The California Museum and Maria Shriver Unveil “A Museum without Walls” at Adobe Max 2008 Event
California First Lady Maria Shriver and Adobe Systems Incorporated Chief Technology Officer Kevin Lynch today unveiled the California Legacy Trails, a new interactive feature of the California Museum Web site that brings the State’s history and culture to life online. The California Legacy Trails use Adobe® Flash® and other Adobe technologies to create engaging digital paths that highlight iconic Californians and how their innovative achievements impacted the world at large.
In keynote remarks delivered today at MAX 2008, the annual designer and developer event hosted by Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE), Shriver and Lynch debuted the new interactive feature, created to appeal to a global audience as a way to experience California’s living history. Bringing together rich, engaging digital experiences with educational resources and teaching tools, the California Legacy Trails create a vibrant new online community.
The site, built and designed by Euro RSCG, enables visitors to experience “Only in California” stories in a captivating new format. The inaugural trail, “Remarkable Women,” was envisioned and financed by the Women’s Conference. This trail mirrors the “California Remarkable Women” exhibit at The California Museum, which highlights women who have made accomplishments that have shaped California’s culture and history. Visitors can experience the new interactive feature at www.californiamuseum.org.
“California represents innovation, creativity, diversity and pioneering trailblazers — and I’m proud to partner with The California Museum to launch the first-ever California Legacy Trail to highlight the best of California in an interactive, fun and engaging way,” said Shriver. “The California Legacy Trails provide an incredible tool and a practical way to learn about California no matter where you are. And it’s my hope that now we will bring the inspiration of what’s ‘Only in California’ into the homes and lives of not only the people of this great state, but to the entire world.”
“The California Legacy Trails is to the California experience as the MP3 player is to music and e-mail is to communication,” said California Museum Executive Director Claudia French. “The Museum is proud to partner with Adobe and the David and Lucille Packard Foundation to make California’s vibrant stories and real places accessible to anyone anywhere — in a captivating and innovative online destination.”
“Adobe has a long history of enabling people to create engaging experiences in virtually every medium and we’re excited to help realize the vision for California Legacy Trails,” said Lynch. “This is a powerful example of how technologies such as Flash and new kinds of rich digital experiences can transform teaching and learning by inspiring people to do more than just passively watch. Whether it’s for education, entertainment or e-commerce, engaging experiences are critical to reaching and connecting with your audience.”
Interactive Features
Built using Adobe Flex™, Flash and Adobe Creative Suite®, the California Legacy Trails feature cutting-edge technologies and interactive elements including:
- Customized e-postcards featuring iconic images to share
- An e-passport of landmarks throughout California
- Exciting audio and visual multimedia components
- Areas with user submitted content and social networking features.
Interactive features of the California Legacy Trails enable site visitors to post their own California stories, pictures and comments, and share profiles with friends, creating a dynamic online community. Shriver has posted her own “Remarkable Woman,” as has activist Dolores Huerta.
Plans for future development include a Learning Lab, a rich Internet application based on Adobe® AIR™ technology. Targeted at educators, students, professionals and visitors to California, the Learning Lab will be an automatically updated desktop application that can be used both online and offline; future support for mobile devices is also planned. The Lab will enable educators to log on and select projects for students; students will be able to complete assignments such as quizzes, essays and photography projects.
Educational Resource
The California Legacy Trails will provide a unique e-learning resource where teachers worldwide can:
- Customize an on-line program for history, culture and geography class lessons
- Encourage students to use the historical data from the trails for projects and reports
- Use stories of remarkable Californians to inspire students
- Collaborate with other teachers in the Teachers’ Lounge, an innovative on-line feature that allows teachers to share and develop ideas with peers.
“The Teachers’ Lounge enables the sharing of new ideas, encourages teamwork, and helps channel group energies to deliver high performance results,” said Jens Egerland, managing director of Accenture’s California Public Service practice, the company that teamed with the Museum to build the Teacher’s Lounge using Accenture’s Collaborative Innovation Solution. “We are proud to work with the Museum to offer this tool to the education community and help them develop their best ideas into real, tangible solutions.”
About The California Museum
The California Museum — home of the California Hall of Fame and California Legacy Trails — is a cultural destination dedicated to telling the rich history of California and its unique influence on the world of ideas, innovation, art and culture. We advance our mission to inspire through educating school children through dynamic exhibits and educational programs, as well as serving as a public forum and international meeting place. The California Museum is located at 1020 O Street, (Corner of 10th Street), downtown Sacramento. For more information 916.653.7524, info@californiamuseum.org, www.californiamuseum.org.
