Saturday 9 January 2010

THE WEEKLY WATCHER - JANUARY 8, 2010

Alexa Mendez returns for the first "Watcher" of 2010 with a host of 2010 first looks, SIEGE info and more!

Hugh Jackman Firemaker!

Hugh Jackman Firemaker! Jay Leno Show (6 january 2010)

Thursday 7 January 2010

Hugh Jackman: People’s Choice Awards 2010

From: JustJared.com

Hugh Jackman accepts his award for Favorite Action Star at the People’s Choice Awards 2010 held at the Nokia Theatre on Wednesday (January 6) in Los Angeles.

The 41-year-old Wolverine actor joked about what he’ll be doing next now that he’s won.

“Between being an action star and foreign born, there’s only one thing left for me to do,” Hugh joked after accepting his award. “And that’s run for governor of California.”

[MORE]

Hugh Jackman has fun in the snow

A Norwegian site posted some pictures of Hugh Jackman taking part in a snowball fight and some fun in the snow. Check it out here, click the numbers on top to run through them.

Wednesday 6 January 2010

Top 10 Heroes of the Decade

Marvel picks their 10 Heroes of the decade!
Every week, a secret cabal of Marvel staffers gathers to discuss the best of the best when it comes to the House of Ideas.

In a decade that has seen the Avengers Disassembled, Civil War break out, a Secret Invasion thwarted, and a Dark Reign fall and much more, the Marvel Universe's stalwart heroes have stood strong, doing whatever it takes to see that justice ultimately prevails.

This week, the Secret Cabal pays tribute to Marvel's greatest heroes from 2000 to 2009.

As always, these picks reflect the personal choices of the Secret Cabal, not the official opinion of Marvel or Marvel.com, and can be considered subjective at best. Enjoy!

[MORE]

‘First Class’ Advice For Bryan Singer’s ‘X-Men’ Return

‘First Class’ Advice For Bryan Singer’s ‘X-Men’ Return
by Josh Wigler

It's official, folks — Bryan Singer is returning to the mutant movie franchise he built up in the first place with "X-Men: First Class."

Singer's filmmaking journey has had its ups and downs — leaving the "X-Men" series for "Superman Returns," only to find that his vision didn't quite fly with mainstream moviegoers — but all of those experiences should only help the director as he settles back in for his take on Cyclops, Jean Grey and Professor Xavier's other gifted youths.

Still, here's hoping that Singer keeps the following few things in mind as he begins preparations on "First Class."

CHANGING HISTORY: While "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," set decades before Singer's first film, reflected the continuity of the initial "X-Men" trilogy, I hope that Singer realizes he doesn't have to adhere to that cinematic continuity. Story should come first and foremost, whether or not that means he has to break away from the universe established in the first three "X-Men" films.

ROSTER SHAKE-UPS: In an interview with Variety, Singer said that "First Class" would feature some familiar mutants, though he wasn't ready to reveal which ones. I'm all for the director swapping out some of the expected mutants — Cyclops and Jean, for example — if it serves the plot, but he shouldn't be afraid to include them, either. Singer doesn't have to be married to the previous casting of actors like Tim Pocock as Scott Summers, if he doesn't feel they have the right stuff to carry a film.

FALL OF THE LEADERS: Singer also said that "First Class" would depict the formative years of Xavier's school and his subsequent falling out with Magneto, the both of them aged in their late 20s, which essentially means that Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen have to sit this one out. I'm fine with that, actually. It would be far too expensive to de-age Stewart and McKellen for an entire film; that budget could be spent far better elsewhere, which brings us to...

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: A major criticism against Singer's "Superman" was an extraordinary lack of action-packed moments. That same mistake cannot be made on Singer's return to "X-Men." This is a franchise with a lot of heart and story potential, yes, but let's not forget we're talking about mutants with mutant powers. Singer is an amazing action director when he lets himself go — that absolutely has to be the case on this film.

