10 video game firsts

First job, first kiss, first pet -- firsts are a big part of life, and so it is with games. From MMOs to Madden, from sophisticated CG cinematics to gritty shooters, gaming's biggest franchises, genres, and techniques all had to get started somewhere. Journey back in time with us as we excavate the obscure origins of the gaming world we take for granted today.

First 3D shooter: Wolfenstein 3D

Conventional wisdom holds that the first true first-person shooter -- combining texture-mapped 3D graphics, a first-person perspective, and arcade-quick shooter action -- was id Software's seminal hit, Wolfenstein 3D. And, as it happens, conventional wisdom is mostly correct. Sort of.

Shortly before the release of Wolfenstein 3D (which is itself based on the classic 8-bit adventure Castle Wolfenstein), id took a dry run at the same technology with 1992's Catacomb 3D, a fantasy shooter in which gamers battled enemy goblins with an arsenal of fireballs. All the pieces of the genre were already more or less in place, but Catacomb lacks the visible firearm and ammunition counter that make Wolfenstein seem so familiar to today's Call of Duty devotees.

Earlier games had already established some of the genre's touchstones — 1988's The Colony and 1986's Mercenary, for example, allowed users to freely roam a 3D rendered environment — and later titles, such as 1995's Terminator: Future Shock, which pioneered mouselook, would add essential refinements. But it's safe to say it all started with Wolfenstein.

First cutscenes: Space Invaders Part II

 

Cinematic cutscenes are such a ubiquitous part of video games nowadays that it's hard to remember it wasn't always that way.

Descended more from pinball machines and skeeball than from movies or television, the earliest games usually made storytelling a pretty low priority. Still, a few key games laid the groundwork, beginning with 1980's Space Invaders Part II. The sequel to the iconic shooter featured brief intermissions between levels in which enemy invaders would fly offscreen, broadcasting an SOS.

The same year, Pac-Man featured comical interludes between stages, and the year after, Donkey Kong would open with a short scene showing the angry ape clambering up scaffolding with a helpless damsel clutched under his arm. Perhaps it's no coincidence that three of the most iconic videogames were among the first to employ digital storytelling.

First real-time-strategy game: Herzog Zwei

Herzog Zwei -- released in 1989 for the Sega Genesis -- wasn't the first title to feature some form of strategic gameplay freed from the constraints of alternating player turns. 1981's Utopia (Intellivision), 1984's Air Support (Commodore 64), and 1988's Modem Wars (IBM PC) all featured certain elements of what would come to be known as the RTS. But it was in TechnoSoft's quirky sci-fi offering — in which players commanded a transforming mech at the head of an army of smaller units — that everything came together.

Players could purchase and command a variety of units, while permanent outposts could be commandeered to provide more production resources. The basic formula — gather resources, build units, go forth and smash the enemy — remains essentially unchanged all the way up to today's StarCraft II. Considering the Starcraft series' enormous impact on e-sports as a worldwide pastime, Herzog Zwei may just be the most important video game most people have never heard of.

First online multiplayer game: Snipes

Then again, 1983's Snipes -- a graphically crude maze game -- might give Herzog Zwei a run for its money.

A simple arcade game in which players must destroy the nests of annoying pests, Snipes had nothing especially distinguishing…except that it was designed for multiple players to join the same game remotely, using code that would evolve into Novell's influential Netware operating system. Every pick-up game of Call of Duty or Counterstrike, every online deathmatch, and every Starcraft tournament can ultimately trace its lineage back to this unassuming title.

First handheld game: Mattel Auto Race

Years before the Gameboy was even a twinkle in Nintendo's eye, Mattel, makers of the Intellivision home console, was pioneering the handheld gaming market with 1977's Auto Race.

A crude driving game in which the player cruised down a three-lane racetrack represented by simple LED lights, Auto Race used about half a kilobyte of memory — or, to put it in perspective, slightly more than this sentence takes up. Speed was controlled via a four-speed gearshift, and the car could alternate among three different lanes of traffic to dodge oncoming cars. The more popular Mattel Football handheld would release soon afterward.

