The year in Whedon: The sudden but inevitable successes of Joss Whedon in 2012

The year in Whedon: The sudden but inevitable successes of Joss Whedon in 2012

Never again will someone mistakenly refer to as “Josh Whedon” or even “Josh Sweden.” 2012 was Joss Whedon‘s year, and for the God-among-geeks turned veritable Hollywood hotshot, things may never be the same.

In countless articles from MTV to TotalFilm to Entertainment Weekly, Whedon is being hailed as one of the greatest movie people of 2012 or entertainer of the year, and his long overdue successes are being touted as superhuman. Which is fitting, considering.

View slideshow: The year in Whedon

Let’s take a look back at the year in Whedon, all the cool things he did that made us Whedonites go weak in the knees.

“The Cabin in the Woods”: Whedon’s year started of with a bang (and a whimper) with this genre-defying, “very loving hate letter” to horror movies. Co-written and directed by Drew Goddard, “Cabin” has been turning heads all year long.

“The Avengers”: You might have heard of it.

The “Firefly” 10 year reunion: At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con the cast and crew of “Firefly” reunited for a ten year reunion panel. In a room filled with Browncoats, Whedon got teary eyed while expressing his devotion to the short-lived Space Western.

“Much Ado About Nothing” happened: In between principal photography and post-production on “The Avengers,” Joss Whedon managed to film his own take on Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” over the course of twelve days at his Santa Monica home with the help of friends and family. No one knows how.

“In Your Eyes” announced: Whedon is back on the indie scene with this self-described “supernatural romance” which is currently in production.

“Dr. Horrible” saw the light of broadcast television: Remember that time Joss Whedon spent the 2008 Writer’s Strike making a musical webseries? This year “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” invaded television when it aired on The CW for the very first time.

Joss wants you to vote for Mitt Romney. No seriously: Whedon released his hilarious endorsement of Mitt Romney for president as the best way to get the country back on track for the zombie apocalypse. Priorities: his are in the right place.

Joss’s triumphant return to TV announced: Marvel contracted Whedon to develop TV show “S.H.I.E.L.D.” as a spin-off from “The Avengers.” The series will star Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson and operate independent of the Marvel cinematic universe.

Big damn “Avengers” movie sequel: And speaking of “The Avengers” shockwaves, after they raked in boatloads of cash from the success of “The Avengers,” Marvel very wisely hired on Whedon to write and direct the sequel.

Cameo on “Husbands”: Whedon made an appearance on former “Buffy” writer Jane Espenson’s webseries, for which he was nominated for a Streamy Award.

“Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope”: Whedon co-produced Morgan Spurlock’s very nostalgic documentary on the largest comic book and pop culture convention in the world. The best part? The DVD comes with a Joss Whedon action figure.

Read More by Jess d’Arbonne

Melissa de la Cruz’s ‘Gates of Paradise’ to be released on January 15

Melissa de la Cruz’s ‘Gates of Paradise’ to be released on January 15

Melissa de la Cruz‘s “Gates of Paradise” will be released on January 15. This is the final book in her young adult vampire series, titled, “Blue Bloods”.

The series told the story of the young vampires, who were fallen angels but were reincarnated into various rich and powerful people throughout history. During this “lifetime” as they call it they were socialites in New York who later found that blood is not the only thing that they share.

It is a great series that intertwines lots of angel mythology, vampire lore, and fashion to make a book that all readers will love.

Here is a synopsis:

Kingsley brushed his sword on her skin like a caress. “I know you love me. You told me that you’d love me no matter what, and I should remember that. So why are you trying to get me to forget that now?”

“Because this is how it has to end,” she said.

“You know that’s not what I want,” he said, but Mimi could see doubt in his eyes. He didn’t understand why she was doing this, and that was good. She needed to confuse him, to convince him that she was hateful. He was better off without her. He’d have a chance at happiness, at a better life. He could find someone else, someone who wasn’t so complicated, so difficult. Someone nice. That was a word no one would ever used to describe her.

Kingsley’s sword hovered at her neck, then slashed at the collar of her blouse.

“Hey!” she cried. “Careful! It’s Chanel!”

But his eyes were locked on the emerald stone sitting at the base of her throat.

“Is that what I think it is?” he said, horrified. Lucifer’s Bane. The Star of Heaven. A treasure more precious than the stars themselves. Given by the Morningstar to his dearest love.

“I told you, I am with him now,” Mimi said. “He is my Dark Prince and master.”

If you would like to pre order this book you can click here.

