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From 'Twilight' to 'True Blood:' Vamps Have Made Hollywood $7 Billion

8/25/2010 02:19:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , 0 Comments

If you were worried this fangtastic vampire fad was going to meet an eternal death soon, well, that doesn't seem likely, according to a report done by The Hollywood Reporter (and anyone hoping to make money in Tinseltown right now). According to THR's calculations, the vampire phenomenon has generated over $7 billion since "Twilight" first hit theaters in 2008. That is less than two years.

What has helped make vampires so successful is not just the love affair between Edward and Bella, though that's definitely part of it. Stephenie Meyer made vampires more romantic and less scary and made millions because of it. That started a trend that moved from books to films to television, selling music and merchandise along the way, and has paid off wonderfully for all of those involved. And the world just seems to be begging for more, more, more.

Don't believe us? Click after the jump to see the breakdown of how much money vampires have made across these different media.

Films

Just last weekend, "Vampires Suck" made $20 million at the box office. "The Twilight Saga" has cumulatively made more than $2 billion in a combination of movie theater and home video receipts. While other non-romantic vampire films ("Underworld: Rise of the Lycans," "Daybreakers") haven't done as well in theaters, the upcoming "Let Me In" and "Priest," plus the two parts of "Breaking Dawn," are sure to bring in a few billion over the next few years. Add that to the many vampire films in production ("The Historian," "Vamps," "The Passage" and a new "Underworld") and you've got many more dollars to be made.

Television

This one's easy: "True Blood" and "Vampire Diaries." "True Blood" is HBO's biggest hit ever — surpassing even "The Sopranos" — and "Vampire Diaries," though only coming into its second season, has the legs to carry it much farther. THR estimates that if they both complete five seasons on television, "True Blood" will make $50-$75 million and "Vampire Diaries" will make $100-$125 million, plus over $200 million combined from their home video sales so far.

Books

The one who started it all is the indisputable vampire queen Anne Rice, who kick started the vampire novel craze back in 1976 (some quick stats: before she released "Interview with a Vampire," only 1,000 vamp-themed novels were released ever, but since there have been over 41,000). Of course, the more recent heir to the throne is Stephenie Meyer, who has sold over 100 million copies of her "Twilight" novels. Add that to Charlaine Harris, L.J. Smith, P.C. and Kristin Cast, Alyson Noel and Richelle Mead and all the other vampire novel authors' total sales, and you have a $1.6 billion industry. And, we can't emphasize this enough, but there are only more coming.

Music

The "Twilight" soundtracks are on the bestseller lists every time they are released (and sometimes before) and have sold about 5 million copies, which equals about $50 million. None of the other big franchises have jumped on this bandwagon, but we're sure they will. And unfortunately we don't count Vampire Weekend as a vampire-themed band.

Merchandise

"Twilight" alone has made over $500 million, and HBO's new "True Blood" merch and Tru Blood drink are expected to do well also. Plus, with Halloween coming up, the sale of vampire-themed costumes is as high as $100 million. Then there's the money made from all the porn parodies, which no one seems to want to calculate.

Still wondering why people love vampires so much all of the sudden? "Vampire Diaries" writer and exec producer Julie Plec said it best when she told THR, "By starting with one simple mythological creature that's been part of our literary universe for centuries, you can create a story that has it all: romance, horror, action, special effects, sex, epic love, wish fulfillment, romantic leading men, delicious bad-boy villains, female badasses, damsels in distress, death, monsters and, ultimately, the perfectly flawed hero who would give it all up if it meant they wouldn't have to spend eternity alone. It doesn't get more universal than that."

Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth Split

8/25/2010 02:19:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Miley Cyrus is back on the market.

The teen queen, 17, has split with Aussie actor Liam Hemsworth, Hemsworth rep tells UsMagazine.com. (Cyrus' rep had no comment.)

The two met in 2009 on the set of The Last Song, based on the Nicholas Sparks novel.

