Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut

One of the things I noted in my original review of Zack Snyder's Watchmen movie was that I would wait for a DVD that contained all the footage filmed that the director wanted to include, as well as a complete integration of the parallel "comic within the comic" Tales of the Black Freighter. Well, that DVD version has been released as "The Ultimate Cut." If you want to read my take on the movie as it appeared in theatres, you can find that here.

If you're a fan of the comic, and enjoyed the movie, then "The Ultimate Cut" is a must own. The additional filmed material adds depth to the story, and except for a few transitional quibbles, the inclusion of the Black Freighter animation works pretty damned well as a alternate media metaphor for Adrian Veidt's savior complex. In revisiting my original review, all the criticism and praise for the film is still pretty accurate for this expanded version. A few updated thoughts:

• I was pretty harsh on Matthew Goode's portrayal of Veidt (C+). Upon further reflection, I would probably up that a bit (B-). I saw more shades in his performance the second go round, though I still think he telegraphed his motivations more than he should have, and his arrogance wasn't quite as "altruistic" and "pure" as the comic depiction.
• Malin Ackerman's Laurie is still lovely, still poorly written, and still woodenly acted. Amy Acker would have been a fantastic choice to play Laurie, and would have completely rocked the mix of self-loathing and powerlessness necessary to make Laurie something more than a cardboard cutout.
• The music choices are still too obvious and jarring, and become more so on a second viewing.
• The old age makeup, while still problematic, isn't as bad on the small screen.
• I wanted more scenes with the newstand vendor and the kid reading the comic, and this was one of the major additions to this cut. The characters raise the "human stakes" of the film's conclusion, as well as giving us a reason to transition into the Black Freighter comic.
• Speaking of which, I think the hand drawn, animated version of Freighter was well done, and ably performed by Gerard Butler. I would have preferred a more graphic filmic transition into and out of the comic (ostensibly, using computer animation to morph to the comic prop into the world of the pirate cartoon).

Other than that, the film still remains an ambitious, if slightly flawed, passion project that probably comes as close to realizing Watchmen on the screen as we could have hoped for. I haven't yet listened to the commentaries (from Snyder and comic co-creator and illustrator Dave Gibbons), but the other DVD extras are simply stellar, particularly the "Under the Hood" faux-documentary (which features a brilliant and heartbreaking performance from Stephen McHattie).

All in all, a great addition to the DVD collection and a definite "buy" for fans of the property. Movie: A- DVD: A+

I'll take potpourri for $6,400, Alex

Top 10 Reasons why Trek is suddenly cool. (And none of those have anything to do with "Spock's Brain.")

Frak my life. Just read it and giggle.

Rating Woody Allen's films, from 1 - 40. Nice rankings, though personally, I'd put Annie Hall at #1. And probably have Bullets Over Broadway and Vicky Christina Barcelona higher. And Stardust Memories lower. Related: 10 Woody Allen proxies. Yeah, Celebrity was not up to snuff, but damn if Branagh didn't perfectly channel the Woodman.

I clipped this story about John Ensign and his hypocrisy on the whole ridiculous "defense of marriage" bullshit last week. And that was before another married with kids bible thumping nutjob jetted off Argentina to schtup his mistress. Yes, Sanford rejected the "stimulus package" because he was already getting his package stimulated. Haaaay-yooo.

Star Trek cakes. How cool are those? Here's an expanded look.

Are these the best sci-fi cliffhangers?

Hysterical! Michael Bay's keyboard.

Novel idea for sneaking booze into a ballgame.

The Madden ratings for the Atlanta Falcons.

Another TNRLM twitter suggestion shows up in the wild.

Interview with the delightful Julie Benz. I didn't realize she originally also read for "Deb" on Dexter.

Fantastic gallery of spaceships on io9.

Count down the Top 70 Marvel Comics covers ever. Definitely worth a look if you're a comic geek.

I know he was from Florida, and went to college at Tennessee, but somewhere along the way, didn't Travis Henry ever learn about condoms? Hell, the "pull out" method would seem to be more successful.

Highlights from the recent Bear McCreary BSG concert. Awesome.

Pop Quiz, Hotshot: famous TV homes. (I got 80%, BTW).


Great article on how the "standard" MLB camera angle is so misleading. Yes, the "off center" approach composes a better picture, especially in the widescreen era, but dead center certainly gives you a better idea about the pitches.

Did anyone else know there was a "University of Andy" web supplement to Weeds? Here Andy explains how to hold your liquor.

Are these the 10 most polarizing films of the last decade? Certainly a solid list, and think I wind up on the "pro" side of most of these.

Interview with Hope Davis, who was so mesmerizing on In Treatment this year.

IFC put together a list of the 50 greatest movie trailers of all time (with clips). Also, while I couldn't find a link to the actual list with clips, preeminent movie magazine Empire also assembled a similar list a while back.

Did Ayn Rand want Farrah to play Dagny Taggert? (Still waiting on an Atlas Shrugged flick, and I think Angelina or Rachel Weisz would make a great Dagny).

