Category Archives: Celebs and Media

Where Deadrobot brushes up against celebrities

JJ Abrams is in my Home

Celebs and Media

red-trek-miniKotaku announces that JJ Abrams, “Kirk” and “Spock” (Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, respectively) will be dropping by PS3’s HOME for a bit of pre-movie release buzz. Unfortunately it’s for media peeps only, but the whole thing will be broadcrap live on the Star Trek Playstation HOME website on Monday. Log in to HOME today to see an “exclusive” trailer and greeting from JJ himself.

I now have to try to wrangle the credit card from SharkBoy so I can get myself a Red Shirt uniform.

Speaking of which, did you catch the CSI last night as our crime scene heroes investigate the murder of thinly disguised Shatner-esque star after he reveals his beloved 60s Sci Fi show is getting a Battlestar makeover? Expert nods to some more cheesier Trek times.

Dead Robot Sonar

Celebs and Media, Distractions

I’ve been busy getting ready for a trip to the inlaws residing in Montreal and Vermont (No we’re not going to renew our vows…yet) so here’s a bunch of news items that made me go huuurmm?

Another Somali pirate attack. Here’s a thought: don’t boat by Somalia. It’s like African shipping lanes are run by the RIAA.

Apple snoozes and the next big interface gets dropped. Note the graphically correct circle menus (easier to navigate than stacked menus!). However, I’m not liking the “Cube farm” feel – I get enough of that in real life. I’m sure they’ll jazz it up in future releases.

RIM “leaks” the next gen of “text input”. “See this? It’s a stylis! We’re going retro! Screw you iPhone!”

iTunes drops their crappy DRM to all their songs, applies tiered pricing. I still haven’t found any reported $0.69 songs in the Canadian store. And I was knee deep in old Rough Trade songs.

Poor Penelope Cruz. ‘Nuff said.

I need a new video game. The Onion to the rescue!

Speaking of video games – will this movie tie in game not suck? Who cares… VIN DIESEL!!!

And finally, someone smart has collected the top 99 things you should have seen since the inception of the internet. No Exploding whale though (the first internet video I ever downloaded. Took me 4 hours, kids!).

Link Love: Gizmodo, StumbleUpon, Wired, The Onion, PhotoshopDisasters.com, The Unofficial Apple Weblog and the god like Google.

Score One for the Robot

Celebs and Media

Did I call it or what?

Yes CP24 has a new show (unremarkably) called “CP24 Breakfast” with young good lookings and swooshy camera moves from host to host and the “return” of two great City TV personalities: the trustworthy Ann Rhomer (not really a return, but I’m watching her more than a 20 sound bite now) and the lightning fast Steve Anthony (see how he deals with Weird Al twenty years ago).

Just the right amount of hotness and retro good to keep me watching. I’m curious to see how Breakfast Television tries to trump CP24 with their new set and …uh… same old format?

Virgin Economics

Celebs and Media, political

surIn a somewhat ironic twist, Virgin Mobile has set up a “lifestyle blog” called ScrewYouRecession.ca. Before you yell “Corporate shill”, I think it bears a good look. I know it’s a bit of a conundrum: “Here’s how you can save money during these desperate times, but buy our phones!” Hey, don’t we get out of a recession by spending a bit of dosh? Whatever your thoughts on fixing the crap we’re in, the site does offer some trendy and hip ways on saving cash-

(“To buy their phones!”)

Hush you.

ScrewYouRecession.ca reads like a slightly bitter Now Magazine in parts (see the review of Karl Largerfeld’s $1500 look-alike bear, or advocating sneaking snacks into the movies – not really okay yes but no), but there are nuggets of good advice within the folds. One article makes note of Freecycle, a Craigslist-style community where you post stuff you don’t need anymore for free. I’ve used that site a couple times and you could actually hear my karma levels rise.

