How to Install Chrome OS From A USB Drive

Have you already tried Chrome OS using a virtual machine, and were less than impressed? Well now you can get a feel for how Google's Web-centric operating system will run natively google chromeon your machine. The folks over at Engadget were able to boot Chromium OS -- the open source version of what will become Chrome OS -- off of a USB stick on a Dell Vostro A90 netbook. The USB bootable disc is based on the Chromium OS build of Twitter user Hexxeh, who set up a Web site where you can view all the instructions you need for getting your bootable USB up and running.

If you're ready to get your hands dirty and try out the new OS, here's what you need to know:

Get the Torrent

Before you do anything, you're going to need to download the Hexxeh's Chromium OS build. You can find a torrent link on Hexxeh's Website or you can use the mirror links found here and here courtesy of Engadget.


Set Up Your USB Stick

Hexxeh has some easy instructions for writing your Chromium OS image onto a USB stick. The instructions for Windows and Linux look pretty straightforward, but Mac users are going to have a slightly more complicated time.

http://carbon.hexxeh.net/chromiumos/windows.txt
http://carbon.hexxeh.net/chromiumos/linux.txt
http://carbon.hexxeh.net/chromiumos/mac.txt

Pick Your Machine


A major problem with Chromium OS right now is that its device drivers are in the very early stages of development. That means some parts of your computer may not respond when using Chromium OS. One of the most common problems being reported is the lack of Wi-Fi functionality. So you may have to use an Ethernet connection instead. You should also know there's no guarantee the OS will boot up at all.

If you're in the market for a netbook or laptop, and you plan on experimenting with Chromium, google chromecheck out Google's list of devices that are known to work with the latest version of Chromium OS. The list is primarily for developers who want to work with the new OS, but there's no reason you can't use it as a buying guide. The device index features a sortable checklist that lets you know if the Wi-Fi and trackpad functions are working, as well as general comments and warnings specific to each device.
http://sites.google.com/a/chromium.org/dev/chromium-os/getting-dev-hardware/dev-hardware-list
For example, you might want to stay away from the Asus Eee PC 900 if you plan to run Chrome right now. The netbook's Wi-Fi is supposed to work, but the device's fans may not run, which could cause your system to overheat. Other Wi-Fi-ready devices, according to Google's list, are the Toshiba mini NB205, and the Asus Eee PC 1008HA. The Lenovo ThinkPad T400 may also work after upgrading the Wi-Fi firmware. But before you go out and spend money on a new computer, read over Google's hardware list to make sure you are fully aware of the functionality and problems for the device you have in mind.

Booting From the USB

Once you've got your computer, and have gone through the steps of writing your bootable disc, you may find you can't get Chromium OS to boot on your Windows-based machine. If this happens, you may have to change the settings for how your machine boots up.

A word of warning: Changing the boot order means messing with your system's command prompt and BIOS. If that sounds scary, you might be better off picking up an official Chrome OS machine later next year. For the rest of you, let us know in the comments how Chromium is running on your netbook.

Melon Music Awards nominees announced

The long-awaited top 10 list for ‘2009 Melon Music Awards 2009′ has been confirmed.

The upcoming event to be held on 16th December in Olympic Park Olympic Hall has confirmed the nominees for the awards to be – 2NE1, 2PM, 8eight, Davichi, Brown Eyed Girls, So Nyeo Shi Dae, Super Junior, KARA, K Will and GDragon.

We see that in the Top 10 this year, there are idol groups like KARA, 2NE1 and So Nyeo Shi Dae etc. And there are also other musicians like 8eight and K Will who have received great love from music fans for their music this year.

The awards to be given out at the award ceremony are ‘2009 Artiste’, ‘2009 Album’, ‘2009 Song’ and ‘2009 New Artiste’ etc for the Top 10.

With the Top 10 decided, there are many fans who have been concerned. In particular, many are wondering if SM Entertainment artistes Super Junior and So Nyeo Shi Dae will attend the award ceremony or win awards for the event.

Because of the discord between their company and Mnet, the 2 groups were absent for MAMA this year, and because of that they also did not win any awards on the show, even though the 2 teams have received overwhelming responses from fans for their music this year.

Meanwhile, the 2nd window of online polls for the 10 teams will open from 24th November and till end on 13th December.

* Voters can head over to: http://www.melon.com/svc/awards/index.jsp to vote!

TOP 10:
* 2NE1
* 2PM
* 8eight
* Davichi
* Brown Eyed Girls
* So Nyeo Shi Dae
* Super Junior
* KARA
* K Will
* GDragon

Awards
* 2009 Song
* 2009 Album
* 2009 Special Album
* 2009 Artiste
* 2009 New Artiste
* 2009 Star
* 2009 Mania
* 2009 Current Stream
* 2009 Smart Radio

Mike He promote movie alone, feels pressure

Mike He and director Alfred Cheung attending movie “Love you in sevnth sight” premiere ceremony. The female lead, Li Xiao Lu was unable to attend the promo at Hong Kong. The guest that came to attend the premiere included Lok Yi Ling, Chen Qian Yang, Zhou Mei Yan, Li Ya Nan, Cheung Ka Yi, etc. More than 100 Mike’s fans were there to support him. Other than preparing flower for Mike, they had made a trophy too. On the trophy, it was written “Our best male lead” for their idol.

Li Xiao Lu absence was unknown.

Mike said that he has watched the film at Mainland. He believed that there is more improvement needed for him. He said “I was sitting in the theater last row. The audience didn’t know that I am there. I heard the audience clapping and laughing. I am deeply moved. This type of feeling cannot be bought using money. He admitted that when he watched the film he fell sad when the guy nearby shouting. Different people have different point of view when watching this movie. As for the absent of Li Xiao Lu in Hong Kong promotion, Mike admitted that promoting alone caused him feel pressure. He came to Hong Kong only knew that Li Xiao Lu was not present, but the promotion at Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, both of them always appeared together.


