Ubisoft is putting together 78 seven-minute CG shorts starring the crazy little fellas. Those will be repackaged into 26 television episodes that Nickelodeon will air on all of its channels starting in 2013. Well, except the ones in France (where Ubisoft is based).

“Nickelodeon is one of the world’s leading entertainment brands for children and families, and Ubisoft is thrilled to be partnering with Nickelodeon to deliver unique television programming to its viewers,” said Jean-Julien Baronnet, chief executive officer of Ubisoft Motion Pictures. “As the world’s most recognized entertainment brand for children and families, Nickelodeon is the perfect vehicle to share the zany Rabbids characters and their crazy adventures with television audiences around the globe. This partnership represents a major milestone in Ubisoft’s strategy to expand its brands to new media, thereby attracting new audiences to its games.”

(If you have kids, I kind of feel for you right now.)

Yeah, you play your Xbox 360 on your television, but that’s about to be switched around — this holiday season, television is coming to your Xbox 360. Somehow.

40 television providers (in this case, it seems more like channels than actual cable providers, though Verizon and Xfinity are involved) from around the world are offering their entertainment services on the c0nsole to over 20 countries.

Here’s a full list of entertainment partners, per Major Nelson:

•    ABC iView – Australia
•    AlloCiné – France, Germany, Spain, U.K.
•    Antena 3 – Spain
•    Astral Media’s Disney XD – Canada
•    AT&T** – U.S.
•    BBC – U.K.
•    blinkbox – U.K.
•    Bravo – U.S.
•    BSkyB** – U.K.
•    Canal+* – France, Spain
•    Channel 4 – U.K.
•    Channel 5 – U.K.
•    CinemaNow (Best Buy) – U.S.
•    Comcast – U.S.
•    Crackle – Australia, Canada, U.K., U.S.
•    Dailymotion – Available in 32 markets
•    EPIX – U.S.
•    ESPN** – U.S.
•    Facebook** – Available in all 35 Xbox LIVE markets
•    FOXTEL** – Australia
•    GolTV – Spain
•    HBO GO – U.S.
•    Hulu – Japan
•    Hulu +**– U.S.
•    iHeartRadio (Clear Channel) – U.S.
•    Last.fm** – U.K., U.S.
•    LOVEFiLM – Germany, U.K.
•    Manga Entertainment – U.S.
•    Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment/Real Sports – Canada
•    Mediaset – Italy
•    MSN with MSNBC.com – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, U.K.
•    MUZU.TV – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, U.K.
•    Netflix**– Canada, U.S.
•    Rogers On Demand Online (RODO) – Canada
•    RTVE – Spain
•    SBS On Demand – Australia
•    Syfy – U.S.
•    Telefonica – Spain
•    Televisa – Mexico
•    “The Today Show” – U.S.
•    TELUS** – Canada
•    TMZ – U.S.
•    Twitter** – Available in all 35 Xbox LIVE markets
•    UFC – Canada, U.S.
•    Verizon – U.S.
•    VEVO – Canada, U.K., U.S.
•    VimpelCom** – Russia
•    Vodafone Portugal** – Portugal
•    YouTube – Available in 22 markets
•    ZDF – Germany
•    Zune** – Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain

Looks like a Gold Subscription is required to use…well, any of this. And a subscription to the cable provider in question.

Speaking of questions, there are a lot of them. Hopefully they’re all sorted before the holiday season officially rolls around.

Over the last few days, tweets from the cast and crew of Syfy’s show Eureka have regaled us with tales and emotions from their final experiences making the hit show. It is a bittersweet time because while they should all be proud of the work that they have done over the past four seasons, the way the show cancellation came about made a lot of fans, myself included, very upset. Yes, we get one more season with a bonus extra episode and a Christmas special before we reach the end of our time on the show, but the original expectation was that they would at least get half of a sixth season. Admittedly, to those of us who love the show, that still sucked, but at least it was something more. Then, within a couple of days, word leaked out on the Internet (as it does) that SyFy had actually decided that the fifth season would be the last.

