Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Happy Nocto Yunk!

Look!  It's Horrorthonners in the flesh.  That's Desroc2, DCD, AC, Whirlygirl, JPX, me and Julie at a party hosted by the couple on the left to mark the couple on the right's marriage in August (thanks again, guys!)  Catfreeek and Miko had designs on attending, but had to stay home 'cause they were sick.  We missed you guys.

The trip East was great, we got back yesterday but we're still completely exhausted.  Julie and the monkey zonked at about 7 and here it is past 11 and I'm struggling to keep my eyes open.  This is the first year I can remember that I've bagged going out on New Year's Eve and have actually been okay with it.  Ahhh...

I hope I manage some better blog attendance in the days ahead.  And believe it or not, I am gonna finish writing my Horrorthon reviews.  See if I can't be an example to others.

Happy 2009 to all y'all!

2009

Is this taking zombie flicks too far?


When a zombie plague infects Camp Special Dude, a dude ranch for the mentally handicapped, a ragtag band of campers and counselors struggles to survive the night. Led by the indifferent, nun-chuck-wielding head counselor, Mac, and his wheelchair-bound sister Dale, the unlikely heroes fight their way off the mountain as, one by one, they're picked off and join the ranks of the walking dead. It's a campy stampede of blood, boobs and gore as some "very special" people show that they can kick some serious undead ass.

and...JPX's horror nightmare


Musical Horror Film. Spray missions intended to protect Americans against the dangerous 1000-year Mosquito Awakening, when, Terrorists infect it with the Jihad Resurrection Virus (JRV) for biological warefare bringing the dead back to life.

Unfortunately Netflix does not have these movies.

Haiku Hump Day: Abandoned Houses

For this week I chose my favorite topic. Compose a haiku about whatever you want related to abandoned houses (the appearance, the location, why it was abandoned, the people who used to live there, etc.). Make it funny or sad, but remember that this is Horrorthon so I do expect to read some twisted and frightening ones.

25 'I Did It for the Money' Films


14. RICHARD PRYOR
in Superman III (1983)

Pryor deservedly gets a lot of praise for his no-holds-barred stand-up comedy, but in the early '80s he was like a heat-seeking missile of bad instincts. No, we're not talking about the freebasing. We're talking about movies like The Toy, Brewster's Millions, and this unfortunate chapter in the squeaky-clean Man of Steel saga, which renders the once proudly profane Pryor hamstrung and neutered.

See full list here

The Worst Horror Films of 2008


#4 One Missed Call (remake)

"The original was a rip-off and it rocked, so there’s no reason for the remake to suck as bad as it did. SHUTTER should have been the scariest horror film since THE RING, but instead it was infuriatingly bad. This joins ONE MISSED CALL in the ranks of worst horror remakes of all-time and I highly recommend skipping this one in favor of the original, which is now available on DVD from Tartan Extreme."

Go here for one dude's list (I disagree with the inclusion of The Strangers).

'Sesame Street' is 40 but young at heart


By Craig Wilson, USA TODAY

Ah, Sesame Street. Big Bird. Bert and Ernie. Grover. The Cookie Monster. The good old days.

The street is still hot. It celebrates its 40th year in 2009 with its largest audience: 8 million viewers on 350 stations in 120 countries.

Not wanting to be left out of the fun, hundreds of celebrities have visited TV's most famous boulevard over the years. Sarah Jessica Parker appeared to discuss the art of sighing, first lady Laura Bush stopped by to read, and Robin Williams waxed eloquent on the wonders of feet.

Now a book, the first out of the gate to mark the anniversary, is arriving in stores. Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street (Viking, 384 pp, $27.95) is by Michael Davis, a former columnist for TV Guide who spent many happy hours wandering Sesame Street with his children.

"It touched me in a very profound way," Davis says.

