Rue McClanahan, one of the stars of the hit 1980s TV show The Golden Girls, has died at the age of 76. The actress had been in bad shape lately after suffering a small stroke earlier this year following a bypass surgery that she underwent, and it was a massive stroke early this morning that proved too much for her body to handle.

Rue was incredibly popular as Blanche Devereaux on The Golden Girls, which ran from 1985 to 1992 and still airs reruns every single day, but despite the fact that she might not have been in the spotlight as much as the other ladies, McClanahan certainly did so much more than that one show in her long career.

Starting off as a Broadway star in the ’50s, it wasn’t until 1961 when she moved into doing many TV movies and specials for a while, but it was in the ’70s where she showed up on the hit show Maude (which starred future Golden Girls co-star Bea Arthur). That show ran from 1972 to 1978, and Rue starred in 100 episodes over the duration. She also had a significant run on Mama’s Family in the early ’80s before moving on to become one of the Girls. [...]

Kudos to the people over at BBC America for doing something I’ve never seen done before on television. They’re currently airing an advertisement for Bill Willingham’s Fables, my current favorite ongoing comic series. Vertigo’s blog posted this a few days ago and I thought it was worth sharing with you lovely readers.

If you’re not reading Fables, I highly recommend the series. It’s a story that appeals to anyone who’s ever been read a bedtime story or used their imagination to play in the world of fairy tales and fables. Expertly crafted with a combination of art and storytelling that will really show you the power of the medium, Fables is an amazing journey that I want you to take.

Check out the ad below and let us know what you think in the comments section below [...]

Brace yourselves for this one, comic book geeks.

It appears that some concept images showing both Chris Evans as Captain America for Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger and Chris Hemsworth as the mighty Norse god in Thor have shown up online via Ain’t It Cool News and Collider.

These could very well end up being fake or very rough drafts if you will, but they certainly look to be from some level of each respective production. The Captain America ones are obviously some sort of CGI-looking concept pieces, maybe to get an idea how Evans will look before the suits are finished, maybe for a separate direct-to-DVD movie? Who knows.

Click over to see all of the images and discuss!

As for the Hemsworth pictures, they’re a little bit different. This time around it actually looks like the actor is in a costume, but the problem is that he looks exactly (not a little; I mean EXACTLY) like one of those models you see showing off the hot new Halloween costumes (“We should go as the electrical outlet and plug! No? You prefer Raggedy Ann & Andy? I don’t know about that…”) you see all over the place each October. [...]

Today’s Gold Box spotlight deal of the day over at Amazon is The Wire: The Complete Series for $89.99 (that’s 64% off the list price of $249.99).

This DVD box set collection, which was released last December, contains the entire HBO series on 23 discs and includes bonus features from all five seasons, including audio commentaries by cast and crew; three prequels explore life before The Wire; and never-before-seen gag reel.

This sale is only for today (June 3, 2010) until midnight PST while supplies last [...]

The first trailer for Morning Glory, the new romantic comedy from Notting Hill and Changing Lanes director Roger Michell, has been released online.

The movie, which is also (quite strangely) produced by J.J. Abrams‘ Bad Robot Productions, is a new comedy/romance starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, and Diane Keaton in the leads. It’s written by Aline Brosh McKenna, who previously penned Laws of Attraction, The Devil Wears Prada, 27 Dresses, and was also just hired to write a script for the live-action Cinderella remake.

Be sure to click on over to the other side to check out the trailer.

The movie follows Beck Fuller (McAdams), a television news producer who brings in two stubborn older news anchors in Mike Pomeroy (Ford) and Colleen Peck (Keaton). The two anchors don’t get along at all, which leads to chaos on and off the air, and a 24/7 babysitting job for Becky to keep things under control and working, all while trying to maintain her own life and relationship with Adam (Patrick Wilson). It’s basically a much more serious, much more realistic and down-to-earth version of Anchorman. [...]

Last August it was announced that a new television series was being adapted from Robert Kirkman‘s popular graphic novel The Walking Dead, and now the first eight images from the show, which began production today, are already online.