Virgin has always been a bit of a conundrum in my mind. An extremely progressive company targeting a younger demographic through pop culture and social awareness, but a company geared toward profit, none the less. It’s founder, Sir Richard Branson has always been young thinking and young at heart which permeates Virgin’s marketing: Virgin Airways was one of the first airlines to offer in-flight internet access, and I dream of taking a trip on the geek-gasm named Virgin Galactic. ScrewYouRecession’s edgy play for the young dollar through assistance and information is just toeing the company line. Despite all the tips, funny articles and celebrity chatter, does it actually help youth deal with this depressing recession, hammered into our brains every time we’re exposed to any kind of media outlet? Or does it just add signal noise?

As I type this, the news just reported that the TSX rose today 61 points. So while the site’s helpful tips are welcome, lets hope they’ll not be needed for long.

CP24 To Offer Breakfast Television Some Youthful Competition?

Celebs and Media, Toronto, You Stupid Dick

First, let me preface this post by apologizing to all my non-Toronto readers. Go look at my Flickr account, this post will not interest you.

I’ve steadily been having a big hate-on for Breakfast Television since it’s sale to Rogers and its long, slow departure from CityTV/CTV while remaining on CTV’s news channel. The choppy and awkward station ID/commercial flips between the two has been like trying to track a schizophrenic family member’s conversation who hasn’t taken their meds in months. For the last month or so, any fan of Breakfast Television who watches on the CP24 channel will have noticed that when BT goes to commercial, CP24 kicks in with “More On CP24!” teasers of weather and traffic.

Let’s just get past the fact that the bumper title is dangerously close to “MORON CP24!” if you’re not watching the screen closely…

Besides being utterly maladroit (like that? I have Thesuarus.com open), these extra reports of traffic and weather are an additional assault of already mentioned information (it’s fucking scrolling across the bottom already!!), jazzed up with an odd segment of Cam Woolley driving around town and talking about traffic (different idea but utterly useless: “Here’s a live feed of us stuck in traffic on the DVP!”).

I’ve posted before about how BT gets my ire: particularly Kevin “I Don’t Live In Toronto” Frankish and his need to revolve the show around himself. Even his post-show blog (full of terminology errors – he calls his video posts “blogs”), gets my blood boiling. I’m really glad he’s trying to get on board with the whole Web 2.0, new technology thing but it’s becoming unwatchable, like your parent trying to email a photo off their hard drive (no offense dad!!). I have to admit in the last while, I’ve hopped over to Canada AM and have become dangerously close to accepting their dry, conservative pap as my morning ritual.

Until this morning there was a ray of hope…

This morning during a CP24 bumper, in between the weather and traffic, there were two young somethings chatting amicably about their fantastic weekend and how great the weather was. I missed their names and the segment lasted only a minute, but they got my attention… They were young, well dressed, good looking, bright, smiling, energetic and so NOT like the current Breakfast Television crew, that my heart beat faster.

Is CP24 going to cut loose BT and have their own breakfast show of goodlookings 20-30somethings? I’m hoping that CP24 is grooming young bucks to offer a breath of fresh air from curmudgeonly Kevin “I’m Old and at no way at all a Metrosexual” Frankish? Can Dina transfer over to that show if they do? She’s the only reason I’ve hung on so long.

Disasters

Celebs and Media

Anyone catch Dancing With The Stars last night?

I thought not.

I stuck it out until Woz got up there and fumbled around the stage like the Star Wars Kid at the prom. Get me, people: I love and respect everything Woz does no matter how geeked out he may look (did I not call it when I said he’d show up on a Segway?) but last night was just embarrassing. His drug testing joke after the judges lambasted him fell flatter than reality through a black hole. Poor guy.

In fact the whole show seemed a bit awkward. Like your Dad skinny dipping at a drunken BBQ at the cottage. Or your next door neighbour to your cottage hitting your Dad’s naked ass with a spotlight as he frolicks around the water. Or watching your Mom neck with someone other than your Dad as he lowers his naked self into the cold lake. Or Parental Shrinkage.

You get my drift. It wasn’t good TV. You could see who was going to win, who was going to get booted and who was going to faint.

At least Amazing Race is doing quite well this season. More scenery, less airport and a clever deaf guy.