Get Smart - It's here - Canadian Ordering Info!
Alright my fellow Canucks, we can order the Get Smart DVD set from Time-Life in Canada, but we'll have to do it via phone for now.
The set, which sells for $199.96 US, is $249.95 CAN (a reasonable conversion rate), plus a shipping and handling charge of $19.99 CAN and taxes (but if you whine a bit they may give you free shipping).
Just call Time Life Canada at 1-800-950-7887 and place your order. They still don't know when the set will be added to their website.
Sony Cuts Price of PS3 in Japan
Company cuts the price by 20% in response to complaints about high cost.
Sony Corp., the world's biggest maker of video game players, cut the price in Japan of its PlayStation 3 by about 20%, responding to complaints that it cost twice as much as rival consoles.
The game player will retail for $430 when it goes on sale in Japan on Nov. 11, Ken Kutaragi, head of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., said Friday at the Tokyo Game Show. The company previously said it would sell models for $540.
"They had to cut it because rivals have lower prices, and they may lower the price again if sales don't go well," said Yoku Ihara, head of equity research at Retela Crea Securities Co. in Tokyo. Sony Chief Executive Howard Stringer is relying on the PlayStation 3 to revive a company that has lost half its market value in the last six years. The price cut leaves the console, which comes equipped with a high-definition Blu-ray DVD player and a fast processor called the Cell, as the most expensive game box on the market.
"If you consider the PlayStation 3 a toy, then yes, it is an expensive toy," Kutaragi said in an interview with Japanese game magazine Famitsu in May. "The PlayStation and PlayStation 2 were both 10,000 yen more than their competitors at launch, yet they both sold to shortages."
Microsoft this month said it would start selling a cheaper version of its Xbox 360 in Japan for 29,800 yen Nov. 2, while Kyoto, Japan-based Nintendo is offering its Wii console for 25,000 yen.
The surprise price cut comes after Sony on Sept. 6 said it would delay the European release of its PlayStation 3 by four months until March and cut its 2006 global shipment target by half to 2 million.
The PlayStation 3 will make its debut in Japan on Nov. 11 and in the U.S. on Nov. 17. Nintendo's Wii console will go on sale Nov. 19 in the U.S. and Dec. 2 in Japan.
North America Series Two DVD Release
Sci Fi Wire, the news service of the US Sci Fi Channel, has announced the North American release of the second series on DVD on 16 January 2007, according to BBC Worldwide Americas.
"We're over the moon with Doctor Who," said Megan Branigan, vice president of BBC video marketing, in an interview with Sci-Fi Wire.
"We're really pleased with the results this year. We're very excited to continue the momentum with [season] two as we did with [season] one."
The DVD release will be exactly the same as the UK version, including video diaries, the cut-down versions of Doctor Who Confidential, and the lenticular box cover.
The second series of Doctor Who starring David Tennant will begin airing one week from today, Friday 29 September on Sci Fi in the US, and on 9 October in Canada on CBC; the release states that the DVD set will be released on the Tuesday after the series finale in the US, meaning that the season will finish later than was originally expected and will likely skip several weekends late in 2006.
The Stones rock Halifax
HALIFAX - In a shower of raindrops and red fireworks, the Rolling Stones took to the Commons stage for their Halifax debut Saturday night.
"Good evening Halifax!" Mick Jagger yelled to the crowd of close to 50,000 screaming fans.
Dressed in an ankle-length metallic trench coat and matching brimmed hat, Mick gyrated his bony hips — much to the pleasure of the females in the crowd — as he belted out Paint It Black.
"It’s happy time now, baby!" one man screamed, pumping his fists in the air. "We’re at a Rolling Stones concert!"
He repeated the phrase again and again during the Stones two-hour set, overwhelmed by how close he was to his rock idols.
"I can’t believe we’re here! That’s the Rolling Stones!" he shouted, a goofy grin on his face as he pointed at the flashing eight-storey stage.
The man’s mood was contagious, sweeping through the slicker-swathed crowd that braved the cool, wet weather to see Mick and the boys, along with opening acts Sloan, Alice Cooper and Kanye West.
Several people managed to sneak in umbrellas, while most huddled together under tarps or the dripping hoods of their raincoats — or even green garbage bags.
Although the Stones were clearly the crowd favourite, rapper Kanye West had many fans throwing their diamonds in the sky during his 45-minutes set.
As he opened with Diamonds Are Forever, the younger fans swayed to the thumping beat, their fingers pressed together to form the shape of diamonds.
"It’s just like Woodstock," one man said of the concert atmosphere and wide range of music.
And in many ways it was. Amid the clouds of cigarette smoke and rockin’ tunes, the smell of marijuana hung heavy in the wet air and empty plastic baggies littered the muddy ground.
The streets surrounding the Commons were blanketed with police officers dressed in orange rainsuits, and private security guards roamed the grounds — but many fans still found ways to sneak in restricted items, including drugs, cameras and alcohol.
One young woman admitted she and her friends went so far as to bury several bottles of liquor near the fountain more than a week before the concert and planned to dig them up once they got inside.
But police were ready for anything, it seemed — although they had little to deal with.
"Everything is fine," Staff Sgt. Joe Collins of Halifax Regional Police said at 11 p.m. "The ferries are packed full; mass transit is working wonderful. I just drove through the downtown core, and it’s virtually empty."
