The new Transformers ride recently opened at Universal Hollywood Studios, and all I’ve got to say is TAKE ALL MY MONEY.
The upright, walking, talking Optimus and Bumblebee are all I need to relive the best moments of my childhood.
A Game of Waiting [Comic]
Oh you sweet summer child, what do you know of waiting? If you’ve read all of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books, you certainly know what waiting means. Sigh.
[Source: Virtual Shackles]
The Harry Potter Theme Played on Glasses Of Water [Video]
Funny: Gary Oldman Speaks out against Athletes as Actors
There are a few exceptions to this rule, but for the most part I just cannot stand it when a celebrity gets a movie role BECAUSE THEY ARE FAMOUS.
Yeah, I was going to find some pretty words to dance around that topic and find a better way of delivering the message because this is what I do. But I am going to let Gary Oldman – an actor – share exactly how I feel about seeing athletes in movie roles.
Of course I feel that the same thing can be said about musicians who try to be movie stars too. This is a general rule. Some entertainers have proven themselves outside their initial profession and can justify being hired as actors. And I don’t even mind when a small supporting role is given to a famous person where it works in their favor
Eminem did a great job playing a young upstart rapper from Detroit competing in the seedy club rap battles scene. I heard he spent years researching that role. But he hasn’t been in much else but his own music videos since. And there is likely a reason for it.
Michael Jordan [edited] did a fine job playing a Basketball player in Space Jam alongside animated characters of the Looney Tunes. But Shaquille O’Neal proved to be embarrassingly bad in the feature film Steel, based on a Superman offshoot character.
Exceptions that earned their right to call themselves actors? Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez, Mark Wahlberg and Cher.
If I paint a house, I still cannot call myself a painter. If I sing a song, I am not a musician. Yeah, everyone has to start somewhere, but just because an athlete is popular and good at being an athlete, it doesn’t mean they should get top billing in a movie.
They should earn it, just like real actors do.
Who are YOUR favourite non-actor celebrities that have proven themselves as actors?
Confidence: Is it really the key?
As geeks, growing up many of us were told that we needed to be more confident – that with confidence, you can achieve anything.
Well College Humor have designed a few amusing dares to truly challenge that notion.
[Via College Humor]
Ridiculously Awesome TMNT Leonardo Leg Tattoo [Pic]
[Tattoo Source: Chip Rutz Tattoos | Via OW]
A World With No Math [Video]
With a World with no math, Michael Boatman, Julie Bowen, Simon Helberg and John Oliver are looking to help launch a math education program in Bangladesh and Malawi.
LCD Sales Take a Tumble
Not only has the number of TVs shipped by manufacturers fallen, but LCD shipments have dropped for the first time. It’s raised questions about build quality, the lack of obsolescence, and the lack of interest in 3D technology.
During the first three months of this year, worldwide shipments of all televisions are estimated to have dropped to 51 million, down eight percent on the same period last year. That’s the biggest proportional decline since mid 2009.
The bigger story though comes with LCD screens, which now make up six out of every seven sales. Shipments of LCDs are down three percent to 43 million.
Most analysts quoted on the drop seem to believe it’s simply a case of market saturation. The theory is that virtually everyone who is going to change from an older model, particularly a bulky CRT set, to a flatscreen has already done so.
That means that for most people the only reason to buy a new set is to replace one that breaks. Ironically that’s where the television set industry harms itself as most sets tend to be well-made and last many years. Heck, from a personal perspective I’ve not even made it to high-definition (1080p) yet, simply because I can’t justify getting rid of a good quality plasma TV that’s still in perfect working order six years on, and 37″ is too big to relegate to the bedroom.
The move to HD seems to have been the last major inspiration for people to replace their sets early, in the same way as the first generation of flatscreens and, before them, color sets. At this stage it seems the prospect of 3D sets or internet-connected sets isn’t tantalizing enough to get people to spend again.
There also seems to be a global divide: as much as the market is saturated in wealthier countries, large-screen TVs are still too costly to be a viable upgrade in developing markets.
The pattern could also be bad news for those looking for a bargain buy. CNN notes that with retailers taking fewer sets into stock now, they are less likely to need to clear warehouses at traditional sale periods such as Black Friday and after Christmas.
Perhaps the best hope for TV manufacturers looking to increase sales would be to look at the smartphone market where people are much happier to replace working equipment more frequently. Maybe we’ll even see deals where customers get hefty discounts on the latest sets in return for signing up to a premium cable package, with an option to upgrade to a new television every couple of years.