Author: ÜberSciFiGeek

Paramount Pictures’ Paranormal Activity Soars Past the $100 Million Mark

from Paramount Pictures:

The hit $15,000 thriller Paranormal Activity has grown from its midnight-only showings in a handful of college towns to become this year’s biggest movie phenomenon, and will cross $100 million at the box office after only five weekends of national release as of Friday. In so doing, the movie has become the top grossing R-Rated thriller of the past decade.

Paranormal Activity began its theatrical life with midnight-only screenings in 12 college towns across the U.S. and quickly developed into a national wide hit, with fans visiting the ParanormalMovie.com website and demanding the film be brought to their city. After more than 1 million such requests, Paramount expanded the film nationally where it has been playing to packed theaters ever since.

“What is truly amazing about Paranormal Activity is the depth of commitment from fans who demanded to see it,” said Paramount Pictures Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brad Grey. “Adam Goodman, our head of production, believed in the film and championed it from the very first screening. This box-office milestone is also a testament to Oren Peli’s considerable talents as a filmmaker. All of us at Paramount are proud to have been involved with his revolutionary project.”

In Paranormal Activity, after a young, middle class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban “starter” tract house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic, but is certainly most active in the middle of the night.

Especially when they sleep. Or try to.

Directed, written and produced by Oren Peli, the innovative thriller stars Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat. The film was produced by Jason Blum. Steven Schneider served as executive producer

Follow Paranormal Activity on Twitter at Twitter.com/TweetYourScream, where you can find fan reactions, press reviews and theater information.

VIZ Announces the Final Hand-Picked Volume of “Oishinbo”

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media announced today the release of the final volume of the mega hit food manga by Tetsu Kariya, Oishinbo, due out on January 19th. Volume 7, Izayaya-Pub Food is rated “T” for Teens and carries an estimated retail price of $12.99 US and $16.99 CAN.

Izakaya occupies the same vital space in the Japanese culinary landscape as tapas bars in Spain or tavernas in Greece. Unpretentious and frequently boisterous, they’re places to meet with friends or business partners to unwind over drinks and small dishes that range from hearty standards to refined innovations. In this volume of Oishinbo, Yamaoka and Kurita investigate classic Izakaya foods such as edamame and yakitori, devise new dishes to add to the menu of an old shop, and discover how the concept of “play” is essential to the enjoyment of food.

Oishinbo creator Tetsu Kariya, writer and essayist extraordinaire graduated from prestigious Tokyo University. Kariya was employed with a major advertising agency before making his debut as a manga writer in 1974 when he teamed up with legendary manga artist Ryoichi Ikegami to create Otoko Gumi (Male Gang). The worlds of food and manga were forever changed in 1983 when Kariya, together with artist Akira Hanasaki, created the immensely popular and critically acclaimed Oishinbo.

“Fans of Japanese cuisine and culture have been delighted with every volume of the critically acclaimed Oishinbo series and we are excited to bring them this final volume that covers the excitement of izakaya,” says Evelyn Dubocq, Senior Director of Public Relations, VIZ Media.

Oishinbo (or The Gourmet) depicts the adventures of journalist Shiro Yamaoka, who writes for the fictional newspaper Tozai News. When the paper’s top executives decide to create “The Ultimate Menu” to celebrate the paper’s 100th anniversary, Yamaoka, known for his reputation as a foodie with culinary skills to match, is given the daunting assignment. With the help of his coworker Kurita, Yamaoka begins an epic saga to find unique and tasty dishes that will compose this ultimate bill of fare. Each volume of Oishinbo focuses on specific foods and culinary trends such as sake, sushi, vegetables, rice dishes, ramen, and Izakaya (pub food). VIZ Media has served up selected highlights from this epic 100+ volume series and compiled them into seven a la carte editions that can be enjoyed individually or as a series. Oishinbo has further inspired a 136-episode anime series, a live-action film and TV dramas, video games, recipe collections, and TV shows in Japan.

For more information on Oishinbo and other VIZ Media titles please visit Viz.com.

Incoming Transmission: Star Wars Celebration V Tickets Are Online!

from StarWars.com:

>>INTERCEPTED MESSAGE FROM THE JEDI TEMPLE
>>Begin Encrypted Communication

Fellow Jedi Knights, today is a good day. Since the announcement of Star Wars Celebration V, we’ve seen a tremendous outpouring from all worlds within the Republic. From Alderaan to Yavin, both Jedi and general citizens are abuzz and have already begun planning their August 12-15, 2010 visit to Orlando, Florida. (For those in the outer rim, Orlando’s on Planet Earth in the Sol System. It’s not the most technologically advanced world, but at least they have high-speed internet and indoor plumbing.)

