Avengers on a pace to be the top grossing movie

http://m.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-avengers-700-million-joss-whedon-321570

Roku finally coming to Canada in the next few weeks

Move over Apple, Roku will finally arrive in the next few weeks in Canada. Will it cause a large amount of people to drop their cable provider entirely?http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/04/24/roku-an-inexpensive-internet-fun-box/

iCarly – I Dream a Dance absolutely funny episode

iCarly – I Dream a Dance absolutely funny episode

Watching iCarly “I Dream a Dance” with the family on Netflix and I have to say that this is an absolutely funny episode. If you are looking for a little humour it’s a good watch for anyone!

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Dick Clark dies at the age of 82

Dick Clark dies at the age of 82 after a massive heart attack. According to sources on TMZ.com, Clark was in the hospital for an outpatient procedure but succumbed to a massive heart attack and attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. http://www.thestar.com/mobile

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• Reports: Dick Clark dies of a heart attack at age 82 (pbpulse.com)
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Rogers Video no more, time to get an Apple TV device

The 2nd generation Apple TV (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rogers Video no more, time to get an Apple TV device

Are you looking to rent a movie? Apple TV makes the process simple and easy. You also get access to a host of other bonus features. With Rogers Video officially putting an end to their video stores it’s now time for you to consider alternatives. Devices like an ATV can help to mitigate the transition. Straight from Apple’s website “The new Apple TV with 1080p HD gives you access to the best content — blockbuster movies, TV shows, sports, your music and photos and more — right on your widescreen TV. You can even play content from your iOS devices on your TV using AirPlay. Best of all, Apple TV is just $109″. It connects to Netflix, Vimeo, YouTube, WSJ and other services. I’ve had it for 2+ years and have no complaints.

Related articles

• No more Rogers Video Stores.. (trishussey.com)
• Rogers exits video-rental business | FP Tech Desk | Financial Post (exitbusiness.wordpress.com)
• Cutting the cord through my over-the-air AppleTV and Netflix experience (thegtapatriot.com)
• Everyone should own an Apple TV (cdevroe.com)
• Good bye Blockbuster, Good Night Rogers Video Stores (resumedetective.wordpress.com)
• Rogers bails on video store business (ctv.ca)
• Could Apple TV streaming service arrive before Christmas? (ziggytek.com)

It’s not exactly Toronto the good anymore, eh?

So what is Toronto becoming?

• MGM wants to build a massive casino on Toronto’s waterfront, preferably turning Ontario Place into a mini Vegas.
• Ashley Madison wants to sponsor Toronto Zoos, as long as they get naming rights
• Dennis Hof looking to expand to Toronto and build a Bunny House
• Giorgio Mammoliti wants to build a dedicated red-light district in Toronto

What is happening to Toronto? It’s simple, Toronto is broke! Year’s ago we talked about the hollowing out of Toronto, forcing families to move to the suburbs, such as Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa and farther. I am not saying that this is the reason. The majority of jobs are still in Toronto, however what will Toronto look like in 20 years? Yesterday Rob Ford said “he is all business”, and he will entertain any business idea. I am not sure if Torontonians would have supported Ford Nation if they knew what the vision was for Toronto. This is definitely not in the same scope of David Miller. As a mayor he seemed to have a different vision for the city. The question is what happened to the debate over these ideas? I am starting to hear rumblings of dissatisfied voters in Scarborough and other parts of the city. Sure, I am not taking stock from a large base, but these are individuals who were stark supporters of Rob Ford coming in to clean house.

Toronto Residents: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions. 
Mayor: What do you mean, “biblical”? 
Toronto Residents: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies over Toronto! The Don river and Lake Ontario boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes…Mel Lastman rising back to power! Human cooperation, politicians actually working together… mass hysteria!

So will Toronto become the new promised land?

Related articles

• So who really runs the city of Toronto? (thegtapatriot.wordpress.com)
• MGM targets Toronto for ‘spectacular’ casino resort (ctv.ca)
• Game over for Rob Ford in Toronto? (thegtapatriot.com)
• Rob Ford non-commital on Pride (thestar.com)
• Nightlife at Harbourfront could fall victim to whining locals (thestar.com)
• MGM eyes Toronto for sprawling integrated resort and casino (theglobeandmail.com)
• Woodbine location favoured for Toronto ‘entertainment destination’ (theglobeandmail.com)

Are we running out of ideas in Toronto?

Aerial view of The Cinesphere and surrounding marina at Ontario Place, Toronto. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MGM is making the pitch to make Toronto a new home for a grand entertainment complex, but are we ready? It seems that both the province and city politicians are running out of ideas to generate funds for the city. It is a worry because often the idea of a casino seems to imply that we have hit rock bottom. Or is it? It’s said that this will be a “entertainment complex”, providing much needed jobs for Torontonians. What does this mean for Niagara Falls or Casinorama? I am not sure, but one thing is certain for Toronto; lack of vision for our future. This is something important and we should let Torontonians decide. Its sad to see the demise of Ontario Place. Question is, how long will it be before the entire Toronto Islands are redeveloped into a massive entertainment behemoth? I imagine developers are already seeing green, and I am not talking about grass.

