Rob and Kristen Stroll Arm in Arm!

We told you the romantic city of Paris might be what Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart needed to get in the mood.

Robsten were just spotted holding hands as they were getting ready to board a private jet at Le Bourget airport tonight leaving France.

This is hardly the first time the two have been caught in public hand-holding, but it is the first time they've been pictured. And seriously, this is like the oldest form of romance if you ask us. Way more meaningful than playing tonsil-hockey in public.

So speak up, Robsten naysayers: Is this good enough for ya?

Top 20 Windows 7 Tips

Here are 20 tricks to tweak Windows 7 into the interface that works best for you.

Just got your hands on Windows 7 and want to bend it to your will? No problem. We've got plenty of tips, hacks and secrets to keep you busy for a long time, including automatically opening Windows Explorer to a folder of your choice, speeding up taskbar thumbnails, finding hidden desktop themes, forcing User Account Control to act the way you'd like, keeping your Explorer searches secret from others, and more.

So check out these tips. If you like them, we'll keep more coming.

General tips

We'll start with a few nifty tips that can make your desktop more interesting, make it easier to get around and increase your computer's power efficiency.

Use Hidden International Wallpapers and Themes


When you first install Windows 7, it asks for your language, time and currency. Based on your responses, it installs a set of wallpapers and themes. If you choose English (United States) for your time and currency format, for example, the available desktop backgrounds and themes will include a United States section with scenery from locations such as Maine, the Southwest and so on.

Hidden, though, are background scenery and themes from other English-speaking countries -- Australia, Canada, Great Britain and South Africa. Normally, you can't access those backgrounds or themes, but there is a simple way you can install and use them:

1. In the search box in the Start menu, type C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT and press Enter. (Note: If Windows 7 is installed in a drive other than C:, use that letter instead.)

2. Windows Explorer will launch and show you a list of subfolders under C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT: MCT-AU, MCT-CA, MCT-GB, MCT-US, and MCT-ZA. Each subfolder has wallpapers for a specific country: AU for Australia, CA for Canada, GB for Great Britain, US for the United States, and ZA for South Africa.

For any of the countries whose wallpaper and themes you want to use, go into its Theme folder, for example, C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT\MCT-ZA\Theme. Double-click the theme you see there (for example ZA).

3. That will install a shortcut to the theme and wallpapers in the Personalization section of Control Panel.

You can now use them as you would any other theme or background, by right-clicking the desktop, choosing Personalize, and choosing a background or theme. They will be listed in their own section.

Shake Your Desktop Free of Clutter

If you frequently run multiple programs simultaneously, your desktop can get extremely cluttered. This can get annoying if you're working on one program and want to minimize all the other windows -- in previous versions of Windows you had to minimize them individually.

With Windows 7's "shake" feature, though, you can minimize every window except the one in which you're currently working -- in a single step. Click and hold the title bar of the window you want to keep on the desktop; while still holding the title bar, shake it quickly back and forth until all of the other windows minimize to the taskbar. Then let go. To make them return, shake the title bar again.

You can accomplish the same thing by pressing the Window key-Home key combination -- although doing that is not nearly as much fun.

Get a Power Efficiency Report

Have a laptop and want to get more battery life out of it? Windows 7 includes a hidden built-in tool that will examine your laptop's energy use and make recommendations on how to improve it. To use it:

1. Run a command prompt as an administrator. To do this, type cmd in the search box, and when the cmd icon appears, right-click it and choose "Run as administrator."

2. At the command line, type in the following:

powercfg -energy -output \Folder\Energy_Report.html

where \Folder represents the folder where you want the report to be placed.

3. For about a minute, Windows 7 will examine the behavior of your laptop. It will then analyze it and create a report in HTML format in the folder you specified. Double-click the file, and you'll get a report -- follow its recommendations for ways to improve power performance.

Modify UAC


The User Account Control security feature was one of the most reviled additions to Windows Vista, with good reason -- its constant warning messages asking for permission to continue many operations drove users around the bend. UAC has been significantly improved in Windows 7 so that it's not as intrusive as in Vista, but you can still tweak it if you like.

Here's how to turn UAC on or off, and make it less or more intrusive than the default:

1. Go to the Control Panel --> User Accounts and Family Safety.

2. Click User Accounts, then click Change User Account Control settings.


3. From the screen that appears, use the slider to select the level of protection you want. Here are the four levels and what they mean:

Always notify me. Think of this as UAC Classic. It works like Vista's UAC: When you make changes to your system, when software is installed or when a program tries to make a change to your system, an annoying prompt appears.

Default -- Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer. This is, obviously, the default; make a change yourself and UAC leaves you alone. When a program makes a change, a prompt appears and your desktop goes dark, just like it does in Vista. Otherwise, UAC sits there silently.

Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer (do not dim my desktop). This setting is identical to the default setting, with one difference: It won't dim your desktop so that you only see the UAC prompt asking you to take action. This presents a slightly elevated security risk over the default setting, because theoretically a program could allow a malicious program to interfere with the UAC prompt.

Never notify me when: In this one, UAC is completely turned off. This is, of course, an insecure option and not recommended for most users.

After you make the selection, click OK. Depending on the selection you made, you may need to restart your system for it to take effect.

Start Menu tips

Many people overlook the Start Menu, rarely using it except as a jumping off point to run an application or get to the Control Panel. But there's actually plenty you can do with it.

Search the Internet from the Start Menu

The Start Menu's search box is a convenient way to search through your PC -- but you can also have it do double-duty and perform Internet searches as well. To enable this feature:


1. In the Start Menu search box, type GPEDIT.MSC and press Enter to run the Group Policy Editor.

2. Go to User Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Start Menu and Taskbar.

3. Double-click "Add Search Internet link to Start Menu," and from the screen that appears, select Enabled. Then click OK and close the Group Policy Editor.

4. From now on, when you type a search term in the Search box on the Start Menu, a "Search the Internet" link will appear. Click the link to launch the search in your default browser with your default search engine.

