The Bronx will welcome home Anthrax when the metal band returns to the borough next Wednesday for the highly anticipated Big 4 concert at Yankee Stadium.

The Bronx natives will perform live at the stadium, along with other metal giants Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is pulling out all the stops to make them feel at home by officially declaring September 14 as “Anthrax Day in the Bronx.” [...]

We’re less than two weeks away from the release of the Star Wars original and prequel trilogies on Blu-Ray and now Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive look at a deleted scene from The Empire Strikes Back to be included among the set’s generous selection of bonus features. You can check out the scene below this article.

Running less than a minute, the scene is an additional dialogue exchange between Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) during the first act of the film after the former smuggler announces his intention to leave the Rebellion so he can pay his debt to Jabba the Hutt. The scene as it played in the theatrical version perfectly established the burgeoning romantic tension between Han and Leia, so this additional dialogue is redundant. But even in this needless exchange you can feel the sparks flying between these two; Ford and Fisher’s acting is superb (a marked improvement over the first Star Wars) and their chemistry is palpable, thanks to the excellent, nuanced direction by the late Irvin Kershner and the beautiful screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and the late Leigh Brackett.

The Star Wars trilogies will be released on Blu-ray on September 16, 2011 [...]

The $10 t-shirt deal of the day over at RIPT Apparel is The Big Lebowski-themed shirt “Let’s Roll” by artist Tom Ledin.

The sale at RIPT began today, Wednesday, September 7, 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 [...]

Each and every week “Long Island Iced C” Henchman21 and “Silent Rage” MK2FAC3 read a lot of comics. Seriously you guys, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. I mean, it is possible. They look forward to some more than others, I mean, who doesn’t? So, let’s take a look into the depths of their pull lists, grab some comics, and we’ll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of September 7, 2011. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

There’s a lot of comics coming out this week. Some more powerful than others, but some smaller titles that are destined to be better than the bigger ones. Who knows what’s going on, but I think the comic book industry has a strong cruiserweight division, so hopefully some of those books will show up in the heavyweight title picture, because they ultimately will deserve a long term title run. Oh wait, we’re talking about comics… sorry! I get confused!

Anyway, this week we see Kirby: Genesis, one of my favorite new books of the year, the returns of Atomic Robo and Casanova, and the first full week of new DC books including Action Comics, Men of War, Swamp Thing, Animal Man, Stormwatch, lions, and tigers, and bears, OH MY! This week promises to be a good one, so grab my hand on join me as we travel down the four color brick road to the land of comics! [...]

Yes. This is still on its way.

According to THR, both Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski have been tapped to pen the script for the upcoming Ridley Scott film, Monopoly. The pair is best known for movies like Ed Wood and People Vs. Larry Flynt.

Now, it should really go without saying that this film doesn’t really seem to be one that could end up being all that worthwhile. Yes. Scott is a fantastic director, but given his last films, he’s one that may be on the tail end of his career [...]

With the film now nearing its 24th anniversary, Tim Burton’s beloved Beetlejuice is apparently looking to get a new entry.

Deadline is reporting that both David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith (author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) have been tapped by WB to pen a sequel to the film, which originally starred Michael Keaton as the titular lead. The original movie also starred Alec Baldwin and Winona Ryder, but to calm fears, the outlet also reports that this new installment will not be a remake, but instead, a reboot “by advancing the storyline of the original.” [...]

Geeks of Doom photographer Derek Deweese and writer Tom Cheredar were down at Dragon*Con this past weekend, bringing us lots of news from the Con, as well as photos of some very cool cosplay from the floor, like these 15 Awesome Doctor Who Cosplay Photos and a first look at Quite Possibly The Best TARDIS Dress We’ve Ever Seen.

But what would Dragon*Con be without a slew of sexy babes in the geekiest of costumes?

Hence, we give you the 25 Best Cosplay Babe Photos Of Dragon*Con 2011. Check out the photos here below.

Also – if you see yourself in any of the photos, be sure to give a holla! [...]

