tent pole film for the Summer, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer has been talking it up like his last blockbuster, Pirates of the Caribbean. For what it’s worth, star Jake Gyllenhaal is open to another Prince of Persia, should this movie do well.
“Of course, if there’s an opportunity to do another one and people respond to it,” said Gyllenhaal. “I don’t think that’s really on our mind. I think our mind is to get this one out. But of course, it would be an honor. If an audience asks for a sequel, then that’s an honor.
There are high expectations for the movie, especially since it’s budget is in the range of $150 million to $200 million. Additionally, it faces the stigma that game properties have had with being made into movies. Of course, there are also the expectations of fans of the game series, and Gyllenhaal already acknowledges it’ll be hard to please all of them.
“I know . . . this will not appease all gamers, and I know there is a lot of skepticism about the translation of a video game to a movie, but I also feel excited that I think we’ve done something that’s better than any of the translations that have come out thus far, said Gyllenhaal. “These games haven’t been given the respect they deserve in the movie world, and I think (producer) Jerry (Bruckheimer) has done that and I think that we tried so hard to make it our own and at the same time stay true to the games. They (gamers) are tough, and I appreciate that. I come from a tough family. I don’t mind tough critics.”
Gyllenhaal got his break in dramatic movies Donnie Darko and Brokeback Mountain. When asked why he transferred over to action movies like Tobey Maguire and Robert Downey Jr. he was reflective in his answer.
“I think it was about time I stopped taking myself so seriously,” responded Gyllenhaal. “When I was a little younger, and I did start (acting) so young, I think you tend to try and be a little bit more of what you think other people might want or what people might consider to be interesting. And then I think I found that I’ve just decided to do what I find interesting. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to do films that are darker later on.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Sony Pictures Animation has picked up the rights to Rollercoaster Tycoon. Harald Zwart (who directed the new The Karate Kid) will be leading the development of adapting the game for movies, possibly directing it along with executive producing.
The live-action/CGI hybrid is set to be written by David Ronn and Jay Scherick, who also worked on Kevin James’ upcoming The Zookeeper along with another Sony Pictures Animation film, The Smurfs. Publisher Atari claims the Rollercoaster Tycoon game franchise has amassed $300 million in sales and is the third-best-selling PC title of all time in the U.S.; Atari s Jim Wilson will also executive produce with Nick Reed.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
One of the revelations for iPhone’s OS 4 was the inclusion of iAd, an Apple run mobile advertising network. While many marketers were excited about the in-app ad platform, there was some trepidation about the reported $1 million minimum buy that Apple is seeking, but there is little doubt about it raising the profile of mobile advertising.
During the OMMA Mobile 2010 conference Razorfish emerging media head Jeremy Lockhorn said that iAd and Apple “will bring focus and a lot of new dollars and new players and that’s going to be a good thing.” He also noted that what was being proposed wasn’t as revolutionary as what Jobs proposed, and he added that other ad networks have rich media, in-app ad units too.
Chad Stoller, executive vice president of digital strategy at BBDO, however, said that iAd will be “10 times” that of current mobile ad offerings. “If I can get into the stack of the iPhone,” said Stoller. “I’m very interested,” noting potential features like having ad content saved to an address book.
Still, the million dollar price tage for inclusion in the ad system (or $10 million to be an iAd launch advertiser) was criticized. While details of the demands Apple laid out haven’t been confirmed, they also weren’t repudiated by the panelists.
“Apple is not treating agencies right,” said Alexandre Mars, CEO of Phonevalley and head of Publicis Groupe’s mobile arm. “Long-term, this is not the best way to interact with anyone. You can’t work like this.”
Wiley Mathews, U.S. mobile director at OMD, by contrast called Apple’s iAd pitch “an interesting offer.”
All parties seem to agree that, whatever grievances there are, a number of big-name brands will be there for the iAd rollout in July. That said, the growing Android market might put some pricing pressure on Apple. “Android is not messing around anymore,'” said Razorfish’s Lockhorn.
Still, no mobile market has the quality and quantity of the App Store’s 185,000 apps. “Most of the innovative stuff [in the App Store] was created by passionate brand loyalists Apple has been cultivating for years, and Android doesn’t have that,” said Rachel Pasqua, director of mobile strategy at iCrossing.
