New CW shows 'Nikita' and 'Hellcats' cutthroat without the edge

Even with its ample servings of va-va-boom, a lot of edgy potential is wasted in "Nikita," the CW's retinkering of the much-tinkered-with story of the sexy assassin who is betrayed and hunted by "the Division," the top-secret government agency that trained her.



Actress Maggie Q, the jujitsu darling of the martial-arts action pack, stars in this latest Nikiquel. (Yes, this Nikita is the same character as that other Nikita, as in la femme . . . , going back 20 years to Luc Besson's original French thriller and then the American remake that starred Bridget Fonda, and then on to -- who knew? -- a Canadian TV series.)

This "Nikita," which premieres Thursday night, bears the imprimatur of big-budget movie director McG, who directed "Terminator: Salvation," "Charlie's Angels" and exec-produced NBC's "Chuck." I foresee a day when no one in Hollywood has an actual last name.

Are you sitting comfortably, Katy? Ms Perry struggles as she perches on a giant banana in her latest skin-tight rubber dress

She's famous for the skin-tight rubber dresses she likes to wear.

But when Katy Perry was choosing what she should wear to perform on Italy's version of The X Factor, she perhaps hadn't taken into consideration that she would have to sit on a giant banana.

That was the conundrum that 25-year-old Katy faced last night as she arrived on the set of the show wearing a figure-hugging pink rubber dress with her new favourite Chanel striped wedges.



But, ever the professional, Katy managed to maintain her modesty by steadying herself with her hand as she sat on the giant prop for her interview.

And while the dress showed off Katy's amazing figure, which she has worked so hard to achieve ahead of her wedding to Russell Brand later this year, the singer admitted she wasn't feeling particularly body-confident.

Verizon sweetens Samsung Fascinate deal with Buy One Get One Free offer


Yes, that fateful day is upon us, the Samsung Fascinate has made its debut on Verizon's online store pages, and it's arrived with a quite unusual (for a top tier handset) sweetener. When buying one Fascinate, you're given the option to obtain a second one for free. Well, the hardware would be free, you'd need two-year commitments on both phones with a minimum monthly data plan of $29.99 a piece, but it's still the nicest thing Verizon's done for us since it started throwing out free Pixi Pluses with purchases of Palm's webOS handsets. You should also bear in mind your initial outlay here is a quite lofty $400, with two separate $100 mail-in rebates bringing the cost down. So it's free in pecuniary terms, but probably not free of headaches.

Xbox 360 250GB plus Kinect bundle priced at $399 in US, £300 in UK


Microsoft has chosen the small hours of the night to announce pricing of its second Kinect bundle, which is set for launch along with the standalone and 4GB options on November 4 in the USA and November 10 across Europe. The new package throws in the 250GB slim version of the Xbox 360 to accompany the newfangled motion tracker, a spare conventional controller, and a copy of the utterly unmissable Kinect Adventures! (it has its own punctuation, it must be good). Pricing is a bit on the painful side, with Kotaku reporting a $399 figure for the US and Microsoft confirming to us a £300 sticker for this "special edition" bundle for the UK.

SNSD ranks 5th in daily Oricon charts for ‘Genie’ on debut day


SNSD are storming their way into the Japanese market.

Recently on the 8th, SNSD released their debut single ‘Genie‘ in Japan. On the same day, their debut single placed 5th in the daily Oricon charts, making it in the top five immediately after their debut.

Meanwhile, girl group KARA, who also entered the Japanese market last month on the 11th with their debut single ‘Mister‘, was also ranked 5th place on the daily Oricon charts on the day of release.

Oracle to Pay Mark Hurd $950,000 a Year

Oracle Corp. said it will pay Mark Hurd, its new co-president, an annual base salary of $950,000 and be eligible for up to a $10 million bonus in the current fiscal year.

The software company hired the former Hewlett-Packard Co. chief executive in recent days following his August departure from the computer giant in the wake of a probe that turned up violations of H-P's code-of-business conduct. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison came out as one of Hurd's biggest backers after his breakup with H-P.

The company has responded by suing to block the 53-year-old from joining Oracle, whose focus is business software but which has been increasingly moving into hardware, saying the move breaches an exit agreement with H-P and will lead to a transfer of its trade secrets to a competitor. Ellison called the suit "vindictive."

Oracle said in a filing Wednesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission that Hurd will also be granted a stock option to purchase 10 million shares soon after he begins his job and will be able to get options to buy 5 million more each year for the next five, so long as Hurd remains employed by Oracle.

