Star Wars Episode 3 opening crawl REVEALED!

2046 - a modern Masterpiece!

Finally got round to watching 2046 last night and once again Wong Kai Wai has left me astounded, reminding me without any shadow of a doubt why exactly he is one of my most respected directors.
The way he is able to so effortlessly fuse the familiar feelings/emotions of love, regret, nostalgia and melancholy within his films, that emanate so powerfully (and realistically) from his characters as well as the film's cinematography is truly an inspiration to any writer/filmmaker.

The film follows the same style/pace as In The Mood For Love, and is what I would call a direct sequel.
Without spoiling things too much, the viewer will be surprised to discover that Tony Leung's character of Chow Mo Wan has evolved somewhat dramatically after his affair with Su Li-zhen Chan (Maggie Cheung) in 'Mood'.
After Leung's character loses Su Lizhen in 'Mood', 2046 only shows how despondent a man can be after being rejected in love. in the beginning of 2046 he said: 'he started playing the game and had many one night stands, after all, how many 'once-in-a-lifetime' can you get?' With every woman he got involved in, he was just attracted to the little individual traits within these women that collectively resembled his Su Lizhen.Although Maggie Cheung appears in this movie only in a 5-second (blink and you'll miss her) Cameo role - the presence of Su Lizhen haunts and dominates the entirety of the film none the less.

However don’t be fooled into thinking that 2046 is a simple rehash in a desperate effort to emulate Mood's winning formula for the sake of success , but rather this is probably one of the most masterfully crafted sequels that I have seen.
To truly appreciate this film, you need to refresh yourself with the characters and themes of Days of Being Wild and In The Mood For Love - Collectively these films form an indirect trilogy - do NOT attempt to judge 2046 without seeing these first!

The next 'Revenge of the Sith' trailer will debut in theaters on March 11th.

It will be screened in theaters before 'Robots', an animated film in which Ewan McGregor is the voice of a character called Rodney Copperbottom.

Why is March so far far away??!! - I cant wait!

Revenge of the Sith Second-Trailer Description!

A reliable source sent in this description of the next Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith trailer to theforce.net:

The trailer begins with the following exchange:

Palpatine: "The Dark Side of the Force is the pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural."

Anakin: "Is it possible to learn this power?"

Palpatine: "Not from a Jedi."

We are then introduced to the political maneuvering of Palpatine, Obi-Wan and Mace Windu. All of them actually want to use Anakin as a pawn in their game (Palpatine makes Anakin his "personal representative on the Jedi Council" while Obi-Wan wants him to "report on all the Chancellor's dealings"). The first minute or so is surprisingly heavy on dialogue and consists mostly of shots of various characters speaking to each other (intercut with short glimpses of evil droids, space battles etc.). We even see how Mace Windu and three other Jedi attempt to arrest Palpatine (he grabs the lightsaber and confronts them). When Mace Windu tells Anakin "You are on this council but we do not grant you the rank of Master", Anakin loses it and joins the Dark Side (Sidious: "Every single Jedi is now an enemy of the Republic"). At least that's how the trailer makes it look.

Then the more "visual" half starts with some very neat scenes like a low angle shot of Anakin marching in front of a Clone trooper army. We see Wookiees on some kind of war machine, the duel in the volcano field, gigantic 10-wheel military transports and actual destruction of the Senate chamber. Everything is very dramatic, several deaths are implied, Padme is seen crying loudly and music from the Emperor duel (ROTJ) is heard.

Overall, the first half of the trailer is surprisingly specific, making no sense whatsoever to people who don't know Star Wars well. The second half is very dark and dramatic, but with lots of action. Bad guys (apart from Sidious) only appear for a fraction of a second and have no lines. The final seconds consist of Obi-Wan shouting "You were the chosen one!", fighting Anakin while both dangle from some ropes/wires. After the closing titles, there is a bonus shot of Vader and Sidious standing side by side, accompanied by Vader's breathing.

This is a preliminary version with effects and sound not quite finalized. One part of the trailer is actually without music (either for dramatic effect or John Williams' new score will be inserted here?). The length is little under 2:30.

When further questioned about the "evil droid", our source confirmed that there wasn't a clear shot of General Grievous but there was one of the bodyguards:

There is some evil-looking humanoid droid with a cape around his head and torso, flanked by two classic battledroids (from Episode I). He seems to hold a lance in his hand. Later, Obi-Wan is seen swordfighting with a humanoid droid but he's only seen from back and moving quickly. (I'm 90% certain it IS Grievous, but it's extremely short and quick shot.) Anyway, both of these shots are VERY brief (about half second).

