Box office preview: 'Paranormal Activity 2' will attempt to scare its way into first place


Paramount Pictures will likely be trick-or-treating early this year, as the studio is expected to snag the top two spots at the box office over the weekend with its horror sequel Paranormal Activity 2 and the surprisingly potent Jackass 3D. The original Paranormal Activity is already considered a box-office legend. The 2009 haunted-house flick, which was made for a mere $15,000, built initial buzz by letting moviegoers “demand” local screenings through the film’s website. After four weeks of increasingly sold-out showings, the movie opened wide exactly one year ago and shocked pundits by conquering the weekend with $21.1 million (and simultaneously crushing horror competitor Saw VI). The Paranormal sequel won’t have the same element of surprise this time around, but Paramount has been careful to make sure the film doesn’t follow in the footsteps of, say, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, the 2000 sequel that cumulatively earned $26.4 million compared to The Blair Witch Project‘s $140.5 million. Here are my weekend predictions:

Does my bum look big in this? Lady Gaga heads out for a quiet pint in a flamingo-style dress

Locals at a west London pub got a surprise tonight when Lady Gaga popped in for a quiet pint.

True to form, the singer wasn't about to blend into the crowd and brought the pub to a standstill when she waltzed in wearing a pink flamingo-style dress, which looked like it had been made of pink wigs.


The American star's striking dress appeared to include a bustle, giving her the illusion of having a large backside.

The 24-year-old teamed her flamboyant dress with a leather biker jacket, fishnets, towering platform boots and a quilted Chanel bag.

HP Slate 500 finally (finally!) official, rings up at $799


Nope, you're not dreaming, but feel free to pinch yourself, rub your eyes or take a cold shower! You've read right -- the HP Slate is finally official, and after all the teasing, back and forth, and (very recent) leaks, the Atom-powered, Windows 7 Slate will finally see the light of day -- though in a different way than originally intended. While the first videos released by HP may have made it seem like it would be for consumers, HP's tactfully changed its tune (don't forget it's got Palm / WebOS tablets on the way) and is now aiming the Slate at the enterprise and business market. Still, it will be available on HP's site for $799 to anyone who wishes to purchase one.

So, what does $800 of your hard earned cash buy you? Well, in addition to the dock and case, which are included in the box, the tablet packs pretty much everything we'd heard over the last year -- it's powered by a 1.86GHz Intel Atom Z540 processor, 2GB of RAM, 64GB SSD and packs Broadcom's Crystal HD accelerator for handling 1080p video. (The included dock has an HDMI-out port if you want to hook it up to the big screen.) Obviously, the 8.9-inch capacitive touch Slate runs Windows 7 Professional, but it's got a Wacom active digitizer for taking notes, which certainly sets it apart from the other Win 7 tablets we've seen over the last couple of weeks. Oh, and don't forget its front facing VGA cam and 3 megapixel camera on its back. We got a chance to finally grope the tablet earlier this week, so hit the break for our early impressions and a short video.

Apple's Mac App Store Review Guidelines posted -- will Photoshop make it in?

No surprise that Apple's new Mac App Store has a similar set of rules and regulations as the iPhone App Store, and we just got the full list. There's nothing here that's too different from the iPhone review guidelines, but it all seems terribly odd when applied to a regular computer, and some of the more restrictive policies have already drawn ire from developers like Mozilla's Director of Firefox Mike Beltzner, who says the restriction against beta code won't work well with the Mozilla "open beta" development process. That's definitely a valid criticism, especially if the Mac App Store becomes the dominant way for Mac users to get apps, but there's a crucial difference here: unlike the iPhone, Macs can run software from any source, not just the App Store. That means apps that don't meet Apple's Store guidelines can still be freely used by any Mac user without going through jailbreak hoops, and we think that's an ideal compromise: it allows Apple to control much of the Mac experience, since developers will have a huge incentive to comply with the review guidelines and get into the store, but still allows other types of apps and utilities to flourish -- including, say Firefox betas. (We might have written an editorial arguing for exactly this approach on the iPhone in the past, come to think about it.)

So with that said, let's examine Apple's Mac App Store Review Guidelines, which were just posted yesterday -- you can grab the PDF here and read the whole thing, but we're just going to break out the parts that seem more interesting or different than what we've seen in the past. Our biggest takeaway? Interpreted on their face, some of these rules would mean major Mac apps like Adobe Creative Suite 5 and Microsoft Office won't be in the Mac App Store, and that's obviously a problem. Read on to see what we mean.

