Victor Creed is a bad, bad man and Liev Schreiber has the acting chops to possibly pull off someone this deeply disturbed without looking like a one-note murderer. Creed is tough and for the first time I think we'll be getting someone who will help us relate to his struggles. No we're not going to agree with his actions, but at least now we'll see some of the reasoning behind his motivations. He won't be just one big lumbering bully.

I'm especially excited about the execution scene you see above where after getting shot down by a firing squad Wolverine and Victor heal in mere moments.

All the new pics are starting to confirm that this movie will be action boy-mutant heavy with loads or war and death which is fine by me. Let's make less with the kissing and more with the killing. The only thing I'm worried about now is all the studio meddling that we got wind of a few months back.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine will open in theaters May 1, 2009.

[Spoiler TV]

The Day The Earth Stood Still:

IESB visited the set of the Keanu-anchored remake, and has a few new deets. Klaatu travels across the universe to warn us of an impending global crisis, but military leaders insist on treating him like a threat and deny his request to address the world's leaders. So Helen (Jennifer Connelly) and her stepson Jacob (Jaden Smith) discover the "deadly ramifications" of Klaatu's claim to be a friend to the Earth. They have to convince Klaatu that humanity is worth saving, but it's already too late — the "process has begun."

In one scene, Klaatu is in restraints in some kind of Army decontamination chamber. Helen comes in and Dr. Granier (Jon Hamm) tells Helen that Klaatu is dreaming. Then Klaatu kicks at his restraints. Granier tells Helen that "it" recognizes her, and she should speak to "it." Helen leans in and tells Klaatu her name, and says he has "nothing to fear from us." Klaatu repeats her last few words slowly: "Fear... from... us..."

John Cleese plays a serious role as the guy who makes the argument for humanity's right to survive. Also, the "sexual tension" between Klaatu and Helen is being saved for the sequel, director Scott Derrickson jokes... I think. [IESB]

Wolverine:

Here are a couple new promo pics of our furry, knife-handy friend. Click to enlarge. [TheMovieBlog]

Meanwhile, Hugh Jackman says he'd like the second Wolverine solo film to deal with his character going to Japan and messing around with Yakuza and samurai. [MTV]

The Road:

Here are a couple of new pics, which look as haunting and bleak as all the others we've seen. [IGN]

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

Our day is not complete without toy spoilers. Here's a tiny pic of what purports to be the movie version of Wreckage, a Decepticon, repainted in its original concept colors. [TFW2005]

Lost:

Which dead characters will be back next season? Christian Shephard will appear at some point during the season — but that wasn't him running amongst the extras in the trailer. Meanwhile, Claire isn't a regular during the fifth season, but we will see her at some point during the season. (And of course, she's back for all of season six.) As for Charlie, actor Dominic Monaghan says he's talked to the producers a bit about how his character could come back. But it's all up in the air, for now. [E! Online]

Here's a longer version of that new season five trailer, including a few new Desmond bits. [Doc Arzt]

Torchwood:

What's happening in the third, shorter, season of the Doctor Who spinoff? Says John Barrowman:

Well, you'll find out more about Jack's dark past and a lot about Gwen too. There's going to be some deaths, some new faces, some surprises and an event that will almost destroy the world. There's also going to be a shocking event instigated by Jack that people will be totally floored by.

Also, the dearly departed Tosh and Owen get mentioned. [Planet Gallifrey]

Fringe:

Ari Graynor (Sopranos, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist) is joining the show as Olivia's younger sister, who's dealing with some man trouble back home and needs to crash at Olivia's place for a few weeks. The exact nature of the man trouble isn't clear — but she brings a little kid with her. She'll be in at least three episodes, starting in January. [EW]

Battlestar Galactica:

It's been a few days since we shared any quotes from a BSG castmember about how the final episodes will reupholster your couch and put hair on your chest. So here's James Callis, talking to the L.A. Times:

It's quite — do we use the phrase "space opera"? There is something operatic about the ending of the show, only in the sense that it's like a full orchestra. Imagine very single person in the cast represents an instrument, and you've heard their theme or fugue. And then all the instruments play together. Everybody involved in this thing together — it's like the '1812 Overture.' Not only have you got all of the violins and the flutes, you've also got the flipping cannons they brought off Napoleon's ship, blowing off the roof. It's going off with a bang, this thing... Honestly you can't be disappointed. I think if Adolf Hitler were back, he'd be crying in his handkerchief.

So there you go. BSG's ending is bawling-Hitler good. [L.A. Times]

Heroes:

Fans are speculating that Sandra Bennett will die, and that will force HRG to abandon his morals. (What morals?) And that Peter will get his "empathic mimickry" back by the end of the next episode... and the first power Peter gains will be Samedi's invulnerable skin. Too bad Peter tries to use his new steel-hard skin to protect the Haitian and Nathan from gunfire, forgetting that powers don't work when the Haitian is around. Also, here's a clip from Monday's episode, featuring Seth Green and those wacky comic-store kids. [2 Comic Book Store Guys]

Matt Parkman actor Greg Grunberg posted some pictures via his Twitter feed. It looks like Matt and Peter turn into mutants, and Ando gets an awesome all-female posse. [Greg-Grunberg]

Smallville:

The identity of the villain that Clark and the Legion Of Super Heroes will face in the Jan. 15 episode? The Persuader. Says writer Geoff Johns: "He’s this futuristic assassin, he’s dressed like an executioner, and he has one of the coolest weapons, an axe that could slice an atom in half. He can slice Clark, so he can slice anything." Dude! Also, the show will have built up to a huge climax in the Doomsday/Chloe storyline, and then the Legion shows up and complicates everything further. The show is full of Legion mythology, but is friendly to casual viewers. It asks questions like: "Do you make your own destiny? Is it written in stone? Do your heroes live up to your expectatons?" [MTV]

And here's an extended version of that midseason trailer. [OSCK]

 
 
Kyle XY:

This superteen family show is back in January, so it's almost time for me to write a giant rant about why everyone should give it a chance. This season, the evil science group Latnok will finally reveal itself to Kyle, and he'll get a new love interest. Plus, the Tragers will get a new house guest, and it's the last person Amanda wants under the same roof as Kyle. (Jessi?) [TV Guide]

Chuck:

Here's a new promo from Monday's episode.

And here are some clips, plus interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. [Multiple Verses]



 
 
 
Eleventh Hour:

Good times ahead, in the show's Dec. 11 episode, "Flesh":

When co-eds on spring break fall prey to a flesh-eating bacteria, Dr. Jacob Hood searches for the cause and a cure.

[SpoilerTV]

Stargate Atlantis:

In the show's final episode, "Enemy At The Gate,"

The Atlantis team rushes to destroy an advanced wraith hive ship before it presents a threat to the Earth.

[SpoilerTV]

Pushing Daisies:

Here are hints about the next two episodes, airing in early December:

Episode 2.08 - Comfort Food [Dec. 3]: We see a young Ned at boarding school, making and enjoying pies and a party with the other boys before getting in trouble with the headmaster. Chuck and Ned prepare to un-dead her father for a minute to learn about a mysterious, possibly dangerous man named Dwight. They argue about who should question him first. When it comes time for Ned to touch him and re-dead him, Chuck comes up with a deadly plan to keep him alive without Ned’s knowledge. Ned and Olive compete in a food cooking competition that they lost two years ago and one of the contestants is murdered.

