Musings: CGI The Way To Go For Future Epic Marvel Crossover Movies?

Recently, I came across Iron Man's Adventures, a CG animated cartoon, over at Kenmoo 2007. He also kindly pointed out that the animation was done by Blur Studios, the same guys behind the hit video game, Marvel Ultimate Alliance.

The video above is the short cartoon I was talking about. Some kind folk strung all three parts together into one full clip for convenient viewing. Whoever it is, thanks a bunch!

Anyway, this led me to think that perhaps Marvel crossover movies of the future (think Avenger-themed Captain America & The Avengers) could very well be done using CGI. This seems to be reflected in an interview with Zak Penn, the man behind the screenplays for X-Men 2, Elektra, and X-Men 3.

Think about it. How else are they going to rope in so many big name actors, Robert Downey Jr., Edward Nortons, and whoever is playing Thor and Captain America, plus out of the world special effects without blowing half a billion's worth of green?

The logical thing, therefore, is to go CG. And frankly, if the guys at Blur Studios who are at the helm of things, I won't mind one bit at all. The CG cut scenes in Marvel Ultimate Alliance was a blast (check this sampler out), and the if Iron Man's Adventures are anything to go by, a CG Avengers movie should be nothing short of awesome.

Motoring: World's Most Kinky & Erotic Car? Agent Provocateur Mini Clubman

Yesterday, we've have seen what is currently the most expensive car on the planet. Today, we shall take a look at what is possibly the kinkiest and most erotic.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this here is the Agent Provocateur Mini Clubman.

Do not be deceived by the Mini Clubman's naughty appearance, it's all for a good cause. Apparently, this one-off Clubman was specially designed by famed lingerie-makers, Agent Provocateur for "Life ball", Europe's biggest charity event for AIDS.

This sexy little car will be put on eBay for auction from the 5th to 15th of June, 2008, with all proceeds going to Life Ball.

No word on the car's performance, but with a comfy looking leather seats, hothandlebars and a whipping stick, it is perhaps safe to say that this car was built for something else rather than speed.

If still sitting on the fence about placing a bid, you might want to check out these very NSFW photos and video of the car to help you make your decision.

Source: Carscoop, Jalopnik

Motoring: Most Expensive Car In The World - Chris Evan's £5.5 Million 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder

When I heard the news, my initial reaction was, "Chris Evans?! The Human Torch? How did he afford something like that?"

It was later that I realized it was Chris Evans [wiki], the British radio/tv presenter and producer. Still, is he that rich? Which led me to wonder if there was big money to be made in producing radio/tv presenting and producing......

Anyway, the car you are looking at above is current the most expensive car in the world. A black 1961 Ferrari 250 California Spyder costing a whopping £5.5 million.

It was auctioned two days ago at a glitzy special event in Maranello, Italy. The car belong to the late Hollywood actor James Coburn, who had bought the car second hand in 1964 on the recommendation of Steve McQueen, whom he had acted along side in The Great Escape.

Surprisingly, the car was expected to fetch "only" £2 million. Now you know how ugly bidding wars can get.

In the meantime, I'm still struggling to recover from the absurd amount Chris paid for the car. I know its a 250 Cali, but you can get a lot of cars for £5.5 million.

Source: Carscoop

Transformers: Soundwave - ReTouched (The Sequel!) [Video]

Remember poor Soundwave?

Yeah, he didn't get a part in the first Transformers movie because Bay thought it was odd he transforms into a tape deck. Because of that, Soundwave succumbed to a life of alcohol and drugs. Watch this to find out what really happened.

Hopefully appearing in Transformers 2 will help him end his seedy lifestyle.

Motoring: Mazda Furai Looks Like A Demon, Sounds Like One Too [Video]

This is the Mazda Furai, and it is like nothing you have ever seen before.

Half-Batmobile, half demon-car-from-hell, The Furai, Japanese for 'sound of wind', is part of Mazda's 'Nagare' design movement, a philosophy that emphasizes things like natural flow and currents. The Furai is actually the fifth and possibly last 'Nagare' car from Mazda, and unlike its predecessors, the Furai is different in that it actually works.

Laurens van den Acker, head of design at Mazda, said that despite being the most extreme looking of the bunch, the Furai is actually also the most practical. He insisted that every wave, line and curve serves a purpose, and that the Furai was not designed just to look good, it must also perform. To that extent, Mazda also confirmed that there are plans to put the Furai to race.

If you are skeptical about the Furai's racing credentials, know that the chassis is actually based on that of a Courage C65 LMP2, which ran competitively in the American Le Mans Series. Also, the Furai is powered by a mid-mounted rotary engine modified to run on 100% pure ethanol. The end result of that lethal concoction is 450hp, and an engine note, as you will hear in the video below, that can only be described as hellish.

This video was taken at Buttonwillow Raceway when Mazda ALMS driver Ben Devlin took Mazda designer Ken Saward for a few laps. Watch carefully at the start where Devlin takes Saward's hands off the dashboard. Poor boy is hanging in for dear life!

