Thursday, January 24, 2013

Let's Do The News! (January 24, 2013)

River's Diary




Right, what's the news today you spoiler-laden TARDIS journal?

Milky Holmes cast to join Japanese dub for My Little Pony!

Japan will be the next country to produce...well BRONIES! That's right BRONIES! Anyway, back in late 2010, US-based famous toy maker, Hasbro (famed for Battleship, Monopoly, Transformers, Scrabble and other toys and games) rebooted their long-hibernated My Little Pony franchise with a brand new TV show titled My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It was a huge success with kids until something weird going on around here...

Men...grown men are starting to watch this show and became pony lovers or BRONIES, which became a phenomenon especially on the internet. Bronies love this show so much, it spawned fan-made radio shows, fanfics, fan clubs, fan arts, etc, etc etc, well you get the idea.

Anyway, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is coming in Japan via TV Tokyo this Spring 2013 and what I heard, the Milky Holmes girls will be part of the Japanese dub.



  • Suzuko Mimori (Milky Holmes' Sherlock Shellingford) as Pinkie Pie
  • Sora Tokui (Milky Holmes' Nero Yuzurisaki) as Applejack
  • Mikoi Sasaki (Milky Holmes' Hercule Barton) as Rarity
  • Izumi Kitta (Milky Holmes' Cordelia Glauca) as Rainbow Dash

So, the girls got the roles, but question is, whose going to dub as Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy? Find that out on a special event this March as told by Bushiroad!

Once aired in Japan this April, look out! THE BRONIES TAKE JAPAN!

Scoop: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2013-01-23/milky-holmes-cast-to-voice-my-little-pony-in-japan

The end of THQ

In my youth years, I still remember the game creator, THQ, which made responsible with some of the finest games played by many. Nickelodeon also partnered with THQ for video games based on popular Nickelodeon cartoons such as Rugrats, Rocket Power, Spongebob Squarepants, and more. Does anyone old enough to remember those? For the hairy-chested gamers, THQ even made the most hardcore games such as the Saints Row franchise, Darksiders series, real-time strategy game called Company of Heroes, and the Metro series, which was the post-nuclear science-fiction survival horror game series based on a Russian novel, Metro 2033. They also teamed up with WWE for a yearly of WWE video games for fans worldwide. They were once working for a new South Park role-playing game titled South Park: The Stick of Truth but sadly, there goes the bad news...

I'm afraid that THQ is now bankrupt and one of their franchises has a new owner. Please take note that these sales are pending approval from U.S. bankruptcy court and not yet final. A hearing in Delaware will follow shorty.

Here are some of the key info:

- SEGA accepts purchase to Relic, developer of Company of Heroes 2 and Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War.

- Koch Media (the company that owns Dead Island publisher Deep Silver) is willing to buy Saints Row developer Volition as well as the publishing rights to the Metro franchise.

- Crytek, a company that is currently developing Homefront 2, now has the rights to the Homefront series.

- Take-Two, the parent company of 2K Games and Rockstar, accepts the purchasing to WWE video games and Turtle Rock Studios’ project codenamed Evolve.

- Ubisoft purchased rights to the upcoming South Park: The Stick of Truth video game as well as THQ Montreal, the current developer of Assassin’s Creed creator Patrice Desilets’ project codenamed 1666.

There's no word who will take the rights from the developers behind the Darksiders series as of now. Brian Farrell, the CEO of THQ, and Jason Rubin, the president of THQ, said that they expect that most employees of the entities included in the sale will be offered employment by the new owners but they can't say what these new owners may intend, and there are likely be some positions that are not required under the new ownership. If there was an employee of an entity that is not included in the sale, THQ REGRET THAT THESE POSITIONS WILL END.

I wish them good luck to those who are affected by this news...

Scoop: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/01/23/thq-dissolved-saints-row-company-of-heroes-darksiders-devs-acquired

Doctor Who Series 7 Part 2 coming March 30!





Mark your calendars, ladies and gentlemen because Doctor Who's coming back this Easter 2013! Our favorite alien boy/time boy/chin boy The Doctor returns on March 30 and it's going to pack with new threats, new adventures, and new surprises as well as the question everyone's been asking for; Who is Clara Oswald, the woman twice dead?

In the UK, it's airing this March 30 on BBC One and BBC One HD. In the USA, same date but it's on BBC America as well as its new series Orphan Black and The Nerdist TV show. In Canada, same date also but it's on SPACE.

See you there!

