GeekSugar

Mario Kart Wii Coming April 27

GeekSugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:01:34 PDT

For those of you waiting oh so impatiently for the Wii edition of Mario Kart, you'll have to hold your breath for only another month. Mario Kart Wii will be hitting shelves on April 27 here in the states, but lucky Japanese Wii fans can get their hands on it a whole two weeks and some odd days earlier. I hope we don't have a repeat of the delayed Super Smash Bros. Brawl release where it gets pushed back at the very last minute! I just don't know if my little heart could stand it.

Thankfully, Mario Kart Wii is coming stocked with the Wii Wheel (cause who would want to drive with the Wiimote? Not me!), although there's already sightings of some pretty impressive third-party steering wheels out there. Plus, this time we can race motorcycles and compete online with up to 12 players worldwide. Can't wait for some sweet Mario Kart action? Check out the trailer below when you

12 Things You Should Never Buy Full-Price

Business Insider — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:15:25 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Business Insider story here on Savvy!

With the Internet, helpful mobile phone apps, and retailers scrambling to keep consumers in their shops, there's no need to pay full-price for much of anything these days.

To give you a boost, we tapped a few savvy shoppers for their tips on all the ways you can save.

Theater tickets

"One of the greatest savings areas recently has been the theater ticket business," says Anna Aronovich, CEO of GovernmentAuctions.org.

Even if you're not going to be around NYC to score discount Broadway tickets this month, there are opportunities in nearly all cities to see shows on the cheap.

Some rewards programs like Optimum Rewards cost nothing to join and offer discounts on shows.

Beer

If you're looking to stock the fridge for your next poker night, don't hit the liquor store until you've checked out www.saveonbrew.com.

The company's been featured on a host of deals sites lately as one of the best ways to find discounts on brewski, says Jennifer Davidson, director of operations. (See some incredible uses for beer.)

Read on for more.

See the Full Soundtrack Song List For The Hunger Games

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:43:52 PST

We don't just have the epic battle of Katniss Everdeen fighting for her life in The Hunger Games movie to look forward to - it sounds like we're also going to be treated to a pretty epic soundtrack.

The full tracklist has just been released, and though there's a big presence of country/pop star Taylor Swift, there's plenty of indie cred too, in the form of artists like Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, and Neko Case. You can pre-order the soundtrack on iTunes now, in anticipation of the Mar. 20 release of the album, and to get the full listing, just keep reading.

5 Things to Know About Joy Williams of Grammy-Winning Duo The Civil Wars

Tara Sharp — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:48:00 PST

If you didn't know who Joy Williams was before tonight, we guarantee you will be hearing a lot more about her in the months to come. Joy's one half of folk duo The Civil Wars with Johnny Depp lookalike John Paul White, and the first-time nominees won two Grammys tonight: best folk album and best country duo/group performance for their 2011 album Barton Hollow. They are also one of the performing groups to hit the Grammy stage tonight! Here are five things you should know about this woman who rocks (including her Taylor Swift and Adele connection!):

Hailing from Santa Cruz, CA, Joy was 17 when she signed a recording contract with Reunion Records, balancing a singing career with finishing up high school. She began her career as a contemporary Christian music artist before leaving Reunion and founding Sensibility Music with her husband. Then one of her first songs on her own label, "Charmed Life," appeared on the season finale of Grey's Anatomy in 2009.
Joy's been married since 2004, and it's not to her Civil Wars partner. Joy's happily paired up with her manager and Sensibility Music cofounder Nate Yetton.
In 2009, Joy formed The Civil Wars with John Paul White, whom she met at a songwriting session in 2008. Their first studio album, Barton Hollow, was released in 2011 and debuted at No. 1 on iTunes's album sales chart and at No. 12 on the Billboard 200. The band even opened for Adele's 2011 North American and UK concert tour.
Joy, 29, and her husband are expecting their first child in June. Joy announced the pregnancy on Twitter Friday, saying, "My baby bump & I will see you on the red carpet."
Fellow singing starlet Taylor Swift gave Joy and The Civil Wars a helping hand when she included the band's song "Poison and Wine" on her official iTunes playlist, saying, "I think this is my favorite duet. It's exquisite." And now Joy and Taylor have a song together for The Hunger Games soundtrack called "Safe and Sound." The music video debuts tomorrow!

