Original Xbox to be removed from Xbox Live service

April 15 will mark the end of Live service to those dedicated (or cheap?) gamers who use an original Xbox for their online matchmaking needs. All Xbox original titles – most notably, Halo 2, Star Wars: Battlefront 2, and Counter-Strike – will lose online capability on that date.

In a notice to Live members, Xbox Live general manager Marc Written said,, “I want to start by saying this isn’t a decision we made lightly…but after careful consideration, it is clear that this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox Live community.”

Microsoft has stated they will shortly be in contact with those Live gamers who utilise original Xbox titles for online play. If you are one of those gamers, keep an eye on your associated email address or your Xbox messages via the console.

Iron Man 2 tie-in game not to suck. Honest!

Kotaku’s Stephen Totilo was…lucky…enough to sit down with the developers of Iron Man 2 to find out, in Totilo’s words, why “[it] won’t be dreadful.”

Iron Man 2 -- promised to be less sucky.

Kyle Brink of Interactive Entertainment goes into great detail here about key changes in this title as compared to the original tie-in game. Notably, enhanced controls, a unique story, better environments and destruction effects, and War Machine seem to be the reasons why you won’t want to throw this game through the nearest window.

My favourite bit about the interview? Brink honestly says he tried to make Iron Man’s combat system more like Batman: Arkham Asylum. Let the DC vs Marvel war begin.

To boldly go where one million have gone before…

After less than a week, new MMO Star Trek Online can already boast over one million players.

In related news, the massive multiplayer title is already offering microtransactions: be willing to part with more cash (aside from what you already dropped buying the game AND for your monthly subscription) if you’re looking for a Starfleet officer with a Klingon or Ferengi background.

I personally won’t be delving in to this game, despite my love for Star Trek, as I like games where THERE IS AN ACTUAL ENDING AND/OR POINT. What about you? Have you played it? Do you love it? Let us know.

Sonic 4, please do not suck.

Are you excited or scared?

Not a company to be discouraged after several thousand failed attempts at a decent Sonic game, Sega has recently announced they’re trying again…and this game might actually be good!

Abandoning the 3D look and feel of most recent Sonic games, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will be a direct sequel to the GOOD (read: 2D) titles in the series, the last being Sonic and Knuckles in 1994.

Not only is the series going back to its roots, it also promises that Sonic will remain the only playable character in the game.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will be available on Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3 around July. Logic dictates that further episodes in the sequel will be released at regular intervals thereafter.

Sony stops A-grade downloadable titles for PS3

In a move that Gizmodo’s Mark Wilson calls “Sony’s latest PS3 mistake,” large downloadable titles like Warhawk will no longer be able to be lazily grabbed off of teh interwebs via the PlayStation Network straight to the PS3 console.

While it is believed Sony has made this decision due to ever-shrinking space on the PS3’s internal HDD (as most Blu-ray games require hefty installs to the HDD before they can be played) or large download files (average PS3 games can weigh in at 50GB and would be tough to download), Wilson can’t help but compare Sony’s revised downloadable game model to Microsoft’s and laugh.

“Microsoft has assembled an impressive library of $20 titles on the 360, and they’re intelligently slapping games like, say, Mass Effect on there before Mass Effect 2 comes out. This kind of strategy is good for the game studios, sure, but more importantly, it’s convenient for the consumer,” Wilson said.

Sony’s ‘The Tester’ is way cooler on paper

Or, "Would you Like to Open a Drive Tray?!?"

Sony ’s new original PlayStation Network reality series, called “The Tester,” debuts on February 18.  Eleven gamers will compete over 8 episodes to become an actual PlayStation game tester and pick up a $5000 signing bonus in the process. Sound good? Those in the industry think not.

My favourite ACTUAL piece of reality about the show comes from Tycho of Penny Arcade fame, who describes what the show’s winner could look forward to:

“We know a lot of testers.  Testing is an umbrella term in the gaming industry, and isn’t entirely sufficient as a descriptor. My friend Clinton did “testing” at Microsoft on the original Xbox, and this testing involved him opening and closing the system’s drive tray all day. He just got back from Iraq, but if I were to ask him what the most unrelenting and psyche abrading job he ever held was, I know he’d have to pause a moment before answering.”

Here’s hoping “The Tester” gets to preview…I mean, test…Resistance 3 or something as opposed to Barbie’s Horse Adventures 4: The Clydesdale!

Bits and bobs

Microsoft confirms Game Room rating ceiling — Joystiq

250GB Xbox HDD headed to Japan in March – Joystiq

Online Multiplayer Assassin’s Creed 2 Coming to the iPhone – Kotaku

Kojima considers Japanese Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker delay a “crime” — Joystiq

This week’s notable releases
Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun (Wii)
Data East Arcade Classics (Wii)
Bioshock 2 (PC/Mac, Xbox 360, PS3)
Scene It? Twilight (DS)
Dante’s Inferno (Xbox 360, PS3, PSP)
Star Ocean: The Last Hope International (PS3)
Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll (Wii)
Sins of a Solar Empire: Diplomacy (PC)
Shiren the Wanderer (Wii)
World Cup of Pool (DS)
Stargate Resistance (PC)

The fine print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire week’s news. All stories are chosen 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.

Bioware, however, has more than come through with the sequel Mass Effect 2.
Before I go too far into the review, I should mention that if you haven’t played the original Mass Effect and you’re interested in Mass Effect 2, you should really play the original. While the gameplay can become frustrating, it is worth playing just for the excellent story and the universe built from it. Additionally, Mass Effect 2 has the ability to import your Mass Effect save game which brings across your original character and all of your story choices, making the entire Mass Effect 2 experience even better. There’ll certainly be copies in your local EB games’ used games bin, or you can pick it up on Steam for $19.99. Totally worth the experience.

Coming into Mass Effect 2, it’s clear that Bioware took the criticism of the original to heart. Every aspect of the game has either been replaced or improved upon greatly.

Are you looking at me?

The most drastic of the changes are the simplifying of the RPG systems like inventory and character progression. First of all, the inventory has seen the most drastic of changes; in Mass Effect 2 there is NONE. Throughout the game you cannot pick up weapons or armour from enemies or crates whatsover. All new weapons can be acquired at specific points in the story and bought at stores, however there are only 3 weapons per weapon type. Armour also, can only be bought from specific stores. While this did take some getting used to, these shifts of focus are actually quite good. Mass Effect featured a standard RPG style of fiddling with the stats and inventory of each character in your squad. Mass Effect 2 just deals with the tactics of your squad. So instead of jumping into combat and then fiddling about with menu screens to equip your squad, you jump right into the action and don’t have to fiddle at all. The combat and the game overall are better for it.

Character progression is also simplified for the better. Instead of having dozens of skills to upgrade each time you level up, you have five or six combat skills to upgrade. That’s it. Which while simpler, is designed to keep the player from fiddling with menus, which is a fantastic change. When I want something more complex, I’ll play Bioware’s Dragon Age or something Old School. Nothing in ME2 gets in between you and the combat, which is a really good change.

What hasn’t changed since the original is the quality of the story, which is as strong as you’ll find in any video game. The meat of the game surrounds Commander Shepard (that’s you) collecting a squad of the best-of-the-best for a suicide mission against a mysterious force called “The Collectors”, who are kidnapping entire colonies of humans. But for the team to work together best, you have to gain their trust. This aspect is truly rewarding; as each character has a specific mission which, if completed, will make those characters willing to trust you and gives a really interesting insight into each character.

i like a chick with a long neck...

As mentioned above, another excellent inclusion is the save game import feature. ME2 will take your Commander Shepard and every decision you made in the original and weave it into ME2 which makes the game that you play truly unique to you. These can range side from characters that you interacted with in the original contacting you and updating you on what happened to them since the first game, to huge decisions you made in the first coming back to bite you (or help you, depending on what you picked). But what I really love about the Mass Effect games is the universe and the history. The atmosphere of the game the universe is really quite unique and it is a pleasure just to walk through the alien environments and soak up the world. Additionally Mass Effect 2, like the original, features a Codex which has entries on everything. The the locations, the ships, the technology and a detailed history of each race. EVERYTHING. It’s almost an in-universe Wookieepedia that’s entirely canonical. I really love how deep and thought-out this universe. I’ve spent around 3-4 hours in the codex just reading. For science fiction nuts like myself, that stuff is fascinating.
And as always Bioware raises the bar in dialog and the voice acting.

The combat has seen the most improvement. The combat is truly a delight and is among the best, if possibly not the best third person shooters on the market. The combat operates like Gears of War; you and your squad have to take cover and will have to duck out of whatever cover you have found to open fire. The combat is viceral and satisfying, especially when you pull off that fluke head shot on a secruity mech that results in a really excellent explosion which destroys it’s former comrades.

Ok, you may be blue... but DAMN!!!

What sets Mass Effect 2 apart from Gears of War is your Biotic or Tech powers. Biotics are very similar to Force Powers from Star Wars. You can pick up and slam your enemy, make your enemy float away or use Biotics to rocket towards your enemies flinging them away. Tech powers are system hacking talents which can drop an opponents sheild or hijack an enemy mech. Biotics and Tech can truly turn the tide of any battle and add something really unique and satisfying to Mass Effect 2.

Playing through Mass Effect 2 has been one of the best experiences of this console generation. The story, the gameplay and the universe itself all came together to make something really unique and something really special. If you enjoy shooters, role playing games or just a damn good story in your games then Mass Effect 2 is certainly something you should pick up.
Cool +

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Do you agree with the sandwich?  Is Mass effects 2 “all that and a packet of potato chips?”  Or is it just boring stuff like plot and character with not enough shooty shooty?  feedback and let us…and him, know!

While there isn’t any actual gameplay footage in this new trailer, there is are some great hints as to what Las Vegas offers the Fallout player… namely a lot of death. Oh yeah, and a whole heap of the customary fallout robots and old school music. The overall effect is lovely.  Now we just need to see what the game-play offers us.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Will you be saviour of the wastelands again or will you be the king of Sin City?  Or will it all be crap?  Let us know!

MTV orders ‘Teen Mom,’ real ‘Breakfast Club’
‘Mom’ will air another eight episodes in the summer
MTV is ordering a new series that plays like a reality version of 1980s classic “The Breakfast Club” and is renewing breakout hit “Teen Mom.” “If You Really Knew Me” takes five high school students through “Challenge Day,” a one-day program designed to break down barriers between different social cliques. MTV has ordered 12 episodes.

‘Caligula’ director to make 3D porn film
Tinto Brass announces project involving Roman emperor
Longtime Italian erotic film director Tinto Brass on Thursday announced that he would produce what he called the world’s first-ever 3D pornographic production. Brass, 76, best known for his 1979 film “Caligula,” which he directed in collaboration with noted author Gore Vidal and magazine publisher Bob Guccione, said the time is right for 3D technologies to be used to create an erotic film. He noted that the project, which he said will be the world’s first 3D erotic film, will also be the first 3D film of any type made in Italy.

