Talk About Frequent Flier Miles!

Has anyone out there read the Arthur C. Clarke 2001 books?  The original movie didn't deal with Europa, but the following books in the series (2010, 2061, and 3001) changed the destination planet to Europa.  The reason that he did this is because Europa had the most promise for actually sustaining life.  Now NASA wants to know if this is an actual possibility.

Set to be launched in 2025, NASA is sending up a spacecraft to the icy moon of Jupiter to determine if it's possible for life to exist there.  Even though the planet is covered in ice, their scientists have discovered volcanic fissures underneath the ice.  Their thoughts are that since geothermal vents at the bottom of our oceans give life to underwater organisms, even with the absence of light, that the same thing may be possible on Europa.  Some of the nine instruments that they are planning on sending up there are ice-penetrating radios, a heat detector, and high-tech cameras.

Here's what John Grunsfeld, asociate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directate in Washington, had to say about the mission:

"Europa has tantalized us with its enigmatic icy surface and evidence of a vast ocean, following the amazing data from 11 flybys of the Galileo spacecraft over a decade ago and recent Hubble observations suggesting plumes of water shooting out from the moon.  We're excited about the potential of this new mission and these instruments to unravel the mysteries of Europa in our quest to find evidenceof life beyond Earth."

The mission is bugeted at $30 million, which NASA is using to formulate exactly how the mission will take place.  Right now, the plan is to send up a solar-powered craft that will obtain a "looping orbit" of the moon.  The craft will make 45 flybys over the moon over a three-year period, some of it's flybys getting as close as sixteen miles above Europa's surface.

This is obviouly the first step in exploring the moon.  Any missions that envolve landing a craft on the moon will have to take special precautions to make sure that any contaminatents from our planet do not make their way onto Europa's surface, which could harm it's environment.

Fighter Planes With Laser Cannons?

This is pretty cool!

The United States Air Force made the announcement that they want fighter planes to be equipped with laser cannons by 2022.  This was reported on by Breaking Defense.  They go on to say that they Air Force wants to mount them on both larger planes and smaller fighter jets.  These hyper-focused lasers can cause a lot of damage, and are already aboard Naval warships, and the Army is developing a truck mounted laser weapon.  For the Air Force to accomplish this, though, they have some serious issues that they will have to address.

Naval ships and trucks both bounce around a lot, but the lasers are still able to work under these conditions.  Airplanes, however, are going to have to come up with a plan to compensate for the breakneck speed and the constant vibrations that jets produce in flight.  It's not an impossible problem to solve, but may take more than the seven years that the Air Force has set for it's target date.

Now, if they could only build us some X-Wings...

Transformers Cybertron Movie In The Works

This make me laugh!

Every time Michael Bay comes out with a new Transformers movie, everybody and their brother complains about the lack of a storyline, plot, whatever, and that it's focus on special effects is always over the top and too much.  Yet this remains a billion dollar franchise!  I guess this explains what I read the other day...

Paramount has assembled a group of writers to tackle upcoming Transformers sequels and spin-offs.  These writers include Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (Iron Man) Zak Penn (Pacific Rim 2) and Jeff Pinker (Amazing Spider-Man 2).  That's a pretty talented group of writers!  Paramount wants scripts for the upcoming movies so that Michael Bay can jump right in as soon as he's finished with his current project.

It was also reported that Paramount has brought in Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari (Ant-Man) to work on a prequel that will be an origin story of sorts that focuses on the Autobots and Decepticons home planet of Cybertron.  The two signed on believing that they would be working on a live-action film, but now there's talk that it might be an animated movie, but nothing has been confirmed.

The Transformers franchise is Paramount's highest-grossing property, having made over $4 billion dollars world wide, so it's no surprise that they're wanting to expand their universe.

So which side do you fall on when it comes to the franchise?  Are you a fan, or is it over-hyped?  Let me know in the comments below!

Cary Fukunaga Leaves Stephen King's "IT"

It looks like the big-screen adaptation of Stephen King's IT is being shelved indefinitely.  Cary Fukunaga, who has won praise for his direction of HBO's True Detective, left the project just three weeks before filming was set to begin.

Fukunaga had a vision of how the story would take place, and it was planned to be a two-movie story.  New Line had recently acquired the rights to the story from Warner Brothers, and after reading Fukunaga's script, realized that his vision was way above their budget.  Fukunaga also wanted to film in New York, while New Line wanted someplace that didn't quite cost so much.  The film had originally tried to get Ben Mendelsohn (Bloodline) to play the part of Pennywise, but New Line wanted Mendelsohn to take a pay cut, which he refused, so the part went to Will Poulter.  Then New Line wanted Fukunaga to condense the two-movie script into one film, due to budget constraints.  Naturally, Fukunaga walked.

You see the pattern that took place here?

Hey, New Line...if you can't afford to make a good movie, don't settle for making one of sub-par quality.  You want to know why movie studios irritate the crap out of us movie goers?  It's because of junk like this!

If everything that's been reported is true, I can honestly say I am glad that they won't be making this film!

**UPDATE**
Warner Brothers regained copyrights for the film, and are currently trying to select a new director...This movie might not be done with after all ! AND they're open to the concept of a two-part film, so if they go with the original script, it might not suck after all!  More updates as they unfold!

Deadpool: The Movie

After Ryan Reynolds disastrous debut as "Deadpool" (I use quotes saying that, because that was definitely not Deadpool!) in the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the stand-alone movie for the character was shelved...and with good reason.  How could they take away the mouth from "the Merc with a mouth?"  FOX didn't see a future for the character.  They didn't think there was a market for him.  What they didn't realize was that it was the horrible script that turned people off of the character, and many (including myself) blamed Reynolds for the characters early demise.

