Sunday, April 29, 2012

Apple in talks with Epix over content streaming to Apple TV and other devices

Apple has been involved in talks with major TV channel Epix over rights to streaming its content to the Apple TV or any other Apple device which has that capability. The Epix channel is backed by three major movie studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures and Lionsgate.


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Where Does Brandy's 'Behind The Music' Rank On All-Time List?

Singer reveals eating disorder, feelings about deadly car crash and secret affair with Boyz II Men singer.
By Gil Kaufman


Brandy on VH1's "Behind the Music"
Photo: VH1

For the past 15 years, VH1's "Behind the Music" has chronicled the ups, downs and back ups of countless musicians' lives and careers. The show has traced the roller-coaster of fame rides by the likes of everyone from Aerosmith to Vanilla Ice, Mötley Crüe, Milli Vanilla, Madonna, 50 Cent and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The formula is beyond predictable by now: wide-eyed musician(s) with prodigious talent has meteoric rise to fame, tragedy strikes in the form of drug addiction/death of close friend/label rip-off/career tank or any number of other obstacles, but not before said artist manages to rise above and make it back to the spotlight. Except when they don't, as in the case of such tragic figures as Aaliyah, the Notorious B.I.G. or Rick James.

But this week VH1 brought us the story of Brandy Norwood, the world-beating 1990s star whose resume of drama made for one of the most quintessential episodes in the show's long history. And, in another of the show's impressive traditions, Brandy opened up about some major issues that have never been dealt with in public in quite this way.

Like Missy Elliott revealing her serious health issues last year or Nas providing the most detail to date about his failed marriage to Kelis, Brandy put all her cards on the table, revealing for the first time that she hid her teenage affair with Boyz II Men singer Wanya Morris from her family and fans for years, struggled with anorexia and bulimia as well as talking about her fake marriage to music producer Robert Smith that was concocted to cover up her out-of-wedlock child. The latter, she says, almost destroyed her career for good. She also discussed her reaction to the death of mentor and good friend, Whitney Houston, who died on Brandy's birthday in February, just days after Houston had given Brandy words of encouragement about her revived career.

The capper was her emotional discussion of the December 2006 car accident she caused on a California highway that took the life of a 38-year-old mother of two. "It was just one of those experiences you wish would never happen to anybody," she said. "That was one of the worst times of my life ... someone lost their life and now everyone is saying that I'm to blame." Though she escaped a manslaughter prosecution in the case, the incident clearly had a profound effect on the singer and her reaction provided one of the most emotional moments in the series' history.

"Still to this day people ... they know that that's a button," she said tearfully. "They know that they can call me a murderer, or call me someone that killed someone ... they know that that is a button for me."

This season has already seen a return to the tragic death of Aaliyah in a plane crash, Nas' struggle to deal with the death of his mother and the dissolution of his marriage, T-Pain's heartbreaking battle to break free of his domineering father, Akon's controversial car-boosting past and The Game's battles with his label and former mentor 50 Cent.

But of all the classic tragic stories of rappers and rock bands tested by death, drugs and disorder (Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Metallica, T.I., Motley Crue, Leif Garrett, Def Leppard and DMX), Brandy's stands out as one of the most emotionally wrenching stories of the modern pop era. And, thankfully for her, with a new album on the way and a steady relationship, as well as another hit single with pal Monica, Brandy's story appears to be conforming to the formula just fine.

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Saturday, April 28, 2012

USC develops printable liquid solar cells for flexible, low-cost panels

USC develops printable liquid solar cells for flexible, low-cost panels

Solar cells are becoming more viable sources of energy -- and as they become more efficient, they're only getting smaller and cheaper to produce. Liquid nanocrystal cells are traditionally inefficient at converting sunlight into electricity, but by adding a synthetic ligand to help transmit currents, researchers at USC have improved their effectiveness. The advantage of these liquid solar cells? They're cheaper than single-crystal silicon wafer solutions, and they're also a shockingly minuscule four nanometers in size, meaning more than 250 billion could fit on the head of a pin. Moreover, they can be printed onto surfaces -- even plastic -- without melting. Ultimately, the goal of this research is to pave the way for ultra-flexible solar panels. However, the scientists are still experimenting with materials for constructing the nanocrystals, since the semiconductor cadmium selenide they've used thus far is too toxic for commercial use.