Davis spent five years reporting and writing the story of the longest-running children's show in TV history, which was the brainchild of Jim Henson, the late Muppets creator, and entrepreneur Joan Ganz Cooney. Davis refers to the show as "a confluence of genius" and dubs Henson "wondrously human."

Sesame Street began on Nov. 10, 1969, as an educational children's show and evolved into a sophisticated program that combined education and entertainment.

Carol-Lynn Parente, Sesame Street's executive producer, has been with the show 20 years and sees the magic firsthand.

"There are times that some of what makes this work is mysterious even to us," Parente says. "But the essence of what has made us as successful as we've been is our ability to evolve. The life of a preschooler today is much different than it was in 1969."

Davis believes the show will go on forever. "They still approach each season as an experiment. As long as they do that, they will grow and change as children grow and change and the culture grows and changes."

Transformer 2 details revealed


From darkhorizons, USA Today has posted a report for the upcoming "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" which reveals some new photos an further details about the story.

Essentially the plot this time deals with the Decepticons pursuing Sam (Shia LaBeouf) and Mikaela (Megan Fox) to retrieve information he has about the origins of the Transformers and their ancient history.

Humanity meanwhile is dealing with the aftermath of the first film and tries to figure out which of the creatures to trust and an international coalition has allied itself with the Autobots.

The $200 million production will feature 40 robots and got Pentagon approval to shoot around a New Mexico missile range. The production is seen as the "biggest joint military operation movie ever made" according to the film's Army liason.

Among the equipment used were two A-10 Thunderbolt II “Warthog” tank-killing jets; six F-16 Fighting Falcons; 10 armored Humvees; the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team; two Abrams tanks; two Bradley tanks; two missile-launcher vehicles; two armored personnel carriers; and a quarter-mile of the missile testing range, cleared of unexploded ordnance and built into an Egyptian town and temple.”

Filmmakers scored first time access for a film crew to shoot not just around but on the 5,000 year old Pyramids at Giza which features in the film's climactic battle. Naval aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis was also used for filming.

The news comes a day after Empire Magazine published the first photos from the production.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Golden Globes Show Has a Classy New Look This Year



From iwatchstuff, The Golden Globes will play second fiddle to the Oscars no longer. This year, they're classing up the party with this elegant, airbrushed-on-the-side-of-a-van-style poster. Nice work Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Famous Frames, Inc.

How about this for next year?

'Lost' season premiere: We've seen it!




Non-spoiler review here

Terminator to be preserved in U.S. film registry


By Brett Zongker, Associated Press

WASHINGTON — One of Arnold Schwarzenegger's most famous one-liners will be back for generations to come, now that 1984's The Terminator has been selected for preservation in the nation's film archive.
The low-budget film directed by James Cameron set a new standard for science-fiction and made Schwarzenegger, now California's governor, a star. The Library of Congress announced Tuesday morning that it's one of 25 films being added to the National Film Registry. The formal unveiling was scheduled for 8 a.m.

The move will guard Schwarzenegger's deadpan, "I'll be back," against deterioration, along with the sounds and images of the other culturally significant picks. Other titles being added to the registry include the groundbreaking all-black-cast film Hallelujah from 1929; Richard Brooks' 1967 film adaptation of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood ; and the 1972 film Deliverance, based on James Dickey's novel about four businessmen on a nightmarish canoe trip in the remote Georgia wildnerness.

"The registry helps this nation understand the diversity of America's film heritage and, just as importantly, the need for its preservation," Librarian of Congress James H. Billington said in announcing his 2008 selections. "The nation has lost about half of the films produced before 1950 and as much as 90% of those made before 1920."

As time passes, older nitrate- and acetate-based films begin to deteriorate, Billington said. The Library of Congress is working to digitize and preserve endangered film and audio files at its new Packard Campus of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, an approximately $250 million facility built in a bunker in the hills near Culpeper, Va.

Read the rest here

Still crazy


Can you imagine waking up to this face every morning?

