http://amaydesign.com/essentials/ 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. en Copyright 2008 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:50:02 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification

It's not often that Christmas albums feature original songs as the majority. Most artists rehash Christmas classics, maybe trying their hand at one or two tracks of their own crafting. But the latest EP from The Maine finds the Tempe-based power pop quintet caroling three-quarters original holiday tunes.
]]> http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/12/the-maine-drops-unique-holiday-ep.html http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/12/the-maine-drops-unique-holiday-ep.html Music Reviews ...And a Happy New Year The Maine Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:50:02 -0600

From the moment he performed "Love Lockdown" to close this year's VMAs, Kanye West's "new sound" has drawn mixed reaction. While "Lockdown" -- highlighted by emphatic drums and digitized vocals -- played in heavy rotation on radio stations people continued to wonder if West's forthcoming record would continue in the style set by its lead single.

All the wondering was put to rest on November 24, when 808's & Heartbreak, West's fourth studio album, hit the street. Released just over a year after 2007's multi-platinum Graduation, Heartbreak, proves a substantial departure for West. But if you look past his liberal use of Auto-Tune, you'll find West's most focused, cohesive record yet.
]]> http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/12/heartbreak-fuels-wests-new-record.html http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/12/heartbreak-fuels-wests-new-record.html Music Reviews 808's & Heartbreak Kanye West Love Lockdown Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:41:51 -0600

For some families, the post-holiday-gathering movie is a tradition, for others its an anomaly, but whether or not a trip to the cinema is part of your festivities, there's always a deluge of flicks aimed at those looking to escape their families for a couple hours.

Leading this year's class of "everyone-is-watching-football-so-let's-get-out-of-here" flicks is "Four Christmases," which opened nationwide November 26, starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.
]]> http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/12/four-christmases-marginally-better-than-leftovers.html http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/12/four-christmases-marginally-better-than-leftovers.html Feature Films Reviews Four Chirstmases Jon Favreau Reese Witherspoon Vince Vaughn Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:30:17 -0600

Even the most casual of movie-goer could deduce that there are far more crappy comedies out there than good -- for every Big Lebowski, there's dozen's of Norbit's. And based strictly on its title (and implied premise) I would have grouped Paul Blart: Mall Cop with the latter.

But something about the pure silliness of Kevin James in the title role has me thinking that Blart will be -- no, not a classic -- a mid-winter guilty pleasure.
]]> http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/10/kevin-james-protects-mall-visits-food-court.html http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/10/kevin-james-protects-mall-visits-food-court.html Feature Films Previews Hitch Kevin James Paul Blart: Mall Cop Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:05:39 -0600

Ever since "The Dark Knight" trickled out of theaters, Batman fans have been looking forward to the film's release on DVD and Blu-Ray.

With rumors first surfacing in August, Amazon is now taking pre-orders for TDK. With a release date of December 9, this release figures to be the 'must-have' DVD this Christmas.
]]> http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/10/dark-knight-dvd-gets-official.html http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/10/dark-knight-dvd-gets-official.html DVD Feature Films News Amazon Blu-Ray Christian Bale Christopher Nolan Heath Ledger The Dark Knight Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:10:30 -0600

I'm not one who likes to say, "I told you so," but this would certainly be a situation that calls for it.

An official over at the FCC says that the pending Digital Television change-over is going to be "messy," something I've been anticipating for months now.

]]> http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/10/fcc-prepares-for-messy-dtv-switch.html http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/10/fcc-prepares-for-messy-dtv-switch.html News Technology Television Digital Television DTV Switch FCC Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:50:16 -0600

Most music -- especially the best music -- is inspired by life-changing events. This is probably why Jack's Mannequin's latest record, "The Glass Passenger," is one of the best power pop records of the year, if not the decade.

Drawing from his successful battle with leukemia, frontman Andrew McMahon crafts 13 beautiful, energetic and diverse songs.]]> http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/10/jacks-mannequin-delivers-fun-inspiration.html http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/10/jacks-mannequin-delivers-fun-inspiration.html Music Reviews Andrew McMahon Jacks Mannequin Something Corporate Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:22:07 -0600

The latest game in the 'Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles' series has been given a release date in Japan, with a stateside date expected soon.