About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information – anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.
2008 All rights reserved. Adobe, the Adobe logo, Adobe AIR, Flash, Flex and Creative Suite are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
GameStop Seeks to Immortalize the Next Guitar Hero Superstar in National Contest
GameStop Seeks to Immortalize the Next Guitar Hero(R) Superstar in National Contest
Are you ready to be a star? To appear alongside some of the most famous bands in rock ‘n’ roll history? Your dream of rock immortality may only be an upload away. GameStop, the world’s largest video game and entertainment software retailer, today announced the GameStop Avatar Contest in search of the newest character for a future Guitar Hero(R) video game.
From now until December 22, 2008, fans are encouraged to visit http://www.gamestop.com/auditions to submit an original video or photo of their best rock pose and qualify for a chance to win immortal fame as a character in a future Guitar Hero game. Video submissions must be of the entrant and no more than three minutes in duration and photo entries are required to be unaltered and taken within the last six months. One lucky grand prize winner will get an opportunity to have his/her likeness crafted into a character by Guitar Hero designers, Neversoft Entertainment, and included in a future release of the game.
The total Grand Prize package for the GameStop Avatar Contest is valued at $3,100 and will be distributed to the winner of a random drawing from among all eligible entries as follows:
One (1) Grand Prize: Trip for winner and one (1) guest to Los Angeles, CA and the opportunity for the winner’s likeness to be replicated in a future Guitar Hero video game. The trip includes:
— Round trip airfare and hotel accommodations for two nights;
— Tour Neversoft HQ and chill with game developers;
— Participation in a photo shoot, where winner will select
his/her own rock outfit and have his/her likeness captured for
a chance to be incorporated into a future game’s “Create a
Rocker” section;
— A chance to try out your rock moves on a professional
motion-capture rig;
— And $1,000 in spending money.
Additionally, in its ongoing quest to bring power to the players, GameStop will let fans serve as judge and jury to determine 8 weekly fan favorites. Be sure to check out the “Gallery of Rock Poses” online to size up the competition and vote for your favorite entry. The top 8 fan favorites will each receive a $400 GameStop gift card.
General contest entry is also available online. The contest runs through December 22, 2008, is open to residents of the 50 United States and D.C. who are 18 years or older, and no purchase is necessary to enter. For additional details and to obtain a list of official rules, visit a local GameStop retail location or http://www.gamestop.com/auditions.
*Activision Publishing, Inc. is not a sponsor of this Contest. Activision’s name and logo, and/or the “Guitar Hero World Tour” name, logo, and/or materials are used for purposes of promotion and/or prize description only and such use is not intended to suggest or imply Activision’s participation, sponsorship, endorsement, or approval of this Contest.
About GameStop Corp.
Headquartered in Grapevine, TX, GameStop Corp. is the world’s largest video game and entertainment software retailer. The company operates 5,557 retail stores in 16 countries worldwide. The company also operates two e-commerce sites, GameStop.com and EBgames.com, and publishes Game Informer(R) magazine, a leading multi-platform video game publication. GameStop Corp. sells new and used video game software, hardware and accessories for video game systems from Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. In addition, the company sells PC entertainment software, related accessories and other merchandise. General information on GameStop Corp. can be obtained at the company’s corporate website: http://www.gamestopcorp.com.
Coors Light Contest Asks Adult Consumers How They Stay Cool
Coors Light, The World’s Most Refreshing Beer, is encouraging adult beer drinkers to share ways they stay cool, with unique prizes going to those with the best submissions. Entries can be submitted by legal U.S. residents in either English or Spanish to www.piensenfrio.com.
When things heat up, how do you stay cool?
* Do you stay cool to score the winning goal?
* Do you play it cool when a pretty girl walks by?
* Do you keep cool under pressure?
Contest participation is easy – adult beer drinkers, 21 and older, just submit an original video, photo or blog describing how they stay cool. Entrants can register and submit videos, photos and blogs at http://www.piensaenfrio.com/concurso. Once entered, other adult consumers can vote on entries. Entries can be shared by email, social networking sites, blogs, etc. The top entries will be determined by a combination of votes and a Coors Light judging panel which will evaluate entries based on creativity and originality (40%), closeness to the Piensa en frio theme (50%) and representation of Coors Light (10%). Winning entries will win cool prizes like:
* Coors Light - Stainless Steel Cooler
* Coors Light - Dartboard Cabinet, Dartboard and Dart Set
* Coors Light - Watch
* DVD Player
* Noise Cancelling Headphones
Videos, photos and blogs as well as complete official rules and prize information are also provided on the contest site. Entries may not use or reference copyrighted materials or personalities and all persons appearing in entries must be at least 21 years of age. California residents are not eligible to receive prizes but will receive a free screensaver download from piensaenfrio.com.
