Here are some new high-res Joker stills that came out, some of which are totally new. I can't believe the crazy shot of the Joker taking off his clown mask to reveal his real clown face underneath — like a mask behind a mask. Or is the painted clown face the Joker's "real" face? I'm also loving the Joker in what almost looks like and old timey "pistols at dawn" kind of duel. But instead of a pistol it's a semi-automatic. Plus the Joker leaving his calling card.

If you look closely at the face paint in some of these shots, you can see skin....any chance we'll see joker without the black and white make-up? Either way, he looks hella psychotic scary, and Mattel apparently agrees. Collider.com is reporting that Mattel is worried that the 'Heath Ledger' figurines are so frightening that children won't buy them. So collectors are scrambling to get copies of the original, canceled figures, there will be a new, "friendlier" animated-style children's version in stores soon.

[Taylor's Entertainment News and Latino Review]

Moon:

Remember Moon, the movie directed by David Bowie's son Duncan Jones, and starring Sam Rockwell (Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind)? Now that it's in post-production, a few more details have leaked out. The reason Rockwell is stranded alone on the Moon for three years: he's mining a gas that Earth needs to solve its energy crisis. And while he's stuck up there, he has an encounter that will change the course of human history. Even though Rockwell is alone on the Moon, he has costars in the movie: Matt Berry (The IT Crowd) and Kaya Scodelario (Skins). Are they playing aliens he meets, or other people who turn up? Or the people waiting for him back on Earth? [Slice Of Scifi]

The Dark Knight:

In the new Batman movie, part of what drives Harvey Dent over the edge into becoming Two-Face is that his fiancee is killed. This is presumably Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal). This will also give Batman something else to angst over, since she's his old flame and his "hope for a normal life." [Comic By Comic]

Battlestar Galactica:

Someone posted a ton of spoilers for episode 9 of Battlestar Galactica season four, "The Hub," which airs June 6. Roslin and Baltar are in the hands of the rebel Cylons (the Leobens, the Sharons, the Sixes) who are planning an attack on the "Resurrection Hub," without which no Cylon can resurrect anywhere, even with a resurrection ship. The humans have an uneasy alliance with these rebel Cylons. And some human pilots help with the attack, including Helo, Seelix and "Gonzo" Pike. The humans also decide to help the rebels to retrieve D'Anna (Lucy Lawless) so they can learn the identity of the Final Five within the fleet. D'Anna is un-boxed and immediately starts being manipulative and playing mind games again. The battle to destroy the Hub is "insane."

Helo feels very threatened when he realizes that when "his" Sharon died and was resurrected over the algae planet, her memories became available to all the other Sharons.

Baltar does the one thing that could surprise me at this point: he confesses his role in the destruction of humanity to Roslin — leaving her with a tough moral quandary. We see Roslin's death in a flash-forward, and the "L-word" is finally spoken between her and Adama. Elosha puts in an appearance as Roslin's spiritual adviser. [Battlestar Blog]

Star Wars: Clone Wars:

Here's our first look at Asajj Ventress, one of the main villains of the Star Wars: Clone Wars movie (coming this August) and TV show (coming this fall). As with previous versions, she's bald and venomous-looking. [USA Today]

And more story details about the movie have come out. Jabba the Hutt's son has been kidnapped, and the Jedi agree to rescue him in exchange for access to shipping routes, but this may be a plot to divert the Jedi to the remote planet of Teth. Anakin, his student Ahsoka, and a Clone squadron, travel to the B'omarr monastery on Teth to find Hutt Jr., but they find themselves surrounded by General Grievous' battle droids and hunted by Asajj Ventress. R2D2 helps them find a way out, and Obi-Wan brings much-needed reinforcements. [Jedi News]

Lost:

Lost's Sonya Walger (Penny) was spotted in Hawaii. Does that mean Penny's coming to the island? Or just that she's going to appear in an upcoming episode? Also, there are hints another one of our "favorite castaways" will die in an upcoming episode. [Spoilers Lost]

Smallville:

Here are some pics from the Smallville season finale, where Lex finally gets into the Fortress of Solitude. [The TV Addict]

And this week's episode, "Quest," follows Lex to Zurich, where he keeps trying to learn about the "Veritas" mythology. Lex gets attacked by a monastic-robed stranger with Kryptonian symbols carved into his chest, which seem to be a message for Clark. Meanwhile, Jimmy takes an interest in the symbols carved in the Kawatche caves, and Clark thinks about their symbolism. Clark and Chloe team up to investigate and learn that a member of the Veritas clan has survived and is hiding out in a church. Clark and Lex race to be the first to find this Veritas member, who holds the key to Clark's survival. [Buddy TV]

Doctor Who:

Here's a possibly spurious summary of the last two episodes of the current Doctor Who season. Former Prime Minister Harriet Jones is consumed with hatred for the Doctor, especially after she finds out her successor as prime minster was a member of the Doctor's own species. She managed to get aboard the Valiant and witnessed the entire year of Harold Saxon's reign of terror which "never happened." It was Harriet who stole the Master's ring from his funeral pyre, and uses it to help an army of Daleks, led by Davros, to escape from beyond reality.

This causes Rose's alternate universe to unravel. As head of her universe's Torchwood London, Rose knows what's going on, but doesn't know how to stop it. She desperately tries to reach the Doctor. Meanwhile, Donna has read her own life story in that future library (the one from the Steven Moffat two-parter) and knows she'll be killed by the Racnoss, the spider-creature that ruined her wedding day.

Donna is left alone inside the TARDIS, hurtling out of control, and doesn't know what to do. Then Rose appears on the screen, having managed to get a signal through a fracture in reality — after the Doctor has already completely vanished from our universe. Donna and Rose try to use the TARDIS to bring the Doctor back. They keep colliding with alternate realities, including their own lives if they'd never met the Doctor. Finally, they manage to bring the Doctor back. He's confronted Davros and Harriet, who's now the Red Dalek.

Realities collide, bringing Jackie and Mickey back to our universe. And then the Daleks kill Donna's mother and grandfather. And then Donna is controlled by the insect on her back, by means of a Racnoss Empress from an alternate reality, which came to our universe through the hole the Daleks have made. The alternate Empress joins forces with Davros and Harriet. The only way to stop Donna's evil back-spider is to kill Donna, which the Doctor refuses to do. Meanwhile, all the universes are threatening to collide, destroying everything. The Doctor reaches the Medusa Cascade, but the only way to close the rift again is to sacrifice a human life. The Doctor falters, unable to sacrifice anyone. But then Donna chooses to sacrifice her own life to save everything.

