In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job till date, Inception.

• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Writer: Christopher Nolan
• Year of Release: 2010
• Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy
• Genre: Drama, Action
• Country of Origin: USA, UK

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

This particular trailer is supposedly being pulled off the web at an alarming rate, which is a damn shame because i can’t think of a better way to promote this film straight out of the blocks!  It’s epically long, it features some great action sequences and some fantastic shots of Asgard, Odin, and all the things we’ve been waiting to see!  The only question this begs is, “WHY DON’T WE GET SHIT LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME?!” Why do we normally get a hokey teaser trailer with little to no footage, when at this early stage in the game a trailer as epic and awesome as this can be produced?

Ok, Ok… I know it’s all about building hype and slowly growing expectations… a well thought out and carefully orchestrated marketing plan that will have fans slavering for the film at precisely the right time… but seriously, a trailer as epic as this should not be kept in the shadows! Check it out before we get our cease and desist!

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Are you as impressed as we are?  Is the Marvel Cinematic Universe still heading in the right direction for the Halls of Asgard, or has it lost it’s way on the rainbow bridge? Can you actually pronounce Mjolnir?  Feedback and let us know!

If the trailer you’re about to watch is just the opening cinematic to the sprawling MMO that is DC Universe online, then the game itelf has some serious work on it’s hands to catch up to the unbridled level of hardcore and awesome that we’re seeing in this 5 minute animation.  The difficulty that the game will face is that you need to create your own super powered hero, and you don’t get to be Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman. As such, the awe inspiring powers you see here, may not be at your command! This is always the problem with games like this though, just look at Star Wars: The Old Republic;  a MMORPG which has cinematics cooler than the feature films and in-game graphics that look like last generation visuals. Will I be playing DC universe online? Probably not, i think it looks a little too addictive to my particular sensibilities.  But will I watch all the cinematics? Oh HELL YEAH!

You may recognize some voices in there too, including Kevin Conroy as Batman (the one true Batman voice), Mark Hamill as the Joker and James Marsters as Lex Luthor!  Hopefully this voice cast will be continued into the game and beyond!

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

What about you guys and gals?  who’s gonna join up and fight the good fight?  Or more importantly, who’s gonna make me join up and be on my team to fight Granny Goodness?  Feedback true believers!

Stories Covered

• Predators Sequels
• Marvel Vs Capcom & SpiderHam
• Street Fighter vs Tekken
• Spider Man Audition
• Battlestar Galactica Webisodes
• Haven
• Original Storytelling
• Karl Urban is the Law!
• Marvel Anime
• The Amazing Screw-on Head
• Alien Prequel Writer Announced
• Chuck
• Bruce Campbell Burn Notice Movie
• 3D ruining 2D films?
• RoboCop Dead
• Nick Cave on The Crow
• Sucker Punch
• and more…

Let’s face it, I was drawn to this movie for the same reason you were – Angelina Jolie looks all sexy and alluring on the poster, and she’s probably going to shoot a bunch of ‘bad guys’ in it.

That’s not to discredit Jolie as an actress, however. Sure, she’s had some abominations – Wanted certainly springs to mind. And the Tomb Raider films were more about the amount of padding they’d managed to force under Jolie’s shirt (I know, I know… ‘accurate’ portrayal of the character and all that). And yet, films like Changeling, A Mighty Heart and Girl, Interrupted (for which she won an Oscar for best supporting actress) have more than proven Jolie’s wonderful depth and range as an actress. Enough, in fact – for me to walk into a film like this one knowing that, regardless of her many wigs and long eyelashes, she’s going to deliver a great performance.

‘Who is Salt?’ the film begs the question. Well, she’s a CIA agent. The story begins when Salt questions a man who claims to be a Russian intelligence operative – and a defector – who has breezily waltzed into their offices with some long-winded story about a woman and a baby… that supposedly died… er, long story short: he explains that there is a sleeper agent in their midst! To Salt’s surprise, the operative then announces that the name of the agent is ‘Evelyn Salt’, which is of course, our lead protagonist. Bit of a spanner, there.

So begin Jolie’s angry protestations “I’m not a goddamn Russian spy!”

Instead of sorting out this silly mess like adults, however – Salt decides instead to flee, and of course – epic gun-fights and high-speed chases ensue as she races across America in an effort to clear her name.

There is some good mystery at work here, though – as it’s not long before you start questioning Salt’s motives and wondering if she really is who she says she is. The film gets off to a bit of a rushed start – and while I understand the goal is not to waste precious epic-action-shoot-out screen-time, I find it a little less believable when not enough time has been spent developing the characters we’re presented with initially. Salt’s relationship with her husband, for example… although revisited with occasional flashbacks, seem a little hurried and contrived. Plus – with the various twists throughout the story – you’ll start to question every one of Salt’s relationships, so it would have been nice to have a greater set-up to offset all the second-guessing you’ll be doing.

Leiv Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejofor co-star as fellow CIA agents, who have now been assigned with the task of pursuing and capturing their former ally. Both seem to spend a lot of time standing around and battling with their own opinions of which side Salt is really on – and while you’re trying to decide that for yourself, it would seem that everyone’s actions come into play in such a way that you’re left wondering which heroes are villains, and which villains are heroes.

Director Philip Noyce does a relatively good job of hurling us through somewhat unbelievable action sequences and Mission Impossible-style rubber masks with a ‘Well, it’s a spy movie’ kind-of shrug. If you’re the kind of person who’ll happily suspend disbelief for pretty implausible action sequences (but I don’t mean in a bullet-bending Wanted kind-of way, that was just plain stupid), then you’ll enjoy this film and it’s guessing-game intrigue.

Interesting to note is that Salt was originally a film intended for Tom Cruise (which, let’s face it, would have given us serious Mission Impossible de jas vous!), with the title character being changed to female when Jolie came on board. This has left me re-imaging every scene, and I have to say – having a female lead protagonist in this kind of movie did put a refreshing edge on this style of spy action. We’ve had our Jack Ryans (Patriot Games), our Ethan Hunts (Mission Impossible) and our Jason Bournes (The Bourne Identity) – so I’m glad that Jolie got a run as Evelyn Salt. It satisfied that butt-kicking girls-with-guns craving in a way that was more sophisticated than something like Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

All-in-all – Salt is an solid film that’ll keep you guessing right to the very end. It gets a little caught up in itself with all the “who’s betraying who” confusion, but ultimately you’ll appreciate the ride… and the wigs.

(Well, I thought they were cool.)

3 out of 5.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

This time we look at the 1978 musical masterpiece by Jeff Wayne.

TRON is one of those series that has got everyone in a tizz. So much so that we’ve probably forgotten all about the original film and how slow and confusing it actually was. That said, it was a hell of a visual treat and this film looks to be delivering something equally as stunning. Just a bit more accessibly. (we hope)  This new trailer really shows off the CGI in the film in a whole new way however, not just in creating cool scenery and great looking costumes, but also in the creation of an entirely CGI Jeff Bridges from 30 years ago. That alone is worth waiting for this to load…. but the rest of the trailer also looks stonking, so get to it!

Its got lots of great footage of the cars, the bikes, the disks and even some hints as to whats actually going on in TRON.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

I cannot wait for this one, and i can barely even remember the old TRON, what do you guys and gals think?  FEEDBACK or i’ll fling a disk at ya!

News

• New Artist on Spawn
• Alan Moore Says No to More Watchmen
• X-Men Gets a World Record
• Ultimate Thor and Ultimate Doom
• Rocket Racoon and Groot
• Shinku
• Justin Bieber Comic
• Constantine Getting Married
• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen:Century

The Issues

• Vengeance of Moon Knight #10
• Ultimate Avengers #11
• Thunderbolts #146
• Avengers #3
• New Avengers #2
• Flash #3

Review

• Star Wars Invasion: Refugees [Buy from Amazon UK]

Zack Snyder’s new women kicking ass film has just had a teaser trailer released and I am blown away with the visuals. Here are the details of the film:

A young girl is institutionalized by her wicked stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the facility.

So basically we jump in to Baby Doll’s (Emily Browning) imagination which in itself isn’t a new concept, to me it’s a mash-up of The Fountain and Casshern with a twist of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow but taking it to the next level. Take a look at the teaser trailer and judge for yourself.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Does this set your world on fire?

A group of elite warriors are hunted by members of a merciless alien race known as Predators.

• Director: Nimród Antal
• Writer: Alex Litvak, Michael Finch
• Year of Release: 2010
• Actors:  Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Oleg Taktarov, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali
• Genre: Action
• Country of Origin: USA

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Like Stephen King? Twin Peaks? If so, you’ll love Alan Wake – the game ITSELF even tells you that! Quite literally, the words “Stephen King” are the first you’ll hear in the game and they immediate set the tone of what’s to come: creepy stuff is about to happen, and you may not fully understand why. Ever. As King believes that explanations make psychological horror weak, so too do Remedy, developers of the game.

I’m going to go out on a limb right now and tag this review with “Game of the Year, 2010″…even if it is only June. Keep that in mind as you read on – I may not be as impartial as I should.

First up, the plot (of which you’ll notice I don’t get into much; this is purposeful). Long story short, Alan Wake (not italicised; I’m talking about the character) is a best-selling author who travels to a small town with his wife to try to get over a bad case of writer’s block. As he struggles to come up with a new novel, his wife goes missing and Alan blacks out only to wake up a week later, finding mysterious goings-on occurring all around him. As Alan travels through the small town trying to find his wife, he comes across manuscript pages he’s apparently written that describe macabre acts and murders that play out before his very eyes minutes later. Alan is forced to continue his rescue in the pitch-black night, fending off aggressors with the power of light (thanks Energizer batteries and conveniently placed flashlights!) while investigating if he’s responsible for the dark turn the town has taken.

The cool: Where open-world game environments are becoming the norm, Remedy (of Max Payne series fame – look out for references all throughout Alan Wake) went out on a limb and made you play through a story exactly as they crafted it. There’s no choice between good or bad and you won’t get a different ending the second or third time. You absolutely will travel in a straight line all game towards the next objective that will forward the plot…and all of that doesn’t matter because the twists and turns of the plot don’t let the game feel linear. Without spoiling anything, the story is insanely good and you should play this game simply to experience it if nothing else.

This game has been in production for years, and really feels like it. The environments were researched in painstaking detail — Remedy is based in Finland, but you’d be convinced they’re from a small logging town in the USA — and are reproduced so well that you can’t help but be immersed in your surroundings. The supporting characters in this game are amazing and further help build the world. Barry Wheeler is a character you will either loathe, or want to marry; it’s that simple. Fans of Twin Peaks will certainly get a kick out of the Lady of the Light, this game’s version of Peaks’ Log Lady.

This is Twin Pe...I mean, Bright Falls.

Alan Wake is an everyman. Whilst he does have freakishly good aim with a gun for a writer, he does play in every other way as a regular guy. He can run for a bit, then gets tired, and then needs to slow right down, wheezing in attempts to catch his breath. He doesn’t do flips around the environment, or spout bad-ass one-liners…he just freaks out as the inhabitants of Bright Falls descend into darkness around him and try to take off his head with axes or train cars (yes, train cars) – just like I did.

Barry is cool. He's wearing Christmas lights!

The combat at Normal and Hard levels is enjoyably challenging; gamers shouldn’t find too much trouble with Normal and will have fun learning when to use the flashlight to take out a bad guy’s darkness shield before pumping him with bullets, or when it’s just easier to take groups out with a flare gun shot or flashbang. Just like he’s not a marathon runner, Alan isn’t a superstar fighter either; it feels like you’re just getting by through dodging, running, and blindly firing your pistol through the night. When you manage to pull off a superhuman feat with your everyman, the world will go slo-mo and make you feel VERY cool.

The meh: There is none. I told you I’m not that impartial for this game — it’s either great, or in big need of improvement.

The shite: Facial animations of the characters are creepy and wrong, and really prove that the game has been in production for five plus years – they look old and sloppy. While this is apparently being fixed via future DLC, I don’t think Remedy can do much about the ugly and plastic-looking models of the supporting characters; sure, they’re rich and three-dimensional, but they look like crap.

The game’s hardest mode, Nightmare, is essential to 100% complete this Xbox 360 exclusive game. The mode is a bitch. Whereas Alan’s shortcomings make the game challenging in lower modes, his failings make portions of the game extremely frustrating. Fighting multiple super-enemies with limited resources and half the light sources that you were used to in other modes means you will be loading up the same check point time after time after time. Be warned.

The calm before the storm. Darkness vs light.

Some didn’t like finding out what was going to happen in the game via the manuscript pages, but I became anxious and unsettled when I read what I was about to face, almost deciding to turn off my Xbox at times because I didn’t want to have to do what the pages described. As you start playing the game and read through the first couple pages, I’d make a conscious decision then to either collect the pages, or not. It’s that simple.

Finally, product placements completely throw you out of the rich game world, and harshly and abruptly at that. If you can make it twenty minutes without noticing a reference to Energizer or Verizon, I salute you.

As far as the bad goes, that’s it. This game is rewarding as hell to play and finish (yes, even on Nightmare), and the ending does provide resolution while leaving the door wide-open for a sequel. You WILL want to talk about the ending for days on end as well, as it is VERY to interpretation. Just like King attests, there really is no fun if everything’s explained to you.

Do yourself a favour and pick up this game – it’s definitely a Cool Plus. Before you start playing however, go and check out the 6-episode webseries Bright Falls (at http://www.brightfalls.com). That, plus the game, make for a truly unique game experience and left me desperately wanting more. Thankfully, anyone who purchases the game gets a free code for the first DLC available in late July, and a second DLC pack shortly after that. Until then, I’m left to watch Twin Peaks – a series I had never had any interest in before – to get my fix of well-written, WTF-style psychological thrillers.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Now, let me put this out there, front and centre: I don’t like Grand Theft Auto. Open world games don’t really appeal to me as I view them as time sinks. As far as games from GTA developer Rockstar go, I have a special place in my heart for Bully: Scholarship Edition, and that’s about it. I was prepared to give Red Dead Redemption a miss after hearing gamer after gamer call it “Grand Theft Auto on a horse!” but in the end found myself slapping on a cowboy hat and polishing my rifle after some close friends couldn’t get enough of it.

Red Dead Redemption is an open-world title set in a large area that encompasses California and Mexico, circa 1911. Gamers play as John Marston, a former gang member who has seen the error of his ways and is now on a quest to bring his former comrades to justice. Released in May and available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, the title is already the highest-selling game of 2010. Is that because of solid gameplay mechanics, amazing storylines, and likeable characters, or a HUGE marketing campaign by Rockstar that brought the game into mainstream attention? Read on and find out.

The cool: It IS fun to hop on a horse, ride around town, and shoot people where the sun don’t shine. That’s the whole point of an open-world game; you get to do what you like, when you like. Expanding upon this is the “Free Roam” multiplayer mode. Instead of being forced to participate in a player vs player or team vs team scenario, you can just ride around the countryside, taking out gang hideouts, perhaps with the help of other real gamers who happen to be around. Or, as is frequently the case, you may be riding to a gang hideout and be forced to slow down as another character approaches; will the player ride past quietly, or try to shoot you and your horse? It’s actually quite tense when those scenarios pop up, and they really make you feel a part of the world.

Rockstar games aren’t known for amazing visuals, but that could all change with Red Dead. You’re forced to ride around the countryside a lot (more on that later), and as you do, you can’t help but notice the amount of detail in the world around you, from panoramic sunsets, to abandoned farms dotted around a harsh landscape. The world truly is breathtaking at times.

I'll admit it -- the game looks stunning.

Finally, the actual single-player arc and its missions are really fun…when you actually get to play them. I was drawn into the story, but found myself wishing I could just play through the arc in a far quicker fashion rather than having to spend hours upon hours riding to the next mission point.

The meh: As I’ve mentioned, I liked the story…but even so I was quite frustrated with the pacing of it. I found myself skipping a majority of cutscenes in the end because it was faster and more satisfying figuring it out from my current mission objectives. What you can’t skip frustrated me the most: upon accepting a mission, you’ll find yourself teamed up with a supporting character, and spend five minutes walking/running/riding to a destination beside the non-playable character (NPC) as they spew out exposition. You can’t skip it. You can’t escape it. You can’t ride faster than the NPC to try to speed it up…you just have to take it.

The morality system of the game borrows liberally from Grand Theft Auto, and in doing so confuses me. The Old West to me is a fairly lawless place where a man had to get by on his wits and with a gun always at hand. There could be lawmen about, but justice was in shades of grey rather than the black-and-white, “you can do wrong, but watch out – here come the cops!” setup of GTA. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what you get in Red Dead. This black-and-white mentality gets frustrating, especially if you clip someone with your horse by accident, or try to mount your horse but end up wagon-jacking someone around you instead…a whole town can turn on you in an instant. Prostitutes included.

I’ve heard a brilliant story to summarise this feeling: you can take part in sub-missions involving random Strangers throughout the game; you complete the sub-mission by to helping them out. In one, a gamer came across a Stranger out in the desert, near death, and decided it was far better to kidnap her and take her into a doctor rather than just buying her medicine and carting it back out to her. Because the player deemed the Stranger unable to care for herself and tried to do a better thing, the game punished him by putting a bounty on his head when he got into town. Lame.

The shite: First off, I bought one copy so my partner and I could play multiplayer…imagine my surprise when I found out I’d need two Xboxes and two copies of the game to accomplish this (that’s for the save, GetGaming!). I am hating this current trend by titles (Battlefield: Bad Company 2, I’m looking in your direction too!) to remove couch co-op.

The controls of the game are stiff and old-school: NO ONE WANTS TO MASH A BUTTON TO RUN ANYMORE, let alone mash the same button on a horse,wanting it to go faster. Of course, if you mash the button too much, you get bucked off the horse and have to climb back on only to better monitor your button mashing the next time around. What’s more frustrating about that whole scenario is that you have to ride everywhere and your horse-riding escapades easily make up 60% of your entire gameplay experience. There are fast travel points, but even then…get used to long commutes.

If you press 'A' to make me run ONE MORE TIME...

The thing I hate the most about this GTA-styled game is that you can be 95% through a mission and die. That means you’ll respawn clear across the game map, and have to find the NPC who’s assisting on that particular mission. Then, with NPC in tow, you’ll ride to the start point of the mission, all the while having to suffer through the same exposition again, to FINALLY start where you left off. Futhermore, if you can’t afford to buy the little save houses (another GTA remnant) around the world, be prepared to have to ride halfway across the map to get back to your starting Ranch, JUST so you can save your game.

Basically, I was being nice on the morality system by putting it in the ‘meh’ column; what I want to stress here is that the environment and the characters actually do make you feel like you’re in the Old West…and when you’re really getting into it, inappropriate gameplay mechanics (hell, that don’t work even in the GTA series) just end up frustrating you.

All in all, I may sound very harsh but I will admit that the game is good with friends. The new (and free) co-op DLC will keep you entertained for hours – just don’t all die at once or you’ll get frustrated with having to replay the mission over…and over…and over. If you’re a GTA fan, you’re probably used to the mechanics and you can ignore the bad and have a great experience. I’ll give this game a rating of Cool on the provision that gamers who hate Grand Theft Auto should downgrade it to a simple Shite.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Stories Covered

• Flipboard
• ABC HD
• Batman 3 Villain
• CSW Feedback
• Shark Repellent
• Judge Dread
• Captain America & Thor
• The Goon
• Ultimate Spider Man
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Tron Girl
• Sherlock
• Transformers
• and More…

In an interesting marketing move, the next Spider-man game to be released for the home consoles has had a slow buildup, releasing information about the central gameplay in sections. The game concept revolves around the dimensions shattering and four distinct versions of the Spider-man character needing to work together to save all of reality.  The first two dimensions were revealed at the start, those being Amazing (normal everyday Spidey) and Noir (based on a limited series setting Spider-man in the film noir 1920′s). Since then, E-3 gave us the dimension that brought me on board: 2099. This universe was created in the mid 90′s and featured a Spider-man from the somewhat distant future who has similar powers to the original, but a very different origin.

