.| UrbanNerd |.

Source: ComingSoon.net

ComingSoon.net talked to Shawn Ashmore (aka Iceman) about possible future X-Men movies. Here’s a clip:

“I know they are doing a Wolverine prequel and I’ve heard a rumor about a Magneto film… those are all in the past like prequels and origin stories, so I don’t know. There are rumors about an ‘X-Men 4,’ but as far as I’ve been told ‘X3′ was going to be the last big ensemble ‘X-Men’ movie. I would love if they made another one, but I’m not sure that they will,” he told us.

In the interview, available in full at the link above, he also reveals he has a contract in place for a fourth film.

This afternoon, the United Nations rejected a call by “Jedi Knights” in England for recognition of the Jedi faith as an official world religion, RAW STORY has found.

A story today in the English tabloid The Sun reported an appeal to departing Secretary-General Kofi Annan by the Jedi worshippers for official recognition of their religion. The Sun reported that 390,000 people listed “Jedi” as their faith on the 2001 UK Census. The Sun added that the Jedi believers wanted today’s UN International Day of Tolerance changed to an “Interstellar Day of Tolerance.”

But today in New York, the spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations said that Mr. Annan would not make any such move. “The UN is not in the business of certifying religions,” said Mr. Annan’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.

“With or without light sabres,” he added.

When pressed for further clarification, Mr. Dujarric added “If I could be transported to another planet right now, I would.”

Link to full story with video

A new international trailer for Ghost Rider is now online here in various formats. The trailer features a few never-before-seen clips. The international site for the movie is also now online here.

Source: TV Guide

TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello has a casting scoop for Heroes:

Question: Your superpower is super scoop. Save the world and give us some Heroes poop.— Sarah
Ausiello: Fanboys, prepare to piddle yourself. Christopher Eccleston — the original Dr. Who from the current Sci Fi/BBC series — is joining the cast in January in a really super (tee-hee) role. Speaking of cool casting, wait until you see who’s ******* ****’s ****. You’re going to flip.

Heroes airs Mondays on NBC.

Engadget: We’re not exactly sure how they finagled it, but Universal Music announced it plans to collect a share of the thin margin Microsoft’s going to make with each Zune, receiving an unspecified amount for each player sold. In typical RIAA boot camp style, Doug Morris, CEO of Universal said, “We felt that any business that’s built on the bedrock of music we should share in.” So, if we have this straight, according to Universal, any music-playing device sold should provide some profit to them — even if that device will never play a song recorded by Universal. And likewise, Microsoft has no problem setting a new precedent to butter up a big label partner like Universal to possibly be seen as a favorable alternative to the Jobsian iPod-stranglehold on legal music distribution when Apple’s Universal contract is up. (Remember, this isn’t the first time the music industry said it wants a cut of hardware sales.) Is it us, or did something start to seriously reek in here?

Bungie and Microsoft announce multiplayer testing plans

To coincide with the fifth anniversary of Xbox and Halo, Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie have announced that beta testing for the third instalment in the series will begin next year.

The Halo 3 beta test, which is scheduled to start in the spring, will allow gamers to try out the game’s multiplayer mode via Xbox Live – a first for the franchise. Bungie will use the feedback from players to refine the full game, which is due out later in the year.

Microsoft also announced that new maps for Halo 2 will be available via Xbox Live Marketplace around the same time, and that a new 60 second teaser trailer for Halo 3 is on the way.

It will be broadcast on North America’s ESPN channel on December 4, and will simultaneously be shown on Xbox.com – allowing European gamers to watch too.

“Since its original release, Halo 2 has redefined online play, delivering superior multiplayer capabilities in addition to an incredible social experience, and nurturing a constantly growing community through Xbox Live,” said Shane Kim, corporate VP of Microsoft Game Studios.

“After five years of rabid fan interest in the Halo franchise and with more than 4 million users and counting on Xbox Live worldwide, this is the perfect time to invite fans to join the global Halo phenomenon.”