This past March, she told Ellen DeGeneres when she was first introduced to Hemsworth, 20, she didn't think anything of it.

"I was actually going through a tough time," she said. "I was like, guys just need to be out of my life for a little while. [I thought] 'I just need to alone.'"

"But I met him, and he opened the door for me, and I was like, I have been in L.A. for three years and I don't think any guy has actually opened the door for me," she went on. "It wasn't that he wanted the job. That's just who he is. I was like, 'Wow, that is super-impressive.' I actually turned to the director and said, 'He's got the job.' He's hot and he opened the door. Excellent."

At the March 25 L.A. premiere of Last Song, he told Us they had "a lot of fun" filming the romantic drama.

"It was pretty much jokes every day," he said. "Jokes and shooting on the beach -- there wasn’t much to complain about!"

The same month, she gushed to Parade: "[Liam has] become my best friend in the whole wide world. I love him. He really respects me for who I am because coming from Australia, he really didn’t know me as the celebrity I am here. I got to tell him about myself on my own terms and my own way. He had no preconceived notion of who I was supposed to be."

In June, she took to her website to deny rumors that they've called it quits.

On her website, she told fans: "Just wanna clear up a rumor. Liam [Hemsworth] and I did not break. EVER! We are so happy and a lot of that has to do with the amazing relationship he has with my family."

Gossip Cop first reported news of the split.

Is Lindsay Lohan's Post-Rehab Photo Packed With Product Placement?

8/25/2010 02:19:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Just saw Lindsay Lohan's first photo out in public since she left rehab. She's wearing so many things and posing. Is she getting paid for all of this?

You mean you don't walk out of your house every morning sporting $300 designer headphones and holding up a RockStar energy drink like a girl in a parade? What an odd, exotic creature you are.

For the record, it appears that Lohan's photo wasn't, as you understandably suspect, a paid product-placement ploy. At least, not directly:

For starters, here's a breakdown of what we see in the photo.
  • V-MODA headphones: $249.99
  • Ray-Ban sunglasses: $145
  • Hermes mini-Birkin bag: Priceless
  • RockStar energy drink: About $1.99 per can
  • Hermès belt: $585 to around $2,000, depending on material

Yes, the people who make V-MODA headphones are officially thrilled that LiLo's first post-rehab photo shows the actress sporting a pair. Through our own party girl, Cristina Gibson, V-MODA insists it did not pay Lohan to wear the headphones.

But then again, LiLo didn't have to buy them either. She was gifted them at a the Kari Feinstein MTV Movie Awards lounge a few months ago.

The spokesman for RockStar didn't return calls. Can't help but notice, though: Logo toward the camera, drinking hole away from her mouth. So natural, right?

Also no word on the provenance of the Hermes belt or spendy mini-Birkin bag.

But as far as her Ray-Ban sunglasses go, no one inside that company had any idea she'd be wearing them, our news team is told.

But Ray-Ban does do a lot of product placement in Hollywood, and it wouldn't be shocking if LiLo paid as much for the sunglasses as she did for the V-Moda headphones.

In fact, if there is an agenda behind Lindsay's wardrobe in this photo, it may be a signal that she's ready to pimp any and all free swag that comes her way. It just so happens that there are quite a few gifting lounges operating this week ahead of Sunday's Emmy awards.

And, I am told, professional gifters are eager to have her.

"We've actually spoken with [Lindsay's mother] Dina over the past week or so about she and [sister] Ali attending," a spokeswoman for the next Kari Feinstein suite tells me. "And if Lindsay would like to join them, we would certainly welcome her."

In fact, despite her recent shenanigans, Lohan still holds plenty of stock with gifters; after all, compared to some celebrities, she really isn't all that bad.

"Lindsay would always be welcome at anything I was hosting!" says Lash Fary of Distinctive Assets. "I say if Rebecca Gayheart can run over children, Hugh Grant can sleep with prostitutes and Mel Gibson can be nuts, then Lindsay is certainly entitled to a little rehab without being ostracized from the gift world."

