With all the contract negotiations and such going on over at AMC between the network and the stars and creative team behind their blockbuster hit show Mad Men, there had been some speculation that a 5th season of the show wasn’t a done deal and if there’s going to be a 5th season at all.

However, according to a Q&A taking place at the TCA sessions this week, and reported by Deadline, there is no deal yet with Lionsgate TV for a fifth season of the Emmy-winning period drama or between Lionsgate and series creator Matthew Weiner for him to continue on the show.

However, according to the report, the plan is to bring Mad Men back for Season 5, AMC’s Joel Stillerman told reporters. But he was quick to point out that he din’t know exactly when. AMC President and GM Charlie Collier was also asked about the state of the Mad Men renewal.

“We’re negotiating, don’t know much more than that yet,” he said. “Can’t put a timetable on if.” So, whatever that means it at least looks like AMC is planning on having the show back. Let’s hope all the pieces fall into place.

Well, this is interesting. Apparently Verizon has decided to hold a big media event in New York City on January 11th to announce. . . well, we don’t know yet. However, that hasn’t stopped the speculation from going to an even higher level once word of the event came out.

Of course, we think this is the long-rumored Verizon iPhone announcement. And don’t try to tell us different. We believe, darn it. Anyway, whatever it is Verizon is doing a great job of building anticipation for pretty much anything it ends up announcing.

Although, I would bet that people will be far less excited about another 4G LTE device or some announcement other than the iPhone coming to Verizon. If it isn’t the iPhone, I wouldn’t want to be the guy making the announcement that day.

Whatever happens, we’ve only got a few days to wait. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed, shall we?

It’s a new year, and a new month, which means that Cortney’s TV Digest is here to tell you everything you need to watch. And since it’s a new year, I figured we’d try something a little different, and talk about some shows I’ve never discussed here until now! January’s a big month for tv, with some new shows bursting on the scene, but also some old favorites of mine returning for a new season.

V

With shows like Caprica getting the axe, it’s great to still have some decent sci-fi on television these days. Which is why I’m super psyched that V has returned for its second season.

V is a re imagining of the 1983 mini-series of the same name, in which an alien race arrives on Earth, claiming they come in peace and bringing with them both technology and medical knowledge, as well as some ulterior motives.

V premiered on Tuesday, but that’s plenty of time to catch up on the series in time for the next episode, which airs January 11th on ABC.

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Yesterday during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Verizon unveiled a bunch of upcoming devices built for its 4G LTE network. Some of the devices include smartphones, tablets, laptop computers and mobile hotspots. Here’s a quick rundown of each 4G device covered during the announcement, compiled by the folks at BGR:

• HTC ThunderBolt – HTC Sense 2.0, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 4.3-inch WVGA display, 8-megapixel camera with HD video recording, DLNA capability, video chat support

• LG Revolution – 4.3-inch touchscreen, Android 2.2, video chat, mobile hotspot support (up to eight devices)

• DROID Bionic 4G – Android, video chat, rear-facing 8-megapixel camera, 4.3-inch display, HDMI connectivity, dual-core 1GHz processor, 512 DDR2 RAM

• Unnamed Samsung Smartphone – Android 2.2, 4.3-inch Super-AMOLED Plus display, 1GHz processor, rear-facing 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, video chat

• Motorola XOOM tablet – 10.1-inch display, Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS, 1080p HD video, front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video chat, 5-megapixel camera with video capture, mobile hotspot capability (up to five devices)

• 4G LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab – 7-inch TFT display, Android 2.2, 1.2GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor, rear-facing 5-megapixel camera, front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera

• Novatel MiFi® 4510L Intelligent Mobile Hotspot – 3G and 4G LTE compatibility

• Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot – 3G and 4G LTE compatibility

• Compaq CQ10-688nr – 10.1-inch display, Intel Atom N455 processor, up to 8.5 hours of battery life, multi-format digital media card reader, webcam and multiple connectivity options

• HP Pavilion dm1-3010nr – 11.6-inches, HP CoolSense Technology, up to 10.75 hours of battery life, 320 GB of storage, multi-format digital media card reader, HDMI port, Dolby Advanced Audio and GPS for mapping and navigation

Click through to check out the full press release from Verizon. But take note, its pretty massive.

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20th Century Fox Home Entertainment just made every geek’s day by finally announcing the Star Wars Blu-Ray box set. Set to release in September of 2011, the studio plans 3 distinct high-def sets which will hopefully suit the needs of different fans.

A nine-disc box set called ‘The Complete Saga’ will contain all 6 flicks plus 30+ hours of special features, deleted scenes, alternate scenes and a in-depth exploration of the Star Wars archives. MSRP on this puppy is $139.99, however Amazon.com already has it on pre-order for just short of $90.

For fans of the original trilogy, an aptly titled ‘Star Wars: Original Trilogy’ contains the 3 original flicks only (episodes IV-VI) and will be listed at $69.99 MSRP. For fans of only the prequel movies (a rare breed, for certain), the ‘Star Wars: Prequel Trilogy’ will suit their preferences with the 3 prequel flicks (episodes I-III) and priced at $69.99 MSRP as well.

While the official Star Wars press release is rather skimpy on details, one question I can’t help asking: Will the sets contain the original theatrical cuts of the trilogy or the 90′s-era re-release cuts? I think you can surmise my preference and I’m sure Lucas will experience an Internet-backlash of epic proportions if that decision doesn’t go the way I hope it goes.

So there you have it. Can you wait until September 2011? I know I can’t.

