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CNN needs police escort to escape Wii-craving mob
CNN staffer Krysten Peek experienced firsthand how fanboy desperation can quickly devolve into mob-like assault. Peek was one of the (seemingly) lucky few to score a Wii during this past weekend's re-up, but on her way to the store's exit -- just after an employee announced that all units were sold-out -- she became an easy target for the lingering crowd of Wii-less shoppers:"Were these people crazy?? Yes, they were ... unsatisfied customers began to grab at my bag ... I was caught off guard in a game of tug-a-war when a security guard intervened and rescued me from the chaos. He took me outside. And the crowd followed."It wasn't until security flagged down a cop car and tucked Peek inside that the CNN hand escaped certain danger. Or so it would seem. Now they know her name. How long before they discover where Ms. Peek lives?
Federal judge caught playing solitaire during a trial
We'll abstain from the card-related puns. On last Saturday, the New York Daily News reported that Manhattan Federal Court Judge Shira Scheindlin, was busy playing computer solitaire while overseeing the case against John "Junior" Gotti. The allegation comes from radio host Curtis Silwa, who noticed her gaming habits while testifying on the witness stand. Silwa was almost killed at a 1992 shooting that Gotti is accused of planning. Silwa said he has seen Scheindlin gaming during the last two trials, but did not speak up "until Scheindlin dumped cold water on the government's third try" to convict the mobster. Silwa is asking that Scheindlin should step down from the case. Mayor Bloomberg in February fired a low-paid office worker after spying a game of Solitaire left on the person's desktop. It'll be interesting to see how a high-paid judge with political clout is reprimanded (if at all) for her in-trial shenanigans.[Thanks, Harold]
Should the Sopranos video game be whacked?
I couldn't watch the season premiere of everyone's favorite New Jersey family drama last night without wondering what the fanook happened to the Sopranos video game that THQ was supposedly working on last May. Now that EA's take on the Godfather is closing in on a release date, Tony and the Bada Bing crew would appear due for a console adaptation. Despite the superior quality of the show, David Chase and HBO haven't exactly been snobbish with this license, hawking Sopranos-branded cookbooks and pool cues as if they owed money to the mob. On the plus side, that could mean Chase won't reflexively look down on video games as an art form like Francis Ford Coppola apparently does. It also means we could end up with a Max Payne-ish Tony doing slow-mo dodge rolls on his way to the pork store. To truly be worth while, a Sopranos game would have to not only have the total cooperation of the writers and cast, but also capture the psychological depth and richness of the best show on TV. What that means for the gameplay, I'm not sure—something leaning towards strategy as opposed to mission-based runs to Satriale's. I'm going to assume we haven't heard anything about this project because the creative geniuses behind it are waiting until they can devote their full attention toward whacking gamers with a whole new level of licensed next-gen experience. Anything less, and I'd prefer Tony sleeps with the fishes when it comes to the 360. What's the best way to turn the Sopranos into a console game? And while we're strip-mining HBO for material, who should buy the rights to Deadwood?
