Sunday 27 November 2011

That's Books: Elisabeth Sladen Autobiography Released

That's Books: Elisabeth Sladen Autobiography Released: When Elisabeth Sladen first appeared as plucky journalist Sarah Jane Smith in the 1973 Doctor Who story The Time Warrior, little did she kn...

Ray Harryhausen's Fantasy Scrapbook

Ray Harryhausen is one of the most innovative and influential film animators in the history of the medium, responsible for such classic films as Jason and the Argonauts, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Clash of the Titans and One Million Years BC.

A pioneer of stop-motion animation he has won countless awards, including a star on the Hollwood Walk of Fame, and inspired numerous film-makers, such as Stephen Spielberg, George Lucas and Peter Jackson.

A visual feast for Harryahausen fans, Ray's Fantasy Scrapbook reveals a wealth of fascinating artefacts, many of which were only recently discovered in a garage in Los Angeles and have never been seen before.

Featured herein are models from unrealised projects, such as dinosaurs from the unfinished film Evolution, prints of out-takes from various movies including The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.

The book abounds with early concept drawings and storyboards; colour transparencies of Ray at work; written artefacts such as letters and production budgets and a diary that details Ray's first meeting with his mentor Willis O'Brien; early film treatments and script extracts; publicity posters and brochures; and much, much more.

Some of the items show Ray's earliest artistic endeavours such as watercolours painted when he was 15 years old and marionettes of creatures from King Kong that he made when he saw the film in 1933.

Organized into themed chapters covering the different genres that Ray worked in, each film is given a brief introduction and every image has a detailed caption. In many cases images are juxtaposed to show how a creature or effect evolved or to compare a concept drawing with a still from the finished film.

The result is a treasure trove of rare artefacts and material which not only offer new insights into how Ray created particular effects, but bring the worlds of his films to life in a new way and paint a fascinating visual portrait of the man himself and his creative imagination. This is a must for every Ray Harryhausen fan

by Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton published by Aurum Press, £30.

Sunday 20 November 2011

Free Bingo Specialists City Bingo Announce New City Hotspots Game

The coming weeks at free bingo specialists City Bingo’s site look set to be very exciting as members gear up to play their latest new games and promotions. These include a host of the usual free games taking place across their five free rooms, each one open 24 hours a day and each offering guaranteed cash prizes. There’s also the ‘I love New York’ promotion which has seen the site host a number of games and prizes each with an American theme attached. Over the course of the next few weeks the site will be giving away a huge range of goodies from Friends DVDs to a three day shopping trip to Manhattan.

The latest announcement from the site however is their City Hotspots game which is a new scheme crafted by the site in order to reward their most loyal and frequent players. It will see the site keeping tabs on which players are playing at which games with the players they deem to be the most ‘clued up’ about what’s happening at the site set to receive gifts in the form of free play and for the very best players access to the much coveted VIP room.

To find out more about what’s happening at City Bingo in the coming weeks players can visit the site’s homepage and click the ‘Promotions’ tab. Here the site has set out its plans for the coming weeks and players can assess which games they may want to play.

Thursday 17 November 2011

New Super Mario game for 3DS

SUPER MARIO 3D LAND™ launches across Europe on 18th November only for Nintendo 3DS™ and both fans and critics are already excited. The latest instalment in the Super Mario™ series has also sold well in Japan after launching earlier this month. After being on sale for only four days, 343,492 units of the game were sold making it the number 1 game in the country. In addition, sales of the Nintendo 3DS console more than doubled in Japan from 65,041 last week to 145,271 more than every other console combined.