Customize the Shut Down Button

The default action of the Start Menu's Shut down button is to turn off your PC. If you want to use the button for another action, such as restarting your PC, you click the arrow to the right of the Shut down button and select an action from the drop-down menu.

What if you rarely shut your PC down completely but frequently restart it? You can change the Shut down button's default action to be Restart -- or Switch user, Log off, Lock, Sleep or Hibernate.

To change your default, right-click the Start button and select Properties. On the Start Menu tab, click the "Power button action" drop-down menu and select which action you want to be the default. Then click OK, and OK again.

Add a Videos Link to the Start Menu

The Windows 7 Start Menu includes links to your Pictures and Music folders, but not to your Videos folder. If you watch a lot of videos and want a link to them on your Start Menu, here's what you can do:


1. Right-click the Start button and select Properties.

2. On the screen that appears, go to the Start Menu tab and click Customize.

3. In the dialog box that appears, scroll to the bottom, look for the Videos section, select "Display as a link," and click OK and then OK again.

If you'd prefer that Videos display as a menu, with links to files and submenus, instead select "Display as a menu."

Windows Explorer tips

Windows Explorer is the heart and soul of the Windows interface, and overall it works quite well. But you can make it better.

Use check boxes to select multiple files

In order to select multiple files for an operation such as copying, moving or deleting in Windows Explorer, you generally use the keyboard and the mouse, Ctrl-clicking every file you want to select. But if you're mouse-centric, there's a way to select multiple files in Windows 7 using only your mouse, via check boxes. To do it:

1. In Windows Explorer, click Organize, and then select "Folder and search options."

2. Click the View tab.

3. In Advanced Settings, scroll down and check the box next to "Use check boxes to select items." Click OK.

4. From now on, when you hover your mouse over a file in Windows Explorer, a check box will appear next to it; click it to select the file. Once a file is selected, the checked box remains next to it; if you uncheck it, the box will disappear when you move your mouse away.



Open a command prompt at any folder

Command prompt fans will welcome this tip. With it, when you're in Windows Explorer, you can open a command prompt to any folder. This tip does exactly what the Windows XP PowerToy "Open Command Window Here" does.

To use it, hold down the Shift key and right-click a folder, then choose "Open command window here" from the context menu that appears. (Note that this tip doesn't work in the Documents folder.)

Protect the privacy of your Explorer searches



When you search through your PC from Windows Explorer, you can see the most recent searches that have been performed. If you share a PC and don't want others to see what you've searched for, you can turn off the recent searches feature:

1. In the Start menu's Search box, type GPEDIT.MSC and press Enter to launch the Group Policy Editor.

2. Go to User Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Windows Components --> Windows Explorer.

3. Double-click "Turn off display of recent search entries in the Windows Explorer search box" and select Enabled from the screen that appears. Then click OK. The recent searches feature will now be turned off.

Set a New Windows Explorer Launch Folder

When you run Windows Explorer, it always opens to the Libraries folder. That's fine if you use Microsoft's default file organization, which designates Libraries as the overall container for your folders. But what if you don't? You might prefer to have Windows Explorer open to Computer or any other folder you choose. Here's how to do it:



1. Right-click the Windows Explorer icon on the taskbar (it's the one that looks like a folder), and then right-click the Windows Explorer icon from the context menu that appears and select Properties. The Windows Explorer Properties dialog box appears.

2. You'll have to edit the Target field on the Shortcut tab of this dialog box in order to change the default location at which Explorer opens.

If you want Explorer to open to a specific folder, simply enter the name of the folder, substituting your folder name for Folder, below, like this:

%windir%\explorer.exe c:\Folder

So to open Explorer to the folder named Budget, you would type this in the Target field:

%windir%\explorer.exe c:\Budget

If you want Explorer to open to special, pre-set locations, such as Computer, you'll need to enter special syntax in the Target field. Following is a list of three common locations and the syntax to use, followed by the syntax for the Libraries folder in case you ever want to revert to the default.

* Computer: %windir%\explorer.exe ::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
* My Documents: %windir%\explorer.exe ::{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}
* Network: %windir%\explorer.exe ::{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
* Libraries: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe

3. After you've changed the Target field, click OK. Next time you launch Windows Explorer, it will open to the new location you've designated.

Show all Your Drives in Windows Explorer

Depending on your system settings, when you go to Computer in Windows Explorer, you may be in for a shock -- you may not see all your drives such as memory card readers if those drives are empty. If this disconcerts you, there's a simple way for you to see them even if there's nothing there:



1. Launch Windows Explorer and press the Alt button to reveal the top menu.

2. Select Tools --> Folder Options and click the View tab.

3. Under "Advanced settings," uncheck the box next to "Hide empty drives in the Computer folder." Click OK. The drives will now always be visible.

Build Your Own Internet Search Connector

Windows 7 has a very useful new feature called a Search Connector that lets you search through a Web site from right inside Windows Explorer. With it, you type in a search term and select the Search Connector for the site you want to search; Explorer searches the Web site without having to open Internet Explorer, and the results appear inside Windows Explorer. Click any of the results to head there using your default Web browser.

Normally, you'll need to get each Search Connector from the Web site through which you want to search, and very few Connectors are available. Sites normally need to adhere to OpenSearch standards in order for their Connectors to work.

However, there's a work-around that will let you easily build your own Search Connector for any site, using Windows Live Search as a kind of go-between. Don't worry, you don't need to know any code to write a Connector. Just follow these steps:

1. Copy the following text and paste it into Notepad. The text you'll need to change is in bold, all-caps text:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<OpenSearchDescription xmlns="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearch/1.1/" xmlns:ms-ose="http://schemas.microsoft.com/opensearchext/2009/">

<ShortName>NAME YOUR SEARCH</ShortName>

<Description>DESCRIPTION OF SEARCH</Description>

<Url type="application/rss+xml" template="http://api.bing.com/rss.aspx?source=web&query={searchTerms} site:SITENAME.COM&web.count=50"/>

<Url type="text/html" template="http://www.bing.com/search?q={searchTerms}+site:SITENAME.COM"/>

</OpenSearchDescription>



2. In place of NAME YOUR SEARCH, type in the name of the search as you want it to appear. In our case, we're going to build a Search Connector for Computerworld, so we'll just type in Computerworld.