Check out photos of Joy and The Civil Wars at the Grammys now!

Pirate Rock! Disney's Sharky and Bones Open Up About Pirate Culture, Jake, and Peter Pan

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:37:27 PST

Can you talk like a pirate? If your lil one is between 2 and 5 years old, chances are he'll know exactly what we're talking about!

Since its launch last February, Disney's Jake and the Neverland Pirates has become the top-ranking series among kids in that age group. The animated show - about a new crew of pirates who work together to outwit Captain Hook and Smee around Pirate Island - is about to embark on its second season with a prime-time special Jake and the Never Land Pirates: Peter Pan Returns (airing Feb. 13), where the little boy who won't grow up enlists the minipirates to help him find his lost shadow. As with the daily show, the special will feature original pirate rock songs written and sung by Sharky and Bones of The Never Land Pirate Band. I spoke with Loren Hoskins and Kevin Hendrickson, the men behind Sharky and Bones and the stars of the live-action music videos featured at the end of each episode, about the popularity of pirate culture and what it can teach tots today.

LilSugar: Obviously you two are well versed in little kids' obsessions with pirates. How did it start for you two?
Kevin Hendrickson (Bones): It started before our kids. Loren and I met maybe 12 years ago, and we both just had a love of pirates and the old Disney records we grew up listening to. We decided to make a pirate album for kids, even though we didn't have kids.
Loren Hoskins (Sharky): We were pirates before pirate was cool. We had an affinity for pirate and pirate culture and the old Disneyland rides - you know the old Pirates of the Caribbean attraction - and we combined all those into a rock album for kids of all ages. We say "for buccaneers of all ages" because we had a lot of fans that were not kids and a lot of fans that were kids and then families that were fans. We just decided to not be a children's band, but a band for all buccaneers!

LilSugar: It's been almost 60 years since Disney released Peter Pan, and unlike other Disney flicks, it hasn't received a rerelease or a 3D upgrade. Why do you think the pirate obsession remains so strong today?
Loren Hoskins (Sharky): I have always maintained that what pirates represent for play is all the best things about play. That's imagination, adventure, being bold-hearted, silly voices, and fun dress-up costumes. You put all that together and you get classic kid play. It's like pirates and dinosaurs. Dinosaurs were huge for a while, and I think for the same reason – you can just go "roaar," and play all these great games, and they were bold and adventurous and from exotic locations. Pirates are the same thing. They're one of those classic play building blocks

Keep reading for more of our talk about pirate rock and the show's educational value.

Angelina Jolie Talks Being "So Not Cool" to Her Kids in THR

Lauren Turner — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:10:02 PST

Angelina Jolie shares the cover of The Hollywood Reporter with Jennifer Yuh Nelson for the current issue, which highlights female directors. Angelina got behind the camera for her first project, In the Land of Blood and Honey, last year and has lately been busy promoting the war drama ahead of its holiday release in a few weeks. She took a break to chat with the publication and her Kung Fu Panda director Jennifer about writing her first film, working on animated movies, and family life. Here's more from Angelina in The Hollywood Reporter:

On Kung Fu Panda: "Fortunately, I've scored some points at home because of Kung Fu Panda. They love Tigress, who is my alternate personality. Otherwise, they think Brad [Pitt] and I are just so not cool."
On writing the script from home: "I wrote whenever I could, when the kids were asleep or in their classes. Halfway through some of the most horrific scenes, I'd hear, 'Mommy, I need another story, I can't go to sleep,' and so I'd pause what I was doing and go tell happy stories about bunny villages. They won't see this movie. They know that mommy, on occasion, goes off to Libya or other places. I make them very conscious of the fact that there are a lot of people struggling through different things, and I don't protect them from the fact that war isn't a video game, it's a very, very horrible thing."
On why she loves voicing animation: "I love animation because you get to do things you don't normally get to. For one, I could bring my kids and wear my pajamas, and hang out with Jen. And my character is just so badass. Yes, eating pizza is the hardest stunt we did."

