For the second year running, the bestselling author's books are the most-donated to the charity shop chain Where to find Lost Symbols ... an Oxfam bookshop.

Dan Brown's book The Lost Symbol scores the highest weekly UK sales on record for a paperback novel.

EXCLUSIVE : Sony Pictures Entertainment has begun deal talks with Steve Zaillian to adapt The Girl Who Played With Fire, the second installment of the Millennium Trilogy of crime novels written by Stieg Larsson. Zaillian adapted The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo , which SPE puts into production this fall after director David Fincher and producer Scott Rudin end the well-publicized search for an actress to play the troubled genius computer hacker Lisbeth Salander. Like Daniel Craig, that actress will sign a deal with two options covering The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nes t. Craig is playing journalist Mikael Blomkvist. While Zaillian continues to hone the script for the first film (he is also exec producer), the studio wants  him to  move right on to The Girl Who Played With Fire. SPE wants to move quickly into production on the sequel, though start dates will have to be  scheduled around Craig's commitments to the James Bond franchise, and a potential sequel to Cowboys And Aliens . The studio and filmmakers have reason to feel bullish: the pace of book sales of Larsson's Millennium Trilogy has become a phenomenon reminiscent of book-to-movie blockbusters like J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter , Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga and Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code . The trilogy Larsson completed before dying of a heart attack at age 50 has sold over ... Read More »

In "Dan 3.0," the popular video blogger will ask his Web viewers what he should do with his life. And every day for the next year they'll be able to vote on the suggestions. "I have no freaking idea," what will happen, he says.

Video blogger Dan Brown has answered a lot of questions about his Dan 3.0 project. Here are 10 more.

I Write Like tells you which famous writer's style your words resemble. Of course we tried it on ourselves — and a few other luminaries. More »

St. Angie Jo recently told MTV that she got a tattoo on her thigh that is strictly for Brad, but she wouldn't say anything more. And just like that "What does Angie Jo have tattooed on her thigh?" became the greatest mystery that has ever fallen upon mankind.

Dan Brown started to write a novel on it. Detective La Toya gave herself a third world orphan baby plastic surgery makeover so she could sneak into the Brangelina family mansion. Brangeloonies everywhere took a sabbatical (more like a SaBRADical...GONG) so they could devote every minute of their day to writing all of their theories on the garage wall using a blue Sharpie (aka the tears of an Aniston). But everyone can drop their magnifying glasses, because one of Jezebel's readers thinks she might have cracked the code. Here's her theory:

I think it reads Whiskey Bravo.
My logic:
She says : "Um, it's for Brad."
Brad's real name is William Bradley Pitt.
According to the alphabet the military use: William Bradley = Whiskey Bravo

WHISKEY BRAVO?! After all that!? That sounds like the name of a liquor store off the highway in Barstow, California. This sort of sounds right, but I'm still not convinced.

It could be Whiney Butt? Or Whitey Bear? Or maybe Washy Brad? The latter does make sense, because it serves as a reminder to Brad to disinfect his dirty face before visiting her preying vagina. Even St. Angie likes her victims to wash up before she bites them!

July 3, 2010 It sounds like something out of a Dan Brown novel, but a scholar in Manchester, England, claims to have found hidden code in the ancient writings of Plato. If true, the secret messages ...

July 3, 2010 It sounds like something out of a Dan Brown novel, but a scholar in Manchester, England, claims to have found hidden code in the ancient writings of Plato. If true, the secret messages ...

July 3, 2010 It sounds like something out of a Dan Brown novel, but a scholar in Manchester, England, claims to have found hidden code in the ancient writings of Plato. If true, the secret messages ...

It sounds like something out of a Dan Brown novel, but a scholar in Manchester, England, claims to have found hidden code in the ancient writings of Plato. If true, the secret messages would have made the ancient philosopher and mathematician a heretic in his day.

It sounds like something out of a Dan Brown novel, but a scholar in Manchester, England, claims to have found hidden code in the ancient writings of Plato. If true, the secret messages would have made the ancient philosopher and mathematician a heretic in his day.