Episode 2.09 - The Legend of Merle McQuoddy [Dec. 10]: Olive and Emerson investigate the strange death of lighthouse keeper Nora McQuoddy. Ned finds out Chuck’s father is “alive” and they have to deal with the repercussions.

[SpoilerFix]

And here's the official description for the Dec. 17 episode, "The Norwegians":

When Emerson turns down Vivian's request to look into the sudden disappearance of Dwight Dixon (Stephen Root), she turns to another PI team, lead by Emerson's bitter rival, Magnus Olsdatter (guest star Orlando Jones). Magnus and his cohorts are relentless Norwegian gumshoes, ejected from their own country, whose snooping may reveal all of Ned's and Chuck's secrets.

[SpoilerTV]

Additional reporting by Katharine Duckett.

X-Men: Origins: Wolverine:

Empire Magazine had a cover with a new pic of Hugh Jackman as the Canadian claw-wielder. [Screen Rant]

Meanwhile, producer Jeff Katz says one word sums up Logan in the new movie: "Badass." The film is darker and yet more intimate than the other X-movies, and the bit in the Comic-Con trailer where Wolvie tells Sabretooth he's going to cut his head off pretty much sums up the whole film's tone. [Cinemablend]

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

More Soundwave toy pics. Apparently this is what his "satellite" mode looks like. More pics at the link. [TFW2005]

Ooh, and here's a video. [Transformers Live]

Meanwhile, writer Roberto Orci says the sequel will probably be longer than the original movie. [TFW2005]

Battlestar Galactica:

SyFyPortal claims the final Cylon is one of five people: Laura Roslin, Felix Gaeta, Ellen Tigh, Cally Tyrol and Lee Adama. (Although, didn't Ron Moore already say it's not Roslin or Adama?) SyFyPortal's rumor gets a bit of a boost becuase Michael Ausiello at EW linked to it, possibly confirming it comes from authentic sources. Or it could just mean Ausiello thought it was interesting. I would take it with a bit of a grain of salt. [SyFyPortal and EW]

Doctor Who:

Rich Johnson at Comic Book Resources is absolutely sure Paterson Joseph is the new Doctor. He also says the TARDIS control room will get a new "desktop theme" in 2010. [CBR]

Lost:

A new character, Marty Jankowsky, is appearing in at least two episodes of the new season, around the ninth or tenth episode. He'll be played by Eric Lange and will have some off-island scenes. He may be a professor of some type. Here's his description from the casting call: "40s to 50s, Caucasian, very smart and controlling. Marty has his own way of doing things and god help you if you cross him and/or try to alter his very precise process. A deep and free thinker he uses his fierce intellect as a weapon." [The ODI]

There's also a new casting call for the tenth episode: the show is seeking a domineering and quick-tempered Arabic father who feels he has to teach his son a lesson about being a man. And his twelve-year-old son who's sensitive and scared of his dad, and knows he's a sad disappointment to daddy. Plus there's an upper-class Russian named Ivan, who's lived the good life, but now his gambling debts have caught up with him and he fears for his life from the Russian mob. [SpoilersLost]

Heroes:

More hints that a lot of regular characters will drop dead in the "Fugitives" arc — apparently this is related to the fact that the show is looking to cast someone in his forties to play a member of a bomb squad, who's called in to defuse "an explosive situation." [EW]

Also, Greg Grunberg says episode 3.17 is a huge episode for Matt Parkman, and all the Heroes are on the run together from Hunter and his team. The Heroes have to use their powers, together and individually, to escape from Hunter. And we will see Molly again this season. Grunberg also posted a few set pics from the "Fugitives" arc, showing HRG, Matt and Mohinder hanging out. (So maybe HRG doesn't die soon?) More pics at the link. [The ODI]

And here's the Canadian promo for next Monday's episode:

Meanwhile, the title of 3.13, the last episode of "Villains," has changed from "War" to "Duality." Here are some pics. [The ODI]

Also, One Tree Hill/West Wing vet Moira Kelly will be playing a Homeland Security agent in at least one episode of the "Fugitives" arc. And another recurring character is Luke, played by Aliens In America's Dan Byrd. Luke has the power to generate microwaves strong enough to fry people. He goes on the road with Sylar seeking adventure, but will probably end up de-brained. And the upcoming death we mentioned, which derails a big love story? It's not Elle, but rather another recently introduced blonde hottie. (Daphne???? Or maybe Tracy.) And Claire finally does get to step up and be a big player in the fight against evil, in an upcoming episode. [E! Online]

Chuck:

Here's a sneak peek at next Monday's episode, featuring the Awesomes:
Smallville:

There's some speculation that the Legion of Super Heroes will teach Clark to fly. [OSCK]

Some casting sides for episode 8x15, "Infamous," have turned up, and they're pretty insane. Clark gets outed as the alien who's behind the "blue blur" who's been saving people. (One random person on TV questions, early on, why the "blue blur" didn't save her husband who died in an accident recently.) It sounds as though Linda Lake, returning to write for the Daily Planet, plays a role in outing Clark.

And Clark finally comes clean, but then his life becomes very complicated. Lois gets charged with treason, and Clark has to rescue her from some agents. Clark volunteers to answer the government's questions, but then a government scientist wants to do tests on him. People start mobbing him and demanding autographs, and one woman jumps out her window just so Clark can catch her and save her. Clark can't go anywhere or do anything. Chloe gets mobbed by reporters, and when Jimmy's injured the hospital won't let Jimmy come in because of the crushing media attention a friend of Clark brings.

Meanwhile, Davis is back working as a paramedic, and he gets a bit of notice because he knows Chloe. Also, Davis gets caught sneaking out some thorazine, which is used to treat multiple personalities. He's desperate to control the beast within. [SpoilerTV]

Supernatural:

The show is looking to cast a sexy thirty-something doctor who enjoys booze and one night stands, and has her eye on the Winchester brothers. Rrowr. [EW]

Knight Rider:

The show's 17th episode will be called "Exit Light, Enter Knight." (What does that even mean?) It's about a super-sophisticated bank heist. One cop gets injured and the cop's partner works with Mike to get the injured cop into KITT, who takes him to the hospital. A nine-year-old kid, Maddie, is in KITT as well, and keeps her cool even though her mom is a hostage and she's in a talking car. She agrees to pretend she drove the cop to the hospital herself. The robbery is led by a steely-willed man in black, Steve, who kills two hostages just to make a point. There's a "sniffling wimp" named Derrick in the bank, who's constantly worried about offending the bad guys. [SpoilerTV]

Additional reporting by Katharine Duckett.

Let's get the new stuff out of the way, first; Dark Horse and DC are both celebrating Hallowe'en a little bit early, with a new Hellboy novel (The All-Seeing Eye) and a new adaptation of The Evil Dead from the Oregon publisher, and a special DC Universe: Hallowe'en 08 oneshot from the Gotham City purveyor. DC's also putting out Final Crisis: Submit, a one-off tie-in to their ongoing Final Crisis series - which has a much-delayed fourth issue out this week, as well.

In terms of new material from Marvel, you're pretty much stuck with Wolverine: Manifest Destiny, which sees the short hairy one with the claws fight super-powered ninjas in San Francisco (and I only wish that I was joking about that), or Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch, a new series about the Ghost Rider that wasn't the one that Nicolas Cage played in that ill-fated movie.

