Michael Jackson still big with 'This Is It'

Like Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Kurt Cobain and Tupac Shakur, Michael Jackson is just beginning his career as Pop Star Who Will Never Really Die. His movie "This Is It," based on rehearsal footage for the tour he was supposed to begin in July, comes out tonight, and his first posthumous album, the movie soundtrack, is also out. Four months after his death, he's one of the most active performers in the music business, and he's up for five American Music Awards, too.

MORE MUSIC "This Is It," a lovesick ballad - co-written with Paul Anka - with slinky funk guitar and strings, is Jackson's first "new" song since he died. And it just happens to share a title with the movie. The song is actually one of the hundreds of unreleased tracks he left in the vaults, according to estimates from Sony Music executives, and surely just the beginning of a flood of new releases. Before his death, Jackson recorded with R&B star Akon and the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, among other hot producers, but it's unclear when that music will reach the public.

THE FILMA 12-minute clip for the film was previewed for the media last week, showing Jackson practicing and singing in fine form, according to The Associated Press. Though the King of Pop looked frail, he playfully danced with a woman as he sang "The Way You Make Me Feel" and was shown warming up during a performance of "Human Nature."

REALITY SETS IN Before Jackson's death, ex-Jackson 5 singers Jackie, Jermaine, Tito and Marlon were filming the A&E reality show "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty." It's still supposed to air in December - and is likely to be a bigger ratings bonanza than it was before June 25. The preshow drama: Will Jackson's three children - Prince (12), Paris (11) and Blanket (7) - appear? A&E reps first said "no" but later pleaded too-soon-to-tell.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR Speaking of Jermaine Jackson, the singer is still planning a tribute show, "In Memory of Michael Jackson," in London next June. "Several leading artists" will participate, Jermaine writes on thetribute2010.com, and the still-to-be-announced venue will hold 70,000 people. If this thing actually comes together, here's hoping Pia Zadora will show up to revisit "When the Rain Begins to Fall," her smash 1985 duet with Jermaine.ESTATE BATTLE The battle for Jackson's estate remains in limbo. On one side, his court-appointed executors, attorney John Branca and music-business veteran John McClain, have made massive deals worth $100 million, much of it from the "This Is It" movie. On the other, Jackson's mother, Katherine, has been complaining that her family lacks "a seat at the table," and has been shuffling attorneys to help her gain more control in L.A. courts.

DEATH CAN'T STOP HIM Jackson has sold 5.9 million solo albums since his death - provoking sad flashbacks to 1982, when "Thriller" all but pulled the record business out of a recession. "Without a doubt, [Jackson's death] helped the music industry," says Silvio Pietroluongo, Billboard's charts director. "But the lifeblood of the music industry is new acts, and you can't rely on these kinds of occurrences to sustain an industry." Jackson is likely to be the bestselling artist of 2009; album sales overall are down 20 percent, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

WHEN|WHERE


"This Is It" opens for a two-week run at area theaters beginning midnight tonight. The two-disc soundtrack hit stores Monday.

Microsoft deal discounts Windows 7 upgrades by 58%

The catch: Buy a new Windows 7 PC, get cut-rate copy of an upgrade for another PC

Microsoft today launched a promotion that discounts Windows 7 upgrades as much as 58% when customers also buy a new Windows 7 PC.

The deal, which was available Thursday from the likes of Amazon.com and Staples, applies when consumers purchase a new computer equipped with Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate.

Staples, for instance, will sell a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade for $49.99, a 58% savings compared to the $119.99 list price, when buyers also purchase a new Windows 7 PC. Amazon, on the other hand, dropped the price of Home Premium Upgrade to $59.95, a savings of $60, or 50%. Under the promotion, Amazon also cut the price of Professional Upgrade to $115.99, an $85 savings (42% off) and Ultimate Upgrade to $139.99, an $80 savings (36% off) when customers ordered a new Windows 7 notebook or desktop at the same time.

Stephen Baker, an analyst with the NPD Group, which specializes in tracking retail sales, called the promotion "brilliant" in a blog post this morning. "It gives incentive to some of that huge XP installed base to do the right thing and upgrade into a new PC, while offering them a way to cost-effectively upgrade that companion notebook they have bought in the last two and one-half years which is running Vista," Baker said.

"Windows 7 is even greater the more PCs that you have that run it," Baker said in a follow-up interview. "People aren't likely to go out today and buy multiple new PCs, but this is a great way to drive the value of Windows 7."

Baker called out Home Group, a new feature in Windows 7 that simplifies the task of setting up file, printer, photo, and music sharing between Windows 7-equipped PCs on a home network, as one reason to upgrade as many home computers as possible to the new operating system.

According to Microsoft, one discounted copy of Windows 7 Upgrade can be bought per new PC, with the discount applicable to the same version as that which powers the PC. In other words, buyers of a new PC running Windows 7 Home Premium can purchase an upgrade copy of Home Premium at the discounted price, while consumers who buy a PC with Windows 7 Professional can get an upgrade copy of that edition at the reduced price.

Amazon, however, appears to be offering buyers of any Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate-equipped PC the discount for any of the three editions' upgrades. Buyers can order a notebook running Home Premium, for example, but buy an upgrade to Professional.

Some buyers are ineligible for the deal, however. New machines running the entry-level version of Windows 7, dubbed Starter, don't qualify, essentially preventing most purchasers of netbooks -- which are dominated by Windows 7 Starter -- from taking advantage of the promotion.

The discounted upgrade deal expires Jan. 2, 2010, and applies to consumers in the U.S. and U.K, as well as those in Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, New Zealand, Poland and Slovakia. . Microsoft and its retail partners also started selling the $149.99 Windows 7 Family Pack today. The package lets buyers upgrade as many as three PCs from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7 Home Premium.

College students are eligible for a separate offer that prices Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade at $29.99.

Robert Pattinson Admits He Really Is Edward Cullen

News flash: USA Weekend has some new quotes direct from the mouth of Robert Pattinson! (Seems like there's so much time between the real and the fake things that we should all cherish these few precious words uttered by the great sparkle vampire.)

Mr. Rob Pattz tells the publication that he has given up the fight to separate himself from his character Edward Cullen.

"Right at the beginning, everyone just called me Edward. I don't really mind either way. There's something about that character that, for some reason, has sparked an interest in massive degrees in so many different people. If you want to compete with your own character, you have to really fight. I don't know if I could be bothered to fight. I just let it go by."

Isn't he just so laid-back and dreamy and amazing and hot and the best?!

Show Luo would rather be single than be with Elva Hsiao or Jolin Tsai

Show Luo specially filmed a short clip with Elva Hsiao for her New Year’s concert. The two have collaborated three times, but have never developed romantic relations. Both said that they would need a week’s time to actually develop any relationship. When told to choose Jolin Tsai or Elva Hsiao, Show joked: “I’ll stay single. We’ll all be sisters forever.”

Elva Hsiao performed with the 12 cars from [The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift] as a background on stage. In these two minutes, 5 million TWD was spent (~155,000 USD). Show was jealous that Elva received better perks than him and pleaded with his recording company to match what Elva got during his next album.

In the past, Show Luo has chatted with foreign dancers. One guessed that he was only 24. When she knew that he was already 30, her face was full of surprise. She said that he had a “baby-face”. And Show directly replied that he was a “father-face”.

Elva Hsiao had yet to choose her special guests for her New Year concert. Her fans can vote online for the special guests who include Show Luo, A-Mei, Jolin Tsai, Stefanie Sun, Cheryl Yang etc.

