Neil Diamond has said that he will donate the royalties from recent sales of “Sweet Caroline” to a fund created for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

The 72-year-old singer and songwriter, whose song has been an eighth-inning staple since 2002 — but has been played at Fenway Park since 1997 — made the announcement on Twitter, writing, “Donating these royalties to #OneFund! RT “@Nielsen_Ent: ‘Sweet Caroline’ sales up by 597 percent, selling 19K after Boston bombings.”

The sales were were up from 2,800 the week before, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The song was No. 33 on the Pop Digital Songs chart during the week ending April 21.

“Sweet Caroline” was released as a single on June 28, 1969, but the song has seen a resurgence in the wake of the Marathon bombing. Several teams — including the New York Yankees, the Atlanta Braves, and the Miami Marlins — have played the song at their ballparks as a show of solidarity with the city of Boston.

Diamond himself led Red Sox fans in singing “Sweet Caroline” at the April 20 game against the Kansas City Royals.

The song, which doesn’t mention either the city of Boston or the Red Sox, was inspired by a photo of President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline, who was 11 when Diamond wrote the song. He sang the song for her at her 50th birthday celebration in 2007.

Diamond has said he is also working on a new song inspired by the bombing.

“I’m writing now and obviously affected by this situation in Boston, so I’m writing about it just to express myself,” the native New Yorker told Rolling Stone. The song is currently untitled and will also cover the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, and Aurora, Colorado.

The One Fund Boston, which was formed to help those most affected by the bombings, has raised nearly $8 million in public donations and over $16 million in corporate donations. At the time of this writing, the fund had raised $23,784,987.

Donating these royalties to #OneFund!RT “@nielsen_ent: ‘Sweet Caroline’ sales up by 597 percent, selling 19K after Boston bombings.

— Neil Diamond (@NeilDiamond) April 24, 2013

Neil Diamond To Donate ‘Sweet Caroline’ Royalties To One Fund Boston is a post from: The Inquisitr

Justin Bieber has been at the center of some seriously harsh press lately, and if there’s one piece of advice a former pop star could pass along to the Biebs, it would be “don’t be a douche.”

Stopping by HuffPost Live to talk about his cooking show My Family Recipe Rocks, the former ‘N Sync star talked about the withering fame of boy bands and offered some advice to solitary pop sensations like Justin Bieber.

In case you need a refresher, Bieber has been in the news lately over his break-up with Selena Gomez, subsequent erratic behavior, snapping on a paparazzi in the U.K., making a perceived insensitive comment about Holocaust victim Anne Frank, monkey drama and marijuana being found on his tour bus.

In light of all that bad press, 36-year-old Fatone has some simple advice for the Biebs.

“Don’t be a douche. That’s plain and simple. You get this bug from the celebrity thing, where you’re very on top of the world and everyone’s ‘yessing’ you to death, so you’re like, ‘I can get away with this. I can do that.’ Not to say that he might be doing anything wrong — or he might be in the wrong mix of people, in his camp,” Fatone said.

Most celebrities have handed Bieber a break for his behavior, reasoning that he’s just a young guy having fun. Fatone doesn’t seem to begrudge the Canadian star a little trouble, either.

“I know Scooter Braun very well and he’s a great guy, very cool,” he continued. “I’ve known him for many years. He’s his manager and does as much as he can. But [Bieber's] a kid. You’re going to have fun. You’re going to lash out. You’re going to make mistakes. everybody does.”

Do you think Joey Fatone is right about Justin Bieber? You can check out his interview below:

[Image via: Adam Sundana, Wikimedia Commons]

Joey Fatone’s Advice To Bieber: ‘Don’t Be A Douche’ [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

A Pennsylvania mom has created dolls for kids with Down syndrome. The custom-made dolls were inspired by her 9-year-old daughter Hannah. Connie Feda decided to make the dolls as Hannah was upset that she could not find any dolls that looked like her.

Feda realized that there were no dolls specifically made with features similar to children with Down syndrome. She was inspired to found “Dolls for Downs” and is creating custom-made dolls for children with Down syndrome.

As reported by Today.com, Feda works from her home. She spent months researching and collecting images of children with Down syndrome. She not only wanted to include realistic features in the dolls, but she wanted to convey each child’s unique personality.

Fifty-year-old Feda worked with a sculptor to create the first doll. They worked together to include subtle features such as almond-shaped eyes and a slightly larger gap between the toes.

