10 Cool (i.e. Crazy) Japanese Star Wars Posters

From StarWars.com: George Lucas may have made a few trillion dollars on the Star Wars franchise, but that doesn't mean he didn't have to sell a few satellite dishes along the way. Using a very loose definition of "cool", starwars.com has collected "10 cool Star Wars posters from Japan," including the above ad for the Panacolor X--a system that apparently involves both a satellite dish on a tetherball pole and a 29" television. Besides being massively entertaining in their strangeness, the collection provides a helpful lesson in the Japanese way of thinking. In the U.S., we'd probably just do something like mount the dish on the side of Millennium Falcon, replacing the dish that's already there; you know, something that makes some degree of sense. There, the most obvious selling strategy is the unsettling image of George Lucas riding a satellite dish like a broomstick, sandwiched between Chewbacca and an Ewok, which is insane.

See the other 9 here

Ian back as Gandalf!

LONDON (AP) - Ian McKellen will again take up the robes of Gandalf the Wizard in the cinematic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic "The Hobbit," a British film magazine reported Wednesday.

But McKellen's publicist warned that final arrangements were yet to be made.

"Of course he wants to do it, but nothing's been agreed or signed," Clair Dobbs said.
Empire magazine's Web site quoted McKellen as saying that director Guillermo del Toro told him he would again be playing the white-haired wizard.

"He confirmed that I would be reprising the role," the magazine quoted McKellen as saying. "Obviously, it's not a part that you turn down, I loved playing Gandalf."

McKellen's sonorous interpretation of Gandalf in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy delighted fans and critics, earning him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor.

The 68-year-old British actor previously told The Associated Press that he would hate to see anyone else play the role.
The "Lord of the Rings" movies, based on the Tolkien book series of the same name, were extremely lucrative, grossing some $2.8 billion at theaters worldwide.

"The Hobbit" is being produced by Peter Jackson, the director of the "Rings" movies, and is likely to be filmed in his home country of New Zealand next year.

Brand spankin' new Hulk trailer kicks major ass

See new trailer here

Holy crap! Check out the second trailer for Indiana Jones, Indy will own the summer!!!

Check out major coolness here

The new Hulk flick could be cool

I Smell Oscars!

Cleverly titled "What Stays in Vegas" teams up acting heavyweights Aston Kutcher and Cameron Diaz. Man, this brings back memories of DeNiro and Pacino finally sharing the screen in Heat.

Yeah, Han hit that

From thesuperficial,Han Solo and Princess Leia knocked space boots - for real! Apparently, Harrison Ford got a hold of Carrie Fisher's cinnamon buns and gave her a bit of The Force during the making of the first Star Wars film. Here's what Carrie revealed on an upcoming British TV special, according to The Sun:

"I went on the film saying ‘I’m going to have an affair’, like it was a kiwi, an exotic fruit — because I’d never had one!" She adds: "I had a crush on Harrison for sure. Harrison is great fun when he’s had a few drinks."
Shaking her head and saying: "I’m going to get in so much trouble," she adds: "Once I left the room and came back and he was in the closet not wearing a lot of clothes."

For all you Star Wars geeks out there, this means that Harrison and Carrie had what grown-ups call "a special hug." You see, when a man loves a woman, or drinks enough gin, he feels the urge to put his penis into her vagina. Okay, I lost you didn't I? Um, alright, got it: The man wants to put his "lightsaber" into a woman's "Sarlacc pit." But, don't worry; there're no tentacles or giant teeth. Well, sometimes. That's where the gin comes in handy...

Thanks to veggi for the tip. May the Schwartz be with you!

The source of Tom's madness?

From thesuperficial,Cher sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a special interview at the Colosseum in Las Vegas where the legendary singer dropped the bomb that she was once getting Top Gun'd by Tom Cruise. The special will air May 8, but People has some details on Cher and Tom's relationship:

"He was a shy boy. He didn't have any money. One night we walked into this restaurant in New York and this girl came up, this waitress came up and she took our order and stuff like that and he said, 'I knew that girl in school and she wouldn't give me the time of day.' "

Winfrey's audience particularly appreciated Cher's remembrance of the "long date" she spent with Cruise – "I lived in his apartment," she tells Winfrey – which elicited cheers from the crowd.
Sometimes to pull off a joke I have to admit embarrassing facts about myself. In this case, that I have seen episodes of Will & Grace*. But, did anyone see the one where Jack was obsessed with Cher? I rest my case.

*Just so no one doubts I'm all man, during the episode I hunted a deer while competing in a NASCAR race. But that stupid helmet totally ruined my cucumber face mask.

I haven't seen Crank, but something about this picture from Crank 2 has me thinking that it might just be a masterpiece

R2D2 workshop manual shirt is wearable

From geekology,This is a picture from a shirt you can buy that was made to look like a Haynes workshop manual. Except it's for R2 units! Like R2-D2, you know, from Star Wars! The shirt costs $24, and if you look closely at the insides you'll notice that R2 units are packed with a bicycle, turntables, one of those robots from Dr. Who, and a dentist's chair. Who'd have thought? Not me. I may actually get one if I can steal enough money out of my wife's purse without her knowing. My "Level 70 geeks do it all night long with a pack of blood elves on the back of a flying mount" t-shirt is getting pretty ripe from all the late night gaming sessions.

