The world's greatest experiences begin with you and can now be shared at This Is The Life
That's Right,
HMK
Sunday, April 24, 2005
This Is The Life
The world's greatest experiences begin with you and can now be shared at This Is The Life
That's Right,
HMK
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
I Love L.A.!
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- "Star Wars" fans will have to find the right theater before they can leave for the dark side.
Seven weeks before its release, "Star Wars" fanatics started lining up outside Grauman's Chinese Theater for the sixth installment of the popular George Lucas movie series. The vigil began Saturday.
But there's a problem: "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" won't be showing at the Hollywood landmark when the movie is released May 19. The studio, 20th Century Fox, opted instead to open the film a mile away at the ArcLight theater.
Still, the resolute "Star Wars" die-hards aren't moving on. Beneath a makeshift awning, 11 people refused to relinquish their spots in line.
"We've heard all this before," fan Sarah Sprague said, noting there were plenty of rumors in 1999 and 2002 that previous "Star Wars" movies weren't opening at the Chinese Theater. The rumors were false and the films were shown there.
Fox and the ArcLight haven't completed their "Star Wars" deal, but executives on both sides told Daily Variety "Revenge of the Sith" will play at the ArcLight, not the Chinese.
Yet Sprague was adamant the line wouldn't be moving to the ArcLight.
"This is still the epicenter for 'Star Wars' fans. For the big iconic pictures of the 1970s, people lining up were here. They weren't at the Cinerama Dome (at the ArcLight)," Sprague said.
Lucas' final "Star Wars" chapter spells out the last dark steps the once goodhearted young Anakin Skywalker takes to become the villain Darth Vader.
May The Farce Be With You,
Tha's Right,
HMK
Seven weeks before its release, "Star Wars" fanatics started lining up outside Grauman's Chinese Theater for the sixth installment of the popular George Lucas movie series. The vigil began Saturday.
But there's a problem: "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" won't be showing at the Hollywood landmark when the movie is released May 19. The studio, 20th Century Fox, opted instead to open the film a mile away at the ArcLight theater.
Still, the resolute "Star Wars" die-hards aren't moving on. Beneath a makeshift awning, 11 people refused to relinquish their spots in line.
"We've heard all this before," fan Sarah Sprague said, noting there were plenty of rumors in 1999 and 2002 that previous "Star Wars" movies weren't opening at the Chinese Theater. The rumors were false and the films were shown there.
Fox and the ArcLight haven't completed their "Star Wars" deal, but executives on both sides told Daily Variety "Revenge of the Sith" will play at the ArcLight, not the Chinese.
Yet Sprague was adamant the line wouldn't be moving to the ArcLight.
"This is still the epicenter for 'Star Wars' fans. For the big iconic pictures of the 1970s, people lining up were here. They weren't at the Cinerama Dome (at the ArcLight)," Sprague said.
Lucas' final "Star Wars" chapter spells out the last dark steps the once goodhearted young Anakin Skywalker takes to become the villain Darth Vader.
May The Farce Be With You,
Tha's Right,
HMK
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Show Me The Funny!
The Found Footage Festival is a live comedy event and screening featuring odd and hilarious clips from videotapes found at thrift stores and garage sales and in warehouses and Dumpsters throughout the country. Curators Geoff Haas, Joe Pickett and/or Nick Prueher host each screening and provide their unique observations and commentary on these found video obscurities. From the curiously-produced industrial training video to the forsaken home movie donated to Goodwill, the Found Footage Festival resurrects these forgotten treasures and serves them up in an entertaining 90-minute celebration of all things found.
The preview simply says it all!
Show Me The Funny!
That's Right,
HMK
The FFF is a non-profit arts group which holds no rights or permissions to the material screened. The presentation of the FFF is for the purposes of entertainment only!
The preview simply says it all!
Show Me The Funny!
That's Right,
HMK
The FFF is a non-profit arts group which holds no rights or permissions to the material screened. The presentation of the FFF is for the purposes of entertainment only!
Friday, April 01, 2005
Apple Adopts Windows Media for iTunes, iPod
In a surprise move, Apple Computer announced Friday, April 1st, that it was licensing Microsoft's Windows Media platform for use with both the iTunes Music Store and the company's market-leading iPod music player. Apple will be replacing its proprietary FairPlay DRM scheme and AAC codec with Microsoft's Janus platform, allowing the company to leverage the more open nature of Microsoft's Windows Media platform across its burgeoning consumer electronics product line.
In addition to managing a la carte downloads from online music stores, Janus has the added bonus of allowing music lovers to take rented music with them in Windows Media-supported devices, something that has helped Napster become the #2 online music service. By licensing Windows Media and Janus, Apple will be able to follow in Napster's footsteps, and the company plans to open a rental section in the iTunes Music Store.
iTunes users will have the option of converting all of their songs to Windows Media in an upcoming update to iTunes, and iPods will be converted to Windows Media players in a firmware update due later today.
