Actress Jessica "Powder Blue" Biel will host the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards, Saturday, February 7, @ the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles.
Among the six awards that Biel will present during the evening is the Academy’s 'Gordon E. Sawyer' Award, an Oscar statuette, to computer scientist Ed Catmull, ounder of Pixar and president of Walt Disney Animation Studios, for his lifetime of technical contributions and leadership in the field of computer graphics for the motion picture industry.
The Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation is not televised but filmed excerpts from the event will be integrated into the 81st Academy Awards telecast February 22.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented Sunday, February 22, 2009, @ the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood & Highland Center, televised live by the ABC Television Network to more than 200 countries...
According to the blog Deadline Hollywood a 'boycott' of this year's Oscars Awards telecast is reportedly being organized by a group of supposedly influential 'geek' movie sites through MySpace, starting with their refusal to showcase this year's Oscar Awards promo poster, because director Chris Nolan's Warners feature "The Dark Knight" was excluded from receiving a 'Best Picture', 'Best Director' nomination.
What is disturbing about all this hyper 'fanfare' is not only the deliberate intention of sabotaging this year's Oscar host, actor Hugh "Wolverine" Jackman with low viewership ratings, but also that Oscar ballots are still being voted on by members of the Academy, who may refuse to be intimidated and decide to cancel out their decision to give the late Heath Ledger an Oscar for his psychotic portrayal of Batman villain "The Joker".
Meanwhile, Warners has stayed above all the ruckus, with a "Why So Serious" attitude, personified in their classic Time Warner-owned "Mad Magazine" satire "The Dork Knight: Why So Stupid"...
According to reports, shares of Montreal-based Mega Brands Inc more than doubled after the Canadian toymaker said it signed a global licensing agreement with Microsoft Game Studios to make toys for the upcoming "Halo Wars" video game.
The deal will see Mega Brands develop construction toy sets based on characters/vehicles from "Halo Wars", the action strategy video game set in the future.
The video game is due to be released this month with the Mega Brands products available starting in June.
"This signals that we are turning the corner", said Mega company spokesman Harold Chizick.
"We have all the ingredients to say 2009 is a turnaround year for Mega...."
The smiley face is the symbol of 'The Comedian', one of the most despicable characters to ever appear in comic books as a 'hero'.
One of the original members of the 1940's, New York-based costumed vigilantes 'The Minutemen', Edward Blake, aka the Comedian starts off the action of the "Watchmen" movie by getting murdered, with the investigation into his death that leads 'Rorschach' on the trail of a monumental conspiracy.
The Comedian's trademark side arms have commemorative handle grips that were presented to Blake by President Nixon...
"Star Trek Online" is the working title of an 'MMORPG' set in the "Star Trek" science fiction universe, in development by Cryptic Studios, original developers of the superhero MMORPG "City of Heroes".
'MMORPG' (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) is a genre of computer role-playing games (CRPGs) in which a large number of players interact with one another in a virtual world. The term was coined by Richard Garriott, creator of "Ultima Online", credited with popularizing the genre in 1997.
MMORPGs are distinguished from single-player or small multi-player CRPGs by the number of players and by the game's 'persistent' world, continuing to exist/evolve while the player is away from the game...
A new "Tron" video game from Disney Interactive, will be timed to the release of the upcoming "TR2N" feature film, to be released in 2011.
The movie sequel, to be directed by Joseph Kosinski, has signed actor Garrett Hedlund as the lead, with appearances from original "Tron" actor Jeff "Wild Bill" Bridges.
The original 1982 "Tron" feature, written/directed by Steven Lisberger starred Bridges as 'Kevin Flynn' (and his electronic counterpart 'Clu'), Bruce Boxleitner as 'Alan Bradley' (and 'Tron'), Cindy Morgan as 'Dr. Lora Baines' (and 'Yori') and Dan Shor as 'Ram'. David "Straw Dogs" Warner played villain 'Ed Dillinger' (and 'Sark'), as well as providing the voice of the 'Master Control Program'.
The film incorporated SFX designed to give the appearance of CG effects, before they had even been invented...
"X-Men Origins: Wolverine", developed by Raven Software, Amaze Entertainment and published by Activision, is an upcoming video game based on the film, scheduled to coincide with the release of the feature, for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Wii and PlayStation Portable...
Crime-fighting character "RoboCop" debuted in a 1987 feature directed by Paul "Basic Instinct" Verhoeven, following wounded police officer 'Murphy' who is 're-created' as a super-human 'cyborg', referred to as 'The Future of Law Enforcement'.