But, really, this week is all about the reprints. Marvel have the most run-of-the-mill of the week, although for every X-Force: Angels And Demons, you also get an Elektra By Frank Miller Omnibus or Sky Doll hardcover. They're also putting out a hardcover of Longshot, the wonderfully neurotic miniseries about a fake boy in a fake decade by Ann Nocenti, who later found her niche as the editor of High Times. It's genuinely worth checking out. DC have two must-have collections this week: a new edition of Paul Pope's wonderful Heavy Liquid and a new collection of Will Eisner's The Spirit strips called Femme Fatales that will both tie in with, and embarrass in terms of quality, the Frank Miller movie at the end of the year. There's also the first in a series of six Y: The Last Man hardcover collections, for those who missed out on the series the first two times.

Weirdly enough, though, the most unexpected release to hit stores tomorrow is a blast from my past and enough of an oddity to make the curious and strong of stomach amongst you shell out the $30-odd necessary to try out The Complete Ace Trucking Co. Volume 1, a lengthy and entirely unusual collection of 2000AD's misguided attempt to try and jump on the CB radio craze of 1980s Britain by creating an unfunny sitcom about space truckers. Who talk in CB lingo. Really, there's no way to do it justice by trying to explain it. Just buy it and see for yourself.

The complete list of this week's new comic releases will give you even more ways for you to spend your money, but only the Comic Shop Locator Service will tell you where said money should be spent. Your humble narrator, of course, simply tells you which of the new releases you should be craving.

Oh scifi blood sources, you always seem to have magical powers that can heal even the sickliest of battered waitresses. There are many types of creatures in the scifi world that can cure what ails you with their liquidy goodness. Let's break it down.

Adam Monroe and Claire Bennet's Blood:
Can be used to heal even the most disgusting of injuries. I guess when deciding on who should get the bloodletting it's just a preference of who you would rather drain.
Street Value: One half of the secret formula, or something equally as priceless for bartering.

V-Juice:
Slang for vampire blood v-juice can be used for a number of things including it's healing powers. V-Juice will also make you super randy, heighten your senses and when taken in extreme amounts give you an eggplant sized wang.
Street Value: $600 for a Quarter Of An Ounce

Wolverine's Blood:
Performs best if used on the littlest Morlock, but be warned he's going to be a terrible dick about it.
Street Value: $50 for a taste (host can be persuaded with fresh cigars)

Cylon Hybird Baby Blood:
Hera Agathon the half cylon half human robo baby's blood was used to cure President Roslin's cancer, for a time being at least.
Street Value: Hard to say, presumably pretty low as it's not a complete fix, probably could get some with a few good army tank tops, canned goods and some moonshine.

Superman's Blood:
Sure a transfusion of his blood would give you his super powers, but imagine what ingesting it would do?
Street Value: Priceless

Obviously, Christopher Nolan's third Bat-film, if it actually happens, stands a pretty great chance of being up there with his second. But since there's officially no word on that project right now, here are the superhero films that are actually in the pipeline:

The movie: The Spirit, Frank Miller's adaptation of Will Eisner's classic comic, coming this Xmas.
Why it could be Knight-ed: It's another off-kilter look at an old-school superhero. And the focus is very much on the dark, dystopian city. (Hence the ad campaign, "My City Screams!" Aaaa!) Frank Miller pretty much invented the Christian Bale/Chris Nolan version of Batman, with The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One. and now he's finally getting to make his own superhero movie.
Why it could fall short: The trailers look campy as hell. The Spirit is not really your "dark knight" kind of hero, and he lends himself more to a certain amount of goofiness. Instead of Heath Ledger's unnerving Joker, the Spirit will give us Samuel L. Jackson in eyeliner and a fur coat, chewing the scenery like never before.

The movie: Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
Why it could be Knighted: It's another dark, twisted look at superheroes where the good guys are less than pure. In fact, there's a lot of ethical tangles that could remind people of Bruce Wayne's mass wiretapping in Dark Knight. The psychopathic vigilante Rorschach could be a bit like Heath Ledger's Joker. Nite Owl is like a Batman who can't get it up, according to director Zack Snyder. It'll be visually arresting, judging from the footage I've seen.
Why it could fail:Watchmen is trying really hard to capture the original graphic novel, keeping the 1985 setting and the Cold War themes. So it's more like an alternate historical epic. It's also more of a geek wet dream and less of a mainstream look at crime and retribution in a precarious society. Nothing in the movie will be that shocking or startling, because anyone who cares already knows what happens. I imagine most people's experience of watching Watchmen as being more like ticking stuff from the graphic novel off a mental checklist. One of the great things about Knight was that, even with all the spoilers I'd read, I still had no clue where the sequence with two boats and two detonators was going.

The movie: Wolverine.
Why it could be Knight-ed: It's another dark superhero-ish story that has connections to real-life issues like the War On Terror, thanks to a storyline about young Wolverine joining the military. Plus it includes creepy experiments and stuff, and Wolverine has to face Sabretooth, who's like his dark reflection. And it sounds as though Wolverine's girlfriend probably dies toward the end, if they're following the comics.
Why it could fall short: It's going to be as dumb as X-Men 3. We're already hearing whispers that Fox, the studio that messed up I, Robot, X-Men 3 and so many other movies, has been meddling with Wolverine as well, trying to make it less dark. Plus any actual character development or story has to make room for 1,000 cameos of X-favorites.

The movie: Green Hornet, directed by Stephen Chow and starring Chow and Seth Rogen.
Why it could be Knight-ed: Well, it's another movie that deconstructs the superhero mythos, using a hero who's sort of like Batman: a rich guy who fights crime in a mask. It'll feature a superhero (the Hornet) who's less famous than his sidekick (Kato, played by Bruce Lee in the 1960s).
Why it could fall short: Well, it's a comedy, so it probably won't be that dark. Rogen's co-writing the script, which means it could have some self-conscious superhero humor but it could also be a bit painful.

The movie: Green Lantern
Why it could be Knight-ed: Every DC Comics movie from now on is going to try and be like The Dark Knight. This one sounds like it'll be home run, in any case: a test pilot, struggling with his pain over the death of his father, gets a magic ring from space and gets thrust head-first into the battle against a superbeing named Legion, who's already killed several ring-wearers.
Why it could fall short: It's Green Lantern. It's supposed to be about the wish fulfillment of getting a ring that can do anything, wearing bright green spandex without looking like a doofus, and becoming the galaxy's greatest hero. And co-writer Marc Guggenheim already said it won't be a "dark" superhero movie.

The movies: A whole slate of Marvel comics vehicles, including Captain America, Iron Man II and The Avengers.
Why they could be Knight-ed: With Iron Man, Marvel proved it could make its second-tier characters fun and relatable, by giving them conflicts that connected them to the real world, like Tony Stark's weapons being used by the bad guys in Afghanistan.
Why it could fall short: None of these characters is really that dark, nihilistic or urban. If Marvel tries to make Captain America or the Avengers too much like Dark Knight, they'll just end up with a mess. Want a Marvel version of TDK? Make a new Daredevil movie. He's the other urban vigilante character that Frank Miller revitalized in the 1980s, and his best storylines are very Nolan-esque.

