POE PARTIES!!!!

It’s going to be a happy new year for fans and fanatics of the great morbid and macbre writer Edgar Allan Poe.

January 19, 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of his birth and at least five cities will be having year long activities to celebrate the writer of “The Pit and the Pendulum”, “The Gold Bug” and “The Raven”.

Boston, where Poe was born, has had little more than a plaque to commemorate the man, but will be making up for lost time with events as will Richmond, Virginia, where Poe grew up. There, the Poe museum will remain open for 24 hours on his birthday and Baltimore will honor the 150th anniversary of his death in October with the staging of a Poe’s funeral procession and burial, using an imitation of his dead body which will be on view prior to the ceremony. Since Poe died mysteriously and buried hastily, this one will give the great American literary genius, the send off he deserved.

Kicking this all of will be the release of a new Poe postage stamp in January. Poe was last honored with a US stamp in 1947. Get ‘em while their hot. They will be perfect for mailing your Halloween cards in October.

DVD OF THE WEEK: TEETH

Teeth needs to be seen to be believed. Teeth is a movie about "vagina dentata," a toothed vagina that castrates men during sex. Jess Weixler is Dawn, a ring-bearing member of her high school's Promise Club and preaches abstinence to her classmates. With a permanent smile on her face, Dawn lives with a sick mother and a twisted step brother. Everything is fine until she goes swimming with a fellow chastity pledge (Hale Appleman), who loses his resolve and penis after he's overcome by hormones and attempts to rape Dawn.

Terrified, Dawn flees and is horrified to discover her vagina is equipped with sharklike teeth. Her gynecologist loses several fingers in the process of confirming this discovery. To divulge much more about the plot would spoil the twists and jolts that Teeth offers.

Part horror and part comedy, Teeth is campy, shameless and fun. Mitchell Lichtenstein's debut film is bold, original and guaranteed to make you smile. Now flash those chompers!

Trivia: Filmmaker Mitchell Lichtenstein is the son of artist, Roy Lichtenstein.

NO NEED FOR THE USHER

A man was shot because his family was talking during a movie.

A South Philadelphia man enraged because a father and son were talking during a Christmas showing of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button took care of the situation when he pulled a .380-caliber gun and shot the father, police said.

Police were called to the Riverview Theatre in the 1400 block of Columbus Boulevard about 9:30 p.m. where the gunshot victim, a Philadelphia man who was not identified, told police a man sitting near him told his family to be quiet and threw popcorn at his son.

After exchanging words, Vanore said Cialella allegedly got out of his seat to confront the family when the father got up to protect them. That's when the victim was shot once in the left arm, sending others in the theatre running to safety.

And here's the best part:

Cialella then sat down to watch the movie. Police arrived a short time later and arrested Cialella and confiscated his weapon, Vanore said.

To quote Chris Rock, "I don't agree with it but I understand."

Link

THE UNITED STATES OF TARA FREE

Showtime has released the debut episode of The United States of Tara online. Click here and enter the password "tara" to watch the first episode free.

A woman (Toni Collette) struggles to find a balance between her multiple personality disorder and raising a dysfunctional family. The United States of Tara premieres on January 18th 2009.

PIN-UP OF THE WEEK

Beauty On The Beach

EARTHA KITT DIES AT 81

Batman's Catwoman, Eartha Kitt, passed away Christmas Day from colon cancer.

Kitt was the sexy Catwoman on the popular "Batman" TV series in 1967-68, replacing Julie Newmar, who originated the role. A guest appearance on an episode of "I Spy" brought her an Emmy nomination in 1966.

Kitt was 81 years old.

Link

HAVE A ROCKIN' CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!

Show some Christmas cheer like Henrietta and Merna!

COVER OF THE WEEK

She-Hulk, #36, Marvel Comics

LET'S HAVE A PATRICK SWAYZE CHRISTMAS

This could be the Swayze-est Christmas of them all.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, IF THAT'S OKAY

From the Satellite of Love.

