If you believe the folks at The Wall Street Journal, AT&T’s monopoly on the iPhone will finally be coming to an end this June when Apple will release a CDMA version of the iPhone which will be available on Verizon. According to people “briefed on the matter” a special CDMA version of the iPhone will be made starting this September by Pegatron Technology Corp., a subsidiary of ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

To which company will this CDMA device be headed? Verizon Wireless. Even though I bash AT&T for their network (and I’m not alone here for sure) and the fact that calls continuously seem to drop, I can actualy tell they’ve made a few strides in improving their network, at least in the Los Angeles area.

Still, in LA at least, Verizon is usually the clear winner when it comes to network availability and the ability to make a call and stay on that call without dropping. So, if their really is an iPhone coming to Verizon, I may just have to pick one up. That or I may just give up the iPhone all together and go for a Google Nexus One when it comes to Verizon. The next few months should be interesting indeed.

XBox 360 (Also Available on PC and Playstation 3) – Square Enix – $59.99

Most gamers playing now can look back and remember their first time stepping in to the ultra-violent sandbox of Grand Theft Auto III. Given run of a city where ever car could be stolen and every pedestrian was a target to run over and every cop could be shot at. It quickly brought out the dark side of many people who were just looking to live life on the other side where they finally got to be the bad guy. Even though the game’s narrative didn’t require the player to become a violent terrorist who got hookers and then killed them after to get their money back, that’s pretty much what all of us became.

Just Cause 2 takes that to a whole new level. Taking that original Grand Theft Auto III formula and adding helicopters, planes, boats, a grappling hook and unlimited parachutes, the mayhem that can be caused is elevated even further. Add in a story and game mechanic that not only encourages but actually requires destruction and chaos, you have a recipe for disaster (the good kind that is).

Gameplay:

The fictional patch of islands known as Panau stretches across 400 square miles of in game world. Every inch of it, be it desert, mountain, city, swamp, beaches and all of the airspace above it are areas for mayhem. Using the game’s 200 vehicles and a variety of upgradable weapons from handguns to rocket launches, players are given the opportunity to cause chaos (measured by an on screen Chaos meter which unlocks more missions and black market shopping opportunities) by destroying statues, oil tanks, gas stations and weaponry of the Panau government. In the process, government forces are summoned depending on the level of chaos being caused. A few frag grenades can quickly lead to helicopters raining down machine gun fire on our protagonist.

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Instead of commenting on the latest TV show, comic book, or superheroine, I’ve decided to fire a shot in a war that’s raged for decades: PC or Mac? For 5 years I’ve had one HP desktop PC at home and used several Mac desktops and laptops in the office.

I’ve finally decided to buy a new computer and because I work in the business of show, I will soon be drafted into the Mac army. I will use my new laptop for both home and work to edit, create flash animations, surf the net, write columns, listen to music, and watch TV.

Before apple juice is spilled and I’m forced to yet again hear about the greatness of Macs, you need to know I do not consider myself to be a tech guru or a first adopter. I have, however, been on computers since the age of 2, I’m an avid user of CNET, I’ve programmed in HTML, and I’ve troubleshot excel and everyday computer glitches for my co-workers.

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Even though I didn’t exactly give Ninja Assasin a rave review when I first saw the film last year during Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX I was still loking forward to seeing it on Blu-ray when it came out. Well, it has and I did watch it on the HD format and all I can say is I’m more impressed with the film now than I was the first time around.

Granted, the story of a boy trained from childhood in the way of the Ninja who is stalked by his former brothers and their dojo master (martial arts legend Sho Kosugi) and who is also on the run with a Europol agent (Naomie Harris) with proof the clan sells assassination services to governments, is still pretty much the same and the flaws I have with it are still pretty much the same. However, experiencing the film on Blu-ray added very much to my enjoyment of it.

I’ll go out on a limb and say one of the main reasons is that the Blu-ray represents the final version of the film with completed visual effects, final color correction, sound, etc. Most likely the version I saw last September was not the final version. This one simply looks and sounds better.

