Todd's Country

2008-06-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

I've combined my two blogs for now. The store and the personal are one and the same for the moment. You can get to my new self-hosted site HERE.

All new material will be posted there. I have a few ideas kicking around for another personal blog, but it will have to wait for now.

Enjoy!

2008-04-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Surface launching April 17th... with AT&T

You know, I think one of these would fit nicely in my living room (JR)

Microsoft has chosen AT&T to launch the world's first Surface into retail. Shoppers in New York, Atlanta, San Antonio, and San Francisco will be treated to what amounts to the novelty (at least initially) of learning about a device (Samsung BlackJack II, pictured) by simply placing it atop the Surface. They'll also have the ability to explore interactive coverage maps. Later, users will be able to drag ringtones, graphics and video and drop it into "the phones." Note their use of "the" and not "your" phone in the press release. Nevertheless, we're happy to see Microsoft get the technology out the door on its long march towards consumerdom.

Thanks to Engadget.com

2008-03-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a clip of some of Jackie Chan's stunts that he's done over the years in his movies. I'm not sure I would pick the same stunts for a "10 greatest" list of his, but nonetheless these stunts are simply amazing to watch.

2008-03-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

Arthur C. Clarke, science fiction author, dies at 90

After having read dozens of his books over the years, I believe he is one of my top five favorite authors. He will be missed.

Arthur C. Clarke, a writer whose seamless blend of scientific expertise and poetic imagination helped usher in the space age, died Wednesday in Colombo, where he had lived since 1956. He was 90.

The author of almost 100 books, Clarke was an ardent promoter of the idea that humanity's destiny lay beyond the confines of Earth. It was a vision served most vividly by "2001: A Space Odyssey," the classic 1968 science-fiction film he created with the director Stanley Kubrick and the novel of the same title that he wrote as part of the project.

His work was also prophetic: His detailed forecast of telecommunications satellites in 1945 came more than a decade before the first orbital rocket flight.

Clarke's influence on public attitudes toward space was acknowledged by U.S. astronauts and Russian cosmonauts, by scientists like Carl Sagan and by movie and television producers. Gene Roddenberry credited Clarke's writings with encouraging him to pursue his "Star Trek" project in the face of indifference from television executives.

Read The Entire Article HERE

2008-03-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

Pixar Might Film Live Action John Carter Of Mars Movies...

The Disney insider news site JimHillMedia reported a rumor that Pixar's first foray into live-action filmmaking may be a film based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars series.

Citing anonymous sources, the site reported that WALL•E director Andrew Stanton told the staff at Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. in October of last year that Disney/Pixar is gearing up to do a trilogy of films based on the books.

Mark Andrews has reportedly completed a first pass on a screenplay for the first film in the series, to which both Pixar and Disney executives have responded enthusiastically. Both companies are reportedly eager to put the project in the development pipeline soon, with an eye to a 2012 release, if not earlier.

Thanks to SCIFI.COM

2008-02-29T15:02:00.001-08:00

New Iron Man Trailer!

2008-02-28T09:43:00.001-08:00

Well, after a reinstall of everything on my system and a couple of other things that get in the way of leisure stuff, here's another post....

Around this time last year, comic book geeks were in an uproar over the state of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. It appeared that, while the Surfer was going to be a strong part of the FF sequel, his boss, Galactus, wouldn’t be putting in an appearance. The responses were split, with some people bummed the world eater wouldn’t be shown, while others were glad because, frankly, a giant sized dude dressed in purple could look kind of stupid. For my money, Rise of the Silver Surfer reached a nice balance of alluding to the character without revealing him.

That was last year’s movie, however. This year the focus is on the spin-off movie, Silver Surfer, which writer J. Michael Straczynski spoke about at the recent WonderCon. The forums over at Newsarama quote Straczynski as saying that Galactus will show up for the Surfer’s solo picture. In fact, the author said that part of the reason the big guy wasn’t shown in the last movie was so that his appearance could be a big reveal in Silver Surfer. I still say it’s because he’d look stupid on the screen, but what do I know?

Even though we saw an abridged version of the story in the second Fantastic Four movie, Silver Surfer will focus on the origin of the character, although that contradicts previous reports by Stracyzinski, as pointed out by Filmstalker, where the writer said the spin-off would pick up right where the FF sequel ended. Could it be that we’ll get both, a continuation of the story, with flashbacks to the character’s origins? Straczynski did something similar with his recent Silver Surfer: Requiem miniseries, which explored both the origins and ending of the character.

