Jeremy Renner Spoofs The Avengers and Hawkeye on SNL

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

Actor Jeremy Renner guest hosted last night's Saturday Night Live, during which time he reprised his role as Hawkeye in a skit lampooning the year's biggest movie, Marvel's The Avengers. Check it out:

Now check out what Renner really had to say about The Avengers:


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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 Can't Eclipse New Moon

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

The series finale The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 dominated the weekend box office as expected, but it couldn't eclipse New Moon as the series' biggest debut.

Breaking Dawn - Part 2 bowed with an estimated $141.3 million, while New Moon debuted with $142.8 million back in 2009. Breaking Dawn - Part 1 opened last fall with $138.1 million. Still, weep not for Edward and Bella's silver screen swan song as the movie is still a hit by any standard. Breaking Dawn - Part 2's worldwide cume currently stands at $340.9 million.

Last weekend's champ, Skyfall, fell to second place with $41.5 million; it is now the biggest James Bond film ever internationally with a current global tally of $669.2 million. Spielberg's acclaimed biopic Lincoln expanded into wide release this weekend, enjoying a leap into third place with a haul of $21 million.

Here are the weekend estimates via Rentrak:

  1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 $141.3 million
  2. Skyfall $41.5 million
  3. Lincoln $21 million
  4. Wreck-It Ralph $18.3 million
  5. Flight $8.6 million
  6. Argo $4.1 million
  7. Taken 2 $2.1 million
  8. Pitch Perfect $1.3 million
  9. Jab Tak Hai Jaan $1.3 million
  10. Here Comes the Boom $1.2 million

Listen to the latest Keepin' It Reel podcast to see how we did with our predictions.


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Making Friends With Wii U

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

For months, even years, many have wondered if and when Nintendo would finally move away from the Friend Codes that were so cumbersome and annoying on previous systems. The publisher hadn't really offered many specifics with regards to Wii U. Today we were able to finally test out that environment, and see how you'd be able to connect with people you know - or simply play games with.

Simply put, Friend Codes are gone, replaced by your Nintendo Network ID, which is effectively a username. Your Network ID can be set up when you add a new Mii to your Wii U OS, or later through settings. After registering your ID to an e-mail address, you're able to use this to connect to others through the master Friend List 'application', which is accessible from the system's Home Menu (which you get to by pressing 'Home' on the GamePad).

Your Mii/account is at the top. Your pending requests below.

Adding Friends can work in two ways - through a request system or by both of you adding each others' names. Our live, retail environment proved both would work, but sending out requests seemed to have a strange delay, with some not seeing requests. Yet adding the other person manually worked instantly. A strange glitch that with any luck will be worked out in the days to come.

A look at an incoming Friend Request.

You can also view gamers you've played online with recently, and can send requests to them. Requests can be blocked as well, and you can flag your account so your friends can see when you're online and what you're playing.

Pretty straight forward, basically. And it's about time.

For more on Wii U, stay tuned to IGN.

Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com and the leader of IGN's Nintendo team. He also watches over all things WWE, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed and much more. Follow him on Twitter, if you dare!


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Brad Bird Won't Direct Star Wars: Episode VII

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

Director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, The Iron Giant) has declared that he won't direct Star Wars: Episode VII.

Bird tweeted today in response to numerous fan inquiries, "Not doing Star Wars." He reiterated that his upcoming sci-fi film 1952 is not code for Episode VII: "It's not Episode VII." and "Nope. A science fiction film. Not Star Wars."

The filmmaker added, "But the science fiction film I AM doing is gonna be cool."

Bird closed with, "That said, Michael Arndt is a fantastic writer and Kathy Kennedy is a brilliant producer. I will be first in line to see the new STAR WARS."

So let's finally strike Brad Bird's name from the list of potential Star Wars: Episode VII directors, shall we?


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Nintendo Steams Up the Wii U eShop

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

We still haven't been able to access Wii U's eShop, but that hasn't stopped us from learning what games will be available when it launches. Including Nintendo's own full-game offerings, like New Super Mario Bros. U, titles like Trine 2: Director's Cut will be available for download on launch day.

Though the eShop's overall user experience and sales will ultimately determine the success of the service, Nintendo's direct dealings with independent developers is just as important. On the eve of Wii U's launch, we chatted with Trine developer Frozenbyte on working with Nintendo for Wii U, and its perception of the improvements the publisher has made to the eShop as it heads into a new console generation.

"We started working with the Wii U back in March, right after Nintendo contacted us for the first time," said Mikael Haveri, a marketing manager at Frozenbyte. "We had the port of Trine 2 working in about two days and then after that it was just about getting the game to look nicer and to implement the touch screen related features."

Frozenbyte has documented its (easy) Wii U development process before, but what's a bit more interesting is the level of control it enjoys once its game is out in the marketplace. Wii U's eShop operates much like Apple's Appstore. Developers set their prices. More importantly, they also determine when they have sales.

"That's what we love about the new eShop," said Haveri. "We have the power to price our products as we please, with just some basic guidelines from the big guys. The step to this is purely from Nintendos's side and they clearly see that [their] previous installments have not been up to par. We can set our own pricing and actually continuing on that by setting our own sales whenever we want. It is very close to what Apple and Steam are doing at the moment, and very indie friendly."

Steam has certainly become the games industry standard for digital distribution, so there's something very significant about the fact that Haveri evokes (generally) positive comparisons between it and Nintendo repeatedly. In fact it's Steam's lack of price controls (and fees) that make it so appealing to developers, enabling such strong support for the service. Developers are able to track their sales, using price points as promotional tools to incentivize long-term sales. "As a small company we rely a lot on the long term sales of our games, not just how well the game does in the first month. Selling for more than two of the first weeks has been very difficult on the console side so far," Haveri said.

Control over initial and subsequent price payments are one thing, but what about patches or additional content downloads? Some controversy has emerged in recent years, as independent developers of games like Braid and Fez have complained about the steep prices required by publishers like Microsoft when issuing content updates. In the case of XBLA, the first update is free - and then you start paying.

That's not the case with Wii U.

"They have pushed away all of the old methods that have been established before," Haveri told me. "Simply put they've told us that there are no basic payments for each patch (which were pretty high on most platforms) and that we can update our game almost as much as we want. For indie developers this is huge."

Though Haveri likens Nintendo's new approach for pricing to Apple and Steam, he's a bit more cautious when it comes to repeated approval processes. Noting that the 20-something Trine 2 updates through Steam have been effortless (and allowed), Haveri does expect Nintendo to be a bit more in line with Microsoft and Sony when it comes to verifying and approving patches and added content. "We expect it to be longer than what Steam has, but still very competitive compared to the current console standards." Haveri noted that while Trine 2's DLC content is included with the Wii U version of the game, Nintendo has told the developer it has the same philosophy for added content as it does patches - it's free.

