Lord of the Rings...you shall not PASS!

If you're a fan of Lord of the Rings, you jumped for joy when you heard that Guillermo Del Toro was to continue the franchise with The Hobbit. The Hobbit takes place before the Lord of the Rings trilogy, telling the tale of Bilbo Baggins. Unfortunately you'll find this news very disappointing. It turns out that it could possibly not see the light of day due to legal issue set forth by the Tolkien family. According to slashfilm.com:

The bottom line is that the Tolkien family claims that they’re owed $220m from New Line to cover back profit payments from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The family heirs are suing New Line claiming breach of contract, and as part of the suit are asking to recover all further film rights to Tolkein’s work. If that somehow went through, The Hobbit film (as currently set up at new Line and MGM) would be toast.

In 1969, JRR Tolkien sold the film rights for 250,000 pounds and 7.5% of future profits. But the family says they haven’t been paid anything out of the trilogy’s $6b worldwide sales. The Guardian reports that New Line lawyers say the original contract terms are ambiguous; Tolkien family lawyer Bonnie Eskenazi says “Should the case go all the way to trial, we are confident that New Line will lose its rights to The Hobbit.”

Read the full article here.

I need to get this no matter what it takes!

Please excuse the drool that just exited the side of my mouth! I used to own a motorcycle (though my riding days were short lived), but I will now buy one just so I can wear this Dark Knight suit! Honestly, this would make for a great replica display. What's great about this, is that it's actually reinforced to take some damage. I think this is the closest thing I've seen to a real Batman suit.

Chopsabers!

Yes, you heard that right. Not Lightsabgers... Chopsabers! From the company that designs some of the best vinyl statues in the market, Kotobukiya will be producing these Star Wars inspired eating utensils. Real working chop sticks to handle your culinary needs.

According to Action Figure Insider, at San Diego Comic Con 09, "fans will get a chance to test their chopstick skills by competing against members of the 501st Legion to see who really is the chop saber Jedi." Winners will receive prizes courtesy of Kotobukiya.

I will begin practicing today at my local sushi restaurant.

Sneaker-heads!

Check out these awesome custom sneakers made by Brass Monki. I'm a relative lightweight when it comes to the sneaker-head community. However, if I start a sneaker collection, I'd start right here!

Movie Review: Harry Potter- The Half Blood Prince

I told myself I'd stay away from opening week simply because my last few theater experiences with Harry Potter films have been terribly annoying. With uber fans anxiously waiting in line dressed in their latest Hogwarts fashion and being the average age of twelve, it's hard filtering out all the spoiler jib jab that flies around. I should have known better than to wait in line with under-aged uber fans, but who am I to talk. Shame on me as I've done this with the last five Potter films.

Well, my curiosity got the best of me as I saw Harry Potter - The Half Blood Prince last night. By the way, the moment I got in line, a twelve year old girl screamed out loud that Dumbledore dies! Go figure! Luckily the rest of the film continued with very little interruption (other than some over giggly girls in the far back). Right off the bat, I was impressed with this film. I didn't occur to me that it's been nearly two years since the last Potter film was released. You'll notice it quickly as Emily Watts has grown-up to be quite the eye-candy. Once again, The Half Blood Prince continues the tale of good and evil, with Harry's continuing trials and tribulations to take down Lord Voldemort. The start of the movie continues directly after The Order of the Phoenix.

The Half Blood Prince tackles two big themes. Love and darkness. The puppy love relationships among Harry, Hermoine and Ron are profoundly addressed with twists, turns and jealousy. This was the lighter side of the film that made way for some good comic relief, also showing the bond that the three main characters have. On the other side, was the dark psychology of a young Voldemort, aka Tom Riddle. Although all his scenes were played in memory, they did a great job making his dark past prevalent to the stories' current time. It helped add some dark overtones to an already dark story. No need for a spoiler alert, as everyone living under a rock knows that Dumbledore dies at the end of the film. Even though it was expected, it was still surprising to see how it was handled. It was both love and betrayal that did him in at the end.

One thing I'm always impressed about in Harry Potter films is the way they are able to give Hogwarts a sense of emotion. In other words, at the flip of a switch they can either make Hogwarts a safe haven for friendship, or suddenly turn it into a dangerous shroud of mystery. Overall, I really liked this film. It's a darker film that tackles more mature themes that grows with the audience that follows it.

