More Tid Bits

Well, it's that kind of night, I guess. Random stuff you find on the Internet and it amuses you, and must be shared.

Another gem from the purveyors of geek over at ThinkGeek.com. Have you seen the wall graphics that are popular for the young people? I'm going to live in the delusion that they come off as easily as advertised, because it's a great idea and relatively easy/quick/cheap way to decorate a room.

Anyway, I've started seeing some cool wall graphics that could be on the walls of big kids with disposable income. I'm just sayin'...

Is it Really Summer?

Portland "summer" weather really loves to fake you out. One day it will be cold & pouring rain, and the next it is like 82F and you can't get the fans on high enough to cool off your apartment. Or so I've heard.

But, I'll try to be optimistic for a moment, and believe that the weather we have today might last us until September. And in that spirit of optimism, the fact that it is technically summer, and that there is a major BBQ holiday coming up, I present you with this:

The Death Star Watermelon!



Festive and healthy. I bet it would be great if you drilled a small hole and poured some vodka in it. Mmmmm, liquored fruit...

More Retro-Inspired Posters

It must be a theme this year, as another set of retro-inspired posters are available, this time on ThinkGeek.com (via @wilw). This time, the subject is classic video games. Awesome.

Here's my favorite:



I really am going to need more/bigger walls!

From the WTF Files

I'm starting a new series (a la Stephen Colbert, meaning whenever I have something to say and/or feel like it) here on the ol' blog.

Here is my first WTF?! entry. Are you ready?


EW.com notes that DreamWorks Animation grabbed movie rights for Troll dolls. They've also hired writers to pen the "movie script" for this dream project. I wonder what celebrities they will get to voice the trolls...


Seriously. WTF? I can pretty much guarantee right now that this movie will be a disaster. Maybe the kids will love it? Somehow I doubt it. As a pencil topper? Maybe. A whole movie? No thanks.

Jonah Hex Starts Tomorrow

I think I need something to distract me this weekend. I think Jonah Hex might be that something. I like this trailer -- gives a little more of the back story than what I've seen on TV so far. I don't think the general public will "get" Jonah Hex. That's fine with me. They should go see Toy Story 3 (No slam against TS3 - I want to see it, just not opening weekend with the little folk).



Besides Josh Brolin and John Malkovich (oh, and Megan Fox, but whatevs), I think I saw the dude from Fringe in this trailer. And maybe Will Arnett? Anyway, looks like it could be fast, action filled, and fun. That's what I'm looking for!

PS - In case you didn't know, the movie is based on a DC comic book.

New Scott Pilgrim Movie Posters

After Kick Ass and Iron Man 2, I was worried that the rest of the summer might be slow on the movie scene. But there are a couple movies coming out in the next few weeks I am pretty excited to see, including Jonah Hex (despite Megan Fox) and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

There are some new Scott Pilgrim posters out today, featuring the 7 Evil Exes. (Click to enlarge.)



Note Jason Schwartzman as Gideon Graves (#7) and Brandon Routh (Superman) as Todd Ingram (#3).

And then there is the latest movie trailer. It looks like a campy, good time! But do I really have to wait until August to see it? I hope not! Sigh.

Walking Dead - Reprints Coming

Just in time for the new AMC show, Image Comics is reprinting the first compendium of The Walking Dead. This ain't your regular trade paperback collecting the first story arc or 10ish issues. This bad boy collects the first 48 issues of the Robert Kirkman series. 48 issues?!? That is zombie madness!! A terrific summer read prior to the kick-off of the new show.

Also, brainnnnnnnns!

I can't seem to post the awesome cover design for the new TP, but trust me, it's great.

Update: Here it is!


(via GeekWeek)

Hello Kitty Figures?

I hope to God these are real custom kits or custom made Hello Kitties. Must. Have. Them. ALL!

See post on Comics Alliance for all the variations (and some question whether they are real or digital illustrations).

If they aren't real yet, let's get this going. These are fantastic!

Preacher: Let's Try this Again

Discussion of a Preacher TV show or movie has been hot and cold for years. The last I heard, we were on "cold." But in scouring the interweb for new geek news (I'm dedicated, if nothing else), I see that a Preacher adaptation is back on again! Huzzah!

If you don't know much about the graphic novel series, Preacher (written by Garth Ennis) I highly suggest you check it out. Violence. Gore. Relationships. An Irish vampire. A kick-ass girlfriend. Some bat-shit crazy storylines. Some of the best covers (thank you, Glenn Fabry)! Oh yeah, and an exploration of religion and God. Good times.