The Mummy 3 is coming soon

From iwatchstuff,I didn't really know what to say about this one, outside of describing it as the image of a screaming mummy head meant to promote a terrible mummy sequel to a terrible mummy movie. So I showed it to a friend, who gave me his unprovoked reaction:

"HELP MEH!!!" That's fucking awesome. But then you see Brendan Fraser at the top.

Well said.

New Dark Knight trailer

See trailer here

Sleestaks still freak me out

By Anthony Breznican, USA TODAY

Get back! It's a Sleestak attack!

Fans of the kitschy adventure series Land of the Lost will remember these villainous lizard creatures with the single horn and giant eyes. The latest evolution of the species is preparing to menace Will Ferrell in a big-screen remake.

The Land of the Lost film is now shooting on multiple sound stages at Universal Studios, and the Sleestak surface in a temple where Ferrell's character and his two companions (comedian Danny McBride, Pushing Daisies' Anna Friel) are hoping a giant crystal will return them to their own dimension.

The plot involves three adults (not a dad and two kids as on TV) accidentally thrust into a realm ruled by dinosaurs, monkey-men called Pakuni and the murderous Sleestak.

Director Brad Silberling (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events) says he fought to keep the human shape of the Sleestak from Sid & Marty Krofft's original production, and not give into the urge to render them as spindly computerized beings.

In the '70s TV show, they were guys in lime-green pajamas — and looked it. The Sleestak are much sleeker now, but the film is largely a comedy, so the guy-in-a-suit look has its charms, Silberling says. "There is a sense of humor that I loved from the original show that can only come from an actor trying to negotiate the suit. If it became CG, they'd be too perfect. For the Sleestak to remain in people's memories, it tells you that it was about who was in the suit."

One difference: Instead of toting crossbows, the Sleestak draw quills from their spines and fire them like arrows.

Marty Krofft says nostalgia is a major part of the movie's appeal: "I think they'll cheer when they see the Sleestaks."

Simpsons duo doing new animated show

(FROM VARIETY) – Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, former executive producers on The Simpsons, have been named exec producers on Fox's new animated comedy Sit Down, Shut Up. The show, initially set up by Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz (who also wrote the first script) and his producing partners, Eric and Kim Tannenbaum, is based on an Australian live-action sitcom. The animated U.S. version is about seven staff members at a dysfunctional high school in a small northeastern fishing town and how their egos and personal agendas trump students' needs. Fox has not yet officially picked up the new show, though naming Oakley and Weisntein executive producers seems to indicate that will happen shortly. The duo's other credits include the animated WB comedy Mission Hill and UPN's live-action comedy The Mullets.

Is this what the real Bowser would look like?

From geekology, After all the interest in the realistic Mario, Homer, and Jessica Rabbit, German artist Marcus Blättermann decided to create a realistic looking Bowser by painting him in Photoshop.

Some weeks ago Pixeloo did his great untoonings of Mario and Homer. This inspired me to try something similar. Like Pixeloo I also wanted to use Photoshop. But I didn't wanted to use any Photos. I just wanted to paint the whole thing. In Addition I not just wanted to lay a realistic texture over the original figure, but to rework the forms and proportions as well, to get the whole creature a more realistic look. This isn't a untooning of bowser, it's a redesign. How would he look like if he would be a real animal.
Not bad. Kind of reminds me of Tokka from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. Anybody else getting that? Say, is anybody else gonna get the damn door? I'm trying to blog here. I swear I hate all my freaking roommates. They just run around naked like a bunch of little kids and eat all my damn snacks. It's like living back at home again. Oh. Right. MOM! CAN YOU PLEASE DRAG YOUR ASS AWAY FROM THE SOAP OPERAS FOR TWO SECONDS AND ANSWER THE DAMN DOOR! Oh look, your youngest son is shitting on the carpet again. I TOLD YOU HE'S BEEN STEALING MY SNACK PACKS.

New Dark Knight poster

Original Witch Mountain kids return

FRom darkhorizons, Kim Richards ("Black Snake Moan") and Ike Eisenmann ("Howl's Moving Castle"), the original kid stars of Disney's 1970s "Witch Mountain" movies, have joined the cast of Disney's remake "Race to Witch Mountain" says Reuters.

In a nod to the original movies, Eisenmann plays a sheriff and Richards plays a waitress at a roadhouse called Ray's in a town called Stony Creek. They help a cabbie (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) and his two paranormal-powered passengers (AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig).

Tom Everett Scott, Chris Marquette, Billy Brown and Cheech Marin also recently joined the production which Andy Fickman is helming.

Scott is playing a medical specialist, Marquette is a computer specialist, and Brown is a military specialist working for the bad guy (Ciaran Hinds). Marin plays a helpful mechanic.