The dangers of quitting smoking.

Supernatural casts their Lucifer. Great choice, but I wonder what this means for Lost?

Doctor Who returns tonight! Alan Sepinwall talks to Russell Davies, and Mo Ryan chats with David Tennant.

I'll take potpourri for $5,200, Alex

Sarah Connor Chronicles ratings are tanking. Will FOX yank it before the season ends?

Damn the planet! My ass is important!

Wanna read the script for the original Dollhouse pilot?

IF Magazine chats with Topher (Fran Kranz)

Why on earth would you get back together with someone who beats the shit out of you?

Mo Ryan chats with the writers of Friday's BSG episode, "Someone To Watch Over Me." She's also got a piece about those two writers, Weddle and Thompson, who are now with CSI: Original Recipe. (They're doing an eppy set at a sci-fi convention, that also features Kate Vernon! How cool is that?)

If you're a BSG fan, and you haven't yet read this epic post (3 parts, actually) from composer Bear McCreary, get yourself a cup of coffee and go do it now. Not only is it a fascinating look "behind the scenes" of the process for developing music for the show (especially for an episode for which music is absolutely critical), but it's also evident how much passion and thought goes into this remarkable series.

Starbuck's Top 25 Moments. And an interview with Katee. Airlock Alpha chats with Donnelly Rhodes -- Doc Cottle himself. (I always thought of him as "Dutch" from Soap prior to this).

A chat with Michelle Forbes (Ensign Ro, Admiral Cain, Tru Blood)

10 Alan Moore comics (other than Watchmen, of course) that you should read.

First PECOTA, now CHONE, predict a decent season for the Braves.

Pajiba gave a lukewarm review the Dollhouse pilot (as we all did, I think). In response to that, they put together a list of "great shows that started out weak." No quibbles with the list, and as you might expect, Buffy is on it, too. It's always a question that comes up when you want to introduce a newbie to Buffy: how much of the first season do you show them? Because s2 is when the show really hits stride, even though there are some standout eppys in that first, abbreviated season. While this might give us some hope for Dollhouse really elevating the game, there's a big difference between FOX and The WB and their ratings expectations. (Damn, do I wish Eliza's deal would have allowed the show to air on FX, where we weren't under the ratings Sword of Damocles each and every week). Anyway, when it comes to Buffy, you can check out an old post I did summarizing the "personal rating" (quality-wise) of that show and its seasons, and even check out the entire spreadsheet compiling them.

The AV Club chats with Eliza Dushku.

Collider chats with comic Patton Oswalt, who is a big fan of Firefly (he's even writing a comic coming up) and will also appear on Dollhouse.

Joss talks to Crave Online.

Mo Ryan talks to Fringe's "Mister Jones."

AICN talks to the science consultant for Watchmen.

Remember what book Ben was reading on Ajira Air 316? Ulysses, right? What's the last chapter in that book? Uh-oh.

Why being an iTunes hit doesn't quite matter yet for TV shows.

Steven S. DeKnight, writer of the best Dollhouse thus far, chatted with io9.

AV Club looks at 22 crucial film corpses.

Damn TV box digital converter thing! (I almost did this with a CD player, in an incident that shall not be spoken of again).

I'll take potpourri for $5,100, Alex

Go through all 7 seasons of Buffy in less than four minutes.

Ears and language rejoice! You will no longer be defiled by a Florida education. Emmitt is not coming back to ESPN. (With a list of his top 10 attempts at a coherent sentence, and video).

Sarah Connor ratings low, but steady. Dollhouse drops a bit, does okay in the demo. Can the show get in a groove and build?

Fringe moves production to Canada. Who cares? Walter can obsess about snack food in a basement anywhere. And The X-Files filmed there forever, before moving stateside late in its run.

TWOP looks at "familiar" characters in Dollhouse.

Mo Ryan continues her series of excellent interviews with BSG writers, this time with Jane Espenson. More here with the writers of "No Exit." She also chats with BSG and Dollhouse actor Tahmoh Penikett. (Between BSG and Dollhouse, typing his name is killing my spell checker).

And BSG composer Bear McCreary chats with another Final Fiver, Michael Hogan.

"Geek" shows (and Desperate Housewives and Grey's?) dominate the torrent downloads.

And the Oscar for best red carpet nipples goes to....

A really good list of the best movies about television.

Watchmen is coming! EW has a primer. So does TWOP. And geek icon Wil Wheaton saw the flick and says RELAX, it's AWESOME.

Info on the latest "standalone" story (about Faith and Giles) from the Buffy S8 comics.

Fast food ads vs. reality. The dream dies hard.

Five great careers derailed by the Oscar.

Cordy will be showing up on CSI.

Video of Matt Stafford showing some throwing skills (but not at the combine).

Good idea for Trek newbies: "Best of" samplers, with some very good eppy selections.

TIME has a Q&A with Joss.

This is Teh Awesomes. A "trilogy meter." Take a look.

