June 2009 Archives

It's round two for Anime Expo 2009 at Los Angeles Convention Center July 2nd- 5th. This will be the second year that AX has been at the LACC, and the convention is growing bigger each year. All the ingredients that make AX one of the biggest conventions of it's kind world-wide have returned including: concerts, industry panels and of course, cosplaying.

AX is hosted by the non-profit Society for Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) and whose current mission statement is: "to popularize and educate the American public about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate communication between professionals and fans."

Since the SPJA took over in 1992 Anime Expo has grown each year and hopes to continue to grow in 2009. Last year's attendance was up 5 percent from 2007, with the convention bringing in 43,000 attendees. This year attendees have a lot to get excited for. Main events include a concert by all-girl band Morning Musume, and AX Idol.

Morning Musume's story began in 1997 when Japanese producer Tsunku held auditions for a female rock vocalist for his band SHARAN Q held on the Japanese TV show ASAYAN. With the five runner-ups from the contest, Tsunku decided to create an all-girl group that sold 50,000 copies of their demo CD single "Seed of Love" and became MORNING MUSUME. While switching members in and out for the past 11 years Morning Musume has emerged as the top female band in Japan.

AX Idol is another fan favorite in which contestants enter the singing or voice acting competitions. The singing competition works similar to American Idol in which contestants sing tunes from anime and get critiqued by the judges, and the winner gets to record an album. The voice acting competition is a little more unique and has the contestants dub over part of a Japanese anime in English with the winner gettting a contract with Bang Zoom Entertainment to voice act.


Last year attendees were waiting to see if the L.A. Convention Center would be a great place to hold AX. All the rumors of the area not being safe turned out to be false. That area of downtown next to Staples Center, LACC, and the Nokia Theatre has great lighting, and is within walking distance of all the hotels. A walk back to your hotel even at 2 a.m. doesn't feel dangerous. The most dangerous thing that I saw last year was everybody jay-walking across Chick Hearn Court from Nokia Theatre back to the LACC after a main event was over.

Sadly the Nokia Center will not be used this year. The official AX statement is, "Due to evaluation of 2008 usage, and planned programming for 2009, Anime Expo® will not be utilizing Nokia Theatre for main events in 2009. All major events including Opening/Closing Ceremonies, Concerts, Masquerade, AX Idol and AMV¹s will be held within the Los Angeles Convention Center." This is an interesting move with attendance always increasing, and the Nokia Center packed last year, but during these economic times I assume it was too expensive to rent out this year.

Anime Expo 2009 kicks off this Wednesday, and we'll have any ground-breaking news that comes out of the industry panels, and main events. So if you're in L.A., and you love anime, manga, or video games be sure to stop by North America's largest anime convention during the July 4th weekend.

For more information regarding Anime Expo 2009 check out the official site at
www.anime-expo.org.

Johnathan English of Oxnard, Calif., the first customer in line for a first-look midnight screening of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," dons an Optimus Prime mask as he waits with fellow "Transformers" fans at Universal Citywalk AMC Cinemas in Los Angeles, Tuesday, June 23, 2009. The film opens nationwide on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

DAVID GERMAIN,
AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Alien robots have transformed into box-office superstars with $200 million in domestic ticket sales in just five days.

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" took in $112 million in the sequel's first weekend and $201.2 million since opening Wednesday, according to Sunday estimates from Paramount, which is distributing the DreamWorks movie.

It was well on the way to becoming the year's top-grossing movie.

That was a few million dollars higher than other studios were expecting for the movie, and the figures could change a bit when final numbers are released Monday.

Still, it was a colossal start for the "Transformers" sequel, whose opening five days amounted to nearly two-thirds of the $319 million domestic total the franchise's first movie did over its entire run in 2007.

Now playing in almost every other country except India, the movie added $185.8 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $387 million. That's well over half the $708 million global total for the first "Transformers."

That first movie began with a $70.5 million weekend. Based on how well the sequel has done, "Revenge of the Fallen" could join the handful of movies that have topped the $400 million mark domestically.

"I'd say given the momentum it has, it's got a real shot," said Rob Moore, vice chairman at Paramount.

Photos by Peter Kramer and Dan Steinberg / Associated Press

MICHAEL KUCHWARA
AP Drama Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Alan Cumming and Evan Rachel Wood have joined the cast of "Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark," the upcoming Broadway musical about the famous web-slinger.

Wood will portray Peter Parker's girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson, while Cumming takes on the role of Norman Osborn, also known as the villainous Green Goblin.

The musical, directed by Julie Taymor, begins preview performances Feb. 25, 2010, at the Hilton Theatre.

An opening date will be announced later -- as will the actor who will play Spider-Man.

"Spider-Man" will feature a score by Bono and The Edge of U2.

Taymor was the creative force behind "The Lion King," Disney's long-running musical, now in its second decade on Broadway. She will co-write the "Spider-Man" book with Glen Berger.

Taymor worked with Wood on the film "Across the Universe" and with Cumming on "The Tempest" and "Titus," both screen adaptations of Shakespeare plays.

"Evan is unique: she is a young actress with incredible depth for both serious and comic drama in films and theater, and on top of that, she has an extraordinary lyrical voice," Taymor said. As for Cumming, the director added: "He has such range and such charisma as a performer that I feel his Green Goblin will bring many surprises that will move and entertain us."

The story for the musical was inspired by the Marvel comic books hero -- who's also inspired three hit movies -- and will include the story of his origins as well as new material.

