Negromancer Bits and Bites for the Week of October 12th to 18th, 2014 - Update #17

NEWS:

From CBS:  Maggie Smith received a rare honor from Queen Elizabeth II.  The Oscar-winning actress was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honor, Friday, October 17, 2014.

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From YahooMovies:  Warner Bros. announces DC Comics related movies from 2016 to 2020.

Those 10 DC movies named are:

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice directed by Zack Snyder (2016)
Suicide Squad directed by David Ayer (2016)
Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot (2017)
Justice League Part One directed by Snyder, with Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill and Amy Adams reprising their roles (2017)
The Flash starring Ezra Miller (2018)
Aquaman starring Jason Momoa (2018)
Shazam (2019)
Justice League Part Two directed by Zack Snyder (2019)
Cyborg starring Ray Fisher (2020)
Green Lantern (2020)

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From Deadline:  Record ratings for debut episode of "The Walking Dead" Season 5.

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From Hitfix:  Dave Bautista, a breakout star in Guardians of the Galaxy, is reportedly set to join the new James Bond film (working under the title "Bond 24"), which is set to start filming in this December.

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From Salon:  A nice interview with one of my favorite actors/comics, Bob Odenkirk.

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From YahooCelebrity:  Larry David responds to Jennifer Lawrence's crush on him.

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From TheWrap:  David Fincher's Gone Girl holds onto the #1 spot for the second week in a row at the weekend box office.  For the weekend of October 10th to 12, 2014, Gone Girl is the top grossing film with an estimated $26 million in sales.

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From YahooMovies:  For its 20th Anniversary, 12 things you didn't know about Kevin Smith's Clerks.


COMIC BOOKS: Comics and Movies:

From The Wrap YahooMovies:  An extra on the set of "Batman Vs. Superman" could be fined $5 million dollars for breaching his confidentiality agreement to reveal that Batman's sidekick, Robin, will be female.

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From TheVerge:  Iron Man is forever, but is Robert Downey, Jr.

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From THR:  a "Batman Lego" movies is in the works.

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From ScreenRant:  Lots of news surrounding "Captain America 3."

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From YahooNews (UK and Ireland):  An article about Jade Pinkett Smith and her role as "Fish Mooney" on the FOX series, "Gotham."

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From YahooGames:  Wonder Woman is a demi-god in "Batman Vs. Superman."

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From Deadline:  From a few weeks back, the heirs of Jack Kirby, the guy who created much of the Marvel Universe of characters, settled their lawsuit against Disney/Marvel

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From CinemaBlend:  More evidence that Spider-Man will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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From Deadline and Examiner:  Marvel Comics cancels the Fantastic Four comic book series. Why?

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From Mashable:  A Guardians of the Galaxy cartoon will debut on Disney XD in 2015.


STAR WARS:

From YahooMovies:  The latest Star Wars document dump that MAY reveal possible story points... Or it could be cointelpro shiznit.

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From WebProNews and Mashable:  James Earl Jones will reprise the role of Darth Vader for TV.  On October 26th, ABC will rebroadcast Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion, the hour-long introduction to the Disney XD animated series, "Star Wars Rebels."  There will be a new extra scene for the ABC showing that includes Darth Vader


OBITS:

From InsideMovies:  The body of the actress, Missy Upham, who had been missing for several days, was found by family and friends on Thursday, October 16, 2014.  Upham had recently appeared in the film August: Osage County.


MISC:

From YahooSports:  Blake Griffin's strange tale of his former Los Angeles Clippers' boss, Donald Sterling.

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From YahooHealth:  5 alternatives to Viagra... if you need that.

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From GrindTV:  Photo of the moment a jet breaks the sound carrier.

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From Salon via RSN:  NFL covered up "hundreds and hundreds" of domestic violence cases.

Official Trailer for Chris Rock's "Top Five" Released

To view the trailer, go to http://youtu.be/jejCmmawzLY

In select theaters starting Dec. 5th 2014 and nationwide Dec. 12th 2014

Official Site: http://www.topfivemovie.com
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TopFiveMovie
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/TopFiveMovie
Official Instagram: http://instagram.com/topfivemovie
Official YouTube: http://youtube.com/topfivefilm

#TopFiveMovie

Neil Patrick Harris Announced as Host of the 2015 Oscars Show

Neil Patrick Harris To Host The 2015 Oscars®

Award-winning star of stage and screen Neil Patrick Harris will host the 87th Oscars®, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced.  This will be Harris’ first time hosting the ceremony.   The show will air live on ABC on Oscar® Sunday, February 22, 2015.