The Black Eyed Peas Go Back To “The Beginning” With “Dirty Dancing”-Fused Single “The Time (The Dirty Bit)”


Heads up, Music Stans: Fergie, Will, and the rest of the gang from The Black Eyed Peas are back for the release of the group’s sixth album — The Beginning — dropping Nov. 30.

With a little help from one of the most recognizable tunes of the ’80s.

The Peas are getting back into the swing of things with the lead single “The Time (The Dirty Bit),” a surefire club banger that’s sure to tug at the heartstrings of guys and gals of the ’80s. The song samples “(I’ve Had) Time of My Life,” the theme from Patrick Swayze/Jennifer Grey’s iconic 1987 romance Dirty Dancing.

Is Lindsay Lohan Going Back to Jail This Week?

For now, what's better for Lindsay Lohan: more jail or more rehab?

That's the question a Beverly Hills judge is expected to address Friday when the actress faces a probation violation hearing for failing a drug test last month in her DUI case.

Lohan, 24, who's ordered to appear in person, has voluntarily spent the last three weeks at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif. – at least her fifth time in rehab – after she bailed out of jail on Sept. 24.

"The key here is her progress in treatment," says L.A. criminal defense attorney Steve Sitkoff, who's not involved in the case. "The better she's doing in rehab, the less likely Judge Elden Fox will throw her in jail."

Any number of scenarios could play out on Friday:

• Lohan could be found in violation and be sent back to jail on the spot

• The actress could be ordered to stay in rehab in lieu of jail

• She might skip the hearing if her attorney can provide a letter from the Betty Ford Center demonstrating her progress

• Judge Fox could postpone the hearing all together to see how well she does in treatment

"Judge Fox has to balance whether to help Lindsay with her addiction or punish her with jail," says Sitkoff. "But if she continues to mess up by not following the court's orders, he won't hesitate to lock her up."

Palm Pre 2 Hitting Verizon Shelves November 11th, Sources Claim

We’ve already seen an internal training document claiming that the Palm Pre 2 would be landing on Verizon’s network some time in the future, but then we got confirmation from HP that the device, the true successor to the original Palm Pre (or Palm Pre Plus, even) would be landing on Verizon “in the coming months.” To some, that “coming months” part would mean that HP is aiming for a holiday shopping release, but it could also mean that they’ll miss that date and land some time in early 2011. According to some sources speaking with Droid-Life, it may be sooner than we all assumed.



According to the sources, who were also confirming that Android-based handsets would be landing on the Verizon network at the same time, the Palm Pre 2 will hit Verizon shelves and airwaves on November 11th. This is just a rumor for now, so take this bit of news with a grain of salt. Of course, the main takeaway of the new Pre is the introduction of webOS 2.0, and all of its new features. However, many people are looking forward to the upgraded hardware, too, even if it does look like the first model. If the November 11th date pans out, we have less than a month to wait before the handset starts showing up in Verizon stores across the nation. Who’s hoping?

Apple Really Doesn't Want You To Tear Apart A MacBook Air


The folks at iFixIt rushed to tear down the new MacBook Air, but they discovered that Apple apparently really doesn't want you to poke around the gadget. It's full of proprietary parts—right down to the screws.

Here are the highlights of the teardown according to iFixIt:

* The flip-open port door has been scrapped and the IR sensor and sleep LED are gone. In exchange, the new model manages to fit an extra USB 2.0 port along its right edge.

* Apple apparently doesn't want you inside this thing. They decided to use proprietary 5-point security Torx screws to attach the lower case. Once inside, the Air is held together with more normal 6-point T5 and T8 Torx screws.

* The battery is comprised of six individual lithium-polymer cells, which combine to form a 35 Watt-hour battery.

* Although in a different form factor, the new MacBook Air uses the same Broadcom BCM943224 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chip as the current lineup of MacBook Pros.

* The back of the trackpad has a Broadcom BCM5976A0K chip on it, likely responsible for the multi-touch capabilities of the the trackpad.

* The 11.6" MacBook Air features a resolution of 1366x768. That's a few more pixels and noticeably more widescreen (16x9 vs 16x10) than the 1280x800 resolution of previous Air models. In a welcome improvement, Apple has substantially enhanced the rigidity of the display assembly.

As usual, you can find more gadget gore photos over at iFixIt along with a step-by-step description of the full teardown. [iFixIt]

Van Ness thanks God for no bed scene in "Material Queen"

As reported previously, Van Ness Wu and Lynn Xiong were filming in Paris for their upcoming drama, “Material Queen”. Van Ness has been trying his best to avoid intimate scenes due to his Christianity, but he and Lynn had a bed scene in the drama. Fortunately, due to the cold weather in Paris, the bed scene was cancelled and changed to a kissing scene instead. Feeling relieved, Van Ness expressed, “Thank God!”