Other members of the show's production team include set designer George Tsypin, who did the sets for "The Little Mermaid" on Broadway; costume designer Eiko Ishioka; lighting designer Donald Holder of "The Lion King" and sound designer Jonathan Deans who has worked for Cirque du Soleil.

A visitor aims a "nerf dart" gun at a Transformer figure at BotCon 2009, the official Transformers convention, marking the 25th anniversary of the Transformer phenomenon in Pasadena, Calif., Friday, May 29, 2009. The show precedes the opening next week of the Transformers movie, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." BotCon runs through Sunday, May 31, at the Pasadena Convention Center. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)


Note: "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" broke the Wednesday opening box office record earning $60.6 million beating former record holder "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" which earned more than $44 million when it opened in 2007 (via Box Office Mojo).

DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," opening Wednesday, and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," coming in mid-July, are this year's surefire Hollywood blockbusters.

Last year's smash hit, "The Dark Knight," was the biggest box-office behemoth in more than a decade.

If history holds true, the combination of "Transformers" and "Harry Potter" should more than match the whopping $533.3 million haul of last year's "The Dark Knight" and keep the movie business on track to beat last year's summer record revenue of $4.2 billion.

While ticket sales have been brisk this season, Hollywood fell into a bit of a slump this month, when receipts three weekends in a row fell short of business over the same periods last year.

Metropolis Comics in Bellflower will host a signing event to celebrate the comic book crossover of Simpsons Comics, Bart Simpson and Simpsons Super Spectacular next Wednesday July 1.

The final issue in the crossover story is released that Wednesday and customers can snag all three issues and get their copies signed.

Artist-writer Batton Lash ("Supernatural Law"), artist Tone Rodriguez and Bongo Comics honcho Bill Morrison will be on hand to sign copies of the Simpson crossover issues and do sketches from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

...And I should mention that there will be donuts with your Simpsons comics purchase.


Metropolis Comics is located at 16509 Bellflower Blvd., Bellflower, CA. For more information call (562) 263-0277.

 

 

  

By Ryan Riley, Contributor

Pulp Fiction (the bookstore, not the Tarantino film) is closing the doors of its location at Lakewood & Carson on Saturday, June 27, 2009, and will be moving into a new, larger location at 1742 Clark Av. (near Atherton St.). The new storefront will be open for business on Wednesday, July 1, 2009, just in time for new comic book day.

It was about five years ago that Mike Lerner opened up Pulp Fiction bookstore near Long Beach City College. The store was smaller and more streamlined than what was typical for comic book stores in the area, like Amazing Comics and the now-defunct 5-Star Comics owned by Rob Van Dam. Due to the size constraints of the store, Lerner adopted a leaner business model that focused more on stocking new comics, graphic novels & manga along with a limited number of higher-end comic book back issues. It's a business model that has since been adopted out of necessity by many of the larger comic book stores because of the dwindling returns from direct back-issue sales.

I was curious about Pulp Fiction when it first popped up, especially since it was giving LBC locals an alternative to the juggernaut that was Amazing Comics. But my wife developed a taste for the Chinese food at LV Seafood and loved to shop at Nused Books, both of which were across the street on Norse Way. Because of that, I would wander over to PF to look for comics while my wife shopped for paperback novels on the cheap, and I got to know Mike rather well during that time. It was happenstance that brought me there, but it was the discounted graphic novels (I had long since abandoned purchasing single issues of comics) and Mike's laid back-yet-knowledgeable demeanor that kept me coming back long after my wife stopped eating at LV Seafood (she became a vegetarian).

It will be interesting to see how Pulp Fiction will evolve now that it will boast more in-store space (and more storage space). It should make for a more comfortable environment to conduct in-store signings, if nothing else. If future book signings are anything like last February's, when Zeb Wells & Todd Nauck were signing the Spider-Man comic with the Obama appearance, then the extra space will come in handy indeed!

Fans who don't make it to San Diego for Comic-Con International already know plenty of ways to keep up on the announcements, creator interviews and celebrity appearances via the web.

How about those fans who want to see it live on their TV? 

In what is being dubbed a Comic Con first, fan-fave channel G4 and Lucasfilm will air The Star Wars Spectacular! Saturday July 25 at 2 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on G4.  Hosts Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira will guide the coverage.

I have not taken advantage of G4 in the past when it comes to the Comic-Con and I am blown away by the amount of coverage this event is getting across all media.

Speaking of coverage, Modern Mythology will be at the San Diego Comic-Con.  It's our inaugural Con coverage as a blog (I went last year and video profiled a local writer-artist for the Press-Telegram). I'll drop more details in the near future.

No, Olivia Munn (above) will not be helping me -- Darn it.


Image by Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images

US film director and executive producer Michael Bay, right, US actress Megan Fox, center, and US actor Shia Labeouf, left, arrive for the German premiere of their movie 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen', in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday, June 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Maya Hitij)

CHRISTY LEMIRE
AP Movie Critic

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A joyless cacophony, an insistent and seemingly endless onslaught, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," director Michael Bay's follow-up to the 2007 smash "Transformers" plays more like a parody of a Bay movie.

You name it, it gets shot up, blown up or otherwise obliterated in a massive fiery ball, from suburban homes and cars to aircraft carriers and even an Egyptian pyramid. Along the way, our sense of sanity and humanity also get destroyed, as we feel as if we are being held captive by these walking, talking, shape-shifting robots -- both the good guys and the bad.

