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Time Escape from Eric Kessler on Vimeo.
Nature in Time-Lapse
Nature just got a little bit more extreme. We've seen our share of incredible time-lapses, but this one certainly takes the cake in terms of party music. With a soundtrack like this, this is probably the only nature video we might dance to.
However, this might just be the tip of the iceberg. As the video's description states, this is just a quick edit of a few time-lapses taken at what the group calls TimeFest 2011. The videos were taken by Vince Laforet, Carson Garner, Tom Lowe, Tom Guilmette, Dr Kanab and Shawn Reeder during the event.
It’s a Comeback, Baby!
Austin Powers might be making a comeback, baby. With the Shrek franchise wrapped (for now) and his Keith Moon biopic in development limbo, Mike Myers is looking for work—and it may involve resurrecting his shag-tastic British spy character for a fourth Austin Powers movie. A report last Friday stated that the deal had been done and Myers would be set to write and star in Austin Powers 4. However, sources at New Line took a step back saying that no deal had been made, but an offer had been sent to the SNL alum.
Nine years have passed since the last Austin Powers movie and New Line has been eager to do another one, with negotiations ongoing for more than a year now. The snag has been working out terms of the deal with Myers. The Austin Powers franchise has generated over $676 million worldwide with 1999’s The Spy Who Shagged Me being the most successful of the trio. It’s hard to gauge whether audiences would be up for a fourth Austin Powers adventure, so we’ll pose the question to you – do you want more Austin Powers and what should the movie be about?
Do Spoilers Ruin Films?
If you are angry that someone spoiled the plot of a movie or revealed the ending of a book, don't be. A new study by researchers from the University of California at San Diego shows spoilers may enhance enjoyment, even for suspense-driven story lines and film plots.
After studying three types of stories -- ironic-twist, mystery and literary -- by authors such as John Updike, Roald Dahl and Agatha Christie, they found readers preferred versions with a spoiling paragraph written into the story. "I was quite surprised by the results," researcher Nicholas Christenfeld said in an interview. "Like most people, I don't turn to the end of a book to see who dies or what happens."
For the study each story was read by up to 30 people and presented in two formats -- in the original version and with a spoiling paragraph inserted in the story. Readers of all three story types preferred the spoiled versions of the stories more than the unspoiled originals. "Plots are just excuses for great writing," Christenfeld explained. "Nonetheless, plots are important, like a skeleton or a coat hanger. You need it to display the things that are important but the plot itself isn't critical." Christenfeld said in many cases a book or movie can be re-read or seen multiple times and still be enjoyable. "As a film director, your job isn't really to come to the conclusion that the butler did it. A single line would do that," he said.
Once viewers know the ending of a film, they may want to view if again to see things that had meaning or didn't have meaning the first time they saw it. The researchers said in the study, which will be published in the journal Psychological Science, they found that the success of entertainment does not rest on suspense alone. "Stories are a universal element of human culture, the backbone of the billion-dollar entertainment industry, and the medium through which religion and societal values are transmitted," they wrote in the report.
Christenfeld and his co-author Jonathan Leavitt added that the findings could mean that commonly held perceptions about suspense may also be incorrect. "Perhaps," they said in the study, "birthday presents are better when wrapped in cellophane and engagement rings are better when not concealed in chocolate mousse."
Via ReutersTeenage Mutant Wheelie Turtles
Watch out Mr. Hare, this tortoise has a wheel! A 12-year-old African tortoise that recently had its front left leg amputated due to injury is now moving just fine, thanks to a swiveling wheel attached to his shell by doctors at Washington State University's veterinary hospital. The 23-pound tortoise, named Gamera after the giant flying turtle of the old Japanese monster movies, is gaining weight and generally thriving with his new appendage. "I don't know whether he'd pass the hare, but he moves around very well," said Charlie Powell, spokesman for WSU's veterinary hospital in Pullman, Wash.
The nearly teenage mutant turtle is particularly good at moving toward food, and has gained 3 pounds since the wheel was attached, Powell said. The caster-style wheel should last for years before it has to be replaced, he said. Powell said the caster-style allows Gamera to move well on both flat and lumpy surfaces like lawns.
The African spur-thighed tortoise was brought to the WSU hospital in April by its owner, suffering from a severe leg injury with an unknown cause, WSU officials said. The injury was life-threatening so the leg was amputated at the shoulder. Veterinarians attached the wheel to the tortoise's shell using an epoxy adhesive, and the animal took to the new device immediately, WSU officials said.
The tortoise is part of a larger group called sulcata tortoises that are popular as exotic pets in the United States. The largest such tortoise on record topped 232 pounds. The oldest known sulcata tortoise in captivity is 56 years old.
Daniel Tigers Neighborhood
Ten years after the last batch of new episodes of 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' aired, the popular children's series is getting a spin-off.
Announced at TCA, 'Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood' will be a multi-platform animated series aimed at pre-schoolers. The series follows the children of the original 'Mister Rogers' characters. The new 4-year-old Daniel Tiger is the son of the original 'Mister Rogers' Daniel Tiger. This is the first TV series The Fred Rogers Company has produced since 'Mister Rogers.'
"We're very excited to be creating a program that builds on Fred's legacy in such fresh and innovative ways," Bill Isler, president of the Fred Rogers Company, said in a statement. "Fred knew that school readiness skills are the foundation for academic achievement, and a full life, and now a growing body of research confirms this." Rogers died in 2003.
"Fred Rogers revolutionized children's media with 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood,' and 'Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood' continues on this path of innovation, helping the next generation of young children learn and grow in new ways," Lesli Rotenberg, senior vice president of children's media at PBS, said in a statement. "Joining the PBS Kids family of series that cover important curricular areas like literacy and science, 'Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood' fills a critical gap in children's media today: modeling the behaviors and habits that kids need in order to excel in formal learning settings -- essentially, learning how to learn. It's important for kids to learn pro-social skills like cooperation and listening, so that when they start school they are able to focus on the material at hand."
The new series launches fall 2012.
Granny FTW!
Someone just reposted this clip on YouTube and, boy, does it take us back. Remember when times were simpler; when you didn't know anything about debt ceilings or DMing, and the funniest thing in the world was hearing someone's granny say the word "condom"? Those were the days.
Spoiler alert: Mom goes out on her own and they totally steal the win. Way to respect your mother lady!
Dexter Season 6: Behind the Scenes
We've already seen the first trailer for Season 6 of Dexter, but now Showtime's released a behind-the-scenes video that gives us more insight into what's in store for the new season. The action will skip ahead a year, giving our fateful forensic expert/murderer/hero some time to heal from the losses of Rita and separation from Lumen.
The new season appears to be filled with religious overtones. Edward James Olmos plays a twisted religion professor who's recruited his student Colin Hanks to help him carry out divinely-justified murders. At the same time, Dexter is struggling with how to teach his son Harry about god, which as you might imagine, is a bit awkward for a sociopath who justifies killing with a code of his own.
"There are certain tenets and icons that we've set up throughout the series that were magical and that we never wanted to touch, but this year, we're going to poke them in the eye and do things that we've never done before," says Scott Buck, 'Dexter' writer/showrunner.
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Anne Hathaway as Catwoman
Having already introduced Tom Hardy as Bane to the world with that creepy over the shoulder shot back in May, Christopher Nolan and the team behind his third and final epic Batman film, "The Dark Knight Rises," have secretly revealed another first look at a new star.
Found in the official website, here is the first image of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, the alter-ego of the famous Catwoman. Hathaway, to say the least, looks much different than past Catwoman actresses, with the glasses, lack of any ears or mask and gigantic powerwheels motorbike setting her apart from Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry.
