That Media Hut: Aug 6, 2012

Monday, August 6, 2012

Ellen Page Receiving Death Threats On Twitter

Film star Ellen Page, best known for her role as the eponymous character in Jason Reitman's Juno, has alerted the LAPD to a number of death threats she's received via Twitter.

The alarming tweets, since deleted, were published by two separate accounts, believed to belong to a single individual. Twitter has been ordered to hand over information pertaining to the accounts.

TMZ says one of tweets read "I'm going to murder Ellen Page"; another warned her to quit dating
Alexander Skarsgard or suffer a public execution "next year."

Concurrently, the nonprofit responsible for the LA Film Festival received a phone call from a person threatening to "kill Page" at the June 14th premiere of her latest film, Woody Allen's To Rome with Love.

Page skipped the premier, according to ABC News.

"The Internet makes it easier with YouTube, with Twitter, because these stalkers believe that the celebrities are actually talking directly to them," Los Angeles County assistant district attorney Rhonda Saunders told ABC. "They think that they have a relationship."

[The Daily Dot, photo via Getty]

Nathan Sorrell Shows 'Greatness' In New Nike Ad ‎

Twelve-year-old Nathan Sorrell’s Nike commercial was meant to inspire others to “find their greatness.”

But the 30-second spot — which features Nathan, who weighs 200 pounds, struggling to jog a country road at dawn — has actually inspired its subject.

“They didn’t edit much,” he said, admitting that he even had to stop and throw up in a ditch during the shoot.

Now Nathan and mom Monica have vowed to help each other lose weight through diet and exercise.

And of course Nike has vowed to return for another taping if they follow through.

[Ad Week]

The World Wide Web Turns 21

It was 21 years ago today that Sir Tim Berners-Lee, then a humble scientist at CERN, made the first page on the World Wide Web publicly available. It’s hard now to imagine a world without the web, and it's hardly fathomable that just over two decades ago our lives were completely different based on the innovation and generosity of one man.

Shoppers now turn to the web to make their purchases, readers download their books from it, companies base their branding and marketing strategies on it. And then there’s the dot-com and web generation of giants which have become the business super powers of today, the Googles and Facebooks and Amazons. None of these could exist without the web, and what a different world it would be.

Yes, I had to Google him. But we’re sure that the rest of the world are well aware now, if they weren’t before, that the whole Googling thing wouldn’t have been possible without Sir Tim and his web invention in the first place.

So Happy 21st World Wide Web, and here’s to many more exciting developments down the years.

Lost Camera Reunited With Owner After Three Years

Found by Vermont teacher Jon Noerr in a creek near Pharaoh Lake, a muddy Canon XT Rebel had clearly taken its last shot. But the memory card was ship-shape, and its contents made it possible to track owner Michael Comeau down and give him back his long-lost photos.

The memory card’s contents contained a hodgepodge of urban streetscapes, photos of apparent loved ones and random signs. He noticed most of the photos appeared to be in one general area, which he believed to be in one of New York City’s outer boroughs.

But just two photos served as Noerr’s “holy grail,” a shot of a young woman sitting on a front stoop of a house numbered 327 and a shot taken seconds later of the sky that captured a street sign reading 3rd Street.

[PostStar/via AP]

NASA Makes History With "Curiosity" Rover Landing On Mars

An eight-month journey across the reaches of space has ended safely for NASA’s Curiosity rover, which landed safely on Mars early Monday morning.

The rover began beaming images of the planet’s surface back within minutes of its successful descent through the planet’s atmosphere at a staggering 13,000 miles per hour.

“I can’t believe this. This is unbelievable,” said Allen Chen, who helped oversee the rover’s safe landing.

The NASA craft will spend the next two years on an unprecedented mission exploring the surface of Mars, travelling through the Gale crater, and searching for signs that Earth’s neighbour may once have hosted life.

[Reuters/Video via: Buzzfeed]