Nokia N8 officially for sale last week of September, UK shops October 1st


At last, an official date for Nokia's N8 flagship Symbian^3 handset. This one's been a long time coming, featuring the first of two major Symbian updates meant to bring Nokia's smartphone division in line with the competition. Look for it in the "last week of September" at Nokia's on-line shops for £429 SIM free, or free with £35 per month contract. Otherwise, it'll hit the UK high street shops on October 1st.

Kno Raises $46 Million More To Build “Most Powerful Tablet Anyone Has Ever Made”


Marc Andreessen is normally enthusiastic about the startups he’s invested in. Still, when I spoke to him last week about Kno, he surprised me by saying it will be “the most powerful tablet anyone has ever made.” And he’s backing up that claim with a new investment – Andreessen Horowitz has put even more capital into the company as part of a new $46 million debt and equity round. Silicon Valley Bank and TriplePoint Capital also invested in the round. Kno has now raised over $55 million.

The company is still planning on getting its first dual-screen tablet computer to market by the end of the year, says CEO Osman Rashid, although he won’t get specific on the price. It will be less than $1,000, but that’s as close as they’ll get.

India's $35 Android tablet reportedly on track for January launch


It seemed like a bit of a stretch from the beginning, but it looks like India's $35 Android tablet is intent on proving the skeptics wrong -- the Indian government has just announced that it's awarded the manufacturing contract to HCL Technologies (makers of the once world's cheapest laptop), and that the first batch of tablets are slated to be available by January 10th. That initial run will reportedly only include the 7-inch model that we've been seeing all along, but there's also apparently 5-inch and 9-inch versions planned for launch at a later date. We also presume that the tablet is still hanging onto that $35 price tag (for university students, at least), but that key detail is curiously absent from this latest announcement.

Caught! Robert Pattinson and Leonardo DiCaprio Have Boys' Night Out

As we tweeted over the weekend, Robert Pattinson was spotted hanging at the ultra-private Soho House Friday night in West Hollywood with some guy friends and his blond agent, Stephanie Ritz, his go-to date since Kristen Stewart is on location filming. Thought you all should know some more deets:

R.Pattz, fully bearded, showed up to Soho just before 11, trying to be as incognito as possible. Something he's learned from fellow heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio, who was also there.

Wearing a baseball cap, jeans and a dark-colored letterman jacket, the Twilight star kept his head down as much as possible until making his way to a table in the back of the restaurant area.

A source tells E! that Pattinson and his friends we're chatting, drinking water and beer, smoking cigarettes and kept it rather mellow for a boys' night out.

"You could tell Rob didn't really want to be noticed, but he did chat with a few people it seemed like he knew who stopped by his table,' says a supremely lucky eyewitness. "At one point he was laughing and joking around with the wait staff. It seemed like he was having fun."

Natalie Portman offered lead in sci-fi film 'Gravity'


Hot on the heels of some passionate festival buzz for her turn in the upcoming ballet film Black Swan, Natalie Portman has reportedly been offered the lead role in Warner Bros.’ 3-D drama Gravity, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The $80 million film, which is being directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Y tu mamá también), is a survival story about a woman who’s stranded on a space station and her attempts to return home to Earth. The role was previously turned down by Angelina Jolie, and Scarlett Johansson and Blake Lively were later rumored to be competing for the gig. But Cuarón has now reportedly offered the part to Portman without requiring the actress to do a screen test. Portman is expected to make a decision soon after reading the latest version of the script. Robert Downey Jr. has already signed on for a supporting role in the movie, which is scheduled to shoot early next year.

iPod touch (2010) review


At Apple's last event, Steve Jobs called the iPod touch the company's "most popular iPod," and it's easy to understand why. In just a few short years, the iPhone-with-no-phone has kept in lockstep with Cupertino's halo device, benefitting from the same kind of constant hardware and software updating that has helped turned the iPhone into an iconic gadget. The touch has been right alongside the iPhone's meteoric rise in popularity, becoming the go-to second-pocket slab for millions. There are good reasons, too. Apple boasts about gaming on the device -- claiming it beats out both Nintendo's and Sony's offerings in sales... combined. While we can't concede that the device is a dedicated game console, it most definitely games. And it's still an iPod, an internet device, and a thousand other things thanks to Apple's vastly populous App Store. Now the player has once again reaped the rewards of iPhone updates, boasting a new Retina Display, the A4 CPU, two cameras which allow for FaceTime calling and 720p video recording, and all the new features of the company's latest mobile operating system, iOS 4.1. But despite all of the plusses, we still have to ask: is the little do-everything box still worth the premium price tag? We took a deep dive on the latest model and have the verdict, so read on to find out.