3. In place of DESCRIPTION OF SEARCH, type in a longer description of the search. In our instance, it will be Search through Computerworld.

4. In the two SITENAME.COM entries, enter the Web site's domain. Don't use the http:// or www -- just the domain name. In our instance it will be computerworld.com.

5. To the right of "count=", type in the number or results you want to appear. In our instance, we'll keep it at 50.

6. In our example, here's what the code should look like (no bold necessary):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<OpenSearchDescription xmlns="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearch/1.1/" xmlns:ms-ose="http://schemas.microsoft.com/opensearchext/2009/">

<ShortName>Computerworld</ShortName>

<Description>Search through Computerworld</Description>

<Url type="application/rss+xml" template="http://api.bing.com/rss.aspx?source=web&query={searchTerms} site:computerworld.com&web.count=50"/>

<Url type="text/html" template="http://www.bing.com/search?q={searchTerms}+site:computerworld.com"/>

</OpenSearchDescription>



7. Save the file in Notepad, choose UTF-8 from the Encoding drop-down box near the bottom of the Save As screen, and give it an .osdx extension. In our instance, we'll call the file Computerworld.osdx.

8. In Windows Explorer, right-click the .osdx file and select Create Search Connector. The Search Connector will be created.

9. You can now use the Search Connector. To get to it, in Windows Explorer go to YourName --> Searches --> Connector, where YourName is your account name, and Connector is the name of the Connector.

Taskbar Tips

One of the most significant changes to the Windows 7 interface is its new taskbar, which acts more like the Mac OS X dock than the Windows taskbar of old. Here are a few quick tips for using the new taskbar and tweaks for taking charge of it.

Speed Up the Display of Thumbnails on the Taskbar

One of the nicest things about the taskbar is that when you hover your mouse over the icons in it, you can see thumbnail previews of all open windows for each of those applications. When you do so, there is a slight delay before the thumbnail appears. But you can make the thumbnails display more quickly by using a Registry hack.

Important: Always create a Restore Point before editing the Windows Registry. If you don't know how to create a Restore Point or find your way around the Windows Registry



1. Launch the Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Search box and pressing Enter.

2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Mouse.

3. Double-click MouseHoverTime. The default value you'll see is 400 -- which means 400 milliseconds. Type in a new, smaller value -- 150 is a good bet. Then click OK and exit the Registry Editor. You'll have to log off or restart your computer for the change to take effect.

Rearrange Taskbar Icons

It's easy to rearrange the icons across the bottom of the screen -- simply drag an icon to where you want it to live. You can also add icons to the taskbar by dragging them from an application, and delete the icons by highlighting them and pressing the Delete key.

Take Control of the Taskbar Notification Area

The notification area, at the far right of the taskbar, shows system messages and alerts, and displays the icons of programs and services that typically run in the background, such as Windows 7's wireless service. But what determines when, how and which icons show up there seems one of Windows' great mysteries.



There's a simple way to find out, and better yet, to customize it.

1. Right-click the taskbar, select Properties, and from the dialog box in the notification area section, click Customize.

2. For each application, select from the drop-down box whether you want the icon and notifications to always be displayed, to never be displayed or to have an icon appear only when there's a notification of some kind. Click OK when you're done.

You can also customize the system icons and services that appear there, including the clock, volume, network, power and Action Center icons. At the bottom of the same screen, click "Turn system icons on or off," and from the screen that appears, choose whether to turn on or off the icon and notifications. Click OK twice when you're done.

See Taskbar Thumbnails Without a Mouse

If you're a fan of using the keyboard rather than your mouse whenever possible, you can move your cursor from icon to icon in the taskbar without a mouse -- and still see thumbnail previews. Press Windows key-T, and you'll move the focus to the leftmost icon on the taskbar. Then, while still pressing the Windows key, press T again to change the focus to the next icon to the right. You can keep doing this as long as you like.

Launch Taskbar Apps Without a Mouse

Likewise, you can launch any program on the taskbar without the mouse. Press the Windows key and the number that corresponds to the position of the application on the taskbar -- for example, Windows key-1 to launch the left-most application on the taskbar, Windows key-2 to launch the second left-most application and so on.

Run Multiple Copies of Applications from the Taskbar

The Windows 7 taskbar serves a dual purpose, which can get confusing at times. It's used to launch programs, and also to switch between programs that are running. So you launch a program by clicking its icon, and also switch to that program after it's running by clicking its icon.

But what if you want to launch a second instance of the program? Once the program is running, it seems there's no way to launch a second instance, because when you click its icon, you only switch to the running instance.

There's a simple fix: If a program is already running and you want to launch a second instance from the taskbar, hold down the Shift key and click the icon. A second instance will launch. You can keep launching new instances this way.

Get back the Quick Launch bar

Windows 7's new taskbar functions as a program launcher as well as task switcher. As a result, the old Quick Launch bar, the area on the left side of the taskbar that contained shortcuts for frequently used programs, has been banished. However, if you really miss the little applet, you can add it back. Here's how to do it:

1. Right-click the taskbar and choose Toolbars --> New Toolbar.

2 . You'll be asked to select a folder for where the new toolbar should live. In the Folder text box at the bottom of the dialog box, enter this text:

%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

After you do that, click Select Folder. A link for the Quick Launch bar will be added to the taskbar. It will be on the right of the taskbar, just to the left of the Notification area.



It's not particularly useful docked all the way to the right with no application icons showing, so we're going to have to do a bit of work on it to make it useful. Right-click the taskbar and, in the pop-up menu, remove the check next to "Lock the taskbar." Now right-click Quick Launch and remove the checks next to Show Text and Show Title.

