Go To Space Says Gaga

        New York - Lady Gaga (Joanne Angelina Germanotta) is on an eye-catching unique publicity tour for her new album "Artpop". The album's first single "Applause," remains a top 10 hit. She's scheduled to tackle hosting and performing on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," she redesigned the Life section of US Today, she has a concert special coming up with Ryan Seacrest next week, she recently opened pop-up (designed to last three days to three months) stores in New York and Los Angeles, and she is scheduled to one of the main honorees at Glamour's Women of the Year ceremony. Gaga says, "You know what I realized? That I don't need to reinvent myself. What I realized is that in your lifetime, if you have one really great idea, run with it. And run all the way to outer space if you can."  See also, www.artpop.com. 

Charlie Sheen Says Lets Be Friends

      According to a gossip article Charlie Sheen is trying to mend fences with his ex-wife Brooke Mueller. But now, it appears Charlie Sheen has written a letter to his former producer, and creator of Two And a Half Men, Chuck Lorre. In the letter Charlie Sheen reportedly says, "hey Chuck, I have an idea that u need to hear after I make amends to you and yours, which I will do in person. Xox c." See also, www.twoandahalfmen.com.

Smart Watches Getting a Little Smarter For The Holidays

     Smart phones do the heavy work such as downloading apps and loading full web pages.  But smart watches may can now act like assistants to the smart phones.  Smart watches can now stay in contact with your smart phone and serve as a representative of the telephone to the outside world,  monitoring traffic between your smart telephone and other wireless devices.  Sony's SmartWatch2 uses a bigger screen and is water resistant.  For 2013 a smart watches main function is to act as a handy second screen for your smart phone.  The premise is to allow users to dismiss useless phone notifications and allow you to only grab the handset when absolutely necessary.  Smart watches linked to operating systems, like Android for example, will receive alerts for texts, calls, and social media updates while on the wearers wrist.  Smart watches will also be able to control your phones music player, so you won't have to reach into your purse or pocket to change volume or skip to the next track.  And, ultimately at the cash register, near field communication (NFC) is a natural component that allows a relatively secure way to pay bills, by simply waving your smart watch wearing wrist at   NFC enabled cash registers, while leaving your smart phone in your purse or pocket.  See also, www.sony.com.          

SOAPnet Unable to Produce Lather

       Burbank - Disney announced three years ago its plan to fold SOAPnet, a channel it created 14 years ago to wring extra life from some daytime and nighttime dramas. "General Hospital", "All My Children," "The Young and The Restless", "Falcon Crest", "Knotts Landing", and more, were all part of the programming of SOAPnet. SOAPnet was intended to give working women the opportunity to catch up on their favorite soaps at night, after they got home from work. Technology forced a shift in the corporate priorities of Disney. When SOAPnet first launched it was in the days of the videocassette recorder (VCR). Digital video recorders allowed viewers to record multiple shows, while still fast forwarding through commercials. Advertisers migrated to other platforms and SOAPnet became less profitable. See also, www.soap.net.

British Awards Show Tapes in Los Angeles

       Hollywood - With more than 35 Hollywood award shows on prime-time television it seems that one more won't make a difference. TV networks like award shows because, like most reality shows, they're relatively inexpensive to produce, and they bring a lot of star power to the set. Stars love the gold, silver, or crystal award that validates their work, gives them approval of their peers, and place them in history. We, as fans, love watching the money, power and good looks. Award shows allow us to see our ultimate entertainers be winners and losers, just like us. This time it is the Britannia awards to be presented at the Beverly Hills Hotel saturday night, November 09, 2013. The show will be broadcast on BBC America the next night. Handed out by the Los Angeles branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, The Britannia Awards promise an all-star cast. Presenter include, Julia Roberts, Sean Penn, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Kathryn Bigelow, George Clooney, and Sacha Baron Cohen. See also, www.variety.com.

Xbox One Voice and Motion Recognition

      Redmond, Washington - Microsoft announced that streaming content apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, VUDU, Crackle, ESPN, Univision, Fox, CW, HBO, and the NFL will all be on Xbox One, some as soon as Spring 2014. Graphically, the Xbox One interface is able to switch between video games, watching live episodes of television, and viewing the channel guide. Xbox One can also, record and upload footage captured from video games and the Kinect motion sensor. Microsoft introduced the machine as an all-in-one entertainment solution for living rooms, that allows users to switch between activities on a TV screen, by just telling the machine what to do without needing to press buttons. Rather than the previous super-powered gaming console that the Xbox 360 is, Microsoft has included other audiences than just gamers. See also, www.xboxone.com.

Possible Hunger GamesTheme Park

        Entertainment Wire - Lions Gate Entertainment will release a second film, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", on November 22, 2013. "The Hunger Games", which stars Jennifer Lawrence, was the third best-selling film in the United States theatrical market in 2012, according to the site Box Office Mojo. Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, the studio that produced "The Hunger Games", says it is studying proposals for a theme park based on the futuristic movie. "We have been approached in two different territories by potential park opportunities, which gives you some sense of the cultural impact of this franchise," said Lions Gate Chief Executive, Jon Feltheimer. See also, www.hungergames.com.