Eric Schmidt: “We Know Where You Are, We Know What You Like”

During a keynote at the IFA in Berlin, Eric Schmidt topped off presentations on Voice Powered Search, Street View Search and Google TV by emphasizing how much Google values being fast and that current technological advancements are nearing the realm of science fiction, or what he called, “The age of augmented humanity.”


The IFA stands for Internationale Funkausstellung, which roughly translates to International Radio Exhibition. In a press release, IFA Director Jens Heithecker explained the interesting choice of keynote speaker.

“Google today connects people to the Internet and opens the world in the same way radio did 80 years ago. [Schmidt's keynote] echoes the 1930 keynote by Albert Einstein, Einstein was talking about radio, the new technology at the time. He said ‘technology enables communication and communication connects people.”

Charmaine Sheh Holds Neck, Raymond Lam Almost Need to Go to the Hospital Again

Charmaine Sheh and Raymond Lam were filming "Colorful World of Sister Fa" () yesterday. Before official filming, Raymond was reading his reports of leaving the hospital. Some viewers teased he didn't listen to doctors that he should rest, and Raymond smiled and shook his head. Talked about the work a day before, he expressed everything went well and he received many phone calls from friends, asking his condition.

Raymond had to take off his neck brace when filming a flirting scene with Charmaine. However, Charmaine didn't know how to care and held strongly on Raymond's neck, making Raymond almost get injured again and need to be hospitalized. Raymond appeared to be in great pain off-camera.

Then a elementary school bus passed by and it stopped when they saw Charmaine and Raymond were filming. Two students walked off the bus and asked Raymond for autographs. Then viewers all took out their phones to take pictures. The pair was very friendly and did what fans asked. A child was very happy to see Raymond that he kept jumping.

iPod nano (2010) review


Apple's sixth generation of the iPod nano is essentially the first complete rethinking the product has had since its debut in 2005. The previous form factor -- slim and light with a decently sized display and clickwheel -- has been all but abandoned. The new design is a complete departure; a full touchscreen device that brings to mind something more like a large, living postage stamp than a portable music player. Along with the radical hardware redesign, Apple has infused the media player with a brand new operating system as well -- an interface that looks and plays more like iOS than iPod. We've spent the past week or so knocking the nano around to see if it's worth your hard-earned dollars, and we've got the answers inside -- so read on for our full review.

The Glee's knees: Lea Michele shows off her slim legs on date night in a pair of ultra tiny shorts

She says she doesn’t diet and loves to eat.

In which case Glee star Lea Michele has been blessed with incredible genes.

The 24-year-old actress showed off her toned figure and long slim legs in a pair of tiny blue shorts as she dined out in trendy West Hollywood yesterday.



She looked positively glowing in the dark shorts, a flimsy flowery shirt and a pair of tan chunky heels as she left Japanese restaurant Izaka-Ya.

'I'll have a big Italian dinner, and I don't give a crap because it makes me happy,' she recently told Glamour magazine.

'I love being healthy,’ she added. 'I get a lot of sleep. I'm a girl who eats. I feel beautiful no matter how I look. I have my family to thank for that.'

Firefox 4 Beta, Now With Faster Graphics And Visual Sound

Firefox just launched its fifth Firefox 4 beta, which includes a more streamlined interface, faster graphics and a new audio API that exposes raw audio data (see video above).

What’s new in this latest iteration of Firefox?

* The introduction of an audio API which uses HTML5, allowing developers to visualize the sound data in a browser and creating novel ways to experience sound while web surfing.

* Emphasis on faster graphics with default graphics support from Direct2D, a 2-D graphics API for Windows 7, on machines that support Windows 7.

* Implementation of the HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS), a security protocol that increases the chances for a secure connections.

Dell prepares for Windows XP's final act

Dell said on Tuesday that it plans later this month to stop selling PCs downgraded to Windows XP, ahead of next month's deadline to stop nearly all shipments of PCs running the older operating system.

Microsoft ended sales of Windows XP some time ago, but has continued to allow PC makers to sell Windows 7 machines that are "factory downgraded" to the older operating system. However, even that option is set to end October 22 for Dell and other PC makers.