The game, titled "Echoes in Time," was revealed in the latest issue of Japanese comic Shonen Jump, which indicated that the game would be released for Nintendo Wii and DS on January 29 in Japan. 
]]> http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/10/new-final-fantasy-game-coming-to-wii.html http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/10/new-final-fantasy-game-coming-to-wii.html News Video Games Crystal Chronicles Echos in Time Final Fantasy Nintendo DS Nintendo Wii Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:15:50 -0600

As portable music players are fast-becoming portable media players, users are looking for ways to make their movies as mobile as their music. Entrenched in copyright issues, the ability to copy DVDs to a computer isn't as much 'desktop' issue as it is a courtroom one.

Earlier this month, media software company Real introduced RealDVD, a product designed to let users copy movies to their computers for playback and storage. Just hours after making the software available, Real has lawyered-up and is preparing to battle the major movie studios in court.
]]> http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/09/real-intros-dvdripping-software-prepares-for-court.html http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/09/real-intros-dvdripping-software-prepares-for-court.html DVD News News Technology DVD Ripping RealDVD Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:09:46 -0600

Taking a break from creating iconic characters (Captain Jack Sparrow...), Johnny Depp has signed-on to a couple of projects that will have him filling the shoes, and hats, of a pair of iconic characters.

Announced at a Disney press event yesterday, Depp will take on the role of Tonto in Disney's revival of the "Lone Ranger" franchise. Originally rumored to don the mask in the film's title role, Depp will play the sidekick, re-teaming with Pirates super-producer Jerry Bruckheimer.  ]]> http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/09/post.html http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/09/post.html Feature Films News Alice in Wonderland Jerry Bruckheimer Johnny Depp The Lone Ranger Tim Burton Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:25:35 -0600

Character and plot are a couple of pretty important literary elements, just ask any sixth grade English teacher. No matter the rubric, Joel and Ethan Coen's latest assignment, 'Burn After Reading,' would be littered with gold stars.
]]> http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/09/humor-smolders-in-burn-after-reading.html http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/09/humor-smolders-in-burn-after-reading.html Feature Films Reviews Brad Pitt Burn After Reading Coen Brothers George Clooney No Country for Old Men Mon, 22 Sep 2008 08:45:20 -0600

It's a 'quality not quantity' scenario in this week's Rehash. A handful of 'old friends' are coming back to the big screen, Microsoft pulls the plug on Seinfeld and Apple plugs in a new iPod.
]]> http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/09/essentials-weekly-rehash-91908.html http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/09/essentials-weekly-rehash-91908.html Weekly Rehash Apple Ghostbusters iPod Jacks Mannequin Microsoft Spider-Man Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:43:12 -0600

Just weeks after launching their new Windows Vista ad campaign, Microsoft is reportedly ending their series of commercials featuring comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

The software giant made headlines when they inked the sitcom star for a reported $10 million, as they aimed to counter competitor Apple's long-running, and well-received, "PC vs. Mac" spots.
]]> http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/09/microsoft-pulls-plug-on-seinfeld-ads.html http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/09/microsoft-pulls-plug-on-seinfeld-ads.html Commentary News Technology Television Apple Bill Gates Jerry Seinfeld Microsoft Windows Vista Thu, 18 Sep 2008 08:42:08 -0600

With the series' director Sam Raimi already on-board, Sony may have snagged the title character for the next installments in the 'Spider-Man' series.

London's Sunday Times is reporting that Tobey Maquire will reprise his role as "your friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man" for the series' fourth and fifth films.
]]> http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/09/report-maquire-back-for-spiderman-4-and-5.html http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/09/report-maquire-back-for-spiderman-4-and-5.html Feature Films News Kirsten Dunst Sam Raimi Spider-Man Spider-Man 4 Tobey Maquire Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:56:47 -0600

Still weeks before their new album, "The Glass Passenger," hits store shelves, piano-rockers Jack's Mannequin are laying the groundwork for the album's release with a pair of iTunes-exclusive EPs.

Available now on iTunes, The Ghost Overground and In Valleys EPs feature a mix of live tracks, cuts from TGP and other unreleased tracks.
]]> http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/09/jacks-mannequin-teases-with-two-new-eps.html http://amaydesign.com/essentials/2008/09/jacks-mannequin-teases-with-two-new-eps.html Music News Andrew McMahon Ghost Overground In Valleys Jacks Mannequin The Glass Passenger Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:50:22 -0600