But after Donna is gone, the Doctor decides to break his most sacred rule for her, and goes back in time 24 hours to change his own past, so the Daleks and Harriet can be stopped without sacrificing Donna's life. Then Captain Jack erases Donna's memory so she has no clue what's happened and won't try to find the Doctor again. She won't remember him at all. This restores everything to the point it was before, with Rose, Mickey and Jackie once again sealed in their alternate universe. [Planet Gallifrey]

Transformers: Animated:

Here are some screencaps from an upcoming episode of Transformers: Animated called "SUV: Society For Ultimate Villainy," which already aired in the Middle East but won't air in the U.S. until June or later. It features a Decepticon called Swindle, and a villain who fires a time-freezing blast, using a pocket watch. The "clockwoman" teams up with Nano and the Angry Archer to build a time-control machine for Swindle. [TFW2005]

Spectacular Spider-Man:

And meanwhile, Spectacular Spider-Man is unaccountably airing its Halloween episode this Saturday. Here's the blurb:

"The Uncertainty Principle"... presents a number of perplexing situations for Peter Parker and Spider-Man as they both try to find clarity amid the masks, mysteries and menace of Halloween. While Colonel John Jameson struggles to land his damaged space shuttle, Spider-Man continues his ongoing battle with Green Goblin, who also threatens Hammerhead and Tombstone. Still, Peter's greatest challenge will be facing the awful truth when he finally learns the Goblin's "true" identity.

Iron Man 2:

Iron Man 2 will be about Nick Fury recruiting Tony Stark to help battle the super-terrorist known as the Mandarin. And the Mandarin will have super-dragon Fin Fang Foom on his side, according to sources familiar with the movie's storyline — but there's no script yet. [Cinemablend]

Batman 3:

And the third Batman movie will feature a lot more of Two-Face, the villain who debuts at the end of The Dark Knight. But the Joker won't be in it, largely due to Heath Ledger's death. And the story will be based on the graphic novels "The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory" — especially the second one, which charts the rise of Two-Face and introduces Batman's sidekick Robin.

Indiana Jones:

Here's a new TV spot for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, with a bit of new footage. In particular, Shia tells Indy: "Get on, gramps!" [ComingSoon.net]

Doctor Who:

The first (lukewarm) review of Saturday's Doctor Who episode "The Doctor's Daughter" is online. Jenny, the Doctor's you-know-what, has amazing abilities and challenges the Doctor at every turn. Martha gets captured by the fishlike Hath, while the Doctor and Donna fall in with the humans, who want their help in continuing their war against the Hath. The Doctor tries to stop the fighting and explores "what makes a person a person." Martha and the Doctor hardly have any time together, making their farewell at the episode's end a bit hollow.

And there's the usual mixture of spoilers and red herrings from Digital Spy, including Martha helping to set a fish's dislocated shoulder, the Doctor putting a gun to someone's head, Donna calling the Doctor's daughter "G.I. Jane," and the Doctor being surprised what he finds when he puts a stethoscope to Jenny's chest. [Doctor Who Insania]

The Doctor-less episode, "Turn Left," happens in a bombed-out looking Leeds with corrugated tin covering people's windows. And Donna has some kind of animatronic insect on her back, and people keep commenting on it. Soldiers (including UNIT soldiers) are running around, and one soldier tries to arrest Donna because of her back-insect. The Racnoss spaceship (from Donna's first appearance in the 2006 Christmas special) is attacking Earth. Towards the end of the episode, Donna runs out in the street carrying something that looks like a "vortex manipulator" and gets hit by a car. Rose appears and kneels next to Donna's body.

Rose is in a relationship with someone in the alternate universe, and it's not Mickey. And there are more rumors the Daleks recruit former Prime Minister Harriet Jones to become a new Supreme Dalek. The Supreme Dalek is red and has three head-lamps instead of the standard two.

Also, more details on the final scene of the fourth season, which we reported on a while ago. Donna falls down, and the Doctor and Grandpa Wilf help her to her feet. Then Wilf and the Doctor have this parting moment as the Doctor is leaving:
Doctor: Get a lot of this. Atmospheric disruption. (The rain stops.) Bye, Wilfred.
Wilf: What about you? All those friends of yours....who have you got?... Next time, at night, when the stars come out... I'll look up and I'll think of you... out there on your own... on her behalf...
The Doctor turns, walks sadly across the road, gets out his key, opens TARDIS and goes inside... Also, the Doctor shouts "You can never tell her!" at Wilf right before this exchange. The person watching filming surmised that maybe Donna has lost her memory of him.

And it's rumored the Chrismas special is based on the "One Doctor" audio play, in which a con artist pretends to be the Doctor. And those bronze Cyber-Shades are fakes cooked up by the fake Doctor (David Morrisey.) But then the real Doctor and the real Cybermen show up. (I think this is a bit dodgy, actually.) [Doctor Who Forum]

Lost:

It turns out Sawyer isn't in that scene of the Oceanic Six getting on the raft after all — that was Desmond's stand-in. And Desmond is definitely in the scene. [Lost.sc]

Both Sawyer and Locke are still alive and on the island in the future "Oceanic Six" timeline. And it sounds as though the finale's "spectacular kiss" may be between Sawyer and Kate. Also, the next two seasons will include more stories about the Oceanic Six's adventures off the island. And here's another new preview clip from Thursday's episode. [E! Online]

Smallville:

In the tail end of Smallville season seven, Lana gets better and then decides to leave town, which is why she's not in next year's episodes. [E! Online again]

The dashing White Knight of Gotham, Harvey Dent, appears to have it all in this trailer. Looks, integrity and the Dark Knight's lady Rachel Dawes. I can't wait until he loses it all with a face full of acid.

In an interview to the LA Times actor Aaron Eckheart leaked a bit of information on what the disfigured DA will be like:

I can tell you that, basically, when you look at Two-Face, you should get sick to your stomach. Being the guy under all that, well, that was a lot of fun for me. It's like you would feel if you met someone whose face had pretty much been ripped off or burned off with acid. I can't talk about it beyond that because I don't want to give away too much of the plans by Chris.

Take a gander at the burnt flesh along his nose, to quote The Riddler inBatman Forever , "That's never going to heal if you don't stop picking."

Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face Batman Forever (1995). The only part I thought was interesting to this interpretation were the girlfriends for his duo-personalities Sugar (Drew Barrymore) and Spice (Debi Mazar).













Two-Face in Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1994)







Two-Face on the cover of Batman Annual #14(1990).



















Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent Batman (1989)
It's a shame we never got to see what Billy Dee could have done for the character of Two-Face. He could have really added a little pizazz to the part with his attitude and fancy boutonniere. Besides who doesn't want to see Two-Face sport a mustache (I bet the evil side's mustache would have been pencil thin).



One of the few Two-Face covers from the Detective Comics where he was introduced (1942).























[LA Times via Comics2film] [HD Trailer at WhySoSerious]

New York City Clown Gang George, Christopher and Keelin wait in line for the trailer.

Following the clues from the disfigured presidents on their eerie why so serious site, I joined the rest of the Clown Gang in New York City's Bryant Park. We were lead to a theater where they screened the new trailer that premiered at NYCC. As we first reported the Joker continues on his, "Kill the batman," discourse and gathering of criminals for chaos. It all was the same except for one major moment that I can not believe I missed in the first screening, I must have blinked, it's that fast. White night Harvey Dent has a voice over where he says,"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Then Dent is seen on the floor screaming no as we described before but then in an instant, a mere instant, and I hope my eyes weren't playing tricks on me you see a silhouetted man with hair like Dent. This person is scratching the side of their face with a gun. The very tip of his nose and along the side of his profile appears to be flaky and black, like the edge of a burn mark. Here's a blurry screengrab: It happened so fast I had to grab three fans afterwards to confirm that I wasn't hallucinating. They all concurred it was the first screen shots of Two Face. Take a look (if you can make it out) and let me know what you think.