Fear of strangers, did not go to Ah Sa Party

Mike said “Actually I have a new drama started filming at November but was turned down because I am attending guitar class now. I have no much time for the preparation of the drama. So I didn’t film it.” Miek has collaborated with Ah Sa and both of them have become friends. When ask him whether he got invite Ah Sa to watch his movie, Mike said “I have tell Ah Sa, but she was busy with her own work. I know her birthday, Ah Sa also got invited me, but I afraid of stranger so I didn’t go. Both of us have no chance to meet.” He has called Ah Sa to watch his movie privately as he fear that if Ah Sa came to the premiere, he will feel pressure.

Emblaze First ELSE struts new UI in video demo

Still curious about the First ELSE smartphone and its nifty user-interface? Various videos of the handset in action have emerged, including a five minute UI demo from the ELSE’s launch in London this week. The handset is based on the Access Linux Platform 3.0, onto the open-source underpinnings of which designers Emblaze Mobile built the sPlay menu system, which is intended to be navigated via the right-hand thumb.

Rather than digging through numerous menus and pop-up boxes, sPlay aims to keep a consistent UI throughout the ELSE handset. We touched upon its more headline-grabbing functionality yesterday – the phone will record voice calls and store them along with records of when the call was made, and there are GPS-linked contextual reminders which flag up alerts whenever you’re near a preset position, for instance a shopping list while you’re near a supermarket – but Emblaze are planning an app store and building up to an SDK release for more functionality.

Hardware, meanwhile, centers around a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen running at DROID-like 854 x 480 resolution, above which runs a row of OLED status indicators. The CPU is Texas Instruments’ OMAP 3430 chip, as you’ll find in the iPhone 3GS, and there’s a 5-megapixel camera around the back. Connectivity includes WiFi, Bluetooth and HSDPA.

It remains to be seen whether the ELSE can get to market and pick up sufficient user-share, or whether third-party developers really will jump on board (and maintain that clever UI). There’s no announced release date as yet, nor pricing details.

HTC HD2 to get official WinMo 7 update in 2010?

Pinch of salt time, but msmobiles have heard from an unnamed source that HTC are planning to offer an official Windows Mobile 7 upgrade for the HTC HD2 as soon as Microsoft formally announce the new smartphone platform. The site is declining to reveal who their source is, and HTC have never confirmed that they plan to bring the HD2 up to speed with WM7, which is expected to arrive near the end of 2010.

While we’d love this to pan out, the old adage that you should buy a device because it serves your needs now, rather than for what it might or might not do X months down the line, holds true. The HD2 is a great smartphone – check out our review here – but until HTC publicly confirm that a Windows Mobile 7 update program will be offered, you probably shouldn’t let the rumor tip your hand.

Yamapi & Toma Ikuta in a new unit!?

Tomohisa Yamashita and best friend Toma Ikuta may be forming a new unit called “Iku & Pi” a.k.a. “the ikemen unit.” Well at least just for one night.

Yamapi who just finished his first solo concert at Yokohama Arena, had one his best friends make a special guest appearance during the second half of the show and they instantly formed “the ikemen unit.”

Both of them joined Johnny’s Entertainment in 1996 and became really close friends. So when it was decided that Yamapi was to have his first solo concert, he immediately called Toma and asked him to make an appearance.

“It’s like a dream come true to have both of us on the same stage,” Yamapi stated, and with a happy smile, “It was like going back to our JR. days.“

The last time they were both on stage was seven years ago when both Yamapi and Toma were part of Johnny’s Jr.

YG turns down proposal for Big Bang TOP to drama ‘Zero Plus’

Big Bang TOP, who has been promoting as actor recently, is known to have received a proposal to star in write Song JiNa’s new production.

And according to YG Entertainment said on 25th November through a phone interview, “We have received for TOP to star in Song JiNa’s new drama ‘Zero Plus’. But we have humbly declined the proposal due to TOP’s movie filming and Big Bang promotions.”

It is also added, “After the 20-episode drama ‘IRIS’ ends, TOP will immediately start work for his movie ‘In the GunFire’. Also, TOP will be busy with Big Bang’s Japanese promotions and concert performances in Korea, it is a shame that it will be hard for him to participate in ‘Zero Plus’.”

TOP will be starting work in the movie filming for ‘In the GunFire’ end-November after ‘IRIS’ drama filming. The movie also stars other actors like Cha SeungWon and Kwon SangWoo. The movie is about how student soldiers have risked their lives and showed courage for the country. It will be directed by Lee JaeHan who also directed movie ‘A Moment To Remember’.

Meanwhile, Song JiNa is known for her dramas like ‘The Story of the First King’s Four Gods’ etc

Update : Another Big Bang member might take the role

We reported a few hours ago that YG Entertainment had turned down a lead role for T.O.P. on a new upcoming drama, Zero Plus. But after all, he has been quite busy these days working as both a Big Bang member and a cold-blooded killer, so it's understandable. However, the president of YG Entertainment, Yang Hyun Suk, just released an official statement how a schedule conflict wasn't the real reason why they rejected the role. Turns out, they are actually looking for another member of Big Bang to fill the spot.

Yang Hyun Suk stated:

"What was released through the press is completely different from the truth. We are currently looking for another Big Bang member, since we believed T.O.P. is not suitable for that specific role. We did consider T.O.P. at first for Song Ji Na's new drama which YG will be producing, Zero Plus, as a student who dreams to be a musical actor. However, we believed T.O.P. the rapper is not fitting for the role of a student. It is true that T.O.P.'s schedule is very hectic as an actor and a member of Big Bang, but we would never reject a role for Song Ji Na's drama with the excuse of a busy schedule."

Wow, another Big Bang member going into acting? Who do you think would be most 'fitting' for such role? I don't know about you guys, but I give my vote to Daesung. I mean seriously, who else would fit the role of a student/musical actor better than him?

GMA Doesn't Want Adam Lambert's Sloppy Seconds...Cue The Early Show!

Apparently, waking up with Glambert is hard to do.

After receiving more than 1,500 complaints from viewers shocked—just shocked!—over Adam Lambert's sexually charged antics at Sunday's American Music Awards, the Alphabet net's a.m. flagship has pulled the plug on tomorrow's planned performance by the American Idol star.

"Given Adam Lambert's controversial live performance on the AMAs we were concerned about airing a similar concert so early in the morning," ABC said in a statement.