One of the shots depicts Obi-Wan being surrounded by dozens of droids. Some of them look different and wear capes, maybe one of them is Grievous. But it's very wide shot, the characters are small.

SuperShadow: Super Starwars FRAUD!

I seem to be a bit late on this one, but today my attention was brought towards www.supershadow.com
'SuperShadow' claims to be a Starwars "insider" who posts Star Wars news, images and FAQs on his website, regularly speaks to George Lucas on a weekly basis, has a copy of the written Episode 3 script and even treatments for sequel trilogy Episodes 7-9 on his site that Lucas will permit him to shoot after his death.
This guy has a LARGE following who swear by God he is telling the truth. Supershadow Claims to be IN Episode II (the guy sitting behind Obi Wan in the Dexter's Diner scene - even though the extra looks completely different to the image of Shadow on his very own website) and says he will be a Jedi padawan in episode 3.

SuperShadow is the Internet alias of Mickey Suttle, His claims, most notably that he is friends with George Lucas and that he possesses advance copies of screenplays, has made him a controversial figure among Internet Star Wars fans. The only biographical details on his website are as follows:

"As you would expect, all information regarding SuperShadow is above top secret (classified at the highest level). Currently, nothing is known about SuperShadow except that SS is very close, personal friends with George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars."

SuperShadow's website first appeared during the production of Star Wars Episode I. He released 'exclusive' information and claimed to be an Industrial Light and Magic employee and personal friend of George Lucas. One day, the following disclaimer appeared:

This web site has no association with Lucasfilm. SuperShadow.com is a fan operated web site that makes no claims as to the copyrights held by Lucasfilm regarding Star Wars. Star Wars, its characters and all related items are copyright Lucasfilm.

It's reasonable to assume an actual Lucasfilm employee was made aware of the site, and threatened Suttle with legal action. However, to this day Suttle still says he is friends with George Lucas.
He continued posting "news", which all turned out to be fake with the exception of stories which appeared on other websites earlier in the day, but attracted controversy again when he claimed to be in possession of the script for Star Wars Episode II--quite a feat considering George Lucas had not finished writing it at the time. SuperShadow's source was "Brad Bender, head of Lucasfilm Internet Relations". There is never, and has never been a Brad Bender employed by Lucasfilm, but this was all made elementary when Episode II turned out to be nothing like SuperShadow's version of the story. His excuse was that the script he'd received was a "Rough Draft".

SuperShadow claimed to have read the script for Episode III, but could not post any information about it due to copyright law. After enough spoilers information had been released about Episode III to cobble together some kind of basic plot, he posted what he claimed to be the script - it contains only a brief rundown of each scene and no dialogue.
He also claims that Lucasfilm released the title "Revenge of the Sith" earlier than expected (July instead of November) because one of his readers had successfully guessed it.

Despite seemingly irrefutable proof that he is a pathological liar, SuperShadow has attracted a legion of fans who send him their questions, which he answers on his website every day or so. These questions pertain to Star Wars history, trivia, and the upcoming movies. These appear on the index page of his site, with the answers in bold text following the questions. He is most famous/mocked for replying to fans who suggest plot and narrative ideas with "I'll pass on your suggestions to Lucas". Infact SuperShadow claims to have had a meeting with George Lucas during his writing of the Episode 2 script to discuss how to incorporate ideas contributed by the fans!!

SuperShadow claims to possess the scripts, or at least the outlines, for episodes VII, VIII and IX of Star Wars. These involve an army of Dark Jedi on rocketpacks, a superweapon which creates black holes, and characters fighting clones of each other.
SuperShadow also claims that the Sequel Trilogy will not be made by Lucasfilm, but by SuperShadow himself, and the fans who support his website - who he claims Lucas has promised will "inherit" the Star Wars franchise after his death!!
SS has never specified when or how, but receives and posts many comments about it regardless.

See for yourself:

SuperShadow's Episode 7 "The Fallen Hero" plot script
SuperShadow's Episode 8 "The Republic in Crisis" plot script
SuperShadow's Episode 9 "Victory of the Force" plot script

SuperShadow claims that these scripts have been written by George Lucas, even though the creator of Star Wars has said many times that Episode 3 "Revenge of the Sith" will be the final Star Wars film.

