Sports and Entertainment

I don’t and won’t normally do this, but I enjoyed the crap out of this movie.  Universal release the specs for the new Incredible Hulk movie coming to DVD Oct. 21.

The single-disc edition includes the film and deleted scenes. The Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray releases will also include the following:

• Alternate Opening
• The Making of THE INCREDIBLE HULK: An in-depth look at the making of the blockbuster film, featuring interviews with Edward Norton, director Louis Leterrier, and producers Avi Arad, Kevin Feige and Gale Anne Hurd and the entire cast and crew. The documentary covers the film’s innovative take on the character, look and storyline, as well as the casting process, production and profile of director Louis Leterrier.
• Becoming The Hulk: This featurette focuses on Edward Norton’s approach to the iconic role and the incredible visual effects employed by award®-winning studio Rhythm & Hues to create the character on screen.
• Becoming The Abomination: From the first motion-capture session to the visual effects at Rhythm & Hues, viewers go behind the scenes with actor Tim Roth and watch as he transforms both his mind and body into the super villain known as The Abomination.
• Anatomy of a Hulk Out: Behind-the-scenes looks at three of the movie’s most exciting action sequences.
• From Comic Book to Screen: See the incredible comic books come to life courtesy of narration, sound effects and “living” panels of action.
• Feature Commentary With Director Louis Leterrier And Cast
• Digital Copy: Compatible with PC, Mac or iPod.
• Deleted Scenes

Blu-Ray Exclusive Features:

• U Control: Universal’s exclusive signature feature, U Control puts viewers one click away from going deeper into the making of the film without ever interrupting the movie, through animated comic book panels, storyboards, early renderings of the visual effects, interactive cast and crew interviews and exclusive information about the characters, back story, and THE INCREDIBLE HULK physics.
• Thunderbolt Files – Explore the top-secret files of the forces hunting The Hulk with this interactive feature that takes you deeper into the movie – without ever leaving the film.
• Scene Explorer – Discover the secrets behind the special effects! Explore all the individual layers that go into an effects-intensive scene with this unique Blu-ray feature.
• Comic Book Gallery – Enjoy a Hi-Def experience of the classic comic book images that inspired key shots in the movie.
• BD-LIVE FEATURES – Blu-ray and Playstation3 players with an Internet connection can access exclusive interactive applications that allow viewers to communicate with friends and family while watching the film:
  • My Chat – Just plug your player into your Internet connection and connect to BD-Live to chat with friends while watching the movie and conduct your very own private screening discussions.
  • My Scenes Sharing – Share your favorite clips with your buddies through the BD Live Internet connection

And the “Slowest news of the day” award goes to:  Dancing With The Stars!  Good for them.  ABC announced on Good Morning America yesterday the newest additions to this season’s already D list stars.  Sadly, Stacy Keibler has been omitted again.

Kim Kardashian, Susan Lucci and Lance Bass lead this gaggle of gay gooses of 13 dancers for the 2008 season. They are joined by R&B star Toni Braxton, celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito, Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor, Olympic sprinter Maurice Greene, “Hannah Montana” actor Cody Linley, “Married With Children” actor Ted McGinley, actress Brooke Burke and comedian Jeffrey Ross.

Dude.  Ted McGinley?  Freaking Jefferson from Married with Children?!  Awesome.  Dancing With the Stars starts….eh.  Who cares?  Stacy Keibler is breaking my concentration.

When I first heard this movie was getting made my immediate thoughts were something along the lines of, “About 10 years too late.”  The last time Vin Diesel and Paul Walker were even relevent was in 2001 when the original took theatres by storm and became a sleeper hit.  Well two horrible sequels later, and it looks as if the magic from the first one could be back.  It looks like nothing more than a popcorn movie, and that is fine with me.  All the major players from the original are back, and it looks like it just might be that secret guilty pleasure movie that you insist you didn’t like, but secretly own the Blu-ray.  Fast and Furious (not The Fast and the Furious, just Fast and Furious this time) hits theatres in 2009.  Check out the trailer below.