It sounds like something out of a Dan Brown novel, but a scholar in Manchester, England, claims to have found hidden code in the ancient writings of Plato. If true, the secret messages would have made the ancient philosopher and mathematician a heretic in his day.

Kim Ramseyer, Freeform Photography Dan Brown has taught at Moorpark College since 1984.

Kim Ramseyer, Freeform Photography Dan Brown has taught at Moorpark College since 1984.

The Vatican's substantial secret archives are the frequent talk of conspiracy theorists and Dan Brown style novelists, and while I don't subscribe to any of the outlandish suggestions about what they contain, I must admit they hold a fascination. The archive holds material relating to vast tracts of European history, with letters from Henry VIII, Michelangelo, and who knows what else. I make this latter remark, not because I think people are hiding great secrets, but because there are fifty miles of shelving and only thirty archivists dealing with it, so things do get forgotten and later rediscovered. As most researchers aren't allowed to browse, mystique gets developed. Recently an author called Paul Ven den Heuvel was allowed in with a camera to look at anything dated before 1939, and he's produced an expensive book called 'The Vatican Secret Archives'. The statistics (fifty miles, thirty people), come from this newspaper report...

Read Full Post

After centuries of being kept under lock and key, the Secret Archives of the Vatican are being opened to outsiders in an attempt to dispel the myths and mystique created by works of fiction such as Dan Brown's Angels and Demons.

Top Bulgarian Freemason expert Dimitar Nedkov presents his last book a oeThe Menace Dan Brown.a Photo by standartnews.com Exclusive interview of Novinite.com with Dimitar Nedkov, top Bulgarian expert on Freemasonry.

After centuries of being kept under lock and key, the Vatican has started opening its Secret Archives to outsiders to dispel the myths created by Dan Brown's Angels and Demons.

On 13th May, leading national public German TV station ZDF launched the third season of its extremely popular prime time detective series "Ihr Auftrag, Pater Castell" , based on novels written by famous author Dan Brown.

Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops, Netbooks, Gadgets / Other, ebooks

Asus and Amazon have teamed up, and moving forward you will be able to order select Asus notebooks and netbooks with the Amazon Kindle app for the PC pre-installed. The models that will be included in this promotion are the Eee PC 1005PE-MU27 netbook and the UL30A and the UL30VT notebooks. Sadly though, its just that, some otherwise free software that is going to be installed as default. And while this is most likely a good partnership for Asus and Amazon I can see some users upset that they now have another default app that they may or may not ever use. Its funny, I like Asus and the Eee, and I like Amazon, but still have a hard time seeing this as anything more than additional crap on my computer. Still I guess if you are not capable of installing software for some reason this may appeal to you. Otherwise, they are giving you something that is already available for free.

Via [Engadget]

Keep reading to check out the full press release…

ASUS Pre-installs Kindle for PC Application on Award-Winning Netbooks and Notebooks

Customers using Kindle for PC can enjoy over 540,000 books, including New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases, on ASUS’ latest netbook and notebook products

FREMONT, California (May 24, 2010) - ASUS today announced that Amazon’s “Kindle for PC” application, which lets readers enjoy Kindle books on their personal computers (PC), will come pre-installed on select ASUS netbooks and notebooks sold at Amazon.com. Kindle for PC enables customers to discover and read from over 540,000 books in the Kindle Store -the largest selection of the most popular books that people want to read—including New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases priced from $9.99.

Like all Kindle apps, Kindle for PC includes Amazon’s Whispersync technology, which saves and synchronizes a customer’s notes, highlights, bookmarks and last page read across their Kindle, Kindle DX, PC, Mac and other devices* so customers always have their reading material with them and never lose their place whether at home or on-the-go.

“We are thrilled that customers will begin to enjoy the Kindle for PC experience right out of the box with ASUS devices,” said Ben Thacker, VP Sales and Product Management, Systems Business Group, North American Channel, ASUS Computer International. “Kindle is something our customers have been asking for and by pre-installing Kindle for PC on select long battery life products, we believe we are providing our customers an even richer PC experience. Working with a customer-centric company such as Amazon and pre-installing their Kindle for PC application is a natural fit for ASUS.”