PIN-UP OF THE WEEK

Lovely Color by Theda & Emerson Hall

FREE LONE RANGER

Comic Book Resources has a full issue of issue of The Lone Ranger online to celebrate Dynamite Entertainment's release The Lone Ranger Vol. 2: No Lines Crossed hardcover collection. Click here and start reading!

TREE MAN'S BRANCHES GROW BACK

Dede Koswara, the Tree Man of Java, had 14 pounds of warts removed from his hands and feet. After being discharged from the hospital, Dede showed his ability to grip a pen. However, he's suffered a setback as the bark-like warts have began to grow back, closing up the gaps between his digits leaving him unable to carry out basic tasks.

Dede's plight came to the attention of the world last year after Telegraph.co.uk reported on an American doctor who claimed to have identified his condition, and proposed a treatment that could transform his life.

The tree-like welts covering his body were caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which defects in Dede's immune system left him unable to fight, according to Dr Anthony Gaspari of the University of Maryland.

After the publicity generated by the article and a television documentary, the Indonesian government intervened to fast-track his treatment.

Dede went under the knife for his first operation in January. When Telegraph.com.uk spoke to him in hospital in March he described the pleasure of being able to walk without pain for the first time in 20 years.

He also expressed his hopes for the future. "What I really want first is to get better and find a job. But then, one day, who knows? I might meet a girl and get married," he said.

After surgery, the doctors warned him the warts may return but his condition is no longer life threatening.

Link

DVD OF THE WEEK: DONNIE DARKO

Donnie Darko is not easy to categorize, it's part sci-fi, part drama, part dark comedy, part horror, part coming-of-age and part satire of the American life while featuring a very scary bunny rabbit. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the titular hero, a schezophrenic teenager who meets said rabbit and is told the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 6 seconds. While out sleepwalking, his bedroom is destroyed by a jetliner's engine crashing through the roof, avoiding a certain death. Meanwhile, Donnie befriends Gretchen (Jena Malone), the new girl at school and begins a quest for time travel, a search for God and an understanding of Frank, the giant bunny rabbit. To write more about the plot would spoil many of the surprises and twists of the film. Richard Kelly, directing his own script, swings for the fences on his directorial debut and knocks it out of the park. Donnie Darko is unique, bizare, mind-bending, refreshingly original and utterly brilliant.

Trivia: The movie was shot in 28 days, exactly the time-span of the movie itself, on a budget of under $5 million dollars.

FREE JUNGLE GIRL

Comic Book Resources is giving you the chance to read a full issue of Dynamite Entertainment's Jungle Girl online to celebrate the upcoming hardcover collection.

Dynamite proudly presents "Frank Cho's Jungle Girl"!

Overseen by co-writer and artist Frank Cho and infused the issue with everything Cho fans want to see - beautiful women, thrilling adventures, and, of course, dinosaurs, Jungle Girl also features Co-writer Doug (Red Sonja: QUEEN OF THE FROZEN, The 'Nam) Murray who's along for the ride as is series artist Adriano (NBSG: ZAREK, Red Sonja) Batista as they bring the Jungle Girl to life!

Jana the Jungle Girl races to save a group of intruders into this strange land - a land filled with dinosaurs, prehistoric men and much, much more! Each issue reveals more clues about the nature of Jana, and of the island itself, with each thrilling twist and turn overseen by Frank Cho, along with Doug Murray and artist Adriano Batista!

Click here to start reading!

GRINDERGIRL

Combustible Kiva, aka Grindergirl is "pin-up girl meets superhero meets metal shop". A performance artist who can walk on glass and is a "Grindergirl", snake charmer and can really use a bullwhip. Her appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman left Paul Shaffer asking for more with Letterman exclaiming, "it's unusual, it's odd, it's perplexing and it's wrong but you can't stop watching!" Grindergirl has been featured on several television programs, including The Discovery Channel, MTV, CNN News, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Geraldo and Nightline. You can see more of Grindergirl at her website.

