At the end of August, many were stunned when it was revealed that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was stepping down as CEO, and that Tim Cook would be taking his place. It wasn’t the first time that Jobs had stepped away, and many feared the worst given that he had battled numerous health problems, including pancreatic cancer and a liver transplant.

Now those fears have become a reality, as Apple has announced via a short statement on their website that Steve Jobs has passed away at the age of 56.

The statement read:

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple. [...]

Being a long-time KISS fan and well aware of its bass player’s fear of marriage, I never thought this day would come — Gene Simmons wed his long-time love Shannon Tweed yesterday at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The 62-year-old rocker and the Canadian actress, 54, have been together for 28 years and have two children together: 22-year-old Nick, who stood as best man for his father, and 19-year-old Sophie, who was the maid of honor. The family has appeared together since 2006 on the A&E reality television series Gene Simmons Family Jewels [...]

At one time or another, you’ve probably seen one of the paintings that various people in a position of power have had commissioned of themselves. One particularly notable portrait out there is that of the Russian general, which someone has taken to an extremely entertaining new level.

George Dawe, an English portrait artist who has painted 329 portraits of Russian generals, uses a digital copy of his work as a basis to add his friends, family, and some celebrities into the paintings using Photoshop.

So far he’s done a bunch of celebrities, and most of them look amazing. If we didn’t know who these people were, you wouldn’t think twice about whether most of them were a legit Russian general or not. Some look a little off such as Sean Connery, for example, who looks as though he’s just passed gas in a room full of people, and is pleased that none of them can figure out who it was.

Continue on below now to check out the pictures, and to the source link for even more. [...]

To help celebrate the 75th anniversary of Jim Henson’s birth Archaia Entertainment debuted the first 20 pages of their upcoming graphic novel, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, which is based on a screenplay that was written by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl.

Archaia timed the preview to coincide with search giant Google’s own home page tribute to Jim Henson, which takes the form of [...]

Every year at Fantastic Fest, they hold an event called Fantastic Debate where celebrities, filmmakers, and film critics engage in a head–to–head battle. First, they have themselves a podium debate over a specific topic, and then they move to the boxing ring, where words are not necessary.

This year brings with it an interesting little match–up. Elijah Wood, star of everything from the new FX hit series, Wilfred, to films like Lord of the Rings, Sin City and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, threw down a challenge to LOST star and his LOTR co–star, Dominic Monaghan.

Continue reading for more and to check out videos of Wood’s challenge and Monaghan’s response.

It began with Wood recording a very professional wrestling–worthy video, challenging Monaghan to the bout. Wood definitely brings it with the trash talking (possibly assisted by beneficial qualities of some liquid courage). Monaghan’s response proves that he’s getting in shape…kinda…but he might not be quite as confident. [...]

A photograph was recently discovered being sold on eBay. The photo is of a Tennessee man, and it dates back to around the 1860s or 1870s. But the thing about this particular man, is that he looks an awful lot like a one Mr. Nicolas Cage.

So much so that the seller is even using this in his description, claiming the Cage must be some sort of vampire. Now, some have taken the seller to be completely serious in his statements (especially with a Buy It Now price of $1,000,000 set), but as you can see in the Q&A section at the bottom of the page, he’s actually a pretty funny dude and, even though it sounds like a legit 19th century photograph, is likely just having some fun with it (unless, of course, someone actually pays up that kinda coin, in which case he would be a genius).

You can see the image below and read the seller’s description by heading on below now. [...]

Along with the release of Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray tomorrow, Lucasfilm has teamed up with eBay, Major League Baseball, and a number of celebrities to urge fans to “Use the Force for Good” and donate to Stand Up to Cancer, the organization that’s tirelessly funding research in the fight against cancer.

In their mission to bring in as much money as possible to fight this terrible disease, a handful of celebrities were brought in to make a video. In it, the stars—which includes Aziz Ansari, Zach Galifianakis, Bill Hader, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Jaime King, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Emma Stone, and Samuel L. Jackson—re–enact various scenes from Star Wars.

You can see the video by heading below now. Might I add that it involves Miss Stone as Princess Leia? Because it does. Not Slave Leia, as I’m sure you all (I) wanted, but Leia nonetheless. For the rest of you, it also has Galifianakis as Leia…so there’s that, too! [...]

Just a few days ago, filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky were on hand to film a new ending for their hit HBO documentary series, Paradise Lost. The moment was was when the West Memphis Three—who had been imprisoned for almost two decades for the murders of three young boy scouts—were set free after DNA testing that didn’t exist when they were convicted proved that none of them were involved.