Tim Falletti

CHICAGO- Hitters are streaky.  One moment they can be 0-50, the next they can be 50-50.  In utility man Mark Derosa’s case, he is the later.  The hottest hitter on the Cubs hit his fourth homer in as many games yesterday to lead the Cubs to a 6-1 win. This is the Cubs’ 8th straight series win.  They haven’t done that since FDR was president in 1937. The Cubs are now 80-50, the first team in the majors to hit the 80 win mark.  They are also 30 games over .500 for the first time since 1984.

Pitcher Rich Harden continued to look impressive with a career tying 11 strike outs over 7 innings.  Harden is 4-1 with the Cubs with an incredible 1.47 ERA since his July 8th trade from Oakland.  So what caused this transformation?

I don’t know,” he said. “I think definitely you have to give a lot of credit to (catcher Geovany) Soto. We’ve been working pretty well together. I’m comfortable with him behind the plate. I think a lot of it is mixing up pitches, keeping them guessing.”

Speaking of Soto, the red hot catcher also posted some history yesterday when he hit his 19th homerun tying Randy Hundley for most homeruns by a rookie catcher.  Soto seems a lock for N.L. Rookie of the Year.

The Wall Street journal has posted a great article on their website about the future of big films the company plans on releasing in the next few years….which include a slew of comic book related ones.

Group President Jeff Robinov said, “The long-term goal of the studio is to take advantage of what has become a very global market by focusing on bigger films that require a bigger commitment.”

Like the recent Batman sequel — which has become the highest-grossing film of the year thus far — Mr. Robinov wants his next pack of superhero movies to be bathed in the same brooding tone as “The Dark Knight.” Creatively, he sees exploring the evil side to characters as the key to unlocking some of Warner Bros.’ DC properties. “We’re going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it,” he says. That goes for the company’s Superman franchise as well.

The studio is set to announce its plans for future DC movies in the next month. For now, though, it is focused on releasing four comic-book films in the next three years, including a third Batman film, a new film reintroducing Superman, Watchmen, and two movies focusing on other DC Comics characters. Movies featuring Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman are all in active development.

All I have to say is…..bring on a freaking Plastic Man movie!

The LA Times has spoken with director John Favreau and he has told them that he has started work on the sequel to the summer blockbuster Iron Man.  While no official announcement from the studio has occured, it was an inevitability.  Iron Man was a major success this summer and for good reason.

Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures are targeting an April 30, 2010 release date in order to be thr first film of the summer season, much like Iron Man was this year on May 2nd.

 Justin Theroux is writing the script and Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Terrence Howard are all expected to return.  Only this time with bigger paychecks.

CHICAGO-  The Chicago Bears are a funny team.  On paper, they are quite possibly the most talented defense in the NFC.  In reality they have the best special teams in the NFL.  (I dare someone to say otherwise).  With two out of the three facets a lock, you would think that the Bears would do everything in their power to include the offense in their quest for another run at the Super Bowl.  But nooooo.  The Bears chose the lesser of two evils yesterday in Mr. Neck Beard himself quarterback Kyle Orton.

Orton will start the regular season against the Indianapolis Colts….the second best pass defense in the league last year…..(now with Dwight Freeney!)  The decision was based on Rex Grossman’s performance in the Seattle preseason game just 4 days ago.

“We take a lot of things into consideration,”coach Lovie Smith said. “But in the end, it comes down to a gut feeling you have.

“I feel good about Kyle leading our team.”

He’s about the only one in Chicago that feels that way.  While the fans certainly didn’t want Grossman under center, they aren’t too enthused about Orton either.  In my opinion, the quarterback position is the least of the offenses’ worries right now.  The Chicago Bears do not have a go to receiver yet, and their offense line is the worst in the entire league.  Throw in an invisible running game in rookie Matt Forte, and you have disaster on the offensive side of the ball.

The Bears seem to be leaning toward returner extrordinaire Devin Hester to give them great field position or at least put numbers up on the board dispite the offense, and they seem to be looking for the defense to do the same. 

“He’s got a lot better grasp of the offense, being in it another year,” offensive coordinator Ron Turner said about Orton. “Physically, he’s in really good shape. And he’s playing the best football of his life.”