The Autobots and Decepticons aren't the only ones assaulting us in their epic battle: Regular people are just as obnoxious -- probably more so -- with their nonstop yelling and yammering. Everyone is overcaffeinated, everyone screams their lines, perhaps so they can hear each other over the explosions and the thunderous score.

Who knows, and more importantly, who cares? It is impossible to become emotionally invested in the Transformers, cool-looking as they may be when the movie settles down for a rare moment (the work of the venerable Industrial Light & Magic), because it's impossible to tell who's doing what to whom. It's all one messy amalgamation of twisted steel and shattered glass, accompanied by generic crunching and shrieking sounds. The only robots with any discernible personality traits, aside from bravery or antagonism, are the Autobot twins, Mudflap and Skids. These are shockingly crass and unfortunate black stereotypes, jive-talking fools who can't read and bumble their way from one mishap to the next. They are Jar Jar Binks in car form.

After only an hour, it all feels boring and numbingly repetitive, and one glance and the watch tells you you've got another solid hour and a half to go.

What's that, you say? You want to know what the "Transformers" sequel is about? How quaint. Basically, it follows the further adventures of plucky, young Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf, seriously straining his likability), who is yet again stuck in the middle of the eternal fight between the noble Autobots and the evil Decepticons.

The mythology is much more dense than that, though, as we learn from several self-serious, expository speeches delivered by Autobot leader Optimus Prime (voiced as always by Peter Cullen), Decepticon leader Megatron (Hugo Weaving) -- oh yes, he's back -- and the elderly Brit, Jetfire (Mark Ryan). Something about millennia of history and oppression, and capturing the energy of the sun. (Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman returned to write the script, along with Ehren Kruger, inspired by the Hasbro Transformer toys and the animated '80s TV show.)

Megan Fox is also back as Sam's impossibly hot girlfriend, Mikaela, with whom he hopes to maintain a long-distance relationship as he heads off to college. (The first time we see her, it's from behind in a pair a Daisy Duke shorts as she's bent over a motorcycle seat; this, and running across the desert while maintaining perfect lip gloss, are all she's asked to do.) Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson also provide eye candy as commanders of a secret team that works alongside the Autobots to hunt down any remaining Decepticons; this requires them to look hot in camouflage as they squint pensively into the sunset.

Laughs are unusual in this brawny endeavor, but if anyone gets them, it's John Turturro as a former secret agent who gets hauled back into the fray. You'll feel as if you've been dragged in, too.

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," a DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, language, some crude and sexual material, and brief drug material. Running time: 150 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

Some early images of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen have surfaced on the web from Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland."

Check out Depp above and click here to go to the Huffington Post for shots of the others.

The film is coming to theaters in 2010.

Megan Fox may not be wowing fans with her recent interview comments or recent (unintentional) snub of a young fan with a flower, but we all need to remember it's us against the Decepticons and she's on our side.

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" opens Wednesday. 

Writer, creator and comic book Maestro Grant Morrison is hitting sunny Southern California next week July 1 for a signing at Meltdown Comics.

I missed Guillermo Del Toro at Meltdown earlier this month when he appeared to promote his co-authored book "The Strain" so you know I'm trying like heck to work my schedule to get to Morrison's appearance.

Some of you may have issues with "Final Crisis" but that's no excuse not to read "Batman and Robin." Even though the story takes off from recent Batman comics continuity it's not the usual fare -- it's better.

Isn't that true for most work done by Morrison and artist Frank Quitely?  

Meltdown Comics is located at 7522 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. And the gig happens from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The site is www.meltcomics.com.  

In correspondent Kent Jones' video segment on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show last week, he gives his take on actor Shia LaBeouf's  reported mention of an "Indiana Jones" sequel.

The movie industry has suffered from the sequel virus for years.  While I expect the studios to discuss another Indiana Jones flick, I agree with Kent Jones that it may be a step in the wrong direction if they do one.

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" made a boatload of money (more than $780 million worldwide).  That's all well and good but there's a downside: The side effect of grinding out yet another film that turns out to be critically shaky, like Crystal Skull, is that it may degrade a fine collection of movies (before Skull) and an awesome character like Indiana Jones.

Ah, just watch the video -- it's funny.

Recently we had a chance to get some questions answered by Marvel writer Greg Pak about his main projects: Incredible Hulk, Skaar Son of Hulk, and War Machine. He also told us about how some of these ideas came about, and some of his plans for the future.

Modern Mythology: I've read that you're coming back to being a regular in the "Hulk" series with issue #601. What can you tell us about the direction you're going to take with the characters?

Greg Pak: This is the culmination of a crazy plan the Hulk office has been cooking up since the end of "World War Hulk." I can't say too much for fear of spoilers, but the story launches out of the climactic conclusions to Jeph Loeb's "Incredible Hulk" #600 in July and my own "Skaar" #12 in June. It's a whole new world of smash and a perfect jumping on point for "Planet Hulk" and "World War Hulk" fans as well as brand new readers ready for a shocking new direction, massive emotional payoffs, and multiple megatons of gamma powered smashing.

Modern Mythology: And how is it working with artist Ariel Olivetti?

Greg Pak: Ariel's been fantastic to work with so far -- wait until you see the cover to issue #602! He's justifiably renowned for his amazing work on "Punisher War Journal" and "Cable" drawing giant guys fighting, so that makes him a natural for "Incredible Hulk." But he's got a great touch for little emotional details and funny, human moments -- he's making every element in the book really come alive.

Modern Mythology: Perhaps you answered this in the last question, but I hear your last Skaar issue is #12 -- Will he figure into your new Hulk run, and if not, any hints on how will Skaar will figure into the Marvel Universe now that he's in the neighborhood?