Once you've done that, drag the vertical triple dotted line next to the Quick Launch bar to the left until you expose its icons. To prevent further changes, right-click the taskbar and check Lock the taskbar. You can now use the Quick Launch bar as you could in Windows XP and Vista, including adding icons to it and deleting them.

Carrie Prejean's Accidental on Purpose Sex-Tape Leak!?

There's something about Carrie Prejean that makes us suspicious.

Much as her book-flap copy might like to believe, our eyebrows are not cocked because of the former pageant queen's beliefs. Look, Sarah Palin's an acquired taste, too, but we're not driven to concoct wild theories about why she's doing Oprah next week. (In that case, we'd only be suspicious if Palin didn't do Oprah.)

So, no, it's not Prejean's ideas that make us think she's up to something. It's her timing.

As in, can you believe her sex-tape scandal broke four days before her book-flap copy—and the rest of the tome—was published?

We can't.

And can you believe Prejean appeared on Sean Hannity to talk about how humiliated she was to be talking on Sean Hannity about her sex-tape scandal—on the very same day Still Standing hit stores?

We can't.

To clarify, we can and do believe that both things happened because they did. But we are suspicious as to why they happened. And, more specifically, as to when they happened.

Let's say you're Carrie Prejean, and it's been a slow couple of months. At first you're grateful for the time away from the headlines, because, hey, you've got a book to write. Maybe you've even been thinking of reading one. Whatever. You've got work to do.

And then you're done. Your book about the trials and tribulations of being you are done, and you can't understand why it took Tolstoy, like, a hundred years to write War and Peace. Whatever. You've got a book to sell.

Ah, but now you've got a problem. You're old news. Your dustup with Perez Hilton seems like a million YouTube views ago. Your clashes with the Miss California organization are boring to anyone outside of the tiara circle. Your best publicity bet of the fall—the pageant people demand to be reimbursed for your breast-enhancement surgery—fizzles. (A busty beauty queen who's not 100 percent natural? How unnovel.)

You're stuck. And, worse, the clock is ticking. Your book is due out Nov. 9. Palin's Going Rogue—Going Rogue, oh, how you must envy that title!—is due out Nov. 17. That gives you only about a week to command the public's attention as the victim of the liberal press. What to do? How to top a former vice-presidential candidate who killed in the talent competition during her own pageant days?

Let's say you channel surf one night past Paris Hilton, Pamela Anderson and Kim Kardashian. And you pause to admire each woman's enduring fame. And you start to think. And you remember a little something-something you once made for a boyfriend you loved and cared about. And you decide to accidentally and not at all on purpose leave your little something-something on your roof, with a big, blinking neon sign that says "Absolutely Do Not Take This Tape of Me Pleasuring My Own Self to Smut Peddlers Who Might Leak Its Existence to the Press Right Around the Time of the Publication of My New Memoir, Still Standing, Available Everywhere Nov. 9."

Let's say you're brilliant—and you would've gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for our darned suspicions!

Then again…

We should really stop being so skeptical. Things happen. Coincidences happen. Sex tapes happen. The Lord, after all, does work in mysterious ways.

Jaejoong & Yunho At First Official Press Conferences

TVXQ's U-Know Yunho and YoungWoong Jaejoong have been garnering attention for showing their support for each other at their individual press conferences after the dispute began.

The two people's friendship seemed not to have been disturbed in any way by the legal dispute with agency SM Entertainment. In fact, they both seemed to be trying hard not to accidentally bring harm to the other.

YoungWoong Jaejoong attended the press conference of 'Postman of Heaven' at 4:30 pm at the CGV at Wangship-li in Seoul on the 9th and said, "It was hard for me to decide to show my face at this press conference which is my first official outing since the trial," and "But I wanted to attend the press conference because this production was something I worked hard on a year ago."

He also said, "When I was filming the movie, it was a busy time as activities for the fourth album were going on at the same time. So the members couldn't give me a lot of advice but U-Know Yunho and Choikang Changmin supported me by telling me to work hard," and "I did not give U-Know Yunho advice when he began filming for his drama. I didn't worry about him because he's a friend who works as hard as he can in everything he does," and showed his deep trust and faith in U-Know Yunho.

He also showed his affection by saying, "U-Know Yunho is a friend who hardly ever says 'I'm tired', or 'I'm sick'."

At the press conference for MBC's drama 'Heading to the Ground', U-Know Yunho supported the three members who had a different stance than him by saying "I hope that the TVXQ dispute is ended in a good, reasonable way. There are a lot of bad rumors floating around but please don't believe them."

When more TVXQ-related questions were asked, he carefully said, "I don't know why everyone is thinking of it so negatively. There are a lot of bad rumors going around. I worry that these rumors are only worsening the situation. I hope that nobody believes in these rumors and from my point of view, I hope that everything ends in a good and reasonable manner."

On the other hand, SM Entertainment gave the ultimatum to the three members and said, "TVXQ will make a comeback next spring. Answer our question of your return by the 12th." An answer regarding this was not available from YoungWoong Jaejoong on the day of the press conference.

Microsoft probing Windows 7 zero-day hole

Microsoft said on Wednesday it is looking into a report of a vulnerability in Windows 7 and Server 2008 Release 2 that could be used by an attacker to remotely crash the computer.

The company is investigating claims of a "possible denial-of-service vulnerability in Windows Server Message Block (SMB)," the Microsoft spokesperson said, adding that the company was unaware of any attacks trying to exploit the hole.

The bug triggers an infinite loop on the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol used for sharing files in Windows, researcher Laurent Gaffié wrote in a posting on the Full-Disclosure mailing list and on a blog.

"Whatever your firewall is set to, you can get remotely smashed via IE or even via some broadcasting NBNS [NetBIOS Naming Service] tricks," Gaffié wrote.

