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Because our Listeners would like to know...

I sent this off today:

To the Office of the President of the United States:

I am Albert Berry, co-producer of a small internet radio program called Hour 42 (www.blogtalkradio.com/hour42). On Hour 42 we discuss Super Heroes, both fictional and non-fictional.

My question is this: How does the President feel about his depiction of himself within of comic books like Savage Dragon and Spiderman - and now Bomber Girl?

I appreicate his, and his staffs, time in considering this question and for the response in advance.

Most Sincerely,

Albert L. Berry
Hour 42

My old friend, The Doctor

When I give thought to my heroes I first consider the ones given to me as a very young child.
At 7, I was at the court house getting my last name changed to match the man who married my mother.
It occured to me then that I would be cool to be called John Wayne. At the age of 9, I discovered Doctor Who.

However, it wouldn't be until the age of 11 that he would take hold and become my lifelong hero.

Doctor Who is a show that always had clear definitions of what was good and what was bad. In some ways this wasn't a good thing.
It caused me to see the world in Black and White, make hasty judgements of others and assume I was always right. Those were the negatives.

On the postive side, it did instill within me a sense of justice and gave me a moral code of conduct. Doctor Who made me WANT to be the hero.
But, as I grew up, and found out the world was mostly gray, I nearly felt lied too. Of course, Doctor Who was always intended to entertain.
It was I who added into it all the things a child needs in growing up: a Role Model.

Doctor Who had been on for 20 years when I started watching. It had a sense of solidity - a need we all have. It had variety - another need.
The thing about Doctor Who is, it had the ability to fill ALL the needs a person has. To feel like you are a part of something grander then the self.

When other people look back at Doctor Who from back in the day, they see a cheesy show. I see, like all old friends, flaws that make them unique and special.
I really enjoy Doctor Who of today. I think it is fantastic in fact. It is like seeing an old friend again after they have been travelling abroad.
I know he won't be able to stay around forever, but I am sure glad he's come back for a while.
But, I always knew he'd come back - he said as much:

Tonight, HOUR 42 goes Hollywood!

Tonight, @ThePeterPixie and I welcome our first guest with his own listing on IMDB - Ray Grimes, writer and director of the new independent superhero film, Super Capers! We'll talk to him about his experience so far as a relatively new filmmaker, and try to get a few good Adam West stories out of him.

Peter and I will also trade notes on G.I. Joe - what, you thought I'd let him get away without seeing it? Also:

* Just two weeks after San Diego, Chicago hosts its own comic-book convention - we'll bring you the highlights.
* We'll talk about some of the rather ... interesting creative choices that were published this week. Bottle of grappa, anyone?
* Plus YOUR comments and questions at 646-716-4799

In the meantime, if you want to catch up on last week's show, which featured even more guest-stars, just click on the handy-dandy player below - then come on back and join us at 7pm PST (10p EST) tonight for HOUR 42!

A star-studded episode!

With the post-Comic-Con coma fading, El Secreto & @thepeterpixie unpacked some of the good stuff ES collected while he was there, including interviews with:

* A red-carpet chat with Power Girl writer Jimmy Palmiotti, who gave us the skinny on his new project for Radical Publishing
* An encounter with Carrot Top - what ever could have brought him to Con? Find out here.
* We also played an excerpt from ES' interview with Bleeding Cool founder and longtime comics journalist Rich Johnston, which triggered a classic fanboy gaffe from our roving reporter. To hear what we're talking about, and the full interview, click on the fierce pic* below:



And if you click on the handy-dandy player below, you can listen to the full episode, where the boys cover:

* Yet another new line-up for the Justice League - when is a Trinity not a Trinity?
* Marvel's upcoming Necrosha crossover
* Some potentially bad news for Torchwood fans involving John Barrowman - and much more, including a sneak-preview of next week's show, chock-full of movie goodness!



* Image courtesy of BleedingCool.com

New logo, new time slot, new episode!

Yesterday, @ThePeterPixie and I did the first morning edition of Hour 42, live from a panel at Anime Fest Wichita, with special guests Caitlin Glass and Robert Axelrod. We also unveiled the show's new logo, designed by my friend @kittenfaced and con goers got dibs on hearing my review of Blood: The Last Vampire.

But, as they say, wait, there's more! Tonight we debut at our new time, 7pm PST (10p EST) with another visit from our friend Jill Pantozzi, aka The Nerdy Bird. Jill will be joining us to talk about the new Green Lantern, this week's Torchwood opus, and we ask the question: what's wrong with the Justice League? It's all new TONIGHT on HOUR 42!

- ES

This show was a rollercoaster!

Ah, the magic of live radio. Last night's show was a bit of an adventure, to say the least. But here's some of the highlights:

* We talked about the latest news surrounding X-Factor and Captain America
* After some, uh, technical difficulties, @ThePeterPixie managed to have a nice chat with Lord Zedd himself, Robert Axelrod
* We previewed Anime Fest Wichita, where Peter will be hosting - and where we'll be doing a special daytime show July 11 at 11:30 am PST (2:30p EST)
* Last but not least in the very least, we got a special visit from our pal The Nerdy Bird!

So just click on the handy-dandy player below and listen in on the fun - and don't forget, two shows next week!

Kingdom Come - Revisited

I have just finished re-reading the graphic novel of Kingdom Come.

For those of you who may not be familiar with it, Kingdom Come is a 4 issues mini series created by Mark Waid and Alex Ross.

It is the story of a future where the children and grandchildren of Earths Super Heroes are not the 'Heroes' of the world. While they have all the power of their Parents and Grandparents, they do not have the moral compass. The villains of old have long since been killed by those who are termed "Metahuman" and now they only have each other to fight.

