Bowersox closes ‘Idol’ on emotional high

Singer offers inspirational tune that leaves her in tears, Randy on his feet

If you’re one of the people running “American Idol,” there are two benefits for having Crystal Bowersox sing last on the Tuesday episodes. The first is that it closes the show on a high note, and the second is that it guarantees that there won’t be any extended interactions between her and Ryan Seacrest, because the show inevitably runs long and there’s no time for awkward dialogue.

That was a good thing this week. Bowersox closed the show with what Simon Cowell would call “a moment,” going onstage without her customary guitar for “People Get Ready” and setting the bar so high that she’s on a different level from the rest of the seven finalists.

What’s more, Bowersox broke down at the finish after catching sight of her dad in the audience, meaning there was no way we’d get the chance to see if there was any bitterness in the wake of that “betrayed by Seacrest” text message. She was too busy trying to steal the host’s handkerchief to lay the smackdown.

“Mama Sox — you know why they call you that? Because you schooled all the other contestants,” Kara DioGuardi said. Actually, I’m pretty sure they call her that because she’s a mother and “Sox” is a shortened form of her last name, but whatever.

Son of Michael Douglas Sentenced to Five Years on Drug Charges

Cameron Douglas, the 31-year-old son of the actor Michael Douglas, was sentenced to five years in prison on drug-related charges in Federal District Court in Manhattan on Tuesday.


In January, Mr. Douglas, a D.J. and an aspiring actor, pleaded guilty to charges that he distributed large quantities of methamphetamines and cocaine over a three-year period. He also pleaded guilty to possession of heroin, a charge that was brought while he was on house arrest and awaiting trial.

Judge Richard M. Berman also sentenced Mr. Douglas to five years of supervised release; the judge said that he was not obligated to follow federal sentencing guidelines, which normally would call for a 10-year sentence for such charges. Federal prosecutors did not challenge the sentence.

Lady Gaga shows off doily-inspired outfit at HIV concert in Tokyo

Just when you thought Lady Gaga had run out of ideas, up she pops again dressed in yet another strange ensemble.


And this time it appeared as though she had taken inspiration from an old lady's dresser when she appeared in stage in Tokyo last night in an outfit that looked like it was made out of doilies.

Not one to ever dress normally, the singer was clad head-to-toe in lace which appeared to be bandaged around her.

Apple Reported $3.07 Billion Profit in Second Quarter 2010

Apple has just reported financial results for the January-March 2010 quarter, and the triumphant march of iPhone seems to continue unabated.

Apple has sold 8.75 million iPhones in the last 3 months – 2.3 times more then the same quarter a year ago, or 131% YoY growth rate. Which is actually higher then the growth rate Apple had last year, from a much smaller base then, as well. And, at about $600 a pop, this translates into a hefty $5.75 billion revenue from iPhone sales.

We’ll have to wait until Nokia, RIM, Samsung, HTC, Motorola and others report their numbers, to see how that translates into the market share gains in a hotly contested smartphone category. Still, with a unit number growth like that, there bound to be at least some gains here, no matter what.

But there were some interesting things mentioned during the conference call.

Apple execs told us about some pretty cool sales growth numbers overseas – Asia/Pacific – 484%, Europe – 183%. And then, talking about their performance relative to the overall smartphone market share – said that iPhone outgrew the market 3 times, with the numbers “better outside the U.S., then inside“. They also mentioned great results from U.K. and Ireland, where they went from exclusive to multi-carrier sales.

Which, IMHO, indicates that iPhone growth in it’s most mature market – U.S. – is tapering off, with most of the new growth coming from new markets, and old markets, where Apple added new carrier partners to promote the handset.

Microsoft unveils more details on Kin One and Kin Two’s specs

Microsoft Germany has recently unveiled more details on the specs of Kin One and Kin Two, the new handsets that Microsoft announced last week for Verizon and Vodafone.


As you probably already know, both the Kin One and the Kin Two are touchscreen handsets with full QWERTY keyboards, and they’re targeted at social networking users.

The Kin One features a 2.6 inch QVGA capacitive display, Wi-Fi b/g, GPS, accelerometer, FM radio, Bluetooth 2.1, USB 2.0, 256MB RAM, 4GB of internal memory, a 1240 mAh battery, and a 5MP autofocus camera with anti-shake and dual LED flash.

Apple's iPhone 4G (HD), Dissected

Gizmodo took apart the next iPhone.


There are a number of interesting facts gained from the dissection, the most important of which is more concrete confirmation (as if we needed any more) that this phone is from Apple. There are three separate places, inside the case, where APPLE is written prominently.