Best Black Friday Deals Roundup

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:08:53 PST

It's hard to believe that we're halfway through November already, but it's true. Not only is it time to start thinking about your guest list for Thanksgiving dinner, but also your Black Friday shopping list. Get a head start on your planning by checking out these Black Friday ads that are already posted online for your browsing pleasure.

Amazon

Motorola phones will be on sale for just a penny. Some of the available models include Droid Razr 4G, BlackBerry Torch 4G, HTC Inspire 4G, HTC Rhyme, Samsung Focus Flash 4G, and more. This sale is available now through 11:59 p.m. Monday, Nov. 28.
Verizon and Sprint customers are eligible for some extras. If they activate a mobile hotspot data plan on their hotspot-capable smartphone, they will also receive a $100 Amazon gift card.

Apple

Apple's sales will take effect on Friday, Nov. 25 at physical locations and online.

Get $101 off MacBook Airs, Pros, and iMacs. The 11-inch MacBook Air will be on sale for just $898!
Save up to $41 on iPods, including iPod Touch and Nano
iPads (first and second generation models) will be discounted up to $61.
Accessories for Macs, iPods, and iPads will be discounted as well.

Best Buy

Stores will be opening at 12 a.m. on Black Friday. Get a closer look at the Best Buy Black Friday ad here.

An insane deal, the Sharp 42-Inch LCD 1080p TV is only $200. Better get in line early for that one.
Capture precious moments with the Canon Power Shot ELPH 300HS Digital Camera for $150.
Alternatively, you can grab the Kodak PlayFull 1080p HD Camcorder for just $70.
Insane prices on DVDs - just $1 and up.
Or, grab Blu-rays starting at $5 and up.

GameStop

Stores will be opening at 12 a.m. on Black Friday.

Trade in your old DSi XL and get a 3DS bundle (that includes the system and a game) for $100.
The black Wii bundle, which includes Super Mario Bros. Wii and the official Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack, will be selling out at $150.
There's also a Xbox Kinect Bundle, which includes 250GB Xbox 360, Kinect, wireless controller, three-month Xbox Live membership, and two games for $300.

Kmart

If you're looking for a camcorder to capture family moments, snatch up the Sony Compact Camcorder with 60x Optical Zoom, which is on sale for $170.
Listen to your tunes on the cheap with Maxell Color Earbuds that are going for $2.50 a pair.
I love the Samsung PL120 DualView digital camera for self-portraits and videos, and on Black Friday, you can get one for yourself for just $99.
Looking for an affordable tablet that will let you surf the Internet on the fly? The Archos 8GB 101 Internet Tablet will be priced at just $219 on Black Friday.

Office Depot

The 17-inch HP g7 laptop is going for $350, but if you buy any HP laptop you can also get the HP Touchpad for $149.
The "tech bundle" from Office Depot offers a laptop sleeve, wireless mouse, and 500GB hard drive for $80.
8GB SanDisk SD cards are only $9 each.
All M-Edge Kindle accessories and cases are buy one get one free.
All tablets are on sale during the Black Friday sale. The BlackBerry Playbook is only $200, while the Lenovo IdeaPad is $300.
The Canon Power Shot A22 14.1MP digital camera is $90 and comes with a free 4GB SD card.

Sam's Club

Stores will be open starting at 5 a.m. on Black Friday and will include a complimentary egg sandwich breakfast for members!

It could be better, but for the price of this Samsung 51-Inch Class 720p 600Hz Plasma HDTV ($498), it's a nice upgrade for someone with a smaller screen.
If you don't already have one, the Sony PS3 160GB Bundle is going for $239.
Or, get a Nintendo Wii Limited Edition Blue Console for only $99.
Need a laptop? The HP Pavilion 17.3-Inch Notebook is $499.
And though model numbers haven't been released, select 4G Android Smartphones are going for just $1.