Stock up, Free Comic Book Day this Saturday!

The annual event is the perfect opportunity to introduce your friends and family to the many worlds of wonder available at your local comic book store. From super-heroes to slice-of-life to action/adventure and beyond, Free Comic Book Day has a comic book for everyone!

Go here for a sneak preview of the titles!

Iron Man reviewed!

From AICN, yes, IRON MAN is everything you were hoping for.

To qualify that statement, I should point out that it will only be what you were hoping for if, in fact, you were hoping for one of the most enjoyable superhero movies ever made, with no weak spots and brilliant characterisation. Fanboys with impossibly high standards who are only happy when they're poking holes in things are going to have their work cut out for them.

I'm not going to delve into the plot at all -- one of the reasons I studiously avoided most of the marketing for this film is so I could have some surprises when I actually watched it, and I'm glad I did -- but I will say that this film should help put to bed the argument that origin stories are getting tired. I've always felt that complaining about seeing an origin story in a superhero movie is like complaining about every romantic comedy featuring a guy and a girl hooking up. Isn't the origin half the fun? Taking something patently ridiculous and trying to have it make sense for a cynical 21st century audience? IRON MAN's origin story actually has its cake and eats it too; somehow, the film blends a relatively grounded trial-and-error process with moments of glorious ridiculousness. Watching Tony Stark go from self-centred weapons manufacturer to noble superhero is the
best part of this film, and it quite rightly focuses most of its energies on this transformation.

Now, to the directorial stylings of Jon Favreau... Reading interviews with him early on in the process, I was convinced of his passion and understanding for the genre, but what impressed me in the film itself was his handling of the action scenes. Action scenes are typically considered the most exciting part of any film (which is why you hear so many stories about studios reshooting films to cram in more tedious car chases), but they're actually the thing that bores me most. They're usually so workmanlike and standard, that I find myself looking at my watch more than the screen. Of course, I've begun to notice that only happens with directors who are generally considered "action directors". I think recent trends against the typical action film bear this out. Genuine action scene excitement is, these days, typically generated by guys like Paul Greengrass and Peter Jackson; not the names people used to associate this sort of movie. And that's why it works. Following in that tradition, Favreau appears to understand why action is supposed to be exciting, and delivers scenes that are, upon close inspection, constructed in a very unconventional way.

On to the cast... Robert Downey Jnr is on screen for practically the entire film, which in itself is enough to recommend it. I honestly believe this is some of his best work... and I'd say more about him, but I'm actually trying to tone down the gushing. Needless to say, he's perfectly suited to the role; his casting is almost certainly the film's biggest masterstroke.

I'm afraid I can't fault the supporting cast, either. Jeff Bridges is predictably great, Terrence Howard continues to prove he's the one of the best character actors around, and Gwyneth Paltrow matches Downey Jnr in every scene they share. We hear this claim a lot in press notes for comic book films, but this time it's true: Pepper Potts is not a standard damsel-in-distress. She's an active foil to Stark, and an actual key participant in the climactic battle. I'm a huge fan of SPIDER-MAN 2 and BATMAN BEGINS, but neither of those films really knew what to do with their love interest. IRON MAN does. Paltrow tends to cop a lot of flack, but I've always been a fan. When she's in the right movie (SE7EN, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS), she's perfect. Oh, and very glad to see Clark Gregg getting a lot of screen time. I love Clark Gregg.

I haven't mentioned special effects yet, mostly because I didn't notice them. And that's actually a compliment. I couldn't tell the difference between the practical effects and the CGI because I wasn't sitting there thinking "Oh, isn't that clever how they rendered those flames"; I was instead watching Iron Man fly. It's not often that you can immerse yourself completely in a film so wall-to-wall with effects, which makes the achievement all the more impressive.

This is usually the part of the review where I'd talk about the moments where the film dropped the ball, in order to maintain (or manufacture) my reputation as an objective critic. Sadly for me, I can't find such a moment, so I'll have to risk your scorn and derision and claims of plantiness until you see the film this weekend and discover that I was telling the truth all along.

I still consider SPIDER-MAN 2 to be the greatest superhero movie to date, but IRON MAN firmly secures its place as an automatic name-check when we speak about the highlights of the genre. They can't make the sequel fast enough.

(PS: As a side note, don't hold your breath for the Samuel L Jackson cameo. The scene they notoriously filmed with Stark and Nick Fury is, it now seems, undoubtedly for INCREDIBLE HULK. But there are some great S.H.I.E.L.D. references that will no doubt pay off in future Marvel movies.)

'Sex and the City' Poster: Carrie Streetwalks in a Couple Ways

From iwatchstuff, This image of Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw--her chiseled head a drifting longboat in a sea of hair, her sinewy frame shrouded in the pelt of Grover, her shopping powers growing since her acquisition of the Chanel Talisman of Fashion--is only made tolerable by the knowledge she will soon be hit by a cab.

