January 31, 2011
January 26, 2011
Jay-Z & Will Smith Form Film Partnership
Overbrook Entertainment partners James Lassiter, Ken Stovitz, Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith have formed a joint venture with Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter to develop and produce major motion pictures. One of the projects being discussed is the re-imagination of the classic Broadway musical ANNIE as a vehicle for Willow Smith to star. The film will be developed with Sony Pictures Entertainment and produced by Overbrook Entertainment and Mr. Carter.
The partnership began over dinner with Jada, Will, James Lassiter and JAY-Z, where they decided to co-invest in the now successful beauty products line Carol’s Daughter. They continued this partnership as co-producers of the successful Broadway production Fela!, which earned a total of eleven Tony Award nominations in 2010.
“The time is right to bring back ANNIE to the big screen. Of course, we’re true believers in Willow’s talent and believe she will be perfect in this role,” said Columbia Pictures President Doug Belgrad. “Combining Willow with the Overbrook team that reimagined Karate Kid and the spectacular JAY-Z makes this a dream project. A decade ago, JAY-Z proved that the power of the underlying Broadway property remains, by showing how these songs could be reinterpreted for a new generation with Hard-Knock Life. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with our friends at Overbrook as they launch this new venture.”
Oscar Nominations 2011
Best Actor
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Best Actress
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
Jeremy Renner, The Town
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Best Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Best Picture
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King's Speech
The Kids Are All Right
True Grit
Winter's Bone
Toy Story 3
The Social Network
127 Hours
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
David O. Russell, The Fighter
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, True Grit
January 24, 2011
Batman: Anne Hathaway to play Catwoman in "The Dark Knight Rises"
mhmm..
Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises suddenly got a whole lot more appealing. As well as the return of former GQ cover star Christian Bale in all his deep-voiced glory, it has just been announced that Anne Hathaway will play Selina Kyle. Yes, the Selina Kyle who eventually dons a rubber catsuit and becomes a certain sexy, feline-inspired adversary (as Michelle Pffeiffer and Halle Berry found out). And if you really another reason to see it? Tom Hardy, the man who stole every scene from inside your mind in Inception, is set to play villain Bane. So what we're basically saying is we're already looking at the most GQ film of 2012...
via GQ
Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises suddenly got a whole lot more appealing. As well as the return of former GQ cover star Christian Bale in all his deep-voiced glory, it has just been announced that Anne Hathaway will play Selina Kyle. Yes, the Selina Kyle who eventually dons a rubber catsuit and becomes a certain sexy, feline-inspired adversary (as Michelle Pffeiffer and Halle Berry found out). And if you really another reason to see it? Tom Hardy, the man who stole every scene from inside your mind in Inception, is set to play villain Bane. So what we're basically saying is we're already looking at the most GQ film of 2012...
via GQ
Ferrari FF
Ferrari‘s flagship fastback, the four-seat, four-wheel-drive FF. The initials stand for Ferrari Four in reference to the seat configuration and the new all-wheel drive system, which Ferrari says weighs only half as much as those made by their competitors.
The novel traction system is mated to an all-new 6.3-liter V12 engine with direct injection that produces 651 horsepower. That’s enough, says Ferrari, to propel the FF to 62 mph in 3.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 208 mph – both faster and quicker than the 612 Scaglietti it replaces.
It’s also lighter than the 612, and features an innovative “shooting brake” body-style that is at once both sleek and versatile, providing as much luggage space as a small hatchback.
January 20, 2011
INFLUENCERS: Steve Stoute
Last year saw the release of a short documentary titled INFLUENCERS: How Trends & Creativity Become Contagious. The work highlighted the whole notion of trends and how they gain traction, and eventually come to integrate themselves into the very fabric of everyday society. The movement has gone more in-depth as Steve Stoute becomes the first to speak in a greater light. As CEO and founder of brand management firm Translation, he has provided guidance for many icons such as Jay-Z, Gwen Stefani, LeBron James and Justin Timberlake among others. The concept of artists and brands as successful collaborators is a central theme to his video.
via hypebeast
50 Cent's "10 Smartest Business Decisions"
1.
