QuickTime News: December 14, 2001

You may be taken by the 49 festively decorated trees — complete with 800 pounds of faux snow. Maybe it will be the miniatures of the homes of 18 former presidents. (All were assembled by White House staffers from original blueprints.) Or perhaps your favorite will be the gigantic gingerbread replica of the 1800’s White House.

Whatever strikes your fancy, you can thank the Washington Post — and First Lady Laura Bush — for inviting us in to tour the White House this holiday season.

Off limits to tourists during these security-conscious times, the White House is “Home for the Holidays” for those of us who do our visiting virtually. Using QuickTime, of course.

Ask Tony Hawk.

A skateboard pro at age 14 and now nearing his mid-30s, Hawk is credited for legitimizing not only skateboarding, but other so-called “extreme” sports, as well.

You can meet Tony via a series of video interviews presented by Warner Bros. online. The interviews include a tour of his home (and all his toys), skating footage, and a discussion of the relationship between skating and music.

Because music is so important to skateboarders, Hawk is offering fellow and would-be lipsliders the chance to hear the soundtrack from his most recent video game, “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3.” It features today’s hottest alternative music acts, including Outkast, Drowning Pool, Alien Ant Farm, and Sum 41.

Hear it in its entirety in a special listening party on the Warner Bros. website. (The link to the listening party is in the lower-left corner of the page.)

What’s the world’s oldest living thing?

Believe it or not, it’s a bristlecone pine tree. Estimated to be more than 4,000 years old, the tree is nestled in a grove in California’s White Mountains.

NOVA Online presents the story of this ancient stand of trees — nicknamed the Methuselah Grove — and illustrates the website using a series of beautiful panoramas shot by Don Bain, Director of the Geography Computing Facility at the University of California at Berkeley.

How do the trees live so long? Visit NOVA Online and find out.

Set in the McCarthy era of 1951, “The Majestic” is the story of Peter Appleton, a blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter who loses his memory after a car accident far from home. He ends up in a small town where he is mistaken for Luke Trimble, the son of the owner of the town’s movie theater who is thought to have been killed in World War II.

Stylistically compared by critics to Frank Capra’s movies of the 1940s, “The Majestic” stars Jim Carrey and Martin Landau. It opens in U.S. theaters on December 21.

Five Days to Go

On December 19, the party tent will be raised in Hobbiton, and you will be immersed in the adventure undertaken by one Frodo Baggins as he leaves Bag End and becomes the central figure in The Fellowship of the Ring.

If you haven’t seen it yet, pay a visit to the QuickTime Trailers site and watch the trailer for this first installment in the three-part story of The Lord of the Rings. You won’t be disappointed.

Then, to really put you in the mood, visit the official Lord of the Rings site and let QuickTime take you on a tour of Bree, Rivendell, and other magical Middle-Earth locations.

Don’t dawdle, now. The Nine are abroad.

Because so many different things can be done with QuickTime, newcomers to the technology can sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed. It can be tough to know exactly what tools and techniques to use in order to achieve your multimedia objectives — not to mention which will fit within your budget.

To help sort things out, Webmonkey’s Reno Marioni wrote “The Basics of QuickTime 5.” An excellent overview of what QuickTime can do, the article offers an assessment of the latest tools, options for optimizing and delivering QuickTime content across a variety of media, and more.

Thank you for reading this issue of QuickTime News.
Look for your next issue on December 21.

New Jersey’s Highway 9 is not just a road, it’s a band — and a hot one at that. Combining sumptuous harmonies with rich melodies in a unique blend of the brash and the beautiful, Highway 9 is sure to attract the interest of a world of fans far beyond their native Jersey shore.

Ready to travel Highway 9? From December 17-21, listen to a different song each day from the band’s self-titled debut album, which hits stores on December 18.

Can’t wait to hear Highway 9? Then pull over and listen to “Sadly,” now available on the Highway 9 site.

Rhino Records, famous for its outstanding collections from classic recording artists, is now offering us listening parties to herald new releases.¹

All day today, December 14, enjoy selections from a new Tom Waits collection, including “Ol&3146; 55,” “Jersey Girl,” and “Tom Traubert’s Blues.”

And Deadheads will want to hear “The Golden Road” on December 18. It’s the new 12-CD boxed set from the Grateful Dead, including remastered editions of all nine of the Dead’s Warner Bros. albums, plus “Birth Of The Dead,” a two-disc collection of unreleased recordings from the band’s pre-Warner days.

Last year, Jose Carreras entertained us from the Royal Albert Hall in London, performing a diverse program of songs from opera, operetta, and musicals. GMN invites those of us who coudn’t attend to listen to the second part of that concert on their website.

Declared 2001’s Band of the Year by Spin Magazine, U2 continues to thrill concertgoers in U.S cities on its Elevation Tour. Watch exclusive footage of the tour in progress, as well as new music videos for “Walk On” and “Stuck in a Moment.”

In the mood for some Latin Jazz? Then be sure to take in this webcast, featuring Latin Jazz master Poncho Sanchez performing with Chick Corea.

The soundtrack of the film “Serendipity” includes evan and jaron’s “The Distance,” which appeared on the Atlanta duo’s debut album. Now you can hear the re-mixed version of “The Distance,” which is included (along with a live bonus track) in a re-release of their CD “evan and jaron.”

¹Providing Rhino.com with your email address is required if you wish to attend this listening party.

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani wants us to participate in the miracle that is New York. And to help convince us to visit, he’s enlisted a few of the Big Apple’s most prominent citizens to illustrate the magic and humor of our country’s greatest city.

Like to attend a QuickTime event with some real punch? Then be at ringside when HBO Live brings you a special QuickTime web event during the Holyfield/Ruiz Heavyweight Championship fight.

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Event dates are subject to change. Some products, programs, or promotions are not available outside the U.S. Visit your local Apple site or call your local authorized Apple reseller for more information. Prices are estimated retail prices and are listed in U.S. dollars. Product specifications are subject to change.