Gaffié also posted proof-of-concept code for the "Windows 7, Server 2008R2 Remote Kernel Crash."

On Tuesday, Microsoft issued six patches to fix 15 vulnerabilities, including a critical hole in the Windows kernel, as part of November's Patch Tuesday.

Wu Chun’s Transition from Heartthrob to…Menancing Pirate?

Known more for his part in popular boy band Fahrenheit and in his roles as the quiet and serious heartthrob in idol dramas, Taiwanese singer and actor Wu Chun has been keeping busy with his upcoming role in the martial arts flick “14 Blades”. The Hong Kong-based production marks only his second entry onto the widescreen for Wu Chun, as he has also starred in last year’s tragic love story “Butterfly Lovers”.


Despite Wu Chun’s previous experience in the ancient Chinese period piece from that 2008 movie, Wu Chun’s new acting gig still puts him outside the confines of the safety and familiar territories of idol dramas and into a high-intensity martial arts setting. Furthermore, with Wu Chun’s entertainment debut originating in pop music, it will be interesting to see if he can keep up with the acting chops of established co-stars Donnie Yen, Vicki Zhao, and Sammo Hung. Whether he breaks the mold and becomes a competent actor like Leehom Wang, or fails to break the typecast roles that plague Jay Chou, remains to be seen.


It will also be intriguing to see how Wu Chun especially overcomes his new role as a villain this time around, but judging by the recently released promotional photos of him donning pirate gear, he’s got his work cut out for him already.

Office News: Dollhouse cancelled

This has been a busy week for cancellations. The latest addition to the TV graveyard: Dollhouse.

According to multiple insiders, Fox has informed Joss Whedon that it will not be ordering additional installments of his low-rated drama beyond the current 13-episode order. On the bright side, the network still plans to burn off the remaining unaired episodes beginning in December. Hey, it’s something.

Dollhouse has been averaging a mere 3 million viewers this season. Last season — when fan support, together with significant budget cuts, helped it to get an odds-defying second-year pickup — the show averaged 4.7 million.

Bottom line: Dollhouse is lucky it ever saw a second season. Remember that when you’re posting your eulogies below.

UPDATE: Whedon just posted the following statement on Whedonesque.com: “I don’t have a lot to say. I’m extremely proud of the people I’ve worked with: my star, my staff, my cast, my crew. I feel the show is getting better pretty much every week, and I think you’ll agree in the coming months. I’m grateful that we got to put it on, and then come back and put it on again. I’m off to pursue Internet ventures/binge drinking. Possibly that relaxation thing I’ve read so much about. By the time the last episode airs, you’ll know what my next project is. But for now, there’s a lot of work still to be done, and disappointment to bear. Thank you all for your support, your patience, your excellent adverts. See you again.”

Son Dambi and Lee Seung Gi’s Concert X Canceled!

Less than an hour ago, we reported unfortunate news that Lee Seung Gi had become another victim of the H1N1 plague. His ill condition required a break from all of his activities for a week, including his upcoming concert. Son Dambi and Lee Seung Gi's joint concert, Concert X, was planned for November 14th at the Shrine Auditorium located in Los Angeles, California. Although the fans were disappointed after hearing that they couldn't see Seung Gi on stage anymore, they believed Son Dambi would be enough. However, it has been just reported that the entire concert is now officially canceled.

The representative of Son Dambi's concert stated:

"We received a call from the concert organizer, Powerhouse, today on the 11th. The main intention of the concert was to perform alongside with Lee Seung Gi, so we decided to cancel the entire thing [since the intention is now lost]. Son Dambi herself feels disappointed after preparing for it all night yesterday, but is also very concerned about Seung Gi."

The netizens are now wondering about her attendance at the MAMA's, since Son Dambi will now be in Korea on the day of the award show.

Bing Now a Serious Challenger to Google

Given undistinguished history of Microsoft's late and unlamented Live Search engine, the predecessor to Bing, it's easy to dismiss Redmond as a hapless also-ran in the search market. But given the vast sums of money and resources that Microsoft is investing in its fledging Google challenger, this could change in a hurry.

Launched in May, Bing initially received a tepid response; some critics essentially called it Live Search with a new coat of paint. But Microsoft is nothing if tenacious. (Old-timers will recall how badly the early versions of Windows stank before Redmond finally found success with version 3.0.) The company has been steadily upgrading Bing since May, including some pretty useful innovations announced Wednesday.

One new and noteworthy upgrade is the inclusion of search results from Wolfram Alpha, an oddball, "computational knowledge" search tool that's probably too geeky for the average user. When integrated with a mainstream query engine, however, Wolfram Alpha algorithms prove their mettle by returning actionable data rather than just a page of links. Microsoft provides a few examples on its Bing blog. Search for "bmi," for instance, and Bing displays Wolfram Alpha's body mass index calculator at the top of the results page.

It's debatable whether Bing is gaining market share, however, or simply spinning its wheels. According to online data service Experian Hitwise, Bing's share of U.S. Web searches rose to 9.57 percent in October 2009, up from 8.96 percent in September. Of course, Bing was still a distant third behind Google (70.6 percent) and Yahoo (16.14 percent).

Flash back to May, and Microsoft Live Search had 9.9 percent of the U.S. search market, according to Nielsen Online. Not a lot of improvement there, despite Microsoft's extensive and expensive Bing marketing blitz.

If you're a diehard Google Search fan, don't hate Bing. Embrace it. Because Microsoft's nipping at Google's heels will only make the world's dominant search engine that much better. In fact, it appears that Google is already playing catch-up. Last month it launched a new tool called Similar Images, a feature that's very much like one first seen in Bing and Live Search. (To be fair, Similar Images was first launched in test mode in Google Labs in April.)

Bing hasn't amazed anyone yet--and it may very well have to if it hopes to grab significant market share from Google. And let's not forget that Google has the resources and determination to match and surpass any of Bing's enhancements. This fight should be fun to watch.