“The issue of whether it’s open or closed, or Flash versus no Flash, is a great debate to have if you’re a geek like me,” said Michael Gartenberg, partner at digital strategy firm Altimeter Group, who said that ultimately that it will be the mass consumer that decides the winners in the space.
Source: MediaPost
Sprint today revealed details for their first 4G smartphone in the HTC EVO 4G. The device has a 4.3-inch screen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor and Android 2.1.
The WiMAX phone can also share its Wi-Fi connection with up to eight other devices for an extra fee. The HTC EVO 4G will cost $200 with a two-year Sprint plan or $450 by itself and will release June 4, 2010.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs made waves recently when he released an open letter explaining why the iPhone and iPad don’t support Adobe Flash. In short, he argued that Flash was a closed platform that had security issues and wasn’t properly suited to the mobile medium.
While there was an initial response by Adobe, today the company’s two founders issued an open letter of their own. The central argument of the letter was summed up in its title: Our thoughts on open markets.
The genius of the Internet is its almost infinite openness to innovation. New hardware. New software. New applications. New ideas. They all get their chance, reads the letter. As the founders of Adobe, we believe open markets are in the best interest of developers, content owners, and consumers. Freedom of choice on the web has unleashed an explosion of content and transformed how we work, learn, communicate, and, ultimately, express ourselves.
If the web fragments into closed systems, if companies put content and applications behind walls, some indeed may thrive but their success will come at the expense of the very creativity and innovation that has made the Internet a revolutionary force, the letter continues. We believe that consumers should be able to freely access their favorite content and applications, regardless of what computer they have, what browser they like, or what device suits their needs. No company no matter how big or how creative should dictate what you can create, how you create it, or what you can experience on the web.
Speaking specifically about Flash, the letter notes that anyone can make their own Flash player and that they remain a market leader because of the constant creativity and technical innovation of our employees.
We believe that Apple, by taking the opposite approach, has taken a step that could undermine this next chapter of the web the chapter in which mobile devices outnumber computers, any individual can be a publisher, and content is accessed anywhere and at any time. In the end, we believe the question is really this: Who controls the World Wide Web And we believe the answer is: nobody and everybody, but certainly not a single company, concluded the letter.
Source: Adobe.com
Gazillion Entertainment today released some more details for Super Hero Squad Online. Based upon the animated series, the game offers a cartoony take on the Marvel Universe.
Super Hero Squad Online perfectly captures the unique mix of action, humor and customization that make the franchise a massive hit with fans of all ages. The team at The Amazing Society is creating a Super Hero Squad MMO that does justice to this extremely popular IP, said Ira Rubenstein, Executive Vice President of Marvel’s Digital Media Group. Gazillion is proving that its capabilities in MMO development, operations and publishing make them the ideal partner to deliver a breakthrough Marvel online experience.
Players are able to take a team of their own chosen heroes on a variety of adventures. Classic Marvel landmarks like the Daily Bugle, Baxter Building and Stark Tower are all recognizable in Super Hero City and Villainville.
Everyone who has wanted to be Silver Surfer, Wolverine, Captain America or any of the amazing Marvel heroes and villains will find the game has something for them, stated Jason Robar, Vice President and Studio Manager for The Amazing Society.
Super Hero Squad Online will feature a fully customizable headquarters for players to keep their trophies. Other players can come visit and interact in the custom environments.
In Super Hero Squad Online you are not a nameless sidekick! You ll swing through Super Hero City as Spider-Man or zap the bad guys with Cyclops optic blasts in high-voltage missions, says Jay Minn, Creative Director for Super Hero Squad Online. Or you can just hang out in a high-energy, immersive world filled with other Marvel fans!
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) emerged victorious in a court ruing against LimeWire. The U.S. District Judge Kimba M. Wood ruled that LimeWire s users commit copyright infringement and the company behind the file sharing application does little to prevent that, rendering a decision similar to ones in cases versus Kazaa, Morpheus and Grokster.
LimeWire is one of the largest remaining commercial peer-to-peer services, Mitch Bainwol, the RIAA s chairman, said in a statement. Unlike other P2P services that negotiated licenses, imposed filters or otherwise chose to discontinue their illegal conduct following the Supreme Court s decision in the Grokster case, LimeWire instead thumbed its nose at the law and creators.
Final damages have not been determined and Judge Wood scheduled a June 1 hearing to determine how to proceed with the case.
Source: Wired
