Friday, April 9, 2010

MOVIE NEWS: The Losers - Cast & Crew Talk About The Production Part 2

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“We’re not soldiers anymore. We’re fugitives.”


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Despite what they are called, “The Losers” started out as anything but. Rather, they were an elite black ops unit, who were called upon for only the most perilous missions.

But in the jungles of Bolivia, while on a secret mission to eliminate a powerful drug and arms dealer, they are betrayed by a shadowy government operative named Max, who has his own reasons for wanting them eliminated…and almost succeeds.

“They’re left for dead and left taking the blame for the innocent lives that were lost on their mission,” White remarks. “Now they have to find their way back into the U.S. and redeem their names.”

Being presumed dead does have its advantages. But, although no one may be looking for them, five “dead men” can’t exactly walk back into the country without drawing unwanted attention. They need help and they find it in an unlikely source: Aisha, who is as beautiful as she is mysterious. Before they can reclaim their lives, however, they will have to deal with Max.

Each member of the team—Clay, Roque, Jensen, Pooch and Cougar—has a specialty that makes him individually strong. Together, they are unstoppable…or so they hope.

CLAY – OPERATIONAL CONTROL
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Jeffrey Dean Morgan is Clay, The Losers’ man in command, whose entire identity had been wrapped up in being a soldier. After the team is betrayed, however, he is forced not only to fight for his country and his men but also his name.

Morgan offers, “His rank is colonel and that had defined him. Without that he has to question who he is, but he still has to lead this ragtag group. The leadership thing came naturally to me. It helped that I’m older than most of the guys in this movie, so I immediately wanted to kick their butts anyway,” he deadpans.

“Clay is a hardened man, but he has a definite sense of humor and I loved the dry wit of the script,” Morgan continues. “That can be difficult for a writer to capture on the page and a tricky thing for an actor to deliver. But I’m pretty sarcastic in real life,” he smiles. “In fact, I tend to be even a little dryer than Clay, so that worked well for me in playing the part.”

Sylvain White says he was sure Morgan was the right man for the role even before he actually met him. “He pulled up on his Harley and I knew instantly he was the guy. He’s got this very cool, mature energy about him, a kind of old soul quality that makes him a born leader. Jeffrey is very likeable, very approachable, but there is also a bit of a dark edge to him, which was something he was able to layer very well into the character of Clay as he spirals down into his obsession to take revenge on Max.”

“Jeffrey is that great combination of a tough guy with a heart of gold,” adds Goldsman about the actor, who played a very different kind of soldier in “Watchmen,” the film adaptation of the acclaimed DC Comics graphic novel. “He’s handsome and rugged and can appear dangerous, but at the same time be kind and sensitive. It’s a very mercurial quality that is hard to deliver, but he absolutely did.”

JENSEN – COMMUNICATIONS & TECH
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Chris Evans plays Jensen, the team’s computer wizard, who can hack anything—or into anything—that comes his way. Even under cover on the other side of the world, he manages to keep up, via computer, with the standings of his niece’s 8-andunder soccer team, The Petunias.
“In terms of the family dynamic of the team, he is kind of the kid,” Evans admits.

“He gets into mischief and cracks jokes at inappropriate times, but he cares about this group of people and loves what he does. He’s quick with a smile and has limitless energy. I enjoy playing guys like that because you can’t help but bring some of that attitude home with you.”

“Jensen is the geek with a gun,” White laughs. “Every character has moments of comic relief, but Jensen is probably the funniest guy in the movie. Chris had a ball with that because he is a genuinely funny person and was able to bring his own natural humor to the role. He is such a great guy to be around; he was always making us laugh, and that’s basically who Jensen is.”

“Chris was a wonderful addition to ‘The Losers’ cast,” Goldsman says of Evans, who is already a favorite of comic book genre fans for his role in the “Fantastic Four” movies and has just been announced as the new “Captain America.” “He is not only a talented and appealing actor, he also has the same sort of charm as Jensen, which is very engaging.”