It’s that time of year again. The time when actors and actresses are honored for all the hard work they piled together in the 12 months leading up to one moment of pay off and a tiny little statue. We’re speaking, of course, about the Razzie Awards. These are the awards given out on the eve of Oscar night to those actors, actresses, and fimlmmakers who have produced some of the worst film projects to hit theaters in the past year.

Many remember last year’s big Worst Actress winner being Sandra Bullock, who went on the very next night to win an Oscar for a role in a completely different film. This year’s potentials could have the same luck, but we doubt it. Here’s the shortlist of actors from LA Times.

Among movies and actors shortlisted for the Razzies are Jessica Alba, who is eligible for worst supporting actress for four films (“The Killer Inside Me,” “Little Fockers,” “Machete” and “Valentine’s Day”), and Emily Blunt, eligible in the same category for her work in “The Wolfman” and “Gulliver’s Travels.”

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So yesterday, we ran part one of this post.  In case you missed it, here were my picks:

• Waiting for Superman
• Winter’s Bone
• The Company Men
• Rabbit Hole/Blue Valentine (tie)
• The Fighter

Now, without further ado, are the rest of my picks for best movies of the year.

5. The Kids Are All Right

This quirky drama won me over in no time. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore play a lesbian couple raising two children who were the product of an anonymous sperm donor. When the kids are old enough, they seek out and find their donor, who is played by Mark Ruffalo.

His character Paul is a perpetually laid-back restaurateur who drives a motorcycle and lives a bohemian lifestyle. The kids are instantly captivated, and develop a relationship with the guy, much to the chagrin of their uptight mom Nic (Bening).

I admire writer/director Lisa Cholodenko for her sensitive handling of the subject matter. A lesser director could have turned this into a slapstick farce, but ultimately the film is funny, touching, and wholly original.  It is also universally relatable.  Bening is a standout in the film for her performance.

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Lots of things were considered to be “big deals” in 210, but by far, the most important pop culture event has to be AMC’s first season of The Walking Dead. The show pulled in the highest ratings of a cable based show of all time, not to mention the fact that it was about zombies, and had a regularly unknown cast.

Now, everyone everywhere can relive the epic 6-episode season again and again, as Anchor Bay and Starz is releasing the season on Blu-Ray and DVD this March. It’s already been nominated for a Golden Globe, but that’s only the surface of the accolades you can expect to see for the series in the future. Here’s what you can expect to see on the discs.

Featurettes:
The Making of THE WALKING DEAD
Inside THE WALKING DEAD: Episode 1-6
A Sneak Peek with Robert Kirkman
Behind The Scenes Zombie Make-Up Tips
Convention Panel With Producers
THE WALKING DEAD Trailer

Extra Footage :
Zombie School
Bicycle Girl
On Set With Robert Kirkman
Hanging With Steven Yeun
Inside Dale’s RV
On Set With Andrew Lincoln

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As the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas this week you can expect many announcement over the next four days. Among the first is Motorola’s announcement late yesterday of a new DROID device featuring a dual-core processor, Android OS and designed for the Verizon network.

Dubbed the DROID BIONIC, the handset features a 4.3-inch qHD display, dual-core 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, Wi-Fi, HDMI-out with mirror mode, 1080p playback, 8 megapixel rear-facing camera, front-facing VGA camera, and an LTE radio. With LTE being the forefront of Verizon’s wireless push these days we can expect more announcements like this.

Heck, maybe we’ll finally get that Verizon LTE iPhone we’ve been dreaming of? Could happen. Won’t hold my breath though.

The device will be available “early” in the second quarter of this year. Click through for the full release from Moto.

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If you can’t wait until the new season of True Blood starts again on HBO, at least there’s a little something to keep you occupied until then. What is this amazing thing that can entertain you and satisfy your thirst for new True Blood and the exploits of your favorite resident on Bon Temps, LA.

Why it’s a new True Blood comic book series from the folks at IDW. The followup to the already successful first round of True Blood comics, these new books spin a new tale. In them Jessica is exposed to contaminated bottles of Tru Blood, causing the lovely vampire to go berserk.

It’s up to Sookie, Bill and the others to figure out who (or what) is behind the bad Blood. In addition to Jessica, several other Bon Temp residents are making their comic book debut including Hoyt, Terry, Arlene and Steve Newlin.

Click through for the full press release and some art. Look for the new True Blood comic series to debut on February 23rd.

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Today, as was expected, Apple unveiled their new initiative aimed at Mac OSX software developers and those wishing to purchase applications for their Macs in a way similar to iTunes and iOS apps. Dubbed the Mac App Store, it is part of the latest software release of Apple’s Mac OS X operating system which, when applied, brings Mac computers to version 10.6.6.

Here’s what Apple has to say about the update:

The Mac OS X 10.6.6 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac. It also includes the Mac App Store, the best way to discover and buy new apps for your Mac. The Mac App Store, a new application you’ll find in the Dock, includes the following features:

• Discover Mac apps: Browse featured apps, top charts, and categories, or search for something specific. Read detailed app descriptions and user reviews, and flip through screen shots.
• Buy and install: Easily purchase apps with your iTunes account. Apps install in one step and are quickly available from the Dock.
• App updates: The Mac App Store keeps track of all your purchased apps and notifies you when free updates are available.

Among the apps being sold in the Mac App Store as of this morning are some made by Apple, including parts of the iLife and iWork suites and Aperture 3. These apps are available individually with prices ranging from $15 for iLife apps to $20 for iWork apps and $79 for Aperture.

The update is now available via Software Update so if you’re interested in this, fire up your Mac and get to updating. If you do, let us know your experiences in the comments.