Paris Hilton Brings In The New Year in Las Vegas

       Las Vegas - After the release of her first music album "Paris," in 2006,  sources close to Paris say, Paris will release a dance album soon.  Paris Hilton recently released, or 'dropped',  a track (song) with Lil Wayne called "Good Time," and she appeared in a Rich Gang music video.  As Paris Hilton finishes her second album, she is keeping her music skills up by being a disc jockey (dj).  Paris has disc jockeyed in some of the planets most exclusive clubs, ranging from Hong Kong to Dubai.  Paris will dj a party at the Hotel Bellagio's Hyde Club on New Years Eve.  See also, www.bellagio.com.

Unprogrammed Bruce Springsteen Album Preview

        Rumson, New Jersey - The title track, "High Hopes" has been available on Amazon.com since November 25, 2013.  Fans got a preview on December 28, 2013, when a programming problem allowed individual songs from the album to appear, in MP3 form, on the download section of Amazon.com.  The entire album, totaling 56-minutes of music is due out January 14, 2014 on Amazon.com.  See full story, www.nytimes.com. 

Motion Pictures Come In Ahead of 2012

      Hollywood - The major studios in Hollywood slightly increased their profit over 2012, however it was enough to put them in the record books as 2013 being the highest grossing year of all time.  "Iron Man 3" (Disney's Marvel division) was the top-grossing film of the year, coming in ahead of  "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (Lionsgate) and "Despicable Me 2" (Lionsgate).  Higher ticket prices are attributable to this increase in revenue as are Imax and 3D theatres.  See also, www.hollywoodreporter.com.    

Madonna No Virgin To Profitability For Her Purse

       Hollywood - Known as the Queen of merchandising, some of Madonna's products that are currently on store shelves are her Truth or Dare perfume, a Smirnoff Vodka, her clothing line (called Material Girl), television and dvd rights, and investments that stars at her level are able to make.  Madonna also helped herself to a successful world tour for her most recent album-release, entitled "MDNA."  These endeavours helped push the original material girl's earnings to $125 million for the most recent year.  See also, www.concert.livenation.com.

24 Hour Music Video

      Hollywood - "24 Hours of Happiness" is an upbeat, rollicking, venture through Los Angeles.  The projects directors, Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, are a French duo that call themselves, We Are From L.A.  They say they didn't expect audiences to watch the whole thing consecutively, "Even us, we didn't watch the 24 hours in a row," although some people have done it.  The video was shot guerilla style, with no streets blocked off and spectators sometimes wandered through a scene, or just stood and watched.  If you don't want to watch the whole video at one time you can scroll around a 24 hour clock to speed things up.  See full story, www.nytimes.com.   

K-Pop Trys Elaborate Musicals

      Seoul - The popularity of Korean Pop Music (K-Pop) is prompting the production of musical theatre in Seoul, Korea.  Productions like "Grease," "Bonnie and Clyde," "Guys and Dolls," among others, are currently in running in Seoul.  K-Pop music has become one of Korea's most profitable exports, propelling the so-called Korean Wave of culture through the Orient, thanks largely to the viral video "Gangnam Style," by the singer Psy.  The ultimate goal is to take tours to China and Japan.  See full story, www.nytimes.com.

Britney Spears Opens at Planet Hollywood

         Las Vegas - Friday, December 27, 2013, Britney Spears opened her two-year Las Vegas stay at Planet Hollywood.  The show includes 24 songs, an elaborate and huge stage set, 14 dancers, and two choreographers.  The 7,000 seat theatre, called Axis, is located within Planet Hollywood and is the largest indoor theatre in North America.  See also, www.planethollywoodresort.com.

Score One For The NSA Being Able To Listen To Threatening Telephone Calls

            Washington, D.C. - Friday, December 27, 2013, United States District Judge William Pauley found no evidence the government had used bulk telephone data (that collects information about telephone calls) for any reason other than to investigate and disrupt terrorist attacks.  According to a news wire,  U.S. District Judge William Pauley ruled 11 days after U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, in Washington, D.C., said the futuristic program that collects data from telephone calls, amounted to an "indiscriminate and arbitrary invasion."  Stephen Vladeck, an American University law professor who specializes in national security, said if federal appeals courts in New York or Washington, D.C. accept District Judge Leon's analysis, "then it seems likely, if not certain, that this case, will get to the Supreme Court by the end of the year."  While acknowledging the program "vacuums up information about virtually every telephone call to, from, or within the United States",  Judge Pauley said, it's constitutionality "is ultimately a question of reasonableness."  Pauley said the public interest tilted "firmly" toward the government, for which combatting terrorism "is an urgent objective of the highest order."  See also, www.popularmechanics.com.

Mobile Game Developers Battle For Christmas Dollars

       Silicon Valley - Spending on delivering mobile games to as many Christmas gift devices as possible, peaks globally during the holidays.  The emergence of a handful of dominant players has driven up costs per install (CPI), the cost the developer pays to let the gamer download the game.  Those companies with deeper pockets are focusing on brand building, making their product known.  Some companies like, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Tap Lab, focus on holiday-themed content.  While, still others, such as Glu Mobile, are turning to new platforms.  A platform runs under the computers operating system and allows application (app) programs to run.  The costs of getting games in front of players is outpacing the ability of the mobile gaming market to keep them affordable for consumers, and profitable for the companies that develop these products.  The costs to acquire users will likely surpass any revenue earned over the holiday season.  This year, during the Christmas season, the CPI "will be about 4 bucks on average and that's twice of what the games will actually make", says Misha Lyalin CEO of mobile game company Zepto Lab.  Costs for the developers should stabilize after the Christmas holidays.  Sell also, www.onlinegaming.com.

