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Mad Men: The season we'd like to forget

Jun 17, 2013 by smg / 27 Views

Mad Men has long been one of my favorite shows, the interesting look into the life of a married advertising executive was a breath of fresh air. Watching Don and Betty navigate their personal issues, their differences, while leading two separate lives was intriguing. The characters for the first 5 seasons kept it fresh episode after episode and then season 6 happened. Don's new marriage I must say is a complete and utter bore, the new Mrs. Draper may have been interesting at first but soon that affair became another dull droning session and the character lacks depth completely. Honestly we need a massive shakeup and while the doctor drug episode was a hilarious experience it just can't make up for the growing pains and age the show is starting to display.

This season should have spent more time focusing on Rogers reality that he is no longer a young man and that perhaps his charm isn't as appealing as it once was. Afterall the man is now a grandfather and we've pretty much have seen him partake in every sort of depravity possible. Yet this season focuses on Rogers loneliness and his desire to grow closer to other. The merger introduced new characters into the equation but frankly beyond the mixing it into a possible affair with Peggy it just falls flat on its face. Pete beyond his encounter with his father in law at a house of ill repute really has just been experiencing a Napoleon complex all season long. The new happy go lucky accountant who might be gay is truly the only addition to this season that makes any sense.

Frankly Don makes for an interesting character when he is on the prowl, his affair with Arnie's wife was a visit to the old Don. It displayed Jon Hamm at his finest a lady killer and then it got weird. Don gets rejected is almost like Superman losing a fight, it's just not supposed to happen. Let's hope that next season brings us back to the show elements we grew to love because quite frankly season 6 was a sleep inducing one.

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XBOX ONE VS PLAYSTATION 4 : Why Microsoft will win this generation

Jun 12, 2013 by smg / 39 Views

Much has been made about next gen console prices, hardware, and game offerings. Much has been debated about which brand is the frontrunner this time around. Much has been criticized and much has been loved. So I have combed through polls, comment threads, and from seeing the reactions of gaming juggernauts who are being forced to pick sides.

The Price:

Sony announced a price of $399 for their next console while Microsoft stated $499 for theirs. While yes there is a price difference the reality is that Playstations price will slowly balloon as new add-on components become available. Microsoft simply bundled everything into one price bracket and is sticking at that price. Out of the box Microsofts console has everything set and ready to go. Sony has announced a slew of products for the Playstation so clearly they have the intention of selling you the entire experience at a considerable higher price.

The Experience:

Playstation while always elegant seems to have really avoided taking a risk with their fanbase. They have tried to sell this next console as "a gaming experience" but all you get is a controller and a console. What about the other members of the household who do not play games? What about the mother who buys the system for her kid and perhaps would like to get some usage out of the expensive tech she just purchased for her kid? This is where Microsoft holds the cards, and no Kinnect does not have to be on at all if you don't wish it to be. Yet with the inclusion of Kinnect your living room is transformed into "A SMART SPACE". This makes it attractive for the entire family. It seems that Microsoft has invested heavily in turning the unboxing experience in front of said family into an experience itself. The involvement of the scanning of the family members to mom's, dads, wives, husbands, neighbors being scanned for the first time into a system is quite the experience. It also seems that by the time the family is through with the set up even the most technologically challenged member of the household will be an expert in how to use the system. That's a pretty amazing feat if you ask me...apparently the experience is very very fun. Replacing several devices in your living room in the process is mighty atractive as well. Who knows Sony may have a trick up their sleeve but unless they have something my youngest and eldest relatives can enjoy as equally and as easily..well Microsoft wins that battle.

Games:

Listen the entire pay a fee for used games fiasco is just that. In order to get exclusives you have to negotiate with the game creators. There is a reason Microsoft was able to pull in as many exclusives for the first year alone. Microsoft is giving us many just as pretty games but many of those games are cross platform, what Sony isn't giving us is the experience on their console at the same rate nor in many cases at all. I cannot justify investing into something where someone else is able to play a game or dlc months before I can and completely spoil the content for me. Sony frankly hurt themselves in the last generation and the gamers on their platform will pay for it for a while. Microsoft has more money to invest into game development and studios. In some cases Microsoft hijacked game franchises which were Playstation exclusive and turned them into Xbox exclusives. The fact remains this generation console being a failure and a loss of money could easily spell the death knell of sony gaming. Taking a look at the financials of both companies during the past 8 or so years reveals who can survive and who cannot if their console stumbles. I'll just sum it up in saying that the studios care about money, investors, and star power all which microsoft has heavily dedicated themselves to.