Will It Be Taylor Swift's Big CMA Night?

Win or lose at Wednesday night's Country Music Association Awards,Taylor Swift has had a monumental year.

The 19-year-old singer, who is scheduled to open the show from Nashville, earned four nominations this year – including a chance at the prestigious entertainer of the year prize.

"We definitely think she has a great shot at it," the members of Gloriana, who opened for Swift on tour this year, gushed simultaneously at the BMI Country Awards Tuesday night. "We just hope we're sitting close enough to hug her neck when she does!"

Of course Swift will have to compete for the top honor against some of country music's heavyweights, including four-time winner Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, George Strait and Brad Paisley, who will also co-host the telecast with Carrie Underwood. Paisley leads the pack of nominees with six nods, including male vocalist of the year and video of the year.

In the female vocalist of the year category, Swift will face off against Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire and Underwood.

As always, the show, which airs on ABC (8 p.m. ET), will be loaded with performances. PEOPLE has confirmed that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill will be performing together on the telecast. Meanwhile, other performances will span genres: Kid Rock will perform a duet with four-time nominee Jamey Johnson. Also performing this year are Dave Matthews and rocker Daughtry, co-hosts Paisley and Underwood, along with Martina McBride, Keith Urban and more.

TVB Sales Presentation 2010; Bosco Wong & Fala Chen winners with 4 series each

TVB Sales Presentation's purpose is to introduce new series for the upcoming year. This year Bosco Wong and Fala Chen both have 4 upcoming series, making them the winning artistes of most series. Fala will join the cast for <Rosy Business 2>, receiving strong support from TVB. Gold Medalist gymnast Liu Xuan (??) enters the entertainment circle, joining John Chiang in new series <Women Boxing> (??).


After <Beyond> Charmaine Sheh and Moses Chan continues with their new ancient drama <Arrival of Princess> (????). This time, Charmaine plays the 3rd Princess who will marry the 4th Prince of gold manufacturing company played by Moses. Liza Wang will be working with Christine Ng and Joe Ma <Autumn> (??). As for the sequel <Forenisc Heroes III> (????III), it was seen on the sales presentation poster that there is only Kevin Cheng, Raymond Cho and Mandy Cho, no sign of Bobby Au Yeung or Yoyo Mung. However, the synopsis did mention the two of them, Bobby's character will be suspected to have murdered Yoyo. It is not known if the series will actual film or if the two artistes will be participating. As for last year's TV King, Ha Yu, there are no series that include him in the sales presentation.

On the variety shows side, Eric Tsang will be hosting for <World Game King> (?????). Sandra Ng will continue to host for the <Club Sparkle Extreme Edition> (????????). New TVB show <?????> will be welcoming Hong Kong artistes playing different legends, such as Madonna who will be played by Liza Wang, while Michael Jackson will be played by Joey Yung. TVB also plans to broadcast MJ's music documentary movie <This Is It> next year.

Mozilla releases second Firefox 3.6 beta

Mozilla, racing to release Firefox 3.6 before the end of the year, has released a second beta of the open-source browser for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Firefox 3.6 beta 1 introduced most of the new features, most visibly the ability to customize Firefox's look through Personas, less than two weeks ago. But among the 190 patches in the new beta is what Mike Beltzner, Mozilla's director of Firefox, described in a blog post as "a mechanism to prevent incompatible software from crashing Firefox."

There also are a number of deeper changes in Firefox 3.6 that Web developers likely will be more interested in. Note that one of them, the ability to use color gradients with formatting technology called Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), has changed syntax in between Firefox 3.6 beta 1 and beta 2.

Mozilla is trying to accelerate the pace of Firefox releases; Firefox 3.7 is set for release in the first half of 2010 and 4.0 some time later that year. The project faces new competition from Google's Chrome browser.

Céline Dion Tries for Another Baby After Pregnancy Loss

This is not the type of baby news we like to deliver: Céline Dion is no longer pregnant.

Last August, the golden-piped songbird and husband René Angélil confirmed that she had only just become pregnant with her second child after undergoing a round of in vitro fertilization treatments.

Unfortunately, that is no longer the case: Angélil confirmed to the Journal de Montreal that the 41-year-old Canadian chanteuse is no longer in the family way, as the embryo transfers—which took place in August and October—were ultimately unsuccessful.

Angélil said that both they and their doctor "believed that the procedure/pregnancy took, but that wasn't the case. We found out some days later. We were shocked."

But not deterred.

"We are living the reality of the majority of couples who have to use [IVF]," the 67-year-old hubby-manager said. "The process can be long and arduous.

"But today, we are full of confidence. Céline is more determined than ever."

In fact, the couple, who already has an 8-year-old son, René-Charles, is heading back to New York this weekend to see if the third time proves the charm.

"I admire all the women who go through such a tough process. Since April, she has undergone numerous examinations, multiple hormone injections and blood tests.

"Céline and I didn't get discouraged…we put our faith in life and in the stars."

Rainbow’s “Gossip Girl” MV is out!

The colorful girls of Rainbow gave us all an eyeful of themselves with the release of their teaser just a few days ago, but now the teasing ceases and hotness ensues as these ladies have finally released the MV for their debut track!


Their title track Goship Gossip Girl is a pop-tastic dance track with a sprinkle of Engrish and the MV is loaded with various close-ups of seven very pretty ladies. It's quite a feast for the eyes and the ears, perhaps enough to keep one's attention throughout this influx of girl groups. Their gorgeous looks, catchy moves and addicting sound, plus the lucky count of seven members just might help these girls successfully claim the prestigious title of the second Fin.K.L.