"We are thrilled to have Neil host the Oscars," said Zadan and Meron. "We have known him his entire adult life, and we have watched him explode as a great performer in feature films, television and stage.  To work with him on the Oscars is the perfect storm, all of his resources and talent coming together on a global stage."

“It is truly an honor and a thrill to be asked to host this year’s Academy Awards.  I grew up watching the Oscars and was always in such awe of some of the greats who hosted the show,” said Harris. “To be asked to follow in the footsteps of Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres, and everyone else who had the great fortune of hosting is a bucket list dream come true.”

“We share Craig and Neil’s excitement in welcoming the incredibly talented Neil Patrick Harris,” said Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Academy President.  “He is the consummate entertainer.  Neil’s distinctive charm and showmanship make him the ideal host to honor the Oscar legacy and ensure we all enjoy another unforgettable celebration.”

“Neil is a terrific actor, singer, risk-taker and collaborator,” said Dawn Hudson, Academy CEO. “We can't wait to see the show that he and Craig and Neil create together.”

“Neil Patrick Harris is highly energetic and a definitive entertainer,” said Paul Lee. “We are thrilled to have him as our 2015 Oscar host.”

A triple-threat performer, Harris has enjoyed a successful career in entertainment.  He can currently be seen starring opposite Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike in David Fincher’s critically-acclaimed feature film, “Gone Girl.”  Harris garnered multiple Emmy® and Golden Globe award nominations for his role as Barney Stinson on the hit television series, “How I Met Your Mother,” and he won an Emmy for his guest-starring role on “Glee” in 2010.  He also recently starred in the title role of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” on Broadway, earning the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.  Harris served as host of the 61st and 65th Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as the 63rd, 65th, 66th and 67th Tony Awards, for which he won four Emmys.  Most recently, Harris added the title of author to his list of accomplishments with the release of his autobiography from Crown Publishing, “Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography.”  

The last two Oscars telecasts, which were produced by Zadan and Meron, received a major spike in the ratings.  The 86th Oscars was TV’s most-watched entertainment event in 10 years and attracted the biggest viewership since 2000, with more than 45 million viewers.  The show resulted in dramatic gains in younger demos and social media conversation, with more than one billion impressions generated on Twitter and 25 million interactions happening on Facebook on Oscar Sunday.  Additionally, the star-studded “selfie” became the most retweeted photo of all time with 32.8 million views.

The Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Host
Neil Patrick Harris: http://twitter.com/ActuallyNPH

Oscars Producers
Neil Meron:  http://twitter.com/neilmeron
Craig Zadan http://twitter.com/craigzadan

Hashtags:
#Oscars

Academy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
Twitter: http://twitter.com/theacademy
Instagram: http://instagram.com/theacademy
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/oscars
Google +: https://plus.google.com/+Oscars

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Review: Documentary "Dirty Wars" Sheds Light on America's Covert Wars

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 46 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

Dirty Wars (2013)
Running time:  87 minutes (1 hour, 27 minutes)
Not rated by the MPAA
DIRECTOR:  Rick Rowley
WRITERS:  David Riker and Jeremy Scahill
PRODUCERS:  Anthony Arnove, Brenda Coughlin, and Jeremy Scahill
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Rick Rowley
EDITORS:  David Riker and Rick Rowley
COMPOSER:  David Harrington
Academy Award nominee

DOCUMENTARY – War

Starring:  Jeremy Scahill, Hugh Shelton, Matthew Hoh, Andrew Exum, Malcolm Nance, Sheikh Saleh Bin Fareed, Abdulrahman Barman, and Senator Ron Wyden

Dirty Wars is a 2013 documentary film directed by Rick Rowley and written by Jeremy Scahill and David Riker.  The film accompanies Scahill's 2013 book, Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield.  Dirty Wars the movie follows Scahill as he tries to find the hidden truth behind America's ever-expanding covert wars.

Jeremy Scahill is an investigative journalist, perhaps best known for his book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army.  He is also the founding editor of the online news publication, The Intercept.

