Results tagged “Transformers” from Modern Mythology

FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2007 file photo, Hasbro's Transformers Arm Blaster is shown at the Toy Wishes Holiday Preview in New York. Toy maker Hasbro Inc. said Monday, July 20, 2009, its second-quarter profit rose 5 percent, beating expectations, as robust sales of Transformers and G.I. Joe toys _ both tied to summer movies _ helped offset international sales hurt by the stronger dollar. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, file)

MAE ANDERSON
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Transformers aren't just titans at the box office, they're flying off toy shelves, too. Toy maker Hasbro Inc. said Monday strong sales of the morphing robots helped its second-quarter profit rise past analyst expectations.

Summer movie tie-in toys have been one bright spot for toy makers during the consumer-spending slowdown. Hasbro has been buoyed in recent years by toys tied to movies, including this summer's hit "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and the upcoming "G.I. Joe: "The Rise of the Cobra."

"We couldn't be more pleased with the performance both at the box office and at retail," said CEO Brian Goldner. "Retailers around the world recognize that certain brands like Transformers bring to life the entire store for consumers, which translates into premium placement and representation across multiple departments for those brands."

I believe everyone is a geek about something.

Seriously. Whether it's Hot Wheels, Barbie Dolls, Fantasy Football or the occasional designer accessory, it's gotta be something.

I had a colleague spend twenty minutes trying to apologize to me for referring to me as a geek and I did not think to let him off the hook by telling him "it's cool, we're all in that camp in some form or another."

Megan Fox is a cool geek because she gave the answer I could not articulate. Her geek cred isn't bestowed by her appearance in films involving fantasy or the supernatural like "The Transformers" or the upcoming Diablo Cody film "Jennifer's Body." She gets props because she's a fan of the kind of movies she is in.

In an article in last month's GQ magazine the reporter spent time with Fox at the San Diego Comic-Con and tossed out a wrong-headed dismissal of the fans who packed the convention hall.

Fox seems in her element here: She marvels for nearly ten minutes over comic legend Michael Turner's Batman sketches and, at one point, scolds me for an offhand comment about the nerds being out in full force.

"They're not nerds," she said. "They're just passionate."

You tell him Megan.

If you can get past the image of the actress on the cover in a bikini teasing you, check out the article. But no matter what, proudly remember her response and my suggestion that everyone is a geek about something.

Now I'll have to figure how many comics I have to hock to get that $125 Jonathan Richards hat on page 244. 

 

This is the Long Beach set on the last night of filming and the crew is setting up yet another scene that will involve an explosion. Unfortunately this is before the blast happened (thirty minutes later... darn it).

Of course there are excellent takes of the blast at Movie Chronicles and Transformers Live Action Movie Blog (or T-LAMB).

We have the Chinese police cars skidding into action, some crew putting stuff on top of the set cars and possibly the director himself putting things in order.

Here's the video:

I am intrigued by the silver car and wonder which autobot that may be in this video clip from the Transformers 2 shoot in Long Beach. It looks like Bumblebee is following with Optimus Prime backing them up.

The other stuff is of a purple-blue car that my "green" co-worker is really interested in called the Volt. For even more, click here for pictures of several cars at the Movie Chronicles.

GM responds about the Chevy Volt unveiling

And for the video...

This clip is from The Movie Chronicles and is described as a cell phone take of one of the explosions the other night from the set of Transformers 2 shooting over here in Long Beach.

It's sideways, but the sound and some flash can be made out.