Upon unscrewing the bottom two screws—just like with the 3GS—you can use a suction cup and pry off the back portion of the phone, not the front like on iFixit's 3GS teardown. Once open, you'll notice that the battery takes up around 50% of the phone, give or take. Very impressive.

Nicholas Tse, Aaron Kwok & Korean star Rain to be in first HK 3D action movie

3D movie "Avatar" earned HK$170 million in Hong Kong, making it the best movie at the HK box office. 3D movies have become the new trend today, the first Hong Kong 3D horror movie "Child Eye 童眼" is currently in production . Recently the decision has been made to invest HK$200 million to shoot for an ancient action 3D IMAX movie "Martial Arts - 武林" (Tentative Title) directed by the Pang Brothers. Since the movie is on a huge budget, of course the stars for the movie must have class too. The film production company has intentions in asking Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korean stars to be in this movie. The new "Best Supporting Actor" Nichalos Tse, Aaron Kwok, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Korean star Rain and Jay Chou are the current candidates. At the press conference yesterday, the boss of the film production company (Lam Siu Ming) admitted to the there are plans. He expressed: "This movie is focused on the theme of heroes, talking about the male lead going out to save people. We hope to find an actor that has enough class for the male lead."

3D movies requires high-tech computer graphics. Mr. Lam expressed that he met up with the "Lord of the Rings" and "Avatar" special effects specialist Richard Taylor in Hong Kong. Asked if he'll ask Richard to help do the special affects for "Martial Arts"? He expressed: "Under consideration, but I hope that there will be a good 3D special effects person in Hong Kong. 3D is the current trend, hopefully Hong Kong can take advantage of the 3D special effects. "

JYP & 2AM spice up America with JYP Tour 2010!

We reported earlier that 2AM will not be opening for Wonder Girls’ World Tour, but there is still plenty to be excited about! In just a few weeks, the ballad quartet will be making their U.S. performance debut at the 2010 JYP Tour!


A concert representative revealed to us,

JYP is back for yet another live tour in the US! BUT THIS TIME, ALONG WITH…. Asian Artist 2AM!!!! Powerhouse, together with MNET Media and JYP Entertainment, is proud to present the 2010 JYP Tour with Asian Artist 2AM, which will take place in New York and Los Angeles this May. The tour will be an extension of JYP’s Bad Party concert series from Korea. It will be the third JYP Tour put together for his US fans, but this year’s tour is sure to provide the audience an unforgettable experience with new and fresh performances. It will be Asian Artist 2AM’s first appearance on stage in the US, so you won’t want to miss being a part of this incomparable experience!

Sarah Jessica Parker looks skinnier than ever as she becomes 'obsessed' with the gym

Balancing work with caring for her ten-month-old twins and seven-year-old son, it's no surprise the strain is starting to show on Sarah Jessica Parker.


Stepping out in New York last week, it appeared the actress was looking skinnier than ever amid reports she has lost a stone and dropped two dress sizes in recent months.

The 45-year-old's usually toned arms were replaced by sinewy arms and bulging veins as she walked her son James Wilkie to school.

Adam Lambert: No Plans for More Male Makeouts

More makeout sessions with his male band members is not—we repeat, not—on Adam Lambert's agenda when he launches his upcoming nationwide Glam Nation tour.


"That is not the plan," Lambert told me at the GLAAD Media Awards. "I don't want that to become some sort of schtick. If I keep doing it, everyone is going to expect it all the time. I don't work like that. I like the element of surprise."

Another thing not happening? Rent!

Microsoft Zune HD2 Seen at Microsoft Experience?; Zune HD plays Doom

At least we can say that this isn’t the first time the Zune HD2 has been rumored about. Because, let’s face it, if you’ve got something as thin as this, you’ll need some kind of other story to support it. Luckily, we’ve got that in this situation. According to a report over at Zunited, apparently a director and blogger got a chance to see the new Zune HD, along with a few pieces of other Microsoft tech.


The person in question, James Gunn, got the chance to attend Microsoft’s “The Microsoft Experience,” and while he was there, he got to peek the latest and greatest in Microsoft toys. The most notable is what he called “the new Zune.” Now, there was a new Zune HD that just got released, you know — the 64GB model. And, that could very well be what Gunn witnessed, especially considering he doesn’t give any further details. But, we’d wager that Microsoft said something along the lines of “new,” and perhaps Gunn is of the mind to know what exactly is new on the market.

Apple's iPhone sets sales record, up 131%


Aaaand the iPhone continues to print money. Fresh out of their earnings report, Apple has just announced that they managed to push roughly 8.75 million iPhones out the door in the second fiscal quarter of 2010 (January to March). In fewer words, it was the iPhone’s best quarter ever.

