Today, of all days, this seems like an appropriate video to post. Watch as this 1 year old just can’t seem to figure out why a magazine doesn’t work like an iPad.
Forget The Wookie Cookies
Because I know you all appreciate the little things in life as much as I do, I proudly give you this pair of photos retweeted by the official Star Wars Twitter account today.
Marvel’s ‘THE AVENGERS’ Teaser Trailer
I woke up early just to see this! Well actually, I had to get to work at a decent hour and skip traffic – BUT THIS WAS TOTALLY WORTH THE WAKE-UP CALL! Hit the jump to see the first official trailer for Marvel and Joss Whedon’s ‘The Avengers’!
http://www.movieweb.com/v/VI6M2qw9CjPF9d
Okay, seriously, does that not look like the most awesome thing you’ve ever seen!? No glimpses yet of the Skrulls or Kree in the trailer, but the opening couple of shots with Loki were pretty damn awesome. Looks like we’re going to see a couple of great dramatic moments between Captain America and a couple of the other Avengers. Thor vs Cap. Iron Man vs Cap, the guy just woke up after 70 years, give em a break.
Oh yeah, and the ending with Hulk!? HOw great is that?! Anyone who reads this site knows that I’m a huge Marvel fan, and knows that I’m so stoked for this flick… but this trailer has seriously blown me away!
Joss Whedon, I bow before you.
WHat do you think internets? Does the Avengers look like it will live up to the hype?
Steve Jobs Remembered
It’s taken me a bit to collect my thoughts to write this. We all knew the day was coming. Some thought sooner rather than later but the moment he felt the need to step down from running the company he brought back from the brink, we all knew it was coming. But it never meant we would be prepared for it.
Life is full of experiences – moments and situations that we go through from the moment we wake in the morning until the moment we go back to sleep at night. Most of these experiences are fleeting – so insignificant in the overall picture that they’re gone from memory mere seconds, minutes, hours after they’ve happened.
But then there are those that stick in your mind – that stay with you forever and you vividly recall when asked to recollect them.
I can’t tell you about the first time I went to Disneyland – one of my favorite places in the world to be. I can’t tell you about my first trip to Dodger Stadium – one of my other favorite places in the world to be. I can’t tell you about the first time I rode a bike or drove a car.
But I can tell you about the first time I saw an iPod.
My brother-in-law had bought one – being the biggest Apple geek I knew at the time. Somehow, I had been isolated from that world – I didn’t even know what it was when he brought it out to show it off. But instantly, I was hooked. A little box that can carry around all my music in my pocket? In the words of Zack Ryder, “Are you serious, bro?” It seemed too good to be true. It seemed like something out of a sci-fi story that they would use to tell us what the future would look like someday. And for a music fan like myself, it was a godsend.
I bought one not much later. I had to. It was a device that changed the way you lived your life. It sounds silly to say that, I know. But tell me I’m wrong. Tell me that the iPod did not change your life in some fashion even if it’s as seemingly insignificant as not carrying around cases of CDs in your car. Tell me I’m wrong and I’ll stop writing right now.
I’m waiting.
I can also tell you about the first time I walked into an Apple Store.
Our PC was dying. But unlike the words I hear on an every day basis now, we didn’t have an issue with that. We weren’t your typical switch story. We didn’t complain about viruses or ease of use or any of those things. We had a PC because… well, everyone else did.
We went to your usual array of electronic stores to try and find our replacement computer.
It was bad. Real bad. Salesmen with dreams of upselling. People speaking down to you because you wanted what was listed in the ad. Bait and switch left and right and just an utter apathy towards anyone who came within their sight. It was very, very bad.
But on a tip from the same relative, we visited an Apple Store – very new to the world at the time. We had no intention of buying one. We really didn’t. Who wanted this overpriced machine that wasn’t going to be compatible with anything?
After five minutes in the Store, we did. We wanted one badly.