As many children with Down syndrome are born with heart defects requiring surgery, there is also an option to include a chest scar. Feda’s daughter Hannah especially appreciated the feature, as she went through open heart surgery at the age of 13 months.

As described at DollsForDowns.com, the dolls are made of water-resistant vinyl and are available in six skin tones. There are male and female dolls, with a variety of hairstyle and eye color options. Feda’s goal is to provide each child with a doll that they can relate to and love.

Each doll is $75, and Feda is currently accepting orders for the custom-made dolls. She has already received orders for around 500 dolls, which she hopes to begin shipping next month.

Besides the website, Feda has set up a Facebook page with information about the dolls and her daughter Hannah. Freda keeps the website updated with the doll creation process and available design options.

Feda began creating the dolls for kids with Down syndrome because she believes that “everyone deserves a best friend.”

[Images via Facebook]

Mom Creates Dolls For Kids With Down Syndrome is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Xbox 720 will be revealed at last on May 21, and it’s going to need a few things to compete with the PlayStation 4 and PC.

There is no denying that the Xbox 360 has become the defining console for the current generation of gaming. Sony fanboys may argue the fact, but it’s still true. Xbox 360 was the standard by which most games were developed. To be fair, PlayStation 3 did give us the Blu-Ray format, but now you can pick up a Blu-Ray player used for less than the price of a new videogame. Sorry, Sony, you’re a victim of your own success.

Now with the next generation approaching, and Sony having already revealed its hand, Microsoft has no excuse but to deliver something that can compete.

Speaking of Blu-Ray, Microsoft would do well to embrace the format this time around. When the Xbox 360 went with HD-DVD for its format of choice, the limitation left it with an unnecessary challenge. HD-DVD died out within the year as Blu-Ray took over and went mainstream as the new format of choice for film enthusiasts.

Xbox 720 needs to make its hard drive style more standardized instead of charging an extra hundred dollars just to have something to save a free demo to. The PlayStation 3 allowed gamers to swap out hard drives from their computers, and computer hard drives are much less expensive per gigabyte than official Microsoft hard drives.

Keep making the games easy to develop. That was one reason the Xbox 360 was the console of choice for new developers. The PlayStation 3 gave newcomers a bit of a steep learning curve with its supposedly more powerful OS, and most likely drove them to the Xbox 360 for the sake of saving learning time.

However, Microsoft also charges developers a cool few thousand to release a patch for a game they’ve already finished, making it financially impossible for newcomers to follow up.

What do you think the Xbox 720 needs to compete in the next generation?

Xbox 720: What It Needs To Compete is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you jumped on the Internet today and said to yourself “I want to know as much about Rob Kardashian’s penis as humanly possible,” you came to the right place. For everyone else, prepare for an awkward over-share.

The male Kardashian talked to Ryan Seacrest on an E! News special about his staggering 50 pound weight gain following his breakup with Rita Ora. The 26-year-old admitted the feeling shame about his body, but mostly, he’s dissatisfied to what gaining weight has done to his junk.

“Every time I hop in the shower and see myself naked I cry,” Kardashian bemoaned. “My penis looks so small now.”

He is working on losing the weight, though. Furthermore, he has seen the bright side of his penile condition.

“The upside is, every time you lose 10 pounds you gain an inch on your penis,” he said.

I hate to take away Rob’s bird and his bush, but is that bit about weight loss and penis growth really true?

Sort of. Not really.

Weight loss and penis size are more matters of perception than anything else. If you lose weight, your penis will look bigger, it won’t really grow.

Former editor-in-chief of Men’s Health, David Zinczenko said that “When it comes to a man and his privates, fat is his body’s side-view mirror: Objects appear smaller than actual size.”

Sorry, Rob. But making health-positive choices and getting back into shape is a good thing regardless of its effect on your manhood. He says he’s working out two times a day and eating a healthy, low-carb diet.

In addition to all that, his Arthur George sock line is growing, and he might start branching off soon.

“I really like socks,” he explained. “Now that’s turning into boxers and pajamas. I’m excited to have a niche.”

Are you a fan of Rob Kardashian?

[Image via: Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com]

Rob Kardashian Asked About Weight Loss, Talks About His Penis Instead is a post from: The Inquisitr

A Carnival cruise ship was evacuated on Wednesday after explosions on two nearby barges lit up the Alabama sky and left three people critically injured.

