"7 Warriors" Chosen To Save The Kingdom

Boom! Studios' "7 WARRIORS" #3, available January 11, 2012, is written by Michael Le Galli and illustrated by Francis Manapul, with a cover by Manapul :

"...in 6th century Libya, the capitol of an ancient nation is surrounded by the Persian and Byzantine armies, with 'Seven Warriors' chosen to save the heir to the kingdom..."

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Marilyn Manson Stakes Out The "Vampires Of Hollywood"

Cinema Arts reports that "Vampires Of Hollywood", a new feature film project will star shock rocker Marilyn Manson, to be directed by Rob Walker :

"... music industry investigative journalist 'Paul Shaye' goes on the hunt for flamboyant rock star 'vampire' 'Darcy Manning' (Manson), in an effort to avenge the death of a friend murdered by the musician. In his search, Shaye is caught up in a whirlwind of danger, deception and violence, as Manning unleashes his minions, and his own bloodlust, upon the protagonist..."

Other announced cast members include Malcolm McDowell, Balthazar Getty, Lochlyn Munro, Rudolf Martin and Gianni Capaldi.

Marilyn Manson, the musician, has sold over 50 million albums worldwide to date.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Marilyn Manson"...

NBC Looking For A "Smash" Hit

NBC has launched a campaign to build an initial sampling prior to the premiere of "Smash", Monday, February 6, 2012.

From executive producer Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Television, Storyline Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, the dramatic musical TV series "Smash", created by Theresa Rebeck and developed by Robert Greenblatt, stars Debra Messing, Brian D'Arcy James, Christian Borle, Katharine McPhee, Jack Davenport, Megan Hilty, Anjelica Huston and Raza Jaffrey.

Music is written by composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman for executive producers Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Shaiman, Wittman, Rebeck and Spielberg :

"...a group of characters come together to put on a Broadway musical based on the life of 'Marilyn Monroe'. But before that can happen, the people who will try to bring it all together must deal with their own personal acts..."

NBC plans to exhibit the "Smash" series pilot during consumer screenings January 9 in Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland and San Francisco. In Chicago, NBC will have cast and creative on hand for a Q & A after the screening and on January 15-30, American Airlines flights will show in-flight screenings of the pilot.

The show is also being offered to digital download platforms including Apple iTunes, Amazon Video on Demand, Xbox/Zune, Playstation, Samsung MediaHub and Vudu beginning January 16 through February 6.

From January 16 through February 6, Video on Demand partners, including parent company Comcast, will offer the pilot via Set-Top-Box On Demand and bginning January 23 through February 6, online streaming will be available via NBC.com and Hulu.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Smash"....

Angelina Jolie Bewitched By "Maleficent"

Screenwriter Linda Woolverton ("Alice In Wonderland") is tailoring her screenplay of Disney's developing "Maleficent" live-action feature (focusing on the 'evil fairy queen' of "Sleeping Beauty"), as a starring vehicle for actress Angelina Jolie.

According to Disney, Robert Stromberg, the Oscar winning Art Director of "Avatar" and "Alice In Wonderland" will direct.

In "Sleeping Beauty", 'Maleficent', (aka 'evil-doer') is the self-proclaimed "Mistress of All Evil" who curses the infant 'Princess Aurora' to "prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die" before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, after not being invited to the baby's christening.

Often viewed as the most powerful and sinister of Disney's occult villains, Maleficent is an interpretation of the 'wicked fairy godmother' from the original "Sleeping Beauty" fairy tale, appearing as a tall, slender, pale green skinned woman with a narrow face and prominent chin.

She also has yellow eyes and a horned headdress, symbolic of her dark magic, clad in a black and purple robe with bat wing-like edges.

Being an evil fairy, Maleficent can perform powerful spells, carrying a staff with a glowing green orb to transmit bolts of lightning. She is also capable of shape shifting at will into numerous forms, including a floating hypnotic light resembling a 'will-o'-the-wisp' and a massive, black and purple dragon.

Her minions are a legion of goblins and troll-like creatures, while frequently accompanied by her pet raven 'Diablo'.

Maleficent also appears as a major character/antagonist in the "Kingdom Hearts" video game series and a recurring character on the Disney TV series "House of Mouse".

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Maleficent"...

"The Game": Penetrating The Secret Society Of Pickup Artists

Actor James Franco is in negotiations to star in an adaptation of the non-fiction, autobiographical book "The Game: Penetrating The Secret Society Of Pickup Artists", written by investigative reporter Neil Strauss as a chronicle of his journey and encounters in the 'seduction community'.