ROQUE – DEMO & TACTICAL
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Idris Elba plays Roque, an explosives expert, whose personal weapon of choice is a knife…the bigger the better. Roque has been Clay’s brother-in-arms for years, although Clay’s dogged determination to exact revenge on Max, at any and all costs, is now causing friction between the two old friends. “Roque is a no-nonsense type of character,” the actor observes. He’s a straight talker, very to the point. He’s an experienced soldier who’s not very emotional about the job; he just gets it done.”

White remembers, “When I first met with Idris, he told me about his ideas for how he could bring facets to the character of Roque because his story takes an unpredictable turn. He is an amazing actor; I knew he had the capacity to make his arc believable and yet surprising.”

“I liked the character of Roque, and that I had enough room to make it my own,” says Elba, who adds that there were other elements that appealed to him about the project. “The script was great—funny with a lot of larger-than-life action. And I’ve worked with Joel Silver before and am a fan of his movies, so that was another draw.”

“Idris is one of those go-to actors,” notes Silver who previously worked with the actor on “RocknRolla” and “The Reaping.” “I always know he’s going to give a great performance, no matter what the role. He can do drama, he can do comedy, he can do action, and there’s all of that in this movie. This is my third film with him, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.”

POOCH – TRANSPORTATION & HEAVY WEAPONS
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Columbus Short takes on the role of Pooch, the group’s transportation expert, who “can rig, wire, fly, drive or commandeer any vehicle, and gets to shoot some pretty sweet weapons,” states Short.

Pooch also has the most personal motivation for wanting to return home. Short explains, “Pooch’s wife is about to have their first baby, and he desperately wants to get back in time to see his child be born. It makes Pooch kind of the heart of the group and adds to the guys’ individual reasons for wanting to clear their names.”

Short’s motivations for taking the role involved both the script and the director. “The storyline was great and the writing was very clever and witty; I laughed out loud reading some of the dialogue and I loved the action,” he comments.

The actor says he also appreciated the opportunity to reunite with Sylvain White, who had directed him in “Stomp the Yard,” which marked his first leading role. “Sylvain is a very collaborative director; he gave me the freedom to discover things about my character that weren’t necessarily in the dialogue. I couldn’t imagine a better experience than working with him again on this movie.”

White states, “I knew Columbus was perfect for Pooch from the get-go; I didn’t even have to think about it. When I read the script for ‘The Losers,’ I felt that the character was the emotional anchor of the team. He’s the family man and the kind of guy you want as a friend. And Columbus has a very warm soul and this sweet innocence about him that makes you care about him the second you meet him, so I pictured him as Pooch right off the bat.”

COUGAR – LONG-RANGE ELIMINATIONS
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Spanish actor Oscar Jaenada is cast as Cougar, the unit’s crack sniper, who can hit any target with a steady hand, a cool eye and a quiet calm. “I loved playing a character who is more about sight than sound, more visual than verbal,” Jaenada offers. “Cougar may be the quiet type, but he’s always there watching out for his team. He’s the strong, silent guy in the movie.”

“Cougar is the mystery man of the crew,” says White. “I met Oscar and thought he was incredible; he has such an expressive face and an amazing presence. We needed someone who could act with his eyes, and that’s Oscar. He brought the character of Cougar to life in a way not many people could have.”

Kerry Foster emphasizes, “Oscar was such a boon to the cast. He enjoyed the idea of playing the guy who doesn’t need to speak to get his point across. He came in from Spain and wasn’t able to arrive until the day before we started shooting, and I think the other guys were sad to see him because he was clearly the coolest of the bunch,” Foster teases. “But he’s just the sweetest man and everybody loved working with him.”
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COMIC NEWS: BOOM! STUDIOS NOMINATED FOR 7 EISNER AWARDS!

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BOOM! Studios received 5 nominations with
2 shared for a total of 7 nominations
across several categories!