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We are building an audio book section on Cinema Haven

Jun 6, 2013 by smg / 39 Views

Rejoice members of Cinema Haven, in addition to being able to share, bookmark, and watch videos you will now be able to do the same for audio books. There are many great resources on the internet for free audio books and public domain works that we hope you help to preserve. The new audio book section is slowly starting to take shape, many of our members have already submitted dozens of books and we hope you join them as well.
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Antonio Banderas joins the cast of "33", film about Chilean miners

May 19, 2013 by smg / 107 Views

Antonio Banderas will star in “The 33,” based on the true story of the 33 Chilean miners who were rescued after being trapped for 69 days in 2010. Producer Mike Medavoy made the announcement Sunday at Cannes, where Good Universe is handling international sales. Production is scheduled to begin in the fall in Chile with Ed McGurn also producing. Martin Sheen and Rodrigo Santoro are on board as part of the ensemble. Patricia Riggen (“La Misma Luna”) was attached to direct last fall. The screenplay has been written by Mikko Alanne and Jose Rivera. Story dramatizes the events surrounding the mine’s collapse and the international effort to rescue them, which culminated in the emotional retrieval of all 33 miners trapped half a mile beneath the surface. The rescue was watched by more 1 billion viewers worldwide. Banderas will play the role of Mario Sepulveda, the charismatic miner known as “Super Mario.”

See full article at Variety - Film News

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Doctor Who will return for Season 8

May 19, 2013 by smg / 81 Views

The Doctor is returning. BBC announced Saturday on its official blog that Doctor Who will return for an eighth season just as the current run of episodes wrapped up ahead of the 50th anniversary special airing Nov. 23. The announcement also revealed that Doctor Who executive producer Steven Moffat is "already plotting a brand new run of adventures for the Doctor." Brian Minchin will join Moffat as executive producer. Matt Smith, who has played the Doctor since 2010, said in a recent interview that he will return for season eight. The 50th anniversary special will feature Smith, Jenna-Louise.

See full article at The Hollywood Reporter

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Top foods and snacks for television series marathons

May 15, 2013 by smg / 72 Views

These days it's truly fun to enjoy ones favorite shows in full season marathons. Some shows we will recommend along with our top 5 favorite foods and snacks for the homestretch. These foods are recommend for 6 to 12 hour stretches of episode after episode awesomeness.

1. Local pizza shop $20 special:

Every local pizza shop has it's famous $20 special, the special usually consists of a large pizza, 2 liter soda and either buffalo wings or Mozarella sticks. You might get lucky and a free topping in the mix. This is a high carb set up that's sure to please the taste buds while giving you the energy to get through your series.

2. Edy's Ice Cream: Edy's is one of the tastiest and lowest caloried ice creams on the market. Compared to others you get an excellent treat rich with flavor and almost half the calories of any other brand. For a good experience try the Napolean. For something more complex try Mint Brownie or try Coffee for a jolt while you kick back during those deep episodes.

3. Doritos: Frito Lay's lineup of Doritos has expanded vastly over the past two years. From Chile Lemon to Nacho Picoso to totally jacked. Chomp away to your hearts content with this filler snack and enjoy the great variety.

4. Sara Lee Pound Cake: The refrigerated version is amazing and moist once taken out of the freezer. This pound cake melts in your mouth, combine it with some Edy's and you are all set to go.

Top recommended tv series for marathon watching:

1. Lost: Lost has six solid seasons of mystery and adventure for your enjoyment. Join the passengers of Flight 815 on it's critically acclaimed and award winning television series that has set and broken television viewing records with it's excellent plot. Mathew Fox and Terry O'Quinn lead the cast with brilliant acting that executes the reality and feel perfectly.

2. Justified: Handsome actory Timothy Olyphant stars as Marshal Raylan Givens a gunslinging officer of the law who is sent back home and face things he tried to leave in the past. Raylan in his lady killer down home charm best takes on Kentucky's finest criminals all while managing to play by his own rules. The emmy awarded series is currently in it's 4th season.

3. The West Wing: Martin Sheen leads this emmy winning cast through the position of President of the United States of America. Seven amazing seasons of experiencing the full fledge fight for democracy. Watch the experience of becoming President and as the seasons unfold the hardships of the position. Sheen is surrounded by an array of amazing talent who each lend their own chemistry becoming unique characters you want to follow as they each face their own loves and hate with their powerful positions.

