Breaking News That Matters...

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday its Xbox 360 game machine beat Nintendo Co Ltd's Wii and Sony Corp's PlayStation 3 to reach 10 million units in U.S. sales.

"History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle," Don Mattrick, a Microsoft senior vice president who heads the company's Xbox business, said in a statement.

The Xbox 360 was the first of this latest generation of game machines to launch in the United States when it was released in November 2005. The PS3 and Wii were launched in the United States a year later.

The Wii is closing in on the Xbox 360, with 8.8 million units sold as of the end of March, while Sony has totaled 4.1 million PS3 units sold, according to market research firm NPD.

Microsoft also said global membership of its Xbox Live online service reached 12 million members.

Amazon Unbox HD for Tivo!

Huge news for those with high definition Tivos. In an interview with TV Week, Jim Denney, VP of product marketing at Tivo, announced that Amazon's Unbox service will soon offer HD downloads for HD Tivo users. I will have more on this story as details emerge.

With the XBox 360, Apple TV, and now Tivo all possessing the ability to download HD content, it looks like Sony's Blu-ray is going to have a very difficult time.

Deep Video Friday / Last Lecture

Normally you might expect to see one of my famous "Stupid Video Friday" segments today, but I thought I would bust out something a little different for a change. I just saw Randy's sad but uplifting story on Fox News. Although I have not had a chance to watch the entire 76 minute presentation, "Last Lecture" definitely looks like something worth watching.

Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving talk, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals. For more, visit www.cmu.edu/randyslecture.

"Journeys" are special University Lectures in which Carnegie Mellon faculty members share their reflections on their journeys -- the everyday actions, decisions, challenges and joys that make a life.

Visit both Carnegie Mellon and Randy's personal site for more information on this story.

Idol Idiocy...

After covering Season 5 in much detail, I grew tired of writing about American Idol. (Although I am still a big fan.) However, I must comment on one particular (and nagging) matter this season.

It has become agonizing to listen to Paula Abdul's comments this year. She spews complete and utter nonsense week after week after week. Is she drunk? Stoned? Insane? Whatever the problem is she needs to be replaced. And sooner rather than later!

Paula has always been slightly annoying and endearingly stupid, but this year things have grown exponentially worse. She is now actually bringing down the show.

Last night's episode provides the best example so far. She actually started mumbling nonsense about Jason Castro's second song when he (and everyone else) had only completed only one!

This is Paula's exact quote after all the contestants had completed their first song,

Jason, the first song I loved hearing your lower register, which we never really hear. The second song, I felt like your usual charm wasn't...it was missing for me, it kind of left me a little empty. And the two songs made me feel like you're not fighting hard enough to get into the top four.

Wow! Talk about a loss of credibility. It will be fun to watch another one of Idol's lame damage control attempts tonight. You know the damage control they always do when there's an uproar over a contestant ripping off another artist's cover arrangement of a popular song. (Daughtry's version of Live's version of Johnny Cash's "Walk the Line" immediately comes to mind.) The next night Ryan will nonchalantly walk over to the contestant and say "So last night you did blah blah blah's version of "I'm a Believer". Why did you decide to do that version instead of the original?" Weak!

A Perfect 10

With the release of Grand Theft Auto IV and Mario Kart Wii this could be one of the biggest months in the history of video games. Some say GTA IV could sell a record breaking 9 million copies in its first week.

Reviews of GTA IV have been stellar. The first two that I ran across (IGN and CNET) were both perfect 10's.

Mario Kart Wii will also sell big. And don't forget the millions of extra "Official Nintendo Wii Wheels" at $14.99 a pop!

And when the dust finally settles, Nintendo will launch Wii Fit with a mega-million dollar ad campaign. Some are predicting that the $90 game will become one of the biggest sellers of all time.

The Art Zone

And if you disagree with me, then you sir are worse than...



The history of the world might be totally different today if certain people had thought that this painting was good. Actually, I kind of like it... More...