Greg Pak: Skaar will indeed play a big role in my "Incredible Hulk" run -- that's definitely him behind Banner on the cover to #601. I'll just say he's about to have a massive impact on his pop and just about everyone else he meets in the Marvel Universe.

Modern Mythology: Do you like taking certain characters that you are personally interested in, and revitalizing them? Or does Marvel pitch the idea to you?

Greg Pak: Sometimes a Marvel editor will approach me with a character and pitch that I just can't say no to. "Magneto Testament" was like that for me. I've always thought Magneto was a fantastic character, but for one reason or another I hadn't independently come up with many stories featuring him. But when editor Warren Simons approached me about telling Magneto's origin story as a boy during the rise of the Nazis and the Holocaust, I was immediately hooked and knew I was going to do everything I possible could to write that project and do it justice. And then there are characters that I've been itching to write forever and have basically lurked around waiting for my shot. My first run on the Hulk came about that way. I bonded with editor Mark Paniccia while working on a completely different project, and at every opportunity, I'd shamelessly tell him how much I dug the Hulk. And eventually when it came time for Marvel to pick a new Hulk writer, all those hints I'd been dropping must have paid off.

Modern Mythology: Where did you get the idea for the direction of the new War Machine series?

Greg Pak: The idea was actually editor Bill Rosemann's. I heard him pitch the idea of Jim Rhodes as a one man army taking on the world's worst dictators and madmen at a Marvel creative summit two years ago and couldn't get it out of my head. I asked him if he had a writer; he grinned and said no. And within a few weeks, we were off to the races.

Modern Mythology: What's coming up in War Machine this year?

Greg Pak: Everything changes for Rhodey this year. Even as we speak, he's finally brought his fight against madmen and monsters to American soil. He's fighting to save the country -- but he might just end up branded a traitor in the process. Key issues are #7 and #8, in which we learn about his target and see how he reacts to a high-octane intervention from his former teammates in the West Coast Avengers. Then at long last there's a War Machine versus Iron Patriot showdown in issues #9 and #10 -- and only one man will be standing at the end. It's a massive turning point for James Rhodes that might just tear the heart and soul out of the Marvel Universe. I'll say no more.

Modern Mythology: How was the Marvel Comics retreat? Were you surprised by anything that happened there?

Greg Pak: Something surprising always happens at the creative summits. My non-disclosure agreement prevents me from saying much more, but there were a lot of big smiles at the end of this last meeting.

Modern Mythology: Finally, how does writing for comics compare to your work as a film writer-director?

Greg Pak: Writing comics can often be more time consuming that writing a film script. Film writing tends to be very stripped down. A screenplay is read by all kinds of people, not just the folks involved in actually making the movie -- so I never overexplain visuals. The idea is to write simply and evocatively in a way that allows any reader to "see" the movie while reading.

On the other hand, comic book scripts are generally read only by the people who are actually making the comics. So I fill them with what in the film world would be my director's notes. In a comic script, I'll break each page down into panels, which would be the equivalent of breaking each scene down into different shots in a film script. I may give very specific visual direction, directly address editors and artists and letterers, or maybe even digress for a minor treatise about the visual look of the whole book. As a result, my film scripts tend to be a bit more elegant, a touch closer to a satisfying literary read in and of themselves. But the comic scripts probably provide a better window to an outsider into the actual workings of the creative process, since they're chock full of practical details of creative choices.

Modern Mythology: Any plans for new film projects in the coming year?

Greg Pak: I just got greenlit to direct a new short film entitled "Mister Green," which should be a blast. I should have more info about it soon at www.pakbuzz.com.

Pictures courtesy of Marvel.com and pakbuzz.com

The Art Theatre and Lil Devils Boutique in Long Beach invite you to the prom.

Well, if you go, you have to go with that nice girl down the block. You know, Carrie? The skinny one with the overbearing mom?

On June 27 at 9 p.m. Lil Devils and the Art will have a "seventies style" prom -- "Love Among The Stars Prom: 1976," There will be drinks and pics for attendees. After the party, guests can head over to the Art Theatre up the way for an 11 p.m. screening of "Carrie." Tickets are $2 off for people in prom attire.

Some friends and I went to see a late screening of "Carrie" at the Art some weeks ago and there were more than a few movie guests in prom dresses.

Ladies usually have an advantage in getting decked out for these kind of gatherings so my advice is for the dudes; Check out actor William Katt's duds in that flier above. You can't miss if you sport a powder blue tux with a ruffled shirt.

That's all I'm saying!

More details: Lil Devils Boutique, 2218 E. 4th St., 562-439-0555 and The Art Theatre, 2025 E. 4th St., 562-438-5435.

From wire reports

"Twilight" and its cast led the field with 12 nominations as nominations for the Teen Choice Awards were announced Monday.

The film was nominated in the movie drama and romance categories, while star Robert Pattinson was nominated for best actor in a drama.

"High School Musical 3: Senior Year" and its cast, Miley Cyrus and The CW series "Gossip Girl" and its cast each received 10 nominations and the Jonas Brothers nine.

Winners will be determined in an online vote at www.teenchoiceawards.com.

The Teen Choice Awards will be presented Aug. 9 at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City.