Related articles

• MGM targets Toronto for ‘spectacular’ casino resort (ctv.ca)
• Woodbine location favoured for Toronto ‘entertainment destination’ (theglobeandmail.com)
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• MGM eyes Toronto for sprawling integrated resort and casino (theglobeandmail.com)

Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees gravely ill in hospital

http://www.thestar.com/mobile/news/world/article/1161688–bee-gee-robin-gibb-gravely-ill-in-hospital

Abraham Lincoln was a Vampire Hunter! So was Wesley Snipes!

Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States.

An interesting take on Abraham Lincoln. Apparently he was a Vampire Hunter? I am not sure how good the movie will be, but the dialog is quite amazing. Almost inspirational, but I digress. Enjoy the trailer, because for some reason I did!

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• Director Timur Bekmambetov Talks ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, MAGGIE, and Future Projects at WonderCon (collider.com)
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• The Adventures of Abraham Lincoln’s Corpse [Secret History] (io9.com)

Finally a gaming device that won’t gather dust

Xbox 360 (Photo credit: emelgeek)

It’s amazing to see how we consume media. No longer to we care about cable and satellites dishes. Alright, I am exaggerating a bit, but there is a definite shift in the landscape. Gaming devices, like the Xbox 360 and PS3 have now turned into media devices. Microsoft claims that Xbox users are now consuming more music and video content. How long will it last? I suspect that this is a permanent change. We want to consume content on our own schedule. We don’t mind watching old content on Netflix, with the odd sprinkle of updated series.  We want Hulu and streaming radio. We want to watch sports on-demand. We are seeing people spend hours online searching YouTube and watching homemade content. I imagine that we may start to see a run on people simply buying these devices for media. With Roku, AppleTV, and other devices doing so well the only winners maybe broadband providers. The times are definitely changing and advertisers better figure out quickly where they fit in the new media device world.

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Website posts an open letter to Walt Disney Studios regarding John Carter

John Carter of Mars (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have placed a link to an open letter to Disney Studios. They have definitely done a poor marketing job with the John Carter film.

http://thejohncarterfiles.com/2012/03/john-carter-an-open-letter-to-walt-disney-studios-chairman-richard-ross/

What I find more interesting is the box office numbers, when comparing The Hunger Games to John Carter. Internationally John Carter did not do so badly, albeit it could have done better. What’s odd is there is no love for the Hunger Games internationally. The box-office for The Hunger Games is mainly domestic. Does this tell us something about our taste for film in North America, versus others around the world?

Cutting the cord through my over-the-air AppleTV and Netflix experience

Image via CrunchBase

It’s been more than 1-2 years and my over-the-air antenna, AppleTV and Netflix configuration has helped me to save a substantial amount of money. To be perfectly honest the experiment started when I began to observe that family members were not watching the TV; opting to go online to get their content. Paying for a monthly plan just did not make sense. There were really only two issues. How do I get my news and what about entertaining guest from time to time?

Starting with cable, with over-the-air HD quality signals I cut the cord. My HD 51 inch plasma TV already had a built in tuner. I purchased a Digiwave yagi antenna and 2 regular HD antenna’s; running them into my attic. The results, after going to TVFOOL.COM, was approximately 20-25 channels.

What about additional content? Well, since we were avid podcast followers the AppleTV seemed to be the perfect fit. We researched many others, but devices like the Roku was not available in Canada and GoogleTV unfortunately was not available either. I loved the Boxee, but not it’s price. I believe it was an error to sell it for so much. In any case I am happy with the ATV2. I can rent movies with ease, use the iCloud for my pictures, connect with YouTube, use Vimeo, the Wall Street Journal and a host of other items from one device.

My Netflix experience is extremely positive. I have no complaints. Content is fine, albeit it would be nice to get more British media. Integration in the AppleTV is seamless. There are a few other features available with the AppleTV, which I have not used. In particular iTunes Match. I may get to it one day. Other bonuses are online radio and the ability to purchase movies and TV, ala cart, from iTunes and have it available from iClould.

All in all the Apple created a simple and easy to use experience. There were a lot of nay-sayers, in regards to my over-the-air antenna. However I can happily say that I have found other uses for the cash. Ironically Netflix did not affect my 60 GB limit as much as I thought it would. Online, through a browser, radio seems to use more bandwidth and bytes. If you want to cut the cord first evaluate what is important to you. It’s not for everyone. However, if you find, like me, you are doing more online it maybe time to look at spending a bit more on bandwidth and cut the cord.

Related articles

• For Apple TV, subscription video service still missing (news.cnet.com)
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• <a href="http://epicagear.com/new-2012-apple-tv-review-thoughts-pictures-more/&quot;