Relive the greatest moments from The Godfather II in an open-world action experience inspired by the movie, launching in the UK for March 2009

Electronic Arts Inc. and Paramount Digital Entertainment today announced that The Godfather® II videogame is set for release in the UK on March 6th. The Godfather II allows players to both act like a mobster and think like a Don, by immersing them in a 1960’s organized crime world. As a Don, players can build a crew and grow their family in an effort to become the most powerful mob syndicate in America. Players will be able to choose how and when to use their Made men, either by commanding them directly in battle as part of their crew, or by sending them to do a job in another part of the world – bombing rival family rackets, attacking their businesses, or defending your own.

Players who pre-order The Godfather II at participating retailers worldwide will receive an exclusive crew member, named Tommy Cipolla, to hire into their family. While the other soldiers at the start of the game come equipped with one specialty and level-one firearms, Tommy will be the only crew member to possess two specialties – arsonist and medic – as well as carry a level-two double-barreled shotgun. With Tommy in your family, players will have a strategic advantage in the game, using his advanced skills either directly in battle, or sending him to take over and defend rackets on his own.

The Godfather II takes the open-world genre in an entirely new direction. Part of the fascination with The Godfather fiction is the feeling of power that comes with being the Don of an organized crime family – and The Godfather II game puts the control in your hands. While at its heart The Godfather II remains an action game, it also features deep new strategic gameplay mechanics never before seen in an open-world game. The strategic elements to the game allow you to extend the fantasy of building and running your own organized crime family. This means that you have to build and invest in your family, manage your businesses, and reach out to corrupt officials – all of which is done through the revolutionary Don’s View. The Don’s View is a 3D representation of your criminal empire in all three cities; it allows you to coordinate your strategy, plan hits on rival Made men, attack enemy rackets, and much more. The Godfather II delivers the ultimate organized crime experience by allowing you to call the shots.

Developed at the EA Redwood Stores studio, The Godfather II will be coming to the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and PC. The Godfather II has been rated M for Mature by the ESRB and 18+ for PEGI.

Grey's Anatomy (Wii, Nintendo DS, PC-Game)

Today Ubisoft announced that it has signed a licensing agreement with ABC Studios to develop a video game based on the acclaimed television drama series “Grey’s Anatomy.” Designed for the Wii™, the Nintendo DS™ and PC Grey’s Anatomy: The Video Game is scheduled for release early 2009.

Grey's Anatomy (Wii, Nintendo DS, PC-Game)

Take on the roles of all your favorite doctors

“Ubisoft is thrilled to be collaborating with ABC Studios to turn this phenomenal television series into an interactive experience,” said Christian Salomon, vice president of worldwide licensing at Ubisoft. “In Grey’s Anatomy: The Video Game, fans will have a chance to take on the roles of all of their favorite doctors in an all-new original storyline. As each doctor, players will make important personal and professional decisions, explore the direct relationships with each other, and perform the delicate surgeries the series is known for, all through fun and engaging game play.”

Grey's Anatomy (Wii, Nintendo DS, PC-Game)

About Grey’s Anatomy

The doctors of Seattle Grace Hospital deal with life-or-death consequences on a daily basis – it’s in one another that they find comfort, friendship and, at times, more than friendship. Together they’re discovering that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white. Real life only comes in shades of grey.

The hit series “Grey’s Anatomy” stars Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd, Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang, Katherine Heigl as Isabel “Izzie” Stevens, Justin Chambers as Alex Karev, T.R. Knight as George O’Malley, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey, James Pickens, Jr. as Richard Webber, Sara Ramirez as Callie Torres, Eric Dane as Mark Sloan, Chyler Leigh as Lexie Grey and Brooke Smith as Erica Hahn.

“Grey’s Anatomy” was created and is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes (“Introducing Dorothy Dandridge”). Betsy Beers (“Casanova”), Mark Gordon (“Saving Private Ryan”), Krista Vernoff (“Law & Order”), Rob Corn (“Chicago Hope”), Mark Wilding (“Jake: 2.0″) and Allan Heinberg (“The O.C.”) are executive producers. “Grey’s Anatomy” is an ABC Studios production.

About Ubisoft

Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has teams in 28 countries and distributes games in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2007-08 fiscal year, Ubisoft generated sales of 928 million euros. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

TM and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo. TM, ® and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2004 Nintendo.

