Steve Carell Poised to Join The Big Short
Steve Carell, who was nominated for an Oscar today for his dramatic turn in Foxcatcher, is in talks to join the star-studded cast of The Big Short.
Carell is the latest name to be associated with the movie adaptation of Michael Lewis’ best-selling non-fiction drama. If a deal is reached, he could join Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling and Christian Bale, all of whom are in various stages of negotiation for the project.
Set against the backdrop of the 2007 financial crisis, The Big Short follows some of the more interesting characters who bet against the financial markets and profited hugely from their collapse.
Several Games Missing from Xbox 360 Games Store
Users have recently reported the absence of several games and game add-ons on the Xbox 360 games store, including Far Cry 2, BioShock 2: Minerva's Den DLC, Crysis 2, and The Darkness.
Microsoft has responded to our inquiry about the matter and will provide us with more information as details become available. If you have discovered any other missing items from the storefront, please tell us in the comments below.
A similar occurrence on the Xbox One Games Store took place last week, when Ubisoft's open-world shooter Far Cry 4 was temporarily unavailable for digital purchase, possibly due to a glitch.
Robot Chicken Animator Mods Powerglove as Animation Tool
Animator Dillon Markey, who works on the stop-motion Adult Swim show Robot Chicken, was looking for a way to more efficiently manage his work flow.
While animating a shot on a large stage a few years ago, Markey needed to move from one side of the stage to the other to animate each frame. While moving around the stage, he carried with him a corded, numeric USB keypad. He asked himself, "Why can't I just wear this on my arm?"
The desire to streamline the process got Markey thinking. "What would I want to animate with all day?" He settled on a Powerglove, the instantly recognizable wearable controller from Mattel that was designed for the Nintendo Entertainment System. "This device, this aesthetic, was the one that I wanted," Markey said, adding "I had to have a Powerglove on my arm!"
LEGO Movie Directors React to Oscar Snub
Nominations for the 87th Academy Awards were announced today, and there was one omission from the Animated Feature Film category that people can't seem to believe: The LEGO Movie.
The Chris Pratt-starring comedy was a big financial success, grossing almost $469 million worldwide, and becoming the highest-grossing film of 2014 in the UK. It was also a big hit with both audiences and critics (IGN gave the film an "amazing" 9.0/10). So while it was a bit surprising to see the film without a nomination, LEGO co-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller had some pretty awesome Twitter reactions to the news...
3D Printing Helps Man Save Wife’s Eyesight
A California man used a 3D printer to help doctors identify the nature of his wife's brain tumor, and helped lead the doctors to an unconventional and successful surgery.
Make Magazine reports that when Michael Balzer, a 3D printing aficionado, learned of his wife's diagnosis, he was determined to be as proactive as possible. Using his skills with 3D printing, Balzer created a computer model of his wife's skull and the tumor using her initial MRI scans.
Later on, after another trip the doctor and further MRI scans, it was found that her tumor was actually growing -- a disheartening diagnosis. Balzer, however, continued creating his models, and after cross-examining the new MRI scans with the old, he found that the doctor had made a mistake while measuring. The tumor was not actually growing.
Get 4 Classic MacVenture Titles Later This Month
Zojoi, the developer behind the re-imagined point-and-click adventure Shadowgate, has set its sights on bringing back the entire MacVenture series, in all its System 6 Macintosh goodness.
Dave Marsh, Founder of Zojoi said that while they were working on their new projects, "we did a face palm. Why not make these memorable classics" available now, and "take a look into other platforms as well?"
Shadowgate, Deja Vu, Deja Vu II: Lost in Las Vegas, and Uninvited, which all feature similar mechanics and puzzle solving, will be making their re-entry into the collective gaming conscience late this month.
The games will include not only the original Macintosh 128k black-and-white graphics, but the 4-bit color versions for the Apple IIGS will be playable, as well.
Daily Deals: $370 PS4 With a Free Game, Save $80 on a 32GB iPad Air, 50% Off Mario Galaxy 2
App Store Update: January 15
Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Bowling Center – ($2.99)
App Store bowling with a twist: If you've got Airplay Mirroring set up on an Apple TV, you can use motion control to play, just like good old Wii Sports Bowling.
Suicide Squad Loses Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy has dropped out of Suicide Squad, the DC/Warner Bros. comic-book adaptation from director David Ayer. The helmer is now looking to his End of Watch star Jake Gyllenhaal to replace Hardy.
According to The Wrap, Hardy’s departure is the result of schedule issues on his film The Revenant. That picture is going over schedule, meaning the actor had to bail on playing Rick Flag, the leader of the Suicide Squad. Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney and Cara Delevingne remain part of the cast.
Suicide Squad is scheduled for a mid-April shoot in Toronto and an August 5, 2016, release.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy+ Coming to 3DS
Bandai Namco is bringing Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy+ to Nintendo 3DS systems on February 13th. It will cost $40 USD.
Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy+ comes with added support for the New Nintendo 3DS and XL variant's ZL/ZR buttons and C-stick, as well as improved 3D.
Special aircraft skins are also unlockable by tapping select amiibo figures against the New 3DS.
The game is an updated re-release of a previous Ace Combat installment.
IGN's review of the original Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy, which came out in 2011, called it "truly impressive."