Seriously, we’re surprised even Karen Allen agreed to do it.

The indefinite postponement is attributed to the script by Drew Goddard. A spokesman for Spielberg says the film is “too important” and the script is “just not ready.” The spokesman also adds that the current version is just too expensive to shoot causing them to rethink what is achievable.

Too expensive for Spielberg? That sounds awesome!! If you’re going to make a movie about killer robots enslaving humanity with Chris Hemsworth attached to star, it sure as fudge had better be too expensive. That’s the kind of stuff audiences like to see. Do this one and take the hit. He owes us after those Transformers movies. (THR)

We’ll learn a lot more about the film when the full trailer debuts on Thursday. Perhaps the camera will continue to dolly around to reveal Abe in full penny pose.

The intention now is to shop the show around to other networks, so there is some hope for fans. I hope that it does find a home some place that can afford it. It’s an expensive series that never found its way creatively. That is to say, we hardly ever got to see dinosaurs eat anybody. This is your second chance. Make the dinosaurs terrifying and you’ll have a hit on your hands. (Deadline)

Williams is credited with some of the most legendary scores in film, including Home Alone, Superman, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and a whole mess of others it doesn’t really behoove me to list. Click here and see for yourself.

Yikes. This is a daunting list. Daunting in that 95% of these films are timeless classics, so it’s kind of hard to critique the guy too much. But if anyone can be blindly critical, I can.

Since I’m no student of film scores (I know what I like, but that’s about it), let’s keep this list confined to “overall bad movies that John Williams was unlucky to be a part of,” shall we?

So, here are the five worst films scored by John Williams.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

As we will soon see, I guess the whole John Williams-Steve Spielberg relationship is “in for a penny, in for a pound.” Or “take the good with the bad,” or some other inane cliché that actually applies here. While Spielberg has used Williams in seemingly every feature he’s undertaken, that means that while Williams has gotten to bask in the glory of The Saving Private Ryans and the Munichs and the Jurassic Parks, he’s also along for the ride on the odd gratuitous project such as the fourth Indiana Jones installment.

This film demonstrated that Harrison Ford is indeed too old for this shit, and Shia LaBeouf is probably just too bad for this shit.

Spielberg: Hey, John! Steven here. Get cracking on the score for another Indiana Jones sequel.

Williams: Terrific. I’ll get started on it right away.

Spielberg: Great. We’re looking for a really catchy piece when the aliens show up.

Williams: Oh, f#ck me.

War of the Worlds

Not bad, just un-special in every way, save for the effects, War of the Worlds was an overblown production that seemed almost instantly forgettable. As for the music, unless it took the form of Tom Cruise as a negligent father, I haven’t the foggiest notion what it as about. Again, it was probably “alien music.” Thank God John Williams is great at chase music, because this movie was largely just that, except when it went into sap mode.

Again, this movie wasn’t terrible, but when virtually every other John Williams movie is enduring, it’s disappointing to come across even one that isn’t.

Of course, this a very subjective list, so feel free to leave your vitriol and death threats in the comments.

War of the Worlds – Steven Spielberg

A great example of what I discussed in the introduction. This film isn’t awful, but it’s very unmemorable. It bears very little of Spielberg’s flourishes, other than it’s a huge production that’s competently directed. Of course, the same thing could be said about a film like Roland Emmerich’s The Day After Tomorrow, or even 2012. There’s not much of a story to be told here, and instead of getting a moving relationship between Tom Cruise’s character and his children, we get sap and explosions.

Jack – Francis Ford Coppola

And here’s one that doesn’t need the context of expectations to disappoint. This is just a bad movie. Directing Robin Williams, especially in a film like this, can’t be fun. The man swallows all the attention around him, except in the most reserved roles. Watching a 40 year-old Williams play a 10 year-old boy who copes with his problems by getting drunk doesn’t play to sentimentality, and isn’t all that interesting of a story. The whole thing plays to the fact that Jack is going to die young, and that looming fate makes it hard to view the movie as anything but sad.

So, what you’re saying is that you’re not to blame for the major lack of quality in Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull?

“I sympathize with people who didn’t like the MacGuffin because I never liked the MacGuffin,” he says. “George and I had big arguments about the MacGuffin. I didn’t want these things to be either aliens or inter-dimensional beings. But I am loyal to my best friend. When he writes a story he believes in — even if I don’t believe in it — I’m going to shoot the movie the way George envisioned it.”

That’s admirable. Doesn’t explain The Terminal, but still admirable. (Empire)

The film was released today on Blu-ray DVD in the Jurassic Park Trilogy Box Set. Now, the second and third films aren’t as beloved as the first, so some of you might be hesitant to purchase the entire series. But you shouldn’t be. The first film is worth that money alone. And come on, the second film isn’t as bad as you remember (since Jeff Goldblum is awesome and insane). The third film is… never mind.

