Reid's Secret Service solution: "Hire more females" (Washington Bureau)

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Nintendo posts first annual loss of $460 million, predicts turnaround next year

Nintendo has announced its first annual operating loss following an initially lukewarm response to its new 3DS handheld and an aging Wii console -- set to be replaced later this year. Nintendo made an operating loss of 37.3 billion yen ($459.54 million) from 2011 to 2012, but intends to spin it around to a 35 billion yen operating profit in the forthcoming year. Net sales dropped by 36.2 percent compared to 2010-2011 , despite price cuts on its existing hardware like the 3DS and Wii. The Japanese games manufacturer has also seen increased competition from new rivals on Apple and Android hardware, as mobile gaming continues to go from strength to strength.

Nintendo also laid some of the blame at the feet of the weakened yen, but expects the incoming Wii U, cheaper 3DS production and incoming titles like New Super Mario Bros. 2, Brain Training and Animal Crossing will all help turn its fortunes around. Nintendo intends to sell the 3DS "below cost" by the middle of the next financial year, following strong sales after a substantial price cut last year. The company sold 13.53 million 3DS devices and 36 million 3DS games, compared to 80.2 million on the original DS. The original DS still managed to sell 5.1 million units in the last year. Nintendo's main console, the Wii, sold 9.84 million units in the last year, with 102.37 million games sold.

Nintendo posts first annual loss of $460 million, predicts turnaround next year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Five-Year Engagement': The Reviews Are In!

Critics agree that talented cast of Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Chris Pratt and Alison Brie brings honest script to life.
By Fallon Prinzivalli

Emily Blunt and Jason Segel in "The Five-Year Engagement"
Photo: Universal Pictures

"The Five-Year Engagement," starring Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, doesn't adhere to the same predictable romantic-comedy formula audiences are used to seeing. It doesn't open with a comedic meet-cute, and there's no quirky first date: The film follows Violet Barnes (Blunt) and Tom Solomon (Segel) after they're already engaged.

When we meet the characters, their hurdle is how to survive a long engagement due to Violet's budding postdoctoral career.

While some critics believe the movie is a half-hour too long, most agree that the talented cast of comedians brings the honest, insightful script to life. While "Five-Year Engagement" may not be the "Bridesmaids" of 2012, the reviews suggest the film will be a weekend hit.

The Story
"The first 45 minutes or so of 'The Five-Year Engagement,' which Segel wrote with director Nicholas Stoller ('Get Him to the Greek'), pop and zing with both comic fizz and refreshing authenticity. Set to a delicious soundtrack dominated by Van Morrison standards, Tom's and Violet's lives feel more real than the usual Hollywood confections." — Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

The Cast
"This Judd Apatow-produced romantic comedy bares familiar Apatow markings — bawdy humor, crass jokes, coarse language — but steers clear of gross-out gags. Sweetness wins out in the end, and the film gets by on the charm of its leads and a stellar supporting cast, led by 'Parks and Recreation's' Chris Pratt." — Adam Graham, Detroit News

"This seems like another breakthrough for Blunt, who demonstrates an ample gift for physical comedy. She and Segel make an inspired team." — Lou Lumenick, New York Post

"Alison Brie ... with a British accent and a high-octane goofiness that will astonish those who know her best as Trudy Campbell on 'Mad Men' pretty much steals the whole movie as Violet's fertile, impulsive sister." — A.O. Scott, New York Times

The Script
"Every scene in 'The Five-Year Engagement' — virtually every part of every scene — is carefully crafted to introduce an original comic situation, work it and build on it. The movie is a precision instrument with no parts jammed together, just everything smooth and functioning. Take a moment to notice the actual work going on here, and you'll be impressed at the skill. Even then, you'll be dragged back into the picture's spell in less than a minute. ... The screenplay doesn't pump up the stakes; it makes nothing extreme. These are just two people, and this is the drama of the everyday. The filmmakers trust that you'll be interested in what happens to the couple, and in return they keep it honest." — Mike LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

The Final Word
"A scene, late in the film, with [Violet and Suzie] trying to have an adult talk in front of Suzie's kids is a laugh riot, mostly because Suzie speaks in the voice of Elmo while Violet does Cookie Monster. OK, you have to be there, but the moment is memorably hilarious. 'The Five-Year Engagement' is like that, moving in fits and starts, but building a rooting interest in its characters that slaps a goofy smile on your face and keeps it there." — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Check out everything we've got on "The Five-Year Engagement."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Lindsay Lohan Blasts Rosie O'Donnell: "I Know I'm Great"

Lindsay Lohan has heard the negative things Rosie O'Donnell had to say about her being cast as Elizabeth Taylor in the upcoming Lifetime movie Liz & Dick, but she's not buying it. In fact, she doesn't care what the 50-year-old comedian has to say.

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Bond Graces 'Empire' Cover, 'Skyfall' Trailer Debuts At CinemaCon

Not many details have escaped from the set of the next Bond movie, "Skyfall," but the latest issue of Empire and the Sony panel at CinemaCon have shed some light on the upcoming 007 adventure. The first teaser trailer for "Skyfall" is set to premiere next month in front of "Men in Black III," but [...]

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European Patent Office invalidates IPCom 3G patent, gives good news to Nokia and HTC

IPCom's had its way with many mobile manufacturers, including Nokia and HTC, by suing them for patent infringement in German courts. However, the Finnish and Taiwanese firms got good news today when the European Patent Office invalidated one of its 3G patents -- the very same one it used to obtain an injunction against HTC. IPCom's not going away quietly, however, as it plans to appeal the EPO's decision. That means that the folks in Espoo and Taoyuan City aren't out of the woods yet -- but it should at least give them a bit more bargaining power in negotiations to end their (seemingly endless) legal spats.

European Patent Office invalidates IPCom 3G patent, gives good news to Nokia and HTC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Megan Fox Pregnant

Yep, Megan Fox is pregnant. I know, I know. How many times have we heard this rumor, right? Well, several reports are suggesting that she really does have a bun in the oven. This will be the first child for the “Transformers” star and her husband, former 90210 star Brian Austin Green. Green has a 10-year-old son, Kassius, with his ex and former 90210 co-star, Vanessa Marcil. While E! Online reports that we’ll soon be seeing Fox rocking a baby bump, reps for the brunette bombshell have yet to confirm if she is in fact with child. Last month “Star” mag (I know, consider the source, but boy have they been right on the money with a lot of stories) first talked of Fox being preggers, with a source who apparently is in the know and close to Fox and Green told the magazine, “They just found out and are incredibly excited. Megan has become a great stepmom, and Brian knows she’ll be wonderful with the baby.” While at the “Friends with Kids” premiere earlier this year, Fox told Access Hollywood of her desire to have “at least two, maybe three” kids, adding – “It’s up to God. It’s gonna [...]

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