Author: Sean Patterson

Bad news, everyone.

Comedy Central had decided not to renew Futurama for another season, according to a report from Entertainment Weekly. The show’s final 13 episodes will begin airing on June 19 and run until September 4.

Futurama originally aired on network TV channel Fox from 1999 until 2003. The series was created by Simpsons creator Matt Groening, along with producer David Cohen. The show won many awards during its run, including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program for the episode “Roswell That Ends Well.” The show was cancelled by Fox and aired in syndication until 2007, when the first of four direct-to-video Futurama movies was released. In 2010, Comedy Central began airing all-new episodes of Futurama.

Groening told Entertainment Weekly that Futurama producers are waiting to see the reaction from fans while considering moving the show to a new home. He stated that it would “be a shame if we all went our separate ways.”

“I felt like we were already in the bonus round on these last couple of seasons, so I can’t say I was devastated by the news,” Cohen said to Entertainment Weekly. “It was what I had expected two years earlier. At this point I keep a suitcase by my office door so I can be cancelled at a moment’s notice.

“As I said three times before, this is definitely the absolute end of the show. I don’t know why nobody believes me when I say that.”

Movie tie-in video games can generally be dismissed by gamers as cynical attempts to cash in on the hype surrounding the release of a movie. The titles are, most of the time, thrown together and unpolished, pushed onto the market to coincide with the movie release date.

This week, the Star Trek tie-in video game will be released, less than one month before the premiere of Star Trek Into Darkness, one of the most anticipated summer blockbusters of 2013. Star Trek The Video Game, however, could buck the trend of terrible tie-ins, if the game’s launch trailer is any indication.

The game features its own story, which isn’t directly tied to the story of Into Darkness. Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the enterprise crew will be facing off with the Gorn, which classic Star Trek fans will be familiar with.

Star Trek The Video Game will also feature characters with different gameplay options, such as Spock’s stealthy ability to use a Vulcan nerve pinch to take down enemies.

Even if all of these elements don’t add up to a great game, they do appear to at least make up parts of a game that had some care put into its development. The game’s developer, Digital Extremes, has attempted to bring something original and fun to the movie tie-in concept, and there’s not really much more gamers could ask for.

Electronic Arts is the go-to scapegoat for all of the anti-gamer decisions that have begun to creep into gaming. The video game publisher may be the internet’s favorite punching bag and America’s Worst Company two years running, but the organization does do some things right. One of those things is allowing fans to vote on which athlete will grace the cover of their sports titles.

This week EA and the NHL announced that voting for the cover athlete for the upcoming NHL 14 has begun. Fans can vote at NHL.com/covervote. The voting will begin with 60 finalists that will be pared down in two preliminary voting rounds. A 16-player bracket will then determine the winner, who will be revealed during the Stanley Cup Final.

“These 60 NHL stars are excited to be finalists in the vote campaign that will see the fans ultimately select the EA SPORTS NHL 14 cover athlete,” said Adam Larry, director of licensing for the NHL Player’s Association. “Following an impressive level of fan and player engagement shown in the cover vote last year, we are looking forward to seeing how the bar will be raised this year.”

The voting will not be a simple popularity poll. Fans can vote as many times as they want, and using player-specific hashtags on Twitter can count as two votes if tweeted on Thursdays.

The Nintendo Wii became an overnight success in 2006, and the console was hard to come by for nearly a year after its release. That hasn’t been the case for the Wii U, which Nintendo has been struggling to sell since its release last fall.

The poor sales could be due to the confusing name or the general confusion seen in consumers, some of whom still believe the Wii U to be a tablet add-on for the original Wii. Another problem for Nintendo could be that the casual gamers the company enticed into gaming with the Wii simply don’t see the value in the Wii U’s updated graphics and new gameplay options.

Either way, Nintendo is failing to market its new console effectively. This week, Nintendo has put out new ads for the Wii U, hoping to highlight to families just why they need the new console. The ads feature real families invited to Nintendo of America headquarters to play Wiii U games and give their glowing opinions about the system. The praise seems genuine, but, as the fine text on the ads points out, the families were also paid for their kind words.

Robert Earl Holding, an American businessman and billionaire, has died at the age of 86.