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Seth Meyers to take over "NBC Late Night"

May 13, 2013 by smg / 61 Views

Saturday Night Live veteran Seth Meyers has been announced as the new host of "NBC Late Night". Seth who has been highly regarded for his work with SNL as both an skit performer and writer. His connections to Jimmy Fallon didn't hurt his case either, in fact NBC honchos are hoping their chemistry helps enhance the lineup and take a commanding lead in the late night wars. Seth has also been a favorite of the executives for his award winning skits on SNL. Meyers, 39, most recently appeared in the film "New Years Eve" as 'Griffin'. Meyers was also set to star in "The Awesomes" which was currently filming when the new gig was announced, no word on what will happen with that series now that he'll have the duties of late night.

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Real Housewives of New York not cancelled, will come back for one more season

May 12, 2013 by smg / 108 Views

Well after a standoff between Bravo execs and the cast of "The Real Housewives of New York" it seems they've all come to terms. The cast unified and held off on signing their contracts with the network in hopes of getting a pay bump for this next season. The major issue was according to reports the show suffered it's worst ratings yet during this past season. It seems audiences have grown tired of the same catty behavior season after season. Perhaps its time for Bravo to consider a shelf life for these shows and a recasting may just be what the franchise needs. Very rare are there discussions about what Ramona did last night and what Countess Luann lied about, much like what happened with the Jersey Shore. Shock value only lasts so long with the same characters, you come to expect things out of people and then it all gets predicatable. Considering how many snobbish, uptight, high and mighty bored housewives there are in New York they should be able to have their pick. Who is to say we won't end up with another Jill and Ramona but from the West Village instead of the upper east side.

There have been rumors that Bravo is looking to transition into new castings to bring the episode costs down but there is a fear of the franchise collapsing in on itself as well. The fear stems from the miscues with several housewives casts in other states. Perhaps what Bravo needs is middle of america upper midddleclass housewives that set the tone for being "The Joneses". The highbrow antics have reached their glass ceiling perhaps its time to lower it some. Perhaps mixing new money housewives with old money housewives, that's sure to be a fire starter. Either way we can expect the New York femmes to stick around for at least another season, let's hope it's their last and one that will be memorable.

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The cynicism of celebrity life in the 21st century

May 12, 2013 by smg / 50 Views

The internet has been in an uproar because Kanye West nearly split his head open on a parking sign and then went wild on a photographer. The problem is that people forget these same celebrities are often themselves calling the paparazzi to set up these "encounters". Living in New York City I hear of it all the time, so and so is at the Soho Grand. The call just went out and every rag magazine picture shoving photographer is doing the dash cross town to get the first shot. Do photographers often cross the line? Yes. They actually do put people in danger in the hot pursuit of taking the big shot everyone is going to want to see. We the consumers can barely ever get enough of it. "Oh my god! He cheated on his wife" or "Oh my god!! She's high again!" while lining the pockets of people who turn around and complain that you are too interested in their lives. Frankly as time goes on you notice the patterns of these paparazzi run ins. Someone needs to get hot again, confront a camera guy. I have an album coming out, find me a photographer I can have an awkward moment with and get a buzz from. The fame whoring has gone viral as well, with tons of people trying to become famous duck facing it up across all of our beloved social networks. The endless "watch my video" links across twitter, the ceaseless barrage of witless rappers pandering "free mixtapes" because they are the next big thing, and the ever eye gouging experience of the fake confrontation to lead you to check out some music video. Fame hungry has reached all new heights people...to the point people start fake fights to get talked about. I've largely abandoned most social network interaction due to the posting of gossip related media, the overindulgence of reading about others people's boring moments they so desire to keep posting about, and have given up all hope that we ever escape the high school "Cool Kids" syndrome.

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Will Grand Theft Auto 5 change how we experience gaming?

May 8, 2013 by smg / 49 Views

Rockstar Games delayed their fifth installment of the largely popular "Grand Theft Auto" series by a year to add what they describes as enhancements. The recently released trifecta of trailers each showcasing the main characters has brought to mind the question, will Rockstar Games set the gaming world on its head again? The likely answer is....YES!! A game that carries three separate main character storylines that go deep into back history and establishing current history..ahh one can foam at the mouth. Now include the fact that you have a map five times larger than anything they've ever done including it's own uniquely designed grid personality and we have a recipe for a truly unique experience in gaming.

So here is the lay of the land:

3 Characters.

3 completely difference experiences that can be interchanged.

1 Gigantic map with air, ground and aquatic interactions.

Artificial Intelligence designed in great variation.

Neighborhoods with their own flavor.