The move was to quiet those offended types who apparently let their children watch television unsupervised after 10 p.m.—like the folks in the Parents Television Council, who were among the first to sound off on Lambert's crotch-diving, male-on-male kissing performance.



But while ABC suddenly got a case of the family-friendlies, rival CBS had no qualms picking up the scraps. Just hours after GMA nixed Lambert, The Early Show announced he'd be stopping by their digs on Wednesday for a chat—among other things about his AMA antics, of course.

And what did Mr. "For Your Entertainment" have to say about the morning-show switcheroo?

"It's too bad, I think there were a lot of fans who were excited to come see me," Lambert told E! News' Ryan Seacrest today. "They probably had a lot of pressure coming at them from certain people who weren't happy about it. I respect their decision—I don't necessarily agree with it, but they need to do what they need to do."

Lambert says there is a double standard when it comes to gay PDA, saying his antics had nothing on Madonna. He also says that while he respects ABC's decision to bounce him from GMA, there's no way he's apologizing.

After all, the guy's got albums to move.

How Microsoft could kill Google's Chrome OS

Here's a scenario for how Redmond could combat Google's Net appliance OS before it gets out of the gate

Thin is in again. At least that's the message I'm taking away from the full-frontal media orgy surrounding last week's Chrome OS demo. Virtually everyone who's anyone is now singing the praises of the smaller, lighter, Web-centric desktop model at the heart of Google's still unreleased "Windows killer." And that includes Microsoft.

In fact, the folks up in Redmond are doubtless watching the entire spectacle with amusement. After months spent shadowboxing a Chrome OS vaporware ghost, the company finally has a tangible, non-ethereal target to shoot at. And shoot it will -- with both barrels.

The assault will begin with a faux olive branch. Microsoft will welcome Google to the game and emphasize how they're really not competitors because Chrome OS is targeted at a niche market. But behind the scenes, Microsoft will be quietly marshaling its troops for war. Its first order of battle will be to fire up the FUD engines and lay siege to Google's credibility.

The opening salvo will try to tie Chrome OS to desktop Linux, an unpopular platform and one that Microsoft vanquished early in the netbook revolution. By emphasizing the ugly Linux underpinnings of Chrome OS, the company can scare away less technical customers who are used to a computing environment that works seamlessly with virtually any device or peripheral.

Rob Flies Back to L.A. With Kristen

Glad our little travel-tip yesterday turned out to be true.

Robert Pattinson landed back in Los Angeles with GF Kristen Stewart yesterday after unwinding together all weekend in NYC.

Even People magazine has deets of Rob and Kristen full-on making out in public Friday night. Robsten doubters are you even out there still?

So can we get used to this new Robsten? Ya know, the same undercover lovers who try so hard to never be snapped in the same frame together...

"Rob and Kristen have been doing exactly what they wanted all along, don't be fooled [by this new openness]," sasses Deep Twi.

Well, we know in the beginning their relaysh may not have been entirely dictated by R & K, but for the last couple months, they've been the ones in control about what they want to share publicly.

Still, don't expect an exclusive Barbara Walters sit-down tell-all interview with the two—but if you ask us, actions speak louder than words.

First, the hand-holding pics, and now Rob's decided to come back to L.A. (where he still has no permanent residence, BTW) with Stewart?

Maybe you Twi-lovers have something to be grateful for after all this Thanksgiving.

Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, here's hoping you cook a delicious feast for our favorite couple. We have a feeling a very hunky man may be coming over for dinner.

Windows 7 passes Mac OS X in market share race

Weekend numbers for new OS bigger than for all versions of Mac OS X, says Net Applications

Windows 7 passed the 5% market share milestone last weekend, which put it, if only temporarily, above the total market share of all versions of Apple's Mac OS X, a Web measurement firm said today.

Last Saturday and Sunday, Windows 7 powered an estimated 5% and 5.14% of all computers that were online those days, according to Internet metrics vendor Net Applications. The two-day average of 5.07% was higher than the 5% of the market that Net Applications said Apple's operating system averaged for the week of Nov. 15-21.

"It's safe to say that Windows 7's daily share did peak above Mac's weekly share," said Vince Vizzaccaro, executive vice president at Net Applications, in an e-mail today. Vizzaccaro said his company had not yet compiled daily averages for Mac OS X, something that would be necessary to compare Windows 7's weekend numbers with the same dates for the Mac.

When Windows 7's Nov. 15-21 average was matched against Mac OS X, however, for an apples-to-apples comparison, Microsoft's 4.15% lagged behind Apple's 5%.

But Vizzaccaro was confident that Windows 7 would soon pass Mac OS X for good, and not just during a short stretch. "Certainly, the trend line shows Windows 7 will surpass Mac share soon," he predicted.

In fact, Windows' overall market share of 92.64% for the week of Nov. 15-21 was slightly higher than the OS's October share of 92.52%. "We may be seeing an uptick in overall Windows share this month," Vizzaccaro confirmed. "This isn't too rare, but if we see three or four months in a row of Windows regaining market share, that would be a significant trend change."

The last time that Windows showed any appreciable increase in share was June 2009, when it gained 0.21%. Windows' biggest increase in the last two years was in March 2008, when it jumped 0.28%.

By Net Applications' account, Windows 7's share has been steadily growing since its Oct 22 debut. The first week after its launch, the new operating system accounted for 2.7% of all operating systems used worldwide; it climbed to 3.3% in the second week, to 3.7% in the third and to 4% during the fourth week post-debut.

With a week left in November, Windows 7 currently sports a 3.9% monthly average. At its current pace, it will reach 4% for the month, which means Microsoft's newest OS will have easily beaten Vista's first four months of market share gains.

Several Microsoft executives have bragged about Windows 7 sales, most recently CEO Steve Ballmer.

Last week, Ballmer told shareholders that Windows 7 had sold twice the number of copies as any other Microsoft operating system in the same time span. Like others who have talked about Windows 7 sales, however, Ballmer declined to spell out sales or revenue figures.

50 Cent Ready To Battle Jay-Z: 'Let's Do It!'

Fitty responds to Jay's possible dig during American Music Awards.

