Hard-core fans of HBO’s popular series Game of Thrones want to create a web-based prequel, and need your help to make it a reality. A new Kickstarter project unaffiliated with HBO or George R.R. Martin — the author of the books on which the series is based — aims to create a pilot episode for a new web series that takes place 100 years prior to the events currently shown on Game of Thrones. Called “Dunk and Egg,” the series would occur in Martin’s fantasy world, but would include story lines from his prequel, The Hedge Knight. “Our labor of love will explore the legend and lore of Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ and will give fans a glimpse into the harsh medieval world of Westeros,” the Kickstarter page says. “This is a series for fans, made by fans.” The team says it has been working to finish the pilot episode, but needs help funding the battle scene. “We have been working extremely hard for several months to complete a pilot for ‘Dunk and Egg,’ and are ready for our biggest undertaking yet … a battle,” the page says. “We want the battle to feel authentic. As fans, we’re all working for free on this project, and getting realistic armor, costumes, swords, animals, etc. is incredibly expensive. We’ve done as much as we can, now we need your help.” The project has already brought in more than $3,000 with the help of 65 backers. It has three weeks left to reach its goal of $10,000. Smaller pledges will get supporters a soundtrack and Blu-Ray copy of the pilot, while bigger donors will receive walk-on roles, props and a co-executive producer credit in the show. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/15/game-of-thrones-prequel/
Today at 3 p.m. ET, Mashable is moderating a Google+ Hangout with best-selling authors Mitch Albom, Dave Barry, Greg Iles, Sam Barry and Ridley Pearson, as well as Lisa Rutherford and Jen Lou from digital publisher Coliloquy. Together, we’ll discuss the future of e-books, the changing role of printed books in today’s digital world and a new interactive e-book called Hard Listening: The Greatest Rock Band Ever (of Authors) Tells All. The story reveals the tale of a garage band called the Rock Bottom Remainders, which consists of the aforementioned authors and other popular writers. It’s told through a collection of essays, stories, musings, group email exchanges, photographs, candid conversations, audio clips, video clips and interactive quizzes. Here’s a full description of the Hangout: In the literary world, they’re rock stars, having sold a combined 350 million books. When they weren’t penning one of their 40 New York Times No. 1 best-sellers, though, they were rocking out as garage band, the Rock Bottom Remainders, created by acclaimed author Stephen King in 1992. Now, King and his bandmates — authors Scott Turow, Amy Tan, Dave and Sam Barry, Roy Blount Jr., Mitch Albom, James McBride, Ridley Pearson, Matt Groening and Greg Iles — are revealing details about their rockin’ private lives in an interactive e-book came out June 18. On June 25 at 3 p.m. ET, +Mashable’s Brian Anthony Hernandez will be moderating a Google+ Hangout with Mitch Albom, Dave Barry, Greg Iles, Sam Barry and Ridley Pearson, plus Writers House agent Amy Berkower and the volumes editor at Coliloquy Jen Lou, to discuss the future of e-books, printed books’ changing role in today’s digital world as well as their new interactive book. Homepage image by Mashable Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/06/25/google-hangout-best-selling-authors-discuss-the-future-of-e-books/
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DTAT_ATF’); }); If you’re a Star Wars fan, you have to see what these two musicians just did. Earlier this month, 13-year-old Bryce Hayashi grabbed his trumpet and a fellow musician and headed down the street. Their goal was to set up shop outside someone’s home, but that house didn’t belong to just anyone. The pair put a stand on the sidewalk near composer John Williams’ property and started playing one of his most famous pieces. You may have heard of it. Williams has had an illustrious career, but this song — which was composed back in 1977 — is probably his most iconic. What a way to honor a music legend! Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/star-wars-john-williams/
Films Featured at Comic Con 1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Pt. 2 The Twilight Saga is a Comic-Con mainstay, drawing twi-hards from near and far to line up days before the event for a glimpse of the full cast’s appearance. Attendees caught a preview of the first seven minutes of the final installment, which chronicles Bella Swan’s transformation from waify teen to blood-sucking lady vamp. 2. Oz The Great and Powerful Sam Raimi debuted the first teaser trailer for his Oz origin story at Comic-Con on Thursday. His first flick following the Spider Man trilogy, Oz stars James Franco, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams in this whimsical and dark tale of how the West came to be so wicked. We can’t help but wonder, is there a green Kunis in store? 