All of this is to say that Nintendo seems to be watching Apple and Steam, and reacting accordingly. "Nintendo messed up the worst last time around," Haveri said. "Now they really know that they have to make a huge improvement to get back into the game. What I have seen and heard so far is amazing and it's definitely going in the right direction as far as small developers are concerned."

Haveri also noted Miiverse is something Frozenbyte definitely has its eye on, not just in terms of letting Miis run around and interact, but creating a social avenue that might allow developers to more directly communicate with fans. It's something that's a bit unprecedented in gaming, but is an experiment that might well be worth a developer's time.

The eShop itself is also growing. Though the 3DS version was certainly improved over previous iterations, Wii U will have a larger shopping environment, allowing for more promotion and discovery. "Now we can actually just upload videos about our game after the launch and still have the players come back and have a conversation about it. This makes it possible for everyone to continue that mutual relationship a lot further, rather than having it stop at the transaction."

Haveri stops a bit short of giving Wii U's eShop complete praise, no doubt partly since the system and its online environment haven't even been made public yet. Even so, this is one indie team that's optimistic Nintendo will now be another great avenue for distribution. "Nintendo's eShop has the possibility of showing the way for the future of downloadable games on consoles. Not everything is up to par, but so far it looks like a far superior channel to be a part of. We hope that companies like us realize that and more indie games become available on the Wii U eShop. In the end this is how we see the future of console gaming and hopefully we are not too far away from that reality."

Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com and the leader of IGN's Nintendo team. He also watches over all things WWE, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed and much more.Follow him on Twitter, if you dare!


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Sine Mora Coming to PS3, Vita This Coming Week

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

Back in March, the hardcore shoot-’em-up Sine Mora came to Xbox Live, and we loved it. A few months later, we learned that the game would be coming to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, and it was even playable on Vita on the E3 show floor in June. But since then, there’s been nothing but silence.

That is, until now. Siliconera reports that Sine Mora will be coming to both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in only a few days. It’s primed for release on the PSN in North America on Tuesday, November 20th, and a day later on the PSN in Europe, on Wednesday, November 21st.

Keep it tuned to IGN for a full review of both versions.

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.


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Key Details on Wii U Storage Solutions

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

UPDATE:

Since our original story, Nintendo has released more details on what types of drives will be supported by Wii U. It's worth emphasizing that there is still a degree of uncertainty at this point, and the best way of knowing whether your particular hardware will work with the system is to test it.

Even so, here's what's new:

Bus-Powered vs. Self-Powered vs. USB 3.0

Perhaps the most important detail concerning Wii U and hard drives is this - self-powered drives (i.e. ones that you not only connect by USB but also power through an AC adapter plugged into an outlet) will definitely work with the system. Bus-powered discs, apparently, either won't work until a future update or won't be directly confirmed by Nintendo as able to work until a future time. Either way, it seems as though self-powered HDDs are the better option at this point.

Some drives are able to be powered only through USB 3.0. As we noted in our original story (below), 3.0 drives are not promised to work, though Nintendo has clarified these devices will effectively operate at USB 2.0.

Moving Your Drives

When you connect a drive to Wii U, you will have to format that drive for the system. Unless you partition, your entire drive will be dedicated to your Wii U. What's important to note is the system will format the drive for itself - not all Wii Us. In other words, if you try to relocate your HDD to another Wii U, that new system will apparently want to format the drive again. All data will be erased.

What Will Work

Nintendo has explicitly confirmed the following drives to work with Wii U, though it cautions it cannot guarantee they will always work. So, again, you'll have to just test these things to make sure.

Buffalo HD-LBU3-C Series HD-LB2.0TU3-BKC/HD-LB2.0TU3-WHC HD-LB1.0TU3-BKC/HD-LB1.0TU3-WHC

Buffalo HD-LBU3 Series HD-LB2.0TU3J HD-LB1.0TU3J

Toshiba CANVIO DESK Series HD-EA20TK/HD-EA20TW HD-EA10TK/HD-EA10TW

ORIGINAL STORY:

For months we've known that Wii U will support various storage solutions in addition to the variable internal storage that comes with different system bundles (8GB and 32GB at launch). Nintendo has now provided more details on SD card and hard drive support, plus even shed some light on how much space the system's OS will take and more. Thanks to NeoGAF user cvxfreak for translating all of the details from the last second Japanese broadcast.

The OS Space

When buying a Wii U, gamers will be able to choose between the Basic bundle, which comes with 8GB of internal storage, and the Deluxe bundle, which comes with 32GB of space. By default, due to formatting, the Basic system will have 7.2GB of free memory and the Deluxe will have 29GB. From there, though, the Wii U's OS will take 4.2GB of space. That's about half of the Basic's storage, not counting any expansion through hard drives or SD cards.

Nintendo also specified that New Super Mario Bros. U is approximately a 2GB download. Nintendo Land ranks around 3.2GB. That means Basic system owners can't download both Mario and Nintendo Land to their internal storage without running out of space. Something to keep in mind.

USB Hard Drives

By default, and barring an update that Nintendo says is coming in the future, Wii U will only allow one USB drive to be connected at a time. These drives cannot be disconnected while Wii U is powered on, and the system will support and read up to 2TB of storage.

Drives that will be used by Wii U must be formatted by the system's Data Management system, meaning you can't use the drive with a PC without partitioning. However all data can be moved internally and externally through Wii U's OS.

Drives that require more than USB 2.0 connections might not work properly with Wii U. Drives that have two USB connectors will work, however.

SD Cards

Wii U will accept SD cards, but their use is limited. PC, Wii Virtual Console, WiiWare and Wii saves can be stored on these cards, but Wii U save data cannot.

Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com and the leader of IGN's Nintendo team. He also watches over all things WWE, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed and much more. Follow him on Twitter, if you dare!


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25 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About The Hobbit

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

Are you ready to go there and back again? As we book our tickets for return to Middle-earth – and prepare our terrible Gollum impressions – we rifled through our Dragon-hoarded treasure trove of trivia to bring you a couple of Arkenstones about the history of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s classic novel and its path from page to screen. My precious…

1. An Unexpected Journey

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit…” The Hobbit’s story starts in 1928, as a bored JRR Tolkien - marking summer exams – suddenly jotted those opening words down on an empty page of an exam sheet. Struck by the words, he resolved to delve into the matter more thoroughly. “Names always generate a story in my mind,” he wrote later. “I thought I’d better find out what hobbits were like.”