MTV renews ‘Jersey Shore’ for second season
MTV plans to bring back the show for mid-to-late summer for 12 new episodes, which means commencing production soon. The network will take the cast to another location, as yet unannounced, for season two rather than shoot in New Jersey during the winter.

ABC to air ‘Bachelor’ Mesnick’s wedding
ABC is planning another trip down the aisle, as “The Bachelor” couple Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney will tie the knot next month on the network. The two-hour “The Bachelor: Jason and Molly’s Wedding” is set to air March 8. The event will include the bride’s dress fitting, planning for the big day, bachelor and bachelorette parties and the ceremony. Past “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” couples and participants will be on the guest list.

More Horsemen

• Angelina from ‘Jersey Shore’ to return for second season
• CBS believes in ‘Boss’
• ‘Wear’ appeal translates well overseas
• Fox adds more ‘Idol’ hours
• VH1 announces four new shows
• ‘Cake Boss’ earns third season
• NBC O&Os pick up ‘Nate Berkus Show’

Business of the Business

Rich Ross reshapes Disney film studios
Bolstering the brand is new chief’s mantra
What the studio’s new chairman is building with his boss, Robert Iger, is a company clearly focused on both the bottom line and the big picture. Through Ross, the studio now aims to devote most of its development and production dollars to making only a few movies per year, which will capitalize on the appeal of the Disney brand with moviegoers. The studio’s slate will likely take the form of five tentpole releases per year: one during the spring, like this year’s “Alice in Wonderland,” and then two animated pics and two live-action films during the summer and fall. It’ll look similar to the Disney-branded roster unspooling this year. The Mouse House, as Hollywood currently knows it, will become less of a moviemaker and more of a film distributor, turning to Marvel Entertainment (which it now fully owns) and DreamWorks to supply the rest of its slate of releases through the Touchstone banner.

Retailers take aim at Redbox
Walmart, Target adopt purchase limit on DVD sales
The magic number for DVDs these days is 28. Earlier this month, Netflix agreed to not offer up movies from Warner Bros. until 28 days after a pic hits DVD or Blu-ray (Daily Variety, Jan. 6). The deal, which could prompt other studios to ink similar pacts with the video-by-mail service, aims to encourage consumers to keep buying DVDs rather than renting them. That specific window popped up again this week when Walmart, the biggest seller of DVDs in the country, said it would limit customers to purchasing just five copies of a DVD within 28 days of a film’s bow on the homevid format. The move is expected to significantly affect Netflix-rival Redbox, which offers up movies for $1 a day through 19,000 kiosks set up in supermarkets, drugstores, restaurants and outside convenience stores and libraries, for example.

Film Threat sold at Sundance
Site sold to former editor-in-chief Mark Bell
Cinephile site Film Threat has been sold by founder Chris Gore in what is described as a six-figure deal with Mark Bell, the site’s former editor in chief. Gore launched Film Threat in 1985 as a print magazine. The publication went online in 1996, after Gore regained the rights from Larry Flynt Publications, which briefly owned the title. “I’m just really happy that I’ve left it in good hands,” said Gore. “Mark Bell is amazing and the best I’ve worked with in my history doing Film Threat.”

The Crying Game: How Disney Killed Miramax, Now with Weinstein Co. Layoffs!
“At the end, it ended up just being a ‘who had a bigger penis’ kind of thing,” says the source. “And finally Harvey and Bob said ‘Enough. You know what? At the end of the day, we just want to make movies, and we aren’t going to be compromised artistically.’” They left their name, a catalog they had worked over a lifetime to acquire, produce and release, and started their own company, the Weinstein Company, in 2005.

Elisabeth Murdoch touts social networking
CEO says youths willing to pay for premium experiences
Murdoch argued that the younger generation — in Europe, America, wherever — is both watching TV and using their computers at the same time. They’re also eating, Web surfing, doing their homework and chatting simultaneously, and are highly engaged and quite willing to interact with high quality, involving content. Moreover, and this was one of the keys of her keynote, they are also increasingly willing to pay for premium experiences. Given just how much audiences have evolved and how much they now expect high-quality, multi-platform experiences that they can share with their friends, Murdoch suggested that creative models have to be rethought. “Non-linear storytelling is out,” she said. “Our audience is smart and we must meet their expectations. We need to join the party.”

Minutae

• Sony laying off 7% of work force
• BBC Worldwide Canada inks Microsoft deal
• Audiences love ad-free TVE
• Netflix shows strong Q4 results
• Miramax Dies: Rest in Peace
• Flixster, THR form alliance
• Is this a box-office record with an * for Avatar?
• Virgin Media reaps on-demand boom
• Time Warner Cable posts 4Q profit

Planet of the Odd

‘South Park’ duo hit the stage
Parker, Stone team for Off Broadway musical
A new tuner from “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and “Avenue Q” composer-lyricist Robert Lopez is on tap for the 2010-11 season at Off Broadway’s New York Theater Workshop. Subject matter is being kept under wraps, but it seems a sure bet the project will turn out to be the tuner about Mormons on which the three creatives have been collaborating for some time.

J.D. Salinger dies at 91
‘The Catcher in the Rye’ echoed in music, film
J.D. Salinger, the legendary author, youth hero and fugitive from fame whose “The Catcher in the Rye” shocked and inspired a world he increasingly shunned, has died. He was 91. Salinger died of natural causes at his home on Wednesday, the author’s son said in a statement from Salinger’s literary representative. He had lived for decades in self-imposed isolation in the small, remote house in Cornish, N.H.

Actress Zelda Rubinstein dies at 76
Played psychic in ‘Poltergeist’
Zelda Rubinstein, who played the psychic hired to rid a home of demonic forces in “Poltergeist,” died Wednesday in Los Angeles. She was 76. Known for her childlike voice, the 4-foot-3 character actress died at Barlow Respiratory Hospital after a series of health problems. The Pittsburgh-born thesp worked as a medical technician before beginning to act in her 40s. Her first film role was as one of the little people in the 1981 comedy “Under the Rainbow.”

Rip Torn Will Go for Alcohol Treatment: Lawyer
The actor is being held on $100,000 bond
Torn was arrested on Friday evening after drunkenly breaking into a Connecticut bank while carrying a loaded revolver, according to a statement from police. He was in custody through the weekend, the Register reports. On Monday, his lawyer argued that he did not brandish the weapon.

79-year-old jewelry thief, subject of Halle Berry movie, arrested at South Coast Plaza
Doris Payne’s life as an international jewel thief is the subject of an upcoming movie, “Who Is Doris Payne?” starring Halle Berry. Payne said she had no idea how many jewels she had stolen but that her career as a thief had spanned the globe from New York and Las Vegas to London, Paris, Monte Carlo and Tokyo.

Bits and Pieces

• Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard engaged

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.

Ex-detective-turned-pimp Jung-ho’s night is getting messy. Convinced his girls are running out on him, he sends one of his last remaining girls, Mi-jin, on a desperate last job. Too late, he makes a bone-chilling discovery: this customer’s home is where all of his missing girls were last sent.

With a likely suspect in police custody, he has just 12 hours to find Mi-jin in the killer’s lair, before he is set free to end her life. The clock is ticking in this desperate race against time.

• Director: Hong-jin Na
• Writer: Won-Chan Hong, Shinho Lee
• Year of Release: 2008
• Actors: Yun-seok Kim, Jung-woo Ha, Yeong-hie Seo
• Genre: Thriller
• Country of Origin: South Korea

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

‘Kick-Ass’ Director Matthew Vaughn Wants To Do ‘Sandman’ Movie
“I think it’s weird that hardly any Neil Gaiman stuff has been made. The idea that no one has made ‘Sandman’ yet is weird,” said Vaughn. “You know what, I would love to do “Sandman,” but I think it’s stuck in development hell,” Vaughn said, “But that could be like a ‘Lord of the Rings’ – just a huge movie.”

Archaia and Jim Henson Company Announce First Fraggle Rock Comics
“All of us at Archaia are so proud of how Fraggle Rock is turning out,” said Stephen Christy, Director of Development for Archaia. “We’re taking a lot of unique approaches with this series, from launching it in our popular 8” x 8” Mouse Guard format to bringing in incredibly talented indie creators such as Jeffrey Brown, creator of Incredible Change-Bots, and Jeremy Love, creator of Bayou, to share their visions of this classic Jim Henson Company creation. We’re working very hard to make sure this book is a fresh take for fans of the show and will also appeal to new audiences, and I’m excited that readers will be able to fully dive into the world of Fraggle Rock with issue #1 in April and our Free Comic Book Day special in May!”

Olivia Wilde to star opposite Daniel Craig in ‘Cowboys and Aliens’
Olivia Wilde is in negotiations to star opposite Daniel Craig in the sci-fi Western “Cowboys & Aliens,” which Jon Favreau is directing for DreamWorks Studios. Wilde will play a character named Ella who joins up with mysterious gunslinger in an unlikely uprising against an alien invasion.

‘I, Frankenstein’: a monster mash from ‘Underworld’ creators
Lakeshore, the production-financing outfit behind the “Underworld” movie series, is readying what it hopes will be its next action-horror franchise, “I, Frankenstein.” The company has preemptively picked up the script for the comic book adaptation. The project has “Underworld” roots. It’s based on a comic from “Underworld” co-creator Kevin Grevioux, who wrote the script for “Frankenstein,” and “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans” helmer Patrick Tatopoulos is attached to direct. The project brings together classic monster characters — including the Frankenstein monster, the Invisible Man, Dracula and the Hunchback of Notre Dame — in a contemporary film noir setting.

Aaron Johnson is “Kick-Ass”
“Jane [Goldman], the writer on this, and Mark Millar and Matthew really kind of created the end of the comic. I think Mark Millar had a different ending for the comic, but they’ve pulled together to make it work for the comic and the movie. So it’s kind of cool that we’re going to be sticking to the comic. I know with “Wanted,” when I read it, it was miles away – completely different from the movie. It would be really great, if we stick to the comic book.”

Kevin Feige on Upcoming Marvel Studios Films
“It’s fun now, and we’re introducing some new characters in [’Iron Man 2’],” he said. “But it’s not about just cramming in lots of new people; that’s sort of the cardinal sin of the sequel – adding in too many characters. This is totally Tony Stark’s story. And that’s gonna weave into Thor’s story, and Steve Rogers’ story, and it’s already ingrained with Nick Fury’s story and an organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Andrea Romano Discusses Directing All-Star Voices on “Justice League: Crisis on Earth Two”
Romano has been one of the driving forces in animation voiceovers for more than a quarter century, amassing a list of credits that range from dramatic (Batman: The Animated Series) to silly (Animaniacs) to hip (The Boondocks) and timeless (Smurfs). The six-time Emmy Award winner (and 20-time nominee) has not only set the standard by which industry veterans measure the art, but she has become a household name to animation fans across the globe, regularly drawing standing ovations and endless applause during her annual Con appearances.