According to a Salt Lake Tribune obituary, Holding died on Friday, April 19. The details of his death have not been released, though it is known that Holding had been suffering complications from a stroke he endured in 2002. Holding had continued to operate his business interests for years following his stroke.

Holding was worth an estimated $3.2 billion at the time of his death, making him the 423rd richest person in the world, according to Forbes. He was the owner of many businesses, chief among them Sinclair Oil, which he bought in 1976. Holding also owned the Grand America Hotel, Little America Hotels, the Westgate Hotel in San Diego, and two ski resorts, Sun Valley and Snowbasin.

Holding lived in Utah and is credited with helping to bring the 2002 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City. Holding was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2010.

The divorce of reality TV actress and amateur porn star Kim Kardashian from her husband, Kris Humphries, had become a bit of a joke. Though their marriage lasted only 72 days, their contentious divorce proceedings have lasted over a year now. Just last week, Humphries’ no-show at a divorce settlement conference seemed to indicate the couple were no closer to reaching an agreement.

This week, however, TMZ is reporting that the couple is finally divorced. The publication has stated that Humphries will come away from the marriage without a piece of Kardashian’s fortune and that the NBA star did not recieve an annulment based on fraud as he had originally requested. One of the hold-ups on divorce proceedings is that Humphries reportedly believed the marriage to be a publicity stunt, and wanted to be compensated for it.

Now that Kardashian is officially divorced, rumors have begun circulating that she and her new man, R&B star Kanye West, could be looking to get hitched. Kardashian is currently pregnant with West’s child, and is expected to give birth in July.

While authorities continue their massive manhunt for the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings earlier this week, new details have emerged about the suspects.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26 are being named as the main suspects in the bombings. The brothers are alleged to have murdered an MIT police officer late Thursday night before hijacking an SUV and engaging in a firefight with police. Tamerlan was killed during the shootout, but Dzhokhar managed to escape and is still on the run.

The Guardian has reported that the Tsarnaevs originate from Chechnya, but may have lived in Kazakhstan before moving to the U.S. ABC News today reported that the father of the men believes the pair were not involved in the Boston Marathon bombings, and stated that his sons do not have military training:

Dzhokhar was reportedly a star wrestling athlete at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. In 2011 he was awarded a $2,500 Cambridge City Scholarship. He later attended the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. Accounts from people who knew Dzhokhar in middle and high school describe him as nice and outgoing.

A Twitter account being attributed to Dzhokhar has surfaced, with tweets that were sent as late as April 17 – two days after the marathon bombings. The last tweet sent from the account (other than a retweet) gives no indication that Dzhokhar was connected with the bombings:

Follow @J_tsar

Jahar
@J_tsar

I’m a stress free kind of guy

 Reply  ·  Retweet  ·  Favorite
2 days ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

Details on Tamerlan are sparse, though he was reportedly a competitive boxer who supported Chechen independence from Russia. The ABC report also stated that he was the father of a 3-year-old girl. A YouTube account attributed to Tamerlan contains playlists referencing Islam and terrorism, including the video below, in which Australian Shiek Feiz Mohammad rails against the “Pagan” content of the Harry Potter novels:

[UPDATE:] Boston police are now searching for a green ’99 Honda sedan with the license plate 116-GC7

[ORIGINAL:]
Authorities in Boston are conducting a door-to-door manhunt for one of the suspects in this week’s Boston Marathon bombings.

Boston police have closed down sections of greater Boston and have urged people in the city to stay indoors. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has shut down all of its services. Those who were caught at work when the lockdown began have been urged to use Taxi cabs to return home. The city of Boston is, effectively, closed.

According to a Boston Globe report, authorities including the Massachusetts State Police, the U.S. Secret Service, and the FBI are searching for a suspect using SWAT teams and K9 units.

The manhunt began overnight, after police engaged Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (pictured above) and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who are brothers, in a shootout in Watertown, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. Tamerlan was killed in the firefight, but Dzhokar managed to escape and is still on the run.

Before the firefight, the suspects are alleged to have killed an MIT police officer named Sean Collier. The men were then reported to have carjacked an SUV at a nearby gas station before heading toward Watertown. Police pursued the suspects, and news outlets have reported that explosives may have been used by the Tsarnaevs during the firefight.