2. Something Borrowed

The names for the dwarves – and even the mighty wizard Gandalf, himself - didn’t just pop fully-formed into JRR Tolkien’s head. The Oxford Don ‘borrowed’ the names wholesale out of the Völuspá – an old Norse poem telling the story of the Earth’s creation.

3. Concerning Hobbits

Tolkien apparently didn’t even come up with the word Hobbit, though it’s usually attributed to him. The Oxford English Dictionary threw a spanner in the works by pointing out that the word first turned up in a 19th Century book of folklore, as an obscure word for little people or fairies. The Oxford English Dictionary is presumably written by Tooks.

4. Killer Bilbo

Bilbo wasn’t always going to be bumbling – or even dozing – through the action. During one of Tolkien’s stabs at writing the book, Tolkien actually had the leaf-smoker lined up to sting the killer blow into desolating dragon Smaug, before leaving it to more capable hands. Well, he doesn’t exactly look the monster slaying sort.

5. Motivation Required

Tolkien needed a bit of a nudge to get the book finished. He’d have probably still been tinkering with it on his deathbed had not former-student Elaine Griffiths recommended the manuscript to Susan Dagnall, a friend who worked at George Allen & Unwin publishing house. As a result of Dagnall’s professional interest, Tolkien finally completed his hairy-footed adventure.

6. First Great Review

The real diminutive hero of The Hobbit? A ten-year-old boy called Rayner Unwin. As the son of Sir Stanley Unwin, the latter-half of book publishers George Allen & Unwin’s, he was asked to rubber stamp any children’s fiction the firm released. His short review sealed the deal for Tolkien’s career. “This book... is good and should appeal to all children between the ages of 5 and 9.”

7. A Bit Sketchy

Tolkien was apparently a keen doodler as well, although while most of us just stick to band logos or your usual big veiny wang, the author’s illustrations would become as iconic as his writing: the black-and-white maps that appeared in The Hobbit are Tolkien’s, as was the famous front-cover landscape that still adorns some editions of the book. His band logos were probably cool too.

8. Not So Great Expectations

Initial hopes for the book weren’t exactly sky high. The first print run in 1937 was a whopping 1,500 copies. It’s sold over 100 million since. One of those first editions – inscribed by Tolkien to useful pal Elaine Griffiths - sold for £60,000 in 2008. Presumably he didn’t scribble a schlong onto it.

9. It's Good To Have Friends

When The Hobbit was first published in 1937, it benefited from having a hugely positive review written anonymously in The Times Literary Supplement, bigging up the book as a “classic”. This review was actually written by popular fantasy writer CS Lewis… who just happened to be Tolkien’s BFF.

10. The Hobbit vs Hitler

“A ruddy little ignoramus,” was Tolkien’s view on Adolf Hitler. When it came to publishing the book in Nazi Germany in 1938, the author was asked to produce evidence of his ‘Aryan’ heritage. Instead, the author wrote two snotty replies and let his publisher choose which to send – one of which pointed out that the term Aryan was misused and that in terms of being Jewish, “I can only reply that I regret that I appear to have no ancestors of that gifted people.” Pure class, in a big tall glass.

11. The Hobbit: Special Edition

George Lucas wasn’t the first sci-fi overlord to dabble with a bit of revisionism. While writing Lord Of The Rings, the author realized that he’s need to tweak Bilbo’s original meeting with Gollum to make events match his much darker sequel – rewriting it so Gollum doesn’t willingly lose his precious ring. Without the internet, disgruntled Hobbit fans presumably just had to write a strongly worded letter to The Times in protest.

12. Y So Serious?

The pages of the Hobbit are a bit of a sausage fest, with only one female character actually getting a name: Bilbo’s mum Belladonna Took, since you asked. Team Wingnut has attempted to up the X chromosome quota by inviting Lost’s Evangeline Lilly (as an original character called Tauriel) and a returning Cate ‘Galadriel’ Blanchett to the party too. That’s two whole characters across three movies: feminists, rejoice.

13. Quick Draws

In order to bring Middle-earth back to life, the 350-strong art department had to make 8,000 digital paintings based on 500 concept sketches. Lead Illustrators & Conceptual Artists Alan Lee and John Howe – the eyes behind the LOTR’s distinctive look – cheekily pranked in a videoblog that they’d started drawing in 3D too, by claiming to each be drawing the same picture, one in red, one in blue, and wearing glasses to see the combined result properly.

14. For A Warhammer, Press Print...

The movie isn’t the only thing that’s gone 3D. Having to create 800 weapons for the 13 dwarves and their assorted stunt and perspective doubles, the weapons department opted for 3D printing instead – a process that takes a digital model and pumps out the object in a solid form – and then adding the finishing touches by hand afterwards.

15. Hair Care

It’s not just those walking Timotei-advert elves that the hair and make-up department have to worry about: the hairy dwarves feature more beards than the Scientology dating department. Each dwarf had six wigs and eight beards – individually made from yak hair – which then needed to be replicated across all the different doubles. Because they’re worth it.

16. Making Up For Lost Time

Luckiest dwarf on the set? Step forward boy-band dwarf Aiden Turner, who only required 30 minutes in make up to turn into Kili. Spare a thought then for William Kircher – the axe-headed Bifur – and especially poor Stephen Hunter, whose big-boned Bombur needed a whopping 105 minutes in the chair. Every single day.

17. Hot Dwarves

While the dwarves might look a bit on the cuddlesome side, they had to be super fit, and not just in the Aiden Turner sense: On average, each one is slowly cooking under an average of 80kg in padding, costume and facial hair. In order to stop them all sweating their way to The Grey Havens, they all have water-cooled vests on.

18. Off-Colour

Filming in an utterly-unforgiving 48 frames-per-second raised a few problems. The initial make-up tests for the actors appeared yellow on screen – making them look a bit ill - with the cameras instantly revealing the prosthetics, forcing the artists to use more red in their pallets. The sets similarly had to have their colours boosted and extra detail added in by using real materials rather than plastic.

19. Things Peter Jackson Needs Like A Hole In The Stomach

Just as those 48fps cameras were getting ready to roll, Peter Jackson found himself suffering terrible stomach pains. He was admitted to Wellington Hospital in January 2011 and diagnosed with a perforated ulcer in his guts – effectively a hole in his intestine allowing digestive acids to leak out - which meant time off to recover. Still, after all the delays of lawsuits, union battles and personnel changes, what difference could a few more days make?