So, what are you getting with this blu-ray? You’re getting the best possible picture for these films. It’s crisp, colorful, and gorgeous. The sound is as amazing as if you were in a theater, and if you have 7.1 surround sound, you’ll enjoy it even more.

Wit the box set, you’re also getting all the extras from the DVD releases plus a great six-part documentary about the making of the trilogy. It clocks in at just over two hours and it’s worth watching every minute. The first film gets three parts. You get to see the original stop-motion dinosaur animation, and thank God they went digital (though hearing the animators talk about it is pretty sad.) All the actors are back, and they are a pleasure to listen to (especially Jeff Goldblum…again, awesome and insane). And of course, hearing Steven Spielberg talk about making movies is about as entertaining as his movies.

The second film has two parts, which are more of the same, but still highly interesting for Jurassic Park fans. And then the third film gets one part, and it starts with talking about the Jurassic Park ride, which is sort of funny if you think about it. But, give it a watch anyway. William H. Macy is cool and he talks a lot.

The trilogy is released today with an SRP of $79.98, but many retailers are selling it for much less. In my opinion, this is definitely one you need in your Blu-ray collection.

Shia Labeouf has already said that he won’t be returning to the project, so the studio is looking elsewhere for a leading man. Though no offers have been made, nor discussion taken place, the name being kicked around right now is Jason Statham, which seems both unsurprising and pretty logical. And though Bay is committed to producing the film with Spielberg, sources say that he is also interested in directing, because he doesn’t want to live in a world where Michael Bay isn’t directing a Transformers movie.

A lot of talent went into making this film. Steven Spielberg directed, Peter Jackson produced, with WETA building the impressive world in which the characters swashbuckle. All that, and a script from Joe Cornish (Attack the Block), Steven Moffat and Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz). What’s your take on the trailer? Super-awesome or waxy-skinned and creepy?

I nominate Tintin to replace Harrison Ford at Indiana Jones.

We can find out for sure when the film is released on Christmas Day.

Here are five reasons why a fifth installment is a very, very bad idea.

IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM

Ford has said that he’s more than game for another if the script is there. He’s also been pretty open that cash is the motivating factor here. Why? Doesn’t he have enough that he can afford to try out new roles and take a risk on new franchises? Calista Flockhart can’t possibly be eating him out of house and home. He should take a page out of Indy’s book and realize that greed always leads to demise. In the words of Professer Henry Jones Sr., “Indiana… let it go.”

HIGHLY-UNLIKELY PLOT

Throughout his adventures Indiana Jones has killed approximately 9 million Nazis. Give or take. Don’t you think that the Nazis – a highly-organized and brutal killing force — would seek retribution on the part-time adventurer/college professor? Yes. He’s used to tumbling with assassins, but his guard can’t always be up. You’d just figure that they’d find a way to off him before he reaches old age. He can’t always have a monkey around to taste his food.

PRESERVE THE MEMORY

With each slapdash return to the well, the overall memory of Indiana Jones is sullied. Mention the series to any fan and there will inevitably be some sour grapes. Let us remember Indiana Jones at his best and in his prime, with a whip in one hand and a precious artifact in the other rather than a script rote with hackneyed premises.

THE FRIDGE HAS BEEN NUKED

Yes. Earlier entries in the saga featured faces magically melting, still-beating hearts ripped from chest cavities, and invisible walkways. However, those scenarios didn’t come off as far-fetched. The same can’t be said of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. In this entry, Jones rides out a nuclear blast in a refrigerator (everyone knows that discarded fridges are the Devil‘s suffocation boxes), teams up with monkeys, and encounters aliens. Aliens. That’s just too far-fetched, even for the movie series that features an immortal Knight of the Round Table.

SHIA LaBEOUF

Put. Down. The. Hat.

I just got the opportunity to interview him at Comic-Con and it was a dream come true.  Well, I only got to ask one question, but still.  This man has been part of so many films I love.  I mean, he’s a genius.  He’s a big part of my childhood.  And…AND…I actually loved Cowboys & Aliens.  I think it was a bad idea to premiere it at Comic Con when almost every single reviewer was exhausted/hungover/brain dead.  I think it might have been over-exposed, which builds up expectations to a fever pitch.  Nothing could possibly live up to the hype.  I thought it was fun.  I thought the cast was amazing.  I had an absolute blast watching it.  I just think we have a bit of alien fatigue.