Mazda hasn't provided official performance figures for the Furai, but if the video is anything to go by, I think it's safe to say the Furai won't be a slouch.

Anime: Code Geass R2 Episode 6 Recap: Lelouch Hesitates, The Imba Gurren & Mecha Action Galore!

After learning that the new Governor-General is going to be his sister, Nunnally, Lelouch finds himself at a crossroad. After telling C.C. that he will not attack his own sister, Lelouch orders the Black Knights to capture Nunnally when she is en route to Area 11 from Britannia.

The attack goes as planned, but once again, Lelouch's inability to act when it mattered, threatens the entire operation. This time, after meeting Nunnally, he is shell-shocked to learn of her plans for Area 11. His indecision allows reinforcements from Britannia in the form of Guildford and the Knights of Round, Suzaku, Gino and Anya.

A massive Knightmare-on-Knighmare battle ensues, but in the end, Lelouch's hesitation proved to be costly when Suzaka manages to safely rescue Nunnally, leaving behind a clearly distraught Lelouch.

While the previous episode featured a lot of flesh, this one is all about the mechas.

In fact, this is the first episode of the second season to really feature extensive fights between the Knightmare Frames, andd the fights certainly didn't disappoint. In the previous episode, we caught a glimpse of Gino's Tristan frame [wiki] and Anya's Moldred frame [wiki], in this episode, we get to see them in action, which is cool.

Also, be sure to watch out for the Gurren's ridiculously imba [urban dict.] upgrades. Even the Knights of Round, Gino and Anya are helpless to the Gurren's new found powers.

What will Lelouch do, now that Nunnally is once again in the hands of Britannia? Will he risk another operation? Or will he turn to the Chinese for aid? And what plans do the Chinese have for Lelouch and the Black Knights?

It's getting more exciting with each passing episode.

Sideshow Toys: 1/6 Darth Vader In The Works [Aha! I Knew It!]

I !#$^%* knew it!

When Sideshow announced some time back that they had developed a new body for armoured characters, I half-expected them to do a Darth Vader figure.

Now, my suspicions have been confirmed.

Sideshow's production blog states that a 1/6 Darth Vader is indeed in the works and is one of their "most active high priority projects". It also says that Vader will be available for pre-order in a "few months" (What?! I have to wait that long?!).

In the meantime, all there is to see is this extremely teasing video.

Be still my beating heart. Be very still.

Amusing Stuff: Learn To Speak Chinglish [Seriously Funny]

So funny, I can't help it. For some reason, Sum Ting Wong really cracks me up. Hu Yu Hai Ding is a close second.

First seen @ Empty Vessel.

Street Fighter: Tiger Uppercut! Spiral Arrow! SOTA & REFLECT Present Sagat & Cammy

If you are above 20-years-old and have never played Street Fighter II, you have no childhood. No, I'm not joking. You don't.

As far as fighting games go, Street Fighter II is one of the most important. Without Street Fighter, games like Soulcalibur, Tekken, Marvel vs. Capcom and King of Fighters probably won't even exist.

With Street Fighter IV in the works, Street Fighter is once again gaining in popularity. You know what this means? One word. Figures.

Banking on Street Fighter's increasing popularity, SOTA Toys have here a 12 inch tall, resin figure of the muscled and scarred Muay Thai fighter Sagat.

What I like about this figure is that it is incredibly detailed. Just look at those rippling muscles and that painful-looking scar across his chest. Even the bandages have not been spared, they look worn, used and dirty. The attention to detail is amazing.

As such, Sagat doesn't come cheap. Expect to pay around USD $119.90 (SGD $165) for him when he comes out later this year in October.

Check out Sagat at SOTA Toys here.

Here is a delicious-looking figure of the femme fatale that is Cammy.

I first saw this over at Heisei Democracy's coverage of garage kits at the recently concluded World Hobby Festival. Intrigued as to whether it was for sale, I did a quick google and discovered that this 1/6 kit of Cammy, from REFLECT, could be had from HobbyFan, prepainted, for USD $113.85 (SGD $157).

Admittedly, it is not as detailed as Sagat but there are some nice touches to Cammy as well, her outfit and especially her red gloves look great. The scar across her face is beautifully done as well. Prominent, but not so as to spoil her beauty.

Check Cammy out at Hobby Fan here.

Toy Collecting: Fanwank - Combining Our Love For Toys & Comics!

Toys and comics are two of my biggest loves. They complement each other in the same way sambal chilli and barbecued stingray does (yum!).

Anyway, I always thought that it would be cool if someone took his/her toys and turned them into comic strips. It'll be absolutely painstaking for sure, but it would also be damn cool, like The Cool Wall [wiki] subzero kind of cool.

So recently while exploring the murky uncharted lands of the Interweb, I stumbled upon a blog that did just that, and that blog is Fanwank.

I don't know how Pete, the blog's master, does it, but he churns out a new strip everyday. And that alone makes Fanwank worthy of a visit. Much respect, Pete.

Gaming: Want To Get Rich Quick? Make A Game Like GTA IV - 6 Million Copies, $500 Million In A Week!

