IMAX Theaters: Taking the Plunge - Newsweek Periscope - MSNBC.com

In the new IMAX 3-D movie 'Deep Sea 3D,' squids appear to dart toward viewers' 3-D glasses and jellyfish float within arm's reach. To get this effect, director Howard Hall had to use the world's largest camera. Weighing 1,300 pounds in its underwater housing, the camera needed two people to operate and cost $60 a second to use. 'The camera is almost totally impractical,' says Hall. But well worth it. At a time when traditional movie-theater sales are declining, IMAX 3-D films are a growing niche market new screens are added a year (there are currently 266 worldwide). Richard Gelfond, co-CEO of IMAX Corp., says the next frontier is converting full-length Hollywood blockbusters into 3-D. IMAX first did that with 'The Polar Express,' and it grossed more than $60 million; IMAX made up only a tiny fraction of the theaters showing 'The Polar Express' but it brought in 20 percent of the film's worldwide sales. IMAX plans to release two more animated full-length 3-D films in the next year and eventually to convert a full-length live-action blockbuster to 3-D. The reason behind IMAX's success is simple, says Hall. 'The audience craves 3-D. It is magic.' Even if it sometimes needs a little help from a really big camera."

Farrell for Haynes' Dylan biopic

Colin Farrell has been linked to American writer-director Todd Haynes' alternative biopic of Bob Dylan, according to Production Weekly. The film 'I'm Not There' is designed to star seven actors, all of who embody a different aspect of the singer-songwriter's life and work. Farrell, along with Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Julianne Moore have all been added to the cast list. Haynes, who has previously directed 'Far From Heaven' and 'Velvet Goldmine' is planning to start filming this summer in Romania." I knew this trend of making hollywood movies about music icons would go sour. I am not okay with this. They already made this movie - its called No Direction Home, &, not to mention, Don't look back. And its got the real deal, not glamorized hollywood it boys looking to boost their career and bank account. Grrr.

Minus 30F 'anti-griddle' insta-freezes anything you put on it

The 'anti-griddle' is a super-chilled slab of metal in your kitchen that nearly instantaneously freezes anything you set down on it: * Quickly freezes sauces and purees into solid, unique forms %u2014 or freezes just the outer surfaces while maintaining a creamy center. * Minus 30F griddle' temperature ensures almost instantaneous results. * Approximately 1 square foot high-endurance cooktop provides an ample, easy-to-clean work surface. "