In the SEC, who is each school's biggest rivals? Seems about right.

Looking back at the 2006 college recruiting classes. UGA's 2006 rank? 4th. Evaluated in hindsight? 4th.

The NYT talks to 24's resident nerd comics.

The 10 Worst Places to Work on TV.

Two little kids recreate the diner scene from Pulp Fiction.

From Jorge Garcia's blog, a look at the cake the folks from Ace of Cakes made for Lost's 100th eppy.

Pretty cool. Magenta isn't a color.

I'll take potpourri for $4,800, Alex

ESPN went through one of their typically hyperbolic "ranking" processes, though this one got less pub than their "Mt. Rushmore" or "Who's Now" nonsense, to determine the "Prestige Rankings" of various college football programs. According to their system, UGA ranked 14th.

TWOP has a good recount of the comedies and dramadies that were cancelled way before their time. A sad list.

The NYT has a nice look at Adam Baldwin (Chuck's Casey, Firefly's Jayne).

JJ Abrams talks to the LA Times about the new Trek. Part 1 here, Part 2 here.

Ray Lewis says his free agency plans are in the hands of god now. No word on whether or not the big guy upstairs will chat with afterlife denizens Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar to get their take on the particulars of the LB's contract negotiations.

A question from Bill Simmons latest ESPN chat:

Tommy Hawk (Crozet, VA): Is it just me or have Juliet's "hoo-ha's" gotten bigger through these seasons of Lost? If this is a side-effect of time travel, then there are going to be a lot of women risking the nose bleeds and finding themselves a "constant" to get on this island!

An astute observation. Yet another reason to love Juliet.

Extraterrestrial Roman Empires. (As a kid, I had a hardbound copy of that "Trigan Empire" comic collection. It was pretty damned cool).

DawgSports looks at breaking out the black jerseys in the future. For the record, I voted "Only games against major rivals should be blacked out, and then only on special occasion"

Could some craptacular Gulliver's Travels movie keep the delectable Emily Blunt out of Black Widow's spandex? Noooooo!

One more reason to love the oh-so adorable Jenna Fischer. She calls the message indicator on her CrackBerry the "red light of love."

The Weather Channel founder weighs in again on the "global warming" scam.

One of TV's best shows, The Middleman, coming to DVD!

Cute! Guess the Lego movie star.

A look at the hottest women of Star Trek. Some interesting choices in there, but I don't agree with their number 1 selection (if the list isn't topped by the reason we have a President O, then the list isn't entirely valid).

Finebaum's takedown of Hello Kiffykins.

The Daily Beast talks to Joss Whedon about Dollhouse.

Mo Ryan previews Monday's 3-D Chuck. Look, I like The Office. But don't we think that several years in, it's as big as it's going to get? Wouldn't it be better to give the post Super Bowl slot to a show that's a bit of an undiscovered gem, and could use the boost? Like Chuck, for example?

Good films by supposedly bad directors.

AWESOME "chart porn" from io9 on how to create your own original Star Trek adventure.

A funny look at how to write a Super Bowl story, depending on your forum.

TV Guide's favorite Sawyer nicknames.

No matter which way you take it, I'm buying what she's selling.

Please, please spare me this drivel during the game. Does Odin care who wins the game? Does Zeus? Does Anubis? The Flying Spaghetti Monster? However, I think Garuda might be pulling for the Cardinals.

Japanese Watchmen toys. Adorable. (which is kinda funny, given the nihilistic and dark tone of the book).

More ridiculous pandering and posturing and wasting of taxpayer dollars from our elected officials. (Isn't there a little bit more to be preoccupied with now?!) To save the children!! Look, does anyone think this noise would be loud enough to actually be heard? Or that regular (non "noise making") cameras wouldn't be used for "nefarious" purposes? Or that video couldn't be used instead? Jesus Tittyfucking Christ, this kind of stuff makes me understand the terrorists.

Stewart Mandel looks back at the high school QB class of 2005. (Joe Cox was number 6, BTW).

An unbelievably fun look at 1970s sci-fi. How many do you recognize?

Are these the ugliest uniforms known to man? Even worse the the Vols, Gators or Clemson?

I'll take potpourri for $4,300, Alex

The brilliant but snuffed before its time Deadwood has been released on DVD. Critic Alan Sepinwall touches on the release here, and offers some thoughts on the extras (including who was to "blame" for the premature axe falling on one of TV's best, and most challenging, shows. Fuck you HBO, you cocksuckers).

Another great reason to always keep a fully stocked bar at home. Ladies!

Critics are savaging The Spirit, which is Frank Miller's take on Will Eisner's seminal comic. As a longtime fan of the comic, I'm not sure Miller was the right guy to try to capture the tricky tone of the original work. But here's a look at crimefighters who share The Spirit's sense of fashion. When I was a kid and writing and illustrating my own comics, I did a Shadow knock-off I called "The Dark." He looked almost exactly like Lamont Cranston's alter ego, except his mask was purple instead of red. And he had a smaller nose. I think I did the whole thing so I could use the trite headline "who's afraid of The Dark?!" Hey, I was ten.