Read More by Bertena Varney

Parent Television Council bashes ‘The Walking Dead’ for violence, gore

Credits: AMCTV.com

Parent Television Council bashes ‘The Walking Dead’ for violence, gore

File this one under “I don’t know what they expected.”

The Parent Television Council has expressed its utter disapproval of “The Walking Dead” and is petitioning AMC to change the show’s rating to TV-MA effective immediately.

According to THR, the Parent Television Council (a nonpartisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment) wants the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board to change “The Walking Dead“‘s rating from TV-14 to TV-MA, referring to its current rating as a “misrating.”

View slideshow: Scenes from “The Walking Dead” season 3

It’s pretty easy to see why PTC would take umbrage with “The Walking Dead.” In literally every episode someone (living or dead) is maimed, murdered, assaulted, cannibalized, disemboweled, decapitated, dismembered, given a cesarian section with a hunting knife and no anesthesia, etc. But for the sake of absolute clarity, here’s what PTC president Tim Winter has to say about their reasoning for demanding a more severe rating for the zombie drama:

“Throughout its run, the AMC program The Walking Dead has featured some of the most graphic and brutally intense violence and gore imaginable. The intensely violent content has included depictions of the cleaving of human skulls with a machete, extreme gun violence including graphic depictions of blood and brains splattering after gunshot wounds and the use of a sharpened human bone as a weapon to stab another character.”

PTC members have yet to get a response from AMC to their thousands of letters asking them to change the rating to make it clear that this show is not for the faint of heart. There is no sign that AMC has any plans of changing the rating any time soon. For now, the show’s premise and honest advertising as a bleak show about desperate survivors in a world filled with cannibalistic, strangely virile corpses will have to do.

Read More by Jess d’Arbonne

‘The Hunger Games’ actress Jennifer Lawrence to host ‘Saturday Night Live’

Credits: Lionsgate

‘The Hunger Games’ actress Jennifer Lawrence to host ‘Saturday Night Live’

The Hunger Games actress Jennifer Lawrence is set to show off her comedic skills as the host of “Saturday Night Live” on January 19th. She’ll be joined by musical guest, The Lumineers.

This will be Lawrence’s first time hosting “SNL,” and a spoof of her role in The Hunger Games is likely. The comedy sketch show already spoofed the movie in a now famous skit featuring Sofia Vergara as an enthusiastic, Effie Trinket-like correspondent.

Lawrence is just about to wrap filming on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in Hawaii. The movie has been filming since September. Meanwhile, Lawrence will soon start work on the sequel to X-Men: First Class.

Lawrence can currently be seen in The Silver Linings Playbook, for which she was recently nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

Read More by Sara Gundell

Holiday gifts ‘Django Unchained’ and ‘Les Miserable’ into top ranks shuffle

Credits: Weinstein Company / Columbia Pictures

Holiday gifts ‘Django Unchained’ and ‘Les Miserable’ into top ranks shuffle

A sleigh ride of $15.5 million comes to a holiday’s landing for Quentin Tarrantino’s all-new action-revenge film “Django Unchained” on its Christmas Day opener nationwide.

Sony’s movie gone one transmedia step into a comics miniseries – by powerhouse DC Comics – had a premiere release that came in one slot behind Les Miserable. The publishing home of the Man of Steel and Dark Knight printed the first issue of “Django Unchained” a week prior, but the reboot musical just made #1 with $18.million.

With both debuting on Dec. 25, their initial weekend showings present the non-holiday audience at the multiplex. More to a box office point, the two period pieces will join recent weekender toppers “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” ($84.8 million), “Rise of the Guardians” ($7.4 million) and “Lincoln” ($7.2 million).

None of the latter partnering with a titular comic books series.

Django Unchained is under the pen of producer Reginald Hudlin, best known in television directing “The Bernie Mac Show”; Eddie Murphy’s hit-count of romantic-comedies “Boomerang”; rap-influenced film heights being the “House Party” franchise.

Hudlin openly belies estrangement from comic books. He is amongst the ranks of filmmaker and comics pro with pronouncing accomplishments within those mediums. Black Panther culminates his stand out series that has effected comics canon to date with the marriage of X-Men Storm to Avenger and King of fictional T’challa, the Black Panther

Long-time comics star, with up-to-date count recognition from Uncanny X-Men (Marvel), Gen 13(Image), mod Justice League (DC) and cameos in some of the gold-boss titles, Jim Lee provisions the cover art for the film adapted series. The co-publisher who is co-responsible for uprising DC Comics icons to peak commercial sales and enthusiast’s interest draws the covers for DC’s imprint Vertigo.