Visual effects, especially the simulated blood (of which there’s a lot) look far better on the Blu-ray version than before. Also, other effects have been cleaned up and the entire presentation of the film has been improved. Plus, you can actually see more of the fight sequences in this version as they have been somewhat lightened, probably due to early screening feedback. Who knows, maybe even I had something to do with it? It’s possible.

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Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was really the first game that got me addicted to the DS. Something about the combination of the really simple Bejeweled-like game play coupled with RPG elements made the game easy to pick up anytime of the day yet really hard to ever put down. I originally picked up the game on a recommendation from the guys at Penny Arcade, so it was only fitting that I got a chance to check out the game’s sequel, Puzzle Quest 2, for Xbox Live at PAX East.

First and foremost– this sequel is nothing like Puzzle Quest Galactrix. While that game was a successor to Puzzle Quest, it ultimately failed in its attempt to be as fun or addicting as the original game. So don’t worry, Puzzle Quest 2 is a return to the original game play with the square board, spell-casting, and all the addicting game play you’d expect.

However, there are definitely some changes in Puzzle Quest 2. Firstly, the game took place in a small town, rather than a large world map like the first game. In PQ I was always wandering around the map trying to find things and it was often hard to read, so the new layout  made finding quests and traveling from place to place much easier.

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Being fans of movies, when we think of some great classic monster movies, we consider the obvious: Dracula, Frankenstein, and Wolfman, but one name that has held strong on the shelf of “Great Movie Monsters” would have to go to the colossal behemouth from Japan, Godzilla.

Godzilla has been a huge name over in Japan since the 1950s, and Hollywood even tried to capitalize on it’s fame back in 1998 with a film starring Matthew Broderick, directed by Roland Emmerich. The movie was a disaster with the critics, but a major monetary success, bringing in $376 Million worldwide.

It seems that Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have recently obtained the US creative rights, which was once in the hands of Columbia/Tristar, and could start shooting soon on a brand new Godzilla movie. From THR:

“Godzilla is one of the world’s most powerful pop culture icons, and we at Legendary are thrilled to be able to create a modern epic based on this long-loved Toho franchise,” said Thomas Tull, chairman and CEO of Legendary. “Our plans are to produce the Godzilla that we, as fans, would want to see. We intend to do justice to those essential elements that have allowed this character to remain as pop culturally relevant for as long as it has.”

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Note: This recap is comprised almost entirely of spoilers. Proceed at your own risk, preferably after viewing the episode.

Sunday night’s episode began with Walt traversing a barren desert in his Buick Rendezvous (how perfect is that car for him?) singing along to America’s “Horse With No Name.” There are no cars in sight, until a police car heading the opposite direction flips a u-turn after passing by him, and pulls him over. Walt is bewildered as to why he got pulled over, because he knows that he was not speeding.

The officer explains that he pulled him over because of a cracked windshield. Walt shrugs as if to say “Oh, is that all,” then explains to the officer that his car was in the very neighborhood of the plane crash, and debris fell on it, hence the cracked windshield. The officer says he will still have to cite Walt.

Walt sits in the car for a moment, then unwisely gets out to give the officer a piece of his mind. Walt exploded into a fit of histrionics, ironically expecting the officer to give him a pass because of the plane crash; the officer is even wearing the blue ribbon that everyone is wearing to remember the victims of the crash.

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When we first told you about AMC’s commitment to an adaptation of Robert kirkman’s The Walking Dead, the network had only ordered a pilot. Now, word comes via Variety that AMC has now greenlit the entire six episode series, which will be adapted and directed by Frank Darabont.

In case you’re not familiar with the comic or the series, it revolves around a group of survivors of a zombie apocalypse and their struggles with said zombies and within their group as well. In addition to adapting and directing the pilot, Darabont will exec produce with Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert. Charles Eglee, an experienced TV drama showrunner, has also boarded the project as an exec producer.

