I was watching game two of the World Series – Nice ninth inning, Cards! – when I first saw Apple’s new Siri spot flash across the big screen. For anyone familiar with the current crop of Apple ads, the short production is appropriately demonstrative of the newest iPhone’s revolutionary personal assistant. Check it out: While most folks THE APPADVICE APP IS FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME! (AND WE MEAN… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Apple iPhone Apps Discovery Date : 21/10/2011 05:06 Number of articles : 2
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — There were shouts of joy from little girls and strong applause from the adults as Sandra Piller and The Wild Cards performed their three-set gig in Shoreline Village at Rainbow Harbor near the Queen Mary in Southern California. As part of the weekend festivities at the popular seaside attraction, Piller performed hit songs from her latest album, ‘Days Like… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Send2Press Newswire Discovery Date : 11/09/2011 12:00 Number of articles : 3
Director tells MTV News about film’s use of ‘Aroma-Scope’ technology. By Kara Warner Joel McHale, Jessica Alba, Mason Cook and Rowan Blanchard in “Spy Kids 4” Photo: Dimension Films Director Robert Rodriguez has made a career out of pushing the filmmaking envelope in various ways, from “Desperado” to “From Dusk Till Dawn” to his very successful “Spy Kids” franchise, which includes the first resurgent 3-D film, 2003’s “Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over.” To mark the release of the fourth “Spy Kids” film, Rodriguez has added another level to the 3-D canon with “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D.” And what exactly makes a film 4-D? A little extra sensory overload provided by what Rodriguez calls an “Aroma-Scope.” “Instead of just going 3-D like we did on the last one, we brought in 4-D, which is a very fun gimmick that I found in this old movie in the ’80s,” Rodriguez told MTV News of being inspired by John Waters’ use of Smell-O-Vision for 1981’s “Polyester.” “It’s kind of a scratch-and-sniff [experience] and you get to be really, almost like a video game, interactive with the movie. There are some really surprising smells, and some of the biggest laughs come from that.” Rodriguez went on to say that the Aroma-Scope, which is a card with eight numbers on it that audience members are given with their 3-D glasses, provides viewers with a less passive and more interactive film-going experience. “Even my own kids, people today are so interactive with gaming that to go and watch the movie feels so passive, so this really bridges the gap between the two,” he explained. “You’re watching the movie and then almost like video game numbers come up and you [scratch] the cards and smell almost exactly what the characters are smelling. It’s funny, the characters are all reacting to it, the adults are reacting to it — it’s really fun.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
Improving your credit score is not as difficult as you may think. First things first – you need to see exactly where you are at with your credit score. If you don’t know where you are, you can’t get to where you want to be with improving your credit rating. Once you know your FICO score, you can create a plan to improve your credit score more easily. #1: Check Your FICO Score with a Tri-Merge Credit Report Once a year, request a score from the top three bureaus – Experian®, Equifax ®, and TransUnion®. Here’s a brief rundown of FICO Credit Score ranges ( estimated – will vary between companies ): 300-550 Poor May be rejected, or only accepted for very high interest rates 551-650 Average Qualify for high interest rates 651-710 Good Qualify for moderate rates 711-750 Very Good Qualify for very competitive rates 751 and up Excellent Lowest interest rates #2 : Pay Your Bills on Time Every Time This is probably the most important thing you can do to improve a credit score. Not doing this severely impacts your credit score. If you haven’t been keeping up with your payments, it’s likely that your credit score has dropped substantially. How Parents Can Teach Money Management Early #3: Actively Use One or Two of Your Best Cards, Forget the Rest (but don’t close them out) If you are have a low credit score and are having debt problems, this will require a great deal of willpower to change your habits. Don’t spend anymore on those additional cards. And if the cards that you are actively using are reaching their limits, that means one thing – you need to spend less and budget your money better – and starting paying in cash. This will be temporary until you can get out your bad spending habits. #4: Don’t Push Your Cards to Their Credit Limits If you are having an issue maxing out a particular card with a lower limit, try to spread your spending out across another card. It’s better to keep the utilization down on each card to help improve your credit rating. Shoot for 25 or lower with your utilization rate, even if you are consistently paying them off in full every month. #5: Reduce Your Credit Card Balances All You Can A recap of a detail in Point #1 but important to mention again. The more you can pay down those balances, the less interest will accrue for your debt management issues and the lower your credit utilization will be. As stated above, lower utilization should help increase your credit score quickly. Top 30 Entry Level Jobs For College Graduates Managing your financial future is as important as anything else. Make sure to stay on top of it. Is Beyonce A Liar? [VIDEO] THEN & NOW: 1980s Music Icons FACT OF THE DAY: Rick Ross Attended College On A Football Scholarship
Former White House pest and Bravo reality star Michaele Salahi claims that someone’s been stalking her and making death threats in recent weeks. Her husband, Tareq Salahi, even placed a frantic 911 call for her protection. Maybe the stalker just wanted to see Michaele Salahi in Playboy and is pissed that this is no longer in the cards? We kid. Although you never know. The Salahis say that the threat-maker called the Sheriff’s Dept. in Fauquier County, Va., falsely claiming Tareq broke into a winery co-owned by Tareq’s family. Deputies tell us they found no evidence of a break-in, but were called backwhen Tareq and Michaele found out the call came from the alleged stalker . The Salahis filed a police report and the case is now under investigation. The couple is also seeking to have a protective order put into place ASAP. According to the Salahis, the man has also been tailing Michaele, shooting photos and video and also sending death threats and obscene messages.
