And Your Bird Can Sing

Smallville is back with new episodes starting January 31, feauring the return of Brainiac (James Marsters). Even better, the following week, Oliver Queen/Green Arrow (Justin Hartley) comes back, and he's bringing a friend:
That's right: The Black Canary, complete with sonic scream. Here's how the episode, called "Siren", is described:

While secretly working for Oliver (guest-star Justin Hartley), Chloe (Allison Mack) intercepts one of Lex's (Michael Rosenbaum) project files, but she is attacked by the Black Canary (guest-star Alaina Huffman), a mystery woman with a subsonic cry. Dinah Lance, Black Canary's alter ego, is a conservative talk show host who is working at the Daily Planet and clashes with Lois (Erica Durance). Lex convinces the Black Canary that the Green Arrow and his team are terrorists so she launches an attack on the Green Arrow and Clark (Tom Welling). Meanwhile, Lois discovers Oliver's secret.

Yay fishnets!

"Iron Man," "Hulk" movie crossovers hint at future Avengers film

This summer's movie season will see both Iron Man (May 2) and The Incredible Hulk (June 13). While both movies have different writers and directors, they are part of the same shared Marvel universe. And both movies are dropping hints about that shared universe and the eventual Avengers movie it will lead to.

Unlike Warners Bros's handling of DC characters, both individually and in a Justice League film, Marvel is looking to launch solo movies starring Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk before teaming them up in the same movie with the same actors.

The seeds for the Avengers movie will appear in both 2008 Marvel movies. First up, Samuel L. Jackson will be appearing in Iron Man as Col. Nick Fury. In Marvel's Ultimates series, Nick Fury formed that particular version of the Avengers -- and Fury, as drawn by Bryan Hitch, looks just like Samuel L. Jackson, as you can see here.

Next, in The Incredible Hulk, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) aka Iron Man, will share a scene with General Ross, played by William Hurt, confirmed this week at Sundance by Hurt himself:

"I don't know how it'll work," Hurt admitted, saying it was a thrill to appear as General Thaddeus Ross during Downey's scene. "I know it's weird [to work with a character from another movie], and to know it's a device. We did something; I don't know what that's going to be like [to watch]."

Hurt seems pretty psyched about the upcoming movie, and notes that it is a separate film from Ang Lee's failed attempt at the depicting the big, green, gamma guy. Iron Man director Jon Favreau is just as excited at the idea of the shared movie universe, and may even want to direct the big team-up movie:

In the case of Marvel they’re pretty clear on wanting to do it with the actors who’ve established the roles or to not do it at all. That’s what they’ve said to me. I think it’s a good idea if you use the characters established in the other franchises that then come together for an event. I don’t think they would do it like they’re doing ‘Justice League’ where it’s a whole different set of actors and a whole different take on the world.”

Sounds promising, but let's how these two movies do this year before we get too carried away. With the writer's strike putting the JLA movie on hold, it could -- and should? -- be a long while before we see a super-ghero team-up movie from any shared universe.

I've Got a Good Feeling About This

Ever want to ride the Millenium Falcon? See Darth Vader's helmet or Luke's landspeeder up close. Well, if you're in Philadelphia you can. Running from February 9 through May 4, "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" will be exhibited at the Franklin Institute, and man does it sound cool.

Props from the movie will be on display, including not only the life-size landspeeder, but scale models of X-wings, y-wings and TIE fighters -- not to mention an actual Yoda puppet. The coolest part is that you can simulate a ride in the Millenium Falcon:

Experience a full-size cockpit replica of Episode IV's Millennium Falcon! Visitors watch a multimedia presentation featuring imagery from the Hubble space telescope that explores what we know about our own galaxy in a breathtaking journey to the edge of the Universe. Featuring a proprietary sound system from Bose Corporation, the recreated cockpit debuts the technologies of 3Space™ audio systems, providing visitors with a realistic three-dimensional audio experience.

Of course, it's a science museum, so it's not just entertainment. Visitors can see the history of real-life robots (and meet C3PO and R2D2) and transportation, and build a moisture farm and spaceport.

Ticket prices are $20.50 for adults, $15.50 for kids up to 11, and $16.50 for seniors.

I definitely need to see this.

RIP Sam the Butcher

Allan Mellvin, character actor and and cartoon voice artist, has died at age 84.

Best known as Sam the butcher, housekeeper Alice's sometime-boyfriend on The Brady Bunch, also was the voice of Hanna Barbera cartoon character Magilla Gorilla, among many other characters for the studio.

He was also well known as Archie Bunker's friend Barney on All in the Family.

Melvin's voice appeared in other cartoons, including The Flintstones, The Smurfs and Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends . He also served as a writer on the Beetle Bailey animated series, for which he played Sgt. Snorkle.

Holy Crap! Bat-Mite's Back -- and he's in continuity!

Writer Grant Morrison has returned Bat-Mite to the pages of Batman, in issue #672. Of course, like Batman himself, he has been updated for the times....



I picked the wrong day to quit comics...

The real reason Robin is not in the Batman sequel?

From the second and last Legend of the Superheroes NBC TV special from 1979. I recommend this link for lots of screen shots and good summaries of the horrendously bad plots.