The GTA franchise is one of THE biggest franchise in all of gamedom. It is so big that GTA IV was estimated to cost Take-Two, the game's publisher and developer, over $100 million to produce. In case you didn't know, that is a lot for a game.

However, all that paid off.

In fact, according to official sales figures, GTA IV racked up sales in excess of $500 million in just the opening week! It also sold over 3.6 million copies on the 1st day of release, making it the fastest selling game of all time. Also, believe it or not, GTA IV has sold over 6 million copies in its first week of release.

In comparison, Iron Man, as of May 12th (almost 2 weeks since opening), has grossed "only" $346.3 million worldwide.

Maybe it's time to start considering a career in game production.

Motoring: Breaking News - New Ferrari California Exposed! So Much For Teasing Us!

The new Ferrari has been unveiled. It will be called the Ferrari California. It is an all new model in the sense that it is not meant as a replacement. What this means is that the California will be the first the in a whole new range of cars for Ferrari.

Top Gear thinks the California resembles a Lexus, but I think it looks more like the Alfa 8C. Anyway, it's rather good looking, and sure as hell isn't as hideous as say, the new WRX.

Right, back to the car.

The Ferrari California is aimed to be a friendly, luxurious, usable, every day kind of supercar. The kind of car "sensible" adults, looking for more racing pedigree than a SL AMG or M6, would buy.

To achieve their goal of being a more usable supercar, Ferrari have incorporated in the California a number of new technologies. For example, it is the first Ferrari to have direct petrol injection; first to have a folding metal roof; first to use a dual-clutch system instead of a F1-derived one; and also the first to use a multi-link rear suspension.

The engine however, remains pure Ferrari. The California uses the same V8 block found in the F430, which produces 460hp, enabling the California to sprint to 60mph in under 4 seconds. It also uses the same "F1-Trac" traction control system found in the 599, which means it should handle like a dream.

So much for teasing us Ferarri. More details as they come in.

Source: Autoblog

Sideshow Toys: Bring Iron Man To Your Home! Life-Size Bust + 1/4 Mark III & Mark I Replicas

Less than 3 weeks after opening, Iron Man is already the top grossing movie of 2008.

Now, thanks to Sideshow Toys, you too can bring Iron Man into the comfort of your living room. First up, Sideshow's flagship Iron Man product, a 1:1 life-size bust of the metallic hero himself. Made of high-quality fiberglass, the bust also features LED light-up eyes (sweet!).

Unfortunately, this life-size is bust is going to cost you. A lot. Try USD $699.99 (SGD $958), excluding shipping.

If that's out of your budget, why not consider these 1:4 scale replicas instead? All metal and entirely handmade, these replicas, costing "only" USD $39.99 (SGD $55) are ideal for the budget-minded Iron Man fan.

Either way, all of them are drop-dead gorgeous. Now, if only I had one grand lying about......

Check out more pics of the life-size bust here.

Click here for the Mark III replica, and here for the Mark I.

Apple: Confirmed! Singtel To Bring iPhone To Singapore

After months of speculation, it has been finally confirmed, the iPhone is coming to Singapore.

According to Channel News Asia, the iPhone will be brought in by Singtel later this year. A quick check on Singtel's website, confirms this. Singtel also said that more information will be available at a later date.

This comes on the back of news regarding iPhones going out of stock worldwide, sparking rumours of a possible release of a 3G iPhone.

Time to start saving up.

Motoring: Mercedes Team Up Swiss Watchmaker IWC To Bring You The SL63 AMG Edition IWC

It is said that you can tell what a man is like by looking at three things: the car he drives, the watch he wears and the shoes he puts on.

With that in mind, Mercedes, along with Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen, gladly present, for all discerning men, the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG Edition IWC.

This is not the first time Mercedes teamed up with a watchmaker. Years ago, they did the same with Tag Heur, where every SLR owner is given the right to buy Tag Heur's exclusive SLR Chronograph.

The SL63 AMG Edition IWC will be limited to a run of only 200, and for their money, every owner will also get a limited edition IWC Grosser Ingenieur watch.

Other than the special "Designo Magno Kashmir" white finish, everything else about the SL63 AMG Edition IWC is the same as the standard variant, which means you get the same 6.2-litre V8 power plant producing 525hp and 630nm of torque. 0-60 in done under 5 seconds and the top speed limited to 155mph.

Interested buyers will be happy to know that the Edition IWC will be available in November for a lot of money.

Source: Jalopnik

Motoring: New Ferrari Coming In Less Than 10 Days

Italian sports car manufacturer, Ferrari, have a new model on the way.

The new model, codenamed F149 and rumoured to be called either the GT California or Dino, has been "scooped" [link 1, link 2] quite frequently the in the past couple of weeks.

Now, Ferrari has launched some sort of a teaser site to get enthusiasts excited about the car's impending launch. As of now, all you can do at the site is hear the sweet melody of the F149's, possibly, V8 engine. A countdown timer indicates that more of the car will be unveiled in about 9 days time.

The new Ferrari will officially unveiled to the public at the Paris Motor Show later in September.