With the free Kindle for PC pre-installed on select ASUS netbooks and notebooks, consumers can take advantage of the following features and more:

· Purchase, download, and read more than 540,000 books, including 96 of 110 New York Times Bestsellers, plus tens of thousands of the most popular classics for free directly from their ASUS device. Bestsellers such as “Backlash” by Aaron Allston, “Big Girl” by Danielle Steel, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot and “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown, and hundreds of thousands of other popular books are $9.99 or less in the Kindle Store

· Browse by genre or author, and take advantage of all the features that they enjoy in the Kindle Store, including Amazon.com customer reviews, personalized recommendations and editorial reviews
· Read the beginning of books for free before they decide to buy
· Access their Kindle books even if they don’t have Kindle with them
· Synchronize last page read between their Kindle, Kindle DX, PC, Mac, and other devices*
· Create new highlights, notes and bookmarks, and manage those created on their Kindle
· Choose from three different color modes: read in white, sepia, or black color modes and adjust the brightness of the display from within the application
· Choose from more than 10 different font sizes and adjust words per line
· Read books using full-screen mode of their PC

“We think customers are going to love the convenience and simplicity of having instant access to Kindle for PC from their ASUS device and access to a massive selection of Kindle books,” said Jay Marine, Director, Amazon Kindle. “Kindle for PC lets customers enjoy over 540,000 books in the Kindle Store even if they don’t yet have a Kindle, and its the perfect companion application for the millions of Kindle and Kindle DX owners.”

Kindle for PC* is available today and comes preinstalled on the following ASUS Eee PC Netbooks with battery life** up to 11 hours:

1005PE-MU27- BK

1005PE-MU27-BU

1005PE-MU27-WT

1005PE-MU27-PI

And on the following ASUS ultra thin and light UL Series notebooks featuring over 11 hours of battery life **:

UL30A-X5K
UL30VT-X1K

These select ASUS netbooks and notebooks are available at Amazon.com with additional models arriving soon.

###

* Kindle for PC, a free application that allows customers to read Kindle content on a PC, is available for download on http://www.amazon.com/KindleforPC .

**Battery life measured with MobileMark 2007 in reader mode and can be different based upon usage and conditions. Please visit http://usa.asus.com for more information. Specifications are subject to change without prior notice.

###

About ASUS

ASUS is a leading company in the new digital era, with a broad product portfolio that includes

notebooks, netbooks, motherboards, graphics cards, displays, desktop PCs, servers, wireless solutions, mobile phones and networking devices. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s home and office users. ASUS won

3,268 awards in 2009, and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with the Eee PC™.

With a global staff of more than 10,000 and a world-class R&D design team, the company’s revenue for

2009 was US$7.5 billion. ASUS ranks among BusinessWeek’s InfoTech 100, and has been on the listing for 12 consecutive years.

 

Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

It may be a historical curiosity in the west, but witchcraft casts its spell over much of the world a ' and those accused can be killed Anyone who thinks that witchcraft belongs only to our past and imaginations should think again.

The history of witchcraft helps us to understand this tragic phenomenon. Unfortunately, the subject remains littered with powerful myths. Some modern witches sing a protest song called Catch the Fire, which mentions the 9 million women burned during the "witch-craze". Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code says 5 million. The actual figure was about 50,000. This still might seem a lot for an imaginary crime, but viewed in context of time, space and population levels, it's clear that witch trials were comparatively rare. Plus executions followed in only about half of trials...

Still upset over Dan Brown 's suggestion that Jesus was boning Mary, Pope Benedict decided to exact revenge on the liberal heathens of southern California by appointing a new Archbishop of LA — Jose Gomez , an ultra-orthodox Opus Dei bishop. [Telegraph ] More »

By Dylan Stableford  

Somebody call Dan Brown. The tête-à-tête between the New York Times and the Vatican is boiling over.

A spokesperson for the New York Times defended the paper’s reporting late Thursday, after a top Vatican official unleashed a rather harsh rant against the paper for its “disturbing” coverage of Pope Benedict XVI’s handling of sexual abuse cases.