Biggest Loser Withdrawal?

Now that The Biggest Loser has wrapped up its fifth season, Tuesdays are nothing more than a barren wasteland... a wretched hive of scum and villainy. But hold on... MSN has stepped up and given BL fans something to tide us over until next season.

Check out Working Out With Bob: 5 Minute Office Workout on MSN. It's available at http://officeworkout.msn.com/

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - MSN will on Monday launch a shortform online series featuring "The Biggest Loser" trainer Bob Harper.

In "5 Minute Office Workout," Harper visits people at their workplace to provide fitness help. Each of the 22 episodes, which are about three minutes long, are supplemented by 20 "Help Me Bob" video tips that run about 40 seconds each.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Now Good for Business...

On the heels of my Guitar Hero recommendation comes an interesting article from the renowned Boston Business Journal. I strongly suggest that you forward this landmark treatise titled "Companies Embrace Rocking Out at Work" to your boss as soon as possible.

Guitar solos, tennis matches and golf games have become common at many local companies that, like BzzAgent, have added the popular video games Guitar Hero and Nintendo's Wii to their roster of office equipment.

Video games seem to have replaced the foosball and pool tables that were once ubiquitous distractions at dot-com startups in the late 1990s. (Read Entire Article)

Dolf Zone Pick / Guitar Hero III

I held off buying Guitar Hero III because I am a real guitar player. Or at least I used to be... Nonetheless, I am quite thrilled that my sister and brother-in-law decided to get me GH3 for my birthday. GH3 is instantly addictive... I love it! Luckily it's available on every current platform. Buy it now!

Dolf Zone Top Ten Products

Biggest Loser Wrap Up

Finally a member of the fairer sex has won TV's greatest prize... the title of "The Biggest Loser."

When I saw Roger, I thought he had it wrapped up. But Ali, who trained "like an Olympic athlete", was able to pull off the big upset.

Here are the final numbers...

* Ali: Starting weight: 234 pounds. Final weight: 122 pounds. Weight lost: 112 pounds. Percentage lost: 47.86%.

* Bernie: Starting weight: 283 pounds. Final weight: 153 pounds. Weight lost: 130 pounds. Percentage lost: 45.96%.

* Mark: Starting weight: 285 pounds. Final weight: 156 pounds. Weight lost: 80 pounds. Percentage lost: 45.26%.

* Roger: Starting weight: 363 pounds. Final weight: 199 pounds. Weight lost: 164 pounds. Percentage lost: 45.18%.

* Dan: Starting weight: 310 pounds. Final weight: 174 pounds. Weight lost: 136 pounds. Percentage lost: 43.87%.

* Kelly: Starting weight: 271 pounds. Final weight: 162 pounds. Weight lost: 109 pounds. Percentage lost: 40.22%.

* Curtis: Starting weight: 381 pounds. Final weight: 231 pounds. Weight lost: 150 pounds. Percentage lost: 39.37%.

* Jackie: Starting weight: 246 pounds. Final weight: 157 pounds. Weight lost: 89 pounds. Percentage lost: 36.18%.

* Jay: Starting weight: 293 pounds. Final weight: 190 pounds. Weight lost: 103 pounds. Percentage lost: 35.15%.

* Amanda: Starting weight: 204 pounds. Final weight: 140 pounds. Weight lost: 64 pounds. Percentage lost: 31.37%.

* Trent: Starting weight: 436 pounds. Final weight: 301 pounds. Weight lost: 135 pounds. Percentage lost: 30.96%.

* Mallory: Starting weight: 217 pounds. Final weight: 152 pounds. Weight lost: 65 pounds. Percentage lost: 29.95%.

* Maggie: Starting weight: 239 pounds. Final weight: 169 pounds. Weight lost: 70 pounds. Percentage lost: 29.29%.

* Bette Sue: Starting weight: 261 pounds. Final weight: 186 pounds. Weight lost: 75 pounds. Percentage lost: 28.74%.