I didn’t expect to like Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but I found it surprisingly good, especially compared to the first picture. The addition of the Surfer made for an improved story. Can he hold his own in a spin-off? We’ll find out soon enough.

Thanks to CinemaBlend.com

2008-02-12T07:13:00.000-08:00

Star Wars: The Clone Wars In Theaters and on Television in 2008

A new era of Star Wars entertainment begins in 2008 when Star Wars: The Clone Wars, from creator George Lucas, premieres as an all-new feature film in August, followed by the television series debut in the fall, in a partnership announced today between Lucasfilm Ltd., Warner Bros. Pictures and Turner Broadcasting System Inc.

Produced by Lucasfilm Animation, Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes audiences on incredible new Star Wars adventures, combining the legendary storytelling of Lucasfilm with an eye-popping, signature animation style. Star Wars: The Clone Wars will open in North American theaters Friday, August 15. International release dates will be announced soon.

Read the entire article HERE.

Thanks to Star Wars.com

2008-02-11T08:57:00.000-08:00

Netflix Goes Blu-ray Exclusive

Posted February 11, 2008 by Josh

The popular online video rental service Netflix has announced that they have decided to support Blu-ray exclusively for high definition movie rentals. Pointing to the Warner Brothers exclusivity announcement as the main reason for the shift, Netflix will no longer purchase movies in the rival HD DVD format, and once the life cycle for those discs has ended, they will no longer stock the format for rent.

Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix commented, "The prolonged period of competition between two formats has prevented clear communication to the consumer regarding the richness of the high-def experience versus standard definition. We are now at the point where the industry can pursue the migration to a single format, bring clarity to the consumer and accelerate the adoption of high-def. Going forward, we expect that all of the studios will publish in the Blu-ray format and that the price points of high-def DVD players will come down significantly."

While only a small percentage of Netflix users rent high definition movies, the majority of those who do take advantage of the services are renting Blu-ray. They expect that the shift to a single format will ultimately allow Netflix to provide a better service to those high definition customers.

Thanks to Blu-Ray.com

2008-02-11T08:29:00.000-08:00

Roy Scheider, Actor in Jaws, Seaquest DSV and more, dies at age 75

By DAVE KEHR

Published: February 11, 2008

Roy Scheider, a stage actor with a background in the classics who became one of the leading figures in the American film renaissance of the 1970s, died on Sunday afternoon in Little Rock, Ark. He was 75 and lived in Sag Harbor, N.Y.

Mr. Scheider had suffered from multiple myeloma for several years, and died of complications from a staph infection, his wife, Brenda Seimer, said.

Read the full story HERE.

Thanks to nytimes.com

2008-02-11T08:21:00.000-08:00

Disney Interactive Studios announced Discs of Tron, a new arcade game inspired by the groundbreaking 1982 SF movie Tron, which will drop on Feb. 13 for Xbox LIVE Arcade for the Xbox 360.

In Discs of Tron, players face off in a three-dimensional arena against the film's villain, Sark, as they throw discs to try to knock him off of a platform or "derezz" him with a disc.

The game includes both a classic mode and an enhanced mode, which features high-definition graphics of the cityscape from the world of Tron and upgraded audio. Discs of Tron also features several multiplayer modes.

Discs of Tron comes from Disney Interactive Studios and was developed by Backbone.

Thanks to Scifi.com

2008-02-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

'Age of Conan' Due Early Summer
From Fantasy Flight Games

February 04, 2008

Fantasy Flight Games will publish the English language version of Nexus Editrice's Age of Conan -- The Strategy Board Game early next summer as part of a simultaneous world release. The game was previewed at Essen last fall (see "Nexus Editrice to Preview Age of Conan"). The big box board game is for two to four players.

The game mechanic was inspired by War of the Ring, which was designed by the same team, but it has gone through considerable change during development. According to Nexus Editrice, "The core mechanic is still based on a modified Action dice system, adapted to work with a single pool of Fate dice available to all players." A new campaign system was introduced in the game, which requires players to win a series of linked battles to militarily subjugate an independent kingdom.

Cover art is by J.P. Targate; graphic design is by Fabio Maiorana (Wings of War).

Thanks to ICv2.com

2008-02-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

Apple Boosts IPhone, IPod Touch Capacity

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) -- Apple Inc. updated its iPhone and iPod Touch lineup Tuesday, doubling the memory and setting a new premium price for its high-end models.

