'Up All Night' Writer Inks Overall Deal With Sony Pictures Television

Another Up All Night honcho is moving on.

Erica Rivinoja, who served as a writer and consulting producer on NBC's Will Arnett-Christina Applegate starrer, has inked an overall deal with Sony Pictures Television, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

PHOTOS: The Faces of Pilot Season 2013

Under the two-year pact, Rivinoja will develop comedy projects for the studio for both broadcast and cable networks. She follows Up All Night creator Emily Spivey out the door of Universal Television, the studio behind the beleaguered comedy. Spivey, for her part, inked a two-year overall deal with 20th Television in February.

In addition to Up All Night, Rivinoja's credits include a writer-producer for more than 10 seasons on Comedy Central's South Park, where she shared in the show's Emmy win for outstanding animated comedy in 2008 and 2009, as well as nominations in the field in 2002 and 2010. Her credits also include Grounded for Life and the feature Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2.

She's repped by UTA.

Meanwhile, NBC has not yet officially canceled Up All Night, though as THR recently reported, the network's execs are said to be strongly considering abandoning plans to keep the floundering series alive in the wake of star Christina Applegate's exit. With a planned one-episode reboot -- transforming the series from a single-camera entry to a multicamera, behind-the-scenes look at a struggling television series -- stalled, the writing staff is said to be seeking new jobs and co-star Will Arnett has booked a leading role on CBS' Greg Garcia comedy in second position.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit

Jay-Z Raps About Beyoncé, Barack Obama on New Kendrick Lamar Track

Wenzelberg/Splash News, Michael Buckner/Getty Images for SXSW

Jay-Z is so in love with Beyoncé. (Then again, how could anyone not be?)

In Kendrick Lamar's new track "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe," Jay raps a verse about his good life with his gorgeous wife.

"Up in the clouds, me and my spouse / Rumors on the ground gettin' too loud," he raps. "Please turn them s--ts down, can't hear myself think!"

Jay-Z parties with Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel at Timbaland's birthday party

Blue Ivy's dad also spills on his times "in the White House with a mink / Running through that bitch like it's my house / All up in the hall like a mall, told you motherf--kers, all I do is ball."

And Jay's thoughts on Barack Obama? He raps, "Presidential pardon, name one n---a out there harder than him / I'll wait!"

Jay-Z says Barack Obama's gay marriage endorsement was "the right thing to do"

The track is a remixed version of Kendrick's original 2012 song of the same title, and per NME, the new version premiered at SXSW. Both Jay and Kendrick will appear at the Wireless Festival in London this July.

Listen to "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" here (warning: lotsa NSFW language), and then let us know in the comments what you think!

A look back at Jay and Bey's love in pictures

Justin Bieber Mourns Loss of 11-Year-Old Fan Briana Tejeda: "I Was Honored to Meet Her"

Twitter
Say what you will about Justin Bieber, but you can't deny he's got a big heart.
One of the pop star's biggest fans, Briana Tejada, sadly died of leukemia on Sunday at age 11. But, thanks to a social-media campaign, Briana got a chance to meet her hero, and she also, clearly, left a lasting impact on him.
"Just got news about little Briana," Justin, 19, tweeted Monday. "I was honored to meet her. I know she is up in heaven smiling. #ripBriana #love"
Justin mourns loss of 6-year-old Avalanna Routh
Briana's family tweeted back at Biebs, writing, "Thank you Justin. Our family and specially us parents are very grateful. #ripBriana #love #justinforbriana"
"Meant what I said," he tweeted back. "She is smilling down from heaven. :)"
On Jan. 18, thanks to #JustinForBriana trending around the world, Briana met her idol backstage in Nashville. Her parents described the encounter on Facebook as "a dream come true" and posted a sweet picture of Justin giving Briana "the best kiss she's ever had!"
Find out what Avalanna's mom thought about Justin
Prior to that, Justin made two shout-out videos for Briana. "I just wanted to say my prayers are going out to you and your family," he said straight to the camera. "Thank you so much for believing in me and being a big fan. And I'm your
biggest fan, and I love you so much."
Aw. If that doesn't make you a Belieber, nothing will. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Briana's family.

Check out more stars who've had a positive impact on others

Wacom Cintiq 13HD takes digital art creation mobile

Wacom may be having a ball putting digital pen technology into bestselling mobile devices like the Galaxy Note II, but that doesn’t mean the company has forgotten its artistic roots. Fresh to the catalog is the Cintiq 13HD, a 13.3-inch Full HD graphics tablet intended for digital artists on the move. Based around a 1920 x 1080 wide-angle display mounted on an adjustable, three-position detachable stand, the Cintuq 13HD promises the flexibility of its bigger Cintiq siblings, but at a more affordable cost and scaled to fit in your bag.

That’s not something you could really say about Wacom’s existing Cintiq models, the 22HD, 24HD, and 24HD touch, which kick off at a desk-bound 22-inches. In contrast, the Cintiq 13HD display is 14.75 x 9.75 x 0.5 inches and 2.65 pounds, and simply hooks up to your laptop as a second display.

Once you’ve done that – via the native HDMI, or DVI, VGA, or Mini DisplayPort with the right adapter – you get a 2048-pressure-level pen, 16.7m color support, and tilt recognition. The pen itself comes with nine different nibs – five standard, three felt, and one stroke – as well as a desk stand and a carry case. It has two side switches and an active eraser, as well as the pressure-sensitive nib.

Around the body of the 13HD there are four user-assignable shortcut buttons, the functions of which can automatically change depending on the active app, and a 4-position customizable rocker ring and home button. The screen itself has 250cd/m2 brightness and covers 75-percent of the Adobe RGB color gamut.

As well as detaching the stand to use the new baby Cintiq in your lap, you can prop it up at one of three angles – 22-, 35-, and 50-degrees – and a regular USB 2.0 data connection is included in the three-in-one cable which also handles display signal and power.

The Wacom Cintiq 13HD will go on sale in early April, priced at $999 in the US and £749.99 in the UK.

'Castle' at the 'Rear Window'

Image Credit: Richard Cartwright/ABC

In Castle’s 100th episode, everyone’s favorite writer is down for the count after a bad skiing accident, and after two weeks stuck at home in a cast, he’s got a little cabin fever.

“He’s not bed ridden but certainly apartment-ridden,” says Nathan Fillion, who calls the hour one of the show’s classic, lighter-toned episodes. “He’s two weeks into being incapacitated, and it’s all he can do just to stay sane. [Then] he witnesses a murder across the street, and he’s having a hell of a time convincing everyone he’s not just stir crazy and seeing what he wants to see.”

So what’s the truth? Our money is on murder — since these things have a way of gravitating toward Castle and Co. But you’ll have to tune in April 1 to find out for sure.

Meanwhile, Fillion says there’s another reason fans should consider this milestone episode a can’t-miss hour: “Let’s say that we get an opportunity to see just how well Beckett knows Castle,” he teases.

See the full First Look photo below:

Image Credit: Richard Cartwright/ABC

Related:
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‘Pretty Little Liars’ season 4 gets a premiere date

'HIMYM': The Fortress of Barnitude

Image Credit: CBS

There were two homes that stole the spotlight in tonight’s episode of How I Met Your Mother: The Fortress of Barnitude and Woodworthy Manor.

The former took the spotlight after Robin brought up the fact that she was uncomfortable living in what she later referred to as Barney’s “disease-riddled bangpad,” which I’m sure will also one day be the name of a Bachelor Pad spin-off. Instead, she said she wanted a clean start. “So we have to find an apartment where I haven’t banged someone; how do you feel about Cleveland?” he joked before agreeing.

But Barney’s flexibility was short-lived.