Two of my favorite TV critics have put together their Top 10 lists. Last week, I linked to Mo Ryan's. Here is Alan Sepinwall's. Though I never got into The Wire or The Shield, I agree with most of their choices, and it's cool that they're so similar. So nice to see TNRLM favorites: Mad Men, Lost, Chuck, In Treatment, The Office, Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Burn Notice, 30 Rock and The Middleman (!). I would also add Dexter (which both critics seemed to think had an off year), How I Met Your Mother, and Big Bang Theory.

I twittered about this, but here's visual evidence of "the golden shower."

Thoughts on The Middleman from the creator (no DVD or S2 updates, sadly), along with an unfilmed scene.

Great summary of the year's best in TV quotage. Also from TVGal, 2008 "Favorites."

Hilariously, and ironically, forwarded from a friend:


A detailed Vanity Fair article on the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special.

Fuck recycling. Build a Battlestar!

The awesome and geek-friendly Dina Meyer will turn up on Burn Notice as Micheal's ex-fiancee.

A day late: misheard xmas lyrics.

I'm not a huge fan of horror films, but here's an interesting list of the 25 best modern horror movies.

Sex In The City + Werewolves = Bitches (who said Hollywood was out of ideas?)

Haven't read the content yet, but how frakkin' hot are Alyson Hannigan's candy striped knee socks?

The AV Club's 2008 in Band Names. Very funny stuff. Personal favorites: Methadone Abortion Clinic, Only Hate Will Set You Free, Post Mortem Bong Hit, Jesus Fucking Christ, Graveslut, Gestapo Pussy Ranch, Anal Hearse, 3 Piston Ass Hammer, Touched By A Janitor, Sleezus Fist And The Latter Day Taints, Fuckstorm, Flock of Steven Seagals, Previously On Lost, Kneel to Zod, Calling Jack Burton, Piss Piss Piss Moan Moan Moan, Bourbon Toothpaste

Head just 'sploded

Check out this awesome chart at io9.  I think my xmas break may be consumed with figuring out all the connections.

Note: it's kind of a geek version of the Tommy Westphall Multiverse. Which also makes my head hurt.

I'll take potpourri for $4,100, Alex

For fellow comic book nerds: who were the best artists for each superhero?

More official Lost cast photos have surfaced. Does anyone else agree with me that Juliet is hotter than a thousand suns?

Speaking of hot, Kristin Bell outtakes.

Economy in trouble? Here is a brilliant way to help.

One of the writers of the new Trek film discusses science, canon and how the movie fits.

The quotable Alec Baldwin.

Let Barry light up!

Finally, proof of the Almighty.

This cracks me up. The ALL CAPS are just perfect.

A peek at plans Supernatural's new year. BTW, I was late to the party on this show. I guess it got lost in the CW ghetto for me, but I've been catching up via (simultaneously) 4th season shows on TiVo, and the 1st and 2nd seasons on DVD. And I have to say, while it's not quite to the level of Buffy and Angel, this is an tremendously entertaining and engaging genre show, with laughs, scares, arcs and most importantly, great writing and acting. If you haven't checked it out, you should.

Are these the 7 worst guitar solos of all time? And 2 of them are in completely awesome songs, too.

I have no idea what this is about, but the title alone makes me want to see it.

Here's some logic and reason I wish was more prevalent.

Christopher Nolan examines his favorite scene in The Dark Knight.

The fabulous Maura Tierney joins Rescue Me? Awesome.

Marisa Tomei has no problem getting nekkid. And we have no problem say "thanks."

Just last week, I said that Stacey Dales is my favorite sideline princess. And just like that, she's out of a job. In case I have magical powers, perhaps I should say that Lou Holtz, Emmit Smith and Mark May are my favorite analysts.

Great news on the voice of the computer for the new Trek movie.

One take on the "best 7 sci-fi remakes." I agree with most of them, including the oft-bashed and underappreciated Vanilla Sky, and one of the best flicks I've seen in the last 10 years, the Solaris remake, but Burton's Planet of the Apes? Really? Ugh.

A preview of tomorrow's Sarah Connor Chronicles, which I continue to heart with a passion.

I'll take potpourri for $3,100, Alex

Everyone else enjoying How I Met Your Mother this year? I know I am. And it makes a nice pairing with the increasingly funny and endearing Big Bang Theory. Here's a fun interview at TWOP with HIMYM creator Craig Thomas. As if you need other reasons to like him and the show, he's a huge fan of Veronica Mars, Buffy and Angel. (great taste, that one). And he hated Connor. (Though Season 5 Connor, along with the weaselly Pete Campbell on Mad Men, have made me almost forget the whole Season 4 thing).