More fans in line for the trailer screening.

Miscellaneous:

Empire Magazine has new stills from Batman: The Dark Knight, Hancock and Star Wars: Clone Wars. [Empire]

Wanted:

In Wanted, James McAvoy plays Wesley, who's apathetic and "nearly clinically depressed," having been manipulated by the government, his family and his bosses. He shares one "epic snog" with Angelina Jolie during the film. [Ohnotheydidnt]

Iron Man:

More Iron Man reviews have turned up online, and they include some plot details for the movie, which opens Friday. (The overall consensus: It's a fun movie, but suffers from the common problem of having to do an origin story and then include a tacked-on final battle.)

Empire says Tony Stark is shot down (ironically) with his own military hardware, and then imprisoned in a cave by Afghan terrorists who want him to build a missile capable of leveling cities. Stark instead builds his first Iron Man armor, which looks nothing like the missile he's supposed to be building. The terrorists have him under video surveillance, but somehow don't notice the substitution. The film rushes to get Iron Man into his armor, and then flounders around a lot. A lot of the plot deals with how those terrorists got their hands on Stark's weaponry in the first place.[Empire]

When Tony comes back from Afghanistan and announces he wants to change the direction of Stark Industries away from weapons, it's not just bad-guy Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) who's resistant — Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts also digs in her heels at first. There are lots of scenes of Tony working day and night on his improved armor in his workshop. The "global conspiracy" that Tony has to fight at the end of the movie sort of comes out of nowhere, and involves those terrorists from the start of the film. [Emanuel Levy via Rotten Tomatoes]

Also, those Afghan terrorists (the "Ten Rings") get their hands on what's left of Tony's original armor after he escapes, and they start putting it together. They also use some of Tony's weapons to terrorize the locals. The terrorists' leader Raza wants to be the next Genghis Khan. Tony's self-appointed "international enforcer" role pisses off the U.S. military, who send those two fighter jets you've probably seen after him. And then, as you probably know, the climactic battle is between Robert Downey Jr. and Jeff Bridges, both wearing armor that seems sort of clanky. [Variety]

And here are some new Iron Man stills. [Slashfilm]

Heroes:

The first episode of Heroes season three will include some new characters:

• Jesse, a "mean-looking SOB" with an explosive temper.
• Two reporters, covering the news in Odessa, Texas.
• An E.R. doctor working Odessa, Texas.
• A commentator on a national TV news program
• Two "scary thugs" preying on innocent people in New York City.
• A paramedic administering emergency care to a seriously injured patient (Nathan?).

Also, we'll learn more about the mysterious group of older heroes who included Angela Petrelli and Kaito Nakamura. As for how we'll learn more about these characters' pasts, says producer Allan Arkush, "We are going to play with time and we are playing a lot with space and where people are on the planet." The new season will focus on "Villains," including Sylar and some new characters, but also on morally grey characters like Angela and Claire's dad Bennett. Matt Parkman will be exploring his new psychic power and will be "flashing someplace," which will be a "cool surprise." We may see more different versions of Hiro, along the lines of his badass self from the alternate future. And we'll see more of Niki/Jessica/someone.

Another huge storyline in season three: the "genetic essence" of these characters' powers, and how they got them in the first place. And the fact that the first episode is called "The Butterfly Effect" is significant, because a major theme of the new season is that whole "chaos theory" thing about stepping on a butterfly and "changing the flow of the universe." [Heroes Revealed]

Doctor Who:

The official Doctor Who site includes season four wallpaper art, and a section on the fat-people-infesting Slitheen is "coming soon." Does that mean they'll be farting their way across our screens again soon? [CoolSciFi]

And there are more details of the Christmas special filming. The normal-looking Cybermen are leading some children away, along with an Undertaker who's mind-controlled by a flashing blue earpiece. The children try to run away but some "cyber-shades" (those cyber-ghosty things) hiss at them. And then the undertaker yells, "Enter the court of the Cyber-King! March!" And the children go in.

Meanwhile the Doctor and his new companion "Rosita" (Velile Tshabalala) are watching the cybermen lead the children away. The Doctor says the cybermen's lair will be too well-guarded to try and sneak in. They run away, but two cybermen sneak up on them. Which the Doctor says is "cheating." "Did you put your legs on silent?" And then Mrs. Hartigan (played by Dervla Kirwin) shows up, standing between the cybermen. The Doctor tries to convince her to move away from the cybermen before they can attack her, but Mrs. Hartigan says she has nothing to fear from her "shining knights." The Doctor says Mrs. H. hasn't been converted into a cyber-woman, so she should still have her own free will, and she replies that she's with the cybermen of her own volition, and "no-one can make me change my mind."

Later, the Doctor discusses Mrs. Hartigan's evil plans, which involve something dreadful happening on Christmas, which will affect the whole British Empire. She asks who the Doctor is, and how he knows so much about the cybermen, and he tells her his name. They cybermen say his appearance doesn't match their visual records. (Which would mean they're not the same cybermen he met in the alternate universe?) The cybermen are about to kill the Doctor, who asks Mrs. H., to let him die happy by telling him what she wants the children for. She replies, "What does anyone want children for?" The Doctor throws something at the cyberman, who catches it and tells the Doctor it's ineffective against the cyber-race. And then David Morrissey (the "other Doctor") jumps out and shoots the cybermen with some sort of weapon. And here's a video. [Doctor Who Forum]

Lost:

In this Thursday's Lost episode, Jack has appendicitis and Jin gets a gun. Sawyer, Claire and Aaron run into Frank Lapidus, the helicopter pilot, who tells them to hide because Kearny is still alive. They hide, but then Aaron starts to cry. All of the Oceanic Six, plus Sayid's wife Nadia, are at the funeral of Christian Shepherd. Sayid actually storms out of the Oceanic Six's press conference because he doesn't like telling lies about what happened. There's a party at Hurley's mansion. [Nicole's Lost Blog]

But other sources suggest the party at Hurley's Mansion takes place in the season finale, not this week's episode. (And possibly that press conference as well.)

The trailer shows more of the love triangle between Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne and Bruce's ex, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gillenhaal). Rachel and Harvey are dating, and you can tell Bruce is none too happy about it. There appear to be a lot of high society events where the three uncomfortably dance around each other. Harvey even asks Alfred if Rachel has any psychopathic ex-boyfriends he needs to know about, to which Alfred replies, "you have no idea."

Meanwhile, the Joker is seen collecting criminals underground and building his own army. He harangues his new posse that their days of doing whatever they want are over, adding, "This city needs a new class of criminal, and I'm going to give it to them." Unfortunately there was no shot of Two Face yet but a small glimpse into the possible disfiguration of pretty-boy Harvey as the trailer showed a glimpse of him tied down and screaming "No" on the ground.

We already featured a promo reel for this Animatrix-style tie-in with The Dark Knight, but this trailer gives more of a feel for the range of styles in the finished product. We'll be seeing six different visions of the Bat here, but it looks like they mesh pretty well, partly thanks to consistent voice talent across all the films. [HD trailer at Yahoo Movies]

X-Files 2:

Here are some new promo stills from July's X-Files sequel. You can just glimpse a clipping behind Mulder that says something about a Frankenstein doctor.