More : Elva Xiao Dances with Show Luo Burning NT$2 Million in 2 Minutes

Yesterday, Elva Xiao filmed a MV and a VCR for her year-end concert, <2010 Elva Wow World Tour Concert.> She specially invited Asia Dance King, Show Luo, to film the VCR with her. Even though the VCR that they filmed is only 2 minutes, it had a lot going on where there were 12 sports cars, 12 dancers, and daring screen shots. Including the US dance teacher, Luam, it all adds up to more than 30 people in the whole performance crew. This all added up to NT$2 million.

Also, Elva’s silver outfit that costs NT$200 thousand is designed by Brian Lichtenberg from the US. This designer has once designed outfits for Beyonce Knowles, Ciara, Lady Gaga, and many more famous female singers. Elva wore this outfit to dance for less than 3 minutes but is already sweating all over.

Elva said, “To promote the year-end concert, we spent NT$2 million to film the MV, and even invited the Asia Dance King to help support. This is all to give audiences the best visual experience. Though the NT$2 million for the MV is nothing compared to what the company has done for the concert tour. They already spent more than NT$80 million. This has become one of my individual milestones.” As for Show Luo, he said, “Being able to dance with Elva, who can dance so well, is a very happy experience. Because Elva’s style of dance originated from the US, I hope that this new collaboration can create new sparks.” Also, he is quite jealous that even though they are from the same company, but the company is willing to spent NT$80 million for Elva, and my concert only cost a little more than NT$10 million. I hope that next time the company can set up a concert for me like this one. Afterward, Show acted jealous and said, “Fans, quickly complain. Have the company give me the same treatment next time.”

Later, Show was asked, which dance queen he thinks dances better: Elva or Jolin Tsai. Show was very slick and said, “It’s different because one grew up in the US and another was born in Taiwan.” Then the reporters said, “And then…” Show replied, “Then their dance styles will be different. She (Elva) has lived in the US culture, music, and all the other things since she was young, so I think her way of dancing and movements have a Western feel to it.”



Elva and Show has collaborated three times already, but there has not been any love sparks yet. The two simultaneously said that they need to get along for at least one week in order to have love sparks. Reporters asked Show if he were to choose between Elva and Jolin Tsai, who would he want to go out with? He did not want to upset anyone and said, “I’ll first castrate myself, so we can all be good sisters forever.”

Earlier, Show and Luam chatted and he guessed that Show is only 24-years-old. After knowing that he’s actually 30-years-old, he surprisingly said that Show has a baby face. Then Show spoke back and said that Luam has a “father face.”

The guests for Elva’s concert have not been decided yet. Fans have been voting online and the artists include Show Luo, Ah Mei, Jolin Tsai, Stefanie Sun, and Cheryl Yang. Though, Show said that because he will release his own album very soon, his work schedule is very tight so he is not sure yet if he is able be a guest at Elva’s year-end concert. But he still looks forward to collaborating with her because dancing with females who can dance makes him dance with more power.

Windows 7 will shine in medicine

Windows 7 is finally here, and your doctor couldn’t be happier.

Thanks to its full support of multi-touch touch screens, Windows 7 is perfect for a tablet PC any doctor can use to record, update, and analyze your health records.

The big phrase you will hear this year is All In One. It means instead of choosing among a notebook, a tablet and a touchscreen, they are all one thing. As the standard PC becomes an All In One, the price drops toward the $500/unit level seen in standard laptops.

But wait, there’s more. Because the touchscreen is now supported within the operating system, applications will also get that support. This will also drop the price of solutions dramatically.

One problem doctors have long had with computerizing health records was the sloppy interface, when compared with clipboards. The clipboards always had the form they needed to use, and if it didn’t they could also slip another form into the clip and go.

Clipboards also support a doctor’s own handwriting. So now will standard PCs, once their optical character recognition software is trained. Nurses who “know what that scrawl means” will do the training, asking no more follow-up questions than they do . (Was that Percocet or prerequisite?) As the software learns the patterns, these annoying questions will start to go away.

Support will be needed to lead docs and nurses through the menus, so they can reach the right form, the right report, the right image. As with any PC application your mileage goes up as you get familiar with it.

But a virtual page is being turned here. There are no longer any excuses for doctors to have tablet PCs equipped with a pen-like stylus, an interface just as good as the clipboard and, over time, better.

This won’t overcome all objections. There is still a sort of protection in that bad handwriting. (No, your honor, I didn’t order Percocet — I asked what was the prerequisite.)

But now we will know where the objection comes from.

Flugate: Did Miley Try to Cover Up H1N1?

Ironically, one little tweet could've nipped this whole thing in the bud a long time ago.

Instead, Miley Cyrus has left rumor control in the hands (and rather loose lips) of her costars and publicists—neither of whom, apparently, bothered to consult one another or get their stories straight before talking to the press.

What they do agree on is that earlier this month, Cyrus fell sick. And while rumors swirled at the time that America's sweetheart had come down with a bad case of the Miss Piggys, her rep denied then that the starlet had contracted swine flu, blaming her concert cancellations instead on the much more press release-friendly strep throat.

Theoretically, the rumor should have ended there. Problem was, Cyrus' Hannah Montana costars didn't get the memo. Enter Cody Linley and the start of Flugate...

The former Disney star and Dancing With the Stars also-ran spoke with the Reelz Channel's Hollywood Dailies this week and all PR hell has since broken loose (exacerbating the conundrum is the fact that Cyrus' publicist just so happens to be Linley's publicist, as well).

"I spoke with her the day that she canceled the tour," he said of Cyrus. "She said she felt really bad, she just didn't understand what was happening, but she just got really sick and had to run offstage because things were just, like, on her heart, too heavy."

So far, so good.

"Then the next day she told me she had the swine flu."

Yikes.

That prompted another statement this morning from Team Miley to E! News:

"Miley never had the swine flu, doesn't have the swine flu, is not sick and has a concert tonight."

Hmmm…think someone's tired of answering this question?

In any case, Hollywood has not been immune to H1N1. David Boreanaz's fake-out case scare closed down the Bones set for a day, while Harry Potter's Rupert Grint, Melissa Rycroft and Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys all actually came down with the swine flu. And we may soon add Sharon Osbourne's name to that list.

"I just spoke to my mum and she is in New York alone and they think she has swine flu and she sounds so sicky I'm so worried!" Kelly Osbourne tweeted this week.

And whatever previously felled Cyrus has since been cured. Per Linley, Cyrus was back to 100 percent as of Thursday night and she's set to continue her tour in Birmingham, Ala., tonight.

Mnet unveils MAMA – Full nominee list revealed!

From 2009, Mnet annual music event MKMF will be changed to Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA).


A live program took place on 23rd October in Seoul Tower and the idea of the new music awards ceremony was revealed. Previously on 16th October, the note “This year there will be no MKMF’ was posted on Mnet’s official homepage, the change of the music ceremony was to give it a new transformation as mentioned by Mnet.

Go under the cut for the nominee list and more details!