About 800 crew members were made to evacuate the Carnival Triumph after two nearby barges exploded, leaving unsafe conditions for nearby vessels.

The explosions that forced the evacuation happened on two fuel barges in Mobile, Alabama. The fire, which appeared to be accidental, left three people with severe burns.

Firefighters were called shortly after 8:30 pm on Wednesday for the explosions, which took place on the Mobile River east of downtown. The initial blast happened in a channel near the George C. Wallace Tunnel, which carries traffic from Interstate 10 under the Mobile River, but the tunnel was able to remain open.

“It literally sounded like bombs going off around. The sky just lit up in orange and red,” a witness to the explosion said. “We could smell something in the air, we didn’t know if it was gas or smoke.” Waugh said he could feel the heat from the explosion and when he came back inside, his partner noticed he had what appeared to be black soot on his face.

The U.S. Coast Guard said the explosions are still under investigation.

“Once (the fire) is out and safe, a full investigation will take place,” a spokesman said.

After the explosion, authorities ordered the Carnival ship to be evacuated. The ship had become disabled in February in the Gulf of Mexico after an engine room fire and was towed to Mobile’s port. The ship is still undergoing repairs.

There, the South Alabama branch of the Salvation Army distributed food and beverages to those who evacuated the Carnival ship. They were able to return to the ship on Thursday morning.

Carnival Ship Evacuated After Explosion On Nearby Barge is a post from: The Inquisitr

We all know that Lindsay Lohan has done cocaine (she admitted as much in a 2010 interview), but as the troubled actress heads to rehab for the umpteenth time, a new tell-all memoir details an incident in 2009 which sees Lohan doing lines off her own wrist.

Controversial gossip blogger and founder of TheDirty.com Nik Richie has a new tell-all memoir titled Sex, Lies & The Dirty, which details a paid appearance by Lohan in a Miami nightclub on New Year’s Eve 2009.

Richie details entering the nightclub bathroom with Lohan, writing:  ”Lindsay goes straight for the toilet, pulling her dress up and sitting (no underwear) and one of her breasts is hanging out the top of the dress. I start to wash my hands and she asks me, ‘So, what’s your story?’ before doing an uneven line of coke off her wrist.”

Richie describes feeling taken aback by the scene.

“And she’s doing more coke, raising her eye-brows at me like, ‘Want some?’ She sniffs. Snorts. She swabs a little in her mouth … the chick from ‘Mean Girls’ doing blow on the toilet next to me. She’s not the same girl anymore.”

The Huffington Post reached out for comment on the Lindsay Lohan coke story, with a LiLo rep replying ”We have no comment on an alleged incident that dates back to 2009. Clearly an obvious attempt at using Lindsay to sell books.”

Additionally, Lohan’s father told Radar Online that he believes the story was made up.

“Yeah, right Nik, let me understand this! Walking into a women’s room with you? Sitting on a toilet in front of you? Doing a line in front of you? Coming on to you? Okay. No wonder the title of your book is lies,” said Michael Lohan, who has admitted to alcoholism and cocaine use all his own in the past.

What do you think? Is Nik Richie just trying to sell his book, or does his story sound like something a 2009-era Lindsay Lohan would have done?

[Image via: s_bukley / Shutterstock.com]

Controversial Blogger’s Lindsay Lohan Coke Story Criticized, Denied is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kindle TV could be on the way from Amazon if a Wednesday report from Bloomberg Businessweek has any weight to it.

The website pointed to three anonymous sources, who had leaked stories that there would be an Amazon streaming device by the fall of 2013. Beyond the fact that it was in the cards, the sources didn’t cough up anything further, and, officially, Amazon is keeping its collective trap shut.

Just to start, this idea makes a lot of sense to us since the company pocketed $9 billion over the 2012 holiday season, and it’s much less problematic than getting into the brick and mortar business, which they’ve also considered.

In comments to Bloomberg, Jason Krikorian, a general partner at the DCM venture capital firm and co-founder of Sling Media, agreed that a set-top box would be a wise move for the online retailer.

“It would certainly make some sense,” Krikorian said. “They have a ton of content, an existing billing relationship with millions of users, an existing Android app marketplace that could be leveraged on the box, a reputation for solid hardware products, and a terrific channel through which to promote the product.”

In light of all these assets and resources Amazon has available, we’ve decided to put together our top five features we’d like to see should Kindle TV become a reality.