The Store was… perfect. It felt welcoming, inviting, yet advanced beyond its years. The employees were knowledgable and helpful. They cared. They asked questions about why we were looking at a Mac and what we hoped to gain from a switch. The product almost felt insignificant (it wasn’t!) but as I would come to understand, it was the service… the support… the desire to help people that made this place unique.
This was a company we wanted to support. This was a company who understood the way the world should work. This was a company that wanted to change our lives… again.
And so it did.
And we’ve been two of the biggest Apple supporters you would ever find from that day forward. As I sit here writing on my MacBook Pro in a home filled with iPads, iPhones, iPods, Apple TVs, and even a lonely iPod sock or two, we have become part of that Cult of Apple you used to hear about so long ago before almost EVERYONE was drinking that same Apple-flavored Kool-Aid.
Steve Jobs was a revolutionary, an inspiration, and a hero to many throughout the world. He took the basic concepts of what people wanted – before they even knew they wanted it – and made them household items that the average person COULD afford with a little hard work and desire.
While driving home after hearing the news last night, I reflected on the amazing life this man had. He was the face of a company that was not supposed to succeed. He was the name that came to mind when you thought of it. But at the end of the day, he was a guy who encouraged the world to Think Different and to reach beyond themselves to achieve their dreams.
Think about this for a moment. Would the death of any other corporate personality have the rippling effect that you’ve seen and heard over the past several hours? Would any of us even notice if the head of Ford or Bank of America or Coca Cola died? Would we even know the names of those people if asked? Steve Jobs was a truly unique individual. The type of man who inspired loyalty – customer loyalty, employee loyalty, brand loyalty. He was the kind of person you could not help but be captivated by.
In President Obams’s statement about the death of Steve last night, he marveled that the biggest statement to Steve’s success and legacy was the sheer fact that many people around the world probably learned about his death from a device he created. I found out from my wife. She got an e-mail alert on her iPhone and told me on mine.
Steve Jobs will never be forgotten. Yes, the general public may move on but for those of us most impacted by his life – his words, his actions – we will not forget. Often times when the corporate and creative atmosphere at the Walt Disney Company is discussed, the phrase used most frequently is – What Would Walt Do?
What Would Steve Do?
A simple question that should be used to guide Apple into the future – at every level. I questioned last night if the company can have the type of creative drive and courage that it took for one man to Think Different and change everything time and time again.
What Would Steve Do?
It’s gotta be the question. It’s gotta be the credo.
At many times in your life, you will be asked what you would want on your tombstone. It’s a question asked to try and focus what’s important to you in your life. Is it a happy wife and family? Is it the leader of the free world? Is it a Hollywood career?
When paying tribute to perhaps the ultimate geek, it seems fitting to quote one piece of geekdom in describing what Steve Jobs would have on his tombstone. When Buffy The Vampire Slayer died (SPOILER ALERT!), her tombstone read – “She Saved The World A Lot.”
Steve’s should read, “He Changed The World A Lot.”
Steve Jobs enriched my life more than words can possibly say.
And in the end, I think that’s the thing he’d be proudest of.
Farewell, Steve. You will be missed.
Russell Crowe as Jor-El in ‘Man of Steel’
So I know that everyone is just dying to see this! With production fully underway, and costume leaks about a month ago, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before we saw more cast member costume leaks. Well you are in luck. We (finally?) have our first look at Russel Crowe as the father of Superman, Jor-El.
Hit the jump to take a look.
Well, not what I expected, and I’ll admit that this doesn’t look awful. It just looks… uninspired, and kind of bland. I guess I’ll wait for the trailer or the full film to really cast judgement. What do you think?
Marvel Fights Back
The comic book world is all abuzz with DC’s New 52 and that’s all you’ve heard anyone talk about for seemingly weeks. But don’t think for a second that Marvel is going down without one heck of a fight.
The House of Ideas recently dropped this teaser artwork on the masses.
Intriguing, right? The kind of simple yet bold statement that whets the appetites of comic book fans.
So, the Avengers are being targeted. By who? Why?
Marvel wasn’t happy with just teasing us this tiny bit so they dropped this one days later.