Iron Man:

Professor Yin Sen, the Vietnamese scientist who helps Iron Man create his armor, is now played by Shaun Tolb, who also appears in The Kite Runner. Tolb says he appears in about 30 minutes of the movie, saves Iron Man's life and sends him on his journey. [Superhero Flix]

Batman: The Dark Knight.

That scene showing Heath Ledger in a body-bag won't be cut from the theatrical release of Batman: The Dark Knight, as some had speculated. [MovieHole]

Heroes

Here are the titles of the first four episodes of Heroes season three: "The Butterfly Effect," "Dreamtime," "One Of Us, One Of Them," and "The Year Of Our Lord." So, just reading between the lines here, we'll see some philosophizing about how you can't step on a butterfly without changing the course of history. And that wise Aborigine storyteller we're told is joining the cast will take us on a spiritual journey in the second episode. Or maybe I'm reading too much into those titles. In any case, the first two episodes are written by Tim Kring. [Heroes Television]

Lost:

In the first Lost episode back, we'll quickly learn the identity of the Rousseau and Karl snipers. The body that washes ashore in the episode is that of Doc Ray, from the freighter, and the body itself isn't as significant as what it implies. Meanwhile, we'll soon discover more about how the Island has a "pull" on people, even after they leave it. And there are more hints that Claire may not have much longer to live. [Spoilers Lost]

The second episode of Lost after the break involves Kate and Juliet teaming up to save Jack, whose "health is severely compromised." Meanwhile, Sawyer, Claire, Aaron and Miles head back to the beach, and then "something goes wrong." It appears this episode may be a Jack-centric flash-forward after all, since they were filming those scenes of FutureJack visiting Hurley in the mental hospital. [Fan Forum]

In upcoming episodes of Lost, Desmond stays on the freighter, where there are more shenanigans, says actor Henry Ian Cusick. And the actor has a strong feeling that Desmond is not going to make it out of the show alive. [Doc Arzt]

And here's a promo for the next episode:

Doctor Who:

Remember Friday's spoiler about the Doctor Who Christmas special featuring Cybermen in a Victorian graveyard? Here are a couple more pictures of the shooting. [South Argus and AltNation] And here's the synopsis for the upcoming "Planet of the Ood": "The Doctor takes Donna far into the future, to her first alien world. But on the planet Ood-Sphere, they discover terrible truths about the Human Race. As the enslaved Ood struggle for survival, a secret buried for 200 years threatens to rise up and engulf them all." [Bad Wolf PR]

The Dark Knight:

At one point in the new Batman movie, the Joker gets up in Christian Bale's face and quotes that Brokeback Mountain line about "You complete me," but in a really stalkery, unnerving way. (I thought that was a line from Jerry Maguire?) Also, there's a scene where the Joker gets inside a body bag and pretends to be dead, which freaked out everyone in the audience of an early preview screening — and it may have to be edited out. The movie's soundtrack includes a Jaws-esque tension-inducing heartbeat sound. Eric Roberts plays an icky mobster. Everyone in the movie, not just Harvey/Two-Face, has some kind of duality. [Batman on Film]

X-Files 2:

UGO has one of its spoiler roundups about X-Files 2, and doesn't really add much new information. Except supposedly the movie starts with scrolling introductory text, like Star Wars, to bring new viewers up to speed. And it does reference old episodes of the show. And Mitch Pileggi may be back as Skinner. And Mulder and Scully may encounter creatures they first met on the TV show. [UGO]

Dragonball:

James Masters, who plays Piccolo in Dragonball, will have the silliest fake latex muscles you've ever seen. At least, they look pretty stunning in this picture from make-up artist Edward French's home page. French won't reveal the prosthetic makeup he spent four hours applying to Marsters, but he did show off everything below the neck. [Edward French, via I Watch Stuff]

Heroes:

Season three of Heroes will introduce two new characters, because the show isn't overcrowded enough already: Joy, who's in her early twenties and good at getting herself into, and out of, trouble. And Senator Robert Malden, a "political straight shooter" in his fifties. [TV Guide]

Doctor Who:

Towards the end of Doctor Who season four, rumor has it we'll hear more references to the Medusa Cascade, which the Master mentioned at the end of season three. Also, still more rumors that Davros is showing up. And the final episode is supposedly extra long, which means it'll be extra-butchered for American viewers.

And the new Doctor Who Magazine includes key quotes from some upcoming episodes. In the Pompeii episode, the Doctor tells Donna, "Some things are fixed, some things are in flux, and Pompeii is fixed...That's how I see the universe. All the time, every waking second: what is, what was, what could be, what must not. That's the burden of a Time Lord, Donna."

In the Ood episode, the Doctor says, "The Ood aren't born like this, can't be - a species born to serve could never evolve in the first place. What does the company do, to make them obey?"

In the Sontaran two-parter, the Doctor says, "Whatever you do, Colonel Mace, do not engage the Sontarans in battle. There's nothing they like better than war! Leave this to me..." [Doctor Who Forum]

Smallville:

The 150th Smallville episode, airing May 1, will resolve the Clark/Brainiac story once and for all. That's the episode where Clark visits a world where he never crash-landed on Earth. (Think the Buffy storyline where Buffy never came to Sunnydale.) And in the alternate reality, Chloe is engaged to be married, while Alt-Lex will have a fancy job with an even fancier office. [Ask Ausiello]

Lost:

That "spectacular kiss" in the Lost season finale happens between a boy and a girl, and it doesn't take place on the island [E! Online]

The season finale involves a "big scene" involving the rescue of the Oceanic Six from the island, soon to be filmed. But the freighter crew aren't the ones who rescue the Six, and the cliffhanger will "leave you ballistic." Also, in the last five episodes of the season, we learn a lot more about Kate's love-life, both in the present and in flash-forwards. [Spoilers Lost]

Ben 10

The new Ben 10 series, Ben 10: Alien Force, takes place five years after the original series, with a more mature Ben. Ben goes to visit his grandfather, but aliens attack and his grandpa goes missing. So Ben teams up with Gwen, plus Max's old partner, an alien plumber, and they bust a weapons deal that turns out to be the work of Kevin Eleven, now back in human form. Despite being pissed about his deal going south, Kevin agrees to help Ben's team, and they use a "spiffy piece of alien tech" to infiltrate an alien base. The mission is mostly successful, but they the plumber dies, and they still need to find and rescue Grandpa Max. Meanwhile, Ben's watch has transformed and gives him access to a whole new set of aliens. The show launches April 18 on Cartoon Network. [Toonzone]

The Dark Knight:

Here's a new viral video that went online at one of the viral sites for this summer's Batman movie, The Dark Knight. Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gillenhaal) explains why we should support Harvey Dent. He's totally got my vote. [Comic Book Resources]

Wall-E:

Latino Review got to see the first 35 minutes of Wall-E, and summarized the film's opening. It's the year 2700 and humans have abandoned Earth because there was too much trash. Wall-E, built by B&L Flight and CEO Shelby Forthwright, has been left behind and keeps scrunching the trash into cubes, recharging his solar batteries every morning. His only company is a cockroach, and he has to hide from dust storms. He collects random items inside his little spaceship home, and watches Barbara Streisand videos.