USC develops printable liquid solar cells for flexible, low-cost panels originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia 808 Pureview goes up against Nokia N8, should probably pick on someone its own age (video)

Nokia 808 Pureview goes up against Nokia N8, should probably pick on someone its own age (video)

Aside from a brief video ad to show off its own motion-capture chops, it's gone a little quiet on Nokia's 808 PureView. The imposing 41-megapixel cameraphone, or phone-camera, is Nokia's latest Symbian device so why not run it (almost) side-by-side with the Nokia N8? The screen looks substantially more impressive on the 808 PureView, which is 0.5 inches larger than its older relative, but that brighter showing probably has more to do with the new phone's placement center-stage in exx10sive's hands-on video. Arguably Nokia's last Symbian big-hitter, the 808 PureView seems far more responsive to touch; apps appear to launch almost immediately, while the Belle UI also seems better suited to the newer device, with larger menu text and icons in view. The camera app has also been given a more modern flavor, in line with other smartphone camera UIs. A full-fat eight-minute comparison lies in wait after the break. Hopefully, those hints at a May launch will hold true -- we're waiting for the camera, not the Symbian.

Continue reading Nokia 808 Pureview goes up against Nokia N8, should probably pick on someone its own age (video)

Nokia 808 Pureview goes up against Nokia N8, should probably pick on someone its own age (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gina Carano Ready To Get Her 'Feet Wet' In 'Fast & Furious 6'

'I'm going to go from the 'Haywire' crew to the 'Fast 6' crew, so I'm going to get a very broad range of knowledge,' she tells MTV News.
By Kevin P. Sullivan


Gina Carano
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images

Action fans rejoiced earlier this week when The Hollywood Reporter announced that MMA fighter-turned-actor Gina Carano was in talks to join the sixth "Fast & Furious" movie. It seemed liked an inspired choice for the series that saw new life after "Fast Five" impressed last year.

MTV News caught up with the breakout star while she was promoting the Blu-ray release of "Haywire," and she spoke excitedly about the prospects of joining the action series.

"We got a call about two weeks ago to do 'The Fast and the Furious 6,' " Carano said. "We're in negotiations for that, so if that goes through, that will be a really cool opportunity for me to get my feet wet on another big-budget film and be around all these different types of actors."

Carano seemed pleased at the idea of appealing to different bases of fans within the action genre, moving from the art-house appeal of "Haywire" to the mainstream explosions of "Fast & Furious."

"I'm going to go from the 'Haywire' crew to the 'Fast 6' crew, so I'm going to get a very broad range of knowledge as far as people go," she said. "It's like two different high school groups. You've got the very artistic, and then you've got the action group of athletes, like hard-core. Very different personalities there."

Carano is in negotiations to play a member of Dwayne Johnson's team in the upcoming sequel directed by "Fast Five" helmer Justin Lin. As for whether Carano has begun sizing up her soon-to-be castmates, she said that's not something she has to think about. "No, I'm pretty secure. I don't need to size anybody up. I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about giving a good performance and understanding my character. That's what I'll focus on."

The actress wouldn't say for sure how close she was to signing on, but remained optimistic about her prospects. "It will be really good for me, and I'm completely open to it," Carano said. "If negotiations go good, we'll probably start filming that."