The movie: Superman: The Man Of Steel
Why it could be Knight-ed: See above, with Green Lantern. Warners wants all the DC Comics projects to be like its biggest hit. Warners execs have already suggested the next Super-film will be as dark as the character can get.
Why it could fall short: Come on, it's Superman. He wears bright colors because he's the most optimistic superhero. And the last Superman film, Superman Returns, was underwhelming in large measure because it was kinda dark.

The movie: Kick-Ass, based on the comic by Mark "Wanted" Millar
Why it could be Knight-ed: Wanted brought a kinetic, trippy action movie sensibility to the story of a super-assassin. More importantly, it was crammed with morally gray, self-centered characters and had a stark will-to-power sort of message. Kick-Ass, the saga of a wannabe superhero and a little girl who goes around hacking people to bits, looks like it'll be even more violent and nihilistic.
Why it could fall short: It's gritty, violent and amoral — but will it actually make you think, after you're done watching people get splattered? I'm not convinced there's a point to Kick-Ass, any more than there was to Wanted. (Other than, "People suck, and it's cool to be the baddest.")

The movie: Super-Max, aka Green Arrow
Why it could be Knight-ed: The pet project of David S. Goyer, who cowrote the two Nolan Bat-films. This is the story of a superhero, Green Arrow, who gets accused of a crime he didn't commit. And he gets locked into a super-prison that's chock full of supervillains who want him dead. He doesn't have his gear, and he has no special abilities without it. And he has to break out of this high-tech super-prison, teaming up with criminals along the way.
Why it could fall short: It could fail to get made for some reason. They could cast Hayden Christensen as Green Arrow. There could be an invasion of space monkeys that enslave us and force us to pick their nits.
Ding ding ding! I think we have a winner. If you're judging upcoming superhero films by the Dark Knight yardstick, the most promising of the bunch (apart from the hypothetical third Bat-Nolan outing) is Super-Max.

Wolverine:

So now that Ryan Reynolds is playing Deadpool, the merc with a mouth, in the new Wolverine movie, how will Deadpool look? Fox chairman Tom Rothman says Deadpool is "an integral part" of the movie, and a lot of CG work is being done to make him look as state-of-the-art and perfect as possible. Does that mean Deadpool will have his trademark scarring? Rothman just says the fans will be very happy with the result. [IESB]

Quantum Of Solace:

Is the new James Bond movie more science fiction-y than the last one? A new video interview with the movie's VFX designer will not fill you with optimism on that score, although it does look cool. [IGN]

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

New location snaps reveal that not only are Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox on set at the "Boneyard" of dead military planes, but John Turturro (Agent Simmons) and Ramon Rodriguez (new character Leo) are there too. [OnLocationNews via TFW2005]

Fringe:

We'll learn more about Peter's shadowy past. We'll meet a "knockabout" woman in her thirties, who warns Peter that people are after him. And a tough guy in his thirties who's actually after Peter. Plus a third character, a pudgy guy in his fifties with "a killer's eyes." All three could become recurring roles. [EW]

And here's a new TV Guide cover featuring the show:

Doctor Who:

This year's Christmas special is "smaller" and "more intimate" than the previous whiz-bang entries, says Russell T. Davies. But "the ending is ferociously huge." And RTD hints that he needed a familiar enemy, like the Cybermen, to help facilitate the more intimate storyline. (Presumably because you don't have to set them up as much.) [Planet Gallifrey]

Heroes:

So is Ando really dead? Nah. That footage we showed ages ago of Hiro in a magic shop? It was Hiro looking for a fake blood pack and a trick sword so he could "stab" Ando. I know, it's shocking. [The ODI]

Also, last week's jaunt to the future, with waffle-making Sylar, is probably the last trip to the future that we'll see any time soon. Either Maury or Arthur knew Hiro would be opening the safe and sent Daphne to grab the formula at the right moment. The father of Isaac the painter is not dead, and we could still see Isaac again. We'll learn more about the Haitian and his family in episodes 10 and 11. And we still will learn who's the mother of Sylar's kid, but the answer may surprise us. [The ODI again]

Sarah Connor Chronicles:

Looks like Kendra Shaw is getting sex-ay on Monday's Terminator episode:

My Own Worst Enemy:

As the episodes go on, the transitions between nice Henry and naughty Edward will get faster and faster, and he'll be switching back and forth in the same scene. [SpoilerTV]

Chuck:

We got hold of a bunch of script pages (for casting) from episode 13, the one with the cocky rock star, Tyler Martin. Tyler has just come back from Africa, and some of his new CDs have a secret ticket to a special concert he's playing, which will be filmed in 3-D. Tyler plays an in-store event at the Buy More, and his manager asks for a buffer between Tyler and the nerds. Casey stabs Tyler with his Buy More pen, tranquilizing him so they can drag him away for questioning.

Tyler pees in a fountain outside, and remarks on what a great restroom this is, because the ceiling looks just like the night sky. Chuck tells Tyler the record company hired him to keep him safe, and tries to convince him to stay put, but Tyler says it's "party night" and drags Chuck along. Tyler tosses Chuck's phone in the fountain. Tyler winds up talking Chuck into going partying, promising to be the greatest wing man ever. Chuck gets surrounded with beautiful women. Tyler tells Chuck to "taste the many flavors of the world," and shows Chuck his many tattoos in various languages, commemorating the amazing things he's done.

Meanwhile, Morgan says he has an extra ticket to the Tyler Martin premiere, and it would normally go to his best friend Chuck, but Chuck isn't into Tyler Martin. So Jeff and Lester have the opportunity to compete to be Morgan's "vice best friend" and go with Morgan. They have to compete by wearing 3-D glasses, and the one who takes them off last wins. They get woozier and woozier.

Tyler tells all the hot women that Chuck writes all his songs, and is a great bass player and a gifted lover. Meanwhile, Tyler is in danger from Achmed the Super Fan, who has a trench coat lined with grenades.

In one scene, Chuck warns Tyler not to go into a bedroom with some bodacious groupies, because they're really assassins. Tyler shoves Chuck in there, because Chuck needs the action more than he does. Chuck asks the "vixens" if he can go splash water on his face, and they say sure as long as he leaves his pants behind. So Chuck leaves his pants, but then the vixens wind up throwing a dagger at him and he ends up on the window ledge talking to Sarah on the phone.

And later, our heroes are looking for the bad guy who's out to harm Tyler, and they think they can recognize him by his trademark trench coat — but the bad guy gives identical trenchcoats to a dozen or so teenage fans, along with free tickets to Tyler's concert.

Achmed the Super Fan finally tracks down Chuck and Tyler, and Chuck says he knows all about the connection between Tyler's tattoos and the enriched uranium that Achmed is trying to sell. (Achmed used Tyler's foreign-language tattoos to move important secrets around the world.) Chuck threatens to send an email unless Achmed hands over the gun. Achmed complies, but then has a retractable knife to stab Chuck with. Tyler saves Chuck and they run away, and they wind up running out on stage, where Tyler's band starts to play because they see their frontman. Finally, Casey and Sarah get Achmed, and Tyler plays his concert.