50 Cent certainly can't be accused of not speaking his mind.

Late Monday, the G-Unit general phoned in to DJ Green Lantern's Sirius Satellite radio show and discussed the lukewarm early sales for his latest LP, Before I Self Destruct — and Jay-Z's possible dig at him during Sunday night's American Music Awards. During his acceptance speech, Jay said, "Men lie, women lie — numbers don't," and then burst out laughing, which many perceived as a response toward 50's recent baiting of Hov.

"He's said that before," 50 said. "I didn't really take that as disrespect. If you wanna be disrespectful, just be disrespectful. Once we start I'm not gonna stop. I'll make you aware of that, 'cause I'm not the type of guy that goes away. So if that's the kind of energy we getting ready to go into, then let's do it!"

50 also discussed his new LP, which looks poised for a lukewarm debut on the charts in its first week out — Hits Daily Double estimated that its debut-week sales will be in the range of 150-160,000. His three previous albums all easily surpassed 500,000 units sold in their first weeks, although in a much more robust album market than today's.

"For me this album is a prequel — it's full circle," 50 said. "When the energy around a project is the way this is, you can't really feel like it's a failure. Like, I look at the numbers and am like, 'What is this?' I've already assessed that the album has been out a month before its actual release period [due to an online leak, and the album's early digital release due to the leak]. So when you got that, you go, 'Well, what did you actually expect?'

"For myself, I'm asking myself, 'What did you expect, bro? Your fans got it when it was available, at the first available opportunity.' "

Switched On: Chrome's shine could blind Android

It's been a year of milestones for Android in the U.S. The number of handsets with the Google-developed software has grown from one to eight. Three of the four major national carriers, including Verizon Wireless, the country's largest, now offer Android phones. HTC's Hero and Motorola's CLIQ have shown how Android supports customization by manufacturers. And the Motorola Droid has marked the debut of Android 2.0.

When the T-Mobile G1 was launched, Switched On discussed Google's growing rivalry with Apple. But now Google itself an even more formidable threat to the Android than Apple or even Microsoft. Growing out of the group that created the Chrome browser, Google's Chrome OS creates a relatively lightweight layer of hardware management code primarily for the purpose of running one native app, the Chrome browser. While Chrome OS can take advantage of local processing and resources, the OS foregoes local applications, citing a need to preserve speed, security and simplicity.

That argument resembles one Apple made in the early days of the iPhone with web apps before it committed to releasing an SDK and launched the App Store -- a reversal that's created one the most vibrant mobile software ecosystems ever seen. And unlike iPhone apps, Android apps can operate in the background. Indeed, Android's multitasking, alerts, and upgrade notifications are among the most elegant in the industry; clearly the OS development team has put a lot of thought into how to deliver the benefits of local applications in the stringent smartphone environment.

So, should developers invest in local apps for Android or is the future Web apps delivered via the Chrome browser? The mixed message Google is giving developers with Chrome OS and Android smacks of the worst kind of corporate infighting and politics where the left hand not is not only unaware of what the right hand is doing, but is also competing with it. Google postulates noncommittally that Android and Chrome OS may merge at some point, but they are unlikely to do so via entropy. Just ask Microsoft, which spent a decade trying to marry the user interface and hardware support of its consumer Windows products (95, 98) with the plumbing of its enterprise Windows versions (NT, 2000).

More seriously, the treatment of desktop and handset platforms as two disparate opportunities that have contradictory app strategies runs counter to the marketplace success that Apple has had with a unified OS X foundation running on Macs and iPhones. Even Microsoft, which has struggled to create the richness of mobile applications that it has on the PC desktop, strives to leverage developer knowledge with common development tools for Windows and Windows Mobile. Nokia, which once relegated Maemo for being fit for "PC-like" mobile experiences, is now more seriously considering integrating the Linux-based OS more deeply into its smartphone offerings. This is because handsets have finally become contextual mobile computers -- Android itself is evidence of that.

And if we can trust and enrich these omnipresent epicenters of our digital lives with third-party applications, we should certainly be able to manage apps on some tertiary PC companion. In the high-stakes competitive environment in which Android competes, developers deserve to know that sponsoring organizations believe in the value of third-party applications that engage the user with appropriate user interfaces and offline functionality. It would be a shame for Android developers and users if its path were derailed by a browser that has developed megalomania.

SME forced someone to forge TVXQ’s signatures?

TVXQ fans, brace yourselves - yet another act has been added to the SME vs TVXQ battle, and it doesn't look pretty.


Earlier this month, SM Entertainment claimed that TVXQ had belatedly cancelled their appearance at the November 21 Shenzhen concert, and that members Junsu, Jaejoong and Yoochun had never requested the details of the Shenzhen concert contract.

In response to this statement, the legal counsel of Junsu, Jaejoong and Yoochun previously stated last week that they had obtained a handwritten statement from an individual claiming to have signed the note of confirmation without the TVXQ threesome's consent. A note of confirmation is a document ensuring the attendance of a performer at an event. Typically, the note is signed by a representative without any complaints because the artist is too busy to sign the documents themselves. However, the legal counsel has taken the stance that the TVXQ threesome had never given such consent.

Today (November 24), Junsu, Jaejoong and Yoochun's defense elaborated on their claim regarding SME's unauthorized signatures on this note.

Regarding the Shenzhen Concert situation, Junsu, Jaejoong and Yoochun did not sign [or approve the signing of] any note of confirmation. ... The note of confirmation for the Shenzhen, China concert holds signatures that have been forged.

Some Chinese and Korean fans had brought to our attention the fact that the signatures on the confirmation note seemed forged. After thorough examination, we have confirmed that these signatures are fake. ... The person that forged [the TVXQ members' signatures] gave us a hand-written note, which stated that a SME representative had ordered him to forge the signatures.

SM Entertainment previously said that there were no legal issues involving the sales of the Shenzhen Concert, yet they forged the signatures on this note of confirmation.