Speaking as someone who has never violated probation, I am ready to receive my free V-MODA headphones. I'd like a pair in white, please.

Facebook Improves Chat’s Stability And Speed; Kills Support for IE6

8/25/2010 02:18:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

According to a blog post today on the company’s site, Facebook is revamping its Chat feature to be faster, more stabilized and reliable.

Facebook says that Chat, which launched two years ago, is now one of the most widely used communication features on the network. In the next few weeks, Facebook will “be making important improvements in the way connections are established and messages are sent.”

Of course, one of the results of the improvements, says Facebook engineer Rodrigo Schmidt, is that Chat will not be supported on older browsers, particularly on IE6. Support for IE6 will be discontinued on Sept. 15. IE6 has pretty much been laid to rest, even by Microsoft, so it’s not surprising that Facebook will no longer continue support for the dated browser. Recent reports show that IE6 usage has fallen to only 4.7 percent, but Facebook still has to give users time to upgrade to new browser.

Earlier this year, Facebook launched support for Jabber/XMPP, an open protocol that made it easy for any chat client or web service to integrate Facebook Chat.

T-Mobile G2 Froyo build leaked, no Sense in sight

8/25/2010 02:18:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

By now, it’s pretty clear that the T-Mobile G2, the official successor to the G1, is the smartphone codenamed HTC Vision. The same phone that may be sold outside the US as the HTC Desire Z.



T-Mobile have acknowledged its existence, but there still is no word of an official unveiling.

Regardless, over the past few weeks we found out pretty much all there is to know about this handset save for a price and release date.

And today it looks like an Android 2.2 Froyo test build for the G2 has been leaked. What you see below is a spreadsheet contained within the ZIP archive that hosts the firmware.

Eager tinkerers have poked inside and found absolutely no trace of HTC’s Sense UI, a layer on top of Android that is almost a given with every new HTC handset. Not in this case, as it seems like the G2 will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor and provide a vanilla Android experience.

All that’s left is for T-Mobile to finally announce it. And that will certainly happen soon.

Via AndroidGuys

LG E900 Optimus 7 picture leaked by Microsoft

8/25/2010 02:17:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Remember the LG E900? One of LG’s first Windows Phone 7 devices was seen on video a couple of days ago.

This handset, unlike the LG C900 for AT&T, was reportedly headed to Europe. And that was all but confirmed today, when Microsoft Netherlands leaked a picture of the upcoming smartphone via Twitter.

Apparently, the E900 will be sold as the LG Optimus 7, which may mean that LG will be extending the Optimus brand beyond Android-based solutions. Perhaps Optimus is shaping up to be LG’s smartphone brand, regardless of OS.

The picture may suggest that the phone is headed in Vodafone’s direction, since there’s a 360 tile on it. However, this may not necessarily be the case, as Microsoft Netherlands said in a follow-up tweet. That tile may just be there for testing purposes.

Vodafone or not, it’s clearly coming to Europe since Microsoft Netherlands bothered to tweet about it.

There’s also a Panorama shot tile, which suggests that there will be a dedicated Panorama mode for the camera.

Windows Phone 7 is supposed to be finalized in October, so perhaps November is when we’ll see widespread availability of this handset if LG want to be at the front of the WP7 pack.

Via WMPoweruser

Nokia C7 gets an early look: 'hardly a market leader'

8/25/2010 02:17:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

The upcoming C7's been well-leaked at this point, but one thing it hasn't undergone is the famously exhaustive Mobile-review once-over that takes weeks to read and even longer to digest. Actually, this isn't so much a review as a "first look" based on prototype hardware -- and as such, it's quite a bit shorter -- but it still gives by far the best, clearest, and most in-depth glance at Nokia's second Symbiam^3 device to date. Unlike the over-the-top N8, Mobile-review comes away concluding that the C7 is an exceptionally well-balanced device for a Nokia -- solid specs at a more aggressive price than its Nseries cousin -- but acknowledges that it's still outclassed by the competition and isn't likely to draw any non-Nokia loyalists into the fold. MeeGo, where art thou?