Berjaya Auto Philippines is the new distributor for Mazda in the Philippines

2013 Mazda Atenza



A couple of months ago, we heard that Malaysia's Berjaya readies its acquisition to Mazda Philippines from Ford Group Philippines because of the Ford-Mazda breakup. Now, it's official. Berjaya Auto Philippines is now the distributor for Mazda models in the Philippines and it's ready for action. The first shipment of spare parts ordered by the company having been delivered to all Mazda dealers earlier and at the end of January, the first shipment of cars ordered under Berjaya Auto Philippines' name will arrive in the country.

Berjaya Auto PH will also be preparing for the Philippine launch of the all new, third-generation Mazda 6/Atenza (GJ) in the summer holidays.

Scoop: http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/berjaya-auto-ph-is-now-officially-open-for-business

Incredible Hulk-themed Lancer featured in KMJS

Incredible Hulk themed car


If you saw the January 20, 2013 episode of GMA's long-running TV magazine show, Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho, you might caught that in that episode, it featured a customized Mitsubishi Lancer "Itlog" which resembles the theme of The Incredible Hulk. This customization was made possible by someone named Russel Ifurung. On that clip, Jessica Soho mentions that he used to have a customized car that was themed after Bumblebee from the Transformers movies but in late 2009, his Bumblebee car got destroyed by typhoon Ondoy. Moments later, he came up with a design and his Mitsubishi Lancer was now themed after his favorite superhero, The Incredible Hulk.

On the hood, there's Hulk's fists attached as well as the markings on the hood that resembles like Hulk punching through the walls. The owner said that Hulk's fists were detachable when he's on a car show.

On the car's trunk, aside from the subwoofers attached, you'll be amazed that there's Hulk in the trunk that was made by fiberglass. Aside from that, all four doors on his Hulk Lancer were scissor-doors! The green paint though, that was marmolized in texture.

Because the suspension of his car was lowered, when he's crossing over the speed bumps, his car needs to diagonal when he's crossing through the humps.

It took six months and almost 100,000 Pesos (or about 2,500 US Dollars) to customized his Lancer into a Hulk car and with all his hard work made his car won several awards when he's on several car shows.

We all have different trips in our lives but what matters here is we're doing good things to keep our lives on the road ahead.

(I also appreciated to the taxi driver featured on that episode, whose hobby is collecting global currencies though)

2014 Lexus HS 250h minor change

The Lexus HS...

If my memory serves me correctly, this is what's known to be an entry-level hybrid sedan Toyota Motor Corporation ever made for the Lexus brand. It went on sale on July 2009 and then later exported to the USA. Sadly, this car never found a mass audience and as a matter of fact, sales of the HS 250h in the USA were discontinued last year due to poor sales.

Which meant, for the first time ever, despite Toyota USA removed the Lexus HS 250h from their lineup, it seems that the HS 250h will soldier on in the country where it was made: JAPAN.

2014 Lexus HS 250h
It's available ONLY in Japan, for the first time, and not for export use because the whole world has the CT 200h hatchback instead. For the 2014 model, the HS 250h gets Lexus' new signature Spindle Grille as seen on last year's GS executive sport saloon. The Spindle Grille is good though but it looks like this luxury brand's been run amok by predators, giving new and upcoming Lexus cars the Predator-influenced schnoz. Very awkward eh? And as for the interior though...

2014 Lexus HS 250h interior
...uh nope. Nothing's changed except the speedo. The pre-facelifted model has a speedo that reads up to the Japan-regulated 180kph but for the 2014 model, the HS 250h's speed now reads up to 220kph. Heh, guess no wonder Lexus has changed, giving their cars the world-class quality but sadly though, the 2014 HS 250h is not destined to go around the globe because it's now available ONLY in the Japanese market for 4.1 million Yen.

2014 Lexus HS 250h
Despite having a minor change, it comes with the same hybrid powertrain that includes a 147HP 2.4-liter four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle gasoline engine and a 40HP electric motor, which generate a combined output of 187hp. Thing is though, the fuel economy for the 2014 HS 250h has now been improved so that now, fuel consumption is 20.6kmpl based on JC08 mode standards.

They've added SPORT MODE to the HS 250h's Drive Mode Select, which comes with EV Mode and Eco Mode. How does these three work? I'm sorry but this is a total waste of time to explain how does the Drive Mode Select work on the Japan-only 2014 Lexus HS 250h. You have to find out for yourself.

Do I need to repeat myself? This 2014 model year HS 250h is Japan-only and Toyota Motor Corporation has NO PLANS to export it worldwide because the CT 200h have them covered. Geez...you're stressing me out though. If you have any questions, do please leave your comments below.

