The Latest Spider-Man Trailer Released

Now this is more like it! Like many, I was unsure about how this new version of the Spider-Man franchise would play out after the Toby Maguire/Sam Raimi films but I can say I like this new look to Peter Parker/Spider-Man which will be released June 3, 2012.

That is a very nicely down trailer and it looks like Maguire's replacement, Andrew Garfield does pretty good but of course we'll have to wait to see if the final results live up to the promises of a great action flick given in a trailer. Garfield seems fitted to the Peter Parker role as the teenaged web slinger as well as the bright, nerdy kid. He was most recently seen in 2009's The Social Network, where he played Eduardo Saverin and he will have another movie this year besides The Amazing Spider-Man called Back Roads, which should give Garfield a chance to flex some acting muscles as the eldest son whose mother is placed in jail for having killed his abusive, drunken father.

But back to the matter at hand. Rather than have Kirsten Dunst return once more as Mary Jane Watson, those behind the film have cast the lovely Emma Stone as Parker's love interest, Gwen Stacy with Denis Leary as her cop father. I always love seeing Leary in these roles where he plays the tough guy. Stone was just in the Oscar-nominated The Help last year and played Wichita in Zombieland the year before that.

In The Amazing Spider-Man, which is going to be in 3D, seems a little closer to what his origins are in this movie. He doesn't get to shoot webs out of his wrists as a result of his "evolution" but has to make a little device that spins webs which is what he had to do back in the original comic books. Dr. Curt Connors, played by Rhys Ifans, aka The Lizard, looks pretty good too and should provide a great villan for this movie. Ifans was also in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 where he played Xenophilius Lovegood. It looks like Dr. Connors worked with Parker's father at Oscorp and Parker's character solves whatever problem prevents Connors from morphing into the Lizard. The movie looks like it packs a ton of story into about a 2 hour film while still offering up a fair share of kickass action scenes. Now we just have to wait for June to roll around so we can see the finished movie. I'm guessing that this will be (obviously) one of the biggest movies this summer and will probably easily hit at least $200 million in box office sales.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island Trailer

Here we go with another not very interesting take on the Jules Verne book called The Mysterious Island which was published way back in 1874 and usually one of the novels you read during elementary school or high school. This story has been told over and over and this latest version is just the most recent incarnation to hit the big screen (fleetingly is my prediction), but hey, it's got The Rock! So it's gotta be good right?! Journey 2: The Mysterious Island stars Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock from wrestling fame), Michael Caine (younger readers will know him as Alfred from the Batman movies), Josh Hutcherson, who was previously in Bridge To Terabithia as well as Polar Express, Vanessa Hudgens, recently in Super Punch (avoid at all costs except for the fight scenes) and the High School Musical movies (eek!). Hudgens plays "Kailani" and her helicopter flyin' father is played by a familiar face, Luis Guzman. Let's take a look at the trailer shall we?

Oh, this looks like it might not be all that good. Tons of big scaries calling around and popping up that want to eat the group and some probably won't make it back. First a little back story: Hutcherson plays "Alexander", a young bright kid whose grandfather, played by Michael Caine, goes missing while searching for some "lost island" so Alexander decides to go looking for him. Johnson plays the boyfriend of Alexander's mother, so he provides a little muscle for the adventure. They need a copter to scout out the territory where they think Alexander's grandfather disappeared and the lovely Kailani catches Alexander's eye and as luck would have it, Kailani's dad has a helicopter... and away we go.

The problem is that the island is going to sink back into the ocean and since the copter is busted, the survivors will have to, what? Swim for it? No doubt after many creatures trying to make a quick lunch out of them, they'll all get to the beach with giant spiders, humongous reptiles in hot pursuit and there will be dear old granddad or someone else to scoop them up in an ending happy for all.

Don't worry though, all will have (hopefully) better movies later this year although this one will be good for some mindless fun and giggles (have to admit I laughed at The Rock's pec hustle dance). A lot younger girls will be there to drool over Hutcherson and a like number of guys will be oogling the charms of Ms Hudgens. I'm guessing Journey 2: The Mysterious Island will make about $10-15,000,000 it's first week and might rake in around $40 million or so before being swept aside by the more interesting films on the schedule.

The Avengers Newest Video Airs During Super Bowl 46

For all you Avengers fans, Marvel Studios has released another Avengers video which should whet the appetite of those anxiously awaiting the May 4, 2012 release date for the movie which is directed by Joss Whedon. So, enough of my blathering, here's the latest look at the forthcoming superhero movie.