Jump ahead many, many years later.  San Diego Comic Con had just opened and the big news from the convention was suppose to be the teaser trailer for Batman v Superman, but something strange happened.  Some "lost footage" of a test reel that featured a more comic book based version of Deadpool made it's way online, and the web blew up with people clamoring for more!  The short clip ended up eclipsing the teaser for Batman v Superman, and a movement began to push FOX into making the Deadpool movie that the fans felt they deserved.  Luckily for us (and Reynolds!) FOX heard our cries, and the film has been filming up in Vancouver for the last few months,

This film is a big deal.  If the film follows the same theme for the character that the teaser reel gave us, then we, the fans, are in for an amazing movie!  For Reynolds, it's redemption.  His first go around with the character was horrible.  I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it was pure garbage.  On top of that, his Green Lantern was equally forgettable.  And did anyone actually go and see R.I.P.D.?  No?  Me neither.  Reynolds need this movie to be a success to get back into the fanboy's (and fangirl's) good graces.  So what do we know about the movie so far?

First of all, Deadpool is going to be part of the X-Men universe.  With X-Men: Apocalypse ending the most recent trilogy of the famous mutants, FOX is looking to expand the universe with other X-Men properties, and Deadpool is going to be the front runner.  Besides Deadpool, we are going to be getting a stand-alone Gambit movie, a third Wolverine movie (which will be Hugh Jackman's final go at the title character), and a New Mutants film as well.  Three of these movies will be released next year (X-Men: Apocalypse, Gambit, and Deadpool).  2016 is starting to look like the Year of the Mutants.

The Deadool movie is going to be an origins movie, which is actually good news.  We need to wipe that original appearance of Deadpool from our collective memories.  This will also give us a starting point for the Deadpool franchise, seeing as FOX wants to make this into a multi-movie project.  The movie will be starring, obviously, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, Morena Baccarin as Copycat, Deadpool's love interest, Ed Skrein as the villanous Ajax, Gina Carano as the Morlock Angel Dust, T.J. Miller as Weasel, and Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead.  Colossus is rumored to be appearing in the film as well, but Daniel Cudmore will not be playing him like he was in the previous X-Men movies.  Not only that, but Reynolds said he's hoping that Wolverine will show up in the film, even if it's just as a cameo appearance.

So what do you think?  Are you getting as excited for this movie's release as I am?  Leave your thought in the comments section down below.

Deadpool is set to open February 12, 2016.

What Happened Between A New Hope And The Empire Strikes Back?

Now that Marvel has re-acquired the licensing rights to publish Star Wars comic books from Dark Horse Comics, the task begins on filling in the gaps that took place in between each of the movies.  There have been a number of comic books and novels that have been published over the years that have covered these time periods, but after Disney bought LucasFilm, all of these books became "legends," and were labeled not officially part of the Star Wars canon.   Some of these time periods have started to be known through Disney's Star Wars: Rebels, as well as the cartoon Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  Now, Marvel is publishing the story of what happened during the three years that took place between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.  Here's what's been happening with each of the main characters from the Star Wars universe:

Han Solo

So how was it that Han Solo stuck around with the Rebels after the destruction of the Death Star?  It was pretty obvious that he had no interest in joining the fight, yet there he was on Hoth, running a scouting mission opposite Luke at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back.  So what changed?  We've seen in the comics that Han was recruited to help a strike team attack and destroy The Empire's Weapons Factory Alpha on Cymoon 1.  The attack was a success, but it put Han on the Empire's radar, and landed him on their "Most Wanted" list.  With both the Empire and Jabba the Hutt gunning for him, his smuggling days were pretty much over, so in order to stay alive, he continued to stay with the Rebels.  It did come with a price, though. During his stay with the Rebels, his ship, the Millennium Falcon, was torn apart by scavengers.  This is one of the reasons that he and Chewie were working on the Falcon while stationed on Hoth.  It also allowed him to become closer to...

Princess Leia

Leia now has her own comic book from Marvel, and hers is more of a side story than a "fill in the gaps" story.  We actually get to see her being the Rebel leader that they say she is in the movies.  Her story picks up right after the final scene of A New Hope. 

Alderaan is considered to be one of the birthplaces of the Rebel Alliance.  So why after its destruction are they have a celebration ceremony after the destruction of the Death Star?  An Alderaan-born soldier asks her just that, and during their conversation, Leia tasks him with the mission to find other Alderannians, and to try to find a way to preserve their history and their people.

Leia and Han's relationship begins to grow through this series as well, and also follows them in their task to find a new base, which leads them to Hoth.  Which leads us to...

Luke Skywalker

At the end of A New Hope Luke can barely use the Force, and with Obi-Wan gone, how does he get to the point where he can summon his lightsaber while being held captive in the Wampa's lair? 

Luke is set to get his own series later this year, called Heir to the Jedi.  In it, Luke realizes early on that his anger and frustration is leading him away from the Force, and closer to the Dark Side.  He starts to trust in his own instincts more, and learns to rely less on other people.  He will meet Darth Vader face-to-face for the first time, and also have a fight with Boba Fett, so keep a close look out for this series.  And since I brought him up, let's talk about...

Darth Vader

Not only did Darth Vader let the destruction of the Death Star take place, but he was also placed in charge of Weapons Factory Alpha, which as I mentioned earlier, the Rebels destroyed.  During this battle, Vader comes into contact with the X-Wing pilot that destroyed the Death Star.  During their encounter, he realizes that Luke is wielding his old lightsaber, the one from when he was Anakin Skywalker, and starts to "feel" the connection that he has with Luke.  He also notices that Obi-Wan has disappeared into the force, and ends up confronting his old master through meditation.  All of this causes him to become more powerful with the Dark Side of the Force.

He doesn't come out of the two defeats completely unscathed, though.  After the destruction of Weapons Factory Alpha, the Emperor demotes Vader and places him under the command of Grad General Tagge.  This causes Vader to weigh his options, and he decides to find the young Skywalker, train him in the ways of the Dark Side, and then overthrow the Emperor and rule the galaxy with Luke by his side.

In the comics, Vader also makes a visit to Tatooine where he has a meeting with Jabba the Hutt.  This meeting allows Vader access to Jabba's bounty hunters, which he plans to use as his own separate resource away from the Empire, if the need ever arises.  One of the bounty hunters that Jabba gives him access to is...

