Month: June 2005

A Lot Like Love

A Lot Like LoveWe just got back from watching “A Lot Like Love“, starring Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet.

The movie is a light romantic comedy about two people who cross paths, make a connection, and then keep coming back to each other every now and then, with a romance growing between them.

I’m not much of an Ashton Kutcher fan, in fact I used to hate the guy’s guts, especially with Punk’d. Anyway this movie is quite nice.
It’s no cinematic masterpiece or anything, it’s just what it’s meant to be, a nice light romantic comedy.

Both lead actors do a pretty good job, and I actually liked Ashton in this role and felt he was very natural playing it. Amanda Peet, I’ve liked in all her roles up to now.

If you have some time to spare and feel like a light movie, this could be the one for you.

My score for it is: 6.5/10.

Michael Jackson Not Guilty

At last this whole thing is over, I hope…

A California jury found pop superstar Michael Jackson not guilty Monday of all charges in his child-molestation trial.

The jury deliberated about 32 hours before reaching its decision.

The verdicts were read in a packed courtroom, where a large crowd of supporters gathered outside the courthouse cheered, wept and hugged upon hearing the verdicts.

Courtroom observers reported that Jackson dabbed his eyes with a tissue after his acquittal.

[Source: CNN]

Personally, I always thought these accusations were made up. Ok, Michael Jackson has become somewhat of a weirdo over the years, but still I don’t think he’s a child molester.
Obviously this jury agree.

Now, please Michael, get your act together, get things sorted out with Sony, and give us some good music for God’s sake!

Sex Huts for the World Cup 2006

World Cup 2006 LogoDortmund, one of 12 host cities for the 2006 World Cup, is hurriedly building wooden sex huts with the aim of encouraging discretion among prostitutes and their clients.

Experts estimate as many as 40,000 prostitutes may travel to Germany to offer their services to fans during the tournament.

“The World Cup has put us under added time pressure, as we don’t want a situation where prostitutes and their clients disturb residential areas,” an official said

Dortmund plans to arrange the Dutch-designed huts, which have been introduced in the city of Cologne, another World Cup venue, in an area with condom machines and snack bar.

This is just crazy, lol…

[Source: Reuters]
[Via: 2:48AM]

The Israeli Media

“Since 1967, we have been brutal conquerors, occupiers suppressing another people…”

It is in such terms Yavin has been expressing his disgust for the Israeli occupation in the five-week series of reports “A Land of Settlers” currently being broadcast on Israeli Channel Two.

Known to Israelis as “Mr. TV”, Yavin has been the anchor of Mabat, the main news show on Israeli public television, since 1968, and has accompanied Israelis through all major political events since.

[Source: Electronic Intifada]
[Via: Je Blog]

Microsoft Bans ‘Democracy’ For China Web Users

Microsoft’s new Chinese internet portal has banned the words “democracy” and “freedom” from parts of its website in an apparent effort to avoid offending Beijing’s political censors.

Users of the joint-venture portal, formally launched last month, have been blocked from using a range of potentially sensitive words to label personal websites they create using its free online blog service, MSN Spaces.

Attempts to input words in Chinese such as “democracy” prompted an error message from the site: “This item contains forbidden speech. Please delete the forbidden speech from this item.” Other phrases banned included the Chinese for “demonstration”, “democratic movement” and “Taiwan independence”.

First Google banned some news sources from it’s Google News for Chinese users and now MSN is banning words such as these.
I truly wonder what will come next?!

[Source: MSN Money]

‘Halo’ To Be Made Into Movie

A few days back it was reported that Microsoft was looking for a buyer for their just-completed movie script for the best-selling X-Box game “Halo”.

According to TheHollywoodReporter, 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures have teamed up to purchase and put the Microsoft Halo script to film.

Microsoft is expected to make an announcement next week about the deal it has struck with Hollywood to make the movie.

The company caused a stir in Hollywood with its demands of upfront money and creative control over the movie, according to news reports.

Reuters said Microsoft first wanted $10 million and 15 percent of initial box-office sales but settled with Universal Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox on a deal for a $5 million upfront payment and 10 percent of the box office. The movie is expected to be released in 2007.

Hollywood has a history of screwing up with movies based on games, let’s hope they change our minds with this one.

[Sources: Seattle Times, CanMag]

Yahoo Interested In Skype?

Yahoo Inc. is looking to boost its business in what they believe is the Internet’s next big growth area — voice communications.

Yahoo already has deals with several landline and wireless telephone companies, including SBC Communications, Verizon Communications Inc. and Sprint Corp., for a variety of Web-based services.

For what the future could hold, Yahoo points to its deal with Britain’s BT Group Plc, which sells the BT Communicator — a version of Yahoo’s Messenger that can not only handle voice calls between computers but make and receive telephone calls.

Anyway, some rumours are surfacing about talks between Yahoo and Skype, close enough that maybe even an acquisition is being cooked. Something like this would complicate Yahoo

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Mr. & Mrs. SmithLast night, after having some coffee at Starbucks (Which is testing with a month of free wireless internet btw), I talked my wife and brother-in-law into going to the cinema to see Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

The movie stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as a bored married couple who both secretly from each other work as assassins. They only find out when they’re hired to kill each other.

After hearing and reading about the movie, then seeing the trailer, I expected this movie to be a pretty good one. It exceeded my expectations. It was a really great movie.
It was really funny and lots of fun. I truly enjoyed myself watching it.
The humour was really cool, the action was kickin’, the plot was real good and the chemistry between Brad and Angelina was amazing.
In fact, I like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie a lot more after this movie.

This must be one of the best action/comedies of the year. I highly recommend it.
I personally would really like to see it again.

My score for it is: 9/10.