‘Scrye’ Magazine Ending Its Publication Run

ICv2 has learned that F&W Media has decided to end publication of Scrye magazine. The April 2009 issue, #131, will be the last. The rising cost of producing the magazine along with declining subscriber and advertising bases were the reasons cited by current Scrye editor Joyce Greenholdt for shutting down the magazine. Founded in 1993 by Joanne White, Scrye was the longest running periodical reporting on the collectible game market and a key source of secondary-market prices for individual Magic and other CCG cards. In recent years Scrye has added coverage of collectible miniatures games.

White sold Scrye to Krause Publications in 1999. F&W Publications of Cincinnati, Ohio acquired Scrye when it purchased Krause in 2002 for $120 million (see “Krause Publications Sold for $120 Million”). In 2006, on the seventh anniversary of Krause’s acquisition of Scrye, F&W acquired the Gaming Report Website, which henceforth served as the official website for the magazine (see “F&W Acquires Gaming Report”). Scrye is not the first game-related Krause publication that F&W has shuttered. In November of 2007 F&W ended publication of Comics & Games Retailer trade magazine (see “Comics & Games Retailer RIP”).

The demise of Scrye testifies to continuing softness in the collectible card game market and to the overall effect that the current recession is having on magazines of all types.

Source: icv2.com

Dakota Fanning Talks Twilight Sequel ‘New Moon’

Summit Entertainment’s newest film, Push — starring Dakota Fanning (pictured) — may have been the main event at its premiere last night in Los Angeles. But the studio still trotted out several Twilight actors to walk the red carpet, and the upcoming sequel New Moon was definitely on everyone’s mind — including whether Fanning would slip on evil Jane’s fangs. “Dakota Fanning would be great as Jane,” said Ashley Green (goodie vamp Alice Cullen). “I really hope that rumor becomes reality.” Fanning, however, said she wasn’t quite ready to bite. “I think it is too soon to say for sure whether I will or won’t be in [New Moon],” she told EW.com. “But it would be really cool to do it. I am a very big fan of the books. I read them all and Jane is an interesting part. We haven’t really sat down and talked about it. So we will see. It was a good experience working with Summit. I guess I now have an in at the company.”

Meanwhile, Kellan Lutz (Emmett Cullen) told EW.com that much like future werewolf Taylor Lautner, he’s been hitting the gym in preparation for the April shoot. “Bring on the wolves,” grinned Lutz. “Emmett can take ‘em.” Lutz also says he’s read the New Moon script, and it’s “amazing.” Fellow Cullen clan member Greene also said she’d just gotten her hands on the script. “I felt like a spy reading it,” she said. “It does come very close to the tone and the events that are in book 2. There are a couple of things that were changed which I think make it more interesting for the visual medium but nothing that will upset fans of the books. I think it is safe to say that it will make everyone happy.”

Perhaps there’s a little Cullen clan favoritism going on at Summit, however, since actors Rachelle Lefevre and Edi Gathegi — i.e. members of the Bella-and-Edward-hating vamp clan — both said they hadn’t seen the New Moon screenplay yet. “They are guarding the script like it is gold,” said Lefevre, who added she’s already planning how to get into the mindset of the vengeful Victoria: “I have to figure out how to channel that much hatred and grief healthily because that is a pretty dark place to go.” There may be another reason, meanwhile, that Gathegi’s in the dark on New Moon: He recently told producers he’d signed on for a spring Broadway production of the August Wilson play Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. “When I told [Summit] I was going to the stage,” said Gathegi, “they said, ‘No you’re not. We need you.’ And I said, ‘Cool. Let’s try to do both.’ We start the play in February and go until June. They are in, like, day 3 of negotiations to figure out if I can do both.” But don’t worry; Gathegi says he’s committed to playing Laurent. “Worst case scenario,” he says, “I get to hang out with my vamp friends and be in what is destined to be a huge movie released [on] Nov. 20.” (Reporting by Carrie Bell)

Source: Hollywood Insider

Sylvester Stallone Not Done With Rambo…Yet

I actually liked ‘Rambo’ and I think if he comes up with a worthwhile story, then I’m up for another one too.

Sylvester Stallone, who is preparing to shoot action-adventure The Expendables , told Extra that he’s planning to play John Rambo again. “Yeah, we are doing another ‘Rambo,’ but the conflict is whether to do it in America or a foreign country,” said Stallone.

Sly last played the role in Lionsgate’s January 25, 2008 release Rambo , which earned $113.2 million worldwide. That pic cost $50 million to make.