SkyFire for iPhone To Be Submitted To Apple Next Week?

8/25/2010 02:17:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , 0 Comments

SkyFire. Heard of it? It’s the smartphone browser that was chewing through Flash video and other rich media long before any of the built-in browsers were supporting such things — and on a number of platforms, it’s still the only option.

We’ve known that SkyFire Labs was crackin’ away at an iPhone port for some time now — the company confirmed it after Opera got a surprise App Store thumbs up. But when would it be done? More importantly, when would it be submitted for that oh-so-important stamp of approval?

Soon, say our sources.

It’s by no means official just yet, but a pair of much-trusted little birdies have just informed me that SkyFire has just entered the final testing phase of what they intend to be the first public iPhone build, with plans to submit to Apple early next week.

SkyFire, of course, wouldn’t confirm or deny these details on the record — there’s still room for last minute bugs to jam a wrench in the gears over the weekend. But until we hear otherwise, expect SkyFire to announce their App Store submission shortly after the weekend.

Use Gmail to make VoIP calls: Hands-on review

8/25/2010 02:16:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 1 Comment

With Google's rollout Wednesday to Gmail, the built-in Google Talk chat app is finally getting its own voice. Specifically, a plugin that lets you surface a dial pad so you can launch VoIP calls from the Gmail.com in-box, or from within iGoogle. The big caveat is that the service is currently being rolled out only to U.S. Gmail users.

We've been expecting something like this to happen since Google snapped up VoIP company Gizmo 5 last November, and there's even been speculation that this could have been a desktop app. But no, on Tuesday we discovered the online feature in-house, on Wednesday, Google made the VoIP news official. We buckled down to review the new service as soon as we got our online update.

Calling from Gmail

We tested the Google Talk VoIP capabilities on a Window desktop, a Windows laptop, and a Mac laptop. You'll see the "Call" button in Google Talk just under your name and status bar. In some instances, clicking to activate Google Talk's VoIP service will prompt you to install the Google Talk voice and video plugin before you can begin dialing. It may go without saying, but we'll say it anyway--you'll need to have a microphone handy, either in the computer itself, or in a headset, in order to hear your caller from your computer.

The VoIP interface itself is plain, in typical Google fashion, with just a dial pad on the bottom right of the screen. One extra tab shows your call history. Making outbound calls is straightforward--just type the digits. Since the new VoIP chat feature is integrated with your Google address book, you can also type a contact's name to get their number to appear; then call, call away.



We were pleased with the call quality, overall, when testing with other U.S. callers on landlines and mobile phones. Calls were loud and mostly clear, however, there were a few moments of garbled voices on multiple calls. There was also sometimes a persistent high buzz that was noticeable, but that did not distract from the meat of the call. The experience was about on par for VoIP calls, which are known to break up due to variable conditions with the callers' hardware, strength of Internet connection, and the telecommunications channels that process the voice data.

We were also able to link our Google Voice account to our Gmail account. This made it possible to receive and answer inbound calls from our Google Voice number, though it isn't necessary to have a Google Voice number to use the new VoIP feature in Google Talk. However, you will need a Google Voice account to pay for International calls (Google Voice numbers are free, by the way.)

Is Google's VoIP a Skype killer?

We're going to hold off on any final pronouncements until we live with the service for a while and get some more local and international calls under our belt. What we will say is that there are a few compelling reasons for users to choose Google Talk's Gmail VoIP service over Skype, and convenience is chief among them.

Google Talk has already had a video chat integrated into the service; this competes with video calls made through Skype, Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, and other chat services. Adding free local and low-price international calls will be attractive to users who can easily launch a voice call from within Gmail if video isn't an option. However, we didn't notice an easy way to switch between voice and video calls once a phone call was under way.



