Oscar shocker: There will be 10 best picture nominees next year

Back in January, everyone wondered how close "The Dark Knight" came to earning an Oscar nomination for best picture.

Now we know: It missed by exactly one year.

In a shocking announcement, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences announced that next year there will be twice as many nominees in the best picture category, a bit of the news that is already sending a jolt through Hollywood. For studio marketing and advertising teams, it opens up new opportunities to promote films -- although it  also will water down the prestige of a nomination.

Here's a press-release quote from academy President Sid Ganis, who framed the decision as a return to the earliest traditions of the trophy that towers over Hollywood.

 “After more than six decades, the academy is returning to some of its earlier roots, when a wider field competed for the top award of the year,” said Ganis.  “The final outcome, of course, will be the same – one best picture winner – but the race to the finish line will feature 10, not just five, great movies from 2009.”

Ganis and his team, of course, are more concerned with discouraging trends in the ratings of the show than any sort of bridge to the gala's past. Last year, there were major changes in the broadcast in an attempt to goose the suspense and energy of the show. If they really want to make for compelling moments, they should show a clip of "Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan's reaction today when he gets the news in London that his Batman just got ambushed by the Calendar Man. 

-- Geoff Boucher

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The Pixies go to Gotham City

Images: Top right, Oscar statuette by Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences; poster by Warner Bros.

The Pixies go to Gotham

Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" will make its cable premiere on HBO this Saturday and here's a nice new trailer that blends the grim action with a classic, the 1988 Pixies track "Where is My Mind?" Is there anything cooler than the Pixies? I can't think of many. I got to watch their searing reunion at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival a few years ago and also interviewed Frank Black once, and both experiences only intensified my admiration of the band.

If for some reason you don't know their music that well, get yourself a copy of "Doolittle" (my fave of their albums) as quickly as possible. If you don't like it, I don't trust you. Anyway, enjoy the trailer...

--Geoff Boucher

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"The Dark Knight" image courtesy of Warner Bros

Adam West gets back in the Batmobile

Adam West barely recognizes Gotham City these days. “Batman is so dark now,” the 80-year-old actor said with a carefree chuckle. “The new films, they are grim, Gothic, full of explosions, mayhem. It’s the way of things, I suppose, the whole world seems darker.”

Well, the world was also heaving with angst back when West wore the cape for 26 months of prime-time silliness that began in January 1966. The native of Walla Walla, Wash., became an icon of camp with his masked-man deadpan and, for much of America, his version was the enduring definition of the caped crusader for decades.

That’s changed after the cemetery cabaret of Tim Burton’s Bat-movies and the ferocious revenge films of Christopher Nolan, whose “The Dark Knight” hit the billion-dollar mark at the box office a few weeks ago. Batman now seems closer kin to Dracula and Dirty Harry than he does Dick Tracy, but that don’t tell that West who is still dancing the Batusi and enjoying his busy role as an elder statesman of farce.

“I look at [it] this way: They’ve got the ‘Dark Knight,’ and I was the bright knight,” he said with the breathy, oddball diction that still keeps him in demand as a voice actor in animation. “Or maybe I was even ... the neon knight.”

West has an upcoming appearance on “30 Rock,” and there’s also his ongoing voice work on “Family Guy,” on which he plays Mayor Adam West; that namesake role, along with his portrayal of himself (albeit, a cat-obsessed version of himself) on the loopy Nickelodeon series “The Fairly Oddparents” has given him entire new generations of fans who have never seen the odd “Batman” series except maybe in snatches on YouTube. There’s also his voice roles in “Chicken Little,” “Meet the Robinsons” and animated Batman shows on which he played the mayor of Gotham, not its infamous mystery man.

“I’m like Madonna, I keep reinventing myself,” said West, who splits his time between Palm Springs and Sun Valley, Idaho. “I get called ‘Mayor West’ a lot in airports. I’ve been very fortunate to have a fan base that keeps growing and the work gets such a warm response and humor from people.”

This week, West is back in a familiar comedy vehicle -- literally. The new film “Super Capers,” yet another superhero parody (it follows “Hancock,” “My Super Ex-Girlfriend,” “Zoom,” “Sky High,” “Superhero Movie,” etc.), opened Friday and while its showing in just 80 theaters nationwide, it’s a memorable gig for West because it puts him back in the driver’s seat of his most famous ride.

“It’s a very bright comedy adventure. In it I’m a cab driver whose gotten a hold of the Batmobile and converted it to a taxi cab –- with air conditioning,” West said. “I meet up with a young guy who’s trying to be a super hero, played by an actor named Justin Whalin, who is quite good, and I’m able to drive him around on some of his misadventures.”

And how was it to sit in that grand old tail-finned time capsule? “It was great,” he said. “All those things that you do in a long career come back pretty easily once you get your hands on the wheel.”

The film’s cast reads like a game of celebrity Mad Libs (Doug Jones from “Hellboy,” June Lockhart from “Lassie,” Tom Sizemore from the courthouse), but after years of comic book conventions and car shows West is more pleasant than proud. "It’s a family film which means you can take anyone from a 2-year-old to your great-granny to it and they probably would all enjoy it,” he said. “I’m happy to be part of that.”

Like William Shatner of “Star Trek,” West spent a considerable amount of his career feeling smothered by his short-lived but unforgettably eccentric TV role from the 1960s: “I remember the struggle that I had,” West said. “I mean, I did the Music Center in L.A., I did the Mark Taper Forum, I did regional theater, anything I could to keep working. I think it’s an actor’s obligation, if possible, to keep working, playing the instrument. But, yes, there were a lot of doors closed for a long time.”

Heath Ledger's Oscar will not go to his parents after all

Tom O'Neil over at Gold Derby, the blog devoted to tracking all of Hollywood's trophy shows, has an update on the status of the Oscar statuette won posthumously by Heath Ledger for his searing performance in "The Dark Knight." Here's an excerpt from the post that went up Thursday:

[Heath's father] Kim Ledger told reporters at LAX that he had no plan to give Matilda the Oscar statuette anytime soon. "We'll keep it for her forever!" he said. Will he ever give it to Matilda? "Oh, yeah, down the line," he replied.

Had he forgotten the deal he made with the academy due to jet lag? Or was the Ledger family planning to chuck all that, keep the Oscar after the ceremony and head back to Perth, Australia, with it?

The matter finally has been resolved — quite differently from what the Ledgers told the media.

Academy spokeswoman Leslie Unger tells Gold Derby: "We expect a representative of the Ledger estate to bring the statuette in tomorrow (or soon thereafter) so that the engraved plate can be affixed.  Soon after that, we expect the statuette (with engraved plate) to be delivered to Michelle Williams."

READ THE REST

-- Geoff Boucher

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Heath Ledger and his 'gentle way' remembered

Michael Ordoña has a great piece today in the Los Angeles Times on Heath Ledger, who should (and, I think, will) win a posthumous Oscar for his searing performance as the Joker in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight." Here's an excerpt:

It was far from the first time he had transformed himself for a role, whether drastically, as the scruffy skateboarding impresario in "Lords of Dogtown," or subtly, as the repressed, gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain." Here, the recollections of some who worked with the supporting actor nominee add detail to a picture of a complex man and challenging artist whose creative fire and generosity of spirit lifted those around him.

"His energy and enthusiasm for life will never cease to inspire me," said Ledger's longtime friend and business partner Matt Amato. "A friend of mine said after Heath died that we must continue in Heath's 'gentle way.' Those words sounded perfect to me -- Heath's gentle way."

From Heath Ledger's American debut in the underrated "Taming of the Shrew" adaptation "10 Things I Hate About You" (1999) through "The Patriot" and the Chaucer-inspired romp "A Knight's Tale," the handsome young actor looked to be on a teen-idol trajectory. But even then, he showed signs of being separate from the pack.

'The Dark Knight' snubbed in best picture race

UPDATED: Here's a story I have appearing in the Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times tomorrow:

There are always a lot of emotions on Oscar nomination day, but there was an especially bittersweet surge on Thursday when the late Heath Ledger’s name was called out in the category of best supporting actor for his portrayal of the maniacal Joker in "The Dark Knight" — it was, after all, one year to the day after his death.

Even as the team behind the Warner Bros. film embraced the posthumous honor for Ledger, they also dealt with the disappointment that the acclaimed blockbuster was left out of the best picture race.

No superhero movie has come close to the marquee category in the past, but Warner Bros. had high hopes that "Dark Knight" could follow in the footsteps of "Star Wars," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Beauty and the Beast" and "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" as a youth-skewing hit able to transcend its popcorn-genre roots and earn a best picture nomination from the stuffy academy.

In the barest appraisal, "Dark Knight" was yet another summer sequel about a masked-man fighting crime. But after its July release, the film, directed by Christopher Nolan, started racking up so much box-office success (it now stands as the second-highest grossing movie of all-time in the U.S. behind "Titanic") and such intense critical acclaim (only "WALL-E" scored a higher quotient of raves among the year’s wide-release films, according to Rotten Tomatoes) that Oscar talk began to gain traction.

