Marvel Studios announced today that Hugo Weaving will be starring in the Captain America film adaptation due for release as the villainous Red Skull. The Red Skull is a psychotic Nazi leader, that yes has a red skull for a head. Weaving is perhaps most well known for his role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Captain America is due for release July 22, 2011.

The Hobbit movie seems to be creeping along according to actor Ian McKellen, who played the wizard Gandalf in the trilogy of films released almost ten years ago. McKellan mentioned today to What's Playing? that he is pleased with the script, but only just discussing a contract for the film several days ago. At the moment him, and the film, are in a state of limbo. McKellan mentions that he's excited for filming, and plans to meet with director Guillermo del Toro and executive producer Peter Jackson later this month. Despite this disconcerting news, was countered by comments made by actor Andy Serkis, who played Gollum. Serkis insists that shooting will start in May. Either way, it will still be some time before we return to Middle-Earth.

It is a sad fact in modern cinema, that when it comes to film attention World War I does not get the same attention as WWII. Steven Spielberg announced today that he plans to make his next project based on the popular WWI novel, War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo. The story follows a boy and a horse who are separated by the Great War, but continue to meet throughout the war. "From the moment I read [the book], I knew this was a film I wanted DreamWorks to make. Its heart and its message provide a story that can be felt in every country," said Spielberg in a press release today. The film will be released August 10, 2011 (My birthday!).

Greetings and felicitations, ladies and gentlemen of the Internet! Anna speaking.


Wow...two posts in as many days...this has to be a record (Nick, I hope you're happy!).


Anywho, so I have recently been re-reading one of my most favorite manga of all time, Inuyasha. I love this series so much and I have always been impressed with Rumiko Takahashi's work (with the small exception of One Pound Gospel.). Naturally, I was delighted to hear about her newest project, Kyokai no Rin-ne.


Kyokai no Rin-ne tells the story of high-schooler Sakura Mamiya, a girl with the unwanted ability to see and communicate with spirits. Sakura's ESP leads her to meet Rinne Rokudo, a bizarre classmate of Sakura's. Rinne turns out to be a kind of shinigami, a death god of sorts (Death Note fans know what I'm talking about...). The manga follows their adventures in exorcisms and stopping evil death spirits.


When I read Kyokai no Rin-ne, all I could say was, "...haven't I read this somewhere before?" And then I realised it. Kyokai no Rin-ne is a sad little smoothie of Bleach and Inuyasha with a miniscule splash of Death Note and a sprinkle of Ranma 1/2. Rinne is half-human, half-shinigami (Sound familiar, coughInuyashacough?). Sakura can see ghosts but doesn't want to (Sound even more familiar, coughBleachcough?). Rinne has to deal with guys vying for the attentions of Sakura, who he likes but he can't tell her (Bells should being going off now, coughRanmacough.). Rinne and Sakura fight ghost monsters all while attempting to reach a common end (COUGHBLEACHANDINUYASHACOUGH!). And the worst part of it all is this: THE STORY ISN'T THAT GREAT! I found the characters to be one-dimensional and trite. The bad guys (If you can even call them that...) are way too easy to beat. The scenarios aren't convincing and they get resolved in the most feeble ways possible. I was, all in all, seriously disappointed with Takahashi-sensei.


Rating: D- (I am seriously upset about the unoriginality of this manga.)


Well, that's all I have to report for now. Happy geeking!


~Anna

Greetings and felicitations, ladies and gentlemen of the Internet! Anna speaking.



Studying is boring, right? There's no way you can remember all of those dull battles and old dead guys with weird facial hair, right? WRONG! This sounds like a bad infomercial, right? CORRECT!


I give you Sporcle.com! Sporcle is a timed quiz site that has quizzes on every subject under the sun. Need to know the Periodic Table of Elements? Fantastic, just click the Science section and type away. Need to know the Presidents of the United States? Smashing, just click the History section. Need to know all of Elizabeth Taylor's husbands?...uhhh, not really, but there's a quiz for that, too! It's kind of like the iPhone. There's an app for that...



Each quiz is timed and when you type the correct answer, pop! your answer shows up in a little box. If you get stumped or can't think of anymore answers, there's a little 'Give up?' button that shows you what answers you missed.



Sporcle.com saved my life when I had to learn elements for Chemistry and it continues to save me (from the throes of academic failure and from boredom) on a daily basis. New quizzes pop up every day on a myriad of topics and members can even make their own quizzes (something I have tried and failed at).



The only real downside to this site of mentally stimulating diversions (c) is that you have to spell your answers correctly and they're just SO DAMN ADDICTIVE! On numerous occassions, I have spent a whole free period Sporcle-ing bands with one-letter names when I should have been doing homework.



Anyway, that's my schpeel (sp?) and I hope this has aided someone's study habits (and trivial pursuits) in any way possible.



Rating: A+



Well, that's all for today, folks! Happy geeking!


~Anna

Yes, I know it's not Monday yet, but I have found several videos I would like to use early, and I do not want to forget them by the time I normally do this feature.

1. A Viral Classic Bill O'Reilly Flips Out
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Well here's an old web classic. I don't know what drew me back to this video of Bill O'Reilly from Inside Edition freaking out about a teleprompter, but really it's a ton of fun.

2. Funniest Cry Ever
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Now I feel awful for laughing at this, but this clip from the televisions how Intervention is just funny. Poor guy. Cries like a wookie.

3. Seinfeld- George Trailer
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This video holds a special place in my heart, not only because I am a fan of Seinfeld, but because my grandfather passed away last night. He was one of the biggest Seinfeld fan's I have ever met, and had almost every episode memorized. This video immediatley made me think of him, and I think it's a fitting AC tribute to a great man.

Wait....there's a movie about killer fish... that is not made by the SyFy Channel? Apparently this August we will be greeted to a killer swarm of CGI fish in 3D!?! Made as a slighlty tongue in cheek tribute to 3D monster films of the 60's and 70's, Piranha 3D is in fact based off of James Cameron's first movie Pirahna 2. Despite the intentional corniness the film features an all star cast of well known actors including: Elisabeth Shue, Richard Dreyfuss, Jerry O'Connell, Christopher Lloyd, Ving Rhames, Dina Meyer, Ricardo Chavira, and Eli Roth.

2012 is shaping up to be the most crowded and chaotic summer in recent memory. Warner Bros. announced today that the sequel to the award winning The Dark Knight will premiere July 20, 2012, just several weeks after the controversial Spider-man reboot enters the fray. Batman will have his work cut out for him. The summer of 2012 is filled with big budget special effects movies that will certainly eat away at a potential audience. Batman faces opposition from the board game adaptation Battleship (May 25), Star Trek 2 (June 29), The Avengers (May 4), and the tentatively scheduled Godzilla reboot. One things for sure, 2012 will end the world with a cinematic bang.

Here you go shooter fans. The trailer for the latest Call of Duty game is out, and as rumor has suggested for months, it appears we will taking a little trip to Vietnam.