Director Neil Burger takes us behind the scenes of Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro’s new thriller. By Eric Ditzian Robert DeNiro and Bradley Cooper in “Limitless” Photo: Universal Pictures There is a scene midway through “Limitless” in which Abbie Cornish’s character is running through a park, attempting to escape a guy intent on gutting her like a fish. Unsure how to get away, she swallows a black-market drug called NZT — a little pill allowing her to access 100 percent of her mind — and scans the park for possible weapons: a pair of gardening sheers or a baseball bat, perhaps? Then she sees a little girl on ice skates off in the distance. Bingo! She races toward the rink as the evil dude gives chase, then picks up the girl and uses her ice skates to slice her enemy’s face. It’s a wackily kinetic scene in a thriller filled with such moments. The only problem for director Neil Burger was casting the girl to take part in the madness. “Luckily, the stunt people were completely game to offer up their child to be thrown through the air!” Burger laughed in a recent conversation with MTV News. And that, it turns out, is how Piper Brown, daughter of Jill Brown (whose stunt credits include “The Green Hornet” and “I Am Legend”), made her big-screen debut. “It was our first day of shooting, which is an insane way to begin,” Burger said. We had to do it in one day with 200 extras on the ice, plus the crew, and we’re just powering through everyone with cameras and cranes.” That’s just one of the untold stories behind the production of “Limitless” we picked up during a recent conversation with Burger. Before checking out the film, which hit theaters Friday (March 18), check out four more “Limitless” secrets revealed: Why Is NZT a Clear Pill? In creating a fictional drug for the big screen, Burger and his team could have gone in any direction. NZT could have been something you swallow or smoke or, heck, even something used as a suppository reminiscent of a troubling scene in “Trainspotting.” But following the book on which the movie is based, they stuck with a pill. What, however, would the pill that Bradley Cooper’s character gets hooked on look like? “Right up to the end, we were thinking about what this pill would be,” Burger explained. “Sometimes we thought it’d have these beveled edges or a different colored center, but it started to look like a hundred other things you’ve seen, from a Lifesaver to Skittles. Then we stumbled onto one that was clear, and I knew it was just perfect. It sums up exactly what it does for him.” What Exactly Does NZT Do? Though the story is based on a novel by Alan Glynn, it was up to Burger to “invent the rules of the drug,” as he put it. How does it affect Cooper’s Eddie Morra? What would happen if Eddie suddenly couldn’t get his fix? “I worked on it on my own, because I had to become an authority on it with the actors and crew,” he added. “It became that you don’t get high or wired or stoned. You were just clear and knew what to do and how to get it done.” Along those lines, Burger didn’t refer to any existing drugs, because there’s nothing on Earth like NZT. “I didn’t do research. I just decided what I wanted the drug to be. I wanted Eddie to become the perfect version of himself. I wanted him to remember everything he’s ever seen. It’s not that it makes him into Superman. It makes him fearless, and he’s able to access information instantaneously.” How Did They Pull Off Those Ultra-Long Zooming Shots? Often when Eddie is on NZT, the camera pushes through the cityscape in a long, seemingly continuous shot, pushing forward for miles without stop. It’s a very cool visual effect, one unlike we’ve ever seen. How the heck did they pull off what Burger calls “infinity zooms”? “I started looking at fractals,” he told us. “I liked the idea that each part they’re made up of is a mirror of the whole. And I looked at fractal zooms, where you push into the fractal, going from shape to shape, an Escher-like movement. That was how Eddie’s mind worked: these microcosms that mirrored a larger sense of the world. I wanted to bring that idea into the city and have it be like a fractal zoom. It was a great way to show how he perceived space and time. “So I had a very clear idea of how I wanted to do it, and nobody could figure out how to do it,” he explained. “I found a visual-effects company that finally figured it out — and it’s a bit of a secret, because it’s a new thing. We were able to move the camera through the city and then visually stitch it all together, but you can’t see where the seams are.” Why Did They Change Eddie’s Job From Copywriter to Novelist? In Glynn’s book, Eddie is a struggling copywriter. In the book, he’s a struggling novelist. Why was it important to change his job? “It was important to make him an artist with aspirations toward greatness, and it just wasn’t happening. A copywriter just wasn’t going to communicate that,” Burger said. “He had to have the big dream. We all want to be a rock star or a pro basketball player or Warren Buffet, but then when push comes to shove, we aren’t those things — we can’t be those things. He was just one more guy who had this big dream, and he couldn’t achieve it, even though he wanted to. NZT could let him achieve that dream, and then a whole lot more.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Limitless.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
