Author: Robert Greenberger

This coming weekend the Baltimore Comic-Con kicks things off in a unique manner as Jim Lee will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Baltimore Orioles game at 7:05 p.m.  Lee, a baseball fan, will toss the pitch to start the con and the Orioles-Toronto Blue Jays matchup at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

"We know how well he can draw Batman — let’s see if he can throw a strike," promoter Marc Nathan said.

Lee will sign autographs, promoting the con, located across the street at the Baltimore Convention Center.

Fans for the convention can witness this themselves, as the Orioles are offering a discounted group rate for visitors coming into town for the Baltimore Comic-Con. Tickets begin as low at $8 for both Friday and Saturday nights’ games. Those who wish to see the artist deliver that first pitch should be in their seats 20 minutes ahead of time, at 6:45 p.m.
 
"The Orioles recognize how many people come to our event downtown," continued Nathan, "and they wanted to enhance everyone’s experience.  All you have to do is mention that you are with the Baltimore Comic-Con group, and the discounts will apply.  They have also made an easy-to-fill-out form to help chose which kind of seat you prefer."
 
Please go to Gate "H", the Orioles Main Box Office, to present your completed form.  See our website for more details about the event and the show, and for copies of the form – http://www.baltimorecomiccon.com/.
 
There will be fireworks at the end of Friday’s game to celebrate the weekend.

The Orioles, who are partly owned by Diamond Comics’ Steve Geppi, have had another dreadful season, with a record of 67-88 as of last night’s game.  They occupy the American League East’s basement, 26 games away from first place.  Their weekend opponents, the Blue Jays, are 15.5 games better off than the O’s.
 

The Sunburst Awards for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic were won by Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet by Joanne Proulx and The New Moon’s
Arms by Nalo Hopkinson. Hopkinson’s previously won in 2003.

Proulx’s Sunburst is the first winner in the new separate category for young adult speculative fiction.

The Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic is a prized  and juried award presented annually. It is based on excellence of  writing and awarded to a Canadian writer who has published a  speculative fiction novel or book-length collection any time during the  previous calendar year. The award consists of a cash prize of $1,000  Canadian and a hand-crafted medallion.

IDW Publishing has announced that veteran entertainment and media executive Greg Goldstein has joined the company as Chief Operating Officer.  Goldstein will manage the company’s day-to-day operations as well as help guide IDW as it expands its existing product lines and enters new categories.

Goldstein is an industry veteran since working for Topps Comics followed by stints at Inkworks, Activision, Acclaim and most recently Upper Deck.  He also founded and ran his own entertainment concern, Popmania.

Well be presenting an exclusive interview with Goldstein later this week.

This comes at a time when IDW has surpassed Image as the number four comic book publisher in America.  It’s best known for its mix of media tie-ins from the just acquired G.I. Joe to Star Trek.  They also publish original works such as Joe Hill’s Locke & Key.

While promoting his role on TNT’s Raising the Bar, J. August Richards was asked about Gunn’s role in the Angel: After the Fall comic.  The comic, from IDW, continues the WB’s series as a sixth season which saw Gunn turned into a vampire and becoming the latest Big Bad.

“You’re kidding!” he exclaimed to ifmagazine. “Oh, my God. I need to see this. That is crazy. I was told that that was what was going to happen if we were to continue or do a TV movie, but I’m so happy to actually see it happening somewhere. I always thought Gunn’s end should be, he should turn into a vampire and kill himself. That’s always how I saw that character ending. I hope I get to act that one day, I really do. I’m still connected to that character.”

The Times of London confirms that the Hot Fuzz duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost has been asked to play the Thompson Twins in Steven Spielberg’s Tintin. Hergé’s identical twin detectives were usually played for comic relief so the casting sounds ideal.

"[Spielberg] said, ‘Hey, maybe you and Nick Frost could play the Thompson Twins’", Pegg ttold the Times Online.

Thomson and Thompson as they are known, can only be told apart in the albums by their mustaches. Thomson is the bumbling detective with the flared moustache whle the bumbling detective with the flat moustache is Thompson. The duo of incompetent detectives first appeared in Cigars of the Pharaoh which was first published in 1932. At the time, they were intially identified just as X33 and X33bis.

The pair are said to be physically inspired by Hergé’s father and uncle, who were twins, complete with matching bowlers. Historians say a picture of two mustachioed, bowler-hatted, formally dressed detectives appearing on the cover of the March 2, 1919 Le Miroir also influenced the storyteller.

With the news that Albert Finney has been cast for one of the Doctor Who 2009 Specials, speculation is running at Blogtorwho that he will reprise Winston Churchill, a part he’s played on television in the past.

So, it’s probably best to sum up all that we know to date about the four Specials and the annual Christmas story so we can keep fact from fiction straight.

The 2008 Christmas Special, entitled "The Next Doctor" according to the BBC, will guest star David Morrissey (The Other Boleyn Girl) and Dervla Kirwan (True Dare Kiss) and air on the BBC in December.  No American airdate has been announced.

The four 2009 specials have two written by producer Russell T. Davies, one written by Davies and Phil Ford and one by Davies and Gareth Roberts. Two are expected to be filmed in the United States.  One will feature the characters of Donna Noble(Catherine Tate) and her grandfather, Wilf (Bernard Cribbins).  The Master (John Simm) will be back for one story. Brian Blessed has been announced but either as Yrcanos or someone new. George Moffett will be back as the Doctor’s daughter Jenn.

As for opponents beyond The Master, the site says a scene from the season finale featuring Cybermen aboard the TARDIS was cut (but is expected on the DVD release) and may set up the first Special. The Sea Devils, last seen in 1984’s “Warriors of the Deep”, are said to be coming back.

The first special is currently scheduled to air in the UK next April. The second special may not air until Christmas time and then the final two are set to run the week following.

Finally, a new Children in Need special is rumored as being planned fopr their November 14 broadcast which will feature former Doctors Peter Davison, Sylvester McCoy and Colin Baker.  To raise funds, a behind-the-scenes tour of the studios where Doctor Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood are filmed is being offered as a prize in this year’s BBC Children In Need appeal.

Cardiff will play host to 100 competition winners, who must be UK residents, and their friends and families on November 8 and 9, during a brief gap in the production schedule.

Russell T. Davies said in a release, "This is so exciting. Giving fans the opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes look at where we film Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures is just brilliant.

"It’ll be the perfect opportunity for the whole family to experience something unique and truly extraordinary. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience – and the best thing is that all the money raised will go towards BBC Children in Need."

To be in with a chance of winning a place on the tour, people will have to correctly answer a multiple-choice question. This will be announced on Friday, September 26 on The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 and on BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru. It will also be available on the official Doctor Who website, along with the full terms and conditions.

Spider-Woman is suddenyl a hot chatracter again after her major role in Secret Invasion. Now for the video completist out there, be aware that Morningstar Entertainment will release Spider-Woman – Spider-Woman vs. The Fly on October 14.  According to TV Shows on DVD, the disc will contain the monumental battle from the 1980s along with two bonus episodes from the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon: "The Slippery Dr. Von Schlick" and "The Spider and the Fly".  At present this is only scheduled to be released in Canada and can be purchased through Amazon.ca.