This week’s San Diego Comic Con has seen the release of the fourth and final dimension, one which was the cause of much discussion and argument. The Ultimate Spider-man dimension features a black costumed Spidey fighting Carnage and all sorts of other fun stuff. The symbiotic black costume allows for some interesting new powers and game-play mechanics which should make for some fun times ahead. Enough of me talking about it though, go watch the trailer and see what ya think?!

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

The game features first person perspective boss fights, some interesting level designs in the 2099 universe and some pretty striking visuals in the Noir Universe, so… which one appeals to you? What’s YOUR dimension? Feedback true believers! EXCELSIOR!

The big question that comes to mind after watching this particular trailer is “what exactly are we making here, a game or a movie?” It’s a totally legitimate question?  There is not a skerrick of actual in game footage in this trailer and it’s more epic than half the trailers we’ll be seeing at comic-con over the next few days, yet its not for a movie, no!  Its the cinematics of a much anticipated game that will, no-doubt, bring South Korea to it’s knees and may result in the mass failure of many game loving students for the upcoming semester of school.

Starcraft 2 has been a long time coming, but if this trailer is any indication of its level of storytelling and epic grandeur…. well, folks we’re in for a treat!

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

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Time to swap your organs with some new GeneCo products with this 2008 classic of modern horror musical Repo! The Genetic Opera.

News

• Assassins Creed: Beyond and Behind the Brotherhood
• Marc Guggenheim takes over JSA
• Former GLC team take over Batman & Robin series
• Sam Worthington starts producing comics
• Stan Lee to be doing signings at San Diego ComicCon
• ComicCon starts this week
• Green Lantern + Thor movies images released
• Gibson for Hulk.. Again.
• X-Men: First Class casting

The Issues

• Eternals
• Avengers Academy
• Iron Man: Noir [Buy from Amazon UK]
• DMZ
• Superman
• Batman

Review

• DC vs Marvel Crossover
• Invincible Iron Man #28
• Ultimate Spider-man #12
• Daredevil #508
• DayTripper #8

Sammo Hung plays Courageous Cheung, a cuckolded husband who faces a series of supernatural challenges from his wife’s wealthy lover. First, Cheung must survive a night in a house haunted by a bloodthirsty vampire. From there, things just get worse–and more comical.

• Director: Sammo Hung Kam-Bo
• Writer: Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Ying Huang
• Year of Release: 1980
• Actors: Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Ha Huang, Dick Wei, Fat Chung, Lung Chan, Ti-Hong Cheung
• Genre: Comedy, Action
• Country of Origin: Hong Kong

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Snoop Dogg seeks stint on British soap
Hip-hop star is a ‘Coronation Street’ fan, solicits a cameo
Hip-hop star Snoop Dogg has revealed he’s a fan of British soap opera “Coronation Street,” and he wants a cameo on the gritty show. Snoop told fans in Manchester, northern England, on Thursday that he has been watching “Corrie” for 11 years and had asked his agent to see if he can make an appearance. He said producers “said they were interested, so hopefully it might happen.”

NBC to change ‘Today’ wedding contest after protests
NBC has agreed to change the rules of a “Today” show wedding contest after receiving complaints from gay activists slamming the annual event as discriminatory. The morning show’s “Modern Day Wedding” contest will be opened to allow same-sex couple after network executives met with Thursday with representatives from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). The contest, which got underway last week, has aired for 11 years and allows viewers to vote on which couple will win a wedding that is telecast live on the air. NBC initially argued that it was excluding same-sex couples because “the couple must be able to be legally married in New York, which is where the wedding will take place.”

New Superhero Dance Show Looks Better Than Heroes’  Final Season
The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, the web-only series that debuts Wednesday on Hulu.com, actually looks — lord help me — interesting. Well, visually, at least. The content may be something else entirely. Think X-Men meets West Side Story. According to USA Today, The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers — or LXD, as the cool kids say — consists of 10 eight-minutes episodes “with minimal dialogue” about two groups of rival dancers who … discover they have superpowers. Through their dancing abilities.

Oprah Winfrey biopic planned
Television film is based on Kitty Kelley’s biography
Oprah Winfrey’s quarter-century run on daytime TV may be accompanied by a TV film dramatizing her life. Veteran producer Larry A. Thompson said Monday the planned two- or four-hour Winfrey film will be based on Kitty Kelley’s tell-all biography. Thompson says he has optioned it for six figures. The TV project is expected to air in September 2011, which would coincide with the end of Winfrey’s weekday talk show.

Susan Boyle launches singing competition
‘Susan’s Search’ offers chance to duet on her next album
Susan Boyle is on a mission to discover the next — well, Susan Boyle. The “Britain’s Got Talent” sensation has announced a singing competition, called “Susan’s Search,” to give her fans the chance to sing on her next album. In a video posted on her official website, Boyle explains why she launched the contest. “When I did Britain’s Got Talent, I was given a chance by Simon Cowell to show what I could do,” said Boyle. ” ‘Susan’s Search’ is about giving other people an opportunity. It’s about letting them live the dream that they have always wanted to do.”

Business of the Business

Canuck ISPs are not broadcasters, says court
Ruling could thwart local efforts to create an ISP levy
A Canadian appeals court has ruled Internet service providers (ISPs) are pipes, and not broadcasters, in a wide-open Internet or wireless phone world. The decision could thwart local efforts to create an ISP levy earmarked for Canadian content production online. The Federal Court of Appeal ruled that ISPs, led by Bell Canada, Telus Corp., Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications, cannot be considered broadcasters under the federal Broadcasting Act, even if they allow access to streaming video by their subscribers. “Because ISPs’ sole involvement is to provide the mode of transmission, they have no control or input over the content made available to Internet users by content producers and as a result, they are unable to take any steps to promote the policy described in the Broadcasting Act or its supporting provisions,” the court said in its decision. “Only those who “transmit” the “program” can contribute to the policy objectives,” the ruling added.

Google woos studios, guilds in Sun Valley
Google is good at distribution, but “we are not good at content creation,” CEO Eric Schmidt acknowledged. Consumers want more content, and content creators should want broader Web distribution as long as the business model is right, he argued. His colleagues highlighted that complex rights legacies and old-school thinking about distribution are often challenges in content talks.

MySpace Comedy hires content director
News Corp.’s MySpace has tapped comedy veteran Randi Siegel as content and relations director at MySpace Comedy. Reporting to senior vp marketing David Donegan, Siegel will manage the comedy area of MySpace, overseeing strategy and partnerships while working with comedians and other talent. “MySpace Comedy is going to be a force to be reckoned with,” Siegel said. A rollout of new features and a new look and feel is expected to be completed by late fall. Siegel eyes original content — professional and user-created — across formats.

Record industry tries to catch porn industry with pants down
Warner Bros. and a number of other record labels filed a lawsuit last week alleging copyright infringement on the part of an adult entertainment company whose porn videos allegedly featured such spectacles as actors lip-synching to Justin Timberlake’s “Sexyback” while engaging in sexual acts on camera. The defendant in the legal action is a Florida-based company, RK Netmedia, whose websites include realitykings.com and inthevip.com. Damages claimed on the alleged nasty use of copyrighted music could run in the tens of millions of dollars.

Family flicks firing up summer boxoffice
‘Despicable Me,’ others outpacing prerelease projections
Prerelease tracking surveys focus on pic awareness and must-see interest. So asking parents about a kids-targeted release does seem a bit off base. “The nag factor is what drives those kind of movies,” a studio executive mused, a bit indelicately. “The parents might be less inclined than the kids to see a picture, but then the kids pester the parents, and the rest is history.” Studios subscribing to the various movie-tracking services see data on one another’s movies, but only companies set to release a kids pic order tracking surveys tailored to that group. Even there, the kids’ movie interests tend to be expressed by their parents.

Minutiae

• Court details long, strange road to ‘Easy Rider’ sequel
• Jail sentences for U.K. music pirates; Rights collecting society defrauded of license fees
• ‘Inception’ is no dream for marketers; Unusual summer bow for such a cerebral pic
• Miramax sold to Ronald Tutor, Colony Capital; Disney unloads studio, 611-picture library for $650 million
• Don’t YouTube grants put Google in content biz?

Planet of the Odd

Lindsay Lohan sentenced to jail time
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a tearful Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to 90 days in jail this afternoon for violating the terms of her probation in a drunken driving case. Beverly Hills Judge Marsha Revel is clearly no fan of Lohan, ordering on May 24 that the actress be fitted with a SCRAM bracelet and following that with a June 8 arrest warrant for violating her probation. Today, Revel scolded the actress for being less than truthful about her alcohol and drug intake before sentencing her to the slammer. It’s actually Lohan’s courtroom excuse for her less than diligent adherence to the rules that proved more surprising. In a pre-sentencing address to the court, Lohan said: “I have to provide for myself. I have to work. Having said that, I did everything to balance my jobs and showing up. I’m not taking this as a joke. It’s my life. It’s my career.”

Masked 20-Year Old Fights Crime in the South
Columbia, Tennessee now has a real-life costumed hero to call their own. A 20-year old aspiring comic book writer calling himself Viper  was stopped by police last Wednesday for “wearing a mask in public,” which is illegal in the city. According to the local paper, he told the officers he was looking for “crime to report.” He apparently also planned to fight the crime (or fixing something) as he was sporting a utility belt containing a screwdriver, wrench, and a cell phone.

John McTiernan pleads guilty in wiretap case
‘Die Hard’ director admits lying during Pellicano investigation
John McTiernan, the director of such movies as “Die Hard” and “Predator,” pleaded guilty Monday to lying to an FBI agent about hiring private investigator Anthony Pellicano. McTiernan was the biggest Hollywood figure indicted in connection with the Pellicano wiretapping and conspiracy case. Pellicano was convicted of masterminding a long-running wiretapping conspiracy on behalf of his famous Hollywood clients and is serving a 15-year prison term. McTiernan entered a guilty plea in federal court to two counts of making false statements to the FBI as well as one count of perjury for lying to a federal judge while attempting to withdraw a previous guilty plea.

Mel Gibson ouster about more than morals
WME’s decision to drop actor based on the bottom line
When WME dropped Mel Gibson as a client last week, sources at the agency cited the star’s misconduct as the reason. Its revulsion may be genuine, but WME’s decision also was based on the bottom line, a calculation that Gibson no longer has real monetary value to the agency. “There’s nothing to do for Mel Gibson at the moment,” a WME source said. “No one will touch him with a 10-foot pole. He’ll make his own movies, but you don’t commission those anyway.”

Darth Vader actor David Prowse BANNED from Star Wars cons
“It is with regret that I have been informed by my friends at C2 Ventures, Ben and Phillip, that I am not to be invited to C5 this year or any other Lucas Film associated events. After enquiring, the only thing I have been told is that I have ‘burnt too many bridges between Lucas Film and myself’ – no other reason given…I have also been advised by the promoter of Paris Manga in September that LFL (Lucas Film Limited) have requested no photo opportunities with the 501 Squadron, even though I am commander in chief of the 501″

Bits and Pieces

• WME drops Mel Gibson
• The filmmaker who became a legal spy
• Mel Gibson is focus of police inquiry; Actor-director allegedly attacked ex-girlfriend
• ‘Titanic’ actress Gloria Stuart celebrates her 100th birthday
• Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner Will Earn $25-41 Million Each for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
• Switzerland frees Roman Polanski
• Actor Martin Lawrence weds
• John Krasinski marries Emily Blunt

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

TFAW.com Interview With Robert Kirkman
[I’m writing] the episode they’re about to start filming, episode four, actually. It was a pretty cool experience, I got the chance to work in an actual writer’s room with series writers Chic Eglee, Jack LoGiudice and Adam Fierro and it’s been a real treat getting to learn the process and see how it all works. I also got direct guidance from Frank Darabont himself, which is really just priceless. He’s such a talented screenwriter, his advice should be written on stone tablets and have religions based on it.

Marvel: Norton Won’t Return As Hulk For ‘Avengers’; Norton’s Rep Responds
“We know a lot of fans have voiced their public disappointment with this result, but this is no excuse for Feige’s mean spirited, accusatory comments. Counter to what Kevin implies here, Edward was looking forward to the opportunity to work with Joss and the other actors in the Avengers cast, many of whom are personal friends of his. Feige’s statement is unprofessional, disingenuous and clearly defamatory. Mr. Norton talent, tireless work ethic and professional integrity deserve more respect, and so do Marvel’s fans.”

Anton Yelchin Rumored to be Harry Osborn
Oh No They Didn’t stumbled across Anton Yelchin as  Harry Osborn on Yelchin’s  IMDB page. If IMDB is reporting it, it must be true, right? The page does list him as being “rumored” for the part but since it’s listed in his credits, perhaps there may be some possibility of this possibly being true.

Norton Responds To Marvel, Fans: ‘Hulk Is Bigger Than All Of Us’
As most of you know, I don’t like to talk much about the business of making movies because it means a lot to me to protect the audience’s fullest enjoyment of the ‘magic’ that films can have. But I am so appreciative of the outpouring of support from fans of the Hulk and the Avengers that I feel it would be rude not to respond. So here goes: It seems it won’t work out for me to continue playing Bruce Banner for Marvel in The Avengers. I sincerely hoped it would happen and be great for everyone, but it hasn’t turned out as we all hoped. I know this is disappointing to many people and that makes me sad. But I am very sincerely grateful to Marvel for extending the offer and even more so for giving me the chance to be a part of the Hulk’s long and excellent history. And I really can’t thank the fans enough for how much enthusiasm you’ve sent my way about what Louis [Leterrier] and I tried to do in our turn with the legend. It means a lot to me. I grew up with Banner and the Hulk and have been a fan of every incarnation. I’m really proud, and very blessed, to have been one of them and will be thrilled to see him live on through other actors. Hulk is bigger than all of us, that’s why we love him, right?

Sam Worthington Uncertain How Faithful His ‘Last Days Of American Crime’ Adaptation Will Be
“I think that comes down to which director we get on board,” he revealed. “I think for something primarily as graphic and violent and has a certain kind of style as ‘Last Days’ does, at the moment we’re fleshing out more of the substance of it… I am a big fan of ’300,’ I thought that was great,” Worthington said. “But no one wants to go and emulate that. They have tried, and it didn’t work because audiences are too smart. We’ve got to find our own way of twisting that comic book into a great, innovative, original movie.”

Harvey Pekar, ‘American Splendor’ author, dies at 70
Pekar chronicled his life and times in the acclaimed autobiographical comic-book series, “American Splendor,” portraying himself as a rumpled, depressed, obsessive-compulsive “flunky file clerk” engaged in a constant battle with loneliness and anxiety. Pekar, 70, was found dead shortly before 1 a.m. today by his wife, Joyce Brabner, in their Cleveland Heights home, said Powell Caesar, spokesman for Cuyahoga County Coroner Frank Miller. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. Pekar and his wife, Joyce Brabner, wrote “Our Cancer Year,” a book-length comic, after Pekar was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in 1990 and underwent a grueling treatment.

WILL THE NEW HULK RISE LIKE A PHOENIX?
Reliable sources tell CHUD that Marvel has already put out an offer, and the actor they’ve spoken to is Joaquin Phoenix, believe it or not. Phoenix is taking time to mull over the offer and the bigger implications – Marvel may yet resurrect the Hulk franchise – but Marvel hopes to have him in place by Comic Con, which is when they want to announce their new Bruce Banner.

Marvel confirms they will hire new ‘Hulk’ for ‘The Avengers’
“We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in the Avengers. Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members. The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Sam, Scarlett, and all of our talented casts. We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfills these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks,” said Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige.

Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura on TRANSFORMERS 3, RED, the Next Jack Ryan Movie MOSCOW, THE ASSOCIATE
You know, [RED is] so much fun because what’s interesting about it and having worked on Oceans 11 and now working on this, they’re very different and yet they have certain things in common. You know, they have this kind of cool cast but what’s different is in Oceans 11 you pretty much face everybody in the first 20 minutes. You know, the team is assembled if you would. And what’s different in this movie is, you meet a new character pretty much like every 10 or 15 minutes. So there’s all this new chemistry that appears. It’s really interesting.  You meet Bruce. And you meet Bruce and Mary Louise, then you meet Morgan (Freeman), then you meet Malkovich.  So it goes along this interesting tour so every time the movie’s progressing it’s bringing in a new character. And I think that’s going to be really fun for the audience.

‘Men In Black 3′ Plot Details Revealed?
The story revolves around Yaz going back to 1969 in order to kill Agent K, an action that results in the destruction of the Earth in the present. Smith’s Agent J uses an Apple Store — which are revealed to be “secret time travel hubs” — to follow Yaz back in time and keep him from changing history. The story also notes that while Brolin is in his ’40s, he will be portraying K in his ’20s. It also reveals that several celebrities of the era including Yoko Ono, Jimi Hendrix, Castro, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Andy Warhol are all secretly aliens, with Warhol actually aiding K and J in their mission.

Two new Superman rumors: One good, one that’s just plain ugly
The new Superman reboot currently scheduled for December, 2012 might have a director attached. The script is by comic book adaptation vet David Goyer. The downside is that Goyer wanted to direct the Superman reboot, which will be a joint venture by Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures. An unnamed studio insider says, “[N]obody from either studio thinks he’s good in that arena…. He’s great at coming up with story and ideas, like George Lucas. It’s his execution where he’s weak which is why people like Chris and Jonathan Nolan [of the Batman movies] and Guillermo Del Toro [who directed Goyer's Blade II screenplay] have had the best results with his scripts.”

Nicolas Cage Says ‘Ghost Rider 2′ Is ‘A Different Trajectory, But It’s Still The Same Guy’
“I’m very excited about those two [Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor],” said Cage of the “Crank” directing duo. “They’re originals, and they know how to make a movie look great, and they know how to use the camera. And I think they’ll have a fresh, a very fresh take on the character. It’s a different trajectory, but it’s still the same guy,” he said. “That’s all I can talk about! I’m not knocking the first one, whatever people think,” he explained. “I stand by that movie as well. I thought it was like a Faustian fairytale, like, if Disney were to make a movie about Faust, it would be in that vein, like a Western and a little lighter.”

‘The Walking Dead’ Update: ‘Breaking Bad’ Director To Helm Episode, Series Almost Landed At NBC
Darabont revealed that “The Walking Dead” was in development at NBC at one point. “They were very excited about the idea of doing a zombie show until I handed them a zombie script where zombies were actually doing zombie s***,” said Darabont. “It’s one of those things where the network says, ‘Oh yeah, we want to stretch the envelope’ until they realize that they’re actually looking at a stretched envelope, and they go, ‘Woah, no, let’s do CSI some more.’ I’m certainly not trying to rip them down,” added Darabont. “But they’re a network, and we could never have done this show the way it needed to be done there.”

‘Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods’ Documentary Gets Distributor, We Get a New Clip!
“Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods,” the upcoming feature-length documentary, has been picked up by indie distributor Halo-8 Entertainment, but it will also make its debut at New York Comic Con later this year (instead of Comic-Con International in San Diego), followed by a limited theatrical run. Directed by Patrick Meaney, “Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods” chronicles the “We3″ and “All Star Superman” writer’s long career in the comics biz, which includes groundbreaking runs on “Animal Man” and “The Doom Patrol,” among other critically acclaimed projects. Interviews with the writer are cut with discussion of his work with notable comic creators from every corner of the industry, such as Warren Ellis, Geoff Johns, and as you saw in the clip above, Mark Waid. The film promises to offer insight into his creative process and the inspiration for many of his popular takes on well-known superheroes — such as the real-life Superman experience from teh clip above that informed his “All Star Superman” series.

Marvel’s President of Animation Eric Rollman Talks about What’s Next!
“Marvel is very bullish on animation and has fully funded its third 52-episode series,” Rollman says. “In the past, we never did that and the great thing about being part of the Disney family is that the company is made up of animators. They respect it and understand that it’s animation that drives consumer products, and so our strategic business is the same… We’re a 360-degree entertainment company and we’re concentrating on what Marvel does best, which is managing our brands. We understand our characters and have several thousand in the universe that in some way interconnect. So to build these integrated universes but at the time keep them separate is something of an art form. Madhouse has said that it is willing to work with us and interpret the characters into animé. We’ve really let Madhouse run free with it, as long as it respects the integrity of the characters. It’s going to reach very broadly and tie in with lots of pieces of the culture there.”