‘White Collar’ Actor Recalls Brief Time As Brett Ratner’s Superman
“I actually screen-tested for Superman, and there was a time when Brett Ratner and I were going to work together on it,” Matthew Bomer recounted. “That particular incarnation of that franchise sort of fell apart, and then it became a whole different beast. I was in full tights,” he laughed when asked how much of the costume he had donned for his screen test. “I was rocking the tights, the speedo, all of it. It was really surreal,” he added. “As a kid, you grow up idolizing superheroes, and to be in that garb was really fun and surreal and humbling. … It was a really great experience, and one that I’m really thankful for. I got to live out a childhood fantasy, if only for the period of the screen test.”

Zac Efron to star in spy thriller from Marvel scribe Brian Michael Bendis
The studio has picked up the rights to the graphic novel “Fire” by Brian Michael Bendis. Zac Efron is attached to star and will exec produce. Written and drawn by Bendis, the story centers on a college student who is inducted into a special CIA project that tests whether training ordinary citizens to be agents can be successful. Bendis is also on board to write the adaptation.

‘Thor’ To Be More Science Than Fantasy, Says Marvel Studios President
“We’re not doing the blow-the-dust-off-of-the-old-Norse-book-in-your-library ‘Thor,’” said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. “And in the ‘Thor’ of the Marvel Universe, there’s a race called the Asgardians. And we’re linked through this Tree of Life that we’re unaware of. It’s real science, but we don’t know about it yet. The ‘Thor’ movie is about teaching people that.”

Robert Downey Jr. On ‘Avengers’ Quality Vs. Scheduling And Tony Stark’s ‘Iron Man 2′ Mindset
“[Avengers is] the pinnacle, but only if it’s done in the smartest and best and most creatively sound way possible,” he said. “And I’m not saying we can’t get there. I’m just saying it would be better to get there and not stay on schedule than to get everyone what they were hoping for in terms of a release date but not do it correctly. And by correctly, I mean my way,” he laughed.

Did Avatar Completely Rip Off An Obscure British Comic Called Firekind?
Only someone who came into existence three seconds ago could deny the twin influences of Halo: Combat Evolved and Ferngully: The Last Rainforest on James Cameron’s xenobestial masterpiece Avatar. But could Cameron’s inspirations lie deeper? It’s a classic tale – boy goes to a lush planet with toxic atmosphere, floating rocks and dragons, going native with the blue skinned natives, resisting marauding colonialists and rallying the nature god of the planet to go forth and destroy. Unfortunately, it was the plot to Firekind, a comic book series published in British sci-fi anthology 2000ad (home to Judge Dredd) in 1993.

Sgt. Rock’ reloads as movie project — but not as a WWII story
“I’m really close on that now,” Silver said of the “Sgt. Rock” film. “What we’ve done is gone back to it and we’ve done a new draft that actually came in this week. We have a shot at that one now. I feel good about it. That one might happen. It’s a little bit in the future,” Joel Silver said of the setting. “As a war movie, it’s not going to be ‘where it’s been,’ it’s going to be ‘where it’s going.’ We didn’t want to do Iraq, we didn’t want to do a contemporary war. We wanted to do a sort of futuristic war. It’s pretty strong. Chad St. John wrote the script and we’ve got Francis Lawrence involved in developing it with us. It’s not a ‘go’ movie yet but I’m feeling good about it.”

Brandon Routh is Hanging with CHUCK and SCOTT PILGRIM
I play Todd Ingram in [Scott Pilgrim]. The film stars Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim, and he has to defeat seven evil exes of Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s character, in order to continue dating her. The seven exes basically challenge Michael, and I play one of them. I’m a vegan rock star with a blonde wig. Because I’m vegan, I have these special powers, the power of telekinesis. So, I end up having this huge bass battle with Michael Cera, as we’re playing dueling bass guitars, and I throw him around telekinetically threw walls and such. And my blonde wig becomes a faux-hawk whenever I use my powers, and then flattens back down when I’m not using them.

Meanwhile, Back at The Hall of Justice…

• Zack Whedon Talks ‘Terminator’ Comics, Reveals Issue #3 Cover
• Former ‘Green Lantern’ Rumor Target Ryan Gosling Explains Why Superhero Movies Aren’t For Him
• Cliff Chiang teams with actress Helen Slater for a Supergirl story
• Matthew Vaughn Makes a “Kick-Ass” Movie
• ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World’ Gets Official Release Date
• ‘Priest’ Director Reveals His Vampires’ Origins And Creator Min-Woo Hyung’s Role In The Film
• Guy Ritchie sets aside ‘Lobo’ to make ‘Sherlock Holmes’ sequel
• Ryan Reynolds And ‘Deadpool’ Screenwriters Collaborate ‘Every Single Day’
• Brian Pulido Makes Directorial Debut with The Graves
• Jackie Earle Haley Talks “Human Target”
• Stan Lee Talks About Spider-Man Reboot & Iron Man 2
• Jonathan Ross starts new career as comic book author
• ‘Kick-Ass’ Star Aaron Johnson Says Sequel ‘Would Be Great,’ Confesses To Being Comics Newbie
• ‘Incredible Hulk’ Director Explains What It Would Take For Edward Norton To Return As Bruce Banner
• Anna Kendrick Says ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Is A Combination Of ‘Ferris Bueller’ And ‘Kill Bill’
• Robert Pattinson Comic Book Gets A New Cover And Preview Page!
• David Beckham Biographical Comic Kicks Off
• Smallville: Green Arrow’s Future
• Smallville Casting Exclusive: Odessa Rae Joins as DC Villain

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.

Frell! Farscape creator teases us about comics, webisodes
Farscape creator Rockne S. O’Bannon has a Twitter feed, and he’s been busy updating it with teasers for his comic book and the much-anticipated webisode sequel series: @Rockne_S: This weekend was dedicated Farscape comic story writing time. Delivered pages for the next 4-issue arc. What are those frelling PKs up to?! … Farscape webisodes: yes still a possibility. But like always with FS, the deal-making is a very slow grind. Frustratingly slow!

U.K.’s supernatural Being Human scares up a third season
Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow and Aidan Turner are announced to return for a third series of critically acclaimed hit BBC Three drama Being Human, as the supernatural friends trying to live normal lives despite their unusual afflictions. The popular drama made by Touchpaper Television, part of the RDF Media Group, will see the housemates relocate from their current home in Bristol to Wales – a move triggered by events in the dramatic climax of the second series (to be shown in February).

NBC renews ‘Parks and Rec’ for third season
Early pickup was done solely for production reasons
NBC has renewed “Parks and Recreation” for a third season. The early pickup was done strictly for production reasons to lock in actors’ schedules, a rep for NBC said, stressing that the sole pickup for the sophomore comedy in no means reflects on the renewal chances of NBC’s other Thursday comedies.

Bello, Crowe, Beaufoy team at HBO
Actress to star in drama ‘Emergency Sex’
Maria Bello has teamed with Oscar winners Simon Beaufoy and Russell Crowe for a series project in the works at HBO. Bello is set to star in the drama “Emergency Sex,” inspired by the book “Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures: A True Story From Hell on Earth,” by Kenneth Cain, Heidi Postlewait and Andrew Thomson, the project revolves around the larger-than-life exploits of expatriate nongovernment-organization workers who find their sanity tested in the face of atrocities, loneliness and primal desires.

HBO eyes biopic about anti-gay activist
‘Sex and the City’ creator to direct film about Anita Bryant
HBO is developing a biopic of former beauty queen, singer and celebrity pitchwoman Anita Bryant, who is known mostly for her work as an anti-gay activist. “Sex and the City” creator Darren Star is on board to direct the film, which is being written by “Runaway” creator Chad Hodge. Star also is executive producing with Dennis Erdman. “She is a fascinating person on every single level,” said Hodge, who has a connection to Bryant — they both attended Northwestern. “The twists and turns of her life are incredible.”

NBC picks up ‘The Cape,’ ‘Outsourced’
Superhero drama and office comedy pilots greenlighted
BC on Thursday picked up two more pilots: hourlong “The Cape” and the comedy “Outsourced.” “Cape” is a light drama with a comic book sensibility. Set in a fictionalized version of Los Angeles, it centers on a former cop framed for a crime who becomes the Cape, a masked hero, to clear his name and reunite with his son. Based on George Wing and John Jeffcoat’s indie movie, “Outsourced” is comedy centered on a recently demoted manager of a novelties company who is shipped off to India to manage a ragtag group of customer service reps.

9 secrets from the set of Caprica
According to Paula Malcomson, Ron Moore is just as crazy as Deadwood creator David Milch, he just doesn’t show it. “Dave is outwardly insane, and Ron is inwardly insane,” she explained.

Spoilers! Werewolf rage and nudity due on Vampire Diaries
The CW’s Vampire Diaries returned last week to pay off the pre-holiday cliffhanger, and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) took Elena (Nina Dobrev) on a road trip, Elena finally confronted Stefan (Paul Wesley) about looking exactly like his ex, Katherine. Now the show builds up to the season finale, and you won’t know what’s coming even if you read all the books on which the show is based. (Spoilers ahead!)

New ‘Nikita’ set for CW
Net also orders drama from ‘Gilmore Girls’ creator
The network has picked up two pilots: an update of the 1990s action thriller “La Femme Nikita” and a family drama from “Gilmore Girls” creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. “Nikita” will give the CW its first nonsupernatural action drama. In this version, Nikita goes rogue, and a new assassin is trained to replace her. McG (“Terminator Salvation,” “Human Target”) will executive produce the “Nikita” remake with Peter Johnson and Craig Silverstein (episodes of “Bones,” “K-Ville”), who will write and executive produce. “CSI” director Danny Cannon has signed on to helm the pilot.

Syfy updating fairy tales for movie franchise
Putting new twists on Hansel and Gretel, Red Riding Hood
The network is airing five titles that give a contemporary twist on a classic story, from Hansel & Gretel (years after escaping the witch in the haunted forest, Hansel returns seeking revenge) to Little Red Riding Hood (a descendant of Little Red discovers her family secretly hunts werewolves). The series is partly inspired by the network’s mandate to find projects with broader appeal that began in earnest last year with the network’s rebranding from Sci Fi to Syfy. Syfy’s Saturday movies continue to be one of the last bastions of regularly produced made-for-TV movies. Each film is typically an international co-production made with a budget of about $2 million and shot on 35mm film. Syfy works with about 10 indie studios, which also distribute the titles on DVD. Each tends to average about 1.8 million viewers Saturdays during the network’s twice-monthly original airings.

George Lucas producing a CGI musical! Featuring … fairies?
George Lucas is tackling his first musical. The untitled, top-secret CGI-animated film is in preproduction at Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in Marin County. Kevin Munroe is directing the CGI film, which is expected to feature music from a variety of sources. Munroe hails from the animated world and made his directorial debut in 2007 with the fourth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, “TMNT.” He recently wrapped production on his live-action debut, the adaptation of the “Dead of Night” comic that stars Brandon Routh and Taye Diggs.

John Barrowman set to play villain in Desperate Housewives
John Barrowman is heading to Hollywood to play the ‘bad guy’ on TV hit Desperate Housewives. The Torchwood and Dr Who star will guest star in several episodes on the long-running show about the goings on in fictional Wisteria Lane. He will be the show’s main villain in the last section of the current season, series six. Episodes featuring Barrowman will be broadcast in the America later in the Spring and around May/ June in the UK.