Ledger’s performance as the scabby and diabolical Joker was clearly regarded as an Oscar contender early on, but the conversation widened considerably this month when Nolan was nominated by his peers for the Directors Guild award for achievement in a feature film. That came on the heels of a best picture nomination from the Producers Guild, whose top category typically mirrors the academy’s picks for the best films of the year.

But can Heath Ledger WIN the Oscar?

There are always a lot of emotions on Oscar nomination day but there was an especially bittersweet surge in sentiment this morning when the late Heath Ledger's name was called out in the category of best supporting actor -- one year to the day after his death.

The nomination for Ledger's scorching performance as the scabby and diabolical Joker in "The Dark Knight"; had been considered a certainty in recent months but there was still a collective sigh when it was announced. Now the question is, 'Can he win?' There has been a posthumous actor winner in the past -- Peter Finch's widow Eletha Finch memorably accepted his best-actor Oscar for the unforgettable 1976 film "Network" -- but Finch died a month after he was nominated. Ledger's accidental prescription-drug overdose hasn't lost any of its tragedy, of course, but the beloved Spencer Tracy and even James Dean (whose life and early death were evoked by many of Ledger's eulogists) were in similar nominated-after-death situations, and they did not win the trophy.

There's also been some quiet talk in town lately of realpolitik realities of Hollywood that say the studios campaign harder for living actors (who will, after all, make more movies) and that those actors present for interviews and press statements in upcoming weeks are powerfully wooing Academy voters who are "auditioning" for winners.

Perhaps, but I think Ledger will win because his performance was so very powerful and because those same Oscar voters love drama. I think on Oscar night we will see little Matilda, the young daughter of Ledger, smiling as her father's name is called out once again. Beyond the joy to Matilda and her family, it's nice to think of that shining moment as the final image in the public's memory of this gifted performer.

-- Geoff Boucher

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Still want more?    ALL "DARK KNIGHT" COVERAGE AT HERO COMPLEX

CREDIT: Heath Ledger photo by Associated Press. "The Dark Knight" images courtesy of Warner Bros.

'Lost,' Ron Moore, 'Foundation,' 'The Dark Knight,' all in Everyday Hero headlines

It's an MLK Day edition of Everyday Hero, your roundup of headlines from across the fanboy universe...

"LOST: IN TIME: The countdown continues to the return of "Lost" this week. Here's a tidbit about the general direction of the show: "The producers of 'Lost' say the new season will emphasize time shifting along with Sawyer, the repentant con man played by Josh Holloway. 'Lost' executive producer Carlton Cuse says navigating between the past, present and future is a challenge but the potential for exciting storytelling makes it worthwhile. Cuse and fellow executive producer Damon Lindelof told a meeting of the Television Critics Association Friday that the character of Sawyer has a lot to do this season — and viewers will see a lot of him from the start. Cuse says there's even something in the show for people who aren't huge time travel fans. The first episode features a shirtless Sawyer. The fifth season of 'Lost' opens with a two-hour episode 9 p.m. EST Wednesday, Jan. 21, on ABC." [Associated Press] There's also some interesting stuff over at Sci Fi Wire, including this quote from Lindelof: "The show has been a time-travel show for the last four years," Lindelof said. The writers are just making it more apparent, he added: "We feel the audience is prepared to go on that journey with us." And beware of spoilers, but there's also a rundown over at THR Feed that includes this line from Cuse, "Sawyer has a lot to do this year. For those who are not fans of time travel, we have his shirt off in the season premiere."

SHAKY "FOUNDATION"?: You think "Watchmen" is unfilmable Did you cringe at David Lynch's efforts to cork up the sprawling epic of "Dune" into a coherent film? Well, just sit back and watch the guy who made "The Day After Tomorrow" try to put Isaac Asmiov's mammoth "Foundation" epic through the Hollywood script machine.  Brandon Lee Tenney writes up a report that is much more optimistic than I am about the prospects: "After bouncing around between multiple production companies, the master of disaster, Roland Emmerich, and Columbia Pictures won an auction Thursday for the screen and development rights to 'Foundation'. Best known for his disaster blockbusters ('Independence Day,' 'The Day After Tomorrow,' and the forthcoming '2012'), Emmerich will be using 'Foundation' as a directorial vehicle -- this time on a galactic scale. Emmerich and Columbia won the rights over others like Alex Proyas and Warner Brothers. Foundation is an epic saga spanning hundreds of years where humanity finds itself scattered throughout the galaxy under the oppressive rule of the Galactic Empire. Originally published in serial format as five separate short stories beginning in 1942, 'Foundation' tells the story of a group of scientists, the Psychohistorians, who are doing all they can to preserve knowledge as the colonies around them steadily regress. The study of psychohistory equates every possible outcome of a large society into readable, predictable mathematics, allowing its practitioners to accurately predict long-term events. Through this insight, a discovery with disastrous consequences is made and a plan is set in motion to avert it. Although Columbia did acquire the rights to the trilogy, there's been no word yet on whether 'Foundation' will be a single film venture, or if the entire 'Foundation' trilogy will eventually make its way to the big screen." [First Showing]

RON MOORE EXPLAINS THE ELLEN CHOICE: Last week we brought you a global exclusive with the first interview with the Fifth Cylon, Ellen Tigh (Kate Vernon), and the ripples of that revelation in Friday night's episode of "Battlestar" continue. There is, for instance, an interesting chat between television critic Maureen Ryan and "Battlestar" mastermind Ron Moore, in which he explains that relationship between Ellen and Saul Tigh cemented the choice to make her the last secret synthetic sleeper: "There was something really appealing about the idea that of the final five, the two of them were a pair, and they were this pair -- you know, as drama-ridden as their relationship had been, the idea that there had always been something deeper and more profound at its center, I always really, really liked. ... Over the course of the third season, Ellen came and went in my thinking in terms of who the final five were. It probably wasn’t until we settled on the final four that I knew it was Ellen. When we got to the final four -- Tigh, Anders, Tory and Tyrol -- then it felt like, 'and Ellen has to be the fifth.' Because Tigh being revealed as a Cylon was such a profound shift in that character, such a big leap for the show, that it felt really natural that she was also a Cylon. And he had killed her for collaborating with the Cylons! There were layers and depths to that I felt were really fascinating, about guilt and blame and memory and responsibility, and I just really liked the way that all tied together." [The Watcher blog, Chicago Tribune]

HORROR-FILM FAN STABBED; MOVIE NOT SO GREAT EITHER: Well, "My Bloody Valentine 3-D" has delivered on its advertised promise to make the violence jump right off of the screen. This crime report in from Valley Stream, N.Y.:  "A Long Island security guard at a movie theater in Valley Stream has been arrested for stabbing a moviegoer, police said. Police said the security guard, Ricardo Singh, 24, was directing patrons to exit the theater after a showing of 'My Bloody Valentine in 3D' when he got into an argument with a 16-year-old who wanted to wait inside for his ride. The argument escalated into pushing and shoving and Singh allegedly took out a folding knife and stabbed the teenager in the stomach, police said. The victim was taken to Winthrop University Hospital where he received six stitches to close the wound. The security guard was arrested and charged with assault." [FOX News] And what about the film? Well, film critic Jason Anderson writes that, despite the pick-ax, the film didn't dig deep enough: "The trouble with 'My Bloody Valentine 3-D' is not the gruesome violence –- this is a horror movie, after all. In fact, genre devotees will likely be impressed with the film's old-school approach to mayhem, rare in our mostly timid era of CG and PG-13 scares. No, the trouble is that after that first gouged eyeball, there's not a whole lot further to go. Novelty value being a rapidly diminishing thing, the technology demands an escalation in intensity and inventiveness that the movie doesn't deliver. That 'My Bloody Valentine 3-D' doesn't fall apart in the final reel again makes it unique among its genre brethren. But a flick like this needs competence less than it needs some real audacity. [Toronto Star]

NO LOVE FOR GOTHAM: Awards maven Tom O'Neil notes that "The Dark Knight" has been a envelope-season darling but not this past weekend for its cinematic magic: "This weekend's viewing panels drawn from the 1,500-plus members of the Visual Effects Society delivered a far different take on the year's best compared with the Jan. 6 verdict by a jury of peers at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. That group, selected from the 250-plus members of the visual effects branch, winnowed 15 films down to 7 semi-finalists that will compete for the 3 slots in the Academy Awards race for best visual effects. The seventh annual VES kudos will be handed out on Feb. 21, the night before the Oscarcast. The VES agreed on the merits of only three of the Academy's seven semi-finalists — 'Iron Man' (5 VES nods), 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' (4 VES bids), and 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army' (2 VES noms) — by including them in their top race. However, 'The Dark Knight' had to make do with four lesser VES noms, while 'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor; got only one VES nod and Oscar semi-finalists 'Australia' and 'Journey to the Center of the Earth' were completely shut out. Instead, the VES included the Oscar-snubbed 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian' (2 VES nods) and 'Cloverfield' (3 VES nods) in their top race." [The Envelope]

ON THIS DATE: The gothic genius Edgar Allan Poe was born on this date in 1809 and he spent just 40 troubled years among the living before a somewhat mysterious death -- he was found on the street of Baltimore, delirious and wearing another man's clothes. Some say he died of brain tumor, others blame his heavy drinking, the consumption, a case of rabies, cholera or syphilis. Needless to say, the death certificate was lost. Poe had many enemies (one of them, Rufus Wilmot Griswold, wrote Poe's obituary for the New York Times, which crassly noted that the news of Poe's abrupt death will "will startle many, but few will be grieved by it") and two lifetime's worth of heartache, but his name endures thanks to works such as "The Raven" and "The Fall of the House of Usher" and his considerable influence on horror, detective fiction and even science fiction (H.G. Wells and Jules Verne among his fans). To celebrate his birthday, let's always be careful to keep our own pants on in Baltimore. ALSO: At the bottom of this post, check out some interpretations of Poe by the incomparable Vincent Price.