Combined with the 42.4 million they’d sold at the end of the last quarter, this brings the grand total up to right around 51.15 million. This bumps things up slightly beyond the 50 million number that Jobs revealed at the iPhone OS 4 announcement just weeks ago.

Yahoo earnings up on search deal, cost cuts

Yahoo earnings soared during its first quarter on the back of an advertising revival, cost cuts, and the realization of its search deal with Microsoft.

Revenue in the first quarter was $1.6 billion, up just 1 percent from the first quarter of last year. Excluding traffic acquisition costs, net revenue was $1.13 billion, or roughly flat with analyst expectations of $1.17 billion. Revenue from display advertising on Yahoo's site grew 20 percent compared to the prior year.

Net income was $310 million during the quarter, but that included several unexpected benefits, such as the sale of Zimbra and the beginning of reimbursement payments from Microsoft under the terms of the search deal finalized in February. Excluding those items, Yahoo's earnings per share during the quarter were still 15 cents, ahead of estimates of 11 cents.

"Large advertisers came back," said CEO Carol Bartz on an conference call following Yahoo's announcement. "That means their purse strings are starting to loosen up, and as the economy does better they are re-emerging to position their brands online."

Hamasaki Ayumi to release new album in Korea tomorrow

Japanese pop singer Hamasaki Ayumi will be releasing her latest album "Rock 'n' Roll Circus" in Korea tomorrow, agency SM Entertainment said in a press release on Tuesday.


"Circus", the eleventh studio release by the 31-year-old singer, will be available in two different formats; a CD-only version and CD+DVD version.

The record, which came out in Japan last Wednesday, ranked at No. 1 on Oricon's daily and weekly album chart on the day of its release.

“Teddy Riley, Snoop, T-Pain Link With Korean Superstar Jay Park”

Hip-Hop/R&B producer Teddy Riley has teamed up with Korean superstar singer/rapper Jay Park to produce his new untitled album.

Park shot to fame in South Korea as a member of the chart-topping group 2PM. The American-born B-Boy split with the group amidst controversy in 2009, after making controversial statements about Korea on his MySpace page. He eventually left the group, but resurfaced in Seattle as part of the Art of Movement B-Boy Crew and through a variety of covers on YouTube.com.

Park’s cover of B.O.B.’s “Nothing On You” has received a staggering 4 million views alone, since being released in March. Since linking with Teddy Riley, Park has completed tracks with Snoop Dogg, Daz, T-Pain, Krayzie Bone and others.

Christina Aguilera: I'm "More Sexual" as a Mom

Christina Aguilera says she's become sexier since welcoming son Max in January 2008.

"I'm more confident and comfortable in my own skin. I think I'm even a more sexual Christina," the singer, who wed husband Jordan Bratman four years ago, told the Q100 Bert Show in Atlanta Tuesday morning.

"That's part of the change of having a child for me -- seeing your body do these things you never thought possible," adds Aguilera, who will release her album, Bionic, on June 8 and kick off a world tour to promote it. “When you have a baby, you go through a period where your body is not your own. It becomes for your child and that's it. Once you bounce back from that and kind of get your body back... I feel better than ever. It's a great feeling."

Aguilera, 29, says she's a "very sexual person" and she didn't want to lose that after becoming a mother. Indeed, she and Bratman still have "Naked Sundays."

Harold and Kumar' Star Kal Penn Robbed at Gunpoint

Actor Kal Penn was robbed at gunpoint on Tuesday while walking in Washington, D.C., TMZ reports. Penn, who is best known for his role in 'Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle,' was walking at around 1:20AM when a man with a gun approached him.

Penn told police that the man took his wallet and other personal property. Penn was unharmed, and police have launched a full investigation.

Penn, whose real name is Kalpen Suresh Modi, has been working in D.C. as an associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement. His focus was on connecting President Barack Obama with the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Penn was also an advocate for Obama's presidential campaign.

Adobe Dropping iPhone App Development Technology After CS5

Thanks to a change in Apple's iPhone Developer Program License Agreement, Adobe has decided to abandon the iPhone app building technology included in Flash CS5.

Adobe says it's not planning on "any additional investments in that feature" after CS5 because of section 3.3.1 of Apple's iPhone Developer Program License Agreement:

Applications may only use Documented APIs in the manner prescribed by Apple and must not use or call any private APIs. Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).

iPhone OS 4.0 beta 2 up for grabs


That's right: a little under two weeks since the launch event and the release of the first beta, Apple has pushed out beta 2 of its next-gen iPhone OS 4.0. Considering that our units have seemingly gotten buggier over time the longer they've had beta 1 loaded, we've got high hopes for this one -- hopes that stand a very real chance of being crushed, of course, as long as this isn't a gold build. Guess we're still months off from that, huh? Stay tuned for a report of anything that's changed, new, awesome, or lame.