Meanwhile, Back at The Hall of Justice…

• New Superhero Dance Show Looks Better Than Heroes’  Final Season
• HASPIEL: Harvey Pekar’s testament to life — with no apologies
• Kevin Bacon In Talks For ‘X-Men: First Class’ Baddie
• Lucas Till Joins ‘X-Men: First Class’ But Aaron Johnson Is Not In
• Caleb Landry Jones Confirmed For “Banshee” in X-Men: First Class
• ‘X-Men: First Class’ Finds A Beast In Nicholas Hoult
• Captain America Talks Costume; Chris Evans on Cap’s new look
• Hello, Ladies … Look At Luke Cage, Now Back To Me
• My Conversation With Harvey Pekar from Rick Marshall, MTV
• Edward Norton And ‘The Avengers’: A Timeline Of His Departure
• Michael Caine reveals start date for next ‘Batman’ (video)
• LIVE FROM THE GREEN LANTERN SET. FILM AT 11:00.
• ’30 Days Of Night: Dark Days’ DVD Release Date Announced; October 5th
• ‘Lucid’ First Look: ‘True Blood’ Actor Mike McMillian Previews His New Comic!
• Is ‘Iron Man 2′ The Most Mistake-Filled Movie Of 2010?

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

Stories Covered

• Old Spice
• True Blood
• Hulk
• Joss Whedon at Melbourne Writers Festival
• Dr Who
• Mark Hamill @ Celebration
• David Prowse not @ Celebration
• Gargoyles Live Action
• Harvey Pekar Passing
• Mel Gibson
• Smallville
• Paul
• Thor
• and more..

Question of the Week

• At what point does an artist private life and/or personal opinions make you give up enjoying their art?

Brian Austin Green eyes ‘Desperate’ role
Actor in talks for recurring role on ABC series
Brian Austin Green is close to a deal to join ABC’s hit primetime soap “Desperate Housewives.” The newlywed husband to Megan Fox is near an agreement to have a major recurring role on the drama next season. He’ll play “Keith,” a contractor who turns up the heat on Wisteria Lane as a potential love interest to one of the housewives.

Doug Liman Interview COVERT AFFAIRS; Plus Updates on ALL YOU NEED IS KILL and NICK TUNGSTEN, NIGHTMARE HUNTER
Well, it’s hard to get a movie made about characters these days. We’re in a climate where, unless it’s based on a toy or it’s a superhero where somewhere it ends in man – like Spider-Man, Superman  or Iron Man – it’s hard to get it made. That’s where movie companies are putting their resources. TV is a safe place to develop real characters. People are going to tune in next week, not because of the spectacle you showed them, but because of Piper [Perabo] and her character. In movies, you can basically buy the audience into the theater. If you spend enough money on visual effects, even if you are lacking in story and character, you might still pull it off. TV has no choice, but to rely on character, and everybody knows that. I love working in it. It’s such a big canvas where, if you’re successful, you go on for years.

Hayden Christensen claims USA stole his idea for ‘Royal Pains’
Hayden Christensen, Anakin Skywalker in the “Star Wars” prequels, is suing USA Network over “Royal Pains,” saying the cable network ripped off his and his brother’s idea for a show about a concierge doctor in Malibu who makes house calls to the rich and famous. The brothers allegedly brought the idea for a concierge doctor show titled “Housecall” to USA and met with Alex Pepiol, who at the time was manager of original scripted series programming at the network. They say they also sent him materials including a treatment, character biographies and show ideas.

Exploring Eureka’s Past With Colin Ferguson And Jaime Paglia
“It’s really fitting that he’s the one who gets to come on our show and do ten episodes,” Ferguson says. “We are all really, really happy to have him. Working with James [Callas], I mean, it’s sort of preposterous how nice a man he is. He’s like the sweetest guy in the world. He just extends himself so above and beyond for everybody. So that alone is a pleasure.

‘Glee’ planning Britney Spears episode
Producers deny reports that Javier Bardem has guest role
“We are writing a Britney Spears episode,” said Ryan Murphy, creator of the hit musical comedy TV show. It was not clear whether Spears, 28, the biggest pop music phenomenon of the early 2000s with hits like “Oops!…I Did It Again” and “Piece of Me,” would also appear in the episode planned for the new season which starts in the fall. Producers however have denied reports that Spanish movie star Javier Bardem, who won an Oscar in 2008 for his role in “No Country for Old Men”, would appear as a guest in the new season. “No, javierbardemjenniferanistonjuliarobertsbradpittelvis katieholmestomcruiseandu2 are not appearing in season 2. But wouldn’t it be fun….” Dante Di Loreto, an executive producer for “Glee,” said in a Twitter message earlier this week.

HBO orders pilot based on Charlie Huston novel
HBO has ordered a pilot from “True Blood” showrunner Alan Ball based on Charlie Huston’s terrific novel “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death,” about a slacker who joins a ragtag crime scene clean-up crew in Los Angeles.

Broadcast TV makes rebound in Emmy noms
Networks see a bit of a surge after years of cable gains
It may not be a dramatic change, but after years of erosion, it was good news for broadcasters, who overall had 247 nominations compared with 240 for cable and pay TV outlets. Broadcasters would have had two more had NBC not let “Friday Night Lights” play first on DirecTV, which received credit for the show’s two noms.

Snoop Dogg seeks stint on British soap
Hip-hop star is a ‘Coronation Street’ fan, solicits a cameo
Hip-hop star Snoop Dogg has revealed he’s a fan of British soap opera “Coronation Street,” and he wants a cameo on the gritty show. Snoop told fans in Manchester, northern England, on Thursday that he has been watching “Corrie” for 11 years and had asked his agent to see if he can make an appearance. He said producers “said they were interested, so hopefully it might happen.”

‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ creator Mike Judge working on 30 new episodes
Mike Judge is currently outlining 30 new episodes of his iconic animated comedy Beavis and Butt-Head for its native network. Plans for actual broadcast are not yet cemented, or even a given, but confirmed that the King of the Hill/Office Space/Idiocracy maestro is definitely in the midst of writing new B and B material with the hopes of a full-throttle return. Even better news for fans is that, should this come to pass, Judge plans on retaining the show’s original ghetto-tech aesthetic, right down to the faded color palatte. The Extract director intends on keeping B and B’s format identical to its original sketch-videos-sketch incarnation, but with more contemporary music clips for the cartoon slacker-duo to skewer.

Skeet Ulrich To Star In ‘Law & Order: LA’
Skeet Ulrich is set to star in NBC’s latest Law & Order spinoff, Law & Order: Los Angeles. The former Jericho  star is the first actor tapped for the Dick Wolf-produced series, which had cast  a wide net for its five regular roles. Ulrich gradually emerged as a frontrunner for the lead role of Detective Rex Winters, a handsome, rugged former Marine with the intuition of a natural cop. Winters was 6 weeks on the job when the Rodney King riots occurred, which shaped his entire policy of policing. His personal life is a bit of a mess: his first marriage ended when he had an affair – with his former partner, to whom he is now married.

E1, Endemol to produce ‘Wheels’ pilot
David von Ancken directing AMC drama shooting in Aug.
AMC on Tuesday unveiled a deal with E1 Entertainment to produce and Endemol USA to executive produce the pilot “Hell on Wheels.” Described as “a contemporary western that centers on the building of the Transcontinental Railroad,” it was was created and written by Joe and Tony Gayton, who will also executive produce. David von Ancken will direct. “Hell” centers on former confederate soldier Cullen Bohannan, whose quest for vengeance has led him to the Union Pacific Railroad’s westward construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad.

Law & Order: SVU Signs Lost Alum
Lost  alum Henry Ian Cusick, who played the time-traveling Desmond Hume on the ABC series, is leaping to NBC. He has signed on for at least two fall episodes of Law & Order: SVU, playing a graphic artist named Erik Weber. SVU executive producer Neal Baer, a fan of Lost, tells me he cast Ian because he is “a sharp, smart leader and very charismatic.”

Allison Scagliotti Opens The Vault On Warehouse 13
What really attracted me to Warehouse before I joined the cast when Jack Kenny, our brilliant showrunner, sent me a copy of the pilot was the balance the show strikes between Indiana Jones-esque adventure and comedy. I think that’s what makes us relatable, aside from the fact that we’re not in space. We’re based in South Dakota and we go out all over the world tracking down seemingly ordinary objects that have supernatural powers. Humor is everywhere even in the most dire situations. And so when that element is present, everyone connects to it a little bit better.

‘Wire’ veteran joins HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’
HBO’s fantasy epic “Game of Thrones” has cast a new series regular: “The Wire” veteran Aidan Gillen will play the scheming Littlefinger on the show. In the adventure series, Littlefinger is an adviser to King Robert who manipulates those in power to fit his own agenda. Gillen is familiar to HBO viewers as Councilman Thomas “Tommy” Carcetti on the network’s acclaimed “The Wire.” “Thrones” is getting ready to start production in Northern Ireland later this month, which will include reshooting the bulk of the pilot following the network recasting several roles. HBO expects the drama could be on the air as early as next spring.

‘Robot Chicken’ readies third Star Wars spoof
Adult Swim’s beloved “Robot Chicken” is readying a third Star Wars spoof, this time with C3PO voice talent Anthony Daniels joining the cast along with, naturally, Zac Efron. Star wars “Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III” will riff on all aspects of the George Lucas’ universe and will debut Dec. 12. “We’re telling more of a linear story this time that covers the series from start to finish,” said co-creator Seth Green. “We wanted to take the Star Wars universe and see if through the eyes of our Robot Chicken: Star Wars Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, Boba Fett and Gary the Stormtrooper,” said co-creator Matthew Senreich. “We’ll still flip around the universe but we’ll get a unique perspective from the bad guy side, from people who just want to rule the universe.” In addition to Daniels and Efron, “Community” co-star Donald Glover and “Cleveland Show” co-creator Mike Henry will make their debut “Robot Chicken” appearances. In addition, Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) and Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks) will return.

But Wait, There’s More…

• AT&T threatens to drop AMC before ‘Mad Men’ debut
• Comedy Central readies odd couple comedy
• Emmy’s most nominated individual adds five
• Brandon Flowers taps Oscar winner for video; ‘Crossfire’ clip features Charlize Theron
• Oprah Winfrey biopic planned
• Academy expands visual effects category; Minimum running time of animated entries also changed
• 10 developments will change everything on Eureka (spoilers)
• HBO sets ‘Boardwalk Empire’ premiere date. It’s Sept. 19 at 9 p.m.
• ‘Glee,’ ‘The Pacific’ top Emmy noms. Full list after the jump:
• ABC fall premiere dates
• ‘Persons Unknown’ Gets Dumped On Saturdays
• What you need to know about Warehouse 13′s second season
• Futurama‘s Future Looks Bright
• Why Sulu never got a first name until 1981
• ‘Fringe’: Amy Madigan cast as Olivia’s mom
• Melina Kanakaredes leaving ‘CSI: NY’; has been on CBS crime drama since 2004
• Trio of Showtime series get dates; ‘Shameless,’ ‘Episodes,’ ‘Californication’ to air prem. Jan. 2011
• ABC renews cop drama ‘Rookie Blue’
• ‘Good Luck Charlie’ gets renewed, Disney Channel comedy picked up for 2nd season and movie

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

Worthington Tells More About ‘Clash 2′ And ‘Avatar’ Scenes
“When I read Clash 2, they came to me the other day. I said, “I kinda dig where it’s going, but can we make the character more of this? Can we make it more of that? Can I get to play a lot more and get involved and have a lot more f–king fun than just being a young man who has to stand there and look pretty?” I’m sick of doing that, so it’s kind of a case of, “How do we make Perseus a lot more fun?” So we’re sort of shaping it down that track. I don’t want to stand there with a stick up my ass.’

Official Plot Synopsis for Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s PAUL
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) reunite for the comedy adventure Paul as two sci-fi geeks whose pilgrimage takes them to America’s UFO heartland. While there, they accidentally meet an alien who brings them on an insane road trip that alters their universe forever. More at the jump:

Is A Live-Action ‘THE LITTLE MERMAID’ Coming Our Way?
Working Title Films is teaming with director Joe Wright to develop a live-action movie version of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale “The Little Mermaid.” The script — for what will be the first English-language live-action adaptation of the tale — has been penned by Abi Morgan (“Brick Lane”) for Working Title and Wright. It tells the classic tale of a young mermaid who gives up her life in the sea to love a human prince.

Sorcerer’s Apprentice Plans More Fantasia-Mining In Sequel
The first movie isn’t even out yet, but already Jay Baruchel, star of the new live-action version of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, is talking about what to expect from the sequel. Baruchel said that Sorcerer’s 2 will incorporate another character from Disney’s Fantasia: Chernabog, the mountain demon who may or may not actually be Satan himself. Also due to make an appearance in the next one? The mystical sword Excalibur, following up on the Merlin/Morganne Le Fey backstory of this first movie. Apparently, it’s all part of a plan for a trilogy.

Adrien Brody did ‘Predators’ research: ‘I would sleep in the jungle alone’
“It’s a role that a studio wouldn’t necessarily have me on a list for. And I had to kind of do some convincing, that I’m capable of physical transformation,” Brody said. “It was a very challenging thing for me to embark on. I think that fans have expectations if you’re going to reboot a series like that — so there’s a certain amount of risk that inspires me. It’s very different from something I’ve done before.”

Michael Madsen Is Infected
Michael Madsen — he of Reservoir Dogs and the Kill Bill  films, among other projects — is targeting the living dead for his next role in Infected, an independent zombie thriller from Verdi-Corrente Productions and director Glenn Ciano. Filming begins in October. Infected centers on a father and son fighting to survive a hellish viral outbreak. As the film’s headlining actor, one would imagine that Madsen is playing the father. But it’s always possible that he’s playing the grand master of all zombies.

Writer/Director Phil Lord Talks LEGO Movie, 21 JUMP STREET, CLOUDY Sequel
“I don’t know how we’re exactly going to execute it, but I would say the vast majority of the film takes place in an immersive all-Lego environment.  So it’s going to star mini-figs and we’ve created these really cool characters and a really nice character story between these mini-figs.  And it’s going to take place in a universe that’s made entirely out of Lego to the point where if there’s water or clouds or like a big explosion, that will be made out of animated Legos.  And our goal was to make it look like a super charged stop-motion.  Something like if Michael Bay kidnapped Henry Selick to make a movie for him.”

Ridley Scott, YouTube prep for ‘Life in a Day’
Team with Kevin Macdonald to create ‘user-generated’ doc
Producer Ridley Scott and director Kevin Macdonald are joining forces with YouTube to create what is being dubbed “the first user-generated feature-length documentary.” Titled “Life in a Day,” the doc will incorporate footage shot on July 24 that is submitted by YouTube users from around the world. It will have its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

Paul Giamatti Says ‘Bubba Nosferatu’ Will Come Together, Despite Financial Setbacks
“We’ve been trying so hard and we’ve had so many near-misses. It’s almost come together like 15 freaking times and then it falls apart. At some point we’re going to get that done because it’s a great script. We’ll get it done at some point. I think it’s just the atmosphere of movies right now, smaller movies. Nobody has the balls to make a movie for under — it’s got to be a $40 million comedy or a $200 million ‘Avatar,’ and that’s it,” he said. “Those are the only things anybody wants to make right now. Nobody wants to do anything else. Everybody’s terrified of doing anything else except that kind of thing. So that movie is deemed way too bizarre and outside the box right now. Which is stupid, because there’s an audience for that movie, totally.”

Kevin Smith Provides Updates on RED STATE and HIT SOMEBODY
“For the first time since Clerks I’m trying to go, not unknown, but actors who aren’t like, you’re gonna see them on screen and not know their name…it’s a weird kind of in between neither place that I’m reaching for. It’s not complete unknown and it’s not remotely fucking recognizable, name recognizable…It’s really tough to find actors whose name you don’t know. You know you can go to Law and Order  and grab anybody from the cast and they’ve done five or six episodes and shit but you’d still recognize them and you’d be watching the movie and be like “that’s that dude, I’ve seen that dude on Law and Order!” “

Paramount signs up for some hardcore Willie Block & Jake Emanuel action
Paramount Pictures has pre-emptively snatched up an original pitch from rookie screenwriters Willie Block and Jake Emanuel. The high-concept action-adventure story mixes original ideas with the framework of the traditional Hunchback of Notre Dame story. Though said to be in the vein of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, its plotline is being kept secret by producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian of Di Bonaventura Pictures, where the concept was originally hatched.

Warner Bros. takes on war and Peace’s ‘Occupied City’
Warner Bros. has picked up the film rights to author David Peace’s Japanese crime thriller, “Occupied City.” His most recent novel “Occupied City” depicts the shifting perspectives of people involved in the post-war case of Hirasawa Sadamichi, who was accused of poisoning and killing a dozen employees in a Tokyo bank, then robbing it, in 1948. It was published last year by Knopf. The Teigin incident, as it is called, involved a man claiming to be charged by the U.S. occupation forces with inoculating the employees against typhoid. But Sadamichi, who was ultimately convicted of the murders and died many years later in prison, is widely believed to have been innocent. Peace suggests that the real murderer was connected with an underground biological weapons unit, and he uses multiple narrators living and dead, Japanese, American and Russian in a “Rashomon”-style retelling of those events.

Two more actors cash in for ‘Guns, Girls and Gambling’
“Guns, Girls and Gambling” has attracted a 6-foot blond assassin and Gay Elvis. Helena Mattsson has been cast as the statuesque, “educated, ice cold and lethal” hitwoman in Michael Winnick’s indie crime thriller opposite Christian Slater, Gary Oldman, Dane Cook and Megan Park. Chris Kattan has joined the film as Gay Elvis, one of a slew of Elvis Presley impersonators. The story involves the race for a priceless Hopi warrior mask stolen during a poker game at an Indian casino.

Confirmed: Dwayne Johnson is Starring in FAST & FURIOUS Sequel FAST FIVE – UPDATE: Ludacris to Return
Johnson and Tyrese Gibson will join franchise leads Paul Walker and Vin Diesel for the sequel, which will shoot this summer in Brazil, Rio, and Puerto Rico among other locations; Johnson’s character is rumored to be “on the right side of the law.” With filming set to start soon, expect even more casting news in the near future. [Update: In addition to Dwayne Johnson joining the cast and Tyrese Gibson returning, actor/rapper/2 Fast 2 Furious co-star Ludacris tweeted that he was also returning for the fifth film]

Angelina Jolie on Why She Left Wanted 2
“Being dead makes it difficult,” she confirmed. “They were (trying to bring me back) but I kind of feel like if I die in a movie, I should die actually. I’m that way, and that character is not as complex as Salt. It would just be doing the exact same thing in another movie, so it’s not that interesting to me.”