Physically in week three, Orton will be out due to being sacked sixty times, and Grossman will be back in the starting job. 

The biggest mystery this summer for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation wasn’t a dead body or the loss of one of their own to a gunshot, it was who was to replace Grissom next season.  Well the mystery has been solved and Martix alum Laurence Fishburne will fill the empty bug collecting spot.

Fishburne, an Emmy and Tony winner, will be introduced in the ninth episode of the upcoming 10th season, the network told The Associated Press on Monday. He’ll play a college lecturer and former pathologist who is focused on why people commit acts of violence.

“I am elated and delighted to be joining the cast of `CSI,’” Fishburne said in a statement, adding that he looked forward to a “wonderful collaboration” with those involved in the series.

The air date for Petersen’s final episode has yet to be determined but will be early next year. Petersen has been with the series since it debuted in fall 2000 and will remain a “CSI” executive producer, the network said.

 Tim Falletti

Good ol Danny Wetzel from the good folks at Yahoo just posted something very interesting on his blog.  He says that the current men’s basketball team in Beijing is playing at a higher intensity than the Dream Team of the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona did.  He goes on to say that the current Redeem Team is deeper than that of the original. 

Now, Dan does give his nod to the Dream Team, especially MJ, but as he says, “Immediate reactions to blasphemy aside,” the debate will seriously heat up. 

BLASPHEMY!  Sorry Dan, there is no debate!  Look, this 2008 team is good.  It’s real good.  Hell, Wetzel makes some valid points in his blog.  But if you put these two squads in their prime on the same court, the MJ led Dream Team would wipe out Kobe and Lebron’s team by the average they beat everyone else by: 43.

Imagine some of these matchups if you will.  Kobe on MJ, Lebron on Pippen, Sir Charles Barkley on Carlos Boozer.  The Mailman Karl Malone on Chris Bosh! Ha!  Six foot Chris Paul couldn’t hold John Stockton’s jock.  And I think Chris Paul is fantastic!  But the real difference here is the post presence of each of these teams.  The Dream Team had The Admiral David Robinson!  They had Patrick Ewing!  This Redeem Team’s tallest “Center” is 6-11 Dwight Howard.  Dwight Howard vs. David Robinson is a laugher in the paint.

While I do agree with Dan when he says that this 2008 team plays at a higher level of intensity, I think the reasoning behind that is simple.  The 1992 team played what is essentially known today as “scrubs”.  Sure the competitors were olympians, but The Dream Team were on a whole other planet in terms of ability.  They didn’t have to play intense basketball.  I don’t think you can play intense basketball when you are up by 60 points.

As far as the Redeem Team being deeper…that is up for debate as well.  While Kobe starting and Dwayne Wade coming off the bench is pretty impressive, don’t you think Clyde Drexler coming off the bench is just as or even more impressive?  How about Chris Mullin?  Or Christian Laettner? Christian Laettner in 1992 was a fresh faced college kid that was damned impressive.  Jason Kidd?  Blah.  Michael Redd?  Blah Blah. 

Please don’t take this as a bashfest on this 2008 team.  I think they are enormously talented, and should easily win the gold in Beijing.  I’m sure other countries are better now than they were in 92, but still.  The Dream Team was just that.  The greatest team ever assembled, the best team you can only dream up.  Blasphemy Dan Wetzel.  Blasphemy.

Summit Entertainment announced that director Catherine Hardwicke’s adaptation of Stephanie Meyer’s best-selling book, Twilight will be released on Nov. 21, three weeks earlier than was initially planned.  The studio is taking full advantage of that other little book-to-movie that decided to move to the summer:  Harry Potter.  The November date will give Twilight a lot more breathing room to make box office gold.  No word on if IMAX will pick it up too to replace the Potter series.

This is pretty big news for “Twilighters” because Harry Potter and Twilight pretty much share the same demographic.  The Twilight series has been annointed as the next Harry Potter for some years now, and according to my girlfriend, Edward is dreamy.  But the Edward of the movie is “gay” looking.

More on that shocking development later on in the broadcast.