This is the latest release from the film, though the previous ones weren't exactly approved; paparazzi shots got clear images of the new Batmobile, as well as some epic fight scenes between the Dark Knight and Bane.
For more, check out the film's first teaser trailer.
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New NBC Shows
Can NBC get out of fourth place in the ratings with a retro drama about the Playboy Club, a police show based on a revered British series, a horror series inspired by fairy tales and three new comedies? Well, if one of them sticks, then the new head of NBC Entertainment Bob Greenblatt can start building on his plan to "develop more upscale shows." Let's hope that means more shows such as "Harry's Law" or "30 Rock" and fewer like "Minute to Win It." Greenblatt, a former Showtime programmer, faced a room full of TV columnists Monday to tout additions to the network's upcoming season.
He was introduced by Joel McHale of NBC's "Community," who joked that NBC's new "Playboy Club" basically is "Mad Men" with boobs. "NBC has a new strategy," he said. "We're going to wait for all the old people watching CBS and ABC to die. The new motto is: 'Just one more step and you'll be at the bottom of the stairs, Grandma.' " Greenblatt said the network is "working aggressively" to get out of fourth place. "We want to restore NBC to its leadership position in comedy," he said. But reality competitions remain on NBC's plate. "The Voice" is a hit and will premiere Feb. 5 after the Super Bowl on NBC. A two-hour "Voice" episode on Feb. 6 will lead into the premiere of "Smash," a musical drama about the making of a Broadway play about Marilyn Monroe (in what might be NBC's best new series). But "Smash" is months away, and the critics apparently are not wowed by the six new series coming to NBC in the fall.
Getting the most attention at the moment is "The Playboy Club," a drama set in the swinging Rat Pack days of the 1960s when Playboy Clubs where just getting started. Eddie Cibrian co-stars as a dapper ladies man and club key holder. He is having an affair with a blond bunny (Amber Heard). The large cast includes other bunnies with various problems. Greenblatt and the show's producers rejected suggestions from the critics that "Playboy Club" is like AMC's critically acclaimed '60s drama "Mad Men." They also defended the show after questions were raised about whether it might be sexist or just a sexy potboiler with attractive women in skimpy bunny outfits.
NBC also has an Americanized version of the popular British series "Prime Suspect." Maria Bello has the Helen Mirren role of a tough female detective battling a good old boy network.
NBC's comedy hopes are pinned on a new romantic comedy, "Whitney," that showcases the comedy and appeal of Whitney Cummings. "Free Agents" stars Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn as co-workers and potential lovers at a public relations agency; and "Up All Night" stars Christina Applegate and Will Arnett as yuppies struggling to adjust to being parents.
A dark horse for NBC could be "Grimm," an offbeat horror/fantasy drama about a detective fighting evil fairy tale characters causing trouble in the real world. Greenblatt also announced that Sean Hayes ("Will and Grace") will develop and star in a comedy for next season, Adam Levine (Maroon 5 frontman and "Voice" mentor) is producing a comedy series, Dick Wolf ("Law & Order") is working on a new drama about firefighters and Michael Bublé will have a holiday special on NBC.
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New Costumes and Covers for DC Comics Justice League
It may seem silly to some, but the issue of whether or not Wonder Woman will be wearing pants this September has been a hot topic amongst certain readers of DC Comics of late. After the Amazon Princess' costume was changed to include a more conservative outfit than her classic look last year, the character's uniform has been batted around message boards, and it look at first as those the core changes made by DC Co-Publisher Jim Lee would stay in place when the entire DC Universe line relaunches in September.
However, today DC revealed via their official blog The Source the final covers for "Justice League" #1 – the first comic of DC's "New 52" relaunch titles which ships at the end of this month. Aside from a final version of Lee's previously seen cover which now includes Green Lantern's missing power ring, the seven heroes spotlight includes a Wonder Woman much more in line with her classic bikini bottom-style shorts. See both Lee's cover and David Finch's penciled and colored take on the cast of "Justice League" below.
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