Get The Alien Cribs Tour In 'Cowboys & Aliens' Trailer

We’re not innocent enough to believe in the goodness of the world anymore.  Not when profit or death is involved.  It’s why Super 8 was one of the only alien films this year that worked.  It played on the nostalgia of a more innocent time.  (Wrote a little piece on it.  Take a look.)  But there are only so many ways to do aliens in a film.  Steven is an expert on all things alien (he even gave Jon Favreau some tips on the alien design for Cowboys & Aliens), but even the great man himself can give us too much of a good thing.  This year alone, he’s got Super 8, Cowboys & Aliens Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and the TV show, Falling Skies.  There are other topics!  And Steven, haven’t you done enough with aliens?  Robot aliens, aliens in mech suits, aliens mining for gold, aliens whose ship building blocks look like little silver Rubik’s cubes…I still haven’t forgiven him for the aliens at the end of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  And all of this in addition to all the non-Spielberg alien films out recently.  Battle: Los Angeles Paul I Am Number Four, Mars Needs Moms…the list goes on.

New 'Tintin' Trailer Proves Mo-Cap Doesn't Have To Suck

{post-video postid=”219581″] “This movie I’m making for all of you,” Spielberg said. “Some I make just for myself. I do that sometimes when the subject matter is very sensitive and very personal. I really can’t imagine I’m an audience. I would lose myself too much if I thought of myself as an audience. There are other kinds of genre films I need to be able to make as an audience sitting right with you. Tintin is such a movie.”

So we may count on the Spielberg touch, but if we’ve never read Herge’s books, we’re still wondering what Tintin is and what’s so adventurous about him. Well, he’s a reporter who gets into trouble and has to find a way out. Here’s one example of such trouble, and also the unique approach to the characters in Tintin.

“Tintin does fall in a hole in our story but he gets out quick enough to allow the story to continue,” Spielberg said of a famous Tintin story he recreated on film. “So we don’t spend too long in the hole. There’s a lot of plot. Look at the Herge books. What makes it delightful [is] in the middle of that forward motion, we take time for the characters to have a relationship with each other. We take time for Capt Haddock to moan about what brought him to drink. In the first movie, we go back to Captain Haddock’s ancestors. We get to know a lot about why Captain Haddock is the man he is today. We’re very concerned with keeping the narrative moving because Herge was too, but in honoring Herge it was important to take the rest stops.”

The Adventures of Tintin opens this December.

Spielberg said that a writer has been commissioned and a script is underway, with a story in place. Going against the evasive nature of most directors when asked about such prestige projects, Spielberg also volunteered that JP4 will be hitting theaters in the next “2-3 years.” Not to be a pessimist, but my money’s on “3.”

He didn’t divulge any further details, nor his capacity in the production, but it’s a hell of a lot more info than we had yesterday, so we’ll take what we’re given.

Oh, and in case there was any question, this little Q&A went down in Hall H of Comic-Con 2011, San Diego, California, USA, The World.

Deadline reports that Michael Chiklis will be taking his brand of “stocky and bald” to Taylor Hackford‘s Parker, playing the villain opposite Jason Statham‘s hero. Two bald men enter, but only one will leave…

Walton Goggins, who has made a fair amount of noise as the ambivalent Boyd Crowder on Justified, will be taking his homespun southern mannerisms and batshit crazy hair to Spielberg’s Lincoln, where he will play Ohio (not southern, I know) Congressman Wells A. Hutchins, a rep who champions the abolishment of slavery. Nice work there, Boyd. This role comes on the heels of this summers Cowboys and Aliens and the Straw Dogs remake. This guy just loves all things southern! And who can blame him? It’s a wonderful cardinal direction!

‘The Adventures of Tintin’ Teaser Has A Whole Mess Of Danger

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn: Longest Title Ever opens in the U.K on October 26, and in the U.S. on December 23. Hey Brits, don’t yell spoilers across the pond to us Yanks.

6 photosNew Photos From ‘War Horse’ Have 0 Pictures Of Horses Shooting Guns

The teaser trailer for Steven Spielberg‘s War Horse is finally here and it’s as lush and sweeping as you’d expect. Here we see the titular horse run through epic WWI battles and the lives he encounters throughout the warfare. But the story isn’t just a horse running through explosions though that would be pretty metal. It’s actually about a young man named Albert and his horse, Joey, who in taken from him and sold to the cavalry. Albert is too young to enlist but still heads to France to save his four-legged friend. Just like when the dealership took back my Kia. I almost went the next town over to retrieve it.

Okay, maybe not just like.

If this were just a movie about cool robot fights, that would be awesome. That’s not what it is though. The robot fights are only okay at best, and it’s not a lack of plot that’s the problem. There’s TOO MUCH plot. Guys, stop telling Hollywood you want more story in your blockbusters. They don’t get it. They think it just means adding more explanation. Each sequel has a BIGGER plot that overshadows the action by sheer magnitude.