Inevitably, social media sites and the geek world in particular went to work, letting everyone and anyone know just how they felt about the cancellation. What really killed me was when Erica Cerra, who plays the kick ass Jo Lupo, tweeted, “What news?” in response to Colin Ferguson (Sheriff Jack Carter), who seemed to have heard about the cancellation first. If that is not the wrong way to find out that you will soon be out of a job, I do not know what is.

Over the next couple of weeks and couple of episodes, I found myself wondering why I was so upset about this cancellation. After all, every show eventually comes to an end (except maybe Doctor Who), and this ending was not my first nor my most painful (I am looking at you, Firefly). But I admit, I was filled with much rage and disgust toward the executives at SyFy for not only the way they handled it, but just for the simple fact that they canceled the show at all! Why would you cancel a hit show right at its peak? Money, of course. It always comes down to money.

But frankly, I do not care why they did it. What mattered to me is that the show was smart. And it was not just smartly written (although it very much was), it was about smart people doing amazing things with their amazingly smart brains. It was a show for nerds. How many of us have wished to find a place where we could let our intellect run wild, creating and experimenting, without people staring at us in either confusion or patronizing bemusement as we explain how things work? We congregate together at cons and in schools and, if we are lucky, at workplaces, trying desperately to find friends that Get Us. And it is not just about the smart stuff, it is about the passions we develop along with the smart stuff.

I am a physics major. Up until the end of June, I worked at a bank. I was not miserable but I was not myself, either. I spent my days essentially giving in to gossip and the side of pop culture that involves people named Kardashian and Snooki and Speidi. And once, when we were talking about other shows we watch (besides Idol – which I love, BTW), I could only bring myself to admit to watching CSI because I knew if I brought up Stargate: Atlantis, Eureka, or even Star Trek, those guys would simply stare in confusion and patronizing bemusement because they had not even heard of them, let alone seen an episode. No, really.

Okay, they had heard of Star Trek, but to most of them, it meant Chris Pine, not William Shatner. Which is fine, but I am sure you all understand the difficulty I had relating to my coworkers.

Back to Eureka and its pending lack of new episodes — why was I so upset? As a nerd, a geek, a woman, and a science major, it was so refreshing to see women on television portraying characters I could look up to and respect. From Dr. Allison Blake (played with grace and elegance by Salli Richardson-Whitfield) who was not only a published doctor with an expertise is space medicine but also the head of GD (for the first 3 seasons at least) to the burgeoning brilliance of Zoe Carter, former juvenile delinquent turned high school genius, played by the very talented and funny Jordan Hinson. From the afore-mentioned Jo Lupo, wise ass cop who is smarter than she gives herself credit to Dr. Grace Monroe (Tembi Locke), equally brilliant yin to the Henry Deacon’s (Joe Morton) yang. And most recently, we have had the pleasure of the addition of Felicia Day, all around geek girl extraordinaire, in the role of Dr. Holly Marten, a bonafied rocket scientist.

Add the cast of characters to the sharp writing, good science, and entertaining plot lines, and you have the perfect show for SyFy and the geek collective, the perfect show for a physics student interested in astronomy and space travel, the perfect show for smart men AND women interested in science and humor. And SyFy CANCELLED IT.

Maybe they will find another good science fiction/fantasy show to take its place in a couple of seasons.

Or maybe they will just subject us to some more wrestling and ghost hunting.

Either way, I am still really pissed off.

The average age of mobile gamers is 28, compared to console gamers’ 34 years, and 53 percent of mobile gamers just happen to be women. (For the consoles, women still come in at 40 percent.)

The Flurry study also stated that “[t]here is also greater density in the 18-49 bracket, which indicates that [Apple] iOS and Android devices are attracting users during their earning years versus, in particular, their teenage years, where they likely cannot afford more expensive mobile devices.”

Females who play mobile games overall skewed older, with more women in the 26-65 age bracket compared to the men. North America played the most mobile social games (64 percent), with Europe (30 percent) and Asia (4 percent) trailing behind.Mobile social gamers typically earn more than the average household income and are also twice as likely to hold a college degree (or higher).

