Yesterday a lot of people were surprised when word came out that James Franco is actively pursuing two very lofty directorial ambitions — he wants to write and direct film versions of William Faulkner‘s landmark novel As I Lay Dying, and Cormac McCarthy‘s Blood Meridian.
There was some initial skepticism about half of that report, as producer Scott Rudin wrote to IndieWire to suggest that the Blood Meridian news was either premature or incorrect. But now James Franco has done a little interview explaining his approach to both novels. And how does Jacob from Lost fit into all this? Answer after the break.
EW talked to the actor, who linked both texts in a ‘spiritual’ sense, ““I think they go together, though. I think McCarthy is really influenced by Faulkner.” I’d agree with that, very definitely. He says that the Faulkner adaptation would shoot this summer if things work out, and then he’d do Blood Meridian next year.
So how would he shoot As I Lay Dying?
You want to capture the tone, but you can’t work in exactly the same way. I don’t believe it’ll feel the same if you divide it as rigidly as the book, like titles that say ‘Cash’ and then you’re with Cash. You can slip into the characters’ heads and give them their inner voice for a while, but it has to be more fluid because movies just work differently than books. Movies, in some ways because they deal in images, are more concrete. I want to be loyal to the book — my approach is to always be loyal in a lot a ways — but in order to be loyal I will have to change some things for the movie.
When it comes to Blood Meridian, the question of casting looms large. Who would play central character The Judge, who is an utter giant of an albino? Well, Franco was so determined to get the gig making the film that he shot some test footage to present to Scott Rudin. And in that footage he cast Mark Pellegrino, aka one of the rug pissers from The Big Lebowski, and Jacob from Lost. (Scott Glenn, Luke Perry and Dave Franco also appeared.) Note that this does not mean that those actors will necessarily be cast in the actual film, whatever happens.
We made that as a way to convince Scott Rudin to give us the rights. It was like, why should he give it to me when Ridley Scott didn’t make it? So I called him up and said, ‘I’m planning on doing this. You don’t have to give me any money, I can finance this shoot. Would you just wait? Don’t do anything with it until I show this to you.’ And I showed it to him and he loved it.
One question that came up yesterday is: what happened to the version of Blood Meridian that Todd Field was going to write and direct? The simple answer is that we don’t know for certain, and given Scott Rudin’s odd response to this news yesterday, I’m more curious than ever. I’d be surprised to learn that it is still kicking, so if you think the idea of the director of Little Children making Blood Meridian seems like a good idea (as I do) then it might be time to let that notion go.
Here’s what it seems like: Franco pitched Blood Meridian to Scott Rudin, but the producer’s vague email to IndieWire yesterday suggests he hasn’t got the gig just yet. Now, if Franco manages to get As I Lay Dying moving forward, and if he makes the film work, then things could change quickly. Blood Meridian has been in development for a long time, and unless the option is close to lapsing, a few more months of waiting isn’t going to change much.
It's that time again where everyone starts making those promises to themselves. Next year, I'll lose 25 pounds. Or quit smoking. Or manage my money better. Or get back in church. Or... whatever. With the new year comes new resolutions. This time, stick to it longer than a week why don't you? This year, arm yourself with a few Android apps to keep you on track. We've put together a list of titles we think you should consider installing on your phone to keep you adhering to your 2011 resolution. Some may not be available in your country or through your respective carrier however there are probably great alternatives. Most of these are free, but a few are available in paid versions as well. We're big on supporting developers for paid apps we value, therefore we feel comfortable recommending these to Android users.
Of course, as awesome as this list is, we know we're missing more than a few. That's where you come in. Hit the comments and share your favorite apps to help ring in the new year. The more you share, the better for the rest of us!
I resolve to read more...
- Nook for Android by B&N - A must have for NOOK owners with plenty of customization options to suit to taste. Access to more than 2 million titles doesn't hurt either. FREE
- Kindle for Android - Gets better every single update. Read from 100+ newspapers and magazines and more than 750,000 electronic books. Amazon's Whispersync automatically syncs last page read, bookmarks, notes, and more across multiple devices. FREE
- Aldiko Book Reader - One of the first Android ebook reader apps worth a look, landed ahead of Kindle, Nook, and others. Like a good book, easy to pick up and hard to put down. Available in free (ad subsidized) and paid ($2.99) versions.
- Google Books - Build a library of cloud-based books with Google's foray into the space. Select from nearly 3 million free ebooks and sync up between phone and PC. FREE
- Kobo - User defined options include adjustable text, automatic bookmarking, and various reading modes. Access to 1.9 million free books and counting! FREE
I resolve to lose weight...