* Neill: Starting weight: 317 pounds. Final weight: 229 pounds. Weight lost: 88 pounds. Percentage lost: 27.76%

* Brittany: Starting weight: 221 pounds. Final weight: 164 pounds. Weight lost: 57 pounds. Percentage lost: 25.79%.

* Jenn: Starting weight: 254 pounds. Final weight: 190 pounds. Weight lost: 64 pounds. Percentage lost: 25.20%.

* Jenni: Starting weight: 267 pounds. Final weight: 213 pounds. Weight lost: 54 pounds. Percentage lost: 20.22%.

* Lynn: Starting weight: 409 pounds. Final weight: 329 pounds. Weight lost: 80 pounds. Percentage lost: 19.56%.

If you can't place the name to the face, visit:
http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser_5/contestants/current_cast/

40...

The 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time?

Check out the "50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time" as compiled by IFC and Nerve. There is some hilarious stuff going way back into the early days of SNL and Monty Python as well as some more current clips. One complaint... Not nearly enough Mr Show! Only two routines from Bob and David??? What about "The Audition"? Or "Mt Everest"? C'mon!

Good Story

Paul Potts, a rather plain looking store manager from Carphone Warehouse, performs at last year's Britain's Got Talent.



This is the kind of story we need on American Idol. I do not support giving out Idol spots to contestants who have previously held recording contracts or development deals (Michael Johns, Carly Smithson, etc.) You had your chance and you BLEW it! I want to see undiscovered talent. As for Paul, yes he won. He has since had a hit album and single and is now in the middle of a world tour.

Thanks to junior contributor MD for the submission.

Dolf the Vote!

Finally a vote that America can get excited about! Something that matters... Be sure to cast your ballot for next week's Biggest Loser finale. Although voting is deeply personal and private, I will let you know that I have voted for Roger. And I advise that you do the same. And since this is North America, not South America, you may only vote once.

Big Returns!

Two Dolf Zone favorites finally return! 30 Rock and The Office are back on NBC this Thursday with all new episodes.

30 Rock (8:30pm) - "MILF Island" - Jack, riding high on the success of a new reality show, "MILF Island," is blindsided by a newspaper item revealing disparaging comments one of his employees made. (Wiktionary's definition of MILF)

The Office (9:00pm) - "Dinner Party" - Pam and Jim run out of excuses and must go to Jan and Michael's house for dinner; when Dwight learns that Angela and Andy are also invited to dinner, his jealousy gets the best of him.

And don't forget The Biggest Loser's penultimate episode tonight! Can a woman finally win? Ali is currently in the lead with a 38% loss. It should be interesting to see how it plays out. Apparently there is one more major twist in store for the contestants.

Monday, Bloody Monday

Dolf Zone Pick / MonoPrice.com

One of the biggest scams currently perpetrated against the American public is the widespread hawking of criminally overpriced premium AV cables. The most popular brand is Monster but there are many others including Acoustic Research, Dynex and Rocketfish.

After you buy a shiny new HDTV the first thing that the helpful Best Buy or Circuit City salesman is going to do is convince you that you need several HDMI cables. Since most people are new to the world of HD (read: completely ignorant) they go along with this helpful suggestion and buy a Monster cable or two for $100 each. This should be considered a crime! You do not have to pay this much for a simple cable!

Monoprice has incredible prices on a wide variety of audio/video accessories. You can get great deals on HDMI cables, Wii component cables, flat panel wall mounts, and much more. For example, you can get a high quality 6' HDMI cable with gold plated connectors for $5.24! Get the Wii Component Cable for only $4.80! (If you buy more than one the price goes down.) B&M retailers do not want you to know about this!

Bottom line: If you spend more than $10 on a 6' HDMI cable you are a moron.

Suggested Reading: Audiophiles Can't Tell The Difference Between Monster Cable and Coat Hangers

R.E.M.'s Accelerate

Depending on the day, it's usually a toss up between Nirvana, The Beatles, The Smiths, U2, and R.E.M. for the coveted Dolf's Favorite Band of all Time award. So I was very excited to hear that R.E.M. has returned to form with it's latest release titled "Accelerate".