3. Wreck-It Ralph John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman promoted their new animated Disney movie, along with director Rich Moore in Hall H on Thursday. The flick tells the story of 8-bit arcade menace Wreck-It Ralph, who opts to quit his villainous day job in search of lighter pastures. Attendees caught a 10-minute preview of the movie, which in part revealed where villain group therapy takes place: at the center of a Pac-Man board. 4. Frankenweenie Tim Burton’s presentation of Frankenweenie drew a decked out crowd of superfans, dressed as some of the director’s most iconic characters. Burton said it felt like a visit from his family—that is, a family of 6,000. He says that this homage to horror and humor stems from personal experience. 5. The Expendables 2 Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were among the all-stars that took the stage for a Q&A about this action-packed sequel. Fans were thrilled to see the Governator going back to his apolitical roots. 6. The Batmobile Warner Bros. showed off a lengthy preview of this new documentary about the vehicle of legends. The doc takes viewers through the history of Batman’s most awe-inspiring weapon from its inception in the 1930s up to the present model in The Dark Knight Rises. The special will air on Monday, July 16 at 8:00 on the CW. 7. ParaNorman With ParaNorman, writer-director Chris Butler aimed to make a zombie movie for kids. In this freshly released interview, we learned that the flick is also something of an autobiography. Granted, we’re pretty sure a young Butler didn’t communicate with the dead. 8. Resident Evil: Retribution Michelle Rodrguez and Milla Jovovich made an appearance in Hall H to preview the fifth installment in the franchise. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/07/13/half-time-comic-con/
Who’s that muppet? A still from the ‘Star Wars’ video released May 21Image: Lucasfilm/Omaze When director J.J. Abrams recorded his first video from the set of Star Wars: Episode VII in Abu Dhabi, he was sending a number of messages to different kinds of Star Wars fans. The obvious message, meant for all kinds of fans, was that they should enter a charity contest with probably the coolest prize in history: a bit part in the still-unnamed Episode VII. But the arrival of a large muppet-like creature halfway through Abrams’ monologue sent another few messages to more serious fans. It was a clear signal that Episode VII will use the retro puppeteering of the original trilogy — think the motley crew of Jabba’s palace — alongside the somewhat soulless CGI of the prequel era. “We’re going to use every tool in the toolbox,” was how Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy put it last summer. No doubt there will be one or two computer-generated beasties in the final movie, but the fact that this curious creature is the first non-droid we’ve seen in Episode VII is surely intended to calm any older viewers who felt Episodes I to III fell too far into the uncanny valley (population: Jar Jar Binks). Meanwhile, the identity of the on-screen beastie has not been officially confirmed, but according to Wookiepedia, it appears to be a dead ringer for a species called the H’drachi. That’s an extremely nerdy reference for Abrams to be making, since the camel-like H’drachi have only been seen in a few Star Wars comics. This is especially interesting given last month’s announcement that the so-called Expanded Universe of Star Wars comics and novels was being moved to the universe next door; now, none of its storylines officially happened in Star Wars canon. Using a species as obscure as the H’drachi in Episode VII seems something of a sop to Expanded Universe fans: Don’t worry, it says, we still respect the source material, and we’re going to use it liberally in this brave new Star Wars universe. And there’s one more thing. Fans of the various wonders to have poured out of Jim Henson’s Muppet workshop over the years find this creature, with its lumbering movements and sleepy eyelids, to be surprisingly familiar. A lot of us looked at it, and were reminded of this: They’re the Mystics, ancient creatures from the much-underrated 1982 movie Dark Crystal. That movie in itself has a Star Wars connection, being a collaboration between Henson and Gary Kurtz, who produced both the original Star Wars and the Empire Strikes Back. Mystical camel-like muppet aliens lumbering around with bird-filled carriers on their backs? That sounds a lot like the Star Wars we used to know. Roll on, Episode VII. Chris Taylor is the author of How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, the first complete history of the Star Wars franchise and its fandom. The book releases September 30 and is available for pre-order here. Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/05/21/star-wars-episode-vii-creature/
