Andy Wood

For all the talk of a de facto strike — a shutdown caused by studio reluctance to schedule production beyond the expiration at midnight on Monday of a contract with the Screen Actors Guild — a number of high-profile projects are simply pushing ahead.

None have done so more boldly than “Terminator Salvation.” This huge production has tantalized Albuquerque with glimpses of weird military hardware, a blast site marked by the shards of a 7-Eleven sign, and a lot full of battered helicopters, even while establishing this desert city as a manufacturing center for big-budget films.

The guild has taken no strike vote. It was widely expected to delay that step until it learned the outcome of a vote by the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, another actors’ union with overlapping membership, on a tentative agreement with terms that guild leaders have called inadequate. The vote results are expected to be released next week.

Set for release by Warner Brothers next Memorial Day weekend, the fourth installment in the “Terminator” series, this one directed by McG, began shooting in May. Principal photography is not set to wrap until well into August.

This just shows you that the Internet pretty much has everything.

Solid acting and a pretty darn good story is all that was needed to wash away what you thought you witnesses from the Ang Lee’s version of this flick.  I think that the screenwriters along with the director established a firm foothold for the Jade Giant in Marvel Studio’s new big screen universe.  If the studio wishes to again bring the Hulk back to the box office, I am sure that they will be plenty of options to choose from.

I am sure that with the success of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, most will be looking forward to Marvel Studio films hitting theaters in the coming years — the current list includes:

Iron Man 2 and Thor in 2010
Captain America and The Avengers in 2011

Marvel Studios is well on the path in creating what all comic book and film fans have wanted for years:  Superhero movies that make sense, keep true to the story lines of the from "the day".

Courtship of Eddie’s father, The Leader, Nick Fury, Stark Enterprises, Tony Stark, A-Bomb, Stan Lee, Louis Jude Ferrigno, Dr. Samson…

The theater was filled more than Iron Man, but it wasn’t summer vacation yet..

Nuff Said.

DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–7-Eleven, Inc. has hulked up its stores – from green-colored Slurpee® drinks and Super Hero sandwiches to a renamed Incredible Gulp fountain drink and a new edition of THE INCREDIBLE HULK comic book, created by Marvel Comics and available exclusively at 7-Eleven® stores.

Not only is an incredible amount of Hulk merchandise appearing in participating stores across the country, but observant movie-goers just might catch a glimpse of a 7-Eleven storefront in the film.

Universal Studios Hollywood has confirmed in the following press release that the King Kong ride, that was part of the backlot tour and lost in the fire, will be replaced by a new "experience," while the New York Streets sets will be reconstructed:

Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal CityWalk have taken a "the show must go on" stance and are open for business as usual after a much-publicized weekend fire that damaged the King Kong backlot attraction and one area of film sets that were frequently visited by the Studio Tour.
All rides, shows and attractions are open and operating normally, including the new and much-acclaimed "The Simpsons Ride," which opened to spectacular reviews just weeks ago and joined "Revenge of the Mummy — The Ride" and "Jurassic Park — The Ride" as stand-out Universal Studios Hollywood thrill-ride experiences.

Neither Universal CityWalk, the popular entertainment, dining and retail complex nor the Universal CityWalk Cinemas were impacted and have also opened for business as usual. The Gibson Amphitheatre, the Sheraton Universal and the Universal Hilton Hotels are fully operational and were not affected by the incident.

Universal Studios Hollywood’s parent company, NBC Universal, has announced its determination to rebuild and replace the film sets that were lost in the fire. Specifically, the New York Streets sets will be reconstructed and a new, compelling guest experience will ultimately replace the 22-year-old King Kong attraction.

On May 31, 2008, Galactic Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear launched into space on mission STS-124 with the seven-member crew of NASA’s space shuttle Discovery.

Lightyear’s mission is uncharacteristically public from his usual assignments to "secret missions to uncharted space," since this mission is to "encourage students to pursue studies in science, technology and mathematics" by being host to a variety of experiments to be conducted on the two-week mission. [read more]

Emmy-winning actor and all-around nice guy Harvey Korman passed away at the UCLA Medical Center today. The eighty-one year old had been fighting for his life the last few months after a rupture in his abdominal aortic aneurysm

George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead is the fifth movie of Romero’s zombie series which is dark, creepy and funny too.

Romero’s story follows a group of college film students who are caught up in the ongoing mass chaos that ensues when the dead start to rise up and feast on the living. As the movie begins they are shooting a mummy picture out in the woods in rural Pittsburgh when news reports of the zombie attacks interrupt them.
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