Deals of the Hour

Trying to find out what's the deal with the world, tracking what's on sale and who's talking about it on Twitter. Update hourly.

Deals of the Hour / July 3, 2010, 9:12 am

'Last Airbender' has soaring ambitions but no soul or story

"The Last Airbender " — A joyless, soulless, muddled mess, but the worst part of all doesn't come until the very end. That's when it makes the clear suggestion that two more such movies are in store for us. Hopefully, that won't happen. Based on the Nickelodeon animated series "Avatar: The Last ... (Source: Patriot-News Blogs 2010-07-03T06:50:18Z)

Raptors Sign Amir Johnson To 5-Year Deal

The Raptors, bracing themselves for the loss of star power forward Chris Bosh, have kept one of Bosh's potential replacements, moving quickly to reach an agreement to sign power forward Amir Johnson to a five-year contract worth $34 million on the first day of free agency. "Amir did not want to ... (Source: Sporting News 2010-06-30T23:57:30Z)

Gov. Patrick wants in as legislative committee deals out final version of Mass. casino bill

BOSTON — Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick says he wants to be dealt in as lawmakers hammer out a final version of a casino gambling bill. Patrick said there's not much time left in the Legislature's formal session, which ends July 31, for what he called "backing and forthing." He said he wants to ... (Source: Washington Examiner 2010-07-02T21:17:39Z)

Penguins reload defense, sign Zbynek Michalek, Paul Martin to five-year deals

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins, long built around some of the NHL's top offensive players, are paying a lot of money to get better on defense. The Penguins committed $45 million on Thursday to sign defensemen Paul ... (Source: Sporting News 2010-07-01T17:58:24Z)

Forward Amir Johnson agrees to stay in Toronto for 5 years, $34 million

The Associated Press TORONTO - Forward Amir Johnson has agreed to a five-year contract to stay with the Toronto Raptors. Agent Kevin Bradbury says Thursday the deal is for US$34 million. The six-foot-nine Johnson played ... (Source: Big Hollywood 2010-07-02T05:47:04Z)

(Col.)-Avs Agree To 2-Year Deals With Winnik, Quincey

DENVER (AP) - The Colorado Avalanche agreed to terms on two-year deals Friday for both forward Daniel Winnik and defenseman Kyle Quincey. Winnik was acquired in a trade with Phoenix on Monday. The 25-year-old had four ... (Source: KCSR 2010-07-03T12:12:26Z)

Andrew Garfield to star in 'Spider-Man' reboot

Andrew Garfield has been cast as Peter Parker in Sony's "Spider-Man" reboot, the studio announced via press release on Thursday. Sony managed to keep secret one of the most sought-after scoops in Hollywood history ... (Source: msnbc.com 2010-07-02T09:00:20Z)

Minnesota Sports

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Wild have signed a pair of prospects, center Warren Peters and defenseman Drew Bagnall. The deals were announced on Friday. Peters gets a two-year deal and Bagnall gets a one-year ... (Source: Marshall Independent 2010-07-03T14:28:26Z)

Hit Malaysian TV show stars Muslim scholars

Like the stars of smash-hit television talent shows around the world, the eight young men in sharp black suits and matching skullcaps draw adoring fans and dreams of marriage. But instead of singing or dancing, they hit the prime-time stage to recite verses from Islam's Holy book, the Koran, wash ... (Source: Taipei Times 2010-07-02T15:48:22Z)

Roche Infected With Spirit of Innovation as Genentech Transforms Drugmaker

When Roche Holding AG executives held an investor-day briefing in New York in March, Morgan Stanley analyst Andrew Baum had a question that had nothing to do with new drugs, licensing deals or health-care legislation. "Did the Genentech team hide the ties of the Roche executives?" he asked ... (Source: Bloomberg 2010-06-30T23:57:30Z)

Governor wants a hand in final Massachusetts casino bill talks

BOSTON — Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick says he wants to be dealt in as lawmakers hammer out a final version of a casino gambling bill. Patrick said there's not much time left in the Legislature's formal session, which ends July 31, for what he called "backing and forthing." He said he wants to ... (Source: South Coast Today 2010-07-03T03:58:30Z)

Swiss Roche Embraces Genentech Cool to Keep Drug Pipeline Lusty

July 2 (Bloomberg) -- When Roche Holding AG executives held an investor-day briefing in New York in March, Morgan Stanley analyst Andrew Baum had a question that had nothing to do with new drugs, licensing deals or health-care legislation. "Did the Genentech team hide the ties of the Roche ... (Source: BusinessWeek 2010-07-01T22:59:03Z)

Hulu Plus Launches: Three Networks, Zero Real-Time Shows

Hulu took the wraps off of its new television subscription service Hulu Plus on Tuesday, which delivers shows by internet rather than cable or satellite receiver, for the relative bargain of $10 per month. The core of the offering consists of "season tickets" to every episode of every show on ... (Source: Wired News 2010-06-28T23:59:52Z)

Defensemen lead way in NHL free agency

It was a great day to be a free-agent defenseman in the NHL. While basketball free agents wheeled and dealed from coast to coast, their NHL counterparts just needed to sit by the phone Thursday and wait for the big-money ... (Source: Kansas City Star 2010-07-02T04:21:10Z)

Final Glance: Media companies

NEW YORK — Shares of some top media companies were mixed at the close of trading: Disney fell $.11 or .3 percent, to $31.38. NY Times fell $.14 or 1.6 percent, to $8.50. News Corp. fell $.17 or 1.2 percent, to $13.48. TimeWarn fell $.31 or 1.1 percent, to $28.20. Viacom rose $.01 or percent, to ... (Source: msnbc.com 2010-07-03T05:38:43Z)