Screenshot Rock Band (Xbox 360, PS3)

Harmonix and MTV Games announced today the addition of four new songs to the Rock Band® Music Store catalog of downloadable content from bands Snow Patrol, Deep Purple, James Gang and Jethro Tull.

Scottish alternative band Snow Patrol makes its debut in the Rock Band music catalog offering their first single “Take Back the City” from their new album A Hundred Million Suns (2008).

In addition, the Rock Band music catalog will expand its collection of Deep Purple songs, giving players access to the classic rock band’s single “Space Truckin’’” from the influential album Machine Head (1972). Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” was featured on the original Rock Band soundtrack.

Next week’s offering also includes the classic rock single “Funk #49” from the album James Gang Rides Again (1970) featuring Joe Walsh, Dale Peters and Jimmy Fox.

Rock Band Screenshot (Xbox 360, Playstation 3)

The Jethro Tull single“Hymn 43” will become the second Tull song in the Rock Band music catalog, joining “Aqualung” which was featured on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack. Both songs are from the band’s fourth studio album Aqualung (1971).

These songs will be available starting December 30, 2008, for the Xbox_360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and January 8, 2008, for PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Each individual track will be available for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points).

Rock Band Screenshot (PS3, Xbox 360)

Release Date: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 (Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360)
Thursday, January 8, 2008 (PlayStation®Store)

Tracks:

Snow Patrol “Take Back the City”
Deep Purple “Space Truckin’”
James Gang “Funk #49”
Jethro Tull “Hymn 43”
(All tracks are original master recordings)

Price: $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track
Locations: Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360, PlayStation®Network

Apple Store Fifth Avenue (New York)

Apple® announced that this year is the last year the company will exhibit at Macworld Expo. Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, will deliver the opening keynote for this year’s Macworld Conference & Expo, and it will be Apple’s last keynote at the show. The keynote address will be held at Moscone West on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Macworld will be held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center January 5-9, 2009.

Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers. The increasing popularity of Apple’s Retail Stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com website enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways.

Apple has been steadily scaling back on trade shows in recent years, including NAB, Macworld New York, Macworld Tokyo and Apple Expo in Paris.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

Comment: I hope this is not due Steve Jobs health problems, that are rumored by the media.

Britney Spears (2008, SonyBMG)

Tell us about your new album “Circus”

Britney: Well this is something that I’ve worked a really long time for, like a year now, so I’m very excited about putting the new album out. The timing’s perfect, it’s around my birthday, and I’m really excited. I can’t wait to share it with my fans.

What was it like winning 3 VMAs this year?

Britney: Going to the VMAs each year is so exciting because it’s like one of the most fun award shows.  It’s the coolest.  It’s the edgiest and everyone just always ends up having a great time.  I was really, really excited about it but, I wasn’t expecting anything at all. I’ve never won a VMA so of course I wasn’t expecting to win. So when I won three I was really, really surprised. I was so excited I was in shock.

What is your new single “Womanizer” about?

Britney: Well the song is about, basically a guy who’s into a bunch of different women and he can’t help himself; he’s just a womanizer.  Just a complete butthole, and he gets away with it.  In the video that I did for the song I played a bunch of different girls but its one girl who plays a bunch of different characters.  He doesn’t know it’s one girl throughout the video.  So it’s a cool song I like it because I think it’s empowering for girls to know to stick up for themselves and be like that with guys.  Let them know where they stand.

Britney Spears - Video "Womanizer" (SonyBMG)

Who came up with the concept for the “Womanizer” video?

Britney: I had the concept for the video because I wanted to play different characters I love doing videos where I get to have different looks and stuff like that.  So I wanted to go all out with it and I love Joseph.  He’s done some of my favorite videos so I definitely got him on board.

Tell us about the song “Circus” and the album theme?

Britney: The main song on the album that I really, really like is called “Circus” and that’s why I wanted the theme of it to be that way.  The song is about me as an entertainer, what I do and what I bring to a show; which is basically like a circus.  I bring costumes and fun; theatrical things that make people just awe and everything tells a story on stage and makes people want to watch it more.  So, I mean there won’t be elephants on stage at my show, but to a certain degree is has the same feel as a circus, so that’s kind of what I meant.