Dustin Diamond: A-Hole Extraordinaire

If you've ever had the distinct pleasure of having Dustin Diamond visit your college or you attended one of his shows, you will immediately support the validity of this e-mail I received. I've heard many a tale of how much of a jerkass Dustin is in person and, since it's early Monday morning, I'm sharing a recent anecdote for you to enjoy. This story comes from reader Jeremy who, along with his friend "Gee," had the task of picking up Samuel Powers at the airport last Wednesday. I now present to you: "A Kind of Long E-mail Where Screech Says a Bunch of Crazy Shit and Bombs at a Comedy Club But Sadly Does Not Feature a Cameo by Kelly Kapowski Who I Would Give My Left Testicle To Get With True Story":

So, we got to the airport, we saw Dustin Diamond (whose only demand was that we don't call him Screech or mention Saved by the Bell), and we approached him, telling him that we were there to pick him up. He asked if we worked for the State, and we said no, but we were there to pick him up, anyway. He seemed okay with that.
Once we got in the car, with his luggage barely fitting in the trunk, we started making awkward small talk. Gee asked him who his comedic influences were, and Screech gave him a few names (Brian Regan, George Carlin, Mitch Hedburg--who Screech says was his best friend). Gee asked him if he liked Bill Hicks at all, and Screech went into a twenty-minute tirade about how much of a joke thief Bill Hicks was. "Oooh, he's an angry smoker who rants against the government, that's really original. He stole his act from Lenny Bruce, who stole his act from some other guy, blah blah blah."

Screech then talked to us about a wide variety of very strange stuff. To sum up: He loved Cloverfield, said that No Country for Old Men was "FUCKING horrible," saved his house by selling 22,000 t-shirts (he signed 17,000 of them), including one to the lead singer of Korn. What else? He called the ending to the Usual Suspects (since he grew up in the industry, he saw through it). He wrote the script for Alien 3, but they didn't use his ideas because they wanted to "remake the first one." He's invented fifteen different household items, including a holiday themed doorbell (it plays holiday music when it rings!). He then browbeat Gee for having such a dirty car and spent the remainder of the ride giving us financial advice on how to stop being poor.

Well, we were told we were going to be compensated for the trip, plus we were going to be given free tickets to the show, but Screech chewed the manager of the State out because we didn't work for the theater and the car wasn't clean, so we got nothing.

This is when I went home and watched Lost. Gee went to the show. Screech hit the stage at 9:30ish. Gee says he was beyond awful. One of the jokes he told me, to give me an idea of the overall style, was that Screech compared having sex with an old grandmother with putting his dick in a grilled cheese sandwich.

Well, obviously, this irritated Gee, and the audience, so he seriously was thinking of walking out, at which point, after one of his more obscene jokes, Screech said, "By the way folks, I am available for children's parties." After having listened to Screech rant for twenty minutes earlier in the day about how much of a joke thief Bill Hicks was, Gee had had enough, stood up and yelled, in the middle of a very quiet theater, "Boo! That's a Bill Hicks joke, you joke thief! Boo!"

So, what have we learned today? 1. Screech hates being called Screech or reminded that he was Screech. Because he'd be so much more famous if he weren't Screech. Good one, Screech. 2. Screech sucks at comedy. Yet still books gigs. Who knows? 3. Screech had sex with a grilled cheese sandwich. Which is surprising because I figured melted cheese on bread would have higher standards. What did Screech promise you, Cheese? A chance to meet Mario Lopez? And you fell for it? Oh, Cheese. You've been using again haven't you?

Thanks to Jeremy who's cooler than burgers at The Max.

Speed Racer reviewed

From AICN,

STORY – If you’re reading this review, you probably already know the story. For those who don’t, I’ll summarize: As his name suggests, Speech Racer (Emile Hirsch) thinks about one thing: racing. He comes by it naturally, since it’s a family affair. His Dad (John Goodman) runs an independent racing team. His Mom (Susan Sarandon), younger brother Spritle (along with his pet monkey Chim-Chim) and girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci) all contribute in their own ways. Speed’s older brother Rex was presumably killed in a racing accident years earlier. When the head of the giant Royalton corporation tries to persuade Speed Racer to sell out and join his team, the answer is a clear “no,” which doesn’t go down well. Speed Racer sneaks off to participate in a race, and Royalton and his racing thugs try to take him down. The rest of the story consists of Speed Racer and his family taking on Royalton to expose his corruption and win the ultimate victory in the Grand Prix race. Along the way Speed is assisted by the mysteries Racer X (Matthew Fox).

ACTING – I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was surprised at the level of acting. The original material isn’t exactly Shakespeare. But I was taken aback and how well the family drama played, especially the tension between Pops (the Dad) and his sons Speed and Rex (via flashback). Perhaps because I have a 4-year old son myself, I thought this was actually one of the most effective elements in the movie. Susan Sarandon and Christina Ricci do well in their roles, although they aren’t really the focus. The movie is obviously geared toward the 12-year old crowd, since Spritle and his money are featured generously throughout. Emile Hirsch also gives a surprisingly emotional performance in what could easily be a cartoon caricature.