A while back, I blogged about "go to bed shows." Meaning, shows that I let rack up on the bedroom TiVo and watch when I go to sleep. They typically aren't that serialized and are usually procedurals. For a while, I would watch shows like Numb3rs, Crossing Jordan or CSI:Miami (before that got too inhumanly stupid and hammy to even tolerate for a laugh). Lately, I've added NCIS to the rotation, which is an entertaining procedural, and sampled Supernatural, which my TiVo helpfully suggested for me. In fact, I think I may move Supernatural to the main TiVo it's so good. I don't know why I never got into this program when it first aired (on the CW? On at the same time as other shows?) but it's really damned good. It features lots of folks behind the scenes that were associated with The X-Files, and has a laugh out loud sense of humor in addition to a compelling mythology and solid scares.

The 10 Worst spinoffs ever. (I actually liked The Lone Gunmen, though).

There WILL be a Wonderfalls crossover with Pushing Daisies this year. Awesome.

Several online writers have seen some of Watchmen. Sounds mind-blowing.

10th anniversary DVD for SportsNight. An underrated gem.

The censored Chuck Lorre vanity card from Monday's Big Bang Theory. Censors are morons.

New "blood" (including Admiral Cain and Zack from Gilmores!) on True Blood, which is getting better every week. The dimwitted brother makes me laugh in spite of myself, and I actually liked Tara last week, so it must be doing something right.

Interesting directorial rumors. Will Thor take on a Shakespearean quality?

Deadspin ladies discuss the Idaho cheerleading outfit controversy. One of the gals offers this insight about the cheerleaders and coeds of the SEC, which has long been a mystery:

That said, I have spent many football-watching afternoons deconstructing the hotness of SEC cheerleaders. (Consensus seems to hold that 'Bama and Ole Miss have the prettiest girls on the sidelines. We can never figure out why Georgia doesn't, when Athens is full of the most gorgeous coeds you've ever seen).

Whiniest coaches in the NCAA. Lots of SEC coaches in there.

Thought-provoking stats comparing the Jorts Jesus and Stafford.

What does college football have to do with scarecrows? Check this out. UGA appears to be playing another team, who all wear the number 0. Funny.

Video of halftime interviews gone wrong. Anyone else think that last one with Joe Kines sounds like Boomhauer?

Bill Maher and chatty serpents. And why again, don't cults pay taxes?

Michael Muhney, who was the caustic Sheriff Lamb on Veronica Mars, seems like an awesome, and gracious, dude. Here he talks about not getting cast as Seely Booth's brother on Bones, nor as Paul Ballard on Dollhouse (with lots of nice things, of course, to say about Joss and the guy that got the role, Tahmoh Penikett. Speaking of which, if you're a Helo fan, check out this interview with Tahmoh conducted by the folks at Galactica Quorum at DragonCon. Another down to earth, appreciative and insightful dude).

If I was a cop, I'd give this guy a pass for driving erratically, simply for having good taste.

I'll take potpourri for $2,600, Alex

Remember "Wendy & Lisa" from Prince's band? They're now doing the music for Heroes. Here's an interview. (and they're BSG fans, as everyone should be).

Wil Wheaton links to a fantastic article about the glory days of Atari. Today's video games have too many damned buttons (okay, I'm old) and I fondly recall the joy of the Atari 2600. And yeah, I had just bout every game mentioned there.

An AV Club writer gets on the Watchmen bandwagon, for the first time. Money Quote: "Watchmen is such a monumental achievement that it makes Moby Dick look like a flaming pile of horseshit by comparison."

I think I need one of these for rainy days.

Tony Bennett, Joe Montana recoil in horror as the Empire invades San Francisco.

Warp drive may be a possibility. Now accepting applications for the United Federation of Planets.

Could there be a Veronica Mars movie? Hey, Serenity got made, so why not.

She's always been considered one of DC Comics "big three" (along with Supes and Batman). But "gender equity" issues aside, does Wonder Woman really work?

Jenna Fischer not "hot enough" to play Sydney Bristow? I love Jennifer Garner, but damn, Jenna's plenty sexy.

Another great interview with Mark Sheppard (Firefly, BSG -- and soon to be on both Dollhouse and The Middleman!) Love this guy.

More watching The Watchmen

Remember those cool character posters from The Watchmen movie? Someone has put together an awesome comparison of the posters to images from the original tome. Check them out here and be amazed. (Just mouse over for the changes).

"You got peanut butter in my chocolate..."

"...no, you got chocolate in my peanut butter."

Saw this tidbit about S3 of Heroes on EW this morning:

Question: What is up with Kristen Bell and Heroes? It’s been ages since we’ve heard anything. Steven
Ausiello: She's back on the set shooting her multi-episode arc as we speak! Woo-hoo! In other Heroes news, look for the action (or at least part of the action) to shift to a comic book shop in Athens, Georgia around Episode 11.

Don't you love it when three of your interests come together? Not quite the perfect syzygy of having a UGA transfer student looking for Cylons on the campus of UC Sunnydale, but I appreciate the forthcoming geeky shout out to the motherland.

Sadly, I think episode 11 may run too late in the real football season for a subplot where Sylar opens up Phil Fulmer's skull on October 11th, only to be disappointed when he doesn't find any brains to eat.