20. Baptism Of Fire

Martin Freeman first few weeks on set were less Bag End and more deep end: shooting the iconic battle of riddles with Gollum. The scene though was more difficult for Serkis: “it felt like I was doing an impersonation of a character I once played because there had been so many parodies and jokes. I was trying to find the emotional core again, get away from the impression – to bring him back.”

21. Blood And Sweat

Not all the make-up effects were expensive though: Richard ‘Thorin’ Armitage stumbled upon a more organic to create that ‘heat of the battle’ look. “I think I put a shield through my lip and had a mouthful of blood and this huge broken lip. Peter Jackson said, ‘Okay, can you just try another one now?’ But it looks great on the shot because I’ve got these bleeding teeth and it’s dripping out of my face.”

22. He's A Celebrity...

Playing the grubby Master of Laketown, Stephen Fry had to endure a spot of Down Under’s best bushtucker trials on top of one of his less glamourous roles. “He had me eating testicles! I mustn’t give too much away but I’ve got a bald cap and then on top of that a really bad combover wig, this wispy moustache and beard, horrible blotchy skin and disgusting fingernails.”

23. Father & Son Reunion

While many of the Fellowship will be returning to New Zealand – including Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom – Gimli actor John Rhys-Davies initially declined a part, not fancying another round of the make up that had given him a terrible allergic reaction. He did visit the set to meet his dwarvish ancestors though, including Peter Hambleton, playing Gimli’s father Gloin. Rhys-Davies reaction: “You poor buggers!”

24. Visit Hobbiton

Ever fancied hanging out in Middle-earth? Well now you can. The Hobbit returned to the Shire-ish pastures of Alexander Farm in Matamata, NZ, to recreate the Hobbiton set from Lord Of The Rings, only this time they’ve made it permanent, allowing (paying) tourists to wander past Bag End for real. Just remember Hobbits are suspicious of tourists.

25. And About Those Eagles...

And finally, for the record, the reason the eagles don’t get involved earlier on is because they’re not at Gandalf’s beck and call. They just like to keep a beady birdy eye on the goblins to make sure they don’t get up to mischief, which is why they intervene when they do. Look, they’re not bloody taxis, alright?


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Hawaii Five-0: McGarrett Family Values

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

Steve McGarrett has been processing a lot about his family on Hawaii Five-0 since he learned his mom, Doris (Christine Lahti) was alive – and a spy no less. And they’ll be plenty more family drama in the coming episode, as not only Doris, but Steve’s sister, Mary Ann (Taryn Manning) return.

I was on the set of this episode, “Ohuna,” and Alex O’Loughlin told me, “Mary Ann comes back, and she doesn’t come back alone either -- but that’s a whole other story. My character is constantly perplexed by the decisions that she makes, forever believing that she cannot take care of herself. She comes back and he has to break this news [about Doris] to her. I think even after she does accept the news and it looks like it’s going to be okay emotionally for her, I don’t think we necessarily believe that it’s going to be a great outcome. It doesn’t feel like ‘happily ever after’ to me anymore.”

Alex O'Loughlin in Hawaii Five-0

Manning told me that when it came to Mary Ann’s reaction, “She’s having a pretty tough time in the duration of this one episode. She’s super conflicted -- sad, confused, pissed. Also, it makes her kind of miss her dad, which was maybe a feeling that was shoved down, and this whole situation has brought that all back up.”

Lahti said that when it came to how Doris treats the situation, “I basically just stalk [Mary Ann] and track her down, because she refuses to see me. I don’t want to give anything away, but it ends up that we do have kind of a reconciliation.”

Doris (Christine Lahti) follows Mary Ann

It’s not an easy path for them – Manning explained that Mary Ann has no interest in meeting Doris. “She actually goes to her father’s grave to vent to somebody, but really nobody; just kind of get all these feelings out. But I believe in that moment you get a glimpse of a pretty layered, conflicted girl. She’s like, ‘This is crazy. What the heck, dad? She put you through this, and I’m just supposed to meet her and be okay with this? What do I do?’”

O’Loughlin and Manning have always been an interesting duo as brother and sister, with very different appearances and energies. With Lahti now cast as mom, Manning said with a laugh, “Yeah, it kind of just makes us make a little more sense. I was saying, Christine is really tall and has this great body, and Alex is tall; but our father is kind of short, so I’m like, ‘I got dad’s genes!’ She has these really pretty green eyes, and you can definitely see what they were doing. I think it’s cool. She’s incredible. I know everybody, from my agents to fans, have been like, ‘Yes! I love that woman!’ I think they put together a good little scenario if they were to build on it. There could be some pretty epic scenes.”

Shelley Berman and Taryn Manning in Hawaii Five-0

When I asked O’Loughlin if he was excited about the potential to play out scenes between the entire McGarrett family in future episodes, he said, “Absolutely, I’d love to play that scene right now. The thing is, as an actor, the more that they give you, the more you can work with. This stuff’s so rich for me. It’s all part of the rich tapestry that makes Steven McGarrett who he is. We’re very lucky to have the creative team behind it who have woven these tapestries for each of us. Scotty [Caan], Daniel [Dae Kim], Grace [Park] -- we’ve all got these terrific storylines, backstories and present or eminent dangers. It’s so much more than a procedural show.”

Hawaii Five-0 airs Monday at 10pm on CBS.


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Megan Fox Appears With Brian Austin Green on Wedding Band

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

TBS’s new comedy, Wedding Band, just premiered last weekend, but the second episode has a notable guest star in the form of Megan Fox. The series stars Brian Austin Green, Peter Cambor, Derek Miller and Harold Perrineau as four friends who perform together as the wedding band Mother of the Bride. Fox will appear alongside her real life husband, Green, in Saturday night’s episode, as a sci-fi TV star appearing at the same big convention -- called “ComiCon” on the show -- Mother of the Bride are performing at, for a con-themed wedding.

Check out images of Fox’s appearance (decked out in her character's character’s costume, if you fellow) below, along with a clip.

Megan Fox appears in Wedding Band on Saturday, November 17th at 10pm on TBS.

Megan Fox in Wedding Band 1

Megan Fox in Wedding Band 2

Megan Fox in Wedding Band


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New Evil Dead Photo Revealed

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

A new still from Evil Dead has been posted at the movie's official Facebook page:

Evil Dead opens spring 2013.


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What We Want From the Avengers Assemble Animated Series

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

After two seasons and 56 episodes, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes concluded last weekend as the Avengers waged war on Galactus and his four Heralds. And unlike so many animated superhero series of years past (Wolverine and the X-Men, The Spectacular Spider-Man, etc), Earth's Mightiest Heroes was able to deliver a satisfying conclusion rather than an unresolved cliffhanger.

