When AMC does a TV show now a days people stand and take notice, after mega hits like “Mad Men”, “Breaking Bad” and the most recent show “The Walking Dead”. So what is the newest show coming to the lineup? Hell On Wheels, a post Civil War tale of a former Confederate Soldier on a quest for vengeance as he goes west along the construction of the railroad. So it looks like we have a new Western on our hands which probably comes at a good time since people still remember the greatness of Deadwood and with the current amazing movie True Grit coming out.

The thing which makes me especially happy about this whole thing however is the casting selection of Colm Meaney as one of the main characters. I have been a long time Star Trek fan so I always get giddy when a former Trek actor gets work and I’ve been following Meaney ever since his days as Chief O’Brien. No word yet on when it will begin airing but stay tuned because we’ll keep on top of that.

The full article can be found here on AMC’s website

This piece originally appeared in The Huffington Post…

Archie Andrews and Reggie Mantle represent one of the most classic rivalries in popular culture — dating back almost seventy years. In issue #616 of Archie Comics, which hits the stands December 22, Archie and Reggie are going head to head as rivals for Student Body President of Riverdale High.

When Archie begins using President Obama in his campaign literature, Reggie fires back and does the same thing with Sarah Palin. The choice is pretty intelligent, Archie’s a regular kid with normal problems and gravitates toward progressives. Reggie is kind of a jerk and too rich for his own good with little to no apathy, making the most sense for the conservative opposite he chooses.

But when the real life Obama and Palin find out about it, they both arrive on the scene to deal with it.

Ultimately, it seems to be leading to a point where Progressives and Conservatives can talk about issues without vitriol or talking points. It’s an admirable thing to show the kids and hopefully one day it can be realized.

To talk about it, I got to ask the Co-CEO of Archie Comics, Jon Goldwater, a few questions:

Well, the first is why did they think it was important to bring Obama and Palin into Riverdale?

Archie and the Riverdale gang have always been a reflection of what is happening in America. Archie’s adventures are happening now, in a world where Obama is president and Sarah Palin is the de facto leader of the Republican Party. Bringing Obama and Palin to Riverdale sprung from a great idea we had and rolled from there. It’s kind of a “What If?”-type story. What if these two people crossed paths in Riverdale and got involved in the election of the President of Riverdale High with Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica? It seemed like a no-brainer, and a fun, entertaining piece of storytelling. They’re essential to the story and their presence makes sense — fans will see when they pick up the issue on Dec. 22.

And it seems like the story is going to bring Palin and Obama together on common ground. Is that even possible?

Absolutely, it’s possible. Even people on different ends of the political spectrum have some common ground. At their core, their values, Both Obama and Palin want the same thing: what’s best for America. What better place to find it than Riverdale?

Getting them in the same room to talk about how we can get there is just part of it. Alex Simmons’ story, which is beautifully illustrated by Dan Parent, is very forward-looking while still holding onto the key elements of the best of Archie – our hero is fun and lovable, and his adventures are entertaining and off-the-wall. This time the gang from Riverdale learns a few things from two of the most important political figures in recent memory: President Barack Obama and former Governor Sarah Palin.

What’s the message here?

It’s simple – even people with opposing views can find common ground if they truly want what is best for this country. It’s something everyone can learn from. Archie and his friends have always been about being inclusive, welcoming and positive. This is another step in that direction. If President Obama and Governor Palin want to swing by Riverdale to hash out their differences, it would be a great day for America!

****

And here we have a preview of the story arc, featuring the Archie Comics debut of Barack Obama and Sarah Palin:

Bryan Young is the editor of geek news and review site Big Shiny Robot!

Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive of the trailer that was shown at the end of the Savage Oppress screenings.

Wow.

That’s really just…

I seriously have tears in my eyes. This trailer was bloody perfect. We get to see Even Piell in action? And someone in carbonite? And more Trandoshans? And some sort of Sith people? And… And… And… And the end… With Ahsoka?

Is that a hint of the dark side? If that’s true, I’ll feel like Padme pleading to Anakin on Mustafar.

Wow.

There’s just…

Just go. Watch it again. Spread the word.

Also, the end of this trailer announces a new timeslot for Clone Wars. Is this earlier than usual? If so, good news. As of now it airs at 10:00 pm in my timezone and that just pisses me off.

Um…. Wow. There’s not much I can say about this (other than my desire to NOT see this in 3D).