- Calorie Counter - Get the calorie and nutrition information for store brands, restaurants, and more. Food diary, calendar, and weight tracker keep an eye on your daily progress, showing where you've been. FREE
- South Beach Diet - Access to tons of recipes and diet tips. Get healthy cooking advice from the pros as well as other dieters. Fitness routines and lifestyle advice make sure you're doing more than just eating the right foods. FREE
- Fitness Club & Gym Finder - Find real-time locations to many popular gyms and clubs including 24 Hour Fitness, Gold's Gym, Bally's, Pilates,Yoga,YMCA, and YWCA. Still missing a few but definitely worth having when traveling out of town. FREE
- Cardio Trainer - Works indoor and outdoor and tracks calories, GPS, pedometer and more. Recent update includes feature to set New Year's Resolutions and hold yourself accountable. FREE
- Diet & Food Tracker - Track your food calories across more than 1 million foods. Fitness tracker keeps an eye on calories burned and while the weigh in tools keep your progress in easy to digest reports. Recent changes allow for tracking strength exercises, copying meals from day to day, and animated demos for exercises. FREE
I resolve to eat healthier...
- Epicurious - Complements official website with gorgeous app full of recipes and reviews from magazines and top sources. Access more than 28,000 professionally tested and created recipes and search with your voice! Desktop widget puts daily recipe front and center. FREE
- Healthy Recipes - SparkRecipes -Browse the expansive library of recipes by categories such as occasion, course, dietary needs, and calories. Community-based recipes with easy to follow directions, nutritional content, and more. FREE
- Diet Points Calculator - Since there is no official way to get a Weight Watchers calculator without signing up for the service, this "diet points" app works just a well. No frills or fancy graphics, but that does not matter when you want to find out whether you have enough points left to eat that Fast Break candy bar. FREE
- BigOven - Search more than 170,000 recipes and really nail down the right concoction for that homemade stuffing. The Leftover Wizard lets users enter three ingredients into the app to result in recipes that incorporate each. FREE
I resolve to get back into church...
- SermonAudio Android Edition - Browse the massive library of MP3 sermons from thousands of different speakers for free. Find churches in nearby areas using the "Local Church Finder" FREE
- Bible Promises - 500 popular passages to read across various topics, including anger, courage, addiction, belief, and more. 99¢
- Bible - Share passages and verses from multiple versions of The Bible (NIV, ESV, MSG, NKJV, NLT, KJV) over twitter and Facebook. Features 44 Bibles in 22 different languages. FREE
I resolve to manage my finances better...
- Mint.com - The official client for Mint, it provides access to all of your accounts in one clean app. Lets users set budgets, see where money is being spent, and personalized savings. FREE
- PageOnce -Organizes and tracks your money and bills. View banks, credit cards, bills and and more in one simple place. Real-time alerts and reminders keep you in the loop as things happen. Also able to track frequent flyer miles and rewards as well as mobile minutes, text and data usage. FREE and paid versions
- Toshl - Dirt simple way of tracking expenses and habits. Tag and sort by date, export to CSV, Excel, and PDF. Allows for multiple types of currencies from around the world. FREE
- Ask Dave Ramsey - Advice from one of the biggest names in debt relief, financial freedom, and money management. Listen to hundreds of archived calls, read transcripts, and share stories with friends. FREE
I resolve to stop smoking...
- StopSmoking- Helps those who want to go cold turkey or with a gradual decline. Displays time between cigarettes, money saved, and average times per day.
- QuitNow! - Track the money you've saved by not smoking, count the days since the last cigarette, and more. Helpful widget keeps the app front and center and on your mind all the time. Scare yourself straight with the facts about snuff. FREE
Other self-improvement and general lifestyle apps to help with resolutions...
- Catch Notes - Notepad application that lets users capture text, voice, images, and locations, with the option to sync and backup online at Catch.com. Passcode protection, reminders, sharing, and tagging help organize your notes. FREE
- Evernote - Handy desktop widget makes it a breeze to add notes, images, and recordings to database of things worth keeping. Easy to sync up with Evernote's website and browser plugins. Save websites and images from Chrome or Firefox and see them on your phone right away. FREE
- AK Notepad - Also tied with Catch.com, allows for reminders, tags, import/export, back-up, and themes. Pin notes to home screen to keep your important stuff front and center.FREE
- Remember the Milk - Add notes, sort by time, location, date, and more. Latest update allows for push sync from website to handset. While the app is free, it does require a Pro RTM account at $25 per year.