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes - Season 2 Review

The Avengers won't be off the airwaves for long, however. Much as Disney replaced The Spectacular Spider-Man with Ultimate Spider-Man this year, the company is prepping a new Avengers series called Avengers Assemble that will be produced in-house, airing on Disney XD. The cast and tone are designed to reflect the recent Avengers movie, which we hear made a decent amount of cash this summer.

While it's good to know that the Avengers will be back, Avengers Assemble faces an uphill battle in winning over fans of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The drop in quality from Spectacular to Ultimate Spider-Man alone is cause for concern. We have some ideas on how Avengers Assemble can ease the transition while also learning fro the lessons of the last two years.

Don't Reboot

When Ultimate Spider-Man appeared on the scene, it offered up a new version of teenage Peter Parker. Fans of Spectacular's Peter were forced to accept that his saga would never be resolved. Again, While Earth's Mightiest Heroes reached a much more concrete conclusion, we see no reason why Avengers Assemble -- while obviously focusing on a lineup based on the film version -- needs to completely reboot continuity and start over from scratch.

This is the same way we feel about current superhero movies. Amazing Spider-Man faltered this year because it chose to retell an origin story the majority of moviegoers still remembered from 2002's Spider-Man or the various comics, video games, and TV series that have tackled the origin. At some point it's better to assume that the target audience knows who these characters are by now and not waste everyone's time rehashing origin stories and setting up teams. Origin stories are inherently formulaic to an extent. It's going to be that much harder for Assemble to find its own, distinctive voice if it spends the early episodes bringing the characters together again.

And while Earth's Mightiest Heroes wrapped up most of its loose threads, there were some dangling plot points we'd like to see Assemble resolve. Surtur still remained a threat to the Nine Realms, while Wonder Man was on the cusp of evolving from misguided villain to reformed hero. Season 3 almost certainly would have tackled the events of Mark Millar's Civil War and the battle over the Superhuman Registration Act. Various other villains like Michael Korvac were positioned to be future threats to the team. Why cast away all that leftover potential?

Comments from Jeph Loeb and others have been vague and conflicting as to whether Assemble will continue where Earth's Mightiest Heroes left off. We're hoping that the recent Spider-Man re-dubbing controversy is at least a sign that Earth's Mightiest Heroes is meant to exist in the same universe as Ultimate Spider-Man. If it does, a reboot becomes even more unnecessary.

More Whedonesque Humor

The Avengers movie was certainly a visual showcase, with the final 30 minutes rivaling anything else at the theater this year for raw excitement. But we'd argue that the massive success of the movie had at least as much to do with the humor and character banter. Who better than Whedon knows how to put a group of characters in a room and have the audience rolling in the aisles?

While we don't necessarily want the characters in Assemble to be written and voiced exactly like Robert Downey, Chris Evans, etc., we would like to see some of that banter and humor cross over into Assemble. One of the problems with Earth's Mightiest Heroes was that the characters could be a bit bland and flat. Rarely did viewers get the sense that they had much of a life going on beyond suiting up in costumes ad punching evil. Cap's perpetual intensity and tendency towards delivering inspirational homilies at the end of every episode made him feel more suited for an episode of the old He-Man cartoon. The characters need more humor and more personality quirks if they're going to achieve that Whedonesque effect.

Aside from Hulk (Fred Tatasciore), the main Avengers characters are switching to new voice actors for Assemble. This new blood may be just the ticket as far as refreshing the core dynamics of the team. It's not enough that Iron Man sounds vaguely like Robert Downey Jr. when his helmet is off. He needs to light up the screen and play up his billionaire playboy philanthropist routine to his fullest. The regular voice actors need to be able to hold their own against guest stars like J.K. Simmons or Steve Blum.

Storytelling Variety

Earth's Mightiest Heroes was known for weaving a fairly complex narrative that built over time. Season 1 focused on Loki's scheme to take over Asgard, while the first half of Season 2 chronicled the Skrull invasion of Earth. However, Season 2 shifted direction once the Skrull story arc was wrapped up. The latter half featured episodes that generally stood alone and didn't build towards a greater conflict. There were certainly elements that carried over form one episode to the ext, but these final episodes were far more standalone in nature.

There are merits to both approaches. Superhero comics are not unlike soap opera in a lot of ways, with plenty of character drama and plot threads that pay off weeks, months, or years down the road. It's always good to have a TV series that can follow suit and keep viewers invested over the long term. But it's always nice to break up long story arcs with shorter, more focused tales as well. It's also important to make sure that longer story arcs don't drive off younger viewers with shorter attention spans or those who simply don't tune in every week.  Earth's Mightiest heroes Season 2 faltered in trying to deliver too much of one type in the beginning and too much of the other in the end. The Skrull invasion arc wore out its welcome by the end, while several episodes could have benefited from a longer format.

We'd like to see Assemble tackle both longer story arcs and shorter, standalone conflicts in equal measure. Give each storyline the room it needs - no more, no less. But also give viewers reason to keep tuning in each week and big payoffs at the end of every season.

More Outside Characters

Generally, the strongest episodes in Earth's Mightiest Heroes Season 2 were the ones that focused on less traditional Avengers heroes and villains. "Michael Korvac" introduced the Guardians of the Galaxy to great effect. "New Avengers" shifted focus to a more street-level and eclectic gathering of heroes. The Avengers comics themselves have really branched out in recent years and worked to include more central characters outside of the Cap/Thor/Iron Man camp. We'd like to see Assemble continue that trend even if the core roster remains largely movie-inspired.

In particular, we'd love to see more X-Men characters aside from just Wolverine take part in the new show. Several X-Men have joined the Avengers at one point or another. There was a time when Beast fans associated that character more with the Avengers franchise than the X-Men. Villains like Apocalypse or Juggernaut could just as easily do battle with the Avengers instead. With Wolverine and the X-Men long gone and no replacement series in sight, Avengers Assemble may be the best chance to see these characters on the small screen.

In particular, Assemble would do well to touch on Magneto and his family. Though Earth's Mightiest Heroes featured most of the characters fans would deem "classic" Avengers, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were notable by their absence. Unlike the movies, Marvel's animated TV projects don't face the same licensing restrictions when it comes to certain characters and franchises. There's no reason Magneto and his children can't appear either as antagonists or allies to the Avengers this time around.

When Assemble debuts next year, there will still be a two year wait until The Avengers 2 hits theaters. Much as Earth's Mightiest Heroes has been doing, the series has the chance to introduce viewers to the more obscure and colorful characters that inhabit the Marvel Universe. Plenty of Marvel fans happily watch the TV shows and movies and play the video games without ever picking up a comic. If Marvel wants characters like Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Ant-Man, and the Guardians of the Galaxy to have their own successful movie franchises, it can't hurt raise casual awareness of the characters beforehand.

