Actor Paul Bettany may be best known for his supporting role work in "A Beautiful Mind," "The Da Vinci Code" and "Master and Commander."
I remember him best for playing writer Chaucer in Heath Ledger’s "A Knight’s Tale."
However, it is his voice that may be the most recognizable – as playing Jarvis, the computer assistant to Tony Stark’s Iron Man in the trilogy of superhero films as well as the recent block buster "The Avengers."
Disney Home Entertainment, and Marvel Studios, released "Iron Man 3" on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital Copy multi-pack on Tuesday. The package is full of special bonus features, and special little gems that comic book fans will geek out over, and the average home video viewer will enjoy.
You can read OnMilwaukee.com’s review from Matt Mueller here, when the film kicked off the summer movie season on the big screen.
But, it will be Bettany’s voice, and a free app for the iPad and iPhone that will allow Jarvis to be your own personal assistant.
In it, Jarvis can be used as a wake-up alarm, full with current weather conditions, like he did in the first Iron Man film. There is also a full set of voice commands, where the user can have Jarvis post to Facebook and perform other functions.
I had the opportunity to screen the Blue-Ray last week, to preview the release. With the Blu-Ray playing on a Wi-Fi device, and my iPad on the same network, I was able to control the Blu-Ray with the Jarvis App. There were simple menu controls, but with Jarvis, I could simply call out "Jarvis, Bonus Features," and get a reply, "accessing bonus features."
Built into the Blu-Ray is a scan code that will open up exclusive content inside the Jarvis App, as well. A little hint, watching the gag reel will reveal one of the secret scan codes. There’s another dozen others hidden in the disc as well.
Although it isn’t as cool as having my own set of personal armor, it makes the experience pretty close to what billionaire Tony Stark, played so well by Robert Downey Jr., has at home.
WHERE DID IT GO?: Late last week, without barely a headline, Maximum magazine was sold to Darden Media.
When it hit the scene, the periodical was meant to bring together a sophomoric attitude to world affairs, while tapping the "babes and beer" formula to super-serve its young male audience. In its heyday, the magazine brought young actresses like "Transformers" star Megan Fox into the mainstream entertainment world … creating a career out of roles in films and, more importantly, for air time on entertainment magazine shows and other well-read magazines like People and Time.
Now, like all magazines, the once-powerhouse product that boasted hundreds of thousands of subscribers, is struggling in ad sales. As technology increases and reading habits change, so too does the business model based on print media. The younger-set is more apt to take on new gear, and with it, evolving ways to engage in media in the digital space.
CAPITOL COVERAGE: Fox News Channel’s and Fox Business Network’s Neil Cavuto will host "Your World with Neil Cavuto" at 3 p.m. and FBN’s "CAVUTO" at 7 p.m. from the Senate Rotunda in Washington D.C. today. Cavuto will cover the debt ceiling and the budget battle over President Obama’s health care plan.
Cavuto will speak with business executives and political leaders including Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), and former chair of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Sheila Bair.
Media is bombarding us everywhere.
Instead of sheltering his brain from the onslaught, Steve embraces the news stories, entertainment, billboards, blogs, talk shows and everything in between.
The former writer, editor and producer in TV, radio, Web and newspapers, will be talking about what media does in our community and how it shapes who we are and what we do.