WETA Offers New Gorgeous Jewellery from Middle-Earth

From Weta


Our range of exquisite jewellery from The Lord of the Rings has had a whole bunch of additions this week.

We are very pleased to be able to present the following seven pieces of exquisite jewellery:

Earlier releases include The One Ring – 18K Solid Gold, The One Ring – Gold Plated Tungsten Carbide and the Elven Leaf Brooch.

All are available to order now!

NINTENDO Teams up with Famous Females for New “Play As You Are” Campaign

Star-Studded Campaign Featuring Glee’s Dianna Agron and Modern Family’s Sarah Hyland To Show How You Don’t Have to Be a Gamer to Enjoy Games on Nintendo 3DS Hand-Held

Consumers in Canada will soon see some famous faces talking about their love for the wide array of games and entertainment options available on Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL hand-held systems. On Oct. 1, Nintendo will launch a new campaign called “Play As You Are,” designed to show how all kinds of women and young girls can explore their interests and express their individuality using the portable Nintendo 3DS – whether they consider themselves gamers or not. TV stars Dianna Agron (of Fox’s Glee) and Sarah Hyland (of ABC’s Modern Family) are teaming up with Nintendo to showcase how games for Nintendo 3DS provide female players with fun, creative ways to challenge themselves and share what makes them unique. Both celebrities participating in the “Play As You Are” campaign will show how games for Nintendo 3DS engage their respective interests and personalities:

* Dianna Agron is not only a music lover like her character on Glee, she is also a dedicated fan, blogger and supporter of visual art. Fittingly, she will be featured in ads for Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone! (Oct. 1). The game lets players of any artistic skill level learn a wide range of painting and drawing techniques that can be applied in real life, from pencils to paints to pastels. She’ll also appear in spots for the puzzle-solving adventure Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (Oct. 28). Dianna is currently in production on the feature film Malavita, directed by Luc Besson and starring opposite Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer.

* Sarah Hyland is a budding fashionista with a keen eye for clothing trends. Her role as Haley on TV’s Emmy award-winning Modern Family is a great match for her fashion-forward style off-screen. She’ll be seen in ads for Style Savvy:
Trendsetters (Oct. 22), which lets players use thousands of items and accessories to create fabulous looks and manage their own customized clothing boutiques. Hyland also will star in a Nintendo 3DS holiday ad featuring Sparkle Snapshots 3D (Oct. 18), an application that lets users take 2D pictures, decorate them with 3D accents and share them with friends.

“These women are all amazing role models with their own unique tastes and talents,” said Ron Bertram, Nintendo of Canada’s vice-president and general manager. “They know firsthand how Nintendo 3DS can keep them entertained and engaged wherever they go. We think young girls and women of all ages will enjoy hearing what they have to say about their favourite games and activities on Nintendo 3DS.” From puzzle games to role-playing adventures and everything in-between, more than 126 software titles are currently available for Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL, with more downloadable content added to the online Nintendo eShop every week. In addition to games, consumers can use the system’s built-in 3D camera and applications like Swapnote to connect with friends in creative ways. Nintendo 3DS users can also instantly watch thousands of TV shows and movies on Nintendo 3DS with a Netflix unlimited streaming membership and broadband Internet connection. Since launching in 2011, the original Nintendo 3DS system has sold more than 19 million units worldwide. Nintendo 3DS XL, which launched on Aug. 19, 2012, has 90 percent larger screens than the original Nintendo 3DS, allowing users to immerse themselves even more deeply into their games and entertainment. Both versions of the system include built-in wireless features such as StreetPass and SpotPass, built-in cameras and the ability to enjoy games, movies and video content in 3D without the need for special glasses. Remember that Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii(tm) home console, Nintendo 3DS(tm) and Nintendo DS(tm) family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System(tm), Nintendo has sold more than 3.9 billion video games and more than 630 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi(tm) and Nintendo DSi XL(tm), as well as the Game Boy(tm), Game Boy Advance, Super NES(tm), Nintendo 64(tm) and Nintendo GameCube(tm) systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario(tm), Donkey Kong(tm), Metroid(tm), Zelda(tm) and Pokémon(tm). A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.ca.

