Artificial Continuum


Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Despite being a financial success, this year's Clash of the Titans remake directed by Louis Leterrier was critically slammed and generally disliked. This may be why Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have approached another director for leading the upcoming sequel.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Jonathon Liebesman director of the upcoming science fiction action film, Battle: Los Angelos, recently signed a deal with Warner Bros. to direct the sequel written by Dan Mazeau and David Leslie Johnson. Clash of the Titans 2 will also feature the return of star Sam Worthington and Gemma Arteton and will be shot in 3D.

Wolverine 2 may in fact be shooting sooner rather then later. Despite the long list of possible directors given earlier this summer, it appears that 20th Century Fox and Hugh Jackman have lowered the number of candidates considerably.

According to a report by Deadline, 30 Days of Night director David Slade has met numerous times with lead star Jackman numerous times over the past week to discuss the film. The other possible candidate is Darren Aronofsky, director of the art film Requiem for a Dream. Aronofsky has worked with Jackman before on The Fountain. However, Deadline personally seems convinced that Slade will lead the production for the next X-men prequel.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Whoa! Is the Around The Web feature actually on time today? Yes it is! And this week we have late breaking memes, unnecessary censorship, and some stupid Mass Effect video I think is funny...Never said I had a good sense of humor.

1. Epic Football Fail
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This latest breakout viral hit has taken Youtube by storm.

2. Viral Classic: The Count Censored
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The original censorship classic, has spawned an Internet craze that has spread through almost every form of media. However, nothing beats this original Sesame Street classic.


3. Mass Effect CSI
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Yes....I did just do that.
Last night, the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards were held celebrating the very best in television. The show was certainly a site to behold with Jimmy Fallon's sucessful hosting and numerous musical numbers, including the cast of Glee.

Outstanding Drama
**Winner** "Mad Men"
"Breaking Bad"
"Dexter"
"The Good Wife"
"Lost"
"True Blood"

Outstanding Comedy
**Winner** "Modern Family"
"30 Rock"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"
"Glee"
"Nurse Jackie"
"The Office"

Outstanding Actor in a Drama
**Winner** Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad")
Hugh Laurie ("House M.D.")
Jon Hamm ("Mad Men")
Kyle Chandler ("Friday Night Lights")
Matthew Fox ("Lost")
Michael C. Hall ("Dexter")

Outstanding Actress in a Drama
**Winner** Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer")
Connie Britton ("Friday Night Lights")
Glenn Close ("Damages")
January Jones ("Mad Men")
Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife")
Mariska Hargitay ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit")

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy
**Winner** Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory")
Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock")
Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm")
Matthew Morrison ("Glee")
Steve Carell ("The Office")
Tony Shalhoub ("Monk")

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy
**Winner** Edie Falco ("Nurse Jackie")
Amy Poehler ("Parks and Recreation")
Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("The New Adventures of Old Christine")
Lea Michele ("Glee")
Tina Fey ("30 Rock")
Toni Collette ("The United States of Tara")

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama
**Winner** Aaron Paul ("Breaking Bad")
Andre Braugher ("Men of a Certain Age")
John Slattery ("Mad Men")
Martin Short ("Damages")
Michael Emerson ("Lost")
Terry O'Quinn ("Lost")

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama
**Winner** Archie Panjabi ("The Good Wife")
Christine Baranski ("The Good Wife")
Christina Hendricks ("Mad Men")
Elisabeth Moss ("Mad Men")
Rose Byrne ("Damages")
Sharon Gless ("Burn Notice")

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy
**Winner** Eric Stonestreet ("Modern Family")
Chris Colfer ("Glee")
Jesse Tyler Ferguson ("Modern Family")
Jon Cryer ("Two and a Half Men")
Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met Your Mother")
Ty Burrell ("Modern Family")

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy
**Winner** Jane Lynch ("Glee")
Holland Taylor ("Two and a Half Men")
Jane Krakowski ("30 Rock")
Julie Bowen ("Modern Family")
Kristen Wiig ("Saturday Night Live")
Sofia Vergara ("Modern Family")

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
**Winner** "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart"
"The Colbert Report"
"Real Time With Bill Maher"
"Saturday Night Live"
"The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien"

Outstanding Reality Show Competition
**Winner** "Top Chef"
"Project Runway"
"The Amazing Race"
"Dancing with the Stars"
"American Idol"

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program
**Winner** Jeff Probst ("Survivor")
Phil Keoghan ("The Amazing Race")
Ryan Seacrest ("American Idol")
Tom Bergeron ("Dancing with the Stars")
Heidi Klum ("Project Runway")

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
**Winner** Steve Shill ("Dexter) - "The Getaway"
Michelle MacLaren ("Breaking Bad") - "One Minute"
Jack Bender ("Lost") - "The End"
Leslie Linka Glatter ("Mad Men" -" Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency"
Agnieszka Holland ("Treme") - "Do You Know What It means" (Pilot)

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
**Winner** Matthew Weiner and Erin Levy ("Mad Men") - "Shut the Door"
Rolin Jones ("Friday Night Lights") - "The Son"
Michelle King and Robert King ("The Good Wife") (Pilot)
Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse ("Lost") - "The End"
Robin Veith and Matthew Weiner ("Mad Men") - "Guy Walks Into Advertising Agency"

