The Dark Knight Is a Sans-Serif: Superhero Typography

The Dark Knight Is a Sans-Serif: Superhero Typography

Matthew Olin is a talented designer who, as part of his MFA in graphic design from the University of Minnesota, put together some really cool posters of DC and Marvel super heroes using letters (called glyphs to typophiles) for the outlines.

R.I.P. Jerry Nelson

Film: Newswire: R.I.P. Jerry Nelson



Jerry Nelson, whose versatile talents invigorated Muppet productions for six decades through characters like The Count Von Count, Emmet Otter, and Lew Zealand, has died. He was 78.
Nelson’s path first crossed with that of Jim Henson while both worked at NBC affiliate WRC in Washington, D.C.—Nelson as a page and Henson as onscreen talent, using WRC as the home base for early Muppet commercials and his first TV series, Sam And Friends. Yet it wasn’t until both were living and working in New York City that Nelson, having performed with puppeteer Bil Baird as part of Baird’s “Show-Go-Round” presentation at the 1964/65 World’s Fair, inquired about working with Henson. In need of a performer to fill in for the departing Frank Oz, Henson requested an audio tape of character voices from his prospective collaborator. Though Henson turned up his nose at an ...

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It's game over for Nintendo Power

It's game over for Nintendo Power



Among many other things, you can blame the Internet for the mass democratization of cheat codes, and now video game news and strategy magazine Nintendo Power seems to be the latest fatality of the web’s mass freeing of information. According to Ars Technica,  (and seemingly confirmed by a series of now-deleted tweets from the magazine's senior editor) the long-running monthly will not be renewing its licensing agreement with its publisher, effectively ceasing publication. Nintendo was apparently uninterested in working with the magazine to ensure its long-term viability or assuming control of the publication again. And if Nintendo Power is anything like other struggling print outlets, no doubt ad revenue has been down, down, up, up, left, right, down, for the past few years.
One of the longest-running magazines of its kind, Nintendo Power began publication in 1988, expanding to monthly issues in 1990. It earned its reputation as ...

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New Technique Could Lead to Glasses-Free 3-D in Theaters

New Technique Could Lead to Glasses-Free 3-D in Theaters

Researchers in South Korea have created a new method would allow moviegoers to simply sit down and start watching a 3-D movie with no extra gear necessary.

Tony Scott's Films: From 'Top Gun' to 'Unstoppable'

Tony Scott's Films: From 'Top Gun' to 'Unstoppable'



A feature film career that spanned nearly 30 years saw the director helm 16 films, with many becoming genre-expanding classics. Here's a look back at his major body of work.

Comic Legend Phyllis Diller Dead at 95

Comic Legend Phyllis Diller Dead at 95



Legendary comedian Phyllis Diller has died, TMZ is reporting. The sassy and spunky entertainer was 95, and reportedly died surrounded by loved ones at her Los Angeles home.

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Hollywood Mourns Director Tony Scott

Hollywood Mourns Director Tony Scott



News of director Tony Scott's suicide Sunday afternoon spread like wildfire online over night, and fans, colleagues, and peers have been expressing their shock and sorrow at the sudden loss.

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RIP 'Top Gun' Director Tony Scott

Police: 'Top Gun' Director Tony Scott Jumps to His Death From Bridge

UPDATED: The death is being treated "as a suicide investigation," a rep for the coroner's department tells THR.

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Making Wildfire, Dragons and Direwolves for Game of Thrones

Video: Making Wildfire, Dragons and Direwolves for <em>Game of Thrones</em>

Those cute little dragons on Daenerys Targaryen's shoulder proved to be some of the trickiest special effects on Game of Thrones yet.

Actress Phyllis Thaxter, Superman's Mom, Dies at 90

Actress Phyllis Thaxter, Superman's Mom, Dies at 90

She played Ma Kent in the 1978 superhero film after appearing years earlier in such classics as "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" and "Act of Violence."

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D&D Documentary to Explore 'the Most Influential Game in History'

D&D Documentary to Explore 'the Most Influential Game in History'

How did its shock waves roll into the realm of video games, influencing a generation of computer programmers who would come to rule Silicon Valley? How did the game, which has now earned the praises of writers, actors, musicians, and others in the creative economy, go on to influence everything from teaching pedagogy to the treatment for PTSD? You could even argue that were it not for this game, we wouldn't have "lite" role-playing activities like Facebook and online dating. Of course, I'm speaking of Dungeons & Dragons, the groundbreaking hobby that essentially invented a new genre of entertainment called the?fantasy role-playing game, and went on to have a vast and various influence on the cultural landscape of America, and the world.