About MAMA
* Event: 2009 MAMA
* Date: 21st November
* Time: 7pm
* Place: Seoul Jamsil Stadium
* Airing: Via Channel V and will be broadcasted simultaneously in Japan, China, HongKong, Thailand, and other SEA countries.
* Specialty: Participation by overseas artistes

Judging:
* 29 Total categories
* Singer category: 7
* Genre category: 7
* MV category: 2
* Criteria: Album sales and album charts from 15th October 2008 till 22nd October 2009

Nominee List for 2009 MAMA:
* Newcomer (Male) – BEAST, Supreme Team, MBLAQ, ChungRim, TaeGoon
* Newcomer (Female) - 2NE1, After School, T-ara, 4Minute, f(x)
* Male singer – Drunken Tiger, Rain, Lee Seung Chul, GDragon, MC Mong
* Female singer – Bada, Baek Ji Young, Son DamBi, YoonHa, ChaeYeon
* Male Group – 2PM, Big Bang, Super Junior, SG Wannabe, SS501
* Female Group - Davichi, Brown Eyed Girls, So Nyeo Shi Dae, Jewelry, KARA
* Mixed Group – Roo’Ra, 8eight, Koyote, Cool, Clazziquai

* Rock Music Award – BuHwal (????), Seo Taiji (Juliet), Jang GiHa and the Faces (Living with no special things), Cherry Filter (Pianissimo), FT Island (I Hope)
* Hip hop group award – Dynamic Duo (Dead Guy), Drunken Tiger (Monster), LeeSsang (???? ??? ??, ???? ??? ??), Outsider (Alone), Epik High (Wannabe)
* Ballad/R&B music award – Kim Jong Kook (Today More Than Yesterday), Kim TaeWoo (Love Rain), Bobby Kim (Love, the guy), Park Hyo Shin (After Love), Baek Ji Young (Like being Hit)
* Dance music award – 2NE1 (I Don’t Care), 2PM (Again & Again), So Nyeo Shi Dae (Gee), Super Junior (Sorry), KARA (Honey)
* House& Electronic music award – Brown Eyed Girls (Abracadabra), Son DamBi (Saturday Night), Clazziquai (Love Again), 4Minute (Muzik), GDragon (Heartbreaker)
* Trot Music Award - Gyeon Miri (Happy Woman), Park Hyun Bin (Brilliant Life), Seong JinYoo (???), Joo HyunMi and SeoHyun (JjaRaJaJjan), Hong JinYeong (Love’s Battery)
* O.S.T Award – Baek Ji Young (Don’t Forget – IRIS), Lee Seung Chul (No more love like this – Blue Love Story), T-Max (Paradize – Boys Over Flowers), Tiffany (I’m Along – JaMyungGo), SS501 (Because I’m Stupid – Boys Over Flowers)
* Best MV – 2NE1 (Fire), LeeSsang (???? ??? ??, ???? ??? ??), Bada (Mad), Seo Taiji (Juliet), D.N.G (Step 2 Me)
* MV Director - Seo HyunSeung, Jang JaeHyuk, Jo SooHyun, Joo HeeSeon, Hong WonKi

* Nominees: 35
* Song awards: 30

Voting!
Voting: To be opened from 9pm on 23rd October on Mnet official homepage

Timberlake gets restraining order against woman

Justin Timberlake was granted a temporary restraining order on Friday against a woman his attorney described as an obsessed stalker, court records show.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Cunningham III granted the "SexyBack" singer the protective order against Karen J. McNeil, 48.

Timberlake's attorney, Evan Spiegel, described McNeil in court filings as a "mentally unstable celebrity stalker." The papers state McNeil was placed in protective psychiatric custody by police after she trespassed at the singer's home on Thursday.

McNeil's actions have "become much more alarming and her motivation and obsession have become more ominous, intrusive and threatening," according to the filings.

The records said it's the third time McNeil has showed up at Timberlake's home and that she may be homeless. She left a letter characterized as "bizarre" during a trip to the singer's home in June, the records show.

Attempts to find a phone number for McNeil were unsuccessful.

Cunningham will consider whether to grant a three-year restraining order at a Nov. 9 hearing.

Timberlake, 28, has won multiple Grammy Awards for songs such as "SexyBack" and "Cry Me a River." His petition for a restraining order does not seek protection for anyone else.

Windows 7 student upgrade installer not working for many



The Windows 7 launch seems to have gone off mostly roses and sunbeams, but we're hearing today that quite a few people have had issues installing the downloadable $29 student upgrade edition on 32-bit Vista -- apparently the file doesn't unpack to an ISO, but instead to an executable and two bundles that don't function properly, and eventually the process errors out with a 64-bit app trying to launch on 32-bit systems. It's possible to create an ISO using some hackery, but the install process seems to be 50/50 after that -- we've heard of both success and further crashes. For it's part, Microsoft says it's looking into things, so hopefully a newly repackaged download will be forthcoming -- every party has its ups and downs, right?

Update: Our friends at DownloadSquad have a handy guide to making the ISO, in case you're interested -- and they say the installer does work in the end.

Update 2: We just got a tip that Microsoft is offering refunds to users who are having issues. [Thanks, Christopher]


Saw VI the Year's Best Supergory Movie About Health Insurance

Capitalism beware! Michael Moore was a pussycat compared to Saw's John "Jigsaw" Kramer (Tobin Bell), whose we-mean-it-this-time last posthumous wish was apparently that vengeance be wrought upon predatory lenders and health insurance executives. No, really. Enjoy.

The Bigger Picture: The Saw saga was meant to end with part three, which nicely concluded the diabolical life of both the Jigsaw killer and his apprentice Amanda (Shawnee Smith). Lionsgate, however, saw more dollar signs to be had, and in the hands of scribes Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, a new storyline was superimposed upon previous events, adding needless layers of retroactive continuity and unveiling a far more annoying apostle of agony by the name of Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor).

After two irritating installments of unnecessary layer upon layer, this more straightforward sequel finally ties up the loose ends, without the gratuitous red herrings or continuity distortions that have become tedious trademarks.


New director Kevin Greutert, previously an editor on the series, gets back to basics: people in traps with a time limit take up the lion's share of screen time (literally—the setting is an abandoned zoo building), while the "outside world" portion of the tale highlights, without much complication, the metaphorical noose gradually tightening around Hoffman's neck, as he and Kramer's widow, Jill (Betsy Russell), enact the game master's last will and testament.

Would all the Saw sequels have been unnecessary had Kramer's health insurance policy simply covered an experimental cancer treatment? That's the amusingly "timely" notion at play here, as the man who denied him the full benefit, a weasely suit named William (Land of the Dead's Peter Outerbridge) is forced to come face-to-face with life-or-death decisions under the terms of Kramer's last (as if!) game.

The gore is ample, the Mandylor scenes limited, and even Scream Queens winner Tanedra Howard acquits herself well. Best of all, Smith returns for some additional flashbacks with Kramer, reminding viewers of the relationship that was always at the heart of the best installments.

Saw VI is not as elaborately plotted as prior sequels, but it doesn't need to be. After the last couple of halfassed tries, it's nice to have one that finally delivers a decent ending.

The 180—a Second Opinion: If Saw VI does well at the box office, the studio will undoubtedly find a way to further strain the storyline's credibility with more sequels...so please, if you want to see it, don't go opening weekend.

Show Luo is Good, Rainie Yang Says He Wins

Show Luo and Rainie Yang’s misunderstanding for many years has been clarified three years ago when Rainie took the initiative to ask Show, “Are there some misunderstanding between us? You’re treating me like the air.” During the celebration banquet for the US concert, their iceberg started to break. The two went from not talking to each other to Rainie praising that Show is a great kisser. And his physical strength is better than Mike He, Wilber Pan, and some other idol male singers. What has happened between them is so dramatic.

To premiere on November 1st, the main leads of the CTS idol drama <Hi My Sweetheart>, Show and Rainie, are developing a deeper and deeper relationship. They went from only nodding when see each other to close friends that can talk about anything. When they were asked if their relationship will get too deep, where a on-screen couple becomes a real couple, Ranie said, “We are too close. It is impossible.” The currently good friends were just seniors and juniors who treated each other like air three years ago.

Even though Rainie and Show treated each other like air before, when filming <Hi My Sweetheart>, Rainie praised Show, and Show, who always wants to perform the best, wanted to perform even better after being praised by the beauty. Rainie said, “Show’s 'carrying strength' is really good. I remember there was a time where we were chatting off-screen and mentioned when female artists film, they are most afraid of actors who can’t really carry them but still forces themselves to do so. And I told Show who I thought was the actor who’s number one in carrying females.”