‘Always have a joker up your sleeve,’ actor tells MTV News of the trick to law and sales. By Kara Warner Matthew McConaughey Photo: MTV News In “The Lincoln Lawyer,” Matthew McConaughey plays unconventional defense attorney Mick Haller, a man who goes to great — and sometimes questionable — lengths to prove a client’s innocence. He also conducts most of his business from the backseat of his Lincoln, bringing new life to the phrase “wheelin’ and dealin’.” When MTV News caught up with McConaughey during the press day for the film, we learned some fun facts about the actor’s past. First, he loves lawyers and debate and wanted to be a lawyer until his junior year in college (when he switched his major to film production). Second, McConaughey revealed that he didn’t have to stretch too far to harness the wheelin’ and dealin’ aspects of his character. “I come from a long line of salesmen,” McConaughey said. “My father and my older brother are pipe salesmen. That’s wheelin’ and dealin’. I’ve always appreciated good salesmen. There’s an art to selling. You play a different part with different clients. You don’t talk to the head of the biker gang the same way you talk to the rich father in Beverly Hills or the rich mother in Beverly Hills who wants her son off and has a million dollars to put up for it; you talk to those people differently.” McConaughey went on to say that salesmen wear different hats as part of the hustle involved in the business. “You don’t show all your cards. Always have a joker up your sleeve,” he said, flashing that famous sly smile. We then asked if that bit of advice is part of his philosophy about life as well. “[It’s] pretty good to have a joker up your sleeve, it helps,” he said. “You might not need it, but there are times where you go, ‘Oh, there it is. Cool.’ ” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Lincoln Lawyer.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
‘Always have a joker up your sleeve,’ actor tells MTV News of the trick to law and sales. By Kara Warner Matthew McConaughey Photo: MTV News In “The Lincoln Lawyer,” Matthew McConaughey plays unconventional defense attorney Mick Haller, a man who goes to great — and sometimes questionable — lengths to prove a client’s innocence. He also conducts most of his business from the backseat of his Lincoln, bringing new life to the phrase “wheelin’ and dealin’.” When MTV News caught up with McConaughey during the press day for the film, we learned some fun facts about the actor’s past. First, he loves lawyers and debate and wanted to be a lawyer until his junior year in college (when he switched his major to film production). Second, McConaughey revealed that he didn’t have to stretch too far to harness the wheelin’ and dealin’ aspects of his character. “I come from a long line of salesmen,” McConaughey said. “My father and my older brother are pipe salesmen. That’s wheelin’ and dealin’. I’ve always appreciated good salesmen. There’s an art to selling. You play a different part with different clients. You don’t talk to the head of the biker gang the same way you talk to the rich father in Beverly Hills or the rich mother in Beverly Hills who wants her son off and has a million dollars to put up for it; you talk to those people differently.” McConaughey went on to say that salesmen wear different hats as part of the hustle involved in the business. “You don’t show all your cards. Always have a joker up your sleeve,” he said, flashing that famous sly smile. We then asked if that bit of advice is part of his philosophy about life as well. “[It’s] pretty good to have a joker up your sleeve, it helps,” he said. “You might not need it, but there are times where you go, ‘Oh, there it is. Cool.’ ” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Lincoln Lawyer.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