The latest iPhone features 16 gigabytes of memory and retails for $499. The previously released 8 GB version of the hybrid cell phone, multimedia player and wireless Internet device costs $399.

The new iPod Touch comes with 32 GB of memory and retails for $499. The older 16 GB and 8 GB versions of the combination multimedia player wireless Internet gadget cost $399 and $299, respectively.

The new devices are available through Apple's online and retail stores. The updated iPhone is also available through AT&T Inc.'s online and retail stores.

Apple said that all iPhone and iPod Touch models come with updated software that the company announced in January. It includes a new maps application and the ability to watch movies from the iTunes movie rental service.

Apple shares fell 34 cents to $130.31 in pre-market trading.

Thanks to Wired.com

2008-02-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

Wolverine And The X-Men - Animated Series

When an explosive event shatters the lives of the X-Men and takes away their mentor, the beaten heroes walk away from it all.

But then they're given a rare glimpse into the future, and see a world in utter ruin, ruled by giant destructive robots. A world that spiraled out of control because the X-Men had given up.

So now the most legendary of all X-Men takes the lead - Wolverine! Reuniting these broken heroes, Wolverine embarks on the ultimate mission - to prevent de world's destruction.

To rescue us from ourselves. To save the future.

Go HERE to see the trailer.

2008-02-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

Snow Drifts...oh my...

This is behind our garage next to the goat pen. As you can see, the wind has brought some of the snow from the hay fields onto our property. That is a six foot fence there next to the garage.

2008-01-30T12:06:00.001-08:00

Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull - Poster

Oh yeah....

2008-01-30T09:44:00.000-08:00

With the HD-DVD vs Blu-ray battle seemingly coming to a close, and not knowing much about blu-ray, I thought I would post some information on what looks to be the next standard in HD media.

6X the resolution of DVD
DVDs can deliver 8 megabits per second (Mbps). HDTV broadcasts can reach 10 Mbps. However, the Blu-ray Disc can reach up to 48 Mbps at 1080p resolution.

Up to 7.1 channels of lossless audio

Superior storage capacity
Blu-ray laser technology enables up to 50 GB of storage - 5 times the capacity of today's DVDs.

With integrated games, stunning high definition bonus features and a Blu-ray Disc player equipped with BD Live for internet connectivity, you've got the best of both live and packaged content. Imagine enhancing your movie with live updates or live events built around your Blu-ray Disc content. If you just want to sit back and enjoy the movie, Blu-ray Disc allows for easy navigation through the film with convenient pop-up menus.

Blu-ray players will play your DVDs (This is a biggie for me)
The Blu-ray Disc system uses the standard 12cm and 8cm disc sizes to support backward compatibility with your existing CDs and DVDs. That means you don't have to throw away your current collections and start from scratch - they can still be enjoyed on a wide range of Blu-ray Disc playback products, including players, game consoles, and Blu-ray Disc drives.

For more information, visit blu-raydisc.com

2008-01-29T09:23:00.000-08:00

The ultimate in home theater design for those who can afford it....

As time goes by there seems to be a growing trend amongst those people lucky enough to afford it / mental enough to spend all available cash on it: home cinemas. huge screens, incredible sound systems and luxurious seats are popping up in seemingly spare rooms and basements larger than my entire flat.

however this is also giving a few movie geeks a real chance to shine and it seems they’re not content with a simple in-home movie theatre decent enough to hold a premiere in - they clearly want to be fully immersed in the worlds created by their favourite films.

so, in no particular order, here are 10 of the best themed home cinemas on earth…

1. indiana jones cinema

this amazing indy-themed room was designed by home theatre expert doug charrois for larry and colleen halliday in canada. the room even features ‘replicas of the holy grail, a jacket, hat, whips, torches and more—including the idol from the opening of the original movie’.

more info here.

2. the batcave

above is possibly the sleekest home theatre i’ve ever seen. it was created by canadian-based experts ‘elite home theater seating’, who, as the name suggests, specialize in hand-made, custom home theater furniture for ‘high-end’ clientele. and bruce wayne.
more info here.

3. the enterprise ncc-1701d cinema

based on starship enterprise ncc-1701d, this stunner consists of a cinema, bar area and apparently ‘one of the largest kaleidoscope hard-drive based storage systems (..) in a residential installation. at last count, there were eight servers with 3,816 dvds’. there’s even a red alert button which brings on red flashing lights and appropriately tense music.

more info here.