Rainie never guessed that when filming the carrying scene with Show, he performed to his 100%. “He had me witness a Taiwan native’s power. After the director says ‘cut’ he still carried my around and did some street dancing. Then he finally slowly put me down on a low chair.” Rainie laughingly said, “Other males who have carried me before include Mike He, Wilber Pan, KingOne Wang, and Li Wei, but Show won. Ever since that scene, I started calling him ‘Carrying Master (???).’”

Glee's Great, but the Music Ain't

Criticizing Glee is like lecturing a puppy—you end up feeling like the bad guy.

Puppies, like Glee, are cute, energetic and a whole lot more fun to watch than a police procedural. Why can't you just enjoy them as they are, for what they are?

Because.

Because some things must be said. No matter how hard. No matter how adorable the offender.

Puppies, you must not pee on the carpet.

And, Glee, you must do something about your music.

You're totally making Cory Monteith sound like Cher.

Last night's episode was a prime example—not of the Monteith-Cher connection, specifically—but of the show's overproduced soundtrack, in general.

When Matthew Morrison's Mr. S. burst into "Thong Song," he sounded like he was in a music video, not a suburban high school. The same tune could be sung of his "Bust a Move."

We get that Glee is a musical-comedy, not a documentary. And we get quasi-fantasy numbers like Jayma Mays' starry-eyed version of "I Could've Danced All Night." But we don't get why the Glee people, many of them musical-theater veterans, can't sound as unplugged as that magical bass guitar Kevin McHale's Artie is always thumping on.

For every too-brief moment of Lea Michele sounding raw—and lovely—on a "What a Girl Wants," or Monteith singing a perfectly credible REO Speedwagon in the shower, there's Michele and Monteith sounding like 1990s-era Cher on "No Air," or Monteith sounding like the Monteith XRZ-200 on the out-of-the-shower version of "Can't Fight This Feeling."

We are hardly the first to notice Glee's Auto-Tune addiction. Toronto-based singer-songwriter Will-W. blogged about the show's penchant for pitch correction and manipulation shortly after the fall premiere.

"It sort of defeats the purpose of the show," Will-W. told us today. "It's putting a false illusion of what singing is all about. [The show's] about a group of high school kids who are allegedly talented—and they are talented."

At least one online petition is on the chorus of dissent. The "Call to Stop Vocal Pitch Correction Abuse" has asked Glee creator Ryan Murphy and Fox to retrofit the DVD issues with "remixed versions of the songs that don't have robotic vocalists."

At last check, the petition had little more than two dozen names attached to it. No, not exactly a groundswell. Maybe people are too busy trying to save Eastwick. Or maybe they're loath to call out anything that's as cute as a baby Lab—and whip-smart enough to bring us Jane Lynch once a week.

We refuse to believe, however, that people are loving that Glee has lacked for authentic glee-club moments. And sounds.

Plus, don't get us started on the whole fake pregnancy thing…

Motorola Zeppelin Android smartphone spotted in the wild

Motorola is ramping up production of Android phones as fast as it can apparently after all the buzz it created with the Droid and its other Android offerings. Today another Android smartphone from Motorola was spied running wild called the Motorola Zeppelin. Interesting name since the word Zeppelin always conjures up images of things going down in flames for me.


The shot of the device in the wild is far from telling and is only of the textured back panel of the handset. DIGI.QQ.com reports that the handset has a 5MP camera with flash, Wi-Fi, HDMI output, and dual SIM slots. That last feature is a first for Android phones if accurate.

The dual SIM slots are said to be marked GSM and CDMA. That interesting CDMA slot is an R-UIM slot reports Engadget, limiting the device to China only. The handset has a 3.1-inch 480 x 320 resolution screen as well. The device is tipped to debut in China in Q1 2010.

Wonder Girls to unleash Mandarin version of ‘Nobody’, eyeing the Chinese market

South Korea’s Wonder Girls made history this week by becoming the first Korean singers to chart on the United States’ Billboard Hot 100, and the pop group is eyeing the lucrative Chinese market next.


The girl band’s hit single “Nobody” entered the chart at number 76, putting them ahead of Carrie Underwood (#77), Five for Fighting (#83) and Usher (#92).

A press release by the group’s agency JYP Entertainment said Thursday this is the first time any Koreans has ever placed on the chart in all its 115-year history.

The Billboard rankings are determined by an artiste’s number of airplays, album sales, as well as digital downloads.

Earlier this week, an airplay analysis chart by music website Mediabase showed that the Wonder Girls’ airplay ranking improved 16 spots week-on-week to the 107th position after “Nobody” was played 65 times by radio stations across America in the week October 12-18.

Reports said “Nobody” also outsold singles by pop stars Madonna and Shakira, with over 30,000 copies off the shelves in the same week.

The five-piece girl group also toured with popular US boyband Jonas Brothers as their opening act for 53 concerts.

With success in America, and parts of Asia already under their charm, the Wonder Girls are looking to conquer the massive Chinese market next.

The band will be making its foray into China later this month during the Mobile Festival in Beijing, alongside other famous faces such as Jackie Chan and Zhang Ziyi.

“Nobody” was originally released in the girls’ native language Korean, and later remade into English for their US debut. This time, the hit single will undergo a third release – in Mandarin – for the Wonder Girls’ venture into China.

Lil Wayne's New York Arrest: What Happened That Night?

Police presence was heavy around Wayne's gig in July of 2007.

July 22, 2007 was shaping up to be a memorable night for hip-hop. Lil Wayne's career was on fire: The underground buzz that exploded with the #1 debut of Tha Carter III the following year was on full boil. He was about to take the stage at New York's Beacon Theatre for his first headlining gig in the city that spawned hip-hop. A NYC appearance for Weezy was a rare event, but for those who'd been following the 25-year-old's musical career for years, the Beacon show felt like a coronation.

Wayne was gigantic throughout the South via his guest appearances and mixtapes, but he hadn't yet had the chance to see how much the Big Apple fans loved him up close. A sold-out Beacon roared as Wayne, taking the stage in a vintage Run-DMC T-shirt (which, as is almost always the case during his shows, would soon be removed) electrified the crowd with underground bangers and hits like "Hustler Musik." The crowd knew the night would be unforgettable.

However, it would be unforgettable for reasons nobody anticipated: Wayne was arrested after the show, and that arrest saw him pleading guilty to attempted gun possession earlier this week — a plea that, under New York's tough gun laws, is likely to get him a year-long prison sentence.

Outside the theater before the show, it was like an awards-show red carpet. Rappers Juelz Santana and Jim Jones from the Diplomats stood around waiting to get in, while Ja Rule and Irv Gotti chilled in Maybachs. Kanye West was said to be on his way to the venue, as was DJ Khaled.

The welcoming committee for the rappers, however, was not so glamorous. Police refused to let the Diplomats wait in the backstage area before they performed with Wayne. Mounted police rode up to the rappers and their entourages and almost physically ushered them down the block. Wayne himself had to go through a metal detector and be patted down by police before entering the building for his own headlining show.

Santana and Jim Jones fumed in a parking lot while they waited for wristbands to gain admission. "Somebody tell Jim Jones he's not getting in under any circumstances," one policeman was heard saying.

Jones eventually wound up leaving while Juelz stayed, later taking the stage as a surprise guest. But the excitement of many of the performers who were there to support Weezy was dampened by the actions of the security team at the venue. "Going into the show, I felt like I was going to prison," DJ Khaled told MTV News this week.