15 weird roles Lost’s actors had before they became stars
Everybody had to start somewhere—even the cast of Lost. Before the series, which begins its sixth and final season Tuesday, propelled its cast to mega-stardom, the actors and actresses put in their share of grunt work doing cameos, walk-ons, bit parts and those always-embarrassing commercials.

Spouses set for ‘Human’
Fricke, Carver to oversee Syfy’s adaptation of Brit hit
Husband-and-wife writing team Anna Fricke and Jeremy Carver have signed on to oversee Syfy’s adaptation of Brit hit “Being Human.” Fricke and Carver will exec produce and serve as showrunners on “Being Human,” which already has a 13-episode order lined up at Syfy. “Being Human” centers on three twentysomething roomies who navigate their double lives as a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf. Production begins this spring on “Being Human.”

But Wait, There’s More…

• ABC picks up ‘It Takes a Village’ pilot
• Matthew Broderick headed to TV
• Caprica’s naughty hot nun reveals her secrets
• ABC orders ‘How to Be a Better American’
• OWN picks up Sundance doc ‘Family Affair’
• Fox to ‘Past Life’: You know what? Just forget it…
• ABC Family picks up ‘Melissa & Joey’
• Allison Janney books ‘Sunshine’
• TBS picks up ‘Glory Daze’
• Two actors join ‘Awkward Situations’ pilot
• Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci ink TV deal
• David Spade, TBS set for animated ‘Joe Dirt’
• NBC, Conan O’Brien back in business
• ABC cancels ‘Ugly Betty’
• Outrage: Sal Not Returning for Mad Men’s Fourth Season
• CBS picks up spec from ‘HIMYM’ creators
• Spike TV revives ‘Man Show’ (but isn’t calling it that)
• Martin Henderson joins ABC’s ‘Off the Map’
• Fox greenlights Ron Howard pilot
• ‘Criminal Minds’ spinoff may star Forest Whitaker
• Playhouse Disney sails with ‘Jake’
• ABC Family orders dramas

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.

Want The Early Word On AVATAR 2? I’ve Got Some News For Ya… WAR Is Coming…
Just what is being discussed right now? Well for one, what we saw in AVATAR’s finale was just a battle. AVATAR 2 will be full blown war. War is coming – Jim Cameron war that is! We know that Cameron and Landau are taking AVATAR sequels OFF of Pandora.

From Paris with Love Director Pierre Morel Dishes on Dune
“I’m a huge Dune fan, a reader, like for 30 years; I read it when I was a teenager. I’ve read it 10 times maybe, so I want to stay true to the book. Saying that, I also think that there’s a lot of scenes that are not described in the books—it’s just mentioned, like the bad guys attacking something—and it might make sense to include those in the movie, not just by mentioning it but showing them, and that would maybe [call for] some action scenes, yes. It’s not about action. It’s not the point. It’s not about [making] an action movie. It’s just doing Dune. It’s like a huge universe thing, and there’s such a fanbase, like guys who have been reading that forever—you can’t mess with that.”

Razzies: Who’s worse, Transformers 2 or Land of Lost?
In advance of tomorrow’s Oscar nominations, the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation has released its nominees for the worst movies of the year, led by Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, with seven nods, including worst director, worst picture, worst screen couple and worst actress (the lovely but scary Megan Fox).

Will The Next Bourne Be A Prequel?
Matt Damon says it could be
There’ll probably be a prequel of some kind with another actor and another director before we do another one, just because I think we’re probably another five years away from doing it – we’ve got to get a script…

‘Flight of the Conchords’ co-creator will direct Disney’s Muppet movie
HBO’s “Flight of the Conchords” co-creator James Bobin has decided it’s time to sing the music and it’s time to light the lights, signing on to direct Disney’s new Muppet movie. Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller wrote the new Muppet project. Segal is described as a “Muppet freak” by those close to him, with paraphernalia from the Jim Henson show all over his pad. Plot details are being kept secret, but Bobin is expected to bring a musical sensibility to the project.

Olivia Newton-John to play hockey mom
Canadian drama ‘Score: A Hockey Musical’
Olivia Newton-John (“Grease,” “Glee”) is set to star in “Score: A Hockey Musical,” Michael McGowan’s music-driven drama about Canada’s national sport. Newton-John and Canadian songwriter Marc Jordan will play the highbrow parents of a teen hockey phenom who goes from zero to hero on the ice in a matter of weeks. Newton-John and Jordan will also co-write and perform a song for the Canadian indie movie’s end credits. Mongrel Media plans a late 2010 Canadian theatrical release.

Why Mel Gibson won’t appear in Mad Max 4
On the plans for a fourth “Mad Max” film: “I’m glad [franchise director George] Miller is making it, and it’s going to be the best one. I’m not going to be in it, that’d be corny.”

Mel Gibson: The shadow in his smile
The actor is back in theaters after a long break — and a very publicized breakdown. Will moviegoers welcome his return?
“I felt ham-fisted,” Gibson said, plainly embarrassed. “[M. Night Shyamalan] told me I was just doing too much. I looked around, though, and I was the oldest guy on the set [of ‘Signs’] and I felt like the least sophisticated. I decided I needed to rethink everything. I got into this, all of this, because I wanted to be good. I walked away because I don’t know that I was bringing much new to anything. It could be argued that I’m not bringing anything new to it in this film, but I would argue that I did. Another seven or eight years of living informs the choices one makes.”

‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ coming in 3D!
Warner Bros. will release the next two “Harry Potter” films in 3D, a move underscoring the post-”Avatar” rush for extra-dimensional boxoffice. Studio executives on lots around town have been scrutinizing film slates for opportunities to expand forays into 3D releasing. Warners has been testing footage from its upcoming “Clash of the Titans” — converted into 3D by an outside vendor — and the tests have gone so well that execs have decided to release not only “Titans” but also the two-part “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” in 3D.

Michael Bay on where Transformers 3 will rampage
Writing on his personal blog, the director says: Busy scouting – Chicago, Detroit, and Washington D.C. for Transformers last week. Things are going well. The script is feeling very different from the other two. I ended my scout down in Miami this weekend to load my plane with 14 Florida Surgeons, specialists in various fields and flew them down to Haiti.

Keanu Reeves Heads to Space With a Director
Gabriele Muccino is nearing final talks to take over directing duties for Passengers, a sci-fi romance that’s being produced by Keanu Reeves and Stephen Hamel’s Company Films. Written by Jon Spaihts, Passengers has been descibed as “a love story set on a spaceship” and will star Reeves in a role that’s sure to make full use of his three emotions, considering that he plays a man prematurely awakened from a cryogenic sleep.

Producer Graham King Interview: Talks EDGE OF DARKNESS, DARK SHADOWS, and THE TOURIST
While you may not recognize the name Graham King, you’ve seen some of the movies he’s produced like The Departed, The Aviator, Traffic, and Blood Diamond.  Also, with over a dozen projects listed in development on IMDb, he’s clearly positioning himself as a producer to follow. Collider recently got to sit down with him and discussed not only his latest project, but all the other things he has in development like Dark Shadows, The Tourist, Rum Diaries, Rango, London Boulevard , The Town, and Mel Gibson’s Viking movie.

Mel Gibson reteaming with Shane Black for Universal spy thriller
Mel Gibson is in negotiations to reteam with his “Lethal Weapon” scribe Shane Black for Universal’s spy thriller “Cold Warrior.” Black, directing his second movie after “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” is tackling a tale in which a Cold War spy (Gibson) comes out of retirement to confront a domestic terrorism threat from Russia by teaming up with a younger agent. Charles Mondry wrote the script.

Nicholas Hoult joins ‘Mad Max’ movie
Zoe Kravitz, two others in talks to walk ‘Fury Road’
Nicholas Hoult is walking “Fury Road,” the new “Mad Max” movie from series writer-director George Miller. The movie is set a short while after the story detailed in 1985’s “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome,” which keeps Mad Max, the character originated by Mel Gibson, relatively young. Details are being kept quiet, but it is known that Hoult’s character is named Nux. Kravitz, whose character’s name is Five Wives, Palmer and Clemens are in a convoy being chased by bad guys.

The Cutting Room Floor

• ‘The Freebie’ picked up by Phase 4, Sundance title stars Katie Aselton, Dax Shepard
• ‘Little Fockers’ release date shifts to Dec.
• Weinstein Co. picks up ‘Blue Valentine’, stars Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling
• New Evidence That Frank Herbert Loved David Lynch’s Version of Dune
• James Cameron to H.R. Giger: I’m sorry
• Ti West scares up ‘Innkeepers’, haunted hotel pic
• Cooper’s Town announces film slate, ‘Well,’ ‘Crumpacker’
• Trek’s Quinto calms fears that he’s leaving the franchise
• ‘Twelve’ inks deal at Sundance, ‘Hesher’ scores a U.S. home at film festival
• Scribe to tell ‘Story’, Universal taps Broyles to adapt from novel
• 3D ‘Toads’ has Sundance hopping
• Warner Bros. Hires a Mortal Writer for Kombat
• Saw VI Director Sounds Thrilled About Future Of Series
• Interview: The Cast Of Edge Of Darkness
• Phase 4 acquires ‘Hugh Hefner’, Distrib nabs domestic rights to Berman’s doc
• Requa, Ficarra to helm Carell comedy, ‘Phillip Morris’ directing duo set for
• Louis Mellis to write ‘Princess’ Gangster’
• MUTANTS Synopsis, Artwork And Release Date
• DreamWorks nabs ‘Eat, Sleep, Poop’
• Romantic role for Ginnifer Goodwin, in talks for ‘Something Borrowed’
• Bollywood pic to preem on YouTube
• Banderas, Paxton set for ‘Knockout’
• Cyrus, Moore circle ‘L.O.L.’
• Casting ‘Castro’s Daughter’
• Web Series Tied to ‘Blade Runner’ Is In the Works

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.

Only this time, you’re the Big Daddy, the little sisters are even creepier, and there’s a Big Sister out there who looks to be a very dangerous foe indeed!

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

What do you think?  Are the splicers and Big Daddies still creepy as hell? Is Rapture still as amazing?  or have we gotten waterlogged? feedback and let us know!

• Oscars
• Razzies
• Sgt. Rock
• Judge Dread
• iPad
• Underworld 4
• SA, What the Hell!
• Bioshock 2
• AvP 2
• More 3D
• Teen Wolf
• Asterix and Obelix 4
• Avatar
• Chuck
• Dr Who – Darlecks
• Smallville
• Toads the Conquest
• Young Justice
• Parsec
• Fast & Furious 5
• Sandman
• 3D Porn
• Smurfs

Tracks Covered

Song	Source
Deep	Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
You Know What You Are?	Doom
Closer	The Hitcher & Se7en
Every Day is Exactly the Same	Wanted
Into the Void	Final Destination
DEAD SOULS	The Crow

My initial enthusiasm for the film was tempered by this trailer and its extremely cheap looking sets and overuse of tacky CGI… the costumes just seem a bit over-colourful and thus far, not much plot is in evidence. So, if this going to be another Van Damme – Streetfighter, another Legend of Chun Li, or another Mortal Kombat?  For that matter, which one is worse?