With a star queue of Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington and Christopher Waltz, “Django Unchained” chances to pop and ring the New Year contending about the top three ongoing film rankings.

(Moviefone)

Read More by Mark Ruffin

Christopher Lee released heavy metal version of Christmas songs

Credits: Dracula

Christopher Lee released heavy metal version of Christmas songs

Well, even at 90 years old, Sir Christopher Lee is still going strong. He has just completed filming for “The Hobbit” and is slated to be in the other two films, but this actor has done something awesome and unusual for his generation. He just released his heavy metal versions of famous Christmas carols of the “Little Drummer Boy” and “Silent Night”.

Lee who has been acting since 1946, is famous for his roles of Dracula, Saruman, Count Duko, and countless more. He has been named in the Top Best Actors of All Time as well as many other titles.

Many have been amazed at his wonderful career, and Johnny Depp paid homage to him and his many roles of Dracula when they cast him as the captain of the Demeter in the recent remake of the “Dark Shadows”.

He is a classically trained singer and this is not his first trek into the heavy metal music world. He released his first metal album in 2010 titled, “Charlemange: By the Sword and the Cross.”

Even at this age Sir Lee is not slowing down. He has four more movies set to premiere in the next few years.

If you are interested in getting these songs, they are available on iTunes here.

Read More by Bertena Varney

Glenn Mazzara steps down as showrunner of ‘The Walking Dead

Credits: AMCTV.com

 

Glenn Mazzara steps down as showrunner of ‘The Walking Dead’

Amid the news that AMC has renewed “The Walking Dead” for a fourth season, it was announced that Glen Mazzara is stepping down as showrunner of the zombie drama. Unlike his predecessor Frank Darabont, Mazzara’s abdication is being framed as a mutual decision with the network due to artistic differences.

In other words: it looks like AMC has learned how to let its showrunners go gracefully and quietly after their rather messy break with Frank Darabont.

View slideshow: Scenes from “The Walking Dead” season 3

According to a joint statement from Mazzara and AMC: “Both parties acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward, and conclude that it is best to part ways. This decision is amicable and Glen will remain on for post-production on season 3B as showrunner and executive producer… AMC is grateful for his hard work. We are both proud of our shared success.”

Mazzara is only the most recent in a string of AMC showrunners cutting ties with the network. His predecessor, Frank Darabont, was abruptly dismissed as TWD showrunner before the second season had even aired, shocking fans and sparking controversy. More recently, Jason Horwitch of “Rubicon” and John Shiban of “Hell on Wheels” have also left their positions with AMC. According to Deadline Hollywood, the network also went through contentious renegotiations with Matt Weiner of “Mad Men” and Vince Gilligan of “Breaking Bad.”

At this time there is no news on who will be replacing Mazzara as showrunner of the record-breaking show. One possibility includes executive producer Gale Anne Hurd, who has been with the show since the beginning.

Mazzara, TWD creator Robert Kirkman, and Hurd all released brief statements about the announced change in leadership:

“My time as showrunner on The Walking Dead has been an amazing experience, but after I finish season 3, it’s time to move on. I have told the stories I wanted to tell and connected with our fans on a level that I never imagined. It doesn’t get much better than that. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey.” – Glen Mazzara

“I am in full support of both AMC and Glen Mazzara in the decision they have come to and believe the parties came to this decision in the best interest of the future of the show. I thank Glen for his hard work and appreciate his many contributions to The Walking Dead and look forward to working with him as we complete post production on Season 3. I am also excited to begin work on another spectacular season of this show that I know means so much to so many people. This show has always been the result of a wide range of extremely talented men and women working tirelessly to produce their best work collectively. I believe the future is bright for The Walking Dead. Thank you to the fans for your continued support.” – Robert Kirkman

“I am appreciative and grateful to Glen for his hard work on ‘The Walking Dead.’ I am supportive of AMC and Glen’s decision and know that the series is in great hands with one of the most talented and dedicated casts and crews in the business. I look forward to the show’s continued success.” – Gale Anne Hurd

“The Walking Dead” is currently in its mid-season break and new episodes will be aired starting in February.

Read More by Jess d’Arbonne

 

‘The Hunger Games’ making year-end lists, and other recent headlines

Credits: Lionsgate

‘The Hunger Games’ making year-end lists, and other recent headlines

Filming on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is wrapping up in Hawaii, and soon the crew will get to work on post-production for the movie’s 2013 release. But in the meantime, fans can catch up on some of the latest headlines regarding their beloved series. Here’s a round-up of recent stories involving The Hunger Games and its cast:

Year-End Lists

The Hunger Games and its cast have been making many year-end lists. Here are a few recent listings worth noting:

• Jennifer Lawrence named Playlist’s 2012 Woman of the Year
• The Hunger Games is YouTube’s #6 most-watched trailer of 2012

The Hunger Games Top Ten of 2012

Speaking of “Year-End” lists, MTV has a look back at the best moments from The Hunger Games fandom in 2012. Highlights include the movie’s release in March and casting for Catching Fire.