Some rather prestigious celebrity names were very supportive of the trio, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, and their release, doing everything in their power to see justice done. They include Johnny Depp, Eddie Vedder, Henry Rollins, and Natalie Maines, as well as Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit director Peter Jackson and his partner, Fran Walsh.

As it turns out, Jackson and Walsh have been helping to fund private investigations and forensics experts in hopes of proving the three men’s innocence. And it doesn’t end with their going free because the terms of their release still have many fuming angrily. [...]

Carrie Fisher made an appearance this morning on The Today Show, where she showed off her new slim figure.

The 54-year-old actress, who is best known for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, is currently a spokeperson for Jenny Craig and has lost 50 lbs. in 9 months on their weight loss program.

While being interviewed on the morning show, Fisher talked about her weight loss, a Princess Leia strain of marijuana, and the infamous “Slave Leia” metal bikini. Of the popular garb she wore in 1983′s Return Of The Jedi, Fisher told Today Show‘s Ann Curry, “I wanna get back in the metal bikini…”

You can watch the video of Fisher’s appearance here below. The Princess Leia talk begins at around the 4-minute mark [...]

TMZ is reporting that rocker Jani Lane, former singer of the band Warrant, was found dead this evening at a hotel in Los Angeles. He was 47.

The singer’s body was reportedly discovered at the Comfort Inn hotel in Woodland Hills, CA. So far, no official cause of death has been released or any further details about Lane’s recent activities.

Lane was born John Kennedy Oswald in Akron, Ohio on February 1, 1964. The blond long-haired singer began fronting the hair metal band Warrant in 1986 and wrote some of their biggest hits, like 1990′s “Cherry Pie,” as well as “Heaven” and “Down Boys.” The band enjoyed great success with their first two albums, but eventually their popularity waned and in 1993, Lane left Warrant to pursue a solo career [...]

“Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a redhead.” — Lucille Ball

On August 6, 1911, Lucille Désirée Ball was born, and so was a star.

She would get into modeling at first and then eventually show business in 1933, and she would do plenty of uncredited work before moving into more substantial roles. But it wasn’t until 1951 when she and then husband of 11 years, Desi Arnaz, came into homes everywhere on I Love Lucy. The show would span six years and 181 episodes, and remains popular to this very day.

Lucy would eventually move on to other ventures—The Lucy Show (156 episodes); Here’s Lucy (143 episodes)—but none would have the lasting effect that I Love Lucy had and will continue to have on generations to come. Even in black and white, you could almost see that iconic fiery red hair bursting through your television screen. [...]

Bubba Smith, the 6–foot 7–inch tall former NFL star–turned–actor, was found dead by his caretaker at his Baldwin Hills home in Los Angeles, California Wednesday. He was 66 years old.

The cause of death is not yet known, but is assumed to be of natural causes and nothing suspicious is suspected.

Smith was a the first overall pick in the 1967 NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts, and went on to play nine seasons in the league, also playing for the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers, where he finished his career in 1976. He won Super Bowl V with the Colts in 1970, and was an All–Pro and two–time Pro Bowler.

After football, Smith moved on to acting, as so many professional athletes try to do. He became part of pop culture history when he landed the role of Moses Hightower, the gentle (unless provoked) giant member of the Police Academy movies. He would appear as the character in all but one of the series’ seven films, choosing not to return for Police Academy: Mission to Moscow. [...]

Actor Rhys Ifans, who portrays super-villain The Lizard in the forthcoming Amazing Spider-Man feature film, was arrested Friday on charges of misdemeanor battery for shoving a female security guard.

The incident took place just prior to a cast panel for the film at San Diego Comic-Con, reports The Wrap.

According to police, Ifans smelled of alcohol and became irate when a member of his entourage was denied access to the panel room at the convention. Ifans then shoved the guard, but was allowed to participate in the panel. The accosted security guard subsequently made a citizen’s arrest, according to The Wrap [...]

It shouldn’t be all that surprising to see, but Charlie Sheen is prepared and ready to get roasted with the announcement of The Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen.

The network announced that the roast will be filmed on September 10, and will air on September 19—the very same night that Ashton Kutcher, who was chosen to replace Sheen on Two and a Half Men, makes his debut on the show. Kutcher’s first run on Two and a Half Men airs at 9pm EST, while Sheen’s roast will hit at 10pm.

Of the announcement, Sheen said “You could say I’ve been providing kindling for this roast for a while. It’s time to light it up. It’s going to be epic.” And he would be right. It should be…interesting, to say the least. Comedy Central’s head of programming, Kent Alterman, added “Charlie has assured us that nothing will be off limits in this roast…which scares even us.” [...]