Superman is retired and with him went most of those we are familiar with.

It is at this point the story begins. We as observers are taken on tour though this story by the Spectre through the eyes of a Pastor Norman McKay. Pastor McKay has been chosen by the Spectre because he needs a man who's soul is pure and can help decide who do judge at the end of this tale.

That's a much of the plot I want to give because if you have not read this collection you should. In fact, if you read comics and haven't read it - YOU NEED TO!

It has been 13 years since it was first published. I have read it twice before. But now that I read it again, I am put in a position to consider all that has happened in real life to the world since its publications. A terrible world catastrophe happens within its pages. Upon re-reading that, I was reminded of the events on Sept. 11, 2001. What I find odd is the reaction of 'big business' in the form of the Villains like Lex Luthor to the terrible tragedy and the reaction to our government at the time seemed to almost mirror each other in some ways.
Of course the comic book reaction is more dastardly, but by how much?


Kingdom Come can be read and re-read time and again to remind each of us that the power we wield today is so much greater than those who came before us. And with that power we have choices to make in how we use them and why.

Smallville 90210

OK, so Brian Austin Green is making an appearance as Metallo this season on Smallville. BOOO! But ok. I will give him a chance. But this got me thinking - Why not do a 90210 Reunion of Evil on Smallville? I mean, with Tori Spelling already a show semi-regular as Linda Lake and all.

Now, I was a fan of 90210 back in the day. Yeah, I know. Shuddap. Here are my ideas for the Villians and the Actors who can play them:

Banshee - Jenni Garth. She's still pretty hot and could pull it off.
Ultraman - Luke Perry. Cause, you know. He knows how to kill vampires, he's gotta be cool enough to pull off Ultraman.
Solomn Grundy - Ian Zering. Really, just because he pronounces his name "IIan" and not "EEan."
The Prankster - Jason Priestly. Cause he's creepy looking like that.
Amazing Grace - Shannon Dougherty. No explanation needed I think.
and Finally...
Zaora - Gabrielle Cartris. Because they were both forgotten about by their Franchise.

So there you go. the 90210 Smallville Reunion of Evil!

Will the real SDCC Twitter please stand up?

That headline is, of course, facetious. SDCC does have an Official Twitter feed. But things did get kinda confusing for awhile there.

Earlier this month, this Twit - let's call it Underscore - popped up, billing itself as being "a Con employee making the twitter that the con should make." After being questioned by @theonetruebix, Underscore Twitted that his or her feed was not approved by Con officials, but that he or she was working on behalf of the fans.

Finally, yesterday, The Official Twit came back to life, posting for the first time since last November. Official's bonafides were further confirmed by CCI Treasurer Mark Yturralde on his own Twitter feed. Underscore has subsequently re-billed itself as being produced by "a Comic Con expert" while continuing to post about upcoming panels at the event next month.

-- El Secreto

Sexism used to 'create buzz' for SD Comic-Con

The San Diego Comic-Con made the news over the weekend, but not in the best of lights. Check this out:

IGN started hosting a contest put on by the folks behind the upcoming sci-fi film District 9 looking for someone to perform “journalistic assignments” connected to the film at SDCC. The catch? According to the original contest rules:

This sweepstakes is open only to males who are both legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and Washington D.C. and who are at least between 18-24 years of age as of July 23, 2009

Well, Comics Worth Reading got ahold of the story, and so did Feministing and Tor.com, none of which failed to note the irony of a film that would reportedly deal with themes of prejudice and exclusion literally excluding a whole gender.

As the online backlash picked up, IGN posted a response:

The eligibility requirements for this contest were determined by Columbia TriStar Marketing, the marketing team behind the District 9 film, and were passed on as a directive to IGN as Sponsor of this particular Sweepstakes running on the IGN.com site. While IGN supports gamers of all ages, genders, shapes and sizes, these guidelines were created to foster a buzz for the film among a very narrow target group that the film’s promoters felt would be extremely passionate about the film’s subject matter.

The contest rules were eventually amended, somewhat: a separate, womens-only contest was started, with a later deadline.

**********

As bad as that was, the L.A. Times almost trumped it with its Girls' Guide to Comic-Con, a photo slideshow offering helpful tips like these for fans of the star of Prince of Persia:

Women will be rushing the stage, offering to do star Jake Gyllenhaal's laundry on those washboard abs that he acquired for the film, since he spends much of it fighting, shirtless or both.

Lest you think the Times is only cooing over guys, here's their take on Angelina Jolie:

With any luck, her luscious-lipped holiness will be around to hawk her upcoming action film "Salt," which is already being likened to a female-powered version of "The Bourne Identity." What's not to like?

Now, obviously, SDCC isn't to blame for these misguided attempts to "build awareness" for the event. But in the wake of past instances of harassment and sexism at Con, somebody at IGN, or the Times or at Tristar really showed a lack of understanding for all of us as fans, male or female. I'll leave the final word to Tor's Torie Atkinson:

We just want to be fans, and we're tired of being utterly invisible despite the fact that millions of women play games and read comics. That climate is entirely unwelcoming to women, and it's a testament to women's persistent interest in gaming and comics that we continue to try to be part of the community despite the overwhelming myth that we don't exist.

- ES

Last night, on the show ...

Last night's episode of HOUR 42 was, from my perspective, pretty satisfying - and not just because my internet connection had to be restarted less than three minutes before showtime. For most of the hour, @ThePeterPixie and I talked about the week's news in comic-book journalism - and how some of these things could affect you and us as readers and consumers:

* Newsarama and Comic Book Resources and their relationships with the editors-in-chief of DC and Marvel, respectively
* A golden opportunity that Wizard Magazine arguably had, and chose not to pursue
* The Twitterverse fight involving longtime columnist Rich Johnston
* And Peter challenges me to step up and ask somebody a tough question at San Diego Comic-Con next month.