List of nominees below:

By Ryan Riley, Contributor

Thanks largely to the tremendous success of "Iron Man" and "The Dark Knight", comic-based movies dominated the box office in 2008. 2009 seems to be following a different trend. "Watchmen", while (for the most part) well-executed, didn't quite make the impact that we expected it would. And "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" didn't take home as much money as it could have thanks in some part to internet bootlegging. No, the movie genre that seems poised to make a large impact at theaters this year is TV show-based movie remakes.

I'm talking about the studios churning out movies based on TV shows that only older fogies like me would remember watching back in the 20th century. While this is not by any means a new trend, it has definitely become more pronounced since the start of the new millennium. This year alone has seen the release of remakes based on Star Trek and Land of the Lost, with a new Transformers film due out later this summer.

While some remakes work out well (like Barry Sonnenfeld's brilliant "The Addams Family"), others get an "A" for effort but don't quite hit the mark ("Lost in Space" comes to mind). And then there are the ones that are just bad beyond words. I think it would behoove all of us to review some of those flops in order to remind ourselves that we should choose the TV series remakes we sacrifice our $10 (or more) to see more judiciously at the theater.

Aeon Flux

This movie was based on a series of animated shorts with the same name that aired on MTV in the 1990's. Mind you, this was when the network still actually played music videos more than occasionally. Back in the day, MTV was also known for showcasing some of the most innovative animation around (Beavis & Butthead notwithstanding), and the ultra-violent, hypersexual Aeon Flux stood out from the crowd. The story is set in a fairly bleak future, where the anarchic nation of Monica is engaged in a Cold War with their nearest neighbor, the science-ruled state of Bregna. Aeon Flux is a Monican secret agent that is out to inflict some pain on her country's enemies. While she is quite skilled at acrobatics and killing people, she hasn't really mastered the fine art of living through her missions. Series creator Peter Chung had a penchant for killing his cartoonishly-skinny leading lady in almost every episode, starting a trend that Matt Stone & Trey Parker would make funny with Kenny's many demises in "South Park".

The movie version, starring Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron, toned down the sex & violence to PG-13 levels, and a lot got lost in the translation from animation to film. Despite a valiant attempt to flesh out the futuristic world only hinted at in the animated series, the film failed to capture what made Aeon Flux so captivating in the first place. Peter Chung felt the same way, calling the final film product "a travesty".

Masters of the Universe

This movie was based on the insanely successful cartoon "He-Man & The Masters of the Universe". The series took place on the planet Eternia, which showcased the never-ending battle between He-Man and his allies and the sinister forces of Skeletor, was your basic sword & sorcery romp of a cartoon. Because it was based on the toy line of the same name (a standard practice in the 1980's), it boasted a colorful cast of characters on both sides of the fight, like Ram-Man, Tri-Klops & Trap Jaw. Yes, it was rather simplistic compared to some of the other cartoon fare of the day, and Orko, a whimsical imp of a character clearly created to appeal to the toddler set, got on the nerves of the rest of us. Despite those drawbacks it was still an entertaining show, at least for children.

Even though a couple of years had passed between my watching the series and the movie coming out, I figured that it would be at least as enjoyable as the cartoon. I could not have been more wrong. They got Dolph Lundgren (he played the Russian boxer Ivan Drago from "Rocky IV") to play He-Man, and although he definitely looked the part, he didn't quite bring the right sensibility to the character. It didn't help that although the characters were from Eternia, the story took place on Earth, or that the many colorful characters from the series were largely left out of the movie. Orko was axed, but he was replaced by Gwildor, a Yoda ripoff played by the High Aldwin himself (gold star for the reader that actually gets this obscure reference), the late Billy Barty. All in all, they would have been far better off ditching the horrible idea all together and putting together an animated movie, like Paramount did with the "The Transformers: The Movie" back in 1986.

Bewitched

The original "Bewitched" television show, which aired from 1964 to 1972, followed the adventures of an advertising executive named Darren Stephens and his wife Samantha, a housewife that happens to be a witch. Samantha fell in love with mortal Darren and married him despite the fact that her relatives disapprove of any relations with mere humans. The awkwardly hilarious situations revolved largely around their attempts to hide Samantha's power from other humans and her family's repeated pranks on husband Darren. All of this made for a brilliant show, and many years later a remake seemed like a natural fit. If only the script writers had come up with a worthy story!

Instead of a straight-up homage to the TV show, the story is about (brace yourself) the making of a movie remake of "Bewitched". Will Ferrell plays an egotistical Hollywood star hired to play Darren in the remake, and Nicole Kidman plays the unknown actress hired to play Samantha. The twist is, Kidman's character is actually a real-life witch, and hilarity ensues once the stage is set. At least, that was what was supposed to happen. What actually happened was a train-wreck of a movie about making a remake, which was topped off by a lack of romantic chemistry between Kidman & Ferrell.

The Winning Formula?

To the writing team that is working on the upcoming "A-Team" remake with Liam Neeson & Bradley Cooper, consider this a good piece of advice. It seems to me that if you are going to do a movie based on a television show, you should, at the very least, do extensive research on the show to find out what made it click with viewers in the first place. If you don't carry over at least the spirit of the source material, the movie is more likely to be a flop.

As usual, if you folks feel that I left something important out (or just think that I'm full of it), by all means leave some feedback below.

JESSE WASHINGTON
AP National Writer

News Corp. has agreed to form an external diversity council after meeting with civil rights groups about a New York Post cartoon that critics said likened President Barack Obama to a dead chimpanzee.

The company will form a "diversity community council" in New York City that will meet with senior company executives twice a year, News Corp. and the NAACP said Wednesday. It also will include a statement of commitment to diversity in its annual report.