4. the bridge

trekkie gary reighn decided to cut out the middle man and design & build his home cinema himself on a relatively small budget of $15′000. his basement was cleared to make way for the creation and from start to finish took 2 years.

more info here.

5. evergreen ultimate theater

apparently ‘one of the most technically and structurally advanced private theaters in the united states’, this phenomenal star trek home cinema even contains motorised sliding doors, as requested by the unbelievably rich client who paid around $3′000′000 in total for the transformation.

more info here.

6. titanic

the ceiling dome in this titanic themed set-up contains 1′230 fiber optic light strands in order to provide the artificial night sky and entry to the luxurious bar next door can be found behind a motorised bookcase. the whole project was designed by donny hackett of ‘casa cinema design’.

more info here.

7. the death star

it doesn’t get much cooler than this. the 10-seat death star home cinema was designed for vic wertz and lisa stevens and includes, amongst other things: automatic doors, a twinkling fiber optic star field and a thx sound system. the best fact? the room was designed by doug chiang, lead designer on episodes I & II.

more info here and here:

8. the nautilus

this beauty was built as a result of film geek randy moran’s love of the nautilus submarine from the film 20′000 leagues under the sea. he hired ‘dillon works inc’ to build and fabricate all the trusses, wall panels, screen frames, and portholes and ‘acoustic innovations’ to supply the plush red seating.

more info here.

9. the pirate cove

the pirate cove was created as a result of avs forum user pkonold’s love of the pirates of the carribean disney ride and movies. to make the atmosphere as authentic as possible he and his wife ensured that when seated ‘you feel like you are floating down “the bayou” at night. to accomplish this we have built a star field in the ceiling, complete with real constellations and shooting stars!’.

more info here.

10. the sci-fi cinema

ok, so the screen isn’t the biggest and the seats are slightly lacking but inside dr. david winn’s home cinema can be found: a hydraulic alien bursting through the wall, a talking robbie the robot and both the predator and the creature from the black lagoon behind bars. the cinema, including all collectibles, cost approximately $100′000.

Thanks to DeputyDog.com

2008-01-28T18:10:00.000-08:00

I am waiting patiently to find out which Hi-Def format will come out on top so I spend my money ONCE! I was around when VHS and Beta were on the same shelf at my local video rental shop, and didn't really pay much attention when the Beta section began to shrink as I already had a VHS machine...

You've got to hand it to Toshiba. Even now, when faced with overwhelming evidence that Sony's Blu-ray has won the high def format war, the mortally wounded HD DVD backer just keeps on prolonging the inevitable.

First, Toshiba decides to dramatically cut prices on its HD DVD players in the U.S. following Warner Bros. Blu-ray defection earlier this month. Now, for reasons that also escape us, the company has decided to buy a 30-second Super Bowl spot for $2.7 million to advertise its desperation for those marked down HD DVD players.

Of course, none of this is really convincing consumers. As Ars Technica recently noted, in the week following the Warner Bros. defection, weekly HD DVD player sales tanked big time, falling from 14,558 the week previous to a measly 1,758.

Meanwhile, Blu-ray saw a reverse trend, climbing from 15,257 to 21,770. In fact, the format ended up capturing approximately 93 percent of the market that week, according to NDP.

On Monday, Toshiba received another blow, this time from the U.K.'s Woolworths chain. The retail store announced it will be switching exclusively to Blu-ray after it discovered that the latter titles outsold HD DVD 10-to-1 during the holiday season. Woolsworths will be the first major retailer to solely back one of the new high definition DVD formats, but I'm guessing we'll see plenty more when Warner Bros. goes Blu-ray exclusively in May.

Gartner also decided to weigh in on those HD DVD player price cuts on Monday -- yup, the ones that Toshiba is going to spend 2.7 million advertising -- and concluded that they amount to nothing more than "useless resistance" in the battle against Blu-ray, at best prolonging the format's life by a few months.

So why, after the market has clearly spoken (in a loud and deliberate tone), is Toshiba still pretending like it has a chance to win this war? We've already wasted close to two years waiting for this HD mess to resolve itself, and it seems more than a little insulting to have to endure Toshiba's prolonged death scene for another year.

So to the HD DVD camp I say this: You've put up a good fight, guys, but seriously, what are you going to do, bleed on Blu-ray? Let's move on with our lives.

Thanks to Wired.com

2008-01-27T16:02:00.000-08:00

A tenfold improvement in battery life?