Piensaenfrio.com is a fun destination with videos, games, and user polls for adult beer drinkers who can stay cool under pressure.
Useful Links:
* Piensa en frio contest
* Rules and regulations
* Piensa en frio YouTube
* Coors Light Espanol
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Visit www.piensaenfrio.com/concurso to see the official contest rules and complete details.
About MillerCoors
Built on a foundation of great beer brands and more than 288 years of brewing heritage, MillerCoors continues the commitment of its founders to brew the highest quality beers. MillerCoors is the second largest beer company in America, capturing nearly 30 percent of U.S. beer sales. Led by two of the best-selling beers in the industry, MillerCoors has a broad portfolio of highly complementary brands across every major industry segment. Miller Lite is the great tasting beer that established the American light beer category in 1975, and Coors Light is the brand that introduced consumers to refreshment as cold as the Rockies. MillerCoors brews full-calorie beers Coors Banquet and Miller Genuine Draft; and economy brands Miller High Life and Keystone Light. The company also imports Peroni, Pilsner Urquell and Molson Canadian and offers innovative products such as Miller Chill and the Sparks line of caffeinated alcohol beverages. MillerCoors features craft brews from the Jacob Leinenkugel Company, Blue Moon Brewing Company and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company. MillerCoors operates eight major breweries in the U.S., as well as the Leinenkugel’s craft brewery in Chippewa Falls, WI and two microbreweries, the Leinenkugel’s 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee and the Blue Moon Brewing Company at Coors Field in Denver. MillerCoors vision is to become the best beer company in America by driving profitable industry growth. MillerCoors insists on building its brands the right way through brewing quality, responsible marketing and environmental and community impact. MillerCoors is a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company.
CRISS ANGEL Believe by Cirque du Soleil Launches at the Luxor
CRISS ANGEL Believe
By Cirque du Soleil at Luxor, Las Vegas
Directed by Serge Denoncourt
Written by Criss Angel and Serge Denoncourt
CELEBRATES ITS GALA PREMIERE ON HALLOWEEN - OCTOBER 31, 2008
Cirque du Soleil and Luxor celebrate the gala premiere of CRISS ANGEL Believe Halloween, October 31, 2008.
Halloween is particularly significant for CRISS ANGEL Believe as it marks the anniversary of the passing of legendary magician and escape artist, Harry Houdini. In an attempt to pay homage to the late/great Harry Houdini, Criss chose “Believe” as the title for this unprecedented live experience.
Every Halloween for 10 years following Harry Houdini’s death, his wife held a vigil to test the legitimacy of people who claimed to be able to communicate with Houdini. To claim success they needed to say the code word – BELIEVE.
CRISS ANGEL Believe, by Cirque du Soleil is a haunting exploration deep inside the inventive mind of mystifier Criss Angel as he hovers between the land of the living and a surreal world uniquely woven together by the distinctive imaginations of Criss Angel and Cirque du Soleil.
Unlike traditional magic-themed shows, CRISS ANGEL Believe transcends any preconceived notion of what it means to be emotionally engaged by the arts of mysticism and illusion. The show is a fantasy, an allegory, a highly theatrical tableau of mood, reverie and emotion set against a backdrop of dreamlike darkness and light.
Criss Angel stars as a surreal, enigmatic Victorian Noble. Along a path of imaginative exploration, he encounters Kayala and Crimson, two women who represent different aspects of femininity. Along his path he discovers four comical Ushers who introduce the audience to the baroque theater of Criss’ mind. The production features an intense troupe of characters and dancers who mix a multitude of styles into a high-energy visual feast, punctuated by moments of grace and sensuality.
The stunning illusions in CRISS ANGEL Believe are not presented as standalone elements, but as interdependent components using heightened imagery, fantastical creatures and impossible feats of legerdemain, all of which are integrated into the dazzling, colorful fabric of the story.
CRISS ANGEL Believe is presented in a custom-built theater at Luxor Las Vegas.