First virtual online world: Neverwinter Nights

 

Whether you still raid dungeons in World of Warcraft or prefer the far away galaxy of Star Wars: The Old Republic, you owe a lot to Neverwinter.

The design of most modern MMOs harks back to 1991's "DikuMUD," a text-based Usenet adventure coded by Danish Dungeons & Dragons devotees. DikuMUD is itself derived from 1978's Multi-User-Dungeon, wherein the much-used 'MUD' acronym got its start.

But enough history: the first commercially-released, graphical online role playing game appears to be 1991's Neverwinter Nights (not to be confused with 2000's Bioware title of the same name). Playable over AOL, Neverwinter Nights kept armchair adventurers busy until 1997, by which time it had amassed an impressive 115,000 subscribers, with up to 500 players interacting together on a single server.

First 'Sims'-type game: Little Computer People

Fifteen years before Will Wright's squabblin', workin', cookin', lovin' virtual humanoids burst on the PC gaming scene to spawn a seemingly-endless parade of sequels, spinoffs and expansions, Activision laid the groundwork with 1985's Little Computer People.

Though little remembered now, LCP was years ahead of its time. Via a cutaway view of a tiny digital dollhouse, the game tasked players with feeding and caring for their computerized pet. The Little Person could talk on the phone, play the piano, and even type adorable letters to its caretaker.

First sports game: Odyssey Football

It turns out that the first home console ever released -- the Magnavox Odyssey, launched in 1972 -- featured Football as one of the original 12 games bundled with the system (three others were Tennis, Hockey, and Ski).

"Just like the pros," reads the Watergate-era ad copy. "Plan your own strategy. Pass, run, even kick. Touchdown!" In truth, the game was exceedingly basic and required a plastic television overlay to make it resemble a gridiron at all, a far cry from Madden's hyper-realism.

First full musical score: Pitfall II

Video games have made use of music almost since the beginning: who could forget, for instance, the sinister, Jaws-esque two-note thrum that accompanied the action in 1979's Asteroids, accelerating as the number of rocks onscreen decreased?

But 1984's Pitfall II: Lost Caverns -- sequel to the Atari 2600 blockbuster -- upped the ante with a four-channel musical theme so sophisticated it required a custom chip built into the game cartridge. A rousing march clearly inspired by John Williams's theme from 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' the tune, composed by Tim Shotter, was cleverly integrated into gameplay in a way that anticipated today's 'procedural' music: the brassy main fanfare would kick in every time Pitfall Harry scooped up another treasure, while his death would trigger modulation into a mournful minor-key version of the same melody. On the evolutionary path from primordial blips and bloops to today's full-orchestra extravaganzas, Pitfall II marked a critical step.

First downloadable game service: PlayCable

Steam. OnLive. Direct2Drive. Xbox Live Arcade. Digital distribution is usually viewed as a child of the new millennium. Lost in the mists of history, though, are two online game distribution services that were literally decades ahead of their time.

1981's PlayCable allowed subscribers to download Intellivision games over their cable TV line, while 1983's Gameline provided a similar service to Atari 2600 users, albeit over the telephone. Barely noticed in their own time, such services blazed a trail that wouldn't be followed up on for over twenty years. Skeptical? Check out this 30-year-old ad for PlayCable featuring none other than Mickey Mantle: ( games.yahoo.com )

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Ernie Els comes from six shots back to win British Open in dramatic fashion

Ernie Els comes from six shots back to win British Open in dramatic fashion - It didn't seem likely at the start of the day. Six shots back of Adam Scott when he teed off on Sunday afternoon, Ernie Els' chances of taking home his fourth major championship were slim. The way Scott was playing coming into the final round, hitting picture-perfect approach shots and rolling in key putts, Els knew the only way he was walking away with the Claret Jug was with a brilliant round ... and a little bit of help from the Aussie.

