Justin Apologizes. Justin Timberlake apologized for the Superbowl half-time incident, at Sunday's Grammy Awards. Said Justin, "I know it's been a rough week on everybody. What occurred was unintentional, completely regrettable and I apologize if you guys were offended." Justin gave this speech when he won as Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his album, Justified.

Gwyneth Calls Photogs "Inhamane" Last month, Gwyneth Paltrow's husband Chris Martin lashed out at a photographer, outside of Kate Moss' 30th Birthday party in London. Now, Gwyneth is lashing out herself. Says Gwyneth , "What people don't know is the ugly aggressiveness that goes into getting a picture for a weekly celebrity magazine. There'll be someone sitting outside your house, day and night. The paparazzi stop at nothing. You appeal to their sense of humanity, but they don't care. They'll shout stuff at you, try to run you off the road, anything to get a picture. They're bad."

Janet/Justin Lawsuit Dropped. The Knoxville, Tennessee banker who had filed a lawsuit against Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, has decided to drop the case. Terri Carlin filed the suit against Janet, Justin, MTV, CBS, and Viacom (whew!) last Wednesday, following the Superbowl XXXVIII halftime show, where Janet bared a bare breast. The lawsuit claimed that the incident had caused her "outrage, anger, embarrassment and serious injury." It is at this point uncertain why Carlin withdrew the suit, which she had said was on behalf of "all Americans". After all, once word of her suit got out, both Carlin and her attorney, Wayne A Ritchie II, received numerous phone calls and mail from other "Americans" who wanted to be included in the lawsuit, too.

Original Star Wars on DVD. Although rumored in the first half of the week, it is now official that the original trilogy of Star Wars films --subtitled "A New Hope," "The Empire Strikes Back," and "The Return of the Jedi"-- will be on DVD, in a four-disc set, on September 21st. Some flak has been received that the editions will be the digitally revised versions, as seen in theaters 1997. If you're among the more agnostic fans who say, "What's the difference?"; see you in stores Sept. 21st!

New "BattleStar Galactica" To be a Series Regardless of numerous poor reviews (including here), The 2003 "remake" of the 1970's TV series, Battlestar Galactica, will be an actual series after all. Word is that 13 episodes have already been requested by The Sci-Fi Channel. Response to this news is mixed, though anything can get better --or worse-- with effort. Techtite.com will post a separate series review, if it is indeed any different from the mini-series.

Barbie and Ken Split Up. Yes, that Barbie and Ken; the classic dolls from Mattel, who have been boyfriend and girlfriend ever since, well, for as long as a Barbie doll needed a date, really. The reasons for these toys "splitting" are inane, as is the announcement just before Valentine's Day. Rumor has it that this is to better promote a more single-girl look for Barbie, with a deeper tan, bikini top, and hoop earrings. However, one cannot deny how stupid it is to tell kids that Barbie has "split up" with her boyfriend; a thought almost like a princess divorcing her prince charming. Personally, this is the stupidest news I've had to type...this week.

Lord of the Rings snubbed by London Film Critics. The London Film Critics' Circle has chosen Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World as the year's best film, leaving Lord of the Rings: Return of the King out of the running entirely. They also chose Clint Eastwood as Best Director for Mystic River, Sean Penn as best actor (for the same film), and Julianne Moore as best actress (Far From Heaven). One can only presume how much this will (or won't) affect the Oscars' decisions this year, which air live on ABC, February 29th. 

British Batman...? Everyone's view of a classic super-hero is different. Just ask Christopher Nolan, who has been given permission to make a new Batman movie, tentatively titled Batman: Intimidation. However, rumor has it this will not be "Batman 5" (a continuation of the 1990's Batman, as originally envisioned by director Tim Burton), but a more "British" Batman, with a sort of James Bond edge. The lead role will be played by British actor Christian Bale, with Sir Michael Caine also signed up for the film, as well as various Bond costume designers and special FX gurus. Warner Bros.' production head Jeff Robinov says about the film project, "Chris is reintroducing Batman and it feels smart cool and fresh. That's no disrespect to the other movies, but it's really Chris' vision of Batman and that's what we're supporting."

"No Spam" Site Hoax. A web site with the domain extension "unsub.us" alleges to reduce spam e-mail. Don't believe it. Reuters, via Yahoo News, reports that The Federal Trade Commission has warned consumers not to give their information to this site. The site is a hoax, and giving such personal information to them may lead to receiving more spam e-mail than you ever did before, and possibly even identity theft.

Thief 3 Web Site (Finally!) Up. After reading "site coming soon" at the site for longer than we'd have liked, the official web site is finally up for Thief: Deadly Shadows, the third in the Thief game series. This game will be the most important to date for the series, given its challenges to even be released. For one, a totally new game engine is being used; the same one used for Deus Ex Invivible War. Equally revamped is the game design team, which although it is said to include members of the now-defunct Looking Glass Studios (who made the first two games), is now being handled by Ion Storm. The game is slated for release sometime in spring (this year).

Star Wars Galaxies News For 2004. Rich Vogel, a producer of the online "universe" Star Wars Galaxies, released an open "letter to the community" about plans the online game has for 2004. Among the most important of these notices, sadly, is very vague, admitting that the game needs "a complete Jedi system revamp" which will take "many months." The letter continues with plans to "Expect to see a new publish Theme every month and well as a new dungeon. This will include the Imperial Crackdown this month and the Droid Invasion next month." As for later plans down the road, says Vogel, "Our next priority is working with the community to enhance the quality and fun of the existing systems and professions. Several of them are getting revamps - including the Droid Engineer and Chef...Our final priority is to release a first-rate expansion involving crafting and space ships. The work I've seen so far shows that the team is focusing on the fun factor of space combat. It'll likely be a few months before we talk more about the add-on - but I think players are going to enjoy the experience."

"Catwoman" game planned. The good news for fans of the classic DC Comics' quasi-heroine, Catwoman, is that she will have her own game soon. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has given Electronic Arts the rights to make computer and video games based on the character. However, the rights are for the character, as seen in the upcoming movie, starring Halle Berry; a movie that already has fans' tongues wagging online. Some fans dislike how promo pictures of Halle's costume are very unlike the character's usual cat-suit; a faux pas akin to Superman deciding to wear jeans. However, as a video game Catwoman may soar; particularly with her newfound powers to run up walls and leap across rooftops, as well as her classic whip skills. One can presume the game will be released on or around the film's release, on June 30th.

Dark Fall 2 Planned. The Adventure company has just announced plans for a sequel to the underdog hit thriller, Dark Fall, tentatively titled Dark Fall 2: Lights Out. In this sequel, a cartographer is sent to a harbor town where several fisherman have been lost. The sequel will have over 50 pre-rendered locations to explore, spanning over 3 separate time periods. Word is it will also have the same excellent, mood-setting audio and music that made the original game such a hit. The game is slated for a fall release (I'm guessing; just in time for Halloween). The official website can be read here.

Windows Source Code Leaked. According to Yahoo News, source code for Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 has been leaked over the internet. Analysts say that it is too early to say how this leak will or will not cause any damage. If such damage is reported, it will be posted in a future edition of Techtite News.

-------------------------------

 Any news we missed...?

Be your own reporter at Techtite's Letters!