Confessions of a fangirl

Review: Green Lantern really isn't that bad...at all

2011-06-27T23:22:00.000-07:00

So, I'm a little late in posting this, but better late than never. I saw "Green Lantern" its opening weekend, and maybe it was because my expectations had been lowered after all the bad reviews, but I liked it. A lot. In fact, I wanna see it again in theaters, hopefully soon.

I thought Ryan Reynolds was great as Hal Jordan, and I was shocked at how much I liked Blake Lively as Carol Ferris in her scenes with Ryan Reynolds' Hal Jordan. The special effects also didn't totally suck like I had expected them to after seeing the previews. I will say I think the story could have used some tightening in some places, but overall, I liked "Green Lantern" much better than I liked "Thor" and about as much as I liked "X-Men: First Class."

Seriously, don't listen to bad reviews. Go see this and give the Green Lantern some love. Decide for yourself if it's good or not. You might be surprised. I know I was.

A lil humor for the day

2011-06-27T23:15:00.000-07:00

In light of DC Comics recent reboot, I thought this was too funny not to share. And yeah, I'm not a very big fan of Batman. Well, I like the guy, just not as much as everyone else seems to. Thanks to the Superman Homepage for posting the original link.

DC Comic's relaunch, The Hunger Games, Wonder Woman, X-Men: First Class

2011-06-14T22:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry, it’s been a while since I blogged here. For those of you who care, I sold a book to Carina Press that will be releasing on Oct. 31, 2011. It’s called “Cry Wolf” and if you’re a fan of “The X-Files,” “The Night Stalker,” “Fringe” or classic monster movie-type stories, please, please, please check it out. Don’t worry. I’ll remind you when it gets closer to its release date. So, I have been swamped with working on book edits and the such for that.

In the meantime, there has been a LOT of fangirl-y news to respond to. Oh, where to start?!

DC Comics is rebooting its entire line of characters and renumbering all of its comics, with new issues starting at No. 1. Why? Why? Why? This type of news is never pleasing to fans, and what I’ve seen reported so far hasn’t been too reassuring. Yes, I miss Superman’s red underwear, but basically he looks the same. I guess I will wait until the actual comics and stories arrive before I start throwing tomatoes at Geoff Johns and company. I’m hearing lots of rumors I don’t care for — no Clark and Lois? Instead, they might be pairing Clark with Diana? Oh, the horror!

“The Hunger Games” began filming in North Carolina last month. Even better, Entertainment Weekly featured Jennifer Lawrence in full-costume as Katniss, and wow! She still might be older than I initially would have liked, but Jennifer Lawrence completely has my vote on this one. The cover and feature story EW did rocks! And I’ve still got my fingers crossed I’ll get called to work as an extra….

The expected “Wonder Woman” TV pilot did not get picked up by NBC for the fall season, and the rumor is because the pilot was so terrible (even though NBC execs denied this later). You can get a taste of six or so seconds of the show online now (yes, I said 6 or 7 seconds). I imagine David E. Kelley and Co. are still shopping it around to other networks. Part of me is glad, because the premise I kept hearing sounded so ridiculous and this teaser did nothing to reassure me, but on the other hand, Wonder Woman fails to get some attention in Hollywood again — and that is never good news for WW fans. Supposedly a feature film is still in the works though. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how that shapes up.

“X-Men: First Class” premiered as the No. 1 movie a couple of weeks ago, and it’s still hanging on strong at the box office despite some tough competition. Naturally, I saw this one on opening weekend and loved it. I usually don’t like reboots or prequels, but this one was pretty good. The cast, including Jennifer Lawrence, was extraordinary! If you haven’t seen it, go now!

“Green Lantern” hits theaters this weekend. I’m still trying to decide if I want to go to the midnight showing Thursday night or not. I was gung-ho on this film until I started seeing all of the previews. Now, I admit, even I’m a little worried…

Goodbye, Smallville. I already miss ya!

2011-05-28T01:32:00.000-07:00

Oh, Smallville. Ten years together -- ten years of ups and downs -- and then you just leave me? I am still mourning the loss.

It has been a couple of weeks now since Smallville signed off the air for good. It's taken me longer than I wanted to post my review, but better late than never, right? There was a lot of speculation about what would happen in the finale. Would Lois and Clark get married? How would Lex return? Would Clark finally put on the iconic Superman suit and fly? I honestly didn't see how the show would wrap up all of these storylines in a way that was satisfactory, but I have to hand it to the writers and producers.

Best series finale ever. EVER.

I could easily point out the flaws in this final 2-hour episode, but I won't do that. Yes, yes, I know the special effects were absolutely amateur and sorta embarrassing to watch at times, and a few things happened too fast. But let's put on our Clark glasses and focus on the positives. (SPOILER ALERT if you haven't watched the show yet and plan to - don't read any further!).

The Lois and Clark scenes were absolutely wonderful in the finale. Fanboys everywhere groaned, I'm sure, but us fangirls were crying tears of joy over this ending. This is coming from a gal who became a bonafide Clois shipper thanks to Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher in "Lois and Clark" in the 90s. Sorry, Dean and Teri. My new all-time favorite Clois is Tom Welling and Erica Durance after this episode. Hands down.

My favorite scene, which surprised even me (I was all excited about the suit, y'all), was the door scene. Lois called off the wedding because she didn't want to stand in Clark's way of becoming the Superman we all know and love, then changed her mind after sneaky little Chloe made her read Clark's beautifully-written vows. Clark, meanwhile, had decided Lois was right. He went to tell her goodbye, only to find her in her apartment getting dressed for the wedding. The entire scene saw them divided by a door, discussing why they should or should not be together. It was incredibly well-written. I laughed my head off when Lois slid her vows under the door for Clark to read -- it was only fair after all, since she'd read his -- and it was all marked up with red editing marks. Laughed. My. Head. Off. Her notes were so funny! Then when we heard Clark reading the vows, I swear I teared up. Of course, they headed to the altar.

Now, I'm no fan of weddings, in all honesty, but the show gave us one I didn't mind attending, albeit briefly. I don't think Clois fans have ever had a truly good Clois wedding representation on screen. The two "Lois and Clark" weddings were both kinda flat. "Smallville" gave us one we can forever cherish, even if it ultimately did get squashed by Darkseid, who possessed best man Oliver and had him switch Clark's wedding ring with one made out of gold kryptonite (which fans of the comics will know can strip Clark of his powers forever). Thank God bridesmaid Chloe was there to recognize the ring and karate chop it away before Clark touched it!

But the almost wedding was beautiful. I teared up when Lois - who had told Clark she would walk herself down the aisle in her family's absence - got that sad look on her face when she came through the door and saw that Clark wasn't waiting for her. Of course, Clark slid his hand through hers and walked her down the aisle himself. Loved, loved, loved the song they played then. So fitting and beautiful. And then the exchange of vows was done so well. The editing there was so creative and moving. I encourage you - if you didn't see the episode but consider yourself a romantic - to watch it through the link below.

WATCH IT HERE

The wedding was halted when Oliver went psycho and tried to kill Clark, but Clark's good nature and pep talk was enough to help Oliver banish Darkseid and save their friendship. Unfortunately, Darkseid had set another planet on a collision course with earth, and it looked like an apocalypse was imminent. This episode was so full of religious comparisons, it wasn't funny. It was obvious Clark was filling the role of Jesus, and Darkseid was Satan. When Clark decided to go to his father, Jor-El, for help, he discovered he knew how to fly.

This was my second favorite scene of the episode. When Jor-El revealed to Clark the vision of his trials in Smallville, we were treated to a very creative and well-done series of flashbacks from the entire run of show. And then away Clark went to the Fortress of Solitude, where Jor-El rewarded Clark -- and the millions of fans who had been gasping, wondering, begging for Clark to wear the suit on the finale -- with the iconic Superman suit.

We had all predicted the show would end there, but did it? Oh no. Indeed we were treated to some cheesy CG, but cool imagery of Superman flying around, first saving Lois - who had snuck aboard Air Force One to beg the president not to use nuclear weapons to try and destroy the threat. That scene was obviously a shout-out to Superman Returns. Loved the shot of Lois looking through the airplane window and seeing Superman for the first time. Loved it.

And then, of course, Superman pushed the planet back out of our orbit, as a crowd of hopeless people looked up. Their expressions went from doom to hope and ultimately cheers as the darkness disappeared and they were again covered in sunlight (another reference to Jesus? Hmmm). I loved it when Oliver smiled and said, "Way to go, buddy."

And then, the scene that gave me chills, literally. Tom Welling's Superman morphed into an image of Superman from the comic books as Chloe closed the comic book and told a small, blonde-haired boy, "And that's how the boy from Smallville became Superman." (Squeee!)

Praise Jesus, Chloe didn't die!! Fans have been speculating for years that she would HAVE to die in the finale since she's not part of the overall Superman mythos. Unfortunately Tess DID die, killed by her brother Lex Luthor after she made it clear she was choosing good over evil. In a genius move by the writers, she smeared Lex with a fluid that would erase his memory -- and his knowledge that Clark Kent was Superman -- just before she died. You go, girl!

But wait, it didn't end there. Chloe walked out of the room and called her cousin, and best friend Lois Lane to ask if everything was ready. We saw Lois in the Daily Planet. We saw Perry White's name on the editor's door, and we not only heard his voice talking, we heard him say "Great Caesar's Ghost!" (Squeee!). Then a scene with Lois and Jimmy Olsen. Then a scene of Lex Luther that gave us notification we were seeing events seven years into the future. Then we saw a bumbling Clark Kent run smack dab into Lois. A really cute exchange between them, and THEN, cue the iconic John Williams theme to "Superman: The Movie." As Clark and Lois revealed they were headed to their actual wedding (seven years later?!?), there was an armed robbery.

"Go," Lois told Clark, who headed to the roof as the Superman theme song played, and then, in slow mo, he ripped off his glasses and tore open his shirt to reveal the suit again.

Epic. I had tears. Well done, Smallville execs. Well done!

Superman is un-American? Breaking Dawn pics and more HG casting!

2011-04-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

I don't normally report on actual comic books, but this Supes fangirl just can't resist this one. Some good news, and some (in my opinion) stupid news this week about my No. 1 Man of Steel - the landmark issue of Action Comics #900 hit stores yesterday and is all about our Big Blue Boy Scout.

On a really cool note, a dream team of writers contributed stories to the special issue, including David Goyer, writer of "Batman Begins" and the upcoming film "The Man of Steel"; Richard Donner, director of "Superman: The Movie"; Geoff Johns, DC Comics' chief creative officer and one of its most popular writers; and Damon Lindelof -- who oversaw "Lost's" six-season run. Yesterday CNN had a really fun Q&A with Lindelof that you should definitely read. It's nice to see the big guy getting some love and respect from DC Comics after the company has become so focused for so long on Batman.

Now, I haven't gotten my issue yet, but most major news outlets have reported about the issue #900 today because - are you ready for this? -- Superman renounces his U.S. Citizenship in this comic book. Time to tweak that catchphrase "truth, justice and the American way"?

Oh, for the love of all that is holy, why?

It really irks me when the comic book heads get crazy and change a major part of a character's identity like this. I mean, Superman is one of America's most recognizable icons. Always has been. Take that away, and what does that say to the rest of the world? I think it makes us laughable, personally.

Like I said, I haven't read the issue, but I really doubt there's any reason I can accept for this. Geez.

Don't worry. I still love you Superman. It's not your fault you're sometimes written badly.

Have you seen the newly released pictures from The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn? I have one word. OMG! The next issue of Entertainment Weekly looks like a must-have for my collection. Oh, that cover. Those photos! Must have, like, now!

We finally have confirmation that Elizabeth Banks will play Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games! With the movie scheduled to hit theaters in 11 months (or a little less), I'm starting to wonder what the hold up on filming is. Can we please cast Haymitch already? And I'm really loving the kids they're choosing for the other Tributes so far. How many does that leave yet to be cast? Fourteen, right? What about Greasy Sae? Portia? Cinna?!? See what I mean? Better get to work, casting peeps! Of course, the latests rumors involve Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci and John C. Reilly.

Spidey's suit change, "Scream 4" bombs? and "Hunger Games" casting news

2011-04-19T21:48:00.001-07:00

Time for me to geek out loud again, and boy, do I have some news to share this week!

First of all, I hear that Marvel comics is getting rid of Spider-man's red and blue suit and replacing it with this black and red one. Not only that, the person wearing the suit won't be Peter Parker. Um, haven't they learned anything from fan reactions in the past? Changing a superhero's costume - not a good idea. Killing a beloved staple character and trying to create a new one - REALLY not a good idea. I mean, Peter Parker?!? Dead?!? Are you nutcases out of your ever-lovin' minds?!? I know the changes won't be across the board (it's a new look and character for "Ultimate Spider-Man" only), but still...

I saw "Scream 4" this weekend and LOVED it. Well, I think we can all agree that the first 15 minutes were pretty lame and weird and - dare I say it? - overkill for a "Scream" opening sequence, but the rest of the movie was pretty darned good, considering 11 years has passed since the last installment. Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette, you guys rule! I mean, I absolutely could not figure out the ending until the reveal of this round's Ghostface, and bam! Shocked! I can't remember the last time I couldn't figure out the ending of a movie at least halfway into it. So please tell me why this movie supposedly bombed at the box office? Come on, people, go see it! How else will we get "Scream 5"?

I was fortunate enough to attend the extras casting call for "The Hunger Games" -- er, excuse me, "Artemis" (which we all know is really "The Hunger Games") -- and while I haven't landed a role in the film just yet (I know...I know...but miracles do happen), casting for this movie is picking up steam. The Tributes are being cast as I type this, with actors already confirmed for the roles of Rue, Thresh, Marvel and Glimmer! Even better, the official Facebook page for The Hunger Games Movie has created a special application that displays the Tributes as they've been cast. Check it out. It's pretty cool! Also rumored is that Elizabeth Banks is in talks to play Effie Trinket. Awesome! And Kudos to The Hob for being on top of all of the news for this movie. Now, can we please hear a casting announcement on Haymitch, please?

News of the week: Green Lantern, Superman, Captain America, plus Bella's wedding dress

2011-04-11T00:06:00.000-07:00

First of all, Warner Brothers has done it again and announced another casting decision for the Superman film on a Sunday (guys, you're getting predictable up in here). The villain is none other than General Zod, who will be played by Oscar-nominated (uh, did I say you're getting predictable, WB?) actor Michael Shannon. Well, I'm glad casting is moving right along. It seems they're doing the same thing Richard Donner did with the original Superman film (starring Christopher Reeve) and surrounding a little-known actor in the main role with tons of better known and Oscar-nominated actors in supporting roles. I will choose to take that as a good sign...

Have you checked out the official website for the Green Lantern film starring Ryan Reynolds? It's still a work in progress, but you can watch the extended trailer that was shown at Wondercon 2011. Check it out. I'm psyched to see this movie, although I can't help but think it reminds me, perhaps too much, of the animated Green Lantern film that was released last year.

Captain America: The First Avenger film has also launched its official site, and you can check out the trailer for it online now, as well as download wallpaper, and iPhone app and an entire comic book. I was iffy about this movie, and while I find a shrunken Chris Evans very creepy (how did they do that?), I have to say, this movie looks better than I thought it would.

Stephenie Meyer's Official guide to all things Twilight comes out Tuesday, and EW released a sneak peak at Bella's wedding dress. What do you think?

Finally, the CW released a 15-second teaser trailer for the finale of "Smallville." It's only 15 seconds, but it gave me chills (in a good way). I think it's seeing the Superman emblem combined with John Williams' theme song combined with Tom Welling's words. Either way, it's hard to believe only one month of "Smallville" remains before the show ends, for good. I need to go stock up on Kleenex...

Hutcherson and Hemsworth cast in "Hunger Games" - please say it ain't so!

2011-04-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

If you heard a loud, gut-wrenching “Nooooooooooooooooooooo!” today at, around, oh, 2 o’clock Eastern time, it was probably me, having just seen the headline “Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth cast in The Hunger Games.”

Seriously. If I hadn’t been at work, I might have fallen to my knees and started sobbing. Pounding my fists against my keyboard. Pulling out my hair. Throwing myself off of a building somewhere…

Let me get this out of my system, and I promise I will be OK. I will be Team Supportive from here on out when it comes to this movie. I promise. But first…

Josh Hutcherson is Peeta Mellark? Are they crazy!!!

I have to preface this by saying I love Josh Hutcherson as an actor. I always have. I adored him in “Firehouse Dog” and “Bridge to Terabithia.” He’s a young actor whose movies I would see just because I like him and think he’s cute.

But he is not what I pictured for my beloved Peeta. Not. At. All.

Oh, Peeta, who I love more than even Edward Cullen as a character. Peeta, with his golden blonde locks and manly tallness. Josh Hutcherson has short, dark brown hair and is (according to the Internet) 5’ 7”. How is that tall!?! Isn’t Jennifer Lawrence taller than that? Not to mention she’s older than Josh Hutcherson, and Peeta is supposed to be older than Katniss, right?…

Oh, my world feels so off kilter right now.

Breathe, Angie. Breathe.

As for Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne, well, granted, I don’t love Gale as much as I love Peeta, but come on now. Liam Hutcherson as Gale?!? Didn’t these people see that godawful movie with Miley Cyrus, “The Last Song,” in which I discovered I know doorknobs who can act better than Liam Hemsworth? And Gale is an important character! Not to mention, Gale has black hair, dark eyes and olive skin. Liam Hemsworth — nope, not even close.

Noooooooo!

Why are you people at Lionsgate ruining my book-to-movie adaptation? I swear, in my mind, it was going to be so good…

My only hope, at this point, is that the angels will come down, the heavens will align, and Robert Downey Jr. will miraculously land the role of Haymitch. Please God, give me something?

OK.

OK.

I think I’ve got it out of my system now.

Breathe, Angie. Breathe.

I will now try to look on the bright side. I will remind myself — wisely so — that I cannot fairly judge this casting decision without having seen their auditions myself. I will also remind myself of the colossal negative feedback Robert Pattinson received when he was originally cast as Edward Cullen in “Twilight,” and that turned out OK, didn’t it?

I will push aside my thoughts that this casting has been part of a strategic formula to recruit popular, up-and-coming young actors rather than actors who are actually right for the roles. Nope, I will not let myself think that way again.

(Gritting my teeth) Congratulations, Josh and Liam. I wish you the best with these roles and look forward to seeing this, er, interesting dynamic play out on screen. I am putting my faith in you boys to do justice to these awesome characters. Please don’t let me down. Seriously, if you let me down, I will kill you.

Breathe, Angie. Breathe.

Well, at least it has been confirmed that “The Hunger Games” is filming in North Carolina (my neighbor state). Can anyone say road trip? (And that bit about killing anyone … ha ha ha, I was joking. I wouldn’t take a road trip to kill anyone. Please.)

Why I haven't written off the Superman reboot film quite yet

2011-03-28T00:18:00.000-07:00

We just learned who will play Lois Lane in the "Superman" reboot film, and rumors of filming in Chicago beginning in May are flying around faster than a speeding bullet. Pre-production on the Superman film is heating up, and most fans are happy. After all, it only took decades for us to finally get a new Superman film off the ground the last time around.

When I heard Warner Bros. was going ahead with a new film for 2012, I was overjoyed. Then came the news that Zack Snyder would direct. OK, my enthusiasm waned somewhat. Not the biggest Zack Snyder fan here. But I'll give anyone a chance to prove himself. Finally, we got our new Superman, Henry Cavill, and I was on the fence again. I would have much preferred Brandon Routh retain the role, but I like Cavill, and again, I'm willing to give him a chance. Then came word of casting Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Martha and Jonathan Kent. Odd choices, but OK. I admit, my enthusiasm for this movie has taken a nosedive pretty much every week news comes out about it. For a Superman fan who LOVES anything Superman, that's really saying something. After all, it's the character I love more than the actors who have portrayed him.

My biggest bone of contention has been with Zack Snyder's comments about his version of the film. He seems to be on the "let's make Superman dark" bandwagon from the beginning. Maybe I'm dead wrong, but I think you can pretty much tell each time he opens his mouth about this character that he isn't really all that familiar with the canon, or with the character of Superman himself. That really irks me.

I reluctantly dragged myself to the theater this weekend to see Snyder's newest film, "Sucker Punch," because I'm curious about his style of filmmaking now. It wasn't that I didn't want to see the movie -- hey, I'm all about girl empowerment stories -- but I feared I would absolutely hate it and, therefore, collapse in cardiac arrest over thoughts of what Snyder plans to do with Superman.

"Sucker Punch" wasn't a bad movie. It wasn't great, but I've seen worse. It actually reconfirmed that I should give Snyder a chance to have a go at Superman, especially after his comments at the premiere.

"Superman will be a documentary compared to this," Snyder told The Hollywood Reporter, comparing it to "Sucker Punch."

Well, OK then. That's somewhat reassuring.

The truth is, I am still holding out hope for this Superman film. Call me an eternal optimist (or a sucker). I'll wait with baited breath until the first trailer premieres, and I might change my tune then. Until then, though, I'm encouraged by the fact I like Henry Cavill and Amy Adams, and am hoping I will like them in the roles I have loved so much when played by other great actors.

The true test will be the script. Without a good story, all of the best acting in the world won't save this movie. But my fingers are still crossed.

It's official! Amy Adams is the new Lois Lane

2011-03-27T22:59:00.000-07:00

It seems Warner Brothers is making a habit of announcing major casting for the "Superman" film on Sunday. The Hollywood Reporter announced earlier that Academy Award nominee Amy Adams has been cast as Lois Lane in the upcoming reboot film.

Finally!

A statement from Zack Snyder, director, reads like this:

"There was a big, giant search for Lois," Snyder told the LA Times. "For us it was a big thing and obviously a really important role. We did a lot of auditioning but we had this meeting with Amy Adams and after that I just felt she was perfect for it."

Now, I was pretty shocked by this selection since Amy Adams is just about the only actress I haven't heard connected with the role since casting began. While I love, love, love Amy Adams, I just don't know how I feel about this. I mean, will she dye her hair? Lois is dark-haired, not red headed. And I worry that Amy just doesn't have enough spunk to play Lois Lane. I wish her the best, though. She has made a habit of surprising me with her role choices, and nailing them.

Still, I have to admit, there were many other actresses I was rooting for; Olivia Wilde, for example, has become my top choice in recent weeks. I have never torn my hair out over casting for a film like I have with this one, folks. Zack Snyder, I hope you know what you're doing, but quite frankly, I am skeptical.

Finally, "The Hunger Games" officially casts Katniss! (and all the news surrounding it)

2011-03-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

Apparently while I was on vacation, there was a lot of casting news released! The one that I'm most invested in, of course, is Jennifer Lawrence winning the lead role of Katniss Everdeen in the "The Hunger Games."

At first, I wasn't thrilled. JL is too old. She's too tall. She's blonde, for crying out loud. And, she's too -- dare I say it? -- fat (Katniss is literally starving in most of these books, so I'm truly not being mean here). Then again, I saw "Winter's Bone" and JL can definitely act, which is incredibly reassuring. I can get over physical differences if it means getting someone with talent. And then I read interviews with JL, director Gary Ross and the book's author, Suzanne Collins, and now I'm behind JL 100 percent!

Director Gary Ross spoke exclusively with Entertainment Weekly about why 20-year-old Lawrence is the right actress, at the right age, to bring Katniss to life on the big screen.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: There’s already quite a bit of hand-wringing that, no matter how good an actress Lawrence is, at 20 she’s simply too old for the role.

Gary Ross: First of all, I talked to Suzanne extensively about this. Suzanne saw every single audition. And not only did Suzanne not have an issue with Jen’s age, she felt you need someone of a certain maturity and power to be Katniss. This is a girl who needs to incite a revolution. We can’t have an insubstantial person play her, and we can’t have someone who’s too young to play this. Suzanne was incredibly adamant about this. Far from being too old, she was very concerned that we would cast someone who was too young. In Suzanne’s mind, and in mine, Katniss is not a young girl. It’s important for her to be a young woman. She’s a maternal figure in her family. She’s had to take care of Prim, and in many ways her mother, since her father’s death. She’s had to grow up pretty quickly.

Suzanne Collins, who created Katniss, told MTV.com this:

"Jennifer's just an incredible actress," Collins said. "So powerful, vulnerable, beautiful, unforgiving and brave. I never thought we'd find somebody this perfect for the role. And I can't wait for everyone to see her play it."

Jennifer Lawrence finally released her own statement to the fans, which was awesome, and gave an interview to EW, too. After reading it, I truly heart this girl. She's gonna kick butt as Katniss! Here's what she said to the fans:

“I couldn’t be happier about being a part of Hunger Games and to play Katniss. I have a huge responsibility to the fans of this incredible book and I don’t take it lightly. I will give everything I have to these movies and to this role to make it worthy of Suzanne Collin’s masterpiece.”

Plus, she loves Peeta as much as I do.

EW: What character besides Katniss are you fondest of, and what is it about them you love?

JL: Peeta. He’s good and nice in a world that’s harsh and unkind.

Now, the search is on to cast Peeta and Gale. I expect we'll be hearing news soon. The movie starts filming in a couple of months! Yay!

Photo Credit: Fanmade artwork found on the fansite The Hob. Check it out. It's my favorite Hunger Games site out there.

Kevin Costner cast as Jonathon Kent in new "Superman" film

2011-03-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

First we learned Diane Lane would play Martha Kent, and now we know Kevin Costner will play Clark Kent's adoptive father, Jonathan Kent, according to a Warner Bros press release.

Still, no Lois Lane announcement? Obviously, with both Martha and Jonathon having roles in the new movie, we can deduce that the film will be taking a look at Clark's younger years, which could mean no Lois at all (remember "Smallville," the show that began with Clark's first girlfiend, Lana Lang, overload?). I'm hoping the script jumps into Metropolis and has plenty of Lois Lane, but I guess we will have to see.

First Look at the New "Wonder Woman"

2011-03-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

NBC and Warner Bros. Television finally released the first photo of Adrianne Palicki as Wonder Woman for the David E. Kelley-produced television remake.

My first thoughts? It looks as though they have done a hybrid costume of the new costume in the comics (long, leather pants and less skin) and the classic costume most people recognize. I honestly doubt anyone outside of the comic book fandom will complain about the costume. I think I like it. It is kind of shiny, which I could do without, but I look it, and I know it's Wonder Woman. Adrianne Palicki looks great. Glad she dyed her hair. I was really dreading a wig.

What do you think? Love it or hate it?

Martha Kent gets cast in Superman movie, and Variety reports on frontrunners for Katniss

2011-03-02T21:47:00.000-08:00

Diane Lane is Martha!

Finally, we get some official casting news from Warner Bros. about the new Superman film!

Today, Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced that Oscar®-nominated actress Diane Lane will play Martha Kent, the only mother Clark Kent has ever known, in the new Superman movie to be directed by Zack Snyder.

Snyder stated, "This was a very important piece of casting for me because Martha Kent is the woman whose values helped shape the man we know as Superman. We are thrilled to have Diane in the role because she can convey the wisdom and the wonder of a woman whose son has powers beyond her imagination."

Lane will star with Henry Cavill, who was recently announced as the new Clark Kent/Superman.

Surprising they would announce Martha's casting before Lois Lane or the villain, but I'm perfectly OK with this. It reminds me of Annette O'Toole being cast as Martha in "Smallville," which turned out to be a stroke of genius. And I have been a fan of Ms. Lane's since "The Outsiders," one of my all-time favorite films. This is great, folks. Now, can we just hear who's going to play Lois, already?!

Jennifer Lawrence is now the frontrunner for Katniss in "The Hunger Games"

I was actually pretty shocked to hear today that Oscar-nominated Jennifer Lawrence ("Winter's Bone") seems to be the favorite to play Katniss in "The Hunger Games" film. At first I was highly skeptical, but now that Variety is reporting it, I have to assume there's some truth to it.

With the Oscars over, two of this year's up-and-coming nominees are being considered for the hottest female role available at the moment: the lead in "Hunger Games."

Sources tell Variety that 2010 Academy Award nominees Jennifer Lawrence and Hailee Steinfeld -- as well as Abigail Breslin, nominated for "Little Miss Sunshine" -- are all vying for the Liongate tentpole, due next March 23.

While no offer has been made, insiders say that Lawrence has generated the most interest.

I'm on the fence about this news. I've seen both "Winter's Bone" and "True Grit" and thought both actresses did fantastic jobs in those movies. I still prefer Steinfield as Katniss for two reasons -- her looks and her age. The impact of "The Hunger Games" comes from the simple idea that kids are being forced into this terrible situation. Casting a 20-year-old like Lawrence, who looks like a 20-year-old, will lessen that impact and weaken the story, in my opinion. Not to mention, there are three books in this series, which will hopefully lead to three films. By the time "Mockingjay" finishes production, Lawrence could well be in her mid-20s playing Katniss as a 17-year-old. Lord knows stranger things have happened, but I'd hate such a silly thing to diminish the power of this story.

However, if Lawrence gets the part, I just hope she dyes her hair and makes an effort to look younger.

Twilight moment during the Oscars

2011-02-27T21:48:00.000-08:00

I'm sure someone thought this would be cute/funny, but I thought it was kind of lame. What did you think?

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Hailee Steinfield comments on "The Hunger Games"

2011-02-27T21:33:00.000-08:00

The other day, it was announced that Hailee Steinfield had committed to her next project, "Forgotten," based on Cat Patrick's upcoming book of the same name. I pretty much figured that took her out of the running to play Katniss (she's my top pick out of all the names that have been mentioned), but tonight at the Oscars, MTV asked her if there was still a possibility she could star in "The Hunger Games."

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Glad to know it's still a possibility, and that the casting director is being careful in choosing the right person for this role.

(Hailee didn't win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, but I still love her anyway :)

Breaking Dawn news, and casting Katniss

2011-02-25T15:35:00.000-08:00

• Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: It’s been a while since I’ve noted any “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” news, but a lot has been reported the past week, since production wrapped in Louisiana and all of the cast has moved on to Vancouver to complete filming. Apparently, sources are saying that Renesme will be played by multiple actresses, including Christie Burke, who will play her as a teenager? I don’t remember Renesme making it to that age in the actual book, which means Peter Facinelli’s remarks make sense. He recently told Access Hollywood that while “Eclipse” was his favorite book, “Breaking Dawn” is by far his favorite script.

"We have baby vampires, lots of fun stuff going on in that movie," he told Billy and Kit. "'Eclipse' was my favorite book, but I think 'Breaking Dawn' is my favorite script. I really like what they did with them. There's a lot of fun surprises for the audience."

Also, this is a couple of week’s late, but I really dig the photo of Isle Esme that Summit released for fans on Valentine’s Day. I wanna go there. Like, now, please!

• The Hunger Games still finding its cast: The Wall Street Journal has an article on its website that talks in-depth about casting Katniss for The Hunger Games film. It seems anyone who wants a shot at the role is being given the chance. Casting directors have set up ways for fans of the film to submit their headshots for consideration. Cool! Could I be Katniss? Seriously? Where’s a fountain of youth and plastic surgeon when you need one? The hottie that is Alex Pettyfer is still being questioned about his possible involvement with The Hunger Games. He told Access Hollywood at his latest film premiere yesterday that he has been talking to Lionsgate about the project, but sorry fans, he still hasn’t read the script.

What I thought about "Mockingjay"

2011-02-22T22:12:00.000-08:00

"The headache's coming on and my thoughts begin to tangle. I shut my eyes and start to recite silently.

My name is Katniss Everdeen. I am seventeen years old. My home is District 12. I was in the Hunger Games. I escaped. The Capitol hates me. Peeta was taken prisoner. He is alive. He is a traitor, but alive. I have to keep him alive..."

I’ve finished reading “Mockingjay,” the last book in the Hunger Games trilogy, and I can easily sum up my reaction in one word.

Wow.

But does that “wow” translate to an amazed, ecstatic “Wow, that book was awesome! Better than the others!” or does it translate to “Wow, I can’t believe the author did that! That book was horrible!” I honestly think it translates to both. I don’t think I’ve ever had more of an ambiguous reaction to anything in my life. That’s why I’ve waited a few days to post my thoughts on it. I needed to digest everything and come to terms with the ending so I could think about it and get a better grip on my feelings about this book that was…absolutely brutal, from beginning to end.

So many deaths. So many beloved characters’ deaths, especially one that is so shocking and disturbing in the way it is carried out, I dare not even mention it here (for those of you who haven’t read it and want to). I admit it. I felt totally betrayed by this death. I wanted to throw the book against the wall and scream, "Noooooooo!" and not finish it because it was too painful to keep reading. But of course I had to finish it.

While the other books were certainly dark and violent, "Mockingjay" makes it clear from the beginning that these characters are now living in the dark times of war. Battle scenes are scattered throughout the novel, complete with bombings and shootings and worse. In the previous books, Katniss was always incredibly resilient, surviving horrors most of us could never imagine and with her mind and principles still intact. In "Mockingjay," she finally succumbs to the reality of what she has been forced to experience in the previous two books and is portrayed as crippled, both physically and emotionally. Katniss clearly has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (I actually remember thinking, It's about time, Katniss. You're only human, after all). It's also obvious from page one that Katniss is being used by those around her, and her judgment is flawed. Should she trust the Rebels? Haymitch? Who? It's pretty much left up to the reader to decide. Would the Katniss in the previous books allow herself to so easily be used as a pawn by others? Heck no! But in "Mockingjay," she has clearly changed. However, it doesn't become clear just much she has changed as a character until the final pages of the book, when she ruthlessly commits acts of violence without feeling or showing the remorse or guilt she felt and displayed in the previous two books. I grieved for Katniss as I read those last few chapters. I missed the old Katniss, that young girl we met on page one of "The Hunger Games" who could laugh and smile if the circumstances were right, the same girl who blushed so easily in "Catching Fire" when anyone teased her about being innocent.

I also imagine the author, Suzanne Collins, ripping her hair out in frustration as she surfed message boards for the first two books, before she finished "Mockingjay." The fervent Team Peeta vs. Team Gale debate seemed awfully prevalent before "Mockingjay" was released, given there were much more important themes to talk about within the books. I think the author used "Mockingjay" to make it painfully clear that the point of the story has nothing to do with which suitor Katniss should or would choose. While the book does end with Katniss settling down with one of them, it seems totally unimportant and even grim -- certainly not the happy ending I'm sure most people (including myself) hoped for. Trust me when I say, by the end of "Mockingjay," neither Gale nor Peeta come across as the romantic figures they appeared in the other two books.

It's because "Mockingjay" isn't predictable and doesn't cater to the fans' wishes that I both love and hate it. I'm trying to decide if Suzanne Collins is a genius or a nutcase for that. I certainly can't deny that "Mockingjay" is by far the most powerful book in the series because of this. It paints a harsh portrait of war that is chilling and thought-provoking.

I think the first two books are easier, more fun reads, and that's why I probably won't be reading "Mockingjay" again anytime soon. But I still say if I were a teacher, all three of these books would be taught in my class. Yes, they're all that good. They're all that powerful.

Cliff notes for The Hunger Games

2011-02-22T16:00:00.000-08:00

The other day I had lunch with a friend who enjoys reading young adult novels too, and when she asked me what I’d been reading lately and I told her “The Hunger Games,” she asked, “What’s that about?”

I failed epically in my explanation. I barely got past my first sentence and she held up her hand. “That sounds terrible,” she said. “I don’t think I want to read that.”

I wanted to grab her shoulders and yell, “But you should! It’s amazing!”
I had another friend on Facebook tell me she couldn’t figure out what the books were about either from reading this blog, so let me back track for a second and try to do justice to what these books are about — and tell you why you should read them — in as basic terms as I can muster. Warning: this contains spoilers for those of you who haven’t read the books.

The Hunger Games: Book 1
The book is set sometime in the future in the United States. Only, it is no longer the United States. People revolted against the government, a civil war broke out, and the country became Panem — made up of 12 districts ruled by The Capitol. The Capitol is a place of wealth and extravagance and ruled by one man, President Snow. Life in the Capitol is great. There are parties, entertainment, food and expensive clothes. Life in the districts is hard. Think Great Depression and then some. People are desperate for food and everyday items, but it is against the law for them to hunt outside of their district. Food is rationed and supplied by The Capitol and used to control the citizens of each district. Most people are literally staving. Following the revolution, The Capitol devised a way to further punish the people in the remaining districts by holding The Hunger Games for their own entertainment. Each district holds a lottery, in which one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 – 18 are selected as “tributes” to fight to the death as part of a televised reality show. Only one victor can survive each Hunger Games.

Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12 with her mother and younger sister, Prim. When her father died in a mining accident when she was only 11, Katniss had to become the sole provider for her family because her mother had a complete mental breakdown and could no longer function. Katniss broke the law, went into the surrounding woods, and taught herself how to hunt to keep her family alive. That’s how she met her best friend, Gale, because he was doing the same for his family. The only reason she hasn’t been punished is because she sells meat to The Peacekeepers in her district, so they turn a blind eye to her and Gale (a boy), when they hunt. Katniss resents her mother, misses her father fiercely and tells us in the first chapter that Prim, her 12-year-old sister, is the only person in the world she knows she loves for certain. So during the ceremony for the 74th Hunger Games, it’s almost no surprise that 12-year-old Prim’s name is drawn. And of course, 16-year-old Katniss volunteers to take Prim’s place in The Hunger Games, fully expecting to die because she doesn’t see herself as a likely contender. Making matters worse, the male tribute chosen from her district is Peeta — a boy who once took a beating from his mother so he could sneak a starving Katniss some bread. They’ve never spoken (this happened when Katniss was about 10 or 11), but she has always felt indebted to him for that act of kindness. However, she will have to kill him if she wants to win The Hunger Games.

The tributes are given a mentor — a past victor of The Hunger Games — who is supposed to train them and win them sponsors (while in the arena, tributes can be given gifts from the viewers at home to increase their chances). Haymitch — the town drunk — is Peeta and Katniss’ mentor. Snarky and belligerent, Haymitch only sobers up when Katniss and Peeta show some spunk and force him to give them a chance. During the final televised interviews before The Games begin, Peeta tells the audience that he has been in love with Katniss since they were children, which shocks and confuses Katniss, who has already braced herself for having to kill him. She decides winning over the audience with a star-crossed lover act is Peeta’s strategy for winning. He seems sincere enough, but she can’t understand why anyone would love her.

Once they are dropped into the arena — a wooded forest with the environment controlled by Gamemakers — Katniss separates from Peeta and tries to survive on her own. She uses her hunting skills to stay alive. However, she finds an ally in the youngest tribute, Rue, who reminds Katniss of Prim. After Rue is killed, Katniss realizes that Peeta has been protecting her in the arena, and she sets off to find him. He’s badly wounded, and she nurses him back to health, realizing that she can use his star-crossed lovers idea to her own advantage. She pretends to share Peeta’s feelings and soon begins receiving gifts from sponsors — medicine, food and weapons. The audience watching feels moved by their love story. When The Hunger Games come down to just Katniss and Peeta, she refuses to kill him, and he — because he truly has loved her all his life — refuses to kill her. Katniss and Peeta threaten to kill themselves rather than kill the other, and it’s implied that the Capitol audience watching demands they both be allowed to live because their love story is so great.

After the Games, Peeta realizes that Katniss was only acting when she pretended to care for him in the arena, and worse — Katniss learns that her refusal to kill Peeta in the arena has sparked rumors of a new uprising against the Capitol. Her refusal to play The Games as instructed has inspired people in the various districts to rebel.

Catching Fire: Book 2
Following their win in The Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta are celebrities of a sort who are expected to visit the various districts. While she’s at home with her mother and sister before her Victory Tour, Gale informs Katniss he loves her and hated seeing her fawn all over Peeta on television during The Games. Confused by her feelings for both Gale and Peeta, Katniss is thrown into more emotional turmoil when she is visited at home by President Snow, who warns her that her actions have sparked thoughts of a rebellion against the Capitol. Many people in the Districts saw her kindness to Rue and her refusal to kill Peeta as clear acts of defiance against the government. President Snow threatens to kill Gale and her family if Katniss doesn’t convince people on her Victory Tour that she truly does love Peeta and that her refusal to kill him wasn’t an act of defiance — it was the action of a girl out of her mind with and desperately in love. Peeta agrees to help Katniss with the act, and the two become close friends as they travel from District to District greeting their fans. Katniss notices that many people have mimicked her token symbol — a Mockingjay pin she wore during the Games — throughout the districts, which confuses and puzzles her. And when she visits Rue’s district, Katniss delivers a heartfelt speech thanking the people there for their sacrifice, which again sparks an uprising.

Rather than murder her family in retaliation, President Snow arranges instead for only past Victors of The Hunger Games to be placed into the lottery for the 75th Hunger Games, and as the only living female tribute in her district, Katniss is guaranteed to participate — again. Peeta volunteers to take Haymitch’s place in the Games when Haymitch’s name is drawn and swears to again protect Katniss in the arena at the cost of his own life. Haymitch instructs Katniss and Peeta to make allies with some of the other Tributes, and they team up with others to try to stay alive. Katniss has decided that her single goal is to protect Peeta so that he can be the only Victor, fully expecting to die to make it happen, but Peeta has decided the same about Katniss. Inexplicably, though, it seems many of the other Tributes are determined to sacrifice themselves to keep both Peeta and Katniss alive during the latest Hunger Games. Katniss begins to suspect they see Peeta as the leader of the new rebellion and need to keep him alive so he can use his influence over people to rise against the Capitol.

These same allies in the arena devise a plan to channel lightening and destroy the force field around the arena. Peeta and Katniss become separated during the attempt, and Katniss is nearly killed when she manages to blow up the force field. A hovercraft appears and takes her badly injured body away. Upon waking, she learns that the Rebels plotted to save her from the arena — but they didn’t save Peeta. Haymitch explains that, unknown to both Peeta and Katniss the whole time, Katniss with her Mockingjay token has become the face of the rebellion, and she had to be protected at all costs — even at the cost of Peeta’s life. She is expected to become the leader of the rebellion — not Peeta. Worse, she learns that President Snow has completely destroyed Katniss’s home, and that District 12 has been obliterated off the map.

Mockingjay – Book 3
Katniss — suffering from post traumatic stress disorder — visits the ashes and rubble of District 12 under the protection of the Rebels, who live and operate out of District 13 (a district once believed to have been destroyed by The Capitol). Gale managed to save some of the people in District 12 before it was bombed, including Katniss’s mother and sister, Prim, which provides Katniss with some comfort. Believing Peeta to be dead, however, Katniss displays no desire to become the Mockingjay — the face of the Rebellion. She forces herself to function only because of her sister, Prim. Gale, now a soldier of the Rebellion, also helps Katniss recover as they slowly regain their old friendship. Katniss hates the rebels for not saving Peeta, but when President Snow airs television propaganda showing that Peeta is indeed still alive and being held prisoner, Katniss agrees to film propoganda for the Rebels in retaliation. In short, she agrees to become the Mockingjay.

As the Capitol airs more and more disturbing footage of Peeta, showing that he has been tortured, Katniss has a mental break down. Haymitch then convinces the Rebels to rescue Peeta and the other hostage Tributes from The Capitol to help Katniss recover. However, Katniss’s reunion with Peeta is spoiled when he tries to kill her. Peeta has been brainwashed into believing Katniss is the enemy. His undying love for her is gone.

Finally broken by this, Katniss decides her last act in life will be to personally kill President Snow and begins training with the Rebels to accomplish this. As she trains, doctors work on reversing Peeta’s condition, with little success. His new hatred for her pushes Katniss to train harder. Eventually, Katniss succeeds in reaching The Capitol and President Snow, and that’s when — pardon my French — all hell breaks lose.

Of course, there's more to Mockingjay than that, but that's the gist of it, and I truly don't want to spoil the ending for anyone who might read this.

I'll post my reaction later...

Dylan Dog "Dead of Night" gets a U.S. release date

2011-02-19T21:23:00.000-08:00

As you probably know, I am a HUGE fan of Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), and most BR fans have been wondering for a while now, When will "Dead of Night" be released?

Shock Til Ya Drop has found out that the movie will finally be released in the U.S. on April 29. Yay! And even better, a trailer has finally been leaked online. I have to admit, it looks kinda cheesy, but I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek kind of film anyway. Check it out, and show Brandon some love by seeing the movie when it hits theaters.

Brandon Routh stars as paranormal investigator Dylan Dog, a private investigator who seeks out the supernatural in Louisana's Bayou. The movie was directed by Kevin Munroe and is based on the Italian comic book series written by Tiziano Sclavi. It also stars Taye Diggs, Peter Stormare, Sam Huntington, Kurt Angle and Anita Briem.

Woman Woman lassos its lead

2011-02-17T21:31:00.000-08:00

You've probably heard by now that "Friday Night Lights" actress Adrianne Palicki has been cast as the new Wonder Woman for David E. Kelley's new pilot. I've been so distracted waiting for casting news on Lois Lane and Katniss Everdeen that I almost forgot about my homegirl, Wonder Woman!

My reaction? Well, at least she looks the part, and at 5'11, I can't complain that they've cast a shrimp in the role that requires a tall Amazonian type. Truly, I wish Ms. Palicki the best and hope the series turns out better than I'm anticipating (Have you heard the rumors about the script? Has David E. Kelley ever read a Wonder Woman comic before? I mean, does he even know who she is?! Check out this tidbit from Blastr.com about the script and tell me you're not both confused and worried at the same time. Three identities? Huh?).

Bleeding Cool got their hands on a draft and offered some tidbits to their readers—being careful not to spill any heavy-duty spoilers, just a few general premises.

Wonder Woman lives her days as Diana Themyscira, head of Themyscira Industries. Bleeding Cool writes, "[I]t is well known in this world that Ms. T and Wonder W are the same - think Tony Stark and Iron Man from the end of their first film on."

Secretly, however, she has another identity: Diana Prince. (How she has time for a third identity when she's not running a business or saving the world is anybody's guess.)

Wonder Woman will include a few familiar characters from the DC comic book, including Myndi Myers, Etta Candy, and Veronica Cale. Love interest Steve Trevor makes an appearance; although they had been romantically involved in the past, they've broken up by the start of the series.

Want more? Fun facts include that Diana—

♦ "Pines for Steve like Carrie for Big."

and

♦ "When she's Diana Prince she's a mousey Miley Stewart, when she's Diana Themiscyra [sic] she's the Hanna Montana of businesswomen, and when she's Wonder Woman she's Wonder Woman - which is precisely twice in the whole episode."

I mean, WTH?

As for the casting news from yesterday, I'll admit, I am not a huge, huge fan of Ms. Palicki, but as a "Supernatural" fan (she's played Sam's girlfriend Jessica in a few unforgettable episodes) and as a fan of the movie "Legion," I am well aware of who she is. I actually didn't recognize her at first because, well, she's usually a blonde. I'm glad she's dyed her hair from blonde to brunette for this, and like I said, she's tall. In short, I'm willing to give her a chance before I give her a thumbs down.

Good luck, Adrianne! My fingers are crossed for you (and us too!). Now go knock 'em dead, girl, er, Wonder Woman.

Why I think Lionsgate might get “The Hunger Games” film right

2011-02-16T16:09:00.000-08:00

I had some downtime today so I did a news search on “The Hunger Games” movie. While there’s nothing new in the way of casting (darn it!), I did find some interesting back articles describing the production on this film. My attention was piqued and I was ecstatic to learn that the book trilogy’s author is adapting the screenplay herself, which has to be a first in this genre. Neither J.K. Rowlings nor Stephenie Meyer adapted their stories for the big screen, and many fans were unhappy that important details were left out.

Of course, a book author writing a screenplay could be a dangerous prospect, but I also learned that Ms. Collins formerly worked in TV and Film production as a writer, so she obviously has skills in this area. Things are looking up already!

Apparently “The Hunger Games” has also become a hot property in Hollywood, inspiring bidding wars and multiple studios to stake claims on it. Lionsgate — a studio, if I’m honest, I have never liked — had the foresight to snap up the rights after “New Moon” broke box office records (and film studios began snapping up the rights to young adult books left and right, but so far, “The Hunger Games” is the only one to generate positive buzz). Yesterday, Warner Brother Studios purchased the rights to distribute “The Hunger Games” film overseas. Obviously people are expecting this movie to do really, really well.

I found interviews with a variety of high-profile celebrities — Emily Blunt, Stephenie Meyer, Stephen King, Kristen Bell — professing their undying love for these books as well. It certainly is poised to become the next big thing if people don’t get turned off by the idea of kids killing kids. Then again, that could also work in its favor. “The Hunger Games” books have just as many male fans as female fans, whereas “Twilight” has a predominantly female fan base, and look how well it has done at the box office.

I've been looking on YouTube and found these cool fan-made trailers. I thought this one was pretty cool.

As an aside, I also found this video highlighted on The Hollywood Reporter website. A production company in Utah is staffed by lots of fans of “The Hunger Games” books, and they filmed a critical scene from the first book — Rue’s death. I was amazed at their attention to detail — Katniss’s bow and arrows, her orange backpack and the Mockingjay pin she wears make Katniss look exactly how I pictured her. Of course, in the book, I’m pretty sure Rue is described as being a tiny 12-year-old black girl, but otherwise, these guys did an outstanding job! Check it out to get a taste of what “The Hunger Games” is all about.

And, finally, “Mockingjay”

2011-02-15T16:14:00.000-08:00

Since I’m sorta, kinda trying to document my reading of The Hunger Games trilogy, it’s time for an update. I’ve finished the second book in the series, “Catching Fire,” and holy cow! Did it seriously end that way?! I’m pulling my hair out because I so badly want to be reading the third book, “Mockingjay,” right now, it’s pathetic, but instead I’m writing a blog that pales in comparison. Not that that’s going to keep me from blogging, of course. Pathetic? Ehh, so what? And I suppose this all makes me seem like one of the people in the Capitol, doesn’t it?

I’ve read the first chapter of “Mockingjay” because, seriously, how could you not read it after that cliffhanger ending? But I forced myself to stop there because I was already so sleep-depraved from reading “Catching Fire” that I didn’t want to risk losing my job or anything when I collapsed on the floor from sheer exhaustion today.

So what was “Catching Fire” about? Here’s the description taken from Amazon.com:

Every year in Panem, the dystopic nation that exists where the U.S. used to be, the Capitol holds a televised tournament in which two teen "tributes" from each of the surrounding districts fight a gruesome battle to the death. In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the tributes from impoverished District Twelve, thwarted the Gamemakers, forcing them to let both teens survive. In this rabidly anticipated sequel, Katniss, again the narrator, returns home to find herself more the center of attention than ever. The sinister President Snow surprises her with a visit to threaten everyone she loves if she doesn’t tow the line, but can she? Catching Fire is divided into three parts: Katniss and Peeta’s mandatory Victory Tour through the districts, preparations for the 75th Annual Hunger Games, and a truncated version of the Games themselves. Slower paced than its predecessor, this sequel explores the nation of Panem: its power structure, rumors of a secret district, and a spreading rebellion, ignited by Katniss and Peeta’s subversive victory. Katniss also deepens as a character. Though initially bewildered by the attention paid to her, she comes almost to embrace her status as the rebels’ symbolic leader. Though more of the story takes place outside the arena than within, this sequel has enough action to please Hunger Games fans and leaves enough questions tantalizingly unanswered for readers to be desperate for the next installment.

My thoughts after reading “Catching Fire” are this. Darn you, Suzanne Collins! I’ve never read any book series with romantic elements where it wasn’t predictable which boy the heroine would end up with by the end of the second book. If I hadn’t already peeked at the end of “Mockingjay” because the suspense was absolutely killing me, I would have no idea whatsoever who Katniss ends up choosing — her best friend, Gale, or her fellow tribute, Peeta? Katniss ping pongs back and forth in such a realistic and heartfelt way that it’s impossible to know for certain at this point who she would choose if she felt she lived in a world where she had that right.

Besides, we were introduced to hunky Finnick in this book. Not that I imagine anything romantic will develop between him and Katniss, but I’d love to take him myself. Such a yummy character. And, so far, he’s the only character I’ve been able to cast in my head as I read him. I think Zac Efron would make a terrific Finnick, and I’m not even a big Zac Efron fan! But he fits the physical description so well, doesn’t he? Yum. (OK, let me put my inner Cougar back up now).

If I thought “The Hunger Games” was a thought-provoking page-turner, “Catching Fire” was the same times ten. So how does that bode for “Mockingjay?”

On one hand, I’m hesitant to forge ahead. It seems each book intensifies with emotion, violence and death. I cried a little when Rue died in “The Hunger Games.” I cried a lot when Mags died in “Catching Fire.” Will I need to seek therapy when whoever dies in this one? Will my beloved Haymitch be killed? Finnick? If it’s one thing I’ve learned from these books, it’s that no one is safe. A war is brewing, so deaths are guaranteed if the story is to be effective in getting its point across. In fact, I wouldn’t put it past Ms. Collins to kill Katniss herself (thank God I already know from my peeking that doesn’t happen).

Will “Mockingjay” be as good of a read as “The Hunger Games” and “Catching Fire”? Ask me in a few days. I’m sure I’ll also lose sleep reading this one to find out.

Smallville news galore, and more

2011-02-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

Smallville news galore!
By now you’ve probably heard the flood of news surrounding “Smallville” lately. Yes, Michael Rosenbaum is confirmed to be returning as Lex Luthor for the series finale, which it was also announced will be two hours. I didn’t rush to post this because, while I like Rosenbaum as an actor, I never enjoyed Lex on “Smallville” all that much and think the show has been sooooo much better since Lex and Lana left, it’s not funny (What, does it surprise you I wasn’t that big of a fan of “Smallville” until Season 7? Trust me, it’s true.). However, I’m glad he’s returning for at least one episode as a farewell to the diehard fans. The news that has shocked me most — SPOILER ALERT — is that Alexander, the Lex clone Tess saved in this season’s first episode, is actually none other than Conner Kent. That’s right — Superboy! As fans of the comic books know, Superboy is who-what resulted when Lex Luthor cloned his DNA with Clark Kent’s. He’s got all of Clark’s powers and a lot of Lex’s bad attitude. My first reaction was, Wow, are they really going there? Seriously? But yep, it seems they are. Then again, when has “Smallville” ever been predictable? And, anyone else find it pretty humorous that the blond, slightly gay-acting guy from High School Musical is now playing Superboy? Finally, TV Guide’s Water Cooler, has a fun article speculating about the future of Tess on the show. I hated the villainess Tess when she first came on the scene, but now, the redeemed baddy can join my crime-fighting team any day! But, as the article predicts, she might not survive to the finale, now that she knows she’s a Luther, she’s fully prepared to turn her back on Lionel for good, she’s chosen to stand by Clark and his team of goodies AND she tried to kill the Lex clone to right her wrongs.

“Ugly ends usually come to those who cross the Luthors. Upping the chances that Miss Mercer may not make it to the final credits are her non-mythology roots and her bitch-goddess bad-girl past (let's just say Miss Mercer did more than just kneel before Zod, OK?). That cocktail of revenge, karma and the likelihood of a few fatalities by the show's May 13th farewell really has us concerned, especially since Tess has repented, joined our heroes and just plain rocks. Hopefully, executive producers Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders will figure out how to keep her safe and send Freeman's fierce alter ego off with a happy ending of some sort. Otherwise, Tess could be headed for a real mess.”

To recap all of the “Smallville” news in 30 seconds or less, Michael Rosenbaum, aka Lex Luthor, is really returning! The series finale will be two hours May 13! Alexander is really Conner Kent who is really Superboy from the comics! And Tess might bite the dust soon! Got it? Good. Whew!

The third Batman film begins suiting up soon: Various news reports are saying the third Batman film from Christopher Nolan starring Christian Bale will begin filming this summer, and the cast reads like a Who’s Who of Hollywood powerlist. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy and now Marion Cottiliaird. Others in the cast already include Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman. I’m sure the movie will be great and rake in the big bucks, but seriously, can we hear something about “Superman” already?

Speaking of casting news: No one likes waiting, and the suspense over casting the new “Superman” film (mainly, Lois Lane and the supporting characters) and the film adaptation of “The Hunger Games” has become a preoccupation I seriously could do without. Is this what pregnant women feel like when they approach their due date? Geez. Just tell us already! I have a feeling an announcement on casting for either project could happen any day now. And as is almost always the case, I predict a bunch of unhappy moaners reacting to whoever is cast in any of the parts, because, well, that just seems to be the standard. Still, I’m on pins and needles waiting for the info. Give, already!

The Hunger Games movie, plus what do I think of Catching Fire?

2011-02-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

I gobbled up the first book in The Hunger Games series and am now well into the second book, “Catching Fire,” which I have to say is even better than “The Hunger Games.” That’s really saying something, because I thought “The Hunger Games” was at once horrific and thought-provoking and entertaining and amazing. Katniss Everdeen, you are my new fictional BFF. You go, girl! And for the record, I am firmly on Team Peeta now. Gale who?

This has been a book series that has stayed with me long after I’ve put each book down, and I've actually dreamt about it a couple of times, which is something I haven’t done with a book before or since Twilight! Granted, one was a nightmare, but still. What magic writing abilities do both Stephenie Meyer and Suzanne Collins possess, and where can I get some of it? This isn’t your ordinary science fiction young adult romance novel series. I can easily see this book being taught in schools someday for its social commentary, although the violence in the books will probably land it on the most banned list a lot. Too bad. Kids today could learn some serious lessons from it.

Apparently, I’m late to the party for the popularity for these books (or maybe it’s because I’m not a young adult?) because, as I said before, Lionsgate is already planning “The Hunger Games” movie and polls show it is one of the most anticipated films of 2012. Awesome! With a March 23, 2012, release date already lined up, and filming set to begin this spring, expect casting confirmations any day now. MTV even has a poll on its website about who should play Katniss. If you search news stories about "The Hunger Games" movie, you get a hit on a crazy, insane amount of articles. It seems every young actress and her sister are lobbying for this role right now. I especially like this one article, which predicts "The Hunger Games" could be the next big thing in film francise and breaks down the reasons why.

Maybe it’s because I love this character so much — even more than Bella Swan, if I’m honest — but I can’t see any of the actresses rumored to be in the running playing Katniss with any justice. Ultimately, I really just hope they pick someone who does a great job. Of those listed, perhaps “True Grit’s” Hailee Steinfeld? I watched an interview with her, and the question was posed if she was interested in the role, and she showed a love and enthusiasm for the books (and Katniss) that made me really lean toward her. I don’t know. What do you think?

As for Peeta, Alex Pettyfer seems to be foremost in the running for the role. I suppose he’s determined to conquer every Young Adult novel adaptation in Hollywood (wouldn’t this be his third – or fourth?), but I don’t hate the idea. I tend to hope that they will find an unknown cast though. Maybe when I see “I Am Number Four” next weekend, Pettyfer will completely win me over, but I doubt it. Peeta has become another character that is near and dear to my heart. I’d hate for just anyone to play him. Know what I mean?

There is one actor that I have envisioned the entire time I’ve been reading these books for the role of Haymitch. Who better than Johnny Depp could play this complex character? On second thought, Robert Downey Jr. would make an awesome Haymitch too. Or am I hoping for too much?

Should be interesting to see the cast announcements when they're made, which will hopefully be soon!

Clark is cast, so who will play Lois Lane?

2011-01-31T21:49:00.000-08:00

Now that Henry Cavill has been cast as Clark/Superman, the rumors are flying rampant about who will play his love interest, Lois Lane.

In a lot of ways, Lois's casting is more important to me because I love the character so much, possibly even more than Clark/Superman himself since, well, I've wanted to be Lois Lane since I was a wee little lass glued to the TV set watching "Superman: The Movie." And with some fantastic actresses having set the bar pretty high already -- I'm personally a huge fan of Margot Kidder, Teri Hatcher and Erica Durance -- it will be nail-biting for me until they announce the new actress to step into these iconic high heels.

Various news outlets are reporting that Anne Hathaway was the frontrunner for the role, but she instead opted to play Catwoman in the next Batman flick. All I can say to that news is, Thank you, God. I like Hathaway OK, but I just don't see her as Lois Lane. Ever. Other possibilities mentioned include Kristen Stewart, Rachel McAdams, Jessica Biel, Kristen Bell and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

I would be OK with any of these talents landing the role because I'm a fan of each myself. But I think some -- McAdams, Winstead, Bell -- would be better choices than others -- namely Stewart and Biel.

My first choice would be an unknown actress, who won't bring any expectations or past-role baggage to the film. But, I've thought long and hard and I have two better-known actresses I think should be in the running (but I have no knowledge or information that they are).

My top choices:
Emily Blunt. Ms. Blunt has played a wide range of roles and even been nominated for awards for some of them. Yes, she's also British and possibly older than what they're looking for, but she has the talent, the spunk and the looks to play LL better than any of the names mentioned above. I can't imagine she would accept or even be offered the role, though. I doubt Warner Brothers would attach two British actors to the two most pivotal roles in the film. Too bad. I think she'd be kickass in the part. Since she had to pull out of playing The Black Widow in "Iron Man 2" and passed on playing the lead love interest in "Captain America," maybe LL is the role she was meant to play?

Dianna Agron. I know she's blond and not all that well known to anyone who doesn't watch "Glee," but if Agron can make me like a bitchy cheerleader turned unwed teenage mom turned sort-of good girl, I think she can pull off Lois if given the chance. She's also young and pretty and has a lesser chance of bringing the ghosts of former roles to the part. Besides, I think she and Cavill would look good together.

Who do you think should win the part of LL?

Superman reboot finds its lead: Cavill in, Routh out

2011-01-31T01:51:00.000-08:00

I have mixed reactions to the official news (finally!) of who will play Clark Kent/Superman in the Zach Snyder-directed reboot film due out next year. British actor Henry Cavill has landed the role. I'm bummed Brandon Routh won't be reprising the role, ecstatic that Joe Manganiello wasn't picked, and on the fence about how I feel about Henry Cavill winning the part instead.

As diehard Stephenie Meyer/Twilight fans know, Cavill was Meyer's first choice to play (and inspiration when writing) Edward Cullen. However, the actor was too old to play the part once the film began production. That didn't stop me from checking him out, and I was very, very impressed with what I found. I mean, the guy is gorgeous, talks nice and can act. In short, I like him. I suppose if Brandon Routh isn't going to play the part again, there are much worse choices.

Superman fans, what do you think? Thumbs up or thumbs down on this casting choice?

I'm going to go out on a limb (and try to be optimistic) and give Cavill my thumbs up.

What?! No new Smallville or Supernatural this week?!

2011-01-27T22:56:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't heard, the return of Smallville and Supernatural has been pushed back a week. I'm not too happy about the change -- haven't we waited long enough to find out what happens to the gang?!

Entertainment Weekly reports the reason for the change, and it's pretty lame, if I do say so myself.

Wonder Woman TV show lives?!?

2011-01-22T01:16:00.000-08:00

The Hollywood Reporter online is reporting that NBC has ordered David E. Kelley's Wonder Woman series to pilot, even though it was recently reported that all the major networks had passed on it.

This is good news (possibly), but it isn't a guarantee NBC will pick up the show as a full series for next Fall. It just means they'll watch a pilot and consider picking it up, but hey, it's baby steps. I'm not sure how I feel about Kelley's description of the show - is this the Wonder Woman from DC Comics? If so, why no mention of Themyscira?

Still, this is progress. And hopefully, good news!

I'm hooked ... on "The Hunger Games"

2011-01-22T00:47:00.000-08:00

I've been home sick the past two days, so today I decided to finally read the book I purchased more than a year ago at the suggestion of several of my fellow Twi-hards. That's right, I'm finally reading "The Hunger Games." After four chapters into it, I am undoubtedly hooked. Why do I think this book - the first in a trilogy - will become my next obsession? I hear there's also a movie being planned, so I thought it would be interesting to make a few posts along the way as I read to document my reaction.

For those who don't know anything about "The Hunger Games," here's a quick run-down (borrowed from Wikipedia).

The Hunger Games is a young-adult science fiction novel written by Suzanne Collins. It is the first book of the Hunger Games trilogy. It introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem where North America once stood. This is where a powerful government working in a central city called the Capitol holds power. In the book, the Hunger Games are an annual televised event where the Capitol chooses one boy and one girl from each district to fight to the death. The Hunger Games exist to demonstrate not even children are beyond the reach of the Capitol's power.

My reactions so far? I wasn't sure I was going to like the book at first. You have to admit the picture of our future it paints is pretty bleak and depressing. However, I adore Katniss and her devotion to her younger sister, Prim, who is, as Katniss tells us, the only person in the world she knows for certain she loves. So when 12-year-old Prim's name is drawn as the girl Tribute in the next Hunger Games, it's no surprise that Katniss volunteers to replace her in order to save her life. And although I have a feeling this book is going to segway into a romance at some point a la Twilight -- a romance probably between Katniss and her best friend Gale (a guy..that's the one thing I don't like about the book so far - the names!) -- I'm already rooting for a romance to develop between Katniss and the other Tribute from her district, Peeta (also a guy). As soon as she told the story about how Peeta once saved her life by smuggling her those pieces of bread when she was 11, I was definitely on Team Peeta. I don't want to spoil too much of the book, but oh my, it just sucks you right into the story. I didn't want to put the book down!

It will be interesting to see if my Team changes throughout the course of the book, and I'm on pins and needles waiting for The Hunger Games to begin. Plus, there are two more books I will have to read now.

I have a feeling I won't be getting much sleep this weekend...

Smallville returns next week, so what can we expect?

2011-01-21T15:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight's repeat of "Smallville" will catch fans up on what last happened when Clark and the gang gathered on our small screens, but next week's episode "Collateral" already looks promising, and it signals the return of Chloe Sullivan! Yay! Check out this clip for a sneak peak of the episode. I assume Lois and Clark are separated after the gang is gassed, and she's trying to find him...

Other Smallville news/rumors, thanks to the Superman Homepage and Kryptonsite:

• Supergirl is returning for at least one more episode! I am so excited about this, I could do a jig! Laura Vandervoort is rumored to be filming an episode soon. Will this be the episode where Clark finally learns how to fly?

• The above photo is from the episode "Beacon," which features the return of Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent. Since it has largely been reported that the episode centers around Clark trying to decide whether or not to give up his superhero ways, and many of us remember the CW petitioning fans to send in videos of why "The Blur" means so much to them, I can only assume Clark and the gang will be watching real fan videos in the episode as a means of convincing him to stay on his chosen path. That's ridiculously cool!

• Since he once starred on Passions opposite Justin Hartley's wife, I wasn't all that surprised to see he'd nabbed the role. From the Superman Homepage:

Soaps.com report that "Days of Our Lives" star Eric Martsolf has been cast in the role of Booster Gold for an up-coming episode of "Smallville".

Although he's been playing the bad side of Brady lately, Eric Martsolf will soon be moving in a very different direction. The multi-talented actor has been cast as Booster Gold, a superhero from the future.

The report has been confirmed by Entertainment Weekly, who also claim that the casting of Booster Gold's pal, Blue Beetle isn't far off also being announced. The two DC Comics characters will appear in an up-coming episode titled "Booster", written by Geoff Johns.

No Wonder Woman remake, finally - an X-Men trailer, and Spidey's new look revealed

2011-01-16T23:01:00.001-08:00

There has been plenty of news lately to make my fangirl heart go all aflutter.

• Sad news for us WW fans. Despite David E. Kelley's plan, all of the networks passed on airing the Wonder Woman remake. Still, Kelley seems optimistic that it will eventually make it on the air.

• According to the Box Office Mojo, The Green Hornet was No. 1 this weekend, and not all of the reviews have been horrible.

• The first trailer for "X-Men: First Class" was rumored to be screened before The Green Hornet this weekend. I haven't seen it yet, but a lot of the cast was in attendance at the Golden Globes last night.

• Finally, we've gotten our first look at the new Spidey, Andrew Garfield, in costume from the upcoming remake. I'm still on the fence about whether I even want to see this movie. Does anyone else think Garfield looks a tad too skinny to be playing Spidey?

• We've also been given a first glimpse of Chris Evans in full Captain America costume. I don't know. I can't decide if I think he looks cool or cheesy.

• VoicesfromKrypton.com has an interview with Smallville's producers in which the idea is raised for the series finale episode to be called...what else? "Superman," of course!

Awesome poster

2011-01-10T11:11:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late posting this, but the CW released this poster for the final season of "Smallville" recently. Notice the reflection of Superman beneath Tom Welling's feet. Awesome! Thanks to the Superman Homepage for posting it.

Smallville & Supernatural: Mid-season reviews

2010-12-25T23:42:00.001-08:00

The past few years, I have had only two absolute favorite cannot-miss-an-episode-or-I-will-cry-myself-to-sleep shows: Smallville and Supernatural. This year's season has been very important for both shows, but for different reasons. This is Smallville's 10th and final season (boo hoo), and Supernatural's sixth season, which was uncertain after last season which saw its show's creator leave and the major plot of the series wrap up. The question on every fan's mind has been, will this season live up to expectations? Well, I can only answer for myself, but I'll give it a shot.

For Smallville, YES, and then some. This has been, hands down, my favorite season of the series by far. Yes, I am a total shipper (face it, people, Clois rules!), but can any fan argue that this season hasn't been epic? Usually we have one or two filler episodes -- or episodes where nothing major happens in the story arc -- but this season, every single episode has had a major reveal or impact that seems to be building toward the ultimate finale. Lois learns Clark's secret identity. Clark changes his costume from the black one to a more iconic red suit with the traditional Superman logo on it. Chloe disappears. Tess joins the league of heroes as the new Watchtower. Tess is Lionel's illegitimate daughter (I feel like an idiot for not seeing that one coming!). Lionel is back! Lois and Clark get engaged. Hawkman dies. Bam. Bam. Bam. I used to only enjoy watching Smallville each week. Now, I can't wait for Friday nights, and yes, I have been known to watch an episode more than once. Now that we are 11 episodes into the final season -- halfway, folks -- I am full-fledged into mourning the loss of this show which has become my No. 1 guilty pleasure. The cast is solid. And, I find this hard to admit, but never in a million years did I imagine I'd become such a fan of Tess. Plus, the stories have been awesome. I mean, did you see episode 11? It started with Clark's ultra romantic proposal to Lois and it ended with an OMG moment during Hawkman's funeral procession when the league of superheroes -- including Lois -- were apparently gassed and knocked unconscious, but by whom? And why? I can't wait for the show to return in mid-January. Anyone else out there agree? Disagree?

--I give Smallville 10 out of 10 stars this season, so far.

For Supernatural, I have to admit that the show that used to be my No. 1 guilty pleasure has fallen a peg or two this season. When it returned, I was excited, but that excitement faded more and more with each new episode. I don't know about the rest of you, but I can tell a difference without Eric Kripke helming the show. Admittedly, the past few episodes have been better -- much better -- but I still feel something is lacking this season. Maybe it's the absence of Castiel, who has only been in a few episodes this season. Or maybe it's the I-hate-you sentiment between Sam and Dean now that Sam has lost his soul and doesn't give a flip about anyone or anything. Oh, where is that Winchester brotherly love? Maybe it's the way Dean has been pining over Lisa (totally out of character for Dean). I don't know. Still love the show, and I can't wait to see what happens after the short hiatus. I mean, what a cliffhanger to leave us on!

--I give Supernatural 7 out of 10 stars this season, so far. But I'm hopeful that rating will increase by season's end.

The problem with Wonder Woman

2010-11-22T22:27:00.001-08:00

Entertainment Weekly now has a great feature titled "What About Wonder Woman?" in its current issue (the one with a half-naked Jake Gyllenhal and Anne Hathaway on the cover) about the troubles that have long plagued bringing Wonder Woman to the big screen.

About time the Amazon princess got some love from a major media outlet!

Some insights from the article include the descriptions and some passages from the god-awful scripts that have been considered for Wonder Woman projects so far(thank God for unanswered prayers, I think). Most of the players involved declined comment, which I find very telling. Producer Joel Silver and the execs at Warner Bros. refuse to give our girl the time of day. But Joss Whedon -- yes, THE Joss Whedon of Buffy the Vampire fame -- is heavily quoted in the article since he was the last major writer/director attached to a Wonder Woman film project, and he offers great insight into the reasons she hasn't been as easily invested in as her male counterparts - namely Batman and Superman. The costume. She has no city. Her back story is mired in Greek mythology.

"She's a girl," says Whedon. "Hollywood is still twitchy about that."

Not even David E. Kelley's proposed Wonder Woman TV show is a guarantee, it seems, since he's still prepping a way to pitch it so that a network is interested.

The real problem with Wonder Woman? No one thinks anyone would pay to see a movie about a female superhero. I think they're all morons.

What have I got to do to get to Hollywood and make this film already? Geez, people. Don't make it so darn complicated!

Finally, the trailer for Green Lantern!

2010-11-17T22:08:00.000-08:00

The jury is still out on how I feel about these special effects, but otherwise, I can't wait to see it!

SCREAM awards

2010-10-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year again. The Scream awards (which has sort of become my favorite awards show to watch) will air tomorrow on the Spike Network. A bevy of big-name celebs always attend this show, and this year, Twi-hards will be treated to the presence of the elusive Kristen Stewart accompanied by Jackson Rathbone and Nikki Reed. I’m actually more excited by the appearance of the “Scream 4” cast and the “Back to the Future” reunion that’s featured in the show (which were filmed Sunday, so Googling the winners is a cinch if you’re impatient).

Speaking of Kristen Stewart, I’m digging this interview she gave to Access Hollywood as reported on USA Today’s website today.

Stewart is particularly happy to shed the lovesick teen Bella she's been for most of the series. "It's so satisfying," she says. "As raw and dark and whatever as it is, there's definitely a lot of conflict. It's like everything comes to fruition. You finally get what you've been begging for, basically, and it feels good."

Zach Snyder to direct Superman reboot

2010-10-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

I think every major news outlet has confirmed by now Zach Snyder’s role as director of the new Superman film, so it is definitely official. And I am trying really hard not to cry or be sad (or mad) about it. Personally, I have never seen a Zach Snyder movie I’ve actually liked, except for maybe “Dawn of the Dead,” even though it was gory as all get-out. “300” was OK but too gory to really enjoy. “Watchmen” was OK but too gory and too depressing to enjoy. The fact that Snyder has openly admitted he’s not a huge fan of Superman, just “fond” of him as an iconic symbol, also does not bode well for this movie. But at least the man likes comic books over all. Hopefully he will respect the masses of diehard fans who are really worried about how this reboot will go, especially after he ticked off legions of them with his terrible adaptation of “Watchmen.”

With Snyder at the helm, these are my predictions and fears for the next Superman film:

• Brandon Routh won’t play Superman again (all but confirmed by Snyder already). This makes me very, very sad.

• The tone of the new Superman film and character will be dark, which totally goes against everything the character stands for. Snyder will probably saturate the movie in blue hues, making it feel gritty and depressing — something he’s done with all of his films so far. (Maybe I should go see his “Legends of the Guardians” before I say that. The trailer does show sunlight!)

• His Lois Lane casting will be an improvement over “Superman Returns.” At least Snyder does a good job with sassy and strong female characters. I will give him that.

• There will be blood, and lots of it. Let’s face it. Gory violence is Snyder’s specialty.

• People will die. Again, Snyder loves this plot point, so someone close to Supes will probably meet a tragic end somewhere in the story. Probably a tragic, gory end.

• There won’t be much of a storyline. The focus will be on action, action, and more action. And gore. Let’s not forget the gore.

Call me crazy, but yes, I admit it. I’m worried. A little excited — but mostly worried.

Wonder Woman heads to the small screen

2010-10-05T22:03:00.001-07:00

It looks like my plans of lassoing the role of Diana Prince (aka Wonder Woman) after I have plastic surgery and take acting lessons have been dashed! Guess that’s what I get for procrastinating! Television producer David E. Kelley — you know, the guy who created a bunch of hit TV shows such as “Boston Legal,” “Ally McBeal” and “Doogie Hauser” — has gained the rights from DC Comics to do a television series reboot of “Wonder Woman.” Part of me is glad. “Wonder Woman” is sadly neglected as one of DC Comics trio of main superheroes, but then again, I’ve been kind of hoping for a movie version sometime soon. No word on who will play the character. My guess is they’ll go with an unknown. Hopefully a tall actress too. I’m sick of actresses under 6-feet tall being associated with the role. I mean, Diana is an Amazon after all!

Spider-man reboot casts Mary Jane?

2010-10-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

This one should be filed under those as-yet unconfirmed rumors I really hope turns out to be true. Access Hollywood and others are reporting today that Emma Stone (star of “Zombieland” and “Easy A”) has been offered the role of Mary-Jane in the reboot of “Spider-Man” alongside Andrew Garfield. I’m still not crazy about Garfield being cast as Peter Parker, but I think Emma Stone would be dead-on as MJ (and much better casting than Kirsten Dunst in the original films, if you ask me). I’m still not happy about the reboot of Spidey, but I do like the idea of Stone as MJ. I might just have to see this movie after all.

Update 10/6/10: It has been confirmed that Emma Stone has been cast in the reboot not as Mary Jane but instead as Gwen Stacy. My enthusiasm for this bizarre casting choice just took a big nosedive. I mean, Gwen Stacy? Come on, folks. I just don't see it. And Emma Stone would have been the PERFECT Mary Jane.

Breaking Dawn: Renesmee cast?

2010-09-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

Today I found a couple of casting tidbits for the final "Twilight" film on Yahoo! News, starting with Maggie Grace ("Lost" fans give me an "Oh yeah!") who has been confirmed for casting in the role of Irina from the Denali Coven. You remember Irina, right? She hooked up with Laurent and is angry at the Cullens because he died, which snowballs into a whole heck of a mess in the last book. Glad to see Ms. Grace join the film because I really did love her on "Lost."

Most interesting are the reports that nine-year-old actress Mackenzie Foy has been cast as Renesmee, and while it hasn't been confirmed by Summit Entertainment yet, I'm guessing it's true. I'm just relieved that the kid isn't going to be completely CGI, which was the rumor for a while there. Whew! Glad we dodged that bullet.

Something else I'm glad about? Summit confirmed a while ago that "Breaking Dawn" won't be shot in 3D, although there is always the worry they could convert it to 3D later if they change their minds.

Teri Hatcher to guest on "Smallville"

2010-09-22T22:22:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure if I should file this news under "thud moment" or "OMG moment" or both! Teri Hatcher, best Lois Lane EVER (in my humble opinion), will be guest starring on "Smallville" in its final season as none other than Lois Lane's mom, Entertainment Weekly reported today.

Holy superhero crossovers, Batman! This is the best "Smallville" news yet. I must admit "Lois and Clark: The Real Adventures of Superman" was the show that made me a diehard Supes fan for life, and did I mention how awesome Hatcher was as Lois Lane? Erica Durance is my second favorite Lois Lane ever, and it will be epic to see Durance and Hatcher share the screen, well, sort of, in this iconic role switch-up. Last season when they got Dean Cain to guest star, I remember thinking, "How epic would it be if they could get Teri Hatcher too, but, nah, she's on 'Desperate Housewives' now and probably would never do it.'" So glad to be proven wrong! Season 10 of "Smallville" really is turning out to be the best season, and it hasn't even aired yet! To be such a small-budget show, "Smallville"'s casting is top notch. It's had Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Dean Cain, Helen Slater and now Teri Hatcher. Awesome!

To keep the publicity machine for the show in full swing, its publicity-shy star Tom Welling gave a good interview about the final season to The L.A. Times today:

Tom Welling’s first memory on the set of “Smallville” nine years ago was a chance meeting with a young production assistant named Chris Petry. The actor waved at Petry, who returned the greeting. Almost a decade later, Petry is all grown up and now serves as one of the show’s producers and occasionally directs. As for Welling, well, he is still almost Superman.

“The two of us were just sitting around the other day and going ‘Eh, not too bad. Not too bad for nine years. [We've] done all right,” said Welling.

If that all isn't exciting enough, check out this clip released by The CW today too.

"Smallville" premiere week spoilers

2010-09-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for some spoilery news about "Smallville," our friends over at the Superman Homepage have quite a bit of tidbits they've gathered from news sources. The final season premieres this Friday. I certainly don't mean to make this site all about Superman or "Smallville," but seriously, no show can make me geek out quite like this one. Since this is definitely the last season of the show - and bound to be the most exciting and emotional for Superman diehards like myself - please forgive me for the "Smallville" heaviness of late. And if you're a fan of the show, I'm sure you're devouring all of the spoilers, just like I am.

I especially like this one, gathered by FanCast.com:

Q: I would like a 'Smallville' scoop about Clark's progression toward being Superman.

A: This Friday, you will get a good look at the supersuit, Clark will get a good look at the suit... and so will someone else. Really, the "S" is so much better in Technicolor.

Q: OMG, I am so excited about the final season of 'Smallville.' Must have some scoop!

A: Toward the very end of the premiere, there is a moment that made me literally exclaim "Wow!" at my TV set. I wasn't quite sure they would "go there," but god bless 'em, they did.

If you really, really can't wait, you can also check out an advance review of the premiere episode over at Kryptonsite.com.

New Fall season starts: Smallville, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries and more

2010-09-11T19:48:00.001-07:00

The CW has released some teaser promos for "Smallville" and "Supernatural" that inspire that hurry-up-and-get-here feeling. Check them out.

Speaking of "Supernatural," it seems the writers are doing an episode to poke fun at the Twilight fandom which is sure to ruffle some feathers. The name of the episode is "Live Free or Twihard" and it's about vampires. I must say, I was a little conflicted to read Jensen Ackles bashing the Twilight mania, but at the same time, if "Supernatural" follows its course, I have no doubt this episode will be hilarious.

The first episode of the season for "The Vampire Diaries" was this past Thursday. I just watched my recording of it, and holy cow! I think I will be watching this show on more of a regular basis if every episode is that compelling. Great start to what seems like will be a better season than its first.

I'm actually excited about quite a few new shows this season. I'm just not sure how I will fit them all into my already busy schedule. I watched "Nikita", and quite frankly, I have to admit, I was pretty underwhelmed. "La Femme Nikita" was one of my favorite shows in the early 2000s. I was excited when I heard "Nikita" would pick up where that show left off. Um, really? I must have been watching a different show then. Aside from the names of characters, they didn't act like the characters I remember, and the relationships were all wrong. Michael wasn't Nikita's great love? Some guy named Daniel was? WTH? Don't even get me started on Birkhoff. I think the show might have picked up where the movies ended, which is darned confusing given "La Femme Nikita." I prefer Peta Wilson as Nikita. Maggie Q just didn't cut it in the role. No offense. I was much more interested in the Alex subplot and the actress playing her. The end was pretty twisty. In fact, the end is why I will probably keep watching.

Other shows I'm excited to see: "No Ordinary Family," "The Event," "Chase," and "Hellcats."

Scott Pilgrim bombs? Linda Lee Danvers on Smallville?

2010-08-23T21:51:00.000-07:00

- First of all, I saw Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and loved it. It was really a fun movie to experience, and although Brandon Routh was in it for only a short time, I thought his scenes were hilarious. I was very disheartened to see that the movie didn't live up to expectations at the box office. Does this mean studios will begin to hesitate when making graphic novel/comic book adaptations?

- Supergirl fans, it's true. Linda Lee Danvers is coming to "Smallville!" Who is Linda Lee Danvers, you non-Supergirl/Superman fans might be asking. She's Supergirl's alter ego, of course!

TVGuide.com is reporting that when Laura Vandervoort returns to "Smallville" this season to wrap up her storyline, Kara will have no choice but to create a secret identity to protect herself.

"You really see her as Supergirl," says exec producer Kelly Souders. "Not the whole outfit, but her wardrobe will have evolved even a little more than Clark's. She's less Kara and way more Supergirl." Watch for Kara to don her new look for a photo shoot after she becomes a media darling following a heroic save that reveals her flying capabilities to the world. To protect her superhero identity, "You'll see Kara in the [brunette] wig and glasses [as] a bit of an homage to her other identity from the comics, Linda Lee Danvers," Laura says.

I am totally psyched about this! I loved Vandervoort as Kara on the show, and I want to hug the producers for incorporating her in the final season. Thank you Smallville execs!

It's all about Superman these days

2010-08-04T22:47:00.000-07:00

When it comes to Superman news, you go from drought to drenched it seems. For years, very little about the next movie. Christopher Nolan gets involved, and bam! News every other week!

I suppose it's also partly due to the fact that Brandon Routh is out promoting Scott Pilgrim vs. The World right now. I've been seeing lots of interviews with him confirming that he wants to play Clark/Superman again in the reboot film, but he claims he hasn't been contacted about it. Darn it!

Entertainment Weekly has an interesting feature up on its website today titled "Brandon Routh as Superman Again? Why Not?" You'd better believe I've been all over that comment section, giving my two-cents' worth. I suppose I'm optimistically refusing to accept Routh's days as Supes are over. And I'll be honest with you. I never understood all of the venemous hate for Superman Returns.
Sure, I though Kate Bosworth was miscast as Lois, and I HATED the kid subplot. But those things aside, it wasn't as bad as most fanboys lead you to believe. And Routh was pretty outstanding as the man of steel. Loved him in it.

I can sum up on two fingers the reasons Superman Returns isn't beloved by all Superman fans: not enough action and that damn kid. Pretend the kid never existed and ramp up the action, and it would have been spectacular!

At least it has been confirmed that Zachery Levi is not in the running to play the man of steel. I love him on Chuck, but let's face it, he's no Superman. I am disheartened by the rumors that Joe Manganiello from HBO’s True Blood is is the running. Granted I haven't watched this season of True Blood yet, but I did see his run on One Tree Hill. Therefore, I am terrified he's being considered by anyone. Same with Jon Hamm. He's OK on Mad Men, but I think he's too old to play Clark/Superman if they're looking to reboot. Doesn't make much sense.

I'm still on Team Routh for this one, although I'd consider jumping to Team Welling if Routh were completely ruled out.

What do you think? Does Routh still have a fighting chance, or is he doomed to be recast?

Welling as big-screen Superman? Wonder Woman script rumors too?

2010-07-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

I am a fangirl of a lot of things sci-fi/fantasy/comics, but there were really only two stories I was looking for information about from Comic Con this year -- Superman: The Man of Steel movie news and whether or not Warner Brothers is finally committing to a Wonder Woman film. Although I haven't found any "official" announcements about either, I have pieced together some interesting rumors and tidbits from interviews and news clips and come up with some speculation of my own.

The biggest being the fact that, one, Tom Welling is open to wearing the Superman suit both on the small screen and on the big screen (gasp!). For years, the report has been that he would never wear the suit on "Smallville" because he simply didn't want to (remember the "Smallville" no flights, no tights policy he and the producers supposedly mandated together?). Guess what? He's putting the suit on this year, and from the looks of things, flying too! The rumor mill has also said Tom Welling didn't want to play Superman on the big screen, and guess what? This interviewer directly asks him about it, and he says he's always been open to the idea! He also confirmed at Comic Con that he has, at some point, been approached about playing Superman in a big-screen movie but he wouldn't reveal any more details. Could he be talking about the new reboot? Hmmmm. I'm starting to think that maybe he is.

My take on this is simple. If Brandon Routh is losing the part, the only person I'd premeditatedly want in the role would be Tom Welling. I love him on "Smallville," and since the show is ending, it would be perfect timing for him to leap into the big-screen reboot. However, if he takes the leap, so should Erica Durance as Lois Lane. I simply could not bear to watch Tom's Superman against any other Lois.

Sadly, I still don't think this will happen. First of all, Christopher Nolan will likely soon name a director for the project, and it's the director's decision on who will play Superman. I just can't see Nolan or any other director falling back on Welling for the part. It's called a reboot for a reason. They want to start fresh. More is the pity. Sigh.

Even more sadly, I've only been able to find one report about Wonder Woman from Comic Con at all that doesn't pertain to reactions on the new costume. I'm not even sure the rumor is credible, but supposedly, David Goyer has been asked to write a Wonder Woman script. Not sure how I feel about this. Goyer has been Warner Brothers superhero go-to guy since he wrote "Batman Begins," but some of us have never gotten over his butchering of some other franchises (Blade, anyone?). I'm actually hoping this rumor is false. Not a big Goyer fan here. Not at all.

Personally, I don't know why in God's name Warner Brothers hasn't asked Melissa Rosenberg to write a treatment for Wonder Woman. She worked on the TV series "Birds of Prey," she herself is 6-foot-something, and she's hot after the Twilight saga. I think she could do it, but maybe that's only wishful thinking on my part.

Unfortunately, I don't think a Wonder Woman film will be announced anytime soon. What a letdown.

Comic Con: Smallville and Supernatural panels

2010-07-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

Today was the day to be at Comic Con if you are a fan of some popular TV shows that held their panels. The two I would have attended in a flash are "Smallville" and "Supernatural." After having watched some bootleg videos on YouTube from the "Smallville" panel, I am super excited for the final season of the show. Here are some highlights (warning: spoilers ahead).

Smallville's Panel:

(Insert loud fangirl squeal here!)

Holy Batman, is that the Superman suit I see before me? Indeed it is! In the clip shown at the panel, Lois opens a case and reveals the Superman suit which appears to be the same suit used in "Superman Returns" (thank you, God!) and Lois also utters the phrase "Superman." (double squeal!)

Lois also seems to know Clark's secret (i.e. that he has superpowers).

Kara, a.k.a Supergirl, is back, along with Brainiac.

Clark's new partner at the Daily Planet is none other than Cat Grant (squeal again!).

Other reveals from the panel are that Tom Welling at some point has been approached about starring in a Superman movie, although he did not say when. Hmmm. I suppose he would be my second choice behind Brandon Routh, so this news did not upset me in the least. You can read more by visiting the Superman Homepage.

Supernatural's Panel

When the show returns this season, it will be one year after the events of the last episode, and Dean (Jensen Ackles) will be "domesticated." That is just weird, folks. Jensen said, "He’s living a somewhat normal life. This season will focus on how he gets pulled back into the situation and how he deals with that.”

New showrunner Sera Gamble said the boys will get back to their monster-chasing roots, and a female relative of theirs will also show up. Castiel will be back, and he'll try to help heaven return to order.

Personally, I'm excited by the talk about the Winchesters' history being explored. Remember, their mother's family -- the Campbells -- were the demon hunters. For some strange reason, I really dig that. Hmmm. ;)

Anyway, you can see some clips from that panel here.

Reports from Comic Con

2010-07-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

San Diego Comic-Con, the world famous Mecca for geeks everywhere, kicked off its shenanigans this week, and the reports pouring out from it make me wish I’d packed up my new car (never mind I have no money) and made the pilgrimage myself. Alas, thank goodness for media outlets such as the L.A. Times and USA Today, who have devoted entire sections of their websites to keeping the homebound updated on the event. I’m excited by the news I’m hearing so far. Here are some notable highlights from Comic Con so far.

• Today’s panel for Green Lantern seems to have gone really well, with Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively pumping up the crowd for this superhero flick. My favorite quote to read from the panel so far came from Reynolds. He was asked what superhero he’d play if he weren't in Green Lantern. "I would be a wookie," Reynolds said. "That way I could be cute, but still dangerous." He he. Love him.

• One of my personal favorite actors Brandon Routh was at the panel for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, along with Anna Kendrick, Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. It sounds as if this was the panel to be at, since the director actually let audience members see the film with the cast in attendance. If I wasn’t already so freaking excited to see this movie, the feedback I’m hearing makes me wish this one were playing in theaters, like, right now. I predict a hit, and hopefully, the idiots at Warner Brothers will rethink their decision and keep Brandon for the next Superman film. But don’t get me started on that rumor.

• Linda Hamilton is playing Chuck’s mom on NBC's Chuck next season. That is awesome!

• The True Blood panel revealed a trailer for the remainder of this season. Love the show, but I don't get HBO so I'm waiting for DVD. Ugh!

• Seth Rogan held his panel for The Green Hornet yesterday and poked fun at the fact people were probably confused by The Green Hornet and The Green Lantern. Sadly, I have no interest in seeing a movie about The Green Hornet. And if I’m reading things right about the underwhelming fan reaction at Comic Con, no one else does either.

• Steven Spielburg is executive producing a new TV series on TNT about a post-apocalyptic world after an alien attack? No way! How come I’ve never heard about this before. And when does it start?

• I think the AMC‘s The Walking Dead sounds like a show I will definitely be watching this October. Love me some zombies (which is really weird since this is the only movie creature that terrified me as a child). I guess my niece Brittney and my friend Christy helped me overcome my fear by forcing me to watch the Dawn of the Dead remake, like, a zillion times.

• How sad is it that I’ve seen the TV movie Guillermo del Toro refers to in this article? And I can’t wait to see his remake!

More on Eclipse, godawful wigs in Breaking Dawn, and new Spider-Man cast

2010-07-05T13:21:00.000-07:00

"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" earned about $82.5 million during the four-day U.S. Independence Day holiday weekend, taking its total to $175.3 million since it opened on Wednesday. If the latest estimates hold when final data are issued on Tuesday, "Eclipse" will trail "New Moon" by about $4 million. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" earned $179 million in its first six days in November, without the benefit of a summer holiday. Personally, after having watched "Eclipse" a second time and then watching "Twilight" again, I still hold that "Twilight" is my favorite film of the three so far, but "Eclipse" is a very, very close second. I hope it continues to do well at the box office.

You may or may not have noticed that both Robert Pattinson (Edward) and Kristen Stewart (Bella) have recently cut their hair for new films. Kristen has also dyed her hair a blond color. Since "Breaking Dawn" begins filming in just a couple of months, does this mean we will have to put up with wigs again -- this time for both actors? Kristen Stewart was recently on George Lopez's talk show and reassured fans her hair will be dyed back and longer again for "Breaking Dawn," and she too mentioned how much she hated the wig in "Eclipse." However, Robert Pattinson told reporters at the "Eclipse" press conference that he'd never even thought about how cutting his hair would affect filming "Breaking Dawn" and then joked (I hope) that he's going to push for Edward to have a shaved head in "Breaking Dawn." RPatz, don't make me and millions of Twi-hards come after you. Grrrr.

Onto another thing that has irked me: the new Spider-Man movie. I'm still sore over the fact that Tobey Maguire and company won't be reprising their roles and that the franchise is being rebooted unnecessarily. But a new Spider-Man/Peter Parker has been cast. British actor Andrew Garfield has landed the role. I wish Mr. Garfield well, but I'm just not optimistic about this movie. *Sigh*. I thought by going younger, they would cast someone who looked like he was in high school. To me, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire look similar in age, even if they aren't. Oh well.

A new look for Wonder Woman and Eclipse breaks records

2010-06-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across numerous news articles today talking about Wonder Woman’s costume change. After 69 years, she’s getting a wardrobe makeover. One half of me says, “What the—?!? How can they change her costume? I mean, that’s her costume!!!” while the other half of me says, “I like it. It’s kind of kickass.” And, you know, since I could play Wonder Woman on the big screen someday (after I lose weight, get into shape, have plastic surgery and take acting lessons) I would much prefer to wear this newer costume than that other much more revealing suit. I don’t know. Usually I’m a traditionalist when it comes to my superheroes, but this time, I’m on the fence. What do you think? Love it or hate it?

So, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse finally hit theaters today, and unbelievably, it broke the all-time opening record set by New Moon by making $30 million in its first three hours. A lot of industry reporters have been saying this would never happen because second sequels “always” under perform their predecessors. All I can say is, wow and holy cow! Congratulations Stephenie Meyer and the Twilight cast and crew. I saw the movie at a midnight opening, and I can honestly say it was better than I expected it to be. Best of the three so far? Maybe. I’ll need a second viewing to decide. Twilight still holds the title as my favorite …right now. Still, I loved it! Go Team Edward!!

Breaking Dawn to be two films

2010-06-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

Finally! Summit Entertainment confirmed today that THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN will be released as two separate films with the first of the two slated to be released in theaters Nov. 18, 2011. Bill Condon will direct both films. After a point, did anyone really expect it to be just one film? Okay, so maybe I worried a little, but I'm very glad to hear this officially confirmed.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Green Lantern and Eclipse tidbits

2010-06-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

A trailer for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World has been showing. Why am I excited to see this movie? Because it stars Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), of course! Actually, this graphic novel adaptation also features another superhero portrayer, Chris Evans (The Human Torch in Fantastic Four, not to mention the upcoming Captain America). Check out the trailer. I think it looks pretty funny.

Set photos have emerged of Ryan Reynolds in the movement capture costume he’s wearing to film Green Lantern. Is it weird to anybody else that the director is making the costume itself CGI?

Finally, it is now less than 30 days until The Twilight Saga: Eclipse hits theaters. Depending on what theater chain services your area, some will be showing Twilight and New Moon before Eclipse in a triple feature Tuesday, June 29. Man, I wish I had the money to waste and patience to sit through three long movies back to back! Speaking of Eclipse, you can listen to the soundtrack for 24 hours starting at noon today, and in my humble opinion, this soundtrack kicks booty. It is my favorite of the three so far. I can't wait to buy it Tuesday!

Random reactions to news tidbits: Scream 4, Breaking Dawn and Green Lantern

2010-05-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

I was happy to hear that Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene finally signed on for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn because I was totally convinced one or both of them would be replaced once the details of their negotiations leaked. Still waiting on confirmation on whether Breaking Dawn will be split into two movies. Wonder what the hold up is?

Speaking of Ashley Greene, I read that she is also in talks to take over the lead role in the next trilogy of Scream films. That's kind of cool. Scream is one of my favorite movies. It is my niece's favorite movie, and we've both met Ashley, who was super nice (if a little bit shy) in person. For some reason, it just seems extra special that Ashley would take over the lead in those films, but who knows what will happen? Heroes' Hayden Pantierre is also in talks, according to this article. I really hope the new films are as good as the originals.

I saw some set photos from the production of Green Lantern which is filming in New Orleans. You don't know how bad I want to visit New Orleans right now, just to try to get a glimpse of filming and see Ryan Reynolds in person. I can't wait for this movie!

Smallville: Lots of news today

2010-05-20T22:05:00.000-07:00

First of all, is anyone truly surprised by today's official announcement that next season, season 10, will be Smallville's last? Shoot, for the past few seasons, it's been surprising each time it was renewed! So, although I am very sad that I won't have Tom Welling or Clark Kent or The Blur (aka Superman) on my television screen every week after next year, I am happy they gave us fans another year. My gosh, most shows never see 10 seasons! That's downright amazing!

However, some things that have shocked me about today's Smallville anouncements at the CW upfronts? Oh, there was plenty. Starting with Allison Mack leaving the show. Noooooooo! Chloe, you can't go! Why? Sigh. I am grateful that Allison issued a statement thanking the fans and announcing that she will appear in some of next season's episodes to wrap up her character's "destiny." Well, we all know what that means. Poor Chloe is finally gonna die. Yep, we've all seen it coming in recent years. We've all speculated about it. Looks like it will finally happen. And I'm already sad. Poor Chloe. She was the best best friend ever!

Something else that shocked me...well, it shocked me when I watched this season's finale and in the first five minutes, we saw Perry White as the editor of The Daily Planet. We saw the iconic glasses laying on Clark's desk in the newsroom as someone yelled "Look up in the sky!" And then we saw an image of Superman - red, blue suit and all - flying. Of course, it was only a dream, but then Clark opened a present from his mom, and we saw a reflection of the iconic Superman suit in his pupil. I admit it. I squealed! Does this mean what I think it means? Will we -- gasp! -- finally see Tom Welling wear the Superman suit and bring Superman to life on Smallville? What about that written in stone policy of No Tights, No Flight the creators and Welling have sworn by since day one?

Pertaining to that kickass season finale...as a diehard Lois & Clark: The Real Adventures of Superman fan, I couldn't help but pick up on some shout outs in this episode. I mean, Clark's mom made the suit in that 90s show. Martha left Clark the suit in this episode of Smallville, indicating the same. And Teri Hatcher's Lois figured out that Clark was Superman when he put his hand on her shoulder, then kissed her, and the exact same thing appears to have happened in the finale of Smallville.

But I'm stuck on the suit, and so excited if it becomes a centerpiece of season 10.

IGN.com interview...
Q: Now that he's got the gift of the suit, is it a given that he'll be wearing it in episode 1 of season 10?