He got both, as Els picked up four birdies on the back nine, including a must-make, 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that cut the deficit to one, and Scott completely unraveled over the last four holes to hand the South African his second Claret Jug. (Side note: The win means Els now has major wins in three difference decades.)

 

Ernie Els / Getty Images

"I feel for him," Els said of Scott after the round. "I'm numb. Later on it will set in that I won this golf tournament, but right now I really feel for my buddy. He's such a great guy. He's so close to being such a great superstar. I know that's not the way he wanted to lose a tournament. I feel very fortunate, but I feel very bad for Adam today."

Els looked to be in a state of complete shock after his round, sharing a hug with his caddie as he tried to make sense of the situation. The thing is everyone, including Els, is still trying to come to grips with what has to be one of the worst collapses in major championship history.

Els won the tournament, sure, but heading to the 18th, it appeared as if he'd likely come up just short again on golf's biggest stage, after he missed a makeable birdie putt on the 16th, and another on the 17th.

At the time you got the feeling that the near-misses were a sign that this wouldn't be his week. But Els pressed on, pulling driver on one of the toughest driving holes on the course and hitting his best tee shot of the tournament, watching as his ball came to rest in the center of the fairway, well within wedge range.

Els took dead aim with his approach and hit it to 15 feet for a makeable birdie opportunity. Now let's set the scene here: Over the last year, Els has missed some excruciating putts, including a couple critical misses in a playoff at the Zurich Classic, and a 3-footer at the Transitions Championship that cost him a playoff spot.

After years of being one of the best clutch putters in the world, it seemed like every time Els had a biggie to do something special, the ball never went in. This time around, however, was different. Els struck the putt and watched as it disappeared into the hole for birdie.

With the exception of David Duval, who won at Royal Lytham back in 2001, nobody had more success at this course coming into the week. Els finished T-2 (1996) and T-3 (2001) the last two times Royal Lytham hosted the British Open, which led people to believe he could be a factor.

Els didn't disappoint, hanging around the lead all week before making a back-nine charge on Sunday that ended with an incredibly clutch birdie putt on the final hole of the tournament.

''It was my time for some reason," Els said after his round. It certainly was. (Yahoo! Sports)

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Stop Getting Ripped Off on Auto Insurance

Stop Getting Ripped Off on Auto Insurance - Do you feel like you're spending more on auto insurance than you need to? Want 2012 to be the year you put money back into your wallet? 

Good news: You're likely already doing things that can help you save.

In fact, a 2011 trends survey by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) found that 53 percent of Americans have made an economic-driven change that could impact the cost of their car insurance in the past year.

Read on for some additional tips on potential car insurance savings that can help you stay on budget this year...

Now is the perfect time to give your auto insurance a tune-up. Here are ten tips on how you can do it.

Tip #1 - Shop Around 

The Internet has redefined shopping. And that holds true with auto insurance. In fact, it's never been easier to shop for a lower rate.

But don't shop by price alone, advises Insurance Information Institute's (III) Vice President Loretta Worters. "Buying insurance is not just to protect you financially, it's also to provide peace of mind. So, it's important to pick a company that is financially stable," she says.

She suggests asking friends and relatives about their insurers, or contacting your state insurance department to find out whether they provide information on consumer complaints by company.

Here are other shopping suggestions from Worters:

• Get at least three quotes.
• Give the same information to all three companies; this ensures your comparison will be more accurate.
• Check the financial health of insurance companies with rating companies such as A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's. 

There's a word for paying for something you'll never use: frustrating. Unfortunately, many people over-insure with auto insurance, according to Worters.

For example, collision and/or comprehensive coverage, which protect your car in the event it's damaged, may not be necessary on an older car. Worters' general rule: if your car is worth less than 10 times the premium, buying the coverage may not be cost-effective.

