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Lady Gaga 944 Magazine Jan. 2010

1/09/2010 12:25:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Lady Gaga looks lovely is lace on the cover of the Jan. 2010 issue of 944 Magazine.



The 23-year-old pop sensation — styled by Nicola Formichetti — creates a diva storm all of the cover of this year’s Vanguard Issue!

“Lady Gaga has liberated music and fashion the way David Bowie and other Brit Glam rockers did in the seventies – using costume, artifice and drama while bending gender norms and conventions. But she also one ups everyone with her phenomenal vocal talent and truly unique aesthetic,” says 944 editor Martine Bury.

Apple Tablet Slated For Aluminum Casing and Q2 Launch

1/09/2010 12:24:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Reuters today, citing unnamed sources, reports that Apple's supply chain will begin manufacturing aluminum casings for their upcoming tablet device next month. That means a shipment could come as early as this spring.

Taiwanese manufacturer AVY Precision Technology, Inc has been tapped to provide the cases, while Wintek Corp and TPK Solutions will supply the panels for tablet, according to Reuters. This backs up the WSJ's report on Monday that the Apple tablet will ship in March and the rumored January 27th announcement.

With major new product launches like this, you can generally expect these types leaks and rumors with increasing frequency right up to the announcement—that is, until the Apple gestapo has their way.

Susan Boyle cements her position as a superstar by appearing on Oprah

1/09/2010 12:23:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

Susan Boyle is to cement her reputation as one of the showbusiness world's biggest stars by heading to the US to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show next week.


Miss Boyle, 48, is flying out to Chicago on Tuesday. She will then appear on the show the following day.

A US source revealed: ‘Oprah bosses have been really keen to get Susan on. America has gone Susan Boyle crazy and as US TV’s biggest show, it makes sense for her to appear.

'It just goes to show what a huge star Susan Boyle has now become in America.’

The source continued: 'Susan is really looking forward to appearing as well. She can’t wait.’

Miss Boyle made a guest appearance on the show by satellite last May. But this will be the first time she has been invited to the studio, which shows just how big a star she has become.

She will perform and answer a number of questions on the show. Yesterday evening it had not been decided exactly what song she would sing.

Oprah, as the show is more commonly known, is the highest-rated talk show in American TV history, with new shows averaging 18.5 million viewers and even repeats drawing an average of 14.5 million viewers.

In 2005, Tom Cruise famously proposed to Katie Holmes on the show. While in 1993, the late Michael Jackson revealed he suffered from the skin-pigment disorder known as vitiligo on the show.

The appearance is just the latest milestone in the increasingly astonishing story of Miss Boyle, from Blackburn, East Lothian, who still shares her home with Pebbles her beloved cat.

Last April, she performed I Dreamed A Dream on Britain’s Got Talent and became an overnight international sensation.

Since then she has topped both the US and American album chart, securing the biggest-selling album in Britain last year and the biggest-selling debut in the US by a solo female. In total, she has sold more than six million copies of her debut album.

The trip comes just days after Miss Boyle launched her own on-line shop, selling clothes and handbags.

The most bizarre garment on offer is a red hoodie for £34.99.

There are also a series of T-shirts.

Some feature song titles made famous by Miss Boyle; others have pictures of her face while some feature Miss Boyle’s beloved friend Pebbles, who may well now be Britain’s most famous cat.

DaS and Peter Ho's sweet love, endorsing in Hang Zhou

1/09/2010 12:23:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 1 Comment



Genuine Idol DaS and sunny Hottie Peter Ho are a very well-matched onscreen couple, and even recently working together in Idol drama "Summer Desire" that got hotly talked about even before airing, their confusing onscreen and offscreen romance also is a hot topic among netizens. Now, DaS and Peter without any fear of arising rumors went together to Hang Zhou, staying at the same hotel, and DaS had been spotted at the Tai Zi wang park's Jia Li wedding photo studio taking pictures wearing a wedding dress, it seemed that the 2's love is starting to unveil....