After he failed to find someone worthy of living there (in other words: He offered it to Ted; Ted said no), Barney decided that he didn’t want to give up his Bachelor’s Wonka factory and told Robin that he changed his mind.

Robin eventually took it upon herself to start showing the apartment, and while many interested parties showed up to the open house, Barney scared them away by showing them all the despicable features it had to offer. Among them? A welcome mat that recorded body fat percentage, a green screen that tricked girls into thinking they were in lavish locations/have just survived the end of the world, and “escape from bitch mountain,” a chute that led from under Barney’s kitchen sink to the outside world — perfect for a fast get-away from over eager one-night-stands. Barney, you’re a terrible — albeit clever — person.

That was kind of the point, though.

Barney successfully scared away most of the prospective buyers — except for one, a couple who claimed they were going to tear the space to pieces. While Robin was happy to have an interested party, the thought of ripping apart something that so deeply represented Barney — good and bad — bummed her out. So she turned down their offer.

Upon hearing this, Barney was touched. And he confessed that he, too, had done some thinking: The Fortress of Solitude was where Superman went to be alone “and I never want to be alone again.” He was giving up the apartment.

I was so happy Robin and Barney’s story unfolded this way, but as I was watching Marshall and Lily struggle with a domestic spat of their own, I was hoping it wouldn’t unfold in a similar manner.

You see, Marshall was feeling more and more neglected because Lily’s new job with the Captain was occupying so much of her time — and turning her into an art douche. He was having to put Marvin to bed with Ted acting as a lullaby understudy and was crushed when Lily cancelled their date to pursue an art lead. (Date = banging in Ted’s apartment.)

But as much as Marshall’s position was one with which I sympathized, the feminist in me was hoping the situation wouldn’t end with Lily giving up her job. Spoiler Alert: It didn’t. Whew!

In the end, however, Lily did stand up for her right to have human working hours and celebrated with a viewing of Woodworthy Manor, HIMYM‘s Downton Abbey and a small but great part of the episode. (Truth bomb: If you are someone who watches Downton Abbey and frequently talk about it in front of people who don’t watch, you might as well be talking about stolen gooseberries and gardening competitions. *It really does sound that boring. )

Two quick burning questions before I turn this over to you for your comments: Did you fall for the “adoption” fake-out at the beginning of the episode? (Guilty!) And do you agree with Barney that the Superman films are uneven? The latter is not that important, I’m just curious.

*Just playing devil’s advocate. Please don’t hurt me.

Related:
CBS sets finale dates for ‘NCIS,’ ‘Big Bang Theory,’ ‘HIMYM,’ and more
‘How I Met Your Mother’: Ted meets Future Ted and Future Barney — EXCLUSIVE PHOTO

HTC One Verizon release in question as Tweets disappear

This week the HTC One has been once again teased for release on the 4G LTE-toting Verizon network here in the United States. Whoever is behind the wheel on the HTC Twitter account has more than once replied to users across the USA saying that they have no plans to release the HTC One on Verizon Wireless – though quickly after replying in more than one case, these tweets have disappeared entirely.

According to the LA Times there was a tweet (one you can see below) directing users to a page about the DROID DNA in stead of an HTC One showing on the big red network. Another tweet made just a few minutes ago includes talk of no Verizon release for the HTC One with a bit of a disclaimer – “we’ll let you know” if there’s going to be a release in the future.

We’ve heard ourselves that the Verizon HTC One would be a reality in coming months – our source is one we trust, and we’ve seen another trusted source speaking on the matter as well, saying also that Verizon would carry the device. This release is also being tipped to be odd for Verizon in the way it’ll be conducted: without Verizon changes to the name or the hardware.

Normally when a device such as the HTC J Butterfly heads to Verizon, it’s re-named and re-branded. The Butterfly became the DROID DNA (see our full review). With the HTC One series, Verizon brought fourth the DROID Incredible 4G LTE (see our full review). Here with the HTC One, we’re still confident in our source saying the HTC One will be revealed as the HTC One a short period after the rest of the top four networks in the USA have their releases individually.

Have a peek at the hands-on action we’ve got with the HTC One below and be sure to check our full HTC One review for the full run-down. It’s a winner for sure!

Let’s hope Samsung’s Galaxy Watch is better than its old watch-phone

All eyes may be on Samsung’s smartwatch plans, confirmed by the company’s mobile EVP today, but it’s not the first time the Korean firm has made a play – albeit underwhelming – for our wrists. Back in 2009 the company’s goal was to put an entire phone on your arm, in the shape of the S9110 watch phone. Faced with a 1.76-inch touchscreen – complete with a fake analog watchface, naturally – the Dick Tracy timepiece saw a limited, expensive launch and then swiftly sank from sight.

Mediocre specifications – even by the state of the 2009 marketplace – didn’t help. By trying to fit an entire phone into an 11.89mm thick watch, Samsung could only really accomodate the most basic of features: Bluetooth 2.1, 40MB of internal storage – enough for maybe ten MP3s for its onboard music player – and dualband GPRS data. You could scan your through email on the 176 x 220 display, thanks to Outlook sync, but the S9110 was really more of a terminal for calls and texts.

Of course, the S9110 looked like a powerhouse in comparison to Samsung’s first watch phone attempt, a full decade earlier with the SPH-WP10. That stood a towering two centimeters off your wrist, and offered such magic as voice dialing and a battery good for 90 minutes of talktime.

So what’s changed between 2009 and today? For a start, there’s been a backlash of sorts against convergence: the idea that a single device must satisfy our every need. Instead, the mobile industry has rediscovered specificity, with gadgets that do one or two things especially well, rather than making a hash at everything. We’ve seen that with Samsung’s own S Band, announced alongside the GALAXY S 4, following the fitness-tracking wearables trend to monitor your movements and squirt that data via Bluetooth to your phone or tablet.

That data sharing is the other big advance, or more accurately the efficiency of the wireless links we can now spread across our distributed tech. Bluetooth low energy, a feature of Bluetooth 4.0, slims its power requirements by a factor of a hundred compared to the greedy Bluetooth of the S9110, while still maintaining a 1Mbps transfer speed and a 50m range. Where the watch phone’s 630 mAh battery couldn’t really hope to keep the short-range wireless link active for more than a little hands-free kit use before the battery was extinguished, today’s devices can afford to maintain a persistent web of networking while still sipping power.

There’s a more obvious reason for the failure of watch phones to take off, despite their classic sci-fi appeal. Mobile displays have been getting progressively larger as the years have gone on; a year after the S9110 was announced, Samsung launched the original Galaxy S. At the time, its 4-inch screen seemed vast; now, the GALAXY S 4 is up to 5-inches, and those who want more screen space can slake their thirst with the 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II. In contrast, a phone on your wrist needs to be small enough to be unobtrusive, something at odds with the pleasures of an expansive panel for your browsing, multimedia, messaging, and everything else your phone today can do.

We’re yet to see a fully convincing smartwatch. Pebble has perhaps come closest, but it’s still flawed – more around software than hardware, admittedly – and the Kickstarter-funded business model means general availability is still waiting on backer rewards being fulfilled. It’s not just a question of making the hardware sleek enough (though, when your natural watch-wearing audience is fond of their Rolex, Omega, IWC, or other brand-name timepiece, you really need to make sure your smartwatch can compete. People may stomach carrying two phones, but they probably won’t wear two watches) but delivering the right mixture of usability.

Too ambitious, and you lose the immediacy and at-a-glance convenience having a screen on your wrist delivers; you also start to encounter input and control issues. Too humble, and users may decide there’s not quite enough to warrant actually strapping your gadget on in the first place.

