Technology Slice Blog

Johnny Depp May Replace Robert Downey Jr - Robert Downey Jr. has fallen out of "Oz, the Great and Powerful," Disney's prequel-ish take on the "Wizard of Oz" tale, and the studio is in talks with Johnny Depp to don the great wizard's robe. The story revolves around a showy young illusionist who is forced to flee a traveling circus. His hot air balloon is swept up by a tornado to the land of Oz, which is run by two magical wicked witches. Sam Raimi ("Spider-Man") will direct. While it doesn't have a start or release date, the project is a high priority for Disney, which hopes to start production in the second half of the year. Depp has a close relationship with the studio after starring in its "Pirates of the Caribbean" films and last year's "Alice in Wonderland." The issue is timing. He is scheduled to begin shooting "Dark Shadows," Tim Burton's adaptation of the 1960s gothic soap opera, for Warner ...

Two More Matrix Movies - Another two Matrix films may be leaping into cinemas, the Grauniad shrugs. The curiously youthful Keanu Reeves, star of the Matrix trilogy and of an exceptionally lame meme told an audience at the London School of Performing Arts that he may be getting back into Neo's slinky strides once again. Excitable source El Nino told big fat film site Ain't It Cool News that the Wachowskis have completed a "two picture script treatment" for two more Matrix films. The films - which would presumably find humanity and the machines falling out again, alas - sound suitably ambitious. "Keanu stated that he still has an obligation to the fans to deliver a movie worthy of the title 'The Matrix' and he swears this time that the treatment will truly revolutionise the action genre like the first movie," quoth AIC, which also makes mention of - gasp - 3D. A stylish and thoughtful combination of the iconic, much-imitated 'bullet-time...

Ted Williams Leaves Rehab - Ted Williams, the "golden-voiced" homeless man who became an overnight media sensation, left a Texas drug rehab facility Monday, less than two weeks after checking in, TMZ reported. Williams, 53, entered Origins Recovery Center on Jan. 12 for drug and alcohol dependency after admitting on the "Dr. Phil" TV show that he struggled with addiction. But after 12 days at the facility in South Padre Island, Tex., he left against medical advice and headed for an unnamed airport, TMZ said. Williams became an overnight sensation after a Columbus Dispatch reporter discovered him panhandling on the side of a highway in Ohio with a sign saying he had the God-given gift of a radio voice.

Heart Disease Costs to Triple - The costs of treating heart disease in America, where one in three people has some form of the disease, are expected to triple by 2030 due to the growing population, researchers said Monday. While current costs of medical care for heart disease are around 273 billion dollars per year, that figure will skyrocket to 818 billion dollars by 2030, the study said. The findings came from an expert panel that estimated future costs based on current disease rates, and expanded those costs according to projections from US census data about approaching shifts in the population. The researchers assumed that no new discoveries would be made between now and 2030 to stem the tide of heart disease, said the study published in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association. "Despite the successes in reducing and treating heart disease over the last half century, even if we just maintain our current rates, we will have an enormous financial burden ...

Jaime Pressly Taxes - A report on January 23 by RadarOnline is declaring that Jaime Pressly who was arrested on January 5 for DUI is not only facing that ugly little demon, but she also is embattled with the law in that she owes just over $637,000 to the Federal government and the State of California. RadarOnline said that The Detroit News uncovered public records stating that the former co-star of My Name is Earl is in serious trouble with the government. On December 6, the IRS filed a $260,370 tax lien against Pressly in addition to filing a lien months earlier (September 8) for $281,699 for 2008 income taxes. Prior to the September 8 filing, the State of California filed a lien for $95,080 on June 21.

Famous Investment Scandals - Scam artist Robert Sucarato admitted this morning that he ripped off investors to the tune $1.6 million, then used the money for department-store shopping sprees and to pay his EZPass bill. The Bernard Madoff scandal made investors wary that they could get double-digit returns in a collapsing market, despite Sucarato‘s promises as owner and president of New York Financial Company (“NYFC”), a hedge fund firm that did its business online while he pretended to operate prestigious offices with large staffs. Investors began asking questions, and soon federal regulators were on his tail. Federal prosecutors said Sucarato, a former School Board candidate in Old Bridge, pulled what is known as a “Suite Scam,” holding up in a funky flatiron-styled building at the 22nd floor of 67 Wall Street, an historic revival tower, where he rented “virtual space” for $100 a month before shifting his base of operations to to an equally powerful address: 501 Fifth Avenue. ...

Utah Trooper on Leave for Punching Woman - A Utah Highway Patrol trooper is under investigation after a video showed him punching a woman several times during a traffic stop, a spokesman for the Utah Department of Public Safety said. A dashboard camera captured footage of Sgt. Andrew Davenport punching 53-year-old Darla Wright in August. Davenport is on paid administrative leave, said Brian Hyer, spokesman for the Utah Department of Public Safety. Wright was speeding in Ogden when officers tried to pull her over, authorities said late Saturday. According to an incident report, the driver evaded police, and a chase ensued. Authorities stopped the woman by trapping her car between two vehicles. "The suspect was still trying to escape, she had the accelerator floored and engine revving in an attempt to push our vehicles out of the way," Davenport wrote in an incident report. Davenport said Wright would not roll down her window and gripped on the steering wheel. On t...