Then a mysterious ship lands on Earth, carrying Eve, the bullet/ghost-shaped robot whom Wall-E falls in love with. He builds her a replica of himself out of trash as a present, but she's not impressed, showing off her destructo-lasers to him. Then there's a cool high-speed chase sequence. Wall-E shows Eve all the items he's collected, and when he shows her a small plant, she shuts down weirdly. We gather that she was sent to Earth to look for signs of life. Then her ship comes to take her away, and Wall-E grabs onto the side and stows away. The ship flies up to an even bigger ship called Axiom, also built by B&L. [Latino Review]

Smallville:

In the April 24 Smallville, "Sleeper," Clark desperately searches for both Kara and Brainiac, the only one who can reverse Lana's "condition" after the April 17 episode. To help Clark in his search, Chloe breaks into some government computers to look for big power surges. This get Chloe on the radar of the Department of Domestic Security. The Department wants Jimmy to help it arrest Chloe, but meanwhile Lex offers to get Chloe off the hook if Jimmy agrees to be in Lex's debt. (So maybe something pretty bad happens to Lana in the upcoming April 17 episode?) [Kryptonsite]

Lost:

The big war on the island all goes down in the next Lost episode, airing April 24, and by the following episode, Jack looks a bit messy. Also, in addition to the two Australian characters we already told you are appearing in the season finale, there's a "quick-witted" leader named Karen Dekker, who's an expert at swaying everyone around her to her point of view. [E! Online]

Battlestar Galactica:

Here are some stils from the sixth episode of the current BSG season, showing Tigh getting all intimate with Six. And Baltar making an even weirder face than usual. [Trini's World]

Doctor Who:

In the sixth episode of the current Doctor Who season, when we meet the Doctor's daughter, it may not actually be as simple as aliens having stolen the Doctor's DNA after all. Donna, the Doctor's new companion, is like Jiminy Cricket on his shoulder, giving him parenting advice. (Even though the Doctor already had a granddaughter and Donna's had, what? A goldfish?) Donna tells the Doctor, "I've seen men like that round our estate, with pushchairs and prams. You've gone into dadshock."

Meanwhile, you may have heard Richard Dawkins will appear in an upcoming Who episode — and Dick-to-the-Dawk-to-the-PhD will be playing himself. Dawkins was "just as mad and barking as you would want him to be," says showrunner Russell T. Davies. (And yes, I know that he's married to Lalla Ward, former Doctor Who companion and Tom Baker spouse.) [PodBlack Blog]

Meanwhile, Digital Spy has some spoilers for the next episode, "Fires of Pompeii." But they're once again doing that annoying thing of including one false spoiler amongst the real spoilers. The spoilers include the TARDIS getting sold without the Doctor's consent, Rose popping up again, Donna taking a cameraphone pic of the volcano and sending it to Wilf, some people in Pompeii already knowing about the Doctor, an escape pod getting used, and Donna getting turned to stone. [Doctor Who Hideout]

The Dark Knight:

Here are some ultra-creepy new stills from The Dark Knight that just came out. I'd forgotten just how freaky Heath Ledger's Joker actually looks. [IESB]

Lost:

The Lost crew was filming some scenes from episode 11, at an old mental hospital complex, which was done up to look like a hospital maternity ward in the 1950s. And supposedly the scenes include Baby Locke and his mother, the young Emily. Not only that, but the "ageless" Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell) was there, wearing a stylish suit. And people on the set mentioned that Terry O'Quinn (Locke himself) was scheduled to be there tomorrow. Did Alpert visit Locke's birth? Is Locke time-traveling, or is this a flashback? [Lost Spoilers]

Battlestar Galactica:

In a long and very thought-provoking interview, Ron Moore dropped a few spoilers for Battlestar Galactica season four. Some relationships will be torn apart and not repaired, and we're going to lose some longstanding characters. Also, Laura Roslin starts the season strong and resolute, but then it "comes to a screeching halt." (Probably due to her cancer coming back.)

As we mentioned, Romo Lampkin comes back once during the first 10 episodes, and may appear again once during the second group of 10. Oh, and Moore confirms that the final Cylon is not one of the people in that famous "Last Supper" picture. [Chicago Tribune]

Smallville:

In the next Smallville episode (the one where Lex finally turns evil), we see the "young Lex" played by Connor Stanhope again. And Lex gets Chloe fired from the Daily Planet, which only makes her more determined to expose his evildoing. [Kryptonsite]

Doctor Who:

Here's a Doctor Who tidbit I hadn't seen before: Sarah Lancashire, who runs the evil diet pill company in the season opener, also guest stars in the final two-parter of the season. (Unless this is just a misprint, of course, since it says "guest stars to be revealed," and then mentions her name as a guest star.) [icWales]

And here's a video that shows a couple of clips from the new season. Apparently the only reason Donna is investigating the same shady doings as the Doctor is just because she figured if she looked for trouble she would find him. Because he opened her eyes to how big the universe was, etc. [Sky News]

Iron Man:

And here are some new Iron Man photos that turned up on Superhero Hype, only to be taken down. They're the most dynamic pics yet, even with the annoying Paramount watermark. [Slashfilm]

Batman: The Dark Knight

Harvey Dent is only Two-Face for "a couple of minutes" towards the very end of The Dark Knight, the sequel to Batman Begins. The transformation into Two-Face at the movie's end sets up a confrontation in the third movie, making the Nolan Bat-films seem even more like a trilogy. (And Knight a bit more Empire Strikes Back-ish.) Mind you, this whole spoiler is based on what some reps told a guy at a costume show, where there was no Two-Face costume on display. [Superhero Hype]

Y: The Last Man (the movie)

As we'd previously reported, the Y: The Last Man movie only covers the first 12 issues of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra's comic, unlike Vaughan's own movie script which tried to cover the entire saga. D.J. Caruso's Y movie would be the first of a planned trilogy, says Caruso. Also, Caruso will use a real monkey for Ampersand, and Shia LaBoeuf is definitely the front-runner to play Yorick. [Ain't It Cool]

Land Of The Lost:

Here's a first look at Will Ferrell as a park ranger who explores a hidden land and meets dinosaurs, Sleestaks and other weird creatures, in the new Land of the Lost movie. He's kind of a slob, since apparently this scene ends with him tossing his cigarette butt and cheetos bag in the lake. [JFX Online]

The reason Ferrell's scientist character is working as a park ranger (at the LaBrea Tar Pits) is because he assaulted disabled physics great Steven Hawking during an interview on Anderson Cooper 360. A young scientist, played by Anna Friel, approaches Ferrell at the Tar Pits and asks him to guide her (and his kids, for some reason) to the Land of the Lost. Are you excited yet? At least Anna Friel is fun to watch. [Slashfilm]

Doctor Who:

Here are some new Doctor Who season four teasers that have been airing on British TV. They're really only spoilery if you didn't know the Daleks were coming back:

Smallville

The person who dies in the April 17 Smallville has never been presumed dead by the audience... which means he/she may have been presumed dead by the characters on the show, as long as we knew better. [Ask Ausiello]

