Blog - Page 608 of 631 -

(Our good friend, and diehard wrestling fan, Gene has some insights as to the problems currently facing TNA wrestling. Welcome him to the site and, if you like this article, let us know. He might just turn up more often.)

We are less than a month removed from TNA Wrestling’s marquee pay-per-view event of the year, Bound for Glory. As I’ve watched Impact the past few Thursdays, I can’t shake the feeling that the new landscape for the next twelve months already feels eerily similar to the old landscape.

Sure, there have been changes, so I will give the Carter her due. A.J. Styles is the new heavyweight champion. The Aces & Eights faction is a hair away from imploding, and there’s trouble in paradise within the ranks of the Main Event Mafia. Seeds of the possible full-time return of the monster, Abyss, seem to have been planted. The problem is that none of this feels fresh or game changing.

When the dust has settled after the players have walked off the grandest stage of them all (that isn’t Wrestlemania), the audience should feel as if we’re watching opening game kickoff and the season premiere of your favorite primetime drama all rolled into one dynamite package. Instead, I feel as though I’ve seen last week’s episode of Impact three weeks ago. And eight more times before that throughout 2013. Being fair though, the WWE have also been guilty of this the past few years (especially since they discontinued the post-Wrestlemania draft lottery).

The solution is not some Herculean feat. The week prior to each pay-per-view event, upper management needs to get with creative and they all need to lock their asses away and do a better job planning. Not just to navigate the course of the next twelve months, but to make damn sure to not navigate the exact same course that we’ve just traversed. This doesn’t just go for Bound For Glory but EVERY one of your pay-per-view events in the future. That first episode of Impact right after had better be balls to the wall excitement. Also, there needs to be a yearlong building of momentum towards Bound For Glory. So those peaks and valleys need to intensify throughout the year. Meaning, don’t blow your load at Slammiversary or one of the less important pay-per-view events, then have a mediocre Bound For Glory. The WWE fails on several levels in the modern era (which I will happily expand upon in the near future), but they make sure the week’s prior to and coming off of a pay-per-view event feel special, but all pale in comparison to Wrestlemania.

New wrestlers that have been in developmental really need to be brought onto the tv program right around now as well. Yes, we don’t want it to be predictable every year when the talent debuts. But, once again, this is akin to the new season of NFL/NBA or the season premiere of a tv drama, so fresh new faces the first few months off of BFG would go a long way to making it feel fresh for the new year.

It is a given, for any wrestling promotion, that the first episode of your television programming after the pay-per-view needs to start that next monthly cycle with a bang. TNA’s biggest pay-per-view of the YEAR, instead, has been followed up by an uninspiring and unforgiveable whimper.

“I’m a Doctor. Though probably not the one you were expecting.”

Behold Doctor Who fans; your wishes, nay demands have finally been granted.

Today the BBC unveiled the official prequel episode to the 50th Anniversary Episode “Day of the Doctor”. Despite the countless rumours and reports to the contrary, the seven minute episode stars a very welcome classic Doctor.

Take a look…

Did you hear that noise? It was the sound of the entire internet collapsing on itself. So, by all accounts this episode has gone down incredibly well. Now that Moffat got something unarguably right, does this mean the world will end?

Has this made you more excited about the Anniversary Episode? Did you enjoy this prequel? Comment below, and expect more Doctor Who discussion in the final days of the time war (err, I mean, final countdown the anniversary)

Source: BBC

Sometimes news totally confounds me, not because I don’t understand it, but instead because I cannot tell if the news is good or bad. One such story is the release this week that Melissa Rosenberg will the person in charge of the upcoming Jessica Jones series that is being produced as part of a deal between Marvel and Netflix.

What perplexes me here is Rosenberg’s record, she was one of the executive producers and writers of the hit show and critical darling, Dexter, but this is also the person who wrote all the screenplays for the Twilight Saga. Even if I give her the benefit of the doubt and say she did her best to make the pile of feces that is the works of Stephenie Meyer as entertaining as possible, Rosenberg was also a writer on the armpit that was Birds of Prey. I don’t know what to make of Rosenberg’s career, nothing in it leads me to any sort on conclusive feeling about her ability to take on this project, which makes her selection for this project all the more baffling. Marvel and Netflix have a lot riding on this whole thing so the hiring of Rosenberg with her mixed bag of a history seems off, it feels like they should have grabbed somebody with more clout.

Whatever the case may be, it’s her baby now and I hope she makes the most of it. I sincerely hope that when I see the series I’ll be kicking myself for even being the least bit doubtful of her skills, but we’ll all just have to wait and see.

So what do you think of the choice Melissa Rosenberg for Jessica Jones? Let us know in the comments below.

