Well, another power couple have locked lips and the result may be nothing short of earth-shattering. No longer relegated to the sidelines in this Summer filled with Batman and Spider-Man hoopla, Wonder Woman and Superman have hit the headlines with a snogging session that has turned the super-hero universe into a flutter – or at least some raised eyebrows and a little good-old fashioned gossip. Could their off-screen romance some day even make it to the big screen? The smooch took place in the final throes of issue No. 12 of DC Comics’ year-old Justice League series which introduced new stories, costumes and even origins of the members of this longstanding super posse. (The publisher introduced the Justice League of America as they were called then in 1960, three years before rival Marvel unveiled its equivalent, The Avengers.) DC Comics co-publisher Jim Lee told A.P. via ABC News that the kiss is not a “stunt or an alternate reality smooch.” “This has been in the works for some time and we certainly wouldn’t have pulled the trigger without there being great creative benefit to the liaison,” he said in an email to A.P. “Beyond the joy and sorrows of new love, there are potentially huge ramifications and dramatic ways this single relationship between these iconic characters will change the entire political and interpersonal landscape of the DC Universe.” All of that from a kiss? What happens when they finally hook up? This is not the first time the super-hero power duo have had a fling, by the way. In the ’80s they had a short-lived moment of passion, but Superman ended up with Lois Lane. They also canoodled in Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Strikes Again a decade ago. Beyond the smooch heard around the world, Wonder Woman has some other news to boast since her last foray into the headlines. Her costume has changed and she is now the daughter of none other than that zenith of Greek Mythology, Zeus. You go grrrl! Given Hollywood’s penchant for hot power couples and the lure of box office dollars that often follow super heroes generally, when will Wo-Supe (or maybe it’s Super-Wo?) share that kiss on the big screen? Tell us what you think…. [ Source: A.P. via ABC News ]
Also in Monday afternoon’s round-up of news briefs, IFC Films picks up a Tribeca 2012 romantic comedy for U.S. theaters. The Writers Guild of America is accepting applications for its 2013 awards. Gary Ross finds a new project and a look at comics who are heading behind the camera. Vet Indie Execs Launch A24 Distribution Outfit A24 is a new film company that will focus on distribution, financing and production. The New York-based company will acquire finished films and finance and produce original content. A24 aims to distribute 8 – 10 titles per year, several of which will have wide theatrical releases. The new company is being spearheaded by former Oscilloscope Laboratories exec David Fenkel, Daniel Katz from finance group Guggenheim Partners ( The Social Network ) and John Hodges of Big Beach Films ( Little Miss Sunshine ). The three said in a statement: “We see an exciting opportunity right now for movies in the domestic space especially given all the new ways to target moviegoers and the changes that are happening in the marketplace. We are looking forward to working with great storytellers to bring their films to audiences.” Rom-Com Cheerful Weather for the Wedding Headed to Theaters Donald Rice’s romantic comedy Cheerful Weather for the Wedding , based on Julia Strachey’s 1932 novel of the same name, has been picked up by IFC Films. The film stars Elizabeth McGovern, Felicity Jones, Luke Treadaway, Mackenzie Crook, Zoe Tapper, and Ellie Kendrick and centers on a woman who realizes on her wedding day she’s about to make a serious mistake. The film had its world premiere last spring at the Tribeca Film Festival. Writers Guild Accepting 2013 Doc Screenplay Awards Contenders The Writers Guild of America, West and the WGA, East are accepting submissions for their 2013 WGA Documentary Screenplay Award. Submissions are being accepted through November 16th. Nominations will be announced January 3rd and the 2013 Writers Guild Awards will take place at simultaneous ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles on February 17th. For more information, visit their website . Around the ‘net… Tony Scott Spent Final Days Working on Top Gun 2 Scott spent time last week in Nevada with Tom Cruise touring a naval air station as part of their research for the project. Scott, who directed Cruise in the original Top Gun , was set to direct the movie’s sequel in addition to two other projects that were in advanced development when he died of an apparent suicide this past weekend, THR reports . Gary Ross Eyes Peter Pan The Hunger Games director opted against the franchise’s follow-up due in theaters this November, but is now likely set to direct the Disney project Peter and the Starcatchers . The story is based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Jesse Wigutow is working on a script that is scheduled for October delivery, Deadline reports . Growing Number of Comics Move Behind the Camera Dax Shepard’s car-chase comedy Hit & Run and Mike Birbiglia’s one-man-show adaptation Sleepwalk With Me are part of an influx of low-budget pics that has afforded such talent creative control, Variety reports .