'Watchmen,' 'Fringe,' Heath Ledger all in Everyday Hero headlines

Welcome to today's edition of Everyday Hero, your roundup of handpicked headlines from across the fanboy universe....

WHAT PRICE WILL BE PAID?: The nasty legal squabble over "Watchmen" is winding down but what's the bottom line for Warner Bros.? Reporter John Horn gets into the nitty gritty and finds that Larry Gordon, the colorful producer who brought landmark action films such as "48 Hrs.," "Die Hard" and "Predator" to the screen, may get stuck with part of the sizable bill in the property dispute: "The court fight over 'Watchmen' is costing Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, but the biggest bill of all could fall to the film's producer, Larry Gordon, his lawyers and their insurers, who could be on the hook for substantially more money. Court documents in the nearly yearlong dispute over the superhero movie's distribution rights show that Warner Bros., which is poised to lose valuable rights to 'Watchmen' after a judge's favorable ruling for Fox, is pursuing Gordon 'for all damages Warner Bros. suffers as a result of Fox's claims' ... Two people familiar with the dispute said that those Warner Bros. damages could potentially total tens of millions of dollars. Among the possible settlement terms under discussion is a deal in which Fox could end up with as much as 8.5% of 'Watchmen's' gross receipts, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. 'Watchmen' director Zack Snyder's last film for Warner Bros., 2007's '300,' grossed more than $456 million in worldwide ticket sales. It is unclear whether Gordon has initiated an insurance claim against the law firm that negotiated his 'Watchmen' deal with Warner Bros., but Gordon has said in a letter that the same lawyers may have made 'a unilateral mistake' as part of an earlier deal involving the film's rights." [Los Angeles Times]

"FRINGE" BENEFITS: The television show "Fringe" really found its rhythm as its first season wore on and Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly told the assembled press at the Television Critics Assn. gathering that its paranormal pursuits are building momentum. "It's a keeper ... they've really found the storytelling model now ... what you're going to see in the second half in the year, if you follow the serialized story you're going to find [satisfying content each week and yet] the stories really do re-set themselves each week ... I would not expect it to take off after 'Idol' but I do think it will tick up another level." [The Hollywood Reporter]

HEATH LEDGER'S GLOBE, A POSTSCRIPT: Chris Nolan made a lovely speech in accepting the posthumous Golden Globe for Heath Ledger and now Melanie Ambrose has a piece about the late actor's family and its plans for the prestigious but bittersweet trophy. Ledger's daughter, 3-year-old Matilda, will get it: " 'It will belong to her because she is part of him,' Ledger's mother, Sally Bell, tells WHO. 'I should imagine that eventually it will be going to Matilda,' Bell says from her home in Perth, Western Australia. 'At this stage she is only so young, but down the track she will have all these things. It will belong to her because she is part of him.' Bell says her family is 'bursting with pride' over her son's recognition for playing the Joker in 'The Dark Knight,' a role he 'loved.' 'It is such a fantastic and wonderful legacy for his daughter. Matilda will have so many people who will be able to speak to her about her father's abilities and the respect he had in the industry. That is such a wonderful legacy to leave.' Bell learned of his Golden Globe win before boarding a flight in Australia and admits there were 'a few tears.' 'There is a lot of emotion tied up in this, and we have to deal with that emotion first before we can relax and enjoy the moment, if you know what I mean,' she explains." [Who Magazine]

ON THIS DATE: The late Jeff Morrow (1907-1993) was born on this day in New York City and had a long and varied professional life (he worked, for instance, in theater productions with Katharine Hepburn and Mae West in his younger days) but he is best known for roles in sci-fi films such as "This Island Earth," "The Creature Walks Among Us" (which was the sequel-to-the-sequel of "The Creature From the Black Lagoon") and the unintentionally hysterical "The Giant Claw," which presented a terrifying avian creature who wasn't very terrifying at all. He was also one of three astronauts confronted with a mystery in "The Twilight Zone" episode "Elegy" during that iconic show's first season. To celebrate his birthday, let's remember that acting in bad movie is harder than acting in a great one. To see some, uh, great scenes featuring Morrow, go to the bottom of this post.

Heath Ledger, 'Watchmen,' Tin Tin and Jonah Hex, all in Everyday Hero headlines

HEATH LEDGER WINS A GOLDEN GLOBE: I went to the Golden Globes last night and contributed to the Los Angeles Times team coverage (we go all out for Hollywood trophy shows, too much in fact) and I got to say hello to Christopher Nolan as he crossed the banquet hall during one of the early commerical breaks. (The Globes are by far the best award show to cover; it's dinner seating, all the stars are liquored up and you can walk over and talk to anyone, which is why I got to interview Bruce Springsteen and Tom Hanks in the span of 10 minutes last night.) Not long after I spoke to Nolan, the late Heath Ledger won for his performance in "The Dark Knight." Here's what my colleague John Horn wrote about it, as well as the surprise victory for "Slumdog Millionaire" as best picture: "If 'Slumdog Millionaire' provided the most joyous moments at the 66th annual award show, Ledger's posthumous win for supporting actor offered its most poignant. Ledger died last January from an overdose of prescription medications, before 'The Dark Knight' was released and became the second-highest-grossing movie in Hollywood, trailing only 'Titanic.' 'The Dark Knight' was the actor's last completed film role. 'I for one will start to be able to look less at the gap in the future and the incredible place Heath made for himself with his talent and with his dedication,' Chris Nolan, the film's director and co-writer, said in accepting Ledger's award for his haunting performance as the Joker." [Los Angeles Times] To see all the awards won to date by Ledger's performance, check out this story in the Hollywood Reporter.

HORTON HEARS A "HEX": There was a story in the trades a few days ago about yet another change in the lurching effort to make a film adaptation of Jonah Hex, the grim, disfigured DC Comics western antihero. The movie has the great Josh Brolin locked in as the star but everything else seems to change every few months. The latest new face in the process is an animation specialist looking to saddle up with a live-action, six-shooter tale: "Jimmy Hayward, who directed the animated 'Horton Hears a Who!,' will make his live-action debut with 'Jonah Hex,' the Warner Bros. western based on the DC Comics character. Josh Brolin is attached to star in the film, which previously had Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor ('Crank') on board as directors. The duo, who also wrote the script, bowed out over creative differences in November. The studio, which hopes to put the movie into production in March or April, went on a fast-track search, putting together a short list that included such names as Andy Fickman and McG before narrowing it down to Hayward. The character of Hex, known for having the right side of his face disfigured and wearing a Confederate army uniform, was a rough-and-tumble gunslinger and part-time bounty hunter whose adventures always ended in blood. One incarnation of his comic book series saw the Western genre combined with supernatural elements, and it's this aspect that was featured in Neveldine and Taylor's script. The studio will likely keep the script, though it's expected that Hayward will put his stamp on it." [Hollywood Reporter]

MORE "WATCHMEN" TO WATCH: Here's a television promo for the March release...

IS TINTIN GAY?: Journalist and former politican Matthew Parris is quite the firebrand figure in England and his latest essay might ruffle some feathers of fans of the classic "Tintin" comics, which are soon to be adapted into a film: "Billions of blue blistering barnacles, isn't it staring us in the face? Sometimes a thing's so obvious it's hard to see where the debate could start. What debate can there be when the evidence is so overwhelmingly one-way? A callow, androgynous blonde-quiffed youth in funny trousers and a scarf moving into the country mansion of his best friend, a middle-aged sailor? A sweet-faced lad devoted to a fluffy white toy terrier, whose other closest pals are an inseparable couple of detectives in bowler hats, and whose only serious female friend is an opera diva... And you're telling me Tintin isn't gay? And Liberace was a red-blooded heterosexual...But really, what next? Lawrence of Arabia a ladies' man? Richard the Lionheart straight? And I suppose the Village People were a band of off-duty police officers, "YMCA" was a song about youth-hostelling, and Noddy and Big Ears are just good friends. But I'd better make the case because, astonishingly (and though when I googled “Tintin” and “gay” I got 526,000 references), there are still Tintin aficionados who remain in denial about this. Last year, as part of my BBC radio 'Great Lives' series, my guest, the international photojournalist Nick Danziger (who had nominated the life of Tintin), and my expert Tintinologist, Michael Farr (author of 'Tintin: The Complete Companion' and numerous other Tintin-related works), stunned me by not only denying hotly that their hero could have been gay, but even insisting that the thought had never occurred to them. Don't you find, though, that it's often the people closest to someone who never tumble to it?" [Times of London]

ON THIS DATE: The ABC series “Batman” premiered on this day in 1966 with the episode “Hi Diddle Riddle,” featuring Frank Gorshin as the Riddler and, in a unforgettable moment of farce, Adam West dancing the Batusi. If lore is to be believed, the show was inspired in part by the hooting crowd reactions to vintage Batman serials that were screened at the Playboy Club in Chicago (we all know what a comics and movie fan Hugh Hefner is) and its pop-art camp sensibility was a direct result of executive producer (and uncredited narrator) William Dozier's deep disdain for comic books. To celebrate this milestone in television history, let's punch people today and make our own zany sound effects. To see some video from the show, go to the end of this post...

'Dark Knight' wins, the next Batman film and flying cars all in Everyday Hero headlines

Welcome to Everyday Hero, your roundup of handpicked headlines from across the fanboy universe...

PEOPLE CHOOSE DARK KNIGHT: "The Dark Knight" has been doing well in the Hollywood guild awards and, no surprise, the second-highest-grossing film of all time also turned out to be quite popular at the People's Choice Awards, which honors only the most commercially successful projects. Here's the painfully cliched story from the Associated Press: "Holy People's Choice Awards, Batman! 'The Dark Knight' soared away with every trophy it was nominated for Wednesday at the 35th annual fan-favorite CBS ceremony. The caped crusader flick won five awards, including favorite cast, superhero, action movie and on-screen matchup for Christian Bale's Batman and the late Heath Ledger's Joker. 'On behalf of all of the cast from the movie, thank you very much to the fans,' said Bale. 'Here's to Heath.' " (If you want to see other journalists who still think that references to the 1960s Adam West version of Batman is the height of cleverness, read this.)

GIVE ME ONE MORE 'KNIGHT': Meanwhile, MTV talked to "The Dark Knight" producer Chuck Roven, who said Christopher Nolan is talking to writing collaborator David S. Goyer about that third Batman movie, which, of course, is still not a 100% sure thing ... in the same way that it's not a 100% sure thing that the Earth continues spinning when you close your eyes.

IT'S 2008, WHERE'S MY FLYING CAR?: Every New Year's Eve as I look at the calendar and realize that, despite the promises made to me as a child, we are well into the 21st century now and I'm still driving around on tires and asphalt. I watched "The Jetsons" and I fully expected that I would have zippy flying bubble car by now and, well, I'm bitter. So I read this story from England with great interest: "It's been a pipe dream for 30 years but now the world's first fully available flying car is set to hit the roads next year. Ever since the 'Back to the Future' movies lit up our screens in the '80s, designers have dreamt of an automobile that could take to the skies at the push of a button. And now qualified pilots can order their very own Terrafugia Transition 'roadable' plane for just  £127,000, with delivery planned for late next year. The 'light-sport airplane' promises to bring more 'flexibility and convenience to your flying.' The plane, which has fold-out wings that span 27.5 feet when extended, has an airborne range of 460 miles and can cruise at 115 mph. Back on terra firma, it is capable of traveling at 'highway speeds' in car mode. Fuelling the 19-foot long plane couldn't be simpler -- you just drive it into a petrol station and fill it up with unleaded. It is powered by a 100 hp, Rotax 912S, four-stroke engine." [Daily Mail] (There's lots of photos of the plane-car right here.)

GEEK PRODUCT OF THE DAY: OK, anyody know where I can get one of these? This particular online merchant is out of stock, but a stromtrooper hoodie is clearly something I need to own to remind the world that I am an unrepetant fanboy.

TODAY'S WATCHMEN VIDEO: So cool! Check this out ...

ON THIS DATE: The late, great Peter Arno, the cartoonist whose sly satire of Manhattan cafe society contributed mightily to the sophisticated tone of The New Yorker, was born on this day in 1904. It's been a big week for Illustrators of acclaim from that venerable publication (which is, pound for pound, easily my all-time favorite magazine, by the way); Jan. 7 happened to be the birthday of the devlishly clever Charles Addams (1912-88), best known for creating the madcap macabre of "The Addams Family," which led to the television show, the films and the cartoons of the same name. (You can buy cartoons by Arno right here on The New Yorker website, while Addams and slices of his spooky genius can be found at the website of his foundation.) To celebrate the memory of these smirking geniuses, let's skip the serious pages today and just look for the funny parts.  NOTE: You can see video from different "Addams Family" at the bottom of this post...

'Watchmen,' D.J. Caruso and 'Twilight' in Everyday Hero headlines

Welcome to your Tuesday morning edition of Everyday Hero, the roundup of handpicked headlines from across the fanboy universe.

ALAN MOORE SAYS 'BWAH-HA-HA-HA!': Well, not really, but I just love posting this photograph of him  any chance I get and I do suspect that he would express some glee about the ugly corporate feud that has raised doubts about the planned release of "Watchman," the big Warner Bros. adaptation of Moore's epic. I would call Moore and ask him directly, but the last time we spoke he made it quite clear that he was done talking about the film and Hollywood in general because he more or less loathes the film industry. A judge's surprise ruling last week has created the very real possibility that "Watchmen" might not hit theaters in March -- a shocking development but, now that I think about it, when Moore talked to the Hero Complex in September he seemed to have some mystic premonition of this latest development. "Will the film even be coming out? There are these legal problems now, which I find wonderfully ironic. Perhaps it's been cursed from afar, from England. And I can tell you that I will also be spitting venom all over it for months to come." Spooky! Well, the guy does wear metallic talons and worship an ancient Roman snake god, so I wouldn't want to get on his bad side. And what is the latest on the "Watchmen" case? Here's a statement from Warner Bros.:  "We respectfully but vigorously disagree with the Court’s ruling and are exploring all of our appellate options. We continue to believe that Fox’s claims have no merit and that we will ultimately prevail, whether at trial or in the Court of Appeals. We have no plans to move the release date of the film." "Watchmen" has joined the list of truly contentious Hollywood projects. What are some of the other ones? Check out our new photo gallery "Big Hits, Bitter Battles." 

A DIMMER 'TWILIGHT'?: Reporter Michael Cieply (a former colleague here at the Los Angeles Times) has always been a smart and savvy chronicler of the movie industry, and his take on the real story behind the 2008 box-office returns is especially insightful: "What a year for movie openings. I mean, who could forget 'Twilight'? Teenagers screaming for free tickets outside the dual-theater Westwood premiere here. Mayhem in the malls. Girls thirsting for Robert Pattinson. Box-office projections growing bigger and bigger as online vendors sold out theater after theater. It was amazing. When all is said and done, maybe 24 million tickets will be sold to that movie, based on current sales. That makes it almost as big as, what? 'Patch Adams,' the No. 10 movie of 1998. Or roughly the size of 'George of the Jungle,' which placed No. 13 the year before. Or any number of films that are fondly remembered as midsize hits. Looking back, in fact, 2008 may be remembered as the year when Hollywood succeeded in redefining the Big Event. A "movie of the century" — something that made you want to dress up, get in line, and act silly just to see it — used to come along every year or two. The "Star Wars" films had that quality. So did "Titanic," in a quieter, dreamier sort of way. But heart-stopping film events like that have been popping up every few weeks this year.... Even this year’s really big one, "The Dark Knight," was never quite as big as it felt. Clear away the urgent reports about 6 a.m. screenings and Imax-size demand, and you are left, according to an always-sobering tally kept by the Box Office Mojo website, with the 26th-most-popular movie of all time, in terms of tickets sold. A smart, counterintuitive article, and again you can read the rest right here. [New York Times]

A BRIGHTER "TWILIGHT"?: Remember that Will Rogers line about lies, damn lies and statistics? Joal Ryan has a look-on-the-bright-side article compared with that New York Times piece; Ryan points out that, considering its budget, "Twilight" was a bigger hit than "The Dark Knight" (although it ignores the fact that Warner Bros. made a gazillion dollars on all the product and licensing deals for "Dark Knight"): "If only Wall Street had bet on Twilight. Or Hannah Montana. Or Kirk Cameron. With a $167.3-million overall domestic take as of Sunday, per Box Office Mojo, Twilight made more than four times its reported $37-million production budget — the best rate of return on any film in the 2008 Top 10, including 'The Dark Knight.' The Batman epic was a pretty good investment, too, very nearly tripling its gargantuan $185-million budget with a $530.8-million domestic take, Hollywood's second-biggest ever. Still, 'The Dark Knight' was nothing compared to these off-the-charts performers: 'High School Musical 3: Senior Year' ($89.7 million), which grossed about eight times its $11-million budget; the Hannah Montana concert movie, which made about nine times its $7-million budget; and, Cameron's 'Fireproof,' which cost $500,000 to produce, and made $33.1 million — or, more than 60 times its budget." [E! Entertainment News]