Some mobile games manage to get 26 million unique users a day – meaning that a game on your phone might be attracting more of an audience than some of the most popular primetime television shows! (Please don’t make an “Angry Birds” show, networks. Please.)

“In terms of usage behavior, they use social games far more often than they watch prime-time television shows, and using for 25 minutes per day, are heavy users of this interactive content,” the report stated. “Mobile social gamers are the new mass-market powerhouse.”

[Thanks for the tip, MediaPost]

The film introduces us to a Japanese game show named “Happy Family Plan” which sees fathers participate in challenges, like memorising breeds of dogs or playing musical instruments in order to win prizes for their family.

Here we meet Fujio. He lost his job in the 1990s economic downturn in Japan, and relocates his wife and kids to to his father-in-law’s home in Yokohama. His wife, Yuko, opens her own business and the kids settle in to their new lives, which leaves Fujio to try and figure out what to do with himself.

Yuko and Fujio’s son secretly enters the family as contestants on the “Happy Family Plan” show. Having lost money in a failed business venture, Fujio agrees to take up the challenge – he needs to learn how to play Home Sweet Home’ on the piano and play it on live TV in 7 days time. That shouldn’t be too hard. If only he had played piano before!

The 2-disc DVD release not only showcases the film, but also has educational material included in the extras:

• Japanese Language Resource Kit – with fun video lessons and games.
• Expert commentary on Japanese society – featuring interviews with academics on Japanese social issues portrayed in the film.
• Interview with Director Tsutomu Abe
• Theatrical Trailer
• 8-Page booklet with more information about the film.

THE HAPPY FAMILY PLAN is now available from your local retailers or from Madman’s website for $29.95AUD.

You can find out more about the film and grab yourself some extra goodies (including language learning worksheets, interactive games and discussion boards) from the films website – happyfamilyplan.com.

Also, if you would like to find out more about the Japan Foundation in Sydney, you can visit them online or make a trip to their gallery and library that is open to the public, free of charge. You can find them located at Shop 23, Level 1 Chifley Plaza, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney.

Release Date: 07/10/2009
Languages: English
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 120.0 mins

You may remember Tripod. They appeared at the Microsoft Keynote during CES 2009. Apparently they didn’t go down the way it was hoped when it came to entertaining the audience – which our own Angels Trina and Cherith were part of. If you don’t know of Tripod, let me introduce you.

Tripod are a group of 3 men who formed while they were in university. After a bit of busking at malls, they appeared in a TV variety show competition where they got their big break. They soon performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and began to appear on radio. Their popularity has since seen them produce many a CD and DVD.

Members Scod (Scott Edgar), Yon (Simon Hall) and Gatesy (Steven Gates) perform musical numbers that are sometimes parodies of well-known songs or satirical takes on everyday observations and musings. Their material isn’t just based on this however – their antics during numbers can be just as amusing. The boys are also geeks at heart having used subjects such as Star Wars and Dungeons & Dragons in their work.

Lately their humour has (to me) been declining, which is evident in the release of “Tripod: Live at Woodford”. Here they perform 12 songs at the Woodford Folk Festival. The audience themselves appeared to mainly consist of young people (many of whom probably weren’t old enough to have been there). It left me feeling a little bored, but not as much as the special features did to be honest.

Speaking of Special Features:

• How to train an attack dog from scratch: a made-up history of the funny song

From left: Gatesy, Scod and Yon

Don’t get me wrong, I love watching Tripod’s performances. In this case however, I didn’t enjoy it as much. If they had chosen a different venue (with a more controlled environment) and used better material, I would have given this a more positive review. Sorry Tripod, but I wasn’t with you on this one!

Review product was provided by Madman Entertainment, and does not affect the outcome of this review.

Images © 2009 Tripod

Just when you thought you were safe from reality TV (or safe enough) another one crawls out from the dark recesses of a desperate mind.

Release Date: 21/10/2009
Languages: English
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 154.0 mins

While it isn’t your typical reality show, “Life’s A Zoo.tv” certainly has the qualities you can expect.

