The Mix : What are people talking about today?

Stranger Bedfellows, by John Ostrander

 

ann_coulter_origin-6149618Forget whether or not Barack Obama is “black enough.” The newest wrinkle in the Presidential Campaign That Never Ended is whether or not John McCain is “conservative enough.” Evidently, according to two of the biggest conservative blowhards on the air – Rush “Dr. Feelgood” Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, She-Wolf of the Neo-Cons – the answer is “no.”
 
Limbaugh has been on a rampage about McCain, tearing the presumed Republican nominee a new asshole almost daily over issues like immigration and McCain’s voting against tax-cuts. Rush jokingly says he would endorse Barack Obama over McCain as Obama was “a blank canvas upon which anyone can project their fantasies and desires.” (Why am I not amazed that Limbaugh finds a black man to be a “blank canvas?” And you’re going to project your “fantasies and desires” on him? Oh, Rush – how Mandingo of you! Heavens, I feel all flushed! I swear I may have to swoon!)
 
Coulter has gone so far as to declare, on Fox’s Hannity and Colmes, she would campaign for Hilary Clinton rather than support McCain. That, if it came down to Hilary Clinton or John McCain, she would vote for Hilary Clinton as being more truly conservative. And on her site, she continues to champion “her Hilary.”
 

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From ‘Punisher’ to ‘Phantom Eagle’: Garth Ennis Q&A

Garth Ennis ends his four-year run on the Marvel MAX Punisher series next month, but fans won’t have long to wait for his next project. War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle #1 hits shelves the same month.

War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle features the return of Phantom Eagle, a Marvel character who first appeared in 1968. In this interview with Publishers Weekly, Ennis discusses his decision to leave Punisher, the draw of war-themed subject matter and his affinity for adult-oriented fare.

“Writing for adults has always made sense to me. The [backwards] nature of the comics business, with most people writing and drawing stories under the restrictions of children’s/teen’s publishing, is something I find rather frustrating—particularly as the actual audience is mostly well over 20,” said Ennis. “That doesn’t mean every single story should read like The Punisher; it just means you should have free reign to write each story as it feels appropriate.”

Ennis also hints that return to the Punisher character is certainly plausible, as he is the "kind of character you never completely say goodbye to."

(And yes, we realize that PW referred to the character as "Iron Eagle" — it’s an understandable mistake. The movie certainly was a classic.)

For more on War is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle, conducted this interview last month with Nick Lowe, the editor of the series.

 

Brand New ‘10,000 B.C.’ Trailer Hits the Net

10000bcsabertooth-7833048I’m not sure what you think of director Roland Emmerich’s previous films such as Independence Day, Stargate, The Day After Tomorrow or Godzilla, but I enjoyed them all. Well, at least the first two. But no matter your feelings about the director’s earlier work, you gotta admit that his latest effort, the prehistoric adventure 10,000 B.C., looks pretty darn interesting — judging by what we’ve seen so far.

Fortunately, you’ll get another chance to find out if Emmerich’s latest is for you because there’s a new, just-released trailer for the film over at Yahoo movies. Chock full of action, explosions and plenty of giant CGI creatures, this movie looks like a great ride and this trailer only serves to peak my interest in the film even further.

The film, which features Omar Shariff as well as a cast of relative unknowns including Steve Strait, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis and Tim Barlow, tells the epic story of D’Leh (Straight) a young mammoth hunter and his journey through uncharted territory to secure the future of his tribe. Along the way he faces many challenges and pitfalls until finally, his very life is at stake during a massive fight to determine not only his future, but the future of everything he’s ever known.

10,000 B.C. hits theaters November 30th.

NBC Universal Will Stream ‘Classic’ Shows Online

Recently, NBC Universal announced it will offer full episodes of “classic, fan-favorite series” as streaming videos on four of its network websites beginning later this month. Some of the "classic" TV shows that you’ll be able to get at the various sites include: Swamp Thing, The Crow, the ’70s version of Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, featuring Gil Gerard as Buck and Twiki the robot, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, William Shatner’s Tek War and Tremors.

According to NBC Universal, you can find the various shows at the following sites:
 
NBC.com: The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, A-Team, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, Emergency, Miami Vice and Night Gallery
 
SciFi.com: Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, Night Gallery and Tek War
 
ChillerTV.com: The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Crow, Night Gallery, Swamp Thing and Tremors
 
SleuthChannel.com: A-Team, Kojak, Miami Vice, Night Gallery and Simon & Simon
 
What, no Man From U.N.C.L.E or orignal Star Trek? Where’s the love, NBC?

Universal Goes Blu-Ray

As we reported previously, Toshiba decided to end HD-DVD so the format conflict between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD is over with Blu-Ray coming out on top. Now, with HD-DVD not an option, Universal has decided to throw its hat completely into the Blu-Ray ring and release all of its High-Def content exclusively in the format.