VISUALS – What would a Wachowski Bros. movie be without cool special effects? The most noticeable thing that sets the visuals apart is the bright color palette. This is a direct contrast to all of the deep, dark depressing movies these days. It is a visual opposite to “The Dark Knight.” The colors are bright and in your face. I give the directors props for doing something different here. But could they do something different with racing scenes? In a word—yes! The racing is very creative, and even though it’s not realistic in any sense (and it doesn’t need to be), they somehow managed to put things on screen we’ve never seen before. The cars, particularly the Mach 5 and Mach 6, are extremely cool. I felt like a little kid again seeing them on screen.

RATING – I mention the rating not because it’s a particular concern to anyone reading this site, but because I was surprised at the language in the film. There are a few mild expletives, and Spritle gives a bad guy the “finger” in one scene. I was under the impression the movie was going to be rated G, and this will surely be a PG.

Overall, I give the movie and thumbs up for providing a fun film that is mostly family-friendly. Don’t expect anything vastly deep or meaningful from the movie—it’s just Speed Racer. But it’s sure a lot of fun. By the way, the gentleman’s daughter (who was the PR rep) mentioned something about setting up screenings for “The Dark Knight” in IMAX. If I’m lucky enough to see that one, I’ll be sure and send a review.

Coen brothers movie to open Venice film festival

VENICE, Italy (AP) - "Burn After Reading," a dark spy-comedy by Oscar-winning directors Joel and Ethan Coen, will open this year's Venice Film Festival.

The movie, which stars George Clooney, John Malkovich, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton, will have its world premiere Aug. 27, festival organizers announced Monday.

"Burn After Reading" is the story of an ousted CIA official whose memoir falls into the hands of two gym employees.

The festival will run through Sept. 6, when the prestigious Golden Lion will be awarded. The official lineup will be announced in late July.

6 Terrible Cameos That Just About Ruined the Movie

#4.Signs(2002)

The Cameo:

M. Night Shyamalan (playing a douchebag/himself)

The Lead Up:

Mel Gibson is an ex-Episcopal priest who stopped believing in God after M. Night's character killed his wife by being a drunken asshole.

Mel and his family discover a crop circle in their farm, they see an alien on their roof and chase it into a corn field where it disappears. It's around this time that they start to suspect something out of the ordinary might be going on. Unfortunately, it's not much longer before the audience starts to suspect the same.



It starts innocently enough. M. Night drives by in a car. No big whup. M. Night had tiny parts in The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. Sure it's egotistical, but Hitchcock did the background cameo thing, and Hitchcock has always given M. Night a boner. Time to get back to the business of story telling as the family has another close encounter and then ...

Wait a second, now M. Night is calling them at home. A voice cameo in addition to the visual? Wait, what is Gibson doing at M. Night's house? Oh, M. Night just happens to possess key plot development points (they don't make crop circles near water) while also inviting Gibson to go deal with the alien stuck in his basement. Why, that doesn't make sense at all.

Why it Nearly Ruined the Movie:

Up until this movie, fans of M. Night's work had two assumptions that always came to fruition:

1) The movies would have an engaging plot with a twist that would make your skull explode.

2) He'd have a short cameo that had little to do with the actual plot.

But this movie fell short on both accounts because:


We're guessing the character he plays is supposed to be mysterious: is he a deeply remorseful man seeking redemption or a sadistic bastard that still wants to fuck around with Mel Gibson's mind? Of course this would have only been mysterious if the character wasn't such an unremitting asshole: he killed his wife and only apologizes to him when he needs someone to kill the alien in his basement? That's not spooky, that's just fucking wrong.

Also, if you're going to create a character who's only reason for existing is to deliver a key piece of information and move the plot forward, it's probably best not to cast yourself. That tends to feel less like a cameo and more like you realized your plot wasn't going anywhere, and jumped in front of the camera and made up a bunch of shit that would get your movie to make sense again.

See rest here

"It's Alive" Remake Trailer

The upcoming remake of the 1974 Larry Cohen film "It's Alive" has released a trailer. The story revolves around a baby born to a human couple that turns out to be a mutant monster with an appetite to kill when scared.

The new movie is directed by Josef Rusnak, the man behind "The Thirteenth Floor" and the recent Wesley Snipes, straight-to-DVD film "The Contractor." "It's Alive" stars Bijou Phillips (Hostel: Part II) and has already been picked up for distribution by Millennium Films. A release date has yet to be set.

See bizarre trailer here

Box office

By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY

Goofy, baby-desperate women outslugged dopey, pot-smoking men in theaters this weekend as Baby Mama took the top spot at the box office over Harold & Kumar Escapefrom Guantanamo Bay.
Mama took in $18.3 million, according to Nielsen EDI, about $4 million more than projected.

The debut was plenty to defeat Harold, which did $14.6 million, almost $2 million more than most analysts predicted.

The weekend showdown was a true battle of the sexes: More than two-thirds of Mama's audience was female, while Harold lured the same percentage of male moviegoers.

