24: Live Another Day simulcast on NOW TV

Jack Bauer's back, and he's just as great as ever.

4 years ago acclaimed television series 24 ended, after 8 seasons, with a whimper. Tonight Jack Bauer returns in a brand new London-based 12-part series on Fox.

Following the success of Game of Thrones on Sky Atlantic. UK broadcaster Sky will simulcast the US premiere of 24: Live Another Day on Sky1 at 1:00AM Tuesday morning. Then the new series will be shown at its regular time of 9:00PM Wednesday.

Jack Bauer fans without Sky can watch the new series and much more on NOW TV.

Happy Star Wars Day from JJ Abrams!

Director JJ Abrams and writer Lawrence Kasdan have posted a quick "video selfie" for Star Wars fans to celebrate May The Fourth!



Perhaps the most interesting element of the clip? Abrams’ suggesting that casting announcements for Episode VII could continue as production ramps up.

Kevin Spacey in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

House of Cards collides with Michael Bay in the next installment of the Call of Duty franchise this November.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare stars Kevin Spacey who's playing a nefarious role in a near-future war.

"Ideas don't determine who is right. Power determines who is right. And I have the power. So I'm right," intones Spacey's character. Shades of Frank Underwood?



Developer Sledgehammer Games is concentrating on current gen consoles PS4 and Xbox One and high-end PC. This year's game ushers in the three-year development cycle for each title, where Sledgehammer, Infinity Ward and Treyarch will take turns developing annual Call of Duty games.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is released on November 4.

NOW TV coming to PS4 this summer

NOW TV and Sky Go are coming to PS4 from this summer.

Fergal Gara, VP and MD for Sony Computer Entertainment UK said: "Now TV has been a great addition to the PlayStation 3 entertainment portfolio, so bringing it to the new PS4 is going to delight all users of the newest, most powerful member of the PlayStation family. Sky Go joining both PlayStation platforms further enhances our credentials as the ultimate gaming and entertainment package."

Sky points out: "Sky Go includes all six Sky Sports channels, Eurosport, 11 Sky Movies channels, great entertainment from Sky Atlantic and third party channels such as FOX, plus hours of shows from Nickelodeon and others. Now TV is the contract-free internet streaming service from Sky that provides instant access to hundreds of films from Sky Movies on demand, pay-as-you-go access to live Sky Sports and must see shows on 10 of the best pay TV channels including Sky1, Sky Atlantic and Sky Living."

Find out more at nowtv.com.

Star Wars Rebels trailer debuts on Star Wars Day

Lucasfilm has issued a press release announcing the worldwide premiere of Star Wars Rebels trailer on Star Wars Day:

The rebellion begins this Sunday. The trailer for the upcoming animated series "Star Wars Rebels" will premiere in a global, multiplatform debut on Star Wars Day, SUNDAY, MAY 4th – also known as "May the 4th Be With You," the unofficial fan-driven holiday celebrating Star Wars.

In the U.S., Disney XD will feature the "Star Wars Rebels" trailer during the premiere of LEGO's "Star Wars: The New Yoda Chronicles" at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT. Additionally, the trailer will air on Disney Channel, ABC, ABC Family, Fusion, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3 at varying times throughout the day.

The trailer will also debut on Disney XD and Disney Channels in countries spanning across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America and Australia – reaching approximately 105 million households in over 50 countries, across six continents and over 20 time zones.

Star Wars: Episode VII cast revealed

Big news ahead of May the Fourth!

The Star Wars Team are thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.

Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.

Star Wars: Episode VII will be directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams is returning as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.

Via starwars.com.

Marvel's Netflix series part of the Cinematic Universe

Joe Quesada (Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment) has confirmed Marvel's upcoming Netflix series is connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will be available to binge-view from day-one.