SEXIST DAREDEVIL

Click the image to see it in bigger ass-slapping detail!

BUCK TO THE FUTURE

Say it isn't so. Odd Lot Entertainment, the production company behind The Spirit, wants Frank Miller to direct a big-screen adaptation of sci-fi adventurer, Buck Rogers.

Miller will write and direct his own big-screen take on the comic serial; while the creator has only begun to sketch ideas, it's expected to be a darker take, with many of Miller's signature visual elements and themes, such as corruption and redemption.

This news is surprising since early screenings of The Spirit are horrible, with one report of it being worse than Battlefield Earth.

You can read the entire story here.

FOOT IN BRAIN

A pediatric brain surgeon was surprised to find a foot growing in the brain of 3-day-old, Sam Esquibel.

"The foot literally popped out of the brain," Grabb told TheDenverChannel Wednesday.

The appendage threatened the newborn's life.When Grabb performed the life-saving surgery at Memorial Hospital for Children in Colorado Springs, he was in for another surprise: he also found what appeared to be parts of an intestine in the folds of the infant's tiny brain, in addition to another developing foot, hand and thigh.

"I've never seen anything like it before," Grabb told the Colorado Springs Gazette. "It looked like the breach delivery of a baby coming out of the brain."

The reason for the strange growth was not clear at first. It was thought to be a teratoma -- a congenital brain tumor composed of foreign tissue such as muscle, hair or teeth -- or a fetus in fetu, which is a developmental abnormality in which a fetal twin begins to form within the other.

Little Sam is expected to do well but will be monitored in case the brain tumor returns.

To read the full story, including news video and a graphic photo, click here.

SWOOSIE KURTZ TALKS PUSHING DAISIES

I became a Swoosie Kurtz fan when I first saw her in the film, True Stories, as Miss Rollings, a woman who's so rich, she doesn't get out of bed. TV Guide Broadband sat down with Swoosie to discuss her role as the one-eyed agoraphobic ex-synchonized swimmer, Lily Charles, in the now cancelled, Pushing Daisies. Believe me when I say, Pushing Daisies was possibly the most creative show ever to air on television. And it's not to late to try to save the show. Click here to sign the Save Pushing Daisies Petition and save us all from more reality television programming.

21 GRAMS FREE

21 Grams is available to watch free on Hulu. Directed by Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, 21 Grams is the story of a freak accident bringing together a critically ill mathematician (Sean Penn), a grieving mother (Naomi Watts) and a born-again ex-con (Benicio Del Toro). While not nearly as good as his previous film (and one of my favorite movies), Amores Perros, 21 Grams is certainly worth checking out. And at this price, how can you say no?

GREEN LANTERN GREEN LIGHT

Alan Horn, president of Warner Bros spoke to the folks at Collider and confirmed a Green Lantern movie is on its way.

When asked what he thinks the next superhero property might be from Warner Bros, he says, "I think Green Lantern is probably the best guess but I can't promise it at this moment."

He also stated the studio is anxious for a new Superman film but still no plans on a Justice League movie.

To watch the exclusive interview or read the transcript, check out the Collider website.

MAJEL BARRET RODDENBERRY DIES AT 76

Majel Barret Roddenberry, widow of Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry, passed away today from leukemia at age 76.

Appearing on the original version of the show, Majel played small roles and was the voice of the ship's computer.

Roddenberry was involved in the "Star Trek" universe for more than four decades. She played the dark-haired Number One in the original pilot but metamorphosed into the blond, miniskirted Nurse Christine Chapel in the original 1966-69 show. She had smaller roles in all five of its television successors and many of the Star Trek movie incarnations, although she had little involvement in the productions.

Often referred to as "the first lady of Star Trek", Majel nurtured the legacy of the series and attended Star Trek conventions.

She recently reprised her role as the voice of the Starship Enterprise's computer in JJ Abrams' upcoming film, Star Trek.

Link

THE MEASURE OF A MAN

It is the holiday season and I, as much as anyone, tend to get so caught up in the activities and pressures of this time that I tend to forget those whose lives are less fortunate than my own.