Via Deadline

It appears that the marketing for the Sleeping Beauty villainess’ film has awakened.

Walt Disney Pictures has just released the first trailer for Maleficent, the upcoming live-action film adaptation of the titular antagonist from the aforementioned classic 1959 animated Disney film. Although not spelled out in the teaser, the story centers around the iconic baddie, played by Angelina Jolie, as it reveals how she became the sinister sorceress we all know. Helmed by first-timer Robert Stromberg, the film also stars Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copely, Juno Temple, Miranda Richardson, Imelda Staunton, and Peter Capaldi, and will be released May 30th of next year. You can check out the trailer below:

While Sleeping Beauty was one of my favorite Disney films growing up, I’ve been indifferent about this project ever since it was announced. Aside from the amusing callbacks to elements from its source material (the crow, the spindle and the thorned branches), this teaser not only failed to pique my interest significantly, but it’s made me worried for Disney’s financial well-being when it comes to budget. The visual effects shown in here looked great, but maybe a little too great. My fears were halfway realized when I went to Wikipedia and read up on the budget of this film: a whopping $200 million.

If anyone has kept up with Disney’s tentpole blockbusters outside of their work with Marvel, it’s been proven that their forays into adapting older properties have thus far shown to be unsuccessful at the box office. We thought they had learned with John Carter, but it was only a year later with The Lone Ranger that they had another bomb on their hands, and both films combined had lost them hundreds of millions of dollars due to lack of profits. On top of that, they both received mostly less-than-stellar reviews. Now, with their tackling of the character of Maleficent, the elements are there for this to follow a similar path. But to be fair, unlike the relatively obscure and aged licenses of John Carter of Mars and The Lone Ranger, this is homegrown from one of Disney’s most popular animated films (and antagonists) and could garner a much wider audience who are craving for nostalgia. So really, it could go either way. All I’m saying is that the teaser, while decent-looking enough, shows warning signs of Disney making the same mistake a third time.

What do you guys think? Does the trailer excite you or make you go “meh?” Do you have similar concerns about how much money Disney is putting into their films? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Via YouTube: DisneyMovieTrailers

&nbsp:

Hot off the heels of Thor: The Dark World and the recent Netflix announcement, Marvel has revealed that television veteran Drew Goddard might be leading blind lawyer Matt Murdock onto our streaming devices.

Goddard (whose resume includes shows like Angel, Alias and Lost, as well as films including Cabin in the Woods and World War Z) is reportedly in negotiations with Marvel and Disney to write for the Daredevil series based around the titular blind superhero. Marvel and Netflix haven’t made any sort of comment on the subject of Goddard’s involvement. This Daredevil series is part of Netflix & Marvel’s plan to create four different mini-series based on Marvel characters, with the other three being Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Jessica Jones. The four will then team up in a fifth mini-series based around the concept of The Defenders, a group of outsider Marvel heroes that team up in a similar manner to The Avengers.

Now, I’m merely a casual reader of comics. Hell, most of my knowledge of Daredevil comes from his appearances on the 90s Spider-Man: The Animated Series and the infamous 2003 film which starred Ben Affleck. Of course, I’m sure both are exaggerations of this beloved character (especially with scenes like the see-saw fight from that film), so I’m welcome to see this incarnation bring the character to life in a more faithful manner.

Plus, Drew Goddard is a fantastic choice to write for the show. The man’s already had experience with writing for powerful beings in urban environments after co-creating Angel with Marvel Guru Joss Whedon. That show was a perfect example of how to give a brooding hero the spotlight, exploring his character flaws and deeply held in emotions while at the same time showing off how much of a skilled badass the man could be. Plus, when Daredevil does eventually have to work as part of a larger team, it could easily mirror Angel’s own team building with his Angel Investigations teammates. All Goddard needs to do is apply the same sort of writing to Matt Murdock’s character and this Daredevil show could end up being some prime quality entertainment… or at least be better than Agents of SHIELD.

So, what about all of you out there? Is Drew Goddard the right fit for Daredevil or would Marvel be better off getting back Mark Steven Johnson? Post your thoughts in the comments below!

Via The Wrap

Hey! We’re Ash and Fern, two best friends from Indiana. We may be pushing 30, but we like to think we’re still young and energetic enough to pull an all-night Lord of the Rings marathon every now and again. We pride ourselves on our above average Oscar winner predictions and ability to name every player on the US men’s national soccer team. Our interests are wide-ranging, as you’re sure to see, but we are always looking to expand them!

I’m Fern.

I grew up pretending to hate it when my dad made me watch Star Trek: The Next Generation, then sneaking to read his comic books when he was at work. Liking superheroes and spaceships was weird for a girl, and it took me until I was a little bit older to realize that weird was actually awesome.

