Daily 30: Mon 09.15.2014

Premiere 6mo

Bang Bang Beyonce & Jay-Z

Two American outlaws speed through the Californian desert in a dusty 1960s Pontiac GTO with a manifest poise and stylish swagger that could only be embodied by the world’s foremost musical couple: Beyoncé and Jay Z. Directed by the New York-based filmmaker and photographer Dikayl Rimmasch and soundtracked by an Ennio Morricone classic, Bang Bang is a trilogy of short films starring Mr and Mrs Carter that appeared throughout their two-and-a-half month long tour, On the Run, which celebrated its finale on Saturday at Stade de France in Paris. Rimmasch was introduced to Beyoncé and Jay Z via Mark Romanek, and with a creative cohort in the war photojournalist William Kaner put together a filmmaking approach and aesthetic inspired by French new wave cinema and the powerful intimacy of legendary independent director and mentor, Les Blank. Rimmasch’s stripped-back process paid dividends, allowing an incredibly fast, shoot-from-the-hip style using custom camera rigs that he had designed, 50-year-old Russian lenses and lighting effects by Archie Ciotti and Scott Spencer. Below, we’re in conversation with the steadfast director—also known for his black-and-white campaigns for RRL by Ralph Lauren—about Bang Bang’s conception and what it’s like to direct contemporary music’s most iconic performers.
6mo
Ryan Leslie

3 Ryan Leslie HOT 97

Ryan Leslie: Cassie got me paid & I still make more money than most artist!
Beyond The Headlines! 6mo
September 15, 2014

10 September 15, 2014 Vice News

Today: U.S. citizen sentenced to six years of hard labor in North Korea, Indian Maoist rebels bring transportation system to halt in eastern province, Israeli intelligence officers refuse to work in Palestinian areas, and Peruvian forces detonates dozens of secret airstrips linked to cocaine smuggling.
It's Going Down 6mo
HBO Is Remastering 'The Wire'

17 HBO Is Remastering 'The Wire' Variety

“The Wire” fans can start saying their favorite expletives: Creator David Simon’s beloved drama about the gangs, police and other factions that make Baltimore tick is getting a facelift before a marathon viewing. HBO has confirmed that is in the process of re-mastering the series that ran from 2002 to 2008 and starred Dominic West, Wendell Pierce, Idris Elba, Michael K. Williams and others. HBO had planned a September launch for the marathon, but the episodes are still in review. However, the cat got out of the bag in August when a viewer noticed a promo ad with the wrong premiere date for the marathon. The marathon’s start date is still to be determined. Binge-watching marathons of favorite programs are increasingly becoming popular promotional tools for networks. FXX is currently seeing ratings success with its non-stop Every.Simpsons.Ever. marathon. TVGN is trying a similar, but less intense, strategy by airing episodes of the original “Beverly Hills, 90210.”
Classic Concert! 8mo
Whitney Houston Live In Concert

18 Whitney Houston Live In Concert Whitney Houston

Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Houston, was Whitney Houston's first ever solo televised concert and video release. The video presents Houston performing live at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Virginia on March 31, 1991.
8mo
The Rayful Edmond Story Pt. 1

19 The Rayful Edmond Story Pt. 1 May 3rd Films

The true king of cocaine. At his peak he sold 2,000 keys a week, reaped gross profits of $70 million a month, and ran an operation with over 150 soldiers to support him. In his life champagne flowed like water, trips to Vegas, New York, and Los Angeles were the norm, and $150,000 shopping sprees were nothing.
Award Winning Short! 8mo
Fishing Without Nets

20 Fishing Without Nets Vice

A story of pirates in Somalia told from the perspective of a struggling, young Somali fisherman.
6mo
Big Sean On His Roc Nation Deal

23 Big Sean On His Roc Nation Deal Complex

Big Sean is having quite a week. Last week news broke that the Detroit MC made the move to Roc Nation management. When asked why he made the move Sean said, "People are really personally involved. Hov is really personally involved." To clarify, he's still happily signed to Def Jam and G.O.O.D. Music and continuing to work with his big bro, Kanye West​, who obviously cosigned the maneuver over to Roc. Sean also went on record to say that G.O.O.D. Music is in great standing.
Cut The Check 6mo
Microsoft to Acquire ‘Minecraft’