Available Colors: Platinum Silver Metallic, Quartz White Crystal Shine, Moonlight Opal Crystal Shine, Mercury Grey Mica, Platinum Silver Metallic, Black, Black Opal Mica, Red Mica Crystal Shine, Fire Agate Mica Metallic,  and Lapis Lazuli Mica.

PRICE LIST:

HS 250h - 4,100,000 Yen
HS 250h version C - 4,360,000 Yen
HS 250h version I - 4,700,000 Yen
HS 250h version L - 5,520,000 Yen

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Let's Do The News! (January 23, 2013)

River's Diary



Right, what's the news today you spoiler-laden TARDIS journal?

Aston Martin Vanquish Centenary Edition


Aston Martin Vanquish Centenary Edition
2013 marks the 100th year of Aston Martin. This British sports car maker was founded on January 15, 1913 and for 100 years, this British sports car maker has produced some of the finest cars all in the name of POWER, BEAUTY, and SOUL. For that, Aston Martin will launch special centenary edition models of all cars (except the Cygnet) and the opening salvo will be the latest offering, the new Aston Martin Vanquish.

URL: http://www.astonmartin.com/en/news?nTitle=Aston+Martin+debuts+exclusive+Centenary+Edition+models++++&nId=8fc7d0a0-5bf2-44cd-9d14-411e4ce69cba

See the Vanquish landed on the Burj Al Arab


Photo: A great view of the New Vanquish on top of the helipad from yesterday's Aston Martin Centenary spectacular...

Watch the film now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-pJ2XaKu2o
Aston Vanquish on Burj helipad


Also part of this 100 year celebration, Aston Martin made a video about an Aston Martin Vanquish being carried by a helicopter to the helipad of Dubai's Burj Al Arab. Ambitious and successful indeed!

Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-pJ2XaKu2o

2014 Aston Martin Rapide S


Photo: Aston Martin Unveils the New Rapide S - the most powerful, most luxurious four-door Aston Martin in history.

Discover Rapide S now: http://www.astonmartin.com/rapide-s
2014 Aston Martin Rapide S
Heh, seems the Maserati Quattroporte's full change really stirs up the heat in the battle of the four door supercars. In fact, Aston Martin released an updated version of the Rapide four door premium saloon known as the Rapide. Called the Rapide S, Aston claims that this is the most powerful, most luxurious four-door Aston Martin in history. First off all, not only it has a new exterior look, it gets a new 6.0L V12 engine so that now, it produces 558HP of power and 620NM of torque.

URL: http://www.astonmartin.com/en/cars/rapide-s

Four David Tennants in latest Virgin Media advert!

Once again, Whovians who remember former Doctor Who lead actor, David Tennant, will once again being salivated over the latest advert from British Digital Cable TV provider, Virgin Media, for the TiVo service. On that ad, we see three David Tennants fighting each other and the real David Tennant said on the commercial "Isn't it annoying that three of your favorite programs are on the same time?" Yeah seriously, imagine if our favorite shows like MasterChef, Grand Designs, or Deadliest Catch, were on the same schedule. Virgin Media's TiVo allows you to record your favorite shows on the same schedule so you can catch them all up no matter the schedule is!

Confusing about those David Tennant copies though, is it because of the human-time lord metacrisis? Oh geez....No wonder most of the Brits who switched to Virgin Media were perhaps Whovians because of David Tennant. Allons-y!!!



Top Gear USA Series 3 Part 2 coming next week,

Here's a reminder that the second half of Top Gear USA Series 3 is coming on History Channel next week. Also, the US Premiere of the original British version of Top Gear, now on its 19th season, will be airing on BBC America this February 4, 2013. MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!

Forza Horizon: The same goodness of the 458 Italia...now in Spider variant

If I'm honest, the best Ferrari I have ever driven in the history of Forza was the 458 because someone told me in the telly that this is one of the all-time greats and I can't argue with that unless someone got a Mercedes-Benz with a gullwing door on it. The SLS AMG I was referring to but we're not into that, we'll leave that in future discussions. Anyway, there was a new model that has the same goodness of the 458 Italia...now in Spider variant!

A 458 Italia...minus the roof?

Yes, this is the Ferrari 458 Spider, brand new from Ferrari and it is essentially an open top version of the ever-favorite 458 Italia supercar. It has the same F1 dual-clutch transmission, the same direct-injected V8 engine from the Italia, the same mid-engined rear-wheel-drive layout, and the same awesomeness that you felt in the hardtop version (which I can't tell you until the right time comes).