New News Corporation Acquires Storyful

     Dublin - On Friday, December 20, 2013, News Corporation acquired social news tool, Storyful, for $25 million.  This is the first acquisition by News Corp since it separated from its cable, TV, and movie companies, now known as 21st Century Fox.  Social media tools monitor keywords, giving you a list of anybody who mentions a topic.  Social media tools also, monitor how often web surfers visit a given website.  Founded in 2008 and based in Dublin, Ireland, Storyful verifies and manages the rights of holders of news and videos on social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, and Storyful does it in real-time.  News Corporation says, it can extend  Storyful's tool to advertisers and marketers so they can verify social chatter around a brand campaign.  See also, www.newscorp.com. 

Britney Spears - Billie Jean (Demo Full song) - new album

Britney Spears Quits Music

        Las Vegas - Britney Spears said, in a recent interview with the British Broadcasting Company, that after her new album "Billie Jean" is released she will take a break from music.  That is, after she does a two year stay at Planet Hollywood that begins December 27, 2013. Britney will earn $15 million dollars per year.  See also, www.planethollywoodresort.com.

Reality TV Star Khloe Kardashian Files For Divorce

       Hollywood - In recent episodes of  "Keeping Up With the Kardashians,"  Lamar Odom hasn't been featured on the show.  The two were married in 2009 following a brief engagement.  Since leaving the Dallas Mavericks and being featured on a short-lived reality TV series called, "Khloe and Lamar," Lamar Odom has led somewhat of a rock-star lifestyle.  Odom, who has previously won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, plead no contest on Monday December 9th, to misdemeanor drunk driving.  Khloe Kardashian is best known for starring with her sisters Kim Kardashian (married to Kanye West) and Kourtney Kardashian, along with their mother, Kris Jenner on the long-running TV series "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."  See also, www.vanityfair.com.

One Small Step For China

      Beijing - China's military-backed space program has made steady, slow progress. The Communist Chinese space program still lags far behind the United States and Communist Russia, in technology and experience. Chang'e 3, named after a mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, blasted off from southwest China on December 2nd, and landed on the moon on, December 14th. The event, which was partially shown on state-run China Central television, was the world's first soft-landing of a space probe on the moon in nearly four decades. Because the moon has no atmosphere you can't use parachutes. Landing on the moon requires rockets for the descent, and you have to go down at the right angle and rate of descent. See also, www.aviationweek.com.        

WE OWN IT - Wiz Khalifa ft 2 Chainz (Fast & Furious Mashup) | 2013 Offic...

Fast & Furious 6 soundtrack 2 Chainz - We Own It ft. Wiz Khalifa

Universal Pictures Official Tribute to Paul Walker (HD)

Huaming Township Little Better Than Villages

     Huaming, China - A township in China is larger than a village but below a county in size.  Huaming Township was chosen to be a demonstration for successful, planned urbanization.  A combination of what were previously 12 villages, most of Huaming's residents, are only qualified to be farmers.  Video games are a popular past time for young people, many of whom are not employed.  The quality of materials is poor and new homes have cracked walls, leaking windows, and elevators with rusted floors.   See ful story, www.nytimes.com. 

Maria Bartiromo Leaving CNBC

     New York - Two time Emmy Award winner, and author, Maria Bartiromo could soon be seen on Fox.  CNBC President and Chief Executive Mark Hoffman announced Bartiromo's departure in a memo to employees.  The CNBC President said the network will use various anchors, on an interim basis, before it finds permanent replacements.  Bartiromo joined CNBC in 1993 and became the first journalist to report daily from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.  Bartiromo was the anchor of CNBC's "Closing Bell," which aired for two hours during the week, according to a news wire.  Maria Bartiromo also hosted a half-hour show  on Sunday, called "On The Money."  See also, www.businessweek.com. 

Some Loops Not in The Loop

     Washington, D.C. - They are called loops because of their circular shape.  Loops are intended to relay daily traffic information and long-term maintenance needs of some of the nations most heavily traveled roadways.  As of November 2013 9,000 loops are not in service.  Information from loops relays the estimated travel times posted on freeway message boards.  A circular cut in a lane means a loop is probably embedded in the lane and is watching traffic.  On surface streets the maintenance costs are in the hundreds.  On freeways the costs rocket to the thousands of dollars.  Loops can last decades when properly installed.  Construction mishaps that cut the loop, copper wire thieves, and old age can cause outages that delay the real-time traffic maps, that are useful to the public.  See also, www.roadandtrack.com.

Communicating by Train

     Sacramento - A California County Superior Court Judge has blocked the sale of bonds to build California's high-speed train.  At the time he did this he also rejected the states plan for funding the rail project.  This could delay the plan by months,  or even years.See also, www.popularmechanics.com.

Apple Aquires Movement Sensor Company

     Tel Aviv - Apple Inc., moved up to $521.55 in pre-market trading on news that Apple has acquired a company called PrimeSense.  PrimeSense was founded in 2005 and makes chips that are used in three-dimensional sensing products.  It is similar to that of the technology used in Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4 (when you buy the $60 camera accessory).  The technology allows gamer's to use their bodies to control the movements of onscreen characters.  PrimeSense is based in Israel.  See also, www.freeonlinegames.com.