BOOM! Studios is proud to announce our nomination for 5 Eisner Awards with 2 shared for a total of 7 nominations in the following categories:

Best Continuing Series
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IRREDEEMABLE
By
Mark Waid
Art by Peter Krause

Best New Series
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IRREDEEMABLE
By
Mark Waid
Art by Peter Krause

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DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?
By
Phillip K. Dick
Art by Tony Parker


Best Humor Publication
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THE MUPPET SHOW COMIC BOOK:
MEET THE MUPPETS
By
Roger Langridge


Best Writer
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Mark Waid
(IRREDEEMABLE, THE INCREDIBLES)


Best Cover Artist

Shared Nominations
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John Cassaday
(IRREDEEMABLE)

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Sean Phillips
(28 DAYS LATER)


About BOOM! Studios
BOOM! Studios (www.boom-studios.com) is a unique publishing house specializing in high-profile projects across a wide variety of different genres from some of the industry's biggest talents, including Philip K. Dick's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, The Henson Company's FARSCAPE, and the original Mark Waid series IRREDEEMABLE. BOOM! recently launched its youth imprint, BOOM Kids!, with Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES, CARS, and TOY STORY, as well as Disney's THE MUPPETS, DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE and WALT DISNEY'S COMICS AND STORIES. This year, BOOM! Studios celebrates its fifth anniversary.
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COMIC NEWS: Make Yours Marvel At The Inaugural C2E2!

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Marvel takes Chicago by storm this April as the first Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, C2E2, debuts!



Marvel will be in full force to provide an exclusive look into all things Marvel (Booth #758)! No comics company can compare to what Marvel has planned because Marvel will be running a veritable cornucopia of panels that will span the three day long event. If you’re a True Believer (and we know you are) you can’t afford to miss out on these exclusive Marvel panels (all of which are conveniently located in panel room #E450)! Trust us no fan will be disappointed. Whether you’re a lifelong Marvelite, or a casual fan there will be something for you to enjoy.

Friday, April 16th

4:15 – 5:15 MARVEL: Mondo Marvel – From the Avengers to the Fantastic Four, the Ultimate line to the far reaches of the cosmos, answers to every corner of the Marvel U. and more are found here. This amazing panel with Marvel’s Editor in Chief Joe Quesada features all-stars Jonathan Hickman (FANTASTIC FOUR), Jeph Loeb (ULTIMATE X), Marjorie Liu (BLACK WIDOW), C.B. Cebulski (NATION X), Christos Gage (AVENGERS: THE INITATIVE), Daniel Way (DEADPOOL), Jim McCann (HAWKEYE & MOCKINGBIRD), Editors Alejandro Arbona, Nathan Cosby, and Vice President – Executive Editor Tom Brevoort to field your questions!

5:45 – 6:45 MARVEL: Iron Man Extremis Motion Comic World Premiere Screening - Welcome to the World Premiere of the next blockbuster Marvel Motion Comic- the story that redefined Iron Man for the 21st century- IRON MAN EXTREMIS! See Warren Ellis & Adi Granov’s blockbuster storyline brought to life as never before. Due to the mature content, this is for mature audiences and is a ticketed event. You must be 18 years old or older to attend. Senior Vice President, Development & Planning, Print, Animation and Digital Media, Ruwan Jayatilleke, Senior Vice President, Brand Planning & Communications, Mike Pasciullo, Manager of Sales Communications Arune Singh and Editor-In-Chief, Joe Quesada will be on hand to answer all your questions. To get your free ticket, swing by the Marvel booth (#758) and pick one up before the screening! Then prepare for the experience of a lifetime!

Saturday, April 17th

11:45 – 12:45 MARVEL: Women of Marvel – Celebrate the mighty super heroines and the powerhouse female creators & talent working at Marvel today! Join X-Office & Girl Comics editor Jeanine Schaefer, writer Marjorie Liu (DARK WOLVERINE), Colleen Coover (GIRL COMICS) and Assistant Editor Lauren Sankovitch as they talk about their favorite women on and off the pages, answer your questions, and provide insight on what it takes to work in comics today.

1:15 – 2:15 MARVEL: Breaking Into Comics the Marvel Way – Welcome to the House of Ideas, where the doors have never been more open to new talent than today! Talent Liaison C.B. Cebulski is joined by special guests Jeph Loeb, Jonathan Hickman, Fred Van Lente, Tom Brevoort, Daniel Way, and Mike Pasciullo to talk about what it takes to make yours Marvel as a profession, from writer to artist to editor and more! Do you have what it takes? Come find out!!