Dirty Wars begins with Scahill's investigation of a series of night raids in the country of Afghanistan, and one particular raid captures his attention.  It occurs in Gardez (the capital of the Paktai province) on February 12, 2010, in which five people, including two pregnant women, are killed by armed men.

Scahill's investigation leads him to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), which is charged with identifying and eliminating terror cells worldwide.  Scahill learns that JSOC's mission is expanding to more countries and includes a constantly growing “kill list.”

Dirty Wars provides an overview of America's covert wars, beginning with the invasion of Afghanistan and the war in Iraq.  Scahill, who narrates and stars in the film, presents a gripping premise, but his subject or topic is too big and too broad for a film that does not last an hour-and-a-half.  Scahill names specific players, points to specific victims, and seems to be traveling back and forth over half the world.  Still, everything seems a bit vague, as if some kind of context is missing.

Perhaps, Scahill should have focused on fewer victims and targeted specific American politicians and players in the covert wars for longer on-camera interviews.  I think that what is on-screen in Dirty Wars is investigative journalism that is important for everyone to see, and not just Americans.  Scahill's story also makes for a riveting movie narrative.  The look on Scahill's face during an appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher” is priceless and says a lot about the sorry state of American political commentary.  Dirty Wars is, however, a small movie that is a bit too sweeping in its scope.

7 of 10
B+

Thursday, October 9, 2014


NOTES:
2014 Academy Awards, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Documentary, Features” (Rick Rowley and Jeremy Scahill)

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

"Our Brand is Crisis" Begins Shooting in New Orleans

Cameras Roll on “Our Brand is Crisis”

Principal photography begins on “Our Brand is Crisis,” starring Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton under the direction of David Gordon Green

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Filming is underway in New Orleans on director David Gordon Green’s (“Pineapple Express,” “George Washington”) feature adaptation of the critically acclaimed 2005 documentary “Our Brand is Crisis,” starring Oscar winners Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”) and Billy Bob Thornton (“Sling Blade”).

When a group of American consultants accept the challenge of getting an unpopular Bolivian president re-elected, they realize they need help. Tracking down retired maverick political consultant Jane Bodine (Bullock) to her cabin in the woods, they persuade her to lead the team—a decision they quickly come to regret, as “Calamity” Jane begins to live up to her nickname, unleashing her very own brand of chaos on the campaign.

Just as all seems lost, the loathsome Pat Candy (Thornton), Jane’s worst enemy, arrives in town to work for the opposition. Suddenly things become personal and as the battle begins the consultants get to see Jane the legend in action.

The film also stars Anthony Mackie (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), Scoot McNairy (“Gone Girl,” “Argo”), Zoe Kazan (“Ruby Sparks”), Ann Dowd (“Side Effects,” HBO’s “The Leftovers”), Reynaldo Pacheco (“Beginners”), Dominic Flores (“Rampart”), Louis Arcella (NBC’s “The Blacklist”), Octavio Gómez Berríos (“Che: Part One”) and Joaquim de Almeida (“Fast Five”).

Green directs from a screenplay by Oscar nominee Peter Straughan (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”), based on the documentary by Rachel Boynton, which outlined the American political campaign marketing tactics employed in the real-life 2002 Bolivian presidential election.

The film is being produced by Oscar-winning Smokehouse Pictures’ principals George Clooney and Grant Heslov (“Argo”), with Bullock, Participant Media’s Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King, and Stuart Besser serving as executive producers. Participant Media is a co-financier on the film.

Green’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes frequent collaborators director of photography Tim Orr, editor Colin Patton and production designer Richard A. Wright (“Manglehorn”), as well as costume designer Jenny Eagan (“Now You See Me”).

“Our Brand is Crisis” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

A Record 83 Countries Compete for Foreign Language Oscar Nominaitons at 87th Academy Awards

83 Countries In Competition For 2014 Foreign Language Film Oscar®

A record 83 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 87th Academy Awards®.  Kosovo, Malta, Mauritania and Panama are first-time entrants.