Information from NAIC's website also suggests that if a car is worth less than $1,000, you should consider only carrying liability coverage, which protects from damage you do to others or to property. This is because you'll likely pay more in premiums than the insurance will payoff, if and when you file a claim.

Tip #3 - Pay a Higher Deductible

Ironically, raising your deductible, the amount you'll pay out-of-pocket in the case of a claim, could be a great savings opportunity.

How? According to an III article titled "How Can I Save Money on Auto Insurance?," increasing your deductible from $200 to $500 could reduce your collision and comprehensive coverage cost by 15 to 30 percent. If you raise your deductible to $1,000, your savings could climb to 40 percent or more.

If you decide to pursue this potential money-saving route, make sure you have the funds to cover the deductible in the case of an accident.

Tip #4 - Cash in on That

Wedding If you got married since you last renewed your policy, be sure to let your insurer know. 

"Generally speaking, you can save money when you get married since married people file fewer claims than singles," says Worters. Therefore, married people are considered less of a risk than single people and can often qualify for lower premiums.

On the other end of the spectrum, if 2012 is a year of divorce instead of marriage, you still might be able to save if your ex had a bad driving record.

Tip #5 - Remove Children from Your Policy 

Is your son or daughter going off to college this year? If so, you could save by labeling him or her as only an occasional driver on your policy. This means your child will only drive your car while home for vacation or holidays. And the savings could be significant. 

Parents typically see a 50 percent increase in their insurance premiums if a child under 25 years old is listed on their policy, says Worters. 

However, to qualify for a potentially lower premium, most insurers will require that the college your son or daughter attends is at least 100 miles from home, according to "Auto Insurance FAQ's" from NAIC's website.

Tip #6 - Drive Less 

Driving less is trending. At least that's what the 2011 NAIC survey on economy-driven trends found. It states that almost 40 percent of consumers are diving less, instead choosing to carpool, walk, or take public transportation more often. If you're a part of that 40 percent, you could qualify for a low-mileage discount.

"You could save 10 to 20 percent, depending on factors like which state you live in," says Worters. So check your mileage. If it's 10,000 miles per year or less, you could be in for some good news about your premium, according to an III article, "What Determines the Price of my Policy."

Tip # 7 - Buy a Different Car 

Are you thinking about buying a new car this year? Don't forget to check the insurance prices for the various makes and models you're considering. It could make a big difference.

Car insurance premiums are based in part on the car's price, the cost to repair it, its overall safety record, and the likelihood of theft, according to Worters. And if you thought only pimped-out luxury rides got targeted by thieves, think again. 

The three most stolen cars in the U.S. for 2010 were the Honda Accord, Honda Civic, and Toyota Camry, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau's "Hot Wheels" report.

So, before you pick out your new ride for 2012, make sure to research the car's stats and determine whether or not the insurance premium is in your budget.

Tip # 8 - Move Out of the City 

Like marriage, you likely won't be moving out of the city based on auto insurance rates. But if you have moved out of the city, or if changes in your work allow you to drive and park in less urban areas, make sure your insurer gets the good news. Because to them, that's exactly what it is.

In fact, insurers consider cities so much more of a risk because of traffic (increased accidents), theft, and vandalism, that the 10 highest places to insure a car in 2011 were all populous cities, according to III.

And because we know you're curious, here are the three costliest places in the U.S. to insure a car:*

• Detroit, Mich.- Average annual premium: $5,941
• Philadelphia, Pa.- Average annual premium: $4,076
• New Orleans, La. - Average annual premium: $3,599

Tip #9 - Use an Anti-Theft Device 

Since stolen cars mean insurance payouts, there are some anti-theft devices that will garner you substantial savings.

For instance, says Worters, signing up for LoJack - which uses a hidden transmitter to let police track your car if and when it gets stolen - could net you a 15 to 20 percent discount.

Just make sure that whatever savings you get pays for the anti-theft device, if that's your primary purpose for using it. Of course, getting your stolen car back is kind of a nice thing, too.