2:45 – 3:45 MARVEL: Marvel Animation - Marvel Animation producer Josh Fine and Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada will discuss future Marvel Animation shows, including Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and The Super Hero Squad Show Season 2. They will uncover never before seen imagery, discuss new and exciting information from the shows and answer questions from the audience.”

4:15 – 5:15 MARVEL: Cup O’ Joe - The can’t-miss, no-holds-barred panel that everyone will be talking about! This is YOUR time with Marvel’s Editor in Chief, Joe Quesada, as he takes on any and all of your questions. Everything is fair game! And if that weren’t enough, Chicago, he’s bring some famous friends along with him - Jeph Loeb (NEW ULTIMATES), Vice President – Executive Editor Tom Brevoort and C.B. Cebulski surprise guests to deliver some jaw-dropping—and BLOODY good—announcements, including what Joe Q. himself is working on next! This is the one panel where anything can—and WILL—happen!

Sunday, April 18th

11:45 – 12:45 MARVEL: HULKS SMASH!!! - One by one, the smarter they are, the harder they fall and the bigger they are, the harder they smash. FALL OF THE HULKS is ending, and WAR OF THE HULKS is just starting. Join the TRUE Intellegencia – Jeph Loeb, Greg Pak , Fred Van Lente and editor Nathan Cosby- the team behind the Hulk event of the decade, as they smash your puny questions and drop some surprises that will rock C2E2 to its foundation!

2:45 – 3:45 MARVEL: X-Men - The X-Men have survived Necrosha, built a Nation, created Utopia, and brought back Kitty Pryde, but there’s no time for celebration… it’s time to prepare for the final chapter! Join men behind the mutants - Daniel Way (DEADPOOL), Marjorie Liu (Dark Wolverine), Peter David (X-FACTOR), X-Editor Jeanine Schaefer and C.B. Cebulski for the dish on SECOND COMING and how it wraps up 3 years of stories and sets the stage for the next decade…and beyond!


C2E2 will be one heck of a convention True Believers! So, do yourself a favor, head on over to the Lakeside Center at McCormick Place April 16th to the 18th. You really don’t want to miss out on the fantastic line up of superstar talent, exciting panels, and loads of top secret information that Marvel will be dishing up at C2E2!

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Marvel Entertainment, LLC. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 5,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in licensing, entertainment (via Marvel Studios and Marvel Animation) and publishing (via Marvel Comics). Marvel's strategy is to leverage its franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the world, including feature films, consumer products, toys, video games, animated television, direct-to-DVD and online. For more information visit www.marvel.com.
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TV NEWS: Supernatural clips for the 100th episode!

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Next week is the big 100th episode on Supernatural! You won’t want to miss it. Check out these awesome clips and tell everyone you know to tune in!



100th EPISODE
“SUPERNATURAL” — (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET)
“Point of No Return” (TV-14, LV) (HDTV)

SUPERNATURAL’S 100TH EPISODE STUNS WITH AN OLD FRIEND AND A SACRIFICE — Dean (Jensen Ackles) begins to think the only way to stop Lucifer is to say yes to Michael, but the angels decide they don’t need him anymore. Dean, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Castiel (Misha Collins) are horrified at the angels’ new game plan and take on Zachariah (guest star Kurt Fuller) to prevent an all out war on Earth. Meanwhile, a familiar face returns. Phil Sgrricia directed the episode written by Jeremy Carver (#518).

Supernatural airs Thursdays at 9pm EST on The CW.

Supernatural Trailer - 100th Episode


Supernatural Trailer - Point of No Return


Supernatural Webclip - Point of No Return
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TOY NEWS: Hot Toys - Clash of the Titans: 1/6th scale Perseus Collectible Figure

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Hot Toys is proud to present the 1/6th scale Perseus collectible figure from the Clash of the Titans movie. The highly detailed Perseus collectible is specially crafted based on the image of Sam Worthington in the movie, highlighting the newly sculpted head, muscular arms and legs, highly-detailed armors and weapons, as well as Medusa’s head as accessory.