The Cutting Room Floor

• The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn To Be Filmed In Two Locations
• RACING DREAMS- THE NASCAR DOC YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU WANTED TO SEE
• Ian McKellen says he’s ‘marking time’ until ‘The Hobbit’ begins
• Jason Segel Video Interview DESPICABLE ME; Updates on THE MUPPET MOVIE, JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME and FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT
• Fox to Re-Release AVATAR on August 27 With 8 Minutes of Never Before Seen Footage
• ‘Jason Momoa Is Going To Be A Terrific Conan,’ Says Stephen Lang
• WETA Will Be Working on MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
• UNIVERSAL PICTURES IS RELEASING STUFF
• 8 super awesome things you’ll love about Predators
• Michael Giacchino to Score LET ME IN, UNDERCOVERS; THE OTHER GUYS Groove to the Sounds of Jon Brion
• INTERVIEW: JOHN C. REILLY (CYRUS)
• M. Night Shyamalan Says ‘The Last Airbender’ DVD Will Include Cut Comedy Scenes, No Kyoshi Warriors
• Ellen Page Video Interview INCEPTION; Plus Updates on TILDA, FREEHELD, STITCH N’ BITCH, and Michael Gondry’s RETURN OF THE ICE KIDS
• SODERBERGH INFECTS MORE ACTORS FOR CONTAGION
• Robert Rodriguez: How we stayed loyal to the Predator series (Video)
• Transformers 3 blows up Chicago in explosive set video
• Teresa Palmer Video Interview THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE and I AM NUMBER FOUR
• Writer-director Lisa Cholodenko talks about birthing ‘Kids’ in Harper’s Bazaar
• ‘Cold Case’ star Kathryn Morris warms up to Gersh, scores ‘Moneyball’
• THE SORCERERS APPRENTICE Press Conference Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Teresa Palmer, Jon Turteltaub, Jerry Bruckheimer – Video
• Sam Worthington: New ‘Avatar’ footage could be ‘the incredible sex scene’
• Chris Nolan: “I’d Love To Do A Bond Film”
• Confirmed: A Title Change for Saw 7! The new title is now Saw 3D The Traps Come Alive
• James Cameron Will Make Record-Setting $350M From ‘Avatar’
• Captain Kirk Enters The Cold War In Moscow; Chris Pine as Jack Ryan
• ‘Cove’ star says dolphin video shows cruelty
• STIRRED, NOT SHAKEN: Sam Mendes & Daniel Craig Will Wait For James Bond
• Director Andy Fickman sides with Fox and Walden on ‘Us & Them’, looking to helm film
• Ridley Scott Eyeing Reteam With Leo DiCaprio On ‘The Wolf Of Wall Street’
• Denzel Washington is holing up at Universal’s ‘Safe House’
• Barry Levinson to helm ‘Brother Jack’; story of activist Jack Healey
• Matt Damon Gets Adjusted To Next March; film pushed from Sept. 17 to March 4.
• ‘Inception’ stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page dream big
• Bond 23 dies another day
• Chris Meledandri Talks ‘Despicable Me’
• Jude Law interview: Sherlock 2 Gets Start Date
• Christian Bale Set To Star In Zack Snyder’s THE LAST PHOTGRAPH, But When?
• Hobbit Films At Risk Of Losing Ian McKellen
• Fox brings on Craig Zobel to handle ‘The Litigator’
• ‘Parks and Recreation’s’ Chris Pratt suits up for ‘Moneyball’
• Haley Joel Osment adds ‘Sex Ed’ to schedule; ‘The Sixth Sense’ actor to star in MPCA comedy
• ‘Wicked’ To Cast Movie Spell For Universal: Creators Meeting With Hollywood Directors

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

I know there are probably a few of you out there saying “When the hell did we get number 2?!”  and the answer is, “A couple of years ago”.  It was called The Tribe, and managed to slip quietly past most of us in its direct to DVD lifespan. However it actually made back it’s modest 5 million dollar budget in pretty short turnaround and as such has warranted a second outing for the Brothers Frog, again direct to DVD. This one however has been granted a much more sizeable budget along with being co-produced by the remaining Corey himself. To Cap it all of, it doesn’t look THAT bad.

Making good use of the “Cry Little Sister” musical theme from the first film this trailer actually looks like it may be some fun and is making me interested enough to actually seek out the previous film which has gained pretty universal disdain. I’ll keep you up to date on how that one goes, but until then, check out this poster and trailer for the triumphant return of the Frog Brothers in the Hunt for more vampires and a decent paycheck! Apparently it has a twilight gag in there too… who woulda guessed?

It's all so gritty and brown... awesome!

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Were you one of the folks who made the second film so successful? Or are you just a Frog Bros afficianado?  How can we bring back Keifer and make it all better?  Feedback and let us know!

I’m very pleased to say that I enjoyed this movie very much. I didn’t know what to expect, although the fact that Ewan McGregor is the lead was its main selling point. I will be the first to admit that I will see anything with Ewan McGregor, because even if the storyline is shite, I still get to stare at his beautiful, beautiful face for two solid hours.

On this occasion however, I am pleased to say that the story was every bit as wonderful as the Scottish actor himself. The plot centres on an Unnamed Ghost Writer, employed by former British Prime Minister Adam Lang to write his memoirs. Unfortunately the previous writer working on this book had drowned in slightly suspicious circumstances, which leads our main character, The Ghost, to silently doubt the promises of his employer. When various war crime allegations are televised against the former Prime Minister, The Ghost’s suspicions deepen further. Even more so, when he finds a package left by his predecessor that contains certain confidential information. References are also made to Iraq and ‘the war on terror’ that the Former Prime Minister refuses to acknowledge. Unfortunately, The Ghost has no idea what it means and so embarks on his own investigation.

This leads to some intense scenes that bring to light information that could be devastating if it were made public. By the end of the film, the puzzle is solved – but not in a way that makes sense, at first. The closing scene leaves you with a feeling of bewilderment; wondering just what the hell happened. As you walk out of the theatre though, discussing it with your friends, you will realise it is pure genius. Just be sure to pay absolute attention throughout the entire movie so you can catch each hint as it is given to you.

It is a movie that really makes you think. I have not had to use my brain so much whilst watching a film in quite a long time. It was a wonderful change from all the dreary nonsense that can’t string two plot points together which currently floods the movie industry. The ending comes right out of left field, and there certainly is no Happy Holywood Ending. At the risk of putting this movie on a pedestal, I am going to give it a solid Cool. Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor alone make this film worth watching.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

We once again look into Arnie’s greatest hits, this time we look at the 1984 James Cameron sci-fi action piece, The Terminator and the soundtrack by Brad Fiedel.

Another RICO case against ‘Jersey Shore’
Following other racketeering lawsuits against the hit reality show, a woman who says she was beat up by “Snooki” and “J-Woww” at a Miami nightclub claims in a new lawsuit that the show receives “profits from a pattern of unlawful activity by filming and broadcasting incidences of criminal assault and battery that have been intentionally provoked by members of the production team and cast of ‘Jersey Shore’ for entertainment purposes.”

MTV denies woman was drunk in ‘Real World’ lawsuit
Viacom, MTV and producer Bunim-Murray have answered the $5 million lawsuit, filed last month in US District Court in Washington by Golzar Amirmotazedi, who claims she was given 8 to 10 alcoholic beverages and ridiculed when she refused to have sex with one of the show’s cast members. In pushing her claims of privacy violations and infliction of emotional distress, Amirmotazedi asserts that she was too inebriated to sign a lawful waiver. What say the defendants? Not drunk!

Fox Planning ‘Ice Road Truckers’ As John Moore-Directed Feature
As Max Payne director John Moore finishes the first graphic novel he helped create, he tells me he has set his sights on a 3D big screen transfer of the reality series Ice Road Truckers as his next film. He said that when casting fell through on his Paramount/Skydance aviation drama Northern Lights — the pic was grounded when Taylor Lautner dropped out — Moore sparked to Ice Road Truckers, the History Channel’s top-rated reality series which 20th Century Fox president Emma Watts acquired for the big screen in 2008. Moore said he and an unnamed writer (because he doesn’t have a deal yet) have come up with a take that has the studio excited.

Style acquires rights to ‘Run’s House’
Deal also includes spinoff series ‘Daddy’s Girls’
The Style Network has acquired the rerun rights to MTV series “Run’s House,” following life in the family of former Run-DMC rapper and hip-hop pioneer Joseph Simmons (aka Rev Run). The deal gives Style access to episodes from all seasons of the series and includes the spinoff “Daddy’s Girls.” “Run’s House” centers around patriarch Rev Run as he tries to balance being a father, a reverend and an icon — while trying to keep rap’s royal family securely grounded. “Daddy’s Girls” follows Run’s eldest daughters Vanessa and Angela as they start their own business after moving to Los Angeles.

The Kardashians to guest star on ‘90210′ premiere
The Kardashian sisters will appear as themselves on The CW’s “90210″ third season premiere in September, People reports. Kim, Khloe and Kourtney all star in E!’s “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and it looks like they’re exercising their acting chops. Kim has previously starred in “Brothers” and “CSI: NY.” Khloe and Kourtney also appear in E! reality series “Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami.”

More Horsemen

• NBC pushes ‘Love Bites,’ moves up ‘The Apprentice’ as fall replacement
• MTV’s ‘Jersey Shore’ season 2 trailer
• Jennifer Hudson opens up to VH1; Singer calls family murders ‘surreal’ on ‘Behind the Music’
  

Business of the Business

Netflix Signs Streaming Deal with Relativity Media, Beats HBO, Showtime, Max
Netflix  and Relativity have just announced a deal  that will see all first-run theatrical releases from the production company available via streaming to Netflix subscribers, just months after their release on DVD. It’s a bit of a coup for the mail order ‘n’ mobile-streaming  service, as it will give its 13 million subscribers access to new(ish) films before they’re viewed on pay TV. Under the terms of the agreement, Netflix gets licensing rights to all movies for which Relativity Media controls distribution–that’s 14 films over the next 12 months. What all industry insiders are begging to know is this: How much did Netflix pay for the priviledge? Given that the deal basically cuts out TV’s first hands-on with the movies, expect it to be around the same amount that HBO and Co. pay the studios each year–estimated to be around $100 million.

STUDIO SHAME! Even Harry Potter Pic Loses Money Because Of Warner Bros’ Phony Baloney Net Profit Accounting
Signing a deal that makes anyone a net profit participant  in  a Hollywood movie deal has always been a sucker’s bet. In an era where studios have all but eliminated first dollar gross and invited talent to share the risk and potential rewards, guess what? Net profit deals are still a sucker’s bet. Here is a net profit statement (below) for Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, the 2007 Warner Bros sequel. Though the film grossed $938.2 million worldwide, the accounting statement below conveys that the film is still over $167 million in the red. As one dealmaker said: “If this is the fair definition of net profits, why do we continue to pretend and go through this charade? Judging by this, no movie is ever, ever going to go to pay off on net participants. It’s an illusion to make writers, and lower-level actors and filmmakers feel they have a stake in the game.”

DirecTV announces details of its 3D channels
n3D to offer 3D programming viewable on 3D TV sets
Satellite TV giant DirecTV said it is launching the nation’s first suite of 3D channels. Among them is n3D, a linear channel powered by Panasonic that is dedicated exclusively to 3D programming and viewable on 3D TV sets, such as select Panasonic models. In addition, DirecTV is launching DirecTV Cinema in 3D, which is currently offering Imax titles “Deep Sea 3D” and “Under the Sea 3D.” DirecTV previously launched ESPN 3D on June 11 in conjunction with the network’s beginning of coverage of the soccer World Cup. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January, DirecTV and Panasonic announced their plans to launch 3D TV channels and leverage relationships with programmers to obtain new and existing 3D content.

Judge orders cooperation in massive BitTorrent piracy case
At the hearing, the EFF argued that joining thousands of individuals in a single lawsuit constituted improper civil procedure. Judge Collyer rejected that argument, declining a request to sever any defendant from the lawsuit. However, in the interest of giving the defendants a fair opportunity to raise legal objections, the judge ordered that plaintiffs work with amici groups such as the EFF and the ACLU to draft a notice that could be sent to those individuals whose information is being sought from ISPs. Until an agreement has been reached on a draft notice, ISPs won’t serve its subscribers with notice they have been flagged. The decision split the middle, and has both sides claiming to be pleased with the outcome.

Redbox testing higher-priced DVD rentals
Dollar-rental king Redbox is testing DVD rentals at higher price points at its kiosk locations in five markets. There’s no guarantee the tests will lead to permanent price boosts nor an indication of how long the tests might last. Launched in November in Albuquerque, N.M., and expanded in recent weeks, the DVD price tests complement other marketing testing by the Coinstar-owned kiosk chain, including renewed testing of video game rentals. On Wednesday, Merriman Curhan Ford analyst Eric Wold said trial tests of games at 150 kiosks in Austin could bear fruit despite modest title offerings at present. Along with the $1.50 test in Albuquerque, price-point tests began in May in Modesto, Calif. ($1.25), San Diego ($1.25), Spokane, Wash. ($1.15) and Miami/West Palm Beach ($1.15).

Minutiae

• The first iPhone movie is here…almost
• Games a growth area for Disney, News Corp.
• Pay TV paying off in down economy; HBO and rivals are thriving by being original
• DISH replaces Fuse with Palladia
• Alleged ‘Twilight’ bootlegger sues movie theater
• Feds, studios join forces against piracy; Officials seize domain names of sites offering movies
• Trade secret war over Hollywood set locations
• Do you know your showbiz deal terms?
• ZACK SNYDER HEEDS THE 3D POST-CONVERSION BACKLASH
• Blockbuster delays $42.4 mil debt payment; NYSE to delist company’s shares; CEO’s contract extended
• Media conglomerates endure a tough Q2; All sector biggies but Viacom drop below 2009 close
• Here’s What’s Really Going On In Online Media Consumption
• Hulu launches subscription service; Video hub’s ‘Plus’ option offers expanded content for $9.99
• Study: Product-placement spending drops; Decrease comes after four years of double-digit growth

Planet of the Odd

Disneyland’s ‘Star Tours’ is closing and D23 members get the last ride
Disneyland will shutter the popular “Star Tours” attraction this month to make way for a major overhaul of the Reagan-era ride — but D23  members will be given one last, special opportunity to say goodbye to the vintage “Star Wars” adventure. “Star Tours 2.0″ is scheduled to reopen next year with an enhanced experience that will have high definition “Disney Real-D” 3D. The story presented will take place between the two George Lucas trilogies and there will be new destinations added, including Coruscant. Last year, at the D23 Expo presentation on the new “Star Tours” plans, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo pledged that his team was “going to do things with ‘Star Tours’ that have never been done with any theme park attraction before at any theme park anywhere.”

Mel Gibson’s Racist Rant Caught On Tape – Tells Oksana She Would Get ‘Raped By N***ers’
In another tirade, Mel tells Oksana: “How dare you act like such a bitch when I have been so f**king nice.” He warns, “I am going to come and burn the f**king house down… but you will blow me first.”

Oprah tops list of most powerful celebrities
Forbes also ranks Beyonce, James Cameron, Lady Gaga
Forbes said that the cumulative earnings of those who make up this year’s Celebrity 100 Power List has grown to $4.7 billion from $4.1 billion a year ago. Winfrey alone earned $315 million from June 1, 2009, to June 1, 2010. But in deciphering celebrity “power,” Forbes doesn’t take only earnings into account but also fame, which it measures by calculating the number of times a personality is mentioned in print, TV, radio and social media. That’s why music, fragrance and fashion magnate Beyonce Knowles is No. 2 on the list with earnings of $87 million, while “Avatar” impresario James Cameron is third with $210 million.

Britney Spears launching fashion collection
Candie’s juniors designs to be sold in Kohl’s from July 1
Spears, 28, has designed her first collection of clothing and accessories for the Iconix Brand Group Inc.’s Candie’s brand for which she has been the face for the past three seasons. The juniors’ collection, called “Britney for Candie’s,” will be sold exclusively in Kohl’s Department stories from July 1 to kick off the back-to-school season.

Producer Elliott Kastner dies
Credits included ‘The Big Sleep,’ ‘Where Eagles Dare’
Elliott Kastner, the American producer of Hollywood films including 1968′s “Where Eagles Dare” starring Richard Burton and 1977′s “A Little Night Music” starring Elizabeth Taylor, died June 20 in London of cancer. He was 80. The producer based his work at London’s Pinewood Studios for years. Some of his best-known movies include three big-screen adaptations of Raymond Chandler works: “The Long Goodbye” (1973), “Farewell, My Lovely” (1975) and “The Big Sleep” (1978).

Bits and Pieces

• Twilight’ death a mystery say police
• Megan Fox, Brian Austin Green marry in Hawaii
• Zoe Saldana engaged
• Kelsey Grammer divorcing
• ‘The Office’s’ Jenna Fischer ties the knot
• Jeremy London’s Restraining Order Against Family Denied

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

The original “Predator” is arguably one of the best action films to come out of the 1980s, and possibly the Manliest Film Ever Made. A story putting a group of people together in an isolated area and killing them off one by one was not a new idea even back then, but “Predator” managed to keep it interesting with a good & diverse cast, great action and some interesting sci-fi ideas, culminating with an iconic modern movie monster.

The 23 years since the release of “Predator” have seen the concept pretty much driven into the ground, with a lacklustre early ‘90s sequel and two recent atrocious crossovers with another once great film franchise, “Alien”.

Then in 2009 producer Robert Rodriguez announced he was making “Predators” and fans of the original film began to hope…

“Predators” had been in Development Hell since the early ‘90s, but the original concept has managed to stay intact; a group of contemporary human badasses are taken to an alien world to be hunted by Predators. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character Dutch from “Predator” had a role in the story, either as the leader of this new team, or as a survivor of a previous hunt and left abandoned on the planet. But with Schwarzenegger busy as Governor of California, he sadly couldn’t be involved with the project. Fortunately, “Predators” doesn’t need such overt links to the past, and manages to take what worked from the original concept and expand upon it.

The audience is thrown into the film with an initial shot of a prone body in freefall high above the ground. The figure wakes up, and realising his predicament tries to activate the unusual parachute strapped to his back. It refuses to respond, only activating when he is close enough to the ground. It barely breaks his fall and he hits the ground hard, knocking him out as the film’s title hits the audience.

The man wakes quickly, but answers are not immediately apparent to him or the audience. Soon he meets up with other previous freefall victims and the reveal of their occupations quickly fill the characters and the audience in on their situation. [Editor’s note: or “and the audience in as to their predicament.”]

God says he can help me, but he says you're fooked.

The story here manages to be even simpler than that of “Predator”; there is no contrived explanation to get these people into the jungle, they are just dumped there. The film moves ahead rapidly, forcing the audience to accept and move on. Given the disastrous plot concepts for the last two “Alien vs. Predator” films, it is good to see that the Morons at Fox finally cottoned on that “Predator” doesn’t need an overblown story. It can rely on a simple plot if the “characters” are good.

Fortunately, they are. The audience is quickly introduced to a US Mercenary (Oscar® Winning Actor Adrien Brody; WTF?), a Mexican Drug Cartel Enforcer (Danny Trejo), a Russian “Spetsnaz” Commando (Oleg Taktarov), an Israeli Defence Force Sniper (Alice Braga), a Yakuza Assassin (Louis Ozawa Changchien), a San Quentin Death Row Inmate (Walton Goggins), a Sierra Leone Death Squad Officer (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali) and, most oddly, a U.S. Physician (Topher Grace).

The Predators decided to give these guys a medic?

Each of the characters here would make interesting protagonists in their own stories. Or more appropriately, “antagonists.” Whilst the squad in “Predator “ was a bunch of crude but “good” men, the majority of the characters here are amoral, bad, or downright “unpleasant” company. Brody’s pragmatic mercenary quickly becomes the leader, and it is easy to see why; he is a little smarter and a little faster than everyone else. But he has no loyalty to any of them, which allows him to make decisions that could not otherwise have been made. Goggins’ convict is good for laughs of the disturbing, “did he just say that?” variety. Changchien’s Yakuza is the most enigmatic, saying little, and for good reason.

Once the characters establish what they were doing before they were taken, they try to find out where they’ve been taken to. That is when the fun begins…

The crew is picked off one by one in true Predator style, and the action scenes are well shot and exciting; in line with the action from the original film. Things all fall into place for the crew when they meet Nolan (Laurence Fishburne), sole survivor of a former hunt. Nolan manages to fill in the gaps in their knowledge, which they use to set up for a final confrontation with the Predators.

He is one UGLY mudda fucka...

The Predators themselves are brought back to their roots, evoking the designs of the first two films, not the weirdly enlarged and bulked up versions from the “Alien vs. Predator” films. While the race has a rich back story in novels, comics and games, not a lot of that has been seen on screen (and what has been seen a lot of times should be downright ignored!) Here we’re once again shown their oddly chivalric code but with the addition of a clear ethnic divide amongst the Predators. This provides escalation as the humans witness Predators fighting their own kind, allowing them a possible way out of their situation by the end.