Source: ComingSoon.net

Toonami Jetstream Video-Streaming Service Shuts Down

America’s Cartoon Network has shut down its Toonami Jetstream video-streaming service on Friday, although the Naruto anime series will continue to be streamed on other sites. Upon its closure, the Toonami Jetstream website posted the following message:

We greatly appreciate all the fan support for Toonami Jetstream over the past years. Starting January 30, Naruto will make its new home on CN Video at CartoonNetwork.com. Fans of MAR, Blue Dragon, and other popular Viz Media series previously featured on Toonami Jetstream should check www.viz.com for future updates.

Viz Media and Cartoon Network launched the service on July 17, 2006 with both Viz-licensed anime titles and original Cartoon Network programming. It was one of the first efforts by a North American anime distributor to stream entire series for free online.

The service was the last vestige of the Toonami brand, since the original Toonami programming block ended its 11-year run last September. Last week, Toonami Jetstream replaced its usual rotating slate of programming with “the 10 best episodes from every show.” By the end, the service had hosted all but three episodes of Hikaru no Go, all but 10 episodes of Blue Dragon, all but seven of the English-dubbed episodes of Zatch Bell, and about a dozen Kiba episodes.

Source: Anime News Network

Iron Man: Best Movie Of 2008

Moviefone.com names “Iron Man” the best movie of 2008!

“Iron Man”:Best Movie of 2008, moviefone.com
“Pound-for-metal-alloy-clad-pound, ‘Iron Man’ is 2008’s most unequivocal cinematic triumph.”
– Moviefone.com’s 50 Best Movies of 2008

See who else is buzzin’ about Shellhead’s stellar box office debut!

Robert Downey Jr.: 2008 Entertainer of the Year, Entertainment Weekly
“Downey wanted ‘Iron Man’ so badly he spent three weeks compulsively rehearsing every conceivable line reading for his audition. ‘I had amendments and ancillaries and pop-ups for every part of the scene — if it went off in one direction I could add A, B, or C. It was madness,’ he says, ‘but also the most positively reinforced ritual I’ve ever performed. If Aleister Crowley had a younger brother — it was that type of s—.’”
– EW’s 2008 Entertainers of the Year

“Iron Man”: Favorite Movie, USA Today’s Pop Candy
“I know I’m about to catch heat for this, but I can’t lie: If you ask me which movie I enjoyed the most this year, which film made me laugh and gasp and feel like I wanted to see it again as soon as I saw it the first time, well, that was Iron Man. I can’t imagine anyone but Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, and the flying scenes … well, I’m a sucker for a man in midair, and those moments made me feel like I was soaring through the clouds alongside him. Bring on the sequel.” — Year-end list: My favorite movies of ‘08, by Whitney Matheson

“Iron Man”: 2008 10 Best List, Wall Street Journal
“‘Iron Man.’ Just as ‘Wall-e’ expands — vastly — the idea of an animated feature, this Marvel Comics production expands the notion of a mainstream summer action adventure. The genre, it tells us, doesn’t have to be ritually stupid, pointlessly violent or insistently inane. There’s room for sophistication, genuinely dazzling gadgetry and scintillating comedy along with the obligatory action set-pieces. The film isn’t perfect, but Robert Downey Jr. gives it a brain and a big heart as the occupant of the shiny red suit. He’s half man, half robot and all star.” — The Best of 2008: A Tight Race for Top Honors, by Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal Read more

StarCraft Class Opens at UC Berkeley

OK, as cool as this is from a purely ‘geek’ point of view, this news gave me a wtf?? moment…

A college class based entirely around Blizzard’s real-time strategy game StarCraft has opened at UC Berkeley, according to a course listing found by StarCraft Wire.

The class will begin with a lecture on topics "from the viewpoint of pure theory to the more computational aspects of how exactly battles are conducted." Following the lecture, replays of students’ battles will be "analyzed," and "homework" will be assigned. Required materials include a copy of StarCraft: Brood War and an "open mind."

Source: ShackNews.com

Mirror’s Edge Time Trial DLC delayed to February; PS3 exclusive map on 1/29

Ever wonder what Faith from Mirror’s Edge dreams about? Tom Farrer, producer of Mirror’s Edge, answered this question on the PlayStation.Blog: "She apparently dreams about enormous abstract sculptures floating above an endless sea!"