Having the VoIP service tie into the Google address book is another perk that could attract new users. If you're keeping track of the service offerings, then the ability to make free outbound calls from the computer to a landline (in the U.S. or Canada) may tip the scale in Google's favor, depending on your individual calling habits. Skype calls are free from any computer in the world to any other (or from one mobile Skype app to another), but calling from the computer to the landline requires purchased credits.

According to a Google's chart on calling rates (pictured above), calls cost 2 cents a minute to landlines in the U.K. and France, and 6 cents a minute to India. As CNET mentioned in an earlier post, Google says it has no plans to raise rates beyond 2010, though the company will see if it grosses enough on international calls to continue supporting free calls to the U.S. and Canada.

Motorola Quench XT5, MB520 Kobe / Diablo specs and pictures leak

8/25/2010 02:16:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Motorola Quench XT5 specs and pictures leak



This is not the Motorola Cliq XT (also known as the Motorola Quench MB501 in some markets), or the Motorola Quench XT3.

What we have here is a new model in what is now the Quench range of Android-powered smartphones from Motorola, the XT5. Little was previously known about this handset, but thankfully its specs and a couple of pictures have leaked.

So without further ado, here’s what this model is packing:
OS: Android 2.1
Band/Modes: WCDMA 900/1900/2100, GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps (Category 7/8), EDGE Class 12
Display: 3.2″ 480×320 HVGA 262k
FM radio, DivX video playback
Battery: 1270 mAh
Dimensions: 56 x 114 x 13 mm
Weight: 114 g

This is shaping up to be a decent midrange smartphone, perhaps hampered a bit by the battery capacity compared to rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy 3. Of course, if the Quench XT5 were to get a price that is more attractive than its competitors’, things could be looking very good for this effort from Motorola, who seem to be banking everything on Android these days.

The supported bands clearly indicate a European/international release and no love for any of the US operators, but there’s always the possibility that one or more different versions of the phone tailored to AT&T’s or T-Mobile’s 3G bands would come in the future.

Needless to say, there’s no word yet on availability or even a date for the official announcement regarding this smartphone.

Motorola MB520 Kobe / Diablo for AT&T in the wild



Remember that midrange, Android-equipped MB520 Kobe from Moto we told you about a few days back? Well, it's stepping out for the first time this evening with a little help of our dear brother from another mother, Mr. Blurrycam. As we'd heard before it's definitely destined for AT&T bearing Android 2.1 with Blur (complete with Blur logo on back), though our tipster tells us we can expect an update to 2.2 over the air. Along with "Kobe," the codename "Diablo" is apparently being tossed around internally, though decisions have been made on what to call it when it hits shelves. A Droid X competitor it's not -- but coming off the Backflip debacle, it's baby steps for Moto's Android relationship with AT&T, right?.




Show Luo gives body shaping undergarment to ELVA as birthday gift

8/25/2010 02:15:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

ELVA Hsiao turned 31 years old on the 24th. It was work as usual for ELVA as she continued practicing her dance moves to prepare for her upcoming concert on September 4th at Singapore. Although her rumored boyfriend Nick Chou wasn’t there to steal the spotlight, good friend Show Luo surprised ELVA at the dance studio to celebrate her birthday. Show presented her a birthday cake with ELVA’s target weight 45kg written on it. The trendy man was also thoughtful enough to buy her an $80,000 (NT) crystal embodied corset-like body shaping undergarment, which he hopes that it will help her reach her target weight. ELVA immediately shouted, “I’m very close (to my target weight)!!” Although she was reluctant to reveal her actual weight, she did anyway and told the media that she was 2kg away.

Show sure was excited to see ELVA try on his birthday gift as he held it up against her body to envision how it would be like if she wore it. However, ELVA said, “It looks very small and tight. Wait until next year and I’ll wear it on Xiao Zhu’s (Show) birthday.” ELVA also received an iPad from best friend Cheryl Yang and an in-ear monitor from the staff.