A caped crusader. A city wiped clean of criminals. A madman with a doomsday device who terrorizes the populace until average citizen heroes step forward to help save the day. Batman? Nope! On the heels of The Dark Knight Rises , Movieline takes a look back at 1999’s Mystery Men , new to Blu-ray, in the latest installment of Inessential Essentials . The film: Mystery Men (1999) Why It’s an Inessential Essential: Based on characters by comics creator Bob Burden, Mystery Men is an anomalously charming and amiably goofy superhero film. The film is very much a product of the creative chaos that ensued after Hollywood executives realized comic book properties like Batman could make a mint at the box office. But with many more duds than hits on their hands, execs were apparently clueless about what they should adapt and how to do it. It’s not only strange that a movie with characters as alienating-ly campy as the ones in Mystery Men ever got made — it’s even freakier to note that the film is actually pretty funny. So while mass audiences didn’t know what to make of the film when it was initially released, the film can now be enjoyed as a more than welcome antidote to the recent trend of self-serious but mostly drab superhero films. Mystery Men was co-produced by Dark Horse Comics publisher and creator Michael Richardson, the man responsible for turning such comic book properties as Tank Girl (1995) and The Mask (1994) into half-baked films. It was directed by Kinka Usher, making a big leap from being the assistant camera operator on such films as the 1987 Kato Kaelin vehicle Beach Fever (Usher would not go on to direct any other movies after Mystery Men , not even short films). Usher clearly directed the film in the style of the Joel Schumacher Batman movies; he makes frequent use of campy Dutch angles, crash zooms and first person POV shots, like the one where we see Ben Stiller being attacked by Geoffrey Rush’s character — from the perspective of Rush’s extended pinky. To call this film’s success as a comedy anomalous would be putting it very diplomatically. In the film, a group of wannabe superheroes that mostly don’t seem to have any real powers band together to fight the nefarious disco-obsessed Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush, who had just won an Oscar for Shine two years before Mystery Men was made). Now that Frankenstein has kidnapped the all-powerful Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear), the only people that can stop him are the then-unnamed group of heroes: Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller), a tantrum-throwing wimp who isn’t very strong; The Shoveler (William H. Macy), a middle-class father and a guy that fights crime with a shovel; and the Blue Raja (Hank Azaria), an adenoidal mama’s boy who pretends to be a British mystic and uses flatware as projectile weapons (mainly forks and spoons). To defeat Frankenstein, the team has to hire some new members, including the gaseous Spleen (Paul Reubens) and the haunted-bowling-ball-chucking Bowler (Janeane Garofalo). It’s a fittingly unusual line-up for a rather odd film. By today’s standards, Mystery Men is seriously dated. For starters, Smashmouth’s “Allstar” is used twice as a song cue. But it’s also often disarmingly eccentric, as in the scene where Tom Waits, who plays a mad scientist, shows off his arsenal of weird weapons (including the Blame Thrower), or the one where Wes Studi’s enigmatic, platitude-slinging hero The Sphinx trains the titular heroes (“To learn my teachings, I must first teach you how to learn”). All of the characters are also endearingly neurotic, like Invisible Boy (Kel Mitchell, of Keenan and Kel fame), a teenage loser who can only turn invisible when nobody else is looking at him, or Garofalo’s Bowler, a woman whose dead father nags her even from beyond the grave. Filmed on a reported $68 million budget, Mystery Men only grossed $33.4 million worldwide but went on to earn something of a cult status. How the Blu-Ray Makes the Case for the Movie: You can appreciate just how bizarre Mystery Men is just from watching the Spotlight on Location featurette, which makes it seem like the film’s production was pretty manic. For instance, Stiller reveals that the film’s cast were working with an improv-reliant script. “We’re always coming up with ideas, which is the fun thing about…” Stiller says, comically pausing to look around him and finishing his thought, ” not having a script.” Garofalo and Stiller both joke about the fact that they had little confidence in Usher. “I’m only doing this for the money,” she teases. “Kinka doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doin’. He hasn’t directed a movie before.” Even nice guy Greg Kinnear