The story follows a cop and his family as they team up with some other survivors of a devastating zombie infestation, and while it is sure to have all the scares that come with zombies, the show is said to focus on the stories of these people and their survival instead of the BOO! factor, which is why it’s being set up as a series.

The big concern in all of this was whether this graphic horror content could fly on a network like AMC, which is where the six-episode freshman run will air. And while that is still really yet to be seen, the fact that top hit shows like Mad Men and Breaking Bad live there and these new images you’re about to see are certain to give you some hope.

Limp as quickly as your undead re-animated corpse will allow you to over to the other side to check out the new images from The Walking Dead! [...]

In a press release put out today, Warner Brothers Animation officially announced that they have entered into production on a brand new animated series based on the popular ’80s show, Thundercats, which will air on Cartoon Network.

Warner Animation is collaborating on the project with Japan’s Studio4°C, who have brought us other titles such as Gotham Knights, The Animatrix, and Halo Legends. Instead of the normal cartoon look for Thundercats, this new series will actually infuse traditional Japanese anime animations into the production, giving it an amazing visual styles to go along with the wonderful new stories.

Dig out those sweet plastic swords you had when you were a wee li’l tyke, and sound off with your best “HOOOOO!” as you click over for more and to read the full press release. Don’t B.S. us. We all did it.

The new series will tell the story of Prince Lion-O’s rise to power, as well as he and characters like Cheetara, Panthro, and others’ quest to find and secure the coveted Stones of Power before the evil villain Mumm-Ra finds a way to obtain them. [...]

Steven Spielberg’s science fiction thriller Minority Report hasn’t been praised by all who have seen in, but one thing that has always stuck out about the movie was its sweet high-tech computer systems which allowed you to click and drag and navigate using your hands. Since then we’ve seen the birth and evolution of touch-screen technologies, leading to the natural question: “When would we have our very own Minority Report computers?!”

Apparently it’s not as far off as you might think. At the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) convention 2010 this past February, John Underkoffler made a presentation of what he and his team call “g-speak,” which evolves computerized systems to recognize space like they’ve never been able to before. Underkoffler was personally brought in as an advisor on Spielberg’s film, which allowed them to present that insane futuristic interface for the movie, which was set in the year 2054.

Head on over to the other side for more and to see the video. [...]

The Gold Box spotlight deal of the day over at Amazon today is
Babylon 5 – The Complete Television Series 5-Pack DVD set for only $99.99 (that’s 67% the list price of $300.98).

The 5-pack 30-disc DVD set includes all five seasons — 110 episodes plus tons of bonus features — of the science fiction television series from J. Michael Straczynski set on a space station in the 23rd century.

This sale is only for today (June 2, 2010) until midnight PST while supplies last [...]

“A lot of people think we’re biologically programmed to die, but the truth is that we’re biologically programmed for survival. There is no mechanism inside us that turns on to kill us when a certain period of time has elapsed.” —Dr. Thomas Kirkwood

Immortality. We as human beings have desired it for as long as mankind has feared death. Because of the impossibility of everlasting life, we’ve lived vicariously through the fantasy of it in our books and movies and comics and TV shows and anything else that allows us to dream of possessing this amazing fictional power.

But what if this once-impossibility was starting to look not only like a possibility, but more like a probability? Do I have your attention?

OK, so maybe we’re not looking at “immortality” here, but To Age or Not To Age offers up the idea that we as human beings could live 20% to 40% longer, and that 120-year-old people could be able to look, feel, and move around like a 60-year-old does today. If true, it could be one of the most amazing scientific discoveries ever made; even being called the most important since that of DNA itself. [...]

There’s no denying that the late, great George Carlin was one of the best and funniest comedians of all time. His incredibly smart yet relentlessly in-your-face sense of humor incited all emotions in all different kinds of people — most laughed until they couldn’t breathe, some giggled awkwardly, unsure what to do, and many more cringed in anger at how insulting this man was to their silly little lives and beliefs.

This was George Carlin. This was what made the man so unparalleled in brilliance.

For fans of the master of linguistic humor, there is one glorious set of his works called George Carlin: All My Stuff, and this set is being sold on Amazon for much cheaper than it usually goes for. It’s unclear how long the deal will last, however, so do the hop, skip, and jump over to grab yours now!