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
**Winner** Ryan Murphy ("Glee") - "Director's Cut (Pilot)"
Paris Barclay ("Glee") - "Wheels"
Jason Winer ("Modern Family") (Pilot)
Allen Coulter ("Nurse Jackie") (Pilot)
Don Scardino ("30 Rock") - "I Do Do"

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy
**Winner** Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd ("Modern Family") (Pilot)
Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan ("Glee") - "Director's Cut (Pilot)"
Greg Daniels and Mindy Kaling ("The Office") - "Nicaragua"
Matt Hubbard ("30 Rock") - "Anna Howard Shaw Day"
Tina Fey and Kay Cannon ("30 Rock") - "Lee Marvin Vs. Derek Jeter"

Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special
**Winner** "The 63rd Annual Tony Awards"
"The 82nd Annual Academy Awards"
"Bill Maher... But I'm Not Wrong"
"The Kennedy Center Honors"
"Wanda Sykes: I'ma Be Me"

Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special
**Winner** Bucky Gunts ("Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony""
Ron de Moraes ("In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music From the Civil Rights Movement")
Louis J. Horvitz ("The Kennedy Center Honors")
Glenn Weiss ("The 63rd Annual Tony Awards")
Joel Gallen ("The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert""

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
**Winner** Julia Ormond ("Temple Grandin")
Kathy Bates ("Alice")
Catherine O'Hara ("Temple Grandin")
Brenda Vaccaro ("You Don't Know Jack")
Susan Sarandon ("You Don't Know Jack")

Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
**Winner* David Strathairn ("Temple Grandin")
Michael Gambon ("Emma")
Patrick Stewart ("Hamlet")
Jonathan Pryce ("Return To Cranford")
John Goodman ("You Don't Know Jack")

Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special
**Winner** Adam Mazer ("You Don't Know Jack")
Michelle Ashford and Robert Schenkkan ("The Pacific") - "Part Eight"
Bruce C. McKenna and Robert Schenkkan ("The Pacific") - "Part Ten"
Peter Morgan ("The Special Relationship")
Christopher Monger and William Merritt Johnson ("Temple Grandin")

Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
**Winner** Claire Danes ("Temple Grandin")
Maggie Smith ("Capturing Mary")
Joan Allen ("Georgia O'Keeffe")
Dame Judi Dench ("Return To Cranford")
Hope Davis ("The Special Relationship")

Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special
**Winner** Mick Jackson ("Temple Grandin")
Bob Balaban ("Georgia O'Keeffe")
David Nutter and Jeremy Podeswa ("The Pacific") - "Part Eight"
Tim Van Patten ("The Pacific") - "Part Nine"
Barry Levinson ("You Don't Know Jack")

Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
**Winner** Al Pacino ("You Don't Know Jack")
Jeff Bridges ("A Dog Year")
Ian McKellen ("The Prisoner")
Michael Sheen ("The Special Relationship")
Dennis Quaid ("The Special Relationship")

Outstanding Miniseries
**Winner** "The Pacific"
"Return to Cranford (Masterpiece)"

Made for Television Movie
**Winner** "Temple Grandin"
"Endgame"
"Georgia O'Keeffe"
"Moonshot"
"The Special Relationship"
"You Don't Know Jack"

Outstanding Reality Program
**Winner** "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution"
"Antiques Roadshow"
"Dirty Jobs"
"Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List"
"MythBusters"
"Undercover Boss"

Outstanding Nonfiction Series
**Winner** "The National Parks: America's Best Idea"
"American Experience"
"American Masters"
"Deadliest Catch"
"LIFE"
"Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)"

Outstanding Animated Program
**Winner** "Disney Prep & Landing"
"Alien Earths"
"The Ricky Gervais Show"
"The Simpsons"
"South Park"

Outstanding Children's Program
**Winner** "Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie"
"Hannah Montana"
"iCarly"
"Jonas"
"Wizards of Waverly Place"
Thursday, August 26, 2010

Although many would not pin it at first glance, there is quiet a bit in common between Batman Begins and the newest Star Trek reboot directed by JJ Abrams. Both are widely sucessful attempts at rebooting franchises that had previously gone stale, and lost their touch with a modern generation. These similarities have been noted by the people who made the 2009 Star Trek possible.

According to reports and interviews conducted by E! with executive producers Bryan Burk and Damon Lindelof, the creators have been looking at what made the Dark Knight such a success for their attempt at a sequel. Lindelof mentions that The Dark Knight managed to expand upon the sucess of Batman Begins but at the same time making it more emotional and thematic. Star Trek 2 is also planned to be an even bigger film then the first.

Star Trek 2 will be released June 29, 2012.

Red Dead Redemption has quickly become one of the most successful games of the year. The Rockstar Games western epic has sold over five million copies and has garnered almost universal critical acclaim.