Samsung won’t talk specifics for functionality, though a previous leak describing a so-called GALAXY Altius hinted at a mixture of maps, music, messaging, and more. In short, we’re a long way from seeing whether it can crack the smartwatch conundrum, and a patchy track record in tech for your wrist suggests there’s plenty of work to be done before the Galaxy brand spreads to our arms.

EA Origin exploit leaves 40m at potential hack risk

A vulnerability in EA’s Origin online gaming platform could allow remote hackers to run dangerous code on gamers’ computers without permission, by perverting links used to load titles like Crysis 3, its been revealed. Identified by ReVuln researchers Luigi Auriemma and Donato Ferrante, and presented last week at the Black Hat security conference, the exploit relies on the URI links the Origin desktop client uses to trigger local software from the cloud, and which can be modified to install malware instead.

At its root, the hack [pdf link] is broadly similar to an exploit explored last October by the same research team. The URI links can be tweaked to point to compromised Windows .dll files, which themselves can be used to download malware, tracking software, tools to extract personal details from the user’s local files, or other spyware.

In the case of Crysis 3, the ReVuln researchers showed how a specially crafted link using Origin’s “origin://LaunchGame/” URI terminology could even open up malware without the authors knowing what games were installed on the target PC. Should the user have allowed Origin to run all URI links without requiring specific approval each time, meanwhile, the exploit could be carried out completely transparently to them.

It’s not an approach EA is unaware of, though it’s uncertain whether the games company was aware of this specific hack. “Our team is constantly investigating hypotheticals like this one” a spokesperson told Ars Technica, “as we continually update our security infrastructure.”

For the moment, the advice to the 40m gamers potentially at risk from exploits of this sort is to disable the “origin://” URI; that’s possible with a tool like Nirsoft’s URL Protocol View app. Games can still be run directly from Origin, but not using custom URIs.

Intel MSRD set-top box detailed: motion-remote and second-screen grunt

Intel’s Web TV set-top box will use a motion-tracking remote control, it’s been confirmed, with the chip firm turning to LG-favorite Hillcrest Labs for the tech. The new Intel Media Server Reference Design (MSRD), set to go on sale in April as the company tries to tempt content providers and OEMs to its Atom CE5300 multimedia chipset, will use Hillcrest’s Freespace Motion Engine for navigating menus by waving a remote in mid-air.

The Intel MSRD is a partner project to Intel’s own Web TV plans, detailed earlier this year, which will see the company launch its own on-demand streaming service later in 2013. That system is expected to use viewer-tracking as well as other, more traditional control systems; an onboard webcam will monitor the general demographics of the current viewer – age bracket, gender, etc. – and tailor advertising content and suggestions based on that data. SlashGear saw a demonstration of the technology back at Mobile World Congress.

It’s unclear if the MSRD will include the same camera technology out of the box. Intel has so far confirmed that it will include the Atom CE5300 dualcore SoC, complete with hyperthreading and virtualization, 3D/2D graphics encoding, an H.264 B-picture hardware encoder, and integrated power management, along with DBV-T2/T/C broadcast and media sharing stacks, and the aVia media player, already available for Android.

Intel’s own system will likely be built on the same technology, though with the company’s own tailoring to suit its Web TV intentions. The firm hopes to license out the MSRD reference design as a software and hardware shortcut for cable, home entertainment, and other providers hoping to enable things like second-screen interaction with tablets and smartphones, pay-TV, and media streaming.

Stephen Colbert Will Break Character to Assist His Sister's Congressional Run (Video)

It takes a lot to get Stephen Colbert to break character; after all, this is a man who on national television roasted a sitting president while sitting close enough to be smacked, and raised more than $1 million as part of an extended, principled joke.

When it comes to family, though, the funnyman becomes serious.

STORY: Stephen Colbert's Sister Running for Congress in South Carolina

"I'm willing to, you know, break the jewel of my own creation to try to do something for her," the Comedy Central host told CNN's Jake Tapper about his sister, Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, who is running for Congress in South Carolina. "I'm not worried about what it would do to me or my show to try to help her as myself -- not as my character, to help her as myself. And you know, if people think that's not the right thing for me to do, I don't care. It's my sister, and I'm willing to help her."

Colbert-Busch -- who, unlike her satirist brother, pronounces the "t" in her last name -- is gunning for the vacated seat from South Carolina's 1st District. She has worked at the state's Clemson University for years, and her brother says she is more than qualified.

"I've met these people," he said, referring to congressmen and women, "and my sister is in the top decimal."

Bradley Cooper Spotted Out With Rumored Girlfriend Suki Waterhouse

by Bruna Nessif and Holly Passalaqua Mon., Mar. 18, 2013 8:08 PM PDT

Splash News

Bradley Cooper definitely isn't dating Silver Linings Playbook costar Jennifer Lawrence, but it might not have been the age gap that stopped the two from making it happen.

The actor was spotted enjoying Boston and it's freezing temperature with with his possible new love interest, 20-year-old model Suki Waterhouse earlier today. 

The couple braved the cold weather at the historic tourist spot in beanie hats with Suki dressed in a hipster-chic black jacket, skirt, tights and boots while Bradley was dressed in Khaki cargo pants a winter peacoat and a beanie.

Bradley Cooper was snapped on set with rollers in his hair!

"They were having a good time together, touching and teasing each other," an eyewitness told E! News. "People were recognizing them so they walked quite quickly to avoid the crowds."

Our source added, "They were laughing a lot and couldn't keep their hands off each other."

Cooper was last romantically linked to actress Zoe Saldana, but the couple confirmed their breakup just before the holidays.

Have you seen all the women of Bradley Cooper?

Google Babble and the future of chat singularity

Today the folks at Google have been tipped to be pushing all (if not most) of their chat apps and ecosystems together into a single entity called Babble. This single chat system would take everything that is Google Talk, Google+ Hangouts, Voice, and Messenger, combining them into a final product that spans the entirety of your Google-made universe. With Babble, Google will have its Gmail for chat.

If you log in on your desktop computer, your Android smartphone, your Chromebook, or anything in-between, today you’re able to access your Gmail account. Not quite so solid is the connection between the many odds and ends in Google’s chat environment. If Google did indeed create a single chat service for any and all environments, anyone would be able to work with it as easily as they do Gmail – app or no.

The word on the street today is that Google Babble would work on many – if not all – mobile products as well as in-browser for desktop machines. BlackBerry own BBM – BlackBerry Messenger – continues to be one of their “unique” services that users love to a degree that keeps them stuck tight to the hardware. Apple uses Messages which now works between mobile and desktop machines seamlessly.

Even the app called WhatsApp has been trying to capitalize on the one-app cross-platform messaging gap that exists in the Google universe right this minute. So what’s holding Google back?

Perhaps nothing! If Google Babble does exist, you may want to bank on it being revealed around or at Google I/O 2013 – that’s starting on the 14th of May – coming up quick! Have a peek at the timeline below for more information on Google’s recent innovations with Hangouts in Google+ to see what we very well may be experiencing in Babble soon!

[via Geek]

Engineers win the Queen Elizabeth prize for creating the internet

The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering goes to none other than the creators of the internet. There isn’t anyone better than those engineers that I can think of who deserve the award more. Each of the 5 engineers will be rewarded 1 million pounds, or about $1.5 million each. The internet and the world wide web have changed the world’s way of life, with over 2.1 billion people using the internet every single day.

There is over 330 Petabytes of data used every year, and that all wouldn’t be possible without the help of Louis Pouzin, Robert Kahn, Vint Cerf, Tim Berners-Lee, and Marc Andreesen. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to Google our problems, shop online for items, communicate with friends through Skype, or stream music off Pandora. We’d be back in the old ages where people still bought cookbooks, or read newspapers.

