No Donald Blake In Thor

When Variety did their report on Kat Dennings joining the cast of Thor, they said:

“Thor, scripted by Mark Protosevich, Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller, centers on a partly disabled med student who discovers his Norse god alter ego, the hammer-swinging Thor. Paramount will release the film on May 20, 2011.”

That’s interesting. This is the first any of us have heard Donald Blake, the disabled med student in question, would play a role in the film. Had Kenneth Branagh and his team kept that detail under-wraps? Did the trades just make an honest mistake? Hey, it happens.

Riding in to set everything straight, Ain’t It Cool News got word from one of their long-time contacts. So will we see Chris Hemsworth playing the God of Thunder’s once-human alter ego? That would be a “No” says their source. He winds up crashing to Earth after the evil deeds via that bastard of a step-brother Loki.

But while they had him on the phone or email (or however the Hell they got in touch), additional plot details (read: spoilers) were revealed for both Thor and The Avengers movie - assuming that hits in 2012 as planned. I won’t go any further into them here.

But it’s safe to say that Marvel Films is really sorting their shit out to make one big cinematic universe. Nice.

TMT's Turkey Day Top Three

I must admit, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It combines all the things I love and places them on one neat little day. There is lots of food, not just any food, but the food I love. Artery clogging, belly busting, man food. Pounds of greasy turkey, mounds of mashed potatoes, thick globs of gravy. It's a feast. Combine that smorgasbord with three NFL football games. Bone crunching hits, crowd pleasing cheerleaders, last second field goals. America's game. Your surrounded by family and friends. You laugh a little. Talk about old times and ponder what the future my hold. It really seems like they created this holiday for men. All of that aside, Thanksgiving does have a small selection of must see Thanksgiving day films to help you stay awake after engulfing a heaping plate of stuffing. Sure the library isn't as extensive as say Christmas, but here are my top three. Enjoy.

3. Hannah And Her Sisters

2. Home For The Holidays

1. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Ryan Reynolds Goes 'Green Lantern'

We haven't heard from one Ryan Reynolds in a minute, never mind any real concrete news on "Green Lantern" from anybody. Fans have been shifting in their computer chairs wondering it this film will go the way of the ill-fated "Justice League: Mortal". Yes. That was the real working title. I believe the last we heard Lantern was shooting in March, we are almost approaching December and no other casting announcements have been made. I can understand why some might find that troubling. The prolific people over at Music Television sat down with Reynolds and discussed "Green Lantern" and "Deadpool" among other topics.

"I've known about "Green Lantern" my whole life, but I've never really followed it before. I fell in love with the character when I met with [director] Martin Campbell."

"I sat down with him, and I could not even believe what he was saying. When I went to the meeting, I was entirely cynical. I thought, "What the hell, I'll see what they have to say," and I left the room with a completely different perspective."

"I think, seeing the prototypes for the Green Lantern costumes was a huge moment. It was a moment when I was like, "This is happening, and it's happening in the right way." That's a pretty cool, definitive moment for me."

Reynolds is still pimping the film and seems to be indicating that the powers that be are going about it the right way. I am still in the camp that this film is happening, but the longer the radio silence the bigger chance this film has of being pushed back. We all know that pushed back = canned. WB really needs this film, not because of the potential box office (WB is the biggest studio in the world), but to prove they can present a character other than Batman or Superman. On a side note, if Reynolds is playing "Green Lantern" he is not playing "Deadpool", and vice versa. There is no way Fox - Marvel or WB/DC would let that happen. Please stop.

Smallville: Somebody Save Me

When a show has been on for nine seasons it is hard to argue it's place in television history. You could say a show on for nine years has staying power and you wouldn't be wrong. The quality of a show through its run will always come from a place we like to call opinion. However, numbers never lie. That is why webmasters, reporters, and other such keyboard tapping jet setters, look to the ratings when judging the success or failure of a show. Studios will always spin the numbers when given the chance. A studio rep might say, "The show is successful in the 65 - 81 year old females who love "Cocoon" and Quaker Oats demographic even if the show is losing to reruns of "Knot's Landing" and finishing last in the ratings. That is their job and you can't really fault them for attempting to do it. Even fans of a show play a small role in the spin cycle once a show is nearing the end of the line. They'll swarm into blogs and forums across the world wide web and pull excuses out of their almost empty pockets as if they were gigantic balls of lint. You can't fault them either, they just want their favorite shows to stick around for even one more half season even if the ratings have dipped and the storylines have faded into some kind of "All In The Family" spin-off limbo.