I'll take potpourri for $2,200, Alex

You can read all about my take on the Emmy nominations here. TWOP has posted a gallery of things they're pissed about here. (having a shot of Mary McDonnell at the top of the feature just about sums it up).

I just discovered Google Notebook. What an awesome tool. Works seamlessly with Firefox, Google Reader and all the other online toys.

Stop making me wait, motherfuckers.

NPH has a chat with the Washington Post, and talks about Dr. Horrible, HIMYM and more.

Am I too old for this? Because it's just awesome.

Everyone enjoying the return of Psych? I know I am, and Friday's John Hughes love fest was no exception. Check out this season preview.

How do various heroes compare on a "wish fulfillment checklist?" You have to look over Io9's chart, complete with adorable icons for characters including Malcolm Reynolds, James T. Kirk, Paul Atredies, Spider-Man, Starbuck, Sarah Connor, The Doctor and others.

Mythbusters' Adam and Jamie debate the best movie FX. Not sure what Jamie's fascination with Baron Munchhausen is, but I gotta go with Adam on this one.

Great opening sentences from sci-fi books.

Tim Burton movies can be hit and miss for me (the less said about Planet of the Apes the better), but if he's doing Alice in Wonderland, he certainly hit the bullseye on the casting. This gal was electric and astonishing on In Treatment.

SI's Stewart Mandel on Coach Richt. I bought Mandel's book on CF, and look forward to reading that on the plane trips down the motherland for upcoming season.

Urban Meyer is a narcissistic douchepickle. But that's not exactly news.

I think from now on, I'll become a loyal customer of Accor Hotels.

Who watches the Watchmen? We can. Tomorrow.

Remember this post from March, when the info about the Watchmen adaptation first started hitting the interwebs? Well, the full-fledged trailer is about to break. Rumors are that it will be shown in front of The Dark Knight (which I'm dying to see. But since I hate people....well, most people....and certainly many people all gathered in one place.....I won't see it in the theatre this weekend), and also popping up online very shortly.

Great UK film mag Empire will be featuring the trailer tomorrow. You can check it out here. (For some reason, it was actually live for a period of time earlier today, and I caught it. Watchmen fans won't be disappointed -- it looks spectacular).

Along those same lines, here's an interview with reclusive Watchmen creator Alan Moore.

And if you haven't yet read this masterpiece, buy it. You won't be sorry.

UPDATE: About 10 minutes after I posted this, I found the trailer over at Apple. Enjoy your geekgasm.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Apparently, EW is going to feature Watchmen on the cover of their next issue. AICN has the image.

ONE MORE: A comparison of images from the trailer to images from the graphic novel. Faithful, no?

Kevin Smith and "B-Star-G"

Last night, I was flipping channels and saw some of Superman Returns. That put me in the mood to hear Kevin Smith talk about his experiences with a prospective Superman film (Superman Reborn at the time) .......and a giant spider.

In looking for that, I stumbled across some videos of Kevin moderating a panel about Battlestar Galactica, with Tricia Helfer and James Callis. If you haven't seen them, enjoy:







And of course, if you want to hear the Superman story, you can check that out here:

I'll take potpourri for $1,700, Alex

Ever wanted to see a $400 Lego Death Star? Now you can.

Here's an actor who really digs a comic book character, so much that he filmed a makeup test all on his own. Cool.

I didn't realize Gnarls Barkley had covered the Violent Femmes.

Now you can see all of Scarface, using just the world "fuck."

Where can you find hot chicks that smoke, who also have an affinity for robots?

Geek trophies from yesteryear. Yep, I had some.

A toaster that produces toast with an image of a "toaster?" If I had room between all the coffeemakers on my counter, I'd order one.

Looking for something to pass the time until S2 of Mad Men starts? How about checking out lots of video interviews and highlights over at the AMC site.

A great compilation of the Top 30 "WTF?!" moments from Lost.

Funny. An amusing look at recent sporting developments at UGA, through the tear-stained eyes of a bug. Make sure to click the link to the actual message board post.

Are these really the Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies of All Time? I would put Empire Strikes Back over Star Wars, though the first one should get credit for being the original and starting the saga. And Back to the Future is a classic comedy and all, but at the expense of other Sci-Fi? If you're treading these waters, how about Eternal Sunshine? Can you have Alien, and not Aliens? No Wrath of Khan?

"Intelligent Design" (a misnomer if there ever was one) morons won't like these t-shirts. Which means I love them.

This sounds like an awesome movie game. Sigh. I need someone to play with.

An interesting theory on Lost's time travel. Complete with a handy chart.

David Sedaris has quit smoking, but doesn't "suggest that anyone quit smoking." Okay, I agree.

The founder of the Weather Channel has some interesting views on "global warming." Here's another take worth reading.