Director Nimród Antal keeps the film moving at a cracking pace, keeping the tension high throughout the first two acts of the film. Very little exposition is offered beyond what the audience and the characters actually see. Hell, we don’t learn many of the characters names until much later. There is no time for formal introductions as they’re being hunted from the moment they hit the ground.

Special mention should go to the score; Alan Silvestri did not return to compose for this film, but long time Rodriguez collaborator John Debney has taken Silverstri’s original themes and built on them for this film. This gives a score that is both familiar but unfamiliar enough to keep the audience interested, and contributes to it feeling like a Predator film. They even managed to cram Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally” in here over the credits, which is another nice call back to the original.

The final act is arguably not as strong as those preceding; a result of the audience being overburdened by a lot of new ideas at the eleventh hour. Still, the climax manages to be as visceral as you would “hope” from a Predator film, leaving the door open for more stories on this world.

As an action film, “Predators” is a success. As a reboot of the “Predator” series, it is a welcome return to form that has not been seen in far too long. If there are further follow-ups, hopefully they can build upon the concepts here and take them in new directions, attracting new fans without alienating the old.

This gets a “Cool”. It is a good action film, but more importantly in this context, it is a good “Predator” film.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Do you agree with Magnus or is this another insult to the name Predator? Will it be packaged in with Predator 1 or as a three pack with AVP 1 & 2? Feedback and let us know!

News

• New Thor Origin
• New Thor Series
• New Aqualad
• Death of Al Williamson
• Boom and DC iPad Apps
• Jeph Loeb’s New Job
• Lady Deadpool
• Wonder Woman’s New Costume and Origin
• Shadowlands Music Video
• Steven Perry Case
• Punisher Vs the Marvel Universe
• Vertigo and Dc Crossover
• Chris Colombus Offerered Superman Reboot
• John Schnieder Returning to Smallville
• X-Men First Class Casting

The Issues

• Hit-Monkey #1
• Invincible Iron Man Annual
• Shadowlands #1
• Steve Rogers: Super Soldier #1
• The Mighty Thor #1
• X-Men #1
• Red Hood: Lost Days #2
• Red Robin #14

Review

• Scarlet #1

I was recently on a flight to Hong Kong and in the airline’s collection of Chinese movies, ‘Mulan’ was available. I was curious, obviously because I have known and loved the Disney version for years. It was nominated for a 2010 Best Film award in Hong Kong, and after watching it I can see why. It was an extraordinary film. While I have always loved the Disney’s Mulan, and as I got older, came to appreciate the accuracy with which they tried to convey the original poem, something about it has always bothered me. I did not know what exactly though, until I had watched this adaption of Mulan.

There is something in the Chinese culture in its portrayal of romance that cannot be adapted – and certainly not by an American company, with its need for a happy ending and a final message of ‘good will conquer evil, the guy gets the girl and everyone is a hero’. That does not happen in the Chinese adaption, although the story still comes from the same source material. It is set during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, wherein the tribe of Rouran has declared war on the nation of Wei. Mulan disguises herself as a man and joins the fight for Wei, in place of her elderly and sick father. The key difference in this adaption though is in how and when she is discovered. At the time she first enlists, her friend from her home village, Tiger, realises who she is right away, but swears to keep her secret. Fellow soldier Wentai discovers her secret not much later, one night when she is bathing and she fights with him in an attempt to keep her from discovering her. In the resulting tussle he can of course feel that she is not a man, and so discretely sets out to discover who this woman is.

It’s not long before Wentai’s suspicions are confirmed. Mulan is set to be severely punished for an unrelated crime, but an unexpected enemy attack sees Wentai rescuing her from certain death at the hands of the attackers. Though she is told to flee, she does not, and actually kills the Commander of the attacking army, altering the battle moral for the enemy and effectively enabling their victory. Her superiors and Wentai are so impressed with her bravery and fighting skills that they promote her, along with Wentai. This continues throughout the next few years, with Mulan and Wentai consistently winning their battles with strength and strategy. Wentai notices however, that Mulan is weakened by her soft heart; her love and compassion for her fellow soldiers impairs her judgement in times of battle. So when Wentai is injured in battle, he takes the opportunity to fake his death, effectively cutting Mulan from her greatest friend in the army. After the resulting depression Mulan falls into, in an attempt to ‘cure’ her, Tiger declares rather abruptly that she must become a better General to protect the remaining soldiers.

It works, and Mulan becomes one of the most renown and feared Generals of the Emperors Army. Wentai continues to watch from the sidelines, pretending to be a regular soldier. At the same time, Rouran’s leadership has passed to the son, who is a ruthless Commander, having killed his father to obtain this leadership. By this point however, everyone else is desperate for a peaceful outcome. In the final battle, Mulan suggests a strategy that will ensure certain victory for the Wei army, defeating the 200,000 strong Rouran army with just 20,000 men of her own. It relies on a supporting General however, who is a coward and betrays her. The army holds out for as long as they can, but in the end they are starving, sick and already dying. So Mulan proposes a martyrs death to her soldiers, which they proudly support. This is when Wentai reveals himself to be a Prince of Wei and exchanges his life for that of the battalion. The trade is accepted by the Rouran leader and they leave with Wentai as their prisoner.

Mulan, now aware that he is still alive, goes to rescue him, alone. She finds and manages to come to an agreement with the Princess of Rouran. They both want peace, and so the Princess will marry Wentai to bring about that peace between the two nations. Even though Mulan is in love with Wentai, she encourages this as a way to stop the fighting. Then she can go back to nursing her father in her village. Their plan works, and when she is brought before the Emperor, he does not punish her for concealing her gender. At the same time, it is announced that Wentai will marry the Princess of Rouran and to form an alliance with the two nations. It is clear that Wentai does not wish to marry her, even though it will bring peace, but he agrees to after some persuasion from Mulan.

This ending is what really struck me, above all else. At the very end, the Prince comes to visit Mulan in her village, and asks that she elope with him. However, she tells him that he must do his duty and return to his betrothed. After all the fighting they had done, this would bring the peace that had craved for so long, therefore they would have to bear the sacrifice. To me, this signifies the Chinese moral of the day – sacrifice yourself if it will mean the prosperity of others. Even though it is very clear they both love each other deeply, Wentai sadly leaves the village to return to the palace. There is no intimacy between the two; no romance is obscenely displayed across the screen. Instead, there are small moments, lingering stares and the promise between the two of them to protect her identity. When she is gravely wounded and suffering a high fever, Wentai risks his own health to cut into his wrist and allow his blood to keep her hydrated. He gives himself over to the enemy to save not just all of his troops, but her life in particular. This transcends beyond romance into something more, something more subtle yet at the same time dynamic. The two actors do an outstanding job of conveying the relationship and companionship of the two Generals. This can also be said for the rest of the cast, all of the soldiers in Mulan’s battalion have distinct personalities, and you become attached to each of these very well developed and loveable characters.

While it may be said that in today’s world, the romantic in all of us craves for the onscreen lovers to have their happy ending, I am still very pleased with this not-quite-happy-ending. It is more realistic, in my opinion. For this reason, I give Mulan a Cool Plus. I guarantee that you will find something you like about this movie, whether it is the main characters or supporting cast, the cinematography or the plot itself.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Do you think you would you prefer the Disney version or this newest adaption?

The DC animated universe continues to expand and encompass the many different interpretations of the characters and situations that have kept us comic book fans happy for many many years. This time the animation is based on the Jeff Loeb/Michael Turner run on Superman/Batman and the second story-arc from that series which introduced a very different take on Supergirl.

My main disappointment with these DC animated films has been that apart from “The New Frontier” “Gotham Knight” there hasn’t been a particularly clear or definitive visual style for each film. Public Enemies didn’t feel particularly like Ed McGuinness’ artwork brought to life. The problem continues here with this not really feeling like animated Michael Turner artwork… But maybe that’s not what they’re trying to go for? Judge for yourself…

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

It’s got Tim Daly back as Superman, Kevin Conroy as Batman, Ed Asner reprising his role of Granny Goodness along with Andre Braugher as Darkseid and our pal Summer Glau as Supergirl. as such, i’ll watch it!  Will you?  whaddya reckon hey? look good? feedback and tell us!

• Directed by David Schmoeller
• Starring Chuck Connors, Tanya Roberts, Jocelyn Jones, Keith McDermott, Jon Van Ness and Robin Sherwood

This flick was something I’d not really been aware of until recently, when another blogging buddy did a review of it, so I decided to bump it up the Netflix queue to see what it was all about, as all signs pointed to weirdness from the word go.

This movie begins as a lot of horror fare is known to, with the flat tire that strands unsuspecting folks in unfamiliar territory and sends Woody (McDermott) trekking off on foot in search of a gas station for help.  He stumbles on the filling station, but finds the place empty until a series of booby-traps and what I at first assumed were special effects begin to freak him out, including some disturbingly slack-jawed mannequins braying with laughter as he’s pelted with flying items from the nearby shelves.  A pipe to the spine puts an end to all these shenanigans and the inanimate items all stop moving.  Are we haunted? What the hell is going on here?

Woody’s friends have meanwhile made their way in their own vehicle further down the road, passing a sign that directs them to Slausen’s Lost Oasis, where their Jeep naturally breaks down.  While Jerry begins to troubleshoot their car problems, the women wander off to check out the nearby wooded area, where Eileen (Sherwood), Becky (Roberts) and Molly (Jones) decide to go skinny-dipping in what they describe as ‘paradise’ but looked remarkably like a stagnant body of water to me, regardless of the small waterfall.  Their frolicking (which is annoyingly chaste; I have to admit to hoping for some skin with Tanya Roberts looking rather foxy as a brunette) is interrupted by the arrival of Mr. Slausen (Connors), who rolls up wearing a big ten gallon hat and toting a rifle, looking rather nonchalant about finding a buncha half-nekkid gals in his pond, I suppose he gets all kinds of nude visitors?

Slausen offers to give them a ride to his Museum, where he can fetch tools to help Jerry work on the Jeep.  They get a short tour of his Museum full of…well, crap, basically, there’s nothing all that Museum-worthy on display, save for some bizarrely realistic animatronic figures that give everyone the willies.  Slausen warns the girls to stay put in the Museum, as there are coyotes lurking in the area, then he and Jerry set out to work on the Jeep.

This being a horror film, it takes all of about 6 seconds for Eileen to decide to go rummaging around in Slausen’s house that stands behind the Museum itself, ala Psycho’s hotel and the family manse on the lonely hill behind it.  Eileen doesn’t make it too far into the house before she’s confronted by a killer wearing Woody’s face as a mask, split open in the same creepy looking manner as the mannequins we saw earlier.  Actually, I should apologize, as I said his face is ‘split open in a creepy manner’, which implies that there’s a good, comforting way to discover someone wearing your friend’s face, and that’s just silly, now isn’t it?  Good old Mr. Slausen returns alone, saying that he’d let Jerry borrow his truck to head into town for parts for their Jeep, but when he notices Eileen missing he goes looking for her, again imploring the remaining women to stay put in the Museum.

Slausen heads to the house, the plot thickening as he call out for someone named Davey before he stumbles across Eileen’s newly mannequin-ed corpse.  Molly has meanwhile begun to flip through a photo album in the Museum, where she realizes that the mannequin on display in a special little alcove looks a helluva lot like Slausen’s dead wife, which can’t be a good sign, right?  The women soon ignore the ‘stay in the Museum’ rule and go looking for Eileen, further splitting up as Becky is drawn to the house in search of what she’s convinced was Eileen’s laugh somewhere in the night.

This movie is a really oddball amalgam of numerous other horror tropes or films, including elements of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, Carrie and even House Of Wax, but it sets itself apart with all the nutty shenanigans it allows the characters to wander through, including the bizarre house out back full of mannequins that would send anyone running the other way, missing pal be damned. I really enjoyed the strange nature of this one, it doesn’t exactly break any new ground per se, but it does take such odd turns that I was always intrigued to see where it’d go next.

Tourist Trap is definitely worth a look for slasher fans, though those who don’t care for that genre may find themselves a bit bored as they puzzle over each new death and what it all might indicate about the killer.  I was rather impressed and would recommend this as an alternative to the average stalk and slash fare that’s out there.

Give it a look.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Do you wanna go skinny dipping with Chuck Connors?

A re-imagining of the horror icon Freddy Krueger, a serial-killer who wields a glove with four blades embedded in the fingers and kills people in their dreams, resulting in their real death in reality.

• Director: Samuel Bayer
• Writer: Wesley Strick, Eric Heisserer
• Year of Release: 2010
• Actors: Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy, Thomas Dekker, Kellan Lutz, Clancy Brown
• Genre: Horror
• Country of Origin: USA

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Francis Manapul: comic artist, TV host and ‘Beast Seeker’!
Canadian comics fans with at least a passing interest in cryptozoology may want to tune into History Television for the premiere of Beast Legends, a six-part series that examines “the truth about mythological creatures that could be real … and historical creatures that could be myths.” The kraken, the griffin, a bird monster — that sort of thing. For that daunting mission, the producers assembled “a learned kind of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”: an anthropologist/archaeologist/myth expert, an evolutionary biologist, an adventurer/veterinary surgeon, and a comic book artist — specifically, Flash artist Francis Manapul.

DARKCHYLDE Weta Workshop Test Footage Revealed
With proven pedigree in pocket, Randy and Sarah Queen’s Darkchylde Ent. allied with Richard Taylor, and the Academy Award Winning Weta Workshop, along with many of the team who helped bring Lord of the Rings, and King Kong to life, and began breathing filmic life into Darkchylde. Only Newsarama has the exclusive test footage

Dispatches From the Set – ‘Walking Dead’ Production Designer Greg Melton
I did Tales From the Crypt for many years, and I always approached that show from a realism standpoint — trying to set up a realistic world, and then let the surreal horror spin out of it. And that’s the strategy I’ve taken with this, to root it in reality as much as possible and let Rick move through this world and see it get more and more skewed.

Warners Officially Announces SUPERMAN/ BATMAN: APOCALYPSE
To save an earthbound Kryptonian, the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight unite once again – this time to battle the powerful forces of Darkseid – in Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, the ninth entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies coming September 28, 2010 from Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation. The highly anticipated, full-length film will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Special Edition Blu-Ray™ and 2-Disc Special Edition DVD as well as single disc DVD. The film will also be available On Demand and for Download.

David Strathairn In Talks For ‘Alphas’ Lead
David Strathairn is in negotiations for the lead in SyFy’s action-adventure 90-minute pilot Alphas, directed by Jack Bender. Additionally, Ryan Cartwright is set to co-star in the pilot, from BermanBraun and writers Zak Penn and Michael Karnow. Alphas  follows a team of ordinary citizens possessing extraordinary and unusual mental skills who take the law into their own hands and uncover what the CIA, FBI and Pentagon have not been able or willing to solve.

Creator Mark Poulton Making WAVES in Comics & Television
Mark Poulton has reason to smile. Not only did he just become a father, but he’s got a lot to brag about in the world of comics. Koni Waves, the comic Poulton created for Arcana Studios, is being developed as a television series starring Malese Jow of Vampire Diaries fame, and it also has a spin-off comic, Koni Konfidential, set to debut next year. In August, the main Koni Waves title has a 240-page omnibus coming out in August called The Perfect Wave.

Jeph Loeb Named Marvel’s Executive VP of Television
Marvel Entertainment, LLC announced that it has appointed Jeph Loeb as Executive Vice President, Head of Television, a newly created division of Marvel Entertainment.  In this new role, Mr. Loeb will work alongside Dan Buckley, Publisher & President of the Print, Animation & Digital Divisions, Marvel Worldwide, Inc., to translate Marvel’s popular characters and stories to the television medium, in both live-action and animation formats. In addition to these responsibilities, Mr. Loeb will oversee the development and distribution of live-action, animated and direct-to-DVD series. Mr. Loeb was previously a Marvel-exclusive Eisner-Award-winning comic book writer and an Emmy-nominated writer for his work on NBC’s “Heroes.” The announcement was made today by Alan Fine, Executive Vice President, Office of the President and Chairman of Marvel Studios’ Creative Committee, and by Mr. Buckley, to whom Mr. Loeb will report.

Fish Head Steve heads for TV!
Random House Children’s Screen Entertainment (RHCSE), a joint venture between Random House Children’s Books and Komixx Entertainment, has secured options to develop a number of RHCB books and characters for film and television. The projects currently under development include Fish-Head Steve by Jamie Smart, the Gargoylz series by Jan Burchett and Sara Vogler, the Princess Poppy books by Janey Louise Jones and the Charlie Small series by Nick Ward. RHCSE secured media rights to Monster Republic by Ben Horton from Hothouse in February. The company aims to have eight projects in development at any one time. Fish-Head Steve is a cartoon comic strip which was first published in the DFC and will now be developed for TV animation. RHCSE is developing scripts and a pilot animation for Fish-Head Steve, to present at Cartoon Forum in September.

Christopher Nolan Isn’t Even Thinking about BATMAN 3 or SUPERMAN Right Now
I don’t yet really know what’s next because I’m focused on (Inception), I’ll surface in a couple of weeks and focus in on what’s next… It’s great to have interest in what you’re doing. I started out as an independent filmmaker and one of the hardest things when you’re making a film is trying to get people to come and see it. It’s a great privilege to work on an existing property that people feel invested in.

Meet the new ‘Spider-Man’: British heartthrob Andrew Garfield
Sony Pictures has found its new Peter Parker: British heartthrob Andrew Garfield. The studio announced that it had cast the 26-year-old star of the upcoming “Never Let Me Go” and “The Social Network” in one of the most closely scrutinized casting decisions in recent Hollywood history. Garfield also starred in “Lions for Lambs,” “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” and the acclaimed British miniseries “Red Riding.” The fourth film in the series is planned to be a “Spider-Man” origin story that Sony earlier in the year said would focus on “a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.”

John Schneider Returns To ‘Smallville’
According to IGN, John Schneider will reprise his role as Jonathan Kent — Clark Kent’s adoptive father — in the first episode of the tenth season, which is called “Lazarus.” Additionally, Schneider is also expected to return in at least one more episode during the season.

Sam Worthington teams with Radical Studios
‘Avatar’ star’s new company Full Clip inks imprint deal
Radical Studios is teaming up with “Avatar” star Sam Worthington and his newly formed company Full Clip Prods. on an imprint deal to create and develop intellectual property that would be published with an eye toward screen adaptations. The first project out of the gate is “Damaged,” which, according to the companies, “centers on two brothers committed to justice in different ways — one inside the law, one violently beyond it.” John Schwarz and Michael Schwarz created the concept, and David Lapham, the writer-artist behind comics including “Stray Bullets,” is writing the graphic novel.

Animation And More: JEPH LOEB Talks Marvel TV Plans
Jeph Loeb: Well, there’s three different areas that Marvel is exploring and will continue to work with: the first are the direct-to-DVD animated videos, like Planet Hulk — which I loved. The second are continuing and expanding in the areas of animation, currently they have Super Hero Squad, which is on Cartoon Network, starting in the fall will be Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on Disney XD, and we’re developing Ultimate Spider-Man, also for Disney XD.

Edgar Wright Spills On ‘Ant-Man’
I haven’t actually started the second draft yet–I’m not going to be able to until this film [Scott Pilgrim] is out–but what we wrote for the first draft, and what Marvel really liked, is that it’s funny, but it’s a genre film. It’s about the level of comedy that Iron Man has. The idea is to make a high-concept genre film where it’s within another genre. His suit and its power is the big gadget and it takes place in the real world. I just wanted to do something that was slightly different than the superhero origin film. I felt that between that and the various mad scientist, crazy doctor films that we’ve all seen, this would be a way into an origin that was slightly different. I’m not really a multi-tasker–I haven’t done anything since Marvel liked our first draft.

‘Green Lantern: Emerald Knights’ Animated Movie On The Way?
According to World’s Finest Online, Warner Brothers Home Video has revealed that “Green Lantern: Emerald Knights” is on their upcoming slate of animated projects. The new animated film was hinted at earlier this month during the Cartoon Network upfronts that also announced the upcoming “Green Lantern” animated series.