The Decision: Spending the first $300,000 he made to trademark the "50 Cent" and "G-Unit" names
The Year: 2002
The Bottom Line: Just about every dime 50's made can be traced back to this decision. While most artists spend their advance on new cars, icy chains and the latest threads, Fif used part of his to trademark his name and his future label's name, which eventually helped him make money to buy all the cars, chains and clothes he could have ever imagined. New artists, take note: Before you do anything else, invest in yourself.
2.
The Decision: Starting G-Unit Records shortly after releasing his debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin'
The Year: 2003
The Bottom Line: Thanks to the immense popularity that he enjoyed at the beginning of his career, 50 didn't have to wait to drop a few albums before Interscope gave him the chance to start his own label. And once they gave him the green light, he used it immediately—releasing a G-Unit album as well as albums from Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo and The Game. That means Fif was filthy rich before his sophomore album, The Massacre, ever even dropped.
3.
The Decision: Teaming up with Mark Ecko to found the G-Unit Clothing Company
The Year: 2003
The Bottom Line: Once his music took off and his label was established, 50 immediately started using the G-Unit name to build a brand. That's when he flipped a deal to start a clothing company that—unlike other rapper-endorsed clothing companies—was tied to an established name thanks to Mark Ecko's involvement. Had he done the label without Ecko's backing, it probably wouldn't have been anywhere near as successful or profitable as it ended up being.
4.
The Decision: Signing a five-year deal with Reebok to create and distribute G-Unit Sneakers
The Year: 2003
The Bottom Line: Sure, Jay-Z had a deal with Reebok first. But regardless of how it actually went down, Fif signed a better sneaker deal than most NBA players get off the strength of just one album. Ballin'!
5.
The Decision: Agreeing to help peddle Vitaminwater for a company called Glaceau in exchange for part-ownership of it.
The Year: 2004
The Bottom Line: You want to talk about forward-thinking? The deal 50 struck with Vitaminwater is, quite possibly, the best deal any rapper has ever struck with a company. Back when he agreed to help push it in '04, no one could have possibly known that he'd one day sell his stake in it for $100 million (after taxes!) when Coa-Cola bought Vitaminwater for $4.1 billion. Except for Fif, of course.These are the deals that business honchos, not rappers, dream about—and 50 made it happen.
6.
The Decision: Eschewing the opportunity to do the voice of the lead character in the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game to instead provide the voice for his own character in the game, 50 Cent: Bulletproof
The Year: 2005
The Bottom Line: 50 could have very easily signed on to voice the GTA character and got a nice little check for his time. But instead of doing that, he turned down the GTA gig and lent his entire name to a project and walked out with way more zeros on the end of his check. Sorry, GTA, but that is what we call highway robbery.
7.
The Decision: Launching his G-Unit Books imprint at the Time Warner Building in New York City
The Year: 2007
The Bottom Line: After seeing the success that his autobiography, From Pieces To Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside, Queens, enjoyed, Fif decided he could probably flip books into paper. And that's exactly what he did when he took his G-Unit brand into the publishing world and put out a series of street-lit novels. Could a book about doing good business be too far off in the future?
8.
The Decision: Partnering with billionaire Patrice Motsepe in South Africa to brand his own line of platinum
The Year: 2008
The Bottom Line: Fif's bought his fair share of platinum chains over the years. But he went from rich to wealthy when he decided to partner up with Motsepe to buy a platinum mine for a different reason: to brand his own line of it. We're not sure how much dough he's actually seen off this decision, but still, it sounds like something you'd want to have on your resume if you're a rapper, right?
9.
The Decision: Striking a deal with Right Guard to release his own "Pure 50" body spray
The Year: 2008
The Bottom Line: Don't sleep on body spray. From Axe to TAG, there's a big market for it out there. Especially from tweens and young adults looking to avoid paying top-dollar for actual cologne (but don't worry: Fif's got that, too!).
10.