"This means that we will stop offering XP as an option for customers starting this month in preparation for next month's deadline," Dell said in a blog post. The company plans to continue offering driver support for Windows XP until December 2012.

Although Microsoft is requiring PC makers to stop selling PCs with Windows XP running, the computer maker has agreed to continue to give customers with Windows 7 Professional the right to downgrade to XP through the entire life cycle of Windows 7. It had originally planned to end that right with the shipment of Windows 7 Service Pack 1--a move that would have meant that companies' right to downgrade machines would have varied from computer to computer.

Volume licensing customers have always had additional options when it comes to running older versions of Windows--including XP. Dell will continue to offer some customers the ability to use a Windows XP image on their corporate computers.

Robert Pattinson Goes On the Road

After spending a guys' night out in L.A. last Friday, Robert Pattinson packed up and hit the road with a few of his pals, stopping first in Arizona on Saturday night and continuing on to New Mexico..

There was a bearded sighting of Rob in Santa Fe, where he told a restaurant patron he was road tripping with some guy friends.

Now where to, exactly?

We can't help but think he's heading out to see Kristen Stewart, who's filming On the Road in New Orleans.

Rob was spotted having dinner with a few friends at Galisteo Bistro Sunday night in New Mexico. There were a couple of excited fan tweets, and another girl who worked at the restaurant posted on her Facebook page how Rob was "very polite, quiet, undouchey and knows his wine."

Yup, that sounds like the R.Pattz we know and love! And apparently Rob is still truckin' on east...

Scruffy Pattinson, dressed in dark jeans, a dark gray tee, a white over shirt and baseball cap, was spotted out at a bar Monday night in Lubbock, Texas, where he took some pics with some very excited girls.

You'd never guess she could be facing a prison sentence! Carefree Paris Hilton shops in a VERY low cut dress

She could be facing a prison sentence following her recent arrest for cocaine possession.

But Paris Hilton looked like she didn't have a care in the world as she went shopping in Hawaii yesterday.

The 29-year-old socialite smiled and giggled in a particularly revealing low cut patterned dress as she and her boyfriend Cy Waits went shopping on the island of Maui.



Clad in a black vest top and baggy shorts, the 34-year-old also appeared to be having a good time with the star who bought a few pairs of earrings in the boutique.

The holiday pictures are the first time the pair have been snapped together since Hilton was arrested for possessing cocaine when her car was stopped by police in Las Vegas late on August 27.

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison Rips “Vindictive” HP Lawsuit

The dramatic battle between Mark Hurd, HP, and Oracle continues. Yesterday Oracle announced that it was hiring recently-ousted HP CEO Mark Hurd as Co-President and a member of its Board. HP responded this morning by suing Hurd, alleging that he would potentially leak trade secrets to Oracle. Oracle has just responded to the suit, and it isn’t pulling any punches:

“Oracle has long viewed HP as an important partner,” said Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. “By filing this vindictive lawsuit against Oracle and Mark Hurd, the HP board is acting with utter disregard for that partnership, our joint customers, and their own shareholders and employees. The HP Board is making it virtually impossible for Oracle and HP to continue to cooperate and work together in the IT marketplace.”

Hurd was forced to leave HP after allegations that he harassed former HP contractor Jodie Fisher (he was cleared of those charges, but was found to have fudged some expense reports). At the time Ellison, who is a friend of Hurd’s, called the firing “the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs many years ago.” Also worth noting: Hurd’s severance package is worth more than $35 million, though HP is alleging he’s breaching some of his contractual agreements (which could impact the severance).

HP suing former CEO Mark Hurd

Hewlett-Packard is suing Mark Hurd, a day after word came of his hiring by Oracle.

Court documents filed Tuesday morning in California's Santa Clara County show that HP is accusing its former CEO of breach of contract and threatened misappropriation of trade secrets.

HP released a statement Tuesday morning saying that "Mark Hurd agreed to and signed agreements designed to protect HP's trade secrets and confidential information. HP intends to enforce those agreements."

According to court documents (embedded below), HP believes that Hurd's hiring by Oracle is a threat to the company and violates confidentiality agreements he signed on three different occasions during his tenure at HP.

Hurd was hired as co-president of Oracle, one of HP's competitors, on Monday.

"Despite being paid millions of dollars in cash, stock, and stock options in exchange for Hurd's agreements to protect HP's trade secrets and confidential information during his employment and following his departure from his positions at HP as chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and president, HP is informed and believes and thereon alleges that Hurd has put HP's most valuable trade secrets and confidential information in peril," the suit says.