Meanwhile, Back at The Hall of Justice…

• Ben Walker Chooses Broadway Over X Men: Final Stand
• ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Go Together ‘Like Chocolate & Peanut Butter,’ Say Screenwriters
• Alice Eve to play Emma Frost in ‘X-Men: First Class’
• Marvel Character Willow could show up in X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
• Multiple Man to Appear in X-Men: First Class
• Spider-Man Writers And Artists Give MTV Their Thoughts On Andrew Garfield
• Andrew Garfield Cast as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in SPIDER-MAN Reboot – UPDATED With Video and Pictures from Event
• Details on the SMALLVILLE Season 10 Premiere
• RUMOR: Baron Zemo Will Be In Captain America: The First Avenger!
• ‘Cowboys And Aliens’ Screenwriters Describe Script Changes And Harrison Ford’s ‘Crazy’ Role
• The Top Contender For The Role Of BANSHEE In X-Men: First Class Is…?
• Marvel creates small-screen division
• What Joss Whedon’s Wonder Woman would have looked like
• Andrew Garfield “Spider-Man” Announcement (Video)
• Tommy Lee Jones Joins “Captain America” Cast
• Stephen Lang on Playing Khalar Singh in CONAN (Video)
• Director Zack Snyder and Debbie Snyder Interview SUCKER PUNCH, LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS, XERXES, Comic-Con, More (Video)
• Summer Glau Voicing Supergirl in Apocalypse
• Richard Donner and Lauren Shuler Donner Talk GOONIES and DAVE Going to Broadway; DEADPOOL, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, and Laura Wants to Produce WONDER WOMAN
• Jon Tenney Will Play Hal Jordan’s Dad In Green Lantern
• Photos and Video of Andrew Garfield Right After He Nabbed the role of SPIDER-MAN
• Who Is Andrew Garfield? Get To Know The Next Spider-Man!
• MARVEL TV SHOWS ARE COMING TO ABC (Video)
• ‘Mad Men’ actress Abigail Spencer joining ‘Cowboys and Aliens’
• Marvel Reveals Daredevil and Mystique Costumes for LITTLEBIGPLANT
• Andrew Garfield to play Spider-Man
• Jeph Loeb Talks Marvel Television, Live-Action Heroes, And The Disney Factor
• Marvel Starts to Reveal LITTLEBIGPLANET Superhero Costumes
• 6 things we learned from the creators of Cowboys & Aliens

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

Janeane Garofalo joins ‘Criminal Minds’ spin-off
Actress-comedienne-ex-CTU analyst Janeane Garofalo is nearing a deal to join CBS’ Criminal Minds spin-off. The forthcoming offshoot, titled Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, stars Oscar winner Forest Whitaker as the leader of an elite team of agents within the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. Garofalo will play one of those agents. Garofalo became available after her fall pilot, an untitled medical drama from producer John Wells, failed to make it on the network’s fall lineup

Hollywood falls for ‘The Fall Guy’: Lee Majors series is latest reboot candidate
Fans of 1980s action series (and Hollywood stuntmen), take heed. “The Fall Guy” is coming for you. Hollywood uber-producer Walter Parkes and DreamWorks are working on a reboot of the 1980s action hit “The Fall Guy,” say sources. “The Fall Guy,” which was created by action maven Glen A. Larson and starred Lee Majors, aired from 1981 to 1986 on ABC. Majors played Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stuntman by day and bounty hunter by night. He often incorporated his stunts into his bounty-hunting, flying vehicles (his trademark large pickup especially) over large objects, jumping from impossibly high angles and doing other things ’80s heroes did to nab the people they were chasing. Heather Thomas co-starred and often got into trouble with him.

‘Brothers & Sisters’ actress confirms exit
Emily VanCamp is departing ABC’s family drama “Brothers & Sisters” next season, the actress confirmed  to Entertainment Weekly. In VanCamp’s interview with EW’s Michael Ausiello, she stated that after playing the role of Rebecca for four years, “I just felt like it was time to move on.” She will return for two or three episodes early next season to wrap up her storyline on “B&S.”

Travel Channel acquires beer-themed series
Fans help fuel pickup of ‘Three Sheets’ from Fine Living
Thanks largely to fans on Facebook and other social media sites and a highly targeted shipment of beer, “Three Sheets” will be making its permanent bed on the Travel Channel. The travelogue about the worldwide culture of beer had a trial run from April to May on the network. After receiving letters (and some frothy brew) from die-hard fans, Travel has acquired all the back episodes of the show from the Fine Living cabler and will resume airing episodes.

UK bookies think Matt Smith is leaving Doctor Who
Following less-than-stellar ratings for the finale of Smith’s first season, U.K. gambling company William Hill has lowered the odds on a bet that Smith is out from 6/1 to 9/2, indicating its opinion that a replacement has suddenly become more likely.

Starz cancels catering comedy ‘Party Down’
First-season drama ‘Gravity’ also shown the door
Cult comedy “Party Down,” which centers on a catering crew of aspiring Hollywood actors and writers, has had its renewal invitation turned down by Starz management under recently installed boss Chris Albrecht. “Party” follows the sextet of actors and writers, as well as lost souls in their entourage, as they do their gigs and try for their first big break. Each episode finds the team — which has included Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Megan Mullally, Ryan Hansen, Martin Starr and Lizzy Caplan — working a new event and mixing it up with their clients.

Johnny Depp rumored to star in Doctor Who big-budget film (RUMOR)
Long-time producer of the television series Russell T. Davies reported that the reason he moved on from the show was due to the opportunity to transform the Doctor to the big screen. “Bringing the Who franchise to the theaters is a regeneration for the character beyond the usual one. A theatrical release has a greater range and can reach millions of more people than just the fans. There will be brand new concepts and the film will be just as adventurous, scary and humorous as the television programme. But none of us working the film will forget what makes the character great and interesting and the long-time fans will not be disappointed because yes, the Daleks make an appearance.”

USA acquires ‘Modern Family’; Oxygen picks up ‘Glee’
Two breakout freshman series have found homes in cable syndication: USA has acquired exclusive rights to ABC’s comedy “Modern Family,” while Oxygen has grabbed exclusive rights to Fox’s “Glee.”

Larry King confirms fall exit from CNN show
“After 25 years,” a memo from CNN President Jonathan Klein said, “Larry has decided to take a step back from the nightly grind. He wants to take some time for himself and his family. So he will end his run with ‘Larry King Live’ on his own terms, sometime this fall.” The memo pointed out that King is not leaving CNN. “Larry is a beloved member of the CNN family and he will continue to contribute to our air with periodic specials,” Klein said.

Elijah Wood to star in FX comedy pilot
Elijah Wood has inked to star opposite Jason Gann in the FX comedy pilot “Wilfred,” which is based on an Australian series of the same title. David Zuckerman (“Family Guy,” “American Dad,” “King of the Hill”) wrote the adapted pilot script and serves as executive producer. He described “Wilfred” as a comedy “about a guy (Wood), the girl next door and a mixed-breed dog, Wilfred, who is part Labrador Retriever and part Russell Crowe on a bender.”

CBS orders ‘Mad Love’ sitcom
The sitcom “Mad Love” toplining Jason Biggs, Sarah Chalke, Judy Greer and Tyler Labine, has been ordered by CBS for midseason. The half-hour revolves around a quartet of single friends in New York City — two who are falling in love and two who despise each other, at least initially.

Steve Carell leaving ‘The Office’ after Season 7
Carell has confirmed to E! that next season will be his last as regional manager Michael Scott. He noted that “The Office” should continue past Season 7, saying it would be “a dynamic change to the show.”

But Wait, There’s More…

• LOST Co-Creator Carlton Cuse and Writer Adam Horowitz Video Interview (2010 Saturn Awards)
• BREAKING BAD Creator Vince Gilligan and Aaron Paul Exclusive Video Interview (2010 Saturn Awards)
• Kurt Sutter on ‘Anarchy’ lawsuit (video)
• Larry King announces departure from longtime show on-air (video)
• WB Announces 14 Shows Heading to Comic-Con; Info on Schedule and What Stars Are Coming
• ‘CSI’ showrunners renew deals

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

A comedy centered around three characters: an everyday guy who comes to believe he’s a superhero, his psychiatrist, and the teenager he befriends.

• Director: Peter Stebbings
• Writer: Peter Stebbings
• Year of Release: 2009
• Actors: Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Michael Kelly, Sandra Oh, Kat Dennings
• Genre: Comedy, Drama
• Country of Origin: USA

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Raimi On For WoW, Not For Oz
“There’s a lot more work to do though, and we’re trying to be really good to the game,” he said. “It really comes out of our love for the landscapes they created, the guys at Blizzard, and these really iconic, mythic characters. We’re trying to find a really great character and great character interaction to base the story on.”

Gore: Persia Won’t Stop BioShock
Verbinski gives us an exclusive update on the game-to-film.
Verbinski doesn’t believe the mediocre performance of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time at the U.S. box office has dampened BioShock’s chances of making it to the screen. “No, I think BioShock’s a rare one because it’s actually a great story,” he said. “Me? I don’t want to make movies based on videogames, but BioShock’s the one Oedipal, crazy kind of — it’s just got really good bones, and we’re really trying to figure out a way to make it work.”

M. Night Shyamalan Reveals ‘The Last Airbender’ Deleted Scenes
“The single most difficult decision was [cutting] the Kyoshi Warriors,” he said of a chapter in the story that involves Aang, Sokka, and Katara encountering a group of female warriors along their travels. We shot [the scene] and they were amazing, and we spent an unbelievable amount of time choreographing them,” he explained. “And they just distracted from the movie, because the movie wasn’t about them.”

George Miller Following MAD MAX: FURY ROAD With MAD MAX: FURIOSA!
George Miller is working on not one but TWO new Mad Max films, the duo slated to be shot back to back. The title already known to the public is Mad Max: Fury Road and word is that Fury Road will be followed immediately by Mad Max: Furiosa. The two films will reportedly be shot back to back for rapid release.

Star Trek writer adapting Heinlein’s Have Spacesuit for a film
One of Robert A. Heinlein greatest novels, Have Space Suit—Will Travel—the last the author published specifically for a young audience—is being adapted for the big screen by Harry Kloor, who’s written for Star Trek: Voyager and Earth: Final Conflict. “I was inspired to become a scientist and science fiction writer in part by reading the works of Grand Master Robert Heinlein,” said Kloor, who has also written the upcoming animated feature Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey.

Updates on ‘IT’ and ‘Pet Sematary’ Remakes
“In all of my talks with the studio, [It] has only ever been discussed as a single feature film. The book’s length is clearly more suited to a mini-series—and I understand very well why they went that route the last time around—but I think the book’s content is really more appropriate for cinema. I told the studio from the beginning that I felt I needed to be able to write for an R rating, since I wanted to be as candid as the novel about the terrible things the characters go through as kids. They agreed and off I went.”

TIMUR BELMAMBETOV STRUCK BY BLACK LIGHTNING
Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov is eying a remake of the Russian-language Chernaya Molniya (Black Lightning) for Universal.  The original garnered big attention when it was released last December, grossing a total of $20 million.

Warner Bros. to Develop TALES OF FROM THE GANGSTER SQUAD
Warner Bros. is looking to make a film called Tales From the Gangster Squad. This is being set up as an action movie that will bring together an ensemble cast of top-level actors, much like what we saw with The Departed. The movie will be based on a series of articles in the Los Angeles Times written by Paul Lieberman back in 2008. The articles examine an LAPD unit that’s set up in the 1940s to fend off the growing influence of the East Coast Mafia in the city. The police group ended up becoming very powerful, and the battles with the Mafia escalated leading to mayhem and betrayals.

Judd Apatow Developing Pee-wee Herman Film
Since Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman  started to work his way back to the spotlight, he’s been talking about making two movies. One would be for adults, and one for kids. And now there’s word that one of these two films is being developed for Universal by Judd Apatow, with Reubens and Paul Rust writing.

Meryl Streep to play Margaret Thatcher
Meryl Streep is in talks to reteam with her “Mamma Mia!” director Phyllida Lloyd for “The Iron Lady,” a biopic of the controversial and long-governing former British prime minister. Jim Broadbent is in talks to play Margaret Thatcher’s husband, Denis, for the pic. “Lady” is based on a script by Abi Morgan and, as described by Pathe, “tells the story of a woman who smashed through the barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male-dominated world. The story concerns power and the price that is paid for power, and is a surprising and insightful portrait of an extraordinary and complex woman.”

Andy Serkis to play rebellious chimp Caesar in Planet of the Apes
British actor Andy Serkis will play ape leader Caesar in the upcoming 20th Century Fox reboot/prequel Rise of the Apes. As with Gollum and Kong, Serkis won’t actually “play” Caesar in furry makeup. He’ll don a wetsuit with funny little motion sensors all over it to provide the template for the character, which will be created through CG. Rise of the Apes, which is a very loose retelling of the fourth entry in the original series—1972′s Conquest of the Planet of the Apes—follows the story of a human scientist whose genetic experiments result in the creation of the superintelligent Caesar, who eventually becomes the linchpin for an ape revolution. Roddy McDowall played Caesar in the original film.

Does Gore Verbinski have a ‘Secret Life’ at Fox?
As the trailer for his new animated movie “Rango” sprang onto the web today, director Gore Verbinski entered negotiations with Fox to helm the studio’s long-in-development adaptation of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” Samuel Goldwyn Jr. and John Goldwyn are producing the new “Mitty” project, which derives from James Thurber’s classic 1939 short story. Thurber’s story, which has been filmed before, centers on a man who escapes his unexciting daily life by delving into elaborate daydreams in which he is suddenly a heroic character.

Jude Law cast in Scorsese’s ‘Cabret’
Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee also added to project
Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Frances de la Tour and Richard Griffiths have been cast in Martin Scorsese’s live-action 3D adventure “Hugo Cabret.” The new cast members join Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, Chloe Moretz and Helen McCrory in the GK Films-produced adaptation of Brian Selznick’s bestselling 2007 book, “The Invention of Hugo Cabret.” “The Aviator” scribe John Logan wrote the screenplay. “Cabret,” which won the Caldecott Medal and a National Book Award, tells the story of an orphan living in the walls of a Paris train station who encounters a broken machine, an eccentric girl and a reserved toy shop manager.

‘Cloudy’ directors play with ‘Lego’
Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the helmers behind Sony Animation’s hit “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” are in final negotiations to write and direct the Lego movie, which is being produced by Dan Lin and Roy Lee. Jill Wilfert at Lego is exec producing. The plot is being kept under wraps, but it will be an adventure in the Lego world mixing live action and animation.

Kinks’ ‘Schoolboys’ to become film musical
Bobcat Goldthwait wrote, will direct movie based on album
Bobcat Goldthwait, who will direct the movie, has penned a script based on the 1975 LP. The songs were written by Kinks frontman Ray Davies, who will executive produce the project. Goldthwait’s script tells the story of a schoolboy and his gang who are constantly in trouble with their teachers and fellow pupils. One day, the student is humiliated by his headmaster and vows to fight back against “the Establishment.” He later becomes Mr. Flash, the villain of the Kinks’ albums “Preservation Act 1″ (1973) and “Preservation Act 2″ (1974).

The Cutting Room Floor

• ‘Tron Legacy’ Actress Olivia Wilde Talks Jeff Bridges, Action Scenes & Franchise’s History
• Scream 4′ drafts new scribe for rewrites; Hayden Panetierre not pleased with ‘dumbed down’ role
• In protest against ‘The Last Airbender,’ fans find empowerment
• ‘The Last Airbender’ and ILM’s quest for fire
• M. Night Shyamalan Was ‘Skeptical’ About 3-D For ‘The Last Airbender’
• Dev Patel Says ‘The Last Airbender’ Captures ‘The Essence’ Of The Animated Series
• ‘The Last Airbender’ Director M. Night Shyamalan Searching For ‘Right Story’ For ‘Unbreakable 2′
• Shyamalan OK with Airbender critics ‘up my ass all the time’
• Leonardo DiCaprio Has A Lot Lined Up, But He Really Wants To Be A Viking
• RANGO Post-Production Visit: Director Gore Verbinski Q&A, the Trailer and Clips, and a Studio Tour
• ‘Community’s’ Alison Brie will ‘Scream 4′ Wes Craven
• Despite rumors, Radar Pics is not making a Facebook/’Mafia Wars’ movie
• DEBUNKED! JAMES CAMERON IS NOT MAKING A BLACK EYED PEAS MOVIE
• ‘Twilight’ Actors Invade Random Movie Theaters
• ‘Kruger Returns to Scream Series
• Michael Bay Shooting Transformers 3 with 3D Cameras
• Trent Reznor Is Scoring David Fincher’s ‘The Social Network’
• Sean Penn to Play Surfing Icon Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz
• Spielberg’s FALLING SKIES Is Coming To Comic-Con!
• Video Interview: M. Night Shyamalan on The Last Airbender
• ‘Scream 4′ sees Adam Brody, Marley Shelton and Erik Knudsen as fresh blood
• ‘The Last Airbender’ Powers And Weapons: Behind The Film’s Visual Effects
• Producer Wyck Godfrey on THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, BREAKING DAWN, Other Projects, Ultimate Twilight DVD Box Set
• Director David Slade Video Interview THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE
• Stephen Lang on Playing Khalar Singh in CONAN
• ‘Moneyball’ finds actor to play David Justice; Stephen Bishop cast as ex-MLB player in baseball-themed pic
• Kevin James Could Take On A ‘Six Pack’
• Why Pirates director Gore Verbinski disappeared (and why he’s back)
• Ruffalo Gets A ‘Normal Heart’
• THE THING Prequel Plot Synopsis Revealed!
• How M. Night Shyamalan’s Favorite Scene In ‘The Last Airbender’ Was Inspired By ‘Enter The Dragon’
• Why Sorcerer’s Apprentice  will be better than you think
• Ashley Greene joins Miley Cyrus film
• A bittersweet ‘Toy Story’ for John Morris, voice of Andy: ‘You have to say goodbye to being a kid’
• Billy Burke Exclusive Interview THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE; Plus Info on DRIVE ANGRY
• ‘Greek’ actress lands roles in two films; Kali Hawk joins comedies ‘Bridesmaids,’ ‘Let Go’
• Angela Bassett joins wedding comedy ‘Broom’
• Why Christopher Nolan was afraid you’d laugh at Inception
• Director Zack Snyder and Debbie Snyder Interview SUCKER PUNCH, LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS, XERXES, Comic-Con, More
• Del Toro-produced ‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’ gets release date: Jan, 21, 2011

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

Stories Covered

• The Boondocks
• James Bond
• Liam Nelson
• A-Team
• Airbender & Shamalamdingdong
• Twilight kills someone
• X-Men First Class
• Battlestar Galactica vs Farscape
• Spider-Man
• Old Spice Ads
• Doctor Who
• Co-opting Geek
• Geeky Pickup Lines
• Star Wars
• Vampires Suck
• Wonder Woman
• Internet Memes
• Neil Gaiman Shelves Vampire Book
• The Next Fad
• Transformers 3
• Toy Story 3

In time for the new Predators film we present Alan Silvestri’s score from the original 1987 cult action classic Predator!

News

• Deadpool origins
• Matt Fraction takes control of Thor
• Green lantern sequel greenlighted
• Stan Lee talks about Spiderman being black
• Neal McDonough cast as Dum Dum Dugan

The Issues

• Batman:Long Halloween
• Army of Darkness :Ash saves Obama
• The Story of Jesus
• Red Robin #13
• Red Hood: The Lost Days
• Hawkeye and Mockingbird #1
• Batman #700
• Ultimate Avengers #9
• Frankencastle #17
• Brightest day #3
• Deadpool: Wade Wilsons War 1/4
• Jokers Asylum Vol 2 – The Riddler
• Avengers Academy #1
• Rise Of Arsenal #3 (scotts voicemail)
• The Killing Joke (email review)

Review

• Batman: The Killing Joke [Buy from Amazon UK]

This is the first proper trailer and the official poster for the upcoming remake of the truly fantastic Swedish horror, Let The Right One In. The film “Let Me In” is an American retelling of the European original, which in itself was an adaptation of a Novel about a childlike Vampire who befriends a young boy in the outskirts of a snow covered city. Mostly set around an apartment block, the original was a tense and emotionally complicated exploration of friendship and weird coming of age.  How the themes will be handled by the American director, who has recently brought us the huge monster movie Cloverfield, will be interesting to see.

