LEGO PC Has Wheels, Lots Of Colors

From geekology, This is not exactly what I envisioned a LEGO computer case to look like, but what do I know? I'm just some dumb jerk that (sneakily) uses company time to blog on Geekologie. Anyways, this is a rather motley case mod with wheels. "The LEGO enclosure holds in a VIA Epia PD Mobo 1Ghz, Nvidia 6200 PCI Graphics, Laptop 80 Gig 7200Rpm Hdd, Laptop DVD, 1 GB Geil DDR memory, and 200 watt PS." Not impressed? Well I am. Well, not about the computer's specs, but I really do dig the case. And it has wheels. Wheels, man. I remember the first mobile case mod I built. It was a Commodore 64 duct-taped to a skateboard. And yes, it was as awesome as it sounds.

Death Star Hotel Being Built, World Is Doomed

From geekology, This structure is being built in Baku, Azerbaijan (an ex-Soviet country between Russian and Iran). Now I'm a firm believer in honesty being the best policy, so why they're trying to construct this under the guise that it's to be the "Full Moon" Hotel is a mystery to me. Just come out and say it already, Azerbaijan. This is not a 521-foot-tall hotel with 382 rooms on over 35 floors. This is the end of life on earth as we know it. That thing is going to blow up the damn planet. I, for one, am scared.

UPDATE: Just saw the rest of the pictures. Nothing to worry about. Turns out the damn thing is flat. No way is it large enough to house a superlaser that could destroy the planet. However it is large enough to expect a reasonable mini-bar in each room.

'The Love Guru' Trailer is...

From iwatchstuff, I don't even know how to describe the painfulness of Mike Myers' The Love Guru trailer. "Austin Powers: new costume, same jokes" is appropriate, but doesn't really convey the way your brain shuts off around the point the midget jokes start (and never stop). At the same time, "brain Novocain in a sari" doesn't capture how sadly derivative it is, and omits the hilarity of the curly mustache. I guess the best I can do is "Mike Myers smothers your soul with the help of Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake, prosthetic hair, midget jokes, and some penis references."

Experience the pain here

Boring box office

This weekend, a few new movies opened up to low, low numbers. This will no doubt make executives cry. Which is sometimes a good thing, but really, studio executives have feelings, too. Mostly those feelings consist of hunger and exhaustion. Let's go to the numbers, shall we? (All in millions, remember, and these are the studio estimates. The actuals will be available on Monday. Just to prove this column wrong).

1. Semi-Pro (NL) - $15.2, 3121 screens, week 1, $15.2 total
2. Vantage Point (Sony)- $13.0, 3150 screens, week 2, $41.0 total
3. The Spiderwick Chronicles (Par) - $8.7, 3654 screens, week 3, $55.0 total
4. The Other Boleyn Girl (Sony) - $8.3, 1166 screens, week 1, $8.3 total
5. Jumper (Fox) - $7.6, 3128 screens, week 3, $66.8 total
6. Step Up 2 The Streets (BV)- $5.7, 2528 screens, week 3, $48.5 total
7. Fool's Gold (WB) - $4.6, 2845 screens, week 4, $59.0 total
8. Penelope (Sum) - $4.0, 1196 screens, week 1, $4.0 total
9. No Country For Old Men (Mira) - $4.0, 2037 screens, week 17, $69.5 total
10. Juno (FoxS) - $3.3, 1631 screens, week 13, $135.1 total

So those are the numbers, but what do they mean? It means that New Line has had a terrible week. Aside from being absorbed into the larger Time Warner monolith and losing the creative forces behind the company (who have been doing it for nearly 40 years!), they had the number one movie of the week. It's also the number one movie with numbers far lower than expected. And a Will Ferrell movie, no less? It sounds fool proof, and yet somehow it didn't work. Regardless, thank you New Line, for bringing us Lord of the Rings, Nightmare on Elm Street, and all the flicks in between.