All in all, a good show, that forced us to think about what we're doing - and we've got some more plans as far as that goes, but we'll get to them later. For now, click on the handy-dandy player below and check us out - and don't forget to give us your feedback, either here or via e-mail at hourfortytwo@yahoo.com!

- El Secreto

TONIGHT, on Hour 42!

This was a big week for the comic-book press, and El Secreto & @ThePeterPixie will be discussing that and more tonight on HOUR 42, including:

* Wizard Magazine's ongoing labor issues
* A rift between a star creator and a comics journalist reaches the Twitterverse
* A more in-depth look at ES' post from yesterday - how might it affect us at readers?
* And what does that picture mean? You'll hear more about that, trust us! And if you missed last week's episode, or just want to try us out, click the handy-dandy player below! Join us LIVE tonight at 11pm EST (8pm PST)!



Image courtesy of SuperPouvoir.com

Quesada, Wizard and the comic-book press

Quite the study in contrasts this week, as Comic Book Resources announced that Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada had brought his weekly online column, Cup O' Joe, to their site. The column had been running on MySpace until earlier this year. (Marvel does continue to post previews via MySpace Comic Books.)

Quesada isn't the only EIC with his own column in the comics press: DC's Dan DiDio has 20 Answers, 1 Question over at Newsarama. But while the two online news providers have gained "official" backing from each of the Big Two, a publication that preceded them continued to seemingly lose strength.

Newsarama and Bleeding Cool both reported this week on further staff cutbacks at Wizard magazine, including designer Arlene So and VP of circulation and publication Darren Sanchez.

@ThePeterPixie and I have more thoughts on the possible bigger picture behind all of these occurences, and we'll be discussing them for sure tomorrow night on the show. Join us and add your thoughts!

THIS JUST IN: It's officially G.I. D'OH!

Ok, so we all expected G.I. JOE: The Rise Of Cobra to be bad. Even in the best-case scenario, awesomely bad. But this story from Geek Tyrant tells me that not even Christopher Eccleston will be able to save this one.

The story goes that director Stephen Sommers was kicked off the project after a test-audience gave it the lowest score for a Paramount movie ever. A "fixer" editor, Stuart Baird, has been brought in to edit the film into something "releasable." Given all the hype so far, I can't imagine Joe won't be released. But poor Baird has to make something good out of somebody else's dreck. That can't be a fun assignment.

@ThePeterPixie and I will be talking about this more in depth on the show, for sure.

Update: GT posted a response from producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura here.

Shia LeBouf Is As Clueless as Megan Fox

Man, these Transformers stars sure love to talk nonsense. There must be a contest.

@ThePeterPixie already told you the story about Megan Fox's arrogant statements regarding Wonder Woman. Now it's Shia LeBouf coming down with diarrhea of the mouth. Y'see, LeBouf felt the need to put to rest any rumors he'd be playing Yorick Brown in a film adaptation of Y: The Last Man, a very-well executed and well-received book by Brian K. Vaughan.

Yorick, put simply, is the last man on Earth, the only male survivor - on the human side; his monkey, Ampersand, also survives - of a plague that otherwise leaves the Earth inhabited completely by women. It's an easy "franchise" if you don't bugger it up.

So anyway, LeBouf was asked about the role - again, I presume - and this is what he said, according to SuperHero Hype:

"You take Sam and you put a monkey on his shoulder," said LaBeouf [...]. "I don't know if it's that big a differential. It seems like he's the ordinary guy in an extraordinary situation again."

You mean besides a story that touches on issues of gender, race, and privilege besides sci-fi and action/adventure? Right. I'm sure the star of a classic like Eagle Eye is qualified to be the arbiter of taste here. Look, if LeBouf wants to avoid getting into another series of films and do a more varied assortment of roles, that's one thing. But statements like this just make him look ... well, as vapid as his "leading lady." And if I didn't have to watch Revenge Of The Fallen for the sake of the show, I wouldn't have to. This instance doesn't make me reconsider that stance.

-- ES

Last night, on the show ...

Again, apologies for posting the preview so late last night, but like we said, we had a loaded show, including:

* A look at Marvel Comics' price increases, what they could mean for both consumers and retailers - and the star writer who got proven wrong on the internet over one increase.
* @ThePeterPixie talked more about his impressions of Firefly
* El Secreto gave us an analysis of the debut of Grant Morrison's Batman & Robin - and the difference between the new Batman and the new Captain America

And much more! So if you missed the show, just click on the handy-dandy player below!

A LOADED show tonight!

This week, we are LOADED with conflict! El Secreto v. Batman & Robin! Peter Pixie v. Joss Whedon! Marvel v. Your wallet! and more! Plus your comments and questions, live at 11pm EST (8pm PST)!

Firefly and I part 2

So I spent my Sunday watching the rest of the series Firefly. I must say that starting on the second disc I really found stories I enjoyed. Since I watched 10 hours of television today, I do not see my going though each story and telling you what they were about and what I liked and disliked about each episode.

Instead I offer an overview of the series. The real show stopper was Saffron. She really played the same kind of character Claudia Black had in Stargate: SG1 at the end of it's run.

The show downer: River. I found her character to be a true waste of time in the series. The final episode of the series was really all about her and she wasn't really in it. Jubal Early in the last episode was a great character. None of the characters were awful to watch (Glau not withstanding). Wash was fun to watch and even got his moment in the episode where he and Mal get captured by the Russian mafioso.