See New 3D 'Transformers: Dark Of The Moon' Trailer, If You've Got The Tech

I kind of dig the idea that the space program was really a government mission to investigate a crashed Cybertron ship on the moon. Just leave it at that. Don’t explain how Sam (Shia Labeouf) goes on job interviews making racist comments to Japanese stereotypes. Don’t have Charlotte (Frances McDormand) come in to reign in the Autobots until it’s too late. Don’t have Dylan Gold (Patrick Dempsey) explain… whatever it was he knew about. If it’s only about the robots, why apologize for that by contriving a long convoluted conspiracy plot? Is it guilt?

Of course Michael Bay introduces Sam’s new girlfriend Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) with an ass shot. Sam’s just used to having hot girlfriends now so he just complains about his job prospects and gender dynamics with disparate income levels. One of Sam’s little robot friends (either Brains or the other one) even comments on his last girlfriend, the mean one. Mom actually says, “What a gorgeous box” while a close-up of Huntington-Whitley is on screen. I mean, I’m not reading too much into this, am I? There was a possible hentai scene with Decepticon tentacles threatening her. Missed opportunity there.

9 photos‘Transformers 3′ Rolls Out Shiny, New Stills

There’s really not any action while all of this is going on. A few office machines turn into robots and the Autobots blow through some Iraqi roadblocks, but that’s just busy. It’s not really action. About an hour in there’s an okay freeway chase, but it’s totally derivative of the better freeway chase in Transformers 1 with the bus.

Finally the climactic battle goes on for about 55 minutes. That would be enough for sheer volume, if you’d gotten to it in 45 minutes. 90 minutes in, you’ve already burned that bridge. I still wasn’t engaged like in the first film. The tilted building is okay, like Inception with real world physics. Five minutes into that sequence, we see there are still people in the offices. Were they just trying to finish their work the whole time?

The IMAX does look better in the 2.35:1 ratio than the full frame IMAX sequences of Revenge of the Fallen. The 3-D cameras force it to remain steady. Even handheld shots are careful. But what really looks cool is the trailer to Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. With a full IMAX sequence on the Burj Khalifa, that movie looks fantastic!

A World’s End

The long awaited end of the trilogy begun with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz might not be a genre movie at all. “One thing Edgar and me have discussed, we’ve been away for a weekend and got things going, is that we’re not going to just do what we’ve done before,” Pegg said. “Even though we want this film to be like Shaun of the Dead times Hot Fuzz, we’re not the genre guys. I think people want to figure us out and they want to know who we are. That’s not it. So we’re not going to do okay, let’s do cowboys next. What Edgar and I are trying to do is fit in some writing time before I start Star Trek.”

The Adventures of Tintin

‘The Adventures of Tintin’ Teaser Has A Whole Mess Of Danger

Trailers for Tintin have come out and most audiences are still confused. It’s motion capture, it’s Belgian, but having played a character in it, Pegg says it’s all quite noticeably a Steven Spielberg movie.

“Yes, because you can feel his DNA in the way that it moves. I’ve seen some of it. Motion capture is more like directing live action because you are dealing with a 3D environment. You’re moving the camera around a 3D environment, but that 3D environment is digital. It’s not real. All the way that the camera moves, it’s Steven and you definitely feel that.”

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Suffice it to stay, Pegg has a bigger part in the sequel to Mission: Impossible III. “I had two days on Mission: Impossible III. That was it. I did seven months on the fourth one so yeah, I go back.”

Rumor has it Jeremy Renner is positioned to take over the franchise from Tom Cruise, but Pegg says it’s ambiguous. “It has been bandied around. Looking at the film as it is, I don’t think so. It’s anyone’s guess really. It certainly sets up a new IMF agent who can return and who is an Ethan level player. We’ll see. I honestly don’t know. It’s one of those things that there’s a lot of life in that story because it is a kind of Bond thing that you can just have iterations of different adventures and different teams and stuff. I can’t say really. I don’t want to give anything away. It’s another Mission: Impossible but it’s an evolution I think. There’s some great character stuff in it. There’s some incredible action.”

On the photos of Tom Cruise scaling the Burj Khalifa in Dubai:

Pegg got an even better view of that stunt. “He leapt out the window of the tallest building in the world and looked back in at all of us, this huge sh*t eating grin on his face. The guy’s a machine. It’s insane. He was like running like a spider along the side of the Burj Khalifa. I’m glad that was seen because I wouldn’t want anyone to watch the movie and not know he did that because he did do that. I was just feeling sick saying that. What are you doing you crazy bastard? Yeah, it’s going to be good.”

