- What better way to promote the Blu-Ray release of your incredibly dated film from 18 years ago than a well-timed cinematic re-release? Big ups to Steven Spielberg and Co. for “touching up” and re-mastering the original Jurassic Park for re-release in cinemas on Sept. 23 ahead of its Blu-Ray release and trying to squeeze even more cash out of the film. While the original film was a huge commercial success, it’s difficult not to view it in a different (and less flattering) light for spawning multiple unwatchable sequels bad enough to make you wish the first film had never been made. But perhaps a tricked-out version of the original - with no actual editing or tinkering done to the effects or any part of the story outside of a little light cleansing and digitalization of the print - will be enough to wipe the memories of those tragically terrible sequels from the world’s collective memory. Okay, so it definitely won’t, but the re-release is happening anyhow and after that, all three (sadly) Jurassic Park films are to be released on Blu-Ray on Oct. 24. Had Spielberg and his crew merely decided to redo the original film and pretend that the two sequels never happened, by the way, there would have been a grand total of zero complaints. The films are certain to look dated and none of the actors in them delivered what could be called top-level, Oscar-worthy performances, but watching the original one more time (on Blu-Ray, certainly not paying $10 to see it in the theater) might be a fun stroll down memory lane……….
- As training camp nears an end, a certain quarterback in Denver Broncos camp has been struggling with his accuracy, regularly sailing passes off-target and missing wide-open receivers with stunning regularity. He’s been so bad that analysts have questioned whether he even belongs in the NFL at all……and yet it’s the other guy, the one who has supposedly looked great and is poised for a solid year, who unleashed a throw so errant at a practice this week that it not only wasn’t caught, but did some damage in the nearby players’ parking lot. Starting QB Kyle Orton, the man who has ripped any chance Tim Tebow had of starting this season, was running through a passing drill in camp Wednesday when he let fly with a pass that was high and wide and kept on going…….and going…..and going, all the way to the parking lot. The ball finally stopped when it struck running back Willis McGahee's Porsche, cracking the car’s windshield and leaving Orton to pay for the damage. Media reports from the practice had the ball bouncing once and striking the car, located in a lot only about 10 yards from back of end zone on the practice field. Had it been Tebow who threw the pass, the jokes would have been fast, furious and nonstop about how inaccurate and awful a quarterback he is. With Orton, it was a quirky, laugh-and-move-on tale that will end with Orton placing a call to the nearest auto glass repair shop and probably chipping off $100 or so to take McGahee out for a nice steak dinner to apologize. Oh, and it should also end with the Broncos installing some sort of mesh or netting atop the field at the back of the end zone on their practice field to ensure that there is no repeat of this incident. After all, they do still have Tim Tebow on their roster…………
- Not everyone wants out of the personal computer market, it seems. While leading PC maker HP is jumping out of the game, smaller companies looking for their niche are seizing upon limited openings and making the most of them. Gaming peripheral company Razer is entering the fray with its own portable gaming laptop, the Razer Blade. The Blade is to be unveiled and demonstrated this weekend at PAX Prime in Seattle. It is a high-powered, portable Windows 7-based laptop priced at $2,800 and targeted for the market later this year. Running the world’s worst operating system puts it behind the proverbial eight-ball, as does its massive price tag, but its thinner, lighter design should still make it appealing compared to current gaming laptops, says company co-founder/CEO/creative director Min-Liang Tan. "The key for us was to have something that was so portable, that you could pull it out of your bag with a single hand and be something you could bring along with you," he said. "And not only is this thinner than the Alienware (laptops), but by the time we were done (designing) it, it is thinner than a Macbook Pro and more powerful. It's the most powerful and thinnest 17-inch laptop today." Razer is based in Carlsbad, Calif., and also has international offices in cities such as Shanghai and Seoul, along with a new tech lab in Austin, Texas. The company is best known for its high-end PC gaming mice, keyboards and headphones, but is taking a significant risk by producing its own laptop. "We built a bit of a cult brand around the company because we understand user interfaces for gaming," Tan says. "That's all we are good at unfortunately, or fortunately. We've developed own sensors and our own platforms, primarily just for PC gaming." The Blade grew out of Tan and his tech team’s dissatisfaction with the current state of gaming laptops. "They are way too thick and way too heavy, nothing I would take back and forth or on the road to play games," he recalled. Working with Intel and graphics company Nvidia, Razer's internal design and engineering teams created the Blade. The end result is a laptop that measures less than an inch in thickness (0.88 inches) and, with its aluminum chassis, weighs about seven pounds. As is to be expected with a $2,800 lapper, it has a 17-inch backlit high-definition display and, next to the full-sized QWERTY keyboard with 10 programmable function keys and a secondary multi-touch display. Tan predicts the Blade will become popular with not only hardcore gamers, but casual ones as well. Considering how far out on a limb Razer is going for the Blade, it had better hope its CEO is correct……….