Over all the series was entertaining. Not AMAZING as fans often put it to me. It was, at best, fun to watch in parts. BEST LINE IN THE SERIES: 'Why'd you order a dead guy?'

Best episode over all was the Hospital heist. I think it truly allowed everyone to shine. Except that the Sheppard was not on that episode. We also never really learn the history of why this Sheppard knows so much about things he really shouldn't.

I would say that the Book (the Sheppard) was the most under-used character on the show.

Another thing that annoys me: Where are the OTHER Asians? Obviously, Chinese is used as easily as English, so they must have had some kind of affect on the human race. But not a one of them on the ship, not a one of them in charge of any place they visit... Frankly it's confusing.

In the end... do I recommend the show?

Like I said in part 1 of my Firefly blogs: Watch the pilot. If you enjoy it, stick around for the series. Get through the first disc and you will be OK.
If you watch the pilot and you don't like it go back to the better version of this - it was called Babylon 5.

Firefly and I part 1

As promised, I have begun to watch Joss Whedon's Firefly series. For those of you who are not familiar with this series, don't feel bad. It was only on for one season and even then it didn't get a full run of taped episodes.

However, since it was aired in in 2002, it has spawned a major motion picture called Serenity, a couple of comic books and a role playing game. Oh, and here are some awards it has received:

* Emmy Award: Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series, 2003
* Visual Effects Society: Best visual effects in a television series, 2003 (episode "Serenity")
* Saturn Award: Cinescape Genre Face of the Future Award, Male, 2003 (Nathan Fillion)
* Saturn Award: Saturn Award for Best DVD Release (television), 2004
* SyFy Genre Awards: Best Actor/Television Nathan Fillion, 2006[73]
* SyFy Genre Awards: Best Supporting Actor/Television Adam Baldwin, 2006
* SyFy Genre Awards: Best Special Guest/Television Christina Hendricks for "Trash", 2006
* SyFy Genre Awards: Best Episode/Television "Trash", 2006
* SyFy Genre Awards: Best Series/Television, 2006


Since I was given the challenge to watch all of them in order, I wanted to track my progress and thoughts here for you readers. If you haven't seen it, this will give you some insight into the show I had no interest in watching. If you have seen it, it will give you some insight into why I haven't watched it up to this point in it's entirety.

Serenity part 1 and 2 (Pilot Episodes)

What I'm not going to do is break down plot points and story lines. What I am going to do is give my thoughts on it.

Overall, the pilot was engaging. I will say that I had attempted to watch the pilot before on SyFy channel, but it was the first hour of two. It did not grab me then.

This time, I was able to feel the character development and the emotional interest within each character. Overall, there are too many characters on board this show and if anything could kill it, that is one thing I would put my money on. Why? because I still dont recall all the names of the characters after 4 episodes. If I dont have a vested interest in anyone they could put an ongoing storyline on, why do I care over all?

However, having said that, I do LIKE all the characters on this show. Each is interesting and all have their moments. Except Summer Glau's character. I should point out at this point I have seen the movie Serenity, and I STILL don't care about her character.

My recommendation is to watch the pilot. If you find there is interest in these people for you, then the next couple will be watchable. If not, then don't bother. Character development for all of them doesn't come in the next two episodes as much as needed and you wont care enough after the next two to move forward.

This is of interest because 'The Train Job' which is episode 2, was made to BE the Pilot by FOX stating the original pilot was not suitable.

THE TRAIN JOB (episode 2)
The Firefly gang gets rustled up into stealing - for some never disclosed reason - medical supplies from a mining community from a speed train for a Russian mafioso and they feel bad about it when the discover what they've done and make it right. I'm sure this is how TV Guide read when they talked about what this episode is about. This is a straight out of history OLD WESTERN story. Where in the bad guy is established to be the bad guy but we never see him again in the story.

IF THIS WAS THE FIRST EPISODE, I WOULDN'T WATCH A SECOND. This is because I don't enjoy cowboys, six shooters, and train robbery stories. I just do not care.

I presume this is a 'gonna get back to the bad guy later' kinda thing which brings me to a point about Joss Whedon. His style is great for mini-series and novels. See, in a mini-series, you have to show them in order or they just don't make sense.

In a TV Series, one should be able to watch them in a general way and still find them enjoyable. The complaint 'they didn't show them in order' means a couple of things:

1. If the series needed to be shown in order then me catching in at episode 6 would leave me (as it did when I tried to watch in on SyFy) confused and with no emotional investment.

2. Knowing how Network TV treats it's series, doomed to be disappointed.

And I bet money people watched this back in 2002 and went 'what?' A space western. thanks. but no thanks.

Finally, we come to the Bushwhacked (episode 3).

I saw this, it was the opening of Star Wars episode 4 ('Where are the plans - they must be aboard this ship.') following a space version of 'Das Boot.'

Where the episode starts out and how it finishes seems to me like 2 different stories. Glau's annoying character hears the screams of the dead... Maybe. Or maybe they were the thoughts in the Crazy Man's head. IDK. in the end, I didn't care.

This could have been a first episode as each of the crew members are interrogated by the Darth Va- Alliance officer. This gave us some insight as to how each character fits into the whole Serenity crew.

OVERALL - So far, I would say the Pilot was pretty good. Episodes 2 and 3 not so much really. It's not BAD television, for sure. It's just not AWESOME OMG GOTTA WATCH EVERY WEEK TALK ABOUT IT EVERY DAY TIL THEN television.

Maybe tomorrow, if I have time to watch them, I will post about the next 4 episodes.

last night, on HOUR 42 ...

