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Jessica Alba Talks About Being A Video Game Character

GeekSugar — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 08:00:07 -0700

Her past as Dark Angel and current role as Sue Storm from the Fantastic Four movie and video game makes Jessica Alba a TV, movie and video game star. Of course the recent return to her role as Sue Storm for Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, meant more body scans and geeky gaming meetings for the movie's video game. Word is Jessica worked closely with Activision, the creators of the game, to make it more realistic and hopes to become even more involved with the gaming industry.

She recently gave Yahoo's Celebrity Bytes the low down about her love of games, what she thinks of the industry, how she thinks the Wii can help kids combat obesity and what it feels like to see your body and face translated via a gaming console. Here's more:

What role do you see video games playing today in Hollywood?
I think games play an important role in movies. It's all entertainment. It's all fantasy, and it's a way for people to connect to the movie by living vicariously through the characters in the video game. It's a great role-playing experience. I've had a go or two at 007 and there's a part of me that likes to pretend that I'm James Bond.
What do you think of what they can do with video games today?
The graphics are insane. They're so real. I grew up playing Bomberman and Pac-Man and Super Mario Brothers and Zelda, where you had just this little guy who could barely walk and the music was like doot... doot... doot. And the way they walked was so stiff and robotic. And now the game characters look like people moving around. It's a similar technology to what we use in Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer. We now know how to make films that are completely animated and computer-generated, and convincingly real.
Have you seen yourself in the video games you've worked on in the past?
I have seen myself in video games, like in Dark Angel or the first Fantastic Four game. It's weird. It doesn't seem like me, but it is. It's totally weird. It's like having an action figure. It's super cool, but it's like, there's no way this is real. You know they do body scans and everything to make the game characters look as much like you as they can. It's completely cool and bizarre.

What does Alba think about the Wii? read more

You mentioned recently getting the Nintendo Wii - what do you like about it?
I think the physicality of the Wii gets people off the couch. Sometimes you can just sit there playing a video game for hours and never move and you're brain is just zapped from playing the game. With the Wii, you're up on your feet and moving around. The physical aspect of it is great, especially for kids. They actually call it the Wii Diet, since active players can burn calories!

Hey, whatever works. Obesity is ridiculous with kids today in our country. Anything that helps is great. You know, West Virginia is using Dance Dance Revolution in all schools as part of P.E. I know a lot of public school programs don't even have P.E. these days. That's crazy. It wasn't even an option when I was a kid. What the heck! I remember climbing up the rope, doing the mile run and all of that stuff.

View 5 Photos ›

For the rest of the interview, visit Yahoo's Celebrity Bytes. The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer video game is available for Playstation 2, Playstation 3, PSP, Nintendo Wii, DS and XBox. 360.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Blackberry Tribute - Celebs Love Them Too !

GeekSugar — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 00:01:16 -0800

Check out Hollywood's Blackberry-lovin' crew, a group that never leaves home without their snazzy gadgets (shown here with the Blackberry 8700 & 7200 Wireless Handheld). So why is the Blackberry so hot in Hollywood and in the real world?

The Blackberry offers a phone, text messaging, e-mail, calendar and digital camera all rolled into one. It's small, sleek and will make you want to stay organized.

Check out additional Blackberry styles here, including the new Blackberry Pearl, a hot new compact design with support for playing music and video. The Pearl also has a built-in camera, ideal for capturing special moments on the spot!

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This Week On Geeksugar - Jessica Alba Talks About Being A Gamer

GeekSugar — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 14:00:31 -0700

Her past as Dark Angel and current role as Sue Storm from the Fantastic Four movie and video game makes Jessica Alba a TV, movie and video game star. Jessica Alba Talks About Being A Video Game Character
If you haven't used "blamestorming" or "chips and salsa" yet you're so behind the times. New Office Slang: A-C
The iPhone parodies have been rolling in since day one. There's the New York City ad, the Conan O'Brien take on the iPhone and even a Steve Jobs goes mad skit. The Onion's Faux iPhone Ad
Sure, I can dig Tetris magnets and even fancy pants Tetris wall installations, but this real life Japanese Tetris game conjures up freaky dreams of being stuck in a perpetual video game. Do Think You Could Win The Japanese Tetris Game?

What do you do when you've got a hot first date and you drop your BlackBerry into the toilet? Turns out, it may be easier to fix than you'd think. Man Drops BlackBerry In Toilet, Saves It
Apple's iChat can be quite addictive when chatting with friends and family, but who knew that an Oscar winning director could use it for work? Martin Scorsese Is A Big iChat Fan
If I've learned anything at all about the Nintendo DS recently it's that Americans aren't using the handheld device to its fullest potential. Konami's Skin Software Makes Your DS A Beauty Guide
If you are reading this right now you are no stranger to digital communities - be it Myspace, Facebook, TeamSugar or Flickr. Now consider a type of software that is capable of taking images from kindred communities, analyzing them for similarities, and grafting them together into an interactive three-dimensional space that puts the "networking" idea of some social sites to shame. Future Tech: Mind Blowing Photosynth Demo

MySpace Celebrity Launches

GeekSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:40:54 -0800

MySpace has augmented its little army of TV, music, and oh yeah, some sort of social network, with a new feature, MySpace Celebrity. So far, it's a lot of the gossip and photos and entertainment interviews you can already get on PopSugar and BuzzSugar and a thousand other sites, but there is some original content, like Celebrity Blogs, where you can learn that JESSICA ALBA TYPES IN ALL CAPS. It's kinda cool that all the celebrity profiles are in one area, because I really hope they keep out the 45 George Clooney impostors so I can be friends with the real deal.

