Monthly Archives: August 2015
Google Gets New Ceo, Creates Parent Company Alphabet
Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have created a "collection of companies," which includes Google, under a new holding company called Alphabet.
According to a letter to investors, Page will run Alphabet as CEO alongside its president Sergey. Sundar Pichai will be promoted from product chief to CEO of the slimmed down Google. A CEO will be appointed to each other companies in the collective.
Google is spinning out its businesses under the operational overhaul to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of newly created Alphabet. Companies not relevant to the Google’s internet products will be spun out into their own companies under the Alphabet umbrella.
The Art and Artists of Hearthstone
Hearthstone's Art Director Ben Thompson stopped by IGN's Australian office recently, so we took the opportunity to ask him about the process of creating art for the game, as well as what pieces most speak to him as an artist. Enjoy!
Ben Thompson: We knew we wanted to go with the original nine from World of Warcraft, as far as classes go. We knew that we wanted to go back to the roots of basic World of Warcraft and that approachability… no Monk, no Death Knight, just entry-level WoW. As we started going through a lot of the art, we started trying to figure out which ones we had imagery for which we felt most personified or felt the most approachable or coolest for the characters, because we kept in mind, throughout the whole thing, there’s going to be a certain percentage – a great percentage if we do our job right – that have never played
Report: Sofia Vergara to Play Bart Simpson’s New Teacher
Sofia Vergara will guest star in an upcoming episode of The Simpsons as new schoolteacher "Mrs Berrera."
According to TheWrap, Vergara's character will star in upcoming episode "Teenage Mutant Milk-Caused Hurdles." She will play an attractive teacher who catches the eye of both Bart Simpson and Principal Seymour Skinner.
Executive producer Al Jean reveals that it may not be a one-off; there is a possibility that Vergara might return in later episodes.
Arrow’s Stephen Amell Set for Match at WWE SummerSlam
Coming out of tonight's WWE RAW, actor Stephen Amell has been officially booked in a match to face Stardust at SummerSlam on Sunday, August 23rd.
Amell, a long-time wrestling fan, began being incorporated into the storyline a few months back when he attended a RAW and developed notable tension with Stardust - aka Cody Rhodes. The two have been trading barbs online ever since.
Amell returned to RAW this week as a "special guest" and then hopped the crowd barrier when Stardust assaulted him, leapt into the ring, and tackled Stardust to the mat.
DiCaprio, Scorsese to Reunite For The Devil in White City
Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese will again work together on a film adaptation of Erik Larson's book "The Devil In The White City: Murder, Magic and Madness At The Fair That Changed America."
According to Deadline, five studios were vying for the adaptation until Paramount sealed a deal that has DiCaprio starring in the lead role with Scorsese directing. Both will produce alongside Jennifer Davisson and Stacey Sher. Billy Ray will write the script.
Arby’s Devotes Sandwich to Jon Stewart
After many years of being on the receiving end of barbs, Arby's has decided to dedicate a sandwich to Jon Stewart.
The AV Club reports that the sandwich consists of double corned beef and deli mustard on marbled rye. The restaurant calls it The Daily Deli, in honor of the show, but the associated video makes it clear this is a tribute to Stewart himself.
You won't see The Daily Deli on the standard menu, though. It will join the "secret menu," meaning interested customers will simply have to ask for it.
This wasn't the only send-off the fast food chain devoted to Stewart. It also bought ad time on Stewart's show with a specially made spot wishing him farewell. Stewart had spent years making fun of Arby's, with frequent one-liners insulting the quality of its food.
Dota 2’s Tourney-Ending $6 Million Play Explained
Over the weekend, five Dota 2 players won millions of dollars at The International 2015 thanks largely to one amazing play, which quickly became known as the Six Million Dollar Echo Slam.
Several friends not versed in Dota have asked me about "that play," which exploded on social media and YouTube after TI5 concluded on Saturday. Watch it for yourself in the video below.
Dota is a big and complex beast, so let's demistify the crazy colors and sounds and let everyone know exactly why this play was so devastating.
To start off, the stakes: The final series of TI5 included two teams - A North American team called Evil Geniuses (EG), and a Chinese team called CDEC. It was a best-of-five series, so the first team to three victories wins the championship. EG had a 2-1 lead heading into game four.
Game of Thrones: Young Ned Stark Cast for Season 6
Game of Thrones may have cast a new face for a familiar character. Spoilers follow.
Watchers on the Wall reports that 13-year-old Sebastian Croft will play a boyhood version of Sean Bean's character, Ned Stark. He'll be sparring an older child in the single scene we've heard about. Speculation of a young Ned first started when a casting call asked for a boy with brown hair, a narrow face, green eyes, and a Northern accent.
Croft is known as a theater actor, having appeared in the London West End productions of Matilda and Les Miserables, as well as taking the starring role of Oliver in the UK tour of Oliver!
X-Men: Apocalypse: New Photos Reveal Angel
A fresh batch of new photos taken from the set of X-Men: Apocalypse offer a sneak peek at Angel, as well as a look at the film's new costumes.
In a trio of posts on Instagram, director Bryan Singer revealed a handful of tantalizing images for fans to salivate over, not the least of which includes an early look at Ben Hardy's Angel hanging out in a 1980s fight club in Berlin.
In addition, here's a hazy, silhouetted look at the new costumes.
DBZ: Resurrection ‘F’ in Top 10 All-Time Anime Releases
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection "F" opened last week to great success, becoming the first independent movie to earn itself a spot among the top 10 highest grossing domestic anime of all time.
According to FUNimation Entertainment, since its release last Tuesday, Resurrection "F" has grossed an impressive $5.97 million at the North American box office.
"It’s a great film that loyal DBZ fans, and fans of anime, have helped push into the record books in just 6 days," FUNimation EVP and COO Michael DuBoise said. "Great word of mouth, extremely positive reviews, plus a film that appeals to core fans and is creating new fans, have led to sold-out shows, repeat viewings, and additional theaters being added through Wednesday."