By Courtney Hazlett
The Scoop

The Heather Mills news respite is over: now a former nanny Mills hired to look after daughter Beatrice is suing the former Mrs. Paul McCartney.

The nanny, Sara Trumble, claims that Mills required her to blow-dry Mills' hair, work unreasonable hours, and spray-tan a naked Mills.

A spokesperson for Mills told the British press, "Heather is devastated that Sara, who Heather considered a part of her family, should choose to level these accusations at her. This claim will be vigorously defended."

Mills and Trumble have 28 days to reach a settlement or they'll have to go to court over the battle.

Mills is worth an estimated $35 million, thanks mostly to a large settlement from her 2006 divorce from the former Beatle.

Crazy Cat Lady Justification


I just sold this picture of my cat for $50

Netflix’s New Shipping Process


From slashfilm, Netflix has announced a change in their shipping process:

“We have 55 shipping centers throughout the U.S., including Anchorage, Alaska and Honolulu, Hawaii. Previously, if the movie you wanted was not in stock locally, we sent it from another shipping center. Since this DVD was shipped from farther away, it took longer to arrive and you could end up without a DVD for a few days. This was especially inconvenient for our members on 1-disc plans. Now, if your first choice is not available in your local shipping center, we immediately send the next locally available movie in your Queue, and whenever possible, we also send your first choice from another part of the country.”

The change took effect on December 11th 2008 and applies to all current Netflix subscribers. Now if only Netflix could expand their Watch Instantly selection… I think I’d be willing to pay more for a premium subscription, if it had access to a wider selection of films.

Man Shot for Talking During "Benjamin Button" - JPX approves


From worstpreviews, There is nothing worse than hearing chatter behind you when you're trying to enjoy a movie at the theater. But one Philadelphia man has taken his frustrations too far.

During a showing of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" at the Riverview Theatre, James Joseph Cialella Jr told a man sitting behind him to stop talking to his son. After the family ignored his request, he turned around and threw popcorn at the son.

The popcorn throwing led to an exchange of words, which was followed by Cialella getting out of his seat, getting his gun out and shotting the father in the arm.

In panic, fellow movie-goers ran out of the theater, but Cialella sat back down in his seat to continue watching the movie. Police arrived a short time later to arrest Cialella and to confiscate his weapon.

The 29-year-old Cialella is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and weapons violations.

FOX doesn't want you to see Watchmen


From superherohype, An attorney for 20th Century Fox says the studio will continue to seek an order delaying the release of Watchmen, according to The Associated Press.

U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess last week agreed with Fox that Warner Bros. had infringed its copyright by developing and shooting the film, scheduled for release March 6.

Feess said Monday he plans to hold a trial Jan. 20 to decide remaining issues.

Fox claims it never fully relinquished story rights from its deal made in the late 1980s, and sued Warner Bros. in February. Warner Bros. contended Fox isn't entitled to distribution.

Warner Bros.' attorney said Monday he didn't know if an appeal was coming, but thinks a trial is necessary and a settlement unlikely.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Blast Out Of Bed With The Rocket Alarm!


From geekology, The $25 Rocket Launcher Alarm Clock is phallic as hell and I want one really badly. When it's time to wake up the rocket ship blasts off -- and you have to retrieve said rocket and replace it on the base for the beeping to stop. Alternatively, you can break the base. And while this certainly isn't the worst way to wake up, it is a close second behind the SWAT team busting into your bedroom. Those guys act like they've never seen a little morning wood before. Somebody fetch the proverbial buck saw -- this timber looks like a two-man job.

[JPX] I think I'll get this for Whirlygirl, who can never get out of bed.

Steven Spielberg’s 'Amblin'


From slashfilm, Steven Spielberg’s first completed 35mm short film is Amblin’. Shot in 1968 with a $15,000 budget, the 26-minute short film resulted in Sid Sheinberg signing Spielberg to a long-term deal at Universal under the Television division. Steven became the youngest director at the time to ever be signed to such a deal by a big Hollywood studio. Amblin won several film festival awards, and later became the name for Spielberg’s production company - Amblin Entertainment.