Pouzin, Kahn, and Cerf all made contributions to the protocols that “make up the fundamental architecture of the internet”. Berners-Lee created the worldwide web (www), which brought the internet to the next level from its previous state of just emails and file transfers. Lastly, Andreessen created the Mosaic browser which made the worldwide web mainstream and accessible to everyone.

All of these engineers made significant contributions that helped make the internet the way it is today. Through their collaborative efforts, the field of technology was able to dramatically advance. These engineers are the first engineers ever to win the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. It’ll be very interesting to see who next year’s nominees will be.

[via QEPrize for Engineering]

MIT Aaron Swartz documents release declared: sans names and details

This year started off on a sad note with the suicide of the man known as Aaron Swartz, made famous for his development of Reddit and Demand Progress. His death is said to have been due to massive legal pressure put on by the Department of Justice and MIT after it was discovered that he’d hacked into the academic journal system known as JSTOR, releasing documents to the public that otherwise would have been limited to students and academics of all sorts still under the payment plan required by the system. Today it’s been announced that MIT will release until-now locked-down documents related to the case.

It was just this past week that the lawyers working with the Swartz estate requested that the documents at hand be released in full. Though both MIT and the lawyer group agreed that some details would certainly be redacted for the safety of those involved, it would appear that more than just phone and social security numbers will be cut from this release.

The letter released today to the MIT community from MIT president Rafael Reif noted that they remain dedicated to as open a system as possible, but that they’d still have to cut out names and details that would lead back to those involved. The full text of the letter can be found in a PasteBin page – PasteBin being a repository for documents that can be submitted entirely anonymously, if you did not know.

“At MIT, we believe in openness, and we are not afraid to reexamine our own actions; indeed, it was with those values in mind that I asked Professor Hal Abelson to undertake his analysis following Aaron Swartz’s tragic suicide. But I believe that openness must be balanced with reasonable concern for privacy and safety. That is especially true in this situation. In the time since Aaron Swartz’s suicide, we have seen a pattern of harassment and personal threats. In this volatile atmosphere, I have the responsibility to protect the privacy and safety of those members of our community who have become involved in this matter in the course of doing their jobs for MIT, and to ensure a safe environment for all of us who call MIT home.” – Reif

So it’s passwords to systems and the names and phone numbers – and social security numbers, all that sort of stuff – that’s being kept blank. Make sense to you? The exact wording from Reif is as follows:

“Therefore – in the spirit of openness, balanced with responsibility – we will release the requested MIT documents, redacting employee names and identifying information as appropriate to protect their privacy, as well as redacting information about network vulnerabilities.” – Reif

Have a peek at the timeline below to see more information leading up to this moment and be sure to stick with SlashGear for more updates as this case continues. Let us know what you think of the progress that’s being made, and be sure to speak up if you’ve got any details you’d like us to know that we don’t already!

Thanks for the tip, Jack!

[via GigaOM]

Lindsay Lohan's Rough Trip: "Stressing Big-Time" Before Bailing on Her First Flight From New York to L.A.

by Natalie Finn and Senta Scarborough Mon., Mar. 18, 2013 8:27 PM PDT

Valerie Macon/Getty Images

Lindsay Lohan ultimately made it to court today, where she learned that in the near future she'll be spending 90 days in locked rehab.

But the actress didn't make the trip to Los Angeles in the manner which she had originally planned, having bailed on a Virgin America flight (that she had already boarded, let alone arrived on time for) from JFK to LAX in favor of a private jet.

Sounds like a decision anyone would make, but Lohan obviously took a lot of heat for it because she, presumably unlike her fellow travelers, had to be in court first thing in the morning.

So, why did she deboard again? And just how much did she annoy her fellow passengers?

Lindsay Lohan's dad slams her lawyer after court

It turns out that Lohan didn't cause any disruption whatsoever, nor did she delay the flight, an eyewitness exclusively tells E! News.

"I'm on the plane last night getting ready to take off from JFK to LAX. Lindsay Lohan is sitting across the aisle from me. They announce that we're going to have to stop in [Las Vegas] for a refuel because of some fairly routine maintenance issue that will require us to fly at lower altitude than typical," the source said.

"Ms. Lohan freaks out a bit, announcing to those of us nearby, 'I have to get to court in the morning! I don't want to go back to jail!' And while the flight is waiting for approval for takeoff, she's stressing big-time, pacing and making a string of phone calls," the witness recalled. "The flight crew was awesome, very professional and kind, working to accommodate her. At the last moment, she apologetically gets off the plane."

Exclusive details about Lindsay's post-rehab plans

The insider said that the flight crew announced the delay at about 7:50 p.m., with the flight scheduled to take off at 8:05 p.m.

Lohan "fretted a lot while they were waiting for an offical clearance to take off," but she did not delay the flight, the eyewitness assured us, adding that two others left the flight before her.

 "I think that was the tipping point for her," the source said. "Honestly, I feel for her. It truly wasn't a...diva moment. It was a scared-little-girl moment."

Ironically, after all that, the plane didn't even end up stopping in Las Vegas and they arrived at LAX on time.

Lohan, meanwhile, secured herself a seat on a private plane provided by energy drink maker Mr Pink. And the rest is L.A. Superior Court history.

Check out Lindsay Lohan's court couture

HTC supplier status downgrade rumored as CEO bets job on One success

HTC CEO Peter Chou has promised to step down if the HTC One is not a sales success, insiders claim, a dangerous commitment given reports that component shortages have scuppered the original launch plans. Chou put his neck on the line in a meeting with senior HTC executives late last year, sources close to the situation told the WSJ, only to find that HTC had been downgraded as a customer among suppliers and would struggle to secure enough casings, camera components, and other parts for the new flagship.

That’s the word from an unnamed HTC executive speaking to the newspaper, blaming the company’s fluctuating demands for phone parts in previous years for leaving the supply chain wary. “The company has a problem managing its component suppliers as it has changed its order forecasts drastically and frequently following last year’s unexpected slump in shipments” the exec explained.

“HTC has had difficulty in securing adequate camera components as it is no longer a tier-one customer” they concluded. The issue around the One’s camera is somewhat ironic, given the UltraPixel technology – which includes a custom-manufactured 4-megapixel sensor built to HTC’s specifications especially for the phone – is part of HTC’s key marketing message.

The company had originally intended to have the One on store shelves by mid-March, but was forced to rethink plans shortly before the intended launch date. Third-party retailers and carriers began complaining that the arrival of their expected stock had been pushed back to the end of March.

Meanwhile, HTC remains upbeat about its ability to get the One out almost on time, albeit perhaps not initially in huge numbers. “We…are working tirelessly with all of our channel partners to ensure that we can fulfill as many orders as possible” CMO Benjamin Ho said in a statement. “We will start fulfilling pre-orders by the end of March in certain markets and will roll out to more markets as we approach April.”

Chou isn’t the only person at HTC finding the company’s struggles are affecting their employment. The company supposedly froze year-end bonuses in 2012, leaving some to speculate that the money was instead being earmarked for a push in marketing around the One this year.

Curiosity put back into safe mode due to software error

Back on March 11, NASA was scheduled to apply two software patches to its Curiosity Mars rover after recovering from a problem with one of its on-board computers. Now the rover has run into another problem, this time with a software file error that is preventing it from performing most of its duties, though it remains in communication with the NASA team.

According to NASA, safe mode was caused by a failed command file size check, causing the rover to automatically revert into its protected mode. The rover was utilizing the B-side computer, which it switched to earlier this month when the A-side computer corrupted. The A-side computer was later restored to work as a back up for the B-side, but the rover did not switch over to it.