I will be downloading this today at Amazon and will get a review out as soon as I have listened to it a couple times. Buy it!

Screen Actors Guild Strike Looming?

From USA Today...

With new shows just starting to return to TV, the entertainment industry finally seems to be shaking off the devastating impact of the 100-day strike by the Writers Guild of America that ended Feb. 12 and took an estimated $2.5 billion toll on the local economy. But the industry remains on edge as leaders of the Screen Actors Guild have said publicly they will push for an even better deal than the one writers got.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios, has urged the two unions representing actors to begin bargaining by April 1 — three months before the current contract is set to expire on June 30. And pressure for a speedy resolution has come from A-list actors Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro, who took out ads in trade publications calling for talks to start immediately. Full article.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Another strike by a bunch of Hollywood millionaires complaining about Internet royalties is not going to go over very well in middle America. This brings to mind the 1994 Major League Baseball strike. Many believe baseball has never been the same...

As I have mentioned several times on the DZ, I honestly think that I could survive the rest of my natural life on DVDs of existing movies and TV series, video games, and reality shows.

Writers and Actors — To Hell With You!

Free Adobe Photoshop Express Launches Today

Sign up for Photoshop Express now! Adobe is providing some of the power and features of Photoshop CS3 in a free online application. In addition there are sharing and community tools ala Flickr. Cool stuff...

Multimedia powerhouse Adobe Systems released on Thursday a public beta of Photoshop Express, which provides online tools for photos. Express, a free hosted application, lets users store up to two gigabytes of online photos at no cost and share them in a variety of ways, including uploading and downloading from social-networking sites like Facebook. It is accessible from any recent browser with a Flash Player 9 plug-in.

Adobe Vice President Doug Mack described Photoshop Express as "a convenient, single destination where you can store, edit and share photos" regardless of where you are.

Photos can be edited nondestructively, which means the original file is left intact, and they can be shared anywhere via a Web browser. Editing capabilities include removing blemishes and red-eye, converting to black and white, cropping, and resizing, among other things.

Pop Color is a tool that lets the user select an object in the image, lessen the background colors, and swap colors in the object so it stands out. With sketch effects, photos can look more like drawings, and a distort feature lets the user stretch and exaggerate faces and objects. You can also select from a sample of photos that already have visual effects applied, and those effects will be applied to your photos. Read More...

Stupid Video Friday / Internet Power!

It's impossible to believe that this represented the state of the Internet only a few years ago! No need to watch more that a minute or so to get the point.

Dolf Zone Pick / The Biggest Loser

The Biggest Loser is another show that I added to the rotation during the writer's strike and it has quickly become one of my favorites. In fact, it's safe to say that The Biggest Loser has earned must see status.

Currently, there is nothing more dramatic on television than watching the Biggest Loser's giant truck stop scale randomly cycle through the pounds before ultimately revealing a contestant's weight.

My only critique is that the fitness tips should be more plentiful and detailed. For example, last week Bob (one of Loser's trainers) mentioned a weekly "cheat day" to rev up your metabolism. Well... exactly how much cheating!? A few hundred calories or a couple thousand? I can just imagine how badly this "cheat day" tactic is already being abused by Biggest Loser viewers.

Also, does anyone know why the contestants started covering themselves up during weigh-ins??? C'mon!

I hope that the popularity of The Biggest Loser and the resurgence of other reality shows like The Apprentice serves as a warning to the writers and actors out there... Quit striking, lest you be replaced by reality shows, video games and old DVDs!

The Biggest Loser is on Tuesdays at 8:00pm on NBC.
Visit the official site.

Dolf Zone Viewer Mail

Dear Dolf,

Hey, I noticed that you're a big fan of Biggest Loser. Cindy and I are totally hooked on it. I've never seen you post on it, your thoughts on the winner? I was hoping Brittany or Bernie would win. Anyone but crybaby Mark. That guy has turned into more of a wuss than Kelly, if that's possible.

