So the buzz on X-Men First Class has been fairly good leading up to a solid teaser trailer. Mathew Vaughn brought us the fantastic gangster flick Layer Cake and followed that with the highly under-appreciated Kick Ass, so he seemed a perfect pick for the director’s chair. Bryan Singer gave us one great X-Men film and one OK one, so having him as a producer is a positive. Fans of Mad Men were even happy to see January Jones taking on the role of Emma Frost. It’s all good right?

Well thank you 20th Century Fox for bursting out X-shaped bubble. New posters for the film have been released and they are pretty awful. There’s also some international posters, which are much better at introducing us to these characters. See all the new posters here [...]

Gamers have wondered for a long while when exactly the next generation video game consoles would be created and hit the market. The current top systems, such as Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3, were released in 2005 and 2006 respectively — a lot longer a run than consoles are used to seeing.

We still don’t have an answer on when these systems will arrive, but some hints are now pointing at Microsoft beginning to get things moving forward.

Some new job listings have been posted on Linkedin for Microsoft, and they’re seeking people to bring the new console technologies to life. One listing seeks a Senior Architect and Performance Engineer in the Xbox Console Architecture Group, while another seeks someone with much knowledge in 3D…whatever that could possibly mean!

If Microsoft is just starting to put a team together to design and develop the video game console that will replace the Xbox 360, this likely means that a product is still a good handful of years off in the distance. For those of you itching for the latest and greatest system that could be bad news, but for the rest of us it sounds just about perfect. [...]

Some things are just a little too good to be true, perhaps.

Back in July, it was reported that director Guillermo del Toro was finally making the movie he had been dreaming of making: an adaptation of the H.P. Lovecraft story, At the Mountains of Madness with none other than James Cameron helping out.

The director had big plans for the movie, sharing that it would be a big budget horror movie with the movie medal of honor, an R rating. The only problem with that is movie studios don’t like taking risks on horror and R-rated films, let alone ones that come with a massive price tag, so it was unclear whether or not the greenlight would be given…even with fan-favorite del Toro and a helping hand from Cameron.

This is a movie people want; the thought of a blockbuster horror movie from del Toro is about as appealing a thought as can be. That alone is a pitch worth greenlighting, but apparently it’s not enough for Universal Pictures, the studio that everyone who’s been dying to see this movie’s hopes have been trusting in to make it happen. [...]

The t-shirt deal of the day over at RIPT Apparel is the Iron Man – Star Wars mash-up called “The Invincible Iron Bot.”

The tee, by artist Gadget WK, went on sale at RIPT today, Wednesday, March 9, 2011, at midnight CST, and will continue for 24 hours from then, and once it’s over, it will not be sold on the site anymore.

The design mashes up Star Wars droid C-3PO with Marvel superhero Iron Man [...]

Deadpool is one of the craziest bastards in the comic book universe. There are some other crazies out there, but there’s one currently that just might top him: Charlie Sheen! Courtesy of The Independents we can now revel in the greatness that is that face-off.

Writer Ben Christian and artist Cory Smith bring these two insane characters (yes Charlie Sheen has become a character) to life in a humorous one-page comic, which you can view here below. It’s only one page but honestly how long could these two nuts last in an epic combat? [...]

News outlets and metal sites are reporting that Mike Starr, original bassist for Alice in Chains, has died. He was 44. Starr was found dead in a Salt Lake City, UT, home at 1:42pm this afternoon.

Starr worked with Alice in Chains through to the band’s tour for the album Dirt. He is known for having performed with the band on songs such as “Them Bones,” “Man in the Box.” and “Got Me Wrong.”

Starr recently grabbed attention by ‘checking in’ on television’s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. His former colleagues in Alice in Chains were disheartened to see this development, as were many fans. Starr has had a very public battle with drug addiction, and was arrested for possession charges as recently as February 2011. It is uncertain at this point whether his death was drug related [...]

Skullkickers Volume 1
1000 Opas and a Dead Body
Written by Jim Zub
Art by Edwin Huang and Chris Stevens
Colors by Misty Coats and Chris Stevens
Price: $9.99
Image Comics
Release date: March 9, 2011

Skullkickers is a relatively new series from Image that has quickly found an audience and built a buzz. Their first trade paperback collection, “1000 Opas and a Dead Body”, collects the first storyline and their earlier appearances in the Image comics anthology Popgun.

