Avatar: Creating The World Of Pandora, a special that goes behind-the-scenes of the technology used in James Cameron’s hit film Avatar, will air this Friday, January 22 at 7:30pm EST on Fox Movie Channel.

Encore presentations of the half-hour special will air through January and February; see full schedule here below.

You can also watch the special here below (it’s nearly 23 minutes long), but considering this is about the film’s groundbreaking special effects, you might want to take advantage of one of the airing on FMC (the video is not available online in high definition).

The creators of Avatar will share the artistry, technology and the extraordinary vision of the film with Fox Movie Channel viewers [...]

Making life-saving inventions out of household materials!
MacGruber!
Getting in and out of ultra-sticky situations!
MacGruber!
The guy’s a freakin’ genius!
MACGRUBER

Say what you will, but I LOVE the Saturday Night Live “MacGruber” skits, and when I heard they were making a feature-length movie based on those skits, I was totally fine with it.

New red band and green band trailers for the film, which hits theaters on April 23, are now online. Watch them both here below.

The MacGruber skit is a spoof on the 1980′s action television series MacGyver, which starred Richard Dean Anderson as a secret agent known for his non-violent resourceful resolution methods, which were oftentimes over the top. The big joke has always been about what MacGyver could do with a piece of gum and some tape, so MacGruber just takes that to the next level.

The film stars SNL alum Will Forte as MacGruber, with fellow SNL co-star Kristen Wiig as part of his elite team. Ryan Phillippe (Crash) is also on this team, with Powers Boothe, Maya Rudolph, and Vil Kilmer rounding out the cast [...]

The Goon has gone digital today!

The Goon: Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker was made available today for purchase on iTunes for the iPhone platform. For a limited time, this graphic novel — which is Volume 6 in the comic book series — is on sale for only $1.99 (a major discount for a graphic novel!).

Also, for the next three days, The Goon #7 one-shot issue, which features Hellboy, as well as cover and framing sequences by Mike Mignola, is available as a FREE download from iTunes for use on the iPhone.

Check out Dark Horse’s Mobile site for more information or for direct iTunes link, click here (clicking link opens up iTunes application) [...]

Yen Press will release Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 on March 16, 2010, with a first printing of 350,000 copies, according to EW’s Shelf Life, which exclusively debuted the book’s cover and a sneak peak at one of its panels. The hardcover book is available for pre-order right now.

It was announced back in July 2009 that Yen Press would be publishing the graphic novel adaptation, with Young Kim providing the adaptation and art for the project and Twilight series author Stephenie Meyer carefully reviewing each panel [Read: Graphic Novel Version Of ‘Twilight’ Is Officially On The Way].

In a Q&A session with EW, Meyer talked about her involvement in the project, stating that while she didn’t write the script for the graphic novel, she did do a lot of “tinkering.”

I was definitely involved. I didn’t do the original “script” for the book, so to speak. But when I got the dialogue with the images, I did a lot of tinkering. In a couple of places, I asked for missing scenes to be inserted. For example, the conversation in the car that Bella and Edward have after she faints in Biology. [...]

Let me just preface this by saying that I’m not a fan of rumors. In fact, I’m not a big fan of anything that’s not officially confirmed, even if it’s a legit possibility. As I’ve said before, there’s so many rumors and maybes that come around, that it’s tough to ever tell what to believe and what will end up being false when it comes to future movies.

Now, even with as much as I hate rumors, let us just forget all of that for the moment. You see, sometimes there’s these rumors that are just too cool to ignore, even if they end up never happening; the rumors that get your mind’s eye running hard, imagining what something might look like if it were ever made. Today holds a rumor like this, and it involves the one and only Tim Burton, and a little Walt Disney classic called Sleeping Beauty.

Today’s too-much-fun-to-ignore rumor comes from Harry over at AICN, who was told by a friend of his that he has heard that Burton is developing another Disney-based project, much like his soon-coming Alice in Wonderland, from the classic Sleeping Beauty. [...]