Awww yeah!
Cable is back, baby!
Not that I (as a lapsed comic reader) knew he was gone. But he’s apparently back and is “reborn” in Avengers: X-Sanction – an upcoming four issue limited series that will serve as a jumping point off for what’s to come in the Marvel ‘verse down the road. Or to use the term that the industry currently loves to use – “an easy offering point”
Need more of a reason to read it? Writer Jeph Loeb likens the story to The Terminator.
“This sparked an idea about what would you do if you found out something was going to happen to your daughter? In this case, Cable has spent his entire life raising Hope. But the last thing Hope saw was Cable sacrificing himself for her. So what’s the next step after that? Where does the story pick up from there, and what is Cable’s role in not only the X-Men, but Marvel in general?”
Sounds pretty awesome, right? Now I want to go back and read said “sacrifice.”
But if you’re still not convinced, here’s one more piece of amazing teaser art.
Inception, Star Trek, Fast Five Returning To IMAX
Now, THIS is a theater gimmick I can get behind.
As part of a promotion called IMAX Big Movie Week, selected AMC Theaters will be returning Inception, Star Trek, and Fast Five to IMAX screens. It’s a one week only deal between today and October 6th with tickets running $7 a ticket – a major deal for an IMAX showing.
The reason I can get behind this? I’m fully in support of returning movies to the theaters after their original run. There’s something uniquely special about seeing a movie on the big screen. No matter how awesome a setup you have at home, it can never truly match the cinematic experience. One of my favorite movie-going experiences of the past couple years was seeing Raiders on the big screen again. Recently, on the podcast, I commented that Lucasfilm missed some money in my opinion by not re-releasing the entire Star Wars saga on the big screen again before or after the Blu Ray release. I stand by that opinion and I think this news – coupled with the recent big success of the re-release “special engagement” of The Lion King - proves my point.
While I might not have a pressing desire to run out and see Inception and Fast Five again, I very well might want to go check out Star Trek on the IMAX screen again… especially for seven bucks.
Blanked By Zombies – Ep. 27 – It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
Join Chris & Matt as they discuss the fall of Netflix, the demise of R.E.M., the Star Wars Blu Ray set, the Avatar/Disney connection, and much, much more.
‘Avengers’ Images in Entertainment Weekly!
I can’t believe it! May has never felt so distant!
As we all know, May 2012 will give us Joss Whedon’s ‘The Avengers’ under the Disney/Marvel banner. We’ve seen a lot of behind the scenes images taken by bystanders and passerby’s, but we’ve seen very little in terms of official images. Thanks the Gods! (Asgardian or otherwise) Entertainment Weekly has some pretty sweet images of the cast and Whedon on set!
Hit the jump to see more.
Photoshoped Heads are the villains!
Aaron Sorkin’s Coming To HBO
Aaron Sorkin has a brand new drama about a fictional news network that is coming to HBO. The pilot’s been shot and a full season has been greenlit.
Let’s break this down into pros and cons.
PRO: I love Aaron Sorkin. I truly do. I think The West Wing is one of the greatest television shows of all time. I think Studio 60 was criminally underrated and had really started to find its niche when the plug was pulled on it. And from what I’ve seen of it Sports Night was equally awesome. So, anything that brings Aaron Sorkin back to television is great news, right?
CON: An Aaron Sorkin written show about the inner workings of a television show. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Not that I have any doubt that this will be outstanding but I might have liked to see him delve into a different subject matter. This just… puzzles me in a way.
PRO: HBO is probably a good place for Sorkin because they’re likely to be a little more patient to let the audience grow.
CON: I have to keep HBO. I was ready to drop it! I really was! I thought all I had to do was have it for three months a year to watch Game Of Thrones and damn, they suck me back in!
PRO: How awesome is it going to be to hear an uncensored Sorkin just tee off on the world of modern politics and television? I’m greatly looking forward to it.
CON: It means I have to have more people tell me to watch The Social Network. Still haven’t seen it!