Boba Fett

Boba Fett is "loaned" to Vader, along with a Wookie bounty hunter named Black Krrsantan, for a secret mission...finding Luke Skywalker.  This leads to Boba Fett being charged with capturing Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back, in order to lure Luke to the cloud city of Bespin.  During his mission, Boba Fett does come face-to-face with the young Jedi-to-be while Luke is out trying to find more clues about who the Jedi were and how to become one.

I hope this wan't too long for everyone, but the upcoming stories sound too good to pass up and I wanted to share them with everybody.  Hope you enjoyed todays post!  If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in the comments section below!

Is Eddie Thawne Going To Become Cobolt Blue?

The season finale of the Flash has been over for a week, but it is still being talked about, and a lot of questions are being raised from what we saw.  One of the biggest conversations that's taking place is, "What the heck was Eddie wearing around his neck when he died?"  Here's a still frame shot of what everyone is talking about:



At first, people were speculating that maybe it was the engagement ring that he was going to give Iris, but if you look closely at it, it doesn't look like an engagement ring.  Others thought that maybe it was the Reverse-Flash's ring, and he somehow lifted it from him while he was being held captive, but really?  You honestly think that Eddie could've lifted something from someone that can move at super speed and not get caught?  Seems highly unlikely.  So here's the third theory...he's wearing a talisman.  So now you're asking me...so what? Right?  Okay, check this out...

Over in DC comics, back in the nineties, a writer by the name of Mark Waid introduced a character by the name of Malcolm Thawn, who turned out to be Barry Allen's long lost twin brother.  I know, a little to "soap-opera-y"for me, but it did happen.  When they were born, the doctor told Norah Allen that one of the twins had been stillborn, and so they took Barry home.  The doctor then turned around and gave Malcolm to the Thawne family.  After growing up and learning his true identity, Malcolm became enraged at Barry for having the life of love and privilege that he felt he should have had instead, and swore revenge on Barry.  Malcolm began to dabble in sorcery, magic, and witchcraft and created a talisman that gave the wearer whatever it was that they desired.  What Malcolm desired was everything that Barry had...including his super speed.  The only problem with this was that in the comics, Barry had already died, and Wally West was the current Flash.  Denied revenge on his brother, he focused his hatred onto Wally, who Malcolm saw as Barry's heir.  When Malcolm went after Wally, he took on the name "Cobalt Blue."

Now let's go back to the television show.  Do you remember when Cisco was trying to build Well's time sphere?  They determined that the tungsten plate that they were using would give off some sort of charge that wouldn't allow for the sphere to work, and it was suggested that they use cobalt instead.  It didn't seem very important at the time, but after seeing the talisman around Eddie's neck when he died, and putting it into context with the history of Colbalt Blue that I just gave you, could it be that they were planting the seed for something that's yet to take place?  They would do that, right? Naw...

The writers for the show have already said that Rick Cosnett, who plays Eddie Thawne on the show, will not be returning as a series regular, but he will be making appearances in season two.  They have also said that they are going to be dealing with alternative universes and alternate timelines next season, as well.  Could Eddie be Barry's twin brother in one of these alternate universes and become Colbalt Blue?  They don't seem that far apart in age, and I guess an argument could be made that they actual are, so why not?

What do you think?  Does this argument hold any water, or am I reading way too much into things?  Let me know your thoughts on the whole thing in the comments section below.

The Gambit Stand-Alone Movie

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!  I apologize for not having a post up earlier today, but since I had an extended weekend, I decided to do some traveling around, but now I'm back, so let's jump right in!

So...last weekend I talked about how the X-Men were about to extend their universe by introducing the New Mutants to the big screen, and I also talked about how there were a couple of X-Men stand-alone films that were in the works.  One of these stand-alone films is going to star Channing Tatum as Gambit.  He recently sat down with Empire Magazine to talk about the upcoming film.  Here's what he had to say about the character Gambit:

"I love Gambit," Tatum says. "I grew up in the South; my father's from Louisiana. We'd go to New Orleans and I heard all the dialects. It felt so different from the rest of America; it has its own ancient culture. So I identified with that. And he always felt the most real of the X-Men to me. He's kind of a tortured soul and he's not a good guy. But he's not a bad guy, either. He walks his own path. And of course he plays cards and drinks and is a martial-arts badass!"

 As far as the film itself goes, here's what he had to say:

"Josh Zetumer just turned in the first draft of the script, and it's killer. None of us were sure how he was going to deal with the X-Men world. But we're going to be changing some of the tropes of these movies. It's always about saving the world (Laughs), but maybe we're going to shift things a little bit. There's so many ways you can take [an origin story]. You could do it like Batman Begins, or a different take and go the Guardians of the Galaxyroute. All I can say is, I'm super excited."

Look, I'm not a huge Channing Tatum fan, but if can pull of a creole accent, then I'll give it a shot.  If he can't, then I'm done with X-Men stand alone films.  Why, you ask?  Easy...X-Men Origins: Wolverine!

Gambit is slated to be released October 7, 2016.

The Flash Finale

I wanted to wait a few days before discussing this one, just to make sure that everone that DVR'ed it had a chance to watch it.  And just for the record?  It was freakin' awesome!  If you haven't watch it yet, then be warned...MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Still with me?  Good!  First of all...Holy crap!  Did anyone else see Eddie killing himself coming?  I mean, at all?  It shouldn't be too surprising (even though it was!) becaues Kreisberg likes doing this sort of thing to keep the viewers invested in a show, and to make it seem more real, you know, like no one is really safe from death.  Look at Arrow, in season one they killed off Tommy, in season 2 they killed off Oliver's mother, and in season 3 they killed off Sara.  But Eddie making the ultimate sacrafice was something I don't think any of us saw coming.  Here's what Kreisberg told the Hollywood Reporter on the matter:

"When we decided to name him Thawne, we hoped the audience would suspect Eddie was the Reverse-Flash because of his last name. We always knew Eddie would be his ancestor, but we weren’t quite sure how we would end the season. The way things were moving forward, it felt like it was the best thing to do for his character. Like with Colin Donnell [whose character Tommy died in Arrow’s season one finale], it was literally the worst thing we could do to ourselves as writers, producers and friends, because we all love Rick so much both personally and professionally, and we think he’s crushed it as Eddie all season. We’ve all become very close. It’s one of those terrible things. The story sort of tells you what it wants to be and as much as it broke our hearts, we knew this was the way the season needed to end…
Eddie has been struggling these last few weeks hearing about the future and about how there is no place for him in the future. He wasn’t going to believe in Wells’ interpretation of the future. He was going to make his own decision and he basically decided to recommit to Iris, which only makes his sacrifice that much more heartbreaking. He didn’t do it because he didn’t have anything to live for. He did it because he had everything to live for."