Unfortunately this isn’t every single thing that the comedian has done, but it’s about as good a start as you can find if you want to start a collection. [...]

The first poster for the upcoming latest adaptation of Jonathan Swift‘s classic tale, Gulliver’s Travels, has been released by 20th Century Fox. The poster shows off one of the more familiar situations anyone who has seen or read any version of the story should be familiar with: a giant Gulliver, captured and tied down by many time people.

The movie will tell the story of Lemuel Gulliver (Jack Black), an adventure-loving writer who while on an assignment to the dreaded Bermuda Triangle, washes up on the shores of Lilliput — a whole new world where the people are equal in their evolution, but just so happen to be incredibly small as well.

Careful not to step on anyone, and head on over to the other side to check out the first poster for Gulliver’s Travels!

The movie is directed by Rob Letterman (Shark Tale, Monsters vs. Aliens) and written by Joe Stillman (Beavis and Butt-Head, Shrek) and Nicholas Stoller, who recently re-joined Letterman on Stretch Armstrong. [...]

It’s absolutely mind-numbing how much press The Smurfs movie is getting based solely on the fact that Hank Azaria is playing the evil sorcerer Gargamel, but it’s true. I’m sure many are surprised at how many times the live-action/CGI hybrid movie has been popping up in the news, and surely no one is happier than the producers.

The latest bit comes from someone in New York City (via /Film) who was able to catch some of the movie being filmed on their cell phone. The scenes they were filming involve Gargamel outside of the famed toy store FAO Schwartz looking for the Smurfs. There’s also a sequence where in bumps into fellow star Neil Patrick Harris as he exits a store.

Be sure to head on over to the other side to see both of these videos. Whether you’re excited for the movie or not, they should help you to solidify your stance on the final product and whether or not you want to see it. [...]

A remake (or reboot — whatever you want to call it these days) to the 1994 cult classic The Crow has been on the way for quite a while now, but with little information shared. That’s because writer/director Stephen Norrington has been busy working on the script for the duration.

Talking to MTV recently, producer Edward Pressman (who has produced all Crow films thus far) shared that Norrington has finished the script, he thinks that it’s “terrific,” and that they hope to begin filming the movie some time later this year.

Pressman also revealed that they do have an offer out to a “major actor” and that Norrington’s vision is much different than that of Alex Proyas, who handled the ’94 film. Norrington is best known for directing Blade and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and he has also done work in make-up and special effects on titles like Aliens, Alien 3, and Feast.

In terms of actual details, nothing too juicy has been shared, but Pressman did tell us where the new movie would be set. [...]

Alice In Wonderland
Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo
Blu-ray | DVD
Directed by Tim Burton
Starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Mia Wasikowska, Crispin Glover, Anne Hathaway
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 1, 2010

Most people are already familiar with the story of Alice In Wonderland, the classic tale by Lewis Carroll, about a bored little girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a magical world. In this “wonderland,” she encounters strange animals who can speak and comes up against the evil Queen of Hearts. Disney’s 1951 animated film further popularized the tale and has come to be the definitive on-screen version representation of Alice In Wonderland.

Now, Disney has dipped back into the Alice In Wonderland pool to give us a live-action/CGI hybrid version, directed by Tim Burton. A common misconception is that Burton’s new film is just another remake of the classic, but in actuality, the new film is really a follow-up to the original Alice In Wonderland and its sequel Through The Looking Glass, and probably would have benefited from being marketed that way. And if you expect it to begin right away with Alice falling down that rabbit hole, well, you’ll be a little disappointed, as there’s a lot more for you to learn about Alice before she even gets to Wonderland — or, in this case, Underland [...]

Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet #4
Written by Kevin Smith
Breakdowns by Phil Hester
Art by Jonathan Lau
Covers by Joe Benitez, John Cassaday, Alex Ross, Stephen Segovia
Dynamite Entertainment
Price: $3.99
Released date: May 26, 2010

Continuing in Dynamite’s tradition of pleasing me with their revamped Green Hornet line, Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet #4 brings a swift roundhouse kick to the reader’s face by really bringing in the meat of the story.