Here is a scan of the note:

- Note of Confirmation -

- Name: (censored)
- Personal Number: (censored)
- Phone Number: (censored)

I, the writer of the note of confirmation, in March of 2009, followed orders from (censored) of SM Entertainment and signed the document for the Shenzhen concert in place of the three members. Neither I nor SM Entertainment had permission from the three members to use their signatures, before or after the document was released. The three members did not know about the Shenzhen Concert when they filed their lawsuit. The event was confirmed after the lawsuit had already been filed.

Date: 2009 November 15 Sunday_____________Writer: (censored)


The legal counsel also claimed, "SME had made an agreement with the TVXQ threesome to go through with all pre-planned activities ... the Shenzhen concert was added into the TVXQ schedule after [this agreement was made]. SME is attempting to distort the facts."

They continued, "We ask that SME reveal the story behind the signature forgeries and also the full content of the Shenzhen concert contract. We want to eliminate any misunderstandings that may have arisen amongst fans from these events."

It seems like the TVXQ lawsuit is getting more convoluted by the day - if SME's statement is forged, how do we know that this alleged confession isn't a fabrication as well? With logical gaps in the arguments presented by both sides of the case, it's difficult to believe any statements being released by either side these days.

With all of this confusion between SME and TVXQ, SME and Mnet and even HoMin and JaeChunSu, it feels like we're watching a multi-layered chess game. Stay tuned to allkpop as we await the next move in this complicated controversy.

Source: Allkpop - CBS, Newsen

Ubisoft sells 1.6 million copies of Assassin's Creed 2

First week sales of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2 have successfully reached the 1.6 million mark.

"This represents 32 percent growth over the first week sales of [the original] Assassin's Creed. Launched in November 2007, Assassin's Creed remains the fastest selling new video game intellectual property ever in the US," Ubisoft confirmed in an official statement. ??

"Assassin's Creed II has received an overwhelmingly positive reception from gamers around the world and from the video game trade press with to date an average user rating of 94 percent on Gamespot.com and over 91 percent average critics score according to GameRankings.com."

Wedbush Morgan analyst Edward Woo told TG Daily that Ubisoft remains "on track" to meet predictions of 6 million units sold for the first quarter ending December 31.

"Sales of Assassin's Creed II have successfully met initial expectations due to a combination of factors, including a bigger install base and an improved marketing campaign strategy," said Woo. "The game will definitely have a huge impact on the Ubisoft's revenue, but will not change the company's current guidance."

He added that sales of Assassin's Creed II could not be compared to Activision's CoD: Modern Warfare 2, which sold 4.7 million units during its first 24 hours in the US and UK.

'Ninja Assassin' kills as an action movie but not much else

Korean star Rain metes out bloody revenge in a script low on story but big on all-out violence.

In "Ninja Assassin," which is numbingly gory when it isn't just plain numbing, the assassin Raizo, played by Korean pop star and budding actor Rain, rains down on his interchangeable adversaries like his own name. The script is pretty damp too. A deadly (duh) sect of super-secret ninjas (duh) known as the Ozunu Clan stakes a claim to the ownership of Raizo, trained from abusive childhood onward to become the most lethal of all the clan members. But he doesn't like the way they killed his sweetheart, so he bolts, goes undercover and eventually joins the Europol agent (Naomie Harris from "Pirates of the Caribbean" parts 2 and 3) who's stationed in Berlin and hot on the trail of several unsolved murders that seem like total ninja assassin handiwork.

No one expects much from a film like this, except R-rated bloodletting with some excitement to it. But director James McTeigue, who plodded his way through "V for Vendetta," has yet to show much facility for shaping action on-screen. McTeigue served as assistant director on all three "Matrix" films, as well as "Speed Racer," and here (according to the production notes) the creative team was jazzed about the prospect of something different, without a surfeit of wire work or digital fussing. The fight sequences rely on performers versed in the acrobatic specialties of parkour and old-school Jackie Chan stunt wizardry.

And all that's a secret to the audience. The opening ninja attack is so insanely gory, with so many vivisections and severed limbs a-ploppin', you barely notice the people doing the stunts. Most of the violence in the rest of "Ninja Assassin" remains in the dark, so that what we see in bright light in the Big Opening is "implied" elsewhere. But McTeigue can barely shoot straight and the editing is so hack-y, you have to take the stunts and fight choreography on faith.

How's Rain? He's fine. He suffers prettily. Harris is the best reason to keep watching, and although it's a tiny step forward to have the female lead in a film like this not treated like a piece of meat, the slaughter parade isn't much fun. According to the MPAA, the movie's R rating is for "strong, bloody stylized violence throughout." Oh, it's stylized! I see. That's OK, then. The target audience members for "Ninja Assassin" have already spent weeks vivisecting bad guys on one gaming system or another, most of them without turning into sadistic killers in real life. So that's a comfort, even if "Ninja Assassin" isn't a good movie.

Achtung! Google Analytics is illegal, say German government officials

Several federal and regional government officials in Germany are trying to put a ban on Google Analytics, the search giant’s free software product that allows website owners and publishers to get detailed statistics about the number, whereabouts and search behavior of their visitors (and much more).

According to an article in today’s Zeit Online (poor Google translation here), multiple federal and state government officials charged with guarding over national data protection are convinced that Google Analytics is against the law in Germany and are mulling imposing fines on companies who use the service to gather detailed stats based on their website visitors’ usage patterns without the explicit consent of those visitors.

Still according to the Zeit Online article, an approximate 13% of German website publishers (meaning those with sites that have .de as their TLD) currently use Google Analytics, including several websites of leading media organizations, political parties and pharmaceutical companies. The government officials are particularly wary about the information Google is able to collect on websites of health insurance companies and the like, saying Google could conceivably create profiles of people that would include information about their interests, lifestyles, consumption patterns, political and sexual preferences.

This isn’t the first time German privacy protection officials have voiced their concerns about the Google Analytics service, as it had earlier criticized the search giant over keeping everyone ‘in the dark’ about which information they’re collecting exactly and how much identifiable data is sent to and stored on servers located on U.S. soil. German laws prohibit such data to leave the country, they claim.

Google Germany’s Per Meyerdierks, however, says the company is well within its rights to process user data in the United States because it respects the Safe Harbour treaty between the EU and the USA. He argues that an opt-out would be entirely unnecessary, and that users always have the option to refuse cookies anyway.

