Following yesterday’s VOTW, I have some good news if you’re a huge gaming fan, you may have heard of the upcoming Star Wars MMO, or rather the next one. Entering a world which is completely unlike that of a Star Wars Galaxies, yet oh so familiar is Star Wars: The Old Republic, as with most MMOs, the title will be released for PC only, somehow continuing the desktop legacy, they never outgrow their usefulness, will they?

You have the chance to play as either the Galactic Republic or the Sith Empire, each assigned different abilities, unique classes with a relevant backstory who’s affected by the choices the player makes throughout the game. The classes are as follows; the Bounty Hunter, Sith Warrior, Imperial Agent, and Sith inquisitor for the Sith Empire, and the Trooper,Smuggler, Jedi Knight,and Jedi Consular for the Galactic Republic. Despite the fact that the player can be at the helm of their characters choices and the moral implications of such, the story will generally fit in to the overall story arc .Those who prefer even more background information will be glad to know of the nozelisation of the game written by Sean Williams called “Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance” and is scheduled for release on July 27, 2010.

In terms of gameplay, the player will be able to have complete control of their character including the choices they make, which will affectively permanently open or close storylines. The style of the MMO will seem familiar to fans of the Mass Effect series, with full voice dialogue and a benchmark in cinematic scene integration to enhance gameplay. It has been confirmed that the following planets will be accessible so far; Korriban, Ord Mantell, Nal Hutta, Tython, Coruscant, Balmorra, and Alderaan. Although players expecting to see protagonist from the films will be disappointed, as the events in The Old Republic are set somewhat 3,500 years before those on-screen, and some 300 years after Knights Of The Old Republic. The MMO essentially focuses on the re-emergence of the Sith Empire and it’s attempts of destroying the Galactic Republic, which from the rather amazing trailer below, seems successful at one point or another. It seems that the Sith Empire are at their peak and formidable at that. Now take a peek and enjoy. Watch in HD for most amazing shizz ever.

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In “Walk the Line,” June Carter refers to Johnny Cash’s voice as “Steady like a train, sharp like a razor.”

Amen, sister.  When I think of Johnny, without fail I’ll get an image in my head of an old steam train– big, black, strong & steady.  And of course that classic Cash chicka-boom rhythm sounds just like a trusty ol’ train a rollin’ round the bend, and right on time– so reliable, you could set your watch to it.  Yeah, Johnny Cash sang a lot about trains, prison and hard times– and we all know through his epic lyrics that the beauty of the train is that it represents the freedom of leaving the past behind.  All that crap that you just need to separate yourself from with miles and miles of railroad track and dust. A new start, a second chance.

There’s also something lonely and soulful about a train ride– staring out as the barren landscape goes drifting by.  It’s just you and that train.  It holds you there firmly, with nothin’ to distract you from who and what you’re leaving behind– as the soothing click of the rails beneath your feet reminds you that soon it’ll all be long gone.

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Well if they freed me from this prison,

If that railroad train was mine

I bet I’d move it on a little farther down the line

Far from Folsom prison, that’s where I want to stay

And I’d let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away…

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I’m gonna climb aboard and ride until I learn to smile

I’ll be knockin’ out the blues while I’m knockin’ out the miles

With my guitar beatin’ rhythm to the click-clack of the wheels

I’m gonna sing the blues ’cause that’s the way that I feel

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Conductor go and tell the man to shovel on the coal

It doesn’t seem as half as bad as long as I can roll

Give me another ticket and I’ll stay and ride with you

There’s nothin’ left to live for in the world we’re rollin’ through

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Back in 1974, Johnny Cash narrated and starred in Ridin’ the Rails: The Great American Train Story where Johnny talks about trains– their importance in American history, and his own personal, nostalgic love for ‘em.  Granted it’s the 70s, so you know that there’s a certain amount of hokiness to the production that you’ll have to bear– but for hardcore Johnny Cash fans it’s still a gem.

Johnny Cash singin’ City of New Orleans–

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Johnny Cash covering The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down–

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Johnny Cash and the workin’ hobos of the rails, singin’ Crystal Chandeliers and Burgundy–

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This is an out-of-the-blue ranting about one of my favourite books which was turned into one of my favourite movies (success story for adaptations!)

The book/movie I’m referring to is Children of Men, one of the smarter, slower, subtler of the Post-Apocalyptic genre of film/book. The main character, in fantastic noir style, is a reluctant but practical participant in the story which is set in an England after a severe decline in fertility, to the extent that the last child was born about eighteen years ago.