Lee Hyori for May issue of Vogue


Known for its provocative and unique photoshoots, fashion magazine Vogue, features diva Lee Hyori for a photoshoot in its May 2010 issue.

Find more photos under the cut.

Adding more concert shows; Xiao Zhu's 'Dancing Diva' not feminine enough

The launch of "Xiao Zhu" Show Luo's latest world tour has been very well-received with many ticket offices informing him about the good results. He has put all his effort into practising his singing and dancing, even taking up the challenge of Jolin Tsai's ribbon dance but Xiao Zhu is most worried about his arms and legs being too slow which would cause everyone to see through his 1 second costume-change magic trick.

On April 30, Xiao Zhu will start his "Wu Fa Wu Tian" world tour in Hong Kong. After announcing additional shows, all three have been sold out. He has added an extra show on May 15 at the Taipei Arena and only a few hundred tickets remain from the total of three shows. The Singapore show at the end of May was already sold out long ago. It is estimated that 80,000 people will go to see Xiao Zhu perform at these 7 shows so he is hurriedly exhibiting all his true talents.

Vanessa Hudgens “Spider-Woman?”

Get ready for Vanessa Hudgens, Spider-Woman.

The actress who rose to Tween stardom playing Gabriella Montez in Disney’s hit High School Musical movies is in discussions to step away from the world of movie musicals and teen-themed comedies and make her action debut in the proposed Marvel superhero blockbuster Spider-Woman.

“The idea is for this to be a fun, comedic movie and Vanessa is perfect for the title role,” a industry insider dished this week. “Spider-Woman is strong and sexy but in this case hilarious. Vanessa is apparently very interested in the idea.”

Eh — Can’t really see Baby V as an action star, but we’ll see what transpires. Ironically, earlier this year, Vanessa’ longtime boyfriend — Hollywood hottie Zac Efron — was allegedly among the young actors in the running to replace Tobey Maquire as the star of Paramount’s Spider-Man franchise.

Miley Cyrus Bought $3.4m Dream Home!

MILEY Cyrus has her foot on the property ladder!

The Hannah Montana star, 17, has just picked up the keys to her $3.4 million dream home — which is located just a few doors away from her parents’ house.

Miley’s Spanish style Hacienda home — which was purchased a year ago and has undergone extensive renovations — is 4,045 sq feet in size and has four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms plus a tennis court and pool.

There is a formal dining room with French doors that open to the yard, a wood-paneled study, and a state-of-the-art kitchen with a center island, granite counter tops, several sky lights, and a menu planning area.

Miley also installed a new recording studio in the property which has a detached guest house with two bedrooms, a living room and wet bar.

Why Didn't Anybody Ask Apple About the Lost iPhone?

Apple's quarterly earnings reports provide a rare opportunity for financial analysts to publicly pose questions to Apple executives. Today, no one granted an audience asked about Apple's lost iPhone.


Analysts aren't really expected to ask the kinds of questions journalists do. They're concerned about things like revenues and profits and margins. You know, money. But it's curious, to say the least, that not a single analyst participating in Apple's earnings call today asked about the lost iPhone. Not even in the cautious, veiled phrasing analysts tend to speak in when conversing with the upper echelon of Apple executives.

Microsoft to fix IE8 cross-site scripting problem, again

Microsoft will plug a hole in a built-in filter in Internet Explorer 8 that can be used to launch the very types of attacks on Web sites it was designed to help prevent, the company said on Tuesday.

The company will update the IE cross-site scripting (XSS) filter in June to fix a hole that researchers warned about at the Black Hat Europe conference in Barcelona last week. The researchers showed how problems with the filter could be used to inject malicious code onto sites including Google, Microsoft's Bing search site, and Twitter.

"A June release is what's usual for the testing involved for updates," a Microsoft spokesperson said.

This will be Microsoft's third attempt to fix security issues with the XSS Filter in IE8.

"The XSS Filter related Blackhat EU presentation discussed a vulnerability that was previously disclosed and addressed in the January security update to Internet Explorer (MS10-002)," David Ross wrote on the Microsoft Security Response Center blog.

VanNess Wu: 'It's me and you against the world, baby'

SINGAPORE is closer to American-born Taiwanese idol Van Ness Wu's heart than you think.

The 32-year-old actor-singer's new love is Arissa Cheo, 27, who's believed to be a Singaporean.

News of their relationship broke early this month after the Hong Kong media caught the couple on a shopping trip in Hong Kong.

According to reports, Wu gently swept Miss Cheo's hair from her forehead while they were on an escalator.

Romance hit by bad press

They were also seen laughing and chatting throughout the outing.