In the end, Casey tells Tyler he has to get his fancy tattoos removed, and Tyler agrees. Tyler tells Chuck they can party together any time, and Chuck says it's not his scene. Tyler tells Sarah he threw every beautiful woman in the world at Chuck, but all Chuck did was talk about Sarah. She is stunned. [Casting pages]

Smallville:

In the eagerly awaited Legion of Super-Heroes episode written by Geoff Johns, the Legionnaires who show up are the same three who appeared in the LSH's first ever appearance: Garth, Imra and Rokk, with powers of electricity, telepathy and magnetism respectively. The reason they've traveled back to our time is because of Brainiac taking over Chloe. Eventually, Clark and the Legion work together to separate Chloe from her Brainiac side. [Kryptonsite]

Watchmen:

Cinematical saw the same Watchmen footage we did, and noticed a difference from the graphic novel. When Nite Owl and Silk Spectre break Rorschach out of prison, they don't sound a horn that immobilizes the prison security, as in the book. Instead they just jump off the Owl Ship and start busting heads. Rorschach is conveniently already in his Rorschach outfit, and he meets up with them. [Cinematical]

Wolverine:

Producer Lauren Shuler Donner provided a few details about next year's X-Men spinoff. The film borrows from the 2001 Wolverine origins miniseries, including the stuff about a very young Logan. We'll see a "darker and sadder" side of Logan. There's no Stan Lee cameo, unless they insert it digitally. And Shuler Donner hopes we get a Deadpool spin-off film. [Coming Soon]

2012:

Danny Glover plays the president of the United States in Roland Emmerich's disaster movie about the end of the Mayan calendar. Each of the characters deals in his or her own way with the destruction of the world, which is visible all around them. [Sci Fi Wire]

Repossession Mambo:

The other upcoming movie about artificial organs which you buy on credit stars Jude Law as Remy, an organ repo man who's full of artificial organs himself. He can no longer afford the payments, so he goes on the run. Also, Alice Braga plays a character who has her whole life ahead of her... until something about her body changes. [Sci Fi Wire]

Terminator Salvation:

A couple new T4 set pics show what looks like a guard uniform, and a helicopter on fire. (One more image, plus more details, at the link.) [Cinemablend]

The Day The Earth Stood Still:

These new set pics don't really reveal much, except that someone has a sweet ride. And maybe Fedex/Kinko's is secretly behind the alien attacks? [Movie Spoilers]

Fringe:

On the other hand, here's a pic from next week's episode of Fringe that seems to reveal a pretty major spoiler. Look who's back! [Fringe Bloggers]

Torchwood:

And speaking of spoilery pics, here are some set pics from the final episode of the five-part Torchwood miniseries. Looks like the Torchwood HQ, the Hub, gets well and truly trashed. And that woman dressed in black may be behind it somehow. The woman tells the paramedics searching the rubble there's no rush. Eventually, the paramedics take away a small body bag in a private ambulance, possibly containing Jack? [Planet Gallifrey]

Heroes:

And here's a screencap from next week's episode showing Arthur Petrelli in a hospital bed. [Heroes Spoilers]

Lost:

Even more set reports from the island-castaway show. Another eyewitness saw Ben and Sun and Desmond together, and this time Jack was there too. Jack, Sun and Ben had the trusty carpet-cleaning van that we've been seeing everywhere. They met up at a Catholic school, which may have been doubling as a church. Sun and Ben have a very serious conversation, and Ben pulls something out of his bag and gives it to Sun. It was small — possibly Jin's ring? And then Desmond shows up and they all go inside the building. Sun had her gun the whole time. Everybody seemed pretty friendly with Ben. Sources speculate this means Desmond has to go back to the island with the Oceanic Six. [BuddyTV]

Chuck:

We got hold of a ton of script pages from episode 12, the one about Morgan and Chuck's friendship. As we reported, it starts with a flashback to when Morgan and Chuck were kids, and a girl named Suzie beats up kid Morgan, until Chuck comes to the rescue. Turns out Morgan spied on her doing jumping jacks in gym class. Morgan hopes when he finally grows a beard he gets a girl.

The rest of the episode deals with Anna's new boyfriend, Jason. Morgan sort of skulks around them. Meanwhile, Chuck realizes Jason is a gangster who wants to blow up the Chinese ambassador by planting a bomb in an antique Rolls Royce at a car auction. At one point, Jason and his gangsta friends (with names like Smooth Lau, One Ear, Needles and Joe Lucky) see Morgan hanging around and think he's a spy. Chuck convinces them otherwise, telling them Morgan is a disturbed individual who's stalking Anna. Morgan is crushed, and it doesn't work anyway, because the gangsters see some spy gear and think it's Morgan's.

Chuck, Casey and Sarah all infiltrate the gangsters' ranks at the car auction, with Casey using a knock-out binaca spray on One-Ear. (Later, One Ear comes to and says "I remember you" to Casey. Casey says it's just that One-Ear remembers that sharp kick int he mouth, and then kicks One-Ear in the mouth. Ha.) Casey wants Chuck to hang back because he's the "poster child for friendly fire." But Chuck discovers the gangsters have put Morgan in the trunk of the Rolls Royce, which as a bomb in it. He drives off after the Rolls in the Nerd Herd mobile. But the Chinese ambassador, driving the car, doesn't believe Chuck and thinks his warnings are a trap. Casey runs after the Nerd Herd vehicle and jumps on the roof.

Oh, and at some point Sarah and Anna have a heart to heart, and Sarah points out that Anna keeps praising Jason, her new beau, by comparing him to Morgan. Maybe Anna still has feelings for Morgan?

In the end, Jason wants to flee the scene before he and his buddies get arrested. He presents Anna with two tickets to Bermuda, so they can flee together. But Anna realizes she still cares about Morgan. Jason says he doesn't care about Anna's feelings, and then Morgan shows up and manages to punch Jason out. Morgan almost tells Anna he loves her, but just manages "really like you." Then they make out. [Script pages]

Stargate Atlantis:

Here are some promo pics from season five, episode 17, "Infection." [SpoilerTV]

Knight Rider:

It's your favorite show — which is also now one of the highest rated SF shows on TV! Here's the description of episode 6, the one where Billy from BSG dresses as Captain Jack:

TRICK OR TREAT – HALLOWEEN TURNS DEADLY WHEN A TECH IS MURDERED INSIDE KNIGHT INDUSTRIES HEADQUARTERS — An infiltrator murders a tech inside Knight Industries headquarters and the team must find them before they kill again. Meanwhile, Mike (Justin Bruening) and Sarah (Deanna Russo) are stuck on a flight during a storm and must try to stop KITT (voiced by Val Kilmer) before he self-destructs.

[SpoilerTV]

Also, a producer says we'll find out what happened to FLAG in episode 13. And the KITT vs. KARR storyline hasn't been forgotten. Whew! [Knight Rider Online]

Additional reporting by Katharine Duckett.

Fox, which is making some Marvel Comics movies including next year's Wolverine, has a few other projects on the slate. One possibility is Young X-Men, a movie following the main X-Men characters as teenagers studying at Professor Xavier's school — similar to the X-Men: First Class comic or the animated X-Men: Evolution. (Which would be cool, but couldn't include Wolverine, thus possibly halving its commercial potential.)

Another possibility is a solo film for Deadpool, the wisecracking deformed mutant mercenary played by Ryan Reynolds in the Wolverine

And a third possiblity would be a "reboot" of Daredevil, who only just had a movie starring Ben Affleck five years ago. Given how well that worked out with the Hulk, I'm not sure if people are really clamoring for a reinvention of the blind lawyer who's sort of like Batman but not quite.