This is the Thor trailer I’ve been waiting for. For as much as I’m excited about Captain America and the Avengers and more Iron Man, my God’s name is Thor. He’s my favorite of the big three and always has been. Add to that the fact that Kenneth Branagh has always had my respect and admiration (seriously, you all need to see Dead Again), and you have my excitement circuits on overload.

Throw Natalie Portman into the mix and I might just lose my mind waiting for this movie.

This is Star Wars level excitement here if you can believe it.

Come on Branagh, old buddy, don’t let me down.

Where do you guys come in on this one?

We got a bonus this week: A look at the next episode of Clone Wars after Friday’s, which happens to be scheduled to air early next year.

I’m having a hard time containing my excitement about this arc of episodes. Between the Nightsisters and Savage Oppress… I’m just giddy.

The single line from the press release:

January 2011 will begin with a bang as Count Dooku seeks to eliminate his own apprentice — and Ventress does not take kindly to the attempt on her life.

This is from the last episode of Clone Wars for 2010, airing Friday.

This clip looks like a great mash-up of the speeder chase in Attack of the Clones and the speeder bike chase in Return of the Jedi and I really can’t wait to see it in context.

Now if only Padme’s hair reacted to the wind…

From the Press Release:

Senators Padmé Amidala, Bail Organa and Onaconda Farr attempt to rally the senate against a bill that would appropriate funds for millions of new clone troops – with disastrous financial consequences for the Republic. Their opposition to the measure, however, makes them targets for intimidation and attack. “Pursuit of Peace” is an all-new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars – airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, December 3 on Cartoon Network.

Good news Ghostheads, even with Atari having trouble financially, they are pushing out a sequel to Ghostbusters: The Video Game. That’s the good news. The bad news, so far none of the original ‘busters are comin’ back to provide their voices. It doesn’t sound as though the original four opted out. It seems like Atari is going a different (less time consuming and costly) direction. The game will revolve around the rookie from the last game, and most likely his franchise.

More good news, it’s going to be a DLC game for Xbox, PS3 as well as PC download. Because of this, I think the community will be more forgiving of the game. Sanctum of Slime will be a top down co-op ala Gauntlet Legends. This will be playable over the internet or locally. Giant bosses requiring team work are promised.

Personally I’m hoping for more of the same with the concept. Shoot, bust and trap. But I’d imagine it’ll be more along the lines of the classic arcade game. Just shoot the ghosts until they blow up, rinse and repeat. Without Aykroyd, Murray, Ramis and Hudson this game will be lacking the spark that Ghostbusters: The Video Game had. The comedy, scares and fun will probably be watered down to repetitive fun. Which is fine since its DLC. This will be hitting Spring next year.

Thanks to Game Hunters for the scoop.

This week sees the upgraded models of the main characters of Clone Wars with an episode entitled “Heroes on Both Sides”.

I’m keenly interested in this episode for a lot of reasons, but the biggest is something that Supervising Director Dave Filoni mentioned at Star Wars Celebration V. “Remember in the opening crawl to Revenge of the Sith it said there were heroes on both sides and evil is everywhere? We’re going to explore that so it makes a lot more sense.”

And since then I’ve been craving more along those lines.

This episode promises to deliver.

Having said that, this also marks a jump in time from the episodes we’d seen before which makes me guess a few things about what we’ve seen of Season 3 so far.

Firstly, initial reports said that a season of Clone Wars would be 25 episodes per season. These seasons have so far run 22 episodes long (plus three scotch taped episodes that served as the theatrical outing.) That leaves at least three episodes, possibly six, that were produced for earlier seasons and never aired for whatever reason. So far this season, we’ve been seeing connecting material from story arcs developed in the first two seasons. Even the season premiere was the prequel and sequel of Episode 1.5.

But now, with this episode, we’re taking a step further in timeline with these characters. This seems like the real season three. This is what we’re looking forward to for the rest of the season and it looks breathtaking. A lot of people have had issues with most of this season. (I’ve only been a little disappointed with two episodes). I think this is what we’ve all been waiting for Season Three to become.

My one question about all of this though, is whether or not we’ll be seeing the timeline jump between the old character models and the earlier times in the war and the new, more recent.

We’ll just have to wait and see.

From the official press release:

In addition to exploring some of the complexities of the war itself, the episode is notable because it introduces all-new character models for some of The Clone Wars’ heroes – including Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka.