Perhaps more tragically, SuperShadow regularly updates a section of his site dubbed 'SuperShadows Girlfriend' - normally with a picture of an extremely hot looking babe who he claims to be his latest conquest (and he brags about having quite a few!)Most SW fans dismiss this section of his site also as pure fantasy, and quite right they are to do so too..
SuperShadow was actually caught using an unauthorized picture of a female who most certainly was NOT his girlfiend - she was not happy about this and exposed him on her Blog.

Well it doesn't take a complete genius to figure out that this SuperShadow guy is a complete fraud - Supershadow.com does not link to any other Star Wars sites, since the vast majority openly state that he is a fraud. Most major Star Wars news websites have some sort of disclaimer which warns that any information found on supershadow.com and not verified elsewhere is fake. How he has attracted so many readers and why his site remains relatively popular remains a mystery.
Intentional or not, SuperShadow is a source of amusement (through ridicule) for many internet Star Wars fans.

for more details: Supershadow discussion thread

Bill Gates Screws Up!

This is simply hilarious!

Jackson releases statement following Media leak

Defense Counsel Thomas A. Mesereau, Jr., Releases Statement
Mr. Jackson’s lead Defense Counsel Thomas A. Mesereau, Jr., releases the following statement in response to the leaking of the Grand Jury testimony:

We strongly object to the "leak" of the Grand Jury testimony in this case. This Grand Jury material had been ordered sealed by Judge Melville in open court.

The witnesses who testified before the Grand Jury were never subjected to cross-examination or impeachment by the defense. By law, no judge or defense lawyer was allowed to be present in the Grand Jury room. Furthermore, the defense had no opportunity to call its own witnesses to refute or criticize this one-sided proceeding.

This case will be won in the courtroom and not through "leaks" in the media. When he has his day in court, Michael Jackson will be acquitted and vindicated.

Geraldine Hughes, author of Redemption has a post on MJJ Forum saying that not only is Jordan Chandler (1993 accuser)not coopperating with Santa Barbra D.A Tom Sneddon, but that since 2003, he has been "defending Michael[Jackson]'s innocence to anyone that tries to say otherwise." She thinks if he does testify it'll be for the defense. Only time will tell if this is true.....

The Revolution will be................?

Source: Gamecube Europe

Mr Iwata has given us the keyword for the revolution, and makes one wonder what they have up their sleeve!
In a recent interview with the Kyoto Shinbun Mr Iwata-san has given us Nintendo's keywords for the Revolution.

Whereas the keyword of DS was the "heterogeneous commodity", the keyword for the Revolution will be "Paradigm shift of play (conversion of an existing frame)". See the definition of this below from the Oxford dictionary

Definition

paradigm shift noun

[C] FORMAL

when the usual and accepted way of doing or thinking about something is changed

Along with this he explained that "I want to create the game machine that expands one's scope of business"* He continued "A concrete content is announced in international game trade fair "E3" held in the United States in May."*

Got a phone call from my Brother this afternoon - he's not in the best of moods. Seems like Couriers TNT want £69 from him to cover the import tax of the PSP he bought from playasia.com (based in Japan, and they want it within 7 days!

I find it cheeky that they waited several weeks AFTER he received the item rather than requesting the money upon delivery.

To be stung by a £69 tax fee on top of the initial import price of the PSP is a lot of money - if anyone knows how this can be evaded at all (in ANY way) then leave your tips here or on my Shoutbox.

The newest rumour, as cited from the IGN DS boards (one can immediately notify himself/herself to take this with a pinch of salt)is that Nintendo are approaching T-Mobile to help them set up national hotspot access as part of an online gameplay strategy.

This could be a very good move....

A Blueprint for the (Laughable)Case Against Jackson?

Source: Roger Friedman
My sources tell me that Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon used his 1993 case against Michael Jackson as a blueprint for the current one.

In fact, in legal papers summarized on TheSmokingGun.com, it appears that some of the actual wording from the '93 case worked its way into the latest one.

Sneddon, my sources say, based most of his first complaint against Jackson last winter on the '93 case, using it as a comparison and a foundation until he could dig up more current evidence. Interestingly, testimony ascribed to the mother of the boy — we'll call her Janet X — in the new case sounds like exact same complaints from the parents in the '93 case.

According to The Smoking Gun: "The boy's mother said that, during 2001, she complained to Jackson about the length of his telephone chats with her son — and that Jackson was upset with her criticism. Asked by investigators about her recollections of those calls, she said that her son mentioned things that struck her as 'peculiar.' For instance, Jackson's favorite color was the same as her son's favorite color. And 'whatever [her son] liked, Michael liked as well.'"