Video footage shows Wayne with a visible look of disgust on his face while getting frisked by police. Cash Money's Birdman also had a rough time entering. Wayne threatened to leave, but didn't want to disappoint his fans. He said during the concert that the Big Apple wouldn't be getting too many more of his shows (although he has performed New York-area gigs twice since then).

"I just went through the worst f----in' feelin ever with y'all police," he said from the stage with a look that mixed disappointment and disgust. "This may be one of the only times you see me because of how they treated me."

Eventually, Wayne's anger would cool down and his energy would be channeled into igniting the stage. Besides hitting the crowd with his own records, Wayne treated them to a surprise guest spot from West, who came out to a deafening roar for "Can't Tell Me Nothing." Other guests, including Santana, Khaled and Ja Rule, were also well received.

"My take? Lil Wayne brought me out on that show," Khaled recalled to MTV News this week. "He let me open and he brought me out on 'We Taking Over.' The show was amazing, the fans were amazing, they went crazy. I went crazy because it was Wayne and Kanye. And Wayne was ripping it down, doing freestyles. I don't think Wayne performed that many times in New York, so that's special, too. I was a fan behind the scenes, seeing the best MC in the world."

The crowd's reaction was ecstatic, and the show would garner acclaim from critics in reviews the next day.

However, shortly after the show, Wayne's tour bus was pulled over just blocks from the theater. Police claim to have smelled marijuana emanating from the bus as it left the venue and arrested him at approximately 11:30 p.m.

The bus was pulled over and when authorities entered and walked to Wayne's room in the back, they claimed to have seen him throw a Louis Vuitton bag with the .40 caliber gun to the floor — a claim Wayne's lawyer would deny.

"He [Wayne] was in the bus in his boxer shorts with a number of other people," his lawyer, Stacey Richman told MTV News. "Unless his boxer shorts had a pocket for this gun, I don't understand how he had it on him."

Just an hour before Wayne's bus was stopped, Ja Rule had his Maybach pulled over for speeding and was arrested as well when police found a .40-caliber handgun in his car during a search. (Rule declined to comment on the incident for this story; Richman is also representing Ja in his case, which is still working its way through the legal system.)

More than two years later, Wayne's arrested would condemn him to a prison sentence (of which he is expected to serve eight to 10 months). On Thursday, Wayne entered a guilty plea to a class "D" violent felony of attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Arguing all along that the gun did not belong to him — it was legally registered in Mississippi to the rapper's manager, Cortez Bryant — and that it was not in his possession when police boarded the bus, Wayne's plea specified that the gun was within his "dominion or control," which means that it was available to him for use, but was not being brandished in a threatening manner.

This week, performers talked with MTV News about the tough security around the show and how the atmosphere affected them, and Wayne.

"Leaving the Beacon was weird for me," Khaled said. "I felt like [police] was just watching everybody. It didn't feel right. Everybody was backstage, undercovers, I heard Ja Rule got pulled over. And nobody was doing anything wrong. That's why I didn't really understand it. Me, I didn't leave from backstage. I left with the crowd. When I was leaving, I was hearing all this stuff about people getting pulled over. I feel hip-hop is a target for no reason right now."

"I remember that day, a couple of people got arrested, I got pulled over," Santana told MTV News this week. "They followed me uptown. You can't just go and try get n---as for no reason. Say a n---a did have a gun. We're on defense. By the time somebody tries to [do something to me] and [the police] get to me, I'm just explaining the story. That's the position we in. C'mon. The people that's trying to get us are looking out to see when the police aren't there," he said.

Wayne took the stage that night hoping to show fans and fellow MCs in the birthplace of hip-hop how he'd earned the self-anointed title of "the greatest rapper alive." And, onstage, he did. But now facing up to a year in prison, Wayne also proved that fame, money and adulation are no shield from the law, no matter what your skills on the mic.

"I think it speaks of him that he's an individual with a strong constitution that he took that responsibility," Richman said on Thursday after Wayne's plea.

2PM New Album in November

Although it's been a month since Jaebeom traded 2PM for Seattle, the fan feud has only heated up between supporters of 6-member 2PM and advocates for a seven-member 2PM only. However, despite Korean & international Hottests' protests, JYP Entertainment is officially ready to move on.

A representative from the agency has confirmed that 2PM will release a new album mid-November.

The album was originally planned for an October release; however, with Jaebeom's sudden withdrawal, JYPE was forced to push the date back. Furthermore, JYPE has been faced with significant pressure from boycotters, fans and public opinion alike. Many Hottests have threatened to boycott any six-member 2PM products, and are expected to follow through with their words.

It looks like JYPE & Jaebeom are finally on the move again; as we reported earlier, Jaebeom will reveal his state after the September scandal on the new KBS 2TV show Into Sunday Night on October 25.

Nokia Booklet 3G running Windows 7 Starter unwrapped at Best Buy



If your pulse is racing like Windows 7 on an Atom processor then this Nokia Booklet 3G is surely the cause. The premium netbook running Microsoft's not so premium 32-bit, Aero-less Starter Edition OS (see the sticker?) is the first demo unit to arrive at Best Buy. Buyers better enjoy looking at that Windows flag 'cause with Starter, it's the only wallpaper you're ever going to get.




G-Dragon’s Butterfly MV is out!

G-Dragon has released the music video for Butterfly. This song has some story behind it. Not only was the song hand picked by G-Dragon himself as his favorite song on the album, it's also been accused of plagiarism.


We were informed of this music video's October 23rd release yesterday and now it's here!

Originally, it was announced that A Boy would be the third music video to be released but I guess he went with the song he felt was the best. The song itself is different from his other tracks. It has an acoustic guitar introduction and features Jin Jung. It's not even a dance song but more of an alternative rap song where G-Dragon almost sounds like he's singing for the most part.

The song is very romantic and the music video portrays it very well through purposeful animation. This video ends the series of singles for his mini album, it brings together the art direction for the album and its very "Alice in wonderland" like. Although fans were surprised that he chose Butterfly, we all know you ladies love anything G-Dragon. His previous music videos include "Heartbreaker" and "Breathe".

Since G-Dragon is currently promoting A Boy on stage, people were confused. To that YG Entertainment said, "He will promote A Boy on music shows and promote Butterfly with the music video at the same time."

[Cover Story] S.H.E - I Want Us to Stay Together

Since 11 Sep 2001, Selina, Hebe and Ella have been together in the music industry as a group – S.H.E, for over 8 years. To a pop group, this is really considered a long life. At the start of this year, rumours of S.H.E disbanding were spreading like wildfire and caused a big commotion amongst many. It was only until recently when S.H.E celebrated their 8th anniversary did the trio announced in Shanghai, “We will still continue together, to create more milestones that belong to S.H.E.”

Together for a Lifetime


On 11 Sep 2001, S.H.E officially released their debut album – [Girl’s Dormitory]. During then, Taiwan’s music industry was experiencing a never before crisis, but yet S.H.E managed to rise to fame in such times.

They Are Famous for 8 Years So Far

To be such a long-life pop group is indee a rare feat. Please do not say S.H.E is “lethal tongue” in their comment, but the other group – Twins, which started out about the same time as them then, has indeed “not been in sight” from the music scene since the “celebrity sex photo scandal.”

Therefore when the rumours of S.H.E disbanding started at the beginning of the year, many people actually believed it to be true. The most obvious clue then has got to be Hebe’s own actions – as her solo album was already in preparation and soliciting songs. On the other hand, Selina dabbled in hosting, and Ella was busy with filming. It seemed as though each member is gearing themselves up to venture on their own.