After a wonderful career including memorable performances on the stage and screens, big and small, the great Peter Falk passed away at his Beverly Hills home Thursday night at the age of 83. The actor had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease at the time of his passing.

Though he performed in movies and on the stage as well, it is his TV work for which he will be best remembered. Falk starred on the hit crime series, Columbo, which ran sporadically from 1971 to 2003. Only 68 episodes were produced in all—running 2 to 8 episodes per year from ’71 to ’78 before taking over a decade off, and then returning from ’89 to ’03 for a few episodes here and there—and the show was noted for revealing who committed the crimes at the very start of the show, leaving viewers to only wait and see how the crafty Columbo figures out who it is for himself.

Falk was nominated for ten Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmys for Columbo, taking home four of those awards. [...]

At around 3:00am Monday morning in Pennsylvania, one of the many stars of MTV’s Jackass, Ryan Dunn, was involved in a car accident that left him and one other dead. He was 34 years of age.

It was reported that Dunn and a companion were in a 2007 Porsche when it went over the guardrail and into some trees before catching fire, leaving almost nothing. Little more details to the crash have been released, but Dunn did post an image on Twitter of himself and some friends drinking. You can see the last image Dunn posted of himself as well as a picture of the horrific remains of his vehicle by heading to TMZ.

In addition to appearing on Jackass, he was also a part of the movies and various spinoffs the show spawned, including Viva La Bam! with co-star and good friend Bam Margera. It was Margera’s mother, April, who confirmed the news. [...]

Sean Bean scored a lifelong geek following with his role as Boromir in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which excitedly followed him in bringing his fantasy skills to the excellent HBO series, Game of Thrones.

Diehard fans of the book from which the first season was based—part of George R.R. Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire series—and newcomers alike have praised Bean for his work bringing Lord Eddard Stark to life, and it’s likely that anytime he finds himself in some sort of sword-wielding role (you can also check out Black Death on Netflix) we geeks will watch with happy eyes.

Now Bean is carrying over his battle-tested warrior ways into real life.

While at a bar in London with model April Summers, the two went outside for a cigarette when a passerby made an lewd comment toward Summers, who’s appeared in the Italian edition of Playboy and other magazines. Bean followed the man, supposedly challenging him in an attempt to stand up for his lady-friend, but the man continued on. [...]

During Memorial Day weekend (May 27-29, 2011), Comicpalooza held its 4th annual multi-genre convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX. I attended the first two days of this three-day convention. First of all, this was my first big convention in Texas and the layout of the convention center was massive. The whole convention took place on the 3rd level of this massive convention center.

The highlights of the convention for me were the opportunities to interact with comic creators, comic fans, and celebrities. I spent a short amount of time on Friday observing the entire Con floor and chatting with various artists and writers in Artist Alley. I also checked out a few things in the Dealers Room. Before leaving for the day, I sat in on panel with comic writer Chris Roberson (I-Zombie), Fred Van Lente (Marvel Zombies), and Brian Denham (Zombie Fairy Tales) on a panel titled Comics & Zombies. By the name of the panel, you can guess what was discussed [...]

It is official now: William Shatner is an Honorary Headbanger. As we brought to your attention several weeks ago, Captain Kirk himself had been nominated to receive the Honorary Headbanger Award at the annual Revolver Awards. Shatner received his award during the ceremony, and photos of the event are now available for you to check out at the bottom of this post.

Scott Ian from Anthrax and comedian Brian Posehn presented the award to Shatner, which is handed out to someone who is not necessarily seen as being in the metal community, but embodies the spirit of metal. The award is a timely one for Shatner, who is currently working on a new music project: his first-ever metal album [...]

Each year, Forbes releases their Fictional 15 list, where they figure out which fictional characters are the wealthiest. While characters like Scrooge McDuck, Richie Rich, and Simpsons boss C. Montgomery Burns continue to top the list each year, Twilight‘s Carlisle Cullen is back for the second time (bumped from #1 to #2 with $36.2 billion), while “Jo” Bennett, the Sabre Corp. CEO from The Office, makes it on for the first time.

But, the big surprise addition to the list this year is none other than Smaug, the famous red-golden dragon from J.R.R. Tolkien‘s novel The Hobbit. While the dragon obviously doesn’t have a stock portfolio to analyze, the folks over at Forbes have ascertained that Smaug “sits atop an $8.6 billion-dollar hoard of gold, silver and gems,” placing the fictional beast at #7 [...]