If you were a fan of Eddie's, though, don't worry.  We haven't seen the last of him.  Even though he will no longer be a series regular, he'll still be making his way onto the series.  There have been talks of alternate universes and timelines being introduced next season, so Eddie will be back in some capacity.  AND...he said that they will be introducing some new speedsters to the show next season!  There had already been rumors of Wally West showing up next season, but after seeing Jay Garrick's helmet appear in the season finale, I'm guessing that we're going to be seeing him as well.  Kreisberg continued:

"Not to pat ourselves on the back too much, but if you watch the pilot, there are clues that got laid out throughout the season. We’ve done the same thing for season two and hopefully we’ve created a structure and a scenario for season two that people will find equally compelling and equally interesting. Some of it has already been set up in the events of season one. Just like we do on Arrow, where without even realizing it toward the end of the season we’re setting up the next season. Once people come back in season two, they’ll look back at some of these episodes in season one and go, ‘Oh wait a minute, I see where this came from.’
Yeah. We are going to introduce a few more speedsters next year and a bunch more villains. How they and those villains come about is part of the surprise of season two. We’re really excited. [Executive producer] Greg [Berlanti] and myself and [executive producer] Geoff Johns and the writers, the cast, the crew, the directors — we are so proud of this season of television. It really is a high mark for all of us and we feel a great deal of pressure and anxiety to live up to it, because it’s been so well received. As proud as excited as we are about everything we’ve done this year, we really are just as proud and excited for all the things we are planning coming up and hopefully people will continue to take this ride with us."

What did you think about the season finale?  If you want to know my thoughts, check out the video below:

The X-Men Cinematic Universe Is About To Get Even Bigger!

 

With the second X-Men trilogy about to come to a close with X-Men: Apocalypse, and Hugh Jackman hanging up his role after the third Wolverine movie, the X-Men property seems to be coming to a close for FOX...or is it?  Deadpool is soon to be making it's way to movie theaters, and there's a Gambit movie in the works, but both of those only focus on one individual character.  In order to fill the void that the X-Men movies are going to leave, FOX is now turning their attention to The New Mutants!

 

The studio announced the other day that they have hired writer/director Josh Boone, best known for The Fault In Our Stars, for the spin off, and it will be co-written by Knate Gwaltney, best known for Nitro Circus.  The film is going to be produced by Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg.

 

The team is hoping to capture the energy of the team, a bunch of teens that are still in training and haven't quite come to terms with the extent of their powers, and not completely able to control them yet.  This group will be anything but the X-Men team we've come to know and love, but I have a feeling that they are going to bring their own style to the screen that people will truly enjoy.  The members of the team haven't been decided on quite yet, but as news trickles out, I'll let you know what they say.

 

No release date has been set.

New Batman 4D Roller Coaster!

This thing is AMAZING!  I know, I'm letting myself off easy today by doing this post, but it was way too cool to pass up showing you all!  Check this out:

You really need to watch this to see what it's really all about!  It looks like something completely new when it comes to roller coasters!  I can't wait to ride it, but may have to wait until next year to give it a try.  Are you a roller coaster enthusiast?  If you are, what do you think?  Leave your comments in the section below!

DC's Legends Of Tomorrow

Here's another cool series that's going to be making it's way onto the small screen!  Have you seen the trailer yet?  No?  Okay, then here you go:

I have to admit, this is the one new series that I'm really getting jazzed about.  There are a number of things in this trailer that make me excited to see it.  Let's go over the different things that were shown in the trailer that you may or may not have missed.

First, let's talk about the obvious.  Sara Lance is back, but she is no longer the Canary, now she is the White Canary.  Now, there is a DC character that is called the White Canary, but she is nothing like the character that will be introduced in the Legends of Tomorrow.  It looks like they will be resurrecting Sara Lance via the Lazarus Pit.  Maybe this is Malcolm Merlyn's way of making things right with Oliver for making him the new Ra's.  Just a thought...

Next, let's talk about the time travel aspect of the show.  It looks like they will be traveling all over time, fighting the armies of Vandal Savage, and immortal that will be introduced into the Arrow-verse.  Rip Hunter is introduced, and he is a member of the "Time Masters."  Looks like he will give the team the ability to travel through time...and maybe Dr. Wells?  Did you see him sitting in the Time Sphere in the trailer?  Is that how he plans on returning to the future?  But that wasn't the coolest part of that scene!  Check this out!


Can you tell what's laying in the corner of this shot?  Here's a behind-the-scene picture of the same shot:


Yes, that looks like Dr. Wells, but that also looks like Jay Garrick's Flash Helmet!  Will more Speedsters be arriving in this DC television universe?  There were already rumors about introducing Wally West  on Flash next season, but does this mean that Jay Garrick will be appearing as well?

Next, one of the most absent names in this upcoming series is that of Robbie Amell.  If he isn't going to be appearing in the Legends of Tomorrow, how is it that Firestorm is apart of the team?  is this going to be revealed with the introduction of Franz Drameh's character?  Is he going to somehow become another part of the Firestorm matrix?  We're just going to have to wait and find out!

The last thing that I want to mention is the fact that the ATOM finally lives up to his name...or rather, "down" to his name.  How cool was that watching Palmer shrink down into the size of a fly?