He said he figured the weather was to thank for the tame crowds.
"Considering the number of people, the amount of alcohol and other substances, it’s been very, very good," he said.
Paramedics at the concert site were somewhat busier, but they didn’t face anything they weren’t expecting, a spokesman for Emergency Health Services said.
"A lot of headaches, a little bit of nausea, people passing out here and there, but nothing overly serious," operations supervisor Jonathon Pippy said at about 7 p.m.
A few hours later there were reports that an unconscious woman was taken away by ambulance, but her condition was not believed to be serious. Sources said another young woman slipped on the sidewalk outside the site and broke her arm.
Scott Ferguson, executive vice-president of Trade Centre Ltd., said there’s no doubt the concert was a success.
"It went fabulous, actually — it was quite an amazing night," he said at about 10:45 p.m. Saturday. "There was probably close to 50,000 people here, and for the most part they were all dressed for the evening and having a great time."
He said the next step is for the concert organizers to sit down and discuss what they can do to make the next time even better — and there will be a next time, he said confidently.
"We’ve proven that the site is a top concert site and can certainly accommodate many more people," Mr. Ferguson said.
But the sobering question earlier in the day was this: What was the traffic like on peninsular Halifax on a day when metro mirrored a major metropolis and actually had more than one big event on tap?
Pretty smooth, as it turned out.
Talk about a fiesta of fun — the Rolling Stones, a National Hockey League exhibition game, homecoming weekend at Saint Mary’s University, the closing night gala for the Atlantic Film Festival, a Sarah Harmer performance at Dalhousie University, Neptune Theatre’s production of A Few Good Men, four cruise ships scheduled to be in port — events that obviously required a lot of people-moving in and around the city’s central district.
A survey of potential traffic hot spots, done on a bicycle by The Chronicle Herald, showed the peninsula was busy in some areas. But it seemed many concert-goers took note of the advance message about public transit — and used it. Metro Transit buses appeared to be doing a brisk business.
At the Halifax Commons concert site, there was a bit of a traffic buzz — albeit the pedestrian variety — as early as 11:30 a.m., because general-admission ticket holders wanted to be there the moment the gates opened at 1 p.m. to grab a premium spot near the stage. Streets by the concert site were well staffed by Halifax Regional Police.
'Jackass' boys deliver winner in debut
LOS ANGELES - Johnny Knoxville and his pals pulled another prank on Hollywood as their sequel of crazy stunts, "Jackass Number Two," beat a rush of serious movies to take the top spot at the weekend box office.
Paramount's "Jackass Number Two" debuted with $28.1 million, with Focus Features' " Jet Li's Fearless," featuring the martial-arts master in a saga set in China a century ago, opening in second place with $10.6 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The weekend's other new wide releases debuted weakly, with MGM's World War I tale "Flyboys" opening at No. 4 with $6 million and Sean Penn's political drama "All the King's Men" from Sony premiering at No. 7 with $3.8 million.
Overall box office receipts declined for the third-straight weekend, the top-12 movies taking in $81.9 million, down 7 percent from the same period last year. That follows a solid summer for Hollywood, whereas movie attendance began picking up this time last year after a prolonged summer slump.
"After a weak summer last year, we had a fairly strong fall," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "This year, we're seeing a reversal of what happened last year."
Based on the MTV show that featured Knoxville and his gang doing reckless stunts and dares, "Jackass Number Two" outstripped the opening weekend of 2002's "Jackass," which debuted with $22.8 million.
"Jackass Number Two" cost just $11.5 million to make and took in slightly more than that on Friday alone. Males accounted for two-thirds of the movie's audience, with 71 percent of the crowd younger than 25, according to Paramount.
Van Toffler, president of MTV's music and film group, said Knoxville and his "Jackass" cohorts were elated by the sequel's success.
"I think it was, 'Holy blank, we've done it again. What is wrong with the country?'" Toffler said.
"All the King's Men" stars Penn as a Southern demagogue inspired by Louisiana political kingpin Huey Long in a new adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The film co-stars Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins, James Gandolfini and Patricia Clarkson.
Sony originally scheduled "All the King's Men" for release last December amid Academy Awards season but postponed it. Studio executives said the filmmakers would have had to rush to finish the film.
The extra time did not help the film, which generally was trashed by critics, with some reviewers calling Penn's flamboyant performance too over-the-top.
With such a luminous cast and pedigree (the 1949 version of "All the King's Men" won the best-picture Oscar and best-actor prize for Broderick Crawford), what went wrong with the new adaptation?
"I'm not sure," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "It's a movie that we love and believe in, and we hoped that it would perform better."
Warner Independent's whimsical fantasy "The Science of Sleep" opened strongly in limited release with $347,000 in 14 theaters.
Directed by Michel Gondry ("The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"), "The Science of Sleep" stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg in the story of a young man whose weird dream life spills over into his waking world. The film expands to about 200 theaters this Friday.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Jackass Number Two," $28.1 million.
2. "Jet Li's Fearless," $10.6 million.
3. "Gridiron Gang," $9.7 million.
4. "Flyboys," $6 million.
5. "Everyone's Hero," $4.75 million.
6. "The Black Dahlia," $4.4 million.
7. "All the King's Men," $3.8 million.
8. "The Covenant," $3.3 million.
9. "The Illusionist," $3.28 million.
10. "Little Miss Sunshine," $2.9 million.