- OpenLoopz - Location-aware task manager and to-do list inspired by Getting Things Done (GTD) by David Allen. App is smart enough to recognize where you are and recommend things to do automatically. FREE and paid ($4.72 US)
- Pocket Informant 3.1 Beta - Exhaustive list of features, looks and acts like the PIM we have been asking for since the days of Palm Pilots. Based on GTD principles, the developers could easily charge a couple of bucks for the customization and personalization.
- Got To Do - Sync with online task website ToodleDo, organize by folders, tags, and more. Desktop widget with configuration options puts tasks where you need them, in your face. Also allows for filtering, searching, alarms, and sub-tasks (Pro version). FREE and ($3.16 US) paid versions.
robert shumake
Social <b>News</b> Site Reddit Reports 200%+ Growth in 2010
Social news site Reddit posted year-end numbers this afternoon including January and December page view stats that climbed from 250 million pageviews to more than 3X that number, ...
CNN's John Roberts Joining Fox <b>News</b> | John Roberts | Mediaite
CNN's John Roberts is expected to join FOX News Channel as a senior national correspondent based in Atlanta and will be reporting on major domestic and international stories for the network. Roberts came up the ranks of CBS News, ...
Opinion: Can Oprah Help Restore Civility? - AOL <b>News</b>
Oprah began her new cable television network -- OWN -- at noon on New Year's Day, a network dedicated to the total and complete absence of mean-spiritedness.
robert shumake detroit
Social <b>News</b> Site Reddit Reports 200%+ Growth in 2010
Social news site Reddit posted year-end numbers this afternoon including January and December page view stats that climbed from 250 million pageviews to more than 3X that number, ...
CNN's John Roberts Joining Fox <b>News</b> | John Roberts | Mediaite
CNN's John Roberts is expected to join FOX News Channel as a senior national correspondent based in Atlanta and will be reporting on major domestic and international stories for the network. Roberts came up the ranks of CBS News, ...
Opinion: Can Oprah Help Restore Civility? - AOL <b>News</b>
Oprah began her new cable television network -- OWN -- at noon on New Year's Day, a network dedicated to the total and complete absence of mean-spiritedness.
robert shumake detroit
Yesterday a lot of people were surprised when word came out that James Franco is actively pursuing two very lofty directorial ambitions — he wants to write and direct film versions of William Faulkner‘s landmark novel As I Lay Dying, and Cormac McCarthy‘s Blood Meridian.
There was some initial skepticism about half of that report, as producer Scott Rudin wrote to IndieWire to suggest that the Blood Meridian news was either premature or incorrect. But now James Franco has done a little interview explaining his approach to both novels. And how does Jacob from Lost fit into all this? Answer after the break.
EW talked to the actor, who linked both texts in a ‘spiritual’ sense, ““I think they go together, though. I think McCarthy is really influenced by Faulkner.” I’d agree with that, very definitely. He says that the Faulkner adaptation would shoot this summer if things work out, and then he’d do Blood Meridian next year.
So how would he shoot As I Lay Dying?
You want to capture the tone, but you can’t work in exactly the same way. I don’t believe it’ll feel the same if you divide it as rigidly as the book, like titles that say ‘Cash’ and then you’re with Cash. You can slip into the characters’ heads and give them their inner voice for a while, but it has to be more fluid because movies just work differently than books. Movies, in some ways because they deal in images, are more concrete. I want to be loyal to the book — my approach is to always be loyal in a lot a ways — but in order to be loyal I will have to change some things for the movie.
When it comes to Blood Meridian, the question of casting looms large. Who would play central character The Judge, who is an utter giant of an albino? Well, Franco was so determined to get the gig making the film that he shot some test footage to present to Scott Rudin. And in that footage he cast Mark Pellegrino, aka one of the rug pissers from The Big Lebowski, and Jacob from Lost. (Scott Glenn, Luke Perry and Dave Franco also appeared.) Note that this does not mean that those actors will necessarily be cast in the actual film, whatever happens.
We made that as a way to convince Scott Rudin to give us the rights. It was like, why should he give it to me when Ridley Scott didn’t make it? So I called him up and said, ‘I’m planning on doing this. You don’t have to give me any money, I can finance this shoot. Would you just wait? Don’t do anything with it until I show this to you.’ And I showed it to him and he loved it.