chimes in: “I describe [ Mystery Men ] as…a cartoon gone horribly, horribly wrong.” But Usher got results; even the film’s deleted scenes, like the one where Waits macks on a blue-haired retiree by telling her that he’s actually a doctor, are pretty funny. Other Trivia: In a rather thoughtful special feature, Burden shares a detailed history of his original comic book characters through interviews conducted before the film’s release. It’s especially funny to note that the character of the Shoveler was originally armed with King Arthur’s singing shovel, which was sentient and talked in “Middle English.” Also, apparently, Danny DeVito was supposed to not only direct the film at one point but play the Shoveler, too. Burden is also quoted in a Comics Buyer’s Guide interview as saying that he didn’t write the characters with modern actors in mind. “Originally, as I envisioned them, the Mystery Men were characters like Ernest Borgnine and Vic Tayback — all Mike Ditka-type guys. The only current star I could’ve seen as a Mystery Man would’ve been Steve Buscemi from Fargo .” Previously: Reconsidering Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia Simon Abrams is a NY-based freelance film critic whose work has been featured in outlets like The Village Voice, Time Out New York, Vulture and Esquire. Additionally, some people like his writing, which he collects at Extended Cut .
It’s hard to imagine most folks will be eager to rush into cinemas this weekend following the tragedy out of Aurora, Colorado, even those who’ve been anticipating the release of The Dark Knight Rises for months. While Matt Patches over at Hollywood.com thoughtfully wonders if audiences will return swiftly to theaters, The Wrap reports that Warner Bros. are themselves scrambling to figure out how to balance their multi-million dollar Dark Knight Rises roll-out campaign with common decency and empathy for the victims, their families, and a shaken nation. It’s not that audiences might recoil from Batman, presuming some direct link between the comics or the character somehow incited suspect James Holmes to allegedly pre-meditate his attack on the dozens of men, women, and children at Aurora’s Century 16, despite unconfirmed reports that he may have had hair dyed in the style of The Joker; violence in media doesn’t “make” people kill, though access to guns and combat paraphernalia helps sick people do terrible things. And though fanboy ire this week had reached alarming levels with the hate-speech and death threats lobbied at critics of The Dark Knight Rises , any true Bat-fan knows that the DC hero not only fights to protect lives, he’s staunchly anti-gun. (A scene in TDKR highlights this.) So let’s not even start to blame the movies for what happened in Aurora. Besides: When tragedy strikes niche communities , it reminds us that we’re not so divided after all. Fandom is what made the Aurora victims sitting ducks for the gun man, who burst through the packed theater’s emergency exit doors just minutes after the film had begun. These were people who had anticipated TDKR so much many of them likely bought tickets in advance, wanting to be among the first to see the film. The shooter seemed to be preying on fans, not representing them, though his motives have yet to be revealed. Writing in The New Yorker, Anthony Lane proposes doing away with midnight movies for fear of copycats, though his secondary reason somewhat condescendingly critiques the practice of the midnight screening altogether: “…those screenings, starting when most people are in bed, often have a crazed and hallucinated air, which is all part of the game to those who enjoy them — anyone who has driven to a theatre to fetch teen-aged Harry Potter devotees, as they wander out in costume at three o’clock in the morning, can attest to that weary delirium — but which, right now, seems volatile, ominous, and redundant. Theaters around the country will be beefing up security this weekend, with police in NYC and elsewhere promising increased presences at TDKR screenings. But whether or not more officers and metal detectors and other security measures are enacted going forward, the fact remains that this was a lone gunman who entered through an emergency door and shot dozens of people in cold blood. How much can security help, except to encourage moviegoers to head to the multiplex, to not live in fear of tragedy striking again? Variety’s Josh Dickey reports ( via Twitter ) that WB is not considering pulling screenings, and given the financial investment and massive 4,400-theater release plans it’s hard to imagine they would. Cancelling a celebratory press event in Paris is one thing; letting audiences decide if they’re ready to head into theaters, with the unshakable specter of Aurora lingering in the hearts and minds of just about everyone, is another. Just a starting point for discussion, but sound off below as we keep the families and victims of Aurora in our thoughts. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