It comes as no surprise that Red Dead Redemption will be following the likes of numerous other video game franchises and making the jump to the big screen. According to an anonymous tip given to ShowBizSpy.com, famous actor Brad Pitt will play the starring role of John Marston. The validity of this report is still in question though, with Rockstar refusing to comment.
In a tradition that has branched through almost every installment in the series, Halo: Reach has delivered and exhilariting and awe inspiring live action trailer. This is the closest fans will ever get to a live action Halo film.

Halo: Reach will be released September 14, 2010.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

When it comes to Marvel comics, Iron Fist is a rather obscure character. A martial arts expert that has only recently become respected by the comic book community, the former Hero for Hire has yet to break out into the general publics sphere of awareness.

This may soon change. With Marvel slowly turning its attention to bringing its less known creations to the big screen, it appears that the kung fu star may in fact get the starring role he deserves. Deadline reported today that Marvel has approached Ryan Wilkes (xXx) to pen the script for a planned adaptation that will accompany Doctor Strange following the Avengers film in 2012.
(Sorry for the hiatus)

Here we go. A Monday has passed and gone, and once again I am late for the weekly web video feature! For shame! Anyways, here are this weeks picks.

1. Kung Fu Bear
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This bear may just be the single most badass animal on the planet. Honestly, that bear should have its own movie...

2. Classic Viral: Angry Cat
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Keeping with the evil demonic animal theme, heres a very angry cat that drew the attention of people on the Internet. Probably because unlike most cat videos it does not induce feelings of love and affection but rather fear and inferiority complexes.


3. Lol wut?
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All that can be said.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
With the latest season of the Clone Wars approaching release and gaining hype, I decided that perhaps now is the best time to offer my own in depth commentary on this series. Ill be using the next four days to lay down what exactly I love and hate about the series, and what works and what does not.
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The Clone Wars, like many television series, has gone through some growing pains. It has had its ups and downs. Some episodes are incredibly mature, rich in character, and have fantastic animated sequences, while others are ruined by poor voice acting, plotting, and unbearably poorly executed comic relief. Thankfully, the show has increased in quality since its early days. Even then there are some episodes that are so subpar that they deserve recognition.

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5. Mystery of A Thousand Moons

Mystery of A Thousand Moons is an interesting concept that suffers from poor execution, subpar plotting, and of course excruciating humor. The story follows Anakin and Obiwan as they travel to a mysterious planet to find a cure for a disease that has ravaged several of their close friends. While approaching the planet they are shot down by a mysterious force and stranded on a planet filled with outcasts. There are numerous way that this episode could have been pulled off in a satisfying manner. However, it instead just feels incredibly unnatural. The audience is never feels the menace or urgency that would be necessary for such a plot. The characters that are met in this episode are also uninteresting and unsympathetic. The annoying battle droid and Jar Jar humor is even more frustrating in this episode.

4. The Gungan General
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Following Jar Jar Binks's attempts to negotiate the release of Obiwan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Count Dooku from a band of vicious pirates, The Gungan General may be one of the most annoying episodes of the series to date. Including Jar Jar Binks into a storyline involving cut throat pirates, the murder of innocent senators, and sith lords is never a good idea. However, this is made even worse by giving Jar Jar an even more annoying voice actor then before. Almost as bad is the annoying prison break subplot that forces Anakin, Obiwan, and Dooku to work together. Played to almost unintentionally humorous ends, The Gungan General fails to create any sense of humor, excitement, or dread that it obviously hopes to instill.

3. Defenders of Peace
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Like The Gungan General, Defenders of Peace is a frustrating episode for the fact that it is a sequel to an episode that was actually pretty good. Picking up after the exciting and creative survival epic, Jedi Crash, Defenders of Peace is a confusing and frustrating episode. As seen many times throughout the first season of The Clone Wars, the villains are presented as dangerous and violent beings, but are consistently undermined by ineffective and frustrating attempts at humor. However, what is truly perplexing abut Defenders of Peace is the message it seems to teach. In the beginning of the episode, Anakin and his group of clones and Jedi are taken in by a group of pacifist aliens who help to nurse the wounded hero back to health. However, as the plot progresses it becomes obvious that Anakin, and the writers, have little respect for the beliefs held by his saviors. In fact, Defenders of Peace (an oddly ironic title) seems to teach that violence will always beat out pacifism when it comes to solving problems. In a television show that is viewed by children this is a disturbingly close minded message.

2. Star Wars The Clone Wars: The Movie
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Movie may go down in history as one of the worst moves made in the history of the franchise. A colossal failure on nearly all fronts, the film not only failed at the box office, was despised by critics, but also scared of thousands of potential fans from the series. The movie is in fact a poorly edited amalgam of the first four episodes of the series. The film is choppy, unnatural, and confusing. The animation, while impressive and often beautiful on a television screen, is primitive when compared to numerous other big budget animated films. However, most frustrating is the fact that the Clone Wars film is not a good representation of the series itself. Overly childish, cheesy, and sometimes incomprehensible, The Clone Wars is just a terrible film. This is unfortunate when compared to the increasingly spectacular television series.