One question that came up yesterday is: what happened to the version of Blood Meridian that Todd Field was going to write and direct? The simple answer is that we don’t know for certain, and given Scott Rudin’s odd response to this news yesterday, I’m more curious than ever. I’d be surprised to learn that it is still kicking, so if you think the idea of the director of Little Children making Blood Meridian seems like a good idea (as I do) then it might be time to let that notion go.
Here’s what it seems like: Franco pitched Blood Meridian to Scott Rudin, but the producer’s vague email to IndieWire yesterday suggests he hasn’t got the gig just yet. Now, if Franco manages to get As I Lay Dying moving forward, and if he makes the film work, then things could change quickly. Blood Meridian has been in development for a long time, and unless the option is close to lapsing, a few more months of waiting isn’t going to change much.
It's that time again where everyone starts making those promises to themselves. Next year, I'll lose 25 pounds. Or quit smoking. Or manage my money better. Or get back in church. Or... whatever. With the new year comes new resolutions. This time, stick to it longer than a week why don't you? This year, arm yourself with a few Android apps to keep you on track. We've put together a list of titles we think you should consider installing on your phone to keep you adhering to your 2011 resolution. Some may not be available in your country or through your respective carrier however there are probably great alternatives. Most of these are free, but a few are available in paid versions as well. We're big on supporting developers for paid apps we value, therefore we feel comfortable recommending these to Android users.
Of course, as awesome as this list is, we know we're missing more than a few. That's where you come in. Hit the comments and share your favorite apps to help ring in the new year. The more you share, the better for the rest of us!
I resolve to read more...
- Nook for Android by B&N - A must have for NOOK owners with plenty of customization options to suit to taste. Access to more than 2 million titles doesn't hurt either. FREE
- Kindle for Android - Gets better every single update. Read from 100+ newspapers and magazines and more than 750,000 electronic books. Amazon's Whispersync automatically syncs last page read, bookmarks, notes, and more across multiple devices. FREE
- Aldiko Book Reader - One of the first Android ebook reader apps worth a look, landed ahead of Kindle, Nook, and others. Like a good book, easy to pick up and hard to put down. Available in free (ad subsidized) and paid ($2.99) versions.
- Google Books - Build a library of cloud-based books with Google's foray into the space. Select from nearly 3 million free ebooks and sync up between phone and PC. FREE
- Kobo - User defined options include adjustable text, automatic bookmarking, and various reading modes. Access to 1.9 million free books and counting! FREE
I resolve to lose weight...
- Calorie Counter - Get the calorie and nutrition information for store brands, restaurants, and more. Food diary, calendar, and weight tracker keep an eye on your daily progress, showing where you've been. FREE
- South Beach Diet - Access to tons of recipes and diet tips. Get healthy cooking advice from the pros as well as other dieters. Fitness routines and lifestyle advice make sure you're doing more than just eating the right foods. FREE
- Fitness Club & Gym Finder - Find real-time locations to many popular gyms and clubs including 24 Hour Fitness, Gold's Gym, Bally's, Pilates,Yoga,YMCA, and YWCA. Still missing a few but definitely worth having when traveling out of town. FREE
- Cardio Trainer - Works indoor and outdoor and tracks calories, GPS, pedometer and more. Recent update includes feature to set New Year's Resolutions and hold yourself accountable. FREE
- Diet & Food Tracker - Track your food calories across more than 1 million foods. Fitness tracker keeps an eye on calories burned and while the weigh in tools keep your progress in easy to digest reports. Recent changes allow for tracking strength exercises, copying meals from day to day, and animated demos for exercises. FREE
I resolve to eat healthier...
- Epicurious - Complements official website with gorgeous app full of recipes and reviews from magazines and top sources. Access more than 28,000 professionally tested and created recipes and search with your voice! Desktop widget puts daily recipe front and center. FREE
- Healthy Recipes - SparkRecipes -Browse the expansive library of recipes by categories such as occasion, course, dietary needs, and calories. Community-based recipes with easy to follow directions, nutritional content, and more. FREE
- Diet Points Calculator - Since there is no official way to get a Weight Watchers calculator without signing up for the service, this "diet points" app works just a well. No frills or fancy graphics, but that does not matter when you want to find out whether you have enough points left to eat that Fast Break candy bar. FREE
- BigOven - Search more than 170,000 recipes and really nail down the right concoction for that homemade stuffing. The Leftover Wizard lets users enter three ingredients into the app to result in recipes that incorporate each. FREE
I resolve to get back into church...
