195w ago - The worldwide leader in family entertainment is about to get a great deal more entertaining, as the Walt Disney Company agrees to acquire iconic comic book company Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion.

More than 5,000 iconic comic book characters will soon be in the hands of Disney, raising serious questions about the future of Marvel video game titles from Activision, Sega, THQ, and the upcoming MMO from Gazillion Entertainment.

Under the terms of the agreement, Disney will pay Marvel shareholders $30 per share for their Marvel stock, plus .745 of a share of Disney stock for each share they own.

To quote: "This transaction combines Marvel's strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters including Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor with Disney's creative skills, unparalleled global portfolio of entertainment properties, and a business structure that maximizes the value of creative properties across multiple platforms and territories," said Robert A. Iger, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company.

"Ike Perlmutter and his team have done an impressive job of nurturing these properties and have created significant value. We are pleased to bring this talent and these great assets to Disney."

That's...

212w ago - Well here we go again; less than a week after a boy received a Nintendo DS box with rocks in it, a similar incident has happened to someone buying a MacBook Pro at Best Buy.

This time however, instead of finding rocks, the buyer received a nice red brick. As delighted as he was, I think he would have rather got his $2000 MacBook Pro.

So far no one has taken responsibility for the problem, and it doesn't look like anybody will; Best Buy says the box was factory sealed when sold, and Apple hasn't said anything yet.

Not promising for the guy and his brick if you ask me!

240w ago - According to Boston.com (linked above), advertisements for Barack Obama have appeared in nine EA video games, including Guitar Hero and Madden 09. The ads appear on billboards and other signage, and remind players that early voting has begun and plug a campaign Web site.

To quote: Too busy playing video games to watch presidential ads on television? Barack Obama has found you, too, by becoming the first presidential candidate to buy ad space inside a game.

Nine video games from Electronic Arts Inc., including the popular "Guitar Hero" and "Madden 09" football game, feature in-game ads from the Obama campaign.

The ads - they appear on billboards and other signage - remind players that early voting has begun and plug a campaign website.

Obama campaign officials said the video game ads target 10 states that allow early voting, including several battleground states: Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Montana, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Nevada, New Mexico, Florida, and Colorado.

245w ago - Sad story. In 2007, Russell Bramlage killed his parents, Dr. Terry Bramlage and Lynda Bramlage, after they confronted him when he stole two cheques from them.

Shot them both in the back, with a shotgun, in cold blood. Three days after the murders, seemingly without a care in the world, he cashed one of the cheques in and bought... an original Xbox.

Bramlage was later arrested by police, and pleaded guilty to murder charges, for which he'll face up to 20 years in prison without parole.