T. Bone Burnett is not Catching Fire

Burnett, who composed the score for The Hunger Games alongside James Newton Howard, told Rolling Stone he will not be involved in the sequel. Howard previously confirmed he is working on Catching Fire.

Read More by Sara Gundell

New comic book releases 12/19/12

Credits: Marvel Comics

New comic book releases 12/19/12

New comic book releases 12/19/12. With the holiday hustle and bustle is in full swing, you more than likely need a break from it all. Why not spend some of that down time immersed in the pages of your favorite comic book. I promise, you’ll feel so much better. So, check out this week’s list, head down to your local comic shop, pick up some great reading material and relax. Marvel Comics goes to a second print with The Amazing Spider-Man #698 (check out the origin for the diabolical Dr. Octopus in the associated video) as the title chugs towards the conclusion with issue #700. While over at Archie Comics , they roll out some video game fun for kids with Sonic Universe #47. DC Comics, never one to miss a chance to tell a good story, presents Wonder Woman #15. Finally, Dark Horse Comics hits hard with The Black Bettle: Night Shift #0 and Number 13 #1 (check out the incredible pages preview in the slideshow). Until next week, stack em’ high and enjoy!

DC/VERTIGO
BATGIRL #14 (DOTF) 2ND PTG $2.99
BATWOMAN #15 $2.99
BEFORE WATCHMEN MOLOCH #2 (OF 2) $3.99
BIRDS OF PREY #15 $2.99
BLUE BEETLE #15 $2.99
CATWOMAN #15 $2.99
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #15 $2.99
DJANGO UNCHAINED #1 (OF 5) $3.99
FABLES #124 $2.99
GREEN LANTERN #15 (RISE) $2.99
GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #15 (RISE) $2.99
HE MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #5 (OF 6) $2.99
HELLBLAZER #298 $2.99
JSA LIBERTY FILES THE WHISTLING SKULL #1 (OF 6) $2.99
LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #15 $2.99
MAD MAGAZINE #519 $5.99
NIGHTWING #15 (DOTF) $2.99
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #15 (DOTF) $2.99
SUICIDE SQUAD #14 (DOTF) 2ND PTG $2.99
SUPERGIRL #15 $2.99
SWORD OF SORCERY #3 $3.99
UNWRITTEN #44 $2.99
WONDER WOMAN #15 $2.99
YOUNG JUSTICE #23 $2.99

MARVEL
A PLUS X #3 NOW $3.99
ALL NEW X-MEN #4 NOW $3.99
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #698 2ND PTG RIVERA VAR $3.99
ASTONISHING X-MEN #57 $3.99
AVENGERS #2 NOW $3.99
AVENGERS ARENA #2 NOW $2.99
AVENGERS BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS PREM HC VOL 04 AVX $24.99
AVENGERS MYTHOS TP $19.99
CABLE AND X-FORCE #2 NOW $3.99
CAPTAIN AMERICA #2 NOW $3.99
CAPTAIN AMERICA AND BLACK WIDOW #640 $2.99
CAPTAIN MARVEL #8 $2.99
CAPTAIN MARVEL TP VOL 01 IN PURSUIT OF FLIGHT $14.99
CASTLE A CALM BEFORE STORM #1 (OF 5) $3.99
DAREDEVIL #21 $2.99
FANTASTIC FOUR BY JONATHAN HICKMAN PREM HC VOL 06 $29.99
FF #2 NOW $2.99
GAMBIT #7 $2.99
HALO TP FALL OF REACH INVASION $16.99
HAWKEYE #6 $2.99
INCREDIBLE HULK BY JASON AARON HC VOL 02 $34.99
INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #2 NOW $3.99
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN PREM HC VOL 11 FUTURE $24.99
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN TP VOL 09 DEMON $16.99
JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #647 NOW $2.99
MMW X-MEN TP VOL 05 $24.99
MMW X-MEN TP VOL 05 DM VAR ED 48 $24.99
NEW MUTANTS TP VOL 07 FIGHT FUTURE $19.99
SCARLET SPIDER #12.1 $2.99
SECRET AVENGERS #35 $3.99
SPIDER-MAN TROUBLE ON HORIZON TP $16.99
THOR GOD OF THUNDER #3 NOW $3.99
THUNDERBOLTS #2 NOW $2.99
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #18 $3.99
ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #19 $3.99
UNCANNY X-FORCE #35 $3.99
UNCANNY X-MEN BY KIERON GILLEN TP VOL 02 $19.99
VENOM #28 $2.99
WOLVERINE AND X-MEN #22 $3.99
WOLVERINE AND X-MEN BY JASON AARON PREM HC VOL 04 AVX $19.99
WOLVERINE BACK IN JAPAN TP $19.99
X-FACTOR #249 $2.99
X-MAN DANCE WITH DEVIL TP $39.99
X-MEN LEGACY #3 NOW $2.99
X-MEN LEGACY BACK TO SCHOOL TP $16.99
X-TREME X-MEN #8 $2.99