- SermonAudio Android Edition - Browse the massive library of MP3 sermons from thousands of different speakers for free. Find churches in nearby areas using the "Local Church Finder" FREE
- Bible Promises - 500 popular passages to read across various topics, including anger, courage, addiction, belief, and more. 99¢
- Bible - Share passages and verses from multiple versions of The Bible (NIV, ESV, MSG, NKJV, NLT, KJV) over twitter and Facebook. Features 44 Bibles in 22 different languages. FREE
I resolve to manage my finances better...
- Mint.com - The official client for Mint, it provides access to all of your accounts in one clean app. Lets users set budgets, see where money is being spent, and personalized savings. FREE
- PageOnce -Organizes and tracks your money and bills. View banks, credit cards, bills and and more in one simple place. Real-time alerts and reminders keep you in the loop as things happen. Also able to track frequent flyer miles and rewards as well as mobile minutes, text and data usage. FREE and paid versions
- Toshl - Dirt simple way of tracking expenses and habits. Tag and sort by date, export to CSV, Excel, and PDF. Allows for multiple types of currencies from around the world. FREE
- Ask Dave Ramsey - Advice from one of the biggest names in debt relief, financial freedom, and money management. Listen to hundreds of archived calls, read transcripts, and share stories with friends. FREE
I resolve to stop smoking...
- StopSmoking- Helps those who want to go cold turkey or with a gradual decline. Displays time between cigarettes, money saved, and average times per day.
- QuitNow! - Track the money you've saved by not smoking, count the days since the last cigarette, and more. Helpful widget keeps the app front and center and on your mind all the time. Scare yourself straight with the facts about snuff. FREE
Other self-improvement and general lifestyle apps to help with resolutions...
- Catch Notes - Notepad application that lets users capture text, voice, images, and locations, with the option to sync and backup online at Catch.com. Passcode protection, reminders, sharing, and tagging help organize your notes. FREE
- Evernote - Handy desktop widget makes it a breeze to add notes, images, and recordings to database of things worth keeping. Easy to sync up with Evernote's website and browser plugins. Save websites and images from Chrome or Firefox and see them on your phone right away. FREE
- AK Notepad - Also tied with Catch.com, allows for reminders, tags, import/export, back-up, and themes. Pin notes to home screen to keep your important stuff front and center.FREE
- Remember the Milk - Add notes, sort by time, location, date, and more. Latest update allows for push sync from website to handset. While the app is free, it does require a Pro RTM account at $25 per year.
- OpenLoopz - Location-aware task manager and to-do list inspired by Getting Things Done (GTD) by David Allen. App is smart enough to recognize where you are and recommend things to do automatically. FREE and paid ($4.72 US)
- Pocket Informant 3.1 Beta - Exhaustive list of features, looks and acts like the PIM we have been asking for since the days of Palm Pilots. Based on GTD principles, the developers could easily charge a couple of bucks for the customization and personalization.
- Got To Do - Sync with online task website ToodleDo, organize by folders, tags, and more. Desktop widget with configuration options puts tasks where you need them, in your face. Also allows for filtering, searching, alarms, and sub-tasks (Pro version). FREE and ($3.16 US) paid versions.
robert shumake detroit
robert shumake
Social <b>News</b> Site Reddit Reports 200%+ Growth in 2010
Social news site Reddit posted year-end numbers this afternoon including January and December page view stats that climbed from 250 million pageviews to more than 3X that number, ...
CNN's John Roberts Joining Fox <b>News</b> | John Roberts | Mediaite
CNN's John Roberts is expected to join FOX News Channel as a senior national correspondent based in Atlanta and will be reporting on major domestic and international stories for the network. Roberts came up the ranks of CBS News, ...
Opinion: Can Oprah Help Restore Civility? - AOL <b>News</b>
Oprah began her new cable television network -- OWN -- at noon on New Year's Day, a network dedicated to the total and complete absence of mean-spiritedness.
robert shumake
Social <b>News</b> Site Reddit Reports 200%+ Growth in 2010
Social news site Reddit posted year-end numbers this afternoon including January and December page view stats that climbed from 250 million pageviews to more than 3X that number, ...
CNN's John Roberts Joining Fox <b>News</b> | John Roberts | Mediaite
CNN's John Roberts is expected to join FOX News Channel as a senior national correspondent based in Atlanta and will be reporting on major domestic and international stories for the network. Roberts came up the ranks of CBS News, ...