Welling: I don't know if it's a given. I actually just don't know. I don't know what the storyline is. What we've done in the past is we've been able to tease it, and I think keep it interesting for fans. And I think that they'll be more. We'll see more of the suit this year - I would think we'd have to.

Q: Are you excited, filled with trepidation, or a mixture of both about possibly fully wearing that suit?

Welling: Terrified. Absolutely terrified!

If this interview with Tom Welling is to be believed, I am sooooo excited. I can't wait for Season 10!

Moonlight resurrected on the CW!

2010-05-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

The other day the L.A. Times had a report that the CW — jumping even further on the current vampire bandwagon — is going to resurrect one of my favorite TV shows, “Moonlight,” by showing re-runs of it this summer on Thursday nights in “The Vampire Diaries” timeslot before re-runs of VD. Personally, I like “The Vampire Diaries,” but I don’t love “The Vampire Diaries.” I did LOVE “Moonlight” however. When CBS canceled it two years ago — right before “Twilight” and "True Blood" came out and started the whole vampire craze — I was just a tad bit devastated. Thank goodness for “Moonlight” on DVD. Yes, I admit I've already watched my "Moonlight" Season 1 DVDs more times than any gal should admit.

In my opinion, “Moonlight” makes “The Vampire Diaries” look like a snore and obviously some awesome person at the CW remembers how great it was, too. Unfortunately, its star Alex O’Loughlin has moved onto a new TV show for next season (the Hawaii 5-0 remake, of all things) in addition to starring in the new Jennifer Lopez film, “The Back-up Plan,” so fingers crossed, if the ratings convinced The CW to renew the show for a second season (oh, wow, wouldn’t that just be wonderful) I’m not sure my favorite TV vamp would be willing to give the show another shot. Recasting Mick would just be tragic. But here’s to hoping enough new viewers discover the awesomeness that is “Moonlight” and Mick St. James. And here's hoping that the fates align to truly resurrect this show with the original cast intact…

Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

Source: LA Times

Finally! Official word on "Breaking Dawn"

2010-04-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

So, I was partially right in my prediction about who will direct Breaking Dawn. Okay, I’ll take that.

Summit Entertainment today announced that Academy Award winner Bill Condon will direct THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN, based on the fourth novel in author Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. Once again, Melissa Rosenberg is writing the script, but the coolest information of all is that Stephenie Meyer has officially been named a producer of the film. She has not been listed as a producer on the other three films, and I take this as her own little stamp to brush aside rumors that she’s been fighting the production of Breaking Dawn all along. If her name is on it as a producer, the woman is going to have considerable say — more so than before — over what happens in production. Yes!

There has been no mention whatsoever on whether the book will be split into one film or two — and in fact, the press release sort of indicates it will only be one film. This could only be a tease to a later announcement about two films, but I don’t know at this point. It seems odd they wouldn’t specify it in the initial release. But the fact that they have FINALLY announced a director is reassuring — and right on track with the expected production schedule. Christian Serratos (Angela) got in a wee bit of trouble by telling fans at a convention last weekend that filming was scheduled to begin in October, so I almost wonder if this release isn’t in reaction to her slip. If so, thank you, Christian! Now that the Eclipse PR is about to roll out en masse, it only makes sense that they make some sort of official announcement about Breaking Dawn. Otherwise, every Eclipse interview with RPatz, KStew and Lautner would contain at least one question about it.

I’m glad Condon will be the director on board for this project. I predicted he’d only direct the second half, but it appears he’ll be directing the whole thing. Awesome. His background in sci-fi and horror should come in handy, and his most recent list of films will bring some cred to the project from naysayers. Again, awesome.

Stars chat with fans about "Eclipse" trailer

2010-04-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

I really had fun watching Nikki Reed, Bryce Dallas Howard and Julia Jones answer fan questions after the trailer premiered yesterday. Bryce seems like such a sweet person and has now totally won me over with her gracious attitude in these clips (I still love you, Rachelle, but if someone had to do it, I'm glad it was Bryce that replaced you!). And I think Julia is gonna make an awesome Leah Clearwater. If you have some free time, check these out. (I love the idea of the Cullens acting opposite cardboard wolves. ha ha. And Nikki Reed scared Bryce during fight training? Interesting).

Thanks to www.HisGoldenEyes.com for posting the links to the videos.

Full-length "Eclipse" trailer: Wow!

2010-04-24T00:06:00.000-07:00

So, Oprah premiered the final trailer for Eclipse today, and all I can say is "Wow!" This trailer is so much better than the first one, I can't even begin to describe it in words. Everyone I've shown it to so far (even non-Twilight fans) has said, "I want to go see that!"

This trailer puts a lot of my fears to rest. The special effects still leave a lot to be desired, but I'm past that. It shows the newborns. It shows the new wolf pack. It shows the Cullen/newborn battle. Finally! I'm so ready to go see this movie. I can't wait for June 30.

If you haven't seen it yet, what in the heck are you waiting for?!? Go watch the trailer now by clicking HERE.

Superman humor

2010-04-18T22:20:00.000-07:00

I thought this was just too funny not to post.

Trouble with "Eclipse" or just rampant paranoia from Twi-hards?

2010-04-16T23:23:00.001-07:00

There hasn't been much news about the third Twilight film since the trailer was released, which in and of itself is kind of odd given how much PR went into marketing New Moon, but this week, gossip sites have been abuzz with the leaked news that Summit has ordered re-shoots of some of the scenes in Eclipse. This tidbit has everyone speculating that Summit isn't happy with the film and is trying to do emergency repairs. I've found that Ted over at E!online is usually the most accurate with his gossip reporting, and what he released yesterday makes sense to me.

Here's the thing. Re-shoots are a totally normal part of film making. Every big film does it, period. However, re-shoots two months before the movie is supposed to hit theaters? Uh, no. That screams that there is a problem somewhere. The upside is that Summit is obviously trying to fix it at great expense to them, I'm sure. I haven't seen any confirmed reports that the re-shoots involve Robert Pattinson, and since he's in Budapest filming another movie right now, I'd say probably not. All of us Twi-hards know that Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner are not currently filming other projects, so they could be involved in the re-shoots. Quite frankly, they can try to fix the Jacob-Bella scenes all they want, but those two will never have the right chemistry. That's just my opinion though.

Rumors are running rampant on forums and in comment sections, though, about a falling out between David Slade and Summit. I've been tracking one poster's comments (yes, I am an OCD Nancy Drew type with no life) and I'm pretty sure he/she is an insider because every comment he/she ever posted has ended up coming true. This is the last comment I could find posted by him/her:

Let me let you kiddies on what's really going on. David Slade hasn't been happy since Summit forced him to fire his editor. He got back at them by making the movie more male oriented and violent. Summit was too busy winning Oscars and counting their moolah to pay much attention. Now the final copy of Eclipse has been shown to a small focus group of fans that signed non-disclosures. The general agreement was that the movie did not in any way capture the book. There is too much added on action and violence. Summit is scared that their core audience of female fans that made them those billions won't go see this. Eclipse is the one they've put the most money into and they want a big chunk of change. The only way that they know to make it better is to get Robsten out to re film some scenes. David Slade will not be filming them. It'll all come out in a week or two and the movie will get pushed back to July. Smooches.

As an experiment, I'm singling it out to see if the news does come out ina week or so that Slade isn't directing the re-shoots. If so, then I'll worry. Until then, I'm not really worried that Eclipse is going to suck anymore, and I'm not jumping on this bandwagon of fans who see these re-shoots as an omen of bad things to come. Like I said, re-shoots are normal.

Besides, the FINAL trailer for Eclipse is being released April 23, during Oprah of all things. And that's definitely good news for Twi-hards. Here's hoping they give us something to sink our teeth into. Bring on the newborns, I say. Let's finally see glimpses of them in action for crying out loud.

Captain America is cast, Supernatural is back and new Eclipse photos

2010-04-04T00:38:00.000-07:00

It’s official. Chris Evans has been cast as Captain America in the upcoming film. I like Evans, but I don’t think he’s the right fit for this role. He comes across as too immature to play the part, but I could be wrong. I hope I’m wrong and he hits it out of the ballpark. I read today that the studio is now courting one of my favorite actresses, Emily Blunt, to play the female lead in the movie. That would be really cool, but I think she’ll probably turn it down. She’s got too much cred now that she’s been nominated for a Golden Globe. I hope Marvel pulls this together into a good movie. Lord knows it’s getting a lot of attention and filming hasn’t even begun.

Supernatural is back and roaring toward its season finale in May. The zombie episode was incredible, and I loved the description from last week's show: “In an average day for Sam and Dean, the brothers are killed and end up being sent to heaven on "Supernatural" (CW at 9), and while they're up there looking for an angel, they run into some old family and friends.” I still can’t believe how good this show has gotten. I mean, I’d watch it even if Jensen Ackles wasn’t on it, that’s how good it is. The last scenes of this week's episode were amazing and heartbreaking. The angel Joshua's exchange with the brothers mirrored what a lot of people are feeling these days. God is our last hope, but where is He? Why does he allow evil to exist? As Joshua told Dean, "You'll drive yourself crazy asking questions like that." And then the end scene where Castiel has lost his faith in God broke my heart. I have no doubt this is a big buildup to God's appearance on the show. I have a theory on how the season will end in May. Sam is Lucifer's most essential weapon, and Dean is heaven's only hope. I’m guessing Dean will finally grant the archangel Michael permission to use his body AND Sam succumbs to evil and gives Lucifer a chance to possess him. I think there will be a big all-out fight between Sam and Dean then. Then I think my favorite angel Castiel will appear, having found God (yes, God in person form) and God will banish Lucifer back to hell in a way that will leave us hanging until next year. Will Dean get his body back? They’ll probably make us think he won’t. Is Sam OK? Who knows? Yeah, that kinda sucks though. I guess I really don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m just guessing it’s going to be good.

And, of course, Summit leaked three new photos from the upcoming third Twilight film. I liked that the sneak preview that came on the Wal-Mart disk focused on action, action, and more action, which Eclipse is full of. Kristen Stewart as Bella’s wig still bothers me, but I’m getting used to it. What do you think?

Breaking Dawn: The latest

2010-03-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

I was wondering how long it would take Summit to start leaking info about the fourth Twilight film, Breaking Dawn, now that New Moon is about to hit stores and they’ve released the trailer for Eclipse.

MTV and Entertainment Weekly have both confirmed some of the directors that have been approached about directing BD, and wow, I wonder if they’re maybe setting their sights too high? Just a little? Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation), Gus Van Sant (Milk), and Bill Condon (Dreamgirls)? All Academy Award nominated directors with serious industry cred. I have seen the work of all three, and to be brutally honest, my least favorite is Van Sant. I know. I know. Both Peter Facinelli and Robert Pattinson have said he would be their choice to direct Breaking Dawn, but personally, not a big fan of his movies. I think he’s too arthouse to direct Breaking Dawn. I try to imagine his style of filmmaking used with BD, and it makes me cringe.

I hope the studio goes with Coppola — she has a great eye for directing and she’s the daughter of one of my all-time favorite filmmakers. I mean, her dad took a piece of pulp fiction (i.e. The Godfather) and turned it into one of the most respected films ever made. She’s also artsy, but I think she understands mainstream audiences. She’s young and hip, and I think she would get it. Condon has his roots in horror/fantasy films, so he could also be a better fit. I think Rob and Peter just want to work with Van Sant and that’s why he’s their pick, but if he takes the job (which I think is likely), I won’t complain — much.

Anyway, the stories also confirm that screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg’s deadline to have something to the studio is next week. So, I predict we will be hearing an official announcement about Breaking Dawn by the end of April. One movie? Two? I’m predicting two. Director? I predict there will be two directors for those films, and I’ll go ahead and predict Van Sant for the first half of BD and Condon for the second. Should be interesting to see how totally right (or probably completely wrong) I am now that I’ve posted my opinion for the world to see. I think Van Sant will probably accept the job simply because of Kristen and Rob, who have a ton of cred in the industry despite Twilight’s pop culture status. Audiences might poke fun at them, but the heavyweight directors and writers in Hollywood seem to recognize their serious acting potential.

Not to brag, but did you notice I was dead-on in my predictions about when the Eclipse trailer would be released? Wow, I’m better than I thought.

By the way, I got a kick out of reading the comments on the EW article. Guess according to the commenters there I’m way in the minority for loving Breaking Dawn, huh? Awesome! I hate being a conformist and love having my own opinion. It makes me feel all rebellious. And cool. A cool nerd. Go figure.

In other BD news, Kristen Stewart talked to Fearnet.com about the birthing scene.

“Stewart spoke about one truly daunting element she’ll have to deal with whenever the fourth and final Twilight book, Breaking Dawn, begins filming: motherhood. In Stephenie Meyer’s novel, Stewart’s character Bella not only bears a child, she does it in an incredibly gruesome manner. When FEARnet asked if Stewart is ready to wrap her head around playing a young mother, she burst into nervous laughter.

“Oh my god,” she answered. “I don’t know why that sounds so weird. That just blows my mind.” The 19-year-old actress explained. “Actually trying to get my head around it, not that it matters right now, I wonder… the way they have a child in the book is so traditional and classic; she’s so happy. It’s not like I don’t want [kids], you know. I’d love to have a family - but not right now! That boggles my mind.”

FEARnet posed a similar question to Fanning, who plays the lead Volturi enforcer, Jane: Are you ready to portray a baby hunter? But Fanning, ever the professional, could not yet confirm her involvement in Breaking Dawn. “I don’t know if I’m going to be in it,” she demurred. Stewart turned to her. “You’re gonna be in the movie.” Stewart’s mind turned back to Bella’s Breaking Dawn exploits. “It’s insane. It’s crazy. I have to do that soon,” she said. “Oh my god, I have to be pregnant, I have to give birth — I wonder if that’s going to be in the movie…”

Credit: The cool illustration of Bella from Breaking Dawn was done by AliceXZ.

The Eclipse trailer is finally here!

2010-03-11T14:19:00.000-08:00

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with this. What do you think? Love it? Hate it? Leave your comments below.

Smallville: Season 10 confirmed!

2010-03-09T16:25:00.000-08:00

By now, this is probably old news to anyone who might care, but Smallville was officially renewed for a 10th season. Tom Welling is still on board, which kind of shocks the heck out of me, but maybe he’s finally content in the Clark Kent role he will forever be known among fanboys for. No official word on whether Erica Durance will be back as Lois Lane, but come on. We all know she will be. I’m pretty sure she’s still locked into a contract for at least one more year. I’m a little worried about Allison Mack returning as Chloe, but my fingers are crossed. And, pardon the pun, but I’m super excited! This has been my favorite season of the show so far. It keeps getting better and better. I was kind of shocked when I went over to a fan forum recently and saw so many fans who are still bashing or boycotting the season because of “dark” Superman. I agree the show took a misstep with that storyline twist this year, but Clark is slowly coming around. I’m willing to forgive this version of Clark’s flaws. I mean, when has Smallville ever followed the Superman cannon properly? Uh, almost never. Plus, Martha is returning soon! Mama Kent will set the boy straight. And that will be awesome! I love Annette O’Toole as Martha. I really do.

Question: Does anyone else who watches the show think that Tom Welling is happier now that Clark is with Lois? I have never seen his smile seem so genuine or playful as I have this year — and I don’t mean that as a zing to Kristen Kreuk/Lana fans. I’m seriously wondering if anyone else has noticed Tom’s change in mannerisms? Maybe it is just me. Or maybe Tom’s a better actor than I thought and purposely doing it to show how different Clark’s fun, light-hearted relationship with Lois Lane is compared to the strained, difficult relationship Clark always had with Lana? Either way, I’m liking it. Lots!

Tom Welling has been one of my most wanted autographs for years, just beneath Brandon Routh who finally responded to my request last year. I wonder if his lighter attitude means that Tom will start responding to fan mail soon? Oh, I can only hope.

News from the Twilight convention in Atlanta

2010-03-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

Friday I was able to make the trip to Atlanta with a friend for the official Twilight convention. Peter Facinelli was there, and we got some fun tidbits from him. I thought I'd share.

First things first, they also showed some interviews from the New Moon press conference that are exclusive to the convention (meaning you can't see them anywhere else). This is what I learned from those (Sorry,, but Rob's was the shortest and didn't tell me anything I hadn't already heard before):

Kristen Stewart:
- The only thing she splurges on are sneakers. She has too many of them.
- She said they filmed a scene for New Moon (although I think she confused it with Eclipse) where Bella and Jacob kiss and she sees what her life would be like if she picked him. She said the vision includes their children and Kristen in old-age makeup.
- When asked if she's looking forward to playing a young mother, she said she feels like she has already played a young mother because of the aforementioned scene, but that yes, she's looking forward to that aspect of Breaking Dawn.
- New Moon is her favorite book in the series.
Robert Pattinson:
- His favorite superhero is Gambit from the X-Men. (Yes! Gambit rules!)
Ashley Greene:
- If she could steal any car, it would be an Ashton Martin.
Taylor Lautner:
- He and Kristen Stewart share a friendship in real life similar to the playful friendship between Jacob and Bella.
- If he could be either a werewolf or vampire, he'd still choose to be a werewolf.

Finally, during Peter Facinelli's Q&A, we learned the following:
- On a scale of 1 to 10, he'd rate Carlisle as a 12 in terms of fatherhood. He said he now finds himself trying to think of how Carlisle would react when he deals with his own children. He said Carlisle's best feature as a father is that he truly understands everyone's point of view and uses that to keep the peace.

- He doesn't know anything about Breaking Dawn. He said the fans usually know information before he does. He hasn't yet been contacted about filming it.

- He hopes Eclipse will please the fans because it is his favorite book in the series. He said every director brings something different to the films, and the actors have placed their trust in David Spade not to do something that looks like "The Munsters." He has seen an early B&W watermarked copy of the movie that wasn't finished, and Peter thinks it will turn out to be a crowd-pleaser. He said the tone reminded him a little bit of Twilight but that it also retained the sweeping epic feel that made New Moon so great.

- His most embarrassing moment on set happened during the filming of Twilight. When James says, "You brought a snack" and the Cullens huddle to protect Bella, he decided it would be cool if he leapt into the huddle. He leapt and landed on top of Rob instead.

- When asked who his favorite cast member to work with was, he answered, "That's like asking me which one of my kids I like best." He said he loves everyone in the cast. He considers them all to be great friends, although he said he really enjoyed working with Kristen in their scenes alone for New Moon.

- Of all three movies so far, he had the best time filming Twilight with Catherine Hardwicke.

- At the last convention he told a fan that M&Ms were his favorite candy. He then received boatloads of it. He said when they were filming New Moon, Rob was very concerned about keeping his body in shape for the shirtless scene, but he kept coming over to Peter's room to hang out and he would always eat a bunch of M&Ms. He finally told Peter, "You're trying to ruin me!"

- Peter is producing and starring in a 3D film. It's a comedy about angels and demons.

Bad news for "Eclipse"?

2010-03-02T23:26:00.001-08:00

Does this make anyone else worry, especially since the film will only be released in a few months? On the plus side, I'm grateful they're using the same editor from Twilight...

“Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the uber-successful Twilight series, confirmed this morning that it has replaced Eclipse editor Art Jones with Nancy Richardson, the editor of Catherine Hardwicke’s original Twilight film. The studio is not placing blame on Jones, who previously worked with Eclipse director David Slade on his horror film 30 Days of Night as well as Slade’s Ellen Page-starrer Hard Candy. They do believe, however, that Slade’s material – which they call “very good” – needed a stronger edit. The studio has more confidence in Richardson, who they say understands the emotion of the characters and is an ace at balancing action with the other elements of the film. Richardson recently completed Miley Cyrus’ upcoming romantic drama The Last Song. Eclipse is scheduled to debut on June 30.”

Source: Entertainment Weekly Hollywood Insider

Congratulations, KStew!

2010-02-22T15:53:00.000-08:00

I love this video. Kristen Stewart seems so surprised and overwhelmed to have won this prestigious British award which is equivalent to our Oscars. I think it's well deserved. Personally, I think her acting in Twilight is probably the worst she's ever done, and I loved her in that. So, congrats, KStew!

OK Magazine writes:

“Hysterical Twi-hards slept overnight outside the Royal Opera House in London to secure their place alongside the red carpet after learning that four of the film’s stars would attend.

And as the first to arrive, Anna Kendrick received one heck of a reception as she signed posters and photographs.

She was followed by Jamie Campbell Bower, who – after chatting with fans – spent most of his time alongside girlfriend Bonnie Wright.

Kristen Stewart was next to arrive and spent more time with the fans than anyone, making sure she could give out as many autographs as she could.

Last to arrive was Robert Pattinson, who was greeted by screams and chants of: “We want Rob!” coming from the sidelines.

After arriving late, Robert didn’t spend long signing autographs and was quickly ushered inside to take his seat before he could reach the rest of the crowd.”

Vampire Diaries, Supernatural to get new seasons, but what about Smallville?

2010-02-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

First things first. Congratulations to the Supernatural cast and crew (and fandom!) for making it to 100 episodes! As much as I love Jensen Ackles (Dean), I have to admit I think Jared Padalecki (Sam) says the best ‘thank you’ to the fans in this video clip. Aww, thank you, Jared.

On the heels of that celebration came the news that Supernatural has received an early pickup for a sixth season from The CW!!! Yes! The Vampire Diaries was also renewed. Awesome! Now, as thrilled as I am about these early pickups, I was bummed for a couple of reasons. First of all, no pickup announcement was made for Smallville? Seriously? However, I found a few gossip sites that speculate that a pickup for my Smallville peeps is imminent — the CW just probably wants to make a big deal out of it because the next season will almost certainly be its last. Um, the last? Definitely, for sure the last? Ah, I think I need a hanky now. Sniff, sniff.

Another reason I’m kinda-sorta bummed even though I’m happy? Supernatural creator Eric Kripke is planning to step down as co-show-runner, along with his current co-show-runner, Robert Singer. While they promise to continue to act as hands-on executive producers, current writer/producer Sera Gamble will move into that role, taking over day-to-day operations of the series, reports EW.com.

Since Supernatural began, Kripke has said time and again that he had a concrete five-year plan for the show. And since season five has spent much of its time dealing with an apocalyptic battle between angels and the devil, with Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) caught in the middle, it seems like Kripke's plan was well in place and the show was set to end on a high note come May. However, since this season started, Kripke has also commented that he could now see how the story might continue.

Usually when a show’s frontrunner and creator leaves that position, the show starts sucking…bad. I’m gonna cross my fingers here though because Kripke has said he’ll be working closely with Gamble, and it’s not like she’s coming into this new. Gamble is an executive producer and talented writer who has been with the show since season one.

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan caught up with Ms. Gamble via email. Ms. Ryan asked Gamble if viewers might be seeing "The Apocalypse 2: The Squeakquel," and Gamble replied: "No, you will not be getting Apocalypse, The Squeakquel in Season 6 (that's hilarious). We're climaxing that story this season. We've been working on the Season 6 storyline for quite some time, and we're very excited about it. We have lots of ideas, and are grateful for the chance to keep the show going. Please tell the fans that the writers say thank you! We so appreciate the support."

Personally, I’ve been on Team Gamble from the beginning, since way back in season 3 when she gave a fan a few minutes for a podcast interview that left me both laughing at her wisecracks (I’m sure she writes for Dean…she has to) and thinking the woman was pretty darn cool. She’s one of my role models. A hip chick writing for an awesome TV show (which I still say is the best on TV right now). Nope. I’m not worried. … Much.

I just can’t help but wonder now…if Jensen is locked into season six, does that mean he won’t be able to make the Captain America movie? Guess so. Darn. I was really looking forward to seeing him in those tights. Sigh.

Breaking Dawn: More speculation

2010-02-15T21:26:00.000-08:00

Oh, Breaking Dawn. Why must you torment me so?

Naturally every day I search the news for word on the next Twilight films, and today I got a hit on a couple regarding “Breaking Dawn.” Yes, the fourth book (and my favorite book) still seems to be plagued with rumors on whether it will be turned into a film or not. The latest articles — although the sources are iffy and more gossipy than more credible sites — all remind us that despite recent reports, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” still hasn’t been greenlit which means there’s always the possibility it won’t get made. The reason it hasn’t been greenlit, according to these same sources? Author Stephenie Meyer. She is apparently still on the fence about making the fourth book into a movie, despite what she might have said in the past. Real or rumor, who knows? But since Summit Entertainment hasn’t made an announcement yet, I’m guessing there is some truth to this. Especially since at least one article breaks down some good points we know to be fact.

For one, Summit Entertainment has only optioned the rights to make the fourth book into a film; at any time, it can decide not to proceed and sell the option to another studio, especially if Meyer stonewalls them for much longer. Summit has consistently denied reports that the movie will be made, that it will be broken into two films, and where it will be filmed and by whom. Some officials have gone on the record to say that they’re working on it, but even then, they never officially say it’s a done deal that it will be made by Summit. I think Summit would be crazy to sell the option on its biggest cash cow, but stranger things have happened in Hollywood.