MOST OF ALL: This is a young "X-Men" tale, so Singer has the freedom to have fun and keep things light — while taking the subject matter seriously, of course. Lauren Shuler Donner's suggestion of taking a "Harry Potter" approach is an amazing guideline that the returning filmmaker should keep mindful of. However he wants to make this movie — new team members, recasting characters, what have you — the most important thing Singer has to do is have some fun and make an enjoyable movie.

Singer Talks X-Men: First Class

Singer Talks X-Men: First Class
By Genevieve M. Blaber "ScarletScribe" on December 22, 2009

Singer Talks X-Men: First Class Director Bryan Singer is back with the X-Men, but what does that mean for the next installment in the franchise, X-Men: First Class. While Singer won't go into too many details, he did tell the folks over at the Heat Vision Blog what they could generally expect from the upcoming prequel, and what potential he thinks it holds.

Heat Vision: What is the story?

Singer: I can’t tell you that; it’s secret. But it’s basically about the formation of the X-Men. How they began and the relationship between a young Xavier and a young Magneto.

Heat Vision: Do you think the X-Men can exhaust themselves? You've got the original three, you've got Wolverine, you've got a Deadpool and Magneto in the works ...

Singer: This story would probably utilize some of the Magneto story because it deals with a young Magneto, so it might supersede that because this would explore that relationship between a young energetic professor and a disenfranchised victim of the Holocaust.

But no, I don’t see an exhaustion. The X-Men universe is boundless. These are great characters. And as young characters, they are quite different than the characters we have seen in the contemporary movies.

Astonishing X-Men, Gifted Ep. 6 Clips

Get the Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic on iTunes: http://bit.ly/48se19

Watch new clips from episode 6 of the hard-hitting motion comic ''Astonishing X-Men, Gifted.'' available for download on iTunes Wednesday, January 6!


The Weekly Watcher: December 31, 2009

In this, the very last Watcher of 2009, host Ben Morse delivers news about free Marvel swag, a Nick Fury toy and some special decade retrospectives!

Astonishing X-Men MC: Funny Outtakes

Get the Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic on iTunes: http://bit.ly/48se19 Take a look behind the scenes of the hit Motion Comic!

Marvel Hotline: Bendis on House of M

Brian Michael Bendis' multi-part Marvel Hotline series continues with a look back at his first collaboration with artist Olivier Coipel on House of M!

The Weekly Watcher: December 24, 2009

Ben Morse gets into the holiday spirit to deliver the latest Marvel news, including info on the newest episodes of "What The--?!" and the ASTONISHING X-MEN Motion Comic, Stan Lee's role in "The Super Hero Squad Show, comics coming out in March and more!

Astonishing X-Men, Gifted Ep. 5 Clips

Get the Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic on iTunes: http://bit.ly/48se19
Take a look behind the scenes of the hit Motion Comic!
Enjoy clips from episode 5 of the hard-hitting motion comic.

Stan Lee for Mayor!

The Marvel legend talks about his upcoming role in The Super Hero Squad Show's elections!

Colossus as a Vampire

Daniel Cudmore as Felix in Twilight: New Moon.

Bryan Singer back on X-Men duty - From Inside the Box - Zap2it

Bryan Singer back on 'X-Men' duty - From Inside the Box - Zap2it
Posted using ShareThis

Bryan Singer, who directed the first two "X-Men" movies before moving on to a different superhero, Superman, is getting back in business with the Marvel Comics mutants.

Singer has agreed to develop and direct "X-Men: First Class," a prequel of sorts to the franchise that follows several characters as teenagers. Jamie Moss ("Street Kings") is attached to write the script, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Chuck" co-creator Josh Schwartz had taken an earlier pass at the project.

Singer mentioned his involvement with the movie, which is based on a limited-run Marvel series, at the "Avatar" premiere Wednesday night, and studio 20th Century Fox confirmed it Thursday. The comic tells the story of several of the original X-Men -- Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Iceman and Angel -- attending Professor Xavier's school as teenagers. (In the movies, the latter two are portrayed as younger characters and probably wouldn't be featured in "First Class.")