Van Ness broke up with his now ex-girlfriend Arissa just before he left Taiwan for Paris. He revealed to the media that he has already recovered from it, “Regardless of love relationships or work, God is the one giving me strength and power. Whether it’s good or bad, I have to face them all.” There were rumors that the couple broke up because Arissa had a new love interest and/or because of a dissatisfying sex life. Van Ness continued to thank God and did not disclose any further details of the break up to the media.

It’s Van Ness first time working with Lynn Xiong and he complimented her, saying that she’s very cute, “She’s completely different from her appearance. She’s like a kid, very easy to get along with.” Since Lynn is 179cm tall, whenever the two have to be filmed standing together, Lynn would take off her high heels right away. Van Ness laughed, “The director wanted me to stand on a box, but I refused.”

Golden Bell is airing on Friday, but Van Ness won’t be attending as he will be performing in Singapore. He didn’t forget to congratulate his good friend and director Chen Hui-Ling and Jian Man-Shu for their Best Director and Best Actress nominations for “Year of the Rain” respectively, “Hurry and go get your awards! You guys have to win!”

Source: UDN

TVXQ’s Yunho confirmed to star in drama, ‘Poseidon’


TVXQ’s Yunho has been selected as a main cast member for the upcoming marine police drama, ‘Poseidon‘.

On October 20th, the official Marine Police website uploaded new information and photos from the set. The website coordinator wrote, “These are pictures of the actors from ‘Poseidon’ in field training.” To elaborate, the production team disclosed: “The actors received field training from the Incheon squad, and we also ran test film shots in Silmi-do, Incheon.”

‘Poseidon’ will begin filming on November 3rd. The drama will be directed by PD Yoo Chul Yong (‘All In’), while Jo Kyu Won (‘IRIS‘) will be tackling the script.

Mel Gibson's 'Hangover 2' cameo axed


Hangover 2 helmer Todd Phillips has released a statement via Warner Bros., and Legendary Pictures that says Mel Gibson will not be appearing in the sequel to the 2009 hit comedy after all. “I thought Mel would have been great in the movie and I had the full backing of Jeff Robinov and his team,” Phillips says in the statement. “But I realize filmmaking is a collaborative effort, and this decision did not ultimately have the full support of my entire cast and crew.”

Just last week, sources confirmed with EW that the controversial Gibson would appear in the film as “an outlandish character, à la Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder.”

Courteney Cox & David Arquette in 'Scream 4' Trailer

Talk about weird timing. It was just a week ago that David Arquette and Courteney Cox announced their breakup, and now the teaser trailer for 'Scream 4' has arrived, celebrating the franchise that spurred their 11-year marriage.

It was back on the set of the original 'Scream' in 1996 that the two stars first hooked up, and now 14 years and one child later, their relationship is kaput. Both Cox and Arquette appear in Wes Craven's latest chapter of the famed serial killer series, scheduled to be released on April 15.

BlackBerry Style first hands-on!


Yes, folks, it's true: Engadget's capable of scooping itself at its own reader meetup, as evidenced by the BlackBerry Style we just checked out at RIM's booth here. The phone is pretty much what you'd expect from what you've seen in the shots so far, essentially a clamshell riff on the Curve line; to that end, we'd argue that it feels a little cheaper than your average Bold, but it still seems to be a marked improvement from the Pearl flips of days gone by -- and at $99 on contract, we think that's exactly the market they were likely going for. Interestingly, the keyboard looks more like a Bold component than a Curve one... and depending on the faction of BlackBerry users you fall into, that's either a very good or a very bad thing. Like the old Pearl flips, the Style's definitely large and in charge, boasting dimensions barely smaller than the Bold -- when closed! Check out the gallery below.

Television networks block Google TV from accessing web-based content



You may be able to watch The Office on your Google TV, but perhaps not on demand -- ABC, CBS and NBC are barring Sony and Logitech's web-infused TVs and set-top-boxes from accessing full episodes of streaming video content. The Wall Street Journal reports that all three networks have confirmed the ban, and that Fox hasn't yet reached a decision on whether it will ban Google TV as well. For its part, Google says that it's "ultimately the content owners' choice to restrict their fans from accessing their content on the platform," so don't expect the search company to pitch in, unless it can work out some premium arrangements for all parties involved. This is the part where we'd normally direct you to the simple browser tweak that made Hulu accessible when it pulled the very same stunt, but alas, we're finding Hulu too is once again blocked.

