Celebrity Gossip, Technology News, Movies, Trailers, Phones

Many fans have been waiting to see “House” actor Hugh Laurie make the jump to the big screen in a lead role, not counting voice roles (like in Monsters vs Aliens) or supporting roles (like in Street Kings or Stuart Little). Potentially some good news for Laurie fans, as the LA Times’ 24 Frames blog is reporting that Laurie is “in discussions” to play the lead role in a new project called Oranges (or The Oranges written by Jay Reiss and Ian Helfer). You may remember seeing it on the 2008 Black List. It’s a dark comedy about a man who has a romantic relationship with the daughter of a family friend, which turns their lives upside down.

The LA Times also says that Anthony Bregman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Synecdoche New York) is producing the project, but it doesn’t seem to have a director yet (although IMDb lists Julian Farino as director). They call this a “dark dramatic comedy” and say Laurie will be playing the “creepy/sympathetic older man” who gets into the relationship. As for the younger key role, they’ve heard its between Leighton Meester and Mila Kunis, but one of them hasn’t been chosen yet. So this isn’t officially confirmed casting news, but if everything stays on course, we could finally see Hugh Laurie finally starring in a feature film.

Although this isn’t the exact same, I’m kind of reminded of Robin Williams’ edgy appearance in the dark comedy World’s Greatest Dad, which is sort of becoming a cult hit. I hope this turns out to be more than just a cult hit, but from the sounds of it, it’s the kind of strong lead performance that will be remembered after premiering at a festival. Hopefully this comes together with Laurie on-board – we’ll keep you updated!

Discover More: Casting News, Movie News, Opinions

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Hugh Laurie in Discussions to Star in Dark Comedy ‘Oranges’

We’ll admit to not being leading the field of study in Best Buy-ology, but here comes a new quiz for us care of a tipster who sent TUAW a screenshot of the inventory screen (we also received our own copy of the image in full) that shows what looks to be the current MacBook Pro SKU with status: deleted. What that means is no new orders can be made for that unit, at least for that particular store. Sign of impending MBP refresh? Intel certainly had us riled up last month with that Core i5-infused flier, but we won’t get fooled again. Don’t hold your breath for this one, but if more telltale signs start popping up, we’ll be sure let ya know.

[Thanks, Jose R]

Current MacBook Pro SKU given mark of death in Best Buy database? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Apple Corporate, Rumors, Steve Jobs

Apple doesn’t have a huge social media presence. There’s an iTunes Facebook page and what can arguably be called a MobileMe blog, but that’s about it. However, they do monitor the likes of Twitter, like any self-respecting company would, and a recent tweet reportedly ticked off Steve Jobs but good.

While publicizing the iPad, Steve met with a number of tech writers in New York including Wall Street Journal editor Alan Murray, who sent the following Tweet:

“This tweet sent from an iPad. Does it look cool?”

According to Vallyewag, the tweet infuriated Steve Jobs and was soon deleted. When Valleywag followed up with Alan to ask about the incident, he replied by simply saying that he can’t discuss it.

Apple is notorious for great design, extreme secrecy and what many have called paranoia. Teams working on unreleased products are kept under a “cone of silence,” and Steve has reportedly gone off on high-profile members of the press who had written disagreeable reviews of Apple products. This seems like another example.

Lest you think Steve is just a big meanie, he gets it as much as he dishes it out. In rather not-safe-for-work terms, Steve shared with the panel of journalists the flavor of some of the angry emails he’s received from disgruntled fans after product announcements. We’ll let you read that on your own.

[Via MacRumors page 2]

TUAWThe tweet that made Steve Jobs furious originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some folks decided to study the calling habits of 5.3 million people over an 18-month period. 350 million phone calls later, they came to an almost obvious conclusion: Prepaid cellphone users make and return fewer calls than their postpaid counterparts.

You can click on the image to take a closer look at the graphs.

Initially the study done at the Aalto University School of Science and Technology, Finland, was intended to analyze reciprocity—the likelihood of an individual receiving as many calls in return as he or she makes. But during the course of the research, a clear difference was discovered in the calling habits of prepaid and postpaid users:

Postpaid users tend to be more prolific, having on average 5.41 people they call. Prepaid users, by contrast, have only 3.41 contacts on average (although the notion of “average” is a little strange here since there is a very long tail on these distributions).