The incident happened late Saturday night, and has further set the rover’s schedule back, this time by a few days. NASA engineers expect Curiosity to resume its mission “in a few days.” Thus far, the rover has been incapacitated to some degree for most of the month, having experienced its initial computer problem and then later being put into sleep mode due to a solar flare.

This follows ahead of a 4-week moratorium on communicating with the rover that will start on April 4 due to the stars’ alignment, putting the sun in such a position that it could cause interference with any transmissions sent to the rover. Fortunately, the problem is easy to solve according to Curiosity’s project manager Richard Cook: “This is a very straightforward matter to deal with. We can just delete that file, which we don’t need any more, and we know how to keep this from occurring in the future.

[via NASA]

AT&T unveils new insanely expensive shared data plans

If you had an original iPhone with AT&T, the company’s new data plans will make you nostalgic for the old days of unlimited data without overages or extra charges. AT&T has unveiled three new data plans aimed at its most gluttonous consumers of mobile data. These plans all fall into the company’s Mobile Shared data packages.

In the past, the biggest plan you could opt for had 20 GB of data to share between devices and users. AT&T has unveiled plans with even more data, with one offering more than twice as much. The new AT&T data plans offer allotments of 30 GB, 40 GB, and 50 GB.

As you can imagine, these shared data plans are incredibly expensive. The 30 GB plan will cost you $300 per month. The 40 GB plan will set you back $400 per month, and the 50 GB option will cost you $500 per month.

These incredibly expensive data plans do include unlimited talk and text messaging. On top of those whopping monthly charges for the giant chunks of data, you will also have to pony up additional monthly charges for each device you add to the plan. Those monthly charges are $30 for each smartphone added. These plans could be good news for businesses since the 30 GB plan can have up to 15 devices, the 40 GB can support up to 20, and 50 GB can support up to 25 devices. That would give each of the devices on the big plan 2 GB of data each.

[via The Verge]

Sony Pictures Classics to Reteam With Writer-Director Mike Leigh

After collaborating on Another Year, Sony Pictures Classics is reteaming with writer-director Mike Leigh for his latest outing. The specialty label headed by Michael Barker and Tom Bernard has acquired all North American, Latin American and Eastern European rights to Leigh’s new film, currently dubbed Untitled Mike Leigh 13. 

For more than a decade, Leigh has been planning the film, his most ambitious yet, which centers on one of England’s greatest artists, JMW Turner.

Timothy Spall (Secrets & Lies, Topsy Turvy, the Harry Potter series) stars.

The film is produced by Georgina Lowe (Another Year) and exec produced by Gail Egan (Vera Drake) and will begin production in the spring for a 2014 release.

Production partners on the film include Film4, British Film Institute, Focus Features, LipSync and Xofa Prods.

The National Gallery, Tate Britain and the Royal Academy have granted special access to some of Turner’s original works.

"Turner as a character is compelling," Leigh said. "I want to explore the man, his working life, his relationships and how he lived.  But what fascinates me most is the drama that lies in the tension between this driven eccentric and the epic, timeless world he evoked in his masterpieces. I also see rich tragic-comic potential in his often turbulent relationship with the English Art Establishment, especially in his later years, when his increasingly radical work was misunderstood and derided.”

Email: Tatiana.Siegel@THR.com, Twitter: @TatianaSiegel27  

HTC One wanders the streets of NYC during GALAXY S 4 event

HTC has unofficially declared war on Samsung. Not in legal terms, mind you, but an all-out street fight in a sense, literally. Before and during Samsung’s GALAXY S 4 announcement event, HTC wandered the streets of Times Square and Radio City Music Hall to showcase the company’s new HTC One smartphone to random passers-by.

If you didn’t happen to be waiting in line at the GALAX S 4 event at Radio City Music Hall, then you may not know that HTC showed up and passed out free beverages to those waiting in line. It’s the ultimate troll maneuver, but that’s not all. HTC posted a video on their YouTube channel showing off the HTC One to random folks in Times Square in order take attention off the GALAXY S 4 and put it on the new HTC One.

In the video (which is cleverly edited, of course) shows a handful of people getting the chance to play around with HTC’s new phone, and a few of the company’s PR folks were there to tell people all about it, saying that they “just wanted to make sure that people got a chance to see it,” among the Samsung festivities.

This isn’t the only time that HTC has downplayed the significance of Samsung’s new device. They called the GALAXY S 4 “more of the same,” and they haven’t been afraid to call out the company recently. Of course, when you make a really awesome device, it’s hard not to get a little competitive, and even a little snarky.

Best TV Moments: The Following's Major Death, How I Met Your Mother's Sweet Moment and More!

by Tierney Bricker Mon., Mar. 18, 2013 9:52 PM PDT

Giovanni Rufino/FOX

Spoiler alert! Our roundup of the night's most memorable TV moments will brief you on the biggest and best happenings from Monday's shows—some of which you might not have seen yet.

So, look away now if you don't want to know! Otherwise, get ready to geek out along with us.

Weigh in on the series premiere of Bates Motel!

The Following: Damn you, Kevin Williamson! After two episodes without Paul (Adan Canto) and Jacob (Nico Tortorella), the fan favorite pairing returned in "Love Hurts," only to have the show's evil genius mastermind kill off Paul. Yep, another follower has fallen, arguably the show's biggest death yet. And he died at Paul's hand...or pillow! Yes, knowing he wasn't going to make it, Paul asked Jacob to make sure his life have meaning, leading to Jacob's first kill. It was heartwrenching and sad, but then you remember that Paul was a serial killer. We're conflicted, y'all!

How I Met Your Mother: "For many years this apartment has been my fortress of Barnitude … Soon it will become your fortress of soli-Ted!" Yes, Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) was ready to give up his his fortress for Robin (Cobie Smulders), even going so far as to offer it up to an unworthy Ted (Josh Radnor), who wouldn't even play with the hologram. (Our favorite line of the night from a night filled with great lines: "Can you just be cool? For once? Be cool? Ted? For once? Please? Be cool?") Of course, in the end, Robin appreciates all the "sociopathic" touches of the apartment (a highlight includes a mat that calculates a girls' BMI when entering the apartment) as they are part of Barney, so the fortress gets another occupant. And Robin finds her wedding vows! Sort of! 

Vote in the final four of our top fantasy TV couples tournament!

Line of the Night: "That was soul sucking, and I didn't even know I had a soul to suck," Max (Kat Dennings) on 2 Broke Girls. 

Secret Life of the American Teenager: It's the beginning of the end! The ABC Family series' final season kicked off with Amy (Shailene Woodley) still intending to marry Ricky (Daren Kagasoff), though judging by the dress she chooses, she doesn't seem too jazzed about it. Do you think Amy and Ricky will have a happy ending by series' end? 

Read all the latest TV scoop

Oculus Rift signs on Team Fortress 2 as first game

The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset made a huge splash at CES back in January, and the team behind the extraordinary toy has been hard at work to bring it to the mainstream and make it available to the public. The first step in that process is to get games for it, and the company has announced that Valve’s Team Fortress 2 will be the Oculus Rift’s first game.

Of course, we knew for a couple of months that Valve would be working on a virtual reality port of Team Fortress 2, and the developer is planning to detail the port at GDC 2013 at the end of this month. The game will come with “VR Mode” and will be playable on the PC using the Oculus Rift, according to Engadget.

Valve programmer Joe Ludwig says that Team Fortress 2 gamers who have an Oculus Rift will be able to play the game in a whole new way, and Rift gamers will be able to play with their friends in the same servers has regular players, which is pretty neat. The game’s VR Mode will be available to anyone with an Oculus Rift dev kit and a copy of Team Fortress 2.

Unfortunately, while the game is compatible on Mac and Linux, the Oculus Rift will not support either of those platforms at launch. The company will only have an SDK available for Windows at launch, but it seems the team is dedicated to bringing an SDK over to Mac and Linux at some point in the future.