828,000 Mph Ice and Dust Cloud

     Cape Canaveral - Among the paparazzi chasing Comet ISON are ultraviolet telescopes, ground observatories, amateur astronomers, and professional astrophotographers.  ISON, which stands for International Scientific Optical Network, is named after the machinery a pair of Russian astronomers used to detect the comet September 2012. The comet will venture past earth at 40 million miles, but if it survives its journey around the sun, will be visible with the naked eye for up to 30 days.  "Every spacecraft that has a camera, we're turning on it," said John Grunsfeld, a NASA science mission director.  The newly launched Maven spacecraft, en route to Mars, will look at ISON once its ultraviolet instrument is up and running.  The closer the comet gets to the sun, the faster it gets.  In January it was clocked at 40,000 mph, four days ago it was at 150,000 mph, and when ISON slingshots around the sun, it will be speeding at 828,000 mph. See also, www.aviationweek.com.

Sony Increases Interest in Television

     Culver City - Sony recently reported numbers for its entertainment division, boosting its stock by 0.6 percent to $18.64 per share on the New York Stock Exchange.  Sony reported a sizeable operating  loss the previous quarter, ending September 30.  Sony had a mixed year at the box office, with hits like "Grown Ups 2" and "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2."  Sony also had flops like "White House Down".     Studio chief Amy Pascal said the studio will reduce the number of films it makes, as it makes a shift from motion pictures to higer margin television production and to operating TV channels.  www.sony.com.  

Smart Phones Becoming More Common

     Stockholm - Smart phones currently make up some 55 percent of all cell phones sold today.  According to the world's largest maker of telecommunication networks, Sweden's Ericsson AB, smart phone traffic will hit 10 billion gigabytes by 2019, with videos representing some 50 percent of all data traffic.  Ericsson AB says, service providers will increase high-speed networks to deal with the surge in smart phones.  Total smart phones will account for approximately 5.6 billion world-wide by 2019, that will be 60% of all cell phones sold.   See also, www.ericsson.com.  

Online Gambling On The Rise

     Atlantic City - Hours before a five-day test period is scheduled to begin.  A New Jersey state lawmaker unveiled a proposal to lure foreign online gambling companies to New Jersey, possible making online gambling a world-wide enterprise.  The five-day test period starts at 6:00 p.m. Thursday, November 21.  The trial run will test sophisticated software, that is designed to ensure all gamblers are New Jersey residents and are over the age of 21.  If all goes well, online gambling will be available to gamblers in New Jersey, starting Tuesday, November 26.  The only other states to offer online gambling are Nevada and Delaware.  Online gambling will be the biggest expansion of gambling in New Jersey since casino gambling began in New Jersey in 1978.  "With the dawn of Internet gaming, we are on the cusp of perhaps the biggest change -and challenge- since the first casino opened here," Alisa Cooper, a commissioner with the New Jersey Casino Control Commission said.  See also,  www.onlinegambling.com.     

New Port Might Breathe Some Economic Life To Island Nation's Economy

        Cuba - The town is best known as the launch port for a mass exodus to the United States in 1980. Today the city is being transformed into a huge, modern, $900 million port and special commercial zone.  The island nation's Communist authorities expect Mariel to become a center for foreign investment.  Plans to overhaul the Port of Mariel, Cuba began in 2009 when officials determined the country's main harbor in Havana is too shallow for bigger, deeper-draft vessels, those larger than 75,000 tons.  Starting in 2015 these larger ships will begin crossing through an expanded Panama Canal.  The ability of Mariel to take in deeper-draft ships will let Cuba keep pace with global shipping innovations and accommodate more cargo.  Authorities hope to attract foreign firms to invest,  and set up shop, in industries such as food, biotech, renewable energy, packaging, and telecommunications.  See also, www.economist.com.    

Curiosity Not So Curious

     Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Pasadena - Curiosity probably has an electrical problem.  Curiosity has spent the previous several months driving toward its ultimate destination, Mount Sharp.  Nasa restarted the rover's computer system earlier this month, but that is not suspected to be related to the current problem.  Curiosity is now in a scheduled safe-mode.  The six-wheel, nuclear powered rover halted work as a precaution.  Nasa said, a voltage change was first discovered on Sunday, November 17.  Engineers think it might be some kind of short circuit.  See also, www.aviationweek.com.

Xbox One-vs-PlayStation4

     New York - They are both two versatile powerful machines that will be able to give inventive and high definition games for a long time to come.  According to a tech reporter, the images in the Microsoft Xbox One he tried were equal to that of the ones in the Sony PlayStation4 (PS4).  The games are both detailed and realistic.  Microsoft wants you to think of the Xbox One as more than a game machine.  You can use it to watch movies on Netflix and Hulu Plus.  You can hook it up to your cable box to watch live television.  You can Skype and you can store data using the SkyDrive storage device.  But, if you only have video games in mind the Xbox One has a library of 22 titles, all sold separately.  These titles all look as good as the ones on PS4, which came out in the second week of November 2013.  The most significant distinction between the two gaming systems is the re-engineered Kinect camera that is packaged with every Xbox.  On the PS4, a similar camera sells as a $60 accessory.  Both the Xbox One and the PS4 are state-of-the-art game machines.  For some the difference will come down to price.  At $500 the Xbox One costs $100 more than the PS4.  If you get the camera with the PS4 costs only $40 less.  See also, www.gamespot.com.

"Cops" New Home Is Spike TV

     Hollywood - Spike wanted to increase viewers by adding more female and older viewers.  With "Cops" and other series', including "Bar Rescue", Spike saw  26 percent year-to-year growth in year-to-year third-quarter prime-time viewership among adults 18 to 49.  It was the biggest audience increase since 2009, Spike said.  The tone of  "Cops" has changed somewhat since leaving federally restricted broadcast television, creator John Langley says, Spike is more liberal about language and nudity.  "Cops" bread-and-butter is videotaping law enforcement officers from around the country, as they respond to whatever the day or night brings.  See also, www.spike.com.

