Paramount has posted a new teaser trailer for the upcoming J.J. Abrams-helmed Star Trek film over at the film’s official website.
The film is scheduled for a Dec. 25, 2008, release and stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Winona Ryder, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Bruce Greenwood, John Cho, Simon Pegg and Anton Yelchin.
Television networks are drastically reducing the number of pilots scheduled for production this year, according to statements issued in the last few days by many of the major networks. An elimination of pilots and reduction in the number of new script orders was announced by several networks recently, with each of the statements citing a need to cut costs due to the writers’ strike.
According to Variety, CBS announced that it had dropped several scripts due to the work stoppage late last week, while 20th Century Fox and CW announced this week that they were each dropping 8-12 pilots from their upcoming production schedules.
"Due to the ongoing work stoppage, the CW will be taking a more targeted approach to what is certain to be a truncated pilot season," the [network] said in a statement released Tuesday. "As a result, we are releasing some scripts that had been in development in order to dedicate our creative energy and resources to those projects we choose to pursue."
Sure, we heard about this whole Civil War thing that was going on in the Marvel Universe a while back, but as far as we’re concerned, that was small potatoes compared with the epic, universe-spanning shenanigans occurring throughout the Annihilation saga.
Okay, so Civil War left Captain America on a slab and Spider-Man unmasked. We’ll give you that, because they were all big deals at the time, but we challenge you to come up with a bigger event than the Annihilation Wave strapping Galactus to a freakin’ spaceship and using him as a gun, people! Seriously!
… But we digress.
Where were we again? Ah, yes, we were about to direct your attention to this great behind-the-scenes peek at the creation of the Annihilation: Conquest covers. The feature includes plenty of art from both cover artist Aleksi Briclot and Conquest editor Bill Rosemann, the mastermind behind the whole Annihilation event, and it serves as a great "director’s commentary" of sorts for both the storyline and the creative process.
"For the first cover, which I created for the Conquest Prologue, Bill gave me a lot of art suggestions (Joan d’Arc in space, a cinematographic and epic feeling, movies references…)," Briclot recalled. "Over time he also sent me new character concept art (all designed by Marko Djurdjevic), work in progress pages and lots of ideas. Then it was the usual process for each of those covers: sharing ideas and notes via e-mail, making some early quick sketches, a new discussion step, choosing the final content of each covers… Then it was up to me, polishing each picture and trying to produce the most impressive and attractive cover illustrations."
After Rich Johnston named J’Onn J’Onzz and Aquaman among the characters slated for termination in DC’s Final (Infinite Countdown to Identity Earths) Crisis event, creator Michael Netzer has begun a campaign to save the green-skinned shapeshifter.
Netzer has drafted a letter to DC and posted it on his website along with a petition to save the character and testimonials from comics fans. He’s even created several banners and other images to promote the cause.
Right around the middle of the letter, he even offers up his creative services as the character’s future caretaker:
And so… in the spirit of the image I produced to illustrate this plea, I’d like to offer my services as an artist to help revive the Martian Manhunter again, as I did back in 1977, and prevent the possibility of his untimely death… and to do it within an upcoming project of your choice for DC Comics.
While neither the certainty of J’Onn’s death nor the ability to halt any existing plans for his demise at this point are certain, there’s something to be said for the support the character is receiving from Netzer and other fans. On the flip side, a quick Google for "Save Aquaman" campaigns doesn’t seem to register any hits.
As I’ve made clear in previous columns, I like reading. I have Bloglines subscriptions to almost 700 blogs, of which I probably read 400-500 pretty regularly. I tend to group my blog subscriptions into two major categories, culture and politics – what I call “news and views” – although lately I’ve been supplementing those with blogs speaking to other interests of mine, like food and grammar and LOLcats. And I’ve noticed the same problem with these blogs, particularly the political ones, which I came across in just about every hobby of mine through the years. By and large, the writers seem to believe their subject matter is the only one worth pontificating about, and any blogger who has “outside” interests is not worthy to be in their circle.
We live in an era of divide and conquer, where each faction is encouraged into its own little category, where the idea of a well-rounded individual is anathema to getting ahead, where specialization is the order of the day. Because of deadline pressures, many artists who make their living doing comic books have to choose between penciling and inking. My husband is fond of noting that in England, where he lived for the first 36 years of his life, there was no such artificial division of labour when he learnt his craft. Imagine his frustration when we were going over the rudiments of baseball and he found out about all the different subdivisions of pitchers and fielders! He still can’t understand how a professional ballplayer can’t field at just about any position, and why most pitchers can’t complete an entire game. To tell you the truth, the part of me that’s been a baseball fanatic since girlhood, and remembers lots of complete games, readily agrees.
But everything these days is compartmentalized to within an inch of its life. “General interest” and “Renaissance person” have become almost freakish notions these days. Why this is so in the days of “multitasking” is beyond me. We’re expected to juggle umpteen tasks simultaneously at work but we can’t choose more than one passion in our downtime? (more…)
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the Apple Macintosh computer was introduced during the Superbowl with what else, a nod, rather, a shake to George Orwell’s 1984. And you know, a hot blonde in short-shorts who saves the world is always a sure win, too. Strangely enough, Apple has consistently stuck with the smarmy yet charming narrator seducing you to buy sexy devices. I’m going to go pretend that I’m way above switching my provider just so I can use the iphone.
Droool….iphone…so….sexy…
Remember the giant, horrific monster from the recent box office smash hit Cloverfield? Well, if you thought the thing was as cuddly as I did, you’ll be pleased to know that Hasbro toys, in partnership with Bad Robot and Paramount Pictures, has announced a new 14-inch, super-articulated, highly detailed limited edition of the Cloverfield Monster for you to put up on your toy shelf between your limited Fing Fang Foom Heroclick and Jack Kirby minibust.
MSNBC and TMZ.com are reporting that actor Heath Ledger was found dead in a Manhattan apartment today. Prescription pills were found at the scene of his death.
Ledger, who was scheduled to appear in this summer’s Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight, was also nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Brokeback Mountain.
He had a two-year old daughter with actress Michelle Williams, with whom he co-starred in Brokeback Mountain.
UPDATE: Police are now stating that the actor’s death appears to be a suicide. While media sources originally reported that the apartment in which Ledger was found belonged to actress Mary-Kate Olsen, a spokesperson for Olsen has now denied this report.
In today’s all-new, full-color and FREE episode of GrimJack, John Ostrander and Timothy Truman reveal the secret behind the theft of the Manx Cat. Find out why it must be returned — or the universes will collapse upon themselves!
Special preview illustration this week if you vote! Be the first to see… but that would be telling!
With the second issue of Ultimates 3 set to hit shelves this week, series writer Jeph Loeb spoke with ComicBookResources about what’s to come for Marvel’s modern-day Avengers and provided a peek at some of the interior art for the issue.
According to the preview art, the tragic events of the second volume of Ultimates might have taken their toll on the psyche of the superteam’s sharpshooter, much to the frustration of Spider-Man.
“I wouldn’t put anything past Hawkeye at this point,” Loeb remarked. “As a far better writer than I once put it, ‘A man without Hope is a Man without Fear!’”
Columns / Glenn Hauman / News
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