First things first, this is a damn fine setting for a story. This can create a great deal of damage to both the society and the small villages and towns that can no longer be maintained because of the aging population. But, it is certainly not the same sort of damage as in The Road, for example; there is still a society, there is still a government, there are still cars, cities, people to talk to safely, etc. So, the setting is grand, a great mix of decay and interesting conversation. Also, unlike something like Dawn of the Dead, there has been eighteen years for the population to reach this point, there is no scrambling for survival, etc. There is a quiet, depressed acceptance that the race will not survive more than fifty or sixty years.

Anyway, I won’t discuss the plot all that much since it’s the setting and the main character that interest me most. 

The film is truly gorgeous, certainly one that I wish I’d seen in the cinema. Everything is so bleak and grey, especially the scenes in some kind of detention centre/community which is basically a demolished town which has been fenced in to hold all the refugees. The action scenes are amazing, filmed with one, long shot that follows the characters through many different areas and situations without cutting. All of the background is amazing, even the graffiti is really great, crushing stuff like, “last one to die, turn off the light.”

The main character, played by Clive Owen in the film, is just the kind of emotionally scarred, morally confused, highly practical guy that I love in a protagonist. Add the growing sense of urgency and overwhelming chance of failure and you have one of my favourite kinds of stories.

Anyway, I don’t have anything important to say about all this other than: go and read Children of Men by P.D. James, then go and watch the film, directed by Alfonso Cuaron. 

‘They say, “Well, why do you think we can’t make babies anymore?” And he looks up at ‘em, he’s chewin’ on this great big wing and he says “I haven’t the faintest idea,” he said, “but this stork is quite tasty isn’t he?”‘

Your fertile protagonist,

TDE

Blast from the Past (1999) – 95/100 – Feel-good movie with one my favourite dance scenes of all time.

Some of my favourite actors in this movie:

Alicia Silverstone – One of my favourite actresses of all time, but I’m not sure if I could give up the swing sisters for her … hypothetically speaking.

Brendan Fraser – well-raised, swing gigolo!

One of my favourite dance scenes of all time — This scene made me yearn to learn how to dance:

Cinematography – 9/10
Story – 10/10
Pacing – 10/10
Action and Dialogue – 10/10
Impact – 9/10
Characters – 10/10
Originality – 10/10

Music – 9/10
Salsa/ Dance – 9/10
Makes you want to be a salsa gigolo – 9/10

Total – 95/100

From Yahoo.com:

NEW YORK, New York — Former “Family Ties” star Meredith Baxter has revealed she is gay.

Meredith, who starred as Michael J. Fox’s mother on the hit ’80s television show, confirmed the news to Matt Lauer on Wednesday’s “Today.”

I guess I wanted to… say that I’m a lesbian,” Meredith revealed on the NBC morning program. “It was a later-in-life recognition of that fact.”

Meredith, 62, has been living life as a lesbian for seven years and confirmed to Matt that she has been involved in a relationship for four years with contractor Nancy Locke. But it was only after becoming involved with another woman that Meredith realized why her three marriages to men didn’t work out.

I got involved with someone I never expected to get involved with and it was that kind of awakening and I never fought it because it was like, ‘Oh! I understand why I had the issues I had early in my life,’” Meredith said. “I had a great deal of difficulty connecting with men in relationships… Sometimes, I assumed I was a bad picker, which I was indeed, but I also was involved with people who made me think, ‘Oh, they’re the problem,’ because there were problems with the people I chose. It never occurred to me to think, ‘Oh, it’s me.’”

Meredith told Matt that sharing the news of her sexuality with her children, who range in age 25-42, was a lot easier than she expected.

The actress also revealed that her television family co-stars are aware she is gay.

“All my pals in ‘Family Ties’ know,” she said. “They all knew [when we had a reunion on 'Today' two years ago]. We all had dinners together and [TV husband], Michael Gross and his wife and Nancy and I go out, we’ve gone out many times. It’s all OK.”

Meredith said she and Nancy “live very out lives in Los Angeles” and the actress even went on a cruise with 1,200 lesbians not too long ago. But as for why she is speaking out now, Meredith said, in part, it was to share her story in her own words before a tabloid could put their spin on her life.

listen, mr. backseat driver, if you don't like me driving through explosions, you can get out whenever you want!

PG-13

Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard

Marcus: What is that?
Kyle: Two day old coyote.  …Better than three day old coyote.