One German lawyer that gets cited in the article says the penalties could amount up to €50,000 (about $75,000) per website that uses Google Analytics to keep track of its visitors’ usage patterns.

Adam Lambert Shrugs Off AMAs Controversy

Everyone's aflutter about Adam Lambert's racy performance at the American Music Awards on Sunday – except Adam Lambert.

"I'm not a babysitter, I'm a performer," Lambert, 27, tells Ryan Seacrest in an interview on the latter's Web site, adding, "The spirit of rock and roll is alive and well."

Not on ABC, which apparently didn't approve of Lambert's stage show in which he French-kissed a band member and simulated oral sex. The network has made it clear that Lambert won't be performing on its morning program. It cancelled an appearance on Good Morning America slated for Wednesday after receiving over 1,500 complaints about the Sunday broadcast. The network says it doesn't feel he'd be appropriate for a morning audience. After the GMA cancellation, CBS asked Lambert to perform on its Early Show on Wednesday instead.

"I think the adrenaline kind of took me over," Lambert tells Seacrest. "I admit and I'm kind of proud of the fact that I did get a little carried away. I had a good time and I was merely interpreting the lyrics of my song. It wasn't meant to piss anyone off, it wasn't meant to hurt anyone or cause any problems."

But the reaction, he says, is far out of proportion to the offense.

"I don't feel like I owe anyone an apology," he says. "I did something female performers have been doing for years. All of a sudden a guy does it, and it's crazy. I do think there's a slight double standard."

His fans seem to agree. On Twitter, the topic #shameonYouABC has been a hot topic since the GMA cancellation was announced, with many fans accusing the network of homophobia and discrimination.

Though he doesn't hold any grudges against the network, Lambert says that at least people have more realistic expectations since his days on a reality-show competition.

"I'm sexual person, and maybe people didn't see that on American Idol," he says. "But now ... they do."

One Last Shot of Taylor Lautner's Abs

Just when we thought it was safe to check out the newsstand and not have to see any more New Moon covers, Rolling Stone releases their special edition Taylor Lautner wet T-shirt contest issue.

Great timing, Rolling Stone. While some may still appreciate Taylor's striptease show, the rest of us already saw the goods plenty this past weekend. We've also reset our Twilight Countdown clocks and can't be bothered with any more New Moon promotion, especially when the interview is all about the gym and how boring Taylor is.

From now on, it's all Eclipse, all the time. See you in seven months, Tay-Tay! By then you'll even be of age, which will make this whole operation you got going on completely legal.

Survey: Droid advertising scaring men right into dutiful brand loyalty



Glowing red cyborg eyes, bombs dropped from stealth fighters, emotionless calls of "DRRROOOIIID" every time you get a text message -- it's enough to scare yesterday's lunch out of anyone. Verizon's no-holds-barred advertising campaign for the Motorola Droid has been so hellishly frightening overwhelmingly successful, in fact, that it appears to be paying dividends either directly or indirectly against Moto's biggest rivals. YouGov's BrandIndex -- an ongoing survey measuring brand loyalty through some secret-sauce methodology that only analysts would fully comprehend -- shows a marked spike in Moto's score in the critical adult male category, while Apple and RIM have taken hits over the same period. These numbers look terribly volatile over a relative short span, so we're not going to be rushing to any conclusions -- but by any measure, it's pretty wild to see Moto go from a has-been to besting the bulletproof cult of iPhone in just a few short weeks. In the long term, it'll be interesting to see just how deeply Moto's and Apple's carrier relationships are factoring into public sentiment; after all, momentum's certainly on Verizon's side right now.

New iPhone ads stick up for AT&T

Apple joins marketing war against Verizon with new TV spots

Apple Inc. yesterday joined the fracas between AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless over 3G coverage with a pair of television commercials that defended its U.S. mobile partner.

The ads highlight the fact that users of Apple's iPhone can take calls while simultaneously browsing the Web, sending text messages and reading e-mail when on AT&T's network. Both ads end with the tagline "Can your phone and your network do that?" -- a reference to Verizon's inability to handle calls and other tasks at the same time.

AT&T made that same point in an ad that debuted last week that features actor Luke Wilson claiming that AT&T's service has several advantages over Verizon's. "Which network lets you talk and surf at the same time?" Wilson asks, then slaps an "X" in a checklist under a column labeled "AT&T."

Wilson's advertisement was AT&T's first televised response to a campaign launched in October by rival Verizon that compared its 3G coverage to AT&T's using the phrase "There's a map for that" -- a take-off on the "There's an app for that" line most Apple iPhone commercials use when touting the 100,000 programs available from the App Store.

An executive at The Nielsen Co., the company responsible for the Nielsen Ratings, told Advertising Age last week that he expected more ads from AT&T and described the Luke Wilson ad as a "stopgap."

"It's inevitable there will be more to come. Verizon will not stop running those ads," Nielson senior vice president Roger Entner told the publication.

Since Entner's comments, Wilson has appeared in several more commercials for AT&T, including one where he stands on a huge map showing the carrier's 2G and 3G coverage areas, and another where a purported Verizon customer is forced to juggle two phones to talk and surf the Internet at the same time. That ad ends with the line, "AT&T, a better 3G experience."

AT&T is Apple's exclusive iPhone partner in the U.S. market, although some analysts have suggested that the deal, rumored to run through June 2010, may not be extended as Apple searches for a wider reach using multiple carriers, a tactic it has already applied in several other countries. Ironically, even though the new Apple commercials slight Verizon (though they don't specifically name the AT&T rival) many experts believe that Verizon is a prime candidate to become an iPhone partner in 2010.

Verizon's ads prompted AT&T to file a lawsuit earlier this month in a Georgia federal court, accusing its competitor of making misleading claims with maps that showed scanty 3G coverage. Those ads, charged AT&T, "deceive consumers into believing that AT&T customers cannot communicate in areas where they have no 3G coverage." The company asked a federal judge to issue a court order that would have forced Verizon to stop airing the spots.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Timothy Batten denied AT&T's request.