Then, after verifications, reporters discovered that actually the 2 were invited to be Jia Li's 2010 endorsers, because their "happy couple" image is already engraved in many hearts due to dramas, thus making them the best endorsers for the pure faiytale love. Some crew blurted out that on the set, Peter was very gentlemanly, took great care of DaS, and she, like a shy girl just sat next to him, depending on him, the chemistry they shared was enviable.


This time, Jia Li, asking Das and Peter to be their andorsers, created 6 sets of attires exclusively designed for stars. To accomodate with this time's magnificent photoshop, Jia Li especially imported dresses from internationally renowed designers such as Mark Alpha Oerma, La Perla and Oleva to be used as the outfits used in the photoshops ; and inviting the HK famous photograph CK who photographed big stars such as Andy Lau and Zhou Xun and Jia Li Studio'schairman, Mr. Xiang Fang as the photographers. The make up artist hired is one used b y the biggest HK and TW stars. This will make this huge " Fairytale romance" serie of pictures the aim that every couple will try to reach in 2010 for their own wedding photo style.

Nexus One Enterprise Version Could Have a Physical Keyboard, Bigger Battery; Not Supporting Wifi 802.11n

1/09/2010 12:23:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

On stage with Walt Mossberg, Google Engineering VP mentioned that an enterprise version of the Nexus One could have a physical keyboard and longer battery life—and there could be more Google devices, including a budget model.


The original question was about the the broader program of "Google" phones, as opposed to "With Google" phones, and generalized crap with Android. The Nexus One is the first in a series, or "program" as Rubin calls it, which could include new devices. Unprompted, though, he brought up the possibility of a new enterprise phone that's like the Nexus One, but with a physical keyboard and larger battery; he quickly backed off, but not before Mossberg asked about the possibility of a smaller phone, to which Rubin granted a half-nod. And then they dropped it. Come on, Goatberg!

Anyway: release date, specs, price, concrete existence are all still unknown or uncertain, but the Nexus One doesn't sound like it'll be alone in the Google Store for long.

Google: Nexus One not supporting 802.11n (for the time being)



Contrary to what we saw two days ago (in this boffo teardown as well as on Google's official spec page) the company is now listing the Nexus One as supporting 802.11b/g and not 802.11n -- conforming at least to the specifications on HTC's official specifications, if not to our hopes and dreams. We'll let you know if anything changes -- again!

Christina Aguilera Requested Edgier Role In “Burlesque”

1/09/2010 12:22:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments



Christina Aguilera has come a long way since her days as as aspiring pop star on The Mickey Mouse Club. Now a married mother of one, X-Tina is gearing up for her upcoming big screen debut alongside legendary diva Cher in the motion picture musical Burlesque.

The singer was so determined to make a made splash in Hollywood that she asked screenwriters to give her character more of an edge.

”[It was] kind of like my first day at school,” she tells Marie Claire in its February issue. “I didn’t want to do something that was easy for me. I’ve actually had my character rewritten to be tougher and a little more spunky.”


Pictures Amanda Bynes Maxim February 2010 So Hot

1/09/2010 12:21:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments



It may be time to stop looking at Amanda Bynes as the cute little comedienne from Nickelodeon’s The Amanda Show – perhaps the image of the blonde stunner all grown up and slithering around the Feb. issue of Maxim in her bra and panties will help with the transition.

“I had the best time on this shoot,” the former What I Like About You star says in a new interview with the men’s mag. “I think every shot I did was sexy. Some people still see me as a kid, but I’m a 23-year-old woman now.”

“I want to show people who I am,” she adds. “My parents were like, “Does this mean you’re gonna do sexy movies now?” I said, “Well, if they’re done the right way, then maybe!’ I mean, I’m not gonna do porn, but if it’s a Leonardo DiCaprio movie or whatever…”




Will Eclipse Be Sexier Than New Moon?

1/09/2010 12:21:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , , 0 Comments

Taylor Lautner spent the last year all pumped and primped within an inch of his girlie gym-body tummy, but to what end? We went on a mission to discover if all that sweat will finally pay off in his next Twilight appearance alongside the gal he so doesn't deserve, Kristen Stewart.