Aces Weekly Online Magazine Launches

From Aces Weekly:

David Lloyd (V for Vendetta, Kickback) empowered the world with his iconoclastic Guy Fawkes mask  in V for Vendetta. Today, comic conspirator Lloyd is changing the world with his publishing launch of an ambitious new online magazine called Aces Weekly.  Acesweekly.co.uk is a sequential art magazine, available exclusively through on-line subscription which will be released as seven weekly issues which form a volume. Each issue will have at least 3 landscape pages from 6 contributors (18 pages per issue), plus many pages of extras such as artists sketches etc.  Readers subscribe to volumes which cost £6.99/$9.99 per seven issue volume. Aces Weekly will be available exclusively on-line and feature all new material. Stored online, readers now have access to their magazine wherever they have web access.  The website goes live September 30, 2012.   What makes Aces Weekly special? The creators have more control then ever before.

Lloyd explained the origin of the magazine, “Well, the aim was to create something very much like a traditional weekly English comic but without limiting the subject matter.  We asked a range of creators who we knew to be excellent – the reason for the ‘ aces ‘ of our name – to do whatever they liked within certain bounds of taste, and they just came up with a great mix of stories.  Creators in this business rarely get asked to do whatever they like, so that’s part of the pull of the project for them.  And they’re enthused by the newness of the project and its potential for growth.”

Bambos Georgiou is the managing editor; “Most comic companies use creators to make money for the company, this company has been set up to make money for the creators. This time readers will know their money is going direct to the creators.”  All strips are creator owned.

Lloyd, who along with writer Dave Jackson has created Valley Of Shadows for Acesweekly.co.uk, has gathered together some of the top names in the comic industry to appear in Aces Weekly, such as Kyle Baker, Steve Bissette, Colleen Doran, Bill Sienkiewicz, Billy Tucci and Herb Trimpe, including, alongside him in the first volume ; Phil Hester & John McCrea (Progenitor), JC Vaughn & Mark Wheatley (Return Of The Human) Alain Mauricet & Alexandre Tefenkgi (Shoot For The Moon) and David Hitchcock (Paradise Mechanism) who all contribute twenty-one page stories serialized over the first seven issue run.  Also included in the first volume are stand alone three page strips by Lew Stringer (Combat Colin), Carl Critchlow (Thrud The Barbarian), David Leach (Psycho Gran), Esteban Hernández(Harmony), Phil Elliott (Gimbley)Rory Walker (Chloroform) and Mychailo Kazybrid & Bambos (Dr Queer).

The Adventures of Retrobot Debuts on the App Store

Endeavor Bros and Monkube today announced the launch of The Adventures of Retrobot,  an intense tank shooter with epic boss battles featuring animated graphic novel style storytelling. Available now on the App Store for $0.99, The Adventures of Retrobot follows the story of a DIY robot built as a gaming buddy who’s out to save his maker from the evil robots who’ve taken over the world.  Go to  http://bit.ly/retrobot to check it out!
Throughout his adventure, Retrobot acquires new weapons and power-ups to fight off the never ending onslaught of robot overlords. Tactical use of shield and powerful EMP blasts are needed to complete the mission. The Adventures of Retrobot takes the player through numerous worlds, tackles challenging level bosses and tells a full comic book worth of story though animated story sequences. Having lived in a bubble of constant video-game playing and with no prior experience of the world outside, Retrobot and sidekick Toto’s journey is filled with slapstick humor that makes gaming logic and real world rules collide. More often than not, with a wink towards gaming’s biggest classics.

A game for everyone

In order to cater to both the occasional and experienced iOS gamers, The Adventures of Retrobot is geared with several gameplay modes. The Story Mode offers a balanced learning curve, varied enough to keep hardened players interested, without preventing occasional gamers from seeing the story through. Seeing the credits roll is just the beginning for experienced gamers. As a Challenge Mode, with one life, no retries and faster enemy spawning and a Boss Challenge await. In those game modes, the majority of the Game Center points are awarded. Completing one of these game modes – which is far from an easy feat – earns players a spot in the separate high score charts.
“The Adventures of Retrobot takes two of the greatest entertainment categories – comics and games – and fuses them together for a hugely addictive and fun experience,” said Adam Heat, Co-
screenshot Founder of Endeavor Bros. “We’ve spent countless hours bringing together what we believe could be a game changer in the mobile gaming space.”

