Are The Futurama Voice Actors Back??

They're back if you believe what was printed in the Toronto Star. According to the article the casting call that Fox sent out about voice actors was nothing more than a bargaining ploy.

The Star reports that the voice actors signed a new contract after weeks of rather intense salary negotiation.

As late as last week, the network was threatening to replace the original voices of Matt Groening's cult-hit cartoon, to the point of actually announcing a casting call for voice actors to replace them.
The compromise agreement, with the studio paying more and the actors accepting less, comes after the announcement of a 26-episode pick-up here by Comedy Central.

The producers downplayed any reports of recasting at this years San Diego Comic Con. Yet it looks like, without any kind of official confirmation, that the cast is back. Let's be honest, it's not Futurama without them.

Wolverine Joins The Epic Fail Club

Just when you thought that X-Men Origins: Wolverine was a thing of the past and that maybe Wolverine could return to it's former glory, Marvel.com released the trailerfor the Wolverine Anime Series. It made it's debut at the Marvel booth during San Diego Comic Con and has just been released by Marvel.

I'll be honest. This looks horrible. I'm not talking about the animation, but the character design. It's just horrendous. Wolverine at one point looks like he is holding his claws, and he seems rather tall and slender. The biggest problem is the hair. I won't dignify it with talking about it, just watch for yourself.



The series is set to air on the Animax channel in Japan staring 2010

BBC America to Run Doctor Who Uncut

When you watch something like Doctor Who on BBC One you don't get the ads that we get over here in the foreign market. By getting it over here full of Extenze Ads, you miss out on some of the show so it can fit into the time slot.

Garth Ancier, president of BBC America, announced Wednesday that BBC America will air unedited versions of Doctor Who and other series. The shows will still have commercials: They'll just exceed an hour all told. However, this is only during the premiere airing.

Ancier said in a press conference at the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Pasadena, CA:

"In order to keep the storylines intact on most of these shows now, on the premiere airing we don't do any cutting at all. We just take the entire show, and we run over off the clock. That's what we've been doing, and that's what we're going to do for Doctor Who going forward. The audience seems to be following it, and that way we're not screwing up someone's vision, what they're trying to do, or screwing up story points."

Exiting Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies is happy about this decision and said that Tennant's last episode as The Doctor will push things even further.

"Actually, our very last episode, coming at Christmas, David's very last episode, is one hour and 15 minutes long,"

That means that "The End of Time" will get a 90 minute block of time (possibly 2 hrs)

Expect BBC America airings to debut closer to BBC U.K. airings, too. Contractually, BBC America has to run after the U.K., but with schedules locked in in advance, they are able to schedule close enough to get the Christmas special around Christmas or New Year's Day.

Could A Jericho Film Be In The Works?

If you are a fan of the show Jericho and wondered what happened after Jake and Hawkins made it to Texas with the nuke, your may get your wish.

Lennie James, who played the clever Robert Hawkins, was part of a Comic-Con panel last weekend when he heard the news of the possible 2 hour film. "While we were there, Karim [Zreik], one of the producers, said that the idea of a movie is still on the cards," James said in a group interview on Tuesday in Pasadena, Calif., where he was promoting The Prisoner to the Television Critics Association. "They're just trying to come up with the two-hour story that's worth telling. So that's where they are at the moment. But it's still on the cards, and people are still interested."

If you need your fix for Jericho now, do not fret! They are releasing a Jericho comic book. "I try very hard not to have any expectations, even after people have told me that this is going to happen," James said. "I try not to have any expectations, but I was at Comic-Con the other day, and we did a panel because Jericho is being released as a comic book. That's one way that they're going to continue the story."

James is excited about the would be project. "Listen, I loved doing Jericho," he said. "I had a lot of fun on Jericho. I've made friends for life on Jericho. It was my introduction to, not just American television, but to America. Jericho did me nothing but favors, so if they come up with a story that's strong and that justifies doing it, and they get it done in the way that I would hope it should be done, then, yeah, I'll be the first name on the list. If not, the second."

Green Lantern: First Flight Review

Now before I begin, I'd like to let you know 2 things.

1. This review will be of the single disc edition of the film. I won't be able to get too deep into the special features as there weren't all that many.

2. There will be spoilers. I'm not going to give everything away and reunion the movie, but certain things need to be addressed in order to review this film honestly, for you, my devoted readers.

