Win Dinner with Edward James Olmos!

EJOCalling all Nuggets! Here’s your chance to win a trip to Los Angeles to dine with Edward James Olmos. Frakkin’ awesome, right? But we’re not just going to bestow this honor on anyone. You’ll need to fill out the “Viper Pilot Application” form so that we know you qualify for consideration. You will be asked to answer 10 questions. Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

1) Knowledge of Battlestar Galactica TV series as displayed in the answers
2) Creativity in formulation of answers
3) Clarity of thought in presentation of answers.

So grab your gun and bring in the cat. Good hunting!

Click here to find out more: http://www.ugo.com/battlestarcontest/

Why You Should Be Watching Eastwick

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The ABC drama, Eastwick, centers around three women who live in the town of Eastwick. They’re quite ordinary when we first meet them, though each has a very distinct personality. Weird things begin to happen when Bun, the head of the Eastwick Historical Society, is attacked by army ants.

This happens on the day that Darryl Van Horne moves into town. Darryl is a very wealthy, charming, and mysterious newcomer. He moves in and takes an instant interest in the three main ladies, who I should probably introduce now.

Roxie is the blonde bombshell, even if she is a little older. She’s dating a younger man, probably to make herself feel younger. Roxie is an artist. She has her own store, where she sells her bizarre creations. She has a daughter named Mia. After Darryl comes to town, she starts to have strange but psychic dreams. She also seems to have the power to make things happen by just wanting it. There is some sort of footnote to that power, though, because not everything she wants happens. My theory is, it has something to do with how bad she wants it.

Roxie also has a vision of someone killing her, then the person in her vision shows up in town. She decides the vision must be wrong and agrees to rent Jamie, the Johnny Depp look-a-like, the apartment above her shop.

Joanna is a shy and awkward newspaper reporter. Her best friend is named Penny and works at the paper with her. She has a crush on the newspaper photographer, Will. She always stumbles and says inappropriate things when talking to Will. After Darryl arrives, however, she is able to look into a man’s eyes and tell them what to do. Better yet, they do it. Joanna uses her charms on Will, but then wonders if he really likes her. Joanna also starts to investigate Darryl, and comes up with some very interesting and unbelievable information.

Kat is a mother of five and married to Raymond. She’s a registered nurse and is always taking care of everyone else. Raymond is very controlling and they start to have problems when she begins hanging out with Joanna and Roxie. Kat grows a backbone and lets Raymond know he can’t tell her what to do anymore, or maybe the lightning did that. Kat can control the elements, or so it seems. She may or may not be divorcing Raymond. That’s up in the air.

Eastwick is really entertaining. I’ve heard people compare it to Desperate Housewives with magic. It’s also very mysterious. You know the ladies have powers, but why or where they came from is unknown right now. I think everyone should check out this very interesting drama. It’s actually different from anything on television right now, and a nice change of pace. Also, it’s just a lot of fun.

Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories Brings Books to Kids

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When I was a kid, there was a fun local restaurant that would give a Golden book with the kid’s meals. Long after my McDonalds toys had broken and/or disappeared I had those books. So I really loved the fact that my all-time favorite cereal (yes, I started when I was 2 and I still eat Cheerios) was going to be giving away six million children’s books free inside Cheerios boxes (Starting in October 2009). Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories will offer 5 different books (in English and Spanish) published by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. One of offered books is a new book in the popular “Trucktown” series, available only inside Cheerios boxes.

Of course, a big bummer with prizes inside the box is not knowing which prize you’re getting. But Cheerios has made it easy with a a special cut-out window on the front of the box, so you can select the specific book you want, or you can collect all five.

In addition to the books, Cheerios is also making a financial donation to First Book, an award-winning children’s nonprofit organization that gets new books to children from low-income families. Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories kicks off during Give a Child a Book Week, October 12 – 19. With the help of Cheerios’ financial support, First Book will give a year’s worth of books to every child participating in 50 selected reading programs, one in each state across the country.

For more info check out: www.spoonfulsofstories.com.