Tip #10 - Take Advantage of Any and All Discounts 

From being a good student to simply aging, there are a number of auto insurance discounts that you could potentially qualify for. But, don't expect your insurance carrier to automatically sign you up for discounts for which you qualify.

To get you started, here are a few common discounts:**

• Mature Driver - Many insurers lower rates by 10 to 20 percent for drivers over 50 or 55, according to Worters.
• Good Credit Score - Better credit usually equals a better rate, but not all states allow for credit-based insurance scores.
• Good Student Discount - Usually requires a B average for a full-time student.
• Passive Restraints - This is for seat belts that automatically buckle when you start the car.
• Driver Education Course - Completing a defensive driving course could qualify you for savings.
• Bundled Insurance - Get your auto and home or renters insurance with the same company.
• Pay in Full - Applies when you pay your entire premium in one payment rather than installments. 

*Average insurance rates come from the Insurance Information Institute, as of August 2011, and are based on business driving for a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu LS. Assumes $100,000/$300,000/$50,000 liability limits, collision, and comprehensive with $500 deductibles, 100/300 uninsured motorist coverage, and any mandatory insurance coverage.
**All discounts not available from all insurers and amount varies with coverage and carrier.

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Does it Pay to Airbrush Your Profile Photo?

Does it Pay to Airbrush Your Profile Photo? - Generation Facebook may never grow old. New apps are making age-defying photo airbrushing techniques once reserved for celebrity magazine covers available instantly and inexpensively to just about anyone.

Airbrushing computer software such as the $40 Portrait Professional and Magic Brush-Photo can create perfect, youthful complexions. Other Smartphone apps like Pimple Eraser — which has had two million downloads since its release last year — and The Airbrush App are less complex, but cost just 99 cents to download. “Everyone is able to use the same marketing techniques that the big ad agencies used for decades to sell products,” says Vicky Oliver, author of The Millionaire’s Handbook. “Only in this case they are selling themselves.”

The author before (L) and after (R). (Photo: SmartMoney)

Pay Dirt tested Portrait Professional, which has 200,000 clients in the U.S. — 50% of its total global customer base. The company says it analyzed thousands of photos to learn what makes people look attractive or unattractive, claims it can automatically reduce double-chins and offers over 200 ways for people to manipulate various imperfections (reshape lips and noses, remove fat, increase/reduce breast size, create muscles, erase dark circles under the eyes, raise cheekbones, thicken hair and whiten teeth). The instruction video already has over 1.5 million hits on YouTube.

The verdict? You can look as young and slim as you like, but experts say there are pitfalls to ironing out too many wrinkles and facial flaws from profile photos on professional networking sites like LinkedIn. Removing a pimple is one thing, but any more dramatic changes in appearance could shock prospective employers, says personal branding consultant Nick Gilham. There are also ethical issues to consider, he says. “This would make me wonder what other lies you would tell? Would you lie about your job accomplishments or titles too?”

Still, a little light airbrushing could go a long way for some job-seekers. Smoothing out a few lines, while leaving your appearance broadly intact, might help older job hunters look young and energetic, Schawbel says. For seniors struggling to find work — some 52% of those aged 55 and older are unemployed versus just 38% of those under 55 years of age, according to the American Association of Retired Persons – the extra touch-up may help, experts say. LinkedIn connection director Nicole Williams says an “appealing” picture catches the eye of recruiters: “There’s no denying that attractiveness gives you an advantage over the competition.”

Dating sites pose other issues. A flattering photo on eHarmony or OkCupid might result in a few extra dinner engagements, Oliver says, but your date will likely end up feeling deceived (One 2009 study, “Putting Your Best Face Forward: The Accuracy of Online Dating Photographs,” by researchers at Cornell University, found that one-third of photographs on dating websites were inaccurate.) Her advice to the lovelorn and professionally restless: “If you are pleasantly plump, don’t airbrush yourself so much that you look like Twiggy.” ( SmartMoney )

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How Waterproof Are Your Gadgets?