1. The Blue Shadow Virus
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The Blue Shadow Virus is without a doubt the worst outing of The Clone Wars yet released. Like so many other episodes in the series, it starts out with an incredibly promising plot point that eventually devolves into an unwatchable mess. Following the production of a dangerous bioweapon by a mad Separatist scientist, The Blue Shadow Virus at first glance tells an interesting and even scary plot. However, this is utterly destroyed as the episode progresses. Jar Jar Binks once again makes an appearance in this episode (yet again sporting his new voice). Like numerous other appearances his slapstick and moronic humor simply does not work with the plot and situations presented by the plot. However, Jar Jar is not alone. Blue Shadow Virus introduces an equally annoying female gungan. This alone would be grounds to leave this episode alone, but the horror continues. The villain for this episode is a bizarre Nazi caricature of a mad scientist, who is perhaps even more annoying than Binks. These elements combined with yet another damsel in distress plot, uninspired action, and an anticlimactic conclusion create an absolutely terrible episode.
Saturday, August 21, 2010

With the latest season of the Clone Wars approaching release and gaining hype, I decided that perhaps now is the best time to offer my own in depth commentary on this series. Ill be using the next four days to lay down what exactly I love and hate about the series, and what works and what does not.


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Ever since it first aired The Clone Wars has been a source of controversy among the Star Wars community. Everything from the writing, animation, and design was hotly debated and picked apart. For many, their first impression of the series was enough to scare them away. However, I managed to stick it through both seasons of the series. Through its highs and lows, I've stayed loyal to The Clone Wars, and for the most part it was worth it. Despite this, The Clone wars is not a perfect series. It has its problems, and many things I dislike. And before I begin my commentary on why the Clone Wars works, I must first examine why it does not. Here is my list of the top five things I hate about the Clone Wars.




5. Lack of Tension
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Perhaps one of the least obvious issues with the Clone Wars is something that plagues almost any story taking place before an established work. Going into the series the audience knows the fates of the majority of the main cast, which is unfortunate for a series that relies heavily on action and suspense. While it is interesting seeing characters grow and evolve into their ultimate shapes and mindsets, its uninteresting to see a lightsaber duel between Obiwan Kenobi and Count Dooku. We know that the fight will not end in any climactic results for either party, because the destinies of both are already known. It makes for awkward storytelling, and a frustrated viewer.



4. Uninticing Action
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An issue that has slowly been remedied by the current creative team are the sometimes bland action set pieces in The Clone Wars. Originally limited by a small budget and an inexperienced animation team, The Clone Wars sputtered along with providing unengaging and boring scenes. One aspect that was evident early on and continues to be a major issue for the show is that animated lightsaber battles, atleast done so in the manner portrayed in the Clone Wars, are just not fun to watch. While certain episodes such as Cloak of Darkness have done their best to add in some greatly choreographed scenes, watching animated models swing glowing lightsabers at one another will never be as exciting as watching real life actors and stunt doubles battle it out. Compound this with the lack of tension mentioned earlier, and one can imagine why watching Obiwan duel General Grievous for the fifth time in one season can grow boring.


3. Dialogue/Voice Acting
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An issue that has plagued Star Wars for the past decade has been unbearable dialogue. Most evident in Attack of the Clones, simple conversations can become nearly unwatchable due to unnatural writing and bland acting. Unfortunately, in many ways the Clone Wars follows this trend. While it has slowly improved with each passing episode, there are still several cringe worthy lines, particularly surrounding the romance driven subplots. The voice acting also has its moments worthy of disgust. Particularly surrounding Matt Latner's portrayal of Anakin Skywalker, a role that seems cursed to any actor. Also frustrating is the overly childish approach given to Ahsoka Thano by Ashley Eckstein, although once again this is an approach that has slowly been fixed as the show has progressed.

2. Humor
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The most frustrating aspect of the series at first glance is its repeated attempts at humor. Mostly portrayed through the bumbling villainous battle droids, these annoying pun and slap stick moments of attempted comic relief are more irritating then laugh inducing. In many instances incredibly dark or engaging moments will be ruined by a joke so uninspired and irritating that it can ruin whole episodes at a time. Two perfect examples can be seen in the season one installments "Defender's of Peace" and "The Blue Shadow Virus". Both episodes center around violent and dark themes including bioterrorism and death of innocents. However, any intelligent material is overwhelmed by poorly executed slapstick. Most unfortunate of all is the inclusion of Jar Jar Binks. Yes, arguably the worst character in the history of Star Wars does have a role in The Clone Wars (though thankfully its regulated to the first season.)

1. Retcons
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The most frustrating aspect of the Clone Wars as a Star Wars fan are the numerous retcons the series has created. Star Wars is a universe that has become infinitely expansive since its birth in 1977. Thanks to the contributions of the creative works behind video games, comics, and novels Star Wars had become a vibrant world filled with lore and creativity. This is why George Lucas's unappreciation and constant retconning of previously canon works is frustrating to numerous fans. Until the second season of the show the retcons had been a bearable grievance. However, this changed when Lucasfilm announced the numerous changes made to the beloved Mandalorian culture for a midseason arc. While this initially infuriating change was eventually revealed less far reaching then believed, this sudden change to a previously standing work was an unsettling move. With news breaking regarding season three, further retcons are to be expected. We can only cross our fingers and hope that further works are not ruined.