There was an immediate outcry after the Post, a News Corp. subsidiary, published the cartoon in February. The tabloid offered a qualified apology on its Web site, and News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch published a fuller apology in the newspaper, but pressure for further action continued.

NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous called the cartoon an "invitation for assassination" and urged a boycott of the newspaper and the firing of the editor and cartoonist. The Rev. Al Sharpton asked the Federal Communications Commission to review policies allowing News Corp. to control multiple media outlets in the same market.

After the protests died down, there were discussions between community groups and News Corp., which culminated in a meeting on May 19.

The meeting included representatives from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Sharpton's National Action Network, the National Urban League and 100 Black Men of America.

The heads of those organizations were not present at the meeting, nor was Murdoch, according to a person who was there. The person was not authorized to discuss the matter and asked not to be identified.

The four groups will be represented on the new diversity committee, said News Corp. spokesman Jack Horner. The membership was still being finalized, but Horner said it would also include organizations such as the Hispanic Federation, Alianza Dominicana and the New York Gauchos, which offers after-school programs and is best known for its top-flight youth basketball teams.

Horner said Sharpton, a longtime adversary of the New York Post and the subject of recent critical stories by the paper, will not be on the panel.

Committee members are not paid, Horner said, and no donations are part of the agreement.

Similar diversity advisory boards already exist in Chicago and Los Angeles, Horner said.

"This is an expansion of what we've had elsewhere," Horner said. "The key is we're always responding and learning from our communities."

The cartoon, by Post provocateur Sean Delonas, appeared as Obama's stimulus bill moved through Congress and after a violent pet chimp was killed by police in Connecticut. It depicted the body of a bullet-riddled chimp and two police officers. The caption read: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."

It was unclear what effect the agreement would have within News Corp., whose New York Post and Fox News Channel properties have been persistently criticized by minorities as insensitive or sometimes racist.

The Rev. Jacque Andre DeGraff, of 100 Black Men, attended the May 19 meeting and said part of the results will be "what you don't see ... a heightened sensitivity to the concerns of our community." DeGraff also hoped that they would "cast a wider net" in hiring.

Ultimately, though, "the proof is in the pudding," he said. "Our community has good reason to be skeptical, and not just about News Corp."

Maurice Cox, vice president for diversity at PepsiCo Inc., said his company established similar external advisory committees about 10 years ago. "They have paid significant dividends for us," he said.

The relationship is often tense because the advisers don't have to worry about offending company executives, Cox said.

"There has to be huge trust" for the committees to be effective, he said. "You have to feel comfortable, your CEO has to feel comfortable sitting across the table from someone who might stare him or her down."

When it comes to animation there's always a chance for a second life on television.  Your cast doesn't age much, the sets are cheaper to reproduce.  And in the case of creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's "Futurama," outstanding DVD sales are tough to ignore.

"Futurama" is coming back and 26 new episodes are being ordered. The first is expected to air on Comedy Central in 2010.

If the brilliant Seth MacFarlane of "Family Guy" got a second shot why can't the same happen for Groening, the architect of the legendary "Simpsons?"

Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly has a brief piece on the return of Bender, Fry and crew -- The post has a ton of comments. 

They are calling actor Mickey Rourke Whiplash -- the 'Iron Man 2' baddie with techno-tendrils on each arm that can whip the armor off a tank.  The rumor is that this character is a combination of Marvel villain Blacklash and Russian Iron Man nemesis The Crimson Dynamo. 

The squad at MTV Splashpage say this image of Rourke is some indication the scuttlebutt is true.

Either way, this guy looks scary. 

Now when are those 'Iron Man 2' Scarlett Johansson images going to hit the Web? 

I have to thank my old friend Tibbs for sending me this one... In his e-mail he said he laughed out loud. 

I thought there would be some extra graphics work on this mash up, but the clips the creator used from "Star Wars" and the theme from "Magnum P.I." fit perfectly.

DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Two live-action comedies were unable to bring down the animated adventure "Up." Disney and Pixar Animation's "Up" reeled in $44.2 million to remain on top of the box office for the second weekend in a row, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Warner Bros. bachelor-bash comedy "The Hangover" came in a close second with a $43.3 million debut. Will Ferrell's action comedy for Universal, "Land of the Lost," had to settle for a distant third with a $19.5 million opening.

"Up" was the first movie of Hollywood's busy summer season to take the No. 1 spot for two straight weekends. But overall revenues fell for the second weekend in a row, putting the brakes on what has been shaping up as a record revenue year for the movie business.

The top 12 movies took in $164 million, down 6 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Kung Fu Panda" opened on top with $60.2 million, according to box-office figures compiled by Hollywood.com.

For the year, Hollywood has taken in $4.3 billion, up 12.5 percent from 2008 revenues. But studios have been unable to maintain the red-hot pace of the year's first four months.

"Definitely, things have slowed," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "But there are some potential saviors on the horizon."

Three big sequels -- "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," ''Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" -- open within three weeks of one another starting June 24.

With $137.3 million in the bank after just 10 days, "Up" is streaking toward the $200 million mark achieved by such previous Pixar hits as "WALL-E," ''Ratatouille," ''Cars" and "Toy Story 2."

Revenues for most big movies typically drop 50 percent or more in the second weekend, but the audience for "Up" was down only 35 percent from its opening. That puts it in line with "Finding Nemo," the top-grossing Disney-Pixar animated tale, said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney.