Also, that April 17 episode, "Descent," is when Lex Luthor jumps off the good/evil fence once and for all, and goes totally evil. He falls into his "own personal hell," says executive producer Brian Peterson. "There is a major turn that happens in his life that drives him into pure darkness. ... It's Lex's real descent into the villain he becomes." [Sci Fi Wire]

Lost

There actually will be a Jack-centric Lost episode this spring, despite reports to the contrary. [Ask Ausiello again]

Secret Invasion

More spoilers for Secret Invasion, Marvel Comics' upcoming "everyone is a shape-changing Skrull invader" storyline: Supposedly Jarvis, the Avengers' man-servant, is a Skrull, who uploads an alien virus that makes all of Tony Stark's technology crash, including Iron Man's armor. A Skrull briefly impersonates Invisible Girl, just long enough to send the Fantastic Four into the Negative Zone. A Skrull Hank Pym shoots Reed Richards, and a Skrull Captain Marvel blows open Thunderbolts Mountain. Also, a Skrull busts all the supervillains out of their supervillain prison, the Raft. Meanwhile, one of the X-Men, Nightcrawler, is a Skrull, and the X-men are the only ones on the West Coast standing in the massive Skrull Armada.

Secret Invasion #1 begins with a Skrull ship crash-landing in the Savage Land, Marvel's version of the Land of the Lost. Both the New Avengers and the Mighty Avengers rush to the crash site. The ship opens up, and the classic 1970s versions of the Marvel characters come out, including webbed-armpits Spider-Man, nose-armor Iron Man, tiara-wearing Power Man, the furry Beast, Sue Storm, Mockingbird, Wonder-Man, Captain America, evil Emma Frost and old-school Wolverine. "The modern, darker, dirty versions of all the characters stare at their more innocent version of themselves in shock." But it turns out the 1970s versions aren't the real characters returned, but a Skrull trick meant to sow doubt. Or something. Only Mockingbird turns out to be real. [Schwapp!!!]

X-Files 2

So that scene in X-Files 2 where Mulder and Scully kiss? The one that David Duchovny swore at a press conference was just a hoax, staged to confuse the fans? Apparently, it's actually a real part of the movie, according to a new leaked call sheet, and it's towards the end. Also, Mulder cuts up a newspaper, and Scully goes over a toxicology report. Meanwhile, one fan has heard a crazy rumor: the movie will end by revealing that Mulder and Scully are actually one person. It totally makes sense! [X-Files News]

Battlestar Galactica

Here's a new official plot description for Caprica, the TV movie prequel to Battlestar Galactica that may launch a new series:

Set 50 years before Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families - the Greystones and the Adamas - as they grow, compete, and thrive in the vibrant world of the 12 Colonies. Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-to-toe. Caprica will deliver all of the passion, intrigue, political backbiting, family conflict and hardcore action that always leaves Galactica fans begging for more.

Speed Racer:

Okay, I may just be slow, but I hadn't seen this detailed plot synopsis for Speed Racer before:

Born to race cars, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized—the legendary Rex Racer, whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill. Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer (John Goodman), the designer of Speed's thundering Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company's maniacal owner (Roger Allam) but uncovers a terrible secret—some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If Speed won't drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line. The only way for Speed to save his family's business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game. With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed teams with his one-time rival—the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox)—to win the race that had taken his brother's life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible.

Meanwhile, real-life race-car driver Milka Duno appears in Speed Racer as Kellie "Gearbox" Kalinkov, a "Roo-ssian race car driver, very eccentric and aggressive." [PR USA]
Heroes

Heroes season three may finally reveal what Angela Petrelli's superpower is — and it's something dangerous and potentially harmful. Also, Angela probably won't get a boyfriend next season. But actress Christine Rose believes her character hooked up with both Linderman and Kaito Nakamura. In fact, Linderman may be Nathan and Peter's dad, while Angela may be Hiro's mom. Or maybe not. Also, Adam will be back within the first six episodes of the new season. [SyFy Portal]

Doctor Who

The new season apparently ends with Mickey walking away with Martha and Captain Jack... leaving the Doctor alone. But where's Rose? Has she already disappeared by this point? Or is she waiting in the TARDIS? (Actually, this spoiler makes me sort of hope Mickey joins Torchwood along with Martha. That would actually rule.) [Grunge Bunny]

And meanwhile a new article claims the Cybermen will be back once again, in this year's Christmas special. (I wasn't sure if they were doing a Christmas special this year, actually.) [TARDIS Newsroom]

Smallville

Smallville will kill off a major character on April 17, and he or she won't be coming back. It's someone who's been around since the first season, and who has never been presumed dead before. And the only thing more shocking than the death itself is the identity of the killer. (Has Pete Ross been presumed dead before?) [Comic Book Resources]

Batman: Gotham Knight

The animated DVD that accompanies the release of The Dark Knight, Batman: Gotham Knight, will feature one of my favorite Gotham characters, Crispus Allen — and he won't be a vengeful ghost, the way he is in the comics nowadays. Allen will be paired up with a cop named Anna Ramirez (not Renee Montoya, as in the comics) and the duo will appear in multiple segments and learn to trust Batman. Also appearing will be Cassandra, "a mystical Indian woman who teaches Bruce Wayne to endure and manage his pain." But who will manage our pain? [ComicMix]

• As you may have figured, Batman: The Dark Knight avoids any "fall into a vat of chemicals" origin for the Joker, and just introduces him fully formed. And director Chris Nolan confirms that neither Ledger's role in the film, nor its marketing plan, will change as a result of his death. [CNN]
• Another non-surprising spoiler: the new Star Trek movie is about time travel after all. [TrekWeb]
• Sources tell io9 that Starbuck isn't alone when she discovers her own dead body in a crashed Raptor — Leoben is with her. The 10th episode of Battlestar Galactica season four also includes scenes of Col. Tigh in the water screaming for Ellen, and Tyrol flashing back to a past life.
• So are the Daleks back on Doctor Who? Well, here's a video of the recent filming: The relevant dialog goes like this: Dalek: All humans will leave their homes. The males, the females, the descendants. You will come with us. Resistance is useless! Man: What do you want with us? Dalek: Daleks do not answer human questions. Stand in line. Man: We're not going anywhere. Do you hear me? Laura, Get back in the house! Simon, get inside! Get back in the sky! Get back where you came from! And leave us alone! And then the Dalek shouts "Maximum extermination," and there's a big explosion, although it's not in the video. [Doctor Who Insania, videos by Teekay477 and OhMySpiderFly]
• Immediately following that scene, Donna's grandfather Wilf (whom we met in the Christmas special, selling newspapers) and Donna's mom Sylvia confront some Daleks. Wilf has a paint gun, which he thinks will blind a Dalek and render it defenseless. Wilf goes out to confront the Dalek and it orders him to surrender. Wilf says, "Will I 'eck!" and shoots his paintgun — which fails to blind the Dalek at all. The Dalek is about to exterminate Wilf, when it gets destroyed somehow. And then there's another scene where a Dalek is about to exterminate Wilf for "resistance," when Rose appears and explodes the Dalek. She says to Wilf, "Are you Donna Noble's grandfather? I'm Rose Tyler — and I need you." [Planet Gallifrey]
• Also, the penultimate episode of season four takes place on some kind of post-apocalyptic Earth, overrun with Daleks, where greenhouse gases are at an all-time high. Rose and Captain Jack both run around with giant enormous guns. And the Doctor gets shot down by Daleks at some point, and Rose and Jack rush to try and revive him and get him back to the TARDIS. Then the Daleks transfer the TARDIS to the Crucible (their ship?) and it vanishes while Mickey, Jackie and Sarah Jane watch. [Planet Gallifrey again]
• And here's The Sun's article on these goings on.
• Lost episode 9, which airs April 24 after a brief hiatus, features the funeral of Nadia, Sayid's former sweetie whom he saved from a firing squad back in season one. Sayid is a pallbearer at her funeral, and Ben is not far away. Here's a picture of an extra from the episode holding Nadia's photo, which is placed on her coffin. [SpoilersLost]