Opinion: Can Oprah Help Restore Civility? - AOL <b>News</b>
Oprah began her new cable television network -- OWN -- at noon on New Year's Day, a network dedicated to the total and complete absence of mean-spiritedness.
robert shumake detroit
Increasing fees and decreasing revenue have sent some eBay sellers looking for an alternative way to make money. Many found just what they wanted at Ecrater.com, a free estore web hosting service with an excellent Alexa ranking. Advanced sellers, however, may prefer Shopify.com or Vstore. Store owners who have some experience in HTML, php and MySQL, and beginners who have time to learn, will find more options to customize and organize their stores with Shopify and Vstore.
Shopify's website is sleek and simple. Beginners to ecommerce may find it difficult to use at first. There's no frequently asked question page or help section on the home page. There is a community forum and blog where users can get information about everything regarding making money with estores. Some of the featured Shopify stores on the Shopify blog are elegant and well designed.
Alexa information regarding Shopify shows recent traffic to be lower. This could be due to a variety of factors. Shopify's ranking is above Vstore's, although both rank in the top 35,000. (Ecrater.com's Alexa ranking is around 16,000.) Vstore offers basic and premium webhosting store services. However, all store owners must start with the basic, free store before being given the opportunity to upgrade to premium.
Beginning to intermediate computer users may prefer Vstore web hosting when it comes to editing templates and managing store settings. The basic estore ecommerce features include product reviews by customers as well as sellers, cross selling tools, specials and best-seller tools, coupons and gift certificate options, customer printable catalog, unlimited categories and subcategories and bulk upload.
Unlike Shopify, Vstore's site offers more immediate information regarding product details and help. The feature list is very detailed (five pages) and set up for comparison of basic and premium hosting and ecommerce services.
Like Ecrater, Vstore recommends Doba and Worldwide Brands (WWB) if you need inventory. Since WWB holds a serious eBay seller supplier reputation, finding them recommended isn't surprising. Doba runs frequent pricing specials, as does WWB. Newbies and beginners who do not have a current supplier or stock of inventory to sell may want to start small, selling items from home that aren't needed or wanted or buying locally and reselling online.
There is life after eBay and there are successful store owners operating ecommerce businesses without listing at eBay, Amazon or Half.com. Booksellers who are no longer happy with Abe and Alibris might want to take a look at free estore hosting. The bulk lister options allow the uploading of tab-delimited or comma-delimited files, making it easy to quickly stock your new estore.
While both Vstore and Shopify offer more customization than Ecrater, there are some differences. Vstore's home page menu is quite lengthy with extensive help options visible. Shopify's menu is simple and sleek. No FAQ. There is a forum and support contact information. Potential store owners can easily check both sites out before committing to one or the other.
If you're really motivated and have plenty of inventory or plenty of interests, you can diversify and open stores on both sites. Vstore allows the sale of lingerie if your photos feature lingerie and not women in lingerie. Adult stores are not allowed. Nor are wicca and some other products. Shopify doesn't make their policy clear regarding store types, but while checking out the forum, a click on one poster's page revealed an adult store in France. The ability to read French isn't necessary since product photos are quite clear.
If, for any reason, you're considering making money online with an estore, do take the time to check out Vstore and Shopify's free ecommerce options. If you already have products, you can open a store without any upfront cost. All you will have to pay are merchant fees after an item sells.
robert shumake detroit
Social <b>News</b> Site Reddit Reports 200%+ Growth in 2010
Social news site Reddit posted year-end numbers this afternoon including January and December page view stats that climbed from 250 million pageviews to more than 3X that number, ...
CNN's John Roberts Joining Fox <b>News</b> | John Roberts | Mediaite
CNN's John Roberts is expected to join FOX News Channel as a senior national correspondent based in Atlanta and will be reporting on major domestic and international stories for the network. Roberts came up the ranks of CBS News, ...
Opinion: Can Oprah Help Restore Civility? - AOL <b>News</b>
Oprah began her new cable television network -- OWN -- at noon on New Year's Day, a network dedicated to the total and complete absence of mean-spiritedness.
robert shumake
robert shumake detroit
Yesterday a lot of people were surprised when word came out that James Franco is actively pursuing two very lofty directorial ambitions — he wants to write and direct film versions of William Faulkner‘s landmark novel As I Lay Dying, and Cormac McCarthy‘s Blood Meridian.
There was some initial skepticism about half of that report, as producer Scott Rudin wrote to IndieWire to suggest that the Blood Meridian news was either premature or incorrect. But now James Franco has done a little interview explaining his approach to both novels. And how does Jacob from Lost fit into all this? Answer after the break.
EW talked to the actor, who linked both texts in a ‘spiritual’ sense, ““I think they go together, though. I think McCarthy is really influenced by Faulkner.” I’d agree with that, very definitely. He says that the Faulkner adaptation would shoot this summer if things work out, and then he’d do Blood Meridian next year.