It didn’t take Sony Pictures long to find a new director to helm their recently decided reboot of the Spider-Man franchise. The studio has hired relatively unknown Marc Webb to take on the new high-profile, high-risk, high-reward project after the realization that we had seen the best we could have seen from the former cast and crew. The script is written by James Vanderbilt, who Sony had writing multiple sequels.

Webb recently received critical praise for his work on the indie film (500) Days of Summer, which starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. Aside from that movie, Webb has only really done a couple of music videos for Green Day and 3 Doors Down. This makes him a bold choice for director, and it puts him in a massive position that could very easily make or break his entire career. No pressure there. And speaking of Gordon-Levitt, he seems to be the majority fan-favorite for the role of Peter Parker. The hiring of Webb makes this prospect a lot more of a legitimate possibility. [...]

I’ll be honest with you, The Book of Eli panel at last summer’s San Diego Comic-Con garnered little attention, despite having stars Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, and Mila Kunis in attendance, as well as a kick-ass trailer [Read SDCC 09: ‘Book of Eli’ Panel]

The Hughes Brothers‘ film, which opened in theaters this past Friday, was just too far off and too far buried under anticipated blockbusters like Avatar and Iron Man 2 (and of course Twilight: New Moon).

Plus, how many good movies ever came out in January? It’s usually not a good sign, but thanks to Cloverfield (a box office smash in January 2008), I’ve come to expect at least one decent January movie a year, and let me tell you, The Book of Eli is the one for 2010. I absolutely loved the movie, despite the questions it left me with. The entire movie could have been just Washington and Oldman and I would have been fine with it.

The film takes place 30 years in the future in a post-apocalyptic setting where one man, Eli (Washington), is traveling the country with an important book, one that the villainous Carnegie (Oldman) would do anything to possess. The inhabitants are reminiscent of Road Warrior, with Kill Bill-like action. You’re on the edge of your seat as Eli makes his arduous journey, even after we learn what he’s capable of. And what is this all-important book he carries and why does Carnegie want it so badly? And how to does Mila Kunis’s character fit in?

Time for some SPOILER TALK! Below are SPOILERS for The Book of Eli. Free free to add your thoughts in the Comments section [...]

A while back it was announced that CBS was pondering bringing back their popular TV series, Hawaii Five-O with the development of a new, updated take of the show.

Initially, Ed Bernero (Criminal Minds) was hired on to captain the reboot, but that didn’t ultimately work out. Since then, a new pilot for the potential series was then written by Star Trek and Transformers duo Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci along with CSI: NY executive producer Peter Lenkov.

The work done of the pilot must have been really impressive because CBS isn’t waiting around and has officially greenlit the show’s comeback for a full season. And considering how well Orci and Kurtzman have done with other modernizations of older properties, it could be really interesting to see how this one play out and looks when it’s completed.

The original Hawaii Five-O ran for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980 and followed Detective Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord), the head of an elite unit of the Hawaii State Police who only answer to the Governor. The previous attempt of this reboot was said to be planning to actually pick up in present day and follow the son of McGarrett, who took over for his late father, but there is no word whether they will be sticking with this or just keeping it simple and modernizing the original McGarrett character. [...]

Creator of the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, Russell T. Davies is reportedly in talks to develop a version of the hit BBC show for American audiences.

If Fox decides to order a pilot of the series, John Barrowman, who plays the show’s lead character Captain Jack Harkness, could also star, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

What is unclear at this time is whether the series will be in continuity with the Cardiff-based Torchwood. If this does indeed pan out to be true and Barrowman is attached for the pilot, I would assume this to be the case. But let’s face it, this is an ultra popular sci-fi property that’s being broadcast on Fox. I’m not getting my hopes up and neither should anyone else. [Editorial Note: DAMNIT Fox! Why did you kill Firefly. WHY!?!] [...]

Filming has begun in for the new cinematic adaptation of the Warren Ellis graphic novel, Red. The Summit Entertainment production started principle photography in Toronto this week, and with a strong cast and crew, it looks to find some of that sought after success in the world of comic book adaptations.