(Photo: PRNewsFoto/Cheerios)

Podcast Review: Why You Should Listen to Murder at Avedon Hill

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Listen to Murder at Avedon Hill (free) || Listen to Murder at Avedon Hill on Podiobooks.com

Crossing genres can work extremely well. Case in point is one of my favorite TV shows – Firefly (SciFi/Western). Of course, for this to work the artist/creatorhas to have some basic understanding of both genres to serve them well. After finishing “Murder at Avedon Hill” (MaAH), I can assure you that author P.G. Holyfield not only brings an entertaining fantasy story but a compelling mystery. Even if fantasy isn’t your cup of tea (or if tea isn’t your cup of… well, you get the idea) Holyfield spins a compelling tapestry of characters, situations and, of course, murder.

If you haven’t heard a podcast novel yet, they’re rich (and mostly free) sources of entertainment. MaAH is a novel, read by the author and featuring some sound effects and guest voices for the various characters. This gives you an enhanced narrative experience. Holyfield brings in a rich cast that adds color and life to his already deep characters.

Even though I really enjoy Holyfield as a person (I’ve met him on two occasions and have had multiple virtual conversations with him), I was not prepared for how awesome it was.

Murder at Avedon Hill follows the adventures (and mis-adventures) of Arames Kragen, retired Aarronic Advisor and scholar of prophecy, and Arrin, his young assistant. On a journey they come across a murder at the picturesque town of Avedon Hill. Much like a Agatha Christie novel, there’s a small town with hidden secrets and everyone seems to have a motive. Dash in sprinkles of magic, vampires, and fantasy and you have a compelling story.

If you enjoy a good mystery and some classic fantasy, you’ll enjoy Murder at Avedon Hill.

For more information:

Murder at Avedon Hill website.

Murder at Avedon Hill on Podiobooks.

Must Watch this Fall: White Collar

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USA’s New Original Series White Collar – October 23 at 10/9c

whitecollarTake one part smart, one part funny and add in a dash of charm and you have USA Network’s newest series – White Collar. I received a screener copy of the pilot and wasn’t sure how I’d enjoy the series. I shouldn’t have been worried, the show is endearing, clever, smart and enjoyable!

White Collar is a show that fits in well with USA’s other smart shows – Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, and Royal Pains – without being a clone of those shows. It follows the unlikely partnership of a FBI agent and a high-class thief named Neal Caffrey. The G-man, Peter Burke (played by Tim DeKay) is our middle-class hero who is comitted to his work. Caffrey is the effortless con man, who seems to be able to get anything he wants.

Matt Bomer, who many of you know as Bryce from Chuck, brings his sexy/snarky self to the role of Neal Caffrey, a character who is a mixture of The Saint and Frank Abagnale Jr. He plays off of his co-start, Tim DeKay (Carnivale) at a level that you usually don’t see in a pilot of a TV series. The back and forth between DeKay and Bomer seems like it’s come from years of working together, not a few weeks. And that’s the heart of why I loved the pilot for White Collar – there’s a great relationship between the actors (even the secondary characters interaction with the main characters is believable and fun to watch).

This was one pilot that I couldn’t stop watching. I was never bored, nor did I feel the story dragged at any point. I was kept enthralled with the story from start to finish. I also loved some of the fun camera angles and editing choices that kept the show feeling fresh. Especially watching Caffery deal with his new role and seeing Burke deal with his new partner. Despite the differences between the two both men have points of similarity that makes their conversations interesting.

It was also a pleasant surprise to see Mark Sheppard (Firefly/Battlestar Galatica/Dollhouse) in a guest role. His role is fun, if briefer than I would have liked (I think this pulls Sheppard’s ‘bad guy’ role up to the double digits).

In all, this is a series I can see jumping to the top of my “must watch” list and I think you should see it too.

Learn more at USA Network’s website by clicking here.

Kristen Bell Returns in Assassin’s Creed II

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If you’ve missed Kristen Bell on TV (yes, we miss you Veronica Mars) she could be gracing your screen again – well, if you buy your own copy of Assassin’s Creed II.