Eminem's Childhood Home Torn down

     Detroit - Workers are expected to finish removing the debris from the lot where the house that was Eminem's (Marshall Mathers) childhood home.  The Michigan Land Bank, a state agency that owns the property, says the home was "structurally unsafe," after a fire earlier this month damaged portions of the home.  The boarded-up bungalow is featured on the cover of the rapper's recently released "The Marshall Mathers LP2," and on his 2000 album "The Marshall Mathers LP."  A local website reports a crew took down the house Wednesday, November 20.  See also, www.marshallmathers.com.

Jennifer Lawrence Plots Path For After "Hunger Games: Catching Fire"

     Hollywood - Jennifer Lawrence will soon go behind the camera as producer of the  adaptation of Jeanette  Walls' 2005 best-selling memoir, "The Glass Castle."  "I don't know if I'll be any good", Lawrence said, "but I'm trying it."  "Hunger Games:  Catching Fire" opens Friday, November 22.  December 18, Jennifer Lawrence will appear on the big screen again in "American Hustle," a 1970's corruption tale, that also stars, Robert De Niro and Christian Bale.  Next, will be appearances in the marvel comic "X-Men:  Days of Future Past" and, in the comedy "Dumer and Dumer To."  After winning the best actress Academy Award for last year's "Silver Linings Playbook," she says she feels "very satisfied" but that she's yet to reach her professional sweet spot.  See also, www.thehungergamesexplorer.com.

Fans Camp Out For Catching Fire Premiere

     Hollywood - "The Hunger Games:  Catching Fire" opens Friday, November 22.  "Hunger Games:  Catching Fire" fans were able to participate in contests (such as scavenger hunts), collect autographs, from cast members, and receive tickets to the movie's premiere, as they participated in a two-and-a-half-day campout, that led up to the premier of the "Hunger Games:  Catching Fire."  700 fans won tickets to the weekend camp.  The tickets were awarded via online lottery.  Fans brought their own hand-made posters, carried copies of the book, or purchased souveigneers for stars that made an appearance at the camp to sign.  Josh Hutcherson was among the stars who signed memorabilia for the 700 fans of the popular book trilogy.  The event took place at the Los Angeles Live Plaza.  See also,  www.thehungergamesexplorer.com.

"Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark"

     New York - The show may not have made a profit, but it left behind one box office milestone, in January 2012 the comic book musical took in $2,941,790 over nine performances, which is the highest single-week gross of any show in Broadway history.  "Spider-Man:  Turn Off The Dark" grossed more than $200 million, making it the 16th-largest grosssing show in Broadway history.  Producers say the show needs to make $1.2 million a week to break-even.  The show last reached $1 million for one week in mid-August.  And, last week the show took in just $742,595.  Words of a new home for "Spider-Man:  Turn Off The Dark" have swirled for months and reportedly Las Vegas is number one on the list.  One of the lead producers of Broadway's "Spider-Man:  Turn Off The Dark" says, moving the show to Las Vegas makes sense because Las Vegas has always been a better fit for a splashy musical.  "We can have a more exciting and better show in Las Vegas.  To me, Las Vegas is the town of show business", said Michael Cohl, who produces "Spider-Man:  Turn Off The Dark" along with co-producer Jeremiah J. Harris.  See also, www.nytimes.com. 

Sixs Plays in 24 Hours

     New York - '24 Hour Plays' is a one-night-only show that benefits The Urban Arts Partnership, an organization that brings arts education to New York City classrooms.  Two dozen actors, teamed with six writers, and six directors; write, rehearse, and perform half-a-dozen plays during a 24-hour period. This is the events 13th year.  The plays were performed in front of a live audience and raised $500,000 for the charity.  See full story, www.nytimes.com.

Lady Gaga - Applause (Official)

Hulu Seeks To Work With Cable and Satellite Companies

      Hulu succeeded as a way to watch current and popular television shows online. Suddenly, entire seasons of such popular cable network shows as "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" were abruptly taken off the site. By July 2011, Fox began restricting next day-streaming of its prime-time shows to customers of cable and satellite companies, and they began imposing an eight-day delay on Hulu. Hulu won praise for its ease of use, and caught on quickly with users. A newly installed Hulu executive team is believed to already be pursuing deals with cable operators to offer subscribers access to Hulu as a way to watch current shows online, according to several people with knowledge of the situation. Hulu's owners found it hard to work together and put Hulu up for sale. Hulu looked good to pay-television distributors DirectTV and Time Warner Cable Inc., as well as media companies Guggenheim Digital Media and Chernin Group. Hulu's owners 21st Century Fox Inc., Walt Disney Co., and Comcast Corp., cancelled the proposed Hulu sale last July, and announced they would instead invest $750 million in a streaming video service. Hulu will enable viewers to watch recent episodes of such popular prime-time shows as "Big Bang Theory," "Sleepy Hollow," and "The Voice." See also, www.nytimes.com. 

Lady Gaga Isn't The Only One Getting New Management...U2 is Too

     Dublin, Republic of Ireland - Paul McGuinness has confirmed that he is stepping down as day-to-day manager of U2, and will become Chairman of Principle Management, McGuinness management company.  McGuinness has been U2's manager for more than 30 years, nearly since the bands formation.  Principle Management would be housed under Live Nation's Artist Nation Management division, which Billboard magazine reported, lost money in the first three quarters of 2013.  A little over a week ago Lady Gaga split from her longtime manager, Troy Carter.  Lady Gaga's new album, "Artpop,"debuted November 11, 2013.  See also, www.billboard.com. 