Super Mario 3D Land marks the return of the timeless platforming fun of the Super Mario series and mixes classic 2D Mario action with the newer 3D style that fans of the Super Mario series will be sure to enjoy. SUPER MARIO 3D LAND has been made exclusively for Nintendo 3DS and fans can expect familiar yet challenging platforming action when the game launches across Europe later this week. The anticipation has been high and leading critics of Nintendo 3DS games have already been enjoying the new Courses and features:

IGN, 95% - “With an expertly balanced difficulty progression, dazzling level design and masterful Power-Ups, this is the ideal 3DS experience... As a whole, 3D Land is brilliant and addictive, and should do for 3D-enhanced platforming what the original Super Mario Bros. did for 2D platforming. If you own a 3DS system, you have no choice - you simply must own this game.”

Game Informer 95% - “It lives up to the level of quality set by previous entries and is easily the best reason to own a 3DS.”

Daily Telegraph, five stars - “SUPER MARIO 3D LAND is a sublime, precise platformer that presents Nintendo's remarkable level design skill in a new perspective”. “The charm, inventiveness and knowing nods to Mario heritage bring constant smiles, and it's not only a superb Mario game but a fantastic advert for the hardware it appears on”.

Get ready to master a mixture of new and classic abilities on your quest through the Mushroom Kingdom, as the fan-favourite Tanooki Mario returns in SUPER MARIO 3D LAND along with new guises such as Boomerang Mario and Statue Mario. By collecting a Super Leaf, Mario turns into Tanooki Mario giving him the ability to glide in mid-air as well as perform a tail attack; and the new Boomerang Flower gives Mario the power of a Boomerang Bro. and allows him to hurl boomerangs at enemies. You will also have fun mastering the many other abilities from the Propeller Box which makes Mario fly high in the air to the classic Fire Flower that allows Mario to throw fireballs at enemies.

During a recent Iwata Asks interview with the producers of SUPER MARIO 3D LAND, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata spoke to Takashi Tezuka, one of the leading producers behind the game, and asked him what drew him to the new game, he replied – “Tanooki Mario, I think. I was the one who made Tanooki Mario for Super Mario Bros. 3, but I think this game displays Tanooki Mario's features much better than in 2D. When you flip enemies, the tail spins right around, but in Super Mario Bros. 3, all you could do was smack left and right. This time you can wipe them out in a full 360-degree circle!”

Try out Tanooki Mario for yourself and many other guises as you explore the Mushroom Kingdom in SUPER MARIO 3D LAND, available exclusively for Nintendo 3DS across Europe from 18th November.

For more information about this and other features, visit www.nintendo.co.uk

Free Bingo and New York Themed Games at City Bingo This Month

This month City Bingo announced its latest promotions which looked to dazzle existing players and attract new ones. The free bingo site travelled to New York and has launched a series of games which promote free games and American themed prizes.

One promotion to catch the attention of City Bingo players this month is the I Love NY promotion which is giving players the chance to win a shopping trip for two in the Big Apple. The prize will include 3 nights’ hotel accommodation as well as £500 spending money.

To be in with a chance of winning players are able to win tickets for free simply by playing their favourite bingo games. Any player to wager £1 on bingo or instants games will earn themselves two points whilst winning bingo on a dollar sign pattern will get players an additional 1,000 points.

For every 1,000 points players will win themselves a ticket into the game. Usually tickets are £5 so this is a fantastic opportunity for any player who loves free bingo. Doors into the big game will open on 30th November at 10pm so there is still plenty of time to earn free bingo points.

Learn more about this promotion and the many more on offer at City Bingo by visiting the site. There are plenty of American themed promotions and free bingo opportunities for members to play before November ends.

That's Technology: 7 days left to save £159.90 with Virgin Media

That's Technology: 7 days left to save £159.90 with Virgin Media: New customers with Virgin Media can make a genuine saving of £159.90 when signing up onlin...

Monday 14 November 2011

Thursday 10 November 2011

That's Christmas: The best Christmas video ever!

That's Christmas: The best Christmas video ever!