Skynet has launched its attack on the humans and only isolated pockets of human resistance remain.  Their leader, John Connor (Bale), knows that he must find Kyle Reese, the man that he apparently will send back in time to help his own mother survive against the Terminator sent to kill her.  But, he’ll need the help of Marcus Wright (Worthington), a murderer who was subjected to bizarre experiments years before and is now as much machine as man.

I had certainly heard a lot of bad buzz about this movie back when it came out in theaters, so I was ready for the worst going in.  As it turns out, I was pleasantly surprised.  Not that it was all that good, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as most reviews would have me believe.  Sure some of the characters, especially John Connor, could have been more interesting, but Marcus’ story was compelling enough to make up for at least some of that.

The movie really does belong to Sam Worthington as Marcus.  His character goes through more of an arc than anybody, and even though I wouldn’t call it a stellar performance, Worthington shows a pretty decent range.  One thing that did bother me, though, was that they have Anton Yelchin, a decidedly annoying actor, playing the young Kyle Reese, a character I loved as a kid.  Yelchin is no Michael Biehn.

My first post in this blog, back before it was just movie reviews, included something about this movie.  I mentioned that the trailer seemed to indicate that it had a more serious tone than some other big action movies, like Transformers.  Now having watched it, I can see that I was right, thankfully.  While it does have some quick references to the earlier movies in the series (e.g. Bale delivering the “I’ll be back” line), it doesn’t stoop to the goofy levels that most big blockbusters do.  Of course, it does have plenty of things exploding, with little rest between action sequences.

I have to wonder if maybe the weak ending is what really left people with a bad taste in their mouth.  The actions by the humans and Skynet both seem a little uninspired and hard to buy.  The whole final 4th of the movie doesn’t feel like it was very well thought out.  I don’t want to say much more about it, but even though it’s executed well, it just doesn’t have much kick to it.  And it’s not particularly believable.

I’d say the movie, for the most part, delivers on what you go in hoping to see.  Robots, big and small, battling it out with humans for control of the world.  It’s just less bloody than you’d expect.  Why the PG-13?  First Die Hard, now Terminator.  What’s happening to all my childhood favorite super-violent movie series!?

Don’t underestimate the machines.

10 – 1.2 for an uninspiring ending – 1.5 for lacking in much character development – .6 for a couple dull, unimaginative action sequences that go on way too long = 6.7

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Steve Carell (Get Smart) returns in his Golden Globe®-winning role of “The World’s Greatest Boss,” Michael Scott, in Season Four of the hit comedy series The Office! This must-own four-disc set includes every irreverent episode from Season Four, including the five extended full TV-hour specials, plus hours of hilarious deleted scenes and bonus features! Rejoin Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) as they bring romance to the workplace, Dwight (Rainn Wilson) as he continues his quest to be Michael’s right-hand man, and newly deemed “Wunderkind” Ryan (B.J. Novak), who’s working to drag Dunder Mifflin into the digital age. Developed for American TV by Primetime Emmy® Award winner Greg Daniels (King of the Hill, The Simpsons), The Office is the intelligent and edgy Primetime Emmy® Award-winning series that critics are hailing as “the funniest show on TV” (Gavin Edwards, Rolling Stone). You’ll enjoy the inappropriate remarks, uncomfortable silences and petty behavior again and again! More info »

Last updated: December 2, 2009, 6:15 am

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From: http://www.chinadaily.com

The idea was simple: Set up a bar to attract gay men and then use it to distribute information on AIDS/HIV prevention.

The media loved the idea – but all the attention kept the gay men away.

“They (gay men) refused to show up at the opening for fear of media exposure and potential discrimination,” said Zhang Jianbo, the bar’s founder and a local AIDS doctor in Dali, Yunnan province.

The bar, partially funded by the Dali Health Bureau in collaboration with two local anti-AIDS NGOs that Zhang heads, was meant to facilitate outreach efforts targeting groups facing a high HIV risk, particularly gay men.

Its opening was set for yesterday, World AIDS Day.

Zhang said intense media attention surprised him a lot.

“Had I known it, I would not have told the media,” he said.

Though there are gay bars in major cities in China, which experts estimate has 30 million homosexuals, including 20 million gay men, the one in Dali was dubbed “China’s first government-funded bar for AIDS control” and instantly got widespread media coverage.