Target

Stores open at midnight on Black Friday.

Get your game on with the PS3 gaming bundle, that comes with a 160GB PS3 Slim, two games (including Little Big Planet 2 and a 30 day PlayStation Plus membership for $199.
The Acer 10.1-inch netbook is $72 off and priced at $157 on Black Friday.
Get a Westinghouse 47-inch 1080p LCD HDTV for $298. That's $250 off the regular price of $550!
Select video games start at $5 a piece and DVDs starting at just $2.
Other gaming bundles include the Kinect sensor bundle (Kinect, two games and two game downloads) for $99, and a 3DS bundle (red 3DS and a copy of Super Mario 3D Land) for $180.

Walmart

Walmart's Black Friday ad is available to view online. Electronics will be going on sale starting at 12 a.m. on Black Friday, while toys and other departments will be open for shopping at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Get your hands on an LG Blu-ray Player for movie-watching fun for just $49.
Or, if you're in need of some sweet sounds to go along with your flicks, the Philips WiFi Blu-ray Home Theatre is going for $178.
Upgrade your movie-watching experience with the Samsung 51-Inch Plasma TV, priced at $498.
Keep the fun coming with DVDs starting at just $2 and up.

Walmart Offers Major Gaming Deals on Black Friday

Kelly Schwarze — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 04:36:58 PST

Some Black Friday deals can be underwhelming - how many $5 USB drives do we need? - but the sale Walmart just revealed for games and gaming equipment may just be enough to lure us out on Thanksgiving night. From 10 p.m. on Thursday night through all day Friday, Nov. 25, Walmart stores are offering huge door-buster sales to feed our video game hunger.

PlayStation 3 bundles and Xbox 360 with Kinect bundles are priced at $200 each, and the Xbox set comes with a $50 Walmart gift card. The standalone Kinect and game bundle is $100, as well as the blue Wii console. The games themselves are where we get to the good stuff. Recently released titles like Batman: Arkham City, Just Dance 3, and Battlefield 3 will retail for $28. Other games like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Dance Central 2 are slated for an even lower price - $15.

Are you planning to shop early or stand in line this year to get these deals?

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez Make Out at a Hockey Game!

Katie Henry — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:58:05 PDT

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez took their PDA to the ice Saturday night! Justin and Selena kissed while the Winnipeg Jets played a home game against the Carolina Hurricanes in his home country of Canada. Selena is in the middle of a tour through the Great White North, and Justin met up with her for a sporty date night.

Justin's just a few days away from the Nov. 1 release of his latest album, Under the Mistletoe. The video for "Mistletoe" hit the Internet last week, and this morning Ryan Seacrest debuted "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire," the duet Justin sings with Usher. Usher's not the only star who lent his vocals to the album; Boyz II Men collaborate with Justin on "Fa La La" and Mariah Carey adds her updated hit "All I Want For Christmas Is You." Justin should be busy singing the tunes throughout the holidays, as he's been tapped to headline Dick Clark's New Year's Rocking Eve from Times Square.

Bieber Drops "Mistletoe" Video - Are You Ready For Holiday Tunes?

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:38:55 PDT

It seems like the holiday season starts earlier every year, and Justin Bieber is here to remind us all that Christmas is nipping on the heels of Halloween. To get you in the mood for his new holiday album, the teen sensation has released a video for the first single, "Mistletoe." Holiday music purists might be turned off by the usage of "shawty" intermixed with all the merriment, but you better believe that your top 40 radio station will soon be playing this on heavy rotation.

Bieber's not the only one getting in the game early either; Zooey Deschanel's band, She & Him, will be releasing their own holiday album next week, as well as Michael Buble. As much as I adore the holiday season, watching this video felt a bit premature, even for me. So here's my question: are you guys ready for holiday tunes, or will you be covering your ears for the next few weeks?