So we are all aware that Transformers 3 has started production, director Michael Bay is at the helm again, and Shia LeBeof and co-star Megan Fox will play the lead roles. According to the latest rumors, a major character from the series will be killed off. It has been reported that Bay wants Mikaela Banes, Fox’s character, “out of the series in a gory death scene in the first few frames of Transformers 3 and (replaced) with another gorgeous young actress.” The source of this rumor also claims that “Michael’s pretty much discovered Megan and now he’s very quietly looking for her replacement. … He hasn’t decided if he’s going to kill her off in the next movie, but he just wants to be prepared.”
I know it’s only a rumor but I’ll say it anyway: Mr. Michael Bay, please do not kill off the sole character that sells your movie. Megan Fox’s appearence was the reason I went to theatres to watch the sequel. It would be a disservice to all parties involved if you were to make such a grave mistake. Thank you.
And it’s been a long time coming! The highly anticiapted sequel to the 1996 summer smash hit Independence Day, starring Will Smith, is currently being figured out.
Director Roland Emmerich: “Dean Devlin [writer] and I are still set to make a sequel because we’ve found some sort of idea and we approached [studio 20th Century] Fox and Fox has not quite figured out how to incorporate Dean’s and my deal, and Will’s [Smith] deal. Will wants to do it in some sort of a package they can live with. So it’s just been in negotiations now since forever, and naturally Fox says “Why don’t you do it without Will Smith?” I said Will is essential for us, for this movie and actually for the audience too. And, so, it’s in limbo and lately the studios are fighting. Like gross players, and Will is a gross player and is probably the only gross player right now who’s worth his gross. So we’ll see what happens. I would love to do it.”
Though Emmerich could not speak about the plot he did say that “There’s a very really great story, a very cool one.” Can’t wait.
We already knew that the special edition of DJ Hero will include a custom turntable, a DJ stand, a carrying case, and tracks from Jay-Z and Eminem. This week the included tracks were fnally revealed to the public. Each rapper will be bringing 12 songs to the mix and will be loaded on two separate CDs. Some of Jay-Z’s songs include “Dirt Off Your Shoulder,” “Show Me What You Got,” “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is…),” “Brooklyn Go Hard (Featuring Santigold),” and “D.O.A. (Death of Auto Tune).” Some of Eminem’s (hand-picked) songs include “Public Enemy No. 1,” “Say What You Say (featuring Dr. Dre),” “Lose Yourself,” “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” and “Soldier.” Keep in mind, though, that these songs are not playable in-game; they are audio CDs soley for listening to. Bummer, I know!
DJ Hero ($119.99) releases alongside its special edition counterpart ($199.99) on October 27.
From the looks of this strategically placed billboard advertisement all signs point to a resounding “yes.” This photo was taken on the set of the upcoming film “Battle: Los Angeles” in Louisiana. Publisher Insomniac Games had no comment on the matter. Nevertheless, hold on to your hats, gamers; it looks like you’ll be fighting the next alien invasion on Earth in the great city of New York (see the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building) in the next installment of Resistance soon.
Marge Simpson is about to make history by becoming the first cartoon to cover Playboy Magazine. She “will be featured in a three-page pictorial complete with an interview and a data sheet to mark TheSimpsons‘ 20th anniversary.” To finally find out if the blue doo matches the carpet, be sure to pick up the next issue of Playboy this November.
Paranormal Activity is a movie made by Oren Peli, “an Israeli-born videogame designer with no formal film training.” He shot the entire movie in one week for $11,000.
The thriller that made its rounds at film festivals has gained a very positive buzz on the Internet, especially on social networks like Twitter and Facebook. With obvious comparisons to the 1999 horror flick The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity is also shot documentary style and is based on real-time happenings. The premise is as follows: “The film follows a young couple (Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat) who, convinced they’re being haunted by spirits, set up a video camera to monitor their bedroom over the course of 20 nights.”
There are many reasons why there is so much buzz and positive critical feedback for the movie. First, it has been reported that movie-goers have literally up and left their seats during initial screenings of the movie–it’s thatterrifying. Paramount president of production Adam Goldman witnessed 35 people walk out of an early test screening. Exit interviews were performed and they revealed that people left because they simply were not enjoying the movie; it was tooscary. Second, according to EW, “once the film was brought to the attention of DreamWorks, Steven Spielberg took a copy of the DVD to his Pacific Palisades estate, watched it there, and then found his bathroom door inexplicably locked from the inside. He thought the movie was haunted!” Whether this legend is true or not, it surely sets up a great viral marketing campaign, doesn’t it?
With all of this insane amount of buzz, Paramount has decided to create even more of it with a brilliant marketing campaign: “putting the power of movie distribution in your hands.” It is up to us to go online and “demand” that Paranormal Activityopen in theatres nationwide. Up to this point the movie has had a limited release. The studio promises that once there have been one million demands the movie will officially hit all theatres, making it widely available to be seen by all. As of this writing, the movie website’s counter has reached 914,434 “demands.” So no need to worry, it’s coming. Still, do your part and contribute by demanding the movie now right here and discuss the hype with others on Twitter (“Paranormal Activity” has been a trending topic for days now).