• This is presumably among the sequences that take place in Tunisia or somewhere else in North Africa or the Middle East.
• That episode will also feature scenes set in "war-torn Iraq," including some bombed-out buildings and a defaced Saddam Hussein poster. There's a scene where a car with a wooden structure on it ploughs into an archway. [SpoilersLost]
• That episode, by the way, is rumored to be called "Bakir," which is the name of a character we meet in it — a distinguised 40-ish Middle Eastern man with an undercurrent of menace behind his charm. [TVFanForums]
• Meanwhile, Lost episode 10 introduces Dr. Erika Stevens, an African American doctor who works long hours to help her patients. And episode 11 is probably a flashback to the childhood of a male character with green eyes (Ben? Or Locke?) The producers are seeking child actors to play a five-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy, both with green eyes. The shy-but-smart five-year-old version has to take a test and is nervous about passing, while the 16-year-old is a nerdy rebel who tries to fight back against some older boys but gets pushed into a locker. There's also a 16-year-old girl with red hair, who's "passionately in love and fights with her mom about it." [DocArzt]
• There are hints that a Torchwood regular will make the "ultimate sacrifice" in the season finale... and rumors that it might be Ianto. (But my money's actually on Owen, who's already dead, after all.) [Erised]
• Also, in the Torchwood finale, Captain John Hart (aka Spike) shows up again, to take his revenge. He sends Captain Jack back in time for a "long overdue" reunion. The rest of the Torchwood team are faced with a Cardiff on the brink of destruction and overrun with Weevils. But Captain John may be working for someone else. Also, we may see the return of Captain Jack's long-lost little brother, Gray. [TorchwoodTV]

Note: I left out some smaller movies and some films that we know will probably bomb, like Eddie Murphy's Starship Dave. I also left out M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening, which seems likely to bomb, even though I don't want to diss the Wahlberg. I wanted to avoid including any movie that was such an obvious choice, it would get a landslide vote. Plus, I'm not sure either Starship Dave or The Happening is really intended to be a summer blockbuster, or if they're more like counter-programming hoping to score a niche audience.

Also, this seems to be as good a place as any to ask: Is Get Smart science fiction? Should we be covering it?

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

• Here are four new preview pics from Batman: The Dark Knight, which may help dispel that everyone's-ignoring-the-Joker feeling. [MovieWeb]
• Adrian Pasdar, who plays Nathan on Heroes, hinted that Nathan was wearing a bullet-proof vest when we saw him get shot at the end of season two — and Nathan may have staged the shooting himself. Apparently there are clues, if you watch the sequence carefully. Also, in season three we'll see a lot of Nathan and Claire interacting as father and daughter, and Nathan and Peter will try to bring their mom back from the dark side. Also, Nathan may eventually die. [Heroes Television]
• Sun's pregnancy will probably go on for another two seasons on Lost, because everything moves more slowly on the island. Insert your own joke here. Also, there's a funeral in this week's Lost. And next week Libby is back in a flashback. We only see Walt briefly next week, and he still looks like a nine-year-old somehow. And then that's it for Walt for the rest of the season. There's no time travel regarding Walt after all. And here are three more preview clips from this week's episode! [E! Online]
• The "special character" whom Georgia Moffett plays in an upcoming Doctor Who episode has widely been predicted to be a daughter of the Doctor, created from the Doctor's DNA. But one fan has an alternate theory, based on a new picture of Georgia: Maybe she's playing a clone of Rose Tyler instead? (Moffett is the real-life daughter of former Who star Peter Davison.) [SunnyTyler001]
• On an upcoming Smallville, someone gets paralyzed, and someone else dies. And Lex is getting very close to figuring out Clark's secret. [E! Online again.]
• And here are some new Iron Man pics, from a promotional site put together by car-maker Audi. It also features a couple of car commercials with a bit of Iron Man footage in them. [Rope Of Silicon]

With only a few months to go until the release of Christopher Nolan's second Batman movie, the website to promote Harvey Dent's political ambitions has undergone a major overhaul with all-new content giving more details about his campaign and how you, the real world voter, can get involved. In addition to this, Dent is calling people who'd previously registered their phone numbers at the original version of the site, and leaving a plea for their support:

We all know what's wrong with Gotham. Crime is out of control, and instead of protecting our streets, too many cops have become criminals themselves. This is why my mission has been to stamp out police corruption. And this is why I'm considering a run for District Attorney. But I can't do it alone. I need to know if you, the people of Gotham, want change. Do you want a Gotham free from the grip of criminals and the corrupt? Are you ready to join a crusade to take back our city?

With promises of a "Dentmobile" coming to your neighborhood in the near future for face to face meetings, and flyers for you to print out and place in your window, it's clear that Dent is trying to be more than just another Two-Faced politician... Well, for now, anyway. [I Believe In Harvey Dent]

• Random X-Files 2 spoiler/rumor: Scully works as a doctor in a hospital, and has to deal with a "crazy man" who chops off a woman's head in a gory (but still PG-13) scene. [ScreenRant]
• Here's a new pic from The Incredible Hulk, of William Hurt as General "Thunderbolt" Ross. [Cinemablend]
• Batman: The Dark Knight will use all of today's technology to portray Two-Face's scarred face. But the reasons for Two-Face's killing spree will remain sort of a mystery, says actor Aaron Eckhart. [Wizard]
• Also, The Dark Knight begins with Batman's theatrical heroics actually having attracted more criminals to Gotham, so now Batman feels as though he has an obligation to keep using his awesome power for good. [ReelMovieNews]
• Heroes doesn't come back until next fall — hopefully, in way better shape — but already spoilers are starting to trickle out. Kristen Bell says her character, Elle, should be back despite contract issues, and is evil and broken, but "actually redeems herself over the next couple of episodes." Also, in upcoming episodes, a Japanese woman comes into Ando's life, and Niki comes back from the dead (as one of her alter-egos.) Plus that New Orleans cop we mentioned, Officer Warren, may turn into a love interest for Monica. And there's that new criminal character in New Orleans, named Knox. Bear in mind, though, that any Heroes spoilers you hear may relate to scripts that were partly completed before the writers' strike, and they may end up drastically rewritten. [Heroes Fanatic]
• And in case you haven't seen the blurry cameraphone copy of the Heroes season three "trailer" that's been online for a couple months, here it is.
• And even more Heroes spoilers: Remember Taeko, the nice Japanese woman that both Hiro and Adam were in love with, back in the 17th century? She was due to be transported to the present in an upcoming Heroes episode that wasn't completed due to the strike. And actress Eriko Tamura still expects to return to the show next season. Says one fan named Tessykins: "WHY, WRITERS, WHY?! That story arc is dead. D-E-D. What another stupid fucking thing to slow down the plot." [Sci Fi Wire]
• In next week's Lost, we find out that Michael, Desmond and that Tunisian polar bear have been bounced around in time and space. And time-travel is also the reason Walt is so tall, and why he keeps turning up on the island. And it turns out Michael is Ben's spy on the boat, because Ben sent him there on a mission. [SpoilersLost]
• In the March 27 Smallville, Clark's cousin Kara teaches him to fly to improve his chances against Brainiac. But some of Clark's loved ones get caught in the crossfire. This is the episode where everything changes! [TurkeyWhisperer]
• In the first episode of Stargate: Atlantis season five, Sheppard returns from the future only to find that a team has been trapped in an off-world compound that exploded. Carter leads a search and rescue team, including new crewmember Alicia Vega, and manages to rescue McKay and Lorne. But the S&R team is attacked by twenty Wraith darts, who are also after the two remaining trapped crewmembers. The Wraith activate the Stargate, preventing Carter's people from escaping. The Jumpers are cloaked but can't fight twenty Wraith darts, so they decide to wait for the Daedalus to arrive. [StargateWiki]
• And here are four cute new pictures from the new Indiana Jones, from a French magazine. [Slashfilm]

