Worldwide ‘Love” Listening Event

In celebration of the LOVE album coming out thebeatles.com is having a worldwide listening event to allow everyone a chance to hear the whole album online.
To take part, login using your e-mail address and add your LOVE “pin” to the map, enabling you to view all the other people who have listened to the album around the world. There is also an exclusive film featuring interviews with Paul, Ringo, Yoko Ono
Lennon, Olivia Harrison and Sir George Martin about how the tracks were reworked by the producer and son Giles Martin for the Cirque de Soleil production in Las Vegas.

Source

This seems unbelievable at first, but it seems two candles can be used to control the Infrared’s movement via the Wiimote.

Light two candles and spaced them apart approximately seven inches (the same width as the sensor bar) and the naked flames emitted by the candles is bright enough for the Wiimote to detect movement and position!

Here’s a video proof from YouTube:
[youtube]_1vQFchFr_Q[/youtube]

Metal Gear Solid creator, Hideo Kojima, admits the lack of a rumble feature on the new PlayStation 3 joypad has reduced the experience of enjoying the new adventures of Solid Snake.

Kojima reveals this in the latest edition of The Official PlayStation UK Magazine when talking about his upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

A few details about MGS4 to set the scene: Not only it takes place somewhere in the Middle East (as seen in the many trailers), but also South America and Eastern Europe.

It will turn the genre of FPS (First Person Shooter) on its head… (A new gameplay element?)

He explains further just how this instalment will be different to unlike any other Metal Gears: “To use a funny analogy – in the past, the MGS series was like a bank robber trying to rob a bank at night; so there are guards, cameras etc. And when you get spotted you’re instantly known as the robber. But in this game, you’re going into the bank at midday. You might just be a customer going in to make a deposit, but you still have to sneak in to accomplish your mission. So you’re trying to deceive. You’re on camera, so if you do weird things you’ll be spotted as the robber, but if you don’t you won’t.”

In addition, those giant robotic cyborgs (named GEKKOs) aren’t necessarily only after Solid Snake. In some situations, they’re the enemy, and in others, they are cohorts. The game is “finally out of the research stage” and looking at a late 2007 (probably early 2008) PlayStation 3 release. But, what about the SIXAXIS controls?

“We can’t say how we’ll use the motion-sensing functionality specifically but we’ll use it for sure. The controls in MGS3 got a little complex, so you’ll have a little more direct control in MGS4. That said, I miss the rumble, and even now I hope it will come back.”

I agree Hideo. I love the bit in the first Metal Gear Solid when Psycho Mantis had the ability to control your joypad (and activates the controller’s rumble feature) with the power of his mind…

Read the full interview here

The Prestige
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson and David Bowie
Duration: 128 minutes
Year: 2006

After the success of rebooting the Batman franchise last year with Batman Begins, director Christopher Nolan has teamed up with his two finest actors from that comic book adaptation – Christian Bale and Sir Michael Caine – alongside the talented Hugh Jackman and the beautiful Scarlett Johansson, with a fascinating story regarding two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy.

Similar to Nolan’s previous work with Memento, the narrative of The Prestige jumps across various points in the story, much like a magic act in itself.

The plot revolves around two central characters, Rupert Angier and Alfred Borden (Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, respectively), who start a friendship that eventually turn into rivalry after Rupert’s wife is killed in a magic trick that went wrong. After that, the two start trying to discover each other’s secrets. It all changes when Alfred discovers the ultimate trick: the Transported Man, a magic act that will make Rupert lose his mind in order to decipher it.

With this thought-provoking story that requires actors with a great deal of emotive range, Nolan has assembled what could be described as a dream team. Both Bale and Jackman suit their respective roles perfectly, and pitting these two performers against each other was a stroke of casting genius. As usual, Sir Michael Caine provided a memorising screen presence as Cutter, the inventor who designed the tricks.

But probably the most surprising performance comes from David Bowie (yes really!) whose unforgettable turn as the Russian physicist Nikola Tesla absolutely shines.

The genre of The Prestige is quite tricky to categorise… It walks between a fine line with elements of mystery, drama, suspense and fantasy. In that, the story becomes a never-ending stream of wonder for the mind: one can never tell exactly where the story is going to lead next, becoming more and more as time goes on. This gives Christopher Nolan ample opportunity to play with the movie-going audience. And play he does. With narration by several characters, each adding their own viewpoint to the events, and with a direction that moves between time to mystify and distract, the end result is a climax that itself is a series of puzzles that each unravel beautifully.

In the end, The Prestige is a fantastic display of what can be accomplished when you bring together superior talent. Not only is this the best magic show you will see, but perhaps the best film of the year.

Based on the popular Nintendo game, Animal Crossing: The Movie, will feature Tom Nook and co heading to the big screens in Japan’s movie theatres.