If you missed last night's episode, here's some of the stuff the boys talked about:


* No Joss? No problem! El Secreto offered up a plan for a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot.
* The firing of Dwayne McDuffie and why it makes DC Comics less trustworthy
* Speaking of the Whedonverse, Peter Pixie announced he's going to give one of Joss' shows a try!
* A classy gesture honoring Superman at the upcoming Screaming Tiki Con in Cleveland next month

All that and a lot more, so just click on the handy-dandy player tomorrow and check out HOUR 42!

TONIGHT, on Hour 42!

Thanks to everybody who might have joined us for the first time for last week's episode of HOUR 42! Hope you stick around tonight, because we'll be talking about:

* The new Doctor's new Companion
* One convention sells out, while another honors two hall-of-famers
* The latest on the reboots, prequels and re-sets being talked about, including El Secreto's plan to build the next generation's Slayer and Peter Pixie on Megan Fox's controversial comments
* Plus your comments and questions at 646-716-4799, LIVE tonight at 8pm PST (11pm EST) on HOUR 42!

Wonder Woman deserves Classy Actress

Megan Fox is very nice to look at. But then so is Jenny McCarthy. Until they start talking. Some people - beautiful people - become ugly when they speak. Megan Fox has joined that list.



Voted Hottest Woman of the Year by one either Maxim or FHM or one of those Men's Mags for teenage boys, Megan Fox is really smoking hot. At least she was. Her comments in a recent article found on Times Online have shown her to be an ugly person on the inside.

But don't take my word for it - take hers:

“Wonder Woman is a lame superhero,” she says, clearly unfazed at the thought of ruling herself out of a potentially career-making franchise. “She flies around in her invisible jet and her weaponry is a lasso that makes you tell the truth. I just don’t get it. Somebody has a big challenge on their hands whoever takes that role but I don’t want to do it.”

Im sorry... what? You are seriously going to tell me that the worlds most recognizable super-heroine is LAME? If you think the Amazonian Princess is merely a rope wielding - invisible jet setter, then you obviously are talking out of... well you know what she's talking out of.

Wonder Woman deserves a classy actress. One who 'gets' what shes about. Here's another quote from the same article when asked if she sees herself as a role model:

“It depends on what your idea of a role model is,” she says. “If your idea of a role model is somebody who’s gonna preach to your kids that sex before marriage is wrong and cursing is wrong and women should be this and be that, then I’m not a role model. But if you want your girls to feel strong and intelligent and be outspoken and fight for what they think is right, then I want to be that type of role model, yeah.”

Now first of all, I HATE this question. Why? Do they ask it of young MEN who are actors? No. Not really. Is it because boys are too smart to follow actors as role models? I don't think so. But back to the quote. Is it me or is that WHAT WONDER WOMAN STANDS FOR TOO?

Just another point that Fox is just another young pretty thing who is banking on her good looks. What? You think I'm being bitter? Let's here it from those pouting lips:

“Hollywood is the most superficial thing you could possibly be a part of,” she says. “And if I weren’t attractive I wouldn’t be working at all.”
Ask if she’s afraid of typecasting and she pouts defiantly. “Getting typecast as what? Attractive? How bad is that?” she counters. “That’s not really a bad thing. If people want to look at me like that I find it flattering. And it gives me an advantage because people don’t expect anything from me. If I show up and give any sort of performance at all, even a mediocre one, everyone will walk away going, ‘Holy shit! Megan did a great job in that movie!’ So I’m an overachiever just by default because of the category I’ve been put in.”

So, for those of you wondering about Fox's overachieving moment, here it is from Transformers 1:


And she outshines that moment by overachieving in Transformers 2:


SOMEONE CALL THE ACADEMY! Why doesn't she have an Oscar yet??? Seriously, the reason she can't do Wonder Woman is because she CAN'T ACT. Princess Diana is an Ambassador to America from the Island of the Amazons and also has to keep her own with the likes of Superman and Batman. This isn't some 'wannabe' we're talking about.

Lucky for us, Megan Fox will join the ranks of the 'once hot' brigade of women:

“I didn’t even train for this role,” she laughs. “Just quit smoking — that’s all I did. My weight fluctuates constantly. I don’t really take good care of myself. I’m not that type of girl, I don’t pamper myself, I don’t have a special diet, I just sort of exist and survive. Whatever happens, happens.”

These pics are from a list on spike.com's Top 15 Hot Girls who went Fugly
The difference between most of these women and Fox? Most of them have TALENT. So you better bank on it while you can and line up that Playboy photo shoot now. Because when you think you should it will be too late and someday you will end up on this list thinking... 'You mean I could have been immortalized as WONDER WOMAN?'

My Three Sons: El Secreto vs. Battle For The Cowl!

Yeah, yeah, I know, it's a week late. But this was such a bad example of how to do an "event" comic that it still bugs me. Let me count the ways.

1. The Premise. Bruce Wayne dying (for now) isn't inconceivable, even if it was handled poorly. What was really hard to swallow was that Bruce Wayne, the guy who once had an entire new Justice League on standby just in case didn't have another contingency plan for Dick Grayson to take over the family business. Again. The third-issue exposition-by-hologram actually made the problem worse; seriously, Batman didn't figure out how much of an impact he had on keeping Gotham in check? Did he never listen to his own monologues? And even if Dick were hesitant to pick up the mantle, would it be so hard to believe that Bruce - or new Outsiders leader Alfred, for that matter - would have alternates ready to call upon?