“It’s understandable,” said Luke Zhao, executive editor of Beijing-based Gay Spot magazine. “Factors like government endorsement and support, gay men, HIV/AIDS, naturally made the gay bar so attractive to the press and the general public,” he told China Daily yesterday.

“As a long-term medical worker in HIV/AIDS prevention and control, I know how hard it is for us to reach these groups to promote self-protection messages like safe sex,” Zhang said.

He managed to establish contacts with more than 1,500 local gay men.

“To sustain and build more of that, I thought of opening a bar for regular get-togethers with them,” Zhang said.

“We could teach them about HIV/AIDS and how to protect themselves from it,” he said.

Now no one knows what will happen to a bar with no visitors or even a name.

“But it is at least a good signal that the government is beginning to pay attention to gay people as a vulnerable group facing HIV/AIDS and their health,” Zhao said.

The HIV/AIDS prevalence among gay men averages 6 percent in the country and same-sex transmission accounted for about one-third of new HIV infections last year, official tallies showed.

Can you believe that 26 Zatoichi movies were made so far? Well now there is a female twist on the ongoing saga as pop idol Haruka Ayase is Ichi, the blind musician wandering the land looking for her father. But, an instinctive use of a lethal sword ability sucks her into a feud between the chief clan of a small inn town and the mountain toughs muscling in on their turf. I thought I was going to be all for an attractive girl to step up to refresh the Zatoichi franchise and then I saw this. The lead actress was a super weak representation of the series super bad sword slinger.

Ichi herself remains a somewhat more distant figure, and although she does develop somewhat on her quest to find the man who may or may not be her father, director Sori seems oddly less interested in her as a character. The movie swings from melodrama to earnest sadness, and while the audience can see the skeleton of a love story, there’s not a lot of passion to make it a great one. There is a strong emotional content and lots of brooding silences, profundities, and deep thoughts. Keep in mind, this is a samurai movie after all.

The production values were obviously high. There’s blood, lashings and lashings of it as our heroine wades through the bad guys using her special backhanded slicing technique. Visually, the film is gorgeous, with Sori making the very most out of the beautiful countryside and bleak snowy mountains. For my money, although it has its problems, Ichi is one of the better Japanese period set action films of recent years. A sequel is not an unwelcome proposition, but an older Ichi would make for a better tale.

Through the eyes that Ichi cannot see, we reach her soul and the true relief when she finally connects with others by finding love and friendship. We care about Ichi and not about the hackneyed feud between local village overlords and a marauding mountain. This aspect for me made the plot irrelevant which is a huge minus. Also on a somber note to end this review, anyone sniffing potential girl-power credentials in the set-up will be saddened to hear it’s the bumbling male cohort that ends up saving the day, with Ichi half slain at the mid-point. Mark me down for not caring too much.

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, Twilight, the red hot Vampire saga, and WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), the professional wrestling organization, were at the top of Yahoo (NSDQ:YHOO)!’s top 10 overall searched list for 2009.

Jackson’s top search ranking came after the singer’s untimely death in June.

Yahoo said Michael Jackson’s death broke many records on Yahoo! including the single most streamed event in Yahoo!’s history, with five million total streams.

Jackson also topped the list of the “Top 10 Celebrity Farewell Searches For 2009″ on Yahoo followed by Farrah Fawcett and Patrick Swayze and the “Top 10 Searched Music Artists For 2009″ on Yahoo followed by Britney Spears and Beyonce.

Spears — who has topped Yahoo!’s Top 10 Overall Searches for the past four years –dropped from the No. 1 position to No. 5 this year.

“We saw consumers escape to the Web hoping to pursue news and their guilty pleasures: vampires, political implosions, how to moonwalk — you name it, people went online to find it,” said Vera Chan, a Yahoo! Search trend analyst in a prepared statement. “And with economic uncertainty looming, people looked for ways to find stability by searching the Web for new jobs, unemployment benefits, and ways to save through old-fashioned coupon hunting.”

Yahoo! said the popularity of the “Twilight” franchise surged with with every “Twilight” book, DVD, and soundtrack release. Yahoo! attributed a good deal of the Twilight searches to the insatiable appetite of Twilight fans, known as “Twilighters,” for every bit of cast gossip.

The biggest surprise in the list of 2009 top searches may be WWE, the official website for professional wrestling. The WWE website includes news of the latest matches and WWE superstar profiles and videos.