"Up" likely will finish in the top three among Pixar flicks, Viane said. Leading the Pixar slate now are "Finding Nemo" with $339.7 million, "The Incredibles" with $261.4 million and "Monsters, Inc." with $255.8 million.

"The Hangover" features Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis as pals on a wild Las Vegas bachelor party, during which they misplace the groom (Justin Bartha) and run into all manner of misadventures.

Warner Bros. had expected "The Hangover" to finish at No. 3 behind "Up" and "Land of the Lost." But the movie found a broad audience split almost evenly between men and women and those over and under 25, said Dan Fellman, Warner head of distribution.

"Sunday's always good for a hangover," Fellman said.

"The Hangover" was directed by Todd Phillips, whose 2003 comedy "Old School" featured a breakout role for Ferrell.

Yet Ferrell had one of his weaker openings with "Land of the Lost," inspired by the 1970s children's TV show about adventurers hurled back to an age of dinosaurs. Ferrell's new twist generally was trashed by critics as a crude update.

Sony's "Angels & Demons" took in $6.5 million domestically and $22.3 million overseas to hit $409 million overall, the first 2009 release to cross the $400 million mark worldwide.

In narrower release, Fox Searchlight's romantic comedy "My Life in Ruins" had a so-so debut of $3.2 million, coming in at No. 9. The movie stars Nia Vardalos ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding") as a discontented tour guide in Greece who unexpectedly finds love.

Focus Features' road-trip romp "Away We Go" had a strong opening in limited release, pulling in $143,260 in four theaters for a healthy average of $35,815 a cinema.

That compares to an average of $11,588 in 3,818 theaters for "Up," $13,238 in 3,269 cinemas for "The Hangover," $5,545 in 3,521 locations for "Land of the Lost" and $2,771 in 1,164 theaters for "My Life in Ruins."

"Away We Go," starring John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph as a couple searching out the best place in North America to raise a family, was directed by Sam Mendes ("American Beauty"). The film expands to more theaters Friday.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Up," $44.2 million.

2. "The Hangover," $43.3 million.

3. "Land of the Lost," $19.5 million.

4. "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," $14.7 million.

5. "Star Trek," $8.4 million.

6. "Terminator Salvation," $8.2 million.

7. "Drag Me to Hell," $7.3 million.

8. "Angels & Demons," $6.5 million.

9. "My Life in Ruins," $3.2 million.

10. "Dance Flick," $2 million.

On the Net:

http://www.hollywood.com/boxoffice

GRANT PECK
Associated Press Writer

BANGKOK (AP) -- Actor David Carradine, a born seeker and cult idol who broke through as the willing student called "grasshopper" in the 1970s TV series "Kung Fu" and decades later as leader of an assassin squad in "Kill Bill," was found dead Thursday in Thailand. Police said he appeared to have hanged himself.

The officer responsible for investigating the death, Lt. Teerapop Luanseng, said the 72-year-old actor had been staying in a suite at the luxury Swissotel Nai Lert Park Hotel.

"I can confirm that we found his body, naked, hanging in the closet," Teerapop said. He said police suspected suicide.

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy, Michael Turner, said the embassy was informed by Thai authorities that Carradine died either late Wednesday or early Thursday. "We send our heartfelt condolences to his family and his loved ones," he said.

Carradine came from an acting family. His father, John, made a career playing creepy, eccentric characters in film and on stage. His brothers Keith, Robert and Bruce also became actors. Actress Martha Plimpton is Keith Carradine's daughter.

"My Uncle David was a brilliantly talented, fiercely intelligent and generous man. He was the nexus of our family in so many ways, and drew us together over the years and kept us connected," Plimpton said Thursday.

Carradine was "in good spirits" when he left the U.S. for Thailand on May 29 to work on the movie "Stretch," said Tiffany Smith of Binder & Associates, his managers.

"David was excited to do it and excited to be a part of it," she said by phone from Beverly Hills, noting that Carradine was the sole featured American in the movie, whose other top cast members were French and Chinese. "When he was on a set he was in heaven."

Filming on the thriller by French director Charles de Meaux began Tuesday, she said, adding that the crew was devastated by Carradine's death and did not wish to speak publicly about it for the time being.

"It is shocking to me that he is no longer with us," said Michael Madsen, who played an assassin in "Kill Bill."

"I have so many great memories of David that I wouldn't even know where to begin," he said. "He has a very special place in my heart."

The Web site of the Thai newspaper The Nation said Carradine could not be contacted after he failed to appear for a meal with the rest of the film crew on Wednesday, and that his body was found by a hotel maid Thursday morning. It said a preliminary police investigation found that he had hanged himself with a cord used with the suite's curtains and that there was no sign that he had been assaulted.

Police said Carradine's body was taken to a hospital for an autopsy that would be done Friday.

Carradine appeared in more than 100 feature films with such directors as Martin Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman and Hal Ashby. One of his early film roles was as folk singer Woody Guthrie in Ashby's 1976 biopic, "Bound for Glory."

But he was best known for his role as Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin priest traveling the 1800s American frontier West in the TV series "Kung Fu," which aired in 1972-75.

"I wasn't like a TV star in those days, I was like a rock 'n' roll star," Carradine said in an interview with Associated Press Radio in 1996. "It was a phenomenon kind of thing. ... It was very special."

Actor Rainn Wilson, star of TV's "The Office," tweeted about Carradine's death on Twitter: "R.I.P. David Carradine. You were a true hero to so many of us children of the 70s. We'll miss you, Kwai Chang Caine."

Carradine reprised the role in a mid-1980s TV movie and played Caine's grandson in the 1990s syndicated series "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues."