AFI 2013 Closes Hollywood Blvd

     Hollywood - Days before the event Hollywood Blvd. was closed, as is the case for large events in tinsel town.  The night's biggest star may have been Oscar-winning composer Richard Sherman, who with his brother wrote all those classic "Mary Poppins" songs.  AFI 2013 opened with "Saving Mr. Banks," Disney's nostalgic, behind-the-scenes story of the making of  "Mary Poppins."  Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson walked the red carpet shaking hands with well-wishers at a reception, before the movie "Mary Poppins," played.  Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino became the latest to laud the career of the great Bruce Dern.  Tarantino introduced a reel of highlights from Bruce Dern's work, before introducing a screening of "Nebraska", arguably Bruce Dern's greatest performance.  A "Lone Survivor" question and answer (Q&A) session followed the world premiere of the action-adventure drama, "Lone Survivor," a fact based story of a small cadre of  Navy SEALs battling the Taliban in Afghanistan.  Mark Wahlberg, part of this Q&A, caused something of a media sensation, when he  talked for nearly five minutes on one topic alone.  A monologue in which he scolded actors who compare the experience of training for a film to that of actual military work.  "You don't do what these guys did...How dare you," said Wahlberg.  See also,www.vanityfair.com.

Comedies Ramp Up in Fourth Quarter

  "Delivery Man", starring Vince Vaughn, hits theatres November 22, and is expected be Disney's main attempt at a comedy release for 2013.  Several comedies played strongly overseas as well as in the United States.  Warner Bros., "Hangover III," more than doubled its $112 million United States total with $239 million in foreign countries.  Seth Rogens directing debut, "This Is The End", was a surprise winner for Sony.  The tale of young celebs partying hearty through the apocalypse cost $32 million to make and has already brought in $101 million.  The tally this year has the wealth being spread between Paramount, Warner Bros., Universal, and Sony.  Each has two comedies that hit $100 million.  Fox had just one, but it was the years top-grossing comedy thus far.  "The Heat," starring Sandra Bullock  and Melissa McCarthy is a buddy cop tale that has taken in $160 million in the United States and $230 million in countries other than the United States.  Two other movies that have reached the $100 million stage are "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" and"Anchorman:  The Legend Continues".  See also, www.dreamworks.com.

In-Flight Entertainment

      Seattle, Washington - According to Boeing wireless media streaming will be available on all new Boeing airplanes in 2014.  Boeing continues to advance connectivity offerings on its family of commercial jetliners.  Systems to be installed during production in the 747-8 and 777 have the capability to provide in-flight entertainment (IFE), and live television broadcasts.  Some 787's provide in-flight use of personal cell phones and Wi-Fi connectivity for passengers and Boeing is working toward full connectivity.  Access will come through either headset screens or Wi-Fi.  Boeing's moves could lead to more use of in-flight Wi-Fi on top of ready-made wireless media streaming, due in 2014.  See also, www.aviationweek.com.

When Satellites Begin To Fall

        Berlin - While systems are still functioning spacecraft are maneuvered to try to be directed to where the chances of hitting land are the minimalist.  The are steered as far away from humans as possible, that typically means in an ocean.  As of 2013 there have been no known injuries or significant property damage caused by space junk, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).  Meteorites travel about three times faster than space junk.  When the old satellites and left-over pieces of rockets hit the ocean they are going about 125 to 195 mph.  See also, www.aviationweek.com. 

Las Vegas' Lady Luck Transformed Into Downtown Grand

      Las Vegas - Downtown Las Vegas is about 10 minutes north of the Las Vegas strip. Downtown Las Vegas has some of the towns oldest casinos. One casino that opened in 1964, "Honest Johns", later in 1968 renamed Lady Luck, was a pinball and slot machine parlor. In 2006 the Lady Luck closed. On Tuesday afternoon a new hotel-casino, The Downtown Grand had its grand opening. The hotel-casino has been operating since late October 2013. But, the marching band, ribbon cutting, and showgirls didn't happen until yesterday. CIM Group, which advertises itself as "investing in urban communities," reportedly spent $100 million to gut and remake the Lady Luck to conform with the downtown's new emphasis on walkability. See also, www.lasvegas.com.

Go To Space Says Lady Gaga

        New York - Lady Gaga (Joanne Angelina Germanotta) is on an eye-catching unique publicity tour for her new album "Artpop". The album's first single "Applause," remains a top 10 hit. She's scheduled to tackle hosting and performing on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," she redesigned the Life section of US Today, she has a concert special coming up with Ryan Seacrest next week, she recently opened pop-up (designed to last three days to three months) stores in New York and Los Angeles, and she is scheduled to one of the main honorees at Glamour's Women of the Year ceremony. Gaga says, " You know what I realized? That I don't need to reinvent myself. What I realized is that in your lifetime, if you have one really great idea, run with it. And run all the way to outer space if you can."  See also, www.artpop.com. 

Charlie Sheen Says Lets Be Friends

     According to a gossip article Charlie Sheen is trying to mend fences with his ex-wife Brooke Mueller. But now, it appears Charlie Sheen has written a letter to his former producer, and creator of Two And a Half Men, Chuck Lorre. In the letter Charlie Sheen reportedly says, "hey Chuck, I have an idea that u need to hear after I make amends to you and yours, which I will do in person. Xox c." See also, www.twoandahalfmen.com.