Postpaid users also made about 10 times as many calls as prepaid users while 25 percent of prepaid users had odd relationships in which “one participant makes more than 80 percent of all calls.”

Technology Review suggests that the differences in calling habits could be explained by the fact that prepaid users are more likely to be younger individuals, but I’d go as far as considering that the unlimited mobile-to-mobile or weekend benefits of postpaid plans may play a role as well. [Technology Review via NY Times Bits]

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Prepaid Cellphone Users Less Likely to Return Calls [Data]

I put off posting these all day because, personally, I prefer a naked Anna Torv and Blake Lively through a telephoto lens over a pack of cougars in bikinis. Fortunately that move paid off because I had time to… …read full story

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Jennifer Aniston’s blurry nipple

Last month SecondMarket published data on private company stock sales that they helped complete in 2009. They’ve now released last month’s data as well.

A total of a little more than $13 million in sales occurred, with the average transaction size of around $2 million. There continues to be very strong demand for consumer products and services startups (which includes companies like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg, etc.). But the sellers are spread out more evenly across all categories, particularly consumer, IT, Healthcare, energy and cleantech.

36% of the transactions were sales of Facebook stock, and we’ve heard from independent sources that sales are being completed for as high as $40 per share (or a $17.6 billion valuation). That’s a substantial price increase from less than a month ago. Tesla took 29% of the transactions, and sales of Solyndra stock were 28% of the total. Gridpoint rounded the group out with 7% of the total.

The complete report is below, and you can download the pdf here.

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Facebook, Tesla And Solyndra Dominate SecondMarket Transactions In January

Like a Star Trek convention minus Leonard Nimoy, Macworld Conference and Expo 2010 kicks off Tuesday at San Francisco’s Moscone Center with no official presence from Apple.

Though the event will lack a Steve Jobs keynote and won’t have an Apple product introduction to generate buzz, 250 vendors will be showcasing Apple-related products at the convention, and a few key members of the Apple community will be giving speeches and presentations to the estimated 30,000 Apple fans who are expected to attend.

“The really important thing with Macworld is that it’s popular, and it’s one of the last bastions where just a regular old user can come, go shopping and go to conference sessions,” said Paul Kent, International Data Group’s general manager of Macworld Expo 2010. “Macworld in the absence of Apple becomes a fan fest.”

Apple in 2008 announced it was pulling out of Macworld because its retail presence had grown strong and trade shows were no longer necessary to connect with customers. Apple has expanded from just two retail stores in 2001 to 280 retail locations worldwide to date.

Ross Rubin, an NPD Group analyst, said Apple’s move symbolized its focus on a mainstream audience of consumers.

“It reflects Apple’s move beyond a core community of Mac enthusiasts through a very broad multiproduct company,” Rubin said.

Without Apple, Macworld becomes a community event for Apple enthusiasts, developers and entrepreneurs to mingle and talk shop. This year’s show will highlight iPhone apps with a mobile apps showcase hosting 70 iPhone developers, according to Kent.

Attendees can also watch keynote presentations featuring Apple community members including New York Times technology columnist David Pogue, film director Kevin Smith, former Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki and Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber.

Nonetheless, Macworld Expo’s future remains in question. In the past when Apple has pulled out of other Macworld trade shows, they each subsequently shuttered.

“Take a quick look at the history,” writes The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple, who has been attending Macworld Expos since 1996. “Apple pulled out of Macworld Expo Boston/New York — it failed; Apple pulled out of Macworld Expo Tokyo — it failed; Apple pulled out of Apple Expo Paris — it failed.”

As was expected, exhibitor numbers have seen a decline. Macworld Expo 2010 will feature about 250 registered vendors. 2009’s Macworld Expo saw 400 vendors.

IDG expects 30,000 attendees at Macworld Expo 2010. However, this number is not comparable with attendance in years past, because IDG made “basic admission” to the Macworld Expo 2010 show floor free. Previously, IDG charged $25 for a floor pass.

“We don’t pretend it’s not a big a deal that Apple is not participating in the show,” Kent said. “But the Mac marketplace continues to grow, and so has the value of having an independent company that serves as an advocate for the customers and the developers.”