The Creative Team:
Guide Guy Laliberté
Guide Gilles Ste-Croix
Original Idea, Co-Writer, Illusions Designer and Star Criss Angel
Director and Co-Writer Serge Denoncourt
Director of Creation Pierre Phaneuf
Associate Director of Creation Christiane Barette
Set Designer Ray Winkler
Costume Designer Mérédith Caron
Composer, Musical Director and Arranger Éric Serra
Choreographer Wade Robson
Lighting Designer Jeanette Farmer
Images and Projections Designer Francis Laporte
Sound Designer Jonathan Deans
Acrobatic Equipment and Rigging Designer Jaque Paquin
Acrobatic Performance Designer André Simard
Props and Puppets Designer Michael Curry
Make-up Designer Nathalie Gagné
Illusions Department
Director of Illusions John Farrell
SHOW SCHEDULE:
* CRISS ANGEL Believe performs Friday through Tuesday at 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm.
* There are no performances on Wednesdays or Thursdays.
TO RESERVE TICKETS:
* Call 866-606-7111
* Go to www.cirquedusoleil.com or www.luxor.com.
* Visit the CRISS ANGEL Believe ticket office at Luxor or any of the MGM MIRAGE box offices.
TICKET PRICES:
* $59, $79, $99, $125 and $150 plus tax and service fees.
GROUPS:
For group reservations of 15 or more, contact lasvegas.sales@cirquedusoleil.com.
The trademarks Criss Angel and Believe are owned by Criss Angel and used under license.
The trademark Cirque du Soleil is owned by Cirque du Soleil and used under license.
Britney Spears New Album Circus in Stores December 2nd
On the heels of the popularity of her No.1 hit single, Womanizer, Britney Spears is confirmed to release her sixth studio album Circus (Jive Records) on her birthday, December 2nd.
Britney Spears Circus in Stores December 2 2008 - Get more Docstoc Buzz
The worldwide superstar recently made news when she broke the record for making the biggest leap to No.1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart when “Womanizer” shot from No. 96 to No.1. Selling 286,000 downloads in its first week, “Womanizer” also set a new record for the biggest opening week by a female artist since Nielsen Soundscan started tracking digital sales in 2003. Outside of the U.S. the single and the video are bona-fide Top 5 hits in Canada, Australia, France, Japan, Germany, Spain, U.K., Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
Circus reunites Spears with previous collaborators such as Max Martin, Danja and Bloodshy and Avant. The next single is the up-tempo title track, “Circus,” is produced by Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco.
Britney Spears is one of the top-selling artists of the last decade, and to date she has sold in excess of 62 million albums worldwide: …Baby One More Time (1999); Oops!… I Did It Again (2000); Britney (2001); In The Zone (2003) and Blackout (2007). “Womanizer” is her ninth No.1 single.
"CIRCUS" TRACK LISTING: 1. Womanizer 2. Circus 3. Out From Under 4. Kill The Lights 5. Shattered Glass 6. If U Seek Amy 7. Unusual You 8. Blur 9. Mmm Papi 10. Mannequin 11. Lace and Leather 12. My Baby Bonus Track: 13. Radar Album cover photo credit: Kate Turning
GameStop to Host Fallout 3 Midnight Launch Events Nationwide
GameStop, the world’s largest video game and entertainment software retailer, today announced that it will host midnight release events for Fallout 3 by Bethesda Softworks at over 1,600 stores nationwide. Starting at 10 p.m. on Monday, October 27, 2008, customers can visit their local GameStop and be among the first to get their hands on the new game at 12:01 a.m.
Participating GameStop locations will begin their events at 10 p.m. local time; however, customers are encouraged to contact their local store to confirm details.
Fallout 3, available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, offers players new modern HD graphics and innovative ways to view the world in 1st or 3rd person. New features include a new combat V.A.T.S. system with the ability to pause time and target specific body parts for attack, as well as the ability to customize your character with the SPECIAL Character System and take on the world outside the Vault 101.
To participate, visit a local GameStop store for details. To find a local store, log on to www.gamestop.com, and search using the ‘Store Locator’.
About GameStop Corp.
Headquartered in Grapevine, TX, GameStop Corp. is the world’s largest video game and entertainment software retailer. The company operates 5,557 retail stores in 16 countries worldwide. The company also operates two e-commerce sites, GameStop.com and EBgames.com, and publishes Game Informer® magazine, a leading multi-platform video game publication. GameStop Corp. sells new and used video game software, hardware and accessories for video game systems from Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. In addition, the company sells PC entertainment software, related accessories and other merchandise. General information on GameStop Corp. can be obtained at the company’s corporate website: http://www.gamestopcorp.com.