The film’s impressive cast features Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Academy Award®-winners Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Richard Dreyfuss, and Ernest Borgnine, John Malkovich, Karl Urban (Star Trek, Lord of the Rings), Brian Cox (Super Troopers, Troy), Julian McMahon (Fantastic Four, Nip/Tuck), James Remar (Dexter, Battlestar Galactica) and Rebecca Pidgeon (The Unit, The Shield).

Synopsis
Red is the story of Frank Moses (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life. That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him. With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive. [...]

I never really got into the whole Guitar Hero / Rock Band craze that has transcended the atypical gamer profile and allowed everyone to jump on board.

Perhaps this is because music was acting as a gateway to video games that could otherwise not be achieved on its own. Non-musicians can pick up an instrument and gain enjoyment despite their lack of talent. But really, regardless of music, there’s something appealing about picking up a guitar with buttons.

When I see the video for the Misa Digital Guitar, which is an instrument that is neither guitar or controller, it makes me want. Just want.

Electronic music cannot be played effectively with such constraints. In electronic music, the timbre (or colour) of the sound can be morphed in an infinite number of ways. For a guitar to accommodate this, the right hand needs more control than just plucking strings. You need to be able to control elements of the sound, such as sustain, pitch, filter cutoffs, contour or any other synthesizer parameter, in a way that has no physical constraints [...]

On January 19, 1010, Warner Bros Home Entertainment will release Whiteout on Blu-ray, DVD, and Video On Demand.

The film stars Kate Beckinsale as U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko who’s investigating the first-ever murder on Antarctica, and is based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka.

See here below for synopsis and bonus features, as well as clips and the trailer for the film.

Bonus Features

- The Coldest Thriller Ever: A featurette on what it was like filming under extreme temperatures and the places used to represent Antarctica.

- Whiteout: From Page to Screen: A look at bringing Greg Rucka’s graphic novel to the big screen.

- Additional scenes: Deleted scenes from the film [...]

One of the most fanboy-popular creators of television content working today is of course Joss Whedon. So far, the writer/producer/director has delivered to us shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse.

Whedon is also one of the most unlucky creators of television content working today, with both Firefly and Dollhouse being canceled too quickly — Firefly not even getting the patience of one full season to gain an audience. So what exactly does a man of his status do next, and where should he go with his plans?

According to Futon Critic, Whedon is actually about to meet with John Landgraf, President of FX, for a little lunch. What the two are meeting about and what could possibly be in the works is not known to anyone at all — it could be to talk about new series ideas; it could be to talk about puppies and interesting concoctions created using Heinz ketchup. All that is really known is that the two haven’t met before, so it is likely to be business-related. [...]

A collection of behind the scenes images of the set of the Robert Rodriguez produced and Nimród Antal directed reboot, Predators, have found their way onto the web.

In the images, you’ll see a lot of the cast including Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Oleg Taktarov, Alice Braga, and others. You’ll also get a little peek at some of the Predators themselves, though it must be kept in mind that these are grainy, low-quality images and this isn’t what the elusive creatures will look like when they’re ultra-enhanced with digital texture glory!

Looking at these, I have to assume that maybe it was Mr. Taktarov’s camera? He’s in most of the images you’ll see, and in the ones he isn’t, I found myself wondering if he was behind the lens. Taktarov is a former UFC and mixed martial arts champion who has done a few movies before, like 15 Minutes and Bad Boys II.

Head on over to the other side to check out some of the set images and head over to AvP Galaxy to see many more. [...]

The Golden Globes had plenty of things going on last night… a drunk Ricky Gervais, some Jay Leno jokes, and an impromptu interview of Tobey Maguire via the red carpet pre-show.

Maguire confirmed he would not be involved with the next Spider-Man movie, which he said in response to a question asked by one of NBC’s corespondents.

You can sort of tell Maguire was a bit ajar after he was asked about the status of his involvement — having just weeks ago told news sources that the movie was still on track. [READ: Tobey Maguire Calms The Waters; Says ‘Spider-Man 4' Delay Is Normal] [...]