The FBI had released images of the suspects on Thursday afternoon, enlisting the public’s help in finding and identifying them.

It seems that the planet’s recent surge of large earthquakes isn’t quite over. The U.S. Geological Survey has recorded a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that shook the islands North of Japan on Friday morning.

The quake was centered around 250 km (155 miles) Northeast of the town of Kuril’sk, Russia and 521 km (324 miles) Northeast of Nemuro, Japan. Kuril’sk is located on the string of islands located Northeast of Japan, and Nemuro is one of the Easternmost cities on the Japanese mainland. No damage has been reported as a result of the quake.

The National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has not issued a warning as a result of the earthquake, and neither has the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.

Earlier this week, over two consecutive days, earthquakes hit Iran and Papua New Guinea. The earthquake that hit Iran was measured at a 7.8 magnitude on the Richter scale and caused multiple fatalities in a rural area of Pakistan. The 6.6-magnitude earthquake in Papua New Guinea caused no reported injuries.

Rumors suggesting that celebrities may be gay have been used to malign stars in the pages of tabloids for years. Now, though, the tipping point in the U.S. gay rights debate seems to have been reached. Countless politicians have come out in favor of gay marriage in recent months, and even NFL players may soon be coming out of the closet. In this context, it’s not hard to see that ‘gay rumors’ may become blasé at some point in the near future.

That point seems to have already been reached for Joel McHale, who this week told The Advocate that he appreciates gay fans of the network TV show Community, on which he stars. McHale stated that gay rumors, which he sees daily on Twitter, often stem from his being well-dressed.

“It’s flattering,” McHale told The Advocate. “I always find it really weird when guys flip out over someone thinking they might be gay. If a guy gets offended by that, there’s something’s wrong with him. I take it as a compliment.”

In addition to starring in Community and hosting the E! network clip show The Soup, McHale starred in last year’s movie Ted and is set to star with Robin Williams in a 2013 movie titled A Friggin’ Christmas Miracle.

(Image courtesy Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons)

Many comedians use Saturday Night Live as a jumping off point for a long and successful movie or TV career, but the transition between the two can often be awkward. This week, Kristen Wiig encapsulated that awkwardness, saying she “floundered a bit” after leaving the show.

The comedian told Access Hollywood that she “felt a little lost” after her seven-year stint on the show was over. She related that the demanding six-day work week and the fact that cast members “live and breathe the show” made it difficult to adjust to a new life.

Now, however, Wiig has found her footing. The star is currently set to star in movies such as Anchorman: The Legend Continues and The Skeleton Twins. She will also be providing voice work for the animated films Despicable Me 2 and How to Train Your Dragon 2.

Wiig first appeared on Saturday Night Live in 2005. During her time with the show, she was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Her final episode of SNL ended with host Mick Jagger kicking off a rendition of the Rolling Stones song “Ruby Tuesday,” which plays while current and former cast members dance with Wiig in turn.

(Image courtesy Jiro Schneider/Wikimedia Commons)

An L.A. SWAT team was called to the home of actor Eddie Kaye Thomas this week, but it wasn’t the latest incident of ‘swatting‘.

TMZ this week is reporting that Thomas placed a 911 call this week, after a woman at his house threatened him with a knife. Police arrived and an hours-long standoff with the woman ended when the SWAT team forced her out of the house with tear gas.

The TMZ report states that Thomas had only met the woman the night before the incident. The woman reportedly “trashed” Thomas’ house and smashed a guitar during the incident. She has been charged with felony vandalism.

Thomas is most famous for playing the role of Finch in the 1999 movie American Pie. The character is famous for bedding another character’s (Stifler’s) mom at the end of the movie.

In addition to reprising his role in other American Pie movies, Thomas has starred in movies such as Freddy Got Fingered, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.

(Image courtesy Attit Patel/Wikimedia Commons)

Ann Curry’s relationship with the Today show has been speculated about for nearly a year now. Her tearful goodbye in June 2012 left viewers sour, and led to the Today show falling behind Good Morning America in the morning show ratings war.