'Glee' star Dianna Agron on 'GQ' photo controversy: 'I understand completely'

Glee‘s Dianna Agron has taken to tumblr to pen a 500-word response to the controversy surrounding the racy photo shoot she and co-stars Lea Michele and Cory Monteith did for GQ. She writes:

“I’d like to start by saying that these are solely my thoughts on the November issue of GQ and the controversy that has surrounded its release. I am not a representative of the three of us, the show, or Fox, only myself.

In the land of Madonna, Britney, Miley, Gossip Girl, other public figures and shows that have pushed the envelope and challenged the levels of comfort in their viewers and fans… we are not the first. Now, in perpetuating the type of images that evoke these kind of emotions, I am sorry. If you are hurt or these photos make you uncomfortable, it was never our intention. And if your 8-year-old has a copy of our GQ cover in hand, again I am sorry. But I would have to ask, how on earth did it get there?

I was a very sheltered child, and was not aware of anything provocative or risque in the media while I was navigating through my formative years. When I was finally allowed to watch a movie like Grease, I did not even understand what on earth Rizzo was talking about!? I understand that in today’s world of advanced technology, the internet, our kids can be subject to very adult material at the click of a button. But there are parental locks, and ways to get around this. I am 24 years old. I have been a pretty tame and easy-going girl my whole life. Nobody is perfect, and these photos do not represent who I am. I am also not the girl who rolls out of bed with flawless makeup and couture clothing. I am most comfortable with my hair thrown on top of my head, in sweats, laughing with my friends. Glee is a show that represents the underdogs, which is a feeling I have embraced much of my own life, and to those viewers, the photos in GQ don’t give them that same feeling. I understand completely.

For GQ, they asked us to play very heightened versions of our school characters. A ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ version. At the time, it wasn’t my favorite idea, but I did not walk away. I must say, I am trying to live my life with a sharpie marker approach. You can’t erase the strokes you’ve made, but each step is much bolder and more deliberate. I’m moving forward from this one, and after today, putting it to rest. I am only myself, I can only be me. These aren’t photos I am going to frame and put on my desk, but hey, nor are any of the photos I take for magazines. Those are all characters we’ve played for this crazy job, one that I love and am so fortunate to have, each and every day. If you asked me for my dream photo shoot, I’d be in a treehouse, in a wild costume, war-paint and I’d be playing with my pet dragon. Until then…..”

Kristen Stewart 'Can't Think' About 'Twilight' Fans When Accepting Roles

It's no secret that Kristen Stewart has the 'Twilight' films to thank for putting her on the map ... and on posters lining the bedroom walls of teenagers all over the world.

In 'Welcome to the Rileys,' Stewart conquers a role so intense, so unexpected, it would make Bella Swan blush. As Mallory, a runway stripper who finds a kindred spirit in James Gandolfini, Stewart's angst-filled performance has tongues wagging ... and critics talking.

"It's not raunchy or anything, it's actually like a really sweet story," Stewart says of 'Welcome to the Rileys.'

We sat down with Kristen to discuss how 'Twilight' fans will react to 'Welcome to the Rileys,' and her answer may surprise you. Watch the video after the jump!

Microsoft Sold 240 Million Windows 7 Licenses In 1 Year

Windows, Microsoft’s ubiquitous operating system, sits firmly in place.

One year after launch, licenses for the successor of Windows Vista, Windows 7, have gone over the counter no less than 240 million times.

As Microsoft points out, that makes it the fastest selling operating system in history, which is not super surprising when you consider how many were clamoring to upgrade from Vista, and XP for that matter.

Still, that’s nearly a quarter billion licenses, folks.

Microsoft says that, as of September 2010, Windows 7 was running on 93% of new consumer PCs, although we’re left guessing as to what constitutes a “new consumer PC” here.

In contrast, Windows 7 ‘only’ boasts 17% global OS market share (according to Net Applications), which means a lot of computers are still running XP and Vista.

On the bright side, growth seems to be accelerating. Last June, Microsoft announced that they had sold 150 million copies of Windows 7, so that translates to sales of about 90 million licenses in the past 5 months. A lot would have to go wrong for Microsoft not to hit 300 million copies sold by year’s end.

On a personal note, 99% of my online activities, work and play, are done on a Windows 7 PC.

It’s a genuine pleasure to use, period.

A Note From January Steve Jobs to October Steve Jobs


This is what you get when you mix Steve Jobs' iPad presentation with yesterday's MacBook Air presentation, barely ten months later. Of course, a PC netbook is not like an axe-blade-thin MacBook Air. And the MacBook Air isn't "cheap".

The same happened with video iPods and smartphones and tablets too. One day he trashes something... and the next day, that something is the best thing ever. That something being their thing.