Now check out the MV right here:

Microsoft group manager: Windows 7 borrowing 'Mac look and feel'



We'll be honest -- before today, we had never heard of Simon Aldous, but it sure seems as if he's trying hard to get his name out there. Mr. Aldous, a group manager at Microsoft, recently sat down for a rather lengthy talk with PCR. Most of the back-and-forth revolved around receiving input from partners and other mildly boring topics, but one particular Q&A was pointed directly at the outfit's newest operating system. When asked if Windows 7 was "really a much more agile operating system," Simon made a deliberate decision to say the following:

"One of the things that people say an awful lot about the Apple Mac is that the OS is fantastic, that it's very graphical and easy to use. What we've tried to do with Windows 7 – whether it's traditional format or in a touch format – is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics."

Of course, he followed that up by slamming OS X's general stability, noting that Vista's core technology -- on which Win7 is built -- is "far more stable than the current Mac platform." We know we're opening up a giant can here, but... um, thoughts?

Clash of the Titans Trailer Goes to Hell

The gods must be crazy.

And who can blame them? This pure sensory overload trailer is enough to make anyone crazy: scorpion-like monsters, brutal carnage and so many quick cuts you'd think they used one of the swords to edit the damn thing. Not to mention it's got the heaviest soundtrack since This Is Spinal Tap.

In this redo of the 1981 campfest Clash of the Titans, Sam Worthington plays Perseus, the half-divine son of Liam Neeson's Zeus who's on a gamer mission that finds him leaping into the underworld of Hades, played by Ralph Fiennes.

Depending on your cinematic needs, this could be the best thing since 300 or the worst rip on it. What say you? Does this preview honor the gods of Olympus—or just look like hell?

Ariel Lin takes on stage play; loses ten million and gets bruised all over

The stage play headlined by Ariel Lin and Denise Ho, <Man and Woman: War and Peace> will be showing soon. Due to the production being entirely in Mandarin, the cast of the play is in Taiwan rehearsing and rehearsals run up to 10 hours per day.


Due to the strenuous schedule of dancing and singing everyday, the exhaustion levels are high for every member of the cast. But the two leads are enjoying themselves, and both Ariel and Denise have fun playing when practicing Super Junior’s <Sorry, Sorry> dance.

According to sources, the two will do a ballroom dance as part of the storyline.

Denise faces a fixed level of difficulty reading her Mandarin lines, and has been practicing relentlessly ever since she received her script. Whenever she has problems with the pronunciation of certain words, she will consult Ariel. Similarly, Ariel asks Denise for help with Cantonese, and the two have become each other’s teacher at each language.

Ariel, who is taking part in a stage play for the first time, seems to enjoy Denise’s company, and they even call each other “Gugu”. Because of this production, Ariel has rejected four dramas and one movie, losing more than ten million TWD in the process. Coupled with the bruises she gets during her rehearsals, Ariel’s mother has been very worried for her daughter.

Director Lin Yih-hwa has high praises for both Ariel and Denise, complimenting Denise on being an actress with very high standards for herself and strong devotion to her character. Ariel on the other hand, is an outstanding actress who understands her role well, and works hard into developing the character that she plays.

Zune HD Marketplace now loaded with free 3D games



That latest update to the Zune HD's brainstem has unlocked an extra dimension to the multifunctional device, which can now boast "3D gaming device" among its many accolades. Aside from fixing a significant issue on the music side, the firmware refresh has given the green light for the following games to enter the Marketplace: PGR: Ferrari Edition, Lucky Lane Bowling, Vans Sk8: Pool Service, Piano, Checkers, and Audiosurf: Tilt. Yep, the music-surfing game that seems almost tailor-made for accelerometer-equipped media players is ready for your ownership and enjoyment. The best part? All the titles are free. So what are you waiting for, pilgrims, get downloadin' and do come back to tell us how well that Tegra chip performs, won't you?

Black market profiteers attempt to buy 3000 Super Junior tickets at one go

Winning the hearts of Asia with <Sorry, Sorry>, Super Junior has announced plans to hold their very first concert in Taiwan on the 20th of February next year, during the auspicious Chinese New Year.

True to their popularity, there have already been calls to the organizing unit by black market profiteers, for 3000 tickets to the show.

The tickets officially go on sale in December, but the best tickets, namely the front zones, will only be on preorder for the first round of sales, so fans in the Southern and Central parts of Taiwan are complaining that they have to make a trip up to Taipei specially for the tickets.

Organizing unit Superdome expressed: “We’re working out the details right now, and we’ll try our best to coordinate our efforts with the fans. To prevent black market profiteers from making huge purchases, fans have to register first before getting a number, and they have to show their identification cards too.”

Even with these precautions, there already have been attempts made to get tickets first. An example would be some calling up Superdome to purchase 3000 tickets at one go, and others claiming that they are making company purchases – without being able to name a proper company to boot.

Orange sells 30,000 iPhones in U.K. on first day

U.K. wireless carrier Orange just started selling the iPhone, and it is trumpeting first-day sales numbers for the device.

The carrier signed up 30,000 people with a new iPhone contract on Tuesday, its first day selling Apple's smartphone, according to a post on Twitter from a member of Orange's marketing department.

While 30,000 isn't necessarily a lot, compared to the "hundreds of thousands" of iPhones AT&T sold in its first weekend selling the iPhone 3GS in the United States, it's not bad for being the second carrier in a much smaller country, where the iPhone 3GS has been available for four months.

Until Tuesday, wireless provider O2 was the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the United Kingdom. Orange currently has 16 million mobile customers, compared to O2's 22 million. Incidentally, Orange's experience as the second carrier of the device in a country would seem to make a decent case for Apple releasing the iPhone to more than one carrier in many other countries, including the United States.

The numbers were far more impressive than the iPhone's debut on China Unicom's network last week. China's first crack at selling the iPhone was by most accounts disappointing, with 5,000 units sold over the first four-day period.

Of course, China Unicom is dealing with factors Orange is not. Besides having to sell the iPhone without Wi-Fi connectivity, China has to contend with something U.K. and U.S. carriers largely do not: a vast market for iPhone knockoffs, or gray-market phones.

In last 6 months, Taiwan pop trio S.H.E earned $11 million from endorsements

BABELICIOUS pop trio S.H.E were wide-eyed sweetie pies when they started out as singers eight years ago.