Right now, Legends of Tomorrow is set to be a mid-season premier on the CW, with 13 episodes (I think, I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it's 13!) set for release.  Think of this as their version of ABC's Agent Carter.

What were your thoughts on the new trailer?  Do you think that this is going to help the already-established universe that's been created, or do you think that maybe they're moving things a little too fast?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, and I'll be back again tomorrow!

So...The Supergirl Trailer...What Do You Think?

So, have you seen the trailer yet?  No?  Okay, check this out:

 

THIS is pretty cool!  Okay, I have heard a lot of sites say that this is a lot of The Devil Wears Prada (which I have NEVER watched!  I swear!) but I have to say that I am very interested in watching this show.  Why?  Well, let's go over it, shall we?

First of all, it's freakin' SUPERGIRL!  Why else would I need a reason to watch this?!?  Second of all, it's being done by Greg Berlanti, who is a giant in the DC television industry!  Do you really need another reason?  Really? you do?  Okay...

Look...It's going to be apart of the "Arrow-verse" so that should be reason enough to watch...no matter what anyone else says.  YES..It IS apart of the Arrow-verse!!!

Superman is apart of this universe, as well!  WATCH THE TRAILER!  He may not actually show up, but he is a definite fixture in Kara's world, and it may lend to how she molds herself into the world's superhero.  Well...a superhero!  

I like how they kind of move her from one costume to another.  It kind of gives a shout out to the comic books while trying to find their own identity.  Kudos for that!

Let's be honest, alright?  CBS isn't known for taking chances on fanboy series...the fact that they are even airing this is a huge coup. Not only that, but they've committed to an entire season, so we'll see what happens.  I'm guessing that they are wanting to compete with ABC for the fanboy market, and they see this as the best way to do it. The only people that will win with this besides the broadcasting company is US!

Let me know what you think about the trailer.  Are you excited about it as well, or is it...mhey?  Let me know in the comments below.

This Millennium Falcon Is AMAZING!

A friend of mine sent me this link!

If you love LEGOs and you're also a fan of Star Wars, then this is the ultimate treat for you!

LEGO at one time had sold a Millennium Falcon themselves, which had 5,195 pieces to it, and sold for around $500.  Since it's no longer being sold, if you can find one, it may cost you 10 times the original price!  It's one of the largest LEGO models that has ever been created for distribution.

But that's nothing compared to this most recent fan creation!

A team of LEGO builders called Titans Creations out at Legoland Malaysia but together this impressive 10,000 piece Millennium Falson that is around 40% larger than the official set, and depicts multiple scenes from the movie within.  It took six builders to months to plan and build their ship, and also features 24 LED lights for the hyperdrive, cockpit, thrusters and more,  Their goal was to create the most detailed version of the interior of the ship that's ever been done.  The original's doesn't even come close to the detail that they were able to create.  Here are some more pictures:

Pretty cool, huh?

New Female Thor Identity Revealed

I guess I should say this, but if you don't want to know who she is, you need to stop reading now.

Okay!  So, seven issues ago we got a new Thor after the original Odinson lost his ability to wield his hammer, and seven issues ago we saw it was a woman who picked up his hammer, which had been on the moon since Odinson became unworthy to do so.  People have been speculating over who this new Thor really is.  Now, Marvel seems ready to let us know.

At the end of issue 8, the new Thor whoops up on the Destroyer (remember that massive robot from the first Thor movie?  Yeah, that robot).  Odinson begs the new Thor to reveal her identity to him, but she refuses.  Instead, she tells him, "This world needs a Thor.  A god who loves the Earth enough to die for it."  After leaving Odinson and flying away, she removes her helmet and reveals...

...she is none other than Dr. Jane Foster, Odinson's ex-girlfriend.  She's in a hospital gown, .  She's sick, frail, and bald from the cancer treatments that she's been going through.  She says, "I am Dr. Jane Foster.  And I will not stop being the mighty Thor.  Even though it is killing me."

Dr. Foster is suffering from breast cancer.  She has been for a while now.  Now that Marvel has a female Thor, and one who is suffering from a very real disease that hundreds of thousands of women have to deal with, I'd expect Marvel to tackle this theme head on, giving people an insight to the real dangers of breast cancer.  There are a lot of women out there that will be able to relate to what Dr. Foster is going through.

Have you been following the new Thor storyline?  If you have, were you surprised at who she really is?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets

French director Luc Besson has chosen his next project.  Fresh off the success from the movie Lucy, but better known for directing The Fifth Element, Besson is getting ready to tackle Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.  He announced the project on his Twitter account, which also gave us the names of two of the actors that will be starring in it.  Well, one actor and one actress.  The two Besson named are Dane DeHaan, who starred in Chronicle, and more recently The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as Harry Osborn/The Green Goblin, and Cara Delevingne, who is currently working on the movie Suicide Squad as the Enchantress.

Besson will be writing and directing the film which will be based on the graphic novel series created by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mezieres.  It will follow Valerian and Laureline (DeHaan and Delevingne, respectively) as they travel to "Syrte, capital planet of a system of 1,000 worlds.  Their mission is to discover whether the Syrtians could present a danger to Earth" circa 2700.

Filming is expected to begin later this year, and the movie is slated for release in 2017.

Rumored Boba Fett Standalone Film To Be Second In The Anthology Series

Even though the character had almost no dialogue in the original trilogy, and very little screen time, Boba Fett quickly became a fan favorite.  So why not give the fans what they want and feature him in the second "Anthology" series film?  The Wrap is reporting that just may happen.

Lucas tried to give the fans a look at Boba Fett's origins in the prequel film The Attack of the Clones, but the prequels fell flat with die-hard Star Wars fans, and...well, let's be honest.  Who wants to see an adolescent Boba Fett "in action?"

The Wrap is reporting that the second "Anthology" film will be an origins story, but don't worry, we won't be revisiting his "little kid" years.  It instead will chronicle his rise to becoming the most notorious bounty hunter in the galaxy. 