The Decision: Establishing his own film company called Cheetah Vision and later landing more than $200 million in funding for it
The Year: 2008
The Bottom Line: 50 invested well at the start of his Hollywood career by starting G-Unit Films and later Cheetah Vision and he's reaped the financial rewards as a result of it. And it's definitely been another great look for him
via thisis50
Facebook takes in $1.86 billion in 2010 Advertising Revenue
Analysts are claiming that Facebook and Google may have more in common than previously believed, especially when it comes to how Facebook handles advertising. In new results from eMarketer, Facebook is raking in quite a bit of revenue based on advertising through the site. But, what’s most surprising to analysts, is not so much how much money that Facebook is drawing in, but the fact that it’s not coming from major advertising agencies, but more from small- and medium-sized businesses.
Facebook’s self-service ad platform is seeing a lot of business as of late. The popular social networking site has seen a worldwide advertising revenue increase of 86% versus the previous year’s results, courtesy of the $1.86 billion in revenue in took in. Of that, $1.21 billion was earned within the United States, adds the analyst.
The main takeaway of the results, though, is where the majority of the money is coming from. According to eMarketer, 60 percent –or $1.12 billion– stems from small- or medium-sized business that are more than likely using self-serve tools to advertise on the social website. That’s compared to the $740 million that’s being produced by major marketers, like Coke, Match.com, and P&G. According to Debra Williamson, the principal analyst at eMarketer, these small- and medium-sized businesses are taking advantage of Facebook’s rapid growth (which now has over 650 million users), and using the strategies they used to promote themselves on Google to do the same thing on Facebook.
Williamson adds that, “Facebook is the biggest storehouse of consumer data on the internet.” With that being said, it’s no surprise that marketers and advertisers, and anyone else that can prosper from the data that Facebook collects every day, is flocking to the social networking website.
January 11, 2011
Tom Ford: 15 things every man should have
'A sense of humour.'
2. Starting The Day
'A daily read of the newspaper.'
3. Fancy A Game?
'A sport that you love and are good at.'
4. Grooming Essential
'Tweezers.'
5. A Signature
'A good cologne that becomes a signature.'
6. The Right Suit
'A well cut dark suit.'
7. Style Classics
'A pair of classic black lace-up shoes.'
8. Tailoring
'A smart blazer.'
9. Denim
'The perfect pair of dark denim jeans.'
10. Wardrobe Staples
'Lots of crisp white cotton shirts.'
11. Good Underwear
'Always new socks and underwear (throw away the old ones every six months).'
12. Something Smart
'A classic tuxedo.'
13. Efficient Accessories
'A beautiful day watch with a metal band.'
14. Cool Accessories
'The perfect sunglasses.'
15. A Great Smile
'Perfect teeth - if you don't have them, save up and have them fixed.'
Casio G-Shock Bluetooth 4.0 Prototype
Casio has just revealed its Bluetooth 4.0-enabled prototype model. The technologically pioneering timepiece can be synchronized to your smart phone and can alert you of incoming calls, texts, emails and other such activities. The watch is not only equipped to receive information but is also able to set off an alarm to allow you to locate your phone, should you have misplaced it nearby. Each of the features will soon be integrated to some of Casio’s most popular lines, including the G-Shock series. The release of the first model is expected somewhere between the next 12 to 24 months.
January 10, 2011
January 09, 2011
January 07, 2011
Nike & TomTom
Maybe you've been there: a room in a hotel that doesn't have a gym, having packed your running kit with the best intentions but at the same time not exactly relishing the prospect of getting lost. Which is why this collaboration between Nike and TomTom - a sports watch with a built-in GPS - is so smart. Easier to run with than your iPod or iPhone, plug it into a USB port on your Mac or PC and you can download routes for your location catalogued by length, difficulty and even landmarks, so you can sightsee while getting a workout in. It also records the total miles, pace and elevation of your last run, which comes in handy if you want to improve your performance on the road well pounded. Unveiled today at CES, this is arguably the most useful timepiece we've seen since the one that opened our Aston Martin.
via QG
Casio Tryx Camcorder
Designed for ultra-portability, the camera’s body swings out of the frame and can be rotated up to 270 degrees, whilst the frame itself can rotate a full 360, ensuring maximum utility. The Tryx boasts an impressive 12.1 megapixel sensor and is able to capture slow motion videos as well as panoramic views using its wide angle 21mm lens. The Casio Tryx will be available through select retailers from April for $250 USD.
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