Match The Celeb With The Cell Phone

GeekSugar — Sun, 20 May 2007 11:07:55 -0700

It's no surprise that this celebrity knows her way around a BlackBerry, especially since she (hint hint) reportedly found some juicy emails from another woman on her now ex's device.

Just like other famous gals including Madonna, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Alba, Kimberly Stewart, Sandra Bullock and Jessica Simpson, this actress is a total BlackBerry 8700 woman. By the looks of it, she probably enjoys this phone for its easy email access and high quality QWERTY keyboard.

Any ideas as to who it is? Leave all your guesses below!

To check out who it is, read more

It's Reese Witherspoon, writing an intense text message!

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Do You Pay Attention To Avatars' Bodies And Gender?

GeekSugar — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 08:00:26 -0700

Naturally, I spend a lot of time playing video games and visiting websites that use avatars. I think of them as digital characters, that are human-like, but not necessarily reflective of what I think real people should look like. Aside from cracking a few jokes about the impossible curves of video game vixens - I mean, the Fantastic Four game even put Jessica Alba's body to shame - and the built-in stereotyping, I hardly ever pay attention to avatars.

What's interesting though, is the fact that a recent study showed that androgynous digital personas, ie avatars, are perceived as less trustworthy than ones that are clearly either male or female. It makes me wonder if people honestly find the need to assign gender roles to digital images, or if people are just more accustomed to the exaggerated gender stereotypes that seem to be perpetuated online. According to New Scientist Tech, people typically extend this impression to the person behind the avatar too - meaning avatar design and behavior may have a range of unforeseen psychological influences and that such virtual personas need to be carefully designed to make the right impression.

The issue of trust and personality perception is especially intriguing when you think about the number of people that spend a great deal of time in 3D virtual worlds like Second Life and end up creating avatars to represent themselves and later make virtual friends. Still, not "trusting" an avatar because it's androgynous seems bizarre. Everyone trusts David Bowie, right?
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Get Your Game On: Video Game Release Roundup

GeekSugar — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 15:00:25 -0700

Tis the season for great new video games and with the recent revelation that active gaming can actually aid those of us who are working on our fitness - I am guessing more and more of you are going to consider picking up the Wiimote, controller or joystick and getting in on the hardcore gamer action going on out there. In case you haven't been in the loop lately (as in the whole spring), an entire army of great games have been released for every console. Can't find anyone to join you? Remind them that 1 hour of PS3/Xbox on the couch burns 204 calories. Which means all you have to do is sit your bootie on the couch and not pick up the Cheetos. Ready, set, game!

**New Video Game Releases (Spring/Summer 2007)**
Why You'll Love It	Console/Price	Release Date
Cooking Mama: Cook Off - Love cooking, but hate the mess? Slice, dice, mash, chop and stir your ingredients to make the perfect meal with your Wii remote.	Nintendo DS and Wii, $19.99 or $49.99	Out now. Purchase it online.
Super Paper Mario - It's a classic! By holding the Wii sideways, you can run to the right and left, smashing blocks, collecting coins, bopping goombas and koopa troopas and avoiding bullet bills and hammer brothers.	Wii, $49.99	Out now. Purchase it online
Guitar Hero - You sweat as the rumbles of an anxious crowd rattle the stage. This is your big moment. You'll be rocking out all day and night.	Xbox 360, also available for Playstation. $89.99	Out now. Purchase it online.
Dance Dance Revolution Universe - It's the bestselling video game in the music game category for a reason. It will make you sweat - and it's fun. In fact it's so great, PE teachers are using it in schools. One hour of playing burns 900 calories. Need I say more?	Xbox 360, $49.99 or $79.99 with pad	Out now. Buy it online from Konami
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - Swords, swashbuckling and Captain Jack Sparrow. It's the third installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series.	Xbox 360, $59.99	Out now. Get it online.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Each Fantastic Four character has special powers and you can combine them all for powerful combos. Who doesn't want to be Jessica Alba?	Playstation 3, $59.99	Out now. Order it online.

Match The Celeb With The Cell Phone

GeekSugar — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 08:53:17 -0700

This famous superstar is shown here out and about in Beverly Hills with her silver BlackBerry 8700. And yes, she has conquered the hands free ear piece accessory - very impressive! Maybe she's chatting with her mo money (hint hint) boyfriend, or discussing her latest role in an upcoming movie. Any guesses as to who this actress is? Leave all your comments below! To see who this gal is, just read more

It is Jessica Alba sporting quite the earth-tone look! Did you guess right?

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Tech News Roundup - Player Flipper Would Love

GeekSugar — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:04:35 -0800

Dolphin MP3 Player keeps you, Flipper and Jessica Alba entertained - Gizmodo
Hello Kitty embraces warming blankets, gets fired up via USB - Engadget
The tech truth about our spending habits - Gadget Candy
Relieve stress with Super Mario mushrooms - Popgadget
Geek Chic of the week: The T-shirt to show the world your apathy - Shiny Shiny
You know you want a digital photo cube - Techie Diva
Rock out with your iPod using the MiJam Guitar - Chip Chick