Entertainment Weekly - First pics of Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow

Wow! Absolutely hot! When Scarlett Johansson, fanboys around the globe felt she was the right choice. Not only will she play the part, she'll be able to act the part. She sure does look the part in her tightly clad leather suit! Hot! Iron Man 2 will be hitting theaters May 7, 2010. I can't wait for this movie!

Oh yeah, Mickey Rourke plays the villain Whiplash. Did I mention Scarlett Johansson looks hot as the Black Widow?

Harry Potter beat out The Dark Knight for top grossing midnight showing!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince opened this morning in 3,003 theaters at 12:01 AM. Looking at ticket sales yesterday being sold out at 12:25 AM, I don't find it shocking that it would open with such strong numbers. However, I was shocked to hear the Half Blood Prince beat out The Dark Knight for the top reigning midnight opener of all time. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince's midnight showing racked in 22.2 million dollars, while The Dark Knight pulled in 18 million. By the way, I'm still scratching my head as to how the Megan Fox-fest of Transformers 2 brought in 16 million. But I digress. This new Harry Potter flick better be good to knock out The Dark Knight!

Hot Toys to make Michael Jackson from Thriller

I've been absolutely addicted to The Dark Knight Hot Toys line. Any other Hot Toys beyond that I've never really paid attention to, except maybe for the Silk Specter II from The Watchmen. This creation of Michael Jackson from Thriller actually looks really cool. It also comes with variant zombie attachments.

SDCC 2009 - San Diego Comic Con officially a week away!

Today marks one week before the largest pop culture event that is San Diego Comic Con International. The full schedule of panels and guests from Thursday to Sunday has officially been announced on the official Comic Con website. I, for one, can't wait. However, there are some haters out there that feel Comic Con has mutated into a brand marketing fiasco, which isn't terribly untrue. Check out this article on "5 Reasons Why Comic Con Sucks!" Here were the 5 reasons in a nutshell:

5. Getting in - The crowds of people you have to fight to move anywhere.
4. Comic Con Security - The over zealous mall cops
3. Hall H - Hollywood panel central
2. Fat people
1. Where are the comics - As Hollywood has pretty much taken over

I've been going to SDCC for the last 8 years, and I can say that a lot has changed since I first started going. However, I wouldn't say things have gotten worse. It's just a different convention than what it used to be. Yes, it's not for everyone, especially the impatient and frugal lot, but it's definitely an experience to remember.

The five reasons listed above is a pretty one-sided exaggeration of what Comic Con is really like. Yeah, there are lines, fatties and uber nerds that fulfill every geek stereotype you can possibly imagine. The name itself, San Diego Comic Con International, is pretty self explanatory. What exactly did you expect? Even Disenyland isn't what it is in reality compared to what you see in the commercials. Oh, and the Big Macs you order at McDonald's will never look the way they do in television. Get over it! By the way, comics are very much prevalent at Comic Con. Unfortunately, it's not advertised the way Hollywood panels are. Just look at Artist Alley and you'll know what I mean. Also, I don't think Hollywood has spoiled Comic Con. If anything, it's bringing attention to the comic book medium, that the comics fanbase has a solid audience.

If you ask me, this is all part of the fun of it, and what makes this event so unique. The inconveniences are nothing in comparison to the events that happen at Comic Con. In addition to having access to industry celebrities, freebies, demos, first-hand industry news... there are great people to meet at Comic Con. When you're waiting in line, making friends and new acquaintances is awesome, especially when you share common interests with others. Even the assholes in line can be entertaining at times.

At Comic Con, it really boils down to being in the right place at the right time to get what you want. 80% of what you see or get is from sheer luck. If you go to Comic Con with a set agenda, be prepared to be sorely disappointed, because there are hundreds, if not thousands, of uber fans willing to go the extra mile to get the same thing you want, whether it be getting an exclusive toy or meeting a celebrity.

I'm a big fan of Comic Con, and I will continue to go no matter how crowded or Hollywood it gets. I'll be sure to blog my day-to-day experience for 2009. See you guys at Comic Con!

SDCC 09 Exclusive from Mattel - Wonder Twins

We've known for a long time Mattel was going to release an action figure set featuring the Wonder Twins in DCU scale. There is more to the figures than meets the eye, check out the packaging it will be coming in. This exclusive just jumped to the top of my checklist.