Pauls

‘Paul’ Looks Like A Kids Film With Lots Of F-Bombs

Pegg and Nick Frost actually have an idea for a sequel to Paul too. Like that other classic alien franchise, the sequel will just be plural. “Nick and I have this idea that we had out on the way to Area 51 that was really funny. It was like oh, this could be great. It would cost an absolute fucking fortune. If it involved more than on Paul, it would mean that we’d have to have twice that budget again. The idea was it was called Pauls. Again, it was like From Dusk Til Shaun, that title is so good we have to make that film.”

A big motivation for Pegg to do another Paul was he’d like to recreate the experience of traveling the country and working with American comedians in supporting roles. He promises he’ll still write a good script though. “I do have enough principles to stop me doing that just for the sake of it. It would have to be a good idea, but I’ve just been thinking about that recently. You ask yourself why you do what you do. It’s not for the reward. It’s for the experience, not the product.”

5 photosPretty Pictures from Steven Spielberg's 'Terra Nova'

THR reports that Steven Spielberg is in dino-mode again and having talks with screenwriter Mark Protosevich about returning to Isla Nublar for Jurassic Park 4. But don’t expect to buy life-sized dinosaur egg jawbreakers at WalMart just yet. Both Universal and Spielberg’s camp have stressed that there is not a script in the works as of now. These talks are purely exploratory and depend on concept and whether or not today’s audiences want to see Garret Dillahunt get eaten by raptors.

Our interview evolved into a mutual geek fest. This is the Academy Award nominated screenwriter of Saving Private Ryan. Turns out he’s as big a fan of post-apocalyptic action at I am. So here’s the scoop on “Falling Skies,” premiering Sunday on TNT, and an Oscar caliber look at my favorite subgenre.

Spielberg Continues His Love Affair with Aliens

Q: The aliens are cool but how much human opposition is there? They run into one gang in the beginning, but are there more?

Robert Rodat: It’s chaotic. Now that we’ve established that not everybody is in the resistance, which would be unrealistic in a chaotic situation, hey, we can do all sorts of stuff. We can have little groups here. We can have bad guys, we can have mixed guys. We might have somebody who’s into religion. There’s all sorts of paths we could go. Where we go, I don’t know but I think the idea that there’s more than one oppositional group, it’s not just the aliens but it’s the aliens and the complexities of the humans, some of whom are going to be adversarial, I think that’s exciting. I think that’s cool.

Q: In the first season, how many other human elements are there?

RR: Well, we do something I think is really cool. I shouldn’t reveal too much but the guys you see in episode 2 are not the only humans they’re going to run into. We do what we consider really exciting stuff about halfway or 2/3 of the way through the season.

6 photosMoon Bloodgood

Q: I liked that the aliens we see are more one on one, or one on two encounters. If you did an army of CGI aliens, it would look cheap.

RR: Well, there was a conceptual thing there too and not just a budgetary thing because if you think about it, these aliens are so overwhelming in power that if they were all still there, there wouldn’t be a show because they’d just wipe us out. So the only way we could make it make sense would be that there was a huge number of aliens and then the bulk of them left and left only a small garrison. So in a way, the aliens are kind of outnumbered too. Otherwise, logistically it would make no sense.

Q: Have we seen every type of alien in the first episodes?

RR: That I’m not authorized to say. We do have some surprises planned.

Q: What about the idea of harnessing. We’ve seen pod people and puppet masters. What was your take on this alien control of humans?

RR: That was one of the very first things that Steven [Spielberg] said. When we were working out the initial stuff, the thing that excited him was the idea that adults are killed if they’re a threat, and kids are captured for whatever reason and changed or altered. The harness was a logical outgrowth of that. Then what we’ll explore is what the harnessing does to the kid over the course of the show but that also is something that’s going to have to unveil itself gradually.

Q: That was Spielberg’s idea?

RR: No, I think the harness came from me but the idea that they were enslaving kids. I don’t remember the exact genesis.

Q: He’s explored that before, even in Temple of Doom with the kidnapped kids.

RR: Yeah, and the idea that the kids would be altered by their enslavement came. Then I started trying to figure out what’s the mechanism for that so that’s where the harness came from.

Q: It’s pretty hardcore starting out with the kids telling the story of how all their parents were killed by aliens.

RR: You know, people have accused me of making that, have said is that a budgetary issue?

Q: Oh, it comes across as a dramatic issue.

RR: I hope so because I sat down at the beginning, in the initial outlines I actually had a five page montage of the actual invasion. I wrote a few drafts of it and I looked at and say, “Ay-yay-yay, I’ve seen this before. There’s no emotion to this. It feels like one of those montages.” The children’s thing was a happy accident that was cost effective, but I think it’s much more emotional than one of those montages and cost $1.5 less.