The Jedi Council is writing to you today with additional news about Celebration. Tickets to Star Wars Celebration V are now available!

Four-Day Passes are $120, Saturday Passes are $50, and Thursday, Friday, and Sunday Passes are each $45. Full details, ticket mailing information, and youngling prices are all on the website, too, so click over to starwarscelebration.com to order your Celebration tickets now!

We ask all our Knights to converge together at Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Florida. We also recommend Jedi follow Celebration on Twitter and Facebook to stay informed and meet their brethren (whether Jedi, Clone, or Droid) in the lead up to Celebration. Let us assemble as never before!

May The Force Be With You!

>>END MESSAGE
>>900-220.21 Alpha Channel Comm Array Reset

$10 off freshly sabered gift ideas from ThinkGeek

from ThinkGeek:

Timmy’s rescued!
We’re happy to report that Picard and his crew were able to take down the evil Kirk and rescue Timmy from the Claw Game machine in our lobby. And it’s a good thing too, since Timmy is coming with us to New York City for our Wired Store field trip and geektacular tweetup at Barcade Brooklyn this weekend. Will you be there? The only acceptable answers are: “YES!” or “No, because I’ll be at home cooking my favorite Asian dishes and awaiting the arrival of my Star Wars Chop Sabers.” Choose wisely, geek friends.

Time for Timmy to save you!
One crisis averted! Share our post-Kirk holiday joy and use code TIMMYSAVED for $10 off your $40 order, good now through 12/12 11:59pm EST. But… what’s that? You don’t know what to buy? Now that Timmy’s saved, he can come to your rescue with the ThinkGeek Holiday Gift Finder. It’s a magical system: put in the gift type, price range, and flavor of the targeted geek, and we’ll deliver the best matches from our treasure trove of gifts.

Find more What’s New items at ThinkGeek!

RiffTrax’s Plan 9 Live Show DVD Now Available! Plus, a Twitter Sweepstakes!

from RiffTrax:

Enjoy the Comedy Event of the Year over and over again with our just released DVD of RiffTrax Live: Plan 9 From Outer Space! Re-live the magic as Mike, Kevin and Bill riff Ed Wood’s “classic” film of space aliens and their ingenious… uh… inept… plan to take over the world!

Comes with great extras: a behind-the-scenes slide show, and two uncut short films by Something Awful’s Rich “Lowtax” Kyanka.

Makes a perfect holiday gift!

And don’t forget, RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza is only one week away! Tickets are selling out, so be sure to get yours before it’s too late. See the show live on December 16th, with an Encore on Thursday December 17th. Bring your friends, and share the holiday joy!

Also, you can check out the Fathom micro site at rifftrax.fathomevents.com, where you can introduce friends and family to the joy of RiffTrax with video e-cards and a shareable widget.

What do you want for Christmas? One lucky winner will get it (up to $1,000 value) if your enter our “What Do You Want For Christmas?” Twitter Sweepstakes! Simply tweet what you want for Christmas & we’ll buy it for one of you up to $1,000. Include link http://ncm.com/Fathom/Comedy/RiffTrax_Xmas.aspx & tag tweet with #RiffTraxSANTA.

Squishable support for Child’s Play

from Squishable:

Hey Folks!

News is a great accompaniment to a sandwich! And if you were about to spread some news on YOUR sandwich, well you wouldn’t want any cold, grainy news. No! You’d want some nice buttery Squishy News! And here it is!

Really Big Polar Bear Understudy! These adorable arctic fuzzies are 90% sweet, 10% ruthless fishing machine. If you’ve ever desired a warm snowdrift in ursine form, this is your chance.

T-Rex Charity Auction — To celebrate the launch of the most nifty Squishable T-Rexes at this most sparkly time of the year, we are sponsoring a Charity Auction! Come bid on your own T-Rex Squishable, a printed copy of the original prototype design signed both by character designer Ryan North and Squishable designer Zoe (that’s me), and a small house, lady, and little blue car so you can recreate Ryan’s Dinosaur Comics to your heart’s content. And all proceeds go to Child’s Play charity! It’s for a good cause! Just do it!