"Sorry, guys, but this was a ladies' weekend," says Nikki Rocco, distribution chief for Universal Pictures, which released Mama and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, the female-driven comedy that was fourth with $11 million in its second week. Mama star Tina Fey "is a real talent. She's showing she can do TV and the movies really well."

Not that anyone was complaining at Warner Bros., which released the R-rated Harold, a sequel to the 2004 film, which did $18.4 million and became a home video hit with young men.

"Given all the female comedies out there, we couldn't be happier," says Warner Bros.' Dan Fellman. "We know most of the people who came were 18 to 35, but we didn't check how many were on parole."

The Jackie Chan and Jet Li adventure Forbidden Kingdom was third with $11.2 million, while Jodie Foster's Nim's Island was No. 5 with $4.3 million.

The only other big newcomer, the Ewan McGregor-Hugh Jackman thriller Deception, was a flop with $2.3 million, good for 10th place.

Ticket sales were up 34% over the same weekend last year.

Injuries On The "G.I. Joe" Set

Seven people were injured Saturday during filming of "G.I. Joe" in the center of Prague says the AFP.

A collision took place as an all-wheel-drive vehicle seemed to lose control of its braking abilities and smash into the a bus and several cars.

Thankfully the location was a closed area that was rented out to the filmmakers for the weekend.

The injured were treated in hospitals in the Czech capital, and injuries were only "slight" according to Stilling Films.

Channing Tatum, Dennis Quaid and Sienna Miller all star in the Stephen Sommers-directed feature scheduled for release next August.

Who would've predicted this? Oh yeah, EVERYONE

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The honeymoon is over for Gary Coleman and his new bride.

The 40-year-old actor and his 22-year-old wife, Shannon Price, are set to appear on TV's "Divorce Court" on May 1 and 2. The couple wed in August after meeting on the set of the 2006 comedy "Church Ball."

Among the problems the pair discusses with Judge Lynn Toler are Coleman's anger and intimacy issues. Coleman and Price agree they have "ugly" monthly fights.

"If he doesn't get his way, he throws a temper tantrum like a five-year-old does," Price says, according to a transcript of the show obtained by The Associated Press. "He like stomps the floor and yells, 'Meehhhh,' and starts throwing stuff around. He bashes his head in the wall, too."


Coleman says he gets frustrated because "the male is always the bad guy."

"When I try to state my case or explain things to her or try to get her to understand my point of view," Coleman says, "my point of view doesn't matter."

Price also complains that Coleman has no friends and inexplicably disappears from home in the middle of the night. When Toler presses him, Coleman admits he is negative.

"I don't have any friends and don't have any intention of making any," he says. "People will stab you in the back, mistreat you, talk about me behind your back, steal from you. And they're not really your friends. (They're) only there because you're a celebrity or because they want to get something from you."

Coleman went on to describe the couple's private life as "mediocre."

"It's not her fault," he says. "I always feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders every day I get up. ... There are days I don't even want to get up."

Jimmy Fallon to replace Conan O'Brien

I'm a tad perturbed right now. Mostly because for a couple years now I managed to forget that Jimmy Fallon even existed. Today I was smacked in the face with the fact that, not only does his unfunny ass still walk among us, but he'll be taking over for Conan O'Brien on NBC's Late Night, according to the AP:

A former regular on "Saturday Night Live," Fallon, 33, would take over sometime next year as host of the 12:30 a.m. talk show. O'Brien is to replace Jay Leno on NBC's "Tonight" show, aired at 11:30 p.m. each weeknight..... As long ago as last summer, NBC late-night boss Rick Ludwin was quoted as saying that Fallon "is at the top of our short list."

Expect violence in America to go up next year. Instead of people asking "Hey, did you see Conan last night?" they'll now ask "Hey, did you see Jimmy Fallon last night?" Which will of course be answered by a well-deserved toss out our 20th story office window. Yeah, I'm talking to you, Bill. It's not a crime if I warn you a year in advance. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go rob that bank that I warned back in '05. Free money, here I come!

UPDATE: So, I'm in jail now. Which isn't that bad, actually. I just paid Wesley Snipes a pack of smokes to say "Always bet on black." And, for two packs, he'll karate kick me in the chest! Shit, had I known prison was this much fun, I would've gotten in years ago. Oh, wow, a knife fight! Whee!

A Vision Of The Future: Robots With Lasers

These Kondo KHR-1HV robots are all rocking lasers for a world domination training exercise poorly disguised as the Blazer robot tournament in Fukuoka City, Japan. The little guys ran around shooting each other and pew-pewing to their mechanical heart's content in a little mock-up city made just for them. Whoever thought that this would be a good idea was wrong. The little bastards are going to kill us all. I mean, these people are indirectly training our future overlords by allowing them to play these war games. I guess what I'm getting at is that I've built a hidden shelter beneath my tool shed in the back yard and I'm looking for several attractive young ladies to join me. I am now officially accepting applications. But no funny stuff! Namely scrunching your penis up behind you so it looks like you don't have one. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice a week for the entire duration of a five month relationship and I am fucking scarred for life. Thanks a lot.