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

So, will Heihachi have three foot tall hair?  Will Paul Phoenix have 5 foot tall hair?  Will they have big hair at all?  Will Yoshimitsu stab himself in his special-move or will this movie do the same? Feedback damnit and let us know!

I’ve not read the comics on which director Sam Lui’s animated feature is based, but that didn’t stop me from understanding where the film was going.  Planet Hulk hits the ground running with The Hulk (Rick D. Wasserman) waking up on a S.H.I.E.L.D. spacecraft, where a holographic display from Iron Man explains that they’ve decided that his rage and destruction is too much of a liabitiy to be left unchecked on Earth, and that he’s been sent to a distant planet devoid of intelligent life, but rich in vegetation and wildlife where he can’t hurt anyone else.

The Hulk of course becomes enraged (as he’s known to do, hence the whole exile thing) and destroys his immediate surroundings, throwing the ship off course and into a wormhole that spits him out over the planet Sakaar.  He crash lands and is immediately attacked by the natives, a group of insectoid creatures who he’s in the process of thoroughly thrashing when the servants of the Red King arrive, claiming the Hulk as property of The Emperor.

The Hulk is transported to the gladiatorial arena in a large transport, and we met some of his fellow captives along the way, including a disgraced Imperial named Lavin (Michael Kopsa), Elloe (Advah Soudack), an outcast insectoid named Miek (Sam Vincent) and a large Thing-esque rock creature named Korg (Kevin Michael Richardson), all of whom are destined to battle in the arena alongside our green-skinned ‘hero’.  Lavin does his best to rally his fellow slaves in a battle formation to try and survive the coming battle, but The Hulk isn’t having any of this, so while his fellow captives try to fight as one he makes for a nearby gate to attempt escape.

Hulk eventually makes to attack the Red King (Mark Hildreth) himself, but is distracted by a creature released into the arena for a short time, which he knocks unconscious.  Hulk attacks the Red King and his guard Caiera (Lisa Ann Beley), revealing himself to be more than just the average threat before being blasted unconscious. The gladiators mourn on of their fallen after the battle, which fills in back story on several of the characters, even revealing that Korg and his brothers had faced both Thor and Beta Ray Bill in battle in the past before ending up on Sakaar.

Having barely survived their first battle in the arena, disgraced former priest Hiroim (Liam O’Brien) begs Hulk to stand with them, and when he does he naturally proves to be a formidable warrior.  Hiroim notices that the Hulk’s spilled blood sprouts vegetation almost immediately when it hits the ground, which he thinks may hint at the Hulk being the Sakaarian, the prophesied savior of their world.

Caiera speaks privately with the Hulk, recounting the arrival of poisonous spores that’d threatened to destroy her people, and the fact that the Red King (only a child at the time) had saved her, which explains her loyalty to him.  She tries to get the Hulk to leave in an escape attempt by the resistance members who oppose the King that will free Elloe and others, but the Hulk stubbornly insists that he’ll stay and see if the Red King can kill him on his own.

There are more surprises and betrayals yet to come, as well as a surprise guest that I wasn’t expecting, but as I said earlier, I’m not familiar with the source material.

Planet Hulk hits DVD and Blu-ray courtesy of Lions Gate in a loaded 2 disc package that contains 2 commentary tracks, one from director Lui, Character Designer Philip Bourassa and Key Background Painter Steve Nicodemus, the second from Supervising Producer Joshua Fine and Screenwriter Greg Johnson.  Next up are 2 featurettes: A ‘making of’ called A Whole World Of Hurt: The Making Of Planet Hulk and Let the Smashing Commence! The Saga of Planet Hulk.   A Spider-Woman: Agent of Sword Motion Comic, an Astonishing X-Men: Gifted Motion Comic, 2 music videos, a Wolverine & the X-Men “Wolverine vs. Hulk” Episode round out the first disc, and a digital copy of the film is included as the second disc of the set.

Planet Hulk is a fun, breezy little watch, you don’t need to know a lot of history about the character to jump right into things, and the supporting cast is sufficiently fleshed out on the fly as we’re getting to know the Hulk’s new surroundings.  The animation is smooth and fluid, and the Blu-ray presentation that I watched for this review is very sharp.  This is definitely a fun installment in the recent series of Marvel animated features and worth a look for comic fans.

In the parlance of the podcast, I’d give this a definite ‘Cool’.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

A New Cast for Jersey Shore?
Hold that fist pump: TMZ reports that, if the current cast of Jersey Shore doesn’t agree to a deal for a second season by the end of the day on Monday, then they will be replaced. So far, the cast has been united in rejecting MTV’s offer of a $10,000 signing bonus and $10,000 per episode. Apparently, MTV already has a replacement cast lined up, and is willing to sign up individually any cast members who break ranks. The hardest negotiators, TMZ says, are The Situation and Pauly D.

Hustler plans porn versions of ‘Glee,’ ‘Curb,’ ‘Hills’
Hustler Video announced its “much-anticipated” porn parody lineup for 2010-11. It includes parodies of Fox’s “Glee” (Hello, what are they going to sing? Don’t you think obtaining music rights is going to be an issue? What do you mean Hustler couldn’t care less?) and HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (shudder). Also, “I Dream of Jeannie” (finally!), MTV’s “The Hills” (somehow seems even more out-of-date than “Jeannie”) and E!’s “The Soup” (huh). This is the same company that just released “Nailin Palin.”

Fox back in tune with ‘Lyrics’
Game show to return as cable syndie series
Fox’s Twentieth Television is reviving the game show “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” as a cable/first-run syndie series. Half-hour show will air Monday-Friday on VH1 and in first-run on Fox OandOs in the top 10 markets. It will also air weekly on Fox’s MyNetworkTV broadcast block. Series, from RDF Media, will be hosted by Mark McGrath.

Americana with laughs
Larry the Cable Guy to host History show
History is going for a dose of Americana and a dollop of laughs in a new series fronted by Larry the Cable Guy. Cabler has ordered 13 segs of an hourlong skein featuring the Blue Collar Comedy star visiting iconic American sites. He’ll also shine a spotlight on people with uniquely American jobs, lifestyles and hobbies.

More Horsemen

• Jeremy Kyle bringing U.K. talk show to U.S.
• CKX expects to extend ‘Idol’ deal with Fox
• Avatar Porn
• Simon Cowell, Sony ink global joint venture
• Shine cooks up ‘MasterChef’ deals
• ‘Bad Girls Club’ packs for Miami, Oxygen series renewed for fifth season
• AECG takes Variety to TV, develop series based on brand

Business of the Business

Report: US military going rogue for online content
According to a report, US soldiers stationed oversees can’t get online movies and music from legitimate services because of IP address blocks intended to control the way that foreigners access US media. As a result, many uniformed military members have supposedly pleaded with the RIAA and MPAA to get involved and help them out. Allegedly, these pleas have been ignored, and military members are coordinating a “campaign” to download as much music and movies as possible from BitTorrent and other P2P software clients.

Nielsen to combine TV, online ratings
‘Extended Screen’ will help measure Web audience
The major broadcast and cable nets should take a big step forward in monetizing Internet viewing of full-length programs this fall. That’s when Nielsen intends to introduce a service that will combine TV and online viewing of shows into a single rating. There’s one wrinkle to the Nielsen rating plan, however, that could spur a major change in the way nets offer programs online. For Web viewing to be included in what Nielsen is calling its “Extended Screen” reporting service, the online episodes have to carry the exact same commercials that run in a TV telecast. For the past few years, online airings of TV shows typically have carried a quarter or fewer of the spots included in a traditional TV airing, and the online runs often draw different sponsors. At present, Nielsen’s new service would not factor in online viewing done via Hulu, which has become the dominant online vid service for full-length segs, nor would it capture viewing done via ABC.com or other net websites.

Jupiter bows Japan’s first 3D TV service
Sky Perfectv may start 3D operation in summer
Japan’s largest cabler Jupiter Telecommunications will launch 3D broadcasts in April, company sources have revealed. The move is a first for the Japanese broadcast biz. The 3D services will be on-demand, featuring pics, sports, music and other programming, both foreign and domestic. Various sources will supply the content, including pic distribs and specialized channels.

Australian box office breaks record
U.S. pics take 83% of territory’s $1 billion total
Coming in at A$1.09 billion ($1 billion), the 2009 Australian box office achieved a record high, with U.S. pics accounting for 83% of the total. U.K. films came a distant second with 9%, while Aussie films accounted for a decent 5% of the overall takings, according to figures released by the Motion Picture Distributors Assn. of Australia. After a few dismal years of around 3%-to-4%, the result for local pics is the best showing since 2001, when they grabbed 8% of B.O. due to Baz Luhrmann’s “Moulin Rouge,” Anthony LaPaglia starrer “Lantana” and helmer Mark Joffe’s “The Man Who Sued God.”

WWE parts ways with Fox, Lionsgate
Studio inks deal with Samuel Goldwyn, Vivendi
After setting up films at Lionsgate and 20th Century Fox over the last decade, Vince McMahon, the chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment is taking full control over the distribution of the company’s future slate of movies, inking a deal with Samuel Goldwyn Films to oversee theatrical releases, while Vivendi Entertainment will handle pics across various homevideo formats in North America. As part of the move, WWE Studios, the company’s film arm, will finance and produce nine movies through 2012, that it can fully own and exploit in theaters, on homevideo, through licensing deals and eventually on its own WWE TV network that it wants to launch.

Minutae

• NBC Uni profits down 30%
• Overture under pressure, Projects put on hold as Liberty conducts review
• What Apple tablet means for Hollywood
• Microsoft sues TiVo over vid, program display
• Sony signs Swedish VOD deal with Voddler
• Hi-TV dips into Cookie Jar, Mexican kids to get access to Canuck content
• GE earnings drop 19% in fourth quarter

Planet of the Odd

Pernell Roberts, ‘Bonanza’ and ‘Trapper John’ star, dies
Actor Pernell Roberts, who played the eldest Cartwright brother in TV’s “Bonanza,” died at his Malibu, California, home Sunday at 81, his lawyer said. Younger TV viewers may remember Roberts from the lead role in “Trapper John, M.D.,” a medical drama that aired on CBS for seven years, ending in 1986.

‘Guys & Dolls’ star Jean Simmons dies
Actress succumbs to lung cancer at age 80
Jean Simmons, the lovely, ethereal film star who played Ophelia to Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet, sang with Marlon Brando in “Guys and Dolls” and costarred with Gregory Peck, Paul Newman and Kirk Douglas, has died. She 80. Simmons, who won an Emmy Award for her role in the 1980s miniseries “The Thorn Birds,” died Friday at her home in Santa Monica, her agent Judy Page told the Los Angeles Times. Simmons had lung cancer.