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Ultimately, I still have a great appreciation for The Clone Wars. While the series is still flawed, it increasingly gets better with each passing episode. Look for further commentaries later this week.

Despite earlier rumors being shot down by Lucasfilm, it appears that we will indeed be getting another Indiana Jones film. This time it has Shia LaBeouf's stamp of approval.


According to a report by Showbiz Spy, LaBeouf was pitched the plotline for the latest installment of the adventure franchise by Steven Spielberg himself. LaBeouf, who recently denounced his work on the controversial fourth film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, was overly positive about the ideas for the script. This also confirms the return of Shia LaBeouf's character Mutt Williams.

Despite hitches along the way, it appears that X-men First Class has begun shooting and with that we have learned a great deal about the upcoming superhero adaptation. Through a phone interview with executive producer Bryan Singer, Aint It Cool News has revealed details regarding the latest film in the X-men franchise.

One of the major aspects of the superhero prequel will be the time period it is set in. First Class is scheduled to take place in an alternative 1960's with John F. Kennedy as president, and with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X having a background role in the film. First Class will also emulate the retro-future technology of the era, similar to the 1960's James Bond films. Because of this change in time period, we will not see fan favorites Cyclops and Marvel Girl in this film.

As for plot details, the major villain has been revealed to be Sebastian Shaw, played by Kevin Bacon. Shaw will be backed up the Hellfire Club's White Queen Emma Frost, played by January Jones. However, the majority of the story will explore the relationship between Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and how their relationship deteriorates. It will also be revealed how Xavier became crippled.

X-men: First Class will be released on June 3, 2011.
Friday, August 20, 2010
As a testament toThe Empire Strikes Back, Orlando Florida was recently home to the Star Wars convention Celebration Five. At this meeting of Star Wars die hards, Dave Filoni and George Lucas revealed details about the highly anticipated third season of the popular animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Filoni confirmed that the new season will feature a major battle on the planet Kamino, the return of Cad Bane and Aurra Sing, the introduction of Darth Maul's brother Savage Opress, further storylines involving Ryloth and Mandalore, and and the introduction of the Dathomiir Nightsisters into the series. Check out the trailer below for the full experience.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Today, at Gamescon, Bioware showed the first actual video of space combat. Unfortunately for you EVE fans, there doesn't seem to be any free exploration or any of that boring stuff that you inexplicably find fun. But fortunately for us Nintendo fans, the space combat looks like Star Fox 64 with multiple types of ships and fantastic graphics.

The video can be found here.
Bioware has released the trailer for Dragon Age 2 at Gamescon. We don't get to see any gameplay, but the action probably hints at what some of the moves are going to look like.



Flemeth's voice actor seems to return as the narrator for this trailer, and maybe for the game itself. And I must say, I'm really liking that beard.

"The rise to power" which I'm assuming is the release date, is March 8th.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Even though Guild Wars was was not the best of games, one can not deny that ArenaNet didn't try something new and risky with Guild Wars. Among many changes to the design of the average MMO, it had one one feature, or lack of a feature, that stood out the most: no monthly fees.

And now, ArenaNet is building its next MMO, Guild Wars 2. I must say, it is looking damn sexy. Guild Wars 2 is featuring persistent worlds, dynamic events, beautiful graphics, branching, personal storylines, and pet sharks. In case you're one of those people who dismisses and ignores MMO's like it's a bodily function, here is ArenaNet's latest video:



It's nigh impossible to not be excited after watching this.
Thursday, August 12, 2010

It has been known for over a year now that the final Harry Potter book would be separated into two individual films. However, what has bothered fans for months is where exactly this split would take place in the context of the story?

Entertainment Weekly revealed today that the split would take place late into the book: "“Part I will end at about Chapter 24 of the book, with Voldemort gaining possession of the Elder Wand, one of the three Deathly Hallows that allow the bearer to conquer death.”


This comes as a shock to many fans, who expected the split to happen earlier in the course of the plot. This means that the majority of the final film will be dedicated to the Battle of Hogwarts and the resolution of the series.
Yes. I do have a life outside of AC. I will be out of town for the next week and will be unable to run this site adequately. You will see a few updates, but not close to the normal amount you see during weekdays.

Deadpool has become quiet the star as of late. Taking the spotlight of numerous Marvel comic series and video games, the Merc with a Mouth has jumped into become one of the companies most profitable characters.

However, it appears that the long awaited movie adaptation of Deadpool may have stalled in produciton permanently. According to WorstPreviews, the highly anticipated action comedy may have hit a major road block in production. Its star Ryan Reynolds has been signed on to the project since playing the title character in last summers X-men Origins: Wolverine. However, Reynolds is also playing the title role in next summers upcoming adaptation of the DC comics series Green Lantern released through Warner Bros. Today, Robert Liefeld, creator of Deadpool, announced that WB has grown hesitant on allowing Reynolds to play both characters, a decision that has never proven an issue until now. This sudden change of reaction may have stirred from the early planning for the already brewing Green Lantern sequel due out in 2012.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
In anticipation for the upcoming season of the increasingly great series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Cartoon Network and Lucasfilm have released a brand new press release and teaser. Teasing darker storylines, returning characters, and superior animation the third season of The Clone Wars.