Jackson's defense attorneys may be able to dredge up almost the exact wording from articles and books about the boy in the 1993 case and his parents' fears. They could point out that Janet X and her military boyfriend, now her husband, could have studied those stories and statements by the parents of the first boy.

Similar anecdotes, for example, can be found in "All That Glitters," the self-published book by the first boy's uncle Ray Chandler. Stories that are themselves re-lived from previous incarnations.

The Smoking Gun people have done an incredible job of piecing together affidavits, warrants and testimony previously unavailable or redacted in the latest case. But even their writers seem incredulous about some things offered by Jackson's teen accuser and his brother, who is a year younger. For example, the brothers claimed to officials the reason why they couldn't pinpoint any dates or times was because "there are no clocks or calendars at Neverland. It's a like a sealed Las Vegas casino."

In fact, The Smoking Gun writers point out that there's a huge outdoor clock right in the middle of the estate. My own sources laughed when I read them this part of the boys' accusations.

"There are clocks everywhere, everyone has watches and there are calendars in the offices. There's a big clock in the kitchen" where the accusing boy and his brother gave their famous TV interview to Martin Bashir, a source said.

This entire latest "scoop" drawn from so-far-unseen material is indeed not very revealing. Most of it has been "scooped" a long time ago, either in this column or sometimes in the tabloids. What does seem odd is that the grand jury, presented with no opposing evidence from the defense, believed everything it heard without questioning. In one instance, they were told that Jackson showed the boys a laptop computer and immediately went to a pornographic Web site.

"It was the kids who went to the websites. Michael was busy elsewhere. The kids knew exactly where to go," my source, who was there, said.

One thing the documents do confirm: Jackson had no contact with the family in 2001. The stated reason was because the boy was having treatments for cancer, which was already in remission. But my sources remind us that in 2001 Jackson was busy making and releasing his Invincible album, preparing and executing his 30th Anniversary solo shows at Madison Square Garden and his subsequent debacle of a charity single, "What More Can I Give?"

If the family was so important to Jackson and he was busy cultivating the oldest one as a victim, why weren't they invited to New York for the concerts and all the surrounding hoopla?

Indeed, during 2001, the family was busy being entertained by Chris Rock and Brett Ratner on the set of "Rush Hour 2," and later in the year, accepting gifts and charity from the Los Angeles Police Department — all of which was first chronicled in this column.

There are more glaring inconsistencies in the papers examined by The Smoking Gun, and I suppose it will take spin doctors on both sides to explain them to us. For example, why didn't Janet X stop Jackson when she saw him licking the top of her head's son on an airplane. Why didn't she berate him or mention it again?

Or, how is it that the younger boy, who seems to be the eyewitness and mouthpiece for the family, gained the nickname of "Blowhole"? The answer, say my sources, who have photographic evidence, is not sexual. It's because the kid was so fat they compared him to a blowfish.

There's more, but much more, and that's what's going to prove interesting as the case moves ahead now to trial: whether this is all the material the prosecution has, and if it can hold up to scrutiny in court.

Seal attacks 'sexist rappers'

Singer Seal yesterday launched a stinging attack on rap stars for their 'derogatory' treatment of women.
Seal, who last week became engaged to model Heidi Klum, said: 'It's sad when you see the rappers making these derogatory videos towards women, kind of like sexual objects.'

The London-born star, 41, told Sister 2 Sister magazine that rap had a limited idea of success, based on money and cars.

He added: 'It's so sad because we're damaging our own. In different cultures, you would never see that. Take the Jewish culture. They've been persecuted just like the black people, right? But you never see them eating their own. They don't. But we will. I really feel there is a responsibility and what goes around comes around.'

I wholeheartedly agree with everything this man had said, and to be frank am surprised that it has taken this long for an intelligent, high-profile Black man to say it.
With the likes of '50 Cent' and 'c-c-c-coon-Unit' dominating pop-culture with their 'interpretation' of what it is to be Black, rap has become nothing more than a 21st Century Minstrel show. Sad but true...