ELVA made three wishes on her birthday, which was to have good album sales and wishing her friends and family to always be safe. She refused to let us know her third wish.

In regards to Nick Chou recently being photographed eating out with another girl, ELVA replied, “Why would I have to care about it? It’s his freedom to eat with whoever he likes.” Nick’s manager responded, “They have always been like siblings and good friends. Everyone shouldn’t think too much about it.”

Source: Appledaily TW, UDN

SNSD’s Japanese PV for Genie released!

8/25/2010 02:15:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Earlier today the pretty ladies of SNSD / Girls’ Generation held a successful Premium Showcase Live at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo. Last week the girls revealed a video teaser for Tell Me Your Wish (Genie) and now the PV (Promotional Video) has been released!



Tell Me Your Wish (Genie) is scheduled to be released in Japan on September 8th, thanks to everyone who sent this in.

Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell ready to 'Scream'

8/25/2010 02:14:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell have joined the cast of Scream 4, which has already started shooting in Michigan and is slated for release next April. The USA Today broke the news yesterday and Dimension Films confirms that the True Blood star and Veronica Mars will join the franchise’s holdovers Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, as well as new characters played by Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, and Adam Brody in director Wes Craven’s new frightfest.

But will the recently-announced additions play major roles, or will they be sacrificial lambs of the Drew Barrymore variety (which, in turn, was an homage to Janet Leigh’s demise in Psycho)? Would Scream 4 dare kill Sookie or Veronica off in the first 10 minutes?

David Archuleta Album Art: Released, Adorable!

8/25/2010 02:14:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Adorable Archie alert, readers!

David Archuleta is coming out with a new album on October 5 and has released the art that will be included with "The Other Side of Down."

The crooner, who is in a tight race with Justin Bieber for most date-able teenager, looks as cute as ever on this CD's cover. Check him out now, but please resist any urge to squeeze his virtual cheeks:



A couple weeks ago, Archuleta gave fans an early look and listen at his "Something 'Bout Love" music video. Sit back and enjoy it NOW and then drool over two more photos of Archie, courtesy of his upcoming album, below.


Report: Mariah Carey Pregnant

8/25/2010 02:14:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Mariah Carey is four months pregnant, RadarOnline is reporting.

The Grammy-winning star, 40, and hubby Nick Cannon have remained mum on the baby rumors since rumors began to swirl that singer was pregnant. However, a second Radar source the couple have been sharing the news with close family friends.

“Nick has been telling friends how excited he is to be a dad. Mariah has tried so hard to get pregnant. She’s very excited. She wants to wait as close to full term as possible before going public with the news to her fans.”

The persisent Mariah Pregnancy Rumors — which haved popped up at least twice a year since she married Cannon two years ago — once gained momentum on the blogosphere when photos from one of Mariah’s live shows in Brazil appeared online over the weekend, appearing to display the songstress with a baby bump. Cannon won’t confirm or deny reports, but mentioned the gossip on his NYC morning radio show on 92.3 NOW FM this week, telling listeners that if Mimi was ever pregnant she’d have to be the one to announce it.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it time and time again – when my wife feels like talking about whatever she wants to talk about, you will hear it directly from her.”

Carey has allegedly been undergoing fertility treatments since 2008.

Eminem tops the Billboard 200 album sales chart yet again

8/25/2010 02:13:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Eminem‘s chart reign goes on. After a brief interruption two weeks ago courtesy of Arcade Fire, he promptly returned last week to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart, and that’s where he’s staying this week after selling another 116,000 copies of Recovery, according to Nielsen SoundScan. This is Shady’s seventh nonconsecutive week at No. 1 with Recovery — more than anyone has racked up since Taylor Swift’s Fearless in 2008 and 2009, and more than any rap album since OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below in 2003 and 2004. Will Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream knock Eminem back down to No. 2 next week? Stay tuned.