It was originally going to be filmed by Josh Trank, who just finished up filming the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, but he left the project just days after he was announced to direct.  Trank cited it a "personal decision" for leaving the project, and was very gracious towards LucasFilm in his press release.  However, it seems that LucasFilm was turned off by the young director after news of his "unusual conduct" during the filming of the Fantastic Four leaked out from the set.  Insiders described the Trank's behavior as "erratic" and at times "very isolated with little or no clear direction."  His no-show at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim seemed to be the final straw, and LucasFilm booted Trank from the film.

So now they're in need of a new director, but who do you go to for a film as important as this one?  It really is an important film.  With the disappointment of the prequels, and the amount of money Disney spent on purchasing LucasFilm. they really need this to become a profitable property again.  They've moved in the right direction by hiring JJ Abrams to direct and help write The Force Awakens, and bringing back the stars from the original series is helping excite the deepest of the die-hard fans.  The hiring of Gareth Edwards to direct Rogue One, the first of the "Anthology" movies, was also a big win for the company.  So who could they get to take over the rumored Boba Fett movie?

Latino Review is reporting that LucasFilm is courting none other than Joss Whedon.  This makes sense, after all Whedon has made Disney a lot of money from his two outings as director of the the Avengers movies, he works well with the cast and crew of his films, and is beloved by fans all around the world.  The only problem is that Whedon said that he was getting burned out after directing the massive superhero blockbusters, and wanted to work on some smaller projects next.  But could he really turn down a chance to direct a Star Wars film?  It's still years away, but I'm sure we'll find out who will be directing by the end of the year, if not much sooner.

Have You Ever Seen A "Blue" Sunset?

How cool is this!

The Mars Rover, Curiosity, captured this image of a blue sunset on April 15th of this year.  The cause of the change in color was due to a dust storm that covered the area.  Mark Lemmon, a Curiosity science team member of Texas A&M University had this to say regarding the unusual sunset:

"The colors come from the fact that the very fine dust is the right size so that blue light penetrates the atmosphere slightly more efficiently.  When the blue light scatters off the dust, it stays closer to the direction of the sun than light of other colors does.  The rest of the sky is yellow to orange, as yellow light and red light scatter all over the sky instead of being absorbed or staying close to the sun."

Scientists are using these images to help them better understand how dust is distributed throughout the Martian atmosphere.  Right now, the Curiosity Mars rover is exploring the foothills of Mt. Sharp, which rises 3.4 miles into the sky and is located at the center of Gale's Crater.  Gale's Crater is where the one-ton Curiosity landed back in August of 2012.  Curiosity's mission is to determine whether or not the Red Planet ever supported microbial life, and Gale's Crater seemed to be the perfect choice to explore.  Through it's exploration of the crater, NASA believes that an area near where the rover landed may have once been a potentially habitable lake-and-stream system billions of years ago.  According to Mike Wall, who wrote the article that I read all of this off of, "Mt. Sharp's many rock layers preserve a history of Mars' changing environmental conditions over time, so the observations Curiosity makes as it climbs should reveal insights about how the Red Planet shifted from a relatively warm and wet world long ago to the cold, dry desert world it is today, mission scientists say."

Like I said before, how cool is this!

Stephen Amell Wants DC Television Shows To Cross Over

Fan favorite actor Stephen Amell was recently at the Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con where he sat in on a panel and answered questions from the crowd.  One of the questions that came up dealt with his feelings about whether or not he and Grant Gustin should or might show up in the upcoming Justice League movies.  Here's what he had to say:

"As of right now, the movie universe and the television universe are very, very separate.  I mean we've seen Ezra Miller, who's going to play The Flash in one of the upcoming films, and even on the Suicide Squad, we have a whole slew of characters that are now representing the Suicide Squad.  And the Suicide Squad is at least for the foreseeable future is not going to be featured on Arrow.  So we're keeping those universes separate."

This answer really shouldn't have surprised anyone that has read anything about the upcoming films, but he kept going:

"On the B side, there is an opportunity for interconnectivity with any DC television show that exists.  Like, as an example, yesterday Constantine was cancelled.  And there is...yeah, I know, it's brutal...it's a good show, and it should come back.  And it may come back, like there are various platforms where it could come back."

"Now, Constantine was an NBC show.  I'm on the CW.  I had had discussions with DC...so not NBC, not CW...but with DC Entertainment about guest starring on Constantine when it was still on the air.  And that was and is still on the table.  So we have Flash, we have Legends of Tomorrow, a new show which is directly connected to the Arrow universe, we have Supergirl...she got picked up, directed by my good friend Glen Winter, that pilot, I can't wait to see it, I'm sure it's going to be amazing...there's Gotham obviously, and I'm missing something...Titans, there you go.  SO again I wouldn't worry too much about the movie universe, because we have no shortage of options for me and the other characters to populate."

So what would have led to an Arrow/Constantine crossover?  He went on to explain:

"The reason that I was going to guest star on Constantine, at least the idea that we were throwing around was he's an expert when it comes to the Lazarus Pit, which is now something that is a part of and will continue to be a part of Arrow."

So could this still happen, even though NBC cancelled Constantine?  Could another network still pick it up for a second season?  Here were his thoughts on that:

"I think that all of the support that it got, Geoff Johns at DC was supporting it, Jim Lee was supporting it, I think Grant [Gustin] was throwing a little weight behind it, as he should, because that dude is a heavy weight in the DC television universe.  I don't know how it would play.  I just think that it deserves an opportunity.  I really do."

So what do you think of the idea that every DC television is/should be apart of the same universe, no matter what network is airing them?  Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

A Taste Of "Legends Of Tomorrow" A Little Sooner Than You'd Expect

                              

The Arrow only has one episode left, and we're getting down to the last two for Flash, and it looks like they are pulling out all of the stops!  Ciara Rence, who will be playing Hawkgirl in the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow series which will be a spin off of both Arrow and Flash, recently tweeted that she and some of her cast mates will be appearing in the Flash's season one finale.  So how do they fit into the Arrow-verse?  A couple of weeks ago, we got a little peek at what their future holds.