HyperDrive Connects to Your iPad, Adds up to 750GB of Storage


For some people, 64GB of storage may not be enough. Especially on a tablet device that has full access to the iTunes Store, as well as Apple’s App Store (for both the iPad and the iPod Touch/iPhone). Racking up the movies, music, and games/apps to fill up 64GB of memory may seem like a feat, but we imagine that it can be a pretty easy endeavor for some. That’s why getting an external memory unit is a great fix. So, here’s the HyperDrive, manufactured by the guys who brought us the HyperMac batteries. This time it’s an external storage unit that, as the title suggests, can connect directly to your magical and revolutionary tablet device from Apple.

The HyperDrive does a few work-arounds to make it so that the iPad can register the external memory unit. The problem comes in the fact that the iPad’s Camera Connection Kit has a limit of only 32GB available memory, so the HyperDrive gets around that by creating separate, iPad-readable 32GB drives, which allows you to store up to 750GB of stuff with (relative) ease. The HyperDrive features a 3.2-inch color touchscreen, so navigation should be pretty simple, too.

Miley Cyrus Partying in Paris: Is She Too Young?

Not only are Miley Cyrus and Ashley Greene costars in their new movie LOL, but they're also party partners!

The two actresses, who are currently filming in Paris, hit hot spot VIP Room together on Sunday night, where Miley rocked a see-through shirt.

So was the 17-year-old breaking any rules by being at the club?

Nope. No word on whether the newly single starlet was imbibing, but the drinking age is only 16 in Paris. (And for those keeping score at home, Ashley is 23.)

Looks like Miley is doing just fine without Liam Hemsworth.

Twilight actress Ashley is loving the City of Light as well.

"I want to take my hotel room and replicate it at home. So romantic. Love Love Love Paris already," she posted on her Twitter.

R.Pattz's Entourage Cameo Isn't Happening—Yet!

Heard those rumors about Robert Pattinson starring opposite Angelina Jolie in an upcoming big budget flick? Totally not happening. And trust, we're a bit relieved—if you Team Robsten fans got so worked up over Reese Witherspoon, we can't imagine the chaos that would ensue if Angie's man-luring lips on the same set as K.Stew's dude.

Well, seems like Mr. Pattinson is guest starring is quite a few false casting reports lately because we've got another to debunk—and this one we're totally bummed about:

While it's been reported that Rob will be facing off with Jeremy Piven's infamous Ari Gold in this Sunday's episode of Entourage, reps for HBO tell us, "Sorry, not true."

Since Saturday Night Live never panned out for Pattz (instead we got Taylor Lautner, snooze), we've been hoping that he would pop up on the HBO series that loves a celeb cameo as much as the Piv loves sushi.

Apple: Game Center Not Coming to iPhone 3G

Apple's new Game Center page lists the iOS devices that will let you get involved in this whole playing games with other people thing that's happening soon. Second-generation iPod Touch owners: you're in luck! iPhone 3G owners: you're not!

Game Center, which will be arriving with the imminent iOS 4.1 update, will allow users to join up with friends to do battle in epic cathedrals and elsewhere—unless, of course, you're still riding around on an iPhone 3G, in which case you're stuck flinging Angry Birds by yourself.

The second-gen iPod Touch has a slightly beefier processor, which could have something to do with it, but at this point Apple's stance is painfully clear: iPhone 3G is old and busted.


BlackBerry App World hits 10,000 applications


According to Research In Motion, the company now has over 10,000 applications in their application store, App World. While 10,000 is not a number to be scoffed at, BlackBerry pales in comparison to Apple’s 250,000 apps and Android’s estimated 100,000 figure. RIM also has the challenge of fighting Google and Apple in the application quality department; BlackBerry apps are probably the most unpolished at this point. Let’s hope RIM’s developer conference — DevCon — will kick things into the next gear.

HP's Zeen C510 Android tablet in the wild


Well, thar she blows -- we just got this shot of the HP's seven-inch Zeen Android tablet that's shipping with the leaked PhotoSmart eStation C510 printer system just straight chilling in the wilds of China. Apparently this unit is a little bit closer to final than the one our other tipsters have been playing with -- and unfortunately, the stock Android homescreen has been totally removed in favor of the TouchSmart UI. As we'd guessed, there's also no Gmail app or Market access, although there is a homegrown email client and a fair bit of integration with Yahoo services like Mail and Messenger. Facebook is also preloaded, and the screenshot shows apps for 60 Minutes, MSNBC, and Dreamworks, so it looks like there'll be some video action going on -- and that Barnes & Noble logo all but confirms the Nook compatibility our previous tipsters had mentioned. There's also a printing app and that Coupons app, which we're guessing... prints coupons, but maybe HP's trying to surprise us.