Wu, who shot to mega fame in 2001 with the hit Taiwanese idol drama Meteor Garden and as part of the Taiwanese boy band F4, was also seen waiting patiently while Miss Cheo did her shopping.

In a statement relayed to the media by his manager, Wu freely admitted to the one-month-old relationship, according to Chinese news portal Sina.com.

He said: 'Since we have been photographed, it's best to admit it. She is indeed my new girlfriend. We have just started seeing each other.'

Wu added that Miss Cheo is not from the entertainment industry. So being hounded by the media made her uncomfortable.

Filial Jay Chou to invite Grandmother on stage

Jay Chou will be starting his concert tour in June in Taiwan. Tickets for the two shows were nearly sold out in just one day. The organizers are currently discussing the possibility of adding another show. It has also been reported that for the Shanghai and Beijing performances, Jay intends to have his maternal grandmother go on stage as a special guest.

According to Mainland reports, the fairly filial Jay Chou not only named one of his albums after his mother, he also had his maternal grandmother, who is an expert at international standard ballroom dancing, participate in one of his directed MVs. He says that everyday his grandmother is very generous in all aspects. With her straightforward looks, and kind and gentle face, she will be welcomed by fans. Furthermore, his grandmother can practically sing every one of his songs. That's why he invited her to be the special guest. However, his grandmother is fairly old, so the possibility and the method of her going on stage must be discussed with the staff.

Arkham Asylum 2 "really dark", will feature Two-Face, Freeze, Talia

Voice actor Kevin Conroy (aka "Classic Batman") was happy to discuss the dark knight at this week's Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo, touching on the recent film and also the upcoming Arkham Asylum 2.


Since we haven't really hard anything since the teaser trailer, it's exciting to learn the game will be "really, really dark." The first game wasn't exactly rainbows and sunshine, but for those that wanted more, this should be right up your alley. Conroy says it will be reminiscient of Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker, known for its really dark darkness.

"It involves a lot of the villains and it goes to that area - it's that dark," he stated.

Did we mention it's dark?

BlackBerry 9670 flip spotted running OS 6.0, causes eyes to bleed, children to cry

According to BGR, we're apparently looking at the first shots of a phone numbered 9670 in RIM's BlackBerry parlance, a true QWERTY flip running BlackBerry OS 6.0 on a 480 x 360 display with WiFi, a 5 megapixel camera, optical pad (as is the case with every new BlackBerry these days), microSD expansion, and a huge external display that's eerily reminiscent of Moto's RAZR 2. The device is said to be running CDMA, which almost certainly means it's being shopped around to Sprint and Verizon exclusively among major carriers -- the only other big potential takers would be Bell and Telus, and they're in the midst of migrating to HSPA -- so we'll just sit back, relax, and see if this thing materializes at WES next week. Granted, we've got to see it in person and gaze at a few non-blurrycam shots before passing final judgment, but we're admittedly a little worried about the merciless beating the ugly stick may have delivered up in Waterloo this time around.

If you develop for iPhone, Google may be calling you soon

I heard that Google was reaching out to iPhone App developers not too long ago, and now it appears that the company is at it again. After all, who could blame them? The App Store is a huge success and while Android is catching on, it still doesn’t have the same penetration as the iPhone OS.


This latest round involves the developer of the Texts From Last Night app for the iPhone. According to David Pogue, the developer received an e-mail from Google’s Android Advocacy Group asking if he would be interested in porting his app to Android. The rep from Google then offered to ship a free Nexus One for him to play around with.

Lenovo talks up LePhone, shows off app store ahead of May launch


Lenovo's Android-based LePhone (not LePhono, sadly) may not be officially launching in China until next month, but the company did just hold a launch event of sorts in the country, in which it revealed a few new details and did a fair bit of boasting. According to The Wall Street Journal, Lenovo says that it's aiming to sell "millions" of the phones in the next five years, and "tens of millions" after that -- although not just involving this particular phone, obviously. Lenovo COO Rory Read also reportedly further added that the company is ready for a "tough fight" against Apple's iPhone, and that Lenovo will have a "better brand position" that RIM, which hasn't yet gained a significant foothold in China. That's certainly plenty ambitious for a company new to the cellphone space, and should no doubt only further fuel those rumors of a certain acquisition. In other le news, Lenovo also apparently further demonstrated the tweaked version of Android that the handset will use (first seen at CES), and it has shown off its own app store for the first time, which can already be browsed at the site linked below.

Did you put that dress on back to front, Amanda Seyfried?

At first glance, it looked like Amanda Seyfried had accidentally committed a rather regrettable fashion blunder.