“Over the course of the series so far, our characters have been affected by the conflict, so the changes we are seeing are a reflection of what they’ve gone through and how they’ve changed,” says Supervising Director Dave Filoni. “We’re getting closer to the events of Episode III, and the look of the series is moving toward that look and those designs. We don’t have a live-action point of comparison for Ahsoka, but her development is definitely as pronounced as anyone’s. When the war began, she was just a kid; she was strong and capable, but she had a lot to learn – and she’s been through a lot. She’s been changed by the things she’s seen and done, and now we’re seeing that reflected in her look. She’s older, more mature. In this episode, we see a significant step for her emotional development, in addition to her aesthetic development. Coming face to face with the enemy is going to be an eye-opening experience for her.”

In addition to showcasing the series’ character development and its progression toward the Episode III aesthetics, the new CG models also reflect a change in the way that The Clone Wars is produced.

“Our production keeps getting better; as we move forward, we’re able to incorporate new techniques and improved animation,” says Filoni. “As a weekly series, we’ve been pushing ourselves to do things that haven’t been done in TV animation, and it’s always a struggle just to get it done at all. But we are learning tricks that help to streamline the process, and we continue to build our asset library. We’re at a place where we can explore and develop new and improved character assets for some of our primary players. In addition to the look change, these new models are so much more expressive.”

And in case you missed it, here’s the badass Savage Oppress trailer:

Once again we’ve been given a treat.  This is the third released clip from tomorrow’s episode of The Clone Wars, The Hunt for Ziro and each one has been progressively better.  The first had people curious and wary about the nature of Quinlan Vos, the second (which was exclusive to Big Shiny Robot! (here)) had staunch defenders of the most far flung regions of the Star Wars Expanded Universe furious for the use of Anakin’s former owner, Gardulla the Hutt.  Only time will tell what controversy will emerge from this clip.

Despite any controversy, I got the chills watching this clip and tomorrow night can’t happen soon enough.

From the official press release:

On both sides of the episode’s titular hunt is veteran voice actor Corey Burton, who provides both Bane’s laconic drawl and Ziro’s high-pitched theatrics.

“It’s actually easier to keep character voices distinctly separate, the greater the differences are in vocal placement, timbre and pitch,” says Burton, who also provides the rich baratone voice of Count Dooku in the series. “When you’ve got voices that can be segregated, differently textured and expressed in differing musical rhythms, it’s a snap to make a clean break from one character to another. Then, applying acting characterization – visualizing the unique ‘soul’ of the character within the parameters of voice – you really can speak as two entirely separate beings within the same imaginary space.”

With its bizarre juxtaposition of such disparate characters within the episode, “Hunt for Ziro” is a strange journey down the rabbit hole – a peculiar departure from the series’ military campaigns and political underpinnings.

“The Ziro episodes seem like a multi-room extension of the original Star Wars cantina scenes – an eccentrically comedic undercurrent to break from the steadier drumbeat of galactic conflict, but with enough sinister gravity to tug at the direction of the entire storyline,” says Burton. “It’s a sort of ‘Bizarro World’ funhouse mirror dimension, a wrong turn down a strange alley running along the mainstream militaristic highway. It’s a colorful flight of fancy and insanity, to lend a contrasting air of ‘normalcy’ to the central story construct. Ziro’s the ultimate spoiled brat, a bitterly resentful and unreasonably demanding megalomaniac – made even more threatening and duplicitous by his inability to inspire fearful obedience like his rival, Jabba.”

Contrasting Ziro’s villainous frustrations is Bane – cold, cruel and quintessentially capable. Even tasked with a bounty that might seem eccentrically whimsical, Bane never falters in the dogged and dangerous pursuit of his quarry.

“Bane is a cold-blooded ‘Spaghetti Western’ movie bounty hunter – an unflappable contract mercenary who goes about his assignments with ruthless steely-eyed disregard for the damages inflicted to life and property,” says Burton. “He has a stoic tolerance for pain and Jedi mind-control tricks, and tireless reptilian patience. But he is not a particularly sturdy or athletically powerful creature, relying on mechanical aids and sharply honed wits for endurance and safe survival outside of his native environment. Bane is definitely an all-time favorite for me – from his striking design to his iconic and potent personality. There’s such a playground of speech characteristics in his palette that make him a continuing series of spontaneous discoveries. It feels like a very personal original co-creation I can feel proud to be a part of.”

We got this teaser in the mail this morning from Marvel.

I can’t believe they found a way to make Gambit look even more lame.

I promise though, I will read this if Gambit meets his demise.

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