Sven Van de Perre, Creative Director at Monkube remarks, “For us, game development has always been about finding a game genre that is under-used in today’s tidal wave of mobile games. And then trying to create a game that raises the bar. Ever since being hooked on Popcap’s tank shooter Heavy Weapon, I wanted to have a go at this. With The Adventures of Retrobot, we bring amazing frantic shooter action, while also adding like-able characters, great story telling and – which is up to the consumer to judge – some funny video game related humor.”

To go beyond the call of duty, Endeavor Bros and Monkube brought together an all-star support cast, including:

* Comic book publisher Ape Entertainment, developers of the massively popular Pocket God Comics featuring work from artist Carlos Valenti and Cut the Rope Comics apps.
* Maurits ‘Mo’ Goossens, part of Monkube’s in-house music team, composed the massive classical score that drives both game and story. As 1st violin and former conductor of the Brussels Philharmonic orchestra, he worked on several motion pictures scores, including Golden Globe-winning picture “The Aviator” (Martin Scorcese) and 2012 Oscar winner “The Artist” (Michel Hazanavicius).

About Endeavor Bros

Endeavor Bros is an Entertainment Media company based in Canada that develops and publishes games for mobile devices. Our central platform is the iPhone and all iOS related devices. We also support other mobile platforms such as Android, the 3DS and the PSP as well as online platforms such as the Xbox and PSN networks. For more information, please visitwww.EndeavorBros.com.

About Monkube

Monkube is a mobile game developer with offices in Belgium, Romania and Hong Kong. Founded by ex gaming journalists, Monkube intentionally steers clear of over-used game concepts, instead fusing its games with complete comic book stories and über polished gameplay. For more information, visit www.monkube.com.

Official War of the Worlds: Goliath US Premiere at the Los Angeles 3D Film Festival

Tripod Entertainment announced today that their 3D animated steampunk feature War of the Worlds: Goliath will ave its official US premiere at the 3D Film Festival in Los Angeles.  The festival is the premiere showcase for 3D media in North America and takes place from September 20-22, 2012.

War of the Worlds: Goliath will be one of the headliners closing the Festival.  Screening is on September 22 from 4:30-6pm at Regal Cinema #5, LA Live Stadium 14 (1000 West Olympic Blvd).

The premiere is open to the public and ticket details can be found here: http://3dfilmfest.eventbrite.com/.  The screening will be followed by a Closing Gala hosted and performed by Quincy Jones.

“Being part of the LA 3D Film Festival is HUGE,” explained Director-Producer Joe Pearson.  “The Festival brings together thousands of people from all over the globe – from filmmakers to manufacturers – the people who not only understand the cutting edge nature of 3D today, but its future.  This is THE place to introduce your 3D movie to the world.”

“It was an extraordinary challenge to build a compelling story about a Martian invasion set in an imagined history, featuring real characters like Teddy Roosevelt, Nikola Tesla and the Red Baron,” said Producer Leon Tan. “The real kicker however was the 3D – our movie is a hybrid of 2D cel character animation and CG vehicles, and we had to make both elements work together technically and aesthetically to create a cohesive and powerful cinematic stereoscopic experience.  I think the audience is going to be pleasantly surprised.”

Pearson and Tan will be representing Tripod, accompanied by writer-producer David Abramowitz, at the screening and Q&A session, and will be available for further enquiries.

The Story of War of the Worlds: Goliath

“War of the Worlds: Goliath” is a sci-fi steampunk action-adventure animated movie about a Martian invasion of Earth set in an alternate-history 1914.  At the heart of the story is the young multinational crew of the Goliath, a giant battle walker which forms the crucial vanguard of the human resistance fighting the Martians.

Directed by animation veteran Joe Pearson (Epoch Ink Animation), written by accomplished wordsmith, David Abramowitz (Highlander), and executive produced by Heavy Metal CEO Kevin Eastman.  Featuring the voice talents of Adrian Paul (Highlander), Peter Wingfield (Highlander, X-Men 2), Adam Baldwin (Serenity, Firefly, Chuck), Mark Sheppard (Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural), Elizabeth Gracen (Highlander), Jim Byrnes (Highlander), Beau Billingslea (Cowboy Bebop) and many others.

(ART ACTUAL STILL FROM MOVIE) 

For more information visit http://www.wotw-goliath.com/
YouTube HD Trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STnf9qPr97I
Production blog at http://wotw-goliath.com/productionblog/

Join us on Facebook at:
Page: http://www.facebook.com/WarOfTheWorldsGoliath
Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wotwgoliath/
Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/WotWGoliath

About Tripod Group

Tripod Entertainment creates, owns and manages animation and live-action titles for audiences worldwide, in multiple formats including theatrical, television and new media.