So how would he shoot As I Lay Dying?
You want to capture the tone, but you can’t work in exactly the same way. I don’t believe it’ll feel the same if you divide it as rigidly as the book, like titles that say ‘Cash’ and then you’re with Cash. You can slip into the characters’ heads and give them their inner voice for a while, but it has to be more fluid because movies just work differently than books. Movies, in some ways because they deal in images, are more concrete. I want to be loyal to the book — my approach is to always be loyal in a lot a ways — but in order to be loyal I will have to change some things for the movie.
When it comes to Blood Meridian, the question of casting looms large. Who would play central character The Judge, who is an utter giant of an albino? Well, Franco was so determined to get the gig making the film that he shot some test footage to present to Scott Rudin. And in that footage he cast Mark Pellegrino, aka one of the rug pissers from The Big Lebowski, and Jacob from Lost. (Scott Glenn, Luke Perry and Dave Franco also appeared.) Note that this does not mean that those actors will necessarily be cast in the actual film, whatever happens.
We made that as a way to convince Scott Rudin to give us the rights. It was like, why should he give it to me when Ridley Scott didn’t make it? So I called him up and said, ‘I’m planning on doing this. You don’t have to give me any money, I can finance this shoot. Would you just wait? Don’t do anything with it until I show this to you.’ And I showed it to him and he loved it.
One question that came up yesterday is: what happened to the version of Blood Meridian that Todd Field was going to write and direct? The simple answer is that we don’t know for certain, and given Scott Rudin’s odd response to this news yesterday, I’m more curious than ever. I’d be surprised to learn that it is still kicking, so if you think the idea of the director of Little Children making Blood Meridian seems like a good idea (as I do) then it might be time to let that notion go.
Here’s what it seems like: Franco pitched Blood Meridian to Scott Rudin, but the producer’s vague email to IndieWire yesterday suggests he hasn’t got the gig just yet. Now, if Franco manages to get As I Lay Dying moving forward, and if he makes the film work, then things could change quickly. Blood Meridian has been in development for a long time, and unless the option is close to lapsing, a few more months of waiting isn’t going to change much.
It's that time again where everyone starts making those promises to themselves. Next year, I'll lose 25 pounds. Or quit smoking. Or manage my money better. Or get back in church. Or... whatever. With the new year comes new resolutions. This time, stick to it longer than a week why don't you? This year, arm yourself with a few Android apps to keep you on track. We've put together a list of titles we think you should consider installing on your phone to keep you adhering to your 2011 resolution. Some may not be available in your country or through your respective carrier however there are probably great alternatives. Most of these are free, but a few are available in paid versions as well. We're big on supporting developers for paid apps we value, therefore we feel comfortable recommending these to Android users.
Of course, as awesome as this list is, we know we're missing more than a few. That's where you come in. Hit the comments and share your favorite apps to help ring in the new year. The more you share, the better for the rest of us!
I resolve to read more...
- Nook for Android by B&N - A must have for NOOK owners with plenty of customization options to suit to taste. Access to more than 2 million titles doesn't hurt either. FREE
- Kindle for Android - Gets better every single update. Read from 100+ newspapers and magazines and more than 750,000 electronic books. Amazon's Whispersync automatically syncs last page read, bookmarks, notes, and more across multiple devices. FREE
- Aldiko Book Reader - One of the first Android ebook reader apps worth a look, landed ahead of Kindle, Nook, and others. Like a good book, easy to pick up and hard to put down. Available in free (ad subsidized) and paid ($2.99) versions.
- Google Books - Build a library of cloud-based books with Google's foray into the space. Select from nearly 3 million free ebooks and sync up between phone and PC. FREE
- Kobo - User defined options include adjustable text, automatic bookmarking, and various reading modes. Access to 1.9 million free books and counting! FREE
I resolve to lose weight...
- Calorie Counter - Get the calorie and nutrition information for store brands, restaurants, and more. Food diary, calendar, and weight tracker keep an eye on your daily progress, showing where you've been. FREE
- South Beach Diet - Access to tons of recipes and diet tips. Get healthy cooking advice from the pros as well as other dieters. Fitness routines and lifestyle advice make sure you're doing more than just eating the right foods. FREE
- Fitness Club & Gym Finder - Find real-time locations to many popular gyms and clubs including 24 Hour Fitness, Gold's Gym, Bally's, Pilates,Yoga,YMCA, and YWCA. Still missing a few but definitely worth having when traveling out of town. FREE
- Cardio Trainer - Works indoor and outdoor and tracks calories, GPS, pedometer and more. Recent update includes feature to set New Year's Resolutions and hold yourself accountable. FREE
- Diet & Food Tracker - Track your food calories across more than 1 million foods. Fitness tracker keeps an eye on calories burned and while the weigh in tools keep your progress in easy to digest reports. Recent changes allow for tracking strength exercises, copying meals from day to day, and animated demos for exercises. FREE
I resolve to eat healthier...