WinMagic Launches SecureDoc 4.5 End Point Encryption Solution at RSA Europe
SecureDoc 4.5 provides full support for Seagate Momentus encrypted hard drives and seamless integration with multi-factor authentication devices and removable media
WinMagic today announced that it will officially launch SecureDoc 4.5 at the RSA Conference Europe, held in London, England from October 27-29. WinMagic, at booth #72, will demonstrate SecureDoc 4.5’s improved management capabilities, seamless integration with a wide variety of multi-factor authentication devices and removable media, and full support for Seagate, Momentus® FDE drives.
SecureDoc 4.5 introduces new functionality which simplifies the generation of licenses to make it easier for administrators to manage software distribution & deployment. Management is further simplified as administrators can now import users, groups and files straight from Microsoft Active Directory.
SecureDoc 4.5 also supports an even wider variety of removable storage media and multi-factor authentication solutions, including IronKey USB flash drives and UPEK’s biometric fingerprint scanners which are included on Dell 630 and 830 laptops and Dell Vostro 200 desktop. Other new supported tokens include the DKR601 GemPC serial reader, the iKey 4000, the integrated smartcard reader in Dell keyboards and the IBM T60 with Data Key smart cards. In addition, SecureDoc 4.5 is compatible with Computrace security software.
“By providing full support for the Seagate Momentus FDE hard drives and a wide variety of removable media, SecureDoc 4.5 secures sensitive data assets where they are most vulnerable – on mobile computers and portable storage media,” said Thi Nguyen-Huu, CEO of WinMagic Data Security. “WinMagic has worked tirelessly with major third-party developers to make it easy for organizations to protect all data on all end-point devices without inconveniencing the user.”
SecureDoc 4.5’s new Port Control functionality provides enhanced data leakage protection by ensuring that only authorized USB devices can access a protected system. Port Control policies can be configured by administrators both locally via SecureDoc Control Center and globally via SecureDoc Enterprise Server (SES).
Other new functionality includes enhanced audit logs within SES (including the ability to display audit log history for objects, such as folders, computers, users, key, packages, and the recycling bin); full support for the new IBM T60’s hibernation mode; support for RSA encryption on USB devices; and improved single sign-on support (when a user performs a challenge/response at boot, SecureDoc will automatically login to Microsoft Windows and ask the user to change their SecureDoc password).
SecureDoc 4.5 is now shipping to customers worldwide.
About WinMagic
Founded in 1997, WinMagic Inc. provides the SecureDoc suite of enterprise encryption solutions. WinMagic solutions are easy to use, deploy, and manage, combining industry-leading multi-factor authentication with configurable centralized administration and the industry’s highest levels of certification. SecureDoc offers integrated management of software and hardware full-disk encryption, file/folder encryption, removable media encryption and port control within a single solution. SecureDoc protects data at rest on endpoints including Microsoft Windows and Mac desktops & notebooks, USB devices, and CD/DVDs. WinMagic’s track record of innovation and customer focus spans more than a decade, with operations through direct and indirect channels in more than 40 countries. For more information, visit www.winmagic.com
Best Buy Unveils New Social Change Platform on Eve of Presidential Election to Give Teens a Voice
First IMO Survey Reveals Teens More Troubled by Economy Than War - 80 Percent Say They Want to Sit Down With McCain and Obama
Most teens do not have a vote, so @15, a new teen-led social change platform underwritten by Best Buy has been launched to give them a voice. Today, with the release of the first in a series of quarterly @15 IMO (shorthand for “In My Opinion”) polls, teens will be heard. Best Buy also announced it is inviting teens to help direct its philanthropy through the newly-created @15 Fund, which teens will execute to help fund social change projects.
The first @15 IMO survey, conducted in September 2008, reveals that the majority (80 percent) of U.S. teens feel like they aren’t heard by adults in general. Seventy percent of the group is “‘pessimistic’ about the future,” while more than 60 percent of the 13-17 year-olds who participated in the IMO feel that the economy is the top issue the presidential candidates should be discussing. Teens also say they fear that the recent Wall Street bailout will have repercussions for years to come – and that the younger generation will be left holding the bag for the decisions adult leaders are making today.
The poll was conducted nationally using the online media and social networks that teens use regularly to share their thoughts. Other @15 IMO highlights include:
* The vast majority of teen respondents (80 percent) would like to sit down with the two U.S. presidential candidates to help them understand what’s important to teens.
* The majority of teens surveyed are closely following the presidential race, males and older teens in particular; less than 25 percent say they aren’t following the race much at all.
* Older teens – in particular, males – have a greater interest in becoming involved in the political process than females and younger teens.
* Teens feel their own parents pay as much attention to their opinions on important issues as their friends do (about one in four say “a lot”). They also say teachers pay more attention than elected officials, but considerably less than their own parents and friends.