Smart Watches Getting a Little Smarter For The Holidays

     Smart phones do the heavy work such as downloading apps and loading full web pages.  But smart watches may can now act like assistants to the smart phones.  Smart watches can now stay in contact with your smart phone and serve as a representative of the telephone to the outside world,  monitoring traffic between your smart telephone and other wireless devices.  Sony's SmartWatch2 uses a bigger screen and is water resistant.  For 2013 a smart watches main function is to act as a handy second screen for your smart phone.  The premise is to allow users to dismiss useless phone notifications and allow you to only grab the handset when absolutely necessary.  Smart watches linked to operating systems, like Android for example, will receive alerts for texts, calls, and social media updates while on the wearers wrist.  Smart watches will also be able to control your phones music player, so you won't have to reach into your purse or pocket to change volume or skip to the next track.  And, ultimately at the cash register, near field communication (NFC) is a natural component that allows a relatively secure way to pay bills, by simply waving your smart watch wearing wrist at   NFC enabled cash registers, while leaving your smart phone in your purse or pocket.  See also, www.sony.com.          

SOAPnet Unable to Produce Lather

       Burbank - Disney announced three years ago its plan to fold SOAPnet, a channel it created 14 years ago to wring extra life from some daytime and nighttime dramas. "General Hospital", "All My Children," "The Young and The Restless", "Falcon Crest", "Knotts Landing", and more, were all part of the programming of SOAPnet. SOAPnet was intended to give working women the opportunity to catch up on their favorite soaps at night, after they got home from work. Technology forced a shift in the corporate priorities of Disney. When SOAPnet first launched it was in the days of the videocassette recorder (VCR). Digital video recorders allowed viewers to record multiple shows, while still fast forwarding through commercials. Advertisers migrated to other platforms and SOAPnet became less profitable. See also, www.soap.net.

British Awards Show Tapes in Los Angeles

       Hollywood - With more than 35 Hollywood award shows on prime-time television it seems that one more won't make a difference. TV networks like award shows because, like most reality shows, they're relatively inexpensive to produce, and they bring a lot of star power to the set. Stars love the gold, silver, or crystal award that validates their work, gives them approval of their peers, and place them in history. We, as fans, love watching the money, power and good looks. Award shows allow us to see our ultimate entertainers be winners and losers, just like us. This time it is the Britannia awards to be presented at the Beverly Hills Hotel saturday night, November 09, 2013. The show will be broadcast on BBC America the next night. Handed out by the Los Angeles branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, The Britannia Awards promise an all-star cast. Presenter include, Julia Roberts, Sean Penn, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Kathryn Bigelow, George Clooney, and Sacha Baron Cohen. See also, www.variety.com.

Possible Hunger GamesTheme Park

     Entertainment Wire - Lions Gate Entertainment will release a second film, "The Hunger Games:  Catching Fire", on November 22, 2013.  "The Hunger Games", which stars Jennifer Lawrence, was the third best-selling film in the United States theatrical market in 2012, according to the site Box Office Mojo.  Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, the studio that produced "The Hunger Games", says it is studying proposals for a theme park based on the futuristic movie.  "We have been approached in two different territories by potential park opportunities, which gives you some sense of the cultural impact of this franchise," said Lions Gate Chief Executive, Jon Feltheimer.  See also, www.hungergames.com. 

Billion Dollar Ghost

     Activision, known for its "Skylanders" games, has been giving us a new "Call of Duty titled video game every year over the last decade.  Last year the game maker's "Call of Duty: Black Ops II" took only 15 days to hit one billion dollars in global sales, after a November release.  "Call of Duty:  Black Ops II reached $500 million in retail sales on its first day.  This year, cities like London and San Francisco held glitzy midnight pre-launch parties to celebrate the release of Activision's newest titled video game, the franchises tenth installment of "Call of Duty", entitled "Call of Duty: Ghosts".  Call of Duty:  Ghosts" reached one billion dollars in sales, the number of copies shipped to retailers, in its first 24 hours of release.  See also, www.callofduty.com.

Marilyn Manson...Unmasked

     Singer, American Goth Medieval Rock performer, whose name is a combination of Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson, Marilyn Manson, that was discoverd by the group Nine Inch Nails and has created such medieval songs as "Anti-Christ Superstar and "Smells Like Children."  The Journalism and Theatre major formed a band called Marily Manson and the Spook Kids, later simply known as Marilyn Manson, that earned a record contract in 1993 and a spot on Nine Inch Nails tour and spawned a cult following after the album "Portrait of an American Family, went make up free on the set of HBO's "Eastbound and Down".  See also, www.hollywoodreporter.com. 

Enders Game Explores a Not So Perfect Future

    Hollywood - "Enders Game" is part of a recent wave of young adult movies exploring not so perfect futures.  Led by the success of last year's "The Hunger Games", the movie is based on a trilogy of novels by Suzanne Collins and distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment.  The second installment to "Enders Game" ("Catching Fire") is due out on November 22, 2013.  "Enders Game" spotlights 16-year old British actor Asa Butterfield, who gained prominence as the lead in Martin Scorsese's 2011 fantasy adventure "Hugo."  Butterfield said, "Ender Game", while written three decades ago, was 'scarily accurate', in how it echoed with present day issues.  See also,  www.endersgame.com.