For starters, if you aren't familiar with The Green Lantern Corps I will give you a small background. The Corps was founded at The Guardians of the Universe. For the purpose of this we will go with the backstory that the film provided. The Guardians harnessed the power of the "green element," the greatest power in the universe, to create the Green Lantern battery. However, the battery has a flaw: the color yellow, the one part of the light spectrum that can resist green. The most concentrated source of yellow energy, the "yellow element," was hidden by the Guardians to prevent others from using it against them.

The film tells the tale of Hal Jordan, a test pilot who was chosen by the dying Abin Sur to replace him in the coveted intergalactic police force. The story is one of deception, redemption and the power of humanity.

It has all the characters a good Hal Jordan story should, Sinestro, Kilowog, and a huge cast of Green Lantern Corps members. Sinestro starts off as a trusted member of the Corps only to defy the Guardians and turn on them. At a point where Sinestro framed Jordan for something he did not do and was about to be sent home, we see that Sinestro is not alone. This is also, by far, one of the bloodiest DC Universe animated features that I have ever seen. Watch it and you'll see what I mean.

The ending of this film has one of the best light displays I've seen in a long time in the battle between Sinestro and Jordan. I've done enough pointing out the GOOD parts of the film, time for me to point out some of the negative aspects.

The Guardians are too nice. In the comic, the Guardians are down right prickish. During the course of the film they gave in too easy, and even when they did have to get their own way, it was almost like a nagging parent, not someone who was in charge of an intergalactic police force.

Also, there are no individual power batteries. Something that is rather important in the comics. You don't hear the oath until the end of the film in a rather cheesy display. You'll see what I mean.

The cast is rather star studded as well. Featuing Law & Order: SVU's Christopher Meloni as the hero Hal Jordan, Victor Garber as Sinestro, Michael Madsen as Kilowog and Battlestar Galactica's Tricia Helfer as Boodikka.

I highly suggest that you check out this film. It is DC's animation at its best and the story is a fresh new take on the origin of a now iconic character.

Miley Cyrus as Batgirl? Really?!

Ever since Gary Oldman dropped the bomb about a new Batman film starting production next year, all the buzz has been who the villain would be and would it be able to top The Dark Knight.

Well I think I know a way for the already dark franchise to start wearing some mouse ears...

According to quite a few gossip blogs, Miley Cyrus auditioned for the role of "Batgirl" and might be considered by Warner Bros. for a future role in the series.

According to Hollyscoop.com, the "Hannah Montana" star reportedly "stunned" Warner execs during her audition, even dressing for the part in a "full batsuit."

How could the always smiling Cyrus fit in with the dark and brooding Bat-franchise that has made more money than it can count? Are the execs at Warner Brothers thinking that by bringing her in that they can create the same kind of buzz around the series that Heath Ledger's performance of The Joker did? I know I reported on an earlier post about Epic Fails. But this, this my dear folks is an epic fail.

First Avenger: Captain America News

During San Diego Comic Con, Marvel's President of Production, Kevin Feige spoke about a lot of things. One of them was the upcoming film, The First Avenger: Captain America. The last movie to come out following Iron Man 2 and Thor before The Avengers film hits theaters in 2012.

There are no casting decisions being made because screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are only about "half way done" with the script and director Joe Johnston doesn't join production until October. However Feige did have a few things to talk about in regards to Cap's origin story.

Setting it in World War II — the Marvel version of World War II — I think is gonna open it up in another big way ... What's funny is it will actually end up being, I think, our most diverse and our most international film, in terms of the content of the movies itself. It takes place overseas much more than any of our other films do. In terms of the cast, there's a group that Steve [Rogers] works with that will have an opportunity for many more international actors than any of our other films.

He also had a few words in regards to some villains that might appear.

We are gonna explore those aspects of World War II that made Cap special: the Super Soldier program, Red Skull, Hydra, all of those things that exist in the Marvel version of it. As you know if you read the comic books, the origin of Captain America is really the origin of the Marvel universe ... it's about that time in history when the idea of the superhero began to emerge.

Blip.tv To Rock Your Video World!

Blip.tv announced some huge partnerships with some big name brands at a press conference in Manhattan Tuesday morning. These deals will give small content creators a way to distribute videos to a larger, couch-based audience. The same deals give these larger video distributors a new source of content from Blip.tv’s community of video creators.

In between these relationships is Blip, which takes 50 percent of ad revenue from its users videos in return for providing strong content management tools, detailed data about how their videos are performing, the ability to batch-edit files across multiple sites, and a small ad sales force tasked with getting advertisers.