“Today’s teens are compassionate, caring and concerned about the same things that face all Americans, especially the direction of our country,” said Brian Dunn, president and COO, Best Buy Co., Inc. and champion of @15. “That’s why we’re tapping our employees, our technology, and our social media expertise, to bring forward the voices of teens nationwide for a conversation about key issues that impact them and their future. And we’re going to give them the opportunity to direct how our charitable giving can make a real difference. This is more than just a forum for teens - it’s a movement. And we’re inviting all teens to visit www.at15.org and join in the conversation.”
The @15 Fund, designed to empower teens to direct Best Buy resources to teen-led projects, will be implemented in its first year through a partnership with Youth Venture, a leading nonprofit that believes in the power of individuals as change-makers. Youth Venture and Best Buy have created the @15 Challenge, through which 300 new teen-led social ventures will receive $1,000 seed funding. In addition, teens nationwide will have the opportunity in January 2009 to vote online and select 15 current Venture Teams to receive $10,000 grants. Teams that are chosen will display the greatest creativity, community impact and the clearest vision of how to create sustainable change.
“When Best Buy told us they wanted to partner and develop a program that seeks to give today’s teen a voice and opportunities to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges – from climate change to health and education – we were thrilled,” said Gretchen Zucker, executive director, Youth Venture. “We are very excited about the @15 platform and supporting teens in making their voices heard, strengthening their neighborhoods, schools and communities and, in essence, changing the world.”
About @15
Best Buy believes in the power of teens, and @15 is a new platform to connect with them, give voice to their perspectives, and invest our resources – including the energy and talents of our employees – to turn their ideas into action and support their efforts to lead social change. Teens bring passion and enthusiasm to tackling tough issues. They’re also important to our business – they shop in our stores, and they’re our future employees. There’s a real opportunity to listen to – and learn from – what teens have to say. And through the @15 Fund, we’ll put the philanthropic power of @15 directly into their hands. To learn more, visit www.at15.org.
About Best Buy Co., Inc.
With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, and China, Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. The Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $40 billion annual revenue and includes brands such as Best Buy, Audiovisions, The Carphone Warehouse, Future Shop, Geek Squad, Jiangsu Five Star, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales Kitchen and Bath Centers, The Phone House and Speakeasy. Approximately 165,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and Web sites, in-home solutions, product delivery and activities in our communities. Community partnership is central to the way we do business at Best Buy. In fiscal 2008, we donated a combined $31.8 million to improve the vitality of the communities where our employees and customers live and work. For more information about Best Buy, visit www.bestbuyinc.com.
Nokia Reveals Developer Shortlist for Mobile Games Innovation Challenge
Who Will Win One of the Most Prestigious Mobile Gaming Prizes of 2008?
Nokia today announced the top 10 developers of its Mobile Games Innovation Challenge. The winners, to be announced at an exclusive awards ceremony later this month, will take home a total prize value of EUR 70,000. The three most innovative game concepts will be offered Nokia Publishing pre-production contracts. In addition, the first winner will be awarded EUR 40,000, the second EUR 20,000, and the third EUR 10,000 to enable further development of the chosen concept.
An independent panel of industry experts from across the globe has spent the past few weeks deliberating through over a hundred entries to come up with a shortlist of the most innovative mobile games concepts. Entries were judged on game innovation, fun, feasibility of execution, and market potential. The top three developers who best meet these requirements will be invited to present their concepts at the upcoming Nokia Games Summit in Rome, Italy on October 29, 2008.
Top 10 developers and their concepts are:
- Active Tecnologia e Consultoria Ltda. (Brazil) - Cinemarena - set in a
movie theatre, controlling avatars on the big screen
- CreatePlayShare (India) - Ball - play any ball game on your mobile
device or even create your own new game
- A Different Game (Sweden) - Ghost Wire - use your mobile device to
communicate with ghosts
- Eclipse Interactive (UK) - Watchers - conspiracy adventure game that
uses Nokia Maps and other real world tools to find locations
- Int13 (France) - Kweekies - augmented reality virtual pet game that
allows players to interact with their pet by utilizing the embedded
camera of their mobile device
- Jadestone (Sweden) and C4M (France) - Melokey - a music game for mobile
devices where you learn to master songs and play them against other in-
game characters to win the hearts of your fans
- LemonQuest (Spain) - Wave Pirates - a fun action game where players
turn into a pirate navigating the seven seas, looking for gold and
glory
- Onur Yazilim (Turkey) - Comet Hunter - a 2-D shooting game which
combines the excitement of shooting with natural sound effects made by
players themselves
- Simlife (China) - XDancery - a music game where players can touch the
screen, draw patterns on the screen, shake the device or sing into it
to hit the music tempo notes
- TechnoBubble (Spain) - Fun Cam - a mixed reality game that connects
your camera on your mobile device to the TV
“The Mobile Games Innovation Challenge has demonstrated the huge potential of this industry on a global level, and the innovation that can be applied to mobile games,” said Dr Mark Ollila, director of games publishing, Nokia. “We’ve seen some groundbreaking ideas and some really unique concepts. It just goes to show how many creative minds there are out there and it really looks like we’re going to set out what we wanted to achieve with this Challenge - to rock the industry. Everyone’s now talking about the awards ceremony and we’re looking forward to an exciting outcome.”