[via Engadget]

Jay Leno Calls NBC Execs 'Snakes' in 'Tonight Show' Monologue

Jay Leno isn't backing off the NBC jokes, despite a recent report that entertainment chief Robert Greenblatt is upset over his recent jabs at the network.

"You know the whole legend of St. Patrick, right?" Leno said in his monologue on Monday night's The Tonight Show. "St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland -- and then they came to the United States and became NBC executives. It's a fascinating story."

REPORT: Jay Leno Angers NBC's Robert Greenblatt With Ratings Jabs

Leno and his fellow late-night hosts, including David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel, have a long tradition of ribbing their networks. But according to a recent report in The New York Times, Greenblatt fired off an email to Leno after a Feb. 28 episode in which the late-night host skewered the network's falling to fifth place during sweeps month.

During the episode's opening monologue, Leno joked about NBC’s fifth-place status: "We are behind the Spanish-language network Univision -- or, as we call it here in Los Angeles, Cinco de Ratings." Other jokes included: "It’s so bad, The Biggest Loser isn’t just a TV show anymore; it’s our new motto" and "It’s so bad, NBC called Manti Te’o and asked him to bring in some imaginary viewers."

ANALYSIS: Why NBC Should Be Planning Jay Leno's Exit

The exchange between Greenblatt and Leno is said to have occurred before The Hollywood Reporter reported March 1 that NBC was discussing an exit plan for Leno, which would see him cede his 11:35 p.m. timeslot in 2014, likely to be replaced by Jimmy Fallon. NBC has denied the report, but two high-level industry sources told THR the network was considering making an announcement in May.

Justin Timberlake Confirms The 20/20 Experience Volume 2 Album in the Works

by Alexis L. Loinaz Today 4:47 AM PDT

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

When it comes to his new music, Justin Timberlake is seeing 20/20, all right: The singer has set his sights on a sequel.

On Monday night, Jessica Biel's hubby confirmed speculation that he'll be releasing volume 2 of his album The 20/20 Experience, whose first entry finally hits stores today after teasing fans with its lead single, "Suit & Tie."

The 32-year-old popster revealed the news at the release party for his new album at El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles.

Justin Timberlake to release 20/20 Experience volume 2, says Questlove

"I've got to clear up the rumors," he said during the launch, which also included an interview with Ryan Seacrest, per Reuters. "This whole thing about this only being the first part…is true. There is another half."

So there you go: straight from the source. The singer himself, however, wasn't about to spill everything about his follow-up.

"I'm not giving you a release date," he playfully told the crowd.

Kanye West disses "Suit & Tie"

This past weekend, Roots drummer Questlove—who recently deejayed before the singer's MySpace SXSW show—set the rumor mill spinning when, while responding to a less-than-flattering New York Times review of The 20/20 Experience, he (prematurely?) revealed that Timberlake had more music up his sleeve.

"i will say the album is OVERLY ambitious. like a LOT of ideas crammed into one," he wrote on an Okayplayer.com message board. "spoiler alert. 20/20 Vol 2 comes out in nov. (10 songs now.....10 songs later= 20 vision)."

If that projected release date does prove to be true, you can bet fans will be keeping a keen eye out for J.T.'s 20/20 follow-up later this year.

Check out some of J.T.'s famous friends

Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren Attend Daughter Sam's Soccer Game, Lindsey Vonn Waits in the Car

Splash News, Courtesy: Tiger Woods/Lindsey Vonn, Facebook.com

Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn went all Facebook official with their relationship Monday, but they're not ready to go completely public with their romance.

The same day, while Tiger and ex-wife Elin Nordegren cheered on their 5-year-old daughter Sam at her soccer game in Jupiter, Fla., Lindsey stayed behind in the car.

More on Tiger and Lindsey's romance

Splash News 3/18/13

Tiger, 37, and Elin, 33, sat at opposite sides of the bleachers, both solo. But the golfer's not the only one with a new love in his life: Elin is reportedly dating billionaire Chris Cline, although she's yet to make a public proclamation of their relationship like you know who.

But hey, if everyone's happy and doing what's best for the kids, more power to 'em.

Check out more pics of famous families!

MIP TV 2013: Eli Roth, Famke Janssen and Bill Skarsgard Take 'Hemlock Grove' to Cannes

Eli Roth executive produced the new mystery series for Netflix and Gaumont International Television.

COLOGNE, Germany - Horror master Eli Roth will present his foray into TV, the mystery series Hemlock Grove, at this year's international television confab MIP TV, together with the series' stars Famke Janssen (X-Men) and Bill Skarsgard (Anna Karenina).

Netflix and Gaumont International Television, the L.A.-based production and distribution arm of French giant Gaumont, are producing the one-hour drama series, which is based on the book by Brian McGreevy and revolves around the murder of a young high school girl in the former steel community of Hemlock Grove. Dougray Scott, Penelope Mitchell, Landon Liboiron and Freya Tingley also star.

All 13 episodes of the first season of Hemlock Grove will premiere on Netflix in the U.S., April 19.

Roth, Janssen and Skarsgard will stroll the red carpet for MIP TV's opening night Monday, April 8, and will take part in a co-production case study panel April 9, where they will discuss the creation of Hemlock Grove and the Netflix on-demand distribution model. Hemlock Grove is the latest of Netflix's original drama series, following the critically-acclaimed political drama House of Cards starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, which premiered on the online service earlier this year.

'Skyfall' and 'The Hobbit' Drive MGM's 2012 Revenue to $1.38 Billion

Driven by the one-two punch of Skyfall and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, MGM saw its 2012 revenue surge to $1.38 billion, up 97 percent over the previous year.

MGM Holdings, the parent company of MGM, reported Monday that its adjusted EBITDA for the past calendar year was $286 million, an increase of 48 percent over 2011.

While the company’s worldwide theatrical revenue increased $661 million, led by its pair of fourth-quarter blockbusters, the company also logged higher distribution and marketing expenses in launching the two movies, resulting in net income for the calendar year of $129 million.

While MGM didn’t debut any major new TV titles, its worldwide television licensing revenue increased by $23 million to $395 million. And while no new titles were released through its home entertainment division, its home entertainment revenue -- buoyed by James Bond 50th anniversary promotions in the fourth quarter -- amounted to $195 million, an increase of slightly more than $1 million over the prior year.

Skyfall, which has grossed $1.1 billion worldwide, is the biggest Bond release of all time, and combined with Hobbit -- the first film in Peter Jackson's trilogy based on the J.R.R. Tolkien novel -- MGM also can boast of being the first company with back-to-back $1 billion grossers.

“I am very pleased with our strong results for 2012, reinforcing my optimism about the future of MGM,” chairman and CEO Gary Barber said. "With back-to-back films each grossing worldwide box office in excess of $1 billion, MGM now has two of the top 15 films in box-office history."

'The Following': Latest Victim Speaks Out About Emotional Death

[Warning: Do not proceed if you haven't watched Monday's episode, "Love Hurts." Major spoilers ahead.]

Another one bites the dust.

Death is a regular occurrence on a heightened drama like Fox's The Following, and Monday's episode "Love Hurts," was the final chapter for loyal Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) follower, Paul. His death, at the hands of Jacob (Nico Tortorella), was dramatic, disturbing and wrought with emotion. The moment came when a weakened Paul sacrificed himself for Jacob, who then smothered him with a pillow -- marking his first official kill.

