An announcement tomorrow, you say?

Keep watching.

More tomorrow?

What’s this? And why here? Keep watching Blog@ this week . . .

Cable channel FX goes super-hero crazy this Sunday. As part of a “Super-Hero Sunday” promotion, the network will feature a marathon of Marvel movies hosted by Thor, Chris Hemsworth. Hemsworth will be unveiling sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes footage of his new film, which opens in the U.S. next week.

The films on tap are (all times EST):
7am: Elektra
9:30am: Fantastic Four
Noon: Spider-Man 3
3pm: Ghost Rider
5:30pm: The Incredible Hulk
8pm: Iron Man
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer also gets two airings on Monday.

Granted, if you’re a fan, you probably have these on DVD. Also, if you’re a fan, you probably don’t want to see Elektra or Ghost Rider again. Nevertheless, this is a pretty strong promotional tactic, given that a network is willing to devote 15 straight hours of programming to it.

In case you hadn’t heard, filming of The Avengers got underway this week, and Entertainment Weekly checks in with the first photo from the set.

Okay, so, it’s not Hulk vs. Thor, but it’s fun nonetheless. Gang, THIS. IS. HAPPENING. Even with all of the comic-related films of the last 20 years, I’m still mildly surprised to consider that this is on its way.

As it has been since things got rolling, plot details remain under wraps, though the article does note shooting plans for New Mexico, Cleveland, and NYC. Tell us, assemblage: what would you like to see when the Avengers hit the screen?

SOLDIER OF LOVE.

Damn you, free association!

(And yes, I realize that’s the Indigo sigil, etc. It’s just the first thing that hit me. Besides, “Soldier of Compassion” wouldn’t be nearly as catchy.)

As reported on The Beat and elsewhere, Tokyopop will be shuttering its U.S. operations on May 31st.

Founded by Stu Levy in 1997, the publisher found success in the market by riding the cultural tidal wave of manga. Tokyopop was a key enterprise in spreading the form in the states, bringing over hits like “Sailor Moon” and attracting attention with the likes of “Battle Royale”. The publishers troubles in recent years have been well-documented; as of February, only six full-time employees remained.

Levy himself posted a commentary, noting ” I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished – and the incredible group of passionate fans we’ve served along the way (my fellow revolutionaries!).”

Note that the German office will remain open, and that other media projects continue. Find the official Tokyopop PR after the jump.

As for you, readers, what do you have to say? Tokyopop memories? What does this mean for manga in America? Comics in general? Let us hear you.
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Entertainment Weekly offered a look at Michael Shannon discussing General Zod at the RiverRun International Film Festival.

Notable in the clip, apart from Shannon’s accent, is the notion that Shannon himself found the prospect of him being in a Superman film a bit absurd. He also, without a lot of elaboration, points out that Superman itself is a hard role for an actor, and also alludes to the fact that “Superman: The Movie” features a “great performance” from Christopher Reeve.

Shannon also confirms that he’s actually seen the first two Superman films, citing Terence Stamp as the earlier Zod without prompting. That should potentially mollify quarters that always despair when an actor claims not to have read/watched/studied related materials.

I found the actor to be interesting and genuine in this bit. I find myself increasingly more interested in the film. You?

Tucked into today’s official press release and cover art for the upcoming Green Lantern: Emerald Knights is this gem: Sneak Peak at Batman: Year One, the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie.

Though it was rumored last year and discussed openly at conventions, this will be the first official look at the new animation. On the new “Knights” release, you’ll find plenty of features, including

The full text of the release is after the jump. What do you think, fans?

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Perhaps you’ve been following the story of Rob Granito at Bleeding Cool and via various Twitter accounts. In short, don’t pass off the work of others as your own.

Longer form: Rich Johnston began a series of posts last week that began with issues regardings Granito’s credits and became bent on exposing Rob Granito for appropriating work and selling it as his own. The movement gathered momentum, including a Facebook page, and hit a high point at MegaCon when writer Mark Waid and artist Ethan Van Sciver confronted Granito directly.

There’s no doubt that Rich performed a service here. But, as Torsten Adair (an active, intelligent poster whom also works for Barnes & Noble, Inc. in data analysis) noted at the Facebook page, it does seem that there needs to be some organizing in order to police the Arist Alleys of other conventions. Granted, Granito is now banned from future Wizard World conventions and other shows, but it’s probably safe to say that he’s not the only person indulging in this kind of behavior.

It can’t always be up to Rich (though I’m sure he’ll give it a good effort if he uncovers similiar cases), and one (or groups) would need to be careful in the future. This one was, safe to say, pretty obvious. That’s why I think that Adair’s take is a positive one: form a group, establish some criteria, and educate young artists in terms of what constitutes a legitimate homage or “After” image.

On the (large) upside, people that do this frequently are going to think twice going forward. How this plays out when future perpetrators are caught in the act remains to be seen.

Several outlets reported this morning on the passing of Michael Gough. Gough, perhaps best known as Alfred in four Batman films, acted for decades, most recently lending his voice talents to Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” and “All-Star Superman.”