Singer's return to the "X-Men" franchise comes six years after he directed "X2," then parted ways with Fox to helm "Superman Returns" at Warner Bros. Brett Ratner directed "X-Men: The Last Stand," and Gavin Hood helmed this year's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

Tuesday 5 January 2010

One Title to Rule Them All: Peter Jackson, Patrick Stewart Get Knighted

One Title to Rule Them All: Peter Jackson, Patrick Stewart Get Knighted
From: E!

Call it the Return of the Queen.

In a host of end-of-year honors, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson and Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart were both feted with knighthood by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.

Jackson, the mastermind behind The Lord of the Rings trilogy and its final entry, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which won the most Oscars ever, called the honor given out by the monarch and New Zealand's head of state an "incredible moment."

''I didn't think anything would surpass the 2004 Academy Awards, but I was wrong," the humbled helmer said in a written statement.

Must have the precious!

Jackson just finished up the script to a two-part prequel of The Hobbit that Mexican filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro is directing and he's producing, which is expected to start shooting early next year. His latest flick, The Lovely Bones, was just released in the U.S. to mixed reviews.

After starting out directing low-budget horror films and working his way up Hollywood's ranks, Jackson was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2002 for making the blockbuster The Lord of the Rings.

His achievement in adapting J.R.R. Tolkien's famed fantasy novels helped make the independent British Commonwealth a prime destination for film production and special effects thanks to his Weta Workshop and Weta Digital facilities in New Zealand's capitol of Wellington.

Those units are currently hard at work on Jackson's latest big-screen foray, a trilogy of films based on Tintin, the popular Belgian boy detective comic strip, which he's doing with Steven Spielberg.

Meanwhile the stately 69-year-old Stewart topped the list of Britons named honorary knights, ensuring forever more he will be known as "Sir Patrick."

After forging a successful career in British theater as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as on such acclaimed TV series as I Claudius, the thesp went to Hollywood and gained a whole new (primarily geek) following portraying Capt. Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation and its accompanying movies.

Aside from his famous bald pate, Stewart is also known for taking on the role of Charles Xavier in the blockbuster X-Men movies as well as starring in his one-man stage adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol as well as playing Scrooge in a TV version of the classic story.

The Divide on LJ

The Divide is a young but active and growing multi-canon Marvel/DC/Independent Universe hybrid game following an AU branch of the Marvel Civil War series. The setting allows players to introduce their favourite characters from any comic in whichever canon format they prefer.
THE DIVIDE OOC -//- THE DIVIDE COMMUNITY -//- THE DIVIDE INFO
RULES -//- F.A.Q. -//- PREMISE -//- WANTED -//- TAKEN -//- APPLY
On June 21st at 5:24 am, a group of heroes in opposition to the Super Human Registration Act breaks into a facility where a machine capable of transporting people to another dimension is being built. This device is key to the government's plan to build an impenetrable prison in another reality, where heroes refusing to register can be held safely. The rebellion succeeds in putting the machine out of commission, but unfortunately the uncontrolled destruction of the device leads to a tear in reality itself, displacing an as of yet unknown number of people- heroes, villains and civillians alike, ripping people from their own worlds and leaving them stranded, disorientated and confused, and even those apparently left untouched have been changed...
Accepting applications for all comic characters!
Wanted characters include: Batman, Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, Green Arrow, Lex Luthor, Green Lantern, and many, many more!

Slight confusion.

Monday 4 January 2010

Stryker's softer side.

Starting the new year off with something light.

Brian Cox is now best known for his roles in Hollywood films like MANHUNTER. But he keeps in touch with his stage roots. Here he develops his Shakespeare suzuki method, with a toddler soliloquy from 30 month old Theo.

2010

Happy New Year

Here's hoping everyone will have a good 2010, and that there will be more X-Men movies coming our way.