::SS::

So while I’ll continue to keep this blog live, don’t expect updates to come every day as they once were. In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/literallyfresh, or at Cinephile Magazine occasionally contributing reviews, but mainly behind the scenes tweaking the site, editing and publishing reviews, and producing, editing, and opining on our podcast.

::SS::

Now, I know what a lot of you are thinking… There’s no excuse for a temper tantrum like that to ever occur and if you are going to act that way, you deserve to be embarrassed by your own actions.

Except, you want to hear the REALITY behind that clip?

I know this because I happen to be somewhere where someone that was there that day and for the shoot is. And this person isn’t a publicist, nor are they invested in Bale’s career. They’re just someone that thinks it is absolute bullshit that this moment in Bale’s life is being aired and that the real story should get out there.

Read the rest here. I hope Harry is right because I certainly don’t want to lose respect for Bale. I think he’s a terrific actor and, prior to this debacle, heard that he is quite the gentleman.

::SS::

The island, a rainy outpost in the Irish Sea, is promoting an offbeat remedy for digital piracy, which the music labels blame for billions of dollars in lost sales. Instead of fighting file-sharing, the local government wants to embrace it — and it is trying to enlist a skeptical music industry’s help.

Read the rest here.

The nominal fee for broadband users discussed in the article sounds definitely like a step in the right direction. Lets hope other nations adopt this model, assuming of course it generates the requisite revenue for the labels and artists.

::SS::

Remember where you were on this historic day.

::SS::

::SS::

President Barack Obama’s site, Change.Gov, has released his official presidential portrait. Courtesy of said site:

It was taken by Pete Souza, the newly-announced official White House photographer.

It is the first time that an official presidential portrait was taken with a digital camera.

Pretty cool stuff. The folks over at Engadget have looked through the EXIF data embedded in the photo and gathered the following data:

…snapped with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II on January 13th, 2009 at 5:38 pm with no flash, using a 105mm lens stopped to f/10 at a 1/125 exposure, with an ISO of 100

Obama’s historical inauguration will take place on Tuesday January 20th, 2009.

::SS::

Courtesy of Apple PR:

Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.

I’ve decided to share something very personal with the Apple community so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.

Read his full letter here.

::SS::

After years of suing thousands of people for allegedly stealing music via the Internet, the recording industry is set to drop its legal assault as it searches for more effective ways to combat online music piracy.

The decision represents an abrupt shift of strategy for the industry, which has opened legal proceedings against about 35,000 people since 2003. Critics say the legal offensive ultimately did little to stem the tide of illegally downloaded music. And it created a public-relations disaster for the industry, whose lawsuits targeted, among others, several single mothers, a dead person and a 13-year-old girl.

Read the rest here.

::SS::

It was revealed today that Refugee Camp affiliate John Forte watched his sentence commuted, one of 16 people pardoned by President Bush. Forte and another inmate were given reduced sentences, whereas the other 14 were pardoned.

In 2000, Forte, an alum of the prestigious Phillips Exter Academy, was convicted sentenced to 14 years in prison for aiding and abetting the distribution of over five kilograms of cocaine. Per reports, he is set to be released December 22, to five years of probation.

Read the rest here. Thanks to Richard X for the tip.

::SS::