“Falling Skies” premieres on TNT this Sunday at 9/8c.

Stone may be the most recent high-profile victim of such a plot, but she’s hardly unique. Throughout the years, celebrities have been constantly targeted by would-be kidnappers looking for a quick score. Here are seven examples.

Note: Why no Lindbergh baby? Because baby murder is a downer, ya sicko.

David Letterman

In 2003, David Letterman became a father. Fifteen months later, a house painter at his Montana ranch was arrested for plotting to kidnap the child as well as the boy’s nanny. Kelly Frank plead guilty to lessor charges, and was sentenced to 10 years. However, he briefly escaped in 2007, before being apprehended a few days later.

Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham has been the victim of at least two kidnapping plots, and one credible death threat. Well, I guess that’s the price you pay for being part of one of the most annoying bands in history. In 2000, Scotland Yard detectives moved Victoria to a safe house after a plot to kidnap her and her child was discovered. A second plot was foiled in 2002, but no one was charged, and there is some debate as to the credibility of the threat. However, the most interesting event happened in March of 2000. While rehearsing for the Brit Awards, a red dot appeared on Beckham’s chest, causing a panic. She was rushed off the stage, but no one was hurt. However, a fire-exit door was found open, leading to speculation that it had been used by the would-be assassin. Unfortunately, police were never able to apprehend me the suspect.

Frank Sinatra Jr.

While dinning at a Lake Tahoe restaurant, Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped, blindfolded, placed in a trunk, and driven to Los Angeles. He was released unharmed two days later after his father paid $240,000 in ransom. The perpetrators were eventually caught, and the money was returned. As if the kidnapping was bad enough, Sinatra also had to endure rumors that he set the whole thing up in order to gain publicity for his fledgling music career, a charge that was completely false, although somewhat hilarious.

Russell Crowe

According to the FBI, Russell Crowe was the victim of a 2001 kidnapping plot by al-Qaeda, which was part of a larger plan to “culturally destabilize” the United States. I’m not sure how kidnapping a bunch of actors, especially those from Australia, would damage the U.S., but I will say I like the plan a lot better than the one they went with: hijacking planes and flying them into buildings. For a while, Crowe received protection from Secret Service agents, although they were tight lipped about the exact nature of the threat. According to an interview with GQ, Crowe says he “never fully understood what in the f*ck was going on.”

Steven Spielberg

Not all kidnapping plots revolve around money. Sometimes, they revolve around the voices in your head. At least that was the case with Jonathan Norman, a paranoid schizophrenic fan who was found trespassing on the Steven Spielberg’s property. Police found “pictures of Spielberg and his family, duct tape, curtain rods, handcuffs and a utility knife” in Norman’s possession, and claim he ultimately intended to rape the director. Despite the fact that Spielberg’s last sequel raped the memory on Indiana Jones, I’ve never been a big believer in “an eye for an eye,” so I’m glad Norman’s plan fell apart.

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones

This celebrity couple was so worried about the prospect of their children being kidnapped that they allegedly hired ex-special forces members as bodyguards. Whether or not this level of security is warranted is debatable, but given Douglas’ personal history, it’s easy to understand. At the age of six, he was the victim of an attempted kidnapping outside his father Kirk Douglas’ apartment. Luckily, he managed to escape and hide until the would-be kidnappers gave up.

Madonna

The Material Girl’s conversion to Kabbalah wasn’t enough to keep her safe in the Holy Land. Considering the source of the threat, perhaps it actually made things worse. In 2004, a Palestinian group sent the singer threatening letters with detailed information about her children. Madonna was so disturbed by the event that she decided to cancel her remaining Israeli concerts.

Sources: The Telegraph, Popeater

I met Bloodgood in January when TNT unveiled “Skies” to the Television Critics Association. She was much more of her usual glamorous self, in a leggy dress at the non-apocalyptic Langham Hotel in Pasadena. I still believed if the roof blew off Roland Emmerich style, she could suture my wounds with a Prada belt.

Kids Cry About Aliens In 5 Minute Preview Of Spielberg’s ‘Falling Skies’

Q: The aliens are cool, but what I always love about these stories are the survivors trying to find supplies.

MB: And then what’s important to you because money now has no relevance. It’s just paper at this point and you need something like canned food, water. Things change and other things become essential.

Q: And your character was a pediatrician and that becomes the medic now.

MB: Yeah, a pediatrician who’s now forced into a situation where I have to be the head doctor and I’m in charge of anything. Anything that goes wrong, I have to either do it by theory or possibly do it as I go. I liked playing that because I was nervous even playing a doctor. I kind of used that to look like I didn’t know what I was doing while I was in the scene.

