rock

LOS ANGELES--If you were among the thousands of people at Microsoft's E3 press briefing on Monday, it's a pretty sure bet that the appearance on-stage there of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Yoko Ono was one of the most unexpected things imaginable.

But if you think about it, the very existence of the game that led to their showing up during the Xbox press briefing, Harmonix and MTV Games' "Beatles: Rock Band," is even more surprising. After all, the Beatles have, over the years, maintained a stranglehold over control of their music. For example the Beatles … Read more

Putting one of the best-known video game franchises together with the music industry's all-time biggest brand name seems like a no-brainer way to sell a lot of plastic discs. We've previously voiced our concerns about the timing of this long-in-the-making first foray by The Beatles into digital music, but even if this might have a bigger money machine a year ago, it's still virtually guaranteed to be the one game coming out of E3 that nongamers will sit up and take notice of.

Unlike previous music game forays by Metallica, AC/DC, and Aerosmith, the Beatles version of Rock Band goes to great pains to stand out visually from the main Rock Band franchise. The graphics, menus, and interfaces are all new, and all designed to emphasize the historic nature of this collaboration.

The trippy magical history tour look through the band's past reminded us of the recent Beatles-based Las Vegas show, Love. 3D avatars of John, George, Ringo, and Paul change their looks depending on the era, and while standard Rock Band plastic instruments will work fine, MTV Games would no doubt prefer you to buy the new versions, modeled after some of the band's iconic gear (such as Paul's Hofner bass). … Read more

Yesterday was the first time that I've ever seen Jeff doing actual work at his cube, so I relent for once and let him and Wilson talk about E3 2009. Video games, video games, video games on today's show, specifically about the new XBox 360 Project Natal, Halo sequels, new Metal Gear Solid, the Beatles: Rock Band, and even Facebook and Twitter! Wake me up when it's over.

Yesterday's Microsoft press conference at E3 2009 unveiled some pretty exciting video game news, even for an antigamer such as myself. First up is the new Project Natal, the company's new motion-sensing bar for the XBox 360 that allows the gamer to control gameplay with motion, sound, and even 3D movement. As exciting as it sounds, unfortunately Microsoft didn't mention a release date, so we definitely won't see it in stores for Christmas 2009, which Jeff and Wilson think is a bit of a tease.

Aside from a few big game announcements, the big release news comes by way of everyone's favorite British gentlemen, with Beatles: Rock Band. Paul, Ringo, and even a few surprise visitors were there to kick off the game, and although Jeff is decidedly negative about the rise of plastic gaming, the game looks pretty cool. Check out the slideshow for pictures of Christopher "McLovin" Mintz-Plasse and Dhani Harrison taking a crack at the game.

Later on in the show, we announce the FINALISTS for our 404 logo competition. We received over 150 submissions and while they were all fantastic, we can only choose one for the official logo, so be sure to check out the final slideshow above and vote for your favorite in the comments section! Also, don't forget that even if your entry doesn't win the grand prize, we'll still use it for our mosaic/quilt/poster/sticker/shirt/etc...Thanks one million times over and again to everyone that submitted--you guys rule!

What's the best way to get the word out about your upcoming video game? If you're displaying your wares at E3, it's a time-honored tradition to hire a few celebrities to, if not downright endorse it, then at least to stand near your product and mention it a few times.

We saw this at Microsoft's press conference, featuring Paul and Ringo, along with Steven Spielberg and Tony Hawk; and later at Ubisoft's press event, with guest appearances by James Cameron and Pele (yes, the soccer player).

Microsoft's evening press event, featuring The Beatles: Rock Band, plus playable demos of Halo: ODST and Left 4 Dead 2, continued the celebrity theme. We got a chance to play "Back in the USSR" and "Taxman," but the real excitement started when we left the stage and were replaced by the unlikely combo of Dhani Harrison and Christopher "McLovin" Mintz-Plasse. … Read more

Rock Band has gone portable, kind of: MTV Games, Harmonix and EA have officially shipped Rock Band Unplugged to stores, meaning you'll finally have a new UMD game for your dust-gathering PSP. Although the game won't go on sale until June 9, we thought we'd give you an idea of what to look forward to just in case you find someplace putting this on the shelves a little early.

With 41 tracks on disc and a full World Tour mode, the band creation and unlockable wardrobe/swag are everything you remember from the console versions. But what, you may ask, has been done about all those plastic drums, guitars, and whatnot? Does it come with fancy mini-instruments that interface with the PSP?

How can Rock Band be portable?… Read more

The Guitar Hero franchise has traditionally seen flagship installments launch right around Halloween in the U.S., with Guitar Hero III and World Tour coming in about a week before and Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II about a week after. Such will not be the case with Guitar Hero 5, however.

Activision Blizzard has revealed through the game's official Web site that the latest four-piece rhythm game will take to the main stage on September 1, exactly one week before archrival The Beatles: Rock Band strums its opening tune on September 9.

Along with revealing a release date, … Read more

After a very relaxing three-day weekend, we're back for a fresh start and a hilarious show. Today, we recap our appearance on Fox News and our weekend exploits, debut a few excellent logo submissions, and reveal Wilson's secret shame.

Welcome back, everyone! Hopefully your weekend was as relaxing as ours was, although sometimes a three-day weekend can be more tiring than a whole week of work! Let's just say that seeing the sunrise as you go to bed can be beautiful and tragic at the same time. We kicked off our Memorial Day weekend with an appearance on Fox News' "Strategy Room" with our buddy Clayton Morris. Most of you have already seen it, but check it out if you haven't and let us know what you think. Were we too serious for our own good? More bathroom humor, perhaps? I'll try harder next time.

In related 404 news, Wilson discovers that Dave Matthews Band is using the REMIXED version of our theme song in a promotion on its Pandora channel. What the crap is that all about, DMB? We're calling you guys out on stealing the song from our buddy Jamie Lewis, and we're extra protective since we consider him the unofficial voice of the show, so expect that subpoena in the mail immediately. And Jamie, if you're reading this...we'll be looking for our commission check soon, too.

Aside from us tearing apart some d-bag that broke the Rock Band 2 world record, we also have a hilarious call from the public and show off more submissions for our "Design The 404 Logo" competition. Watch the video for today's show to check them out, or see the slideshow below for high-res shots. Send your high-res submissions to the404[at]CNET[dot]com and we'll show them on the air for the chance to win a gigantic prize package that includes a copy of "The Back Book," Anna David's "Bought," and more!

Jim Marshall was one of the chief photographers at the Monterey Pop Festival and the original Woodstock. He took historic backstage shots of The Beatles' last concert. And he chronicled San Francisco's acid rock heyday.

Marshall was everywhere.

He shot more than 500 album covers over his 50-year career.

MarshallPhoto.com, his new Web site, offers 160 fine art images for sale. Sure, the prints are expensive. But if you have the bucks, I'm sure they'll be a great investment. Or try to find his terrific out-of-print book, "Not Fade Away: The Rock and Roll Photography of Jim Marshall.&… Read more

A few weeks ago, a colleague of mine, worried that her little brother played too many video games, asked if there was a way to make money while gaming. When I told her about e-sports, she returned quite the guffaw at the concept.

I suggested she tell her brother about it, and she refused, saying that she didn't want to lose him forever to the virtual world. Money aside, if I'd told her just how much fame he could amass as a pro gamer, maybe she would have had a different reaction.

To wit, at a worldwide gaming … Read more