Tripod Entertainment is part of the Tripod Group of companies, a diversified media group based in Kuala Lumpur and Los Angeles, with interests in animation and live-action production, audio post-production and 3D stereoscopic services, and intellectual property development and management.

Tripod’s stereoscopic 3D animated movie, “War of the Worlds: Goliath”, will be released worldwide in 2012-2013.  The Group is currently developing a slate of projects planned for production from 2013 onwards.

Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith to be Theatrically Released in 3D back-to-back in September and October, 2013

Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox have announced the official release dates for the 3D theatrical launch of Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Attendees at the closing ceremony for Star Wars Celebration VI, the franchise’s massive fan event, learned that the epic movies that chronicle the rise of the Galactic Empire will be released back-to-back, with Episode II hitting theaters on September 20, 2013 and Episode III arriving soon after on October 11, 2013.

With its deeply detailed worlds and engulfing action, Star Wars is perfectly suited for the immersive 3D theatrical experience. Episode II and III deliver such captivating locales as the gleaming clone hatcheries of rain-swept Kamino, and the fiery lava planet of Mustafar as well as spectacular action sequences like Yoda’s unforgettable debut as a lightsaber duelist, the explosive space and ground battles of the Clone Wars, and the dramatic showdown between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

Supervised by Industrial Light & Magic, the meticulous 3D conversion was undertaken by Prime Focus, the global visual entertainment services company. With their proprietary View-D(tm) process, Prime Focus transformed Episode II and III into 3D with the utmost respect for the source material, and with a keen eye for both technological consideration and artistic intentions.

###

Lucasfilm, STAR WARS(tm) and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & (c) Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

About Fox Filmed Entertainment

One of the world’s largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, Fox Filmed Entertainment produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of FFE: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth  Century Fox Animation and Fox International Productions. Twentieth Century Fox International is a unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment, a segment of Fox Entertainment Group.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Season Five

This September, the Critically Acclaimed Series from Lucasfilm Animation Returns for Season Five, while Seasons One and Two Enter Syndication Across the Nation.

Following an impressive fourth season full of surprises, the spectacular action and riveting story of Star Wars: The Clone Wars intensifies in Season Five on Cartoon Network at a new day and time. Starting September 29, 2012 at 9:30 am, the classic heroes and villains of the world famous Star Wars Saga continue their adventures as The Clone Wars moves to Cartoon Network’s action series Saturday mornings.

The shadow of the dark side falls upon Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season Five as the series moves closer to the grim events of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. The big-screen action, unforgettable characters, and rousing adventure of the Star Wars Saga continue, as Jedi heroes face a galaxy of foes. With unparalleled visuals, sound, action and adventure, Star Wars: The Clone Wars continues the cinematic saga with the equivalent of a short  animated Star Wars movie each week. Season Five is filled with explosive action, exotic worlds, intriguing characters and shocking turns as several major players face their destinies as the galaxy plunges into darkness.

In addition to its bold new episodes, the celebrated stories of the series’ first two seasons will premiere in domestic syndication, marking its first appearance ever on U.S. broadcast television. Now, Star Wars: The Clone Wars will be available to a whole new audience, as well as provide an additional destination for its already loyal viewers to relive the amazing saga from its beginning. For a listing of participating stations, visit www.starwars.com as the September launch approaches.

 

The VIZ Manga digital platform expands on Android!

In addition to smart phones running Android 2.2 and higher, the VIZ Manga app is now available for 7″ Android tablets and smaller, including the recently released Google Nexus 7!

The VIZ Manga App is available for free from the Google Play store, and offers fans access to over 80 series and 700+ volumes not just on their Android 7″ or smaller tablet and smart phone, but on their iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, and on the VIZManga.com website – one account synchronizes across the entire VIZ Manga platform!

New volumes are available weekly, with periodic promotions, including the *End of Summer* sale going on now through August 20th – *ALL* volumes are 20% off their regular price (generally $4.99 per volume)! New titles available today include:

– KEKKAISHI Vol. 33 – a day & date release with print edition!
– a wealth of shojo, including JIU JIU Vol. 1, KIMI NI TODOKE Vol. 11, ORESAMA TEACHER Vols. 5-6, and more!
– getting ready for the November release of the latest volume, NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Vol. 4
– and more!