Love,
GW

------------------------------

Thanks GW. I think it's pretty obvious that it's a two horse race between Dan and Roger. I would have to give the edge to Roger based on his higher initial weight of 370lbs (vs 310lbs for Dan.)

#16 Topeka State Topples Top Ranked Utah Tech

In one of the greatest upsets in NCAA Men's Basketball history, lowly Topeka State took down top seeded Utah Tech 90-89 on Darius Dunn's three-pointer at the buzzer! March Madness is just getting started people! More on this amazing game as details emerge...

Bob & David Are Back!!

The comic geniuses behind one of my favorite shows of all time ("Mr. Show with Bob and David") are finally back together on HBO after a ten year hiatus!

The "Mr. Show" duo of Bob Odenkirk and David Cross are returning to HBO with "David's Situation," a comedy pilot starring Cross.

Odenkirk and Cross co-wrote the project, which will star Cross as himself. He leaves Hollywood to move into a suburban, gated community where he has two roommates, a right-wing conservative and a liberal hippie.

"We feel it's really strong and important to the health of America," Cross and Odenkirk wrote about the project on their Web site, BobAndDavid.com. (Read full article at The Hollywood Reporter.)

After so much bad news lately (the demise of HD DVD, shitty vacuum cleaners, a never-ending war, recession, and criminally high gas prices) it's great to finally have something positive to report!

Dolf Zone Junk Alert / Hoover WindTunnel Vacuums

Although Hoover WindTunnel Vacuums are highly recommended by Consumer Reports, my experience with the product was terrible. I found the Hoover WindTunnel to be a poorly designed, poorly engineered piece of junk that was built to last a few days past its warranty. Not only did I waste almost $100 getting it fixed, but I probably spent another $100 replacing the *two* different kinds of belts that it kept chewing through!

Thus, Hoover has earned a spot on the dreaded Dolf Zone's "Brands I Will Never Buy Again" list. Also, I have to call in to question Consumer Reports. How could they recommend this product? Check out a great article I found that helps explain the situation, "The Truth About Consumer Reports."

There are vacuums below 200$ that will last an average of 10 years given they are taken care of properly. If you live in Germany, when you buy an appliance, you will most likely have it for the next 30 years. It used to be that way in the United States before the birth of this new breed of engineering mixed with marketing, called 'planned obsoletion'. Planned obsoletion is a direct result of consumer support of the 'big box' mega stores. As competition between these large stores increases, so does the need to have lower prices. This is natural with all competition but when it comes to appliances, the end result is there is less room on the shelf for things that will last a long time because they don't move quickly enough.

For God's sake, why can't Toyota make vacuum cleaners???? I would buy one in a second.

[A future "Junk Alert?" I am starting to have some nagging issues with my Whirlpool refrigerator after only five years. The waterline to the ice maker periodically freezes and the water dispenser randomly drips (a potential disaster!). ]

Dolf Zone Pick / Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld

If you are a fan of offensive, politically incorrect and randomly psychotic humor (as I am) then Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld is the show for you. If you take Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, Real Time with Bill Maher, and The Daily Show and toss them into a blender with South Park and Get A Life, you just might get Red Eye.

The titular Gutfeld is a great (if slightly unconventional) talk show host who never seems to be at a loss for words. Usually nasty words... Redeye's supporting staff of Bill Schulz and Andy Levy are equally funny, pathetic, and mean spirited. The duo complement their pudgy leader very well.

Besides solid humor, Eye also manages to lure an extraordinarily attractive female guest or two every night to keep things even more interesting.

Hot girls, a recap of the current day's events and crazy, hate-filled humor... Red Eye has it all. And if you disagree with me, then you sir are worse than Hitler.

Redeye airs weekdays on FOX News in the highly coveted 3:00am time slot. So unless you are a meth addict, you will definitely need a Tivo to watch this show with any regularity.