Q: Did you do any research on pediatricians?

6 photosMoon Bloodgood

MB: That, I did. I didn’t do any research on surgery and how to remove [organs]. I even spoke to a pediatrician but I wanted to look like I didn’t totally know what I was doing in terms of the other areas.

Q: The first two episodes are pretty heavy on the action and the guys out in the field. What are we going to learn about you back at the camp in subsequent episodes?

MB: I kind of become the voice of the civilians when it comes to Weaver, which is Will Patton’s character. They have my ear and I have their ear because he’s very, very driven to do what’s right for the military and what’s morally right. I’m kind of more looking out for [the real people.] I see all the people that are hurt and wounded and can’t fight, so I’m back at base camp being mother hen taking care of the kids, looking after Tom’s (Noah Wyle) kids. I obviously have a really fond relationship with Tom. You see my relationship develop with the other characters. Really my primary relationship is with Tom.

Q: Can you buy that, where he was married before the attack.

MB: So was I.

Q: So can you buy that nine months after, two people in that situation can become romantic?

MB: They could but I think you always want to respect the fact that two people were married. Both lost their spouse in a very violent way and you don’t want the audience to say, “Wow, they’re already hooking up. They’ve got a family, their sons are there.” You want their relationship to build and have a natural maturation and respect the prior relationships that just months ago they were alive and they lost their spouse.

Q: The issue of civilians are military is interesting because you can see how they’re a burden on the army. But then what is the arm fighting for in the first place?

MB: It is a total dichotomy of you hold us back from being able to protect us, but if we don’t protect you then we’re doing this all for nothing. You’ve seen that dance all the time between Tom and Weaver and Anne and Weaver. It’s always this struggle because my favorite kind of characters in movies or TV is when you’re watching it as an audience member, you go, “I can understand his point but I can also understand that point.” You have to sit with that question and wrestle with the stuff. I think questions that are easy to answer are never compelling. It’s always the ones that make you think what would I do in this situation, makes you have a little conflict inside.

Q: What is the set like in the camp, the wasteland, on the road in the middle of Toronto?

MB: It’s interesting because it’s supposed to be in Boston but they do a really good job. It looks really desolate. We’re in high school and you see old pictures of people and what was relevant before isn’t relevant now. Then the kids put up pictures of aliens so you see this hybrid of a former life in this ghost town and also the new life that we’re trying to keep creating so we stay sane.

Q: That opening scene with the kids’ pictures is hardcore.

MB: I’m actually sitting there holding them for Matt (Maxim Knight). That’s my hand. I’m going, “What do you see here? What do you see here?” It’s my words, you just don’t see me.

The opening is so hardcore. Children narrate the backstory over school kid drawings of aliens wiping out the army, blasting an EMP, catching kids and harnessing them with spinal implants to be drones. Hell, the kids talk about how all their parents died! So this ain’t about whoopin’ E.T.’s ass. It’s about damn, we just need to make it through.

Tom (Noah Wyle) is second in command to Weaver (Will Patton), but Tom’s the star. His son Ben has been harnessed, but he’s got two other kids with him. He used to be a history professor so he puts all the sci-fi into historical context. At this point they already have terminology and signals to mobilize and organize missions.

Aliens Terrorize Noah Wyle And Stephen Webber

My favorite part of these survival stories is always: Where do we find supplies when everything is gone? Well, “Falling Skies” has got that. The supermarkets are already picked over, so they have to go out of the way and find warehouses, and even those are half-raided. They do eat a cupcake in one scene. I don’t know how that stayed fresh. It wasn’t Hostess, and it’s spent 9 lonely months in the bakery section.

The social aspect is really interesting too. With episodic television they have time to really explore how much the characters’ lives have changed. Anne (Moon Bloodgood) used to be a pediatrician. Now she’s the medic in the field. Tom used to tell his teenage son he couldn’t ride his bike at night. Now he gives him ammo for the road. Even the kids reminisce about what life used to be. They’d rather be in school than fighting aliens (so be careful what you wish for, kids).

The new makeshift military is in conflict with the “civilians.” It’s funny because the military was wiped out so these soldiers were also civilians. They take the perspective that the civilians are a burden in this battle, but of course the civilians are all we’re fighting for. What do we win if we eliminate our society in the process? That will be fascinating week to week. Tom has historical context to analyze that conflict too. There also seem to be other human factions to cause problems for the survivors.

Of course it’s an action show and the battles so far are cool. It’s more one on one, or one on two fights with the aliens. That’s better because if they did a whole CGI army of aliens it would just look cheap. I’m sure they’ll get there at some point but the intimate scuffles are good. The burnt out streets look like the future war in The Terminator.