This weekend, while my wife and young niece were in the bathroom at a local movie theater, I wandered down a dark hallway where a few kids were hanging out and saw something that jarred me to my core. I’m 53 years old and have seen a lot of things in my life, but my heart fell at this sight.

Perhaps not fully grasping the situation or maybe just hoping that what I saw was not real, I rushed home to the internet to better understand what was going on in my own neighborhood.

It was not a joke and it was absolutely true. In February of next year, Steve Martin will appear again in a Pink Panther movie. I had hoped it was just another quick-money independent feature like Sean Connery’s last gasp as Bond in “Never Say Never Again”, but both MGM and Columbia Pictures seem to be involved and it is almost certain that this will be used as evidence against giving Hollywood a much needed bailout when they go to Capital Hill next year.

True, those obscenely high paid executives did everything they could to make the best of the situation and upon reflection, I don’t know what else they could have done. They sent Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel’s original script into countless rewrites by someone who had been an on-set assistant to Robert DeNiro on a previous film (yes, THE Howard H. Weber), they also nailed down a young director who could navigate the complicated spy-comedy genre (Harald Zwart of “Agent Cody Banks”), signed on a Bollywood actress and even gave Blake Edwards a cameo walk on. Then they tinkered endlessly with the title, torn between “The Next Pink Panther” and “The Pink Panther Deux” (you know how funny the title “Hot Shots! Part Deux” once was), before finally settling on the edgy, “The Pink Panther 2”.

So this holiday season, while you are working overtime at a thankless job or tolerating a blow hard boss at the office Christmas party, remember that you have something that Steve Martin, John Cleese and most of Hollywood do not have - dignity and a deep sense of what is right and what is wrong.

You can go home to your wife and not lie to her about what you did today. You fixed someone’s computer, installed a radio in some guy’s car or cleaned someone’s dirty clothes. You contributed something of value that will not hurt the world or the people who live in it and you do not ever need to feel ashamed of who you are.

Merry Christmas and God help us everyone.

COVER OF THE WEEK

X-Factor, #38, Marvel Comics

BARBIE 1 - BRATZ 0

Get ‘em while their hot! Those tarted up streetwalkers are headed for the paddywagon and destined to be the next big ebay collectible.

Last week, U. S. District Judge Stephen Larson ordered a halt to the sales of the best selling Bratz doll line, starting February 11, 2009. The 40 doll collection, along with ancillary lunchboxes, greeting cards, TV series and other spin offs are to be destroyed along with the original molds and matrices.

Mattel, makers of the best selling Barbie since 1959, proved in court that Bratz designer Carter Bryant was a former Mattel employee and created the Bratz idea while on their payroll. The Bratz doll was an immediate success since 2001 and unseated Barbie as the number one selling doll.

Larson is the same judge who earlier this year restored the property rights of “Superman” to the heirs of co-creator Jerry Siegel

MGA, distributor of Bratz, could still file a countersuit or renegotiate a shared royalty deal with Mattel, but as of now, the Bratz doll’s opportunity to work the streets is coming to a close.

While Bratz's gobbling up the market share of the doll market may have prompted Mattel Corporation to file suit, insiders say the real war between Barbie and the Bratz dolls reached an all time high last year when Barbie caught Ken looking at the Bratz website late at night.

GOD OF WAR 3 NEW TRAILER

Sony has released a new trailer for the upcoming video game, God of War III. I'm a big fan of Kratos and the God of War series, although the second game was very light on story. Still, the game play was top notch and the continuation of this series is why a PS3 is at the top of my Christmas list.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION FAN ADS

These two fan "For Your Consideration" advertisements are making their way around the internet, pushing for Heath Ledger's nomination for Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight. Now if they only had a Best Growling Actor catagory, Christian Bale would be a shoo-in.