Radio Canada doing social media experiment
Reporters will be isolated from traditional media for five days
Radio Canada radio journalist Janic Tremblay is about to find out just how much news you can find on Facebook and Twitter, without access to traditional TV, radio or print media sources. Tremblay, a reporter with Canada’s public broadcaster, will participate along with four other French-speaking radio reporters in “Behind Closed Doors on the Net,” an experiment from Feb. 1-5 in which the journalists will be sealed off in a French farmhouse in Perigord and using only social media to uncover the news.

Forbes lists biggest flops of last five years
‘All the King’s Men,’ ‘The Express’ lead the field
Sean Penn delivered “one of his greatest screen performances” as Willie Stark in “All the King’s Men,” according to The Hollywood Reporter’s review of the film in 2006. Nevertheless, the Sony Pictures film earned just $9 million at the worldwide boxoffice. Factor in its $55 million production budget and it amounts to Hollywood’s biggest flop of the past five years, according to the prolific listmakers at Forbes magazine.

The ‘true story’ of how Dr. King kept Uhura on Star Trek
Nichelle Nichols: One of the organizers came up to me and said that there was someone who wants to meet you; and he says that he’s you’re best, biggest fan and I’m thinking it’s a Trekkie! [laughs] and so I said certainly and I got up and turned around and maybe 10 or 15 feet coming towards me I see Dr. Martin Luther King and I remember thinking whoever that little fan is, he’s going to have to wait, because here’s Dr. King, who walks straight up to me with this big, magnificent smile on his face and says, “I’m the fan!” because I’m sort of looking around for someone else, and he says, “I am your best fan, I am your biggest fan!” and I… I was at a loss for words, and if you know me, I am never at a loss for words.

Bits and Pieces

• Versace launches fashion line (really) inspired by Tron
• Dennis Hopper files for divorce
• Gordon Ramsay to start Twittering on February 1

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.

• Director: James Cameron
• Writer: James Cameron
• Year of Release: 2009
• Actors: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Michelle Rodriguez
• Genre: Sci-Fi, Action
• Country of Origin: USA

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Martin Campbell Explains How Much Of ‘Green Lantern’ Will Occur In Space
“I don’t know what the percentage is, but there’s quite a bit in space,” said the director. “The initial trip up there, the training sessions he has to go through in order to become a Green Lantern. Then, of course at the end, he goes back up to Oa again … There are a couple of bits [on Earth] in between [the space scenes]. I think there will be enough [of a balance between space and Earth] to satisfy everybody.”

‘Too Cool To Be Forgotten’ Producer Talks Adaptation, Casting And Top Shelf Deal
“What really feels unique about it is that it’s very surprising where the story goes. It takes a genre that we’re familiar with — the whole “I fall asleep and then I wake up and I’m in high school again” thing — and it gives it such an incredible, emotional bang for that experience. It’s something you’ve never really seen in those “17 Again”-type movies. And that’s what we’re shooting for. It has a lot in common with another film I did, “Eternal Sunshine,” where it took another high-concept mechanism and squeezes a much more complicated and emotional story out of it,” said producer Anthony Bregman.

Priest is a future western that pits ‘Jedis’ vs. vampires
“You’ll see: Tokyopop, with Min-woo, created a continuation” comic series, Stewart said. “He had 16 books, but it was kind of a soap opera with no ending. It never continued, so you don’t know where the story goes. And now there are new stories that will be coming. You’ll see how that story dovetails with ours. The Ivan Isaacs character in the Priest comic book is the first prototype Priest. The characters in our movie are what came much later, when the Priests were trained by the church to be like Ivan Isaacs.”

Samuel L. Jackson’s ‘Thor’ Role Is News To Him – ‘Nobody’s Told Me Anything!’
“Nobody’s told me anything,” Jackson laughed when asked about the “Thor” role. “I was reading the trades last week and I saw the cast list. My name was in it, so maybe I am doing something that I don’t know about and I’ll hear about it soon… Since Disney’s bought the franchise, I have no idea what Marvel told them or even if my deal with Marvel is still valid.”

ONE TREE HILL’s Rob Buckley, Geek, Talks Comics
I collected comics as a kid.  And I would say…I thought we’d died out by seventh grade.  But don’t worry.  The nerdery doesn’t stop there.  Oh no.  I think by that time I was well into my magician phase.    So if you add on being a little bit chubby and a little bit awkward, and being in the two worst grades of any young person’s life, seventh and eighth grade.  Add on to that being a magician?  Oh, it’s a recipe for so much social success!  My love for comics…[would] lie dormant until, oddly enough, I got into acting and I went to Comic Con one year.  [laughs]  It was like reuniting with an old flame.  Oh!  I love these things!  And everyone at work makes fun of me.  ‘Oh you got some more comics in the mail today.’  And I’ll be like, ‘They’re called graphic novels!’  Which I suppose is like saying, ‘It’s not a wine cooler.  It’s a flavored alcoholic beverage!’  But it’s like, ‘Listen dude.  You’re drinking a Zima.’  Grab a Fuzzy Navel and come drink with the big boys.

Bendis’s collaborator for FX’s “Powers” pilot revealed
Bendis’s collaborator is none other than Kevin Falls, the man behind NBC’s late, great “Journeyman.” Given how well Falls kept the mythos and storylines of “Journeyman” weaving in and out, he seems like an excellent pick to work on such a complex series as “Powers” is likely to be. I’ve already dropped a line to Mr. Falls’ folks, in hopes of chatting with him about the gig, so keep your fingers crossed just as tightly this time as you did last time. (It worked pretty well, after all.)

‘Incredible Hulk’ Director Says Making Hulk The ‘Avengers’ Villain Is ‘Too Simplistic’
“When you put Thor in Tony Stark’s universe, it’s fantastic,” director Louis Leterrier said. “Then you add the anti-superhero that is Hulk, who’s like, ‘Leave me alone, I don’t want to be a superhero,’ and you tell him, ‘You have to come with us or you have to fight us,’ and then on top of all this you have Captain America, a gung-ho super-soldier who starts doubting himself and his system… and that’s fantastic. You have all these interactions, and that’s just the beginning. Then you have the villains and the enormous potential of these action pieces… I’m first in line to see that stuff,” he laughed.

‘Legion’ Director Reveals Comic Book Easter Eggs And Movie Connections
“What the angels are up to is sort of directly related [to the comic], and the character of Michael makes a reference in the story to the prophets. And that’s why the story is called “Legion: Prophets.” The characters in the film don’t have any idea what the prophets are, and that’s sort of late in the movie, but if you read the comics you’ll start to get a sense of who the prophets are, among other things.”

‘Smallville’ exclusive: Martha Kent returns
Sources confirm to me exclusively that Annette O’Toole has inked a deal to reprise her role as Clark’s mom later this season. Producers are still working out the exact timing of Martha’s reappearance, but a Smallville insider tells me it’ll most likely fall during May sweeps. That same source hints that the mother-son reunion will be rocked by an “unexpected surprise” or two.

‘Iron Man 2′: Jon Favreau reveals his hero’s new secret weapon
“The fact that our hero has no secret identity — that opens up a lot of things for us creatively,” he explains. “Usually the hero is forced to live an even more bifurcated existence between the esteemed persona of the superhero version of himself and the humble or disguised existences of his secret-identity self.”

Chloe Moretz Describes ‘Kick-Ass’ Gunplay… And A Nicolas Cage Scare!
“It was absolutely amazing, and probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” she explained. “It was four months-plus training. Learning how to roll, how to jump over barriers and land on your shoulder. I actually came home one day, and I had a big bruise all the way down my back! It was really fun to do. I learned how to take apart a gun, put it back together, clean it,” grinned the perky tween. “But they’d never let me touch a gun [unless] I checked it first, made sure it was a fake bullet; if it was supposedly clear, I had to check it to [confirm] that it was clear.”

The Edge Says ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark’ Musical ‘Is Going To Happen At Some Point’
“We’re just waiting until all the production issues get resolved,” The Edge told MTV News. “It’s going to happen at some point. It’s really a case of when — that’s the question.” The musician’s comments follow the recent announcement that “Turn Off The Dark” will have its premiere delayed to Fall 2010 after initially planning to open its curtains February 25.

Gordon Talks Scrapped “Ultimate Avengers Versus Ultimate X-Men” Animated Project
Marvel Animation Age caught up with Marvel Animation stalwart Steve E. Gordon to discuss the abandoned Ultimate Avengers Versus Ultimate X-Men direct-to-video animated project. Gordon sat down with Marvel Animation Age to discuss the recently revealed albeit long-since canceled Ultimate Avengers Versus Ultimate X-Men direct-to-video animated project from Marvel Animation. Posting early design work and details of the aborted project on his blog, Gordon states a direct-to-video Ultimate Avengers Versus Ultimate X-Men animated feature was in the early stages of production at Marvel Animation and Lionsgate Home Entertainment before it was scrapped and replaced with what would eventually become the 2009 direct-to-video Hulk Versus animated feature.

John Wagner on new Dredd Movie
I have read the script (by Alex Garland) and seen Jock’s visuals. While I can’t go into detail about the content I can say that it’s high-octane, edge of the seat stuff, and gives a far truer representation of Dredd than the first movie. I hated that plot. It was Dredd pressed through the Hollywood cliché mill, a dynastic power struggle that had little connection with the character we know from the comic.

Meanwhile, Back at The Hall of Justice…

• BOOM! Studios Announces Farscape: Scorpius Ongoing
• James Kyson Lee Talks “Heroes”
• Kate Mara Is Not Bethany Cabe In ‘Iron Man 2,’ Says Her Role Is Very Small
• Ryan Reynolds Says ‘Green Lantern’ Co-Star Blake Lively Will Be ‘Flawless’ As Carol Ferris
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt Had ‘Cool Conversations’ With Marc Webb About ‘Spider-Man’
• Clive Owen on rumours he is playing Kraven in the next Spider-Man
• Edgar Wright Shares ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World’ With His Pals
• Twilight: The Graphic Novel to bow with 350,000-copy first printing
• Sony Offers (500) Days of Summer Director Marc Webb the Next Three Spider-Mans
• ‘Smallville’ is bringing Perry White (a.k.a. Michael McKean) back, too!
• AMC Approves “Walking Dead” Pilot
• Sinestro Might Go Bad After ‘Green Lantern’ Movie… Carol Ferris, Too?
• Clark Gregg’s S.H.I.E.L.D. Crossover In ‘Thor’ And ‘Iron Man 2′ Confirmed

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.

Marvel Animation and Lionsgate Pictures have given us two copies of the upcoming Planet Hulk animated film on DVD to give away to USA readers.

HOW TO ENTER

To win, comment below what historical or fictional figure would you like to see Hulk fight in the Coliseum? For each points, how would the match end and who would win.

Entry Conditions

• Open to anyone living in USA (sorry everyone else).
• Make sure you use a real email address in your comments (or create a profile, which would be better)
• Email addresses and postal information will not be given out to anyone.
• We will email you for your post details if you are a winner.
• Competition closed Friday 5th Feb 2010

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

This one is for the comic freaks. Get to it and you might get a very cool signed poster by one of the coolest artists in comics.

Marvel Animation and Lionsgate Pictures have given us two very cool Planet Hulk signed posters by the amazing artist Alex Ross.