How Waterproof Are Your Gadgets? - It's summer, and that means the beach, the pool, or the lake! While water may be great for us, it's not always so good for our electronic gadgets. So here are my top tips for how to protect the gear you already own, plus the best waterproof gear to buy new.

Protecting the Gear You Own

If you keep your phone in your pocket, it can get really sweaty, especially in summer humidity. Moisture can seep into the phone and damage it, but an easy preventative measure? Put one or two desiccant packages, like the ones you get in a new pair of shoes (or you can buy these online for about 50 cents), in the back of your phone case, and it'll absorb some of the moisture.

But if you're on a boat or at the beach, you'll need to protect your gadgets from more than just sweat. Here, you need truly waterproof solutions:

• For phones and tablets, I recommend Dry Case. They are waterproof to 100 feet and you can still use the touch screen and the camera. Cost: about $30. 
• For Kindles, Nooks, and tablets, I tried cases by TrendyDigital. They were inexpensive, and still made it easy to read the protected eReader. 

New Waterproof Gear

Your summer vacation won't be complete without pictures to prove you were actually there. Good news: there are cameras specifically made for water that don't cost a lot more than their non-waterproof cousins. Nikon's COOLPIX AW100 costs about $270, and it takes nice pics and video both above and under the water.

For a splash-proof, poolside speaker, I like the G-Go ruggedized Bluetooth speaker. This is my new favorite summer gadget. There are more expensive, fully waterproof options, but for $70 this thing lets you remotely control the music on your phone or iPod with wet hands.

If you're going to spend a lot of time out on the water, consider a waterproof phone — like the Samsung Rugby Smart, which can be fully submerged up to a meter for a half an hour.

Finally if you are a serious water enthusiast, there are some awesome audio products to make your swim workouts more enjoyable. 

Waterfi makes both a waterproofed iPod Nano and a Shuffle. Costs as little as $134 and you need waterproof headphones. Best part is that it is a true iPod, so you just plug it into iTunes and you are good to go. 

If you already have an iPod, H20 Audio makes waterproof cases — just make sure you get the right one so all the buttons line up; they are model specific. 

And I was most impressed by the Finis SwiMP3 bone conducting MP3 player. Get this: no earphones. Instead, the device clips onto your goggles and conducts vibrations through your jaw to transmit sound while you swim. The sound quality is excellent, which is pretty awesome; if I'm listening to books on tape or podcasts while I swim, I tend to last longer and get a better workout. The only downside is that the transfer process between my computer and the device (getting music on the Finis) was kind of a pain, not as easy as just syncing iTunes. 

After-market Waterproofing?

HZO technology to waterproof phones and iPods AFTER you purchase them made a big splash (sorry couldn't resist the pun) at the Consumer Electronics Show in January but it has not been released as a public service or product. The HZO folks told me they are working with major electronics manufacturers to add the feature to products during assembly, before they ever hit the stores or customers hands, but no definitive plans or products are available for release now. ( Upgrade Your Life )

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Paul Verhoeven Finds Backing And A Writer For Controversial Jesus Christ Movie

Paul Verhoeven Finds Backing And A Writer For Controversial Jesus Christ Movie - As Darren Aronofsky’s Noah gets ready to set sail and iconic directors Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg forge ahead with epics about Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, faithful Biblical epics are flourishing in Hollywood. It looks like there is even room for one that takes the most controversial look at the life of Jesus Christ since Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ.

I’m told that Muse Productions’ Chris Hanley, whose credits include American Psycho, has stepped up to finance development of a film about Christ. It will be based on Jesus of Nazareth, a book that director Paul Verhoeven co-wrote after immersing himself in the history and researching the subject for nearly two decades. Verhoeven plans to direct the film, which will be written by Roger Avary. Avary shared the Academy Award for Best Original Script with Quentin Tarantino for Pulp Fiction.