The 1/6th scale Perseus collectible figure specially features:
- Newly sculpted head with authentic likeness of Sam Worthington as Perseus in the movie Clash of the Titans
- Approximately 30 cm tall
- Over 30 points of articulations
- Movie-accurate facial expression with detailed wrinkles and skin texture
- Real-like hair sculpture
- Movie-accurate scar on neck
- TrueType body with muscular arms and newly developed rubber legs showing detailed muscular lines and texture
- Two (2) pairs of interchangeable palms:
- + One (1) pair of open palms
- + One (1) pair of relaxed palms
- Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted

Armor and costume:
- One (1) piece of metal-like chest armor
- One (1) pair of metal-like arm armors
- One (1) pair of gladiator sandals with one (1) pair of metal-like shin armors
- Flannelette-like under tee
- Leather-like under skirt with belt

Weapons:
- Metal-like sword and shield

Accessories:
- Newly sculpted Medusa’s head
- Leather-like bag
- Extendable figure stand with Perseus nameplate and movie logo

Artists:
On Perseus:
- Head Sculpted by Kojun
- Head Painted by JC. Hong
- Head Art Directed by JC. Hong

On Medusa:
- Head Sculpted by Joseph Tsang
- Head Painted by Joseph Tsang
- Head Art Directed by Joseph Tsang

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**Prototype shown, final product may be slightly different

Release date: Q3, 2010

TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.
(s10)
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COMIC NEWS: WE ARE THE X-MEN

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Find out more during Marvel’s X-Men panel at the inaugural C2E2 expo on Sunday, April 18.at 2:45pm.

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Marvel Entertainment, LLC. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 5,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in licensing, entertainment (via Marvel Studios and Marvel Animation) and publishing (via Marvel Comics). Marvel's strategy is to leverage its franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the world, including feature films, consumer products, toys, video games, animated television, direct-to-DVD and online. For more information visit www.marvel.com.
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COMIC NEWS: Diamond Announces Top Products for March 2010

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DC Comics' Blackest Night Concluded Its Run With March's Best-Selling Comic Book



Blackest Night #8, the concluding issue of DC Comics' cosmic crossover event, joined its seven preceding issues as the number one comic book atop the sales charts in its month of release, giving the publisher the best-selling comic book in March 2010, based upon total unit sales to comic book specialty shops, according to Diamond Comic Distributors.

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Coming in second for the month was Marvel Comics' Siege #3, the latest chapter of their Avengers crossover and the culmination of long-running story arcs, which helped Marvel Comics take the top publisher spot in March with the company leading in both the Unit Market and Dollar Shares categories, for a 47.12% Unit Market Share and a 41.94% Dollar Share for the month.

Kick-Ass, the creator-owned book from Marvel Comics' Icon imprint by creators Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr., and soon to be a motion picture from Lionsgate and director Matthew Vaughn (Stardust), was the best-selling graphic novel to comic book specialty shops in March.

Medicom's line of figures based on Tim Burton's new film gave the manufacturer the best-selling Toy product to comics specialty retailers with the Alice In Wonderland: Mad Hatter RAH (Real Action Hero) Figure, featuring a design based on Johnny Depp's performance from the film. The latest expansion of Pokémon USA's long-running card game, Pokémon TCG: Heartgold and Soulsilver Booster Packs, gave the publisher the best-selling game product to specialty retailers for the month.

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How does Diamond calculate the charts? It all starts at the comic book shop.

Data for Diamond’s sales charts — which include the monthly market shares and all top product charts — are compiled by Diamond Comic Distributors from a universe of over 3,500 comic book specialty shops located in North America and around the world. The account base includes brick-and-mortar comic book specialty shops, Internet merchants, and other specialty stores.

Unit and dollars sales are calculated based upon orders invoiced and shipped to Diamond accounts during any given month, which comprises initial pre-orders, advance reorders, and reorders, minus any copies that are received back from a title marked as returnable.

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ABOUT DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS—the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and pop-culture related merchandise, Diamond is based in Baltimore, MD, and services more than 3,500 specialty retailers worldwide. For more information, visit Diamond on the web at www.diamondcomics.com.

© 2010 Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. All rights reserved. Diamond, the Diamond logo, Diamond Books logo, and PREVIEWS are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Diamond Comic Distributors in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective copyright owners.
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MOVIE NEWS: New Iron Man 2 Pictures

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Paramount Studios has released three new stills from "Iron Man 2,


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