“We stand by that reporting,” Times spokesperson Diane McNulty said.

In an...

Surely you've heard of Akiva Goldsman for his contributions as a writer on legal thrillers like The Client and A Time to Kill to comic book adaptations like Batman Forever and I Am Legend , as well as adaptations of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code series.

Surely you've heard of Akiva Goldsman for his contributions as a writer on legal thrillers like The Client and A Time to Kill to comic book adaptations like Batman Forever and I Am Legend, as well as adaptations of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code series. However, after directing a couple episodes of "Fringe" and "Kings" it seemed like Goldsman may finally get a feature directorial debut as ShockTillYouDrop reported earlier this morning that he is now the top choice over other people like Brian De Palma and Brad Anderson to sit in the director's chair for Paranormal Activity 2. However, Deadine says it ain't so - Goldsman is producing. Goldsman has been brought on-board as an executive producer and is helping to flesh out the sequel story with the producing team of Oren Peli (who directed the first), Jason Blum and Steven Schneider. Apparently a director will be chosen imminently. ...

After having his name thrust into controversy and new facets of our pop culture with Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code, historical icon, painter and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci will be getting quite the fictional makeover as THR's Heat Vision reports that Warner Bros has picked up a treatment entitled Leonardo Da Vinci and the Soldiers of Forever, which re-imagines Da Vinci as a member of a secret society who falls headlong into a supernatural adventure that pits the man against Biblical demons in a story involving secret codes, lost civilizations, hidden fortresses and fallen angels. So Da Vinci is the new Indiana Jones? Read on! The trade describes the film as National Treasure and Raiders of the Lost Ark by way of Clash of the Titans, so I'm assuming it will take the mystery and adventure of the two former films along with the intense action of the latter, ...

We're still waiting for the "Arrested Development" movie. They finally signed all the cast members, and series creator Mitch Hurtwitz is writing the script. Only producer Ron Howard has any direct ...

A veteran SeaWorld trainer was killed Wednesday by a whale after she slipped and fell in the tank. SeaWorld Orlando President Dan Brown says the incident appears to be an accident.

Jacqueline Wilson has pipped JK Rowling and Dan Brown to be named the most popular library book author of the last decade.

More resort woes in the Caribbean. The Wall Street Journal reports that Credit Suisse, which represents investors in the Temenos resort on Anguilla, has taken over the project and appointed a receiver to manage it. The resort, which was supposed to have a 32-room hotel and 78 villas offered for sale in the millions, carried a $180 million mortgage. The luxury development was the brainchild of entertainment mogul Robert F.X. Sillerman, who began planning the resort in 2002 and put $180 million of his own money into the project in addition to the monster mortgage. Construction was stopped in 2008 and it is said that the project will need another $125 million for completion. The receiver will be charged with finding a deep-pocketed savior for the project to either finish the resort or take over completely.

Sillerman has had a long career in the entertainment world. In the late 1970s he and a partner created a company that bought up radio and television stations. He used cash from that first venture to build SFX Entertainment into a huge promoter of live entertainment. That company was later sold to Clear Channel for $4.4 billion in 2000. His latest company is CKX, Inc., which we recently wrote about in December . The company bought controlling interest of Elvis Presley Enterprises in 2004 including Graceland and has been working on a major redevelopment project for the 100 acres surrounding the Tennessee home. CKX is also the parent company for Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment which owns the "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance?" franchises.

Like the Four Seasons Barbados project I mentioned last month, this one also had its share of celebrity investors and other well-heeled buyers, some of who paid deposits of up to 40 percent on idyllic vacation homes. Buyers include bestselling author Dan Brown and television producer Simon Fuller.

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Anguilla Resort Heads Into Receivership originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Variety says that Columbia Pictures is moving forward with The Lost Symbol , the third installment of the "Da Vinci Code" franchise. Steven Knight has come on board to adapt Dan Brown's novel.

Steven Knight is tapped to write the script for third Robert Langdon adventure The Lost Symbol.