‘He’s been in my life for so long,’ Gomez said on ‘Late Night With David Letterman.’ By Jocelyn Vena Selena Gomez on the “Late Show with David Letterman” Wednesday night Photo: CBS When Selena Gomez stopped by “Late Night” to chat about her latest single, “Who Says,” David Letterman could resist bringing up Justin Bieber’s name. And while she wasn’t too forthcoming with details, but she did give some insight into why she cares so much for her boyfriend. “Oh, that’s cute,” she said when showed a picture of the teens at the Vanity Fair Oscar party last month. “It was like a little prom night, wasn’t it? Looked like it.” Letterman then wondered how long she and Bieber have known one another. She said, “Almost, like, two years now.” And when Letterman pressed a bit further, asking how they met. “Actually, his manager called my mom, who’s my manager,” she explained, before Letterman joked, “I heard he was your paperboy.” “I’m blushing!” she said. “Are you dating or not dating?” Letterman asked again, and Selena danced around the answer, “He’s been in my life for so long, and it’s just nice to have someone that understands what you’re going through.” “This is not my first rodeo, you can talk to me about these things,” Letterman quipped as she laughed. Then he promised not to go any further in his Bieber-related questioning. Both stars have been as quiet as possible about the true nature of their relationship, though they have been spotted out on dates together. Earlier this month, Gomez was by Bieber’s side as he celebrated his 17th birthday . And while on tour abroad, Bieber tweeted a message to her, noting how much he missed her. Related Photos Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez: A Look Back In Photos Related Artists Selena Gomez Justin Bieber
Bassist showcases his new ‘poptimistic’ project on Wednesday night at SXSW. By James Montgomery The Black Cards perform at SXSW on Wednesday Photo: Daniel Boczarski/ Getty Images AUSTIN, Texas — Is it possible that Pete Wentz is really a poptimist? Despite his dark bangs and Black Cloud missives, his best Fall Out Boy songs were always, at their very core, spiky slabs of pure pop. And no matter what may be going on in his personal life these days, his new project Black Cards seems to be solely focused around the idea of optimism. So yes, perhaps he has been — and always will be — a poptimist at heart. And that much was certainly clear during the ‘Cards Wednesday night performance at South by Southwest, a 45-minute set that was as heavy on sparkly synths and bubbly dub as it was on, well, pure poptimism. Wentz even said as much himself, telling the crowd that his new mission is to “broadcast sunshine,” and that “sometimes it’s good to have summer all the time.” He declared, “It’s good to be onstage and see people smiling,” slapped high fives with strangers, and closed the set by inviting everyone in Austin club Maggie Mae’s to join him and his bandmates onstage for an impromptu dance party. And in keeping with the spirit of the night, nearly everyone in the place obliged. And in between the sunshine and the smiling, Wentz spent the majority of the Black Cards’ set pogoing around the stage, thumbing out wobbly, delirious bass lines, and generally looking happier than he has in years. In fact, he seemed perfectly content to let someone else have the spotlight — the fans, his friends in the audience (most of whom received shout-outs) and, of course, frontwoman Bebe Rexha, who was more than willing to accept. All hips and lips and breathy exclamations, Rexha quickly proved to be the perfect foil for Wentz, whether she was getting low during the ‘Cards dubbier, clubbier numbers (“Dirty Little Fingerprints,” “Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Fame”), vamping it up (on upcoming single “Summer Nights,” when she removed a pair of handcuffs from her belt, snapped them on the wrist of a fan and then serenaded him in sultry fashion), or just plain old belting it out (on a cover of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”). Patrick Stump she most certainly isn’t, and perhaps that’s for the best. Because, really, the Black Cards’ SXSW set wasn’t about Pete Wentz’s past so much as it was about his future. With his new project, he not only appears to be having a blast, he just may have stumbled onto something big. By combining dub, a touch of rock-steady and a whole lot of pop, he’s uncovered a recipe for something new … for him, for his fans, for everybody. “Summer Nights” seems destined to be a radio staple, “Dominos” is a starry burst of synths and bass, and performance-closing “A Club Called Heaven” probably would’ve gotten the fans dancing onstage even if Wentz hadn’t invited them to. It was, in short, poptimism, pure and simple. Not exactly new, not entirely old, with Black Cards, Pete Wentz may very well end up proving the old adage correct: Optimists are nostalgic about the future. Related Photos 2011 SXSW Music Festival Related Artists Black Cards
