‘Veronica Mars’ appears on Kickstarter in hopes of a second chance, then promptly decimates records

 The TV show Veronica Mars may soon return as a feature film thanks to a new Kickstarter project started by the series’ creator, Rob Thomas.

In the words of thousands of fans around the world right now, “squee.” Feel free to extend that into a shrill yell. Be sure to up the octaves.

When there is a TV show that resonates with a person, a show that just seems to them to be head-and-shoulders above the general swamp of mediocre programming that dominates the airwaves, those fans aren’t quick to simply let it go when that show is cancelled before its time. It’s sort of like holding a grudge, but in a happier way, and often with Cosplay. 

Fans don’t react well when that happens, but in the best cases they mobilize. The original Star Trek was cancelled after just three seasons, but fan support was so strong that it spawned a film which in turn spawned an empire. When the CBS drama Jericho was cancelled, fans mailed in over 20 tons of peanuts to the CBS offices in support of the show. Explaining why they sent peanuts would take longer than it was worth, but the campaign worked, and CBS commissioned an 8 episode second season. The show was again cancelled after that, but the fan campaign alone kept Jericho going despite relatively low ratings. And of course Joss Whedon’s Firefly managed to squeeze out the movie Serentiy after the show’s cancellation after just 14 episodes. A decade later the show still draws huge crowds at ComicCon.

Hell hath no fury like the fan of a show cancelled too early, and to that list of programs that saw a premature death but retains passionate fans, you can firmly add Veronica Mars.

The detective noir drama starring Kristen Bell as a high school – and then college age – sleuth debuted on UPN in 2004 and lasted just three seasons. For years afterwards, both Thomas and Bell discussed the possibilities of a feature film, but despite Bell’s growing popularity and a determined fanbase, the relatively poor DVD sales scared away most potential Hollywood backers.

Earlier today, Thomas began a Kickstarter campaign to raise $2 million by April 12 to fund the film independently. Not only does it look like Thomas will easily reach that mark in less than 12 hours, it appears that the Veronica Mars movie project will smash that initial goal. The project hit $1 million in just over 4 hours and shows no signs of slowing.

Before today, the most successful Film & Video project to appear on Kickstarter was Video Game High School: Season Two, which hit its goal of $636,010, then went on to take in over $800K total. Not only has the Veronica Mars Kickstarter project surpassed that, it did so in a matter of hours.

The top earning Kickstarter project to date is the Pebble: E-paper watch, which received nearly $10.3 million thanks to 69,000 backers. At this rate, there is a good chance that the Veronica Mars project will soon pass that total. But even if it misses that lofty height, the project seems certain to reach its funding goal. Assuming it does, the project will begin filming this summer, with a projected release date of February 2013. Warner Bros. still owns the rights to the property, but according to Thomas, “Kristen and I met with the Warner Bros. brass, and they agreed to allow us to take this shot. They were extremely cool about it, as a matter of fact. Their reaction was, if you can show there’s enough fan interest to warrant a movie, we’re on board.”

Rejoice, fans of cancelled TV series! Assuming the Veronica Mars project reaches its goal, and assuming those involved can release a successful film (which is anything but a given), it could offer new hope to fans of cancelled TV shows everywhere. 

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering local news, travel features, and politics. He has also been a frequent guest on podcasts, radio programs, and TV spots. Ryan is a diehard gamer and follower of the gaming industry, an avid filmgoer, and a passionate supporter of his alma mater, the University of Kansas. Find Ryan online at: Facebook: www.Facebook.com/iridiumsix Twitter: @iridiumsix XBL: Iridium Six PSN: IridiumSix

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BoomBotix Rex: A Rough And Ready Speaker Design Hits Kickstarter

BoomBotix turns to Kickstarter to fund its Rex, an all-weather speaker that looks to be more resilient than its prehistoric namesake.

There are some instances where enjoying music while active can’t be aided by a set of headphones. Take mountain biking, for instance: if you’re doing it right, headphones probably aren’t a great idea. In cases such as these, a portable speaker might make for a smart solution, but the problem there is that portable speakers are akin to bones in that they can, and often will, be broken.