'Y'? BECAUSE WE LIKE YOU: One of the more intriguing comics-as-film projects kicking around town is the D.J. Caruso adaptation of Brian K. Vaughn's wry, sublime series "Y: The Last Man." I talked to D.J. a few months back, and he was mightily enthused about the prospects of making the film with his familiar on-screen muse Shia LaBeouf, but in a recent conversation with Edward Douglas it sounds as if the last-man-on-earth tale is presenting the filmmaker with some headaches: "Yeah, it's been a while. I think it's one of those that the source material is fantastic stuff, it's great, but it's a tough one to lick into getting into a screenplay. I've tried to feel like it's a trilogy of movies and I think everyone sort of agrees, but at the same time, just getting the first movie right and getting the right beats and knowing what to put in, it's been really tough. You have great minds like David Goyer and you've got Carl Ellsworth and you've got Brian K. Vaughn, and I'm working with them to just kind of crack it and get it down. And we're almost there. I know it's a slow process, but I think eventually we'll get it. We're going to get it and we'll get it right, but we had a pretty good breakthrough a couple of  weeks ago in the final act, and hopefully we'll get there.... If you're familiar with the source material, there's so much great stuff and he meets so many great characters but it's over the course of a long period of time. When you're telling the story — yes, the fanboys and all the people who love it will go and see it — but if you're just seeing the movie from a filmgoers' perspective and you're not familiar with the source material, you have to make sure you make the movie that they understand and they love, too. Like I said, it's been more difficult than I thought, but we're getting close." [Comingsoon.net]

LOOK, UP IN THE SKY: Here's some consumer news for you fans of the classic Superman cartoons, this from Robert Greenberger's short article: "Warner Home Video is finally releasing their own version of the Superman cartoons produced by Max Fleischer and Dave Fleischer. The 17 classics have been in the public domain and collected repeatedly over the last 20 years. Come April 7, though, the first authorized collection will be released. In addition to the Paramount cartoons, released in 1941 and 1942, the two-disc set will include two extras: 'The Man, The Myth, Superman' and 'First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series.' The set will retail for $26.99 and if you have never seen these cartoons, they are well worth it." [Comic Mix] If you'd like to see a few snippets from the genius work of the Fleischers on the Man of Steel, there's some video at the bottom of this post. 

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: Empire magazine has some exclusive photos from Michael Bay's "Transformers 2" and you can see them right here.

ON THIS DATE: Author Lewis Shiner, whose work began in cyber-punk, drifted into magical realism and often deals with the slippery nature of reality and history, celebrates his 58th birthday today. Today is also the 27th birthday of Kristin Kreuk, the Canadian actress who is best known in the role of Lana Lang on "Smallville," but I especially liked her with Miranda Richardson in the wonderfully weird 2001 television movie "Snow White: The Fairest of Them All." So to celebrate, let's avoid all bad apples today.

Fanboy gift guide for 2008

In December of 1977, all I really wanted for Christmas was a lightsaber, just like the ones that the Jedi Knights used in "Star Wars." I did find one waiting for me under the tinsel-covered tree that year but, sadly, instead a fearsome weapon, it was a black flashlight with a flimsy plastic tube stuck on top. The disappointment, even for an 8-year-old, was a bitter one.

I'm guessing that the person who spent $240,000 at a Calabasas Hills auction last week to take home the lightsaber prop used by actor Mark Hamill in "Star Wars" possesses a similar childhood memory... and a much bigger bank account. But you don't need to be a millionaire these days to get your hands on quality fanboy treasures; we live in the golden era of gadgets and geeky totems and if you need the perfect gift for a fan of sci-fi or comics, well, I have the droids you're looking for.

R2-D2 aquarium: You have to ask yourself: What took someone so long to think of putting tropical fish inside of a sleek, 20-inch tall replica of everyone's favorite astromech droid from "Star Wars"? Hammacher Schlemmer has this beautiful bleeping fish tank for a mere $129.95, and it's more than just a barrel-shaped novelty: The domed head rotates upon verbal command, there's a built-in periscope to spy on your gourami and the LED lights morph change from red to blue to green. Now if they would just make a Boba Fett birdcage...

Captain Kirk's chair: Want to add command presence to your living room? Worried that the world doesn't know how passionate you are about Starfleet? Then this is the chance to take your home decor where no reasonable man has gone before. This $2,700 replica of Capt. Kirk's chair from the bridge of the USS Enterprise is part of a big push by CBS Consumer Products to sell more items related to the original show, from Enterprise-shaped golf putters to Mr. Spock PEZ dispensers. They say the chair will be on sale any day now, ready for any mission you or your green girlfriend can dream up. It will be on sale through Diamond Select Toys and, according to its makers, the deluxe swivel chair is built to last, makes numerous sound effects and even recites William Shatner's entire monologue from the original series. Put it in your den and set your neighbors on "stunned"...

"Battlestar Galactica" toaster: You can worry about the future of humanity but with this sleek ebony kitchen appliance you won't have to worry about burning your bread! The $65 toaster available at the Sci Fi store burns two messages into your breakfast slice: "Cylon" or the ever-delicate "Frak Off!" The toast tastes especially good with, ahem, Starbucks coffee.

Graphic novels: If you want to buy something a little less gimmicky, there are some great graphic novels on sale all major booksellers this holiday. For someone who enjoyed "The Dark Knight" film, try Brian Azzarello's grim and gruesome "Joker" (it's not for kids) or one of the many new re-issues of "Watchmen," which will be arriving in theaters in March, the nicest being the $75 "Absolute Edition Watchmen," which has be re-colored and comes with lavish packaging that pays homage to the 1986 landmark book. For something really unexpected, get "The Happy Warrior," ($38) on sale through Levenger, which collects the 1950s biography of Winston Churchill that ran in the weekly issues of Eagle Comics in the U.K., or "The Mammoth Book of Best Crime Comics," ($18) a hefty anthology with gritty gangster tales both vintage and modern.

Spider-Man on Broadway, 'Dark Knight' DVD and Jeph Loeb all in Everyday Hero headlines

Mary Jane on Broadway: Gossip maven Elizabeth Snead has a somewhat breathless item about Evan Rachel Wood of "The Wrestler" and "Across the Universe" taking on the role of Spider-Man babe Mary Jane Watson for the Broadway play that is shaping up as the most expensive production in the history of the Great White Way: "Evan Rachel Wood will play Mary Jane in Julie Taymor's 'Spider-Man' on Broadway! 'I start rehearsals in June and will be on Broadway for a year,' she said Wednesday at a press junket for 'The Wrestler.' She's already learned the songs, written by Bono, and did a run-through for Marvel. But that's not why she recently colored her hair red, like Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane movie character. 'No, I didn’t even think about it,' she insists. 'After I got it done, I looked in the mirror and went ‘Duh!' I emailed Julie the picture!' Who will be Spidey?  'We're trying to convince Jim Sturgess (her 'Across the Universe' costar). We did the workshop together, but I don’t know if he can commit to a whole year.' How about the villains? 'There will be some new ones and some old ones,' she said cautiously. And will she have to do wire work? 'Yeah, I’ll be dangling from buildings and things. It should be fun.' But she insists that Spider-Man will never, ever sing in tights. 'That was the deal. He never sings in Spandex,' Wood says. And will she have to do that upside-down kiss? 'Everyone keeps asking me that! I think there might be one at the end. I'm gonna have to have a talk with Julie. I can’t remember if there is one. But people will be waiting for it so we might have to make that happen.' " [The Dish Rag] Read more on the Spidey's Broadway venture here and here.

Heath Ledger's Golden Globe nod: The late actor's family put out a statement expressing their pride for the nomination annouced Thursday. Here's an item by Melenie Ambrose: "Heath Ledger's no-holds-barred performance as the Joker in last summer's Batman blockbuster 'The Dark Knight' has earned the late actor a posthumous Golden Globe nomination, announced Thursday morning. Commenting on the honor of being nominated for best performance by an actor in a supporting role, Heath's Perth, Australia-based father, Kim Ledger, said in a statement to PEOPLE, 'We thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for honoring Heath's performance in 'The Dark Knight.' He added, 'This nomination is deeply appreciated and is not lost on those of us who continue to love and miss him. We are so proud our boy's work is being recognized in this way.' Ledger will compete in the supporting actor category with Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. for their roles in 'Tropic Thunder,' Ralph Fiennes for 'The Duchess' and Philip Seymour Hoffman for his role in 'Doubt.' " [People magazine]