We demanded to know just how love-tingling Eclipse, due this summer, may or may not be (we actually may be seeing it shortly).

Super plugged-in source Deep Twi responded:

"It's more about the fight scenes. They're awesome; it's what it's all about."

Like idiots, Taryn and I inquired about this grave matter with great hope, since Breaking Dawn, we're still assured, will be "very" sexy and "much more" emotionally romantic between stars Robert Pattinson and Stewart.

As to whether or not Lautner provides K.Stew with some more ab-perfect battling for her R.Pattz allegiance in Eclipse, we were told:

"No, it's even more action than New Moon, that's where the tension is between them all."

Damn those Mormons. They're always causing such problems. Stephenie Meyer, who's still watching the fantastically successful baby she created like a sexually repressed hawk, is constantly swooping in and asserting her wait-until-marriage sex thing. This has got to stop.

"She's still a creative consultant," another Twi insider relayed to us. "Everything goes by her."

Translation: No bumping uglies—or anything remotely close—transpires until Edward and Bella are properly united in Breaking Dawn. So not fair. Not to mention preposterously ridiculous. Could you imagine if Miley Cyrus had been cast as Bella instead of Kristen? Exactly.

Still, guess the good news is that B.D., in all it's church-sanctioned matrimonial nooky, will be a celluloid treat for all of us who just can't wait for Rob and Kris—I mean Edward and Bella—to finally get it on.

I mean, how much horny longing and moping can fans of romantic movies take?

It's torture, nothing less!

Audience baffled by Jay Chou’s movie The Treasure Hunter

1/09/2010 12:20:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

The Treasure Hunter (刺陵) starring Jay Chou and Chi-ling Lin was expected to be a box office success when it came out in last December. Now that a month have passed since its debut, the movie can probably be called a disappointment. The Treasure Hunter was first released in Mainland China, and won the box office battle against The Storm Warriors II when both premiered on the same day. Since then, the movie has struggled with poor ticket sales and negative reviews. It will be even harder to gain any ground as Avatar has finally hit theaters in the Mainland.


The Treasure Hunter was released in Hong Kong during the Christmas holidays, and it has accumulated slightly over 1 million HKD in box office earnings so far. Other new releases seemed to be fairing much better, as The Storm Warriors II and New Moon have each made over 15 million, Bodyguards and Assassins is somewhat below expectations at 14 million, and the blockbuster Avatar is about the go over the 90 million mark. It is not unusual for movies that have huge box office success elsewhere to do poorly in Hong Kong. However in The Treasure Hunter’s case, although it was never expected to be a smash hit, many thought it would have done much better considering its big-budget production and Jay Chou’s track record at the local box office.

Performance of The Treasure Hunter in Taiwan isn't much better than the Mainland or Hong Kong. Netizens on PTT are criticizing the movie for being illogical and ridiculous. They further expressed their viewing experience with comments like “Stepping on a land mine on New Year's eve” and “Don't say you've seen a bad movie if you haven't watched The Treasure Hunter yet!”

All is not lost as memorable lines from The Treasure Hunter have become hot topics on the Internet. In one particular scene, Chi-ling Lin enchanted the audience by saying “Scary!” twice with her signature child-like voice. The audience would try to mimic her voice and repeat the line while still watching the movie. Netizens also had a good laugh with Jay Chou’s line “Don't fall in love with me!” They were confused whether he was saying it as the character or as Jay Chou himself.

LG Rumor Touch hands-on

1/09/2010 12:20:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments



LG launched another Rumor set on Sprint yesterday: the LG Rumor Touch. As you all likely sussed from the name, this iteration brings touchscreen -- resistive -- to the mix and it also comes loaded with a pretty stellar keypad. The touchscreen is pretty sharp as well, both with the haptic feedback when using it, response to your finger's pokes, and the quality of the display itself. The feel of the set is a bit light, -- but it doesn't extend to cheap -- the slide is solid with nary a bit of rattle, and the fit where the device's various edges meet is good. A standout, while trivial, are the themes the Touch supports, whereby, depending on season, the UI changes to winter, turkeys for thanksgiving, and, well, you get the idea. While we covered off all the specs yesterday, we learned today the Touch Rumor should ship for mid-March, but still no word on pricing. So with that, why don't you drop below and have a peek at the gallery and watch the video walkthrough we put together with one of LG's finest.