With two weeks to go until Christopher Nolan ‘s The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters, Warner Bros. has made available nearly 50 pages of detailed production notes online that offer behind-the-scenes tidbits on character, plot, costume design, the crazy practical stunts Nolan & Co. pulled off, Batman ‘s new toys, and some of the new faces joining the trilogy. The question is, how much do you want to know? (Bonus: Get the new IMAX poster after the jump!) Given TDKR ‘s set-up — it takes place eight years after the events of The Dark Knight , with Batman in semi-retirement/hiding — and the two new adversaries joining Bruce Wayne/Batman straight from the pages of the comics (i.e. supervillain Bane and super-minx Selina Kyle/ Catwoman ), some of this is already familiar to Bat-fans. And while the production note dossier includes only a few semi-spoilery details on certain scenes and characters, unless you’re committed to going into TDKR with as pure and spoiler-free a mind as possible, the doc is fairly safe to peruse, and chock full of geeky details. The bigger discoveries here concern the supporting characters in Batman/Bruce Wayne’s life, including Gary Oldman’s Commissioner Gordon and new characters Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) and Gotham City police officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Below, read a few select passages and get the pretty new TDKR IMAX poster: [BEWARE SPOILERS! WHO KNOWS WHAT YOUR VIRGIN BAT-EYES WILL DISCOVER!] On Gordon, who’s now wrestled with Batman’s secret for eight years: “Gary Oldman returns to the role of Gotham City’s top cop, Commissioner Gordon, who withheld the truth of Harvey Dent’s demise at great personal cost. ‘He respects Batman’s sacrifice, but allowing the citizens of Gotham to be fed a lie goes against everything that Gordon believes in,’ the actor says.” “…to a certain extent, Gordon was more useful to the political leaders of Gotham when the city was overrun by organized crime,” Nolan points out. “Now that is under control, so there are people eyeing his job, presuming he’s no longer needed. But Gordon has been struggling with the fact that all of this is based on a false foundation.” “It’s a secret that’s eaten away at him for years,” confirms Gary Oldman. “Crime is at an all-time low in Gotham, but Gordon knows that it’s tainted. Now he’s ready to come clean, but there doesn’t seem to be a right time or place, and he also questions if the city is ready for the truth. Then, because of Bane, he’s in the field again. I think he’s like a soldier who likes to be on the front lines, getting his hands dirty. He’s probably been doing a lot of paper pushing in the intervening years and that has dampened his spirits. Now you really feel like the old Gordon is back.” On John Blake, AKA the fresh-scrubbed idealistic young cop guy played by Joe Gordon-Levitt: Gordon finds a new protégé in policeman John Blake, whose devotion to the job impresses his boss. Emma Thomas says, “Gordon definitely sees something of himself as a young cop in John Blake. Everyone else seems to have lost focus because things have been so good, but Blake is the first to realize that something’s up, and Gordon recognizes those instincts by promoting him and putting him on his team.” Describing his role, Joseph Gordon-Levitt says, “John Blake is the kind of guy who probably always wanted to be a cop and dedicates himself to being excellent at his job. He is someone who believes in what he does and I admire that in anybody. In the midst of a lot of cynicism, he remains proud to be a police officer.” Nolan comments, “Commissioner Gordon and Bruce Wayne have become somewhat jaded, so we wanted to contrast that with a younger, more idealistic individual who, in a way, represents where they’ve come from. Joe really captured the strength and courage of a man who refuses to back down, regardless of the odds.” On Miranda Tate, a wealthy new love interest for Bruce Wayne played by Inception ‘s leading lady, Marion Cotillard: The character of Miranda Tate can also relate to Bruce, albeit from a place of affluence. Cast in the role, Marion Cotillard notes, “They both have a lot of money and are trying to use it in a good way, so they understand each other right away.” Bale agrees. “Miranda is somebody who is encouraging Bruce to use his resources for the betterment of Gotham through an environmental project. She is beautiful, smart and altruistic, and all