Hit Malaysian TV talent show stars Muslim scholars

Like the stars of smash-hit television talent shows around the world, the eight young men in sharp black suits and matching skullcaps draw adoring fans and dreams of marriage. But instead of singing or dancing, they hit the prime-time stage to recite verses from Islam's Holy book, the Koran, wash ... (Source: The Independent 2010-07-03T00:45:14Z)

Bruins re-sign F Paille

The Boston Bruins re-signed forward Daniel Paille to a two-year contract on Thursday. Boston acquired Paille from Buffalo during the 2009-10 season and the former first-round pick of the Sabres notched 10 goals and nine assists in 74 games with the Bruins. He had two assists in two games with ... (Source: Bradenton Herald 2010-07-02T05:25:36Z)

Capsule reviews: 'Eclipse' and others

In this film publicity image released by Paramount, Noah Ringer plays the heroic Aang in a scene from "The Last Airbender." (AP Photo/Paramount, Zade Rosenthal) "The Last Airbender" — A joyless, soulless, muddled mess, but the worst part of all doesn't come until the very end. That's when it makes ... (Source: Daily Telegram 2010-07-03T12:55:23Z)

Patrick wants a hand in final casino bill talks

BOSTON - Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick says he wants to be dealt in as lawmakers hammer out a final version of a casino gambling bill. Patrick said there's not much time left in the Legislature's formal session, which ends July 31, for what he called "backing and forthing." He said he wants to be ... (Source: Daily Item 2010-07-03T07:04:37Z)

Bruins' GM Peter Chiarelli Optimistic About Daniel Paille Re-Signing With Team (Video)

The Bruins continue to rebuild their squad for the 2010-11 season with the re-signing of forward Daniel Paille to a two-year contract on Thursday. Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli is pleased with the return of the versatile Paille. The speedy forward can play up and down the lines for the team ... (Source: NESN.com 2010-07-02T05:25:36Z)

Avs agree to deals with Winnik, Quincey

DENVER - The Colorado Avalanche agreed to terms on two-year deals Friday for both forward Daniel Winnik and defenseman Kyle Quincey. Winnik was acquired in a trade with Phoenix on Monday. The 25-year-old had four goals ... (Source: Coloradoan 2010-07-03T11:00:51Z)

2-minute drill: Wild sign prospects Peters, Bagnall

ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Wild have signed a pair of prospects, center Warren Peters and defenseman Drew Bagnall. The deals were announced Friday. Peters gets a two-year deal and Bagnall gets a one-year deal. Both ... (Source: St. Cloud Times 2010-07-03T07:26:06Z)

Wild signs prospects Peters, Bagnall

The Minnesota Wild have signed a pair of prospects, center Warren Peters and defenseman Drew Bagnall. The deals were announced Friday. Peters gets a two-year deal and Bagnall gets a one-year deal. Both players signed two ... (Source: West Central Tribune 2010-07-03T04:55:46Z)

Avs give Quincey, Winnik two-year deals

Denver, CO (Sports Network) - The Colorado Avalanche on Friday agreed to terms with defenseman Kyle Quincey and forward Daniel Winnik on two-year contracts. Both players were restricted free agents. The 24-year-old ... (Source: Seattle Post Intelligencer 2010-07-03T09:42:06Z)

Roche cedes power, jobs to Genentech

Worrywarts who thought Roche would corporatize and homogenize Genentech can rest easy. Roche is veering toward Genentech, rather than the other way around, Bloomberg reports. Even though Roche was the one that bought out Genentech in last year's $46.8 billion deal, the Swiss drugmaker has named ... (Source: FiercePharma 2010-07-02T12:56:34Z)

Tobey McGuire Out, Andrew Garfield in as Peter Parker in Spider-Man 4

The on-again, off-again fourth installment in the Spider-Man franchise will soon come to fruition - with a few changes. The original plans for the fourth Spider-Man project were derailed when Raimi and Sony failed to reach agreement on several key points, including which villain should be ... (Source: Associated Content 2010-07-02T05:11:17Z)

Pittsburgh Penguins sign Zbynek Michalek to 5-year deal

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Penguins, long built around some of the NHL's top offensive players, are paying a lot of money to get better on defense. The Penguins committed $45 million on Thursday to sign defensemen Paul ... (Source: AZCentral.com 2010-07-02T08:03:04Z)

NHL Free Agency: More Deals and Signings Await

What to watch for Friday in the NHL marketplace: All eyes will be on Day 2 of the Hunt for Ilya Kovalchuk, which now seems focused on Lou Lamoriello and the Devils. Top goalies Evgeni Nabokov and Marty Turco might have ... (Source: Sporting News 2010-07-03T09:49:16Z)

At Sun Valley, brighter moods may not mean big deals

NEW YORK, July 2 (Reuters) - As Rupert Murdoch, Bob Iger and other media honchos assemble in Sun Valley next week for some fly-fishing or white water rafting, spirits should be brighter than a year ago: stock prices are up by about a third, after all. That alone provides the currency and freedom to ... (Source: Reuters 2010-07-02T13:46:40Z)

NBA free-agency tracker: Former Pistons Darko Milicic, Amir Johnson get big deals

The Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to terms with former Pistons draft pick Darko Milicic on a four-year deal. Milicic's agent, Marc Cornstein, says the two sides reached agreement today, just over 12 hours after ... (Source: Detroit Free Press 2010-07-02T03:59:42Z)

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