Though fans have been blaming Matt Lauer for ousting Curry from her anchor chair on Today, a new story has begun emerging, showing that Lauer was just one among many at the show that wanted, or were at least indifferent to, Curry’s ousting.

The New York Times this week published an article about Curry’s departure that was adapted from an upcoming book titled Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV. The article relates that Curry feels the “boys’ club atmosphere” at Today had made her final months on the show “a form of professional torture.”

The article describes Lauer as “indifferent” to Curry, and states that there was “a general meanness on set.” As an example, Today show executive producer Jim Bell is said to have asked for a blooper reel of Curry’s on-air gaffes, though he denies the accusation. In another example, staff made fun of a yellow dress Curry wore one morning, comparing her to the Sesame Street character Big Bird.

Storm Thorgerson, the artist behind many classic album covers, has died at the age of 69.

According to an Associated Press report, Thorgerson died “surrounded by family and friends” and his death was peaceful. He had reportedly been suffering from an unnamed illness for “some time.” The artist had suffered a stroke in 2003.

Thorgerson grew up in Cambridge, England, where he attended the same high school as Pink Floyd members Syd Barret and Roger Waters. He was also a friend of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour.

After attending college, Thorgerson joined the art group Hipgnosis. There he designed many famous album covers, starting with Pink Floyd albums such as A Saucerful of Secrets, Ummagumma, The Dark Side of the Moon, and Wish You Were Here. Throughout the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s Thorgerson designed album covers for bands such as Black Sabbath, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, The Offspring, Phish, Ween, The Mars Volta, The Cranberries, and Muse.

Gilmour this week released a statement on behalf of Pink Floyd:

“We first met in our early teens. We would gather at Sheep’s Green, a spot by the river in Cambridge and Storm would always be there holding forth, making the most noise, bursting with ideas and enthusiasm. Nothing has ever really changed.

“He has been a constant force in my life, both at work and in private, a shoulder to cry on and a great friend.

“The artworks that he created for Pink Floyd from 1968 to the present day have been an inseparable part of our work.

“I will miss him.”

– David Gilmour

The strange tale of Amanda Knox was thrown another twist last month when an Italian court over turned Knox’ 2011 acquittal. Knox, who was a foreign exchange student in Italy, was convicted in 2009 of the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher. The court case has brought international scrutiny of the Italian justice system.

Despite the latest court ruling, Knox is now back in the U.S. and is moving on with her life. She has penned a memoir that will be published on April 30.

As part of her media tour to promote the book, Knox spoke with People magazine this week, telling the publication that she is still affected by the murder, her conviction, and the four years she spent in an Italian prison.

When Meredith was murdered and I was arrested, it was so shocking,” Knox told People. It was paralyzing. Everything toppled.”

Knox related that, while in prison, she contemplated suicide. She now lives in Seattle and attends the University of Washington.

“Things creep up on me and all of a sudden I’m overwhelmed by the feeling of helplessness and that desperation and fear to even hope,” she told People. “Just that can make my heart race and makes me paralyzed until I can breathe it away.”

It’s no secret that the United States Postal Service (USPS) has been struggling for years. The company has seen its revenues fall in the face of email and the new internet economy.

In February, the USPS announced that it would be dropping Saturday mail delivery to try and cut its losses. However, congress just this month passed a resolution barring the USPS from getting rid of Saturday delivery. It’s the type of congressional mandate that Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe has been complaining about in every dismal USPS quarterly financial disclosure.

This week, the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing titled Options to Bring the Postal Service Back From Insolvency. Donahoe was invited to give testimony at the hearing, during which he revealed just how bad the situation is for the USPS.

“In the past two years, the Postal Service has recorded $21 billion in losses, including a default of $11.1 billion in payments to the United States Treasury,” said Donahoe. “The Postal Service has exhausted its borrowing authority and continues to contend with dangerously low liquidity. We are losing $25 million a day, and we are on an unsustainable path.”

Donahoe went on to outline the usual points made by the USPS when addressing its financial situation. First class mail use has dropped 28% since 2007, and the Postmaster General complained that restrictive laws governing the Postal Service prevent it “from fully responding to these changes in consumer behavior.”