BREAKING BAD ON DVD

Breaking Bad is coming to DVD February 24, 2009. Breaking Bad is AMC's drama about a high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston), who finds out he has terminal cancer. He decides to become a drug dealer, making crystal meth with a former student, Jesse (Aaron Paul), to help support his wife and cerebral palsy-afflicted son. Breaking Bad is sharp, funny and heartbreaking with twists you never see coming.

You can pre-order the first season here.

Trivia: The actor who portrays Walter Jr. in the series, RJ Mitte, actually has cerebral palsy like his character on the show.

BRAIDS OF STEEL

Rani Manchi, a young girl from India, pulled an empty bus with her hair. This isn't Rani's first stunt, she previously pulled a handcart, jeep and mini-truck using her long hair.

"I want to tell all the young girls to bring out their hidden talents in front of the public. The people of this country will only recognize you when you make up your mind to do something extraordinary."

TWILIGHT REMAKE ANNOUNCED

Paramount Pictures has just picked up the remake rights for the 2009 hit, “Twilight” and has signed Stephen Norrington to helm the project which will star the Jonas Brothers.

“When you think about it,” said Norrington, “by the time the DVD hits the stores in February and has it’s four week run, there will be a whole new demographic who hadn’t seen it. Plus, I think we can really add a depth that will surprise audiences.”

The Jonas Brothers are slated to play the role of the reluctant vampire, Edward Cullen, showing the three conflicted parts of his lovelorn personality. “It’s an opportunity to explore the struggles of the gay community” said Norrington, “because Edward didn’t choose the vampire lifestyle, yet he is rejected by society for being different”.

In other news, a second remake of “The Day The Earth Stood Still” is in the offering for next year. While the 1950’s version dealt with aliens threatening to destroy the world population until we are able to live without war and the second had to do with not polluting the planet, the third will confront earth for the senseless killing of chickens for fast food restaurants. Tom Cruise has expressed interest.

ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN

Today in history, composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany in 1770. I can't think of a better way to honor his birthday than with a little Chuck Berry.

THE CROW REMAKE

We dodged a bullet with the Near Dark remake being cancelled, but that won't stop Hollywood from beating a dead horse, or actor in this case. Variety reports a remake of The Crow is in the works. And it's going to be directed by Stephen Norrington, the director of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Blade.

For Norrington, “The Crow” deal marks the end of a long screen sabbatical. After making his breakthrough with the Marvel Comics hero “Blade,” Norrington took on a big-budget comic transfer with “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.” Neither the director nor his star, Sean Connery, has made a film since. (Thank God!)

Norrington resolved to focus on independent projects, and sparked to an approach on “The Crow” from Relativity production chief Tucker Tooley and Pressman. Norrington had a relationship with Pressman when they came close to making Mutant Chronicles several years ago. Both embraced Norrington’s vision of the antihero, which Norrington said will be different than the film Proyas made.

“Whereas Proyas’ original was gloriously gothic and stylized, the new movie will be realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style,” Norrington told Daily Variety.

I couldn't think of a worse idea than remaking The Crow with this hack. No, wait, I forgot about The Three Stooges remake by the Farrelly brothers. Okay, this is the second worst idea.

Trivia: Cameron Diaz was offered the part of Shelly in The Crow, but turned it down because she didn't like the script.

NEAR DARK REMAKE DEAD

Looks like something good came out of the Twilight movie after all. Actually, two things. First I didn't have to see the movie and second, the film killed the remake of a 1987 cult favorite, Near Dark. Michael Bay's company, Platinum Dunes, was working on an updated version of Kathryn Bigelow's, Near Dark, which is part western and part horror movie.

“Near Dark is probably not going to happen,” he confirmed, talking exclusively to Empire. “I think that Twilight was the same type of thing we were going for although Near Dark was a much darker, sexier, rated R version of that. But I’m concerned that, conceptually, that Near Dark and Twilight are too similar in terms of a vampire movie. For now, that movie is on hold.”

This seems odd given Hollywood's history of copycat films trying to cash in on any previous hit movie.

