Monthly Archives: March 2015
Gran Turismo Academy Returns to Australia in 2015
Nissan and Sony Computer Entertainment Australia have today confirmed that the Nissan PlayStation GT Academy will return to Australia in 2015.
To mark the announcement, V8 Supercars driver Michael Caruso’s factory-backed #23 Nissan Altima will carry special GT Academy markings when it competes in this weekend’s round of the 2015 V8 Supercar series at Symmons Plains Raceway in Launceston, Tasmania.
Gran Turismo players interested in receiving more information regarding the GT Academy, including 2015 qualification details, are encouraged to register at nissan.com.au/GT15 to be kept abreast of GT Academy developments as the year progresses.
Last Man’s New Arrival on Crashing the Party
Spoilers follow for tonight’s episodes of The Last Man on Earth.
At first The Last Man on Earth was about one guy -- Will Forte’s lone survivor of the title. And then Kristen Schaal entered the mix, soon followed by January Jones. And yet, despite the addition of these women, Forte’s Phil was still the last man on Earth. But as of tonight, those days are over. For Mel Rodriguez (Getting On, Running Wilde) has entered the mix as another male survivor. Meet Todd, everyone.
Ninja Turtles Sequel Filming in NY in April
Everybody, praise the pizza gods -- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 is set to start filming next month in New York City and Buffalo.
According to NY Daily News, $63 million will be spent on shooting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel in NYC, along with an additional $7 million of spending in Buffalo.
"New York City knows how to host blockbuster films," said NYC's Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We welcome Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 to New York City, and look forward to the many jobs and tens of millions of jobs this will bring to our local economy.”
This is What the Halo 5: Guardians Teaser Site Countdown Revealed
The countdown clock on the Halo 5: Guardians teaser tumblr, 'Hunt the Truth', reveals a marketing campaign for the upcoming sci-fi shooter in the form of what seems to be an alternate reality game of sorts.
The teaser site introduces Benjamin Giraud, a Halo universe journalist and war photographer “hired to do an in-depth profile of the Master Chief.” Released on the website as a weekly episodic series, Giraud’s investigations invites fans to follow along in his search “into the origins of modern-day superhero Master Chief."
James Bond Does Day of the Dead for SPECTRE
SPECTRE filming is underway now in Mexico City, with the action taking place amidst a parade marking Mexico’s annual Day of the Dead celebrations. The parade has been recreated for the purposes of the shoot as Day of the Dead celebrations are traditionally held on and around November 1.
Skeleton crew, Mexico City #SPECTRE pic.twitter.com/6LPTy3u7C0
— James Bond (@007) March 21, 2015
James Bond site MI6 HQ has published a video featuring a glimpse of the parade in action, which you can see below.
SpaceX Photos Free to Use for Anyone
Private space organization SpaceX has started a Flickr account, and the for-profit agency has made available for free the images contained within.
There are currently just over 100 images on the official SpaceX Flickr account, and they're all distributable through a Creative Commons license that allows for free, non-commercial use with attribution.
A representative for SpaceX told Flickr that the company explicitly granted the right for media to use the images, as well.
And why not? The photos show off the sort of futuristic work the private company is doing on Earth and beyond. They're super cool photos of rockets and spaceships and the people who make it all possible. The images being made available for free is nothing but a positive for the company from a pure marketing standpoint.
Netflix Australia Pricing Confirmed
We finally have prices.
Streaming service Netflix will be available in Australia for $8.99 (AUD) per month for a single-stream standard definition plan, $11.99 for a two-stream high-definition plan, and $14.99 for a four-stream 4K ultra-high definition family plan.
Considering the weaker Aussie dollar, this is fair pricing when held up against US streaming plans, which start at $7.99 USD for the standard def one stream, followed by $8.99 for the high-def two stream plan and $11.99 for the 4K service.
Netflix is offering a free one-month trial to all new Aussie and Kiwi members at www.Netflix.com.
The official announcement comes after Netflix Australia's pricing details and alleged library were leaked on Reddit yesterday.
Insurgent Debuts Atop Box Office But Behind Divergent
The Divergent Series: Insurgent opened in first place at the North American box office this weekend with an estimated $54 million, which was just a bit behind the $54.6 million debut of its predecessor Divergent.
Internationally, Insurgent took in an additional $47 million for a worldwide total of $101 million. It should be noted that Insurgent cost more to produce than Divergent ($110 million to $90 million) and, unlike Divergent, was released in the higher-priced 3D format.
Still, Insurgent saw an uptick in overseas ticket sales over Divergent as Veronica Roth's book series has increased in popularity abroad in the past year.
CERN Could Prove Parallel Universes, Claim Scientists
CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is being fired up this week after a two-year hiatus and a group of scientists think the results could prove the existence of parallel universes.
A paper published by Dr.s Ahmed Farag Ali, Mir Faizal, and Mohammed M. Khalil in the journal Physics Letters B argues that the second run of the LHC produces or detects miniature black holes, which they argue could point to entire universes hidden away in higher dimensions folded into our reality.
“Normally, when people think of the multiverse, they think of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, where every possibility is actualized," Faizal explained to Phys.org. "This is not what we mean by parallel universes. What we mean is real universes in extra dimensions."
Mission: Impossible 5 Gets a New Title, 1st Look at Trailer
Here's our first look at Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (pka Mission: Impossible 5).
Check out the sequel's first poster as well as an advance look at the movie's trailer, which debuts in full online March 23:
Tom Cruise returns as Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt, along with series vets Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, and Simon Pegg. The cast also includes Alec Baldwin, Rebecca Ferguson, and Sean Harris.
Here's the official synopsis: "Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate – an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF."
Jack Reacher's Christopher McQuarrie wrote and directed Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation, which opens July 31.