the good that she aspires to earns his respect and also intrigues him a great deal.” A member of the board of Wayne Enterprises, Miranda’s affluence makes her a vital ally to Bruce when the company becomes the target of a hostile takeover. On a more personal level, Nolan says, “She is looked at by Alfred and Lucius as a woman who could perhaps bring Bruce out of his own exile and remind him that there is more to life than sitting alone in the Batcave. On Bane and his dastardly terrorist plans for Gotham City: “Working underground and undetected, Bane is plotting a multi-pronged attack on Gotham, involving firepower, finance and fear…” While the Scarecrow was a madman and the Joker an anarchist, “Bane is a terrorist in both his mentality and his actions,” says actor Tom Hardy, who plays Batman’s new arch-nemesis. “He is physically intimidating and he’s also very intelligent, which makes him even more dangerous.” Nolan relates, “In deciding on who the next villain would be, it was imperative that it was someone completely different from the Joker—that he be a brute force. The physical component of what Bruce Wayne does as Batman is of extraordinary importance, and we had not truly challenged that in the first two films. I really wanted to see Batman meet his match physically, as well as intellectually. Bane is raw strength with a fanatical devotion to duty, and that combination makes him unstoppable.” And finally, the newly unveiled IMAX poster for TDKR . It’s gorgeous in a painterly way, and in contrast to previous posters and promo images for the film, presents the Bat-sign in the sky as signaling a break in the clouds from all that chaos reigning down on Gotham City. Batman stands triumphant once more above his city shining his light through all the debris of Bane’s fiery terror, and stuff. Nice. For loads more on TDKR , including details on the 100+ piece Batsuit, Bane’s mask, the airborne new vehicle known as The Bat, and Nolan’s insane practical mid-air plane stunt, find the full production notes here . [via THR ] The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters on July 20. What do you make of these 50 pages of Bat-tidbits? (Did you cave in to curiosity?) Chime in below with your thoughts on the highly anticipated sequel. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Rebooting the Spider-Man franchise just five years after Sam Raimi completed his own $2.4 billion trilogy was a controversial move in itself, let alone the idea of revisiting Spidey’s origin story , one of the most familiar and popular beginnings in comic book lore, yet again. But whatever qualms you might have about The Amazing Spider-Man treading familiar ground — this time with Andrew Garfield as a skate-boarding high-schooler/vigilante nursing abandonment issues — director Marc Webb himself wrestled with the very same issues from the start. Webb rang Movieline to answer a barrage of questions about this week’s Spider-Man re-do, which re-frames the Marvel superhero’s journey as a teenage Peter Parker’s struggle with responsibility — not necessarily springing from great power so much as from choosing between doing good, and doing otherwise. Relationships are key here, not only between Peter and his Aunt May (Sally Field) and Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen), but between the orphaned hero and Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), a newfound mentor and scientist with murky ties to the parents who left young Peter behind years ago. But the heart of The Amazing Spider-Man , and that of Peter Parker himself, belongs to Gwen Stacy, Spidey’s first love, brought to life with crackling energy by Emma Stone . Fans of the comics know where Peter and Gwen’s story eventually leads — and while Webb remains amusedly mum on the future of his would-be Spider-Man trilogy, he acknowledges that some parts of Marvel canon cannot be tinkered with. “It’s a very controversial part of the comics,” he teased of Gwen’s fate, “but let me tell you, I’m a fan of the comics.” Read on as Webb addresses criticisms of his reboot, discusses the importance of the Gwen Stacy-Peter Parker relationship, explains why some questions raised in The Amazing Spider-Man were left deliberately unanswered, and talks about that eyebrow-raising post-credits scene. [ Beware: Some spoilers follow. ] The marketing campaign for The Amazing Spider-Man has been attempting to court female audiences, and the romantic element is a significant part of the film. How important did you feel it was to explore and emphasize that side of the Spider-Man story? Spider-Man is of course this huge action film — there’s a boy behind the suit. But one thing that’s different in Spider-Man comics from many other comics is how