We're told the software is better than on earlier Zeen units and that the previously-bad touchscreen has been improved, but that there's still work to be done before the projected late September launch. Don't get your hopes up about snagging this one without a printer, though -- we're told the solo SKU has been canceled, and only the $399 bundle with the Zeus printer will be available. Makes sense -- we're guessing it's all webOS for HP from here on out. One more pic after the break.

Justin Bieber Has Dedicated Servers at Twitter


Justin Bieber uses 3% of Twitter resources at any moment. According to a Twitter employee—talking to designer Dustin Curtis—Bieber has "racks of servers dedicated to him. I'm sure this will excite his haters (hello 4chan!) even more. Updated

Dustin confirmed to us that his tweet is not a joke. He was told about it by a Twitter employee. Since Bieber is almost a perennial trending topic, I'm not surprised. Still, and given the 180 million unique visitors every month, that's quite an achievement.

What is really important, however, is this: Now, every time that whale pops, you will have one more reason to slap him.

Angelina Jolie Goes Native for Pakistan Visit

Swapping a trench coat and slacks for more traditional garb, Angelina Jolie touched down in Pakistan Tuesday to meet with victims of the heavy floods that continue to ravage the country.

"I am very moved by them and I hope that I am able to, today and tomorrow, be able to do something to help bring attention to the situation for all of the people in need in Pakistan," she told reporters as goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Refugee Agency.

While some aid has already been provided, the Salt star urged that much more is needed to assist the nearly 17 million that have been affected by the crisis.

Samsung Fascinate review


By now you've probably seen the reviews of the other Galaxy S phones -- the Epic 4G, Captivate, or Vibrant -- or at least gotten an idea of what Samsung's push into the Android market is all about in 2010. After hitting every other major US carrier with like-minded devices, the company has finally seen fit to unleash the Fascinate on Verizon. Up until this point, the Android offerings on Big Red's network have been varied, but not all particularly attractive beyond the Droid lineup. The Fascinate is arguably the first handset that gives something like the Droid X or the Incredible a proper run for its money. Of course, those are pretty high stakes in game that changes on an almost daily basis, and Samsung's options are not without their... idiosyncrasies. That truth is nowhere more pronounced than on its latest handset. So is the company poised to hit the market where it hurts with this final puzzle piece, or is this an incomplete picture? Read on to find out in our full review of the Samsung Fascinate!

Rihanna's New Single “Only Girl (In The World)”


Break out your iPods, ‘Crunchers: It’s time for a new tune from Bajan Mama Rihanna. The Grammy-winning pop tart premiered her brand new single — “Only Girl (In the World)” — during Tuesday morning’s edition of “On-Air with Ryan Seacrest.”

The song is produced by Stargate and serves as the first single to Rihanna’s forthcoming album — Loud –which is due in November. The euro-pop number currently follows the dance trend that is hitting up the dancefloor these days. It’s like “Please Don’t Stop the Music” on a caffeine rush and sure to become a hit for the Rated R hitmaker!

Internet Explorer 9 Beta sees video demo, hits 95/100 on Acid3 test


Looks as if the Internet Explorer 9 Beta has now leaked on video, and -- surprise, surprise -- it looks exactly like Internet Explorer! If you were out hoping for a major overhaul, it looks as if you'll need to pick a new wish to cross your fingers for. Design wise, the IE9 beta shown in the video past the break is no drastic departure from IE8, though the internals should obviously be revamped quite a bit. The rest of the world is still awaiting that September 15th launch date, but you and your impatient soul can watch an early build peak at 95/100 (so close!) on the Acid3 test with just a couple of clicks. Enjoy!

SNSD unveils Japanese promo pictures


Well it certainly seems like we’ve been waiting forever, but SNSD has finally granted our wish! Their Japanese promotion photos was recently revealed and the girls are as charming as ever.

And with them using Genie as their debut Japanese single, it was no surprise that this wave of promotional pictures wants us or our eyes to focus on their legs.

Paris Hilton Struts in Monokini in First Pics After Coke Bust

Paris Hilton's remedy for a big-time cocaine arrest? The beach!