The upcoming time trial DLC pack for Mirror’s Edge was originally scheduled for release tomorrow. However, Big Download reports that these additional races will come in February. The delay should give fans a bit more time to practice their skills — the DLC adds new Trophies that only the most hardcore players will be able to achieve. (At the time of writing, we haven’t seen if the 360 version will get new Achievements as well.)

While the premium maps won’t be available until next month, PS3 owners will still be able to download a system-exclusive map on the PlayStation Store tomorrow. "Synethesia" will be free to all owners of the PS3 version of Mirror’s Edge.

Source: Joystiq

Kristen Stewart Talks About ‘Runaways’ And Joan Jett

Last month, “Twilight” star Kristen Stewart made big news with the announcement that she’d soon be portraying another headstrong, no-nonsense tough girl with a disarming beauty and a wicked attitude: the one and only Joan Jett.

Recently we caught up with KStew at Sundance to get her thoughts on “New Moon” her upcoming film “Adventureland” and the biopic that will soon have her putting another dime in the jukebox, baby.

“I’m, like, vibrating,” grinned Stewart when we asked about “The Runaways,” a 1970’s-era flick about the influential all-girl rock band fronted by Jett and Lita Ford. “I’m just so excited about that movie.”

“I’m really, exceedingly, more excited than normal,” she laughed.

Directed by Floria Sigismondi, the flick will tell the story of the teenage band who were brought together and thrown into leather and lace, performing such sneer-filled songs as “Cherry Bomb.” Although they barely lasted four years and only put out a handful of albums, the band was able to overcome their sleazy “jailbait” gimmick to become an influential punk band that would eventually help birth such successors as The Breeders, L7 and The Donnas.

Joan Jett herself has signed on to be the film’s executive producer, and Stewart revealed to us that not only is she currently hard at work picking up old guitar riffs, but she’s also been spending quality time with the durable rock goddess herself.

“Yeah, I spent New Year’s with her,” Kristen said of her new buddy Joan Jett. “I spent, like hours, just talking to her.”

“The Runaways” hopes to begin filming near the end of 2009, and will follow the all-girl band from their mid-70’s formation to their late-70’s collapse. After their music – typically songs about sex, booze and life on the streets – died down, Jett (born Joan Larkin) went on to become one of the most popular female rockers of the early Eighties. Backed by the Blackhearts, her attitude-filled hits “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “Crimson and Clover” and “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)” took her to the top of the charts and launched Jett on a successful career that still has her recording albums and touring extensively while she proudly maintains her punk attitude at age 48.

“It’s been great,” KStew said of her recent tutelage by Joan Jett.

Does Kristen Stewart have what it takes to play Joan Jett? What other “Twilight” stars would you like to see portraying famous musicians?

Source: MTVMovies

‘Astro Boy’ Back On Track After Brief Delay

Variety is reporting that the Hong Kong-based Imagi Entertainment has received funding to resume work on its CGI Astro Boy feature, which was shut down briefly as the company searched for bridge financing until an expected infusion of funding from private equity companies arrives. The film, which is based on the classic manga by Osamu Tezuka and isslated to open in more than 3000 theaters in North America on October 23rd, features an all-star vocal cast that includes Kristen Bell, Nicholas Cage, Freddie Highmore, Bill Nighy, Eugene Levy, and Donald Sutherland.

The Astro Boy situation indicates that during the current “credit crunch” projects that would have received financing easily in the past can be put in jeopardy as studios scramble to arrange financing as previous sources of cash evaporate and hard-pressed investors have to pull out of projects. Although the strong box office numbers in Q4 2008 and so far in 2009 indicate that movies are countercyclical, like other industries, the studios, especially smaller companies and mid-majors, are struggling with financing, even it seems when things are supposedly all set. The new Variety report contradicts a previous Variety article from December 29th that indicated that, although Imagi did not have the financing for any of its next three announced projects, Gatchaman, Tusker, and Cat Tale, the money for Astro Boy was in place.

Source: icv2.com

Adam Sandler in The Green Hornet ?

In an article at The Los Angeles Times , the author writes that there’s a possibility that Adam Sandler will appear in Sony’s The Green Hornet opposite Seth Rogen: I also heard a random rumor about the ‘Hornet’ film: Two different people in the industry told me that Adam Sandler has a brief but key role in the movie as a certain surprise superhero…I heard which one, too, but I don’t want to ruin it.

Sandler and Rogen have another project together as well. The studio has yet to announce a new director after Stephen Chow dropped out (he’s still expected to play Kato), but it is still targeting a June 25, 2010 release.

Source: ComingSoon.net

Next Page »