There is certainly a lot of ground the retailer can cover right out of the box, and we hope if they’re going to do it, they put some elbow grease into it. For more on the rumors, you can check the vid. If you want to get down to business, though, keep scrolling.

5. Minimum 1920 x 1080 High Definition Experience

We’d really like to see 4K capabilities, or 3840 x 2160, like the rumor Fast Company recently reported about Apple and its eventual plan to unleash an Apple television set; but considering that Amazon’s first Kindle Fire wouldn’t even allow streaming of HD movies, we don’t want to overplay our hand.

4. Blu-ray And DVD

If Amazon wants to make this an all-in-one experience, then why not leverage some of their other products? You can buy Blu-ray and DVD on the site now — in fact, looking at the prices, you’d be crazy not to — so why not incorporate a disc drive capable of playing these two popular home video formats? You could think about incorporating VHS, too, to play some of those hard-to-find cassettes Amazon has for sale, but let’s not get carried away.

3. Enhanced Instant Video Store And Prime Streaming

This is a no-brainer and the one thing Bloomberg’s three hush-hush sources had no problem disclosing. You will be able to access the store from your television, but to add to the obvious, we’d like to see an easier and more extensive search experience. An explanation of what we mean: on Xbox 360, the database of available movies is limited. We’d like the ability to see all available instant movies for one genre instead of having to go to the physical website and search for hours to see if there is an obscure, forgotten classic waiting in the wings.

2. Search On Steroids

A basic search function is a given, but add just one addition. If a movie is not available on Instant, but does have a disc available, allow us to make the purchase there and have it shipped to our house from the streaming device. For that matter, just have a shop button that allows us to keep a credit card on file, utilize one-click purchase settings, and buy books, games, blenders, and whatever else is available through the Amazon website (including the Z-shops) without getting off the couch.

1. Kindle Mirror Function

It’s understandable that some customers will purchase a Kindle TV without owning an actual Kindle, but for those of us who are fortunate enough to own both, why not have a push-button setting that enables mirroring? You could essentially use your Amazon tablet as a remote control in scrolling through the marketplace on your television. And with all the games and apps that are available, you could even turn your Kindle TV into an Android-based video game console. This would also enable users to access the same great apps — Netflix, ComiXology — that they can on their handheld devices.

If the Kindle TV rumors are true, which features would you most want to see — any of those listed above or something we’ve left off?

[Image via Flickr Creative Commons]

Kindle TV: Top 5 Features We’d Like To See For Rumored Amazon Streaming Device is a post from: The Inquisitr

The fourth season premiere of Arrested Development is just a month away and today fans got their first real taste of what’s in store. Netflix released character posters for the new season as well as an exclusive clip featuring Buster and Lucile Bluth.

Arrested Development was cancelled in 2006 after three seasons. The show became a cult classic and last year Netflix announced that they would be bringing the Bluth family back together for a fourth season.

Jeffrey Tambor told MTV:

“It’s bigger than I thought, but you know we’ve always been the little engine that could … I was the cheerleader. I had little pom poms and everything, a nice little skirt. You know, it changed my life. It wasn’t hard to do … Everybody was excited. And the first night we all got back was a very interesting night. People were cheering. All nine of us got into a room that was a bit of a miracle. We were canceled and now we’re back.”

The cast isn’t talking about what season four will be about but Netflix has been putting out several teasers. Earlier this month they released a few posters for the series and today they revealed the characters as well as a short clip.

Tambor said: ”You think I can tell you? I can’t. We have such a spoiler alert and I actually signed something, so I can’t.”

Here’s a look at the new character posters for Arrested Development. You can watch a clip from the fourth season of Arrested Development here.

The fourth season will premier on Netflix next month on May 26. Are you excited for the return of Arrested Development?

‘Arrested Development’ Character Posters Released is a post from: The Inquisitr

Philadelphia, PA – Olivia Nutter, daughter of Mayor Michael Nutter, was assaulted during a high school track meet last week.

Nutter was punched in the head and face and had her hair pulled following a track meet at Morris E. Leeds Middle School in East Mount Airy on April 18, according to police. She was walking toward a group of girls when one of them told her to move. Moments later, she was assaulted, and police were called. The person responsible then fled the scene.

Nutter’s assailant, 18-year-old Cierra Ryan, surrendered herself to Northwest Philadelphia detectives Monday and was charged with simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. The motive behind the attack is unknown at this time, and it is also unknown whether Ryan was also participating in the meet.