Shuteye: Six Tales of Dreams and Dreamers

cvr

Shuteye: Six Tales of Dreams and Dreamers is a collection of six eerie little tales about dreams, and how easy it can be to get lost in them.

The first tale, Vea, is about a soldier in the days of exploration who deserts his company and finds himself adopted by a native tribe in the Banda Oriental. His new friends, however, harbor a mysterious secret. Why does the landscape appear different each morning? How does the village reorder itself every night? And why can’t he seem to find anyone he recognizes from one day to the next?

The second story, The Liar, concerns a drifter who stops in a provincial neighborhood bar and starts spinning lies for the bartender – lies which end up having surprising consequences.

Night and Day is something of a love story. It’s about a young couple on an extended hiking trip through the northern Midwest who happen upon a strange, abandoned house in the middle of the forest, and find themselves inextricably drawn to it.

In Carrefour, an isolated man who ?nds himself drifting uncontrollably in and out of a chilling recurring nightmare, haunted by a menacing figure who traverses both his dreams and his waking life.

Castling is about a college student and her estranged, unreliable father, and their tenuous reconnection after they swap dreams one night.

In The Fetch, an overworked and overextended young man is being pulled in all directions. Then one day, his doppelganger mysteriously arrives, offering a much-needed helping hand.

Each tale in Shuteye ends with a character falling asleep, only to wake up as the protagonist of the following story, remembering the previous one as nothing more than a dream.

About Sarah Becan: 

Becan is the author and artist behind the longrunning Ignatz-nominated webcomic “I Think You’re Sauceome.” (link to www.sauceome.com) Shuteye is Becan’s second graphic novel, and was published in 2012 with the help of a Kickstarter campaign. Her first graphic novel, The Complete Ouija Interviews, won a Xeric Award and a Stumptown Trophy for Outstanding Debut.

Book is available NOW. You can order via www.shortpantspress.com for a print copy. They also offer epub and pdf format digital copies at http://www.shortpantspress.com/?page_id=40

Praise for Shuteye:

“Each eerie story seems to wake up from the last, giving readers a glimpse of the fuzziness experienced right after a deep sleep filled with vivid dreams.” -Noelene Clark, LA Times

“Sarah Becan’s ‘Shuteye’ is straight up fantastic. Individually, the six stories are beautiful and eerie, but read together in the new softcover collection the full impact of what she’s created hits you.” -Chicago Comics

The Barbary-an Invasions: Nerdist at Outside Lands

from Nerdist:

Saturday the 11th is Nerdist Day at San Francsisco’s festival of music, food, art and comedy.

For four years, the Outside Lands festival has brought Golden Gate Park the best in bands, food, art and more, but this year, Aug. 10-12, they top themselves with an entire day of Nerdist. In the Barbary, a tent with mirrored walls and a stained-glass ceiling, three days of comedy and variety include a Saturday presented by us.

Nerdist Day, August 11th (which we’d call “Sat-Nerd-Day” if BBC America hadn’t beaten us to it.) kicks off at noon with a session of soft rock and sweet ‘staches from Mustache Harbor.  Then things really get into gear at 1 p.m. with a Nerdist stand-up cluster hosted by Jonah Ray, featuring Pete Holmes, David Koechner, Michelle Buteau, Jesse Elias and Caitlin Gill. If your weekend isn’t sufficiently magical after that, stick around at 2:10 p.m. for Justin Willman and his masterful Magic Meltdown.The Dork Forest‘s Jackie Kashian hosts a second stand-up cluster at 5 p.m. with Reggie Watts, Ron Funches, Michelle Buteau, Cory Loykasek and Mike Drucker, and then between 5 and 8 p.m. there’ll be back-to-back Nerdist variety shows featuring Chris Hardwick, Neil Patrick Harris, David Koechner, Justin Willman, Marcus Monroe, Jonah Ray, Pete Holmes, Ron Funches and Jackie Kashian. Holmes will also be hosting a live edition of You Made It Weird Sunday at noon with stars from Adult Swim.

So come and step “Outside” next weekend. In addition to our all-star line-up, some of the finest in food, beer and wine will be available, plus there’s an art show and of course some heavy-hitting bands like Metallica. But to quote one of their more famous tunes, when you’re hanging with the Nerdist gang at the Barbary, “Nothing Else Matters.”