Skullkickers follows the infamous exploits of two unnamed bounty hunters, a short, rude dwarf and a giant bald fellow who we shall refer to as “Dwarf and Big Guy”. They are fighting a werewolf and breaking up a cult. Later we learn that they are performing these acts for a fee. Soon after disposing of the werewolf, they witness the murder of a chancellor. The chancellor’s associates pay them 1000 opas to bring the killer to justice. Of course, what seems like a simple jobs becomes a madcap adventure that involves demons, gypsies, monsters, and the fate of an entire kingdom. [...]

The digital deal of the day is over at Amazon today is the Robert Rodriguez film Machete, which is available for rental for only $.99.

This deal is valid only for today, Tuesday, March 8, 2011, until midnight PST. Once you activate the rental through Amazon’s Video On Demand service, you’ll have access to the movie for 48 hours. If you’re interested in purchasing the digital version, the cost is $14.99.

Also, if you’d like to own a physical copy of the movie, the Blu-ray/Digital Combo Pack is available for $22.49 while the DVD is $15.99. Both editions are part of Amazon’s “Buy This DVD and Watch it Instantly” program — you get the film as a FREE digital rental you can watch immediately when your purchase the physical copy [...]

Check out this very cute shirt called Run R2 from splitreason.com available as a Men’s T-shirt for $17.95; a Women’s Babydoll T-Shirt for $18.95; and a Hoodie for $39.95.

The Star Wars-inspired design has everyone’s favorite droid R2-D2 being chased down by an AT-AT [...]

Every once in a while a video comes around showing off the latest advancements in robot technology and human-like androids being created every day. For we geeks, it can’t be helped but to assume such advancements are just another step toward the machines rising up, taking over, and killing us all much like we saw in Battlestar Galactica with the Cylons or in The Terminator movies.

Over the past couple of years we’ve seen some pretty ridiculous androids that looked way too realistic for our own comfort, but today we have one that puts them ALL to shame.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce Geminoid DK, an android modeled after Associate Professor Henrik Scharfe of Aalborg University in Denmark. What you’re about to see will likely do one of two things: explode your brain or cause you to weep uncontrollably in the fetal position. Mine was the latter.

Click on over to the other side now to see some videos of Geminoid DK. [...]

Space Shuttle Discovery is finishing up its final mission, a 13-day visit to the International Space Station. The ship will make its final landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday after which it will be retired. For those of us who have grown up with Discovery, it’s a little sad to see it retire.

Each morning, a special song usually picked by their families awakens the astronauts on board. For this last mission NASA decided to hold an online contest to allow fans to pick the songs. Nearly 2.5 million votes were cast between August 20, 2010 and November 1, 2010 Alexander Courage‘s theme song to the original Star Trek television series was the second most popular song of the ones available getting 671,133 votes or 27.2% of the total votes [...]

Warner Brothers Television announced today that they have decided to fire actor Charlie Sheen from the hit show Two and a Half Men. The decision comes after an extended period of strange behavior by the actor has seen him constantly in the public spotlight.

According to sources, the executives took a lot of time trying to figure out what they wanted to do about Sheen’s recent actions, which did involve bashing his bosses on numerous occasions. Warner says that at the moment, they’re not sure what they’re going to do with Two and a Half Men from this point on or if it will just be canceled.

Not long after the news made its way out, Sheen texted The Associated Press with things like “They lose,” “Trolls,” and an expletive or two. The actor also made it known that he had plans to sue the company and that his next move would be “a big one.” [...]

The Event returns tonight at 8/7c replacing The Cape in NBC’s struggling Monday night lineup.

The series stumbled a bit in the first couple of episodes but it recovered solidly by episode four and shifted to a fast-paced LOST-meets-X-Files (not as good as either, though) type of series that’s worth a look.