The Lead role of the eternally young vampire girl is also being played by rising star and ex Ass Kicker Chloe Moretz. (Hit Girl) This will be quite a departure from the style of exaggerated action and violence we’ve seen from her thus far. Check out this other poster which is more of a teaser, but certainly has a flavour that is reminiscent of the original.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Have you seen the original?  What do you think this bodes for the Remake? Will it be as neutered as most US horror films or will it still have bite?  Feedback or i’ll bite ya!

An elderly ex-serviceman and widower looks to avenge his best friend’s murder by doling out his own form of justice.

• Director: Daniel Barber
• Writer: Gary Young
• Year of Release: 2009
• Actors: Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Charlie Creed-Miles, David Bradley
• Genre: Action
• Country of Origin: UK

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Another year and we have completed the insanity that is Supanova, which means we have a podcast for you. This one features a heap of new and old friends, including Michael Winslow, Leah Gibson, Dichan Lachman, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Joe Kurbert, Tom Taylor, Jennifer Fallon, Black Betty, Stevivor and more.

Listen to how we bring a new grammatical term into play and see if you can implement it in your daily lives.

Before Batman even contemplated pulling on a onesie, before Superman looked at his undies and thought “what would these look like OVER my trousers?” In fact pretty much before anyone even had heard the term “Superhero” Lee Falk was busy creating the most enduring costumed crime-fighter the world has ever seen. The Phantom has run around the jungles of Bengalla for the last sixty something years and continues to prance through our newspaper comics daily constantly reminding us that Kit Walker (* For The Ghost Who Walks) is nowhere near as lame a name as some of his other illustrious super-friends, and that Purple does not necessarily mean “Sexually Frustrated.”

Yet while the The Phantom has been around longer than any of the “Big Three” of Batman, Superman, or Spider-man, he has never really seen the same level of attention in the media. Yes, the Comics have been constantly on shelves, but in the epic time-line of The Phantom, we’ve had surprisingly few forays into film. Apart from a fifteen part serial in the 40′s the character has had only one notably successful attempt to bring it to the live action screen. (oh and an un-aired TV pilot and some Turkish films that are best not spoken of)  Billy Zane, the really cool dude, took on the challenge of making a purple bodysuit not look  silly in 1996, and pretty much failed to do so at every turn. The film had all the hallmarks of the Phantom storyline; it had the Skull Cave, the horse “Hero” and the Wolf “Devil” and the bad guys of the Singh Brotherhood. But it’s knowingly silly style and over the top tongue in cheek dialogue alienated a lot of the core fans.

Now we’re in 2010 and the SyFy Channel is clearly aiming to update this old school hero into the new millennium by making the Phantom a late teen Parkour exponent, for whom becoming The Phantom is not so much about taking on the mantle of a great hero, but a coming of age tale, with purple body-armour. This Phantom has grown up away from his heritage and finds himself dragged forcibly back to take on the role of his forefathers and save the world from the evil TIVO.  No really.  Chris (who later becomes Kit) finds out that the legacy of the Phantom is a long and lucrative one.  He is now a secretive billionaire with a worldwide network of operatives and a collection of evil stereotypes menacing him at every turn. From evil french twin “Free Runners” to crazy psychological scientist and sword wielding corporate suits, (who clearly wish they looked as hot as Lucy Liu in her boardroom decapitation scene) this miniseries never misses a trick in going for the shlocky or just plain stupid.

All that said, it’s not actually THAT bad. Sure, the new Phantom suit is pretty awful, but there are some elements of it which look kinda cool. The action beats are not terrible and some of the fight sequences are even enjoyable. It has some terrible pacing issues and the main plot of the bad guys is weak beyond all belief, but I came out of these 3 hours feeling like i could possibly stand to watch some more of this character. It is nowhere near as appalling as the SyFy version of The Phantom’s “Defenders of the Earth” team-mate Flash Gordon, and I even think that wish some tweaking the costume could be made to look like quite a cool update on the classic suit.  I do feel that this would have worked better as a shorter 2 hour style film however… there are some incredibly tedious sections in which a lot of old ground is covered and the whole thing feels sorely lacking in pace and urgency. Our lead actor Ryan Carnes is pretty watchable and does his best to carry the film through some pretty long winded boring bits, however one of the bigger names in the production, Isabella Rosellini does little more than phone it in. (And the line is crackly to boot!)

I do think the biggest problem is the main evil plot however.  Sadly no matter how well played the lead character is, he can’t help the fact that a gun slinging superhero is fighting a golf playing corporate suit. But to make it worse, they NEVER face off. Oh and just so you know, the nasty evil plan really is all about evil TIVO and that dear friends is an unquantifiable FAIL.

Overall, A SHITE Plus… it’s a bit crap, but i’ve seen many worse.  And if SyFy ever makes their “Defenders of the Earth” miniseries, i’ll watch it just for this Phantom. Though by then the bad guy will no doubt be “File Sharing”.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

What did you think, was the Phantom as dead as it’s namesake or is it a fun little romp that is just in need of some serious pruning? Feedback and let us know!

After six films we’re starting to see the end, and you know what?  It looks pretty freaking impressive! The Deathly Hallows novel was one of the most hyped book releases in history, people cued, people cried and some assholes just had to spoil it. The Film of the same name looks to be almost as epic, and whats more just to mkae the epicossity that much more epiccy, they’re epicking the epicness over two epic epics! (films that is)  Harry will finally finish his story, fight his monsterous badguy and presumably get his girl!  All while looking brooding and angsty in washed out greys and sepia tones… or at least that’s what this trailer tells me.  That and the fact that there’s a bloody great dragon! I forgot about that bit from the book!

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

So, are you jazzed for another 2-movie-series-ender that will hopefully make all those Twilighters out realize that only really good books need to be split into two films?  Or is this just a big marketing ploy and will we have another “Return of the King” problem, with WAY too many endings?  Feedback and let us know!

Q&A: Tony Robbins on his NBC reality show
The reason I wanted to do something was all hell was breaking loose in the world, there was such enormous levels of stress. And when you go to reality shows, the majority of them are about humiliation. I thought people need inspiration, but not fake inspiration. Watching real people in extremely stressful real life experiences and watching them over a period of time, 30 days, really transforming their life.

Syfy orders memorabilia show
Syfy has ordered a one-hour weekly documentary series about collecting showbiz memorabilia. The network has greenlit six episodes of “Hunting Hollywood,” the latest in a flurry of brand-expanding reality shows for the network.

Hustler spending record amount to make a 3-D Avatar porn film
Hustler apparently just finished production on what it says is the most expensive porn film its ever made, This Ain’t Avatar XXX 3D. Purists might note that the Na’vi in Avatar don’t have traditional human sex or sexual organs, but … whatever. Here’s what MNN had to say about the film: “The studio arm of the company has announced that the upcoming porn version of the film, titled ‘This Ain’t Avatar XXX’, will be presented in 3-D. Such are the production costs, that Hustler is calling it their highest-budget flick ever produced.” The film will be available in September.

Phil Keoghan taking reality TV into open water
Signs on as host, co-producer of racing yacht series
Phil Keoghan has agreed to host a different sort of “Amazing Race.” The reality veteran will host and co-produce a new reality venture that’s about to be shopped to U.S. networks. Exodus Film Group has secured North American rights to an upcoming series based on the Velux 5 Oceans race, where skippers risk their lives to sail around the world on racing yachts. The race spans nine months.

Fox to lower ‘Idol’ age requirement
First of many new changes will allow 15-year-olds to compete
Fox is lowering the age requirement to audition for “American Idol,” allowing 15-year-old singers to compete for the first time. Previously, contestants had to be at least 16 to appear on the show. The maximum age to try out for “Idol,” 28, remains unchanged.

More Horsemen

• Fox orders ‘Money Drop’ game show pilot
• Style expands ‘Jerseylicious’ order
• Rush Limbaugh joins Golf Channel series
• Beauty pageant moms sue over talk show abuse

Business of the Business

Hollywood faces new piracy threat
Illegal sub services on the rise, exec tells Cinema Expo
Consumers downloading free pirated movies are no longer Hollywood’s worst nightmare, but that’s only because of a new, more dreaded menace: cheap, and equally illegal, subscription services. Foreign, often mob-run, businesses aggregate illegally obtained movies into “cyberlockers” similar to Internet storage sites used by individual consumers to squirrel away pirated video. But the for-profit version of this phenom has spawned an array of sophisticated and seemingly reputable sites selling unlimited digital movie files for as little as $5 a month.

Exec touting alternative options for theaters
Ready to pitch alternative programming at Cinema Expo
Howard Kiedaisch’s Cinema Expo aria sounds like this: Movie theaters aren’t just for movies anymore. “Digital cinema can help theaters program opera, soccer matches, a lot of things,” said Kiedaisch, here for Monday’s start of the annual exhibition confab. “People have been really thrilled with the opera we’ve offered. But opera is not particularly mainstream, so there must be other things that can be even more popular.”

Report: Digital media will eventually deliver
Ernst & Young survey forecasts significant rise in revenue
A report on digital media says businesses tied to the Internet and mobile-device distribution eventually will throw off impressive revenue despite slow progress so far. Ernst & Young surveyed CFOs from 75 media and entertainment companies on the subject. A related report circulated Thursday suggests a significant rise in digital revenue is only a matter of time. “As the demand for digitally delivered entertainment continues to increase significantly, CFOs feel optimistic about revenue potential,” the consultancy’s John Nendick wrote. The financial executives “agreed that the industry must determine if and how much they can bundle media content and then settle on appropriate pricing,” the firm said.

Cable industry’s VOD trial balloon challenged
NATO, UNIC warn of global impact of quick VOD releases
The cable industry’s recent trial balloon regarding quicker VOD releasing has gone down like a lead zeppelin. Time Warner Cable has been hinting heavily that it wants studios to accelerate the release of movies to VOD, or so-called pay-per-view, platforms. But that and other recent signs of potential encroachment on the traditional theatrical window prompted sternly worded statements Wednesday from the National Association of Theatre Owners and its European equivalent. The implicit message: Mess with exhibition, and there will be blowback of global proportions.

Paramount Realizes Exclusive DVD Availability Windows Don’t Help Sales; Will No Longer Delay DVDs for Redbox
The LA Times quotes Dennis Maguire, president of Paramount Home Entertainment: “There were two conclusions we came to…There hasn’t been a cannibalization of DVD sales from Redbox, and Redbox was allowing us to expand our business and ultimately make more money” than if the studio held back its DVDs to Redbox for a period of time. How is it that what should be basic business — getting your product to more people, in more ways — was realized after a year of research by Paramount? But, OK, glad they’re thinking straight.

Minutiae

• Top 10 movies moving the most merchandise
• ‘Potter’ stars hype Wizarding World resort, Daniel Radcliffe, cast visit Florida theme park opening

Planet of the Odd

Al Gore + Laurie David = “Curb Your Enthusiasm” fodder
One can only imagine what Larry David might be thinking given the bombshell report coming out of Star magazine today alleging an extramarital affair between David’s ex-wife, Laurie David, and former Vice President Al Gore. But is too soon to be suggesting what Larry should be thinking: this is perfect fodder for another season of his brilliant HBO comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

BP oil spill: Kevin Costner’s oil-water separation machines help with clean-up
The devices, developed with a team including his scientist brother, leave water 99% free of crude
The actor’s latest role, as saviour of the Gulf of Mexico, goes some way towards combining the two, after his oil-water separation machines, in which he has personally invested $20m (£13.5m), were contracted by BP to help in the Gulf clear-up effort. The 32 centrifuge machines, which a Costner-funded team of scientists have spent the past 15 years developing, are to be deployed to help tackle the spill, now believed to be gushing 40,000 barrels a day into the Gulf.

Emma Roberts deletes Twitter account after ‘Twilight’s Team Edward fans find out she’s Team Jacob
Emma Roberts has deleted her Twitter account after being bombarded by nasty tweets from ‘Twilight’ fans on Team Edward after she said she was on Team Jacob. Since telling Jay Leno she preferred the hunky werewolf to the brooding vampire on Tuesday’s “Tonight Show,” Roberts has been bombarded by nasty tweets from Pattinson’s fans. They were so vicious, in fact, that the 19-year-old actress was forced delete her Twitter account

Jeremy London KIDNAPPED, Forced To Do Drugs At Gun Point
Jeremy London tells police he was kidnapped, robbed and forced to smoke drugs last Thursday night in Palm Springs. London, who starred in ‘Party of Five’ and ’7th Heaven,’ said he was trying to change a tire when two men stopped to help him. After the tire was changed he offered to drive them home, and it was then they held him at gunpoint and drove him around terrorizing him for hours.

‘Buffy’ Star — No Jail for Alleged Cop Attack
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” star Nicholas Brendon won’t be spending any time behind bars for an  alleged attack on two cops back in March … that is, as long as he doesn’t do anything stupid for the next three years. The commissioner sentenced Brendon to 36 months probation and gave him a one year suspended sentence in county jail — meaning he won’t serve time as long as he doesn’t violate the terms of his probation. Brendon must also complete 10 days in a Caltrans work program and complete an anger management course. Brendon is also not allowed to drink in public while he’s on probation.

Bits and Pieces

• Ryan Seacrest stalker sentenced to 2 years in prison
• Megan Fox, Brian Austin Green engaged
• Solo no more: Harrison Ford marries Calista Flockhart
• British filmmaker Ronald Neame dies, Credits include ‘Poseidon Adventure,’ ‘Great Expectations’

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

Doug Liman ponders ‘All You Need Is Kill’
Doug Liman’s name has bubbled to the top to potentially direct “All You Need Is Kill” at Warner Bros. The development sets up a potential internal war over the helmer’s services. “Kill,” being produced by 3 Arts Entertainment, reportedly has a ticking clock attached to it as part of the original deal the studio made for Dante Harper’s spec adaptation of Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s graphic novel. That deal closed more than two months ago, which means the film may have to be shooting by next spring.

Imagine and Radical tackle fairy tale super-team in ‘Legends’
Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment and Radical Pictures are teaming to develop for the big screen “Legends,” a graphic novel from Radical’s publishing arm that brings together such characters as Red Riding Hood, Jack the Giant Killer and Hansel & Gretel in a dark fantasy setting. The story in “Legends” is set in motion when the remains of Pinocchio are discovered. Red Hood, now a noted wolf hunter, and Jack partner to discover who is murdering the creatures of folklore. Along the way, they are assisted by characters such as Goldilocks, re-imagined as a mercenary, and Hansel & Gretel, now psychic exterminators. The world of the graphic novel is a mash-up of steampunk and creatures, technology and magic. Nick Percival created the graphic novel, which comes out this month.

Nicolas Cage and ‘Crank’ duo taking on ‘Ghost Rider’ sequel
Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor are in early negotiations to direct Columbia’s “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,” the sequel to the studio’s 2007 supernatural action movie starring the Marvel Comics character. Nicolas Cage is in early negotiations to reprise his role as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who, in order to save the life of a loved one, makes a deal with the devil. His soul is twinned with that of a demon, and he becomes a flaming-skulled man driving a motorcycle from hell.

Is The World Ready For A ‘Machete’ Comic Book?
Co-written by Rodriguez and his producing partner Aaron Kaufman, the comic leads into the the upcoming film and promises to give readers “the ultimate ‘Mexploitation’ tale of revenge” and an origin story of sorts for the film’s title character (played by Danny Trejo). Interior art is provided Stuart Sayger, and issue #0 hits shelves September 15 from IDW Publishing.

Edgar Wright Describes His ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Collaboration With Bryan Lee O’Malley
“We’ve worked very closely with the original author, Bryan Lee O’Malley,” Wright said. “It’s a different version of the story in a way, and we tried to structure it so it works more as a movie, and he’s been very much involved in that process. In fact, on a couple of occasions, he’s rewritten scenes that we’ve done, which is great.”

David Yates Possibly Attached to Direct Bill Willingham’s Fables
British director David Yates is up to direct Bill Willingham’s Fables, as a possible follow-up to Harry Potter. This is just a rumor. However, though the project is apparently a priority over at Warner Brothers, there’s not a writer on board yet and the potential ABC mini-series based on the graphic novel series may present either a conflict or a launching point, which assumes that ABC’s television series is going ahead. For those unfamiliar with Willingham’s graphic novel series, here’s a synopsis: Fables starts with a relatively simple premise: Many of the characters we know and love from various fables and stories now happen to live, in relative secrecy, in New York City. Long ago, they all lived in their own little various realms, but they’ve fled into exile over the centuries after a big baddy (generally referred to as the Emperor or the Adversary) conquered all of their homelands.

‘X-Men: First Class’ finding its Magneto in Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender, who was being courted for both roles from Fox and Columbia, respectively, has entered early negotiations to play Magneto in “X-Men: First Class,” which Matthew Vaughn is directing. Fassbender’s big Hollywood break came with a key turn in “Inglourious Basterds,” where he played Canadian spy Archie Hicox. He has a role in “Jonah Hex,” which opens tomorrow, and stars in Neil Marshall’s Roman action movie “Centurion,” which opens in August.

Is ‘Jonah Hex’ Star Josh Brolin Satisfied With The Final Cut Of The Film?
“The more involved I get in film, you see what you get and all the footage you get when you’re shooting, and once you get into the editing room you go, ‘Wow, if you take this scene and put it into the beginning, and actually cut up these two scenes and inter-cut them, it’s a lot more dynamic than we initially thought,” he explained. “So whatever initial intentions I had in the beginning were kind of blown apart once we were shooting, and those were all reconstructed by the time we got into the editing room.”

‘Tron: Legacy’ goes to Comic-Con
One of the first studios to make its presence official, Disney announced it’s bringing “Tron: Legacy” to Comic-Con, with a panel to be held on Thursday, July 22, at 11:15 am in Hall H. On the stage will be director Joe Kosinski, producers Sean Bailey and Steven Lisberger as well as cast members Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen and Bruce Boxleitner. Patton Oswalt will moderate the panel discussion, with Disney promising to give exclusive glimpses of the film, “along with special surprise guests.”

“X Men First Class” Student: Benjamin Walker
Matthew Vaughn’s “X Men: First Class” is picking up another cast member. Benjamin Walker, star of the Public Theater’s “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,” is the name to remember. He’s going to play Beast, the character played in “X Men 3″ by Kelsey Grammer. He’ll be joining the already cast James McAvoy and possibly Michael Fassbender.

‘The Phantom’ is back — but you might not recognize him
Beginning in February 1936 — three years before Batman  went on the prowl for the first time — young readers across the nation thrilled to the comic-strip adventures of a different masked mystery man: The Phantom. The character created by Lee Falk is considered by many to be a key stepping-stone in the early evolutionary path of the American superhero (he is believed to be the first fictional crime fighter to wear a skin-tight costume, for instance). Now he’s back but in a fashion that the late Falk might not have recognized.

Adam McKay Close to Signing On to Direct THE BOYS
Two sources have told us that director Adam McKay (Anchorman, the upcoming action-comedy The Other Guys) is in serious talks with Sony Pictures to helm an adaptation of the comic book series The Boys. “The series is set in a contemporary world very much similar to the real one, with one notable exception: a number of people have some form of superpower. The series follows a superpowered CIA squad, known informally as ‘The Boys’, whose job it is to keep watch on superheroes and, if necessary, intimidate or kill them.”

Marvel Wants To Introduce New Characters Via Short Films
With Iron Man 1 and 2 having been huge critical and financial success stories for Marvel (and now) Disney, one of the big questions has been how they plan on introducing secondary characters to fans. Through straight-to-dvd live action movies? Animated films? Or just throwing them into bigger movies like The Avengers and Iron Man 3? CHUD reported a couple of months ago on Marvel/Disney looking at doing smaller films in the $20 to $40 million dollar range. But now it appears as if they want to introduce the characters in a way that would still be effective and not as financially risky. Got a scoop from a well trusted source that Marvel/Disney are looking at doing 10 minute short films in front of their feature length movies that will introduce secondary characters like Black Panther, Luke Cage, Dr. Strange, etc.

