the scoop

the scoop

online videos

Think of it what you will, it’s hard to deny that MTV’s “Total Request Live” was a premier showcase for music videos. Sure, you can search for them on YouTube, but you have to be prepared to sift through dozens of returns, including fan tributes and videos of dubious quality.

Into “TRL’s” void steps Plugged In. Plugged In (http://www.pluggedin.com) is a music-based social networking Web site that features high-quality music videos, artist profiles and the latest industry news.

Partnerships with big-name music companies such as Universal Music Group, EMI Music and Sony BMG as well as independent record labels ensure Plugged In has a deep library. The video quality is much better than the typical YouTube clip, and the site boasts of more than 10,000 videos in high-definition.

Users can create custom video playlists of their favorite artists and share them with friends — sort of like your own personal “TRL.” Plugged In also offers a desktop application that will scan your iTunes library, giving you the option of adding the artists it finds to your user profile.

Keys leads list

Alicia Keys had a leading five nominations for the 2008 American Music Awards, including artist of the year and favorite female artist in both the pop/rock and soul/R&B categories.

Coldplay and the Eagles had four nominations each, while Chris Brown and Lil Wayne received three apiece. They were also contenders for artist of the year, American Music Awards host Jimmy Kimmel announced this week.

Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Taylor Swift and the Pussycat Dolls are among those scheduled to perform during the American Music Awards ceremony, to take place at the Nokia Theatre on Nov. 23 and broadcast live on ABC.

Winners will be determined by online voting. Votes will be accepted until Nov. 7.

he’s no trekkie

J.J. Abrams is no Trekkie.

The director and producer of the new “Star Trek” film, due in 2009, said he was always more of a “Star Wars” guy.

“All my smart friends liked ‘Star Trek.’ I preferred a more visceral experience,” he tells Entertainment Weekly in its latest issue, on newsstands today. Abrams took on the “Star Trek” project in hopes of creating a film “that grabbed me the way ’Star Wars’ did,” he says.

He was also drawn to the franchise’s idealism, he says.

“I think a movie that shows people of various races working together and surviving hundreds of years from now is not a bad message to put out right now,” he says. “In a world where a movie as incredibly produced as ’The Dark Knight’ is raking in gazillions of dollars, ’Star Trek’ stands in stark contrast. It was important to me that optimism be cool again.”

“My only regret is that the movie can’t come out sooner,” says Leonard Nimoy, who will don his pointy ears to play an elder Spock. “I think the world could use it.”

spooky science

PITTSBURGH – Carnegie Science Center’s mad scientists have escaped their lab and are taking over the Science Center to present a Spooky Science Spectacular, Saturday and Sunday. It will feature Halloween-themed hands-on activities and programs and special Halloween IMAX films.

Children are encouraged to come in costume throughout the weekend for safe, indoor trick-or-treating and a costume contest.

For more information, go to CarnegieScienceCenter.org.

sun setting on Japan?

Has Japan lost its mojo in the video-game industry? Square Enix President Yoichi Wada thinks so. As the annual Tokyo Game Show began last week, Wada argued that game development has shifted to the West, and he urged his colleagues and competitors to work together to reclaim Japanese dominance.

There wasn’t much at this year’s lackluster TGS to encourage supporters of Japanese game development. For one thing, the most successful and innovative Japanese company of the new millennium — Nintendo — didn’t even show up. And the most buzzed-about new game of the show — “Halo 3: Recon” — is being developed by an American studio, Bungie, for an American-made console, Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

new video games

In stores this week: Electronic Arts mixes science fiction and horror in “Dead Space” (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3). ... THQ’s gangstas return for more criminal mayhem in “Saints Row 2” (360, PS3). ... Sega revives an arcade legend in “Golden Axe: Beast Rider” (360, PS3). ... Bored with the NFL? Try some other types of football with EA Sports’ “FIFA Soccer 09” (most systems) or Midway’s “Blitz: The League II” (360, PS3). ... The Adventure Company brings the delightful “Sam & Max: Season One” to the Wii. ... Konami tries to carve out a piece of the guitar-game pie with “Rock Revolution” (360, PS3, DS).