Meet 7 animals: Morreski (an alcoholic Bulgarian bear), Rico (a gay caffeine-addicted crocodile), Ray (a bong-devoted monkey), Dr D (a rapping penguin), Jake (a horny Canadian pig), Minou (an African supermodel cat) and Chi Chi (a sweet and naïve panda). They have all been thrown together in a mansion in Saskatchewan – Big Brother style.

Each episode depicts the characters being faced with a challenge that usually pits them against their housemates. This tends to result in a fight to survive or just a massive all-out brawl. If one of the characters fails then they face possible eviction.

Special Features include:

• Commentary on an episode not included in this volume, which features producers Andrew Horne, Adam Shaheen & Mike Roland (the voice of Ray).

From left: Minou, Chi Chi, Jake, Rico, Dr D, Morreski, and Ray.

As you can imagine from the description given, the content of each episode includes swearing, fighting, substance abuse, adult behaviour and a lot of immature humour. I personally did not enjoy this, but I’m sure there are some of you that might appreciate it more than myself.

The one thing I think is worth noting is the use of what I am assuming are indie bands. Each episode features a song and video clip mixed into it, which would be good exposure for these bands if it weren’t for the material they accompany.

This is definitely not one for kids. If you’re unsure as to whether you would like it, rent it to see. If you don’t like it, don’t blame me!

Review product was provided by Madman Entertainment, and does not affect the outcome of this review.

Charles Roven and Richard Suckle will produce for Atlas, and Brad Copeland will write the screenplay. The original show producer Sherwood Schwartz is actually willing to executive produce along with his son, Lloyd.

Since it’s not exactly 1964 anymore, they plan to make it contemporary, and are hoping to start production next year. Once the script is complete, they’ll start searching for a director and new cast.

As someone who never really watched the show in reruns, I think this could be a good way to introduce the series to a brand-new set of potential fans. Also, as far as the new cast goes, maybe they could turn it into a reality television series. Well, as long as it doesn’t turn out like The Real Gilligan’s Island. How do you think this will turn out? More importantly, are you a Ginger, or a Mary Ann?

Image via Wikipedia

Next week marks the Series Finale of Nip/Tuck.  It’s been a personal favorite of mine since I started watching in the second season, and I know I will be sad to see it finally go.  To celebrate the finale, Warner Bros. is announcing the HD release of the entire series for download on iTunes, Amazon On Demand, XBOX, and more.  On March 3, the series that changed the landscape of cable television comes to an end. If you haven’t watched the series before, now’s your chance to get started, and see it through to the end without the rough long waits between seasons on FX. Although it does need to be said that the show is not for younger audiences.

Starting this week exclusively on iTunes, fans can relive each juicy moment by watching Nip/Tuck Seasons 1-6 in HD.  Individual episodes of seven season are available the day after broadcast with the complete and Final Season being available on March 4^th after the finale.

This show has always pushed the boundaries with their characters, and with what viewers are willing to watch. This last season has been pretty heavy, going out with a lot of emotion, but there’s been a lot of great moments, like the one in the video below with guest star Mario Lopez in his recurring role as Dr. Mike Hamoui.

Nip/Tuck page: http://bit.ly/Nip_Tuck_Finale

You know, I’m really getting a lot of new anime added to my favourites list lately. Guess what just got added?

Release Date: 21/10/2009
Audio tracks: Dolby Digital 2.0: English, Dolby Digital 2.0: Japanese
Languages: ENGLISH, JAPANESE
Genre: Anime, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Subtitles: ENGLISH subtitles
Number of Discs: 2
Runtime: 300.0 mins

When you were younger, did you always wish to some degree that one (or more) of your toys would spring to life and interact with you as a person? In Jun Sakurada’s case he gets this wish granted, but not in the way I imagine he would have hoped.

Jun is a reclusive young teen when we first meet him. He refuses to go to school, and is rude to his sister Nori a lot. He also likes to buy things over the internet, but not your usual items. Things like voodoo dolls.

One odd item that he has purchased is a slip of paper asking him to make a choice by circling it, putting it back into the envelope, sticking it in the top drawer of his desk and closing the drawer. While he thinks it’s just a joke, he follows the instructions. After an interruption from his sister and a mild tantrum that sees Jun push his sister out of his room, Jun takes a trip. Over a box.