Building on the huge ratings win from last spring’s second season finale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Cartoon Network announced today it will premiere 22 all-new episodes for season three of the critically acclaimed CG-animated series from creator George Lucas and Lucasfilm Animation. The special, one-hour season three premiere event of Star Wars: The Clone Wars airs Friday, September 17, at 9 p.m. (et/pt).

The season two finale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars was the highest-rated telecast of the season among all key kid demos—2-11, 6-11, 9-14. The one-hour special also took the #1 spot as the most-watched telecast of the day (May 2) among boys 6-14, and #1 for its timeslot with kids 6-14 versus all television. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a thrilling, weekly 30-minute “mini-movie” created by the talented artists at Lucasfilm Animation.

Mystery, intrigue and adventure await our heroes with all-new action-packed episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. As war continues to rage throughout the galaxy, the dark side grows even stronger and the Jedi Knights are pushed to the breaking point. The lines between good and evil become blurred as secrets are revealed, truths are questioned and alliances are betrayed. Loyalties are tested as new enemies emerge and heroes rise – and fall.

In this transformative new season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, surprises wait at every turn, the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance and the destiny of the “Chosen One” will at long last be uncovered. Thrilling, unpredictable and often humorous, the exciting new adventures of the Star Wars Saga will captivate fans of all ages.



Spider-man has conquered numerous mediums in his forty plus years of existence. Comics, novels, television series, video games, and a blockbuster movie series, Marvel's favorite web slinger will soon travel to Broadway. The musical, Spider-man: Turn off the Dark, has drifted in and out of production for years. Originally schedule for release this year, the musical was put off after several of its actors walked out due to the numerous delays. However, it appears we will in fact be sining a singing Peter Parker this Holiday season.

The Los Angeles Times reported today that the musical is currently set for a December 21. Tickets become availible in September.

Spider-man: Turn Off The Dark is diected by Julie Taymor (Across the Universe, Frida) stars Reeve Carney as Peter Parker, Patrick Page as the Green Goblin, and Jennifer Damiano as Mary Jane Watson, and features music created by Bono and the Edge/

It appears that we will not be seeing Christoph Waltz fight it out with Peter Parker in the upcoming Spider-man reboot. Although this rumor was well recieved across the Internet, Superhero Hype is reporting that the Oscar winning Inglorious Basterd star will not star in the highly anticipated comic book adaptation. Looks like this truly was too good to be true.
Apple has revealed the teaser trailer for the upcoming science ficiton film Skyline directed by the Brothers Strause. Skyline is due for release November 12.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Here we go. I apologize for the lack of posts recently. There have not been many news updates, and yesterday was a little chaotic. Today, is also my birthday (Yay! Silent applause) so I will probably will not be able to post much again.

1. Huntsville Rapist
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Here is a video already taking the intenret by storm. You know you've become a meme when you have already have a popular auto tune remix.

2. Classic Viral: Leprechaun in Mobile, Alabama
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Who all see the Leprechaun say yeah!

3. Fiber
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Saturday, August 7, 2010

The latest rumor buzzing around the upcoming Spider-man reboot starring Andrew Garfield has many fans excited.


According to The Playlist, Academy Award winning actor Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds) has auditoned for the role of Curt Connors, aka the Lizard. If true this would make many fans happy. Not only would we have a proven actor in a major role in the already controversial reboot, but we would see a long anticipated villain grace the screen. However, as Bleeding Cool has been quick to point out there are parts of this rumor that just don't seem to add up. The Playlist's primary source for this information was Production Weekly, a magazine that mostly focuses on providing job oppurtunities for industry professionals. Such an announcement would be strange information for them to obtain thus making this incident seem questionable. Also, there were already rumors that Waltz's Basterd co-star Michael Fassbender was up for the same role. While we now know that Fassbender turned down his role in the production in favor of playing Magneto in the upcoming X-men: First Class, it seems strange that Spider-man director Marc Webb would approach to actors from the same film for the same role.


We'll be sure to keep you posted as this story develops.

There are few comic book writers as controversial as Mark Millar. Writer of Kick Ass, Wanted, and Civil War, Millar has become known for his eccentric satire and over the top storylines. While his stories have not always been critically well recieved, each work has cuased significant stir within the general public and comic book community. Millar's latest work Nemesis is in many ways a poster child for all that people love and hate about the writer: "CIVIL WAR? Nothing. KICK-ASS? A warmup. What if the smartest, toughest costumed bad ass in the world was totally evil? Meet Nemesis. He's systematically been destroying the lives of every police chief in Asia, and he's now set his sights on Washington, DC. Between you and me, the police don't have a chance. Do not miss the book that EVERYONE will be talking about by the creative team that made CIVIL WAR the biggest book of the decade." The title for the first issue proudly proclaims that: "[It] makes Kick Ass look like S#!t!" However, this has hardly been the case seeing as Nemesis has been met with a largely negative critical response.