Todd McFarlane Plans ‘Sam And Twitch’ TV Series
“It would be an hour-long drama with a little bit of the mystique stuff in it,” said McFarlane. “At times, we’ve gone in and pitched it as sort of ‘Hill Street Blues’ meets ‘The X-Files’ without it being that crazy and that obvious… Sam and Twitch are the ones that get sort of these goofy, freakish [cases] and everybody in the precinct thinks that they’re these losers,” added McFarlane. “‘Yeah, you take the one with the salt water in the lungs.’ Sam and Twitch will see whether or not there’s something a little bit odder [to the case] or if someone’s just taken some superstitions and made it seem a little more dastardly than it really is.”

‘The Walking Dead’ Creator Says Andrew Lincoln ‘Eats, Drinks And Sleeps Rick Grimes’
“There are things here and there that along the way I should have caught, but didn’t,” said creator and series executive producer Robert Kirkman. “There’s some amazing stuff [Frank Darabont] added for Morgan’s character in the Pilot episode that’s just not in the comic. It was back story, but he handles it in a way that just really brings it to the forefront. It’s like, Morgan, that guy is an awesome character!”

Meanwhile, Back at The Hall of Justice…

• ‘Priest’ Pushed Back To Summer 2011
• Megan Fox On Her ‘Jonah Hex’ Costume And Why Corsets Should Come Back In Style
• 7 special-effects test shots for a possible Blue Beetle TV show
• ‘Jonah Hex’ Q&A: Megan Fox Says Every Actress Should Play A Prostitute ‘At Least Once’
• ‘Green Hornet’ to get Imax treatment, Simultaneous with domestic 2D and 3D release on Jan. 14
• ‘Archie & Friends’ Comic To Parody ‘The Jersey Shore’
• ‘Last Airbender’ release moved up one day, Paramount’s family adventure pic out July 1
• Megan Fox Says ‘Jonah Hex’ Filming Was ‘Difficult’
• Stars of Syfy’s new Phantom miniseries spill 7 superhero secrets
• Two Actors Join ‘The Walking Dead’ Cast As New Characters
• ‘Archie & Friends’ Take On ‘Twilight’ In Upcoming Parody Comic
• Josh Brolin Exclusive Video Interview JONAH HEX; Also Talks MEN IN BLACK 3, TRUE GRIT, More
• Kristen Stewart Talks ‘Wanted 2′ And Action Movies
• Producer Andrew Lazar Video Interview JONAH HEX; Plus Updates on AKIRA, ONE FINGER SALUTE, GET SMART 2, More
• Ashton Kutcher Describes His ‘Superman’ Audition, Makes A Pitch For He-Man?!
• ‘Jonah Hex’ Actress Megan Fox Recalls Childhood Experience With Guns
• First Look At The ‘Black Panther’ Motion Comic!
• How ‘Jonah Hex’ Made Josh Brolin Quit Smoking
• ‘Jonah Hex’ Star Josh Brolin Calls Horse-Mounted Gatling Gun ‘Funny’
• Josh Hutcherson On Making the Spider-Man Shortlist: ‘It’s Pretty Exciting’
• Men In Black 3 Will Shoot This Winter In NY
• Bryan Singer Auctions ‘X-Men: First Class’ Set Visit
• ‘Thor’ Costume Details For The Warriors Three Revealed?
• Edgar Wright And Joss Whedon Discuss Marvel Movies, Have Scandalous Affair!
• ILM Visit: The Last Airbender

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

Doctor Who’s Amy Pond says her skirts aren’t too short
“I guess there was a bit of an uproar, and I really didn’t see that coming,” said Gillian, responding to, among other things, complaints that her skirts were too short. “I just don’t get it with the skirts. It’s what any girl on the street is wearing. I mean, Amy’s not a schoolgirl, she’s 21, pretty much the same age as me, and we all wear stuff like this.”

William Shatner, Movie Central partner on doc
The world knows William Shatner as the former “Star Trek” captain. Canadians know Shatner for his Montreal roots and early classic stage career in Stratford, Ontario. So Canadian pay TV channel Movie Central will combine those two worlds in “The Captains,” a feature documentary following the life and career of William Shatner, The Captains will explore Shatner’s Montreal roots and his early career in Stratford, Ontario, as well as the extraordinary change in circumstances caused by the serendipitous casting for the role of Captain James T. Kirk. The film will be directed by Shatner, who will also executive produce with David Zappone and Craig Thompson.

Ex-Hells Angel claims FX stole ‘Sons of Anarchy’
Zito says he developed a show called “Nomads” (later “The Wild Angels”) and had Broder (now ICM) agent Ted Chervin set up a pitch meeting with FX’s John Landgraf and Nick Grad in 2004, during which Zito disclosed his ideas for a show about a renegade motorcycle club. FX passed but in 2006 began developing “Sons of Anarchy” with Kurt Sutter. Sutter, who is alleged to have had no previous knowledge of bikers, did have a relationship with FX, where he executive produced “The Shield.” And he apparently also had Chervin as his agent (UPDATE: Chervin wasn’t Sutter’s agent but ICM ultimately packaged the show, according to the lawsuit).

Sheridan: ABC says Cherry gave her a ‘light tap’
Fired “Desperate Housewives” co-star Nicollette Sheridan has updated her lawsuit against series creator Marc Cherry and ABC, alleging for the first time that the network investigated her claim of physical abuse on the set and told her it was merely a “light tap on the side of the head.” Sheridan’s lawyers have quietly filed an amended complaint in her $20 million, seven-count lawsuit for wrongful termination, assault and battery, and discrimination.

Ricky Gervais previews next project
Talks up ‘Life’s Too Short’ at Banff TV festival
Ricky Gervais insists “Life’s Too Short,” his single-camera comedy pilot for BBC2, is long on laughs. “It’s the funniest thing we’ve done,” Gervais said of his latest collaboration with fellow “The Office” and “Extras” creator Stephen Merchant while attending the Banff World Television Festival. “It’s pure funny,” he added about the observational comedy starring Warwick Davis (“Star Wars,” “Harry Potter”) as a little person with “a small-man complex.”

Kurt Sutter fires back on ‘Sons of Anarchy’ lawsuit
So here’s my bi-monthly reminder to every delusional bitch who thinks that they’ve come up with the idea for SOA –HAVING THE FUCKING IDEA IS NOT THE SHOW.  THERE HAVE BEEN DOZENS OF OUTLAW MOTORCYCLE TV DRAMAS PITCHED IN THE LAST TEN YEARS.  NONE OF THEM HAS MADE IT TO SERIES, EXCEPT SOA.  BECAUSE THEY SUCKED. The same way there were dozens of mob family pitches before the Sopranos and crime scene pitches before CSI.

Thomas Dekker joins HBO’s ‘Cinema Verite’
Thomas Dekker has joined the cast of HBO Films’ “Cinema Verite,” a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the groundbreaking 1970s documentary “An American Family.” The project, written by David Seltzer, begins production this summer in Los Angeles with Tim Robbins, James Gandolfini and Diane Lane also starring. When “American Family” premiered on PBS in 1973, it was the first show to document a real-life family dealing with such problems as divorce and sexual identity.

Showtime renews ‘Diary of a Call Girl’ for final season
Showtime is signing up for a fourth — and  final — season of “Secret Diary of a Call Girl.” The premium cable network will run another round of the UK-based comedy series, which chronicles the adventures of a British escort played by Billie Piper. The season will be the last for the show, whose fate on both shores has been uncertain in recent weeks.

Veteran producer returns with Selleck drama
Leonard Goldberg adjusting to changes in TV industry
Leonard Goldberg created — with the late Aaron Spelling — such hit TV series as “Charlie’s Angels,” “Starsky & Hutch” and “Fantasy Island,” but the last time he personally produced a TV series, there weren’t any DVDs or DVRs. Goldberg returns in the fall with CBS’ “Blue Bloods,” starring Tom Selleck.

ABC Family developing ‘Shadows’
ABC Family is developing a new series titled “Shadows,” about a secret program at Harvard designed to train a new generation of spies. The project was created by Jesse Peyronel, who will serve as an executive producer. The show revolves around faculty and students involved in the spy program and represents one of several scripted shows the network has on its development slate.

First look at concept art for Doctor Who robot reboot
Designer Peter McKinstry released this concept drawing for the Yeti, a race of robot that appeared twice in the ’60s. As you can see, they won’t come off quite as cute and cuddly as they did decades ago.

‘Burn Notice’ producers sued for explosive property damage
A production company behind USA’s “Burn Notice” is being sued for making a “big explosion” that damaged property. TVM Prods allegedly agreed to lease a property in Miami-Dade, Fla., from Park Square Commercial-F1 for the purpose of filming an episode from Season 4 of the show. The property manager says the contract stipulated that TVM was supposed to leave the grounds in the same pre-use condition. Boom.

Starz developing ‘Sopranos’-like mob drama
Starz has bought the rights to a hit Australian crime drama called “Underbelly” that’s drawing some comparisons to HBO’s “The Sopranos.” The premium network is developing a U.S. version of the series, which was based on a true story set Down Under in the 1970s and premiered two years ago. The Starz version will likely be reworked to focus on an American crime family.

But Wait, There’s More…

• Five worthy shows that never won Emmy’s top prize
• ‘Hot in Cleveland’ is TV Land’s most-watched ever
• EPIC Doctor Who finale: Details, photos and video (spoilerific)
• SHANNON DOHERTY IN FEARNET’S MARI-KARI, PLUS 20 FREE HORROR MOVIES
• ABC pulls ‘Happy Town’ — again!
• ‘Eastbound & Down’ gets season two premiere date, September 26
• HBO renews ‘True Blood’, Fourth season to debut next summer
• Sean Murray returning to ‘NCIS’

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

Sam Raimi Hired To Direct ‘Oz’ (& Downey?)
Sam Raimi is set to direct Disney’s extravagant ‘Wizard of Oz’ 3D prequel. “Robert Downey Jr. isn’t set yet. They are going to develop for him, if things go right. The script will be rewritten,” sources say. “The movie will happen, though.” Downey would play the Wizard Of Oz before he became the Wizard Of Oz circa the 1939 iconic film: he’s in fact a circus wrangler transported by tornado to the mysterious world of Oz where he gets mistaken for a know-it-all.

‘Smallville’ duo to write ‘Monster High’ film
Universal project is based on a new Mattel property
Writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar are coming aboard to script Universal’s “Monster High,” based on a new Mattel property. The monster musical is set at “frighteningly fashionable” Monster High and features the spawn of famous monsters including

Paramount hires cousins to pen ‘Monster Squad’ remake
Screenwriting cousins Mark and Brian Gunn have been hired to write Paramount’s remake of “The Monster Squad.” Rob Cohen, who produced the original film, will produce and direct the new version. The 1987 original, which Fred Dekker directed from a script he co-wrote with Shane Black, concerns a group of kids who discover a plot by Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Gill Man and The Mummy to try and take over the world.

Louis Leterrier to Direct GRAVITY Wait until You Hear this Movie Idea
Gravity is being described as a disaster film in the vein of The Day After Tomorrow meets Taken. OK. A that’s a weird combination. How do you combine those two films? Here’s how: It’s about a father who has to search for his lost child as the world stops spinning and Earth begins to lose its gravity.

INTERESTING DETAILS ON CUARON’S GRAVITY
In effect the film, as Avatar was, is 60% CG feature animation with the balance being hybrid CG and live action elements. Starring Robert Downey Junior, the film is a contemporary survival thriller that follows a woman as she attempts to make her way back to earth after a satellite crash sets off a chain reaction of further crashes. Because it’s set in space, most shots require every element to float in zero-gravity.

RUSSELL CROWE IS GOING TO BE DOING SOME EQUALIZING
There’s already word of another ’80s television show moving forward based on the CBS drama The Equalizer. The long in development project seems more likely to happen now that Russell Crowe has attached himself to play the lead character made famous by the late Edward Woodward. Russell Crowe would play Robert McCall, the secret agent with a mysterious past who doled out vigilante Justice. Woodward played the character on the CBS show that ran from 1985 to 1989 with part of the appeal to audiences being that this was a significantly older character, Woodward already being in his ’50s when he played the part. Crowe is currently 46 years old.

‘Logan’s Run’ being written by ’28 Days Later’ scribe
Alex Garland, the writer behind the Danny Boyle-directed movies “28 Days Later …” and “Sunshine,” is in negotiations to tackle “Logan’s Run” for Warner Bros. Although best remembered as the 1976 film starring Michael York, Jenny Agutter and Farrah Fawcett, “Run” began as a 1967 novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson; it’s the book, which had a greatly expanded world compared to the movie, that the studio and producers Joel Silver and Akiva Goldsman are turning to. “Run” is set in a future society that demands the death of everyone upon reaching a certain age. Anyone who veers from that destiny is dubbed a “runner” and is hunted by operatives known as Sandmen. Logan is a Sandman who is forced to go on the run.

Offers Out to Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, James McAvoy and Ian McKellen for Roles in ‘Cloud Atlas’
Tom Tykwer is working to adapt David Mitchell’s massive post-modern novel Cloud Atlas for producers the Wachowskis. Offers have gone out to Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, James McAvoy, Ian McKellen and Natalie Portman. T The book is comprised of six seperate but loosely connected stories that take us from the remote South Pacific in the nineteenth century to the far future after a nuclear apocalypse. Each tale is told from the point of view from the the main character in the next.

Miley Cyrus attending ‘Wake’ for Paramount?
The Disney princess is attached to star in an adaptation of Lisa McMann’s young-adult paranormal thriller novel “Wake” for Paramount Pictures and MTV Films. “Wake” is the first of three novels written by McMann about a 17-year-old girl named Janie with the unwanted ability to become sucked into people’s dreams. Not surprisingly, she sees things she would rather not see. But when she gets pulled into a terrible nightmare, Janie dangerously goes from mere witness to participant.

Slater, Oldman, Cook to star in ‘Guns, Girls & Gambling’
Christian Slater, Gary Oldman and Dane Cook are starring in “Guns, Girls & Gambling,” a stylized crime thriller from writer-director Michael Winnick. The story throws Elvis impersonators, Indians, modern cowboys, a 6-foot-tall blond assassin, a frat boy, a corrupt sheriff and a prostitute into a chase for a priceless American Indian artifact stolen during a poker game at an Indian casino. Slater plays a normal guy who in a drunken stupor joins an Elvis impersonation contest. Oldman is the contest’s mega-contender, and Cook will play the sheriff.

‘True Blood’s’ Alexander Skarsgard to star in ‘Battleship’
The “True Blood” star has signed to star opposite Taylor Kitsch in “Battleship,” Universal’s sci-fi tentpole adaptation of the Hasbro game. Peter Berg (“Hancock”) is directing the action-adventure movie, which adds an “alien invasion” element to the screen story. The script, by Jon and Erich Hoeber, revolves around an international fleet coming together to battle a water-bound armada of otherworldly origin.

Imogen Poots to Play Female Lead in FRIGHT NIGHT Remake; Full Cast Revealed
Imogen Poots (Solitary Man) has signed on to play the female lead in Craig Gillespie’s remake of the 1985 cult horror-comedy Fright Night.  Poots is the final piece of major casting.  She joins Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette, David Tennant, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.  For those who don’t know, Fright Night is about teenager Charley Brewster discovering that his next door neighbor is a vampire.

‘Avatar’ appeal steers ‘Ready Player One’ to Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. has picked up the movie rights for “Ready Player One,” the manuscript for a young-adult sci-fi novel by Ernie Cline, the writer of “Fanboys.” “Player” combined the very-much-in-vogue-in-Hollywood elements of a teen protagonist and a virtual world, a concept popular now that folks have seen how it can be done with “Avatar.” In fact, “Avatar” was used as a selling point. Here is the logline circulated around Hollywood during the bidding war: In the near future, outcast teenager Wade Watts escapes from his bleak surroundings by logging in to the Oasis, a globally networked virtual utopia where users can lead idyllic alternate lives. When the eccentric billionaire who created the Oasis dies, he offers up his vast fortune as the prize in an elaborate treasure hunt. Along with gamers from around the world Wade joins the adventure, and quickly finds himself pitted against powerful corporate foes who will do anything, in the oasis or the real world, to reach the treasure first. Think Willy Wonka, The Matrix, and Avatar all rolled into one.

Two joining Joseph Gordon-Levitt thriller
Michael Shannon to play villain; Jamie Chung eyeing role
Michael Shannon will play the villain in “Premium Rush,” a Columbia thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Jamie Chung is in negotiations to play the female lead. “Rush” centers on a New York bike messenger (Gordon-Levitt) who picks up an envelope at Columbia University, only to be chased throughout the city by a dirty cop desperate to get his hands on it. Shannon plays the deceptively affable cop with a violent temper. Chung would play Gordon-Levitt’s ex, a fellow daredevil bike messenger who helps him outwit the cop.

Plot Description Revealed For Pirates 4. Surprises Include Pirates, Ships And ‘Arrrghs’
In this action-packed tale of truth,betrayal, youth and demise, Captain Jack Sparrow crosses paths with a woman from his past (Penelope Cruz), and he’s not sure if it’s love–or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain ofYouth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past.

The Cutting Room Floor

• Lasse Hallstrom and Patrick Dempsey board ‘Tom’s Dad’
• MICHAEL WINTERBOTTOM COULD PISS YOU OFF AS HE WADES INTO THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL
• Simon Baker, Paul Bettany eye indie drama
• Q&A: ‘Twilight’ scribe Melissa Rosenberg on failure, murder and the coming ‘Dawn’
• Lauren Graham from The Gilmore Girls has signed on for Scream 4.
• Summit Announces TWILIGHT NIGHT; 12 Cities Will Host Outdoor Screenings of First Two TWILIGHT Films June 26 With Cast Members
• Rumor: Will Neill Blomkamp Direct The Hobbit?
• HAROLD & KUMAR 3 Begins Filming; Patton Oswalt Cast and Images from the Set
• Chace Crawford joins ‘Peace’ pic, ‘Gossip Girl’ star will play war-protesting love interest
• Mandate picks up Danny McBride’s ‘Bullies’
• ‘Toy Story 3′ director Lee Unkrich felt the pressure to avoid Pixar’s ‘first dud’
• Why Toy Story’s Tom Hanks is proud when guys pee at Pixar
• Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum take ‘Vow’
• Wendy Crewson joins ‘Winnie’ biopic
• Vincent Gallo, Michael Madsen join ‘Loosies’
• John Lasseter talks ‘Toy Story 3′ and the secret life of toys
• Video Interview: The Cast Members of Toy Story 3
• Best 3-D film EVER coming soon: Plan 9 from Outer Space rerelease
• Did the French Short Film Above then Beyond Inspire Pixar’s Up?
• If ‘Inception’ is the most ‘manticipated’ movie, what about the women?
• Of Course There’s Gonna Be A ‘Karate Kid’ Sequel
• Looks Like Warner’s ’3 Musketeers’ Might Lose The Duel
• Hugh Jackman gets back in the ring with ‘Real Steel’
• The Thing prequel gets a pretty good 2011 release date
• A Minute with Aishwarya Rai, Former Miss Universe talks about her role in ‘Raavan’
• …AND THERE GOES THE ONE REASON TO SEE BREAKING DAWN
• ‘True Blood’ actor, Grant Bowler, lands another film role in ‘Atlas Shrugged’
• Steven Spielberg whips up his cast for ‘War Horse’
• THE SKINNY ON ROUNDERS 2
• RUMOR DU JOUR: A BUFFY MOVIE IS BEING HELD UP BY… VANESSA HUDGENS?!
• M. Night Shyamalan shopping new movie with big stars

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

Time to bring out the chopstick western and visit the brilliant 2008 soundtrack of Ji-woon Kim film The Good, The Bad, The Weird featuring music by Dalparan and Yeong-gyu Jang.