Dell Mini 3i reportedly coming to the UK

1/09/2010 12:19:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Already available in China and Brazil, and recently announced for the US (via AT&T), the Dell Mini 3i might be released in Europe pretty soon, too – more exactly, in the UK.


ElectricPig quotes some Dell rep who said at CES that the Mini 3i “was built specifically with the UK in mind” – although this doesn’t sound too realistic, since the UK will only be the fourth country to get the smartphone.

Based on Google’s Android OS, the Dell Mini 3i is a sleek handset with features like a 3.5 inch, 640 x 360 pixels touchscreen display, GPS, Wi-Fi, 3MP autofocus camera, and MicroSD card support.

It’s not clear yet which British carrier will launch the Mini 3, but Dell is probably negotiating with all the major operators (O2, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile).

Angelina Jolie St. John Campaign Dropped

1/09/2010 12:19:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Angelina Jolie will be having a little less face time on magazines and billboards — the stunning actress has been dropped as the face of the St. John fashion house, Women’s Wear Daily said on Friday.


“[Jolie] overshadowed the brand,” according St. John’s chief executive officer Glenn McMahon, who says Angie’s celebrity status was too much for the label. “We wanted to make a clean break from
actresses and steer away from blondes and cleanse the palette.”

“We needed to show a modern point of view of St. John,” McMahon added. “We have evolved.”

Redhead Karen Elson has replaced Jolie as St. John’s Spring/Summer 2010 spokesmodel.

“Remember Me” Poster [Featuring Robert Pattinson]

1/09/2010 12:19:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments



The first promotional poster for Robert Pattinson’s upcoming romantic drama Remember Me was released by Summit Entertainment on Friday.

The British heartthrob stars opposite Emilie de Ravin in the film about two young lovers brought together by tragedy.

Remember Me opens in theaters March 12.

Ke$ha “The Simple Life” With Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie VIDEO [2005]

1/09/2010 12:18:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , 0 Comments

Ah — the wonders of YouTube. Before Ke$ha was storming the charts with her infectious hit single “Tik Tok,” the 22-year-old singer was getting her reality show close-up alongside socialites Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. The hitmaker and her family were featured on Paris and Nicole’s now-defunct reality hit, The Simple Life, in 2005.



“That was my mom idea. She just decided to call [the show's producers] because she’s attracted to interesting, different experiences,” Ke$ha tells PopEater. “They chose us because we’re the most eccentric family in all of Nashville.”

Liam Hemsworth Reportedly Moves in with Miley Cyrus

1/09/2010 12:18:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Earlier this week, Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus were spotted strolling down the street.

But a new report says these two are sharing more than a walk these days: they are sharing a roof!

According to The National Enquirer, Miley threatened to move out of her family's Toluca Lake, California home unless her parents allowed her new Australian boyfriend to shack up with them.

"In the end, Billy Ray and Miley's mom, Tish, decided they'd rather have Miley under their roof with Liam than not knowing where she is at night," a family friend told the tabloid, adding that the parents at least insisted on separate bedrooms for the couple.

This actually isn't the first time the Cyrus family has made such an arrangement. In November 2008, Miley's man (and we do mean man!), Justin Gaston, moved in with his young gal pal and her parents.

"Billy Ray believes it's better to keep Miley on a short leash and to monitor her, rather than alienating her and risking a rebellion," the source said. "Whatever happens in her relationship with Liam, her parents want Miley with them for as long as possible."

That may not be for very much longer. Miley is leaving Hannah Montana this year and has made it clear she wants to be treated like an adult.

Her parents should enjoy her company while they can... and cover their ears with a pillow at night.