The film tells the story of a young couple who meet up while hitchhiking across the desert. Many of Spielberg’s unpaid crew members supposedly left the project before the end of the 105+ degree grueling desert shoot. For the most part, the film is silent, accompanied by some sound effects and acoustic guitar. Thanks to /Film reader David for sending this over.

Watch the film, here

LOST starts in 24 days!

Judge In 'Watchmen' Case Rules For Fox; Fans Brace For Fallout


From EW, You know how Santa Claus gives lumps of coal on Christmas Eve to those who’ve been very, very naughty? Well, so do judges. In a twist befitting the comic book in question, the judge presiding over the legal battle for distribution rights to Watchmen found in favor of Fox. The bottom line: Warner Bros. had absolutely no right to roll film on Zack Snyder’s adaptation of the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons superhero classic. As fans wait to see if the ruling will prevent the film from being released as scheduled on March 3, Fox and Warner Bros. are waiting to see if the court will determine how much Fox should get for being so wronged -- unless the studios decide to settle the matter themselves.

The ruling comes as a surprise to Hollywood observers, mostly because no one expected the judge would issue this ruling at all. The conventional wisdom was that Warner Bros. and Fox would settle privately, and the rightness and wrongness of the situation would never be officially called. Moreover, on Dec. 16, the judge set a Jan. 20 trial date for the dispute, saying he had no intention of fulfilling the request of both parties to issue a summary judgment. Why? Because, he said, the darn thing was just too complicated!

Read full article here

Roger Ebert hated The Spirit


"The Spirit" is mannered to the point of madness. There is not a trace of human emotion in it. To call the characters cardboard is to insult a useful packing material. The movie is all style -- style without substance, style whirling in a senseless void. The film's hero is an ex-cop reincarnated as an immortal enforcer; for all the personality he exhibits, we would welcome Elmer Fudd.

The movie was written, directed and fabricated largely on computers by Frank Miller, whose "300" and "Sin City" showed a similar elevation of the graphic novel into fantastical style shows. But they had characters, stories, a sense of fun. "The Spirit" is all setups and posing, muscles and cleavage, hats and ruby lips, nasty wounds and snarly dialogue, and males and females who relate to one another like participants in a blood oath.

The Spirit (Gabriel Macht) narrates his own story with all the introspection of a pro wrestler describing his packaging. The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) heroically overacts, devouring the scenery as if following instructions from Gladstone, the British prime minister who attributed his success to chewing each bite 32 times.

The Spirit encounters a childhood girlfriend, Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), pronounced like the typographical attribute, who made good on her vow of blowing off Central City and making diamonds her best friend. The Octopus has an enigmatic collaborator named Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson), pronounced like your dentist.

These people come and go in a dank, desolate city, where always it's winter and no one's in love, and their duty is to engage in impossible combat with no outcome, because The Octopus and The Spirit apparently cannot slay each other, for reasons we know in a certainty approaching dread will be explained with a melodramatic, insane flashback. In one battle in a muddy pond, they pound each other with porcelain commodes and rusty anchors, and The Spirit hits The Octopus in the face as hard as he can 21 times. Then they get on with the movie.

The Octopus later finds it necessary to bind The Spirit to a chair so that his body can be sliced into butcher's cuts and mailed to far-off ZIP codes. To supervise this task, he stands in front of a swastika, attired in full Nazi fetishwear, whether because he is a Nazi or just likes to dress up, I am not sure. A monocle appears in his eye. Since he doesn't wear it in any other scene, I assume it is in homage to Erich von Stroheim, who wasn't a Nazi but played one in the movies.