HOW TO ENTER

To win, comment below what 2nd or 3rd string character out of the Marvel vault that you would like to see get the animated film treatment. For additional points, tell us how would voice action him/her/it.

Entry Conditions

• Open to anyone living in USA (sorry everyone else).
• Make sure you use a real email address in your comments (or create a profile, which would be better)
• Email addresses and postal information will not be given out to anyone.
• We will email you for your post details if you are a winner.
• Competition closed Friday 5th Feb 2010

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

This one is for the comic freaks. Get to it and you might get a very cool signed poster by one of the coolest artists in comics.

Purchase Now – Help (Cool) Shite

• Buy Planet Hulk from Amazon.com
• Buy Planet Hulk from Amazon.co.uk

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Who’s confronted and what’s revealed in Fringe season finale
According to consulting producer and director Akiva Goldsman, Walter Bishop (John Noble) will finally face off with his old mad scientist partner, William Bell (Leonard Nimoy), for the two-part Fringe season finale later this year.

Weird Al to Make Live-Action Flick for Cartoon Network
Turns out the deal was inked months ago, but now — with the script in its third draft, though still not officially green lit — Yankovic can finally share a few details about it. ”I’ll be making an appearance in it. Cartoon Network had requested that I develop a show with a much younger protagonist – the actual star of the movie will most likely be teenage.”

True Blood’s Alexander Skarsgård More Naked Than Ever
“Alex is not shy about getting naked at all!” said Preston, who plays Arlene Fowler. “And there will be lots of those kinds of scenes with Alex this season.”

‘Rex Is Not Your Lawyer’ DOA at NBC?
NBC has delayed a verdict on Rex Is Not Your Lawyer, the much-buzzed-about drama pilot starring Doctor Who’s David Tennant. Peacock execs were eyeing Rex to possibly fill one of its post-Jay Leno Show holes at 10 pm this spring. But a source close to the show tells me, “The sets are coming down this week.”

TNT picks up Spielberg’s alien invasion pilot
TNT has picked up three new series — all of its pilots, basically. One of particular interest is an alien invasion project, written by Robert Rodat from an idea he conceived with Steve Spielberg. The untitled project is set shortly after aliens have wiped out most of the human population. Noah Wyle plays the leader of a ragtag group of soldiers and civilians who struggle against the occupying alien force, with Moon Bloodgood, Jessy Schram, Seychelle Gabriel and Maxim Knight co-starring.

Jacob, his nemesis returning to ‘Lost’
Titus Welliver, Mark Pellegrino to appear in final season
With “Lost” fans eager for answers in the final season of the ABC drama, at least one of the show’s mysteries may get resolved: Who is Jacob’s nemesis? Titus Welliver, who played a mysterious character in Season 5, is set to reprise his role in the second part of “Lost’s” sixth season, which premieres Feb. 2. To make things even more suspenseful, also returning for the final season is Mark Pellegrino, who played Jacob. He will appear in at least six episodes of “Lost’s” final, 18-episode season.

Q&A: Anil Kapoor
Bollywood actor talks about his arc on this season’s “24″
Initially I was a bit skeptical but working with the “24” team was wonderful as they took good care of me. The sheer scale of this TV show is bigger than most films. I mean it was definitely bigger than “Slumdog Millionaire” considering that the average budget of one episode of “24” is between $3.5 – $4 million and that the show employs about 350-400 people. So in a sense it was really like working on a major film.

Gene Roddenberry pilot gets deal; ‘Bigger than Trek’?
The son of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry has struck a deal to try and bring one of his late-father’s forgotten projects to TV. Rod Roddenberry has formed an agreement with Imagine Television to develop “The Questor Tapes,” which is based on a 1974 Roddenberry pilot that ultimately aired as a TV movie. The original “Questor” is about an android with incomplete memory tapes who searches for his creator and his purpose.

Adult Swim renews ‘Robot Chicken’
Adds two seasons of the network’s top-rated show
Adult Swim has renewed “Robot Chicken” for an unprecedented two more seasons. That translates into 40 more episodes of “Robot” to air as a fifth and sixth season. The pickup isn’t much of a surprise; the series from Seth Green and Matthew Senreich is currently the network’s top-rated show and performs well on DVD (particularly its “Star Wars” parodies).

Guest stars, plot twists revealed for Chuck (spoilers!)
There’s a lot more guest stars coming up on NBC’s Chuck, which has begun its third season already with guests Angie Harmon and Superman Returns’ Brandon Routh. Routh returns next week, joined by Stone Cold Steve Austin, and former Smallville star Kristin Kreuk shows up in a few weeks. (Spoilers ahead!)

Yay! Primeval’s not extinct anymore; it’s coming back soon
The upcoming new season of Primeval will explore the other side of time travel: So far, the characters have only gone backward, where dinosaurs chase them. “There will be an aspect of the future in it, which is new for us,” series creator Adrian Hodges said. “Well, if you think of the future predators from other series, we’re going to have a kind of variation on that idea. There may also be some human intervention from the future as well.”

‘Supernatural’ spawns Web spinoff
Wonderland, WB TV producing ‘Ghostfacers’
McG’s Wonderland shingle and Warner Bros. TV are plotting a spinoff to the CW’s long-running spooky drama “Supernatural.” But rather than produce it for TV, the new show — “Ghostfacers” — is heading straight for the Internet. “Ghostfacers” reps the latest expansion into the digital studio space for Wonderland, which is producing the “Supernatural” spinoff with Warner Bros. TV’s Studio 2.0. In a twist, “Ghostfacers” will preem on TheWB.com — the interactive/video-on-demand website that emerged from the ashes of the WB television network (where “Supernatural” first bowed). The series will also appear on the CW’s website. Wonderland has already begun production on the project, which will initially run as 10 three-minute episodes.

Is Doctor Who’s new assistant a kissogram?
More details about the character of Matt Smith’s companion in the Tardis emerge…
It was announced a while back that the Doctor’s first regular companion for over a year would be Amy Pond, played by Karen Gillan. But what’s her role in life before she meets the Doctor? Well, according to a report at The Press Association, Amy Pond will be a kissogram.

Jennie Garth moves to Hidden Valley
Thesp hosts Web series from NBC Universal
Jennie Garth is moving from Beverly Hills to Hidden Valley. The thesp, who co-stars in “Beverly Hills, 90210,” hosts “Garden Party,” an original Web series that iVillage is launching this week. It was produced by NBC Universal Digital Studios and the makers of Hidden Valley Ranch dressings, along with Edelman-owned entertainment marketing agency Matter. Series aims to help families incorporate more vegetables into their diets, with Garth celebrating a new veggie each month as she meets farmers, chefs, moms and kids to tour family farms, plant cucumbers at home or visit a kids’ cooking school in order to bring the information to life. Site will also include cookbooks, a meal planner and other elements.

But Wait, There’s More…

• ABC greenlights ‘No Ordinary Family’ and ‘Freshman’
• Josh Schwartz and ‘Hitched’ pilot in at CBS
• ‘How I Met Your Mother’ creators ink new deal with 20th TV
• Joanna Garcia joins ABC’s sisters comedy
• NBC picks up two comedies, Fox adds a drama
• Fox, ABC give out pilot orders to ‘Traffic Light,’ ‘Edgar Floats’ given green light by networks
• Fox greenlights ‘Breakout Kings’
• The 100 questions Lost better answer or we’ll be pissed
• Rob Lowe exiting ‘Brothers & Sisters’
• ABC takes two more pilots, ‘Matadors’ and ‘True Blue’
• TNT picks up three series, incl. ‘Delta Blues’, ‘Rizzoli & Isles’
• Viewers abandon Heroes in droves: Can it be saved?
• British TV import ‘Survivors’ ends the world like nothing you’ve seen before
• Trek’s ‘T’Pol’ turns evil in Legend of the Seeker
• Fox orders comedy pilot ‘Strange Brew’
• NBC picks up comedy pilot ‘The Strip’ from ‘Reno 911’s’ co-creators/stars
• Playwright/TV scribe Theresa Rebeck Showtime’s Broadway TV project
• ABC picks up two drama pilots, ‘Off the Map,’ ‘Body of Evidence’
• Fox, CBS, ABC pick up pilots, ‘Nevermind Nirvana,’ ‘Odds,’ ‘Happy Endings’
• Summit develops ‘Push’ TV series
• Fox readying U.S. version of ‘Torchwood’
• Dr. Horrible 2 has to go now or we’ll lose it for a year
• ABC Family eyeing ‘Huge’, based on young-adult novel set at weight-loss camp
• Politicians urge BBC Worldwide sale, suggests tax breaks for kids’ programs
• Court orders BSkyB to cut ITV stake, must reduce share to 7.5%
• BBC’s science experiment
• Fox enlists Marc Webb to helm pilot, ‘187 Detroit’

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 Worthington To Topline Universal’s Dracula: Year Zero?
This is the day that Universal decides what it is going to make for summer 2011….So there are 14 possible films with 8 needed…Each of the possible 14 are ready to go with scripts and directors…But the craziest one is called DRACULA: YEAR ZERO…This is a period retelling of Dracula…you know who is supposed to play Dracula? Sam Worthington! That’s right, the newly minted “movie star” who everybody paid to see in Avatar…The movie is budgeted at over $100m.

GHOSTBUSTERS Going 3D!
Yes – I have word from one of my top sources that a friend of his at a certain well known effects house (I can’t say who it is, but their initials are ILM) said that GHOSTBUSTERS 3 is proceeding as planned – but – with the added benefit of stereoscopic 3D!

Fox Wins Studio War For Robert Rodriguez’ ‘Machete’; Now His New Filmmaking Home
It was considered the single best thing about [Grindhouses]. Rodriguez’ fake trailer hinted at a good story (Mexican day laborer is set up, double-crossed, and left for dead — then starts everyone’s worst nightmare) and carried an even better catchphrase (“They just fucked with the wrong Mexican.”) Machete’s YouTube video alone has 1.4 million views, which wasn’t lost on Hollywood. The result was 6 studios all very interested in domestic distribution rights to Rodriguez’ latest — Sony, Lionsgate, Warner Bros, Fox, Paramount, and The Weinstein Co.

Gotham Group options ‘Dark Life’
Falls’ underwater adventure generating buzz
The Gotham Group has optioned “Dark Life,” an underwater adventure tome by tyro scribe Kat Falls. Book will be published in May by Scholastic. “Dark Life” is set in a near-future world in which rising ocean levels and natural catastrophes have led some people to homestead on the ocean floor. Story centers on an underwater teenage boy and a surface girl who join forces to uncover a government conspiracy.

Scorsese Makes A Children’s Movie
Martin Scorsese is in talks with GK Films to direct an adaptation of Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The award winning children’s book is set in Paris in the 1930s and centers around the titular character. Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station…when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo’s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo’s dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

Conan’s Father Could Be A Wrestler!!
In other Conan news, after an early draft the script leaked online last year, Andrew Lobel as recently as December did revisions on the script originally penned by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer. From what I was told, Lobel knocked the rewrite out of the park. Formal announcements in the trades should be imminent. But that’s not all… The offer has gone out to Mickey Rourke to play Conan’s dad, CORIN!