(Including the uber-BADASS movie Shoot 'Em Up, which really needs more respect from the world).

What else do we have here? The Other Boleyn Girl, a movie with Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, that is not (I repeat NOT) rated NC-17, opened up to decent numbers for a movie with these two lovely ladies that doesn't include intimate moments between them. I'm sure I'm going to be dragged to this thing, but that's cool because Eric Bana is also in it, and he usually kicks a lot of ass. And Penelope opened up to not very good numbers. I know nothing of this movie aside from Christina Ricci is in it. And growing up, she and I had the same orthodontist.

The Academy Awards were last week, and Best Picture winner No Country climbed back on to the top ten, pretty much making the same amount as Penelope. This is the highest grossing Coen brothers film yet, and the most praised. Also staying in the top ten is Juno, winner of Best Screenplay. Mmmm... Diablo Cody.

Wait, how the hell has Jumper made $66 million?!?!?!

And in the "Because It's Rambo" series: Rambo, took in $235,000 on 402 screens, bringing it's grand total to $42,245,000 in 6 weeks.

There you have my break down. Next week, 10,000 BC!!! This movie is going to be amazing. And terrible. At the same exact time. I already have my ticket! It's this year's Transformers!!! Until next weekend....

Hmmm, perhaps the bugs should've been emphasized on the poster?

People are getting excited about Indy!

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Times sure have changed in the 19 years since Harrison Ford last donned the signature fedora of thrill-seeking archaeologist Indiana Jones. The viral spread of the trailer for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is proof of that.

The trailer for the May 22 release has drawn highly enthusiastic responses in theaters. But it may have had its biggest impact online, on a younger audience that may not think of Ford, 65, as equal to today's spry action heroes.

After premiering Feb. 14 on "Good Morning America," Lucasfilm and Viacom Inc. (VIAB)'s Paramount Pictures sent the trailer to the Web, plus movie theaters and TV stations around the world. Paramount estimates the trailer was seen more than 200 million times worldwide in the first week alone.

Harry Knowles, who runs the movie fan site AintItCool.com (his official title is Head Geek), says he first saw a bootleg version of the trailer online, then the official version online, and then saw it twice in theaters.

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There were cheers in the theater when the familiar theme song kicked in, Knowles said, and comments on his Web site have been positive. "People generally really, really loved the trailer," he said. "Some people think it's a little more cartoonish-looking compared to the prior (films), with him whipping the lights and swinging on them and stuff. But at the same time, it seems that everyone is extremely excited that there's a new 'Indiana Jones' film. The excitement for it is palpable. It's much more aggressively anticipated than anything else that's coming out right now."

"The trailer caught on like wildfire, around the world, in all mediums," said Gerry Rich, Paramount's president of worldwide marketing, who's targeting moviegoers "from 8 to 80. The response has been sensational and it shows what technology can do when you have material that is so appealing to audiences."

Older audiences certainly remember Indy, but that's not the prime ticket-buying demographic. Thus the aggressive online campaign, which included what Paramount says is a record 4.1 million views on the Yahoo movie site in the first week and 2.6 million on the official IndianaJones.com site, the most ever for the studio.

"It looks to be THE highly anticipated movie of the summer," said Mark Mazrimas, marketing manager for independent theater chain Classic Cinemas. However, "this hasn't been on the screen for so long, (the challenge) is capturing the youth."

The brainchild of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, the franchise kicked off with "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981, followed by "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" three summers later. "The Last Crusade" was released in 1989, boosting the worldwide box office total to $1.2 billion.

Now, with the buzz sparked, Rich - who declined to make opening weekend predictions - just wants to keep fans' attention: "The (only) negative comment from people was that they have to wait until May to see the movie."

---

Olsen Twins asked to pose for Playboy

From thesuperficial, Hugh Hefner wants the Olsen twins to pose nude for Playboy. Looking at these pictures from God knows when, (Are those two ever together anymore?) I'm now thoroughly convinced that old Hugh is blind as hell. Star has the details:

After striking out when the twins turned 18, Hugh tried again, hoping they would pose for Playboy's June issue to mark their 22nd birthday.