Speaking on Kevin Smith's podcast, Quesada revealed:

"There will be some interconnectivity, much like the movies. They will exist within the Cinematic Universe again, so this is all the same world as S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Avengers… Although these are superhero stories, this is different now. This is the street level… this is the street level noir side of the Marvel Universe. Something that you haven’t really, really seen in any of our Marvel movies. And probably more ground level, than I think you’ve seen. This is not like us doing Batman, Dark Knight or any of that stuff. This is very much Marvel doing street level superheroes."

"The scripts are coming in. They are pretty fantastic. They’re really emotional. They’re very, very original. But at the same time, it is Daredevil. It is Matt Murdock. We will eventually, hopefully start casting really, really soon, but I’m very, very excited about it."

When Smith asked whether Kingpin would be part of the Daredevil or Spider-Man universe, Quesada remained coy about the villain. “I’m not going to say who the villain is in our story,” answered Quesada.

This July Marvel's Netflix series begins shooting in New York for release in 2015. Presumably to tie-in with Avengers: Age of Ultron.

DC Comics please take note.

Via Live for Films.

Lucasfilm reboots the Star Wars Expanded Universe

I remember the moment I walked into WHSmith and picked up a copy of Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire!

Zahn's book reignited the Star Wars franchise, which lead to Dark Horse Comics' lauded Dark Empire graphic novel, new action figures and my all-time favourite FPS: Dark Forces. Good times!

Under Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy's direction, the company for the first time ever has formed a story group to oversee and coordinate all Star Wars creative development. Some might argue it's an elegant way to maximise monetization of the brand.

"We have an unprecedented slate of new Star Wars entertainment on the horizon," Kathleen Kennedy said. "We're set to bring Star Wars back to the big screen, and continue the adventure through games, books, comics and new formats that are just emerging. This future of interconnected storytelling will allow fans to explore this galaxy in deeper ways than ever before."



To preserve the element of surprise, the new Star Wars trilogy will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe. Fair enough.

Later this year fans will get a taste of the rebooted universe in Star Wars Rebels when the new series exclusively premieres on Disney Channel. Followed by all-new comics from Marvel in 2015.

Hate this? Love this? What's your thoughts?

How HP Z workstations empower creativity

HP’s Z workstations have been designed to meet the demands of professionals who may be working with intricate 3D models, complex datasets, video editing and photography.

HP’s workstations set the “standard for innovation, performance, and reliability” according to the company, and are used in areas such as media, entertainment, engineering, architecture and even life sciences.

HP Z workstations come in all shapes and sizes to fit a users needs; all-in-ones, desktop workstations, and even laptop workstations such as the HP ZBook 14 Mobile Workstation which offers a choice of Windows 8 and Windows 7 versions, a choice of processors including the Intel Core i7-4600U with Intel HD Graphics 4400, and a large 16GB of RAM.

While the types of devices are tailored for desktop and mobile scenarios they all offer the power that professionals require.

The Ultimate CGI showcase powered by HP Z

CGI is a staple of film and television production the world over. Award-winning FX houses The Mill, Milk, Imaginarium and Framestore leverage HP's technology to startling effect as evidenced by this video.



Advanced Video Editing Software on HP Z Workstations

Non-linear editing software has come a long way since pioneering work at Lucasfilm spawned EditDroid and SoundDroid during the production of Return of the Jedi. Here HP showcases how HP Z workstations can be utilised with cutting edge video editing software in time-sensitive environments.



This post is sponsored by Spreaditfast. Opinions are mine.

Nintendo confirms Mario Kart 8 bundle

An interest in purchasing a Wii U has been piqued by Mario Kart 8 and the allure of an official bundle this May.

The £249.99 Mario Kart 8 Premium Pack includes a 32GB black Wii U Premium console, black GamePad controller, the Wii U's sensor bar and a physical copy of Mario Kart 8.

A special edition bundle featuring either Mario or Luigi is available exclusively from Nintendo.

The Wii U has failed to reprise the blockbuster sales of the Wii! However, Mario Kart 8 may be the fillip the console needs and platform exclusive Bayonetta 2 beckons.