Crap dominates gaming chart

A BBC News article reported on the biggest selling video games of 2004.
They compiled the list (in order of sales) as follows:

1) GTA: San Andreas
2) Fifa 2005
3) Need for Speed: Underground 2
4) Simpsons: Hit and Run
5) Pro-Evolution Soccer 4
6) Sonic Heroes
7) Spider-Man 2
8) Need for Speed: Underground
9) Halo 2
10) Driv3r
11) The Incredibles
12) Sims 2
13) Burnout 3: Takedown
14) Fifa 2004
15) Call of Duty: Finest Hour
16) Harry Potter - The Prisoner of Azkaban
17) The Sims - Bustin' Out
18) Shrek 2
19) Splinter Cell: Pandora
20) LOTR - Return of the King

Notice how all of these titles (bar GTA, Halo 2, Pro Evo Soccer and Sonic Heroes) are nothing but lazy third-party crap not worth the optical media they are pressed on!
It seems like the majority of contemporary gamers aren't true gamers - Their buying habits suggest that they have no notion of what makes a game quality or classic title.

Do not underestimate the power of Playstation,... indeed!

Nintendo DS & Sony PSP - The PICTORAL Follow-up!

Well several of you have requested it, so here it is...
Following my first-impression report of the Sony PSP, here is a pictorial comparison of this exciting new gaming handheld alongside the Nintendo DS. I also measure the two new systems against each other in terms of basic criteria.

       


    


    


BATTERY LIFE
The PSP holds a measly 3-4 hr charge compared to the DS' 6-10 hr
INNOVATION
Only the DS offers touch screen play & Voice command function!
MULTIMEDIA FUNCTIONS
PSP can play MP3 audio & MP4 video out of the box via expensive Sony memory Stick format.DS can play media via cheaper SD cards with purchase of a £35 add-on.
MULTIPLAYER FACILITY
Both devices are equipped with WiFi capability for multiplayer and online gaming.
PRICE
lik-sang.com comparison -  DS priced at £101.28, PSP priced at £202.13
STORAGE MEDIA
Tie - PSP takes high capacity (1gig+) optical media while DS takes card format. PSPs media results in lots of 'Now Loading' screens while DS' game access is instant
SCREEN
PSP all the way. Although the DS has two screens, PSP has very large, widescreen with brighter, sharper display and higher resolution.
SIZE
Both units are around the same size. 
WEIGHT (Build)
The DS seems more robust and durable compared to the fragile-feeling PSP. DS is built to last like a toy, but  the PSP sports a slicker, sexier build.

File-swappers ready new network

Story from BBC NEWS:

Legal attacks on websites that help people swap pirated films have forced the development of a system that could be harder to shut down.
One site behind the success of the BitTorrent file-swapping system is producing its own software that avoids the pitfalls of the earlier program.

A test version of the new Exeem program will be released in late January.
But doubts remain about the new networks ability to ensure files being swapped are "quality copies".

In late December movie studios launched a legal campaign against websites that helped people swap pirated movies using the BitTorrent network.
The legal campaign worked because of the way that BitTorrent is organised. That file-sharing system relies on links called "trackers" that point users to others happy to share the file they are looking for.
Shutting down sites that listed trackers crippled the BitTorrent network.
One of the sites shut down by the legal campaign was suprnova.org which helped boost the popularity of the BitTorrent system by checking that trackers led to the movies or TV programmes they claimed to.

The rating system in Exeem seems flawed because it is easy to insert both fake files and fake ratings
Dr Johan Pouwelse, peer-to-peer researcher
Now the man behind suprnova.org, who goes by the nickname Sloncek, is preparing to release software for a new file-swapping network dubbed Exeem.
In an interview with Novastream web radio, Sloncek said Exeem would combine ideas from the BitTorrent and Kazaa file-sharing systems.

Like BitTorrent, Exeem will have trackers that help point people toward the file they want.
Like Kazaa these trackers will be held by everyone. There will be no centrally maintained list.
This, said Sloncek, should make the system less vulnerable to legal action aimed at stopping people swapping pirated movies and music.

The Exeem software has been under development for a few months and is currently being tested by a closed group of users. An early public version of the software should be available before February.
Sloncek said that currently only a Windows version of the software was in development. There were no plans for a Linux or Mac version.
He said that costs of writing the software will be paid for by adverts appearing in the finished version of the program.
Despite Suprnova administrator Sloncek's involvement with Exeem, the basic technology appears to have been developed by a firm called Swarm Systems that is based on Caribbean island Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Users of the Exeem system will be able to rate files being swapped to help stop the spread of fake files, Sloncek told Novastream.

