Thursday 19 February 2009

Stan Lee vs Felicia Day

A March-Madness style showdown for geeks where the current round of voting pits Stan Lee vs Felicia Day. And Felicia Day is winning.

Wanna show Stan some love, head on over and vote.

More Alan Cumming on ROVE

ROVE team answer - How can I be more romantic?

Special guests: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman & Alan Cumming.
Plus Rove McManus, Carrie Bickmore, Ryan Shelton, Peter Helliar.

Alan Cumming interview on ROVE (Australia)

Alan Cumming on ROVE live in studio with Rove McManus.
Includes I Bought A Blue Car Today show title, U.S citizen - green card, voting, booing George W Bush, surname Cumming, Valentine's Day, Final Five questions: Backstage ritual, Matt Newtons arse in Underbelly, The L Word strap on, slapped anyone in the face?



This is mainly with Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Malin Akerman promoting Watchmen, but Alan mentions his work in X2 at about 3:50.

10 Essential Facts About 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine'

From: Movies.Yahoo.com
Written by: Matt McDaniel

You know the claws. You know the rage. And you know the sideburns. But there is a lot about Marvel Comics' mutant superhero Wolverine that you might not know. So here are ten facts you should know before you see "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," the upcoming prequel that sheds light on his mysterious past. And to see Hugh Jackman back in action, you can skip down to watch three exclusive TV spots from the movie.
  1. Wolverine wasn't in the original line-up of Marvel Comics' "X-Men" that was created by Stan Lee in the 1960s. He first appeared as an adversary to The Incredible Hulk, and was brought into the X-Men when the series was restarted in 1975.
  2. Co-creator Len Wein's original idea was that the character was actually a wolverine cub that was mutated into human form. He also intended for Wolverine's signature claws to extend from his gloves, not from his body. But these ideas were dropped when new writer Chris Claremont took over the series.
  3. Wolverine was originally a supporting character, with the focus of the X-Men stories mostly on team leader Cyclops. But he quickly became a fan favorite, and he got his own solo series in the '80s. Last year, Wizard Magazine ranked him at #1 in their "Top 200 Comic Book Characters of All Time" list.
  4. Logan's backstory was mostly kept hidden for the first 25 years of his existence. Finally in 2001, Marvel released the six-issue series "Origin" which told Logan's life story. Born in Canada in the 1800s, James Howlett discovered his mutant powers (and claws of bone that pop out of his hands) after a family tragedy. This story is the jumping off point for the new movie.
  5. Russell Crowe was director Bryan Singer's first choice to play Wolverine in the first "X-Men" movie, but his asking price was too high. Scottish actor Dougray Scott was then cast, but he dropped out when filming went long on "Mission: Impossible 2." Hugh Jackman stepped into the role two weeks into filming, and at 6'2", he stands about a foot taller than how Wolverine is depicted in the comics.
  6. Around 700 pairs of Wolverine claws were constructed for the original X-Men movie. They were made of metal for close-ups, plastic for longer shots, and rubber for stunts. Each pair were specially fitted for Jackman or the stuntman who wore them. The special effects crew also made a replica of Jackman's arm so that the claws could physically pop out without digital effects.
  7. "X-Men: The Last Stand" was the final movie with the original lineup of characters, but more X-movies are in the works. "Wolverine" is intended to launch not only a series of solo movies for Jackman, but also the "Origins" franchise. Currently in the works is "Magneto," exploring the backstory of the villain. Also, "Gossip Girl" creator Josh Schwartz is writing "X-Men: First Class," about the teenage students of Professor X's school.
  8. "Wolverine" introduces some new mutants that will be played by some fresh faces. One is long-time fan favorite, Gambit, a mutant who can energize objects into explosive weapons. He'll be played by Taylor Kitsch, star of TV's "Friday Night Lights." It's the biggest movie role yet from the Canadian hockey player-turned-actor, who previously appeared in "The Covenant" and "Snakes on a Plane."
  9. The new movie will also introduce audiences to Daniel Henney, an American-born actor who has become an enormous star in South Korea. He broke out in the TV drama, "My Name Is Kim Sam-Soon," a show so popular over half the country tuned in for the series finale. In "Wolverine" he plays Agent Zero, a government operative who is part of the Weapon X program that gives Logan his metallic skeleton.
  10. Some more familiar names popping up in the new movie include Liev Schreiber, who put on 40 pounds of muscle to play the menacing Sabretooth. Ryan Reynolds appears as Deadpool, a mutant mercenary who may get his own movie in the future. Dominic Monaghan plays Bolt, who manipulates energy, and will.i.am has his acting debut as the teleporting Wraith. One face you know but won't recognize is Kevin Durand, who was the evil soldier Keamy on "Lost" last season. He is unrecognizable under piles of makeup as the immovable villain, The Blob (but you'll see him in flashbacks).