- Riot Watch! Riot Watch! For a not-so-gentle reminder that the Arab world is not the only place where the common man can rise up and riot to let his government hear his angry voice of dissent, turn your attention to Chile, where the entire nation is in an uproar after what began as a student boycott has become the largest mass movement Chile has seen since it re-established democracy in 1991. The sheer scale of the uprising is inspiring, as rioting, looting, burning of vehicles and other objects and rock-throwing have led to a total of 1,394 arrests nationwide. The riots came on the heels of a nationwide two-day strike featuring peaceful marches. Because peaceful marches are boring and in dire need of someone to step up and spice them up, a heaven-sent group of youths played the role by donning hoods and confronting police. That sparked the violence in which 53 civilians and 153 police officers were injured. Unfortunately, the chaos did result in one death as 16-year-old Manuel Gutierrez was struck and killed by a bullet fired by an unknown assailant in the capital city of Santiago. Deputy Interior Minister Rodrigo Ubilla vowed to quickly determine who fired the bullet that killed and bring them to justice. However, Gutierrez’s friends claimed police fired at them without cause, while Ubilla suggested he died fighting the officers. A few trouble-causing protestors actually attempted to stop the clashes between police and rioters by standing between the twp and holding up their hands, but thankfully they were ignored. The violence was not limited to Santiago and demonstrations have taken place across Chile during the past two days. Chileans from border to border marched Thursday, demanding profound changes in the country's heavily centralized and privatized form of government. All manner of unhappy citizens took part, including union members, students, government workers and Chile's center-left opposition parties. Aside from the one tragic death, the sight was an inspiring one and proof that South America knows how to riot too…………
- Here’s hoping all out-of-work actors in New York City and Los Angeles don’t decide to follow the example of entertainer Dotan Negrin. Don’t get me wrong; Negrin’s cross-country journey playing his upright piano off a moving van as he journeys across the United States is awesome, inspiring and Kerouac-ian, but the concept would be significantly less cool if hundreds of down-on-their-luck actors decided it was their ticket to the fame and fortune they could never get auditioning for bit parts in indie films and shampoo commercials. Negrin had an advantage because he has been playing the piano for six years, but it wasn’t until his search for acting jobs in NYC hit a serious dead period that he began toying with the idea of saddling up and going on the road. "I figured this is a trip to develop my skills," he explained. "But then I realized through the message people were sending me that this is much more powerful. It's all to help people realize their dreams." In helping people realize their dreams, he’s found himself in some amazing places as well. “I've been to eight national parks throughout this journey and one of the best was playing inside of a redwood tree," said Negrin. "I saw the tree, it was a hollowed out redwood, and there was enough room for me to bring my piano in." In addition to performing at national parks, he has also visited numerous college campuses and on Thursday afternoon, he made a stop at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Memorial Union Terrace for an afternoon show. Students and faculty stopped to watch and some even chose to take part in the performance, helping play parts on Negrin's piano. "I was surprised to see this, because I didn't expect to see anybody out here like this," said Ralph Grunewalk, a UW-Madison faculty associate. "This is the lake. It's quiet, it's soothing, and all of a sudden I hear this rhythm. It's kind of a very nice, wonderful contrast." His trek is fueled by donations from the crowd, which he said is just enough to cover food and gas. The tour will continue into September, at which time Negrin plans to see what opportunities his adventure has opened up for him and go from there. To find out more about his travels, go to www.pianoacrossamerica.com…………
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