Tell us about the “Circus” concept.

Britney: Like the fact that you’re always on the edge of your seat when you’re at a circus, you always want to know what’s going to happen next, and you’re never bored.  You’re so entertained you’re just really engulfed in what’s going on around you and you want to be aware and you want to know what’s going to happen next.  That’s the feeling I want them to get when they come to my show.

Britney Spears - Video "Womanizer" (SonyBMG)

Compare “Circus” and “Blackout”.

Britney: Circus is a little lighter than Blackout. I think a lot the songs I did at that time, I was going through a really dark phase in my life so a lot of the songs reflect that but it’s really interesting because I didn’t go on tour with that album.  So I’m going to have to bring some of those songs from that album on to this tour that I do.  So I’m excited because it’s going to feel like so much new material.  I’m excited but they’re two totally different vibes.  I think this one probably has a lighter feel like a little bit more pop than Blackout, Blackout’s a little bit darker and edgier and little bit more urban.

Tell us about the process of recording “Circus”.

Britney: The process was cool because I got to write a lot of the songs.  In the beginning I really took part in that which was a lot of fun and then I experimented with a lot of the pop producers that I worked with on my earliest albums.  I went all the way back old school, which is a lot of fun to do.

What are some of your other favourite songs on the album?

Britney:  I like “Mannequin” a lot it’s a fun song.  Well, the song is basically about being in a relationship and then letting go of the relationship and never being with that person again.  Obviously in the song it doesn’t really say what happens but he’s done something wrong to hurt her and emotionally the song goes there and you can feel it.  So it’s a deep song it’s cool.

When is “Circus” being released?

Britney: The Circus comes out on December 2nd and it’s significant because it’s my birthday. I’m really excited, and it’s going to be fun.

Britney Spears 2008 (SonyBMG)

Emily (Rosario Dawson) and Ben (Will Smith) in Seven Pounds (Sony Pictures)

“In 7 days, God created the world.  In 7 seconds, I shattered mine.”
Ben Thomas, Seven Pounds

From the director of The Pursuit of Happyness and starring two-time Academy Award® nominee Will Smith comes the stirring and emotionally suspenseful tale of a man with a haunting secret who sets out to redeem himself by drastically changing the lives of seven total strangers.  Once his plan is set in motion, nothing can alter it.  Or so he thinks.  But what Ben Thomas never expects is that he will fall in love with one of the strangers – and that it is she who will start to change him.

A gripping mystery and surprising love story, Seven Pounds asks provocative questions about life and death, regret and forgiveness, strangers and friendship, love and redemption – and pursues the connections that tie human fates together in surprising ways.

Emily (Rosario Dawson) and Ben (Will Smith) in Seven Pounds (Sony Pictures)

The Story

It begins with a list of seven names: Ben Thomas, Holly Apelgren, Connie Tepos, George Ristuccia, Nicholas Adams, Ezra Turner and Emily Posa. The only thing they share in common are that each has reached a turning point and is in dire need of help, from financial to spiritual to medical – and unbeknownst to them, Ben has carefully chosen each to be part of his plan of redemption.  But it is Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), a lively cardiac patient, who throws a wrench into the works as she does the one thing Ben thought impossible – grows close to him – and turns his view of the world and what is possible inside out.

Ben (Will Smith) in Seven Pounds (Sony Pictures)

Comment

Have you already watched this movie? Here in Germany it starts in January, but I have read about the US/CA-Start in december already. Is it worth to go to the cinema?

Grumman F6F Hellcat for Flight Simulator X

A new UK based producer of addons for Microsoft’s Flight Simulator X has launched the first of a range of WWII aircraft to flight simmers through their website. Real Flight’s debut product is a replica of the Grumman F6F Hellcat, the acclaimed carrier based fighter that joined the war in February 1943. Development of the FSX Hellcat has been ongoing by Project Manager Dean Greasley who launched Real Flight in June 2008, and his small team to complete.

Attention to detail has been the key to already gaining positive feedback from forums across the flight sim community. Built only for FSX including SP1, SP2 and Acceleration (no planned version for FS9), the Hellcat has a highly detailed virtual cockpit complete with 3d gauges and authentic textures, as well as switches to arm and use both bombs and rockets, as well as the working drop tank.