This announcement leaves Paramount and Dreamworks as the only major players still releasing content on HD-DVD. On switching completely to Blu-Ray, Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Home Entertainment and Universal Digital, had this to say about the company’s decision:

"While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray. The path for widespread adoption of the next-generation platform has finally become clear. Universal will continue its aggressive efforts to broaden awareness for high-def’s unparalleled offerings in interactivity and connectivity, at an increasingly affordable price. The emergence of a single, high-definition format is cause for consumers, as well as the entire entertainment industry, to celebrate."

So, what does this mean for current and soon-to-be-released Universal titles already in the HD-DVD format? Who knows. Still, after this announcement, how soon will it be before Paramount drops HD-DVD as well? Nobody in Hollywood likes to hang out with a "loser" so I’ll bet its just a matter of days, not weeks, before we get the announcement. Of course, if we do, we’ll bring you all the details right here at ComicMix.

 

WGA Strike Cost to Los Angeles: $2.5 Billion

Today, the Hollywood Reporter has a story highlighting the economic effects the recently settled WGA strike has had on the local Los Angeles economy. Citing an Economic Forcast Report set to be released today by Jack Kyser, noted LA Economist and head of the LA Economic Development Corp, the article paints a somewhat grim picture of the post-strike LA economic situation.

Among the points made by Keyser in the 71-page report is that the strike, which started November 5 and was settled earlier this month, has already cost LA an estimated $2.5 billion in lost revenue. That figure includes lost wages from TV shows that were canceled and films that were put on hold as well as losses by a vast array of support services from, according to the article, "limo drivers to florists."

Kyser also suggested in the report that the cancellation of the Golden Globes alone resulted in a $60 million loss to the LA economy. In addition, other factors will contribute to the economic situation in LA including, according to the article, that leaders of the Screen Actors Guild are "talking tough," so there is growing concern they will go on strike after the union’s labor contract with the studios expires on June 30.

 

 
 

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First Look: Two Face Toy From ‘The Dark Knight’

Dark Horizons has posted a pair of blurry photos of an action figure based on Two Face, the character played by Aaron Eckhart in the upcoming Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight. The photo was taken during this week’s Toy Fair convention, at a press-restricted event.

This is the first indication of what the character will look like in the film.

The photos interestingly reveal some notable changes from both the comic’s look and his previous film appearance in 1995’s "Batman Forever". Rather than a suit utilising different colors, this one is the same navy blue suit but the scarred half seems more scuffed and crumpled. The facial scarring does not fully encompass half his head rather about a third of it and is dark purple in color. One eye looks notably red and the surrounding socket damaged (the most likely use for the CG will be here).

For a larger version of this photo, as well as the other photo, visit Dark Horizons.

 

(via SHH)

 

 

ComicMix at Toy Fair: DC Showroom Tour

Here at ComicMix, we’ve already shown you Mattel’s "Infinite Heroes" and other DC Universe products, but there were even more comics-inspired collectibles on display just a block away at DC’s showroom in New York City’s "Toy District".

From upcoming lines of Minimates, action figures inspired by classic stories and box sets to statues, busts and "trophy room" replicas, there was, well… a lot to absorb. Heck, they even had Superman’s Cape.

After the jump, check out our complete photo tour of DC’s showroom, including several characters receiving their first action-figure treatment in comics history!

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‘300’ Leads Saturn Award Nominees

Today, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films announced its nominees for the 34th Annual Saturn Awards. Topping the list with 10 nominations is Zack Snyder’s 300 with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix following a close second with 9. Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is in the third spot with 8 nominations. 
 
Some of the other films being honored with nominations include The Golden Compass, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Spider-Man 3, which all recieved 4. Also in contention for the coveted Saturn award are The Bourne Ultimatum, Eastern Promises, Enchanted, Grindhouse, Stephen King’s The MistNo Country for Old Men, Stardust and There Will Be Blood, all of which received 3 nominations. 
 
Turning to the smaller screen, Lost found itself with 7 nominations while Dexter slashed its way to 5 and Heroes stood tall with 4. The Academy also announced two special awards that would be given at the ceremony this year:
 
Director Guillermo del Toro will receive the coveted George Pal Memorial Award and author Tim Lucas will be given a Special Achievement Award for his 2007 book: Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark.
 
This year’s awards show will take place on Tuesday, June 24, in Universal City, California. For the complete list of nominees and more info, head on over to the Saturn Awards official site.

Zack Snyder Thanks Fans With New ‘Watchmen’ Pic

Recently, Watchmen Exec. Producer herb Gaines posted his thoughts on the film at its official site now that principal photography on the film is baically complete. Now, the film’s director, Zack Snyder, has followed suit and has posted some thoughts and reflections of his own.

But this time, its not just kind words from Snyder, he’s also included a bonus gift for fans as well — a brand new pic directly from the film itself. This new pic will show, as Snyder says in his post: "How it looks when it all comes together." Sadly, the pic doesn’t reveal the look of Ozymandias, Nite Owl, Doctor Manhattan or really, much detail about the film at all.

However, it does give us Rorschach setting fire to a guy, which is pretty darn cool and will certainly whet the appetite of Watchmen fans everywhere. Heck, it did for me. Come on Zack, how about some more? Soon.

Check out a much larger version of the new pic after the jump.

Watchmen hits theaters March 6, 2009

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