See video here

'Sex and the City' Theme Song Forces Decision Between Labels and Love

From iwatchstuff, Usually when I hear the familiar piano riff of the Sex and the City theme, I have an immediate Pavlovian response, my hands punch frantically at the remote, and the channel is changed before I have to hear even a note of the vibraphone part. But today when that jaunty tune entered in my eardrums, I found that changing the channel was having no effect on its presence. It was a bit horrifying. What was going on? Was this song going to be permanently in my head? And why did it sound like a MIDI version with terrible singing over it?

As it turns out, the problem was that I had blindly clicked on a YouTube link someone sent me. It has since been removed, but once held Fergie's Sex and the City theme song. "Doesn't Sex and the City already have a theme song?" you ask? You forget that something as grandiose as Sex and the City Movie Version--like a Bond film--warrants a special theme from a debatably popular artist, such as Fergie crooning her way through designer names and made-up descriptions of sexiness (I swear she said "supercalifregisexy") as she answers one of the great questions of life: "Labels or Love"? It's really awful. But if you'd like, you too can give "LoL" a listen at this People article, which also includes Fergie's claim that she "grew up watching Sex and the City." As BWE pointed out, she was between 23 and 29 when the series aired.

Go here if you must hear it...

It's Official - Guillermo Del Toro is On Board To Direct HOBBIT... signed, sealed and he will deliver!

From variety, In a major step forward on “The Hobbit,” Guillermo del Toro has signed on to direct the New Line-MGM tentpole and its sequel.
The widely expected announcement -- which had been rumored for several weeks -- came Thursday afternoon jointly from exec producers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, New Line president Toby Emmerich, and Mary Parent, newly named chief of MGM’s Worldwide Motion Picture Group.

Del Toro’s moving to New Zealand for the next four years to work with Jackson and his Wingnut and Weta production teams. He’ll direct the two films back to back, with the sequel dealing with the 60-year period between “The Hobbit” and “The Fellowship of the Ring,” the first of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

New Line is overseeing development and will manage production. Both pics are being co-produced and co-financed by New Line Cinema and MGM, with Warner Bros. distributing domestically and MGM handling international.

Del Toro won’t leave for New Zealand immediately as he’s still in post-production on U’s “Hellboy 2,” due out in July. His previous pic, “Pan’s Labyrinth,” was released through New Line’s Picturehouse and set a record as the highest grossing Spanish language film in U.S. box office history.

The official signing of Del Toro comes four months after New Line settled a lawsuit with Jackson over “The Lord of the Rings” and announced that it had agreed with MGM to turn J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Hobbit” into two live-action films. Sam Raimi had been preceived as the initial front-runner as director but Del Toro had emerged in recent months as the likely candidate.

The studios didn’t give a start date on production and don’t yet have a script. Though no screenplay deal’s been set, it’s expected that the “LOTR” scripting team of Jackson, Walsh and Philippa Boyens will collaborate with Del Toro.

With Del Toro blocking out four years for the project, it’s likely that the studios are aiming at starting shooting next year and releasing the films in late 2011 and 2012.

Jackson’s WETA stages, post-production and visual effects facilities -- built for “The Lord of the Rings” -- will be used for both films. And New Zealand will again be the site of Middle-earth, with the story centering on Bilbo Baggins taking the Ring of Power from Gollum.

I'm gettin' excited!

Quantum of Solace is jinxed!

MILAN, Italy (AP) - A stuntman was seriously injured in a car crash while filming an action sequence for the new James Bond movie on a famously winding lakeside road in northern Italy, a local official said Thursday.

The London-based production company for "Quantum of Solace" said that an experienced stunt driver of an Alfa Romeo car remained hospitalized in serious condition following the accident Wednesday. A second stunt driver in the same car also was injured, but less seriously.

"Filming with the second unit on 'Quantum of Solace' will be suspended while the accident is investigated," the statement said. It noted that neither director Marc Forster, Daniel Craig nor any other cast members were at the location when the accident occurred.

The identities of the stunt drivers weren't released.

A spokesman for the town of Limone sul Garda, where crew have been filming for the past two weeks, said the Alfa Romeo crashed into a wall during a chase sequence involving a truck and Bond's Aston Martin along the Gardesana, a curvy, two-lane lakeside road with gorgeous panoramas and many tunnels.

A helicopter on standby during the filming flew the seriously injured stunt driver to Verona, where he underwent surgery, said town spokesman Marco Girardi, who also was acting as a liaison to the production company.

He said the driver suffered serious head injuries.

"They chose this road because it is full of curves and tunnels. It will give the film a lot of impact," Girardi said.

He said that the filming was scheduled to wrap up Wednesday, and that they were in the final hours when the accident occurred.

The accident was the second on the Bond set in four days, after an Aston Martin being delivered to the set skidded off the road in heavy rain and landed in Lake Garda on Saturday. No one was injured and the car was later fished from the lake.