However, the talk of disbanding seemed to be negligible in the trio’s views. Hebe was quick to clarify, “It is normal for one member of the trio to do work on her own. Not every job requires all 3 of us to do it together. But we probably will be together forever, unless one of us decides to get married, settle down with children; then we will possibly make other plans.”

Recently, S.H.E launched their new series of World Tour Concerts entitled – [S.H.E Is The One – Love As One]. The series of world tour concerts is slated to run for a year and seems to be the most appropriate evidence in response to the talks of disbanding. “As our world tour concerts will last for at least a year, this would already refute all talks of disbanding automatically. Furthermore, we intend to continue as a group and to create more records which belongs to us.”

Sisterhood Indeed

In fact, the trio shared a closely knitted relationship.

Whenever the trio comes together onstage together, there will never be a moment of silence awkwardness. At times, in response to the media’s question, the trio would start their chatters, exchanging views and discussing. Sometimes they would get so engrossed in their chats that they have forgotten about the reporters’ presence.

Unlike many groups which may appear to be cordial onstage and ignoring each other offstage, S.H.E remains as close as sisters offstage. Amongst themselves, the trio enjoyed “discussing bad things about others” and their conversation topics can vary from family members, dogs, gossips on others, fashion etc; it seems they will never run out of topics.

In this new series of world tour concerts, S.H.E designed 3 theme parties. One of the themes is the Pyjamas Party. “The 3 of us will be in pastel colour sleeping gowns, lying in a 3-decker bed which is suspended in mid-air, while singing.” Ella shared that the idea for this Pyjamas Party is to show how close they are. “We always enjoy the feeling whereby we can share secrets and yet have a lot of fun together. Fans can come in their pyjamas to join us for the party to play, and to dream.”

3 Mature Fair Ladies

In the industry for 8 years, the 3 little girls of yesteryear have transformed into matured fair ladies. During the concert press conference, the trio was donned in grand, body fitting dresses of deep purple and black. The most stunning being the usually androgynous style Ella, who entered the ballroom in 12-cm heels, which is a total transformation from the pastel-pink-&-baby-blue young girl feel.

We asked Ella if she could accept her sexy image now? In response, she said, “Oh! Of course I can accept it. Because I am actually very sexy, hahaha!”

When the trio sat down, each one of them laid a shawl over their knees. When we asked them why, Ella exclaimed, “Because we are afraid of being exposed! We wonder how those camera lenses are fitted really, to somehow always manage to catch glimpses of the ‘triangular’ areas. Therefore the 3 of us will not give it any chance and thus, we will securely cover all areas beneath our knees.” We prompted then, “You all could have gone for long dresses instead.” Then came the response, “But short dresses stand out when we stood up.” To prove her point further, Heba stood up together with her to strike poses in an alluring figure of S, and said, “See, isn’t it more beautiful to stand like this in shorter dresses! Well, there is nothing to fear when we stand up, unless, your photographer takes photos lying down.”

When she sat down again, Ella shared that she tends to dress in more androgynous styles usually. However Selina quickly revealed, “No way! Sometimes she does dress very femininely!” According to Selina, Ella seemed to have a lot of changes to her dressing style recently. At times, she would dress like a little boy, and the next instance, she would look like a dainty lady. Ella may have a more androgynous appearance, but actually she is very feminine as Selina adds, “She will also grow up too! This summer, she has taken to wearing dresses with very thin undergarments beneath, which feels very cooling…”

So according to them, the trio would be wearing very feminine sleeping gowns during the Pyjamas theme Party segment in the concert. We probed if they would fear being exposed. To this, Ella said, “When performing onstage, one has to be more carefree and immense yourself, so we might not bother with such details. Nonetheless, we would have ensured all precautions have been taken.” Hebe then added, “We will definitely prepare ourselves well! Our safety pants will be as long as our costumes…”

Hearing this, the trio burst into laughter.

Nearing 30s

Coincidentally each of the trio’s Shanghai concert always falls on Selina’s birthday. Last year’s concert in Shanghai, her father arrived and there was a moving scene then. This year, the trio’s concert in Shanghai will once again fall on 31 Oct – Selina’s birthday. When we asked for her birthday wish, she replied, “Let me think…” In the end, it was Hebe and Ella who seemed to know her better than herself. “Her wish is to move into a new house. With a new environment, everything will start afresh with new outlook.”

But she added, “I discover nothing has changed. Because everything is as how they were initially. All my clothes are strewn on the floor. Each time I willed myself to clear them up, but after just picking up one or two pieces of clothing, I would end up saying – Wow, so tiring, so tedious! In the end, I would no longer continue tidying.”

Therefore, “My birthday wish is to overcome this lazy habit of mine. Then my life would be perfect.”

In addition, “I wish for the three of us to each have a very, very good love relationship! As usual, being girls, we tend to look forward to perfect love.” Suddenly, Ella spoke up, “Probably Hebe might be the one to suddenly get married. Sometimes during our discussion for Lao Po (H)’s wedding, I would almost feel moved to tears when I imagined her in a wedding gown.”

When talking about this, the trio recalled a scene when they were filming [Reaching For The Stars]. Hebe’s character was getting married and seeing her in a wedding gown, Selina was moved to tears on the spot. In the end, the director has to keep shouting “cut” and Selina has to constantly remind herself – This is all a show, this is all a show!

Meanwhile Hebe was nodding her head earnestly at the side, “If Selina is getting married, I would probably sit on the floor, crying and tearing up her wedding gown.”

When the trio watched the news featuring Andy Lau and Carol Zhu Li Qian walking out of the airport, hand in hand, they all rushed towards the TV, “We were so touched that we nearly cried, because we are in the same entertainment circle and we understand the feelings of relationship that could not be shown ‘on the table’. To reveal and disclose the relationship would require extreme courage, and after that you would need to bear with the pressure.”

However Selina added if she were to get married in future, “I would not want to be anybody’s Carol Zhu, nor do I want to be anyone’s Andy Lau. I want to be like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. I won’t keep such a low profile.”

“When we first got to know each other, our ages only start with a ‘1’. Now we have moved on into the ‘2’ and very soon, we will enter the ‘3’. It is unbelievable.” The trio would often ponder about this. As Ella often said, “If only we can all get married at the same time, and give birth together, it will be really perfect.”

When asked if the trio has any plans for the group’s future, Hebe said, “Let nature takes its course. We’ve never given much thought to the future, even if we did, it was never deep thoughts. After all, life is unpredictable.” Ella said, “We have always treasure the moment and live life to the fullest, adopting an attitude of "ease at heart" to life. Therefore, we will continue as such.”

“Perhaps, we will have another series of world tour concert for our 10th anniversary and then we’ll say Goodbye! Next on the 20th anniversary, we will have a commemorative concert.”

“Will all of you still have the stamina to sing then?”

“No, and before our concert then, we will definitely be piling up on the botox shots!”

App Store Hypocrisy Update: “Asian Boobs” Fine, Top Seller. Satirical App, Banned.

Remember, earlier this month when we wrote about the upskirt app that Apple deemed kosher, while at the same time banning a satirical Someecards app from the App Store? Yeah, we may have found an even better example of Apple’s hilarious hypocrisy.

Truth is, it wasn’t hard to find. The app called “Asian Boobs” is a top seller right now in the App Store. So what is it? Well, the title says it all: It’s an app that features the breasts of Asian women. Lots of them. Over 2,500 of them. And actually you can double that, for each breast in each picture. That’s a lot of boobs.

The description of the $0.99 app is also classy:

Photos of sexy asian girls with BIG BOOBS, 100+ galleries and 2500+ photos, updated regularly. Japanese girls, Korean girls, Chinese girls, Taiwanese girls, models, stewardesses, nurses, school girls, teachers, bikini girls, sexy girls and more.