Roger Kwok Has Confidence in the Ratings for "The Season of Fate"

1/09/2010 12:17:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

TVB's new series "The Season of Fate" held a promotional event yesterday. At the event (male lead) Roger Kwok indicated that he has not done a series with Esther Kwan (female lead) in many years, plus all the talented, established actors/actresses in the series, no doubt that the acting will be superb. Roger laughs and states: "this series was given the opportunity to air right before Chinese New Year, which means that people will be at home watching TV...therefore, I have a lot of confidence in the ratings (being good)."

When asked about her good friend Francis Ng's alleged assault case, Esther Kwan states: "Actually, both parties are strangers (to each other) and only happened to be in the same bakery at the same time...it's an unfortunate random incident, if it gets taken to court, both parties will lose out.Wouldn't it be better then for the 2 parties to just come together and calmly talk about it?"

When asked if her daughter Brittany knows that her dad Nick Cheung has been winning awards (Movie King awards for "Beast Stalker"), Esther laughs and says: "yes, she knows. Whenever she sees the award statue in the house, she asks to play with it. Now every time Nick isn't home, she will ask: 'Is Daddy out getting another award?'"

MSI shows off 10-inch Android tablet running new Tegra chipset

1/09/2010 12:17:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments



Tablet-ed out yet? We didn't think so. MSI has a 10-inch Android tablet on display at CES here. There aren't many details (like price, release date and internals), but we do know it's running one of those new Tegra 2 chips. Up front there's a pretty nice 10-inch capacitive display, which is plenty responsive. Like other tablets we've been seeing, the device is a bit thicker and heavier than we'd like, but hopefully that paves the way for some substantial battery life. We might still not know the "why," but the "how" is certainly coming together.

Quanta Tegra 2 prototype hands-on

1/09/2010 12:16:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments



Quanta, the company that produces plenty of the hardware you know, love and fantasize about today, is showing off a new tablet prototype at NVIDIA's booth. The reason for its location is the Tegra 2 chip inside (you can see it in the nude over here), which can comfortably drive 1080p out via a HDMI cable and into your nearest HD display, while offering brain-melting battery life. Listening to music with the screen turned off can be done for 140 hours straight, and HD video playback can go on for up to ten hours -- both figures that make current battery efficiency look kinda silly. With WiFi, 3G, and Android for an OS, this prototype could be quite a nice little device, but right now there are more things wrong than right about it. The display is shockingly unprotected from the back, and we saw ripples appearing on the screen from our fingers supporting the machine. Furthermore, the touchscreen missed plenty of our taps, leaving us with a sour taste from what looked like a tasty little morsel.






Viliv P3 is like the Zii Egg of devices that don't run Plaszma OS (hands-on)

1/09/2010 12:16:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments



When we approached the just-introduced Viliv P3, we were cautiously optimistic that we were looking at a phone. Needless to say, our hopes would go on to be mercilessly dashed, but in the wake of the carnage, we were still left with an intriguing PMP with a big AMOLED display and an 800MHz Cortex A8 processor. You could argue that the most compelling feature, though, is that it clocks in at just 9.8mm thick -- a full 1.7mm thinner than the Nexus One while still managing 800 x 480 resolution. It felt a little creaky, but we were assured that the unit on hand was an early prototype -- and honestly, we'd even be willing to take a little creakiness on a production model if you get this kind of thickness (or lack thereof) in return. It's also got 720p TV-out, storage up to 32GB, optional T-DMB and DAB tuners, an exposed microSD slot on the bottom, and -- check this out -- Windows CE dual-boot capability, although the unit here only had Android installed. Stuff an HSPA radio in there and call it good, guys. Follow the break for a quick video of the P3 in action.





Britney Spears Splits From Boyfriend?

1/09/2010 12:27:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

BRITNEY Spears has reportedly split from her boyfriend.

The Toxic singer is said to be “distraught” after learning Jason Trawick had been flirting with two women at Los Angeles’ bar Roger Room and is now refusing to take his calls.