Born in 1917, Gough cemented attention with genre fans as early as 1958. That year, he played Arthur in the Hammer Studios revival of Dracula (released in the U.S. as “Horror of Dracula”). He worked steadily for years, appearing in many films and TV series. He also won a Tony in 1979 for “Bedroom Farce”.

In 1989, Gough appeared as Alfred in Tim Burton’s “Batman”, bringing the wise (and occasionally wise-cracking) butler to life for a new generation of fans. He would appear in “Batman Returns”, “Batman Forever” and “Batman and Robin”, one of only two actors to feature in all four (the other being Pat “Commissioner Gordon” Hingle).

Gough had three children, one of whom, his adopted daughter Polly, died in a car accident in 1982. His son Simon is an actor, as are his grandchildren Samuel and Daisy.

10. Hey Arthur, can you give me a hand?

9. That Arthur sure is handy. (Hal usually says this.)

8. Villains that say, “I’ve got the upper hand . . . because I know you don’t!”

7. Hey Arthur, will you hand me that?

6. High five!

5. “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles.

4. “I Want To Hold Your Hand (Glee Version)”. And no, not even Superman thinks it’s better.

3. Aquaman, you check the coasts. (Yes, this has nothing to do with his hand, but he’s still sick of hearing it.)

2. “Come on, Arthur; they both need attention occasionally.” (That Mera, so demanding.)

AND number one . . .

1. ANY WORDS THAT COME FROM BLACK MANTA. Seriously, he kills your son then cuts your hand off? Black Manta now needs to die more than any DC villian since Dr. Light.

Man, they weren’t kidding about Brightest Day being not so bright.

“The Walking Dead” devoured another cable ratings record over the weekend. As reported by CNN’s Marquee Blog, the first airing of the season finale netted six million viewers and broke records in the advertiser-cherised 18-49 demographic. This is the third time in its six episodes that the series has accomplished that.

Marquee breaks it down thusly:

To put those numbers into perspective, October’s season finale of “Mad Men” had an audience of 2.44 million, according to TVbytheNumbers.com.
. . .

Still, the network says that “The Walking Dead’s” average 18-49 viewership of 3.5 million for this season makes it the most watched drama series in basic cable history in the demographic.

Learned observers will note that the show’s consitency mirrors the growth of the comic. Bucking industry trends, “The Walking Dead” series is one of the few comics to launch in the ’00s that showed long-term stability and/or audience growth.

The only downside for fans would appear to be a nearly year-long wait for the second season, which is said to launch again in October (as the first season did). The first season is already available for DVD and Blu-ray pre-order, with a March release scheduled.

Robert Kirkman refutes some elements of the reporting surrounding changes to the way that “The Walking Dead” TV series will be written for its second season. At TV Guide.com, Kirkman is quite direct about the departure of Charles Eglee in particular, whom, according to the writer, is partially departing because Frank Darabont is remaining.

“Chic Eglee is a high-level television writer. He was brought onto The Walking Dead with the idea that Frank was going to work on the first season and then go off and do movies,” Kirkman says. “Chic didn’t want to be second-in-command on a show when he’s used to being a top dog, and so he decided to go off and do something else, which is something that happens and is not a big deal.”

As for everyone else being let go? Kirkman says . . .

“It’s kind of unfortunate that it’s being reported that our writing staff has been fired because that’s not the case”

and

“It’s a little premature to be nailing down. I don’t know if it’s going to be a freelance situation or if we’re going to have writers in a writers’ room,” he says. “That’s something that’s being worked on now.

What do you say, readers? Satisfied with what Kirkman has to say?

[Via TV Guide.com]

You know how this works, gang. Granted, we haven’t even really met all of the characters from the first trade yet, and that’s okay. The news that AMC has picked up The Walking Dead for a second season has me looking down the road a bit. Here are four key roles and four actors that I like for them. Kick in with your opinions and choices, but don’t be limited by my four characters; you know that there are PLENTY to choose from.

Michonne: For the katana-wielding zombie killing machine, I like Sanaa Lathan. She’s played several strong women and has a genre track record. She’s also not opposed to TV, having done a run on “Nip/Tuck”.

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I ran across this incredibly bizarre news item on AOLNews. I’ll block it all below, but the upshot is that a guy dressed as Captain America brawled with a guy dressed as Spider-Man in a Stamford parking garage while a girlfriend dressed as Poison Ivy looked on. Cosplay gone wrong? Another example of why drugs are bad? Or did a reporter happen to miss a crucial element?

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Got it? Great. Go about your day.

YouTube now brings you some classic Looneyness with a channel devoted specifically to Looney Tunes. With Looney Tunes 2011 coming down the pike, this new promo effort is sure to draw a metric ton of views. At this point, it’s mostly clips rather than full episodes. Still, any time that I can reach THIS with a click . . .

. . . it’s a good day.

No, that doesn’t mean that Bluewater comics will now lead off with a title page and an abstract. It means that Bluewater will be represented by the other APA (Agency for the Performing Arts), according to The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision blog. The post goes on to say that “APA will work with Bluewater to market its graphic novels and comic book material to TV, feature and video game companies. 10th Muse is in development at NBC Universal.”

The 10th Muse was created by Bluewater’s Darren G. Davis and debuted in 2000 under Image. It was first optioned for development in 2002. Read the full release below.

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