When we last left the series, Britt Reed, Jr had been dealing with his father’s recent demise when he met Kato, his father’s assistant in fighting crime who literally opened the doors to his father’s past. We pick up directly where we left off as Kato sheds light on Britt, Sr’s motivations to lead a double life as the crime fighting “mob boss,” The Green Hornet.

While opening Britt, Jr’s eyes to this world, Kato also expresses the Hornet’s wishes to have his son and all evidence of the Hornet shipped to China while Kato and his daughter rid the streets of the Hornet’s assassin. Britt concedes, and we directly go into the legacy Kato confronting the mob, and just when things are looking there most grim, a new Green Hornet bursts on to the scene [...]

If you’ve seen Disney’s newest Alice In Wonderland, directed by Tim Burton, you’ll recall that there’s something very important to the story called The Oraculum. In the film, the Oraculum is an illustrated calender of all of the days of Underland (what Wonderland is known as), each having a special name and meaning which the inhabitants take as prophesy. For instance, Griblig Day, is the day when Alice will come to Underland and be pursued by the Bandersnatch, while Frabjous Day is when the Jabberwocky will be slayed and the Red Queen’s reign will end.

The Oraculum itself is shown several times in Alice In Wonderland as a lengthy parchment scroll with pencil sketchings. To flesh-out The Oraculum, the filmmakers got artist and conceptual designer Dermot Power to draw the illustrations for the scroll. If you pick up the Blu-ray edition of Alice In Wonderland, which will be released on June 1, 2010, you’ll see some of the sketches in the Blu-ray menus, as well as in the BD Live ‘living menus.’

Check out here below some of the drawings Power came up with for The Oraculum, courtesy of Walt Disney Studios [...]

Sif
Written by: Kelly Sue Deconnick
Cover by: Travel Foreman
Art by: Ryan Stegman
Colors by: Juan Doe
Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 21, 2010

So have you been missing a strong stoic female presence in the Marvel universe? Well Marvel has answered your call with its Sif one-shot. This is the closest to a threat to Wonder Woman that Marvel has ever had. I know that I definitely want more and hope that there is at least a mini-series in the works. I really enjoyed this one-shot and really hope everyone checks it out. Plus it has another one of my favorite characters in it, Beta Ray Bill.

Basically what happens in this issue is that Beta Ray Bill comes to Earth in search of Thor in order to help him with a rather difficult predicament. He and his love cannot get their ship back because it has locked them out in order to preserve their lives, but only an Asgardian can defeat the foe. Well being that Thor is rather busy at the moment dealing with other things, Sif offers her service to Bill. While this is a very simple and predictable story with an easily formulaic story structure, it is still a ton of fun and very well done. I am extremely impressed by Kelly Sue Deconnick‘s grasp on the characters and their voices [...]

Klotchyn, everyone!

It’s Gribling Day, which means it won’t be long before Frabjous Day arrives, and when that day comes, you’d be gallymoggers not to do the Futterwacken, of course.

If you have no idea what the hell I’m talking about, that means you’ve yet to take the trip to Underland, the magical world in Tim Burton‘s Alice In Wonderland, out today on Blu-ray/DVD Combo, Blu-ray, and DVD.

For the uninitiated, we have here below The Glossary Of Underland to help get you ready for your viewing of Alice In Wonderland. Just scroll through the pages below or click the page to open in full-screen to see the Underland terms and their meanings.

And remember, Downal-Wyth-Bluddy-Behg-Hid! [...]

Evening geeks,

Rumors have been circulating recently concerning the plot for the upcoming Green Lantern film starring Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan. Now, an updated and official synopsis for film has been released.

In a press release posted by Comic Book Movie, the official synopsis for the film provides some key plot points and directs to a villain that I don’t think any of us thought Warner Brothers would go for.

I think it’s safe to say that we all thought we’d basically see the origin story of Hal Jordan and maybe a similar plot line to that of Green Lantern: First Flight, but I think we’re getting an entirely different animal.

I’m a fan of Green Lantern, but as usual I try not to get excited about comic book movies, but after this news, I’m definitely looking forward to this film and all of its sequels.

Spoilers abound, so click the jump for all of the details [...]