The 2014 submissions are:

Afghanistan, "A Few Cubic Meters of Love," Jamshid Mahmoudi, director;
Argentina, "Wild Tales," Damián Szifrón, director;
Australia, "Charlie's Country," Rolf de Heer, director;
Austria, "The Dark Valley," Andreas Prochaska, director;
Azerbaijan, "Nabat," Elchin Musaoglu, director;
Bangladesh, "Glow of the Firefly," Khalid Mahmood Mithu, director;
Belgium, "Two Days, One Night," Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, directors;
Bolivia, "Forgotten," Carlos Bolado, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, "With Mom," Faruk Loncarevic, director;
Brazil, "The Way He Looks," Daniel Ribeiro, director;
Bulgaria, "Bulgarian Rhapsody," Ivan Nitchev, director;
Canada, "Mommy," Xavier Dolan, director;
Chile, "To Kill a Man," Alejandro Fernández Almendras, director;
China, "The Nightingale," Philippe Muyl, director;
Colombia, "Mateo," María Gamboa, director;
Costa Rica, "Red Princesses," Laura Astorga Carrera, director;
Croatia, "Cowboys," Tomislav Mršic, director;
Cuba, "Conducta," Ernesto Daranas Serrano, director;
Czech Republic, "Fair Play," Andrea Sedlácková, director;
Denmark, "Sorrow and Joy," Nils Malmros, director;
Dominican Republic, "Cristo Rey," Leticia Tonos, director;
Ecuador, "Silence in Dreamland," Tito Molina, director;
Egypt, "Factory Girl," Mohamed Khan, director;
Estonia, "Tangerines," Zaza Urushadze, director;
Ethiopia, "Difret," Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, director;
Finland, "Concrete Night," Pirjo Honkasalo, director;
France, "Saint Laurent," Bertrand Bonello, director;
Georgia, "Corn Island," George Ovashvili, director;
Germany, "Beloved Sisters," Dominik Graf, director;
Greece, "Little England," Pantelis Voulgaris, director;
Hong Kong, "The Golden Era," Ann Hui, director;
Hungary, "White God," Kornél Mundruczó, director;
Iceland, "Life in a Fishbowl," Baldvin Zophoníasson, director;
India, "Liar's Dice," Geetu Mohandas, director;
Indonesia, "Soekarno," Hanung Bramantyo, director;
Iran, "Today," Reza Mirkarimi, director;
Iraq, "Mardan," Batin Ghobadi, director;
Ireland, "The Gift," Tom Collins, director;
Israel, "Gett, the Trial of Viviane Amsalem," Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz, directors;
Italy, "Human Capital," Paolo Virzì, director;
Japan, "The Light Shines Only There," Mipo O, director;
Kosovo, "Three Windows and a Hanging," Isa Qosja, director;
Kyrgyzstan, "Kurmanjan Datka Queen of the Mountains," Sadyk Sher-Niyaz, director;
Latvia, "Rocks in My Pockets," Signe Baumane, director;
Lebanon, "Ghadi," Amin Dora, director;
Lithuania, "The Gambler," Ignas Jonynas, director;
Luxembourg, "Never Die Young," Pol Cruchten, director;
Macedonia, "To the Hilt," Stole Popov, director;
Malta, "Simshar," Rebecca Cremona, director;
Mauritania, "Timbuktu," Abderrahmane Sissako, director;
Mexico, "Cantinflas," Sebastián del Amo, director;
Moldova, "The Unsaved," Igor Cobileanski, director;
Montenegro, "The Kids from the Marx and Engels Street," Nikola Vukcevic, director;
Morocco, "The Red Moon," Hassan Benjelloun, director;
Nepal, "Jhola," Yadav Kumar Bhattarai, director;
Netherlands, "Accused," Paula van der Oest, director;
New Zealand, "The Dead Lands," Toa Fraser, director;
Norway, "1001 Grams," Bent Hamer, director;
Pakistan, "Dukhtar," Afia Nathaniel, director;
Palestine, "Eyes of a Thief," Najwa Najjar, director;
Panama, "Invasion," Abner Benaim, director;
Peru, "The Gospel of the Flesh," Eduardo Mendoza, director;
Philippines, "Norte, the End of History," Lav Diaz, director;
Poland, "Ida," Pawel Pawlikowski, director;
Portugal, "What Now? Remind Me," Joaquim Pinto, director;
Romania, "The Japanese Dog," Tudor Cristian Jurgiu, director;
Russia, "Leviathan," Andrey Zvyagintsev, director;
Serbia, "See You in Montevideo," Dragan Bjelogrlic, director;
Singapore, "Sayang Disayang," Sanif Olek, director;
Slovakia, "A Step into the Dark," Miloslav Luther, director;
Slovenia, "Seduce Me," Marko Šantic, director;
South Africa, "Elelwani," Ntshavheni Wa Luruli, director;
South Korea, "Haemoo," Shim Sung-bo, director;
Spain, "Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed," David Trueba, director;
Sweden, "Force Majeure," Ruben Östlund, director;
Switzerland, "The Circle," Stefan Haupt, director;
Taiwan, "Ice Poison," Midi Z, director;
Thailand, "The Teacher’s Diary," Nithiwat Tharathorn, director;
Turkey, "Winter Sleep," Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director;
Ukraine, "The Guide," Oles Sanin, director;
United Kingdom, "Little Happiness," Nihat Seven, director;
Uruguay, "Mr. Kaplan," Álvaro Brechner, director;
Venezuela, "The Liberator," Alberto Arvelo, director.