"The Dark Knight" at retail: Business reporter Dawn C. Chmielewski goes into the numbers on the DVD and Blu-ray release of "The Dark Knight," which is a home-video hero that Hollywood hopes will save the day: "The major promotion push behind the DVD release of Warner Bros.' summer blockbuster, 'The Dark Knight,' appears to have worked -- at least out of the gate. The film, which brought in $530 million in ticket sales in the United States, sold nearly 3 million copies Tuesday, the first day of its DVD release in the U.S., Canada and Britain. 'The Dark Knight's' retail reception is reminiscent of strong first-day sales for 'The Matrix' and 'Titanic' (any debut of 1 million or more units is considered a home run). At the present rate, 'Dark Knight' looks to be on pace to catch Paramount Pictures' 'Iron Man,' which sold 7.2 million units in its first week on store shelves this year. Hollywood has been anxiously watching home video sales as the recession deepens because they are a major profit center for the studios. Nielsen VideoScan estimates that home video sales are off 5.2% this year as several movies that did well at the box office didn't sell as well as expected on DVD. The studios have been hoping that the new Blu-ray high-definition format will help to spur the sluggish DVD market. As many as 25% to 30% of the 'Dark Knight' discs sold -- or 600,000 copies -- were purchased in the Blu-ray format. That surpasses the previous record set by 'Iron Man,' which sold 260,000 Blu-ray discs upon its first day of release. [Los Angeles Times]

Standing still, moving forward: Reviewer Kenneth Turan had some fun with "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and then he had some fun writing the review: "Keanu meets Klaatu. It could be a match made in heaven, or at least in a galaxy far, far away. Which is just what 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' wants us to think. This contemporary remake of the science fiction classic knew what it was doing when it cast Keanu Reeves, the movies' greatest stone face since Buster Keaton, as a perplexed alien whose first words on Earth are 'This body will take some getting used to.' When you want distant and disconnected, Reeves is your man. The 1951 original offered the more genial Michael Rennie as the intergalactic visitor, a being arrived on Earth accompanied by giant robot companion Gort. Rennie's alien was a courtly individual with the charm of vintage James Bond, but Klaatu's temperament is not the only thing that has been changed in this enjoyable updating. For one thing, Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly), the widow who is Klaatu's main human contact, has been elevated from mom to mom and astrobiologist. And imperturbable robot Gort has gone from a clunky 8 feet to a lithe and bulked-up 28 feet tall. Take it easy on those steroids, big guy!" [Los Angeles Times]

"Ultimatum" tops: Some good news for Jeph Loeb, who was bounced from "Heroes" but still knowns how to write an "event" comic book: "Marvel Comics’ 'Ultimatum' No. 1 was the bestselling comic book title based on total unit sales to comic book specialty shops for November 2008, according to Diamond Comic Distributors. The new five-issue limited series features Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Ultimates, the Hulk and more in the defining moment of truth for Marvel’s 'Ultimate' Universe. Brought to you by award-winning scribe Loeb and superstar artist David Finch, the book spells the end of the Ultimate universe… or it may mean a new beginning. Marvel Comics also nabbed the top publisher spot in November, leading both retail dollar and unit market shares, with a 42.90% unit market share, and a 36.96% retail dollar market share.The top-selling graphic novel for November was DC Comics' 'Fables' tradepaperback 'Vol. 11: War & Pieces,' collecting issues #70-75 of the Eisner Award-winning series from creator Bill Willingham. Kotobukiya’s Iron Man Movie Fine Art Statue netted the No. 1 toy product, and WizKids’ DC HeroClix: Arkham Asylum Booster Pack was the bestselling game product to comic book specialty shops." [Diamond press release]

Barry Levine and his Radical plan in Hollywood

Barry Levine is focused on Hollywood aspirations these days, but he came up in the music world as a photographer for KISS and Mötley Crüe, so he knows a gold rush when he sees one. Crüe was part of the 1980s Sunset Strip metal scene that stirred an industry craze just as Liverpool and San Francisco had done in the 1960s and Seattle would in the 1990s.

“Right now in Hollywood, the rush is on, comic books are the new sensation and they are not going away,” Levine said with an insider’s assured nod at he sat in front of a plate of pasta at a Los Angeles sidewalk café. “What’s happened already is impossible to ignore but what’s happening now and what's going to happen next is even more interesting.”

The past-tense statement was a reference to “The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man,” "Hancock," “Wanted” and other 2008 comic-book films that have been piling up box office receipts that, collectively, are astounding. “The Dark Knight” alone is closing in on a billion dollars in ticket sales and may even end up as the first comic-book movie to fly high at the Oscars.

The interesting future, according to Levine, is on the way because Hollywood players are climbing over each other for comic-book properties, both famous and obscure, like gamblers trying to pump coins into the same slot machine. Levine is taking a different approach –- he’s built his own slot machine.

Levine is co-founder of Radical Publishing, a company that began publishing comics this year with sleek production values and the proud agenda of treating every comic book as if it is a storyboard for a film that’s just waiting to be made. Some people make pitches in Hollywood, Levine hands out comic books.

I have to say, the guy seems to have a pretty good sensibility for the contemporary cinematic version of the fantastic; the comics he is putting out sound like movies. There’s “Caliber,” the tale of King Arthur reimagined as an Old West adventure where the magic sword is replaced with a six-shooter and Merlin is a Native American shaman; the future police-state tale “City of Dust,” a sort of tricked-out “Blade Runner” channeling of George Orwell's thought-crime fears; and a bloody take on “Hercules,” where the embittered man-god runs with an ancient, all-star mercenary group, a sort of “300” version of “The Magnificent Seven.”

Yes, at Radical it’s all high concept, all the time. And Hollywood is paying attention.

Peter Berg, director of “Hancock” and “The Kingdom,” has a deal in place to produce and direct that grim version of “Hercules” for the screen, while Johnny Depp’s production company, Infinitum Nihil, is on board for a “Caliber” adaptation that has John Woo ("Face/Off") attached as director. Bryan Singer, the director of “X-Men” and “The Usual Suspects,” has signed on to produce an adaptation of “Freedom Formula,” a Radical title about racing teams in the wastelands of the far future. For comics fans, too, Radical has brought in notable creators, among them top horror writer Steve Niles ("30 Days of Night" and "Criminal Macabre") and Jim Steranko, one of the more celebrated and influential artists during the Marvel Comics glory days.

“These are very exciting times for us,” Levine said, patting a stack of the comic books Radical has produced in its first year of publishing. Exciting, yes, but then the roulette table is always exciting while the wheel is still spinning.

Heath Ledger, Green Lantern, J.K. Rowling's 'Beedle' all in Everyday Hero headlines

Here's the latest edition of Everyday Hero, your roundup of handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe...

The Oscar goes to ... ?: Reporter Rachel Abramowitz of the Los Angeles Times (who also did a great article a few months back on Hollywood's sad treatment of the heirs of J.R.R. Tolkien) takes a look at the tricky business of campaigning for a posthumous Oscar in a Calendar article on Heath Ledger. "How do you run an Oscar campaign for Heath Ledger, the widely admired young actor who died last January of an overdose of prescription drugs? Very carefully, it seems, as Warner Bros., the studio behind 'The Dark Knight,' tries to tread the line between tribute and exploitation in rallying academy support for Ledger's performance as the maniacal, nihilistic Joker.... It is a near-consensus in Hollywood that Ledger is a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination for supporting actor and might even win, which would make the forever young Australian the only actor besides 'Network's' Peter Finch to earn an acting Oscar posthumously. Still, he faces strong competition from other contenders, who could include Philip Seymour Hoffman ('Doubt') and Michael Shannon (for his breakout performance in 'Revolutionary Road'). Already, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members say that if Ledger is nominated, his spectral presence could help reverse the ratings slide for the Academy Awards show as fans tune in to see if his riveting turn as the demonic Joker is honored." [Los Angeles Times] .... ALSO Read my recent interview with Christopher Nolan in which he talks about an Oscar for Ledger.

Super cameo in "Green Lantern"?: Screenwriter Marc Guggenheim talked to Jennifer Vineland about the Green Lantern screenplay he is working on with Michael Green and the film's director, Greg Berlanti. He explains that the core story is locked in and now they are working on streamlining it with an eye on budget matters (such as limiting the number of locations). He also said that during their fanboy tangents they chew on topics such as cameo appearances for other DC heroes: "And while there's already a lot of speculation over who would play Green Lantern -- Ryan Gosling? Matthew Settle? David Boreanaz? -- what about Clark Kent, who will make a small cameo? Will the part go to someone already established on film or television to be the Man of Steel, like Brandon Routh or Tom Welling? 'There were rumors that Tom Welling would have a cameo in "Batman Begins" as a young Clark Kent, to meet up with a young Bruce Wayne,' Guggenheim noted. 'But you have to be careful when you do things like that, because it sounds great in concept, but when you sit down to watch it, it poses the danger of pulling you out of the film.' But as a self-proclaimed 'sucker for a good Easter egg,' Guggenheim said, 'The fanboy in me would love that. Robert Downey, Jr. in "The Hulk" was awesome. I love that stuff in general, and I think the fans would enjoy it. Brandon Routh or even Tom Welling [in "Green Lantern"] would be awesome. And anything is possible. The beauty part of being the writer, though, is that I don’t actually have to make that judgment call.' " [Splash Page blog at MTV]