Yee looks for next hit with 'Triple Tap'

Director Derek Yee plays with guns in “Triple Tap," a cops-and-robbers thriller with a twist co-invested by Hong Kong’s Emperor Motion Pictures and China’s PolyBona International, and co-produced by Hong Kong Sil-Metropol Organization.

The film stars Yee stable actors Daniel Wu and Louis Koo, who last headlined the Yee-produced summer hit “Overheard."

Set in the world of the International Practical Shooting Confederation, an obstacle-course firing competition that rewards speed, power and accuracy, “Triple Tap” is “a psychological mystery about two champions that blurs the line between heroes and villains,” said Yee, who is also one of the producers of the film.

Featuring action scenes of competitive shooting as well as robbery crossfire, filming took place amidst hills and plains near Hong Kong's northern border with the rest of China. Location scouting and preparation for the film proved challenging, as the producers found many of the rural parts of Hong Kong filled with swamps, said Henry Fong, “Triple Tap” producer and Yee’s longtime producing partner. “The gunfire would trigger explosions near swamps, so we had to spend more time to find locations. We also had to modify the guns to make them safe for filming,” said Fong.

The actioner’s 50 million yuan (US$7.3 million) budget “was mostly spent on staging elaborate gun battles and post-production,” said Albert Lee, CEO of EMP, which has a multi-picture deal with Yee. Although a Hong Kong-China co-production, the film was shot in Hong Kong and post-production will also be done in the territory.

Considerations were made to accommodate the Chinese audience and regulators, with “stylized portrayal of violence," said director Yee, whose previous outing, the Jackie Chan drama “The Shinjuku Incident” was denied release in China even after the script had been approved by the Chinese censors and granted co-production status. “I want to make the gun battles aesthetically pleasing; someone getting shot doesn’t necessarily have to gratuitously disgusting, we don’t have to show all the blood and gore,” said Yee.

“Triple Tap” is set for a May 2010 release in China and Hong Kong to capitalize on the Chinese Labour Day national holidays. Expectations are high for the film, said Yu Dong, chairman of the film’s co-investor and distributor Poly Bona, who predicts higher boxoffice grosses for the gun enthusiast thriller than “Overheard," the company’s previous collaboration with Yee which took 90 million yuan (US$13.2 million) in China last summer.

“‘Triple Tap’ is more action-heavy, which will be more attractive for Chinese audiences,” observed Yu. “Furthermore, the Chinese market continues to expand, the overall boxoffice take for 2010 is projected to increase by 30%, there’s no saying how much ‘Triple Tap’ will make in China,” said Yu, whose Poly Bona had a 15% market share in China in 2009 thus far, the releases of which took 900 million yuan (US$132 million) out of the total boxoffice grosses of 6 billion yuan (US$878.5 million) so far this year.

Super Junior Lee Teuk, “The girl I wanted to marry, was two-timing with another celebrity”

On SBS Strong Heart aired on 24th November, Lee Teuk revealed his heartbreaking lovestory which took place 3 years back.

He said, “After debut, I need to show responsibility in every matter as a leader. I even have a little pre-test about going into a love relationship.” He talks about falling in love with a woman 3 years back, “3 years ago, when I was doing schedule, a lady passed by and caught my attention. And I thought ‘So you can really fall in love with a person at first sight’.”

He added, “I thought that it will be burdersome if I have gone up personally. So I asked ShinDong to help me ask for her contacts. I said ‘This is Lee Teuk. I really like you that I think I’m in love with you. I hope we can meet up and talk’. And the woman said, ‘I feel pressured because you are an idol’.”

But to win the woman’s heart, Lee Teuk had borrowed Super Junior’s 250K kilo schedule car and prepared a CD with songs that the she may like. Lee Teuk said, “I stopped the car in a park in YeoIlDo and played the song ‘DDD’ by Kim HyeRim to lighten up the mood. She said that we have similar taste in music. She was then thirsty and as I got PET bottles and went to a nearby restaurant to fill it up with Cola and cider. She said that she felt my love and was thankful.”

He continued, “But she never told me that she like me. So I proposed ‘I want to go out with you officially’. And the woman accepted. But following that we only meet like once a week. She called and said ‘JungSoo sshi, I really wanted to watch that movie.”

“Even though it was peak hours, I went out for a date with the woman. Even though I may be caught by reporters, I didn’t care more and held the woman’s hand and we went to a cinema in KangNam. I thought that I really wanted to marry this woman and is ready to give up my celebrity life. People have saw me and asked ‘Is that Lee Teuk?’. But I didn’t care more.”

But coincidentally the woman’s mobile phone rang. And the person on the other line is a ChaeBol 2nd generation celebrity. Lee Teuk said, “I passed her the phone and pretended that I didn’t see his name, she then went away to take the call. I had the 250K borrowed car and it was said that he was waiting in front of her house with a luxurious foreign car.”

“I was so happy looking at the woman for 30 seconds. After that it was like hell. After that day, she did not contact me and we did not meet up at all. And for the next 6 months, I went into a slump. I kept calling her but she never picked up.”

Super Junior member Eun Hyuk said, “This is the first time I see Lee Teuk fall in love and get so heartbroken.”

And when asked if it is alright to reveal his love story on the show, Lee Teuk said that it is alright since he has said in a calm state. “Now that I’ve said these words out, I feel good inside. I really wanted to give up then. But I have no regrets about it now.”

Kristen Stewart's New Indie Flick

Forget the supernatural: In Kristen Stewart's next project, the New Moon star is taking a deeply human turn, playing a troubled teenager in the indie flick The Yellow Handkerchief, due in theaters in February.

Costarring William Hurt, Mario Bello and Eddie Redmayne, the movie explores the relationships between three strangers who embark on a road trip through post-Katrina Louisiana. Stewart plays Martine, a teen who hopes to escape her family, while Hurt plays Brett Hanson, a man who has to choose between his ex-wife (played by Bello) or what's next.

"The part of Kristen in Twilight is completely different from the one she plays in The Yellow Handkerchief, which is particularly interesting for Kristen's fans all over the world," says the film's Oscar winning producer Arthur Cohn. "In my personal opinion, from a pure acting point of view, The Yellow Handkerchief was a more difficult part to play."