Dr Johan Pouwelse, a researcher at the Delft University of Technology who studies peer-to-peer networks, said Exeem was the next evolution in file-sharing systems.
But, he said, it would struggle to be as popular as BitTorrent and Suprnova because early versions were not taking enough care to make sure good copies of files were being shared.
"Exeem cannot prevent pollution," he said.
"The rating system in Exeem seems flawed because it is easy to insert both fake files and fake ratings," he said.
Studies have shown that organisations working for record labels and movie studios have worked to undermine Kazaa by putting in fakes.
By contrast moderators on Suprnova made sure files being shared were high quality.
"The moderators are the difference between having a system that works and one that's full of crap like Kazaa," he said.
"There is a fundamental tension between distribution and integrity," he said.
Mr Pouwelse said that future versions of file-sharing systems are likely to incorporate some kind of distributed reputation system that lets moderators prove who they are to the network and rate which files are worth downloading.
When big files were being shared moderation systems were key, said Mr Pouwelse.
He added that the legal attacks on BitTorrent had driven people away from sites such as Suprnova but many users had simply migrated to other tracker listing sites many of which have seen huge increases in traffic.
"It's hard to compete with free," he said.

No-one from the Motion Picture Association of America was immediately available for comment on the file-sharing development.

The Michael Jackson case - Detail of accusations

The trial of Michael Jackson (who faces charges of Child molestation)) looms ever so closer, so predictably you can expect a Tabloid frenzy reporting on any and every nuance of rumour and innuendo regarding the highly secretive details of this case.

However, as a MJ fan it was quite distressing to read today's 'leaked' reports (thanks to thesmokinggun.com) of MJ's accuser's statement, stating that MJ molestered him in a room littered with pornography and even the stealing of his underwear which was allegedly stashed in MJ's daughter's bedroom.

Yeah - reading this distressed me for a second, but the testimony of MJ's accuser wasn't exactly going to be complimentary or pleasant was it? We should be prepared to hear more accusations as lurid as these. However its all about evidence, these accusations will have to be proved within a court of law.

So ultimately, what do I think of these latest media reports on MJ? As with most reports about the man, only one word springs to mind....


....BULLSHIT!

ITunes user sues Apple over iPod

Those who know me already know how I feel about Apple's iPod products - overhyped, overrated, overpriced, styled-over-substance poor excuse for music players.
There are so many better alternatives in the market from companies such as Creative and iRiver, yet people fail to give these better-spec'd devices a chance just because they are more concerned about looking 'cool' wearing the trademark white Apple earphones.
I dont support any device that ties you down into using a single, specific piece of software in order to access/transfer your music, ties you down to a single audio format and generally rips off the consumer with a plethora of tacky multi-generational hardware updates without any real improvement in its specification, so the following BBC News article brought a smile to my face...


A user of Apple's iTunes music service is suing the firm saying it is unfair he can only use an iPod to play songs.
He says Apple is breaking anti-competition laws in refusing to let other music players work with the site.

Apple, which opened its online store in 2003 after launching the iPod in 2001, uses technology to ensure each song bought only plays on the iPod.

Californian Thomas Slattery filed the suit in the US District Court in San Jose and is seeking damages.

"Apple has turned an open and interactive standard into an artifice that prevents consumers from using the portable hard drive digital music player of their choice," the lawsuit states.

The key to such a lawsuit would be convincing a court that a single brand like iTunes is a market in itself separate from the rest of the online music market, according to Ernest Gellhorn, an anti-trust law professor at George Mason University.

"As a practical matter, the lower courts have been highly sceptical of such claims," Prof Gellhorn said.

Apple has sold more than six million iPods since the gadget was launched and has an 87% share of the market for portable digital music players, market research firm NPD Group has reported.
More than 200 million songs have been sold by the iTunes music store since it was launched.

"Apple has unlawfully bundled, tied, and/or leveraged its monopoly in the market for the sale of legal online digital music recordings to thwart competition in the separate market for portable hard drive digital music players, and vice-versa," the lawsuit said.

Mr Slattery called himself an iTunes customer who "was also forced to purchase an Apple iPod" if he wanted to take his music with him to listen to.

A spokesman for Apple declined to comment.

Apple's online music store uses a different format for songs than Napster, Musicmatch, RealPlayer and others.
The rivals use the MP3 format or Microsoft's WMA format while Apple uses AAC, which it says helps thwart piracy.

At last the Circle is Complete! - Two Star Wars Trilogies are Bridged

It is the photo that Star Wars fans have awaited for years - the galaxy of talent from the cult sci-fi films pictured together for the first time.

Er, well almost. The actors from the six movies did not actually get together in the same studio.