Birds peck out Barbie's eyes, and other entertainment musings

HBO's addictive nightly-airing psychology drama In Treatment has been renewed for a second season. That's fantastic. This is a great show, with outstanding performances. You wouldn't think that people sitting around a room talking for half an hour every night of the week would be that compelling, but it is. Both Gabriel Byrne, and the revelatory Mia Wasikowska, should be remembered at Emmy time (and everyone else was good, too, mind you). I didn't realize this, but apparently Paul's practice is in the DC 'burbs. I think I'll give him a call and see if he takes my insurance. Based on season 1, he'll "fix" me, fuck me or I'll kill myself. He's not my type, so the odds aren't bad.

I get a blog from the Eureka team in my RSS feed, but their posts are all fucked up. Headlines, body copy and pix all come across as separate posts. Weird. Nonetheless, the show is returning soon (w00t!) and they've cast one of my favorite "under the radar" actresses as Carter's sister, Ever Carrdine. (See the separate elements of the post here). I originally noticed her in one of FX's first attempts at original programming, Lucky. Hell, I'm a huge fan of the whole Carrdine clan. John was one of the first Draculas I recall. David was Kwai Chang Caine, and of course, Bill. His brother Keith was most recently on Dexter's superb second season as an FBI agent romancing Deb and looking for the Bay Harbor Butcher. Another brother, Robert, was in Revenge of the Nerds, and is Ever's father. (Interesting trivia I just found on Ever's imdb page: her babysitter as a child was Anne Lockhart, who geeks will remember as the sexy Viper pilot "Sheba" on the original Battlestar Galactica. And Anne's mom June was the Robinson matriarch on Lost in Space).
If you've never watched Lucky, you should check it out, if you can find it online or on DVD. It was a 30 minute dramedy about a gambler in Vegas, and featured John Corbett, Billy Gardell and Craig Washington. Good stuff.

An early look at JJ Abrams new FOX show, Fringe. Yep, I'll be setting the season pass for this one.

The international trailer for the must-see Coen Brothers movie, Burn After Reading.

Birds peck a Barbie that looks like Tippi Hedren. Buy it for the girls!

Smidge has good taste in male roles to play. Dexter Morgan? JR Ewing? Thomas Magnum? Eric Cartman? Alex P. Keaton and Hank Moody? Awesome.

With Burn Notice returning next month, here's an interview with Bruce Campbell. And a bit more about Burn Notice can be found here.

Tyler Durden, and uh, the narrator, sing about Penis, the goddess of love.

The Spider-Man cartoon theme song. Yeah, if you read this blog, you probably know it by heart. But did you know The Ramones covered it, too?

In Plain Sight is growing on me. I enjoyed the pilot, but the second one, about a kid, left me flat (that almost always happens when urchins are on my TV). Last week's, featuring Missy Pyle as a con artist bride who scams her husbands out of their money (wait - is there another kind?) was funny, well acted and well constructed. Mary's partner, Marshall, is a master of the deadpan. Where has this guy been? He's great. The only thing that continues to annoy is Leslie Ann Warren as Mary's mom. Does she play anything other than "Leslie Ann Warren?" She's always the same ditzy, trashy, sexpot character (most recently on Desperate Housewives). Hey, good work if you can get it, but the exact same bug-eyed, breathy and over the top performance time after time grates.

A list of the 10 best sci-fi television shows. I read this because in a previous post, the author named the 10 best sitcoms of all time, and put Arrested Development at #1, so that earns some DAP in my book. I could quibble about the ranking and order (and is Buffy really "sci-fi?" And if so, where's Angel on this list?), but I totally <3 the top choice, and it also includes several of my favorites. Check it out. Whatcha think?

Sunday Morning Musings

Do you agree with research that this is the world's funniest joke?

Two hunters are out hunting. One of them falls over and seems not to be breathing. His friend calls 911 and cries, “What do I do?” “Well, first, let’s make sure he’s dead,” says the operator. There is silence, and then a shot rings out. The hunter returns to the phone and says, “Okay, now what?”

Is McCain in good shape? Or bad shape? Politically, that is. Physically, after seven decades and torture, I think he's probably in better shape than I am after four.

A webchat with Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson about the two upcoming Hobbit movies. I'm not as much a fan of that book as I am the trilogy, because it's more of a children's story, but it's nice to hear people excited and passionate about the material.

This sounds like a great book that I should add to my Amazon wish list.

All three trailers for the classic Indiana Jones movies. And I have mixed feelings watching the one for Last Crusade. I went to see that movie in the theatre with a friend's girlfriend (at his suggestion) and what started out like a platonic lark, soon turned into something far more complicated and painful for everyone involved. Still, I don't blame Dr. Jones.

While I'm doing my morning java, smokes, blogging and surfing, I frequently listen to iTunes or XM radio online. On the 80s channel, I just heard Paula Abdul's "Opposites Attract." I wondered just who the hell "MC Scat Cat" was in real life, so I turned to wikipedia. Guess what? It was a duo called "The Wild Pair." Another interesting bit of trivia: this video was directed by one of my favorite film auteurs, David Fincher. Who knew that? At that link, there's a long list of other music videos he directed. I guess Paula's work with a repetitive cartoon was early career training for her future sitting next to Randy Jackson.