More Originality

Earth's Mightiest Heroes did a great job of adapting iconic Avengers storylines for the small screen. The series drew inspiration from everything from the original Stan Lee/Jack Kirby issues to the classic Roy Thomas years to more recent stories like Geoff Johns "Red Zone" and Brian Michael Bendis' "Secret Invasion." However, one could argue that the series was too faithful to the source material. Earth's Mightiest Heroes was so busy adapting pre-existing material that it rarely had anything truly new to bring to the table. Well-read comic readers could usually predict exactly how an episode would end because the show rarely strayed from the beaten path.

Compare that to the approach taken by Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice. Those series are also respectful of the comic book source material, yet they're unafraid to strike new ground and sometimes make significant changes to familiar conflicts and character relationships. Some of the most interesting and important characters in Young Justice either didn't exist in the comics or are so changed they might as well be original creations. The series is always instantly recognizable as a DC cartoon, but it has a wholly fresh and original approach to the characters.

It's no coincidence that both Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice are creations of Greg Weisman. Weisman has a particular knack for digging into a franchise, mining the best elements, and combining them to create something new and compelling. Weisman won't actually be working on Assemble (we're crossing our fingers Young Justice will still be around after this season), but his work serves as an example of what Marvel should be striving for with the new series. We've seen an Avengers cartoon that can be lovingly faithful to the comics that inspired it. Now comes the time for a show that can break new ground and defy expectations.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.


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Wii U: Review in Progress

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

Is the Wii U's GamePad a gimmick?

Not any more than the motion controls on the Wii. Or the touchscreen on the Nintendo DS. Or pretty much everything else Nintendo has done to separate its gameplay experience from the competition.

So that's a roundabout way of saying "no." None of those were actually gimmicks. The handle and tiny discs of the GameCube were gimmicks.

The GamePad, on the other hand, offers something entirely unique. What Nintendo calls "asynchronous play" will define Wii U more than anything else.

Multiplayer games will be judged on whether they're fair to both those on the GamePad and those on Wiimotes and Pro controllers. And it's not going to take long for these complaints and praises to start adding up - even Nintendoland offers some major (possibly unfair) advantages to whoever claims the GamePad. Go to Metroid's attraction and test it out for yourself. Characters with Wiimotes get a land-strafing gunner. GamePad users get all that, plus a hovercraft. Is it any wonder that I consistently outscored my friends and refused to give up the GamePad?

More of those freaking bomb pigs are coming around the corner.

There's also a strange sort of isolation at work with the GamePad. When playing single player games,  my friends kept their heads down, captivated with the GamePad - not too different than when you're talking to a friend who's texting. The difference however, is pivotal; I could see things on the TV they couldn't see. So even though they weren't looking up, engaged in the same content I was - I was constantly yelling out things like "More of those freaking bomb pigs are coming around the corner." I was engaged in the game, even when I wasn't playing it - this could well be Wii U's trump card.

But what about hardcore games? Will Nintendo finally match other consoles' dedication to hardcore gaming? No. But not for lack of trying.

Nintendo just can't seem to get the simplest things right - like voice chat. For those that missed the news, Nintendo's "hardcore" Wii U Pro Controller doesn't come with a headset jack. Which means you'll need to plug your headset into the Wii U GamePad, even when you're not using it. That's ridiculous.

The worries don't stop there. Nintendo has remained mum on what processor is inside the Wii U. Currently, all we know is it's an IBM Power Architecture-based multi-core processor. Except we don't know how many cores, or what it's clocked at, or what its cache size is… etc, etc, etc. For all we know, it could be a beefed up version of the Wii chip - which isn't that wild of a guess.

So what does all that mean? It means what everyone already knew - Wii U won't be as powerful as the PS4 or next Xbox. But is that a surprise? And does it really matter?

I'm not convinced Wii U is going to age as well as the next round of consoles - but I am convinced that it's going to offer a completely unique experience with a large handful of irreplaceable games.

Unfortunately, those irreplaceable games really don't seem to exist just yet. Nintendoland shows off the capabilities of the GamePad, but it's still a mini game collection. Other games, like New Super Mario Bros U don't seem to know what to do with the GamePad's display. Still, it's only a matter of time until we see something truly groundbreaking on Wii U.

It's also only a matter of time until the Wii U is capable of its advertised features. That day one update is mind-bogglingly important. Without it, the Wii U can't really do anything except play Wii U games and make Miis. That means you can't download games from the E-Shop, or play Wii games or transfer saves, or do a bunch of things the Wii U needs to be capable of.

Early Verdict

Without the day one patch, it's hard to give the Wii U a fair shake. Without it, the Wii U doesn't live up to its potential and really can't do anything besides play Wii U Games.

As for those games, I've seen flashes of ingenuity that lead me to trust that Nintendo's on to something with the GamePad. However, if the GamePad features are too sparse or too ham-fisted into games, those games will likely be pretty disappointing (I already don't want to blow into the mic ever again).

This review will continue to be updated over the weekend and, of course, when the patch comes through, so make sure to keep returning for new information and impressions, or swing by again on Tuesday for our full-review (complete with score).

Nic is the Editor of IGN Tech. He loves technology almost as much as the Seahawks, steak, and P.O.S.'s new album. You can follow him on Twitter @nicvargus and IGN.


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Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue Cancelled by ABC

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

ABC has cancelled Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue. Both shows will not be receiving orders for additional episodes beyond their first thirteen.

Despite a lot of critical support for Last Resort, it struggled on Thursday nights on ABC. 666 Park Avenue meanwhile was the clear ratings weak link on ABC’s Sunday night lineup. Variety reports that both shows will at least air all thirteen episodes.

Neither series have filmed their thirteenth episode, but obviously there is not a lot of time for changes to be made. Still, here’s hoping some kind of resolution can be added to both series.

Among ABC's new series, the well-received Nashville has been picked up for a full season, though many will also point out so has The Neighbors - which has gotten little but critical scorn. But it also, amazingly enough, has better ratings than Last Resort. Yeah, I don't get it either...


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Suicide Squad Squares Off with the Joker

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

Now that Batman’s Death of the Family storyline is in full swing, we’re going to start seeing a lot more tie-ins in other books. One of those is Suicide Squad, where Harley Quinn will be taking center stage in light of the Joker’s brutal return.

To get some more insight on what Death of the Family means for Harley and the Squad as a whole, we talked with writer Adam Glass.