Ignore the bees stinging your front, man!

Normally speaking, people told that convertible versions are heavier than their hardtop coupe versions probably because the manufacturers did some stiffening stuff to the bodywork but here on the 458 Spider, despite the added weight and the fact that is slower than its hardtop equivalent, it handles perfectly. It really handles like its hardtop equivalent.

A stunning scenery

Even without the roof, it's still the most dramatically designed Ferrari ever made and it's still the most enjoyable Ferrari to drive on Horizon. I cannot think of any words to describe its coolness even though this is the convertible version of the best Ferrari ever made. Even with the arrival of its rival, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Spyder Performante, it's still the beauty of the beholder. It's really the best open top Ferrari ever made.


Some official car websites to visit...

There are some car enthusiasts from all over the world turned out to be nothing more of a COMPLETE CLATTERING BUTTOCK, getting lost at where they heading at. Listen up, cocks, because I will show you the list of official car sites YOU SHOULD BE VISITING. I don't care if you went to a website, where you didn't understand their language. You should adapt to them.

Some official car websites to visit...





There you go. Hope you'll like it. So remember, Japanese cars speak Japanese, Korean cars speak Korean, American cars speak American, German cars speak German, and that's it. There is no such thing as Japanese cars speak English, American cars speak Thai, Japanese cars speak Malaysian, Indian, Arab, that's it. Period.

NO TRANSLATIONS!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

WAVE Beach Queens Kanako Watanabe unveiled

WAVE Beach Queens Kanako Watanabe

In case you haven't know about Star Driver, it was an anime series that was aired from Autumn 2010 to Spring 2011. This was about Takuto Tsunashi, who is on the quest to stop the secret organization known as The Glittering Crux in order to save Wako Agemaki, the girl who saved his life and one of the four maidens. This anime spawned for 25 episodes and next month, Star Driver gets its own theatrical movie this February 9.

To up the ante, there was this BEACH QUEENS figure modeled after one of the fan favorites of the series, Kanako Watanabe. This figure should be ready by June 2013 and it costs 3,990 Yen or an estimated US$45.

I had to say that this is just fantastically good for this figure and question is...was she your favorite character?

URL: http://www.hobby-wave.com/LINE_UP/kanseihin/2013/kanako/index.html

BenSopra GT-R for the upcoming Fast and Furious 6 movie

BenSopra GT-R
Now as we know, the sixth installment of the Fast and the Furious movies, tentatively called Fast and Furious 6, is coming to theaters worldwide this May 24, 2013 and it brings back Dom, Brian, and the gang for another fast and furious racing thrills. Of course, this movie will never be without law-breaking modified cars that carve every destruction in its own path.

For this star car for Fast and Furious 6, this is it. This is the BenSopra GT-R. The tuned-up-weapon-of-mass-destruction R35 GTR is the car that will be featured on this film. First and foremost, this car, tuned by R's Tuning, was made to compete in some of the most well known road courses around the world. With this BenSopra body kit developed specifically for this car, the people behind this witchcraft had redesigned the entire factory cooling system to endure each lap session. Later on, SP Engineering provided the tuning program required before any vehicle testing begins.


Exterior:
BenSopra Full Body Kit
BenSopra GT Wing
Seibon Dry Carbon Doors
Seibon Carbon Fiber Door Sills
Seibon Carbon Fiber Door Sill Trims
Seibon Carbon Fiber Cooling Panel Set
Seibon Carbon Fiber Engine Cover
AMS Performance Dry Carbon roof
AMS Performance Dry Carbon trunk
Sparco Trunk Latches
AeroCatch Flush Mount Hood Pins

Interior:
MCR Steering Wheel Set Up

Chassis and Brake Set Up:
The R’s Tuning Camber Arms
Carbon Ceramic Discs by Weapons Grade Performance
Endless Brake Lines
Endless CCM Brake Pads
Motul RBF660 Brake Fluid

Engine Performance:
Switzer P800 Turbo Kit
Cobb AP005
SP Engineering Tuning Services
HKS Downpipe
HKS Resonated Y-pipe
ID1000
Motul 300V (mix-match according to weather)

Wheels and Tires:
Volks RE30 Flat Black 19×11 ET25
Volks RE30 Formula Silver 19×11 ET20
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 345/30/19

Video:


According to SP Engineering, the R'S Tuning BenSopra GT-R has a power output of 685HP of power.

See this car of Fast and Furious 6 this May 2013!

URL: http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2013/01/fast-and-furious-6-nissan-gt-r-revealed.html