GeekSugar

Jon Stewart Plays With His iPhone and the Wii at the Oscars

GeekSugar — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:30:44 -0800

Last night I was surprised to see funny man Jon Stewart whip out an iPhone during the Academy Awards. He mocked its "widescreen" capabilities while pretending to watch Lawrence of Arabia. Later in the show, Jon and singing sensation Jamia Nash had a game of Wii Tennis on the big screen. Check it out below!

Oscar Party on Sugar!

PopSugar — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 12:40:51 -0800

It's Oscar Sunday so it's party time on the Sugar network! Join us as we post pictures from the red carpet on Fab and Bella so you can vote on all your favorite fashion and beauty looks. Buzz is live blogging and we're live chatting so click here to join us in the chat room to dish on George's lucky date, Angelina's baby bump, and the best and worst speeches or shocking winners of the night. We've been looking forward to the Oscars for a long time and thankfully the strike is over so hopefully Jon Stewart will be cracking us up in between little gold men being given away.

See you at 3p.m. PST when E!'s red carpet kicks off and then of course at 5p.m. PST when the Oscars officially start.

Geeksugar's Oscar Mania 2008 !

GeekSugar — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 07:04:55 -0800

This past week, we kicked off our second annual Oscar Worthy Gadgets feature to showcase the tech from this year's Best Picture Nominees. Not only that, but we highlighted some of our favorite movies from the past year (and an oldie or two), that had some awesome gadget cameos worth mentioning. In case you missed a post or two, check out our slideshow, which is guaranteed to bring you up to speed, just in time for tonight's festivities! Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight

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Oscar-Worthy Gadgets: There Will Be Blood's Drilling Rig

GeekSugar — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:07:09 -0800

To wrap up our week of Oscar-worthy gadgets, is the final 2008 Best Picture Oscar Nominee There Will Be Blood. Based on the novel Oil! by Upton Sinclair, There Will Be Blood is set in the late nineteenth century in Southern California and stars main-man Daniel Day-Lewis. Unlike the other Best Pictures, There Will Be Blood lacks any modern technology, since it's set in a time way before electronics . . . certainly not as gadget filled as some other movies from 2007, (yes we've been spoiled)!
Although there was one regularly featured gadget that can't go unnoticed in this film - the mechanized oil drill, whereby rods were turned by hand via a rope for it to slowly chip away at the rock below. In the movie, we see this method regularly being used, especially when the big explosion occurs with the derrick (the massive lifting device). Definitely an important piece of technology during the big oil boom, which has now been fined tuned into massive, complex pieces of equipment.

Time is running out! Be sure to fill out an Oscar ballot and show off your expertise about this year's Oscar-worthy films!

The 2008 Geek Oscars!

GeekSugar — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 06:05:40 -0800

Oh yeah, I'm excited about the "real" Oscars on Sunday, and the critically-acclaimed films that will take home the little men. But you know what I'm really thinking about? All the movies I really loved in 2007 for their featuring of gadgets and technology. It was a great year for that, so I've amassed a little slideshow of the geekiest films of 2007, so you can help me decide this year's Geeky Oscar Winner! Leave a comment with your vote for who should take home the Geeky Oscar prize.

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Oscar-Worthy Gadgets: No Country For Old Men's Transmitter/Receiver

GeekSugar — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:05:05 -0800

As Anton Chigurh, Javier Bardem could be one of the scariest characters at this year's award show. Additionally, the transmitter/receiver that he used to track down the loot in No Country For Old Men could be one of the most annoying gadgets in an Oscar-nominated film. Why, you ask? First off, the receiver couldn't even tell you the address, area, or even general location of the loot - it only beeped when it was in proximity of the transmitter! Secondly, did you see the size of said transmitter inside that wad of bills? You'd have to sacrifice at least 10 grand, just to fit it in without it being noticed!

Although, I suppose I could cut the Cohen brothers a break. The film was set in 1980 and as you may remember, 1980 was not at the height of sleek and compact gadgets. Remember those very first cell phones we were all excited about? Thankfully today, we have great GPS systems like the Garmin Nuvi 660 to help us get where we need to go, and now even Lojack for our laptops for those worrywarts who need that extra blanket of protection. You could even call us spoiled with all the advances we've become accustomed to compared to those great days of the '80s. We've sure come a long way from the metal box that beeps!