Now I wear my geekiness with pride. I can recite every episode of Battlestar Galactica and try to convince every person I meet that they should watch it. I give the complete series of Firefly as the gift in my office Secret Santa exchange every year because I believe everyone should own it. And based on what I grabbed when the fire alarm went off in my building at 3:30 am recently, my prized possession is my autographed picture of Liam McIntyre as Spartacus.

I’m Ash.

I grew up with a love of reading that meant that my punishment was to always have my books taken away until I could do my chores. That habit to completely ignore the world around me has served me well as a middle-school math teacher. When the natives get too restless, I have an uncanny ability to tune them out until the bell rings. Besides lame geometry puns and engulfing novels, I love running, captivating advertising campaigns, making lists, folk rock, climbing things, consuming random bits of knowledge, and cinematic experiences.

While my friend and counterpart is a huge television buff, I have a tendency to shun time-consuming TV series in favor of a dark movie theatre where no one judges you for having popcorn with butter for dinner. The hardest part is making sure I read the book first!

Stay tuned for more articles and adventures from OneOfUs.Net’s buddy cops of geekdom: Ash & Fern. Follow them on Twitter…

@adonnell5
@FernMays

The Pete Holmes Show is new TBS late-night talk show starring comedian and writer Pete Holmes (obviously). The program veers away from the traditional late-night model by including more sketch comedy instead of interviews with the stars.

Or at least that’s what I’ve heard. I’m usually in bed long before the late-night shows begin because I’m actually 90 years old.

Still, if the video below is anything to go by, I might want to consider staying awake for a bit longer. In this routine, entitled Ex-Men: Gambit, everyone’s favorite Cajun finds out that Professor Xavier (played by Mr. Holmes) doesn’t value his talents or personal style as much as the rest of us. Check out Remy getting the pink slip below:

Seriously though, who is actually the most useless of the X-Men? I question Cyclops’ worth myself, but perhaps you have a different (read: wrong) opinion. Let us know in the comments!

Via Pete Holmes’ YouTube Page

::Sigh:: Every November I get a little a down. I mean, it’s another 11 months until the most magical time of the year: Halloween! And this year? I had a blast. (OMG it was horrifying!) I ate candy, I went to parties, I noted the glitter bats and pumpkins that my co-workers festively scattered in my cube, and I honored our Dark Lord with viewings of a couple of not-so-oldies, but goodies, like Cabin Fever, The Descent, and Jun-On. Yeah, it was another HORRIBLE year! But now? It’s time to get back to business. Besides, I’ve missed you guys.

In today’s episode, I’ll walk you through how I made my Halloween costume: Gus, from Jeff Lemire‘s 2010-2013 comic Sweet Tooth. This tutorial will be handy for anyone making a costume that involves horns or ears, which I’m pretty sure is everyone.

How to Make a Gus a.k.a “Sweet Tooth” Costume

This year, I went as Gus, from Sweet Tooth. Sweet Tooth chronicles the misadventures of Gus, a young deer-boy hybrid, meeting the — disease-ridden, violent, post-apocalyptic — world for the first time. (It’s kind of like the Wonder Years, if Winnie was part pig, Paul was a murdering drifter with a heart of gold, and everyone else was basically dead.) All of Sweet Tooth is available in six trade paperbacks, and I highly recommend it. I’ve also been enjoying Lemire’s Trillium, which has four monthly issues available.

As always, if you use any of the techniques, post pics! And if you have questions or advice, hit us up in the comments. You can also send us pics of or questions about any of your nerdy endeavors on our Facebook, or email us at MindCraftsDIY@gmail.com. (No seriously, we want to answer your letters in a hilarious and heart-warming segment called “Mind Crafts Mail Bag.”)

Interested in Sweet Tooth? Buy the Comic here!

I used to be really in to the World of Warcraft. So much so that I gained 30 lb, and my diet was reduced to Hot Pockets, Snickers, and pixie sticks. I would also take showers in between flight paths that take 20 minutes or more. Whether it was battling Murlocs in the swamps of Azeroth, or ganking poor little gnomes in the Stranglethorn Vale, this world consumed me and I had no shame. Alas, those were my glory days, for now I do not have the time or money to invest in that anymore. Although I did lose those 30 lb, so I guess it’s not a complete loss!