Over on Empire Online, I see that Hollywood is going to pick up the torch again on this uber-amazing series. Now, it appears that Joe Carnahan, director of the new A-Team movie, would like to direct this action-packed romp. Hmmm...well, I haven't seen A-Team yet, so I'll reserve my opinion for a few weeks. But I would love to see Preacher adapted as an HBO-style mini-series (this one needs to be R-rated; don't even try to clean it up for the kiddies. I'm looking at you, Constantine...). **Fingers crossed**

More on the Prospect of an Edgy Snow White

Yesterday I posted the news that Brett Ratner is producing a new 'edgy' Snow White. Then today, I came across a post with some of J. Scott Campbell's (Danger Girl) re-imagining of Disney's favorites. And this pretty much represents what I hope not to see in a Ratner-produced movie version. Unless it's truly "adult fare" in which case, whatever -- it's all fair game.

An 'Edgy' Snow White?

In movie news today, word is that Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, X-Men: The Last Stand) has signed on to produce a 3D re-telling of The Brothers Grimm's Snow White.

(via Moviefone)

Based on a script from writer Melisa Wallack, this new, edgier re-imagining of the legend is being given the fast track treatment thanks to the unexpected popularity of Disney's Alice in Wonderland earlier this year, which just passed the $1 billion mark worldwide.

So what can viewers expect from a Brett Ratner-produced 'Snow White'? Details are still sketchy, but according to the legend himself, you can be sure that this won't have much in common with the animated classic other than the name.

So, first off, Alice in Wonderland made $1 billion? Holy crap! How did that happen? I thought people didn't think much of the movie. It's in my Netflix queue because I was so disappointed by the buzz (or lack of) on this film that I couldn't motivate to go see it in the theater. And I love Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. I guess it is good news, as I think it would be cool to see some more adult-targeted versions of classic fairytales. It appears Disney is already moving in this direction with several green-lit "re-imagined" projects including a Sleeping Beauty story, titled Maleficent, and a live-action Cinderella.

Second, what qualifies as an "edgy" Snow White story? This is still going to be a mainstream movie, right? Maybe it will be "gritty" and also "dark." I guess we'll find out in a couple years. Let's instead commence discussion of who should star as Snow White (no, not Megan Fox). And....go!

TV Ads for Everything Else -- Why Not Comics?

(via Comics Alliance)

How did I not already know about this?? An awesome BBC TV spot for the fantastic comic book series, Fables, by Bill Willingham. Check this out:




This is a great idea and I'm not sure why this isn't done more often. In general, there aren't too many TV ads for books, let alone graphic novels/comic books. (Or, for that matter, print ads outside of monthly comic publications and geek magazines, like Wizard. Sigh.) However, comics -- unlike traditional novels or books -- are already a visual medium and lend themselves quite nicely to this kind of format. More like an ad for a new movie then for a book of static images.

I hope we see more of these kinds of ads, especially as the post notes, on already targeted, niche channels such as Cartoon Network (Thank you, Adult Swim!). Who knows? You might see some interest in comics from new segments of readers/consumers.

I Like Out-of-the-Box Thinking in My Comic Book Movies

Are you following any of the Spider-Man (Spiderman? Spider Man?) casting discussions going on, now that Tobey Maguire is out of the picture? As noted over at io9, there aren't too many great Caucasian choices out there right now. And is there a reason why not to consider an actor of color for the role?

And then a funny thing happened. Ah, the glories of the Internet! In the comments for that io9 post:

Someone named "Rootadoo" suggested that Community actor Donald Glover would be perfect for the part. And then Donald Glover himself found out — and he's been tweeting up a storm. Over Memorial Day Weekend, #Donald4Spiderman was a top 10 trending topic. And then someone created a "Donald Glover 4 Spiderman" Facebook group. And it made the Washington Post and New York magazine, along with the standard coterie of comics sites.

I think Glover would a be a great, fun, and out-of-the-ordinary actor to liven up the franchise. Here's hoping they at least give him an audition! I mean, he already looks awesome in the suit!

Wanna Be a Zombie?

One of the great zombie comics of our day, The Walking Dead, is headed to TV via AMC. I heard an interview with author Robert Kirkman last weekend, and started getting excited about the possibilities of a live action zombie TV show.



Via ComicBookMovie.com, The Walking Dead will start filming soon (like, tomorrow) in Atlanta, GA.

The production is looking for many extras with flexible schedules between June and September to appear as zombies for the series. All extras selected must attend 'Zombie School.' The 'zombies’ who have been chosen so far have already been attending class all week.

I love the notion of Zombie School! I hope someone documents that experience for the DVD extras... Anyway, if you find yourself in Atlanta this summer and looking for something to do, you too can be a zombie! And if you haven't checked out this graphic novel yet, here is your first item for your summer reading list.