The star escaped her troubles with boyfriend Cy Waits, hitting the beach in Maui, Hawaii for Labor Day; photographers were on hand to snap Hilton, 29, strutting in a sexy monokini.

Hilton, Tweeted cheerfully throughout the day. "I Love Scuba Diving - Look a rainbow for good luck," she wrote. "I felt like Ariel the little mermaid under the sea today. So much fun!...I love Maui."

She didn't just frolic with dolphins, though. The heiress also took in some art. "There are so many amazing art galleries in Maui," she wrote. "I love it!...so many unique pieces of work."

At her L.A.-area home and in Hawaii, Hilton has also been having movie nights; she Tweeted about watching the gritty, intense flicks Eastern Promises, Precious and Taken.

Two weekends ago, Hilton was arrested in Las Vegas after cops found .8 grams of cocaine -- plus marijuana cigarette wrappers and Albuterol -- in her vehicle. She has been charged with felony cocaine possession, and faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

WebOS 2.0 beta screenshot extravaganza


We've heard about Palm's big plans for webOS 2.0 -- heck, we've even seen a handful of pictures here or there. And now we've been graced with lots, lots more. We're still not sure the exact origins, as they both came to us unsourced at around the same time. But, be it PreCentral forums or Chinese site Crooked neck (a.k.a. Wibozi), we're still graced with two dozen new screenshots that showcase features beyond Stacks and Just Type. Plenty of extra services are on display, including favorites like Dropbox and head-scratchers like MobileMe (we know Palm has something of an Apple complex, but the benefits of MobileMe are pretty minimal beyond iPhone integration). There's also default app selection for filetypes, which is a welcome addition we've enjoyed on our Android sets. Just in case all the screenshots go poof, we've got them in a gallery below. Let your imagination run wild, or at least in a bigger fence.

'Housewives' Insider: Danielle Staub Was Fired

Bravo confirmed Monday that 'Real Housewives of New Jersey's' most controversial cast member, Danielle Staub, will not be returning to the show. However, despite rumors that Danielle quit to focus on her own show, sources tell me she was actually fired.

"Cast members Caroline [Manzo] and Jacqueline [Laurita] made it clear that if Danielle stayed they would leave," a 'Housewives' insider tells me. "Bravo had already lost Dina [Manzo] because of Danielle and couldn't risk losing another two cast members from the top 'Housewife' show in the whole franchise."

Bravo executives have said many times that they believe what makes the Jersey show so special is the family dynamic, which gives family members Caroline and Jacqueline far more power than any of the other cast members.

"Bethenny [Frankel] left the New York cast and the ratings stayed the same," a TV executive confirms. "Several cast members have left other 'Housewives' shows and no one cared. The only 'Housewives' that Bravo needs to hang onto are the Manzo family. They are TV gold and Bravo knows it."

Google TV coming fall, 200k Android activations daily claims Eric Schmidt


Google CEO Eric Schmidt has used his IFA 2010 closing keynote to promise Google TV’s US launch in the fall, as well as confirming that users will be able to turn not only their Android phones but their iPhone into a remote control for the media-streaming set top boxes. Schmidt also revealed that there are more than 200,000 Android activations recorded every day, a figure that falls short of the 230,000 iOS device activations Steve Jobs reported last week.

As for hardware demonstrations, no especially big news from the stage but Schmidt did show augmented Street View functionality for Android; users can now navigate via Street View on their phone in a manner similar to the service on the desktop, dragging the icon around a 3D representation of the map. The CEO also showed close to real-time voice-to-text translation running on an Android device.

Jolin makes first pubic appearance after diva controversy

Joiln Tsai was recently in the mainland to promote her latest album "Myself". She made headlines after getting blasted by a well-known mainland TV personality for her appearance on his show. He wrote on his blog that her assistant refused to let her share the stage with other artistes, including veteran Taiwanese entertainers Frankie Gao (高凌風) and Lily Tien (田麗), even forbidding Gao to sing any songs by her ex Jay Chou. He criticized her saying it is a multi-star variety show, not the “Queen’s ascend to the throne”.

Frankie Gao actually came to her defense when asked about the incident, “It’s that assistant, the behavior of her mainland assistant affected other people’s impression of Jolin Tsai as a result. That's the key issue.” Jolin’s manager added, “The Beijing staff member noticed two segments (from the show) went missing, so he might have became impatient. (He) asked if everyone can wait and not to go on stage, because our segments haven’t completed yet. It was a result of miscommunication.”