2. The Struggle. Really, there was no battle. Sure, Jan Brady Jason Todd donned his own gun-happy variation on the Batgear, but, we never saw anybody believe he was the real deal -- or even the new version. In an effort to flush Jason out, Tim Drake opts to don a suit from the Jim Aparo collection, complete with '70s dialogue. But Jason actually calls it: Tim's effort was simply him playing dress-up, which undermines the ostensible purpose of the whole affair.

3. The Context. We're told over and over that Gotham is under siege after the fall of the Bat. But, how could it be any worse than No Man's Land? Or the Cataclysm? Or the War Games? It's hard to believe residents don't just walk around multiple homicides like so much park litter after all the calamities they've been through. Bringing in The Network was a nice attempt at underscoring the latest round of chaos, but we didn't get to see enough of them in action in the main series, and their one-shot was too slight to mean much of anything.

So, three overblown months' worth of books later, the stage is finally set for DC and Gotham to move on - kinda. Tim's set to become Red Robin and search the globe for Bruce (Why isn't he Nightwing? That's taken); Jason is ... off being nutty somewhere else. And as everybody figured out the moment Bruce was turned into Apokolips Fried Chicken, Dickie and Bruce's biological son Damian are set to be the new Dynamic Duo. And for all the good all this build-up did -- BFTC #1 was reportedly outsold by two Avengers books; #2 lost to a Neil Gaiman-penned issue of Detective Comics -- DC has gotta be hoping Grant Morrison can kick-start sales on the title some more before Bruce comes back -- perhaps as part of its' latest marketing initiative?

Meet Sarah Jane's new companion: THE DOCTOR!

This was such INCREDIBLE NEWS I couldn't wait to post it on another day!

The Doctor's best and all time greatest companion - Sarah Jane Smith - will be having a visit from Doctor number 10 during her show.


What? How can I say SJS is the greatest companion of all time? Well, anyone else get their own TV show named after them? (K9 does NOT count!)

According to the BBC, David Tennant will appear in 2 episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures in the upcoming season. This is great news for all of us who are fans of WHO from both the past and present!
Russel T. Davies, who still is show runner for the SJA, is quoted in the UK's Guardian as saying:
"Viewers thought they may have to wait until November for the next full episode of Doctor Who, but this is an extra special treat," Davies said.

"And it's not just a cameo from David – this is a full-on appearance for the Doctor as he and Sarah Jane face their biggest threat ever."

So hang on to your seats and be prepared to watch two of the greatest actors from the show reunite for a final time!

So you thought V was for Vendetta? Think again!

OK, so you may have heard the one about the lizard people pretending to be humanoid in an effort to steal us for food?

Yes, I realize that how cheesy that sounds. But if it was Jane Badler asking could YOU say no? The only sad thing is her character was not allowed to have an Australian Accent that the actress has - being FROM Australia and all.

Sometimes a story is ahead of its time. I could argue Star Wars among them. Imagine the ability to see for the first time Star Wars on the Big Screen with today's technology... I know Lucas wishes he could.

Lucky for us, we are going to get that opportunity with V. Originally a mini series from creator Kenneth Johnson. I will let that sink in.
What? you don't KNOW Kenneth Johnson? He brought us shows like:
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Bionic Woman
The Incredible Hulk
Alien Nation
And is currently working in post production on True Believer: The Stan Lee Documentary.

This man knows how to entertain and inspire. Sadly, the one thing his visions lacked was money. I would go so far as to say that Johnson was the 70s Whedon of his time.

Here is a promo from the original V: The Mini Series




It originally aired on NBC. They had so much involvement in Johnson's work he actually QUIT during the Second Mini series because they were asking for far too many stupid changes.

But now, technology has come about to really tell the story of hope from the stars. And if there ever was a time when we needed it... I would say that time is now. Here's a promo for the upcoming series:



This time around it's Scott Peters turn. He is best known for his show 4400. However, he also directed and wrote many of the Latest version of the Outer Limits and even a couple of Highlander the series episodes.

Im looking forward to seeing this version of the story. Oh yeah, if you watched the preview you would have seen this time we get Morena Baccarin who played the leader of the Ori on Stargate: Atlantis asking me to be food. And if that wasn't QUITE enough incentive, Laura Vandervoort aka Supergirl from TV's Smallville is a Vistor too. So I really don't have much of a chance of survival.

If you missed the show last night ...

Last night, HOUR 42 was an international incident, as Peter Pixie and El Secreto were joined by Canada's own MightyGodKing, and covered a whole host of topics, including:

* The key to writing about Doctor Strange
* MGK's beef with Bullseye
* Why he didn't read Power Girl #2
* A good way to include Galactus in a Fantastic Four movie
* The utter ridiculousness of GI Joe

And much more! So if you missed the show, or want to listen one more time, click on the handy-dandy player below, and don't forget to catch us next week!

We are LIVE in less than 90 minutes!

Tonight on HOUR 42, @ThePeterPixie and I will be LIVE tonight with the man who should be writing Dr. Strange, Canada's own MightyGodKing! We'll also talk about:

* The end of Battle For The Cowl
* Further thoughts on Terminator Salvation
* Bad news for Smallville fans
* Legal news surrounding the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

Plus your comments and questions at 646-716-4799. And if you missed last week's eventful show, just click on the handy-dandy player below!

WHO YA GONNA CALL?

When I was a kid in 1975 there was 'The Ghost Busters' A staple in my Saturday morning ritual of cereal and mind numbing television. It was about 2 guys and a Gorilla who always ended up chasing down the supernatural to the old castle.