Irrational Games, the developer behind the ‘BioShock’ franchise, has announced the company will shut down.Image: Irrational Games In an abrupt announcement, Irrational Games has decided to permanently close after 17 years. The video-game studio, whose most-popular gaming franchise is first-person shooter BioShock, revealed the news in a letter on the company’s website. “I am winding down Irrational Games as you know it,” Ken Levine, co-founder of the Boston studio, wrote Tuesday. “I’ll be starting a smaller, more entrepreneurial endeavor at Take-Two. That is going to mean parting ways with all but about fifteen members of the Irrational team. There’s no great way to lay people off, and our first concern is to make sure that the people who are leaving have as much support as we can give them during this transition.” Irrational Games’ final project before shuttering will be Burial at Sea Episode 2, the final BioShock Infinite DLC (downloadable content) update that comes out on March 25. Tuesday’s announcement shocked many gamers, as Levine’s letter offered a vague explanation for why Irrational Games will shut down. “Irrational Games” quickly became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter. Sad to hear that Irrational Games is shutting down. Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite were monumental games that will live with us forever. — Zack Scott (@ZackScott) February 18, 2014 More people are upset about Flappy Bird being taken down than Irrational Games closing or Marvelous going bankrupt. I hate today’s industry — Pinhead Larry (@SgtMettool) February 18, 2014 We’re sorry to hear about the winding down of Irrational Games & send our best to our friends & colleagues. We’re all big fans. Sad news. — Volition (@DSVolition) February 18, 2014 Here is Levine’s full letter: When Jon Chey, Rob Fermier and I founded Irrational Games seventeen years ago, our mission was to make visually unique worlds and populate them with singular characters. We built Rapture and Columbia, the Von Braun and The Rickenbacker, the Freedom Fortress and some of the nastiest basements a SWAT team ever set foot into. We created Booker and Elizabeth, the Big Daddy and the Little Sister, MidWives and ManBot. In that time, Irrational has grown larger and more successful than we could have conceived when we began our three-person studio in a living room in Cambridge, MA. It’s been the defining project of my professional life. Now Irrational Games is about to roll out the last DLC for BioShock Infinite and people are understandably asking: What’s next? Seventeen years is a long time to do any job, even the best one. And working with the incredible team at Irrational Games is indeed the best job I’ve ever had. While I’m deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished together, my passion has turned to making a different kind of game than we’ve done before. To meet the challenge ahead, I need to refocus my energy on a smaller team with a flatter structure and a more direct relationship with gamers. In many ways, it will be a return to […]
A TV commercial for Dance Central 3 on Xbox Kinect took advantage of current events, roping in Usher to play a moderator for a fictitious — yet groovy — political debate. Stumped for words during a rebuttal, one candidate expresses his opinion via some surprising dance moves. Dance Central 3 came out Tuesday, the same day as the second presidential debate. BONUS: Classic Twister Game Moves Into Digital Age With Britney Spears Hasbro recently ditched the classic Twister mat for its latest version of the game — Twister Dance. Britney Spears recorded a full Twister remix music video of her song “Till the World Ends” to help promote the game. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/17/dance-central-3-usher-debate-ad/
Alexey Romanov was born with a debilitating illness that left him without fingers or hands. But that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing his dreams. In the most unlikely fashion, Romanov has become a successful pianist and serves as an inspiration to everyone suffering from a disability. His adoptive parents noticed he had a fondness for music early on, so they bought him a synthesizer. He began to learn how to play it and then started entering (and even winning) competitions. After learning the basics of music from friends, Romanov has soared to new heights and even performed with the highly respected Russian orchestra, La Primavera chamber orchestra. See his skills up-close here: (via The Guardian) Let Alexey Romanov be an inspiration not only to those with disabilities, but to all of us. Even when facing overwhelming adversity, you can overcome it and become hugely successful if you put your mind and heart to it. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/pianist/