It’s no secret that we love William Shatner, so it’s with much delight that we give you the heads up that his 1977 scifi-horror flick Kingdom of the Spiders will be released on Special Edition DVD tomorrow, January 19, 2010.

The movie was made at a time when filmmakers didn’t have CGI at their disposal to create scores of critters for their “creature invasion” movies. Therefore, if you wanted a spider invasion, you needed hundreds of live spiders, and Kingdom of the Spiders has just that — live tarantulas crawling all over the set and the actors!

The Special Edition DVD has an all-new anamorphic widescreen transfer of the film and comes with interviews, commentary, behind-the-scenes-footage, and more.

Check out the trailer, synopsis, clips, and bonus features information for the Special Edition DVD here below, along with a video of the Top 10 ridiculous William Shatner moments in Kingdom of the Spiders [...]

Well, the 67th annual Golden Globe Awards were just handed out, and the winners and losers are now here for us to talk about.

The popularity and integrity of the Globes has consistently declined over the years as it became apparent that those who were voting were typically voting based on popularity and not so much on those who are deserving (a trend among awards shows, it would seem). Still, these are the awards that set the table for the big one, the Academy Awards, and what we can start to expect when those are handed out.

The show was actually better than it usually is. Ricky Gervais was a brilliant host, and even though he likely pissed a lot of people off with his edgy humor, it will be impossible to ignore the positive feedback you will hear from his job this evening. The awards played out as expected with a few pleasant surprises and the typical sickening winner from time-to-time.

For those of you who missed the Golden Globes or just didn’t watch them, click on over to the other side to see a rundown of highlights to seek out on YouTube and low points to avoid. [...]

It hasn’t been long since Pierre Morel was hired to step in and direct the new film being based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel, Dune. As you know, David Lynch was the director of a 1984 film of the same name that was based on the book, but don’t for one second think that this new movie has anything to do with that film — no, this is an entirely new interpretation of the story.

Morel spoke to MTV recently, where he was sure to explain his plans for this new venture.

The Taken director first explained that he was a big fan of the book, and that he really wasn’t happy with the ’84 film:

Like many people, I was not fully satisfied with David Lynch’s movie in 1984. I do respect David, and I think his interpretation and vision was interesting, but not what we [fans] expected. And I thought I’d give it a chance, try to do this, make it faster and more modern. I think that now, in 2010, we have the technology to achieve much more than David could do twenty-five years ago. I think it will be cool to try something different. [...]

Sigourney Weaver hosted last night’s episode of Saturday Night Live, where in her monologue the actress talked about her father, Pat Weaver, who created The Tonight Show while he was the President of NBC. With this revelation, she took the opportunity to get in a jab about the current controversy with Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien and their respective late night talk shows.

But, as expected, the comedy sketch show also took the opportunity to poke some fun at Weaver’s latest release Avatar, the scifi box office smash directed by James Cameron. There’s a skit on the true nature of the film’s missing sex scene, as well as a digital short for Cameron’s next proposed feature, Laser Cats 5, which sees Weaver’s return as Ripley from the Alien movies and has a bunch of familiar shout-outs to the director’s previous films.

The digital short, which opens with Cameron himself making a pitch for Laser Cats 5 to SNL creator Lorne Michaels, stars Weaver, Bill Hader, and Andy Samberg in a truly ridiculous, yet highly comical story about a futuristic world where cats — you guessed it — shoot lasers out of their mouths [...]

In the same story where Green Lantern director Martin Campbell revealed that Mark Strong was in negotiations to play Sinestro in the movie, he also had some other gems to share, like what other recognizable characters you will see in the movie.

For die hard fans of the comics and mythology, surely there is a dream wish list of characters that they would want to see brought to life. We know Ryan Reynolds will be playing the main Lantern, Hal Jordan; we know that Blake Lively will play his love interest; we know that Peter Sarsgaard is in talks to star as Dr. Hector Hammond. [...]