The Mobile Games Innovation Challenge, launched in April 2008, is designed to encourage the development of innovative game concepts with the power to positively disrupt the global mobile gaming industry and to help propel mobile gaming with handheld devices into a new and exciting future.
The Mobile Games Innovation Challenge, sponsored by Nokia Games Publishing, called for mobile game developers to submit concepts that will help drive mobile gaming to the next level, relying on the advanced features and functionalities of N-Gage-compatible devices, and Java- or Symbian-based Series 40 or S60 devices from Nokia.
http://www.gamingchallenge.org
About N-Gage
N-Gage is a made-for-mobile games service available in compatible Nokia Nseries and other S60 3rd Edition devices from Nokia. N-Gage makes it easy to find, try, buy, play and manage high-quality mobile games as well as connect to friends and other players in the N-Gage Arena, Nokia’s mobile gaming community. Nokia is working with the world’s leading publishers to deliver a broad portfolio of games. http://www.n-gage.com
About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. We make a wide range of mobile devices with services and software that enable people to experience music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games, business mobility and more. Developing and growing our offering of consumer Internet services, as well as our enterprise solutions and software, is a key area of focus. We also provide equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.
http://www.nokia.com
Source: Nokia Corporation
Legendary Filmmaker George Lucas Makes Surprise Appearance at Spike TV’s Scream 2008
The Dark Knight Tops The Competition With Twelve Trophies
Sir Anthony Hopkins, Tim Burton And Wes Craven Also Receive Special Honors
Ceremony Featured Exclusive World Premiere Footage From ‘Watchmen,’ ‘Friday The 13th’ And ‘Twilight’
‘SCREAM 2008′ Premieres Tuesday, October 21 At 9 PM, ET/PT Only On Spike TV
Legendary filmmaker George Lucas made a rare appearance at Spike TV’s “SCREAM 2008,” the first and only event honoring the best in fantasy, sci-fi, comics and horror, at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
The third annual “SCREAM” event featured appearances by the industry’s biggest stars including Kate Beckinsale, Kristen Bell, Rosario Dawson, the cast of “Dexter,” Jon Favreau, the cast of “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army,” Samuel L. Jackson, Milla Jovovich, Stan Lee, Gary Oldman, the Osbournes, Seth Rogen, Winona Ryder, Kevin Smith and Liv Tyler, among many others. The two- hour extravaganza also included musical performances by Grammy Award-winning band Smashing Pumpkins and up-and-coming pop sensation Kerli. “SCREAM 2008″ will premiere on Spike TV on Tuesday, October 21 (9:00 - 11:00 PM, ET/PT).
George Lucas shocked and thrilled the audience when he walked out on stage flanked by Stormtroopers to accept the Comic-Con Icon Award at SCREAM 2008. This rare appearance by one of the most iconic and influential filmmakers of all time brought the stunned crowd to its feet.
Additional honors for excellence were bestowed upon actor Sir Anthony Hopkins and filmmakers Tim Burton and Wes Craven. Sir Anthony Hopkins received the Legend Award for his tremendous contributions to films in the SCREAM genres while Wes Craven collected the SCREAM Mastermind Award for his terrifying and iconic work in the world of horror. Tim Burton received the SCREAM IMMORTAL Award for his remarkably unique interpretation of horror and fantasy.
Box office hit and critically acclaimed film, “The Dark Knight” dominated the competition collecting twelve awards including the nights’ most prestigious award, The Ultimate Scream, accepted by the films’ producers, Charles Roven, Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan. “The Dark Knight” co-stars Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and Gary Oldman each scored awards, as Bale took home Best Superhero and Oldman Best Supporting Actor, while Ledger was named both Best Fantasy Actor and Best Villain for his portrayal of the Joker. Director Christopher Nolan scored the Best Director trophy and the Best Screamplay, along with Jonathon Nolan and David S. Goyer.