The film adaptation will be written and directed by David Levien and Brian Koppleman :

"...hidden somewhere, in nearly every major city in the world, is an underground seduction lair. And in these lairs, men trade the most devastatingly effective techniques ever invented to charm women. This is not fiction. These men really exist. They live together in houses known as 'Projects'..."

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Warner Bros Pictures Scores $4.7 Billion In 2011

The Warner Bros. Pictures Group reports a 2011, combined worldwide box office gross of more than $4.7 billion, led by the year's top-grossing motion picture, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2".

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2", earned more than $1.33 billion worldwide to become the highest-grossing film of the year. Among the numerous records that the film broke during its theatrical run, it had the biggest opening weekend of all time, both domestically and internationally, and, on the international side, is noted as the highest-grossing Warner Bros. movie of all time.

A wide variety of other Warner Bros. releases that opened in 2011 went on to gross over $100 million worldwide, including "The Hangover Part II" ($586 million), "Horrible Bosses" ($215 million), "Final Destination 5" ($164 million), "Crazy, Stupid, Love." ($148 million) and "Contagion" ($141 million).

Current release "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows", has grossed $286 million worldwide to date, in 25 international markets, including a number of major territories, yet to open.

Looking ahead to 2012, Warner Bros. Pictures will release "Wrath of the Titans", "Dark Shadows", "Rock of Ages", "The Dark Knight Rises", "Argo", "The Gangster Squad", "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" and "The Great Gatsby".

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"Lady Hoggers": Beauty vs. Beast

Pig out with the new A & E reality TV series "Lady Hoggers", that debuted November 2011 :

Eva Green Believes In 'Artemisia'

French actress Eva Green ("Casino Royale") has entered into negotiations to play the goddess 'Artemisia', in the developing "300" sequel tentatively titled "300: Battle of Artemisia", to be directed by Noam Murro.

Artemisia, reportedly the central character of the story, is the supernatural goddess who manipulates 'Xerxes' into battle against the 'Spartans'.

"300", the 2007 Legendary Pictures feature based on the 1998 Dark Horse Comics' series, written/illustrated by Frank Miller, is a fictionalized retelling of the 'Battle of Thermopylae', directed by Zack Snyder ("Watchmen"), with Miller serving as executive producer/consultant.

Shot in a Montreal warehouse studio, the film was noted for its extensive use of super-imposition chroma key technique, to help replicate the imagery of the original comic book.


Budgeted at $65 million, with reported box office totals of $456 million, Legendary Pictures are quite determined to follow through with a 3D sequel, to start shooting in 2012, to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "300"...

"X-Men Legacy": Teachers And Protectors

Marvel Comics' "X-Men Legacy" #260.1, available January 111, 2012, is written by Christos Gage and illustrated by David Baldeon, with a cover by Mark Brooks :

"...in this 'Regenesis" tie-in, 'Rogue', 'Gambit', 'Iceman', 'Frenzy' and 'Rachel Summers' take up their posts as teachers and protectors of 'Wolverine's School', just in time to defend it from the invading 'N'Garai'..."

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Official First Look @ Daniel Craig In "Skyfall"

Sneak Peek the first official photo of actor Daniel Craig as 'Agent 007' on the set of the 23rd "James Bond" feature film, "Skyfall".

Also, if you missed it the first time around, Sneak Peek the new video clip of "James Bond" movie producer Michael G. Wilson, as he kicks off 2012 with an introductory video about "Skyfall".

Produced by Eon Productions for MGM, Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment, "Skyfall" is directed by Sam Mendes ("The Road To Perdition"), featuring actor Daniel Craig's third performance as 'James Bond'. Judi Dench also reprises her role as British Intelligence head "M" for the seventh consecutive film :

"...'MI6' operative 'James Bond', agent '007', questions his loyalty to his superior, 'M', when her past actions have consequences in the present. When MI6 itself is attacked, Bond must seek out and eliminate the threat..."

"Skyfall" cast also includes Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, Naomi Harris, Rory Kinnear, Bérénice Marlohe, Helen McCrory, Ola Rapace and Ben Whishaw.

North American release date for "Skyfall" is November 9, 2012, as part of a yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of "Dr. No" and the start of the Bond movie franchise.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek 'Bond' producer Michael G. Wilson....