So when it was announced that a World of Warcraft film was in the works, I was super excited. This universe is so rich with lore and material, that the possibilities are endless to what you could write about. The world itself is just BEGGING to be manifested in to a cinematic medium, with all the expansive details that this universe is riddled with. So with all this material to work with, where does one start? This is what Game Informer learned about the film’s approach from Duncan Jones, the project’s director:

Jones’ goal for the film is create a war film that will follow the first encounters of the warring factions, with both sides of the conflict representing empathetic ideals featuring characters like Lothar and Durotan. Often in war films, one side is shown as the correct side that the audience is meant to side with, but Jones wants both sides to be represented equally, leaving it up for the audience to decide allegiances – much like the game. When asked if any casting for the film had been worked out, Jones simply replied, “Yup,” unwilling to expand.”

It was also mentioned that the special effects supervisor Bill Westonhofer, who was the supervisor on Life of pi. It is also interesting to note that their goal is to take the film technology of on set motion capture from Avatar, and bring it in to a gritty and well realized world like Game of Thrones.

I am bloody excited about this project, because Duncan Jones as a director and writer is two for two on my list. The two films he made were Source Code and Moon, both dealing with grey areas of morality, and existential contemplation. So when he mentioned that he wanted to show that this war is up in the air as to who you side by, I have absolute faith that he knows how to work in the right balance. Also, the film being about the origins of war between the Orcs and the Humans is a great choice. This way, the plot is simple enough to where we are introduced to this world, and not overwhelmed by the insane amount information and plots within plots that this world of warcraft is detailed with. So Mr. Duncan Jones, if you are reading this, I offer you this blessing. May your blades never dull!

So what do you think? Are just as… WoW’d! as I was at this news? Are you for the Horde? or for the Alliance? Whatever it is, comment below and let One of Us know!

Via Game Informer

Despite our reputation as snobbish jerks, I’ve always maintained that comic book fans and creators are by and large are actually pretty decent people. We are a passionate lot, and often that passion can be read wrong by outsiders. We aren’t just passionate though, we are also compassionate. We aid those of us that are in need and give our time and money to defend the right to expression through the medium we love, let things like the Hero Initiative and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund stand as proof of that.

Which brings us to today, and to Fantagraphics.

Fantagraphics really are the good guys when it comes to comics. Not only are they one of the premier companies seeking to provide the best in alternative and independent comics from around the world, but they also collect and reprint many classic comics in nice collected volumes, comics that most fans would never even have a chance to read if not for Fantagraphics.

Recently Fantagraphics lost their Co-Publisher, the Eisner Award-winning Kim Thompson to lung cancer. This tragedy left Fanatagraphics in the lurch as many of the books Thompson was handling needed to be pushed back or outright removed from their schedule of releases. While other companies may have retreated and hoped with time and luck they could get back to where they were, Fantagraphics instead is seeking to attack the problem head on by starting a Kickstarter for their spring releases.

I’ll let them explain the situation themselves:

It is no secret to anybody that knows me that I love the Disney Ducks, hell, my favorite Disney character period is Uncle Scrooge. Since 2011 Fantagraphics has been releasing beautiful collections of Carl Barks’ (and soon Don Rosa’s as well) Duck stories. I love what Fantagraphics stands for, their dedication to providing the great comics of yesteryear as well as today is truly a thing to be commended. If you have a little coin to give, please consider helping Fantagraphics continue to brighten the world with quality comics.

Thanks again,

John

Bound For Banality: The Current State of TNA Wrestling

‘Day of the Doctor’ Prequel Welcomes Back Classic Doctor!

Melissa Rosenberg To Head ‘Jessica Jones’ Series On Netflix

‘Maleficent’ teaser trailer drops, and it looks pricey

Drew Goddard Writing for Netflix’s Daredevil

Introducing Our Newest Blog: Meet Ash & Fern!

I’m Fern.

I grew up pretending to hate it when my dad made me watch Star Trek: The Next Generation, then sneaking to read his comic books when he was at work. Liking superheroes and spaceships was weird for a girl, and it took me until I was a little bit older to realize that weird was actually awesome.

I’m Ash.

While my friend and counterpart is a huge television buff, I have a tendency to shun time-consuming TV series in favor of a dark movie theatre where no one judges you for having popcorn with butter for dinner. The hardest part is making sure I read the book first!

Stay tuned for more articles and adventures from OneOfUs.Net’s buddy cops of geekdom: Ash & Fern. Follow them on Twitter…

@adonnell5
@FernMays

Video: Even Gambit of the X-Men Isn’t Safe in This Economy

Mind Crafts Episode 2: How to Make a Gus a.k.a “Sweet Tooth” Costume

How to Make a Gus a.k.a “Sweet Tooth” Costume

Interested in Sweet Tooth? Buy the Comic here!

The ‘World of Warcraft’ Film Gets a Plot

Don’t Be A Scrooge, Give Fantagraphics Some Help!