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Oscar Worthy Gadgets: Atonement's Typewriter

GeekSugar — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:05:37 -0800

Needless to say while writing Atonement, Ian McEwan was not contemplating ways to incorporate technology into the story. And who can blame him? Set in 1935, big inventions of that year were the "Supreme" Pedestal Hair Dryer and the Moving Coil Speaker. Talk about exciting. Although the typewriter is obviously a vintage gadget, it's an Oscar worthy gadget indeed. For much of the 20th century, typewriters were important tools in business, journalism, and paved the way for more modern and advanced word processing devices - like the one you are using today. They also came in handy when writing the occasional dirty love letter, as in the case of Atonement. Who wouldn't want a love letter from Robbie Turner delivered with the romanticism of the old fashioned type? Sigh.

Not only was the typewriter an important prop in the story of Atonement, it was also an important character. A character that became more engraved when the sounds of the machine were incorporated into the soundtrack, setting the stage for emotion when you heard the ticking of the keys. Taking such a low tech gadget and turning it into something so hi-fi is a super creative way to bring the classic gadget into the 21st century.

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Oscar Worthy Gadgets: Michael Clayton's BlackBerry

GeekSugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:06:18 -0800

As the title character of Michael Clayton, George Clooney is stunning as a conflicted lawyer, and as that lawyer, he's outfitted appropriately with the latest gadgets and technology. Most notable is his BlackBerry, which is glued to his hand and ear and provides the picture of a modern, hardworking attorney on the case of his life. Happily for me, the BlackBerry wasn't the only tech eye-candy - in fact, there were many gadgets that played important roles in the plot.

A GPS device goes haywire, foreshadowing an upcoming scene. Bluetooth earpieces and digital cameras are made sinister by villains to undertake evil deeds, while an iPod is outfitted completely in black - including headphones - to echo the ominous scene it appears in. Finally, in my favorite gadget scene in the whole movie, Michael Clayton uses a camera phone after he delivers the best line in the film. Of the Best Picture nominees, I'm pretty sure Michael Clayton is the geekiest - and that Clooney ain't too shabby, either.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Oscar Worthy Gadgets: Juno's Hamburger Phone

GeekSugar — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 06:04:16 -0800

"Can you hold on for a second? I'm on my hamburger phone. It's just like really awkward to talk on."

I'm beyond excited that Juno got nominated for so many Oscars, including Best Picture, because it was one of my favorite movies of 2007. The awesome music, the whip-smart dialogue, and the hipster-geek coupling of Michael Cera and Ellen Page? Perfect. And we all know what was my favorite part of the movie, and it must have been yours too because I've seen it brought up in comments, and all over Buzz and Yum: Juno's hamburger phone!

Not only is it a hilarious-looking phone, I think it mirrors Juno's characterization at that part of her life: Quirky, fun, and unexpected. Juno may not be a high-tech geek, but she's a geek nonetheless and I loved her for that. I heard that Diablo Cody actually had a hamburger phone when she was younger, and wrote it into the script. If you're equally as entranced by the hamburger phone, you can buy your own for $16 - and check out the one they released as a promotion. Stay tuned for more Oscar worthy gadgets this week!

Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Get Oscar Updates on Your Cell Phone and Desktop

GeekSugar — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 07:02:12 -0800

I don't know about you, but after the Golden Globes Awards ceremony was officially canceled because of the writers' strike, I started going into award season withdrawal.

Thankfully the glitz and glam will be back in full swing with the 80th annual Academy Awards, which is set to air Sunday February 24.

For gadget gurus like myself, we can now catch all the Oscar action on our cell phones or desktop. Just type m.oscar.com into your phone browser or text "OSCARS" to 22288. And to get Oscar text alerts sent to your phone or PDA text "ALERTS" to 22288.

You can also download the Oscar widget to put on your Facebook, MySpace or iGoogle homepage!