The video game deal of the day over at Amazon today is a promotion credit where if you purchase an Xbox 4GB Console with Kinect, you will receive a $50 Amazon credit good toward the purchase of items shipped and sold by Amazon.com.

Visit the Video Game Deals page to select the Xbox 4GB Console with Kinect.

Note, this deal is valid only for today, Wednesday, September 7, 2011, until 11:59PM PST while supplies last.

See details about this promotion here [...]

Today’s Gold Box spotlight item of the day over at Amazon today is Dexter: Seasons 1-5 bundle on DVD or Blu-ray for 57% off.

– DVD: $90.99 [down from $213.99]
– Blu-ray: $124.99 [down from $291.99]

Note, this deal is valid only for today, Wednesday, September 7, 2011, until 11:59PM PST while supplies last.

This 20-disc bundle contains five seasons of the hit ShowTime series Dexter, starring Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Lauren Vélez, David Zayas, and James Remar, and each season comes in its own individual case along with bonus features [...]

The $10 t-shirt deal of the day over at TeeFury today is a Game Of Thrones-themed shirt called “Dire Brew” by artist Nathan Stillie.

The sale began at Teefury today, Wednesday, September 7, 2011, at midnight EST, and will continue for 24 hours from then, and once it’s over, it will not be sold on the site anymore [...]

A few days ago it was reported that Brett Ratner, who was chosen to produce the 84th annual Academy Awards along with Don Mischer, wanted Eddie Murphy to host this year’s Oscars. At the time, it was just Ratner’s choice for the job and multiple other candidates were said to be possibles, but now it’s a much more official selection.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts Sciences made the announcement earlier today, confirming that Ratner’s choice was the one they liked best for the job. It’s no secret that the organization has been attempting to appeal to younger audiences the last few years, and obviously they’re hoping that the classic Eddie Murpy humor will shine brightly when the awards air on February 26, 2012.

Of the announcement, Murphy said “I am enormously honored to join the great list of past Academy Award hosts from Hope and Carson to Crystal, Martin and Goldberg, among others. I’m looking forward to working with Brett and Don on creating a show that is enjoyable for both the fans at home and for the audience at the Kodak Theatre as we all come together to celebrate and recognize the great film contributions and collaborations from the past year.” [...]

As most of you may know by now, DC Comics is relaunching their entire line of comics this Fall alongside a day and date digital comics initiative. What you might not know, however, is that it all started last week with the releases of the last issue of DC’s summer event Flashpoint, and the beginning of the new universe with Justice League #1.

This Wednesday, however, is the first big week of releases. I’m looking forward to a lot of these books, and there are still a lot of books to look forward to in these upcoming weeks, as well as plenty that you’ll probably want to stay away from for varying reasons. So, in the order of kindness and assignments from my editor, I will be breaking down each title with their creators, what they’re about, and what you can expect from each of the new titles. And, guess what? I’m not in love with a lot of the decisions that they’ve made, so this should be fun! [...]

Atomic Robo
Ghost of Station X #1 (of 5)
Written by Brian Clevinger
Art by Scott Wegener
Red 5 Comics
$3.50
Released date: September 7, 2011

Atomic Robo is back, baby!!! I am thrilled that one of my favorite series has returned for its sixth series, this time subtitled The Ghost of Station X. If you have never heard of Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener’s series before, it tells the tale of Robo, an automaton created around the turn of the century by Nikola Tesla. Each miniseries takes place in a different time period in Robo’s life, bouncing back and forth in time. Volume 6 takes place in modern times, and deals with Robo and his team of Action Scientists being asked by NASA to rescue the crew of an orbiting space station. Unfortunately, they may not have the time or equipment in order to make the rescue. These are the Action Scientist’s though, and no job is beyond their ability [...]

This episode is sponsored by InstockTrades and DCBS. Two great places to save on all your comic needs!

Check out Episode 91 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.

Listen now! [...]

This might just be one of the best videos I’ve ever seen.

The video sums up the popular five–movie series, The Twilight Saga, in just four short seconds. The movies, which are based on the books of author Stephenie Meyer, star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner.

