As of a few minutes ago, XBL went down hard. All access was shut off, including access through XBOX.com. Major Nelson's site hosted by MS is also down.

So was the major traffic influx of Halo 3's launch day to blame? I mean they did triple server capacity to avoid this very thing. Microsoft says "no comment". Uh huh...

More on this as it breaks!

UPDATE: XBL appearsto be back up in some capacity. Bungie.Net only lists 3,000 people on Halo 3 right now, but i am not sure if their site has accurate readings. XBOX.com is still not allowing access to Live features.

UPDATE 2: MS has acknowleged that the servers are having trouble, but still don't admit to the full crash that happened. Servers are slowly making their way back up, so while some people will be able to connect, stats, matchmaking, etc may be unavailable for a while. From my investigation, the majority of the servers are still down.

If you watched G4's Halo special, or checked out any other footage of events, you may have noticed people dressed as Spartans. Some bought the outfit. Some made it from scratch.

The guy pictured below showed up at the launch in Bowling Green, KY. I know the poor guy had to be hot in there, but he was really nice and took pictures with everyone who asked. He made it from scratch using custom moldings, and was the "star" of the launch here.






So we want to hear your stories, see your pictures. Any Cosplayers show up in your area? Send us the pic. Or just post a link in the comments thread.

By now you all must have heard about Meg White of The White Stripes supposed sex tape. The big rumor is that the leaking of the tape is why the Stripes have cancelled their shows.

I will admit, the woman in the video bears a small resemblance, but to my eyes it is most certainly not her. In fact, that is the exact thing that the Stripes' publicist is now saying. In fact, they say Meg has severe anxiety (not because of this incident, but a long standing problem), and that is why the Stripes have been cancelling.

Instead, they are claiming it is a well known porn star named Natasha Nice. Personally I don't think it looks like her either. Take a look at the photos and judge for yourself. I would be willing to bet that it definately isn't Meg. The facial structures just don't match up when put under scrutiny.

This photo is actually Meg White. Notice the distinct area around the mouth.

This one is not her. Dig up the tape and see for yourself, but the facial structure does not match. The eyes and mouth are different.

This photo is Natasha Nice. A closer match to the video if you ask me, but I don't think the video is her's either.

Our verdict: As fake as the Britney Spears BJ video going around. Slight look alike, but definately not the genuine article.

Enjoy this first look at THQ's Saint's Row 2, due out 2008 for the XB360 and PS3!

WBKO has officially apologized for the incident, and explained that it was a former weatherman who stole the tape and leaked it. Because WBKO acknowledged and apologized for the tape even existing, I am going to remove the video from my site.

I have begun to think about how embarrassed Chris must feel, and from today on I personally will not help add to that embarrassment. I feel Chris was sincere when he said the following:

"This video - which was never intended to be seen outside of the station - was part of a joke that was played on me during a lighter moment off the air several years ago. I regret that a former employee has decided it is something that everyone should see and took the liberty of posting it on the internet. I am embarrassed by the whole ordeal and humbly apologize for anyone offended by my actions."

If you'd like to read the whole public apology for yourself, please visit the link at the bottom of the page. If you MUST see the video, there are other sites that have it. Just not here.

http://www.wbko.com/station/misc/9854626.html

There ya have it folks, YouTube has "permanently disabled" my account, so if some vids are missing, please be patient while I re-up them. Oh yeah, YouTube? Fuck you.

The following video was taken of an actual Legendary helmet, whih is not only bigger than I originally thought, but it is alo individually numbered. Watch the video to see the quality for yourself! It's pretty nice!

Reports are coming in that some K-Mart locations may be selling Halo 3 early. The store is apparently stocking the regular edition in the game case with everything else.

I have checked the K-Mart in my local area, an there were none in the case.

There is one common thread throughout the reports though, and that is that these people are afraid of getting banned. We have even had suggestions mailed in on the best way not to get banned if you do happen to get the game early.

The most common mentioned method is of course not playing while connected to Live. Furthermore, you have to stay disconnected from Live until the game launch, otherwise the achievements will show online. However, if you stay disconnected until the 25th, the achievements will still be date stamped. So don't be surprised if a lot of people pop up on release day with most or all of the achievements. Be sure to check their date stamp!

Now I am not gonna guess on whether or not Bungie or MS will ban people. Who knows in this case. But if you DO get the game early, wherever you get it, maybe it might be a good idea to stay offline for a week or so.

We welcome you to share your stories of early purchases with us in the comments thread below.

Don't be surprised if you see Halo 3 torrents popping up in the next day or two. The few that have already been found so far are the Epsilon files, porn, or a bunch of other crap. All of them listed as Halo 3 Retail.

Just a warning, don't get too overzealous, you may get a virus!

Fresh on the heels of the awesome set photos we posted from The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, we bring you these amazing screenshots from the Prince Caspian game! Even in this early state, it looks fantastic!

Here are some awesome photos from the set of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian!

Here are some on set photos from the upcoming James Bond 22!

Here is the official teaser poster for the upcoming J.J. Abrams film Star Trek!

On the set of the upcoming film tenatively titled Mummy 3.

Here is the missing lapdance scene from Quentin tarantino's half of grindhouse, Death Proof! Enjoy!

Today we bring you these awesome first photos of the PredAlien! What do you think? Sound off in our comments!

Earlier we reported that reserving your copy of COD4 at a GameStop or EBGames would net you a beta code on the spot. We have since learned that this is not entirely true.

Each store received a packet of slips, but the slips do not contain a code. Instead, COD4 reserves are required to give their e-mail at the time of reservation so the code can be mailed to them. It is no certain how long it will take to receive your code.

This is most certainly part of GameStop Inc.'s recent push to gather customer's e-mail addresses. Will they sel your info? Probably not, but be expecting lots of e-mail ads from GameStop.

To be fair, GameStop doesn't JUST send ads. They occassionally send e-mail only coupons that you can print out and bring to the store for discounts.

Anyways, there ya have it!

When Wesley Snipes was indicted last year on Federal tax evasion charges, he was in Africa, Namibia to be precise, filming The Gallowwalkers. He decided of course to stay and finish the film before turning himself in.

See our previous coverage at the link below:

http://rated-m.blogspot.com/2006/10/actor-wesley-snipes-is-now-wanted.html

So what was this film? Initially the press had it all wrong. They were saying it was a cowboy film. Well they were only half right. You see, this film is about a gunman who has a curse. Whoever dies by his hand returns from the dead. The film is about the gunman trying to find help in disposing of the undead permanently.

Previously called The Wretched, and starring Chow Yun Fat, the film went through a redesign and recast after Chow backed out. The poster below was the initial design when Chow was aboard.

After Chow left, they needed another action star, and I guess to them Wesley fit the bill. After all, he was awesome in the Blade films. Wesley plays the lead of course, and from his costumery, he looks to play the part well. I just hope he gets to work in some of his martial arts somehow.

There is also a prequel comic coming out, with cover art done by Timothy Bradstreet. You can see this below.

Pretty awesome, eh? This film is still slated for a 2008 theatrical release, though with Snipes' trial starting in October of this year, it is uncertain how that will affect the film, if at all. Stay tuned for more on this film as we get it!