Editor's Note:  The following article was sent to us by the Media Director of Web2Carz.com and is reprinted with permission. Check them out HERE. By: Steve Karras/Web2Carz As a production designer, Sir Ken Adam consistently pushed his imagination to the limits, creating movie sets, each different, as thrilling to look at as the action unfolding up on the screen.  His work on seven James Bond films—including the first of the series, Dr. No—set the tone for what became the Bond franchise. His vision behind the war-room in Dr. Strangelove, the interior of Fort Knox in Goldfinger, the flying car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Blofeld's lair in a volcano’s crater in You Only Live Twice, are just a few examples of the heightened sense of reality Adam so deftly created in his … [Read more...]

Writer's note: We rate video games movies and albums on a 10-point scale these days. I'll follow suit here too, with the following provision: every book I review will receive a minimum rating of 2.0—one point for having written a book, which I haven't, and one point for having gotten that book published, which I also haven't. After those concessions, the rest is up to the author and the editor.     'Extraordinary Rendition'. I had to look that one up. It's a good thing I did, because if I hadn't, I'd have probably told you that it meant a really good cover song. Like the Johnny Cash version of Tom Petty's I Won't Back Down. Or the Johnny Cash version of anything, for that matter. But I digress. Anyway—I found out that the term actually refers to the unlawful … [Read more...]

Wow. The Cards went into New England and came out winners. I did not see that coming. At the end of the day, though, Calais Campbell, Darnell Dockett, Patty Pete, and company kept Tom Brady off balance just about all game long, and when Tommy Terrific finally found Rob Gronkowski in the end zone, it proved to be too little, too late. Whatever thunder Andrew Luck garnered earlier this afternoon is in danger of being stolen by Robert Griffin III. Again. Griffin is off to a great start in St. Louis, albeit having thrown his first career interception. After a hot start that saw the 'Skins jump out to a 21-6 lead, the Rams put up 10 unanswered points to close the gap to only 5 points as they trail 21-16. *UPDATE* St. Louis briefly took the lead on a big Sam Bradford-to-Brandon Gibson … [Read more...]

  So far, I'd say the first half of today's festivities belongs to two young men: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, whose gone 11/17 for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns so far, and Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller, who's rushed for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just 11 carries. It looks like the beginning of a breakout year for Spiller, and the end of anyone anywhere caring at all about Fred Jackson. As for Luck, I struggle to comprehend how good he'll become. Especially when he gets some sort of an offensive line in front of him. In Charlotte, the Saints are continuing last week's struggles as they trail the Panthers by a score of 21-13. I'm not counting them out yet, but the lack of offensive fireworks from the once-mighty New Orleans Saints certainly … [Read more...]

  Rookie Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has just thrown his first career touchdown in Lucas Oil Stadium. What a career he's going to have. Elsewhere, the Eagles and Ravens are all knotted up an 7, the Saints are not unpredictably leading the Carolina Panthers, and the Arizona Cardinals are out to a fairly surprising 6-0 lead over the once-nearly-perfect New England Patriots. Enjoy it while it lasts, Cards fans. … [Read more...]

Happy Sunday, Internet. Week 2 is underway, and I'll be bringing you my thoughts on all the action of the day, as it unfolds. For starters, the Eagles are off to a great start. Even though Michael Vick threw a red zone interception, the Philly D got him the football right back. Even if it's not always sunny in Philadelphia, it certainly seems to be today. … [Read more...]

  Well, Internet, pro football is finally back, and I couldn't be much happier. Last year, I did a full-on season preview in which I not-so-famously-but-nonetheless-correctly predicted Peyton Manning's fate. The part about his going on IR., I mean Not the part about his being cast out of Indianapolis and going to Denver. I did not see that one coming. Starting next week, this section will be comprised of brief game-by-game analyses and predictions, but this week I'm already a week and a half behind, so everything's getting kind of mashed together in the name of catch-up. … [Read more...]

So the first (and thus far, the only) bit of E3 that I've actually gotten to take in has been Ubisoft's press conference, which I watched right here on The Vortex Effect. I'm going to begin with that. Internet, Ubisoft had me at "hello". Because, you know, it was comedienne Aisha Tyler doing the talking. I love that girl to death. The first thing revealed was some game called Just Dance 4. I'm not aware of the evidently preceding three games, nor was I thrilled to be subjected to that Florida guy's WrestleMania song again. It was stated that this Just Dance "franchise" is number one in what was referred to as the "dance game" genre. I'd only ever heard of Dance Dance Revolution, and I didn't realize even that game had spurred a full-on genre. I thought Asian dudes were the only assholes … [Read more...]