You can count on it that we haven't heard even 10% of what this game will include. We do know customizations of both vehicles and characters is back. We know that the world features its own ambient music soundtrack. I believe we will see scuba challenges, sporting challenges, night life elements and I expect a huge change to the wanted system. It is likely the days of gunning your car smashing a few other vehicles into blocking the road hitting a hard right and flooring it to get away are over. Expect a more challenging system that will require longer timed intervals of being a wanted criminal based on the star system. A good change that came from Grand Theft Auto 4 was the DLC offerings. The Ballad Of Gay Tony was a huge success for Rockstar Games and brought in players who previously ignored the franchise. I can attest to several people who didn't play the franchise wanting to check out the fabulousness of Tony and his enforcer Luis Lopez. Can we expect DLC with this installation? Yes. It's pretty much assured. How much DLC? One can hope that Rockstar Games plans on increasing it's offerings this time with enough add-on content to sustain us closer into their next installment. The ability to use an existing world grid makes the DLC aspect more of a cosmetic and storyline inclusion which leads us to an unlimited amount in the possibilities of what they can offer. Could we see an older C.J. in this game? Possible, we've seen Los Santos in the trailers and many have theorized the woman in the trailer could very well be CJ's nephew. Perhaps we'll see an older Vercetti running an empire. Maybe Luis Lopez decided to leave the east coast. Who knows but the reality is that many players have indicated they want older characters included in this installation. Let's hope Rockstar Games listens and realizes the unique opportunity they have before them. Gamers want to spend spend spend on this game and I am amongst them. Over the next few months as more details emerge we will cover them and offer them to you via our articles.
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Barbara Walters to say goobye in 2014

Mar 28, 2013 by smg / 82 Views

Veteran ABC News personality Barbara Walters is poised to retire in May 2014, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. Walters, 84, is expected to make the announcement herself. She will say on at The View through next season, according to sources, to usher the show through an impending transition that will mark the exits of Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Her final year as a regular presence on ABC News and The View will be filled with tributes to more than half a century in broadcasting. News of Walters' retirement is not unexpected.
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Quvenzhane Wallis to star in "Annie" Reboot

Feb 25, 2013 by smg / 158 Views

The rumors that Oscar-nominated best actress Quvenzhane Wallis would play in a new musical of "Annie" are true. Overbrook Entertainment, Marcy Media, director Will Gluck and Sony Pictures Entertainment have confirmed that the diminutive New Orleans star of "Beasts of the Southern Wild" will play the title role in "Annie." Columbia president of production Hannah Minghella cited Wallis's high global profile as an Oscar nominee as well as her "amazing range, not only as an actress but as a singer and dancer, and we can’t wait for audiences to further discover her.” Sony is slating the film for the winter holiday season in 2014. Directed by Gluck ("Easy A"), the film will be produced by James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Will Smith through Overbrook Entertainment ("Ali," "HItch," "I Am Legend"), and by Shawn “Jay Z” Carter, Jay Brown.

See full article at Thompson on Hollywood
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'Zero Dark Thirty,' 'Skyfall' share an Oscar after tie

Feb 25, 2013 by smg / 121 Views

There hasn't been a tie at the Academy Awards since 1994, when two films shared the award for Best Live Action Short. That dry spell was broken tonight in the biggest surprise of tonight's Academy Awards so far, as "Skyfall" and "Zero Dark Thirty" split the difference for Best Sound Editing. This category was widely seen as one of the night’s toughest awards to call. “Skyfall” won the top prize at the Motion Picture Sound Editors’ Golden Reel Awards last week, but “Life of Pi” won two lesser awards from the same group.

See full article at Hitfix
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Pics: All the Stars on the Oscars Red Carpet

Feb 25, 2013 by smg / 107 Views

Tonight it is Oscar night, when we glimpse into the cultural sphere, revisiting all the most exceptional filmic contributions of the year. Yet, before we celebrate the winners (or refute or curse them, depending on how seriously you take this), it's time to study the red carpet. While the Fug Girls dissect all the fashions on their live blog, we are presenting all of Hollywood's most fabulous clotheshorses here for your own scrutiny. Click through to see all the fashions; we'll be updating it all night as more stars cross the paparazzi threshold.