- Epicurious - Complements official website with gorgeous app full of recipes and reviews from magazines and top sources. Access more than 28,000 professionally tested and created recipes and search with your voice! Desktop widget puts daily recipe front and center. FREE
- Healthy Recipes - SparkRecipes -Browse the expansive library of recipes by categories such as occasion, course, dietary needs, and calories. Community-based recipes with easy to follow directions, nutritional content, and more. FREE
- Diet Points Calculator - Since there is no official way to get a Weight Watchers calculator without signing up for the service, this "diet points" app works just a well. No frills or fancy graphics, but that does not matter when you want to find out whether you have enough points left to eat that Fast Break candy bar. FREE
- BigOven - Search more than 170,000 recipes and really nail down the right concoction for that homemade stuffing. The Leftover Wizard lets users enter three ingredients into the app to result in recipes that incorporate each. FREE
I resolve to get back into church...
- SermonAudio Android Edition - Browse the massive library of MP3 sermons from thousands of different speakers for free. Find churches in nearby areas using the "Local Church Finder" FREE
- Bible Promises - 500 popular passages to read across various topics, including anger, courage, addiction, belief, and more. 99¢
- Bible - Share passages and verses from multiple versions of The Bible (NIV, ESV, MSG, NKJV, NLT, KJV) over twitter and Facebook. Features 44 Bibles in 22 different languages. FREE
I resolve to manage my finances better...
- Mint.com - The official client for Mint, it provides access to all of your accounts in one clean app. Lets users set budgets, see where money is being spent, and personalized savings. FREE
- PageOnce -Organizes and tracks your money and bills. View banks, credit cards, bills and and more in one simple place. Real-time alerts and reminders keep you in the loop as things happen. Also able to track frequent flyer miles and rewards as well as mobile minutes, text and data usage. FREE and paid versions
- Toshl - Dirt simple way of tracking expenses and habits. Tag and sort by date, export to CSV, Excel, and PDF. Allows for multiple types of currencies from around the world. FREE
- Ask Dave Ramsey - Advice from one of the biggest names in debt relief, financial freedom, and money management. Listen to hundreds of archived calls, read transcripts, and share stories with friends. FREE
I resolve to stop smoking...
- StopSmoking- Helps those who want to go cold turkey or with a gradual decline. Displays time between cigarettes, money saved, and average times per day.
- QuitNow! - Track the money you've saved by not smoking, count the days since the last cigarette, and more. Helpful widget keeps the app front and center and on your mind all the time. Scare yourself straight with the facts about snuff. FREE
Other self-improvement and general lifestyle apps to help with resolutions...
- Catch Notes - Notepad application that lets users capture text, voice, images, and locations, with the option to sync and backup online at Catch.com. Passcode protection, reminders, sharing, and tagging help organize your notes. FREE
- Evernote - Handy desktop widget makes it a breeze to add notes, images, and recordings to database of things worth keeping. Easy to sync up with Evernote's website and browser plugins. Save websites and images from Chrome or Firefox and see them on your phone right away. FREE
- AK Notepad - Also tied with Catch.com, allows for reminders, tags, import/export, back-up, and themes. Pin notes to home screen to keep your important stuff front and center.FREE
- Remember the Milk - Add notes, sort by time, location, date, and more. Latest update allows for push sync from website to handset. While the app is free, it does require a Pro RTM account at $25 per year.
- OpenLoopz - Location-aware task manager and to-do list inspired by Getting Things Done (GTD) by David Allen. App is smart enough to recognize where you are and recommend things to do automatically. FREE and paid ($4.72 US)
- Pocket Informant 3.1 Beta - Exhaustive list of features, looks and acts like the PIM we have been asking for since the days of Palm Pilots. Based on GTD principles, the developers could easily charge a couple of bucks for the customization and personalization.
- Got To Do - Sync with online task website ToodleDo, organize by folders, tags, and more. Desktop widget with configuration options puts tasks where you need them, in your face. Also allows for filtering, searching, alarms, and sub-tasks (Pro version). FREE and ($3.16 US) paid versions.
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