Glad they squeezed the all-important “sexy girls” in there.

Again, to be clear: I’m all for Apple allowing apps like this in the App Store assuming they’re appropriately labels as 17+ (which this one is). The girls aren’t nude (Apple still doesn’t allow those except when it accidentally does), but the boobage is everywhere — as are the ass shots and crotch shots. Pure iPhone fun.

The problem is that Apple is rejecting apps, like Someecards, which are also labeled 17+ — for satire. Apple didn’t seem to like that the app poked fun at public figures like Roman Polanski and yes, Hitler.

It’s just beyond ridiculous that upskirt apps and apps dedicated to boobs are fine, but satire is not. Maybe the majority of app testers are grumpy but creepy old men, I don’t know.

Find Asian Boobs here for $0.99. Find Someecards app nowhere. Because Apple is ridiculous with these rules.

Verizon's Droid is a series, not just a phone; Droid Eris coming from HTC

We just got some wild information from a trusted source about Verizon's Android strategy, and let's just say this shakes things up a little bit. Here are the big takeaways:

* Droid is the brand name being applied to Verizon's Android devices. It isn't a single phone.
* The Sholes -- the phone we've been calling the Droid so far -- may simply be known as the Droid.
* HTC's Desire will be coming to market as the "Droid Eris." (Allow us to save you the Wikipedia lookup -- Eris is the Greek goddess of strife.) Interestingly, it's already up on gdgt as such.
* Droid Eris will be released -- not announced, actually released -- on November 6. In all likelihood, it will not be announced or shown at Verizon's October 28 event -- that will probably just be for the Sholes.

That's all we've got so far, but it's a heck of a change in plans, isn't it? It's interesting that Verizon will be applying a sub-brand to its Android line -- and a pretty solid sign that Big Red's got a serious commitment to the platform going forward.

SS501 releases “Love Like This” MV teaser

SS501 fans were originally looking forward to seeing their idols strut their stuff on stage with their comeback single, Love Like This after a long hiatus on the 23rd.


But Music Bank was canceled a few days before its scheduled broadcast because of their decision to show a live telecast of a baseball game, meaning that SS501 will make their return a day later on Music Core instead. But there was still some joy for SS501 fans because DSP Media has just released the MV teaser for Love Like This.

The boys look damn hot in their new stylish concept.

Storm Warriors opens in cinemas in December

IT MAY have taken 11 years, but Storm Warriors is looking good. Judging from a 15-minute sneak preview specially set up by GSC Cinemas, the movie looks like a cross between 300 and Sin City (both Hollywood adaptations of Frank Miller’s graphic novels), albeit, set in historical China.


Inevitably, most of what was previewed were fight scenes. These range from frantic close-combat swordplay to unreal qi gong battles involving imaginary swords and energy; all punctuated by 300-esque slow-motion flourishes and vividly animated (and extremely gory) scenes of flying limbs and splattering blood. It was as though the comic book had indeed come alive.

According to Ma Wing Shing, the filmmakers were planning to make Storm Warriors a green screen, CGI-heavy, hyper-realistic picture from the very beginning. Ma, who has seen a good portion of the yet-unfinished movie, reckons the movie feels a lot closer to his comics than the previous one as a result.


“The first thing the directors told me is that they wanted to make it like 300. They didn’t want it to look too realistic, but more like a comic book coming to life,” he said.

According to producer Alvin Lam, Storm Warriors is not a direct sequel to Storm Riders, as in, it can stand entirely on its own. “We wanted to make it in a way where people can watch this movie without having to watch Storm Riders first,” he said during an interview in Kuala Lumpur recently.

Ma concurred, saying one should not compare Storm Warriors with its predecessor. “Andrew Lau’s (director of Storm Riders) style was brighter and easier on the eye. The style of the Pang brothers is darker, and best suited to the story they chose.”


The story in question is Death Battle, which directly followed Cloud and Wind’s original story in the comic (which was also the story used for Storm Riders). It starts off with powerful Japanese warlord Lord Godless (Simon Yam) invading China with his son Heartless (Nicholas Tse) and, Cloud and Wind going up against him with the help of a legendary swordsman, known simply as No Name (Kenny Ho Kar Keng).

Along their travails, Wind’s hereditary “demon’s blood” is activated and Cloud must fight him to try and prevent Wind from turning into a world-breaking demon.

Ma’s role in this movie was more of a consultant on the screenplay.

“The directors are better at the filmmaking part, so I try not to interfere with that. All I can do is advise them on the most important points in the story, and highlight some of the characters, and maybe some of the fighting moves that would be popular among fans.”

One of the moves that could not be left out was No Name’s most powerful sword stance – “Man Kim Guai Zhong” (Million Swords Return Home), in which he controls thousands of swords with his qi (energy). The move was shown during the preview, and the results are spectacular indeed.

“The move was supposed to be in the first movie, but was left out. It is a move that is very popular with readers, and I’m happy that with the computer technology today, they were finally able to do it justice,” he said.

Ma’s biggest concern on Storm Warriors was the casting – he was adamant that Ekin Cheng and Aaron Kwok return to reprise their roles as Wind and Cloud, respectively.

“The most important thing in a movie about a comic book is its characters. If they are not convincing, the movie would be a failure,” he said. “Eleven years ago, Aaron and Ekin played the roles extremely well, so I felt that if we did not bring them back (for Storm Warriors), it would already be a failure.”

Any concerns that the two actors would be too old for the roles were dismissed by the artist.

“My concept of Cloud was someone with a tortured soul, and Aaron resembles the actual comic Cloud more today than he did 11 years ago. He is less baby-faced, and looks more mature and manly now,” said Ma.

“As for Ekin, he was more carefree in the first movie, but it will be more challenging for him this time around because he has to turn evil.”

Storm Warriors opens in cinemas in December.

Apple Slams Windows 7 in Ads

Not only Microsoft is celebrating the launch of Windows 7 with some new ads, but Apple is also taking a stab at the introduction of the new OS, in its usual deprecating manner.

Microsoft on Thursday introduced to the world the new Windows 7 operating system, which despite mixed reviews, is set to break retail records. To celebrate, Microsoft also launched new a new Windows 7 ad.

The 'My Idea" ad for Windows 7 presents a series of PC users who talk about how they wanted an easier OS, with less clicks and more speed. The ad is less patronizing than previous ones and is a step ahead of the Laptop Hunters series, which took a stab at Apple's expensive hardware; and it even has a naughty word at 00.17.


Given that everybody is talking about Windows 7 this week, Apple tried to steal Microsoft's launch aura, first by introducing new hardware on Tuesday and then with a three-ad series taking the ridiculing Windows 7 on Thursday.

The first ad, "Broken Promises," ridicules Microsoft's promise that Windows 7 will be better than Vista, echoing previous statements for Windows XP, ME, and way back to Windows 2. The PC character even has his hair back towards the end of the ad.



Apple's 'Teeter Tottering' ad shows a Windows XP user ready to switch to a Mac, because Windows 7 requires a fresh start anyway. The PC character tries to sway her way, but in the end, as expected, the Mac wins.



The last Apple ad is titled "PC News" and shows the PC character as a news anchor, going live to what it turns out to be a bunch of Mac switchers. This makes the PC try to cut to commercials, even though the Mac character points out that this actually is a commercial.


We have yet to see whether Microsoft will come up with different ads that will attack Apple again, but it sure looks like Apple is not backing down -- especially as it wasn't very happy about the Laptop Hunters campaign.

Rain takes over Times Square billboard

A billboard of Rain's new film "Ninja Assassin" has been hung in New York's Times Square, making him the first Korean to appear on the board for a movie, according to his agency on Friday.