The objective of Sand Saref is to obtain a precious vial containing the blood of Heracles or Hercules; she alternates freely between the Greek and Roman names. This blood will confer immortality. Fat lot of good it did for Heracles or Hercules. Still, maybe there's something to it. At one point, The Spirit takes three bullets in the forehead, leans forward and shakes them out. At another, he is skewered by a broadsword. Why, oh why, does he never die, he asks himself. And we ask it of him.

I know I will be pilloried if I dare end this review without mentioning the name of the artist who created the original comic books. I would hate for that to happen. Will Eisner.

John Lennon to appear in advert from beyond the grave


From NME, John Lennon is set to appear in a charity advert, nearly 30 years after his death.

Permission to use the former Beatle's voice and image were given by his widow, Yoko Ono, to the One Laptop Per Child Foundation which is campaigning to supply computers to the world's poorest children.

The organisation, a spin-off of a project by the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, supplies the £140, solar powered machines to allow the world's poorest places to gain access to helpful technology.

In the advert, which can be seen below, Lennon says: "Imagine every child no matter where in the world they were could access a universe of knowledge. They would have a chance to learn, to dream, to achieve anything they want. I tried to do it through my music, but now you can do it in a very different way."

Air time for the advert will be donated by cable stations in the US.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Merry Christmas/Asteroid Strikes Earth


Since this is Horrorthon, the "season of giving" means "giving" the gift of ultimate horror (unless there's something wrong with my logic). Anyway here's four minutes and forty-six seconds of pure unspeakable dread. I'd say the body count for this clip dwarfs every horror movie seen by every Horrorthon participant this year (and it takes less than five minutes). Whoever added the Floyd had the right idea. You won't even see bacteria again for a few million years. Merry Christmas!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

The 3rd Horseman Trots Up...



From EW:
As an Arrested Development movie inches closer to reality and the producers try to corral all of the old cast, one thing you can count on: Will Arnett is ready to reunite. "Arrested Development has such a special place in my heart,” he tells EW.com, “and I can't wait to strap that fake hand back on and fight the seal once and for all—wait, which guy did I play?" (For the uninitiated, that’d be highly incompetent illusionist GOB.) Fans have been clamoring for another round of Bluth family dysfunction ever since the critically lauded show was cancelled in 2006 (and the finale slyly hinted that the story could continue on the big screen). ”It’ll be fun to get back together with everybody and work on it,” says Arnett. “It’s been so long now, we almost have to do it. It’s like we have to finish the joke.” What details can he spill about the project? “I’m sure I’m not speaking out of turn when I say Christmas Day ’09, 12:01 a.m. is the first show,” he shares. “We’re opening on—this is unprecedented—13,000 screens. This is going to be mind-blowing. We start shooting this summer. It’s going to be directed by Obama’s Secretary of the Treasury, I’m not sure how [series creator] Mitch Hurwitz feels about that. Part of the Wall Street bailout is for our budget. We’re getting a bill and a half; because we were a business considered under duress because of the cancellation, blah blah blah, we met federal requirements. And the box office is guaranteed by the FDIC.” Sounds like money in the bank.

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/12/arrested-develo.html

Friday, December 26, 2008

Merry Catmas!

We don't belong to Catfreeek, she just thought we were cute.


Aren't we cute too? We haven't wrecked the tree yet, but we will.


Eating an icicle under the not yet destroyed tree.

Merry aftermath everyone! Hope you all had a great day.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry KISSMAS

Can you believe this guy is famous? Seriously, I mean -what the hell is that about?

Haiku Hump Day: Christmas Edition



Merry Gretchmas everybody! Let's do it!

Merry Christmas!!

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days of Christmas

I know JPX will probably hate this being somewhat close to a musical and all....But I'm putting it up anyway! Hope everyone has a great Christmas and can't wait to see the East Coasters on Saturday!