important the relationships are, in particular female relationships. You can talk a lot about villains, but Spider-Man’s relationships with women are as iconic, if not more iconic, than the villains. You have Mary Jane, and you have Gwen Stacy, and Gwen is very different than what we’ve seen before. One of the reasons why I wanted to use Gwen — first and foremost, she’s his first love in the comics. Let’s just set the record straight, it’s not Mary Jane. But I like the idea of following somebody who is as smart, if not smarter, than Peter Parker. And Emma Stone is the perfect woman to play somebody who is much more proactive, much more intelligent and feisty. I just like that dynamic in relationships in movies where they’re kind of lovers as rivals, you know? There’s this back and forth that I love, in the laboratory, and there’s just this great bond that you feel between them. She’s not just a prize, she’s not just a damsel in distress. She’s a confidante, and that was a really important thing. And their relationship is so different because of this — it’s like they’re the only two people in the world. I thought that, you’re 17 years old and falling in love for the first time, some part of the thrill of that is openness, and you get to express a part of yourself and confide in somebody the things about you that no one else knows. It’s such a thrilling part about being in a relationship at a young age, and all your feelings are apocalyptic, all your emotions are so huge, that I felt that was an interesting and new foundation to lay for the character. It also raises the stakes of that relationship. So it becomes more meaningful when he has to let it go. For those people who are familiar with Gwen’s fate in the comics, the depth and pull of their emotions makes it even more bittersweet. You even include a shot in the film in which Peter throws her out of a window that seems like foreshadowing of a sort… [Laughs] Well, we’ll have to see. It’s a very controversial part of the comics, but let me tell you, I’m a fan of the comics. But Gwen’s story is kind of one of those things, among other developments and plot specifics, that you kind of have to stay faithful to canon on. Right? Honor, yes. I mean, Marvel has certain hard and fast rules, like about the spider bite — you have to have Peter get bitten by a radioactive spider, and Uncle Ben’s death has to transform Peter Parker into Spider-Man, you know what I mean? He has to learn a lesson by that. But I’m trying to find new inflections and new context so that the story feels new. Because I do think the character is different; you want to honor the iconic elements of Spider-Man but you also want to reinvent the world around him so that it feels interesting and new, and that’s a tricky line to walk. It seems even trickier for you in this instance more than other folks rebooting a familiar franchise, just because it hasn’t been very long since the last Spider-Man movies and you’re also starting with an origin story. It’s tricky. We have seen the origin of Spider-Man, but we haven’t seen the origin of Peter Parker and that was my entrée into it. It does feel like more of a Peter Parker story than a Spider-Man story, which a lot of fans of the comics might get hung up on. How do you respond to those criticisms? For me, I thought about it a lot when I was building this up and I really felt like the Peter Parker that I was creating was a different reflection of the character. And in order for the audience to understand that, I thought I needed to build that from the ground up. To me, the most definitive moment in his life — way more important than the spider bite — is the moment he was left behind by his parents. It had a huge emotional impact on his character. That’s where the narrative begins, but it’s also where the character is defined in a very significant way. I mean, anybody who’s left behind by their parents at that age is going to be distrustful of authority because authority has let him down before – so that’s part of the dramatic texture of his relationship with Captain Stacey, and the conflict he has with Uncle Ben and Aunt May. It’s also that he has this attitude, this sort of trickster, sarcastic quality, which is in some ways a defense mechanism that comes from that moment in his life. He’s an outside, but he’s an outsider by choice; he’s a smart kid but he just wants to keep everybody at a distance. That’s why I think the relationship with Gwen works so well; he can trust her. We look at this as a reboot, so can we assume the story here will continue into at least a trilogy, but there are a number of plot points and questions raised in the film that don’t necessarily get answered within the span of this film. How intentional