On Thursday, the production company was packing up equipment, including cars, to close the set. Workers and officials refused any comment to an Associated Press photographer.

And The Remake Of The Day Is...De Palma's THE FURY!!

Fox 2000 is drafted scriptwriters Brian McGreevy and Lee Shipman to write a remake of Brian De Palma's 1978 horror/thriller THE FURY. De Palma's movie was itself based on a John Ferris novel (HERE) - Ferris scripted the film as well.

New version will center on a young man with heightened kinetic powers who is abducted by the government in order to take advantage of his special gifts.

Here's a publicity shot from the original film. Yon't see stuff like this anymore when movies are being promoted. Hell...you don't even see stuff like this in movies at all! This photo freaked the crap out of me when I was a kid; it's been 30 years and I've never forgotten this still. It's from STARLOG #15, August 1978.

Blade is a cheapskate

OCALA, Fla. (AP) - Action star Wesley Snipes will learn his punishment Thursday for three misdemeanor tax convictions.

A jury found Snipes guilty in February of willfully failing to file taxes for three years, in which the government said he owed $2.7 million. Snipes was acquitted of three identical counts and two felony charges of tax fraud and conspiracy.

Still, prosecutors are pressing the judge for the maximum sentence of three years in prison. They say Snipes is a "notorious" offender who dogged the IRS for years and should be made an example of.

Snipes' attorneys say he deserves only probation for the misdemeanors, and on Wednesday submitted three dozen letters from friends attesting to his character. Those coming to Snipes' aid included actors Denzel Washington and Woody Harrelson.

Founder Of Jedi Church Attacked In Yard By A Drunk Man Dressed In Black Garbage Bag And Wielding Crutch Yelling "Darth Vader!"

From geekology, Barney Jones is the founder of the Jedi Church. One afternoon he and his cousin were doing their typical thing, you know, filming themselves playing with lightsabers in the yard, when Arwel Wynne Hughes jumped over the garden wall donning a black garbage bag and cape. He had recently put down a 10 liter box of wine, and was wielding a metal crutch. He yelled "Darth Vader!" and hit Barney in the head with his makeshift lightcrutch. Laughing, he then beat Barney's cousin in the leg for good measure.


Hughes could not remember the incident and only realised what had happened when he read about it in local newspapers, the court told. Defending, Frances Jones said alcohol was "ruining (Arwel's) life" and he had no idea where he got the crutch from.

Arwel has since been convicted of two counts of assault, and one count of very poorly impersonating a Star Wars villain.

'Igor' Poster: You've Got the Wrong Guy, Buddy

From iwatchstuff, What the hey--John Cusack is Igor? I don't think so. Look at that awkward grin, those sunken, soulless eyes, the perfectly smooth features, the unfortunate status of being relevant only through someone else's accomplishments. Clearly David Gest is Igor.

8 (Pointless) Laws All Comic Book Movies Follow

#8.The First Film Requires a Tedious Origin Story

For some unknown reason, tradition states that the first movie must consist largely of something no one in the audience paid to see: The superhero as he lived before he could do any cool superhero stuff.

Other genres don't feel the need to do this; Die Hard didn't spend the first half of the movie with John McClane taking target practice, Rambo didn't spend an hour showing Rambo in basic training. Why can't we just jump in?

Instead we have to watch Peter Parker struggling as a photographer, and Bruce Banner quietly working as a scientist, as if we must first appreciate the tedium of their regular lives before we get to see them jump off an exploding building.

And to double the problem, they usually throw in an origin story for one or more of the villains, too. Behold! Here is the awesome badass supervillain, back when he was just a disgruntled dude in a lab coat!

Often to save time they'll cram those two origin stories together, by having the main villain kill off the hero's parents (regardless of whether or not it happened in the comic book) simultaneously starting their respective careers in superheroism and supervillainy.

Also ...
In Spider-Man 3, the previous origin story is changed so that the current villain (The Sandman, Marko Cain) is now the murderer of Uncle Ben, a plot point based entirely on the premise that none of the fans owned a DVD of the first film.

See rest of list here

Awesome poster

The story is about a couple (Tyler, Scott Speedman) in a remote suburban house who are targeted by three dangerous masked strangers. As a result, they are forced to go well beyond what they thought themselves capable of in order to survive. To get a taste of what's to come, check out the ulta-creepy teaser

Run For The Hills Or The TV?: Robot Soccer Players To Compete With Humans By 2050

The Robocup German Open is in full effect (April 21-25) and it's every bit as frightening as you'd expect. The only thing I found comfort in was that the robots are clearly too stupid to distinguish a soccer ball from an orange tennis ball. Those stupid bastards. We're still doomed though. According to Stefan Kohlbrecher, a member of the Technical University of Darmstadt's Darmstadt Dribblers, "The goal of the RoboCup is to compete against human world champions with robots by the year 2050." Uh oh. No word on whether the robots will be equipped with rockets and laser cannons, but as far as ratings go, I think it's a no-brainer.

Go here for video of this terrifying event.