View PhotoPaul Verhoeven Finds Backing And A Writer For Controversial Jesus Christ Movie

Verhoeven’s take on the life of Jesus Christ discounts all of the miracles that inform the New Testament. That includes the immaculate conception, and the resurrection. Verhoeven doesn’t believe any of them happened. I wrote about Verhoeven’s ambitions in spring, 2011 as he and his reps at ICM first tried to find funding, no small feat given some of the theories he put forth in the book. The most controversial: that Jesus might have been the product of his mother being raped by a Roman soldier, which Verhoeven said was commonplace at the time, and that Jesus was a radical prophet who performed exorcisms and was convinced he would find the kingdom of Heaven on earth, and did not know he would be sentenced to die on the cross by Pontius Pilate. That, and the discounting of the miracles that pepper the New Testament, has made this a daunting project to set up. But while Verhoeven’s film credits include Showgirls (as well as hits like Robocop, Total Recall and Basic Instinct) he isn’t trying to tantalize here. He is fixated on Christ not for the miracles depicted in the blockbuster film The Passion Of The Christ, but rather in the enduring power of the message Christ preached which have kept him first and foremost in the minds of Christians for 2000 years. Verhoeven feels too many take Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins as a free pass to misbehave, because they think they don’t have to take responsibility for their actions. He feels that the value of Christ’s journey is the opportunity to emulate his life and the values he held dear, like forgiveness.

“If you look at the man, it’s clear you have a person who was completely innovative in the field of ethics,” Verhoeven told me last year. “My own passion for Jesus came when I started to realize that. It’s not about miracles, it’s about a new set of ethics, an openness towards the world, which was anathema in a Roman-dominated world. I believe he was crucified because they felt that politically, he was a dangerous person whose following was getting bigger and bigger. Jesus’ ideals are about the utopia of human behavior, about how we should treat each other, how we should step into the shoes of our enemy.”

Elsewhere on the movie Bible belt, Prometheus director Scott and his Scott Free have become attached to Exodus, a project that had already been set at Fox with Chernin Entertainment. It’s from a script by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage, the Trump Heist scribes who reinvented themselves with this project and a version of Moby Dick that Timur Bekmambetov has been developing.

That puts Fox and Warner Bros in competition on Moses movies, as Steven Spielberg continues to circle Gods And Kings, the Stuart Hazeldine and Michael Green-scripted epic. Now, both directors have more films than they know what to do with, but I’m told this has become a real race. Scott is prepping his next film The Counselor, the Cormac McCarthy scripted drama with Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz for Fox, while Spielberg, who is in post production on Lincoln, is readying Robopocalypse at DreamWorks as his next film. There seems a great opportunity to update The Ten Commandments, but I doubt there is room for more than one.

The other major ancient religious-themed project, the film about Judah Macabee that Mel Gibson set at Warner Bros with the intention of directing a Braveheart-style film about the events that are commemorated at Hanukkah, seems to have imploded because of discord between Gibson and the screenwriter he hired, Joe Eszterhas. They had a falling out, one I’ve heard stemmed from Eszterhas showing up without having put in the work to transfer Gibson’s ideas for the movie to the page. Eszterhas, in turn, taped Gibson getting angry and yelling at him, and the formerly highly paid scribe has turned the controversy into what seems like a plea for attention, even publishing an e-book about his experiences with Gibson. But if Gibson said even a portion of the things Eszterhas claims he said about Jews, Gibson should find another subject for his next directing assignment because he is missing a sensitivity chip, along with more than a few marbles.

Verhoeven doesn’t have that kind of baggage coming into the Jesus Christ project, but he is treading on territory that Christians universally would label as blasphemous. The film seems to have landed in the appropriate place, as a gritty and controversial independent film. Both Verhoeven and Avary are repped by ICM Partners, which did not comment, nor did Hanley return my call. ( Deadline.com )

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