Breaking: James Bond a Superbig Video Game Nerd!
Daniel Craig’s cover is about to be blown. He’s the cool and suave new James Bond, but the dudes working on the Quantum of Solace video game revealed his true identity: game geek. And one who’s not quite the killing machine he is onscreen. (If you haven’t seen the movie’s new trailer, by the way, do so now.)
Garrett Young, executive producer of the Solace tie-in game, shared the scoop with us: He went to Pinewood Studios outside of London to show the star his electronic alter ego and found Craig in his trailer, strumming a fake guitar.
“Yeah, Guitar Hero, that’s our game,” said Young. “Right on, that’s our company, too!”
But would you want this guy in your Halo clan? Well…
Young gave 007 a hands-on lesson with the new game, and he said that Craig wasn’t, at first, as good a shot on the Xbox as he is with a real Walther PPK. “Once he learned the controls for cover combat,” he admitted, “he was really smooth with it.”
The gamers then bonded with Craig over his suggestions, and he even got them to leave behind their demo.
“He brought his buddies in on the set to see the game,” Young said. “It’s really cool working with somebody that is a gamer and passionate.”
Idol Chatter: Boys Will Be Boys (and Sing Off-Key)
Something happened on the way to the debut of the American Idol top 24 that was supposed to be "the best yet."
They, um, sorta sucked.
Yes, there were three obvious exceptions—Jason Castro, Michael Johns and David Archuleta, who will no doubt make it to the final 12 and possibly even final three—but still, tonight's kickoff performances by the boys of season seven were by and large so shaky and awkward and off-kilter, it made us fans yearn for the likes of Justin Guarini singing "A Moment Like This" back in the earliest days. (And that's so not a good thing!)
And so the biggest question of the night is: What happened? Where did all this amazing talent go wrong? And why did so many of them look so terrified and out of place?
Clearly, their first big night being thrown to the vultures (voters and viewers who might say awful things like the second sentence above) had them all scared hit-less. The debut jitters were in full effect, and pitch and performance took a back seat. It's also worth noting here that insiders tell me the contestants are solely responsible (financially and otherwise) for their overall look at this point in the game, which could explain Garrett's garish and "haunting" appearance, Chikezie's (bless him) bold but hideous safety-cone-colored suit and Luke Menard's "just rolled outta bed" sweatshirt chic.
But of course, it's not about the clothes, and it's not about the first night (as we were reminded, no one paid any attention to Kelly Clarkson early on in the first season). It's about the talent, and as we saw in the auditions, these peeps do have pipes, so I still have total faith in this year's Idol crop.
Especially when we have talent like Michael Johns, who, let's face it, doesn't even need to win this thing to launch a career (the guy just screams major recording artist), and David Archuleta, who is so many different kinds of adorable that not only did I vote for him tonight, but I'd like to clone him, shrink him and put him in my pocket to make me smile wherever I go.
So, who are you digging? And do you agree the boys didn't live up to the hype tonight? Keep reading to weigh in on the Best Man poll and Comments section below!
NBC stars sing about family - VIDEO
Oh, they don’t make ’em like this anymore.
After the jump is a video from the NBC 60th Anniversary show in 1986 (very interesting). It’s rather surreal. We get to see Bea Arthur, Nell Carter, Charlotte Rae (Mrs. Garrett from Facts of Life), Marla Gibbs, and Alfonso Ribiero sing a song about “family.” That’s the NBC family, that is, as all of them were starring on shows at the time (Facts of Life, Golden Girls, Gimme A Break, 227, and Silver Spoons). Punky Brewster herself makes an appearance too, but only to say three words and gives a thumbs up. Barbara Eden introduces the song. The most cringe-worthy moment isn’t any of the singing, it’s when Gibbs and Carter pass each other on the stairs and casually say that they love each other’s shows.
Can you imagine a network doing this now? I want to see Hugh Laurie, Stewie, the guys from Prison Break, Marge Simpson, and Gordon Ramsay get on stage at the next Emmy Awards and sing about the FOX family.
Idol castoff Josiah Leming nabs record deal
One of the most controversial eliminations in the Hollywood Round of this year’s American Idol was that of “homeless” wunderkind Josiah Leming. He immediately stood out because of his hard-luck story of living in his car and the “faux” British accent he affected when singing. But things were up and down as Josiah’s journey continued. For awhile it seemed he was getting too full of himself, while at other times he was almost heartbreakingly vulnerable. You’d think that mix would make for great reality television, but Josiah didn’t make the cut.
When he was eliminated, there was an outcry across the web. I liked the kid and thought he could have done very well on the series. Certainly, from what I saw, he was better than several of the guys who did make it (Garrett Haley comes to mind but then I did only see him sing the one time). Now comes word that Josiah Leming signed a record contract with Warner Bros.
Certainly his star has been on the rise. On Josiah Leming’s MySpace page , he blogged that he was meeting with major record companies, he’s appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and MTV, and is reportedly in talks with MTV for another project. Things are aligning quickly for this talented guy, and I find myself rooting for him. You can hear more tracks on his MySpace page, and even buy them right there if you want. As you’re listening to some of them I want you to just think about the Top 24 contestants we saw this year and tell me if you can figure why he wasn’t one of them?
Here was one of Josiah’s strongest moments on the Idol, when he played and performed “Grace Kelly” in Hollywood. Simon said, “I think out of all the auditions, this is the one I’m going to remember.” Did he forget when it came down to it, or was Josiah’s final performance where he summarily dismissed the band worthy of his elimination?:
As a “Thank you” to his MySpace fans when he achieved 35,000 friends, Josiah recorded this encore performance of “Grace Kelly”:
Finally, here’s Josiah on an original composition called “Her.” He has such a passionate playing and performing style, it really is surprising to think that he wasn’t seen as good enough for the Top 24.:
Honestly, I’m not at all surprised if he did get picked up by Warner Bros. or some other record deal. The kid definitely has talent and has proven he has appeal. If he wants to capitalize on that, though, in this fleeting world he needs to keep doing what he’s doing and forging ahead as fast as he can.