Link

FROM MONSTERS TO MIRACLES

The US National Library of Medicine, History of Medicine has an online exhibit, From 'Monsters' to Medical Miracles: Selected moments in the history of conjoined twins from medieval to modern times. Click here to see more.

STAR TREK BANNER

Paramount has released a new banner featuring the crew of Star Trek. Click the photo above the image in higher resolution.

MTV talked to director JJ Abrams about the humor in the movie and Leonard Nimoy's appearance in the film.

MTV: Having been fortunate enough to view a few scenes recently, do you think fans will be surprised by the amount of humor in the film? [Editor's note: In one sequence, an allergic reaction to medication results in massive swelling of Kirk's hands and face ... think "Nutty Professor."]

Abrams: It's funny, because when you see a quarter of something or less, it's easy to draw conclusions about what the whole thing is. The thing with the hands is probably the most extreme sort of borderline-silly thing that happens in the movie. But the humor in the movie is constant within the wit of the characters. And I think when you look at the original "Star Trek" show, there was actually a great deal of humor.

MTV: We've seen Nimoy delivering his classic "Live long and prosper" line in the trailer. Is he fundamental to the story line, or is it more or less a glorified cameo?

Abrams: No, it's no cameo. He's in the movie, and his role is critical. I always think "cameo" feels like a role that the movie could exist without. This is critical, emotional and also a story element.

I'm not a JJ Abrams fan but the trailer does look good and it's long overdue for a new Star Trek movie.

WOLVERINE TRAILER

20th Century Fox has released the trailer for the upcoming film, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This is either going to be very good or very, very bad. It's looking like too many mutants with Gambit and the Blob just looking silly.

INSANE FOR SANTA

Looking for that perfect seasonal Santa Claus picture for your MySpace of Facebook profile picture? Check out http://www.hembeck.com/More/SantaHeads.htm at Hembeck's Comic Strips.

From Jack Kirby and Archie to Gahan Wilson and Don Martin, all of the classic to the comic Santas are here. Some pretty obscure ones like Herbie and the Don Post Frankenstein mask from the cover of "Monster World".

DVD OF THE WEEK: THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE

In honor of Bettie Page passing away last week, I thougt it would only be appropriate to choose The Notorious Bettie Page as this week's DVD of the Week. Gretchen Mol plays the famous model, from her early days in Tennessee to her 1950's heyday, when her bondage photos became the focus of Senator Estes Kefauver's investigation into the pornography industry. Gretchen Mol gives a breakout performance, capturing the spirit and innocence of Bettie, comfortable with her nakedness and oblivious to the puritanical atomosphere of the time. Mol is Bettie Page, pure and simple. The movie paints Bettie's life in large strokes, glossing over some aspects of her life but never fails to capture the charisma and Southern charm of the titular pin-up. Mol is left to carry the movie and she does with ease. This could be the sweetest movie about pornography ever made.

PIN-UP OF THE WEEK

Let's Go For A Dip Photo by Free Lance Photographers Guild, Inc.

WHITEOUT PHOTOS

Warner Bros has released two new photos of the upcoming film, Whiteout. Based on the graphic novel of the same name, Whiteout is the story of Carrie Stetko, a lone U.S. Marshal assigned to Antarctica. The first murder on the continent draws her into a shocking mystery. With only three days before the six-month winter settles in, Carrie must solve the crime before Antarctica is plunged into darkness and she is stranded with the killer.

Whiteout stars Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht and Tom Skerritt and is directed by Dominic Sena.

KENNETH BRANAGH TALKS THOR

MTV sat down with actor/director Kenneth Branagh to discuss his new film, Thor.

“I am directing “Thor” or “The Mighty Thor’ as you might like to call it,” he said with a smile before clarifying what the title of the film will be. “I think it will be ‘Thor’.”

He went on to say, “there’s science fiction and science fact and fantasy all woven into one. It’s based on Norse legends which Marvel sort of raided in a brilliant way."

