Essentials: Technology & Entertainment

The blending of entertainment and technology news, reviews and commentary. Covering music, movies, DVD, video games, television, computers and gadgets. Originating from the Midwest: Hastings, Grand Island, Nebraska. Edited by Anthony May.

August 2008 Archives

Pirates, Ninjas hook-up for some dodgeball

Posted August 28, 2008 4:51 PM by

| News | Video Games

I'm not much for math, but here's an equation you can't argue: Pirates + Ninjas + Dodgeball = Awesome.

Announced today the E3 gaming convention, 'Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball' is coming to the Nintendo Wii. Already slated for release on Xbox 360 via its download service, PVND will hit Wii in a boxed version this winter.

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WALL•E, Prince Caspian DVD release dates set

Posted August 27, 2008 2:10 PM by

| DVD | News

A number of new hits and old favorites are making their way to DVD in the coming months, topping the list are Disney/Pixar's 'WALL•E' and 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.'

'WALL•E' will hit just in time for the holidays; On November 18, fans can pick-up the animated hit on DVD and Blu-Ray. Included in both packages will be an exclusive short film, 'BURN•E.'

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ESPN considering late night talk show

Posted August 27, 2008 8:40 AM by

| News | Television

Most late night talk shows originate from LA or NY... how about Bristol, CT? Sports giant ESPN is reportedly courting hosts for a new late night talk show.

Tops on ESPN's list are Colin Cowherd, from ESPN radio; Dan LeBatard, a columnist from the Miami Herald; and Jason Whitlock, a sports writer from the Kansas City Star.

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Houston Calls' sophomore album set for release

Posted August 26, 2008 4:45 PM by

| Music | News

New Jersey pop-punkers Houston Calls are set to release their second full-length record, "End of an Error," on October 14.

It's been three years since their debut, "A Collection of Short Stories," was released on Drive-Thru Records, and, frankly, I can't wait.

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New iPod nano coming Sept. 9?

Posted August 26, 2008 8:40 AM by

| News | Technology

The Apple iPod rumor mill has been churning yet again. This time the iPod Nano and the iPod Touch are the targets.

Reports from a number of Apple-tracking websites claim that a remodeled Nano and an enhanced iPod Touch will be announced at a press event on September 9.

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New 'Bond' game takes gunplay online

Posted August 25, 2008 12:11 PM by

| News | Video Games

The franchise that set the bar for both action movies and multiplayer shooting video games is attempting to raise the bar for the latter yet again.

"James Bond: Quantum of Solace," set to be released in concert with the movie of the same name, will feature online, multiplayer action on Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360.

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Essentials: Weekly Rehash (8/22/08)

Posted August 22, 2008 11:51 AM by

| Weekly Rehash

Dark Knight DVDs, some browser-based retro gaming, a record review and more; All in a week's work at Essentials.

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NBC rides wave, secures swimming coverage

Posted August 22, 2008 9:06 AM by

| News | Television

America's broadcast home for the summer games drew 40 million viewers on back-to-back nights as Michael Phelps grabbed his 7th and 8th gold medals. And with the 29th Olympiad winding down in Beijing, NBC is already looking for more ratings gold.

The network has secured the rights to broadcast the 2009 World Swimming Championship and the 2009, 2010 and 2011 USA Swimming National Championships.

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Web videos aim to clear up DTV confusion

Posted August 21, 2008 4:00 PM by

| Commentary | News | Television

The end of the analog age is approaching as the DTV switch, scheduled for February 2009, nears. And still it seems that most people aren't getting the message... or are failing to understand it.

What it boils down to is this: If you are a cable or satellite subscriber, or if you bought your TV in the last couple of years... nothing happens on February 17, 2009, other than the sun rising, then setting. Yet somehow neither the FCC nor NAB have been able to convey this message to consumers.

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'Dark Knight' DVD details begin to surface

Posted August 20, 2008 4:39 PM by

| DVD | News

While "The Dark Knight" is still riding high at the box office, Batman fans are already looking forward to the film's release on DVD and Blu-Ray.

With a rumored release date between December 2 and 9, initial information and photos have started trickling out for what will be the 'must-have' DVD this Christmas.

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"Hobbit" scribes familiar with subject matter

Posted August 20, 2008 1:17 PM by

| Feature Films | News

The old adage goes, "If you want something done right, do it yourself." Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro are obviously fans of this old chestnut.

Del Toro ("Hellboy") and Jackson ("Lord of the Rings") are taking it upon themselves to write the scripts for the upcoming "Hobbit" films, which the pair are directing and producing, respectively.

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FireNES brings 8-bit classics to your browser

Posted August 19, 2008 12:00 PM by

| Features | Technology

Firefox Add-ons do a lot of handy things, from bookmarking, to social networking, to viewing photos and listening to music. Now you can add retro gaming to that list. And if you're not using Firefox yet... add this to the growing list of reasons to make the switch.

FireNES puts thousands of original, 8-bit NES titles at your fingertips, making it, potentially, the greatest gaming time-waster you'll ever come across.

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Thieves & Villains debut shows promise

Posted August 18, 2008 4:59 PM by

| Music | Reviews

When I heard that some of the guys from Southcott were forming a new band, I was pumped. When I heard the band's name was "Thieves & Villains," the excitement grew. And when there debut record, "Movement," was finally released I ended up enthusiastically indifferent.

Perhaps I was expecting too much.

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Olympics coverage golden for NBC

Posted August 18, 2008 2:01 PM by

| News | Television

This summer's surprise ratings smash? How about the Olympic games on NBC?

After spending nearly a billion dollars ($894 million, to be exact), NBC is finally reaping the benefits of being America's broadcast source for the 29th Olympiad in Beijing.