But as the actress sashayed down a Hollywood red carpet in a dress featured a forward-facing zip, it became clear that her back-to-front look was a very deliberate style statement.

The 24-year-old looked rather pleased with her choice of confection as she posed for photographers at the premiere of Mother and Child at Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre.

The unusual number featured purple satin trimmed with the exposed seam on one side and a photo-print design on the other.

Scarlett Johansson Finds Comfort in Marriage – and Cooking

She's long been considered one of Hollywood's bombshells, but at home, Scarlett Johansson relishes being a domestic goddess.

"He loves to eat," the May cover girl tells InStyle of playing wife and cooking for husband Ryan Reynolds.

"I like cooking alone – I find it very therapeutic," she says. "I put on some music, maybe have a glass of wine, and make something like a turkey Bolognese or a nice frittata."

Though the 25-year-old continues to remain tight-lipped when discussing Reynolds, Johansson does open up about the changes in her life after 18 months of marriage.

"I mean, you're married and suddenly you have your own family," she says. "There's a nice comfort in that. That part of your life is certain, in a way. You've got your home in that other person."

Johansson's Iron Man 2 costar, Robert Downey Jr., couldn't agree more.

"I'm crazy about Ryan. I think they're a great couple, a really natural fit for each other," he says. "They've really come into themselves since they've been fully together."

iPad Wi-Fi + 3G available April 30th

Apple have confirmed that preordered iPad WiFi + 3G units should arrive with buyers on April 30th, though the company’s online store currently lists a May 7th expected delivery date. The press release also says that Apple’s retail stores should have stock of the WWAN-enabled iPad in, though not until 5pm on the 30th.


As with the WiFi-only models, there will be three versions of WiFi + 3G iPad. Starting price is $629 for the 16GB iPad – a $130 premium over the non-3G – while 32GB and 64GB units will be $729 and $829. 3G service itself is provide by AT&T in the US, with 250MB for $14.99 and unlimited data for $29.99 per month.

Steve Jobs Reiterates: “Folks who want porn can buy an Android phone”

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is on a roll. While he’s probably had better days than today, he’s lately been shooting off emails left and right in response to customers’ concerns. We just were sent what appears to be one such Jobs response, sent last week surrounding the whole Mark Fiore situation. And it’s a good one.

When questioned about Apple’s role as moral police in the App Store, Jobs responds that “we do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone.” Better, is what he said next: “Folks who want porn can buy and [sic] Android phone.“

Last week, another Jobs email about the Fiore situation was published in which Jobs called the situation a “mistake.” He noted the same thing in this email, but the porn/Android link is the key here. Assuming this email is legit, this isn’t the first time Jobs has suggested users try Android if they want porn. Earlier this month, during a Q&A session after the iPhone 4.0 OS event, Jobs said:

Spencer Pratt: Kate Hudson Got a Terrible Boob Job

Spencer Pratt is wondering why Kate Hudson even got a boob job in the first place.

Days after Us Weekly reported that Hudson, 31, had a small breast augmentation, the actress showed off her new chest at Coachella over the weekend.

But the 26-year-old Pratt -- whose wife Heidi now has a "E or F" bra size following her infamous 10 operations-in-a-day -- isn't impressed.

"How is it possible to get breast implants and still not have breasts," he Twittered Monday. "Kate H - get ur money back..."

Referring to Dr. Frank Ryan (who performed Montag's surgeries), Pratt then added, "I gotta guy who will hook you up!"

In another message, Pratt took aim at Robert Rey -- a.k.a. Dr. 90210 -- who tells UsMagazine.com that Montag, 23, is sending a bad message to girls for altering her appearance so drastically. Pratt says Dr. 90210 is a hypocrite because his daughter is "into plastic."

Joey Yung cries with Twins as they end their concert emotionally

The 3 show "Twins Everyone Bounces Up 2010 Concert" ended last night at Hong Kong Coliseum. Big sister Joey Yung made her appearance, attracting many friends from the industry to come support them including: Remus Choi, Laurinda Ho, Deep Ng and his girlfriend Jacquelin Chong, EEG boss Albert Yeung and his wife. That night because Twins were feeling sad that the concert was ending, they cried several times on stage. Ah Gil gratefully said: "A lot has happened in the last 10 years, especially the past 2 recent years, but there are still so many loyal fans supporting us! I'm really afraid that there won't be a second time, thank you all for giving us this opportunity." Twins thanked their boss Albert Yeung and manager Mani Fok who were sitting in the audience before singing "Our 10 Year Love", the scene was very touching.

During the Encore, Twins and good friend Joey Yung appeared, the whole place got very high at their presence. Joey told Twins: "I know that it wasn't easy to get through the last two years. Everytime I saw you two, I too felt really emotional, I really wanted to spend everyday with you two, being by your side and giving you the support."