For another, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner have all three been questioned about filming in recent weeks while promoting their new movies. All three have confirmed they don’t know anything. However, they’ve all said they know it will be made, they just don’t know when. I imagine Summit has locked these three into contracts while they decide how to proceed, but if Summit releases its option on the fourth book, it also releases its contracts on these three stars. And if Summit doesn’t make “Breaking Dawn,” my guess is that at least Pattinson and Stewart would walk simply because they’re indie actors and Summit is, after all, still an indie studio they seem to feel loyalty to. I think their disdain for big studio would keep them from following the project elsewhere. Total speculation on my part, but still…

However, I did find hope in some of the articles I read today, although I wonder how much salt I should put into the rumors about the “hot” sex scenes being written into the final script. “Twilight” is, after all, aimed at teenage girls. I can see them releasing a director’s cut on DVD with extended “sex” scenes, but I doubt seriously if any steamy stuff will make it to the theaters. Seriously, I just want to see Kristen Stewart ask, “Why am I covered I feathers?” and I’ll be good.

More speculation on my part — I think Summit will officially greenlight “Breaking Dawn” as two films in March, around the release of the “New Moon” DVD. I think BD part 1 will be released in theaters November 2011 and BD part 2 will come out in June 2012 (gee, I hope the world doesn’t end before then). Anyone want to place bets?

Jensen Ackles is...Captain America?!?

2010-02-12T17:25:00.001-08:00

That thud you probably heard a few minutes ago was me, hitting the ground after I read a few bits of news/rumors that left me both shocked, ecstatic and amazed.

If news reports are to believed, my No. 1 future husband, er, sorry my ex-future-husband-soon-to-be-married-to-another-woman Jensen Ackles — the man I have adored and loved since he first walked onto my television screen as Eric Brady on “Days of Our Lives” and, yes, the same man I obsess over week-after-week on my fave show “Supernatural” — has one project and possibly two that have made my little fangirl heart overflow with pure happiness.

The confirmed news: Jensen will voice the character of The Red Hood in the next direct-to-video animated DC Comics film “Batman: Under the Red Hood.” In the story, Batman is pitted against the Red Hood, a mysterious new vigilante cleaning up Gotham City by killing all the criminals he can find. And while I’m not the biggest Batman fan out there, I think it’s awesome that Jensen keeps being tied to DC Comics projects — first when he was a regular cast member on “Smallville” and now in a Batman project. A few years ago, he was rumored to be up for the role of The Flash in a movie about that DC character, but that proved to be a dud. Hmmm. If Jensen is being fostered within the talent pool at DC Comics, I can’t help but wonder how true this next piece of information is….

The rumor: I know this rumor has been flying around for a long time and could still be only that — a rumor — but it actually feels like a possibility that it could be true this time. Supposedly director Joe Johnston has narrowed down the casting of Marvel Comics’ Captain America to three actors: Jensen Ackles, Chad Michael Murray and Ryan McPartlin. Now, Jensen has been a favorite among fans to play the role for a while now, and when he was asked at a “Supernatural” convention last summer if he’d been offered the role, he said he hadn’t been contacted about it, hadn’t read for it and didn’t know anything about the film — but that he’d love to play Captain America if the script was good. That seemed to kill the rumors for a while, and now this. It could just be another case of fan gossip, but I hope not. If Jensen played Captain America and the script and movie were actually good, I could then die a happy woman. Here’s hoping for the best…

In honor of this batch of “news,” I thought I’d post a short timeline of Jensen Ackles career, rumors about his career and more....

1997 — Jensen joins the cast of “Days of Our Lives,” is nominated for numerous Daytime Emmys, and I become hopelessly infatuated with him…

1999 — Jensen attends a fan event for “Days of Our Lives” in my town and, after meeting him, I become even more infatuated…

2000 — Jensen is famously one of two actors narrowed down to play the lead of Clark Kent in “Smallville.” The show’s producers opt to hire Tom Welling in the role instead.

2001 — Jensen joins the cast of my all-time favorite show James Cameron’s “Dark Angel” and played my favorite character-to-date, the wisecracking Alec X5 – 494.

2002 — “Dark Angel” is canceled. Jensen joins the cast of “Dawson’s Creek” during that show’s final year.

2004 — Jensen lands the lead in a television pilot on FOX called “Still Life” but the show isn’t picked up. The producers of the WB’s “Smallville” create a role for Jensen and he joins the cast as a regular during season four. When The WB offers Jensen a lead role in a new series, the writers of “Smallville” turn his character into a villain and kill him off of the show.

2005 — Jensen creates the character of demon hunter Dean Winchester on “Supernatural.” He’s rumored to be in the running to play The Flash on screen and Leon in the next “Resident Evil” film. Neither rumor comes true.

2007 — On hiatus from filming “Supernatural,” Jensen veers away from the sci-fi horror genre with a role in the independent film “Ten Inch Hero” (great movie…seriously, watch it). He also portrays the role Tom Cruise made famous in “A Few Good Men” for a stage production.

2008 — Jensen lands the lead in the horror remake “My Bloody Valentine 3-D” which opens at No. 1 at the box office. Rumors begin that he’ll play Captain America in a big-screen adaptation.

2009 — The fifth — and possibly last? — season of “Supernatural” debuts on the CW to its highest ratings ever.

Confirmed? Breaking Dawn, finally!

2010-02-11T22:10:00.001-08:00

I was about to turn my ailing computer off when I stumbled on this tidbit quite by accident. Although I'd say this isn't exactly official, it's the most recent news about the filming of "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn." Breaking Dawn, according to this source, is definitely going to be two films, and filming begins in October. They claim they've received confirmation. It;s about freaking time!

I will be really mad if I wake up to news tomorrow that this is another false rumor. However, my gut tells me it's legit. Fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, check out a breakdown of all of the different versions of the "New Moon" DVD coming out next month, courtesy of the wonderful crew over at Twilight Series Theories. Is it sad that I want every single version on this list??? I'm torn between the Target version and the Wal-Mart one. Decisions, decisions...

Mini review: "Gabriel"

2010-02-11T16:27:00.000-08:00

I have a new man-love, but I’m crushed because I just found out he’s married with kids. On my furlough day while I was stuck at home, I watched a movie called “Gabriel” which had a cool premise but, truthfully, I didn’t understand half of what was going on. It was about the arc angels fighting with fallen angels for the influence of mankind’s souls. I think. It was kind of out there, and I still have no idea how it ended — seriously, I can’t figure that ending out. It made no sense to me. But I couldn’t stop watching because of the gorgeous blue-eyed, British-speaking man playing Gabriel. Andy Whitfield. Apparently he’s the lead on the TV show remake of “Spartacus” now — man, I wish we had expanded cable. But unfortunately, Andy Whitfield is married with two kids, even though I doubt that will stop me from going googly-eyed over him in future.

To be completely off-the-wall and as an aside: Speaking of Gabriel, the angel…when I had a psychic reading several years ago (back when I was in college, I think), the psychic told me that Gabriel was my guardian angel and that he’d been there at my birth to see me into this world and that I had a “special” bond to him because of it. He said that Gabriel, the chief messenger angel, was the angel who influenced us to be creative and to write, therefore I was born to be a “messenger” myself. Even though I kinda doubt that, I’ve always liked Gabriel, the angel, because of the thought of it. That’s why I watched this movie actually because, being non-Catholic, I don’t know much about the angels. Now I'm fangirling over Andy Whitfield. And Gabriel, the arc angel, seems pretty awesome too!

Eclipse: Didn’t I tell you?

2010-02-11T16:24:00.000-08:00

So yesterday Wal-Mart announced that it will release the only DVD of “New Moon” to feature a seven-minute scene (and I think, the teaser trailer?) from “Eclipse.” Actually, the story on Reuters reads: “"The Twilight Saga: New Moon Ultimate Fan Edition," also set for release March 20, will be the only disc release of the sequel to include a seven-minute special feature about upcoming franchise threequel "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse."

The "Eclipse" feature includes on-set interviews with cast and a clip from the threequel, which is set for theatrical release June 30.”

I had predicted this a few posts back, but some people on forums argued with me that I was wrong. I guess I know where I’ll be going at midnight March 20, although I doubt Wal-Mart will have any cool activities like FYI did last year!

Superman reboot news

2010-02-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

Last week, I read that Warner Bros. would be making an announcement about the future of its superhero projects soon. I’ve been waiting with a skeptic’s perspective (but still hoping for the best) for news about the next Superman movie. A lot of people seem to think any future Superman movie is completely dead at this point. I don’t know how to take today’s news, which may or may not be the official word many of us have been waiting for. I have definite mixed feelings about it.

Warner Bros. has supposedly hired director/screenwriter Christopher Nolan to reboot the Superman movie. Nolan resurrected Batman with the last two movies, "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight," which were great. For Batman. But Superman is not Batman. Batman is dark. Superman is not. I hope Nolan gets this.

Plus, I think this news means that Brandon Routh is out as Superman/Clark. I’m really sad about that because I loved him in the role and think he is really underrated. But I’m holding out hope he stays and is given better material next time.

We’ll see…

An update on Eclipse?

2010-02-07T23:44:00.000-08:00

So, they are adding more Edward, huh? Thanks for the tweet, Mr. Slade. I'm liking you more by the day...

Review: "Smallville: Absolute Justice"

2010-02-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

I commandeered my friend's large-screen television on a Friday night to watch the premiere of the 2-hour Smallville movie, and while it was 1/3 cheese it was also 2/3 awesome! I think, even if you'd never watched Smallville before, this would have been a good episode/movie to catch. All you would need to know you could have figured out pretty quickly. Clark Kent and Lois Lane are reporters at the Daily Planet. Clark's best friends are others who either have special powers or just enjoy saving lives, and they often team up on cases to help people (in the comic books, this team will eventually become the Justice League which includes Batman and Wonder Woman, but for now, Clark hasn't even made the leap to becoming Superman yet, so the Justice League has not yet been formed). Chloe is the Watchtower, an uber intelligent cyber hacker who can find out anything at the snap of a finger and who connects all of the "superheoes" on Smallville with one another; Oliver is a hunk of hotness in green leather who could shoot the apple off of your head with perfect precision from a mile away, and he's otherwise known as the Green Arrow; John is a police officer and Martian bounty hunter now living as a human after the loss of his abilities (he saved Clark's life on a previous episode and thus lost his powers).

For this movie event, it kicks off when a strangely costumed man comes to warn Chloe that she and her "friends" are in danger. He is pretty much murdered in front of her by a weirdo wielding icicles, and it kicks off an investigation that leads to a band of other strangely dressed "criminals" that are being murdered off one by one. The band is a team of superheroes called the Justice Society of America.

Overall, I thought they did an amazing job, considering this was only the CW and it was Smallville. I thought the first hour was a little slow and where most of the cheese occurred, but of course, the first hour didn't have Lois Lane, Tess Mercer or much action. It also didn't have the costumes. As an aside, I must say that I really loved when Tess showed up at the Daily Planet, talked to Lois and Tess mentioned that "print is dead." I've been wondering when Smallville would recognize this modern day reality about newspapers. But I really, really loved Lois Lane's comeback when she handed Tess her business card and said, "My name, in print. I guess I haven't been having many problems." Oh, I loved that moment. Such a great Lois thing to say.

Geoff Johns did an excellent job on the writing and even made me tear up with some of the dialogue (I literally had chills; that man seriously needs to write a superhero movie), and I was pretty impressed with star Tom Welling's direction of the second half of the movie. I think he will have a good career as a director when he gives up acting.

My five favorite moments:
5. The scene where Clark went to the JSA museum and uncovered the exhibits. I mean, when he leaned in and saw a green lantern and green eyemask, I had an OMG moment and cheered on the inside. It was an obvious shout out to Green Lantern, who is a Justice League member not yet featured on the show because of DC Comics legalities, I'm sure. But a really cool moment none-the-less.

4. When Dr. Fate saw Clark's future and it flashed a vision of the red cape and S symbol blowing in the wind, I almost cried. Sometimes it's easy to forget now that on Smallville, Clark isn't Superman yet. He's still in training to be Superman, but someday he will wear that cape, red boots and blue spandex suit I love so much. Totally cool.

3. Great uplifting speech by Dr. Fate about Clark's destiny as a savior. Part of it is below in the scene embedded. It also shows why I LOVE Lois Lane, and especially Erica Durance as Lois Lane. Her final comment at the end of the clip nails it - it nails why I love Lois so much. She's so spunky!

2. Loved Stargirl's speech to Chloe about the Justice Society and when she asked about Chloe's team. When she gave the whole "Where's the table where you gather to eat? Where do you hang out?" speech and it showed Chloe's face, I knew that was the moment on the show when the Justice League truly forms. Especially when Stargirl added, "Family's not just about blood." And Stargirl's comment that the old superhero team was a family who got together for holidays and fun times and not just when things were bad and that was why it worked...loved it. Great lesson there, Chloe.

1. I almost picked the scene at the end with Oliver aka Green Arrow, John and Chloe as my favorite because it goes hand-in-hand with the scene above. John (aka Martian Manhunter) comes in to see Chloe and tells her that she, Clark, Oliver and the others are his only family now that he's not on Mars, then Oliver shows up, just because he wanted to see them, and then they all decide to go grab dinner together. Like a family would. Oh, it almost made me cry. But my favorite scene is really this one. Hawkman's speech to Clark at the end of the show. It made me feel great about the future of Smallville and the JLA on Smallville.

"Smallville" and other superhero news

2010-02-02T13:42:00.000-08:00

SMALLVILLE. First of all, "Smallville" is back, and I loved it! Great return episode after the hiatus. Tom Welling makes an awesome Clark Kent, let me tell ya. I love that man. I'm really psyched about the 2-hour Smallville movie premiering this Friday night: "Absolute Justice." Not only was it written by Superman comic book writer Geoff Johns, it will introduce me to a whole slate of superheroes I'm not familiar with - Stargirl, Hawkman, Dr. Fate. It'll see the current Justice League of America (Superman, Green Arrow, The Flash) meeting up with superheroes from the past - heroes not even Oliver or Clark knew existed. And it should mark the initiation of the JLA on "Smallville" as a real organization. Until now, it's just been hinted at. If it shows Clark, Oliver, John Jones, Bart and the other current heroes sitting around the JLA table when it ends, I will probably cry tears of fangirl happiness. I am such a geek. I can't wait!

CAPTAIN AMERICA. Film Journal got an update from director Joe Johnston about the movie Marvel Studios' "The First Avenger: Captain America." No actor has been confirmed yet, but here's what Johnston had to say.

"We're in prep," Johnston says. "Rick Heinrichs is production-designing and we're set up down in Manhattan Beach [California]. It's the part of the process that I love the most," he enthuses. "We have eight or ten really talented artists, and we all just sit around all day and draw pictures and say, 'Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we could do this?' It's that phase of the production where money doesn't matter: ‘Let's put all the greatest stuff up on the wall and [then later] see what we can afford.'" The film, he says at this early stage, will begin "in 1942, 1943" during World War II. "The stuff in the ’60s and ’70s [comic books] we're sort of avoiding. We're going back to the ’40s, and then forward to what they're doing with Captain America now."

Hmmm. I can't help but wonder, if they make this a period film, if it will work. But I'd rather see Steve Rogers fighting in WWII because I just don't think a guy fighting bad guys in that costume in our time would work.

AVENGERS. A separate interview also talked to Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige about Iron Man 2, Thor and The Avengers film. "It's fun now, and we're introducing some new characters in ['Iron Man 2']," he said. "But it's not about just cramming in lots of new people; that's sort of the cardinal sin of the sequel - adding in too many characters. This is totally Tony Stark's story. And that's gonna weave into Thor's story, and Steve Rogers' story, and it's already ingrained with Nick Fury's story and an organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D."

Translation: go see "Iron Man 2" to get a taste of what to expect in the other "Avenger" films. Iron Man 2 comes out May 7. I'm totally there.

GREEN LANTERN. To shift back to a DC Comics superhero, I was so excited to read this article with director Martin Campbell at comingsoon.net about the Green Lantern movie. I'm crazy excited because Ryan Reynolds will be playing Hal Jordan (as you may or may not know, there have been multiple Green Lanterns over the years. Hal is my favorite!). My favorite superheroes have always been Superman and Spider-Man, but Green Lantern has become probably my third favorite in recent years after watching some of the Justice League animated films. I might go see this one at midnight when it comes out.

Expanding on my fears for “Eclipse”

2010-01-25T16:12:00.000-08:00

I don’t like to jinx myself, but with Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning’s appearances at Sundance this week, there has been a sprinkling of news about “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” There hasn’t been any focus on “Eclipse” since “New Moon” came out, but I suspect it will begin in April or May, a couple of months before the movie hits theaters. Director David Slade tweeted before New Year’s and promised a “New Year’s Day surprise,” which Twilight fans assumed would be a teaser trailer. The day came and went without anything, and Slade later tweeted that he was sorry, “it was taken out of his hands,” presumably by Summit Entertainment who probably isn’t ready to start leaking anything about the film just yet.

This all only serves to pour more fuel on the fire of my fears regarding “Eclipse.” Here’s why.

I have no doubt that Slade and/or Summit has the teaser trailer for “Eclipse” finished and sitting in a vault somewhere, waiting for the right time to unleash it on the masses. Is it possible Summit isn’t happy with the finished product, and is therefore delaying anything associated with it? Possibly. On the other hand, it’s also possible that Summit is simply sticking tight to the marketing and release schedule it followed with the previous two films. They've already released the teaser poster - it was in theaters when "New Moon" came out. And “Eclipse” will be released in theaters on June 30, 2010, so Summit could be waiting for the DVD release of “New Moon” to release the teaser trailer for “Eclipse.” Of course, there was no mention of such a teaser trailer in the official DVD press release, but it could still be included anyway. If I had to guess, I’d lay odds that Summit will debut the teaser trailer (and not a full trailer) with both the DVD of “New Moon” and Robert Pattinson’s “Remember Me,” which is due in theaters the same weekend in March. Then, at the end of April, I’m sure it will debut the full trailer.

Of course, all of this is speculation and beside the point. The point is, I’m afraid “Eclipse” will really suck — pun intended. When Kristen Stewart was asked to describe working with David Slade on “Eclipse,” she only commented that he was a very technical director. Last year at Sundance, she was asked to describe working with Chris Weitz. She spoke in glowing terms about him and “New Moon.” The rest of the cast has followed suit. When Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene were asked about Slade and “Eclipse,” they said the same. “Very technical.” That’s great and all, but it reinforces my fears about having Slade direct the movie. He might be a great technical director, but his movies are sorely lacking in emotion — something “Eclipse” has plenty of, aside from plenty of action. And I get the feeling the cast doesn’t like Slade nearly as much as they did Catherine Hardwicke or Chris Weitz. But I could be reading them wrong. Slade also has a tendency to strip his films of vibrant color, so I suspect “Eclipse” will probably resemble “Twilight” in tone more than “New Moon.”

And then there was Jackson Rathbone's leaked "Eclipse" script, and the very strong, very negative feedback those fans who read it had. I didn't see anyone who read it give it a positive review. But Summit, of course, did PR damage and claimed it was an early script and not the final script used. Seriously, though. How different from the final version could it be?

However, I still have hope that “Eclipse” will be a great movie. I’m encouraged by the fact that David Slade has tried hard to connect with Twilight fans on Twitter (although it’s probably only because he had to make nice for the disparaging comments he made about “Twilight” and “Twilight” fans before he was announced as the director of “Eclipse” … but I don’t hold grudges, much). He tweeted photos from filming, which was nice, and has given us updates every now and then on the status of production. His last tweet said the movie is headed toward final edits. Good to know.

And I am also encouraged by the announcement Summit just made about the person who will be scoring “Eclipse.” He did “The Lord of the Rings,” which had an awesome score. Very encouraging news. And, of course, the cast is the same, and I trust they will help make up for whatever the directing lacks, if it lacks anything at all.

Mr. Slade could surprise me, and I hope he does.

Spidey, Breaking Dawn and more

2010-01-12T16:10:00.001-08:00

I haven’t commented anything lately because my favorite shows have been on hiatus, and with the holidays, well, there hasn’t been much news to discuss.

The newsgates have opened wide today with lots of information to set my geeky little heart all aflutter. Some wonderful, some horrible.

They’re making Spider-man 4 without Tobey MacGuire and Sam Raimi?!?! Nooooooooooo! Are they crazy?! Those morons. Why? Why? Why? Don’t make it at all if those two aren’t involved! Sam Raimi made “Spider-man” into one of the greatest superhero films of all time. And after three pictures, Tobey Maguire is Peter Parker. This is, by far, one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard come out of Hollywood. Stupid Sony. Those idiots. They’re going too ruin a great franchise.

My man Brandon Routh aka Clark Kent/Superman is joining the cast of “Chuck” next week. There have been lots of interviews with him this week. He briefly confirmed he’s still heard nothing about another Superman film, which means, most likely, they’ll recast him too. Ugh. Idiots. Who’s running Hollywood these days, anyway? Where do I apply?

A producer for Summit Entertainment confirmed to the L.A. Times that the problem with “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” is a hold-up with the script and deciding whether it will be one film or two. Stephenie Meyer has to approve it, and most importantly approve whether it will be made into one film or two, and a suitable script hasn’t been turned in yet. Stephenie…don’t make me hunt you down, girl. Two films, you hear me? Two films! Make it happen.

And, horror of horrors, Jared Padalecki (Sam, Supernatural) is now reportedly engaged to Genevieve Cortese (Ruby, Supernatural)? Last I knew, he was engaged to Sandra McCoy. Sam and Ruby? What?!? When did that happen? Personally, I like Genevieve even if I didn’t like that stupid demon witch Ruby so much, so I’m happy for them. Guess Jared felt pressured when his older onscreen brother, my man Jensen Ackles, got engaged to Dannelle Harris. Sigh. Another (hot) one bites the dust.

Speaking of “Supernatural,” I almost fell out of my chair when I saw this report today, and then I almost did a full-hip-action happy dance complete with finger snaps in my cubicle. Series creator Eric Kripke has always said the show would not go beyond 5 seasons, and folks, the fifth season is halfway over. And, ye gods, I never ever in my wildest fantasies expected “Smallville” to stay on the air for 10 seasons, but it seems I’m not the only one who thinks these two shows have been AMAZING this year. Because both have done so well critically this season, and “Supernatural” specifically has seen a ratings increase, the CW is seriously thinking of keeping both shows next year. A possibility of more Tom Welling? More Jensen Ackles? Happy squeal! I knew there was a God!

Update: Smallville, Supernatural and Vampire Diaries

2009-12-09T21:32:00.000-08:00

My TV viewing for this season has been a little off. If my best friend won’t watch a show with me (i.e. Glee, So You Think You Can Dance, The Bachelor, etc.), then I have to record it and watch it on my own later. Unfortunately, this means I’ve fallen behind on “The Vampire Diaries” and “Supernatural” this year. Amazingly enough, I manage to watch “Smallville” not long after it airs.

Now that we’re approaching or already on hiatus for these three shows, it will help me catch up soon, but after catching up on some of the recent episodes of Vampire Diaries and Supernatural, I thought I’d make a few updated comments about these CW shows I’m fangirling over.

Vampire Diaries. I wasn’t sure I’d stick with this one, but it’s gotten a lot better the past few episodes I’ve watched, which means I’m probably hooked now. Stefan has grown on me, but I still prefer the much snarkier Damon simply because of his wicked sense of humor. The addition of witches and more vampires has injected the show with fresh blood (pun intended), and I can see now why people are talking about this show so much. It’s really not bad at all, now that it has found its legs. I’m still not caught up, but the previews for the next episode I have to watch showed some serious skin between Elena and Stefan. Or was it supposed to be Stefan and Katherine? Hmmmm….

Supernatural. I still say this is the best show on television, and it’s not because I’m a tad bit obsessed with Jensen Ackles either. It’s really, really good. I mean, I went from laughing my head off during two recent satirically funny episodes to bawling like a baby in another more dramatic episode. Did you see the episode mocking Supernatural fans at a Supernatural convention? Hilarious. And did you see “Abandon All Hope,” the last episode before it went on hiatus? OMG. Heartbreaking. I tear up just thinking about it. I still can't believe they killed Jo and Ellen. And how! RIP, brave Jo and Ellen. Rest in peace. I mean, that look on Jensen as Dean and Jared as Sam's faces when the building exploded. Oh gosh, I'm crying again. Jared and Jensen do a bang-up job as worthy of Emmy nominations as more mainstream actors, but it’ll never happen because they’re buried on the CW. And the storyline this year has just been compelling. God is a legitimate, although MIA, character on the show now, and so is Lucifer, but the focus is still on the relationship between these two brothers and the few who stand beside them in a full-on fight against evil. I admit, even if it is wrong to say, I love me some Castiel. He’s one hot angel, and he has terrific chemistry with Jensen Ackles. So glad he was added to the show as a regular this year. Three terrific actors. Three hot pieces of eye candy. I used to just “like” Supernatural and Sam and Dean. I realize now that I’m quite emotionally attached to these two characters, so much so I can’t bare the thought of the show ever ending, which is a distinct possibility this year. I’ll try not to think about it until it actually happens. I refuse to abandon all hope just yet. :-P

Smallville. Holy smokes, Superman. I am still totally loving the full-on Lois and Clark action this season. I did a happy fangirl squeal at my TV set when the last episode ended with Lois and Clark holding hands after agreeing to try dating. I really, really loved the episode where Lois got transported to the future. I had to keep reminding myself this is a show for a young audience because I was really tempted to scream at my TV for not showing enough skin when future-Lois and future-Clark hit the sheets. It was a nice shout-out to all the Superman comic and Clois fans out there and made me very, very happy. But I didn’t like the bleak ending to Lois’s future, where Clark, Chloe, Tess and Oliver all died in battle against Zod, but thank God Clark now knows what happened (even if Lois doesn’t remember) and can prevent that future from happening. I hope. I’m still not enthused about the overall darker tone of the season, but I won’t start on and on again about how Superman isn’t Batman nor is he a dark character. For the most part, this season has been really good. I’m psyched for the 2-hour Smallville/Justice League movie in February. Even if it doesn’t have Wonder Woman or Batman, it looks like it’s going to be awesome!