Continuing the adventures of symbologist Robert Langdon, novelist Dan Brown published the third novel in his Da Vinci Code franchise, The Lost Symbol, late last year. Acting quickly and following suit in their adaptations of The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, Columbia Pictures grabbed the rights to the book before it was even published last September. Now they've got a writer attached to script the novel as Variety reports Steven Knight (Eastern Promises, Dirty Pretty Things) will take on writing responsibilities with Tom Hanks expected to reprise his role as Langdon, though no official deals have been made as of yet. In The Lost Symbol, Robert Langdon goes to Washington to give a lecture at the request of his old mentor, Peter Solomon. When he arrives at the US Capitol for his lecture, he instead finds Peter's severed hand mounted on a wooden base, fingers pointing skyward to the Rotunda ...

Maybe the technology press should hire Robert Langdon to take a look at the colorful invitation Apple sent out Monday regarding its Jan. 27th event. The symbologist hero of Dan Brown's bestselling novels might have found evidence that Steve Jobs is indeed preparing to launch an e-reader/tablet computing device that will let consumers download The DaVinci Code, either in book or movie form.

Maybe the technology press should hire Robert Langdon to take a look at the colorful invitation Apple sent out Monday regarding its Jan. 27th event. The symbologist hero of Dan Brown's bestselling novels might have found evidence that Steve Jobs is indeed preparing to launch an e-reader/tablet computing device that will let consumers download The DaVinci Code, either in book or movie form.

FICTION1. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown (Doubleday)2. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam Adult/Amy Einhorn) 3. "I, Alex Cross" by James Patterson (Little, Brown)4. "Witch & Wizard" by James Pa...

FICTION1. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown (Doubleday)2. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam Adult/Amy Einhorn) 3. "I, Alex Cross" by James Patterson (Little, Brown)4. "Witch & Wizard" by James Pa...

Amazon has just released its "Best of 2009" lists, showing the top-selling devices, books, DVDs, and such from this, the final year of the aughts. And although 2009 has not brought us hovercycles or Lunar colonies, it has brought us love-stricken vampires and a great number of replacements for paper-based book products, both of which sold extremely well. Do you like drawing conclusions from lists? Then buddy, this one's for you.

FICTION1. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown (Doubleday)2. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books)3. "I, Alex Cross" by James Patterson (Little, Brown)4. "Witch & Wizard" by James P...

Dan Brown's best-selling thriller The Lost Symbol tops the book charts for Christmas, beating Guinness World Records 2010.

AUTHOR Dan Brown's record-breaking mystery thriller The Lost Symbol has topped the book charts for Christmas, with Scottish comedian Frankie Boyle nudging into tenth place

Long before Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code introduced them to the masses, historians have been fascinated with the legends surrounding Knights Templar.

This new documentary sets out to uncover exactly what secrets the Templars wanted to hide, and why they were worth dying for.

The Knights Templar were an order of Christian soldiers in the middle ages whose mission was to protect pilgrims en route to the Holy Land.

Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 2:01 p.m. FICTION 1. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown (Doubleday) 2. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books) 3. "U is for Underflo...

FICTION1. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown (Doubleday)2. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books)3. "U is for Underflow" by Sue Grafton (Putnam Adult)4. "I, Alex Cross" by James Pa...

FICTION1. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown (Doubleday)2. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books) 3. "U is for Underflow" by Sue Grafton (Putnam Adult)4. "I, Alex Cross" by Jame...

FICTION1. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown (Doubleday)2. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books) 3. "U is for Underflow" by Sue Grafton (Putnam Adult)4. "I, Alex Cross" by Jame...

FICTION1. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown (Doubleday)2. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books) 3. "U is for Underflow" by Sue Grafton (Putnam Adult)4. "I, Alex Cross" by Jame...

It was the decade of Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code," J.K. Rowling's walloping wizard series "Harry Potter," and Stephenie Meyer's smash vampire saga "Twilight."

It was the decade of Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code," J.K. Rowling's walloping wizard series "Harry Potter," and Stephenie Meyer's smash vampire saga "Twilight."