Despite the negative attitude towards the comic it appears that Nemesis will follow in Kick Ass, and Wanted footsteps in joining Millar's works on the silver screen. Directed by Tony Scott (True Romance, Crimson Tide) for 20th Century Fox, Millar announced this development today on his personal website:

Oh, man. It's so good to finally be able to talk about this:

The man who shot Maverick in Top Gun, Bruce in the Last Boy Scout, yelled action for Will Smith in Enemy of the State, directed Denzel in Man on Fire (one of the finest revenge movies ever made), had Tarantino rework Hackman's dialogue in Crimson Tide and gave me Deneuve's naughtiest performance in The Hunger is directing our movie. Oh, AND he did True Romance, for my money the best of all the Tarantino flicks. Tony Scott: I can't even pretend to be cool about this.

Bryan Hitch and I would reference Tony on a weekly basis when we were doing The Ultimates. Our dream was an Ultimates movie with Scott directing because he can do the character work and the intensity, but also handle scale and action like practically no other. The idea of a him helming a superhero movie had us giddy and here he is directing the one Steve McNiven and I created. We found out last Friday night and managed to keep a secret from all but a few of our closest friends and family. But this is the call I had a couple of weeks back, which I described as the most exciting of my career; Tony on the blower chatting about how he wanted to shoot certain scenes if we gave him the rights. He was buzzing about it, describing Steve as the best comic book artist he's seen in over twenty years. We talked casting, we talked budget (and we're talking way more than Wanted and Kick-Ass put together here in terms of money for him to play with) and we talked with Fox about making this into a major franchise, something they're really going to invest their time and energy into.

As you can imagine, I'm more than excited. Steve is delirious and this puts our books instantly in an entirely different league in Hollywood terms. Tony said this was a very timely project and Fox want to get this moving as soon as possible. Next up is a script and the writer we talked about did one of my top five movies of all time. The actor he's shooting for as the lead character is going to blow your socks off.

I'm happy and Steve's happy. This has been the most exciting week you can imagine and we're enormously appreciative of all the people who have been waiting around for the twenty-four hours we've been waiting for the news to go live. It's incredibly affirming to have people so into the work that they care enough and apologies for the delay in getting this out there, but we hope you agree this is awesome news.

Very best wishes,
MM
Friday, August 6, 2010


Hype is building for the upcoming science ficiton epic Skyline. First announced to rave response at this years San Diego Comic Con, Skyline directed by Greg and Colin Strause is set to be the sleeper science fiction hit of the year. The film is due for release November 12th. Check out the teaser site here.
Bioware has revealed a new timeline trailer for the upcoming Star Wars MMO The Old Republic.



In addition to this, the The Old Republic site revealed today four new playable races for the Sith and Republic classes: Zabrak, Mirialan, Miraluka, and pure blood Sith.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Warner Bros, Rocksteady Studios, and Game Informer announced today that the much anticipated sequel to the highly sucessful Batman: Arkham Asylum is do for release fall of 2011 for Playstation 3, PC, and Xbox 360.


The game will feature a larger environment, new characters, villains, gameplay, and plot. Catwoman, Mr. Freeze (voiced by Maurice LaMarche), and Ra's al Ghul's daughter Talia al Ghul (voiced by Stana Katic) will make an appearance.


Mark Hamill also confirmed that this will be his last ever performance as the Joker, a role he first took on in the 90's Batman Animated Series.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010

First off, this is not an adaptation of the popular Bethesda roleplaying series. Now thats out of the way, Disney has approached Tron Legacy director Joe Kosinski on adapting his upcoming graphic novel Oblivion.


The "illustrated novel", which is due for release on November 16 through Radical Publishing, is set in post-apocalyptic Earth, where civilization lives above the clouds and scavengers illegally collect artifacts from the polluted and destroyed surface below. When one young scavenger discovers a crashed spacecraft planetside - and a beautiful women within he rejoices at the find. Little does he realize that his discovery will lead him to a journey filled with romance, adventure and unimaginable danger.


Oblivion will be produced by Barry Levine, Jesse Berger, and Kosinski
Although not the most revealing or interesting trailer ever released, Marvel has now released the teaser for the upcoming Joss Whedon directed Avengers adpatation.


There are few video game franchises growing faster then EA's Dead Space. Originally created in 2008, Dead Space has spawned a comic series, a prequel animated film, a spinoff rail shooter for the Nintendo Wii, and now a full fledged live action feature film lead by Eagle Eye director D.J. Caruso.


During an interview with MTV, Caruso dropped several hints regarding the plot and style of the upcoming video game adaptation. The director confirmed that the film will in fact be a prequel to the original game, and will feature "the whole sort of brainwash-y/Scientology" element of plot in addition to its trademark necromorphs.


However despite having most of the plot mapped out, the film has yet to be scripted. Caruso mentioned that he has met with several writers regarding multiple pitches for how the film will be approached, but that production is still moving forward: "We've tried to crack the story a few different ways, so I know when we get back we're going to get into it and I feel like we'll have a screenplay in a few months. It'll hopefully be ready to go."