Jon Bernthal, currently seen in HBO’s The Pacific, has been cast in a lead role and speculation is Jonny Lee Miller (recently seen in ABC’s Eli Stone and previously opposite Angelina Jolie in Hackers) will have a role in the series as well. The Walking Dead is targeted to debut in October to coincide with Halloween and AMC’s annual “Fearfest” two-week marathon of horror and thriller pics.

Well Apple and Mac fans, if you’re currenty running some version of OS X 10.6 (aka Snow Leopard) it’s time to head on over to Software Update (or by downloading the Combo Update), fire it up, and download and install the latest version of 10.6 to bring your system up to 10.6.3. The update is recommended for all users and addresses the following:

• improve the reliability and compatibility of QuickTime X
• address compatibility issues with OpenGL-based applications
• address an issue that causes background message colors to display incorrectly in Mail
• resolve an issue that prevented files with the # or & characters in their names from opening in Rosetta applications
• resolve an issue that prevented files from copying to Windows file servers
• improve performance of Logic Pro 9 and Main Stage 2 when running in 64-bit mode
• improve sleep and wake reliability when using Bonjour wake on demand
• address a color issue in iMovie with HD content
• improve printing reliability
• resolve issues with recurring events in iCal when connected to an Exchange server
• improve the reliability of 3rd party USB input devices
• fix glowing, stuck, or dark pixels when viewing video from the iMac (Late 2009) built-in iSight camera

If you do update, let us know if you have any problems.

Okay Chuck fans, tonight’s episode will be a big one. Things have been heating up between Shaw and Sarah but she’s also realized she still has feelings for Chuck so in this episode it’s decision time.

Of course, thanks to our friends at NBC, we’ve got a preview of tomight’s episode for you right here. What will Sarah do? Will she choose Shaw and a life of adventure in Washington, DC? Or, will she give in to her true feelings and choose choose Chuck?

For us its an easy decision: Chuck’s the man. However, for her the choices is a much more difficult one. No matter what happens, tonight’s episode promises to be one you’re going to remember. Plus, while Sarah is making up her mind, Chuck also goes out and kicks some but, which is always fun.

Check out the preview for tonight’s episode after the jump. Chuck airs tonight at 8/7C on NBC.

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Director Anthony Mann helmed this somewhat forgotten Korean War film which pits a small platoon of American soldiers against unseen North Korean snipers and combatants as U.N. forces are pushed further back across the 38th Parallel in September, 1950. The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 as communist insurgents attempted to overthrow the democratic government of the south. The Korean peninsula became divided by the victors after the end of World War II.

The North embraced Chinese communism, while the south became democratic. The U.S. was the first major power to send in an expeditionary force to help its South Korean allies stem the communist invasion. Within a few short months, the U.N. forces were fighting with their backs against the sea and it looked like the war was about to be lost.

‘Men in War‘ (1957) was originally conceived as a World War II story set during the D-Day invasion. Screenwriter Philip Yordan adapted Van Van Praag’s novel “Day Without End” to be set during Korea instead. Robert Ryan (Lt. Benson), Aldo Ray (Sgt. Montana), Robert Keith (The Colonel), Nehemiah Persoff (SSgt. Lewis), Vic Morrow (Cpl. Zwickley), James Edwards (Sgt Killian), L.Q. Jones (Sgt Davis) are among the Hollywood greats who comprise the cast of ‘Men in War‘.

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Now that the hiatus is over, everybody’s favorite paranormal adventure series Supernatural is back and even better. Last week’s episode was quite a doozy, but this week things get a bit celestial. From the CW:

It’s no April Fools Day joke when fellow hunters track and kill Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) as retribution for starting the apocalypse.  The boys are surprised to find themselves in Heaven and with Castiel’s (Misha Collins) help navigating Paradise, they begin searching for information about God’s whereabouts.  In the meantime, Zachariah (guest star Kurt Fuller) continues his intense quest to find the brothers and force them to accept their destinies as Lucifer & Michael’s vessels.

Check out three brand new clips from this week’s episode after the jump, and be sure to catch Supernatural’s “Dark Side of the Moon” this Thursday at 9PM ET/PT on The CW.

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