Those that want a soundtrack to go with their rough and rugged lifestyle will need a rough and rugged speaker. That’s where Boombotix comes in. The company has made a name for itself with its line of durable speakers and it just might have come up with its most resilient yet. The upcoming Boombotix Rex looks like the kind of speaker that could survive a journey through Jurassic Park and come out the other end still rockin’.

This rugged 2.1 sound system is housed in a hexagonal casing that features two 36mm drivers along with a built-in “subwoofer”. This should allow the listener to feel the music as much as hear it, especially if mounted on a deck or bicycle. Music can be streamed from any compatible Bluetooth device for up to six hours thanks to a   built-in rechargeable battery.

The Rex is still a  Kickstarter project, so it remains as elusive as an actual T-Rex at this point, but it should be ready to stomp out early next year.

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Objekt Ora Kickstarter project frames your iPad with eight speakers

Objekt has begun a Kickstarter campaign for its Ora, an audio accessory that frames your iPad with eight speakers.

iPads are visually impressive, beautifully interactive personal media devices, but, let’s be honest, they aren’t exactly known for stellar audio. Objekt, a co-venture comprised of design consultancy firm Industry, and project engineering outfit Shift, aims to remedy that by wreathing your iPad with an octet of speakers and injecting it with some much needed punch. Today, the partnership launched a Kickstarter venture, hoping to raise $450,000 for the aptly-named Ora. Its title is a clever play on words, as it surrounds your pad with an audio life force of sorts.

Unfortunately, original iPad users are out of luck here, but the product is compatible with the iPad 2 and iPad 3. Just click your iPad into the Ora and twist a few quarter-turn fasteners. The Ora docks via Apple’s 30-pin connector and sports a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery which is meant to mirror the iPad’s battery by chugging for 10 hours on a single charge. The speaker also features a screen cover that flips around and serves a stand. We’re a little light on specs at the moment, but Ora’s press materials claim it can output 16 watts peak. That should be plenty for a small personal device such as this. 

Despite a lack of details, we t think this is an intriguing product. It offers an obvious step up from iPad audio (5x louder if you believe the hype), yet remains low-profile enough that it doesn’t interfere with the aesthetic of the iPad it’s meant to upgrade. And, as a bonus, it isn’t too expensive. Starting today, a $99 pledge on Kickstarter will secure you an Ora. You can check out a video on the Ora here. 

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Former Palm employees take to Kickstarter to fund Hiku shopping list gadget

When HP bought Palm, the latter company was loaded with talent that the former needed for their grand webOS plans. When things didn't quite pan out, that talent started to flee to greener and less-likely-to-be-swallowed-up-by-the-Earth pastures. Among those that left Palm were Product Line Manager Rob Katcher and hardware engineer Manu Chatterjee. They've teamed up to create a new gadget to aid in the creation and updating of grocery shopping lists called 'hiku', and they’ve taken to Kickstarter to raise fund to get the project rolling.

Katcher was with Palm for more than six years, where he, as noted by AllThingsD, was a product manager for products like the Palm OS-powered Treo 700p and Centro smartphones. Chatterjee, meanwhile, is credited as creator of the wildly popular (at least within webOS circles) Touchstone inductive charging dock. Combined, they've concocted Hiku, a rounded white hockey puck-size device that packs a barcode scanner, two-month battery, Wi-Fi radio, and a microphone. What Hiku is designed to do is relatively ingenious: if hooks into a customized cloud service and allows you to either scan the barcodes on things around the kitchen you need to restock (e.g. scan the barcode on the tortillas bag when you're running low) or simply speak into the microphone and have the cloud service transcribe your voice into text and intelligently sort it into categories. All of this ties into Hiku's cloud service, which syncs your scanned and spoken lists down to an iOS app or onto the service's own website.

If you're thinking this is the kind of thing you'd buy and then forget to use, they thought of that too. Haiku has a magnet in its back so you can just slap it onto the refrigerator door. Anytime you need it, just grab and scan. Hiku's on Kickstarter right now, hoping to net $80,000 in funding over then next 28 days to drive towards production. For the single ones of us out there Hiku might not be that essential of a tool, but for those with families that tear through refrigerator contents like a grizzly bear in a dumpster, Hiku could prove to be an invaluable kitchen gadget. Plus we're digging that two former Palm guys decided to give their new gadget a name that's homophonic with our favorite kind of poetry.

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