25 Microsoft to Acquire ‘Minecraft’ The Wall Street Journal

Microsoft Corp. agreed to buy the company behind the hit videogame "Minecraft" for $2.5 billion, in an unlikely deal between an antiestablishment Swedish programmer and a tech giant seeking to focus on its strength in business software. The deal for Mojang AB will give Microsoft an asset with a loyal and largely young following. But it is also a surprising acquisition for Satya Nadella, who took over in February as Microsoft's chief executive. He has said the company needs to double down on what the company does best—selling software to companies. The acquisition, expected to close late this year, also means a hefty windfall for Markus Persson, the 35-year-old Swede who created "Minecraft" and has became a cult hero in the independent game community in part for his willingness to bash big companies, including at times Microsoft. Mojang, which has earned more than $100 million in profit from selling "Minecraft" and related merchandise, only has about 40 employees, and Mr. Persson and two other executives are the only shareholders and board members. Microsoft said the Mojang team will join Microsoft Studios. Mojang Chief Executive Carl Manneh, meanwhile, said the company's founders are moving on "to start new projects." "Minecraft," introduced in 2009, has sold more than 50 million copies for PCs, smartphones and videogame consoles like Microsoft's Xbox. The game has drawn in middle-school children and veteran videogame fans eager for the chance to build sprawling worlds from Lego-like digital blocks. The brand also has licensing deals with Scholastic Corp. for handbooks, Lego A/S for toys and Warner Bros. for a coming feature film. The quick rise of "Minecraft" from a cult game to the target of one of the world's largest corporations shows how new forms of entertainment, especially on smartphones or other emerging computing devices, are shaking up the media and technology industries. Companies that didn't exist a few years ago, including Mojang, virtual-reality headset maker Oculus Rift and mobile-messaging service WhatsApp Inc., have been sold for multibillion-dollar prices in recent months. While Microsoft's Xbox business has been a secondary focus for Mr. Nadella, he has emphasized how games are among the most popular activities on computers and smartphones. Microsoft's ownership of "Minecraft" could give people extra incentive to latch on to its Xbox videogame consoles, PCs and phones. Mojang is particularly important for Microsoft's struggling smartphone business. "Minecraft" is among the most popular mobile apps, but the company hasn't made a version for Microsoft's Windows Phone system, which powers fewer than three out of every 100 new smartphones sold world-wide. "We don't view this acquisition as a signal of [Microsoft's] intent to double down on Xbox but consider it an attempt to better address mobile on a cross-platform basis, given that 40% of Minecraft's units are on mobile platforms," Nomura analyst Rick Sherlund said in a research note last week. Mr. Sherlund also said Microsoft could make unique or exclusive "Minecraft" content only for the company's properties like Xbox or Windows Phone. The "Minecraft" brand's potential value for Microsoft is far more strategic than financial, where it will scarcely make a dent. Annual revenue from "Minecraft," which was 2.07 billion Swedish kroner ($290 million) last year, is less than 1% of Microsoft's fiscal 2014 sales of $86.8 billion. But the acquisition isn't much of a financial risk for Microsoft, whose operations generate enough cash in roughly a month to pay for the Mojang purchase. Microsoft said it expects the deal to break even in fiscal year 2015. There is, however, a risk of alienating investors already dubious about Microsoft's deal-making strategy. Many Microsoft stockholders remain annoyed by the company's $9.5 billion acquisition this spring of Nokia Corp.'s phone-and-tablet business. Mr. Nadella's predecessor, Steve Ballmer, agreed to the deal, but now it is the new CEO's job to harness Nokia to help Microsoft play catch-up in smartphones.
6mo
iPhone6: 4 Million Pre-orders

26 iPhone6: 4 Million Pre-orders USA Today

Apple says pre-orders for its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones topped 4 million during the first 24 hours, a new record for the tech giant. Apple's online store along with the four major wireless carriers -- AT&T;, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon -- all have pre-order shipments for the new iPhones delayed several weeks after Friday's launch. Some models had wait times stretching as far back as November. "iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are better in every way, and we are thrilled customers love them as much as we do," said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a statement released Monday. The iPhone 6 Plus has been particularly popular among customers. The device sporting a much larger 5.5-inch display boasts shipment wait times of several weeks. At AT&T;'s online store, wait times for the iPhone 6 stretch to a month, while iPhone 6 Plus buyers may have to wait for their online pre-order as long as late November. Apple says additional supply of both smartphones will be available at retail stores on September 19. Along with beefing up the size of the iPhone's screens -- including a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 -- Apple introduced its mobile payments service Apple Pay during an event last week. It also unveiled the Apple Watch, which is expected to launch next year.
8mo
The Equalizer

27 The Equalizer Sony Pictures

In The Equalizer, Denzel Washington plays McCall, a man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when McCall meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can't stand idly by -- he has to help her.
7mo
Life of Crime

28 Life of Crime Lionsgate

Based on Elmore Leonard's novel "The Switch," "Life of Crime" is a dark caper comedy starring Jennifer Aniston, John Hawkes, Yasiin Bey, Will Forte, Mark Boone Junior, Isla Fisher and Tim Robbins. The wife (Jennifer Aniston) of a corrupt real estate developer (Tim Robbins) is kidnapped by two common criminals (Yasiin Bey and John Hawkes), who intend to extort him with inside information about his crooked business and off-shore accounts. But the husband decides he'd actually rather not pay the ransom to get back his wife, setting off an unbelievable sequence of double crosses and plot twists that could only come from the mind of Elmore Leonard.
8mo
No Good Deed

29 No Good Deed Sony Pictures

A wife and mother of two, lives an ideal life that takes a turn when her family is threatened by a stranger who talks his way into her house, claiming car trouble. The unexpected invitation leaves her terrorized and fighting for survival.
Based On The Best Seller! 6mo
The Maze Runner

30 The Maze Runner 20th Century Fox

When Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organization known as W.C.K.D. Only by piecing together fragments of his past with clues he discovers in the maze can Thomas hope to uncover his true purpose and a way to escape. Based on the best-selling novel by James Dashner.