All eyes turn to Breaking Dawn now

2009-12-03T15:52:00.000-08:00

It seems I'm not the only one chomping at the bit to get official confirmation from Summit Entertainment of The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn, the movie. After The Twilight Saga New Moon broke box office records on opening night, the question I heard posed most from reporters was, "Will Breaking Dawn be announced soon?"

The good thing is that, in interviews I've listened to or watched, Kristen Stewart has said she is frustrated it will take so long to make this movie because she's wants to make the movie NOW. Robert Pattinson has echoed that sentiment, as have Taylor Lautner, Kellan Lutz, Michael Welch and Nikki Reed. That's a good thing. That's a very good thing, because the cast is so popular and well known now that any one among them could easily pull a diva hissy fit and opt out of the project since, from all accounts, no one has yet to be signed onto the project. There have actually been conflicting reports on this, so I could be wrong. Variety reports they've all been signed onto one film, but not two, for BD. Yet Dakota Fanning, Kellan Lutz and Michael Sheen have all said in interviews that they haven't even been contacted about doing one BD film, let alone two. And I won't pretend to know why KStew an RPatz and the gang are so gung ho to get this movie finished. It could be because they want to put all things Twilight behind them, or maybe they just love working together that much. I'm just glad that they've all publicly committed to seeing the project through.

Variety had a great article on the dilemma of The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn, the movie, from Summit's perspective. It basically listed all of the problems I foresaw two weeks ago when New Moon was such an immediate hit. For one, the cast will likely and understandably request massive pay raises now. If Summit had locked them all in from the beginning, this wouldn't be a problem for the studio now. I think Ashley Greene's response on Ellen yesterday kind of exemplifies this. Ellen said, "I bet you're making a lot of money off of Twilight," and Ashley Greene laughed and said, "We're working on it." Yep, very telling.

The studio also has the problem of deciding whether to split the book into two films, or try to condense the massive book into one film. If they're smart, they'll make it into two. You know they'll both be hits and do well at the box office. Why make one movie and pull in $300 million when you can make two films and pull in $600 million? It would also extend the Twilight pandemonium even longer for fans, which equals more profit from merchandising, etc. Oh yeah, they would be stupid not to make two films. I can even predict how the first BD will end - with Renesme's birth. Edward turns Bella. Jacob goes down the stairs to kill Renesme. Rosalie sends him a fierce protective look and braces for a fight. Jacob glances at Renesme for the first time. Taylor Lautner's face morphs from angry to amazed. He freezes. The music swells. Cut to Edward crying over Bella's body. Zoom in to Kristen Stewart's face. Her eyes open. Zoom into her eyes. Red eyes. Fade to black. Roll the credits. I guarantee you that's how they will end the movie. I'm jotting this down now so I can direct you back to it when the movie comes out. Mark my words.

The next problem is finding a director. Fans want Chris Weitz, who did such an amazing job with New Moon. The cast wants Chris Weitz, because he was so easy to work with and did such an amazing job with New Moon. Chris Weitz, however, has publicly stated that he needs a break from filming now, and that he wants his next project to be "The Gardner." And if Summit did convince him to hop on board to BD before the cast gets any older, would he commit to two films shot back-to-back?

And of course, the biggest problem the studio probably has with this project is getting approval from author Stephenie Meyer before going into production. The studio very wisely has given Stephenie A LOT of control over the films, which is highly unusual with book-to-film translations. The benefit from this has been that the movies have been fairly true to the books and totally kickass. But the negative, if there is one, is that she has always said she didn't think Breaking Dawn could be turned into a film. So she might not allow it, when all is said and done. Melissa Rosenberg is reportedly working on a script for BD right now, but if Stephenie doesn't like it, it could hold things up.

I tend to agree with the actor Michael Welch, who said there is no doubt in his mind that BD would be made. I think the fans would riot if it wasn't. But the question is, when, and with what cast members?

Personally, I hope it's soon. I'm looking forward to The Twilight Saga Eclipse, but The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn is the movie I might sell my car to attend the premiere for.

Review: "New Moon"

2009-11-24T22:39:00.000-08:00

I think I’ve made it pretty clear “New Moon” is not my favorite book in the Twilight saga, right? I mean, I get enough of seriously depressed people doing reckless and crazy things in my own life. I don’t want my fictional BFFs, Edward and Bella, to drown me in it too. And yeah, I’ve re-read “New Moon” to see if my reaction was different. It wasn’t. I loved the beginning, and I loved the end. The stuff in the middle of the book — not so much.

I only expected and hoped for a few things going into the movie based on this book. I wanted and expected to see my girl Kristen Stewart display some serious acting chops being depressed and forlorn, I wanted to see the reunion scene, and I wanted to see the Volturi. Well, I saw it all and then some.

I completely watched the movie with the mindset that “Ok, I know they’ve had to cut and change some things. I won’t let it bother me.” And it didn’t. Not one bit.

*Warning: Spoilers ahead.*

From the opening credits — awesome full moon slowly turning black as the movie title appeared — and the much-improved music score, I knew this movie was going to be epic. And with the first scene, taken straight out of the book, I knew director Chris Weitz understood the passion we fans have and was going to take great care in handling this movie for us. Lord, I hope that man directs “Breaking Dawn.” Please, God?

The things I liked about this movie? No rain. Rich colors. Charlie and Jessica were hilarious scene-stealers. Loved them. Kristen Stewart rocked it as Bella, depressed without Edward but playful around Jacob. And grudgingly I have to admit, Taylor Lautner made me like Jacob. Damn him. He wasn’t at all as arrogant as he was in the books. I can see now why Bella feels so torn in future installments.

I also loved that the movie wasn’t nearly as depressing as the book. They cut out a lot of the depressing stuff. There’s still plenty, but they cut out a lot of it. Thank goodness.

The scene where October, November and December pass as Bella looks out the window — expert filmmaking. I wondered how they would pull that off. Wonderful blending of the soundtrack to create the tone of the scene. That song is haunting.

The e-mails to Alice were a nice touch. Great way to narrate the story for fans craving the intimacy of the book. Great way to get inside Bella’s head and fill in the gaps for those who’ve never read it.

The Volturi. My goodness, the Volturi was awesome. Dakota Fanning was excellent as Jane. Michael Sheen was great as Aro. Italy was awesome. Loved it.

Things I didn’t like? Jasper and Rosalie’s hair. Obvious wigs, and they both looked retarded. Edward’s makeup. He looked sick throughout most of the movie. I actually preferred his look in the first film over this one, clothes notwithstanding. And the special effects (yes, I’m talking about the wolves and Sam’s cliffdiving scene) were horrid. The effects with Victoria were pretty awesome, but they dropped the ball everywhere else.

I also like the soundtrack so much better after seeing the movie. Thom Yorke’s song, “Hearing Damage,” is now a favorite.

I can’t wait to see this movie again, and probably again. It is so much better than the book in my opinion. So much better. I didn’t like the movie as much as “Twilight,” but it lags not far behind. I am now totally psyched for “Eclipse.” Can’t wait!

Chris Weitz, you are my new hero. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In defense of Twilight: A REALLY long post

2009-11-04T16:09:00.000-08:00

“Ang, I just don’t get it.”

How many times have I heard this over the past year? Countless.

Ever since I came out of the closet about my Twilight obsession, my friends who haven’t read the books or seen the movie or liked the movie say, “I just don’t get it.”

Of course you wouldn’t. You haven’t read the books, or seen the movie, or liked the movie if you’ve seen it. Most often, it boils down to one thing. YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOKS!!

Read the books, then you’ll get it. Until then, we’re going to be at an impasse.

There is something about the Twilight books and the movie together that have the power to make a 30-plus-year-old woman go ga-ga over anything having to do with Twilight. Yes, I have a picture of Robert Pattinson hanging in my cubicle. So what?

I've been getting a lot of flack from my friends and co-workers lately because I love Twilight. I guess I stirred things up when I went in search of someone to go see New Moon with me at midnight when it opens. I have a zillion friends who are just as obsessed with Twilight as I am, but unfortunately for me, they all live in other cities or states.

I go to the mall and I see somebody wearing a Team Edward t-shirt. I go to the park and inevitably I see two or three...or four or five...people reading one of the books. I think, "Wow, I should be friends with her. She gets it, too!" But sadly, it never comes to pass.

Mythical haters?
Of course, I know there is actually a legion of haters out there that have read the books and don’t get it, but I’ve only seen them online. To me, they are almost like mythical creatures, like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. I hear about them. I see their comments posted on forums. I talk to people who’ve actually SEEN them, touched them, even. But I have never been in the same room with such a person myself; therefore, a part of me is doubtful of their existence. Here’s my theory: it’s one person — some bitter, misguided fool, who can’t feel a thing except bitterness and hate, sitting alone in a room in front of a computer, who read the books and hated them, saw the movie and hated it — posting negative comments online about Twilight under a thousand or so pseudonyms trying to fuel an online war of words with the million or so of us who are mildly (okay, majorly) obsessed with this franchise.

No, I’m not crazy.

Well, I’m crazy about Twilight, obviously.

All snarkiness aside, hmmm, I do have a friend who loves to read who said, if I remember correctly, that she hasn’t read the books. She tried but she couldn’t get into it, so she never finished the first book. Her daughter loves the books, but, eh, my friend just doesn’t get it either.

Well, again, I argue, read the books! Finish the books, and then make a judgment. Honestly, I was a little bored during parts of each of the books myself. Stephenie Meyer does love to describe things in detail, perhaps a bit much sometimes. But what writer doesn’t?

Yeah, I think I've heard all of the complaints about Twilight from people who've read the books and the ones who haven't read the books but who just hate it on principal.

It's Christian propaganda disguised as a love story for today's teenage girls.

It's anti-Christian because it romanticizes vampires who are demons.

It's poorly written. The characters are terrible. The plot is weak.

Bella sets a bad example for young women because she is too obsessed with a man.

Whatever.

Never mind the fact that it's gotten a lot of people reading books who wouldn't normally read. Or that it's given mothers and daughters a common interest, something to talk about and enjoy together. Nevermind that its underlying theme is "abstinence is good." I'm sure the council for the prevention of teenage pregnancy loves Twilight, just for that.

Why is Twilight so popular? Heck if I can put my finger on it.

It's exciting to read about forbidden love affairs. Twilight at times mimics Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice and Romeo And Juliet — all books I loved in high school. And what teenage girl hasn't longed for a forbidden romance of her own? What woman doesn't remember the excitement of her first love? The way Stephenie Meyer writes these books, you ARE Bella when you're reading them.

I felt like a teenager again by the time I got to reading “New Moon.” It was a nice, comforting feeling. To feel young again. To be adored by both Edward Cullen and Jacob Black.

Personally, I didn’t get obsessed-obsessed with the Twilight saga until I finished reading “Breaking Dawn,” the last book. Don’t know why. It just happened that way. I had the movie, which I loved, bad camera angles and all, to help fuel my obsession further. And sure, Twilight couldn’t have come at a better time in my life, when I was desperate for an escape from a lot of really bad things happening to me, or around me.

Maybe if I had read Twilight or seen the movie five or six years ago when my life was much calmer, I would have thought, “Eh, that was OK” and never thought of it again.

But I doubt it.

The fandom itself
It’s a strange thing, this Twilight fandom. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. Not in the Superman universe or Buffy or whatever that I’ve been a part of.

The Twilight fandom seems to be a battleground of judgmental and obsessed fangirls and, yes, fanboys constantly bickering over their likes and dislikes of the series. It drives me crazy. Even people who love the series (or so they say) fight about it online. You can’t even go to a Kristen Stewart or Robert Pattinson fansite anymore without trapsing across some comments about what sucky actors they are. On their own fansites!!

And then there are fans of the books.

The Team Jacob fans hate the Team Edward fans. And vice versa. Quite vocally, I might add.

Either you’re a wolf pack girl or a vamp fan. There is no in between.

And then there are the fangirls obsessed with the series that absolutely loathe its heroine Bella Swan.

Bella!?! Seriously, folks?

You think she’s too whiny? Too self-absorbed? Um, take a look in the mirror, fangirls. You’re lying if you’re a teen who isn’t whiny or self-absorbed. I don’t care who you are. I’m a 30-plus-year-old woman, and I can be whiny and self-absorbed at times.

Don’t be such haters.

And the movie wars. Lord have mercy. I mean, the venom that has been spewed forth online toward Kristen Stewart the past year is seriously mean. And mostly unjustified, which is the worst part. When supposed fans start criticizing an actress for the clothes she wears in her personal life, that’s off grounds. Totally rude.

And my other girl, Nikki Reed? Wow. Whoever argues that she’s not pretty enough to play Rosalie is just plain blind or deluded. I’d give my right pinky — and maybe my whole right hand — to look like that girl. But the backlash against her on fansites hasn’t been much better than it has for Kristen Stewart.

But when all is said and done, whether you’re Team Jacob or Team Edward, whether you think Kristen Stewart should be replaced as Bella in the movie or if you think she’s the best actress in Hollywood, you’re a Twilight fan. You'll defend the series against non-Twilighters until the end.

Even if you're a 30-plus-year-old woman who should know better.

Vampire Diaries, Smallville and Supernatural

2009-10-13T00:22:00.001-07:00

Fear not, great people of the Internet. I have returned to rescue this-blog-that-no-one-reads from limbo. Well, I figured I would at least update it with my thoughts on the current TV season, which I am now caught up on thanks to a flu-like illness that kept me down for a week and a half! Not that anyone cares, besides me, and possibly my cat. But still.

The CW’s Vampire Diaries. I had all of these episodes recorded and finally got to watch them all in the same day. It’s by no means my favorite new show on television, but since I was expecting it to be horrid, I was pretty surprised that I kinda liked it. I enjoyed the premiere episode better than any that followed, though, which worries me. I like the actor who plays Damon better than the actor who plays Stefan, too. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? I’ll keep watching to see what happens, but I won’t be surprised if I eventually grow bored with this one. Hopefully they’ll kick thing sup a knotch soon.

Supernatural. I have one word for you. Wow! After watching the first four episodes of this season back-to-back, I reassert my opinion that these writers are some of the best on TV today. Hands down. I definitely never got bored with any of the episodes, and the way the stories from past seasons have overlapped with current ones now is pure genius. I mean, Sam, that idiot, was tricked into starting the apocalypse?!? Archangel Michael needs Dean’s body to defeat Lucifer, who needs Sam’s body to kick things into high gear? My favorite warrior angel, Castiel, fell from grace to help save Dean and Sam. And God is missing? Not even the angels know where He is? Holy cow, this is some good — and downright terrifying — stuff. I am on the edge of my seat, waiting for the next episodes to air. How in the world are Sam and Dean gonna save us all from this one? Even more pressing, will they ever be the same two brothers we know and love again?

Smallville. Ah, Smallville. My love-hate relationship with this show continues, but I admit, the love is outweighing the hate this season in a big way. How wicked funny has Lois been, huh? And seeing Tom Welling, I mean, Clark with the S symbol on his chest has been oh so bittersweet. I almost cried when I saw the S symbol in its flaming glory after Clark saved Lois in the opening scene. But gone is the red-blue-blur this year, replaced by a black costume that just screams “Batman” to me. Seriously, people? How many times do I have to tell you that Superman is all that is good and light in this world. Stop trying to cash in on the success of The Dark Knight already by making him “dark” and “moody.” Stay true to the character, for God’s sake. But that aside, I’m loving the Lois and Clark stuff. It’s so…Lois and Clark. And Oliver’s “second-coming speech” to Clark gave me chills. Good writing. I am hopeful this season is going to be the BEST EVER when all is said and done.

Smallville and Supernatural return

2009-08-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

So, to get away from Twilight for a little while (I hear it's healthy to distance yourself from your obsessions) ...

I am only now catching up on my Comic-Con news for my favorite fandoms, mainly Smallville and Supernatural. Wow, only a month away from the premieres? Where does the time go? But, I'm psyched. Especially after watching the crummy-quality, bootlegged promo on YouTube for season nine of Smallville that was shown during its panel. Gasp! Is that actually Lois and Clark in the throes of yummy passion?! Wha? Not that I'm complaining. Zod looks like a hottie, too. That should be interesting. And did I mention Lois and Clark doing the deed? Happy fangirl squeal here. And was that actually Tom Welling at Comic-Con? The same Tom Welling who hardly ever does any press or publicity for Smallville? The Tom Welling who plays Clark Kent/Superman? The same Tom Welling who refuses to send me his autograph for my Superman collection? And oh my gosh! Was that Clark wearing a version of the suit in the promo?!? I am so excited for this season, I just can't tell you. So excited!!!!

As for Supernatural, I cannot believe Paris Hilton is going to be a featured guest star this coming season. That hoebag had better stay away from my future husband, Jensen Ackles, while she is on the set is all I can say. She'd just better stay away from him. I'm bigger than her. I could break that little stick woman in half without breaking a sweat. And I have an uncomfortable suspicion about who she's going to be playing too. Remember when Alanis Morisette played God in "Dogma"? Yeah, they'd better not pull that publicity stunt crap by casting PH as God. The show is still excellent. It just gets better and better each year. That would make it jump the shark in 3 seconds flat. She'd better not even look lustily at Jensen while she's on the set. Hoebag. What is Eric Kripke thinking??? He's a genius though. I'll choose to trust him...for now.

TwiTour Experiences, Day 2

2009-07-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday at the convention was much more crowded, and there were lots more teens in attendance on this day, I noticed. I'm sure the appearances of Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene had something to do with that.

The Hillywood folks were the day's hosts again, and Kellan was the first Q&A. When he came on stage, I thought my eardrums would burst from the deafening screams - much stronger than any from the day before. Kellan looked amazing in person. Very buff and very tall. After five minutes of listening to him talk, I was dazzled. Kellan really has an awesome personality. This guy is fun to listen to. He shared his love of The Lion King (he'd love to have been the voice of Simba), board games and his family, and I thought he gave a great answer when asked who, living or dead, he would most like to meet: he said he should pick Jesus, but he thinks he would be too in awe of Him. So, he'd rather pick Abraham or Paul or Job -- because he could actually ask them questions and learn something tangible instead of just sitting there staring at Jesus in amazement. He also talked about rescuing his dog, Cola, from a really bad animal shelter in L.A. and how much he loves taking her on hikes. He's very playful and quite the prankster and seemed to enjoy poking fun at Robert Pattinson. He said that Rob was such a quiet intellect that whenever Kellan would say something simple, like a knock-knock joke, Rob's response would be a confused look and "I don't get it." Kellan reminded me of a puppy - adorable, fun, and full of mischievous energy. He really won the crowd over when he said he wished Stephenie Meyer would write 20 more books so they could make 20 more movies because he loves playing Emmett that much. He said they all hope they'll get to film Breaking Dawn, but he's especially looking forward to filming the fight scenes in Eclipse most of all.

Next, Ashley Greene came on stage after an auction that saw someone bidding $500 on an autographed photo of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.$500!!! Wow! All I can say is, Ashley is stunningly beautiful in person. She also had her dog with her - although not on stage. She said Kellan was playing with her little dog upstairs while she did her Q&A, which I thought was awesome. She said her movie with Kellan, "Warriors," probably won't be ready for theaters until the end of the year at the earliest, and she talked enthusiastically about driving the yellow Porsche in New Moon. She really enjoyed taking driving lessons for it and almost drove the Porsche into a wall during one scene, but she said, "It looks really great on film!" She and Kellan both said they are very excited to begin filming Eclipse next month, and Ashley talked about how much fun they all had filming in Italy. She said those scenes are going to be action packed and that she gets to rumble with the Volturri a little. She joked that she will probably take another role someday simply because it films in Italy. She said her wire scenes in Twilight made her itch to do an action film, and that's the type of film she'd most like to do next. A parent also thanked Ashley for being a positive role model for her daughter, and Ashley later said that it was something she took seriously now that she's in the spotlight so much. She doesn't want to set a bad example for the young fans of the series. You go, Ashley.

After Ashley's Q&A, they began the autograph session with Kellan and Ashley. This time, our wait didn't seem as long -- only a 2 1/2 hour wait made more pleasant because we knew what to expect and were able to entertain ourselves better during the wait. First, Ashley was at the entrance end of the signing table. Her dog's little kennel was beside her, but he was sleeping (or seemed to be) so I didn't get to meet him. I think they draw out the autograph sessions so fans will be too tired to talk to the stars much when they eventually get up to them. I had a dozen things I wanted to say or ask both Ashley and Kellan, but when I actually got face-to-face with them I was both tired and nervous, so I only thanked Ashley for coming and told her I thought she was amazing as Alice, to which she shyly replied, "Awww, thank you." When I asked her to personalize my autograph, she said they'd been asked not to and handed it back to me, which bummed me a little, I admit. But while I was waiting on Kellan to finish with the fans in front of me, I looked back and saw Ashley watching me. She signaled me to return the photo and she signed my name without a word, only a little smile -- such a nice gesture that she didn't have to do. I will always be grateful to her for it though! Then Kellan was next. He too said he'd been asked not to personalize autographs or give hugs, but I swear he has so much charisma in person, it didn't matter one bit. He looked me in the eyes and thanked me for coming, and I swear his sexy smile made me feel special. I think it made my niece feel the same. When Kellan told her he really liked her shirt (it was a Dr. Seuss shirt), she got tongue-tied and said, "Um, it's a Dr. Hooose--" and Kellan smiled and said, "A Dr. Seuss shirt, I know. It's great." And then Brittney nearly tripped over me backing away, she was so dazzled by the amazing Kellan Lutz too. The boy needs to bottle that charm. He'd make a fortune.

Sadly, we didn't get pics with either of them, but I would have really loved to. Maybe next year. I'd love to get my arms around Kellan, even if its only for two seconds!

We left the hotel and convention exhausted and wishing we'd planned to attend Sunday's events too, but sadly, we had to return home. I'm already looking forward to next year!

My TwiTour Atlanta experiences, Day One

2009-07-13T00:46:00.000-07:00

We got to Atlanta a little late on Friday, but it was all good. As soon as I walked into the hotel, I felt I had finally found a place where I belonged!! Sad, but true that my 19-year-old niece was not nearly as enthused as I was to be there. I have to say, most of the fans who attended seemed to be around my age, with a few preteens and teens thrown in for good measure. Everyone was decked out in Twilight t-shirts and carrying Twilight bags and books and talking about my favorite subject of current -- Twilight! We visited the vendors on hand -- a photo/poster booth, a t-shirt booth, the Hillywood folks, Kimbra (the model whose hands were used for the Twilight book cover), and a Twilight props exhibit.

The Hillywood folks opened the convention by showing their online parody. If you're a fan of Twilight, I'm sure you've seen it by now, but here's the link. They talked later about the parodies they film and how they got started. They put a lot into their shows, and they all impressed me, especially Hilary and Hannah, who are sisters pursuing this filmmaking venture using their own money, time and talents. And the guys look waaay cuter in person as Edward and Jasper than they do in the parody video. Let me just say that. :)

Billy Burke was the main reason I wanted to attend Friday's events. I looooove him as Charlie Swan. Love him! He came on stage and looked way hotter in person, although he was wearing a hat and sunglasses during most of his Q&A. He seemed very much a doting dad, talking about his 1-year-old daughter. A fan asked if he would want his daughter to date Edward or Jacob, and he analyzed them both and said, "Neither!" and "I want her to be a nun" (because he knows how boys that age think). Awww. He joked about going out for drinks with Rob, which "was an experience," and being irritated that the press hadn't turned that outing into an affair between the two of them since Rob seems to be dating everyone from the cast but him. Other tidbits he shared: he’s starting to grow his stache out for Eclipse, which indicates he has it in New Moon too. He thinks the Twilight cast is made up of very genuine, nice and talented people. He spoke very highly of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart and said he did not envy Rob the attention he’s been getting.

Peter Facinelli came on stage for his Q&A to deafening screams, and wow, did he look HOT! I always loved Carlisle in the books more than I was a fan of Peter Facinelli, but Friday's experiences turned me into a diehard Peter fan. During his Q&A, Peter’s cell phone kept ringing, and he kept answering it. One time his wife called. That’s right, Jennie Garth herself was on the phone. Their exchange – which Peter put on speakerphone – was pretty hilarious. Prior to this Peter spoke often of his daughters and wife in nothing but glowing terms, and it was obvious he’s very much a family man. He did share the fact that the Cullens had filmed all of the Cullen scenes from the New Moon book and said he’s very proud of the stitching scene between Carlisle and Bella. He said he practiced stitching on a chicken for days and even took the chicken to the set. When he bragged about stitching the chicken to Kristen, she took one look at it and said, “Yeah, I’d never let you near me with a needle.” He thought this was hilarious. He also spoke very fondly of Rob and Kristen and cleared up a magazine report that claimed he’d made fun of Kristen. He said the magazine had taken what he’d said out of context and that he adores Kristen because she’s such a sweet kid. He also joked that Rob hadn’t returned his text from last week because “I guess he’s with his new dad now, Pierce Brosnan.”