Beedlemania!: The boy wizard may be gone, but the magic endures. Here's a report from Ben Hoyle in the U.K.: "A year and a half on from his seventh and final adventure, Harry Potter mania has erupted again. J.K. Rowling’s latest book 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' went on sale early this morning, forcing thousands of parents out of bed and into frostbitten queues outside bookshops long before dawn. Booksellers said that the collection of fairytales, which do not feature the boy wizard, was bound to be the Christmas number one, the first time that a work of fiction has claimed that position in recent memory. More than seven million copies of the book have been printed in 28 languages. Last night it was ranked first on Amazon's British and US websites. The online retailer is printing 100,000 copies of a leather-bound collectors' edition priced at £50. While her previous books have made her an estimated fortune of more than £500 million, Rowling has donated all the profits from 'The Tales' to the Children’s High Level Group, the charity she set up with Emma Nicholson, the MEP. 'The Tales' are a central part of the final Harry Potter book. Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, bequeathed a volume containing five wizard fairytales to Harry's friend, Hermione Granger. It offered clues to help Harry to defeat his great enemy, Lord Voldemort." [The Times of London]

She blinded me with science: Here's a fun one. During her channel surfing, Mary McNamara, the TV critic for the Los Angeles Times, has noticed a lot of lab coats lately: "In the beginning, there was the Professor. Though he never could figure out how to repair the S.S. Minnow, Russell Johnson's high school science teacher, stranded with the other castaways on 'Gilligan's Island,' was so ingenious he could re-charge a battery using only bamboo and coconuts, so morbidly cerebral it never occurred to him that he was the most likely mate for Ginger and Mary Ann. Now, there's Walter Bishop (John Noble), a psychiatrically challenged scientist so ingenious he can take a few wires, some ice cubes and a big battery and talk to the dead on Fox's 'Fringe.' Or Dr. Jacob Hood (Rufus Sewell), who's too busy deconstructing experiments in cloning and mind manipulation at the 'Eleventh Hour' (CBS) to notice that the agent protecting him (Marley Shelton) is pretty hot. Over at 'Bones,' also on Fox, it's the same situation in reverse -- Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) would rather be performing her miraculous autopsies on the ancient dead but reluctantly solves more modern crimes with the emotionally irrepressible Det. Booth (David Boreanaz). Flip through prime time on any night, and along with the requisite numbers of cops and docs and lawyers you'll find an astonishing number of scientists. On CBS alone, there are the adorable physics geeks (played by Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons) of 'The Big Bang Theory' and Charles Epps (David Krumholtz), the mathematician turned detective of 'Numb3rs,' and the former fake psychic (Simon Baker) of 'The Mentalist,' who uses the power of informed observation to unravel mysteries. More than 40 years after the Professor talked Gilligan out of some ridiculous scrape or another while rigging up an irrigation system, rational thought has taken over television." Read the rest, it's clever and well-written. [Los Angeles Times]

-- Geoff Boucher

Conan, 'The Dark Knight' DVD and James Bond in Everyday Hero headlines

Today's edition of Everyday Hero, your handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe...

Negoitating the truth: It's a pretty common tactic in Hollywood to put out a press release to "create a buzz" for a deal that's not even done -- the hope is to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. That seems to be the case with the "news" earlier this week that Brett Ratner was on board to direct a new "Conan the Barbarian" film, according to Patrick Goldstein, the Los Angeles Times columnist and author of The Big Picture blog. Goldstein talked to both producer Avi Lerner and Ratner and found out that the sword-and-sandal revival isn't as solid as suggested: "One of Hollywood's most persuasive salesman, Lerner told me this morning that Ratner was the perfect director. 'He has the passion and feeling for this project -- he even wrote a story about Conan when he was 10 years old,' Lerner explained. 'He understands the character, he analyzed the script really well. He knows how to make this a really big movie. I like his childlike enthusiasm -- he almost sees these movies as wonderful toys. What can I say, he's a nice, likable Jewish boy.' Lerner acknowledged that even though he sent out a press release announcing Ratner's involvement with the project, the deal wasn't actually done. 'We still have a few obstacles,' he said. 'Brett is only committed if we agree on a budget, on how to do the special effects and exactly where we'd shoot the film.' Lerner has a studio in Bulgaria, so he'd like to shoot most of the movie there, with some exterior work in China. But is Ratner actually committed to doing the film? In two words: Not really. When I called him today, he sounded somewhat agitated, unhappy that news of his negotiations with Lerner had surfaced, especially since he is extremely close to getting a green light from Paramount to make 'Beverly Hills Cop 4.' 'Let me make this very clear,' he told me. 'I am not doing "Conan" now. This is totally premature. For now, "Conan" is only a development deal. I have a deal at Paramount and I'm doing "Beverly Hills Cop" first, no matter what. Avi shouldn't be telling you or anyone else in the press what I'm doing.' " [The Big Picture]

"The Dark Knight" DVD: Every DVD sales record will be challenged when Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" hits store shelves on Dec. 9. UK-based writer Ben Child has posted some early video material from the extras: "We have three exclusive clips from the UK DVD of Nolan and his cast talking about Batman, the Joker and Harvey Dent, Gotham's crusading district attorney. I have to confess I was wondering whether the disc might include footage of the late Heath Ledger talking about playing the Joker, but either these interviews were conducted long after the actor's death or Nolan and his team decided it wouldn't be appropriate. If so, that's an understandable decision, but it's desperately sad we'll never get to hear Ledger talk about the development of the character. With all his weird tics and spasms, the Joker is not just one of the great screen villains: he's every amateur psychologist's dream subject." [The Guardian]...Also, in other "Dark Knight" news, the score to the film has been disqualified from Academy Award consideration apparently due to the number of composers (five) credited for the work. [Variety]

James Bond, by the book: Author and journalist Allen Barra takes a look at the Ian Fleming bookshelf and finds that the 007 we see on film these days is far more spoiled and sadistic than the James Bond inhabiting the 1960s novels: "The Bond of the books didn't have the luxury of sports cars and speedboats, toys that would have bankrupted Her Majesty's government. In 'You Only Live Twice,' he complains to the head of the Japanese Secret Service that MI6's budget of 'under ten million pounds a year doesn't go far when there is the whole world to cover.' In 'Thunderball' (1961), Bond envies his allies in the CIA for 'the excellence of their equipment,' which he is constantly forced to borrow. Those combing the books for the 'sex, sadism and snobbery' attributed to Mr. Fleming by his critics will be disappointed. Bond is far from sadistic and is, in fact, an economical and efficient killer -- it's his enemies who are sadistic. The level of violence is not only mild by today's standards but by that of other 1950s thriller writers such as Mickey Spillane. The literary Bond was hardly a snob. In Mr. Fleming's final Bond novel, 'The Man With the Golden Gun' (1965), he was still, in the author's words, 'an unrepentant Scottish peasant' who refused knighthood from the queen -- an offer that another, real-life, Scotsman, Sean Connery, could not refuse. Far from a gourmet, Bond preferred simple food such as cold roast beef and potato salad." [The Wall Street Journal]

Slaying dragons on the small screen: HBO has ordered up a pilot for a series based on George R.R. Martin’s bestselling series of novels "A Song of Fire & Ice" with a team of executive producers that includes David Benioff ("Troy") and D.B. Weiss ("Halo"). Entertainment reporter James Hibberd has a very insightful take on how this show, if it moves forward, would give fantasy a rare foothold in television: "Though broadcasters have embraced sci-fi-tinged shows in recent years following the success of ABC’s 'Lost' and NBC’s 'Heroes,' and supernatural themes have been given a spin by CW’s 'Supernatural' and HBO’s own 'True Blood,' high fantasy is nearly nonexistent in primetime TV history -- and 'Thrones' is an unabashed member of the genre. The books have swords, dragons, magic, the works. 'Fantasy is the most successful genre in terms of feature films given the incredible popularity of "Lord of the Rings" and Harry Potter movies,' Benioff said. 'High fantasy has never been done on TV before and if anybody can do it, it’s HBO. They’ve taken tired genres and reinvented them -- mobsters in "The Sopranos" and westerns with "Deadwood." ' The cost of producing a fantasy series is usually a big factor that deters networks. The producers note 'Thrones' is written as a character drama and major battles often take place off stage. 'It’s not a story with a million orcs charging across the plains,' Weiss said. 'The most expensive effects are creature effects and there’s not much of that.' Martin plans seven books in the series. The producers intend for each season to span one novel. But before the series can get on the air, the producers first have to slay a more formidable threat than any dragon: pilot competitors. HBO has 10 other pilots in contention for series orders." [Live Feed blog, Hollywood Reporter]

-- Geoff Boucher

Conan art by Frank Cho and courtesy of Dark Horse Comics. Daniel Craig in "Quantum of Solace," photo by Susia Allnut\Columbia Pictures.

The 500 top movies ever, Anne Rice and James Bond, all in Everyday Hero headlines

Your handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe...