Bruce Boxleitner Returns for TRON 2.0


From slashfilm, Bruce Boxleitner has signed on to return in TRON 2.0, according to ComingSoon. Boxleitner played Alan Bradley, aka TRON, in the original 1982 Disney film Tron, and will reprise his role in the sequel. Previously announced, Jeff Bridges will reprise the role of Kevin Flynn, Olivia Wilde and Beau Garrett have also joined the cast. You might also notice that I called the film TRON 2.0, and not TR2N. Both the trades and IMDb have now adopted the new title, which makes me believe that Disney has finally come to their senses and have decided to return to the more logical sequel title.

In the original film, Bridges and Boxleitner joined forces to outmaneuver the master control program that held them captive in the virtual computer game. Not much is known about the story of the sequel, but some have speculated that Bridge’s character is no longer fighting the good fight.

Gilligan’s Island Creator Wants Michael Cera To Play Gilligan in Movie Adaptation


From slashfilm, Sherwood Schwartz and his son Lloyd Schwartz have signed a deal to bring Gilligan’s Island to the big screen. I loved Gilligan’s Island as a kid, and am not against the idea of a re-imagining of the series… But it seems to me that LOST is our generation’s version of the 1960’s television series, and anything closer to the source material would just be too silly (I’m imagining something like The Flintstones movie… ewww).

Schwartz broke the news at the Beverly Hills induction ceremony of Television Academy’s Hall of Fame on December 9th, where he told TV Guide that he wants Michael Cera to play Gilligan and Beyonce Knowles to play Ginger. It just seems like a bad idea. But if they could sucessfully update the series for the big screen, Cera might be perfect for the role of Gilligan. But I’m pretty sure if a movie makes it to theaters, it won’t be good.

End of an era - The last VHS supplier closes shop for good


Pop culture is finally hitting the eject button on the VHS tape, the once-ubiquitous home-video format that will finish this month as a creaky ghost of Christmas past.

After three decades of steady if unspectacular service, the spinning wheels of the home-entertainment stalwart are slowing to a halt at retail outlets. On a crisp Friday morning in October, the final truckload of VHS tapes rolled out of a Palm Harbor, Fla., warehouse run by Ryan J. Kugler, the last major supplier of the tapes.

"It's dead, this is it, this is the last Christmas, without a doubt," said Kugler, 34, a Burbank businessman. "I was the last one buying VHS and the last one selling it, and I'm done. Anything left in warehouse we'll just give away or throw away."

Read the full article here

I already hate this movie



From cinemablend, When I saw the title G-Force, I figured it would be a generic kind of espionage movie, in which Jamie Foxx or Colin Farrell or some such gets trained in the ways of saving the world. But it turns out, it's worse than that. G-Force is a movie in which guinea pigs are trained for espionage, and it looks likely to be the Space Chimps of summer 2009.

Go ahead, say I'm being unfair. But check out the photo gallery posted at USA Today's website. Does this really look like the kind of animation that kids are clamoring for? I mean, yeah, I guess it works if you really need another movie in which CGI animals do what humans normally do, but isn't there a little more imagination involved in making a kids movie?


Now you can have a copy of Batman’s Shakespeare Bust


From slashfilm, On the old Batman television show, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson would be in the library in stately Wayne Manor when the unmarked red phone would ring looking for Batman’s help. Bruce would tilt the head back of a bust of William Shakespeare to find a hidden remote control which he would use to open a hidden door the the book shelves which house Batpoles which lead to the Batcave. While I don’t ever expect to have a Batcave of my own, I would love to build a hidden door into my future home. And what would be better to hide the remote key in but the same Shakespeare bust used in the tv series? Featured in WIRED Magazine’s “Top 100 Gifts”, The Shakespeare Statuette with Hidden Remote Control can be used to switch a door, lights, music, — anything that works on electricity

“An industrial-style pilot light shows when power is being fed to the remote power outlet. 16 Gauge wire, 1625 watts maximum, indoor use only. Components are UL approved. The antique bronze-color “Bard of Avon” is about 20 inches tall and about 12 inches wide at the shoulders.” … “BatPhone in photo above is not included.”