They were snapped separately in Sydney, New York and Los Angeles and then digitally welded together using technology worthy of Star Wars creator George Lucas himself.

The image was created to mark the near-completion of the final chapter in the epic series - Star Wars III: Revenge Of The Sith.

The film, which Lucas insists is the last, is the ' missing link' between the original trilogy and the two later films. It shows the metamorphosis of Jedi knight Anakin Skywalker into the evil Darth Vader.

In the latest Vanity Fair magazine, Lucas tells interviewer Jim Windolf that he enjoyed directing a hit series but would return to making obscure films such as his first, the critically panned THX 1138. He adds: 'I've earned the right to fail. From now on, I'm going to make movies nobody wants to see and everyone will say I've lost my touch.'

February's Vanity Fair goes on sale on January 11. Revenge Of The Sith is out in May.

Click for more on this story!

Lynx eats Boy's Lunch!!

Just found this classic Atari Lynx advertisement circa 1989/90 archived online.
Considering the course of history that followed, I find the irony hilarious! Click Here to view.

I get Hands-On with the PSP!!

Well the Christmas break has been and gone - ever so swiftly -  and already I've had a thorough taste of what we can expect from 2005 - at least in terms of gaming.

As you know my youngest Bro got himself a Nintendo DS for Christmas, and I have been wasting away many hours on the highly addictive 'Feel The Magic' - great fun!

Then my other Bro (yes, the Playstation fanboy) surprised us all by blagging enough money off everybody to bag himself a PSP - thats right, a Playstation Portable/pocket.

The device arrived very quickly from Japan via TNT couriers. My brother also got himself a copy of Ridge Racers.

My hands on opinion?....

Let me say as a piece of technology.. wow!
I retract my previous flamming of this device as in hindsight I was probably too harsh on it.
Sure, this thing is not as innovative as the DS, but that's hardly the point - its like holding a powerhouse in the palm of your hand! When you see these 3D graphics, on-par with PS2, running on a large, ultra sharp Wide-screen, you'll certainly be amazed!

Playing Ridge Racer (Correction, Ridge Racer'S) on the PSP is a joy. I love the arcade game and this version is more of a greatest hits compilation of all of Namco's Ridge Racer games. Expect tracks from RR 1 & 2 RR type 4, Rage Racer and Rave Racer.

Ridge Racers is a brilliant game in its own right, regardless of the hardware.

So what of the hardware?
Well, PSP is not like a Gameboy/DS. Its hard to describe unless you actually hold one in your hands. It is a little, but not too weighty and like any piece of hi-tech gadgetry, is fragile. This is not a toy like a Gameboy but rather an adult multimedia device. I don't expect kids to buy these, lumber them in Rucksacks and chuck them all over the house and still expect it to work afterwards. The PSP is something that will require a lot of care.

So in all fairness you cant really compare the PSP (an adult mobile multimedia tech device) to a Nintendo DS (a touch screen toy) as I really feel they represent two different markets.

My criticisms?
Well ejecting the PSP to insert UMDs (its media) is a little flimsy and reminds me of an old walkman (especially the way you insert the tape). I expected this to open/shut electronically like a camcorder. Again this is something that will require a lot of care as I anticipate it could break easily.

Criticism no 2? - Load times! Like any PS1/2 game, with Ridge Racers you are faced with 'Now Loading' screens. Generally these take about 4-5 seconds of your time (With a 10-15 sec initial load when you first boot the game, although this is disguised when it allows you to play a retro racing game while waiting).

The load times didn't annoy me that much, although I can see it as becoming a nagging problem once you are in a spontaneous situation (eg waiting 5 mins for a bus) and want to jump on your PSP and grab a quick game of something to by the time. However this limitation is expected with any disc-based media.

Criticism no 3 - the bloody Sony Memory Stick format. This is the only reason why my Bro and I have not tried out the PSP's MP3 / Movie (DivX) capabilities yet - he spent all his money on the PSP himself and cant afford to buy a sony memory stick Duo.

Sony Memory sticks are very expensive compared
to other media. A 1 gig Sony stick (which will hold about 2 high quality DivX movies) will set the user back up to £350! costing more than the PSP itself!

I could get a 1gig SD card for £50 these days (even cheaper in some places online!). So I feel those buying the PSP strictly for its DivX movie playing ability will be somewhat disappointed after feeling a nasty pinch in their pockets. Sony do this with all their electronics (PDAs, Camcorders, TVs etc) limiting you to their overpriced media format. Its great news for Sony but bad news for the Consumer when you consider that the PSP doesn't even come with a low capacity stick for your save game files!