World Series and Pre-Game Show Boosts Fox

     For the week of October 21-27, 2013 Fox TV was in the top 10 of television networks and viewership.  World Series Game One, World Series Game Two, and World Series Game Four Pre-Game Show were responsible for giving Fox a combined viewership of 59.19 million viewers for the baseball events.  Among the top 20, adding Game Three made Fox TV the most-watched network in prime-time, averaging 11.4 million viewers.  The previous matchup between The Boston Red Sox and The St. Louis Cardinals in 2004 represented the most-watched World Series since 1995.  This year an average of 14 million people watched the first four games.  See also, www.sportsillustrated.com.

Lifetime Achievement Award for Berry Gordy

     Nick Cannon is scheduled to host the event that will also honor several other powerbrokers in the black community, for example, President Barack Obama and Harry Belafonte.  The Jacksons will pay tribute to the legendary founder of Motown Records at the November 4th gala, that will be held at the Lincoln Center in New York City.  The event is a celebration of Ebony Magazines "Power 100."  See also, www.ebony.com.

Kanye's Ultimate Birthday Gift To Kim

The coolest guy, with the coolest girl.  On this girls birthday.  It is not a helicopter, it is not a Bently, it is a spa thing in their home.  The home that they rarely get to use because they are always on the go.  See also,  www.vanityfair.com.

CBS Gets Good Start in 2013-2014 TV Season

     For the week of September 30 - October 6 "NCIS", "The Big Bang Theory", and "60 Minutes" help to start CBS out in first place this television season.  "The Millers", starring Will Arnett, and The Robin Williams situation comedy "The Crazy Ones", helped to give CBS a favorable score in this second week of the television season.  See also, www.tvguide.com.

Stings New Theatre Show About A Shipyard

     The show is a musical about a shipyard in Wallsend, England.  The city in Newcastle, northeastern England, in the United Kingdom,  where Sting (Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) grew up.  "The Last Shipyard" is a story set in an Englishtown, whose shipbuilding industry is on its last ships, before the factory shuts down.  The shows lead character wants more than a factory life, and leaves to travel the world, very similar to what Sting himself has done. Sting will perform a 10-night benefit fundraiser in New York, at the 260-seat Anspacher Theatre, from Sept. 25 thru Oct. 09 to highlight some of the shows music and debut his new album entitled, "The Last Shipyard".  See also, www.nytimes.com.

Breaking Bad Breaks Camp

     One might say if Texas has the Alamo, New Mexico has a car wash that was one of the focal points in the night time drama, Breaking Bad.  Filmed on location in Albuquerque, New Mexico Breaking Bad had 10.3 million viewers in it's fifth and final season finale.  The show features the trials and tribulations of a methamphetamine drug lord Walter White (Bryan Cranston).  The show also features a somewhat interactive talk show, that airs after the main program, where the actors of Breaking Bad, sit in traditional talk show fashion, and answer questions about the show.  The show had soaring success and has won many Emmy's, among them best drama series.   See also, www.amctv.com.

Three Big Cities and Two Big Companies

        New York - The blackout in New York, Dallas, and Los Angeles lasted one month. September 2, 2013 the companies reported they had reached a retransmission agreement. CBS programming has returned to all affected Time Warner Cable Networks. See also, www.tvguide.com.

Vin Diesel...Riddick Four

      Riddick (Vin Diesel) is left for dead on a scorching hot planet. Riddick finds himself fighting an alien race of predators, to save himself he must activate an emergency beacon that will alert to rescue ships to aid him. See also, www.universalpictures.com.

Fracking Not The Only Fray

 With at least 10 bills in the legislature, hydraulic fracturing ( commonly known as fracking), is the subject of a new hollywood movie.  Acid jobs, an old well completion method that involves pumping chemicals into wells to melt rocks, and other impediments that slow the flow of oil, are not required to report when they use it.  Most drillers in the region of Monterey, California, where the process is becoming popular among oil producers, employ chemicals such as hyfrofluoric acid (acid jobs), only one bill under consideration would regulate this method.  See also, www.popularmechanics.com.

Fox's New Bacon

     Kevin Bacon, big screen actor doing television, is tracking cyber criminals in "The Following."  Bacon is fielding a television series that is a possible Emmy nominee.  "The Following" marks his first regular TV role.  See also, www.tvguide.com.

Universal Studios and Universal City Walk Start the Summer Season With the Blockbuster Fast and the Furious 6

     This memorial day weekend will have tons to do.  Among them are seeing the sixth installment of the
Fast and the Furious.  After you go to the theme park you can see Fast and the Furious 6 at Universal City Walk.   There is a entertainment going on there to with live bands, restaurants, and shopping.
This weekend will feature the music of Alex Mercado a.k.a., Ricco5Star.   www.universalstudios.com.

Action- Adventure Reality T.V. Shows Can Be Dangerous

      Reality TV has boomed over the last decade.  Action-Adventure shows like 'Fear Factor', 'Deadliest Catch', and 'Ice Road Truckers', have become  popular and profitable for cable television, that is looking for the highest ratings they can get.  But, the combination of exotic locations and pressure to capture the most dramatic footage possible, has caused serious and in some cases fatal incidents.  "These reality shows are getting riskier to get more ratings", said Wendy Diaz, senior underwriting director for the entertainment division of Fireman's Fund Insurance.  See also, www.nytimes.com.

No Background Check Done on Michael Jackson's Doc

       Los Angeles - According to a lawyer testifying Tuesday, May 21, 2013, AEG Live LLC did not conduct a background check on the doctor caring for Michael Jackson. The counsel for Michael Jackson's mother Katherine Jackson claimed in court, that the concert promoter was negligent in hiring the physician.  See also, www.billboard.com.