“Iron Man” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” each took home two awards. “Iron Man” star Robert Downey, Jr. accepted the Best Actor in a Science Fiction Movie or TV Show award from the set of his new film “Sherlock Holmes” in London with Director Guy Ritchie making a surprise cameo appearance.
Spike TV also debuted world premiere and exclusive never-before-seen footage from several highly anticipated theatrical releases including “Watchmen,” “Friday The 13th” and “Twilight.” “Watchmen,” directed by “300’s” Zack Snyder, hits theaters March 6, 2009, while the updated cult classic “Friday The 13th” starring Jason Padalecki (”Supernatural”) and directed by Marcus Nispel (”Pathfinder”), comes to theaters Friday, February 13th. “Twilight,” directed by Catherine Hardwicke and starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Cam Gigandet comes to theaters November 21st.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to have the support of the creative community behind the fantasy, science fiction, horror and comic book genres,” said senior vice president of event production for Spike TV and SCREAM 2008 executive producer Casey Patterson. “We’re thrilled to honor the unbelievably imaginative films, television and comics of the year and beyond, from the twisted to the fantastical. This is what makes SCREAM an experience like no other for the most passionate fan base in the world. ”
Smashing Pumpkins brought down the house with an earth-shattering rendition of their new single and the #1 most added song on Modern Rock Radio “G.L.O.W.,” while Island Records recording artist Kerli energized the crowd with her performance of “Walking on Air.”
A full list of winners is included below:
THE ULTIMATE SCREAM BEST FANTASY MOVIE
-”The Dark Knight” -”Hellboy II: The Golden Army”
BEST HORROR MOVIE BEST SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE
-”Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber -”Iron Man”
of Fleet Street”
BEST TV SHOW BEST SUPERHERO
-”Dexter” -Christian Bale as Batman;
“The Dark Knight”
BEST ACTOR IN A FANTASY MOVIE BEST ACTOR IN A HORROR MOVIE
OR TV SHOW OR TV SHOW
-Heath Ledger; “The Dark Knight” -Johnny Depp; “Sweeney Todd:
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE BEST ACTRESS IN A HORROR MOVIE OR
-WALL-E; “WALL-E” TV SHOW
-Liv Tyler; “The Strangers”
BEST VILLAIN BEST ACTRESS IN A FANTASY MOVIE
- Heath Ledger as The Joker; OR TV SHOW
“The Dark Knight” -Angelina Jolie; “Wanted”
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE THE HOLY S***! SCENE OF THE YEAR
-Gary Oldman; “The Dark Knight” -The Big Rig Flips Over;
“The Dark Knight”
MOST MEMORABLE MUTILATION BEST SCREAMPLAY
-Bitten By Vagina With Teeth; “Teeth” -”The Dark Knight;” Christopher
Nolan, Jonathan Nolan & David S.
Goyer
BEST SCREAM TO COMIC ADAPTATION BEST SEQUEL
-”Buffy the Vampire Slayer, -”The Dark Knight”
Season Eight”
BEST DIRECTOR BEST REMAKE
-Christopher Nolan; “The Dark Knight” -”Halloween”
BEST ACTOR IN A SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE BEST ACTRESS IN A SCIENCE FICTION
OR TV SHOW MOVIE OR TV SHOW
-Robert Downey Jr.; “Iron Man” -Milla Jovovich; “Resident Evil:
Extinction”
BEST F/X BEST COMIC BOOK
-”The Dark Knight” -Y: The Last Man
BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE BEST COMIC BOOK ARTIST
-”The Dark Knight” -Gabriel Ba; The Umbrella
Academy: Apocalypse Suite
BEST COMIC BOOK WRITER MOST SHOCKING COMIC BOOK PLOT
TWIST
-Grant Morrison; Batman, Final Crisis -The X-Men Disband After
Professor X Is Shot In The Head
By Bishop; X-Men
BEST LINE
-”I believe whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stranger” (The Joker);
“The Dark Knight”
To view exclusive red carpet and backstage coverage of this year’s “SCREAM,” visit scream.spike.com.
The official sponsors of Spike TV’s “SCREAM 2008″ are Captain Morgan, Subaru, Taco Bell and Lee Jeans.
Michael Levitt, Casey Patterson and Cindy Levitt serve as executive producers for “SCREAM 2008.” Greg Sills is supervising producer, Gary Tellalian and Austin Reading are producers and Ryan Polito will direct.