Only Korean companies such as Samsung or LG have been able to advertise themselves in Times Square before.

J.Tune Entertainment said that the billboard -- almost 18 meters wide by 12 meters high -- was hung above smaller billboards for some of Broadway's most famed musicals including "West Side Story" and "Chicago".

The agency said they were informed of the billboard by a Korean residing in New York and received many congratulatory messages on his blog and website.

Rain played the lead role Raizo in the action flick by the Wachowski Brothers, famous for "The Matrix" triology and producer Joel Silver, who created the "Die Hard" and "Lethal Weapon" series.

The film, hyped as one of the 50 most anticipated films of the year by U.K. newspaper The Times and one of the top 10 movies selected by the San Francisco Examiner, is set for a worldwide release on October 26.

S.H.E Undaunted by Citiques and Comparision of Their Sexiness and Determined to Transform into Matured Fair Ladies

S.H.E will be holding their concert in Shanghai on 31 Oct in Shanghai Stadium. The trio is determined to change their styles for this series of world tour concert despite being critiqued by the media that they were "overly flaunting" their sexiness during the concert's press conference in Hong Kong earlier. The trio said they would continue to showcase their sensuality to turn their previously good-girl images topsy turvy. After all the trio is into their 8th year at the crossroads of their showbiz, and it appears that their fans have been supportive of their recent changes. It was hard to even get a ticket for the 2 Hong Kong performances; and if not for the fully booked HK Coliseum, the trio would probably have added a 3rd night to their performance. Meanwhile, tickets for their Shanghai concert have been selling like hot cakes too. Many fans who have watched clips of the Hong Kong concerts are very interested by the transformation of the trio via their concert.


Transformation in Images In Pursue of Maturity

Being a pop group for 8 years, S.H.E wishes to give audiences a new visual treat, and for the very first time, donned mini skirts and hot pants, which was a total change from their more androgynous and adorable styles. The new series of world tour concerts will be a new frontier for the trio to totally transform from their former images.

With the 180 degrees changeover in images and styles, many would find it hard to adapt at the first instance. Even after their concerts in Hong Kong, the media had thrown on labels such as "overly flaunting sexiness" onto the trio. Nonetheless, the trio expressed that they could understand the reactions and could only accept it. They shared that initially when they decided to undergo the change in images, they also had difficulties adapting. But since the past 8 years, they have been more or less repeating the same styles - be it in their songs, or image styling etc, hence, the concert actually gives them the opportunity to go for a totally new look.

Portrayal of Broadway Show Girls

Currently, S.H.E is busy rehearsing and preparing for their Shanghai concert. In the new series of World Tour concerts, the trio would be challeging themselves with difficult dance moves and hence, dance practices have become one of the most important highlights of their daily practices. Each day they would start rehearsals at the dance studio from 2pm to 10 pm when the studio closes. Every day resembled a "boot camp" training and they would dance till they suffered from leg cramps and their bodies ended up wiht many bruises.

S.H.E vowed to give audiences a totally new visual and audio extraganza, different from the past performances. They also revealed earlier that there would be theme parties KTV, Techno segments and a Broadway Show Girls' performance. Their songs will also undergo a new Broadway style music arrangement to usher in a special and more grand feeling.

Motorola Droid gets fully previewed, 'must-have' claims may not be far off

Boy Genius Report has thrown up a full preview of the Motorola Droid -- or some prototype of it, anyhow -- and any way you slice it, it looks like Android fans, Verizon fans, phone fans, and red-blooded Americans alike should all be feeling pretty good that this thing is gonna kick some ass. As if feeling and looking like a rock-solid, metallic beast wasn't enough, Big Red's first Android outing is said to have killer battery life -- surprising, considering how mediocre the CLIQ's is -- and the seemingly flat keyboard apparently performs admirably, all things considered.


Android 2.0 clips along at a nice pace thanks to an OMAP3 core, and obviously, there's not much to complain about visually when you're staring at a 3.7-inch capacitive display sporting roughly WVGA resolution. The icing on the cake, though, might be a magnetic sensor that detects an accessory dock that'll be sold at launch, turning the Droid into a desktop clock and weather station -- perfect for those rare moments when you're not out and about scaring little kids with the phone's robotic red eye. Needless to say, we're looking forward to the 28th.

Super Junior Kim HeeChul’s solo debut with OST song

Super Junior Kim HeeChul will reveal his first solo song, which is also the OST song for the drama ‘Love You A Thousand Times’ he is acting in.

He will be singing for his own theme song ‘?? (First Star)’ in the drama. The song is written by Song JoonHo and composed by Choi MyungHoon, and is a medium tempo rock disco song, singing about one’s first love. This theme song is to express the love of Lee Chul (played by Kim HeeChul) towards NanJung (played by Park SooJin).

This will be HeeChul’s first official solo song, even though he has performed various special solo stages on Super Junior’s concerts.

The song will be revealed on 6th November on various music sites.

Jay Chou's new duet with newcomer Cindy Yen will be released on Hit FM today!

During the recent FETnet advertisement, a young girl has captured the hearts of the audience. With her beautiful appearance & bright smile, Cindy Yen has sparked many netizen's discussions & debates. But this girl doesn't just have a pretty face; the music in the advertisement is composed by her, the lyrics are written by her & she even produced it! She also specially wrote english lyrics to fulfil the requirements of the ad. And Jay Chou has just signed her under his company JVR Music. She is the first female junior that Asia King Jay Chou has signed, and her arrival & the music that she has brought has already attracted everyone's eyes & ears! But even more, Jay will duet with her in her new title track 'Sand Painting' which Cindy has composed and the lyrics are written by Vincent Fang. This is the first time that Jay Chou has ever sung a song that is not composed by himself, and this song will be released globally today on Hit FM, and everyone will be able to see & hear her amazing talent!

Jay Chou hasn't sung many duets in the past. The ones he has sung: 'Rooftops' with Landy Wen & 'Coral Seas' with Lara has left a big impression on the public, and is one of the most popular sung songs at KTV! Hence, his new duet with Cindy 'Sand Painting' is receiving alot of attention & anticipation! Although Jay singing a duet isn't too surprising, but the surprising thing is that this song is composed by Cindy & this will be the first time ever that Jay sings a song that isn't composed by himself. This shows his full confidence in Cindy's ability & talent in music. And to Jay's fans, their idol has been extremely busy throughout this year, and for the first time, he won't be releasing an album this year. Hence, perhaps the release of this song 'Sand Painting' can partly make up for that, and at the same time, allow everyone to meet this very talented newcomer.

Cindy actually has alot in common with Jay as the 2 both come from a classical music background, and their conversations are always about music. Cindy began learning the piano at 5 years old & the violin at 10 years old. She was born in Texas, America but was often bullied by her classmates due to her Asian face & when she was 12, she also had to face her parent's divorce. Hence, music gradually became her best friend & the most important thing in her life that accompanied her throughout her childhood. When she was 17, she headed to Taiwan, aiming to achieve her dream of becoming a singer. She sent many DEMOs of her music to various big music companies. At first her mother was very opposed to the idea and wanted her to concentrate on her studies, however gradually, she began to see how important this was to her daughter.

Eventually, Cindy met JVR & they used a different angle to view her music. They gave her alot of space to create her own music, and let her do whatever she wanted with it. Her debut album will be released on the 30th of October. Cindy expressed: "Right now, I still can't believe it! It's like a dream! Very excited but also very nervous! To me, not only has this achieved my dream, but in the future, I hope to be able to help my mother to share her responsibility and burdens, and I want to be her source of pride!"

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