If it wasn't evident by my attempt at wittiness in my title, the show I'm going to throw into the fire is "Smallville". The elders statesman of the CW, "Smallville" remembers when the network was originally WB, yes it's been on that long. The show has had its ups and down, from the tired and played out love connection involving Clark Kent and Lana Lang to black pleather coat and hanes t-shirt wearing Bizzaro Clark-Man, most fans have managed to stay on board. Smallville's better days are behind it and when CW moved the show to Friday  for Season 9, the writing was on the wall and unless you are completely blind or in denial you could read it just as well as me. Fridays are where shows go to die. Shows do not get moved to Friday to steal ratings and become the next big thing. It's like when you're seventy-five years old and move into a retirement community, you're not going to suddenly become president or run a half marathon. You'll play some shuffleboard and enjoy an early bird special, but your prime isn't walking through that door. Before you start pointing to shows like "Ghost Whisperer", this show debuted on Friday and has held steady in that time slot. Apples and oranges.

The CW is obviously going in a different direction and trying to present a more female friendly line of programming and "Smallville" is becoming the odd man out so to speak. "Gossip Girl", "90210", "One Tree Hill" and "Vampire Diaries" are targeting the demographic that CW hopes to suck into their world of the rich, bloodthirsty, and sexy. Look at "Melrose Place", that show has been an epic fail since the beginning and is still hanging around because CW wants it to. The worst thing that could have happened to "Smallville" was the cancellation of  "Dollhouse", that was the only show that "Smallville" was beating overall viewership wise on Friday in the first run show category. On top of that, "Smallville" is routinely losing to reruns of "House" on Fridays. Not good. If "Melrose Place" gets chopped, "Smallville" will have the distinction of being the show with the least viewership on the CW network. That is like being the fattest contestant on the "Biggest Loser" and going home first. As I said, executives will point to demographics and continue to call the show a success, some might even resort to DVR numbers which is like pointing to a film doing well in DVD sales despite not even coming close to making up its budget during its theatrical run. I even saw fans on some forums blaming "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" for Smallville's 2.4 million viewership this past weekend. Desperation is starting to set in.

It is pretty obvious that some shows are not returning to CW next season considering the pilots that are being lined up by CW for next season. The most likely candidates are "Smallville" and "Melrose Place", there is already an empty slot due to the quick cancellation of "The Beautiful Life". WB is looking at "Spy School for Girls", "Nashville", "Plymouth Rock", 'Confessions of a Back Up Dancer", "The March Sisters", "Bitches in Britches", "HMS", and "Global Frequency" among other shows. "Gossip Girl" which the network has pushed and pushed along with the media, has not even come close to the hype and is getting beaten by "One Tree Hill" on most weeks. Obviously there are some slots to be filled but not all of these pilots will make it. I wonder if CW is kicking themselves for not picking up "Privileged" or that Brittany Snow Gossip Girl spinoff, instead of wasting their time with "The Beautiful Life". CW isn't in position to make any more major mistakes in regards to their programming. Keeping a show around too long is just as bad as dropping a show to early. "Smallville" has expired and the network realizes it is time to move on. Fans are hoping the "Smallville" two hour special titled "Justice Society", which is being called a "movie" by some will somehow save the show. My opinon, look for "Global Frequency" to essentially take over for "Smallville" next season:

Miranda Zero, the mysterious leader/benefactor/recruiter of Global Frequency is a woman with a mission. She saves people. She and 1,000 others make up the most diverse team of specialists the planet has ever seen. Their job? To save the world, usually before anyone else notices there's a problem.

Sounds like a possible replacement. What do you think?

First Full Look at New Freddy Krueger - Kinda

If by “First Look” you mean our first full-on money shot of Jackie Earle Haley in makeup and costume (i.e. not having his face covered by the dark), you’re wrong.

We’re referring to the action figure of the new Freddy Krueger from Shock Till You Drop (via Figures Forum). It looks quite unsettling. Granted, that’s the point. I could easily visualize this looking scarier in the finished product.

I still find it troubling for the Nightmare on Elm Street reboot that its opening the week before Iron Man 2, a film that has a high stakes chance at matching and/or toppling the $142 million New Moon earned this past weekend. Not to mention, the nature of horror films like these being as front-loaded as they are. Like the 80% plunge the Friday the 13th reboot took after its $44 million debut.

Shrek Forever After Is The Final Film In Franchise?

The first look at next summer’s Shrek Ever After has appeared in the latest edition of USA Today. Said picture shows off the Mike Myers-voiced Ogre with Rumpelstiltski. Basically imagine those characters in It’s A Wonderful Life and you’re good to go in terms of the plot.

But the publication sheds new details on the fourth entry. For those who so desire, you can have your eyeballs fucked watching it in 3-D. The teaser trailer will be attached to Avatar next month. Beatle Paul McCartney does not voice Rumpelstiltski as previously reported. That job goes to Walt Dohrn who worked on the story.

Oh yeah, and something else was mentioned. A little detail revealing Shrek Ever After will be the final (!) film in the series. Sure. It’s not like they would just say that it’s the last one just to get people’s attention. I mean it’s not like the last one Shrek the Third wasn’t well-received and all. Plus, they did previously state that a fifth movie would hit for 2013 and then it would be finished. Remember that, folks? Because I do.

Even if DreamWorks is good to their word that this is it, they will still have the Puss In Boots movie and other Shrek related spin-offs in development.