Monday, December 22, 2008

New Years Resolutions


Has anyone been planning any New Years Resolutions? I never make them because since I’m not a very disciplined person I typically don’t follow them for too long, but when I did make them it was always to quit smoking. Though of course I was always lighting up a moment after the clock struck midnight. Unlike past years, this year I’ve decided to make and keep some. They mostly revolve around vanity. I think it’s because I’m turning 30 next year, which the thought of makes me want to punch myself in the face and set my hair on fire.

Here are some of mine:

# 1, which surprisingly I’ve already accomplished, is to start wearing contact lenses. I have worn glasses for most of my life and I have always despised them, but I have never considered getting contacts because I have a huge phobia of touching my eye, and I have never done so until last week when I went to the eye doctor. I thought maybe after I touched my eye once it would get better, but it hasn’t. It’s actually worse than I thought it would be, and it doesn’t help that I’m really bad at inserting and removing the lenses. The first time I had to take them out it took me an hour. You can only imagine how many times I had to stick my finger in my eye in that amount of time. I think it was one of the grossest experiences of my life. The second problem is that since I’m not used to wearing contacts they make me extremely sleepy, almost like I took a sleeping pill, and they give me headaches. I imagine this will eventually pass. The weirdest thing of all is that I discovered that I actually never entirely knew what I looked like. I’ve had poor vision my whole life, and have only seen myself with glasses, without but blurry, or in pictures, which are never completely accurate. When I look in the mirror now I don’t exactly recognize myself and it’s been freaking me out a bit. Overall, I’m happy that I don’t have to wear glasses anymore.

# 2 (which is a popular one) my lazy ass is going to the gym a lot, and unlike past years when I’ve only said it, I’m actually going to do it this year. This resolution was inspired while watching a young Farah Fawcett who appeared on an episode of the Partridge Family. I watched it with JPX and he’s been laughing ever since I told him.

# 3 Finish writing the play I’ve been working on for years. I’m constantly rewriting it, which I do with everything I write, but this one has annoyed me the most, and I have barely touched it at all this year.

I have few more vanity ones, but I will not bore you with them; instead, I’m much more interested to hear what others resolutions are.   

Gross: EBay bidders scramble to snag Scarlett's snot rag


NEW YORK (AP) — How snotty: Scarlett Johansson blew her nose on a tissue, and now the tissue is being sold on eBay.
Johansson appeared on NBC's Tonight show Wednesday to promote her new movie, The Spirit. The actress said she'd caught a cold from co-star Samuel L. Jackson, and felt her illness had value because it had been passed down from one celebrity to another.

Host Jay Leno then handed her a tissue, and Johansson announced she would sell it on eBay to raise money for the hunger relief charity USA Harvest. She blew twice, depositing some lipstick and mucus.

As of Thursday morning, the dirty tissue had snagged more than 60 bids, with the highest bidder putting up $2,050. The online auction ends Monday.

Star Wars Hoth LEGO Diorama


From slashfilm, Mark Borlase created a 5 foot by 10 foot Star Wars Hoth diorama using LEGO. The display took over 4 years and $3000 to create, and consists of over 55,000 pieces, 50 real LED lights and a remote controled mechanism which deploys troops from the AT-ATs. All the lights are controlled by 1-9v train regulator and the doors are controlled by a second 9v regulator. The diorama won the recent Star Wars LEGO creation challenge and will be featured in the official LEGO magazine. The photos below show the Sick bay with custom medical droid and bacta tank, a complete interior view of Echo base. You can see Chewie is doing some last minute welding work on the Millennium Falcon, as well as a custom gantry for the mechanics to work on the X-wings, complete with overhead and runway lighting.

Go here to see you can do with $3000 worth of Legos!