As for casting, Branagh is not saying who will play the titular hero. “There’s been lots of talk [about casting] — I sound like a politician — but we are too early at this stage. We’re getting the story and the visual effects together and all of that is very exciting. Someone sensational is going to play the part but it is early days.”

I'd like to be excited about this film but all I can think of is another one of Kenneth Branagh's films, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Sigh.

MARVEL MEETS CLERKS

Two nerdy tastes that taste great together!

INSPIRATIONAL SPEECH

I love movies and given the right film, I can be a real sucker for an inspirational speech. Matthew Belinkie, "a writer/producer in New York City who watches too many movies", does too and put together 40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes. I love how he cut this together and makes it all one long speech.

Shame on you. This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you’re going to let it be the worst. And I guarantee a week won’t go by in your life you won’t regret walking out, letting them get the best of you. Well, I’m not going home. We’ve come too far! And I’m going to stay right here and fight for this lost cause. A day may come when the courage of men fails… but it is not THIS day. The line must be drawn HERE. This far, no further! I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. You’re going to work harder than you ever worked before. But that’s fine, we’ll just get tougher with it! If a person grits his teeth and shows real determination, failure is not an option. That’s how winning is done! Believe me when I say we can break this army here, and win just one for the Gipper. But I say to you what every warrior has known since the beginning of time: you’ve got to get mad. I mean plum mad dog mean. If you would be free men, then you must fight to fulfill that promise! Let us cut out their living guts one inch at a time, and they will know what we can do! Let no man forget how menacing we are. We are lions! You’re like a big bear, man! This is YOUR time! Seize the day, never surrender, victory or death… that’s the Chicago Way! Who’s with me? Clap! Clap! Don’t let Tink die! Clap! Alright! Let’s fly! And gentlemen in England now abed shall know my name is the Lord when I tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our Independence Day!

Click here to see Matthew Belinkie's YouTube channel or visit his website, overthinkingit.

WORLD'S MOST TATTOOED SENIOR WOMAN

Remember the tattooed woman in the circus? I doubt if any of them had as many tattoos as Isobel Varley, Guinness Worlds' Records Most Tattooed Senior Woman. Nearly every square inch of her body is covered in tattoos, including her most intimate area. Her favorite tattoo is a group of tigers on her stomach. In 2006, Varley shaved her head in order to have her entire scalp covered with tattoos, with the back of her head featuring large penises. At the present time, the only areas of her body not completely tattooed, is her face, the soles of her feet, ears and some areas on her hands.

"Although I now have some tattooing on my forehead and beside my eyes, I do not expect to fully cover my face. However, I recognise that the pressure is there to go further and I am aware that frequently over the years I have imposed limits on how far I would go. Then, later I have relaxed these limits, so I just don’t know for certain what the future holds as I am definitely addicted to tattooing."

To see more (and I do mean more) of Isobel, check out her website.

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2009 SNEAK PEEK

Newsarama has an advance look at the comic books offered for Free Comic Book Day on May 2, 2009. Click here for your sneak peek.

HULA HOOP GIRL

Sandra Sommerville goes by the name SaFire and is a self-proclaimed "jane of all trades", performing with hula hoops and fire, as well being an artist, motivational speaker and teacher. She is amazing. Just watch the clip below if you don't believe me.

"You're going to get hurt in life. There's no avoiding it. If you cross the road there's a chance you could get hit by a car but if the fact that you might get hurt makes you too scared to cross the road, you'll feel really silly when you see the chicken do it."

Check out her YouTube channel or her website to see more.

JENA CARPENTER, CIRCUS ARTS PERFORMER

Jena Carpenter, aerialist, acrobat and contortionist, has been performing professionally since 2001 and has appeared in a number of television projects and music videos. She founded Beautiful Freak Entertainment "with a goal of creating unique beautiful acts and characters, both in the air and on the ground to bring magic to every event and avenue."

"We want to bring the magic of circus everywhere we go and draw people into our world of dreams and ideas where anything is possible. We use the language of performance to illustrate concepts such as cooperation, trust, teamwork, achievement, harmony, balance, and to create an entire atmosphere of colorful, flexible, graceful, and beautifully sculptural atmospheric characters. We can provide half hour or hour long shows, or provide sets of atmosphere throughout the evening."