He returned to the top in recent years as the title character in Quentin Tarantino's two-part saga "Kill Bill." Bill, the worldly father figure of a pack of crack assassins, was a shadowy presence in 2003's "Kill Bill -- Vol. 1." In that film, one of Bill's former assassins (Uma Thurman) begins a vengeful rampage against her old associates, including Bill.

In "Kill Bill -- Vol. 2," released in 2004, Thurman's character catches up to Bill. The role brought Carradine a Golden Globe nomination as best supporting actor.

Bill was a complete contrast to Caine, the soft-spoken refugee from a Shaolin monastery, serenely spreading wisdom and battling bad guys in the Old West. He left after three seasons, saying the show had started to repeat itself.

"David's always been kind of a seeker of knowledge and of wisdom in his own inimitable way," his brother, actor Keith Carradine, said in a 1995 interview.

After "Kung Fu," Carradine starred in the 1975 cult flick "Death Race 2000." He starred with Liv Ullmann in Bergman's "The Serpent's Egg" in 1977 and with his brothers in the 1980 Western "The Long Riders."

But after the early 1980s, he spent two decades doing mostly low-budget films. Tarantino's films changed that.

"All I've ever needed since I more or less retired from studio films a couple of decades ago ... is just to be in one," Carradine told The Associated Press in 2004.

"There isn't anything that Anthony Hopkins or Clint Eastwood or Sean Connery or any of those old guys are doing that I couldn't do," he said. "All that was ever required was somebody with Quentin's courage to take and put me in the spotlight."

One thing remained a constant after "Kung Fu": Carradine's interest in Asian herbs, exercise and philosophy. He wrote a personal memoir called "Spirit of Shaolin" and continued to make instructional videos on tai chi and other martial arts.

In the 2004 interview, Carradine talked candidly about his past boozing and narcotics use, but said he had put all that behind him and stuck to coffee and cigarettes.

"I didn't like the way I looked, for one thing. You're kind of out of control emotionally when you drink that much. I was quicker to anger."

"You're probably witnessing the last time I will ever answer those questions," Carradine said. "Because this is a regeneration. It is a renaissance. It is the start of a new career for me.

"It's time to do nothing but look forward."

___

Associated Press writer Polly Anderson and Entertainment Writers Erin Carlson and Jake Coyle in New York contributed to this report.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

It's a few days late now but this was another exclusive from Blair Butler and "Fresh Ink" about Alex Ross and Mike Carey's take on the original Human Torch -- "Torch."

I read "The Invaders" as a kid so I might have to check that one out.  Also, Butler gives mad love to the "Rising Stars Compendium" and teases that it has one of the best endings ever.

It's the reward for hanging in there with a series that was sometimes unfocused.  To writer J. Michael Straczynski's credit, there were a lot of characters and a lot to resolve.

In this image released by Disney/Pixar Films, animated character Carl Fredricksen is shown in a scene from the film, "Up." (AP Photo/Disney/Pixar)

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Walt Disney and Pixar Animation launched their latest cartoon comedy to a No. 1 debut with a $68.1 million weekend for their family adventure "Up."

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com:

1. "Up," Disney, $68,108,790, 3,766 locations, $18,085 average, $68,108,790, one week.

2. "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," Fox, $24,353,868, 4,101 locations, $5,939 average, $104,150,268, two weeks.

3. "Terminator Salvation," Warner Bros., $16,433,365, 3,602 locations, $4,562 average, $90,949,924, two weeks.

4. "Drag Me to Hell," Universal, $15,825,480, 2,508 locations, $6,310 average, $15,825,480, one week.

5. "Star Trek," Paramount, $12,613,727, 3,507 locations, $3,597 average, $209,313,884, four weeks.

6. "Angels & Demons," Sony, $11,353,340, 3,464 locations, $3,278 average, $104,913,439, three weeks.

7. "Dance Flick," Paramount, $4,743,636, 2,459 locations, $1,929 average, $19,084,907, two weeks.

8. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," Fox, $3,873,377, 2,263 locations, $1,712 average, $170,843,712, five weeks.

9. "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," Warner Bros., $1,911,401, 1,450 locations, $1,318 average, $50,021,779, five weeks.

10. "Obsessed," Sony Screen Gems, $657,001, 679 locations, $968 average, $67,500,481, six weeks.

11. "The Brothers Bloom," Summit, $652,000, 148 locations, $4,405 average, $1,384,159, three weeks.

12. "The Soloist," Paramount, $485,215, 412 locations, $1,178 average, $30,251,623, six weeks.

13. "Hannah Montana: The Movie," Disney, $421,198, 310 locations, $1,359 average, $77,548,719, eight weeks.

14. "17 Again," Warner Bros., $339,549, 405 locations, $838 average, $61,233,890, seven weeks.

15. "Race to Witch Mountain," Disney, $327,956, 283 locations, $1,159 average, $65,814,397, 12 weeks.

16. "Monsters vs. Aliens," Paramount, $320,040, 566 locations, $565 average, $194,421,864, 10 weeks.

17. "Earth," Disney, $294,052, 315 locations, $933 average, $31,112,280, six weeks.

18. "Fast & Furious," Universal, $242,190, 299 locations, $810 average, $153,945,790, nine weeks.

19. "Under the Sea," Warner Bros., $231,104, 41 locations, $5,637 average, $8,834,201, 16 weeks.

20. "State of Play," Universal, $193,200, 240 locations, $805 average, $36,566,450, seven weeks.