And I will leave you with this. Moviefone’s Kevin Poloway warns: “‘Paranormal Activity’ beats out ‘Blair Witch’ in one vital field: It’s scarier. While ‘Blair Witch’ may have scared people away from the woods for a few years (like ‘Jaws’ did the water two decades earlier), who’s going to stay away from their own bedroom?” Freak out and watch the trailer below and get ready for what people are calling “the scariest movie of the decade.”
Burger King restaurants will be undergoing a significant renovation, transforming their bland, generic fast-food look into a more modern and futuristic model. According to BK Chairman and CEO John Chidsey: “I’d call it more contemporary, edgy, futuristic. It feels so much more like an upscale restaurant.” The revovation, dubbed “20/20,” will affect 12,000 BK restaurants worldwide and will cost between $300,000 to $600,000 per restaurant. The renovations include “rotating red flame chandeliers, TV-screen menus, and industrial-inspired corrugated metal and brick walls.” The redesign has already begun and has affected about 60 percent of BK locations globally. BK has stated that 75 additional restaurants will be transformed by this year’s end, but it will take years for all BK locations to be retrofitted.
Will such a drastic change in look help the BK Lounge in sales and gain an edge against its competition (re: McDonalds)? It is too early too tell. I’m just looking forward to playing around with the touch-screen menus.
Mickey Mouse is set to take gamers on a whole new adventure with ‘Epic Mickey,’ a Nintendo Wii exclusive. Little to no information has been released regarding the game. Warren Spector’s Point Junction Studios is heading the project, and the upcoming cover of Game Informerreveals a very artistic, dark, and mature shade of the Mouse. Look forward to additional information being spilt about Epic Mickey in the November issue of said magazine. The last greatest Mickey Mouse video game I played was “Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse” on Sega Genesis (1994). This was a classic side-scroller that featured different versions of Mickey as you progressed through the game (from Steamboat Willy (1928) (my favorite) to The Prince and the Pauper (1990)). I have high hopes for the new Mickey tale; the motion controls of the Wii and today’s enhanced graphics should do him some justice. He’s due for another artistic and well developed game, wouldn’t you say?
JUST THROW IT ON THE GROUND. Directed by Jorma Taccone. The latest SNL Digital Short rocks.
In somewhat related news, it has been reported that Andy Samberg was contacted to host WWE’s RAW. The wrestling show will take place on October 26 in Buffalo. Although this has not been made official, Samberg has stated that a future SNL Digital Short will include “WWE superstars.” Looking forward to it.
We all know Kid Cudi’s freshman album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, is doing very well. It sold 104,419 in-store copies in its first week! Being added to the regular and extended editions of the CD and digital download versions is a limited vinyl edition. The vinyl even includes the digital copy of the album. For all you DJs and collectors out there be sure to pick up MOTM: TEOD in vinyl. It’s available at Amazon right now for $12.99.
Last Thursday director Michael Bay made it official that he would helm the next Transformers flick. In a short blurb he posted on his website, Bay confirms a July 1, 2011 release date, that a “great Transformers story” is in the works, and he pokes fun at Megan Fox’s remarks she made in an interview with UK’s Wonder Magazine.
When asked about working with Bay on Transformers Fox said: “He’s like Napoleon and he wants to create this insane, infamous mad-man reputation. He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is. So he’s a nightmare to work for but when you get him away from set, and he’s not in director mode, I kind of really enjoy his personality because he’s so awkward, so hopelessly awkward. He has no social skills at all. And it’s endearing to watch him. He’s vulnerable and fragile in real life and then on set he’s a tyrant. Shia [Labeouf] and I almost die when we make a Transformers movie. He has you do some really insane things that insurance would never let you do.”
And here is Michael Bay’s official statement:
Transformers 3: July 1st, 2011
10/01/2009 09:41 AM
Well its official: We have a great Transformers 3 story. The release date is now July 1st 2011. Not 2012.
Today is Day One. This morning started with an ILM meeting for five hours in San Francisco. Currently I’m flying with writer Ehren Kruger to Rhode Island to talk to Hasbro about new characters.
P.S. Megan Fox, welcome back. I promise no alien robots will harm you in any way during the production of this motion picture. Please consult your Physician when working under my direction because some side effects can occur, such as mild dizziness, intense nausea, suicidal tendencies, depression, minor chest hair growth, random internal hemorrhaging and inability to sleep. As some directors may be hazardous to your health, please consult your Doctor to determine if this is right for you.
EW reports that writer/director Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds) is looking forward to making Kill Bill: Volume 3. On an Italian talk show Tarantino said “he will make another installment of his successful Kill Bill series, but that he wants there to be a 10-year break between the second and third film.” This pegs the third installment for a 2014 release and, as EW notes, “star Uma Thurman at 44, just the right age to kick more ass.”