Below is the official top ten Yahoo! list for overall searches:

1. Michael Jackson
2. Twilight
3. WWE
4. Megan Fox
5. Britney Spears
6. Naruto
7. American Idol
8. Kim Kardashian
9. NASCAR
10. Runescape

Special Thanks:  Pop Media Examiner.

Source.

The Godfather.

A classic. Even Ive seen it. Love the italy scenes.

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“I was totally into Julia before the whole Julia movie.”

Here’s how you can make an interesting movie with a bit of imagination and repeat process This guys made an effort and the result isn’t at all trash – no pun intended

Here’s what they say:

This is our first short film from almost five years ago. We made it in an effort to learn how to tell a story…we’ve always been a little embarrassed by the amateurish nature of it, but since it’s Christmas themed (and so many of you ask about it from time to time), we figured we’d go ahead and let you see it.

Complete the Rhett&Link Trifecta:
Subscribe on Youtube: http://tinyurl.com/4u7o7c
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/rhettmc and http://twitter.com/linklamont
Join the Kommunity: http://rhettandlinkommunity.com

Rob in slo-mo?  Yes, please!

This is yet another video from the LA press junket.

Wait!  Yes, I know, I knowwww!  We’ve seen this before, but it’s just another adorable video of Rob being silly.  So, why the heck not, right?

Enjoy!

Source.

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Links To Download [RS+HF] Gamer (2009) m-HD – 1008*544 – 350MB – scOrp Here

*********Always confirm the quality by checking the sample. *********

Workprint upgraded to m-HD on 22-11-2009 at 0630HRS GMT

IMDB Ratings : 6.0 / 10 | 7,119 votes | Top 250: # none

GAMER (2009)

300MB-UNiTED | m-HD | 350MB | scOrp

IMDB Ratings : 6.0 / 10 | 7,119 votes | Top 250: # none

Plot Outline:

Set in a future-world where humans can control other humans in mass-scale, multi-player online gaming environments, a star player (Butler) from a game called "Slayers" looks to regain his independence while taking down the game’s mastermind (Hall).

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Well just , Thanks Would Do

A cute Christmas gift turns out to be more trouble than imagined when some very important rules are broken.

Directed by – Joe Dante

Written by – Chris Columbus

Starring – Hoyt Axton, John Louie, Keye Luke, Don Steele, Scott Brady, Arnie Moore, Corey Feldman, Harry Carey Jr., Zach Galligan, Dick Miller, Phoebe Cates, Polly Holliday

After realizing that Gremlins is indeed a Christmas movie I knew that I had to watch it. My daughter was also all for it stating how she’d seen it every time she went to her cousin’s house. Apparently they only watch the parts involving Gizmo so she took off when Spike and the gang showed up. Man, how can you miss the best parts!

I remember watching this movie as a kid and it’s been years and years since I’ve seen it but I realized a few things. Gremlins is still an amazing movie and I still have a huge crush on Phoebe Cates! There was even a few parts that I had forgotten about, like Mrs. Deagle’s very fast trip up the stairs and out the window in her electric stair chair. Of course there’s the memorable bar scene, the theater scene with all the Gremlins (which I had also forgotten about) and the awesome final scene with the showdown between Spike and Billy.

When the old dude with the pipe tells you not to do something, that means don't do it!

Now this is the kind of comedy I can really enjoy, dark and twisted. Even the story of a father being trapped in a chimney and dying while pretending to be Santa has a sick humour to it in Gremlins. Too bad that Gremlins 2 went way over the top with its humour. Not to say that this film is just full of laughs, there’s some pretty good jump scares and some pretty gross parts as well. When the Gremlins hatch from their cocoons, which is eerily similar to the film that Billy and Gizmo were watching on TV the night before it all happens, it’s full of all manner of goop, gross and growls. When Billy’s Mom finds them in the kitchen and begins to make quite the meal out of a few of them there’s enough splatter to satisfy the horror hound in me. It’s the perfect blend of comedy and gore.

Here's what the kids were looking for, me, I prefer the green guys!

Of course, Gremlins didn’t warm my heart in quite the same way that A Christmas Story did but it will still become a welcome addition to my holiday viewing from now on. How I missed that this was really so much about Christmas is beyond me. A great classic film with perfect dark humour and a few slimy deaths to please everyone. How could you not love this one!

Under the mistletoe – Will

The mermaid water fountain from the movie, Splash, in Disney's Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida.

I found the water fountain from the 1984 movie, Splash, while wandering the backlot area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios on a beautiful December afternoon.  Anyone remember the scene this was in?