The feature spawned toy merchandise, two feature film sequels, four MOW TV series and comic book adaptations by Marvel, Dark Horse and Avatar Press.
MGM continues developing a revival of the franchise, wth Darren "The Wrestler" Aronofsky signd to direct an updated version from a re-imagined screenplay by David Self...
Telekinesis. Clairvoyance. Telepathy. For decades, governments around the globe have investigated the possibility of using 'paranormal' abilities as covert weapons against their enemies.
In 1945, the Axis launched the first effort to develop 'psychic warriors', followed by the Soviets and the Americans, who started conducting their own secret research programs, including the CIA’s 'MKUltra' mind control experiments, to develop paranormal operatives as a tool for surveillance.
Those real-life experiments inspired action-thriller "Push", set in a world of psychic espionage where the ability to move objects using only the mind, see the future, create new realities and kill can turn a person into lethal weapon—or a target.
Starring Chris Evans ("Fantastic Four"), Dakota Fanning ("War of the Worlds") and Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou ("Blood Diamond"), "Push" combines the visual style of director Paul McGuigan ("Lucky Number Slevin") with SFX and an intriguing story.
Push is produced by Bruce Davey ("Braveheart"), William Vince ("Capote") and Glenn Williamson ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") from a script by David Bourla ("Larceny"). Executive producers are Bourla, Michael Ohoven ("The Devil’s Rejects"), Gretchen Somerfeld ("Careful What You Wish For"), David Valleau ("Shattered) and Stan Wlodkowski ("In the Valley of Elah").
"...A shadowy government agency known as the 'Division' is rounding up psychics for experiments designed to boost their powers and assemble the most commanding army the world has ever seen. Unfortunately, almost no one has ever survived these trials. Nick Gant' (Chris Evans), a second-generation telekinetic, aka 'mover', has been in hiding since the Division killed his father more than a decade earlier. He has found sanctuary in densely populated Hong Kong.
Nick is forced out of hiding when 'Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning), a 13-year-old clairvoyant, or 'watcher', seeks his help in locating a briefcase that she claims holds $6 million. To find it, they will also have to find 'Kira', an escaped 'pusher' who is the only person ever to live through the Division’s experiments.
Pushers possess the most dangerous of all psychic powers: the ability to influence others’ actions by implanting thoughts in their minds. But Cassie’s presence soon attracts the attention of the Division’s human bloodhounds, forcing Nick and Cassie to flee for their lives.
With the help of a team of expatriates with an array of special abilities, the unlikely duo winds a path through the city’s most secret corners, trying to stay one step ahead of the authorities in their search for Kira. With Cassie’s visions guiding them, the pair moves closer to their goal, but finds themselves competing with a family of deadly psychics for the suitcase. Even more dangerous is Division 'Agent Henry Carver' (Djimon Hounsou), a powerful pusher who needs both the contents of the case and Kira in order to create an unstoppable paranormal militia.
Outgunned and outnumbered, Nick, Cassie, Kira and their allies must figure out a way to outsmart Carver if they are to prevent him from carrying out his sinister plan..."
In anticipation of the film Wildstorm/DC Comics’ have released "Push" the comic book, an action-packed prequel miniseries following the journey of lead character 'Nick' as a youth who discovers his amazing psychic powers...
Director Martin "Mean Streets" Scorsese and Graham King's GK Films have partnered for the feature film adaptation of "Silence" by author Shusaku Endo, negotiating with actors Daniel Day-Lewis and Benicio Del Toro to star as two 17th Century Jesuit priests who face violence and persecution while preaching the gospel in Japan.
King is financing the film himself, having previously collaborated with Scorsese on "The Aviator" and "Gangs of New York"...
Actress Jessica "Powder Blue" Biel will host the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards, Saturday, February 7, @ the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles.
Among the six awards that Biel will present during the evening is the Academy’s 'Gordon E. Sawyer' Award, an Oscar statuette, to computer scientist Ed Catmull, ounder of Pixar and president of Walt Disney Animation Studios, for his lifetime of technical contributions and leadership in the field of computer graphics for the motion picture industry.
The Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation is not televised but filmed excerpts from the event will be integrated into the 81st Academy Awards telecast February 22.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented Sunday, February 22, 2009, @ the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood & Highland Center, televised live by the ABC Television Network to more than 200 countries...