Blip co-founder and CEO Mike Hudack told Wired.com that the company currently pays each of its members between $20 and hundreds of thousands of dollars per month; if these relationships succeed in finding a wider audience for those videos, those figures could increase significantly.

As well as giving video creators new options, these deals offer viewers a number of new ways to watch Blip content, whether on the TV or at the computer:

FreeWheel: Blip’s partnership with FreeWheel gives content creators access to that company’s system for determining who gets to sell ads on a given video, figuring out the best choice among the potential ad sellers, serving the ads, and providing all the necessary accounting to help everyone get paid. More ad dollars could flow in because of this.

MediaVest: This top advertising agency will help find brands to advertise on Blip videos.

NBC: Blip will syndicate between 1,000 and 5,000 of its 38,000 shows to NBC, which will air the videos on the local WNBC show New York Nonstop, and possibly other programs.

Roku: The set-top box manufacturer will include a “best of the web” section featuring selected Blip content. Blip videos will be browsable by category, sub-category and “featured videos.”

TiVo: TiVo is also adding Blip content to its broadband-connected devices. TiVo’s vice president of broadband, Tara Maitra, said that a single search box would allow users to access programming from broadcast, cable, YouTube, Blip and NetFlix.

TubeMogul: This company will provide technology for helping Blip’s content creators see exactly when the audience is tuning out of their videos and where their audience lives, among other anonymous usage statistics.

Verizon: Blip will be available on Verizon’s FiOS TV service in one form or another.

Vimeo, YouTube: Video creators distributing through Blip now have checkboxes for distributing their videos to Vimeo and YouTube, with the possibility to share revenue from advertising and edit metadata remotely.

Blip also distributes its members’ content to iTunes, AOL Video, Sony Bravia televisions, and Facebook, depending on which checkboxes they select and, in certain cases, on which services accept their material.

Sunny Day Real Estate 2009 Reunion

I know what you are saying. "I thought this was about geek stuff. What's this music junk?" Well to answer your question, look at the name. VINYL and Villains. Yep. Music too. That being said, I just got the best news that I have in a long time.

SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE is reuniting for a fall tour. This isn't just 3 of the original members, this is a full on full band reunion. Not only that, but Sub Pop is also reissuing their first two albums, Diary and LP2, on September 15 with bonus tracks and new linear notes.

Seeing Sunny Day Real Estate live is like going to rock n roll church. I remember going during the Rising Tide tour and I wouldn't have traded that room full of sweaty 20-somethings in for anything. It was a place I felt I belonged.

Sunny Day Real Estate also has a new website that you can find out all the upcoming news regarding the tour here

Here are the tour dates currently:

09/17 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
09/18 - Portland, OR @Crystal Ballroom (Musicfest)
09/20 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Murray Theater
09/21 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater
09/23 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
09/24 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
09/25 - Detroit, MI @ St Andrews Hall
09/27 - New York, NY @ Terminal 5
09/28 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues
09/30 - Washington DC @ 930 Club
10/01 - Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
10/03 - Atlanta, GA @ CW Center Stage
10/05 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
10/06 - Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
10/07 - Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa
10/09 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
10/10 - Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
10/11 - Los Angeles, CA @Henry Fonda Theater
10/13 - San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
10/15 - Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
10/16 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre

Vinyl & Villains Episode 3: San Diego via Wisconsin

In this episode, Ron talks about San Diego Comic Con 2009 without actually being there. Big news from the Doctor Who camp, the Smallville panel, the new Freddy Kruger, Superman/Batman Public Enemies and the return of Miracle Man?



Leave comments below!

Caprica Gets Premiere Date

For those that bought the DVD and enjoyed it, your wait for the Caprica series isn't too far off.

The Battlestar Galactica prequel that dives into the creation of the Cylons will premiere January 22, 2010 at 9pm. After the two hour premiere, the show will be Fridays at 10pm seemingly trying to capitalize on the gap left by Battlestar Galactica's departure.

SyFy had this to say in a press release:

“Humanity’s story line takes completely new twists with Caprica, which follows two rival families and their patriarchs — Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) — as they compete and thrive in the vibrant realm of the 12 Colonies, a society recognizably close to our own. This original, standalone series will feature the passion, intrigue, political backbiting and family conflict in an omnipotent society that is at the height of its blind power and glory — and, unknowingly, on the brink of its fall.

Sweet MCP!!

Sometimes, if you wait long enough for something you tend to forget about it. Think it's never going to happen. Well folks, grab your lightcycles.

