Thursday, October 31, 2013
The FAA Says It’s Okay To Use Electronic Devices During Takeoff & Landing
The FAA has today announced that it will finally allow the use of certain electronic devices during all phases of flight — including takeoff and landing. We’ve long been able to use devices while the plane is in the air, but you’ll no longer be forced to turn them off and put them away at certain times.
The FAA has determined that airlines can now safely relax rules on portable electronics, based on input from a group of experts, including representatives from airlines, aviation manufacturers, passengers, pilots, flight attendants, and the mobile technology industry, it said in a statement today.
“Passengers will eventually be able to read e-books, play games, and watch videos on their devices during all phases of flight, with very limited exceptions,” the statement reads. As you might expect, though, there are still some rules you’ll need to abide by.
“Electronic items, books and magazines, must be held or put in the seat back pocket during the actual takeoff and landing roll. Cell phones should be in airplane mode or with cellular service disabled – i.e., no signal bars displayed—and cannot be used for voice communications based on FCC regulations that prohibit any airborne calls using cell phones.”
Don’t expect to see these changes go into affect immediately, either. The FAA says it will provide airlines with implementation guidelines, but of course it’s up to them to change their procedures. It also stresses that some won’t be able to adopt the changes right away — though it expects them to have done so by the end of 2013.
The change comes more than a year after the FAA announced that it would look at changing the rules regarding the use of electronics during takeoff and landing. It has already been approving the use of devices like the iPad for pilots, so it seemed only right that passengers would eventually see the same privileges.
As you might expect, the reaction to the latest developments has been only positive so far.
“These guidelines reflect input from passengers, pilots, manufacturers, and flight attendants, and I look forward to seeing airlines implement these much anticipated guidelines in the near future,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
“I commend the dedication and excellent work of all the experts who spent the past year working together to give us a solid report so we can now move forward with a safety-based decision on when passengers can use PEDs on airplanes,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
You Can Rent LeBron James’ Lamborghini For Only $7,000 A Day
To help celebrate the unveiling of LeBron James’ latest sneaker on Sunday, Nike commissioned Lou La Vie Exotic Car Rentals to customize a Lamborghini Aventador to match the shoe’s green motif.
Obviously, the shoe release party was a one-time affair, which meant Nike had no use for the car past Sunday. But that’s not stopping Miami-based Lou La Vie, which is looking to cash in on the paint job that honors South Beach’s most beloved athlete (well, beloved until he leaves Miami, at which point Heat fans will stop caring about both LeBron and basketball again…but I digress…). Aventadors normally rent for $4,000/day, so this one is quite a bit pricier, but we have to say: if you have the money to blow on an Aventador rental, you should probably just buy one — and preferably not one that looks like somebody vomited palm trees all over it.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
'Entourage' Movie 'A Go,' Says Doug Ellin
VIA: The film had been held up by contentious dealmaking by the actors.
After contentious negotiations had some of the actors snipping on the Internet, it looks like the Entourage movie may finally be ready to go.
“It’s a go. Love you all,” tweeted the show's creator and screenwriter, Doug Ellin, alongside a photo of the cast.
Sources are saying that the holdouts in the dealmaking process – namely Adrian Grenier, Jesse Ferrara, Kevin Dillon, Kevin Connolly -- are on the verge of signing on.
The development comes on the heels of Ferrara's Monday appearance on The Wendy Williams Show to promote his new movie, Last Vegas, where the actor said the Entourage movie is "looking real good" and a deal for it "could be closed today." What is interesting is that the actor, who was the most contentious to placate, according to sources, was the one who had his deal closed first. Then again, it was his deal closing that prolonged the process.
While the majority of the cast of the HBO show was ready to jump into a big-screen movie, Jeremy Piven resisted, as he was unsure about reprising his role of crass and foul-mouthed agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold. The actor had to be convinced to return. Once that hurdle was overcome, his deal followed.
Piven, who’s always had a more lucrative deal than his co-stars, negotiated a more generous back-end participation than anticipated and his colleagues wanted something more equitable.
That dealmaking protracted and the movie was in jeopardy of seeing the window for its California film tax credit disappear, something that Warner Bros. deemed conditional for its making.
The studio is hoping to begin production in January.
Studio sources say the deals are still not closed but all the camps are confident. Connolly's and Dillon’s deals are in the final stages, according to insiders.