But now, with their sex appeal revved up a notch, this Taiwanese girl group have morphed into endorsement queens.

Their record label, HIM International Music, said the group earned NT$260 million ($11m) in the last six months alone.

They have appeared - both solo and as a group - in 17 advertisement campaigns in Taiwan, China and other parts of Asia.

Last Friday, the toothy threesome were in town for yet another product launch - Osim's new slimming device uKimono.

Although they were diva-ishly late for the media session at the Conrad Centennial Hotel - they overslept, apparently - local reporters quickly forgave them once they turned on their girlish charms.

The girls obligingly struck a variety of cute poses for the cameras, and their answers came fast and furious during an interview with The New Paper.

One question, in particular, prompted much laughter and made them slap one another on the arms during their replies.

Would they consider appearing in lingerie ads?

Ella Chen was hesitant. 'To do that, we must first have the right figure,' said the 28-year-old, who sports a short haircut.

Hebe Tien, 26, was more outspoken. In her saccharine voice, she said they wouldn't mind posing in undergarments if the ad is 'filmed artistically'.

'But if the advertiser requires the models to jump up and down on the mattresses, and our breasts have to bounce, then we won't do it,' she added, laughing.

Selina Ren, 28, agreed. She said: 'The ad must not be insulting towards women.'

Diamonds?

But she immediately added: 'While jumping up and down, if there are diamonds falling out, then I may consider it!'

Explaining, Selina said she would like to be the face of a 'bling brand'.

The group said they would probably turn down offers that may not suit their 'vibrant, youthful and cheerful' image.

'We won't endorse anything that's 'bad',' said Ella.

'And no items prohibited by the law,' Hebe chipped in.

Selina added: 'We won't do advertisements for medical products too because there have been artistes who were drawn into controversies when the medicine they endorsed resulted in problems.'

In February, the Chinese government banned actors from taking on the role of medical experts in advertisements for drugs after a group of Internet vigilantes exposed several fake experts and fake brands, reported China Daily.

S.H.E also shared what products it hope to endorse in the future.

'A car,' said Hebe. 'Car ads normally have nice storylines.'

Ella was more specific. 'Mercedes Benz would be good! I hope they will notice us after your report.'

The dough has been rolling in for S.H.E. The products they have endorsed range from burgers to a karaoke chain.

They said solo endorsements are rotated among the three of them to ensure fairness.

Their Osim uKimono event at Ion Orchard was attended by hundreds of fans. The trio confidently demonstrated how to use the slimming belt massager while flaunting their well-toned legs and waists.

Well-rewarded

Both the singers and Osim declined to reveal the endorsement fees, but Ella told local newspaper Lianhe Zaobao that it's a lot of money.

' After knowing it, you would want to be an artiste too,' she said.

Not only is S.H.E attracting advertisers, the group is also a magnet for gossip.

Selina has been romantically linked with Taiwanese lawyer Zhang Chengzhong, comedian Huang Zijiao and host Show Luo.

Hebe was reportedly the love interest of Taiwanese pop icon Jay Chou and actor Li Wei.

And Ella supposedly hooked up with Wu Chun, who is a member of red-hot boyband Fahrenheit and her co-star in Taiwanese drama The Tricks Of Boys And Girls, as well as singer-actor Anthony Kuo.

With a huge fan base comprising both male and female teenagers, S.H.E said 'it will never split' as a pop group. However, the members are also concurrently pursuing solo careers.

Ella, the comedienne among the three, will continue to focus on acting.

Selina will work on hosting variety shows. She had previously collaborated with top Taiwanese host Jacky Wu for the show Guess, Guess, Guess.

Hebe will be the first of the group to release a solo album, which is currently still in the planning stage.

Bing to use Wolfram Alpha results

Microsoft is rolling out some enhancements to its Bing search engine, including some that rely on computational information delivered by Wolfram Alpha.

Wolfram Alpha has developed a technology platform designed to offer "computable knowledge" to applications.

Through the relationship with Bing, that means that people will be able to search for some complicated information, and the search engine will be able to compute the answers.

In a blog post, Tracey Yao, program manager, and Pedro Silva, product manager at Microsoft, give some examples.

On perhaps the more complex end, users can type in complicated math equations or even ask Bing to display a graph plotting an equation and get results.

More practical applications perhaps for a wider audience include answers to questions like which fruit, an orange or a kiwi, has more vitamins. Searching for a food item on Bing will return a nutrition facts label, much like the one attached to most food products, that summarizes the information.

The deal with Wolfram Alpha will also power a new body-mass-index tool in Bing. If a user searches for "BMI," a box will ask the user to enter height and weight. Clicking "calculate" will deliver a BMI analysis.

In a video interview posted on a Microsoft blog, Stephen Wolfram, the scientist who developed Wolfram Alpha, commented on the relationship. "What we’re seeing with Microsoft and Bing now is a first step toward taking computational knowledge and deploying it in an application, in this case a search engine," he said.

People can also visit the Wolfram Alpha Web page to search for computational information.

Microsoft has also developed additional improvements, although they sound relatively incremental. For instance, Bing will deliver additional information about cities that people search for when booking travel.

Microsoft has launched a Web site to explain in great detail all of the new enhancements.

The updates are being rolled out on Wednesday but may not reach all users immediately, Microsoft said.

2PM releases “Heartbeat” MV



2PM has been teasing everyone with their mysterious countdowns on 2PM's website. Over the past week, 2PM released their songs Tired of Waiting and I Was Crazy About You from their upcoming album. Both songs were hits, as the songs are currently reigning music charts throughout various portal sites.

Soon after, the entire album was released as 1:59 PM.

2PM finally released their MV of Heartbeat and it is sick! Check it out below:


2PM is set to cross over to China, as they will be participating in the 2009 Hanryu Showcase (Korea-China Music Festival) to have an opportunity to meet their Chinese fans.

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