After taking the gaming world by storm last winter, it appeared as if Uncharted may be the latest interactive franchise to make the jump to the silver screen. With Sahara writers Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer penning the script and Three King's director David O. Russel set to lead the project, Sony had originally planned to release the Indiana Jones-esque adventure film next summer.


However, news broke to the Los Angeles Times yesterday that a release date for this anticipated video game adaptation is well...less charted then originally thought. Apparently discussions between Sony and Russel ended violently earlier this week and both sides have parted for the time being. This leads the project without a director. With this sudden loss, Sony will reportedly take another several months to retool the production team.


It is currently unknown when Uncharted will begin production.

When it comes to comics and animation, there are few minds as respected as that of Paul Dini. The writer behind perhaps one of the best television series of all time Batman: The Animated Series and the award winning Arkham Asylum game, has received nearly universal acclaim from nerds and nonnerds alike. Today, Dini made thousands of more fanboys dreams come true with an announcement given to MTV. Dini will join the likes of Brian Bendis, Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Joe Kelly and Steven T. Seagle on the upcoming animated series Ultimate Spider-man.


The series, which is based off the highly popular comic book reboot under the same name, was announced earlier this year following the cancellation of Spectacular Spider-man. Although this decision was originally met with controversy, Dini made numerous claims to the quality and integrity of the upcoming take on Peter Parker. Reportedly the new series will be a 50% faithful adaptation of Bendis's award winning comic series, with a blend of stories original and familiar material. Dini also confirmed that changes will be made to Peter Parker's world and backstory to help fit the feel of the series and for a modern day audience: "As much as I love elements of Spider-Man's past, I don't really want to go back in and retell the Gwen Stacy and Green Goblin story in animation just so I can do my take on it. I don't want to redo the first Spider Slayer story. I don't want to redo some of those classic Lee/Romita and Lee/Ditka stories just for the sake of seeing them rendered in animation. For now, I just want to approach Spider-Man with fresh eyes, taking a few things we know about him and just doing a new spin on the concept". He also confirmed that there will in fact be guest appearances by other characters in the Marvel Universe, something that was absent in Spectacular.


Ultimate Spider-man is scheduled to air next fall with a first season of 26 episodes.
Fable 3's recently released opening cinematic is bizarre, charming, epic, and sad. It's also about a chicken. Also, it even makes complete sense. I've never been interested in the Fable series before, but this is just amazing!



Fable 3 will come to the Xbox 360 October 26. The PC version's release has been delayed to an undecided date.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Although he has already become a big name in Hollywood, X-men: First Class will be Matthew Vaughn's first studio funded production. Accustomed to such self funded productions such as Kick Ass, Vaughn has been feeling the pressure when it comes to adapting a well loved franchise for a big named studio. The upcoming X-men prequel has already undergone several rewrites and drafts since it began production last year.


However, with most of the film casted and shooting to begin later this year. Vaughn never expected another rewrite to come so late in the game. According to Hero Complex, this latest roadblock came to Vaughn's attention last weekend after viewing Christopher Nolan's Inception. While the Kick Ass director openly expressed his love for the supernatural dreamscape thriller, he was also forced to remove almost twelve pages of script and storyboard from First Class. This lost sequence was in fact going to be a dreamspace combat sequence between Charles Xavier's mutants and a rival faction. These scenes, which were to feature spinning rooms and physics bending combat, were labeled as being to similar to the already popular Inception, and thus scrapped.


Despite this Vuaghn remains optimistic about his upcoming edition to the X-men franchise. In fact, in an enthusiastic discussion with IGN.com, he compared his latest attempt at adapting Stan Lee's beloved franchise to the highly successful JJ Abrams 2009 Star Trek reboot. "Obviously [Abrams] couldn't make everyone happy with that one, but he did a pretty good job," Vaughn said. "He made a fantastically exciting reinvention of that world, with those great characters. And I think there will be comparisons a little bit with X-Men: First Class. It's very similar, in a way. But we're doing some cool stuff in this movie, some really cool stuff that you haven't seen before."


Vaughn also hinted that the setting for the story, written by Bryan Singer, is also something he is excited for, seeing as it deals with recent world events.
Hello everyone. First off, I must apologize for the relative inactivity on the site as of late. Between Otakon and getting my wisdom teeth pulled I havent had much time to keep the site running up to speed. Although there wasn't really any big nerd news to break over these past few days, I have fallen behind in keeping up on the few announcements that WERE made. Regardless, here are this weeks batch of moderately funny web videos.

1. Cows and Cows and Cows
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There are few words to describe this weird music video that has been taking the web by storm. Basically its about two minutes of funky, and really disturbing cow dancing...Yet its oddly entrancing. Watch at your own risk.

2.Classic Viral: To Isengard
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Can you believe I just discovered this today? Well here we go, the classic and catchy Lord of the Rings electronic remix.

3. Leaked Harry Potter Scene
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This video makes me laugh for several reasons. Not only is it pretty clever, and well edited, it also parodies one of the lamest movie endings I can remember seeing in recent memory. Honestly, go back and watch the Chamber of Secrets and tell me why it ends the way it does. Its corny, unnecessary, and cheaply emotional.

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