Thanks to part-time vegan, Michael J. Basler for the recommendation...

Dolf Zone Pick / Dexter

Thanks to the writer's strike, I had a chance to watch Season 1 of Showtime's Dexter. I loved it! Violent, dark, quirky and funny with a side of social commentary. Just my kind of show! I can't wait for Season 2 to come out on DVD.

Would You Like Extra Cancer With That?

As if we don't have enough cancer risks to worry about here comes popcorn. Popcorn???? Let's just blow this planet up and start over...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A chemical used to give butter flavor to popcorn can damage the lungs and airways of mice, U.S. government experts reported on Thursday.

Tests on mice show that diacetyl, a component of artificial butter flavoring, can cause a condition known as lymphocytic bronchiolitis, said the team at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health.

The condition can lead to obliterative bronchiolitis -- or "popcorn lung" -- a rare and debilitating disease seen in workers at microwave popcorn packaging plants and at least one consumer.

At least two microwave popcorn makers -- ConAgra Foods Inc and Weaver Popcorn Co Inc -- have said recently they would stop using diacetyl. Full Article.

Strike Two!

From Reuters....

The final epilogue to the tumultuous writers strike has been written, but Hollywood is bracing for a possible - a sequel to the costly walkout — this one starring film and television actors. While the TV industry has rushed to bring derailed shows back on the air since screenwriters returned to work three weeks ago, the threat of renewed labour unrest by actors in the months ahead has put movie studios in a tenuous situation. Full article.

I actually don't care any longer. The first ridiculous strike has proven that I can survive on videogames, DVDs, and reality shows for an indefinite amount of time!

Blu-ray To Lower Prices... Never!

It looks like Sony and the Blu-ray association are doing everything they can to ensure the format's demise. Although Toshiba was somehow able to produce players for under $200, not Sony. Sony wants to keep prices as high as possible for as long as possible. This is a delusional and possibly suicidal move for the format. If you don't believe me and my bitching , you can take it straight from Sony's President. Without near-term, sub-$200 pricing, Blu-ray is never going to be a success. It will simply be a marginal niche delivery mechanism. Most people will buy an HDMI upconverting DVD player and be done with it.

Last week Sony Electronics President Stan Glasgow said prices for Blu-ray players would drop slowly. Sony's players are now upwards of $400, but Glasgow predicted prices under $300 by Christmas [2008] and under $200 by the end of next year [that's 2009!]. Other Blu-ray player manufacturers, such as Sharp and Samsung, are also expected to lower prices.

But Glasgow told The New York Times that the Blu-ray Association would try to avoid the extremely low prices that hit DVD players by not licensing the standard to Chinese manufacturers. He indicated there will be made-in-China players, but not soon.

TivoTube

From the WSJ...

TiVo Inc. said its subscribers will be able to access YouTube videos directly from their television sets, as both companies seek an alliance to battle growing competition in their respective industries.

The digital video recorder maker and service provider said that YouTube integration will be available "later this year" to broadband-connected subscribers with TiVo Series 3 digital video recorders, as well as the new TiVo HD. Full Story.

Good Baby, Bad Baby

Brilliant practical joke? Or worst parents ever? You decide! Hopefully this poor kid's future won't involve shooting up his classmates!



Luckily, the good people at Engadget have promised to hook Jonathan up with a real 360 once everything is confirmed. Stay Updated.

Cleveland Spin Off?

In an effort to make more money than Exxon, Seth MacFarlane is developing a spin-off of Family Guy featuring beloved "black guy" Cleveland Brown. Rising from the ashes of cancellation, MacFarlane has turned Family Guy into a billion dollar money making machine!

The Bourne Resurrection

For those that care, The Bourne Ultimatum is not the final movie in the Bourne series after all. Universal has just confirmed that Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass are back together for a fourth installment. This is quite a shocker considering both men had been adamant about Ultimatum's position as the franchise's finale.