Heidi Montag: I Massage My Implants

Heidi Montag has her hands full.

The plastic-surgery prone reality star spent some time Tuesday morning massaging her ample bosoms – but not just for a good time.

"Giving my self a soft tissue breast massage," Montag Tweeted around 10:30 a.m. from Costa Rica. "Ladies we have to keep those implants soft."

Plus, she has some more words of advice for anyone considering plastic surgery. "Warning: to anyone who is thinking about getting their ears pinned," she writes. "I learned after the fact it is the most painful surgery a person can get."

Motorola Milestone 2 and Defy in live photos. Both are coming to Vodafone

Motorola’s newest Android smartphones made for Europe, the Milestone 2 and the rugged Defy, have been showcased at IFA Berlin at Vodafone’s stand – which means the carrier will launch both device.


The Milestone 2 is, as you should already know, the GSM version of Verizon’s Motorola Droid 2. It runs Android 2.2 Froyo, but, unlike the Droid 2, it also comes with MotoBlur.

Other than that, the Milestone 2 (obviously) features a sliding QWERTY keyboard, 3.7 inch FQVGA (480 x 854) touchscreen display, 3G, GPS, Wi-Fi, 5MP autofocus camera, HD video capture and playback, 1GHz processor, and 8GB of on-board memory.

Ke$ha before the $: See the high school footage unearthed on YouTube


So, this one time, at band camp, Ke$ha was still just young Kesha Sebert—a Tennessee teen who brushed her teeth with ordinary non-alcoholic toothpaste and needed no shift key to type her name.

Clearly, though, she was already rehearsing for a life of destroyed denim and general Tik-Tokery way back in 2001 as a freshman at Franklin High School Band Camp. Watch it after the jump:

New 'Glee' season two promo: What dreams are made of


Oh. Em. Glee! Season two of the hit Fox series is just around the corner, and in an effort to promote the show’s Sept. 21 return, Fox released this teaser with Bones‘ Emily Deschanel and Michaela Conlin. Nice use of synergy, guys! But I can forgive the blatant plug for another Fox show, since the new promo appeals to my “Empire State of Mind,” and my inner Full House fan. There’s John Stamos! Who’s not given a chance to say a line! (How rude!) Check it out after the jump.

Apple starts shipping new iPods

Apple has started shipping its new line of iPods.

Over the weekend and early Monday, those who preordered a new iPod started receiving e-mails from Apple that the devices are shipping. Some folks have seen their delivery date pegged at week's end, while others have received word from Apple that it might be slightly later.

I preordered the new iPod Nano when it was announced at Apple's media event last week. The device is scheduled to arrive at my doorstep Friday, though Apple's official "delivers by" date is Sunday.

The new iPod Nano is drastically different than its predecessor; it's much smaller and features a multitouch display. The new iPod Touch offers a Retina Display and FaceTime calling. The new iPod Shuffle has large controls on its tiny face, replacing its previous no-button design.

Samsung's Orion is the 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 we've all been waiting for


We still consider Samsung's Hummingbird application processor to be among the very best for mobile computers, but this morning Sammy itself is stepping up the charge to make it look real old real fast. The freshly announced dual-core Orion promises to whip us all into a frenzy of geek lust with "5 times the 3D graphics performance over the previous processor generation from Samsung," 1080p video encoding and decoding at 30fps, embedded GPS, a native triple display controller, and on-chip HDMI 1.3a interface. Those last two bits mean you can drive two displays on your mobile device while feeding a third, such as a HDTV, all thanks to the one all-powerful chip inside. Availability for "select customers" is coming late this year, with mass production set for the first half of 2011. To say we're looking forward to it would be a massive understatement.

Singer Hebe Tien feels 'awkward' going it alone without S.H.E bandmates

YOU'D think that with 10 years of showbiz experience under her belt, Hebe most media-savvy stars.

But the pixie-faced 27-year-old turned out to be a bundle of nerves (Aug last Monday.

Tien, who has been conquering teen hearts across Asia since 2001 together with S.H.E bandmates Ella Chen, 29, and Selina Jen, 28 – was promoting her debut solo album, To Hebe.

According to Apple Daily, she was "so shy" during her press conference rendition of her new song Love!, she literally turned her back to photographers.

It got worse at the question-and-answer session.

Tien, rumoured to have been in a brief relationship with superstar Jay loss for words when the Taiwanese press grilled her about her love life.

In a phone interview with The New Paper last week, (Sept 1) the reserved without the company of her S.H.E friends.

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