PHOTOS: Fox's 2012-13 Season: 'The Following,' 'The Mindy Project'

"The Following was quite the way to start in the States," actor Adan Canto, who plays Paul, tells The Hollywood Reporter following the episode, which he shot back in December. "Paul was an amazing character to have embodied and to explore. To live in this guy's shoes for all this time was definitely a learning experience and a rollercoaster ride for me -- emotionally, psychologically. He empowered me in the end, even though he gave me a lot of sleepless nights."

THR jumped on the phone with Canto to discuss his alter ego's emotional death, what being Jacob's first kill means and what he has coming up next.

The Hollywood Reporter: When did you first find out that Paul wasn't going to survive past this episode?

Adan Canto: Well, we basically knew from the start that this kind of show, stuff like that was bound to happen in order to keep the story alive. When you jump into a project like this, you can only be working for the end result. You're supporting the plot. You don't think individually and say "I still want to be on the show." It was a lot of fun but it was more thrilling to realize that my character was playing a part and adding this kind of plot to the story.

THR: So was his death something that came up as filming went along?

Canto: It was something that came along. I think it did come along early on and in order to support the plot, something like this might happen. It made sense. The beauty of it was that we didn't know exactly how it would happen and of course, it happening is only supposed to stimulate the gist of [the story]. I really wanted to know how he was going to go.

STORY: 'The Following' Postmortem: Annie Parisse on Parker's Mysterious Past and 'Big' Shakeups

THR: What was your first reaction when you got the script and realized Paul would die?

Canto: I loved it. I loved it. It's a beautiful, beautiful scene. When I learned I was going to pass in this episode, it was a little like, "Oh Christ, tough luck, I'm out." But then you read a script like this [and] the way he dies, I was amazed; I was excited to shoot this thing and after shooting the scene, it felt so good. It's a beautiful scene, and it was disturbing. It was a great experience as an actor and as a person. I was excited to close the cycle that way.

THR: How does Paul's death affect Jacob moving forward?

Canto: It definitely adds to his storyline. A situation like that it definitely is going to mark a character like Jacob. It's going to heighten his sensitivity and his resentment toward life, and add a little bit to the fire and turbulence, if you will.

THR: Paul is also Jacob's first kill, which is huge for someone like him.

Canto: Exactly, this is [Jacob's] first kill. Paul asks and he tells him, "It's perfect. It's gonna be perfect. You can do it." Paul would always tell Jacob that he could do it and he never could, until this particular moment when Paul helped him out a little bit in the beginning. Jacob's able to pull through and make it happen.

STORY: 'The Following' Postmortem: Shawn Ashmore on the Aftermath of a Big Team Change

THR: What does that say about Paul, that even in that moment, he's still trying to help?

Canto: That says a lot about him. It says that in his mind, he was genuinely part of something greater than himself and he wanted his life to mean something, to add something to this cult and Jacob's path in life. I guess Paul is a very passionate guy, selfless; that definitely adds to his depth as a person.

THR: What do you hope people remember about your character?

Canto: [Laughs] That's a good question because that's usually a question you'd normally ask the good guy. I definitely don't want to promote insanity, but I have to say, you remember how passionate this kid was. He believes in this cult, he believes in this path of life blindly and nothing stops him -- not even death.

THR: What's one thing that you take from Paul?

Canto: It's interesting, I like the word ruthlessness personally but I think Paul was more relentless. I think I could learn a lot from Paul's relentlessness, the way he went about things and his faith in life.

THR: Did you have favorite moments from the season?

Canto: The flashbacks were a lot of fun because Paul in the past made me feel like a loser, and being under his skin and being frustrated at being this guy [laughs], it's interesting what it does to your mind. It's like gathering all that frustration and channeling it all to the Paul he [ultimately] became.

THR: What else do you have coming up?

Canto: There are a couple of things, and I could tell you soon, but not yet. There are a couple exciting things in the horizon. It's both [TV and movies].

The Following airs at 9 p.m. Mondays on Fox.

E-mail: Philiana.Ng@thr.com
Twitter: @insidethetube

Gmail updated for Jelly Bean – notifications pulldown reply activated

It’s time to get minimal with Google’s newest update for the Gmail app for your Android 4.1+ Jelly Bean devices – complete with notification pull-down menu buttons for reply and archive! This update shows the message (as you’re seeing in the first image here) in extremely short form along with Archive and Reply buttons, this giving you super-quick access to your mail and a way to bust out of viewing every single message as you’d have to otherwise. This update works for devices working with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean or newer and there’s been no comment as yet on similar features being pushed to iOS.

With the iPhone you’ve got the ability to tap a notification of a Gmail email and get into that email in full form, but a quick reply or archive are not presently up for grabs. The Android update coming your way today also adds some advanced search functions for “faster search and better search suggestions” for greater ease in finding messages both online and when you’re nowhere near a web connection.

This update also allows you to work with existing notification features so you can tell your Android device which messages should be popping up for you as a notification and which shouldn’t. According to Google:

So if you filter and label all the messages from your mom, you could set a ringtone to let you know you received a new mail from her and then quickly reply (because we know what can happen when you ignore your mother!).

Listen to your mother! And reply to her quickly with a notifications pull-down tap with this newest update today. You can head to the Google Play app store for the Gmail update right this minute or simply wait until you’re notified of an impending update automatically – whichever you choose.

[via Google Gmail Blog]

EA Origin exploit leaves 40m at potential hack risk

A vulnerability in EA’s Origin online gaming platform could allow remote hackers to run dangerous code on gamers’ computers without permission, by perverting links used to load titles like Crysis 3, its been revealed. Identified by ReVuln researchers Luigi Auriemma and Donato Ferrante, and presented last week at the Black Hat security conference, the exploit relies on the URI links the Origin desktop client uses to trigger local software from the cloud, and which can be modified to install malware instead.

At its root, the hack [pdf link] is broadly similar to an exploit explored last October by the same research team. The URI links can be tweaked to point to compromised Windows .dll files, which themselves can be used to download malware, tracking software, tools to extract personal details from the user’s local files, or other spyware.

In the case of Crysis 3, the ReVuln researchers showed how a specially crafted link using Origin’s “origin://LaunchGame/” URI terminology could even open up malware without the authors knowing what games were installed on the target PC. Should the user have allowed Origin to run all URI links without requiring specific approval each time, meanwhile, the exploit could be carried out completely transparently to them.

It’s not an approach EA is unaware of, though it’s uncertain whether the games company was aware of this specific hack. “Our team is constantly investigating hypotheticals like this one” a spokesperson told Ars Technica, “as we continually update our security infrastructure.”

For the moment, the advice to the 40m gamers potentially at risk from exploits of this sort is to disable the “origin://” URI; that’s possible with a tool like Nirsoft’s URL Protocol View app. Games can still be run directly from Origin, but not using custom URIs.

Lego City Undercover comes to Nintendo Wii U

Nintendo Wii U gamers who are fans of video games in the Lego franchise have a new game to check out coming to the Nintendo Wii U game console. The game is called Lego City Undercover and it is available now exclusively for Nintendo’s new game console. The game is rated E10+ and it’s the first Lego game to take advantage of the second screen available for the Wii U.

The game has players assuming the identity of an undercover detective named Chase McCain. McCain explores the open world of Lego City in an attempt to capture criminal mastermind Rex Fury. The Nintendo Wii U GamePad controller is represented in the game as a gadget used by Chase and other members of the city police department. Using that virtual controller, players are able to communicate with police dispatchers and access the world map.

Players can also place waypoints using the touchscreen on the Nintendo Wii U GamePad and to scan the environment to locate hidden clues or listen in on criminals. Players will use multiple undercover disguises during the game giving Chase unique abilities needed to solve puzzles and complete missions.

Lego City Undercover is the first video game in the Lego franchise to be based on the available Lego City play sets. Lego says that players will encounter familiar real-world Lego play sets in the game. The game will also allow players to take command of over 100 different vehicles including aircraft, sports cars, and motorcycles. A special Lego building set to complement the game is also available in stores.