Conclusion
As a Techie, the PSP impressed me big time. It offers a rather different (and incomparable) experience to the DS, both are great devices, each with advantages.

However, before I shell out for one myself, I will wait until Sony licence some decent games. I don't consider that crap that plagued PS2 (such as WipEout, Crash Bandicoot, Tomb Raider, Gran Turismo(yes I hated it) as quality software - gimme the Metal Gear Solids (Not that Acid turn based card crap), the Streetfighter Alphas and I'm sold!

Yours Waiting Sony.... Yours waiting...
 

The REAL Mother of The Matrix??!!

On Monday September 27, 2004 attorney’s representing screenplay writer Sophia Stewart of Salt Lake City, Utah, appeared in The United States District Court of Los Angeles, California in a lawsuit against defendants Warner Brothers, Joel Silver, Andy and Larry Wachowski. This case has been defined as one of the largest suits for damages, in the history of the film industry.

The defendants are being sued for the recreation, redevelopment, promotion, reproduction, proliferation, distribution, and disbursement throughout the United States of America and abroad to third world countries, for the movie the “Matrix”.

Allegedly the defendants cut, removed and, or destroyed from the original production of the movie motion picture, more than thirty (30) minutes of the movie, and the introduction. In an attempt to avoid both civil and criminal penalties for Copyright Infringement from Stewart's 45 page Epic Science Fiction Manuscript entitled The Third Eye which copyrights date back as far as 1981, as noticed and acknowledged by an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. During the F.B.I investigation,credible witnesses employed at Warner Brothers came forward claiming that the executives and lawyers had full knowledge that the work in question did not belong to the Wachowski brothers. The witnesses also added that the original work of Stewart had been seen, and often used during preparation of the motion pictures.

During Monday’s Court proceedings, United States District Judge Margaret Morrow ruled on several motions made by defendants Warner Brothers, Joel Silver,Andy and LarryWachowski in theirattempt to get the suits against them dismissed. But based on the evidence presented during the hearing by Ms. Stewart’s and her attorney’s Jonathan W. Lubell, Gary S. Brown and Dean Browning Web they successfully defended against, Motions to Dismiss of her copyright infringement lawsuit against the industry giants.

The investigation held by the F.B.I not only establish Stewart as the writer of the movie “The Matrix” but also surprisingly “The Terminator.

It is reported that since the release of the movies The Terminator and the Matrix including the sequels a gross of over 2.5 Billion Dollars was raked in by Warner Brothers, Joel Silver, Andy and Larry Wachowski while the allege creator as we know it now Sophia Stuart never got a cent.



LETTER FROM SOPHIA STEWART dated june 13, 2004
Yet again, we have been lied to and stolen from white owned multimillion dollar corporations like Warner Brothers and Fox in Hollywood who continue to steal and take credit for the work of creative Black minds!

The Matrix & Terminator movie franchises have made world history and have ultimately changed the way people view movies and how Hollywood do business, yet the real truth about the creator and creation of these films continue to allude the masses because the hidden secret of the matter is that these films were created and written by a Black woman... a Black woman named Sophia Stewart. But Hollywood does not want you to know this fact simply because it would change history. Also it would encourage our Black children to realize a dream and that is... nothing is impossible for them to achieve!

The question is, where are the Black support systems? Where are the Jessie Jackson’s, Oprah’s, NAACPs, Al Sharpton’s, Martin Luther King Foundation’s, and others? Others being Ebony, Jet, Tom Joyner, BET, Tavis Smiley, and all others who claim that they stand for justice and the equality of Black Justice and history.

When Ms. Stewart is interviewed by white media, they are appalled at the truth because they see that Sophia really wrote these movies and are shocked to learn that her own Black race is not behind her, yet there are white organizations and the grass roots media supporting her movement.

And the Elite Blacks? Well they are waiting to get the nod from mainstream media before they act or do anything. Could they be afraid of losing what little bit of meat that have fallen off the master's table? Or is it they simply do not believe how great their own race is?

I am ashamed of my own people's belief system. They used to have faith and they used to believe in God, but now they have become like the same fat ass arrogant White counterpart who only believe in the all might dollar!

What is to become of our people as a race if they continue to use, exploit, and brainwash our own children into believing that the all in life is money?

Sophia Stewart


Click Here for more details of this extraordinary srory!

Read an 8-page draft of 'The Third Eye' and draw your own conclusions!