Donahoe’s testimony was then countered by Fredric Rolando, the president of the National Associatio of Letter Carriers (NALC), the union that represents the USPS’ letter carriers. Rolando stated that the congress-mandated pre-funding of retiree health benefits is the major factor in the USPS’ insolvency.

Actor Dick Van Dyke was once known for playing clumsy characters with poor accents, and now the 87-year-old actor may now be facing a challenge greater than chimney sweeping.

Entertainment Tonight is reporting that Van Dyke has cancelled an appearance in New York due to a “yet-to-be diagnosed neurological disorder.” The publication cites a “rep” of Van Dyke’s as stating the actor’s symptoms have prevented him from attending an April 26 award ceremony in New York, and that he has cancelled appearances that call for air travel on the advice of doctors.

Van Dyke was due to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the 92nd Street Y. The actor was awarded a separate Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in January.

Van Dyke is famous for roles in classic films such as Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He was also the star of The DIck Van Dyke Show during the 60s and Diagnosis: Murder during the 90s. Most recently, Van Dyke has appeared in two Night at the Museum movies.

Just over one year ago, Van Dyke married his 40-year-old girlfriend, Arlene Silver.

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced today that the organization has fired Head Coach Byron Scott.

Scott took over as head coach of the Cavs in 2010, just before LeBron James left for the Miami Heat. Scott’s first season with the organization ended with a dismal 19-63 record, which included an NBA record 26-game losing streak. During his career with the Cavs, Scott coached the team to a 64-166 record.

“I want to thank Chris Grant, Dan Gilbert and the Cavaliers organization for the opportunity I had to coach this team the last three seasons,” said Scott. “I am certainly proud of the progress that many of our players have made and greatly appreciate the dedication of my coaches and our team in our efforts to attain the success we all desired.”

The Cavaliers have not named a replacement for Scott, but have announced that they intend to “immediately commence a search” for a head coach.

“I fully support the difficult move that was made today,” said Dan Gilbert, the majority owner of the Cavs. “Although we saw progress with young individual player development, we did not see the kind of progress we expected on the team level this past season. We understand it was challenging with the injuries, but when you are at our stage in the building process, you don’t only measure team progress in wins and losses.

“Our fans have been incredibly loyal and supportive during these transition years. They deserve better than we have been delivering as of late and it is our full intent to deliver them the kind of competitive team that they expect to see on the court beginning next season.”

(Image courtesy Erik Drost/Wikimedia Commons)

Yesterday, confusion hit the media as conflicting reports seemed to indicate that authorities may have arrested a suspect in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings. Those reports were later denied by Boston police, but today it has been confirmed that images of two suspects have been obtained.

According to a Boston Globe report, the images come from surveillance camera footage taken on Boylston street, where the bombings occurred. The images reportedly show two men, each at one of the two bombing locations.

The Globe is reporting that officials are planning on releasing the images of the suspects in order to obtain the public’s help in finding them. The FBI had scheduled a press conference for 5 pm EDT on Wednesday but later delayed, and then cancelled, the event.

Reporters yesterday filled the street around the federal court house in Boston, waiting for news of an arrest. Instead, the court house was evacuated due to a bomb scare.

Boston police today secured the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, where President Obama attended and spoke at an inter-faith memorial service.

““I’m here today on behalf of the American people with a simple message,” said Obama. “Every one of us has been touched by this attack on your beloved city. Every one of us stands with you.”

(Image courtesy Boston Police Department)

Jennifer Aniston. The former Friends actress’ love life, with all of its ups and downs, has been followed by the tabloids for years now, and her popularity doesn’t seem to be diminishing. The star’s clothing, hair choices, and nipples have also been the topic of conversation for over a decade. This week, the star was spotted at the premiere for the TV movie Call Me Crazy sporting marks from her latest cupping therapy session.

The Daily Mail spotted the marks in press photos from the event. Aniston was wearing a strapless black top with black shorts, and had put makeup on her back to try and disguise the round marks.

Having fully embraced acupuncture, cupping therapy is one of the popular new traditional Eastern alternative medicine procedures to have gained popularity in Hollywood. The procedure involves glass cups on a person’s back being heated to create a partial vacuum. It leaves circular red bruises on the skin, which fade over time.

(Image courtesy Tom Sorensen/Wikimedia Commons)