Meanwhile, what's up with Wonder Woman? Talking to io9 contributor Nisha Gopalan over at MTV, producer Leonard Goldberg hinted that the Wachowskis might still be interested in working on a Wonder Woman film. At one point, the Matrix auteurs had been working on a WW picture at one point, but then they got diverted to another project. But they could still come back to the Amazon Princess with their own take on her story.

Meanwhile, writers Matthew Jennison and Matt Strickland are retooling their WW spec script, which Goldberg and Joel Silver bought a few years ago. It takes place during World War II, and Goldberg wouldn't go into specifics about what needed tweaking. He did say that he doesn't want to spend too much time on the same old story of Col. Steve Trevor crashing onto Paradise Island and almost getting executed, since it's been done to death. If it appears at all, it'll be in "an abbreviated fashion." Also, Goldberg says he doesn't want to see Wonder Woman too "sexed up," since she's an icon, and she's not meant to be Catwoman.

(And yes, we know Wonder Woman isn't really scifi, except when she's traveling into outer space, wielding the purple death ray, flying in her invisible jet, or joining a crew of aliens and scifi characters in the Justice League.)

[MTV

According to Elesewhere's sources, both Hood and Rothman are agitated with each other's creative input. Rothman went as far as to reconstruct an entire set that was deemed too "dark, dingy and somber." The executive then ordered the crew to re-do the whole thing with a brighter feel. Not surprisingly, Hood was none too pleased to discover the changes that were made behind his back.

Didn't everyone learn their lesson with Fantastic 4? Part of Wolverine's appeal is that he's not family friendly. He's a dangerous loose cannon that has an incredibly dark past. Especially if you're going to include the Silver Fox story line. I have no idea how you could make her grisly fate palatable in a shiny-happy story line.

Family friendly superheroes are hard to come by, and while Peter Parker may pass muster with the PG set, Wolverine isn't the hero you want for that task. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

Before we launch into our awesome list, let's just cop to something: We're not doing the Aristotelian definition of tragedy. We're just not. Aristotle is for wusses. We're going more with the basic definition: the person who has everything, and then loses it all, or just gets horribly fucked over. In a poetic or meaningful way. Okay?

Every scifi hero Charlton Heston played, ever.

The Charlton Heston science fiction oeuvre is splendid in its variety. But there are a few things you can count on in pretty much all of them. Heston will know better than everybody else around him. He'll be the last bastion of civilization, surrounded by dirty hippies or grandiloquent mutants in whiteface or apes or whatever. And in the end, he'll die because nobody ever listens to him when he's telling them how stupid they are. Why? Why won't they listen? Soylent green is people, you damn dirty whiteface cultists! (Okay, so he doesn't die in Planet Of The Apes, but then he does in the sequel.)

Sam Lowry

In Brazil, the fatal flaw that destroys Sam Lowry is his secret desire to escape the repressive system he's a cog in. (Yeah, okay, we're getting Aristotelean for a sec.) He dreams and fantasizes about being a flying hero in shining armor who fights monsters and soars away, but when he finally gets a chance to escape with the woman (literally) of his dreams, it all goes bad. And he winds up being tortured to death by his former best friend.

Dr. Frankenstein

He's obsessed with the idea of bringing inanimate matter to life, to the point where he drops out of school and spends years digging up corpses and sticking them together. But once he's created his monsterpiece (sorry), he rejects it and drives it away. His cruelty to his creation leads to the deaths of several of his friends, so Frankenstein vows to hunt it down. But Frankenstein doesn't even manage to die at the hands of his creation — instead, in the original novel, pneumonia claims his life after he pursues it to the Arctic. He doesn't even manage to die properly!

Henry Jekyll

Another guy who messes with science and gets messed with in return. Jekyll wants to separate his good side from his dark side, so he drinks a potion which turns him into the embodiment of his bad side, Edward Hyde. At first, it's all fun and games, until Hyde starts going buck wild and Jekyll is turning into him at night, even without the potion. But when Jekyll tries to repress Hyde, the monstrous side of him only comes back worse than ever, killing an old man. Finally, he becomes Hyde permanently, and decides to kill himself instead of paying for his crimes.

Winston Smith

He's another cog in the machine, helping to rewrite history in a future totalitarian state where everybody is watched. Because of his doubts about the machine, he gets lured into joining a resistance group — which turns out to be a set-up. He winds up tortured, and gives up his lover and accomplice. In the end, he doesn't die, but he does get utterly broken by the Party.

Jeff Brundle in The Fly

Annnd another hero who suffers due to his curiosity. Brundle invents the perfect teleportation machine, but a fly gets stuck in there with him. He and his little travel buddy get merged genetically, and they wind up as a half-human, half fly monster. So he decides the answer is to merge his body with his pregnant girlfriend, to add more human DNA to the mix. Sadly, the selfish girlfriend escapes and he ends up being merged with a machine instead, becoming a mangled heap.

Chet Kinsman in Ben Bova's Kinsman series.

It's the far-off year of 1999, and the Americans and Russians are sharing a base deep under the surface of the moon. Chet Kinsman is the chief of the American side, and he's got a plan to avert the war back on Earth. And it almost works, except that his best friend, Frank Colt, betrays him and he winds up dying as a result.

Mad Max

Poor old Max — he just wants to pursue justice as a police officer, but his uprightness gets him in the sights of an evil biker gang. And after they torch his best friend Goose, he becomes embittered and quits being a cop. Only to find that there's no safety in being a civilian, in the crumbling post-apocalyptic Australia. The thugs take out his family, leaving him a bitter loner who has no choice but to kill punks of all sizes, occasionally chaining them to their soon-to-explode bikes and giving them saws. He doesn't die, but he does end up getting smacked around by Tina Turner with really bad hair, and then suffers the indignity of getting rescued by a bunch of kids.

Londo Mollari

Lometa at Everything2 has a very passionate argument about why Londo Mollari is the ultimate tragic hero of Babylon 5:

Londo as a tragic hero went through more twists than a bag of pretzels. Born into a noble family Mollari had a good heart, but he was condemned at every turn by his own bad choices. His ascension to the throne as Emperor was bittersweet and in the end he surrendered himself to his greatest fear, death at the hands of a Narn.

Wolverine

We were arguing earlier about whether Wolverine is a tragic hero. He does lose his family and his memory, and then his girlfriend gets killed. He struggles with his berzerker nature and his bestial killing instinct, and people are always trying to make him wear a yellow leotard. Plus, if you believe Wolverine: The End, he's destined to end up a bitter, lonely old man in Canada, before dying in a fight with his evil mutant brother, whom he thought dead.

Hal Jordan

It's all been undone now, but the greatest Green Lantern had a tragic hero arc in the 1990s. Hal Jordan just couldn't stand to fail, so after the evil Mongul destroyed his home town, Hal went nuts and used his power ring to recreate the wrecked Coast City. Then he went berzerk and attacked the Green Lantern Corps and the Guardians. Finally, he renounced his prized Green Lantern-hood and became the villain Parallax. (Later, this was all revealed to be some form of alien possession, but that's a retcon.) Finally, he died, sacrificing himself to save the sun from being eaten.

Dr. Edward Morbius from Forbidden Planet

His curiosity is his downfall — he's determined to study the artifacts of the long-dead Krell race, so he uses the Krells' "Plastic Educator," not realizing that it shapes items from your mind into reality. The Krell wiped themselves out by unleashing monsters from their own ids, and Morbius wipes out his own expedition the same way, except for his daughter. His id-monster is born of his fatal desire to stay and explore the Krell remains, even after the rest of his expedition votes to go home. Finally, he learns the truth and lets the monster kill him, sparing his daughter's life.