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Myers to join Pitt in Tarantino's next project

Posted August 15, 2008 4:50 PM by

| Feature Films | News

Mike Myers is going to war. Joining Brad Pitt, the funny-man has signed on for a role in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming flick, "Inglorious Bastards."

Taking a turn at drama, Myers will play British General Ed Fenech, who sends a group of soldiers, led by Pitt's character Aldo Raine, on a mission to assassinate Nazis leaders.

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Essentials: Weekly Rehash (8/15/08)

Posted August 15, 2008 12:43 PM by

| Weekly Rehash

Another thrilling week as come to an end here at Essentials. Topping our list of posts for the last seven days, a new "Batman" game is coming to consoles, Capcom kicks it old school with a new Mega Man game and a few summer blockbusters get DVD release dates.

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'Green Lantern' moves forward, 'JLA' stalled

Posted August 14, 2008 4:48 PM by

| Feature Films | News

Comic book flicks are coming fast and furious now-a-days -- the long-awaited 'Green Lantern' feature has taken a few steps toward the big screen, while the success of "The Dark Knight" has put the reported "Justice League of America" movie on hold.

IESB has taken a look at a draft of a proposed "Lantern" script which is, "a sure-fire hit for fan boys, but in scale it's big, VERY big, and we are hearing rumors that it may be too big for the director currently attached, Greg Berlanti."

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New Mega Man to recapture 8-bit glory

Posted August 14, 2008 12:48 PM by

| News | Video Games

Capcom announced in July that it was reviving the Mega Man series on the current generation of consoles... except it would look like a game on the original generation of consoles.

Mega Man 9, which will hit Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 via their respective download services in September, is a direct addition to the series, borrowing graphics and gameplay from the 8-bit games for the original NES.

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Best Buy Express kiosks to vend gadgets

Posted August 13, 2008 12:23 PM by

| News | Technology

I've always been amused by vending machines that sell something other than food or drink; like those in hotels that have toiletries and other things a traveler may have forgot to pack. It's just an odd visual -- a bar of deodorant where you would expect to see a Hersey bar.

Best Buy has just taken the vending machine another couple of steps away from food and drink, offering gadgets and other electronics.

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"Batman: Arkham Asylum" coming to PS3, 360

Posted August 13, 2008 12:17 PM by

| News | Video Games

When "The Dark Knight" stormed into theaters on July 18, there was one notable piece of the (promotional) package missing. Endorsement deals and cross-promotions are unavoidable with any major motion picture release and nearly all of these deals include a (usually crappy) console game.

Despite a severe leak from a Gary Oldman interview and "LEGO Batman" excluded, nothing in the way of a "true" Batman game had been confirmed, that is, until today.

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Latest 'Indiana Jones' on DVD Oct. 14

Posted August 12, 2008 12:32 PM by

| DVD | Feature Films | News

Many summer-blockbusters ago, the fourth installment in the Indiana Jones series had adventure flick fans flocking to theaters. A whole summer worth of action later, and Indy is ready to re-up for the fall -- this time on DVD and Blu-Ray.

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" will hit store shelves on Oct. 14 in both standard DVD and Blu-Ray flavors, as well as part of the series' new four-film box set.

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Viruses hitting Facebook 'walls'

Posted August 11, 2008 4:11 PM by

| News | Technology

By and large Facebook has been relatively immune to the malicious content plague other social networking sites. But according to security company Sophos, new posts containing malware are popping up on user's 'walls.'

The messages urge members to view a video, but clicking on the link takes users to a page which requires a download to view the video. This download contains the malicious software. The site falsely suggests the page is hosted by Google.

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Early 'Clone Wars' reviews a mixed-bag

Posted August 11, 2008 10:30 AM by

| Feature Films | Previews

With the latest addition to the 'Star Wars' universe primed to hit theaters on Friday, reviews from the preview screenings have started rolling in.

The latest addition to George Lucas' money-machine is set between the events of Episodes 2 and 3. The animated flick follows Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi as they investigate the kidnapping of Jabba the Hutt's son.

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GCH's "The Quilt" to roll out September 9

Posted August 8, 2008 4:35 PM by

| Music | News

It's been two years since the funk/punk/rap quartet Gym Class Heroes released their last record, "As Cruel As School Children." Of course, GCH knows better than anyone that time between releases doesn't always matter; Their breakout single, "Cupid's Chokehold," was from of 2005's "The Papercut Chronicles."

Hoping to score some more hits, the Heroes are looking to bend their genre even further with "The Quilt," set to be released on September 9.

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"Iron Man," "Horton" DVDs get release dates

Posted August 8, 2008 12:25 PM by

| DVD | Feature Films | News

While "The Dark Knight" continues its run in theaters, this summer's other blockbuster will make it's way into homes on September 30th.

Paramount announced DVD and Blu-Ray releases for "Iron Man," on Friday. Starring Robert Downey Jr. as the title character, "Iron Man" is the second highest grossing film of the year, behind Dark Knight, raking in over $300 million in North America.

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Non-stop Olympic coverage on the web

Posted August 8, 2008 8:49 AM by

| News | Technology

The 2008 Summer Olympics get underway today in Beijing. And in between the protests, pollution and terrorist threats they're hoping to squeeze in a few athletic contests.

Since the games take place on the other side of the globe, most of the events will be happening over night for Americans. NBC, the broadcast home of the games, is offering up a few thousand hours of web streams for those not lucky enough to catch the events live.

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Madden demands a reprint, sort of

Posted August 7, 2008 2:47 PM by

| News | Video Games

Looks like Packer Nation wasn't the only group left reeling as Brett Favre packed his bags for New York. EA Sports is scrambling to figure out what to do with Madden 09, which features Favre in green-and-yellow glory on its cover.

But, unlike everyone else involved in the Favre fiasco, EA has a plan of action.

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