The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network.  The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites for the Week of October 5th to 11th, 2014 - Update #14

NEWS:

From YahooCelebrity:  Robert De Niro with his rarely seen daughter, Drena De Niro.

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From InformedConsent:  Juan Cole on Ben Affleck vs. Bill Maher.

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From YahooCelebrity:  Stephen Collins, the veteran actor best known for his role as the dad on the late WB series, "7th Heaven," allegedly admits to molesting an underage girl.

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From HitFix via YahooTV:  Marvel's secret plan... A great article about Marvel Studio's success.  There is also some kind of hint that Sony and Marvel may occasionally come together.

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From HitFix:  William Shatner and his "Star Trek 3" (the reboot) hints.

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From TheVerge:  Neil deGrasse Tyson voiced the character, Waddles the Pig, on Disney's animated series, "Gravity Falls."

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From EntertainmentWeekly:  Gone Girl wins the box office for the weekend of October 3rd to 5th, 2014 with an estimated take of $38 million.  Annabelle, a spinoff from last year's surprise smash hit, The Conjuring, was a close second with an estimated $37.2 million.  Both exceeded expectations.

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From the Examiner:  Johnny Depp balding?


COMIC BOOKS - Movies and Books:

From CinemaBlend:  Marvel Comics' big 2015 is apparently "Secret Wars."

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From ScreenRant:  Is Brainiac the villain revealed at the end of Batman Vs. Superman.

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From YahooMovies:  Michael Keaton talks about the condition that would get him to play Batman again.

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From CinemaBlend:  Fans await some kind of Marvel teaser.

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From CinemaBlend:  Marvel Comics is turning 75, and ABC will broadcast a special, Marvel 75 Years: From Pulp to Pop!

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From Yahoo:  Starting in 2015, Dynamite Entertainment will start producing James Bond comic books and graphic novels.

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From CinemaBlend:  Could Sony connect to Marvel's cinematic universe?

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From CinemaBlend:  Downey backtracks.

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From CinemaBlend:  Marvel ain't giving FOX anymore mutants.

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From YahooTV:  More Downey-Marvel Studios talk.

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From YahooMovies:  Yes, there will be an "Iron Man 4," says Robert Downey, Jr.

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From CinemaBlend:  Michael B. Jordan talks about the suits for the Fantastic Four reboot.

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From the Examiner:  New Ultron prop image from "Avengers: Age of Ultron."

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From CinemaBlend:  Who could be left out of "Avengers 3?"


STAR WARS:

From YahooMovies:  A cool anti-spoilers poster from the set of Episode 7.

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From io9:  More Star Wars rumors... plus some other fanboy franchise news.


OBITS:

From YahooTV:  "Saturday Night Live" veteran Jan Hooks died at the age of 57, Thursday, October 9, 2014,

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Also from YahooTV:  The best of Jan Hooks.

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From ABC News via Yahoo:  I missed the death of actor Richard Kiel, probably best known for playing the character, "Jaws," in two James Bond movies.

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From Yahoo:  Sarah Goldberg, an actress on "7th Heaven," has died at age 40.


MISC:

From Yahoo:  A rare photograph of slaves has been found.  The slaves belonged to insurrectionist General Robert E. Lee.