Not too much as far as "character development" but that's not why we flock to these flicks right? We want to see the superheroes kick some butt and take down names. Of course there are some of the expected movie stars shown, such as Robert Downey, Jr. as Sherlock Hol... er, I mean, Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth reprising his recent role of Thor, the scrumptious Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Chris Evans fresh from his Captain America film. Also, a little of Mark Ruffalo (how tall is this guy? He makes Downey Jr look tall) but thankfully we see a little more of the Hulk in this one. Plus Mr Samuel L. Jackson shows up for the fight too as Nick Fury

The evil dude is of course Loki played by Tom Hiddleston. Gotta love the dialog between Tony Stark (Downey Jr) & Loki (Hiddleston), "I've got an army", and "Well, we've got a Hulk." Does Loki and others from the norse legends periodically stop by for drinks with billionaires? At least we see some of Hulk bouncing around and taking out a couple of the bad guys on their space scooters. Expect more and more trailer releases and movie stills the closer we get to May 4th - that's what? Only three months away?

Anderson Cooper Describes Being Attacked In Egypt On Letterman

CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper describes being attacked and pummeled when he was in Egypt covering the anti-government demonstrations last week while on The David Letterman Show.



Dangerous times to be in Egypt, that's for sure. As Cooper mentions, Egyptian President Mobaruk pretty much gave the green light to attacking foreigners by implying that they were behind the protests.

Lindsay Lohan: No Jail Time "Yet" But Bail Set At $40,000

In the latest Lindsay Lohan legal drama, she has narrowly missed being sent back to jail again and had her bail set at $40,000 - 20K for the felony count and the same for violating her probation.



In case you haven't heard, Lohan faces more jail time for allegedly stealing a gold necklace valued at $2,500 from a Los Angeles jewelry store. She was photographed later wearing the necklace which after being found in possession of she claimed to have "borrowed" from the store. I don't know what Lohan's definition of borrowing is, but apparently it differs from the owner of the purloined necklace as she was charged with felony grand theft.

The parole violation stems from a 2007 DUI. If found guilty on the felony count, Lohan could face 3 years imprisonment. Her defence attorney claimed Lohan was not being given any breaks. That of course flies in the face of the facts. Lohan has had three trips to jail and seems to be released early just about every time.

Also Lohan's name has been connected with missing or stolen jewelry before. $400,000 worth of Dior jewelry "disappeared" after a British Elle magazine photo shoot she was involved with and in April of last year she was questioned about a missing $35,000 Rolex but the victim decided not to move forward with her complaint. An assistant of Lohan's brought the necklace to the police station after word got round that the police were putting together a search warrant.

Dana Carvey On Saturday Night Live

Here's Mike Myers and Dana Carvey preprising their most excellent roles as Wayne Campbell and Garth at the start of Saturday Night Live. Carvey was hosting and the pair had to do a some of their old Wayne's World routine.



And of course, Carvey had to do a little bit of his famous Church Lady bit. Justin Bieber, the Kardashians and Snooki also put in appearances.



In case you didn't notice, the voice that announced the Church Lady segment was former SNL member Phil Hartman.

Preview Some Super Bowl Ads

Every year during the Super Bowl major advertisers unveil their latest and greatest commercials and here's your chance to get a peek at what is upcoming from the folks at Pepsi and Go Daddy.com.



Ozzie & Justin Bieber? That's an odd pairing. And on the Go Daddy ad, I'd like to see the face of the girl, but until they do, I'm happy with the pictures so far.

Mark Zuckerberg Meets Jesse Eisenberg On “Saturday Night Live”

This is interesting... Facebook founder (and multi-billionaire) Mark Zuckerberg meets Jesse Eisenberg who played him in the movie The Social Network when Eisenberg hosted "Saturday Night Live". First we see Eisenberg doing dueling Zuckerbergs with SNL regular Andy Sandberg and then we see the real Zuckerberg backstage arguing with Lorne Michaels that he should be allowed onstage.



I invented poking!

I read about Zuckerberg's initial reaction to the movie not being entirely favorable as well as the less than stellar reviews from others depicted in the Oscar nominated movie, so it is pretty funny seeing him confront his doppleganger, Eisenberg.

Jon Cryer Describes Working With Charlie Sheen With Conan O'Brien

Watching this clip I feel a little sorry for Jon Cryer for having to work with the bewilderingly still functioning Charlie Sheen on their show "Two and a Half Men". I've always thought Cryer was funny, but this is the first time I've seen him discussing Sheen and what it is like to come in to work with the guy on a daily basis.



"From Charlie Sheen, you believe that! Because that happened to him - TWICE!" LOL.