To learn more about Jena, take her class or watch her in action, check out her website.

ELEKTRA COSPLAY GALLERY

Elektra brought to life. Click here.

JAMES BOND FUTURE

Collider interviewed Daniel Craig about the future of the James Bond films. When asked if the next film would finish the Vesper Revenge trilogy, Craig said, "no f*cking way. I'm done with that story."

He went on to say, "we've finished this story as far as I'm concerned. We've got a great set of bad guys. There is an organization that we can use whenever we want to. The relationship between Bond and M is secure and Felix is secure. Let's try and find where Moneypenny came from and where Q comes from. Let's do all that and have some fun with it."

Personally, I couldn't think of a worse idea. The reasons the last two movies worked so well was because the movies were more realistic and void of silly gadgets. Casino Royale was the first James Bond movie I ever enjoyed.

Trivia: Casino Royale was the first James Bond movie to start without the famous gun barrel intro. It occurs later in the film.

X-MEN ORIGINS: MAGNETO UPDATE

JoBlo interviewed David Goyer, writer of X-Men Origins: Magneto. X-Men Origins: Magneto was announced before X-Men Origins: Wolverine but apparently Fox is waiting to see the response how fans react to the new Wolverine movie.

Is X-MEN ORIGINS: MAGNETO happening soon for you? That is waiting on WOLVERINE opening. You know, Fox is just waiting to see… I think they are curious as to what is the appetite of the spin off movie...

I read that your X-Men begins in the concentration camp. That was sort of the transformative moment for [Magneto] so there is no way you can't involve that. But the bulk of the movie takes place around 1961-1962.

Will it delve into what we have seen in the last three films? Well it takes place before all of that. The movie is really about the friendship between Charles and Eric.

Here's hoping the Magneto movie happens along with a new X-Men film. X-Men: The Last Stand wasn't received well with fans, mainly because of an intense hatred of director Brett Ratner, but I loved it and thought it was far superior to the first film. It was just like the comic books and even had the famous "fast ball special" with Colossus throwing Wolverine.

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET REBOOT

ShockTilYouDrop has confirmed the Michael Bay production of a new Nightmare on Elm Street reboot is a go at Warner Bros, with shooting to begin in spring of 2009. Warner Bros gave the green light based on the great response to the new Friday the 13th reboot test screenings.

"It's not Freddy cracking jokes. We want to make a horrifying movie. The concept is so scary, don't fall asleep or you'll die. This guy gets you when you're most vulnerable, in your sleep. We love that. That's the basis of the movie. It'll be most similar to the first one but in terms of kills and dreams we'll borrow from the entire series."

But Robert Englund won't be wearing the famous red and green sweater this time around. Freddy Krueger will be recast with Englund making a cameo in the new film.

REMEMBERING BETTIE PAGE

BETTIE PAGE DIES AT 85

Bettie Page, '50's model and pin-up icon, has passed away today at age 85. She never regained consciousness after her heart attack nine days ago. Previously, Page had been hospitalized for pneumonia for three weeks and was about to be released when she suffered a heart attack December 2. A private funeral service and burial will be held Tuesday, December 16.

As the model who many have argued raised cheesecake to an art, Page combined exuberant, wide-eyed innocence with confident, sometimes aggressive sexuality. VANITY FAIR praised the playfully seductive Page as “our Uber-pin-up.” The NEW YORK TIMES has declared that today “her star shines more brightly than it did in her brief heyday from 1950 to 1957.” PLAYBOY immortalized Page as one of its inaugural centerfolds and recently named her “the model of the century, yet she remains one of its best kept secrets.” In a recent TVGuide.com poll, Bettie Page was voted the “ultimate sex goddess,” outscoring others such as Marilyn Monroe.

America has lost a real treasure and the sweetest smile ever photographed.

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