Grumman F6F Hellcat for Flight Simulator X

Externally the model maker has satisfied the rivet counters with all animations present and correct, including folding wings and the crucial tail hook for those carrier landings. The authentic sound package also adds to the immersion achieved as you open up the throttle and watch how the self shadowing, bump mapping and spectacular highlights bring any of the 12 carefully selected paint schemes to life.

“We have started as we mean to go on,” said Dean Greasley. “The benchmark has been set high by our first product to show the standard we are setting for ourselves and for our competitors. An addon package spurred on by the immediate sales success is already underway for the Hellcat.”

This was announced by the Dutch minister of Finance, Wouter J. Bos and the Icelandic minister of Finance, Arni M. Mathiesen.Both ministers are pleased that they have found a solution on the matter. Minister Bos said that he is especially glad that there is now clarity for the Dutch depositors. Minister Mathiesen added what mattered is that the issue is now solved.

The agreement states that the Icelandic government will compensate each Dutch depositor up to a maximum of 20.887 euro. The Dutch government will provide a loan to Iceland to enable this restitution and the Dutch Central Bank is to settle the depositors’ claims.

Casagras Logo

Partners in the EU Framework 7 CASAGRAS Project on the future standards and applications of RFID are to take a broader approach to their brief during the project’s final year as they seek to develop an inclusive model for the emerging Internet of Things.In their interim report, filed this week with the European Commission, the partners say that following a review of  European-based project and conference developments it was clear that the concept of the Internet of Things required further definition and development in terms of  scope and content.

In addition, the review showed that RFID, although seen as a key enabler for the Internet of Things, was not the only technology that could contribute to a networked infrastructure exploiting the potential for connecting to the physical world.

The partners conclude that a more inclusive model for the Internet of Things should be considered. The model identified distinguishes an “object space” in which a variety of “edge” technologies including RFID could be exploited to:

• Connect with and identify objects using natural feature and data carrier techniques and technologies.
• Network objects and object-connected readers, both fixed and mobile.
• Facilitate, as appropriate, the location of objects.
• Facilitate, through object-connectable sensor devices, sensing of environmental quantities to which the object is subjected.

The report also states that a wider framework for standards is required: “CASAGRAS will seek to specify the framework for standards and standards development, together with a strategy for developing a knowledge base of information on standards appropriate for the development of the Internet of Things. In doing so it will take into account the developments and outcomes of the GRIFS project.”

The CASAGRAS project partners, who  represent the UK, France, Germany, USA, Korea,China and Japan, say that achieving  a global coding approach to identification would be “extremely challenging and extremely unlikely” due to the divergence of  communication-based systems for RFID, including near field communication. “The challenge for CASAGRAS is to take a resolution approach as the basis for accommodating the global coding problem, seeking to derive a Global Resolver solution,” they add.

With privacy and security recognised as vital considerations in relation to RFID and the Internet of Things – where personal identifiers and carriers of personal data will be involved – CASAGRAS will consider the framework for a design standard to address these issues.  It will also report on other socio-economic issues such as personal and product safety, the environment, recycling and waste management and developments relating to the home and built environment and personal support services.

Ian G Smith, co-ordinator of the Casagras project said: “Our brief is to make recommendations and to propose standards and best practice that can be agreed and applied world-wide.” RFID stakeholders around the world could add their views to the debate and help shape the final CASAGRAS report and findings that will be presented to the EC in summer, 2009.

“I urge anyone with an interest in the future of RFID to join our free global forum at www.rfidglobal.eu. All views and opinions are welcome as we seek to arrive at an international consensus on a way forward to enable everyone to maximise the exciting opportunities that RFID and related technologies can provide with respect to the Internet of Things.”

Among the key topics being addressed by CASAGRAS are:

• the need for a global coding or numbering system that embraces existing legacy systems including EPC and ubiquitous ID
• an adopted set of data carrier and natural feature technologies and associated data structure and communication protocols to meet the needs of the Internet of Things
• a universal data appliance protocol to accommodate the range of heterogeneous network technologies and protocols called for with respect to the Internet of Things
• service oriented architecture (SOA) and grid services as an approach to accommodating Internet of Things services and network applications
• migration strategy to specify a pathway development and agreements that will be necessary in realising the Internet of Things
• the need for supporting international standards