The broken promise of reality television

TV: For Our Consideration: Dance Moms and the broken promise of reality television



Lifetime’s reality series Dance Moms draws more than 2 million viewers a week, making it one of the most-watched shows of its kind on basic cable. Here’s what happens in a typical episode: Brash dance coach Abby Lee Miller yells at a bunch of teary-eyed preteen and teenage girls; the girls’ parents snipe and gossip behind each other’s backs; the dance routines border on the inappropriate; and the audience gets the sense that all of these people’s priorities are out of whack. Like so many other cable reality shows right now, Dance Moms is steeped in schadenfreude, allowing viewers the opportunity to spend an hour cackling at colorful characters who’ve made some weird choices. And there’s nothing wrong with this, necessarily. That particular kind of emotional response to a piece of entertainment—feeling morally superior to jerks and nimrods—can be cathartic, not unlike ...

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'The Price Is Right' to Cast Its First-Ever Male Beauty

'The Price Is Right' to Cast Its First-Ever Male Beauty



"The Price Is Right" premiered in 1972, and never in its 40 years on television has a male model handed Plinko chips to a contestant or revealed a new car with the wave of a hand. If you've ever desperately wished for a handsome dude to join what used to be known as "Barker's Beauties," you're in for a treat.

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The Batman Origin Story You've Never Heard Before

The Batman Origin Story You've Never Heard Before

If you're a comic book fan, you probably know that Batman was created by Bob Kane. But if that's what you think, there's a big Batman secret you have yet to hear about.

R.I.P. Mel Stuart, director of Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory

R.I.P. Mel Stuart, director of Wattstax and Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory



The Associated Press has reported the death of filmmaker Mel Stuart, a veteran director and producer who had a long, distinguished career as a documentarian, but who may best be remembered for introducing Oompa-Loompas into the nightmares of children the world over. He was 83.
Stuart’s best-known feature, the Gene Wilder-starring Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, came about after his 10-year-old daughter, Madeline, read Roald Dahl's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and asked her father to make a movie out of it. Stuart, along with his frequent producer David L. Wolper, creating a fantasy-musical that was a modest success upon its release in 1971, but which has since become a beloved children’s classic (thanks partly to frequent plays on television). Other narrative movies directed by Stuart included If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium (1969), I Love My Wife (1970), and Mean Dog Blues (1978 ...

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'Malcolm X' Actor Albert Freeman Jr. Dies at 78

'Malcolm X' Actor Albert Freeman Jr. Dies at 78

The Howard University professor earned a best-actor Daytime Emmy in 1979 for work on "One Life to Live."

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Carlo Rambaldi, Italian Effects Master Behind 'E.T.,' Dies at 86

Carlo Rambaldi, Italian Effects Master Behind 'E.T.,' Dies at 86



Rambaldi, whose work also includes "Alien" and "King Kong," won three Oscars using robotics and makeup. But his career began to suffer with the rise of computerized effects.

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Mel Stuart, Documentarian and ‘Willy Wonka’ Director, Dies at 83

Mel Stuart, Documentarian and ‘Willy Wonka’ Director, Dies at 83

UPDATED: The Emmy winner, an associate of David L. Wolper, also is known for “Four Days in November,” about the JFK assassination, and the poignant telefilm “Bill” starring Mickey Rooney.

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R.I.P. David Rakoff, writer and This American Life contributor

Newswire: R.I.P. David Rakoff, writer and This American Life contributor



David Rakoff, a writer known for his many contributions to This American Life and his books of darkly humorous essays (Fraud, Don't Get Too Comfortable), has died at age 47. Rakoff had battled lymphatic cancer since the age of 22, eventually losing an arm to the disease.

Though he genuinely loved writing, Rakoff's bitterness was his greatest creative resource. When talking about his work, he would often parody the task, satirizing his craft as he went. Many of his essays touched on feelings of heartbreak and despair, but with a lightheartedness and optimism coming through in his love of language and relief that he had an audience. In a 2009 piece for This American Life, he mused in silly rhyme about the terrible sadness of attending a wedding rooted in flaws.

Rakoff discovered his most recent tumor while in the middle of writing his most recent, Thurber Prize-winning ...

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Bob Hoskins Retires Due to Parkinsons Disease

Bob Hoskins Retires Due to Parkinsons Disease



The Golden Globe-winning actor will bow out after a four-decade career.