And then about 10 years later There was the GHOSTBUSTERS. A trio of guys who chase down ghosts in all kinds of places! From this I ate the GHOSTBUSTERS CEREAL, joined the fan club which sent me a certificate I still have certifying me as an Official Ghostbuster of my area, patches, soundtracks, t-shirts... I really enjoyed it a lot. Especally when they made the cartoon The Real Ghostbusters. NOT to be confused with the Ghostbusters cartoon which also came out at the same time based on the aforementioned The Ghost Busters television from the 70s.

'We are not calling it Ghostbusters II. We will burn in hell if we call it Ghostbusters II' - Bill Murray after Ghostbusters to Starlog Magazine

Of course, I became an adult. Not really growing up mind you - I was excited when the GHOSTBUSTERS decided to take another turn at making a movie. I was sad through most of it, but Segourny Weaver was still very nice to look at so it wasn't too bad. But bad enough to kill the cartoon and the franchise. Not even Bobbie Brown could save them with stunning lyrics like: 'Too hot too handle too cold to hold. Called the Ghostbusters and they're in control.'

'"See, to me this is the third movie. That's why I was so excited and passionate about getting it done." - Dan Aykroyd in UGO Gamesblog.

So now a lifetime after The movie and the original but not the same series came out, we are getting a real treat in what looks to be a very exciting and fun Ghostbusters video game! A totally new story created by loving fans of the franchise and - the best part - not in any way a game version of what is come in the MOVIE Ghostbusters III.

Its OK if you're confused. I was for a long time.

The makers of the much more famous Ghostbusters actually had to pay for the use of the name from the original series from the 70s. The actors and writers of the new Ghostbusters movie were inspired by the things happening in the upcoming video game when they wrote their script.

The good news is this is going to be a reunuion show but not dwell in the past. It will have a fresh and pretty new crew with rumours of Eliza Dushku and Alyssa Milano to star. So, stay tuned here and on HOUR 42.

REAL LIFE SUPER HERO WEBISODES!

I took the opportunity to watch Zetaman.tv today. It chronicles the exploits of The Alternates team members of Zetaman, Agent Null and Ms. Meow as they team up with their newest members Dreamer and Black Knight as well as a a costumed individual calling himself NeurocybeX on a quest to ensure the residents of a children's home have presents for Christmas.

Will anyone show up at their fundraiser on this very snowy eve?
Will one of them get the phone number from the really hot girl?
Will one of the survive the night?

WILL THE KIDS GET THEIR CHRISTMAS?


I recommend you watch it yourself for these reasons:

1. Zetaman is in it! He's just all around cool. He is now in his 4th year of Costume Activism and consistently shows all of us a better way to live.

2. Agent Null is funny. He really understands that what he's doing can be seen as a little kooky by some, but this particular mission is dear to his heart and you will feel closer to him by the end of this episode.

3. NeurocybeX. Be sure to check out the deleted scene which focuses on this interesting fellow and his theory of the Stratification of Man. Be sure to watch it AFTER the main episode to understand its context.

4. Hey, these are Civic minded citizens who happen to wear costumes. That in and of itself should make you want to check this out!

Of course, the other members of the Alternates team are also great people and their missions to bring more humanity to the human race is truly inspiring.

The most endearing thing about this documentary is that it allows the viewer to see nearly every spectrum of what is out there on what is commonly referred to as the 'RLSH - Real Life Super Heroes.'

When someone asks you what is and RLSH and what do they do, this is a great way to show them. I say this because it shows the sane balanced individuals as well as those who have different theories on how life works.

Go take a look at it, come back here and tell me what you thought. If you say something interesting, we might even talk about it on Hour 42!

5/17/09 Show Review

If you missed our show last night, you can catch it by using the handy-dandy BTR Playertron there at the bottom. Here's some of the stuff Peter Pixie & El Secreto talked about:

* We agreed -- for once -- on the Smallville finale
* We talked about the latest Doctor Who rumors, including an appearance by Timothy Dalton and by Claire Bloom as The Doctor's mother
* El Secreto reported on the creation of the Long Beach Comic Con, to be held this October, and the upcoming happy hours this summer, courtesy of the New York Comic Con.
* And we announced our special guest for next week's show: the guy who should be writing the Legion of Super-Heroes, MightyGodKing.

So we hope you can spend part of your Memorial Day weekend with us next week -- and if you missed last night's show, just click below!

TONIGHT on HOUR 42!

We've got a whole boatful of stuff to talk about, including:

-- Marvel casts its' newest Avenger!
-- Dollhouse gets a new lease on life!
-- Peter Pixie & El Secreto share their thoughts on the Smallville finale
-- A travel tip from ES
-- And an announcement for next week's show!

All this plus your comments and questions at 646.716.4799 tonight on HOUR 42!

BREAKING: Dollhouse Reportedly Renewed!

Props to @FuryOfSolace and @The_Orphan for the tip: slight report here.

Earlier today, IO9.com reported that Fox was "leaning" toward giving the Joss Whedon-led show a second season, citing favorable DVR and online totals. We'll have the latest for you this Sunday on the show!

Update: @feliciaday linked to this story from THR.com also reporting the news, saying the move will be formally announced Monday.

Smallville: Step Right Up and Don't Be Shy!

In the immortal words of The Boondocks' Huey Freeman: 'BOOOO!' *MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD*

'As it turns out, I AM a psycho killer'

(photo courtesy of tvjab.com)

The peep show that was Smallville season 8 was indeed like watching a woman behind a glass wall: all promise and no pay off.
In the season finale 'Doomsday' we find Clark squaring off with the character the episode is named after. HOWEVER... NOT before lame and unneeded cameo from the Legion's Cosmic Boy showing up to tell him that he dies tomorrow! So, don't stick around and HELP or anything. And if it's such a BIG DEAL, why not just bring the Legion in at the right moment and TAKE DOOMSDAY? Really a stupid plot device to ensure another Legion flight ring can fall into the hands of someone it shouldn't.

