Mr. Wizard R.I.P.
Don Herbert, who explained the wonderful world of science to millions children on his Nickelodeon cable TV show “Mr. Wizard’s World“, has died after a long battle with multiple myeloma. He was 89.
Herbert used basic experiments to teach scientific principles to his TV audience via an in-studio guest boy or girl who assisted in the experiments. Herbert liked to perform his scientific experiments as “tricks” to get the kids hooked, then explain the science behind it later.
Herbert wrote several books, including “Mr. Wizard’s Supermarket Science” and “Mr. Wizard’s Experiments for Young Scientists.”
In recent years, he helped set up his website mrwizardstudios.com.
[Via latimes.com]
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YouTube Live Today on Apple TV
Good news for Apple TV and the iPhone. Starting today, Apple TV owners can start watching YouTube content on their TV sets. YouTube content will also be available to the iPhone when it officially launches on June 29th.
Apple TV users can download a free update via the built-in software update option to enable a new YouTube content menu. An option to “check for updates” is listed under the Apple TV settings screen.
iPhone users will be able to enjoy YouTube’s originally-created content on their iPhones when they begin shipping on June 29. A YouTube player application on the iPhone will wirelessly stream YouTube’s videos to the iPhone over Wi-Fi or EDGE networks and play it on iPhone’s 3.5 inch display.
Both AppleTV and the iPhone will play YouTube content that has been reencoded into Apple’s h.264 video format. 10,000 of YouTube’s videos have been converted so far with the remainder expected by the fall. An Apple press release claims that h.264 was chosen “to achieve higher video quality and longer battery life on mobile devices.”
Reports coming out of WWDC 2007 say that one of Apple’s justifications of avoiding Flash video playback on the iPhone is improved battery life. The iPhone contains dedicated hardware capable of playing h.264 content, while Flash content would require more intensive use of the iPhone’s CPU, resulting in higher battery drain.
You can read a review of the Apple TV here.
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Days of Our Lives on iTunes
On Tuesday, the American soap opera, Days of Our Lives, debuted on iTunes (US). Full episodes of the soap will be offered at the standard $1.99, but consumers will be able to shave that cost down to 50¢ per episode by ordering a 20-episode multipass for $9.99.
iTunes Link: Days of Our Lives
The producers of the show have had several conversations about including bonus scenes from Days of Our Lives in the iTunes version, though nothing has been decided yet.
Days of Our Lives will now be the most widely distributed daytime soap in the U.S., with episodes available on broadcast (NBC), cable (SoapNet) and online (iTunes).
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Criss Angel Escapes from Cement Box
If you walked through Times Square this past Tuesday, then you probably noticed American magician Criss Angel suspended in midair. Angel was enclosed for 24 hours in a clear box that was encased in cement as fans and reporters watched. The box was then hoisted 40 feet above the ground in a parking lot just off Times Square.
Hundreds gathered to watch his escape, and a big screen showed Angel inside the box, kicking at the walls and dejectedly holding his head in his hands. When a countdown clock hit zero, the box was sent plunging to the ground.
As organizers called for paramedics and fans went quiet, Angel appeared atop the screen’s nearby scaffolding, waving to the crowd and with his hand across his heart.
While much of the crowd cheered, several people were heard asking: “Was he actually in the box?”
“Well, I was in it when I fell — that’s the truth,” Angel told Reuters, adding that people should be asking how he got from the fallen box to the scaffolding.
The stunt was meant to draw attention to the third season of his show “Mindfreak,” which started airing on A&E this week. Angel said the first episode would reveal how he escaped.
[Source: Hollywood Reporter]
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Age of Love - Details Announced
American broadcast network, NBC, has removed the shroud of secrecy around their new controversial reality dating series called Age of Love.
The series centers on Melbourne tennis champion Mark Philippoussis (age 31) as he’s wooed by a group of 13 special ladies. What Philippoussis doesn’t know is that these women range in age from 21 to 48. Will he go for one of the younger gals (Kittens), or will he become smitten by someone more mature (Cougars)?
Age of Love’s “Kittens” will feature six young, enthusiastic women in their 20’s who could probably better keep-up with Philippoussis’ fast-paced lifestyle, while the “Cougars” will consist of seven women in their 40’s who are more sophisticated and thus probably better equipped to deal with his fame as a tennis pro.
Similar to the manner in which the “geek versus hunks” twists on NBC’s Average Joe reality dating shows played out, Philippoussis will initially be introduced to his older “Cougars” suitors. Later, he will learn that the younger “Kittens” — who will also initially be unaware of the “Cougars” and vice versa — will also be attempting to vie for his affection.
Once the “Cougars” meet the “Kittens,” the claws come out and all the bachelorettes will try to win him over. From there, the field of suitors will be narrowed until Philippoussis picks his final bachelorette.
I guess “Age of Love” just sounds better than “Primetime Catfight,” though I would argue the latter is a more fitting title.
Age of Love premieres on Monday, June 18 at 10PM ET. You can see a preview clip of Age of Love on Vmix.com or get more info about the show at nbc.com.
[Via TV Squad]
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Battlestar Galactica to End After This Season
As its fans have feared, Sci Fi’s Battlestar Galactica will end its run after this, its 4th season. Executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eik (Bionic Woman) said they will wrap up the show’s storyline with these 22 episodes. The fourth season is in production in Vancouver and will premiere in November. The official announcement, planned for Friday, ends months of speculation from the show’s core group of dedicated fans.
“We respect the producers’ decision to end the series and are proud to have been the home of this groundbreaking show,” said Sci Fi Executive Vice President of Original Programming, Mark Stern in a statement.
“This show was always meant to have a beginning, a middle and finally, an end,” said Eick and Moore in a joint statement. “Over the course of the last year, the story and the characters have been moving strongly toward that end and we’ve decided to listen to those internal voices and conclude the show on our own terms.”
[Via broadcastingcable.com]
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Psychedelic News Promo
Between the psychedelic animation, goofy photo-flipbook effect, saccharine-sweet music, and the all-around goofy news team, this local news promo is everything the movie “Anchorman” should have been.
I guess in the 1970s, even the local news teams were on drugs.
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