[via Lego City Undercover]

FCC lays down the iron fist on illegal robocalls

We all know the feeling of receiving robocalls. These are when you receive a phone call and the other end is an automated message advertising a certain product, or in this case, attempting to get your support for a specific political candidate. It turns out that some of these robocalls have been illegal, and the FCC is cracking down on it as we speak.

Robocalls are allowed on most landline numbers if certain rules are met, but they are strictly prohibited to mobile phones unless it’s for emergency purposes or the person receiving the call has given prior permission. The FCC has cited two marketing companies for making millions of robocalls to mobile phones illegally.

Robocalls were made from Dialing Services of Roswell, New Mexico and Democratic Dialing of Aurora, Colorado, both companies didn’t have permission from mobile phone users to call them. The FCC found that these two companies sent out millions of robocalls in 2011 and 2012, including the 2012 presidential election campaigns.

The maximum penalty for making illegal robocalls to mobile phones is $16,000 per call, which means that if each company made millions of robocalls throughout the past couple of years, they could end up owing billions of dollars in fines. It’s estimated that 4.7 million illegal robocalls were made from Dialing Services and 1.1 million by Democratic Dialing.

Chris Kolker, founder and CEO of Dialing Services, said that his company is “simply a service provider” that makes it possible for another company to make robocalls. He says that his company doesn’t make the calls themselves, and that they “inform customers about the laws, but [the company] cannot possibly police all of them.”

[via NBC News]

Lego City Undercover comes to Nintendo Wii U

Nintendo Wii U gamers who are fans of video games in the Lego franchise have a new game to check out coming to the Nintendo Wii U game console. The game is called Lego City Undercover and it is available now exclusively for Nintendo’s new game console. The game is rated E10+ and it’s the first Lego game to take advantage of the second screen available for the Wii U.

The game has players assuming the identity of an undercover detective named Chase McCain. McCain explores the open world of Lego City in an attempt to capture criminal mastermind Rex Fury. The Nintendo Wii U GamePad controller is represented in the game as a gadget used by Chase and other members of the city police department. Using that virtual controller, players are able to communicate with police dispatchers and access the world map.

Players can also place waypoints using the touchscreen on the Nintendo Wii U GamePad and to scan the environment to locate hidden clues or listen in on criminals. Players will use multiple undercover disguises during the game giving Chase unique abilities needed to solve puzzles and complete missions.

Lego City Undercover is the first video game in the Lego franchise to be based on the available Lego City play sets. Lego says that players will encounter familiar real-world Lego play sets in the game. The game will also allow players to take command of over 100 different vehicles including aircraft, sports cars, and motorcycles. A special Lego building set to complement the game is also available in stores.

[via Lego City Undercover]

Oz the Great and Powerful spells magic: our Sony Pictures Imageworks interview

This week we had the opportunity to have a chat with Sony Pictures Imageworks on how they brought the next generation of L Frank Baum’s “Oz” universe to life in the prequel: Oz the Great and Powerful! Our chat began with Sony Pictures Imageworks’ Senior Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Stokdyk, who let us know first and foremost his role with the film. We then quickly launched in on how the movie creates not just a re-entry into this magical environment for fans of the classic “Wizard of Oz” picture, but also – and especially – lovers of the original book series from whens the whole universe is born.

Stokdyk’s role in the creation of this movie began 2.5 years ago, working directly with the director of the film, Sam Raimi. With Raimi, Stokdyk broke down each element in the storyline piece by piece, speaking about how they’d go about creating each visual effect that would need to exist. After knocking out the script for a period, Mr. Stokdyk headed to Detroit for 7 months of filming the movie on soundstage, working after this for over a year in post-production.

As Visual Effects Supervisor, Stokdyk worked with the fabulous Sony Pictures Imageworks, a group we’ve had some rather fruitful conversations with in the past, to be sure! For those of you who have that tingling feeling you’ve heard Stokdyk’s name before, you’ll be glad to know you’re right: he’s previously worked with Sam Raimi on each of the Spider-Man movies (1, 2, and 3) as Visual Effects Supervisor as he does on the one we’re discussing today and has worked in different effects roles on such classic films as Titanic, Contact, and The Fifth Element.

According to Stokdyk, in both Oz the Great and Powerful and in the film industry in general, the way an effects-inclusive movie can distinguish itself is simple (so to speak). As Stokdyk says, “In Visual Effects nowadays, there’s basically effects work, there’s character work, there’s environmental work – and what distinguishes one show from another nowadays is it’s own unique combination of how those pieces work together and how they’re Art Directed together.”

Seems simple enough to say, right? Stokdyk continued, “[This film] has a nice blend of character animation that’s stunt and action oriented – and performance based – interacting with the real actors. We’ve also got really fantastical environmental extensions of sets. They bring into this fantastical world of Oz what we’ve shot on set.”

You’ll be seeing your fair share of fantastic effects-dependent shots and characters throughout this film which – if you did not know – is out in theaters now! Featured computer-generated characters you’ll be seeing throughout the film include:

The China Girl – this little lady is a porcelain doll that our hero Oz finds after her town is destroyed in the film. She’s voiced by Joey King and trots along with fully realistic features from top to bottom.

Finley the Flying Monkey – a cute little beast voiced by none other than your best buddy Zach Braff. This lovely beast also accompanies Oz throughout the movie and has one whole heck of a lot of fur that needed digital brushing – not to mention the rest of his fully-animated monkey body.

"The most technically challenging production Imageworks’ has completed to date."

Both Braff and King took part in filming their parts as the monkey and he doll throughout principal photography, allowing the rest of the actors to act and respond in a much more organic way than traditional CG replacements would have allowed. Once filming was complete though, it was all up to the effects teams to bust forth with what Sony Pictures Imageworks describes as “the most technically challenging production Imageworks’ has completed to date.”

The group notes that they completed over 1,100 shots that appear in the final product, these including every single one of the GC environments and character shots. You’ll see digital doubles of each of the main characters: Oz, Glinda, Theodora, Evanora, and Knuck. You’ll see “thousands of flying baboons including three unique hero baboons.” You’ll see massive amounts of CG creatures including “attacking snapdragons, horses, various insects, butterflies, birds, flying fish, wooden horses, lion, squirrel, and river fairies”. You’ll see giant digital crowds of characters across the countryside and inside the city.

Some of the most awesome bits and pieces you should look out for while you’re experiencing this magical mix of fanaticism are:

• Glinda’s Magic Bubbles
• A shimmering wall around Glinda’s countryside and village
• Theodora’s Fire Tornado
• The Oz hologram
• Water effects galore
• Massive poppy fields
• China Town
• Emerald City – including “the main gates, boulevard, central square, back gate, back
alley, bell tower, palace, dais, vaulted corridor, Throne Room, Room of
Resplendence, balcony and bridge digital sets and huge aerials of the city”
• Fog!

And for those of you that are worried that this is another one of those films that destroys the experience of moviegoing with a heavy overdose of effects-driven shots, don’t fret! According to Stokdyk, they were certainly conscious of how easy it could have been to OD.

Stokdyk: You have a certain number of shots in any movie that are all computer generated, right? You just can’t shoot them, or there’s a prop that’s too expensive to shoot, or you shoot them in post after you’ve shot them in principal photography. We certainly had a decent chunk of those kind of shots, but after you’ve gone all CG, and done everything in the world CG, where’s the boundary? Where’s the next frontier after that?”

As Stokdyk tells us, so too must it be true! Expect the most awesome combination of art direction, live action, and CG you’ve ever seen on a film of this kind – start to finish!