See full article at Vulture
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85th Academy Awards review: Big Winners, losers, Seth didn't suck

Feb 25, 2013 by smg / 56 Views

This morning the internet is abuzz with reviews, reports, and all sorts of input regardling last night's 85th annual Academy Awards. The glamour, the jokes, who fell, who was drunk, who won? This year the award show was hosted by the comedic Seth McFarlane who I must say was thrown to the wolves from the moment it was announced he would be hosting the shindig. Even if the funnyman's brand of humor isn't your own one thing cannot be denied, he didn't stink up the place. Heck I expected a train wreck when William Shatner set the tone for Seth to hop into a song and dance number, the fact I came rushing back into the tv room because I couldn't believe it was Seth singing that well was shocking itself. This set the tone for the rest of the evening, much ado about Seth's jabs and voice. This year's award show also included a tribute to 50 years of bond, going as bringing out Halle Berry to present the tribute which concluded with a rendition of 'Goldfinger's theme" by it's original singer. Charlize Theron and Channum Tating did a dance duet while Seth sang, Daniel Radcliffe and Joseph Gordon Levitt joined seth for another song and dance, and the cast of Les Miserables sang its heart out while Russell Crowe made us all wish someone would kindly ask him back to his seat. Argo won big, Life of PI won big, Lincoln won big, Flight was virtually snubbed, Silver Linings playbook had a decent showing earning Jennifer Lawrence best actress, the shock of the night was Christoph Waltz winning for Django Unchained.
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News: Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest Hacked

Feb 22, 2013 by smg / 75 Views

Tumblr, Twitter and Pinterest users' emails were stolen by hackers through Zendesk, a shared customer support service, and all three social networks urged them to be wary of suspicious emails. The damage appears to be minimal so far -- the sites said the hack, which took place in recent weeks, may have exposed subject lines and email addresses of messages sent to their user help lines. Zendesk declined to comment to TheWrap about the number of users affected. Twitter has more than 500 million users; Pinterest more than 11 million users.
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Lou "Mr. Gaines" Myers from A different world passes away

Feb 22, 2013 by smg / 68 Views

Character actor Lou Myers, best known for his role as the feisty Mr. Gaines on the NBC sitcom A Different World, has died. A spokesperson for Myers’ nonprofit Global Business Incubation tells The Associated Press Myers died Tuesday night at a hospital in West Virginia. He was 76. Myers appeared in several TV shows including NYPD Blue, ER, Touched By An Angel and The Cosby Show, but it was his role on The Cosby Show-spinoff A Different World that he is best remembered. He appeared on the show for five seasons, until it ended in 1993. Myers also had supporting roles in several films including, Tin Cup, How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Wedding Planner. He also appeared on Broadway in Oprah Winfrey’s production of The Color Purple and won an NAACP Image award for best actor for his role in August Wilson’s play King Hedley II.
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Michael Bay teams up with Megan Fox for "TMMT" reboot

Feb 22, 2013 by smg / 86 Views

Looks like Michael Bay doesn’t hold a grudge. He’s just announced via his blog that Megan Fox will star in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the live-action/CGI feature from producer Bay, his Platinum Dunes and Paramount. Jonathan Liebesman is directing. This comes after Fox was most publicly dismissed from Bay’s Transformers threequel back in 2010 after the two clashed (Fox likened Bay to Hitler on set and called him “a nightmare to work for”, which set off a firestorm and led to her getting the boot). The TMNT reboot is dated for a May 16, 2014 release after it was pushed back to cut the budget to around $125M.
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Leah Messer (Teen Mom 2) welcomes a baby girl

Feb 6, 2013 by smg / 118 Views

Leah Messer is a mommy times three! The Teen Mom 2 star welcomed a bouncing baby girl with her husband Jeremy Calvert on Monday, a source confirms to E! News. "Yes the time is near…Can't wait to meet you little Miss Calvert!" the happy mother tweeted Sunday night before giving birth. Teen Mom 2 season four premiere date announced Leah is already a mother to her three-year-old twin daughters, Aliannah Hope and Aleeah Grace, from her previous marriage to Corey Simms. The former couple divorced in 2011. This is Leah and Jeremy's first child together. The 20-year-old reality TV star and her hubby wed last spring. Congrats to the happy couple!
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Two new star wars spinoffs

Feb 6, 2013 by smg / 111 Views

Star Wars fans, admit it: you like scoundrels. And you’re about to get more of them in your life.

Yesterday, The Walt Disney Co. unveiled plans to make a number of spin-off movies set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away — in addition to the post-Return of the Jedi trilogy that had already been announced

Entertainment Weekly has learned details on two of the spin-off projects: A young Han Solo saga, focusing on the wisecracking smuggler’s origin story, and a bounty hunter adventure with Boba Fett at the center of a rogue’s gallery of galactic scum.
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