A Great Moment in Sci Fi History!

March 17th. It's not the day that will live in infamy, and it's not the day that man landed on the moon. It's the day that Edward James Olmos addressed a room full of people at the United Nations. It was part of a panel discussion as part of a Battlestar Galactica retrospective. The following video puts into words, things that I cannot. Please, watch, comment, enjoy, but most of all, take in the message that he is trying to send to everyone. SO SAY WE ALL!

301?

From August 7th to September 10th of 480 BC, the Greeks and the Persians waged a historic and epic battle at Thermopylae. The Greeks took a stand to stop the Persian war machine from going on to take Athens.

In 1998, Frank Miller wrote a comic called "300" based on that same battle. Showcasing the last stand of King Leonidas and his 300 spartan warriors.

In 2007, Zack Snyder directed the film adaptation of the comic staring Gerard Butler.

Now according to the Hollywood Insider Risky Business Blog, Frank Miller is putting his Batman vs Al-Qaeda comic on the back burner to work on the graphic novel that will be a follow up to 300 and will serve as the basis for a Zack Snyder sequel to the 300 film.

There hasn't been any kind of announcement as to whether or not this is a direct sequel to 300 or a prequel.

How about a Sin City sequel first? Is that something we can do? There are more stories to tell there. If you make a sequel to the story of the 300, you kind of cheapen what they stood for. Again, that's just me.

The Return of River Song?

As reported earlier, Doctor Who started filming for the new series with new Doctor Matt Smith on Monday and some photos have been released that are putting Whovians and other geeks alike into a frenzy.

Yes, as you can see that is new Doctor Matt Smith with Alex Kingston who played Professor River Song in the 4th series of Doctor Who with David Tennant's version of the Doctor in the fantastic two part episode story, "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead", written by new show runner Stephen Moffat. She was a companion to the Doctor at an undisclosed future point in the Doctor's life. A companion so trusted that the Doctor told her his real name.

The BBC has confirmed that Alex Kingston has returned to Doctor Who, but who she will be playing and how the character will fit in the Doctor's life has yet to be revealed. It would seem that she will be back for a 2 episode stint.

New Doctor Costume Unveiled.

The answer is finally here. Well, I'm not sure how much of a question it was, but the costume that 11th Doctor Matt Smith will be wearing has been revealed. The Time Lord's new outfit consists of a tweed jacket, bow tie, rolled up pants and black boots.

New episodes of Doctor Who begin filming in Cardiff on Monday with episodes airing in spring of 2010.

The Doctor will also have a new companion, Amy Pond, played by Karen Gillan who meets him in the first episode.

Matt Smith has been quoted as saying:

"I feel very privileged and proud to be part of this iconic show. The scripts are brilliant - I'm excited about the future and all the brilliant adventures I get to go on as the Doctor."

Smith is taking over for current Doctor, David Tennant, who's final episode as The Doctor airs on New Year's Day.

The Greatest Comic Idea Ever??

There are times in life when you think you've heard it all, then something comes along and totally changes your perception of things. This is one of those things. This September from Slave Labor Graphics, comes a tale of a wooden boy, who stuck his nose where it didn't belong.

Yes, that's right. Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer. After seeing Geppetto die at the hands of vampires, Pinocchio swears revenge

This could either be the best idea I have ever heard for a comic book, or the worst. From what I have seen in the preview, I think this is going to be something so epic, Hollywood should try to option these rights immediately.

The only idea that I can think of that is better than this is Jesus Hates Zombies Featuring Lincoln Hates Werewolves.

You can pre-order your copy of Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer HERE

Doctor Who Heading to The Shire??

Alot of questions were raised as to what current Doctor, David Tennant, will be doing after he leaves the TARDIS behind after his regeneration into Matt Smith this January. An answer may have been found. The 38 year old Scottish actor is in the running to play Bilbo Baggins in the film adaptation of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit, due in theaters in 2011.

David Tennant will be making his first trip ever to the San Diego Comic Con to promote Doctor Who and Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is expected to announce the casting decision when he attends. One can only play connect the dots for so long.

Also in the running for the role of Bilbo is Wanted star, James McAvoy, and Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe.

Now as you may or may not know, I am not a fan of Lord of the Rings. I am however a HUGE David Tennant fan. People who are like me would flock to the film if Tennant is cast as Baggins. Not only that, but I have seen the films. I'm not blind. I know that Tennant would also rock this role like no other.

Stay tuned here for updates once San Diego Comic Con begins.