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Starbucks Signs Up With Square to Process Credit, Debit Payments

Starbucks Signs Up With Square to Process Credit, Debit Payments

Mobile payments startup Square is taking a giant leap into the mainstream as the new processor of credit and debit card payments for Starbucks.

'Harry Potter,' 'Hunger Games' Top Poll of Best YA Novels Ever

'Harry Potter,' 'Hunger Games' Top Poll of Best YA Novels Ever



More than 75,000 fans voted on the top 100 teen novels ever.

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Joss Whedon in for 'Avengers 2'

Joss Whedon in for 'Avengers 2'

During a conference call on Disney earnings, chairman Bob Iger revealed writer-director's on board

Apple's Decision to Drop YouTube From iOS Is a Big Deal for Music, Apps

Apple's Decision to Drop YouTube From iOS Is a Big Deal for Music, Apps

When the very first iPhone shipped, literally changing the world as we knew it, it carried a little Trojan horse called YouTube. The app for Google's video-sharing site comes standard with every single iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, but all of that ends with the next version of Apple's mobile operating system, iOS 6.

Apple Cutting One More Tie to Google, Ditching YouTube in iOS 6

Apple Cutting One More Tie to Google, Ditching YouTube in iOS 6

The latest iOS 6 developer beta held a bit of a surprise for downloaders Monday: no built-in YouTube application. YouTube has been a staple of the iOS homescreen since 2007.

Oscar Winning-Composer Marvin Hamlisch Dies at 68

Oscar Winning-Composer Marvin Hamlisch Dies at 68



The man behind the music of "The Way We Were," "The Sting," and "A Chorus Line" died Monday in Los Angeles.

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Tig Notaro laughs at cancer

Tig Notaro is as funny as cancer. Which is to say, she’s hilarious.

Notaro is a comic who knows a thing or two about making difficult subject matter laughable. Mere weeks ago, in the aftermath of Daniel Tosh’s truly pathetic outburst at a female patron in a club on the topic of rape, Kate Harding cited Notaro’s droll “No moleste” routine as an example of a rape joke that works. So when Ed Helms welcomed her to the stage of her “Tig and Friends” show this weekend, it seemed like she was doing a peculiar bit when she took the microphone and told the audience: “Thank you, thank you, I have cancer, thank you, I have cancer, really, thank you.”

What followed, as chronicled by her friend, comic Kira Hesser, was a phenomenal example of clarity in the face of horror and humor in the worst of life’s moments.
Read full story: Tig Notaro laughs at cancer

Comedian Jay Mohr Launches Podcast Network (Exclusive)

Comedian Jay Mohr Launches Podcast Network (Exclusive)



Fake Mustache's lineup of interview, comedy and sports-oriented podcasts launches Aug. 6 with an episode of "Mohr Stories" featuring Jay Leno.

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Biz Braces for Higher Frame Rates in Wake of 'The Hobbit'

Siggraph: Biz Braces for Higher Frame Rates in Wake of 'The Hobbit'



Peter Jackson ushers in 48 frames per second, but effects houses and studio budgets will feel the brunt of the biggest change to film production since the addition of sound.

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Designing the Perfect Engineer for Prometheus

Designing the Perfect Engineer for Prometheus

You many not know Neville Page's face, but you're sure to recognize the sci-fi creatures the veteran concept designer has created in the last few years. Page talks about crafting the pale-skinned giants in Ridley Scott's Alien movie.

London 2012: Social Media Takes Its Toll on Olympics

London 2012: Social Media Takes Its Toll on Olympics

Twitter has allowed viewers, pundits and athletes to weigh in at will. The result: Overloaded networks, player expulsions and at least one arrest.

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Sidney Reznick, Writer for Legendary Comedians, Dies at 92

Sidney Reznick, Writer for Legendary Comedians, Dies at 92



He wrote for Jimmy Durante, Jack Paar, Bob Hope and was a staff writer for Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show."

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Hulu Plus Pushes Apple TV to Higher Levels of Cord-Cutting

Hulu Plus Pushes Apple TV to Higher Levels of Cord-Cutting

Apple TV owners woke up to a surprise this morning: Hulu Plus is now built-in. The streaming TV and movie service shows up as an additional app in the Apple TV interface, and could be the first of many new services to appear on Apple's "hobby."

Academy Elects Hawk Koch as Its New President

Academy Elects Hawk Koch as Its New President



He succeeds Tom Sherak, who has held the unpaid position since 2009.

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Gore Vidal dies at 86

Gore Vidal dies at 86

Wrote 25 novels from scandalous to scholarly, 200+ essays, seven plays, and was frequent TV presence