Taking a photo with Billy and Peter. This was definitely a highlight of the trip. My niece and I waited in line and, although it was a bit rushed because of the number of people waiting to take pictures, I was quite dazzled by them both. I asked to be in the middle, and when I walked up, Billy murmured that I was very tall but beautiful and said that our picture was going to turn out beautiful. My niece, on the other hand, said Peter squeezed her close to him and said, “Hey, sweetheart, how are you doing?” to which she was speechless because he is 10 times hotter in person than on TV, after all. I HAD PETER FACINELLI and BILLY BURKE’s hands on me!!! I am still burning from the sensation.

The ladies from the Twilight Lexicon were also on hand all weekend, and I really enjoyed their panels. I wanted to thank them for the awesome website they offer, but I didn’t. My biggest regret from the weekend, probably.

Oh, autographs!! We waited almost FOUR HOURS to get Billy and Peter’s autographs. I think the reason why is because Peter was talking to everyone, personalizing all of the autographs and giving hugs to anyone who asked. When I say Peter is gracious to his fans, I can’t stress the meaning of that enough. Billy was also very nice, but I’m sure he was very tired by the time we made it through the line. After meeting Peter, the FOUR HOUR wait seemed like nothing. I totally love Peter Facinelli now. I hope to get to meet him again someday. To see my autographs, visit my autograph blog here.

Coming soon: Day Two, Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz.

Vampire Baseball

2009-06-13T23:39:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a moment to post about a really cool event I just heard about. Yes, it's Twilight-related, and yes, it's going to be totally awesome! I'm hoping things will work out so I can go, either this year or next (assuming they have it).

The event will include a variety of events throughout the week of June 29-July 5 in Portland, Oregon -- the location where the first Twilight movie was filmed!

Here's what the event includes:
Vampire Baseball™ played by cast and crew of the Twilight movies
July 4th evening of Portland Beavers’ professional baseball and fireworks
Quileute Tribal Nation resort and themed activities
Private tours of Forks, LaPush, Hoh Rainforest, and Port Angeles, WA
Access to privately owned film locations
Exclusive discussions with film industry representatives
Private tours of Columbia River Gorge
Private tours of St Helens, Oregon and other film locations

Now, does that sound awesome or what? For more information, go here:
http://fantrips.travel/twilightfantrips/vampire_baseball.html

Official NEW MOON Photos

2009-06-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

Wow, first the trailer, and now more official photos. I loved seeing them. My favorite is from above because I'm hoping/assuming it means my favorite scene from the New Moon book is actually going to be included in the film. It's the scene after the birthday party where Carlise is tending to Bella's wound and they have the discussion about God and whether its possible that the vampires can earn forgiveness and have souls. Love that scene in the book.

Anyway, I just had to post this. Peace. Out.

The NEW MOON Trailer and response

2009-06-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON trailer in HD

OMG.

I've watched this thing more times than I care to admit (seriously, I need a life), and it's starting to grow on me. When I first saw this thing during the MTV Movie Awards, I was so excited they gave us a tease of Bella's birthday party. Loved those scenes. Loved Edward and Bella in the woods. Loved Laurent and Bella in the meadow. Then...Jacob transformed into this hideous CGI fake-looking wolf and I was like, "No! No! No!" That last shot totally ruined the trailer for me. But like I said, I was super psyched by everything that came before it. My worst fears about the special effects seemed to be confirmed. Chris Weitz has once again used awful CGI for the animals. I like Weitz, but the effects in "The Golden Compass" were retarded. But we'll see. Maybe it will be cleaned up a bit before the movie hits theaters. And if it's not, I'll just have to close my eyes everytime the wolves are on camera. :)

We have our big-screen Gambit - finally!!!

2009-05-03T00:28:00.000-07:00

Gambit: "Who? To my friends, de name's Remy LeBeau. To my enemies, it's Gambit! You can go on ahead an' forget dat first name right about now."
- Uncanny X-Men #361

So I saw the new "X-Men: Origins: Wolverine" movie today. I would have seen it anyway because 1. I love the X-Men movies and 2. Hugh Jackman is hot as Wolverine, but I was literally chomping at the bit to see this one because someone finally wised up and gave us a big-screen version of Remy LeBeau, aka Gambit, aka the most AWESOME X-man ever! Seriously. I have been so mad at Bryan Singer and the powers-that-be since the first X-Men movie because, for one thing, it didn't have Gambit, and for another, it had Rogue minus Gambit. Seriously. Where's the fun in that?

Rogue plus Gambit equals fun. Heck, just Gambit by himself equals fun. I have been a diehard Gambit fan since I was in high school and first discovered him as a cartoon character on television. I loved him and Rogue together on the freakin' cartoon show so much that it led me to actually buy comics with them in it to get more of 'em. Remy was my type of man in a nutshell. A sexy, wise-cracking bad boy with a good heart that melted when the right woman took notice. Mmmm, yummy.

I won't lie. I was disappointed in "Origins: Wolverine" because it just lacked that something the first two X-Men films had. I can't even put my finger on it. And truth be told, as much as I loved, loved, loved Taylor Kitsch as Gambit and now want to have his love child, I was disappointed he didn't have Gambit's trademark thickened Cajun-Creole accent. I mean, he barely sounded southern. I'm not sure this was because of Kitsch or because some smart-aleck producer or director decided he'd be best portrayed without it. I mean, come on. Get your act together, people. Gambit is proud to be Cajun! It was almost easy to overlook the lack of an accent though given the fact Gambit's role in the movie was very small and he had hardly any lines at all. Oh well. Hopefully next time. Hopefully next time we'll get to see Gambit plus Rogue on screen together and dump this whole Rogue and Iceman nonsense. Grrrr. Don't even get me started on the Iceman.

Anyway, overall, the movie was a must-see for any fan of comic books. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't great. I'll see it again though, if for no other reason than to see the awesome scenes with Gambit chunking cards at Wolverine, jumping off the roof with his staff and those eyes, oh those beautiful red eyes!

Did I mention I'll see this movie again, just because of Gambit? Thought so. :)

New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn news

2009-04-23T15:06:00.001-07:00

This picture of the Wolf Pack was released this week, and I am still impressed. An hour or two of hot boys with their shirts off? If I wasn’t already chomping at the bit to see “New Moon,” this would have totally won me over — and I am not that big a fan of the wolves in this story! Not to mention, the preview clips Entertainment Tonight have been showing all week have me totally psyched! If you are as obsessed with the Twilight saga as I am — and even if you aren’t — be sure to watch Entertainment Tonight today for its exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the filming of “New Moon.” This will be the first time they’ve officially released interviews and on-set exclusives to the public. I’m sooo excited. Insert fangirly squeal here.

Onto the next major Twilight news of the week. Director David Slade has been officially announced as the director of “Eclipse,” due to start filming this summer! I was personally hoping the rumors that Spanish filmmaker Juan Antonio Bayona would direct it would turn out to hold truth since his film “The Orphanage” was both stylish and effective in a way I think the story of “Eclipse” needs. But since I liked “30 Days of Night” (although not a lot of people did, mind you) and it was also a vampire flick — granted, a very violent, bloody and dark vampire flick — I am going to wait, wish Slade the best and see what happens. My only reservation is that both Catherine Hardwick and Chris Weitz have been very vocal about the fact they were fans of the books and respected the source material before they started filming, and I know a lot of “30 Days of Night” fans were angry with Slade because they felt it fell short of the graphic novels on which that movie was based. Hopefully he learned his lesson. Twilight fans don’t seem to be a very forgiving bunch, and he’d be wise to consider that before starting production. Got that, Slade? Good.

Finally, since the media seems to enjoy twisting and turning my hopes for a “Breaking Dawn” movie — one day it’s reportedly greenlit, the next day it isn’t, ugh! — I have decided to send Summit a letter begging them to go ahead and make the film already! The fourth book is my favorite, largely because I like the sci-fi elements, and well, I am Team Edward, by the way. :P *BD SPOILER ALERT* Stephenie Meyer seems to be worried that “Breaking Dawn” could not easily be made into a film because of certain scenes and the length/complexity of the story. My opinion? There’s nothing in that book that can’t be overcome. For instance, when Bella gives birth, the scene in the book is very vivid and gory with Renesme literally ripping her way out of Bella’s stomach as Edward helps tear her out. Did anyone see “Alien”? It’s already been done. No problem. Considering Renesme herself, I don’t understand why a large toddler or small child couldn’t be used for the role and then CG effects applied to move her mouth with a voiceover whenever she talks. I’ve seen that done plenty of times too. As for the length of the book, make the movie 2 ½ hours, cut out some of the middle book (it is only Jacob’s point of view, after all :p ), compress some of the ending and voila, you have your movie. It’s not rocket science. If they doubt whether people would be interested in seeing it, just look at the fervor over “New Moon,” viewed widely as the least popular book in the series! Fans are going crazy for information about it. ET’s website has crashed every day they’ve posted preview clips of tonight exclusive! Does that not tell you anything??

What I'm listening to:
Twilighters Anonymous podcast: At first I wasn't a big fan of this podcast, most likely because they were anti-Kristen Stewart as Bella until recently when they announced a change of heart and are, mostly, on Team KStew now. That open-mindedness combined with their wickedly fun sense of humor now has me listening to this one as soon as a new episode is released.

Team Edward, Team Jacob or Team Switzerland?

2009-03-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the absence of posts lately — I just checked and realize I actually have three whole followers for this blog! Whoa! Three! When did that happen? Just a friendly warning: I’m pretty certain my blog from now on will be dominated by Twilight and Superman, since I’m pretty devoted to these two fandoms more than any others. Of course, I won’t overlook Supernatural either, so you’ve been warned.

Speaking of Twilight, my topic for the week is Team Edward, Team Jacob or Team Switzerland? I’d love to see your comments posted below about which team you fall on, especially since Team Jacob fans are coming out of the woodwork in preparation for the release of the “New Moon” film.

Which team am I on? Team Edward, of course!

Why? Here’s my logic. How could you possibly read “Twilight” without falling for Edward? And Edward in the movie? Dreamy. I know a lot of fans call him “the perfect man,” but I have to disagree. Edward has flaws — control freak, anyone? — and he has a pretty negative view of things until “Breaking Dawn,” not to mention, he is a vampire, so I hardly think he qualifies as perfect. But once he falls for Bella, it’s obvious he would do anything for the girl he loves. Plus, he truly loves and is devoted to his family and has a lot of old-fashioned qualities I find attractive. And Bella loves him so darn much, why wouldn’t I be on Team Edward? I know. I know. “New Moon.” Edward does something pretty horrible to Bella in the beginning of this book when he leaves her. Of course, he’s only trying to protect her, but did he really have to tell her he didn’t love her? Did he really have to tell her she wasn’t good enough for him? And the way he says it is so cold-hearted. Diehard supporters will argue it was the only way to keep Bella from following him. I know. But no wonder poor Bella sinks into a borderline suicidal state for the next several chapters. Stupid Edward bashed her self-confidence and made her feel the size of a crumb. At this point in the series, I was off of Team Edward and had defected to Team Switzerland (for those who aren’t aware of what that means, it means I didn’t want Bella with Edward, Jacob or anyone at that point. I was completely neutral). I almost stopped reading the book, but didn’t. This was a prime opportunity for Stephenie Meyer to convince me Jacob was the man for our Bella. I was open-minded. I actually liked Jacob in the first book and saw the potential. But by the time Jacob accompanied Bella and Mike to the movies halfway through “New Moon,” I was getting pretty irritated by Jacob’s immature, cocky attitude. Then he morphed into a wolf and became too arrogant for words. His constant and pushy claims that Bella loved him, she just didn’t know it yet grated on my nerves. She was still mourning Edward and needed more time and sensitivity from Jacob. Granted, Jacob was 16 years old and probably didn’t understand that. Thankfully, Edward returned by the end of the book and Bella and Edward had a shaky reconciliation that lasted through the beginning of “Eclipse.” But Jacob still loomed in the background. Bella’s BFF got on my nerves as his arrogance turned to outright jerkiness — seriously, tricking Bella into making out with you by telling her you’re going to kill yourself if she doesn’t crosses the line, wolf boy. Not that Edward was a patron saint either in this book. But at least Edward’s motives when manipulating Bella are always selfless. Edward wants to protect Bella. Period. Jacob only wants Bella and doesn’t care that her heart and happiness belongs with Edward. He’s determined to lure her aware from her true love, even after she punches him in the face and breaks her hand trying to send him the clear message that she’s not interested. Edward is clearly the more mature of the two rivals in “Eclipse.” And I know some ladies find arrogance a serious turn on, which is why I think Jacob has so many fans on his side, but I just can’t tolerate it. Sorry. I prefer self-sacrificing and devoted. That makes my choice easy. Team Edward, all the way. By “Breaking Dawn,” I’m firmly on Team Edward again, and thank God, Stephenie Meyer rewards me for it. Love that book. Love it.

So, again I ask, what’s your team, and why? Don’t get me wrong. I have a new appreciation for Jacob thanks to cutie pie Taylor Lautner who plays him in the films. I didn’t hate his point of view chapters in “Breaking Dawn,” so I’m about to re-read “New Moon” and “Eclipse” to see if I like Jacob any better now that I know how the story ends. I’m not holding my breath, but we’ll see.

If you’re a fan of Twilight and have an MP3 player, I’m starting a new feature by adding podcast reviews to each post. Want to suggest a podcast (Superman, Twilight, Supernatural or anything else) for me to review? Post it in the comments and I’ll check it out. Until next time…

PODCAST REVIEWS:

Mind Over Matter: A Twilight Podcast — I have to give to the hosts of this podcast. These ladies are very animated and entertaining, but I’m afraid their podcast overall is way too immature and negative for me to enjoy. I listened to three scattered episodes to be fair and doubt I’ll listen to any more. On their last podcast, they complained about the movie and movie’s cast (I’m sorry, did they actually comment on Rob looking gay holding the apple? I thought that scene was a smart nod to the fans of the books), bashed other vampire books on the market (hello? Reading is good), and mocked fans who planned to attend the midnight release parties. I think these ladies are mostly fans of the Twilight books, and I even questioned that sometimes. I know I’m not going to agree with every fan out there, and these ladies are quite funny — but their humor just borders on the immature and seems too disrespectful at times, which turns me off. It’s a fairly high-rated podcast, so check it out for yourself. Maybe you’ll be of a similar mindset. This one’s just not for me.

Twilight Series Theories — This podcast is by far my favorite Twilight podcast out there. Sisters Kassie and Kallie are hilarious, and I think they’re around my age, which makes them more relatable. Unlike other podcasts on Twilight, this one is more intelligent and the discussions are both mature and stay on the positive side (never heard them say a bad thing about any movie cast member — many of whom they’ve met, by the way, lucky devils), they really bring up some interesting book-related topics and they’re very interactive with their listeners, which helps balance their opinions quite nicely. If you like Twilight — book or movie — then you definitely need to hear this podcast. I’d almost bet my next paycheck you’ll subscribe after hearing only one episode.

More "Twilight," WB puts DC superhero movies on hold, and "Smallville" returns

2009-01-13T22:34:00.000-08:00

I'm totally psyched that "Twilight" is being released on DVD March 21. I was afraid it wouldn't be released until late April. The DVD cover looks awesome. Can't wait. You can pre-order your copy today here. As I've said before, I can't believe how much I liked this movie. Yep, I jumped right on that Twilight bandwagon without much effort and am officially a TwiHard, ladies and gentlemen. Now, I've read all four books by Stephanie Meyer, and I am eagerly awaiting filming for "New Moon" to begin, although, I have to admit it wasn't my favorite book in the series. I'm sure Kristen Stewart will have no problem pulling off a depressed and tortured Bella though, but I will never believe she actually falls for Jacob, even if Taylor Lautner is one cutie patutie.

Apparently Warner Brothers has decided to put a hold on all of its DC superhero projects for the time being. This means no new Superman film, no Wonder Woman film, no Green Lantern film, etc. etc. for a while. On one hand, I'm pretty P.O.'d. I mean, just make the next Superman movie already. Cast Routh. Get Geoff Johns to write a killer script. Make the movie. How hard can it be? Then again, projects tend to fail when they're rushed under pressure from money-hungry execs (i.e. "New Moon"?). Hopefully the next Superman film will be worth all of this turmoil.

Finally, "Smallville" is back with a new episode this week. I can't believe this season has been so awesome and it will probably be its last. Oh well. All good things must come to an end.

Twilight

2008-12-06T21:50:00.001-08:00

OK, I feel almost stupid writing a post about this, but I am now officially a Twilight-aholic. Nope, I've never read any of the books, but I've seen the movie three times now. Loved it. The first time I saw it, I wasn't totally sucked in, but I kept thinking about the story of Bella and Edward, so I saw it again...and again. And I'll probably see it yet again. I suppose there is still a 14-year-old girl still living inside of me, after all. (Please, no jokes :->).

I've got to read the books. Which one is your favorite?

Another Superman/Wonder Woman rant

2008-11-13T22:47:00.000-08:00

I’ve been trying to decide whether or not to post this since Superman dominates this blog enough, but I just need to vent a little. Okay, I need to vent a lot.

With all of the rumors and news floating around regarding “Superman: The Man of Steel,” the film sequel or reboot or whatever you want to call it, I’m so glad actor Brandon Routh has gone on record with his opinion. See, I knew I loved that man for a reason other than his complete and total hotness. Routh absolutely echoed my sentiments — and the sentiments of a lot of Supes fans — by disagreeing with this stupid idea Warner Brothers execs have for making the next film “darker.” Superman is not a dark character! Superman is a symbol of hope and good! Just because “The Dark Knight” made globs of money doesn’t mean people will pay to see an angry Superman smashing down bad guys just because he’s pissed off. That’s not who he is. It never has been. If you must, make the villain darker, but leave Clark/Superman alone already! Geez.

While I’m on the topic, I’m so sick of Mark Millar trying to generate support for his pitch for an “epic” Superman film trilogy. I mean, have you heard the basics of his idea? A Godfather-style epic on Krypton then on Earth? I think seeing Krypton would be cool, but that’s about all I can agree with. His idea to have Superman end the film series as the last man on earth when the sun turns red and he loses all his powers is way too depressing. Even if the meat in between is decent, I don’t want to pay money to see that! I don’t get why so many fans are excited by his idea. Why? Why? Why?

If Warner Brothers had any sense at all, they’d hire Geoff Johns to write the screenplay. No one seems to know Superman better right now, and if he were to use Brainiac as the villain in the next sequel, I’m 99 percent confident that he’d do it right. Also, bring back Routh as Superman if you don’t bring back anyone else. I mean, he NAILED the role last time, and obviously, he gets the character if he’s jeopardizing his chances of keeping the role by publicly stating his opinion on what a bad idea Warner Brothers has for the next movie. That alone means something to me as a fan. Routh’s brownie points went way up in my book — even if they were pretty high to begin with.

And another thing…

It’s cool they’re making a Captain America movie, but I had to scream, “Nooooooooooo!” when I read that recent interview with Beyonce Knowles. You know the one I’m talking about. You know the one — where she pushes for the role of Wonder Woman in the forever rumored Wonder Woman film. First of all, I have to say one thing. I greatly admire Beyonce. I have three of her albums and thought she was hilarious in that Austin Powers sequel, not to mention she’s one of the few mega-celebrities you never hear anything bad about. She’s awesome. But she can’t play Wonder Woman! No, no, no, no!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (see the posts below if you don’t believe me). The actress who plays Diana Prince needs to be pale, white, dark-haired, and at least 6’1 or it’s not the same character at all. I’m a total purist when it comes to the actors who play my favorite superheroes. Adopt the look or lose the role — and some people just aren’t born with the physical characteristics to play certain characters. Sorry, Beyonce, but that’s the way I feel. Will Smith understood that. Didn’t you see his feelings on playing Superman? I wasn't too crazy about the Megan Fox hoax either. I mean, physically she fits the part better than most I've seen, but I'd prefer the role to go to someone who can act, too.

Okay, I feel better now. Thanks. :)

Spidey 4, Iron Man sequel and silly ideas

2008-11-13T22:40:00.000-08:00

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, so a lot of the news I’m excited about is probably old news to many of you.

First of all, Tobey Maguire has signed on for Spider-Man 4 and 5. Gee, did he finally realize Spidey was his bread and butter and the best role he’s ever played? Since I love these movies so much, I’m excited by this. I know not everyone liked Spidey 3, but I actually loved it, Gwen Stacey’s character aside. I’d like to see more Spider-Man movies on the big screen.

Robert Downey Jr. has also signed on for Iron Man 2 and an Avengers movie. How awesome is that? Once again Marvel will be beating DC to the punch by putting its superhero league on the big screen first. Last I heard, the Justice League movie is pretty much dead in the water.

On a personal note, I’ve decided to hone my skills as a screenwriter by doing my own take on Wonder Woman, a movie that has been in limbo for as long as I can remember. If I had to guess, I’d say the reason we haven’t seen a movie for Wonder Woman yet is because, let’s face it, she’s not an easy character to modernize. Based on everything I’ve heard, anyone who has touched the project has tried to do just that. Then the problem becomes how do you make her character relevant today? How can you modernize her in a world that already has Buffy, Charlie’s Angels and Sarah Conner battling bad guys? Wonder Woman might be the first female superhero but she’s not the only one anymore.

I think it’s possible to bring her into this century, but I also don’t see why she can’t just stick to the WWII era fighting Nazis. Keep it simple. Then again, I might just pen a manuscript and try to do a book instead. Kevin Anderson is one of my role models, after all. Yeah, maybe I need to write him for advice on breaking into the genre. Wonder if he’d reply? I’d love, love, love to write a Supergirl story. I really have an idea that I think would be fantastic for her, but alas, who am I? Plus, Supergirl has always been the problem child of DC, it seems. No writer has yet found his or her niche with her like Gail Simone has with Wonder Woman. Too bad. I’m bursting with ideas and see a lot of potential with the character. In my opinion, Supergirl’s identity has never been clearly defined as anything other than Superman’s cousin. Her backstory and personality has been rewritten so many times, it’s hard to get a good feel for the character. However, I like how Geoff Johns is using her in Action Comics right now.

Smallville, Supernatural, and Sarah Conner Chronicles

2008-09-28T23:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted, but WOW, how could I not post about the new season for these three shows.

Smallville has been much better than I expected it to be. I'm loving the first two episodes. The Lois-Clark interchange in the second episode of the new season was so much like the first few episodes of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman that I literally had chills watching it. And seeing Clark free from the clouds that are Lex and Lana has actually been pretty nice. Not to mention the Justice League scenes in the first episode were pretty cool too. More Green Arrow, please. He's yummy.

Supernatural has been frakking amazing! Each year I brag to my friends about how much better it was than the last, but these first two episodes have been the best of all so far, and that's really saying something. I mean, WOW. I puzzled all summer over how they would play the whole Dean going to Hell scenerio in a way that would make sense and come across as entertaining, and I never once thought about them bringing God into it. Genius, and inspiring. Not to mention I'm loving this new direction the show's taking. Right now this is my favorite show on TV.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a close second though. I didn't think they could top last season, but from the moment Shirley Manson started singing Samson and Deliah over the opening scene montage, I knew I was in for a fun ride. All the episodes so far have been excellent. I'm amazed a TV show like this exists. It's like watching a top quality movie every week. I can't recommend it enough.

Comic Con, Dark Knight and Lost Boys

2008-08-14T22:05:00.001-07:00

After reading and hearing all the feedback from this year's Comic Con, it is now my life's goal to go to Comic Com at least once before I die. I missed, apparently, an amazing Smallville panel and a highly entertaining Supernatural panel (not to mention a chance to get an in-person autograph from my future husband, Jensen Ackles, but, you know. That's life, I guess). I also missed the Wolverine trailer premiere and cool news from The Sarah Conner Chronicles and T4. I'm not far from Atlanta, so I'd originally hoped to go to Dragon Con this year, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Bummer.

I did see "The Dark Knight" and wow, what an intense movie! It was an amazing movie-going experience, and Heath Ledger was creepy and fantastic as the Joker. However, it was such an intense movie, it's not one I'll see over and over again. I'm still digesting it from the first viewing. They don't call it "The Dark Knight" for no reason.

Since this is a "fangirl" blog, I am going to veer off and admit this: I also saw "The Lost Boys: The Tribe." "The Lost Boys" was one of my favorite movies as a teen. When I heard they were actually, finally doing a sequel, my gut did a nosedive. As with any sequel, it could go either way - really good or disgustingly bad. I didn't see how it could be really good given the few things I'd heard about it. Well, I was right. However, it wasn't as horrible as I was expecting. I suppose since my expectations were so low, I was pleasantly surprised at how so-so I thought it was. It certainly didn't have the coolness or the style as the original. The casting was uggh, but it could have been worse.

Does anyone know if they're going to release the full Smallville Season 8 trailer anywhere? The ones on YouTube are atrocious.