‘Stargate Atlantis’ actor Jason Momoa tapped for ‘Conan the Barbarian’
The role was one of the hot parts chased by young male actors, and the choice came down to two: Momoa and Kellan Lutz of “Twilight” fame. After weeks of keeping the two actors on pins and needles, the offer went to Momoa on Thursday. The movie, which sees Conan seek to avenge his slaughtered father and tribe, will shoot in mid-March in Bulgaria.

Screenwriter Craig Titley on Percy Jackson & The Sam Raimi Produced 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
It’s just something that I’ve always loved. It’s mythology that sort of comes from the Joseph Campbell/Carl Jung arena. So it’s comparative religion. It’s mythology. It’s the hero’s journey. It’s narratology, like why do we tell stories the way that we tell them and why we’ve been telling them in the same way since the dawn of time. So it’s a mixed bag of all those things which I just love. I was reading this stuff just for fun before I found out that there was actually a school where I could get a PhD. I kind of did it just for my own edification because I just love learning and I knew that it could not but help make me a better writer. My writing sort of pre-PhD work and post is like two different guys. I was doing ‘Scooby-Doo’ and ‘Cheaper By The Dozen’ and stuff like that and now I’m doing stuff with a little more depth and like ‘20,000 Leagues Under The Sea’ which I did. I’m lucky in that I got to reinvent myself as sort of a big movie writer.

Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Duhamel Attached to New Hellish Pic
Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Duhamel have a new project in early pre-production — and it’s every bit as badass as you’d hope. The film, Sympathy for the Devil, has all the makings of an occult, pulpy hit with Duhamel and Jackson playing humans who have to navigate a battle between heaven and hell. Boaz Yakin of Remember the Titans, is set to direct and a script has already been nailed down. All that’s left to do is sell off the international theatrical and DVD rights in order to get funding and start this ball rolling.

David Tennant to be replaced by Andy Serkis in Lanidis’ BURKE & HARE
The news of the casting switch up came straight from Simon Pegg who tweeted: ”David Tennant had to drop out of [Burke & Hare] but by sheer glorious serendipity a legend of Middle Earth and Skull Island has come aboard. Welcome AS.” The AS refers to the above mentioned Serkis, who’s most famous performances were in donning the motion capture suit as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films. There has been no official studio announcement and the tweet has since been deleted…So deals may not be final with Serkis, but it’s safe to assume that Tennant is definitely out.

‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ to shoot in Hawaii
Johnny Depp pic is slated to begin filming this summer
The fourth installment of Disney’s popular “Pirates of the Caribbean” series will be filmed in Hawaii. Johnny Depp will return to his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” which will begin shooting in the summer on Oahu and Kauai and be released in 2011. The film is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall.

‘Warm Bodies’ lands Jonathan Levine
Summit taps ‘Wackness’ writer-director for zombie project
Summit is snuggling up to “Warm Bodies,” hiring Jonathan Levine to write and direct the zombie love project. With a tone that sounds like “Twilight” meets “Shaun of the Dead,” the story follows an existentially tormented zombie named “R” that begins an unlikely friendship with the human girlfriend of one of his victims. The blossoming relationship starts a chain reaction that will transform him, his fellow zombies and maybe the whole lifeless world. “Bodies” is based on a book by Seattle-based Isaac Marion, who originally self-published the novel and sold it through his Web site before the publishing rights were picked up by Atria Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, early this year, with publication slated for summer 2010.

Indican picks up vampire comedy
‘Rosencrants and Guildenstern Are Undead’ set for April 16
Indican Films has picked up rights to indie vampire comedy “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead” and set an April 16 release date. “Rosencrantz,” an adaptation of the Tom Stoppard play by director Jordan Galland, debuted at last year’s Slamdance Film Festival and was an official selection at the AFI Dallas and Hollywood festivals. Mike Landry of C Plus Pictures produced. Cast includes Waris Ahluwalia, Devon Aoki, Jake Hoffman, Kris Lemche, Ralph Macchio, Jeremy Sisto and John Ventimiglia. Score’s by Sean Lennon. Story centers on a frustrated ladies’ man who scores his big break when he lands the job directing an Off Broadway version of “Hamlet,” a bizarre adaptation written by a master vampire.

Fox backs Na Hong-jin’s ‘Murderer’
Korean mini-major Showbox on board project
Fox Intl. Prods. will co-finance Korean helmer Na Hong-jin’s feature “The Murderer” with Korean mini-major Showbox. Project is the story of a man living on the border of China, North Korea and Russia who accepts an assignment to assassinate someone in South Korea to pay off his debts. He soon realizes, however, that he has been set up.

The Cutting Room Floor

• Oliver Stone doc series: Hitler ‘enabled by Western bankers’
• Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning Sundance Interview THE RUNAWAYS
• THE HOBBIT DEFINITELY A 2012 JOINT
• GREMLINS Will Rise Again – In 3D!!
• James Marsden joins ‘I Hop’ comedy, will star opposite Russell Brand
• ‘Legion’ director Scott Stewart talks vampires, Paul Bettany
• DreamWorks to do adaptation of Marshall Curry’s documentary ‘Racing Dreams’
• Martin Campbell on the Edge of Darkness
• Fox’s Planet of the Apes Reboot of the Reboot Is Back On
• Coming to theaters: ‘Inconvenient Truth’ for Republicans
• Fresh News On James Wan’s New Project Entitled THE FURTHER
• Naomi Watts joins Daniel Craig movie, ‘Dream House’
• How Spielberg and Lucas inspired Legion’s battling angels
• Sundance Interview: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
• Tron Legacy Will Use 3-D The Way The Wizard Of Oz Used Color
• Sony nabs rights to Jeff Somers novel series,’The Electric Church’
• Hans Zimmer Video Interview in his Recording Studio! Talks SHERLOCK HOLMES and INCEPTION
• Tyrese Gibson Video Interview LEGION
• Hugh Jackman’s robot boxing movie Real Steel shoots in summer
• ‘Clash of Titans’ in 3D decision coming soon
• D.J. Caruso directing James Frey book ‘I Am Number Four’
• StudioCanal, Abandon eyeing ‘Le Sauvage’, remake 1975 French screwball comedy
• Sean Bean & Chris Hemsworth’s new film ‘CASH’
• Bruce Campbell To Fight Frankenstein
• Video Interview: Harrison Ford & Brendan Fraser Talk Extraordinary Measures
• Gavin Hood eyeing Alaskan pic, based on Laney Salisbury’s book ‘Cruelest Miles’
• Emir Kusturica set to start work on Pancho Villa biopic with Johnny Depp in 2011
• Osunsanmi to direct ‘The Commuter‘ for Gold Circle
• ‘Promised Land’ finds director in Brit filmmaker Michael Winterbottom
• Martin Luther King Jr. biopic finds scribe in Ronald Harwood
• ‘Fish Tank’ director Andrea Arnold to take on Bronte classic, ‘Wuthering Heights’
• Eric Eisner spies ‘Alone in Damascus’, Story of Israeli spy in Syria headed for bigscreen
• Coens’ ‘True Grit’ to bow Christmas Day
• Film Dept. buys Action comedy’ True Memoirs of an International Assassin”

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.

• Blade Runner TV
• Sherlock Holmes 2 & Lobo
• Avatar Makes Shitloads of Cash
• Bioshock 2 (Buy From Amazon UK)
• Confucius
• Mortal Kombat
• The Day the Earth Stood Still
• Green Lantern
• Akira (Buy from Amazon UK)
• Collector DVD’s
• Collecting in General
• Share Your Toy Collection… Email Photos
• Gremlins 3
• Ticket Prices & 3D
• YouTube & Rentals
• the iPad
• Children’s TV

Tracks Covered

• Murder, She Wrote
• A Touch of Frost
• Columbo
• Inspector Morse
• Jonathan Creek
• Kojak
• Perry Mason
• Peter Gunn
• Sherlock Holmes
• The Equalizer

Is this the sort of thing the Airbender fans have been looking for?  feedback and let us know!

Adapted from a novel by Walter Kim (who also wrote the novel Thumbsucker), Up In The Air  could easily be another charming rom-com starring Clooney, but in the hands of Jason Reitman, audiences are in for more than they bargained for – and odds are they will be grateful.

Jason Reitman is a director that should be on everybody’s watch-list by now – he’s got a satirical style that is gentler (but no less sharp) than the Coen Brothers and a knack for dialogue and writers that has produced some of the best mainstream/fringe films of the last decade. With Up In The Air, Reitman blends the rom-com genre with a non-preachy interpretation of the human impact of the GFC.

Reminding us that one of the supposedly great things about America is that there’s always money to be made, Up In The Air follows the travels of Ryan Bingham, a redundancy consultant hired by firms who need to cut staff but are unwilling to deal with the soon-to-be-unemployed.  Unsurprisingly, business is good – Bingham flies around the country constantly, confidently removing the incomes and security of untold lives while chasing his real prize – frequent flyer miles.

Bingham’s whole life is in transit; he even lectures on the empowerment of a life with no attachments, family or possessions – unaware that he is in fact burdened with arbitrary goals and his love of high status, insincere uniformity. When he meets the beautiful and equally self-assured Alex Goran (Farmiga) in a transit lounge, he believes he has found a fellow traveler in his no-holds-barred/no-strings-attached lifestyle.

However, this lifestyle is threatened by the introduction of ambitious graduate Natalie Keener (Kendrick), who plans to digitally revolutionise the redundancy industry, and reduce overheads by removing the face-to-face component – and thus, Bingham’s jet-setting lifestyle.

Clooney isn’t exactly stretching himself with this one; once again he’s a confident, charming, emotionally distant sexual predator of ruthless efficiency both on the job and ‘on the job’… but in the role of Ryan Bingham, a status-obsessed high-flyer in the redundancy industry, this stereotype is removed from the gaming halls of Las Vegas and rubs caustically against the lives of real people in a time of economic decline.

Reitman takes this premise a step further than one might expect by splicing interviews with real people who have been ‘let go’ among set pieces from character actors (including the always awesome J.K Simmons) in montages of redundancy interviews used to establish Bingham’s role – interestingly, Clooney doesn’t even appear in some of these interviews, which heightens the sense of distance that is central to Bingham’s success.

Apart from the clever commentary, this film is also superbly lifted above the usual rom-com fare by a strong supporting cast of women in strong roles – Farmiga is to be roundly applauded for bringing  35+ strength and sexiness back to the screen, easily holding her own against Clooney’s indisputable charisma.

Beyond that, the women in this film demonstrate quite clearly the value in the life choices that Bingham believes is beneath him; the dignity of his grounded homemaker sister Kara (Amy Morton), the naive faith and warmth of younger sister Julie (Melanie Lynskey) and the bravado and bluff of young careerist Natalie.

All told, Up In The Air will bring Reitman a broader audience, thanks to the Clooney-factor, but it is easy to sense that this is just the latest installment in a growing body of work that appears to seamlessly blend familiar forms and genres with the issues and idiosyncracies of our times.

Trailer

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