Ella Davis, a reveler at the bar, told Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper, “Jason left the bar with two bottles of water – and a stunning blonde who looked like Britney.

“He had his arms around her and they looked very much like they were together for the night.”

Friends of Jason — who has proposed to Britney a number of times — have defended him, insisting his behavior is out of character.

“Jason’s a great guy and super loyal,” a source said. “This behaviour is really out of character. But Los Angeles is a small town and word soon got back to Britney he’d had a wild one.

“When she heard he’d been caught cosying up two girls in The Roger Room, it was the last straw. Jason’s really not like this and quickly tried to calm Britney down and rectify the situation. He explained the girls were just friends and there was nothing in it but they still had a massive row.

“Everyone is assuming it’s over — for the time being anyway.”

After the argument Britney called her mother who has flown in from Louisiana to comfort her.

Britney — who has two sons with ex-husband Kevin Federline — and agent Jason started dating last March. They split briefly in August, but soon reconciled.

Victoria Beckham Takes the American Idol Hot Seat

1/09/2010 12:27:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Victoria Beckham will join the American Idol judges’ panel when the show takes the talent search to Boston for its season premiere, airing Tuesday (8 p.m. EST) on FOX. The former Spice Girl will return for the Denver auditions, airing Feb. 2.

“It was very exciting to be asked to do Idol,” Beckham says. “[My husband] David and the boys are all big fans of the show. It was a real privilege to be a part of something so huge!”

As for working with Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi, Beckham says, “Everybody was very nice. I’ve known Simon for many years. Kara and Randy were very sweet. I have a lot of respect for them all as individuals and together they are a great team. I enjoyed working with and getting to know Kara — she’s a real girl’s girl, like me. We went for dinner and she seems like a genuinely nice, down-to earth-girl. I felt each of the four of us brought a different role to the auditions and we complemented each other.”

For her own judging style, Beckham says, “I believe in constructive criticism and I am a very positive person, so I always tried to find something good and helpful to focus on, be it someone’s singing, their looks or their overall style. Having been a performer, I know how difficult it is to be that person standing there being judged. I didn’t want to trample on people’s dreams.”

Specifically, Beckham says, aside from strong pipes, “I wanted an overall look. For me, image is important as that helps sell records. I wouldn’t judge someone just on their looks alone, or what they were wearing; it takes the whole package of vocal, personality and a personal style.”

She was even touched by some of the performances she witnessed. “There was one girl in Denver,” Beckham says. “She brought her niece along to her audition as the family didn’t have childcare. She was beautiful, well-dressed and she could really, really sing. She had a real aura and star quality.”

But for every great singer, “there were plenty of break-out laughing moments,” Beckham admits. “You can’t help but laugh. It’s a joyous, natural reaction. And whilst you don’t want to appear rude or upset anybody, people and their comedy moments are just as important as the really talented singers are, because they make great TV!”

So does sparring verbally with Simon. “Yes, I can give as good as I get,” Beckham says. “I have a dry sense of humor which worked very well alongside his acerbic wit and I really enjoyed working with Simon. I enjoyed the banter we created and the fact that we could laugh together — most of the time!”

Microsoft's Ballmer touts Windows 7's big holiday

1/09/2010 12:27:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

Windows 7 desktop sales 'through the roof,' says NPD Group

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer bragged up Windows 7 success last night in his keynote speech at CES.

And he wasn't lying, said Stephen Baker, an analyst with the NPD Group, which provided Microsoft with some of the numbers that Ballmer used to trumpet Windows 7's first two months on the market.

"Oh, yeah, the numbers were right," said Baker from Las Vegas today. "From all angles, from unit sales, from dollars, it was a great holiday season for Windows 7."

Ballmer cited NPD data several times during his CES keynote. "U.S. retail data shows that Windows PC sales jumped almost 50% the week it launched," said Ballmer just minutes into his presentation. "On Black Friday, [NPD] reported that retailers sold 33% more Windows PCs than the year before. And for the 2009 holiday season a 50% increase in Windows PC sales from last year. Last year was a tough year, but these are still phenomenal numbers."