Stanford University researchers have made a discovery that could signal the arrival of laptop batteries that last more than a day on a single charge.

The researchers have found a way to use silicon nanowires to give rechargeable lithium ion batteries--used in laptops, iPods, video cameras, and mobile phones--as much as 10 times more charge. This potentially could give a conventional battery-powered laptop 40 hours of battery life, rather than 4 hours.

The new batteries were developed by assistant professor Yi Cui and colleagues at Stanford University's Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

"It's not a small improvement," Cui said. "It's a revolutionary development."

Citing a research paper they wrote, published in Nature Nanotechnology, Cui said the increased battery capacity was made possible though a new type of anode that utilizes silicon nanowires. Traditional lithium ion batteries use graphite as the anode. This limits the amount of lithium--which holds the charge--that can be held in the anode, and it therefore limits battery life.

Silicon anodes have the "the highest theoretical charge capacity" according to Cui's paper, but they expand when charging and shrink during use: a cycle that causes the silicon to be pulverized, degrading the performance of the battery. For 30 years, this dead end stumped researchers, who poured their battery life-extending energy into improving graphite-based anodes.

Cui and his colleagues looked at this old problem and overcame it by constructing a new type of silicon nanowire anode. In Cui's anode, the lithium is stored in a forest of tiny silicon nanowires, each with a diameter that is a thousandth of the thickness of a sheet of paper. The nanowires inflate to four times their normal size as they soak up lithium, but unlike previous silicon anodes, they do not fracture.

Cui said there are a few barriers to commercializing the technology.

"We are working on scaling up and evaluating the cost of our technology," Cui said. "There are no roadblocks for either of these."

Cui has filed a patent on the technology and is considering formation of a company or an agreement with a battery manufacturer. He expects the battery to be commercialized and available within "several years," pending testing.

Thanks to News.com

2008-01-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

Ha ha!

2008-01-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

Speed Racer Marketing....oh my.....

Speed Racer Lines-Up Big Tie-Ins
Source: Variety

Warner Bros.' Speed Racer, opening in theaters on May 9, is targeting a G rating, reports Variety. Because of this, the studio has been able to enlist a lengthy lineup of promotional partners that will pony up at least $80 million in additional marketing support around the film.

That kind of backing from brands like General Mills, McDonald's, Target, Mattel, Lego, Topps and Esurance, among others, will create the "noise" needed to gets audiences interested in the film, producer Joel Silver says.

"You have to open big," he says. "You have to let them know you're out there. The only way to make a lot of noise is to have people shout from the rooftops. ('Speed Racer') was an opportunity to do something we've never done before."

The marketing line-up includes:

- General Mills stamping Speed Racer imagery on packaging of its cereals and other brands like Betty Crocker cookie mixes, Old El Paso Mexican foods and Fruit Gushers.

- LEGO creating four playsets based around the film.

- Target, which rarely does film promotions, coming aboard as the pic's official retail partner and, in addition to in-store ads and circulars, offering a gift card that enables consumers to access exclusive footage from the film;

- Puma designing Speed Racer-themed shoes;

- McDonald's offering separate Happy Meals for boys and girls.

- Overseas, Japanese tiremaker Yokohama Rubber Co. and auto parts retailer Autobacs, as well as Brazilian oil company Petrobras and Mexican snack-food maker Bimbo, among others, will also push the pic through ads and other tie-ins.

Thanks to SuperHeroHype.com

2008-01-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

Comic Book Movie - The Flash - News....

THE FLASH
Producer Chuck Roven has been pretty chatty recently. He talked to IESB about keeping the scarlet speedster's experience insular. "First of all, 'Justice League' -- as I understand what Warner and George Miller were doing -- it was a complete reinvention of all the characters in it," Roven said. "The Batman character in that one has nothing to do with our Dark Knight. Had that happened, he would have been played by a different individual. We did talk about how we would handle it if 'Justice League' would have been made prior to 'Flash' being made. We talked about how we would deal with that. We hadn't come to any resolution because we hadn't written the script yet but I'm saying that it came up. At the moment, at least in my little world -- well, not so little but you know what I mean -- I get to be myopic and get to focus only on 'The Flash' and 'The Dark Knight.' I don't have to worry about 'Justice League' at the moment. There are those who might say that I never have to worry about 'Justice League,' but I know I'm going to have to talk about it ... At the moment, I like them being in their own universes. It's hard for me to think about something in the future."