DARK HORSE
ANGEL & FAITH #17 $2.99
BLACK BEETLE NIGHT SHIFT #0 $2.99
BPRD 1948 #3 (OF 5) $3.50
BPRD HELL ON EARTH #102 RETURN O/T MASTER #5 (OF 5) $3.50
DARK HORSE PRESENTS #19 $7.99
EMPOWERED SPECIAL #3 HELL BENT OR HEAVEN SENT $3.99
MICHAEL AVON OEMINGS THE VICTORIES #5 (OF 5) $3.99
NUMBER 13 #1 $3.99
OH MY GODDESS RTL TP VOL 43 $12.99
ORCHID TP VOL 02 $17.99
RIPD CITY O/T DAMNED #2 (OF 4) $3.50
ROTTEN APPLE ONE SHOT $2.99
STAR WARS AGENT O/T EMPIRE HARD TARGETS #3 (OF 5) $2.99
STAR WARS DAWN O/T JEDI PRISONER OF BOGAN #2 (OF 5) $2.99

IMAGE
AMERICAS GOT POWERS #4 (OF 6) $2.99
CARBON GREY VOL 2 #2 (OF 3) $3.99
CHEW TP VOL 06 SPACE CAKES $14.99
COMEBACK #2 (OF 5) $3.50
HAPPY #3 (OF 4) $2.99
MULTIPLE WARHEADS ALPHABET TO INFINITY #3 (OF 4) $2.99

NOWHERE MEN #2 $2.99
SAGA #8 $2.99
SUPER DINOSAUR #16 $2.99
SUPREME #67 $3.99
THIEF OF THIEVES #11 $2.99
WHERE IS JAKE ELLIS #2 (OF 5) $3.50
WITCH DOCTOR MALPRACTICE #2 (OF 6) $2.99
WITCHBLADE #162 $2.99

MISCELLANEOUS PUBLISHERS
ADVENTURE TIME #11 $3.99
ALAN ROBERT KILLOGY #2 (OF 4) $3.99
ALLIANCE OF THE CURIOUS HC $29.95
ARCHIE BEST OF DAN DECARLO TP VOL 01 $17.99
BEFORE THE INCAL CLASS COLL HC $44.95
BEST OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG TP VOL 01 $14.99
BETTY & VERONICA #263 $2.99
BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #208 $3.99
BIONIC WOMAN #6 $3.99

Read More by Mark Turner

Cable and the X-Force get a trailer

Credits: Marvel Comics

Cable and the X-Force get a trailer

After the events of AvX, Cable has come out of his comatose state a better man…well a healthier man at least as his techno-organic virus is gone but what else is going on with the mutant?

Cable has gathered a rogue team of mutants on a new mission to save the world. But is everything as it seems?

Check out the trailer provided by Marvel and pick up Cable and X-Force in stores now.

Marvel NOW! – CABLE & X-FORCE

This December, the deadliest mutant team of all debuts in Cable And X-Force #1, beginningthe all-new ongoing series from rising star creators Dennis Hopeless (Avengers Arena) and Salvador Larroca (Invincible Iron Man). As part of Marvel NOW!, Cable And X-Forcejoins a number of titles that will take the Marvel Universe in an exciting all-new direction, as the industry’s top creators join the top Super Heroes to deliver all-new ongoing series, great for new and lapsed readers alike!

Cable is back NOW! He has a new X-Force consisting of Colossus, Forge, Domino and Dr. Nemesis and they are all caught red-handed at the scene of a terrorist attack on a major American corporation whose CEO has expressed anti-mutant views. Now Cable and X-Force are on the run, with the Uncanny Avengers in hot pursuit.

Read More by Philip Martinez