When Barry, Cisco, and Caitline discovered "Dr. Well's" secret chamber, they also discovered a newspaper headline from the future.  One of the obvious reveals (since they actually made a point of mentioning it) was that it was written by "Iris West-Allen."  I'm sure Barry's heart was all a-flutter, but what else did this article from the future tell us?  The first thing we see mentioned is the name of the people who were with the Flash when he disappears, one of them being Hawkgirl.  Seems to me that Ciara's character will be playing a big part in the upcoming show.

                               

The second thing that stood out was the mention of Green Arrow.  While the future of Oliver Queen seems a little up in the air right now, it also seems that he'll finally be getting the name "Green"Arrow.  How this transformation comes to be still isn't known, but I'm sure Berlanti, Guggenheim, and Kreisberg already have a plan for his reveal.

Something else that was mentioned was the promotion of Joe West to Chief of Police.  In the article it reads:

Central City Police Chief, Joe West, held a press conference in the wee hours of the morning, stating, "we don't have very many details right now.  What we do know is tonight Central City's greatest protector vanished in a flash.  We can only hope he returns just as quickly."  A sentiment shared by all who call this great city home.

Other details from the article tell of eye witness accounts of the battle between the Flash and the Reverse-Flash.  Here's what they said:

According to reports, as The Flash and Reverse-Flash battled with each other between two overturned tanker trucks, the lightning emanating from the speedsters threatened to ignite spilled oil leaking from one of the trucks.

The smoke from the truck's engine made it difficult to see, but it appeared at one point they were having a very heated conversation before continuing the fight.  Then, suddenly, The Flash sped after Reverse-Flash, and the two vanished, leaving The Atom, Green Arrow and Hawkgirl behind.

An eyewitness who watched the battle from her apartment building before being evacuated said, "It was hard to see, but The Flash and Reverse-Flash were zipping up and down M(___?) Avenue and then there was a whole bunch of lightning, and then nothing.  It was weird."

Other witnesses described a similar phenomenon: a blinding light followed by darkness.  Then the sky returned to black.  And as the streets quieted, it took only a moment to realize The Flash and Reverse-Flash were gone without a trace.

The "Red Sky" and the repeated use of the word "Crisis" in the article are making many believe that the comic book story Crisis on Infinite Earths is being heavily drawn off of. One sad note, though, in the comic book, Barry Allen dies.\

One last note.  Even though it seems that Eobard Thawne's plans have moved ahead faster than he was expecting, the article hasn't changed any, so whatever the outcome at this season's finale, expect to see a lot more of Reverse-Flash!

SpaceX's Dragon Spacecraft Takes Big Step Forward

The United States has always been a leader in technology for the exploration of space.  Ironically, though, we don't have the means to send our astronauts into space, ever since we retired our space shuttle program.  After Discovery's final launch on February 24, 2011, the government turned towards private industries to become the new leaders in the field of manned space exploration.

One of the more promising companies to emerge has been SpaceX, who have developed spacecraft called Dragon.  They've already made successful unmanned launches to the International Space Station (ISS) that delivered much needed cargo to the crew floating above us in an orbit that ranges between 205 miles to 250 miles from the ground.  Now, SpaceX has moved one step closer to being able to launch an astronaut into space, and up to the ISS.

Yesterday at Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Dragon capsule was launched with a test dummy inside to test it's escape system which would be used if anything unexpected were to happen after launch.  We know that things don't always go as planned.  You may recall the Challenger disaster that took place on January 28, 1986.

After the launch, the Dragon's engines, dubbed SuperDraco engines, fired off a six-second burn that generated 120,000 pounds of thrust that would move the capsule, in theory, out of harm's way in the event of a catastrophic failure during the launch process.  After the burn, the capsule that will be carrying up the astronauts separated and three large parachutes deployed, bring the Dragon down safely into the ocean, just offshore. 

After it's launch, the Dragon was recovered and will be sent to the SpaceX Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas where it will be evaluated and cleaned to be used in another test.  The California-based company, which is led by Elon Musk, plans to launch a manned Dragon into space around 2017.

New Indiana Jones Movie Confirmed To Be Made

 

There have been a lot of rumors going around saying that Disney is ready to reboot the Indiana Jones franchise with Chris Pratt playing the title character.  It's even been reported that Steven Speilberg has shown interest in directing the Chris Pratt-starring Indiana Jones movie, and that a script was already being written for the film.

 

Not so fast, says Kathleen Kennedy.

 

In the most recent Vanity Fair issue that focuses on the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie, not only do we get to see some really cool behind-the-scenes pictures and character photos taken by Annie Leibovitz, but we also get some great interviews with people associated to the franchise.  One of these articles was written by Bruce Handy who interviewed Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm.  During the interview, the question had to be asked, "Will we be seeing a new Indiana Jones movie anytime soon?"  Here's what Handy wrote about her response:

 

"In buying the company, Disney also got rights, for better or worse, to less-storied Lucasfilm properties, among them Willow and RadiolandMurders.  A bigger prize is the Indiana Jones franchise.  Kennedy confirmed rumors that another Indy movie 'will one day be made inside this company.  When it will happen, I'm not quite sure.  We haven't started working on a script yet, but we are talking about it.'"

 

Although the talk about Chris Pratt and Speilberg were not addressed, it does shoot down the rumors that a script was already in the works.  Kennedy is a very savvy person, and knows the Lucasfilm franchises better than anyone else, maybe except for George Lucas.  She's also been the executive producer on all of Speilberg's projects from 1982 to 2012, and considering the lackluster performance of the 2008 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I'm sure that she's taking her time to make sure that they get it right this time.

 

If the movie is that far down the line, maybe Chris Pratt isn't going to be the next whip-cracking archaeologist after all, but if not him, then who?  Who would you like to see as the next Indiana Jones?  Let me know your suggestions in the comment section below!

The DC Universe? Things They Are A-Changing...