Thanks to Comic Book Resources

2008-01-22T15:16:00.000-08:00

Heath Ledger Is Found Dead at 28

Thanks to the New York Times

By Sewell Chan
Heath LedgerHeath Ledger (Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

Updated, 6:06 p.m. | The actor Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon in an apartment in Manhattan, according to the New York City police. Signs pointed to a suicide or an accidental overdose, police sources said. Mr. Ledger was 28.

At 3:31 p.m., a masseuse arrived the fourth-floor apartment of the building, at 421 Broome Street in SoHo, for an appointment with Mr. Ledger, the police said. The masseuse was let in to the home by a housekeeper, who then knocked on the door of the bedroom Mr. Ledger was in. When no one answered, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom and found Mr. Ledger naked and unconscious on a bed, with sleeping pills — both prescription medication and nonprescription — on a night table. They moved his body to the floor and attempted to revive him, but he did not respond. They immediately called the authorities.

The police said they did not suspect foul play. Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the office of the city’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Charles S. Hirsch, said that employees of the office were at the apartment and that an autopsy would be conducted on Wednesday.

Police officials initially said that the apartment was owned by the actress Mary-Kate Olsen. They said they believed Ms. Olsen, 21, was in California and that Mr. Ledger had been living in her apartment.

However, a representative of Ms. Olsen said this afternoon that the apartment did not belong to the actress. “It is not her apartment,” said the representative, Annette Wolf, a publicist for Ms. Olsen. “She does not own the apartment. She has never owned the apartment. She and her sister have an apartment in New York City but they are not in this building.”

Mr. Ledger, a native of Perth, Australia, won acclaim for his role as a co-star in “Brokeback Mountain” (2005). The film, based on a short story by Annie Proulx about two cowboys who fall in love, won critical acclaim. Reviewing the film in The New York Times, the critic Stephen Holden wrote, “Mr. Ledger magically and mysteriously disappears beneath the skin of his lean, sinewy character. It is a great screen performance, as good as the best of Marlon Brando and Sean Penn.” Mr. Ledger was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in January 2006.

Mr. Ledger met the actress Michelle Williams while filming ‘’Brokeback Mountain.” The two actors fell into a romance and moved to Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, where their comings and goings were widely noted by the celebrity press. They had a daughter, Matilda Rose, who was born on Oct. 28, 2005. The couple separated last year.

Mr. Ledger’s first Hollywood film was the teenage romantic comedy “10 Things I Hate About You” (1999). He later appeared in romantic-hero roles in films like “A Knight’s Tale” (2001) and “Casanova” (2005).

Mr. Ledger was also cast as The Joker in the latest Batman installment, “The Dark Knight,” set to be released this summer.

In an interview in London for an article published in November, Mr. Ledger told The New York Times, ‘’I feel like I’m wasting time if I repeat myself.” He said in the interview that he was not proud of his latest role, in Todd Haynes’s “I’m Not There,” in which Mr. Ledger was one of a half-dozen actors depicting the musician Bob Dylan. ‘’I feel the same way about everything I do. The day I say, ‘It’s good’ is the day I should start doing something else,” he said in the interview.

As news of Mr. Ledger’s death made its way across the Internet, the Police Department issued a fairly terse summary of the death: “ON TUESDAY, 01/22/08, AT APPROXIMATELY 1530 HOURS, IN THE CONFINES OF THE 5 PRECINCT, POLICE RESPONDED TO 421 BROOME STREET AND FOUND A M/W/28 UNCONSCIOUS. THE VICTIM WAS PRONOUNCED DOA AT THE SCENE. M.E.’S OFFICE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF DEATH. INVESTIGATION CONTINUES.”

Calls by The Times to Mara Buxbaum, a publicist for Mr. Ledger, and Steve Alexander, the actor’s agent, were not immediately returned this afternoon.

Thomas J. Lueck and John Sullivan contributed reporting.

Thanks to The New York Times

2008-01-20T11:04:00.001-08:00

With the Iron Man movie coming in May of this year, I thought I would share a few generations of rocket-powered human flight in the cinema.

The first is "King Of The Rocketmen" - A Republic Serial - 1949

Next is Commando Cody in "Radar Men From The Moon" - A Republic Serial - 1952

Another Rocketman Serial - "Zombies Of The Stratosphere" - A Republic Serial - 1952

Jump to 1991 and "The Rocketeer"

And here is "Iron Man" - 2008