Doubutsu no Mori: The Movie will be showing in cinemas across the nation as of December 16th. Tickets are already on sale at our local convenience store run by that Racoon…

See the three TV trailers here:

Doubutsu no Mori: The Movie - Japanese TV commercial 1
Doubutsu no Mori: The Movie - Japanese TV commercial 2
Doubutsu no Mori: The Movie - Japanese TV commercial 3

Naruto fans rejoice! The latest issue of Shonen Jump confirms that the anime series will finally return to the manga storyline in Spring next year!!!

For those who don’t know, the manga series of Naruto reached chapter 238 and then retold Kakashi’s past before taking the action on three years where an older and stronger Naruto returns from intensive training with Jiraiya. At the same point in the anime (episode 136) the story stopped following the manga and began a saga of 75 (and counting) episodes of original story arcs. There have been a couple of ok story arcs in this time, but all the filler episodes are woeful compared to the early series and the manga.

But finally the filler is coming to an end, and fans can look forward to some quality storylines once more! I for one can’t wait to see the coming fights against Akatsuki in animated form, although considering Spring doesn’t officially start till March there’s still time for the series to sink to new lows beforehand…

We all know that the Wiimote can cause damage if used incorrectly and indeed the wrist strap exists for a reason. However if you add sweaty palms and a ridiculous amount of energy to take a swing in Wii Tennis (or any of the games) something is bound to happen. Check out the video below to watch just that…

[youtube]RkdihGX7iWM[/youtube]

Just to note, adding any sort of power in your serve in Wii Tennis results in no extra speed at all, the same goes for the groundstrokes to some degree. For a powerful serve its all based on timing and a flick of the wrist than a full tennis serve in real life. Let that be a warning to you all…

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced the price range for the original PlayStation titles being made available for PlayStation Portable (PSP).

The first batch of original PlayStation games will go on sale for between US Dollars $5.99 and $10.99. Weighing in at between 140 and 550 megabytes, they must be downloaded to a PlayStation 3 hard drive and can then be transferred to Memory Stick Duo.

The first titles will be available through the PlayStation Store “in the coming weeks”, according to an official statement, and “additional first and third party games will be added on an ongoing basis”.

SCEA has yet to confirm which games will hit the online store first. However, ten games - including Resident Evil: Director’s Cut, Tekken 2 and Arc the Lad - are due to go on sale through Sony Japan’s online store from now.

Sony has also released system update version 3.0 in Japan and North America, which includes PlayStation Network support and a Remote Play feature - enabling PSP owners to wirelessly stream media from the 60 gigabytes PlayStation 3. Users will eventually be able to use Remote Play via Wi-Fi hotspots.

The update also includes software for the PSP camera, music player enhancements; RSS feed updates and the option to prevent the automatic boot-up of games when the PSP is switched on.

Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction director Quentin Tarantino is set to appear in a Japanese western directed by his friend Takashi Miike.

The cult filmmaker will make a cameo in the forthcoming Sukiyaki Western: Djangom according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Set in 12th-century Japan, this self-styled spaghetti western will feature an all English-speaking cast, which includes Memoirs Of A Geisha’s Kaori Momoi.

In 2005, Miike took a brief cameo in Hostel - executive produced by Tarantino. Q.T is poised to return the favour.

Miike is known for his ultra-violent films and his 2002 gangster movie, Ichi the Killer, had several scenes cut before it could be shown in the UK.

The English-language Sukiyaki Western: Django has been dubbed the first “sushi western”.

“To make a western like this has long been a dream for Miike,” said producer Masao Osaki.

“His father was a huge fan of spaghetti westerns and he always wanted to make his own, so now it is his turn.”

The film began shooting this week, and Tarantino is scheduled to visit Japan later this month to film his scenes - although producers only describe him as “a mystery man”.

Like Miike, Tarantino has often been criticised for the graphic violence in his films.

He came to international attention with his self-penned debut, Reservoir Dogs, in 1992 and won the Palme D’Or for his next film, Pulp Fiction, in 1994.

His most recent movie, the martial arts epic Kill Bill, was released in two parts to avoid having to cut scenes.

Tarantino’s next project is the hour-long feature Death Proof, which will be released together with a zombie film, Planet Terror, directed by his friend and frequent collaborator Robert Rodriguez (who directed Sin City).

Collectively known as Grind House, the two films are due for release in 2007.

Nintendo has announced that sales for the handheld system, the Nintendo DS, have reached the seven million mark in Europe alone. Several key games for the dual-screen portable also have enjoyed strong sales, including Nintendogs (with four million copies sold) and Mario Kart DS (1.5 million). Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training, Animal Crossing: Wild World, New Super Mario Brothers, and Super Mario 64 have all topped one million in Europe, as well.

“We are delighted by the success of the Nintendo DS and DS Lite and especially pleased to see that we have exceeded the one million mark with games that appeal to both non-gamers and traditional gamers,” said Laurent Fischer, Nintendo’s European marketing director, in a statement. “Nintendo is proud of its role in expanding the gaming market and we hope to continue this success with the launch of Wii in Europe in December.”

The DS remains everyone’s favourite handheld console over Sony’s troubled PlayStation Portable. Can Nintendo do the same with the Wii in Europe next month?