"Hef thinks the twins are every young man's fantasy," an insider tells Star.

Yes, the Olsen twins really are every young man's fantasy. You've truly got your finger on the pulse of today's youth, Hugh Hefner. There's nothing my generation wants to do more than open up an issue of Playboy and immediately want to masturbate with a cheese grater. I mean, seriously? Who spilled the beans?

Bad remake alert; "The Breakfast Club"

From worstpreviews, Veteran producer Bridget Johnson will take on "Bumped," a modern-day version of "The Breakfast Club," with McG protege Anna Mastro attached to direct from a script by Lizzy Weiss.

"Bumped" is a comedy-drama revolving around five twentysomethings -- including a corporate go-getter, a musician and a flirt -- who normally wouldn't be friends but who get to know one another when they're bumped from a flight and wind up stranded at Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

The project marks the directorial debut for Mastro, who worked closely with director/producer McG on his "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and was an associate producer on his "Stay Alive."

Mastro also has developed and produced the CW's "Pussycat Dolls" series and, like McG, shot music videos.

The film will be financed independently and later set up at a studio; it likely won't shoot until the SAG strike situation is resolved.

John Hughes' 1985 film "The Breakfast Club" (with which "Bumped" has no formal association) was a generation-defining comedy that helped build the careers of actors like Emilio Estevez.

New "Dark Knight" Viral Campaign

From worstpreviews, We've heard that the marketing for "The Dark Knight" was going to get away from The Joker (Heath Ledger) and begin concentrating more on Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). Apparently, the new campaign has just started.

By visiting IBelieveInHarveyDent.com, you will notice that the site has been updated. The big change is the addition of a form asking you to submit your email address and phone number. Once that's done, you are sent a message that states the following:

"Citizens of Gotham! The future of our city rests in your hands! Alone, we are helpless against the thugs and killers menacing our city. Together, we have the power to take back Gotham. In just a few days, you'll find out how."

It then asks you to verify your email address, following by the comment: "Keep an eye on http://www.ibelieveinharveydent.com and get ready to join a movement that will transform our city!"

That's all that's available right now and only time will tell what all of this leads to.

Click here to check out the viral site.

Watchmen DVD news

From darkhorizons, Scotsman Gerard Butler has confirmed to Empire Magazine that the animated "Tales of the Black Freighter" supplement in the original "Watchmen" graphic novel will be shot for the upcoming DVD release of the film.

The comic-within-a-comic tells the tale of a castaway's mental and physical deterioration and damnation as he tries to intercept a ghost freighter headed for his hometown.

"I'm going to do the voice of the captain. They're going to do it in the style of a Japanese anime and I'm totally stoked" says Butler.

Where did Hubbard steal Scientology from?

From WWTDD, A web forum dedicated to distributing information about Scientology has uncovered an out-of-print German book written by Dr. Anastasius Nordenholz, originally published in 1934, called "Scientologie". Those who have read it claim it bears a stunning resemblance to works written by Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard thirty years later. A sample of the original (from here):
Nordenholz calls for a "science of knowledge" thusly, creating the term 'Scientology'. "The task of Scientology is the erection of the systems of knowledge, of understanding, of comprehension per se. Knowledge is the common material of all other sciences. It follows therefore that the science of knowledge itself is the key-science of the overall system of the sciences of the world. All other sciences of the world have the science of knowledge as their presuppositions...".

I got to the part where it said "the erection" then I just started to giggle but it does sound like the same kind of stuff L Ron wrote. Except he jazzed it all up with alien wars and spaceships. It makes it more exciting. Similarly, I took a copy of the Wall Street Journal and drew a dinosaur on it and then started my own non-fakey Hollywood religion. I call it Dinonomics.

Go to web forum here