Soul singer Kem’s Intimacy leads this week’s crowded pack of new arrivals, taking No. 2 with 74,000 copies sold. At No. 3, it’s Ray LaMontagne with 64,000 copies sold of God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise, a career best for the folk troubadour. Iron Maiden follow at No. 4 with 63,000 copies sold of Final Frontier. Trace Adkins rounds out the Top 5 with 50,000 copies sold of Cowboy’s Back in Town. Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs falls to No. 7 in week 3 after selling another 31,000 copies.

The new entries resume at No. 9 with David Gray, who sold 25,000 copies of Foundling. John Mellencamp notches No. 10 with 24,000 copies sold of No Better Than This. Down at No. 17, Lady Antebellum make it onto the chart with 18,000 digital copies sold of their iTunes Sessions EP; a few spaces above, their hit Need You Now also rose from No. 12 last week to No. 6 this week.

Surprised by any of those results? Think Eminem has a shot at fending off Katy Perry next week, or is he enjoying his last term at No. 1? Speak up in the comments.

Lindsay Lohan Ordered to Psychotherapy Treatment

8/25/2010 02:13:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Lindsay Lohan was ordered by her new judge to a strict regimen of drug treatment and psychotherapy following her release from inpatient rehab Tuesday.

Among Judge Elden Fox's orders for now: Lohan must submit to random drug and alcohol testing twice a week, as well as attend two behavioral therapy sessions weekly. She must also have seven contacts per week with a counselor for chemical dependency issues and attend 12-step chemical dependency sessions five times weekly. In addition, she must attend four psychotherapy sessions a week.

Judge Fox warned that any missed or dirty tests would result in a 30-day jail sentence. The new rules apply until a Nov. 1 progress review. Until then, Lohan was ordered to reside at her Los Angeles home.

"She is serious about her sobriety," the actress's attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, told the judge. "She looks forward to proving to the court ... that she's moving forward in a positive manner." Outside the courthouse, Holley told reporters: "This is a new beginning for Lindsay Lohan," adding that she was released early from inpatient treatment because her doctors found it was "completely unnecessary and that it was in her own best interest to move her to outpatient treatment."

Holley added that she didn't know whether Lohan was initially misdiagnosed, and shot down rumors that Lohan would be attending the L.A. premiere of her new movie, Machete, Wednesday night. "She thought it was better for her to focus [on recovery] and not go to something splashy. She's healthy and clear-headed." In addition, Holley added that Lohan's new probation orders would allow the actress to return to work.

The judge also dropped two counts of being under the influence of drugs in Lohan's DUI case because she had satisfied her probation requirements for those charges.

Lohan, 24, who was not present at the hearing, was released Tuesday from UCLA's Neuropsychiatric Hospital after 23 days.

She was originally sentenced by a previous judge to serve three months at the facility.

Immediately prior, the actress served 13 full days of a 90-day sentence at a Lynwood, Calif., jail after violating her probation.

Spencer Pratt Says He's 'Working Things Through' With Heidi Montag

8/25/2010 02:13:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

'You can't be Speidi and then all of a sudden get a divorce,' he says of his split from Heidi.

Spencer Pratt is currently in Costa Rica trying to win back his estranged wife and former "Hills" co-star Heidi Montag following her filing for divorce. And he insists he will release a sex tape of Montag if the pair doesn't resolve their issues and if Montag doesn't call off her divorce from her husband of a little over a year.

"We're working things through," he told MTV News about his current status with Montag. "Clearly I care for her, but the divorce is a superficial title 'cause I didn't cheat on her. And then she divorces me to clean her image. That doesn't fly with me. As much as I was like, 'Do it' [with the divorce], I never thought it would work. You can't be Speidi and then all of a sudden get a divorce. She's still serious about it because she's trying to divorce what is Spencer Pratt. She still loves me.