Last night, Ballmer also announced that Windows 7 was "by far the fastest selling operating system in history."

"He must have gotten that from someone else," Baker said, noting that NPD had no data to confirm or deny Ballmer's claim.

But Windows 7 did have a great opening two months, Baker agreed. "PC sales were pretty dramatic," he said, "and it's definitely a Windows 7 thing."

What took Baker by surprise was the big bump in sales of desktop PCs, a category once thought at death's door. "To some extent, desktop sales have been through the roof in the holiday season," he said. "For a while there, desktop sales were slow, we were seeing negative growth, and they were doing bad, really bad. But during the holidays we've seen nothing but positive numbers. It's not been huge -- desktops aren't going to outsell notebooks any time soon -- but even so, it was a big surprise."

Baker was hard pressed to explain the uptick in sales of Windows 7 desktops, although he had a theory. "While a lot of people may be upgrading their Vista laptops [with a retail upgrade copy of Windows 7], generally consumers' desktops are a lot older than their notebooks," Baker said. "Those older desktops are probably running Windows XP."

In other words, consumers may be deciding to buy a new PC with Windows 7 already installed rather than go through the hassle of trying to upgrade the older hardware to the new operating system. Or they may believe it's simply time to retire the XP workhorse.

"The desktop is usually the central controlling computer in the house," Baker argued. "And Windows 7 gives consumers a better experience for that."

Last month, Baker said a similar upgrade scenario had played out on the Mac when Apple's desktop sales climbed 71% in October and November over the same months of 2008.

"Windows 7 is a hit," said Baker, comparing its opening months to Vista's much smaller impact on PC sales three years ago. "As a product, it's great. But Microsoft is also doing a great job on the marketing end as well," Baker added. For an example, he pointed to a special that Best Buy ran yet again in its circular last Sunday that offered three Hewlett-Packard computers -- a netbook, a notebook and a desktop -- for $1,199. All three PCs are equipped with Windows 7.

"They keep running that special," Baker said.

In Baker's eyes, Microsoft biggest mistake with Windows 7 was to yank the popular Family Pack, a multi-license bundle that customers could use to upgrade up to three PCs from Windows XP or Vista, to Windows 7.

Microsoft pulled the Family Pack in early December, about a month after it first offered the $119.99 package.

"That was a mistake," said Baker. "What [Microsoft] doesn't seem to get is that the nature of what people own is a lot different now. There are multiple PCs in the house, and all of them could use the upgrade."

What makes Microsoft's move all the harder to accept, said Baker, is that the company's most popular edition of Office is Home and Student, which lets users install the suite on as many as three PCs in the same household.

"Microsoft needs to be more aggressive on price to drive adoption of Windows 7," Baker said.

Michael Jackson Dreamed of Lady Gaga Collaboration

1/09/2010 12:26:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Michael Jackson loved collaborating with other artists. But there is one rumored hermaphrodite he never had a chance to work with but wanted to: Lady Gaga.

Jackson wanted to invite the "Paparazzi" singer to join him on stage during his This Is It tour, his former choreographer Travis Payne told said yesterday.

Payne suggested Janet, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Mariah Carey, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Celine Dion, Sting, Seal, Bono, and Tina Turner join the tour.

MJ was pleased with the list, but when Payne asked if there was anyone else he wanted to work with, Jackson named one of 2009's breakthrough artists.

"[Michael] literally told me, 'You got to get into her,'" Payne said. "'She's good.'"

Jackson's admiration for Lady Gaga got Payne interested. "I started listening to her music more and looking at her performances, and I was like, 'You're right.'"

Ironically, in November, Payne received a call from Lady Gaga. He initially thought getting the call was strange, but thought of his conversation with Jackson.

"I told her the story," Payne said. "Of course she was moved by it."

Payne ended up directing and choreographing Lady Gaga at the American Music Awards, as well as her sets on Ellen, The Jay Leno Show, and X-Factor.

Jackson and Lady G both made the top five in 2009 album sales.

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