Keith Olbermann Leaves MSNBC; Rachel Maddow's Reaction

Whether you loved or hated him, Keith Olbermann was a definite presence who will be missed. It was announced that Olbermann and MSNBC were parting ways semi-amicably following the acquistion of NBC by Comcast, the largest cable company in the U.S., although some speculate his departure may stem partly from his suspension last November or Jeff Zucker stepping down as CEO of NBC Universal.

Both Comcast and NBC have released statements that the purchase of NBC had nothing to do with Olbermann's leaving. The video below is of Olbermann thanking his audience for their support.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Rachel Maddow also works at MSNBC and was on the show "Real Time With Bill Maher" when she had an opportunity to address Olbermann leaving the network.



There are of course already rumors swirling about Olbermann's plans like he will take his money (2 remaining years of salary at $7 million per) and start his own media company where he will be able to have greater control of the content plus make more money as an owner. Whether you agree with his positions or not, there's nothing wrong with setting up your own shop.

Just In Case You Haven't Seen The New Thor Trailer...

It's not going to be released until around May 2011, but we are finally starting to see a little of the promotion for the new Thor movie from Marvel kicking into gear.

The God of Thunder is of course going to be played by Aussie Chris Hemsworth who is a pretty big boy at around six foot three and he will likely tower over Chris Evans who will play Captain America (Evans is the comparatively smaller 5'11") when they do the upcoming Avengers movie. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Take a look at the first trailer for Thor and tell me what you think:



As a longtime Thor and Marvel dude, I am not sure about the facial hair as I always picture Thor as being clean-shaven, but of course as he also based on Norse legend and can you really picture a viking without the beard? Still, a minor complaint at best. It looks like Hemsworth fits the bill.

He is still a relative newcomer to North American audiences although he does have a number of films under his belt, with the role of James T. Kirk's old man in the Star Trek movie being the most memorable to date. He is supposed to be in Red Dawn taking over Patrick Swayze's role as Jed and He is also going to be in Joss Whedon's The Cabin In The Woods, with both films are scheduled for 2011 release, so with Thor it looks like it will be a busy year for Hemsworth.

He and all the other Superheroes will of course gather for The Avengers which is still in "pre-production" which is code for scouting locations, re-writing, and waiting for the other actors and actresses to finish the projects they are currently filming before getting on with the movie.

There's a lot of hype building for The Avengers with all the stars already announced and groundwork being laid with Thor and Captain America movies being released to build a little back story for the big movie when they link up for the highly anticipated blockbuster in 2012.

MTV's Skins Debuts To High Ratings Due To Manufactured Controversy

The ratings have come in for the latest MTV show to air called "Skins" and it looks like as many as 3.3 million viewers watched the premier episode of the series which revolves around some high school kids. All the websites are parroting the line given to them by the network "SKINS is an emotional mosh-pit that slams through the insanity of teenage years." Oh yeah baby, it's so cutting edge.

The network promo guys were working double-time trying to pump up this series with releases about how the FCC were upset about child pornography allegations and how the network had to do some editting to make it palatable for main-stream television. You can almost imagine the boys at the network trying to play THAT angle up before the program aired to make people wanna watch. And apparently, watch they did.



Yeah, all 16-year-olds act like they're in their 20s. Just what we need another teen soap. It seems almost like Jersey Shore for the teen set. Nothing like offering a how-to series about becoming a drunken addle-minded teen idiot. Here's the promo for the series:



Here's some of the reaction to the first episode:

Oh TRUE BLOOD You Are Such A Tease

Here's the latest teaser video for the upcoming 4th season of HBO's True Blood which will begin airing during the summer of 2011.



The creator of the series confirms that this season the story of Sookie Stackhouse will include witches (get it? "This is the season of the witch") and will loosely follow Dead To The World the 4th book of Charlaine Harris' immensively popular Southern Vampire Mysteries on which the series is based.

Season Two Of V: Only Ten New Episodes Then What?

It started out interestingly. A new take on the series "V" for a modern time with a new look and feel, but unfortunately for ABC, mediocre ratings. The series has several ongoing storylines which makes it difficult for potential new viewers to catch on to what is going on. Now it appears that ABC has decided that instead of 13 new episodes, they will only greenlight 10.



It looks like the network is more concerned about shaking their moneymaker with shows like Dancing With The Stars and letting an interesting sci-fi show die on the vine. I'm not knocking DWTS (I don't watch it though) and I get that the program is paying the rent for ABC, but it looks like ABC's support for "V" is a little half-hearted at best.