• Leonard Nimoy will be the only O.G. Star Trek actor in the new movie, confirms Chekov actor Anton Yelchin. There will be "lots of alien ethnicities" on board the Enterprise, including distinctive-looking non-human creatures helping to run the ship. Chekov doesn't get captured or tortured for once. The film ends with an iconic shot of Kirk, (young) Spock, Chekov and the others on the Enterprise bridge, in their classic yellow, blue and red pajamas. [MTV Movies]
• A new toy has raised speculation that the fast-healing assassin Deathstroke will make an appearance in Batman: The Dark Knight. (But, probably, it's just a random action figure.) [Slashfilm]
• Here's an incredibly boring video of the filming of X-Files 2, featuring Mulder and Scully. Warning: incredibly boring! [Flynet]
• Here's a preview of the first seven pages of next week's issue of Captain America. [ComicBookResources]
• Lost spoilers from this week's Entertainment Weekly: We'll know all six of the Oceanic Six within a few weeks. We'll learn how the Six got off the island, and what happened to everyone else, by the end of this season. We'll also learn the identity of Jack's coffin-corpse from the season three finale. But we won't learn the secrets of Jacob this season, nor will we fully unpack that polar bear skeleton that Charlotte found in Tunisia. We will see the inside of the freighter and meet more freighter people. And the last five episodes of season four will emphasize characters who have been there since season one — including the returning Michael. [Entertainment Weekly]
• Crazy Lost theories abound, including the idea that the island is actually millions of years in the past, before humans evolved. [Jackson Citizen Patriot]
• In Torchwood, we'll see more of that romantic tension between Captain Jack and Gwen (that you could cut with a yawn) even though Gwen is marrying Rhys. Jack and Rhys will definitely clash over "what is best" for Gwen. [AfterElton]
• And here are some new Iron Man pics, showing some babes, Tony Stark as a captive, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and Iron Man's mentor-turned-nemesis Obadiah Stane. [ScreenRant]

Here's how director Zach Snyder describes the political backdrop in his movie of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen:

I do believe the cold war stakes are pivotal to the film's success because in order to believe Adrian's storyline, you have to believe that he believes that the threat of nuclear war is not only real, but also imminent. We've put a lot of effort into trying to infuse the story with that notion — using every appropriate opportunity to reinforce the Soviet presence and the looming threat of a nuclear war on a global scale.

More spoilers:

On Torchwood, you know how Owen dies, and then comes back from the dead as the Weevil King? (And we all stop watching Torchwood forever?) Apparently he does eventually go back to being human. And here are pics to prove it. Is Owen holding a gun at Gwen's wedding in that second pic? [Doctor Who Mania]

Sadly, the above video contains a few boring interviews, saying things like "Most of Batman's adventures take place at night." But the animation itself is great. The direct-to-DVD Batman anime is similar to The Animatrix, the DVD which tied in with Matrix sequels. Warners is also working on a version called Termination in tandem with Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins. The segments are written by Josh Olson, David Goyer, Brian Azzarello, Greg Rucka, Jordan Goldberg, and Alan Burnett, and will each have their own distinctive look. Just think of it as an animated version of Batman: Black and White except you know, with color.

In fact, it would really be worthwhile to see DC just hand over the reins to anime directors like Satoshi Kon, to see what they could do with characters ranging from Green Lantern to Captain Marvel. In fact, maybe the entire Justice League film that's been put on hold could be saved, just by making a big-budget anime version. As excited as we are about Darwyn Cooke's The New Frontier DVD, it's still a very Western style of animation. Bring on the anime heroes.

Spoilers and rumors for Batman: The Dark Knight: The new Batsuit will have "radar-mapping abilities," and Batman's irises will turn white when he uses this ability. (Ugh.) District Attorney Harvey Dent announces publicly that he's the Batman, and runs for Gotham mayor promising 18 crime-free months. We probably get to see his face-scarring and descent into Two-Face-hood.

Anthony Michael Hall's character may be a rich playboy who's jealous of Bruce Wayne. Someone tries (probably unsuccessfully) to blackmail Lucius Fox into giving up the Batman's identity. But Maggie Gillenhaal actually does "out" Bruce to the Joker. Which just proves that you should never trust a submissive secretary with your secret identity. [UGO]

Meanwhile, here are some new pics of the Tumbler, Batman's new dirt-buggy/tank ride. [Batman On Film]

More spoilers:

• The second episode of the new Battlestar Galactica season will focus on the Cylon six, and we'll get to see more of the idealized "virtual" Gaius Baltar that Caprica Six sees all the time. [TriciaHelferFan]
• As we reported, Cally supposedly commits suicide in Battlestar episode three. And in episode four, the Cylon Centurions discover they have a device in their brains that prevents them from having free will, and they rise up against the humanoid Cylons. Another rumor says that the humanoid Cylons vote on whether to cease attacks against the Galactica's fleet because the final five Cylons are there and may not be able to resurrect. One humanoid Cylon, unhappy with the vote's outcome, "encourages" the Centurions to kill the others. [BattlestarWiki]
• Episode six of the current Lost season will reveal more of Juliet's history on the island, including her reaction to the death of her lover Goodwin at the hands of Ana-Lucia. We won't get to find out what the boat people want with Ben any time soon, because the actors playing them don't even know. In an upcoming episode, the boat people test each other for psychic powers. [E! Online]
• And here are two more Lost clips, on top of the two we posted yesterday. [LylyFord]
• An upcoming Sarah Connor Chronicles episode will give us a glimpse inside Summer Glau's head, and you get to see quite how robotic her thought really is. [E! Online again]
• Those X-Files 2 set pics we showed you a while back? The ones with the werewolf? App