"There won't be [a sex tape] if she rips up these divorce papers and wants to do this show with me," he continued. "It's a perfect example of how you can't escape Speidi. [If I did my own show,] her name's always going to come up. ... That's my point here. Heidi, you can't get rid of Spencer. I'm too polarizing."

In fact, Pratt says he's taking steps towards changing for her. "I gave away all my crystals. I gave all my crystals to my old middle school," he said. "So no more crystals, woo woo woo."

At the end of the day, Pratt says that while his intentions may seem selfish, he really, truly does love Montag, something she has admitted about him as well. "I'm obsessed with her. We're Speidi. If I could change my face and name, she would have never divorced me."

iPad to rule tablet market through 2012

8/25/2010 02:12:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Apple's reign as king of the tablet market should stay strong for at least the next couple of years, says a new report from iSuppli.

Though a variety of tech players have been cooking up their own tablet devices, no true competitor is likely to surface until next year, giving Apple a dominant share of the market through 2012 if not further, according to iSuppli.



This year, the iPad is expected to account for 74.1 percent of all global tablet shipments, with the remaining percentage left mostly to an assortment of older PC-style tablets. Next year, it will account for 70.4 percent of worldwide tablet shipments. In 2012, that figure will drop to a still-leading 61.7 percent as more tablet makers race to hit the market and struggle to compete with Apple, iSuppli said. But those rivals will have their work cut out for them.

"Although the iPad has been on the market for only a few months, powerful interests throughout the technology business are devoting enormous resources to challenge and topple Apple's domination in this fast-growing marketplace," Rhoda Alexander, director of monitor research at iSuppli, said in a statement. "However, if recent history is any lesson, it will take some time for these companies to get their products to market, longer for them to offer necessary software support and infrastructure, and an even lengthier period to begin to rival the overall user experience Apple is able to deliver."

Though Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Lenovo, and others are unveiling their own tablets, none of those will pose serious competition to the iPad, according to iSuppli.

"Apple's complete integration of hardware, software, operating system, and applications is a major piece of what makes the device a standout," Alexander said. "And on that basis--an integrated hardware/software design--we don't see anything in the marketplace at present that seems likely to rival what Apple is offering in tablets today."

Among future rivals, only HP seems to pose the most interesting potential competition to Apple, according to Alexander, citing HP's experience in creating PC-type devices and its new ownership of Palm's WebOS. But any HP tablet won't launch until next year and may encompass multiple products, such as one for the consumer market and another for the enterprise arena.

To gauge how long the iPad may control its market, iSuppli looked at another hot Apple product, namely the iPhone. Following its debut in 2007, the iPhone has remained near the top of the smartphone market. Though rivals have launched competing phones, few of them have matched the allure and popularity of the iPhone. It wasn't until more recently that a select group of phones, such as the Motorola Droid and the HTC Evo 4G, have been able to equal and even outshine the iPhone in certain features, according to iSuppli.

AT&T Sony Ericsson Vivaz gets September launch

8/25/2010 02:12:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

You’ll have to forgive us, AT&T, but we’re finding it more than a little difficult to get excited over your latest handset announcement. The Sony Ericsson Vivaz was first announced all the way back in January this year, had its moment in the spotlight in Europe a couple of months later, and even spawned a sequel, the Vivaz Pro. However, what AT&T obviously felt was necessary was a US launch several months after, and so from early September you’ll be able to pick up the 3.2-inch cellphone from them.

That gets you a copy of Symbian S60, an 8.1-megapixel camera – capable of 720p HD video recording – WiFi and Bluetooth, along with AT&T 3G of course. It’s worth remembering that the touchscreen uses a resistive panel, though, and we can’t say we were especially enamoured with the build quality of the Vivaz’s plastic casing.

The Vivaz will be available on AT&T from September 5th, priced at $79.99 with a new, two-year agreement and after a $50 mail-in rebate. However the carrier is also classing the Vivaz as a smartphone, so you’ll need a smartphone data plan too; frankly, for the money we’d be looking elsewhere.

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