Though it was uploaded in July and I’m a little late to the party, it’s still oh, so worth sharing. I giggled like a fool, over and over and over again. And, unless you’re a Twi–hard, you probably will too.

Click on over to the other side to check out the video now. [...]

The Power of Six
Lorien Legacies series
By Pittacus Lore
Hardcover | Kindle
HarperCollins
Release date: August 23, 2011

I Am Number Four was an entertaining bit of young adult sci-fi in theaters last year. It did make money, but it was mostly overlooked even though the book on which the movie was based was a bestseller. The book series continues even if the movie franchise is shelved.

The latest book in the series, The Power of Six, picks up after I Am Number Four with Four and Number Six still on the run. In case you’re unfamiliar with the mythology of the book series it goes like this: a group of powerful alien youths were sent to Earth with protectors to hide until the day comes that they can return home and use their abilities to save their home world that’s currently under attack by another vicious alien race. The children are numbered and the evil aliens can only kill them in numerical order (yes, the reason for this is explained in the books). So, on Earth they are constantly on the run, hiding, trying to survive until the time comes for them to return home and carry out their mission of saving their race [...]

Sure, it may not be playing any of this year’s major festivals, but Jason Reitman‘s Young Adult is still one of the biggest Fall film season players, particularly given the film’s pedigree.

From Oscar-nominated director Reitman and Oscar-winner Diablo Cody, the film stars A-listers Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, and even comedian Patton Oswalt, and follows the story of a writer who tries to win back her newly wedded old flame.

THR has the first poster for the film, and it looks absolutely awesome (see it in full here below). Now, with this poster, you don’t get much with regards to the actual film, but with the main lead being a 30-something young-adult-fiction writer, this thing really just feels awesome [...]

Today will be a day long remembered for Star Wars fans, particularly for enthusiasts of the Expanded Universe: LucasBooks has released their Star Wars: Heir to the Empire: The 20th Anniversary Edition written by Timothy Zahn. The novel has long been an enduring fixture in the reading collections not only of Star Wars fans, but also for general readers of Sci-Fi as well. Zahn contributed a significant first chapter in the beginning of a journey that would continue expanding the cosmos of Star Wars.

Originally released in 1991, Heir to the Empire was the first part of The Thrawn Trilogy. Set five years after Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the Rebel Alliance has claimed Coruscant and instituted the New Republic. Meanwhile, the remnants of the Empire have coalesced under the strategic genius and foresight of Grand Admiral Thrawn, placing the Imperial Forces under the strongest direction it has had since the fall of Palpatine and Vader, and becoming a new menace to the infancy of the New Republic [...]

You’d be hard–pressed to find actual fans of Uwe Boll—the director behind such video game adaptations as House of the Dead, Bloodrayne, and Far–Cry, not to mention many others—and sometimes it would seem that that’s just the way the German–born filmmaker prefers it.

Now Boll is getting involved with the living dead, with a new movie called Zombie Massacre. It’s based on a 1998 Amiga computer video game (seen here; not sure why all of the “zombies” look like Sammy Hagar) along the same lines as Doom that’s also called Gloom 4.

Boll won’t be directing the film, however—that job will be handled by Marco Ristori and Luca Boni, the duo behind the Italian horror, Eaters—he’ll only be producing this one.

As you can tell by the image above (and by the full poster seen by heading to the source link below), the zombies look like Freddy Krueger and those psycho inbred things from Wrong Turn had an adorable little baby…which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I’m a little unsettled by it. [...]

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

This deal is valid only for today, Tuesday, September 6, 2011, until 11:59PM PST. Once you activate the rental through Amazon’s Instant 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 Combo Pack is available for $24.98 while the DVD is $10.49. 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.

Synopsis: “The Rite” is a supernatural thriller that uncovers the Devil’s reach to even one of the holiest places on Earth.

Directed by: Mikael Hafstrom
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Colin O’Donoghue, Alice Braga
Runtime: 1 hour 54 minutes [...]