Rick Deckard

He's a retired Blade Runner who has to come out of retirement to take up, once again, a job which he no longer really believes in, killing the artificial Replicants. (And if you believe director Ridley Scott, Deckard himself is one of the Replicants he's killing.) In the end, he's with Rachael, another Replicant, but their time together is going to be short and probably not all that pleasant.

Harvey Dent:

Spoilers for the Dark Knight ahead... So stop reading now if you really haven't seen it yet. (Really?) Harvey is another guy there's some debate over. But it's true that in The Dark Knight, he's pretty much one of the good guys, and his insistence on seeing the world in black and white is part of what helps the Joker break him. Even more than losing his fiancee and half his face, it's the realization that the Joker's right and everything is just random chaos that drives him over the edge and leads to his horrible (maybe) demise.

Additional reporting by Lauren Davis.

The door opens on Logan and Vincent Creed, who have been sharing a cell in a POW camp. A voice informs them that they had been sentenced to execution by firing squad, a sentence that has already been carried out. We flashback on the pair tied to posts as the fire squad shoots. The voice asks, “How’d that go?”

Logan replies, “It tickled.”

We cut to an image of Logan outside. He drops a match in gasoline and, in the universal sign of badassery, walks calmly away as an explosion erupts behind him.

A4EFFORT on the Ain’t It Cool News Forum asks:

Is there a secret rule that this must always be in a movie??

We now see the voice belongs to none other than Major William Stryker. “You boys tired of running?” he asks. “Tired of denying your true nature?”

Creed asks, “What do you care.”

“Oh, I care. I care ‘cause I know how valuable you are.”

Creed and Logan are standing amidst a group of military men. Logan’s claws, presumably pre-adamantium, are extended. The Comicologist blog notes:

Yes, Wolverine and Sabretooth look as though they are roughly the same height, but I guess we will all need to deal with that.

Stryker tells them that he is “putting together a special team, with special privileges.”

Brief flashes on the presumptive “special team” members:

Gambit

The Blob

Agent Zero

Deadpool

Silver Fox

Kestrel

The appearance by Deadpool, unmasked and looking rather non-deformed, has caused the greatest surprise and outcry from fans.

From Topless Robot:

So although I was about to heap praise all over the Wolverine solo movie, unfortunately, I saw Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool—maskless, red-leather-wearing Deadpool—and just can't muster the energy for compliments anymore.

From Comicologist:

Finally, the character I've been waiting for the most to make his big screen debut, Deadpool. As the image below shows, Deadpool obviously makes an appearance pre-Weapon X experiments, as he looks suspiciously like Ryan Reynolds, and not the disfigure, unhinged merc with a mouth we'd expect.

And, though some fans, like Unoriginal_Erin at the G4 forums, noted that this is probably just the pre-transformation Deadpool, they still feel some concern:

I just really worry that with a handsome fellow like Ryan Reynolds, Hollywood decided it would be better to keep his face cancer-free for the entire movie. Then again, Reynolds is a huge DP fan, so he probably made sure they did it right.

Others, like Daswolfen at Slashdot, took issue with the mutants making up this team:

[W]ould it kill them to at least keep the story straight rather than add characters who had nothing to do with the Weapon X program? Blob and Gambit had NOTHING to do with the weapon x program (not even in any sort of retcon'ed timeline). Where is Maverick, Mastadon and Kestrel? They are not listed on IMDB on the cast list, but Blob, Gambit, Deadpool and gent Zero are. (The latter two were involved in later incarnations of the Weapon X program, not Wolverine's origin).

Stryker asks Creed and Logan, “So, tell me, how would you like to really serve your country?”

We get a glimpse of the adamantium tank and cut to a seen of Logan and Creed breathing heavily. Logan says to Creed, “We didn’t sign up for this,” to which Creed replies, “Who do you think you are?” Somewhere far away, Logan and Silver Fox kiss. Creed continues, “This is what we do.”

Logan in now being immersed in the tank that will give him his adamantium skeleton. Styker says, “Become the animal — embrace the other side.”

Shining claws burst from the tank and the action starts. Logan hurls punches. And, in perhaps the most squeal-eliciting portion of the trailer, Gambit gets two back-to-back action shots, one of him hurling a playing card, with predictably explosive results, and another with him wielding his staff.

But wait, says one Digger:

Gambit? In a movie about Wolvie's origin? That's just so wrong I can't even begin to express it. I've been wanting Gambit in an X-movie, but this is *not* the one he should appear in.

Some are more willing to let it ride, and focus on the portrayal. attycus on the Marvel boards writes:

Taylor Kitsch as Gambit? A great choice! I saw him in The Covenant and thought that he'd make a great Gambit. Hope he'll get the Cajun accent right.

Scenes begin to clip by. We see Logan howling from the discovery of his bone claws as a young lad.

Logan throws Creed through a window.

Logan’s motorcycle chased by a Jeep, then a Helicopter.

Logan on a beach, carrying Silver Fox, who looks a little worse for wear.

A young boy frozen behind glass.

Logan boxing with the Blob.

And then, wait, who’s this?

Hugh Jackman has confirmed an appearance by Emma Frost in this film, and here we see her in her diamond form.

As with Gambit, fans think Emma is out of place. wolfwrath on the Marvel boards notes:

Love Emma, would love to see her in a film, but this one doesn't seem a logical choice unless there is a Hellfire tie in during the latter time frame part of the movie.

Logan again flees a helicopter on his bike, planting a claw into the road to turn. We see the Jeep again, wobbling off course and headed for a crash. But, in the trailer’s penultimate moment, Logan has managed to scramble on top of that helicopter, swinging and clinging for dear life.

Back on the ground, Creed is apparently asking Logan how he intends to kill him, but his words are drowned out by the screaming audience.

Logan answers, “I’m going to cut your goddamn head off. See if that works.”

Creed smiles back wolfishly and Worst Previews loves it:

[S]orry, Tyler Mane, but I think Liev Schreiber is going to make a lot better Victor Creed.

Wolverine:

Here's a somewhat camera-phoney copy, broken into two sections, of the Wolverine trailer that appeared at Comic-Con the other day. You can see glimpses of Deadpool, Gambit and Victor Creed, plus the experiment that gives Wolverine his adamantium skeleton and Wolverine's doomed romance:

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

We'll have an exclusive interview with Sarah Connor Chronicles producer Josh Friedman up soon, but for now, here's the one big announcement from Comic-Con. The Comic-Con panel included Thomas Dekker, Lena Headey, Summer Glau, Garret Dillahunt (the bad Terminator), Richard T. Jones (FBI agent Ellison) and Brian Austin Green (Derek Reese). And Friedman announced that one of those people's characters would die this season. (My money's on Jones, Manson or BAG.) [EW]

Eleventh Hour:

Here's a new sneak peek at Jerry Bruckheimer's American remake of the cult British show about a government troubleshooter who's called in at the "eleventh hour" when people are abusing science. And a behind-the-scenes featurette, plus a new trailer.