A spokesman for Mayor Nutter said there had been “an incident and Olivia is fine.”

“Now the appropriate authorities are dealing with the matter,” Mark McDonald said.

Olivia Nutter, also 18, is a senior at Julia R. Masterman Middle and High School, a prestigious magnet school in the Spring Garden neighborhood of Philadelphia. The school is considered one of the best college preparatory schools in the tri-county area and has been named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence twice. It was also ranked as the top public school in Philadelphia by US News & World Report last year, and was ranked 61st nationally.

Alumni of the school include Kevin Bacon, Will Smith, who attended 7th grade at the Masterman, and Raymond Teller, who attended middle school.

It is unclear if Ryan is also a student at the school.

When Michael Nutter was running for his first term as mayor in 2007, his then-12-year-old daughter gained local fame when she starred in a TV commercial for her father’s campaign. In the ad, she shows viewers her home and school and then goes on to say that her father is the only Democrat running that has a child in a public school. She also jokes that her dad is “pretty cool for an old guy” and that, even though he was “pretty busy,” he still found time to take her to school.

It is unclear whether Olivia Nutter has a security detail.

Philadelphia Mayor’s Daughter Assaulted At Track Meet is a post from: The Inquisitr

Manhattan, KS – Police are trying to figure out what to do with a 23-year-old man who didn’t have enough cash to pay a prostitute for her services and ended up calling the authorities for help.

This strange story is brought to you by the Topeka Capital-Journal.

The unnamed 23-year-old called Riley County police to a mobile home in Manhattan around 2 am Wednesday, according to the police report. The man confessed that he had hired a Topeka woman online at an agreed $400 rate for two hours of sex.

After the two hours were up, the man confessed to the prostitute that he did not have any money to pay her.

According to authorities, the  man called police for help because he feared some kind of retaliation from the woman or her pimp.

The weirdest thing about this story is that no one has even been arrested. The official line is that “the investigation is ongoing,” which is official jargon for “we have no idea what to do.”

The seemingly innocuous story has gone viral, with a number of commenters saying what you were likely thinking when you started this article (aside from “There’s a Manhattan, Kansas?!”).

“Note to working girls everywhere: Collect up front because ‘services rendered’ lose their value once rendered,” wrote one in reply to the original report.

It’s true of any business transaction. Always get the money up front. Always.

What do you think of the story? I think it’s okay to laugh, if that’s your honest reaction.

[Image via: Fisun Ivan, Shutterstock.com]

Kansas Man Can’t Pay Prostitute, Calls Cops For Help is a post from: The Inquisitr

Grand Theft Auto V is getting a trio of characters trailer next week.

Rockstar Games teased the forthcoming clips with a simple image posted on the company’s official blog. “Michael. Franklin. Trevor. Trailer 4.30,” the text readers.

Since developers have stated that each character will have his own unique identity, story, and skills, it’s not altogether surprising that Rockstar will release individual clips. Here’s hoping the trailers give players some brand new gameplay footage to chew on.

Although Grand Theft Auto V is looming on the horizon, the company has only released two trailers thus far. The first clip that made the rounds showed off the city of Los Santos and some of the surrounding areas. The second preview introduced gamers to the characters they will control over the course of the story.

GTA V allows players to switch between Michael, Franklin, and Trevor with the push of a few buttons. This feature will be available during missions and while gamers are simply wandering around the landscape.

Instead of just hanging around waiting for the players to switch over to them, the characters will go about their business while you control someone else. Rockstar said that players will be surprised by the situations they find their characters in when they switch back and forth.

It’s currently unclear what the new trailers will contain. Since none of the trailers have shown the switching mechanism in action, the clips could give everyone a chance to see how it works. The previews could also reveal more about the characters and their respective backstories.

Regardless of what the new trailers contain, chances are fans of the Grand Theft Auto series will be all over them as soon as they appear online. Since many of us are still a little bummed that the game isn’t currently in our hands, any new footage is certainly a good thing.

Are you looking forward the new Grand Theft Auto V trailers coming next Tuesday (April 30)?

‘Grand Theft Auto V’ Character Trailers Will Be Revealed Next Week is a post from: The Inquisitr

The United States accused Syria on Thursday of using chemical weapons during the country’s two year civil war, which has killed more than 70,000 people.