Ferrari 599 GTO road review - evo Magazine

The Intellectual Ascot Wearers Like Good Music Too

     When they are not on the podium yielding their music conductor batons, these large - symphony, philharmonic, orchestra, and opera - conductors listen to everything from Aerosmith to Tina Turner. These intellectuals of classical music listen to music that moves them. Music that gives them a feeling in their "stomach", says Finnish conductor Osmo Vanska, music director of the Minnesota Orchestra. Richard Egarr, music director of The Academy of Ancient Music, a period-instrument orchestra based in Cambridge, England said, "musicians recognize other good musicians whatever the kind of music they play." Marin Alsop, music director of the Baltimore Symphony says, " a great tune or hook transcends genres (music categories). See also, www.nytimes.com.

V Squared Labs Turns up The Digital Lighting

     A Daft Punk performance at Coachella Valley, California in 2006 featured a monolithic light pyramid that raised the stakes for the live electronica visuals that go with electronic dance music.  V Squared Labs helps to increase this trend by combining lights, video, and sound. Electronic dance music (along with their festivals) have become a part of American music life.  Now, their integration with high-end visuals is opening new avenues for artists to express themselves and create new images.  See also, www.billboard.

E-Book Owners are Really Lisencees

   The terms of service of e-book sellers specify that you're only licensing a book, not buying it.  Some limitations of digital rights management (DRM), which comes under the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) seem sensible to protect the consumers that are buying e-books.  Some issues are digital booksellers power to delete entire books from devices.  And, another, is the fact that most e-books are tied to the sellers reading device, or applets permanently.  What needs to be addressed by the DMCA are the facts that typically the e-book sellers can cancel an account at will, they might go out of business, change ownership, or begin charging to store your purchased contents on their computer servers.  See also, www.wired.com.

Lincoln...History In Review

     The intention behind "Lincoln" is to instruct mainstream moviegoers by using a narrative shaped around watershed moments of the past.  Like Shakespeare's historical plays, Steven Spielberg attempts to register the anxieties of a politically pranoid age, for example "fiscal cliff", while shying away from direct commentary on current concerns.  See also, www.variety.com.

Getty To Continute Featuring Large Exhibits

     The Getty will continue its focus on Greek and Roman antiquities, manuscripts of ancient eras, photography, and 18th and 19th century European paintings.  It will also continue to feature large exhibits like that of the Egyptian King Tutankhamun and the Metropolitan Musem of New York's Byzantium.  Timothy Potts, Ph.d. is the new director of the Getty Museum and is well known for notable acquisitions at previous museums, and exhibitions at museums like the Australian National Gallery. It's important to strike a balance between preventing acquisitions work that would encourage increased looting of ancient sites and providing a proper home for these objects", Dr. Potts (an archeologist) says.  See also, www.getty.edu.

Out Of Africa Via Chessboard

     Phioni Mutesi (16) brought her slum experience out of Africa to visit a Valencia, CA chess tournament.  " I was yearning for porridge" Mutesi said, as she recalled how one day in (2005) she followed her brother to a place where kids gathered to play chess.  Those who showed up got a free bowl of porridge.  Mutesi, who was living on the streets of a squalid Katwe, Ungandan village, near the Ungandan Capital of Kampala, kept returning to the makeshift youth center for food.  Her father died of Aids and her mother struggled to feed four children.  Phioni Mutesi is the youngest person to ever win the African Chess Championship (2005) and the first Ugandan female with a chess title.  See full story, www.latimes.com.

Bond Turns 50

     In a world where people blow themselves up instead of using nuclear weapons, James Bond is not as easily portrayed.  Combined with a succession of colorful toys (weapons like flying water skis) and exotic female spies makes the audience numb.  In an era of cyber-spying, drone warfare, and unique Bond gadgets, Bond these days cannot be seen as an out-of-touch-one-percenter.  No movie in the franchise attempts to maintain this balance as much as "Skyfall".  See also, www.variety.com.
Daron CG95502 Corgi James Bond BMW Z3 Goldeneye (Google Affiliate Ad)

Disney Gives Kids Toys in The Cloud

     Las Vegas - A new technological twist is designed to line the computer goodies that kids lug home from the store with Disney's well-known animated characters.  Images and video clips stored on remote servers are streamed to kids' mobiles when the app recognizes a particular item.  Some versions of the toys will be sold from the Disney Princess line in October 2013.  International sales will start in 2014, said Stephen Berman, JAKKS President and CEO.  JAKKS, Dreamplay, and Disney demonstrated their concept at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas.  See also, www.cesweb.org.

The Cloud Does Everything

     With new cloud computing, applications, operating environments, and operating systems will all be centrally located, and your device will simply browse the cloud.  Some of us already use the cloud when we use iTunes or facebook, for example.  Today worldwide over six hundred-million people are in the cloud. By 2016 that number could be one billion people using the cloud.  See full story, www.devry-university.com.

Warner Bros. Has To Pick One or Two Candidates To Run The Helm Come 2014

     Hollywood - Workers at Warner Bros. quietly advertise their bosses' qualities and rivals' shortcomings.  A race officially launched in September 2010 when Warner Bros. professorial chairman, Barry Meyer, agreed to postpone his planned retirement until theend of 2013, after 14 years in the top job at Warner Bros.   See also, www.hollywoodreporter.com

Oliver Stone Has an Untold History of The United States

     A 10 part television series titled "Untold History of The United States" will focus on post-World War II events.  Stone has been previously challenged on details in some movies, such as "JFK", "Nixon", "W", and "Born on The 4th of July".  However, this movie for-television documentary has been fact-checked by Showtime, and it was co-written by an American University historian teaching a course called "Oliver Stones America".  See also, www.vanityfair.com.