Chuck:

Want to see the six-minute preview of Chuck season two that was shown at Comic-Con over the weekend? Here it is. [Chuck Online]

Plus there are more details about the third episode of Chuck season two. When Chuck goes on a mission with Bryce, Casey and Sarah, Chuck is undercover as a waiter. But he's so upset seeing Bryce and Sarah feeding each other strawberries that he causes a scene and gets himself fired. Then he's held at gunpoint by a Fulcrum agent to get what she wants. Meanwhile, more about those bullies from the sporting goods store who turn the Theater Dept. at Buy More into their personal den and game room during lunchtime. After Morgan tries to stand up to them, they challenge him to a fight. He and Lester end up chickening out and hiding in the Buy More all night to avoid getting beaten up. [SpoilerTV]

Stargate Atlantis:

In episode 5 of the current season, "The Ghost In The Machine," a mishap with a puddle jumper leads to a series of power disruptions on Atlantis, and they turn out to be linked to a former ally. In episode 6, "The Shrine," Rodney McKay suffers from a fatal illness that depletes his memories and regresses his behavior, and the only hope is to visit a special shrine. In episode 8, "The Queen," Teyla uses her mind to control a Wraith Queen, in order to release the rest of the team from captivity. She manages to take over an entire Hive ship. [SpoilerTV]

An original story developed by X-Force writers Craig Kyle and Chris Yost, Hulk Vs. Wolverine is an direct-to-DVD animated feature with just about every villain (or, in one or two select cases, antihero) who's associated with the Weapon X program, and has what can generously be described as a pro-impalement policy. While the infamous "gingerbread Logan" scene from Damon Lindehof's Ultimate Wolverine Vs Hulk wasn't featured, the scene with Deadpool making jokes while chasing after his freshly sliced-off arm almost makes up for it.

Other big pluses for the feature include a nifty little flashback segment utilizing designs from Barry Windsor-Smith's classic Weapon X storyline, a compact running time that works its hardest to feature an explosion every 90 seconds, and witty dialogue (particularly when the above-mentioned Deadpool is on the scene), as well as Deathstryke, Omega Red and Sabretooth.

In a brief panel after the screening, writer/supervising producer Kyle mentioned additional upcoming features, such as Hulk Vs. Thor, which he promises will be "equally as violent, but in a different, epic, gods-smashing way." If they manage to retain the right amount of wit, blood, fanservice, cameos, and concision, Marvel and Lions Gate will have potential hits on their hand. Hulk Vs. Wolverine is currently scheduled for Blu-Ray and DVD release in January 2009, but if positive word of mouth pushes the release closer to the 2008 holiday season, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised.

Hulk Vs comes out on DVD in January 2009. Comic-Con goers will be treated to the first half of the Wolverine/Hulk fight at the Marvel panel. But more importantly, will this be the moment we get to see The Hulk rip smart-mouthed Wolverine in half comic book style? It's a cartoon, so maybe not. But we can dream can't we?

Iron Man Armored Adventures features teen Tony Stark in his Richie Rich years learning to appreciate humanity and working for a living fighting crime. How will he balance puberty and battling the evil Mandarin? Together with teen War Machine and little Pepper he fights evil across the globe. Here's hoping they address teen drinking super early in this series, so Tony can get an early start on his future demons.
The 26-episode series will premiere on Nicktoons in 2009.

[Marvel]

Wolverine:

Here's a new promo picture of Wolverine from his upcoming solo movie. [Filmonic]

The Dark Knight:

A trailer for The Dark Knight, from Wizard World, showcases more of the film's action sequences and gives a glimpse at Two Face right at the end. Plus here's a new clip, which you may have seen the first few seconds of.

Meanwhile, here's a picture of Harvey Dent as Two Face. I'm sort of thinking it's fake. What do you think? [Film Grenade]

Astro Boy:

The animated big-screen Astro Boy movie sticks pretty close to the source material. Dr. Tenma (Nicholas Cage) creates Astro Boy to replace his dead son, but then rejects him. We'll have a bit more sympathy for Dr. Tenma in this version than in the original, says director David Bowers. Astro Boy lives in a floating city, but then leaves to discover his place in the world. We meet characters from the manga, including HamEgg and Dr. Elefun, but also some new characters. And there are some cool robots. [Sci Fi Wire and Sci Fi Wire]

Heroes:

It sounds as though when Heroes' flying politician Nathan Petrelli recovers from his brush with death, he's able to see dead people, including Linderman. Or something. Meanwhile, more confirmation that Ali Larter will be playing a new character, with different powers. Also, hawt scientist Mohinder Suresh has a "love connection" with a hero we already know. And he may manifest actual superpowers at some point this season. There's more to Mohinder than meets the eye, but he may need to "scale back." (So he becomes a lizard Transformer??) [E! Online]

In the new TV Guide, Sylar actor Zachary Quinto suggests the new volume name, "Villains," might not be as clear-cut as you'd think. Claire's biological mom teaches her how to defend herself against Sylar. And the FutureClaire we meet early on is sick, dangerous and crazy. [Spoilerati]

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

Here's a new TV spot for Sarah Connor Chronicles season two, which hints at some new tensions around Summer Glau's mean-girl Terminator. [SpoilerTV]

Lost:

You know how Kevin Durand said his psychopathic character Keamy would never show up on Lost again? Durand is changing his tune now, apparently, and hints that Keamy is not the sort of guy who dies easily. [Mr. Eko Files]

Stargate:

More detailed spoilers for the direct-to-DVD Stargate Continuum movie showed up at DVD Talk. The alien Tok'ra are preparing to remove Ba'al's murderous symbiote, leaving his human host unharmed, but Ba'al says this isn't over and the original Ba'al is still alive. Just as Ba'al is about to be punished, people start disappearing in plain sight and buildings vanish as if they were never there.

The SG-1 crew runs to the Stargate and winds up in the icy hold of a freighter. The gang is rescued by a team that includes one former team-member who doesn't know them in this timeline. Because one member of the SG-1 gang is dead in this alternate timeline, their rescue is a huge deal, and they're taken to be interrogated. In the end, the team is split up and forced to live mundane lives, and warned not to associate with each other or attempt to change the timeline.

One year later, Ba'al shows up to conquer everything, and the SG-1 gang has a narrow window to stop him. [DVD Talk]

Life On Mars:

The first episode of the American version of time-travel head-injury cop show Life On Mars will be called "Out Here In The Fields." [SpoilerTV]

We already know that this Wolverine movie is going to explain what happened to some of Logan's missing memory. We'll also get to see his tumultuous relationship with Victor Creed or Sabertooth (Liev Schreiber) who have both been seen in army fatigues, follows them all the way to the Weapon X program (which didn't happen until the cold war so that gives us a lot of Wolverine's past to cover). And of course, readers of the comics already know that Wolverine was in a Concentration Camp. But what I'm most interested in is Logan's love Silver Fox (Lynn Collins), because that's where it really goes down between these two guys, especially if Sabertooth kills her on Logan's birthday in the movie. [Flickr via Latino Review]

Nature's full of clawed animals, but the frogs' defense mechanism is unique in the natural world because their claws literally rip through the skin when extended. They're also made of bone instead of keratin (sorry, no adamantium claws are known to exist in reality, except for this guy). Researchers aren't sure if the claws are retractable or not, and as Yong notes, they may never really want to find out:

The clawed frogs belong to a family called Arthroleptidae that were discovered in Central Africa more than a century ago. At first, people wondered if the claws just stuck through the skin as a side effect of the preservation process. Alternatively, the frogs may have used them to grip or climb. Their true function as defensive weapons only