The accusation by the US follows similar ones from France, the United Kingdom, and Israel. All four have claimed evidence that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons on his people.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke about the accusation on Thursday in Abu Dhabi, saying:

“The U.S. intelligence community assesses with some degree of varying confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin.”

The White House released a similar statement minutes later, also confirming the possibility that Syria used chemical weapons. The press release added that “this assessment is based in part on physiological examples. Our standard of evidence must build on these intelligence assessments as we seek to establish credible and corroborated facts.”

The accusations by the United States come just two days after the head of research for Israel’s military intelligence told a security conference that Syria used chemical weapons against rebel fighters more than once in the past few months. The specific incident in question happened on March 19 near Aleppo, in which 26 people died.

After the announcements by the White House and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) told reporters it was “pretty obvious” that the red line was crossed in Syria. McCain added, “The president of the United States said this would be a red line if they use chemical weapons.”

The sentiments were echoed by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who explained the United States should move quickly in Syria to secure the country’s chemical weapons before they fall into the wrong hands. He added that the US should seek to control the “inevitable second war” in Syria. He explained:

“There are up to six thousand al Qaeda type fighters now in Syria, the country is fragmenting along with sectarian violence and chaos is reigning. The day that Assad fall there will be as surely as I’m standing here a conflict between the majority of Syrians who want to move forward and live in peace and a small element of radical jihadists.”

It is unclear what the United States will do with the latest reports of Syria using chemical weapons.

[Image via Leon E. Panetta]

US Believes Syria Used Chemical Weapons ‘On A Small Scale’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

University of Arizona student Dean Saxton’s “You Deserve Rape” sign has proven to be one of the best if/then paradigm examples this year. If you hold up a “You Deserve Rape” sign during a “sermon,” then you will probably piss people off.

Saxton, or Brother Dean Samuel as he’s known on campus, is a controversial figure who regularly delivers “sermons” at the UA Mall in front of Heritage Hill and the Administration building.

The same day as a sexual assault awareness event (also, April is the month for that), Saxton took to his spot with a simple message: “if you dress like a whore, act like a whore, you’re probably going to get raped.”

“I think that girls that dress and act like it,” Saxton said, “they should realize that they do have partial responsibility, because I believe that they’re pretty much asking for it.”

Several onlookers confronted Saxton personally over his controversial display, and many more wrote, emailed or phoned in complaints to the Dead of Students Office.

There’s just one problem: That pesky First Amendment.

Since Saxton has never threatened or targeted anyone in particular, there’s not much they can do to shut him up.

“We find it to be vulgar and vile,” said Kendal Washington White, interim dean of students. “However, it is protected speech. He has yet to, at this point, violate the student code of conduct.”

“I think if he’s trying to, you know, get people to know God, I think he’s just doing it wrong,” said sophomore Paola Gonzalez. “It is free speech, but I still disagree that he should be able to call other people names and we can’t call him names. He shouldn’t be able to call us names, either.”

Here’s a pretty good video of a UA student who documented the incident. He says he has been following Dean Saxton drama for some time, and promises a “best of” video at some point in the near future. You get a sense that most people don’t really take him seriously.

Check it out. Start around the 1:00 minute mark:

University Student’s ‘You Deserve Rape’ Sign Sparks (What Else) Controversy [Full Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Some moderately big news coming out of the casting chair this morning. It appears that Olivia Wilde, someone who has been in practically everything over the last two years, has dropped out of Daniel Barber’s The Keeping Room.

Barber’s The Keeping Room is a Civil War era thriller which centers around two sisters, along with an African American slave. The three are forced to fight for their home from soldiers who from the Union Army. The plot sounds pretty promising, so we aren’t sure why Wilde dropped out of the project, but now promising actress/screenwriter Brit Marling is stepping in to take her place.

Marling is set to star opposite Hailee Steinfeld and Nicole Beharie. Beharie will play the slave, and Steinfeld the other sister.

Since her Another Earth debut, the actress/writer has been keeping quite the busy schedule as well, with The Company You Keep, and The East, which is out May 31. In addition, Marling has just wrapped on The Green Blade Rises, and a comedy Posthumous. While Wilde is a diverse actress, she’s usually given watered down roles in exchange for her good looks. Marling made a name for herself by writing her own material, which she received an Independent Spirit nomination for.