Meh.

So THEN we get the Justice gang together which was AT FIRST a WOO HOO! moment.

But sadly the Good guys turn on Clark and really just kinda fail to serve any real purpose except to allow Clark to COME OUT to Superman's pal, Jimmy Olsen. Which we will get to shortly.

Justice League Plan: 'HOLD the Monster!'
(photo courtesy of Smallville wiki)

They are ineffectual and down right dumb over all which says that the writers were merely using them as pawns in the story and not real living breathing characters in which to TELL the story.
In all of the disappointments in this episode, this may be the biggest of them all. Except for the running about bit for Bart and a waste of money shot on Green Arrow's bow coming out in a cool way, we don't really see the use of their powers. Couldn't Black Canary have used her power to at least BOTHERED Doomsday?

Clark's plan to separate Davis from Doomsday was his driving goal. He could kill the killing machine, but not the mind within. Chloe makes this happen for him BUT... DOOMDAY doesn't KILL ANY of the super heroes surrounding him at the time of his release. DOOMSDAY DOESNT KILL ANYONE IN THE ENTIRE EPISODE! Truly stupid. There's lots of knocking about people and the Holding-the-little-girl-by-her-throat-at-arms-length scene.

And then we get to THE FIGHT. Clark can lay into Doomsday because there's no humanity in him. He's just a drooling carnage machine. And with no back up from his super buddies (because after awaking at the same time from the beat down that Doomsday gave them, the Justice Team just waits to blow up the building) DOOMSDAY WAS ALL HIS.

So at this point I'd like to tell you we had 5 minutes of knock down, drag out brawling between the LAST SON OF KRYPTON and the OTHER LAST SON OF KRYPTON. I'd like to tell you that at this point, all the pent up and hidden rage and anger building in Clark for losing the love of his life, most of his friends, and any chance at a normal life came out through his fists into the one thing that could take it.

I'd like to tell you that, but just like this season, I would be LYING.

Clark gets punched a few times which makes him fall backwards through some buldings and at that point the budget was eaten up for the fight scene. The big 'pay off' was that Clark ALMOST (once again) seems to FLY with doomsday in his arms to the place where they can both be blown up. Because what we did, since we can't kill him, is bury him alive... because he won't be able to dig out of it or anything. Really. I'm pretty confident in this plan.

After Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, on the trust he has with 'CK' and by 'CKs' request, gets Chloe and Davis to a never before mentioned 'wedding present' - a clock tower/loft/kinda thing he just 'couldn't get rid of' even though he was a junkie for most of the season and hitting up his rich friends for money to buy them. Dumb.

Of course, we have the Jimmy/Chloe moment of 'OH, I so understand you now Chloe and I still so love you' and 'Jimmy there's so much I want to tell you - wait a minute, you have a pipe sticking out of your midsection!'

Yes, Davis, upon waking up and witnessing the admissions of love proves what we all knew to begin with - HE'S A PSYCHO KILLER! Jimmy's last act of heroism is to kill Davis and save Chloe, proving in the end he, too was a hero.

Meh.

At his funeral we get what appears to be all of the heroes, including Cyborg - maybe? But no Aquaman. There's a seemingly pointless scene with Jimmy's younger brother, who looks like he will grow up to be a villian on this show. And WHO BRING'S THE DEAD EX-HUSBANDS CAMERA TO A FUNERAL? Chloe gives it to the kid.

Some where along the line of this mess of a story, the City of Kandor (you know the City in a Bottle from Superman Mythos) is in an orb in the possession of Tess. It somehow explodes her safe from the inside, which leads Tess to blame Lois. Why? because she had dressed as a maid and broken into her house once. This DOES lead to the best scene in the show wherein Tess and Lois go all out in a fight that makes CLARK/DOOMSDAY look just plain dumb.

Of course this SOMEHOW makes the drawer on Clark's desk open up and SOMEHOW knocks the drawer out of the desk knocking open the box with the Legion ring in it that Lois decides is far more important than dealing with Tess at that moment. Which makes Lois disappear.

This means at the funeral of Jimmy Olson, we appear to have 3 deaths: Clark, Jimmy, and Lois. Oh yeah, 5 if you count Doomsday and Davis.

But by the end of the Ep, we learn that the death of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen at the hands of Davis, whom he felt he should save because everyone deserves a 2nd chance, causes Clark to realise it was his human connections that have kept him from becoming the real hero he is to become. So, he tells Chole goodbye and that Clark Kent is dead.

So, unlike the other tellings of the Doomsday story in which SUPERMAN dies and Clark is a victim, missing in another country, etc, we get CLARK'S death in this. It wont last 2 episodes into the next season and I might remind everyone CLARK WAS 'DEAD' THIS LAST SEASON TOO!

And finally... Kandor... was just a ruse to serve two purposes. One, to show that Tess - again - is a pawn to powerful Male characters and to unleash ZOD - again - on the world. WHO does he look like this time? Wel ZOD was the 'father' of DOOMSDAY...

The show lost me for a season the first time they gave Lana supernatural powers. And if she was a full time character in this season I would have probably stopped watching. It appears as though they may have lost me for their final season.

Nah.

I will watch.

I like the abuse.

And Chloe.

Smallville Season 9: Dumb and Dumber - STAY TUNED.
Be sure to check out HOUR 42 this Sunday at 10pm CST to hear more about it.
(now to go read the 30 tweets from El Secreto on the subject - heh)