I was flipping channels last night and came across the movie bastardization of Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. In an otherwise dreary film, I did like two changes the flick made: Tom Sawyer as an American secret service agent, and Peta Wilson's Mina Harker as an actual vampire. And why doesn't Peta Wilson get more roles? I just love her.

A funny collection of Charley Steiner cracking up on classic SportsCenters.

Anyone ever played TypeRacer? I goofed around with that some this morning, and the best I could get was in the 80-90 range. I thought I was much faster than that. I guess it just seems faster when you're typing something original. I can think and create quickly with the best of 'em, but accurately "copying" what you see on the screen in front of you is more challenging than you would think. And for some reason, I never got the hang of typing the numbers on the top row of the keyboard. If I'm working with more than one or two (or 1 or 2), I always use the number pad on the right side.

Speaking of games, here's an awesome 80s lyrics quiz. I'm flabbergasted that I only got 70. Some I could hear in my head, but it sounded more like early Michael Stipe ("sljfuyyl mlknsiqkd mumble") than actual words. Also, while capitalization doesn't matter, spelling apparently does. (How the fuck do you spell "Jessie" in that song?). Enjoy!

Randomness from the week or so that was

Happy holiday weekend, peeps. It's early on the Memorial Day Weekend, and I've already cleaned the homestead, walked a couple of miles and finally caught up on on all the electronic and snail mail from my few days Out Of Town. Expect some frequent bloggy goodness over the holiday. As I quaff the first of many light beers, here are some random nuggets to chew on:

Controversial comic book costume changes. I liked the "Venom" black Spidey uniform (except for how it was presented, story-wise, in the disappointing 3rd movie) and Iron Man's is understandable, with so many "Mark" versions. (For a great graphic look at the various Iron Man unis, click here). And I just saw Iron Man, and it rocked my world. GREAT comic book movie. The final throw down was a bit pedestrian, but fantastic performances from all involved (RD Jr., The Dude, Gwyneth, Terrance Howard) made this a solid A. But Sue Storm's alternate costume is kinda trampy, no?

Good news for fans of Logan, Goran and their partners: USA has ordered more Law & Order: CI.

No wonder the country is going to hell on a sled. 12.5% of those teaching our (your) youth are morons.

Speaking of which, more evidence (like you needed more?) that Einstein was a smart dude.

It's baseball season. Time to enjoy some classic Ricky Henderson quotes!

A bizarre list of "How To" books. I think I would start with #9, and #10 would be helpful with #5 (though #2 would have probably preceded that one), but you would then be acquainted with #7, and eventually wish for #4.

Ever heard of "Batting Stance Guy?" If not, check out this interview. And you fellow Braves fans will get a big kick out his take on the hometeam.

You gotta have priorities, ya know.

Bobby Cox is an icon and steady hand on the wheel of the Braves, but good god, I love Jim Leyland.

What kind of bet do you have to lose to have this happen? And Flipper looks stoked, man.

Lord knows I lived through the title of this post. But DListed's adorable nickname for the featured Mensa member always makes me giggle, for a few reasons. Speaking of which, I'm surprised I didn't pay to have these moved. But some other poor (or soon to be) dumb bastard did.

How 'bout we cleanse the pallet with a nice story about everyone's favorite lesbian witch and shopping-addicted wife?

And since it's the last day of the workweek, here's a Trek look at the 7 types of bad bosses and how to survive them.

Enjoy your holiday, and have a beer or 15 with a loved one!

Who will watch the watchmen? Well, we can now.

If you don't know what Watchmen is, you owe it to yourself to get educated. You might turn your nose up at the fact that Watchmen is a "comic." A graphic novel. By the legendary Alan Moore, with art by Dave Gibbons. But just like if you say "movie," that term can represent Citizen Kane, or something by Tyler Perry. Watchmen is not just a graphic novel, but truly, one of the most important, entertaining and intellectually stimulating pieces of art crafted in the last 50 years. Don't believe me? How about Time Magazine naming Watchmen on of the "the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present." Not 100 best comics. Not 100 best graphic novels. One of the 100 best novels.

You can read some more about it here at wikipedia (but don't read about the plot if you intend to read the graphic novel. Which, of course, you should).

Director Zack Snyder is doing a film adaptation of Watchmen that will be out about this time next year, and he's doing it in the same fashion as he did last year's 300. (Which I finally saw this weekend. Visually, it was stunning. But it was rather limited on plot, as was the source material. Still, I feel comfortable with Snyder handling Watchmen, though I would have much preferred to see it adapted into a mini-series on HBO or Showtime, where the complex plot and full flavor of the story and characters could have been explored over 10 - 12 hours, vs 2 or 3).

Today, we get our first look at some of the primary characters from Watchmen, all decked out in their superhero togs. Check it out at the official blog of the move, One Year to Midnight.

Holy Shit. This looks fan-fucking-tastic.