The box wasn’t there before. It actually turns out to be a case, which is well made and decorated with gold fittings and a gold rose on top. When Jun opens it, he finds a beautiful doll laying in side of it with a key to wind her up. When he does so, the doll comes to life and slaps him in the face. You must have permission to touch this lady!

Cowering against the door, Jun is frightened by the doll and even more so by the enchantment that is occurring before him. The doll informs him that her name is Shinku and that she is a Rozen Maiden doll. She requests that he picks her up so that she can inspect one of his voodoo dolls. After being taught how to do this properly, she inspects the doll and informs Jun that the doll says he is a good owner.

Suddenly an intruder appears – crashing through Jun’s bedroom window. A clown doll has come to attack Shinku (and Jun). Shinku convinces Jun that for him to stay alive he must consent to forming a bond with her – which means he becomes her medium. To do so, he must kiss the rose-shaped ring she is wearing, which causes an identical ring to appear on Jun’s left hand. Through this, Shinku has access to Jun’s energy which she uses to power her attacks. She awakens 2 of Jun’s dolls to help her fight and restrain Mr Clown.

Eventually Jun becomes accustomed to having Shinku in his life – despite his protests against being Shinku’s servant. Nori also gets introduced to Shinku and doesn’t even appear to think the situation odd. Mind you, she’s also oblivious to the fact that a guy from school is trying to ask her out.

Shinku is joined bit-by-bit by her other doll compatriots. They don’t form a bond with Jun, but they do end up living in the Sakurada residence. All of the dolls are dressed in Gothic Lolita style clothing. They refer to the man that created them as “Father”. They all have different powers.

The other dolls names are Hinaichigo, Suiseiseki, and Souseiseki. Hinaichigo is a cute doll who loves her sweets and drawing in crayon on the floor. Suiseiseki and Souseiseki are sisters who have one green eye and one red eye each. Their powers are gardening related, but they are also the only ones able to enter peoples dream worlds. The first of these two to turn up has a dislike for humans, and so likes to annoy Jun.

Another doll we meet is Suigintou. She is also similar in appearance as the others, but she is also the villain in this story. She challenges the dolls (mainly Shinku) to the Alice game in hopes she will win. Her powers consist of directing black feathers at her opponent, and smothering them with those feathers as well.

The Alice game is something all of the dolls must participate in if they wish to meet Father. For the dolls to have won, the losing doll has to hand over their Rozen Mystica to the winner. This also means they will turn into an ordinary doll. Shinku actually “plays” this against Hinaichigo early in the series and wins. However Shinku doesn’t request that Hinaichigo surrenders her Rozen Mystica, but makes her a servant instead.

One thing you may be wondering about is the whereabouts of the parental figures in this story. There’s no concrete position of where they are, but their absence is put down to being away on business. This gives the dolls the freedom to wander around the house, drink tea, eat Nori’s cooking, and watch episodes of “Detective Kun-kun” at their leisure. Well, in between fights anyway.

The last face-off between Shinku and Suigintou takes place in Jun’s dream world. While Jun is battling his inner demons, Shinku and the other dolls are battling it out with Suigintou. Who will win – on all accounts?

Special Features include:

• Textless versions of the opening and closing theme songs
• Japanese TV commercials for Rozen Maiden
• A Promo video (which is more or less a montage of the first episode with the opening theme to accompany it)
• Trailers for other Madman anime releases

You know, I’m really getting a lot of new anime added to my favourites list lately. Guess what just got added? This series was a visual delight – mainly due to the gorgeous outfits the dolls wore. The series also had plenty of humour and drama woven into it. And it was quite surprising to watch a doll call someone a “bastard” as well.

The series did contain a bit of violence and some mature moments – so this really isn’t one for kids. But if you like the whole Gothic Lolita thing as well as magical battles, then I think you will enjoy this. Watch out for that opening theme though – I’ve been whistling it since I first watched Episode 1!

Review product was provided by Madman Entertainment, and does not affect the outcome of this review.

Images (c) PEACH-PIT/Rozen Maiden PROJECT