was it to plant those seeds here? I wanted a universe that could sustain a larger story, and the broader arcs I worked out with Jamie Vanderbilt early on. Obviously you want the movie to work on its own, but because so many of these movies typically have sequels, I wanted us to do a little bit of groundwork that could pay off in later movies. The mystery that surrounds Peter Parker’s parents is the long shadow that’s cast over all of the story, and there’s a relationship between Peter’s parents and Norman Osborne, and Oscorp, all that stuff… so much of the story is in and around Oscorp; Oscorp is the place from which all crazy shit emerges in this universe, and I like that idea, that simple notion that this obelisk, this Tower of Babel, is like a splinter in the side of the universe. All of the stories come out of there. NEXT: Webb on Gwen’s future, his stars’ chemistry, Curt Connors and that post-credits scene
Hollywood.TV is your source for all the latest celebrity news, gossip and videos of your favorite stars! bit.ly – Click to Subscribe! Facebook.com – Become a Fan! Twitter.com – Follow Us! Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, and Nathan Fillion were spotted at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’, and the event was amazing! The stars took time to greet the sea of fans, who were all VERY excited for the premiere. Emma looks drop-dead GORGEOUS as a blonde, and that dress she’s wearing is amazing! Hollywood.TV is the global leader in capturing celebrity breaking news as it happens. We cover all the major Hollywood events including The Golden Globes, The Oscars, The Screen Actors Guild Awards, The Grammy’s, The Emmy’s and the American Music Awards, as well as all the red carpet movie premiers in Los Angeles and New York. HTV is on the streets 24/7, at all the industry events and invited by the stars to cover their every move in Hollywood, New York and Miami. Hollywood.TV is currently the third most viewed reporter channel on www.youtube.com YouTube with almost 400 million views, and our footage is seen worldwide! Tune in daily for all the latest Hollywood news on www.hollywood.tv and http like us on Facebook!
The Boy Who Lived gets a hellacious makeover in the pages of Moore’s latest ‘League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ comic book. By Josh Wigler Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Photo: “Harry Potter” is not for everyone. Some people do not like fun. Some people do not like magic. Some people do not like fun and magic together. I get it, and I accept it. Harry hate isn’t something I’m into, but if that’s your position, have a ball. You’ll get no killing curses out of me. But killing curses are flying, it seems, from the wand of Alan Moore. The critically acclaimed and famously reclusive “Watchmen” writer is drawing a harder line against the boy wizard than even the staunchest “Potter” hater could dream up as the latest installment of Moore’s “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century 2009,” out in stores Wednesday (June 20), features Harry Potter as the Antichrist. Well, almost, at least. There’s an undeniable resemblance between Potter and Moore’s Antichrist. How startling are the similarities, you ask? Let’s count the ways: Moore’s character has a notable scar, a mentor named Riddle (the real last name of Potter’s lifelong nemesis, Lord Voldemort) and travels to a magic school by way of a magic train hidden in King’s Cross station, just like the Boy Who Lived. There is no mention of the words “Harry” or “Potter,” but the result is clear: Moore has cast an analogue of J.K. Rowling’s globally renowned hero as his very own Antichrist. Discuss: Did Alan Moore Say Harry Potter Is the Antichrist? But don’t start shipping Howlers off in Moore’s direction just yet, “Potter” heads, at least not until you get the full meaning of what the writer is going for here. In an early review of the new issue of “Century 2009,” the Independent ‘s Laura Sneddon analyzes Moore’s choice as follows: “The headlines almost write themselves — ‘Alan Moore says Harry Potter is the Antichrist!’ — yet they miss the point. When the Antichrist is met, overgrown and high on anti-psychotics, raging at the education system that let him down and sounding peculiarly like Harry Enfield’s teenage Kevin, he is surely no stand-in for one particular character but of the current obsession for replacing stories with money-generating franchises. Today, film rights are bought before publication, comics are written as storyboards, and teenage celebrities are given memoirs.” “What better representative of modern pop literature than J K Rowling’s boy wizard?” Sneddon continues. “Moore’s distaste for modern culture is made obvious, in keeping with his stance on the comics publishers he feels betrayed him.” Indeed, it certainly doesn’t go unnoticed that “Potter” is a part of the Warner Bros. family, the very same company backing DC Comics’ controversial “Before Watchmen” prequel series against Moore’s wishes; turnabout is fair play, after all. Moore’s choice of Potter as an Antichrist figure isn’t necessarily directed at that character or franchise itself, then — instead, he’s using the most famous, most recognizable and most relevant face possible to get his anti-franchise point across the table. “Before Watchmen” Confirmed: Will More Movies Follow? Is Potter the best option to make such a point? At first, I didn’t think so. Haters are going to hate, but the “Potter” books, if not excellently written, are compelling stories with compelling characters who have introduced new readers the entire world over to the fantastic realm of literature. The films, too, aren’t just commercial juggernauts, but critically acclaimed ones boasting top-tier talents such as Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon — the list goes on and on and on. There is strong craftsmanship on display in the “Potter” series on numerous levels. Why target something that’s actually good rather than, say, a series that hinges on hollow, vampire-obsessed protagonists? (Hate mail can be sent this way , FYI.) But in truth, “Potter” doesn’t end with the stories. The books are closed, the theaters are empty. (For now.) But there’s a whole new wizarding world out there: theme parks, online encyclopedias, unofficial off-Broadway shows and countless other parodies, toys, candy, more. I wouldn’t go as far as saying “Potter” replaces story with money-generating greediness, as Moore seems to believe. But there’s no denying that “Potter” really is more than just a collection of books and films: It’s a lifestyle, not just for fans, but for flesh-and-blood, real-world muggles who keep the Rowling-manufactured train rolling ahead full steam. If you’re looking for an instantly recognizable face to hang your broader anti-franchise sentiments upon, then? Well, I suppose you really don’t need to look any further than Hogwarts’ finest. As a “Potter” fan, I don’t like seeing Harry used as a symbol of what’s wrong in the world today. I’d like to think that there are better examples out there. But if you’re looking at what Moore’s trying to say here, maybe there really isn’t a better example for him to use. Harry isn’t just the Boy Who Lived anymore, after all; he is, inarguably, the Boy Who Lived Luxuriously. How do you feel about Moore’s depiction of “Potter” in the latest “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” comic? Give us your reactions in the comments below, or let me know on Twitter @roundhoward! Related Videos Before Watchmen | Alan Moore
We here at Skin Central have a confession to make. We have failed you. It turns out that May is National Masturbation Month , a faptastic celebration of acts of self-love that we only found out about yesterday. True, every month is Masturbation Month here at Mr. Skin, but Dr. Joycelyn Elders was fired as Attorney General in May 1995 for saying masturbation is fun and something something. Anyway, we really ought to have been at the vanguard of this masturbation celebration- the comics uber-nerds camped out for days to be the first ones to see The Avengers , and thus should we have been the first to tell you you are encouraged, nay, obligated , to jerk off more than usual in May. But it’s not too late! In penance, we humbly offer up Mr. Skin’s Masturbation Scenes playlist , featuring starlets like Natalie Portman and Shannon Elizabeth flicking the bean as well as edgy Euro babes like Lou Charmelle (above) and Elena Anaya giving themselves real lube jobs with vibrators and dildos. So grab your lucky sock and some lube, fire up the monitor, turn off your phone, and celebrate. Happy masturbating!
The Shane Black -helmed Iron Man 3 begins filming this month, but Marvel fans are still trying to piece together clues as to who, exactly, Iron Man is going up against in his post- Avengers threequel. The latest casting news doesn’t make it any clearer: James Badge Dale , most recently seen in The Grey and Shame , will play Eric Savin, a soldier known from Marvel lore. But will Dale also portray the character as the superpowered mercenary he transforms into in the comics? Said character is Coldblood, an enhanced robo-soldier who’s reconstructed after a land mine injury. But Variety ‘s report is careful to avoid confirmation that Dale will play Savin as Coldblood in the nanotech-themed sequel, which already has Ben Kingsley in place as its villain. Thoughts on how it’ll all come together? [ Variety ]