Macworld Conference and Expo runs from Feb. 9 to Feb. 13. For the full schedule, visit the Macworld Expo website.

See Also:

• Macworld Already a Bummer, With Or Without Apple
• Jobs Won’t Appear at Macworld — 2009 to Be Apple’s Last Show
• Apple’s Big Macworld Announcement Is a Big Disappointment
• Apple Says Farewell to Macworld, Hello to the Big Time

Photo: Laughing Squid/Flickr

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Macworld Expo 2010 Caters to Apple Fans — Without Apple

Francis Ford Coppola Winery is offering a 25% off coupon code for a couple of the Skywalker Ranch Wines: 2006 Merlot and 2006 Chardonay. The coupon Code is “THEFORCE” and is valid until February 15th 2010. For those unfamiliar with the origins of this wine, Viandante del Cielo is made by the winemaking team at Rubicon Estate for filmmaker and friend George Lucas from fruit (ie grapes) grown at Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in Marin County. More information after the jump.

Inland from the northern Pacific coastline and nestled between a small range of hills lies Lucas Valley and the vineyards of Skywalker Ranch. It is an area renowned for having exceptionally long, cool growing conditions, which contribute to mature fruit, profuse aromas, and complex flavors – perfect conditions for this style of Chardonnay.

The Marin County AVA is very special, made up of only 86 acres of vineyards. It is bordered on three sides by the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. In this colder climate, Pinot Noir makes up the bulk of the planting, so a Marin Merlot is a rare treat.

Skywalker Ranch is located on Lucas Valley Road in Marin County. According to wikipedia, the $100 million ranch contains “a barn with animals, vineyards, a garden with fruits and vegetables used in the on-site restaurant, an outdoor swimming pool and fitness center with racquetball courts, the man-made “Lake Ewok”, a hilltop observatory, a 300-seat theater called “The Stag” as well as multiple theater screening rooms, and parking that is mostly concealed underground to preserve the natural landscape. Skywalker Sound was moved onto the ranch in 1987, now occupying the Technical Building. The Main House has a company research library under a stained-glass dome. Skywalker Ranch has its own fire station, which is part of the Marin County Mutual Aid system, and is often called on to assist firefighters in nearby Marinwood.”

via: RebelScum

• Cool Stuff: Jamie Bolton’s Minimalistic Movie Posters
• VOTD: Star Wars Scrolling Text Invades Earth
• Cool Stuff: “It’s a Finger Trap” Star Wars Parody T-Shirt
• Avatar Tech May Finally Make Way for 3-D Star Wars, Says George Lucas
• Star Wars Burlesque
• Cool Stuff: Boba Fett with Han Solo in Carbonite Statue

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Geek Deal: 25% Off Skywalker Ranch Wine

Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, Macbook Pro

Update: Commenters point out that our tipster pulled the Best Buy inventory screen image from this thread on the MacRumors forums (he did provide independent confirmation of the SKU deletion). I was not aware of the forum thread at the time the post was written, and there was at the time no corresponding post on the main MacRumors site (although there is now). My apologies to the forum poster for the lack of credit for the image; I should have double-verified where it came from before running it.

In the world of retail computer sales, nothing is quite so deterministic as the disappearance of model SKUs (stock keeping units, store jargon for “the numbers that correspond to the widgets we sell, and how we track our inventory and sales”) from a chain’s price list or database system. When that happens, no additional orders can be placed for the deleted item(s), and it’s a pretty safe bet that something new is right around the corner.

Dovetailing nicely with the rumor I noted early Saturday morning regarding benchmark results showing up for a mystery MacBook Pro, we now have a tip that existing MacBook Pro SKUs have been deleted from Best Buy’s sales system. The picture above (which was posted in the MacRumors forums) shows the screen display for the 13″ model, no longer orderable. It’s now dramatically more likely that we’ll see new MacBook Pro models in the immediate future — possibly as early as this Tuesday, just in time for Apple to show them off on the Macworld Expo show fl–

Oh. Right. Drat.

Thanks Jose

TUAWRumor: MacBook Pro refresh imminent, SKUs dropped from Best Buy systems originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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