"The Dark Knight" rocks! "Gone With the Wind"? Not so much: Why do we love lists? Ah, let me count down the reasons. Empire, the U.K. film magazine, recently compiled the votes of 10,000 readers, 150 Hollywood insiders and 50 film critics to assemble a massive tally: The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. What kind of list is it? Well, "Lawrence of Arabia" finished at No. 57 while "The Empire Strikes Back" made it to No. 3 so, um, there's a slight fanboy tilt to it. Some of the other rankings: "Ben-Hur" at No. 491; "Four Weddings and a Funeral" at No. 375; "It's a Wonderful Life" at No. 195; "8 1/2"at No. 51; "Evil Dead 2" at No. 49; "The Matrix" at No. 39; "Gone With the Wind" at No. 31; "Casablanca" at No. 18; "The Dark Knight" at No. 15; "Pulp Fiction" at No. 9 and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" at No. 2. So what cinema masterpiece finished at No. 1? No, it wasn't "Goonies." Here's a hint: "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."

Anne Rice, without the fangs: The AP has a look at how author Anne Rice lost faith in vampires and found it somewhere else : "For those who haven't been paying attention lately to vampire lit, America's most famous chronicler of bloodsuckers doesn't live in New Orleans anymore -- and hasn't since before Hurricane Katrina hit -- and she's riding new waves of enthusiasm: the memoir and Christian lit. Her memoir, 'Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession,' is the latest piece of evidence that Rice is reinventing herself in an attempt to build a reputation as a serious Christian writer. In the memoir, the 67-year-old writer doesn't disavow the two decades she spent churning out books on vampires, demons and witches -- with a batch of S&M erotica thrown in -- following the breakout success of her first novel in 1976, 'Interview With the Vampire.' 'To be able to take the tools, the apprenticeship, whatever I learned from being a vampire writer, or whatever I was -- to be able to take those tools now and put them in the service of God is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful opportunity,' she said. 'And I hope I can redeem myself in that way. I hope that the Lord will accept the books I am writing now.' " [Associated Press]

Bond pays dividends: The new James Bond film "Quantum of Solace," which opens in the U.S. on Nov. 14, is breaking box-office records in England. Archie Thomas has a snapshot of the numbers, which he has written in the excrucitating language of the Hollywood trades: "Bondpic 'Quantum of Solace' got off to a lightning start on home turf Friday, taking $8 million (£4.94 million) on its first day at U.K. wickets. Socko day one haul, which was powered by lots of advance ticket sales, makes 'Solace' the biggest Friday opening of all time in the U.K. Previous Friday best was 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,' which bagged $6.5 million (£4 million). 'Casino Royale' did $4.7 million on its opening Friday but, unlike 'Solace,' it had Thursday previews." [Variety]

You're a good show, Charlie Brown: Film critic Dana Stevens has written a valentine to the "Peanuts" holidays specials: "Those specials -- at least the big three: the Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas shows that were recently released in a 'deluxe holiday collection' by Warner Bros -- have a mood unlike any animated film for children made before or since. For one thing, they're really, really slow — slow not just by our ADD-addled contemporary standards but also next to the programming of their own time. Just compare the meandering pace of 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' (in which Charlie tries, and fails, to direct a single rehearsal of a Christmas play) with the generation-spanning epic crammed into 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' (1964). But what really sets the 'Peanuts' specials apart is their sadness. Even digitally remastered, with the background colors restored to their original vivid crispness, the 'Peanuts' holiday specials have a faded quality, like artifacts from a lost civilization. As Linus observes of the wan, drooping pine sprig Charlie Brown eventually rescues from a huge lot of pink aluminum Christmas trees, 'This doesn't seem to fit the modern spirit.' " [Slate]

-- Geoff Boucher

Photos: Tom Cruise in "Interview With the Vampire" courtesy of Geffen Pictures and Warner Bros. Daniel Craig in "Quantum of Solace" courtesy of Columbia Pictures.

Christopher Nolan says his Batman doesn't play well with others

EXCLUSIVE

The director of "The Dark Knight" talks about the problems with teaming up Batman with other superheroes and also discusses the potential for an Oscar nomination for the late Heath Ledger.

This is the final installment of a three-part interview with Christopher Nolan, director of "The Dark Knight," the second-highest-grossing film in history and, by many accounts, the best superhero adaptation ever. But the London native has also shown a flair for intricate and sophisticated thrillers ("Memento," "The Prestige" and "Insomnia"), and in today's interview he makes it clear that he sees his Batman character as being separate and apart from the crowded superhero cinema of today.

GB: Chris, this summer, "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" signaled the true start of the "crossover era" in comic-book films with Marvel Studios putting an emphasis on the fact that their heroes coexist in the same world. DC and Warner Bros. may embrace a similar strategy, especially if the Justice League film project is revived. Does that concern you? Your Gotham doesn't seem suited to that.

Nolan: I don’t think our Batman, our Gotham, lends itself to that kind of cross-fertilization. It goes back to one of the first things we wrangled with when we first started putting the story together: Is this a world in which comic books already exist? Is this a world in which superheroes already exist? If you think of "Batman Begins" and you think of the philosophy of this character trying to reinvent himself as a symbol, we took the position -- we didn’t address it directly in the film, but we did take the position philosophically -- that superheroes simply don’t exist. If they did, if Bruce knew of Superman or even of comic books, then that’s a completely different decision that he’s making when he puts on a costume in an attempt to become a symbol. It’s a paradox and a conundrum, but what we did is go back to the very original concept and idea of the character. In his first appearances, he invents himself as a totally original creation.

GB: That doesn't lend itselt to having him swing on a rope across the Metropolis skyline.

Nolan: No, correct, it’s a different universe. It’s a different way of looking at it. Now, it's been done successfully, very successfully, in the comics so I don’t dispute it as an approach. It just isn’t the approach we took. We had to make a decision for "Batman Begins." 

GB: A different path...

Nolan: Yes, completely different. It would have given a very, very different meaning to what Bruce Wayne was leaving home to do and coming back home to do and putting on the costume for and all the rest. We dealt with on its own terms: What does Batman mean to Bruce Wayne, what is he trying to achieve? He has not been influenced by other superheroes. Of course, you see what we’re able to do with Joker in this film is that he is able to be quite theatrical because we set up Batman as an example of intense theatricality in Gotham. It starts to grow outward from Batman. But the premise we began with is that Batman was creating a wholly original thing. To be honest, we went even further than the comics on this point. I can’t remember at what point in the comics history the idea came about that he was a fan of Zorro as a kid. I haven’t researched that, but I don’t believe it goes back terribly far.”

Christopher Nolan revisits and analyzes his favorite scene in 'Dark Knight'

EXCLUSIVE

The "Dark Knight" director gives a deep dissection of his single favorite scene in the movie -- the gripping interrogation sequence, which (with no special effects and only bare-bones lighting) would become "the fulcrum on which the whole movie turns."

This is the second of a three-part interview with Christopher Nolan, the director of "The Dark Knight," which was released in mid-July and is now approaching $1 billion in worldwide box office. The numbers are astounding, but even more startling is the fact that the 38-year-old filmmaker captured that kind of global audience with a movie that is relentlessly dark and finds its axis in the performance of Heath Ledger as the nihilistic and sadistic Joker.

I asked the London native to pick one scene in the film that he would circle as the essential moment in the movie, either in its service to the overall story or the film's texture. He answered quickly.

Nolan: To be honest, it’s pretty easy for me. The scene that is so important and so central to me is the interrogation scene between Batman and the Joker in the film. When we were writing the script, that was always one of the central set pieces that we wanted to crack.

GB: At what point in the production schedule did you shoot it?

Nolan: On the set, we shot it fairly early on. It was actually one of the first things that Heath had to do as the Joker. He told me he was actually pretty excited to tear off a big chunk early on, really get one of the Joker’s key scenes up in the first three weeks of a seven-month shoot. He and I both liked the idea of just diving in, as did Christian [Bale, who portrayed Batman]. We had rehearsed the scene a tiny bit. We had just ripped through it a couple of times in pre-production just to get some slight feel of how it was going to work. Neither of them wanted to go too far with it in rehearsal. They had to rehearse some of the fight choreography, but even with that, we tried to keep it loose and improvisational. They wanted to save it all. We were all pretty excited to get on with a big chunk of dialogue and this big intense scene between these two iconic characters. It was quite bizarre to see Batman across the table across from the Joker [laughs]. I'm glad you asked this. You know, I could actually talk about this scene for hours.

We had a lot of time to shoot it too, because it was so early on. Quite often, as you get behind on other things and you run toward the end of the shoot, things can get very squeezed. But you tend to schedule the first few weeks very generously to give the crew and the actors and myself time to find our feet and find our pace. So we had a couple of days to do it.

GB: Can you give me a snapshot memory from those days shooting the scene?

Nolan: It was a great set built into a location. It had all of the advantages of feeling that we were in a real place. Nathan Crowley, the production designer, built these great mirrors and this long, tiled room that I really loved the look of; it had the feeling almost of an abattoir or something. That all fed into the brutality of the scene. We wanted to be very edgy, very brutal. We wanted it to be the point at which Batman is truly tested by the Joker and you see that the Joker is truly capable of getting under everybody’s skin. I’m realizing this now about that scene — I haven’t thought this through before — the synthesis of all the different elements that I’m most interested in within filmmaking all come in that scene.