Last year it was reported that the film would be financed by Wind Dancer Films. At the time Barber said about the film and its original slated actors, “I am thrilled to be working with these three fantastic actors, and very excited to be directing this great script.” At the time Jordan Horowitz of Gilbert Films noted about the film: “a cinematic, thrilling, and dangerous piece of material, and we could not be more excited with the team that has come together to bring this unique story to the screen.”

Are you excited to see Brit Marling in The Keeping Room?

Olivia Wilde Drops Out Of ‘The Keeping Room’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Katt Williams was sentenced today to 428 hours of community service.

TMZ reports that the comedian was facing felony charges for evading police, but he managed to have the charges reduced to a misdemeanor. Now, instead of facing up to 9 months in prison, Williams was sentenced to 428 hours of community service.

The comedian will have to complete his community service in the next nine months.

Katt’s attorney Richard Schonfeld said: “Mr. Williams looks forward to working with the community and moving on with his life.”

Williams went through a bit of a rough period this summer. The comedian was arrested several times in the span of a week and almost decided to end his comedy career. Williams was sentenced today for leading police on a three-wheel motorcycle chase through Sacramento.

Williams said: “There was mistakes made. At some point you have to take responsibility and let everyone move on. I’m glad that this is resolved. I’m not a criminal or a drug dealer. This stuff was just coming so fast and so furious. I got arrested five times and eight days. That’s not something a law abiding citizen has to deal with. I didn’t handle it the best way.”

Here’s a video of Katt Williams after his sentencing today.

Williams may be facing a few hundred hours of community service, but at least he avoided jail time. The comedian also looks more calm than he did during his bizarre spree last year.

Are you a fan of Katt Williams?

Katt Williams Sentenced To Community Service For Reckless Driving is a post from: The Inquisitr

A Scream TV pilot has been given the go-ahead by MTV, and the cable channel is hoping for Wes Craven to direct, The Wrap reported on Thursday.

According to the website, the Ghostface Killer will return in a one-hour adaptation of the Scream movie franchise, which currently consists of four films.

Well, two films and two monstrosities.

Craven has been responsible for all of them, so MTV figured why-the-heck-not. We suppose there is the chance they could get Scream 1/2 Craven, but given the last two entries and the offensively bad My Soul To Take, it’s a questionable aspiration.

MTV and Dimension Films will be working together on the project, and they’ve reportedly spoken to numerous writers, none of whom bear the name Kevin Williamson, or we’re sure there would have been some mention.

Williamson penned the original Scream as well as Scream 2 and Scream 4. Of course, the best thing about the latter was the after-party, but we digress.

Williamson has also been hard at work on The Vampire Diaries since 2009 and just this year launched the gruesome serial killer drama The Following starring Kevin Bacon.

Deadline added that there is no specific direction for the pilot, much less a Scream TV series should MTV pick it up after the planned premiere in the summer of 2014.

It can certainly be fun playing the speculation game, though. These days a straight reboot is always popular. Bringing on a new Sidney Prescott and allowing the story to play out in the same old way would be a little tired.

If we do see the same characters, it’s likely they’ll be brought in to the present to try to connect with MTV’s core audience, whether it’s a remake or a continuation.

There’s also the possibility that we could get a new cast with a new killer and new possibilities that all take place within the movie series’ continuity. A longer form version of Scream 5, if you will.

With the early success of Hemlock Grove, there is definitely a market for long-form horror, so it can work in the right hands. We’re just not sure Craven’s are the right hands at this point.

Here’s a fun little retrospective along with some speculation for how the series might continue:

What would you like to see out of a Scream TV show? A pilot is easy enough to pull off, but what direction do you think the series should go if it’s picked up?

‘Scream’ TV Pilot Will Bring Ghostface To MTV is a post from: The Inquisitr

Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine was released April 24 for Xbox 360 and PC. Here’s what the critics had to say.

Monaco is a four-player heist game featuring very old-school graphics, and proves the theory that a game doesn’t have to be in high definition to be enjoyable. Back in the Atari days, we didn’t have graphics cards, Blu-Ray drives and motion sensor controls. We had fun. Even Nintendo knew there was something about simpler games that drew an audience. The imagination can be a wonderful thing if you let it play.

Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine follows the story of four archetypes who break out of prison and have to find their way out of Monaco. You can use up to seven characters of various kinds, but you start with four, and each has different skills. Along the way, you collect coins which can unlock a second campaign and various cheats such as extra ammo. It’s a little like Metal Gear, only you’re the bad guy and you’re evading the good guys.