A New Desert Adventure Awaits Link in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Wii


Nintendo has revealed more details about the captivating areas, items and gameplay in the The Legend of Zelda™: Skyward Sword, launching across Europe exclusively for Wii™ on 18th November 2011. This week, Link journeys through the Lanayru Desert where he must find his way through the puzzles in the Lanayru Mining Facility, sail across a sea of sand and discover new items to add to his collection. Newly revealed game elements include the following:

• Lanayru Desert and the Lanayru Mining Facility: In this vast area, surrounded in all directions by a sea of sand, Link must search for the Lanayru Mining Facility. As strange a place as this is, Link will encounter characters both new and familiar, such as Gorons. Inside the Lanayru Mining Facility, Link will encounter mine carts which contain Timeshift Stones through this expansive area, experiencing new puzzles and challenges. He must also face the dungeon boss Moldarach, a fearsome giant scorpion.

•Sandship: Later in his quest, Link returns to a different area of the Lanayru Desert as he sails across a sea of sand in search of a ship.

• New Items: In the desert, Link will receive two new items – the Clawshots and the Gust Bellows. The Clawshots allow players to grapple and pull themselves towards otherwise unreachable areas. The Gust Bellows can blow out a burst of air which can stun enemies and clear paths through piles of sand. Players will find the Gust Bellows essential to solving the puzzles in the Lanayru Mining Facility.

Nintendo will continue to provide fans with select details and information about the Wii game prior to its launch across Europe on 18th November.

This week Nintendo 3DS owners will also have the chance to receive via SpotPass™ a special 3D video of The Legend of Zelda Main Theme Melody which was performed as part of tThe Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony performances. Keep an eye out as additional special clips will be made available via SpotPass in the near future.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be available as a limited edition bundle, featuring a copy of the game, a CD featuring selected orchestral arrangements from the The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony performance and a rare gold-coloured Wii Remote™ Plus controller bearing the Hylian Crest. Pre-order now to avoid disappointment and to secure your copy.

For more information and videos about The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword visit http://www.nintendo.co.uk/skywardsword

For more information about The Legend of Zelda™ visit http://www.thelegendofzelda.co.uk

For more information on The Legend of Zelda 25thAnniversary visit http://www.zelda25th.co.uk

A little of what you fancy...

Last month saw some exciting Halloween promotions introduced by Fancy Bingo’s very own mascot, the Fancy Hatter. This month’s promotion sees two players crowned King and Queen of Fancy Bingo who will each earn £250 in real cash prizes.

Bingo Social is committed to bringing its players the latest promotions from Fancy Bingo because of its exciting games and lucrative prizes. The latest promotion known as King and Queen of Fancy is giving players the chance to be crowned the King and Queen of the mystical themed site and will be giving away £1,000 in real cash prizes too.

To be in with a chance of becoming King of Slots or Queen of Bingo, players must take part in the tournament according to their gender. Potential Queens will compete to go top of the bingo leader board by wagering money and playing bingo games whilst potential Kings will play slots games by wagering pound coins.

Women who wager £1 on bingo games will earn themselves one point whilst every bingo will gain 10 points and every bingo on the crown pattern will get 100 points. Men must wager £1 on any instants games to earn themselves one point.

The tournament will run from 9th November to 27th November and those at the top of each leader board will b crowned King and Queen and will get £250 each. Places 2nd to 5th will also earn themselves a cash prize. For any player that finishes with at least 100 points, they will be entered into the Royal Prize Draw where a Panasonic Lumix Digicam can be won.

Tuesday 8 November 2011

Stunning blunder by firework experts compresses display

Pyro1 can advise that they were responsible for the 'stunning' display in Oban on Friday night.

Pre-programmed to fire for 20 minutes a technical glitch meant the display fired in just 50 seconds. Pyro1 fired numerous other displays using the same software over the weekend with 100% success. In the 16 years that Pyro1 has been established nothing like this has ever happened.

The chances of this error ever happening again are truly 1 in a million. Procedures for safety and rigging are rigorous and Pyro1 adhere to guidelines set by the British Pyrotechnics Association and the CBI explosives industry group.