Cobra Commander FAIL

There are times when you go back and watch old episodes of shows that you used to love, and they just don't add up anymore. Like old episodes of ThunderCats. You sit and wonder you ever sat through this.

But when you hear that they are making your childhood into a feature film you get excited. A update. A new take on something you loved. Then something like Transformers comes out and your expectations are thrown in the toilet. Michael Bay has made a mockery of something you grew up with.

Then the word comes down the pipeline that a G.I. Joe live action feature is in the works, and Bay is nowhere near. You get excited. Your faith restored. Stephen Sommers directing? Well god damn, I loved The Mummy. This is going to be great.

Then that picture to the left is released. Yes. Not only is Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Cobra Commander, but THAT is what he looks like. Everything falls apart.

I guess the point of this blog. This rant, this rambling is, leave the past where it's at. Leave well enough alone. Let me have my memories as they are. Stop shoving crap down my throat and trying to pass it off as cool and hip. For shame Hollywood. For shame.

and people wonder why I watch so much BBC...

Even Gods Get Down

Hey kids. Do you remember issue #83 of Journey Into Mystery? Of course you do. That was the first time we ever met Jane Foster. Why is that important? I'll tell you.

All the buzz surrounding the upcoming THOR film has just gotten louder with Natalie Portman being cast as Jane Foster, Dr. Donald Blake/THOR's love interest. Portman will star along side Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Tom Hiddleston as Loki in the Kenneth Branagh directed film.

While I am trying to be optimistic about this film because the Avengers related material seems to done well, I can't help but think back to X-Men Origins: Wolverine and cringe a little bit. I'm not going into Thor with high hopes. No, those I save for The First Avenger: Captain America.

Who Watches The Watchmen...Again?

I watched the Watchmen. I wish I hadn't. That's just something that I can't take back. However there are those out there that did enjoy the film enough to warrant a purchase of the DVD.

The cut that you saw in theaters comes out on July 21st. I hope that after you read this you will hold off on that purchase until say, at least December.

The reason for that is because after this cut of Watchmen is released to the stores, another cut will be ushered out for our DVD players, the Watchmen: Director's Cut. The fun doesn't stop there though. Then come around December, the Watchmen: Ultimate Collector's Edition, a 5 disc set that will feature a new edit of the film (thats 3 in 9 months. yeah, I know)that will include Tales of the Black Freighter animated footage mixed with the live action movie. The other discs are made up of special features including the already released Behind the Hood and Motion Comic version of the graphic novel.

The real question that I have is this. For a film that didn't really do well in the box office, and didn't do well amongst it's target audience, why shove 3 different cuts of the same film down our throats? I will give the Ultimate Collectors Edition the benefit of the doubt and check it out once it comes out. If I am wrong, I will admit it. Until December though, I have a lot of time to be proven wrong.

Could This Be Thor's Daddy??

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This is Brian Blessed. He may not look like anyhting to you, but I remember him as Black Adder's father in the original Black Adder series. I also remember him from his pivitol role in the 1980 classic, Flash Gordon, where he played Prince Vultan of the Hawkmen.

Why is any of this relevant? Well there is a rumor going around that there are talks for Mr Blessed to play the God of Thunder's Dad, Odin. If this is true, he is the PERFECT choice for the role. He is loud, and full of life (and a mouth full of teeth). You can't help but feel good after watching something that has been in. I give you proof in the form of a YouTube video.

and if that's not enough, here he is doing snooker commentary:

So I give you, Brian Blessed. Do YOU think he is Odin?

Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan? Really?!

So the news came down earlier today that Ryan Reynolds, the star of such romantic comedies as this summer's "The Proposal" has been signed on to play one of DC's more beloved characters, Hal Jordan. This is more than wrong. Ryan Reynolds has already established himself in the comic film adaptation world as Wade "Deadpool" Wilson in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". Having him jump ship from the Marvel U to the DCU might be a little too much.

Now I am not anti-Ryan Reynolds by any means. The man is a talented actor and will be amazing as a proper Deadpool in the spin off film. For all I know he would be an amazing Green Lantern. Just not this one. The GL that they are portraying in this film is Hal Jordan. Ryan doesn't have it in him to pull off the character. Now if this film were to showcase Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, who is full of smart ass remarks, then more power to Reynolds. That role would be perfect for him.

I could say that I am glad that Justin Timberlake didn't get the part. I'm more upset that they didn't see Bradley Cooper as someone with enough star power to lead the film. He could totally pull off Hal.