Vote for the Next Squishable winners — Mucho thanks to everyone who voted on the four new Squishable designs! My goodness did we get a lot of votes! We were quite overwhelmed… so we’ve decided to make them all! We’ll make them in the order you voted for: Fox, Owl, Platypus, Dragon, over the next year. Thanks everyone!

Shipping deadlines! Late Squishies equal sad people. Don’t make people sad! Order your Squishies on time!

Thanks folks!

Zoe and Aaron
Squishable.com

Ask the Sharky

The star of Ask the Sharky surfaces to answer some questions about his underwater web series. The interview was conducted by sea-mail, with Sharky assuring “ÜberSciSomething” that “…Me can just answer [questions] with typing or something. Me am very good at typing with fins. True.”

ÜberSciFiGeek (ÜSFG) What inspired you to create a web series that answers land dwellers’ questions about your life under the sea?

Sharky (S) Um. Me noticed that people not under the water didn’t understand sharkies very well. People not under the water are all like “Hey! Look out! That sharky is going to bite you!” But sharkies don’t care about biting people, me just get confused sometimes because you look like a baby seal. But you don’t taste as good as a baby seal. True.

Also me am very smart and can answer questions verygoodtrue. Something.

(ÜSFG) What is the most unusual question that you’ve been asked so far?

(S) Me had one person ask me what the most unusual question I’ve been asked so far. That was pretty unusual. Hehehe.
Not really. Me just said that because you asked that question. True.

Me get a lot of questions though. Currently me have, like, big-number-something questions (ed– more than 5, although currently Sharky has about 100 voicemail messages). Lots of people want to know about what me eat, or if me like this food or that food, or if I will eat them, or if me will eat their sister, or how I eat, or if I am eating something right now. I guess those are pretty normal questions for a Sharky, though. Me am pretty good at eating. True.

Prolly the most strange was someone asked me how to make cornbread. It is hard to make cornbread under the water.

(ÜSFG) You often complete your sentences with the exclamation “True!” How did that become your catchword?

(S) True. Me say that a lot. True.

(ÜSFG) Since you now have Sharky Swag on CafePress, are there plans to release other merchandise, like a DVD compilation of your videos or an adorable plushie? (There’s a shark on the East Coast, Nigel from Dante Beatrix, whose family resemblance to you is striking. Maybe he could help you with merchandising!)

(S) Me not know. That is a good question. Me was thinking maybe me would make a Sharky movie sometime, or maybe a Sharky video game or a Sharky rock opera.

Me like Nigel! He is one handsome sharky! Me will have to talk to that Dante someone! True.

A cute furry Sharky would be pretty good. True. Me would rather have an action figure, though. With realistic biting action.

(ÜSFG) If you ever saw a mermaid, would you consider her a friend or fish dinner?

(S) Ummm. Prolly me would be friends with her because she is only half fish and me not like the taste of people. UM! At least me THINK me would not like the taste of people. Me have never bited a person before. Seriously! Me am not lying about that at all. No people biting.

Anyway, if she was half seal instead that would be very tempting. True.

Ok. Thanks for the interview, me hope you got all the answers you wanted! Don’t forget to be nice to sharkies! Also it is nice to drop yummy food in the water. Pleasethankyou.

Swim swim swim swim swim True! swim swim swim

Sharky Links:
Ask the Sharky Official Website
Ask the Sharky on YouTube
Ask the Sharky on Facebook
Ask the Sharky on Twitter

Learn more about sharkies by watching the award-winning documentary film Sharkwater. It will make you see Sharky’s misunderstood kin in a whole new, positive light. True!

Our New DVD! “Cinematic Titanic LIVE: East Meets Watts”

from Cinematic Titanic:

Hi Everyone,

We’re very pleased to announce our next DVD release, which also happens to be our first live DVD: Cinematic Titanic LIVE: East Meets Watts. Available December 16th.

As you know from these newsletters, we’ve spent quite a bit of time doing live performances around the country this year. We’ve had great fun and are proud of the work we’re doing onstage. That’s why we’ve chosen to present a live DVD (and yes, it’ll be available as a download too), we feel it’s us at our current best and we wanted to share it with you — and what better way than with this Kung-sploitation classi… er, movie, East Meets Watts.

Here’s a 5 minute sample of the show, a departure from our normal trailers so you can get a feel for this new representation of our riffery.

