Spider-Man rumors, Iron Man 2, Dead Space 2 and more

Spider-Man rumor
There's a big Spider-Man 4 rumor floating around out there today. Or should I say flapping around out there? Hmm. Heh. Yes. Anyway, yeah, there are reports that John Malkovich and Anne Hathaway are possibly coming onboard the next film as the Vulture and, uh, the Vulture's daughter called, ugh, the Vulturess. I don't know, maybe it could work? But wait! There's more! Hathaway's character is actually Felicia Hardy, the woman who is also the Black Cat. I'm sure comic book fans won't have a problem with that. Not at all. No way. Malkovich as Vulture is something I can sign off on but Hathaway? Meh. Not so sure. I've never been a fan. Well, I've been a fan of her secret big boobs but she's a tad overrated and would likely overdo it, I'm thinking. But still:

Worst statues
It's the holiday season and you've no doubt got gifts on your mind. Maybe you need to buy some kind of comics and/or anime-related collectible statue for that comics and/or anime-related collectible statue collector on your list? Here's some help: do NOT buy any of these!

BioShock 2
I've still got a bad feeling about the BioShock sequel. The first game is a tough act to follow, no doubt, but this just seems like it won't be anywhere close. That said, good or not, it's going to look damn awesome as these two videos show.

Dead Space 2
You wanted a sequel to Dead Space? You got it, Bucko! And here is the first official image. Snazzy!

Hobbit
Strap yourself in for a sweet roller coaster ride of thrilling Hobbit casting news rumors and confirmations over the next little while, my friends. Here's the first batch!

Todd Margaret
Did you know there's a show featuring the comedic shenanigans-slash-stylings of David Cross, Will Arnett and Spike Jonze? Unless you live in the UK, you probably didn't but there is. It's called The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret and it's pretty damn funny, you can be sure of that. Will it ever see the light of day on this side of the pond? This article speculates on that very subject. Bonus: There's a clip.

Overlooked
This is a pretty good list of overlooked films from the last decade. Well, except for a few. (Zack and Miri? Really?)

TV moments
Another end of decade list, this time taking a look at 14 HUGE moments in television in the last ten years. Hard to argue with a lot of 'em.

Buwahahaha!
This is just sad. At best, maybe all the fact checkers out there getting let go can use it to persuade a rethink about the layoffs?

And finally…
Long ago, I swore an angry blood oath witnessed by naked Wiccan priestesses under moonlight and the unholy eyes of their ancient and terrible god that as soon as I began resorting to funny animal stories, I would hang up my blog shoes for good. But really, how could I resist this? Why won't they let that dog have a job? Huh? Why? He looks so awesome and proud in his work shirt. Plus, he's probably more motivated, happy and clean than most people with jobs (myself included) out there. Damn this fucking world. Wasn't the whole point of progress-slash-North America that we would eventually leave working to our unknowingly enslaved animal workforce? What the fuck am I paying taxes for????

"Good... Bad... I'm the guy with the gun."

Oddworld
Did you ever play the series of Oddworld games (primarily on the PS1 and (eventually) Xbox, but also Gameboy and for PCs as well)? If not, you could again -- well, if you have access to the Playstation Network, that is. On Thursday, you'll be able to download a couple of the games (Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exoddus) on PSN. Sweet!

Bronson Pinchot?
Yes, Bronson Pinchot. He gives a (really) candid interview to the AV Club. Going off about Tom Cruise's (alleged) homophobia and Denzel Washington's (alleged) ass-clownery among other Hollywood tidbits.

Bruce Campbell
Sam Raimi has been talking about Spider-Man 4 quite a bit lately. Sam Raimi has been talking about Spider-Man 4 quite a bit to MTV lately, to be exact. The director has been understandably cagey with details, basically saying he'd like to keep things simple, get back to basics and probably just do one villain this time around. High fives! Also, he revealed that he'll have a meatier role for longtime pal Bruce Campbell. Most people are going to assume that means Campbell will be the villain (popular rumor: Mysterio), but I'm thinking no.

Sucky heroes
Cracked brings you six movie heroes (who sucked at their jobs) -- and they're right.

The Box
I don't know what to feel about upcoming thriller The Box. First off, the title makes me giggle. Then there's the whole Cameron Diaz being in it thing (i..e. I am so not a fan. But I like this.) And then there's Cyclops, who I can take or leave. But the movie is directed by Richard Kelly of Donnie Darko fame. That makes me kinda want to see it. He talks a bit about the movie here. And you can watch a trailer here, if you'd like.

And finally…
I had no idea this was an outtake they kept in the movie. That's some funny shit.

Friday!

Mass Effect 2!
This is news that makes me pretty friggin' happy and since it's my friggin' blog you have to hear about it. Mass Effect 2 has a release date! Not only that, it's WAY sooner than I thought it would be. January 26 to be exact. Sweet! When BioWare said they were looking at Q1 2010 release, I was thinking late Q1 rather than early Q1 but early Q1 it is. Yay! Anyway, it's looking like they're offering some sweet perks if you order the game early, too.

Whedon!
Joss Whedon is a solid storyteller and show runner. I think on this we can all agree. But Joss Whedon is not without his flaws. For me, I've always liked that he uses ass-kicking female protagonists in his work. On the other hand, I hate that I can tell he likes that about himself way more than I do. (Quentin Tarantino does that a bit, too.) Ladies kicking ass shouldn't be of note, Joss, they should just be, that's the point of feminism. Anyway... Cracked has an excellent piece on why it sucks to be a fan of Joss Whedon.

Spike!
Anyone seeing Where the Wild Things Are? /Film has a video interview with its filmmaker Spike Jonze if you're interested.

TV Fun!
I love this sort of list. And when I say love, I mean they drive me the kind of crazy where I sit around on the floor crying in my underwear while crushing Chips Ahoy! cookies through my fingers. It's not the list itself, it's the possibility that the information in it may be true that bugs me. Ugh, Heroes is "OK"? Really?  REALLY? Really? Who is fucking who to keep that show on the air? Then there is the inevitable blog-o-sphere backlash against the list (me included, but I think only, like, four or five people are reading this -- thank you, BTW) and that drives me nuts, too. There's the inevitable cries about Dollhouse being "in trouble." Not sure why people are surprised. Then Pop Candy was all incredulous that Parks and Recreation is in trouble. Who thinks it's funny? Answer: no one. Know why? It's not funny. It's not funny, no matter how much we love Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, this guy, et al. And that's okay, Pop Candy. That's okay. You don't have to pretend to care. Or that you watch the show. Besides, when you want to treat a show a like a slow kid who makes some nice macaroni art because they had one funny bit that week, you always have Saturday Night Live to fall back on.

Authors!
Think writers are pompous, wimpy geeks with their fancy book learning and big words and working teeth? You're probably right in that -- but not about all of them! Some of them would/will kick your ass. Check out this list and feel the truth.

And finally…
Hopefully your weekend will be this awesome.