Check out everything we've got on "Fast & Furious 6."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Lady Gaga's Born This Way Ball Kicks Off Amid Protests

Seoul, South Korea, set list heavy on new material, but Gaga's biggest hits come out to play.
By John Mitchell

<P><a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/lady_gaga/artist.jhtml">Lady Gaga</a> kicked off her hotly awaited <i>Born This Way</i> Ball at Seoul, South Korea's Olympic Stadium on Friday (April 27) in front of 45,000 fans, and despite <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17867102" target="_blank">protests</a> from Christian groups saying Mother Monster was "obscene" and could "taint" young people with her performance, the concert appears to have gone on without incident. </P><P> </P><P>Intrepid Twitter fans are already showing off pictures and video of the <i>BTW</i> Ball's enormous Gothic castle backdrop and myriad costume changes, making it clear that Gaga has outdone even her own Monster Ball in terms of spectacle. </P><P> </P><P>While we wait for reviews to trickle in from halfway around the world, one thing is certain: No minors were corrupted at the show. Earlier this month, the Korea Media Rating Board decided to <a href="http://newsroom.mtv.com/2012/04/02/lady-gaga-unfazed-by-south-korean-concert-age-restrictions/">elevate the age rating</a> for the concert from 12 to 18, prohibiting minors from seeing the concert. When the board notified Gaga's tour promotion company and a sponsor of the change in age restrictions, it did not offer a reason why the show &#8212; which at the time was still in rehearsals and has not been reviewed publicly &#8212; was considered unsuitable for children under 18. </P><P> </P><P><CENTER><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:717952/cp~vid%3D717952%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A717952" width="430" height="242" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."></embed></CENTER> </P><P> </P><P>The likely catalyst for the board's decision came more into focus as the concert neared and protests from a group of conservative Christians calling itself the Alliance for Sound Culture in Sexuality ramped up. The group <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-57419977-10391698/lady-gagas-born-this-way-ball-met-by-protests-in-south-korea/" target="_blank">covered Seoul with posters</a> accusing Gaga of "spreading unhealthy sexual culture" through "lewd lyrics and performances." </P><P> </P><P>The superstar and her fans, however, were undeterred. Though she <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/ladygaga/status/186886867118080000" target="_blank">tweeted</a> her hopes that the Korea Media Rating Board would reverse its decision (it didn't), she continued on as planned. Many fans reportedly arrived at the show wearing versions of Gaga's most well-known flamboyant costumes, and there have been no reports of disturbances at the concert. </P><P> </P><P>Before the show, Gaga <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/ladygaga/status/195815732494348288" target="_blank">tweeted</a>, "I can you hear you Korea. I'm shaking." </P><P> </P><P>Gaga's performance was heavy on material from her <i>Born this Way</i> album, though her biggest hits, including "Bad Romance," Poker Face" and "Just Dance," were represented. </P><P> </P><P>Lady Gaga's <i>Born This Way</i> Ball set list: </P><P> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Highway Unicorn" <br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Government Hooker"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Born This Way"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Bloody Mary"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Bad Romance"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Fashion of His Love"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "The Queen"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Just Dance"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Love Game"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Telephone"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Just Dance"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Heavy Metal Lover"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Bad Kids"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Hair"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Yo&#252; and I"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Electric Chapel"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Americano"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Poker Face"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Schei&#223;e"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "The Edge of Glory"<br> </P><P><b>&#187;</b> "Marry the Night" </P><P> </P><P><i>Did you see Lady Gaga's </i>Born This Way<i> Ball? Let us know what you thought of the show in the comments below!</i></p>

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Clearwire's TDD-LTE rolling out in 'early 2013,' coming to NYC, SF, LA, Chicago, Seattle and more

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Clearwire's hardly throwing in the towel after that whole "WiMAX" thing; instead, the outfit has its sights firmly set on bringing TDD-LTE (Long-Term Evolution Time-Division Duplex) to the masses here in America, starting with an initial rollout in early 2013. A release put out today confirms that New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle will be among the 31 cities where the company will launch the aforesaid network, though there's no breakdown on which of those metro markets will be forced to wait until "mid-2013" to get served. Speaking of, Clearwire's making no bones about the fact that "high demand hot zones" will be the ones targeted initially, and in a bid to outshine those LTE networks already live, President and CEO Erik Prusch is suggesting that his firm's 4G network "will show that not all LTE networks are created equal." Bold words, sir.

Continue reading Clearwire's TDD-LTE rolling out in 'early 2013,' coming to NYC, SF, LA, Chicago, Seattle and more

Clearwire's TDD-LTE rolling out in 'early 2013,' coming to NYC, SF, LA, Chicago, Seattle and more originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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