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" will kick off this year's summer movie season when it rides into theaters on May 1st. To get a peek at the story and action of the highly-anticipated movie, check out these three exclusive TV spots that debuted on FOX earlier this week.



The League of Extraordinary X-Gentlemen and Avenging Yeomen

From: ToplessRobot.com



I love custom toys. I can't make 'em myself, but I love seeing them, and some of my favorite have been the steampunk interpretations of Star Wars and so forth. I guess these Marvel superheroes customs -- pointed out to me by my sometimes friend, sometimes foe Great White Snark -- are more just Victorian than steampunk, but I still think they're hella awesome.

From left to right, starting with the top row: Nightcrawler, the Hulk, Wolverine, Dardevil, Spider-man, Falcon, and Cyclops; bottom row: Jean Grey, Black Widow, Ant-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Nick Fury, Red Skull, Doctor Doom, and a Doom-bot Arnim Zola. Please, check here, here and here for more pics, along with the detailed stories of these guys, who were created by Bruce Ross and Josh Izzo. (Via Super Punch);

The 9 Most Dysfunctional Comic Couples

Topless Robot has posted a list of The 9 Most Dysfunctional Comic Couples, and the X-Men make the list more than once.
Have a look.

Wednesday 18 February 2009

Hugh Jackman knocks them over with a kiss

From: LiveNews.com.au

Hugh Jackman made a fan faint when he kissed her.

The 'Australia' actor decided to pay the woman - who works as a switchboard operator for US TV programme 'The Tonight Show' - a surprise visit after he discovered she wasn't allowed to leave her post to meet him when he appeared on the show.

Her friends told Hugh - who was voted the Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine last year - it was her birthday, so he crept up behind her whispered "Happy Birthday" and then kissed her on the neck.

The girl immediately span round, but upon coming face-to-face with her idol she turned bright red and fainted in his arms.

According to National Enquirer magazine, Hugh screamed: "OH MY GOD! Somebody help me! I think she has fainted!"

The girl was eventually brought round with the aid of smelling salts and cold compresses. Once she had composed herself she happily posed for a photograph with Hugh.

Hugh calls Ricky Gervais for Oscar tips.

Hugh Jackman has been calling Ricky Gervais to get help with jokes for the Oscar ceremony.

An excerp from Ricky's blog:
Hugh Jackman called me again for another brainstorming session about the Oscars. He called me out of the blue a couple of weeks ago and said he wanted me to write some gags for him. We've spoken a few times and we've come up with some funny ideas I think. It's difficult for me because it's so mainstream, and 90% of everything that comes into my head is unsuitable. He's great though. He seems to have no ego at all. Nice bloke. Hope he does well.

http://www.rickygervais.com

X-Men Origins: Wolverine TV-Spot "Legends"

Third and final TV-Spot for X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Monday 16 February 2009

X-Men Origins: Wolverine TV-Spot "Outcasts"

You can see the first of the three TV spots HERE.

Sunday 15 February 2009

Virginmedia ranks the X-Men

Virginmedia.com have been putting up various best-of lists, and the X-Men made the cut:

Your favourite movie badass... revealed!
3. Wolverine
Movies: The X-Men series (2000-2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Badass qualities: Retractable adamantium claws, sarcastic quips, legendary sideburns... then there's his tendency to fly into berserker rage. Too cool.
Sample badass dialogue: Sabretooth: "Do you even know how to kill me?" Wolverine: "I'm gonna cut your goddamn head off. See if that works." Growl!

The best movie insults
X-Men (2000)
Wolverine and the gang are chasing some renegade mutants, who plan to set off a machine which will turn a symposium of gathering world leaders into mutants themselves. But one of the baddies is a shape-changer who has assumed Wolverine's form. But which is the real Wolverine?
Wolverine: "Hey! It's me." Cyclops: "Prove it!" Wolverine: "You're a dick." Cyclops: "Okay."