Dallas Mavericks guard Vince Carter (rear) with forward Dirk Nowitzki of Germany during an NBA game against the Washington Wizards in January 2013. Image: Nick Wass/Associated Press When the 2014-2015 NBA season tips off this fall, the league’s official game ball will still be that familiar orange-brown hue. It will still be made by Spalding and will still have the same feel as last year. But the ball will come with one change — a minor one, but one that speaks volumes to how heavily the NBA has adopted and benefitted from social media in recent years. The NBA announced that it will imprint its social media handle — @NBA on all major networks — on official game balls, proclaiming the move a pro sports first. The NBA’s official game ball will feature its social media handle for the first time. Image: NBA It may not seem like a huge deal, but the NBA’s new marketing twist does signify the increasingly intertwined digital and physical segments of the pro sports world. It’s also appropriate for a league that has found success on social media like few, if any, of its peers. “First and foremost, it’s really about acknowledging our social media-savvy fans,” Melissa Rosenthal Brenner, the NBA’s senior vice president of digital media, told Mashable via email. “The ball is the instantly-recognizable symbol of our game, and now our fans have a place there too, where they belong.” The NBA claims 660 million social media followers, rolling together league, team and player accounts across networks and countries. The league says its official @NBA accounts have 25 million Facebook fans, nearly 11 million Twitter followers, over 3 million Instagram followers and 72 million total followers on Chinese social networks. LeBron James, not surprisingly, is the league’s most popular player online. With more than 20 million Facebook fans, 13 million Twitter followers and 6 million Instagram followers, he outpaces the league on the latter two social networks. So how did the league and its players amass such a massive social following? “It’s probably a combination of things,” Brenner told Mashable. “First, it is our tech-savvy and prolific players; second, we work very hard to provide our young and passionate fans with all the information, stats and highlights they tell us they want; and third, it is our leadership — starting with our commissioner Adam Silver — that encourages us to use new tools in order to continually enhance the fan experience.” Those millions upon millions of fans will be represented in NBA games starting this fall. Social media handles have become ubiquitous in arenas and stadiums in every sport, but don’t be surprised to see more leagues follow the NBA’s lead and stamp them on actual game balls in the future. 15 YouTube Videos of NBA Stars Dominating in High School 1. Derrick Rose The Chicago Bulls point guard starred at the Windy City’s Simeon Career Academy in high school before playing one season of college ball then getting picked first overall […]
Candy Crush addicts, consider this an intervention. If your Candy Crush Saga addiction has led you to some dark places in life (perhaps depleting your bank account for extra lives), you may find that this honest trailer by YouTube channel Smosh Games rings true. Nope? Not you? Well, maybe you’ll find at least some entertainment in this video’s Kardashian references; it calls Candy Crush “the Kardashian of video games.” Yikes. Colors. Music. Soothing sound effects. The honest trailer is here to boil your Candy Crush obsession down to its fundamental parts and make you feel like a doofus for finding enjoyment in it. BONUS: 7 Mobile Trivia Games to Challenge Your Brain Mobile Trivia Games 1. QuizUp QuizUp is the new kid on the block for mobile trivia, but that freshness also comes with some perks. The app has a lovely, colorful interface. QuizUp also lets you match wits on any topic with your in-game friends or with strangers, so you can compete to top the leaderboards in your area of expertise. The team is actively adding new material, including timely information in both the current events and pop culture categories. Price: Free on iOS and Android Image: Plain Vanilla 2. Sporcle It was an online phenomenon first, and now you can take the Sporcle quizzes anywhere. The trivia categories go beyond the typical subjects to test your knowledge of more unusual pockets of trivia. Do you know which nations have the highest cost of living this year? How good are you on celebrities’ ages or popular baby names? The apps don’t have all the content from the web version, but there’s still a serious number of quizzes to keep you entertained. Price: $2.99 for iOS, $1.99 for Android Image: Sporcle 3. MovieCat and MovieCat 2 How do you make a standard movie trivia game even better? Present all the questions with adorable cartoon cats. MovieCat tests your cinema savvy in a range of ways, from the classic to the contemporary. Anything in the movie realm is fair game — including posters, costumes and award winners — and the faster you answer, the more points you’ll get. The sequel has all new questions and Cat Scenes, but for now it’s only available on iOS. Price: $1.99 on Android and iPhone, $2.99 on iPad Image: OtherWise Games 4. Jeopardy! The popular game show has long been the standard for TV trivia, and now you can get the experience on your mobile devices. The setup is a little different, with clues given as multiple choice questions rather than the iconic “Answer in the form of a question.” Despite that, you’re still getting an authentic Jeopardy! experience since the clues were collected from the show’s writers. You have the chance to win solo or compete with friends in the Pass and Play mode. Price: $1.99 on iOS and Android Image: Sony Pictures Television 5. Trivial Pursuit This one’s a classic of the board game universe, but it’s just as fun in the mobile […]