Gummy reveals 4 new concept photos for ‘Loveless’ ahead of comeback

A new concept photo for Gummy’s new album ‘Loveless’ has been revealed ahead of her official comeback.


4 new photos are posted up on 20th April on Gummy’s official site (www.gummy.co.kr). In the photos revealed, Gummy is featured for a boyish and charming image different from the feminine image she had in the teaser video for ‘There is no love’ released on 19th April.

Cheryl Cole Disney Contract In The Works

At 26, European bombshell Cheryl Cole is in chats to follow in the footsteps of teen stars Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron, and Selena Gomez as the next face of The Walt Disney Company.


The “Fight for This Love” hitmaker and Girls Aloud frontwoman — who is attempting to transform her UK sucess to the States following her split from soccer star husband Ashley Cole – is reportedly being courted by the family-friendly studio to show off her acting skills in a Disney-produced TV show or movie.

Sprint HTC EVO 4G party scheduled for May 12

Sprint still hasn’t announced the official released date of HTC EVO 4G, but the carrier has just sent out invitations for some sort of a launch party that will be held in New York City on May 12.


Sprint CEO Dan Hesse will be at the event to showcase the multimedia capabilities of the EVO 4G. Sprint has partnered with Walt Disney Pictures for an advanced screening of the upcoming blockbuster “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” – so the movie might be pre-loaded on the smartphone.

BlackBerry OS 6.0 screenshots and details leak out

The leaks, they keep coming. Boy Genius has some new images and details on BlackBerry OS 6.0 today, and while we've got our fair share of questions, there's no denying that what we're seeing looks like a substantial and much-needed improvement to the platform. First off, it appears that RIM's acquisition of Torch Mobile has paid off with a totally new WebKit-based browser, complete with tab switching, redesigned favorites, and pinch-to-zoom. About time, we'd say. Pinch-to-zoom and multitouch are also said said to be present system-wide, along with kinetic scrolling, and long-pressing on the screen brings up a new modal context menu. That's definitely intriguing. The media player, photo viewer, and messaging apps have all also been re-done, and we're told the new inbox offers Facebook, Twitter, and RSS integration. The best part? BGR says this is all due out in June / July, "100%."

Now, here's the interesting parts. First, it's obvious that this system is made for and being demoed on a touchscreen device, yet BGR says it was being shown of by an "AT&T connect." That suggests Ol' Blue is about to get a touchscreen BlackBerry of its own to counter Verizon's Storm sometime soon -- perhaps that leaked slider? We can't say for sure. What we can say for sure is that this is the third set of 6.0 leaks we've seen that have content about San Francisco and the earthquake in Haiti displayed on the screen -- and while RIM has said the previous two leaks were just mockups, it's more than a little odd that SF / Haiti has become a theme here. What does it all mean? We may never know, but whatever -- just hit us with that new browser and we'll stop asking questions.

Kick-Ass tops US box office After All

British superhero movie Kick-Ass, which stars Nicolas Cage, has debuted at the top of the North American box office, figures show.

Initial estimates suggested that 3D animation adventure How to Train Your Dragon had claimed the top spot.

In a closely fought battle, Kick-Ass took $19.8m (£12.8m), while the family adventure took $19.6m (£12.7m).

Date Night followed in third place, with Death At A Funeral at four and Clash Of The Titans at number five.

Slapstick comedy Date Night dropped from last week's number two spot, taking $16.7m (£10.8m).

In the film, Tina Fey and Steve Carell play a married couple who land in a series of explosive situations after a rare romantic evening without their children.

David Archuleta: About that Gay Club...

Someone won't be joining Adam Lambert and Clay Aiken in the American Idol gay runners-up club anytime soon.

David Archuleta—you know, the second banana to David Cook from season seven—may have visited a gay club in New York Saturday night, but that has nothing to do with his actual sexual preference. If you must know, it was all about supporting a friend.

"Hey guys just wanted to clear something up real quick lol. Last night in New York I got invited to go and see my friend Charice perform," the 19-year-old tweeted on Sunday. "Mental note to self: always ask where before you go! Wasn't my kind of place lol, and I had no clue! I guess you live and learn…Hope that clears things up!"

But, of course, the Twitterverse wasn't finished with the little guy yet, presumably filling his @ replies with more assumptions and accusations.

"Been seeing some of the tweets. sheesh! Can get crazy quick," he said. "NO worries all, I wouldn't get into things like that intentionally haha…Charice is great and she didn't mean to do cause any harm haha. She apologized a lot after."

IRIS 2 is set for October 2011 broadcast

We reported earlier that the real sequel to IRIS have been confirmed for broadcast in 2011. And further confirmation came today about the actual broadcast date.