IGN Comics: Can you talk a little bit about how Suicide Squad wound up being a part of the Death of the Family storyline?

Adam Glass: Obviously one of the featured players of our series is Harley Quinn. Harley’s got a long-standing relationship with Mr. J, so that’s how we got involved in it. Harley has now, through the New 52 and Suicide Squad, sort of debuted her solo album. She’s gone out on her own and has been exploring herself, especially with Mr. J being off the map.

So Mr. J has come back and doesn’t like everything that Harley’s done while he’s been gone. So this is them getting a chance to catch up and see where their relationship is at and also discuss what’s happened while he was gone.

IGN: We saw a bit of the Harley and Joker relationship back in Batman #13. Is your portion of the story taking place before, after, or alongside those events?

Glass: It starts in my story [in Suicide Squad #14] and then we see that she goes off and does Scott’s [Snyder] story [in Batman #13] and then at the end comes back at the end and has more of a story.

IGN: So was this a situation where Scott and those guys reached out to you and said, “Hey, there’s an opportunity to do this.”? Or was this something were you were told you had to tie into the story?

Glass: Funny enough, I think we kept the Joker alive while he was gone because we did a story about Harley Quinn and we did this whole thing where she stole the mask and all of that. Scott threw us some praise and said, “I really like that, I think it’s awesome.” And then I said that when he comes back, we’ll do something again, because it seemed right especially with Harley.

So when it panned out, he got on the phone with me as he did with a lot of other creators and said, “Look, this is what the plan is; this is what I’m doing, DC’s on board, and we want you to have your own stories too.” So I pitched him everything and he loved it, we ran it by DC, and they were cool with it. It was actually all very easy.

IGN: For readers that might not be following the Joker story but are reading Suicide Squad, will this tie-in still be relevant to the ongoing events of the series?

Glass: Absolutely. Last issue, we saw Deadshot killed Regulus but the way he did it was by also having to kill himself. So we pick up with that storyline, and the Joker will parallel and come into that story as we look at where the Squad is after this last mission and also reveal that all of them, except Harley and Deadshot, were all basically Basilisk sleeper agents. So we have stuff to deal with, and some unpacking to do. We totally do that as we parallel to the other story.

IGN: How will Harley’s involvement in this whole thing affect the rest of the Squad or her position on the team?

Glass: Good question! Basically, this will forever change Harley. Things are revealed, things are told, things happen that basically will define who she is as she moves forward. And that will have an effect on her relationship with the Squad, and especially her relationship with Deadshot.

IGN: You mentioned this earlier, but you explored the Harley/Joker relationship a bit back in Suicide Squad #6, which was an issue that I loved. What do you think is so interesting about that relationship and why do readers love it so much?

Glass: I think it’s different things for different people. People have said this before and I think it’s an interesting analogy. If you look at Bonnie and Clyde or you look at Mickey and Mallory, there’s something about a couple who are caught up in their own vanity; their own love. Where there’s a lot of love, there’s a lot of hate. I think it’s always a fascinating relationship because here’s somebody that everyone sees as a complete monster, and yet this woman sees something in him that’s not only a monster but she sees in him something more.

The idea of scratching the surface and looking deeper into that relationship – taking a real, serious look at it – what does it mean, who are these people? I’ve got mad respect for Bruce Timm and all those who came before and they’ve given us such a great character, so I just want to step her and their relationship out a little more. Taking it to the next step; anyone that’s been in a relationship knows you’re in, you’re out, you’re in love, you’re out of love. It’s a lot of work in a relationship. When they work at it, it comes out in a very different way.

IGN: What’s your take on the Joker himself? Why is he such a compelling villain?

Glass: Oh, wow.

IGN: I know that’s kind of a loaded question.

Glass: I think that he is, at the end of the day, the embodiment of what a villain is. What makes him so interesting is that his motivation isn’t money. Most people do crimes to get rich. He’s reaching for a much more lofty goal. He really wants to see destruction and terror and horror. I think if you sat and spoke to the Joker, and he was completely straight and honest with you, he'd probably tell you exactly what he wants.

Here’s what he does know: he wants to destroy Gotham City. He wants to take Batman down, because to him, he’s the yin to his yang. At the same time, what really makes him interesting, is if he lost Batman, he’d probably lose himself. What does it mean to destroy the very thing that keeps you going? He’s so psychologically interesting. I’m sure anyone that writes him or draws him will tell you this, but man, it’s such an honor and a privilege -- I’m sitting at my computer, 40-something years old, and I’m like, “Oh my god! I’m nervous! This is awesome! This is the f***ing Joker we’re talking about here!”

It comes with this whole package of your own feelings and your own stuff; I have an 8-year-old son and we talk about the Joker. Of course, he’s more Batman: Brave and the Bold Joker, Batman: The Animated Series Joker; he’s too young to see Heath Ledger’s take on him, but look. It’s a long way of saying he’s the ultimate villain because at the end of the day his motivations aren’t that of the average Joe Criminal.

He’s playing at a deeper psychological level. I think we all, even if we don’t want to admit it, have a little bit of Joker in us. But we’re good law abiding citizens and would never go that far or listen to that voice inside of us. He speaks to our biggest and greatest fears. Evil unhinged.

IGN: That’s really all I’ve got for you, is there anything you want to add about Death of the Family or Suicide Squad in general?

Glass: Death of the Family will be the next step in the evolution of Harley Quinn and how she fits into the Suicide Squad. It will forever change her and it will forever change the Squad and take the stakes even higher as we move forward onto our next great adventure, where death is always hanging in the balance.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He thinks  knows the world needs more horror comic books.


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See Thor Battle Malekith on the Set of Thor: The Dark World

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

Check out the latest images from the English set of Thor: The Dark World, these ones featuring Chris Hemsworth's god of thunder battling his foe Malekith (Christopher Eccleston):

Thor: The Dark World opens November 8, 2013.


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Age of Ultron is Still Happening

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

After it was revealed that Brian Michael Bendis was ending his stint on The Avengers that lasted nearly a decade, readers wondered when we might see the much-touted Age of Ultron storyline (formerly known as The Ultron War) that was teased way back in 2010, and then again in Avengers #12.1 in 2011, the first Point One one-shot, and this past May's Free Comic Book Day.

Finally, it seems as though we're going to get the tale in March 2013.

march2013aujpg

I haven't done it for myself, but apparently, if you actually work out the binary code in the teaser above, it will indeed spell out "Age of Ultron." Pretty cool.

Stay tune for more information on Monday.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He thinks  knows the world needs more horror comic books.