NEW LIVE DATES FOR 2010:
Philadelphia, PA — 12/31 (OK, technically the gig starts in ’09, but it ends in the new year)
San Francisco, CA — 2/2
Royal Oak, MI — 2/19 (tix on sale Friday)
Milwaukee, WI — 2/20 (tix on sale Friday)
Princeton, NJ — 4/16
NEW YORK CITY — 4/17

Visit cinematictitanic.com for info about upcoming live dates.

Best,
Cinematic Titanic

NEW PEOPLE The Store Launches a Brand New Web Store and Offers Unique and Imaginative Gift Ideas for Everyone This Holiday Season

from VIZ Pictures:

NEW PEOPLE, a dynamic entertainment destination bringing the latest examples of Japanese popular culture to North American shores, offers shoppers something unique with an inspired collection of products and accessories for home, office and wardrobe that are available now from the new web store at NewPeopleStore.com.

A variety of fun and inventive pop culture-inspired products from Japan are featured — just in time for the holidays — on the web site and also inside NEW PEOPLE The Store, a retail space located on the mezzanine level of the 20,000 square foot entertainment complex in the heart of San Francisco’s historic Japantown at 1746 Post Street.

Think of everyone on your list this year with these unique gift ideas!

For your Girlfriend:
Graphic Design Headphones by ZUMREED
$59.95
These smart, slim and stylish headphones will keep you on the beat with large-aperture 40mm drivers designed with neodymium magnet systems for super high quality sound and emblazoned with stylish, colorful graphics.

For your Boyfriend:
VINYL KILLER Mini Clubman Model Portable Turntable by RAZYWORKS
$139.95
No one will ever be without the right sounds with a stylish portable record player modeled after the Mini Clubman. Forget about traditional bulky turntables. This is the smallest self-running record player in the world! Instead of spinning a record, the MINI CLUBMAN coasts over the surface of the vinyl, gliding the needle over and into the grooves, playing music from its own built-in speaker. Made in Japan and licensed globally by BMW AG from Germany. 33RPM only. Available in Laser Blue, Dark Silver, Pepper White, and Chili Red.

For your Husband:
Boxed Set of Neckties by GIRAFFE
$149.00
GIRAFFE, a specialized brand led by creative director, Masamichi Toyama, is one of the hottest fashion labels in Tokyo. GIRAFFE neckties are categorized into four different stages based on one’s body temperature and feeling so one can select ties based on how they feel that day. Ties are available in several colors and varieties and designed for men or women.

For your Grandpa:
Fitted Baseball Caps by ZILLON
$44.95
New from famed French designer David Guarino’s brand — ZILLON — are these colorful baseball caps that blend traditional with the modern by using stylish Japanese kimono patterns.

For your Grandma:
TAKEO Paper Products & DRESSCO Notebooks and Envelopes
Notebook, Large — $20.95
Notebook, Small — $19.95
Envelopes, Long — $7.95
Envelopes, Petite — $6.95
Since its founding nearly 100 years ago, TAKEO has manufactured some of the highest quality paper products in the world. DRESSCO similarly manufactures high quality notebooks with unique cover designs that provide an attractive complement to whatever the writer chooses to put upon its pages. Items available in several colors — gold, green, brown, fuchsia, celadon, mint and light blue.

For your Wife:
Jewelry & Accessories by Q-POT / Burger Ring
$240.00
Q-POT is a jewelry brand led by designer Tadaaki Wakamatsu and these accessories are a sensation among young girls in Japan today. Modeled after sweet confections and other delicious foods, Q-POT offers a new array of fun and witty jewelry that look good enough to eat!

For your Boss:
Graf Zeppelin Metal Model by AEROBASE
$124.95
This photo-etched stainless steel metal model kit is a highly detailed replica of the famed Graf Zeppelin. No need to solder and easy to assemble. Includes cast metal parts and a base for the completed airship.

For your Kids:
Duller Colored Pencils by IDEA INTERNATIONAL
$54.95
Set of 36 colors
For the budding or established artist is an immaculately-presented set of 36 colored pencils from IDEA INTERNATIONAL’s newest stationery imprint, Duller.

NEW PEOPLE offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan and is the creative vision of the J-Pop Center Project and VIZ Pictures, a distributor and producer of Japanese live action film. Located at 1746 Post Street, the 20,000 square foot structure features a striking 3-floor transparent glass facade that frames a fun and exotic new environment to engage the imagination into the 21st Century. A dedicated web site is also now available at: NewPeopleWorld.com.