Cohn says that Stewart got the part thanks to the recommendation of one famous former costar.

"It was Jodie Foster, whom I respect and admire, who wholeheartedly recommended Kristen," he says of her Panic Room costar, "and has always considered her a truly excellent young actress."

Whoa! Kim Kardashian Is Seriously Shrinking

As we all know, our dear E! reality star Kim Kardashian loves to tweet photos of herself in bikinis, and this past Sunday she gave us another one. Gotta give those 2.6 million followers what they want, right?


Well, we're so used to seeing Kim in a bikini that we usually don't pay much attention, but whoa! What happened to the curvy vixen we all fell in love with? Is this the result of the camera angle, the recent spray tan, the makeup?

She tweeted along with the pic: "Quick Trim photo shoot today in Miami! I finally feel I've reached my goal!"

Let us all think back to this past September, when she tweeted a different bikini Quick Trim shot (that would be the photo on the left). There's something about old Kim we miss. Nevertheless, congrats on reaching your goal.

LG's Monaco (IQ) spotted in Telus garb, rocking WinMo 6.5 and Snapdragon



It's been a hot minute since we've heard anything about LG's Monaco, but now it seems as if the wait for this to transition from presentation slide to reality is almost over. Unfortunately, Windows Mobile 7 won't be onboard as previously rumored, but prospective Telus customers can look forward to LG's S-Class interface sprucing things up somewhat. Other specs purportedly include a Snapdragon processor, WVGA display, 5 megapixel camera and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, though nitty-gritty details beyond that are nil. Peep that read link if you're lusting for a few more angles, and don't kid yourself -- you are.

HP's Obsidian becomes iPAQ Glisten, officially comes to AT&T



Wow, talk about digging deep in the memory bank. The same phone that we spotted way back in July (known then as the iPAQ K3 Obsidian) has finally emerged in official fashion on AT&T. Dubbed the iPAQ Glisten, this all-business smartphone boasts a vanilla coat of Windows Mobile 6.5, a 2.5-inch AMOLED display, 3.1 megapixel camera, 256MB of SDRAM, a microSD expansion slot, A-GPS, 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, a QWERTY keyboard, 802.11b/g WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. 'Course, you'll still be dealing with a resistive screen and a dated OS, but if you're turned on in some weird way, it'll be "available in the coming weeks" for $179.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and 2-year agreement.


Media abuzz over list of Korean celebs who are 'kept'

FEMALE stars in Korea have a knack for making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

There have been reports of some going under the plastic surgeon's knife - think Kim Hee Sun and Gianna Jun and their before-and-after photos.

Some have even made news when they were found dead - think Lee Eun Joo, Choi Jin Sil and Jung Da Bin, may they rest in peace.

Now some dirt has apparently been dug out about several female stars. A South Korean publication has got hold of a list of celebrities who are allegedly moonlighting as kept women.

The list is provided by an industry source who claims that the women earn a hefty sum of money from 'providing company and extra services' to wealthy businessmen who 'keep' them.

Newcomers are said to rake in a starting fee of 25million won ($30,000), while the A-listers can command up to billions.

While the list does not state the names of the stars, there are hints about their identities.

One of them is described as 'a Miss L who became famous through a single drama'. Another is said to be 'Miss S, a regular face of mini-series'.

Another star is supposedly 'a bubbly, lively Miss C, recently seen in a popular family-oriented drama'.

According to the report, businessmen can seal their 'transactions' with these female celebrities either online or over a private meeting at high-end lounges, where they'd have to pay these women a 'drinking fee' of 3 to 5 million won.

Once confirmed as a kept woman, the celebrity must apparently sign a contract which prevents her from divulging the identity of her 'owner'.

If the man's name is revealed, she will have to pay him compensation of up to 3 billion won.

Popular actress Song Yun-Ah, 36, admitted in an interview that she was 'once approached to be kept'.

'The offer included accompanying the other party for drinks, as well as providing sexual services,' she said. 'It happened in the early years of my acting career.

'Fortunately, I turned the request down.

'I hope my fellow female artistes do not do things they will regret in order to achieve fame and fortune.'

A survey of female celebrities conducted in South Korea last month provided startling results.

A quarter of the stars polled admitted that they 'have had intimate body contact with another party against their own will'.

Furthermore, 12 per cent admitted they 'had provided sexual services' to get money and more work opportunities in the entertainment industry.

Yuen Woo-pings eyes Takeshi Kaneishiro, Zhou Xun and Jay Chou for wuxia remake

Renowned director and action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping is busy trying hard to raise S$40million to shoot the wuxia remake of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, plus cast his dream team of actors in including actor Takeshi Kaneshiro as Linghu Chong, actress Zhou Xun as Ren Yingying, and singer Jay Chou as Dongfang Bubai.

The new remake of the classic novel by Louis Cha is slated to begin filming at the start of 2010 after the Lunar New Year festivities. In the meantime, Yuen does not plan to accept any other directing jobs in order to concentrate wholly in producing the series.

Yuen has expressed that 36-year-old Kaneshiro best fits the role of the lead character, Linghu Chong. Both parties are currently engaged in talks and if the actor agrees, Yuen plans to send him to Beijing for martial arts training sessions. As the show concentrates heavily on martial arts, Yuen hopes that the main actors will receive martial arts training before filming begins to present a more lifelike portrayal of the story.

He also has plans to invite Chinese actress, Zhou Xun, to take up the female lead role as Ren Yingying. He was so impressed by her acting chops and gracefulness in his previous collaboration with her, True Legend, and decided to work with her again.

As both Kaneshiro and Zhou previously collaborated as lovers in the movie, Perhaps Love, he feels that they have enough tacit understanding of each other to bring out the best of their lovebirds characters onscreen.

Apart from these, Yuen hopes that Jay Chou will take on the last remaining lead role as Dongfang Bubai in the show. The chance of Yuen gaining a nod of agreement from Jay lies relatively high as the latter is in awe and respect of the director. The Taiwanese performer also previously agreed to guest star in Yuen’s movie, True Legend.

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