I saw the coming attractions on TV last night… this is definitely getting added to my tivo:

TV network Fox plans to broadcast an interview with OJ Simpson in which the former football star discusses “how he would have committed” the killings of his ex-wife and her friend.

Simpson was acquitted of murder in a widely-watched trial.

The two-part interview, OJ Simpson: If I Did It, Here’s How It Happened, will air on November 27 and 29, the TV network said.

Simpson has agreed to an “unrestricted” interview with book publisher Judith Regan, Fox said.

“OJ Simpson, in his own words, tells for the first time how he would have committed the murders if he were the one responsible for the crimes,” the network said in a statement.

“In the two-part event, Simpson describes how he would have carried out the murders he has vehemently denied committing for over a decade.”

Source

Gamasutra:A new report from analyst firm Compete has surveyed U.S. consumer demand surrounding the upcoming PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles, revealing continuing discrepancies between public concepts of the PS3′s pricing and reality.

According to Compete’s October 2006 survey of active current-generation console gamers, almost half (48%) of those considering a PS3 expect it to cost less than $300. When told of the PS3’s actual retail price, 73% of all gamers and 59% of those considering a PS3 thought it was overpriced.

The Compete survey continues with the interesting claim: “Wii’s price may be right, but a troubling sign for Nintendo emerges on the loyalty front. Nintendo’s strategic decision to simplify its console may in fact be turning off a number of its loyalists. 39% of GameCube owners are considering a Wii purchase while 40% are considering a PS3.”

However, along those same lines, PlayStation loyalty is considerably higher, with 63% of PlayStation 2 owners considering the purchase of a PlayStation 3, according to the firm’s figures.

In addition, Compete has posted a graph of console demand based on the number of U.S. consumers who shopped for the respective consoles at leading online retailers, showing a major spike for the Xbox 360 around launch time last year, and significantly more consumer activity around the impending PS3 launch – though the Wii graph is also trending up sharply.

The Marvel Animation VP discusses plotlines, origins, and possible sequel(s) of the upcoming DVD release.

Crave Online talked to Marvel Animation VP, Craig Kyle about the Invincible Iron Man animated film. The film is an extension of the Ultimate Avengers animated series. Marvel Animation is also planning a Dr. Strange animated film and has recently launched an all new Fantastic Four series on Cartoon Network.

Kyle discussed the setting and updating of Iron Man’s origin: “There are some things that you can’t directly translate so you look for the key elements. It’s a man who is in a foreign land that gets wounded intentionally by other parties and is forced to save his own life and in that process [he] creates a suite of armor and becomes Iron Man. Updating the land and peoples involved in that attack, are really what we changed. It really celebrates the latter half of Iron Man’s life, the villains he faced, the world that is in his future, without hurting the classic origin”.

He also spoke about a plotline: On the “Demon in a bottle” storyline Kyle said “sometimes people bring up the alcoholism aspect and we all know it’s a huge part of Tony’s life but it has not place in our origin film because that’s not where he started.”

Regarding a sequel to the animated feature, he said “if they get behind it I’m all about continuing the saga and we will get there when we need to get there.”

The Invincible Iron Man hits stores on January 23rd, 2007.

The Beatles are coming to an online music store near you “soon.” So says EMI’s head suit David Munns. Why should you care? Well, besides the fact that, you know, the Beatles pretty much invented the modern concept of a rock band, we could see an interesting battle between Apple and Microsoft. Will iTunes or the Zune Marketplace claim such hits as “Yesterday” and “Twist and Shout”? Will you be jamming out to “Day Tripper” on your iPod or Zune?

As we all know, the Beatles are pretty much the only band not available on any of the legitimate online music stores. (I’m sorry, but allofmp3 doesn’t count.) I can’t wait to (possibly) 3 plays/3 days share such obscure hits as “Penny Lane” with random young ladies on the street. “Hey there, hot mama, have you heard of the Beatles? They’re this totally cool band…” (Cue mace to the face.)

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