Assassin’s Creed II will be available in North America November 17, 2009 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and PC. For more information, please visit http://www.assassinscreed.com.

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Bell is revising her role as Lucy Stillman, a research assistant for Dr. Warren Vidic. Bell enjoyed voicing Lucy (and in 2007 Hottest Newcomer” at the Spike Video Game Awards for her role in the first Assassin’s Creed).

“Being a part of the first Assassin’s Creed video game was an amazing experience. Video games is such a creative entertainment medium, and to be able to see and play myself as a video game character was surreal,” said Kristen Bell. “As an actress, it’s both challenging and rewarding to play a complex character with this great mysterious background. I’m very happy to be Lucy once more, and I look forward to fans discovering more about her – they will be pleasantly surprised.”

Of course, this makes us wonder, do you buy a video game because of the vocal guests? Celebs on video games is always fun (we love Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk on Halo 3),  but is that the main reason you buy a game?

Disney May Not Hold on to Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, and Others

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Some of the most cherished names in comic book history, from Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk to the X-Men and Fantastic Four, have found themselves locked in a new battle over who owns the characters’ copyrights.

The children of comic book artist Jack Kirby have filed to regain copyrights to these characters just weeks after Disney bought Marvel Comics for $4 billion.

Forty-five notices of transfer of copyright have been filed by law firm Toberoff and Associates and have been served to Marvel, Disney, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures.

The heirs served the notices under the auspices of the U.S. Copyright Act, which permits authors and their heirs to terminate old copyright grants after a long waiting period, allowing them to recapture the rights for their own use.

Source.

(Photo: Marvel)

TGI Friday’s #1 Fan Woody Gets 500,000 Fans… and Asks for More.

woodyFacebook promotions are a tricky thing. Sometimes they succeed, but most times they fall flat on their face. Apparently TGI Friday’s promotion for “Woody” has been an outstanding success. Through commericals Woody offered a free burger to everyone who friended him on Facebook IF he got 500,000 fans by September 30th. By the 13th he had over the number needed. Each of those fans (from the first 500,000) will receive a coupon via email  (on October 1st, 2009) which is redeemable for a free Jack Daniel’s burger or a Jack Daniel’s chicken sandwich.

But the promotion didn’t stop there, so Woody has offered a new challenge – 1 million fans.

“While we did not underestimate the love our guests have for our famous Jack Daniel’s Grill, we may have underestimated Woody,” said Andrew Jordan, senior vice president of marketing for T.G.I. Friday’s. “This guy loves a party and will stop at nothing to get one million fans. If Woody can get one million Facebook fans by September 30, 2009, T.G.I. Friday’s will give Woody and each of his one million fans a free Jack Daniel’s burger or Jack Daniel’s chicken sandwich.”

If you want to sign up to be Woody’s friend head on over to http://www.facebook.com/fanwoody AND enter your email address on the signup page.

Tea Stain Clothing Launches “The Music Fashion Project”: Style, Music and Charity!

image001Shop for a good cause! Tea Stain Clothing has just launched The Music Fashion Project. This philanthropic initiative pairs some of the rock scene’s biggest names with their favorite style of Tea Stain Clothing to raise money for music-related charities. Participating bands include well known bands like Papa Roach and The Donnas. The project also features some bands ‘on the verge’ like Framing Hanley, currently holding the #1 video spot on Fuse TV, and Lovehammers featuring Marty Casey from NBC’s Rock Star INXS. Some benefiting charities include VH1 Save The Music, Little Kids Rock and Rock ‘N Renew. To contribute to the project, fans simply purchase their favorite band’s selected charity style. Tea Stain Clothing takes care of the rest by donating a portion of the proceeds directly to that band’s specified charity.

The project is web based and every band’s feature is completely sharable. “This is the next generation of social media and web based marketing. We wanted to make a difference and make it easy to spread the word.” founder Devin Hajek says. “Even if someone isn’t able to spend money on a shirt, they can still support their favorite band/charity by simply clicking ‘share’. From there they have the option to email their friends or post it on their myspace, facebook and a host of other social networking outlets.”

For more information check out – http://www.teastainclothing.com/