There has been a stunning response to the video of the display posted on You tube. As of Tuesday at midday it had had 410,000 views. This exceeds those that watch videos of the Sydney Harbour Bridge New Year’s Eve fireworks display! Comments posted include: “Possibly the most beautiful screw-up ever...” while another simply said: “Brilliant. Less hanging about, more time in the pub.” and “wish I was there for that, best display ever”.

Pyro1 have promised Oban another display. Roddy McCuish of Argyll and Bute Council and the people of Oban have been delighted in the response to the situation and look forward to Pyro1 returning to provide a special firework display for their inaugural Winter Festival on 27th November.

There will of course be a cost to Pyro1, but this is not the main concern.” We are only interested in making things right by providing the people of Oban with another firework display.”

Pyro1 have launched a new style of display on the strength of the interest seen. The OhBang firework display. This is a short sharp flurry of fireworks. Designed to last just 2 minutes and achieve maximum impact. Martin Allen MD of Pyro1 says “Our OhBang display is high intensity and designed to impress- we know how much everyone enjoys watching the sky fill with fireworks. It really delights the crowds!”

FACTFILE:

Pyro1 were responsible for the Edinburgh Hogmanay firework displays from 1997 to 2006. Fired from the 7 hills of Edinburgh simultaneously as the midnight salute is fired. Pyro1 grew this display and it became the televised symbol of New Year’s Eve for many years.

Pyro1 are experts at Stadium pyrotechnics as well as family shows. The November 5th weekend saw them firing numerous shows across the South East, Midlands and in Scotland. Out of interest, yesterday Martin Allen MD was at National Trust property Cragside, and today he has been at Elland Road, Leeds doing a pre match test for the groundsmen of the stadium ahead of the Four Nations match later in the month. Pyro1 provided the pre match entertainment at Wembley on Saturday for England vs Australia & Wales vs New Zealand. Pyrotechnics were fired to mark the teams’ entrances onto the pitch.

Party with the Bridesmaids


“Round up your girlfriends and roar with laughter”- Grazia

Never mind catching the bouquet, you can now catch the ultimate in wedding memorabilia as Universal Pictures (UK) reveals the most talked about comedy of the year is now available for pre-order from all good retailers. Set to keep the party rocking all the way to Christmas with a plethora of hilarious, insightful and irreverent bonus features, Bridesmaids on DVD and Blu-Ray Triple Play is a must-have for all wannabe Bridezillas, and even stag-do aficionados!

From the acclaimed producer, Judd Apatow, the creator of legendary comedies Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, comes this uproarious comedy following the joys and horrors of being part of your best friend’s bridal party. Generating £22.69million at the UK box office, this extremely witty film is worlds away from your traditional saccharine chick flick, winning whoops of approval from men and women across the globe.

The Blu-ray Triple Play means you can watch the girls hilarious antics where ever and whenever you want, be that on Blu-ray, DVD or Digital Copy. With DVD extras to enhance your Bridesmaids experience, including cast & crew commentaries, unseen deleted scenes, gag reels and hilarious featurettes, get set for an even greater insight into the most dysfunctional bridal party ever.

Featuring the brilliant comedic talents of Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper as well as some great British male talent in the shape of Matt Lucas (Little Britain) and The IT Crowd’s Chris O’Dowd as the romantic male lead. With Jon Hamm (Mad Men) as the male cad in this rollercoaster, madcap comedy there is a character for everyone to either, relate to, empathise with or aspire to.

The perfect present this Christmas
To mark one of the most memorable montages in the movie, a special puppy power gift pack is also available containing the DVD and a puppy soft toy. Retailing at £22.99 this cuddly combination will make the perfect gift for any fan of comedy this Christmas.