Star Factory

Dallas Observer : " At Septien Vocal Studio, anyone can make it in music. But you've got to be cute. And a million bucks would help too. By Andrea Grimes Caroline Dingwall has her game face on. Perched before the piano in a mirrored practice room, the 12-year-old's intent gaze hides her inexperience as a performer. She stretches her fingers gently across the keys, playing the opening notes to John Lennon's 'Imagine.' You'd be forgiven if you suppress a cringe: Bubbly pre-teens simply were not meant to sing about having no possessions, no need for greed or hunger and no religion too. But amazingly, as Caroline churns through the plodding chords, the song comes to life. The yellow-blond girl closes her eyes while she sings and instinctively makes eye contact when emphasizing key phrases. She shakes her head slightly at the chorus. Watching her, you'd believe this little girl could tell you, in all seriousness, that you may say she's a dreamer, but she's not the only one. Across the room, her vocal coach, Linda Septien, smiles approvingly. Caroline has successfully 'sold' the song. It's a skill she's honed during more than a year and a half of intensive training at the Septien Vocal Studio in Addison, where she's learned the elements of commercial pop performance: using delicate vocal inflections and slipping in timed gestures to turn every song into a show. Does Caroline think she'll make it big? 'Of course I do. There's no doubt,' she says. And mentor Linda Septien stands behind her product. She's spent the past six years developing a 'master class' vocal performance and artist development program for kids like Caroline--an exclusive star factory where, each year, 15 kids ages 9 to 17 will learn to sing, dance, play instruments and perform anywhere that will have them. Placing these raw talents on her assembly line, Septien, a classically trained singer, molds and shapes them into marketable musical product. She claims 100 percent success in getting her master-class students signed to song-publishing contracts or development deals, and her young charges--such as 13-year-old Paige Velasquez--routinely blow away the competition in local talent showcases. 'If you had somebody all day long telling you how to be onstage,' says Septien, in her Louisiana-infused accent, 'how to sing, how to songwrite...you'd be pretty good too.' Reclining in front of tens of thousands of dollars worth of vocal recording equipment in her Addison studio, she laughs a little. 'You'd be pretty dumb if you weren't.' Septien will tell you, in fact, that anyone can make it in music. All it takes is a million dollars. And she ought to know. She spent years grooming Jessica Simpson for stardom, teaching her voice lessons and corraling investors to fund her promotion. After Ryan Cabrera trained in her program, Septien sent him to Jessica's father and manager, Joe Simpson, who turned him into an overnight success. Septien's program is geared toward commercial success any way you can get it, no apologies offered. Her students value Septien for her honesty, her acknowledgment that music is a business; they're here to make it big, not toil for years in basement bands. She's comfortable talking about the flaws of former students Ashlee and Jessica Simpson. Ashlee, she says, 'can't sing.' And Jessica, she adds, shouldn't have gone for the sexy look to sell more records. Septien also acknowledges that parents need a significant amount of money to keep their kids in her master class, which can cost up to $1,500 a month."

11 Actors You Recognize Whose Names You Forget

Netscape Celebrity: "Late in 2005, director Robert Brinkmann released an intimate film entitled 'Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party.' The 87-minute documentary focused on the life and career of Stephen Tobolowsky, one of America's most prolific and, perhaps, least-known actors. Despite starring in such films as 'Thelma and Louise,' 'Basic Instinct' and 'Groundhog Day,' the American public is oblivious to his star status, a premise that was underscored in the film's trailer when Tobolowsky himself asked a passersby if they had ever heard of him.As humorous as the scenario may have been, it's not uncommon. For every Tom Cruise and Will Smith there are dozens of actors who aren't even household names within their own households. Dim the lights and grab your popcorn as we take a loving look at these underappreciated artists."

Book Signing, Sans Author

Margaret Atwood has had enough of long journeys, late nights and writer's cramp. Tired of grueling book tours, the Booker Prize-winning Canadian author on Sunday unveiled her new invention: a remote-controlled pen that allows writers to sign books for fans from thousands of miles away. Some fear Atwood's LongPen could end the personal contact between writers and readers. Atwood says it will enhance the relationship. 'I think of this as a democratizing device,' said Atwood, whose appearances draw hundreds of fans willing to stand in long lines for a word and an autograph. 'You cannot be in five countries at the same time. But you can be in five countries at the same time with the LongPen.' Atwood's democratic device underwent the most universal of experiences on Sunday: the last-minute technical hitch. Its first-ever public demonstration, at the London Book Fair, was delayed as project director Matthew Gibson and his crew engaged in some frantic tinkering. 'We've had a setback, and we're trying to address it,' Gibson said. Anxious minutes later, Atwood picked up a pen to autograph her new short story collection, The Tent, for Nigel Newton, chief executive of her British publisher, Bloomsbury. She wrote the words on an electronic pad while chatting to Newton over a video linkup. A few seconds later in another part of the exhibition center, two spindly metal arms clutching a pen reproduced the words onto Newton's book in Atwood's angular scrawl: 'For Nigel, with best wishes, Margaret Atwood.' Later, Atwood planned to give the device its transatlantic 'Marconi moment,' signing copies of The Tent for readers in New York and Guelph, Ontario. When Atwood, 66, announced her invention late in 2004, many assumed it was a hoax. But the inventive spirit is not surprising from an author whose interest in science and technology informed science fiction-flavored novels such as The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake."