Lollapalooza 2014: In The Middle Of The Outkast Mob

WGN Morning News photographer Carlos Cortes and I decided to get as close to Outkast as we could on Saturday night. Can you believe these guys have been making music for 20 YEARS?! I forgot how many of their songs I knew – it’s been too long. TIME FOR A NEW OUTKAST ALBUM ALREADY.

As for the show? We thought it was fantastic. It looked like the guys were having a great time on stage and it carried over into the movie. The crowd around us was one of the most fun and respectful I had seen all weekend. Overall, my highlight of Lolla so far.

Did you see the Outkast show? What did you think?

 

Lollapalooza 2014: Ratking MC Survives Bloody Set

I was shooting the Desert Noises show when I saw these tweets…

 

 

So I raced over to The Grove stage to catch the last few songs of Ratking’s set. The NYC rap group was still up there on stage despite the nasty wound on Wiki’s forehead Check out the photo I snapped above. Glad they could finish the set, they sounded fantastic.

Check out all of my photos from the Ratking set on WGNTV.com HERE!

TRAILER: A Longer Look At Meta Michael Keaton and “Birdman”

keaton birdman

 

Could this be the weirdest “comeback” movie of all time?

In “Birdman,” Michael Keaton is an actor who can’t shake that one superhero character he once played. But seeing that the movie is directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, you know that this won’t be your traditional comeback story.

Can’t wait for this one. Watch the latest international trailer…

 

TRAILER: “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water”

SPONGEBOB TRAILER

 

I must have laughed about 20 times during this trailer. SpongeBob and friends enter the real world, great excuse to make a 3D animated version of the characters without sacrificing the spirit of the show. Check it out…

 

Super Selfies: Apps and gadgets to help you take better photos

On Thursday’s morning news, I’m tackling Pat Tomasulo’s favorite buzzword – SELFIES! The smartphone self-portrait craze is nothing new, and if you’ve been on Facebook/Instagram lately, you know that it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

Developers and gadget makers are getting in on the action, creating different apps to help you set your photos apart from others. We’ll be running them down in my segment and will post it here after it airs.

Here is a list of some of the apps we’ll be talking about, along with a few we didn’t mention on the air….

Shots (Formerly “Shots Of Me”) – iOS only, FREE

shots appThis relatively new app / social network was originally dedicated to the selfie, allowing users to only take photos with their front-facing camera. That’s changed – you can now use your rear-facing camera as well. With the backing of high profile users like Justin Bieber and Floyd Mayweather, some thought this could become the “Instagram For Selfies” when it launched last November. We’ll see.

 

 

 

MoreBeaute2 – iOS only, FREE (Similar to Beauty Camera for Android)

morebeaute2Have you seen some “The View”-level soft focus selfies popping up recently? Some people are turning to apps like MoreBeaute2 that offer instant Photoshop-like features that smooth out your skin and increase brightness to create a glowing effect. The goal is to make you look younger and ready for the cover of a magazine – but add too much effect and you’ll look like a character in “The Polar Express” (see left).

 

 

ComicBook! – iOS, $1.99

create_your_own_comic_books_with_comicbook_11

This app will take your photos and create a comic book style layout with them, even letting you write captions and create a story.

 

Camera360 Ultimate – i0S and Android, FREE

camera360

The great thing about this app? It has some of the coolest filters when it comes to photo apps. You can turn yourself into a work of art with the painting filter, and it has some really neat distressed vintage filters. The not-so-great thing about this app? The interface. You really have to dig around to get to different filters, but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy to use and save photos to your camera roll.

 

PHHHOTO – iOS only, FREE (Android coming soon)

This app turns your selfie into a short animation by snapping a series of quick photos when you hit the capture button. The result is a selfie/animated .GIF. And hey – Katy Perry is using it SO WHY SHOULDN’T YOU?!

KATY PERRY PHHHOTO

 

FrontBack – iOS and Android, FREE

FrontBack-Camera-App

This app does pretty much what it says. It uses both your rear-facing and front-facing camera and captures a shot from both at the same time, showing the expressions of both the photo-taker and the person/people on the other end.

 

Camera+ – iOS only, $1.99

camera_plus_3

I’ve been using Camera+ for cropping and in-phone editing for a while and find it very useful. The “Clarity” filter can easily add some texture to most photos, and if you want to get even more picky, there are plenty of manual settings you can adjust when editing or even taking a photo.

 

iStabilizer Monopod – $34.95

istabilizer monopod

The company calls this a monopod, but let’s call it what it really is – a Selfie Stick. You place your smartphone in the clamp at the top, and the pole extends out. Run your headphones from your phone to your hand down the pole, and you can easily snap wider, lower/higher angle shots. It could also be useful for shooting video in a crowd (I’ve used it for Skype-ing on-air), but be careful – my phones have popped out of the clamp on multiple occasions. Make sure you have a sturdy case, or better yet, use some type of tether to keep your phone from falling to the ground in case it becomes detached. It retails on their website for about $35, but you can find it on places like Amazon for about $25.

Do you have a favorite camera app or gadget you’d like to share? Leave a comment here or let me hear about it on Facebook (/marcusleshock) or Twitter (@marcusleshock).

Scientifically accurate Sonic The Hedgehog would have been more fun to play

SONIC SCREENGRAB

 

Who knew hedgehogs were such vile creatures?

At least that’s how they look in this latest video from the team over at Animation Domination HD, who once again takes something from your childhood and makes it profoundly disturbing. Think about how much more interesting and enlightening Sonic The Hedgehog would have been to play had it been true to life, though.

Watch the video and see for yourself…

 

FLASHBACK: Willard Scott previews Epcot’s Norway in 1988

WILLARD SCOTT

 

Caught this video on Twitter this morning, The Today Show’s Willard Scott hosting the opening of the Norway section of Epcot in 1988, including a look at the new “thrill ride” Maelstrom. I’m guessing this was some sort of promo video for the park. Sit back, relax and break out the Smuckers! (h/t @angrydisneynerd)

 

THUNDERBIRD: Holiday World unveils launched wing coaster

THUNDERBIRDAfter 66 days of hype, the day was finally here. Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana had more than 2,500 viewers glued to their live stream as the unveiled plans for next year’s new attraction – a $22 million launched wing coaster designed by Bolliger & Mabillard.

While a wing coaster is nothing new (Chicago has X-Flight in its backyard at Six Flags Great America), THUNDERBIRD will mark the first “launched” version of the wing coaster in the U.S. That means no lift hill – the coaster will launch riders from 0-60 miles per hour in just 3.5 seconds, sending them through 3,000 feet of track and four inversions.

Check out some of the videos of THUNDERBIRD in action. Think it’s worth a trip to Jay Cutler’s hometown?…..

 

 

NEW PHOTO: Ben Affleck is a serious Batman

First he was forlorn standing next to the Batmobile, now we see our new Batman contemplating, brooding, sleeping?

AFFLECK BATMAN PHOTO

 

Being Batman is serious stuff, but I wonder what he’s thinking about. Maybe he’s just coming to grips with the fact that he has to fight somebody called SUPERMAN. Or maybe he just saw his new tiny ears for the first time.

Batman celebrated his 75th birthday this week. Keaton is still the best Bruce Wayne, right?

KEATON BATMAN

WATCH: “50 Shades Of Grey” International Trailer

I have not read 50 SHADES OF GREY, but here’s the trailer. Something tells me there will be some hyperventilating going on in theaters next Valentine’s Day.