Your vision in the game is restricted to line of sight, adding a subtle challenge of not knowing what’s around the next corner. Also unlike most games, it takes time to unlock doors and recover your health, so you need to make the most of what you have. Among the types of characters to choose from are the Lockpick, who can open doors and safes faster, the Pickpocket, who can collect coins more easily, and the Mole, who can dig through walls. Strategy plays a heavy role in making it through each stage.

Monaco will remind you of such influences as Pac Man, Ocean’s Eleven, Gauntlet, Metal Gear, Clue, and Wizards of Wor, and you’ll have fun the entire way.

The difficulty in Monaco: What’s Yours in Mine is especially punishing in single-player mode, where the type of character you choose regulates your only skill as you navigate laser sensors and evade guards. The replay value comes into play as you try to make your way through the stages with characters who aren’t as easy. You don’t have lives so much as you just have different characters to attempt the stage with.

Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine is fun, but a challenge for even the most seasoned stealth fanatics.

What do you think of Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine?

‘Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine’ Review Roundup is a post from: The Inquisitr

Django Unchained will return to theaters in China on May 7.

The film was slated to open in cinemas earlier this month. However, the flick was pulled immediately after its release although it had previously been cleared by censors.

Quentin Tarantino’s bloody western has essentially been sitting around without a release for roughly three weeks. The Hollywood Reporter is now stating the movie has been cleared for release since scenes featuring full-frontal nudity have been removed.

Despite the current reports that Django Unchained is slated to return to theaters in China on May 7, Sony Pictures claims they haven’t been informed about the new release date.

Harvey Weinstein said during his appearance on CBS This Morning that the Chinese film market was simply too big to ignore. In order to make sure the movie screened in cinemas throughout the country, he explained that some necessary cuts were being made to accommodate censors.

“We made some cuts in the movie to accommodate them and I believe the movie will be up and running pretty soon. It is a big audience and I don’t think any of us want to ignore that audience either for a few cuts in the movie,” he said during his interview.

Weinstein also stated that the changes weren’t made due to the political nature of the story. Rumors suggested that authorities didn’t approve of the rebellious elements found in the movie.

China Film Group Corp. angered movie theater owners in China when they yanked the movie from screens on opening day. Although officials said there was a technical problem with the feature, many believed that something in the movie itself had offended censors.

Before it was removed from theaters, Django Unchained had already undergone a few changes in order to appease Chinese officials. Sony Pictures’ Zhang Miao explained that alterations to the film’s bloodshed were made, though these cuts wouldn’t affect the story.

“What we call bloodshed and violence is just a means of serving the purpose of the film, and these slight adjustments will not affect the basic quality of the film — such as tuning the blood to a darker color, or lowering the height of the splatter of blood,” Miao said.

Django Unchained will return to theaters in China on May 7. What do you think about the cuts that were made to Quentin Tarantino’s western?

‘Django Unchained’ Returns To China On May 7 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Microsoft on Thursday quietly closed down Bing Deals, a system that went through various re-builds over the last several years. The platform has now been replaced by Bing Offers. The new application mainly a local deals aggregator for the US market.

Bing Deals launched it 2011 and according to Microsoft the new platform is basically the next evolution for its deals strategy.

Speaking to TechCrunch a Microsoft spokesperson revealed that the Bing Offers program is essentially the next version of Bing Deals.

The service appears to aggregate the webs best offers with a focus on local buys. The program also providers users with international offers that may interest a larger audience of Microsoft product users.

According to Microsoft Bing Offers will aggregate deals from “a broad set of partners, including many of the leading local deal providers.”

Which partners will become the focus of the platform have not yet been revealed. So far offers from LivingSocial, Groupon, Spotted Fox, DoubleTakesDeals, and other smaller providers are beginning to appear via the service. Groupon deals are being delivered via Yipit.

Users have the choice to browse the site in general or focus in with categories such as food, activities, health, fitness, and more.

The platform is desktop, tablet, and mobile device compatible and it features the newly delivered flat design that Microsoft uses for its Outlook.com and Office365 platforms.

The local and national deals space is rather crowded but Bing Offers with its focus on local deals aggregated across its massive platform might be on to something here.

Do you think Bing Offers can stand up against major players in the deals game?

Bing Deals Gets Quietly Axed, Replaced By Bing Offers is a post from: The Inquisitr