More Choice, and changing momentum
One factor in bringing Apple to Microsoft's trough has been the changing landscape in the online music industry. Apple's iTunes Music Store has, by some estimates, some 90% of the market in legal music downloads, but replacing AAC and FairPlay with Windows Media and Janus gives Apple access to 100% of the market.
Microsoft has worked hard to show customers that having access to more choices in digital media devices and online music stores is better than having access to many consider to be the best music player, the iPod, and the top online music store, the iTunes Music Store.
Microsoft's 'More Choice' campaign has had an impact on Apple's sales, and Apple wanted to jump on the Microsoft bandwagon in order to keep pace with these changing tides.
"Microsoft has scored a success with consumers with its 'More Choice' campaign," Apple vice president Phil Schiller said in a statement. "Our customers have been letting us know that they expect that choice from Apple, and partnering with Microsoft seemed the best way to achieve that."
Six ways to punch you below the belt
Sources close to the company admitted to TMO that Microsoft had also hit Apple where it hurt with its "Six Tips for Buying an MP3 Player with Flash Memory" tip sheet for consumers. The Six Tips offered consumers a guide to selecting a music player that meets their needs, and emphasized some of the many features and benefits found only in non-iPod, Windows Media devices.
"That was just genius," said one source, who requested anonymity. "You'll notice that they didn't even mention the iPod once. Once a potential customer sees that, they're sold on an iRiver, a Dell DJ, or whatever. We couldn't compete with that, but thankfully Microsoft was willing to help us out."
In an interview with The Mac Observer, Apple CEO Steve Jobs pointed out that Apple was doomed as long as it tried to go-it-alone, and that the time had come for Apple "to do the right thing" for its customers and shareholders.
"We've had a pretty good run so far, you'll have to admit," said Mr. Jobs, "but let's face it: This is Microsoft we're talking about. Everyone knows they get it right by the time version 3.0 rolls around, and it was only a matter of when before our time in the limelight of success was merely dust in the wind."
He continued, "Why take chances? This way we can keep our customers while letting Microsoft have all the headaches of managing customer expectations and problems. That stuff was killing our margins."
When asked if Apple had always intended to adopt Windows Media as the platform controlling iTunes and iPod, Mr. Jobs declined to comment.
Thanks to Bryan Chaffin
In addition to managing a la carte downloads from online music stores, Janus has the added bonus of allowing music lovers to take rented music with them in Windows Media-supported devices, something that has helped Napster become the #2 online music service. By licensing Windows Media and Janus, Apple will be able to follow in Napster's footsteps, and the company plans to open a rental section in the iTunes Music Store.
iTunes users will have the option of converting all of their songs to Windows Media in an upcoming update to iTunes, and iPods will be converted to Windows Media players in a firmware update due later today.
More Choice, and changing momentum
One factor in bringing Apple to Microsoft's trough has been the changing landscape in the online music industry. Apple's iTunes Music Store has, by some estimates, some 90% of the market in legal music downloads, but replacing AAC and FairPlay with Windows Media and Janus gives Apple access to 100% of the market.
Microsoft has worked hard to show customers that having access to more choices in digital media devices and online music stores is better than having access to many consider to be the best music player, the iPod, and the top online music store, the iTunes Music Store.
Microsoft's 'More Choice' campaign has had an impact on Apple's sales, and Apple wanted to jump on the Microsoft bandwagon in order to keep pace with these changing tides.
"Microsoft has scored a success with consumers with its 'More Choice' campaign," Apple vice president Phil Schiller said in a statement. "Our customers have been letting us know that they expect that choice from Apple, and partnering with Microsoft seemed the best way to achieve that."
Six ways to punch you below the belt
Sources close to the company admitted to TMO that Microsoft had also hit Apple where it hurt with its "Six Tips for Buying an MP3 Player with Flash Memory" tip sheet for consumers. The Six Tips offered consumers a guide to selecting a music player that meets their needs, and emphasized some of the many features and benefits found only in non-iPod, Windows Media devices.
"That was just genius," said one source, who requested anonymity. "You'll notice that they didn't even mention the iPod once. Once a potential customer sees that, they're sold on an iRiver, a Dell DJ, or whatever. We couldn't compete with that, but thankfully Microsoft was willing to help us out."
In an interview with The Mac Observer, Apple CEO Steve Jobs pointed out that Apple was doomed as long as it tried to go-it-alone, and that the time had come for Apple "to do the right thing" for its customers and shareholders.
"We've had a pretty good run so far, you'll have to admit," said Mr. Jobs, "but let's face it: This is Microsoft we're talking about. Everyone knows they get it right by the time version 3.0 rolls around, and it was only a matter of when before our time in the limelight of success was merely dust in the wind."
He continued, "Why take chances? This way we can keep our customers while letting Microsoft have all the headaches of managing customer expectations and problems. That stuff was killing our margins."
When asked if Apple had always intended to adopt Windows Media as the platform controlling iTunes and iPod, Mr. Jobs declined to comment.
Thanks to Bryan Chaffin
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