ALL-NEW BONUS FEATURES ON DVD
·         Theatrical Feature
·         Unrated/Extended Feature
·         Cholodecki's Commercial Spot #1
·         Deleted Scenes
·         Line-o-rama
·         Extended/Alternate Scenes
·         Gag Reel

ALL-NEW BONUS FEATURES ON TRIPLE PLAY BLU-RAY™ 
·         Gag Reel
·         Line-o-rama
·         Made of Honor: Behind The Scenes of Bridesmaids
·         Blind Date (Blind Date with Dave, Dave-o-rama)
·         Deleted Scenes:- Shrimp Fork, Bonjour, Annie & Judy, Different Friends, Shit Show, Big Things
·         Roommates [Welcome Home, Deleted Scenes:- Annie Can't Relax, Oo-laka Juice, Payback, Extended & Alternate Scenes:- Meet Gil & Brynn, Split The Rent:- Breasts, Under the
Table, Itchy Crotch, Annie Gets Kicked Out, Oo-laka Juice Commercial
·         Cholodecki's (Deleted Scenes:- Personal Phone Call, Diamonds, Last Chance}, (Extended & Alternated Scenes:- Annie Insults Customers, Semi-Molested, The Longest Argument
Ever); Commercials:- Spot #1, Spot #2
·         Pep Talk
·         Drunk Z-o-rama
·         Annie Vs. Helen
·         Hold On - Full Song Performance
·         Easter Egg - Punch Me
·         Theatrical Feature Commentary with Director Paul Feig, Co-Writer Annie Mumolo and Cast Members Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McClendon-Covey &
Ellie Kemper
·         Extended & Alternate Scenes:- Ted Sex, The Morning After, Boot Camp, Judy On Barb, Motorboat, Bird Bath, Meet The Bridesmaids, Dueling Toasts:- Alt 1, Alt 2, Crazy Old Broad, Ham Slacks, Becca Pukes Again, Bachelorette Phone Call, Shower Part 1 Alt, Car With Ted:- Half Hour, My Friend, Two Days a Week, Sex Tape
·         Pocket BLU

SYNOPSIS
Annie (Kristen Wiig-Paul) finds her life hitting a downward slope after being dumped by her boyfriend and loosing her bakery in the recession. In the midst of her life being a bit of a mess, Annie’s best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph- Saturday Night Live) asks her to be her maid of honour. Adamant to plan the best hen do for her friend, Annie soon discovers the job isn’t as easy as she thought, when she is introduced to the meticulous and perfect Helen (Rose Byrne- Get Him to the Greek) and the rest of Lillian’s particularly unique bridesmaids.

After much debate about the perfect hen party, the bridal entourage decides on a trip to Vegas. However, before they can even set foot in Sin City Annie and Helen’s jealousy get the better of them from which point everything goes horribly wrong, resulting in Annie being demoted from her maid of honour title.

Amongst the sequence of unfortunate and embarrassing events Annie develops a love interest with a genuinely good-guy police officer, Nathan Rhoads (Chris O’Dowd- Gulliver’s Travels), who tries to help Annie get her life back on track. But it is only once Annie hits rock bottom that she rids her maudlin attitude and realises that she is surrounded with both romance and friendship.

 Join the fun on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Bridesmaids
                                 
TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD

Street Date:                                                            November 14, 2011
Copyright:                                                                Film ©2010 Universal Studios.  All Rights Reserved.
Aspect Ratio:                                                          2.35:1
Rating:                                                                    16LS
Languages/Subtitles:                                              English
Sound:                                                                     SDDS  | DTS  | Dolby Digital
Run Time:                                                               125 mins

DVD RRP                                                 £19.99
BD TRIPLE PLAY RRP                               £26.99

Bridesmaids
Directed By:                            Paul Feig
Produced By:                           Judd Apatow
Original Music By:                  Michael Andrews 
Visual Effects By:                    Chris Chappell
Stunt:                                      Casey Adams, Janene Carleton
Cast:                                        Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Chris O’Dowd




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Monday 7 November 2011

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