According to Taewon Entertainment on the 20th, IRIS 2 will be shown in October 2011 through KBS2TV. Work on the sequel has already begun and is independant of the IRIS spin off, Athena: Goddess of War.

IRIS 2 will be fast fowarding three years into the future from where we left off in season one. Apart from those who are definitely dead, Lee Byung Hun, Kim Tae Hee, Kim So Yeon, etc are expected to return and reprise their characters once more. And there will also be new top stars joining the sequel.

Google Chrome OS netbooks $300-$400 says Schmidt

Google CEO Eric Schmidt has revealed new details regarding the upcoming Chrome OS based netbooks, including some of the thought processes behind the development of the web-centric platform and what price tags he expects to see hardware land with. According to Schmidt, “the price points you should think about are the current netbook pricings which are 300 dollar, 400 dollar price points,” figures he points out that are led by manufacturers and are predominantly derived from the cost of processors, glass and other components.

However, while Chrome OS carries no software cost, there is an associated price in bringing software up to speed. Schmidt admitted that even Google “found applications that were part of our business; operations, sales, accounting so forth” which they had to translate into the “perfect web app.”

Facebook shuts down Lite site

Facebook has closed Lite, the stripped-down version of its site aimed at users who wanted a simpler experience than the main site offers.

Lite, launched in September of last year, was seen as an attractive option for users with slow Internet connections, for new users still learning their way around Facebook and for regular users wanting a less busy interface.

Lite let people build a list of friends, write on Walls, send messages and post and share photos and videos, but excluded the now more than 500,000 applications built by external developers for the site.

At the time of Lite's launch, concerns were raised that if the bare-bones version of the site caught on with a significant amount of members, usage of Facebook applications might suffer.

In its latest official stats, Facebook reports that every month more than 70 percent of its members use at least one site application.

Industry observers also saw Lite as Facebook's attempt to attract users drawn to the fast-growing Twitter, the micro-blogging and social networking service known for it minimalist philosophy towards layout and functionality.

Joe Jonas to Buy Demi Lovato a Promise Ring!

JOE Jonas is set to buy girlfriend Demi Lovato a promise ring.

The Jonas Brothers rocker is apparently keen to show the teen actress that he loves her and will always be faithful.

“Joe has been looking online for a ‘promise ring’ to get Demi for their upcoming anniversary,” blabbed one insider.

“Danielle has been helping him with his search. Just yesterday they looked at rings from Tiffany & Co.

“He wants something special he can get engraved with their initials… He’s being very picky!”

Demi — who recently confirmed rumors she’s dating the pop singer — admitted last month that she’s surprised by her fans’ reaction to her romance with Jonas.

“I definitely did not expect this at all. But, you know, I’m going through it with my best friend so it’s pretty awesome,” she said.

Apple rumored to be looking to OLED screen for next iPad

Here we go again, the iPad hasn’t even launched globally, and already speculation about the next version mounts. A new rumor floating around claims that Apple is looking to an OLED screen for the next generation iPad.

I have a hard time buying this rumor. OLED screens that are small enough for smartphones aren’t so expensive right now. However, when you move into OLED screen sizes that will work for netbooks and the iPad or other tablets they get much more expensive. I don’t see in the next year that an OLED screen in the 10-inch size will be cheap enough to make it work for the iPad.

The rumor comes from a source in the component industry according to DigiTimes. The second-generation device is said to be launching next year, but no specific date is offered. The source claims that OLED panel costs will drop by 2011 making them cost effective for devices like the iPad.

Socle sPad A11 tablet platform should fast-track iPad rivals

Apple’s iPad is on the market (in the US at least), rivals from Notion Ink, Toshiba, HP and others are expected sometime this year; if you’re a manufacturer and want a tablet of your own then you need all the shortcuts you can get. SoC manufacturer Socle Technology have pitched up with GlobalFoundries 65nm chipset, an ARM Mali 3D GPU and full 1080p HD hardware decoding in their sPad A11 Design and Development platform. More complete and more powerful than Apple’s A4, so Socle say, the sPad A11 supports Android and other Linux platforms complete with 3D graphics and multitasking.

There are also onboard camera, Bluetooth, WiFi and memory controllers, and Socle already have a software reference design to go with the hardware. Unfortunately they’re not using the newer 28nm GlobalFoundries Cortex A9 chips, but as we’ve seen in the past ARM’s Mali GPUs are certainly capable of pushing out the high-def media many tablet users are looking for. We’re all for more challenges to the Tegra/Apple A4/Atom paradigm, especially if, as Socle suggest, the tablet platform will be more competitively priced and quicker to deploy.

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