Horrorthon 2009


From moviesonline, Director Sean Cain’s X-mas themed “Zombie Night” has a creature outbreak trapping L.A.P.D. Officer Frank Talbot with his angry former partner and soon to be ex-wife. This tragic love triangle is being fast tracked for an early 2009 U.S. theatrical release in anticipation of its DVD worldwide release later that year.

The 20 Most Ridiculous Batman Comics Ever Released


"And that concludes our presentation of the Batcave. Any questions? Yes, you the kid in the back."

"So your bat-cave is right under Bruce Wayne's house?"

"You betcha!"

"And the only entrance is through a staircase connected to Bruce Wayne's house, right?"

"Right again!"

"So...so you are Bruce Wayne, then?"

"Ah- Oh. Well, that's an interesting question with a pretty --HOLY SHIT SMOKE BOMB! " ::Batman throws smoke bomb and runs off::

See full list here

A Judge Dredd remake?


It's very early days but it could just be that a Judge Dredd film has being green lit and will start development.

I loved the idea of a Judge Dredd film, although I've always hoped for a Rogue Trooper film over anything else, and the casting of Sylvester Stallone was just inspired. That said, it turned out terrible. Will a new version fare any better?

The word comes through the 2000AD forums and AICN and simply states:

“Together with DNA Films, the movie production company behind such great sci-fi movies such as Sunshine and 28 Weeks Later, Judge Dredd will go into production in 2009.

Jason Kingsley, CEO and Creative Director said, ‘We can’t give away too many details at this point, but we’re looking forward to working with DNA Films to bring Judge Dredd back to the big screen.’”

That's it, but for me what the interesting part is what the 2000AD Forum members start talking about, potential casting. Let's run through a few suggestions that they come out with:

Jason Statham or Ron Perlman.

I'm sure you guys can come up with even more, but I think Jason Statham is a perfect choice for the role, perhaps Ron Perlman is just too associated with another big fantasy character to pull it off. Statham really does look the part though, the square jaw, the muscular frame, the voice.

The conversation there also leaps onto the fact that the production company here was behind 28 Weeks Later and Sunshine. There's a lot of excitement behind that fact, but in reality the production company can often do little more than arrange things behind the scenes, their involvement in the creative side is often very limited. However the past two films do indicate something, there's potential.

Could it be as big as the previous Judge Dredd? Not on paper I think, and not up to the point of people seeing the film, after that point I reckon that the film can be much, much better than the original, don't you think?

'My Bloody Valentine 3D' is Definitely in Three Dimensions


From iwatchstuff, My Bloody Valentine 3D has a new trailer, and the marketing team is still aggressively pushing the three-dimensionality just as much as the film's lack of content. Look at how this pick axe flying OUT OF THE SCREEN! That's both the gimmick and the plot:

See trailer here

Where is Miko?

Drunk Lennon recording grabs $30K at auction


LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Maybe it wasn't John Lennon's best musical effort, but a tape of an apparently inebriated Lennon warbling a cover of Lloyd Price's "Just Because" brought a sobering $30,000 at auction Sunday in Los Angeles.

Bonhams and Butterfields auction house spokeswoman Margaret Barrett said Lennon had apparently had one too many when he got behind the mic in the 1973 recording session.

"It was six minutes, 16 seconds, and John singing very drunk and with John ad-libbing his own lyrics into the song -- so it's actually a fun song to listen to," Barrett said.

Described in the auction catalogue as "One standard orange-colored cassette tape with audio of Lennon in fall of 1973 singing the Lloyd Price song 'Just Because,' " the never-before-heard-in-public cassette was given to the former owner personally by Lennon, the auction house said.

That former owner was not identified, nor was Sunday's buyer -- for whom another Fab Four classic -- "Money" -- now might have new meaning.

Malevolent

 2018  ***1/2 It's 1986 for some reason, and a team of paranormal investigators are making a big name for themselves all over Scotland. ...