Let's take a bet: Despite saying the contrary yesterday, Steve Jobs will show fully touch-enabled Air-ish notebooks powered by Mac OS X Lion in October 2011, including at 15-inch model. In fact, I'm sure Apple is working on a desktop touch solution too.

Hey, I predicted all this a few months ago, so my "touch-crystal ball" works. And with touch-crystal ball I really mean "whiskey touch-glass".

Christina Aguilera: Split Has Caused 'Tears and Sadness'

Christina Aguilera is relying on her mother, her son and her closest friends to help her through the emotional turmoil of her divorce from Jordan Bratman.

"It's not easy, and there have been a lot of tears and sadness. It's impossible to redefine yourself and your life overnight," the pop star, 29, tells Redbook in its November issue, on newsstands Nov. 16.

"Thankfully, I have my mom and a small group of close friends who are there for me 24/7 and whom I can trust and depend on. On days when it feels impossible to even get out of bed, much less function as a mother, their support and encouragement have kept me moving forward."

Also, her son Max, who will be 3 in January, remains a source of joy – and someone she can focus on. "Thankfully, I have Max to keep me on a sane path," Aguilera says. "His needs and happiness are my top priorities, and my biggest concern is to protect him and make him feel safe."

Asked about the details of her split, she adds: "Out of respect for my husband, I prefer to keep the specifics private. Right now, I'm just trying to figure out how to make it through each day."

Watch a Leaked Video of Android 3.0 Gingerbread In Action



Earlier this week, Phandroid served up some mouthwatering details about Android 3.0, AKA Gingerbread, along with one (very lousy) screenshot. Now they've got a (very lousy) video clip that supposedly shows Gingerbread's turn-the-screen-off animation, and it is pretty damn cool.

Yup, just like you're turning off one of those old tube TVs. But more exciting than that single animation is what it suggests about the level of visual polish we can expect from Android 3.0. Very tasty indeed. [Phandroid]

Nokia reports Q3 earnings, €10.3 billion in sales


This morning, mobile giant Nokia announced earnings results for their Q3 of 2010 to mixed reviews. While the company did beat analysts Q3 estimates — with €529 million in net income and 110.4 million devices sold — the Finnish company did note that it would cut more than 1,800 jobs in an attempt to “streamline operations.” Other notable facts from Nokia’s Q3 sheet: the handset maker sold just 3.2 million devices in North America, the average selling price of all 110.4 million handsets was €65, and 11.6 million devices were sold in Latin America (a 20% increase year-over-year).

In a separate statement, the company also announced that it would no longer “refer to Symbian^3 or Symbian^4,” rather all “future improvements in Symbian will be developed in Qt and will be compatible with the existing Symbian^3 platform release.” The new, ubiquitous Symbian model will focus on Qt as the development framework and include support for HTML5. The company wrote, “The decision to focus on Qt as the sole application development framework will ensure that applications will continue to be compatible with future evolutions of Symbian as well as upcoming MeeGo products.” Hit the jump for links to both press releases.

Jackie Evancho Holiday Album “O Holy Night” Available Nov. 16


Move over, SuBo: Jackie Evancho, the 10-year-old prodigy who wowed audiences on America’s Got Talent last Augut with her powerhouse operatic vocals, will release her first EP album through a newly-minted deal with Columbia Records on Nov. 16. The holiday-themed O Holy Night will feature four audio songs from the young soprano as well as a DVD that will include an interview with Jackie and her video performances of several classical crossover songs.

Samsung Galaxy S Android 2.2 update gone till November


So sad. It looks like those Galaxy S owners who are still, very patiently we might add, waiting to get Android 2.2 on their handsets will just have to wait a little longer. According to a tweet by Samsung Mobile UK, the company’s Froyo update will “be available in the UK from early November” and to all other operators “by the end of November.” While this is just the UK, it can’t be a good sign for those U.S. Galaxy S handset owners with carrier branded handsets who were expecting Android Deuce-Deuce in the near future.

Sex.com Sold for $13 Million

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Winamp comes to Android, one of our childhood dreams is realized


Here's a blast from the past: Winamp, that mainstay media player of college dorms and LAN parties since time immemorial (er, 1997 or so) has made the leap from PC to handset with the release of Winamp for Android. This bad boy is available for Android 2.1 and up, and features a playback widget for the Android desktop and Last.fm integration. But that ain't all! If you install Winamp 5.59 beta on your PC, you can sync and manage your libraries via USB or WiFI. Pretty sweet! We only have one questions, really: will it still whip the llama's ass? Check out the QR code after the break (or search the Android Market) for the mobile app. Winamp 5.59 beta is available in the Winamp forums (More Coverage link, below).

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