In case you weren't aware of this yet, DC's animated department is releasing a new straight-to-DVD movie that's titled Justice League: Gods and Monsters.  This is a whole new Justice league than people are used to.  Here's the official synopsis that was released with the trailer:

"Journey to a divergent reality where the Justice League protects the planet - but answers to no one but themselves.  Employing methods of intimidation and fear, this Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman deal brute force in the name of justice.  In this alternate universe, Superman is not raised by the Kents in Smallville, the Caped Crusader is not Bruce Wayne, and Wonder Woman is not an Amazon warrior of Themyscira.  When a group of famed scientists experience untimely "accidents," a government task force follows the trail of clues to the Justice League -- but i there a more powerful player operating from the shadows?  It's a high stakes game of intrigue, mystery and action that asks the question:  How do you serve justice to those above the law?"

I'm not really sure about the origins of Wonder Woman and Batman in this one, but I've heard that this version of Superman is actually the son of Zod!  To be honest, I don't think that they'll be able to give us everything they're wanting to give us in a single animated movie.  I'm not just saying this because of all of the alternate origins stories that they'll have to give us (which may take up a huge chunk of the movie, I don't know,) but because it was announced that Machinima and Warner Brothers Animation and DC Comics have teamed up to give us a new online animated series of the Justice League, which will follow the conclusion of Justice League: Gods and Monsters.  It's being called Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles, and they've already agreed to it running for two seasons.  So maybe all of those origins stories won't take place in the movie after all, but in this continuing series that will follow?  The series is set to debut next month.

Now over to the comic book side of DC, and like I said in the title above, things they are a-changing!  A couple of posts ago, I revealed that by the end of Batman #40, both Batman and the Joker are dead. So what's happening in the pages of Batman #41? Who's in that giant robotic Bat-suit?  It looks like Commissioner Gordon is intending to replace the Batman in the continuing series.  Or at least until they bring Bruce Wayne back from the dead...again...

...But his isn't the only story that's getting a major shake-up!  Over on the Superman side of things, Clark Kent has had his secret identity outed to the entire world!  Who could be so cunning, so evil to do this?  Was it Lex, or one of the many other foes of the Man of Steel, that leaked this to everyone?  Nope.  It was his fellow reporter Lois Lane!  Don't know what causes this to happen or why, but I can't wait to find out!

So what do you think of all of the changes DC is making to it's most iconic characters?  Do you like this new direction that they are headed, or would you rather them stay true to the character's staying "as is?"  Let me know in the comments below!

Happy Star Wars Day!

Today is the day that Star Wars fans have claimed as their own for a number of years now.  Why today?  Really? You don't see it in the graphic above?  The pun is just to rich to pass up!  What a year it's been already for Star Wars fans, as well!  We've been given a great movie trailer for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which releases at the end of this year, Star Wars: Battlefronts is set to be released later this year, Star Wars: Rebels will be returning for a second season, Marvel Comics has been releasing some amazing Star Wars comic books, and more graphic novels and books are getting ready to be released that will bridge the gap between the end of Return of the Jedi and the beginning of The Force Awakens.  What isn't there to get excited about?  And that's just everything that's happening this year!

Next year will bring us the first Star Wars movie from the new Anthology series with Star Wars: Rogue One.  This one is especially exciting because it will be the first "Jedi free" movie that's ever been done that takes place in the Star Wars universe.  If you were one of the few lucky ones that were able to watch the teaser trailer before Disney had it yanked off of the web, then you know how impressive it already looks to be, and it's still filming!  Rogue One takes place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, and it follows the Rogue Squadron from the newly formed Rebel Alliance in their attempt to steal the plans for the Empire's Death Star.  Some people are complaining that this was a poor choice for the first spin-off film, since we already know that they succeed in stealing the plans, so why make a movie that we already know the ending to?  Maybe they're right, I mean nobody went to go see Titanic!  Why go see a movie where you know how it ends?  I hope the sarcasm was bleeding through pretty heavy right here.

So what are you going to do to celebrate Star Wars Day?  Dsincey XD is running Star Wars: Rebels all day until 4:30 this afternoon, followed by a Phineas and Ferb Star Wars special, as well as other Star Wars related programming.  Maybe you'll throw in the original trilogy and watch them all from beginning to end?
Whatever you decide to do to celebrate, May the Fourth be with you!

NASA's MESSENGER Spacecraft Is No More

On April 30, 2015, at 3:26 pm (EDT) the MESSENGER spacecraft crashed into the surface of Mercury.  Even though the spacecraft is now no more, there are still archives upon archives of data that the tiny spacecraft had sent since 2011 when it first entered into Mercury's orbit, and scientists are anxious to start pouring over it all.

MESSENGER crashed into the surface of the planet traveling at around 8,750 miles per hour, making a new crater on the already scared face of Mercury.  The new crater is estimated to be around 52 feet wide.  Before final impact, MESSENGER made 4,105 orbits around one of the most curious planets in our solar system.

Jim Raines, a scientist at the University of Michigan who works on the MESSENGER team, had this to say about the crash:

1. Meteors with the same mass as MESSENGER(513 kg) slam into Mercury about every month or two, and typically with 10 times the speed and 100 times the energy.  The planet doesn't have a thick atmosphere that would slow down objects headed for the surface.

2. The 1,131-pound spacecraft will hit with the energy of about a ton of TNT, or the force of a car traveling at about 2,000 mph.

3. At almost 9,000 mph, the craft will be traveling three times faster than a speeding bullet and nearly twelve times the speed of sound.

4. On MESSENGER's last orbit, it will pass just 900 to 1,800 feet over the planet's surface.  We have buildings that tall on Earth.

5. The crater the craft will leave near Mercury's north pole is predicted to be about 50 feet wide.  That's the width of an NBA basketball court.

6. Nearly 55 percent of MESSENGER' weight at launch was fuel - which is about to run out.

MESSENGER stands for "MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging.  It has had an amazing life, as short as it was.  It was launch on August 2, 2004, and crashed yesterday, April 30, 2015.

Information and Statistics here were gathered from EarthSky.org