Judd Apatow and Universal Purchase New Comedy Pitches

After 2007 and 2008 being the overload, it was a wise decision of Judd Apatow to have merely two films on the market this past year. A backlash against Apatow and his brand-name of comedy was all but inevitable. In fact, both 2009 efforts wound up being financial duds – Year One (which he produced) and his third directorial project Funny People. Has the worst of it already been felt? It’s still too early to tell, but the writer/producer/director is getting back out there.

Variety reports Apatow and Universal Pictures have bought up three pitches made by filmmaker Jason Woliner and actor/comedian Aziz Ansari (currently on Parks & Recreation). Woliner is set to direct all three films and Ansari to star. First we have Let’s Do This, a road movie about motivational speakers. Then two currently untitled comedies – one about a disgraced cosmonaut forced back into space to clear his tarnished name and the other is a spin-off movie set around Ansari’s bit-part from Funny People.

I guess they’re banking on the Forgetting Sarah Marshall spin-off Get Me to the Gig (which, you guessed it, also features Ansari) doing well next summer. Maybe we’ll finally get that McLovin movie the world has been pining for after all.

You have to tip your hat to Apatow. He’s been helping his friends get their foot in the door ever since his own break-through success with The 40 Year-Old Virgin. I say all power to him.

'Flash Forward' Shuts Down...For 6 Days?

Ausiello over at one of my favorite web stomping grounds, The Ausiello Files, is dishing on an exclusive that production on "Flash Forward" has been shut down. According to his sources the show will be shut down until Monday after a break of only 6 days. With all due respect to Ausiello is this really breaking news at all? It sounds like production is shutting down so the cast and crew can go gnaw on some turkey legs and inhale some mashed potatoes with their family and friends. Granted, as Ausiello points out, show runner Marc Guggenheim departed from the show about a month ago and this past week was the shows lowest rated show of the season. Still, how many other shows are taking this week off so they can give thanks?

I'm not blind though, obviously "Flash Forward" is in trouble. The ratings keep dipping after what was considered a stellar debut. I'm still a big fan of the show but it is what it is. Each week less people have tuned in and here we are. I'm hoping that the network sees this through to a point where the show can reach a healthy conclusion, whether that be this season or three seasons from now. Last weeks episode, although filled with emotion which I enjoyed, strayed away from what or whom caused the blackout and the shifted some of the momentum. From the looks of this weeks teaser, fans are going to be treated to a more action packed hour. I'm not sure how the writers are going to "fix" the show going forward, but I'm a big fan of sticking to the formula that made you successful in the first place.

Hugh Jackman Headlining Real Steel

Fighting robots have proven to be winners for DreamWorks in the past. Both Transformers took a bite out of the box-office with a third one on the way for 2011. The newly Paramount-less studio has greenlit its first production Real Steel and they’ve now got their lead actor lined up.

Hugh Jackman will headline the sci-fi actioner being directed by Shawn Levy. It’s basically the classic Rise from the Gutter/Comeback Boxing story except the “boxers” in question are giant robots with Jackman being the human promoter who finds a discarded robot with spunk. What’s a sports movie without a little kid rooting our heroes on? Plot twist coming, Jackman’s promoter finds out he has a son and they bond over the course of the film.

I realize this is based on an old Richard Matheson story. But am I only person who thinks this sounds stupid as Hell? The Beard himself is said to be keeping an eye on the production so we can expect the usual Spielberg-isms throughout the film.

Filming is expected to commence this coming June. I guess this means that Wolverine sequel isn’t as far along as we first thought. Guess this means we won’t see Logan return till 2012 at the earliest. Like anyone cares about the X-Men film franchise at this point.

Kat Dennings Joins Thor

Because she has something quite a few actresses in Hollywood lack beyond their good looks (read: talent), we’re rooting for Kat Dennings for that star-making “break-out” role. I’ve yet to see her give a crappy performance even if the film in question is garbage. Granted this new gig will most likely not fulfill that promise just yet, but it’s another notch on her belt.

The Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist star has joined the cast of Thor according to Natalie Portman who revealed the casting bit to MTV. Just who the Hell she’ll play remains a mystery. Considering how they look alike, I assumed Dennings will play the little sister to Portman’s character Jane Foster. Seriously I have no idea.

Meanwhile, our pals at Hey U Guys! may have solved that little mystery. The guys did their homework and noticed a casting call via SpoilerTV from early last month with the following description:

“[MARCY LEWIS] (20) Is a college student. Aloof, jaded beyond her years, she thought her internship with scientist Kate Spelling would be an easy 6 college credits. However, she’s been stuck for months in this small New Mexico town and relegated to a wide range of unglamorous activities. Kate has been particularly hard on Marcy, making it her personal project to see that Marcy lives up to her potential. Marcy deals with her situation both by using subtle irony and by being an overt wiseass.”

If that’s not her part, it definitely fits the type of character Dennings has played in the past.