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Robot Chicken: The Walking Dead Creator Robert Kirkman's Zombie-Packed Appearance

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

Sunday night will be a busy one for The Walking Dead's creator, Robert Kirkman. Not only will there be a new episode of the hit TV version of The Walking Dead (on which he serves as an executive producer and writer), but he'll also be appearing on Robot Chicken!

Kirkman told IGN, “Robot Chicken happens to be a fantastic show. But I’ll agree to be on any show that’ll make an action figure of me.” He also remarked, "Seth Green and Matt Senreich have created something that’s become a pop culture staple and it was a tremendous honor to be involved."

Said Seth Green, who directed Kirkman on the episode, "Robert undersells his acting, but he really went for it with us. Robert's got a total side career if he wants it."

Check out IGN's exclusive images from Kirkman's appearance on Robot Chicken below. As you can see, things don't go so great for him...

All-new episodes of Robot Chicken air Sundays at Midnight (ET/PT) on Adult Swim. Robert Kirkman, creator/writer of The Walking Dead, makes his acting debut as himself on the November 18th episode of Robot Chicken, created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich's Stoopid Monkey Productions at their animation studio, Stoopid Buddy Stoodios.


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Azubu Frost breaks the trend and 2-0s MVP White

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

Azubu Frost vs. MVP White

Game 1

AZF

Bans: Cho'Gath, Katarina, Lee Sin

Picks

  • Jayce - Shy (top)
  • Skarner - CloudTemplar (jungle)
  • Lux - RapidStar (mid)
  • Corki - Woong (adc)
  • Zyra - MadLife (support)

MVP

Bans: Vladimir, Evelynn, Diana

Picks

  • Irelia - Homme (top)
  • Nocturne - DanDy (jungle)
  • Twisted Fate - Mima (mid)
  • Ezreal - imp (mid)
  • Lulu - SmallBrain (support)

Game one had a somewhat standard opening. Both teams applied a bot/top lane switch, but otherwise, nothing happened in the immediate early game. When Mima and DanDy hit level six, MVP immediately kicked up the aggression, masterfully combo-ing ultimates for first and second blood. Knowing they were at a disadvantage, Frost opted to trade objectives in order to keep their deficit to a minimum. It wasn't until mid game that Frost retaliated. Homme initiated on an unsuspecting CloudTemplar, but by chaining abilities and using their long range poke, Frost was able win this first team fight, trading 3-1. MVP was now playing more cautiously, however this slightly played into Frost's hands. Using their long range poking abilities, Frost was able to push MVP off objectives and take them. Not wanting to be pushed back, MVP attempted to aggress on to Frost, however, Frost was able to kite, poke and position themselves much better, winning the team fight yet again. Despite Frosts won team fights, MVP's strength was still evenly matched. However, Frost was able to out play and pick off MVP which won them the fights and take objectives. Eventually, Frost gained enough of an advantage to take baron almost uncontested. Frost did not put baron to waste as they aggressively took objectives. The insane poking capabilities of Frost pushed MVP away which allowed Frost to pave a path into MVP's base, taking the first inhibitor. In a desperate attempt to save their base, MVP initiated the final fight. Unfortunately, Frost's team fighting capabilities, coupled with baron buff, was too much for MVP to handle as they lost the fight and game.

Game 2

AZF

Bans: Lee Sin, Katarina, Cho'Gath

Picks

  • Rumble - Shy (top)
  • Jayce - RapidStar (mid)
  • Lulu - MadLife (support)
  • Corki - Woong (adc)
  • Shen - CloudTemplar (jungle)

MVP

Bans: Lux, Diana, Zyra

Picks

  • Skarner - DanDy (jungle)
  • Vladimir - Mima (mid)
  • Ezreal - imp (adc)
  • Irelia - Homme (top)
  • Sona -SmallBrain (support)

In game two, Frost looked to ride their game one momentum. Playing extremely aggressively, they picked up a quick two kills. Sometimes Frost would be too aggressive and allowed MVP the opportunity to fight back and take kills of their own, but control of the game would be decided in the first major team fight. Once both teams grouped up in mid, they looked to find that ideal initiation. Frost, being the main aggressors in this game, took the initiative and engaged on MVP. The result ended in a big win for Frost, trading 3-1. This opportunity immediately allowed Frost to take multiple turret, including an inhibitor turret. Once Frost healed, they immediately pushed mid to pressure the open inhibitor. MVP did their best to defend, and out of desperation, they initiated on Frost. Their efforts proved futile as Frost mopped up MVP for the 5-0 ace, bringing out the surrender.

Match Breakdown

In this series, MVP showed great potential, but unfortunately, Frost had the experience to back up their skill which allowed them to win the game.

In game one, MVP had an impressive early game. They flawlessly comboed the ults of Twisted Fate and Nocturne to pick up kills, which should have given them an advantage. However, Frost showed their prowess in team fights. The Lux snare, comboed with the Zyra snare and ultimate was able to keep members of MVP out of the fight which allowed Frost to pick people off, and deal free damage. Frost was also very adept at positioning which prevented their carries from being picked off. This coupled with a lot of long range poke meant that Frost had an overwhelming advantage in team fights and securely won the game.

In game two, Frost simply rode their momentum from game one. Frost played extremely aggressively from the get go. Sometimes MVP was able to take advantage of this aggression, but it didn't amount to anything. In team fights, Frost expertly used Rumble's Equalizer to split up MVP which made it easy to take them down one by one. In the end, MVP initiated out of desperation and landed great ultimates, but it didn't matter as Frost was quickly able to dispatch key damage dealers quickly and won the fight.

MVP

The MVPs of this series is RapidStar on Lux and Shy on Rumble. Rapidstar proved himself a master at Lux in game one. He was able to position himself so he could land all his abilities and stay safe. With the help of Zyra he was always able to pick off key members of MVP before the fight started which helped tremendously in team fights.

Shy on Rumble deserved the MVP based on his performance in the first key team fight. He used his ultimate to split MVP White's back line from the rest of their team, and then zoned them while dismantling MVP's front line. This allowed Frost to quickly take control of the game and win soon after.


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IGN UK Podcast #161: GTA V Full Disclosure

♦ by Unknown Sunday 18 November 2012 Saturday 17 November 2012 Friday 16 November 2012 0 comments

Welcome to the IGN UK Podcast. Alex has seen Grand Theft Auto V at Rockstar HQ in New York City, and he can finally talk about it. He tells us everything he saw and we dissect the new trailer.

We get around to chatting about Tom Hardy being cast as Sam Fisher in the new Splinter Cell movie and the future of TimeSplitters.

So get your ears around this:

IGN UK Podcast #161: GTA V Full Disclosure – 78.1 MB

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