The Event doesn’t hold back the answers, instead it gives up the goods and makes the adventure the real mystery. The story has an epic feel that’s still missing in V with the huge story sitting on the shoulders of a single couple and a little girl. It’s complex and it could collapse under the weight of that complexity but if it doesn’t and if it stays alive it could be appointment television. Sure that’s a lot of ifs, but hey, coming off the mess that was The Cape we have nowhere to go but up.

Continue on below to get acquainted or re-acquainted with The Event with a synopsis, recap video, and preview of what’s in the future of the show. You can also join me tonight on Twitter to live chat about the show as it airs; follow @culturesmash. [...]

The Venture Brothers
Season 4 Volume 1
DVD/Blu-ray
Created by: Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick
Staring: Patrick Warburton, James Urbaniak, Christopher McCulloch
Cartoon Network/Warner Brother
Release Date: October 26, 2010

I’ll get the easy part out of the way up front; Yes, The Venture Brothers Season 4, Volume 1 is another great set of episodes from my favorite show on TV, so yes, I’m going to give this a guarded recommendation (I’ll explain the guarded part later). The eight episodes on this disc comprise the first half of season four, and while they may not be the best of the series, they are still very funny, and fans of the show are going to want to pick this up. If you haven’t seen the show before I would recommend starting at the beginning, because these episodes are built on a lot of things that have gone on in the show before.

I don’t know if I love the episodes on this disc as much as some of the other seasons. Certainly the absence of Brock Samson (voiced by Patrick Warburton) is a big reason why I don’t enjoy these as much. [...]

In the course of its five-season run, Friday Night Lights has been a variety of things. The show has been a fantastic coming of age character study, a great sports drama, and a honest look into the reality and challenges of marriage.

It’s also one of the best television dramas ever.

The show focuses on the events surrounding a Texas high school football team, including the head coach and his family along with the players of the team. The series may have seemed like a typical high school drama at first, but it was quick to prove it was anything but [...]

Amazon is now taking pre-orders for The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy Limited Extended Edition Blu-ray Edition.

While Peter Jackson‘s The Lord of the Rings movies are already out on Blu-ray, this new box set contains the extended versions of all the films, along with over 26 hours of behind-the-scenes and making-of bonus material, including the Costa Botes documentaries. It also comes with the digital versions of the films.

According to Amazon, this Blu-ray box set from New Line Home Video is scheduled to be released some time in 2011 or 2012. If you’re wondering why you should pre-order now, aside from getting it on the day of release, you’ll also lock in the current price of $83.99; if the price decreases between your order time and the end of the day of the release date, you’ll receive the lowest price.

See full details of the box set here below from the product page; you can also view the trailer [...]

ComiXology is running a sale today on The Mighty Avengers issues #1-20 by Brian Michael Bendis for only 99 cents each.

Note, the sale is only for today, Monday, March 7, 2011 and ends at 11pm EST in North America.

You can download the digital versions for the iPad or iPhone of issues #1-20 of the Marvel comic book series for only $.99 each at the ComiXology App [...]

A few days ago, we posted a sneak peek photo unveiled by Disney of actress Olivia Wilde being made up to look like the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves with the headline, What’s Olivia Wilde Up To With Disney?.

We had a few guesses as to what Wilde was up to, one of which was the possibility of her being involved in a new series of Disney Dream Portraits by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz. Turns out, that’s exactly what it was.

Disney Parks Blog has revealed the new photo series, which takes well-known celebrities and transforms them into the role of famous Disney characters, all with stunning background scenery. See all three images from the new series here [...]

Artist Ed Chapman created a gorgeous mosaic portrait of the late great guitarist Jimi Hendrix, made entirely of 5,000 Fender guitar picks.

Last month, the portrait was auctioned off and sold for £23,000 at the Cancer Research UK’s Sound & Vision event at Abbey Road Studios.

See more images of the mosaic here [...]

Recorded March 6, 2011.

Our March Doom Of The Month will be the first pocketbook of Terry Moore’s Strangers In Paradise! If you want to read along with us, head on over to Instocktrades.com or DCBService.com to pick up Strangers In Paradise for a super price! Be sure to check back at the end of March for our special review episode.

Check out Episode 50 of Comics of Doom, the official comics podcast of Geeks of Doom. Click HERE to open the podcast player in a new window.

Podcast player is here below, along with an Episode Guide.

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