The aliens resemble lizard octopi. They look impressive, obviously CGI and maybe some practical ones, but they’re definitely mean aliens. And when they bring one down, you kind of feel for the dying alien with a close-up on his gasping face. But don’t be killing us and taking our children, dudes.

I’m into “Falling Skies.” I don’t necessarily care that it’s aliens, but I don’t mind. They’re the monsters, but it’s the shambles of society and how we put it back together that have me hooked.

Though speculation is that this poster wasn’t created by Struzan rather another artist adoptin the Master‘s style. Case in point, Kyle Chandler’s face. Does he have the mumps? Oh man, what if he gets the mumps in the movie and now it’s ruined for everyone. Damn your Easter Eggs, Abrams!!

Super 8 opens in theaters this Friday and will be available on VHS tape in the fall.  Check out the poster below and how to catch an early screening below that. (via IMP Awards)

PARAMOUNT AND TWITTER TEAM UP FOR FIRST-EVER ‘TWEET MOVIE SNEAK PREVIEW’ OF “SUPER 8” ON JUNE 9th

MOVIE FROM J.J. ABRAMS AND STEVEN SPIELBERG SET TO PLAY ON OVER 300 IMAX® AND OTHER SELECT PREMIUM SCREENS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ONE DAY AHEAD OF ITS NATIONWIDE RELEASE

HOLLYWOOD, CA (June 8, 2011) – Paramount Pictures and Twitter jointly announced today sneak preview showings of the movie SUPER 8 for 1-day only on Thursday, June 9th, in advance of the film’s scheduled nationwide release on Friday, June 10th. To promote the sneak previews, the companies have designated the hashtag #Super8Secret, which Paramount has also sponsored as a Promoted Trend, allowing Twitter’s global user base a direct link to buy tickets to the advanced previews. At select, participating theatres in the United States, Super 8 Sneak Preview moviegoers will be treated to a free popcorn (with a concession purchase) at each sneak preview show. Hosting movie sneak previews marks a first for Twitter. This promotion continues a key partnership between Paramount and Twitter on SUPER 8. The duo joined forces in March for the movie’s exclusive trailer premiere via Twitter, another exciting first for the site.

SUPER 8, from writer/director J.J. Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg, will open exclusively tomorrow, June 9th, on over 300 screens nationwide, featuring all 239 IMAX playdates in the U.S. and Canada.  Fans can go to www.Twitter.com/Super8Movie <http://www.Twitter.com/Super8Movie> and use #Super8Secret to share information about the movie with friends. To be among the first to see SUPER 8, visit www.Super8-Movie.com/Sneak <http://www.Super8-Movie.com/Sneak> for tickets and show times.

“With SUPER 8, J.J. and Steven have created a really fun and engaging movie for all ages,” said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures. “We are excited to finally get it out into the marketplace and using this sneak preview promotion with Twitter to kick start the film’s release, is an unprecedented way to get people into theaters and talking about the movie.”

“Twitter is how we hear about new movies and share our tiny reviews before the credits finish rolling,” said Biz Stone, Twitter cofounder. “There are already millions of people talking about SUPER 8 on Twitter and Paramount gets that. Creating more excitement about the film with sneak previews and free popcorn is a smart way to make this film a global conversation even before it’s released.”

“Twitter has the incredible capability of spreading buzz in real-time, as well as fostering communal conversations that encapsulate large audiences in a matter of seconds. We believe these elements are key in promoting a movie like SUPER 8 that has such incredible playability and the potential for unlimited positive word of mouth,” said Amy Powell, Paramount’s Executive Vice President, Interactive Marketing Strategies & Film Production.

SUPER 8 is an Amblin Entertainment / Bad Robot production, directed by Abrams from his original script and produced by Steven Spielberg, Abrams and Bryan Burk.  The film stars Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, Gabriel Basso, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee and Zach Mills. The movie takes place in the summer of 1979, where a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth – something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.

For more information, go to www.Super8-Movie.com <http://www.Super8-Movie.com> .

Follow Super 8 on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Super8Movie <http://www.Twitter.com/Super8Movie> .

#Super8Secret

The first clip shows off the chemistry between the child leads, Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning. It’s a pretty sweet scene though you do witness the birth of a future necrophiliac. And in the second clip, we see Kyle Chandler in a stylish G.I. Joe outfit and a surly attitude.

Anyway, help out this poor little lamb of a blockbuster film by J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg by putting the below clips in your eyeballs’ bellies. Then decide if you want to head out to theaters this weekend. Those guys could really use the support.


Super 8 Clip – Watch more Funny Videos


Super 8 Triage Clip – Watch more Funny Videos